Pure Sweat Basketball

The word on the street is Mark McGuire read the second half of my blog post from last week (“Random Thoughts”) and finally decided to admit he took steroids.  Thanks Big Red, it only took you 10 years.  And it wasn’t the slightest bit obvious (insert sarcasm). All joking aside, the year he broke the home run record, the measured circumference of his right forearm was an inch and half bigger than my neck! How in the hell could that be natural?!

OK, back on topic.

One of the toughest things to deal with as an adult is the concept that nothing in life is guaranteed.  Except for death and taxes.  And while I certainly despise paying taxes, my gut feeling is I would like death even less.

This concept of “nothing being guaranteed”  is so evident in sports. Jim Valvano, the late coach of NC State and one of my favorite motivational speakers, once said something to the effect of:

“Just because you work hard doesn’t guarantee you will be successful.  But not working hard guarantees you won’t be.”

Reigning NCAA National Champion coach Roy Williams said something similar:

“Working hard doesn’t guarantee success, but without it, you have no chance.”

Have you ever spent hours upon hours studying for a test… and still gotten a poor grade? Has your team ever spent hours upon hours practicing all week… and still lost the big game?

Of course you have; it happens to the best of us. Working hard and not achieving success is a tough pill to swallow.  It is hard in basketball and it is hard in life. But it isfact.  And it is something every player and coach needs to come to terms with… because no one is immune.  And when a minor setback (or failure) occurs, you have to learn from it, move past it, and get back to working hard again!

A young lady I had been working with for over a year, and who is a very accomplished high school player, tore her ACL a few weeks ago in a holiday tournament.  She was having a phenomenal season (team was 7-2) and a stellar game (had already hit five 3’s) up to that point. Then, early in the second half on a drive to the basket, she landed awkwardly while being fouled.  BAM! Just like that, she tore her ACL and her season was over.

Her father called me to tell me the bad news and told me she was devastated. As a senior, she was being recruited by several Division I schools, but unfortunately was waiting until the spring to sign… and she was distraught with thoughts that “no one would want her now.”

Personally, I was crushed by the news.  I couldn’t sleep for two days.  I really care about all the kids I work with and I felt terrible she was going through this.  She is such an impressive young lady, both on and off the court.

Unable to sleep, all I kept thinking was, how could this have happened?  She worked so hard this pre-season.  She did everything I asked of her and did it to best of her ability. After a couple hours of staring at the ceiling, I went down to my office and reviewed my notes from our sessions. I took solace in knowing we did everythingpossible to try to reduce the occurrence of this happening.  We incorporated numerous exercises and drills, every single workout, to reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury. We worked on proper landing. We worked on proper cutting. We properly strengthened every muscle and joint in her lower body.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have done anything different. So thankfully, I don’t have to live with the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s.  We worked hard all pre-season and literally did everything we could have done to prevent this. Yet unfortunately, it still occurred.

I went to one of her team’s games last week to say hello, offer my support, and to speak to her father.  We had a wonderful conversation and I promised him I would help her with every step of her recovery. I also told him I was confident she would still play college basketball. The road will be tough, and it is (obviously) not guaranteed, but my advice to her was to stay positive, get ready to get back to work… and things will work out for the best.

Now, I am a strength & conditioning coach… not a psychologist by any means.  But I really believe after her short grieving period is over, she will need to re-focus and get back to working as hard as possible. I understand she is entitled to a period of time of feeling disappointed and depressed… but what’s done is done.  She tore her ACL; it’s a fact. Nothing can be done to undo that now.  Just like an errant pass or a missed shot, it is time to move on to the next play!

The most influential factor in her future success on the court will be how she responds to this setback.  This will be a real test of her character. I have full confidence she will come back better than ever because she has a tremendous attitude, relentless work ethic, and the mindset of a champion.

I am proud and thankful to claim an exemplary record over the past 10 years, with a particularly high rate of success for both injury prevention and performance enhancement.  And even though I can say, with full confidence, we did everything “right” in regards to her pre-season preparation… an injury still occurred.  We worked hard… and as we learned… success was not guaranteed (at least success in this particular instance). Fortunately, this is not the final chapter in her playing career.

It is imperative you understand you can’t second guess the importance of working hard and of doing what is right just because things don’t turn out the way you want. You still need to make the conscious choice to consistently work hard in every aspect of your life (especially in your training).  While the possibility of not achieving success is always looming, it is nothing to be feared, and certainly nothing to give in too.  If you make a daily commitment to excellence… you will absolutely “win” more than you “lose.” And I am not talking about the scoreboard.

If you read my recent blog post, “What We Do”, you can see the lengths the Montrose Christian basketball program goes to in order to be successful.  And yet we still (occasionally) lose games.  Do you think losing a game causes us to second guess “What We Do?”  No way!  And when you have a setback it shouldn’t cause you to second guess yourself either.

If you have any questions about ACL injury prevention (or recovery), or if I can ever be of service to you or your team, please don’t hesitate to email me atAlan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

If you haven’t done so, please check out (and subscribe) to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  I just posted two videos of the Montrose Basketball Pre-Game Warm-up (one before we take the court and one on-court).  Next week, I will post clips from a recent in-season strength training workout.

Also, for those of you who follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein, or are my “friend” at www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr, I will be holding weekly trivia questions for folks to win some HOT prizes – like Nike and Jordan gear!  All of the questions will come from my blog archive… so make sure you read past posts and study up.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Happy New Year!  While I sincerely hope everyone’s 2010 is off to a wonderful start, I will be honest, I say “Happy New Year” somewhat facetiously. It’s January 7^th for cryin’ out loud! When will people stop saying it?! On a similar note… the folks still saying “Happy New Year” are usually the same morons who thought it was cute to say “see ya next year” the last week of December or who are so void of something significant to say they say stuff like, “is it cold enough for you?”  Are you kidding me? It is 7 degrees out you dolt! Yes, it is plenty cold.  Oh well, I guess some people aren’t much for meaningful conversation.

Sorry to digress.

While I am not much into making New Year’s resolutions, even I get excited and inspired at the nostalgia associated with a new year.  Having spent a good portion of the last few weeks reflecting on 2009, my goal for this year is the same as it is every year;

“Do more of what is working and less of what isn’t.”

This simple concept is the foundation of success. You can take that concept a step further and ask yourself this question every morning when you wake up:

“Are the things I am doing today going to help me get to where I want to go?”

