Tag: basketball

  • Reverse Mikan Drill

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!




    Top Joke Pages

    1. Sports Jokes
    2. 180 School Jokes
    3. Clean Jokes
    4. 365 Family Friendly Jokes

    Basketball Jokes: Why did the basketball player go to jail?…  Because he shot the ball! (Top Basketball Jokes for Kids)
    Coaching Youth Basketball Resources


    Remember to be a good basketball player...FUNDAMENTALS FIRST! The Reverse Mikan Drill is a great "fundamental" drill for a basketball. Be sure to master the Mikan Drill before attempting this one because the Reverse Mikan Drill is a little more challenging. Both drills develop proper footwork and the ability to score around the basket using both hands. This drill should be timed and the scores should be recorded to see if a player is improving. Scores for the Reverse Mikan Drill tend to be a little lower than the Mikan Drill by a few reps. Scoring higher than 20 is a HUGE accomplishment. The players were 6'4 and very committed to becoming the best they could be. (Height is a factor in getting the ball out of the net quickly.) Check out this video to learn how to do the drill correctly! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZhqbB0i_Y Tweet your top score to @sstriplethreat. We would love to see how well you can complete this drill. For more basketball drills, ideas, and philosophy check out our "Coaching Basketball Page." My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. If you are a teacher who tutors, consider registering with us. Teachers set the hourly rate and keep 100% of the fees! One of our teachers made $5,000 last year tutoring. It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area. Please help us find ONE MORE teacher who tutors!    

  • The Mikan Drill! #1 Layup Drill

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!




    Please Share!

    Top Joke Pages

    1. Sports Jokes
    2. 180 School Jokes
    3. Clean Jokes
    4. 365 Family Friendly Jokes

    Basketball Jokes: Why did the basketball player go to jail?…  Because he shot the ball! (Top Basketball Jokes for Kids)
    Coaching Youth Basketball Resources

    Remember to be a good basketball player...FUNDAMENTALS FIRST! The Mikan Drill is a great "fundamental" drill for a basketball player to develop proper footwork and the ability to score around the basket using both hands. This drill should be timed and the scores should be recorded to see if a player is improving. In my years of coaching high school basketball, the top score for 30 seconds was 22 or 23. The players were 6'4 and very committed to becoming the best they could be. (Height is a factor in getting the ball out of the net quickly.) Check out this video to learn how to do the drill correctly! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tFfEA1JWjA Tweet your top score to @sstriplethreat. We would love to see how well you can complete this drill. For more basketball drills, ideas, and philosophy check out our "Coaching Basketball Page." My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. If you are a teacher who tutors, consider registering with us. Teachers set the hourly rate and keep 100% of the fees! One of our teachers made $5,000 last year tutoring. It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area. Please help us find ONE MORE teacher who tutors!

  • Basketball Drill: 2 Ball Mikan Drill

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!




    Please Share!
    Top Joke Pages

    1. Sports Jokes
    2. 180 School Jokes
    3. Clean Jokes
    4. 365 Family Friendly Jokes

    Coaching Youth Basketball Resources
    Please Share!

    Remember to be a good basketball player...FUNDAMENTALS FIRST! The Mikan Drill is a great "fundamental" drill for a basketball player to develop proper footwork and the ability to score around the basket using both hands. This drill should be timed and the scores should be recorded to see if a player is improving. Once this drill has been mastered, a varsity / JV level player should attempt the drill with 2 balls. These players do a fair job of executing the drill, but the balls should never be below the shoulders. This will teach players the valuable skills of keeping both hands high. In my years of coaching basketball, a great score for a high school player for 30 seconds would be 17 or 18. The players were 6'4 and very committed to becoming the best they could be. (Height is a factor in getting the ball out of the net quickly.) Check out this video to learn how to do the drill correctly! (Notice the hands are TOO LOW! KEEP BOTH HANDS HIGH!) High School Players   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxEsyjUxOac Youth Players can try this drill too. Focus on footwork and keep the ball as high as possible.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L7DtqvNIlQ Tweet your top score to @sstriplethreat. We would love to see how well you can complete this drill. For more basketball drills, ideas, and philosophy check out our "Coaching Basketball Page." My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. If you are a teacher who tutors, consider registering with us. Teachers set the hourly rate and keep 100% of the fees! One of our teachers made $5,000 last year tutoring. It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area. Please help us find ONE MORE teacher who tutors!      

  • Youth Basketball and the Importance of Earning Good Grades

    Whether you’re a youth basketball coach or a parent of a player, a big part of being there for the kids involves being a positive influence as they learn to balance schoolwork with basketball practice. Sure, your child may enjoy playing basketball more than doing homework in the evenings, but it’s essential for you to teach your child about the importance of getting good grades at an early age.

