Full Timeout

Golf and Basketball

2009-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

It's been a while since I last wrote so I wanted to take a moment to check in and see how everyone is doing. NBA Training Camp has begun which means Midnight Madness is soon to follow and eventually High School try-outs are soon to follow. If you've ever heard me speak in person you know how I feel about the word try-out. If you honestly feel as if you need to try-out to make a high school team you haven't put in the necessary time, effort and preparation required for success. Stop reading this and go practice.

On the subject of time and energy, I have developed quite a passion for golf that I am fully pursuing in my spare time. In my effort to become a better golfer I have come to a very interesting crossroads in my thoughts and my words. As bad as many of you want to become exceptional basketball players I would love to become an exceptional golfer. Each weekend when I have free time and weather permitting I run to the golf course with dreams and ambition of shooting in the 70's. Truth is most times I'm in the 90's with my scores. It's frustrating and I wonder why I can't get my score down in the 70's like the pros. Then the light goes off... the last time I played golf was last week, the last time I went somewhere and did strength and flexibility exercises for golf was never, the last time I found an empty field and took 2,000 shots from multiple distances and angles was never, the last time I sat down and analyzed film of my swing was never.

Do you notice a correlation here? The most important part of becoming a good golfer is to hit a lot of balls, covering a lot of different shots, under some type of tutelage. That is, practice, practice, practice. Exactly, this is precisely how the majority of you approach the game of basketball. Week to week playing games without a structured training program, without hours and hours of practicing shots from multiple angles and distances. Somehow you leave each game surprised at the outcome. I am taking my medicine and this winter you will find me in the gym working on Golf-Specific Exercises and finding a place to hit thousands of shots from multiple angles, distances and degrees of difficulty. I bet I will become a better golfer before you become a better basketball player.

2 On 1 Shot Recognition Drill

2 offensive players on the wing, 1 defensive player under the basket. Drill starts when defense passes to offensive player on the perimeter. Offense reacts to the close-out. If defense is late take the jump-shot, if defense stops the ball and prevents dribble penetration to the rim offense must kick out to the open player. Defense must react and close-out and box out while contesting the shooter. Encourage players to verbally communicate when to shoot or pass. The maximum number of passes for this drill is 2 including the initial pass from the defense. Rotate positions and rotate offense and defense. Play games to 10 on both sides of the floor. To make this drill more difficult use a coach or manager as a passer under the basket. They will decide to pass right or left, as well as faster or slower pass that determines quick shot or dribble penetration and dish.

Don't Forget Your Ladder

Every workout after the Dynamic Warm-Up we try to incorporate 5-10 minutes of The Agility Ladder. It's a great way to improve your Agility, Balance and Coordination. Here are a couple of basic patterns you can try next time you're in the gym:

Wake Up

2009-09-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

Wake Up everybody summer is over. Time to go back to work, back to school and re-energize our consciousness about the choices and decisions we make in our lives. I'm sure all my high school and college players are showing off their new wardrobes, haircuts, tattoos and muscles. All the NBA Guys who are worth their salt and their contract should be somewhere in obscurity training and getting ready for a successful season. This is always an interesting time of year to me because as I get older, I start to notice that many things stay the same. For example many coaches gave their players feedback about what they needed to work on during the summer "Hey, I need you bigger, faster, stronger better skilled come next season." Despite this request a multitude of reasons stand in between what was asked and what was done. When asked or challenged to show or quantify the changes that were made during the off-season many are at a loss for words. Some, in fact many will become defensive and feel antagonized by this line of questioning as if to say who are you to question what I did this off-season? I always feel that those coaches and players who feel threatened or offended by someone inspecting their process for improvement are missing the point. Anytime someone questions a winner they respond with results, they use their critics and doubters for motivation that's what pushes them during workouts and forces them in the gym and in the weight room. You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive means taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Initiative and taking action will then follow. So Wake-Up, be conscious and proactive not just in basketball but in life as well

The Cross Country Debate

I'm tired of having this conversation, I have it every year because many of you will not use common sense. Coach Wake Up!!! Basketball is an anaerobic sport, short distance quick bursts and explosions, lots of cutting, sliding and jumping, backpedals and constant change of direction. The energy system used is the phosphagen system, the quickest, and most powerful source of energy for muscle movement. The phosphagen system is a form of anaerobic metabolism. It uses creatine phosphate to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the chemical which provides energy for all body processes). It will support activity for only about 10 seconds, just enough time for top-class runners to complete a 100 meter sprint. Although the phosphagen system produces only a little ATP, it generates energy very quickly. This provides the maximal power needed for short bursts of activity, such as when a sprinter explodes out of the blocks, or when a weight-lifter performs a clean-and-jerk or a basketball player runs, jumps, sprints or backpedals for a short period of time before a whistle blows and there is a break in the action. Don't believe me let this guy break it down for you:

He looks like he's in great shape right? If I gave you five guys that looked like this how do you think they would do on the basketball court? How many miles is your team going to run this pre-season again?

