Preparation for High School Ball

[SourPatchKids]

I know many posters on this site have played or are playing high school basketball. Can any of these individuals(or anyone with knowledge in general) on the following topics:
- How to be mentally tough on and off the court
- Ways to balance schoolwork, family, and sports
- Diets for gaining mass
- Best type of protein supplements
- How to get adjusted to VERY physical play( our league is known to be one of the toughest in all of California and I've heard from people that even the freshman teams regularly feature players 6'4 and taller) plus the referees will let a lot of contact slide and what would be called somewhere else probably won't be called by them
- How to get 'into the zone' (I know this is different for everybody but I just want the hear all of your personal opinions). Being in the zone means focusing only on the moment and basically like the crowd, the benches don't even exist it's just you out there feeling unstoppable
- Tips on perimeter defense especially on how to not get caught with fakes/jabs( players will constantly change between shot fakes and actual shots or various counter moves/hands-up moves)
- How to fight through moving screens that don't get called

I know that's a lot any help would be very much appreciated. Additional information: tryouts( there's a Freshman A and Freshman B team, the best freshman make JV) are October 29-31 and we have conditioning right now. I'm not playing AAU anymore but playing in an asian league team and the average team is actually about as good as an above average AAU team. The high school I'm going to is the second best in California and is the two-time defending Division II champions( probably going to three-peat this year). We have one of the best players in the class of 2013 going here also.

[SourPatchKids]

oh yeah and I'm about 6'0 142 right now. Jumping off two legs I can grab and hang onto a 10 foot rim.

[chips93]

The high school I'm going to is the second best in California and is the two-time defending Division II champions( probably going to three-peat this year). We have one of the best players in the class of 2013 going here also.

Who?

[SourPatchKids]

Who?
Aaron Gordon

[Jameerthefear]

Aaron Gordon
Lewis Sullivan goes to my school if anyone knows him.

[ZenMaster]

What position do you play?

What are your expectations for making the team? Do you expect to make it as a fringe player, or as a regular rotation player?

[Rake2204]

1. How to be mentally tough on and off the court: Maturity. One must be confident in their own game without crossing that line into debilitating cockiness. It doesn't help to be timid, but it also doesn't help to be a jerk. Just be sure in what you're doing while still remaining open to assistance or criticism from fellow players/coaches.

Personally, even when I'm overmatched, I find comfort (and some would say, mental toughness) in knowing that regardless of skill, my opponent's going to get a fight from me. The toughness is being able to the play the game regardless of circumstance. If a player gets dunked on, is he wilting? Or is he coming back strong and poised?

Off the court, mental toughness is being sure in your own decisions. I sometimes had issues early in high school whenever I tried to appease those around me instead of doing what I felt and knew was the right thing. Not being afraid to be yourself and doing the right thing is mental toughness to me.

2. Ways to balance schoolwork, family, and sports: Family obviously is at the top of the food chain. However, schoolwork is a close second. There's a couple of different ways to look at that. One, schoolwork can survive without basketball but basketball can't survive without schoolwork. Second, schoolwork allows you to function throughout the rest of your life. Basketball does not.

Also, you've already begun the school year, but make sure you've jumped on your studies right away. Every single semester is a building block toward college. My younger brother had a rough sophomore year in the classroom and now he's left playing catchup, trying to make up for lost time so he can earn admittance to the colleges he prefers to attend. Many classes build upon one another. Do the work, knock them down as they come.

To further reiterate, college coaches are much more inclined to be drawn to a player if they're a great student just as well. Doing well in school while juggling family and sports is tough, but it's necessary. Be disciplined.

3. Diets for gaining mass: I do not have feedback in this regard. I was a 6'4'' 175 pound power forward at a mid-sized high school. I will say, be conscious of the mass you wish to put on. It's very possible to be strong and hold your own in basketball even at a light weight.

4. Best type of protein supplements: I have nothing to provide in this regard.

5. How to get adjusted to VERY physical play( our league is known to be one of the toughest in all of California and I've heard from people that even the freshman teams regularly feature players 6'4 and taller) plus the referees will let a lot of contact slide and what would be called somewhere else probably won't be called by them: I think we have to be real here. In your large league, 9th grade basketball with be a step up but at the end of the day, it's still just basketball. When we talk physicality, there's always going to be limits, because it's basketball. Folks aren't going to be truck sticking you and whatnot.

With that said, I actually think playing pickup basketball can be a good help in this regard. I've found a lot of the non-call hits I tended to take in open gyms or at the park seemed to acclimate me to a game style featuring an above-average amount of contact.

This may be obvious, but never back down and do not shy away from contact. I had an opportunity two weeks ago to see two of my brother's sophomore teammates shrink when they matched up with a couple of big fellas. They spent most of the game needlessly swerving and double pumping on all their layup attempts, fearful of being blocked or hit. One must fight through this.

6. How to get 'into the zone' (I know this is different for everybody but I just want the hear all of your personal opinions). Being in the zone means focusing only on the moment and basically like the crowd, the benches don't even exist it's just you out there feeling unstoppable: I was always extremely conscious of the crowd. Early in the sophomore year, a helpful solution was to tell myself that none of what I was doing on the court really mattered. I could score 23 points and grab 12 rebounds and the girl I had a crush on who was watching the game would forget about my performance by morning. Further, if I played terribly, same story. Classmates will go home and say, "Our team won/lost" and they'll move on.

I also had to fake my own cockiness. Regardless of what I told myself, I cared more than anyone else on the floor, at all times. So I got to a point where I just had to tell myself that I was the man and I didn't care about anything. I developed some mannerisms even that evoked confidence and aloofness, just to convince myself it was all good.

