Membership Online Newsletter – August
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 1:24 pm
Motivational Quote
Not everyone is created with equal abilities, but everyone is created with equal ability to persist.
How to Turn Our DVDS into Gold – by Micah Lancaster
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 1:46 pm
As my Keys to a Quick Handle DVD – the Complete Medicine Ball Workout continues to be a best selling DVD, I wanted to take some time to offer some advice. Just like any DVD you purchase from Ganon Baker, Alan Stein or myself, the value is in the information. And by that I mean, you must get organized if you want to maximize your investment.
Especially in the case of the Keys to a Quick Handle, it’s not enough to watch the DVD and do some of the drills here and there. And it’s especially not a good plan to try to do the whole workout EVERY day! You have to take the drills and determine which ones NEED to be included in your weekly or monthly workout plan, and then plan it out and spread it out.
In this DVD, medicine balls are used as replacements for cones and replacements for tennis balls. That means you don’t even have to own a medicine ball to put this workout to action. However, if you have the resources to purchase a medicine ball along with the DVD, you have to understand the importance of organization to get the true benefit and the right amount of rest.
The medicine ball is the BEST TOOL ON THE PLANET for increasing hand strength, increasing explosion on the drive by forcing players to drop low and explode with added weight, and adding resistance to a player’s hands and arms by simulating a defender’s reach-in and pressure on the drive.
However, if done EVERY day your forearms and hands will burn out. It’s like lifting weights. No one bench presses every day. Your muscles need to time to recover in order to build. Your hands and forearms need that same kind of rest.
The Complete Medicine Ball Workout needs to be in your weekly workout, but you should only allow yourself to do it 2-3 times a week. Not the whole workout every one of those days either. The importance is doing the entire workout weekly. So if you haven’t done it yet, this needs to be your game plan. Watch the DVD again and write down all the drills you need to incorporate into your workout. Then space out the workout into 3 days a week. MAX! Not only will you get the most out of the Medicine Ball Workout, but you will have more time for everything else you need to do also.
Don’t underestimate the importance of having an organized schedule when it comes to training. Basketball is the most skilled game in the world! Footwork. Shooting. Finishing. Ball Handling. Driving. Passing. The list goes on. A plan is required for you to do all that needs to be mastered for you to find success.
So for any of our DVDs you own, the greatest value is with how you organize them. Take some time. Write down what you want to do and schedule your Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, and on. Then you will take our DVDs and turn them into gold for your game!
Micah’s Moves: The Deron Williams Butterknife
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 9:41 am
Deron Williams has a unique method and style in which he finds his way slicing in, out, and thru the paint using angles, great footwork, and a special understanding of his off hand. Now you can use your skills to slither and slice through the paint with style.
It Doesn’t Matter if You Believe in Yourself…
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 8:02 pm
I’m continually amazed at how my life has changed over the last few years. I still remember as a professional in the IBL, kids would rush to me after the game and I’d sign a few autographs. But I never envisioned walking through various Wal-Marts in cities across the country and signing autographs as a skill trainer! Never in my wildest dreams!!!
Now signing autographs is by no means what I base success on but it does tell me one thing. I must be doing something right. And I know what it is. Do you know why I am successful? Do you know why I will continue to succeed? The answer is real, real, REAL simple. I believe!!!
Now, before you jump the gun and assume I’m getting generic with the ‘just believe in yourself and everything will work out’ message, let me take it one step farther.
I’m successful because I believe….IN YOU!!!
Did you catch that? Because there is power in what I just said.
See, I first found a level of success in this game because I believed in myself when no one else would. I learned very quickly that if I were just willing to believe and then act on my belief, big things would happen for me. In fact, God has poured favor into my life for simply having faith in Him and believing that I really could accomplish anything I set out to do.
But nothing really happened for me as a skill trainer until I brought it to the next level. It’s easy to believe in yourself, it’s another thing completely to believe in others.
I don’t know how many times I’ve asked kids to tell me where they’d like to play college basketball. Some say “North Carolina”, or “Duke”, or “Kentucky”, but they say it with shame on their face and in their demeanor. Other’s take prodding and need to be persuaded to finally tell me their goal is this school or that school. But there’s one thing that separates me from many coaches and trainers. I BELIEVE THEM!
I recently received this letter from a mother:
“Micah,
I am sure you have had a lot of people thank you for helping them with their basketball skills, but this isn’t what this is for.
I want to thank you for giving (my daughter) something she hasn’t had since 6th grade. The belief in herself.
WHEN SHE TOLD YOU SHE WANTED TO GO TO DUKE, YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON (besides me) THAT DIDN’T LAUGH AT HER.