Hope To See You Soon:

If you are in the NY/NJ Metro Area and would like to join us for a workout this fall please feel free to register for one of our program offerings. Remember, there is a difference between interested and committed:

D-TRAINED Sweatshops are designed to increase
performance in the following areas:

Shooting, Passing, Ball Handling, Basketball IQ

Basketball Speed, Agility, and Conditioning

Functional Strength Training and Plyometrics

This Fall we will feature "Shooting Days" where with the help of 2 Gun Shooting Machines we will allow players to improve shooting mechanics and accuracy. We will create game situations where players can develop their shooting skills on the move and with game like intensity. The Gun can fire up to 1800 shots per hour.

Sign up for 10 Sweatshop Sessions http://www.dtrained.com/catalog_i10204343.html?catId=354208

Sign up for 20 Sweatshop Sessions
http://www.dtrained.com/catalog_i10204677.html?catId=354208

Sign up for Gun Shooting Sunday Sessions
http://www.dtrained.com/catalog_i11188328.html?catId=354208

Improve Scoring, Showcase Game Skills, get a Nike SPARQ Rating, and participate in Elite Level Training with one of Nike SPARQ's Top Trainers.

D-TRAINED, Inc. is a company designed to improve the athletic performance level of Elite High School, College and Professional Athletes. D-TRAINED has been featured on NBA’s Inside Stuff, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News. D-TRAINED is a Nike SPARQ Certified Trainer and is the featured trainer on the Brand Jordan Training Tour. For more information go to www.dtrained.com

Words To Inspire

Do Or Not Do...There is no Trying

Where The Mind Goes The Body Will Follow

The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Invent It

A Professional is Someone Who Can Do Their Best When They Don't Feel Like It

Years Of Hard Work For Moments Of Glory

Actions Speak Louder Than Coaches

Everything Unpleasant is Developmental

Farewell My Summer Love

2009-06-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Farewell My Summer Love....Sorry I have to say goodbye one more time as this song always reminds me that it's time to go back to school.... I hope your summer love was training and developing your game! We will soon find out won't we?

Startling Confessions

By KEVIN CLARK

When the season begins, many will learn something else: They don’t know how to play basketball.

One system that prepares young American players for the pros, the Amateur Athletic Union, is, by most accounts, broken. Without a rigid minor-league system like baseball’s or the extra seasoning football players get in college, America’s basketball gems increasingly get their training from teams affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union, a vast national youth-basketball circuit that has groomed many of the sport’s top stars.

For some time, coaches have grumbled that the AAU’s emphasis on building stars and playing games over practicing produces a lot of talented prospects who have great physical skills but limited knowledge of the fundamentals. Now some players are speaking out.

By the middle of the last NBA season, as concerns build about his dwindling playing time and rough transition to the NBA, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat, finally conceded a fundamental flaw: No one, at any level in his basketball career, had asked him to play defense. And especially not in AAU. “If you’re playing defense in AAU, you don’t need to be playing,” he says. “I’ve honestly never seen anyone play defense in AAU.”

An AAU official declined to comment for this article.

The chorus of critics ranges from AAU player Alex Oriakhi, a McDonald’s All-American center who plans to play for the University of Connecticut, who says shooting guards he’s seen in AAU are in for a “rude awakening” to USA Basketball officials and NBA coaches.

Founded in 1888, the AAU’s first goal was to represent American sports internationally. AAU teams blossomed in many sports, and the organization became a driving force in preparing Olympic athletes. In 1978, the Amateur Sports Act established a governing body for American Olympic sports, usurping the AAU’s role as an Olympic launching pad. Its most notable sport today is basketball, where it counts Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James among its alumni.

In recent years the circuit has gone from a high school diversion—a way to supplement school teams—to a highly organized and often well-funded operation. The non-profit AAU moved its headquarters in 1996 from Indianapolis to Orlando, where it hosts national championships at a palatial Disney World complex.

Shoe companies have sponsored AAU teams as a way to develop early relationships with future superstars. Agents and college coaches have flocked to AAU games, where they can get to know players outside the watchful high-school system. The opportunity to travel across the country and play in front of these kingmakers—often on teams with other top prospects—is something high schools can’t deliver.

