ARE YOU CONTAGIOUS?

When we hear the word “contagious” we often envision something that can be transmitted from one person to another through some type of contact.

In basketball, there are very few things that are contagious. For example, Talent, Experience and Size aren’t contagious to other teammates. No matter how hard you try to infect a teammate with your talent, it just won’t happen. No matter how hard you try to infect a younger teammate with your game experience, it’s not gonna happen.

However, there is one thing you do have that is not only contagious to your teammates, but can cause a severe infection if not carefully treated, it’s your attitude.

Your attitude, whether it be good or bad, is extremely contagious and it can have a major impact on your teammates accordingly. A player with a great attitude can lift up a team just as easily as a player with a bad attitude can tear an entire team apart. The bad attitude could be diagnosed as anything from laziness and short-cutting in drills to constant complaining or cussing when the coach is out of range to hear it.

A player with a bad attitude spreads petty jealousy, resentment and division among their teammates. And a bad attitude never heals itself if left alone. It must always be treated and cured. A bad attitude will fester and can ruin a good team.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

4:13

LOVE THE NEW G COMMERCIAL

NOT ON TALENT ALONE...

When you think of some of the greatest players in the game today, Kobe is without a doubt among the best. Love him or hate him, the guy has huge game and sick skills and the following quote highlights that it’s not based on talent alone.

“…Last fall, sitting outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, I was enjoying a conversation with Shaquille O'Neal when the subject of Kobe Bryant came up. Shaq went on to tell me that he never had a teammate that worked as hard as Kobe and that he was borderline possessed about working out each day. He told me that the workouts were long and difficult. Not just working on shooting, which Shaq said he did daily and at a rigorous speed, but also on the fundamentals, conditioning and in the weight room. There is a rumor that Kobe refers to his regiment as the "Devil Workout" because it includes 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, 6 months a year…”

- Bob Starkey

BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADER

As a player, being an effective leader on your team can sometimes be a difficult balancing act. I once heard it likened to holding a dove in your hand. “Hold it too tightly and you kill it… not tightly enough and it flies away.”

Stephen Covey from Leadershipnow.com talks about this being a learning process, by adhering to 13 common behaviors of trusted leaders around the world that build -- and allow you to maintain – trust among your teammates.

When you adopt these ways of behaving, it's like holding that dove in just the right way.

1. Talk Straight

2. Demonstrate Respect

3. Create Transparency

4. Right Wrongs

5. Show Loyalty

6. Deliver Results

7. Get Better

8. Confront Reality

9. Clarify Expectation

10. Practice Accountability

11. Listen First

12. Keep Commitments

13. Extend Trust

4:13

SCRIMMAGE FOR A PURPOSE

As fun as it may be to scrimmage every time you go to the gym, scrimmaging in itself doesn't really help players improve their skills.

A coaches job is to prepare you for games by working to replicate game-like situations in practices, and that often involves more drill work than scrimmaging.

Although scrimmages should be enjoyable, they should serve as opportunities to practice a particular skill under game-like conditions. A great example of this would be to practice your fakes during the scrimmages. Pay attention to what part of your fake works and what doesn't and practice making the neccesary adjustments accordingly. Using scrimmages to practice these skills will mean that you will be ready once the season starts.

A player will usually revert to their dominant habits, whether good or bad, in stressfull situations (real games) and rather than use scrimmaging as "fun time," players should use them as the perfect opportunity to build and reinforce good habits. By spending some time working to perfect those skills, you are ensuring the real fun is going to come once the season starts and you are prepared and able to do things you've never been able to do before.

4:13

ARE YOU SACRIFICING FOR THE TEAM?

In the world of sports, there is one thing that some athletes just can’t understand. The team with the best overall talent doesn’t automatically win a championship. It just doesn't happen that way, and the history is there to prove it -- in every sport.

If everything necessary to win a championship was measured by talent alone, then it would be real easy to predict the champion each year, but everything isn’t measured by talent alone. There is however, one thing that goes beyond talent, something that is immeasurable for all sports teams, and that is team chemistry.

To win a championship, it takes 12 athletes sacrificing their personal goals and doing what is best for the team at all times... both on and off the court.

