FREE Basketball Tips for Parents and Coaches!

Yes, we will send you ongoing FREE basketball tips to your United States Postal Address. You can submit your mailing address at the end of today's discussion with our special guest.

Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints "Point Guard" Quarterback!

Many football analysts marvel at the way Drew Brees runs through his progressions and most of the time makes brilliant decisions. Obviously, he couldn't do that without having an incredible offensive line that allows him time to evaluate the defense.

It is very similar to the POINT GUARD on the best basketball teams; they have to read and make the pass which will most effectively advance his or her team closer to a quality shot.

Although the QB is typically the only football player that has to distribute the ball to the best possible receiver, in basketball, the championship teams play as if they have five QB's [or point guards], although typically there will be ONE that handles the ball more than the others.

We are very excited and pleased to welcome Brian McCormick, a highly qualified basketball trainer & author from California, to discuss what some feel is a lost art in this day of 3 pt shots and dunks.

Brian:

Thanks for allowing me to share my beliefs on this subject. Young players struggle in regards to using "court vision". Inexperienced or less skilled players devote more attention to protecting the ball, which affects their vision, and they lack the anticipatory skills gained through experience. Also, many coaches teach players that the ball is supposed to go to one specific player at one time, so players develop tunnel vision for this player and miss open players five feet away in the other direction.

To develop better individual players and offensive tems, all players – not just the point guard – need to develop the scanning and anticipatory skills of a quarterback. During a Feast Week game, Len Elmore said that he did not believe that college players need more passing practice right after he criticized the team’s passing skills. I think Elmore – like many coaches – considers passing practice to be the stationary two-line passing drills used to introduce the basic passes. These are form passing drills, and he is probably right: college players probably do not need to engage in form passing drills.

However, players at every level need to practice passing in live environments. These players did not need to develop the movement elements of the pass, but the perceptual elements. Most importantly, they need the anticipatory and scanning skills.

Celtic Coach:

With our Tulsa Celtic team we did some half-court and full-court scrimmaging where dribbling was outlawed. I remember one weekend tournament after we used that drill extensively and it was amazing how it impacted our passing game.

Brian:

That's a great drill. We use various offensive advantage passing games to develop confidence in passers before moving to more pressure passing drills. I also vary the drills from games like 2v2 Gael Passing to 3v3 Full Court/no Dribble to 4v4 Volleyball Passing. I have started to use 5v5 Full Court/no dribble to incorporate the full requirements of scanning the court and anticipating the opening. By taking away the dribble, the defender has more confidence to pressure the ball and the passer has to work harder with their pivots to create a passing lane and protect the ball.

Celtic Coach:

Brian, when I drilled younger players on the basic fundamentals, we worked hard on PIVOT drills, and feel it is one area of basketball that many players lack even at the high school level.

Brian:

When I watch players, the ball handler’s body posture has a big impact on their ability to scan the floor or anticipate where they should pass. Players who do not use their pivot foot limit the range for their passes which condenses the court and increases the pressure. To be effective offensively, players have to be comfortable pivoting under pressure to see the entire court and keep their shoulders directed toward the offensive basket. The only way to develop this comfort is to practice pivoting against defensive players, and no-dribble passing drills are one way to put players in these situations.

Thanks Brian! We appreciate your time and look forward to visiting about more HOOP SPECIFICS in the future.

If you would like to join our OFF-LINE mailing list for "FREE COACHING TIPS FOR YOUTH BASKETBALL PARENTS AND COACHES" please send us your name and mail address to FREE YOUTH BASKETBALL COACHING TIPS!

Keep Dribbling!! ..........but don't LOOK at the ball~