NBA Player Offseason Workouts - Part 2

By Don Kelbick

August 10

Back at it after another forced layoff. The one thing we were trying to avoid was re-injuring Raja’s calf muscle. He decided to try to play a little bit and wound up tweaking it. It is the same calf muscle that he hurt during the season and forced him to sit out the last nine games of the season. So we took some time off for therapy and then got back at it.

All I wanted to do was get the ball back in his hands. We started with short-longs for a warm up. We then went to wing shooting, catch and shoot, from both sides and the top. The next progression was the same drill with one dribble in the same direction. It started out slow but once he regained his rhythm he wound up making 24 in a row.

From there we moved to trailer shots. Moving from mid-court, trailing from each side of the lane, first was catch and shoot, next a 1-dribble counter and then a 2nd-dribble counter.

We then went inside and did front pivot jumpers and quick turns.

We finished up with some break work, handling on the run from mid-court, 2 dribbles into a shot.

We finished with 310 makes and, with the exception of screen work, touched most of the areas that he wants to improve on.

August 11

Rasual Butler joined us today. He has been lifting and boxing for 4 weeks and looks great. Rasual is coming off a great year. After two years ago not even dressing for 59 games, last year he started 72 games and averaged 12ppg. I think that is a direct result of the work he put in last summer.

Rasual is a shot hound. The more reps the better. He is much different than Raja in that Raja has several areas he wants to work on to become more complete. Rasual feels his ticket is his shot. He shoots so many shots that I can’t believe his shoulder and wrist don’t develop tendonitis. I know I throw him so many passes that my arms hurt.

After the short/long, we went to 5/5/5 to get into some rhythm and footwork. Then wing shooting on both sides, top and wing and across the top. From there, we went to corner fades, and wing pin downs. In the blink of an eye, we were up to 300 made shots. We then went to trailer shots, both catch and shoot and 1-dribble counters. We finished up with making 5 out of 7 from seven spots and shooting 15 foul shots for a total of 500 made shots in about an hour and ten minutes.

Rasual then told me that he might not be in tomorrow because he thinks he is being traded to the Clippers and might have to go to LA.

August 12

Woke up today with the news that Rasual, in fact, has been traded to the Clippers. I hope this is a good move for him as he has been told that he is a projected starter at one of the wing positions.

Started with short/longs with Raja. I really think that little drill has value as it really sets up your shooting rhythm and gets you loose. 140 shots in a few minutes will raise your core body temperature pretty quickly.

We then went to screen work, running fades and curls off win screens. First with no dribble, then with 1 dribble. New York cuts off of wing screens, again with no dribble then with 1 dribble.

I had mentioned earlier how Raj likes to mentor younger kids. There was a 14 year old shooting with his father on the next court. Every chance they got, they would come over and watch. During a break, Raja went over to introduce himself. He then asked the kid if he wanted to join us. I can’t believe how wide his eyes got. He joined us for the wing screens.

We then went to trailer shots, 1 dribble counters, off the break, and then with a second dribble change.

Quite a bit of running in this workout so we finished with some spot shooting from 5 spots and some foul shots.

August 13

We started today with some foot work, doing chair pivot with drop steps, front pivots and then inside pivot. As we changed pivots we progressively moved further outside. Inside pivots were done at about 18’. We then went to inside pivot counter with 1 dribble. If we were doing it in the post, the counter would be to a power move, but on the wing the dribble is used to create a pull up jumper.

We then progressed to L-cuts from the wing, first a catch and shoot and then to an offensive move. We then moved the starting point to the wing and ran the same options cutting to the top.

We then went into the post for front pivot fades and quick turns for layups.

Next was wing screen work, over the top and then turn downs. Then I acted as the screen defender and hedged the ball screen. First, was dribble splits with a high hedge and then we worked on dragging the hedgeman to force a switch.

We closed with 5/7 from 7 spots.

