For over twenty years as a sports entertainer/clinician, I’ve performed and instructed thousands and thousands of young people. It is inevitable that after every performance and or clinic I’m asked; “How can you spin the ball like that?” Or “How can you make all those baskets?” My answer is simple – practice. No secret formula, no magic or illusion – just basic practice. After relating this message, I often get blank stares as if my answer does not compute. Unfortunately, we are a society of instant gratification – wanting things done quickly. I’ve learned over the years how gratifying it feels when you finally achieve a goal you’ve been working so hard for. It’s something that you don’t take for granted and appreciate the success.

In 2004 had the opportunity to attend the Women’s Final Four in New Orleans . You could read it on each of the athlete’s faces how hard they had worked to get to the Final Four and what it meant to be there. I also couldn’t help noticing how each team warmed up before the game – going back to practicing basic fundamentals. Repetition – over and over again, practicing basic passing, dribbling and shooting fundamentals. Even at the highest level of women’s collegiate basketball, these highly skilled athletes recognized and practiced daily the basic fundamentals.

In the future, if you find yourself asking someone how he or she performed a particular task or drill, remember it’s something that did not come to him or her overnight. Simple practice is the answer. Practicing when no one is watching, practicing when you may not feel like it, practicing even when the facility or environment may not be conducive to perfect practicing conditions. Someone who is successful has practiced under all of these conditions many, many times.

Something to think about during the off-season…

Remember Your Feet

When I work with athletes, the one thing I work on more than anything else is footwork. A move is so much more effective if the footwork is correct. Once I point that out to an individual, it's as if a light bulb goes on. The whole move falls into place. So much emphasis is made on the proper placement of the hands in a jumpshot or in a defensive stance. The truth is, it all starts at the feet.

Recently, I worked with a young athlete who had a great jumpshot, but tended to spread her feet too far apart on the jump. She had no idea that she was doing that. Once I pointed that out to her, she felt she had more distance and accuracy in her shot. If you are struggling with a problem with your jumpshot, try thinking about your feet and your feet placement.

I firmly believe if you start from the feet and work your way up, your jump shot will become the shot you want.

Work Hard, Have Fun!

I have talked about the importance of having fun while playing basketball before; however, it was never more evident when I traveled to West Virginia to put on two clinics.

For two nights in a row, I had over 40 young ladies eager to learn basketball drills. What really impressed me about these young athletes, their coaches and their parents was one basic theme "having fun". Having fun is not to be mistaken with not working hard and trying to do your best. These young athletes worked extremely hard at every drill. What struck me was that every child, no matter what their skill level, worked hard, but at the same time had a smile on his or her face. They were having fun working hard. They were having fun improving their skills. They were having fun struggling through some of the harder drills, but always gave the effort. I looked at this group and thought to myself; "This is exactly what it's all about - working as hard as you possibly can on a skill and feeling good about the improvement - no matter how small."

I firmly believe that this "have fun, work hard" work ethic will carry over into all other aspects of these young athletes' lives. Basketball may be just a game, but it teaches so much more. These young athletes in West Virginia definitely get it.

Get Low, Stay Low

I have a feeling you have heard your coach yell out a time or two, "Bend your knees -- get down lower!" I bet a practice does not go by that these words are not uttered. There is a reason why your coaches want you to get down lower.

In almost every aspect of basketball, your knees should be bent to keep you down low. When you shoot, your knees are bent. When you pass, your knees are bent and you are low. When you play defense, you are low. When you dribble the ball, you are low. The lower your body is, the better balance your body maintains. And when your body is in balance you are much more likely to execute the fundamentals properly.

BUT, there is a big problem -- bending our knees and getting lower HURTS! That's why we tend to avoid bending! I'm telling you right now, if you want to be a complete player, you have to develop your leg muscles so you can bend your knees and stay low for extended periods of time.

Here is one exercise to build those leg muscles:

THE WALL-SIT

• Lean your back against a wall and bend your knees.

• Hold that position for approximately 15 seconds.

• Stop and repeat 5 more times.
  
• When that eventually becomes easy, increase the hold time to 30 seconds.

Also, when you are practicing, think to yourself that bending your knees another inch or two will benefit your game a lot. Remind yourself at all times to get low and stay low.

Confident or Cocky?

There is a distinct difference between confidence out on the basketball court and cockiness out on the basketball court. Confidence is defined as an athlete who is sure of his/her abilities and gets the job done. She or he knows that basketball is a team game and praises his/her teammates - giving them credit where credit is due. Cockiness is defined as an athlete who is sure of his/her abilities, just like someone with confidence; however, they take it a step further. He or she knows they're good and makes sure everyone around them knows it too. They are never at fault if the ball is turned over, or the ref makes a call -- it's always someone else's fault. I found a poem, by Tom Krause that talks about being cocky and realizing that no matter how good we are, we always have room for improvement.

Just Me
by Tom Krause

From the time I was little, I knew I was great
'cause the people would tell me, "You'll make it - just wait."
But they never did tell me how great I would be
If I ever played someone who was greater than me.

When I'm in the back yard, I'm king with the ball
To swish all those baskets is no sweat at all.
But all of a sudden there's a defender in my face
Who doesn't seem to realize that I'm king of this place.

So the pressure gets to me; I rush with the ball.
My passes to teammates could go through the wall.
My jumper's not falling, my dribbles not sure.
My hand is not steady; my eye is not pure.

The fault is my teammates - they don't understand.
The fault is my coaches - what a terrible plan.
The fault is the call by the blind referee.
But the fault is not mine; I'm the greatest, you see.

