A recurring theme in our blog posts over the past 6 weeks has been simplicity. We’ve narrowed it down to the 11 simple skills that players need to be successful at the high school level.
But, within those 11 skills you might have to break it down even more. And, What you decide to work on this summer, to me, starts with taking an honest look at your skill levels. You’ll only achieve what you emphasize and if you try to improve everything, you most likely won’t see results significant enough to carry over to the game.
What do you emphasize
A great way to get players to buy in is to get results quickly. I’m not saying shortcuts, but by focusing on one skill players are going to see improvements sooner and see WHY they are putting in the work. So many times players don’t work on something because they don’t believe they can actually be good at it. It’s your job to find ways to get them believe it and follow through to see their work come to fruition.
A few years ago Billy Donovan and the University of Florida used their entire spring off-season individual program to work on one thing. 3 point shooting. No ball handling, dribbling or ball screen work. All their players did was shoot threes. It’s definitely a unique take on improving skills. It requires creativity in drills to keep players focused, as well as, constant reminders to stay focused on the process.
Get organized
Once you make a commitment to what you’re going to emphasize in your summer basketball skills training you have to get organized. You have limited time, and time doesn’t care if you’re not effective or efficient.
Some questions that might help you develop your plan of attack:
- How much time are you going to spend on this skill?
- What drills are you going to use?
- Am I an expert in this area or is there someone else who might be able to help?
- How is this going to carryover to the game?
Are you looking for more details? We’ll be breaking down what we emphasize at our summer camps throughout the Midwest. Visit camps.mikeleebasketball.com to see if we’re in your area!
