9 Motivational Tips for Parents

Posted by Eitel in For Parents, Motivation & Health | 1 comment

Parents play a significant role in influencing their children to the world of sports. Usually, professional athletes start their career at early ages. For example, in the sport tennis, athletes like Venus, or Serena Williams, started to grab a hold on the tennis racquet at ages 8 or, perhaps, 9 years old. Or in the sport of basketball, Michael Jordan started to shoot that ball, maybe, as early as 10 years old or below.

These are just some examples on how early professional athletes began their respective careers. At these early stages of life, young aspiring athletes do not rely much on other people in order to pursue what they want to do. It is their parents who help and guide them into whatever they think possible for their children to become. They are the most important individuals who can give their children the support to fulfill their dreams of becoming a great basketball player, tennis player, or soccer player someday.

How to do a Layup correctly

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches, For Parents, For Players | 0 comments

A layup is simply running to the basket on the right or left side and by leaping, placing the basketball into the net with under arm or over arm movement. The layup is done one handed and is counted as a 2 point shot in basketball. One is able to do a layup in basketball from both the right and left side. When you are in a game it is important to be able to do a layup from both sides if possible since you do not know how your opponent will defend you or the basket.

An athlete always has a dominant hand unless one is ambidextrous. This means that most athletes will need to remember to practice using both hands. Although an athlete may not be accustomed to playing with a particular hand it is important to dribble and perform layups on both the left and right side to gain dexterity and athleticism no matter which side is dominant. It is a good practice to learn to do layups and dribble with both hands since this makes one a more versatile player. Here are the steps to completing a layup correctly. One should start on the dominant hand.

Then add the practice of the non-dominant side. Practice every day and do not become discouraged because even professional basketball players put in many hours of practice on layups and still make mistakes. The leaping basketball dare devils we see on television are the products of a lot of practice. Please also remember to wear the appropriate shoes and apparel for playing basketball. You must have on footwear that is appropriate for the basketball court or practice area to avoid injury to one self. Also make sure to warm up properly before starting your layup drills.

1. Place a cone or make a line 15 feet from the basket. Approximately where the free throw line would be if you are on a court. You can practice layups even if you are not a court with a hoop and a ball. Just remember to give yourself about 15 feet of room from the basket for running.
2. Starting at your cone or line begin dribbling your basketball. Start with your dominant hand for the first drill.
3. Dribbling the basketball toward the basket (as you gain skill you can then run to the basket) bend your outside knee of the outside foot, leap to lay the ball near the basket, using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. One jumps straight up to the basket, leaping to place basketball on the backboard to bounce it into the basket or roll ones wrist or fingers to place basketball into the net.
4. For continued drills grab your own rebounds and run back to start. Begin again. Continue to practice the layup on both the left and right side.
5. Remember to keep eye contact with the basket, backboard, for in real games one would have a defender.

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How to shoot a Basketball

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The thrill of competition sings in the blood when watching a ball arc through the air. Time suspends itself with the ball as it dances around the rim. As Nike says, “Nothing but net.” Swoosh. Watching the ball hit the net is the goal of every player. There is an art to shooting a basketball and yet the actual shot is unique to every individual. Some players will shoot one handed, while others always use two. Some players spin the ball as they release. Below are a few simple steps to follow to begin learning how to make a basket. Remember that all bodies are not the same and your shot may evolve beyond these simple steps.

1. Stand in front of the basket holding your basketball.
2. Square your body. Stand facing the rim. Square your hips, feet, and shoulders so that you have a clear view to the rim.
3. Bend your knees. At this point some people will dribble the ball a few times to focus and relieve stress.
4. Always remember that the power of the shot should come from your legs and the direction of the shot from your arms. Place your weight on the balls of your feet. Holding the ball close to the hand make an L-shape. In one motion using the power of your legs bring the arms over the head, keeping your dominant shooting hand behind the ball, your non-dominant hand to the side to stabilize, keeping your shooting arm in the 90 degree angle next to your side elbow close to the hip or side. Release the ball from your fingertips to send ball towards hoop.
5. Follow through the release with your wrist. Some call this snapping the wrist.
6. Do not use just your upper body to throw and release. It should not be a jerk motion but one fluid movement. Use your leg strength. It may seem like you are throwing the ball from your arms and shoulders but a basketball shot is made using the whole body.
7. Feet, legs, hips, square, bend knees, power up, align, arms overhead, release.
8. Follow through the shot including keeping alignment with the vertical elbow and arm.

Tips for more success:

• For youth athletes you may want to start them out shooting baskets with a hoop that is commensurate with their size.
• Wear proper clothing that allows for the full range of motion of shots. Do not wear shirts or shorts that are too oversized and block the ability for good form.
• Consider the size of the ball. If the athlete is just learning and the size of the ball is not allowing for complete control with handling consider using a smaller ball especially for children. It is ok to use smaller balls when learning how to shoot since the technique does not require regulation sizes when first learning.
• Some coaches use the acronym beef to assist children in remembering the form to incorporate all the steps above:

1. B-balance 2. E-elbow 3. E- eye 4. F-follow through

Photo credit: Eddy-S

Increasing Speed in Basketball

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In the game of basketball, athletic skills are just as valuable as talent and dribbling ability. They all complement each other. Having one without the other will severely diminish any hopes of having the upper hand in court. The athletic skills that we mean are particularly speed, response quickness, agility and also jumping ability.

