Think Outside the Box When Dressing For an NBA Game

When you head to a NBA game, it's important to play the part. Many fans will choose to wear their team's jersey, or a T shirt that features the team name.

But there are many creative things you can wear to a basketball game that are a bit more creative. Here are some ideas.

Wear the team colors.

If you don't have a team jersey or a team T shirt, simply wear the team colors. If your team's colors are black and purple, you might choose to wear black sweatpants and a purple T shirt, or you might choose to wear a purple sweatshirt.

If you are strapped for cash, in fact, wearing the team colors (instead of officially licensed gear) can be an affordable, but still supportive, option.

Wear jewelry.

Wearing a team jersey isn't everyone's style. Even if you're a huge fan of the team, it might not be your style to wear a team jersey, or T shirt, or hat. In that case, go a little creative and think somewhat outside the box. You might choose to wear a necklace that includes the team colors or that has the team name on it. You might have a pair of earrings that have dangling from them the name of the NBA team.

Or you might choose to go more generic and choose to wear a necklace that features basketballs on it or little hoops.
Go silly.

If you want to ensure that you get face time on the cameras that are trolling the stands looking for interesting people to show during the commercial breaks and time outs, go silly.

In this case, you might choose to wear a silly headdress, or get completely decked out in NBA gear. You might choose to dress so you look just like one of the star players.

There are many ways to dress for a NBA basketball game; you don't have to leave excitement just for the players on the court.

How to Coach Basketball - 3 Things Basketball Coaches Must Do to Be Successful

There's a lot that goes into coaching basketball. I know this from coaching varsity ball for the past 16 or 17 years now, and watching my father coach varsity for 30+ years before that. Even before you step on the court for that first day of tryouts, you've put in many hours of planning. During the preseason, you are constantly evaluating your players, watching for them to demonstrate improvement, trying to figure out what you can do to fix their problems and magnify their strengths. And when the season begins, it is always a roller coaster ride, trying to stay one step ahead of your opponent while pushing to make the final tournament.

Every season will offer new challenges and require different adjustments. Some seasons your team will be a running team and you will need to develop a solid fast break; other seasons you may be blessed with a player with height, and want to work an offense around him. Some seasons you will have players who come to you already with great fundamental skills; other seasons you will feel like you are starting from scratch with a team that has no fundamental skills at all.

Regardless of the adjustments and focus your season may require, to be a successful basketball coach you must do these three essential things:

1. Be organized. Plan your preseason and season the same way you would any important goal - create a long term overview of what you need to accomplish and when it needs to be done by; then break down these long term goals into smaller stepping stone goals that you can accomplish in a short period of time. The accomplishment of each stepping stone goal leads to the next stepping stone goal, and eventually you reach your overall goal.

Coaches who cobble together a couple of drills and a play or two and call that a practice are completely at the mercy of the natural talents of their players. If you want your players to develop, both as individuals and as a team, you need to design a path for them to follow and keep drawing them down that path.

2. Team Before Individuals. We've all had exceptional players on our teams - players who are natural-born shooters, or big guys that are impossible for the other team to guard, or amazingly quick guards who can't be contained. Star players.

But star players don't win championships - strong teams do. Always treat your players as a team, not as one star and a bunch of supporting actors. Develop the team as a whole, and you develop a championship team that trusts each other and works well together. Focus solely on the star, and you develop animosity among the players.

3. Don't Forget the Big Picture. Winning games is important - nobody practices for months, plays dozens of games, pours blood, sweat and tears into developing a team in order to lose. So sometimes a coach can be forgiven for getting a little excited or stressed at practices or games when things don't go his way.

But the big picture is this: most of your players, maybe all of them, will finish playing high school basketball and go on to become teachers, or electricians, or maybe doctors or engineers. Very few will play university basketball, and even fewer will have a shot at the pros.

What we develop isn't NBA prospects. We develop people. There are more lessons to be learned on the basketball court than how to shoot or pass or play defense. Teach them to respect their opponents, their teammates, the game officials, themselves. Teach them to work hard at everything they do. Teach them to never give up. Because those lessons aren't just for the game of basketball. Keep in mind that how we act and how we teach our players to act on the court and off will have a lasting impression on them throughout their lives.

Becoming a Defensive Stopper

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "offense wins games, defense wins championships!" It's hard not to agree with that. You can be on fire one night and the next night you can't through it in the ocean, but if your defense is consistently tough you still have a chance to win at the end.

Natural athletic ability plays a role in good defense, but I believe fierce determination, stamina, and guts to step up to the challenge outweigh athletic ability any day.

