BEST training and Milo

How do I learn the basics of basketball? Who should teach the basics of basketball? Can I join a team and not go through the basics? The fundamentals? Michael Jordan? Lebron James? Kevin Durant? When I see the superstars play, is this sufficient for a lesson on the basics? What are the basics of basketball?

Basketball is a sport that has grown by leaps and bounds ever since Dr. James Naismith invented the game. The irony of it all is that learning the sport has had its different paths. In the United States, the basics were learned by watching NBA superstars play. They dunk, hang through the air, go acrobatic and do fancy dribbles on the court. They’d rather go for highlight films of the best moves of the sport, don’t they? But is this the right way of learning? Can every single basketball student be as talented as Lebron and KD, or Michael Jordan? The bad news is that the answer is “no.” When superstars become the models for learning basketball, a number of important basic elements are missed, primarily because everything comes so naturally for these superstars. And not all of us are like them. In fact, very few are like them. For the majority of basketball enthusiasts, we are just ordinary “Joe’s” and don’t have extraordinary basketball skills. The good news is that the Americans have noticed this and have ironically gone back to the basics.

Let’s go to Europe. Did you ever wonder why European countries are now strong contenders in the world scene? Did you notice the way they dribble, shoot and pass the ball? Do you notice the way they play defense using the proper stance and form? Dirk Nowitzki with his height, is just as good an outside shooter as smaller guards and forwards. Did you notice that both big men and guards practically dribble, pass and shoot the ball in the same manner, give and take a few based on “diskarte?” The strongest point for Europe is their strong foundation in teaching the proper basics to all its basketball players across the continent. Their over-all basketball training programs starts with the very basics while the players are young. Here, they don’t teach you how to dunk, double pump, head-and-shoulder fake and go for airtime. They teach you simply the basics. No more, no less. Proper dribbling form/stance, proper shooting form, proper passing, defense, simply proper basketball. A specialized group of coaches handles basketball fundamentals. In fact, these coaches have a coaching license for this. Similar to the European football clubs, emphasis on the basics starts at the bottom: the youth sector. While games and competitions also thrive, basketball clubs put more emphasis on the fundamentals of the sport: ballhandling, passing, shooting, individual defense and individual offense. When the kids get older, this is when the competitive level kicks in. Strengthened with the basics, all players can easily adapt to any system of any coach. The funny thing is that they all dribble, shoot and pass the ball in a very similar way. Their defensive stances are also the same. Their mastery of the basics makes up for their lack of athleticism that is possessed by some of the more natural and graceful athletes.

When one speaks of the need for the basics, this has to trickle down to the grassroots level not only for basketball, but for all sports. When one learns how to do things properly while young, this carries on and stays forever. One thus becomes a better player fundamentally. One will notice how he/she executes movements with or without the ball with little waste of energy, following proper form and stance. And when all five players on a team do this together, it all contributes to beautiful basketball without the flare of showbiz and highlight moves.

Note that we’re not even talking about a competitive basketball program: learning a basketball system developed by a coach. These are two different things. The basics are just that: basics of the sport, while playing with a team is a different level of learning and development. This now involves team play, defensive programs, offensive systems, player chemistry, player management and playing in league or tournament games. Only when one has fully grasped and mastered the basics will he/she be able to play competitively.

So how do you want your kids to learn basketball? Have them watch TV?

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Time-out: Join the BEST Center Basketball Clinic sponsored by Milo on May 12-17, 2014 at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Mango Avenue Campus. For more info, check out the page BEST Center Sports-Cebu in Facebook. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].