You know what else helps? Believing in yourself. My true, non-faked comfort (or zone) finally kicked in for good during a pre-game handshake my junior year when an opposing coach said, "Good luck, Ryan". The fact a random coach knew who I was (and my first name no-less) finally made me believe in my own skills. As in, I must be doing something right if people outside of my own school know me. This allowed me to play with a feeling of, "Someone's going to have to stop me, because I'm good enough to make things happen." It would have been easier had I just believed in myself in the first place though.

7. Tips on perimeter defense especially on how to not get caught with fakes/jabs( players will constantly change between shot fakes and actual shots or various counter moves/hands-up moves): Quick feet, agility, being in great shape, staying on your toes. People always say defense is effort. And that's true, but it's not just about the effort happening at that very moment on the basketball court. It's about the effort you've poured in for hours upon hours leading up to that moment.

Many players approach defense as an interim between offensive possessions. I recommend fighting that urge, particularly in practice. I saw someone post a video on this board from the Lakers practice the other day. One of the most impressive things I took from that clip? Steve Nash picking up at half court and locking down on every possession of a 5-on-5-on-5 drill. Often, high school players get it twisted in terms of what kind of effort is necessary in practice. To become the defender you want to be, you'll have to believe in yourself and know that non-stop hardwork (and failure) is what will pave the way for you to succeed, even if those around you do not share these same beliefs.

8. How to fight through moving screens that don't get called: This is sort of a survival tactic. It's very helpful to know whether the person you're guarding is someone you're going to want to go beneath a screen on (and risk letting them take a jumpshot) or someone you want to go over the screen on (limiting jumpshot possibilities but maybe encouraging a drive).

Illegal screens are going to happen. You're going to want to be aware of the court space around you and be hopeful your teammates are vocal in letting you know when a screen is about to occur. Your teammate is often very integral in the results of a pick or screen situation. Is he going to hedge to allow you to recover? Is he going to trap the ballhandler? Switch? It's helpful to have a game plan when it comes to playing through screens. If nothing else, just scrap and fight.

[SourPatchKids]

Wow Rake, I can't thank you enough taking the time to type all that just for a stranger over the internet. You're the man bro.

One thing I just realized was how being mentally tough and physically tough go hand in hand. Last weekend I just had a tournament and the first game I had to sit out the entire second quarter cause somebody busted my nose up with an elbow. The funny thing is something like that happens almost every game to me it's just that all the other times no blood was drawn so I just had to play through it. I mean it's not like I was scared to play physical, more of scared to seem like a dick to my opponents or the parents watching up in the stands. Like after a hard foul I would always help the guy up and I even used to have a habit of apologizing to me. But as the second half started both teams were playing man and my coach told me something that surprised me: "If he's going to body you up like that then elbow the shit out of him, bloody his lip or something". Something sparked inside me and I felt like I could play the game with more freedom. I wasn't exactly say in the zone, I missed a couple of spot-up 3's I normally hit but down low in the paint me and my man were going at it like we were worst enemies. But after the game was over( we lost by 2) and we were shaking hands me with my busted nose and a couple of other scrapes/bruises and him who probably got kneed in the thighs and took a crapload of forearms courtesy of me acted like nothing happened and turns out he's a real nice guy off the court.
I'm still working on it but I realized if i ever want to play at a higher level I can't be a nice guy once I step on the court.

[SourPatchKids]

What position do you play?

What are your expectations for making the team? Do you expect to make it as a fringe player, or as a regular rotation player?
I played forward mostly in AAU and middle school but in high school I'm only big enough to play guard. I'm working with a trainer who trained Jason Kidd and he said that instead of trying to develop advanced guard skills I should polish up my fundamentals(like throwing a crips two handed chest pass). So now I'm working with a lot of two-ball dribbling drills, correcting inconsistencies in my jump-shot form, and getting rid of wasted motion in my footwork/pivots. So to answer your first question: anything from 2-4

As for your other question the breakdown is like this: top 1 or 2 freshman play jv, next six best go on the A team, next 12 go on the B team, and the worst 6 go on the A team. The good thing is not a lot of guys can play post and guard fairly well so I think my shots of being a starter on either of the freshman teams are real good. If I was benched than I would rather be on the A team because then I could practice with the best in my grade and prove myself so I could maybe work to become a starter by the end of the season.

[solar.hands]

getting into the zone?
my fav thing to do is go to a corner, relax, put in my headphones listen to any song and sing with it in your head. even at the game/on court try to play that song in ur mind so u wont over think, and put pressure on urself. some guys think too much of the game and fck up on the court and make really bad plays. esp for a guard like u.
and shoot free throws until u get that form that u wanted.

[solar.hands]

tips on d:
watch lots of kobe/mj post up vids. put a body on ur guy hands up and it really really helps a lot when u have quick feet.
if he didnt keep his dribble close him out and try to shadow the ball but dont reach in. let him shot fake for all he want just raise ur hands and dont try to block his shots, if he forces the shot thats good d.
if ur guy is quicker and can make that pull up j, ur good as dead. bcos if he's quicker ull give him space.

tip on fighting on screens: Leave an elbow, most of the guys will hate u for flopping. what i do is tell ur team mate to show up on screens and position my self to the direction where the screener will roll to block his path.

[SourPatchKids]

Any specific brands of whey protein? Should I just look for the ones with the most grams?