August 14

Today was an off day. During the workout season, just like the regular season, rest is important. The most common type of injury is not abrasions, bruises or contusions but overuse injuries. Too much work will take you off the court, due to strains, pulls and fatigue. Overuse is the primary cause of tendonitis, a common condition in athletes. Once you have it, the only cure is rest. During the season, rest is hard to come by so we try to stay pro-active by scheduling in off days. This is one of those days when Raja lifts, but does not workout.

August 15

Back at it. Today is repetition day. I usually categorize the workouts when we have a regular workout. All workouts contain shot repetitions, footwork, conditioning and ball handling. How we work on those is dependent on the type of workout. I try to vary them so the players don’t get bored or stale. The categories are repetition, where we just concentrate on a high volume of shots; fast break, where we run up the floor and simulate skills coming off break options; screens, where we concentrate on reading and coming off all types of screens (except ball screens) and position, where we work on things specific to the players position, such as getting open on the wing, ball screens, post ups, pop outs, etc. This is also when we take pieces of his offense and his role during the season and try to incorporate them into drills.

We started with 5/5/5 from 7 spots. Then moved on to wing shooting. We used 5 spot instead of the 3 we usually use. The spots were: wing-to-corner, wing-to-elbow, elbow-to-elbow, elbow-to-wing and wing-to corner. Making 15 shots in each series usually works out to be a pretty good drill. The conditioning in a repetition workout comes from the intensity and the rapid succession of the drills, as opposed to the movement needed to cover ground. We take no breaks for the entire workout and only shoot fouls at the end. In about 15-20 minutes, we were quickly up to 180 shots.

We then moved on to about 15’ with back to the basket shots. These are usually front pivot jumpers, some with counters and dribbles, and what we call “quick turns.” A quick turn is essentially a front pivot which turns into a sort of a spin or wheel turn because the end result is a lay-up instead of a jump shot. Larry Brown, the Bobcat coach, likes miss-matches and they feel that if they get Raja isolated against a slower player (and there aren’t many of them) he should be able to out-quick them to the whole. At the very least, he might be able get to the foul line.

We then went back outside and did a flare drill in which the shooter catches going away from the passer, the ball comes over the top for either a jump shot or a 1-dribble shot.

We then went out to the top, come from mid-court, catch from the wing (as if the shooter was a trailer) and then; catch and shoot, catch and 1-dribble shot, catch and 2nd-dribble change. Since he believes that he will handle the ball more this year, I try to have him make 1 dribble moves and add in a 2nd dribble counter as much as I can.

We finished up with 70 3’s, 10 from each of 7 spots.

August 16

Today was play day. Miami, or Florida for that matter, is not known as a basketball area. Even if that is so, there is an enormous number of NBA players, past, future and current, that live down here. It is traditional that they all get together and play at Miami High at 10 am on Sunday mornings. Some Sundays, you might see more NBA players on the court at Miami High than you would in an NBA game. Regulars include Carlos Boozer, Udonis Haslem, Jason Williams, Tim Hardaway, Rasual Butler, Carlos Arroyo, Glen Rice, James Jones, John Salmons and more, in addition to a lot of local college and international players. They get some pretty good runs going.

It is usually a pretty good test and allows us to gage how we are progressing.

August 17

We usually emphasize the things that Raja feels did not go well on play day. Today, we worked on coming off screens. I think the reason he didn’t come off screens well on Sunday is because, in pickup games, nobody screens. There is no flow and the ball is usually not delivered properly. Regardless of that, he feels he should be able to overcome those types of errors and still be able to make shots.

We started with short/longs and immediately went into corner pins where the cuts were a fade to the corner. Next was wing screen downs, using curl cuts and popping out behind the screen.

Next were flare screens. As we worked the flares, we started to ease into a little ballhandling. The first set was a catch and shoot off the flair. The second was catch, shoot and sweep away with 1 dribble. The 3rd was catch, sweep 1 dribble and then a 2nd dribble counter. The last set was catch and then rip back to the middle.

