 1. BASKETBALL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT What would be the best methods for having players learn guard skills and decision making? -- Rex Bauchert, Muncie, IN The physical skills you need to play the position are covered in “The Art of Basketball.” The decision-making skills are something you can pick up only through court experience. You have to develop the mindset of a guard. This includes being able to see the entire court, making sure people are set up in balance to run the offense; on defense, protecting against the fast break. There is no method, per se - you are the method, and you just have to increase your awareness of these things and keep repeating them until they become second nature. What is the
best exercise for increasing jumping ability? -- James Leg presses are one answer. Or any form of exercise that makes your legs push more than your body weight. I would not have younger players lift free weights because their joints and connective tissue are not yet fully formed. One of the best ways to develop jumping ability is simply to jump a lot. Vertical leap is important, but not as important in rebounding or shooting as timing and the quickness necessary to get good position or get open for shots. I am coaching an 8th grade team this year. We have had a couple of practices and have worked a lot on conditioning and basic fundamentals. However, it is about time to start working on an offense. The kids on the team are smart, they listen and work very hard. They all have good skills. What type of basic offense would you suggest we try to incorporate? Should we try to use the same offense the high school uses to get them ready for the next four years? -- Michael Feller, Evansville, IN You don’t want to teach an offense that no one will use after the year is over. Talk to the high school coaches and find out what they will expect of the kids, and run something parallel to what they have, even if you have to simplify it a bit. Otherwise your kids will be at a disadvantage when they go on to high school. I'm in fifth grade, 5 feet 4 inches, 85 pounds. What exercises would you recommend for strengthening upper body and leg muscles? -- Jake Sullivan, Brookston, IN First of all, anything you do in terms of a daily exercise routine at this age will benefit you the rest of your life. I would be more concerned with maintaining good overall health and stamina as opposed to concentrating on one or more specific muscle groups. At this age your joints and connective tissue (tendons, ligaments and cartilege) are not yet fully developed and you do not want to put too much strain on them. You're going to go through at least two or three spurts of growth. I recommend exercises which use your own body weight to create resistance: pushups and pullups for your arms and shoulders; squats (deep knee bends) for the leg muscles. And don't neglect situps and crunches for your abdomen! Jumping jacks are good for overall strength and flexibility. There's no substitute for running to increase both quickness and leg strength. Be sure you run properly and push off the ball of your foot. This will help develop ankle and calf muscles. I strongly recommend that you NOT do any free weight lifting at this age. If you work under the supervision of a strength coach, then maybe some light arm curls and leg presses would be OK. Otherwise I'd let the weightlifting wait until at least your early teens. As a youth league coach, how can I get through to young players that to be truly great, they have to work hard at fundamentals and understanding the game? Then, if they have been blessed with the extraordinary physical gifts it takes to play at the highest level, they can excel there too. -- Allen D. Buck, Evansville, IN Read “The Art of Basketball.” I’m serious. I wrote the book to help coaches and players upgrade the quality of play and return to an emphasis on the fundamentals. If you have good fundamental skills, there will always be a place for you on the court - even if you’re playing with people who have extraordinary physical gifts. Athletic ability will take you just so far. Your mental approach to the game is what makes you a winner. How do you think the game can be changed to put less emphasis on athletic ability and more on basketball ability? -- James A. Pierre, Evansville, IN See my answer to the question above. Ideally you should combine athletic ability and undertanding of the game. It’s not something you can mandate as far as changing the game - it’s really up to individual players and coaches. What is the best way to get players to "buy into" our program? To trust and believe in what we are teaching them? -- Pat Hayes, Darlington, IN This is difficult to answer without knowing the age, experience and skill level of your players. There has to be a good marriage between your concept of the game and the skill level of your players, and you have to present information in such a way that they understand "why" as well as "what." (In my book, I explain why mastering each of the basic fundamentals makes you a more complete player and more valuable to your team.) In order for players to have confidence in you as a coach, they need to experience success following your program. Since everyone today wants instant success, this makes your job more challenging. With young players, I would be less concerned about strategy and more concerned with teaching them to execute well. You have to persuade and demonstrate to them that if they will invest in mastering the basics of the game, they can always be competitive regardless of the skill level of any opponent they face. Who taught you how to play the game of basketball? -- Chris Knox, Clayton, IN When you learn to play, you learn from the people you compete against, or from watching the other kids. That’s how I learned. The sport is an outlet for you, but it is also a learning experience. If you learn properly, you understand what you have to do to improve your skills. Coaches can give you drills and guidance but you have to teach yourself. What is the best way to motivate my daughter who is 14 and 6ft tall and plays basketball at school to practice so she will get better? She is a great shot and has good follow-through but needs more dribbing skills, rebounding postioning and court awareness. She has great potential but doesn’t seem motivated to get as good as she can be. Right now she seems more interested in boys and talking on the phone. By the way I saw you in Evansville 10/25/99 and it was great. –- Clifton E. Feller, Evansville, IN This is one of
the challenges of being a Dad. First, keep in mind that at your daughter’s
age it is natural to be interested in boys and talking on the phone.
So you can’t present this as an either-or choice. Give her a
lot of support, make her aware of how sports can help her grow as
a person, and then let her discover this for herself. Sports give
you confidence, help you meet people, create opportunities for college
scholarships. Perhaps through God’s grace she could have an opportunity
to play in the Olympics. All these are wonderful goals, but she will
have to want them for herself. Also, be patient. Not everyone’s
body and coordination develop at the same rate. As she develops more
confidence in her abilities, hopefully she will be motivated to improve How should
I start out a young boy, 5-6 years old, to help him get At that age, you first want to see if he likes basketball. Get him a smaller ball that’s right for his hand size so he can pass, dribble and shoot. Give him lots of encouragement and let him enjoy the process of learning to play. Make sure he doesn’t wind up with a teacher or coach who drives him away from the game. Why don't you see more players use your technique of shooting free throws? It sure worked for me. -- Bob Hazel, Roswell, NM Everyone thinks I shot a one-handed shot. I was more deliberate in the way I shot but I still had two hands on the ball; my left hand was still guiding the ball. Your free throw shooting style is an individual matter, based on what’s comfortable for your body. In my case I thought it made sense to have the same technique of releasing the ball in shooting free throws as I did when I shot in the open court. To submit your question or comment, click here.
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