7 Steps To Up Your Basketball Skills This Summer

April 25, 2014 By basketballtrainer

7 Steps to Improving Your Basketball Skills This Summer

If you’re a serious basketball player, you want to get better! No matter how good you already are. If you DON’T want to get better, you won’t be a serious basketball player for long because the guys you had in your rearview you’ll soon see ahead of you. Here are seven steps to really improving your game this summer.

Get an Assessment of your Current Game

Don’t just look in the mirror! Sometimes our own vision of ourselves can be deceiving. Ask your coach, your teammates, your parents and your friends to asses your current game, including your strengths and weaknesses. I’ve done this before, and I still remember some of the feedback I got from one of my buddies one summer. It still sticks with me to this day, and it helped me get better at the time he gave it. Take the feedback from others who can see your blind spots, and combine that with what you know about yourself to get an accurate snapshot of yourself as a basketball player.

Identify the Player You Want to Be in the Fall

Sometimes players start to work on various skills without identifying what they want the end result to be. You definitely want to know what you’re working towards. If you’re not exactly sure how to decide “the player you want to be”, an easy way to do this is to look at your favorite NBA or college player. Find the player you really want to play like. Look at the skills he has and how he plays the game. You can use him as a temporary standard. You can say “I want to handle like Kyrie”, or “I want to pass like CP3”. Identify the skills they have that you currently don’t but that you want to acquire.

Find a Gym

This sounds simple, but it is important. Find a practice space where you have access to a dribbling space and a 10 foot basketball goal. This can be your driveway, or it can be the park down the street. It can also be your local gym where you have a membership. Nobody gets better by waking up with the desire but not knowing where to go. You want to wake up and get right to your practice area. Find a place where you know the times you’ll have that space to train so you can get on a consistent schedule as well.

Find a Basketball Trainer and a Workout Partner

You may know “what” you want to develop, but a good basketball trainer can give you the “how”. Again the concept of blind spots comes into play. You may think you look one way while shooting or dribbling, but you really look a different way. Your trainer can help correct and guide you. A workout partner is also good for accountability. You don’t need or want a partner all the time while you are working on your game, but having a partner to work with at least once or twice per week will help keep you accountable, focused and on enthusiastic.

Find a Good Pickup Game

You’ve got to find a good weekly pickup game to work on your new skills. You want to work on skills in a pickup setting because there are generally less restrictions than organized games and you can play more freely. If you are working on that new double crossover move, it’s okay if you mess up in a pickup game. If you are working on shooting and all you want to do is shoot the ball from long distance, that’s fine as well. You’ll get more confidence and key feedback as you try things in a pickup game setting.

Find a Summer League

Whatever you’ve been working on, you gotta do it with the lights on! We all know there is a different pressure and feel when playing in an organized game as opposed to playing with your buddies. Most players are more conservative in organized games and only display skills they are 100% confident with. You’ve got to convert some of your new skills into toolkit skills. And by toolkit skills I mean skills that are second nature to you. Get practice with your new game in this setting before your fall season comes. If you can be successful with your new game here, you can do it in your fall season.

Develop a Long-Term Practice Regimen

Lastly, a long-term practice regimen is important for maintaining what you’ve worked on. We all know that the basketball season starts in the fall or winter, but your summer vacation ends in August. You’ve got to come up with practice time to hold you over so you don’t lose your skills Even if your school has a basketball offseason class, that time is usually not dedicated to you doing whatever you want to do to develop perosnally. You still need personal practice time. Find a location and two or three days per week that you can work on your basketball game in the midst of homework, projects and the football season.

We’ve just given you 7 steps tips to improving your basketball game this summer. Get started now with an assessment, and contact us to help you with the process of developing into the player you want to be. Have fun practicing and playing games this summer. We can’t wait to see how you grow!

Top Ten Reasons to Work on Your Shooting This Summer

April 24, 2014 By basketballtrainer

When I was a kid, Michael Jordan was the best player in the world. As a result, kids all across the world wanted to play just like him. That meant driving to the basket, getting steals, and hitting game-winning shots. When I was a kid I even drove to the basket with my tongue out! As people my age got older, we wanted to dunk on people like Michael and score crazy amounts of points like Michael. We wanted to be like Mike. One thing that me and a lot of other people didn’t work on until later in our basketball lives was the art of shooting, because shooting wasn’t as cool as driving and dunking.

