Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Free-throw shooting- practice makes perfect

I'm sure you have heard the old philosophy that free-throws win games. It's true. On every level, free-throws can be the determining factor between a win and a loss. It also can determine if a coach will leave a player on the floor in crunch time. Good free-throw shooters will always have a spot in the coaches rotation because they can be counted on.

The way to become an efficient free-throw shooter is to practice daily. It is important to practice and make sure you implement the B-E-E-F method. Your feet should be Balanced, shoulder's width apart, lead shooting foot slightly in front of the other. The Elbow should be directly in line with the knee on the lead shooting leg. The Eyes should be locked on the rim, focusing on the middle eyelets. Your focus should be to get the ball over the rim. Do not shoot the ball short. Lastly, Follow Through on your shot with your fingers pointed towards the rim. Always give the ball an opportunity to go in.

Shoot your free-throws in sets of 10. Keep a count of how many you make or miss. 10 sets of 10 is 100 free-throws. You should be able to get this done efficiently if you stay focused. Put pressure on yourself by creating game situations while you are shooting.(The score is tied, no time on the clock, this free-throw will win my team the state-championship) You will be surprised at how much this will help win in game situations. You may even end up in on similar to the one I described.

There no substitute to being a good free-throw shooter. Work hard and practice on your free-throw shooting!

Yours in Basketball,

Coach Stewart

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Defense wins Championships

Kudos to the 2008-2009 Chicago Bulls on their season and namely the playoff series versus the Boston Celtics in the first round. The Bulls became a contender in the eastern conference this season after acquiring Brad Miller and John Salmons. They were key pieces to our overall success this year and worked well with Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and the other Bulls players that contributed off the bench.

Through trade acquisitions and the NBA draft, it would be in the Bulls best interest add a low post player and a big wing player that both can defend. These two acquisitions would be the difference in the Bulls pushing past the first round into the Eastern Conference Championship. Boston, Cleveland and Orlando all have players that provide this type of presence.

It makes a big difference when a perimeter player drives the lane and there is a defensive enforcer clogging up the lane. It also changes the complexion of the game when a big wing player is cutting an offense player's angles to the basket off or forcing them to the baseline. Those defensive adjustments can and will discourage good offensive teams from attacking the basket and the lane.

Remember, defense wins championships from the youth level to the NBA!

Yours in Basketball,

Coach Stewart