COACH JAMIE'S COACHING TIPS
JAMIE ANDERSON COACHING DIRECTOR Coach Jamie has extensive international coaching and playing experience and has come to be regarded as one of the best basketball coaches in Sydney. He is now in charge of City Hoops & Easts Basketball Junior development and coaching programs. Each month I will be bringing you a coaching tip to improve your game. FULL PROFILE HERE
THIS MONTHS TIP On the back of doing some great work with young up coming star Jack Ringrose at our Handles Clinic (See video below). I thought I would continue on the handles tip. (Pun intended)
Playing basketball doesn't necessarily improve ball handling.
Improving your ball handling only comes from ball handling drills. If you were going to learn guitar, you wouldn’t join a band, instead you would practice at home, so neither should you play basketball to learn the game. One great thing about ball handling is you can do it anywhere. Take a ball to School, at home, in your garage, in the street. A little work at home will go a long way with improving your skills on the court.
Our tip for things you can do around the home are.
1. Tip Drill Tip the ball back and forth from one hand to the next, starting with your hands straight up over your head. Then gradually move the ball down, while continuing to tip it back and forth. Go down to your chest, then your waist, knees, and ankles, and then back up again. Keep your elbows straight and only let the the ball touch fingertips, not the palms.
2. Circles Drill Put your feet together and make circles around both legs. Then circle around the back. And then circle around the head. Then combine them and move the ball in circles around your head, then down your body, down around your knees, and then around your ankles. Then come back up again. Try to only touch with the fingertips, not the palms. 3. Around Each Leg and Figure Eights Drill Put one leg forward and move the ball in a circular motion around the leg. Then do the other leg. Finally, spread your legs out wide with the ball in front of you. Move the ball around through your legs in a figure-of-eight motion. Continue to look up and don’t let the ball hit the floor. After 40 seconds, reverse the direction.
