Dittos Rush

If you're working to make the playing field fair
and level you're working for the wrong reasons.
Work to take the opportunities that arise and
use your individual talents to excel at those
opportunities.

- Rush Limbaugh

Success leaves clues, and if you are smart you
listen to successful people wherever you find
them. Regardless of what you might think of
his politics there's no denying Rush Limbaugh
is one of the most successful people ever in
radio, and Rush is a huge sports fan.

Don't be a bigot on this one. Listen to what he
has to say about what it takes to be a winner.

'Before away games, the great Boston Celtic
Larry Bird used to arrive exceptionally early at
the other team's home stadium ... to study the
floor.

Hours ahead of the Celtics' practice and warm-
up sessions, Bird would do an inch-by-inch
survey of the wood on the court. This involved
getting down on his hands and knees to check
out individual boards, dribbling over every
square foot at various speeds and angles,
analyzing the floor's effect on the basketball.

He scrutinized the lighting, familiarized himself
with the arena's atmosphere, learned the
idiosyncrasies of the court. He knew that the
knowledge advantage he had over the other
players could make the crucial difference at key
moments -- and could, in fact, determine the
outcome of the game.

This was a boring thing to do. In fact, it was so
boring no one else bothered to do it. But Larry
Bird's unparalleled record proves his approach
was right. It was his attention to detail, this
willingness to immerse himself in the nuts and
bolts of his profession when everyone else was
relaxing or doing something more enjoyable
that created his success.

Discipline is the hardest part of this process,
because it demands your time. It is not sexy,
it is not the part that gets you the limelight.
Discipline has no pizzazz.

Discipline is private -- it is the internal decision
to work on your skills no matter what. It's
what makes you get up in the morning to do it
all over again.

You do things you don't feel like doing when you
don't feel like doing them. Discipline is what you
do in spite of your desires. It is also what
separates the pros from the amateurs, and the
successful from everybody else.'

Larry Bird was also one of the great clutch
shooters of all time, and his discipline served him
well in that area too.

All it takes is a quality decision on your part. How
far are you willing to go to be a great shooter?

Only you can answer that.

Shoot For The Stars,

Coach Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Another area where discipline plays a huge
role is conditioning. If you have the desire Coach
Tony Alfonso has all the information you'll ever
need to stay in tip-top basketball shape. His
'CompleteBasketball Strength And Speed
Program" can be yours right now at:

http://www.deandelker.com/alfonso_order.html

Note: This entry is protected by copyright, but I
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Feels Like I'm Back In Psych Class

I got some questions about not using running
for "Behavior Modification" and "Aversion
Therapy" yesterday.

Kenny Sacht coaches hoops in the great frozen
Northwest and had the thrill this year of
watching his Boise State Bronco football team
make him very, very proud. With the Gators
pulling off the stunner in the national title game
too, he and I have had a lot to celebrate.

Kenny does use running to mold behavior with
his team, but does it in a way that works. Here's
what he told me:

I always tell my kids when I have them run for
behavior, it is not to punish them but to help
them remember to avoid the wrong behavior.
Just like I never spanked my kids to punish
them, but to help them remember what was
right.

Explaining this helps my players so much. I'm
always telling them "I'm doing this to help
remind you to make the cut, the pass, the pick,
the box-out..., etc."

And then they usually hear me ask "Am I
mad at you?" And their response is always
"NO". I really let them know that their
behavior or lack thereof never changes how
much I love and value them. That is a strange
concept to some kids, even here where life is
more simple and basic. If you do it though, you
can build great relationships with your kids.

I have found no way to get their attention
otherwise. I have found that if it hurts "real
good", that is when I start getting their
attention. And doing it my way seems to build
outstanding comraderie and chemistry.

Kenny, those are good ideas.

My big concern is with coaches who just blindly
have their players run, because it's traditional,
or as obvious punishment. I think that is counter-
productive.

Tomorrow courtesy of Coach Bill Brown I'll give
you some ideas how to take the team building
Kenny has been doing to another level.

Shoot For The Stars,

Coach Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Another thing that will build team unity is
having a bunch of kids who can shoot lights out.
It's not a pipedream, but many coaches don't
have the time or the experience to teach
shooting, except in very general terms.

Tom Nordland has designed his Swish 2 DVD
specifically to teach coaches and parents how
to teach shooting, or to be a resource the player
could use to teach him or herself. And Tom has
hit his goal with nothing but net. In fact, many
coaches are calling it a masterpiece.

Get your hands on Swish 2 now at:

http://www.deandelker.com/swish2.html

Make Every Shot Count

Cruel And Unusual Punishment

What's a basketball coach to do?

