Basketball Trainer Interview With Rich Stoner

March 26, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Speed and Agility – 9 Questions For An Expert Trainer

I had a chance to interview Rich Stoner of Elite Basketball Training. Rich is known as one of the best basketball trainers in New Jersey and is highly respected by trainers all over the nation. I personally rely on Rich for solid advice on topics ranging from basketball nutrition to basketball strength training. I most admire his expertise on basketball speed and agility issues.

BasketballTrainer.com (BT): How exactly did you craft your expertise on the topic of basketball speed and agility?

Rich Stoner (RS):I have always been highly involved in creating the sports performance programs for any basketball team that I have coached both as an assistant or as a head coach. This prompted me to get my USAW Sports Performance Coach certification early on in my career. From there on I have consistently analyzed the game of basketball watching how players move on the basketball court in order to come up with the best ways to improve those movements along with their skills. Speed and agility rank near the top in terms of the factors that lead to an athlete’s success on the court and therefore have become a focal point of our training at Elite Basketball Training.

BT: It seems like football dominates the speed and agility scene and basketball is an afterthought. What are the differences and why is it important to stay basketball focused?

RS: Regarding speed and agility, basketball differs from football and is unique in the sense that there are more constant changes of direction and changes of movement. Basketball also requires players to make changes of speed and direction while dribbling a basketball and this is something that is foreign to football. Basketball is a stop and go kind of game and it is far from linear. Whether on defense or offense, with or without the basketball the game requires players to cut off angles or take advantage of angles. To do so effectively requires a player to be not only quick but also agile (change directions effectively) and to possess the basketball skills and footwork to operate in this manner efficiently.

BT: What is the number 1 reason people don’t start a speed and agility program?

RS: It is an afterthought, not a priority. Players seem to focus more on game play first, then skill development, and then if they have some time, they will incorporate sports performance training, which includes speed and agility work. This is a terrible way to look and the basketball training spectrum. Basketball training should include predominantly, skill development and sports performance training and lastly game play. To improve your ability on the court, you need a ton of repetitions and these are repetitions that you just cannot get when playing games.

BT: Having run plyometric programs before myself, it seems like kids need a small group to perform best. Do you see similar issues in speed and agility work, and if so, why do you think this is the case?

RS: Smaller group training is definitely the best case scenario. It allows a coach to really break down the movements for each individual and explain how that particular player can be better. However, over time, once players have learned these movement patterns and the correct way to execute them, a large group with an extra trainer or two would work just fine.

BT: What are the biggest obstacles to achieving success in a basketball speed and agility program?

RS: Misinformation and time. Players and parents are being inundated nowadays with information that pushes them in the direction of playing more basketball games. So they end up signing up to play for two or more teams. This severely limits their time to train and develop their skills and athleticism. I cannot count the number of times that parents have told me that, “They don’t have the time for sports performance training.” Yet, these will be the same parents that come back to me after a long AAU season of doing nothing but play games and tell me that their son or daughter has not improved at all and, in fact, has gotten worse. Basketball skill development and performance training should make up the bulk of your basketball training regimen, and that requires cutting back on the number of teams you play for in order to open up more time to train for things like speed and agility.

BT: What age should players begin this type of training?

RS: I’ve worked with players as young as seven. As long as the program is well designed which includes it begin physically appropriate for the age and ability of each player they will most certainly see the benefits.

BT: How does rest factor into the training schedule with this focus?

RS: Rest is an interesting component to speed and agility training. There is a lot of this type of training that requires max effort so optimal rest between sets is ideal. However, the game of basketball is not played that way and your rest time can and usually is limited by the clock and the whistle. With this in mind, it is best to train some drills for max effort in order to develop components like starting speed but it is a must that you train other drills with limited rest time in order to better simulate actual gameplay.

BT: What questions should I be asking you that I have not?

RS: What role does strength training play in the development of speed and agility?
Our strength programs are designed to develop, among other things, strength and power. Increased strength and power with allow the athlete to exert more force on to the ground and explode off of it. Simply stated, the more force an athlete can apply on the ground, the quicker they will be. Furthermore, the extensive core work that we do in our training will ensure that our players bodies have the ability to work from the core to the extremities. This will help them remain stable and balanced when changing directions and changing movements on the court.

BT: What can people expect to get from your program you devised?

RS: They can expect a more efficient way of looking at training speed and agility for basketball. As I mentioned earlier, time is one of the deciding factors in a player not committing to a speed and agility program. My program not only shows players the drills to use to develop their speed, agility, and quickness but also incorporates skill development into these same drills. You will be killing two birds with one stone. Not having time can no longer be an excuse. My program will save time and allow you to improve your speed and agility with and without the basketball.

BT: Rich- thanks for making the time to answer some of our questions, we hope to have you back soon. I am going to share your course and also some of your contact info in this space.

Click On Below Image To View Rich Stoner’s Basketball Speed And Agility Course

We love interviewing passionate and expert basketball trainers here at BasketballTrainer.com. Rich Stoner is a client of BuzzworthyBasketballMarketing.com. If you have interest in being interviewed here shoot us an email or give us a call.

Mark Adams – Basketball Trainer Interview

March 1, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Who Is Mark Adams?

If you have not already heard…Mark Adams is an Elite Basketball Trainer who helps several NBA clients, college teams and the training and camp community. His portfolio of experience allows him to share a very unique perspective. He has served as a collegiate assistant at Syracuse, a highly successful high school coach, and was a 1000 point scorer as a player in high school and college. We were introduced to Mark by BasketballHQ.com partner and South Alabama Basketball Assistant Coach Russ Willemsen who spoke very highly of him. Mark is committed and passionate about player development and has the growth mindset that the BasketballTrainer.com team looks up to.

BasketballTrainer.com (BT): What is the biggest problem in basketball training today?

Mark Adams (MA): The disconnect between the basketball trainer and the player’s coach. Ideally the basketball trainer should communicate with the players coach and build a relationship. Together they can devise a plan for purposeful training so that the player can maximize time and energy. The basketball trainer should get as much input and data from the coach as possible and use it to devise specific workouts.

BT: What is your training approach with a younger player?

MA: My approach with younger players is simple… I focus on the fundamentals. When working with young players more teaching and explaining often takes place. Make sure that all the skills and drill work translates to actual game like situations. Young players should learn the importance of competition, but most importantly have fun training.

BT: Why do you still make time for youth basketball?

MA: I love the game and I enjoy working with young players. It’s the truest form of teaching that exists. You can have a huge impact on kids and help them get better.

BT: If you could go back in time as a young player, what would you tell yourself?

MA: I would work on all skills and total development of my game. I made the mistake of focusing too much on my position (shooting guard) and didn’t develop other skills such as ball handling, passing, etc. Today’s players need to be more versatile and multi-skilled.

BT: Who were your key influences?

MA: I have been very fortunate to have some of the best in the game as mentors and friends. – My first job was working for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse University. – Coach K – have been fortunate to have him for advice and counseling over the years.

– Alan Stein and Dee Brown were extremely influential in my decision to become a player development coach full-time.

– Currently, NBA Skills trainer Aubrey McCreary, is my main mentor and like a big brother to me.

BT: Mark, you have a reputation of being one of America’s best camp demonstrators and teachers. What can campers expect across the nation?

MA: To learn the fundamentals, to be taught and develop skills that translate. Train extremely hard. They can expect energy, enthusiasm and passion I want all of my players to

1) Get Better

2) Have Fun

3) Develop Meaningful Relationships

BT: Where can they find out more information about you and your programs?

MA:

– www.markadamsbasketball.com

– twitter – @MarkAdamsBball

– facebook – facebook.com/MarkAdamsBasketball

– email – [email protected]

BT: Finally Mark can you share the qualities you most admire in two NBA Players you have worked with and what younger players could learn from them?

MA: Ryan Kelly – Los Angeles Lakers – Resilient — Despite numerous injuries, Ryan keeps a positive attitude and continues to work on his game.

– Paul Millsap – Atlanta Hawks – Work Ethic — Paul is a true professional. He has a willingness to go outside his comfort zone to expand his game. Tremendous off season commitment and takes care of his body.

BT: Mark – thanks so much for joining us here, you are welcome back anytime and we look forward to catching up on your visit to Austin this summer!! Also, congratulations on making the list of best basketball websites!

Basketball Energy: 5 Superfoods & Herbs For A Boost

February 2, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Looking For A Basketball Energy Boost?

Basketball is certainly not a game for the faint of heart and players often seek a basketball energy boost to increase performance. Requiring speed, agility, and most importantly endurance, the physical toll it takes on a player’s body can be exhausting no matter what level of shape they are in.

A little pick-me-up can be just what’s needed during those long stretches of intense game play during the season or even for those tough pre-season workouts when players are pushed to the max physically and mentally to learn new plays, positions and fine tune their skills.

While the obvious healthy diet and lifestyle are first on the to-do list for all basketball players, recruiting an array of adaptogenic herbs and nutrient packed superfoods to promote energy, endurance and recovery may be able to give the competitive edge needed to pull through those physically taxing and mentally stressful points during the basketball season.

Superfoods are simply foods that are known for containing above average nutrition content that provide the body with a powerful concentration of health benefits.

Adaptogenic herbs, also known as endurance herbs, are plants that have been shown to help the body adapt to physical, mental and emotional stress. Exercise and competition in general are stressors to the human body and there are several unique herbs from around the world that can provide the body with special active compounds to withstand even the most intense basketball workouts, practices and games.

The following adaptogenic herbs and superfoods have been highly touted for their ability to provide the body with energy, stamina, endurance and contribute to overall recovery.

My top five superfood and herb picks for basketball players include:

Chia Seeds For Basketball Energy and Endurance

The tiny, yet mighty chia seed originates from the desert plant salvia hispanica and packs an incredibly nutritious punch. It was first discovered between 1500 and 900 BC in Mexico and South America and was one of the ancient Aztec and Mayans most prized foods for its ability to provide energy and endurance as well as anti-inflammatory benefits. Considering their light, easy to carry nature – Aztec warriors depended on the chia seeds for survival as they were quick energy, loaded with endurance giving nutrition and easy to chew on-the-go while they marched. The power of the nutritious chia seed is still widely popular today and is most often used in smoothies, salads, baking, oatmeal, cereals, yogurt, puddings and more! There truly is no limit to what you can do with this tiny, mildly nutty flavored seed that has earned the term ‘superfood’ because of it being a complete food that contains protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and fiber. In fact, 2 Tablespoons of chia seed contains only 138 calories, 9 grams of fat, 10 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and 18% daily value of calcium – simply incredible! Basketball players can greatly benefit by adding a few tablespoons of chia seeds into their daily nutrition plan. Not only are chia seeds capable of increasing energy and endurance levels in athletes, but it also provides 1/3 of the daily recommended amount of fiber to help maintain healthy digestion as well, which we all know is incredibly important for overall health and well-being.

Moomiyo (Shilajit) For Basketball Energy and Performance

Moomiyo is a very unique and rare herb originating from the mountainous regions of Central Asia where it is harvested twice each year by only those willing to climb the mountains in order to collect this powerful adaptogenic herb. First identified by ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle for its powerful rejuvenating effects on the human body, Moomiyo has since been adorned by not only emperors and royalty of ancient cultures but by Olympic athletes and non-athletes today alike for its ability to boost the immune system, protect the body against stress and anxiety, reduce inflammation, promote longevity, balance hormones, raise vitality, increase muscle strength and mass as well as improve recovery time after physical exertion.

Moomiyo can prove very effective for basketball players for all of the above listed reasons and I highly recommend giving it a shot to increase the body’s ability to withstand the general ‘wear and tear’ of playing basketball.

You can find Moomiyo extract at most local supplement stores, however considering that this herb is so rare and there are many products out there that would not be considered high quality, it’s best to recruit your online sources for picking a Moomiyo supplement that’s right for you. Moomiyo is most effective for basketball players if taken about 15 minutes before playing with a glass of water.

Avocados – A Basketball Training Table Staple

Avocados are certainly no secret to the modern world, with guacamole being one of the most favorite traditional Mexican appetizers, it’s safe to assume that most people have had a taste of this creamy and nutrient powerhouse of a superfood.

Originating in Mexico and Central America, avocados provide a rich history for that area dating back more than 10,000 years. Traditionally used as butter, avocados are today often used in guacamole, omelets, sandwiches and to replace meats for many vegetarian diets considering their high healthy fat content.

Avocados provide a very impressive nutrition profile with the most notable being their high levels of monounsaturated (healthy) fats that can be a quick source of energy for basketball players. This healthy fat promotes a healthy heart by shifting cholesterol levels for the better when eaten often. Aside from the fat content, avocados also give the body much needed calcium, potassium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, fiber, magnesium, B-Vitamins and the powerful antioxidant glutathione. Avocados are the richest fruit source of glutathione which is an important antioxidant that aides the body in cellular regeneration – another great reason to add this delicious fruit to your basketball nutrition plan!

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea, also known as “Golden Arctic Root”, is indigenous to colder regions of the world including the Rocky Mountains, Eastern Siberia and the mountains of Central Asia. A bright yellow and red flowering plant that can be seen from a long distance away, this potent adaptogenic (root) has been known to provide many health benefits for the human body including increased resistance to stress, promotion of longevity, enhanced fertility, promotion of neurotransmitter levels in the body including serotonin and dopamine for improved moods and sleep patterns.

Rosavins and rosins are the active compounds that give the Arctic Root its unique health benefits, and for basketball players this means increased oxygenation to the brain and muscles providing a profound energy boost. It’s been found that where more oxygen travels, so do nutrients and blood, meaning an improved uptake of vitamins and minerals from healthy foods and other nutritional supplements as well.

Rhodiola Rosea is easily found at local health foods and supplements stores and can be taken as a capsule or liquid tincture. Capsules are typically easier to administer and for basketball players it’s best to take Rhodiola each day with breakfast and lunch.

Coconut For A Basketball Boost

Coconuts are a globally popular exotic fruit that have been found in tropical areas all over the world. It has earned the nicknamed “tree of life” because the entire tree can be harvested and used to make food as well as other non-edible goods. The actual coconut fruit itself has several different parts that are used to make naturally nutritious goods including water, milk and oil.

Coconut water is extracted from the interior cavity of the coconut and is fat-free, low in natural sugar and sodium and high in antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It is a naturally high source of potassium making it an ideal choice to hydrate with during a basketball practice, workout or game. It’s so much more effective at boosting the body’s hydration levels that any good nutritionist will recommend drinking coconut water over conventional electrolyte drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. Coconut water is also a great source of energy and metabolism boosting B-complex vitamins which is another reason why basketball players ought to not overlook this tropical treasure when feeling a bit tired. You can reap the benefits of coconut water by drinking it straight or making it the base of your most favorite smoothie or fresh fruit and veggie drink.

Coconut milk is another great way to add this versatile superfood into your daily basketball nutrition. Coconut milk is made using meat or flesh of the coconut and is much higher in healthy fat than coconut water. You can buy unsweetened coconut milk at your local grocery store to use in cereals, oatmeal, smoothies and baking – it is a much healthier alternative to artificial hormone-laden dairy and is also a great source of calcium and magnesium as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Coconut oil is a derivative of coconut milk and is the perfect healthy fat addition to add to your basketball diet because of its short and medium chain fatty acid content. These fatty acids are much shorter than other fats making them easier to digest and assimilate in the body by the liver. By adding a few tablespoons daily into your smoothies, oatmeal or baking you are providing your body with instant energy that can also help with metabolic and muscular endurance. The lauric acid present in coconut oil has been known to promote a strong immune system as well as helping to keep the heart healthy.

