How to play UNDERSIZED!?!?

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.

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?

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).

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Thank you Coach Sar and Coach Rob for your guy's help. My team has a game later today against one the other teams in my conference. I'm going to use EVERYTHING you guys have told me to do. Just by talking to me you guys have made me EXTREMELY confident in my playing ability. But here's a questions for you Coach Sar or Rob, do you guys coach HS or College? And what are your guys' playing background? Just curious haha

I coached at a lot of levels.... starting coaching 7th & 8th graders for 13 years...... Moved to the HS level... 1 year of JV/assistant varsity ..... 9 years as the Head Sophomore coach and 17 years as the Head Varsity Coach... 1 years with girls, that was a treat... but it was fun...All in all with helping some guys from time to time after I retired I coached for about 43 years.. I am now retired but I help some coaches personally and a I hope I am helping a lot of them online.... along with some kids..... I've met some coaches in person from Florida, Georgia, Arizona, 3 from Hawaii... and 1 from West Virginia.I met Jeff and Joe Haefner and Don Kelbick..... there is a lot of knowledge and experience out there.

Playing experience???? Are you being a wise guy?? haha I think I told you that I was 4'11" as a freshman at 13 years old..... and you are 5'8 in 8th grade. There wasn't a lot of room for guys my size and I wasn't exactly an Allen Iverson.
LOL

I learned to coach this game the hard way.... a lot of experience at the middle school level.... meeting with HS coaches, going to clinics, watching teams play and working hard at the HS level. I coached football also.... and I like to think that I was pretty good with Xs and Os, game planning and teaching the kids how to play the game.

I had no desire to coach at the college level.... you better win there or you are gone.

GOOD LUCK today and let us know how the game goes

Coach, I can't thank you enough. This page may be the reason my team won tonight in an EXTREMLEY hard and AGRRAVATING game. Before the game, I read some of your articles about mental toughness and how to handle pressure. So we 13 seconds to go and my team being up 32-31, I was sent to the line for a 1 n 1 (Now, I've never been a good FT shooter, so this was a pretty nervous spot for me to be in). I swished both. The opposing team quickly another bucket and after the ball being bobbled around by both teams, I came up with it and was fouled. All I could think of was that I DIDN'T CARE IF IT WENT IN. I did exactly what the articles said. And I made both of them. And my team WON by 4. Thank you Coach Sar and all the other GREAT people that help with this page. We probably would've lost without you.

Thanks from everybody here.... nice of you to say all those complementary things. Makes it all worth while for us ....

While some of the things we said, it was all about your team and your will to win! Funny thing, one of my X players wrote something that I used to say ( at least that's what he told me ) " They didn't want it bad enough! " Obviously your team did. You can share this part with your team if you'd like -- You took a GIANT step towards being a TEAM and moving forward.

Remember, the season is a JOURNEY, NOT a DESTINATION.!! You will be taking a lot of small steps this year, hopefully all the right direction. It takes courage to step up to the free throw line with the game on the line.... making them both is great.... that took a lot of pressure off of everybody.. and the best part, you came up with a loose ball to seal the deal. Hitting the FTs was a bonus.

Think about this when you go to the FT line... go through your pre shot ceremony, 6 bounces, around your back, spin on your finger etc. (just kidding) but do you pre shot routine.... then take a deep breath and let it out slowly.... it will relax your muscles and make it easier to shoot.

CONGRATULATIONS to you and your team on the victory, hopefully it is the first of many to come. Learn from every time you set foot on the floor..... think about the game and how you played.... think, is there something I can work on to be a better player? Then work on those things next few practice sessions.

Good luck in your next game.

This is his comment to me and a few other guys....
Yep Jeffrey dropped one, had one denied, and cutler had pick in end zone before the half. They should have one, like my basketball coach would say "they did not want it bad enough".

"

Kenny: Ive read all your posts, and what Im hearing is a kid that wants instant success...eg: I watched thousands of videos and tried thousands of methods and I brick every shot. Well, you need to stick to ONE method and keep at it until you achieve consistency. You are not Kobi, so dont shoot like Kobi...Kob's form is not perfect however, he has shot this way a million times and eventually achieved the consistency required to play at the level he is at. Coach Sars has given you a ton of good advice read it and heed it....follow the basic rkules of BEEF discontinue changing your shot everytime you are not successful, have patience young man, practice the basics, give your body time to grow, work on your blocking out, and soon the 6'3" kid wil be a distant second...Good Luck Coach Mac

Coach Mac -

Glad to see you back ......... Kenny, listen to him, he has a ton of experiences and knowledge (not as much as me of course haha) and if you listen to him along with the other coache here... you WILL be successful.

The one thing I want to add is this.... BE THE BEST THAT KENNY CAN BE. Forget Kobe or MJ or whoever, I couldn't do what they did without the ball. LOL

I agree Mac, I bet that Kenny is already better than Drew, as long as he keeps his head on straight and works at his game.
You cant worry about him, you haven't seen him play and the last time I checked, there are 5 players on the floor..... so IF you are a good player, the coach WILL find a spot for you.

I haven't lost my SARcastic touch have I Mac? LOL

First, I'd like to say thanks to both of you for the great feedback. Coach Mac, I think you're completely right, I have been giving up on my shot way to quickly, and I do need to be more patient. Coach Sar, thank you so much for your confidence, for it has given ME confidence in my self, now here's a question, I go to a CLASS C school (town population 2500), now, how do get college coaches to take notice of me? I mean, not right now but like when I'm a Junoir and Senior?? Their's a class A school near me, but theirs no way I would ever leave my school, I owe to much to it for helping shape me into the kid I am now, and I'm not one to give up on something/someone. Only one person in the history of our school has ever made it to a Division 1 college, I want to be the next.

First thing you need to do is to be the best player in your area... if you are a standout... they will notice you. Down the line, ask the head coach about what you need to do to improve and play at the D1 level. Do you have a good relationshiip with the head coach? If so, maybe you can talk to him now about your goals and what you need to do to be that kind of player.

Be a leader and improve all areas of your skills.

During your off season, can you play AAU ball? The more you play the more people will see you.

I love guys that have these types of goals.... and as long as you are willing to work towards them.... you are taking a big step in the right direction. Just remember, talk is cheap. Coach Mac, Jeff & Joe have a lot of contacts along with Don Kelbick. Can you go to camps during the sumer? Don Kelbick holds several that can help you.

Well, the thing is, my family can't afford AAU ball or B-ball camps. I have to pay for alot of the things needed for basketball with my own money (shoes, 150$ camp last year, basketball hoop, ect) and I can't afford things like that, not to mention AAU ball requires lots of traveling (I think) and I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to do it.... He a class C schools makes it to the State Championships, would college coaches be watching?

Kenny: I rarely answer twice to any forum question but Iwill this time because I admire your pluck. You are me 50 years ago only with me it was Ice hockey.. I grew up very poor in a small northern Canadian town and learned to play on the frozen ponds. I would get up at 6 in te morning before school and go and skate then on the weekends, we would begin at 7 a.m. and play untiil eleven at night. If I broke a stick, I would nail it together and go back at it. I made it to semi pro, in fact I was offered a scholarship to Michigan State but couldnt accept because my grades were terrible. I quit high school to play Junior hockey for 15 dollars a week plus room, it was a tough life. why do I tell you this, because I think you are the kind of kid that can hurdle your difficulties and become successful. If you are good enough, trust me, the scouts will find you. They found Andrew Wiggens in the small town of Aurora Ontario they will find you. . My final piece ofadvice to you is dont let your financial situation be your excuse to quit or give up. All the coaches on this forum love this game. Coach Sars certainly does as he continues to aid youngsters such as your self long after retirement. Coach Kelbick, Joe Jeff Coach Rob will look after you trust in them, trust in yourself. Dont let us down..Coach Mac