[Rake2204]

I mean it's not like I was scared to play physical, more of scared to seem like a dick to my opponents or the parents watching up in the stands. Like after a hard foul I would always help the guy up and I even used to have a habit of apologizing to me. But as the second half started both teams were playing man and my coach told me something that surprised me: "If he's going to body you up like that then elbow the shit out of him, bloody his lip or something". Something sparked inside me and I felt like I could play the game with more freedom. I wasn't exactly say in the zone, I missed a couple of spot-up 3's I normally hit but down low in the paint me and my man were going at it like we were worst enemies. But after the game was over( we lost by 2) and we were shaking hands me with my busted nose and a couple of other scrapes/bruises and him who probably got kneed in the thighs and took a crapload of forearms courtesy of me acted like nothing happened and turns out he's a real nice guy off the court.
I'm still working on it but I realized if i ever want to play at a higher level I can't be a nice guy once I step on the court.There's a lot of truth to your realization here. I went through a lot of similar thoughts myself. When I was in 9th and 10th grade, I used to think about how it logically made no sense to show displeasure with an official's call (because the call is never going to be reversed). I also took into account that no matter how mean opponents seemed, they were likely just playing the game, so I took that in stride.

Basically, I played hard, but I fought myself to never react to an official's call, not get involved with an opponent's intensity and more or less react to virtually nothing that was happening on the basketball court. Logically, it often made sense but in terms of my on-court effectiveness, I hand-cuffed myself by forcibly not letting my emotions run free a bit. Here's my embarrassing example - my teammate scored a game-tying basket with just 1 second remaining and while my teammates were celebrating, I fought every ounce of my body to not celebrate because I knew the game wasn't over yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cIv4IgLByA.

As you realized, what tends to happen when we let ourselves go a bit, even if it's sometimes illogical, is our adrenaline spikes and our competitive spirit sky rockets. We're able to trick ourselves into believing there's a lot more on the line than there really is, which allows us then to dig deeper and perform with a sense of desire and urgency. Whereas, sometimes if we're always reminding ourselves it's just a game, we may be putting ourselves at a disadvantage.

For me, tapping into that next level meant letting myself fist-pump after a crucial block. Or maybe raising my fist in celebration after a clutch basket. It even meant responding to a poor call by an official, even though I knew nothing would be done about it, only because letting that emotion out will often keep me engaged in the game. It also meant not concerning myself with building friendships with opponents during games. The real ball players understand there's no friendship on the hardwood. As you discovered, those real guys understand there's a difference between "on the court" and "off the court". Let yourself run free.

[FreezingTsmoove]

Aaron Gordon

Crazy! Do you ever play ball with him at the park after school or played with him? Thats what everyone used to do to us being on the varsity team. Crazy we never had someone that good

[chips93]

Here's my embarrassing example - my teammate scored a game-tying basket with just 1 second remaining and while my teammates were celebrating, I fought every ounce of my body to not celebrate because I knew the game wasn't over yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cIv4IgLByA.


i loled

you look like you're on pain killers or something


For me, tapping into that next level meant letting myself fist-pump after a crucial block. Or maybe raising my fist in celebration after a clutch basket. It even meant responding to a poor call by an official, even though I knew nothing would be done about it, only because letting that emotion out will often keep me engaged in the game. It also meant not concerning myself with building friendships with opponents during games. The real ball players understand there's no friendship on the hardwood. As you discovered, those real guys understand there's a difference between "on the court" and "off the court". Let yourself run free.

it was always the opposite for me, not that i played at any high level or anything, but when i got irritated by a bad call, or wanted to celebrate after a big play, id force myself to keep it in, and i felt like that tension of holding back, gave me a great burst of energy

[SourPatchKids]

Crazy! Do you ever play ball with him at the park after school or played with him? Thats what everyone used to do to us being on the varsity team. Crazy we never had someone that good
We have open gyms sometimes(coaches aren't allowed to actually coach till the 29th) and if we string together a couple wins then we can make it to the higher courts and play some varsity teams. Obviously Aaron doesn't try to swat my shot on defense and I've even scored on him a couple times. On defense though, we have no chance of stopping him. We can play 5 on 2 against Aaron and another varsity guy where they can only pull up from NBA range and we still wouldn't even be able to stop them.

[SourPatchKids]

not letting my emotions run free a bit. Here's my embarrassing example - my teammate scored a game-tying basket with just 1 second remaining and while my teammates were celebrating, I fought every ounce of my body to not celebrate because I knew the game wasn't over yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cIv4IgLByA.

As you realized, what tends to happen when we let ourselves go a bit, even if it's sometimes illogical, is our adrenaline spikes and our competitive spirit sky rockets. We're able to trick ourselves into believing there's a lot more on the line than there really is, which allows us then to dig deeper and perform with a sense of desire and urgency. Whereas, sometimes if we're always reminding ourselves it's just a game, we may be putting ourselves at a disadvantage.

For me, tapping into that next level meant letting myself fist-pump after a crucial block. Or maybe raising my fist in celebration after a clutch basket. It even meant responding to a poor call by an official, even though I knew nothing would be done about it, only because letting that emotion out will often keep me engaged in the game. It also meant not concerning myself with building friendships with opponents during games. The real ball players understand there's no friendship on the hardwood. As you discovered, those real guys understand there's a difference between "on the court" and "off the court". Let yourself run free.
:applause:

Aye, what ended up happening at the end of that game?

[Rake2204]

:applause:

Aye, what ended up happening at the end of that game?That layup tied the ballgame with one second remaining. He had a free throw to win it, and he was an 80%+ guy from the stripe (and seemingly immune to pressure) so I think folks thought it was going to be automatic.

Obviously though, he missed. As you can see, the ball bounced back to him (after his jump spin) at which point he fired and hit that crazy off balance shot. I've always been confused by the ruling though. Should the clock have begun the moment the ball hit the rim, the moment it hit the floor, or the moment a player touched it?

Either way, it was waved off and we eventually won in overtime.

