Champs Hoops - Play Basketball Like A Pro

Basketball post drills need to develop an attitude as well as skill. Playing one of the “big man” positions – center, forward, or for that matter, whenever a player finds himself in the post area – requires a different mindset and skill set than playing out on the three-point line.

And once your post players can execute the most effective Post Moves, it’s a different type of basketball drill that’s needed to develop this mindset and to ingrain the position’s basketball moves.

Most players are different from ball handlers. Guards and wings are rewarded for finesse and “touch”; post players require focus, persistence, and aggression. Post players need to perform while being jabbed, elbowed, hip-checked, and worse.

It’s the nature of the game – put three or four or five big guys into a crowded space and tell them all to do the same thing, they’re going to run into each other.

But they still have to perform, even while they are being bounced around. They have to be able to take the ball up strong to the hoop, finishing the shot even with an elbow in the ribs. The better they can tune out all that noise and contact, the more effective their basketball post-play will be.

Basketball Post Drills

These basketball drills focus on developing the skills and movements necessary for post players to be a threat on the offensive end – drills like The Mikan Drill, probably the best known and most often used of the basketball post drills, and a great drill to start younger post player off with, as it is great at teaching them how to go up under the rim. And you can add in The Baby Hook Variation of the Mikan Drill soon afterward.

But the baby hook and the close-up layup that the Mikan Drill practices are more finesse than anything else – not that there is anything wrong with that; finesse allowed Kareem Abdul Jabbar to win plenty of titles thanks to his unstoppable sky hook.

But most players also need to have some more physical moves, and the Power Layup Drill practices the most common and most important foundation power move.

And let’s not forget the simple stuff – layups and jump shots. Use drills such as the Pick-Up drill to practice these skills.

Post-play is very physical, and we want to add to our practices some basketball post-drills that deliberately introduce contact to simulate game situations.

Drills like The 2 Man Cut Throat Drill add in some one-on-one action, but we need to ensure our players know how to get and keep position against other players, so be sure to add in some Boxing Out Drills, along with 4 Man and 5 Man Posting-Up Drills.

Once you feel comfortable that your players understand how to execute the offensive skills, you can add the Post Action Drill to your practices regularly to help players develop all these offensive moves.

In drills that deliberately force contact, players need to make strong moves and be persistent. In the basic skills drills – like the Mikan Drill – where there is no contact made, the emphasis changes to performing the skills with the best form and proper concentration, to build muscle memory so that, when the players are in the game, good mechanics become second nature.

Remember to keep your players focused on the basic skill – i.e., they must always use proper form and movement every time they run these drills. The better their form is in practice, the better it will transfer to the game.

And remember to keep them focused on the job – post players must be able to tune out what is going on around them, so they are not distracted by contact or missed shots. In the post position, aggression and persistence will always win.

Good post play can easily make the difference between win and loss, championship and failure. Be sure to develop your post players with these basketball post drills to make them offensive threats and give your game another dimension.

Related Post

Basketball Training

Tips To Increase Your Vertical Jump

05/24/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

One of the questions most often asked by younger, growing players is, “How can I increase my vertical?” I’ll be honest, the only people who Improve their verticals are the ones who spend time jumping and training to strengthen the muscles in their legs.

Increase your Vertical Jump

Jumping straight up requires an explosion in your hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves. And surprisingly, studies suggest that 10 percent of your overall vertical is in your arm swing.

What you need to do to Increase your vertical is not only strengthen the muscles that help you jump, you need to train them to explode when you want. This will catapult you to greater heights and get you closer to the rim.

There are several different ways you can improve your vertical, but none of them have to do with special shoes, overnight programs, or springs.

All of it has to do with training your body to jump higher. There is no substitute for working and training to get your body to do what you want it to do – and that jumps higher.

You can Improve your vertical by giving your muscles the capacity to deliver more explosion and therefore more height. You need to train your muscles to deliver that explosion by doing low impact, but quick strength exercises.

Here are some exercises you can do to help you Increase your vertical:

One exercise you can do is the toe lift. Stand on the stairs with just the balls of your feet, near your toes. This exercise will work on the calves and the hamstrings, but it will provide explosive power to your calves. When standing on the stair lift your body is in short bursts, like mini-explosions. Do this 10 times and then rest. Do it 10 times again. You should only do this twice or three times a week. You don’t want to overdo it, or you will make your muscles tired and they could get injured.
Another you can do is simply stand and jump. This one might show you the best overall results with the other exercise you are doing to show you how far you have come in increasing your vertical. Just stand in one spot – don’t take any steps – just stand and jump as high as you can. Once you reach the ground again jump immediately. Again try to get as high as you can. Do this 10 to 15 times, rest for a couple of minutes, and do it again.
One exercise will not only help your vertical but your hand-eye coordination as well. Just stand below the backboard of the hoop and do small jumps up and push the basketball against the backboard. Each time you push the ball, you jump up and grab it in the air. This would also be a great cardio exercise for conditioning.
Bounding is something many athletes do to condition their muscles to explode when they are called upon. Each time you take a stride, bound, or explode with each stride. This will build the explosion you need for a higher vertical.

Reaching greater heights with your vertical is an elusive goal that will come in time with a commitment to training and strengthening the muscles in your legs.

Just like all of the other aspects of basketball, whether it is dribbling, shooting, or passing, you need to practice jumping as well if you want to become better.

You can find all sorts of training programs specific to increasing your vertical either on the Internet or in the library. Try asking your physical education teacher or your coach. They may have a few tips for you as well.

Happy jumping!

Basketball Champs

Basketball Conditioning and Nutrition

05/24/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

Now you are probably wondering why I would ruin your basketball book with talk about conditioning and nutrition, right?

Well, in order for you to be a complete athlete, you need to make sure your body has the fuel it needs to make sure it can shoot, pass, rebound, and run up and down the floor.

You will only become a better player, by making your body better. You need nutrients to be sharper and energetic – basketball is a physically demanding sport, and it requires not just the moves on the court, but the moves at the kitchen table as well.

Why is nutrition important?

