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In The Zone

By Aim High Hoops

As a basketball player, there is no better individual feeling than being in “the zone”.  Shooting the ball into the hoop is no longer a challenge while in the zone. Getting open is easy, the defense seems to moves slower than normal, and most importantly, there is an extremely high level of focus and confidence that is a part of being in the zone.

Although it may not happen often, basketball players don’t enter the zone by accident.  It is a result of years and years of skill development, based on correct shooting fundamentals.  The zone is the realization of maximum physical performance combined with the highest level of concentration and determination.  It happens for athletes in other sports as well, and it happens for the same reasons in other sports as it does in basketball.

Michael Jordan is known to have said that throughout his playing career, on games when he was in the zone, he often woke up the morning of the game knowing he was going to have an exceptional performance.  In Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Boston Celtics’ shooting guard Ray Allen made the first 7 three-point shots that he attempted, on the biggest stage in basketball while undoubtedly drawing extra attention from the defense after the first few makes.  Allen is among the best at his craft, and part of his game-day routine is to go through a shooting workout three hours before every game.

As a result of their work ethic and passion for the game, Allen and Jordan have both been rewarded by entering the zone often throughout their careers, putting on shooting displays that dazzle the audience and frustrate the opponents. The truth is, any aspiring basketball player has the chance to enter “the zone”. It is all about learning the right way to shoot the ball, and doing it a whole lot. This is a primary focus of our training video “Pure Shooting”. No matter your age, athletic ability, gender, or experience, learn and apply our 6 Principles to Pure Shooting, and you give yourself a chance to be a great shooter, hopefully putting on a few shooting shows along the way!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Learning Basketball

By Aim High Hoops

“Learning to play” basketball means two things.

The first aspect is the individual skill development; i.e. dribbling and shooting the basketball well. Resources and direction for proper skill development are what we offer at Aim High Hoops. Our skill clinics, training videos, and Pure Shooter’s Report Card help players learn which skills are necessary, as well as proven methods for maximizing those needed skills.

The second part of learning to play is playing.  Players need to be on the court, in game situations, trying things out and learning from mistakes.  Playing doesn’t always have to involve an organized 5-on-5 game with coaches and referees.  In fact, when the players call fouls and it is a situation of either win or sit for an hour (no coach to make substitutions), players develop a toughness and hunger to win.

One without the other is insufficient.

Players who spend all day in the gym working on their dribbling and shooting, but don’t get involved with competitive games in the off-season will be behind during the season.  Why? Because in games is where a dribbler learns to find seams in the defense to penetrate, and in games is where a shooter learns how to use a screen against a defender that trails, or cheats the screen, and it is in games when a scorer learns to use head fakes and draw real fouls for three-point plays.

Players who just play games all day will no doubt develop good instincts for the game, but without proper dribbling and shot development, these players can be pressured into dribbling mistakes and left open to shoot a shot they are uncomfortable with during clutch moments of games.

During an NBA Summer League game, the announcers commented on #1 draft pick John Wall.  They hit on both parts of the two-part process of learning to play basketball. First, they said Wall needed to continue working on his jump shot (skill development).  After a dribble spin move that finished with Wall’s lay-up attempt getting blocked off the backboard, they said that Wall would have to use the summer league to start getting used to the speed and athleticism of the NBA (playing). 

A few possessions later Wall floated a lay-up off the backboard and got fouled for a three-point play attempt. It looks like he’s learning quickly!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Tebow

By Aim High Hoops

It turns out that establishing correct habits early on isn’t just for basketball players! In the June 14, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated, there was an article titled: “Tim Tebow: The Making of a Quarterback.” The subtitle says that the Denver Broncos are “starting from scratch” with Tebow, a national champion and Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Florida, because his throwing mechanics are so poor.

Tebow’s NFL future relies on whether or not he can master the throwing mechanics that his fellow quarterbacks mastered at an early age. Take a look at some of the quotes from the article:

“Most scouts saw him as a 6’3’’, 236-pound option quarterback with poor throwing mechanics.”

“He has to completely overhaul the way he throws.”

“The goal, of course, is for this new motion to become natural,…”

“But he’s in a race to remake his delivery.”

The way Tebow treats this challenge should be a lesson for every young athlete learning a new sport: “The mechanics—I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time. I’ve got to make the uncomfortable comfortable, and I’ve got to hurry.”

“Tebow treated every pass as if it were a game.”

Head Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniel’s and his assistant coach and brother Ben are on the front lines of this challenge for Tebow, and he comments on not only the urgency of the situation but the absolute necessity of getting it right, saying, “Imagine you’re throwing darts and your  body is spinning like this. You can’t have the control you want. How’s your release point going to stay the same?”

The Mechanics: For a quarterback, it is a consistent release point. For a baseball batter, it is a compact swing with a good bat angle.  In golf, a good grip and correct club angle at impact lead to deep shots down the fairway. For basketball, Aim High Hoops offers The 6 Principles of Pure Shooting training video, to teach what is essential for any aspiring basketball player: a balanced jump shot on line with the target and with a chance to go in EVERY time the player shoots. Many basketball players guess how to get to that point, while others learn it well through good teaching and plenty of practice.  Let us help you learn to be a pure shooter!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com