Power Up Your Basketball Diet with Protein

August 31, 2014 By basketballtrainer

What Is Protein and Why Is It Important for Basketball Players?

Proteins are chains of molecules that are vital to life. Named more than 150 years ago after the Greek word proteios (meaning of “prime importance”), proteins have been studied and found to hold the answers to many physiological questions about the human body.

Protein is the second must abundant substance in the body, aside from water, and makes up roughly 18-20% of a person’s total body weight. In fact, it can be found in every single one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body.

Protein is a macronutrient along with carbohydrates and fats, meaning that it provides calories and energy for the body –providing 4 calories of energy for every gram consumed.

Unlike healthy carbohydrates, which mostly benefit the metabolic system; protein plays a key role in several functions of the body including: immune function, achieving a healthy pH balance, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, transporting nutrients, supporting growth of muscles and maintaining healthy muscles, as well as building enzymes, hormones and other important chemical compounds in the body.[1]

As you can see, protein’s role in the body is much broader than simply supporting healthy muscles which is why it’s so important to take this macronutrient seriously!

What are the building blocks of proteins?

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are classified as either essential amino acids or non-essential amino acids. The body can make about half of the 20 amino acids that it needs which are known as the non-essential amino acids. The other 10 that the body cannot product on its own, known as essential amino acids, must be attained through diet and supplementation in order to keep up with the demands of a basketball body.

There are three essential amino acids that are classified as ‘branched chain amino acids’, more popularly referred to as BCAA’s. These three amino acids include L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine, which are particularly important to basketball players and athletes as they play a big role in muscle recovery and new muscle tissue synthesis.

L-arginine is another essential amino acid that is popular for being the pre-cursor to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator meaning that it will cause the blood vessels to expand and allow for increased total blood circulation to the entire body. Where blood flows, so do nutrients, vitamins and minerals for faster, more effective recovery. As L-arginine converts into nitric oxide, the stimulation of the release of the human growth hormone (HGH) from the pituitary gland also which means that the body is going to be able to grow bigger, stronger muscle mass in much less time than someone who is deficient in this particular amino acid.

Amino acids are what make protein so unique. You can attain all of these amino acids through your diet, however many people do choose to add nutritional supplementation in order to give themselves a natural, healthy protein boost. This can be beneficial especially after a longer than normal workout or on those days when you feel like you are dragging because of consecutive intense training days. It’s always better to focus on taking a full amino acid profile nutritional supplement rather than isolating specific amino acids since this can cause an imbalance in overall levels overtime.

Why is protein so important for basketball players?

The lifestyle of a basketball player is incredibly demanding. Aside from being under loads of stress and pressure to maintain good grades and healthy personal and professional relationships, the body must undergo hours of physical wear and tear so to speak. The entire body is left depleted often after basketball workouts, practices and games and is need of important protein replenishment. Without the right amount of protein to support your basketball body, you will be left with a weakened immune system, less muscle mass, as well as being more likely to fill your diet with too many carbohydrates and fats which can lead to an undesirable body fat percentage.

On the other hand, players who are getting enough quality protein each day in their diets will more easily build strong, lean muscles in the weight room as well as maintaining an ideal body fat percentage to support their endurance efforts out on the court. Basketball weight training is essential to college basketball dreams and protein fuels that growth and dream.

Basketball players ought to keep a close watch on their daily protein intake to build up a healthy body and to help the body recover after intense physical activity. Keeping a food journal is an easy way to track your exact protein amounts and also the timing of your protein consumption throughout the day.

How much protein do basketball players need?

You might be wondering exactly how much protein you should be getting as a basketball player every day.

Most nutritionists and dieticians are going to recommend that you reserve at least 20% of your daily diet for your protein consumption. However, the easiest way to determine exactly how much you should be getting is based upon body weight.

Here is a simple formulation that can help you set a daily target goal:

Take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. Then, multiply your body weight in kilograms by 1.8 to get the number of grams of protein per day you should strive for.

Also note, a recent Canadian study determined that highly active athletes should be consuming a little bit more than the average person, at anywhere from 1.8-2.8 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight. [2]

Many athletes thrive on a slightly higher protein intake than a person who is only moderately active or sedentary considering that athletes are constantly having to rest and recover their muscles and body.

What types of protein should basketball players consume?

After calculating the minimum amount of protein you should be consuming each day, go ahead and jot it down in your food journal as you begin tracking your daily intake to ensure that you’re getting enough.

You can easily get enough protein each day from your diet.

Some proteins are classified as ‘complete proteins’, while others are known as being ‘incomplete proteins’. Complete proteins are sources that contain a full profile of amino acids, while the incomplete proteins contain only a few of the amino acids necessary for basic bodily functions. It’s important that you get plenty of complete proteins from both animal protein choices and some plant-based choices like quinoa, hemp, chia and brown rice.

American culture tends to lean towards animal proteins as primary sources, however in order to lead the healthiest lifestyle possible, you are going to want to mix up your daily protein intake with both animal and plant-based sources.

Stick with most of your animal protein choices coming from sources like turkey, chicken, fish and eggs. If you’re going to go for beef or pork, just be sure that you pick the leanest cuts possible, otherwise the fat content of those meats can ultimately make them not worth adding into your healthy basketball diet.

Plant-based sources of foods can provide with you just as much protein as animal sources can along with a full amino acid profile and much less fat. Go for whole foods like quinoa, buckwheat, hemp seed, chia seed, soy, Ezekiel bread, beans, legumes, seeds, nuts and brown rice to stay on top of your protein needs.

What about protein shakes, drinks and bars supplemented into the diet?

While it is very possible for most of your daily protein needs to be met through your actual food sources, you’ll find that most highly active people still choose to supplement protein into their diets through shake mixes, pre-made drinks and bars.

The great thing about supplementing protein into diet like this is that there are some really quality products out there that can give you 20 or more grams of protein in one single serving.

Most athletes add in the protein powder mixes, because they are delicious, lower sugar and can be taken on-the-go and simply mixed with your choice of water, milk or a milk alternative. Some of the shake formulations are complete meal replacements featuring vitamins, minerals and superfoods and superfruits while other products are just protein. Still others look to smoothies to add or maintain weight in baksetball training. Here is a good resource for that: Basketball Smoothie Recipe. It’s all in what you feel like you need, but these can be a smart way to go to support your basketball protein needs!

A few of my top protein shake mixes are:

Genesis PURE’s Complete Shake (http://www.genesispure.com/products/display/2087/complete-shake)
Genesis PURE’s Sports Recovery Shake (http://www.genesispure.com/products/display/2082/recovery)
Vega Sport Performance Protein (http://vegasport.com/product/performance-protein/)
Sun Warrior Warrior Blend (http://www.sunwarrior.com/store/)

Protein bars are another convenient, easy way to get in extra protein when you need it most! Be careful to double check the sugar content of the bars you are consuming, because many brands contain anywhere from 15 to 24 grams of sugar per single bar, which takes away from the nutritional value of the protein content. Other than that, be sure to fill your sports bag with them, because they can be an ideal mid-practice snack or even a quick pre-workout boost that you are needing to fuel your body for practice or a game.

A couple of my favorite healthy protein bars include:

Quest Bars (http://www.questnutrition.com/protein-bars/)
Power Crunch Bars (http://powercrunch.com/products/energy-bars/original/)
Vega Sport Protein Bars (http://vegasport.com/product/protein-bar/)

What is the difference between Whey, Casein, Natural and Blends of Proteins?

When you walk into any nutritional supplement store like the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, you will notice that there are different types of protein powders to choose from which can be very confusing.

The distinct difference between the different kinds is that whey and casein are derived from cow as a by-product of cheese, while natural proteins come from plant-based sources like quinoa, soy, hemp, chia, brown rice and other grains and sprouts. So if you lead a more plant-based diet, the obvious choice is to stick with the natural proteins.

You will notice that most whey protein these days is hydrolyzed whey, which basically means that it is partially pre-digested for faster assimilation and absorption in the body. Many heavy weight lifters like to use whey so that they can gain an almost instant protein boost any time they might need it.

On the other hand, casein protein is a more slowly digested and absorbed protein that many athletes will take before bedtime so that the body has protein to utilize over the course of the night. Not too many people actually use just casein by itself aside from athletes who are heavy weight lifters, but it is more popular for athletes to use casein in general if it is in a protein blend.

Blended proteins are pretty straightforward and are not specific to the milk derived or plant-based protein sources. You can find whey and casein blends, as well as natural protein blends that combine the above mentioned proteins together as well. Your natural blended proteins are also going to be your complete meal replacement products, which are a very wise choice since they can provide the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that protein specific supplements cannot.

According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of Texas Medical found that compared to whey, a combination of soy (25%), casein (50%), and whey (25%) after a weight-training session delivered amino acids to muscles for an hour longer. This suggests that muscle building goes on for a longer period of time with the blended formulations then with whey by itself.

Protein is a big part of our society, while some people are consuming too much, others not enough. As a basketball player, it’s your responsibility to know exactly how much protein you are getting each day to meet your needs. Start by calculating what you need and then begin to keep track and consider your sources. Are you consuming too much or too little? Could you benefit from adding more plant-based or animal sources of protein into your diet? Do you think that keeping protein supplements handy might enable you to stay on top of your daily intake in situations where you need a boost? All of these are things to start considering as you refine your basketball diet to help you build a strong, lean body that can make you a better basketball player and athlete!

Get Started Adding Quality Basketball Protein To Your Diet Today!

[1] Nutrition Concepts and Controversies, pgs. 186-194

[2] http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-How-Much-Protein-You-Need

Coachable Basketball Players – 5 Highly Respected Traits

August 28, 2014 By basketballtrainer

The Coachable Basketball Player

Coachable basketball players are players that are capable of giving respect, keeping a positive attitude, and displaying excellent behavior traits in order to develop their basketball skills for the greater benefit of the team. Are you a coachable basketball player?

With countless hours spent practicing, working out and playing, it can be tough to always maintain the right attitude necessary to learn, grow and improve as a player. Sometimes, it can be difficult to have to hear about the mistakes and errors made out on the court – especially if it’s something that you’ve been working on for some time like your shooting footwork or overhead passes and you either thought that you had improved or you simply can’t seem to execute the way your coach is wanting you to.

Whatever the case may be, keeping a positive attitude is half the battle so that you don’t let the stress and pressure of it all overcome you. The other important thing to keep in mind is to always display coachable traits so that you can become the best basketball player possible and your coaches will trust and respect you.

It doesn’t matter if you are the most talented and skilled player on the team, if you don’t have a consistently coachable spirit than you are not going to be effective as a leader and it’s likely that your coaching staff and teammates won’t enjoy working and playing with you as much as they should.

Being a coachable basketball player has many great benefits and rewarding potential like more playing time, better relationships with your coaches and teammates, accelerated learning, less stress and contributing to a stronger, more bonded team.

The following is a checklist of 5 traits of a coachable basketball player so that you can be sure that you are exemplifying behavior that will make you a great asset to your coaches and team.

1. Listen more, talk less

You know those players that seem to always have something to say about everything regardless of whether it’s in response to a reprimand or when they make a good play? Typically those players are not very good listeners and tend to go about simply running their mouths for the sake of hearing themselves talk. This is not a good example of a coachable player, in fact, just the opposite type of player is ideal. By listening more and talking less you are showing that you believe what your coaches have to say is more important and you are more likely to retain what they are teaching you than if you are always talking while they are or interrupting them.

2. Be willing to take personal responsibility

It’s not always easy to take personal responsibility whether in life or on the basketball court. It’s especially challenging when coming into practice after a lousy game performance where you missed most of your free throws or allowed your player too many offensive points that was a big part in costing your team the game. Those are the moments that are tough to swallow knowing that you might have let some people down. Coachable players understand that this is all part of the self-development process as an athlete and you have to be willing to take the good times with the bad. You can’t always accept the glory without being able to tough out the failures as well. Taking personal responsibility for your daily performance shows your coaches that you are able to be realistic for where you are really at with your skills and within your role on the basketball team.

3. Focus on yourself, not others

This trait goes along with the previous one in that the most coachable players are always focusing on inner reflection rather than looking to their coaches and their teammates to justify their behavior or performance. Instead of worrying about your point guard who seems to always turn the ball over on every other play or your post player who refuses to use the backboard and has a frustratingly low shooting percentage, simply spend your time thinking about the areas that you need to improve. The best, more effective players in the game of basketball are the ones who focus on their performance and responsibilities so much that in turn everyone out on the court playing with them seem to get better when they are out on the floor. This trait certainly doesn’t translate into being selfish with the ball or completely self-centered as person, but it does mean that it’s more respectable to not go around pointing fingers at everyone else all the time when thing aren’t going right.

4. Take time to approach your coach directly

Has your coach ever said something to you during practice that didn’t quite make sense or that you didn’t completely catch? Coachable players understand that communication is key to success and when there is a misunderstanding between coach and player it’s not just the coach’s responsibility to ensure that everything is clear from a communication aspect. Your coach will respect you more if you take the time to show up to practice early or stay late to drop by their office to keep lines of communication open. It can be an incredibly difficult challenge for coaches to effectively communicate to all players on the team at once during an open practice or game, which is why coachable players understand that it’s their job to close the gap and make time to approach their coach directly. This trait will eliminate misunderstandings and confusion and you might even get your coach to spend extra time with you to explain what their expectations are of you or to simply review a play that you aren’t quite executing properly. Coaches are always willing to invest extra time in dedicated and coachable players who are willing to spend one-on-one time with them.