Your body uses food as fuel. You need to make sure the body has the fuel to burn, otherwise, you are going to be tired and useless on the basketball court. It also makes sure your muscles have the energy they need to do things like jump and dribble and shoot.

I’m not going to spend a whole bunch of time putting you on the athlete’s best diet, but I thought it would do you as a basketball player some good to understand that your body needs to be well-nourished in order to compete at an optimum level.

For a basketball player, you need to have a long-term energy source in order to make it through the game. You are expending an enormous amount of energy to run up and down the court and take the tremendous punishment you do, fighting for rebounds and dribbling around opponents.

Before you play, and even when you are practicing, have a good meal at breakfast and at lunch to ensure you have a good store of energy.

I know many athletes have a tough time eating right before a game, but make sure that your body has stored enough nutrients to carry you through right to the end. It’s also important for practicing, because if you get tired while you practice, you will get lazy and start doing things in your technique that isn’t very sound, and you can start to develop bad habits.

One of the most important things to remember when you are playing or practicing is to consume water or a sports drink like Gatorade. If you don’t have water, it short circuits your brain, making the quick decisions you need to make on the court, very difficult. Consuming water also helps your body to use the food you have eaten as energy.

Conditioning

Everybody hates running lines to get into shape and doing laps around the gym to build up their cardiovascular shape. But, it doesn’t hurt to take that aspect of your game seriously.

I can guarantee you that if you take as much time getting into shape as you would shooting, or practicing your dribbling, you will be better than 75 percent of the people on the floor. We’ve all seen it, the majority of players only do what they have to do in order to make the coach happy.

Take your basketball conditioning seriously and when the last five minutes of the second half come up, you are still going to have gas left in the tank while everyone else on the court is sucking wind.

You will most certainly give yourself an advantage by making sure that your fitness level is above everyone else’s. It is probably the least enjoyed part of the game that can probably have the biggest impact overall.

Here are a few basketball-related drills you can do to keep your fitness level at its highest.

With a ball, at a jog, you can go from one end of the court to the other bouncing the ball and making layups. Do this for 15 minutes and you will likely have jogged the equivalent of a couple of miles. That’s not bad to keep your heart pumping and your practice on the layup at its best.
Do lines. And don’t just do them half-court or at half-speed. Do the full court and do them at full speed. You aren’t doing yourself any favors by just doing what you have to do.
Jump rope. It not only will help your vertical in the long run, but it increases your fitness level considerably and helps with your balance. Boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet, and they spend an awful lot of time jumping rope because of all of the benefits.

Take the time to get fit and it will pay dividends in your basketball game.

Basketball Champs

The 6 Pillars of Performance Development for the Greatest Athletes

05/23/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

It is crazy that a man named James Naismith, probably bored one day, created a simple game now considered the habitat of the “greatest athletes on earth.” From this perspective, the game level has changed so much in speed, ability, power, and strength that a young (very talented) athlete must go through extreme measures to be able to compete at the highest levels of this game.

Aside from practicing one’s fundamental basketball skills, the commotion of performance training has been the buzzword in the athletic domain. Substant corporate centers (RDV Sportsplex/Orlando, FL; Athletes Performance/Tempe, Arizona; IMG Academies/ Bradenton, FL) are dedicated to raising the level of every paying athlete that walks through their doors. These programs give athletes the highest performance training possible, starting as early as five years old!

As the director of sport-specific training at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, FL (home of the Orlando Magic), I work with young aspiring athletes and some of the greatest athletes in the world. I have worked with these athletes, and in my research, I have found 6 Pillars to develop your athletic potential.

Functional Strength Training
Explosive Resisted Training
Available Power and Plyometric Training
Joint Stability, Flexibility, and Training
Movement Skill Training/Metabolic Conditioning
Hard Work, Dedication, and Effort

If you aspire to develop your athletic potential, I suggest implementing these six pillars into your training routine. Like Larry Bird’s coach reminded him, “No matter how hard you work, there’s always someone out there working harder.” You should always remind yourself of this and help that push you to seek guidance to becoming the best athlete you can be.

Here is a breakdown of the 6 Pillars of Performance Development:

PILLAR I. Functional Strength Training

Get off the barbell squat and bench press wagon if you want to increase your basketball strength. “How much can you bench?” It is still a common question asked by athletes. And the answer to that should be, “Who cares.”

Functional strength training centers around developing concentric (shortening of the muscles), eccentric (lengthening of the muscles), and isometric (stabilizing the muscles), using multi-joint, multi-planar exercises in multi-sensory environments. What is all that? In a nutshell, functional strength trains strength and power using functional movements.

For example, A standard bench press will strengthen the front of the shoulders, the triceps, and the pecs. A good dumbbell chest press on a stability ball works not only these muscles. Still, it challenges the body by using stabilization muscles in the abdominal, hip, and low back areas to stabilize the body while performing the exercise. Result: more excellent joint stability and greater strength.

When getting ready to start your Functional Strength Training Program, I recommend that you:

Seek guidance: These exercises can be complex and demanding and must be progressed. Most athletes want to jump into the most challenging progression right away. Don’t! You must give yourself time to develop essential stability and core strength in the joints and muscles.
Avoid exercises where you are sitting down: Instead of doing seated leg extensions and curls, barbell bench presses, or lat pulldowns, do dumbbell squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups to begin your functional strength development.
Focus on joint stabilization and control throughout the whole movement. A controlled muscle is a strong muscle. Don’t just start firing off reps; control every movement to obtain optimal functional strength.

PILLAR II. Explosive Resisted Training

These are also classified as Olympic lifts. These exercises include exercises such as the power clean, hang clean, and snatch. These exercises help the athlete develop peak power. If athletes could perform only one type of exercise, I would have them do explosive resistance training.

Basketball displays a chaotic array of powerful movements. Explosive resistance training teaches the neuromuscular system to produce a significant amount of force in a concise amount of time.

Can you think of an explosive athlete? How about Kobe Bryant or Ben Wallace? Have you ever noticed how quickly Kobe Bryant gets to the rim on his dunks, or have you ever wondered why Ben Wallace, at 6’9″ tall, can out-rebound seven-footers consistently? It is because they are so explosive!!! Every athlete must develop their explosiveness, and explosive resisted training is best.