The result is a mixture of unrestrained offense and Harlem Globetrotter defense: Even with 32-minute games, far shorter than the NBA’s 48 or NCAA’s 40, top AAU teams often score more than 70 points and sometimes more than 80.

“It’s a bad system for developing players,” says Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “They aren’t learning to handle the ball, they aren’t learning to make plays against pressure. The emphasis with our high-school players is to get exposure and play as many games as you can and show everybody how great you are. If I can win the 11-and-12 year old league and tell all my friends about it, that is a whole lot more important than if my kids actually get any better or learn anything about the game.”

In Europe, Mr. Van Gundy says, “those guys are doing five or six practices for every game. They are spending a lot of time in the gym working on individual skills. It’s reversed here.”

New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic, who is Serbian, remembers spending four hours a day dribbling through chairs and working on defense and other fundamentals in practices. Mr. Beasley, on the other hand, says he can’t remember any specific defensive drills his AAU teams ran. “If you put structure into AAU,” he says, “no one would play.”

No prospect in this year’s draft knows this better than point guard Brandon Jennings. Last year, Mr. Jennings was one of America’s best high-school point guards and the quintessential product of AAU. Rather than doing a one-year minimum stint in college before entering the NBA draft, he played a season in Italy where, he says, things were different.

His time in Europe began with a rare stretch for an AAU product: He went weeks without touching a basketball. His team spent the preseason running across Roman parks and soccer fields.

In September, they retreated to an Italian mountain hideaway for two weeks and ran there, too. They practiced fundamentals and rarely scrimmaged. Coming from the AAU, this was new for Mr. Jennings, who averaged 5.5 points per game in limited minutes during the in Italy.

It was, he says, the most intense two weeks of his basketball life. If he’d never gone to Europe, he says, “I wouldn’t know the pick-and-roll game. I wouldn’t know how to guard, wouldn’t know how to fight through screens. I’m stronger now.”

Mr. Jennings, who will almost certainly be a first-round pick Thursday, says the experience will give him an edge over other players in the draft.

In a bid to make sure players are more seasoned before they go pro, the NBA, in 2006, began requiring players to be 19 and a year out of high school to enter the draft. While college’s best players often leave after one or two years, four years of college can sometimes help a career: take fundamentally sound North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough, who could be a first-round pick Thursday, despite widespread knocks on his athleticism. The league has also built a minor league system, the NBA Development League, though it is only used for high draft picks in extreme cases.

In 2008, the NBA and NCAA also announced a youth initiative, called iHoops, to improve the American structure.

While the U.S. national basketball team redeemed itself with a gold medal in Beijing after a string of embarrassments in international play, Jerry Colangelo, the national director of USA Basketball who is in charge of the Olympic team, says the system is still deeply flawed. He suggests giving high school coaches more access to their players, especially in the summer.

The AAU system has its defenders. New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul says that thanks to the AAU, he learned to play the style of the Utah Jazz’s offense when he was 11-years old and credits AAU for starting his development into one of the top point guards in the NBA. He now runs his own AAU team, the CP3 All-Stars in North Carolina.

“Some coaches teach fundamentals, some coaches run and show athleticism. It’s not necessarily a problem because it’s up to you to watch and concentrate,” he says.

Anthony Lewis, an AAU coach from Baltimore who helped develop Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies, who was the No. 8 draft pick in 2006, says AAU helped teach the skinny 13-year-old not to settle for easy shots.

“We taught him to work away from the bucket,” Mr. Lewis says. “Working on mid-range at a young age, putting the ball on the floor, making him aggressive.”

5 Minutes 100 Lay-Ups

The goal of this drill is to make 100 lay-ups in less than 5 minutes. Perform Right-Handed and Left Handed. Start with two lines and balls in each lines on opposite corners of the court. Pass to the elbow (coach, manager, or player) sprint wide and fast to the opposite basket where you receive a bounce pass for a lay-up. You must use the appropriate hand, left hand left side and right hand right side. No dribbles attack the rim, catch and finish. Check it out:

No Weight Room, No Problem

Every year coaches, parents and players babble on and on about how a player needs to get stronger, faster and more athletic. Despite the obvious when the season is over the weight room rarely is occupied, no one is out on the field doing agility drills and the list of excuses is endless. In some cases I understand that your school or team's weight room is a closet with some dust and 1970 Phys Ed equipment. In other cases you have state of the art equipment but somehow the good life also breeds complacent attitudes and behaviors. Fear not, I'm here to help. Here are a few simple things you can do that require very little space, equipment or excuses.

