Basketball Training: Skills, Speed, and Strength » basketball speed and agility

How Much do You Know About College Planning?

Rich — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:54:29 +0000

I recently drove out to western New Jersey to meet with a potential college baseball player and his mother while they were at a baseball showcase. I was there to discuss the college planning process. As I sat down across the table from them, the first question I asked was, “What do you know about the college planning process and college recruiting?” Their answer, “Nothing.” I was not surprised by this at all as the college planning process has gotten so complicated, it is hard to know a lot about it unless you deal with it every day like I do. But when I asked my next series of question, that is when I was became really surprised.

What year are you in school? Senior
How many schools do you have interested in you right now? None
What level do you think you can play at? Division 1

Needless to say these answers were a little shocking and, more importantly, concerning to me. Being a senior, this student athlete was already behind in the process, but being a senior, who knew very little, had no schools interested in him, and wanted to play at the Division 1 level multiplied that inumerably.

As I sit down with more and more student athletes who want to play college sports this type of scenario has become the norm. They and their families know very little about the college planning process. Consequently, a lack of knowledge and the rising cost of college education has prompted, more and more families to turn to professionals to help them save as much money as possible.

What is THR?

THR is the nation’s premier one-on-one college planning service. We enable families to take advantage of all possible means of funding for their child’s college education. THR specializes in leveraging numerous financial opportunities in the market to support one of the most important decisions in their life.

Why does THR exist?

Families need direction in many aspects of college planning. Academic Development, Financial Aid Assistance and Athletic Placement are keys to successful planning. This planning process also includes: completing applications correctly, appropriately marketing your child to the desired schools they wish to attend, seeking the academic and athletic scholarships available at each institution, gathering the necessary information to promote your child and maximize their position within the admissions departments at the various colleges and universities. Below are several factors that remind us why it is so important to utilize a professional service when considering the next phase of your child’s education.

1) Over 90% of college applications have some errors or inconsistencies which will negatively affect their chances of admission.

2) THR has completed thousands of applications and families have been rewarded an average of $23,000.

3) The least amount a family has received using THR is $11,000.

4) The average college education in 2012 will cost over $39,000.

5) The average amount a family spends on tutoring, courses and materials during the college planning process is over $6,000.

When you add the time and money spent on preparing just one child to go to college, the cost is alarming. It is for this reason that more and more families are looking for help with the college recruiting process.

If you would like to register for THR‘s programs or obtain more information You may contact THR through our website, THRcollegeplanning.com or call me at 732-239-0338.

Remember Elite Basketball Training provides you with the tools to take your game to the next level and THR‘s college planning services are a great way to take your game to the next level.

Let me know what you think about THR and the college planning process in the comments section below.

And don’t forget that that promotional price for Elite Basketball Training’s Speed and Agility Drills and Skills is goin on now at www.basketballspeedandagility.com so don’t wait to get your hand on a product that can increase your court speed exponentially.

See you on the court.

Rich Stoner

Elite Basketball Training, LLC

Is Ballhandling Important?

Rich — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:21:02 +0000

A really interesting topic came up this week on one of the coaches’ forums that I subscribe to and I felt the need to address it on this site. We had been spending a few days discussing ball handling drills and giving each other ideas on how to make their basketball players better ball handlers. Then, today one of the coaches posed this question, “ have read a few things lately that say we as coaches are putting way too much emphasis on ballhandling drills and not concentrating on shooting, etc. Wonder what many of you think?” I really thought that this was an interesting question given my personal philosophy on training basketball players. So, this is how I responded:

This is an interesting thought, but as a coach, I always liked to have guys of all sizes that, at the very least, could put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles at a time. I am not saying that they had to all be point guards, but I knew that if I had five players on the court that could handle the ball it would make my team tough to defend. The ability to put the basketball on the floor makes a player more versatile and therefore more dangerous. It allows that player to create space for himself and his teamates. This will ultimately put pressure on the defense and make it more difficult for them to defend our offense.

When I train players, I train from the basket back. We start with building up the ability to finish around the rim with footwork being the fundamental component of that. Then we work on the ability to get to the rim and that requires players to be able to handle the basketball. Then finally we work on shooting and the ability to counter that with triple threat moves.

The other thing to consider is that when basketball players train or practice on their own, what is the first and sometimes the only thing that they work on? 9 times our of 10 it is shooting. So they are usually getting more shooting work than ballhandling work anyway. With that in mind, coaches, trainers, etc. should include some sort fo ballhandling in their practices if they want to create players who have some versatility.

In my seven years of coaching, there has been only one season that my high school team was not one of the highest scoring teams in the county. This ability to score was based on our ability to get to the rim and score or get to the line. In doing so, we were also able to outrebound our opponents consistently because the defense was constantly being forced into a help position by our drives to the basket. This took them out of good rebounding position and allowed us to clean up the glass from the weak side on misses. Don’t get me wrong, we did shoot three pointers throughout the game but I would never once call any of my teams great jump shooting teams.

We focussed daily on all aspects of skill development, shooting passing, and dribbling and I firmly believe that this was a large part of our success. This is also now the basis for my philosophy for training basketball players now as I want a versatile player who is fundamentally sound in all areas. Here is an example of a drill that I like that you can use to help with the development of your basketball players skills:

If you like that drill, let us know in the comments section below. And, don’t forget that you can get more drills just like that in my basketball speed and agility e-book and video product. Just click on the picture below to find out more about this great product and take advantage of its current promotional price.

See you on the court.

Rich Stoner

Elite Basketball Training, LLC

I’m Back and I Even have My Own Product

Rich — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:28:12 +0000

Hi Everyone, I apologize for not having posted in a while but it is good to be back. I have been having all kinds of password issues with my website and Go Daddy that have made it very difficult for me to do anything with my website. I seriously spoke with no less than seven Go Daddy representatives before one of them finally told me that I was using the wrong login. Now normally I would say what a dope I am and I very well might still be a dope, but the only reason I was using the login that I was using was because the first representative that I spoke to told me that was the correct one to use. Then to top all of this, my web developer made a major move from the Phillipines to Singapore and I hadn’t heard from him for months. Anyway, enough of my rambling because this was finally all resolved this week and I am back and better than ever to provide you with new and improved basketball skill development and sports performance information.

So what do my password issues have to do with basketball skill development? To be honest, not much at all. However, not being able to be on my website has allowed me to grind away training basketball players of all ages and skill levels at my current home base, the New Jersey Sports Academy. In this time I have seen my players improve their overall basketball game and become more versatile basketball players. My training philosophy which is designed to create a very versatile athlete through highly competitive and efficient drills. I strive to create workouts that improve basketball skills while increasing a player’s overall speed and agility. This is done through basketball drills that focus on speed and agility while incorporating skill development into each drill. By combining basketball skill development with speed and agility training, what used to take hours to train can now be done in the length of a regular workout. With that in mind, I created my very first online product that I am super excited about. It is a combined ebook and video product that combines basketball specific speed and agility drills with basketball skill development. Have a look at the video below for a few examples of the drills that I am talking about.

I hope that you enjoyed that sample video. If you liked the drills that you saw in it, you can get more of the same at www.basketballspeedandagility.com. Let me tell you, this product is no joke and it is on sale for a special limited time promotional price of $14.99. You won’t want to miss out on the chance to find innovative drills that will help you increase your overall speed and agility along with your basketball skills.

So don’t wait to get your Basketball Speed and Agility E-book and Video for this great price.

See you on the court.

Rich Stoner

Elite Basketball Training, LLC

New Elite Basketball Training Videos

Rich — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:08:32 +0000

Here are a few of the new Elite Basketbal Training videos that I have released on youtube. These videos include speed, agility, and strength training that can be used for basketball and many other sports. They were taken at one of the facilities that I work out of in New Jersey.

There is also a new testimonial below from one of my most recent trainees, Kevyn Douyon who is a starting guard at Bishop Ahr High School in Edison, New Jersey.

The Star Agility Drill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_oQ35ySpLc

Sports Performance Training: http://www.youtube.com/user/elitebasketball?feature=mhum#p/a/u/1/16JPNwHbak0

Box Agility Drill: http://www.youtube.com/user/elitebasketball?feature=mhum#p/u/3/F18OSmX5eRg

Coach Stoner -

We would be remiss if we did not take the time to THANK YOU for the time you spent with Kevyn during the last few months during the Elite Basketball Bootcamp. During that time Kevyn has seen and felt tremendous results from your training sessions. If you recall at the start of these sessions we identified all of the areas of his training that would be targeted to specific aspects of “his game” on the court. Suffice it to say, the training has exceeded all of the objectives we identified at the start of the training. The results are evident in his play – he is quicker, more explosive, and stronger. The overall training has help him elevate his game and prepared him for the rigors of varsity high school basketball. In addition to the positive results you can see, the training has made him more confident both on and off the court. He did not miss a single session and enjoyed every minute of the training. He is definitely looking forward to starting the next session with you in the spring immediately after the end of the basketball session.

Thanks again and looking forward to working with you again very, very, soon!!!

Hope that you enjoyed the videos and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

See you on the court!

Rich Stoner

Elite Basketball Training, LLC

Four Line Sprint With Defensive Slide Drill

Rich — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:02:41 +0000

As a long time basketball coach and trainer, I have always been an advocate of incorporating movements and skills of the game into the drills that are used for conditioning. The Four Line Sprint With Defensive Slide Drill is a perfect example of that. This drill combines, sprinting with another important game movement, defensive slides. In doing so, the drill becomes more specific while including elements of conditioning, speed, and agility.

Purpose of the Drill:

The purpose of this drill is to build up a player’s speed endurance using movements from the game of basketball.

Instructions:

The player should sprint to the foul line and perform three defensive slides steps back in one direction.
Then sprint to the half court line and perform three defensive slide drills back in the opposite direction.
Then sprint to the opposite foul line and perform three defensive slides back in the same direction as the first foul line.
Then sprint to the opposite baseline and perform three defensive slides back in the same direction used at half court.
Repeat for three to five rounds.

Points of Emphasis:

Staying low on your defensive slide.
Change directions from your sprint into your slide and back into your sprint quickly.
Stay low and balanced when changing directions and movements. This will allow for a more explosive transition out of each movement and into the next.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

Time the drill.

Basketball Agility Drill (Video)

Rich — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:02:29 +0000

As you know, I am a big advocate of combining basketball skills with speed and agility drills especially when it comes to the agility ladder. I make sure that I incorporate a few variations of these drills into all of my workouts as I feel it is vital to your success on the court. This past Saturday at my Elite Basketball Skills and Drills Clinic was no different.

In the video below, you will see several sequences of one of the agility ladder drills that we did this weekend. In the drill, the player is working on his quick feet agility as well as attacking moves, and finishing off the dribble.

Have a look and let me know what you think, and don’t forget to add some of your own variations in the comments section so that we can all learn. Thanks.

See you on the court!

Rich Stoner

My New Facility

Rich — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:08:06 +0000

So bright and early this past Sunday morning my dad and I headed out to my new strength training facility and office for The Highlight Reel and Elite Basketball Training that is located within a building called The Fields Sports Complex. The Fields is a multi-sport facility whose crown jewel (aside from my weight room, of course) is the 100 ft wide by 200ft long, top of the line, turf field. The Fields is conveniently located just off Cranbury Road in East Brunswick, New Jersey only minutes from route 18 and the Turnpike.

Our mission that day was to get my weight room set up and prepared, not only for this week’s group training sessions, but also the Grand Opening and Athletic Expo that will be taking place at The Fields this weekend. The open house is going to be full of activities and energy as there will be food, drinks, demonstrations, give aways, and discounts. There will also be local papers a D.J. to keep the party going and, the radio station, Magic 98.3. Rumor has it that professional soccer players from The Red Bulls and professional basketball players from The Nets will even be there!

So please stop by between 10am and 2pm and enjoy the day, especially on Sunday when I will be there the whole time (a previous engagement is keeping me away on Saturday) promoting The Highlight Reel – Central Jersey’s AWESOME recruiting services and conducting my usual INTENSE workouts in the Elite Sports Performance training center.

Just to give you an idea of what The Fields is really like, I took the liberty of filming a short video tour of the facility. It is kind of rogue and in some cases a little Blair Witch Project, but overall it gives you a great idea of what this place is going to be about. So check out the video and I hope to see you all this weekend at The Fields in East Brunswick, NJ.

Train hard, be efficient and I will see you on the court.

Rich Stoner

Fall Basketball Programs, Right Around the Corner

Rich — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:20:41 +0000

As Elite Basketball Training continues to grow we are including more opportunities for your son or daughter to improve their skills, strength, and speed on the basketball court. This fall’s programs from Elite Basketball training will include the usual Elite Basketball Skills and Drills Clinics. These clinics have run for the last five years and have helped many basketball players improve their basketball skills and take their game to the next level. For more information and a registration form click here ==> Elite Basketball Training Skills and Drills Clinics.

In addition to the Skills and Drills Clinics, Elite Basketball Training will be expanding on its successful Half Day Hoops Series from last fall. In its preliminary year, the Half Day Hoops Fest was run over the course of two days with great success as many parents liked the opportunity for their son or daughter to work on their basketball skills on their days off from school. This year, we are giving them even more opportunities to do so as the Half Day Hoops Series has been expanded from two sessions last fall to include five sessions this fall. Each session runs for three hours and if you sign up for all five sessions you can get in at the low cost of $150. That’s only $10 per hour! To register please click here ==> HALF DAY HOOPS SERIES.

Last but certainly not least, Elite Basketball Training is running its first ever fall session of the widely popular Elite Basketball Bootcamp. Basketball training is not always about skill development and the Elite Basketball Bootcamp is a great way to increase your strength, speed, agility, vertical jump, and conditioning on the basketball court. As parents and players have become more aware of this, this summer’s Elite Basketball Bootcamp saw its enrollment increase to four times the amount it was last year. These workouts are intense, use alternative training methods, and are geared toward basketball players that are serious about taking their game to a whole new level. Equally as exciting, this fall the Elite Basketball Bootcamp will run for an extra week and will be held indoors at The Sports Zone Fitness Center in Edison. For more information and a registration form click here ==> Elite Basketball Bootcamp.

As always, I keep the number of players attending my clinics low to ensure that those attending receive as much individualized attention as possible. So don’t miss the opportunity to work on your basketball skills, strength, and speed this fall. SIGN UP NOW so that you can become an ELITE BASKETBALL PLAYER.

NOT FROM THE RED BANK AREA???

NOT A PROBLEM…SPEND THE DAY AT SOME OF THESE GREAT PLACES.

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

The Grove at Shrewsbury http://www.thegroveatshrewsbury.com/

Jersey Shore Premium Outlets http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=78

Pier Village http://www.piervillage.com/

All Elite Basketball Training programs are sponsored by:

FREE Elite Basketball Bootcamp Workout (Video)

Rich — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:55:51 +0000

The Elite Basketball Bootcamp is in full swing and the athletes are really starting to see the benefits of the hardcore training. With the workouts being outdoors and no weights available, we are hitting it hard with body weight training, sand bags, kettlebells, speed and agility, and plyometrics. Not to mention the intense finishers and core training that we close each session off with. The Elite Basketball Bootcamp workouts are geared toward basketball players that are serious about taking their game to the next level. The kind of player that wants to be more explosive and get stronger. The type of player that wants to jump higher and react quicker. The type of player that is mentally focussed on pushing their body to the limit and then going even further.

Are you that type of player? If so, then The Elite Basketball Bootcamp is definitely for you! Check out the video below to find out what the Elite Basketball Bootcamp is all about. If you like it, contact me to schedule an appointment for your FREE Basketball Bootcamp workout, and take advantage of this before the fall session starts on September 7th. If you are already convinced, then you can register by clicking here: ELITE BASKETBALL BOOTCAMP and sending in the registration form. Hope to see you all there pushing your bodies to the limit and taking your game to the next level.

Elite Basketball Bootcamp Begins

Rich — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:25:23 +0000

On Tuesday the summer 2010 Elite Basketball Bootcamp kicked off with a bang. With the enrollment at FOUR TIMES what it was last summer, there was definitely a buzz of excitement in the air (or maybe that was the vuvuzelas that I was hearing all the way from The World Cup in South Africa). Seriously, these athletes were ready to go and were committed to spending the summer working out harder than ever before in order to get stronger, run faster, jump higher, and be more explosive.

In order to guage these categories, we started off on Tuesday with some simple baseline testing to determine where these athletes were at. I cannot stress enough how important testing is for anyone beginning a strength and conditioning program. It helps an athlete and a coach determine where they are, where they want to go, and how they are going to get there. On Tuesday we tested many facets that are important to the game of basketball including speed, agility without a change of movement, agility with a change of movement, strength, and vertical jump. All of the athletes’ times, repetitions, and heights were recorded so that they can be compared to when we test again at the end of the bootcamp.

Some of the scores for the tests were really good and I cannot wait to see how far they can go by pushing there bodies to the limits this summer. Today is our first true workout and it is going to be a tough one, but with the positive energy that was displayed on Tuesday and the willingness to work hard, there is no doubt they will get through it.

If you are interested in signing up for The Elite Basketball Bootcamp, there is still time. Simply go to Elite Basketball Bootcamp and return the printable brochure to me.