5. Always hear instruction, not criticism

This is one of the most difficult traits to develop as you become a coachable basketball player. It’s easy to think that after the 5^th time of your coach or teammate coming to you about the same issue that you are simply being criticized for your hard efforts. By keeping everything in a positive perspective and remembering that you can’t always take tone of voice, facial expressions and other bodily language so literally you will be happier. Sometimes, your coaches and teammates are going to say things that might come across as abrupt and critical, but so long as you keeping in mind that they are all human and you choose to always hear instruction over criticism you will soar as a coachable basketball player. Also, remember that you coaches have lives outside of the team so it is likely that they might be having a hard day and aren’t being quite as diplomatic during practice with the way they say things, this is where the coachable players will cut them some slack and understand that at the end of the day it’s about instruction to becoming the best player possible at all times.

Some players come by being a coachable basketball player naturally, while others struggle more in certain areas. It’s safe to assume that everyone could take some time reevaluating their coachability and pick out a trait or two above to hone in and really work on in the upcoming season. By focusing on being coachable as much as you do your skill development, you will be surprised at how much more smoothly everything will go for you as you gain great respect from your coach and teammates by first showing respect and setting a good example for everyone!

7 Steps to a Stress-Busting Attitude for Basketball Players

August 24, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Stress is one of the leading contributing root causes of poor health for most Americans. In fact, it is linked to all six of the leading causes of death in the United States including heart disease, cancer, liver diseases, lung diseases and even suicide.

While most basketball players are healthy enough to not have to worry about the above listed chronic conditions, stress can still have a significantly negative impact on players who feel overloaded between the demands of school, work, family, romantic relationships and performing well on the court.

Even chronically low levels of stress can lead to poor sleeping patterns, anger, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, as well as a lowered immune system. Basketball players who feel more stressed are often likely to suffer from the cold, flu and allergies throughout the season.

Stress targets the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the human body which means that basketball players are constantly under attack from all angles of life in order to maintain balance between these three aspects of well-being.

Mental, physical and emotional well-being are all interconnected so it’s often that if a player is suffering from severe stress in one of these areas the other two will suffer. For example, final exam week is a time of great mental and emotional stress which can mean that physically players may not perform at their best during practice because of the stressful mental distractions of worrying about studying for and passing their tests. Likewise, when a basketball player is physically exhausted or even nursing an injury, their efforts in the classroom or at work are more likely to suffer as well.

Being a part of a competitive basketball team is stressful in itself. From competing for more playing time to memorizing and executing plays perfectly, there is a lot that players have to focus on and worry about in order to develop their skills enough to become a great asset to their team. Not to mention the stress that comes with trying to perform consistently at a level on the court and in the classroom that will get them noticed by college recruiters and land them that college basketball scholarship they’ve been dreaming of for years.

Many people believe that a person’s attitude has a lot to do with their daily levels of stress. The mind is an incredibly powerful force and if you can conquer your thought processes and mental stress as a player than the emotional and physical sides are likely to follow suit for an overall peaceful and stable life on and off the basketball court.

I’m going to share with you 7 proven steps to help you develop a stress-busting attitude no matter what you may be facing in order to bring more balance to your life as basketball player and all the responsibilities that it entails.

Step 1: Become an Optimist

Optimism can take you very far in life. The way you view and deal with challenging situations can make all the difference in how you respond and sometimes even contribute to the outcome. Rather than always seeing the glass half empty, strive to be someone who sees the glass half full at all times. Basketball season comes with many challenging situations personally and as a team. Competing for positions, battling injury and sickness, dealing with tough losses and sometimes struggling to get along with difficult teammates or even a coach can leave a player feeling rather pessimistic; but, if you focus on the good things and believe that the negative will turn to positive and work towards your ultimate benefit than life will be more of a breeze than a struggle.

Step 2: Listen to Your Self-Talk

As you go throughout your day you will notice that you are always talking to yourself. Sometimes what you are saying is positive and sometimes it’s negative. By beginning to pay closer attention to the way you are talking to yourself you can gain a great idea of why you tend be more positive or negative in general. Your self-talk should be positive, encouraging and uplifting at all times in order to make yourself feel confident, empowered and ready to deal with the everyday challenges you will face as a basketball player and student. If you can’t be your biggest fan, than who will be?

Step 3: Ask Better Questions as You Reflect

Reflecting upon the questions you are asking yourself throughout the day when you face difficult situations takes self-talk a step further. It’s easy to fall into a negative, stress inducing pattern of beating ourselves up with self-defeating questions like, “Why do I always miss my second free throw?” or “Why do I always have to mess up that play?” Instead, ask yourself questions that are going to help you overcome the situation or circumstance like “What do I need to learn from my failed attempts to make it better the next time?” or “How can I adjust my form and visualize my shots going in so that I can improve my free throw percentage?” These are the kinds of questions that are focused on the positive and are going to get you much better results.

Step 4: Use Daily Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are one of the most powerful tools that you can equip yourself with as a competitor to overcome adversity and stress. Affirmations are things that we believe and they become imprinted on our subconscious mind, so regardless of whether you are consciously thinking a positive or negative thought at the time, what your subconscious believes is typically how you will behave when you are faced with stress. For example, if you believe that you are not a good defender in your mind, than your emotions and physical body will limit themselves to your affirmative belief. Employing daily positive affirmations can take you to the next level as a competitor. A good way to start using them is to make a list of 3-5 statements that are going to begin changing your subconscious mind for the better. Try powerful statements like, “I am blessed with an athletic body and gift that I use daily to the best of my abilities!” or “Every day in every way I am getting better and better as a basketball player.” You can see how these positive affirmations will you help you bust any stress you have and take you on to success.

Step 5: Set Positive, Realistic Goals

Learning to set positive goals is a great way to build your self-esteem and confidence throughout the basketball seasons. Remember to use positive words, be realistic and to keep everything in the present tense. Whether you want to increase your shooting percentage, decrease your turnovers or up your assists – keeping these things at the forefront of your mind will keep you motivated, focused and less likely to be stressing out about all the outside factors in life that can cause worry and tension.

Step 6: Practice Positive Visualizations

While thinking positive thoughts is incredibly powerful, putting energy into positive visualizations can bring success as well. How about picturing yourself hitting the game winning shot before you even take it, or how about seeing yourself shutting down the other teams’ best player? If you can create visualization in your mind then technically you already are experiencing the emotions that come with the success of the moment. It won’t be a surprise or simply a chance of luck, instead you will succeed out on the court because you expect to! Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool, so get creative and put it to work—your imagination is your friend during times of stress.

Step 7: Laugh Longer and More Often

Lightening up for more laughter and humor throughout your day no matter how hectic it may seem may be just what you need to take off that stressful edge. In fact, making time to laugh often is the most powerful stress-buster around. Research and studies are also now showing that laughing has the potential to boost the immune system as well considering that stress levels and immunity do go hand-in-hand.

Life is always going to be a challenge regardless of whether you are playing basketball or not. The important thing to remember is that you have more power over the outcome of each day and your attitude than you might think! By following the seven steps above to busting stress as a basketball player you will be happy to find that your days will flow with more ease and you won’t force yourself to spend so much time being pessimistic, focusing on the negative and beating lf or others up over small mistakes. The less stressed and happier you are on a daily basis, the closer you are to reaching your basketball dreams and goals in life.

Don’t let challenges, obstacles, difficult people and situations get in your way of living a low-stress and peaceful life – it’s simply not worth it!

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Basketball Training And Multivitamins – Take It To The Next Level

August 18, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Take Your Basketball Nutrition to the Next Level with the Right Daily Multivitamin

Your nutritional game plan is just as important as the development of your skills out on the court. From the types of foods you choose to include in your daily diet, the fluids you decide to hydrate yourself with and the nutritional supplements that you fill in the deficiencies with are all key to maintaining a healthy athletic body and mind to play basketball at your best.

With so much information out there about supplements and multi-vitamins it can be difficult to know who to believe or what products are going to be worth the investment and your time in taking them.

My goal within this article is to help answer those questions and give you a clearer picture of what’s really going on within the supplement industry and how taking the right kind of multi-vitamin can greatly impact your daily basketball nutrition.

The Truth Behind the Vitamins Research and Studies

Nearly half of Americans are currently taking some sort of multivitamin product and will continue to do so because of their belief in its ability to improve their overall health and well-being.

However, many medical institutes dispute the effectiveness of taking a daily multivitamin based upon government funded research. There is a lot of controversy over the validity of these studies in that they are conducted using only pharmaceutical grade synthetic or “man made” vitamins when there are numerous multivitamins on the market today that provide all-natural, plant and food sourced vitamin and nutrient sources. Despite these big pharmaceutical driven companies’ technical efforts, there is much “unproven evidence” that taking a food and plant-sourced multivitamin can have outstanding health benefits on one’s health.

An important thing to understand about the supplement industry is that it is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has been known to be overly rigorous on supplement companies for what they can and cannot say about the health benefits of their products like multivitamins. If the supplement company can’t provide a clinical trial that meets the FDA’s narrow standards than the product is simply considered to be unproven and cannot be associated with any distinct health benefits despite smaller studies having been performed proving otherwise. Sadly, those studies and research are simply not recognized and are disregarded by the FDA.

Most people don’t realize that performing a full clinical research trial is not an easy feat since it is an incredibly expensive procedure costing anywhere from 10-33 million dollars total. [1] The ongoing dilemma for more natural companies and products ends up being that they cannot afford to run the appropriate clinical trials required by the government to have their products honored and published as valid.

Another perspective to consider is that the companies and people who do have the large sums of money to fund these clinical trials are not willing to invest in the research behind natural, plant and food based products. This is because if research began to emerge proving that their effectiveness was equivalent or greater to the pharmaceutical drugs and vitamins that they are invested in, than they would ultimately lose money due to the inexpensiveness of the plant-based alternatives.

Why Do I Need a Multivitamin as a Basketball Player?

Vitamins, minerals and nutrients are all compounds found within the fresh foods that we eat like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. While it is very important to maintain a daily diet that includes all of these categories, the nutritional issue that current society is posed with are the toxic and depleted soils that conventional store bought foods are grown in.

This depleted and toxic soil issue means that no matter how healthy or organic you think you are eating, you are still going to be barely getting by or even be deficient in at least a few key vitamins, minerals or nutrients.[2]

This health concern is not biased to any age group – children, teens, young and middle aged adults, seniors and basketball players alike ought to consider this known fact and fill in those nutritional gaps with an effective daily multivitamin!

Keep in mind that nutritional supplement manufacturers are able to partner up with companies that grow herbs and plants in more nutritionally enriched, pesticide-free soils to be used within their products. Some companies pay very good money to have these nutrient enriched and toxin-free crops in their products to offer to you!

Also, herb and plant sources of vitamins and minerals that we are either unable to purchase fresh in a grocery store because they are completely foreign to our area or that we normally wouldn’t add into our daily diets on a regular basis like wheat grass, spirulina and chlorella; can be infused into these products making for a highly dense, nutrient packed multi-vitamin that can certainly take non-athletes and basketball players alike to a whole new nutritional level!

It is especially important for basketball players to take a high quality daily multi-vitamin considering all of the physical effort they exert on a weekly basis. While being in great athletic shape is a very healthy thing, most athletes need double the nutritional support that non-athletes do since they are working their muscles at least twice as hard through all of the strength and endurance workouts that they endure. It’s safe to say that including a multi-vitamin will definitely have an impact on a players’ overall energy levels, focus, and moods while helping to support the body during intense times of recovery.

Not All Multivitamins Are Created Equal

I believe that it goes without saying that not all multivitamins are created equal; yet, it can still be entirely confusing to know the distinct differences between the several forms that are offered.

Multivitamins come in several different forms including tablets, capsules, gummies, chewable wafers, powders and liquids.

Tablets, capsules, wafers and gummies tend to be the traditional favorites and are certainly the most cost effective; however, they don’t provide bio-available sources of vitamins, meaning that even if you are only spending 10-15 dollars per bottle each month, you might as well take that money and flush it down the toilet so to speak.

In fact, tablets have been known to pass through the entire intestinal tract without being fully digested and are able to be detected in x-rays sitting within the body like rocks. This is due to the method used to process these supplements using harmful binders and excipients that act as glue to hold the tablet together. Sounds nutritious right? Hardly![3]

Gummies and wafers are overly processed as well and typically contain too much added sugar to the point that it’s questionable as to why they are even considered a nutritional supplement. Sugar has been shown to be a leading cause of poor health conditions like diabetes, cancer and acidity in general so why should it be in your daily multi? I still can’t find a logical explanation.

Capsules are not quite as bad as the previous two, however there is concern over the gelatin often used to encapsulate the ingredients as well as filler ingredients that can be toxic. Also the actual amount of the active ingredients compared to inactive filler ingredients is something to consider as well. Are you actually getting what you pay for inside each capsule? There are some capsule products out there that are not a complete waste of money and time, but again if you are looking for the most bio-available products to supercharge your basketball nutrition I’d simply look elsewhere.

Liquids are by far the most effective and readily absorbed form of multivitamin that you can take. They are almost instantly taken up by the bloodstream and the vitamins, nutrients and minerals in them are able to be easily and effectively facilitated to the right places throughout the body. Many people claim to even feel an immediate natural boost of energy after taking a high quality liquid, plant-based multivitamin.

Again, it’s important to ensure that you always double check the sugar content in these products and go with one that is sugar-free or at least contains a plant-based sweetener like stevia or licorice root.

Basketball players need to make sure that they are taking a liquid or powder form of multi-vitamin since their bodies require more nutrition than most. There’s no point in including a slow-absorbing form of multi-vitamin in your daily basketball nutrition just so to say that you do take one. Players need to be sure that they are getting the instant concentrated nutrition they are wanting as soon as they take it!

How Do I Choose the Right Daily Multivitamin to Meet My Basketball Needs?

Now that you understand the difference between the different forms of multi-vitamins and are ready to pick out one to fill in those nutritional gaps, the decision becomes even easier when you know which supplement is actually going to do what it says and give you the competitive nutritional edge that you may be looking for to support your basketball activities and everyday life.

