I will post an important new blog (on Active Rest in August) and two new YouTube videos (from the Kevin Durant & Amar'e Stoudemire Nike Basketball Skills Academies) on Sunday, August 1st.

 

Thanks for your patience and support!

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

 

My intense summer camp circuit is almost over.  I travel to Connecticut next week to train a group of players from Brazil and then will be speaking at state coaching association clinics in South Carolina and Colorado.  In August, I will spend some much needed time at home with my wonderful wife and our (4 month old) twin sons, Luke and Jack. 

 

I will also use the month of August to re-energize my battery for the fall. I have learned over the years how important it is to work smarter… not just harder.  And part of working smarter is knowing when to rest and recover.

 

In addition to quality family time, I will focus on getting extra sleep, being consistent with my own workouts, eating well, and submerging in professional development (books, audiobooks, instructional DVDs, old notes, etc.).  Even though August is a slow month for business, I never stop working on my craft.  I try to get a little better every day. I have a new challenge ahead of me at DeMatha, and I plan to be as prepared as possible for the pre-season.

 

The past 6 weeks have been an exciting whirlwind. I have worked the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp, the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, all of the Nike Skills Academies (Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Amar’e Stoudemire, & LeBron James), and the Nike Peach Jam EYBL Championships.  

 

Having had the opportunity to be around the most talented players in the country, I noticed there is a key factor that separates the good from the great.

 

That is the ability to compete.

 

Mediocre players rarely compete.  Good players compete when they want to.  Great players compete all of the time… every drill, every workout, every day. Their competitive fire never stops burning.

 

And competing doesn’t always have to be against another player. Great players compete against themselves. Great players compete against the clock. Great players compete against the drill.  They are never satisfied with what they have already accomplished and are constantly competing to improve.  They aim to raise the bar every single workout.  No matter how much success they have had, they are always looking to go to another level. 

 

Kevin Durant doesn’t pick and choose when to compete; he competes all of the time. KD just won the NBA scoring title, was an All-Star, and led the Thunder to the playoffs. Yet, he competed as hard as any high school or college player at his Skills Academy (in both drills and scrimmages).  KD played with the hunger and urgency of someone who still needed to prove himself, even though he obviously doesn’t.

 

I can tell within 5 minutes whether or not a player is a true competitor.  I can tell in their preparation. All I have to do is watch what they do the 15 minutes before the workout begins. 

 

Are they waiting for the workout or are they preparing for it?  There is a difference.

 

Players who are waiting to work out are usually lounging around in their flip flops and headphones or just casually shooting.  They are literally killing time until the workout begins. That’s when they plan to “turn it on.”

 

Players who are preparing to work out, are dressed and ready and going through some type of standard routine, such as a structured warm-up or doing some form shooting.  They aren’t joking or grab assing around.  They are focused on getting mentally prepared.  They are all business.

 

Despite the stress of “The Decision,” and the fact he was technically an unsigned free agent at the time, LeBron James laced them up and played with both the high school and college players at his Skills Academy. Even though these were just nightly pick-up games, LeBron went through his standard pre-game preparation, which included being thoroughly stretched by his trainer and running through some basic shooting drills to get a sweat.  The only thing he didn’t do was throw chalk in the air!

 

LeBron James is a competitor. LeBron James knows how to prepare.

 

Each night, there were two games going on simultaneously on adjacent courts.  The games played on LeBron’s court were always twice as intense and competitive as the other court.  Why? One reason was because LeBron’s competitiveness and intensity was contagious. The other reason was because the other players wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of playing against the NBA’s reigning MVP.  They were more competitive because something was on the line and they felt they had something to prove.

 

The key to being a great player is learning to play that hard and intense all of the time. Why not compete like you are playing against LeBron in every game you play?  Why not compete in every drill as if a college coach or NBA scout is watching?

 

If you can figure out how to do that, you will be well on your way. When you learn to treat an off-season workout with the same importance as a championship game, then and only then, have you learned how to truly compete and maximize your potential.  I have seen plenty of very talented players fall short because they didn’t make competing a habit. 

 

Don’t think you can just “turn it on” when the season starts.  You need to start competing now… every drill, every workout, every day.

 

Are you waiting for the season to start… or are you preparing for it?

 

If you need to spice up your summer workouts with some alternative exercises that require minimal equipment, I just posted a video of Basketball Strength & Conditioning Exercises: Upper Body at http://TinyUrl.com/UpperBodyExercises.

 

Lastly, we have officially wrapped up our 10 week long Can He Dunk? Project.  You can watch the first episode at www.CanHeDunk.com. We will post a new episode each week for the next five weeks.

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

Seven players. Two trainers. Ten weeks. One goal.  Can He Dunk?

