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Start of the Season Part II

2009-11-10T08:00:00.001-08:00

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.

8) 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:

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Start of the Season

2009-11-04T06:18:00.001-08:00

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 I also marked the completion 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) In addition to winning a championship, does your team have other goals? What are they?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

8) 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?

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

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:

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

2009-2010 Montrose Preview

2009-10-28T05:45:00.001-07:00

Montrose Christian 2009-2010 Team Picture: http://tinyurl.com/MontroseTeam

The expectations are super high for our 2009-2010 Montrose Christian boys basketball team after last year’s 22-3 season where we finished #6 in the nation (USA Today) and #1 in the greater Washington, DC area (Washington Post). Our only losses came from the nation’s top two ranked teams (we lost to #1 ranked Findlay Prep and lost twice to #2 ranked Oak Hill). This year’s pre-season polls should have us ranked in the top 10. Not bad given there are over 26,000 high schools eligible for the rankings!

To add to this year’s excitement is the fact we have several new faces in the program; including new coaches and players. We had two assistant coaches leave to pursue other professional opportunities and have since added three new members to our staff – all of which have done a fantastic job this pre-season in getting acclimated to the program.

We are still led by the legendary Coach Stu Vetter who is entering his 34^th year as a head coach and is only two wins shy of 800 (798-98); which puts him in a very exclusive class. For a complete history of Coach Vetter, including a team picture from every year since 1975, please visit www.StuVetter.com. Associate head coach Dan Prete (9^th year), myself (7^th year), and Damien Jenifer (5^th year) add veteran experience and stability while our new assistant coaches Billy Vernon (University of Maryland), Mark Vincent (Bishop Ireton), and Don Shopland (St. John’s Prospect Hall) add a fresh perspective and enthusiasm.

We only return three players that saw considerable playing time last year; senior Terrence Ross (committed to University of Maryland), sophomore Justin Anderson (one of the top 5 sophomores in the nation), and junior Tyler Hubbard (Bowie, MD). We graduated 7 players from last year’s team and had two players transfer; which opened the door for a lot of incoming talent. Senior Josh Hairston (committed to Duke) and sophomore Lebrent Walker (from Queens, NY) will play major roles this season. We also added some international flavor and got four outstanding players in junior Paul Gombwer (Kaduna, Nigeria), junior Nazareth Long (Toronto, Canada), sophomore Michael Carrera (Anzoategui, Venezuela), and freshman Yuki Togashi (Tokyo, Japan). Despite so many newcomers, our guys have developed an outstanding chemistry during their pre-season workouts. In addition to our skill work and strength & conditioning, we constantly reinforce the intangible qualities of communication, toughness, and competitiveness with our players. This is integral with players who haven’t played together before.

While the schedule is not yet finalized or officially “public” (and is subject to change); it is packed with several big time games and events. We have preliminary plans to scrimmage Bishop O’Connell in late November which will be a great test for our guards as O’Connell is led by one of the nation’s top point guards, Kendall Marshall (committed to UNC). As far as the regular season, we will be playing Theodore Roosevelt in the Caron Butler Classic (at Coolidge High School) and St. Mary Ryken in the National High School Hoops Festival (at Wise High School) in early December. In mid December we will head to Honolulu, Hawaii to play in the 26^th annual Iolani Classic. As always, the field will be packed with stellar programs including Gonzaga (DC), Yates (TX), Neumann Goretti (PA), Columbia (GA), Hamilton (AZ), Kingston (NC), Lutheran (CA, and Tsinghua (China). Last year we lost to Oak Hill in double OT in the Championship game. We have our sights set on getting over the proverbial hump and winning it all this time!

We will have several great local games including our annual battle with Virginia powerhouse TC Williams (at their place) and three games to be played at the University of Maryland. We are in the process of finalizing a late January trip to Orlando to play in the 7^th annual Montverde Academy Invitational Basketball Tournament. In addition to the host team (Montverde Academy), it is a loaded field with Findlay Prep and one of Florida’s strongest programs in Arlington Country Day.

One of the highlights of the year will be in mid February when we go up to Trenton New Jersey to play in the prestigious Nike Primetime Shootout at the Sovereign Bank Arena. We will face off against one of the most acclaimed programs and coaches in high school basketball history – St. Anthony’s and Coach Bob Hurley. It will be an honor to play them and promises to be a real dogfight! I just finished reading “The Miracle of St. Anthony.” It was a phenomenal book; I highly recommend it.

To finish off the season we expect to travel down south for our yearly showdown with Oak Hill. Although not 100% finalized, this game should take place in early March. If all goes as planned, we will be invited back to play in the 2^nd annual ESPN/RISE National Invitational Tournament. Last year’s event was an amazing experience.

I will make sure to announce when the schedule is finalized (which will include all games) and will post regular updates throughout the season via this blog, Twitter, and Facebook. I will provide a season long, behind the scenes look inside the Montrose Christian program.

If you attend any of our games, please make sure you come say hello. The next two week’s blog posts will be dedicated to starting the high school season and will include a checklist of questions and reminders to help make sure your season is a success. Those posts will be a must read for all high school coaches and players; so make sure you check back!

As always, if I can ever help you or your program, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. For daily motivational quotes and hoops tidbits please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein and for the Exercise of the Week please subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.

Train hard, train smart.

Alan Stein

Top 10 Moments

2009-10-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

This fall marks my 10th year in the strength & conditioning industry. After ten amazing years, I am thrilled to say my passion for basketball performance training burns stronger than ever. I absolutely love what I do for a living and am so thankful to be able to make a living doing it. I cherish the relationships I have built with countless players, coaches, and fellow trainers along the way. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years has in store!

To pay homage to David Letterman and ESPN SportsCenter, below is a list of my Top 10 moments from the past ten years.

#10 “Raymond Felton at the NBPA Top 100 Camp”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/RaymondFelton

In June of 2005, Raymond Felton (Charlotte Bobcats) stopped by the NBPA Top 100 camp to talk to the campers. He had just led the University of North Carolina to the National Championship and had declared for the NBA draft. Prior to speaking to the campers he stood off to the side and casually watched the guards go through a one on one drill (OJ Mayo, Wayne Ellington, and Jerryd Bayless were in the group). Raymond was wearing jeans, a fitted hat, an oversized white t-shirt, untied Adidas shell tops, and a huge platinum medallion. He watched as player after player scored effortlessly; with no one showing any pride in playing defense. After about 10 minutes, he stepped in and said “Is anyone here gonna play some D? Do any of you guys have any heart? If you want to play at the next level you have to play D. You have to compete. It ain’t just about scoring fellas.” He then handed me his medallion (not because I am special, I just happened to be standing next to him!) and walked onto the court. Without even lacing up his shoes or tightening up his belt, he grabbed the ball and gave a hard chest pass to the next offensive player in line. “Which one of you mutha (expletive) think they can score on me?” He then proceeded to D up on every single player in line. Not one guy scored. Half of them didn’t even get a shot off. It was an amazing display of competitiveness. Keep in mind this took place before the draft. If he got hurt it could have cost him millions of dollars, or even worse, ended his career. But he didn’t care. Raymond Felton is true to the game.

#9 “Speaking in Las Vegas at the largest basketball clinic in world”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/VegasClinic

I have been so thankful to speak at Ed Janka’s Nike Championship Basketball Clinics for the past four years. His annual spring clinic in Las Vegas lays claim to being the “largest basketball clinic in the world” with several thousand coaches in attendance. In the spring of 2007, I got a chance to speak in Las Vegas and it was quite a thrill. The workout was very well-received. I got an intense rush from speaking in front of 3,000 coaches and seeing myself live on the jumbo-tron screen! I have such a respect for high school basketball coaches; it always gives me great satisfaction to be able to help teach them about proper training.

#8 “Working the Jamaica Star Search Camp for the first time”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/JamaicaCamp

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, in the summer of 2008 I volunteered to work a basketball camp for underprivileged kids in Jamaica. It was a life changing experience and one I will never forget. I had never seen such poverty in all of my life. There were kids in camp who played with no shoes; in a gym with no air conditioning. Yet they were unbelievably thankful for the opportunity to just be in the camp. Their energy and enthusiasm was palpable and contagious. I returned home with a new sense of appreciation for how blessed I was. I have pledged to return every year.