My junior year I hit 76 three point shots, but looking back on the season that was not the most rewarding thing I can remember about that year. My team reached the Sectional Finals where we were faced against a very good team with one exceptional guard.

During the course of that season, I proved to my coach I was more than willing to dedicate myself to playing the best defense I was capable of. Here we were, down in the locker room making final preparation before game time. Coach let me know my main assignment for the night would be to guard their star player. I had played against this kid since the age of 10. He was a grade older than me and I had always been mesmerized by how advanced he was. All these years later, here was my chance to guard him his senior year on his home court for a chance to advance to the Regionals.

Guarding him that night was the most fun I had playing basketball that entire year. I was all over him like Bruce Bowen on Kobe. I was determined to not let him score and to frustrate him any chance I could. We ended up winning the game by 6 points and I kept him in single digits. After the game, we cut down the nets and had a victory ceremony right there on court. Individual accolades are nice and all, but there isn't a better feeling than when the TEAM WINS BIG GAMES.

Don't ever think it's all about scoring, you couldn't be further from the truth! It really comes back to conditioning. It's easy to find the energy to play offense, but to play great defense you have to be in peak physical condition.

Is Being a Big Time Leaper Just a Pipe Dream?

Most of us, athletes included, are not born with the natural ability to jump really high. Yet most of those same athletes, not to mention all of the rest of us, have an explicit or secret desire to become leapers. The question is this: can they make that happen or is it just a pipe dream?

Virtually everyone in the non-leaper category believes in their heart of hearts that they will never have a big vertical jump, regardless of their dreams or aspirations. Worse yet, when they are told that what they believe to be impossible is in fact doable, they scoff at the source and consider such claims to be false or wildly inflated.

For those who have never gotten the memo, understand that belief is an incredibly powerful force. For instance, for those who firmly believe that they will never win the lottery actually never do. But the dirty little secret to that self-fulfilling prophecy is revealing. Those who know for sure that they will not win the lottery, do not enter the lottery. Thus they cement their fate.

Although a bit extreme, that example is emblematic of the power of belief. There are a zillion examples of that power but suffice it to say in this instance that if you know for sure that you will never be a leaper, guess what? Either you will not even try or your efforts will only be half hearted and fail due to lack of conviction, poor training, absence of proper knowledge and bad habits.

The message here is clear. If you are among those who do not believe that you can become a way better than average jumper than you simply need abandon ship. There is no hope for you.

But if you are among those smart enough to understand the power of belief, you will in fact grow yourself into an eye popping leaper. Guaranteed.

Should you get into a quality vertical jump development program, the increase in your jump reach will be a minimum of ten inches. That's right, close to a one foot higher vertical. Although it is true that if you do not believe in such outcomes you will either not attempt them or you will sabotage your own efforts. However, know for sure that things may start with belief but it will take a lot more than just belief to get to where you want to go.

First and foremost you will need the proper training techniques. A quality program includes many and to get to a big increase in jump you will need to both know them and do them. It takes time, although not a lot, and it takes work. The very good news is that you will begin to generate measurable and frankly really encouraging results almost immediately. It is not unusual to move up as much as two to four inches in the first two weeks.

When you have a valid, tested system and you stick with it the ten inches or more increase will come within three months. Note that does not mean highly intense and extensive training every day. Good vertical programs are not about endurance, they are about the development of explosive power. Proper training includes rest and recovery.

Such training also includes nutrition and correct form along with a number of other key factors. Once you know what those factors are and how to train for each of them you will be well on your way to better hops. At that point you only need add the sweat equity to make the leaper dream a reality.

One comprehensive jump development that meets these standards is linked below for your review. It provides an excellent example of the kind of program that will add ten inches or more to your vertical.

All the while, keep in mind the single most important point in this matter. The only way to get to the next level of performance is to set that goal and believe there is a way to get there. Armed with that belief you will find what you need to reach the goal. Remember that without belief there will be no success. Set your goal, believe in yourself and start the journey.

Basketball Strategy - 3 Reasons to Run a Full Court Press

Most - maybe all - basketball coaches have run a full court press at some time. For some, it's a basketball strategy they use on a consistent basis to get some points on the board; for others, it's a last-ditch effort to salvage a game that is slipping away (we've all been there).

Coaches that use the full court press only when it is absolutely necessary are missing out on some good defensive strategy. I'm going to suggest that all coaches should look at the full court press not as something to use only in extreme situations, but to run as a "usual" part of your defensive strategy.

There are lots of good reasons to do this, but here are the top three in my view:

1. Size matters. If you don't have size, you can be in trouble playing against a set-up offense. But if you spread out your team and harass the ball from the beginning, your 6'0"center can suddenly be very effective.

And if your opponent does have size, they are very likely will want to set up an offense and take advantage of their size. By spreading them out and making them work to get the ball upcourt, you are effectively taking their size advantage out of the game.

2. Change Game Tempo. Get your opponent out of their game, especially if they are a "walk-the-ball-up, set-up-the-offense" type of team. Take them out of their comfort zone, and they will make mistakes.

3. It's Just Good Defense. You can play a solid defensive game if you have 4 excellent defenders. Probably even 3 excellent defenders will do. Give your opponent lots of room to get the ball upcourt and set up an offense, and maybe they'll find that weak defensive player and score. But harass them from the beginning, and they'll turn the ball over. In other words, you can hide that weak defender or two.

Sure, a full court press is a good basketball strategy for other reasons - it allows you to get that little spurt of 4 or 6 points before the offense starts to acclimatize; and it's exciting to play and watch, so your players and fans will enjoy it. But the three reasons above are reason enough to put a full court press into your regular-season playbook.

Choose a full court press and teach your players to use it well, then use it on a regular basis throughout the season. It shouldn't be considered a strategy to save for last minute situations or playoffs only, but a part of your regular playing style. But don't be one of those coaches who runs a full court press the entire game against a much weaker team and explain it away by saying your team needs to practice it. That just ruins the game for everyone, and nobody really learns anything important.

How to Improve Your Speed For Basketball With a Single Exercise

Whether you are a basketball player looking to improve your sprinting speed or vertical jump you have got to concentrate on training your body for explosiveness and power. This is why I am here to introduce to you the ancient style of kettlebell training. By now you may have heard of this intense strength and conditioning device and have wondered just what it is capable of. Well, I am here to tell you!

Dual Kettlebell Swings (Great Exercise For Developing Your Sprinting Muscles)

If you are serious about developing your muscles in order to improve your sprinting speed and quickness for the game of basketball then you have got to implement the use of kettlebell training into your workouts. To be more specific, you need to learn how to execute dual kettlebell swings in order to really give yourself an edge in speed performance. You see the truth is that there are many ways to improve your speed, but from the strength training aspect of your workouts you have got to engage in specific lifts that help you to generate power from the movements involved in the tasks that you are trying to improve on. For instance, if you are looking at improving your speed and athleticism then you have got to work on developing your core power by integrating the muscles of your posterior chain which consists of your hips, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Dual kettlebell swings involve a lot more muscle groups than the one's I just mentioned, but it stresses the movements of those particular muscles more profoundly.

To execute this dynamic lift you will need the availability of a pair of kettlebells of equal weight and moderate intensity. Place the bells between your feet with your stance slightly wider than shoulder width distance apart. From here simply squat to pick up the bells and allow them to both hang at your groin. Next, you must engage your hips and knees in a constant motion of flexion and extension in a movement that is known as the hip snap. This particular action allows you to generate the power and momentum you need in order to swing the bells from between your legs up to chest level in smooth powerful motion. As you swing the bells make sure to keep your shoulders retracted and your abs tight. You must forcefully breathe with every rep to drive the bells up through the arc with solid power. This lift will undoubtedly improve both your strength and speed performance for the game of basketball. It will also do wonders for you vertical leap as well!

If you are looking to include dual kettlebell swings into your basketball speed training workouts then you have got to make sure you are willing to learn the proper technique that is involved. If you need additional help on this then feel free to access the rest of my articles on this subject for free. Remember that most any player can train hard, but only the champions train smart my friend!

Vertical Jump Program

Looking for a vertical jump program? There are many to choose from, but I will give you some tips and pointers in the next few paragraphs so that you can know a little more about the human body and that way make an informed decision on which vertical training program you should buy.

Jumping is not about how much muscle you have, so don't worry if you have small legs or calves because size doesn't matter when it comes to jumping. What does matter is how well your legs act under pressure. When you bend down before jumping, it is known as the loading phase. If your legs can take that pressure of the bend in your legs, you will be able to jump high. But if your legs aren't strong enough, they will lose the natural rubber effect that occurs when you bend and the muscles and tendons in your leg are stretched.

Workout for the Jumping Program

• Hamstring Curls - You need to train the hamstrings and glutes by doing hamstring curls because they are heavily involved with jumping.
• Light Squats - Yes you need to go light because heavy will cause knee problems if you are jumping and you need to do them fast. Heavy weight will make you stronger but it won't make you faster.

If you have not worked out in a while, you might be sore for a couple of days just training hamstrings with curls and squats. Don't worry the soreness will go away and you will be able train harder.