[FreezingTsmoove]

We have open gyms sometimes(coaches aren't allowed to actually coach till the 29th) and if we string together a couple wins then we can make it to the higher courts and play some varsity teams. Obviously Aaron doesn't try to swat my shot on defense and I've even scored on him a couple times. On defense though, we have no chance of stopping him. We can play 5 on 2 against Aaron and another varsity guy where they can only pull up from NBA range and we still wouldn't even be able to stop them.


You guarded him?

[SourPatchKids]

You guarded him?
"Guarded" isn't quite the appropriate term. Stood there while he completely obliterated us is more like it.

[NotYetGreat]

Honestly, I'm quite surprised and flattered you called me here. I'll tell you right now, I didn't have a good high school career, if you could even call it one. I played the center spot at 5'10, 170 lbs in a very small school which was an even smaller fish in a pond filled with medium sized tilapia. I always told myself I wasn't a true C, but because of the lack of size on my team I had to let go of my scoring wants. Nevertheless, you'll always be successful if you DO SOMETHING, and do it with every bit of PASSION IN YOUR SOUL. My desire to make the best out of my situation helped me average 11 rebounds and 4 blocks a game at, once again 5'10, 170 lbs versus 6'4 freaks of nature. Right now, I'm in college already, and college recruitment has a lot to do with connections. Politics, you see. Regardless, I'm training my ass off to get on the team, even if it's just the B-squad, so essentially, we're in the same situation, my Asian brother. I'm not trying to be mean, nor will I not help you, but I'm just that surprised. Gotta say, this added some fire in that pit, SPK. Very sincerely, thanks.

Anyway, down to business.

How to be mentally tough on and off the court

Confidence. NOT swagger. NOT cockiness. Confidence. As Rake said, there's a fine line between confidence and the latter, but that doesn't mean you should cross it stay far, far away. MILK IT. Milk your confidence for all it's worth. If you BELIEVE yourself to be better far than you are, you WILL actually get there, provided your DETERMINATION is in the right place. Confidence and determination are an extremely deadly combination, and there are many ways to get them. Read. Play. Train. Meditate. It doesn't matter. Just choose and DO what makes you feel it down to the marrow in your bones.

Ways to balance schoolwork, family, and sports

In my last year of high school, I was juggling schoolwork, Student Council, varsity, family, weight training, dance crew, inconsistently courting this inconsistent girl, village youth government, and a bunch of other shit I don't even recall. The main thing here is to set your priorities. In order to aid you in this, I encourage you to actually write down your tasks for the day. it doesn't have to be in order nor does it have to be down to the minute. Just write down the different areas in your life and write down what you can, need, and want to do for them on that day, then restructure. See what needs to be done first, what can be done later, and what needs to take a back seat.

I'm telling you right now though, as a future teacher, even though your schoolwork should always, ALWAYS come before your varsity (you're a student, not an NBA player, or at least not yet. Love in the now though.), you don't need to spend hour upon hour hitting the books. When you write out your tasks for the day, I suggest you write down your school stuff first, then write too how much time you THINK you're going to need for that. Then time yourself. Don't make it so short that you won't be able to do anything. Just go with the minimum effective dose.

Diets for gaining mass? Best type of protein supplements?

I think I've already shared with you my views on this. Just to reiterate, just eat real foods. No sodas, no sugars, and even no grains (Except for rice and oatmeal; Anything whole wheat or made with wheat, just say no yo). Like I said, I fast every morning, eat a protein and fat-filled lunch, then feast at night. A typical dinner/PWO meal for me looks like:

2 sweet potatoes with butter
Butter
4 eggs, scrambled
1.5-2 cups of white rice
6-8 oz of some protein (around 40-50g worth, aside from the eggs)
Veggies
A banana or an apple

Bottomline: Eat big to get big, but don't be a fatass and wreck your body at the same time.

How to get adjusted to VERY physical play

EMBRACE IT. Nothing else to do here but accept it's part of the game and learn to play physical WITHIN the rules of the game. Being an undersized C, it's easy to think I'd get bullied, but I didn't let that thought cross my mind one bit. Every center I played with was bigger than me but I made sure they would have to scratch and claw for every rebound or point they'd get against me. Being physically tough starts with being mentally tough. Adopt the attitude and it'll be.

How to get 'into the zone

Yo have to find your own way, but let me just say this. If you have to scream, kick, shout, or anything "beastly" before a game, you're just setting yourself up for burnout. Part of that mindset you have to adopt is knowing that you can play to the best of your abilities without having to unnecessarily psych yourself up to the point where it seems like a full moon just rose up outta nowhere. Stay calm, quiet if you want, but don't let silence mean you're not ready to go to war. Once again, a fair fight between strong bodies will go down to who has the stronger mind.

Tips on perimeter defense

Just the usual. The ball can trick you, but the body can't. Watch his torso and stay on your feet. Don't be afraid to play physical, but don't just go giving up silly fouls. Observe habits. If they can't get into their comfort zone, they won't have a good game, period.

[SourPatchKids]

Woot Woot! Hey you did respond!

Hats off to you for banging with the big boys, Chuck Hayes must have been an inspiration for you. So I'm going to take your advice and write down all my daily activities. I could do it digitally but I'd rather keep a physical journal.

Regarding protein intake: What would be a good source of 40-50 grams of protein? Is protein from say, chocolate milk the same as protein from lean chicken breast? Also I've replaced the white bread pb&jelly sandwiches with a brand of whole wheat called Honeywheat. How big of a difference do you think this switch will make?

Also my rebounding could use some work, any tips on:

1. Timing
2. Grabbing the ball with 2 hands( not playing volleyball with it)
3. Securing the rebound after snatching it( sometimes I don't protect the ball very well and it gets slapped at or poked loose by a sneaky defender)
4. Fighting through a huge player's boxout
5. Boxing out huge players( I know the saying is low man always wins but are there any other tips regarding this?)