To discipline his or her team, I mean.

Traditionally players have been made to run
laps, run stairs, run suicides. Run anything
that can be run for goofing off, not paying
attention, being late, missing free throws,
hot dogging, missing layups.

Whatever.

I've said before I think that's a mistake. Coach
Tim Kauppinen from Wisconsin agrees totally,
and now I find a letter from a basketball coach
who also coaches track with a good perspective
(and that not just because he agrees with me).
But you be the judge:

"Running for punishment??

I am also a track coach... why do you want to
take something that should be fun and
enjoyable and make it a punishment?? I just
shake my head when I hear of coaches using
running as a punishment for anything because
then what happens??

They associate running as something bad,
something miserable, something to be avoided.
I want my players to enjoy running.
Conditioning should be looked at equally as fun
as other drills. I want them to experience the
joy of running because they want to feel their
bodies working hard now, but also later in life.

Make them sit. Make them sweep the gym.
Make them do push-ups. Make them wear
a sign that says "I MISS LAYUPS" and have
them stand at a busy intersection. Make them
scrub the bathrooms. Make them write 'I WILL
NOT THROW BAD PASSES" a 1000 times...

But make running FUN!!!"

- Steve Tuson

I rest my case.

Shoot For The Stars,

P.S. When you get to where running and
conditioning are fun and produce a true sense
of pride and accomplishment transfer that
same attitude to your shooting and watch your
results skyrocket even more.

When you embrace a competitive spirit in one
part of your game it's going to make the rest of
your game that much better.

P.P.S. Can you imagine Michael Jordan griping
about having to run sprints, intervals, or steps.
No, I'm sure he would take each on as a
challenge just like he did with any other skill
and be determined to master it.

Coach Hal Wissel has taught thousands from the
NBA down to grade school how to master the
fundamentals of a practical, quick release,
repeatable, professional jumpshot.

Now through the magic of DVD's you can have
Coach Hal in the comfort of your living room or
home theater. Take what he teaches out to your
driveway or your favorite gym, put in the time
to become automatic with it, and you can become
the go-to guy and hero on your team.

Isn't that something you've dreamed of. Start
achieving that dream today at:

http://www.deandelker.com/wissel_order.html

Make Every Shot Count

Why Coach Locked His Locker Room

Coach Kenny Sacht from Boise, Idaho recently sent
the following question:

"What is an alternative to running to "get their
attention" (as I state it). If my kids aren't paying
attention or they don't run to the next drill, I let
them know this is not punishment but a simple
way to help them learn it is important to do what
I say when I say it. It gets their attention! What
is a good alternative?"

How DO you maintain discipline if you can't hold a
big negative stick over their heads? And how do
you take what's usually the hardest part of
practice and turn it into a positive experience the
kids will aspire to.

Coach Bruce Brown teaches proactive coaching and
team building through positive conditioning. He
uses drills that condition but are positive, fun, and
emphasize team building. He also presents
conditioning as a source of pride. If you want to be
in the "inner circle", or the "champions club" here
is what you'll need to do.

According to newspaper reports Florida's new
football coach Urban Meyer thinks much the
same. He has presented conditioning from the
beginning as a prerequisite for entering into full
status as a Florida Gator. If you don't have the
right attitude about staying in shape, you aren't
even part of the team.

I remember his first summer here when players
were doing voluntary workouts he kept the locker
room locked. Players had to work out in their own
clothes, get their own showers, etc. They had to
earn the right to even wear the school's colors in
a practice uniform by showing they took pride in
their conditioning.

It's a year later now though, and this group of
Gators has bonded together as a truly well
conditioned team. Maybe that's why they are
undefeated and rising in the polls as I write.

I've ordered some materials from Coach Brown,
and I'll have a more complete answer for Kenny
down the road, but I did think of one factor that
will help a lot.

The way Coach Kauppinen teaches sprinting and
especially uphill sprinting you can get great results
without killing yourself in conditioning.

You don't have to run, and run, and run to build up
endurance. I know that goes against conventional
wisdom, and it's hard to believe but you owe it to
yourself to get up to speed on the latest research
on the benefits of sprinting. One of them is saving
time, and wear and tear on your body.

Coach Tim will get you up to speed in short order
if you sprint right over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/hill_sprints.html

Shoot For The Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. Danish scientists at the University of
Copenhagen saw runners who performed high
intensity sprints increase their V02 max by 7%,
even though they ran half the mileage of a
control group.

Find out how to maximize your training today
by speeding over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/hill_sprints.html