Perfect Free Throws

Free throws come into play quite a bit during a basketball game. Being good at free throws is beneficial to your team, and every player should work to be good at them. Choosing who makes the free throws is not always going to be an option. Being able to make free throws is something that every player must know how to do.
When you are practicing you should have a routine you follow when making free throws. Having a routine will help you to relax and get into the groove to make the shot. You can do whatever makes you feel comfortable. You have 10 seconds to get prepared, so use those 10 seconds to relax and limber up. Also make sure you set up your shot in a routine manner.

How to Pick a Good Basketball Uniform

First, decide exactly what you need. Is it just the top or a complete uniform with top, shorts, shoes, etc. Many teams opt to just order the tops and have the player provide a pair of black shorts to go along with the uniform. This is a good idea if you are on a tight budget, but if it is possible, it is much better to go with at least the top and shorts.

Second, it is important to consider if you will be using two sets of uniforms, one for the home games and a different one for away games. In most city leagues, you will only be required to supply one color jersey. However in more formal game play, for example, high school leagues, you will be required to supply a colored jersey for away games and a white jersey for home games. Be sure to check your league rules before placing your order. Also, if you must have a colored and a white jersey, consider using a reversible jersey.

The last thing to consider is the artwork that will be placed on the uniform. Typically a basketball uniform has the team name on the front chest with the number below. The number is also placed on the back in a larger size. Many people also choose to place the player's last name on the back of the uniform. If you decide to complete the uniform with the shorts, often times people will have the team logo placed on the shorts right above one of the knees.

Great Practices

I was fortunate to spend 4 days last year observing Tom Crean's practices at Marquette. What I learned from Coach Crean was to make everything competitive. Coach has everyone in practice on their toes; the assistant coaches and managers' work as hard as the players. Although completely organized as a staff, Coach Crean runs practices off the top of his head. He makes everyone in the gym react to him. If you get a chance, go see his practices at Indiana. His players compete, they communicate and they react to the constant curveballs he throws at them. They are genius, and reflect his personality.

I try to get better as a coach every day. Fundamental to my growth is taking from the best in the game and to mold their ideas into my values on basketball. Great practices have to adhere to your personality in order to get your players to buy in. I have taken all the things I have observed from great coaches and shaped them into my philosophy on the game of basketball. Components I feel are essential to great practices include:

United States Men's Basketball

The US Dream Team dominated the competition with power, style and grace putting a show that has since been the benchmark for all team sports to be played. The USA continued their dominance in two encore performances in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. In Athens in 2004 the US was expected to repeat their previous dominance in international competition when they were stunned by Puerto Rico in their first game of the Olympic competition. This also made Puerto Rico the first team other than the Soviet Union to beat the United States in Olympic competition.

The United States successes and failures have not been without their controversies. In 1972 in Munich the United States were beaten for the first time in Olympic competition by the USSR in controversial fashion when the referee decided to replay the last three seconds numerous types until the USSR scored the winning basket. The Dream Team also caused controversy when HIV positive basketball star Magic Johnson decided to play at the games. While many players supported the idea, some players and fans were outspoken against it. As a team with such high profile their successes, failures and controversies receive much media attention and scrutiny.

Michael Jordan vs Kobe Bryant

Who is the better NBA player Kobe Bryant or Micheal Jordan? The question is hard to answer since both players didn't compete against one another in the prime of their playing career. This answer of opinions can be arugued strongly both ways. Micheal Jordan is the pioneer of the new generation of basketball. His creative dunks and his wicked fade-away jump shots made him the MAN!!! in the late 80's and early 90's. However, this is a new age of basketball with the highest competition and skill level ever seen in the NBA. The NBA has some of greatest athelets and skilled players to ever play in the NBA, such as: Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, T-Mac, or Tim Duncan. These players are great NBA players who give thier all, but Kobe Bryant has separated himself from the greats today. Kobe is the most feared NBA scorer in the league today and maybe of all time. I've watched Kobe make 9 straight three point shots to tie the consecutive three point shots made record and then he hit 3 more to break the record of most three point shots in a game. In his career, Kobe has
Kobe also has a the second most points every scored in a game by a single player, which was 81 points. This record is more impressive than Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points because the rules were different back then. Players were allowed to grab the ball off the rims, and since Wilt Chamberlain was the only 7 footer he dominated the games. Kobe's 81 was done in the modern NBA which is extremely difficult especially at the shooting guard position.

Training For Court Dominating Strength

Yes and all individual skills must be mastered or in the progress of mastery for completion as a player. Individual basketball skills include but are not limited to shooting, passing, cutting, rebounding, defending, awareness, and helping.

Daily practice requirement for the pursuit of skill mastery is to the point of execution failure. For example; chest pass to a partner as explosive as you can. Have the partner throw the ball back quickly and then repeat the rapid chest pass. Once you are no longer accurate to your partner, the passing fundamental is over.

It is very important to develop correct habits so that the motor patterns can be remembered properly when you need them the most. At the end of a game when you are exhausted, you will not have to worry about a pass getting to a teammate. You know it will since you practiced diligently in your training.

Incredible Ways to Jump High

I'm going to share with you some of the most incredible ways to jump higher. When it comes to basketball, there is a lot of doors that open up to athletes that can jump higher. When you see people in the NBA, these people have trained for years to be able to jump as high as they can. They've worked with top trainers in the world that have some of the best exercises that allows them to add 6-12 extra inches to their jump. Just think of what you could accomplish if you had that much extra in height. I'm going to show you exactly what you're going to need to do to accomplish that.

One of the ways to jump higher is a very simple method; walk around on the tips of your toes. It sound easy, but it is incredibly hard. I've seen athletes try this and not being able to do it for long. Thirty minutes is the standard for this exercise. It works the exact muscles required to jump, but it does a little more than that. It actually helps them remain springy, so you'll get that quick push off the ground.

Looking Ahead to the 2009 Draft

Blake Griffin, Forward, Oklahoma: At this point, Griffin is the frontrunner to be the number one pick in the '09 draft. He had a great freshman season at Oklahoma and likely would have been a lottery pick in the '08 draft had he not decided to stay in school. Griffin reminds some scouts of Carlos Boozer and possesses both NBA-readiness and solid upside.

Brandon Jennings, Guard, Arizona*: Jennings has the potential to be a special playmaker. His athleticism is nearly unparalleled and it allows him to play above the rim much more than one would expect from a 6-2 player. He's an excellent passer, but tends to get flashy at times which could lead to a high turnover rate on the next level. He's got all the talent in the world, but there are questions about his coachability and decision making. He's definitely a player who will sell NBA tickets, but it's not certain that he's a player whose style will win games.