The Cross Over Movement Blog

This summer I was contacted by the grandfather of an excellent young player, the brother of one of my trainees and a very talented to-be-8th grader with loads of potential: 5-10, 140 lbs with great guards skills, a tremendous passion for the game and a body that will likely grow to 6-5 or taller like his brother. This particular player and his grandfather contacted me in search of training for just 4 weeks while his AAU team took a short break prior to the AAU Nationals, at which time our training would stop completely so he could travel to Florida for this national tournament. There were no plans to conduct more training after the fact, this was simply a quick fix to help him prepare for this nationally recognized tournament. What’s more, this player, despite his mature game, strong skill level and aggressive style of play, had very poor shot mechanics. He shot the ball from his left hip, a low release point and pushing it across his body in the same awkward motion that we see so many young players shoot (due mostly to a lack of strength as well as not being taught proper mechanics). This player was now strong enough to shoot a real jumpshot, but he shot like he did in the 5th grade.

Well, as you’d expect, I explained to the grandfather that this young player needed training to refine his shot mechanics and, more importantly, that my training is not and never will be a quick fix method to improvement. My focus has always been long-term development and that proper shot mechanics are a vital element to that end. In our conversation the grandfather was very concerned that investing a significant amount of time correcting his shot would mean a poor performance at the AAU Nationals because this player relies heavily on the three-point shot as his primary offensive weapon (despite the bad mechanics). He only wanted to work on offensive moves and ball-handling to help improve his performance. Fortunately enough, he agreed that the shot mechanics needed changing. We agreed that after the tournament this fall we’d get back together to work on that part of his game.

As it turns out, I had a long conversation with the player about the need to change his shot and, thankfully, the kid grew inspired to start working on it on his own during this off time. We started working out a week later and he had already established in his mind that he wanted to have correct mechanics for this tournament just a few weeks away. So, to cut a long story short, we spent the next 4 weeks working exclusively on his mechanics and i can honestly say he was the quickest learner I’ve ever had. In that short amount of time he worked on his shot everyday outside of our lessons, to the point where he could shoot 3-point shots with perfect form. A great end to an interesting saga because he recently earned MVP of a camp in Florida, including a game with 9 3-pointers using his newly acquired correct shooting technique.

This scenario proved to me that the desire to win is not exclusive to the coaches of the AAU teams. Players and parents, even in the 7th/8th grade are also VERY focused on winning and will approach off-season training as a means to an end, which in this case meant playing well at one tournament. Unfortunately, the disturbing trend is the total lack of concern for long-term development. At such a young age, our players should be establishing a base of fundamental skills that will be essential to long term success as competitive athletes. Yes, there is a place for in-game competition, but as they reach the developmental and competitive stages, things like proper shot mechanics must be established. Training should be looked at as a quick fix.

This situation offers further support to Brian McCormick’s Cross Over Movement, and the need for more emphasis on deliberate practice and less emphasis on a peak-by-friday mentally that focuses on winning above all else. Competition is a means to an end: Long Term Athletic Development.

Coach Vinnie