 

That is the question. Do you think we can get 7 high school basketball players to dunk after 10 weeks of training? Please visit www.CanHeDunk.com to find out!

 

In early April we selected 7 high school basketball players who could not dunk a basketball to participate in a rigorous 10 week training program. We documented their progress by filming their weekly dunk attempts. We were looking for the answer to one question… Can He Dunk?

 

The purpose of this project is to show the world the realistic results you can attain from proper training.  We aim to discredit the folks that claim they can help you get a 50” vertical or add 12 inches to your vertical jump in 6 weeks.  Those programs are bogus.

 

Our goal is to show real players attain real results.

 

We partnered with www.ESPNRise.com to document the 10 week program. We will feature 5 webisodes that will include footage from the workouts, the weekly dunk attempts, and player interviews. This is reality TV at its finest!

 

The first webisode will air next week (the week of July 12, 2010).  We will air one webisode a week for 5 straight weeks.  So you need to check back each week to see… Can He Dunk?

 

After the final webisode airs, and you see how many of the 7 players actually dunked, we will post detailed notes on each player’s journey.  We will share their increase and improvement in bodyweight, strength, and (estimated) vertical jump.

 

Check out www.CanHeDunk.com!

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

“Success leaves footprints… are you following them?”

 

If you want to be successful, you need to learn from the path successful people have taken.

 

I had the opportunity to be around several of the NBA’s best and hear some invaluable insight on what it takes to be great.  Kevin Eastman, Tim Grover, Amar’e Stoudemire, Andre Iguodala, and Deron Williams left some footprints. 

 

I am most certainly going to follow them…

 

Kevin Eastman is an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics and the Director of the Nike Basketball Skills Academies.  He has coached at every level and is one of the most respected basketball minds in the world.

 

Question: What makes Kevin Garnett a future Hall of Famer?

 

Coach Eastman: His drive, focus, and discipline.  He does all of the little things necessary to be great and he does them daily.  He is always looking to learn.

 

Question: What did Rajon Rondo do differently this past off-season to propel him to the upper tier of NBA point guards?

 

Coach Eastman: He didn’t do anything drastically different.  He has just continued to grow and mature at a steady pace and this past year reflected many years of hard work (not just one off-season). Rajon has always been very dedicated to his craft and has always worked hard.  One example of his dedication is the fact he worked with a shooting coach (Mark Price) and concentrated on improving his accuracy from two specific spots, the short corners and elbows. This is where he gets 90% of his shots in our offense.

 

Question: Ray Allen is one of the best shooters in the history of the NBA.  What is his shooting regimen?

 

Coach Eastman: Ray is the only player I know who arrives at every game 3 hours before tip-off.  He follows an intense shooting routine and works himself into a full sweat.  He pays close attention to detail, especially with his feet.  He makes sure he uses the exact same form every single time. Ray Allen is not one of the best shooters in the league by accident!

 

Question: How would you describe Paul Pierce’s game?

 

Coach Eastman: Paul is a professional scorer.  He knows how to score.  He is not the quickest or most athletic player, but he understands how to play the game, how to use ball fakes, and how to play at different speeds. He lets the game come to him. He gets shots from where he wants, when he wants.  He is really hard to stop.

 

Question: What are the biggest skill deficiencies you see in high school players?

 

Coach Eastman: They play too fast, they over dribble, and they care too much about “me” and not enough about “we.”  Getting players to understand tempo is extremely challenging, but it is a quality that all of the top players have.

 

Question: What advice would you give young coaches?

 

Coach Eastman: Never say no to a basketball opportunity.  You never know what doors they will open. Gather as much knowledge as you can, from as many different sources as you can.  Sift through that knowledge and formulate your own system and philosophy.  You can learn everywhere, so always carry a pen and paper.  Network and build quality relationships. Try to be in the company of successful coaches and soak up their knowledge.  Ask questions. Coach to your personality and be authentic (don’t try to be someone else).

 

Question: What aspects of the game do coaches need to emphasize more with their players?

 

Coach Eastman: Most coaches are great with drills.  They know millions of them.  But they need to teach their players to transfer those drills into playing the actual game.  That transfer is the ultimate goal. Most high school (and many college) players don’t really know how to play.  Coaches need to emphasize time and score, proper spacing, ball movement, help defense, post feeds, tempo, etc.

 

Question: What are the 3 most important qualities of being a successful coach?

 

Coach Eastman: (1) You must be a lifelong learner.  (2) You must be honest with yourself, with your staff, with your players. (3) You must understand the importance of relationships.  Coaching is all about inspiring and motivating to improve performance. What you “bring” to each workout (energy, enthusiasm, effort, patience, etc.) is more important than what you “know.”

 

I highly recommend you visit www.KevinEastmanBasketball.com to learn more about the upcoming Coaching U Live.  It will be the most intense, detailed, no-nonsense look at all aspects of teaching and coaching the game.  Coaching U promises to deliver well over 700 teaching/coaching points!

 

Tim Grover is an internationally renowned basketball trainer who has worked with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade (among numerous others).

 

Question: What makes Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade so remarkable?

 

Tim Grover: They are never satisfied.  They look at ways to improve every workout, every practice, and every game.   When they look at game stats, they look at turnovers, fouls, and how many points the guy they were guarding scored. They work diligently on improving their weaknesses.  They pay attention to the smallest details… especially footwork. They constantly study the game.  They study their opponent (to expose weaknesses).  They study their teammates (to highlight their strengths). They study the history of the game and respect previous generations.

 

No matter how successful they are, they do these 3 things every day: show up on time, listen, and work hard. The great ones are always the hardest workers.  They set the tone. They set the standard.  They are confident but they do not feel entitled.  They feel they need to prove their greatness day in and day out.  They know basketball can be taken away immediately… so they don’t take it for granted.  They play every day like it could be their last. Great players also believe the harder you work out, the easier the game becomes.

 

Question: Who was better, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? 

 

Tim Grover: Michael Jordan is hands down the best player of all-time. Even Kobe would agree. MJ had a feel for the game that is unparalleled.  His instincts offensively and defensively were amazing.

 

Amar’e Stoudemire, Andre Iguodala, and Deron Williams are NBA All-Stars and three of the top players in the league.  Each is committed to working extremely hard in the off-season.

 

Question: What does a typical day in your off-season consist of?

 

Amar’e Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns: 

·         I wake up at 8:00am.

·         I eat breakfast, usually Granola and fruit. 

·         I warm-up, stretch, foam roll, do corrective exercises, core work, and lift heavy.

·         I go right to the court.

·         I start with inside work: jump hooks, baby hooks, short jumpers, and Mikan drill. 

·         Then I move to perimeter stuff: ball handling series, face-up moves, game shooting. 

·         I finish around 12pm (3+ hours of intense work). 

·         I don’t play 5 on 5 in the off-season, but rather focus on my individual development.

·         I follow this schedule 5-6 days per week.

 

Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers:

·         I wake up at 8:30am.

·         I eat a light breakfast.

·         I start my workout at 10:00am. 

·         I start with a ball handling series, working hard on my off-hand. 

·         I then go through a comprehensive stretching series. 

·         Then I do 1.5 hours of intense game-like shooting (500+ makes).  

·         Then I head to the weight room. 

·         I lift legs/core twice a week and upper twice a week.  I lift heavy. 

·         I don’t play much 5 on 5 in the off-season.

·         I work out 4-5 days per week.

 

Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz:

·         I wake up at 8:00am.

·         I eat breakfast. 

·         I start with my strength training. 

·         Most of my focus is on core strength and stability.  I do a lot of bodyweight stuff. 

·         I also focus on quickness and agility and proper movement. 

·         For cardio I do a lot of biking and swimming to give my joints a break. 

·         Then I go to shooting.  I intentionally shoot from spots I don’t shoot well from in games.

·          I record shots/makes and compare to last year’s numbers.  I must improve!

·         Then I do a finishing series: working on floaters, runners, power lay-ups, Euro-steps.

·         Then I do ball handling drills. 

·         I try to play 5 on 5 three times per week. 

·         I work out 5-6 times per week.

 

I think it is very important to highlight that all three of these NBA All-Stars wake up early, eat breakfast, and are dedicated to their strength & conditioning and on-court basketball development.

 

Everyone one of these brilliant men constantly stressed the importance of working hard. But what does it mean to “work hard”?

 

By my own personal definition, hard work is the conscious choice to leave your comfort zone.  To push past what you are capable of doing.  It is giving as much as you have at that moment.  When things get uncomfortable, do you back down or do you push ahead?  The great ones work hard consistently.  Anyone can work hard occasionally.  Working hard is a learned characteristic and a trait each of us has 100% control over.  Working hard is a choice.

 

If you want to see the drills from the Deron Williams Nike Basketball Point Guard Skills Academy please check out http://TinyUrl.com/DeronWilliamsSkillsAcademy

 

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

I have been involved with annual NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp since 2005.  I worked the camp in 2005 and 2006, then took two years off because of a scheduling conflict, and have resumed in 2009 and 2010. 

 

I am honored, fortunate, and overwhelmingly thankful to be a part of the NBPA family.  For an overview of what this unique camp is about, I recommend you read my recap from last year: http://TinyUrl.com/2009NBPACampBlog

 

You should also check out a motivational talk I gave last year: http://TinyUrl.com/2009NBPACampTalk

 

Even though the campers, the NBA players, and the guest speakers were different this year, the overall mission was the same. And the four-day experience was as remarkable as ever. This camp is about so much more than basketball. It is about character, about avoiding “career killers,” and about truly deserving success.