Are the things you are currently doing going to help you next week? Next month? Next year? In 5 years?  If you can’t answer yes to at least one of those time periods … then why are you doing what you are doing? Stop wasting your time!  And both of those thoughts transition in to yet another power concept:

“Don’t confuse being busy with being productive.”

Everyone is busy. Everyone has a long “to-do” list. But not everyone is productive. Not everyone gets results. Make sure the things you do on a daily basis are taking you where you want to go.  Don’t just spin your wheels.

With that said, those three concepts are very applicable to basketball players and coaches.

Now that a good chunk of the season is over… what things are working? What things aren’t? Are you too stubborn to change? Are you on pace to accomplish the goals you set at the beginning of the season?  Do you need to slightly alter and adjust those goals based on the results of November and December?

Are the things you are doing on a daily basis making you a better player? A better coach?  I am sure you are extremely busy during the season, but are you truly being productive?

If you are a player and you have been in a shooting slump the last few games… are you coming in before practice to get in some extra shooting work?  If you are, are you taking extra shots from where you get most of your shots in games? Do you even know where you get most of your shots in games?  At Montrose, we run a very disciplined offensive system.  Each of our players take a majority of their shots from the same 3 or 4 spots on the court.  So that is where they should to take most of their shots in practice.. if they want their practice to be productive.  If you are not playing as much you feel you deserve, have you scheduled an individual meeting with your coach to ask what you need to do to get more playing time? Or do you just sit on the end of the bench and pout?  That negative energy is a cancer to any team… do don’t do it! And if you are a coach, don’t tolerate it. “Energy takers” need to be nipped in the bud immediately.

If you are a coach, and your team is struggling, have you pinpointed the specific reasons why?  Lack of effort? Lack of execution?  You can’t do much at this point about lack of talent… but you can about poor effort and/or execution.  Just make sure your practice plan addresses the specificarea you need to ignite and improve.  If your team is not executing well… a ton of extra running as punishment will not help solve the problem. That’s apples and oranges.

Pause… new topic.

I have always been a big believer in the concept of “choices and consequences.”  Each of us has a choice in everything we do in life. Everything.  Even the things that happen to us that are beyond our control, we each choose how we respond and handle the situation.  And every choice we make has a consequence.  Some consequences are good, some are bad.  For some reason, the word “consequence,” has been given a negative connotation. But I believe the word consequence is just another word for result.  Every choice you make produces a result. What is theconsequence of not eating breakfast? Hunger, lack of focus, low energy, and poor performance.  What is the consequence of  making 10 free throws in a row before you leave practice every day? Shooting a higher percentage from the line over the course of the season and hitting clutch free throws during games.  See the correlation?! Success is not an accident. Neither is failure.

I feel it is my duty as a coach to teach this concept of choices and consequences to the players I work with.  Here is a perfect example:

Coach Vetter has a mandatory team rule that every player must wear ankle braces for every practice and every game.  Right or wrong, that is his rule.  One of our players asked me the other night before our game if it was OK if he didn’t wear them.  I said, “Sure, if you are 100% willing to face the consequences of not wearing them.”  He looked at me with a bewildered look of confusion.  I asked him if he would be willing to face the consequences of Coach Vetter finding out he intentionally broke a team rule (and then have to face whatever punishment resulted), or even worse, if he severely injured his ankle during the game and ruined his season?  He looked to the floor and mumbled, “No.”  To which I smiled and said, “Good answer. Now put on your ankle braces.”

Here is another example of choices and consequences that is currently making headlines across the sports world:

Do you think Gilbert Arenas gave much thought to the potential consequences of bringing in three guns to the locker room?  Was that irresponsible stunt worth the consequence of suspension (and possible expulsion) from the league, severe legal action, loss of millions of dollars, and a permanent black mark on his reputation?  Not so funny now, is it Gilbert?

You know another valuable lesson to teach young people that comes to mind from this Gilbert situation?  And don’t say, “You shouldn’t bring guns in the locker room.” If you don’t already know that you shouldn’t bring guns in to the locker room… then you either have a room temperature I.Q. or you have lived in a cave your whole life.  If that’s not the case, you should be hit in the head with a sledge hammer. (NOTE: Yes, I do think Gilbert should be hit the head with a sledge hammer; hopefully it would knock some sense into him!)

No, the real lesson is one we rarely see in professional sports… taking personal accountability for your actions.  Whether you are talking about steroids in baseball, Tiger’s myriad of affairs, or Gilbert bringing guns in to the locker room… I wish just once a pro-athlete would immediatelyaccept the blame and say something like this:

“I am so sorry. I used horrible judgment and made a terrible mistake.  I was wrong and I sincerely apologize. I promise to go to whatever length is necessary to right this wrong.”

Of course they all say that once it’s too late… after a week or two goes by and they have exhausted all efforts to cover up their wrong doing and BS their way out of trouble.  They all say it then. At that point, it is meaningless.

If Gilbert was man enough to be strapped with three guns; he damn sure should have been man enough to immediately accept full responsibility and hold himself accountable for the consequences. Instead he acted like a horse’s ass and publicly joked about it.

And for the record, admitting you were wrong and apologizing does not make up for the mistake… but it does show you are a person of character and that you take full responsibility for your actions.

Lastly, I am very thankful to have received many nice Christmas gifts from my friends and family. One of my favorite gifts, given my affinity for reading, was the new Amazon Kindle electronic reader.  It is awesome!  If you are an avid reader, I highly recommend it.

The first book I bought was Personal Foul by Tim Donaghy (the former NBA referee who was arrested for gambling on NBA games).  It was extremely fascinating and was an easy read.  I knocked it out in a week. Of course, the entire book was written from the perspective of a lying, cheating, self admitted gambling addict… but if even 10% of what he claims is true… WOW!

Also, I just posted a video montage of the Montrose Pre-Game Warm-up at www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  Early next week I will post the Montrose Pre-Game On-Court Warm-up (showing what we do when we take the court 20 minutes before every game). Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any of the action!

If I can ever be of service or help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.  I love using this time of year to spend quality time with friends & family, reflect on the past year, and recharge my battery… both mentally and physically.   This will obviously be my last post of 2009 and I look forward to taking my blog to another level in 2010. I am overwhelmingly thankful for all of the positive feedback I have received and sincerely appreciate the support.

In addition to my blog, I plan to devote much more of a focus to my YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom. I highly recommend you “subscribe” so you will be notified via email when I post new videos (so you don’t miss any of the action!). I am currently planning promos like “Can He Dunk,” “100 Exercises in 100 Days,” and “Every Basketball Move.” For more detail on these electrifying projects; check out http://tinyurl.com/StrongerTeam.

As most of you know, I am currently in my 7^th year as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Montrose Christian basketball program, which is located in Rockville, MD. We are an elite level program and are fortunate to work with extremely high level players (Kevin Durant is our most famous alum).  We are consistently ranked as one of the top 20 programs in the country, are sponsored by Jordan Brand, and are internationally renowned. Coach Vetter just recently surpassed the 800 win mark and is in his 34^th year of coaching. To put that in perspective, I am only in my 33^rd year of being alive!

And while we are thankful for our stellar reputation, we certainly don’t rest on our past accomplishments.  We consistently take our daily preparation very seriously, both in and out of season.  Thus, the focus of this blog is to share insight into WHAT WE DO.

One of the key ingredients to long lasting success in any field is proper preparation. A player, team, or program that knows how to effectively prepare will have a greater rate of victory.  Proper preparation, which is the cornerstone of WHAT WE DO, is our collective commitment to doing everything in our power to earn and deserve success.

The goal of the Montrose Christian coaching staff is simple:  give our players the best chance to be successful on and off the court.  As a staff, we never want to look back after a game or season and say, “what if we would have done this… or would have done that.” We take into accountevery aspect of preparation and don’t believe any detail is too small.  We know standardization and consistency lead to sound habits… which are the building blocks of success.

Last week we played in the 26^th annual Nike Iolani Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.  This is always one of the nation’s top high school basketball tournaments and regularly boasts a field of several of the top ranked teams in the country. What follows is an overview of our daily preparation and how we tried to give ourselves a competitive advantage and win the tournament. Please note, the following paragraphs are written in past tense because this isolated tournament is now over.  However, this overall template for preparation currently continues, day in and day out, as the season progresses.  The tournament was simply a microcosm of what we do every single day.

We arrived in Honolulu three days before the tournament officially started and one full day before any other team arrived to better acclimate our players to the new time zone (5 hours behind EST) and weather (80 degrees in Hawaii, 20 degrees and 20+ inches of snow in Maryland). Despite an exhausting day of travel, and the vast time zone difference, we forced our players and staff to stay up to a normal bed time the first night to re-set everyone’s internal clock as quickly as possible. We also changed all watches and phones to the local time and never referenced what time it was back home. We had our guys drink a ton of water and got them on a meal schedule immediately. Despite some serious jet lag and tired bodies the next morning, we got everyone up at a normal time for breakfast the first day. We knew the sooner we were on “Hawaii” time, the better.  At our first team meeting after breakfast, I had the team do something I learned from Coach Roy Williams’ latest book, Hard Work.  I wrote the following statement on a piece of paper in big, bold letters:

“I promise to do everything in my power (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually) to help our team be successful and win this tournament.”

I then told each player, that if they agreed to this statement; they should sign it, look me in the eye, and shake my hand to make it official.  Of course they all signed it. A tad dramatic? Yep.  A bit cliché and corny? Sure.  But I wanted to plant a powerful message in their subconscious mind that would last throughout the tournament.  This is just an example of WHAT WE DO.

For the first few days, prior to games beginning, we held daily practices and in-season strength training sessions.  Consistency leads to success; so the things that have made us successful at home will make us successful anywhere!  We made sure to keep the practices and lifting sessions brief (yet intense) because we knew that handling fatigue on a long road trip was integral.  We played back to back nights prior to leaving for Hawaii and then were set to play 4 games in this tournament.  That is 6 games in 10 days; a brutal schedule for any team at any level.

Over the course of the next week, everything was done with a purpose; nothing about WHAT WE DO was haphazard. Our usual game day routine consisted of breakfast at 8:00am followed by a mid-morning shoot around at 11:00am.  The purpose of the shoot around was to get in a light sweat and stretch, get up some shots and free throws, run through our secondary break and offensive sets (out of bound plays, etc.) and to review the scouting report of our opponent. After the morning shoot around we gave each player a huge bottle of water and told them to finish it before we left for the game. Then, four hours before tip-off, we met for our pre-game meal. Research has shown this is the ideal timeline to fuel for competition.  We gave our players a few options with the menu to accommodate different tastes.  Some guys liked grilled chicken with rice; others liked spaghetti, while others liked pancakes and scrambled eggs. To each his own. The most important aspect of the pre-game meal was for them to eat something.  You can’t win the Daytona 500 without fuel in your tank! It is pointless to force feed spaghetti as the mandatory meal of choice if half of the players will only eat two bites and leave the rest. At the conclusion of the pre-game meal we gave each player a written scouting report so they could review our opponent’s personnel and tendencies (identical to the stuff they learned at our morning shoot around).  We then dismissed them to their rooms. Players were not allowed to nap after the pre-game meal to prevent a groggy feeling come game time.  They were also not allowed to spend time in the sun or go swimming; as that would add to their fatigue.

On the way to the game, each player had to wear a collared shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes (we let them wear polo shirts because we were in Hawaii; at home they wear suit and tie).  We didn’t let them wear doo-rags, sunglasses, or headphones.  We wanted our guys to respect the game and dress with class.

Once we arrived at the gym we had our players sit together and watch the first half of the game before ours. We then headed back to the locker room at half-time so the guys didn’t have to rush to get ready.  Once the entire team was dressed, we began our team warm-up.  Our warm-up took place any where we could find room… one night was a classroom and another night was a concrete common area.  Prior to starting, I brought the guys in and gave them a quick motivational jolt.  Then I had “everybody tap everybody” (meaning each player had to give a pound or a slap to the other 11 guys).  Then we began the actual warm-up.  While the warm-up varied each night based on our space, the overall template was always the same: we got a light sweat going with a series of dynamic movement based exercises and addressed their ankles, knees, hips, groin, and core.  We took 10-12 minutes to warm-up.

After our initial warm-up and stretch, we spent a few minutes in complete silence. I asked each player to visualize a time when they played the best basketball of their life. A time they vividly remembered when they were in the zone… when every shot they took went in and every pass they made was right on the money. I then had them picture themselves making a great play in that evening’s game… diving for a loose ball, making a steal, throwing an alley-oop, or hitting a 3 as time ran out.  These mental exercises reduced their anxiety and put our guys in a great frame of mind to compete.

Then our associate head coach, Dan Prete, gathered the team by the dry erase board and reviewed the scouting report. Then Coach Vetter went over the keys to game (“execute our system, push the ball, run our secondary break, limit them to one shot, know who their shooters are, get in the huddle quick, play hard/smart/together”).  Then we put our hands together and said the Lord’s Prayer.  Then Coach Vetter said his standard pre-game prayer.  Then we took the court.  Our on court warm-up consisted of a two line passing drill (chest, bounce, and hand-off), a zigzag defensive reaction drill, two line lay-ups, group work (half the players did partner shooting and the other half did partner passing/ball handling), and then finished with a group dive drill. Quick note, we recorded all missed lay-ups during warm-ups and had players run a minute drill for each miss at the first practice following the holidays.  After the dive drill they announced the starting line-ups.

Then we tipped off and went to battle.

Prior to tip off, we made sure to prepare for every possible situation or emergency. We had extra sets of uniforms on hand in case anyone got blood on their jersey and we had all of our last second plays already drawn up on laminated cards for quick reference.  Each assistant coach was assigned a duty during the game; keep fouls, chart stats, and keep track of time-outs for both teams.  My job was to make sure our bench players echoed every call (offensive sets as well as which defense we were in) and had them stand up and clap when a teammate would come out of the game.  During time-outs, the players in the game sat in position order, 1 through 5, with the other players forming a tight huddle behind and around Coach Vetter.

At half-time we gave each player a small handful of Gummi Bears to replenish their sugar stores and had them put their shooting shirts back on to prevent cooling off.

After each game our players were required to clean the area around our bench, take a shower, put their dress clothes back on, and address the media when applicable. We made sure we fed our guys a post game meal as quickly as we could, and had them ice their knees/back, to help prepare for the next day.  And of course we had curfew each night to make sure each player got adequate sleep.  We collected cell phone and gaming consoles to help ensure they weren’t up all night!

Every night after bed check, the coaching staff stayed up into the wee hours of the morning breaking down film and setting a game plan.  They reviewed the stats as well as watched the film from our previous game to note what we did well and what we needed to improve on. They also watched film of our next opponent and prepared a detailed scouting report.

Despite being so well prepared, and having done everything in our power to put ourselves in a position to win, we lost our third game of the tournament to a very talented St. Neumann Goretti team out of Philadelphia.  After reviewing the film three times for accuracy, we saw that we missed 13 shots in the paint, missed 12 free throws, and had 11 “empty” possessions (meaning we didn’t even get a shot off… we turned the ball over).  5 of those empty possessions led to transition scores for them.  No matter how prepared you are; you can’t win playing like that.  You have to execute in order to win.  We prepared, but we didn’t execute.  There is a difference.

While I certainly can’t stand losing, I believe there is good in everything.  A loss every now and then keeps our guys humble and tests their character.  How they handle defeat and how they carry themselves after a loss tells me a lot more about each of them as a person than winning ever will. A person’s true colors shine through during adversity. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want our guys to accept losing or to be OK with losing.  I want them to feel overwhelming disappointment. I know how much our guys have invested and how much they have sacrificed to be in our program.  So it should hurt. But losing is never an excuse to be a jerk, to make excuses, or to question the importance of always doing what is right. An occasional loss will never let us question the importance of thorough preparation. It will never make us question WHAT WE DO.

Our players responded well to the loss and bounced back the following night to play much better. We beat a very solid Columbia High School team from Georgia.  We finished 3^rd place with a record of 3-1.

Please understand I am not implying WHAT WE DO is the only way to prepare, but it works for our program and is the fundamental backbone of what Montrose is about.  And we are proud of the results.

And believe me, those results last a lifetime.  Last night I went to the Verizon Center to watch Montrose alum Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder play against the Washington Wizards.

Playing in his hometown, in front of hundreds of family and friends, KD was spectacular. He effortlessly poured in 35 points (on 12-19 shooting) and had 11 boards.  But what I was most proud of was seeing him do the things that don’t show up in the box score or make it on to SportsCenter.  The little things he did that reminded me of his time at Montrose. Despite the fact KD is one of the top players in the league; he stood up and cheered for his teammates when he was out of the game. He sprinted over and helped his teammates up off the floor after they took a charge or dove for a loose ball. He thanked his teammates for making a great pass when he scored. KD is a great player, but more importantly, he is a great teammate.

After the game, he was dressed in suit and tie.  He patiently went up and hugged or shook hands with every person waiting specifically for him (50+) and spent a minute or two being genuinely interested in them. I was very thankful to have the opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes. He asked me how business was going, how my wife was doing, and if I was looking forward to being a father of twins. Then he thanked me for coming.  Wow. Kevin Durant is a class act and a true professional.  He is an NBA superstar… but he is an even better person.

Kevin Durant is a product of WHAT WE DO; both on and off the court.  I couldn’t be prouder.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year. If I can ever be of service or help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

I am extremely fortunate to you let you know I am writing this blog as I sit poolside at the Alana Doubletree Hotel in Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I am here on a trip with Montrose as we are playing in the 26^th annual Nike Iolani Classic.  I have been privileged to have taken this trip six times over the course of my seven year stint as Montrose’s strength & conditioning coach.  This trip is always extremely therapeutic for me.  The long flight as well as the daily morning workouts on the beach give me ample time to reflect and evaluate the past year as well as brainstorm and plan for the New Year.

This post will give you some insight to the myriad of new programs, events, and products I plan to launch in 2010 (Twenty-Ten).  I am going to take my game to the next level this coming year and I hope to assist and motivate you into doing the same!

On a personal note, my beautiful wife and I are expecting twin boys in late March. We are absolutely elated and look forward to the joy (and challenge) of raising children.  I plan to give them the first few years of their life off before the mandatory workouts begin. Just kidding… official workouts won’t start until they are at least 8 years old. Hey, they’ve got to be focused early if they want to be the starting back-court in the 2028 McDonalds game!  All kidding aside, we are overwhelming excited and thankful to welcome children into our lives.

OK, now on to business. Here is a glimpse of what’s to come in 2010:

1) Clinics: My Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility for Basketball clinic series was a raving success this past fall. I got an opportunity to impact hundreds and hundreds of players and coaches.  I am currently finalizing my spring tour schedule and have tentative agreements to hold clinics in Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and Georgia. I hope to finalize exact dates, times, and locations in January and will post the schedule on my homepage.

