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Rusty LaRue
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Bring Back The Multiple Sport Athlete

8/5/2014

 
PictureLebron James was an all-state receiver in high school.
There have been many articles done over the past ten years about the decline of the multi-sport athlete in the United States. In my opinion that falls directly on parents and coaches. As a parent and former multi-sport athlete myself, I am just as guilty as the next parent or coach. In our quest to have kids who excel and possibly even earn a scholarship, we narrow their focus at very early ages. When we find a sport where they have some success, we tend to steer them in that direction. The growth of organized youth sports has allowed a child who wants to specialize the chance to compete almost every weekend. For example, I could register my sons for some sort of basketball camp, showcase, or clinic practically every weekend of the year without driving more than 3-4 hours from my house. On top of that, there are numerous basketball trainers eagerly awaiting to train them daily or weekly. This abundance of opportunity is not necessarily a bad thing, but in my opinion is not the healthiest way for athletes to develop.

The reality is that most kids are not fully developed and finished growing until they are 16-18 years old. In today's society, athletes are often starting to narrow their focus prior to high school. If I had chosen the sport I was best at in the 8th grade, I would have specialized in baseball. I was 5'9" and rail thin but had great hand eye coordination and a good arm. Would I have made it to the majors or even gotten a baseball scholarship? I don't know the answer but I am glad I continued to play multi-sports. Yes I probably was not as proficient at any one sport due to playing the others, but I learned valuable lessons and skills in one sport that translated to the other. The toughness and leadership skills I learned as a quarterback as well as the focus and attention to detail I learned on the baseball field were integral in my growth as a basketball player.  I certainly would not have played ACC basketball if it wasn't for a full football scholarship.

We have all heard the stories of burn out as well as the potential for over use injuries. Of course those are concerns but I want to focus on what I feel is the biggest reason why athletes should play multiple sports while developing. Growth as a person and an athlete can only come when you are challenged and pushed outside of your comfort zone. In my opinion, playing multiple sports is the best way to challenge an athlete mentally and physically. The effort and mental toughness it takes to switch your mindset from one sport to another will stretch and grow a young athlete physically and emotionally. The star in one sport might have to learn to be a role player in another. By playing more than one sport, an athlete stokes the competitive fire within them in different ways and that is a great thing.

You might argue that when competing for a college scholarship, you can't afford to not be playing year round because your competition will be. In reality you might be right that someone who focuses on one sport may have more skills at an earlier age. However, I would argue that a smart college coach will look at the fact that you played multiple sports and see the benefit in that. If I am comparing two players in high school one of which has focused exclusively on basketball year round and another who has played multiple sports, which one do you think might make the biggest advances once they go to college?
I strongly feel that athletes should play more than one sport at least through their sophomore year of high school. At that point, if one sport sticks out as something they should focus on then go for it. Enough already with the 12 year old phenom who does nothing but play one sport. Push them out of their comfort zone and try something new. If it's not another sport then have them learn an instrument or pick up a hobby. I guarantee in the long run it will be a rewarding experience.

NCAA Basketball Recruiting Calendar

8/1/2014

 

The NCAA live period for men's basketball recruiting is now officially over. Having gone through it as both a college coach and the parent of a prospect, I can attest that the system is not ideal for anyone involved (except maybe the tournament operators and hotels). Now that college coaches get eight weeks to work out their players in the summer, they are pushed to the max trying to fit in workouts and get out on the road to recruit. They work Monday and Tuesday developing their current players then travel on Wednesday to tournaments to watch recruits. Once the tournament ends on Sunday, they fly or drive back to campus and do it all over again. As for players, they travel all over the country missing class in the Spring and living out of hotels in the July period. The amount of games they play in a short time is grueling and taxing on their bodies. And as for parents of players, they almost have no choice but to send their kids on the road with the coach because they can't get enough time off work or even afford the travel costs and game entry fees.

