Posts Tagged ‘basketball specific strength and conditioning’

Train Your Ankles and Feet, by Alan Stein

Monday, May 17th, 2010

A basketball player’s feet are important.  Let me rephrase that.  A basketball player’s feet are extremely important. There are approximately 26 bones and 20 muscles in the feet. That fact alone should shed some light on their significance.

Basketball is (supposed to be) played standing upright on two feet.  Therefore, every movement a player makes on the court is initiated through their feet.  Everything starts with the feet. Similarly, can you guess what the most common injury is for basketball players at every level?

The ankle.

Strong and mobile ankles and feet will lessen the occurrence of injury, decrease the time lost if an injury does occur, and will improve performance on the court.

As obvious as these statements sound, most players and coaches put very littler priority on training the feet properly.  The goal of this blog is to change that. So please, share this with every coach and player you know!

Before I go further, let me make it crystal clear that this is not a research project or case study. This is my blog.  My stance on training the feet and my opposition to ankle braces (and tape) is purely my opinion.  I am in no way trying to refute the advice of a qualified athletic trainer or podiatrist or any legit study that has been conducted.  However, my opinion is based on 10+ years of experience in the field, thousands of hours of observations, a firm understanding of the human body and efficient movement, and numerous conversations with colleagues.

Basketball shoes are designed to be rigid (with stiff soles) to create as much stability as possible. To further increase stability, many players also wear ankle braces or get their ankles taped. Here lies the problem. By creating so much stability, you drastically limit mobility. Severely limiting mobility will weaken the muscles of the ankles and feet. What happens to a person’s forearm muscle when their arm has been immobilized in a cast from a broken wrist? It atrophies (weakens).  So do the muscles of the feet when they are confined to rigid shoes and ankle braces for long periods of time. I know players who wear basketball shoes and ankle braces 20+ hours per week!

I am not opposed to wearing basketball shoes when you are playing.  The stability and support is a necessity.  But you don’t need to wear them when you are training.  And ankle braces?  Tape? With the exception of a player who suffered a previous ankle injury, or someone taking a direct recommendation from a qualified professional… ankle braces (and tape) are absolutely unnecessary when playing and when training.

Still not convinced? The other day I flipped on ESPN Classic and saw the 1973 NBA Finals (Game 4) between the Knicks and the Celtics, featuring Hall of Famers Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Dave Cowens. In addition to wearing shorts that looked like boxer briefs, every single player was wearing low top Adidas sneakers. No braces. No tape. And guess what? No injuries!

What did players wear before Adidas? Chuck Taylors! Thin canvas and a flat rubber sole. Talk about no ankle support! Despite the archaic footwear, I doubt there was a higher rate of ankle injuries in the 60’s and 70’s than there is today.  You know why? Because players back then had strong, mobile ankles and feet.

Ankle braces weaken ankles and limit mobility (not to mention natural movement). Given how important the feet and ankles are, why would you do something that makes them weaker and less mobile?

Every time you run or jump, you do what is called triple extension. That is extension at the ankles, knees, and hips.  If any one of those joints is not working properly (weak or tight), it limits the function of the other two.  So weak, tight ankles limit a player’s ability to run and jump to their potential.  Having weak, tight ankles will also cause the body to compensate in a variety of ways during movement… which can lead to knee and back issues. Remember, everything starts with the feet.

So how do you strengthen your ankles and feet?  By setting them free and taking off your shoes!

When you work out in your bare feet (or with socks) you can feel all of the intrinsic muscles of your toes, feet, and ankles.  At first, this will feel liberating (and probably awkward) because you rarely get to feel these muscles when wearing basketball shoes and ankle braces.

NOTE: I am only suggesting barefoot training for players with healthy feet and no pre-existing conditions (unless cleared by a doctor). Players with excessively high arches, previous stress fractures, or ankle sprains should avoid barefoot training (or at least make severe modifications) to reduce the chance of injury.

How much is the right amount of barefoot training?  Once a player has has been acclimated to some rudimentary barefoot exercises, they should do as many things barefoot as they can in the confines of a safe, controlled training environment.  For most players, 5-15 minutes per workout is a good rule of thumb.

If you have been wearing ankle braces regularly for an extended period of time, you need to gradually wean yourself off of them.  Don’t go from wearing them all the time to not at all. Your ankles and feet aren’t ready for that. You are begging for an injury.  You need to begin a progressive, structured ankle and foot strengthening program, while at the same time slowly decreasing your dependence on the braces.

What should you do in your bare feet?  Many of the same things you do with shoes on! Squats, lunges, dynamic flexibility movements, and low level hops are all great to do shoeless.

If you want to see several dozen exercises we use to strengthen our player’s feet and ankles, check out: http://tinyurl.com/StrongFeet

We don’t do all of these exercises every workout.  We pick a few and rotate them. Some are geared towards strengthening the feet, while others are more focused on the ankle. We begin with the most basic exercises and have the player progress as they become acclimated and their feet become stronger.  We perform our barefoot exercises on an appropriate surface (cautious of impact, slipping, etc.).  Our goal is to improve foot and ankle strength, mobility, and proprioception (the body’s perception of movement and special awareness).

In addition to adding some barefoot training to your regimen, our 12-Week Basketball Off-Season Agility & Conditioning Program will available very soon. It was designed to be done in conjunction with the strength & power portion (currently for sale). You will be able to purchase it at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.  These two programs are exactly what a player needs to get stronger, quicker, more explosive and in great basketball shape.  Remember, the best players are in the best shape!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

I have added two new FREE sections to the Media Gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com (please use Internet Explorer to view):

Coaching Nuggets: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=20

A collection of tidbits and handouts I have compiled over the years from some brilliant coaching minds. I am not the original author of any of these nor have I edited them in any fashion. I will add one new coaching nugget per week!

Exercise Library: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=23
A vast library of exercises for basketball coaches and players. Clips fall under one of ten categories: pre-hab, warm-up, dynamic flexibility, plyos, agility, core, lower body, upper body, finisher, and cool down. Included is the intro (explanation) for each section. I will add one clip per day for 100 straight days. I began on May 1, 2010).

