A Coach's Diary

"Hard work is just the price of admission.  Be dedicated.  Be determined.  Work to be great at your craft.  Be patient.  Knock on the door.  Continue to work.  Continue to learn.  Good things happen over the course of time." "The most dangerous person over the course of time is the one who is constantly improving." Both quotes above were given by Charlotte Hornet's assistant coach Jay Hernandez.  He also shared the following competitive shooting drills that he uses with the Charlotte Hornets.  These are great tools for your players to have.  

Preparation + Opportunity = An Explosion of Success Ray Allen's advantage was pulling up before anybody else was there.  One of the keys to success is self-confidence.  One of the keys to self-confidence is preparation.  One of the keys to preparation is repetition.  Doing it over and over and over again. Ray Allen would beat everybody to the gym, get his reps in so that he was prepared and confident, and the result was one of the best careers in NBA history. It takes a special kind of monster to consistently put in the type of work that it takes to be the best at something.  It might be easy and exciting to start something know, but it's hard to stay with it over weeks, months, and years. If you are looking for a video for your athletes that talks about the time and effort that it takes to become a great shooter, this video by Dev at In The Lab is really good. 7:00 - Pre-Game in the NBA.  There is an intentional focus on certain things and g...

In the Lab is one of my favorite YouTube channels for basketball.  The guy who runs the site is Dev, and he has a very realistic and fresh approach to the game.  He is going through the process of trying to perfect his shooting ability. Here he meets with former Baylor Basketball player Austin Mills to talk about how to extend your shooting range.  Some key points: 1 - It takes time, effort, and passion to become a great shooter; there is no short cut to being great at anything - shooting included; it's about information and reps/reps/reps; know how to shoot correctly and get as many reps as possible to become a better shooter 2 - When you are off, learn how to adjust or 'fix' your shot without completely changing your form 3 - Start with form shooting close to the basket to warm-up and to find a rhythm and flow 4 - A lot of being a great shooter is confidence and mentality; if you can do it in a small gym alone, consistently, you will get the confidence to b...

The skill of shooting is arguably the most important part of basketball.  To win, you have to be able to put the ball in the basket. Watching LeBron James, Giannis Antentenkompa and other high flyers is fun, but guys like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have changed the game with the way that they shoot the ball. Learning how to teach shooting and learning the proper way to shoot is as important as any other aspect of the game.   YouTube is littered with 'how to' shooting videos.  Pro Shot Shooting System is a well-researched approach to learning how to shoot and for teaching how to shoot.  I have a few of the basic videos below to help get you started on how to shoot the right way, according to their system, and a systematic approach to teaching shooting for coaches and trainers. These 1st 3 videos give you a good starting point:  1 - Your shooting stance 2 - Your shooting rhythm 3 - Your follow through 4 - Your eyes on the follow through ...

Notes from one of the best shooters of all time - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf teaching how he shoots! 1 - Follow Through 2 - The arc of the shot 3 - The feel of the shot - Hand is not too close; fingers comfortable and natural, not too spread out - Finger tip control - have a gap so you aren't palming it - Off hand guides the ball; not too close and not underneath; be comfortably strong so it feels good but they can't knock the ball away - Its good at the beginning to line up the seams to help with your follow-thru - The follow through softens up the shot and lets it hang around the rim - Legs shoulder width apart to create a balance - Elbows in so your elbow and follow-thru is aligned with the basket - Index finger to the basketball and the rim - Backspin on the follow-thru - Focus on a target - right over the front of the rim Find what is comfortable for you and repetition.  Do it over and over again and pay attention to details.  The best shooters shoot the same s...

- Great article on Ernie Hobbie – ‘The Shot Doctor’ - After the article, there are two videos showing him teaching shooting. THIS GUY GIVES YOU A SHOT AT MAKING FREE THROWS PETER IACOBELLI, Associated Press Mar. 18, 1989  2:58 PM ET PLAINFIELD, N.J. (AP) Ernie Hobbie has brought the schoolroom to the schoolyard and has many of basketball's biggest names as willing students in the elusive art of free throw shooting. Hobbie, an elementary school principal currently helping the New Jersey Nets, has also worked with the New York Knicks and major college programs like Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Hobbie has tinkered with the shots of the Nets' Buck Williams and Roy Hinson; the Knicks' Gerald Wilkins and Sidney Green; Ralph Sampson of the Golden State Warriors; Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Rony Seikaly and Dwayne ''Pearl'' Washington of the Miami Heat. But, according to Hobbie, you don't have to be NBA caliber to have a shot ...

This is a great video where he addresses how girl basketball players should approach the game of basketball.   He makes 3 strong points: 1 - Learn to shoot a basketball.  Geno Auriemma, the girls coach at UCONN estimates that only 2% of female high school basketball players can really shoot the ball, and that 100% of them that can really shoot can, and will, play college basketball. 2 - Watch basketball. 3 - Play basketball.