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We will be holding a monthly skills contest with prizes such as FREE DVDs, subscriptions to our Elite Skills Membership Program, NIKE apparel and more. Coaches and parents: This is a great opportunity to get your kids excited about skill development! Check out the video below for our first contest: 2 Ball Skips in 30 Seconds. Can you Beat Me?! If you beat my score you need to film it and upload a video response on our YouTube page here. Good luck!
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.
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You often hear Coaches or T.V. announcers refer to players as “self made.” How else are players made? Coaches and trainers can provide all the tools for players to improve, but it is up to the player to put in the time and effort.
The book “When the Game was Ours” by Jackie MacMullen tells about the lives of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and their relationship with one another. Here are two of the many stories about the legendary work ethics of two of the greatest players ever.
During his summers with the Celtics Larry Bird would get up at 7am and run 5 miles uphill. Then he would ride his bike through the Indiana country for 20 miles. This was followed by 500 jump shots and 500 free throws. It was only the start of his workout and it was all done before noon.
When Magic Johnson was in high school, Dick Vitale, who was coaching in Detroit at the time, showed up at the Johnson household one winter morning shortly after 6am. When Vitale asked for Magic, his mother told Vitale that he had already left for the day. He was at the park shooting jumpers before school in the blistering cold of a Lansing winter morning.
You can make excuses about how you don’t have time or you don’t have a gym or whatever else you can think of. The truth is that is that’s all garbage. If you really want to be great you find the time, you find the space, and you make it happen.
As a skill development trainer it is my job to teach and drill players, preparing them for situations they will encounter on the court. Different situations on the court require different solutions. A lot of player’s games are severely limited by a lack of “solutions.” This lack of solutions is no more apparent than watching players trying to finish in traffic.
Here are three basic ways to help you finish better in traffic:
There are countless situations where you need to finish in traffic. Sometimes you need to take it strong, while other times you need to use some finesse. Aside from number one these principles don’t apply for every situation, but they will add a number of “solutions” to your game while finishing around the basket.
I’ve been able to get out and see several high school games since the start of the season. When I watch these games I pay special attention to the fundamentals and skills of each player. Obviously each player and team has their individual strengths and weaknesses, but in the games I’ve seen this year I’ve noticed three common areas where players really seem to struggle. Rather than trying to address each of these areas in one post, I will address each area individually, breaking them down into a three part series. Subscribe now to be notified of Part 2: Reading Screens.
Part 1: Relieving Pressure
Being able to handle defensive pressure is key to the success of any team. I firmly believe that in order to handle this pressure, you must be comfortable with the basketball. Being comfortable with the ball while dribbling and in the triple threat will allow you to see the floor rather than worry about what you are doing with the basketball. Improving you handle will go a long way in how you deal with any type of defensive pressure.
Along with developing your handle, the ability to use a bounce back is crucial for creating space. To execute a bounce back, get sideways and “bounce back” away from the defense. Keep your chin on your front shoulder so you can see the entire floor, push off your front foot and reach with your back foot. It is important that you stay low and use long low strides. Standing upright and “hopping” back is too slow. Lastly, dribble the ball behind your back foot, therefore making sure the ball is protected from the defender.
There are four situations where you to use your bounce back:
1. Full Court 1 on 1 – The defender is running along side you or cuts you off while you are advancing the ball up the floor, bounce back to create space. When the defense tries to recover attack their high foot and blow by them.
2. Full Court Trap – Two defenders have attempted to put a trap on you while you are advancing the ball. Rather than dribbling into the trap and/or picking up your dribble, bounce back and create space so you can see the floor. Remember, if two players are guarding you it means one of you teammates is not being guarded.
3. Ball Reversal of Penetration – In a half court setting you try to penetrate to the hoop, but get cut off by the defense. Again, rather than picking up your dribble and eliminating your passing options use your bounce back to get to the perimeter where you can initiate a ball reversal.
4. Stalling at the end of a quarter or half – While stalling for one shot or trying to kill some clock with a lead get you defender moving and then bounce back to create space and initiate a new 5 second count.
Since the start of the NBA season the entire nation, Milwaukee especially, has been buzzing about Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings. I can truthfully say that I was on the bandwagon as soon as the “Young Buck” was drafted, but I didn’t expect him to be playing as well as he has so far this year.
I have heard or seen countless interviews with and about Jennings and one thing seems to be very clear about him. He understands that in order for him to be successful he needs to put in the extra work. Here is a guy who was at the top of the rankings for his high school class, played a year at the highest level in Europe, and was a top 10 NBA draft pick, but he’s still working his tail off to get better.
Jennings, along with Bucks Assistant Kelvin Sampson, gets to the arena 3-4 hours before the tip to get extra work in. He makes between 200 to 300 floaters each day. That’s right, MAKES 200-300.
There are no secrets for success. Work hard, work smart, be dedicated and good things will happen.
My girlfriend and I recently got a puppy named Eddie. Although he doesn’t understand that he shouldn’t go to the bathroom on the carpet or that everything in the house isn’t a chew toy, basketball players at all levels can learn something from this little pup because he plays low. One of Eddie’s things to do is try to rip a little, red stuffed animal out of my hands. He quickly realized that the only way he can pry his toy out of my hands is to get low and use all the leverage that he can muster.
We always say that players need to “live low.” It doesn’t matter if you are an NBA all star or the last guy off the bench, playing low in a universal stance (knees bent, hips dropped, straight back) is something that any player can employ to improve their game. If you are playing on ball or help D, boxing out, spotting up for a jumper, or driving to the rack, staying low will do several things to help your game.
1) You will be in a better position to create and take contact from other players.
2) Being low puts a player in position to be as explosive as possible.
Think about it. If you were testing your vertical would you jump from a straight up and down position or would you squat down and then explode upward. Obviously you would choose the latter.
Although playing lower is something you can do to make yourself better right now, you need to train you body to be able to stay in a stance at all times. In workouts, practices, and games make a conscious effort to monitor the height at which you play the game. Once you become accustomed to playing low it will be second nature. If you don’t know if you are playing low enough, remember that it is close to impossible to play “too low.” You can ask me or you can ask Eddie, but we will both tell you the same thing: The Low Man Always Wins.
Players are often times looking for a quick fix to improve their games. There are no “quick fixes” in the game of basketball, but there are some things that you can do without any practice that can help you get the attention you may be looking for from your coaches. Here are three things you can implement immediately that will definitely catch your Coach’s eye.
1. Communicate! Coaches are always trying to get their players to communicate better on the floor. Talking is something that any player can do regardless of skill level. Don’t be shy or scared to be vocal on the floor, it’s something you can do right now to make your team better.
2. Be First In Line! Coaches notice when players gravitate towards the front or end of lines in practice. In order to get in the front of the line, you will have to hustle. Always being in the front of the line will show your Coach that you want to be a leader, you understand the need to be efficient in practice, and that you are eager to start drills and improve. Again, this is something you can do immediately that will improve your team.
3. Make Eye Contact! When your Coaches addresses you make sure that you look them in the eye. Keeping eye contact shows that you are listening to the Coach and what they are saying is important to you. Talking, bouncing a ball, or not paying attention sends a message that you would rather be doing something else with your time.
