Hello Basketball Fan,
I hope you are enjoying the start of the season. I really enjoyed watching the early season college tournaments. It is going to be a fun season.
Boy! I would like to know if ANYONE can beat North Carolina Men. They are TOUGH! I can't believe the speed they have on both ends of the floor. I will say though- they need to play tougher defense all the time and I don't just mean in your face. I mean get more quality stops all the time. Last year that was a kink in their armor. It is going to be a fun season.
I love watching the NCAA women's games as well. I love the consistency of the top teams. Tenessee, UCONN, UNC, Duke, Texas Tech, just to name a few. The thing I love about the women's games is the purity of the fundamentals. They really do a nice job of breaking down a defender of offense. They use the triple threat position well, and can flat out shoot. Should be another exciting year.
Weekly Tip: This weeks tip is from "The Speed Guy"
RE: Single Leg Strength
Purpose: To increase performance and reduce the potential for injury
Drill: Multidirectional lunge
The ability to lunge in all directions (forward, angular forward, sideways, angular backwards, and backwards) not only strength the legs and hips but it also increases stability and balance. In order for the basketball player to perform the multidirectional lunge correctly they must improve hip mobility, stability, balance, and strength/power.
The great thing about a lunge is you have to improve power in order to get back to the starting position. This is important for basketball players to be able to recover in all directions.
Perform: Do 2-3 sets of 3-4 reps in each direction.
Tips: Keep the torso in great posture by not flexing the spine. Keep the lead heel in contact with the floor- don't lift the heel so pressure goes to the knee. Finally, don't take too long or short of a lunge- it should be comfortable for you to maintain proper positions.
I am a Defensive Coach??
I recently had a discussion with a friend and a BB coach at the boys 8th grade level. He was telling me how he instructs defense. He said, "I am a defensive coach." I thought, "hmmm." He went on to tell me that he likes only man-to-man and in your face defense at that. He then went on to tell me how he coaches his players to position themselves on defense when guarding the ball. I had no problem with his technique except you better have an underlying foundation of defense and not just rely on this one technique- especially with 8th graders.
Here is my opinion on this conversation. First of all. I consider myself a defensive coach and probably so does ever coach on the planet. But make no mistake about it, I coach my players to put the ball in the hoop. Defense just happens to be a way for me to do that better than my opponents.
Often I hear coaches say- AHH! I am a defensive guy...there is too much shooting in today's game. Players only worry about offense. Well, Yeah! I did too when I played. I loved playing hard defense because I was quick and could really hawk an offensive player. But don't think for one second I didn't want that ball in my hand trying to create some offensive move for myself or my teammates.
The complete coach comes in with a realistic approach that the game is won on the scoreboard. The team that scores the most wins every time. Doesn't mean the losing team wasn't successful but a higher score means a win in the books. You should be a defensive-minded, offensive-minded, and situational-minded coach all the time. Don't overthink the game. Rick Patino is known for being one of the toughest defensive pressure coaches, but he is also the coach that took a small providence team to the final four based off the 3 point shot- he did it for years with Kentucky and is now doing it with Louisville.
I have a ton of respect for my friend and other coaches who say they are defensive-minded coaches. I just don't buy the rationale that defense comes first. Like I have said many times- You have to evaluate your situation and make plans accordingly. If you have a great hustling team that scraps all over the court and plays great defense, but can't shoot the ball in the ocean- you are not going to win many games without finding scoring opportunities.
My advice is- Be a coach to your team. Don't just go in with a blind philosophy because you think it gives you an identity as a coach. Do what your team needs and be willing to make adjustments all the time to help your team.
For all you coaches out there I want to wish you a great season and hopefully you are off to a great start. If you are not off to the start you hoped for there is lots of time to evaluate and adjust. You can do it!
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: Hey, if you have a friend, coach, player, or parent that would benefit from getting great basketball information each month and throughout each month then send the to http://www.basketballspeedinsiders.com/ so they can enjoy being an insider.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
First Ever Basketball Speed Seminar Just Took A Huge Step...
