As most of you know, I focus a lot of my energy on my own professional development and improvement. I am relentless in my quest to become the best basketball strength & conditioning coach I can be.  If you are looking to be the best coach or player you can be, I certainly suggest you do the same.  One of the most important ingredients of effective development and progress is constant evaluation. You have to know where you are… to get to where you want to go!

 

Self reflection and evaluation doesn’t need to be a long process. I recommend taking 30 minutes (with no distractions… no TV, no cell phone, and no computer) and honestly answering each of the following questions:

 

Overall, how do you rate this past pre-season? 

·         Did you get stronger?  Quicker? More explosive?

·         Did you get in great basketball shape?

·         Did you improve your ball handling? Shooting? Passing?

·         Are all of these things showing on the court?

 

Overall, how do you rate the first few weeks of practice?

·         Have you been on time, to every practice? 

·         Have you been injury free?

·         Have you been a great teammate? Coachable? Enthusiastic?

·         Have you given a great effort? Do you practice hard even when you don’t feel like it?

·         Have you played as well as you are capable of playing?

·         Have you communicated effectively with your coaches and teammates?

 

If you want to have a remarkable season; you need to be tough and you need to be 100% committed to yourself, to your team, and to your coach. 99% isn’t good enough.  As the legendary Pat Riley says about commitment, “you are either in or you’re out – there is no such thing as in between.”

 

How tough are you? 

 

We have a 9^th grader in our program named Yuki. He moved to the US from Japan in August.  He speaks very little English and is thousands of miles away from his family; which I am sure is difficult for a 15 year old to handle. During our second official practice, Yuki got elbowed in the mouth and had his front tooth knocked out.  Without saying a word, he casually picked his tooth up off of the floor, jogged over to the sideline, set his tooth on the bleachers, and jogged back into the drill! Now that is tough.

 

How committed are you?

 

What are you willing to sacrifice to be the best player you can be?  I have an 8^th grade client who just started working out with me and he pays for our training sessions with his allowance!  He is so committed to being the best he can be he is willing to sacrifice every dime he has toward getting stronger and more explosive.  Now that is commitment.

 

Here are 5 more questions aimed to help you maximize your potential this season:

 

1)    Are you giving your best effort every day in the classroom and on the court?

 

2)    Are you doing things in addition to practice to improve your game (like watching film)?

 

3)    Do you think “we” before “me” (are you a team player)?

 

4)    Are you taking care of your body and mind (sleep, lifting, tending to injuries, etc.)?

 

5)    Are you having fun?

 

If you can sincerely answer “yes” to all 5 of these questions; you are doing everything you can to have an impressive season.

 

Here are a few more things to think about:

 

What do you watch for when you watch college and NBA games on TV?  Do you watch as a fan or do you watch as a true student of the game?  Do you always watch the ball or do you watch what players do to get open to get the ball?  Do you always watch the shooter or do you watch the player setting the screen to get the shooter open?  Do you always watch the player guarding the ball or do you watch the player in help-side position?  Now, I am a huge basketball fan… and I understand watching games for the love of the sport… but if you want to get better, you need to learn how to watch games as a means to improve.  

 

How will you prepare for games?  Does your preparation start the night before?  Do you eat a good dinner and get plenty of sleep?  Do you eat breakfast the next day?  Do you double check to make sure you packed everything in your bag you will need for the game?  Do you eat a specific pre-game meal?  What method prepares you the best? Listening to music? Sitting in silence?  Do you even know? Do you review the scouting report on your own?  Do you do any visualization exercises before games?  Here is a visualization technique I use with Montrose before every game: I have them sit with their eyes closed for about 2-3 minutes and visualize a specific time in their life when they played the best basketball they have ever played.  A time they vividly remember when they were in the zone – when every shot they took went in and every pass they made was on the money.  I encourage them to engage every sense.  What did the gym look like? Sound like? Smell like? How did they feel?  This technique puts them in a confident frame of mind when they take the court.

 

How will you focus during games? Will you be focused on the task at hand or on the crowd, opponent, or cheerleaders?  Your focus is crucial to playing well. It is imperative you focus on what you want to happen; not on what you don’t want to happen.  Why? Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time.  For example, when you are shooting a free throw; think something to the effect of, “nice and easy, over the front rim”… instead of thinking, “don’t shoot it short.”  If you think “don’t shoot it short”… 9 times out of 10, you will shoot it short because “short” is the only part of that thought your subconscious mind remembers!

 

Still don’t think focus is important to performance?  Think about this:

 

If I laid a ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” on the ground and asked you to walk across it; you would do it easily because you would be focused on the task at hand (walking across the board). But what if that ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” was 100 stories high and connected the top of two buildings? Would walking across it be easy then? Why not? Although the task wouldn’t change (walking across a ten foot board); you wouldn’t think it was easy because you would be focused on falling… not on the task at hand. The same can be said with shooting a free throw.  Shooting a free throw in an empty gym after practice is the exact same task as shooting a free throw with 2 seconds left and the score tied… if you stay focused!

 

I hope answering these questions helps you have a memorable season. 

 

This past January I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in 2009. I am proud to say last weekend I finished my 50^th book of the year! In next week’s blog I will list and rate all of the books I have read as well as offer my thoughts on a few of them.

 

Until then, if I can ever be of service or help you or your team in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

 

Play hard. Have fun.

 

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom  

One of the most humbling laws of sports, and of life for that matter, is that success is never guaranteed.  It has to be earned, day in and day out.  On any given night, anyone can be beat.  Most college basketball analysts thought UNC was invincible and practically unbeatable, yet they lost at home last night to unranked Boston College.  Heck, even Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player on the planet right now, lost in the NBA finals last year.  And UNC and the Lakers are two of the most storied and successful programs/organizations in college and pro sports.

But even though success is never guaranteed on the basketball court, a team can exponentially increase their odds of being successful and winning a championship if they are naturally talented, have a relentless work ethic, never quit, exude teamwork, and of course prepare appropriately.  Over the years I have learned that preparation is one of the key ingredients to long lasting success.  Part of preparation is having everyone involved, from the coach to the players to the managers, do everything in their power to earn success.

I am currently in my 6th year as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Montrose Christian in Rockville, MD. We have a very elite level program and are fortunate enough to coach very high level players (Kevin Durant is our most famous alumni).  We are consistently ranked as one of the top 20 programs in the country, are sponsored by Jordan Brand, and are internationally renowned.

And while those are certainly nice accolades and we are thankful for our stellar reputation, we certainly don’t rest on our past accomplishments.  We take our preparation seriously every day, both in and out of season.

The goal of the Montrose Christian coaching staff is simple:  To prepare by doing everything possible to give our players the best chance to be successful and win.  As a staff, we never want to look back after a game or season and say, “what if we would have done this… or would have done that.”  We take into account every aspect of preparation and don’t believe any detail is too small.  As mentioned before, proper preparation drastically increases our chance to be successful.

A few weeks ago we were fortunate enough to play in the 25th Anniversary of the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.  This is always one of the nation’s top high school basketball tournaments, and this year was the best yet.  This year’s field included 6 teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation: Oak Hill, DeMatha, LeFlore, Fairfax, Whitney Young, and Montrose.  We knew going into this tournament that the winner could possibly end up as the #1 ranked team in the nation.  And for frame of reference, there are over 26,000 high schools eligible to be ranked!

While we take pride in proper preparation for every game, we really made it our focus for the incredible opportunity of playing in this tournament.  Here is some insight to some of the ways we tried to give ourselves a competitive advantage and win this tournament:

Our team arrived three days before the tournament started and one full day before any other team arrived to better acclimate our players to the new time zone (5 hours behind EST) and weather (80 degrees in Hawaii, 10 degrees in Maryland). Despite a full day of travel, and the vast time zone difference, we forced our players and staff to stay up to a normal bed time the first night to re-set everyone’s internal clock and get acclimated as quickly as possible. We also immediately changed all clocks, watches and phones and never referenced what time it was at home. We drank a ton of water and got on a meal schedule immediately. Despite some serious jet lag and tired bodies the next morning, we got everyone up at normal time for breakfast. We knew the sooner we were on “Hawaii time” the better.

We practiced every day and lifted every other day, just like we were at home.  We believe consistency leads to success, and certainly the things that make us successful in Maryland should help us be successful anywhere in the world.  We knew that handling fatigue would be integral to our success.  We played back to back nights prior to leaving for Hawaii and then were to play 4 games in this tournament.  That is 6 games in 10 days, a brutal schedule for any team at any level.

Per our usual pre-game routine, we had a walk through and reviewed the scouting report every game day afternoon.  We also had our players eat a high carb, high protein, low fat meal exactly 4 hours before tip off.  Research shows this is the ideal time and way to fuel for competition.  We also made sure to feed our guys a post game meal within an hour after each game, which helps them refuel for the next day.  We also make sure our guys drink water all day long. And of course we had curfew each night to make sure each player got 8 hours of sleep and wasn’t up celebrating a win from one of the early rounds of play.  We also collect each player’s cell phone at night to ensure they aren’t up all night talking to their girlfiends!

Every night the coaching staff stayed up into the wee hours of the morning breaking down film and setting a game plan.  They reviewed the stats as well as watched the film from our previous game to note what we did well and what we need to improve on. They also watched our next opponents’ prior game. Our coaching staff always prepares a thorough scouting report for every team we play. They review personnel, plays, tendencies, and then use that to put together our game plan. 

Our players always wear ankle braces for all practices and games as in injury deterrent.  Even a minor ankle sprain to one of our top players could have a detrimental effect on our chances of winning it all. We encourage our players to ice their knees and/or backs after all practices and games.  We make sure to allow for a very thorough warm-up and dynamic flexibility session prior to both practices and games.

Players were not allowed to sleep after the pre-game meal to prevent that groggy feeling you get from taking an extended nap.  They were also not allowed to spend much time in the sun or go swimming so they wouldn’t add to their fatigue and wear them out.

Our pre-game routine is standard; everything from what time we leave for the game, to what we wear, to our warm-up routine.  Nothing we do at Montrose is haphazard.  Everything is done with a purpose.  We make sure to prepare for every possible situation or emergency. We have extra sets of uniforms on hand in case anyone gets blood on their jersey and we have most of our last second plays already drawn up on laminated cards.  Our assistant coaches are all assigned a duty during the game; keep fouls, chart stats, and know how many time-outs we have (as well as our opponent).  After our initial warm-up and stretch, we review our match ups and “keys to winning the game.” Then we spend a few minutes in absolute quiet visualizing and preparing mentally.  Then we say a team prayer and take the court for our standard pre game warm-up.  Then we tip off and go to battle.

Wow.  Now that is the definition of preparation! I know first hand of numerous college programs that don’t do what we do.

With such detailed preparation, and not to mention we have a very talented team (6 seniors, 2 potential McDonalds All Americans, and the #1 ranked freshman in the nation), you would think it was destiny for us to win it all, right?

Boy I sure did.

Despite being so well prepared, and having done everything in our power to put ourselves in a position to win, we lost in double overtime in the championship game to Oak Hill Academy.  In my 6 years at Montrose, this was by far the most heartbreaking loss we have suffered.  I still can’t believe it.

Let me say this; losing sucks.  It really sucks.  I hated losing when I was a kid and it hasn’t changed a bit now that I am an adult.  But it is a part of life and it is certainly a part of sports. Without exception, every time two teams take the court, someone has to lose. 

But how you handle defeat and how you carry yourself after a loss says a lot more about you as a person and reveals a lot more of your character than winning ever will. Your true colors always shine through during adversity. Don’t get me wrong, you shouldn’t accept losing nor should you be remotely happy after a loss.  It should hurt and you should feel overwhelming disappointment.  It’s supposed to hurt.  If it doesn’t hurt then it didn’t matter, and if it didn’t matter, why even play?  But losing is never an excuse to be a jerk, to make excuses, or to question the importance of always doing what is right. You think this loss will let us question the importance of thorough preparation? Never.

After our gut wrenching loss to Oak Hill there weren’t many dry eyes in the locker room, which is expected after losing a game of that magnitude.  And there is nothing weak about crying, I am proud that our kids care enough to get that emotional.

I am also proud to say our kids exercised good sportsmanship, didn’t point the finger or make excuses, and walked out with their heads high. And that defined the type of kids we have at Montrose.  And while I am saddened that we let a golden opportunity slip away, I absolutely could not be any more proud of our team and the character we showed in defeat. Our entire program, from players to staff, did everything in our power to prepare for that game and to deserve success, it just wasn’t meant to be. Our guys went out there and played their hearts out, and did it with class. 

As a coach, that is all I can ever ask for.

If you have any questions or comments about this blog, or my services in general, please email me atAlan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will do my best to respond as promptly as possible.

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein, CCS, CSCS
www.StrongerTeam.com 

It is hard to believe this year is almost over.  It has been an incredible year. This will be my final blog of 2008. Why so early you ask? Well, I am leaving for Hawaii on Sunday, returning on Christmas Eve, and then spending the rest of the holidays and New Year with my family inSouth Carolina.  This marks my much needed decompression period where I finally take a step back and take a few deep breaths!
 
I am heading to Hawaii as Montrose will be playing in the 25th annual Nike Iolani Classic in Honolulu.  This year’s field is loaded with talent, including 6 teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation.  Oak Hill, DeMatha, LeFlore, Whitney Young, and Fairfax will all be gunning for a championship this year.  I truly believe whoever comes out on top will be ranked in the top three in the county. This will be my fifth trip to Hawaii and it is truly paradise. I am so thankful for the opportunity to go. In addition to being involved with one of the best high school basketball tournaments in the world, I always make sure to use my time in Hawaii in a very therapeutic and productive way. 
 
