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Definition of Pure Shooting

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about Pure Shooting, our new basketball training video!

In the famous Seinfeld episode in which Jerry and George are pitching their TV show idea to NBC, George says: “I think you can sum this show up in one word: ‘nothing’”.  While George and Jerry eventually have to modify that message with the NBC producers, Seinfeld fans know that “nothing” is absolutely the perfect description for the actual sitcom.  While so much goes in to making that show popular, “nothing” is the one word that fits best when describing what the show is about.

Is Jerry Seinfeld the new spokesman for Aim High Hoops or something? We wish!

The connection here is that to define the term “Pure Shooting”, one only needs a single word: confidence.  Just like Seinfeld, our Pure Shooting training video took a lot of time, planning, and adjustments along the way. We use a lot of basketball terminology in the training video.  Mastering all of the teaching points requires patience and commitment.  

However, everything we offer at Aim High Hoops, from the Pure Shooting training video, to the Pure Shooting Clinics and Pure Shooter’s Report Card, is designed to help players learn confidence when shooting the basketball.  Having confidence means believing that ball is going into the hoop before the shot even takes place, because a foundation of good mechanics, plus a lot of repetition, has been built. Our training video and clinics teach good shooting mechanics, and we also share our ideas for effective shooting repetition, but ultimately, we want players to know what it takes to be Pure Shooters, and that is confidence.

Confidence is what we emphasize early on in the Pure Shooting training video, as well as at the Pure Shooting clinics, and we say in both instances that players, at the end of the respective programs, should know exactly what it takes to have confidence when shooting a basketball.  Whether or not players choose to do what it takes to earn that confidence is another story!  The ones that do what it takes are rewarded with an unshakable confidence that results in a lot of made shots every time they step onto the court.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

The Art of Pure Shooting Promo

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about Pure Shooting, our new basketball training video!

It has been a busy two months!  We had three great turnouts for each of the Pure Shooting Clinics this fall, averaging over 60 participants for each clinic.  We look forward to keeping in touch with the players not only during this season, but throughout their playing careers.  What we were looking to accomplish at the Pure Shooting Clinics was to help players lay a solid foundation to their shooting mechanics.  We emphasized our 6 Principles of Pure Shooting at the clinics, and also took the opportunity to promote our Pure Shooting training video and Pure Shooter’s Report Card. We felt that if players bought in to the 6 Principles at the clinic, the training video would provide an even better understanding of the 6 Principles.  The Report Card would then connect our teaching to the players’ current shot mechanics by analyzing the players’ shots, using video footage according to the 6 Principles.  Hopefully, in time, players’ shots then become more aligned with the 6 Principles and they feel more confident about making shots!

We are pleased to say that some of the clinic participants bought the training video, and others bought the Report Card.  We look forward to being a resource for many years to come to players that have already been a part of Aim High Hoops and for those that will work with us in the future.

We invite our blog readers to visit the main website, www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com, to learn more about the Pure Shooting training video, Pure Shooter’s Report Card, and our Pure Shooting Clinics.  We have recently updated the site with our “Art of Pure Shooting” promotional video (check under “Pure Shooting” tab), which we are very excited about!  Please check it out and continue sending us feedback.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Pure Shooting training video on the way!

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about our new basketball training video!

Since August 2009, we have discussed and added to and changed what Aim High Hoops was all about.  Our first discussion was about producing basketball training videos, and although a lot of things have happened along the way, the ultimate goal from those initial talks has never changed: to produce a high-quality and easy-to-follow basketball training video for players wanting to become better shooters.

We are proud to announce that almost 14 months after first outlining the film script, our Pure Shooting training video is in reproduction and will be available for purchase by the end of September.  We will offer Pure Shooting through our company website, www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com, as well as at our three Pure Shooting clinics we will be hosting this fall.