[NotYetGreat]

Woot Woot! Hey you did respond!

Hats off to you for banging with the big boys, Chuck Hayes must have been an inspiration for you. So I'm going to take your advice and write down all my daily activities. I could do it digitally but I'd rather keep a physical journal.

Regarding protein intake: What would be a good source of 40-50 grams of protein? Is protein from say, chocolate milk the same as protein from lean chicken breast? Also I've replaced the white bread pb&jelly sandwiches with a brand of whole wheat called Honeywheat. How big of a difference do you think this switch will make?

Also my rebounding could use some work, any tips on:

1. Timing
2. Grabbing the ball with 2 hands( not playing volleyball with it)
3. Securing the rebound after snatching it( sometimes I don't protect the ball very well and it gets slapped at or poked loose by a sneaky defender)
4. Fighting through a huge player's boxout
5. Boxing out huge players( I know the saying is low man always wins but are there any other tips regarding this?)

Thanks, man. :cheers: And nah. It's called pride. Whatever I represent, I make damn sure I represent it well. I was tired of everyone saying our school was weak (even though we admittedly truly were) or I wasn't good enough to play college ball (Which I'm close to disproving right now). At times, my pride can get unhealthy to the point where I start ripping my jersey, tossing my goggles (yes, I'm a Kareem), or whatever, but that's just how intense I play in the game.

Anyway, about the protein, whenever you eat, just try to make sure you get at serving at least the size of your fist. I eat way more at night since my minimal eating during the day leaves some holes in my nutrition if I won't compensate at another time (of course, this is done with reason, though), but for those who have a regular schedule, a good fist-sized portion is ideal. It doesn't matter what animal it is, just get that serving.

Admittedly, I wouldn't count protein from any other sources aside from meat, dairy (milk, cheese, etc.), and supplements (if you take). Counting proteins from breads and other foods that are mainly sources of other macronutrients (Carbohydrates and fats) are usually incomplete proteins. Not gonna go into the science, mainly because it flies over my head too, but if I were to get all my proteins from bread, imagine how much bread I'd need to eat. :oldlol: Anyway, this type of thinking, it just keeps you honest.

About the bread, well, for someone who needs to gain weight, PB&J's can be your best friend. Just make sure you get good ingredients and you'll be good. I suggest you eat them later in the day though. Ever since I started reversing my eating portions (Meals get bigger as the day progresses), I've gotten bigger and more cut up. I'm not that jacked and ripped yet but I'll most definitely reach my goal of the year before 2012 ends. If I were you though, I'd rather replace that PB&J with some apple, PB, and sardines (You can actually mix them if you want. PB & sardines actually go together).

Oddly enough, I never really worked on my rebounding alone. It was ALWAYS during practice. I guess that's hat made me want to get after it more, the fact that the only REAL rebounding practice I got was when others were around to simulate a real game. Otherwise, if you were alone, it felt really awkward. However, there are still some stuff you can do if you're training alone.

1) Timing

To work on this, I don't really like those constant throws off the board and just grabbing them down. If you're gonna grab a board, GRAB it. Rip it out from the air. One thing I used to do was stand one on side of the paint, toss it up well above the square on the board while facing slightly the outer side, then once I release, I quickly drop down in a box-out position and move to the other side. If you toss and move quickly enough, you'll be able to get in a good position just before the ball hits the board. Time your mighty jump and rip it down.

2) Grabbing & Securing

Now, this is just going to be a habit you have to build. Whenever you see a board is yours, grab it with both hands or do the old slapping act. I guess it was just instinct for me plus the influence I got form watching all the bigs play, but whenever i used to grab a board, automatic, chin it hard and look out. Before I even hit the floor, I already look behind me to see if there's a good pass out or a nosy defender trying it poke it out. It's much easier to protect the ball when you are more aware of your surroundings. I believe court vision isn't just a "guard thing."

3) Boxing out huge players

Of course, brute strength is a plus in this department. The paint is the big, bad boy's domain, and the bigger and badder, the better. However, that is not to say a little finesse can go a long way. I think footwork is going to be of utmost importance here when dealing with bigger players. Learn spin and seal, swim and seal, and use any other clean trick you can use to get in front of your man. Bottomline, learn to be quick on your feet and use your craftiness. There are a lot of ways you can beat the bigger man using your feet (I guess the dancing came in handy here :oldlol: ), but remember, once you have him beat, it's time to turn finesse into aggressiveness. Seal your man hard with your rear (no homo). I learned that the hard way garnering up fouls when I would try and push my man back with my back. Also, try to ge low enough to be able to block one of his legs from jumping. 9 times out of 10, they're not going to jump, simply coz they know they can't without hitting you.

I remember this vid helped me a lot back then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ozw1PTgC8

For any other tips, it's cliche, but whoever wants it more WILL get it. I don't really have that impressive of a jump (I can barely touch the rim at my height), but it all comes down to the fight.

[SourPatchKids]

Peanut butter and sardines? Bahahahaha

I like what you said about all players requiring court visions it just during the heat of the moment in a game I forget to count 5 defenders and can get picked, but I'm getting better at that. I really need to get in the habit of chinning rebounds as I'm sure it'll help a lot. That tapping trick from the Dwight Howard video may just be silly enough to try during a game. Alright it's long past bedtime for me. Thanks again to everybody who took the time to contribute to this thread.

[NotYetGreat]

Peanut butter and sardines? Bahahahaha

I like what you said about all players requiring court visions it just during the heat of the moment in a game I forget to count 5 defenders and can get picked, but I'm getting better at that. I really need to get in the habit of chinning rebounds as I'm sure it'll help a lot. That tapping trick from the Dwight Howard video may just be silly enough to try during a game. Alright it's long past bedtime for me. Thanks again to everybody who took the time to contribute to this thread.

It actually works when you know how to move and seal right away. I used to use a trick during free throws when my teammate is on the line. More often than not, the defender beside you nearest the goal will seal you from the inside, trying to push you out form there. Predicting that though, you can simply move to where he used to be. You're more or less switching places, except you can use this now to box HIM out. Mixing that with the tapping trick works when you use it right.

Anyway, keep pursuing progress, SPK. :cheers:

[FreezingTsmoove]

"Guarded" isn't quite the appropriate term. Stood there while he completely obliterated us is more like it.


Was he too big or too strong? Was his jumpshot just automatic?

Pretty interesting stuff

I never had the chance to play with or against an NBA player so I have a lot of questions

[SourPatchKids]

Was he too big or too strong? Was his jumpshot just automatic?


yup

[SourPatchKids]

It actually works when you know how to move and seal right away. I used to use a trick during free throws when my teammate is on the line. More often than not, the defender beside you nearest the goal will seal you from the inside, trying to push you out form there. Predicting that though, you can simply move to where he used to be. You're more or less switching places, except you can use this now to box HIM out. Mixing that with the tapping trick works when you use it right.

Anyway, keep pursuing progress, SPK. :cheers:
Grabbing an offensive rebound off a free throw is something I can't remember ever doing in a competitive game. Maybe part of it is mental that I'm not expected to grab one because I don't have inside position but next game I'll push myself to try and get every rebound possible.

[NotYetGreat]

Grabbing an offensive rebound off a free throw is something I can't remember ever doing in a competitive game. Maybe part of it is mental that I'm not expected to grab one because I don't have inside position but next game I'll push myself to try and get every rebound possible.

Like I said, whoever wants it more WILL get it. Plus it's a good opportunity to get an extra basket or foul since you're so close to the basket and there'll be no set D, and even if you don't you're still getting an extra possession.

Oh, and what time do your classes start? I used to be a late sleeper in high school, but I started sleeping early and waking up early now that I'm in college too (I seem to have it backwards here), but I find I'm more productive and overall more energetic. Waking up early to finish some school work doesn't seem like cramming if you really have the time and routine down.

[SourPatchKids]

:basketball working on that lefty

[CelticBaller]

i miss high school, wish I tried for basketball, baseball sucked :(

[SourPatchKids]

Just put in work this morning with the same trainer that worked with Paul Pierce and Jason Kidd. An hour with him is more beneficial in my opinion than shooting by myself or playing pickup games for 5-6 hours. Then after my family went for lunch at an asian village in Cupertino. There was a Quickly and I was highly tempted with their dozens of flavors of milk teas( especially peppermint my favorite) in addition to crepes and waffle fries but I was a good boy and just stuck with a Dreyers Strawberry Banana smoothie to go with the Szechuan food my mom bought. Now I'm sitting on my toilet listening to Blow Up by J Cole and typing this up. Mmm good start to my Sunday.

[Rake2204]

Also my rebounding could use some work, any tips on:

1. Timing
2. Grabbing the ball with 2 hands( not playing volleyball with it)
3. Securing the rebound after snatching it( sometimes I don't protect the ball very well and it gets slapped at or poked loose by a sneaky defender)
4. Fighting through a huge player's boxout
5. Boxing out huge players( I know the saying is low man always wins but are there any other tips regarding this?)

1. I think timing is a learned trait. The more you play, the more you're going to notice patterns to how certain shots from certain areas of the floor are going to come off the iron. I think being conscious of what type of shot results in what type of miss will help in developing the spacing and timing aspect essential to consistent rebounding.

2. Again, I think realizing you sometimes play volleyball instead of grabbing the rock with two-hands is half the battle. You recognize what you're doing wrong, so change it. Often, I think we tend to bat the ball when we feel we're not going to be able to safely grab it amongst a crowd. If that's the case, perhaps look into tapping the ball upward to keep it alive, perhaps toward an open area where you'd then be able to better secure the rock.

I'm also big into jumping rope. I think it is a very solid help in building the ability to bounce quickly and repeatedly off the floor. In instances where a rebound cannot be immediately grabbed and extra jumps are necessary, I think jumping rope can provide an advantage in that regard.

3. Securing and chinning the ball is habitual. I also think it's a byproduct of aggressiveness. Grabbing a rebound should be an authoritative action. It doesn't necessarily have to include over-the-top theatrics, but a player should always be definitive in their carom.

As you mentioned, being aware of your surroundings is also a big part of the equation. That doesn't mean counting out the opposing team's players to ensure you're alone with your board. Rather, it just means you have to be alert at all times. Don't grab a board and assume a relaxed upward stance. And don't flick a soft outlet pass to a guard. Perhaps you should assume people are in your area even if you're pretty sure they're not.

Sometimes it's second nature for younger players to "ball up" when they get a rebound in traffic. That's actually pretty darn counterproductive. The bigger, more assertive and wilier a person grabbing a rebound looks, the less likely I'm going to try to sneak up and try to poke that rock away.

4. Fighting through a box out is where things got very interesting and fun for me when I played on official teams. There is often a litany of options to combating a strong box out.

For starters, if a defender is particularly aggressive in boxing you out, not only attempting to keep you from moving forward, but also actively attempting to move you out to the three point line, I'll often pull the chair on them. That is, instead of resisting the boxout with counterforce, I'll give and open up the possibility of him experiencing a slight imbalance, thus opening up a rebounding lane.

Second, and maybe this should have been number one, but experiment with what you can and what you cannot get away with. Many players grow up assuming rebounding is a matter of boxing out and jumping. In fact, there's a whole lot of room for grabbing, holding, and tangling whenever a shot goes up. I was forever tinkering with strategies involving creating force and inviting counterforce as a means of finding myself a better position to claim a rebound.

With big players, find one of their breaking points. Be sure to answer their call with aggressiveness (though not overly so). Sometimes just being a pest will pay dividends. Put a body on a player somewhere. There's a lot of big men who know what to expect when a shot goes up, but there's also many big men out there who do not respond well to someone who meets and exceeds their own intensity level.

5. On the flip side, if you're not trying to get around a big man and instead you're in a situation where you have position and must box him out, I say stick to your rebounding principles. Again, basketball is always basketball. There's rules that limit how much contact can occur in certain situations. Sure, I bet a lot of us have played against guys so much larger that they were able to negate any work we were doing boxing out by just legally reaching over us, but that's not always the case.

The truth of the matter is, if you're successfully boxing out a big player and the ball's coming your way, it's your right to grab that rebound. If you feel he's about to attempt to jump over your back, invite that contact. Sometimes, if I felt a player was about to attempt to leap over me for a board, I'd try to subtly attempt for the rebound with my body moving ever so slightly in his direction, making an over the back call more obvious to recognize.

Officials will very often reward defenders who are actively and fundamentally boxing out their opponents, whether those opponents are tall or short, big or small. Those same officials are much more likely to swallow those whistles if no boxing out is occurring and it's just a giant jumping contest (even if it ends with someone technically going over your back).

[NotYetGreat]

^ I wish you were my coach in high school.

[SourPatchKids]

For starters, if a defender is particularly aggressive in boxing you out, not only attempting to keep you from moving forward, but also actively attempting to move you out to the three point line, I'll often pull the chair on them. That is, instead of resisting the boxout with counterforce, I'll give and open up the possibility of him experiencing a slight imbalance, thus opening up a rebounding lane.

5. On the flip side, if you're not trying to get around a big man and instead you're in a situation where you have position and must box him out, I say stick to your rebounding principles. Again, basketball is always basketball. There's rules that limit how much contact can occur in certain situations. Sure, I bet a lot of us have played against guys so much larger that they were able to negate any work we were doing boxing out by just legally reaching over us, but that's not always the case.

The truth of the matter is, if you're successfully boxing out a big player and the ball's coming your way, it's your right to grab that rebound. If you feel he's about to attempt to jump over your back, invite that contact. Sometimes, if I felt a player was about to attempt to leap over me for a board, I'd try to subtly attempt for the rebound with my body moving ever so slightly in his direction, making an over the back call more obvious to recognize.

Officials will very often reward defenders who are actively and fundamentally boxing out their opponents, whether those opponents are tall or short, big or small. Those same officials are much more likely to swallow those whistles if no boxing out is occurring and it's just a giant jumping contest (even if it ends with someone technically going over your back).
Please educate me about the over the back rule. Is it similar to loose ball fouls called in NBA games?

[Rake2204]

Please educate me about the over the back rule. Is it similar to loose ball fouls called in NBA games?Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same thing. By over the back, I was just referring to those "loose ball" situations where a player attempts to grab a rebound by making illegal contact with a player from behind while jumping or leaning for a rebound.

[SourPatchKids]

Just had another workout with private trainer and tommorow is last tournament of Fall AAU as school season is starting. Should be interesting as we might potentially play against my old team.

[jbot]

Just had another workout with private trainer and tommorow is last tournament of Fall AAU as school season is starting. Should be interesting as we might potentially play against my old team.
how much u payin for these workouts?

[SourPatchKids]

how much u payin for these workouts?
$60 per

We already paid $600 in advance for 10 workouts.

[jbot]

$60 per

We already paid $600 in advance for 10 workouts.
seems kinda steep but if it helps then it's worth it.

[NotYetGreat]

seems kinda steep but if it helps then it's worth it.

Gonna get your kid them lessons eh? :P

[jbot]

Gonna get your kid them lessons eh? :P
there's nobody worth a crap around here. lot of bs'ers. i did contact a kid who played college ball locally and he agreed to work my son out. only problem is he's gonna be playing pro overseas i think.

[SourPatchKids]

there's nobody worth a crap around here. lot of bs'ers. i did contact a kid who played college ball locally and he agreed to work my son out. only problem is he's gonna be playing pro overseas i think.
Where do you live? I think I remember you saying Indiana but I can't be sure.

[SourPatchKids]

So pumped for monday.

[jbot]

Where do you live? I think I remember you saying Indiana but I can't be sure.
terre haute. where larry legend played college ball at.

[jbot]

So pumped for monday.
is that tryouts? my son has tryouts nov. 5th i think. he just missed almost 2 weeks of open gyms with a sprained wrist.

[SourPatchKids]

is that tryouts? my son has tryouts nov. 5th i think. he just missed almost 2 weeks of open gyms with a sprained wrist.
yuppers, and good luck to your son!

[SourPatchKids]

Surprisingly, I'm not nervous!

[SourPatchKids]

Today was so-so I had some flashes of brillance, and some bonehead plays.

[Burgz V2]

Today was so-so I had some flashes of brillance, and some bonehead plays.

understand why you did, where you were on the court, what situation you were in. take that and move on, even steve nash makes boneheaded plays :cheers:

[SourPatchKids]

understand why you did, where you were on the court, what situation you were in. take that and move on, even steve nash makes boneheaded plays :cheers:
Yea I just want to become better every day.

[ace23]

Why is this in the streetball forum?

[SourPatchKids]

Why are you here?

[SourPatchKids]

Posting first cuts online sometime tonight.

[jbot]

Posting first cuts online sometime tonight.
heard anything?

[JMT]

Why is this in the streetball forum?