Key Basketball Energy Takeaways

Superfoods and herbs are a great way to boost your natural energy and endurance levels as a basketball player. They are easy to attain and add into your daily regimen and will greatly benefit your overall health and stamina as you go through this upcoming basketball season. We all need an extra boost from time to time, and hard-working basketball players tend to need it most during those long stretches of intense conference games, after late nights studying and to help you make gains in the weight room. By adding these 5 foods to your nutritional tool belt, you’ll be able to go faster and for a longer period of time thanks to all the added nutrients, vitamins and minerals your athletic body craves! Consult your doctor today to find out how you can safely boost your basketball energy with some of these superfoods and herbs.

College Basketball – 3000 Miles From Home

January 26, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Considering College Basketball Away From Home?

I’m from San Francisco, California. I grew up playing ball on the playgrounds. Then in high school (Balboa High School) and junior college (Contra Costa College) I graduated to playing playground basketball with referees. The city game is fast paced, lots of in your face defense in crowded tiny gyms where the wall is the out of bounds line. Lots of razzle dazzle and competing against cross town schools with guys who you just played against at the park last Saturday afternoon. Picture the movie “Hoop Dreams”. When I was offered the opportunity to play college ball in rural Northern Maine at the University of Maine at Fort Kent I jumped at the chance, as weird as that might sound.

Basketball Adventure – Taking The Show On the Road

Playing far from home was exciting to me. I was ready to leave home. I had spent way too long in San Francisco. Of course I would miss my family and friends back home but I knew that I was here for a reason: to finish my bachelors degree, and play ball. Northern Maine is pretty much as far as you can get from San Francisco while still being in the United States. If you look on a map my home is at the most far left of the country and Maine is in that top right corner. I barely remembered that Maine was a state when I first learned of this opportunity. The one thing that I did know about Maine was that it gets cold in the Winter, extremely cold. Brutally cold. San Francisco due to it being a peninsula in between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay experiences mild temperatures year round, it’s only an hour drive at most to some sunny beaches and surfing in the beautiful Golden State. I knew coming in that Maine was going to be vastly different in that regard.

As you can see from the UMFK campus picture above, I was right. Aside from the weather, Northern Maine is a lot slower than the big city. I think there’s only a handful of stop lights in the entire town of Fort Kent. In San Francisco, there is always something to do. We have a plethora of museums, clubs, restaurants, and all sorts of attractions. In Fort Kent, your social gathering options are pretty limited outside of hanging with your buddies in the dorms. That’s why I spend most of my spare time in the gym.

Leaving The City Game Behind

The city game and the Maine game as I call it have their differences too. The game up in Maine is slower, not a lot of superb athletes. The city game can turn into a track meet quick. In Maine, lots of teams like to slow it down and execute in the half court. But the biggest difference I’ve noticed is the athletes, which makes sense. Any guy with a little bit of bounce who can run and jump is not going to end up playing in the USCAA in the cold of the North East. I haven’t seen an alley-oop play drawn up all season. Most of the players here in Maine are short, you see a lot of guys around six feet tall playing the 3 spot. Most of these guys handle the ball well, but nothing too fancy. They can all shoot the three and always make their free throws. Very fundamentally sound. Back home, a guy would rather miss a dunk in traffic and excite the crowd as supposed to trying and finishing the lay up with contact.

Another cool thing for me is the road trips. I’m getting to see a lot of the East Coast. I’m getting to see Maine, Vermont, Boston, New York, and Pennsylvania among other places. The road trips can be as long as 16 hour bus rides. When I was in High School, we took the city public bus 20 minutes across town to play games. Also, this being my first season in Maine, I don’t know any of the guys I’m playing against. Which is nice for me having grown up playing against the same guys from the area since I was in the 8th grade.

The Advantage Of Small College Basketball

However, the biggest change is that since San Francisco has so much to offer, there is no type of community feel around a team. Here in picturesque Fort Kent, the community really rallies around the sports teams at the university and they support them heavily. If I walk through town, people know that I play basketball for the local college and I take pride in representing not only the school but the entire Fort Kent community when I play. Back in High School in a big city with six major professional teams and another handful of NCAA schools in the area I could be one of the best prep players in the city but only a sliver of the population would know my name or know who I was. When we played our rival, University of Maine at Presque Isle, which is only an hour away, faculty members and staff on campus were coming up to me telling me that it didn’t matter if we lost every game this season as long as we won this one. The community here takes their sports very seriously and they are invested in the well being of their local team.

All in all, being away from home can bring you down sometimes, not having the support of your friends and family at the games; but those feelings are made up for quickly with such a warm communal feeling around the area. Also, Maine and Northern Maine specifically is rich in basketball tradition. People in the area tend to stay here and raise their families here and they create legacies and generations of basketball players in each small town throughout Maine. I didn’t know it but Mainers really care about hoops and they are so willing to embrace someone who is representing their community on the court.

Although it may be by default since life is slower up here and there aren’t as many distractions, it doesn’t matter to me because for the first time in my life I have the backing of a ton of people and I feel I am playing for something other than myself. I am glad I had a sense of adventure and have been able to play small college basketball 3000 miles away from home.

Fletcher Brown was kind enough to share his basketball journey with us… a journey spanning the borders of the USA. Our hope in sharing this story is that it will encourage other basketball players to look beyond the confines of their local area when pursuing the dream of college basketball. Great universities and colleges like the University of Maine at Fort Kent want to hear from talented young basketball players. Embrace a growth mindset and learn to keep your basketball dream alive by expanding your vision of possibilities.

Basketball Academics – 5 Keys To Overcoming Academic Failure

January 20, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Getting knocked down by avoidable events and poor choices stink, but are an inevitable issue in everyone’s life. We are human, we make mistakes, but life is about perseverance, we have to be able to get up after life knocks us down and don’t give up on our dreams of becoming (in this case) an excellent student athlete and here are some tips to make this process easier.

1. HAVE AN ACADEMIC AND LIFE PLAN

The first step and arguably the most important is having a plan. In order to strive for success you must first have an idea what the end result will be. Know why you are there other than to be a basketball player. Make sure you understand which classes you plan on taking each semester, a degree plan is highly recommended. Take the time to understand why you are in college, why you are taking a course and why you need to stay disciplined. Without a goal in mind it makes it easy to think the journey is pointless.

2. RESISTING TEMPTATION

I personally struggled with my grades as an 18 year old freshman in college. The main issue I seemed to be faced with was temptation to live the “star life” but ignore the academic side of being a college student. The answer is so obvious yet is easily ignored. Resisting temptation is the key! Its understandable that you’re young and meeting new people and want to broaden your horizons socially, but you must realize you’re not there to socialize. Most of us in this situation have basketball as a priority and its probably the only reason we are at this school in the first place, but basketball cannot exist without good grades and motivation in the classroom and if basketball truly means that much to you, you will do anything to keep it in your life.

3. LIVING AN ORGANIZED LIFE OFF THE COURT

When you enter college it is your leap of faith out of your parents nest. You might be used to having your parents take care of your needs or your teachers in high school making exceptions for why your big assignment isn’t done, this is the real world, it doesn’t work like that anymore and its time to grow up! The key to staying on top of your assignments is organization, an academic planner became my best friend in college and it should be yours too, its about understanding when each assignment is due and the feeling of self-satisfaction you get when you cross it off in your planner. Another extremely important piece to being organized is keeping your living area clean. When your dorm is cluttered and messy it becomes easy to lose track of important items that are imperative to your success.

4. STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEMS

We all feel at times we are in over our head, but this shouldn’t worry you. Fortunately, in college we establish strong bonds with people who are willing to do anything they can to make sure you find success along your college venture. We all run into issues we cannot tackle alone, but instead of hiding from these problems, attack them head on, proactively seek your issues and then go to that person that is willing to help and let them guide you through it. Mentors love to help people who want to help themselves, if you truly want to succeed academically, college will provide you the tools to make this dream a reality. Please do not be afraid or ashamed to ask for help when you need it.

5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ACADEMICALLY

The last bit of advice I will give is to believe in yourself. Confidence is key! In basketball we fear nobody we envision ourselves out on the court doing nothing but the right things. Why shouldn’t it translate over to the academic side of being a student athlete? The answer is it should! Don’t expect to fail because if you do, more often than not you will! Be confident, be ready for anything your professors throw at you, and most importantly have passion for success.

Joe McCloskey is a basketball player at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. We asked him to share his story with us after learning of his dramatic academic turnaround. Joe is currently averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He is most proud of his journey to improve his academic focus and looks forward to building on his success. Joe was reluctant to share his name and transcript here, but when learning of how it could positively impact other young student athletes he did not hesitate to tell his story.

Basketball Grandparent On Prediction, Patience & Perspective

January 5, 2015 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Grandparent on Prediction, Patience and Perspective

As a senior in high school I wrote a short auto-biography entitled “Basketball is My Life”. Little did I know what a prediction it was to become. As a young dad my son, Fred, could not wait to play competitive sports. I think the first word he learned as a child was “ball”. But his first opportunity really came in wrestling as a 3^rd grader. He was tall and gangly for his age with little moxie for the sport. He could, however, spread out on the mat and no one could “pin” him. This strategy enabled him to have some success…he quickly experienced the emotion of winning and losing.

Fred’s real sport was basketball; he had watched Dad play in the YMCA leagues since he was a toddler. He ran the scoreboard with his sister when he was 5 years old. Fred would get his first chance to play organized basketball in 4^th grade in the local community sports program. Three weeks before the season started, Fred cracked his collarbone skating on a hockey rink…not an auspicious start to the basketball season. As Fred’s dad, I was perplexed as to how soon Fred could start basketball practice. Fred and my patience were to be tested even before his first season started.

I had played Basketball in high school with some small town success. I was a triple jumper in college and grew up as an avid New York Yankee fan. I thought these would be valuable credentials to being a fantastic youth basketball coach. Fred had natural athletic ability and had height on his side. Winning in 4^th and 5^th grade came rather easy and there was not much pressure. Fred and Dad thought they were well on their way to winning basketball. They looked forward to 6th Grade “traveling basketball” where there were “tryouts” and better competition. A rude awakening lay around the corner.