2) Downloads: I am pleased to have received tons of positive feedback about the downloadable documents I have for sale at http://Shop.StrongerTeam.com. I plan to offer nearly a dozen new downloads in January and February on these topics:

• ACL Injury Prevention
• Training Young Players (ages 10-13)
• Basketball Jump Rope Program
• 10 Best Speed Ladder Drills
• Mental Toughness Training
• Common Mistakes & Myths
• Treadmill Conditioning Program
• 8 week programs (for individuals and teams):
  • Speed & Agility
  • Strength & Power
  • Reaction & Quickness
  • Conditioning

3) Online Training Programs: I am thrilled to announce I have partnered with two different nationally renowned basketball training companies and will be offering customized, online basketball specific strength & conditioning programs.  These revolutionary programs will include detailed workout plans along with video clip instructions and demonstrations. They will be designed for every level (beginner through advanced) and for every portion of the training year (off-season, pre-season, and in-season). I have been working on this for well over a year and can’t wait to launch them!

4) YouTube: I have put an inordinate amount of time and effort into researching the ways I can make my social media presence an even more valuable resource for basketball players and coaches.  I will continue to write this weekly blog as well as post daily motivational quotes on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/AlanStein) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr). I will run numerous promotions and give-a-ways so followers, subscribers and friends can win FREE downloadable documents, magazines, and DVDs.  I want to make sure I always give back to the folks who support my work. The major change will be the added focus and attention put on my YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom). I recently purchased a new HD video camera and wireless microphone to improve the production value. I have three killer concepts:

• 100 exercises in 100 days – I got this idea from the folks at Hoop Connection.  I plan to post an innovative basketball specific strength & conditioning exercise or drill every day for 100 straight days (beginning April 1^st) to create an impressive exercise library for coaches and players.
• Will He Dunk? – I got this idea from a promotion ESPN did last year.  I plan to pick a high school aged player who has the goal of being able to dunk a basketball… but isn’t quite there yet.  I will then film excerpts from his weekly training program as well as his weekly attempt to dunk (to monitor progress).  He will get three chances to dunk a ball at the end of each week. The goal will be to get him throwing it down at the end of the12 weeks!
• Every Basketball Move – I plan to partner with various skills instructors to break down actual on-court basketball moves and then prescribe the two or three best strength & conditioning exercises and drills that are most appropriate to supporting that drill.

5) Certification: After a year in the making, I will finally release my new online certification for high school and AAU coaches: Certified Basketball Strength Coach (CBSC). I realize most coaches do not have the luxury of hiring a strength & conditioning coach for their program nor is this type of training their main area of expertise.  This online certification is designed to lay the proper foundation needed to design, supervise and implement a comprehensive, basketball specific, year round training program. It will focus on the specific needs and demands of a high school (or AAU) coach; without diving too deep into physiology. I am not trying to develop professional trainers; just provide a base level of working knowledge for basketball coaches. The course will include online study materials and an online exam consisting of one hundred randomly selected multiple choice questions such as:

• What age should a player start a training program?
• What should females do differently than males?
• How can I help a player gain weight?
• What is the correct form for a lateral lunge?
• How can I reduce the occurrence of ankle injuries?
• What is the ideal pre-game meal?
• How does the off-season program differ from the pre-season program?
• What are the dangers of plyometrics?
• What constitutes a quality pre-game warm-up?

Also note, while my goal is to help and positively influence all basketball players; there are two specific groups I plan to pay special attention to in 2010: female players (specifically ACL injury prevention) and younger players (ages 10-13).  I am going to dedicate a specific portion of my website to each of these groups and disseminate a plethora of info on the best practices for training them.

I want to apologize for disabling the “comments” feature on my blog (http://Blog.StrongerTeam.com).  I was flooded with dozens of automated SPAM comments each day.  I am taking steps to alleviate the issue and plan to re-open and comments section in the New Year as I very much value your feedback.  In the meantime, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com to let me know let me know your thoughts and suggestions on these new programs, events, and products as well as if there is anything I have missed.

My next blog, which I plan to post on Wednesday December 23^rd, will be my last post of 2009. I will give a full re-cap of the Iolani Classic as well as post insight on “What We Do” (a behind the scenes look at the intricacies of the Montrose basketball program).

I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped me and supported my work this past year.  I look forward to, and am honored, to serve you in 2010.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

As most of you know, I focus a lot of my energy on my own professional development and improvement. I am relentless in my quest to become the best basketball strength & conditioning coach I can be. If you are looking to be the best coach or player you can be, I certainly suggest you do the same. One of the most important ingredients to effective development and progress is constant evaluation. You have to know where you are… to get to where you want to go! Self reflection and evaluation doesn’t need to be a long progress. I recommend taking 30 minutes (with no distractions… no TV, no cell phone, and no computer) and honestly answering each of the following questions: Overall, how do you rate this past pre-season? Did you get stronger? Quicker? More explosive? Did you get in great basketball shape? Did you improve your ball handling? Shooting? Passing? Are all of these things showing on the court? Overall, how do you rate the first few weeks of practice? Have you been on time, to every practice? Have you been injury free? Have you been a great teammate? Coachable? Enthusiastic? Have you given a great effort? Do you practice hard even when you don’t feel like it? Have you played as well as you are capable of playing? Have you communicated effectively with your coaches and teammates? If you want to have a remarkable season; you need to be tough and you need to be 100% committed to yourself, to your team, and to your coach. 99% isn’t good enough. As the legendary Pat Riley says about commitment, “you are either in or you’re out – there is no such thing as in between.” How tough are you? We have a 9th grader in our program named Yuki. He moved to the US from Japan in August. He speaks very little English and is thousands of miles away from his family; which I am sure is difficult for a 15 year old to handle. During our second official practice, Yuki got elbowed in the mouth and had his front tooth knocked out. Without saying a word, he casually picked his tooth up off of the floor, jogged over to the sideline, set his tooth on the bleachers, and jogged back into the drill! Now that is tough. How committed are you? What are you willing to sacrifice to be the best player you can be? I have an 8th grade client who just started working out with me and he pays for our training sessions with his allowance! He is so committed to being the best he can be he is willing to sacrifice every dime he has towards getting stronger and more explosive. Now that is commitment. Here are 5 more questions aimed to help you maximize your potential this season: Are you giving your best effort every day in the classroom and on the court? Are you doing things in addition to practice to improve your game (like watching film)? Do you think “we” before “me” (are you a team player)? Are you taking care of your body and mind (sleep, lifting, tending to injuries, etc.)? Are you having fun? If you can sincerely answer “yes” to all 5 of these questions; you are doing everything you can to have an impressive season. Here are a few more things to think about: What do you watch for when you watch college and NBA games on TV? Do you watch as a fan or do you watch as a true student of the game? Do you always watch the ball or do you watch what players do to get open to get the ball? Do you always watch the shooter or do you watch the player setting the screen to get the shooter open? Do you always watch the player guarding the ball or do you watch the player in help-side position? Now, I am a huge basketball fan… and I understand watching games for the love of the sport… but if you want to get better you need to learn how to watch games as a means to improve. How will you prepare for games? Does your preparation start the night before? Do you eat a good dinner and get plenty of sleep? Do you eat breakfast the next day? Do you double check to make sure you packed everything in your bag you will need for the game? Do you eat a specific pre-game meal? What method prepares you the best? Listening to music? Sitting in silence? Do you even know? Do you review the scouting report on your own? Do you do any visualization exercises before games? Here is a visualization technique I use with Montrose before every game: I have them sit with their eyes closed for about 2-3 minutes and visualize a specific time in their life when they played the best basketball they have ever played. A time they vividly remember when they were in the zone – when every shot they took went in and every pass they made was on the money. I encourage them to engage every sense. What did the gym look like? Sound like? Smell like? How did they feel? This technique puts them in a confident frame of mind when they take the court. How will you focus during games? Will you be focused on the task at hand or on the crowd, opponent, or cheerleaders? Your focus is crucial to playing well. It is imperative you focus on what you want to happen; not on what you don’t want to happen. Why? Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. For example, when you are shooting a free throw; think something to the effect of, “nice and easy, over the front rim”… instead of thinking, “don’t shoot it short.” If you think “don’t shoot it short”… 9 times out of 10 you will shoot it short because “short” is the only part of that thought your subconscious mind remembers! Still don’t think focus is important to performance? Think about this: If I laid a ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” on the ground and asked you to walk across it; you would do it easily because you would be focused on the task at hand (walking across the board). But what if that ten foot long, wooden 2” x 4” was 100 stories high and connected the top of two buildings? Would walking across it be easy then? Why not? Although the task wouldn’t change (walking across a ten foot board); you wouldn’t think it was easy because you would be focused on falling… not on the task at hand. The same can be said with shooting a free throw. Shooting a free throw in an empty gym after practice is the exact same task as shooting a free throw with 2 seconds left and the score tied… if you stay focused! I hope answering these questions helps you have a memorable season. This past January I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in 2009. I am proud to say last weekend I finished my 50th book of the year! In next week’s blog I will list and rate all of the books I have read as well as offer my thoughts on a few of them. Until then, if I can ever be of service or help you or your team in any way, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. Play hard. Have fun. Alan Stein www.StrongerTeam.com www.Twitter.com/AlanStein www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

If you are a high school basketball player in the United States, you are probably about to start (or have just recently started) official practice for the 2009-2010 season.

As the season gets underway and you begin practice, don’t be surprised if your body is overwhelmingly sore the first couple of days in particular.  This is normal! This does not imply you aren’t in great shape; it’s just your body’s way of adjusting to the new demands placed on it.  You are finally going full speed with contact on a daily basis; which is understandably more intense than anything you did in the pre-season.  In particular, your low back may be constantly tight and your ankles, knees, and hips may get sore.  It is very important you take care of your body throughout the season, but especially now, while these are minor issues.  For these little nagging aches and pains, you should apply ice after practice (unless told otherwise by your athletic trainer).  With parental consent, you can also take an occasional ibuprofen or Advil to help alleviate soreness.  Foam rollers are another great tool for recovery and restoration. Make sure you eat well, get lots of rest when you can, and properly warm-up and cool down before and after every practice.  If you incur any major injuries or issues, make sure you tell your coach, athletic trainer, and parents immediately so you can get the proper help.  It is important to address these issues when they are small so they don’t turn into something big!

However, as far as the minor aches and pains, you have to tough it out.  Basketball is an intense sport and if some part of your body isn’t sore, then you probably aren’t playing hard enough anyway.  Learn to be comfortable with minor discomfort.

Make sure you enjoy this time of year as it is an important part of the journey.  There is no time like the present, as playing well and competing during practice is the reason you put in so much time over the spring, summer, and fall working on your game, lifting weights, and running sprints.  This is the time real players thrive. Regardless of how things start during the first week or two of practice, you have to keep in mind that it is a long season.  If you get off to a rough start, don’t throw in the towel, there is plenty of time to turn things around.  Most high schools don’t start playing games until the beginning of December, so you still have a few weeks to show what you can do and try to earn some playing time or a starting position. And if you have started off hot, don’t get cocky or complacent as staying on top is one of the hardest things to do in sports.  Don’t take anything for granted. Continue to play hard every practice.

Here are some tips to make sure you play your best this season:

1) Get rest whenever you can, your body and mind need it! Try and get to bed early and sneak in naps whenever possible (on the weekends; not during class!).  While the off season regiment is tough, there is nothing harder on your body than in-season practices, games, and travel.

2) Eat well and stay hydrated. Your body is a machine and it needs to be properly fueled.  Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast every morning and try to eat a light snack an hour or so before practice.  This will ensure you are well fueled without making you feel full and lethargic.  You also need to re-fuel immediately after practice. And don’t forget your body does everything better when hydrated, so drink water constantly.

3) Warm-up and stretch properly before all practices and games. Hopefully your team has a standardized warm-up, but if not, you need to make sure you do.  This will ensure your body and mind is ready to compete and help reduce the likelihood of injury.

4) Continue to strength train during the season. Strength is an attribute that is quickly diminished. In as little as three weeks you begin to lose functional strength on the court if you don’t continue to strength train.  So if you don’t train during the season, you will be physically at your weakest come playoff time.  All you need to do to maintain strength is one or two brief (but quality) workouts per week during the season.

5) Get in extra shots before/after practice and before games. Shooting is all about rhythm and repetition.  The more game like shots you can take in practice and before games, the more automatic you will be when you play.  The best players in the world get in shots before practice and stay after practice to do the same.

6) Be a good teammate. Do the little things to help your teammates and be very positive and enthusiastic, even when things aren’t going so well.  The teams that play well together and communicate effectively with each other win more often.  Period.

7) Talk to your coach. Your coach is the leader of your team and it is important you show proper respect at all times.  No exceptions. If you don’t agree with something your coach says or does, or if you have questions on certain things (like why you aren’t playing as much, what your role on the team is, etc.), it is important you communicate effectively, appropriately, and maturely.  Most coaches are more than happy to talk with you if you have an issue.

Stay on top of your school work. I know how hard it is to balance a busy schedule during the hectic season, but as a student-athlete, your academic work must always be a priority.  Don’t let issues in the classroom distract you from handling business on the court.  And don’t do the bare minimum just to stay eligible, do your best to in every class, every day. Creating that standard of excellence will carry over to every aspect of your life.

I wish each of you the absolute best this season.  Please keep me posted to how you are doing and drop me an email if I can be of service in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

For daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Most high school basketball teams have started or will start official practice this week.  Most teams have spent the previous months working hard with their strength & conditioning coach, trying to get an edge over their competition.  The first day of practice is normally full of high energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement from both the players and coaching staff.  Average teams let this excitement wear off over time, and their practice habits drop as their players search for excuses and reason to not give 100%.  Good teams run with this excitement and continue to have excellent practices until fatigue or adversity hits the team, and they forget the importance of pratice.  GREAT teams have excellent practices all season.  They maintain a high level of excitement, enthusiasm, and encouragement.  The players understand the importance of practice, and work as hard as they can during the workouts.  The coaching staff also understands the importance of practice, but also realizes what is best for their players; whether it is taking a day off or working on a team weakness.

Below we have listed a few principles that will help your practice sessions:

• Every member of the team (coaching staff, players, managers) need to understand the importance of practice.
• Every member of the team must bring intensity, enthusiasm, encouragement, and toughness to practice every day.
• Every member of the team must give 100% effort at practice.
• Every member of the team must be held accountable for their practice habits.  If a member of the team is having an “off day,” then another team member must demand that it changes.
• Every member of the team needs to understand that hard work is no guarentee of success.  When adversity hits, teams need to stay together and continue to work hard at practice.
• “Talk is cheap.” Every member of the team must realize that there is a reason pre-season rankings don’t count for anything.  Every team starts the season with a 0-0 record.
• Every member of the team must realize they are not only representing themselves, their familys, and the team, but they are also representing the school and all of the tradition of the program.
• Every member of the team must be eager to practice everyday.  Enthusiasm is contagious.
• Every member of the team should encourage others.  The goal of practice is to prepare for games.  Each member should leave practice more confident than they were at the start.
• Players need to want to get better.
• No member of the team should allow another member of the team to make excuses.
• Every member of the team must buy in to the team goals and have the same vision.

As always, for innovative drills and skills, teaching points, daily inspirational quotes, and information about upcoming products and events, please follow us at:

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I have always been impressed by spectacular feats of athletic ability; it is one of the main reasons I love sports.  It is absolutely mind-boggling what the human body is capable of doing.  This past Sunday I watched the end of the NYC Marathon (26.2 mile race) in which an American runner (Meb Keflezighi) won for the first time since 1982.  I ran the Baltimore Marathon back in 2002, so I have an incredible respect for anyone who can even complete such a grueling race, much less win it. What really blew my mind was the fact Meb ran his last mile at a staggering pace of 5:03.  To put in perspective, Coach Vetter had our basketball team run one mile last week for time.  Our team did well and half of our guys finished under 6:00; our fastest player finished in 5:18 (which is pretty impressive for a high school basketball player).  That means Meb could run 100 laps around a standard track… then race our fastest player for an additional 4 laps… and still win!

This past weekend also marked the completion of my fall clinic tour; having most recently had great experiences at the state basketball coaches association clinics in Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa.  The hospitality was first class at each event and I really enjoyed meeting so many wonderful coaches.  Presenting at clinics is a high priority for me for two reasons. One, I have such admiration for high school basketball coaches and am honored to be of service to them.  Two, my goal has always been to have a positive impact on the game of basketball and to make a constructive change to the way players train. I have found that disseminating quality info at coaching clinics is a powerful way to do that.  I take my craft very seriously and am always looking to improve my ability as both a strength & conditioning coach and as a clinician (presenter). In evaluating my most recent series of clinics I realized, on a couple of occasions, I got caught up in the excitement of the moment and used some profanity.  I want to apologize if my language offended anyone in attendance as that was not my intent.  Regardless, using profanity in a clinic setting is not necessary or acceptable.  I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. Lesson learned. Along the lines of working on my craft, I just cracked open my 48^th book of 2009; The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great In Front of Any Audience. Constant professional development is a key to success!

While my official title is “strength & conditioning coach”, I am involved in a variety of capacities with the basketball program at Montrose Christian.  I work with the team year round, attend many practices, and sit on the bench in coat and tie during every game.  I am a part of team meetings and make sure I always know the pulse of both our coaching staff and players. Given Montrose’s illustrious track record, I know first-hand what it takes for a program to be successful.  While I would never argue how helpful it is to have very talented players (and we most certainly do), I have learned it is actually the little things that make a big difference in having a successful season.  It is the little things that make an average team a good team, a good team a great team, and great team a championship team!

Only a very small percentage of high school teams can say they won a state or conference championship. I have known and coached numerous elite level players who never won one.  It is imperative you realize the road to a championship starts now! Here are some self evaluating questions you need to ask (and answer honestly) to maximize your team’s potential this season. While it is important for you to know the answers to these questions, it is equally important for everyone else in your program to know them as well. If you are a good leader, you will make sure they do.

1. 1) In addition to winning a championship, does your team have other goals? What are they?

1. 2) Does each coach and player on your team know their exact role?

1. 3) Do you prepare for practice with the same mentality you prepare for games?

1. 4) Do you believe on any given night any team can beat you?  Do you believe you can beat anyone?

1. 5) Is your team on top of their school work? Will academics be a distraction during the season?

1. 6) Is your team getting ample sleep, eating breakfast, drinking plenty of water, and appropriately tending to nagging injuries every day?

1. 7) Does your team get to practice 15 minutes early to get in extra shooting and ball handling work? Do they stay after practice as well?

1. During practice, are you an energy giver?  Is your enthusiasm contagious? Do you take charges and dive for loose balls? Are you a great teammate?

1. 9) Does your team warm-up properly before all practices and games?

1. 10) Does your team continue to strength train during the season to maintain the strength they worked so hard to develop this past off-season?

The answer to these questions will help dictate the type of season you will have.  You need to do the little things every day to make a big difference!

“Success always looks easy to those who weren’t around when it was being earned.”

Next week’s blog will add some additional tips to making sure your season starts off on the right foot. I wish everyone the absolute best this season.

If you need any help this season with your team’s in-season strength program or want info on appropriate stretches to do before and after practice; please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible.

Until then, for daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom

www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Jim Valvano, the former legendary coach at NC State once said, “Every morning when you get out of bed you only have two choices. You have the choice to work hard or you have the choice to not work hard. It is totally up to you.” The most powerful part of that statement is that not working hard is actually a choice. And he is 100% right. Whether you are a coach or a player, you have complete control over the effort you put forth every workout, every practice, and every game. The most successful coaches and players consistently make the choice to work hard. Do you?

Coach Valvano was right; every single aspect of our lives actually does come down to choices. Some choices are easy and less significant, like what to eat for breakfast, and others are more complex, like where to attend college. But they are choices nonetheless. Don’t ever take for granted how fortunate you are to have the power to choose.

I had a player tell me one time, with a big smile as if he disproved this theory, “I didn’t choose for it to rain today.” “Of course not,” I said, “but you have the choice in how you let it affect you.” Obviously you don’t control everything in this world, but you do control how you react and how you respond. You don’t control it when you go up for a jump shot and land on another player’s foot and sprain your ankle, when the ref makes a bad call or when your teammate turns the ball over during a critical point in the game. But you certainly control your response to each of those situations. And that response is your choice and speaks volumes about what type of person you are. When you sprain your ankle, do you pout about it and wallow in self pity? Or do you follow the trainer’s orders to re-hab it, continue to be a good teammate from sideline during practices and games, and find others ways to contribute? When the ref makes a bad call, do you mouth off or get mad? Or do you put it behind you and move on to the next play? When your teammate turns the ball over, do you yell at them and use negative body language? Or do you pat them on the back and make up for the turnover by playing extra hard on defense?

Every one of us is a product of the choices we make on a daily basis. Where ever we are in life, we are there as a result of the choices we have made. If you are happy and successful, it is because of your choices. If you are unhappy and miserable, it is also because of your choices. Stop pointing the finger.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is:

“If you keep doing what you’ve been doing; you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting. If you don’t like what you’ve been getting; quit doing what you’ve been doing!”

That is a powerful statement and every word of it is true.

What kind of choices are you making now that the season is about start?

Players, are you choosing to get plenty of sleep at night? Are you choosing to eat breakfast every day? Are you choosing to stay after the workout and get up additional shots? Are you choosing to work out and play as hard as you can, every day? Are you choosingto be a good teammate, both on and off the court? Are you choosing to be coachable?

Coaches, are you choosing to provide innovative and creative drills in your pre-season workouts? Are you choosing to reinforce the importance of leadership, toughness, communication, and competitiveness? Are you choosing to meet with your players, one on one, to discuss their role on the team? Are you choosing to evaluate your players (and staff) and formulate a game plan and philosophy for this year? Are you choosing to review last year’s practice plans?

These are all choices. Your answer to these questions and the choices you make will dictate the type of season you will have as well as the type of player/coach you will be.

Here is a quick overview of the next several week’s blogs:

Later this week I will post the final “Montrose-ism.” It is my favorite… a poem called “One Possession.” It is a tad corny, but definitely something you should share with your team.

Next week I will recap my Top 10 experiences from the last 10 years. It is hard to believe I have been doing this professionally for the last decade! I have been so fortunate to meet some amazing people and experience some amazing things in that time; I look forward to sharing my ten favorite.

The following week I will preview this year’s Montrose team and give some insight to our personnel as well as our 2009-2010 schedule. The first two weeks in November I will post tips for starting the season! All the while I will be posting motivational talks from clinics and exercises of the week at www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom .

As always, if I can help you or your program in any way, don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com .

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com 

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

With pre-season in full effect your players are probably playing organized pick-up during open gym several times a week… our players at Montrose sure are.  And while you can’t really add too much structure, now is the best time to start reiterating and reinforcing what a “good” shot is versus a “bad” shot.  No sense in having players consistently shooting bad shots between now and when practice starts!  If you aren’t allowed to be there because of pre-season coaching restrictions, I suggest you review this with your captains and have them inforce!

Here is a list of what constitutes a good shot.  We give this list to our players in their team handbook as well as discuss it as often as necessary.  The most important concept for players to understand is the definition of a good shot varies from player to player.  A good shot for your point guard might not be a good shot for your 4-man.

1)    A good shot is one that is expected by your teammates.

2)    A good shot is one that you are ready to shoot (on balance, square to the basket, etc.).

3)    A good shot is one that you shoot a high percentage on in drills and practice (in your range)

4)    A good shot is one that can be rebounded by at least two of your teammates.

5)    A good shot is one that you can recover and play defense from if it is missed.

6)    A good shot is one that is appropriate given the time and the score.

7)    A good shot is one that is taken when you are not closely guarded (except for shots around the basket).

Along the lines of pick-up games and open gym, here are three things we do at Montrose to make our games as productive as possible:

1)    All 10 players must be in the front court when a basket is scored (to encourage running the floor, getting back on defense, and eliminate “cherry picking.”).  If an offensive player is not over the half court line when a basket is scored; the basket doesn’t count and it is a turnover.  If a defensive player isn’t back over half court when the basket is scored, the point counts and the offensive teams keeps possession.

2)    With the exception of an intentional foul (which we don’t allow and highly discourage), our players do not call any fouls during pick-up. They must play through it and learn to play hard and maintain composure during brutal contact.  This keeps the game moving and eliminates arguing about fouls.  This is not done to promote fouling or cause chaos… so implement appropriately.  It takes mature and responsible players to do this.

3)    We keep record of wins and losses of every pick-up game.  We change the teams every day but each player gets one point when they win.  You will start to see which players are winners regardless of what team they are on.  These are the players you will want playing this winter!

If you have questions about the Montrose program, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible!

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com