In the video you will see the drill that I refer to as one-on-one around the chairs.  The players playing against each other will line up on either end of the baseline.  One player will have the basketball and the other will not.  There will be chairs set up out near half court.  When the coach says go, the players will sprint or sprint dribble around the chairs and then play a live game to one.  The player without the basketball should beat the offensive player around the chair and give himself a legitimate chance to defend the player with the ball.  These games are usually ability grouped but it may be beneficial to have your bigger players compete against your guards in order to creat a mismatch that you may see in a game.  By creating this mismatch smaller players can work on beating and finishing over bigger players and bigger players can learn to use moves against quicker guards.  The benefis of this drill and other one-on-one basketball drills are endless and their use should be encouraged in practices more often.

When I was in college and in high school I spent a significant amount of time playing pick-up basketball at different parks or gyms in my area.  I could not get enough basketball in and if the games at one park were no longer any good or if people just stopped playing there, I would find a new park or gym to play at.  It was like a religion where guys would come to the parks in droves to play each and every day and sometimes the wait would be about five games deep (anywhere between 30 and 40 players).  It does not appear that this happens any more as it seems that playground basketball has disappeared somewhat, at least in my area.  Maybe disappeared is too strong of a word, but it has definitely reduced.  I cannot remember the last time I drove by a park and saw that many people waiting for a game of basketball, and that is unfortunate.  It is inexplicable exactly why this has happened but there is no question that the reduced amount of playground basketball has hurt the level of play in recent years.  There are many aspects of playground basketball that are missed in today’s game not the least of which is making your free throws. 

When we played, to even get on the court, you had to make a free throw and if you missed, you did not play until the next game (at the earliest).  That is the pressure that comes along with playing basketball at the playground.  No one wanted to sit and watch so you worked on your free throws and made them in order to get in the game.  As a coach, I see many players miss free throws on a nightly basis particularly in pressure situations like a close game in the fourth quarter.  It is difficult to replicate this type of pressure in practices because what are you really losing in a practice if you miss?  However, at the playground, you are losing valuable time on the court and that can only hurt.  So ultimately, you learned to make your free throws under the guise that if you missed you sat out.  Nowadays, if there are not enough players to play at the park the pressure of making a free throw to get on the court does not even come in to play and perhaps that is why players time and again choke at the line under the pressure of the game. 

In part two of The Effects of a Lack of Playground Basketball I will take a look at how playground basketball helps players develop better basketball skills.

Elite Basketball Training Presents

the first

Half Day Hoops Fest

Students off from school for

teachers’ convention??? 

JOIN US,

John Celestand ( former NBA player), Mars Mellish (former Division 1 standout), and Rich Stoner  (owner and operator of Elite Basketball Training), for 6 hours of PROFESSIONAL instruction at the Salvation Army Gym in Red Bank, NJ.

Each three hour workout will aid in the development of skills, team concepts, and speed and agility all through hard work along with fun games and contests. 

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Red Bank edbank.com/http://www.r

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Pay By Credit Card:

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This year’s Elite Basketball Camp promised to be bigger and better than ever and it did not disappoint.  Almost all three of the Elite Basketball Camps hosted a record number of attendees and were the most competitive to date.  In the beginning of each week three things were stressed to ensure that we had a great camp.  The players were told that they needed to be good sports, work hard, and have fun and they did just that. 

Video and some more pictures of session two of the camp will be coming soon, but you can check out the pictures from session 3 now on my flickr and facebook accounts.  If you missed out on the intense and fun experience of Elite Basketball Camp this year, and want to be a part of future clinics, be sure to sign up for this fall’s Elite Basketball Skills and Drills clinics.  The Skills and Drills Clinics will be held for eight weeks this fall on Saturday mornings from 9-11.  And if you are an Elite player that is looking to challenge your body into getting into great basketball shape sign up for this fall’s session of the Elite Basketball Bootcamp.  Information for both the Skills and Drills Clinics and the Elite Basketball Bootcamp will be available within the coming weeks.

As you probably know by now, www.richstoner.com is devoted to all aspects of basketball training.  This includes basketball skills training and strength and conditioning but by no means is it limited to that.  One of the most important aspects of being a top tier basketball player is nutrition.  However, for being so important, nutrition is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of basketball training as well.  My priority as a basketball trainer is to get my athletes to be in the best basketball shape that they can be.  In order to do this, I must make them all aware of the importance of nutrition.  My athletes know that training with me for basketball skills or strength and conditioning can only get you so far and that what they do at home or what they eat at home is just as important.  This is because I am constantly hammering this concept home with them. 