When getting ready to start your Explosive Resisted Training Program, I recommend that you:

Seek Guidance: These exercises demand correct form and technique to be perfected. Only attempt these exercises by learning proper mechanics.
Begin learning techniques with zero or little weight. Olympic athletes spend months and months practicing technique with no weight! You must learn the method so you can not only maximize your power but so you don’t get hurt.
Use dumbbells, not barbells: Dumbbells are more functional for basketball athletes, easier to learn, and great for developing usable power. I mainly only use dumbbells for basketball players I work with for this type of training.
If you can’t find anyone to teach you, use functional power training (next section) until you are properly instructed

PILLAR III. Functional Power and Plyometric Training

Jump training, quickness training, and explosive training are all other catchwords for these monsters. Both available power and plyometric training are critical for an athlete’s speed and power development. Practical power training uses the body weight or very light resistances to help overcome the body’s “inertia” (get the body moving) from a static or stationary position.

An example would be squat jumps or broad jumps. These exercises help the body become more explosive and also help the body to be able to decelerate itself after explosive movements. Plyometrics train the elasticity and “quickness” of the muscles. If you’ve researched anything about basketball or jump training, you quickly found this interesting training method.

In simple terms, plyometrics make the muscles more explosive by challenging the “stretch-shortening cycle” of the muscles, utilizing the elastic properties of the muscles, thus increasing the speed of force created in quick movements. Examples of these exercises are: tuck jumps, depth jumps, and barrier jumps.

The key to these exercises is quickness. Spend no time on the ground, and “pop” off it as if it were on fire! The key to functional power training is to explode from a stationary position as quickly as possible and decelerate the body upon landing in a balanced place, ready to explode again.

When getting ready to start your “Functional Power and Plyometric Training Program.”

Seek Guidance: These exercises are very demanding on the body and must be progressed correctly. Overdoing these exercises can cause overtraining injuries such as patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee) or other damages.
Do not use resistance- Your body weight is sufficient.
Do these exercises on a soft surface like grass; this will help prevent overtraining injuries.

PILLAR IV. Joint Stability, Flexibility, and Mobility Training

“Touch your toes and count to 10” is, unfortunately, still the primary method of warm-up and stretching for many athletes. For you “hold the stretch lovers,” I just wanted to let you know that static stretching before competitions and training sessions has been proven to s l o w y o u d o w n.

Static stretching in recent research explained static stretching might actually “turn off the muscles” and make them less potent if done before a training session or competition. So what do we do? The answer is the dynamic warm-up consisting of sub-maximal movement exercises and dynamic flexibility.

Dynamic flexibility takes the body through progressive functional movements that challenge joint stability, mobility, and balance. These exercises are the BEST way to prepare the body for a game, practice, or training session.

Performance warm-up exercises include jogging, shuffling, carioca, skips, backpedals, butt kicks, dynamic stretches, forward lunges, lateral lunges, crossover lunges, single-leg hamstring stretches, and sumo squats.

When getting ready to start your Joint Stability, Flexibility, and Mobility Training Program:

Seek Guidance: All coaches and training principles still need to recognize these exercises. However, the newer books and any performance coach will emphasize these exercises in the warm-up.
Warm up before every practice, game, and training session with these if you genuinely want to get the introduction you need
Focus on going through a complete range of motion, maintaining excellent posture and form during these dynamic movements.

PILLAR V. Movement Skill Training

Just as every day practicing your jump shot and dribbling skills, if you want to be a great mover, you must focus on perfecting your movement skills. Acceleration, lateral movements, crossovers, backpedals, and changing directions are all skills that can be mastered with the proper training and the correct progressions.

Elite tennis players believe that 70% of the success of their game is based on footwork and spend hours a day developing their movement patterns. Basketball and tennis players share many of the same movement patterns: quick reactions, change of direction, dynamic balance, acceleration, and deceleration.

Great basketball players must have great footwork. Perfect footwork means you do not take any extra steps. Thus, as they say, you do not waste any excess energy, and you’re “one step quicker” than the rest of the pack. You are not one step quicker; the other guy is just taking more inefficient steps.

Movement training must be based on the fundamentals of movement and learning how to properly sprint, accelerate, decelerate, move laterally, crossover, backpedal, and react. These can be trained through motor skill training, which is best accomplished using an experienced coach to guide your development of movement skills.

Metabolic training is training the metabolic pathways, aerobic and anaerobic systems, to be efficient. This is what you might call “conditioning.” These exercises include jogging, sprinting, or other movement drills to train the aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Basketball is primarily an anaerobic sport, and anaerobic fitness should be the chief system trained.

When getting ready to start your Movement /Metabolic Training Program:

Seek Guidance: The help of a good movement training coach can help you develop “sweet feet,” as I like to call them.
Focus on fundamentals: You don’t just go out and start bombing three-pointers off screens when you are trying to develop your shot. The same applies to any motor skill. It would help if you started simple, and it must begin with the brain learning the craft and linking it to the rest of the body, creating a motor program.
Train the aerobic system at the beginning of the off-season (20-40 minutes of continuous exercise at 65-85% of max heart rate). As you approach the seasoned train, use anaerobic intervals (5-30 second intervals with a 1:2 or 1:3 work-to-rest ratio, working at greater than 85% of max HR).

PILLAR 6: Hard Work, Dedication, and Effort

“I’ve always believed that the results will come if you put in the work. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.” A basketball player by the name of Michael Jordan once said.

This is the last but not least of the 6 Pillars of athletic development. In fact, without these, you may have never read this article because it will do you no good.

These are the tried and true 6 Pillars of Performance Development for the basketball athlete. Implementing these into your routine and the daily quest for becoming the basketball player you can be will be critical to your success.

Basketball Training

Tips on Improving Shot Selection

05/23/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

Looking for tips on Improving Shot Selection? Good shot selection is something every coach preaches. Players who ignore it view the action from the bench instead of stroking jump shots on the court.

Recognizing and executing high-percentage shots consistently is a prerequisite for reaching your full potential as a shooter; regardless of how stellar your shooting mechanics are, it will be useless if you make a habit of launching foul shots.

What a good shot is, of course, will vary from player to player. One man’s rock is another man’s gold, as they say. As such, you should regularly take inventory of which shots you feel most comfortable and confident taking under game conditions. This approach will ensure that you exhibit sound shot selection while at the same time allowing for the continued development and expansion of your shooting arsenal.

Learn to Shoot From Different Areas of the Floor

You must develop the ability to shoot accurately from various areas on the basketball floor. It’s OK to have a few pet spots where you prefer to launch from, but if you want to become a top-flight shooter/scorer, you must become functional throughout the entire scoring zone.

The reasons for cultivating an all-around shooting game are plentiful. First, defenses, especially with the advances in scouting in recent years (even some junior high school games are taped and studied by opposing coaches), will always attempt to take you away from your shooting comfort zones. As such, the more comfort zones you develop, the more of a scoring threat you will ultimately be.

Second, as an up-and-coming player, you’re continuously determining your position as you move up the competition ladder. It is common for a high school center to find himself as a two-guard in college. Sometimes the reverse is true, as a growth spurt may turn a player from a point guard to a power forward in one short year of high school. Either way, it’s best to be prepared with a well-rounded shooting game.

Third, the game has evolved to where players have become very interchangeable on the offensive end of the floor. Motion and flex offenses, both popular at all levels of basketball today, encourage players to position themselves at various locations on the floor. It’s not uncommon to witness seven-footers stepping out on the perimeter, launching (and making) 20-footers and backcourt players exploiting match-up advantages in the low post.

Finally, coaches at all levels of play have become proponents of the multi-faceted offensive ballplayer. The days of the one-dimensional specialist are long gone in the basketball world. If you hope to receive playing time from this new breed of coach, possessing a diverse shooting repertoire is necessary.

Develop a Go-To Shot

There was a time in basketball history when the majority of top shooters and scorers possessed a signature shot they could turn to when the heat was on and their team needed a bucket. A few that immediately come to mind are:

Oscar Robertson’s baseline one-hander.
Bernard King’s turn-around jump shot.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s patented sky hook.

Unfortunately, players in today’s game who own a reliable go-to shot are few and far between. This should not be discouraging news for the aspiring shooters reading these pages but instead viewed as an opportunity to gain an edge over the competition.

Developing a solid go-to shot will allow you to distinguish yourself as a consistent shot-maker, capable of scoring points in bunches and who can be called upon in the clutch.

Once you’ve mastered the basics of good shooting, it’s time to find your go-to shot. Start by feeling out which areas of the floor you’re most comfortable in.

For example, some players are at home in the corner near the baseline, while others operate more efficiently in the middle of the floor in and around the top of the key. Obviously, much will depend on your position,( check 5 positions in BBall) but if you show your coaches that you can score regularly from specific regions on the court, they will make allowances.

The next step, as always, is repetitive practice. Your go-to shot will begin to emerge from this complex, focused work. Once it presents itself, you must consistently hone it in various settings (shooting alone, playing one-on-one, during full and half-court scrimmages, etc.). Before you know it, you will be using (and making) your go-to shot when it counts in organized games.

Before closing this section, a brief word of caution. While working on your go-to shot is essential, you must not abandon the rest of your offensive game for the sake of it. A balanced scoring arsenal is always best. So, by all means, perfect and incorporate a go-to shot. Just keep things in perspective.

Related Post

Basketball Training Aids

Best Basketball Air Pump & Needle In 2023

05/23/202305/31/2023 Rob Willemse

Do you own a few basketballs, but you haven’t been able to find an appropriate basketball air pump that won’t let you down? Well, then you’re reading the right guide in this case.

When a basketball is not properly inflated, it won’t bounce right. This affects everyone on the court or during practice because their reactions to the ball bouncing on the court is completely different.

It won’t rebound as high and they’ll unwittingly adjust their bodily response to meet the ball at a lower height. Yet when they return to using a ball that’s fully inflated, they again must adjust to a more responsive bounce which can easily catch them out. It’s a bad recipe for player performance.

With quality, this matters more than ballers realize too. The valve must be accessed securely to pump air into a ball.

With inexpensive pumps, they have unreliable needles that make for insecure connections, can damage the valve, or cause air to leak as it’s still being pumped inside the ball if the connection made is not secure enough.

Getting the right basketball air pump is no laughing matter either. Therefore, Champs Hoops decided to discuss with them to find the best one for active ballers who demand nothing less than a fully inflated ball.

Top 5 Basketball Air Pump & Needles

Automatic Electric Pump

The Automatic Electric Fast Ball Pump looks a little space-age in its design.

It resembles a long tubular design with digital controls at the end of it. The controls allow you to switch between inflating different types of balls including basketballs, volleyballs, rugby balls, and other types of inflatables.

This USB rechargeable electric pump has multiple settings on it to apply different amounts of air pressure.

However, it’s also got an automatic sensor inside to determine what the correct inflation level is for the connected ball or other items.

The sensor is there to avoid making the mistake of overinflating the ball or inflatable pool toy to the point where its inner tube becomes damaged or pops open usually requiring the complete replacement of the ball or inflatable at that point. So, potentially this feature can save you money down the line.

Once fully charged, up to 30 basketballs can be pumped up. This makes the model useful inside a gymnasium, or other venues where many practice sessions are run. The unit is also compact and will slide neatly inside a sports bag without difficulty too.

Pros

Electric air pump by the creators of the concept
Less than 6.5-inches long to fit inside any sports bag
Weighs 185 grams only
Sensors the correct air pressure to apply to ball inflation
Can be used on inflatables for the pool or beach too
USB-powered with a Lithium battery inside
Can include up to 30 basketballs
Portable device with everything supplied in a compact kit
Includes a swim ring noddle and a waterproof storage bag

Cons

The charger takes up four hours to fully recharge
Maybe a bit too fancy for older ballers who’ve only ever used a hand pump and don’t do well with anything electronic.

Buy From Amazon

Under Armour Ball Pump

The dual-action manual air pump from Under Armour is a little more “old school” compared to the previous, Automatic model. Yet for people who are more accustomed to a hand pump with a few improvements since their day, it’s certainly more in keeping with what they’ll be used to previously.

