Image via Complex Original
The scoreboard can be a cruel indicator of who is a true winner, but it is not always about who is winning on the surface. To be successful in basketball, you must win from within; you must push yourself to places you did not know even existed. For first-hand knowledge of what it takes, we talked with 11 basketball trainers to get their tips for success. All these trainers have either worked with former or current NBA players, and all have a wealth of experience to offer. Here is what they had to say…
Be Persistent
“The last factor in becoming a great player, and most importantly achieving your potential, is being persistent. How bad do you want it? What about after someone shoots you down, tells you that you can’t make it. Do you give up? Many people who have set high goals for themselves will encounter a period where others don’t understand them. The question is, what do you do then? Here is where many players’ development comes to an end. A coach, a friend, a family member tell them that they can’t and won’t make it. The next day some guys get up earlier, they stay in the gym longer, or they focus on that last rep just a little more. But unfortunately some guys sleep in that next day, they lose the drive they once had, and they hinder their own development. The guys that wake up earlier and work harder are the ones that knock down barriers. These are the guys that max out their potential, and these are the guys that extend that expiration date on their career.”
– Cody Toppert, former professional basketball player who coaches players from NBA to high school for Elv8 Sports Institute
Train Like a Basketball Player
“Basketball players aren’t weightlifters or marathon runners, they are basketball players and they should lift to help them improve on the basketball court. That means they should make their feet and ankles their No. 1 priority when training. Most importantly, when they do train, it is important to treat their warm-up like a mini workout.”
– Alan Stein, founder of Stronger Team, DeMatha Catholic strength and conditioning coach, and formerly Kevin Durant’s high school strength and conditioning coach at Montrose Christian
Love the Game
“Have fun. To truly be successful, you have to absolutely love what you do. Relentlessly work to make your dreams become your reality.”
– Drew Hanlen, founder of Pure Sweat Basketball
Have Options in Your Game
“A lot of the best players have a lot of options in their game. Whether that is off-the-dribble moves or getting open, they have moves that can combat a defense in many ways. That makes it harder on the defense. Another thing is the best players do not waste movement when they play. Every move has a purpose.”
– Ryan Goodson, owner of Goodson Basketball Services
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
“NBA players are starting to understand that as their athleticism dwindles, their skill set must advance. So advancing their actual skill, and not maintaining it, is of utmost important for me when I train them.”
– DJ Sackmann, former four-year starter at University of New Haven who trains professional, college, and high school players for I’m Possible Training
Practice With a "Game Purpose"
“My focus as a trainer is to give players a realistic feel for the game and to enforce ‘game real’ in their training. However, while we do everything for a game purpose, we don’t get bogged down by game scenarios. My reason is simple: You can run a situation or scenario over and over again without ever mastering the raw skills needed to be successful in that situation in a game. Why? Because just going through a situation doesn’t give you the tools to drop your hips when necessary, or use your off hand when needed and so on. Quite frankly, over doing game situational training without focusing on skill enhancement training makes it very difficult for the player to raise the ceiling on their game. In fact, I rarely even give contact in training sessions. A coach may simulate contact, but no coach in the world is athletic enough to truly mimic the game-like contact and feel of an elite professional defender. Therefore, giving contact in situational training only does so much. Instead, by using tools such as our medicine basketball or RIP cone, we can force players to use their raw ability and attention to detail that only a game would demand.”
– Micah Lancaster, founder of I’m Possible Training
Sacrifice
“I always say sacrifice is more important than anything. In order to be great, you have to sacrifice some things, whether that be spending time with friends in high school or going out in college. You cannot get anything in this world and not give up something. I always tell my players you have to sacrifice hanging out or playing video games in order to spend time on time court.”
– Tim Martin, founder of Martin Basketball
Make It Ugly
“When you are in training, you should not have perfect workouts. You should be making a lot of mistakes and embrace making those mistakes. Without resistance there is no growth, so we use the term ‘make it ugly.’ During workouts, go really hard, try to push your limits, make mistakes, and from there, try to build off of those mistakes.”
– Jay Hernandez, founder of Pro Hoops
Be Skilled and Take Pride
“For every one game a player plays, they should have three skill workouts. This assures them that they are getting the skill development in their game. Also, players that take pride in every drill and every possession consistently develop into champions.”
– Ganon Baker, an NBA skill development coach who is the executive director of Elev8/Ganon Baker Basketball Academy
Be Unselfish
“Players tend to think about ‘me’ too much. We say if you can service guys on the court, you can make them better off the court—and that not only refers to basketball but makes people in the world better as well.”
– Jason Otter, former Austin Peay player who now trains from the NBA to elite high school talent
Show Up, Work Hard, and Listen
“Here’s the No. 1 question I’m asked about working with the greats, from Michael Jordan to Dwyane Wade: What’s the secret? What do we do in the gym to make the best even better? This is the secret, straight from my book, Relentless: There’s no secret. I have three rules, and these apply to anyone, whether you’re a future Hall-of-Famer or a young athlete just figuring it out: Show up, work hard, and listen. That’s it. Do the work. It takes no skill to show up, work hard, or listen—anyone can do it. All you need is the drive and commitment to improve, succeed, and excel, both physically and mentally. When you show up physically and mentally, you walk in ready to work and leave behind distractions. When you work hard physically and mentally, you finish what you start and you’re comfortable being uncomfortable. When you listen physically and mentally, you’re willing to learn and you’re hearing your body respond to the work. That’s the secret.”
– Tim Grover, best known for training Michael Jordan, and currently runs Attack Athletics