The next screen was a zipper screen, first to a catch and shoot and then to a ball screen on top.

Moving on to ball screens, we went to the wing where we worked dribble screens for shots and then turn-downs.

We finished up with a game of 5/7 from NBA 3 point range, from 7 spots. At one point he made 19 in a row.

August 18

Don’t let anyone tell you that NBA players don’t work hard. Carlos Boozer was in the gym today. It has been a different summer for him this year. He had announced early that he was going to exercise to out clause in his contract next year (probably a mistake. Not exercising it but announcing it). He is now involved in an ugly divorce from the Utah Jazz. They are frantically trying to trade his, while he has value, before they lose him as a free agent. His salary is so high that he doesn’t fit the salary cap for many teams. Plus, if they wait, they know they can get him as a free agent and not lose any of their current players or draft picks. It is a tough situation. Even with that swirling around him, he works as hard as anyone. In the gym, trying to get better. Wherever he winds up, he’ll be ready.

We started with footwork, doing chair pivots. We only did the basic pivots, drop step, front pivot, inside pivot. We did not do counters.

Next was wing play, into which we incorporated the counters that we did not do in the footwork drills. We went with L-cuts to the wing with a catch and shoot from about 23 feet. The footwork is the same as an inside pivot. Logically, the next step is an L-cut to a sweep counter with 1 dribble. We try to cover as much ground as possible with 1 dribble. We try to get a lay-up or, at worst, a pull up jumper inside 8 feet. We then go to a 2nd-dribble change. We also worked a catch and rip into the seam, with 1 dribble.

Next we worked 1 and 2 dribble shots from the high wing, starting with the ball about 28 feet from the basket. First we worked the first move going toward the middle and then the first move going up the sideline.

We next worked break shots, first running up to the corner and then trailer shots.

We finished up with a 7 spot, 5/7. At one point he made 14 in row and 19 of 21.

August 19

Before the workout today, Raja stated his goals for the upcoming season; 90% from the line, 45% from the floor and 42% from 3. He believes that, in Larry Brown’s system, he can accomplish that. The way that he is used to will give him more opportunities closer to the basket that he had in Phoenix. That will translate into a better shooting percentage and more foul shot opportunities. He probably won’t get as many as 3 opportunities, but the ones he will get might be better looks.

We started with a Mikan Drill, both frontward and backward. We then when to some chair pivots with the chairs spread a little further apart. He can tell already that there would be more conditioning in this workout. We also wanted to work up a sweat quickly.

We then moved on to some intensity drills. Intensity layups followed by some X jump shots. After a few foul shots, we went back to intensity jump shots, with 1 dribble, then intensity jump shots with a second dribble change. The last one in the series was an intensity jump shot, with the catch, a rip back to the middle and 1 dribble.

A few more foul shots led us to a set of wing shots, first with a catch and shoot and then with a catch and rip back to the inside. We only did 3 areas, wing and corner on both sides and across the top, as opposed to the 5 spots we did in the repetition workout. That is because doing as much reversing direction as we were doing, by ripping back to the middle, is very taxing, especially on the legs.

The next set was L-cuts to the wing and from the wing to the middle. All the catches were to 1 dribble shots, including rips back to the middle.

We then went to 7 spots, making 10 3s from each. When we shoot 3s, we estimate the distance from basket by using the 3-point line that is on the court. Raja wound up a long way long way out. He really wasn’t aware that they have extended the college 3-point line this year to. I think it is near 21’ now. So, instead of being near the NBA distance, we wound up 2’ further out. Once we made the adjustment he made 19 straight.

We finished up with a foul shooting game.

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Advice To Foreign Basketball Players Seeking College Scholarships in the U.S.

By Don Kelbick

We receive SO MANY questions from foreign players on how to play college and pro basketball in the U.S. So we decided to compile an article with advice for foreign players.

