Offense against Man to Man- Motion offense- screen

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Basketball Articles and Tips

Find Out How To Dunk A Basketball
It is the most celebrated shot in the game of basketball. It is the dream of the average player and it is an in-the-face "statement" that a good player makes to a defender. It is the slam dunk. We all know WHAT it is, and most of us WISH we could do it. But how do you dunk a basketball?

Before We Get Started

Before an average player can even think about dunking, he needs to take an inventory and be realistic. A player's height and his athletic abilities are the two main factors that determine from the beginning if he will ever be able to dunk. Not to say it isn't possible, but there are very few 5-6 players that will ever be able to dunk. In fact, an average sized person will have to have above-average jumping ability in order to be able to dunk. Be realistic with yourself. At the same time, don't limit yourself before you even try. Many people have made spectacular increases in their jumping ability. It takes hard work, but you can reap the rewards.

Things you should evaluate before you start:

1.) Is height a problem? This won't change. You CAN learn to jump higher, but you still might never be able to dunk a ball. But, that is okay! Develop other aspects of your game.

2.) Are you overweight? By being overweight, you are limiting your jumping ability.

3.) How athletic are you in general? Some players just have the "gift" of being able to jump. It can be developed as well, but know where you are starting. Get a messurement of your vertical leap before you start so you know how you are progressing.

4.) Are you in good physical shape? Jumping involves muscles from the entire body. Just having strong legs alone is not the answer.

Let's Get Started

Begin by making sure you are in the best overall shape you can be. This includes every area of your body as well as your legs. In order to reach your ultimate jumping potential, you need to start in good shape overall. You use every part of your body while performing a jump, so it stands to reason that your entire body needs to be in shape. While this part of the process isn't glamorous, it needs to be done. A strong foundation is necessary to achieve the best results. Begin with this and you will be rewarded for your efforts.

For the rest of our instructions on How To Dunk a Basketball, see our website on How To Jump Higher.

Offense against Man To Man- Flex entry option 1

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Basketball Articles and Tips

5 simple tips for all basketball coaches
It can be difficult at times to keep your youth basketball teams focused. People tend to get angry and frustrated and want to yell at the kids but have to remember that they are just kids and they just want to have fun. Whether you are coaching recreational youth basketball or a competitive AAU basketball program with these simple tips you can help your team stay focused, motivated and playing as hard as they can all the time.

1. Care about your players off the basketball court. One of the most effective tools for motivating your players to work hard for you, and for their team, is to let them know that you care about them as human beings. Show them tough love. Don’t give them too much criticism or praise or else when you do it will go in one ear and out the other and never be valid.

2. Offer verbal rewards. Positive enforcements cause young players to work hard to get your approval- No matter how complicated the concept you are focusing on is, make sure to always let your players know when they do something worthy of a compliment.

3. Add competition to your practice. A great way to mix things up and keep players working hard is to add competition to your drills and practice agenda.

4. Set a Team Goals on the first day of practice. Establishing your team goals from the day one is the best way to get your team focused on the task at hand, and also let your players know what kind of coach you're going to be.

5. Set the right type of goals for your team. Make sure that the goals you set for your team are achievable. Don’t set goals for the statistics, like scoring the most points and even winning games. Players already want those things without setting goals. Players should focus on team goals and never on individual stats. Individual goals can be chosen according to a players specific skill set or a teams ability to work hard to reach an obtainable record.

Know that what motivates some players will not motivate others. It is important to know your players so that you know how they will respond individually and as a team to motivational tactics. In the end, if you're involved, excited, and willing to take the time to keep practices interesting, then your team will respond by winning as a team and having fun while working hard!

Offense against Man To Man- Flex entry option 2

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Basketball Articles and Tips

Appreciating Ice Hockey: An Alternative to South Florida Football and Basketball Teams
During a sports season where the Dolphins have the worst record in the NFL and the Miami Heat already seem hell-bent on a lackluster (or worse) follow-up to last year’s stunning championship win (dropping almost all of their preseason games and then getting completely trounced by the Bulls during their home opener), Miami – Ft. Lauderdale residents might be looking for a team that they can watch whose performance doesn’t disgust them. Enter South Florida’s hockey team, the Florida Panthers.