Your choice of multivitamin should be based upon the purity of the ingredients, the sourcing of the ingredients and where they came from, its overall formulation and its active bio-availability to the body.

Purity of the product’s ingredients should be obvious to you by containing only a small number of “other ingredients” on the fact panel as well as there not being any harmful and toxic additives like magnesium stearate, silica, artificial colors and titanium dioxide to name a few.

Sourcing and formulation go hand in hand and can be hard to distinguish amongst products; however, it’s not always about going with the product that has the highest amount of vitamins in it but rather about the blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, superfoods, superfruits and amino acids you are getting. Typically, the multivitamins that have specialty blends in them are your better supplement choices rather than the ones that simply just list out Vitamin A through D and that’s all it has to offer. Your first thought should be, “So then where do these vitamin sources come from?” You should certainly see recognizable foods, fruits and herbs on the nutrition fact panel as you are skimming over it and if you don’t then you can be assured that the product is synthetic, overly processed and made in a laboratory.

Finally, when choosing a multi-vitamin you must consider the products bio-availability. Bio-availability means how readily available for absorption the vitamins and nutrients are within the supplement to your blood stream and body to be quickly digested, assimilated and absorbed. If the multi-vitamin is highly bio-available then you should feel more energy and well-being within minutes of taking a dosage. If you can’t tell a distinct difference in the way you feel overall when you take your current multi-vitamin than I’d consider switching it up. Your body will certainly thank you!

How Often do Basketball Players Need to Take A Multi-Vitamin?

It’s all in the name – a daily multi-vitamin needs to be taken daily. However, the great thing about taking a plant-based and food sourced liquid supplement is that the body is going to utilize the nutrients much more quickly and efficiently than less desirable forms. This means that if a player takes one serving of their multi-vitamin at 7 A.M. with their breakfast, then goes off to school all day followed by a practice until about 6 P.M. – after 10 hours of mental and physical stress typically entailed within a student athletes’ day they may be due for another dose of a nutritional powerhouse supplement like a multi-vitamin. This somewhat goes outside of the thinking that you can only take a daily multi-vitamin once daily, but the reality is that if you are taking the right multi-vitamin you can call upon it whenever your basketball body needs a nutritional boost up to a few times each and every day.

Now that you have a lot of really great information regarding what makes a quality daily multi-vitamin product, it’s time that you either start utilizing the nutritional power of adding one into your daily routine or replacing your old one by taking the time to research and invest in a supplement that is going to provide you with what it longs for on a daily basis – an adequate source of quality vitamins, minerals and nutrients! Ask your doctor or nutritionist what would be the right vitamin for you and your basketball health!

[1]http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/09/21/the-hidden-costs-of-running-a-biotech-company/

[2] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

[3] http://www.bloodrootproducts.com/About_Fillers_and_Binders_s/271.htm

Overcome Your Fears: Part 4 of The Definitive Guide To Your College Basketball Dream

August 17, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Scared of Your Basketball Dream?

Don’t be.

Great rewards are proceeded by great adversity.

In order to chase the dream of playing college basketball hopeful prospects must see beyond the rare full ride (Part 1), crunch numbers in order to package themselves utilizing as many resources as possible (Part 2 Numbers Game), and then work through (Part 3 The Process) the maze that is the recruiting process with a careful diligently planned attack. Part 4 of this seven part series deals with developing the confidence, perseverance and the commitment to go “all in” to fulfill the dream.

If it is your basketball dream, go all in!

College basketball is a year round commitment. In a Varsityedge.com article Myths and Realities of College Athletics and Recruiting this level of commitment is discussed; “Playing college athletics is an unbelievable commitment in time and in dedication and will be nowhere close to your high school experience. In college you will play or practice for 3 seasons, in the fall, winter and in the spring, and be required to do lifting and running programs as well. You may also be practicing at 6AM or Midnight or twice a day depending what facilities are available at your school.”

If recruits are lucky enough to earn a spot on a college roster, programs then expect them to address their game on a regular basis. The phrase “there is no off-season” becomes reality.

Before one can live this reality, they must get there. And in order to get there, recruits will need to dedicate themselves to the game of basketball year round taking advantage of the many people and resources available to them. Most importantly they will need to be prepared for adversity, set-backs and have the courage and due diligence to see the process through and the commitment to always try to get better. Are your individual workouts in the gym and weight room both intense and scientific? Are you focused on basketball nutrition and have a quality recovery and sleep plan in place as well?

One way to get better is to seek out and use a basketball trainer. An example of a great resource for improving your game is Austin, Texas based Austin Youth Basketball. Austin Youth Basketball is growing rapidly and has impacted thousands of Austin basketball players. Look at a recent basketball trainer job description in order to better understand the criteria you should be looking for in a partner for your success.

“The BasketballTrainer.com team is comprised of former college & pro players and coaches focused on the needs of American youth basketball players. We believe that the basketball culture of America often has it’s heart in the right place but that we [coaches, trainers, parents] have strayed from teaching and sharing the foundations of the game that help kids to excel on and off the court.” According to founder Austin Youth Basketball and BasketballTrainer.com Founder Chris Corbett, who has over 20 years of experience in basketball training, “90% of our focus here is on year round personalized basketball skills training.” College basketball dreams require an edge in working harder AND smarter. A qualified basketball trainer can help. Click here to find a qualified basketball trainer.

Players have a hard time making a college roster if they don’t work on their game year round and seek out individual attention to improve upon and hone their skills. On the flip side, players now a days all too easily pick up bad habits while shelling out big bucks on AAU, travel teams and showcase leagues. If they aren’t spending too much money playing organized ball because they don’t have the resources, young players also fall victim to 5-vs-5 pick-up games where they are hosting up NBA threes, throwing around the back no-look passes and cherry picking on defense for run out fast breaks. Similar to education, these bad habits when practiced on a regular basis when your young, become hard to break when it counts, looking for a significant scholarship and college roster to join. Players no-longer feel that they need to work on their game and instead, work on finding the easiest way to gain the most exposure by playing as many games as possible. In a July 28, 2011 blog posted by Marcus Bray, a club coach states that “Putting in the work to improve as a basketball player has become ‘not sexy enough’ for most young players. What I mean by this is that players today would rather travel to tournaments and play basketball games than put in the time and effort to improve their basketball skills.”[3]

The problem is that if a prospect is lucky enough to get on a college roster, College coaches actually PREFER and require that their players to go through individual workouts.

Visiting the Basketballhq.com site, we see from Mercer University (Atlanta, GA), that college programs stress the need and value of the individual work. In regards to their Individual Basketball Skill Development Philosophy, Assistant Coach Doug Esleeck explains in a basketballhq.com entry that “One of the most important aspects of our program under [Head] Coach Hoffman at Mercer University has been individual development. We work our guys hard day in and day out on the basketball fundamentals of the game. This develops our players’ skills, improves their confidence, and instills a work ethic that has led to a culture in which players value individual development. This, in turn, produces players who work on their game on their own, and as these players see success it has encouraged our entire team to spend time in the gym outside of practice.”

College Coaches could care less if you play 5 vs. 5 outside of the season. They’re more concerned that you are getting enough reps on your shot, ball handling, and position specific stuff (post or perimeter) as well as addressing your strength and conditioning then how you did in the local organized summer league game. They want their players to address their weaknesses and build off their current strengths. This isn’t going to happen in a two hour league game. Players simply won’t get enough touches with the ball and when they do, they won’t be doing program specific stuff. From a college program perspective, it is more efficient to have small groups of no more than four players, working for no longer than an hour on the court and then another hour on their body in an effort to get bigger, stronger and faster to prepare for a game which now demands so much of your body and mind.

You are your chief sales and marketing officer

While AAU, showcases, recruiting agencies, coaches, parents and basketball trainers can help you “sell” yourself to college recruiters, you are ultimately the chief sales and marketing officer for your future as a college player. Do not wait to be chosen. Choose yourself! Putting aside self doubt and overcoming your fears are critical at this phase.

One unique option out there that strives to help high school age kids navigate through the college maze is The Sport Source.com – they are not a recruiting agency but instead a guide for recruits and parents. As put in simple and direct terms, “Our goal has remained the same – to ensure all kids who can make it in college make it to college. Making a smooth transition from high school to college is what we are all about. Though we can’t guarantee everyone will receive a full athletic scholarship, we can promise that if you are honest with your abilities, you will find the right opportunity to make your dream a reality.” So much time, effort and organization goes into finding the perfect fit for players dreaming to play college ball. The Sport Source provides direction, advising, options and will give kids choices from a network of 5800 colleges in the US and Canada and over 30,000 Coaches looking for the diamond in the rough.

As discussed in Part 2: The Numbers Game, recruits that display not only athletics but academic ability are attractive to college recruiters. Prospects must continue to work on their grades, take College Prep courses, focus on SAT-ACT tests, write strong essays. NCAA sports are an incredible experience but as the famous commercial states, “There are more than 400,000 NCAA student-athletes, and most of them go pro in something other than sports.”

Stay tuned for more info on your marketing plan and communication with colleges!

Expanding your contacts into colleges and coaches

Resources such as basketballtrainer.com, BasketballHQ.com, and The Sport Source will help you become more attractive to college coaches and once you have built your body and organized a way to present yourself go forth and build an “A” list of where do you want to be. Remember, you want exposure, not to get exposed. Work on your skills, build your team up, and then worry about marketing.

Careful planning, utilizing the RIGHT resources and then carefully weighing all your options will help you to get through THE PROCESS on top!

Sleep Tips For Better Basketball Training

July 27, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Does Your Basketball Training Plan Monitor Your Sleep?

You know those mornings when you feel like you got out of bed on the wrong side so to speak?

This is a result of not getting enough deep sleep during the night to promote full relaxation which typically sets a tired tone for the day.

It’s a known fact that sleeping is an essential daily activity needed to maintain excellent health and well-being. If this is the case, then why are so many of us putting getting enough rest every night towards the end of our priority list? It just doesn’t make sense.

Did you realize that 40 million people in the United States are currently suffering from some form of ongoing sleep disorder while 62% are not getting enough quality sleep at least a few nights each week?

Sleeping plays a vital role in several functions of the body including learning, memory, and immune function as well as being one of the greatest remedies for stress. Making more time for sleep each night can make a huge difference not only for your health but also for success in life with your family, school, job, and basketball performance.

The Importance of Sleep for Basketball Performance

Basketball players need extra quality snooze time to help the body and mind cleanse, repair and regenerate for the next workout, practice or game.

However, it’s too often that players are running on less than the ideal amount of sleep due to late nights after games, traveling during season, early practices and other major responsibilities like school or family.

Regardless of whether you feel that you’re currently getting enough sleep each night, it’s important to understand that a chronic lack of sleep takes a huge toll on basketball performance and according to sleep expert, Dr. Charles Czeisler of Harvard University, it’s the sleep immediately after an event, lesson or game that is the most crucial for memory retention. He quotes, “If you don’t sleep the night after training, then even if you sleep the next night or the next night, you never learn.”

Dr. Czeisler suggests that players getting adequate rest can be more decisive and confident of their performance quality, and this factor is even more important than that extra hour of practice or time spent watching film in some cases.

He believes that playing on little sleep is like playing with one hand tied behind your back due to delayed reaction time and decreased bodily awareness — maybe you’ve felt that way during a practice or game before.

In fact, there’s a good chance that you have experienced a lagging performance due to exhaustion considering that 7 out of 10 athletes are currently not getting enough ‘Z’s’ on a regular basis.

It’s important to realize that whether you get plenty of quality, uninterrupted sleep every night or not is going to directly affect your learning ability during practice and your performance on game day!

Don’t let something as enjoyable and refreshing as sleep become an obstacle for you to becoming the best basketball player possible.

The Health Concerns of Accruing Sleep Debt as a Basketball Player

We now know that both the mind and body are negatively impacted by sleep debt, and the main concerns for basketball players because of sleep deprivation are a decline in the hormone testosterone, decreased coordination, mobility, agility, focus, mood and energy.

Testosterone is mostly known for benefiting the male reproductive system, however it is also key to building strong muscle mass, maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, bone density, vigor and vitality. It’s obvious how all of these factors have a direct effect on the level of your performance on the court.

Along with a decline in testosterone levels, sleep deprived basketball players will experience decreased hand and eye coordination causing their shot to be off or their passes to be just a little bit too slow.

Mobility and agility are also impacted and lessened, which in turn could have a negative effect on basic basketball moves like sprinting, cutting, defensive sliding, blocking out and jumping for rebounds.

Finally, a drop in focus, mood and energy certainly won’t turn you into a basketball champion. When you lack these things consistently it’s safe to say that you might just find yourself on the bench rather than guarding the other teams’ best player or taking the game winning shot!

How much Sleep is Enough For Basketball Players?

It’s recommended that children ages 5-12 get about 11 hours of sleep per night, teens get at least 9 hours while adults need to focus on capturing 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each day.

In a recent survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council, 73% of adults are getting only 7 hours or less of sleep each night. In time, you become so far into sleep debt that the only remedy is to begin getting at least 8-9 hours for several consecutive nights.

As a basketball player, you must take these numbers seriously, because each night that you don’t get enough rest you are compromising your physical effectiveness and abilities out on the court.

Players should get up to at least 9 hours on nights after games, long practices or intense workouts.