4:13

FRESH KICKS... JUST FOR FEMALES?

Had a representative for Nfinity basketball shoes contact me last night to ask if he could bring a sample of a new hoops shoe by to let us take a look at it and give him some feedback. Although I’ve never heard of Nfinity, I did a little research and found that they have a following in the WNBA. (Link)

Nfinity’s claim to fame in their shoe design is that they are specifically designed for female athletes. BioniQ (Link) addresses the pronounced Q Angle, the angle between hip and knee, which increases the likelihood of ACL injuries found in women. The technology conserves the energy needed to keep the foot aligned and helps protect the ACL when an athlete becomes fatigued.

Although the Nfinity hoops shoe (Link) probably won’t win a beauty contest for a stylish kick, it weighs in at a mere 11 ounces which is 2 ounces lighter than the Hyperdunk and... Nfinity believes so strongly in their shoe that they are offering a money back guarantee if you are not happy with the shoes.

Hmm? Anybody wanna take a look at 'em this week?

IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE & FOOTWORK

The key to good defensive position is balance. A player has to be able to move forward, backward, laterally -- all with quickness and agility. The center of gravity has to be kept low while the player is poised, ready to move in any direction.

In the basic defensive position, players should place their feet approximately a shoulder's width apart, with hips low and back fairly straight. Players should be balanced on the balls of their feet for even body weight distribution.

Even while keep low, players have to keep their heads up because the position of the head is important to body balance. Players can't let their heads get too far forward or to one side because they'll lose that balance.

(thanks coach Starkey)

A Masterpiece Waiting to Be Set Free

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

- Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Like Michelangelo being able to "see" the end result from a giant block of marble, most coaches can spot a player that has an “angel within” just waiting to be set free. However, without the help of a coach, most players lack the vision, patience and discipline necessary to make it happen.

All it takes is creating the vision of the player you want to become, and like Michelangelo carefully chipping away at the block of marble, focus your efforts on working toward that vision of the player you want to become until it begins to take shape.

4:13

FRESH KICKS

Nike unveiled the new Air Max LeBron VII today... SWEEEEET!

4 MUSTS to Improve Your Game

If you want to become a better player (and be recognized as a good player) then there are four things that you MUST incorporate into your game.

Must #1: Develop Your Weak Hand

If you want to become a better player, you must learn to dribble with your weak hand. Most players are uncomfortable using their weak hand and therefore rarely practice using it. As a young player, learning to us your weak hand will immediately separate you from the competition. So when you’re working out, make sure you do your drills using both hands.

Must #2: Develop Good Footwork & Balance

Footwork and balance are probably the most overlooked aspect in the game of basketball. Good footwork and balance can mean the difference between having an open shot and a contested shot. It’s the difference between being known as a defensive stopper or a poor defender. If you want to become a good player, you should spend as much time working on your footwork as you do your jump shot.

Must #3: Be Able to Play Through Contact

Another must have in your workout is learning to finish, as well as getting open, when defenders are all over you. Have a teammate bump you as you make your cuts, or bump you when you go up for a shot. The more often it happens in practice, the better prepared you’ll be to handle it, both physically and mentally, when you get bumped in a game.

Must #4: Expect Contested Shots

If you have a partner available for your workout, closeout and contest each other’s shots. In games, you’re going to have a defender and you’re going to have to shoot with a hand in your face, so it’s important to simulate game-like situations in your workouts.

4:13

ARE YOU PLAYING THE ODDS?

One of the most important lessons for a young player to learn about the game of hoops is that “playing the percentages” is what ultimately wins not only games, but championships.

Here are a few examples of high percentage basketball:

 When you notice that a team runs 75% of their plays from the right side of the court (because their PG can’t go left), use the percentages to your favor and force the PG to the left.

 Learning where the ball will likely come off the basket on a missed shot (see previous post on "Dead Time"– link) gives you an advantage in rebounding.

 Teams that don’t get 70 percent or more of their points from the paint rarely win championships. So shut down the paint and force them into shooting low percentage shots... from outside.

 Teams that win championships almost always force more turnovers than their opponents.