The dual-action pump looks modern with its sleek black design and Under Armour logo.

The gauge that is fixed at the top of the pump tube provides much better information about air pressure levels than was possible with basic air pumps that simply had a connection pin and a pumping handle to lift and apply repeated downward pressure to inflate the basketball.

When you know the correct amount of pressure on a regulation-approved basketball, then you’re all set with this pump. You can get that from the ball manufacturer’s website, no doubt.

Without looking at that important detail up, it’s more of a guessing game unless you reference the guide pressure levels inside the gauge itself and use those instead.

The pump is easy to use by anyone once they know the correct pressure setting. No electronic features are making it more difficult for players to use this pump.

They’ll all be able to get to grips with it quickly. Crucially, there’s also no risk of the pump running out of battery life in the middle (or just before) a practice session either.

Pros

Manual air pump to inflate basketballs
Dual-action vents to let air in and out
Pressure release valve to let the air out without disconnecting the pump
PSI pressure gauge to monitor as you pump air into the ball
Guide within the gauge itself for typical basketball, volleyball, soccer, and American football pressure levels
Supplied with extra needles
A 6-foot pressure hose provided

Cons

Rubber hose design won’t be popular with everyone
The plastic design provides a bit of concern over the product’s longevity

Buy From Amazon

Valiant Sports

The Valiant Sports Ball Pump is designed as a light, convenient inflator for use on different types of sports balls. These include basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, American Footballs, and balls used when playing rugby too.

The design is a pure hand pump. There’s no air pressure gauge to rely upon here either. It’s more like the type of pump that players have used for many years before better technology came along.

The handle has a modeled rubberized grip to help the hand avoid slipping while performing the pumping action.

There’s also a flexible pin holder design that permits the inserted pin to move around somewhat. This design avoids pins snapping while embedded inside the ball and possibly getting stuck.

Five pins are provided. These are easy to install or replace as needed. Most pumps only come with 2-3 pins, so this is more generous and should ensure the basketball air pump can be used for many years.

A brightly colored nylon bag is provided to carry the pump and spare needles to the ball game without worrying about the needles piercing a ball during transport.

Pros

Two-way manual air pump
Rubberized grip for easier grip while pumping air into a ball
Provided with 5 pin-needles for different balls
Airflow in both directions permits strong pressure levels
Comes with a carry bag

Cons

Probably won’t work with exercise medicine balls
Unlikely to work with inflatables (a different needle will be required)
No pressure gauge
Not electric

Buy From Amazon

SPORTBIT

The SPORTBIT Ball Pump has a very similar design to the previous model Valiant hand pump right down to the orange-red coloration.

It too has a two-way airflow system described as pushing and pushing air in each direction

This basketball air pump does indeed also come with five pins and the same system to allow the bending but not breaking of individual pins once inserted inside the ball. This should give the needles a longer life.

The handle uses a softer silicone making it easier to grip firmly and pump air reliably.

There’s a convenient e-book provided along with the product which gives ballers some ideas about healthier eating recipes.

No carry bag with a zip is provided, unlike with the similarly designed Valiant model which perhaps would have been more useful.

There’s also a three-year guarantee provided with this product too. Buy From Walmart

Pros

Manual air pump to inflate basketballs and other sports balls too
Silicone grip handle to avoid hand slips while pumping air into the ball
Designed to inflate any sports balls with a standard ball valve
Five needles are supplied
Safer bendy pin fitting to avoid them breaking
Comes in a sealer package making it a good gift for the holidays

Cons

No PSI air pressure gauge
No carry bag was supplied for the pump and 5 needles
Unclear how useful a recipe book will be for ballers
Won’t work with pool inflatables

Buy From Amazon

NIKE Dual Action

For a big sporting brand, the Nike dual action pump will hit the sport.

The molded design is sturdier and more heavy-duty in appearance than other pumps reviewed above. The pump has some grip, but the lower section has more.

The house is noticeably short and much shorter than with other hand pumps.

This isn’t a problem, but it does mean that you’ll need to be bent down much close to the ball level when the inflation is happening.

Unusually, this Nike air pump comes in a choice of six color schemes. There are black ones, white ones, a yellow/green one to stand out, and a pink one to please the lady ballers too.

A similar dual-action air-in and air-out process are featured in this hand pump. However, it doesn’t come with any pressure gauges and it is not electric either.

Therefore, while this is a Nike-branded product, this particular one doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles of earlier reviewed models.

It includes a single extension hose and just one needle. There’s also no suggestion that it has a flexible pin implementation like with some other models previously reviewed.

Pros

Nike branded hand pump with a snazzy design
More solid and with a reliable brand behind it
Hose and needle provided to inflate different sports balls with a standard ball valve
Available in a choice of six colors to suit you
Match your Nike ensemble with a Nike air pump
Surprisingly affordable for a Nike product

Cons

Not electric and doesn’t come with an air gauge
With this basketball air pump, Only one pin provided
Shorter than normal extension hose
No carry bag or other extras

Buy From Amazon

Conclusion

With an air pump to inflate basketballs and other sporting equipment, you’ve got three main choices. Do you buy a fully electric air pump, a manual pump with a PSI pressure gauge, or a basic hand pump with no extras?

There are weight and pricing considerations within these choices. The basic hand pump that has been used for decades is tried and tested. There’s a decent Nike model to satisfy that need and the branding needs too.

However, for ballers who want a little extra, buying a hand pump with a pump gauge and recommendation for pressure levels is perhaps worth the price to avoid damaging expensive basketballs and getting blamed for it. It’s also sporting the Under Armour brand too.

On the higher end, you have the electric hand pump models. These are a far newer design and come with lithium batteries in most cases for longevity.

They’ll last as long as the battery does as there are usually several pins provided.

The flexible pin design is a useful feature that most basketball air pumps now have. It avoids pins breaking off too easily. A carry bag is a nice extra with several loose pins lying around. However, it’s not an absolute necessity.