Tips for Building a Good Sleep Credit

Practice relaxation rituals before bed – whether you take a warm bath with Epsom salts, read a book, use a heating pad or write in a journal, try to find a low-key activity each night that helps you to start winding down and preparing for sleep.
Stick to a sleep schedule – the body likes routine, so it’s best to try and plan your day around your sleep cycles. Go to bed and wake up each day as close to the same time as possible.
Check your sleeping environment – ensure that the environment you are sleeping in is ideal for deep, restful sleep. A comfortable mattress, clean sheets, cooler temperature and dark room are all best to promote a good night’s slumber.
Eat light at night – don’t wait until an hour or so before bed to eat a heavy meal. Instead, stick to light snacking preferably with foods high in easily digested proteins and complex carbs like oatmeal or quinoa.
Drink herbal teas – a cup of warm tea can do just the trick to take you from an energetic mood to one ready to pull up the sheets and sleep. Try calming, caffeine-free herbal teas that have lavender, chamomile, hops, peppermint, spearmint, holy basil (tulsi), catnip, valerian root, lemon verbena and passionflower.
Try aromatherapy – aromatherapy can trigger chemical reactions in the body that promote relaxation. Putting a diffuser in your living room or next to your bed with calming essential oils like lavender, peppermint, cedar wood, rose and sandalwood can set the tone for a peaceful night.
Give yourself a light massage – you can also use essential oils for massage therapy which promotes relaxation by mixing them with a carrier oil like almond or jojoba. Take time to rub the achy parts of your body then follow with a heating pad or ice pack depending on whichever feels best.
Reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake – consistent use of synthetic and acidic caffeine like coffee, soda, commodity sports supplements that you find on the shelves of stores and even poor quality teas can lead to an overstimulated nervous system making it very difficult to relax when you need to most. You don’t have to cut out all caffeine, just be sure to only use caffeine that is from high-quality teas and specialty sports supplements that use caffeine from plant sources like guarana seed extract from the Amazon rainforest, which is gentler on the nervous system. Also, don’t consume caffeine in the late afternoon or early evening which can lead to restlessness at bedtime. If you’re someone who has depended on these bad caffeine sources for a long period of time, it would be wise to detox your body from it and go completely without it for up to 4 weeks or more.
Cut off the electronics – excess mental stimulation is part of our fast paced, technologically based society. Unfortunately, too many people are winding down their days to a cell phone screen or movie which actually prevents the body and mind from settling into a deep state of relaxation needed to cleanse, repair and regenerate. Swap out Facebook and the cell phone for a book or word puzzle and you’ll find yourself sailing off to dreamland in no time.
Ask your doctor about food and plant-based supplements to boost serotonin levels – in many cases, the inability to truly relax and achieve proper sleep is due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Eating a healthy diet is great, but due to the lack of minerals in our overworked and depleted soils today, we are not getting everything we need from “healthy foods” like we used to even just 20 years ago. This is where food and plant-based supplementation can really help the body to supercharge its nutrient stores and help you sleep better. A multi-mineral supplement that has calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and other key minerals are known to promote a healthy central nervous system which leads to relaxation. Noni, an exotic super fruit from the Pacific Islands, has been shown to support the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the body which helps the body to begin to naturally relax once the sun goes down. Tart cherry juice concentrate is another food-based supplement that can help to build natural melatonin stores in the body rather taking synthetic versions of it which has shown to be less effective overtime. Finally, valerian root and lemon balm are a great duo that are widely known for promoting healthy consistent sleep.

There’s certainly no question that if you work on getting better sleep each night you’re performance on the basketball court and in life will improve. Who couldn’t use better memory, learning, focus, moods, energy, coordination, agility, speed and strength? The best basketball players in the world are focusing on proper rest and relaxation every day which is why you should too if you want to take your game to the next level. Sometimes you need to put down the ball and take off your sneakers and simply snuggle up in bed and get to snoozing overtime! Connect with a local basketball trainer to help you optimize your basketball training.

Play With Heart: Leave It All On The Court

July 26, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Leaving it All on the Court will Help You Achieve Your Basketball Dreams

There’s 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter and you’ve played practically, if not every minute of the game up to this point. You’re exhausted and drained from your efforts, but it’s such a close game that to let up now might mean that your team doesn’t get the win.

So, what will you do? Do you begin to play half speed, slacking on defense and giving up easy points to the other team? Or, do you light a fire within and begin pouring every bit of yourself into the game playing obviously harder and smarter than anyone else out on the court?

What you choose to do in the game of basketball during these moments, despite the score and whether it looks like your team is going to come out on top, determines your level of heart that you possess for the game.

To play with heart means to give so much of yourself physically and mentally during the basketball game that by the time that buzzer goes off and the last shot has been taken, you can confidently go within yourself as you walk back to the locker room and be proud of your efforts regardless of a win or loss.

This is what true leaders possess, that inner fire inside their gut that ignites right at those moments when diving for a loose ball or boxing out to get another rebound seems physically impossible, yet they somehow seem to always find the strength to give 150% every time that they set foot on the basketball court – refusing to let anyone else out hustle or show more heart than them.

As you enter into or already are in your high school basketball years, college prospecting becomes a big part of your summer camps and seasons. It’s important to understand that sometimes, college coaches and recruiters aren’t always looking for the most talented players, but rather the ones that they see play with heart, are coachable and can be sculpted into more skilled players once recruited.

So, rather than just focusing on your skills, although this is obviously vital, don’t forget to work on your inner character and lead by example to rally your team during those tough moments when things might seem impossible.

A good place to start showing more heart is in practice. There are certainly those practice days that the team seems a little off and there’s a low, sluggish energy amongst the team – this is when the players with heart will step up and make a big play to get the team energized, focused and playing better overall.

As you begin to focus on giving your all every time you lace up your basketball shoes, you will notice that this level of commitment is contagious; pour it all out and watch as your teammates respond and begin to do the same right alongside you.

Strive to be the inspiration, the motivation, the leader, and the one that gives their all every workout, practice and game by playing with so much heart that it spreads like a wildfire!

When you become this player, your dreams of playing at a higher level of basketball will become more vivid and real since having this quality is very impressive and noticed by everyone.

New Haven Basketball Trainer Rich Walton Interview

July 24, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Trainer Rich Walton At Work

We had a chance to connect with New Haven Basketball Trainer and Creator of Skill Development Coach, Rich Walton. New Jersey basketball trainer Rich Stoner had shared what a thought leader Rich Walton was and we were not disappointed after our conversations and follow up emails.

Basketball Trainer: Rich, thanks for joining us. Can you tell me a little about your philosophy regarding player development and basketball trainers?

Rich Walton: I love basketball. And I love seeing players improve.

Basketball is the ONLY Team sport where you can significantly improve day to day with just a ball and a hoop. I think that we have gotten so far away from the game being about a boy or a girl and a basketball and a dream. Everything is so overhyped, over coached, and SO UNDERTAUGHT!

This game is about 1 thing! MUSCLE MEMORY! Either you have ingrained habits with your skill set and you have a level of confidence with the ball and can read and react with the correct decision making – or you don’t!

BT: What has been your proudest moment as a basketball trainer and what is the reward that drives you daily?

RW: I think what I am most proud of is my willingness to believe in the players that I have worked with. I have trained National Player’s of the Year. NCAA National Champions. I have trained numerous All-State Players. Almost every player that is All-Conference in my location has trained with me. A very low division 3 prospect that could barely handle the ball later went on to become a student manager and practice player at Louisville. I’ve worked with under-recruited high school players that kept working throughout college and have had professional opportunities now. But I never take credit for any player’s success. I take pride in their accomplishments, of course. But I feel that it is my job to tell them what to do. To explain why they should do it. And then demonstrate the application of why we are training the way that we are training. But it is always on the player to take themselves as far as they want to go. Players come to me because they love basketball, just as I did when I was a kid. But if I can get them to love to practice it the right way, no matter what their current level of natural ability is – I think that I give them a belief in themselves that they can be great at basketball – as long as they do everything that I tell them to do. The Players that train the way that I tell them to go on to become great players.

BT: What are your thoughts on the state of skill development in American basketball?

RW: It’s a joke! AAU is glorified recreational basketball now. The business side of basketball took over what was really good for the game of basketball. Which actually works in my favor with regard to training because I am developing better, more skilled players than what any AAU Program can. I hold a big symposium every spring to outline the affects of AAU on Player Development. How a weekend of traveling all over the state for 48 hours and having a kid get 10 shots throughout 4 meaningless AAU Games as opposed to 500 Shots each day, or whatever skill they need to work on over the weekend – is the reason why we don’t have the level of skilled players, shooters and scorers that we could have across the board at the younger levels of developmental basketball. Unfortunately, words like fundamentals and developmental are overlooked. I see players all the time at a young age that have their potential squandered away because they are recruited to play for some AAU program at age 12, when they don’t have the necessary skill sets to really progress to a far more developed player over the long haul. So I have a SKILLS vs AAU Mentality.

BT: Once you share a skill with a young player, how do you help them integrate it into their game? Where are players failing in taking drills into actual game skills?

RW: People can say players don’t implement skills into games because they are not always doing the skill with a defender, or in a contextually interfered game environment. I honestly think that has very little merit. There are really 2 missing components when it comes to players not integrating a skill into a game:

1). The 1^st Reason is Creativity: Players that practice the right way DON’T Just “Do Skills.” They imagine things. Like trailing defenders, perimeter defenders, rotating defenders. They practice to beat the Greatest Defenders! (Practice that way… and you’ll beat any defender!)

2). The other reason that a player doesn’t incorporate a skills into a game is simply because they haven’t practiced it enough for muscle memory. When the ball goes up – players are going to fall back on their habits. If they have not ingrained a muscle memory skill with confidence at game speeds in their own practice habits, why would they be able to incorporate it into a game? That’s why you need repetition after repetition. That’s why basketball training matters!

The tricky thing about Muscle Memory is that it comes very fast – in the matter of minutes or days… But it leaves fast, too. So a player that thinks “I got that” when it comes to a skill doesn’t necessarily have it until they can do it again and again at a very high rate of speed without thinking. And even then, the best players in the world make mistakes, blow layups, and turn the ball over. But choosing the skill path as a player and practicing the correct techniques for muscle memory is the only way to be a great player.

BT: Here at BasketballTrainer.com, we always tell players we want them to work harder and smarter. You developed a product that seems to help youngsters work smarter in the driveway and the gym while on their own. Can you share a little?

RW: I have dedicated a great deal of my life to basketball instruction. I know a lot of players that work hard. I know a lot of players that do practice. But most have no clue WHAT EXACTLY TO DO and HOW TO DO IT!

Realizing that many of our kids wanted to do extra work outside of our training sessions mad me want to give them more guidance and inspriation when I was not available to them. That is what SKILL DEVELOPMENT COACH is:

It tells you EXACTLY what to do, shows you EXACTLY HOW to DO IT, and WHY EXACTLY You NEED to DO IT!

We put it in a video format and very easy to understand guide that helps give players the guidance they crave to become stronger players.

BT: It looks like a great product, congrats on your work with that and thanks so much for spending some time with us here at BasketballTrainer.com

The Process of Chasing Your College Basketball Dream – Part 3 In Series: Definitive Guide To Your College Basketball Dream

July 20, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Part 3: The Process of Chasing Your College Basketball Dream

Before we talk about The Process in Part 3 of Chasing the Full Ride – A Definitive Guide to Your College Basketball Dream it’s important to understand how and why so many players get intimidated and are undervalued or left out entirely in the recruiting game and how many more are just intimidated by the process itself. Part 1 and Part 2 of the guides are also available for reading by clicking on their link.

Showcase Events & The Harsh Reality

In an effort to gain more exposure prospects will often attend showcase events run by a variety of different organizations in the summer, fall and spring. Showcase events also occur during the high school season when organizers look to schedule multiple games pitting non-conference opponents against each other in a day-long, weekend or a holiday setting drawing recruiters while they look to cash in on sponsors, fans, concessions and merchandise. Showcases are very often attended by college, prep and junior college coaches from all levels and give kids a chance to really make a great impression. However, prospects can also often leave these events overwhelmed, intimidated and under the radar with such an influx of talent all at one location in a condensed time setting. Various factors including politicking by high school and all-star coaches as well as parents and even the showcase promoters cause a high percentage of quality prospects to miss out. These events have become platforms for grassroots organizers to promote their product while putting on a great show which showcases individualized play. AAU basketball which used to dominate summer has actually taken a back seat to major shoe companies such as Adidas and Nike as well as local, regional and national celebrities who now run about 99% of showcase events.[1] Off-Season basketball has become big business and many people could care less about finding a partial scholarship for a local “super-star” who isn’t getting a full ride and is “just” playing AAU ball.

Location, location, location and international prospects

New York City is known as a breeding ground for point guards. Nate Archibald (Bronx), Mark Jackson (Brooklyn), Earl “The Pearl” Washington (Brooklyn), Bob Cousy (Cambria Heights), Sebastian Telfair (Brooklyn) and Kenny Anderson (Queens) to name just a few have given the world of basketball some of the best pure point guards ever seen.[2] On the flip side of the city life, there are the Larry Bird-prospects that rise to the NBA from rural small towns in underpopulated remote areas. The players that live in obscurity but gain national attention with their incredible basketball talent. Then there is the international fundamentally sound geniuses like Sarunas Marciulinois and Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania), Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), Tony Parker (Belgium-France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Steve Nash (South Africa-Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon (Nigeria). These players have become household names for basketball junkies.[3]

Unfortunately, the NYC point guard, small town legends and international studs are rare finds and for every one sure thing, there are thousands of prospects in these locations who are left behind. How do these kids get exposure each year? Who’s going to fulfill their basketball dreams? That is where the importance of The Process really comes into play.

The Process

Choosing the right school for both academics and basketball can be a very daunting, time consuming, expensive endeavor but if attacked carefully and with due diligence all students can and should find the perfect fit. The Process starts as early as freshmen year in high school for many college recruits.

Eligibility Center for Basketball Dreams

In order to qualify for the NCAA clearing house, NCAA D1 and D2 schools require a specific academic track beginning with the first year of high school. The core courses are defined as “an academic course in one or a combination of these areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy” and high students seeking a NCAA division 1 or 2 scholarship need 16 core course by graduation.[4] NCAA D3 schools don’t require a core courses to play.

