Articles & Resources

by Steve Scalzi

Dean Smith had a philosophy that a basketball program's
responsibility in the off-season is to the individual, and in season, every member's collective responsibility is to the team.  Clearly, working on one's body and skill set, or having a player-centered focus in the off-season, ultimately is an expression that helps the larger whole actualize it's potential when it matters most.  But, Dean Smith believed so deeply in his responsibility to the individual that he had a reputation for selflessly advising and aiding his players through the NBA Draft process.  Standing to benefit if an All-American were to return to school, Smith would instead send twenty-five first rounders to the NBA, five of which would be Rookie of the Year. 

This philosophy brings to mind the plethora of ways a player can improve himself through the off-season.  Much of what BSMPG
offers are cutting edge philosophies and dialogue to jump start a player's physical and mental maturation albeit through nutrition, treatment, or training both on and off the court.  In earlier articles we spoke about the need to train with the game in mind, and Art Horne spoke at length of The Talent Code and the lessons one can take away when engaging in deep and mindful practice.

Horne raises an interesting argument acknowledging the shortcomings of summer pick-up games on collegiate campuses.  As
college coaches must maintain a hands-off approach in the summer time, the quality of games can suffer, poor habits can be instilled, selfish play can rule the day, and a risk of injury always exists.  I, on the other hand, place high value on summer pick-up games recognizing, much like Dean Smith, the off-season is for the good of the player, in-season all is for the team.

In my initial article Training with the game in mind, I argued for a clear understanding of how a particular exercise in the weight
room relates to improving your overall game. In the case of summer pick-up, I see no difference.  There needs to a clear understanding of its actual value to the development of the player. Can pick-up reinforce bad habits? Of course.  If players were always fundamentally sound, college coaches would be out of a job.  Risk of injury?  Well, that risk exists in every corner of life.  Does it promote selfish play? Perhaps.  With maturity, a veteran group can grow out of the cattiness. 

It's greatest value lies in what it reveals.  Plato's famous quote
says it all, "you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." This speaks volumes about the opportunity pick-up presents.  Players learn a little something about each other.  Who can they attack?  Who can they trust to make a play? Who will be competitive enough, despite the summer heat, a questionable foul call, a previous argument about the score, plans later in the evening, or any other "obstacle" under the sun to make game changing plays.  In the end, if a player is expected to make a game winning shot in-season, he needs to have made dozens of game winning shots in the summer time. You can't tell me there isn't some form of a correlation.  What happens in the instance where a player is picked last?  Does that not resonate
with them? Perhaps drive them and shape their latter workouts, training, and desire?

There are intrinsic elements of pick-up that have value.  First off, players love to play.  Its simple, but cannot be overlooked.  Whether coming out of your ideal offensive system, or the mosh pit possessions that pick-up can be, players love to go at each other.  Allow them to embrace this and take some pride in merely competing. Second, its a chance to put them in positions of pressure all year long.

At Northeastern University, our senior class instilled a rule in which the player who scores on game point must follow the game-winner
with a made free throw whether fouled or not. Step to the line and follow your game winner with another one. If you miss- play on. Lastly, defense calls fouls. I've discovered no better way to clean up the quality of pick-up games than to put accountability into
the defense's hands. Sounds counterintuitive, but the game regulates itself. Drive to the hoop and your hacked? Big deal. Be physical on the other end and you're even. There are no opportunities to alpha-dog a freshman with mysterious foul calls. The intensity of competition instantly picks up.

Are the game conditions, efficiency and team play less than ideal in summer pick-up? No question. But a lot can be learned from
playing with your teammates. Like any training or practice players can't simply talk about it, they have to be about it. They can't go through the motions. Do it right and recognize it's value. Allow teammates to challenge each other and enjoy doing something they might not be able to do forever- merely play the game.

Weight Gain For The Basketball Athlete.pdf

Click on the link to download the PDF!

by Art Horne

Like many coaches and athletic trainers, finding time to relax and devour a novel is a real luxury and one that I don’t overlook.  For those that can’t find time, I hope the summary below of Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code provides a glimpse into his work and its relationship to basketball. 

Deep Practice

Throughout the book, Coyle travels to “hotbeds” around the world where masters of skill have evolved to dominate their sport and particular skill.  Coyle recounts his travels to the Spartak Tennis Club in Moscow, a club which has produced the likes of: Anna Kournikova, Marat Safin, Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Mikhail Youzhny, and Dmitry Tursunov.

“Walking up, I could see shapes moving behind clouded plastic windows, but I didn’t hear that distinctive thwacking of tennis racquets and balls. When I walked in, the reason became evident: they were swinging all right. But they weren’t using balls.  At Spartak it’s called imitatsiya – rallying in slow motion with an imaginary ball. All Spartak’s players do it, from the five-year-olds to the pros.”

“It looked like a ballet class: a choreography of slow, simple precise motions with an emphasis on tekhnika – technique.  Preobrazhenskaya (the lead coach) enforced this approach with an iron decree: none of her students was permitted to play in a tournament for the first three years of their study.  It’s a notion that I don’t imagine would fly with American parents, but none of the Russian parents questioned it for a second. “Technique is everything.” Preobrazhenskaya told me later, smacking a table with Khrushchev-like emphasis, causing me to jump and speedily reconsider my twinkly-grandma impression of her. “If you begin playing without technique, it is big mistake. Big, big mistake!””

Back to Basketball

This brought to mind my contention with summer pick-up games amongst college teammates.  Many coaches feel the need to have their athletes play these games as way of developing their basketball skills. However, I have encountered not skill development, but instead the exacerbation of knee pain, a continued emphasis of conditioning in the off-season rather than a pure strength focus among the number of problems that go along with summer play.  The main issue in my mind is this: many schools have incoming freshmen attend summer school in an effort to get them up to college speed, attend voluntary workouts and relieve some class load prior to the busy basketball season. With that said, the NCAA does not permit coaches contact with these freshmen until the start of school and thus anywhere from 6-8 weeks of pick-up games (2-3 times a week to be modest) including 6-8 weeks of poor habits are engrained in these young athletes.  Instead of pick-up, I propose that athletes are encouraged to immerse themselves in deep practice where priority on specific skills for specific players would be emphasized.

“For most of the last century, many educational psychologists believed that the learning process was governed by fixed factors like IQ and developmental stages. Barry Zimmerman, a professor of psychology at City University of New York, has never been one of them.  Instead, he’s fascinated by the kind of learning that goes on when people observe, judge and strategize their own performance when they, in essence, coach themselves. Zimmerman’s interest in this type of learning, known as self-regulation, led him in 2001 to undertake an experiment.”

Summary of Experiment:

Question: Is it possible to judge ability solely by the way people describe the way they practice?

• The chosen skill to observe and test was the volleyball serve
• Experimenters gathered volleyball players of all levels and asked them how they approached the serve – goals, planning, strategy, etc, - twelve measures in all.
• They then predicted who would be the best at that skill and then had them execute the serve to test the accuracy of their predictions.
• Result: “90% of the variation in skill could be accounted for by the player’s answers.”

“”Our predictions were extremely accurate,” Zimmeran said. “This showed that experts practice differently and far more strategically.  When they fail, they don’t blame it on luck or themselves. They have a strategy they can fix.”  “Through practice, they had developed something more important than mere skill; they’d grown a detailed conceptual understanding that allowed them to control and adapt their performance, to fix problems , and to customize their circuits to new situations.”

Back to Basketball

How many of your basketball athletes attempt foul shooting with the same organized and strategic approach? Is their routine the same whether alone of in front of millions on TV? How many have a clear goal before they step foot in the gym? How many become upset when that goal is not reached or simply wandered out happy they’ve completed their allotted number for the day?

Repeat it

 “There is no substitute for attentive repetition. Nothing you can do – talking, thinking, reading, imagining – is more effective in building skill than executing the action, firing the impulse down the nerve fiber, fixing errors, honing the circuit.”

“Repetition is invaluable and irreplaceable. There are, however a few caveats. With conventional practice, more is always better: hitting two hundred forehands a day is presumed to be twice as good as hitting one hundred forehands a day. Deep practice, however doesn’t obey the same math.  Spending more time is effective – but only if you’re still in the sweet spot at the edge of your capabilities, attentively building and honing circuits. What’s more, there seems to be a universal limit for how much deep practice human beings can do in a day.  Ericsson’s research shows that most world class experts – including pianists, chess players, novelists, and athletes – practice between three and five hours a day, no matter what skill they pursue.”