Hello,
I am really excited to announce that the Basketball Speed Seminar is moving really quickly now. I just returned home from a meeting with 2 outstanding individuals that are helping me confirm a location in Indianapolis for the first ever Basketball Speed Seminar. It is going to be a great location.
The two people involved in helping are top level basketball coaches. They have coached at the highest levels down to the foundational level (I will be giving out there information in later blogs so don't miss out). The key thing for me is that they absolutely love helping coaches get great information so they can run better programs. I am now in the process of solidifying other presenters so this will be a the best clinic I can offer.
Stay tuned for more details as we move along...
Here is another great Tip from TJ:
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Spin Dribble
Action: - Dribble ball up the court in right hand
- after 3 dribbles, plant and pivot with your
left foot and spin while keeping the dribble
with your right hand
- upon completing the spin, switch the ball
over to the left hand and continue dribbling
down the court
Workout: dribble 3 times with right hand, spin
dribble 3 times with left hand, then spin
repeat that drill up and down the court 5 times
(you should be able to get in 3-4 spins each trip)
Why Coaching Makes The Difference
You might be one of these basketball junkies that absolutely loves the game. One that knows everything about it, but has really never learned the art of coaching. You never really understood what it takes to gain the respect and attention of the players you coach; therefore, your message really never gets across.
When you look at the best programs, youth to the pros, it is no mistake that the coach understands how to get players to buy into the program. The coach can teach the most basic skills and the most intricate systems to anyone. It is because they understand how to get players engaged.
Part of being a good basketball coach is showing your enthusiasm for the players and the fact that you would rather be with them for the 1-2 hours then at any other place. Show them that you are their biggest fan. Let them know you care and they will respond, they will buy into you and your program. Now the teaching gets easier because you have a captive audience.
Another important part to being a successful coach is understanding how your players learn. Not all players pick things up on the first explanation. They need to hear it again, see it again, and do it multiple times. And sometimes it only makes sense when they feel how it works in live action. The good coaches accept this and use different teaching styles to get this across.
One of my college coaches was big on doing skeleton drills (no defense). Personally, I understood the sequence of the offense or defense in this manner but until there was live defense I wasn't able to get the real timing down. So I learned through live action.
I played for one coach that was the loudest most in your face coach ever. He ruled by fear and by negative application. He even told us that rarely will he give compliments, but he will pick on our faults ever time. This didn't work for me at all. I was the type of player that gave 100% all the time and would do what ever the coach asked. So when he got in my face it was a complete turn off and negative response. I already bought in why turn me off.
You have to really look at your coaching style and be able to adapt to your players. Now, I can just hear some of the old time coaches saying- Like heck! the players are going to do it my way or the highway. That is all fine and good. But if you really want to get the best out of your players you need to have various approaches for the players. I am not saying you have to have 10 different practice plans but be willing to adapt to someone not getting it the way you are delivering it.
The bottom line is we as coaches have a chance to impact the lives of many people. If we choose to be pig headed and not listen to what they need we will not have a great impact on them. But if we can learn to get all players to buy in and help each player the best we can the chances of a positive impact will be made.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: I am so excited about the Basketball Speed Seminar. Don't forget that Basketball Speed Insiders get 50% off the seminar fee. If you want to become a member of the BBall Speed Insiders go to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com and join for 1 month FREE!
I am really excited to announce that the Basketball Speed Seminar is moving really quickly now. I just returned home from a meeting with 2 outstanding individuals that are helping me confirm a location in Indianapolis for the first ever Basketball Speed Seminar. It is going to be a great location.
The two people involved in helping are top level basketball coaches. They have coached at the highest levels down to the foundational level (I will be giving out there information in later blogs so don't miss out). The key thing for me is that they absolutely love helping coaches get great information so they can run better programs. I am now in the process of solidifying other presenters so this will be a the best clinic I can offer.
Stay tuned for more details as we move along...
