The Art of Practice
13 January 2009
Want to really raise your game? There's no substitute for going one-on-one with yourself says the driving force behind Euroleague champions, CSKA.
Coaches are important. But nothing can take the place of your will to become a better player. You have to have the desire to make it to the next level - whether that means winning your next game on the playground or making it to all the way to the NBA.
As a teenager, I wasn't a great player but I always had a crazy passion for the game. I spent all my summers and winters playing 3-on-3 with my friends on my city's courts. The competition was intense. You had to constantly improve your game to stay on court and face new opponents. That's when I first realised that if you really want to get better, you have to work on your game on your own: practise your shot, improve your dribbling, work against an imaginary defender, sprint to become faster.
There is a real art to practising alone. First of all, you have to learn a move in slow-motion to understand the mechanics: how to use your feet; where to dribble the ball; how to keep your body balanced. Do it over and over and you'll begin to "feel" the move. When that happens, you can start doing many more repetitions at game speed. This is how you "set" the move in your mind and get to a point when you can execute it properly without thinking.
When you've "recorded" the new move in your brain and muscles then you need to create an element of pressure. It could be to score as many baskets as possible in one minute or to score three times in a row from one spot before moving to the next one and so on. But don't put on the pressure too soon - you might mess up the process and never learn that move correctly.
Take shooting. The best shooters know exactly how to practise their shot. They always start their individual session from short distance. Then, when they warm up, they'll shoot from 3-point range. At first, they'll go with quantity, let's say ‘make 100 baskets.' Then they'll start shooting under pressure, giving themselves specific goals like ‘make five in row from one spot' or ‘make 8 out 10 before changing position.'
So here's a simple shooting routine that I think is very effective. Mark five spots: the top of the key, the left and right wings, and the two corners. Start in the right corner and go round the five spots. Before you move to the next one you have to score two-times in a row from 2-point range. After you complete the first round, start making two 3-point shots in a row from each spot. Then, make a 3-point shot followed by a 2-point shot from each spot. Finally, you do the opposite: first you have to make the 2-pointer and then the 3-point one (it's more difficult, mentally.) At the end you'll have scored 40 baskets - but check your percentage or, more importantly, how long you needed to go through the routine.
You've always got to go through the same three phases learning any basketball skill: understanding the details; doing it over and over until you can execute it without thinking, then - and only then - practising it in real game conditions.
The training doesn't end there. The fundamentals are important, but without proper conditioning you won't be able to put them to use come game time. It takes work to become stronger and quicker on the court. Not everybody is fortunate to have a conditioning coach, but there is a lot you can do on your own. Running short sprints from the baseline to half court or from one foul line to the opposite one will improve your endurance. Combining jumping and sprinting is also very effective. Start jumping under the basket and jump five times touching the board and sprint to half court, give yourself twenty seconds of rest and start over again. Jumping the rope before practice will help your conditioning, improve your agility and your footwork.
Do not forget that in basketball it is important to be fast but it is even more important to become fast with the ball in your hands, especially when you dribble or drive to the basket. So for an added challenge try the sprints with ball in hand. Now you will be able to combine the fundamentals with your newfound agility and strength.
At the end of the day, it is the desire and the ability to push yourself harder than a coach would that makes the difference, whether you're on the playground or at the top of the Euroleague.
-*Coach Ettore Messina*
Develop your game with tips and advice from Coach Ettore Messina, on his monthly NikeBasketball.com blog.
If you have any questions or comments for his next post, or to tell us how his advice helped your game, email: nikebasketball.europe@nike.com
Coaches are important. But nothing can take the place of your will to become a better player. You have to have the desire to make it to the next level - whether that means winning your next game on the playground or making it to all the way to the NBA.
As a teenager, I wasn't a great player but I always had a crazy passion for the game. I spent all my summers and winters playing 3-on-3 with my friends on my city's courts. The competition was intense. You had to constantly improve your game to stay on court and face new opponents. That's when I first realised that if you really want to get better, you have to work on your game on your own: practise your shot, improve your dribbling, work against an imaginary defender, sprint to become faster.
There is a real art to practising alone. First of all, you have to learn a move in slow-motion to understand the mechanics: how to use your feet; where to dribble the ball; how to keep your body balanced. Do it over and over and you'll begin to "feel" the move. When that happens, you can start doing many more repetitions at game speed. This is how you "set" the move in your mind and get to a point when you can execute it properly without thinking.
When you've "recorded" the new move in your brain and muscles then you need to create an element of pressure. It could be to score as many baskets as possible in one minute or to score three times in a row from one spot before moving to the next one and so on. But don't put on the pressure too soon - you might mess up the process and never learn that move correctly.
Take shooting. The best shooters know exactly how to practise their shot. They always start their individual session from short distance. Then, when they warm up, they'll shoot from 3-point range. At first, they'll go with quantity, let's say ‘make 100 baskets.' Then they'll start shooting under pressure, giving themselves specific goals like ‘make five in row from one spot' or ‘make 8 out 10 before changing position.'
So here's a simple shooting routine that I think is very effective. Mark five spots: the top of the key, the left and right wings, and the two corners. Start in the right corner and go round the five spots. Before you move to the next one you have to score two-times in a row from 2-point range. After you complete the first round, start making two 3-point shots in a row from each spot. Then, make a 3-point shot followed by a 2-point shot from each spot. Finally, you do the opposite: first you have to make the 2-pointer and then the 3-point one (it's more difficult, mentally.) At the end you'll have scored 40 baskets - but check your percentage or, more importantly, how long you needed to go through the routine.
You've always got to go through the same three phases learning any basketball skill: understanding the details; doing it over and over until you can execute it without thinking, then - and only then - practising it in real game conditions.
The training doesn't end there. The fundamentals are important, but without proper conditioning you won't be able to put them to use come game time. It takes work to become stronger and quicker on the court. Not everybody is fortunate to have a conditioning coach, but there is a lot you can do on your own. Running short sprints from the baseline to half court or from one foul line to the opposite one will improve your endurance. Combining jumping and sprinting is also very effective. Start jumping under the basket and jump five times touching the board and sprint to half court, give yourself twenty seconds of rest and start over again. Jumping the rope before practice will help your conditioning, improve your agility and your footwork.
Do not forget that in basketball it is important to be fast but it is even more important to become fast with the ball in your hands, especially when you dribble or drive to the basket. So for an added challenge try the sprints with ball in hand. Now you will be able to combine the fundamentals with your newfound agility and strength.
At the end of the day, it is the desire and the ability to push yourself harder than a coach would that makes the difference, whether you're on the playground or at the top of the Euroleague.
-*Coach Ettore Messina*
Develop your game with tips and advice from Coach Ettore Messina, on his monthly NikeBasketball.com blog.
If you have any questions or comments for his next post, or to tell us how his advice helped your game, email: nikebasketball.europe@nike.com
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