Sweet Spot

Can be described as, “that productive, uncomfortable terrain located just beyond our current abilities, where our reach exceeds our grasp. Deep practice is not simply about struggling; it’s about seeking out a particular struggle, which involves a cycle of distinct actions.”

1. Pick a target, 2. Reach for it, 3. Evaluate the gap between the target and the reach. 4. Return to step one.

Back to Basketball

How many of your athlete’s lace up their sneakers thinking about finding the sweet spot? Thinking about pushing themselves to the edge of their own comfort? About failing and then implementing a plan to resolve their failure, then going back and pushing themselves further again?  It’s been said you should try, fail, try again, fail better.  Someday you’ll get it right. There is a clear difference between working on your shot and working on your “post up -up fake - drop step and kiss off the glass while getting bumped by a defender.”  Good players work on their shot; players that get paid work on the latter.

Take Home

1. Master the basics. Technique is king. This is hard in American culture where high flying dunks and trash talk seem to dominate the hard wood. The nice thing about mastering the basics is that it can be done by oneself and does not require another person. Immerse yourself in Deep Practice.
2. Develop a comprehensive plan when approaching skill development: this is most difficult since it requires athletes to first see themselves, and their skill set honestly.  Many avoid post moves because it’s simply not as sexy as the three-point splash. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen big men out in three point land jacking up shots for hours during the summer even though they’ll never get out of the paint during the basketball season.  Your plan must come with honest self-monitoring, goals, strategy, planning and adaptation. Simply “putting up shots” will only make you better at “putting up shots” and never translates to making a mid-range jumper coming off an up screen on an in-bounds play.
3. Enjoy the process. Your athletes need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. I don’t mean while running a suicide during practice when you’ll yelling at them, I’m talking about pushing themselves to near failure during their own independent skill development time. Pushing themselves to find their sweet spot time after time after time.

Now go get some shots up or get better today.  The choice is yours.

by Art Horne

Recently, many strength coaches have been concerned about preventing CNS fatigue and thus overtraining.  But how many are tracking their athletes over the course of a year or season?  Below is Mood Questionnaire and Dot test portion we utilize over the competitive season. 

It costs nothing, is easy to administer and provides both the strength coach and athletic trainer specific discussion points on how they may help each particular athlete.  For example, two athletes may score the same (total of all questions) but one may be suffering from the flu while the other suffering from a lack of sleep, and thus require two totally different intervention strategies.

We look for scores to remain high in both the mood quesitionnaire, dot testing along with other test measures including VJ, and grip strength.

For additional information on Overtraining and Recovery, Dr. Bill Sands discusses his experience HERE.

___________________________________________________

Bounciness (1- 10)          
(10 most bounce, 1 no bounce)          
          
Soreness (1-10)          
(10 not sore, 1 extermely sore)          
          
Focus (1-10)          
(10 very focused, 1 mind is wandering)          
          
Sharpness          
(10 very sharp, 1 flat)          
          
Joy of Competition & Training          
(10 can't get enough, 1 want to quit)          
          
Strength          
(10 crushing, 1 very weak)          
          
Sleep Quality           
(10 best night ever, 1 didn't sleep at all)          
          
Wellness          
(10 feel great, 1 flu like sickness)          
          
Appetite          
(10 = ate 21 meals past 7 days,       
1 = do not feel like eating)          

_____________________________________________________________
          
Dot Test

On the bottom of this sheet please tap as many dots as possible with the provided marker in 10 seconds. 

By Adam Naylor and  Matt Shaw

Strength and conditioning programs are written and, ideally, followed by athletes. Often time's athletes record weights and reps on workout cards. When it is time to condition, the strength coach shouts out times and, occasionally, encouragement (or sometimes just let the "beeps" do their motivating best). This is all a quite reasonable approach to building faster and stronger athletes. The question however that must be asked is, "Does it build better athletes?"

Better athletes being one's that bring enthusiasm to the gym, make optimal performance gains, and can execute basic principles of preparing the body for play away from a coach's watchful eye... empowered athletes that learn better, sustain gains longer, and perform at their peak potential. Writing programs and closely directing athletes' workouts lead to physical gains, but will this approach alone lead to excellent performances?

How the strength coach directs his or her weight room can be the difference between good and great athletic performances. The art of this performance difference is in being less a director of conditioning programs and more of an empowerer of athletes. The key to this transformation is understanding the coaching nuances that encourage and teach "mindfulness."

This lies in giving athletes both choice and voice. Ellen Langer, psychologist at Harvard has spent decades examining how developing cultures of mindfulness creates greater learning in classrooms and better health in wellness settings.  Individuals who are regularly encouraged to engage their mind (not just their body) and have direct responsibility in their activities, have sustained health, better attitude, and greater ability to commit knowledge to memory. This mental engagement can be fostered by giving athletes choices on a regular basis... encouraging them to make decisions and consider the details of their training.

Similar to creating a mindful approach to the gym in your athletes is "questioning" athletes.  It has been found that "questioning" during the coaching process leads to superior long-term athlete development and greater athletic self-competence (Chambers & Vickers, 2006). Questioning involves asking questions to stimulate the athlete's analyzing of their own technique. This cognitive stimulation leads to improved self-awareness ultimately increasing autonomy and learning.  Asking questions as simple as, "Wow, how'd you do to that?" or "Tell me the keys to a good front squat?" make a better athlete and a better teacher-coach.

It is important to note, not all athletes are created equal when taking this coaching approach. A tightly structured coaching environment helps novice athletes learn fundamental techniques. As an athlete skill level increases, overly structured coaching may decrease motivation and prevent continuous improvement. Lack of cognitive freedom can produce boredom and unchallenged individuals. Experienced athletes reap benefits from mental engagement and freedom of choice. They are more motivated and progress in training most efficiently.

The two most common challenges/criticisms to this approach are time and patience. A coach might complain, "I only have a limited amount of time to make a large number of athletes stronger. Where will I find opportunity to have intellectual discussions with my athletes?" Finding time is simply about building new coaching habits and realizing, as illustrated above, it is about quick thought provoking questions not extended debate. As for patience... simply find it. Seeing a skill performed perfectly the first time is nice, watching an athlete master a technique after a bit of struggle is most rewarding. A little extra time and patience are worthwhile investments that pay dividends in long term learning and high performance.

A comprehensive way of considering combining technical teaching with athlete engagement is by:  1. Taking sufficient time to educate athletes on the form and the purpose of exercises; 2. Encouraging an environment where athletes may begin to help coach fellow teammates or freshmen.  This will actually create a more efficient training environment.  There will be greater consistency in form when the strength coach's eyes are elsewhere. Furthermore, team communication and cohesion will be improved. This creates a win-win situation, where the coach can be most efficient, while the athletes can learn the most and make the greatest gains athletically.  Ultimately a strong, trusting bond is created between coach and athlete.

It is unfortunate when the coach of collegiate and elite athletes teach solely through direct instruction and feedback. This creates an athlete that is over-reliant on the coach and ultimately decreases motivation. Without the necessary cognitive challenge and stimulation, an athlete may become stagnant. We often we find the name of the strength coach on the doors of the gym, in reality however it ought to be the athletes' names there, claiming ownership over the gym and what goes on within. Encourage a mindful approach to strength training you will find athletes reaching their maximum potential.

Chambers, K. & Vickers, J. (2006). Effects of Bandwidth Feedback and Questioning on the Performance of Competitive Swimmers. The Sport Psychologist, 20, 184-197.

By Alan Stein

This is a follow up to the article I wrote about Vertical Jump Con Artists.  I felt the need to add a Part II because the original article initiated 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, 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 article.  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 who possesses 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 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.  I know these guys have impressive leaping ability… I have seen it firsthand. I also know they work hard on their craft and train consistently. 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.

As always, please share this article 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.

