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