Archive for the ‘Mike Lee's Thoughts’ Category

Illinois Select Workout, by Mike Lee

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Last night I had the pleasure of working out the 14U Illinois Select boys team in Rolling Meadows, IL.  We had a great 1.5 hour workout. The kids worked extremely hard and I could see in their eyes the passion that some of them had for the game.  Ray Glassman, the director of Illinois Select, is doing things the right way.  He would jump in some of the drills and offer teaching points, which were right on point.  Simple teaching points like “Play the Ball.  See Your Man”  Simple and short.  The Coach Eastman way!  If you get a chance to play for him and do not take advantage of it you will be missing out on a great opportunity!

Ray is also running the President’s Day Hoop Prospects showcase at the Lake Barrington Fieldhouse.  For more information check out the website here.  I will be running the skills sessions along with 3 Time NBA World Champion, Dickey Simpkings.  Where do you rank?  Come find out!

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 5,000 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

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Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play Vol. 2, by Mike Lee

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Here is the preview for our latest DVD, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play Vol. 2.  You can pre-order the DVD and it will be shipped Mid-February.  Click here for ordering details or visit shop.mikeleebasketball.com

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Elite Skills Membership Program

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Over the past year I have started to receive emails from players and coaches across the world asking for advice on skill development and other basketball related questions.  With our blog we have been able to address a lot of these questions through our free videos, blog posts and our guest, Alan Stein, however I wanted to be able to provide more.

Individual instruction has always been a passion of mine. As a player I was always looking for ways to get better and nothing fulfilled me more on the floor than learning a new concept or skill.  I don’t think I ever enjoyed any part of the game more, except for when I was younger and was engulfed by the kicks, gear, SLAM, the Fab Five and hip-hop dynamic of the game.

Even though I was always looking for ways to improve my skills I don’t think I truly understood how to work on my game until after my senior year in high school.  I didn’t understand how to organize workouts and efficiently work on my game.  This is the reason for our Elite Skills Membership Program.  I hope it not only influences you to work on your game, but shows you how to build your own individual workouts by recognizing your weaknesses and being able to effectively address them in your skills sessions.

With that being said, some drills have been tweaked, but it is mainly a collaboration of drills and teaching points I have picked up over the past 16 years of playing and teaching.  In addition to skill development we’ll be releasing thoughts on mental toughness, motivation, leadership and other mental aspects that are proven skills for success in life and basketball.  If you have the commitment to apply these life skills our Elite Skills Membership Program will assist you in achieving your basketball dreams.

For Coaches: Developing your players is essential to reach your potential as a team.  The more skilled your players are the easier it is going to be to get them to run your offense.  The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter offense you run if your players can’t handle the basketball, pass under pressure, and make plays you won’t be successful.

For Parents: If you are looking for someone to train your kids, but can’t afford one, are looking for new drills or don’t have any qualified trainers in your area this is a solution for you. Our Elite Skills Membership can provide you with all the resources they need to improve their game and get to the next level.  Whether that’s making the freshman team or learning what it takes to play in college, we have you covered.  GUARANTEED!

For Players: Want to know how the elite players in the game train?  We’ll show you how NBA players workout, innovative drills to keep your workouts fresh, and be there to provide advice when you have questions about your skills training.

Free Consultation: We will provide free consultation on skill development training for all of our Elite Skills Members.  Having a problem understanding a certain drill or move?  No problem.  We’ll make sure you are on the right track to improving your game.

Click here to subscribe!

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 3,600 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

http://www.youtube.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.facebook.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.twitter.com/mikeleehoops

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If you haven’t failed you haven’t lived

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

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Innovative Basketball Training: Jay Wolf’s Shooting Strap

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

If you are involved in basketball at any age you probably know that teaching players how to shoot the basketball is one of the hardest skills to teach.  It requires the player to have knowledge of the shooting mechanics and, most of the time, someone there to observe them to make sure they are performing the correct mechanics.  A major problem with players of almost all ages is that they “thumb” the basketball with their guide hand, usually causing side spin or a left/right miss.

Since shooting is so detailed, specific and personal to each player it obviously requires a lot of self-awareness to correct your own shot or teach yourself to shoot with proper mechanics.  Jay Wolf, of New Richmond, WI has essentially cut out half of the learning process for shooting the basketball with his shooting strap.  I have used it with several players that I train and recommend it at all of our shooting camps (I’ve probably sold you at least 50 of these Coach!).  I truly believe like 2 ball drills, Micah Lancaster’s medicine ball workouts, and tennis ball drills, this is truly one of the most innovative basketball training tools that I have ever seen.

With this being said there are still no secrets to the success of shooting the ball.  Even with Coach Wolf’s strap you still need to shoot close to 20,000 shots, with correct form, before you are going to be comfortable going at game speed.  I started working with a player yesterday who drastically used his guide hand to thumb the basketball.  After 1 hour and 600 shots he was already making tremendous improvement using the strap, but he understands that it takes PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to reach your goals at anything.  Will 20,000 shots takes a lot of time?  Depends on how good you want to be.  500 shots a day, 5 days a week for 2 months and you have knocked out 20,000.  You can get up about 500 shots in an hour if you have a rebounder or the Gun.  All I know is that playing the game is a lot more fun when you can shoot the ball!

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 3,600 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

http://www.youtube.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.facebook.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.twitter.com/mikeleehoops

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Marquette Speech Part III: Second to None Work Ethic, by Mike Lee

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Marquette Speech Part III:  Second to None Work Ethic

There is no substitute for having a work ethic and working smart. You Must Deserve Success.  There is no reason that you should achieve something other than the fact that you have truly outworked the next person.  Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but not working hard guarantees failure.

What are you willing to sacrifice?

When I first started Playmakers Basketball (AAU teams, personal training and camps), I was also coaching at a NCAA DIII school and finishing up 15 credits of school.  Needless to say I didn’t have a life.  There would be nights I’d be up until 1AM, sleep on my office floor and be up at 5:30AM for practice.  In the summers I’d drive 18 hours from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania just to work Five-Star and sleep in my car.  You have to sacrifice what you want in the future for what you want at that moment.

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 3,600 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

http://www.youtube.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.facebook.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.twitter.com/mikeleehoops

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Separating Without the Ball, by Mike Lee

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

I’m watching the replay of the New Mexico and Dayton game from yesterday and noticed New Mexico did a great job of not letting Dayton’s pressure stop them from getting into their half-court offense.  When looking to get the ball reversed New Mexico started at the 3 point line, initiated contact with their defender and separated to the NBA 3 point line to catch the pass.  When getting open without the basketball we teach “initiate to separate”.  As Coach Eastman says, “teach in short phrases or sentences, not in paragraphs”.

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 3,600 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

http://www.youtube.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.facebook.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.twitter.com/mikeleehoops

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Marquette Speech, Part II: Be A First Class Learner, by Mike Lee

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

For me, learning inspires and motivates me.  I try to read a couple books a month on personal and professional development.  A great way to bypass a lot of potential mistakes is to “seek wisdom of those who came before you”.

In 2006 I was at the Coach K Leadership Conference at Duke University and was talking with a guy twice my age that owned an investment firm.  I said, a lot of the things these people are talking about I have already read or know.  He said, I think a lot of us are in the same boat, but the difficulty is actually implementing and practicing them.  Always be willing to learn and absorb new information, but stick to your core philosophy.

There is a rumor that Kobe refers to his workout regimen as the “Devil Workout” because he does it 6 hours a day, 6 days a week and 6 months out of the year.  Have the confidence to know that you deserve success, but the understanding and humbleness that you have not yet arrived.

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Be the Difference

Monday, December 28th, 2009

This is the blurb (inside cover) from a book I just picked up from Starbucks.  I was moved by it and I hope you are too…

Throughout your life there’s a voice that only you can hear.  It’s a call to the true value of your life-a call to make a difference that only you can make.  If you never hear it, something magical will be lost.  But if you hear it and heed it, then your life will become a wonderful romance and adventure.  Now is the time.  Jump in.  Make a splash.  Change the world.

How many people does it take to make a difference?  1.

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Bounce Back, by Mike Lee

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I am currently reading John Calipari’s book, Bounce Back, and despite what Bobby Knight recently said, it has some great stuff in it for “Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life”.  A recurring theme in the book is that “someone else almost always has it worse off than you.”  If you have access to the Internet and are reading this blog, chances are that you have life’s basic needs taken care of.  What about those who don’t?  Is your situation really that bad?

Maybe you have gone through something like this before.  Is it a relationship that recently ended, a big game that you just lost or maybe a loved one has passed away?  If it’s a recurring situation figure out why it keeps happening and make a change to how you approach it.  If it’s something out of your control, try as best you can to, step back and look at the big picture.  Whatever happened it has surely happened to someone before, it’s happening to you now and it will happen again in the future.  I would be ignorant to suggest that whatever event has happened does not hurt you deeply and that it should be easy to move on with your life.

With most people having the opportunity to spend time with their family in the next few days, please take the time to let them know that you care.  People who truly love you don’t come around that often.  Don’t take them for granted.  Sometimes the best gift you can give someone for Christmas is letting them know how much you care.

I have actually being going through a personal setback and it’s a coincidence that I am reading his book at this very same time.  I have tried to make changes that I thought I could, but have finally realized that it is out of my control.  It’s now time to take a step back and look at the big picture.  To not dwell on what has happened, but to learn from the past and prepare for my future.  I challenge you to do the same if you have recently experienced a setback in your life.  Like Coach Cal says, “Enough Already!  You’ve Wasted Enough Time Under Those Covers!”

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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development.  He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year.  Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting.  Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained over 3,600 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of  players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level.  In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.

From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC.  In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.

mike@mikeleebasketball.com

Check Out More Videos, Add me as a friend on Facebook or Get Updates on Twitter!

www.mikeleebasketball.com

http://www.youtube.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.facebook.com/mikeleebasketball

http://www.twitter.com/mikeleehoops

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