No More Excuses!

Dad's Sports Lessons

2009-06-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Father's Day there is no denying the close bond that exists between Father's and their sons when it comes to sports. It's a great way to learn, share and gain life lessons that extend well beyond the field or court. On this Father's Day I would like to share a few memorable lessons I learned from my Dad that helped me in sports and in life.

Lesson #1 The Science Project:

Pop Warner Football was a great experience for me, I can remember it like it was yesterday. The first day when they line you up to see how fast you are, the first time you learn to put on your uniform on in less than 30 minutes, boiling your mouth piece so it fits just right. All these moments were special rites of passage. Once the games came, I was a natural running and easily surpassing 100 yards game after game. Football was so much fun, for me it was just like playing in the back yard with my brothers and friends. Somewhere along the lines I started enjoying my new found celebrity status a little too much. I decided I was destined for greatness at a very early age and decided to wait until the last minute to complete a science project for the school science fair. Needless to say I flunked my science project, a phone call went home and I was in big trouble. No more football practice, no more football games and no more adulation from my peers. Upon discovering my crime and punishment, my caring Pop Warner Coach decided to ring the door bell and plea with my father to change his mind about punishing me. "We have a big game coming up", "This town has never had an undefeated team", "We need him to play so that we can win and go to Florida". To which my father responds..."if you can guarantee that he will be a first round NFL Draft Pick, then he can play. If you can't you need to get back in your car and go where you came from." To add insult to injury I was allowed to attend the next game....in street clothes. As I walked in I could hear the other team whispering and pointing as if they were saying he's not playing, this game will be easy. As I sat in the bleachers on the home side, the stares weren't nearly as polite. I could sense the anger from other parents who thought it was selfish to penalize the team by not playing. They wouldn't get to experience an undefeated team, and the chances of competing in Florida were out the window. I barely remember the game because my eyes were filled with tears so I couldn't see a thing. Lesson learned, school and responsibility comes first.

Lesson #2 Tuesdays and Thursdays:

Depending on what town you live in your garbage probably gets picked up twice a week. In my second lesson from Dad I learned that these are days you never want to forget. It's funny how success can sometimes make us forget the important responsibilities and commitments we agree to, but it's always good to have someone close to you remind you where you come from in order to maintain your humility. If you know me at all, you know basketball has done many wonderful things for me and afforded me many opportunities that I otherwise might not have gotten. Picture me as a teenager playing basketball at a very high level. Unlike today, there were no glorified AAU Teams or travel teams so I had to earn my reputation through the newspaper and word of mouth by beating the older players and grown men. Word spread around town quickly that I was that guy, and the point was reinforced every time someone approached my dad and said "oh you're Daryl Smith's Dad" your son is a one helluva ball-player! What they failed to realize was that my Dad played professional football and was actually drafted pro in football, baseball and basketball from a Division III School! He wasn't impressed by some 14 year old kid, his son or anyone else's. Boy I could only imagine how it feels to have someone approach you as a parent only recognizable through your child's accomplishments. Fast forward to July I'm home from Five-Star Basketball Camp competing against the best competition in America and holding my own. Big Time College Coaches know my name and are asking about me, I'm scoring 30 points a game in summer league you couldn't tell me anything. Well actually you could, and my Dad did. One day I came home after one of those great 30 point games feeling on top of the world and forgot that it was Thursday and the trash needed to go out that morning. As I walked into my room there were no college letters and packages only the trash that I had forgotten to take out earlier that morning.

Lesson # 3 Wake-Up Early and Prepare:

What time do you wake up every morning and what's the first thing you do? For many, it's wake up get coffee, turn on the television and eat the least nutritious thing you can possibly find. In my house dad woke up very early, ran a few miles, lifted weights and then managed to get the rest of us up in time for work or school. Needless to say that leaves a pretty indelible image in your young mind. I can remember one summer watching my older brother join my dad as he prepared to become a Division 1 defensive back. They would wake up hit the track, do all kinds of drills and then lift weights. I wanted no parts of that, after all I was cool and besides I already was the talk of the town. Why should I get up early and do extra things to make myself better? One day I reluctantly joined in on one of the early shifts, except me being the defiant independent one decided I was going to bring my basketball and do my own thing. I began to participate, but not really I was going through the motions. Eventually my brother's hard work paid off and he became a starting safety at an Ivy League School. My dad was still in great shape and every now and then he and my brother would get on the court and try to ruff me up and expose the weaker parts of my game in front of others. "He can't shoot from the corner, he doesn't like to go left" they would say. Now what would normally be my own personal highlight reel game was being undermined by my own blood! There was only one way to get even, I got up early worked on my left hand and my shot from the corner became deadly. These lessons would come in handy when I got to college and didn't play a lot my freshman year. I quickly remembered those early morning sessions and extra preparation. I can still remember to this day being up early running without an IPOD, but rather a very heavy Portable Cassette Player. There is something very peaceful about being up before your competition and knowing that you are preparing to beat them while they are home sleeping. Once I was finished running I would go to the park and start shooting from the corner and dribbling with my left hand going back to turn my weaknesses into strengths. My hard work paid off and I became a 3 year starter and captain of the team. I was always the best conditioned player on the team and I will always attribute that to Dad teaching me to wake up early and prepare. More important than that, those who really know me know that I still wake up early to workout, collect my thoughts and do some of my best thinking and preparation while others are turning on the TV and reaching for the least nutritious thing they can find.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially mine for teaching me that responsibility comes before sports, you should always remain humble despite your success, and you have to wake up early and prepare if you want to succeed in life!

3 Things

2009-06-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

3 Quick Things I Would Like To Share:

Please look at the video of Dwight Howard and see how he used to look before he started taking things seriously. We can all point fingers at areas of his game, but the truth is he's working hard to improve his game why aren't you?

Helping Trevor Ariza Become A Shooter

Great story I had never heard before from my favorite of the Lakers beat guys, Kevin Ding of the OC Register.

“I used it like it was the Bible,” Ariza said.

What we were talking about was the shooting-practice program given to Ariza entering the summer before this season by one Kobe Bryant.

The meaning of the gesture to Ariza – and its net effect in transforming his jump shot and thus this Lakers championship team – make it the quintessence of the latter-day Bryant as a teammate…

“I just got in the gym every day and worked. I used what he told me, used some things that he gave me to do. And I just worked.”

It worked. Ariza had made nine 3-pointers in his first four NBA seasons. This season, he made 61 as a prelude to his 47.6 percent playoff marksmanship that Bynum described with bugged-out eyes this way: “His shooting is ridiculous at this point.”

Being Underrated Isn't So Bad

Don't tell everyone who you are, just show them what you've done.

An Easy Shortcut

2009-06-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

There are no shortcuts. "I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly, because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. That's why I approached practices the same way I approached games. You can't turn it on and off like a faucet . I couldn't dog it during practice and then, when I needed that extra push late in the game expect it to be there.

But that's how a lot of people approach things, and that's why a lot of people fail. They sound like they are committed to being the best they can be. They say all the right things, make all the proper appearances. But when it comes right down to it, they're looking for reasons instead of answers.

You see this all the time in professional sports. You can even see it in your friends or business associates. There are a million excuses for not paying the price. "If only I was given a particular opportunity" or "if only the coach, teacher or boss liked me better, I could have accomplished this or that." Nothing but excuses.

Part of this commitment is taking responsibility. That's not to say there aren't obstacles or distractions. If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to go through it, climb it, or work around it. "

Excerpt taken from "I Can't Accept Not Trying" by Michael Jordan....Perhaps you can find some inspiration and motivation.

A Free Workout

Make 10 Full Court Lay-ups 5(R) and 5(L) limit 4 Dribbles

Jog from Elbow to Half-Court Back to Elbow and Make 10 Jumpers R and L Elbow

Make 5 Free Throws

Dribble Series Beat Two 1st Defender at 1/2 Court 2nd defender at Elbow

Make 5 of Each and Finish With Lay-Up on R/L Side of Court

Cross-Over, Between Legs, Spin, Hop-Back

Make 5 Free Throws

Wing Shooting

Flash or L-Cut To The Wing

Make 5 Jumpers off the catch

Rip R Make 5

Rip L Make 5

Rip R Step-Back Make 5

Rip L Step-Back Make 5

Complete on Both Sides of The Court

Make 5 Free Throws

Transition Shooting( w/passer sprint from 1/2 court, if alone spin ball to self)

From R/L Wing Make 5 of Each

1 dribble R Pull-Up

1 dribble L Pull-Up

1 dribble R Step-Back

1 dribble L Step-Back

Shot-Fake 1 dribble L

Shot Fake 1 dribble R

Make 5 Free Throws

Record Your Shooting Results

Blame It On The......

Not sure if you've been watching the NBA Finals, they've been extremely close and competitive. I'm rooting for good competitive games, don't really want LA to win, but not losing sleep either way. I have to ask though...Why are the Magic down 3-1?

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