If you like motivational quotes, please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.
Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. I would be honored to help. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

Off Season Training – Part II, by Alan Stein

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

One of my favorite lines from the movie Christmas Vacation was when Cousin Eddie asked Clark W. Griswold if he was surprised by his unexpected visit, to which Clark replied, “Eddie, if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn’t be as surprised as I am right now.”

That is exactly how I felt when I got the news that we (Montrose Christian) got an invite to play in the 2nd Annual ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.  A week ago I figured our bubble had burst after we suffered our first home loss in 8 years and an uncharacteristic 5th loss of the season.  I honestly didn’t think we had a shot and I truly believed our season was over. But then a few schools declined invitations because of their opposition to playing on Good Friday… and next thing you know… we were in!

The folks at ESPN RISE do a tremendous job and everything they do is first class. Their goal, over time, is to create a legitimate high school national championship, a high school version of March Madness. And they are well on their way. I support their efforts 100%.

For background info and details on this year’s tournament, please visit http://tinyurl.com/ESPNNHSI.

As you will see, we drew the 8th seed and will play the tournament’s #1 seed, Montverde Academy (ranked 9th in the nation by ESPN) at Coppin State (Baltimore) on ESPN U at 2:00pm on Thursday, April 1st.  For those of you who have been keeping up with my blog, you’ll remember that Montverde beat us in late January by 2 points… which in retrospect was the exact moment our season began to unravel (considering we lost our next two games).  So we are excited to have the opportunity to play them again!  National powers Oak Hill (VA), Findlay Prep (NV), Winter Park (FL), and Christ School (NC) are also playing, making this the nation’s top post-season high school tournament.

Now before any heckling begins, let me say that I am well aware we are not one of the top 8 teams in the country (this year). I know our performance this season didn’t warrant an invite.  I will happily admit we got the nod over a few other schools based on our national reputation and program history.  Regardless of the reasoning… we are in!  So now it is time for our program to refocus, put all of our recent trials and tribulations behind us, and start fresh.  We have been given a second chance and we need to do our best to make the most of it.

While obviously we want to win… our primary concern is getting our guys to play as well as they are capable of playing.  They haven’t done that since the beginning of the season.  So the next 15 days will be interesting to say the least.  One of my favorite quotes comes to mind when thinking of how we will approach this:

“If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you will keep getting what you’ve been getting.  If you don’t like what you’ve been getting, then change what you’ve been doing.”

Seems pretty simple, huh? We need to shake things up the next two weeks and have an entirely different approach.  We need to make things fun, make things competitive, but make sure our players enjoy and value this experience.  We need to get back to the basics and leave the past behind us.  We need to get back to playing hard, playing smart, and playing together.

To initiate this “new beginning”, we decided to have the team come over to my training facility for a team workout, instead of having a normal practice.  We wanted to get their competitive juices flowing. So I put them through an intense circuit training workout… very similar to how we began our pre-season workouts in late August.  I filmed the workout and will be posting it in three separate segments at www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom:

Team Warm-up

Team Circuit

Team Competition

You have to see these videos!

I already posted the first segment (Team Warm-up) and will post the remaining two videos next Monday (3/22) and Friday (3/26). I will also post a blog on that Friday describing the workout in great detail in case you want to implement something similar with your program this off-season.

In addition, I will post periodic updates with insight to our preparation for the NHSI tournament at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein and will most certainly recap our entire experience in my first blog of April.

Even though we aren’t in our off-season just yet, I know many programs are.  So let me get back on track and discuss some of my key off-season thoughts.

I am well aware that most basketball players don’t really have an off-season anymore, they simply go from the high school season to the AAU season to the summer camp circuit.  This makes the approach to training even more important!

An off-season strength & conditioning program is the foundation of championship programs and elite level players.  A solid strength & conditioning base gives you the potential to take your basketball skills to another level. You obviously aren’t going to be a very good player or team if you can’t shoot, pass, defend, rebound, or handle the ball.  That is a given.  But what if you can shoot, pass, defend, rebound, handle the ball… and you are quick, explosive, and in great shape?!

About a year ago I adopted the tag line, “the best players are in the best shape.” The same can be said for teams, “the best teams are in the best shape.” Think about it.  Who are currently the two best players on the planet? Kobe and LeBron.  Have you noticed what kind of shape they are in?! Do you think those guys work hard in the off-season? You better believe they do.

If you need help in planning your off-season, or you are interested in my thoughts on AAU, testing and evaluating, and the most common mistakes players/coaches make, I highly recommend you read the two-part series I wrote last year as my thoughts haven’t changed a lick:

http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/03/16/Planning-Your-Off-Season3b-Part-I.aspx

http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/04/03/Planning-Your-Off-Season3b-Part-II.aspx

If you need additional help or guidance with your off-season program, I am currently finalizing a 12 Week Off-Season Basketball Strength & Conditioning Program. This program will outline exactly what needs to be done this off-season – exercise by exercise, day by day, and week by week.  It will include dozens of digital pictures and exercise descriptions, all of which utilize standard equipment (DBs, free weights, bodyweight, etc.) to make sure the program is easily adaptable to everyone’s respective situation.  There will be a strength/power component as well as a quickness/agility component (each sold separately).  The program will be available online as a downloadable PDF; so you will be able to save it to your computer as well as print copies.  I am projecting the sales price to be around $39.99 for each component.  Believe me; it will be worth every penny! It will be sold at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.

Also a reminder I am also launching a YouTube series called “Can He Dunk,” where I will select a handful of high school age players who are close, but can’t currently dunk.  I will document their training for 12 week and post video highlights from their workouts as well as 3 weekly dunk attempts (to monitor their progress).  HoopsKing, Ganon Baker Basketball, Hoop Connection, and SLAM Online have all partnered with me on this project. You won’t want to miss this!  Make sure you subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.

I know you will be glued to the TV for the next three weeks watching the NCAA tournament… but if you get a chance to switch channels in between games, I highly recommend you watch ESPN’s 30 for 30 “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks” as well as HBO’s “Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals.” Both were very well done and really brought back some amazing childhood memories for me (I am 34 years old).  I recommend younger players watch both of these as well… so they can get an appreciation for the game’s recent history.  I think some kids today think the NBA started with Kobe and LeBron!

And if you need a good book, I am reading an old classic by Steve Alford called, Playing for Knight (1989).  It is fascinating.  Coach Knight has always been one of my favorite coaches and I have so much respect for him.  Say what you will, but the man is authentic! I am going to get a chance to finally meet him in person in April and May as we are both scheduled to speak at the same Nike Championship Basketball Clinics in Wisconsin and New York.

As mentioned before, I will post a blog next Friday (3/26) which will be a full description of the Montrose Team Workout I took our players through as well as provide links to all three videos.

On a personal note, our latest doctor’s appointment leads us to believe that my wife will be delivering our twin boys sometime next week…

If you need anything else, or if I can be of service in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

No Guarantee, by Alan Stein

Friday, January 15th, 2010

The word on the street is Mark McGuire read the second half of my blog post from last week (“Random Thoughts”) and finally decided to admit he took steroids.  Thanks Big Red, it only took you 10 years.  And it wasn’t the slightest bit obvious (insert sarcasm). All joking aside, the year he broke the home run record, the measured circumference of his right forearm was an inch and half bigger than my neck! How in the hell could that be natural?!

OK, back on topic.

One of the toughest things to deal with as an adult is the concept that nothing in life is guaranteed.  Except for death and taxes.  And while I certainly despise paying taxes, my gut feeling is I would like death even less.

This concept of “nothing being guaranteed” is so evident in sports. Jim Valvano, the late coach of NC State and one of my favorite motivational speakers, once said something to the effect of:

“Just because you work hard doesn’t guarantee you will be successful.  But not working hard guarantees you won’t be.”

Reigning NCAA National Champion coach Roy Williams said something similar:

“Working hard doesn’t guarantee success, but without it, you have no chance.”

Have you ever spent hours upon hours studying for a test… and still gotten a poor grade? Has your team ever spent hours upon hours practicing all week… and still lost the big game?

Of course you have; it happens to the best of us. Working hard and not achieving success is a tough pill to swallow.  It is hard in basketball and it is hard in life. But it is fact.  And it is something every player and coach needs to come to terms with… because no one is immune.  And when a minor setback (or failure) occurs, you have to learn from it, move past it, and get back to working hard again!

A young lady I had been working with for over a year, and who is a very accomplished high school player, tore her ACL a few weeks ago in a holiday tournament.  She was having a phenomenal season (team was 7-2) and a stellar game (had already hit five 3’s) up to that point. Then, early in the second half on a drive to the basket, she landed awkwardly while being fouled.  BAM! Just like that, she tore her ACL and her season was over.

Her father called me to tell me the bad news and told me she was devastated. As a senior, she was being recruited by several Division I schools, but unfortunately was waiting until the spring to sign… and she was distraught with thoughts that “no one would want her now.”

Personally, I was crushed by the news.  I couldn’t sleep for two days.  I really care about all the kids I work with and I felt terrible she was going through this.  She is such an impressive young lady, both on and off the court.

Unable to sleep, all I kept thinking was, how could this have happened?  She worked so hard this pre-season.  She did everything I asked of her and did it to best of her ability. After a couple hours of staring at the ceiling, I went down to my office and reviewed my notes from our sessions. I took solace in knowing we did everything possible to try to reduce the occurrence of this happening.  We incorporated numerous exercises and drills, every single workout, to reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury. We worked on proper landing. We worked on proper cutting.  We properly strengthened every muscle and joint in her lower body.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have done anything different. So thankfully, I don’t have to live with the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s.  We worked hard all pre-season and literally did everything we could have done to prevent this. Yet unfortunately, it still occurred.

I went to one of her team’s games last week to say hello, offer my support, and to speak to her father.  We had a wonderful conversation and I promised him I would help her with every step of her recovery. I also told him I was confident she would still play college basketball. The road will be tough, and it is (obviously) not guaranteed, but my advice to her was to stay positive, get ready to get back to work… and things will work out for the best.

Now, I am a strength & conditioning coach… not a psychologist by any means.  But I really believe after her short grieving period is over, she will need to re-focus and get back to working as hard as possible. I understand she is entitled to a period of time of feeling disappointed and depressed… but what’s done is done.  She tore her ACL; it’s a fact. Nothing can be done to undo that now.  Just like an errant pass or a missed shot, it is time to move on to the next play!

The most influential factor in her future success on the court will be how she responds to this setback.  This will be a real test of her character. I have full confidence she will come back better than ever because she has a tremendous attitude, relentless work ethic, and the mindset of a champion.

I am proud and thankful to claim an exemplary record over the past 10 years, with a particularly high rate of success for both injury prevention and performance enhancement.  And even though I can say, with full confidence, we did everything “right” in regards to her pre-season preparation… an injury still occurred.  We worked hard… and as we learned… success was not guaranteed (at least success in this particular instance). Fortunately, this is not the final chapter in her playing career.

It is imperative you understand you can’t second guess the importance of working hard and of doing what is right just because things don’t turn out the way you want. You still need to make the conscious choice to consistently work hard in every aspect of your life (especially in your training).  While the possibility of not achieving success is always looming, it is nothing to be feared, and certainly nothing to give in too.  If you make a daily commitment to excellence… you will absolutely “win” more than you “lose.” And I am not talking about the scoreboard.

If you read my recent blog post, “What We Do”, you can see the lengths the Montrose Christian basketball program goes to in order to be successful.  And yet we still (occasionally) lose games.  Do you think losing a game causes us to second guess “What We Do?”  No way!  And when you have a setback it shouldn’t cause you to second guess yourself either.

If you have any questions about ACL injury prevention (or recovery), or if I can ever be of service to you or your team, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

If you haven’t done so, please check out (and subscribe) to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  I just posted two videos of the Montrose Basketball Pre-Game Warm-up (one before we take the court and one on-court).  Next week, I will post clips from a recent in-season strength training workout.