If I can ever be a resource to you for your strength & conditioning, please let me know, I would be honored to help. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Whether reading a hoops magazine or visiting a basketball website, I am constantly bombarded with advertisements for vertical jump programs; created by guys claiming to be experts at improving a player's explosiveness and athletic ability. I rarely know who any of these guys are yet they claim to be industry experts; all of which are selling programs, gizmos, gadgets, and even pills that promise to deliver unbelievable improvement in one's vertical jump. As a veteran strength & conditioning coach, it is obvious to me most of these folks are completely bogus. I constantly find myself laughing out loud at some of the claims they make.

After a lot of preliminary internet research, it is my professional opinion nearly every one of these programs is a sham. These guys are not credible strength coaches or performance specialists; they are simply con artists who are trying to trick honest kids out of hard earned money. And that is absolutely unacceptable in my eyes.

As a legitimate, long time basketball strength & conditioning coach as well as someone who has a valid, justifiable vertical jump training program on the market (the MVP program), these guys give people like me a bad rap. Their approach is sleazy and unprofessional and it makes me sick to think they make money swindling kids who are desperate to jump higher and improve their game. I don't ever want to be mentioned in the same sentence as these hacks.

Now, it is not my place to name specific names or websites and this article is certainly not directed at any one person or program in particular; I'm taking aim at this group of con artists as a whole and want to expose them and their fallacies. I also want to make crystal clear I am not claiming these programs don't work; you may very well increase your vertical jump. I am simply stating these programs don't live up to their outlandish claims and preposterous promises. So you may improve your vertical jump; but you won't gain 8-12 inches! I will also make clear I have not tried these programs myself; my thoughts and opinions are based purely on my vast experience in this industry and what I know to be the truth in human performance.

The claims these sites make are unbelievable. Some guarantee an increase in vertical jump of 8-12 inches in a matter of weeks. Others claim they will double your vertical jump, or better yet, get your vertical to 40 or 50 inches.

For someone to make such outlandish promises, they must be the best of the best, right? But after reading many of these sites extensively, most of their "resumes" are paper thin. Most make claims to have worked with high level players, although not one recognizable player is ever named. Most make claims they have helped hundreds or even thousands of athletes, but where is the proof?

So I started to ask myself, what is their real resume? Who have they really worked with? Do they really even train basketball players on a day to day basis or do they just pretend they do? I have worked as a full time private, professional strength & conditioning coach for the last 10 years, so I take grave offense to someone with an empty mug shot and phony resume claiming to be an expert in a field that I have worked so hard in for a decade.

Then I started asking myself a ton of other questions:

Why are all of their testimonials from people no one has heard of? How come most of the testimonials neglect to include a way to truly identify them? I am well aware you do not have to work with NBA players or high profile players to be a quality strength coach or expert in vertical jump, but seriously, if their programs did what they claim, don't you think just one noteworthy player would have used their services and been proud to say so? For the record, I am well aware high school athletes and members of NCAA institutions are not allowed to endorse commercial products at risk of jeopardizing their eligibility. But pro players can endorse whatever they want. So can coaches as well as a host of other credible professionals. Yet none ever endorse these programs. Why?

And what gives these guys the right to call themselves a vertical jump expert? How legit are the pictures they use? How do I know that is a 10 foot rim? How do I know they didn't jump off of a bench to dunk like that? How do I know the person in the picture isn't 6'5" and claiming to be 5'9"?

And if you think their resumes and testimonials are a hoax, you should see the claims they make regarding the results you will get. As a real life strength & conditioning coach, I believe the results they claim are absolutely, positively not possible for 99% of the players in the world. A 50 inch vertical jump? An increase of 12 inches in 4 weeks? Touching your head on the rim when you are 5'7"?

Don't believe me? Do you actually think a 50 inch vertical is really possible to attain for 99% of players?

I went online and looked up the results from the last three year's NBA combines (2007 - 2009). These standardized tests were administered by the NBA's top strength & conditioning coaches, guys with real experience and educational backgrounds. Their first test, the "No Step Vertical Jump" is measured accurately on a Vertec device and is done to standard - no shuffle step, no side step, no drop step and no gather step was allowed, just straight down and straight up.
Keeping the above guidelines in mind, guess how many guys in the past three year's NBA Combine had a 50 inch vertical jump? NONE. Guess how many had a 40 inch vertical? NONE. Not one player broke 40 inches on this particular test. Not even guys who are known for their hops: Jerryd Bayless, Al Thornton, Michael Beasley, or Derrick Rose. And these are the best players (and in many cases, the best athletes) in college basketball. For their second test, the "Max Vertical Jump", the athlete was allowed to take as many steps toward the Vertec as they felt necessary to acquire their maximum vertical jump. Everyone was required to start within the 15' arch and each athlete had the choice of a 1 or 2 foot takeoff. Even using this protocol, only 9 players (less than 3%) got above a 40 inch vertical, with 42 being the highest. Just a few months ago at the pre-draft combine in Chicago; Jonny Flynn (Minnesota Timberwolves) was the only player to get a 40 inch max vertical jump. And that was with a running start!!! I am sure if you look at the previous 10 years of NBA combine results you will see a similar pattern. If the best and most athletic college basketball superstars, who have been training under the watchful eye of proven college strength coaches aren't jumping 50 inches, I'm supposed to believe any kid off the street will be able to achieve that after following one of these vertical jump programs? Is that a joke?

One of the main reasons they trick so many kids is because they offer a money back guarantee, which is nothing more than a false sense of security. Let me tell you, as soon as you see "money back guarantee" on any type of workout product or program, you must question its credibility. NOTHING in this world is guaranteed. NOTHING. And to paraphrase Chris Farley in the movie Tommy Boy, "the only reason they have a guarantee is because they know they sold you a guaranteed piece of crap!" So why do they offer it? Because studies have shown time and time again that hardly anyone ever takes them up on their offer and asks for their money back because it is an actual admittance of failure. It well worth the risk for them to offer a money back guarantee because they know no one will actually do it. It is a ploy to move product. Heck many times, they escape the money back guarantee because of some loophole in the fine print. My parents taught me when I was very young, if something looks too good to be true, it almost always is.

I don't offer a money back guarantee on my MVP program. You know why? If you don't get results, it is your fault, not mine. I know the program works; I have used versions of it with thousands of players. I also don't make any promises for results. Some folks will make much better gains than others. The only thing I know is that if a person does the program, they will improve. How much they improve is dependent upon their genetics, their starting level, and their effort and consistency. Period.

Another reason I know most of these programs are counterfeit is because all of their websites have the exact same look; same layout, same color scheme, same rhetorical questions. This is because most of these guys have taken classes or read books from the same internet marketing people. And these people are experts at designing sites to trick folks into buying their product. These con artists spend more time on their computer working on their site than they do actually training players!

They spend hours and hours "writing copy," which means they follow a specific template on what to write. Therefore all of their info follows the same pattern. They come up with a catchy headline. Then they list several problems their perfect customer has (can't jump, no time, no money, etc.). Then they list several benefits to dispute these problems. Then they think of a few reasons why someone would not buy their product or program and then have an "answer" to that. It is called, "identify problem... agitate.... solve by using their program." These guys are merely wordsmiths who prey on kids insecurities and they rely on the fine print to make it legal.

Don't believe me? Go check out the sites yourself. They usually start off with a letter directly to you. Then they say something to the effect that this will be the most important thing you ever read. Then they make several ridiculous claims. Then they sprinkle in some questionable testimonials. Then they act like they don't even want your business if you aren't 100% serious or committed. Then they act like they are giving a huge discount. Then they start tacking on FREE stuff. Blah, blah, blah.

Now let's kick some truth. The truth is your genetics do dictate your potential to jump. Muscle fiber type and CNS efficiency are just two examples of traits that will ultimately determine how high you can jump, both of which are nearly impossible to see just by looking at someone. Not everyone can have a 30 inch vertical, much less a 40 or 50. Not everyone will be able to dunk a basketball. Not everyone has the ability to play in college, must less the NBA. Period. We were all born with different abilities and potentials. Everyone can improve their vertical jump, but not everyone can achieve the results these spinsters claim. In fact, hardly anyone can.

Now, I don't want to get accused of being hypocritical. I am proud of the fact that HoopsKing and I created and sell the MVP DVD, a 12 week vertical jump program, of which I make a modest royalty on. I am the first to admit that is part of how I make my living, in addition to training players full time. I stand by the fact the info in that program is legitimate and I make no guarantee on results. I know as a real strength coach; the results will be different for everyone. However, I have full confidence that if a player follows the program consistently, with great effort, and is accurate and progressive, they will make gains. For some that might mean 6 inches, for someone else 3. But at least it will be real! Also, I didn't wake up one morning and proclaim myself a vertical jump expert. I have a solid educational background and 10 years of real life work experience on my resume, including previous work with Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Montrose Christian HS, the Nike Skills Academies, the Jordan All American Classic, and the McDonalds All American game.

Train hard. Train smart.

*Below are claims I have seen made on actual websites. Please note the misspellings and incorrect grammar is on their end, not mine!
• "If you've been wanting to dramatically, easily, and quickly enhance your athletic ability, so you'll dominate the competition and hold the capability of performing effortless magical plays, I've got the most important letter you'll ever read. Just take a minute and read below to see how you can crush your frustrating lack of athletic ability problems once and for all."
• "How would you like to know exactly how to develop court dominating power, sick athleticism, rock sold strength, and 'Highlight Reel producing" quickness?"
• "I've helped athletes who didn't even have a lick of experience at the time and turned them into basketball heroes within weeks!"
• "Now You Can Discover the Power House Secrets that Can Easily Get You Flying Through the Air and Doing Electrifying Dunks!"
• "If you would like to learn what the pro's do to jump higher, become quicker, develop explosiveness, increase strength and improve overall athletic ability and performance...then this new program is just what your looking for!"
• "The secrets that will almost "instantly" increase your vertical leaping ability. These secrets are so powerful they're guaranteed to increase your vertical by a minimum of 9 inches!"
• "Are you ready to explode off the ground and finish breaks with rim-rocking two handed monster dunks?"
• "Small research laboratory stumbles upon "vertical leap in a tablet" formula that -- for the very first time -- allows above-the-rim gains for the average, bench-warming baller."
• "Explosive Lab-Tested And Doctor-Approved Discovery Biologically Forces Even Hard-Gainers To Unleash Rapid Vertical Jump Gains Of Up To 5 Inches In Just 15 Days!"
• "Forget old-school plyometrics... if you are one of the 99.2% of ballers born with "inferior genetics", then this will easily be the most important discovery of your life because this new formula, forcefully and unfairly can re-wire your central nervous system and supercharge your muscular power... for straight up-and-down vertical jump gains of 10 inches or more... all without the use of "jumping programs" or "platform shoes"..."
• "If you can touch the net, I guarantee you can dunk."

by Art Horne

I received an email from Jim Snider (University of Wisconsin and speaker at the First Annual Boston Hockey Summit )- he's a hockey guy now but he did work basketball when he was at MN so we'll let him slide) just before the July long weekend reminding me to ask myself a few simple, yet overlooked questions prior to the beginning of our summer training program. 

Below you’ll find those very questions.
- Thanks Jim

Questions you should answer when PLANNING:

• where are we in the training calendar?
• what is the technical-tactical nature of the position?
• what are we philosophically committed to?
• what geometric position does his body initiate movement from at the snap, jump or defensive stance?
• what directions might he initiate movement in and in what way might he change his direction?
• what muscles are involved?
• what is the speed of contraction?
• what amplitudes of movement are involved in the work?
• where in the amplitude are the greatest forces generated?
• what percentage of his technical-tactical responsibility necessitates that he overcomes or resists external resistance?
• what is the magnitude of resistance he must overcome or resist against?
• what are the geometric positions of his body when he overcomes or resists against external load?
• over what distances does he cover on average?
• what role do speed, reactive/elastic ability, power, strength, and joint mobility play in the execution of his competition maneuvers?
• how many possessions does he average per game?
• how long is the average play?
• how much time transpires between most plays?
• how might I construct drills to be performed under alactic and aerobic conditions?
• how will I sequence the change and introduction of training stimuli into the training load?
• how will I utilize the time available during the off-season?
• what will the contents of the training blocks consist of?
• how will I regulate the sequence and nature of the bioenergetic training?
• how will I regulate the sequence and nature of the biomotor training?
• how will I structure individual training sessions and consecutive days and weeks of training?

• and the list goes on…

Questions from the Late Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky.  It is a shame such a great person of influence is gone.

by Steve Scalzi

Close your eyes.  Envision the dreams and aspirations you've held inside of you.  Is it completing a degree?  Sitting on the porch of your dream home?  Leaving the green room to be greeted by David Stern on draft night?  Picture your end goal.  Dwell in the satisfaction of achieving what you've always pushed toward - knowing that the work you've put in has culminated in something truly special. 

Now go backwards.  Envision the previous steps in the process of this ultimate achievement.  Did you complete your degree because of academic diligence?  Was the dream house achieved through sound investing?  How about draft night?  What did you do to separate yourself in the scouting process?  Perform on a big stage?  Compose yourself as Charlie Weingroff, Keith D'Amelio and Mike Curtis suggest? 

Continue to go backwards.  How were you admitted into that academic institution?  What jobs did you hold as you built credit for that mortgage?  How did you build your body and your skill set to be considered an NBA prospect?

Never was this exercise so eloquently narrated and executed than in the Jordan Brand's 2008 Commercial.  Beginning with a glimpse of Michael Jordan's iconic "jumpman" statue outside the United Center, with the Chicago skyline graciously paying homage to its own, Nike takes us on a journey through Michael's life.  Set to the voice of the G.O.A.T., we see recreations of MJ's childhood home, his college dorm room, the legendary Hoops the Gym in Chicago's West Loop, a quiet Laney High School, and lastly Michael's very own trophy room in his home - adorned with the center court Chicago Bulls logo he purchased after the destruction of his beloved Chicago Stadium. 

Through it all, Michael presents us with a series of "maybe's." 

"Maybe it's my fault," he ponders.

"Maybe I led you to believe it was easy, when it wasn't.  Maybe I led you to believe that my game was built on flash, and not fire.  Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a god given gift, and not something I worked for, every single day of my life." 

Michael challenges the viewer, implying, maybe, just maybe, you're failing to reach my level, because you've failed to recognize the necessary steps... "or maybe, you're just making excuses." 

Too often people have a lofty end goal in mind - clouded by the visions of grandeur, they confuse that goal as the single outcome they're driving toward, failing to recognize that after a degree comes the real world.  Even dream homes have a mortgage, and making an NBA roster doesn't guarantee you stay.  The real daunting task isn't the end goal, its recognizing the world as it truly is.  Knowing your limitations, assessing where you're beginning and understanding what you'll have to do to get to that next step every single day of your life.

When I arrived at Northeastern University at twenty-two years old, I felt so fortunate to be given an opportunity at the Division I level.  After being a student assistant with Boston College basketball, enjoying time in both the Big East and their transition to the ACC, I thought it possible, like many young coaches, I would chase a return to that level for years.  Never did I envision being given an immediate chance upon graduation to build a program in one of the nation's premier mid-major conferences.  I didn't invent the game, I likely won't revolutionize it, I just wanted to be a young coach who soaks up his chance.  Carry no ego and enjoy the ride.  While this may have been a gracious mental approach, at times I was almost apologetic.  Sheepishly wondering how I could be so lucky. 

"Stop wondering how you got here.  Stop feeling lucky to be here. Start figuring out how you'll stay here.  How are we going to build this thing?"

Spoken in my first meeting with our Head Coach, Bill Coen, those words have resonated with me from day one.  I foolishly confused Division I basketball with flash and not fire.  Basketball is not a god given gift.  It's something you have to work for every single day of your life.  As coaches, athletic trainers, and students of the game, we at BSMPG are in a unique position where it is our job to help others arrive at their lofty end goals.  Next time a player says he wants to play in the league, we're in no position to tell him he's naive. That's not for us to decide whether he can.  But we can help him see the reality of the challenge.  Paint the picture as it truly is.  Put him in position to be successful by making sure that when he envisions the end goal, the necessary steps are clearly illuminated. 

Help your players create their own cinematic commercial in their mind, filled with scenes from their lives, the habits, people and places that have influenced their rise to success.  Become a fixture in their images and enjoy where their ride takes them.  Michael challenges us to "become legendary" - this won't happen without a vision.  Not without a sense of where you're going and how to get there.