Two days after I posted last week’s blog on the Ankles & Feet, the Wall Street Journal’s David Bideman (coincidentally) wrote a provocative article on why Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash prefer wearing low top sneakers when they play.  Here are a few key points from the article:

 

Kobe Bryant specifically asked Nike to make his latest signature shoe low-cut because “I feel like I can move around better.”  Steve Nash agreed.  When asked why he doesn’t wear high-tops, he said “I feel less mobile.”  They both admit that having their ankles freed up and unencumbered allows them to play better. This is coming from two guys who have combined for 17 All-Star appearances and 19 playoff appearances in the last 10 years alone!

 

The article also offered an eye opening stat to back up my belief that high tops and ankle braces (or tape) do very little to prevent injury. According to NBA statistician Harvey Pollack, NBA players missed 64% more games last season because of foot related injuries than they did 20 years ago. Wow.

 

Also, after seeing my blog and video on the Ankles & Feet, a colleague turned me on to the Ankle Foot Maximizer (www.AFX-Online.com). I ordered one immediately!

 

OK… now on to our topic.

 

I get hundreds of emails per month from youth basketball coaches around the world asking questions about proper training. One of the main topics they ask is about athletic testing. 

 

Should we test?

What tests should we do?

How often should we test? 

 

These are all valid questions.

 

I think proper testing can be a valuable tool for identifying athletic strengths and weaknesses as well as for monitoring progress over time. With that said, you must pick appropriate (standardized) tests, collect accurate and reliable “scores”, and conduct additional follow up tests throughout the year to measure improvement.  And even then, it is only useful if players participate in a comprehensive training program that addresses their specific needs.  Telling a player “their agility score is really low” without giving them the specific means to improve it is absolutely useless.

 

High school basketball players can be tested at the following intervals:

 

·         The end of the school year (now!)

·         The beginning of the school year (to measure their summer off-season improvement)

·         The beginning of the playing season (to measure their pre-season improvement)

·         The end of the playing season (to measure their in-season improvement)

·         The end of the school year (to measure their spring off-season improvement)

 

If you are interested in the athletic testing protocols we use for youth basketball players, please check out http://tinyurl.com/StrongerTeamTesting.  

 

If you really want info from an expert on athletic testing, please visit www.BamTesting.com. Paul Schmidt (BAM Testing – Basic Athletic Measurement), a friend and colleague of mine, is the master of athletic testing.  Last weekend Paul directed the testing portion of the annual NBA Pre-Draft Combine.  As always, he did a phenomenal job. He is a master at his craft and someone I truly respect.

 

However, in my opinion, athletic testing is a much more valuable tool for working with youth basketball players than it is for players on the cusp of the NBA.  For a player who has progressed to the verge of playing professional basketball… the scores from athletic testing become irrelevant.  At that point, all that matters is can he play?! Jonathan Givony of Draft Express wrote a brilliant article a few years ago that I wholeheartedly agree with, http://tinyurl.com/CanHePlay.

 

Athletic tests do NOT predict future success on the court. 

 

If you have ever seen John Wall play, you know he is an exceptional athlete on the court.  He possesses all of the qualities you want in a basketball player - quick, explosive, elusive, and has a motor that doesn’t stop.  From what I was told, he also happened to test very well at the combine. 

 

But what if he hadn’t?  

 

What if his vertical jump, agility shuttle, and ¾ court sprint weren’t so stellar? What if they were mediocre scores? Should that give the Wizards’ some doubt in drafting him? Of course not! Regardless of his scores, John Wall has already proven with his play at Kentucky that he possesses the necessary ability to compete in the NBA.

 

Now that was a hypothetical example because John Wall did test well.  However, if you comb back through the test results from the last few years, you will see numerous examples of players who didn’t test well but have still gone on to become elite NBA players. 

 

Don’t believe me? Three years ago, Kevin Durant ranked second to last at the combine (including the inability to bench press 185 even once).  DJ Strawberry, on the other hand, ranked the highest overall.  What has happened since? KD was the 2^nd overall pick in the draft, won Rookie of the Year, and is currently an NBA All-Star and the youngest player in history to lead the league in scoring.  DJ was drafted at the end of the 2^nd round and is currently in the D-League.

