Basketball Trainers and Hype

On SocalHoops.com, I saw a post from a dad asking for a really good trainer for his son (he did not specify his age) and said only a trainer with experience working with college and pro players need apply, and he made a derogatory remark toward youth basketball trainers.

On Vern Gambetta’s blog, he has had a series of posts talking about the hype and marketing of some trainers. In one of his posts titled, “For Sale-Latest Training Secrets,” Gambetta writes:

Gotcha – the secret is there are no secrets. The answer is there is no answer. Mentoring , networking, experiences and hard work are the answer, not a $99.95 boxed set of DVD’s

This made me think about some of the basketball trainers and products I have seen hyped recently. I got an email from a guy asking me to be a part of his next money-making product (though he did not want to pay me for my submission). He said he was collecting all the top trainers in the country. I asked for a list. I had never heard of them. I hear from a lot of different people around the country about a lot of different trainers, so while my ignorance does not mean that these are not the best trainers, it creates some doubt.

After the email, and my questions, the guy dropped the name of a certain trainer. I had just seen an advertisement about his product on socalhoops, so I googled him. This is his pitch:

You Might have seen me on T.V., read my articles on the web, or heard about me from a fellow athlete, friend or coach. But… one thing can be certain: you probably haven’t heard of me from the world class athletes and pros I Work With.

I emailed eight trainers and coaches I know. None had ever heard of this guy. He continues:

They hide me away as their secret weapon – because I help them completely transform their game and make them truckloads of money with my complete basketball enhancement system.

This is ridiculous. I know some players do not want to tell others about their trainer. Heck, parents have done it to me. However, if he works with as many players as he claims, the hat is out of the bag:

Since I am regarded by all these pro athletes, top division one players, High school all Americans, the best of the coaching world, an over 5,000 regular ballers just like you

So, over 5,000 people regard him as the “best of the coaching world,” but not one will talk about him. It’s possible, but hard to believe. Next, he says:

as the hands down, only go to guy, completely unique, undisputed Basketball performance Expert,

This is too much. He calls himself the “best of the coaching world” and the “undsiputed basketball performance expert” (and he has typos in his hype, too!). And, none of my friends, all of whom spend hours talking to basketball people and researching training methods have heard of this guy.

Just as an example, no fewer than 10 people I trust have told me that the Denver Nuggets’ Tim Grgurich is the best and I have received emails from people about plenty of trainers, from David Thorpe to Jerry Powell.

The problem is that this is exactly what people want to hear. It’s the perfect marketing pitch. People want to be good, but they do not want to work hard. They want some magic formula.

I read one his articles on the three biggest secrets to success or something like that. His secret was to bend your knees. He’s selling some super-hyped product and calling his training “unique” and labeling himself the best in the world and his secret is to bend your knees. Revolutionary!!

I have not seen this guy’s product just as I have not bought any of the products about which Gambetta is writing. However, I know that there is no short cut to success. It takes work and effort. Trainers and coaches can assist, provide motivation and feedback, teach skills and more, but, in the end, players dictate their success through their effort, commitment and dedication.

There is nothing new in basketball. Different people have different approaches and innovation occurs when coaches or trainers take the old and tweak it or improve it.

However, regardless of tweaking and improving, it is still about the fundamentals. To be successful, you have to do the work on the court; you have to be coachable; you have to eat right; you have to hydrate; you have to listen to your body and rest when appropriate; you have to be in good shape; you have to have a dedication to the details.

If you do all these things, success is likely regardless of whose program you use or how much money you spend. If you ignore these things, no amount of money in the world is going to buy you success.

These marketing pitches are all hype and gimmicks. In the case of the comments on Gambetta’s site, I swear several personal trainers became “experts” by mentioning each other over and over in newsletters and blogs until people became so familiar with their names that they are now considered experts. One of them is famous for his business product which he sells and promises to make trainers a bunch of money. These are gimmicks. They may make the trainers rich, so they accomplish their goals, but what about the clients?

I don’t really like to criticize or call-out other trainers because people will suggest it is jealousy or whatever. I emailed eight colleagues and several replied and said I should go after this guy because consumers are unaware. So, take the comments for what they are. Buyer beware.

As for the post on socalhoops, training a child is a way different animal than training a pro. Just because one is good with pros does not mean he is good with kids. Pros already possess skills and are at an autonmous level. They train. Their trainers mainly work on their physical tools, like strength, stamina, etc. Kids need teaching. They need to learn good habits and develop skills properly. These are not the same processes.

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Related posts:

1. More Basketball Trainer Hype
2. Why Basketball Skill Trainers Fail
3. Why are you training?
4. Miguel Torres on his Trainers

Tagged as: basketball trainers, long term athlete development, work ethic