Basketball Talent = Instinct, Strength, Speed & Agility

Talent is a term defined by the Mirriam-Websters dictionary as a special, often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude; general intellegence or mental aptitude. Basketball Talent has a similar definition. However, when defining talent in relation to a player, one may be able to document it as: a special ability within a player that is demonstrated through instinct, mental aptitude, creativity, strength, speed and agility.

It must be noted that every basketball players level of talent is different. Usually it is the high level of talent that isn't developed or taught, but innate. Good coaches, lots of experience and playing with and against other talented basketball players enhances a player's level of talent.

Coaches look for talented players. The great Basketball Coach John Wooden once said, "I would rather take a team full of talent then a team full of experience". These words hold truth in many cases. Take a look at the current year and previous years NCAA Tournament Champions. They are teams full of talent. Even the losing teams in the championship games were full of exceptionally talented players.

Unfortunately, some players are not born with a high level of basketball talent. In other instances due to personal situations, players with high levels of talents are never groomed and developed under coaches, basketball trainers and teams that specialize in the enhancement of talent. Are you a talent? Have you always been able to use your God given abilities on the basketball court? Talent must be directed in a disciplined fashion, if not by the player then by a close confidant or mentor. Only then, will talent be placed on the right teams, in the best positions and made effective in the most important situations.

Defense: 10% understanding, 90% Passion

One-on-one defense and team defense are different in many aspects, but the common similarity between the two is that you can't wake up in the morning and automatically know how to defend an offensive player. These different fundamental aspects of defense are learned skills. Coaches and players (believe it or not) teach students of the game how to get in a defensive stance, how to move their feet, stay on balance and take the necessary angles needed to create difficult situations for offensvie players. In team defense, "help and recover", knowledge of where the offensive player is on the court, as well as the double team in both half court and full court pressure situations are taught to aspiring defenders. Proper hand placement when defending the post or a dribbler in the backcourt as well as defending the jump shot are all skills that can be taught to players.

Does this mean that once taught and practiced a few times, you have what it takes to stop an offensive player? Maybe, if it is an average or below average offensive player. The one key component of defense that is missing and cannot be taught, even by the master teachers of the game is simply known as passion. Some call it heart, others call it desire, drive, determination or the will to put an end to what the offensive player wants to do. Passion is not practiced nor instilled in the makeup of everyone. In my opnion it is only in about 10% of the basketball players we call professionals. Yes, I said it, there are players at the highest level of the game that don't have passion when they play defense. Yet these players will be the first to tell you that offense wins games, defense wins championships.

A successful basketball coach, who has won several championships, once told me that offense is the best defense. I must say that at times, I agree with him. I also believe that this is the mentality that many NBA teams take on as most of the players in the game have mastered some facit of offense. However, take into account that as of April 10, 2008 there were only 432 players in the NBA. That leaves hundreds of thousands of young and old basketball players that need to have a different aspect on defending. Their mentality should be geared more towards learning the fundamentals of defense in both one-on-one and a team setting. While learning, apply the passion from within to do what it takes to stop the offensive player or make it extremely difficult for him to score, even if he or she does score.

Basketball is a game created for the passionate. It is a game that creates so much tension and competitive spirit that without heart and a will to win no matter what it takes, successfull moments will come far and few between. So the next time you step into the gym or onto the court remember to strike the match and let the fire from within burn. Your teammates will be thankful and the feeling of self-satisfaction will have a positive impact on you when the ball stops bouncing.




SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Winning Mentality

We've seen it time and time again. Pick any sport and it happens every year. A team will be put together with immense talent and maybe even picked to win it all at the end of the season. Then the unexplainable happens. You say to yourself, how can this happen when the team has all of that talent? Is it team chemistry? Could be. But everyone respects each other and enjoys playing the game. Is it bad coaching? Could be. But the coach has a great history of winning seasons and even a few championships under his belt. What could it be?

Knowing that you have what it takes to win is not an easy thing to believe, much less an easy thing to enforce. You must have the necessary tools and knowledge of the game before you can believe. You have to prove it to yourself and others before it can be completely established. Finally, you must have been involved in losses, both as an individual and a teammate before you can believe it is possible.