When discussing speed, we should note that speed can be broken down into two components. These components are stride length and stride frequency. Stride length is defined as the amount of distance that can be covered in one step. Stride frequency on the other hand is the number of strides that one takes for a given time.

Building on from the definitions, we can deduce that in order to increase speed in basketball, we need to increase both stride length and stride frequency. The most fundamental aspect that athletes should look into when trying to increase speed is to increase muscular power. Next, an athlete should work hard to increase the flexibility of the body joints that are directly related to the movement. Thirdly, players should increase the mechanics of the movement.

In basketball, being able to make split second multi directional movement is pivotal. Often, players will have to move forwards, backwards and sideways fast. When trying to increase speed in basketball, one should focus on developing a powerful stride length. At the same time, one should also try to maintain ones’ stride frequency.

One should also realize that speed is also dependent on the maximum speed at which the muscle is able to contract. Also, when trying to increase speed, one should be sure that he is not overweight. Being overweight simply means that there is more mass that needs to be moved. This significantly reduces the potential to move fast. Therefore, if players are overweight, coaches should make sure that the player undergoes a realistic fat reduction program.

There are various activities that can be done in order to increase ones’ speed in basketball. Among them is jumping rope. Jump ropes are helpful in toning the leg muscles to be able to deliver bursts of power when sprinting up and down the court. While jumping rope, the muscles will have to rapidly contract.

Thus, with proper training, the maximum rate at which leg muscles will be able to contract will increase. This will definitely increase ones’ basketball speed. Also, consider doing speed jumps as well.

Power skips are also helpful in increasing speed in basketball. This drill increases the flexibility of muscle joints and muscle power as well. As mentioned earlier, longer strides mean better speed. Power skips train the body to be able to perform longer strides.

The traditional sprinting is also a great way to increase basketball speed. What sprinting really does is to make the related muscle stronger. This will result in a higher muscle contraction rate which means better speed.

These are just some from a huge number of drills that can increase basketball speed. Both Players and coaches should look into these drills and implement them on the team.

Photo credit: Tulane Public Relations

How to start playing Basketball

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The wonderful thing about basketball is the fact that it can be shared and enjoyed by players on a wide range of skills level. It is a very simple game that can be understood immediately by just watching people play. Essentially, basketball can be made into a really simple game or it can be made into an extremely complicated game – you decide.

Its simplicity and beauty is one of the main reasons why it has become one of the most popular sports in the world. By learning three basic skills, one can begin to start playing the game – ‘hooping it’ is how they say it in basketball lingo.

The most basic skill that you need to master is dribbling the ball. Of course, you don’t need to dribble like a professional just yet. As long as you can do the basics, you would be able to play basketball as a beginner. Now, you might be wondering what in the world does dribbling mean.
Well, to put it simple, dribbling is basically walking or running with the ball.

You begin by bouncing the ball while standing still. Make sure that you do this back and forth between your two hands. Once you’ve got a hang of this, try walking while bouncing the ball on your side or in front of you. When you become comfortable with this, try to run with the ball. The key to this is practice, practice and more practice.

Next, you should proceed to learn correct passing techniques. Basketball is a team sport; therefore, you don’t want to keep the ball to yourself. If you play this way, you wouldn’t be making many friends on the court. Pass training is easier to do with a partner.

There are basically two common passing methods. These are the chest pass and the bounce pass. In chest pass, you position the ball at your chest level and aim to pass to your partners’ chest. Bounce pass on the other hand utilizes the bounce of the ball on the court. This is a great way to evade defenders and create some open spaces.

The third essential skill is shooting. You wouldn’t be having much fun on the court if you can’t shoot a basket. Shooting the basket becomes almost natural once you’ve mastered the form. Basically, when shooting, you should use both hands. Whereby, one hand acts as the shooting hand while the other acts as the guiding or support hand. The support hand should extend above the head and cup the ball. When shooting, extend your arm and flick the ball with your wrist. Remember; use your wrist and not your arm. It takes constant practice to be good at shooting the basket.

If you are really serious about basketball, you should learn more about the rules of the game. This can be done in many ways such as watching matches, reading books or just asking around. These days, it’s real easy to get information on any subject that you wish to.

Now that you’ve learnt about the basic skills that need to be covered, you are well prepared to start playing basketball. If you don’t succeed when you first start, don’t give up. After all, it takes practice to reach perfection. That’s how they coined the term ‘practice makes perfect’ anyways.

Let me know: What made you start playing basketball?

Photo credit: John-Morgan