Students seeking an athletic scholarship to a NCAA I or II school or an NAIA school need to register through the associations respective eligibility center prior to receiving athletic aid. It is recommended that students register at the beginning of their junior year.[5] The clearing house also requires that all incoming student-athletes provide information about their amateur status as part of their registration into the NCAA Eligibility Center.[6] The purpose of this is to keep a level playing field. The NAIA has a similar process to the NCAA Clearing House which was enacted in the fall of 2010 called the NAIA Eligibility Center or “PlayNAIA.” [7] The idea is the same concept as the NCAA with the intent to track all student-athletes at the national office level to be sure that everyone is in compliance. The cost of the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center registration is $70 for US students and $120 for international[8] [9]

SAT / ACT Scores

The NCAA also require SAT or ACT minimum “sliding scale” scores for admissions. The sliding scale is in place to give students flexibility in regards to their low GPA or test scores.[10] To qualify to play intercollegiate athletics at the NAIA level, students must meet two out of the following three requirements; a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (Critical Reading and Match only), earn an overall high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and/or graduate in the top 50% of their graduating class.[11] The NAIA offers the two out of three instead of the NCAA sliding scale test score method but both have the same purpose, give lower academic students some flexibility to become eligible. Passing through NCAA and/or NAIA Eligibility Center does not guarantee admission into a given school. The final decision for acceptance to a school and the completion of The Process lies in the hands of the admissions department at each respective institution.

Admission

A typical admissions checklist for a college or university will include an application ($40 fee), official high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and a brief essay. Admissions departments will also encourage a campus visit and once they have the prospective student touring their grounds, they will conduct an interview. More and more schools have moved to the on-line approach of recruiting which enables them to attract and filter through large numbers of recruits without physically having them on-campus. While college coaches are targeting student-athletes for their teams as early as middle schools, the admissions process typically begins junior year in high school when students, guidance counselors along with parents and or guardians will target schools and map out some possible campus visits. Some highly regarded academic high schools have students begin this process their sophomore year but generally some prep work and “feeling out” is done junior year and The Process really takes flight senior year. Students will prepare essays (1-2 pages), gather letters of recommendation (usually 1 or 2 from a teach, guidance counselor or other school official) and official transcripts (complete with grades, class rank and test scores) while deciding which colleges they would like to apply to and figure out if they want to go for early or general admissions to the chosen institution(s).[12] Once application files are complete, schools make a decision and put the ball in the court of the recruit.

Financial planning & financial aid

Financial planning and financial aid are often a deal breaker in the recruits’ decision to where they go to school. While the hope is that students will be able to afford college with a full-ride athletic scholarship (Part 1) or some sort of family trust, nest egg or a big dip into savings, the reality is that two thirds[13] of all students take advantage of academic merit scholarships, athletic scholarships and/or FAFSA as discussed in Part 2 (link or even excerpt here). Students can apply for FAFSA beginning on January 1 of their senior year in high school. Early application is encouraged as much of the funds are awarded first come, first serve once the need is determined to be equal. The Process for the ‘average’ basketball recruit is complex and while finances are a huge factor, the level of comfort, value and attention the player has from the team can close the deal.

Where to start and how to get there? Narrow down your choices

Put quite simply, the more a coach wants a player, the more attention he or she is going to get during The Process. However, recruits should never stop trying to prove themselves and should not settle for a team because it is local, or their sibling or friend is there or because they are being pushed there by a community, parents, high school coach or some other outside influence. If you are looking to get a start in narrowing down college choices that might be a fit for you, then I recommend you use a tool developed by a company I am involved with. The Sport Source has a tool that is free for 24 hours use that permits you to input some of your criteria and also qualifications and then helps create a personalized database of which schools could be a fit for you. Click here to learn more about MATCHFIT.

The campus visit is vital in getting the proper level of comfort with a team. A chance to bond with the players, sit down with the coaching staff, check out the facilities, possibly catch a game or practice and just take in the environment where they may spend the next four years of their life is high encouraged. In other words, don’t wait to get chosen, choose yourself!!

Once this has been done, recruits should seek out what their athletic value to team could possibly be. In order to reach the point in The Process where a recruit is truly wanted and valued by a program, most prospects must use their “knowledge and persistence as weapons” They have to be able to “accept criticism, be honest with their ability in order to find the best fit”. Players develop by taking advantage of their strengths and really working to get better in the off-season. Individual Workouts, hiring a Basketball Trainer, and utilizing teammates are all ways to close the gap on the competition and earn a spot on a college team.

The Process then becomes what you make of it. Enjoy The Process, make it an experience of a lifetime while carefully navigating through colleges and basketball programs that fit your need, comfort level and desires as a college basketball player and before you know it you will be living the college basketball dream!

[1] The Truth About AAU Basketball – By Ryan Wood, iHoops.com

http://youth.usab.com/locker-room/summer-basketball/articles/The-Truth-About-AAU-Basketball.htm?cmp=39-31–iHoops

[2] Top 10: New York City’s Greatest Point Guards – By Kevin Askeland (MaxPreps.com)

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/s6vRpaQxhkGX5goss-dOfA/top-10–new-york-citys-greatest-point-guards.htm

[3] The 30 Best Players Born Outside Of The States In NBA History – By Joseph Duruaku

http://dimemag.com/2013/08/the-top-30-nba-players-born-outside-of-the-states-in-nba-history/6/

[4] NCAA Course Work Requirements – College Board

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/prepare/athletes/ncaa

[5] Information about the NCAA Eligibility Center formally known as the NCAA Clearinghouse

http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/ncaaclearinghouse.htm

[6] Amateurism

http://www.ncaa.org/amateurism

[7] NAIA Eligibility Center

http://www.playnaia.org/

[8] NCAA Eligibility Center

http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp

[9] http://www.playnaia.org/page/fees.php

[10] Eligibility Center Quick Reference Guide

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf

[11] NAIA Eligibility

http://www.playnaia.org/page/eligibility.php

[12] College admissions in the United States – Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_admissions_in_the_United_States

[13] Financial Aid: FAQs

Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Aid –

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/financial-aid-faqs

Basketball Training & Nutrition – Healthy Carbs

July 2, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Choosing Healthy Carbohydrates for Optimal Basketball Performance

There is a lot of controversy over carbohydrates floating around the internet these days. While some diets recommend that you go as low carb as possible, others simply recommend that you switch to focusing on what kind of carbohydrates you are consuming.

Basketball players certainly need carbohydrates because of all the energy expended during workouts, practices and games. I like to think of carbohydrates like the gas in a car – without it, you aren’t getting anywhere very quickly right? So, when it comes to basketball performance, carbohydrates are a must!

The main health concerns with the over consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates over a period of time are unstable blood sugar levels, unwanted weight gain, heart disease and metabolic disease (type 2 diabetes).

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be overweight to suffer from health issues like unstable blood sugar levels and diabetes, making it important as a basketball player to understand why you need to be choosing your carbohydrate sources wisely to support your overall health and basketball performance.

What are Bad Basketball Carbs?

Bad carbs, most commonly referred to as ‘simple carbohydrates’ are made up of only one or two sugar molecules. Simple carbs are rapidly digested in the body and are the quickest source of energy available; however, the main problem with relying on simple carbs as a fuel source for basketball performance is that the energy is not sustainable and they cause unstable blood sugar levels and insulin production.

The digestion of simple carbs happens so fast in the body that blood sugar levels skyrocket almost instantly causing a surge of energy. This rapid rise in blood sugar is always shortly followed by an equally fast decline known as a ‘blood sugar crash’. A blood sugar crash typically leaves you feeling tired, stressed and hungry again, which is why the overconsumption of simple carbs can lead to overeating and is unhealthy in general.

Each time this rapid rise and fall in blood sugar happens, the pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is important for regulating several metabolic functions in the body including blood glucose uptake and fat storage. Basically, insulin is responsible for helping the cells pull glucose (energy) from the blood which is why it is such a key part of healthy energy and metabolism.

Over time, if you continually rely on simple carbs as a main fuel source then your body either stops responding to the insulin that the pancreas sends out or the pancreas becomes overworked and quits releasing insulin altogether. At this point, you are headed for more serious health problems.

Another key thing to know about simple carbs is that they have little to no fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fiber plays a huge role in healthy digestion and stable blood sugar levels and without it, your metabolism and energy levels will continue to be on a roller coaster ride of instability and inefficiency.

Sources of simple carbs to greatly reduce or completely eliminate mostly include items that contain refined sugars and flours like table sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, candy, soft drinks, conventional fruit drinks, jellies, white, wheat and multi-grain breads, wheat pasta, chips, cookies, baked goods and packaged cereals. There are healthier versions of many of these foods, but generally speaking these should be on your list to avoid.

What are Good Basketball Carbs?

On the other hand, good carbs or ‘complex carbohydrates’, are an ideal source of sustainable energy for basketball performance. Complex carbs are made of sugar molecules that are woven together like a braid which digest much more slowly in the body.

Digesting slowly means that blood sugar levels gradually increase and insulin production is much slower making complex carbs more suitable for a healthy metabolism.

Since complex carbohydrates are whole food and plant based, they are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Sources of complex carbs include: green vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole-grains like buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, millet and spelt, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and corn, and legumes like beans, peas and lentils.

Simple Vs. Complex Carbs for Basketball Performance

Basketball performance is comprised of several repetitive stop-and-go movements, sprinting and endurance. This requires a lot of energy for the body, especially over the course of an intense 40 minute game or two hour practice.

Your choice of carbohydrates for fueling your body before a basketball workout, practice or game is going to determine how much steam you have in your engine so to speak.

Simple carbs may give you a quick burst of energy, but if you rely on them to get you all the way through, it’s likely that you will be left at the halfway mark or sooner feeling drained, hungry and craving more fuel. Have you ever had to grab a snack at halftime or during practice because you already felt exhausted because your blood sugar dropped so low? This is an example of what happens when you fuel your body with carbohydrate choices that simply don’t last.

Complex carbs are obviously the best choice since they will digest more slowly and the energy extracted from them will be distributed to you over a longer period of time, leaving you with more endurance to enhance your overall performance.

Using the Glycemic Index Chart to Choose Carbs

The glycemic index is a popular way to distinguish between good and bad carbs. This chart displays foods based upon a low (0-55), medium (56-69) and high (70 or greater) value. The higher a food falls on the Glycemic Index, the faster it raises blood sugar levels.

While it’s common sense that the simple carbs I listed above generally have a high GI value, this chart provides an efficient way to determine between the healthier complex carb choices. Instead of just relying on the fact that all fruits and vegetables are complex carbs, this is a way for you to get more specific with your choices if you’d like.

Although carbohydrates tend to catch a bad reputation these days because of the over-processing of many popular foods, they are a necessity for basketball players. Understanding the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is the key to knowing how to fuel your basketball body properly when gearing up for performance. Ask your basketball trainer how he / she can help you manage your carbs for optimal performance.

Game Changing Basketball Nutrition While Eating Out

June 28, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Struggling With Basketball Nutrition While Eating Out?

7 Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Diet

Eating out can be a huge hurdle for any basketball player wanting to stick to a healthy eating program. With countless restaurant options and even more menu items, it can be confusing to know which meals are actually healthy or not. It’s easier once you learn what to look for and how to decide what your healthier options are for building a meal worthy of your healthy basketball nutrition diet.

Unfortunately, there won’t always be the perfect healthy meal option available when eating out, so try not to stress or overthink it in those situations – especially when you aren’t able to choose the place you eat. Simply, do you best to make the healthiest choices possible.

I’m going to share with you my top seven tips for choosing the healthiest meal options available to you when eating out as a basketball player no matter where you may end up!

1. Eat at local restaurants – there are more benefits to eating local cuisine than choosing larger chain restaurants. Not only are you supporting the local economy, but there are typically fresher, locally-sourced organic options when you eat at local places. While it’s impossible to completely skip out on the large chain joints, every time you do end up local you can smile knowing that you will have fresher, healthier foods to choose from for a healthy basketball diet.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for several modifications to your order – sometimes, it can seem like an inconvenience to the restaurant staff to ask for changes to a dish. While some restaurants don’t allow modifications to dishes, most do. Depending on where you are, you may need to request up to four or five changes to a menu item in order to tailor it to meet your basketball nutrition needs. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you want or need, so long as you are courteous and polite. There is no shame in making several changes to a dish if that’s what it’s going to take to help you stick to a healthy basketball nutrition plan while eating out – just smile and ask!

3. Jumpstart your meal with water – there are several tasty and tempting sugar filled drink options on menus these days, but the best way to jumpstart your meal is by having a glass of water with no ice and squeezed lemon. Room temperature water is close to body temperature, allowing water to flow through the digestive system easily to prepare the body for digestion. Keep in mind that dehydration is easily mistaken for excessive hunger, so a glass before your meals can help keep you from overeating. Drinking water during or immediately after meals disrupts the digestive enzyme activity interfering with proper digestion. Try to avoid having water at these times. Generally, it’s fine to have water again about 20 minutes after you are finished eating.

4. Overlook the low-calorie marketing scheme – while fewer calories certainly can mean a healthier meal, this is not always the case. It’s very common to see large chain restaurants promoting a “low-calorie menu” in order to appeal to the healthy living crowd. The problem with this ‘tunnel vision focus on calories’ approach is that they leave out all of the more important information like the fat, sugar and sodium content. For example, it’s safe to assume that a smaller portion of macaroni and cheese will have fewer calories than a larger portion, yet both are still the same processed, refined food with the same amount of fat and sodium regardless of how many calories are in the actual dish. When making your decision for staying on track with your healthy basketball nutrition, don’t place too much importance on the calories and consider whether the foods are fresh and unprocessed instead.

