Train for Hoops

Ty Lawson and the Evolution of a Playmaker

Brian McCormick — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:31:12 +0000

Denver’s Ty Lawson never should have fallen until the 18th player in the 2010 Draft. He was the best point guard in college basketball, yet some questioned his ability to translate his speed to the next level. Questions answered:

In Ric Bucher’s article “How Fast is He?” in the March 8 issue of ESPN the Magazine, Lawson explains his though-process and development.

“In high school and my first year in college, I just went full speed, looking at the guy in front of me,” says Lawson. “Now, I don’t worry about him. I look at the second and third lines of defense.”

This is the evolution of a playmaker. Most players never move past the first line of defense. If they beat the first defender, they are committed to the drive to the basket, regardless of the other defender’s or offensive players. Sometimes, this works: aggressive players are often rewarded. Other times, the ball handler misses an open teammate, gets a shot blocked or is whistled for a charge because he did not see the next defender.

Players who see past the first line and read the second and third lines of the defense make plays because they know who is open and what lane to drive. They see the play developing before executing the skill rather than attempting to execute a skill (pass, shot) and make the decision simultaneously.

When players make this transition, the game slows down for the ball handler and their decision-making improves.

Off-Season Conditioning: More is not always better

Brian McCormick — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:08:19 +0000

This originally appeared in Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletter 1.45 and Brian McCormick’s Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletters, Volume 1.

I trained some freshmen basketball players in the weight room this weekend. They were weak. I put 300 pounds on the bench and none could do it. One kid almost suffocated from the weight of the bar when it crashed on his chest. Then, they tried to squat 400 pounds. They collapsed. One left with ice on his knee because of the swelling. I tried the dead lift with 400 pounds and none could lift it off the ground. These kids are just mentally weak. They cannot even finish a hard workout.

That did not really happen. I did work out a kid who told me that the off-season conditioning at his high school consists of running before and after school until players vomit.

As I described the weight lifting workout, I am sure most people were confused and wondered why I would expect freshman to lift so much weight, why I would challenge their mental toughness when they were physically unable to lift the weights and why I showed such little remorse for athletes who were injured while training. However, somehow we condone, and even applaud, coaches who use the same type of unrealistic training on the track.

When a player vomits during the workout, it should not be a badge of honor for a coach. I have problems with coaches who speak with pride after a kid vomits during their workout. It does not signal a hard workout, but an inexperienced coach or trainer who knows very little about athletic development.

On the court, we do not want beginners to rush into shooting three-pointers. We yell at players who try to do too much with the ball. Yet, many coaches condition players in the same fashion, forgetting fundamentals and asking players to do too much. There is no progression of conditioning to develop the aerobic and anaerobic capacities of players and to improve their work rate, lactate tolerance, VO2max, etc.

Instead, there are orders to run faster and harder. The vomiting could signal poor nutrition, dehydration or inability to tolerate the training, among other things. Running an athlete into dehydration is not only bad training, but dangerous. Creating programs which go beyond the athletes’ ability to tolerate the training will not improve the athletes’ conditioning, but lead to injury.

Anyone can make a workout hard. It does not take a rocket scientist to push an athlete beyond his limits and mentally and physically break down an athlete. It takes a skilled coach to evaluate and build an athlete through a gradual progression, whether through conditioning, in the weight room or on the court.

Steph Curry’s Craftiness

Brian McCormick — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:08:18 +0000

Golden State’s Stephen Curry is already one of the NBA’s most creative players. Here is the video of one of his moves which is getting a lot of publicity.

I have heard this move called the “Steve Nash Hook” and the “Duck Under.” Now, the play has been branded the “Dream Shake,” the “Show-and-Go,” and the “Step-in-Steph.”

I teach the move to the players that I train and a couple girls used the move in games this season, though not with Curry’s violent fake or success.

How does a player train these creative finishes and prepare to use them in the games?

“I have a lot in my bag of tricks,” Curry said. “I was always a short kid on my team, so I would always get my stuff blocked. I’ve had to find creative ways to score my whole career.”

His imagination has been fueled with Golden State. Curry says “watching Monta (Ellis’) genius” around the rim has helped, and, of course, there are the hours the rookie spends practicing.

During pre-pre-game warm-ups, it sometimes might appear that Curry, Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson are messing around. They take turn after turn sprinting toward the basket and trying a variety of inventive layups, which they call “crafties” and look like shots that wouldn’t be tried on a playground.

Until they are. And then they are tried in an NBA game.

“They do it in a loose environment and then when they come into play in the games, they’re used to shooting them in a relaxed state,” Smart said.

Does the NBA Skills Contest Develop Skills?

Brian McCormick — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:44 +0000

I saw a tweet last week that questioned whether young point guards would practice the skills featured in the NBA Skills Contest. I questioned the development aspect of the contest.

For young or inexperienced players, an obstacle course like the skills contest could be a good way to get all the players handling the ball and practicing skills at one time in a fun way. Most youth teams have only 1-2 baskets and 8-12 players. The skills contest could be a better version of relay races which are popular at youth practices and camps.

However, for an experienced or good player, does the skills contest offer a developmental component?

At the outset, Jennings makes an uncontested lay-up at half-speed. For most high school players, this is not an issue. Few players make a high school team without the ability to make an uncontested lay-up at less than full speed.

Next, he zig-zags through the fake defenders. Do players really dribble in this manner? Is that how he would change directions in a game when faced with a defender? Would he be able to dribble the ball that high that close to a defender? If anything, I see bad habits, not development.

Next, he makes a chest pass and a bounce pass into a small target. While the ability to put the ball into a small window is a skill needed by all players, most passing mistakes occur due to defensive pressure. Most players can make a stationary pass to a stationary target when there is no defense present. However, does that technique translate to a game when the pass receiver is moving and defended, and the passer is defended? Is the stationary pass into a small window a game-relevant drill?

Next, he makes a stationary three-pointer off the rack. Every player needs to improve their shooting.

Finally, more zig-zag dribbling and a lay-up.

There is nothing wrong with the skills contest, and, again, with young or inexperienced players, the contest provides a fun way to incorporate a lot of skills in a short amount of time in a competitive environment.

However, for more experienced players, I do not see how the skills contest develops “point guard skills.” The ability to play the point depends on reading and reacting to numerous cues and making the right decisions. The skills contest does not force players to make decisions or read the court. A player like Jerryd Bayless or Monta Ellis, who I would argue is not a point guard, is just as likely to excel in the contest as a point guard like Jason Kidd or Steve Nash because he is fast and can shoot the ball.

Players need to develop passing, shooting and dribbling technique, and the skills contest incorporates these. However, is the skills contest the best way for an experienced player to develop and improve these skills? Is it a good use of time for a player training to improve his point guard skills?

Hip Mobility for Basketball Performance

Brian McCormick — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:11:37 +0000

As I watch basketball games late in the season, I see players who have really tight hips which limit their movement and ultimately their skill execution. This video shows some variations of a hip flexor stretch:

Here is a second video with three additional exercises: