Blog Post

Basketball on the Edge – 5 Unorthodox Tips to Improve Dribbling Skills

1. Dribble the ball on the carpet.

There is no better place to practice dribbling hard than on the carpet. If you don’t dribble the ball hard it won’t come back up to you. This is a great way to vary your dribbling routine and do something different to get out of your comfort zone. Make sure you get permission from your mom before you start! When I was a kid I did ball handling drills while watching tv in the family room. In order to keep my dribble alive I had to pound the basketball. This leads me to my next tip…

2. Watch tv while dribbling the ball.

What better way to make sure you are keeping your head up and not looking at the ball. Your brain is forced to attend to multiple stimuli at the same time just like it will during game situations. There is an added bonus that the workout will seem to go faster because your mind is engaged in what you are watching. Just make sure that you are concentrating on giving your max effort to the dribbling and not just going through the motions!

3. Wear a blindfold while dribbling the ball.

This is another great way to improve your feel for the ball. Obviously you want to do this in a stationary position or in an empty gym where you have plenty of space to maneuver without crashing into anything. Don’t do it in the living room right next to the coffee table with the antique vase!

4. Wear gloves while dribbling the ball.

Borrow a pair of gardening gloves from your parents. The idea behind wearing the gardening gloves is to create a challenge that gets you out of your comfort zone. When you wear the gloves, your natural sense of touch is taken away so you really have to focus on maintaining control of the ball when you have less grip.

5. Dribble a basketball covered with a plastic bag.

The Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving used this technique to improve his dribbling. The plastic bag creates an unpredictable feel for the ball during dribbling. The bag takes the bounce out of the ball and makes you dribble harder. The smooth, plastic surface also reduces the feel you have for the ball, so that you have to focus more on the controlling the ball when you have less grip.

These 5 unorthodox dribbling tips can help you become a better dribbler. Don’t be afraid to look silly and make mistakes. If you practice some of these methods in the gym, you may get funny looks or have people asking you questions. Remember, the only way to get better is to get out of your comfort zone and force your body to adapt as you work to develop new skills.

One last bonus tip – Take your basketball with you and dribble it everywhere you go. A basketball player should never have to ask the question, “Has anyone seen my ball?” Just like it says on the Nike T-shirt “Basketball Never Stops!”

Basketball on the Edge – 19 Attributes of a Positive Attitude

As parents, we all want our young players to have a “positive attitude”, but what does that mean exactly? What does a positive attitude look like out on the basketball court?

Everyone has a positive attitude when things are going well. If a player has made their last four shots in a row or their team has a big lead it is easy to have a good attitude. What is the player’s attitude when their team is losing, the coach is yelling at them for something that isn’t their fault, or their teammates are hogging the ball? In these types of situations it is much more difficult to exhibit that good attitude.

Attitudes are contagious, both good and bad. What kind of attitude does your young player bring each day?

1. A positive attitude means giving that extra bit of effort in a drill that may not be the most fun.

2. A positive attitude means encouraging the team and your teammates even when things aren’t going well for you individually. Your attitude should remain the same if you’ve scored 20 points and hit the game winning shot or if you are 0 for 9 and the coach has just taken you out of the game.

3. A positive attitude means being coachable and doing what is asked even if you (or your parent) disagrees with a coach’s decision.

4. A positive attitude means the player is able to give their best effort under any circumstance no matter how challenging.

5. A positive attitude means the player can keep their concentration on what their job is despite distractions.

6. A positive attitude means playing to be a winner, not playing to be cool.

7. A positive attitude means not allowing a referee’s “bad” calls to impact how hard you play.

8. A positive attitude means accepting your role on the team and then working like crazy to expand that role in the future.

0. A positive attitude means touching the line during sprints (not almost touching it).

10. A positive attitude means being able to celebrate team success regardless of individual performance.

11. A positive attitude means not complaining no matter how unfair you may perceive things to be.

12. A positive attitude means complimenting a teammate after they do something to help the team.

13. A positive attitude means figuring out a way to rise and meet a challenge rather than backing down, walking away, or giving less than your best effort.

14. A positive attitude means being accountable. No coach likes excuses! Accept the responsibility you’ve been given and don’t blame teammates, parents, refs, or coaches.

15. A positive attitude means you are in control of you and how you react to adversity. You can’t control teammates, coaches, refs, fans, or your opponent, so don’t even try!

16. A positive attitude means being willing to learn and practice new skills while looking silly and making mistakes.

17. A positive attitude means being a role model for teammates in terms of poise and self-control.

18. A positive attitude means having good body language during games and practices. No moping, pouting, or shooting dirty looks across the floor at refs, teammates, or coaches.

19. A positive attitude means not fooling around during practice, but rather being prepared to offer a peak performance both mentally and physically.

Does your young player bring this type of positive attitude every day? Encourage them to “practice” having a good attitude. Developing a positive attitude is a skill that can be improved. Which of these descriptions of a positive attitude resonates most for you as the parent of a young basketball player?

Basketball on the Edge – The Ride Home: What Happens After the Game

From “Changing the Game Project”

One of the saddest things I had to do as a Director of Coaching for numerous soccer clubs was conduct exit interviews, meetings with players whom had decided to leave the club. Children quit sports for a litany of reasons, and my job was always to see what we could learn, so we could improve the experience for other children.

When I got these players alone, and asked them “what was your least favorite moment in sports?” I often got a very similar and sad answer: the ride home after the game.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Basketball on the Edge – Top 8 Ways to Impress Your Basketball Coach

How can any basketball player catch the attention of their coach at tryouts or during practice? What are the things good coaches are looking for when they watch a particular player? This list is a great place to start when you want to make a team, earn more minutes, and gain your coach’s respect.

1. When your coach is talking, listen and pay attention.

This may seem simple, but for young players with shorter attention spans it can be difficult.

Try to make eye contact with your coach. When they look at you, your eyes should be looking back at them.

Don’t dribble a basketball while your coach is talking!

If your coach is speaking directly to you, nod or respond verbally when your coach is done talking. That way they’ll know that you have understood what they said.

Don’t fool around in line or on the sideline when you are not participating in a drill. This is the quickest way to turn off your coach. If you have a friend on the team that is always playing around, don’t stand by them! Guilt by association is powerful.

Coaches HATE when players don’t listen! Coaches LOVE when players listen.

2. Hustle.

Your coach can teach you how to shoot, pivot, execute a crossover dribble, etc. but they can’t teach you how to hustle! That comes from inside of you.

Hustle during drills, hustle to the coach when they gather the team together, hustle during games and scrimmages, hustling is NEVER wrong!

Hustling is not a skill that can be taught. It is a mindset that you must bring to everything you do on the basketball court.

3. Be the best at something on your team.

A coach will always have room on the team for someone who is the best at a particular skill.

The Best Shooter.
The Best Rebounder.
The Best Passer.
The Best Defender.
The Best Ballhandler.

Become the best on your team at a particular skill and your coach will notice!

4. Communicate.

Good coaches love it when players talk out on the court. Talk on defense, talk on offense.

Communication helps make your teammates better. It makes it easier for the TEAM to function together as a unit.

Great players are talking to their teammates constantly. Call out screens, direct teammates where to be, point out cutters, encourage your teammates with positive talk. “Hey, nice pass!” is an invaluable comment that goes a long way towards building up team spirit.

5. Don’t let mistakes affect your effort.

Everyone makes mistakes. That is how learning occurs. Don’t compound your mistake by pouting or not continuing to give your best effort.

Never let a mistake become two mistakes through lack of effort or concentration.

Learn from your mistakes and try to correct them.

6. Be a Leader.

Demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times.

Be enthusiastic at practice. No coach wants to beg and plead with you every day to get you to play hard.

Be a good teammate that other players want to play with, share the ball, be positive, and play with passion.

7. Show up early.

If you are the first player at practice every day and the last to leave your coach will notice the extra work you are putting in.

Be ready to go the moment the tryout or practice starts.

8. Be Confident.

Skill building is confidence building.

The more you train and develop your basketball skills the more confident you will be.

Great players are confident, not cocky. Great players have the attitude that they can compete with and beat anyone. Great players know they put in the work. All great players have a little swagger that says, “I’ve worked harder than you and I believe that I can beat you!”

Coaches love confident players who will take on the challenge of guarding the other team’s best player or taking the last second shot.

Put in the work and be confident!

Coaches love to find players who fit this description. 6 out of the 8 items on this list have nothing to do with basketball. Developing those skills is a mindset. Combine that mindset with relentless practice and you’ll be on your way to impressing your coach and reaching your basketball goals!

Basketball on the Edge – “Toughness” – Jay Bilas – ESPN .com

What does it mean to be “tough” out on the basketball court? Can “toughness” be taught? What are the skills that “tough” players possess? How can young players develop the “toughness” necessary to be a success at each level of basketball?

Read what Jay Bilas of ESPN.com has to say on this topic.

Click here to read the article.

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