The first few 6^th grade games were quite a challenge. Our team was not very “deep”, and all the kids and their parents expected to win and have their share of playing time. My desire to WIN did not necessarily fit with playing the kids equally most of the time. Players with limited ability grew frustrated with lack of playing time. Their parents became restless with Dad’s coaching style and “wins” were few and far between. My demeanor on the sidelines left much to be desired. I yelled at the kids instead of encouraging them. I lacked patience and exhibited noticeable frustration. It rubbed off on the kids and the parents. The fun of the game was eluding everyone…not good. A 10 – 20 win/loss season was not an expected result. Seventh grade traveling basketball was, unfortunately, a rerun. Eighth grade brought a 50/50 winning percentage. Fred and Dad were due for a change.

Ninth grade basketball brought a new traveling coach with valuable experience and some solid coaching in school. The boys appreciated less pressure and a more level-headed, supportive coaching style. Patience and encouragement brought a winning season and brought fun back into the game. I was embarrassed at the way I had spent 5 years coaching Fred and his buddies in a negative atmosphere.

Fred went on to play in the State Basketball Tourney as a senior and was named Player of the Year in the Metro area. I felt better about the groundwork I helped lay in basketball fundamentals in the early years. Fred had a successful college basketball career and went on to play overseas.

I have had the joy of watching both Fred and my son-in-law coach my grandchildren with class, enthusiasm and encouragement, including success. They find ways to play kids equal time and develop wonderful relationships with the parents. They encourage the kids and do not get upset when a loss comes their way. I have gained a perspective that enables me to feel better about my contribution to youth sports and appreciate how well others are able to do a far better job. My early prognostication was right on, but not as rosy as I envisioned. Now at the age of 70 I truly appreciate the willingness of parents and coaches to work with the kids, encouraging them and mentoring them…and setting an example that all participants can be proud to exhibit.

Gerry Vandegarde is an accomplished athlete in his own right and still plays competitively on the over 70 volleyball circuit. most recently chasing an elusive national championship. Before retirement, Gerry was a Senior Systems Analyst for Wells Fargo and is still a dedicated fan of youth sports… particularly those events involving his grandkids.

Basketball Leadership Training – On and Off The Court

November 9, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Become An Effective Leader on and off the Basketball Court

Many coaches and players analyze the art of basketball leadership training. Some people believe that leaders are born naturally, already possessing the qualities needed to motivate and inspire others. However, it takes mindfulness and diligence to become an effective leader and regardless of whether you feel like you were born with the pre-disposition to lead – you certainly have what it takes to become one!

By beginning to focus and work on the following 5 traits of a great leader, you can begin to mold yourself into the type of player that people want to have as a motivating force on and off the basketball court.

1. Lead by example

Leading by example is the foremost thing that you must remember as you are working to build up your reputation as a leader on and off the basketball court. You have to continually be thinking of how your coaches, teachers, classmates and teammates see you and whether your actions line up directly with your words. This is not to be confused with caring too much what other people think, however it is important that you are mindful and you do care about your reputation. Think about the people that you look up to and consider what you expect from them in regards to their consistent actions, words and behaviors – it’s safe to assume that someone that leads by example is going to be well-liked, trusted and respected by their superiors and peers.

A good example of this would be to arrive early to practice and stay late – the more you focus on leading by example the more your teammates will follow in your footsteps and next thing you know, you might have three or four after practice shooting buddies. Everyone is always looking for someone to emulate and follow – why not you?

2. Nurture your relationships

Relationships with people are at the top of the list for leaders, because without others who is there to lead? Whether it is with authority figures like your basketball coaches and teachers or your fellow teammates and classmates, it’s important that you strive to have a positive relationship with every single person that you interact with on a daily basis.

There will always be people that you tend to “click” with better and they will be your close companions, but being a leader requires that you prove your ability to be adaptable to different personalities and with people who have different viewpoints in life as well. Regardless of whether you are interacting with someone you get along with well or someone that you simply tolerate, as a leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are doing everything in your personal power to make everyone feel part of the team. Taking a few minutes after practice to sit down and get to know a teammate more personally or simply to encourage them more often is a great way to nurture your relationships. The same goes for people outside of your team as well – who can you think of that you could invest a few extra moments of quality time into encouraging and building up today?

3. Volunteer your time

Time is the most valuable thing than anyone can give to another person or cause. It’s easy to get caught up in our own little worlds and focus all of our time and energy on what we need to get done in order to accomplish our personal goals. However, caring leaders put it in their schedules to take valuable personal time to help with causes that may not directly benefit them in the long run. This attribute of a leader can be used in many ways on and off the basketball court and will certainly speak volume to your character.

There are always opportunities in your community to give of yourself and time to help those in need – whether it’s through your local church and school, or whether it’s something that you simply saw that needed to be done for your neighbor – volunteering is something that not many people are willing to do on a consistent basis.

Take a few moments to check in with your coach to see how you can help him with any extra tasks in the locker room or out on the floor for cleanup after practice. It doesn’t matter if you’re the leading scorer on the team or not, if you want to become a leader, you have to be willing to serve others first!

Another great idea for volunteering for your basketball team would be to hang around before or after practice to rebound the ball for a teammate that you know has been working to improve their form and increase their shooting percentage. The only element missing may just be extra support and encouragement from a leader to gain the confidence they need to excel – you really never know what great things can come from small, random acts of kindness!

