The season is HERE!

The season is HERE!

The 2017-2018 basketball season is here. That means all the work put in during the off-season comes into fruition now. But the work doesn’t stop now, we’ll take you through a few drills and tips to prepare you to be a monster on the court all season!

Tip #1- Never stop perfecting the fundamentals!

“The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether its proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.” -Michael Jordan

Drill #1- Stationary ball handling drills have got somewhat of a bad rap over the years. Mainly because the drills do not have the athlete moving which doesn’t translate well in game scenarios since dribble moves are designed to get you passed the defense. Coaches don’t want to see a player doing dribble moves during a game while going no where. This is why some people refuse to incorporate stationary drills into their training workouts.

However, we believe stationary ball handling drills serve a tremendous purpose in basketball training and is one of the most important aspects of our workouts with athletes. We believe every hooper should start with stationary ball handling before their workout and even before a game for four reasons:

1. Stationary ball handling is a great warm up drill. It gets the athlete breaking a good sweat and activates important muscle groups the athlete will use throughout a basketball game.

2. Stationary drills allow the athlete to gain confidence in their handle. Not only does stationary ball handling allow the athlete to get more reps in but it also allows the athlete to do more complex combos which can really boost the athletes confidence in their ability to handle the rock.

3. Stationary drills can help the athlete’s jump shot. Sounds crazy, right? Well stationary ball handling drills are very effective for improving an athlete’s jump shot and especially so off the dribble. Stationary drills help the athlete gain control when the ball is in their hands. By gaining better control with the ball this allows the athlete to get the ball into their shooting pocket quicker and cleaner. This is certainly the case when the athlete is shooting off the dribble. By having better ball control the athlete is able to handle the ball cleaner off the bounce and get the ball into their shooting pocket more efficiently to take the jumper. By having a cleaner hand on the ball the athlete’s percentage to make the shot goes up dramatically and by having a quicker release the athlete is able to get off shots faster and increase the distance between the athlete and the defense when they release the shot giving them a cleaner look at the rim and in turn also increases the athlete’s percentage of making the jumper.

4. Most importantly, stationary drills allow the athlete to be comfortable with the ball. This is the main priority I have when I am working with an athlete trying to improve their handle. I not only want them to be confident about handling the ball but I want them to be comfortable handling the ball. This means when they ball is in their hands they are comfortable knowing they can get into any desired position on the floor, they are composed under any type of pressure, and knowing they have complete control when they are handling the pill.

Now go get BUCKETS…. and count your BLESSINGS.

God Bless,

The H&C Team