Here is an email Don sent to a foreign player seeking advice:

In a choice between education for the future and playing basketball, there is no choice. No matter where you are or who you are, basketball is only a short term situation and your future (education) is forever. If you are making a choice, secure your future. That does not mean you have to stop playing basketball. You might have to look for games, but they are around. Use the frustration you feel and develop something for the people who come after you so they do not have to go through the same things that you have to endure.

In regard to your obtaining a basketball scholarship, you have to remember that the players you are watching are among the best in the world. Of those players only a few (maybe 20) will play professionally in the NBA. The odds of making it are staggering. For someone in your situation, the odds are even longer. Not growing up in a situation where you play in the best competition will certainly limit you chances. What you see on TV is only the top college level. There are many college levels here, NCAA Div. I, Div II, Div III, NAIA (which has 2 divisions) and Junior College (which has 3 divisions). In most cases, if you are not identified as a prospect by your Sophomore year in high school, your chances of playing Div. I are slim. The lower levels work on a longer time line. You have to get yourself in a situation where you can be seen.

My best advice is for you to decide if and where you want to go to school in the U.S. and where. Once you make that decision, contact the coach about the possibility of playing on the team as a “walk-on.” He can tell you the requirements and how to try out. It will be very hard at the highest levels, a little less difficult as you go down in levels. You might be able to earn a scholarship that way. Not all schools give scholarships and at some levels, like NCAA Div. III, athletic scholarships are not allowed. The odds of earning a scholarship this way are slim but it may be better than the situation you are in now.

In addition, if you are on a professional team, that might eliminate your eligibility completely. Even if you don’t get paid, if you play on a professional team that negates your amateur status, you will not be able to play in college.

I am sorry I cannot be more positive for you, but that is the way of the world. Give it a shot and see what happens. However, your passion, if channeled properly, bodes well for people who come after you. Work for the betterment of the sport. Start some camps in your town, teach others, network with people who can make decisions in your favor. You are in a situation where you have to suffer because of decisions that where made by people who came before you. Great change starts with one person making one step.

Are you up to it?

Additional Tips For Foreign Basketball Players Seeking College Scholarships:

These tips came from a comment Don left on this blog page about Getting a Basketball Scholarship.

First and foremost, you have to get yourself in a position where US coaches can see you.

1. Join a national team.

   It is easier to gain recognition if you are playing with your national team.

2. Become an exchange student or residential student.

   To play in the US as a high school player, you could come over as an exchange student or attend as a residential student at a prep school if you are of the high school age.

3. Enroll at a junior college.

   At a junior college, you can enroll as a foreign student.

4. Attend summer camps.

   If you are not able to come over for school, you might want to look into coming over for the summer and attending some high profile recruiting camps, such as Eastern Invitational or 5-Star. Through them, you might be able to catch on with an AAU team that plays in high level tournaments during the summer.

5. Send over game film.

   Next, you would need as much game film as you can get. Not highlight or demonstration film, but actual game film in regular, organized and scheduled competition. This is very important because not too many schools are going to come to your country to see you play. If they do come, they need some type of indication of how good the competition is.

6. Make sure your grades are good.

   Just as important, if not more so, you need to make sure your grades are in order. Teams will not do anything unless you are registered for the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/. That is the organization that determines whether you are academically eligible to play. This is especially important for you. Several countries in Africa, Nigeria included, are on a “watch list.” This is due to a large number of fraudulent transcripts that come in from those countries. It will take a while for you to get cleared.

If anybody has some helpful comments for players outside the U.S. seeking college scholarships, please leave comments below.

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Handling Ball Screens Like Steve Nash

By Joe Haefner

While watching game 4 of the Bulls-Celtics series, Jeff Van Gundy stated that Derrick Rose needed to handle the switches on ball screens more like Steve Nash.

Towards the beginning of the game, the Celtics were switching on ball screens leaving a bigger, slower post player guarding Rose. Rose was settling for the jump shot or he would try to attack when he was already too close to the hoop to take advantage of his quickness.

When Steve Nash gets a big player switched onto him, he takes a couple of dribbles backwards.

This does a few things:

1. Lures the bigger player out further away from the hoop.
2. Allows the offensive player to gain momentum while dribbling towards the player which makes it easier to blow by the defender or change directions if needed.
3. Gives teammates an extra second to space the floor properly. This spreads the defense out which gives the player with the ball more room to penetrate.

After you draw out the defender, how should you attack the defender?

• If the defensive player drops into the lane, you can use the mid-range jump shot.
• If the defensive player stays parallel and does not move, you can explode straight past them.

• If the defense comes up and puts a foot forward, you can fake an explosion move or inside-out move, then cross the defender over.
• If the help defense collapses, you can kick the ball out to an open teammate.

In the 4th quarter of the Bulls-Celtics game, I noticed Rose started to draw out the defender with a couple of dribbles backwards like Van Gundy had mentioned earlier in the broadcast. I don’t know if he figured it out himself or a coach told him to do it, but it sure contributed to his 12 point explosion in the 4th quarter that helped the Bulls come from behind and eventually squeak out the victory in double overtime.

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Importance of Communication With Your Coach & How It Helped the Villanova Wildcats Reach the Final Four

By Joe Haefner

If any of you have followed the Villanova Wildcats, you’ll know that Dwayne Anderson has played a huge factor in Villanova’s run to the Final Four this year. Despite being an impact player averaging 9 points and 6 rebounds per game this season, Dwayne barely played in his first 3 seasons at Villanova.

Alan Stein is a Strength & Conditioning coach for the perennial powerhouse Montrose Chrisitan and has trained NBA players such as Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley. One of the many players he has trained and developed at Montrose has been Dwayne Anderson. Alan recently wrote an article about Dwayne Anderson and the reason behind his sudden success this season.

“He worked brutally hard every off season and exercised great communication with the Nova coaching staff on not only his desire to earn playing time, but exactly what he needed to do to earn it. He basically worked as hard as he could to fix the areas he (and the Nova staff) found weak in his yearly evaluation. In other words, he didn’t make excuses or point the finger and he didn’t feel entitled to more playing time… he rolled up his sleeves each and every off season and put in serious work. He was focused and determined.”

So many players want instant gratification and would quit within 1 or 2 years if they’re not getting playing time. This happens because a lot of these players have never faced adversity and were “The Star Player” throughout their whole playing career. When they’re not getting big minutes and scoring a lot, they quit.

Players are not the only ones guilty of this. The North American culture is obsessed with short-term success and has forgotten the long-term approach. Dwayne could’ve easily transferred to a mid-major and been an impact player, but he stuck it out and worked his butt off to get to where he’s at. He didn’t take the easy way out.

John Wooden once said, “Don’t look for big, quick improvements. Look for the little improvements one day at a time. That’s the only way change happens. And when it happens…it lasts”

If you want to play, if you want to improve, and most importantly WANT TO WIN, you need to communicate with your coach. You need to put your ego aside, improve your game, and do whatever your team requires you to do to win.

If that requires you to score 0 points, make the good pass (notice, I didn’t say assist), dive for the loose ball, take the charge, and stop the star player on the opposing team, DO IT!

If it requires you to be patient, work hard in the offseason, sit on the bench, be a great practice player and challenge the players who get the playing time like Dwayne Anderson did for Villanova, DO IT!

If you have this mentality, you’ll not only be successful in basketball, you’ll be successful in the most important game…

LIFE.

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Shooting Tips - Finger Placement & Analysis Paralysis

By Don Kelbick

Question:

Position of the shooting hand before releasing: Is the middle and/or index finger in the middle of the basketball?

Response

To be honest with you, I don’t know where those fingers are. All I want is for your hand to be behind the ball (as opposed to on the side) and in the same place every time. Again, it is a feel thing.

I do not get into the really picky little things, such as what direction your fingers face or making everyone put there hand in the same place. It will be different for different people. I think that the most damaging aspect of any skill, which coaches seem to add to, is “analysis paralysis.” That is a saying where you worry so much about the little things, you examine what you are doing so much that you paralyze yourself and can’t perform the skill at all. I prefer to remain focused on the big picture.

If adjustments need to be made, make them generally. For example, I will say, “put your hand under the ball,” instead of “put your hand here.” I want players to shoot the basketball without thinking of anything. The more minute you get with technique, the more they think about and the less effective they become.

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Developing A Basketball Workout For High School & College Tryouts

By Don Kelbick

Question:

Is there any way that you could send a workout schedule using your drills in order to be ready for some basketball try-outs in April? I’m a 6′2 guard and will go to college because of my shot. I really need to work on dribbling, defense, speed, and quickness in order to be up and going at the college level.

I know I said I’m going to college because of my shot, but I’d still love to continue to get my shot better and better.  I’d appreciate it if you could come up with a workout routine for me, even if it’s the same workout repeated daily or a 3 or 4 day different routine.

Response:

It is difficult to come up with a workout program without seeing you play or knowing how much time you have to work. I can give you some guidelines that might help you.

• You can’t work on everything at once. It is counterproductive because you don’t spend enough time working on anything to improve. Pick a couple of things you want to get better at and develop a plan. In general, it will take 6-8 weeks for any adjustments or new skills to take root. Probably longer in competition, so you have to stick to it.

• After you decide what you want to work on, pick some basketball drills in sets that you think will help you. What I mean by that is to pick 3 drills that are progressions (eg. jump shot, 1 dribble move, 2 dribble move) and that is a set. Work that set several days in a row. Then change to a different set.  Same thought, but different drills so you have some variation in your workout to fight boredom. After using the new sets for a couple of days, go back to the original set. Keep that rotation for a while.   As you gain more confidence and improvement, you can start to put in some new sets to work on different skills.  Remember, it takes more time to develop a skill than to maintain a skill. So as you move on, occasionally throw in some old stuff to maintain those skills as well.

• Be honest with yourself as to how much you practice. If you are alone every time you shoot the ball, you also have to rebound it. So, in reality, if you practice shooting for an hour, you are really spending 15 minutes shooting and 45 minutes chasing the ball. Make use of every minute you are on the court. Multi-task, but don’t mix skills. I use ball-handling drills to stretch out. I also use it to condition. You can use defensive drills as conditioners. That is what I mean by multi-tasking. However don’t mix skills. Don’t practice your dribble while practicing your shooting. There are no moves that will have you put the ball through your legs 3 times, change direction 4 times, spin twice and end up with a jump shot.  Then, the only thing you are practicing is ways to spend time on the bench.

What is “Perfect” Basketall Shooting Form?

By Joe Haefner

Recently, I received an interesting email about Dave Hopla’s shooting form. It was in response to listing Dave as one of the shooting experts that we interviewed in our new Basketball Shooting Guide.

The email stated that Dave Hopla did NOT have great shooting form in the picture that was displayed on our site (you can see the actual picture on the right).

Now in all fairness, this is not a good picture of his actual shooting form.  But this comment brings up a really interesting and important point about shooting the basketball.   

Here’s my response that explains what I’m talking about:

You know what. I thought the exact same thing when I first started studying shooting. I thought Dave Hopla doesn’t have that great of shooting form, but after studying shooting for countless hours and developing our new Shooting Guide, I have came to a NEW conclusion on basketball shooting form…

You don’t need “perfect” or even “great” mechanics to be a great shooter. You need CONSISTENT & REPEATABLE shooting mechanics. If your shot is the same every time, it’s easier to make adjustments.

While I do highly recommend using “good” shooting mechanics, you can also look at Larry Bird’s and Peja Stojaković’s shooting form. Anybody with some knowledge of how to shoot would quickly notice that they had bad shooting form, yet they are arguably two of the top shooters that the NBA has seen in the last 25 years.