Then finally it hit me when I started to see
That the face in the mirror looked exactly like me.
It wasn't my teammates who were dropping the ball,
and it wasn't my coach shooting bricks at the wall.

That face in the mirror that was always so great
Had some room for improvement instead of just hate.
So I stopped blaming others and I started to grow.
My play got much better and it started to show.

And all of my teammates didn't seem quite so bad.
I learned to depend on the good friends I had.
Now I like myself better since I started to see
That I was lousy being great - I'm much better being me.

Proper Shooting Warm-Up

Too many times when I see young athletes warm-up, their first shot is from the three-point line, or beyond. They throw the ball up toward the basket, "hoping" that it will go in. There is a right way and a wrong way to warm up, and the above example is definitely the WRONG way.

When you decide that you are going to practice your shooting, the first 15-20 shots should be taken no more then 3 feet away from the basket. That's right - THREE FEET from the basket. Any athlete who has played the game for an extended period of time warms up like this. For example, the next time you watch a WNBA or NBA player, watch where they take their first warm-up shot. 99.9% of the time they'll shoot the ball from approximately 3 feet from the basket. Why? Two reasons: first, warming-up close to the basket helps you concentrate on the proper form when shooting the basketball. You can concentrate on following-through, jumping off the ground, proper hand placement, etc …

Second, shooting close to the basket initially helps raise your confidence level. If you start shooting from far out, the chance of making a lot of shots in a row is slim, so your confidence begins to slip. When you start close to the basket, the chance of making a lot of shots in a row increases dramatically; therefore your confidence in your shot increases. So, every time you step out on the court, begin your shooting warm up like this:  

• 15-20 shots, 3 feet away from the basket
   
• 15-20 shots, 6 feet away from the basket
   
• 15-20 shots, 10 feet away from the basket
   
• Begin your shooting workout.

Five Secrets of Dribbling

If you dribble well, you have control out on the basketball court. You don't have to worry about dribbling the basketball because you have confidence. Just believing in yourself and your abilities makes you an offensive threat.

Here I've outlined five secrets to effective dribbling. If you start following these suggestions, you'll be headed in the right direction for gaining confidence on the court.

• Keep Your Head Up . If you're looking at the ball, you can't see the big picture. You will miss precious opportunities to pass the ball to an open teammate. The more you practice dribbling with your head up, the easier it will become.
   
• Protect the Ball . Get in the habit of dribbling the basketball close to your body, with your opposite hand always up, protecting the ball. This will cut down on the amount of times the defense steals the ball.
   
• Bounce the Ball Hard Off The Floor . If you bounce the ball hard, that will give you the momentum to make a move to the basket (e.g. crossover, spin dribble). Also, it makes it more difficult for the defense to steal the ball, because the ball is moving faster.
   
• When Making a Dribble Move - EXPLODE . The first step is crucial in determining if you are or are not going to beat the person guarding you. When you decide to make a move, don't hesitate - explode to the basket.
   
• Practice Both Hands Equally . You don't want to be labeled by your opponent as the player that only goes to their right or left. Work on both hands equally so the defense has no idea, which way you are going.

Learn From The Pros

A USA Today article in 2001 stated the value of the relationship between Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams. When it comes to awards and accolades, they don't care who wins what, as long as the TEAM wins. This attitude is very rare in pro sports, let alone amateur sports. Too many times athletes are concerned with themselves first, and team second. This attitude loses games -- plain and simple. Don't get me wrong; you must work on your individual skills. But the bottom line for a team sport is that it is a Team Game, and team play wins games -- not individuals. I am not necessarily a Rams fan -- in fact, I always want the Packers to win the Super Bowl :-) -- but I do respect Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk for putting their egos aside and putting the team first. We can learn a lot from them. What can you do to contribute more to your team?

Build Hand-Strength

If you are looking to develop strength in your hands and forearms, this drill will help you do just that. I know it is a great help to me in building my strength in those areas.

• Sit down, with your legs straight
• Dribble the basketball in your right hand with one finger at a time, including your thumb. Dribble three quick dribbles with the thumb, three quick dribbles with the index finger, etc. until you dribble with all the fingers and then repeat.
• Do this for one minute, and then switch to the left hand.
• Repeat this drill three times on both the right and left side, three times a week.

Doing drills like this will strengthen your hand and forearm, which in turn will help you to dribble, pass and shoot better than ever.

Quick First Step

You may have heard the comment before, "He/she has a quick first step." What does it mean? Why is it so important? A great example of a person with a quick first step is Allen Iverson of the 76ers. His first step after he makes a move is extremely quick. Because of this, he is able to blow by most of his defenders. A quick first step is defined as the first step you take after you make a dribble move trying to get away from the defense. There are two important factors to remember when making that first step:

1. Cover some distance. Don't just take a regular step; take a BIG step toward the basket. The bigger the step, the harder it is to recover and defend.
2. As soon as you make your first dribble and continue, keep your head up, looking at the basket. So many times, young athletes put their head down, looking at the basketball. Keep your eyes on the basket. If you have your eyes up, you can see what movement you created from the defense. If you've gotten by your defender, there is a good chance another defender will come help and leave their person open. You can't see that if you are looking at the basketball. Keep your head up as soon as you put the ball down.

I suggest you work on the Jab and Go move, 10 times to the right and then Jab and Crossover, 10 times to the left, emphasizing that first step. The more you concentrate on working on your first step, the quicker it will become.