Fast forward to today. Who is the best player in the world? Lebron James. He’s actually a good shooter but is not known for his shooting. His best attributes are in other areas. But kids today should still work on their shooting.

Here Are Your Top Ten Reasons to Work on Your Shooting This Summer

10. Everybody can be a good shooter. Everybody’s not going to be able to dunk from the free throw line or sprint up the floor in 3 seconds, but everybody has the potential to be a good shooter. So even if you aren’t blessed with MJ’s or Lebron’s physical gifts (which most of us aren’t), you can still have value on the basketball court.

9 . 3 points is better than 2. If you’ve played basketball for any amount of time you know this is true. You can make the prettiest, most creative and athletic move to the rim and score 2 points, and the guy you are guarding can come right back and hit a quick shot and score 3 points! It’s frustrating but that’s life. 3 is better than 2.

8. Shooters get to stay in at the end of games. There are three types of players who coaches trust at the end of games – guys who can handle the ball, guys who can play defense, and guys who can shoot. 3 point shooting is needed to make big comebacks, and free throw shooting is needed to close-out games.

7. You get free scoring opportunities at the end of games. Do you know what happens when you are a good free throw shooter and your team is up by 4 points with 30 seconds left? Your teammates will give you the ball, the other team will foul you, and you get a chance to score more points at the free throw line. Woohoo!
6. Everybody needs a shooter. I have a buddy who is 6 foot tall and 180 pounds soaking wet. He played big time college basketball on a full basketball scholarship. Do you know why? Because he can shoot, consistently, from faaaar beyond the 3 point line. Every team needs a shooter and shooting can be your way onto your middle school, club, or high school basketball team. If you’re an outstanding shooter, you may even have a chance at college basketball.

5. Chicks dig the long ball. Okay, that’s a baseball joke, but I had to get that in there. Do you know the best way to hear a gym or arena go crazy? Hit a big 3 pointer! There’s nothing like it. Fans dig the 3 ball. Your team digs the 3 ball.

4. Shooting opens the rest of your game up. As I got older I realized that Michael Jordan was a great jump shooter. He used his jumpshot to score when defenders sagged off of him, and he used a shot fake to get defenders in the air to go to the basket. If you can shoot, it actually helps you to get easier driving opportunities and get those highlight finishes we all love.

3. Shooting is cool again. Kevin Durant is a great shooter, and there are whispers that Kevin Durant might be better than Lebron James *gasp*. Most people (including me) will still say that Lebron is still better, but Kevin is at least making it a real argument. Kevin is a shooter who is one of the Top 2 players in the world. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that. Shooters are coming back in style.

2. Shooting is the great equalizer. When I was a sophomore in HS school still playing sub varsity basketball, I got a chance to play one of my school’s varsity starters, a senior, in a game of 1-on-1. I was able to beat him… mainly because I hit a lot of long distance shots. He was bigger, stronger and faster than me, so he felt he should have beaten me. He wanted a rematch. I beat him again. And again. At the end of it, he asked me not to tell anyone about it. Sorry Nigel, I’ve got to finally tell somebody. I was a decent shooter then, but not a great one. If I would have really developed my shooting ability at that time, I could have played Varsity basketball earlier than I did. Shooting is a unique skill that allows players to play at a higher level than their physical attributes or other skills may allow. It really is great to be a shooter.

And number 1 *drumroll*…

1. You can achieve greatness with a single shot!!!

If you’re not inspired to work on your shooting after that, you don’t love this game! Happy shooting!

BasketballTrainer.com writer Chris Price is a former Texas Longhorn, a basketball trainer at Austin Youth Basketball, and a big Houston Rockets fan.

Why Basketball Trainers Love Lamarcus Aldridge

April 23, 2014 By basketballtrainer Leave a Comment

Why Basketball Trainers Love NBA All-Star Lamarcus Aldridge

After a long night of basketball training, three basketball trainers got together for a discussion of NBA playoffs. One player rose to the top of the discussion. University of Texas alumnus Lamarcus Aldridge is one of the premier power forwards in the NBA today. He is the best player on a playoff team in the tough Western Conference, and he is living up to his potential as the Number 2 pick of the 2006 NBA draft. Lamarcus is a player who was recognized for his ability as a high school All American, but didn’t come into the NBA with as much fanfare as some of the other current stars in the league. Over time, Lamarcus has developed and refined his game to become exactly the type of player that basketball trainers and coaches love. Here is why we love Lamarcus Aldridge.