4. Convert your leadership failures and weaknesses into strengths

The greatest leaders are very aware of what their weaknesses are. Rather than focusing on those weaknesses to the point of self-defeat, a great leader will turn that weakness around and use it as strength – it’s all about your mindset!

An effective leader is also not afraid of failing from time to time. If Michael Jordan sat down after missing a potential game winning shot and threw his hands up in the air with self- doubt and defeat, he’d never have become the basketball great that he is adorned for being today.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan

As you can see, Michael Jordan always focused his personal attention to making his weaknesses his strengths and you have to do the same if you are going to reach your leadership potential. Whether you need to spend more time working on your defensive game or you need to cut back the social time to put in those few extra hours of studying a school subject to help you increase your grade point average, you must take your weaknesses into account and work at them harder than anything else. Eventually, they won’t be your weaknesses anymore and you can switch your focus onto something new – that’s the beauty in it!

5. Become highly coachable – leaders should know how to follow!

Coachable basketball players are always the most successful. It’s easy to step out onto the court as a talented player and “do your thing” so to speak. However, when striving to become the best leader possible, you have to be willing to admit when you’re wrong and need guidance.

Being coachable means that you are teachable, and this certainly applies to every aspect in life. The best people to learn from in life are those with experience and wisdom – your elders and authority figures. To be a coachable person, you have to be willing to listen first and speak less. You also have to be accepting of and open to constructive criticism; you may not always like what your coaches, teachers and parents have to say, but if you focus on grasping their overall point within their message you will gain their respect and you will benefit most.

Your teammates and peers are always watching, and if you roll your eyes and throw your head back when your coach reminds you for the fifth time in one practice to set a screen within a play your team is learning, your teammates might just do the same or form a negative opinion of you. It’s best to accept that you are struggling and focus more on getting it right. If by the end of practice you still don’t feel confident in what you are doing, take a few extra moments to grab your coach and have him break it down for you until you feel confident. Your coach will appreciate your openness and will enjoy helping you as you are willing to be coachable!

6. Work harder than anyone else

Great leaders may not always be the best players on the team or the smartest students in class, but they do outwork other people to the point of it being noticeable by those around them. It takes a lot of effort to earn leadership status on a basketball team, and the best leaders out there didn’t have it handed to them. Not only do you need to concentrate on your character development, but you also have to be willing to get to work!

Leading by example is one thing, but by striving to be the best every workout, practice or game through your work ethic is another. You may not be that player or student that everything just seems to come easy for and that’s fine – that just means when you do reach your goals and you do outcompete your teammates and peers you can be confident in knowing that you genuinely worked for it.

Your work ethic should be filled with so much fire and passion, that you motivate those around to take their intensity up a level when you are around – the inspiring quality of a true leader!

Leaders are not always naturally born and they certainly don’t become effective role models by not working at it. Whether you feel like you have what it takes already or simply want to focus on developing the characteristics required for leading others, this list is a great place to start because you do have what it takes to motivate, inspire and encourage – all within you!

Basketball Food Journal – Keep One & Get Ahead In The Game!

October 20, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Basketball Food Journal – What is That?

A basketball food journal, also known as a food log or food diary, is a daily form that serious players in basketball training use to track your nutrition intake over a set period of time.

I believe that all basketball players should keep a daily food journal for at least 2 weeks out of every month, if not just making it an ongoing part of their basketball nutrition strategy.

Keeping a food journal is fairly simple, yet does require an increased commitment to logging everything that you eat and drink for a set period of time. You can choose to either create your own personal food journal, buy or find a pre-made one online or even use a phone app such as My Fitness Pal. Whichever way you decide to go with logging your daily nutritional intake, be sure that it makes the most sense for your lifestyle and personality so that you will stick with it in the long run. We also recommend periodically sharing your food journal in your discussions with your basketball trainer so they can help you pinpoint between your peaks and valleys in performance.

A basic food journal for basketball players should at the very least include: what you are eating (try to be as specific as possible), what time you ate each meal/snack, a way to track your water intake, how much time has passed between each meal/snack, how you felt before and after you ate. More detailed journals centered on meeting specific goals like increasing muscle mass or reducing body fat percentage should include things like total calories along with fat, protein and carbohydrate content of each meal.

The most convenient time to log your food and fluid intake will be different for everyone. Some players may find it easier to jot things down after each meal and snack as they go along in their days, while others may have more success doing it all at the very end of their day. The only potential problem to waiting until the end of the day is the chance that you might forget to include something.

Making the decision to commit to tracking your nutritional intake as a basketball player can have a very positive impact on your overall health which will translate into your performance on the court. How can you know whether or not you are consistently fueling your body with the right types and amounts of foods if you don’t take the time to review your days and weeks? The bottom line is that you can’t, while it is effective to always choose as healthy foods as possible, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the fine details of your diet that could be causing you to perform at less than your best.

I’d like to share with you my top 4 reasons why every basketball player should keep a food journal at least from time to time.

