10 and a cancer survivor??????? Hope it all goes well for him .

god bless coach and takecare

Hey Coach ....... Problem . Assistant coach told me that i'am holding on to the ball too long with my guide hand . He goes to me when he first saw me shoot he though i was shooting with two hands but than he looked closer and saw i was releasing late . What can i do to get rid of this habit and also do you think maybe thats why i'm getting side spin?

So far so good my friend..... he is doing very well.... this will be his 7th year out of treatment... God was good to him.

Why haven't you told us about the side spin before? It's definately why you have side spin on your shot.... I had a player that shot that way too... told him I wouldn't be playing him in the 4th quarter anymore... he asked why.... and I said... its because you cant make a free throw with that form.

Gave him this drill on friday........ stand by a wall.... dribble once and bring the ball up to your shooting pocket.... ONLY THE SHOOTING HAND... and then shoot the ball holding your follow thru. By Monday he had it corrected. You could wear a THICK glove on the guide hand or even tape you fingers together....

I taught that to the young kids in my shooting camps..... we called it BEEF check B- Beef E- Elbow under the bll. E - Eye on the target F- Follow thru
We started by what I said above.... three shots... block, middle, and block. (with the guide hand behind their back) THEN I had them do the same thing with the guide hand along side the ball WITHOUT touching it.... 3 shots -- The last time was with the guide hand on the ball but as they brought the ball up to shoot ... we had them flatten out the guide hand so it had NOTHING to do with the shot.

The reason we taught it that way was to show them that the guide hand has NOTHING to do with the shot other than keeping the ball from getting away from your shooting hand. DOES THIS HELP?

Yeah i get you coach . This is good he told me now . Because i can't do any game speed shooting because i'm sick .......... Is it fine if i just stand 3-4feet from the ring , take one dribble a+nd using one hand bring the ball to my shooting pocket and then shoot rather then doing it on the wall ?

The 3 problems in my jumpshot now are

1) Releasing too late

2) Shots to Flat

3) And side spin( i thought i already told you about this problem)

But it doesn't affect my free throws i shoot them at 80% +

Is it fine if i just stand 3-4feet from the ring , take one dribble a+nd using one hand bring the ball to my shooting pocket and then shoot rather then doing it on the wall ?
YES to this........... as for the rest -

1 & 2- Start to release the ball as you get to the top of your jump.... this is a timing thing... IF you wait to long, the shot will get flatter (again, this is hard to say since I cant see the shot)

Sounds like you are trying to shoot that PERFECT jumper and thus shooting by the numbers... its has to be a fluid motion. Go on you tube and look at the good shooters. Look at Michael Jordon, he is releasing the ball at the top of his shot before he starts down.... of course... he is one of the best

As for #3 - talk to me when you reach 90% lol AND stop with the sick stuff..... get better and enjoy the game. :-)

Don't forget to work on this part of your game - the mid range jump shot as described here.

When you are working with just 50% of the offensive area, well, you have to work longer to produce a good shot. But the pickup dribble and the jump shot would help alleviate that pressure. It would also speed up the game. I used to have a drill to promote the pickup 2-point jumper: 5-on-5, no shots either from three or in the lane. Oh, my God! Guys had to work like crazy! But, you know what? They improved and we'd get those shots in the games. I told them, "The jumper is the can-opener. Hit a few of those and the threes will come and the lane will open up." But I am howling into the wind on this one.

This came from a coaching friend in Italy.

Thanks very much .

Here's the update since our last chat lol .

I've completely recoverd and i've started to play the point guard role in the scrimmages for the 2nd unit .
I'm taking it to the starting PG everytime and because we are a running team i'm pushing the ball hard up
the floor and players are really struggling to keep up . I'm defenitly more of a threat with the ball in my hands
the whole way up the court and i'm starting to get more satisfaction of giving an assist of rather than scoring a basket .
I think i have the physical attributes to play the point ( 6'3 ) but i just need to get the mental aspect of it down pat but i
seem to be doing a good job at practice . I'm definitely a scoring PG rather than a pass first . I've noticed that i work better at the
point because as soon as i hit half court i turn the jets on and try and blow my man of the screen and if he stays with me (i have a very good change of direction)
i usually just burn him changing directions . Is there any tips you can give me about playing the point?