I get up early every morning, go for a run on the beach, crank out some push-ups and pull-ups, eat a healthy breakfast and then just sit on the beach and either read or reflect.  I use this time to reflect on the past year as well as plan for the year to come.  I reflect and give thanks for the opportunities I had, players I worked with, and for the people I met.  I also review and evaluate my own performance.  Was this is a successful year? Why? Did I meet the goals I set at the beginning of the year? What did I do well?  What do I need to work on? What do I plan to do differently this year? These are all important questions and I make sure to look myself in the mirror and answer them honestly.  Like the players I work with, my goal is to get better every day, every week, every month, and every year.  I take my personal and professionally development very seriously.
 
In addition to reflecting, I always read 3 or 4 books over the holidays to expand my horizons and learn something new (see below for the books I will be reading this year). Something that will make me a better trainer, a better motivator, a better business person, a better friend, and a better person in general.  I take rigorous notes on each book I read and make sure to apply what I learn to my every day life.  I also set goals for the coming year and put them on paper.  I review my ever changing “to do” list and make sure I am on track and my goals are prioritized correctly. 
 
I also make sure to eat well, work out as often as I can, and get plenty of sleep… something I can’t always do during my hectic times of year.  I take full advantage of this time to get refocused, reenergized, and motivated to hit the ground running in the coming year.  While I certainly stay a tune to what is going on in the news and around the world, I don’t let the media’s incessant negativity affect me or get me down.  Regardless of the economy, the war, and everything else considered “breaking news” or a “major crisis,” I approach the New Year with optimism and a winning attitude.
 
The list of people I would like to thank for their help and support in 2008 is way too long to list in this blog, but please know it didn’t go unnoticed.  I wish everyone out there a wonderful and healthy holiday season.  If there is ever anything I can do to help, please email me atAlan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!
 
Train hard.  Train smart.
 
Alan Stein, CCS, CSCS


Below is a list of the the books I will be reading this year.  I will summarize my notes and thoughts in my first blog of 2009!

Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellenceby Gary Mack

Little Black Book of Connections: For Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer

100 Ways to Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever by Steve Chandler

No Limits: The Will To Succeed by Michael Phelps 

For the most part, life is pretty simple if you really think about it.  Almost every single aspect of our lives comes down to choices.  The greatest power each of us has is the ability to make choices.  Some choices are easy, like what to eat for breakfast, and others are more complex, like where to attend college.  But they are choices nonetheless. 
 
I had a player tell me one time, with a big smile as if he disproved this theory, “I didn’t choose for it to rain today.” “Of course not,” I said, “but you have the choice in how you let it affect you.”  Obviously you don’t control everything in this world, but you do control how you react and how you respond.  You don’t control it when you land on another player and sprain your ankle, when the ref makes a bad call or when your teammate turns the ball over during a critical point in the game.  But you certainly control your response to each of those situations. And that response is your choice.  When you sprain your ankle, do you pout about it and wallow in self pity?  Or do you follow the trainer’s orders to re-hab it, continue to be a good teammate from sideline during practices and games, and find others ways to contribute?  When the ref makes a bad call, do you mouth off or get mad?  Or do you put it behind you and move on to the next play? When your teammate turns the ball over, do you yell at him and use negative body language?  Or do you pat him on the back and make up for the turnover by playing extra hard on defense?
 
One thing that unites us all is that every one of us is a product of the choices we make on a daily basis.  Where ever we are in life, we are there as a result of the choices we have made.  If you are happy and successful, it is because of your choices. If you are unhappy and miserable, it is also because of your choices.  One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “Keep doing what you’ve been doing and you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.  If you don’t like what you’ve been getting than quit doing what you’ve been doing!” 
 
What kind of choices are you making now that the season has started?  Are you choosing to get plenty of sleep at night?  Are you choosing to eat breakfast every day?  Are you choosing to go in to practice early to get up shots? Are you choosing to practice as hard as you can, every day?  Are you choosing to be a good teammate?  Are you choosing to be coachable? Are youchoosing to stay positive, even after a tough loss? Are you choosing not to get complacent after a big win?
 
These are all choices.  Your answer to these questions will dictate the type of season you will have as well as the type of player you will be.
 
If you would like to contact me about this blog, my MVP Vertical Jump Training DVD, my training and/or camps and clinics, please email me atAlan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!
 
Train hard.  Train smart.
 
Alan Stein, CCS, CSCS

Regardless of where you live, if you are a high school basketball player, you are about to start practice (if you haven’t started already).  This is an exciting time of year as now high school, college, and the NBA will be in full swing!
 
As the season starts and you begin practice you will certainly get some bumps and bruises along the way. Don’t be surprised if your body is overwhelmingly sore the first couple of days.  That is not to imply that you weren’t in shape, it is just your body’s way of adjusting to the new demands placed on it.  You are finally going full speed with contact.  In particular, your low back will probably get very tight at times and your ankles, knees, and hips will be pretty sore.  It is very important you take great care of your body throughout the season, especially now while these are minor issues.  For these little nagging aches and pains, apply ice, not heat (unless a PT or doctor tells you otherwise).  With parental consent, you can also take an ibuprofen or Advil to alleviate soreness.  Make sure you eat well, get lots of rest when you can, and properly warm-up and stretch before every practice (even if your team doesn’t).  If you incur any major injuries or feel like you really did something serious, make sure you tell your coach, athletic trainer, parents, etc. so you can get the proper help.  It is important to address these issues when they are small so they don’t turn into something big!
 
But in many cases, you have to tough it out.  Basketball is a contact sport and if some part of your body isn’t sore, you probably aren’t playing hard enough!
 
Despite the minor aches and pains associated with starting practice, it is important you make the most of this time.  There is no time like the present, as playing well and competing during the practice is the reason you put in so much time over the spring, summer, and fall working on your game, lifting weights, and running sprints.  This is the time real players thrive. Regardless of how things start during the first week or two, you have to keep in mind that it is a long season.  If you get off to a rough start, don’t throw in the towel, there is plenty of time to turn things around.  Most high schools don’t start playing games until the beginning of December, so you still have a few weeks to show your coach what you can do and try to earn some playing time or a starting position. And if you have started off hot, don’t get cocky or complacent as staying on top is one of the hardest things to do in sports.  Don’t take anything for granted.
 
Here are some tips to make sure you play your best this season:
 
1)     Get rest whenever you can, your body and mind needs it!  Try and get to bed early both one and two nights before a game and take naps when possible.  While the off season regiment is tough, there is nothing harder on your body than in-season practices, games, and travel.
 
2)     Eat well and stay hydrated.  Your body is a machine and needs to be properly fueled.  Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast EVERY morning and try to eat a light snack an hour or so before practice.  You should aim to eat quality pre-game meal about 3-4 hours before tip-off.  This will ensure you are well fueled without making you feel full and lethargic.  You should eat something with adequate carbs and protein (pasta or rice and chicken).  Also, you body does EVERYTHING better when hydrated, so drink water constantly.
 
3)     Warm-up and stretch properly before all practices and games.  Hopefully your team has a standardized warm-up, but if not, you need to make sure you do!  This will ensure your body is ready to compete and help reduce the likelihood of injury.  If you do get a nagging injury of any sort, seek professional advice immediately.
 
4)     Continue to strength train during the season.  Strength is an attribute that is quickly diminished. In as little as three weeks you begin to lose strength if you don’t lift weights.  So if you don’t lift weights at all during the season, you will be physically at your weakest come playoff time. That makes no sense!  All you need to maintain strength is one or two brief (yet intense) lifts per week during the season, working all major muscle groups.
 
5)     Get in extra shots before/after practice and before games.  Shooting is all about rhythm and repetition.  The more “game like” shots you can take in practice and before games, the more “automatic” you will be when you play.  Same for ball handling.  The best players in the world come in and get in shots before practice and stay after practice to do the same.
 
6)     Be a good teammate.  Do the little things to help your teammates and be very positive and enthusiastic, even when things aren’t going so well.  The teams that play well together and care about each other… win.  Period.
 
7)     Talk to your coach. Your coach is the leader of your team.  He/she is basically the “CEO of your company” and it is important you have and show proper respect at all times.  No exceptions. If you don’t agree with something your coach says or does, or if you have questions on certain things (like why you aren’t playing as much, what your role on the team is, etc.), it is important you communicate effectively, appropriately, and maturely.  Most coaches are more than happy to talk with you one on one if you have an issue or a question and you ask politely.
 
8)     Stay on top of your school work. I know how hard it is to balance a busy schedule during the hectic season, but as a student-athlete, your academic work must always be a priority.  Don’t let issues in the classroom distract you from handling business on the court.  And don’t do the bare minimum just to stay eligible, do your best to in every class, every day. Creating that standard of excellence will carry over to every aspect of your life.
 
If you would like to contact me about this blog, my MVP Vertical Jump Training DVD, my training and/or camps and clinics, please email me atAlan@StrongerTeam.com.  I will respond as quickly as possible!
 
Train hard.  Train smart.
 
Alan Stein, CCS, CSCS
www.StrongerTeam.com