TIPS & ADVICE!

<DIV align=center><STRONG><font face="COMIC SANS MS" COLOR=RED SIZE=5><marquee>"WHAT HURTS MORE: THE PAIN OF HARD WORK OR THE PAIN FROM REGRET?"
</STRONG></DIV></MARQUEE>

Nicole and Greg Jennings

SOME THOUGHTS ON REBOUNDING

A good offensive or defensive rebounding team does not happen by chance. It is good because a coach has taught and emphasized rebounding and the discipline that is required.

Good defensive rebounding requires all five players making an effort to "blockout" their opponent from getting to the offensive board. Remember, playeres will not do this unless the coach requires it.

The defensive rebounder should make contact with his opponent and use a "front pivot" and wide, strong elbows to position his body correctly between his opponent and the basket.

Offensive rebounder requires anticipation and a great deal of hustle.

A key mistake made by the offensive rebounder is to fail to try to get around his opponent; instead, he goes up and over the back of the defender usually resulting in a rebounding foul.

Defensive and offensive rebounding require different fundamentals:

The defensive rebounder must strive to make contact with his opponent in order to stay between the opponent and the basket in a correct "blockout" position.

The offensive rebounder must avoid contact with the defender and use fakes and changes of direction in order to get around the
defender. Exception: In certain situations, the good offensive rebounder will "pin" his opponent close to the basket so that he can
obtain all rebounds that go in the direction of the "pin".

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Are there some players who do not rebound well if they try to blockout? Should these players be told to
"just go get the ball." The answer must be part of each coach's philosophy....but John Wooden won 10 national titles by telling
his players to "go get the ball."

Point Guard tips from Steve Nash

NOTES FROM STEVE NASH (speaking at the Nike Steve Nash Skills Academy)

A player should always want his coach to be critical-it is an opportunity to learn or opportunity to overcome adversity.
A point guard sets the table for everybody; he makes other players believe in themselves. If the point guard is not "fun" to be around and if he is not respected, he will have a difficult chance becoming a good point guard.
Everyday work on all of the shots you will use in a game.
No one is going to be in better shape than me.
I don't want to dribble just to dribble...but I don't want to give up my dribble and give my defensive man an advantage.
Know your teammates and where they want their shots.
Early in my NBA career, I worked out after a game.
On an isolation play, read the defense behind your defender and don't make up your mind that you have to score.

Shooting Routines for Practice

These are some great routines and games to help players work on all aspects of shooting and prepare for the pressure of real-game situations from Coach Vicky McKenzie formerly of Texas Tech University.

Two Person Partner Shooting:
Start with two people with one ball. One person shoots and follows shot. Shooter rebounds shot and passes to partner who is spotting up for a shot. Second person shoots the ball and goes to rebound and passes to partner who is spotting up for the shot. This is a continuous shooting drill. It works best if there are only two or three pairs at each basket.

Spot Shooting:
One shooter with two balls and two rebounders. (Designate spots ahead of time e.g. 3pt line point, wing, baseline, elbow, etc.) Shooter stays in one spot and shoots for 30 seconds at each spot getting in as many shots as possible during the 30 seconds. Rotate spots so that everyone shoots from each designated spot.

Catch the ball on the wing, square up for 3 pt shot or put the ball on the floor with 2-3 dribbles either to corner of free throw line or to the baseline. Divide group in half with line of shooters under the basket and passers at the top of the key (point position). Shooting line can alternate sides with person breaking out from the low post block towards the 3 point line free throw line extended (wing position on offensive sets). Alternate lines.

'21':
Have players compete against each other or have teams (players) shoot from designated spot (3 pt line wing, elbow, etc); first shot (also known as the long shot) counts two points if made; get rebound off of made or missed shot and shoot a short shot which counts one point if made.

First player or team to 21 is the winner. Each player will shoot a total of two shots each time-one long shot and one short shot then pass the ball to next player or go back to the spot if playing game individually.

'Hot Shot':
Pick designated spots on the floor such as 3- point shots, elbow shots, low block shot, and lay-ups. Indicate a point value for each shot. (E.g. 3 pt shots worth five points, elbow shots worth three points, low block shots worth two points, and layups worth one point). The longer the shots, the more points they should be worth.

Each player shoots from any of the designated spots for a certain amount of time (30 seconds or one minute). Points are given (pre-determined values) for each made shot. High score wins. Some people can add the bonus points rule....such as a player gets five bonus points if a shot is attempted from every spot within the time limit regardless of make or miss. This is to add incentive to shoot from every spot instead of just one or two spots.

ALWAYS USE YOUR SUPER-POWERS FOR GOOD, not evil!!!!!