Time is No Excuse, Part II

A few days ago I posted a blog on how you don't need a lot of time to get in a good shooting workout. To prove what I was talking about I made 125 shots in 35 minutes with the use of a rim reducer and without a rebounder. I then challenged players to make 150 shots within 35 minutes. Today I did just that. I went to the gym and used my phone as a stopwatch to keep up with my 35 minutes. I made a total of 212 shots in 35 minutes. Of those shots, 27 were free throws and 50 were 3 pointers. I made a variety of different shots. Shots were made off the dribble, on the move, off different cuts, and off self passes. This workout was done for a reason. It proves that if you have 30 to 35 minutes you can get in a good efficient shooting workout. Don't shoot for 2 hours if you can get it done in 1 hour or 45 minutes. Make your workouts efficient. It's not always about how many shots you put up but how may put in. Set a goal, have a plan, and go full speed on your shooting drills. Since I made 212 shots in 35 minutes then varsity high school and college players should be able to make 250 or more shots in that same time frame under the same conditions. Get to the gym and get after it.

Time is No Excuse

After a recent training session I had I decided to stick around and get a short shooting workout in. I didn't have much time so I wanted to get in as many shots as possible in 30 to 40 minutes. I was by myself so I didn't have a rebounder and I used a rim reducer. The rim reducer I used was made by Competitive Edge and it made the rim 16 inches in width and it sits 1 inch higher than the rim to improve shooting form and optimal arc. In 30-35 minutes I was able to make 125 shots plus some free throws. I made 100 shots inside the arc and 25 shots from 3. There was a variety of shots taken and made. Shots off the pass (self pass), off the dribble, off various pivots, fakes, etc. So if you are a player in middle school, high school, or even a college player all you need is a little time to get in a good workout. Your shooting workouts are about being efficient. It's not how many shots you take but how may you make. I showed that I could make 125 shots in 30-35 minutes with a rim reducer so that means players should be able to make 150-175 shots in the same time without a rim reducer. Go to the gym with a plan and get after it. Now you can't say you don't have enough time to get to the gym.

Bad Passes

Anyone that has played basketball has been in practice and heard their coach yell, "Throw good passes." You hear this all the time when you and your teammates are going through shooting drills. Usually no one is guarding the passer or the shooter so there should be good passes. But is that game like? How many times in a game is a shooter given a perfect or near perfect pass coming around a screen or moving to an open spot. This perfect pass becomes harder when you are being pressured the full length of the floor. Now, you want to be able to make the pass when you are pressured so your teammate can shoot in one smooth fluid motion, but that doesn't always happen. So as a shooter what can you do about this? My answer is spend time shooting off bad passes. I suggest spending about 10 minutes at the end of a shooting workout. Nothing special or fancy, just coming around a screen and catching a bad pass. Or stepping into a shot off a bad pass. This can even be done throughout the shooting workout or practice. If you are shooting 10 shots off a fade screen then maybe one or two of the passes thrown should be bad passes. I suggest, if all possible, for the coaches or managers to make the passes. If there are not enough coaches or managers then the drill should be done after practice with the coach and a few of the players. I do not believe players should practice throwing bad passes to teammates. The bad passes should be catchable, but the shooter may have to jump, bend low, reach behind, etc to catch the ball. This will teach the shooter how to catch bad passes and still be able to shoot in rhythm. Catching a few bad passes in practice will help prepare the shooter for more game like situations

Different Cuts

A couple of days ago I posted a blog on how to move without the ball. It gave you four key components on how to move without the ball and how to be effective. Another important component on how to move without the ball is using different cuts. As a basketball player you want to get as much of an advantage over the defense as you possibly can. Knowing various cuts and how to use them will give an added advantage. Listed below I have a few cuts to use when you are moving without the ball.

L Cut
L Cut is a great way to get open against pressuring defense. It’s a good move to use if you are a post player that needs to get open at the high post or a perimeter player needing to get open on the wing.

Fade Cut
This cut is a good move to have when the defense is overplaying you for the screen. The defensive player will try to go over the top of the screen and then you can fade opposite of the direction of the screen.

Straight Cut
An offensive player can use a straight cut when the defensive player is caught staring at the ball. If you are able to see the back of the defenders head or jersey then you can use a straight cut to get to an open area.

Move Without the Ball

If you want to be an efficient offensive player then you must learn how to move without the basketball. Being able to move without the basketball keeps constant pressure on the defense. The player guarding you must be ready at all times because you are constantly moving to different spots on the floor and using various cuts. To be able to move without the basketball effectively you must know 4 key things:

1.Where your teammates are

2.Where the ball is

3.How to change speeds

4.Never stand in a spot for more than 2 seconds.

If you know those four components and how to use various cuts to get open then you will be effective without the basketball.

Pre-Season Basketball Training

Nothing But Net Basketball will be offering Pre-Season basketball training for boys and girls in 7th-12th grade. This workshop is designed for basketball players who want to get an early advantage on their upcoming season. This workshop will focus on basketball skill development and endurance training. The Pre-Season workshop will focus on advanced drills and techniques that include but not limited to; fatigue shooting, tennis ball drills, concentration drills, weak hand development, transition play, and competitive group drills. The endurance segment will enhance conditioning with basketball specific drills to improve agility, lateral quickness, footwork, and strength.

Pre-Season Highlights

• Competitive group drills
• Advanced drills
• Proper footwork
• Fatigue shooting
• Agility & Endurance training
• 6 weeks of training
• Much more!

7th/8th grade girls - Every Tuesday starting September 15th through October 20th
7th/8th grade boys - Every Wednesday starting September 16th through October 21st
High School girls - Every Sunday starting September 13th through October 18th
High School boys - Every Sunday starting September 13th through October 18th

For more information or to register please visit www.NothingButNetBball.com/workshops.aspx

It's not easy being good

I recently finished a training session with a client of mine who is in the 8th grade. He's a great kid, works hard, and he wants to get better. About 20 minutes into our workout his face is covered in sweat, his shirt is drenched, and he had a look on face that said he wasn't sure if he could make it through the workout. I kept pushing him to continue to work hard, to move quicker, faster and to be more efficient. I told him it's not easy being good. It takes a lot of work and dedication to become good and even more hard work to get better. If it was easy being good then every basketball player would be on an even playing field. The hard work is what separates the average player from the good player and the good player from the elite. You get out of basketball what you put in it. So if you show the game hard work and commitment then the game will show you success.