Even though, they didn’t have good shooting form, they did have the same shot mechanics on every shot. Now imagine if a coach would’ve said to Larry after he won back to back 3-point shootouts, “Now Larry, your form doesn’t look good so we’re going to have to change it.” As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

I think us coaches (me included) get a little obsessed sometimes with perfection not only when it comes to shooting, but other areas of the game as well. We want the players to have the perfect defensive slide or the perfect passing technique. We forget that basketball is an art. There is no perfect way to do anything. The real question is “Is the player effective?” which pertains to anything in basketball.

I’m not saying that coaches shouldn’t critique and help players make adjustments to become a better player, we just need to be careful and use logic and rational when doing so. If a kid knocks down 50% of his three point attempts, but his elbow sticks out while shooting, I’m not going to be the one to change it. Now, if you have a kid with bad shooting form that shoots 20% from the field, you should try to help the player make some adjustments to his/her shooting form. That’s where coaching comes into play and where the top coaches/trainers earn their money. They know when to leave players alone and when to offer advice to help them become a better player.

And back to Dave Hopla, the guy makes about 98% or 99% of his shots. I’ve never personally seen his speeches or shooting demonstrations, but I’ve heard they’re simply amazing and very few people in the world if anybody can do what he does. He’s had demonstrations where he’s made 350 of 350 shots while talking to the audience the entire time. If any of my players could do that, I couldn’t care less how he shoots the ball.

Some of the NBA’s best players such as Kobe Bryant have consulted with Hopla. He is also currently an assistant for Washington Wizards. So I do highly value what he has to say.

The end goal is to put the ball in the basket. It doesn’t matter how pretty it looks. I know Dave Hopla does a heck of a job, so I’m more than willing to listen to what he has to say.

What are your thoughts about basketball shooting form?

Announcing our NEW Basketball Shooting Guide and Limited Time Discount: Increase Your Shooting Percentage

By Jeff Haefner

After 3 rewrites, over 1000 hours of research, 6 interviews with shooting experts, and tons of hard work…

We have FINALLY released the NEW Breakthrough Basketball Shooting System and Step by Step Guide!!

In this brand new system COACHES will discover…

• How to improve your entire teams shooting percentage.
• 55 new basketball shooting drills.
• 8 super effective shooting workouts.
• How to consistently develop long range shooters.
• The mental aspects of shooting.
• How to teach shooting fundamentals.
• How to easily break your players out of shooting slumps.
• Tips from the world’s BEST shooters and instructors.

Basketball PLAYERS will discover…

• How to become one of the best shooters in your league.
• 8 super effective shooting workouts.
• The mental aspects of shooting and how to easily get an edge on your competition.
• How to get more playing time.
• How you could earn a college scholarship.
• How to increase your shooting range.
• 18 basketball shooting drills for players.
• Tips from the world’s BEST shooters and NBA instructors.

Limited Time Discount 

You can get this new system at a discounted rate during the next 7 days, so be sure to check it out soon…

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/btshooting.html
 

Tips From the World’s BEST Shooters and NBA Instructors 

The most exciting part about this program is that we have gathered advice and tips from some of the greatest shooting coaches and resources in the world.  We gathered all the best information we could find and compiled it in ONE PLACE.

We interviewed these 6 basketball shooting experts that have unbelievable credentials.  We also reviewed and researched dozens of DVDs and books to make sure we knew everything there was to know about shooting the basketball.

We’re really excited because this allowed us to create a phemonal product that is very unique and unlike anythign you’ve seen before.

The off-season is the best time to improve…

One thing you’ll discover is that the best time to improve shooting is in the off-season.  Whether you’re a player trying to improve your shooting percentage, or a coach trying to improve your entire team’s shooting percentage… most of the improvements happen in the off-season.  We’ll show you step by step what you should do in the off season and during the full swing of your basketball season.

