A way of thinking that breaks a complex or overwhelming goal into the small, controllable actions.
Instead of focusing on the full scale of the problem, attention is directed to what can be influenced immediately. Each “stop & shot” represents a small step that moves the situation on and accumulatively, leads to achieving the overarching goal..
The effect is to reduce pressure, keep System 2 thinking available, and maintain momentum under stress. Large challenges become manageable because they are experienced as a sequence of simple steps rather than a single, unworkable task.
The term comes from elite sport, where players describe turning games around through a series of small, repeatable actions rather than a single dramatic effort.
First introduced in: Stops and Shots: How LeBron James Makes the Impossible Feel Attainable