Related Post

Basketball Champs

Five Steps to Becoming a More Effective Coach

05/23/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

Are you the coach you would like to be? If you were an athlete, would you want to play for yourself as a coach? Based on an excerpt from the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches book, the following article encourages you to invest the time to assess and evaluate your effectiveness as a coach.

Although you are probably proud of many aspects of your coaching, virtually every coach has areas where they want to improve.

This article allows you to reflect on, assess, and strengthen your coaching skills and philosophy. In doing so, you will maximize your potential and the potential of the athletes you effectively coach.

A FIVE-STEP APPROACH TO IMPROVING YOUR CREDIBILITY

Here is a step-by-step process that will help you assess, improve, and strengthen your credibility. This process will allow you to gauge your present credibility in various ways.

Next, it will help you pinpoint your current strengths as well as your areas for improvement. Finally, you can build on your strengths and target some of your sites for development.

Assess Your Credibility

You can assess your credibility in a variety of ways. First, rate your credibility. Then strongly consider having your athletes rank your credibility for a more complete and accurate measure.

“Would You Play for Yourself?” Reflection, One of the more powerful ways to assess your credibility is to reflect on and honestly answer the following question: “Would you play for yourself?” Imagine being an athlete who plays on your team.

Would you be motivated to give your best? Would you respect and trust me? Where would your confidence be if you were your coach? Would you develop to your full potential if you were coaching yourself?

Reflecting on the hypothetical question, “Would you play for yourself?” is a potent exercise. If the question causes uneasiness, embarrassment, or regret, now is the perfect time to become a more credible coach. If you have a hard time playing for yourself, then it stands to reason that your athletes may feel the same way.

Credible Coaching Self Assessment

A second way to evaluate your credibility is to rate yourself on the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches using a one to ten scales. This short self-test will help you analyze your strengths as a coach as well as your areas for improvement. Be sure to be completely honest with yourself.

Using a scale from one (strongly disagree) to ten (strongly agree), rate yourself on the following characteristics:

1. 1. Character-based – I act in an ethical, honest, and trustworthy manner.
  2. Competent – I have a solid understanding of my sport’s rules, mechanics, and strategies.
  3. Committed – I work hard and am committed to building a successful program.
  4. Caring – I genuinely care about my athletes and their overall success.
  5. Confidence builder – I effectively build and maintain my athletes’ confidence.
  6. Communicator – I am an effective communicator and listener.
  7. Consistent – I am consistent in terms of my mood and my approach to team discipline.

Rarely has any coach given him or herself a perfect score on all of the characteristics. You will find that you have some strengths and areas to improve. Reflecting on and rating your credibility provides you with a good starting point. Great athletes always give you true feedback.

Have Your Athletes Assess Your Credibility

Keep in mind that your athletes ultimately evaluate your credibility. They are the true judges of your effectiveness. You might be able to trick yourself into thinking that your athletes respect you, but as the saying goes, you can’t kid a kid.

Because your athletes are the ultimate evaluators of your credibility, they are the best people to help you assess where you stand.

Having your athletes give honest feedback on your effectiveness might sound like a scary and vulnerable proposition to some coaches. But you will only obtain a better or more accurate appraisal of your credibility than directly asking your athletes.

Think of it this way. How much feedback do you give your athletes regarding their performances over a typical season? If you’re like most coaches, you are continually providing them with suggestions, corrections, and compliments.

The vast quantity and quality of your feedback are designed to help them improve their performances. Imagine if you never provided your athletes with any positive or negative feedback.

How well would they develop and improve? They would only improve less with your feedback. Thus if feedback is so crucial for your athletes, it is equally as essential for you too.

Protect Your Athletes’ Anonymity and Confidentiality

If you decide to ask your athletes to rate your credibility, the process must be anonymous and confidential. Your athletes will not be completely truthful with you if they think their identity or comments might be revealed in any way. Therefore it is best to have an objective and trusted person, other than yourself, hand out, collect, and tally your athletes’ responses.

In addition to your athletes trusting there will not be negative consequences for their honesty, they must feel that you will sincerely consider their feedback and make changes when appropriate.

This is not to say that you must change everything they suggest. But, you must at least consider their input and be willing to modify certain aspects of your coaching style or how the program is run if your athletes indicate it will help them perform better.

You will be amazed at the respect you will earn if you are willing to listen to their feedback, honestly evaluate it, and make positive changes based on that feedback.

As you did with yourself, you can ask your athletes to rate you on a one (strongly disagree) through ten (strongly agree) scale on each of the seven characteristics. Be sure you have evaluated yourself before you have your athletes assess you.

Interpreting Your Athletes’ Feedback

When you receive feedback from your players, you must look at it as a way to improve yourself. Your first tendency is to look at the lower scores and either tries to rationalize them, deny them, or figure out who gave you the lower scores and plot your revenge against them.

I recommend something else. Instead, compare your ratings on each of the seven secrets with those of your athletes. You will likely find similarities as well as differences. Remember that your athletes’ ratings are based on their perceptions of you. You may not agree with some of them.

However, it’s your athletes’ perceptions of you which determine how they respond to you. Thus, whether or not you agree with them is beside the point – their perceptions become your reality.

Note any areas where your athletes gave you higher ratings. These are areas that your athletes see as strengths. Take a moment to reflect on why your athletes might see these areas as strengths for you.

What is it that you are doing to make them strengths? Then note any areas where your athletes gave you lower ratings. These are your areas to improve. Again, take a moment to reflect on why your athletes view these as areas of improvement for you. What are you doing now that makes them an area of concern for your athletes?

If you are willing, consider sharing your results with someone you trust and who has your best interest at heart. This could be another coach, a peak performance coach, a friend, or a spouse. This person can help you make sense of the ratings if you are still determining any of them and serve as a sounding board to help you process the information.

Be sure to thank your athletes for providing you with their honest feedback. You only need to tell them that if you want to. By opening yourself up to their feedback, you have already made a huge first step in showing them that you value their input.

Target Areas to Improve

Once you have reviewed your athletes’ feedback, you next need to target areas you would like to improve.

Gain New Ideas and Insights

Read books such as The 2R Manager, The Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches, The Leader’s Voice, etc., attend clinics, and talk with fellow coaches to refine and enhance your coaching and communication skills.

