Tuesday 19 July 2016

OPEN GYM TIMES

This week at the middle school there is a volleyball camp going on; so, there will be no open gym this week.  Unfortunately, next week I am unavailable to open the gym.  So..., at this time I am looking at opening the gym during the week of August 3rd.  I encourage all players to get out on the outdoor hoops to train.  And I strongly encourage players to call all of their teammates to train / play / get together.  It is a fact that teams that are coach driven (teammates only train and get together when the coaches organise activities) are not as unified and successful as those teams that are player driven.  Great teams train together / workout and play together.  I have said this for years... One of the biggest problems with our bball teams in SA is that during the off-season too many of our teammates do their own thing ... teams are fragmented... their is no camaraderie... individuality dominates... Yes... go to camps... play on club teams... however, ... when you are in town... those in town must come together.  Hook up. Push each other. Challenge each other. Compete! Go to the movies... go to the beach... hang out.  Be kids together.  I have always hated the term "Play-Dates" - it is a separatist term... it defines exclusion... it has nothing to do with bringing the whole together.  Some one is always left out.  Teams can't afford to leave individuals out. Teams that stick together are successful.  Include ... don't exclude...  TEAM has to come first.  Get together! You do not need your coaches for that.  Players... take your teams back from adults... unite... ask your coaches to open the gym for the team... explain to them what you want to accomplish together... provide a plan.  Coaches in SA don't like what they see at open gym times... players don't compete... they goof around and don't push each other... Show that you can be responsible and that you can compete... challenge those players who don't compete... hold them accountable... push each other... There's my two cents..., or what it is worth.  Cheers!

Please note:  Our Senior Boy's and Senior Girl's Basketball Coaches are holding "Hoops Are Hot" Basketball Camp at SAS during the week of August 8th to 12th... Grades 8 - 12 will run from 9 to 12 AM and Grades 5 - 7 will run 1 - 4 PM.  More information and details can be found on the Salmon Arm Youth Basketball Facebook Page... If you have any questions, you can give me a call.  It should be noted that the "Hoops Are Hot" camp is a fundraiser for our senior basketball teams. 

Friday 8 July 2016

OPEN GYM NEXT WEEK (JULY 11TH AND 12TH):

I will open the gym at SMS on Monday and Tuesday in the evening.  Open gym time for both evenings will be from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  It is important for players to know... I do not tolerate slacking at our open gym times... Come with a plan.  What are you as a player going to work on?  My timeline for both evenings:

7:00 - 7:30 - individual skill workouts... bring your plan... I suggest you use the one Coach Clark gave you this year or last year...

7:30 - 7:50 - 1st half of the gym... - I will be working on footwork and one-on-one reads (ft. work and scoring drills)
                  - 2nd half of the gym... - set aside for those players who want to work on their own programs

7:50 - 8:00 - one on one challenges

8:00 - 9:00 - 3 on 3 or 5 on 5 games... must be competitive... players need to go after each other and compete... winners stay and play ... losers sit off and wait their turn.

***don't show up if you are not going to work hard and compete...
***if you need help setting up a workout plan... see me... and can help you out.  Cheers

TRU CAMP:

39 participants between the grades 5 and 12 attended the TRU Camp held at Shuswap Middle School this past week.  Good numbers between grades 5 and 8 (30) ... Numbers between grades 9 and 12 were disappointing (9).  We are discussing a change in the format of the camp for next year.  Older players are not interested... - I don't understand that??? - We would like to build towards a Jr./Sr. Group... Coach Clark can do so much more with a group that is similar in age / size / and ability. We will be talking about the camp for next year when we are in the mountains... on the lake ... fishing... Anyway, for those who attended the camp, I thought it went well.  Many messages were delivered to the players... hopefully they learned something.

Basketball is a team game... It is not an individual sport.  The off-season is time to improve one's skills, work on fitness, and get in the weight room to work on one's physical strength; however, when working to improve one's abilities as an individual, one needs to keep the team in mind.  No one person is better than the TEAM... The TEAM is only as good as its weakest link... As Coach Clark said at camp, and as I have said many times before, players/teammates should be doing these activities as much as possible together.  All players who are in town need to take advantage of open gym time...and open gym time should not be wasted... train hard, play hard, ... compete!  Athletes need to work on their areas of weakness.  Identify your weaknesses and work on getting better at them.  Create a plan and train. Remember, before the player goes into the gym, he needs to have a plan.  The plan needs to be written down.  The plan should not only reveal what the athlete will be working on, but how long (duration) the activity will be carried out, the plan should include the number of reps / makes that will be performed. Set goals to achieve success... write them down.  Remind yourself of the examples share at camp about Jay Triano and Kelley Olynyk.  There is no secret to success... there is no shortcut either. Commit... sacrifice... strive to reach your goals.  Failure is a part of the journey... know that it rears its head often... don't let it defeat you... let Failure become part of your motivation.