The New Theory Of Free Throw Targeting: The "Sweet Spot"/Bulls-Eye Target

When talking about what should be the target when shooting a free throw, my guest author for this month's article knows more than a little about how to find that target. Jim "Makevery" Schatz is a free throw shooting master, shooting 96% or better in free throw competition and exhibitions.

What should the target be that the shooter focuses on while shooting a free throw? There are many ideas, but the author describes his idea for the "sweet spot"/target.

If you perform a Google search for “free throw” and click on some of the links, you will quickly find there is no agreement, even among expert coaches, in regards to targeting while shooting free throws. Some coaches say aim at the back of the rim, some say aim at the front of the rim, some say aim above the rim and I say, aim at the "sweet-spot"/bulls-eye target.

To read this article, go to: http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/freethrow-sweetspot

Happy Holidays!

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

How To Motivate In Youth Basketball

Not only do we have to prepare well for the upcoming season, get through all the preliminary training of skills, systems and conditioning, accomplish a successful first game, but we have to be able to motivate the players--for practices and for games--all season long.

Motivating players is often harder for a coach than teaching all the various aspects of the game, because it requires special people-handling skills that can put a coach on a par with a sports psychologist.

I don't believe there is any one method for motivating. Players relate to different styles. Motivating begins with the coach and Coaching styles are all over the place, but bottom line--coaches must be true to themselves and must be fair and consistent in his/her dealings with their players.

To read this article, go to "How To Motivate In Youth Basketball".

How To Conduct A Parent-Child Clinic

I spent several years administering youth basketball programs. Prior to each season I would introduce a Parent-Child Clinic for new players and their parents. I found this to be both a successful teaching method and a bonding experience for the participants.

Here is a way to introduce basketball skills, and how to teach these skills, to the parents. By using their children as the teaching vehicle, parents can learn how to perform and help their child with the skill learning.

To read this article, go to: Parent-Child Clinic

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Youth Basketball: Teach Individual Basics Before Teaching The Team Game

So many times, even experienced coaches rush into the team aspects of coaching--whether for lack of time before the first game or from a desire just to get going with the offense or defense.

Novice coaches at the youth level need to begin with teaching fundamentals, if for no other reason than they need to assess who can do what.

Every season should begin with at least a review of the player' skills and then teach what needs to be taught. Then, it's a matter of drilling these skills so the players are ready to use the skills within the framework of the team offense and defense.

The individual fundamental aspects of learning basic skills and honing these skills must come before working on team aspects. Players must know how to pass, dribble, shoot, rebound, move without the ball, move with the ball and to play defense on a player with the ball and on their player without the ball. Until players have these concepts and skills well in hand, it does no good to try to introduce a 5-on-5 situation....

To read this article, go to
http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/TeachBasicsFirst.html

See you next month.

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Born Talented Or Hard Work?

The off season is for building individual playing skills. The daily camp team games allow the player to work on those skills in game simulation and to meld their play within the team game with the other players. While these games go on, the instructors get a chance to see if the players are getting what is being taught during the daily skill sessions.

Just going with your school team to a team-type camp (it's the big thing, amounting to another season of play) doesn't build your playing skill. Sure, games help to hone the skills and to act as a proving-ground for your ability to use those skills. Games are fun and necessary to prove your game, BUT, just playing will not improve skills. If you have a fundamental flaw, and you continue to play with it, you will still be flawed.

Lots of off season time needs to be with the focus only on individual skill building. That's how players improve. For players to become great at the game, they will be disciplined to work on their game within every aspect of the game and pay close attention to the details of what they do and how they do it. Only through trial and error, making and correcting mistakes, will a player grow his or her game. Get in pickup or team games--absolutely. Then go back and work on yourself.

This is why I concentrate my website solely on individual aspects of the game. Plenty of coaches and plenty of sites will address offenses, defenses, special plays, etc. When a player or coach comes to my site, I want them thinking, "What can I do to better my teaching/playing skills"?

Check out my site--it's loaded with articles about improving you individual game. My ebooks, my hard cover book and teaching DVD are all about building player specific skills. Go to:

http://www.Top-Basketball-Coaching.com

This month's featured article addresses some of the attitudes about becoming a great player. I borrowed it (with the author's permission) from one of the up-and-coming voices in teaching basketball, Brian McCormick. Last month he wrote an article that I thought would be very good for my readers to read and take heed.

Go here to read that portion of his article, I have named, "Born Talented Or Hard Work?".

http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/BrianMcCormick

Until Next Month...

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Teaching Shot Blocking To Developing Players

I spend a lot of time and energy on detail teaching. I find it pays off as a player develops. Too many times skill details aren't taught and the players just end up doing what they think they should do instead of applying any kind of logic or system to their play.

Shot blocking is one of those small areas that don't get much attention from coaches--especially in the early years. But, while shot blocking can be a small item down the list of things for many coaches to teach, teaching it early and correctly can play huge dividends as players mature.

To read this article, go to www.Top-Basketball-Coaching/shotblock.html.

See you next month.


Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Youth Basketball: How Much Offense and Defense for 8th Grade Girls?

From the many letters I receive from coaches around the world, I chose to answer this one for this month's article--How much offense and defense should be taught to 8th grade girls?

So much depends on the talent and basketball savvy of your girls.

Let's say, your girls have played together for a year or more and have decent knowledge of the game and execution of basic individual fundamental play as well as team play.

To read the rest of the article, go to: http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/8th-grade-girls

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Youth Basketball: Motion Offense for 6th Graders

Coaches always want to know about offenses for age groups that really require very little in the way of offensive sophistication. So I asked a colleague of mine, Josh Stinson, if I could borrow an article of his that I read on his site, Perfect Practice.

As it turned out, the offensive set and moves in his article were very much like an offense I had used for years. I felt it was a good choice for grade or middle school coaches to be able to utilize.

I began using this offense in the 1970's at the high school level and then using it as a basic starting point, added more options when taking it to the international men's and women's games. It works well at it's most basic (where a coach should really begin when teaching it) and then when both coach and players are ready, it can easily be built upon.

To read the article, go to: http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/youthoffense.html

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Youth Basketball—Teaching Balance and Control

You can't play basketball, or any sport for that matter, without it--Balance & Control.

This month's article assumes the youngsters in your charge know little or nothing about the game of basketball. Before we can run, we must pass through competency phases of crawling and walking. So, we begin at the most elemental level, breaking down information that must be assimilated along the long road to unconscious competency.

First, show them around the playing floor. Talk to them about the lines and places on the floor and what they mean. Explain to them that in every sport there are certain things which players must have in common. In this article we take the first step—teaching balance and control.

To read the entire article, go to: Top Basketball Coaching.

See you next month.

Yours in Sport & Spirit,

Coach Ronn

How Should I Teach My Child To Shoot?

I have a guest author this month, Scott Jaimet. He is the author of, "The Perfect Jump Shot: The Science and Art of Shooting a Basketball".

Scott Jaimet, lives in Oregon. He grew up playing basketball in Indiana. He always wanted to teach his son to shoot but became very frustrated with the lack of knowledge on behalf of most coaches. They could teach the set shot and the bunny hop jumper but no one seemed to know how to teach the big time pull-up jump shot like he saw in the NBA. So he decided to figure it out. He knew that there must be some simple scientific principles that would apply, just as they do in all of the other sports.

To read his article, go to: Top Basketball Coaching.

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Triangle Defense: The Basis For Teaching Team Defense

Whether you prefer running zone defenses or man-to-man defenses, there are basic fundamentals to be taught that are common to both types of defense. The players need to be able to play on the ball, to be able to know how to properly double-team the ball (sealing the gap) and how to play off the ball.

Triangle defense describes the floor position of each defensive player in relationship with the player they are defending, with the ball, and with the basket.

The defender on the ball has only one rule and that is to maintain a body position that will block a direct path to the basket by the dribbler. I call this “Ball-Me-Basket”.

The other four defenders’ floor positions can be described by two triangles. These are: “Ball-Me-Man” and “Man-Me-Basket”.

To read the complete article, go to: http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/Triangle-Defense

Yours In Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn