Hi Parents,
Yesterday, this following video link appeared in
my inbox.
If you have a player at any level, regardless of sport
this is a must view.
Click below to watch:
Enjoy.
Don’t forget there is NO School on Friday, March 24th.
Spots are available
Click the link below:
https://www.bestyouthhoops.com/studentholiday/
Let the game come to you.
See you soon.
Keith
A few (not all) of the Select basketball age groups will have open gym over the next two weeks for players who might be interested in Select basketball to come in and shoot some hoops prior to the summer league tryouts in April.
If your age group/gender is not listed below, there will not be open gym before the tryouts in April which is for all age groups. See open gym schedule below.
Open Gym Schedule: (Rising grade = grade in fall 2017)
Rising 5th & 6th grade boys: (talented younger players are welcome too) Tuesday March 7, Lanier Middle School, 7:30-9 Tuesday March 14 Lanier Middle School, 7:30-9
Rising 7th grade boys: Thursday March 9, Providence Elementary School, 7:30-9 Tuesday March 14, Providence Elementary School, 7:30-9 Thursday March 16, Providence Elementary School, 7:30-9
Rising 8th grade girls: Tuesday March 7, Providence Elementary School, 6-7:30 Thursday March 9, Providence Elementary School, 6-7:30 Tuesday March 14, Providence Elementary School, 6-7:30 Thursday March 16, Providence Elementary School, 6-7:30
FPYC has a spring/summer Select/Travel basketball program for rising (next year’s) 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders starting around the first of April, more info will be out soon. This program is for players who want to have fun, develop more advanced basketball skills and play more competitive basketball games.
NOTE: The Select program is competitive. Unlike the house program, your child must tryout and is not guaranteed a spot on the team nor is s/he guaranteed playing time.
Times/dates and locations for spring/summer tryouts will be announced soon and the website will be updated at www.fpycsports.com under the basketball tab for select basketball.
Typically during the spring/summer league, attendance is more flexible as we take into consideration there may be some time missed for spring sports, vacations and summer camps.
Check with the coach for your age group.
The program consists of two parts; spring training with possible participation in spring tournaments and the summer league games beginning after school is out.
If you are committed to another spring sport and may be limited on your participation in spring training but are interested in participating in the summer league, please come to tryouts, discuss with the coach and fill out a registration form so you have the opportunity to be on a summer team. You must attend tryouts and fill out a registration form to be considered for a team.
Also, if you have friends who may be interested, please forward this email. For questions regarding the spring/summer select program email George Ragan at fpycselect@yoursportpage.com
The players want to have fun playing, correct?
Do they have more fun when they accomplish something?
Statistics show the number #1 reason players quit a sport is
because it is No Longer Fun.
What will your player do this year?
After interviewing a few local and national coaches, here’s a list of what
they need to learn:
1) Defensive Stance… Important because all 5 players play defense at
one time. Unlike offense where one player has the ball.
2) Layups. How many of these have you seen missed during a game?
3)Learn How to get open. What you usually see is one dribbler and 4
teammates standing still asking for the ball or chasing the dribbler.
4)Triple Threat. Balanced positioning so players can pass, dribble, or
shoot.
Have you ever seen players on their toes with the ball over their
heads? Yikes!!
5)Help Defense. Defense is a team sport. Attention needs to be paid to
“seeing their man and the ball”.
I bet your main question is “What about dribbling?” We will touch on this
in the next article.
Have an exciting, fun season.
Your child will struggle dribbling, catching,
receiving, and shooting.
This may mean their skill level needs work or
it could also mean the ball is too big.
If this is the 1st time you are buying a Basketball for your son and or daughter consider these four things:
(depending on the club your child plays, balls sizes may vary slightly for the younger groups)
# 1. A size 5, 27.5″ Basketball should cover Ages 9 and Under
#2. A size 6, 28.5″ Basketball should cover girls ages 9 + and boys ages 9-11
#3. A size 7, 29.5″ Basketball should cover boys ages 12+
#4 check to make sure the Basketball is either for “Outdoor” or “Indoor” Play
If possible, have them dribble the basketball at the store before purchasing.
I run into players who can shoot, dribble, and pass, but can’t
seem to put it all together. The problem usually exists from the
lack of athleticism, meaning they can’t make a move that will allow
them make an efficient play with ball.
An efficient play with the ball means you can pass, shoot or dribble
under pressure without turning over the ball and/or taking a high
percentage shot within your range. Many times turnovers and
bad shots are a result of not being able to “move” to the correct position.
Most of it has to do with footwork. The roof of a house isn’t built until you
have a foundation. It’s the same with all sports. You must develop a base.
In later articles will discuss how to become balanced. For this piece, we are
concerned with footwork.
It starts as young child playing on the playground. Chasing your friends who
tend to zig zag their way around you and vice versa. If your child is not actively
running, jumping, and changing directions, his ability to play sports will be limited.
Here are 3 ways to increase your footwork.
1) A simple game of tag helps.
2) Jump roping will develop your footwork as well.
3) Another exercise is to skip which actually helps with shooting layups.
We use this as part of our warm-ups.
If you are older than 12, there are other exercises to make your footwork
better even though the ones listed above will help.
Many of you have wondered why your child
is having a difficult time reaching the rim
or shooting comfortably from farther distances.
Usually, there are 2 reasons why this happens.
1) The player is not using proper shooting technique or form.
2) Lack of strength
While technique and form are extremely important, I still
notice many players lacking enough arm strength
to reach the basket even on shorter rims.
-and-
Older players are also having problems shooting from longer
distances.
So, let’s focus on lack of strength and how to solve
this issue.
The solution is with one simple exercise without
the use of weights, equipment, and takes very little
space. Your child can also perform this indoors or outdoors,
and at any time of the year.
It can be use by players starting as early as 6
years of age and for many years afterwards, including professionals.
The exercise is PUSHUPS!
Start with doing as many as you can then increasing it on
a daily basis.
When I was 10 years old, I started a pushup program. I could
only perform 3 pushups the first time; however, by just added
more each day, I was able to do 25 by the end of the week.
Here’s a video link that teaches good form:
Try it! It works!
When your players are working out on their own, it
maybe best to have them concentrate on one skill for that day.
If they are struggling with dribbling, work on their
dribbling to the point where they can see themselves
having success.
Success becomes Fun.
Fun builds interest.
Interest develops more practice.
More practice creates a better player.
Go from one drill to another with the intent of developing that
skill, but finish with shooting.
All youth players love to shoot. What’s the first thing a player does when
they enter the court.
They shoot.
The easiest answer is to work on making layups, and we
will cover that in another segment.
For those of you who want to practice shooting jump shots,
here’s a simple drill even if you are alone.
As a kid growing up without household siblings, I used to
perform this drill starting at age 9.
No rebounder is needed.
**Start by facing the basket.
**Toss the ball in the air.
**As you toss it, spin it backward so that when it lands,
it bounces to where you want it to go.
**Grab the ball, ensure that your body is square to the basket,
and take a jump shot.
**Immediately run to the basket and grab your rebound
and repeat the drill again, this time tossing it to a
different spot on the court.
Remember: Shoot to make, not just to shoot.
Summer is the time for fun and relaxation…a chance for players to recharge their batteries and get ready for the upcoming school year and season.
Have you ever noticed during the following season how one player all of a sudden has dramatically improved?
The reason is they have practiced over the summer. The players who get better usually improve during the “off season” where they can work on various parts of their game.
Yes, there is still plenty of time for fun and relaxation because all you need is 20-30 per day to work on various skills.
A typical question I get is, what does my child need to work on to improve?
Here are the 5 things they should do to enhance their game.
1) Work on ballhandling. This #1 for youth basketball players because without improvement of this skill, the other parts of the game will probably not get better either.
Players need to learn to dribble with their weaker hand. If there are advanced players, combination moves using the weaker hand is a must.
Big hint: Make sure you spread your fingers wide when dribbling or performing any ballhandling drill. You will soon develop greater control of the basketball.
2) Take lots of shots. If you are a younger player make sure you can make 80% to 90% of your layups before extending your shooting range. In youth basketball games, 80% of most shots are made within 5 feet of the basket.
Once you have mastered layups which is primarily a matter of proper footwork, then you can move out farther.
You want to practice good form on every shot. Shoot to make, not just to shoot.
3) Work on footwork. Footwork will help you get in position to get a beat your opponent off the dribble, get a better shot, and defend.
For beginning players, just skipping, hopping and running with changes in direction will increase their footwork. A great game of tag is awesome way to develop footwork with spontaneous movements.
4) Get physically fit. Creative moves and fundamentals won’t help you much if you aren’t physically able to implement them. Develop strength by doing pushups and situps.
5) Just play. Find a friend. Play various games, ranging from around the world, 21, knockout. You know we schedule play dates for our kids to hang out, watch television, go to the movies, etc?
How about a play date to the local basketball courts at the park? If you drive around parks most days, the courts are empty.
We can still have a great fun summer as you workout and improve.
Last week we discussed 3 steps how parents can make their child a
a better player.
The next question is where to begin.
We start with ballhandling drills.
This includes dribbling, passing, and receiving. Let’s start with dribbling as the first ballhandling skill.
For younger players, some coaches may start with footwork such basic running, hopping, skipping, and changes in direction.
Before we move forward with the dribbling drills, we do have ballhandling
warmup time where the players perform such drills as:
We will cover each of these in subsequent posts.
For dribbling, make sure the players use the fingertips to the pads of the fingers, but not the palms.
This is important because we dribble, catch, and shoot with this part of our hand.
Next, have them bend their knees as if they are sitting in a chair with feet facing forward.
Their backs should be straight which allows them to keep their heads up.
Reminder: Try not to let them bend their backs.
The players need to bounce the ball off the floor by snapping of their wrists, but make to not “smack” the ball.
Players should dribble just off the side of their toe with the ball bouncing no higher than their knees.
Make sure they dribble with each hand, spending more time on the weaker hand.
If they are older or experienced player have them do the Isiah 7 drill. Here’s the link to drill: https://www.bestyouthhoops.com/2012/03/02/7-easy-steps-to-becoming-a-top-dribbler/