I can’t tell you what that did for her. She has been trying so hard…it makes her more determined. So thank you again for giving a little girl back some hope, and happiness that someone saw some good in her.”
Can I just say that letters like this really shock me. I am overjoyed that I was able to make such a profound difference in this player’s life, but why is it so hard for coaches and even most adults to believe in a kids dream? I don’t mean to brag but my training has produced incredible results. I’ve seen an 8th man Junior put in a summer of hard work and make his dream of college basketball a reality! I’ve seen a barely all-conference Junior player put in one summer of organized, professional training and raise his scoring average 18 points on his way to a D1 Scholarship. And I continue to come across players who have recently been cut from middle school and high school teams, and have pushed them to not only make their teams but soar above their old teammates and beyond.
Look, the training I provide these kids is top of the line. I am confident in that and what I do. But that’s not the most important ingredient. I truly believe these kids succeed because I believe them when they tell me their dreams. I don’t shoot their hopes down with percentages and “realistic” statements, I simply tell them:
I believe you. But if that’s what you want then you need to understand how much farther you have to go. Let me show you.
Once I reveal to them where they are, I then show them how much sweat, work, and time needs to be invested. I show them the details and the skills they need to master. And after laying out the plan, I ask one more question:
Knowing what you have to do to get what you want; DO YOU STILL BELIEVE?
Some don’t. But for those who still do, they SUCCEED! It’s that simple.
Any skill trainer or coach in the world can find success in what they are doing if they learn to believe and instill belief in their players. If you have the ability to look past where a player is, and look to what they can become you’ll effectively point them in the right direction. Dreamers respond to solutions and answers, not limitations and restrictions. And once they believe in their chances, know the right steps, and then put in the work, your work is done. Their success becomes your success.
Coaches, skill trainers, parents, adults, stop being “realistic” with your players. Stop telling them what you see, and start telling them what they can be. It’s NOT getting their hopes up to dream Duke. Just tell them what they have to do to give them a chance. Bottom line: if somebody else determines any player’s sense of what’s realistic, they’ve already placed limitations on their potential.
So please, if you want to find success as a coach or a trainer never forget this.
It doesn’t matter if you believe in yourself, until you truly believe in others.
Micah’s Move of the Month – The Steve Nash Step Up Series (Finishing Moves)
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 6:21 am
We’ve spent most of our time working on the dribble and the drive, but we also need to have solutions at the basket and against help. The Steve Nash Step Up Series is designed to give players options at the basket. Instead of focusing on whats “wrong” and whats “right”, this series focuses on whats necessary in the moment to finish off your moves!
Micah’s Moves: The Kobe Parker (Full Series)
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 2:22 pm
The Kobe Parker is a combination of two moves – The Tony Parker V-Dribble and the Kobe Bryant Under Dribble. Micah Lancaster demonstrates this hybrid of a move mainly as a way players can improve their ball handling, increase body control, and add a little swagger to their game. As Micah said, “This may not be a move you will use in a game (it might), but it sure is fun to practice and will add some style to your game.”
Cut up the Boxes by Micah Lancaster
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 11:34 am
The word “coach” was derived from the term used for a horse and carriage. A coach was the vehicle in which brought people from one destination to another. I don’t want to be negative, but it may be time that many basketball coaches in this country come to terms with the root of this word. A coaches job is to take each player from one place to another place. The problem is many coaches, if not most, have merely focused on taking only the team from one place to the next. In this context, the TEAM, TEAM, TEAM approach can become a negative!
Micah’s Moves: The Chris Paul Inside Out Series – Making the Ball Dance
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 11:59 am
The Chris Paul Inside Out Series is a great way to keep the defense guessing. From protecting the ball a little better, to creating space for a shot, to hiding the ball for a split second, this series of moves will also challenge your handles to the max!
The Carmelo Anthony Slow Thru – Exploding from Nothing
Posted by Micah Lancaster at 9:20 pm
Every player in the world can dribble through their leg. But not like this! Being able to go slow is a skill. The Carmello Slow Thru focuses on the ability to be relaxed and poised but be explosive exactly when needed to beat the defender.
Why players need this move
- First Step – A quick first step is one of the most wanted skills in all of basketball. Notice I didn’t say anything about athleticism. This video demonstrates the footwork needed to explode quicker then ever before, giving every player the ability to have a great first step.
- Change of Pace – Once again, every great offensive player has a change of speed in their game. While most players attempt to dribble explosively, sometimes the best thing to do is to dribble relaxed. Mastering this move allows the offense to relax a bit, but NEVER the defense!
- Footwork – This move will challenge even some of the best. The footwork can be difficult to master, but the results give the athlete control of their own feet.