 Teams that make 80 percent of their free throws as a team, and shoot more free throws than their opponents almost always win.

 Teams that give up the fewest points in transition almost always win.

Playing percentage basketball is playing smart basketball by increasing the odds of getting more possessions than your opponent, and more possessions equates to more scoring opportunities.

The point is this, although talent will often keep your team in the game, playing the percentages will dramatically increase the odds of your team winning.

(thanks Alan Lambert)

What defines an athlete, the mental or the physical?

A large part of an athlete's performance is their mental state. Dr. John F. Murray, a widely-known sports psychologist said, the mind is a huge component of performance and outcome. The mental state that the player is in, either healthy or not seems to reflect on how the athlete plays on game-day, which often affects both the individual athlete's and the teams overall performance.

"It doesn't matter how small or big you are, the mind moves the body; the body is like the machine and the brain is like the engine." Murray said "Both the body and mind are always key aspects of an athlete's performance and neither should be ignored."

Why am I interested in this?

Because as a college coach, I don't want to recruit athletes solely based on their athletic abilities. I have experienced both positive and negative effects of mental toughness as an athlete and as a coach. I may have been the smallest or least talented player on the court but I really believed that I could outwork, outplay, and beat my opponents. On the other hand, I've coached a couple of players that were clearly the best players on the court but mentally they didn't see or believe that they were. In fact, they ran away from the challenge, because they lacked the mental toughness or confidence to lead.

So instead of looking for the best looking car or athlete, I'm looking under the hood to check the engine or brain. I don't want to be left stranded when the game is on the line.

- coach L. Dorsey, Western Kentucky University

PERFECT DEFINITION OF A ROLE PLAYER

When 31-year-old NBA veteran Brian Cardinal sits on the Timberwolves bench, he doesn’t complain about playing time. "It's crazy: Some days, you play. Some days, you don't. Sometimes, your number is called. Sometimes, it's not. You just have to be ready at all times.” Cardinal says.

"The last game, he had three steals, and he took three charges," [Coach] Kevin McHale said. "That's six possessions he gave us. That's huge."

Cardinal is one of those rare NBA role players who, understands his role and is happy to be playing. Cardinal is first to acknowledge that he's "heavy on will and seemingly light on skill."

"I'm not the greatest of athletes, the greatest of jumpers," he said. "The list of things I'm not very good at goes on and on. I try to make up for that with hard work and just knowing the game. I try to make people somewhat uncomfortable [defensively]. Anytime you're in your comfort zone, you're at your best. So I try to make the other guy uncomfortable."

He’s not an offensive threat by any means, but he more than makes up for it with his defense and his work ethic. He understands what his team needs from him and he’s happy to deliver.

4:13

SUCCESS BEGINS WITH YOU

Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden was a stickler for discipline. But it wasn't punishment or forced discipline. You did it the right way or you didn't play.

Why were his teams so good? Because they avoided many of the highs and lows associated with external motivators. He believes that striving to be the best you can be on a daily basis is what produces champions. He didn't drive his players because he wanted something. He encouraged them to do their best each and every day.

The point is, if you expect others to do things to get you to play the right way, or make the right effort all the time, you will be the loser. It begins with you.

(thanks coach Lambert)

Under Wooden, UCLA won an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships, including seven consecutive (1966-73). Included in the string is one of the most amazing win streaks in all of sports, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, 19 conference championships and four undefeated seasons of 30-0.

There is a reason the trophy given to the best college basketball player each year is called the John Wooden Trophy.

4:13

Why is shot selection so important?

I often preach on the importance of shot selection and how a shot that is contested, off-balance, or maybe just outside of your range hurts your team. A bad shot is usually the first pass for your opponent’s fast break.

Against a slower or less talented team it may not be such a big deal, but you won't be able to beat many good teams taking bad shots.

4:13

NEVER GIVE UP... OR GIVE UP A POSSESSION

Coaches often preach to their teams about how “every possession counts” and it surprises me how few players really understand what the coach is trying to get across to them.

Players usually assign tremendous value to a possession (for a shot) when their team is down by two-points with just a few seconds left on the clock. Well of course those possessions are important. But at the end of a close game, the wasted possessions in the first half of the game are probably the reason the game is so close at the end of the game.

For our team, last season’s Lakeside game (link) drove the point home about how every possession (especially free throws) is absolutely critical in a close game. Up by one point, we miss five free throws in the final 47 seconds and Lakeside hits two free throws with 5.3 seconds left to beat us by one point.

In addition to placing value on every possession (especially free throws), it is important to never give up until the final buzzer sounds. Reggie Miller proved that time and time again in his career. With 18.7 seconds left and his team down by six points, Miller scored six points in 3.7 seconds and ended up scoring eight points in the final 18.7 seconds.

Never give up!

4:13

WHY IS CATCHING THE BALL SO DIFFICULT?

It never fails fails to amaze me how many times during a game a player will be wide open and asking for the ball, and yet when the ball is delivered to them... they fumble the catch. Needless to say, it doesn't do any good to be wide open if you aren't ready to catch the ball when it is delivered.

A great passer reads when you are prepared to catch a ball and delivers it in a timely fashion. However all too many passers, think just getting the ball in your vicinity completes their mission. Because you have the responsibility of catching the pass (even a bad one) it pays to know how to catch them.

1. Deccelerate the Ball on the Catch for Soft Hands

The most common cause for catching error in basketball are stiff hands and arms. The hands and arms must serve as shock absorbers to take the energy out of the ball. The best passers zip the ball which means if you try to catch it with stiff arms the energy has to go somewhere. Commonly, this energy remains in the ball causing it to tumble through your hands or glance off them. As the pass arrives anticipate the energy and take the energy out of the ball.

2. Catch the Ball with the Finger Tips

You shoot a basketball off the finger tips because this is the area you have the most sensory receptors and you have the greatest ability to adjust or control the flight of the ball. So what is so different when it comes to catching a ball. If you expect to be a great "catcher" remember you have to literally feel it. Let the ball come into your finger tips and feel the ball.

3. Watch It Hit

You can't go anywhere without the basketball so be sure you watch the ball clear into your hands and secure it prior to attempting to initiate any move. A great number of catching turnovers are the result of simply trying to initiate your move prior to having the basketball firmly in your possession. Just as you lock on the basket when you are a great shooter, lock onto the ball until it hits your finger tips and secure that gem prior to attempting to do anything else with the basketball.

4. Catch It and Snatch It

Once the ball hits the finger tips, snatch it like a rebound with strength. If the ball is not caught in your natural shooting spot or triple threat position snatch it immediately to this position. Good defenders recognize when you are not in position to pass, shoot or dribble, and pressure you accordingly. If you must catch a pass to advance the ball in your half court or full-court offenses where you are not an immediate threat to score, then snatch the ball under your chin to this position of strength until you can pivot and put yourself into the triple threat position without unnecessarily exposing the ball to a defender.

- Alan Lambert

SOFO

Thousands of players go passively for offensive rebounds and coaches often let players get away with that passive effort. Perhaps the reason is that defensive rebounds are expected, or easier to get. But in most cases, the reason that more offensive rebounds are not grabbed is simply that players don’t try hard enough to get them.

Spin Off the First Obstacle (SOFO) is something you should try to do to improve your offensive rebounding. Spinning off the first obstacle requires that you go seeking the ball and that you try to avoid a blockout (boxout) to get it. Now not every rebound will end up in your hands whether you SOFO or not, but if you are constantly spinning off the first obstacle, over the course of a season you are going to get a lot of more offensive rebounds than you normally would have. And remember, offensive rebounds are “another” offensive possession under your basket.

- Dick Devenzio

ARE YOUR TEAMMATES FOLLOWING YOU?

"I have no individual goals. We play for one reason and that's to win the title. Practice is more important than the games, and I will practice when I'm hurt, when 95 percent of the players in this league would sit out. I expect all of you to do the same thing. You will follow my lead."

- Michael Jordan to his Chicago Bulls teammates... and follow him they did.

DECIDE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this... decide what you want."

- Ben Stein

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success.

4:13

ARE YOU A GREAT PLAYER?

