That Basketball Life

I have a player who has been with me for a very long time.  He has been with me since he was in kindergarten and I have seen this boy turn into a pretty good ball player throughout the years.  Each year he has added another piece to his game including this year when he added a left hand finish to his arsenal.  This boy wants to be a good player.  He works hard and never complains.  He's getting to the point where his skill level is really good.  I would say it is above average for a kid his age.  The issue is that he doesn't dominate games like he should and he is starting to realize it.  He recently came up to me and told me that he doesn't think he could compete with some of the better players he faces in our league.  This crushed me because I saw that he was broken and discouraged which could lead to a confidence breaking slide.  I quickly reminded him about all of the progress he has made and encouraged him to keep working.  The...

One of the common traits that all great basketball players have is balance.  If you watch videos of the great ones they always seem to be under control.  You'll hear people say how the great ones have elite body control.  This body control starts with footwork.  The great ones can do what they want on the basketball floor because their footwork always keeps them in balance.  Even with the acrobatic shots they make, if you pay close enough attention you will notice how the great ones always manage to stay balanced and square.  This is what separates the athletes from the great ball players.  It's true that many of the great basketball players are also some of the best athletes in the world but it's also true that not all great athletes are great basketball players.  There are a lot of factors that come into play when we are talking about what makes great basketball players and one of them is footwork. We will spend some time on this topic and try...

Another video on correcting shooting form. There are a few more good tips in this video.

Nice video on correcting your shot. Regarding the comment about the head I want to add that many kids jerk their heads back when they shoot in an effort to draw more power to their shot but in reality this has the opposite effect and drains power from the shot in addition to moving the sightlines at a crucial point in the shot.

Click on this link for another nice article on vertical jump training. I'm convinced that this workout not only helps your vertical jump but will help you improve your sprint speed as well.

If found this interesting blog post in www.hoopsbeast.com talking about how to increase your vertical jump.  Click here to read.

10 Fundamentals for Proper Footwork : Proper footwork is the foundation of the game of basketball. Building a skill-set of solid footwork techniques can ensure the proper development of 12-year-old youth players and high school players. Some footwork techniques included here are time-tested basic fundamentals. Others may be completely...