While I do not claim to have all the answers, I do have a few ideas:

  1. Make April through August a quiet period which allows coaches to communicate with recruits as well as recruits to visit college campuses. This gives juniors a chance to take some visits prior to their senior year in the summer when they are out of school.
  2. Have a ten day recruiting period for coaches to go back into homes and high schools in April. Start it the Thursday before signing day and concluding it after a short three day dead period just before the signing period.
  3. Schedule two evaluation weekends for coaches to watch NCAA certified events (travel teams) in the Spring. One on the last weekend of April and the other in early May. This avoids the situation of this past recruiting calendar where there was only one evaluation weekend. The Spring evaluation weekend would only be three days (Friday through Sunday).
  4. Have a mandatory three week dead period from the end of May into the middle of June. This gives coaches a break and keeps players off college campuses when they should be studying for exams.
  5. Add one four day (Thursday through Sunday) recruiting period in late June which allows coaches to go watch prospects with their high school team only. This will help keep the high school coach involved in the recruiting process in the summer.
  6. Scheduled only two four day (Thursday through Sunday) evaluation periods for coaches to watch NCAA certified events in July with a week off in between them. The other option would be to leave it at the current three weekends but shorten them. Kids need to play less and coaches need to travel less.

With this format, there are only four weekend periods for coaches to watch NCAA certified events but additional dates added are added to watch players with their high school teams in June and it spreads out the Spring recruiting period. It would also remove the dead period restrictions in July so parents could take kids on visits when they are not in school.

I would love to hear what other coaches at all levels as well as parents like or dislike about the current set up for men's college basketball recruiting. Take a minute and comment now!


10 Keys to Beating a Zone

7/21/2014

 
10 KEYS TO BEATING A ZONE

  1. BEAT THE DEFENSE DOWN THE FLOOR
    Push the tempo to catch the defense off guard to create quick easy scoring chances.

  2. IDENTIFY THE ZONE
    If there is no initial scoring opportunity in transition, you must properly identify what zone is being played (ie, 1-2-2, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3-1 match-up, etc.) and set up the offense accordingly.

  3. MAINTAIN GOOD SPACING
    Spacing is vital on offense and even more so vs zone. Poor spacing allows the defense to guard two offensive players with one defensive player. Proper spacing will spread out the zone and open up scoring opportunities.

  4. CRISP PASSING AND BALL MOVEMENT
    The quicker the ball moves the harder it is for a zone to keep up and adjust. “Skip” passes are particularly effective and force the zone into long rotations.

  5. BE READY TO MAKE A PLAY
    Offensive players must be in triple threat position on the catch ready to attack. You cannot simply pass the ball around the perimeter holding the ball above our head.

  6. ATTACK THE GAPS WITH LIMITED DRIBBLING
    Unnecessary dribbling allows the defense time to adjust or reset and slows down ball movement. The best time to drive a gap is when the zone is in rotation. Penetrate and protect the ball.

  7. GET THE BALL INSIDE
    Zones are designed to force outside shots. You must attack inside out by penetrating the zone with low and high post passes. Often the best outside scoring opportunities come from inside out play.

  8. OUT NUMBER AND OVERLOAD
    Depending on the zone being played you must identify the weak areas and attack those weaknesses by working to get a numbers advantage. You can accomplish this by screening as well.

  9. BE PATIENT
    You want to be aggressive but you also cannot settle for the first quick shot. Work the zone to create GREAT not GOOD scoring opportunities.

  10. PURSUE OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS
    Zones offer excellent offensive rebound opportunities due to the lack of direct man-to-man responsibilities. You have to exploit this weakness with relentless pursuit of the ball.

Qualities of a Leader: Part III

7/16/2014

 
John Maxwell's 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader Part III

RELATIONSHIP
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.
  • “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
  • People truly do want to go along with people they get along with.  And while someone can have people skills and not be a good leader, he cannot be a good leader without people skills.
  • The first quality of a relational leader is the ability to understand how people feel and think.
  • The ability to look at each person, understand him, and connect with him is a major factor in relational success.  That means treating people differently, not all the same as one another.
  • Leaders have empathy for others and keen ability to find the best in people by truly caring for others.  You cannot be a truly effective leader, the kind that people want to follow, unless you love people.
  • People respect a leader who keeps their interests in mind.  If your focus is on what you can put into people rather than what you can get out of them, they’ll love and respect you.

RESPONSIBILITY
“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility… In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.
  • “A leader can give up anything – except final responsibility.”
  • In a study of self-made millionaires, it was found that all have one thing in common – they work very hard.
  • If you want to succeed, be willing to put the organization ahead of your agenda.
  • “Stress comes from doing less than you can.”
  • Excellence is a great motivator.  People who desire excellence – and work hard to achieve it – are almost always responsible.
  • The ultimate quality of a responsible person is the ability to finish.
  • “When an archer misses the mark he turns and looks for the fault within himself.  Failure to hit the bull’s-eye is never the fault of the target.  To improve your aim, improve yourself.”
  • If you have trouble achieving excellence, maybe you’ve lowered your standards.

SECURITY

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.
  • Don’t follow the crowd; make up your own mind.
  • What great banner would have been fought and won under the banner, ‘I stand for consensus’?
  • No one can live on a level inconsistent with the way he sees himself.  You may have observed that in people.  If someone sees himself as a loser, he finds a way to lose.  Anytime his success surpasses his security, the result is self-destruction. That’s not only true for followers, but it’s also true for leaders.
  • An insecure leader hoards power.
  • “Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.”

SELF-DISCIPLINE
“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
  • “A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself… He belongs to whatever can make captive of him.”
  • Self-discipline can’t be a one-time event.  It has to become a lifestyle.
  • “Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.”
  • Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you’re likely to become discouraged.  Count the benefits of doing what’s right, and then dive in.
  • “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.  There’s plenty of movement, but never know if it’s going be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

SERVANTHOOD
“You’ve got to love your people more than your position.
  • Servanthood is not about position or skill.  It’s about attitude.
  • The truth is that the best leaders desire to serve others, not themselves.
  • Definition = Intentionally being aware of your people’s needs, available to help them, and able to accept their desires as important.
  • The real heart of servanthood is security.  Show me someone who thinks he is too important to serve, and I’ll show you someone who is basically insecure.”
  • The Law of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others.  It’s also true that only secure leaders exhibit servanthood.
  • Great leaders see the need, seize the opportunity, and serve without expecting anything in return.
  • It is true that those who would be great must be like the least and be the servant of all.

TEACHABILITY
“Value your listening and reading time at roughly ten times your talking time.  This will assure you that you are on a course of continuous learning and self-improvement.
  • “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” John Wooden
  • Leaders face the danger of contentment with the status quo.
  • “As long as you’re green, you’re growing.  As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.”
  • If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much today.
  • Teachability requires us to admit we don’t know everything, and that can make us look bad.  In addition, if we keep learning, we must also keep making mistakes.  “The greatest mistake one can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”
  • “If you don’t like the crop you’re reaping, check the seed you are sowing.”

VISION
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.
  • “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”
  • Vision leads the leader.  It paints the target.  It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward.  “Show me a leader without vision, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t going anywhere.”
  • If you lack vision, look inside yourself.  Draw on your natural gifts and desires.  Look to your calling if you have one.
  • The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract.  The more challenging the vision, the harder the participants fight to achieve it.
  • “The first thing you do is to teach the person to feel that the vision is very important and nearly impossible.  That draws out the drive in winners.”

Qualities of a Leader: Part II

7/15/2014

 
John Maxwell's 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader Part II

FOCUS
“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”
  • What does it take to have the focus required to be a truly effective leader? A leader that knows his Priorities and has Concentration.
  • "Don’t major in minors”
  • The great mystery isn’t that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few things well.  Strength is always specific!
  • Growth equals change.  If you want to get better, you have to keep changing and improving.  That means stepping out into new areas.
  • Work on yourself, on your priorities, in your strengths, and with your companions

GENEROSITY
“No person was ever honored for what he received.  Honor has been the reward for what he gave.
  • Giving is the highest level of living.
  • It’s hard for a person to be generous when he is not satisfied with what he has. Generosity rises out of contentment, and that doesn’t come with acquiring more.
  • If you’re not content with little, you won’t be content with a lot.  And if you’re not generous with little, you won’t suddenly change if you become wealthy.
  • The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves.  Generosity requires putting others first.
  • The only way to really win with money is to hold it loosely-and be generous with it to accomplish things of value.  “Money is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.  If it gets on top and you get under it, you will become its slave.”
  • “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
  • “All that is not given is lost.”

INITIATIVE
“Success seems to be connected with action.  Successful people keep moving.  They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
  • Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should head the list.
  • Leaders are responsible for initiating a connection with their followers.  But that’s not the only area where leaders must show initiative.  They must always look for opportunities and be ready to take action.
  • “The starting point of all achievement is desire.”  If you’re going to be an effective leader, you’ve got to know what you want.  That’s the only way you’ll recognize opportunity when it comes.
  • I do the things that I believe ought to be done… And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act.
  • Proactive people always take risks.  But one of the reasons good leaders are willing to take risks is that they recognize there is a price for not initiating too.
  • “The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.”
  • “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”  If you want to achieve great things as a leader, you must be willing to initiate and put yourself on the line.  
  • “Even the right decision is the wrong decision if it is made too late.”

LISTENING
“The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.
  • “A good leader encourages followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear.”
  • Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.  That’s the Law of Connection.  But before a leader can touch a person’s heart, he has to know what’s in it.  He learns that by listening.  
  • 60% of all management problems are the result of faulty communications.
  • You have two purposes for listening:  to connect with people and to learn.
  • “Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.”  If you’re in the habit of listening only to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus.
  • “Nothing I say this day will teach me anything.  So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”

PASSION
“Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, it’s very hard for people to stop you.
  • Concentrate on what you do well, and do it better than anybody else.
  • “Nobody can be successful unless he loves his work.”
  • Passion makes it possible for people who might seem ordinary to achieve great things.
  • Your desire determines your destiny.  Any one who lives beyond an ordinary life has great desire.
  • There is no substitute for passion.  It is fuel for the will.  If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it.
  • If you follow your passion, instead of others’ perceptions, you can’t help becoming a more dedicated, productive person.  And that increases your ability to impact others.  In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality.
  • “A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.”
  • You can never lead something you don’t care passionately about.  You can’t start a fire in your organization unless one is first burning in you.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”
  • Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
  • If you look at the lives of people in any profession who achieve lasting success, you will find that they almost always possess a positive outlook on life.
  • “The last of our human freedoms is to choose our attitude in any given circumstance.”
  • The Law of Magnetism really is true: who you are is who you attract.
  • If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value.

PROBLEM SOLVING
“You can measure a leader by the problems he tackles.  He always looks for ones his own size.”
  • Effective leaders always rise to a challenge.  That’s one of the things that separates winners from whiners.
  • People respond to problems in these ways: they refuse to accept them; they accept them and then put up with them; or they accept them and try to make things better.  Leaders must always do the latter.
  • “In times like these it is good to remember that there have always been times like these.”  Effective leaders face up to the reality of a situation.
  • Never try to solve all the problems at once - make them line up for you one-by-one.”
  • If you’re faced with lots of problems, make sure you really solve the one you’re working on before moving on to the next one.
  • Effective leaders understand the peak-to-peak principle.  They make major decisions when they are experiencing a positive swing in their leadership, not during the dark times (don’t decide to retire during training camp).
  • The ability to solve problems effectively comes from experience facing and overcoming obstacles.
  • Problem-Solving Method = TEACH (Time, Exposure, Assistance, Creativity, Hit it)
  • Never allow others to put obstacles in the pathway to your dreams.

Qualities of a Leader: Part I

7/14/2014

 
In my opinion, John Maxwell offers invaluable advice and knowledge for anyone who strives to be a leader. In the book "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow", Maxwell lays out a great blueprint for leaders to follow. Over the course of the next three days I will cover seven of the leadership qualities per day along with some notes.

CHARACTER
“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.”
  • How a leader deals with the circumstances of life tells you many things about his character.  Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it.
  • We choose our character.  In fact, we create it every time we make choices.
  • The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question.  A leader not only stays above the line, between right & wrong, he stays well clear of the “gray-areas.”

CHARISMA
“How can you have charisma?  Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are about making them feel good about you.”
  • I have yet to find the man who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.
  • Charisma is the ability to draw people to you.
  • People enjoy leaders who love and are passionate about life.
  • One of the best things you can do for people is expect the best of them.
  • Highly successful people could only see the good in people.
  • The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches but to reveal to him his own.
  • Hope is greatest of all possessions.
  • As you lead people, give of yourself.  Share wisdom, resources, and even special occasions.

COMMITMENT
“People do not follow uncommitted leaders.”
  • Michelangelo – “God will see.”
  • The world has never seen a great leader who lacked commitment.
  • Law of Buy-in: People buy into the leader, then the vision.
  • Some people want everything to be perfect before they’re willing to commit themselves to anything.  But commitment always precedes achievement.
  • Jordan – “Heart separates the good from the great.”
  • The only real measure of commitment is action.
  • There will be times when commitment is the only thing that carries you forward

COMMUNICATION
“Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.”
  • Leaders must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.
  • Communication is not just what you say.  It’s also how you say it.  The key to effective communication is simplicity.
  • Speeches = Exciting opening, dramatic summary, as close together as possible.
  • To become a better communicator, become audience-oriented.  People believe in great communicators because great communicators believe in people.
  • First, believe in what you say.  Second, live what you say.
  • As you communicate, never forget that the goal of communication is action.

COMPETENCE
“Competence is the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how – and know that they want to follow you."
  • Competent people come ready to play everyday, no matter what the circumstances they face.
  • All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving.
  • The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss.
  • Quality is never an accident: it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution.  It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.

COURAGE
“One person with courage is a majority.”
  • "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
  • “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”
  • Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
  • Courage isn’t an absence of fear.  It’s doing what you’re afraid to do.  It’s having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory.
  • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
  • Courage deals with principle, not perception.  If you don’t have the ability to see when to stand up and the conviction to do it, you’ll never be an effective leader.
  • “Courage is contagious.” – “Fear limits a leader.”
  • “Fear not that your life will come to an end, but that it will never have a beginning.”
  • “What’s ironic is that those who don’t have the courage to take risks and those who do, experience the same amount of fear in life.”

DISCERNMENT
“Smart leaders believe only half of what they hear.  Discerning leaders know which half to believe.”
  • Discernment = The ability to find the root of the matter, and it relies on intuition as well as rational thought.
  • “Nothing in life is to be feared, only to be understood.”
  • Discernment enables a leader to see a partial picture, fill in the missing pieces intuitively, and find the real heart of the matter.
  • The closer a leader is to his area of gifting, the stronger his intuition and ability to see root causes.  If you want to tap into your discernment potential, work in your areas of strength.
  • “Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it’s enough.”

Qualities of a Team Player

7/7/2014

 
During the summer I like to go back through my coaching notes and reread some of my favorite ones. Below are my bullet points from John Maxwell's book "The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player: Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants".

  1. Adaptable - If you won't change for the team, the team may change you
  2. Collaborative - Working together precedes winning together
  3. Committed - There are no halfhearted champions
  4. Communicative - A team is many voices with a single heart.
  5. Competent - If you can't, your team won't
  6. Dependable - Teams go to Go-To players
  7. Disciplined - Where there's a will, there's a win
  8. Enlarging - Adding value to teammates is invaluable
  9. Enthusiastic - Your heart is the source of energy for the team
  10. Intentional - Make every action count
  11. Mission conscious - The Big Picture is coming in loud and clear
  12. Prepared - Preparation can mean the difference between winning and losing
  13. Relational - If you get along, others will go along
  14. Self-improving - To improve the team, improve yourself
  15. Selfless - There is no "I" in team
  16. Solution-oriented - Make a resolution to find the solution
  17. Tenacious - Never, never, never quit

The Seven C's of Defense

6/25/2014

 
No matter what type of defense you play, these are some important concepts that will help a team and individual players be more effective.

COMMIT …. be willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team
COMMUNICATE
.... open your mouth and talk effectively
CONSTANT .… always be aware and in a stance, especially when off the ball
CONTEST…. challenge everything - shots, positioning, dribbling, and passing
CONVERT …. from offense to defense, don’t get beat in transition.  Sprint back!
CONTAIN
…. the ball handler,  never give up a straight line drive
CLOSE OUT
…. under control on every shooter giving no open shots
CHASE
…. all rebounds and loose balls, be willing to get on the floor for the ball


Shooting Mechanics

6/20/2014

 
I often compare shooting a basketball to a golf swing. The biggest similarity of both a golf swing and jump shot is that repetition, rhythm and muscle memory are vitally important. While every player has a unique shot, there are some basic fundamentals that good shooters have in common.