It's not your shot; it's our shot:

Great players don't take bad shots, and they certainly don't worry about getting "my" shots. Great players work for good shots and understand that it is not "my" shot, it is "our" shot. Great players celebrate when "we" score.

Box out and go to the glass every time:

Great players are disciplined enough to lay a body on someone. They make first contact and go after the ball. And great players do it on every possession, not just when they feel like it. They understand defense is not complete until the defense secures the ball.

Move on to the next play:

Great players don't waste time celebrating a good play or pouting over a bad one. They understand that basketball is too fast a game to waste time and opportunities celebrating or having angry reactions. Great players move on to the next play. They know that the most important play in any game is always the next one.

Get to your teammate first:

When your teammate lays her body on the line to dive on the floor for a loose ball or to take a charge, the great players get to her first to help her back up. If your teammate misses a free throw, great players get to her right away. Great players are also great teammates.

Take responsibility for your teammates:

Great players expect a lot from their teammates, but they also put them first. When practice starts at 3:30 p.m., great players not only get themselves there with plenty of time to spare, but they also make sure their teammates are there on time, too. Great players take responsibility for others in addition to themselves. They make sure their teammates succeed first, and they give credit to their teammates before taking it themselves.

Make getting better every day your goal:

Great players come to work every day to get better. They meet victory and defeat the same way. They get up the next day and go to work to be better than they were the day before. Great players hate losing but are not shaken or deterred by a loss. Great players enjoy winning but are never satisfied.

For great players, a championship or a trophy is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is to get better every day.

4:13

Post Players Should Be Agile, Mobile & Hostile

Here are some things that are important for post players:

Always catch the ball and look to the middle.

By doing this, a post player can see most of the court. She can locate her defender, see where double-teams in the defense are coming from and locate her teammates cutting to the basket.

A post player should always initiate contact in the lane.

You can read your defender and which way to make a move when you get your body on her and know where she is. For example, when you seal your man away from the basket, it creates room to set up the lob pass over the top.

A post player should have a favorite move and a counter move.

It is usually a waste of time to teach a player five or six moves inside because they wind up using none of them. It is better to perfect a jump hook or turnaround jumper. And, like a pitcher who has a change-up to go with his fastball, a counter move is needed. Like the "up and under" where you fake the jump hook to get the defender off her feet, then step through and power the ball through the basket.

When rebounding, always keep your head and hands up and move towards the basket. Rebounding is mostly about effort and desire, so go hard to the basket on each shot.

A good rebounder anticipates where the missed shot will go.

- From former coach and ESPN announcer Fran Fraschilla

Being a "good player" vs being a "good teammate"

Much has been said recently regarding the way David Beckham joined the the LA Galaxy. His manager demanding that he be named team captain and he was not only paid more than any other player in the league, but twice as much as any other player in the league.

“All that we care about at a minimum is that he is committed. Show up and train hard. Show up and play hard. Maybe he's not a leader, maybe he's not a real captain. Fair enough. But at a minimum you should bust your butt every day.

'That hasn't happened. And I don't think that's too much for us to expect. I can't even say he's a good teammate any more. He's not shown that. I can't think of another guy where I'd say he wasn't a good team-mate, he didn't give everything.”

- Landon Donovan

LA Galaxy captain prior to Beckham's arrival, and one of the most important players on the U.S. Men's National Team on teammate David Beckham

There is a MAJOR difference between being a good player and being a good teammate.

A “good player” may have game, but may also be a major disruption to the overall chemistry of the team. Whereas a “good teammate” may or may not have game, but being a good teammate helps the team to become the best they are capable of becoming.

Be Like Mike: Lessons from Michael Jordan

"Michael has told me before, 'You have all the tools. The mental part of how to elevate your teammates is the last piece you have to master,''' Bryant said. "I find getting players involved requires me to be more focused than usual."

"When I'm scoring, I have a narrow, laser focus. I get totally lost in the rhythm of shooting. But when I'm facilitating [getting them involved], I have to take a step back and look at a much broader picture. I have to wait for things to develop, or make them develop. It takes patience.''

- Kobe Bryant