Have Fun While You Practice - Part III

This is a game I call U-to-32 where you shoot from established spots on the court and you work on multiple aspects of your game - shooting, ball fakes, sweeping the ball, pull-up jumpers, and lay-ups.

• Start with 5 shooting spots along the 3 point arc: each baseline, each wing and the top of the key
• You make 3 moves at each spot: Shoot a 3 pointer, ball fake and sweep with a dribble to a pull-up jumper, and the same fake and sweep but this time you drive to the hoop
• Score each of the shots as follows:

1. 3 pt shot = 3 pts
2. Shot fake and dribble for mid-range jumper = 2 pts
3. Lay-up = 1 pt

• Each spot is worth a total of 6 points
• After you shoot from each spot (15 shots and a total possible points of 30) you then shoot two free throws with each one being worth 1 pt to give you a total possible score of 32

As you work on this game / drill you want to keep a few things in mind:

• If you are in 5th grade or below, avoid the 3 pt shot. Move in closer.
• Set personal goals and compete against yourself trying to improve each time
• Make the moves at game speed! Practice Hard...Play Hard!
• Include dribble moves in with the lay-ups to advance your game!

Remember...Practice Hard...PLAY HARD!!

Have Fun While You Practice - Part II

Here is another fun shooting game called Hoop Golf.

1. Pick 9 spots on the court that are in your range
2. Shoot from the first spot until you make the basket, then move to the next spot
3. Keep track of how may shots it takes to make a basket at each spot
4. Continue until you have made a shot from each spot
5. Work on lowering your score - attempt to "Ace" each hole
6. You can always make the course tougher by moving back the "tees" or by adding moves to the shots or using an opposite hand

This is a good game to play with a partner(s) and after you have had a round or two of serious Hoop Golf you can move to a more relaxed, H-O-R-S-E or mini-golf version of the game with a few crazy shots thrown in to the mix.

Remember...Practice Hard...PLAY HARD!!

Have Fun While You Practice - Part I

A problem that many young players face is the difficulty in staying focused during their individual workouts. There are a lot of distractions and probably, their friends are not as committed as they are to getting better. This isn't their job, they don't have a full-time trainer and they are not on a scholarship.

One way to keep workouts from becoming boring is to add some fun and challenging games to the workout. One game I like to use is a Free Throw contest against Steve Nash. Nash is a career 90% Free Throw shooter so he is a pretty good player to try and emulate.

Nash or Net
This is a free throw shooting game that makes you focus on not only making your free throws but making them cleanly. Also, it sets a high goal that you can work towards. Shoot free throws using the scoring system listed below until you reach a score of 20 pts.

• Nothing but net = 2pts
• Make but not clean = 1pt
• Miss = -2pts

Steve Nash, on average, would take 12 free throws to reach 20 pts. How many will it take you?

Remember...Practice Hard...PLAY HARD!!

2 Ball Dribble Drills

Nothing improves your ball handling skills better than dribbling with two basketballs. You are able to practice with your weak and dominant hand at the same time, since we know you have a tendency to use your strong hand. Also, you increase your hand-eye coordination by using two balls. Increase your confidence and show off your improved handles at your next practice!

Key Points:

1. See the floor. You need to have your head up when you play so don’t have your head down when you practice.
2. Be ball-quick. You need quick hands and quick dribble. Pound the basketballs.
3. Be in a comfortable position with your knees bent and feet shoulder width apart. Think of triple threat. Be low and wide, not narrow and hunched over.
4. As you gain confidence, don’t stop as you switch between the drills

Low Rhythm – Assume the triple threat position, keep your eyes up, and dribble both basketballs at the same time as quickly as possible keeping them below the knees. Two balls - one sound.

Low Non-Rhythm – Same as Low Rhythm, but now you must alternate the two basketballs. One up, one down. Two balls - two sounds.

High Rhythm – Same as the Low Rhythm, but you must pound the ball harder to bring them to shoulder-height at the same time. The balls should be in front of the player, not out to the sides.

High Non-Rhythm – Same as High Rhythm, but now you must alternate the two basketballs. One up, one down. Two balls, two sounds.

On the Go – Walk while dribbling both balls and perform each of the two ball dribbles. Go through each one 5 times.

The Chauncey Jab Step

This is a video from professional trainer Mike Lee demonstrating a jab step move used by Chauncey Billups. What makes this jab step so effective - and honestly, so impressive - is that he does it off of the dribble! This is a move, that once perfected, will definitely get you open! The video sound isn't very good and you have to get past the intensity of Mr. Lee's eyes but it is a great move to add to your toolbox.

Guard Play Workout

The workout below is known as the Pitino Drill be some people. I just call it Guard Play. It works on attacking the basket, individual ball moves, shooting and conditioning. It should be part of your regular workout - whether you are a guard or a post player - as it is basic basketball at its best.

Instructions:

1. Start at a wing and drive toward the basket.
2. When you reach the cone, make the first move and go to the basket and shoot a lay-up.
3. Rebound the basketball and make the same move out to the cone at the top of the key.
4. Repeat the step and move on to the next cone.
5. When you have made the move at all three cones start again with the next move.
6. After you use all moves at all 3 cones, repeat the drill using power lay-ups off of two feet and jump shots.

Notes:

1. When using the jump shots, make one or two dribbles by the cones before shooting.
2. Be aggressive and make the moves with game intensity.
3. Use your right hand when making your move at the right cone and your left hand at the left cone.
4. As you become more skilled, begin to combine the moves to get buy the defender.

Inside Out

When dribbling with the right hand, fake to left with left foot and fake the dribble to the left, then explode to the basket. Ball doesn’t leave the hand.

Hesitation

The move is made about 3’ away from the defender. Dribble up, stop, but keep the dribble alive. Your weight is on the left foot, rock back to the right foot and blow by the defender. Vice versa when using left hand.

Crossover

Dribble up to defender, when you are about 3’ away, crossover dribble low to the other hand, pulling the ball backwards. When crossing over your left foot should drop while your right foot goes with the ball across your body. By this time, you should be by the defender. Opposite with the left hand.

Turn Around

When making this move with the right hand, your left foot should be straight in front of the defender’s right foot. Pivot on your left foot and rub against the defender’s right shoulder and drive to the basket. Opposite with the left hand.

Behind-the-Back

When you begin to dribble behind the back you should be stepping with your left foot around the defender. Pull the ball behind you “bounce-passing” it to your left hand. Your arm should slap the top of your butt. Opposite with left hand.

Between-the-Legs

When you start your dribble between the legs, the left foot should be in front. After the ball goes through the legs, the right foot drives by or around the defender.

Gettin' On Your Toes

Below is a workout that I provided to a couple of my young players that struggle getting up on the balls of their feet when they are playing basketball. It seems that they spend a lot of time on their heels, which makes them slow to respond and really hurts their ability to play defense. These simple activities are designed to improve your quickness and agility by getting you playing on the balls of your feet - up on your toes - so that you are ready to move to make something happen. Spend 20 minutes a day on these simple drills and you will see a difference.

1. Jump rope. You can go to YouTube and find some good workouts. The trick is to work on staying on your toes, gradually improving the speed of the rope while your toes only slightly leave the ground.

2. Line jumps. Start on your toes and jump back and forth over a "line" which can be a rope, tape or a mark on the sidewalk. You than can jump side to side as well as front to back. Always on the toes!

3. Spot jumps. Similar to the line jumps but make patterns when you jump. Such as 4 pts on a square or 4 pts on a cross. You can then change up the pattern and the sequence. For instance on the square you can start by going clockwise. Then go counter clockwise and finish jump at the diagonal.

4. Tap-Tap. Remember Flashdance? In a defensive position with knees bent, rapidly tap your toes. While you continue to tap your toes (or called chop your feet) twist your lower body in a jump type maneuver where your left foot is in front and your right foot is in back (Your head should be facing forward but your lower body turns to the right) and then turn back facing forward while continuing to tap your toes. Now do the same thing but turn to your left.

5. Defensive slide drills. Stay on the balls of your feet and work on going short distances side-to-side as well as at angles and moving forward.

