Three on three basketball can and should be used to develop your team’s offense because the games can be altered in many ways in order to fit your offensively philosophy.  At yesterday’s practice, we worked on multiple variations of three on three basketball in order to help develop our team offense and defense (which will be covered in the next post).  Each game was to one point and the loser would rotate off while the winner stayed and played the next team.  We used both sides of the court so that teams would not be standing for a long period of time.  Each block of games which usually lasted for 10 minutes had certain variables that needed to be followed and worked on based on our team’s offensive principles.   Offensively we run the dribble drive but with more movement off the ball and some added pick and roll sets. Consequently, we worked on all of these concepts during our three on three play.   

The first concept that we worked on was moving without the ball.  In order to do so effectively, the players were not allowed to dribble at all during this time period.   Too many players get caught dribbling too much and the other players tend to stand around and watch.  By eliminating the player’s dribbles it forces them to rely on cutting and screening in order to get an open look at the basket. 

During the second block of games, the players were all given one dribble per touch.  Once again, this forces them to really move without the basketball in order to get open looks but at the same time, they were now working on using their dribble for a purpose.  Players can do more than they think with one dribble provided they use their dribble to attack a gap and force a teammate’s defender to help or attack the basket and score.  By limiting the number of dribbles a player has, they are forced to use their dribble properly or they will waste an opportunity to score. 

As we progressed into the next block of games, we allowed each player three dribbles on each touch.  Now we were getting into more of the dribble drive offense’s concepts.  Once again because of the limited number of dribbles, the players had to learn to attack properly with their dribble in order to be productive, but at the same time they were still forced to rely on moving without the basketball and setting screens in order to keep their spacing and create driving lanes for the man with the ball. 

The final variable that we added was that the score had to come off the pick and roll.  Each player still only had three dribbles per touch because we wanted to work on attacking off the pick and roll effectively and not with an excessive number of dribbles.  My players are drilled to go by screener tight with their shoulder low enough that they actually hit the screener’s hip.  It is preferable that they use two dribbles while coming off the pick and roll with the second dribble being the one to clear them from the pick and attack the space that is being created by the action.  It is preferred that the player with the ball attack coming off the pick and should not go sideways.  Attacking while coming off the pick will put the defenders at a disadvantage when trying to help and recover and should lead to better scoring opportunities.  On the other hand, cominf of the pick and attacking laterally creates an easy help and recover opportunity for the defenders. 

Once we had worked on all our offensive variables, there was an, “anything goes” session of three on three.  This is meant to work on all of the concepts we had worked on in the previous four sessions while allowing the players to use their own creativity within the offense.  This is an important concept because players are too often confined to what their coaches want them to do that it actually limits their capabilities as a player.  A player’s creativity can sometimes be the best part of their game and it should be cultivated to make your team better. 

Ultimately, making the team better is the goal of every practice and game and three on three basketball can go a long way towards accomplishing this goal.  Using three on three basketball can be a highly efficient way of developing your team offense.  The games can be short, competitive, and altered in a way that fits your team’s offensive concepts.  By adding rules to the games, the players are able to work on those concepts more effectively.  Since there are fewer players per team than in a regular game, each player will get more opportunities to work on the designated concept.  Also, because the games are short (only one point games) it forces the players to compete harder in order to win and stay on the court.  Consequently, they will try to execute the concepts better more often and more efficiently in their attempts to win.  Overall, three on three basketball is an excellent way to develop your basketball team’s offensive concepts and improve in a game like setting.

At the end of each workout, right before we do what I like to call “Abs of Fury”  we usually have some sort of finisher that really taxes the body.  Last week, we turned it into a competition which I actually was forced out of retirement to compete in due to an uneven number of participants.  Instead of just doing our regular prowler sprints, we turned it into a timed relay race where each team member had to go a certain distance and back.  It was a close one until the end, so check out the video below to find out what happened and who won. 

Remember the registration for the fall Elite Basketball Bootcamp is already out.  If you are interested in signing up, click here ==> Elite Basketball Bootcamp Fall 2010  

If you are not convinced that the Elite Basketball Bootcamp workouts are for you, give one a try.  Contact me at rstoner42@gmail.com to schedule a FREE training session with the current bootcamp members. 

Enjoy the video:

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.

The 12 Cone Ballhandling Drill is usually done for a specific period of time (ex. 30 seconds) with each move.  The players can and should incorporate all their change of directions moves into the drill.  As the player gets more advanced, they should also use double change of directions moves in order to make the drill more challenging.  While doing this drill, it is important to make sure that the player is moving quickly fom cone to cone, staying low with their body and the dribble throughout the entire segment of the drill, and moving past each cone explosively as if to simulate beating a defender.  Ultimately, this is a great drill for guards to build up their guard skills, but it can and should be used by all players looking to develop better ballhandling skills.

Categories: Ballhandling / Dribbling  Offensive Moves  
Ages: All Ages  Youth  Middle School  High School+  

Purpose of the Drill:

The purpose of this drill is to allow players to work on creating space while using their back-dribble and then change directions.

Instructions

• The player will attack each chair off the dribble, one after the other, at full speed.
• As they approach the chair, they should use their back-dribble to create space for themselves as the chair represents a defender.
• They will then change directions with a change of direction move (crossover, between the legs, behind the back, etc.) and attack the rim for a finish.
• They then repeat the process at each chair.

Points of Emphasis:

• Attack at full speed. Not doing this, will defeat the purpose of using the back dribble.
• Push off the front leg in order to create more space for themselves.
• Work on attacking with both hands.
• Stay low in the backdribble and attack off the change of direction quickly.
• Work on finishing at the rim and shooting the jumper off the dribble.
• You can even incorporate a post player into this drill to allow the guard to drop off a pass to them.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

• Use a prescribed number of made shots before moving on to the next chair.

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.

Categories: Agility  Defense  Footwork  
Ages: All Ages  Youth  Middle School  High School+  

Purpose of the Drill:

The purpose of this drill is to work on agility while combining different movement patterns.

Instructions

• The player chooses any movement (two step, three step, four step, hops, lateral two steps, etc.) pattern to run through the ladder, slides diagonally back to the beinning of the other ladder where they run through the other ladder, and slide back to the beginning of the first.

Points of Emphasis:

• Move through the ladder as quickly as possible.
• Be sure to use different movement patterns while running through the ladder.
• Stay low on the slides.
• Change directions from the ladder into the slides as quickly as possible.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

• Time the drill.

Categories: Offensive Moves  Passing  Post Play  Rebounding  Shooting  
Ages: All Ages  Youth  Middle School  High School+  

Purpose of the Drill:

To teach your post players how to relocate from the block on dribble penetration from different angles and score from those new spots.

Instructions

• In this step, the players on the wing drives baseline and the post player relocates to the center of the lane just below the foul line.

• In this step the player from the wing in penetrating towards the middle of the floor while the post player relocates to the short corner.

Points of Emphasis:

• At each relocation work on shooting off the catch, then shooting off the dribble, and finally, finishing at the rim.
• Work on both sides of the floor.
• Rebound and finish your misses.
• Vary your finishing moves. (ie. jump stop and finish, head fake and finish, straight finish, step throughs, etc.)
• Finish with contact using a blocking pad.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

• Have a specific number of shots that you need to make before you move on the the next move.

The event, which in the past has raised over $4o0,000 for this organization, was excellent, but the message the speakers sent was even greater.  The common theme they all delivered was belief.   This message, although simple, can produce profound results.  Many times, because of their background, young student athletes do not have someone to believe in them.  Having a person believe in you can determine your success or failure.  Without that support system, these student athletes may not reach their potential or, at worst, fail.   There are many children out there today that do not have a support system and this is unfortunate.   It only takes one person to come along and say, “Hey, you can be successful,” to make the difference in a child’s life.  This is something that I have personally experienced myself when I was growing up and it is something that I try to impart upon the athletes that I train and coach.  On a higher level, The Rising Stars organization does this with so many of our young children.  By believing in them, it gives them a chance.  It gets these children in the game and once in that game, anything can happen.

All of this starts with that common message of belief.  As stated earlier, I have been fortunate enough to have many people believe in me and what I am trying to accomplish.  At the same time, I am sure that guys like Michael Strahan, Marcellus Wiley, Jay Williams, Jeff Nelson, and Chris Duhon all had people who believed in them as well.  Believing in someone can make a difference, and so can you. 

If you would like more information about The Rising Stars and how you can contribute, please visit this link: http://www.jaywillrisingstars.org/

PS. Speaking of seeing you on the court, try this fun basketball agility drill with your team, I think they will really enjoy it!

Follow the Leader

Categories: Agility, Ballhandling / Dribbling, Defense, Footwork, Offensive Moves

 Ages: All Ages, Youth, Middle School, High School+

Purpose of the Drill:

To practice changing directions without the help of a patterned movement.

Instructions

• Player 1 will start in front of player 2.
• Player 1 will start off sprinting or sliding in any direction and should change directions throughout while player 2 should follow player 1′s movements and change directions when he does.

• This is the same as the previous step except in this variation, both players are running through the drill with a basketball.

Points of Emphasis:

• Sprinting and sliding with your head up in order to view your partner’s change of direction.
• Planting hard in order to change direction.
• Making a quick move in order to stay with your partner.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

• Try to beat your partner by changing directions effectively.
• Create a competition to see who can be the best follow the leader.