Here is another great Tip from TJ:
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Spin Dribble
Action: - Dribble ball up the court in right hand
- after 3 dribbles, plant and pivot with your
left foot and spin while keeping the dribble
with your right hand
- upon completing the spin, switch the ball
over to the left hand and continue dribbling
down the court
Workout: dribble 3 times with right hand, spin
dribble 3 times with left hand, then spin
repeat that drill up and down the court 5 times
(you should be able to get in 3-4 spins each trip)
Why Coaching Makes The Difference
You might be one of these basketball junkies that absolutely loves the game. One that knows everything about it, but has really never learned the art of coaching. You never really understood what it takes to gain the respect and attention of the players you coach; therefore, your message really never gets across.
When you look at the best programs, youth to the pros, it is no mistake that the coach understands how to get players to buy into the program. The coach can teach the most basic skills and the most intricate systems to anyone. It is because they understand how to get players engaged.
Part of being a good basketball coach is showing your enthusiasm for the players and the fact that you would rather be with them for the 1-2 hours then at any other place. Show them that you are their biggest fan. Let them know you care and they will respond, they will buy into you and your program. Now the teaching gets easier because you have a captive audience.
Another important part to being a successful coach is understanding how your players learn. Not all players pick things up on the first explanation. They need to hear it again, see it again, and do it multiple times. And sometimes it only makes sense when they feel how it works in live action. The good coaches accept this and use different teaching styles to get this across.
One of my college coaches was big on doing skeleton drills (no defense). Personally, I understood the sequence of the offense or defense in this manner but until there was live defense I wasn't able to get the real timing down. So I learned through live action.
I played for one coach that was the loudest most in your face coach ever. He ruled by fear and by negative application. He even told us that rarely will he give compliments, but he will pick on our faults ever time. This didn't work for me at all. I was the type of player that gave 100% all the time and would do what ever the coach asked. So when he got in my face it was a complete turn off and negative response. I already bought in why turn me off.
You have to really look at your coaching style and be able to adapt to your players. Now, I can just hear some of the old time coaches saying- Like heck! the players are going to do it my way or the highway. That is all fine and good. But if you really want to get the best out of your players you need to have various approaches for the players. I am not saying you have to have 10 different practice plans but be willing to adapt to someone not getting it the way you are delivering it.
The bottom line is we as coaches have a chance to impact the lives of many people. If we choose to be pig headed and not listen to what they need we will not have a great impact on them. But if we can learn to get all players to buy in and help each player the best we can the chances of a positive impact will be made.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: I am so excited about the Basketball Speed Seminar. Don't forget that Basketball Speed Insiders get 50% off the seminar fee. If you want to become a member of the BBall Speed Insiders go to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com and join for 1 month FREE!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Simply Amazing- Did You See It?
I recently saw the most raw athletic display by LeBron James the other night- did you see it? He was on a break away and took off from the foul line and dunked the ball like it was a simple lay up. Wow! Because we see things like this more and more from these college and NBA players, we start to take it for granted. Just think about this; LeBron is 6'8", 250 pounds, and took of from the foul line (15 feet from the hoop) dunked it like nothing, landed, turned around and got back on defense. That is insane!
There is often the argument of what athletes are the best in the world. I really don't think it is a fair question, because I feel each sport has an area of athleticism that is unique to itself. Take a baseball player or softball player. They have to hit a 90 plus mile an hour fast ball with a relatively small surface. Michael Phelps showed incredible athleticism in his sport. But what I would have to say is if you consider what a basketball player has to do throughout a game it is hard to argue that they display the most variety of pure athleticism all the time. They have to have great hand eye coordination, great leaping and jumping ability, incredible multidirectional speed and quickness, a high level of strength and power, reactive ability, body control, mobility, and the ability to display all of these on the same play. Plus, they are sometimes huge individuals.
I remember taking my daughters to a WNBA Indiana Fever game and watching how agile and explosive Tamika Catching is. She handles the ball like a point guard, passes incredibly, rebounds and defends better than anyone, and is graceful while she plays.
Please don't misunderstand me, I think sports like soccer, tennis, volleyball, skiing, baseball, football, you name it- have incredible athletes and they are all fun to watch.
OK, Here is your weekly Basketball Skill Tip by TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Spider Drill
Action: -Set feet shoulder width apart
and bend your knees
- take the ball and dribble it as low as you
can with one hand, then immediately switch
and dribble it with your opposite hand
- keeping the ball as low as possible dribble it
through your legs, then still facing forward quickly
move your hands behind your legs and dribble the ball
once with each hand
- on the second dribble, push it forward through your
legs and repeat that pattern
Workout: - dribble the ball 50 times in front of you and 50 times
behind you - remember to switch hands and put it
between your legs after every two dribbles
This is one of those drills that make the ball become a part of your hand- really important concept. The ball should feel so natural in your hands that you can do anything at any time with it.
Train Basketball Speed Every Day The Right Way.
If you approach speed and quickness as a skill, which you should be, you can make huge improvements on how fast your athletes move on the basketball court. But if you always say. "I can't find time to teach speed during practice," you might lose games because your team isn't athletic enough at the key times.
The system of implementing speed is easy. Think of speed just like foul shooting. Every day you allot a few minutes at a time throughout the practice for your players to practice the skill of foul shooting. You should do the same thing with multidirectional basketball speed.
Day one you could set 3 minutes to do 5-6 reps of lane shuffles for 7 seconds. But you are focusing on how well they move, not conditioning (that is for another time), it is speed/skill development. Another day you could do first step explosive acceleration from the baseline to the same side foul line (18 feet). On another day or time in the practice you could focus on retreating or hip turn type explosive skills. See what I mean... you don't need a lot of time, you only need small (3-5 minute) highly focused blocks of time to coach speed.
The problem is that most coaches view it as conditioning. It needs to be taught separately and with great focus on technique. You will be amazed at how your players get faster!
I hope you implement speed training into each and every practice so you set your team up for success!
Play Hard
Lee
PS: If you want to be a part of the best Basketball Information Program than you need to check out the Basketball Speed Insider Membership Club. There are Lot's of exciting events coming in 2009 and you don't want to miss out. Go to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com
There is often the argument of what athletes are the best in the world. I really don't think it is a fair question, because I feel each sport has an area of athleticism that is unique to itself. Take a baseball player or softball player. They have to hit a 90 plus mile an hour fast ball with a relatively small surface. Michael Phelps showed incredible athleticism in his sport. But what I would have to say is if you consider what a basketball player has to do throughout a game it is hard to argue that they display the most variety of pure athleticism all the time. They have to have great hand eye coordination, great leaping and jumping ability, incredible multidirectional speed and quickness, a high level of strength and power, reactive ability, body control, mobility, and the ability to display all of these on the same play. Plus, they are sometimes huge individuals.
I remember taking my daughters to a WNBA Indiana Fever game and watching how agile and explosive Tamika Catching is. She handles the ball like a point guard, passes incredibly, rebounds and defends better than anyone, and is graceful while she plays.
Please don't misunderstand me, I think sports like soccer, tennis, volleyball, skiing, baseball, football, you name it- have incredible athletes and they are all fun to watch.
OK, Here is your weekly Basketball Skill Tip by TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Spider Drill
Action: -Set feet shoulder width apart
and bend your knees
- take the ball and dribble it as low as you
can with one hand, then immediately switch
and dribble it with your opposite hand
- keeping the ball as low as possible dribble it
through your legs, then still facing forward quickly
move your hands behind your legs and dribble the ball
once with each hand
- on the second dribble, push it forward through your
legs and repeat that pattern
Workout: - dribble the ball 50 times in front of you and 50 times
behind you - remember to switch hands and put it
between your legs after every two dribbles
This is one of those drills that make the ball become a part of your hand- really important concept. The ball should feel so natural in your hands that you can do anything at any time with it.
Train Basketball Speed Every Day The Right Way.
If you approach speed and quickness as a skill, which you should be, you can make huge improvements on how fast your athletes move on the basketball court. But if you always say. "I can't find time to teach speed during practice," you might lose games because your team isn't athletic enough at the key times.
The system of implementing speed is easy. Think of speed just like foul shooting. Every day you allot a few minutes at a time throughout the practice for your players to practice the skill of foul shooting. You should do the same thing with multidirectional basketball speed.