    From a young age, basketball should be about learning skills and not so much about winning. Of course, winning games is great, but it’s not everything. Youth basketball is more about learning and growing as a player and as a person. The necessity of teaching them to work hard at basketball can also translate into working hard at their schoolwork. As students get into high school, grades become even more important because of college scouts and possible scholarships. If your child ever needs some tutoring to help them excel, My Town Tutors would be great for them.

    Show your players and your own children how working hard can pay off, both with on the court playing basketball and with their classes in school. Teach your youth basketball players about being educated in more ways – it’s important to know many basketball skills, just like it’s important to learn about math, science and other subjects in school.

    Television can be a great way to keep your child interested in learning. Watch everything from educational TV shows about history or science, and share some pro basketball action with live games on TV, just don’t abuse how much time that spend in front of the television. DirectTVDeal even offers basketball-specific packages for both NBA and college hoops so your child can watch even more games each season. Kids develop a vision of how they want to play as they watch the pros and college players play.

    Reward your child for their good grades and hard work with positive reinforcement. A trip to an NBA or college basketball game can be a fun way to celebrate a great report card. If you’re a coach, take the whole team to a game to show them how their practicing and studying can pay off.

    Check out more resources to keep yourself learning as well. While education at school is important for youth basketball players, teaching yourself about being a great coach is equally important. Never stop learning and never let your youth basketball player stop learning, either. Growing up with this mentality helped me become a basketball high school star, play college basketball and earn a professional European contract. Grades were important to me and by having the right youth coaches in my life, helped me established a successful life and career.

    Bio: Lamar Hull is a former Davidson College basketball player who spends most of his time coaching young kids and writing about youth sports. He loves to encourage kids in youth sports. Lamar is also a basketball sport’s blogger and writer. You can also follow Lamar at inspirationalbasketball.com

  • Massachusetts Prep Stars Assists Massachusetts HS Athletes!

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Check out our Guest Blogs for EducationParentsTravelTutoringSportsMusic and College.

    As a middle school teacher, high school basketball coach and local high school sports media professional I appreciate the value and connection between academics and athletics.
    The two play such a large role in my life and I could not imagine one without the other.  Other than the obvious benefits that sports and athletics have on your body, they can also provide a great vehicle for students to further their education and remain focused on their studies.
    Massachusetts Prep Stars, www.massprestars.com, is a high school website that serves as the face of New England Prep Stars Inc. Massprepstars.com focuses on profiling and advancing the interscholastic athlete through media exposure, events, teams and more.
    The media plays such a large role in exposing kids to different schools and we have always been in the business of promoting hard-working kids who want to use athletics to further their education and extracurricular experiences.
    For the chosen minority who can also benefit financially from playing sports in college it is even a larger focus. Colleges not only offer full athletic scholarships at the Division 1 and 2 levels but there is a lot of money available for students to take advantage of at all levels if they pursue the right avenues.
    At Mass Prep Stars we focus on Massachusetts based high school student athletes but we also feature other New England Prep Stars, including public as well as prep and private school student athletes. We currently feature football, boys and girls basketball and boys lacrosse. Next year we plan on adding additional sports and we are always seeking talented and aspiring sports writers and interns to assist us.
    As a high school athlete and parent of a student-athlete it is important to be your own salesperson and self-promoter. The first thing you should do is build your athlete profile at massprepstars.com The athlete profile has a space for your bio information, a photo, video (if you have any uploaded to youtube or vimeo), and a place for related news articles, honors and awards. It collects all of your information so you can easily email your link to college coaches, family, friends etc.
    If you are interested in being profiled on Mass Prep Stars please email massprepstars@hotmail.com or fill out your own profile request form on our website at massprepstars.com.
    We are more than happy to assist you or direct you with anything you need relating to high school and college athletics.
    Thank you,
    Ryan Kilian
    Founder and Director
    Mass Prep Stars
    www.massprepstars.com
    massprepstars@hotmail.com
    New England Prep Stars Inc.
    twitter – @masspreps
    Ryan Kilian is the founder of Mass Prep Stars, www.massprepstars.com , head boy’s basketball coach at Concord Academy in Concord, Mass. and Health and Wellness teacher at the Frost Middle School in Lawrence, Mass. Ryan also is a freelance sports writer with ESPN Boston, Boston Lax and various other local newspapers and web publications.

  • Coaching Youth Basketball: BEEF = Good Shooting Form

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!