I was born and raised in Alaska, which means that it was mandated by law that I play hockey (and by hockey, I of course mean the variety played on ice, not the variety played on fields by high-school girls and the Irish). As such, I developed an understanding of it that extends beyond that of the average Floridian – namely, that hockey is essentially about large Canadians punching each other. While this is an important facet of the game, there is really a lot more to it. It is a precise game of individual skill and team strategy that is one of the most fast-paced games on the planet.

If you know nothing about hockey (beyond, of course, the bit about the Canadians punching each other), here are some basic rules and things to watch for: Each team is allowed 6 players, including the goaltender. The game is played in three twenty-minute periods, and the object is to put the puck in your opponent's net as many times as possible. That pretty much sums up the gist of the game.

As far as some of the finer points – if the referee blows his whistle, chances are there is one of four reasons: the goaltender has covered the puck, there is a penalty, there is an icing call, or someone is off-sides. The goaltender covering the puck is self-explanatory, and penalties are generally pretty intuitive (no using your stick to haul someone down, no elbowing people to the head, etc.) Icing occurs when a team shoots the puck from their side of the ice (behind the center red-line) to behind the opposing team’s goal line (the little red lines across either end). Off-sides occurs when an attacking player goes into their opponent's defensive zone (past the blue line) before the puck. Now that you know the basic rules, you can concentrate on what makes hockey so exciting: the action.

Other than the fighting, the thing that people know about hockey is the prevalence of bone crushing body checks. The whole stadium will gasp (and then cheer wildly) as two 240 lb. behemoths collide on the boards with a deafening shudder. Many people are surprised that such occurrences are completely legal by the rules of the game; the fact of the matter is that, when done legally, even the most impressive body checks have very little chance of resulting in injury, and when combined with the amazing speed of the game, the physicality makes it very exciting.

It should be noted that to fully enjoy an ice-hockey game, you should take some friends in tow and get some decent seats, as you would with any sporting event; and, just like for any other sporting event, many limousine companies (including Mirage Limo) offer sporting packages that greatly enhance your trip to and from the game.

In no time at all, you’ll be watching and cheering Ed Belfour’s great saves and Ollie Jokinen’s fantastic goals. Hockey is a great game, and now, with the wintry outlook for South Florida’s other professional teams, is the perfect time to discover it.

Basketball - Teaching the Flex Offense - Offense against Man To Man- Flex entry option 3

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Basketball Articles and Tips

College Basketball Milestones
Basketball is a favorite pastime of kids and adults alike. American kids grow up with dreams of earning scholarships and reaching fame in the college league.

Basketball owes its origin to Dr. James Naismith, who invented the sport in 1892. Before long, the popularity of the game caught on and it was being played in American colleges. The first official game involving a college team was played between Geneva College and the New Brighton YMCA in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania on April 8, 1893. On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate game was played between the Minnesota State School of Agriculture and Hamline College. Minnesota won that game, 9 to 3.

The introduction of the five-player format was the next major college basketball milestone. This happened during an intercollegiate game in Iowa City on January 18, 1896. By the early 1900s, the basketball was being played in ninety colleges, mostly in the East and Midwest. This number continued to swell, and by 1914 as many as 360 colleges were playing college basketball.

In 1915, the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, the NCAA and the YMCA banded together to streamline the game. A committee was organized to frame rules and during this time, a number of regional conferences were formed.

The first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and held in Evanston in 1939. A crowd of 5,500 cheering basketball fans watched the University of Oregon with the game. After this, the NCAA took over the national basketball championship tournament, and another college basketball milestone was realized.

In 1940, college basketball made it to the small screen. The first televised college game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square Garden. This was the beginning of a national obsession with basketball and since then, the game has drawn huge crowds. The most-watched event in the United States is March Madness, when nearly 350 American colleges come together to compete for the NCAA basketball crown.

The NCAA tournament had relatively humble beginnings, with just eight teams competing against each other representing each of the eight NCAA districts. In 1951 the number of teams doubled to sixteen. In this format, ten conference champions qualified automatically, while the remaining six teams were chosen on the basis of their performance. In 1954, the number of teams went up to 24, and a 32-team bracket was adopted in 1975. Further increases saw the number of teams jump to 48 in 1980, and to 64 in 1985.

Over the years, college basketball has gone through remarkable changes. Many players have showcased their talents on campus courts and risen to become basketball superstars, and most NBA stars trace their origins to college basketball.

More than 120 years after it was first invented, the game of basketball is more popular than ever. Who knows what college basketball milestones lay ahead?

Offense against Man To Man- Flex part 1

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Basketball Articles and Tips

Coaching Your First Youth Basketball Team - Three Secrets to Success

Success Secret #1: Get the Rule Book

Success Secret #2: Get the league practice and game schedules

Success Secret #3: Have a Parent Meeting

Get the Rule Book: Even if you're a fan of the game and believe you know and understand it, get the rule book from the league when you accept a coaching position. Youth sports often have different rules than High School, College, or Pro leagues. The rules will change by age group and division. Knowing how long the game periods last, how many timeouts you have, and any mandatory playing time rules before the season begins will allow you to plan properly for your games.

*** Bonus Tip: Set your player rotation before you go to the game. Setting it up ahead of time allows you to plan your lineup, making sure that you meet all mandatory playing time rules. It also allows you to focus more on the game instead of wondering if Johnny or Susie has all of their time in.

Get the league practice and game schedules: You may have some latitude in scheduling practices but there will be scheduled times when you are scheduled to practice at the gym. You often have to ask for the practice schedule. It is up to you, your team, and the parents if you want to have practices over and above the practices scheduled by the league. If you do, you're usually on your own to find an open facility.

Have a Parent/Player Meeting before the season starts: Parent meetings are the most important step you can take to have a successful season. Establishing the rules and behavior expectations prior to the first practice of the season is essential. This is the time when you review team rules, pass our practice and game schedules, solicit volunteers, and ask the parent if there is anything special you need to know about their kids - Attention Deficit Disorder; Asthma; Needs Glasses; Known Allergies; etc. Trust me, you'll save yourself and your players a lot of grief if you find out the special circumstances ahead of time.

Other things to discuss:

Recruit Volunteers for the following positions:

1. Team Mom or Dad - the person who coordinates collections on fundraisers, concession stand and game day snack assignments, picture day, and other miscellaneous administrative type duties

2. Score/Stats Keepers - people who may not want to help coach but who come to the games can keep score and maintain stats for you in the stands

3. Coaching Assistants - you generally need at least one assistant, but if you can get a couple, I'd recommend it. Having extra coaches means help with running great practices and games

Discuss your objectives for the season. For example:

1. Develop the skills required to play the game

2. Have fun

3. Develop teamwork and sportsmanship

4. Give positive reinforcement based on effort rather than results

Describe your expectations of the parents. For example:

1. Be on time for practices and games

2. Volunteer when your schedule allows

3. Get involved and help your child work on their skills at home

4. Encourage good sportsmanship. Be an example by showing positive support for all players, coaches, and officials at every game and practice. Please cheer for your child during games, but try to keep from yelling instructions to them. Much of the fun is lost if their Mom or Dad is always yelling instructions.

5. Let the coach know if you or your child has any issues or concerns as soon as they arise. Problems can usually be fixed very easily if I know about them.

Bonus Tip: Hold your Parent/Player Meeting prior to the first practice, and away from the Gym. I like to use my local public library, which has meeting rooms that are free or very inexpensive to use. Having the meeting in this type of setting will allow you to hold your parent and player attention easier than competing with bouncing balls, goals, and whatever else may be going on in the gym.

Implementing the secrets listed above will almost certainly assure you a successful season.

Offense against Man To Man- Flex part 2

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Basketball Articles and Tips

Basketball Coaching: Team Motivation
Some of us will come home from practices and wonder, “Why on earth did Johnny decide to come out for the basketball team if he doesn’t want to try?” We spend so much time and energy on the frustration and the struggle to get players to perform at their optimum level during games.

I think it can be summed up in one common sports phrase:

“The way you practice is the way you play the game.”

Too many of our players don’t take practices seriously and they are joking around and not focusing on the task at hand. They don’t pay attention in practice and it is reflected in the way they play on the field, court, or arena. What makes the problem even worse is the fact that these players often have a detrimental effect on the attitude and coachability of others.

So, how do you motivate all of the players on the basketball team to start practicing hard? First, accept that you will always have at least one bad apple. The key is limiting the amount of influence that player can have on the rest of his or her basketball teammates.

Here are some of the other methods you can use to get your basketball team motivated to practice hard and play hard:

• Reward the basketball team for ‘basketball team’ efforts – Often times peers are the best motivators. You don’t need to crack the whip on any particular player, singling that player out more than the rest. You simply need to motivate the majority of the basketball team by rewarding them when the entire basketball team comes out to work hard during practices and games.

If their basketball teammates don’t want to work and the rest of the basketball team misses out on rewards, or worse yet have to do more work at practice, you can bet that person is going to hear it from the players. I would suggest that will often be motivation enough to get most players in line with practicing hard.

• Set a goal with the basketball team before each game – In hockey, you could set a goal of each basketball team member making a good pass in each period. If the basketball team achieves that goal then they are rewarded.

The goal can be as simple as winning a game, or doing a number of different basketball team skills effectively – even in a loss. As the coach, you can find any number of goals that a basketball team can try to reach during a game or even a practice, in order to motivate the players.

• Explain to them the importance of practice – You can use all sorts of coaching tactics for this one. Start with the fact that other basketball teams are preparing for them, so they need to prepare hard and well for the other basketball teams. You can tell them that improving skills is crucial in raising the basketball team to the next level.

There are literally dozens of different motivational tactics that can be used by coaches to get their basketball team up by showing them the importance of practice. The only thing that you shouldn’t do is be negative. Always be positive with the approach that you are taking. Players don’t often respond to negative remarks.

• Have fun at practice – Set the example early that practices are going to be work, but they are also going to be fun. That way a player knows that they are going to be able to have fun during the practice, but they will also be able to have fun.

This is especially important for the younger players. At that level, you are trying to maintain excitement and enjoyment for players that are probably just learning a game. If they see and hear a coach that is negative and yelling and the practices aren’t fun, then you probably aren’t going to see them for much longer. If they stay, you likely aren’t going to get much out of them.

• Simple encouragement – You wouldn’t believe how far positive encouragement and telling a player when they are doing well goes. It is unbelievable. Just think back to when you were a player in your sport and you heard your coach say, “That was a great steal Joe,” or “how to get the ball out quick Jenny.”

All of those comments help. They help a heck of a lot more than degrading or getting angry at players. No one wants to work hard for a coach that yells at his or her players during a practice or during a game. Players like coaches that lead them to victory through positive reinforcement, good coaching and setting a good example.

It isn’t always easy getting a basketball team motivated for practices, but that is the place to start – especially if you also want to get them motivated for games. Helping to build that motivation by giving players and the basketball team some positive goals to work for – with a positive coaching mentality is the best way to get the most motivation out of your basketball team.

Offense against Man To Man- Flex part 3

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Basketball Articles and Tips

Making A Basketball Pass - 17 Tips For Success!
Undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of basketball is passing. In order for a team to move the ball effectively they must be efficient at basketball passing.

Passing is used in almost every part of the game. Let's think about it for a minute. The offensive team uses the pass to advance the ball down-court on the fast break. They also use the pass to move the basketball around in their half-court offense. Various passes are used depending on where and who the ball is being thrown to.

Rebounders use various basketball passes to throw to an outlet player - which is the initial step of initiating the fast-break. Offensive players must use a variety of passes when executing an inbound pass.

It's easy to see how important the pass is to the offensive players on the court. Every player must be able to pass the basketball effectively and efficiently in order to help their team succeed. In order to do this, they must have strong fundamentals and techniques. They must also practice a basketball drills that work on a variety of passes as well as passing situations.

As players practice their basketball passing and as they use the basketball pass during their games, there are certain tips they must be aware of and keep in mind. These are the passing dos and don'ts. Every player must realize the importance these dos and don'ts have on their effectiveness as a passer. The players that are able to implement or eliminate these tips will become extremely successful at basketball passing!

The Dos Of The Basketball Pass:

1. Do make the easy pass.

2. Do hit the open player.

3. Do use fakes before making the pass.

4. Do use an air pass on the fast break - not the bounce pass.

5. Do use the dribble to create better passing lanes.

6. Do pass to the low post from below the foul line.

7. Do use a bounce pass to feed the post.

8. Do follow through on every pass - don't let them float.

9. Do pass with two hands. One handed passes are harder to receive.

10. Do pass away from the defender.

11. Do face the basketball to improve your vision of the court.

The Don'ts Of The Basketball Pass:

1. Don't throw to a teammate’s voice.

2. Don't jump in the air to make a pass.

3. Don't pass to a teammate who is in trouble.

4. Don't make a pass to a teammate that will get them into trouble.

5. Don't make a pass from the middle of the court - pick a side and then pass.

6. Don't overpass the ball.

Looking for more tips and advice on the basketball pass? Visit us today!