6. Finally, you can do some basic form running and stretching. 1) You can "skip," exploding straight up in the air throwing your knee at your chest. 2) Run with high knees. 3)Bounding from the toes where you explode from a squatted position and jump off both feet like you are doing a standing broad jump. Land on the balls of your feet and keep jumping. You don't stop, keep bounding forward like in leap frog.

Tight Spaces Drill

This is a quick ball-handling drill designed to make you work on your handles while in tight spaces such as splitting a defender or working out of a trap. Micah Lancaster, of Ganon Baker Basketball, demonstrates.

Micah Lancaster Ball Handling

I have included a video from Ganon Baker Basketball introducing Micah Lancaster. It is a quick synopsis of some innovative ball-handling drills that can improve your ball speed, hand strength and coordination plus Micah narrates a nice message in this short video. You can go to the website (http://ganonbakerbasketball.com/) or do video searches on YouTube or Google to see more.

3-on-3

There is not a better way to learn the nuances of basketball than through playing 3-on-3. You can not hide your flaws offensively or defensively in this setting and you are going to be part of the action. Besides being a lot of fun, it is a great learning and evaluation tool.

Offensively, it begins with the triple threat from which you can pass, shoot or dribble. In a 3-0n-3 situation - fundamentals are the key. 1) You can take your player off the drive using your 1-on-1 skills, 2) You can run a pick-n-roll with a teammate allowing either you to get to the basket or for you to pass to your teammate rolling after the screen or 3) you can have teammates screen for each other and pass to the open man. Plus, if you can execute the dribble drive, a defender will be forced to help leaving one of your teammates open for a shot. Beautiful!

Defensively, you are on an island. You need to be able to move your feet, provide help defense, close out on the recover and you must be able to talk! All of the things a good coach teaches in practice have to be executed in a 3-on-3 scenario or the opposing team will get plenty of opportunities to score.

The problem with 3-on-3 is that one tremendous athlete can dominate the game where in 5-on-5 you can get more help and allow for special defenses to slow the player down. So, as a teacher, how do you address this problem?

You take away the advantage that the offense has...you take away the dribble! So now you play 3-on-3, No Dribble. The offensive players must learn to move without the ball. They must either pass and cut or pass and screen away. Setting up the defender becomes more important since the you now are limited to two of the three threats. I guarantee that you will begin to see positive results by implementing this in practice. Players will learn how to play without the ball and as a team.

Next step is 3-on-3 full court! Talk about conditioning! Play a game to 3 or 5. No long snow bird passes. The players need to cut to to the ball and work their way down the court. Make it progressive where in one game they can only use bounce passes, another two hand overhead and another only chest passes.

Work this into your next practice session and let me know how it works!

S.i.R. Tryouts

The S.i.R. tryouts were held this past Monday and Tuesday for boys and girls in Rolla, MO and I was very pleased with the turnout. Around 140 boys and girls showed up over the two days to go through a quick workout to evaluate the skill level of the kids. I was impressed with the potential of the kids as there was a good mix of raw talent and skilled players.

The boys program will have two teams in 4th & 6th grades and one team in 3rd & 5th. The 7th grade boys will participate in an intramural program that will be starting in November and we are anticipating 40 or so boys coming out to play. A team or teams will be selected from the intramural program to represent Rolla as a traveling team in January and February.

The girls teams have not yet been determined as the 7th grade girls will be going through another round of tryouts. It was determined that we will combine the 3rd and 4th grade girls and focus on skill development and playing 3-on-3 among themselves instead of entering a League or playing in tournaments. We will also encourage them to participate in Optimist or Upward as well. Later in the season, we will schedule some games with neighboring towns as a climax to their training.

Gearing up for basketball season is a lot of fun, but can also be stressful for the administrators, coaches, kids and parents. Good luck to everyone on keeping things in perspective, keeping things positive and keeping the kids interested in the wonderful game of basketball!

Travel vs Recreational Basketball

What to do, what to do? Little Johnny is pretty good and is definitely better than Marcus. Yep, Travel Basketball is the right place for Little Johnny! Maybe....maybe not.