    Please Share!
    Top Joke Pages

    1. Sports Jokes
    2. 180 School Jokes
    3. Clean Jokes
    4. 365 Family Friendly Jokes

    Basketball Jokes: Why did the basketball player go to jail?…  Because he shot the ball! (Top Basketball Jokes for Kids)

    For a coach to be successful at teaching players how to shoot the basketball correctly, there needs to be a complete understanding of the fundamentals of a shot (BEEF). A coach does not have to be a great shooter or even a fair shooter to be a great teacher of shooting. The coach simply must understand BEEF and be able to explain the fundamentals to the players. The coach also needs to have knowledge of a teaching progression and age-appropriate drills that will help players develop the proper shooting fundamentals. To be a good shooter, it is important to know the four basic parts of the shot. The word BEEF is a simple easy way to remember the most important fundamentals of a good shot. All players should be able to remember and recite the fundamentals, even if the fundamentals have not been mastered yet. Each letter in the word represents an important fundamental. To be a good shooter, a player must master ALL the fundamentals of BEEF. Below is an explanation of each letter in the word BEEF as it applies to shooting. B = BALANCE – start by teaching the footwork for the shot. BODY BALANCE

    1. Have the players stand with their “shooting / lead foot” forward.
    2. “TOE TO THE TARGET” – the lead foot or shooting foot should point to the target or the basket.
    3. Instruct the players to place their non-shooting foot into the arch of the sneaker (the insert) of the shooting foot.
    4. Tell the players to move their non-shooting foot (back foot) to the side so that the feet are shoulder width apart.
    5. Bend the knees to be in triple threat position.
    6. Have the shoulders in front of the feet.
    7. Feet, hips, and shoulders should be square.
    HAND BALANCE
    1. The shooting hand should be placed in the middle of the basketball. The palm should not touch the ball. There should be “little daylight” that can be seen as the player holds the ball off his palm and on his fingertip pads and fingertips.
    E = ELBOW: It is essential to have proper elbow position to develop a good shot.
    1. READ THE BALL – The player should place the ball in his hand with the palm facing the sky. The hand should be between waist and shoulder level. The player should then READ THE BALL (i.e. Spaulding).
    2. LINE UP THE SEAMS - It is a very fundamental step that may not always be able to be completed during a game but the player should always try to line up his fingertips with the seams to get a good feel for the ball. This will also help a developing shooter to identify whether his shot has the proper rotation.
    3. ELBOW FORMS AN “L” (in line with the lead foot and knee) – It is also important to make sure the elbow is straight. There are four ways to miss a shot. Right, left, short, or long. If a player can shoot the ball straight, he will be a much more accurate shooter. With proper elbow position, the player will only miss the shot short or long. He should never miss to the right or left.
    4. WRIST WRINKLES – The ball should rest on the shooting hand far enough back so that the shooting hand’s wrist has wrinkles.
    E = EYES: The eyes should always be focused on the target
    1. The eyes should be focused on the target at all times. The eyes should never follow the flight of the ball.
    2. The eyes should focus on the target, the center of the basket.
    F = FOLLOW THROUGH: The last part of the shot.
    1. BEND – Even when a player shoots very close to the basket, it is important to bend the knees. The further away from the basket the player moves, the more important it is to bend the knees and use the legs.
    2. AND EXTEND (extend the elbow above the eyebrow) – After releasing the ball, the elbow should end above the player’s eyebrow. A good reminder for players is the phrase - “ELBOW ABOVE THE EYEBROW.” Coaches can use this phrase to help remind the players of the proper fundamental.
    3. PUT YOUR HAND IN THE BASKET (or HAND IN THE HOOP) – Players should try to finish their follow through by snapping (maybe not the best term) the hand in the basket. Sometimes it might be helpful to tell the player to try touch their fingertips to their wrist, even though this is impossible.
    4. FREEZE THE FOLLOW THROUGH – It is also important to hold the follow through until the ball goes through the hoop. A player should not only freeze his shooting hand, but his guide hand as well. If a player drops his guide hand and only freezes his shooting hand, the body has a tendency to turn to the side of the guide hand. This will negatively impact the release of the shot.
    5. FISH HOOK – after completing the follow through, the shooting hand should resemble a “fish hook.”
    ADDITIONAL COACHING POINTS: THUMBS FORM A “T” – when a player starts to shoot the ball with two hands, the shooting thumb and the guide hand thumb should form the letter “T”. The guide hand is placed on the side of the ball. If the player turns the ball so the guide hand is on the top, it should form a T. The thumbs should not be touching, but if there was a line drawn connecting the space between the two thumbs it would form the letter “T’ In future blogs, the teaching progression for shooting will be presented. If you liked this blog, please follow us on twitter @mytowntutors and share our Coaching Youth Basketball page with others. My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. If you are a teacher who tutors, for a limited time, you can register for using promo code: usteachers. Teachers set the hourly and keep 100% of the fees! One of our teachers made $5,000 last year tutoring. It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area. Please help us find ONE MORE teacher who tutors!