Basketball Trainers Love Consistency

Basketball trainers love Lamarcus’ consistency. In the 2013-2014 NBA season, Lamarcus averaged 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds. He had the celebrated “20-10” season (points and rebounds). 20-10 is a benchmark for elite big men. It means that they are handling their business in both the scoring and rebounding departments on a consistent basis. As a former power forward, I can tell you that it takes great effort to consistently score and rebound as those elite levels. Do you know how many players averaged 20-10 during the 2013-2014 NBA season? Only 4. The other players were Kevin Love, Demarcus Cousins and Al Jefferson. That’s pretty good company. Lamarcus’ teammates could count on his production every night, as he only scored in single digits once during the season, and that was in a blowout win for his team. Lamarcus shows great leadership by producing at high levels for his team night in and night out.

Basketball Trainers Love Guys Who Take Their Skills To Work

Basketball trainers love that Lamarcus goes to work. If you’ve played basketball in various leagues and gyms around your city, you’ve undoubtedly heard the expression “go to work” when a certain player gets the ball. The phrase “go to work” refers to asserting yourself to score! Your teammate tells you to go to work when he knows you have the talent to score and he wants you to go do it. Believe it or not, a lot of good players don’t possess the ability to score 1-on-1 when the defense KNOWS they are trying to score. Some players pick their spots and shoot when they’re open and some players require on-ball or off-ball screens to get them in a position to score. It’s a great luxury for a team to have a guy who can consistently get his own shot when his team needs a bucket. Lamarcus didn’t always show this ability. He used to be a player that seemed not to want the responsibility to score on-call. But now, as a more mature player, Lamarcus can score when needed. It takes a lot of skill, mental toughness and leadership to consistently be the guy your team looks for to score, and to deliver. We appreciate players who are confident and skilled enough to go to work on a consistent basis.

Versatility In Skill Development

We love the fact that Lamarcus Aldridge is versatile and mature. Versatility means the ability to do multiple things. As it relates to basketball, we are usually talking about offensive skills. Maturity refers to making smart decisions. We also are normally talking about offense but in this case it applies to defense as well. Lamarcus is a player who can score in the post, who can score on jump shots, and can even shoot the 3 point shot. When he came into the league, however, he was known more as a jump shooter. Some considered him a little soft, but none could deny his skills. Versatile forwards like Kevin Garnett, who Lamarcus admired growing up, influenced up-and-coming big men to do more than just use their size in the post. Today, you see some big players who take this too far, and do everything EXCEPT for post-up. As Lamarcus has matured, he has learned to harness his versatile skillset and now he truly does take what the defense gives him. When he has shorter or weaker opponents, he takes them into the post, using his strong frame to get high percentage looks at the basket. When he has slower or larger opponents, he still utilizes his deft jumpshot. On defense, Lamarcus has learned to use his physicality and length to bother opponents, and he will even take charges from time to time. When you watch Lamarcus Aldridge, you are watching a player who is getting the most out of his all-around talent on both ends of the floor.

Individual Skills With Team Mindset

One of the biggest reasons trainers love Lamarcus Aldridge is because he’s a star who is also a team player. You know as well as I do it is not a given that a star will be a team player. A lot of times stars can believe in themselves so much or believe in their teammates so little that they are always demanding the ball and belittling teammates for making mistakes. You see none of that with Lamarcus. Lamarcus is a willing screen-setter for his talented wing teammates, and he keeps an even-keel attitude on the basketball court whether he or his teammates aren’t playing well. By all accounts he seems like a guy players love to play with. Lamarcus plays with All Star point guard Damian Lillard, who is a 21 point per game scorer himself, and the two have good on-court chemistry. There is no Shaq and Kobe feud in the Blazers lock room. Lamarcus has done a good job of balancing high individual production with a team-first attitude and a positive relationship with teammates. You gotta love it, and we do.

Lamarcus Aldridge is a player that trainers and coaches love because of how he plays the game from night to night, and because of how he interacts with his teammates. He is a player young stars can learn a lot from, in both his tangible skills and his intangible attitude towards the game and teammates. We salute Lamarcus Aldridge and will be cheering him on the rest of his All Star career. Go Big L!