Having the necessary tools and knowledge of the game comes from solid teaching, experience and a burning desire from within for the game and for success. It is not easy to find teaching that is suitable for your manner of learning. Everyone is different and learns differently. However, the good news is that the fundamentals of the game are the same and always will be. This idea is similar to the idea of a Math class in school. Not all Math teachers are able to express the way to approach and understand Algebra, for example. However, the concepts and principles of Algebra do not change and will never change. Therefore, you have to find the right teacher.

After obtaining the right tools and reaching an effective level of basketball knowledge you must put yourself to the test, and often. Playing in pickup games and with teams in leagues, non stop, as often as possible are going to prove that you have learned and developed what is necessary to get to the next level. Practice makes perfect, sure, but experience makes winners.

Winning isn't just something that happens because you obtained great teaching and have played in many games. Winning also isn't just a feet of luck either. Winning is earned and must be processed, learned from and enforced every time out. The greatest teacher of winning comes from the land of losing. This teacher's name is Loss. Loss helps you understand that there is always room for improvement, perfection is not possible and its going to take way more than you imagined to come out on top.

On top is where Swinsbasketball wants you to be. How about you?





SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Pregame Preparation

Before the start of any important event, regardless of the level of importance, make sure that you are mentally and physically prepared for it. for example, failing to be mentally prepared for a math test will lead to you receiving an unsatisfactory grade before you even step into the classroom. Failing to be physically and mentally prepared to go rock climbing on several 80ft walls will probably lead to half of the wall being accomplished in the climb. In other words, you will do half (or less than half) of the job. The list of examples related to the outcome when there is a lack of preparation can go on forever. But the main issue in the matter still remains, you must prepare for success, very rarely does it just happen.

Going back to the earliest days of my existence, I can hear my father say to me and my siblings, "You always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." Luckily, at a young age, I understood what he meant. As an adult, I now understand that those words usually come from those who have made a few mistakes in their preparation prior to important events and learned their lesson the hard way. Failure, once introduced, often creates a feeling that the common man or woman will attempt to avoid at all costs.

The same feeling from failure in everyday life is also felt in the game of basketball. Unfortunately it can be intensified exponentially depending on the importance of the game or an individual player's desire to prove themselves. Mark my words, if you play basketball long enough, you will fail. The key to minimizing the number of times that you fail will be directly related to your preparation as a player prior to every practice and every game. Preparing for practice and a game starts with good teaching. A solid coach or mentor should provide tips and even enforce specific routines that will aid in your physical and mental preparation. Preparing for practice or a game doesn't just happen, it involves behavior and actions that are taught.

For example, how to eat prior to intense physical activity. When to eat and what to eat are also helpful tips. Players that feel nervous prior to games or tryouts for a team, should find a source of relaxation that will depress the nerves, yet keep them controlled as they can prove to be helpful when the physical activity begins. Knowing when, how and with who to communicate about the practice, game or tryouts prior to the start is a way to build confidence when the whistle blows. These preparatory characteristics and more, can prove to be beneficial for each player prior to the start of their important basketball related event.

If you play basketball long enough, you will feel embarrassment at one point or another via a silly turnover, a blocked shot, an air-ball or you may even get dunked on (if you ever play against real talent). The greatest players to ever play the game have experienced every one of these embarrassing moments. For a talented and developing basketball player getting a head start on others means understanding that the game of basketball is 98% mental and 2 percent physical. Preparation will not completely deter the embarrassing moments or moments of failure from ever occurring, but it sure can minimize their frequency.

Tip-off is in a few minutes...are you ready?



SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Simple...Yet Effective

How often in the game of baseball are games won from homeruns only? How many games go 9 innings with no one on base and the final score is made of only homeruns? Not many.

How many football games are won by the team that scored the most, and both teams went for a touchdown on every possession? Whether it is a run play or a pass play on first through third down, in the history of the game, how many teams have won games by scoring or attempting to score every time they were on offense? What would be the need for offensive coordinators? The answer is, none.

I bring this topic to light with the aforementioned sports because basketball is no different. How many offensive possessions or basketball games are won with a shot taken every time the first player touches the ball or even after one pass is made and the receiving player touches the ball? Not many. That is because strategy is involved in any genuine competitive sport. The desire to win, even in football, sparks the use of brains over bronze.

In more cases than not, the smarter play is the simple play. The smarter team is the team that is capable of understanding the offensive strategy, defensive strategy and thought process of the coaching staff in regards to what they want to accomplish in every practice, team meeting and game. Because an entire season plays a physical and mental toll on players, it is best to keep things simple yet effective.

Simple yet effective should be involved in a player’s mentality at all times.

For example, a simple bounce pass that most players have been doing for years, if possible, should always be kept simple and effective. This means one handed bounce passes, behind the back bounce passes, between the legs bounce passes and over-the-head bounce passes are all complex bounce passes that lead to problems more times than not. The same rule applies to fundamental chest passes and over-the-Head passes. You must keep them fundamentally sound in order to make an effective pass and be an effective player.

Defensively, do not double team if you don’t have to. Of course if your coach requires it, or if you are playing defense and happen to find yourself near an offensive player that has dribbled into the corner of the court, you should establish a tough double team. Any other time, you should help and recover quickly back to your man, allowing the court to remain balanced and leaving no one open. This is keeping the defensive spacing on the court simple and effective.

Even in a pressured situation, it may be more effective to make a between the legs crossover to free up space as opposed to a behind the back dribble.

Maybe when on a fast-break it would have been more effective to stop and knock down the short corner bank-shot than to force your way in a crowd of defenders to get a layup. You may be risking the chance that the referee may not call a foul, a defender may block your shot, or the defensive pressure may have caused you to alter your shot and make you feel uncomfortable just long enough for you to miss your shot.

Basketball is a sport that provides the key to an enormous room full of complex situations. These situations seem to be catching the attention of most players and young teams today. The General Manager of a famous hotel chain once told me that well kept rooms that only have the inhabitant’s necessities tend to appear simple, but prove most effective in meeting their needs. That’s how you create a happy customer.

SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Fingertips

Here's an interesting fact, among all of the areas of your skin, your fingertips possess the highest concentration of touch receptors. This means they are most sensitive to pressure, vibration and general activities involving motion. They are you're body's sensory probes. Taking this information into account in the game of basketball, why wouldn't you want your fingertips involved in every aspect of your game?

When dribbling the basketball, you will need to keep your head up and eyes open so the necessary passes or open shots are made. Sure, you should keep the basketball in your peripheral vision, but an expert dribbler will trust and confide in their fingertips to ensure total control of the basketball. Simple dribble moves to get you out of trouble such as the cross-over or the backup dribble, are done effectively with hand strength and the fingertips. It is extremely necessary to have an established grip on the ball and this can be done without having a ball that feels like glue.

Let's switch to another fundamental part of the game, shooting. Your on a fastbreak, sprinting at your fastest pace, controlling the ball with your finger strenghth and fingertips as you keep your head up and eyes focused on the basket. There's no teammate ahead to pass the ball to and the defense seems to be catching up with you fast. It just so happens that the opposing team's big man is the only guy back (he never made it completely down the court from the previous posession) so you decide between two types of shots: lay-up or short jump shot. The big guy is hedging at you trying to slow you up and it works. You make the quick decision as soon as you dribble below the three point line to stop and pop. You take one more dribble and just as you get below the freethrow line you pick the ball up. PAUSE!

[Picking the ball up involves coordination and because your head is up and you're not looking at the ball your fingertips have engaged into action and will do the work for you. They give the ball one last pound as both hands come together.] PLAY!

You place the ball in your shooting hand with the fingertips locking onto the ball and your supportive hand is also locked onto the ball. Your thumbs are in the "T" position and the ball is only touching the fingertips and the pads of your hand. PAUSE!

[It is so important to get a perfect shooting grip on the ball. It is critical that the fingertips are involved in this process. Just as you control the ball with the fingertips when dribbling, you must also control the ball when shooting. You fingertips should be the last part of your hand that touches the ball when released. They are the "final director's cut" before the ball is in the air under the control of no one. The pressure they apply should be just right as you follow through to give the ball the backspin it needs.] PLAY!