Also, for those of you who follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein, or are my “friend” at www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr, I will be holding weekly trivia questions for folks to win some HOT prizes – like Nike and Jordan gear!  All of the questions will come from my blog archive… so make sure you read past posts and study up.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Random Thoughts, by Alan Stein

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Happy New Year!  While I sincerely hope everyone’s 2010 is off to a wonderful start, I will be honest, I say “Happy New Year” somewhat facetiously. It’s January 7th for cryin’ out loud! When will people stop saying it?! On a similar note… the folks still saying “Happy New Year” are usually the same folks who thought it was cute to say “see ya next year” the last week of December or who are so void of something significant to say they say stuff like, “is it cold enough for you?”  Are you kidding me? It is 7 degrees out you dolt! Yes, it is plenty cold.  Oh well, I guess some people aren’t much for meaningful conversation.

Sorry to digress.

While I am not much into making New Year’s resolutions, even I get excited and inspired at the nostalgia associated with a new year.  Having spent a good portion of the last few weeks reflecting on 2009, my goal for this year is the same as it is every year:

“Do more of what is working and less of what isn’t.”

This simple concept is the foundation of success. You can take that concept a step further and ask yourself this question every morning when you wake up:

“Are the things I am doing today going to help me get to where I want to go?”

Are the things you are currently doing going to help you next week? Next month? Next year? In 5 years?  If you can’t answer yes to at least one of those time periods … then why are you doing what you are doing? Stop wasting your time!  And both of those thoughts transition into yet another power concept:

“Don’t confuse being busy with being productive.”

Everyone is busy.  Everyone has a long “to-do” list. But not everyone is productive. Not everyone gets results. Make sure the things you do on a daily basis are taking you where you want to go.  Don’t just spin your wheels.

With that said, those three concepts are very applicable to basketball players and coaches.

Now that a good chunk of the season is over… what things are working? What things aren’t? Are you too stubborn to change? Are you on pace to accomplish the goals you set at the beginning of the season?  Do you need to slightly alter and adjust those goals based on the results of November and December?

Are the things you are doing on a daily basis making you a better player? A better coach?  I am sure you are extremely busy during the season, but are you truly being productive?

If you are a player and you have been in a shooting slump the last few games… are you coming in before practice to get in some extra shooting work?  If you are, are you taking extra shots from where you get most of your shots in games? Do you even know where you get most of your shots in games?  At Montrose, we run a very disciplined offensive system.  Each of our players take a majority of their shots from the same 3 or 4 spots on the court.  So that is where they should take most of their shots in practice… if they want their practice to be productive.  If you are not playing as much you feel you deserve, have you scheduled an individual meeting with your coach to ask what you need to do to get more playing time? Or do you just sit on the end of the bench and pout?  That negative energy is a cancer to any team… don’t do it! And if you are a coach, don’t tolerate it. “Energy takers” need to be nipped in the bud immediately.

If you are a coach, and your team is struggling, have you pinpointed the specific reasons why?  Lack of effort? Lack of execution?  You can’t do much at this point about lack of talent… but you can about poor effort and/or execution.  Just make sure your practice plan addresses the specific area you need to ignite and improve.  If your team is not executing well… a ton of extra running as punishment will not help solve the problem. That’s apples and oranges.

Pause… new topic.

I have always been a big believer in the concept of “choices and consequences.”  Each of us has a choice in everything we do in life. Everything.  Even the things that happen to us that are beyond our control, we each choose how we respond and handle the situation.  And every choice we make has a consequence.  Some consequences are good, some are bad.  For some reason, the word “consequence,” has been given a negative connotation. But I believe the word consequence is just another word for result.  Every choice you make produces a result. What is the consequence of not eating breakfast? Hunger, lack of focus, low energy, and poor performance.  What is the consequence of  making 10 free throws in a row before you leave practice every day? Shooting a higher percentage from the line over the course of the season and hitting clutch free throws during games.  See the correlation?! Success is not an accident. Neither is failure.

I feel it is my duty as a coach to teach this concept of choices and consequences to the players I work with.  Here is a perfect example:

Coach Vetter has a mandatory team rule that every player must wear ankle braces for every practice and every game.  Right or wrong, that is his rule.  One of our players asked me the other night before our game if it was OK if he didn’t wear them.  I said, “Sure, if you are 100% willing to face the consequences of not wearing them.”  He looked at me with a bewildered look of confusion.  I asked him if he would be willing to face the consequences of Coach Vetter finding out he intentionally broke a team rule (and then have to face whatever punishment resulted), or even worse, if he severely injured his ankle during the game and ruined his season?  He looked to the floor and mumbled, “No.”  To which I smiled and said, “Good answer. Now put on your ankle braces.”

Here is another example of choices and consequences that is currently making headlines across the sports world:

Do you think Gilbert Arenas gave much thought to the potential consequences of bringing in three guns to the locker room?  Was that irresponsible stunt worth the consequence of suspension (and possible expulsion) from the league, severe legal action, loss of millions of dollars, and a permanent black mark on his reputation?  Not so funny now, is it Gilbert?

You know another valuable lesson to teach young people that comes to mind from this Gilbert situation?  And don’t say, “You shouldn’t bring guns in the locker room.”  If you don’t already know that you shouldn’t bring guns in to the locker room… then you either have a room temperature I.Q. or you have lived in a cave your whole life.  If that’s not the case, you should be hit in the head with a sledge hammer. (NOTE: Yes, I do think Gilbert should be hit the head with a sledge hammer; hopefully it would knock some sense into him!)

No, the real lesson is one we rarely see in professional sports… taking personal accountability for your actions.  Whether you are talking about steroids in baseball, Tiger’s myriad of affairs, or Gilbert bringing guns in to the locker room… I wish just once a pro-athlete would immediately accept the blame and say something like this:

“I am so sorry. I used horrible judgment and made a terrible mistake.  I was wrong and I sincerely apologize. I promise to go to whatever length is necessary to right this wrong.”