Day one you could set 3 minutes to do 5-6 reps of lane shuffles for 7 seconds. But you are focusing on how well they move, not conditioning (that is for another time), it is speed/skill development. Another day you could do first step explosive acceleration from the baseline to the same side foul line (18 feet). On another day or time in the practice you could focus on retreating or hip turn type explosive skills. See what I mean... you don't need a lot of time, you only need small (3-5 minute) highly focused blocks of time to coach speed.
The problem is that most coaches view it as conditioning. It needs to be taught separately and with great focus on technique. You will be amazed at how your players get faster!
I hope you implement speed training into each and every practice so you set your team up for success!
Play Hard
Lee
PS: If you want to be a part of the best Basketball Information Program than you need to check out the Basketball Speed Insider Membership Club. There are Lot's of exciting events coming in 2009 and you don't want to miss out. Go to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
Make em do what you want....
Hey Basketball Fans,
Just a personal heads up. This is the start of the intramural program for the girls 5th and 6th graders at my daughter's school. Now I wanted to be more involved with both my daughters sports programs so I am the director of it this year. The reason I am sharing this with you is to let you in on how I am a planner. I was at a 4 day business marketing event this weekend and during the breaks I was outlining the skills and foundational plan to get this program started. Being a good coach is all about being willing to plan.
Because I feel planning is so important I also took the time to do the practice plans for the coaches that are doing the 5th and 6th grade. I did their outline for them. The reason I am doing this is because the girls program at this school has been down and out for the past several years and I want to see it turn around. One of the most important components to turning a program around is building continuity throughout. If everyone is on the same page then we can build a strong program from within. We will see how it goes...
Weekly Basketball Tip: By TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Behind the back dribble
Action: - start at one end of the court and jog up
the court dribbling the ball
- after 3 or 4 dribbles wrap the ball around
your back and maintain your dribble with
the opposite hand
- make sure that you wrap quickly around
your back and push it out in front of you
so you can stay in stride
Workout: Dribble the ball behind your back 4 times
every 1 trip up the court
repeat the drill 5 trips up the floor switching
hands after each behind the back dribble
Make 'em do what you want
In this article I want to touch on the importance of making a defender do what you want them to do so you can go where you want to go. This is called dictated the play. Too often offensive players react to what the defense gives them (sometimes you can't avoid this). When an offensive player needs to be able to get to a place on the floor to have a better angle to pass or to get a better shot off or what ever... the offensive player must dictate the play. Let's look at a few examples of how this works.
One of the most important skills any basketball player can have is handling the basketball. If a player can dribble the ball well and control it against any kind of defensive pressure they will be successful in moving around the court. When an offensive player needs to get to the right side of the floor to create a better passing angle for his or her low post player and the defense knows this they better be good with the ball. The key is to not sell that you are trying to get to the right side of the floor. if the defense forces you left- go hard left and make them pay for it. This way they will be less likely to give you the left side. The other thing to do is to use a screen. Set up the defensive player to run them off a screen which allows you to get to the right side. The last thing to do is to act like you are going to go hard to the hoop by crossing over left but immediately pull back and reverse dribble to the right side. None of these options would be open if you didn't have a good handle on the ball. This is why I say you MUST be able to dribble the ball well.
Here is another way to make the defense do what you want them to do. If you have a great shooter on the team and you want to get them open one of the best ways to do so is to dribble at him or her and the defender guarding them. It is a natural instinct for the defender to take a peek and want to help out. this is when the shooter can make a cut away from the defender and get open for a quick shot. The other way to do this is to beat your man off the dribble toward the shooter side of the court. The goal is to penetrate to draw the defense and use a kick out pass. If the defender on your teammate is told to not help out- I guarantee if you beat you man to hoop several times in a row the defensive will change. They will either go to a zone which is great for your shooter or they will start helping on penetration. In either case you are dictating what you want them to do and not allowing them to dictate play.
