Thank you for visiting Train For Hoops (TFH).
Train for Hoops offers the most effective basketball training information including personal consulting, personalized programs, and hundreds of basketball drills and exercise instructions and video demonstrations–all in an easy-to-understand, easy-to-follow format.
We’ll develop a program that is right for you–one that is realistic for your experience level, specific to your goals, and one that is so effective you’ll continual improvement, day after day.
Brian McCormick
Performance Director
McCormick is a professional basketball coach, trainer and author. He was the Head Coach of Visby Ladies (Sweden) and UCD Marian (Ireland), and coached in the Damligan (Sweden) All-Star Game. He has trained youth, high school, college and pro players, including All-American and National Team players from a dozen countries.
McCormick wrote Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development, a book designed around Istvan Balyi’s model of Long Term Athlete Development. He has published six other books, including 180 Shooter and Developing Basketball Intelligence.
McCormick created the 180 Shooter program to help coaches and players improve shooting, designed the Playmakers Basketball Development Leagues to put the concepts of Cross Over and DBI into action and founded the Youth Basketball Coaching Association to promote the importance of youth coaches and provide a free certification course to non-profit organizations.
McCormick advises clubs, schools and federations on their development systems and coach education programs.
McCormick has a Master’s in Sports Science and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM). He also has obtained certifications through USA Track & Field (Level I) and USA Weightlifting (Sports Performance Coach).
He writes the free, weekly Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletters; to subscribe, email hard2guardinc@yahoo.com. He lives in Irvine where he trains players. For more information on training, his books or this site, email brian [@] trainforhoops.com.
Brian’s Philosophy
“My philosophy evolves as I learn, study and coach; however, my goal has always been to help kids achieve their dreams. There are too many haters and nay-sayers telling kids what can’t be done or accomplished. I believe strongly in the power of expectations, so I expect a lot from kids. I challenge them. If they are wiling to expend the energy and effort, I want to guide them in the right direction and maximize their effort in the direction of their goal.
I don’t make promises. No more, no less. The player has to supply the effort and the work ethic. If a player is willing to work hard, he or she can achieve her goals, regardless of how outrageous they may seem.
I love to learn new things and new skills. I have one degree in Literature and one in Science. I take boxing and kickboxing lessons. I taught myself to surf and snowboard. Because I am motivated by learning, I study the movements, skills and weaknesses of exceptional players and work backward, figuring out a method to teach these skills.
My teaching is not a series of drills, but a progression. I do not haphazardly throw an hour’s worth of drills into a workout to keep a player busy; I methodically build a skill throughout a workout and over a period of time.
I am not a showman or a guru. I am a teacher and a coach who studies and learns on a daily basis and who has combined his study and experience with players from pee-wees to professionals to develop a system of development which I have used with multiple players over the past seven years, which is now available online through Train for Hoops.
