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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 12:19 

Posts: 22
Hey

My name's Kenny, I'm a 5'8 8th grader and currently a starter on my basketball team. Although I'm not one of the biggest guys on the team, I play the 4 and lead the team in rebounds Per game. Now, we don't have any towers on our team (6'3 guys... you know what I mean) but their a good possibility that a kid named Drew who is 6'3 will be coming to our school next year and play on Junoir Varsity. My friends think I have absolutley no chance of keeping my starting job, or getting more playing time then him, considering the huge size difference. In games I've went against guys who are much bigger than me and I've had success, but I've never had to consistantly compete with someone THAT BIG. As I've said, I'm currently the teams leading rebounder, I have good enough ball handling skills to where the coach has played me at Point for short stretches of time, my teamates say I'm a good defender, but I think I could get better.. My worst part of my game is shooting... But the main thing I need help with is how to play undersized at my position yet still compete with the big boys... I mean, I know it's possible (Udonis Haslem, Zack Randolpgh, Kenneth Faried, ect) but I don't know HOW to do it. Which is why I'm asking for your help.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 17:21 

Posts: 900
coxkenny53 wrote:
a good possibility that a kid named Drew who is 6'3 will be coming to our school next year and play on Junoir Varsity. My friends think I have absolutley no chance of keeping my starting job, or getting more playing time then him, considering the huge size difference.
It's cool that you are looking ahead, but don't get too caught up in something that, a) is happening 12 months from now and b)is only a possibility and c) you have no control over. In other words, don't let your head run about this kid, not worth it. Your friends aren't the coach, so they're just speculating this new kid is coming to the school and will be competing for the same exact spot. You know the drill, guys razz each other about that kind of stuff. I wouldn't waste a lot of time dwelling on it.

Control what you can control now which is your current season. If you get 5 rebounds per game, set a goal to make it 10 every game. Train yourself to block out every single time. If it's available and you can afford it, take a few lessons from a private coach, tell him what you've shared on this forum. Practice. Can't say enough about that. The more you practice, the better you will get. Sounds simple, but a lot of players don't do it.

If you're the leading rebounder for your team, sounds like you have some hops. The successful players I've seen compete against taller opponents display a more aggressive and hungry attitude. They make up for the size difference by getting after on the court, they're quicker and more intense than their opponent. They also are consistent at blocking out their opponents.

The fact that you took the time to ask for help shows you're serious. How many other 8th graders come on forums and ask for help like you did? Very few.

You mentioned JV, is there a 9th grade team also at your high school?

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CRob


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 17:56 

Posts: 22
No, as soon as you hit 9th grade you try out for the JV team, I know I shouldn't worry about it, but starting is something that's extremley important to me, I don't wanna be cocky or anything, but that kid is the only kid I'm worried about taking my spot, I know I can outperform the other kids. And yeah, haha, I have decent hops, I tied a long jump record and brokea high jump record for my school's track team, but just having hops really isn't enough (cough cough Josh Smith cough cough).


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 19:44 
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Hi Kenny -

You are 5.8" in 8th grade ... 14 right? First of all you have a lot of growing left, so don't worry about that. Rob gave you some good advice, listen to that carefully.

Another thing, Drew might only be half the player you are... just keep working on your game, be the best player that you can be, starting tomorrow. Every day you walk on the floor, pick out something on offense and defense that you are going to focus on.

Are the kids in your area tall? What I mean is, maybe you wont be a forward when you get to HS, maybe you will be a guard... so work on all your skills, ball handling, passing and shooting. There is an old saying, " The center of today might be the Point Guard of tomorrow." You have already played some point guard so you have an idea as to what that is like.... spend a lot of time on your ball handling skills.

Shooting is all about A LOT of practice. How is your form? Work on your form and spend a lot of time shooting, you can never shoot too much as long as you are shooting correctly. IF you can explain how you shoot ( % wise and form ) we can help you.

Another old saying, " If you cant play with the big boys, stay on the porch. " Are you quicker than they are? IF not work on that, you said you already have HOPS, so thats a good thing. You don't always have to be better than the next guy, as long as you are smarter. Every player has a weakness, as you are playing them, go to school on them. Find out what their weaknesses are and try to exploit them, any way you can. IF its DEFENSE, beat them to the spot they want to get to, take them out of their comfort zone. Our teams were typically shorter than most high school teams, but we controlled the tempo (smarter) and shot well.

