Here is the first of what I hope to be many editions of the "little things" of basketball. Feel free to pass this along to other coaches or if you ever have anything to add to this list, you can email me at justindif@gmail.com or simply comment below. This list is comprising of my twitter following as well as a few emails. What I plan to do is reach out to college coaches - one geographical section at a time and updating as I see fit. Enjoy.
- Make the extra pass.
- Make all lay ups in warmups. (Amazing how sometimes a player can just coast through warm ups when in actuality they should be sweating and getting ready. Just never understood that.)
- Blocking out your man before finding the ball when rebounding. Reversing the ball. (Such a simple act and requires little skill, yet amazing how a basic fundamental of the game has to be stressed on certain players.)
- Finishing your cuts. (This is something I've been stressing lately. Not only finishing cuts, making strong, violent cuts.)
- Sprinting in transition.
- Ensure your shot fake mimics your shot form. (A good detail to have, will require practice and repetition.)
- Sprint into ball screens. (This is a detail for all ball screeners to do. Also a great way to tell if a team is well coached or not.)
- Dive for loose balls.
- Setting solid screens. (Make 'em count!)
- Making the right cut.
- Play with energy, enthusiasm, and bounce in your step.
- Embrace the game.
- Share the ball. (Everyone loves to play with willing passers!)
- Communicate.
- Hold your teammates accountable. (Love this one. Apply this to off court the issues as well. Make sure your teammates are doing the right thing off the court, taking care of themselves physically and doing what they should be doing in the classroom.)
Passing - palms out, thumbs down.
This group submitted by basketball trainer, Alan Stein. They are explained in further detail here at his blog: Stronger Team Blog
- Be on top of your schoolwork.
- Are you getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night.
- Are eating breakfast everyday?
- Are you drinking enough water?
- Are you tending to any nagging injuries/soreness?
- Are you getting 300-500 shots a day? (game shots)
- Are you sticking to your workout program?
These next three were submitted to me by Head Women's Basketball Coach at Ramapo College, Mike Eineker, with his thoughts after them:
- Triple threat position with the ball over their knee - It amazes me how many ballplayers immediatley put the ball over their head when they catch it.
- Low post players release their shot with eyes on rim - Watch some tape and you'll be shocked how common this is.
- Defensively have hands low, not up - I think it is easier to start with your hands low and reach up to deflect a pass than to start with your hands up and stay in front of a driver.
This final set was contributed to me by Coach Ray Lokar. Again, I am just taking out the idea, however, if you click on this link here you can read additional info on each one.
- Play with your knees bent (Basketball is played down. As well as bending your knees, your hips should be lowered too.."sit down")
- Get a hand up on every shooter
- Gain possessions with two hands.
- Pass to the first person open.
- Establish a pivot foot.
- Face the basket.
- Jump to the pass.
- Stop the basketball.
Coaches that contributed were: Sam Scholl, Sebastian Pruiti, Steve Finamore, Chris Richardson, Clarence Gaines, Alan Stein, Ray Lokar, and Mike Eineker.
good stuff
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