Small College Basketball & The USCAA

April 20, 2014 By basketballtrainer Leave a Comment

For prospective student-athletes in basketball looking for more options to pursue their dream of playing collegiate basketball the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) offers another option to the NCAA and NAIA.

USCAA College Basketball History

Athletic directors from the Lake Erie (Ohio) Conference and the Eastern Shore Basketball League established the National Little College Athletic Association (NLCAA) on July 29^th, 1966 in Charleston, West Virginia. The organization began with men’s basketball and featured an eight team national tournament to give NLCAA members the opportunity to compete athletically on a national level. In the mid-70s the NLCAA added three sports: Baseball 1975, Wrestling in 1976 and Soccer in 1977. In 1989 the association changed its name to the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA) and then again changed to the now present day organization, the United State Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in 2001. As of the 2013-2014 athletic seasons, the organization includes 84 members nationwide from Maine to Washington State. The USCAA awards All-Americans, names scholar-athletes and hosts national championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball and has a wrestling invitational. In 2013 the USCAA sponsored their first year of football with 11 participants.

Small College Basketball Scholarships & The USCAA

Basketball continues to be a driving force for the growth of the USCAA. Many current member schools have joined and have flourished by attracting top notch players with academic and athletic scholarships. The athletic scholarship piece is something which gives USCAA schools an edge over NCAA division three schools who are not able to offer athletic money. In addition, many USCAA member institutions are able to compete as duel members affording the opportunity for their teams to compete in more than one national championship. The 2013 USCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Champion Rochester College (MI) traveled and competed in the NAIA Division II National Championships as an NAIA Independent, a week after taking home the USCAA title. The USCAA allows schools this luxury that NCAA and NAIA full conference members prohibit, making the USCAA even more appealing to schools and student-athletes.

USCAA Small College Basketball National Championship

Perhaps the USCAA’s most valuable asset is the annual Basketball National Championships which gives participating members each year a very special, memorable experience. Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus in Uniontown, Pa. has hosted the men’s and women’s championships since 2009 and in late September of 2013 agreed to host the basketball championships through 2018. The USCAA and Penn State-Fayette team up to host 34 teams in two divisions of men’s and women’s basketball during four days of competition. The tournament kicks off with a banquet at the incredible host hotel, Nemacolin Woodland Resort. Nemacolin, situated on 2,000 acres of land in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania, provides participating teams a unique experience during their stay. The resort features items like live safari animals on site, a spa, 36 holes and fly fishing just to name a few of their on-site attractions. The National Championships provides two games guaranteed, as teams that are knocked out in first round play, have the chance to play in a consolation game and end their seasons on a high note. The tournament also holds a skills competition at Penn State-Fayette the night before the first day of competition. Players have the opportunity to compete in a two person shooting challenge as well as a three point and dunk competition in front of all teams in the tournament inside the spacious 1,500 seat main arena.

Is USCAA Small College Basketball For You?

In summary, USCAA basketball provides a great alternative to the NCAA and NAIA for prospective student-athletes. Member schools have the option to offer athletic scholarships and to compete as duel members in more than one organization. The annual national championships gives teams a great avenue to compete at a very high level of play and earn national recognition playing the sport that they love. Check out the USCAA Basketball today. As their motto states, they truly are “Leveling the Playing Field for America’s Small Colleges.” Click Here For More Info About Your Future and Small College Basketball in the USCAA.

Eric Werntgen is the Head Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at the University of the Maine at Fort Kent. He is also a former small college basketball player himself at the University of New England / Westbrook College. Eric is a contributing writer for www.BasketballTrainer.com.

What Basketball Coaches Look For

April 15, 2014 By basketballtrainer Leave a Comment

On an almost weekly basis I have young basketball players ask me what is a coach looking for? Almost all athletes I have coached or worked with as a basketball trainer have made this question more complicated than need be. Yes coaches want every player to be as skilled as possible but coaches also want other traits that are essential to every team and increasing your playing time. Many of these traits are obtainable for every basketball player regardless of talent.