You shoot! Perfect rotation on the ball, thanks to the proper pressure applied by the fingertips. The mechanics of B.E.E.E.F. were in tact and you felt confident that the ball left your hands just right. Swish...



SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

The Phone Booth

Remember the all glass phone booths from back in the day? They weren't the most comfortable places to stand inside and talk to someone over the phone. But what had to be done was done. Some phone booths even came with a door you could close so that you could talk and have some privacy.

Privacy could be defined as preventing intrusions into one's physical space. Wouldn't this be the ideal situation a jump shooter would want everytime he shot the basketball? Picture a kid growing up in a small town somewhere in NC. He spends most of his time with few people throughout the day (Mom, Dad, brother, sister). When he finally steps onto a basketball court and is being hounded by a kid his size or bigger, he get's his first feeling of a stranger intruding his physical space. This is an uncomfortable feeling and the physical pressure can convert itself into mental pressure, thus becoming overwhelming and forcing a turnover or a pass to a teammate. "Good defense", shouts the defender's teamates as they try to do the same thing to their men.

Was shooting an option for the young kid who just knew every day of his short life that he was on his way to being the next Erving "Magic" Johnson? Could he have shot the ball under the physical and mental pressure and actually made the shot? Not that day...

A few months go by and the kid gets a little stronger both physically and mentally. This is when he was taught to shoot his "J" in the phone booth and not in the street. The flow of increasing pressure he felt in the game that day (physical --> mental) lowered instantly in a reverse manner (mental --> physical).

The pressure was lowered in this direction because he was confident that the defender couldn't stop his jump shot regardless of the pressure he was applying. How was this possible? Well, the young soon to be "Magic" knew that when he held the ball in his hand he was in the phone booth with the door closed. That was all of the space he needed to shoot the basketball properly. He found his shooting form quicker, he found his confidence in his shot faster, he found a way to frustrate defenders...Game over.

Learn more about the Phone Booth "J" during SwinsBasketball training workouts to improve your shot and build that confidence and consistency everytime you step on the court.


SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Dribbling and Ball Handling

Believe it or not, there is a difference between being a good ball handler and a good dribbler. To be a good dribbler you must be a good ball handler, however you can be a good ball handler and not be a good dribbler. In a player's repertoire, both of these fundamentals should be developed to improve their overall skill level.

So which is more important? Being able to dribble through pressure and fake out multiple defenders with creative dribble moves or being a good ball handler and not turning the ball over and not letting the defender steal the ball, even if it means picking it up when hands are slapping and clawing at you.

Let's first analyze the concept of being a good ball handler. In a typical basketball game between two very competitive teams that are well coached and is being played with a high level of intensity, players will encounter themselves in many sticky situations.

For example, full court defensive pressure will change the speed of the game. The offensive team will hopefully become a passing team in order to move the ball faster down the court and avoid the many traps that the defense would like to see happen. That is when good hard and fast passes will be made. Each player on the court will need to be able to take very limited dribbles, pick up the basketball quickly and make a strong and accurate pass to their teammate. If you are having difficulty catching and/or grabbing the ball from a dribble move, you need to improve your ball handling.

Another example could be if you are wide open for an easy layup and you fumble the ball before or after you pick it up to lay the ball in the basket. This could cause you to miss a wide-open layup. The reason is not always because you can't make layups, it could be because you couldn't handle the ball. Having confidence and strong hands are only a couple of characteristics that are necessary to be a good ball handler.

Dribbling is a fundamental art in the game of basketball. Americans above all have and remain trying to perfect this art every second of the day. Thanks to the Stephon Marburys, Allen Iversons and the Rafer Alstons to merely name a few, becoming a great dribbler has begun to sell more tickets. This is a positive for the NBA franchises and a negative for the young aspiring basketball player that is now in the habit of beating the basketball on the floor in a game hoping that something good will evolve from it 10 out of 10 times.

Before I go on, let's make sure we have one thing clear, dribbling is a requirement in the game of basketball if you cannot always make a pass to an open man. Running with the basketball is illegal. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the benefits of dribbling.