5. Consider the sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat content —Fried foods are the number one thing to steer clear of regardless of whether it’s a meat or vegetable due to unhealthy oils high in bad fat and sodium that are typically used in the frying process. The next big thing to avoid are substitute sugars that you’ll find on the table. These contain harmful ingredients for the body. Some soups can be very high in sodium, so try to limit your consumption of these as well. If you stick to fresh, whole foods like lean, grilled meats, whole grains, fruits and veggies then you won’t have to worry much about the sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat content in your meal. Healthy fats, natural sugars and unrefined salts are ok though since they actually provide nutritional benefit to the body. Healthy fat options include avocado, nuts, seeds and fresh olives. The healthiest sweetener typically available is going to be honey, and stick with sea salt if the restaurant has it.

6. Start with a lean protein source – Protein is a basic part of any balanced, nutritious diet. Basketball players have an extra need for protein to support strong muscles because of all the energy expended on a daily basis at workouts, practices and games. A high-quality, lean protein source should be the first thing you consider when putting together your healthy meal for basketball nutrition. Protein helps you to feel full more quickly and for a longer period of time. Choosing lean animal sources of protein like fish, turkey and chicken as well as plant-based sources like avocados, seeds, whole grains, beans and nuts are ideal. Remember, skip out on the fried meats as well as keeping your consumption of more fatty meats like beef and pork to a minimum.

7. Stick with whole grains, fruits and veggies as your sides – most entrées come with side dish choices, and your healthiest picks are always going to be whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, along with fresh fruits and vegetables. The healthiest ways to order your veggies are raw, steamed or grilled and contrary to popular American belief – french fries don’t count as a veggie! Apart from choosing veggies as your side dishes, salads are always a very healthy option so long as you choose a bad fat-free dressing like lemon juice and olive or a healthy vinaigrette. Bring your own dressing with you if you can’t count on the restaurant having what you need. Sticking to a healthy basketball diet while eating out shouldn’t have to seem impossible or be confusing.

There will be times that it seems more difficult than others, but by following these tips you will be able to wisely pick out the healthiest food options available to meet your basketball nutrition needs while eating out.

Food & Basketball – 10 Documentaries To Make You Think

June 27, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Top 10 Health & Wellness Documentaries Basketball Players Should See

If you are new to wellness or are seeking to expand your knowledge on various topics like basketball nutrition, sustainable agriculture, organic versus commodity food sourcing and more, than the following is a list of top rated documentaries from leading wellness experts from around the world to help you grow and learn about healthy living. All of these films can be found on Netflix or purchased online.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (www.fatsickandnearlydead.com ) – Directed by Joe Cross, this autobiography is a thorough glimpse into the life of a man who was very sick and his only hope was taking several prescription medications that seemed to only worsen his conditions. After being turned onto fresh, raw fruit and veggie juicing, Joe decides to do a 60 day detox and his results are incredible. Watch to find out what happens over that 60 day period.
Food Matters (www.foodmatters.tv ) – Directed by leading health coaches Laurentine and James Ten Bosch, they team up to uncover the truth behind the pharmaceutical industry and reveal the roles that nutrients and vitamins from fresh foods play in the body in regards to overall health and well-being.
Hungry for Change (www.hungryforchange.tv ) – As the sequel to Food Matters, this documentary highlights the health dangers and concerns of consuming a largely processed and refined foods diet. Learn the difference on the effects of the body between a whole, fresh foods diet and a processed diet.
Fed Up (www.fedupmovie.com) – Produced by Katie Couric, this brand new documentary film exposes the truth about the flaws within our public school systems food programs. Following a group of frustrated and fed up, overweight teens; Fed Up gets to the root cause of why childhood obesity has reached an all-time high.
Forks Over Knives (www.forksoverknives.com) – This ground breaking documentary dives into the more technical side of nutritional science and how research and studies have shown that eating a largely plant-based diet is beneficial to overall health and well-being.
Food, Inc. (www.takepart.com/foodinc) – Exposing the truth behind animal farming, Food, Inc. interviews and documents what really goes on at several chicken, cow and pig farms. Learn the business behind what it takes to get your meat and produce to you refrigerator.
Farmageddon (www.farmageddonmovie.com) – In the past decade the government has taken complete control over the agriculture in the United States. Farmageddon reveals what this means for you and I and the small farmers of America.
The Gerson Miracle (www.gerson.org) – Based upon the philosophies of detoxification expert Max Gerson, The Gerson Miracle reveals the truth about natural treaments for chronic disease like cancer. Learn why conventional Western medicine may not be the best methods of treatment for those suffering at the hands of these terminal diseases.
Vegucated (www.getvegucated.com) – This documentary follows three people who eat the Standard American Diet of meat, cheese and processed foods as they convert to a vegan diet for six weeks. Find out what they discover about health and well-being from eating a more plant-based diet.
Super Size Me! – Can you imagine what would happen if you were only allowed to eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month? This is exactly what independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock did and the results are astonishing. Watch to find out what happens to his body within that month!

What food and nutrition documentaries do you think we should have included? Ask your basketball trainer how to incorporate diet and nutrition into your specific program. Some of these movies are pioneering and you should involve your parents (if you are a minor) & physician with any major dietary changes. Please share this with friends and comment below.

Keys To Hydration For Basketball Champions

June 26, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Water is the most important source of life on Earth. You can survive more than three weeks without food, but water is a completely different story. It would only take about three days for you to perish without this precious life source.

It’s not surprising that we must have to water to sustain life considering that the average adult is made up of about 57% water. As expected, the need to maintain adequate hydration becomes much greater in conditions of extreme heat and intense physical exercise like basketball.

When your body starts to heat up during basketball practice or a game, the body’s cooling system kicks into gear and you begin to sweat. Some people sweat more than others, but not to worry if you happen to be a “sweat hog” because you typically only need to be concerned about your overall health if you aren’t sweating at all.

While sweating is the most natural response to the body overheating, a lot of water and vital fluids known as ‘electrolytes’ are lost during this process. If these fluids are not consistently replaced each day, then the body becomes dehydrated leading to more serious health concerns with symptoms like cramping, dizziness, nausea, extreme thirst, migraines, constipation and skin problems. Doesn’t sound too pleasant, right?

It’s said that by the time that you are experiencing thirst on any level you are already in a slightly dehydrated state. Rather than waiting until getting to this point or worse, it’s always smart to stay ahead in the game of hydration and ward off dehydration by taking action.

Keys to maintaining proper hydration as a basketball player include keeping a daily water log, understanding your water needs, being prepared with fresh water at all times, replenishing electrolytes and seeking out the highest quality of water sources available to you.

By following these guidelines for staying hydrated like a basketball champion, you are sure to increase your opportunities for peak performances and avoid the side-lining symptoms of dehydration.

5 Keys To Hydration For

Basketball Champions

1. Keep a Water Log During Basketball Training

As you are first starting out, it’s important to keep track of how much water you are or aren’t drinking each day. Keeping a daily water log might give you surprising answers since it’s impossible to keep up with fluid intakes by memory. You will learn exactly how much you need to increase your water intake or maybe you will find that you are doing just fine.

You can mark off every 8-12 ounces that you drink on paper if you find that easy, or there are water bottles out there that you can buy that keep track of your water intake by recording how many times you’ve filled it up.

Whichever method you choose for keeping track, just be sure that you stay consistent with it.

2. Understand Your Basketball Water Needs

The amount of water you need will change from day to day depending on your activity level. Everyone has different baseline water needs defendant upon varying factors like metabolism speed, body weight, climate, elevation and sweat output.

A general marker is to drink at least half of your body weight in water each day. However, athletes need more than this considering the high activity level and sweat output. Assuming that you are already hydrated before you start a workout, practice or game, it’s recommended that you try and keep up with about 7-10 ounces of water every 20-25 minutes of basketball activity. Keep in mind that this amount increases the more heavily you sweat.

Realistically, you know your body better than anyone and half of the battle of determining your water needs is simply to listen to your body and take notice of how much you are drinking compared to your exertion levels and sweat output. In time, understanding you daily water needs will become second nature to you.

3. Be Prepared at all Times

Since water is the one thing as a basketball player that you are going to need at practically any given time of the day, it’s smart to be prepared at all times.

This means that you must consider how much access you have to water each day and what you need to do to ensure that you will always have it available to you no matter where you are. A few ideas include carrying a larger water bottle with you so that you won’t need to refill as often, or just being sure that you refill your bottle before each class.

Assuming you will need more water for your basketball activities, be sure to plan ahead and always bring more water bottle. It’s much easier to have a large personal bottle with you so that you can keep track of how much you’re drinking rather than running to the fountain and sipping an uncertain amount before resuming activity.

4. Replenish your Electrolytes

When you sweat, you lose electrolytes which are important salts in the body that carry an ionic or electrical charge. They support basic muscle function important for basketball and sports performance, which is why the idea of flavored sports performance drinks became so popular.

However, most popular sports performance drinks today are loaded with entirely too much sugar and sodium and are lacking in other important electrolytes like potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride and bicarbonate. I recommend going for a specialty electrolyte replacement product not found in major grocery stores or gas stations to replace these vital fluids. Most quality sources of electrolytes come as a powder that you mix with water.

Another way to get electrolytes is to include more dark green, leafy vegetables into your diet as well as potassium-rich foods like bananas and almonds.

5. Choose High-Quality Water Sources

All water is not created equal. In fact, it’s not really a secret anymore that much of our tap water found in public water fountains and from the sinks of our homes are contaminated with toxins like fluoride. Although it is said that these chemicals are safe for human consumption in very small amounts, the real issue is that no one really knows how much is actually being used in treating our public water.

I’m not trying to scare you off from ever drinking from the water fountain again, but I do believe that considering higher-quality water sources is ideal.

There are really great brands of bottled water at stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts where more organic options are available. Essentia and Voss are my favorite bottled brands since they are more alkalinized with a pH of 9.0.

Another alternative to tap water is investing in a Kangen water filtration system. These systems are unique in that they completely remove all of the chemicals from the water and bring the water to a healthy pH level of 7.0 and higher.

Alkalinized water means that the water is less acidic and is more readily absorbed by the body promoting efficient hydration. Acidic water is not as healthy and unfortunately tap water has an acidic pH and unless you buy bottled brands with a higher pH or invest in a filtration system, it’s impossible to find this quality of water through public sources.

It certainly is more expensive to invest in better water, but considering that your body is made up of over half water than it’s a smart, healthy move if you are able to do so. If you don’t have access to these better water sources, not to worry – do the best you can by sticking to what is available to you since the bottom line is that any safe water is better than no water.

Proper hydration is key to performing like a basketball champion during each workout, practice and game. Now that you have some guidelines to follow, you shouldn’t have to worry about the lagging effects of dehydration. So hop to it and grab what you need to stay on top of replenishing your body’s most precious substance – water!

Basketball Scholarships – The Numbers Game (Part 2 of 7 Part Series)

June 21, 2014 By basketballtrainer

The Defnitive Guide To Your College Bsketball Dream

In part 2 of this 7 part series, we will discuss academic and athletic scholarship options and will begin to look at the best ways to package yourself as a basketball recruit.

In Part I of Chasing the Full Ride – A Definitive Guide to Your College Basketball Dream we discussed how few basketball recruits earn a full ride. However, a high percentage of prospects fulfill their dream to play at the next level by qualifying for academic scholarships, federal educational grants and loans as well as partial athletic scholarships. This process becomes The Numbers Game at all levels of college basketball recruiting.

Academic Scholarships For Basketball Players

Academic Scholarhips For Basketball Players “Do your homework!” is a common school night phrase in households worldwide for students growing up. Prospects would be wise to listen to this advice. In fact, “there is 22 times more academic aid available (each year) than athletic scholarships.”[1] The more intelligent the recruits the easier the sell to a college coach. The recruit will qualify for more academic scholarship money which will cost the college coach less in his or her athletic scholarship budget. In addition, athletes that can get it done in the classroom provide less stress for the college coach monitoring a roster of 15-20. Numbers come into play for families which are looking for the best financial package. Academic scholarship requirements vary with each institution of higher learning but common requirements to earn an academic scholarship or merit scholarship typically require students to graduate in the top five to ten percent of their class. Students that bring more to the table then just their book smarts, will be more apt to earn an academic scholarship. According to scholarships.com, “… while all academic scholarships are merit scholarships, not all merit scholarships are academic scholarships.” The reality is that student-athletes have “ … an even better chance if you’re heavily involved in extracurricular activities.”[2] Colleges and University admissions departments want well rounded students on their campus. They want students that will not only earn high grades but students that will bring something else to their campus community. They want musicians, actors, debaters, politicians, writers, and they want athletes! The more you can do, the more you will get! Well rounded students win in The Numbers Game.

FAFSA And Basketball Players

Financial Aid For Basketball Players Additionally, prospects that do well in The Numbers Game often take advantage of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA, which is a form that can be prepared annually for United States students looking for financial assistance for undergraduate and post-graduate studies within their country. The application awards aid of a given student based on Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which is determined by household size, income, number of students from household in college and assets.[3] The U.S. Department of Education begins accepting applications January 1 of each year and prospective students are encouraged to apply quickly to ensure that they will get as much aid as possible. FAFSA will open the door to nine federal student-aid programs, 605 state aid programs and most of the institutional aid available from a school of the student’s choice.[4] From a basketball coach’s perspective at a non-NCAA-D1 school, a student who receives a substantial FAFSA aid package will not tax the athletic scholarship budget as much as a FAFSA non-qualifier. For example, as of the 2014-2015 Award year, a student who receives a Pell Grant maximum amount, will get $5,645 towards their education. The Pell is awarded to students with a low EFC. This can then be packaged with academic and athletic scholarships creating a great financial package for prospective students before even considering available loans. These Numbers become very appealing to college coaches and to the prospects.

Partial Athletic Scholarships For Basketball Players

Partial Basketball Scholarships As discussed in Part I, NCAA D1 schools are the only programs that offer exclusive full rides. However, there are very few available in a given recruiting year. Although NCAA D2 can offer full ride athletic scholarships, it is not the norm and very often, coaches will try to maximize their athletic scholarship money by recruiting prospects that are able to draw from other resources such as merit scholarships and/or a substantial FAFSA package. All NCAA D2 sports are considered “equivalency” sports, which means that the NCAA restricts the total financial aid that a school can offer in a given sport such as basketball to the equivalent of a set number of full scholarships.^{^[5]} These programs have a total of 10 athletic scholarships available in men’s and women’s basketball while NCAA D3 programs do not offer athletic money. The problem is some institutions and in some cases entire conferences choose not to offer the full allotment granted by the NCAA. In addition, Coaches simply don’t have many scholarships available in a given year and will often look to offer partial scholarships to try to get as many players as possible. They may sometimes pitch a “pay two, earn two” situation to prospects in which they receive no athletic scholarship money their first two years but if they remain in the program, get an athletic scholarship their last two years. D2 coaches do try to land the big fish but most full rides at the D2 level are reserved for NCAA D1 transfers who can come in and make an immediate impact in the win column. In NAIA D1, basketball is sponsored by just over 100 men’s and women’s programs with each team offering a maximum of 11 athletic scholarships. In NAIA D2, there are nearly 150 men’s and women’s teams with each program equipped with the equivalent of six scholarships. NAIA coaches operate very similar to NCAA D2 coaches offering full rides to mainly NCAA D1 transfers while looking to fill their rosters utilizing partial scholarships, especially at the NAIA D2 level where they only have a maximum of six full scholarships. The best bet in The Numbers Game of College Basketball Recruiting is for prospects to seek out merit scholarships, apply for FAFSA January 1st while continuing to hone their skills in hopes of earning the best possible athletic scholarship, which most of the time is a partial deal.

The Full Package Basketball Player

The Full Package Basketball Player In conclusion, The Number Game in College Basketball Recruiting is one in which the most attractive prospects have the full package of academics, financial need and value to a given roster. A basketball prospect who excels in the classroom and on the court and takes advantage of financial assistance through FAFSA will be ahead in The Numbers Game. Their scholastic achievement, athletic success and use of financial resources will make them an easy pick for coaches searching for the most bang for their buck in the ultra-competitive recruiting war. While FAFSA cannot be controlled, the first two areas can and should be addressed as soon as possible in a prospects’ dream to play college basketball. Additional intangibles which win out win all the above factors in The Numbers Game are equal become, character, ability to Lead as well as versatility on and off the court.

Notes on Basketball Scholarships – The Numbers Game

There are alternative to four-year institutions for basketball prospects and many players choose to spend one to two years at NJCAA (junior colleges – 15 full ride scholarships in D1, D2 offers tuition and books while athletes have to pay for room and board, D3 varies) and increasing popular, although potentially very expensive, Preparatory (“Prep”) programs ($40,000 on average – scholarships vary) International Student Options A major roadblock in the international recruiting game is the fact that these prospects don’t qualify for FAFSA. They must pull from their own possible federal funding (Canada has a program) or they are forced to finance their education by other means when they are not offered the coveted full ride. [1] 8 Facts About College Athletics and Scholarships: What Every High School Athlete Needs to Know http://pathwaypr.com/8-facts-about-college-athletics-and-scholarships-what-every-high-school-athlete-needs-to-know [2] Academic Scholarships and Merit Scholarships https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/academic-scholarships-and-merit-scholarships/ [3] FAFSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAFSA [4] FAFSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAFSA [5] Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_II_%28NCAA%29

Basketball Training Tips Revealed by Champion San Antonio Spurs

June 19, 2014 By basketballtrainer

What Basketball Training Can We Learn From The Spurs?

The San Antonio Spurs just shook up the basketball world. They defeated the 2-time defending champion Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Not only did they win, but they dominated their opposition. They won all four of their games in the series by at least 15 points. While many were ready to witness Lebron James have a signature Finals series and secure his third straight title, the Spurs took hold of the series early and put on a beautiful display of team basketball. They performed very impressively and put the basketball world on notice. Youth basketball players should take note of the valuable lessons they taught us. Here are three things youth basketball players can learn from the 2014 San Antonio Spurs.

Train For Well Rounded Skills

In Game 4, a 21 point win for the Spurs, 13 Spurs got into the game and all 13 of them scored points. Eight of those players played more than 15 minutes in the game. The team’s leading scorer was Kawhi Leonard, who finished with 20 points. Kawhi scored in various ways; he scored driving to the rim, shooting the 3, shooting free throws, and he also scored on a ferocious putback dunk that was the highlight of the game. He scored off the catch and shoot, and he also scored making quick drives to the basket off the catch. The Spurs feature players that are well-rounded and who don’t need to dominate the basketball to be effective. Kawhi is a perfect example of that. Kawhi is not a heavily featured offensive player on his team, yet he was his team’s leading scorer in arguably the biggest game of the season to that point. He followed his Game 4 performance with a strong Game 5 and took home the Finals MVP award. After the series coach Gregg Popovich said that he didn’t draw up one single play for Kawhi in the series. That’s incredible. Being a well-rounded individual with the ability to score quickly in various ways, Kawhi was able to have a major offensive impact without disrupting the flow of the game for his team. That is because he’s a well-rounded player, and that’s huge. Young players should take note.

Train To Be Coachable

Coach Gregg Popovich famously enjoys a great relationship with his star player Tim Duncan. That relationship is great because Tim allows himself to be coached hard. In a league where players drive game attendance and TV viewership, players can easily become bigger than the coach. But Tim decided to remain coachable despite his status early on in his career. How does that affect the team today? Well coachability has a trickle down effect. Since Tim is coachable, everybody else essentially has to be, and in fact they are. In Game 3 of the Finals Boris Diaw elevated to starter status and year-long starter Tiago Splitter was relegated to the bench. Boris had a great impact on games 3 and 4 and the Spurs won by an average of 20 points in those two games. Tiago took the lineup change in stride and still provided positive minutes off the bench. Fan favorite Manu Ginobili, a probable Basketball Hall of Fame inductee when he retires, continues to come off the bench for the Spurs. Despite being an NBA All Star and All NBA performer in his career, Manu continues to do what his coach asks of him even though it doesn’t make sense to some observers. Manu has remained steadfast in being a quality sixth man for the San Antonio Spurs, and he came up big in the Finals, capping off the series with 19 big points in the series-clinching win. What is the payoff to this team-wide coachability? Well in 2014 it resulted in the best regular season record in the NBA, a second straight trip to the NBA Finals for the first time in Spurs history, and an NBA championship. When players put their individual desires behind what their coach asks of them, the payoff can be greater in the end. It pays to be coachable.

Train To Be Fearless

After a disappointing end to the 2013 season, the Spurs’ 2014 outlook was unclear. Could a team lead by aging players get back to the Finals and possibly win a championship? Could the Spurs defeat a healthy Oklahoma City Thunder team in the playoffs, a team they were able to avoid in the playoffs the year before? Could anyone or any team contend with Lebron James and the Miami Heat as they looked to win their third straight NBA championship? Well, the answer given by a lot of outside observers was no. The Spurs were not the overwhelming favorites to make the Finals out of the West, let alone to win it all. But the Spurs remained fearless as they always have been. They’ve never been concerned about winning the perception battle, but they have always focused on the game between the lines. And it has paid off for them. Youth basketball players should follow that lead and never let the status or rankings of opposing players and teams determine their own fate. Players should always remain fearless when facing stiff competition because the reality is that no team is unbeatable. For that reason it pays to be fearless. The Spurs show us where that attitude can lead.

Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs on winning another NBA championship. Thank you for showing us what a team of well-rounded, fearless team players can do. Young players, take note!

Basketball Breakfast To Jumpstart Performance

June 17, 2014 By basketballtrainer

4 Tips for Eating Breakfast like a Basketball Champion

Basketball players have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As we sleep, our bodies use up most of what we consumed the day before, so after not eating for 6-12 hours overnight – it’s easy to understand why the foods that we choose to eat first thing upon rising are key to overall healthy nutrition and lifestyle. Given that modern day basketball often includes extreme training and as many as 4 -5 tournament games in a day, it is critical that we embrace the importance of enhancing performance and health via nutrition.

The typical American breakfast usually consists of a large bowl of sugar-laden cereal with a glass of artificial orange juice or maybe a plate of syrup topped pancakes with fatty bacon. Regardless of what your breakfast plate or bowl might currently look like, the most common breakfast foods consumed today are nutritionally deficient leaving the body starving for nutrient packed foods. Regardless of how these foods may taste, the reality is that a breakfast void of nutrients does not promote a healthy metabolism or digestion and increases your chances of making poor food choices throughout the rest of the day.

It’s time to start changing our view on the most important meal of the day, so I’m going to share with you my top four tips for eating breakfast like a true basketball champion!

Start by making time – the most common hurdle to not eating a healthy breakfast every day is having enough time. Healthy eating preparation usually requires more time than convenience, processed foods, so it can be challenging when you have to be at work or school early in the morning and you want to take advantage of as much time in bed as possible. Unfortunately, this is an excuse and the decision to begin eating a wholesome breakfast each day starts with you deciding to get up 20-30 minutes earlier and making time for it. I can’t think of many wholesome, balanced breakfasts that can be made in 5 minutes or less unless you intend on continuing to grab the pop-tarts and doughnuts. The first step to eating breakfast like a champion is to set your alarm earlier and make time to fuel yourself properly in the mornings.
Pack on the lean protein – in order to build strong, lean muscles the body must have enough amino acids (building blocks of protein) from protein each day and this starts at breakfast! Rather than grabbing for the cereal bars, doughnuts and pop-tarts, start by filling your plate with high quality, lean protein choices like eggs (or egg whites if you prefer), low-sugar greek yogurt, a protein shake, black beans and turkey bacon or sausage. Increasing your protein intake in the mornings will leave you feeling full longer rather than driving up your blood sugar quickly which always leads to a mid-morning crash. When this blood sugar crash happens you’re more likely to make poor snack and lunch choices setting a bad nutritional tone for your entire day.
Complex carbs are your friend – there are currently several “diets” out there that promote a low-carb strategy to achieving the best nutrition. While eliminating your intake of simple carbohydrates like refined flours, sugars and foods is a great idea for everyone, decreasing your intake of complex carbohydrates is not a good idea. Complex carbohydrates are digested much more slowly than simple carbs, therefore their effect on the body is very different. Complex carbs don’t cause a rapid increase in blood sugar or insulin like simple carbs do and are necessary to support a healthy, efficient metabolism – especially for highly active people like athletes. Just as a car needs gas to operate, our bodies need complex carbs for energy. Be sure to add complex carbs like oatmeal (not instant), whole grain cereals (Bob’s 10-grain or Nature’s Path) and fresh veggies and fruits to your breakfast each day.
Fill up on fiber – many Americans are not getting their recommended daily amount of fiber (30g). Fiber is an essential part of balanced nutrition in that it helps the body to maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day and keeps the intestinal tract squeaky clean by promoting healthy bowel movements. Most complex carbs contain a good amount of fiber, but it’s always a good idea to add more to give yourself a jump start for the day on your fiber intake. Including a few tablespoons of ground flax and chia seeds are a simple way to add more fiber to your protein shakes, oatmeal and whole grain cereals. Don’t be stingy with the fiber because champions get enough fiber for breakfast!

5 Day Healthy Basketball Breakfast Plan For Champions

Now that you understand the macronutrients that should make up your breakfast, I’m going to help kick start your new regimen by providing you with five different meal examples. Feel free to mix and match all of these as you’d like, but you’ll notice that in each day I was sure to include protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber no what the combination of foods were. If you stick to this rule, you will be eating a balanced breakfast.

Basketball Breakfast #1: 2-3 scrambled eggs (or egg whites), 1/2 – 1 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp. ground chia seeds sweetened with raw honey (add nuts or dried fruit if you’d like), pineapple slices

Breakfast #2: Omelet with your choice of veggies like spinach, onions, garlic, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, etc… 1 Ezekiel English muffin topped with raw honey and a pinch of ground chia or flax seeds, handful of blueberries

Breakfast #3: 1/2 -1 cup of black beans with sautéed asparagus, 1 large apple with peanut or almond butter

Breakfast #4: 1/2-1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal, 1 scoop of protein shake with non-dairy (flax, almond, soy, hemp, coconut) or low-fat milk add fruit of choice if desired

Breakfast #5: 1 high-fiber, low-sugar bran muffin, 1 hard-boiled egg, choice of lean turkey sausage or bacon

The keys to eating a healthy breakfast are strategy and time. Now that you understand the kinds of foods that should be filling your plates and bowls you are on your way to fueling your muscles and metabolism properly so that you can enjoy breakfast like a basketball champion!

Big Man Basketball Training – Three Training Tips For Dominance

June 16, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Big men, the game has changed for you. Twenty years ago you were relied on more heavily for offense and because of that were more celebrated by the viewing public. However coaches and basketball people still know how important you are to basketball teams. We still love you and value the things that you do. You are the defensive anchor, rim protector and possession finisher that teams still need to win games. And you can still be effective in today’s more perimeter oriented offensive attacks.

Three Tips For Big Man Basketball Training:

1. Train to Flash and Crash

If you want to keep the game easy you can think about a simple rhyme: Flash and Crash. If you’re playing in an offense that doesn’t feature getting you the ball on the low post, two great places to go get the ball are in the short corner and at the free throw line. Flashing to get the ball in these two areas gives you options as a big man. You can knock down your 15 ft jumper here. You can drive from these spots. You can even be an effective passer from these spots. From the free throw line especially you can reverse the ball to the opposite wing or look to feed a teammate close to the basket. Big men who are comfortable catching and being a scoring threat via flashing have great value, as flashing players are great at helping to beat zone defenses and getting a good look when the offense breaks down. The other part of the rhyme, crashing, is something every big man must do when a shot goes up. Although big men should look to rebound on both ends of the floor, if you can focus on “flashing” on offense and “crashing” the boards on defense you’ll be a valuable asset to your team on both ends.