Finally, I want to talk about facing a zone. Anytime you face a zone (which isn't as popular these days) you want to make more than one player play you so you can get teammates open. If you are a point guard on top versus an even front zone you want to force a double team by the top two defenders then kick to a wing. If you are on a wing you want the top and bottom defenders to adjust to you so you can dump down to a diving post payer or skip to an open wing man. The key to beating zones is making the team overplay so you can fill in the gap and score easy hoops.
The key to getting the defense to adjust to you starts with being a great ball handling team. If you can't do things with the ball that put you in a better position then the defense can shut you down one on one. But if you can handle the rock and force the defense to adjust to you by helping out....YOU WIN- of course you have to knock down open shots.
As always, I love talking shop. The game of basketball is full of skills, techniques, strategies, and tactics and I love sharing mine with you.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: If you know of anyone that would benefit from receiving monthly and weekly information on basketball you need to send them to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com so they can get the hottest information out there today. Thanks for being a supporter of the game.
Just a personal heads up. This is the start of the intramural program for the girls 5th and 6th graders at my daughter's school. Now I wanted to be more involved with both my daughters sports programs so I am the director of it this year. The reason I am sharing this with you is to let you in on how I am a planner. I was at a 4 day business marketing event this weekend and during the breaks I was outlining the skills and foundational plan to get this program started. Being a good coach is all about being willing to plan.
Because I feel planning is so important I also took the time to do the practice plans for the coaches that are doing the 5th and 6th grade. I did their outline for them. The reason I am doing this is because the girls program at this school has been down and out for the past several years and I want to see it turn around. One of the most important components to turning a program around is building continuity throughout. If everyone is on the same page then we can build a strong program from within. We will see how it goes...
Weekly Basketball Tip: By TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Behind the back dribble
Action: - start at one end of the court and jog up
the court dribbling the ball
- after 3 or 4 dribbles wrap the ball around
your back and maintain your dribble with
the opposite hand
- make sure that you wrap quickly around
your back and push it out in front of you
so you can stay in stride
Workout: Dribble the ball behind your back 4 times
every 1 trip up the court
repeat the drill 5 trips up the floor switching
hands after each behind the back dribble
Make 'em do what you want
In this article I want to touch on the importance of making a defender do what you want them to do so you can go where you want to go. This is called dictated the play. Too often offensive players react to what the defense gives them (sometimes you can't avoid this). When an offensive player needs to be able to get to a place on the floor to have a better angle to pass or to get a better shot off or what ever... the offensive player must dictate the play. Let's look at a few examples of how this works.
One of the most important skills any basketball player can have is handling the basketball. If a player can dribble the ball well and control it against any kind of defensive pressure they will be successful in moving around the court. When an offensive player needs to get to the right side of the floor to create a better passing angle for his or her low post player and the defense knows this they better be good with the ball. The key is to not sell that you are trying to get to the right side of the floor. if the defense forces you left- go hard left and make them pay for it. This way they will be less likely to give you the left side. The other thing to do is to use a screen. Set up the defensive player to run them off a screen which allows you to get to the right side. The last thing to do is to act like you are going to go hard to the hoop by crossing over left but immediately pull back and reverse dribble to the right side. None of these options would be open if you didn't have a good handle on the ball. This is why I say you MUST be able to dribble the ball well.
Here is another way to make the defense do what you want them to do. If you have a great shooter on the team and you want to get them open one of the best ways to do so is to dribble at him or her and the defender guarding them. It is a natural instinct for the defender to take a peek and want to help out. this is when the shooter can make a cut away from the defender and get open for a quick shot. The other way to do this is to beat your man off the dribble toward the shooter side of the court. The goal is to penetrate to draw the defense and use a kick out pass. If the defender on your teammate is told to not help out- I guarantee if you beat you man to hoop several times in a row the defensive will change. They will either go to a zone which is great for your shooter or they will start helping on penetration. In either case you are dictating what you want them to do and not allowing them to dictate play.