It's funny when people try to stop others from talking about things that make them happy. :oldlol:

[SourPatchKids]

I can't stop ignoring some of my minor injuries. Once they start piling up they could slow me down a bit.

[jbot]

so what happened, 'patch?

[SourPatchKids]

We're just practicing right now. Football players try out next week and we'll have a second cut then. First scrimmage is on the 24th.

[jbot]

We're just practicing right now. Football players try out next week and we'll have a second cut then. First scrimmage is on the 24th.
my son had 3 days of tryouts. lots of his buddies got cut, one that didn't make it was a bit of a surprise for me. last 3 kids get cut today sometime after school.

[SourPatchKids]

my son had 3 days of tryouts. lots of his buddies got cut, one that didn't make it was a bit of a surprise for me. last 3 kids get cut today sometime after school.
Oh man last cuts are always brutal, It's hard to keep your head up when you've basically been told you can't do something. Hope your son makes it.

[jbot]

Oh man last cuts are always brutal, It's hard to keep your head up when you've basically been told you can't do something. Hope your son makes it.
yeah, he made it. i knew he would.

he has to play center now. not the position he wanted but he should get the ball in his hands alot. i don't think the freshman coach knows that he can shoot.

most of his buddies got cut and it kinda bummed him out. he was also in a state of shock with the amount of running and hustling that they do now. i told him it was a big difference between middle school and high school ball.

[SourPatchKids]

yeah, he made it. i knew he would.

he has to play center now. not the position he wanted but he should get the ball in his hands alot. i don't think the freshman coach knows that he can shoot.

most of his buddies got cut and it kinda bummed him out. he was also in a state of shock with the amount of running and hustling that they do now. i told him it was a big difference between middle school and high school ball.
That happened to me on multiple occasions. Your son may think it's pointless to learn post moves and stuff now because at a higher level he'll be playing guard/wing but from my experience learning multiple positions can improve your basketball iq and understanding for the game.

[SourPatchKids]

On my end, we have football guys trying out mondays through wednesdays. There's 18 original players, about 25 football players trying out, and 24 spots on the team. From my perspective I think they'll cut 4 of the weaker players from the original group and take 10 of the football players. From what I've seen about 6 of them can actually play but a lot of them are HUGE which is good because I don't want to play center/post a lot. Also the first string qb for the freshman football team is also supposed to be mad good at basketball and he played for our school's feeder AAU team so the coaches already know him so he'll probably be directly put on JV. At this point I'm 99% sure I'll make the team now I just want to be a starter whether that be on the A or B team.

[jbot]

At this point I'm 99% sure I'll make the team now I just want to be a starter whether that be on the A or B team.
cool. what's your team's mascot? my son's is the Braves.

[SourPatchKids]

cool. what's your team's mascot? my son's is the Braves.
Monarchs

[SourPatchKids]

Made it. Tommorow i'll find out if i'm on A or B and whether I'll be a starter or not.

[Bandito]

Oh the suspense...

[SourPatchKids]

Oh the suspense...
They're still deciding.. :lol Tommorow we finally have some gym time, must take advantage

[jbot]

Made it. Tommorow i'll find out if i'm on A or B and whether I'll be a starter or not.
:party: CONGRATS!!!:party:

my son's 1st game is next week. they've been practicing like crazy every day, even on saturdays.

[SourPatchKids]

:party: CONGRATS!!!:party:

my son's 1st game is next week. they've been practicing like crazy every day, even on saturdays.
Yea we practice 6 days a week too and on Sundays I work with my trainer. We also have our first scrimmage next saturday which is sort of a test match to see where we're at. Then the following week the A team has a tournament thursday-saturday and the B team Wed-Fri. After the tournament each team gets 3 games against random public schools before league play starts.

[jbot]

Yea we practice 6 days a week too and on Sundays I work with my trainer. We also have our first scrimmage next saturday which is sort of a test match to see where we're at. Then the following week the A team has a tournament thursday-saturday and the B team Wed-Fri. After the tournament each team gets 3 games against random public schools before league play starts.
cool.

my son's feet have been hurting him lately. he's switched to his new team shoes and they are 1 size bigger (15's) so i hope that alleviates the pain a bit.

i'm just hoping it's just his feet having to get used to all the running and it'll all settle down. not looking forward to seeking out a podiatrist:( .

[SourPatchKids]

Size 15 is huge. Is it just general foot soreness or is something twisted/sprained like the ankle.

[jbot]

Size 15 is huge. Is it just general foot soreness or is something twisted/sprained like the ankle.
just soreness, not anything twisted though his right foot was getting swollen. the new shoes have helped a bit and i told him to have the team trainer to tape his feet up b4 practice and games.

[SourPatchKids]

I'm on B's, the team dividing makes sense for the most part. But the A team is going to have a stacked starting lineup and a shitty bench

[SourPatchKids]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ZtmQNEHr8



I was in the crowd for this, Varsity scrimmaged a couple games after us.

[jbot]

my son's 1st game is monday, not sure he'll play though. he's been having severe pain in both feet and his right ankle has been swollen for 5 days.

he's sat out 3 practices so far but he's got an appointment with a bone doc this friday. hope it's nothing bad to keep him from playing.

[SourPatchKids]

Sorry to hear about your son jbot. :(


We had our first scrimmage today against a very strong team. I scored a lot but didn't play very well all around. Our real season kicks off with a tournament against public schools wed-fri next week and I think we have a real good chance of winning the whole thing. After that we have 3 more games against public schools to get ready for league play which starts on January 2nd. :eek:

[jbot]

thanx, 'patch.

i'm kinda worried. i got a nephew who is only 18 or 19 and already has arthritis in his feet. i'm praying it's all easily remedied and will pass. he's got too much potential to get hurt at such a young age.