Recognize patterns in your daily eating habits and basketball performance
– unless it’s written down, often it’s easy to overlook small details in your eating habits. Keeping a food journal will help you distinguish between what you think you may or may not be doing on a regular basis in your diet in comparison to what you actually are. For example, having everything written out will help you to pinpoint patterns like what kinds of food you tend to eat at certain points in the day, times that you may be waiting too long to eat your next meal or snack and you might even be surprised at your actual water intake.
Achieve specific basketball nutritional goals
– it’s difficult to achieve any goal without being able to measure success. A daily basketball food journal is a strategic and wise way to set yourself up to create the daily nutrition to meet your goals. Whether you are wanting to increase your muscle mass or even reduce some unwanted body fat, it’s important to know what and how much you are eating each day. Specific goals require specific action and a food journal is the easiest, most effective way to face the reality of what you are or aren’t putting into your body to get you to where you want to be physically to support your basketball performance in the least amount of time.
Plan your pre- and –post basketball workout meals
– on the days that you are busy, it can be easy to overlook the importance in fueling your body properly before and after a basketball practice, workout or game. Keeping a daily food journal can be especially helpful with you being able to choose the best foods and supplements to fuel your body with. Logging what you are eating before you play will allow you to see which foods give you more energy and which foods seem to slow you down out on the court. Also, it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable for getting in the best post workout nutrition possible after exerting yourself physically for hours. These two meals are the most important meals that a basketball player will eat aside from breakfast, so it’s important to recognize what you are fueling your body with consistently.
Keep up with your daily supplementation
– aside from food, including regular nutritional supplementation in your basketball game plan like taking a daily multi-vitamin can be incredibly beneficial. With so many things to remember in regards to healthy eating, sometimes remembering to take your supplements can slide under the radar. Including these in your daily food journaling efforts can help you keep up with what and when you need to take your nutritional support products each day.

As you’ve now learned, sometimes getting a little more pro-active with your basketball nutrition goals by keeping a periodic food journal can really elevate you and give you a strategic advantage to success. It’s always easier to make changes when you know exactly what areas you need to work on, rather than feeling like you’re drowning in changes that need to be made without any real idea of where to start.

Get ahead of the game and grab your pen and basketball food journal for healthier and more effective basketball nutrition!

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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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.

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.

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.

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 Psychology Cheat Sheet

May 25, 2014 By basketballtrainer

Tips for Psychological Growth

Basketball training works. When you’re dealing with a quality professional basketball trainer, you’re not dealing with someone who is just going to take your money because he has a decent playing or coaching resume. We can tell you stories for days of the players we’ve worked with and how they’ve achieved increased success back with their school or club teams. When we work with a player, we truly help them develop. But part of that development is, and must be, psychological. That means taking those new skills and concepts you’ve learned in training and implementing them back in your home basketball environment, where your reputation may be that of a lesser player. Players who improve must break through the mental hurdles of how they perceive themselves, and how others perceive them, to truly function as the players they’ve developed into via training. That being the case, here are some tips for psychological growth.

Personal Perception Tips

Get It In Writing. Your basketball trainer is probably already vocally recognizing and affirming your basketball development, but ask him to put it in writing. Ask your trainer to rate you on a scale in various areas and to give you a general scouting report. Seeing positive things about you written down can do wonders for the psyche, and it is something you can revisit often to give yourself a boost.

Challenge Players in Your Area. Challenging players in your area in pickup games, or in 1-on-1 games is a good way to test yourself and flex your muscle. Performing well against players in your normal playing environment will really build your confidence. In your head you may not be “better” than these players until you prove it to yourself by playing against them again.

Play Basketball Outside of Your Normal Area. If you’re not fully comfortable with challenging other good players in your area, take this step first. Go outside of your normal playing area to a place where nobody really knows you. You don’t have to go by yourself; you can go with a friend. Showcase your new skills in this pickup or rec league environment to really start feeling what it’s like to be an improved, more skilled and more aggressive player. Being around people who don’t have a previous perception of you will make it easier for them to accept you as the new player you are, and the acceptance here can help you accept your improved self as well.

Outside Perception Tips

Go On a Challenge Tour. Challenging players around you is good for your outside perception as well. Identify some of the key guys in your area – guys who are the leaders of the school team, the social leaders, and the good players who play your position and challenge them outside of the confines of team practice. If you can generate respect from key players by playing them hard or defeating them in a 1-on-1 or pickup setting, they will spread the word about your new status as an improved player.

Perform In Front Of Your Coach. If it’s tough for you to gain respect from players around you, make an effort to perform in front of your coach. This could be in a gym period at school, at an open gym session after school, or just shooting around when he is in the gym. If you can catch the coach’s eye and make him realize that you’ve improved, he can be one of the most powerful advocates you can have. Since coaches have power on teams, even if your teammates haven’t caught on yet, the coach can do things like change your position or run new plays for you, almost forcing your teammates and other observers to look at you differently.

These are just a couple of tips to help change the personal and outside perception of you as a basketball player. Don’t let your mental hold you back while you develop your skills and understanding of the game. Get with your trainer to aid you with the psychological process of becoming a better basketball player inside and out. We can’t to see you moving and playing like a brand new player.

7 Steps To Up Your Basketball Skills This Summer

April 25, 2014 By basketballtrainer

7 Steps to Improving Your Basketball Skills This Summer

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

Get an Assessment of your Current Game

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

Identify the Player You Want to Be in the Fall

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

Find a Gym

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

Find a Basketball Trainer and a Workout Partner

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

Find a Good Pickup Game

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

Find a Summer League

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

Develop a Long-Term Practice Regimen

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

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