This site will be for questions on basketball related topics and answers from the Technical Director. It will also include information on upcoming related events.

Questions may be sent to the SMBA.

 


Question: How do I help my players to improve their left hand?

Ryan: Practice, practice, practice... Ask the kids if they have watched Steve Nash play and asked if they notice how well he uses his left hand to shoot and dribble. He is not stronger or faster than the other guys, but he is difficult to stop in large part, because he can dribble, shoot and pass with his left hand just as well as with his right.
At practice you can emphasize the left hand by doing your drill only with the left hand. Or else spend twice as much time on the left handed drills and move. The same goes for shooting layups. Emphasize that the kids should always use the left hand on the left side. Do your layup drills only on the left side. The "dribble war" game where each player has a ball can be played only using the left hand. A full court game where the players can only use the left to dribble also helps to develop the left hand. Be creative.
Off of the court. The kids can brush their teeth with the left instead of the right. Switch the hands used for knives and forks. Tell the kids, istead of using their right hands to open the door, use the left. You are trying to make the right and left equally effective and the more use of the left the better.
In a few weeks you won't believe the difference, players can all develop their left hand. It just takes practice, practice practice...

 


Question: How do I improve our team rebounding?

Ryan: Defensive Rebounding is about positioning and anticipation, while offensive rebounding is more about hard work and aggression.
To get more defensive rebounds emphasize blocking out. In most cases the kids run under the basket and watch the ball while the shot goes toward the basket. Instead of watching the ball the whole time, ask the kids to FIND A PERSON, usually their own check, MAKE CONTACT, and then BLOCK OUT. If the whole team starts to do this on every shot, your team will have much mor defensive rebounding success. Ussually in man-to-man defence, the players will be matched up, (hopefully) between their check and the basket. It should be simple for them to find a person to block out. MAKING CONTACT is often much more difficult, putting a forearm on your check , and then pivoting is an effective way to initiate a BLOCK OUT. After that it is up to your player to stay strong, get low, and then go and get the ball. The lower a player can get, the more effective their block out will be. Help your players break the habit simply turning and watching the shot and running to the basket to get the ball, only Shaq can do that. If you don't have Shaq on your team, emphasize, MAKING CONTACT and BLOCKING OUT to get more defensive rebounds!
Offensive Rebounding is all about working hard and being aggressive, it is as simple as that. To get more offensive rebounds, ask your players to play hungrier, attacking the basket on each shot. If they can run back hard on defence, going hard after offensive rebounds will not be a problem.
Most kids are so worried about the number of points they score, they often forget about rebounding. Some of your players who have trouble scoring, could really be valuable as rebounders. Make sure they know how valuable rebounds are and they might find success in getting rebounds.