 

Their fates were the exact opposite of their combine numbers!  

 

And there are dozens of similar examples. Heck, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade weren’t even the highest rated athletes when they went through the combine. You know who was? Troy Bell.  Who is that? Exactly my point.

 

Using the current combine tests to predict success on the court uses faulty logic.  Look at the bench press as an example. Having long arms is a huge disadvantage when bench pressing.  The longer your arms, the farther you have to move the weight.  That is why the world’s best bench pressers have arms like a Tyrannosaurus Rex!  Yet having long arms is a distinct advantage on the court. Long arms make you a more formidable defender and helps with your ability to shoot, rebound, etc.  So if having long arms is an advantage on the court, why would you have a test where long arms are a disadvantage?  It makes no sense. I have bench pressed 185 lbs as many as 25 times before. Do you think I should be drafted?!

 

Let’s examine this faulty logic from another perspective. Each of the athletic combine tests are closed skills. By definition, closed skills are “performed with a predetermined starting point and finish. They do not require the central nervous system to process feedback from external stimuli in order to properly perform the movement.” Too scientific? Closed skills do not require the player to react, which is an integral ingredient in basketball.  Also, closed skills can be practiced, over and over for thousands of repetitions, until the nervous system has “memorized” the movement.  Meaning yes, if you run through the pro lane agility a million times before the combine, you will improve your score.  But is that time well spent? Does having a fast pro lane agility time guarantee you will be quicker on the court when you have to move and react to the game? No! It's apples and oranges.

 

While the combine tests are closed skills, basketball is a game of open skills. Open skills “require the player to process information from external stimuli and react accordingly.  The player must take this external information, such as the movement of an offensive player, process it and then produce appropriate movements.”  I know, too technical, sorry. Whether going for a rebound, guarding an offensive player, or cutting to the basket to catch a pass – basketball is predicated on being able to read and react. Basketball is a game of open skills. So why do folks place so much emphasis on testing players with a battery of closed skill tests?

 

In order for the combine to predict success on the court, they need to come up with tests that measure reaction, anticipation, basketball IQ, competiveness, leadership, or toughness.  After all, these are traits that will dictate how successful a player will be at the next level.  A player’s college body of work as well as his performance at the individual team workouts should be the most heavily weighted indicators of future success… not his score on the bench press or vertical jump.

 

Same goes for testing kids at the high school level.  Seasonal tests can (and should) be used to make sure players are progressing… but should not be used as a predictor of future success on the court.

 

UPDATE:

 

We have just completed the 8th week of the Can He Dunk? Project (www.CanHeDunk.com). The program is going very well and all 7 participants have made tremendous progress.  We will release the promo video in mid-June and the final webisodes will air in early July (which will include each player’s weekly dunk attempts, player interviews, and highlights from their workouts).

 

Also, this past month I have been working out the key members of the DeMatha Basketball team before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Here is a video clip of our before school strength training workouts: http://tinyurl.com/DeMathaMorningWorkout.

 

If you like motivational quotes, please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.

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

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

 

 

 

A basketball player’s feet are important.  Let me rephrase that.  A basketball player’s feet are extremely important. There are approximately 26 bones and 20 muscles in the feet. That fact alone should shed some light on their significance.

 

Basketball is (supposed to be) played standing upright on two feet.  Therefore, every movement a player makes on the court is initiated through their feet.  Everything starts with the feet. Similarly, can you guess what the most common injury is for basketball players at every level?

 

The ankle.

 

Strong and mobile ankles and feet will lessen the occurrence of injury, decrease the time lost if an injury does occur, and will improve performance on the court.

 

As obvious as these statements sound, most players and coaches put very littler priority on training the feet properly.  The goal of this blog is to change that. So please, share this with every coach and player you know!

 

Before I go further, let me make it crystal clear that this is not a research project or case study. This is my blog.  My stance on training the feet and my opposition to ankle braces (and tape) is purely my opinion.  I am in no way trying to refute the advice of a qualified athletic trainer or podiatrist or any legit study that has been conducted.  However, my opinion is based on 10+ years of experience in the field, thousands of hours of observations, a firm understanding of the human body and efficient movement, and numerous conversations with colleagues.