Unselfish Basketball Players

One thing every coach wants in a basketball player is unselfishness. Many young athletes want to shoot the ball or be the scorer on the team. Not many want to be the rebounding specialist or the defensive stopper because they are less glorious positions but they are 2 of the most important. Also many athletes don’t realize to be a good scorer it is extremely hard and takes more individual work that any other specialist on a basketball team. Players that are willing to make an extra pass, take charges, or set screens are essential for every team. If you watch any varsity basketball game in the country every team has a guy who all he does is set screens and rebound. That player doesn’t score every possession but because of their unselfishness they get rewarded with passes for layups and lots of playing time.

Controlled Aggressiveness

Controlled aggressiveness is something every coach wants. Players that crash the boards on every shot, dive on the floor for loose balls, and always make good rotations on defense will always stand out to coaches. This isn’t a special skill it is a trait that every player can acquire through making a decision to do those things listed above every day in practice and every opportunity in competition. Once you consciously make an effort to commit to these habits they will become muscle memory and you want think about them in games you will just do them and your coach will see you as a very important asset to the team.

Gym Rat Basketball Mentality

Gym rats! A gym rat is a basketball player that is always in the gym. They are the first one to the gym and the last one to leave. They usually are begging to get in the gym and often times get in trouble for being in the gym when they shouldn’t be. Unfortunately this is a dying breed of basketball player. Coaches love these kids because they are hungry for coaching and then they are willing to put in the needed extra time to perfect the skills they receive coaching on. Gym rats aren’t just practicing they are searching for every open run they can find in the city or planning one.

All of the skills listed above are desirable to coaches but being good at only one of them or not combining them with other basketball skills won’t do you any good. Also if you are very skilled and think you don’t need to have these skills you are also misunderstanding this message. Coaches want all players on a team to possess great skills and do the little things we talked about in this article. I have seen kids get college scholarships because they do these little things and fill up the stat boxes in other areas than points scored. The more competitive your basketball career gets the more there is a need for teams to have players with these “glue” guys. Why can’t it be you?

Connect with a quality basketball trainer today to start working on building these intangible skills that will help you develop on and off the basketball court.

Your Basketball Trainer and Preparation

April 11, 2014 By basketballtrainer Leave a Comment

Preparation is the key to being a great basketball player and having a great basketball team. You have the opportunity to prepare every day. What does it mean to you to be prepared? How can a basketball trainer help you prepare to meet your basketball goals?

Basketball Trainer Recommends Preparation In The Classroom

I have heard hundreds of people talk about the importance of working hard both on and off the basketball court. I have even used that saying from time to time as I have worked with young players over the years. If you want to be anything more then a playground legend, you need to work on your game off the basketball court as well as on. Preparation starts at school and you need to take your studies as seriously as you take your skills. The basic skills taught from elementary school through college prepare you for not only life during and after basketball, but the actual game of basketball itself. Ask your basketball trainer to help you prepare properly for your basketball goals.

Working in the classroom and exercising your mind is a key component to being the best basketball player you can be. The best players at every level are the smartest players and have the best feel for the game. They understand every aspect of the game from years of preparation both on and off the court. You can not always be the most talented player on the court, but you can always be the most prepared player on the court.

Examples of Basketball Preparation Off The Court

Some of the things needed to succeed on the court come directly from your studies and preparation off the court. They include:

Being able to read, memorize and understand the entire playbook. The playbook only gets bigger and more complex the higher the level of competition you play.
Communicating with other players and your coach throughout the game on both offense and defense. This requires you to know the proper language used by players and coaches to get your team ready at all times for anything the other team may throw at you.
Studying the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents and your team and yourself. Including both video/film study of practices and games, and preparing and understanding the game plan for each opponent.
Quickly making decisions on the move and in transition. You could easily make an argument that the game of basketball is the fastest moving sport played with the best athletes on the planet.
Understanding words such as angle, arc, trajectory, rotation, speed, footwork, length, height, blocks, steals, and screening as these are just a few of the basic terms used everyday in the sport. Some of the more advanced concepts include the triangle offense, matchup zones, pressure man to man, full court press, motion offense, secondary break, sidelines out of bounds, points per possession, and double team rotations. The list of terms and concepts could go on and on.

Everyone that plays the game of basketball wants to succeed on the court. A winning desire burns in the heart of every player or we wouldn’t play the game, but the desire to prepare just as hard off the court as on the court burns in the heart of every champion. You have the opportunity to prepare each and every day, and preparation means working hard both on and off the court. Be the greatest player you can be and don’t ever miss an opportunity to be prepared!