Finally, I want to talk about facing a zone. Anytime you face a zone (which isn't as popular these days) you want to make more than one player play you so you can get teammates open. If you are a point guard on top versus an even front zone you want to force a double team by the top two defenders then kick to a wing. If you are on a wing you want the top and bottom defenders to adjust to you so you can dump down to a diving post payer or skip to an open wing man. The key to beating zones is making the team overplay so you can fill in the gap and score easy hoops.
The key to getting the defense to adjust to you starts with being a great ball handling team. If you can't do things with the ball that put you in a better position then the defense can shut you down one on one. But if you can handle the rock and force the defense to adjust to you by helping out....YOU WIN- of course you have to knock down open shots.
As always, I love talking shop. The game of basketball is full of skills, techniques, strategies, and tactics and I love sharing mine with you.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: If you know of anyone that would benefit from receiving monthly and weekly information on basketball you need to send them to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com so they can get the hottest information out there today. Thanks for being a supporter of the game.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Got Pressure!
Good Monday Hoopsters!
Listening in on what
Bill Walton had to say.
Weekly Tip by TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Crossover Dribble
Action: start at one end of the court
- start dribbling up the floor with your right hand
- fake like you are continuing to the right and plant your right foot
- at the same time drop your shoulders, get low, and cross the ball
over to your left hand
- make sure you change direction when you make your crossover
and sell the fake
Workout - 2 crossovers right to left and 2 crossovers left to right
(4 total crossovers on one trip up the court)
- take 6 trips total full length of court
Is Pressure Always Good?
Have you ever watched the old games on "Classic Sports" and noticed how the defense was played. The players were off the ball handler quite a bit and there wasn't frantic pressure on the ball handler when he or she was dribbling. Boy has that changed.
In today's game the pressure on the ball is intense. The purpose is to make it difficult for the ball handler to do what he or she wants- basically take away the ability to get into the offense easily. I have some opinions I would like to share- shall we...
First of all, I am not a big fan of applying in your face pressure all the time. If you don't have a bunch of defensive thoroughbreds it can get you in a lot of trouble quickly. You can get your guards and big men in foul trouble and have them sitting on the bench. Pressure needs to be taught properly so it can be beneficial to the outcome of the game.
I remember watching a sectional high school game and seeing one team apply pressure all game long. The problem was the defensive guards were too slow to handle the quickness of the offensive guards. The offensive guards could get to paint all game long. They were creating mismatches and great scoring opportunities. This was obviously a case where the coach wanted his team to do something they were not able to do.
Basketball, like many sports, is trendy. A new system or style of playing is developed and a team or two has great success, and the next thing you know every high school or college in the country tries it out. Not a bad thing if it fits (also, colleges can adapt easier because they can recruit the kind of players they want and need). Full court and aggressive half court defensive where the ball is being denied all the time is one of the shifts in the game that has been successful for many programs. It also has caused many programs to be unsuccessful.
I have always tried to do what was best for my teams. If I felt we could pressure the ball more I would. But I am very realistic about my goals. The number one goal in a game is to score more points at the end of the night then the opponents. I have to figure out how to do that.
Let's change directions just for a second. The trend in the game offensively is to shoot the long ball or take it hard to the hoop. There are many different ways to get to these 2 options, but that is the overall theme for many programs. Now if my defensive philosophy is to get up high and pressure the ball and deny the next pass, it is pretty obvious a good guard can get to the hoop rather easy. Here is my thought on this. If I can pack the paint with soft off the ball man to man, semi-pressure the ball handler to make him or her work, but stay in front of them so they cannot penetrate, get out on shooters when the pass is MADE and not wait until it is caught to get out on them, switch on screen when needed, and basically not let the offensive get to the hoop, I just took away options that the offense relies on. Now of course I am going to have to make adjustments, but here is why I might want to play softer if it benefits my team better.
By defending the paint better and having more bodies in the paint when a shot is taken, my team can rebound and get out and run the floor better. We have basically set our defense up to be offensive-minded. I have put the pressure on the other team to force shots because they aren't getting many good looks in close, and they better get back on defense because we are rebounding and running.
