Basketball: Developing Your Fundamental Skills
Unlocking Athletic Excellence and Leadership Skills On and Off the Court
(Written for my niece)
In a few short months of dedicated and focused practice, you have the remarkable opportunity to lay the foundation for your journey toward becoming a well-rounded basketball player. This path entails not only enhancing your leadership, scoring prowess, and exceptional passing skills but also developing the ability to thrive at an elite, fiercely competitive level. Excelling hinges on your capability to score adeptly with both your left and right hand, engage your teammates, and maintain a high basketball IQ that empowers you to read the court on both offence and defence, which allows you to anticipate every aspect of the game before it happens.
This isn't just about basketball; it's about unlocking your potential as an athlete and a leader, a journey that can inspire those around you through your dedication, determination, and disciplined approach to getting what you want. Beyond the realm of competitive play, the mental edge you gain along with the ability to lead, will help you navigate through the highs and lows, wins and losses, and equip you to excel in all other areas of life. While sports can be physically demanding, it's a mental game, a critical aspect often overlooked.
I've deconstructed some key elements to help you develop solid fundamentals that are universally applicable, whether you're in elementary, high school, college, or just playing at a recreational level. Enjoy the process, cultivate a lifestyle centred on being fit and active, and become someone others are eager to compete with and be around.
Player Development & Fundamentals
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan
Here is the approach:
- Offence wins games, defence wins championships
- Free throws are easy money, they just take a lot of work
- The game is 90% mental but played by incredibly tuned athletes
- If someone else can do it, it can likely be learned in baby steps over decades
Watch each video and you'll a step closer to being an elite student of the game. This is meant to just spark your curiosity and show you that whatever you pursue it will take more than the minimum to achieve the things you want.
The Miken Drill
Left & right-hand lay-ups to the hook shot (Skyhook)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar showing how to do the Miken Drill
"My true love is the Lakers - once a Laker, always a Laker. Pride and money are the motivators in any line of work. Back in those old days, I'd arrive by train or plane a day or two ahead of the team to promote the game."
- George Miken
The NBA's first real superstar was a 5x NBA Champion "Mr. Basketball" George Miken. He lead the league in scoring 3x. A young Bill Russell went to see Miken Play. Miken talked to him for 20 mins at the end of the game as one basketball lover to another, even though Bill was a third-string varsity player. Miken set a vision and expectation for Bill to play in the NBA and Bill Russel did just that, he went on to win the most amount of rings as an NBA Player, amassing 11 Championships, 5x Leauge MVP's. And in his honour, the league named the league's Most Valuable Player trophy after Bill Russell. So the Miken drill isn't any drill, it's the foundational basis of being an ambidextrous triple-threat player (Pass, shoot & drive).
Kareem Abdul Jabar who is second in all-time scoring in the NBA developed what some call the most unstoppable move, the skyhook. He credits the Miken Drill as one of the greatest stepping stones in perfecting his shot. George Miken was voted as the greatest basketball player of the first half of the 20th century. Miken's number 99 is retired with the Lakers alongside Kareem Abdul Jabar who had six NBA championships and six regular season MVP awards (most in NBA history), along with two NBA Finals MVPs.
Michael Jordan
Basketball Fundamentals
"The key to success is failure...If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life... The basketball court for me, during a game, is the most peaceful place I can imagine. On the basketball court, I worry about nothing. When I'm out there, no one can bother me."
- Michael Jordan
Considered the greatest player, Michael Jordan himself teaches you the fundamentals of the game.
OFFENSE
- Crossover, Shot Fake, Drive (Tripple threat)
- Protect Your Ball (Use Your Body)
- Fadeaway (Left block)
- Freethrow (Fundamentals)
- The Screen (Moving without the ball)
- Passing (Passing to the post)
DEFENSE
- Defensive Stance
- Movement
- Seeing Your Man
- Team Defense
Charles Barkley & Shaquille O'Neil
Post Up Lessons
'Pistol Pete's Basketball Homework
Ball Handing
Love never fails. Character never quits. And with patience and persistence, dreams do come true... There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life." - Pistol Pete Maravich
'Pistol Pete' Maravich was an NBA Hall of Famer who was a high-scoring, electrifying passer and playmaker who was generations ahead of his time and opened up how basketball was played in the 1970s. Magic Johnson said he stole his showtime moves straight from Pistol Pete. The pistol won an NBA scoring title even though he played for bad teams and an expansion club, the New Orleans Jazz.
He still holds the record as the all-time leading NCAA Division 1 scorer with 3,667 points scored, averaging 44.2 points per game. He did this before there was even a three-point line, data analysis shows he would have averaged 57 points per game. Back then under the NCAA rules, he was unable to play varsity basketball as a freshman. This guy is a legend who could play in today's game.
Larry Bird & Kevin McHale
Posting Up Down Low & Pick and Rolls
Conidered one of the greatest dynastites in basketball, the celtrics show you how to play big.
Basketball 101 with some great legends of the game.
Kevin McHale & Chris Webber + other NBA Hall of Famers (Down Low)
Post Moves
Steph Curry
Shooting, Ball-Handling & Scoring
I teach and people sign up for my programs, so I believe in paying for quality education that can have you leverage someone else's 10'000 hours of expertise.
Full video series on MaserClass.com
Hakeem 'The Dream' Olajuwon
Power Forward Post Moves
"All these boundaries - Africa, Asia, Malaysia, America - are set by men. But you don't have to look at boundaries when you are looking at a man - at the character of a man. The question is: What do you stand for? Are you a follower, or are you a leader? Being from Africa is the best thing that could have ever, ever happened to me. I cannot see it any other way. All of my fundamental principles that were instilled in me in my home, from my childhood, are still with me... Basketball is in my blood. It is my obligation to try." - Hakeem Olajuwon
Olajuwon was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan and nobody to this day says it was a bad draft choice. His accolades speak for themselves, Defensive Player of the Year, The Leagues Most Valuable Player (MVP), NBA Finals MVP and back-to-back NBA championships. He didn't play basketball until the age of 15, instead playing association football (soccer) and team handball in Lagos, Nigeria. He's known for his smooth footwork for such a big man.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant shares his signature moves.
- Pump Fake
- Bank shot
- Fade away jumper
- Pull up jumper
- Pump fake/ Pivot
- Reverse layup
- Outside jumper
Triangle Offense
The greatest rebounder Dennis Rodman shares the offence the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers used to create their basketball dynasties.
Mental Development
This is where I can help most... Seminars, workshops and private coaching.
Amar Virk