CoachClaytor
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Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/19 17:36
I am a Junior High Coach in Southern Ohio. I am 22 years old and am entering my 4th year coaching.
I have one player on my team that I am kind of in a limbo with on deciding how I want to work with him. We have been holding open gyms and individual workouts for 3 weeks now.
The player in question is entering 7th grade and he is 6'3" and around 200 lbs. He is a monster of a young man. He is very coachable and has been showing some athletic ability in the last few weeks that we hadnt seen from him before.
Anyways the problem is, he is a special education student. He is a good kid and very coachable. He is smart enough to understand things, but it takes a little while for it to sink in. I am just worried about overloading him.
I have 4 things that I am wanting to stress this year.
1. Left hand (he doesnt use it much as all now)
2. Drop Step or Basic Spin
3. Keeping Ball High on Offensive Rebounds, and going straight back up.
4. Keep Ball High and Turn and Outlet on Defensive Rebounds.
Any information of input would be great. I have never really had a true post player that was willing to learn and get better before. So if anyone has anything they think I should change or would like to add please let me know.
Jason Claytor
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coachmccormick
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Re:Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/19 18:05
I don't really like to position players in junior high school. I played against a 6'3 kid in 6th grade and he was still 6'3 when he was a senior in high school. Lucily, he had transformed himself from a dominant post player to a quarterback.
That's my only real problem. I think all players need all skills, and, of course, post skills are part of the development. In games, he'll gravitate closer to the basket, but he should be developing all skills at a young age, not just post skills.
In terms of your emphasis, it seems good. With a young, tall athlete, it's important that he get reps, as guards tend to progress quickly because they always have the ball in their hands while posts develop slowly because they rarely see it. And, I'd work on coordination and movement skills so he can do different things with his body.
Just as an example, once he learns the basics of a drop step, train the move by starting from different positions. Start face down and make him scramble to his feet, find a defender, seal and finish. Or, use cones in the key to teach him to make quick cuts while maintaining balance before establishing position and finishing.
A good drill to develop the left hand and coordination is the McHale Drill: tip the ball over and over with one hand while touching the net (rim) with the other hand. Work both hands.
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CoachClaytor
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Re:Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/20 14:22
I normally do not typically like to train players for a specific position when in junior high.
However, I coach at a very small school here in Southern Ohio, where we dont get very many kids over 6'2". At 6'3" he would right now be a post player in our high school system, although we do have some size at this point.
I have talked to our varsity coach about him already and he thinks that he will always be a post player, at least while in high school, even if he only grows an inch or so more. This is why I am focusing more on putting him in the post.
We are not only working on his post play. I am having him do ball-handling drills, as ball-handling could be the most important thing no matter what position someone plays. I have also had him shooting 50 or so (10 to 15 footers). This way he is still developing his mid-range game, but we are focusing more on post play.
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coachmccormick
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Re:Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/20 15:16
I am a big believer in the power of expectations. If the varsity coach has already decided that he will be a post player, he will be a post player regardless of how he develops because generally people get set in their ways and their expectations motivate their instructions.
At 6'3, if he is only a post player, his potential is capped at varsity high school basketball. Now, maybe that is his potential. Maybe it's a reach to envision him as a successful high school player. I don't know. I've never seen him.
My point is simply that by saying he is a post player and the varsity coach suggesting that he will always be a post player limits him in his development and I don't like to put a ceiling on 7th graders.
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LakerDad252
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Re:Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/20 18:48
Mikan drill: Two balls, two helpers, one of each at both blocks. Bend down, pick up, drop step, layup, run to opposite block and repeat.
It's not just for post players. Point guards like to post up, too! 
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bruchu
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Re:Post Improvement for Junior High - 2007/09/21 02:05
I think it's important to set small realistic goals with this individual.
Because he is special needs, it's important to build up his confidence. Every goal achieved should be celebrated. It's about baby steps. If you push him too hard, you will definitely turn him off. These kids take rejection and failure especially hard.
I made the mistake myself once. The kid never played team sports ever again.
As for specific skills, your player is only in Gr.7 so there's plenty of time to specialize. I would focus on the pure fundamentals, shooting, rebounding, passing, defensive footwork like you would any other player. Remember, because he's special needs, if he doesn't learn the basics by the time he reaches Gr.10, it will be difficult for him to learn more advanced basketball concepts later, setting him up for failure.
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