When it comes to shooting mechanics there are lots of little details that go into developing great form. Earlier in my blog I discussed footwork which is where proper form starts and it should build from there. A player must always have his hands ready to shoot. Catching the ball with the finger tips and quickly getting the ball on the palm (not heel) of the hands helps to speed up the shot. When hands are properly on the ball the thumbs should be about 1-2 inches apart and form a "T".

The next step is critically important and where many players falter. As the shot begins, the ball should be brought up into the shooting pocket which is just off the shooting hand side of the head. For me as a right handed shooter, my right thumb is pointing at my right side temple or forehead when the ball is in my shooting pocket. At this point the shooting elbow should come up underneath the ball forming a 90 degree bend in the arm. A key point here is that the elbow should be pointing at your target. The big mistake I see players making is that they never get the ball out to their shooting pocket correctly. They let the ball rest on their off hand which usually puts the ball closer to the middle of their forehead. With the ball in this position it is almost impossible to get your elbow underneath the ball. This is why I am a big proponent of one handed practice shooting because it forces correct ball and elbow placement.

At this point it all boils down to the single most important part of the shot, the follow through. From the shooting pocket the first movement should be up, extending the elbow above the eyes and finishing with a flick of the wrist. It's important on follow through to put your fingers in the rim. Depending on how you hold the ball you may be more inclined to finish more with your middle or pointer finger. Also a good practice is to envision a spot in the middle of the rim and shoot the ball to land on that spot instead of straight at the spot. This will help get the arc needed to develop a shooters touch.

This was a brief overview of proper shooting mechanics and some important points that are key for any shooter. As I mentioned before, shooting is like a golf swing. Every day I see guys without perfect form make shots. Why? They practiced the same way over and over - repetition, rhythm, and muscle memory.

Shooting Footwork

6/11/2014

 
Every shot starts with footwork and therefore it is critically important. Proper footwork builds a foundation for the rest of a players mechanics. In a perfect world, like a free throw, every shot would be taken with a player having perfect technique and balance. Here are a few key points.
  • Shooting hand foot a few inches in front of the other foot and centered on the rim. On free throws I place my big toe in alignment with the nail in the floor on the free throw line (designates the center of the rim).
  • Feet shoulder width or comfortable distance apart. To figure out the best distance for a player, ask him to do a standing vertical jump. However far apart he puts his feet to jump is the most comfortable position.
  • Knees should be slightly bent with weight evenly distributed on each leg. It's important to not lean back but have the weight on the balls of your feet and shoulders forward.
Ideally every shot would start from this position but in a fast paced basketball game that often is not possible. The main line of teaching for shooting footwork is to lead with the non-shooting hand leg and step into the shot, called a one two step. For a right handed shooter that would be a left right step. It is important to be low with the butt down and hands ready as the player steps into the shot. Mastering this technique is an important first step for any shooter.

Once a player has mastered this basic technique, he must move on to more advanced footwork. This is the point where I may differ from many coaches. I truly believe most players hurt their ability to shoot in a game because they do not experiment and practice different footwork. I especially like to use warm up and spot shooting to practice different steps. For example if I was going to shoot 10 spot shots I would try not to use the same footwork more than twice. Here is what the footwork on the ten shots might look like:
  1. Stepping in left right x 2
  2. Stepping in right left x 2
  3. Standing still - no steps x 2
  4. Slight side step left x 2
  5. Slight side step right x 2
Working on different footwork in this manner helps a player get comfortable with getting his feet into proper alignment in different ways. As a player becomes more advanced he can incorporate back steps, staggered feet, wide feet and even the occasional one footed shot. Obviously if a player is struggling to make shots, he should revert back to his most comfortable footwork to make a few shots before branching out again.

Advancing from spot shooting to shooting game shots off the move is where great shooters separate themselves. Being able to master the footwork of shooting off the dribble and coming off of screens will take a player's game to another level. The only way to get better at the different game shots is to practice them at game speed. Incorporate specific game situation shots such as one two step off the dribble or curl step off a down screen into every workout. The most important thing is to be creative and do it at game speed. Have a little imagination - If a player can make tough shots in practice, he will make tough shots in the game!

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    Rusty LaRue

    Semi-random thoughts on life, leadership, and the game I love.

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