What does the OFF-SEASON mean to you?

Hopefully you realize that the real work in building yourself into a good basketball player begins in the off-season. During the season practice time is limited, and in the depth of winter it can be difficult to find a good place and time to work on your individual game. That is why the warmer months of the year and the end of team practices is a great time for you to focus on making yourself better for next year.

For the younger players, maybe you need to develop that off-hand in both dribbling and shooting. If you have dreams of playing varsity basketball you must be able to use both hands, its never too early to dribble well with both hands. Plus its more fun when you can score going left or right, whatever way you choose.

For older players, maybe you need to refine your dribbling so you feel more comfortable against game-pressure. Also, its time to develop some moves to make yourself a scoring threat. Even if all you have is a left and right-handed jump-hook that is something. Jump shooters you need to practice a lot, repetition is the key to being a decent jump shooter. When shooting, warm up close and work your way out, DO NOT start at the 3-point line. Shooting is about confidence, start close and go around the world (around the lane) a few times to get yourself in a rhythm. This will make you better.

My suggestion is strictly focus on ONE specific part of your game this offseason. Maybe you realize you are never going to be very tall and you are going to need to develop very good dribbling skills to compete. Maybe you are tall and you need to focus on refining your offensive game near the basket by building an arsenal of solid post-moves. Maybe you want to be a great jump shooter, then spend forty-five minutes to one hour everyday shooting. Remember, do NOT start your warmup at the 3-point line. Start in close and slowly work your way out. The key is to practice and play as much as you can. Watch the pros or college players on TV and continue developing your understanding of the game. Learn by observation and put it into your game with practice.

So have a good off-season! Please check back here at "NORTHRIDGEHOOPS.BLOGSPOT.COM" from time-to-time for VIKING basketball program updates, tips, and basketball video teaching sessions. Make good use of your time, behave yourself, and do ALL of your classwork. Once again, have a good off-season, make the most of this opportunity to improve yourself.