I'm Back......Bearing Gifts

Hey Everybody!!!

Glad to connect with you once again. Lot of happenings since we last spoke. Summer is officially over and getting stuck behind school buses is back in effect. I'm refreshed recharged and ready to get back training again. A quick trip to Vegas and a little bit of R&R did just the trick. Actually, I was working but since I love what I do so much how could I possibly see it as work. Besides, it's not everyday you get to shoot jumpers with...2 Olympic Gold Medalists, a Rookie of The Year, 2 NBA Champions and two guys who almost upset the 2008 NBA Champions by pushing them to 7 games. Imagine that, one minute I'm instructing you in drills and then next thing you know I have two of the premier shooting guards in the NBA running through that drive and kick and roll-up drill we always do. What a joy to watch this year's NBA MVP Runner-Up execute an L-Cut to perfection, cross-over and dunk on somebody. When that kid from B-More did the mid-post inside pivot move the way I teach it and drop-step dunked...I realized just how far I'd come. 

Back home, I just experienced my first and last "Masculine Sunday" where I get to sit on the couch watch my beloved Steelers and relax and do absolutely nothing. Thanks to my good fortune work will not afford me any more Masculine Sundays and it's back to work training anyone and everyone who is serious about getting better. It's all about using the TiVo now so if you see me on a Sunday don't mention any football scores please!!!

So what's new with you? Back to School, Back to Work, Back Overseas or back to Training Camp? Hopefully whatever it is, you are approaching it with good spirits. You can tell when the weather changes here in the northeast because everybody gets a little short and starts to lose patience when the weather gets cold. No bad attitude here, I'm excited basketball season will be here before we know it and that's a good thing. Speaking of good things I have great news to share with you:

• D-TRAINED is an authorized member of the SPARQ Training Network, authorized to give each athlete a SPARQ Rating that can be used to compare and contrast with other athletes around the nation.
• The SPARQ Rating is a number that identifies overall athletic ability and is used by top coaches and trainers around the nation as an initial indicator of an athletes potential.
• The key value of the SPARQ Rating is that it provides athletes with an invaluable tool for staying motivated, measuring results, focusing training, and maximizing their success.

• D-TRAINED will be offering several opportunities to Test, Train and Compete for the SPARQ "Elite Basketball Rating"

Details can be found here check back often as we will be adding more testing dates and locations. If you are interested in hosting a SPARQ Combine for your school or team click here 

Girl's High School Basketball Players please join me on this date


On another note if you can do this:



You now have 66 Million Reasons to avoid the charlatans:








Best Wishes For a Speedy Recovery Monta

10 Reasons Your Training Program Won't Be Effective:

1. Since you didn't test your athletes to provide a baseline from where to begin training, they have nothing to serve as motivation or indication that the training program actually works
2. It's not Sport-Specific, running hills with barrels on your back in 3 feet of snow sounds challenging mentally and physically, I'm just not sure it will help basketball players
3. Fall League doesn't count as a training day, you play in a league, there is no mention of work or training in the words "League Play" besides, didn't we just finish playing "Summer League"
4. No sound nutritional plan to complement the program. Intense training breaks down the muscle, nutrition and rest are what build the muscle back up. If you don't eat right to support your training all that hard work goes down the drain
5. You love Xerox, DVD's and the Internet so you copy every drill, workout,  and tip you can find. The problem comes in when you don't know how to properly administer the drills or implement progressions once the athletes begin to master what you've shown them.
6. Training muscles in isolation is one of the worst things you can do because your body doesn't work in isolation, muscles perform movements in a synchronous manner. Your training movements should mimic your in game movements. How often do you lie on your back or stomach in basketball?
7. Still using LSD, not the acid but the acronym for Long Slow Distance. Basketball is an anaerobic sport requiring short bursts, stops, starts and constant lateral movement and change of direction. Get off the track, get on the court and start sliding, cutting, jumping and sprinting quickly.
8. Training adaptations take a minimum of 8 to 12 weeks to take effect. Don't expect the player who weighs 150 to weigh 200 and don't expect the guy who weighs 300 to weigh 250 by the time the season starts. Training is a constant thing not a quick fix before the season starts.
9. If you can't fit 50 people comfortably in the training zone, then don't do it. There is nothing worse than overcrowded training without specific attention to detail and proper supervision. Athletes need constant motivation and teaching cues to keep them going, if you can't provide them with these things  your training benefits will suffer.
10. You plan on doing the same things you did last year and expecting different results.