The decision to place your child into a competitive, travel sport situation is not one to take likely. There are several factors that you need to consider other than you want your child to be on a competitive team.

Does your child have a competitive personality?
Is your child's coordination behind or ahead of others his age?
Are you committed to the time and effort required for a travel team?
Can your child focus and learn or does he struggle with instruction?
Am I doing this because my child wants to or because I want them to?

These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself - honestly ask yourself - before deciding to either let your child tryout or be placed in a competitive environment. In some situations, you can get better instruction and face better competition in a Travel program. These two ingredients are key to an athletes growth. However, if a child is not ready to face that level of competition, you could be doing a disservice to your child and actually have them experience a regression in their development.

Recreational programs are great for some kids and can serve as a confidence builder and an opportunity for them to have success. The key is the quality of instruction. In our community we have two great recreational programs in basketball - Optimist and Upward. Our competitive organization, S.i.R., is good for the kids ready to travel and compete and in theory, serves as the "feeder" program for our high school. If you don't play S.i.R. can you still play in high school? Yes. Does it help to play S.i.R.? I would say yes, but it depends. Again, the key is instruction. You can get solid teaching in a recreational program and poor teaching in a competitive program. It depends on the coach, their experience and the connection that may or may not occur between a player and a coach.

So, in the question on Travel vs Recreational, my answer is simple...it never hurts to try. You will know during tryouts how you measure up against the other kids. Don't forget, you don't have to be the best player. There typically is only one kid who is the best, right? Will you work hard? Will you learn? Will you practice at home? If you are not selected, don't hang your head. Continue to work on your game and have fun playing in a recreational program the next season. Remember that Michael Jordon was cut from his high school team!

As the saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you never take. Why not take a shot?

How Do You Find the Time?

Let's see I need to have Sam to soccer practice at 4pm, Mary to gymnastics at 4:30, Ryan needs to see his personal basketball trainer at 4pm and then football practice at 5:30 and oh, yeah, it would be nice to have a home cooked meal!

This scenario is playing out all across the country as parents cram more and more into the lives our kids trying to make sure that they are able to take advantage of the opportunities that we did not have during our youth. It seems that the majority of us are guilty of this practice...and it's not just the sports minded people. You also have music lessons, dance recitals, scouting, book clubs, nature clubs, math clubs. Uggghhh! It is a never ending fill the void, there is nothing up my sleeve, follow the pea while I shuffle the cup, battling the clock while trying to make sure your child gets enough sleep.

We all want what is best for our kids but at what price?

To keep things in perspective, we should ask ourselves:
Are they having fun?
Do they seem happy?
How are their grades?
Do they have time to do their homework or are they cramming it in between activities or before they catch the bus?
Are you spending any quality time as a family?

The bottom line is 20 years down the road will your child thank you for these opportunities? Will your family be stronger? Or will you be asking yourself why you didn't spend more time just being family?

So You're Going to Play College Ball...

How many of you have your future planned out? If you were anything like me it probably sounds like this: After a stellar high school career, go on to play at a big time college, then represent your country in the Olympics before making a career playing professional basketball in front of thousands of adoring fans.

My dad always stressed the importance of grades so I also had planned in a couple of years at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar just like Dollar Bill Bradley of Crystal City, MO. Bradley went on to play at Princeton and then played for the Knicks when he returned from England. He went on to be a Senator from New Jersey and even attempted a run at the presidency. Kids, go to Google and check out Bill Bradley - excellent role model!

There is a reason high schools and colleges refer to kids as "student-athletes." Very few people are blessed to play a sport in college - especially for an NCAA institution - let alone make it to the professional ranks. Below are some statistics to help you keep things in perspective. Don't let it stop you from dreaming - just make sure you don't forget about the school work.

• Only 3% of high school seniors playing basketball will play at an NCAA school
• Approximately 1% of NCAA senior players will get drafted by the NBA or WNBA
• 5.7% of high school senior boys will play in the NCAA
• Only 1.8% of NCAA Seniors will be drafted by the NFL

So what does it mean? Only 0.08% of high school seniors will eventually be drafted by the NFL and only 0.03% of high school seniors will eventually be drafted by the NBA.
Bottom line is that dreaming is a great thing to do and I strongly encourage for kids to set their goals high but don't forget to work on your grades - just in case you change your dream to making a difference versus playing a game!

Husker Chant

While I am in no way a Husker fan or supporter, the Head Coach of my son's 5th/6th grade football team is a Husker fanatic. Complete with the Tommy Frazier reference on his license plates. Kids, go google Tommy Frazier and Nebraska football and you will understand.

The coach introduced a pre-game ritual that he borrowed from his beloved Huskers. It is a powerful message to send to our nations future about development, fairness and sportsmanship. It doesn't ask for an advantage...just an opportunity. A chance to grow and develop to allow them to compete. It basically talks about the right way to win and if you lose, you still need to keep things in perspective and thank your opponent for competing and congratulate them on their victory.

Typically, the Coach would lead and the team would repeat the line. The first paragraph was spoken solemnly and with respect. The last paragraph is shouted with emotion enabling the young players to feed off it and as they gather in the huddle with the speech rising to the climax, the last sentence is emphasized with an exclamation point after each word. Then a simple breakdown of "Team Name on 3" and they would hit the field.

This year, a couple of our "seniors" (a.k.a. 6th graders) have taken upon themselves to lead this ritual at the end of practice, assuming the leadership role that had previously been performed by the head coach. Another sign of the development of not only young players, but young citizens that understand the power of leadership.

In the battles we go through life,
We ask for a chance that is fair.
A chance to lengthen our stride,
A chance to do or dare.
If we should win,
Let it be by the code,
With our heads and our honor held high.
If we should lose,
We will stand by the road
And cheer as the winners go by.

Day by Day!
We get better and better!
A team that can't be beat!
WON'T! BE! BEAT!

Practice vs Shooting Around

When you go outside with the basketball to improve your game are you practicing or shooting around? Do you realize that there is a difference? For the average player or for the recreational player, nope, not really a difference. For the great players...well, there is a huge difference!

To help clarify, let's define the two activities. Shooting around is just what the words mean: you go out to the court and you start shooting around. Typically, you don't have a plan of activities, an expected outcome or time limit. Your main purpose is just to put the ball into the basket and enjoy yourself in the process. Hey, this is a lot of fun and probably describes the majority of kids playing basketball today.

Now, when I say practice, I am talking about practicing as an individual like you practice with the team. There should be a "practice plan" just like most good coaches have in place before their practice. They have drills, times and goals for why each drill is being performed. You can do the same thing when you are practicing basketball alone. What type of drills will you work on today? Will you just shoot baskets or will you mix in ball handling and conditioning? How many shots will you take? Left-handed? Right-handed? Post moves? Free throws? 3 pointers?

Let's be honest, practices are typically not as fun as shooting around which is why, as kids, it is important to do both! One day, just shoot around for 30 minutes or an hour. Play a game in your mind where you hit the game winning shot against Kobe and the Lakers to win the NBA title 98 to 97. Enjoy playing the game and work on your moves. Play at game speed. Then the next day, go to work. Put the time in on the little things, the fundamentals, that will make you a better player. That will separate you from your competition. Set goals for shots made and then give yourself a reward or punishment (push-ups or sprints) when you don't meet those goals. Combine your drills to keep things from getting boring and allow you to work on multiple aspects at one time. Use the guard play drills which provide a series of ball handling moves towards a "defender" (a.k.a. trashcan) and then explode for a lay-up, power drive or jump shot. Do this from multiple spots on the court.

You have probably heard the saying that somebody somewhere is practicing basketball and when you meet and all things are even, that person will win. Will you be that person? I use a saying with my team, "Practice hard. Play hard." This is our break from the huddle and a mantra that I use to challenge my players to improve their game and to practice at game speed...not just shoot around. The courts are full of kids who shoot around and only shoot around. Great players practice. Will you be great?

Playing Your Child Up

When is it okay to play your child up a grade in sports? As parents we waiver between our desire to see our child be successful and our desire to protect. Is it better for them to struggle and play against better competition or for them to be successful against kids their own age? It is a tough question and made tougher when you, the parent, are also the coach.

Playing a child up a grade is a common occurrence in all sports today. Throw in the fact that it is common for boys with summer birthdays to start later when entering kindergarten, you see kids that are more mature for their grade and could play at a higher level. AAU and other heavily competitive organizations even organize their tournaments by age instead of grade to accommodate for these situations such as 12&U versus 6th grade. They go so far as to allow for a certain number of grade exceptions for those kids that have been held back.

I have had first hand experience with playing my child up with mixed success. In baseball, my child was physically able to play at the same level but was not ready mentally - especially when you consider he was a summer birthday that did not stay back a year - as he was typically 1 to 2 years younger then the other kids and if they played up a grade, he could be 3 years younger. In basketball, he was always a lower end player on the older team but gradually improved to earn more playing time but still towards the bottom.

Not until he played with a team made up of his own grade and against players in his grade, did he truly find success. At that point the light went off in his head. He realized that the game was slower and his work with the older kids allowed him to play at a different pace and with different skills than those in his age group. After that, he was able to translate success at that grade level to the older team as his confidence skyrocketed.

There is another instance where a younger basketball player played with an older team and was their point guard and a dominant player at the older level. As the kids moved on to school ball and played with only their grade, they found a huge gap in their team as they did not have a player ready to take over the point. That could have a huge impact on a high school program as gaps exist as the sophomores thru seniors enter the same playing arena.

So, when is it okay to play your child up? Well, it depends. It depends on the child, it depends on the child's team and it depends on what you hope to gain. Below I have listed a series of pro's and con's that hopefully you will consider when determining whether or not your child should play up a grade.

Pro's
- gain valuable experience against tougher competition
- start a year earlier in a program gaining more skills
- play with more experienced players
- less pressure to be "the guy"
- added confidence if you have success against older kids

Con's
- could be facing kids that are at least two years older
- not playing with age group
- unless really good, doesn't get the chance to be "the guy"
- typically, not viewed as a leader due to age
- is it the best for the program or the individual?
- could lead to dissension and resentment on the team
- coaches nightmare if playing time is not deserved or parents are not on board

Personally, it was not the right thing for him in baseball. It actually hampered his development. In basketball, I feel it helped my child's development initially, but he needed to have success and he was able to achieve that by playing against his age group. Now, I will have him play with his age group and from time-to-time, play him up a grade for special tournaments or will find higher level tournaments of his age group to challenge him in his continued development.

Have You Done Your homework?

Homework! A word that strikes fear in the heart of your typical student almost as much as the word "Test". Why? Probably because it takes time and effort that they would rather spend doing something else.

Whether or not you, as a student, likes doing homework, you typically do the homework that is assigned by your teachers at school and you typically study before tests to improve the likelihood of performing well on the test. The same expectations exist for you in football, basketball or whatever sport you choose!

In basketball, you need to work on your ball handling and dribble drills at home – as part of your homework. You need to work on free throws and form shooting at home – as part of your homework. You need to work on these skills the same way that you are taught in practice. Taking advantage of muscle memory to help secure repetitive motions that hopefully will result in greater confidence and competence in the respective drills.

If a teacher shows you a certain way to perform a math problem and states that she wants it done her way or you will not get credit, what do you do? Do you do it your own way or the way that she is teaching you? Same in basketball. Practice at home so that you will be prepared for your test – which is the game.

If you do not do your homework, you will struggle on your test. Some people need to study more than others. Some can retain information through hearing and then can immediately put it into practice. We know that these kids exist in the sports world as well. If you do not do your homework in basketball, more than likely you will struggle in the games. Those that get by now with little homework or do not use good study habits may find themselves enjoying success now, but as they progress through Middle School and onto High School, chances are things will change. It may not happen until college, but at some point, the lack of discipline, effort and practice will come back to haunt that student. The same can be said for sports. It is evident by the play on the court who is doing their homework. As in school with a Teacher, a Coach provides your final grade. So the question is simple: Will you be on the Honor Roll?

Beating a Zone Defense

While zone defenses are used at every level of the game, when you coach youth basketball, you definitely have to learn how to play against a zone defense. A zone defense can be a strategic part of any game plan and when you are playing for State or National titles at the High School and Collegiate levels, I understand utilizing these strategies as often as necessary to win. At the youth level, I feel a little different.

Fundamental defense is taught at the man-ball level through a man-to-man (M2M) defense. Too often, coaches are more worried about winning than developing their players and take the easy way out and stick their kids in a zone. Why does it give them a good chance to win? Well, outside shooting is a premium as kids lack strength or consistency to be a regular threat. Also, it crowds up the middle slowing down offenses and it looks a little menacing to young kids seeing all of those obstacles to the basket. Plus, you can sometimes hide weaker players.

I personally feel that zone defenses should not be taught until they have mastered the M2M defense. Besides, a well executed M2M looks like a zone or match-up zone as the weak side players slide to the middle to protect against the drive. I have actually had coaches say that their kids couldn't "get" a man defense. That they are not "good enough" to play man. Well, that is a coach not holding up his end of the bargain. It is the coaches job to teach, instruct and reinforce the proper way of playing M2M and EXPECT it from his players.

Even when we have been out-sized, I typically stuck to my guns and statyed in the M2M defense. I made adjustments and stressed points of emphasis such as doubling down with a wing defender. Helping from the top side and packing in the back side help. As my team matured and developed we began to introduce some aggressive zone such as a 1-3-1 trap and then a more traditional 2-3 or 3-2. We still run 90% man, playing in your face, full-court defense with a lot of weak side help. Whether you are the one playing defense or the one being guarded, when our game is done, you know that you have been in a ball game!

Here are a few tips and points of emphasis that I use when facing a zone defens:

Fastbreak
Don't let them set up their Zone...score early, score often. We set the tempo!

Move the Ball
Make the Zone work, make them move. The Zone will break down if we continue to reverse the ball.

Flash
Flash into the openings between the defenders. "Split the defenders." "Find the seams." Look for the ball, look to score!

Penetrate
Drive into the Zone...but not too deep!
Drive into the Zone...pull up for your shot.
Drive into the Zone...drop it to the post.
Drive into the Zone...kick it to the wing.

Hit the Jumper!
When you are open, you have to knock it down. Be shot-ready. Be square. Be ready to pull the trigger. Practice at game speed so you will play at game speed.

Expand the plan
Be disciplined and execute the offense...but don't be afraid to freelance. Float to the openings. Move without the ball. Make something happen!

Rebound
Work to get to the board - THEY have to find YOU! Block THEM out! Top man stay back...we can't get burnt. Limit their offense to one shot...we can't start the fastbreak without the ball.

Practice
If you don't practice how will you get better? If you don't get better how will the team get better? If the team doesn't get better how will we reach our potential? If we don't reach our potential how will we succeed?

The Bring it Strong Blog

Hello sports fans! This is my first push into the blogosphere to try and reach out and share on a more regular basis my passion for teaching sports, especially basketball. I use the word "teaching" as I feel it is more appropriate than training or coaching since the objective is to pass knowledge to and from one another, where the teacher is also involved in the learning process.

After the completion of the Bring it Strong Basketball Academy I received a lot of positive feedback from both the kids and their parents. While I have enjoyed spending time having one-on-one discussions with people regarding my Coach to Develop vs Coaching to Win philosophy, I realized that it could be possible to reach a broader group and have a greater impact through the use of technology. Which leads us to this place -- this point in time.

The format for the blog is still up in the air. I would like to have a weekly blog set up regarding a myriad of topics including Rolla Athletics, Basketball Coaching Tips, Relationships between Coaches and Parents/Kids, and a discussion of the hot topics in the world of sports. I have also thought about using two different perspectives and possibly two different blogs. One coming from S.I.R. which would be more focused on Rolla Basketball and the other perspective from Bring it Strong which would be more focused on the Development of Youth. I believe a single blog will work as the audience can choose to ignore a blog that is about Rolla sports if they are from Billings, Montana. The risk is that they choose not to follow the blog at all which goes against the purpose of reaching out to a broader base and having a positive impact.

I am excited about starting this Blog and look forward to receiving comments and feedback as well as suggestions for future topics.