Thanks Coach

Glad to hear that you are feeling better, now you can get after your game. The point guard position is the toughest spot on the floor....... and I think each team and player wants different things from his point guard... so, like I always say, play to your strengths. I have had point guards that couldn't throw the ball in the ocean from the shore.... and then I have had some excellent shooting point guards. These are the things that I looked for -

First and foremost... be the leader on the floor.. like another coach - think like I do without stiffling your game ( Had one kid tell me that I was handcuffing him, at the end of the year banquet I gave him a pair of handcuffs. :-)
I want my point guard to get the ball to the guy with the hot hand in games and be able to deliver the ball to our post players - he has to be able to read defenses and react accordingly.
Handle the ball flawlessly ( FEW if NO turnovers )
Be able to take the ball to the basket, hit the shot, dish it off, kick it out.
Ice water in his veins from the free throw line.
Shoot the three ball.
AND - play SHUT DOWN DEFENSE on their point guard ( or whoever we need him to cover )
Have a good mid range pull up jumper

Have an ankle breaking crossover move.

by W Lowe
Developing the point guard mentality is harder than what most basketball critics realize. First and for most the point guard is like the second in command on the floor after the coach,Many times the point guard is referred to as a "coach on the field" or a "floor general", that roll itself is more head wrecking than any other player on the floor. Therefor controlling the tempo of the team, recognizing the other teams weakness on defense, The point guard usually exert a leadership role on the floor making sure the team is focus under pressure. However point guards not known for great shooting differ from a shooting guards primary responsibility is to score points through perimeter shooting, a true point guards job is to create scoring opportunities for his/her team. Good point guards can have good games without scoring many points in a game. A true point guard is a basketball quarterback they look to get the rest of the team involved before they think about shooting, resulting in usually leading the team in assists ("pass first, shoot second" mentality). If you want to be a great point guard watch film on (Isiah Thomas, Mo Cheeks, Johnny Moore, John Lucas, Tiny Archibald, Norm Nixon, Magic Johnson, Jackson, Stockton, Nash) by the way if i didn't mention a player you like you need to think again about a true meaning of a point guard.

However, considered one of the toughest positions in basketball, the point guard must make split-second decisions when teammates get open, recognize who the hot shooters are, and get them the ball. The assist-to-turnover ratio is an indicator of a point guards ability to both distribute and protect the ball.

In conclusion one of the most disheartening developments over the past ten years has to be the sharp decline in quality point guards. It's tough to find kids with a true point guard mentality. My #1 strengths of a good point guard are speed, stamina, defense, ability to see entire floor, ability to run the floor, creative passing, ball handling, clutch shooting, leadership and most of all take a hit from a big man going to the basket.

6 rules to become a great point guard (take note kids)

1.Think "pass-first," not "shoot-first"

2.Don't pass just for the sake of it

3.Always sacrifice a basket for an assist

4.Always reward the Big Guy

5.Get your teammates involved, then take over down the stretch

6.Be a (Leader!)

I think this is a great article, but the only thing I slightly disagree with is this..... IF - and I mean IF you are a great shooter along with all those other skills... don't be afraid to shoot the ball....... your coach will tell you IF you are shooting too much. One year my best shooter was my point guard and I had a few sets for him.... he was the leading scorer of our team. We had two young wing shooters and he made them better...... but our goal was to win the game and they all bought into our system and what was best for the team year to year.

I think what he was trying to get across is to get your teammates involved in the game so they don't look to you to do everything or quit on you when the going gets tough. JMO