 

Here are a few inspirational stories of success I heard at camp:

 

1)    Do you know what Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had his team do at their first practice of the 1999-2000 season?  No shooting drills.  No ball handling drills. No defense, no rebounding, no passing, and no sprints. At the first practice he had his players practice cutting down the nets.  That’s right, they practiced cutting down the nets! It must have worked because less than 6 months later Coach Izzo and the Spartans did cut down the nets at the RCA Dome after they beat Florida for the National Championship. Success can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

2)    During the end of the 1996-1997 regular season, Tim McCormick of the NBPA had an opportunity to go watch a Chicago Bulls practice.  The Bulls were pursuing their 2^nd straight (and 5^th overall) NBA Championship and had set an NBA record with 72 wins the previous season.  As excited as he was to be there, he was a little disappointed because he assumed he wouldn’t get to see Michael Jordan practice.  After all, the Bulls just played 4 games in 5 nights and he assumed MJ would take a well deserved day off.  Especially since they won all 4 of those games and his Airness had scored something like 38, 42, 46, and 34 points (and played over 40 minutes each game).  Much to his surprise, MJ showed up 45 minutes before practice.  He began with some form shooting and then quickly moved to a variety of up-tempo shooting drills (using an assistant coach as a rebounder).  He got up around 200 shots. He was focused and intense and was in a full lather of sweat by the time the rest of the team arrived.  Sensing his team needed a light day, Phil Jackson told the team that practice was only going to consist of a scrimmage to 20 baskets.  MJ proceeded to score 12 of his team’s baskets and assisted on 3 others. He dove for loose balls and even took a charge! Needless to say, his team won easily.  On a day when Michael Jordan deserved to take a day off and rest… he still outworked everyone and gave 100%. His commitment to excellence and his competitive fire never stopped.  Michael Jordan wasn’t great by accident.

 

3)    Sam Presti, the Executive Vice President & General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, shared these reasons as to why Kevin Durant is an NBA superstar:

 

·         KD is a notable teammate.  He has relationships with everyone in the organization. From the guy who sweeps the floor to the team owner.

·         KD is an impressive practice player.  As hard as he plays in games, he practices even harder.  He knows that improvement comes from practice.

·         KD is focused on the process and on the long term.  He isn’t in search of a magic bullet.  He embraces slow, incremental gains. He knows greatness takes time.

·         KD takes care of his body.  He lifts weights year round, ices after games, eats well, and isn’t a party animal.  His commitment shows in his daily workouts.

·         KD is the team’s unofficial off-season leader. He organizes group workouts and pick-up games.  Wherever he is, he is always setting up places to play and inviting (and encouraging) his teammates to join him.

·         KD absolutely loves to play basketball.  His passion is pure.  He respects the game.

 

4)    Steve Kostorowski, Chris Paul’s long time personal trainer, sent an email with the subject line: “Things CP does in the off-season before most guys are even out of bed!”

 

·         Wakes up at 5:00am.

·         Drives to the gym.

·         Does a thorough warm-up.

·         Does 30 minutes of injury prevention and corrective exercises.

·         Does between 500-750 abdominal crunches.

·         Lifts between 4,000-5,000 lbs with every major muscle group (legs, chest, back, etc.).

·         Does a variety of balance and coordination drills.

·         Performs 1,000 reps of jump rope.

·         Does 40 minutes of on-court ball handling and conditioning.

·         Eats a nutritious breakfast (post workout meal).

 

5)    There is no excuse for not being a good shooter.  Shooting is a matter of practice.  There has never been a great shooter who didn’t shoot every day.  But you can’t just be a casual shooter.  You need to pay close attention to correct mechanics, proper footwork, and progressing to the point where you are taking game shots, from game spots, at game speed.  Take a look at how some “extra” shooting adds up:

 

·         100 extra shots x 5 days a week x 50 weeks a year = 25,000 extra shots a year

·         200 extra shots x 5 days a week x 50 weeks a year = 50,000 extra shots a year

·         400 extra shots x 5 days a week x 50 weeks a year = 100,000 extra shots a year

 

How could you not be a great shooter if you took an extra 100,000 shots a year?! Why aren’t you doing it?

 

If you want to see some innovative ball handling and shooting drills from the “Breakfast Club” workouts at the 2010 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, please check out http://TinyUrl.com/2010NBPACamp

 

I can’t make any promises, but I will do my best to get similar footage from all of the Nike Skills Academies (Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Amar’e Stoudemire, and LeBron James).

Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein