Talk about your classic drill.  The Mikan drill is nearly as old as basketball as it is named after George Mikan who was the first great true big man in the sport.  George claimed this drill helped in several areas of the game including coordination, concentration and the ability to finish around the hoop with either hand.

Here’s how it is done:

Player starts under the basket with the ball above his head.  Player steps left foot over right foot and shoots a right handed layup.  Player rebounds the ball and immediately crosses the right foot over the left foot and shoots the ball left handed for a layup.  Pretty simple but a few things to focus on.

1.  Keep the ball above your shoulders.  When you lower the ball people tend to steal it so keep it up and protected with your elbows.

2.  Focus more on the correct form instead of speeding through the drill. 

3.  Establish a rhythm when going side to side to increase confidence and performance.

Once these things are done you are ready to go quicker and see how many you can do in 30 seconds.  If you do the drill for a minute your head will be spinning and you’ll be seeing stars.  30 seconds is plenty and make sure that you are using both hands to do the drill.

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I preach this as much as anything with young players and it doesn’t quite seem to resinate right away because it seems to be such a simple concept. Yet, I’ll watch a game of young players and see charge after charge and travel after travel. I’ll watch kids do jump passes and get up in the air with nowhere to go and I just cringe inside because all they needed to correctly learn was the jump stop.

With the jump stop all you are doing is taking a dribble and landing with both feet at the same time. But 4 things happen:

1. You land under control
2. You have a strong base
3. Still have the option to shoot or pass
4. You can get a lot of distance without dribbling

When a player lands under control it keeps them from charging or getting out of position. When on a fast break it is easy to jump stop and go right into your shot whether it be 2 feet or 20 feet. If you are going off one leg all the time you won’t shoot a high percentage. Imagine a player taking off from the 3 point line to shoot a shot because that what the alternative is really.

When you jump stop you land with your knees bent and a strong base is already in place. This allows you to go up strong if you are shooting a layup or a solid jump shot if you are shooting 15 feet out.

You can still pass the ball easily as well as shoot the ball from the jump stop but once you jump stop don’t jump in the air and get yourself in trouble.

Don’t forget that once you dribble and come to your jump stop that you can get a lot of distance from the dribble to the stop. IF I’m 10 feet from the hoop i can easily make it to the rim on 1 dribble and a jump stop. Practice doing this and you’ll see its advantages.

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As young players grow up the need to develop a jump shot is apparent and necessary.  People naturally grown stronger and become better athletes thus making it harder and harder to get off a shot.  Something we are commonly asked is “What can I do to get my shot off quicker?”

Here’s a couple ways that players can get shots off quicker and none of them involve their actual release, they involve the feet and legs.

1:  Players need to be aware that a shot is available.  If you are a 3 point shooter and you sense that you are going to shoot the shot mentally then the next thing to do is get your body ready to shoot the shot.  When i was in 9th grade I could score points easily but I didn’t know a lot of the little things necessary to get my shot off against bigger, faster players.  It was when I started playing varsity ball that summer that i realized I would have to adapt.  Our team point guard dribbled into the key and set me up for a jump shot at 21 feet and it was a shot I had made a million times before.  I caught the ball and got set to shoot it but by the time I finally got ready I had a defender on me and I didn’t get the shot off.  During a time out the coach pulled me aside and showed me something I could do to get ready to shoot the ball quicker.  He showed me a simple hop.

Understand that there are 2 trains of thought and I’ll get to the 2nd one in a minute but by hopping while the pass was in the air I was ready to shoot the ball as soon as I landed.  I had lined up my front foot already by pointing it at the basket and had already squared my shoulders.  The next time the situation came up I was ready and hit the shot.  It took practice to get more comfortable with it but it made a world of difference for me.

#2:  1-2 step.  The 2nd train of thought is to avoid the hop and go straight to a 1-2 step.  This is done by aligning your body while the pass is in the air so that 1 foot lands before the other with the other coming down right after to propel you into the shot.  Your back foot comes down first and your shooting foot (same as shooting hand) comes down and allows you to correctly step into your shot.  That is called a 1-2 step when it comes to shooting the ball.  Some coaches love this because it allows the shooter to step into his shot or be able to quickly drive past a defender who is closing on the shooter quicker than expected. 

I do both and I teach both.  If I am shooting a shorter shot then I will take the hop but if i am shooting farther out I’ll use the 1-2 step because it allows me to use my legs more.  Others will feel the opposite and that is why this should be practiced until confidence is developed.

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When I was growing up I was very much a ball hog and it still bothers me today. I wasn’t a very well rounded player but I could shoot and score the ball pretty easily. One of the things I was very good at was getting my man in foul trouble and getting to the foul line. As I got older and became a point guard my mentality as a player changed but the ability to get to the foul line never left me. Here’s a couple points that can be used immediately to get you to the line more often.

1. Be Multidimensional. If you are a one dimensional player it makes it that much easier to guard you. I could shoot so a man had to guard me close. When he guarded me close I could go by him.

2. Learn to initiate contact. Dwyane Wade is amazing at this. I know he is a pro but when he drives he actually creates the contact with the defensive player. He is able to see when the defender is out of position and take advantage of it. This isn’t saying to jump into a guy all the time. Good players understand positioning and if you are driving and have a player on your hip then he has to try to do something to get in a better spot. Once he makes an aggressive defensive move then go right into him and get the foul call. If you are driving on the defender, stop quickly and pump fake. Once he jumps in the air go right into him and get the foul call. One thing that smaller players are better at than bigger players is avoiding getting their shots blocked. You rarely see Chris Paul get blocked but you always see him at the line. When CP3 drives to the hoop he is great at jumping into the shot blockers chest to take away his momentum and create space for the shot. Scottie Reynolds did it in the Elite 8 to beat Pitt. He drove the length of the court and jumped right into the chest of the defense and it created space for himself to get the shot off. Could they have called a foul? Sure, but no ref is going to call that with 2 seconds left. You can learn a lot watching the little guys when they drive.

3. JUMP STOP: I’ve said this a thousand times but learn to jump stop when you drive to or around the basket. When you jump stop you gain control of your body and you are able to take the ball up strong. Players that take the ball up strong get the benefit when it comes to foul calls. If you drive to the hoop and jump off one leg and flip the ball at the basket you won’t get calls. If you drive, jump stop, collect yourself and go up strong you will get fouled and it will get called.

Try these and let me know how they work out for you.

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Lately i’ve really focused on watching good players and try to learn what separates them from others. Dwayne Wade has boundless energy and plays the game very hard. He’s worked incredibly on his jump shot and being a threat and is a better athlete now than he was in college. He’s really developed. What makes Wade so good, besides the fact he’s allowed to travel, is his ability to get to the basket at will. When he wants to drive in you are either going to foul him or he will score or he’ll score while you foul him. I’ve also studied Carmelo lately and watched him closely and he’s the same way except he’s a better shooter than Wade but not as good an all around player. This is part because Carmelo plays on a better team than Wade and doesn’t have to do as much but Wade plays the game harder in all areas. One thing Carmelo does well is go strong to the basket but he does a couple things better than most players in the NBA.

1. Shooting position is always maintained. Carmelo does a great job of creating space for himself despite being a very good shooter. He really gets the ball and threatens drive so well that it opens up space for himself. Tip 1 is to be able to shoot the ball. Rajon Rondo can drive to the basket but teams give him the 15 footer all day long so they back off and back off and challenge him. Carmelo can shoot yet he is still able to create space for himself because he can shoot or drive.

2. When going to the hoop take the shortest distance possible. What is the shortest distance between two points? A straight line. We all learned that at a young age. When Carmelo gets past his defender he goes right to the rim and doesn’t get knocked off his path. Here’s a scenario: Teams teach defense to beat the offense to the spot. Defenses do that by trying to keep the offensive player away from making a straight line to the hoop so they bump or chest the offensive player in an attempt to slow him down. If the offense goes in a straight line they will get a foul or a layup. Carmelo does this better than anyone in the game in that when he gets a step on a man he will be in such a straight line that the defense can’t beat him to a spot because there is literally no angle to get there.

It’s the little things sometimes that separate the best players from the good players and Wade and Carmelo are two of the better offensive players in the world. We can learn a lot by watching them.

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I grew up as a 2 guard trapped in a point guard’s body so stuff that i should’ve learned when I was younger didn’t happen until I was in high school and playing the point position. It is a completely different mindset for players to go from being a scorer to a distributor and I had to learn on the fly about the point position and how to get everyone involved.

One thing that I learned was how important dribble penetration is from the point guard position. If you want a real life example then look no further than Chris Paul. He causes teams nightmares with his ability to drive to the basket and get open shots for players. He does 2 things very well that I want to cover here:

1. Penetrate with a purpose: Don’t go into the key blindly and without a thought process in place. Many young point guards just think about beating the defender without thinking about what will happen if/when the help defense comes. You can get away with these things when you are younger but as you mature you have to have a plan for 1, 2, 3 steps along the way.

2. Be able to finish/Be a scoring threat: Great point guards are scoring threats when they get into the key. If they aren’t then the defense will slack off and not take the penetration seriously enough to stop the dribble. The entire point of penetration is to get the defense to move and shift making lanes open and players open so that offense is easier.

Let’s look at some scenarios: Chris Paul has Peja Stojakovic as a spot up shooter and he’s arguably the best shooter in the entire game. Chris Paul gets past his man and is on the same side as Peja. Peja’s defender has been taught since elementary school that he needs to stop the ball and help out whenever he can. As soon as Paul sees this he waits until the defense has committed to stopping him before he passes to Peja for the shot. If the player decides not to help them Paul can shoot a short jumper or try to go all the way to the basket. Either way, his penetration caused the defense to make some choices and he makes them pay. That’s why Paul coming off a pick and roll is so deadly…it creates instant penetration and opens up lanes all over the court. If the big man comes out on him he knows where the mismatches are. If the big man lays off then he knows what to do and he always has spot up shooters ready to launch when called upon.

Penetrate with a plan and be able to finish are the two lessons for today.

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Creating your own shot is something that not a lot of players can do but the best players can do it whenever. I know that most guys can throw stuff up while being guarded but I’m talking about doing moves that allow you to have a chance to make the shot and make it part of your game. Here are 2 moves that can be practiced that will allow to get more shots off and make you a more well rounded offensive player.

1. Shooting off the dribble: As a younger player I was able to drive past my defender often and get him in foul trouble. It was good until pretty soon I would drive and there would be other people standing there waiting for me. When the defender would lay off of me I was able to shoot the ball and put him in a tough position. I realized that I needed to work on something that would allow me to get a shot off without going all the way to the basket but also not just stand there and shoot it. I learned that if my defender was guarding me closely I could act as if I was going to drive right past him and then as I took one hard dribble or two hard dribbles I could pull up and catch the defense by surprise. It was a great addition to my offensive game and one that i still use today. To shoot off the dribble practice going right into a shot as the ball comes up off the bounce. Practice with both hands and start close to the basket to learn this. It will not feel natural originally but will get better as you get more and more comfortable. You will see Kobe do this move constantly as players guard him with such pressure and they are afraid that he’ll go around them. As he makes a hard move the defense makes a hard move to stop him and just then Kobe will pull up off the bounce and the defense can’t recover in time. 2 points.

2. Step Back Jump Shot: The step back is almost the same as shooting off the dribble but can be easier to get your feet set and creat space between yourself and the defense. A step back shot is created when driving a certain direction and immediately stepping back and shooting the ball just like it sounds. The spacing is created by a hard push back with the front leg and allows you to get your legs underneath you more easily than you would expect. Practice this move by starting at the top of the key and without shooting learn the footwork. Just get the footwork in place and even if it takes 50 times to feel comfortable go with it until it feels normal. If you worry too much about the shot you won’t be able to do the move fundamentally correct. Larry Bird was the king of the step back jump shot. One of the parts that has to be practiced is to make sure that you dribble when you do the step back or you’ll more than likely be called for traveling.

We are working on getting you some sample clips of these drills and shots so you can see them and we’ll have them soon.

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As players get older and the level of competition increases the ability to get off or create your own shot becomes much more important. We get asked all the time if we have ideas on how players can work on that or if there are any products that can help them. We have plenty of products out there that can assist or teach a player some moves but none better than the Better Basketball 7 Series. It will break everything down for you in great detail and is worth every penny.

However, let’s cover some ideas of moves that can be worked on to create or get your own shot. First, you need to have the ability to be able to get past your defender. If you can’t get past your defender in a one on one setting then that is a whole different story. If you are able to get past your defender in a one on one setting then a few simple things will give you the ability to get your own shot.

1st- Understand spacing. Understand that you need to create a distance between you and the defender. If you are standing straight up and not in a shooting position then you will get crowded by the defender. If that happens don’t be afraid to create space by getting into a basketball position by protecting the ball, getting your knees bent and making yourself a threat to drive past the defense.

2nd- Don’t be afraid of your jump shot. If you aren’t going to shoot the ball then nobody will even guard you and this post is useless. If you aren’t a great shooter then work at it until you have confidence. I played against a guy where when he got the ball i would literally turn around because he wasn’t going to do anything but pass the ball. It made it very easy for all of us.

3rd - Learn the ability to shoot off the dribble. Imagine if you’ve driven past your player a couple times and they feel you are about to do it again. You take one or two hard dribbles and immediately go up into a jump shot. This isn’t easy to learn and takes practice but the defender is often on their heels when you are going up for the shot. How many times have you seen Kobe have his guy leaning backwards when he is shooting? This is how he does it and it is done by players of all sizes and ages and is a key to getting your own shot.

4th - Learn the step back. This is done by creating space between you and the defender and was mastered by Larry Bird. He would take a hard dribble toward the basket while pushing back with his front foot to create space and give him the ability to get his shot off. Great move that must be practiced with each hand in order to be a threat from both sides of the court.

5th - Learn to be able to jump stop when driving into the key or when picking up your dribble. I say this a million times but players just don’t do it enough. When you drive past your defender be prepared to jump stop for the quick shot. Too many young players will drive past the 1st level of defense only to get to the 2nd level where the bigs are. If you can learn to get past the defense and jump stop for a short shot you’ll be much better off and you’ll draw the 2nd level towards you opening up all kinds of lanes for your teammates. JUMP STOP.

That’s all I have for today but please email me with questions and don’t be afraid to give me some opinions.

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