How many times have we heard our coaches scream, "MOVE WITH A PURPOSE!!" To be an effective dribbler you must dribble with two intentions:

1. To get your defender off balance

2. To create a means of effectively getting to the basket.

In a game identical to the characteristics of that mentioned above, dribblers will need to stay lower than the defensive player when they dribble and make dribble moves. Speed bursts with the ball and being ready to shoot when the time comes all stem from staying low with your dribble. Because the ball doesn't have much time to bounce before it is back in your hands every time you dribble, it will be harder for defenders to steal the ball and easier for the dribbler to make decisions.

Becoming a better shooter often relates to the fact that you, the player, have become a better dribbler and ball handler.

...Call a TO, make adjustments, consider the above.

SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

B.E.E.E.F.

The mechanics of a jump-shot are so much easier said than done. However, if they're going to be said, let them be said with a good taste in your mouth. The acronym used at SwinsBasketball is B.E.E.E.F. That's right, Beeef with threee "E's".

In a consistent and structured jump-shot you must continuously improve your:
B alance
E yes
E elbow
E xplode
F ollow-through

A shooting form is like a person's handwriting, no two people have identical handwriting forms. You may find someone that writes almost identical to another person, but maybe they don't cross their "T's" or dot their "i" quite like the other. As long as the "T" or the "i" is legible and can be read every time you write, then you can count that as 2 points! This is true in a player's jump-shooting form as well.

To meet the standard percentages for shooting, guaranteed to put a smile on any coach's face, you must follow the 3 C's: Comply with the mechanics (B.E.E.E.F.), be Comfortable in your shot and you must be Confident. SwinsBasketball won't change your form, but the mechanics of your form may need to be altered in order to comply, repetition will be stressed in each training session for comfort, this in turn will prove to develop a confident player.

Are you that player?


SwinsBasketball
Phone: (862) 234-0511
Email: swinsbasketball@gmail.com

Basketball Training - Affordable Way To Take Your Game To The Next Level

Welcome to SwinsBasketball

Try an initial session just to see if this is what you are looking for...

Then,

Purchase a package of workouts at a discounted rate!

Strengthen your weaknesses and learn more about your game and what you can expand on! Get a head start on the guys at the court or your up and coming winter league and/or youth league, middle school, high school or college basketball season.

Its worth a try and very affordable. Premium Packages and Referral discount incentives are offered as well (see below). For more information check out session and package descriptions at SwinsBasketball.

The premium, packages, and referral details are below:

The Video Evaluation Premium (VEP) may be added to each package of sessions (with the exception of Package 3) at an additional $20.

Trial/Initial sessions (1 hour and 15 minutes) - $100.00

Package 1 includes: 3 sessions at $260.00 (equivalent to $87 per session)
Package 2 includes: 4 sessions at $340.00 (equivalent to $85 per session)
Multi-Packages (6, 8, 10, etc sessions) with VEP, for example: 6 sessions +VEP = $520.00 (Package 1 times 2 plus VEP at no charge)


**Package session length ranges between 1 hour 15 to 30 minutes. (Player’s discretion).**

Payment is made in cash or check at the first workout.


REFERRALS & VEP

If you refer a client that confirms a package or workout then you will receive a free individual workout session ($100 value).

If you refer 2 clients that confirm Trial/Initial workouts or a package then you will receive a free Trial/Initial workout, plus a 3 session package.

If you refer more than 2 clients that confirm Trial/Initial workouts and/or packages then you may select and confirm between a free 3 session VEP package or a 4 session VEP package.

VEP (Video Evaluation Premium)- Video Evaluation is an important tool allowing the player to see with their own eyes the encouraging constructive points discussed and emphasised in each workout. Video evaluation will take place at the beginning of every session. Workouts are filmed in HD quality, can be sent to your phone, and all completed evaluation videos are the property of the player. Players can have the convenience of referring back to it if a topic or point is forgotten when practicing on your own, walking to school or work, or sitting in front of your computer.

Looking Forward,

Thomas S.
Head Coach and Trainer
Phone/Text: (862)-234-0511
Swinsbasketball@gmail.com
Website: SwinsBasketball