Tips for starting sharp?

[Back In The Saddle]

I'm kinda like stripes (well, in a very limited way). My wake up call came from missing a backcourt violation right off the tip a year or two back. My pre-game now includes watching for this, and I specifically call it out as a way of demonstrating that we are in the game from the opening tip.

BTW, I believe any time you can find something concrete to watch for or do during a situation, it works better than the more passive "don't miss anything" approach.