2. Train On Your Two Man Basketball Game

Big man, you’re the other component in the Two Man game along with the ball handler. The Two Man game might be a part of your team offense, but if it’s not this is something else you can do to help your team when the play breaks down. The pick and roll, pick and pop, pick and slip and dribble handoff are all great options for getting someone an open look. And big men should really be familiar with executing all of these options. However you can really enhance your value if you identify which aspects of the two man game you are most comfortable with. Develop yourself as a “roller”, a “popper” or a dribble handoff threat. Big men on the college level and above usually know which of these components they’re best at and play to their strengths. You can do the same at your level.

3. Run The Floor

Do you know what running the floor means? It doesn’t just mean technically getting up and down the floor like everyone else in a jersey. Running the floor essentially means getting up the floor quickly in offensive transition, beating your man and others down to the other end. This could mean running the wing as a part of a two or three man break, or it could be mean running the pipe in a delayed break. Big men who run the floor do two very important things for their teams. One, it gives teams an opportunity to send the ball up the floor for easy scoring opportunities. As a big man you can add upwards of 4 points per game to your scoring average this way. Two, it affects the other team’s big man and overall defense. If you are constantly running in transition, you may tire the other team’s big man out as he tries to keep up with you. You may also force a lineup change. If the opposing team is not able to keep a big, plodding big man on the floor because he can’t or won’t keep up with you, how much value do you think that has for your team’s offense? If that plodding big man is a shot blocker, the impact can be huge.

Big men, if you think “flash and crash”, get comfortable with the two man game and make a habit of running the floor, you are going to make a big difference for your team. Some of these things take practice and may require you getting with someone who can teach you the finer points. But look to train and implement these basketball skills and watch your effectiveness go to another level. We can’t wait to see you dominating your basketball big man position.

Basketball Stretching – 5 Benefits That Enhance Your Performance

June 15, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Stretching – Have You Committed Yet?

Basketball stretching is an essential component of fitness that is often undervalued by young athletes for its ability to enhance overall basketball performance. Many young players are only spending a bare minimum of about 5-10 minutes simply “going through the motions” of their stretching routine without any real commitment to achieving the benefits that stretching has to offer. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

This lack of stretching issue isn’t a matter of ‘want to ‘in most cases, it’s simply a lack of education as to what stretching does for the body. Whether you’re a player that already enjoys spending time stretching or one that wouldn’t spend any time doing it if it weren’t for your coach or trainer requiring that you do so – my goal within this article is to teach you more about the ways that stretching can help take your basketball performance to the next level by increasing your flexibility and range of motion, reducing muscular imbalances, preventing injuries, increasing circulation in the body and strengthening the nervous system.

Increase Basketball Flexibility and Range of Motion

Flexibility comes more naturally for some people than others, however anyone can reach their full flexibility potential by increasing their average daily stretching time from 5-10 minutes to at least 30 minutes. Some people take it a step further by utilizing a yoga practice that typically lasts up to an hour. Basically, the more time you spend stretching the more flexible you will become and the better range of motion you will have in your shoulder and pelvic girdles.

An increased range of motion means a lot for a basketball player. How would you like to increase the size of your first step to the basket? What about being able to extend your reach to the goal a bit further on your layups or dunks? Or, maybe you need to lengthen your defensive shuffle strides to make you a more effective defender. Increased flexibility and range of motion can take you to the next level with your basketball game by giving you a competitive edge physically in all of those tiny ways that you need it most!

Reduce Muscular Imbalances In Basketball Bodies

Every basketball player is susceptible to muscular imbalances simply because of the nature of the game. Hours of strength training, maneuvering laterally on cuts and explosive jumping take a toll on the muscles and joints.

Muscular imbalance happens when opposing muscles in the body such as the quadriceps and hamstrings of the knee joint become out of sync due to repetitive movements or poor posture over an extended period of time. Basically, one of the opposing muscles either becomes too tight, too weak or often both causing increased tension on the joint that the imbalanced muscles surround leading to aches, pains and potentially injury.

For example, what do you guess is going to happen to the knees of a player who has been playing defense with their weight distributed too forward over their body rather than centered for years? Hopefully you get the picture here – they have developed a serious muscular imbalance between the quads and hamstrings which could lead to aching, injury prone knees even at a young age. You can be sure that this player is not going to reach their full potential athletically until they correct the muscular imbalance.

The good news is that most muscular imbalances can be alleviated and even prevented by including a quality stretching regimen into your program. If you have a knee, hip, shoulder or ankle joint that has been bothering you and don’t recall any traumatic incident that would have caused the pain, then it’s safe to assume that you are needing to spend more time stretching yourself out. Proper daily stretching will ensure that you are giving much needed attention to all of your major muscle groups to help maintain balance for healthy muscular function.

Prevent Basketball Injuries

Some of the most common basketball injuries involve the hips, knees, ankles and feet. From ligament tears in the knees, chronic ankle sprains, inflammation of the tendons in the feet and pulled hip muscles – all of these injuries can cause players to miss several games if not the rest of the season.

Quality routine stretching, before and after you exercise and play, can give you a peace of mind by knowing that you are doing the number one preventative thing to offset these most common basketball injuries. It isn’t always a guarantee because sometimes things just happen, but the facts are that the more flexible you are, the less likely you are to suffer from common basketball injuries. It’s impossible to make a difference on the court if you are always worried about injury or nursing injuries, so the best thing to do is take action to prevent them the best way possible.

Lessen Recovery Time

A strenuous basketball workout or game can really push your physical limits leaving you sore and less mobile for hours and sometimes days after.

The soreness that you feel after a limit pushing game is due to micro tears in the muscles. Once these tiny tears have occurred, the body needs to send more blood to the damaged muscles to help them begin to repair and heal. Stretching helps speed up this process by increasing circulation and blood flow; where blood travels, so do oxygen and nutrients. So, the more time you devote to stretching, the less time it will take your body to recover and be ready for the next workout, practice or game.

Strengthen the Nervous System

Daily stretching is a practice that not only benefits your muscles, but also helps to strengthen your nervous system.

The nervous system is bundled within connective tissues that run along the muscles of the body, meaning the health and function of your muscles and nerves are closely related. Proper stretching incorporates deep breathing techniques which helps balance the mind and body. When you are breathing deeply rather than shallow and rapid, your nervous system is able to relax and reset resulting in an overall strengthened system. A healthy nervous system can enhance your basketball performance by preparing you to handle and withstand stress that happens often in high pressure game situations.

As you’ve now learned, stretching is not something to be taken lightly. It is a key component of fitness that is capable of helping you improve the function of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints and nerves in your body which is sure to enhance your overall basketball performance. Austin basketball trainer Chris Corbett has a couple of students who are also in Austin Gymnastics programs. Their commitment to gymnastics and stretching makes them standout amongst their peers as their balance, flexibility, and core strength keeps them on their feet and flexible.

Aim to spend no less than 15 minutes during both your warm-up and cool-down before workouts, practices and games. Remember, always stretch after a brief cardio warm-up since cold muscles are more inflexible and you won’t get the results you will with already warm muscles. Get to your basketball trainer, discuss basketball stretching and enjoy the great benefits it has to offer your body and game!

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Ask The Basketball Trainer

June 6, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Ask a Basketball Trainer Part 1

We get questions from parents and players all the time regarding player development, so we thought we’d take the time to answer some of these questions publicly. Let’s go to the mailbag.

I’m concerned that my son is not using the tools and skills you are giving him in basketball training during his games. He thinks he is playing well, but from an observer’s perspective he looks no better than he did 6 months ago in games. He is simply not being aggressive enough on offense, and therefore is not making a real imprint on the game. I think you have been awesome, but is there something you can do to help him realize he needs to implement more of his new skills in the games? – Mother of 11 year old shooting guard

I think your son has really developed some good skills over the last 6 months, but of course the key is to use those skills in game action. Let’s try three things. First, I will have him do a self-evaluation survey about his performance in the games. If there is a disconnect between perception and reality, we can address it head on. Sometimes young players can mistakenly find their value in what they are merely able to do, meaning the ability to do ball handling moves, having a good general shooting stroke, etc.

However coaches and observers value players for what they are actually doing in the games. If we find a major disconnect is there, I can talk to him about being the type of player his coach will love and that his team needs. Critical feedback about his game at this age may be uncomfortable for him, but it will help him in the long run. Secondly, I’ll give him a game within the game. Since your son has become a pretty good ball handler and is depended on to make plays for his team, I’ll give him a goal of six red zone touches per game.

We’ll start at six and increase as he consistently hits that number. In this case we’ll refer to the red zone as the area inside the 3 point line. As a shooting guard he needs to utilize his footwork, ball handling ability and explosiveness to beat perimeter defenders in driving towards the basket. Holding him to a certain amount of red zone touches will force him to use what he’s learned in training. And getting inside the three point line with explosive drives is going to translate into positive things for his team, whether it’s him scoring or making a good pass to a teammate on the inside. The third thing we will implement will come from you.

We’ll have you give him an Aggressiveness grade after each game. For his position and role on his team we want him at an 8 on a scale of 1-10. If he’s not performing at an 8 on the Aggressiveness scale, he may not be giving enough value to his team for his position. If he wants to play that shooting guard position, he’s got to realize that it comes with offensive responsibility. I think if we implement these three things immediately – one thing from me, one thing from him, and one from you – we can get him on the right track towards being a more effective basketball player.

Basketball Scholarships – Chasing The Full Ride

June 2, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Scholarships – Chasing The Full Ride

(Part 1 of 7) – 7 part series A Definitive Guide To Your College Basketball Dream

Part 1: The Full Ride Basketball Scholarship

For student-athletes in high school basketball preparing to find a college of their choice the search for the “full-ride” athletic scholarship is a common dream. However, is there such a thing? First of all, there are minimal 1-year and no 4-year full-rides. NCAA D1 men’s basketball has about 4,400 total scholarships, 13 per program. These scholarships are almost always one-year deals and the more money that is given, the more pressure there is for the student-athlete to produce. Full-ride, means full-time job.

A very small percentage of student-athletes earn full-ride athletic scholarships. In fact, according to the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) website, of the seven million high school athletes graduating each year, 1% will receive full rides in ALL sports combined. These full rides are in NCAA D1 in the sports of football, men’s & women’s basketball and women’s volleyball and are labeled “head-count” sports and require coaches to hand out full rides. All other NCAA D1 sponsored sports and all sports in other collegiate athletic affiliations within the US (NCAA II, NAIA, NJCAA, USCAA, NCCAA) that offer some sort of athletic scholarships will see coaches split athletic money to maximize rosters and get the best “bang for their buck.”

In 2013 scholarshipstats.com reported that 5.9% (31,863 out of a possible 535,569) of high school basketball boys and 6.3% (28,002 out of 436,100) of high school girls went on to play varsity college basketball. The average athletic aid among this small percentage of players was $5,266 for males, and $6,382 for females. To put these numbers into perspective one must understand the landscape of college basketball recruiting.

Full Ride Basketball Scholarship Competition

The competition for full rides is intense and virtually all top 100 level recruits entering grades 9-12 now play year round utilizing not only their high school seasons but high exposure ultra-individual player marketing club level leagues such as the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). These club teams are now arguably the best way for players to make a name for themselves and get exposure to division 1 coaches that they simply can’t find with their short, sometimes isolated high school seasons. An average high school season is around 20 games while high level AAU teams are playing 40-50 games per year. Nearly every college recruit is also working diligently on their skills with a qualified basketball trainer. There are more players than division 1 programs and college Coaches will usually recruit at least five players for each full scholarship spot they have available. Recruits not only come from US high schools but also from prep schools world-wide, junior colleges such as the highly competitive National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and overseas organizations of every kind. Division 1 programs will have kids on their radar as early as eighth grade. The process is complex but if players are playing and exposed to recruiters the opportunity is there. A regular practice of College Basketball and College Football programs is to ask for a top level recruit to make a “verbal” commitment to them which is simply a public announcement by the recruit that they are planning to play at a particular school. This agreement is usually made during a recruit’s junior year and is not binding but most often ends with a formal written offer or letter of intent from the school within a year. Once a letter of intent is signed which will occur in the fall or the spring during the two separate signing periods, the deal becomes final for a full year between the recruit and school. A full-year scholarship will be taken off the table for a variety of reasons but most often boils down to either the player feeling they are better than the program and the grass is greener elsewhere or the coach no longer feeling the player is worth the money and somebody out there will be. At this point, a player can get a release from the school but if they are going to another division 1 program, they’ll have to sit a full year. Typically, they will sign with the next school, be under scholarship and play the following season. This only adds to the competition for the available full rides in any given year.

Chase the Dream… But Know the Odds

In summary, the full ride is available each year for a very small percentage of select top level basketball recruits. Serious basketball recruits who want every chance to chase their dream, would be smart to look beyond the full-ride, and see the full picture in the recruiting game. Continue to chase the dream, but understand that there are more than one ways to reach it. Once again, numbers state that kids may not earn a full-ride and in-fact, most scholarships come through academic success as well as federal funding. In addition, the cost of education continues to be substantial. College Board reports that a “moderate” college budget for an in-state public college for the 2013–2014 academic year averaged $22,826. A moderate budget at a private college averaged $44,750.”

Special thanks to the guys at BasketballHQ.com for the great infographic below breaking down the anatomy of a college basketball scholarship.

Part 2; “The Numbers Game,” in this 7 part series, will discuss academic and athletic scholarship options and we will begin to look at the best ways to package yourself as a basketball recruit. Subscribe to our email feed to get the other 7 parts delivered to your email inbox. This series is written primarily by Coach Eric Werntgen of U Maine – Fort Kent. Eric is also a former college basketball player himself . Coach Werntgen is part of the BasketballTrainer.com staff.