 

Basketball shoes are designed to be rigid (with stiff soles) to create as much stability as possible. To further increase stability, many players also wear ankle braces or get their ankles taped. Here lies the problem. By creating so much stability, you drastically limit mobility. Severely limiting mobility will weaken the muscles of the ankles and feet. What happens to a person’s forearm muscle when their arm has been immobilized in a cast from a broken wrist? It atrophies (weakens).  So do the muscles of the feet when they are confined to rigid shoes and ankle braces for long periods of time. I know players who wear basketball shoes and ankle braces 20+ hours per week!

 

I am not opposed to wearing basketball shoes when you are playing.  The stability and support is a necessity.  But you don’t need to wear them when you are training.  And ankle braces?  Tape? With the exception of a player who suffered a previous ankle injury, or someone taking a direct recommendation from a qualified professional… ankle braces (and tape) are absolutely unnecessary when playing and when training.

 

Still not convinced? The other day I flipped on ESPN Classic and saw the 1973 NBA Finals (Game 4) between the Knicks and the Celtics, featuring Hall of Famers Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Dave Cowens. In addition to wearing shorts that looked like boxer briefs, every single player was wearing low top Adidas sneakers. No braces. No tape. And guess what? No injuries!

 

What did players wear before Adidas? Chuck Taylors! Thin canvas and a flat rubber sole. Talk about no ankle support! Despite the archaic footwear, I doubt there was a higher rate of ankle injuries in the 60’s and 70’s than there is today.  You know why? Because players back then had strong, mobile ankles and feet.

 

Ankle braces weaken ankles and limit mobility (not to mention natural movement).  Given how important the feet and ankles are, why would you do something that makes them weaker and less mobile?

 

Every time you run or jump, you do what is called triple extension. That is extension at the ankles, knees, and hips.  If any one of those joints is not working properly (weak or tight), it limits the function of the other two.  So weak, tight ankles limit a player’s ability to run and jump to their potential.  Having weak, tight ankles will also cause the body to compensate in a variety of ways during movement… which can lead to knee and back issues. Remember, everything starts with the feet.

 

So how do you strengthen your ankles and feet?  By setting them free and taking off your shoes!

 

When you work out in your bare feet (or with socks) you can feel all of the intrinsic muscles of your toes, feet, and ankles.  At first, this will feel liberating (and probably awkward) because you rarely get to feel these muscles when wearing basketball shoes and ankle braces.

 

NOTE: I am only suggesting barefoot training for players with healthy feet and no pre-existing conditions (unless cleared by a doctor).  Players with excessively high arches, previous stress fractures, or ankle sprains should avoid barefoot training (or at least make severe modifications) to reduce the chance of injury.

 

How much is the right amount of barefoot training?  Once a player has has been acclimated to some rudimentary barefoot exercises, they should do as many things barefoot as they can in the confines of a safe, controlled training environment.  For most players, 5-15 minutes per workout is a good rule of thumb.

 

If you have been wearing ankle braces regularly for an extended period of time, you need to gradually wean yourself off of them.  Don’t go from wearing them all the time to not at all. Your ankles and feet aren’t ready for that. You are begging for an injury.  You need to begin a progressive, structured ankle and foot strengthening program, while at the same time slowly decreasing your dependence on the braces.

 

What should you do in your bare feet?  Many of the same things you do with shoes on! Squats, lunges, dynamic flexibility movements, and low level hops are all great to do shoeless.

 

If you want to see several dozen exercises we use to strengthen our player’s feet and ankles, check out: http://tinyurl.com/StrongFeet

 

We don’t do all of these exercises every workout.  We pick a few and rotate them. Some are geared towards strengthening the feet, while others are more focused on the ankle.  We begin with the most basic exercises and have the player progress as they become acclimated and their feet become stronger.  We perform our barefoot exercises on an appropriate surface (cautious of impact, slipping, etc.).  Our goal is to improve foot and ankle strength, mobility, and proprioception (the body’s perception of movement and special awareness).

 

In addition to adding some barefoot training to your regimen, our 12-Week Basketball Off-Season Agility & Conditioning Program will available very soon. It was designed to be done in conjunction with the strength & power portion (currently for sale). You will be able to purchase it at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.  These two programs are exactly what a player needs to get stronger, quicker, more explosive and in great basketball shape.  Remember, the best players are in the best shape!

 

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

 

I have added two new FREE sections to the Media Gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com (please use Internet Explorer to view):

 

Coaching Nuggets: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=20

 

A collection of tidbits and handouts I have compiled over the years from some brilliant coaching minds. I am not the original author of any of these nor have I edited them in any fashion. I will add one new coaching nugget per week!

 

Exercise Library: http://www.strongerteam.com/Global/Gallery/Default.aspx?aid=23

A vast library of exercises for basketball coaches and players. Clips fall under one of ten categories: pre-hab, warm-up, dynamic flexibility, plyos, agility, core, lower body, upper body, finisher, and cool down. Included is the intro (explanation) for each section. I will add one clip per day for 100 straight days. I began on May 1, 2010).

 

If you like motivational quotes, please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein.

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

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

I wanted to share something I just read as a follow-up on last week’s blog, Brand You 2.0. Hip hop superstar 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) is having a majority of his tattoos removed in an attempt to help land more movie roles and give off a more professional appearance. 

 

He is making a distinct change to his brand’s image to achieve an even higher level of success.  He is reinventing himself, which in my opinion, is a brilliant move on his part. He has conquered the music industry (sold millions of albums). He has conquered the business world (sold his stock in Vitamin Water for $400+ million).  Now he is going to conquer Hollywood!

 

One of the most significant ingredients to success is your ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

 

Your comfort zone is your enemy. It makes you soft. It leads to complacency.

 

You have to constantly and consistently step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.  There is no reward for always playing it safe. The players who can push themselves further once the situation gets uncomfortable are the ones who will win.  That is what makes Kobe so lethal.  He thrives in adversity.

 

In addition to helping players get stronger, quicker, and in great shape, it is my job to push players out of their comfort zone on a regular basis.  It is my job to help them increase their tolerance for discomfort (mental and physical). I want them to train hard so the game becomes easy.

 

I tell my players of the time during our workouts, “Temporary discomfort leads to permanent improvement.” 

 

I also tell them, “You can have the pain of discipline or the pain of regret… take your choice.”

 

Both of those quotes exemplify the same point – if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone now… you will reap the benefits ten times over in the future.  But you have to have the courage to sacrifice your immediate personal contentment.

 

When you are lifting weights, do you stop as soon as there is a slight “burn”… or do you push through and do a few more reps?

 

When you are running sprints, do you stop as soon as you are a little “winded”… or do you suck it up and run a few more?

 

When you are working on your ball handling, do you spend extra time on your off hand even though you make more mistakes?  Or do you just keep doing the drills you are already good at?

 

When you are getting up shots, are you a “casual shooter” or do you run through every rep at game speed? Do you come off of imaginary screens and make hard cuts… or do you simply do spot shooting?

 

The answers to these questions will determine how successful you will be next season.

 

Remember, you have to deserve success. And to do that you have to leave your comfort zone now.

 

If you want to see some of the exercises (and equipment) we use to make our players step out of their comfort zone, check out: http://tinyurl.com/MetabolicWorkout.  

 

I want to clarify two things about this video.  One, these exercises and “toys” are not the foundation of our training program, but rather a way for us to add variety and make things mentally and physically challenging.  Two, I don’t sell equipment nor do I get paid to endorse any equipment.  I merely share the stuff I like!  I realize most players and coaches are on a very limited budget, so any time I can offer insight into which products I like the best… I feel compelled to do so.

 

A colleague of mine turned me on to www.HyperWear.com a few months ago and I immediately gravitated towards their HyperVests and Sandbells. And I love using them! Why wouldn’t I want to share that? If people like my stuff, I hope they share it with others!

 

Our 12-Week Basketball Off-Season Agility & Conditioning Program will be available soon. It was designed to be done in conjunction with the strength & power portion (currently for sale). You will be able to purchase it at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com.
 
As always, if I can ever be a resource to you for your program, please let me know. I would be honored to help. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Train hard.  Train smart.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein