I have wrote about a couple of these topics earlier in the year, but with the season just around the corner some players may be starting to feel a sense of urgency to work on their game. You will be amazed at the improvements you can make if you are organized and dedicate yourself.
You must come up with an organized Plan of Attack including:
Strengths
Weaknesses
A workout partner (if possible)
Strength and Conditioning Program (Alan Stein’s M.V.P. Program!!!)
Drills to improve your weaknesses. Our YouTube page is filled with FREE drills or you can check out our store. If you are developing your own drills or incorporating existing ones into the workouts make sure you can answer yes to the following questions:
1. Are you going to use the skill in a game-situation?
2. Are you going to get in a lot of repetitions with the drill? There are a ton of drills out there, but the key is to choose ones that are efficient.
Within your Plan of Attack you need to be more detailed in your Workout Plans.
When you are working out it is crucial that you are organized before you get to the gym. It’s not about how much time you put in the gym, it’s what you put into the time. What I mean by organization is this. Get a notebook and write down your workouts before you get to the gym.
1. This is a way to making a commitment to what is in writing, almost like a contract with yourself.
2. You can use your notebook as a reference point to see what you have been working on. This will give you the ability to vary your workouts and drills so that you are staying motivated.
3. You can look back on your notebook to see how much work you have been putting in. Maybe you are in a shooting slump, but you can look back to your notebook and see that you have gotten up 10,000 shots in the last month. That should give you confidence to keep shooting the basketball.
4. Motivational Quotes: Somewhere in your notebook mix in some motivational quotes. It can be as simple as “Dream” or “I am passionate, I have a purpose, and I am unstoppable”. Use something that empowers yourself. Maybe you want to have a theme or quote for each week. Be creative and make your notebook unique!
Workout Example:
10 Minutes: 2 Ball Stationary, Tennis Ball or Medicine Ball
10 Minutes: 1 Ball Moving
10 Minutes: Half Court Drives: Dribble Attack Moves
10 Minutes: Shooting off the Dribble
40 Minutes: Shooting off the Catch
Below is a workout I did with Dominic James from Marquette this past spring.
10 Minutes: 2 Ball Stationary Dribble Moves
10 minutes-2Ball Commando Workout: 30 Second Sets/30 Second Rest
- Same
- Alternate
- Alternate Inside Out
- Crossover
- Between the Legs
- Behind the back
2ball Kill the Grass: 30 Second Sets/30 Second Rest
Finishing: Nash Runners, Parker Floaters, Iverson Step By’s: Make 20 each
7 Spot Shooting: 17-19 Feet, Make 7-10 at each spot
Florida Pullups: 1 Minute Sets; Set a record, beat your record.
Sideline Pick N Roll Series: Make 7-10 each situation both sides of the floor
- Turn the Corner (Runner, Floater, Finish at the Rim, 2 Dribble Pullup)
- Reject (don’t use the screen: see defender’s head turn)
- Split
- Pocket Shot (Defender goes under the screen. Stop behind the screener for the 3)
- 2 Dribble Clear for the 3
- Bounce Off (Defense Shows Hard and you bounce off/back then attack)
- ICE (Keep your defender on your hip as you come off the screen; curl cut but for a ball screen) This is a NBA move when the screener’s defender does not show
Miami Threes: Make 5 at each of the 6 spots: 2 sets; 30-50 or better
Memphis Threes: Make 5 in a Row at 5 Spots in 90 Seconds: 2 sets
Celtics Threes: Make 2 in a row at 10 Spots in 2 minutes: 2 Sets
Mike Miller “L” Drill: Make 10 in 1 Minute, 2 Sets
You DO have Time…
High School years can be pretty overwhelming for some people, especially freshman getting adjusted to more homework, athletic commitments, and other social aspects of this time. It can be pretty common for a high school kid to feel like they are too busy and “don’t have time” for anything, especially their individual skill development.
Even though it can feel overwhelming you really need to break down your day to be able to prioritize and manage your time efficiently. On average a school day will go from 8AM-3PM, which gives you anywhere between 7-8 hours of time depending on when you go to bed. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in 8 hours if you are organized. Lets say you have a max of 3 hours of practice, which is probably longer than most and a maximum of 2 hours of homework. That leaves you with 3 hours. As I stated in a previous post you can get a great workout done if you are organized. It is so important to continue to work on your skills: dribbling, shot form, footwork off the dribble and off the catch because most coaches don’t spend time working on this during practice. Practices are geared towards team development, scouting reports and game preparation. From my experience the first thing players usually regress on in regards to their skills is their footwork. You need to continue to get up 250-300 shots a day during the season during the season with correct footwork. A player I workout right now gets 500 shots up every game day. I truly believe this is a great way to get prepared for a game. Take the time to breakdown your day, get organized and keep your eyes on the prize. Every second that you waste is gone forever. You can never get it back!
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The founder of Mike Lee Basketball Services (formerly Playmakers Basketball), Mike is known throughout the country for individual player skill development. He has been a speaker at several events and has also recently authored several instructional workout DVDs, which will be released over the next year. Titles out right now include, 25 Killer Scoring Moves, Secrets of Unstoppable Guard Play and Secrets of Unstoppable Shooting. Since 2006 Mike Lee Basketball has trained close to 4,000 boys and girls through their skill development programs. Dozens of players that Mike has worked with have gone on to play collegiate basketball, some at the NCAA DI level. In addition to his own basketball services, Mike is a Nike Girls Skills Trainer and a member of the Nike sponsored, Ganon Baker Basketball.
From 2001-2006, Mike participated as a player and assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During the fall of 2006 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Coach K and Duke University Leadership Conference in Durham, NC. In December of 2006 he graduated from the University of Wiconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a self-planned concentration in Basketball Entrepreneurship.
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