#7 “Chat with Kobe”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/KobeAndAlan

In the summer of 2007, I had the opportunity to work the first ever Kobe Bryant Nike Skills Academy at Mater Dei High School in Orange County, CA. The campers included the top 20 high school shooting guards in the country (Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans, and Willie Warren) as well as the top 10 college shooting guards (Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson, James Harden, and Stephen Curry). Kobe arrived early one afternoon and I got a chance to talk with him for about 15 minutes about his off season training and his approach to his own development. It was such an honor to talk to someone of his caliber; someone who is truly dedicated to being the best player he can be. As we parted ways he said, “Thanks for being here Coach.” He is a true class act.

#6 “Trip to France with Nike USA Team”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/FranceTeam

In the summer of 2005, I got an unbelievable opportunity to travel to France with a Nike USA U-19 team to play a series of games against other countries. This was my first overseas basketball experience and it was phenomenal. The roster included current NBA players Thad Young, Brook and Robin Lopez, Javaris Crittenton, Chase Budinger, and Nick Calathes (who just signed a contract in Greece). It also included current college players Nic Wise (Arizona) and Jeff Allen (Virginia Tech). What made it really special was having two of my good friends, Jeff Rogers (Nike) and David Adkins (former assistant at Montrose, current assistant with the University of Maryland’s women’s program) on the trip as well. Being submerged in a foreign culture was a valuable learning experience.

#5 “Audition for Montrose”

This season will mark my 7th year as the head strength & conditioning coach for the Montrose Christian basketball program. When I moved back to the DC area in 1999, I made it my goal to work with the area’s top high school basketball program, which in my opinion, was Montrose Christian. For nearly three years I sent letters and left voice messages for Coach Stu Vetter; all of which went unreturned and unanswered. Then finally in the spring of 2003 I caught a break. I called the Montrose Basketball office, and to my surprise, got to speak with Coach Vetter’s lead assistant, David Adkins (who has since become a close friend). I introduced myself and told him how bad I wanted to be a part of their program. Always one to meet new people and learn new things, DA invited me over to his office to talk shop. Since he was responsible for the Montrose off season conditioning program, he was very interested in hearing how I might be of service. He told me he would bring Linas Kleiza (former NBA player for the Denver Nuggets, currently under contract with Olympiakos in Greece) over to my gym to workout. He said, “If Linas likes your workout… you’re in. If he doesn’t, I never knew you.” So in all reality this was my “audition” to accomplish my goal and be a part of the Montrose program. I took Linas through an hour long workout and blasted him pretty hard. I felt like it went well, but got very little feedback from him or Coach Adkins. They left and told me they would be in touch. As I was later told, when Linas got in the car, he told Coach Adkins “That was the best workout I have ever had… when can I do it again?” The rest is history!

#4 “KD’s draft night”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/KDandAlan

I met Kevin Durant out in Portland in 2004 at the Les Schwab Invitational. I was introduced to him and his family by Jeff Rogers (my good friend at Nike). Kevin was a junior at Oak Hill at the time but still a native of the DC area. After a great conversation I convinced him and his family that KD should work with me the following off season. They were guarded and hesitant, but said they would consider it. I stayed persistent and kept in touch and finally got my shot later that spring (2005). Similar to my audition for Montrose, I had an audition with KD. I was told I could work him out one Saturday at the old Run N’ Shoot in Suitland, MD. If we clicked, we were good to go. If we didn’t, I was out. We hit it off right away and KD was sold on how badly he needed to be on a progressive strength training program (he weighed 180 pounds at the time). We worked out religiously for several weeks and then KD made the decision to transfer to Montrose for his senior year. Let’s fast forward through an All American season at Montrose and a College Player of the Year season at Texas, to the 2007 NBA draft. It was astounding to watch KD be selected as the 2nd overall pick and go on stage and shake David Stern’s hand. I was so happy for him and his family and so proud to see his hard work pay off. He deserved it. Despite being one of the NBA’s brightest rising stars, KD has remained grounded and humble and continues to have a tremendous work ethic and unparalleled love for the game. While I don’t work with KD anymore, I am very thankful to call him a lifelong friend.

#3 “Oak Hill vs. Montrose”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/OakHillvsMontrose

I have told this story countless times at camps and clinics, but it still gives me goose bumps every time I think about it. In early March 2006, I sat on the bench in coat and tie at Coolidge high school in Washington DC and bared witness to one of the greatest high school basketball games ever played. Montrose Christian, led by Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Greivis Vasquez (University of Maryland), collided with the nation’s #1 ranked team, Oak Hill (40-0, had a 56 game win streak), who was led by Michael Beasley (Miami Heat) and Tywon Lawson (Denver Nuggets). In front of a standing room only crowd of several thousand people, Montrose fought back from being down 16 in the middle of the third quarter to hit a shot at the buzzer to steal the victory. It was simply amazing.

#2 “Meeting Coach K”

I have long been an admirer of Coach K and his relentless commitment to excellence. I have read all of his books several times over and apply many of his philosophies on teamwork, accountability, etc. to my own work and life. At the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC in December of 2006, I finally got a chance to meet him in person. It was surreal. The following day I sent him a letter thanking him for his time, and more importantly, thanking him for all of his contributions to the game of basketball. To my surprise, several weeks later, I received a hand written note from him! The face of college basketball, a Hall of Fame coach, and one of the busiest men on the planet took the time to send me a hand written note saying he enjoyed our conversation as well and wished me success in the future. I was awestruck. From then on I made a solemn pledge to myself to always return calls, emails, and letters – no exceptions. I figured if Coach K can find the time to hand write me a letter, I sure as hell can do the same thing when people contact me. I am pleased to say I have had a few conversations with Coach K since that initial meeting and it has been an honor every time.

#1 “Meeting MJ”

See the picture: http://tinyurl.com/JordanClassic

In the spring of 2005, I got the opportunity to work my first Jordan Brand All American Classic up in New York. Being one of the millions of kids who grew up idolizing Michael “Air” Jordan; being a part of his event was super special and a dream come true. On the night of the game, he walked into a secured room to talk to the players and coaches. I was about 2 feet away from him when he entered and my heart literally skipped a beat. He had an aura about him that was hard to describe. After his pep talk he shook each of our hands and thanked us being a part of his event. To go from idolizing someone to shaking their hand was very bizarre!

Well, that’s it. Those are the moments and experiences that made my Top 10. And while those stuck out for obvious reasons, I am just as thankful for the thousands and thousands of other amazing experiences I have had on my journey. It has been an awesome ride so far!

Next week I will post my annual Montrose preview and give some insight to our roster and schedule. We have a lot of new faces on this year’s team and several big time games; so please check back. Then the following two week’s posts will be dedicated to starting the season on the right foot; a must read for all high school coaches and players.

Please note the two Virginia clinics I had scheduled for this coming weekend (Hampton Roads and Richmond) have been postponed. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please stay tuned to www.StrongerTeam.com or email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com for updates.

For daily motivational quotes please follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein and for the Exercise of the Week please subscribe to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.

Work hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

Choices

2009-10-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

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 the 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. Wherever 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 youchoosing to stay after the workout and get up additional shots? Are youchoosing 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 youchoosing to reinforce the importance of leadership, toughness, communication, and competitiveness? Are youchoosing 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 atwww.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

Professional Development

2009-10-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

I spend a good deal of my time in the fall traveling the country to speak at various coaching clinics; both state association and Nike Championship Basketball clinics. I get to meet a ton of passionate coaches who obviously understand the importance of their own professional development (duh, that’s why they are at the clinic!).

How hard do you work on your craft? Whether you are a player, a coach, or a trainer… how much time and effort to put into your own development and improvement? An honest answer to this question will ultimately dictate your overall success. It’s really not a mystery; the more energy you put into honing your specific skill sets the better you will be and the more success you will attain.

Are you constantly in search of new information? Do you expose yourself to a variety of resources? Do approach new learning experiences with an open mind? Again, your answer to these questions will speak volumes about your potential success.

With the exception of the small percentage of folks who are involved in basketball for mere recreation; I assume everyone else’s goal is to become the absolute best player, coach, or trainer they can be and to maximize their potential. That is most certainly my goal as a basketball strength & conditioning coach.

I have always taken my professional development very seriously and spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, and money to ensure constant improvement. And I tend to gravitate towards players, coaches and trainers who have the same approach.

For my specific situation, there are 5 key areas and skill sets I must continuously develop to thrive in the private training industry:

• Training methodologies & philosophies (exercises & drills, equipment, etc.)
• Coaching techniques (ways to motivate players, better communication, etc.)
• Relationship building (building rapport with players, networking, social media, etc.)
• Running a business (customer service, branding, marketing, etc.)
• Public speaking & writing (speaking at clinics, writing a blog, etc.)

For players and coaches, it is slightly different. Aside from academics (which is obviously most important), a high school and college player needs to focus on the specific skill sets of their fundamentals, applying those fundamentals to the game, and being a good teammate. Coaches need to be able to teach the game, motivate players, create a winning culture, and implement the X’s and O’s. Please note I am well aware the roles and responsibilities of both players and coaches far exceed the cursory list I just compiled. In fact, I suggest you write down your own list of skill set categories that you want to develop to be successful.

I make sure to spend an appropriate amount of time working on each of these specific skill sets because they each play a role in my overall success. Players and coaches need to do the same. Don’t just focus on shooting drills and ball handling drills… there is so much more to becoming a well rounded player or coach.

Many of you know this past January I set the goal of reading 50 books in 2009. That is just one example of my commitment to my development. I read books on success, leadership, motivation, mental training, biographies, as well as strength & conditioning resources; so reading actually helps me in every skill set I am trying to improve!

I just finished Pistol Pete’s biography (which was fascinating and for the record was the 43rd book I have read this year). I will be starting up The Miracle of St. Anthony next (which documents a season with one of the most storied high school programs of all time). Montrose will actually be paying St. Anthony’s this February up in New Jersey at the Prime Time Shootout. It will be a memorable game as two the nation’s top coaches (Bob Hurley Sr. and Stu Vetter) and most heralded programs collide!

In addition to reading a variety of different books I subscribe to several e-newsletters; all of which have a wealth of info to share. Brian McCormick, Ganon Baker, Kevin Eastman, Steven Chandler, and Jeffrey Gitomer are a few I follow very regularly. Doing this gives me weekly injections of professional development.

My goal, whether I am reading a book, watching a DVD, or attending a clinic is to pick up one new thing. Maybe one new coaching cue. Or one new drill or concept. If I can get one new tidbit from a resource I consider it well worth the time and/or money spent. More times than not I end up picking up several new “nuggets”… but one is always the goal.

I then try to take what I learn, a new drill or new concept, and tweak it to make it “mine” and make it fit my specific needs. I try to add a new spin to make it unique. However, I readily admit and give proper credit to whomever I got it from. With that said, I love when coaches borrow my drills; that’s what I want. I am flattered when a coach uses a drill from one of my DVD’s or coaching clinics. And I really love it when they put their own twist on it and share it with me because then I learn something new too!

Quick side note: I want to reiterate that 95% of the quotes I post on Twitter and Facebook are not my own quotes; they are a compilation of thousands and thousands of quotes I have collected over the years. I choose not to post the original author because 75% of the time I don’t even know the original author and with the 140 character limitation there is rarely enough room.

I highly recommend you approach all learning opportunities with an open mind; but make sure you stick strong to your convictions. Listen to all angles and all sides; but think for yourself. Just because a successful player or coach does something a certain way doesn’t mean that is the only way or that is how you should automatically do it. Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone works great for him; doesn’t mean it will work great for you. Don’t be the coach who goes to a weekend clinic and comes back Monday with an entirely new philosophy! But subtle changes and improvements are vital for success. Your program and your philosophy should always be a work in progress. You are never there. You must evolve. The only thing constant is change. It is all about professional development.

Make sure you put your ego aside too. Your ultimate goal is to be the best player, coach, or trainer you can be. So if someone out there knows a better way to do something… listen and learn. I know for myself, in the past few years I have altered the way I teach a defensive slide and how a player should plant and cut to change direction… because I learned better ways.

In regards to keeping an open mind, don’t be biased on who you learn from either. You can learn something from any valid source. I have learned a great deal from guys who are almost three times my age (Hubie Brown, Tates Locke) as well as guys who are closer to half my age (Drew Hanlen from Pure Sweat Basketball). You know who gave me the most useful “stuff” at a two day clinic this summer? Andrea Hudy, the outstanding strength & conditioning coach for men’s and women’s basketball at Kansas. Because of her innovative thinking, I immediately made plans to add an adjustable pull up bar (goes from 7 to 11 feet) to use for jumping pull-ups as soon as her presentation was over! That exercise is now a staple in my program.

And you can learn things from the most obscure sources too. Hip hop music actually helps me improve several important skill sets (building rapport with today’s youth and public speaking). Despite being a 33 year old suburban white guy, I listen to hip hop because brilliant artists like Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Eminem, Tupac, and Biggie have an amazing control of the English language and portray unbelievable imagery in their words (granted the images they portray aren’t always appropriate or positive; but that’s not the point). They are master linguists and have amazing speaking rhythms. Listening to hip hop makes me a better public speaker. It also keeps me in touch with today’s youth and helps me form better relationships with my players.

Do you want to be the best player you can be? Then you need to spend time watching players who are ahead of you. But instead of watching as a fan, watch for the small things. When you watch guys like LeBron or Kobe; watch how they get open. Watch them move without the ball. Watch them on help side defense. Watching for that stuff, as opposed to drooling over dunks and long 3 balls, will make you a better player.

To maximize your professional development, you need to constantly evaluate your specific skill sets. This will allow you to prioritize what you need to work on. This can be done after every workout, practice, game, or in my case… after speaking at a clinic or posting a new blog. I have had readers graciously bring to my attention a few typos I made in recent blog posts. I am totally cool with that! I welcome feedback and welcome constructive comments on how to improve. I want to put out the best product possible, so I appreciate when someone points out an error. Just recently I had a doctor email me and point out an incorrect statement I made in my Vertical Jump Con Artists blog. I had made a statement that was factually incorrect regarding fiber types. He politely set the record straight, which I very much appreciated. I am now wiser.

I am a realist. I know how busy everyone is. I am well aware the number one excuse people make for not working on their craft and professional development is lack of time. Let me tell you, you will never find time for professional development. You have to make time for it! And it doesn’t have to be huge amounts of time either; strive for quality over quantity. Set aside 15 minutes a day to read one chapter in a book. Instead of watching Seinfeld re-runs; watch a training DVD. Print out e-newsletters and read them Sunday morning instead of the newspaper. Listen to audiobooks on your commute to school or work. You can make time if it is important to you! And what is more important (aside from health and family) than being the best you can be?

I will be conducting workouts and speaking at clinics in Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Virginia, Minnesota, and Iowa in the next several weeks… so please email if you want some more information on those specific events… as I would be honored to help you with your own professional development.

As always, 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

Dinner With A Legend

2009-09-29T06:14:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at a Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been speaking on the Nike circuit for four years now and really enjoy the opportunity to share info, meet new coaches, travel the country, and learn from some of the top basketball minds in the game. Each event is a unique and exciting experience. The clinics are held Friday through Sunday and I am usually one of the first speakers on Saturday morning. My normal routine is to fly in Friday night, speak Saturday morning, and then fly home Saturday afternoon. However, this time I chose to stay through Sunday because I wanted to see the legendary Hubie Brown speak Saturday night. Per his usual, he did a tremendous job, and combined his extensive basketball wisdom with several hilarious stories and anecdotes.

After he spoke, he stayed around for another 45 minutes answering additional questions, signing autographs, and taking pictures. While I am sure he was tired and despite the fact it was getting late and he had a 5:30am flight the next morning, he was a true class act and patiently hung around until the last coach left. I was so impressed with how genuine and humble he was. Afterwards I got to have dinner with him, Ed Janka (the man who runs the Nike Clinics) and a few of his friends. It was an incredible experience.

Hubie Brown is 76 years old and has been involved in high level basketball for over 50 years. He, literally, has seen and done everything in this game. He told story after story and was fascinating. It was incredible to hear how the game has changed, how the players have changed, and how the money has changed over that span. Ever since I was young I have been a bit of basketball historian and have enjoyed studying and learning from players and teams from before my time. Even now I am currently reading Pistol Pete’s biography. So to get an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts from a living basketball legend was a real honor. He told stories ranging from a brilliant way to defend an out of bounds play at the end of the game to a former player who bought a $30,000 Cadillac (despite the fact his yearly salary was only $35,000) to the first night he coached Kareem (with the Milwaukee Bucks) and saw him eat an extra large pizza in the locker room 6 minutes before warm-ups! NOTE: Kareem had 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots that night.

That night, before I went to bed, I reflected on how truly fortunate I have been in my career to have had experiences like that. I have met and rubbed elbows with many of the best coaches and players to have ever played the game – from John Wooden and Dean Smith to Coach K and Roy Williams to MJ to Dr. J to LeBron to Kobe. I really do feel like Will Ferrell in the movie Wedding Crashers… “I’m just livin’ the dream!”

There is only one basketball icon I am yet to meet; and that is the General Bob Knight. However, I just got word I will get to meet him this spring! He will be speaking at the same Nike Clinics I will be speaking at in New York and Wisconsin. I have always been a huge Coach Knight fan. As entertaining as my dinner with Hubie was; can you even imagine dinner with Coach Knight?! I can’t wait!

I try to never take these opportunities for granted and am so thankful for each and every experience. I have been doing this professionally for 10 years now… and wow… it has been quite the journey! In a future blog I plan to count down my top 10 moments/experiences.

If I can ever help you or your program or if I can in any way add to your own journey; don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I will respond as quickly as possible!

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Pre-Season Training Part III

2009-09-23T05:46:00.001-07:00

This is the third installment of a three part series on pre-season basketball training. The first post gave a comprehensive overview of a sound pre-season training program. The second post was a checklist to ensure maximum results. This post will tie everything together and take a closer look at the intangible qualities needed for success.

First and foremost, how is your (and your team’s) pre-season training going? Are you getting stronger? Are you getting quicker? Are you becoming more explosive? Are you getting in great basketball shape? Are you better than you were two weeks ago? Do you deserve to be successful this season? You should be evaluating your progress every week. It is not too late to make some adjustments if things are going as well as you would like!

There are three areas you need to make sure you continue to focus on in your pre-season training in order to be the best player (or team) you can this season. They are athleticism, fundamentals, and the intangibles.

Athleticism: strength, power, explosiveness, quickness, agility, reaction, flexibility, and conditioning. These traits must be applied to your fundamentals in order to be a great basketball player. Remember, enhancing these qualities is a means to an end; not an end itself. You need to learn how to use your improved strength and quickness on the court and in your game!

Fundamentals: ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding, and defending. These skills must be applied to your knowledge and overall feel of the game (basketball IQ) in order to be a great basketball player. Your fundamentals are the parts that make up the whole. You don’t want to be a good “drill” player. You need to learn how to use your improved handle and shot in practice and in the game!

Intangibles: leadership, toughness, communication, and competitiveness. These characteristics are what enable you to take your game to the highest level. They help average players (and teams) become good players (and teams) and good players (and teams) become great players (and teams). If you apply these intangibles to your athleticism and fundamentals you will absolutely be the best player (or team) you can be.

While athleticism and fundamentals are (obviously) imperative; I want to take a deeper look at the intangibles.

Leadership

I truly believe there is a tremendous lack of leadership in today’s game; specifically with today’s youth. Basketball is a team game that thrives on leadership; from both the coaches and players.

“An army of asses led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by an ass.”

You can’t under estimate the power of quality leadership. Effective leaders make the impossible seem possible. Anyone can work to improve to their leadership skill set. The traits needed to be a successful leader apply to both players and coaches at every level. If the coach is the only leader in the gym; that team won’t be very successful.

Here are 5 traits that contribute to effective leadership:

1) Learn from your mistakes. To be a good leader you have to take calculated risks and you will certainly make some mistakes along the way. Admit them. Learn from them. Don’t repeat them!

2) Lead by example. The old adage “do as I say not as I do” doesn’t fly in today’s world. If you expect it from your players or teammates, you have to expect it from yourself. You must hold yourself accountable before you can hold anyone else accountable.

3) Put others needs first. Compassion and empathy are extremely important to quality leadership. It is impossible to be selfish and be an effective leader. If you are a player, are you playing for the scoreboard or the scorebook? If you are a coach, is it “my way or the highway?”

4) Have confidence. Your attitude is something you have complete control of and will influence everything you do in life. A positive attitude helps build confidence. You must have a strong self worth and be confident in your abilities, without being arrogant or cocky. No one is going to follow someone who doesn’t believe in themselves.

5) Set a high standard. If you do everything to the best of your ability, then you can expect it from those you lead. If you are always on time, always work hard, and always put your heart and soul into every practice, workout, and game – then you can expect your teammates and players to do the same.

Toughness

Mental toughness is an acquired skill; not inherited trait. Every basketball player out there can become more mentally tough. A good part of being mentally tough is learning to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.” You have to learn to embrace obstacles, difficulties, mistakes, and adversity. You can’t expect anything to be easy. Failure is not only a part of life, but a major part of basketball. If you never fail, you aren’t pushing hard enough or challenging yourself. There are 7 characteristics to mental toughness, all of which can be improved with instruction and practice: competitive, confident, control, committed, composure, courage, and consistency. How do you grade yourself in each of these categories?

Communication

Effective communication can make or break a team. This includes communication on and off the court; among players and coaches. Communication is much more than what you say; it is how you say it. And on top of that, it’s not what you say or how you say it that is important; it’s what the other person hears! Does everyone on your team know exactly what your goals are? Does everyone on the team know exactly what their role is? Do players and coaches know how to effectively deal with confrontation when problems arise?

Competitiveness

The desire to compete is vital for success. While basketball should most certainly be “fun”; winning is important. And preparing to win is even more important than that. Like toughness; competitiveness is an acquired skill. You can learn to be more competitive. Your pre-season workouts should be competitive. Players should compete against themselves (against a previous effort), against the clock, and against other teammates. Winners should be rewarded as incentive. If you wait until the jump ball of your first game to get your competitive juices flowing… you will be too late!

If you have any questions about your pre-season program; don’t hesitate to drop me an email (Alan@StrongerTeam.com) if I can be of help. I will respond as soon as possible!

For additional daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, check out:

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Pre-Season Training Part II

2009-09-16T05:53:00.001-07:00

My last blog entry was the first of a three part series on pre-season training and gave a solid overview of what players and teams should be doing to get ready for the season. This post will serve as checklist to gauge how well you are preparing. Most schools have been in session for a couple of weeks and most programs have already started their pre-season workouts. So now is the perfect time to take inventory and evaluate.

Here are 12 questions to see if you are really on the right path. Questions to see if you are doing everything you can to not only make the team, but to earn some serious playing time, and have a championship caliber year.

1) Are you on top of your school work? If not, you aren’t going to be able to play so you might want to take care of this ASAP. Once the season starts, time management will be crucial in making sure you don’t fall behind academically. Start strong!

2) Are you getting 8-10 hours of sleep every night? Sleep is when your body grows! You will never be able to perform up to your potential if you aren’t well rested. Intense pre-season training is extremely taxing on your body; so make sure you get your rest.

3) Are you eating breakfast every day? Are you starting your day off by refueling your “machine?” There is no way you can give 100% for an entire workout if you are running on fumes. Pancakes, waffles, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, and fruit are high energy foods and a great way to start your day.

4) Are you drinking enough water? Your performance will decrease severely with the slightest bit of dehydration. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to start drinking water… sip all day long. If you want to maximize your pre-season workouts you must be hydrated.

5) Are you tending to any nagging injuries or soreness? If you are having issues with your knees or back… are you doing anything about it? In most cases, ice is your best friend. If something is sore, ice it down! If pain persists, make sure you go see a doctor or physical therapist for a professional diagnosis. Do not wait until the season to do this… it needs to be addressed now! Don’t let something “little” in the pre-season have an effect on your season.

6) Are you making 200-500 (extra) shots a day? And I am not referring to “social shooting” or just going through the motions. I mean “game shots, from game spots, at game speed.” Are you doing this above and beyond your pre-season workouts? How about your ball handling? Repetition is not punishment; it is the only way to get better! Also noticed I said “make”; not “take” 200-500 shots a day. The name of the game is making shots!

7) Are you on a structured workout program? Are you participating in a structure, organized, progressive program to work on your strength, power, quickness, agility, reaction, and basketball conditioning level? Is it safe? Time efficient? Productive?

8) Do you get to every workout on time? Better yet, do you get there early? If you are only “on time” – you are late! You wouldn’t show up to a game 2 minutes before tip-off, would you?

9) Are you an energy giver at every workout? Is your enthusiasm contagious? Do you hype up your teammates? Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.

10) Are you a team leader? Do you step up to the front of the line for every drill and every sprint? Do you run hard or push for that extra rep in the weight room regardless of whether or not the coach is watching?

11) Are you comfortable being uncomfortable? Do you play it safe each workout or do you give it everything you’ve got? Do you push yourself to the edge of the proverbial cliff every time? Do you work on your weaknesses?

12) Have you met with your coach for his/her evaluation? Have you formally sat down with your coach to ask what things you need to work on to earn time this year? Or to be the best player you can be? Or what he/she envisions your roll to be when the season starts? Coaches, have you done this with each of your players?

If you can’t answer “YES” to all of these questions, then you aren’t doing everything you can to prepare for the season. It doesn’t matter if you are going to be on the end of the bench on the JV team or a pre-season All American… you need to do the little things every day to reach your potential. If you can’t answer “YES” to all of these questions, then you aren’t doing everything you can to be the best player you can be, to get noticed by coaches at the next level, and to earn playing time.

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

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Pre-Season Training

2009-09-08T03:48:00.001-07:00

With summer over and school in full swing, you still have several weeks before your first official practice. If you haven’t been doing anything to prepare for this coming season, you better get started!

It is crucial you are doing everything possible to get in great basketball shape. Whether you are a question mark to make the JV team or a potential All American, being in anything less than outstanding basketball condition is unacceptable. Your conditioning level is something you have complete control of, and thus if you are not in great shape, look no further than the mirror.

Basketball is a high intensity game played at a very fast pace… so going out and running 3 miles every day will not get you in basketball shape. It is also a game of reading and reacting, quick changes of direction, and several movement patterns (sprinting, jumping, defensive sliding, and back pedaling)…. so running 10 reps of 100 meters will not get you in basketball shape either. To get in, and stay in, top basketball shape you need to participate in a series of progressive, game-like drills!

To get into great basketball shape; your conditioning program must be:

Energy system specific (high intensity/short duration, drills should last :15 - :60)
Movement specific (sprint, back pedal, defensive slides, jumping)
Progressive (increase intensity, increase volume, decrease rest)
Competitive (compete against teammate or clock)
Fun (try to find drills you enjoy doing, you will work harder if you are having fun)

The most effective way to get into basketball shape is to take a comprehensive approach:

Nutrition and rest: Your body is like a race car and it needs to be properly fueled to work at a maximum level. You need to try to get 8 hours of sleep each night to make sure you are well rested enough to give 100% at every workout. You also need to make sure you drink tons of water to stay hydrated. Even the slightest bit of dehydration can affect performance on the court and in the weight room. You also need to eat your normal 3 meals a day plus 3 additional high powered snacks. Two of the most important times to fuel are first thing in the morning (breakfast) and within an hour after working out. Here are a few great foods you can start your day with to give you energy: pancakes, waffles, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, and fruit.

Strength training: If your body is a car, your muscles are the engine. Proper strength training will increase the size/strength of your muscles (giving you a bigger engine!). If your muscles are stronger, they can produce more force, which means you will be able to run faster and jump higher (and you will also be less likely to be injured). Here are a few guidelines:

Training Frequency: 2-3 workouts per week

Training Duration: 40-60 minutes per workout

Training Volume: 1-3 sets per exercise, 10-15 total exercises per workout

Training Intensity: Perform each set to a point that no other “quality” repetitions are possible (the “muscle failure” mentioned in last week’s blog post)

Repetition Ranges: 8-15 repetitions per set (reaching muscle failure prior to 8 repetitions means the resistance is “too heavy” and increases orthopedic stress)

Equipment: Utilize what is available - free weights, machines, manual resistance, etc.

Workout tips: To make your workouts as effective as possible, utilize compound movements like squats, lunges, step-ups, pull-ups, bench presses, rows, and shoulder presses.

Here is a great weight room challenge to try this pre-season; lift 60,000 lbs in 60 minutes.

You multiply the weight times the number of reps you perform to get total poundage. So if you bench 135 lbs 10 times; you have 1,350 lbs. Only 58,650 lbs to go! You simply keep a running total of weight times reps and then add up everything at the end. You are more than welcome to keep a running total to see where you are at all times, but I recommend using a calculator so you don’t waste much time!

Here are a few ground rules to make this challenge as effective as possible:

No leg press (too easy)
No calf raises (too easy)
Only full range of motion reps count
Pull-ups are the only bodyweight exercise allowed (your weight being the weight for the exercise)
Utilize free weights and dumbbells as much as possible to keep things universal
When using DB’s; it’s the total weight (bench pressing with 40’s = 80 lbs)
Start the clock on your first rep and end the workout in exactly 60 minutes

What will your strategy be? Try to lift lighter weights for more reps? Heavy weights for fewer reps? Alternate upper body and lower body exercises? Run through several exercises in a row with no rest? You may want to record and add up a “normal” workout first to gauge where you stand before devising a strategy. This can easily be turned into a team competition!

Conditioning: The primary goal of your conditioning program should be to get in peak basketball shape. There is a huge difference between being fit and being in basketball shape. You are not a track athlete and not marathon runner; so don’t train as such. You should aim for each workout to incorporate drills that include sprinting, cutting, back pedaling, defensive sliding, and jumping with appropriate work to rest rations to maximize intensity. The more game like the drill – the better! You must go all out every rep of every drill in every workout to truly reach your conditioning potential.

One thing that unites every player in the world this pre-season is the power to choose. You have the right to chose how you will train this pre-season. 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. Same goes for pre-season training. When the season is here, if you are in great shape it is because you made the choice to be in great shape!

One of my favorite quotes of all time is

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

If what you did last year didn’t work well; don’t do it again!

What kind of choices are you making now to start the pre-season? Are you choosing to get plenty of sleep at night? Are you choosing to eat breakfast every day? Are you choosing to work hard in the weight room? Are you choosing to run every sprint/drill as hard as possible? Are you choosing to be enthusiastic and supportive of your teammates?

These are all choices. Your answer to these questions will dictate the success of your pre-season as well as the type of player you will be.

My next two blogs will continue to focus on the pre-season (Pre-Season Training II and Pre-Season Training III). I will also add a weekly “Montrose-ism” where I will share many of the insights and intricacies I have learned in the last seven years as the head strength & conditioning coach. Insights that have helped build one of the top high school basketball programs in the nation!

I just posted my fall schedule at www.StrongerTeam.com. Please come say hello if you attend any of the clinics I am working!

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Failure Is A Good Thing!

2009-09-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

I know the story is way over told and very cliché; but nevertheless it epitomizes the purpose of this blog. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in team sports history (not just basketball), was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. He has stated in countless interviews how he used that “failure” as the spark that ignited his tenacious pursuit of excellence, and eventually dominance, on the basketball court. MJ will have gone from being cut from his varsity team to reaching the pinnacle of success; when he will be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame next week.

I truly believe the key to being successful, in any endeavor (but especially sports), is how you view failure and how you view mistakes. Most people view failure as a negative. They are so petrified by failure it becomes an immovable roadblock, and in my opinion, prevents them from attaining success. Others view failure as an integral part of the developmental process and look at mistakes as the speed bumps on the road to success. I most certainly fall into the latter group. Failure, if handled appropriately, is a key ingredient to being successful. Ask any successful person and they will confirm. Failure can teach you lessons you never would have learned otherwise (“School of Hard Knocks”), it can humble you and allow you to keep a healthy perspective, and it can be used to fuel your motivation for future success like in Michael Jordan’s case.

What’s really so bad about failure?

The main reason folks fear failure is because of the feeling of rejection they associate with it. People are so worried about getting rejected they avoid it at all costs. Do you realize how successful you could be if you were immune to feeling rejected? Byron Katie once said “you can have anything you want in life if you are willing to ask 1,000 people for it.” Anything. Think about that for second. There is a lot of truth to that statement. Ask 1,000 people? Most folks will quit after just one or two “no’s.”

I see the same fear with players all of the time. What about working on a new move? You think if you practiced that move for thousands of reps you would master it? Of course you would! Who cares if the first hundred times you did it you lost the ball, traveled, or couldn’t perform it at game speed?! If you keep working on it will eventually become a part of your offensive arsenal. One of the moves taught at every Nike Skills Academy this past summer was the Euro-step; which Tony Parker has made famous in the NBA. It is a deadly move for guards to use around the basket to elude a defender. Even the best high school and college players in the country had difficulty mastering the Euro-step; but those that did were the ones who stuck with it, rep after rep, and didn’t mind “failing” the first dozen or so times they tried it.

Jack Canfield, the creator of the Chicken Soup for The Soul series, was turned down by over 30 publishers before landing a book deal. That means over 30 people told him NO! That means he “failed” 30 times. Yet he persisted and believed in himself. Since then he has sold millions of books, inspired millions of readers, and made hundreds of millions of dollars. He is living proof of Byron Katie’s quote.

The irony is, in most cases, the person who gets the most “yes’s” in life is also the one who gets the most “no’s.” That means the folks with the most success, usually have had the most “failures” as well! One of my favorite motivational speakers is Steve Chandler, who said “if you never fail, you aren’t challenging yourself. You aren’t pushing your limits.” Amen to that.

That makes me think of one of my favorite quotes (sorry, not sure who originally said this):

“Your greatest fear should not be aiming to high and missing; but aiming too low and achieving.”

Here is another way to view this, courtesy of Mr. Chandler. Picture this; I give you a coin. I tell you I will give you $100 for every time you flip it and it lands on heads. You have 10 minutes to flip it as many times as you want! That’s it; those are the rules. What would you do? Would you tentatively sit there… scared to flip the coin in case it landed on tails? Of course not! You would flip that sucker as many times as you could… because you know the more times you flip it the more chances you have for it to land on heads (and get paid!)! You could care less if it landed on tails! Imagine having that same fervor for everything you try to achieve in life. I have tried hard to adopt that mantra in my life this past year and it has paid off in countless ways.

When strength training, when you take a set to the point at which you can’t perform another quality repetition, you have reached what is called Momentary Muscular Failure… which is a good thing! Picture a bench press for the ease of the visual. When your chest and shoulders and triceps are so exhausted you can’t budge the bar off your chest and you need to a spotter to re-rack the weight… you have just “failed.” The good news is consistently and systematically reaching MMF is an extremely productive way to increase strength. While there are certainly exceptions, I have most of my players take most of their sets to the point of momentary muscular failure every workout. In other words, I not only encourage it, but I demand my players “fail” several times each workout! And you know what? Over time they become bigger, stronger, and more powerful.

Players ask me all of the time what they can do to “get better.” Certainly an individualized prescription of skill work and player development is almost always necessary. But I can always offer one sure fire way to guarantee improvement: play with players older, bigger, stronger, and better than you are! You will get knocked around, you will get the ball stolen from you, you will get your shot blocked, and will (probably) even dunked on… but most importantly you will get better!

For every picture perfect game winning shot Michael Jordan hit; there were countless other times he missed. Countless other times he could have won the game but didn’t. But he never let the fear of missing prevent him from taking the shot. He never let failure get in the way of success.

And neither should you.

With both high school and college back in session, and NBA training camp around the corner, my goal is to post a new blog entry at the beginning of each week. My next two blogs will focus on pre-season training recommendations and outline everything you need to do to get in remarkable basketball shape! I also plan on adding a new feature to my weekly blogs this fall; “Montrose-isms.” I will share many of the insights and intricacies we have used for years to build Montrose Christian (where I am entering my 7^th year as the head strength & conditioning coach) into an internationally renowned program. So make sure you check back weekly, and as always, please share with anyone you think would benefit.

I will be sending out an e-newsletter in the middle of September which will be full of valuable content and updates. Please email me if you would like to be added to my mailing list (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Fall Preview

2009-08-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, summer has flown by. I can’t believe it is almost September! It has been an amazing summer; one of the best of my professional career. I want to sincerely thank each of you for your kind words and support of my work. I am very passionate about what I do; so please don’t ever hesitate to email me if I can ever help you in any way (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

With summer winding down and school about to start I wanted to give a quick update as well as preview what’s coming this fall:

My next blog will post the first week of September. I will do my absolute best to post an entry at the beginning of each week. A few future topics will include “why failure is a good thing,” “the importance of professional development,” and “effective networking for coaches and players.” I will also post several blogs on pre-season training recommendations and outline everything you need to do to get in remarkable basketball shape! So make sure you check back weekly. I will continue to post book reviews and re-caps of my fall events.

Shop.StrongerTeam.com is now officially open and carries my full line of DVD’s. Please email me directly if you have questions on which ones best meet your needs.

I will be sending out an e-newsletter in the middle of September which will be full of valuable content and updates. Please email me if you would like to be added to my mailing list (Alan@StrongerTeam.com).

I will post my fall travel schedule in early September as well. I am putting the finishing touches on my Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility for Basketball Players traveling clinic series. The tour will have several stops across the country. In addition I am scheduled to speak at 4-6 coaching clinics. Please stay tuned to the schedule and come say hello if you are ever at one of my events.

This will mark my 7^th year as the head strength & conditioning coach at Montrose Christian. I plan on adding a new feature to my weekly blogs this fall; “Montrose-isms.” I will share many of the insights and intricacies we have used for years to build our program.

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/08/17/Chris-Paul-Interview.aspx

Star Shooter August Update

2009-08-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Back with an update on the Star Shooter workouts. We haven't been doing as many as we had because of going here and there and doing this and that, but we have been getting in 2 per week.

Our original goal was to do 30 workouts and both kids are past the half way mark. We will continue until we get to 30. The good thing is is that the kids really got the form down with our early workouts and now it is more a matter of maintaining what they've learned. We are only doing 5 reps of the easy drills just to make sure we keep using perfect form on those.

We are now spending more time with the line and wall shots and then taking it to the basket. The kids shoot 25 line shots, 25 wall shots, and 75 shots around the basket. We usually finish the workouts in about 15-20 minutes. Star Shooter features multiple workouts for shooting but since the kids are young (10 & 8) we are just focusing on form this summer and not getting into the other workouts in star shooter.

So how is their form? My son's form is pretty much perfect. My daughter's is very good as well and she had the most improving to do and has come a long way. She played in a 3 on 3 tourney this summer and one of the other parents noticed how much she had improved her shot (she had only done about 6 Star Shooter workouts at that point). I see other kids their age struggling with their shots and we are going to implement the first Star Shooter workout into our practices this fall.

I'll keep you posted on their progress and high recommend you checkout the Star Shooter system if your child is struggling with their shot.

Chris Paul Camp Recap

2009-08-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of working the 2^nd Annual Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp. The camp was held in CP’s home town of Winston-Salem, NC. This “invite only” camp featured 30 of the top high school guards in the nation including Harrison Barnes (Ames, IA); the nation’s #1 player in 2010 class. Phil Pressey (Dallas, TX), Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, MI), and Kendall Marshall (Dumfries, VA) rounded out the line-up. Staying true to his roots and his love for his home state; Chris made sure about two thirds of the roster was of players from North Carolina. On the college side were Nic Wise (Arizona), Jerome Dyson (Connecticut), and AJ Slaughter (Western Kentucky). Chris’s alma matter (Wake Forest) was very well represented with Al-Farouq Aminu, LD Williams, and Ishmael Smith.

In my 10 years as a basketball strength coach I have been extremely fortunate to have met most of the games top players; from MJ to Kobe to LeBron. I have never met any NBA superstar who is as humble and down to earth as Chris Paul. He is something special. He literally was “just one of the guys” all weekend. CP did every drill and ran every sprint in every workout.

CP is very family oriented as his brother CJ and his mom and dad are very actively involved in every aspect of his life; including putting on this camp. CP is extremely active in the community in both his hometown of Winston-Salem and his seasonal residence of New Orleans. And while Jordan Brand and Vitamin Water were sponsors; CP pays for this Elite Guard camp out of his own pocket to the tune of almost $30,000. That’s how strongly he believes in it.

The camp was brief; but packed a powerful punch. The players had a workout Friday night, two workouts Saturday, and a workout (plus games) Sunday morning. Workouts focused on weak hand development, being able to pivot effectively off either foot, running the break, and every option off of a pick and roll. The players worked hard and competed. At the beginning of the first workout, CP offered several words of wisdom:

“You must know your strengths and weaknesses. When you play, you have to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.”

“Your goal on offense is to get your defender off balance so he is vulnerable. You do this with ball fakes, shot fakes, and being able to change speed and direction. You can’t be predictable.”

“You have to be very efficient and “tight” with your moves; no room for wasted motions. The game is played in straight lines.”

“Work to get into the paint with enough control you can evaluate your options. Getting into the paint puts the defense at a disadvantage.”

“Practice different shots when you workout; not just jump shots. Work on shots like floaters and the Euro-step. You need to be able to score with either hand off of either foot.”

“Compete in everything you do. I hate to lose more than I like to win.”

Knowing there is more to life than just basketball and wanting to provide the campers with a full experience, CP took the entire camp bowling Saturday night. For those that don’t know; CP is an avid bowler. He even has his own custom made Jordan Brand bowling shoes! CP’s friend Elton Brand stopped by. This was my first time meeting EB and I really enjoyed talking with him. Much like CP, he was very down to earth and very approachable.

After bowling the entire group went to Wake Forest University and CP played pick-up with the college counselors. CP was phenomenal and showed beyond doubt why he is arguably the best point guard in the NBA.

The camp also featured a “what to expect” presentation where CP offered up more insight to the campers:

· “Trust is critical. Make sure you keep your inner circle tight. Make sure the people you hang around have your best interests at heart; not their own agenda. Every level you climb to the harder this is to do.”

· “When you are getting recruited for college you will probably develop your tightest relationship with one of the assistants since they do most of the recruiting. But make sure you get to know the head coach because that is who you will ultimately be playing for.”

· “Every coach on the planet is nice when they are recruiting you; but you will see at your very first practice how quickly that will change!”

· “Don’t fall victim to short term gratification. Don’t take money from coaches or agents because then they “own” you. Do everything above table.”

· “Anytime you can, use your basketball status and celebrity to help others. Your status has a lot of power; use it to better other people’s lives whenever you can.”

On the final morning of camp I was fortunate enough to sit down with CP, one on one, and ask him a series of questions about his training. This is a must read. You can read the interview here:

Before we left camp; CP gathered everyone in and thanked us for being a part of his camp. He told everyone how much he appreciated our being there and not to hesitate to call him if we ever needed anything. Wow. CP is as classy as it gets.

For those who live in the Maryland area, I will be holding a Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Camp for basketball players next week. The camp will be Monday August 24^th to Wednesday August 26^th in Germantown, MD at the Discovery Sports Center. It is a half day camp for boys and girls ages 13 and older. I am really excited for the camp! Click here to view the flyer and registration form:

http://www.strongerteam.com/PDF/Clinic-2009-08-24.pdf

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

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/07/14/Vertical-Jump-Con-Artists.aspx

Vertical Jump Follow Up

2009-08-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted an updated version of a blog I wrote in 2008 about Vertical Jump Con Artists. For those that didn’t read it, you can check it out here:

Once again, I got a whirlwind of responses and comments, nearly every one of which was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. However, I did receive a small handful of comments from folks that disagreed with my position. I view that as a good thing! I never have had a problem with folks who take a different stance and have different opinions from my own. I welcome it and respect it. That is what makes life fun. I have always enjoyed a good debate, especially when it comes to proper training and performance enhancement, because I am so passionate about the topic. I have numerous colleagues and friends in the industry, some in the private sector, some in the NCAA, and some in the NBA… and we all have slightly different philosophies and methodologies. I respect any strength & conditioning coach who is passionate, energetic, truly cares about the well being of their players, and can rationalize their training philosophy; regardless if it differs from mine. I know, and wholeheartedly believe, there are numerous programs that “work.”

With that being said, if you are going to initiate a debate with my philosophy or blog posts, please do so under the following two conditions:

1) Be respectful and professional. I had someone leave a comment that was not only factually incorrect (it was as if he didn’t even read my blog); it was full of grammatical errors, expletive words, and was more of a personal attack on me. If you want respect, you have to earn it. You only earn it by carrying yourself in a professional manner and sticking to the issue at hand. You if you want to debate philosophies; awesome! If you want to talk smack; look elsewhere.

2) Have something legitimate to back up your point of view; either personal experience with the players you work with or unbiased research. Don’t come at me with hear-say and propaganda from folks who have an obvious financial interest. And please get your own facts straight before you try to argue against mine!

Now, there most certainly was real validity to the responses and comments who disagreed with my blog. They were comments and responses I have heard many times before, so I felt compelled to address them in this post. I am going to paraphrase some of the most common comments and give my two cents on each. Please note, these questions are an amalgam of the comments I routinely get – these are not from any particular individual per se but rather more of a summary.

Comment: Do you really believe genetics play a role in your vertical jump?

[Alan Stein] Absolutely; 100%. Genetics are the #1 determining factor in a person’s potential to jump. I challenge you to find ONE legitimate strength & conditioning coach, physical therapist, or athletic trainer who believes genetics do NOT play a significant role in one’s vertical jump potential. Now, this by no means implies that someone with a high vertical jump doesn’t work hard or train properly; it just means they were born with the genetic predisposition to achieve such results. It also doesn’t mean someone with less than ideal genetics can’t make progress; they most certainly can! Everyone can improve their vertical jump and maximize their potential; but not everyone can have a 40” vertical or dunk a basketball.

Comment: How do genetics have anything to do with it?

[Alan Stein] For one, your genetics determine your muscle fiber type. This is a key factor. Someone born with predominantly fast twitch muscle fibers in their lower body has the potential to jump higher than someone who was born with mostly slow twitch fibers. While your central nervous system’s efficiency can be improved through proper training; your overall neurological efficiency is also somewhat pre-determined at birth. Some folks were just born with more control over their muscular system. Limb length and tendon insertion points are two other genetic factors you can’t control. The folks with the highest vertical jumps were born with favorable genetics and have trained hard and trained properly.

Comment: If you don’t think a 50” vertical is possible, how do you explain all of the guys on YouTube like Area 51 (he is only 5’ 7”) and the guys on Team Flight Brothers?

[Alan Stein] First and foremost, I never once said that it was impossible to have a 50” vertical. I am saying it is extremely rare; like “winning the lottery” rare. And for the record, you don’t know for a fact that these guys truly have 50” vertical jumps. They might, they might not. You have never seen them measured (neither have I). You are only going on what you they are claiming. But that is not the point any way. I am not arguing these men have impressive leaping ability. I am also not arguing they work hard and train properly; they probably do. But if you believe for one second these particular individuals weren’t born with the favorable genetic predispositions (muscle fiber type, CNS efficiency, etc.) that gave them the potential to jump that high; then you need to re-read my previous answer regarding genetics. That is exactly why everyone who does a vertical jump training program can’t jump as high as these guys. Do you think if you followed their EXACT training program for an entire year you would have the same result? Do you think you would have a 50” vertical?

Comment: Why do you NFL players and Olympic lifters have higher verticals then NBA players?

[Alan Stein] I am well aware that the highest combine verticals for certain NFL positions (cornerbacks, running backs, and wide receivers) are statistically higher than the average combine verticals for potential NBA players. No argument. I assume the same is true for elite Olympic lifters; although I haven’t seen the stats. The elite level football players at those three positions in particular, almost all of the time, were born with the same genetic advantages I keep mentioning. A prototypical cornerback in the NFL is EXTREMELY explosive. He has to be, or he wouldn’t be playing at that level! Again, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t worked hard and trained properly, it means he was born with certain tools that allowed him to develop such explosiveness through training. Not everyone was born with the tools to be an NFL cornerback; just as not everyone was born with the tools to dunk a basketball or play in the NBA. Bottom line is this; in order to be a successful cornerback in the NFL or to be an Olympic caliber weight lifter, it is favorable to be extremely explosive and powerful. Both require very short bursts of high intensity power. There are always exceptions; but this is the general rule.

Comment: I think with hard work an average person can beat someone with genetic talent.

[Alan Stein] Beat them in what? A vertical jump contest or playing elite level basketball? If you are talking about basketball, there are too many factors above and beyond vertical jump that determine a person’s chances of playing college or professional basketball. Fundamental skills, basketball IQ, experience, height, and competitiveness are just some of the factors that are equally, if not more, important than jumping ability. In this scenario I am well aware that “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” That is one of my favorite quotes. Yes, someone without superior genetics can still attain a high level of success in a given sport. Yes, someone born with the right tools is not guaranteed to be successful. I have never implied otherwise. But if you think EVERYONE has the potential to have a 40” vertical jump or can dunk a basketball than you are truly mistaken. This is why I wrote my original blog. Most (not all) vertical jump programs claim that “anyone” can gain “8-12 inches” on their vertical, which by my definition, would be “amazing results.” And again, I know for a fact, that is 100% not true.

Comment: Take a marathon runner who wants to be more explosive; he only has a 15 inch vertical jump. Assume he has a slow to fast twitch ratio of 80% to 20% in his legs and hips. If you put him in a weight room and give him a superior vertical jump program by making him lift heavy, do squats, deadlifts, etc. for 1 year. He will gain more fast twitch fibers, probably make him 80% to 20% the other way – fast twitch dominant. Then add plyometrics for 6 months and you will probably have an athlete with a 35” vertical. Am I wrong? You can’t argue science!

[Alan Stein] What you are claiming as “science” is absolutely incorrect. A person’s muscle fiber types are determined at birth and they can’t be changed through training. Given your example of someone with an 80-20 split of fast twitch to slow twitch will always have that ratio… hence the reason they have achieved success in running marathons (they were born with a genetic predisposition to being successful at endurance activities) in the first place. Now, you can certainly put them on a “fast twitch” program and improve and maximize their 20%; but you can’t change the genetic make-up anymore than you can train someone to be taller. By training their 20%; you will probably see some improvement in their explosive capabilities but they will not be “amazing” results by any stretch of the imagination. And using your examples, you are certainly aren’t going to get him to add 20” to his vert. Not a chance. Do you really think if you trained Lance Armstrong this way you could get those results? Do you think you could do the reverse and put Usain Bolt on a “slow twitch endurance program” he would win a marathon or Tour De France? Absolutely, positively, NO WAY.

To reiterate, I am not saying athletes can’t make improvements, they most certainly can. “Slow twitch” athletes can make improvements in explosiveness and “fast twitch” athletes can make improvements in endurance if they are training appropriately; but neither group can drastically alter their genetic make-up. Neither group can attain “amazing” results; which is what most of the Vertical Jump Con Artists claim… hence my blog. “You can’t turn a jackass into a racehorse.”

As always, please share this blog with any player or coach you know as my goal is to reach and impact as many players as possible. I welcome all comments and thoughts as long as you abide by the aforementioned guidelines.

For those who live in the MD, VA, and DC area, I will be holding a Cutting Edge Reaction, Quickness, and Agility Camp for basketball players August 24-26^th in Germantown, MD. It is a half day camp for boys and girls ages 13 and older. It is going to be awesome! Please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com for more info.

For exclusive insight to upcoming camps (like the Chris Paul Backcourt Camp), as well as daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein

Alan Stein NBPA Top 100 Camp

2009-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Checkout this great motivational speech from Alan Stein, the author of the M.V.P. Vertical Jump program.

Alan had the opportunity to speak to the top 100 HS players in the nation about the importance of communication, toughness, and competitiveness. You can checkout his You Tube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/StrongerTeamDotCom

Summer Training Tips

2009-07-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

As we enter the last week of July we can see the “end of summer” finish line. Whether you are in high school or college, the fall semester will be starting in roughly 4-6 weeks with pre-season team training workouts soon to follow. Hopefully you have been putting in work all summer and are prepared to make a great impression on your coaching staff upon your return to school.

This blog is collection of thoughts and suggestions to make sure you maximize your workouts over the next several weeks. For those of you in high school, most of the premier camps and AAU events should be winding down; which gives you the month of August to focus on your training.

First and foremost, before we talk training, you must acknowledge and address any nagging injuries you may have. You don’t want to ignore something little and allow it turn in to something big. Now is the ideal time to address these issues. As a general rule, if a little rest, ice, and Advil don’t do the trick – please go see a doctor or physical therapist immediately. Whether you suffered a minor ankle sprain in an AAU game two months ago or you tweaked your groin at camp last week; go get a professional opinion on your condition and then follow their advice. Don’t wait until school starts; do it now!

Hopefully, sometime after your season ended or sometime at the beginning of summer, you sat down (preferably with your coach) and evaluated every aspect of your game to get an accurate feel for your strengths and weaknesses. While certainly a good portion of the evaluation should have been directed at your fundamentals; shooting, ball handling, etc. However, in this blog we will focus on the qualities of strength, explosiveness, agility, flexibility, reaction, and power (after all, I am a strength & conditioning coach!). It is important you honestly evaluate each of these components so you can better prioritize your training. Regardless of your strengths and weaknesses, I firmly believe in having a comprehensive training program and recommend you address all areas of performance on a consistent basis; but accurately knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you prioritize each component of your workout.

With the exception of individual differences, at this time of the year you should be putting most of your focus on increasing full body strength and power. There are numerous strength training philosophies and the goal of this blog is not to ignite a debate on which is the best. However, there are several fundamental rules most quality strength & conditioning coaches will advocate:

· Work your entire body; address every muscle group from head to toe including the legs, hips, core, and upper body. Have proper muscular balance by addressing areas around each joint; ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow.

· Work your body through all three planes of motion; choose exercises that go front to back, side to side, and rotating/twisting. Go through as many angles and alternative ranges of motion as possible. For instance, there are 5 primary angles for an upper body pressing motion: overhead, incline, horizontal, decline, and vertical. Same angles for upper body pulling motions. You can also do lunges and step-ups through several different planes and ranges of motion (forward, backward, lateral, cross over, step behind, plus several additional angles).

· Work within an appropriate repetition range. For basketball you should work roughly between 6 and 15 reps. While there are certainly instances when it is appropriate to perform more or fewer reps, 6-15 is a good rule of thumb for most sets.

· Work progressively to add resistance over time and always use proper technique with every exercise.

In addition to those universally accepted fundamentals, I also offer the following recommendations:

Give special attention to your feet; they are integral to staying injury free and maximizing performance on the court. I currently have my players do one or two (appropriate) exercises barefoot every training session. Basketball shoes are designed to be very supportive; thus they limit mobility. One of the goals of training is to improve mobility. With that said, basketball shoes are not ideal for strength and conditioning workouts. Do a set of walking lunges with no shoes on and you will see what I mean!

Make sure you work your core thoroughly as it is the center of all movement and is actively involved in almost everything you do. I will define your core as everything from your chest to your knees; hips, glutes, low back, abs, obliques and everything in between! The day and age of lying on your back and doing crunches is over! You need to incorporate a variety of methods; throwing (and catching) medicine balls from every conceivable angle and motion, twisting with cables or power bands, static holds, etc.

At least once a week, work your body unilaterally, meaning “one side at a time.” This is especially important for your lower body; make sure you throw in exercises that must be done one leg a time like lunges and step ups. Again, try to go through a variety of different angles and motions when performing.

When performing plyometric exercises; pay close attention to your landing technique (not just your jumping technique). Try to land with your weight evenly dispersed over your entire foot, use your entire body to absorb the impact, land “chest-over-knees-over-feet”, and land “quietly” (soft landing; like a cat). Make sure your knees don’t buckle in and don’t land straight legged. Creating solid landing habits is important for injury prevention; especially for females in preventing ACL injuries. While I most certainly recommend incorporating some type of appropriate plyo exercise in to your workouts; don’t overdo it. Limit your volume!

In addition to paying close attention to gaining strength; there are several other areas you need to address:

Flexibility and mobility: I suggest doing more of an active warm-up and dynamic stretch prior to your workout and save static stretching for afterwards. Remember, stretching is not just for the hamstrings (although that is what 90% of folks focus on). Make sure to do appropriate movements to improve flexibility, mobility, and posture in your shoulders, core, IT band, groin, low back, and Achilles.

Conditioning: At this time of the year it is not imperative for you to be in great basketball shape; so don’t worry about killing yourself with intense court conditioning workouts (yet). You should be getting some decent conditioning with your skill work as well as when you are playing pick-up. You can also mix in some cross training (biking, pool, Stairmaster, jump rope, etc.) to keep things fresh and fun! When you do cross train, I recommend doing interval type work as opposed to slow and steady. Go hard for :20-:30 and then go slow for :30-:40 (and repeat for 10-15 reps). While being in top notch basketball shape is not urgent, you do want to show up on day one with a high level of overall fitness. That will make getting into actual basketball game shape much easier.

Skill work: I have always said it doesn’t matter how strong or fit or explosive you are; if you can’t shoot, pass, defend, rebound, or handle the ball you will never be a high level basketball player! While I (obviously) know how important the strength & conditioning portion is; training for basketball players is a means to an end, not an end itself. You must work on your fundamentals, especially shooting and ball handling, most days of the week. Repetition is not a form of punishment; it is the only way to get better! Your skill work sessions should be intense and game like, which will not only make you a better player, but will help you get in basketball shape as well. “Social shooting” won’t get you to the next level. Shooting game shots, from game spots, and game speed will!

Nutrition: You are what you eat. If you eat like crap, you will look and play like crap! Most basketball players are looking to gain bodyweight; which means you have to take in more calories than you burn. This can be very hard to do without proper planning and discipline. For a player looking to gain weight; you should aim to gain 1 lb. a week for the next 6 weeks and show up on day one with 5-10 additional pounds of muscle. This will be like putting a bigger engine in a car! You will be able to run faster, jump higher, and block out harder!

Rest and recovery: Do not neglect the role rest and recovery plays in maximizing your performance. If you are going to be on an intense training program this August, you need to make sure you are allowing your body to recover. I suggest doing everything possible to get 8 hours of sleep each night and sneak in a quick 20-30 minute power nap if possible. I also suggest taking one full day off from all intense activity per week. You can shoot some free throws and stretch on that day, but nothing too strenuous. I also recommend taking 3-4 days off right before school starts; to really give your body some extra recovery before your team pre-season workouts begin. Don’t worry, you won’t “lose anything” by taking those days off, I promise. Whenever possible you should ice ailing areas after every workout (usually knees and low back) as well as use foam rollers and massage.

Please share this blog with any player or coach you know as my goal is to reach and impact as many players as possible. If you would like some additional FREE information on proper training footwear, a basketball core routine, a killer iso-lateral leg workout, post workout stretches, or some nutritional guidelines, please email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. Please specify in your email what you want.

Train hard. Train smart.

Alan Stein