Of course they all say that once it’s too late… after a week or two goes by and they have exhausted all efforts to cover up their wrongdoing and BS their way out of trouble.  They all say it then. At that point, it is meaningless.

If Gilbert was man enough to be strapped with three guns, he damn sure should have been man enough to immediately accept full responsibility and hold himself accountable for the consequences. Instead, he acted like a horse’s ass and publicly joked about it.

And for the record, admitting you were wrong and apologizing does not make up for the mistake… but it does show you are a person of character and that you take full responsibility for your actions.

Lastly, I am very thankful to have received many nice Christmas gifts from my friends and family. One of my favorite gifts, given my affinity for reading, was the new Amazon Kindle electronic reader.  It is awesome!  If you are an avid reader, I highly recommend it.

The first book I bought was Personal Foul by Tim Donaghy (the former NBA referee who was arrested for gambling on NBA games).  It was extremely fascinating and was an easy read.  I knocked it out in a week. Of course, the entire book was written from the perspective of a lying, cheating, self-admitted gambling addict… but if even 10% of what he claims is true… WOW!

Also, I just posted a video montage of the Montrose Pre-Game Warm-up at www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  Early next week I will post the Montrose Pre-Game On-Court Warm-up (showing what we do when we take the court 20 minutes before every game). Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any of the action!

If I can ever be of service or help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | 1 Comment »

Twenty Ten, by Alan Stein

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

I am extremely fortunate to you let you know I am writing this blog as I sit poolside at the Alana Doubletree Hotel in Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I am here on a trip with Montrose as we are playing in the 26th annual Nike Iolani Classic.  I have been privileged to have taken this trip six times over the course of my seven year stint as Montrose’s strength & conditioning coach.  This trip is always extremely therapeutic for me.  The long flight as well as the daily morning workouts on the beach give me ample time to reflect and evaluate the past year as well as brainstorm and plan for the New Year.

This post will give you some insight to the myriad of new programs, events, and products I plan to launch in 2010 (Twenty-Ten).  I am going to take my game to the next level this coming year and I hope to assist and motivate you into doing the same!

On a personal note, my beautiful wife and I are expecting twin boys in late March. We are absolutely elated and look forward to the joy (and challenge) of raising children.  I plan to give them the first few years of their life off before the mandatory workouts begin. Just kidding… official workouts won’t start until they are at least 8 years old. Hey, they’ve got to be focused early if they want to be the starting back-court in the 2028 McDonalds game!  All kidding aside, we are overwhelming excited and thankful to welcome children into our lives.

OK, now on to business. Here is a glimpse of what’s to come in 2010:

1)    Clinics: My Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility for Basketball clinic series was a raving success this past fall. I got an opportunity to impact hundreds and hundreds of players and coaches.  I am currently finalizing my spring tour schedule and have tentative agreements to hold clinics in Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and Georgia. I hope to finalize exact dates, times, and locations in January and will post the schedule on my homepage.

2)    Downloads: I am pleased to have received tons of positive feedback about the downloadable documents I have for sale at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com. I plan to offer nearly a dozen new downloads in January and February on these topics:

  • ACL Injury Prevention
  • Training Young Players (ages 10-13)
  • Basketball Jump Rope Program
  • 10 Best Speed Ladder Drills
  • Mental Toughness Training
  • Common Mistakes & Myths
  • Treadmill Conditioning Program
  • 8 week programs (for individuals and teams):
    • Speed & Agility
    • Strength & Power
    • Reaction & Quickness
    • Conditioning

3)    Online Training Programs: I am thrilled to announce I have partnered with two different nationally renowned basketball training companies and will be offering customized, online basketball specific strength & conditioning programs.  These revolutionary programs will include detailed workout plans along with video clip instructions and demonstrations. They will be designed for every level (beginner through advanced) and for every portion of the training year (off-season, pre-season, and in-season). I have been working on this for well over a year and can’t wait to launch them!

4)    YouTube: I have put an inordinate amount of time and effort into researching the ways I can make my social media presence an even more valuable resource for basketball players and coaches.  I will continue to write this weekly blog as well as post daily motivational quotes on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/AlanStein) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr). I will run numerous promotions and give-a-ways so followers, subscribers and friends can win FREE downloadable documents, magazines, and DVDs.  I want to make sure I always give back to the folks who support my work. The major change will be the added focus and attention put on my YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom). I recently purchased a new HD video camera and wireless microphone to improve the production value. I have three killer concepts:

  • 100 exercises in 100 days – I got this idea from the folks at Hoop Connection.  I plan to post an innovative basketball specific strength & conditioning exercise or drill every day for 100 straight days (beginning April 1st) to create an impressive exercise library for coaches and players.
  • Will He Dunk? – I got this idea from a promotion ESPN did last year.  I plan to pick a high school aged player who has the goal of being able to dunk a basketball… but isn’t quite there yet.  I will then film excerpts from his weekly training program as well as his weekly attempt to dunk (to monitor progress).  He will get three chances to dunk a ball at the end of each week. The goal will be to get him throwing it down at the end of the12 weeks!
  • Every Basketball Move – I plan to partner with various skills instructors to break down actual on-court basketball moves and then prescribe the two or three best strength & conditioning exercises and drills that are most appropriate to supporting that drill.

5)    Certification: After a year in the making, I will finally release my new online certification for high school and AAU coaches: Certified Basketball Strength Coach (CBSC). I realize most coaches do not have the luxury of hiring a strength & conditioning coach for their program nor is this type of training their main area of expertise.  This online certification is designed to lay the proper foundation needed to design, supervise and implement a comprehensive, basketball specific, year round training program. It will focus on the specific needs and demands of a high school (or AAU) coach; without diving too deep into physiology. I am not trying to develop professional trainers; just provide a base level of working knowledge for basketball coaches. The course will include online study materials and an online exam consisting of one hundred randomly selected multiple choice questions such as:

  • What age should a player start a training program?
  • What should females do differently than males?
  • How can I help a player gain weight?
  • What is the correct form for a lateral lunge?
  • How can I reduce the occurrence of ankle injuries?
  • What is the ideal pre-game meal?
  • How does the off-season program differ from the pre-season program?
  • What are the dangers of plyometrics?
  • What constitutes a quality pre-game warm-up?

Also note, while my goal is to help and positively influence all basketball players; there are two specific groups I plan to pay special attention to in 2010: female players (specifically ACL injury prevention) and younger players (ages 10-13).  I am going to dedicate a specific portion of my website to each of these groups and disseminate a plethora of info on the best practices for training them.

I want to apologize for disabling the “comments” feature on my blog (http://Blog.StrongerTeam.com).  I was flooded with dozens of automated SPAM comments each day.  I am taking steps to alleviate the issue and plan to re-open and comments section in the New Year as I very much value your feedback.  In the meantime, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com to let me know let me know your thoughts and suggestions on these new programs, events, and products as well as if there is anything I have missed.

My next blog, which I plan to post on Wednesday December 23rd, will be my last post of 2009. I will give a full re-cap of the Iolani Classic as well as post insight on “What We Do” (a behind the scenes look at the intricacies of the Montrose basketball program).

I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped me and supported my work this past year.  I look forward to, and am honored, to serve you in 2010.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

Question Yourself, by Alan Stein

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

As most of you know, I focus a lot of my energy on my own professional development and improvement. I am relentless in my quest to become the best basketball strength & conditioning coach I can be.  If you are looking to be the best coach or player you can be, I certainly suggest you do the same.  One of the most important ingredients of effective development and progress is constant evaluation. You have to know where you are… to get to where you want to go!

Self reflection and evaluation doesn’t need to be a long process. I recommend taking 30 minutes (with no distractions… no TV, no cell phone, and no computer) and honestly answering each of the following questions:

Overall, how do you rate this past pre-season?

  • Did you get stronger?  Quicker? More explosive?
  • Did you get in great basketball shape?
  • Did you improve your ball handling? Shooting? Passing?
  • Are all of these things showing on the court?

Overall, how do you rate the first few weeks of practice?

  • Have you been on time, to every practice?
  • Have you been injury free?
  • Have you been a great teammate? Coachable? Enthusiastic?
  • Have you given a great effort? Do you practice hard even when you don’t feel like it?
  • Have you played as well as you are capable of playing?
  • Have you communicated effectively with your coaches and teammates?

If you want to have a remarkable season; you need to be tough and you need to be 100% committed to yourself, to your team, and to your coach. 99% isn’t good enough.  As the legendary Pat Riley says about commitment, “you are either in or you’re out – there is no such thing as in between.”

How tough are you?

We have a 9th grader in our program named Yuki. He moved to the US from Japan in August.  He speaks very little English and is thousands of miles away from his family; which I am sure is difficult for a 15 year old to handle. During our second official practice, Yuki got elbowed in the mouth and had his front tooth knocked out.  Without saying a word, he casually picked his tooth up off of the floor, jogged over to the sideline, set his tooth on the bleachers, and jogged back into the drill! Now that is tough.

How committed are you?

What are you willing to sacrifice to be the best player you can be?  I have an 8th grade client who just started working out with me and he pays for our training sessions with his allowance!  He is so committed to being the best he can be he is willing to sacrifice every dime he has toward getting stronger and more explosive.  Now that is commitment.

Here are 5 more questions aimed to help you maximize your potential this season:

1)    Are you giving your best effort every day in the classroom and on the court?

2)    Are you doing things in addition to practice to improve your game (like watching film)?

3)    Do you think “we” before “me” (are you a team player)?

4)    Are you taking care of your body and mind (sleep, lifting, tending to injuries, etc.)?

5)    Are you having fun?

If you can sincerely answer “yes” to all 5 of these questions; you are doing everything you can to have an impressive season.

Here are a few more things to think about:

What do you watch for when you watch college and NBA games on TV?  Do you watch as a fan or do you watch as a true student of the game?  Do you always watch the ball or do you watch what players do to get open to get the ball?  Do you always watch the shooter or do you watch the player setting the screen to get the shooter open?  Do you always watch the player guarding the ball or do you watch the player in help-side position?  Now, I am a huge basketball fan… and I understand watching games for the love of the sport… but if you want to get better, you need to learn how to watch games as a means to improve.

How will you prepare for games?  Does your preparation start the night before?  Do you eat a good dinner and get plenty of sleep?  Do you eat breakfast the next day?  Do you double check to make sure you packed everything in your bag you will need for the game?  Do you eat a specific pre-game meal?  What method prepares you the best? Listening to music? Sitting in silence?  Do you even know? Do you review the scouting report on your own?  Do you do any visualization exercises before games?  Here is a visualization technique I use with Montrose before every game: I have them sit with their eyes closed for about 2-3 minutes and visualize a specific time in their life when they played the best basketball they have ever played.  A time they vividly remember when they were in the zone – when every shot they took went in and every pass they made was on the money.  I encourage them to engage every sense.  What did the gym look like? Sound like? Smell like? How did they feel?  This technique puts them in a confident frame of mind when they take the court.

How will you focus during games? Will you be focused on the task at hand or on the crowd, opponent, or cheerleaders?  Your focus is crucial to playing well. It is imperative you focus on what you want to happen; not on what you don’t want to happen.  Why? Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time.  For example, when you are shooting a free throw; think something to the effect of, “nice and easy, over the front rim”… instead of thinking, “don’t shoot it short.”  If you think “don’t shoot it short”… 9 times out of 10, you will shoot it short because “short” is the only part of that thought your subconscious mind remembers!

Still don’t think focus is important to performance?  Think about this:

If I laid a ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” on the ground and asked you to walk across it; you would do it easily because you would be focused on the task at hand (walking across the board). But what if that ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” was 100 stories high and connected the top of two buildings? Would walking across it be easy then? Why not? Although the task wouldn’t change (walking across a ten foot board); you wouldn’t think it was easy because you would be focused on falling… not on the task at hand. The same can be said with shooting a free throw.  Shooting a free throw in an empty gym after practice is the exact same task as shooting a free throw with 2 seconds left and the score tied… if you stay focused!

I hope answering these questions helps you have a memorable season.

This past January I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in 2009. I am proud to say last weekend I finished my 50th book of the year! In next week’s blog I will list and rate all of the books I have read as well as offer my thoughts on a few of them.

Until then, if I can ever be of service or help you or your team in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

Tags: ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

The Low Man Wins, by Luke Meier

Friday, November 27th, 2009

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Luke Meier's Thoughts | No Comments »

Motivational Quotes, by Alan Stein

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

I have been a self diagnosed “quote nerd” for as long as I can remember.  Back in high school in the early 90’s, I started with a spiral notebook and a pen and wrote down every quote I found inspiring.  Quotes from movies, coaches, books, signs… you name it… if I saw it or heard it, I wrote it down.  Years later, I converted the growing collection into a computer database and added to it as often as I could.

As a professional basketball strength & conditioning coach, a big part of my job is to motivate my players to work hard consistently; to get them to do the things they don’t’ want to do because I know it will help them get to where they want to go.  So there have been countless occasions where the inspiration from a specific quote has come in handy.  I use quotes as tools to motivate my players as well as motivate myself.  While I am strength & conditioning coach by trade, my overall goal in life is simple; to inspire, to motivate, to influence and to help anyone who is passionate about basketball and training.  I have found quotes are a valuable tool in doing just that. I am extremely thankful to have platforms like Twitter, Facebook and my blog to impact players and coaches of all ages and levels… all over the world!

If you have followed me on any of those social media platforms, you know I have been posting 5-6 quotes a day for the past year.  I have received a ton of positive feedback in response to the quotes I have shared and have had dozens of folks ask me to compile them in a book.  So that’s what I’ve done!  I just recently compiled my favorite inspirational quotes in a new e-book:

534 Motivational Quotes to Inspire Success On and Off the Court

It is important to understand this e-book is merely a collection of my favorite quotes.  I am not the original author of any of the quotes. I intentionally chose not to list the original author for any of the quotes for the simple fact I only know around 20% of them (and didn’t want to put “unknown” or “anonymous” for the remaining 80%)!

I am sure you have heard (or read) many of quotes I compiled, but I am confident there are several that you haven’t.  I tried to pick quotes that transcend sports and are applicable to life as well.  After all, life is the game we are all playing.

You can purchase a downloadable copy of 534 Motivational Quotes to Inspire Success On and Off the Court at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.  In addition to the 534 motivational quotes, I added a bonus section: 27 Books Every Coach and Player Should Read. This e-book is an invaluable resource for coaches and players at every level.

Here are 5 of my favorite quotes from the e-book that are too long to post on Twitter:

  1. 1. Persistence and patience is exemplified by the stonecutter who hammers away at a piece of rock. He may hit the rock 100 times without so much as a crack showing.  Then, on the 101st hit, the rock will split in two.  It was not that hit that did it, but an accumulation of all that came before it.

  1. 2. Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.  Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. Moral? It doesn’t matter who you are, when the sun comes up, you better start running!

  2. 3. If you can’t risk, you can’t grow. If you can’t grow, you can’t become your best. If you can’t become your best, you can’t be happy.  If you can’t be happy, what else matters?

  3. 4. Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

  4. 5. Champions do not become champions on the court. They become recognized on the court.  They become champions because of their daily routine and commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future!

I hope you enjoy these quotes as much as I do and use them to motivate yourself and those around you. I wish each of you the absolute best this season.  Please keep me posted to how you are doing and drop me an email if I can be of service in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

Start of the Season Part II, by Alan Stein

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

If you are a high school basketball player in the United States, you are probably about to start (or have just recently started) official practice for the 2009-2010 season.

As the season gets underway and you begin practice, don’t be surprised if your body is overwhelmingly sore the first couple of days in particular.  This is normal! This does not imply you aren’t in great shape; it’s just your body’s way of adjusting to the new demands placed on it.  You are finally going full speed with contact on a daily basis; which is understandably more intense than anything you did in the pre-season.  In particular, your low back may be constantly tight and your ankles, knees, and hips may get sore.  It is very important you take care of your body throughout the season, but especially now, while these are minor issues.  For these little nagging aches and pains, you should apply ice after practice (unless told otherwise by your athletic trainer).  With parental consent, you can also take an occasional ibuprofen or Advil to help alleviate soreness.  Foam rollers are another great tool for recovery and restoration. Make sure you eat well, get lots of rest when you can, and properly warm-up and cool down before and after every practice.  If you incur any major injuries or issues, make sure you tell your coach, athletic trainer, and parents immediately so you can get the proper help.  It is important to address these issues when they are small so they don’t turn into something big!

However, as far as the minor aches and pains, you have to tough it out.  Basketball is an intense sport and if some part of your body isn’t sore, then you probably aren’t playing hard enough anyway.  Learn to be comfortable with minor discomfort.

Make sure you enjoy this time of year as it is an important part of the journey.  There is no time like the present, as playing well and competing during practice is the reason you put in so much time over the spring, summer, and fall working on your game, lifting weights, and running sprints.  This is the time real players thrive. Regardless of how things start during the first week or two of practice, you have to keep in mind that it is a long season.  If you get off to a rough start, don’t throw in the towel, there is plenty of time to turn things around.  Most high schools don’t start playing games until the beginning of December, so you still have a few weeks to show what you can do and try to earn some playing time or a starting position. And if you have started off hot, don’t get cocky or complacent as staying on top is one of the hardest things to do in sports.  Don’t take anything for granted. Continue to play hard every practice.

Here are some tips to make sure you play your best this season:

1)    Get rest whenever you can, your body and mind need it! Try and get to bed early and sneak in naps whenever possible (on the weekends; not during class!).  While the off season regiment is tough, there is nothing harder on your body than in-season practices, games, and travel.