One of the first things I tell all my basketball players is that the body is like a car.  Most people look at me a little quizzically when I tell them this, but it really is true.  Imagine your body as a car and the food that you put in your body is  the fuel that you would put in your car.  If you try to run your car on bad gasoline, it will not run very well.  Even worse, if you try to run your car without any gasoline at all, then your car will not run at all.  Now take that scenario and apply it to your body.  If your eating habits are poor and you only eat “junk food” then your body will work like junk.  It will not have the nutrients and proper amount of good proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in order to run well.  Furthermore, if you start skipping meals (ie. putting no fuel in your body) you will not be able to function well either.  It would be like trying to run a car without gasoline.  You will feel sluggish, tired, and you will not want to do anything at all. 

So yes, your body is like a car.  Not only does it need the right fuel to run properly, but your body also needs to be filled up frequently enough to ensure that it will continue to run.  So remember if you want to be a top-shelf basketball player or even if you just want to stay in shape and feel energized, treat your body like a car and fill it up with the good stuff in order to keep it running well.

The atmosphere that night was Intense and most importantly, FUN!

There was a natural progression from one skill to the next that allowed us to cover so many topics in the two and half hour clinic.  We even went a little bit over in order to get in our finishing body weight blast!  That was crazy!

I was fortunate enough to capture some excellent photos of the event that can be viewed on the Elite Basketball Training Flickr Page.   And there will be great video footage of the event coming very soon. 

Once again, thank you to everyone that was involved in the Coaches Choice, USA and Elite Basketball Training basketball clinic.  For more information on Elite Basketball Training’s camps, clinics, and training go to the Training and Clinics page, and be sure to follow me on Twitter and join us on Facebook as the Elite Basketball Training community continues to grow.

See you on the court.

Rich Stoner

Elite Basketball Training, LLC

www.richstoner.com

In the summer of 2010 summer put your skills to the test at the Elite Basketball Camps.  The Elite Basketball Camps teach fundamental basketball skills while emphasizing a whole-hearted attitude and approach to the game of basketball.  They will also include a speed and agility component, and focus on developing team concepts, both of which are vital to the game of basketball.  The Elite Basketball Camps provide an instructional program that each camper will be able to take home with them and implement in any competitive setting.  The Elite Basketball Training staff, will offer expert coaching and guidance in all phases of the game. Campers will play at least 2 games daily to implement and show off their new-found basketball skills. Each camper will also receive a free T-Shirt and an opportunity to participate in the following contests: 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5-on-5, Hot Shot, and Free Throw. The camp combines exciting drills and games with a FUN environment that is guaranteed to have your son or daughter begging you to sign them up each year.

Download the Elite Basketball Camp Registration form here 2010 Elite BBallCamp_Brochure 1&2  and check out what past campers are saying:

Ryan Josell

Age 11 Battle Basketball 11U 

 Ryan has been training with Elite Basketball since the age of 7.  He first attended Elite Basketball Camp in Metuchen as a third grader and looks forward to camp each summer.  He also trains individually with Coach Rich throughout the year.  Elite Basketball Training has always provided a high level of skill and fitness training, helping Ryan improve both his skills and athleticism.  Rich provides a fun, positive, and energetic environment for the kids to train in.  Regardless of how demanding the workout is, Ryan always comes home with a smile on his face asking, “when can I work out with Coach Rich again?” Rich is a terrific motivator, a great teacher of the game, and has been a great coach and inspiration to Ryan.

 David, Timmy, and Michael Redshaw

Metuchen High School and Edgar Middle School Athletes

My sons have attended Elite Basketball Camps and clinics for the past five years.  They enjoy the full day camp as well as the half-day shooting camp because while both camps provide important fundamental instruction, they are also a lot of fun!  By the end of the week, they always come home with new and/or improved skills that they utilize in their competitive play.  Rich Stoner’s camps are always one of their favorites!

 Frankie McGuire

Edgar Middle School Basketball, Metuchen

Frankie has been attending Rich Stoner’s basketball camps for several years and has also participated in individual skills training sessions with Rich.  Frankie has benefited greatly from Rich’s expertise in skills training and his innovative approaches to training and coaching.  Rich is a great motivator and uses a clever, relevant and even humorous demeanor to deliver his skills training techniques to his players.  As a result of his improved skills, Frankie is having more fun now playing the game of basketball and has experienced more confidence and satisfaction in his game. Thanks to Rich, Frankie has learned skills and strategies that he can continue to utilize and improve upon while playing in competitive youth basketball leagues.

Don’t miss out on all the fun and intense opportunities to become a better basketball player. 

Download the Elite Basketball Camp Flyer here: 2010 Elite BBallCamp_Brochure 1&2