We won the 2011 DC City Title over T. Roosevelt High School at the Verizon Center last night by 2 points. Our junior point guard hit the game winning FT’s with 4 seconds left.
After our humiliating loss to St. Anthony’s in the ‘HoopHall Massacre’, most folks wrote us off. But we stuck together and believed in ourselves and now we are WCAC and City Champs!
Our season isn’t over yet; we have one more post season tournament. We drew the #1 seed in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational (March 17-19th in Cumberland, MD). Winning this tournament was the 4th goal we set during the pre-season:
1. Win the WCAC regular season (accomplished)
2. Win the WCAC conference tournament (accomplished)
3. Win the City Championship (accomplished)
4. Win the Alhambra Championship (?)
OK, back to the off-season. In my first blog last week I covered Rest, Recovery, and Reflection. In my second blog I covered Evaluating and Planning.
Those five traits lay the foundation for the next step… Execution.
EXECUTE
Once players have had sufficient rest, evaluated their strengths & weaknesses, and formulated a training plan… they need to execute! They must put that plan into action.
Action is what produces results.
While there will be an overall template that players should follow, no two training programs should be identical. Why? No two players are identical. Hypothetically speaking, the framework of a program may be as much as 90% the same, but that remaining 10% must be individualized.
If a player has followed my recommendation to this point, they should have a list of 15 traits in descending order – higher scores (strengths) at the top and lower scores (weaknesses) at the bottom.
An age old coaching mantra is the best advice when prioritizing:
“You get what you emphasize.”
What should a player emphasize? Strengths? Or weaknesses?
Both. Players should take a comprehensive approach and work on all applicable areas of their game. However, the time devoted to each trait will vary. If a player has 10 hours per week to devote to their individual development, what percentage of that time should be spent on strengths? On weaknesses?
Here is where it gets tricky. While I do believe players need to devote time to improving applicable weaknesses, they should not neglect making their strengths even stronger. Think of Ohio State’s John Diebler. He may be the best pure shooter in college basketball (not scorer; shooter). That is what separates him from everyone else. I am not suggesting he shouldn’t work on other aspects of his game, but does he really need to spend hours on end working on creative finishes around the basket when a majority of his shots in games are on the perimeter? Assuming he plays at the next level, he will be brought in to shoot from the outside – not slash to the bucket.
In a similar context, we have a 6’8”, 290 lb. sophomore (only 15 years old) at DeMatha. He is strong as an ox with tremendous hands and footwork. He is the best shot blocker I have ever seen at his age. His post moves are getting better, but aren’t consistent. He is a respectable free throw shooter but doesn’t have a face up game. He runs the floor OK, but because of his massive size he tires quickly during fast pace games. He is unselfish, has a great attitude, and will put in the work. He has the potential to be a pro. Think of a young Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis.
Given this quick evaluation, what should he focus on?
Most of society stresses the importance of focusing on weaknesses. But do all weaknesses really matter?
Guess what this player’s biggest weakness is? Ball handling. But who cares? Ball handling will never be his strength. Nor should it be. Outside of a power dribble or two, or catching the ball off of a perimeter pick and roll, he doesn’t need to handle the ball. If a guard passes to him outside of the 3 point line on a break… it is the guard’s fault if a turnover occurs. So in reality, would it be wise for him to spend hour after hour working on his ball handling? No!
Athletically, he is very strong on the court. However, he still needs to strength train. Making his feet, ankles, knees, and core stronger and more mobile will help alleviate the pounding his body takes when running. He doesn’t need additional strength on the court; he just needs to injury proof his body so he can stay on the court. He does need to focus on reducing his body fat, increasing his stamina, and improving his agility and quickness – areas that will have a direct positive impact on his game.
Basketball wise, he needs to develop a solid go-to move (ex: fake middle, drop step dunk). He needs to be able to perform his go-to move with either hand and from each block. Then he needs to develop a go-to counter move (ex: fake drop step, jump hook to the middle). Once his footwork is proficient and he has mastered both of these go-to moves through basic 1 on 0 drill work, he will need to get thousands of reps against a quality defender. Shooting a jump hook is one thing. Reading the defense and knowing when to shoot a jump hook is another. He should progress from a controlled environment of 1-on-1 (with a guard to passing into the post) and then graduate to 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 live games. A colleague of mine, Brian McCormick, has touched on this topic with brilliance numerous times in the past. Then, over time, he will need to continue to add new moves to his offensive repertoire.
3 Rules for Execution:
1. Make strengths even stronger. They are what separate players. Nothing wrong with having a specialty. Being a great shooter, or a great defender, or a great passer is invaluable. Better to be great at one thing than average at several.
2. Work on weaknesses that actually matter. If a weakness isn’t preventing you from maximizing your role on your team (or playing at the next level), it shouldn’t warrant much of your time. Every player needs to be able to go right and left. Not every player needs to be able to shoot 3’s or play post defense. Not all weaknesses need to be addressed.
3. Don’t rush progress. You have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. But eventually, you will have to ‘run.’ And you will have to run at game speed against live defense. Prepare accordingly. 1 on 0 drills will only get you so far. Drill to improve game performance, not to get better at doing drills!
Strength & conditioning is the foundation of every player’s game. Added strength, power, mobility, movement efficiency and stamina will allow them to perform their skills at a higher level.
Therefore, I strongly recommend high school players spend a ratio of 1:4 on strength & conditioning to skill work. For example, if a player plans to spend 10 hours per week on individual development, they should spend 2.5 hours ‘in the weight room’ and 7.5 hours on the court working on their game.
NOTE: individual development does not include AAU practices and games.
For the record, I am not anti-AAU. I am actually a proponent of it in moderation. I will give my full thoughts in my next blog.
Respect the game,
Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein
www.Facebook.com/StrongerTeam
PS: There are two pieces of training equipment I highly recommend for the off-season:
The Vertimax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZi7wOFapHU
Email Al Marez at Al@Vertimax.com
The Basketball Cable Attachment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMdpYh_6w5g
Email Neil Gilman at Neil@GilmanGear.com
Put ‘Alan Stein’ as the subject line and they will take great care of you!!