Pure Shooting gives players a clear, proven roadmap for becoming better shooters, and hopefully, Pure Shooters, which means players will know their shot is going to FEEL GOOD and LOOK GOOD all the time, and BE GOOD as much as possible.  For players to have a shot that can FEEL, LOOK, and BE GOOD, there are 6 Principles that we teach in the training video.  While there is a lot of detail involved with the 6 Principles, remembering “only” 6 things is essentially what can help players really accelerate their skill development, which is our goal for players at Aim High Hoops.

Parents and coaches can also use Pure Shooting as a teaching tool.  The 6 Principles explanations are supported with demonstrations by players of different ages, both male and female, and we offer a series of advanced teaching points for players who are ready for such advancement.  Parents and coaches can therefore take the Pure Shooting training video and pass along the teaching points for beginning players as well as more experienced players. We’re extremely pleased to be able to offer Pure Shooting to you!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Birthdays & Basketball

By Aim High Hoops

It is August 4, 2010, and exactly one year ago we got together to first discuss the idea of producing professional basketball training videos. While we did outline what all three training videos would be about, our focus quickly turned exclusively to the idea of the “Pure Shooting DVD”, designed to teach players what it takes to make shots in game situations. Our plan is to have our second (ball-handling) and third (advanced shooting) training videos ready for sale by the summers of 2011 and 2012, respectively. We are on schedule to have Pure Shooting ready for purchase within 5-6 weeks. A year ago, we would have been thrilled at the thought of our first training video being ready to go by fall 2010! We’ve been very fortunate to have worked with great people along the way, from the financing people, to RogueLens, our video production company, to our video demonstrators, and especially our many friends & family, slash advisors and strongest critics!

Also, the last year has allowed for us to be in position to offer our Pure Shooter’s Report Card as a supplement to the Pure Shooting training video, as well as our Pure Shooting Basketball Clinics.  We have four clinics scheduled for fall 2010 and anticipate a full schedule of clinics throughout 2011.

After a year our mission remains the same: At Aim High Hoops we want to teach players both basic and advanced basketball skill fundamentals, using high-quality professional products and customer service. We are committed to our mission, look forward to hitting the marketplace shortly, and especially look forward to what the next year will bring!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

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

The Importance of the Fundamentals

By Aim High Hoops

In our last blog posting about our experience at the FastPitch competition, we talked about the importance of young basketball players establishing correct habits early on in the learning process.  Making a 3-point shot with defense on you, when the score is close, and in the final moments of a game is tough enough to do with GOOD mechanics developed correctly over years and years. Trying to change poor mechanics that are already engrained in a player’s memory is a difficult challenge for both the mind and the body. 

With our training videos, Pure Shooter’s Report Card, and our Aim High Hoops shooting clinics, we provide a crystal clear picture for players who want to become great shooters, and we plan on offering equally beneficial resources for dribbling and advanced shooting techniques, thus giving players all they need to maximize their individual offensive basketball potential.

If you are still skeptical about the idea of an hour of mechanics drills every day, listen to what the greatest player ever to play basketball, Michael Jordan said: “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down first and the level of everything you do will rise.”

Jordan was known for practicing, practicing, and then practicing some more, to keep his fundamentals at the highest level possible at all times. Only in those circumstances, he believed, could he reach his maximum potential as a basketball player.  His career illustrates that “at his best” was the only acceptable level for Jordan, but the only reason he was able to get there and stay there was because he laid a very strong foundation in the fundamentals of the game at a very early age.

Our mission at Aim High Hoops is to help players learn both basic and advanced basketball fundamentals, using high-quality resources and customer service. We look forward to helping players of all ages and skill levels reach their highest levels possible and stay there.

Stay in touch!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

FastPitch

By Aim High Hoops

Last Tuesday, we participated in the business competition known as “FastPitch”. The format was for entrepreneurs to present both their product or service and their business model, all in three minutes. A 3-person panel of judges had three additional minutes to ask follow-up questions or make additional comments. 

While we didn’t win any prize money, preparing for the FastPitch presentation allowed us to think about our reasons for creating Aim High Hoops, and about what we wanted to provide to basketball players, parents and coaches.  We were able to discuss our mission—“Helping players learn both basic and advanced basketball fundamentals, using high-quality professional resources and customer service” —and how the mission is obviously the foundation around which everything we do is centered.

We discussed our first training video, “Pure Shooting”, which we look to have for sale by the end of the summer.  We feel that a competitive advantage is in the presentation format.  Many successful athletes do not become successful coaches, because they know how to “do what they do” but not “explain what they do”, because their athletic talents always came naturally and without them having to think about it.  As teachers, we know how to break content down into understandable, logically-ordered pieces so that the audience understands the connection between everything.  In this case, our students are the training video viewers and the lesson is about becoming a Pure Shooter.

We also went into depth about the Pure Shooter’s Report Card, our shooting analysis that will allow us to connect to players across the country with individual lessons, right from their own backyards. We wrote a little about the Report Card back in an April 2010 blog and will continue to share developments.

The third product/service we offer, and have not yet blogged about, are our Aim High Hoops Shooting & Ball-handling clinics.  Our purpose with those is not to cram as many players in the gym as we can, but rather, keep the player to coach ratio at 8:1, ensuring individual attention for each player.  The first clinic program coincides with our first training video on the mechanics of shooting and how to become a “Pure Shooter”.  We will have the DVD and Report Card for sale on site.

We are extremely confident that what we offer will help players who want to become great shooters become great shooters.  The reason for the optimism is because the basketball experience that the Aim High Hoops team brings in, combined with the products we offer, gives a very clear picture of how to build the proper fundamental foundation for becoming a great basketball player.  Obviously, it is up to the players to actually “build” that foundation of skills.  The important thing to remember is: Players that learn the correct habits early on just continue on the fastest path to basketball excellence, while players who learn poor habits have a lot to “unlearn” before being able to reach their potentials, a much longer process.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Kobe

By Aim High Hoops

12-time NBA All-Star. 4-time NBA champion. 2-time scoring champion. Regular season and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Olympic Champion.

Kobe Bryant is arguably the best player in the NBA, and will certainly be a Hall of Fame inductee when his playing days are over.  His accomplishments are spectacular; his will to win unshakable.

We recently posted an article on our “Pure Shooting” training video, where we present our ideas on the correct way to shoot a basketball.  This training video will be ready for purchase later this summer.  One of our themes is that “it is never too early or too late to become a pure shooter”.

Kobe Bryant is not only a pure shooter, but also one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game.  He holds the regular season record for 3-point shots made in a half (8) and a game (12). 

In a recent Sports Illustrated article titled “Kobe’s Final Challenge”, a subtitle could easily have been “it’s never too late to become a more pure shooter”.  The article goes into detail about adjustments Kobe made to his shooting mechanics during the 2009-2010 season on the advice of assistant coach and former NBA player Chuck Person.  It would have been very easy for Kobe, one of the best players ever to play the game, and one of the best shooters in the league, to ignore Chuck Person’s advice and continue shooting the same way. Instead, he listened, processed the information, and worked hard to do a very difficult thing: train his shooting muscles to do something different than what he was used, in game situations, without having to think about it.  Kobe’s work has paid off; his shooting has become more consistent, and NBA defenses are paying the price!

Kobe, in trying to become more “pure”, was working to make his shooting mechanics even more reliable and consistent.  In our “Pure Shooting” training video, the goal is to help basketball players develop and strengthen the correct shooting mechanics, in order to shoot the ball the same way every time in game situations, where there is no time to think about the mechanics. This is only possible, as we explain in the video, by “knowing” how to shoot, and then “doing” it (shooting the correct way) a lot.  The bottom line: there is no substitute for the correct shooting mechanics, and players who continue to strive to become as “pure” of shooters as possible will always have a spot on the basketball court.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

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