So the purpose of this post is to get you to think about doing what is best, not what is popular. Pressuring all over the floor is popular and productive for some teams, but it can be trouble for others. Do what is best for you. I think of the Boston Celtics last year. They took the paint away from everyone. They did things differently then other teams- hmmmm, it worked out pretty good for them.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: Hey if you are a big fan of basketball and would like to have great information delivered straight to you then you need to be a Basketball Speed Insider. Give it a run FREE for one month at http://www.basketballspeedinsiders.com/
Here is your weekly bolg with tips and posts. Enjoy!
Listening in on what
Bill Walton had to say.
Weekly Tip by TJ
Skill: Ball Handling
Drill: Crossover Dribble
Action: start at one end of the court
- start dribbling up the floor with your right hand
- fake like you are continuing to the right and plant your right foot
- at the same time drop your shoulders, get low, and cross the ball
over to your left hand
- make sure you change direction when you make your crossover
and sell the fake
Workout - 2 crossovers right to left and 2 crossovers left to right
(4 total crossovers on one trip up the court)
- take 6 trips total full length of court
Is Pressure Always Good?
Have you ever watched the old games on "Classic Sports" and noticed how the defense was played. The players were off the ball handler quite a bit and there wasn't frantic pressure on the ball handler when he or she was dribbling. Boy has that changed.
In today's game the pressure on the ball is intense. The purpose is to make it difficult for the ball handler to do what he or she wants- basically take away the ability to get into the offense easily. I have some opinions I would like to share- shall we...
First of all, I am not a big fan of applying in your face pressure all the time. If you don't have a bunch of defensive thoroughbreds it can get you in a lot of trouble quickly. You can get your guards and big men in foul trouble and have them sitting on the bench. Pressure needs to be taught properly so it can be beneficial to the outcome of the game.
I remember watching a sectional high school game and seeing one team apply pressure all game long. The problem was the defensive guards were too slow to handle the quickness of the offensive guards. The offensive guards could get to paint all game long. They were creating mismatches and great scoring opportunities. This was obviously a case where the coach wanted his team to do something they were not able to do.
Basketball, like many sports, is trendy. A new system or style of playing is developed and a team or two has great success, and the next thing you know every high school or college in the country tries it out. Not a bad thing if it fits (also, colleges can adapt easier because they can recruit the kind of players they want and need). Full court and aggressive half court defensive where the ball is being denied all the time is one of the shifts in the game that has been successful for many programs. It also has caused many programs to be unsuccessful.
I have always tried to do what was best for my teams. If I felt we could pressure the ball more I would. But I am very realistic about my goals. The number one goal in a game is to score more points at the end of the night then the opponents. I have to figure out how to do that.
Let's change directions just for a second. The trend in the game offensively is to shoot the long ball or take it hard to the hoop. There are many different ways to get to these 2 options, but that is the overall theme for many programs. Now if my defensive philosophy is to get up high and pressure the ball and deny the next pass, it is pretty obvious a good guard can get to the hoop rather easy. Here is my thought on this. If I can pack the paint with soft off the ball man to man, semi-pressure the ball handler to make him or her work, but stay in front of them so they cannot penetrate, get out on shooters when the pass is MADE and not wait until it is caught to get out on them, switch on screen when needed, and basically not let the offensive get to the hoop, I just took away options that the offense relies on. Now of course I am going to have to make adjustments, but here is why I might want to play softer if it benefits my team better.
By defending the paint better and having more bodies in the paint when a shot is taken, my team can rebound and get out and run the floor better. We have basically set our defense up to be offensive-minded. I have put the pressure on the other team to force shots because they aren't getting many good looks in close, and they better get back on defense because we are rebounding and running.
So the purpose of this post is to get you to think about doing what is best, not what is popular. Pressuring all over the floor is popular and productive for some teams, but it can be trouble for others. Do what is best for you. I think of the Boston Celtics last year. They took the paint away from everyone. They did things differently then other teams- hmmmm, it worked out pretty good for them.
Play Hard,
Lee
PS: Hey if you are a big fan of basketball and would like to have great information delivered straight to you then you need to be a Basketball Speed Insider. Give it a run FREE for one month at http://www.basketballspeedinsiders.com/
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