2)    Eat well and stay hydrated. Your body is a machine and it needs to be properly fueled.  Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast every morning and try to eat a light snack an hour or so before practice.  This will ensure you are well fueled without making you feel full and lethargic.  You also need to re-fuel immediately after practice. And don’t forget your body does everything better when hydrated, so drink water constantly.

3)    Warm-up and stretch properly before all practices and games. Hopefully your team has a standardized warm-up, but if not, you need to make sure you do.  This will ensure your body and mind is ready to compete and help reduce the likelihood of injury.

4)    Continue to strength train during the season. Strength is an attribute that is quickly diminished. In as little as three weeks you begin to lose functional strength on the court if you don’t continue to strength train.  So if you don’t train during the season, you will be physically at your weakest come playoff time.  All you need to do to maintain strength is one or two brief (but quality) workouts per week during the season.

5)    Get in extra shots before/after practice and before games. Shooting is all about rhythm and repetition.  The more game like shots you can take in practice and before games, the more automatic you will be when you play.  The best players in the world get in shots before practice and stay after practice to do the same.

6)    Be a good teammate. Do the little things to help your teammates and be very positive and enthusiastic, even when things aren’t going so well.  The teams that play well together and communicate effectively with each other win more often.  Period.

7)    Talk to your coach. Your coach is the leader of your team and it is important you show proper respect at all times.  No exceptions. If you don’t agree with something your coach says or does, or if you have questions on certain things (like why you aren’t playing as much, what your role on the team is, etc.), it is important you communicate effectively, appropriately, and maturely.  Most coaches are more than happy to talk with you if you have an issue.

8)    Stay on top of your school work. I know how hard it is to balance a busy schedule during the hectic season, but as a student-athlete, your academic work must always be a priority.  Don’t let issues in the classroom distract you from handling business on the court.  And don’t do the bare minimum just to stay eligible, do your best to in every class, every day. Creating that standard of excellence will carry over to every aspect of your life.

I wish each of you the absolute best this season.  Please keep me posted to how you are doing and drop me an email if I can be of service in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

For daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »

Start of the Season, by Alan Stein

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I have always been impressed by spectacular feats of athletic ability; it is one of the main reasons I love sports.  It is absolutely mind-boggling what the human body is capable of doing.  This past Sunday I watched the end of the NYC Marathon (26.2 mile race) in which an American runner (Meb Keflezighi) won for the first time since 1982.  I ran the Baltimore Marathon back in 2002, so I have an incredible respect for anyone who can even complete such a grueling race, much less win it. What really blew my mind was the fact Meb ran his last mile at a staggering pace of 5:03.  To put in perspective, Coach Vetter had our basketball team run one mile last week for time.  Our team did well and half of our guys finished under 6:00; our fastest player finished in 5:18 (which is pretty impressive for a high school basketball player).  That means Meb could run 100 laps around a standard track… then race our fastest player for an additional 4 laps… and still win!

This past weekend also marked the completion of my fall clinic tour; having most recently had great experiences at the state basketball coaches association clinics in Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa.  The hospitality was first class at each event and I really enjoyed meeting so many wonderful coaches.  Presenting at clinics is a high priority for me for two reasons. One, I have such admiration for high school basketball coaches and am honored to be of service to them.  Two, my goal has always been to have a positive impact on the game of basketball and to make a constructive change to the way players train. I have found that disseminating quality info at coaching clinics is a powerful way to do that.  I take my craft very seriously and am always looking to improve my ability as both a strength & conditioning coach and as a clinician (presenter). In evaluating my most recent series of clinics I realized, on a couple of occasions, I got caught up in the excitement of the moment and used some profanity.  I want to apologize if my language offended anyone in attendance as that was not my intent.  Regardless, using profanity in a clinic setting is not necessary or acceptable.  I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. Lesson learned. Along the lines of working on my craft, I just cracked open my 48th book of 2009; The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great In Front of Any Audience. Constant professional development is a key to success!

While my official title is “strength & conditioning coach”, I am involved in a variety of capacities with the basketball program at Montrose Christian.  I work with the team year round, attend many practices, and sit on the bench in coat and tie during every game.  I am a part of team meetings and make sure I always know the pulse of both our coaching staff and players. Given Montrose’s illustrious track record, I know first-hand what it takes for a program to be successful.  While I would never argue how helpful it is to have very talented players (and we most certainly do), I have learned it is actually the little things that make a big difference in having a successful season.  It is the little things that make an average team a good team, a good team a great team, and great team a championship team!

Only a very small percentage of high school teams can say they won a state or conference championship. I have known and coached numerous elite level players who never won one.  It is imperative you realize the road to a championship starts now! Here are some self evaluating questions you need to ask (and answer honestly) to maximize your team’s potential this season. While it is important for you to know the answers to these questions, it is equally important for everyone else in your program to know them as well. If you are a good leader, you will make sure they do.

1)    In addition to winning a championship, does your team have other goals? What are they?

2)    Does each coach and player on your team know their exact role?

3)    Do you prepare for practice with the same mentality you prepare for games?

4)    Do you believe on any given night any team can beat you?  Do you believe you can beat anyone?

5)    Is your team on top of their school work? Will academics be a distraction during the season?

6)    Is your team getting ample sleep, eating breakfast, drinking plenty of water, and appropriately tending to nagging injuries every day?

7)     Does your team get to practice 15 minutes early to get in extra shooting and ball handling work? Do they stay after practice as well?

8)     During practice, are you an energy giver?  Is your enthusiasm contagious? Do you take charges and dive for loose balls? Are you a great teammate?

9)     Does your team warm-up properly before all practices and games?

10)                   Does your team continue to strength train during the season to maintain the strength they worked so hard to develop this past off-season?

The answer to these questions will help dictate the type of season you will have.  You need to do the little things every day to make a big difference!

“Success always looks easy to those who weren’t around when it was being earned.”

Next week’s blog will add some additional tips to making sure your season starts off on the right foot. I wish everyone the absolute best this season.

If you need any help this season with your team’s in-season strength program or want info on appropriate stretches to do before and after practice; please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Until then, for daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Alan Stein's Thoughts | No Comments »