Check out it out and let us know what you think:
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/btshooting.html

Basketball Workouts With NBA All-Star Joe Johnson

By Don Kelbick

I had the opportunity to work out with Joe Johnson, NBA All-Star of the Hawks. He was in Miami for a quick vacation. This was what his schedule looked like.

Thursday 3 pm - arrive Miami 5 pm - strength training 6:15 - speed and agility training Friday 10 am - strength training 12:00 - shooting workout (450 made shots) 2:30 - yoga and flexibilty Saturday 9:30 - shooting workout (430 made shots) 12:00 - strength training 3 pm - massage therapy Sunday 10:00 - strength training 11:30 - speed and agility 2 pm - yoga and flexibility

Photo By Chris Nelson

Monday - 11 am depart Miami.

This is a guy who is 26 years old, single, wealthy and on vacation in one of the most decadent atmospheres in the world for the first time. Don’t let anyone tell you that NBA players don’t work hard.

3 Simple Steps to Improve Your Rebounding

By Jeff Haefner

Rebounding is one of the most important, yet underrated skills in basketball. Of all the uncertainties that exist in basketball, the one constant is there will be missed shots. Whether a team shoots well or shoots poorly, often the winning or losing team is determined by what happens to the shots that are missed. The team that gets most of the rebounds gets additional offensive opportunities and that often translates into more points on the scoreboard, which usually means wins.

Becoming a better rebounder is simple and you can get there in 3 simple steps.

1) Conditioning

Basketball is a physical game. Running up and down the court over the course of a game will wear you out. In addition, there is a lot of physical contact. The closer you get to the basket, the more physical it gets. Remember, close to the basket is where most of the rebounds are. The combination of the running that you do during the game and the body blows you take while going after the glass is enough to wear anyone down. Often, rebounding comes down to a war of attrition, whoever is left standing at the end wins. The better condition you are in, the longer you can last on the glass. You will find that being in great condition will allow you to get rebounds at the end of the game that you might not be able to get early in the game.

Conditioning is a great equalizer. A player that is bigger and stronger than you are in the beginning of the game might not be so effective at the end of the game if you are in better condition than he is.

2) Knowledge

Just knowing a couple of things will drastically improve your chance of getting a rebound.

First, know personnel, especially your teammates. If you know other players tendencies, when they shoot and from where, you will greatly enhance your chances of grabbing misses. Knowing when shots will be taken will give you a quicker start to the glass and allow you to get better position than your opponent.

Second, knowing where the ball is going to go will also give you a great advantage over your opponent. The simple fact that 80% of all missed shot rebound at the same or opposite angle should give you a head start on the rebound. What that means is, if a shot is taken from the corner, 80% of the misses will rebound back toward the same corner or over the rim to the opposite corner. Shots taken from the wing will rebound either back toward the wing or toward the opposite wing 80% of the time.

Knowing these two things will put you in great position to collect any missed shots

3) Technique

You don’t have to jump over tall buildings or be stronger than a locomotive to be a good rebounder. You need good rebounding technique.

You don’t have to know a lot of things, only how to swim. What does that mean? A swim move is simple, quick and effective.

This is how to execute a swim move. The objective is to get your inside hip and inside shoulder past your opponent. As your defender either steps to box you out, don’t fight his pressure, use it against him. As he steps out, step inside of him with your inside leg (the leg closest to your defender on the side you want to beat him on). At the same time, use your inside arm (the arm on the same side as your inside foot) and “swim” over the top of his shoulder. It is called a “swim” because it is essentially the same stroke you use when you are swimming in a pool. The “swim” will allow you to get your inside shoulder past your defender. When timed properly, you will find yourself between the basket and your defender and in excellent position for the rebound.

Rebounding is an important part of the game of basketball and it is vital to the success of your team. With these 3 simple concepts you can improve your rebounding and become a significant factor in the success of your team and make you an invaluable asset to any team you are a member of.