Practice and Implement Them

Try your new coaching strategies with your athletes. You may begin regularly meeting with your athletes to find out how they are doing.

Or you might work on paraphrasing what your athletes say before giving your response. Whatever the case, your credible coaching strategies should have a subtle, if not significant, impact on your athletes.

Get More Feedback

After two to three months of using your new strategies, have your athletes rate you again to see if there is any change in how your coaching is perceived. Ideally, you will see improvement in the areas you have targeted.

I suggest that coaches have their athletes evaluate their credibility roughly twice a year. Schedule an evaluation about one-third to one-half of the way into your season and the other soon after your season ends.

These periodic evaluations will help you effectively monitor your credibility and help you address potential problems before they have more serious, long-term consequences.

Basketball Training

Basketball Concepts and Techniques, Selecting an Offense

05/23/202306/01/2023 Rob Willemse

Winning offenses are many and varied, as there are winning coaches. To be successful, any offense must create high-percentage scoring situations from the basic offensive set and secondary options while maintaining adequate rebound coverage and defensive balance.

Those involved in the primary aspect must attack the defense to immobilize it. Meanwhile, the other players must use decoying tactics to divert their opponent’s attention away from the focal point of attack.

At the same time, they must be prepared to carry out their other team functions of rebounding, defensive balance, secondary shooting, etc.

Many different approaches to an offense may be used. Each should be carefully thought out and skillfully taught based on the talents of available players who have been or are being, instructed in the individual fundamentals.

Selecting An Offense

The coach chooses the offense to be used by his team, basing his decision on his philosophy and his player’s abilities. He should adapt the good parts of any system to his philosophy, striving for maximum efficiency within the framework of the total skills of the players involved.

Seldom do all players on a starting team possess similar abilities; therefore, the coach should use the positive attributes of each in his offensive planning. He must blend his player’s talents as a team.

At the same time, he must take measures to protect players who lack talent in certain areas. He should assign duties that best utilize the personal abilities of each player.

Good ball handlers should handle the ball most of the time, and good cutters should be exploited. The best rebounders should be able to rebound, and knowledgeable teammates should constantly screen for good shooters.

His essential shooting ability should determine the types of shots each player takes. Perfection of the offense comes from constant practice of correct techniques. This is accomplished in small groups of two or three, then in team groups using drills incorporating various aspects of the team offense. Speed, timing, and deception of movement are essential factors in the offense’s effectiveness.

A coach should constantly be learning. He should read books and magazines on basketball. He should attend clinics and swap ideas with other coaches, integrating any new tactics suitable for his personnel into his offense. Offenses are only sometimes familiar. One used ten years from now will be an adaptation of something that was in everyday use five years ago.

The coach should know his material before installing a system. If he is new and doesn’t know his material, his pre-season practice will be essential in determining the method.

The success of any system is due more to the person than the coach. If it is the wrong system, regardless of the coach’s ability, it cannot succeed. For example, a coach with slow players cannot fast break effectively. He cannot use a four or five-man weave efficiently if he has tall, uncoordinated players.

As a rule, coaches should not change their offense in mid-stream. When change is essential, they should adapt from the existing structure so that the change will be moderate. All offenses should be adaptable for use against the three types of defense: man-to-man, zone, and combination.

Personnel

While coaches should try to have the best combination of personnel as quickly as possible, they should not be too hasty in their selection. It is best to keep players on their toes and unsure of their position for a while so as to obtain maximum potential from each man.

The best teams have set starting combinations; therefore, coaches should practice their five best players together as a unit as soon as their superior ability is evident. The more compatible the players are off the court, the better they will function on the court. Through bull sessions, they will obtain a better understanding of their individual characteristics.

Necessary changes must be made decisively. The team should know before the coach that changes should be made. Coaches typically need two or three replacements at most. He will require changes in the center position, the forward position, and in the guard position.

If only two reserves exist, the difference might be to a forward-center combination or a guard-forward combination. Starters may be moved to new positions, but it is not advisable.

Replacements must have as much practice time and game time as possible. This allows them to coordinate their movements with those of the starters. Coaches should never wait until pressure situations to insert a first-line sub.

Type of Offense

There are two types of offense: free-lance and controlled. In a free-lance offense, players make their offense, depending on the defensive deployment and opponents’ ability. Free-lance is more accessible and uncontrolled than the term implies because all two-on-two and three-on-three plays should be drilled thoroughly.

Control basketball is a system in which a team maintains control of the ball until one player is in an unguarded high-percentage area. Any basic system can be used to implement a control type of basketball.

There are several basic offensive systems that teams may use in their attempt to obtain high-percentage shots. All must fall into one of the following classifications based on the position of the offensive players concerning the basket and the defensive players guarding them.

1. Five Offensive Players Outside.

If five offensive players are eighteen to twenty feet from the basket, all defensive players are closer to the basket than the nearest offensive player. Offenses that begin from this structure are a three-two-wide and a five-man weave.

2. Four Offensive Players Outside and One Inside.

Four offensive players are farther out than their four opponents, and one player is nearer the basket. Usually, this is a four-man weave system or a single pivot type of offense in which the corner men are approximately eighteen or nineteen feet from the basket.

3. Three Offensive Players Outside and Two Inside.

Three offenses start from this structure.

A double pivot places the two more prominent men closer to the basket than the other three. A three-two offense may have three frontmen moving while the two inside men work a buddy system closer to the basket.
A one-three-one offense uses a tandem pivot, one high and one low.
An overload offense overloads one side of the court, passing the ball to the side with only one player and having a teammate away from the ball cut off a postman toward the ball.

4. Two Offensive Players Outside and Three Inside.

This is a standard two-three offense in which the forwards are within eighteen feet of the basket.

5. One Offensive Player Outside and Four Inside.

This is a very effective primary offense considering the type of defenses used today. Designated the stack offense, it has four players close to the basket.

Basketball Strategies

Eight Alternative Strategies for Defensive Rebounding

05/23/2023 Rob Willemse

It helps to have a size in the sport of basketball. I have had the luxury of coaching size with talent, speed, and heart. Those teams won a lot of games. I have also had the luxury of coaching teams without size, much speed but lots of heart.

Those teams won a lot of games. One of my favourite teams of all time went 29-9, won an undefeated district title, advanced deep into the state playoffs and did not have a player over six feet tall, except our excellent but undersized 6’2″ centre.

The common wisdom of the sport says size matters, and it does when it comes to rebounding. You will win a lot of games with great rebounding. Or can you? It may require a considerable bit of rethinking of how you teach and coach the game as a coach, but it can be done.

Here are eight Strategies for Defensive Rebounding to consider to help resolve your team’s defensive rebounding problems.

First, let me get a couple of things clear. Defensive rebounding matters and size is a factor. These ideas are a bit out of the box, but they will cause problems for the opponent if you, as a coach, teach these ideas, make them habits and stick with them.

There is no escaping the need to rebound defensively, and the idea is to reduce the problem to a manageable level if your team struggles with defensive rebounding.

Number One:

Rely on turnovers instead of defensive rebounds. If the opponent does not get a chance to shoot the ball, you don’t have to worry about the defensive rebound. Consider a high-pressure defence designed to force a huge number of turnovers.

Half-court traps and pressure denial man-to-man with traps like the famed North Carolina Scramble defence are effective. Complete court trapping defences, zone or man-to-man, can be equally effective.

For small teams with speed and quickness, this is a fantastic approach. It has the advantage of attacking the opponent, forcing the opponent to react to what your team is doing, and not focusing on taking advantage of its size and rebounding strength.

Number Two:

Encourage the 3-point shot in certain situations – long rebounds are like loose balls. If the opponent is an OK outside shooting team or a poor one, consider encouraging the 3-point shot. Play a defence that fiercely contests all interior shots, whether by penetration, cutting or feeding the post, but concedes the outside shot.

Missed 3-point shots take much longer rebounds, about half the distance from where the shot was taken. This reduces, to a degree, the size advantage of the larger team. The rebounds are more like loose balls than rebounds, making quickness to the ball as big an issue as size and position. If the opponent has one great shooter, they pressure that shooter and let the rest cast up long-range 3-point attempts all game long.

This tactic has to be practised, and the emphasis should be on being the first to the ball and either controlling it or deflecting it to an open area on the court where possession can be obtained. It should be combined with an overall emphasis on obtaining every loose ball.

Number Three:

Consider adjusting your help side positioning. The closer your help defenders are to their defensive assignments, the quicker they can block out. In certain situations, this may render your defence a bit more vulnerable (well, there is no way about it), but you have to consider if the trade-off is worth the quicker block-out times.

Number Four:

Send the point guard to the weak side or middle – the other team’s point guard will be getting back on defence or moving towards balancing the floor to prevent a fast break.
Let’s face it, how many point guards rebound? Nearly every team sends its point guard back to prevent the fast break.

This should allow your point guard to be a free, extra rebounder. Since 80% of missed shots rebound on the side of the goal opposite from the side, the shot was taken (can you believe someone charted that?), run the point guard to that side of the court. Not only will it provide you with an extra, gratis, unblocked rebounder, but this is also the quickest possible way to initiate a fast break.

Number Five:

Pick who you block out – play percentages and flood the weak side with multiple rebounders. Some players are just not going to rebound well. When confronted with an exceptional rebounder, it might be an excellent strategy to find the one player, other than the point guard, who does not rebound effectively and not block that player out.

Use the defender ordinarily responsible for that player to double block out the gifted rebounder. Be sure to send the point guard into the area to improve the chances of obtaining the rebound.

Number Six

Turn rebounds into loose balls – tip the ball into the short corner and run it down. Don’t slug it out with a heavy weight; you’ll lose. Try to tip the ball to the short corner, the area between the goal and the corner, near the baseline and behind the backboard.

By tipping the ball to a general area, your team will have a greater chance of running down the ball. If the opponent does secure the offensive rebound, it is a difficult location of the court to score from, requiring the opponent to set up their offence, giving your defence time to reset.

Number Seven:

Fast break on every opportunity – teams stop crashing the offensive glass to get back. This may seem more like an offensive tactic, but it works, especially against deliberate teams. Opponents who fear the fast break are vulnerable to this tactic.

Deliberate teams heavily emphasise defensive transition to prevent the fast break, allowing them to control the game’s tempo and keep the pace slow; they will often concede the offensive rebound to make a defensive transition.

Number Eight:

Emphasize obtaining the rebound more than blocking out. Heresy, I know. But as I said before size matters. In this case, the size of the rebounder’s heart is the level of desire to obtain the ball. The issue should never be how the ball is obtained but that possession is obtained legally, without fouling or turning the ball over.

To effectively use any or all of these concepts, they must be practised daily and emphasized. Remember, players, do not know what their coach teaches but what their coach emphasizes!

Related Post

Basketball Rebounding Tips

Basketball Strategies

12 Pointers to Improve Your Primary Fast Break Attack

05/23/202305/23/2023 Rob Willemse

Don’t you hate it when your team generates a turnover or can get the outlet from the defensive rebound, gets the numbers on the break, and does not finish?!

These twelve-pointers will help your players finish their primary breaks and increase your scoring, even if you play a deliberate style of basketball.

Improve Your Primary Fast Break Attack

Must have 5-6 look-a-heads every game – this is how you win!
Must be able to score every time in a 2-on-1 situation.
Get wide first –then attack!
Concept of best – players know who is “best” – the best handler handles – the best finisher finishes.
Turn all 3-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations into a 2-on-1 situation
Never away from the best scorer to shift the defense over and create space – this is how you create a 2-on-1
Put the ball in your hand opposite the direction you will never in, i.e. if you veer to your right, dribble with your left hand.
Give the cutter the ball where they can do something with it.
Cutters and penetrators must be able to finish at the rim – teach power lay-ups!
The ball handler should never penetrate after passing – should step to the ball side “T” for a return pass.
If the cutter cannot score, they should quickly stop and “Euro” the ball back to the passer.
If you cannot score, post up the post, fill the perimeter spots, and swing the ball.

Related Post