2 MOVES THAT WILL MAKE YOU FAST AND EXPLOSIVE ...

Alright, here's the moves:

1) 2-ball Low Pounding: 

Start in a standing position and spread your legs wider than your shoulders. Squat down by bending at the knees, keeping your back straight. Now, grab two basketballs, one in each hand, and pound both balls to the ground in between your legs.

Remember, the key is to stay low in your squatted position, and pound the balls low and fast...

Stay in this position for atleast 45 seconds, and watch how much your legs burn. PUSH yourself. This drill is designed to develop thigh strength and endurance. Every couple of days, try to increase the time. Never stop improving.

2) Explosive Squat Lay-ups: 

Start under the basket with a basketball.

Spread your legs wider than your shoulders, and hold the ball below your waist. Now, squat down bending at the knees, keeping your back straight. Squat down and touch the ball to the ground and then EXPLODE up and do a lay-up. Do 10 lay-ups just like this and switch to the other side of the hoop. Perform 2-3 sets on each side.

This drill will build explosiveness in your legs, improve your lay-ups, and teach you how take it up strong. As you get better, add more reps or sets to continue building endurance in your legs...

GET MORE PLAYING TIME ON YOUR BASKETBALL TEAM ...

Here's a very simple, easy-to-follow list of the things you need to do to impress coaches in try-outs and in practices:

1) Solid Fundamentals: 

This is the most important thing coaches look for. They don't want you to be fancy, they don't want to see awesome moves. They just want to see if you can dribble with both hands, if your shooting form looks normal, if you pass the ball right, if you keep your head up when you dribble, if you move around without the ball, and so on...

2) Tough Defense: 

The tougher, more intense defense you can play, the better. Defense doesn't mean that you get steals and block shots...it simply means to stay in front of your man, prevent easy shots, and challenge shots. The goal is to give the offensive player trouble and to make them work hard.

3) Boxing Out: 

Even more important than getting the rebound is putting a body on your man and boxing them out. Coaches notice this! Don't think that just the player who gets the rebound gets noticed. A real coach sees all the people who boxed out their man.

So, you should always put a body on your man and learn proper boxing out techniques.

4) Good passing: 

Players who move the ball around, deliver the pass in the right spot, not too fast and not too slow, are valuable to the coaches. Remember, the coach is looking at you as a team player, not as an individual. Good passing shows that you're a team player.

5) Avoid turnovers: 

Protect the ball as if your life depends on it.

There is nothing more hated in the game of basketball than silly turnovers. Whether you're dribbling or passing, make sure that you don't turn the ball over. Play conservative. Its better not to mess up the 1st couple of times a coach sees you play.

BASKETBALL CONDITIONING SECRETS TO HELP YOU LAST ...

Here are two secrets to basketball conditioning that are so simple yet so deadly...

1) Sprint Training: 

FORGET running on the treadmill or around a track for 20-30 minutes. Basketball players don't jog around on the court...they run, they sprint, they work hard!

It you want to be an athlete, train like an athlete.

The best thing you can do to condition your body for basketball is sprint training, in which you're doing 8-10 100 yard sprints at about 75% maximum speed.

In other words, measure a distance of 100 yards and run it at about 75% of the highest speed that you can run. Your goal is to be *out of breath* at the end of that run. This is VERY important. If you're not out of breath, you haven't sprinted.

True sprinting means that in under 30 seconds you completely run out of gas and you need to rest.

Now, you would sprint one time, rest for about 1-2 minutes, and then do it again...for a total of 8-10 sets. The rest in between each sprint helps you get your breath and energy back.

If you sprint train 3-4 times a week, your stamina and endurance will improve dramatically.

The second secret to basketball conditioning is:
  

2) Jump Roping: 

Boxers and fighters jump rope for one reason, because it gets them in shape...fast! Jump roping is one of the best ways to improve your conditioning. By just doing a 10 minute jump roping routine, you achieve the same benefit as jogging for 20-30 minutes...

And the nice thing is, you can jump rope at a low, medium and high intensity pace. Its completely up to you, although we recommend a medium intensity for a total of 8-10 minutes.

Jump roping also conditions your calves and it help you feel quicker on your feet. To get the most of this great exercise, do it at medium intensity for about 8-10 minutes, rest for 5-7 minutes, and do it again for 8-10 minutes. So, you would do a total of 2 sets, 8-10 minutes each with a 5-7 minute rest in between. 4-5 sessions a week is more than enough.

Jump roping combined with sprint training is the ultimate way to condition your body for basketball. It will help you gain stamina and endurance, while making you quicker and faster.

Weight training and plyometrics, on the other hand, are great for increasing power, and not for improving your overall conditioning.

If you want to be full of energy at the end of a tough game and play like a star, start sprint training and jump roping today...

4 SHOOTING TIPS THAT WILL INSTANTLY IMPROVE YOUR JUMPER ...

- Mental Focus:

Before you even receive the ball, you should visualize yourself hitting every shot.  Also, you must remain focused and confident throughout the game.  Never allow anyone to get you out of your comfort zone.

- Body Balance:

You must at all times have proper body balance.  No matter what type of shot your taking, keep yourself balanced by adjusting your head, arms and legs.

- Aim:

Remember to never leave a shot short, so aim for the back of the rim.

- Follow Through:

You must finish every shot by holding your release in place (this is the most under-rated and overlooked aspect of shooting, so be careful and don't forget to follow-through).

Ok, so there you have it.  Some simple ways to instantly improve your jump shot.

3 QUALITIES TO PLAYING GREAT DEFENSE

1. MENTAL

It all starts with your own frame of mind.  You have to have that focus, intensity and determination that your man is not going to score tonight.

2. DISCIPLINE

Every great defensive player is extremely disciplined.  Rarely do you see them get faked out and leave their feet.  You have to remember that Defense is all about making your opponant work as hard as possible every time down the court. 

3. AWARENESS

All great defenders are not just one-on-one defenders, they also play great team defense as well.  And you have to realize that in the end it is all about the team. So you need to always be aware and ready to help your teammates whenever they get beat. 

So, those are the 3 biggest principles to becoming a great defender ... like Bruce Bowen.