That Basketball Life

I have written a couple of blog posts about form shooting and it's importance to developing a good shot (view them here and here ).  I have found another video that adds a few wrinkles to form shooting that can keep things interesting and also help players with balance and recruiting power from you legs when you shoot. Enjoy and remember to keep form shooting.

As a coach I am always looking for ways to have my kids improve as basketball players.  I try to find time in practice to do as much skill work as I possibly can but the one question that I always have is "Are my kids getting better by going 1v0 all the time?"  The answer to that question is no.  Don't get me wrong there is plenty of room for skill work without a defender but playing against resistance is the best way to apply what you have learned during skill work.  This is why I always try to incorporate Small Sided Games (SSG) into as many practices as I can.  Before I get into the numerous possibilities in incorporating SSG into practice, I want to explain some of the great benefits involved in using SSG. It forces players to apply the skills they have acquired in a competitive environment. It allows players who normally don't get many touches 5v5 to get involved and evolve their game. It allows coaches to better control games by tailoring the games to...

Great article by Randy Sherman on how to attack the zone.  He offers some great information.

The current MVP went to LA and showed the Clippers who's boss.

Penny Hardaway is shaking things up in Memphis.  He brought in the top recruiting class in the country this year and James Wiseman is the cream of that elite crop.  See highlights of his collegiate career below!

Freshman phenom Cole Anthony had a great first game to his college career.

I have been coaching youth basketball for a very long time and I like to tell my team what I expect from them at the beginning of the year.  One of the things I like to tell them on the first day of practice are what my 4 keys to success are.  These 4 items are what I look for from my team during a game.  If they excel in these 4 areas then we are in good shape.  If not then we will be in trouble. The 4 areas for success are: Take more shots in the paint than the opposition. Force more turnovers than you commit. Contest every shot. Rebound the ball. As mentioned earlier, I like to introduce the 4 points during the very first practice and then reinforce the topic each and every practice.  We do this by repeating it at every practice and by making sure that we cover the 4 topics every day in practice also.  So how do we incorporate the 4 areas into practice?  We do it by including the following into our scheme: Aggressive offense that has an i...