3 JUMP TRAINING EXERCISES TO BASKETBALL SUPREMACY

With the NBA and College seasons in full swing, and the All Star Weekend knocking at the door, seems that everyone is getting basketball fever.

How do these elite athletes continue to play day in and day and perform at the top of their game. Many pro and college players use upper and lower body workouts before and during the season to ensure they are always playing at their peak performance.

Jump training, one of the more popular aspects of plyometrics, is essential to include in your lower body workout if you want to increase your vertical jump. By combining speed, strength and agility ut is the best and fastest ways to get results.

There are many jump training exercises to help you improve your performance on the court, but the three that we will focus on will help you with rebounding, dribbling and dunking.

REBOUNDING

One of basketballs most effective offense and defensive moves is rebounding. There are rebounding fundamentals that you’ll need to perfect like; expecting the miss, blocking out your opponent and timing the right approach to grab the ball.

But if you can’t jump high and strong then you can kiss those fundamentals good bye.

Rim Jumps will help you to establish good position, extend your arms and reach up strong to pull down that ball.



Rim Jumps
Rim Jumps are an excellent exercise to develop jump endurance. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms up in the air, as if you are ready to perform a standing dunk or reach up for a rebound. Explode up, keeping your hands up in the air as if to touch the rim. Once you land, blast up again as high and fast as possible. Envision yourself grabbing that rebound each time you go to jump.

CROSSOVER DRIBBLE

If you have ever played basketball, you know about the crossover dribble. The crossover is perhaps the most popular offensive move in the NBA, And 1 Basketball, College, you name it.

The move is loved by so many because it has the potential to leave defenders looking stupid and embarrassed. The move isn’t just about the dribble, but the quickness of the change in direction. This is what makes the move so hard to defend. Footwork and speed will allow you to execute the move with precision.

The Side to Side Lateral Jumps will help with getting you the quickness you will need to blow by your defender, taking a moment to see how badly you embarrassed them, and then score.


Side to Side Lateral Jumps

Jump side to side over a small barrier, like traffic cones, or an imaginary line. The cones ensure that you leap upwards as well as sideways. Leap as high and as fast you can from side to side. This will help with your speed, agility and explosiveness. Keep your head straight by staring at a fixed point and emphasize the hip action. Imagine being a slalom skier barrelling down the Swiss Alps.

DUNKING

The dunk shot, slam dunk, jam, stuff, flush, cram or throw down, is one of the highest percentage shots one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays.

In order to execute the dunk, you will need the one foot take off and lifting power in your legs to get you up and to the basket.

Flying Step ups will get you the air you’ll need to throw down that contest winning, hall of fame dunk.



Flying Step Ups
Flying Step-ups help to strengthen the legs for one-foot takeoffs. Stand about a foot away from a stable box that is 12” high. Be sure the box can support your body weight. Step up explosively with your right leg, enough to lift your body off the box and land back on the right foot. Step back down with the left leg (the left leg does not touch the box) and repeat the exercise, starting with the left leg in front. Envision yourself with the ball and driving down the lane for a one-foot takeoff and dunk.

Use these exercises during your leg workout or after basketball practice, twice a week and you will on your way to ruling the hard-court.

Funk Roberts
Put Funk into your Dunk!

Coming soon the complete Funk Roberts 6 Week Jump Training Program including your jump training program with photos, weight training, diet, supplementation and much more guaranteed to add 2-10 inches to your vertical. Reserve your copy by emailing funkroberts@gmail.com

Red Auerbach - Master Innovator of the NBA

"Auerbach was an innovator in almost everything he did," said Jerry West, who played for the rival Los Angeles Lakers and now runs the Memphis Grizzlies. "He not only brought the black athlete to Boston; more importantly, he recognized the greatness of the athletes that he had.”

The world knows Red Auerbach as the “greatest coach that ever lived.” NBA.com describes Auerbach as the Patriarch, the boss, an American Original... the man. In his storied career as the coach and the GM of the Boston Celtics, he won a record 16 NBA Championships. Auerbach passed away last weekend at the age of 89.

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

How did Auerbach become the greatest coach of all times?

Auerbach created many innovations that practically changed the game of basketball, the NBA and the business of coaching. Auerbach was a creative coach who even created a five-step process for hiring the best athletes on his team.

Here are a few Auerbach original innovations that shaped and changed the game of basketball in his time. Innovations that have since become integral to the way the game is played today:

1. In 1954, the NBA initiated the 24-second clock, in order to eliminate the tactic and speed up the game in general. The "Celtic fast break" engineered by Bob Cousy, and invented by Auerbach was born, and it went on to became one of the NBA legends of the era.
2. Bill Russell, a basketball legend recruited by Auerbach, was such a shot-blocking genius that he would often block them to a teammate in order to trigger a Celtic fast break that would culminate in two easy points at the other end of the court. The modern concept of Transition Basketball, meaning offense predicated by opportunities provided by effective defense, was a Celtic invention.
3. Auerbach also invented the concept of the "6th Man." Players like Frank Ramsey, followed by Sam Jones and John Havlicek, were as important as any of the starting five, and all went on to become Hall of Famers. Auerbach was the first coach to recognize the importance of the bench, and recruited solid players who would play well when the starters rest.
4. Auerbach drafted the NBA's first black player, hired its first black coach and fielded its first all-black starting five. "Red did all that, but he wasn't doing that because he was trying to break ground," Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics head coach said. "His response was always: 'I'm trying to win a game and that's who I think gives us the best chance.' I think his example spread throughout the league."
5. Auerbach did not rest his players during the off-season. His teams would barnstorm throughout the six New England states and play as many pre-season games as they could each year in preparation for the new season. Off-season rigor and preparation. Another Auerbach original.

Auerbach appointed Bill Russell as the player-coach, making him the first African American to head a major professional sports team in the history of the United States. Russell led the Celtics to two NBA titles in his three years of coaching, becoming the first African American to lead a major league team to a championship.

The distinction of being the only coach to get thrown out of an All-Star Game and an Old Timers Game showed Auerbach's intense competitive spirit to win any game, every game. That’s Red Auerbach.

"The Celtics aren't a team," Red Auerbach once said. "They're a way of life."

In honor of Red Auerbach who passed away last weekend leaving behind a legacy of coaching, leadership, and innovations in the game of basketball.

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

References:

Haaretz
Boston Herald
Monsters and Critics
Mercury News
NBA