I always told out kids to force them where you want them to go ( within the philosophy of the coach ) that way you are in charge... meaning forcing them to use their weak hand, forcing them further out than they can shoot effectively etc. Work on making yourself stronger and quicker ( I almost added bigger LOL )

Set yourself some goals.... and the first one should be to be the best player on your team and in your area. Don't worry about the other guy... be the player that DREW has to worry about .... not to be cocky, just have a lot of confidence in yourself.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 19:57 

Posts: 22
Thank you Coach Sar, and I'm 13 haha, I'm one of the younger 8th graders. I'm going to really focus on what you AND Coach Rob told me. Now about my shot, well, I started basketball when I was 11, (6th grade) and my church league coach assumed that I had been playing for much longer like all of my peers, had already been playing for 4+ years. So when it came to my jump shot, well I basically was on my own, so, I decided to mimic players like Kobe, LeBron, ect... And well, I'm sure you already know how that worked out haha. So, over the past Summer and still going on right now, I've been experimenting with different shot forms, and well, I can't find one that I feel comfortable with. Like, it just feels weird when I shoot jumpers... Do you think you could help me with that?


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 20:15 
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13 year old - 5.8 8th grader, I was 4'11 / 13 year old 8th grader..... arrgghhhh!!! :-) Not even 5'8 as a senior... oh well, that was a long time ago LOL (they called me Kenny also)

OK, tell me about your shot so I have an idea as to where to start... and I will be more than happy to help you with your shot.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 20:21 
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Kenny -

Here is a video from Tom Nordland..." The Swish Method "

Gavin is 14 years old and has worked with Tom since he was 11, just think about how good you would be if you worked with a shooting coach for that long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfTxHGOQdEc&list=PLCE640F251A4CDE74&index=1

Let me know what you think of this.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 21:08 

Posts: 22
Well, what would you like to know about my form? Haha, I don't really know how to explain it, I've looked up hundreds of videos of how to shoot, but I just can't seem to be consistent, another thing is, I consider myself a decent shooter in practice, but in games I brick every jump shot... badly. I'm not really sure why either. And that video... WOW. Just WOW. If I could shoot like that I'd probably already have a scholarship haha. But I think I'm actually going to try to increase the arc of my shot as I get farther away.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 21:31 
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It takes a lot of practice to become a great shooter. Here is something I told one kid that helped him a lot... not sure where I heard it but try this.....

As you finish your shot, your elbow should be around your eye'ear area.... try that out and tell me how that works for you.

If you get s scholarship you have to send me tickets for front row seats.

Here is how I taught my players to shoot.

As I talk to a lot of players, they are looking to correct their shot, dribbling, passing etc. Mostly shooting..... there is no quick fix for this, you have probably been shooting that way for a long time and have created a bad habit and its in your muscle memory.

To correct this problem, it is going to take 100s, no, more like 1,000s of shots to create a new muscle memory - so the shot becomes automatic.

The first thing you have to do is correct your form... that can be done by shooting against a wall so you don't have to worry about making the shot... only using correct form - 100s of shots a day until you have correct form. Then you can go to the basket and do what we called BEEF check going from Block to the Middle to the other Block.

Step 1 - We started this with the SHOOTING HAND ONLY.... maybe 12 shots in all.
Step 2 - Then you can bring your guide hand up but NOT on the ball and do the same thing. 12 more shots.
Step 3 - - 12 more shots with your guide hand in the proper position. ( your guide hand has nothing to do with the shot other than to keep the ball in the proper position on your shooting hand.)

The next thing to do would be to step back several feet... 6-7 feet? Now repeat Step 3, don't move any further back until you have mastered this distance. Once you are shooting with a good percentage, you can move further back. Don't move to the three point line if you are shooting 30 percent from 10 - 15 feet.

Don Kelbick says that a good shooting percentage is around 46% and in game situations that is good... in practice, from short range, I would like to see it a little higher.

From the free throw line... depending on your age and ability level, 60 to 80 percent is what I had my kids try to achieve.

To explain BEEF for those who haven't heard that term.
B - Balance ( staggered stance, one foot slightly in front of the other )
E - Elbow under the ball ( the elbow might be SLIGHTLY out )
E - Eye on the target (keep your eye on the target until the ball goes in)
F - Follow through..... ( keep your arm extended until the ball goes in)
I hope this helps.


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PostPosted: 10 Nov 2013, 21:37 
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Consistency is the key ...... practice what I wrote ( or at least something similar ) so that you will be comfortable and muscle memory takes over.

I had some of my players that shot 1,000 free throws every morning before camp... they were like automatic, especially in the 4th quarter. I don't have to tell you who had the ball in their hands at the end of games. They were 80% FT shooters and in the 90s in the 4th qtr. They thrived on the pressure. You CAN DO whatever you make up your mind to do-- IF you are willing to put in the time. OF course, there is always DREW that is waiting in the wings LOL


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