Are you good enough to make the NBA?

Making it to the league takes talent, hard work, and years and years of practice.

Don't forget: we've just put together another great site full of basketball tips, links, and other information to help you get the most out of your game.

We recommend you check out some of the workout DVDs we've got listed on our new site.

Click here to check out the new site.

Make yourself unstoppable on offense

We've talked about this a lot, but it bears repeating: the way to become an unstoppable offensive player is to have multiple weapons.

If you're a good shooter, but can't put the ball on the floor, your game is limited. If you can drive to your right, but have no left hand, you're limited.

Work on developing a variety of offensive weapons. The more ways you can put pressure on the defense and score the basketball, the more difficult you'll be to guard.

Mutiple weapons include:

• A great jump shot (from a variety of spots on the floor)
• One-dribble moves to both your left and right
• The dribble-drive to both your left and right
• The ability to shoot coming off of a screen
• The ability to shoot off of a dribble and a drive to the basket
• The ability to use either hand around the basket

Work on being a versatile player and you will be impossible to guard.

Check out our basketball links and resources page (click here).

Do you practice at game speeds?

Going through the motions is one thing, but if you really want to improve as a ball player, you have practice at game speed and game intensity.

Think about the last time you went out to shoot around and work on your game. Did you shoot some lazy jump shots, do some half speed dribbling drills, then call it a day? Did you feel like you'd really worked on your game?

To really become the player you want to be, you have to push yourself and practice with high intensity. Practicing at game speeds is a key to improving your game.

Want to see what it high speed, high intensity, game speed practice looks like? Check out the workout DVDs we recommend on our basketball links and resources site (click here).

What are the best drills for improving your ball handling skills?

To improve your dribbling skills, here are 3 key drills to focus on:

Head-up dribble
In this drill, you keep your head (and your eyes) up so you can see the court. Don't look down at the ball. As a ball handler, you should never have to look down at the ball. You should always keep your head and eyes up, scanning the court, so you can see where your teammates are.

Two-ball dribble
Using two basketballs, work on full-court dribbles, zig-zag dribbles, and up-and-back dribbles. Vary these drills by having both basketballs hit the ground at the same time, then switch to having one ball hit the ground at a time. Dribbling drills with two basketballs are a key to improving your ball handling abilities.

Off-hand dribble
Everyone has one hand that is weaker than the other. Work on building up your off-hand so that you are able to dribble with either hand equally well. Being able to dribble with either hand is a major advantage and will make you a much better player.

For more great playing tips, don't forget to visit Basketballsuccess.com.

Also check out some of our basketball links and resources at our basketball information site (click here).

How many jump shots do you need to shoot every day?

A lot of people ask me this question: how many jump shots do I need to shoot every day to become a great shooter.

I answer that question this way: you need to take good shots, and shoot a lot of them.

The first part of the answer (where I refer to "good shots") is the key. Anyone can go out and shoot a couple hundred jump shots. That's not all that difficult. All you need is the time to do it.

But it takes a real dedicated player to go out and shoot game-type shots, at game speed, with perfect form, over and over again. It's the quality, combined with quantity that matters.

Shoot a minimum of 150 to 300 game quality shots a day, and your shot will improve. Some players (in college or the pros) will shoot many more than that. But don't overdo it.

For more great playing tips, visit Baskebtallsuccess.com.

Do you have a "soft" shot?

One of the most important parts of shooting the basketball is having good backspin on the ball. If you watch just about any good shooter, you'll see that they have great backspin on the ball.

Why is this important?

First off, it makes your shot a "softer" shot, meaning that if a shot is not a perfect swish, it has a chance of bouncing around on the rim and still going in.

Secondly, having good backspin on the ball is an indication that you are probably releasing the ball properly. If you have good backspin on the ball, most likely you are shooting the ball off of your fingertips, and that you are shooting the ball up and out towards the basket. These are both important aspects of shooting the ball with good form.

For more great basketball tips, check out the tips section of Basketballsuccess.com.

New basketball site with tons of great info

If you haven't seen it already, check out our new site. Click here to take a look.

In addition to our main Basketball Success website, we recently launched this new site with tons of links, resources, NBA headlines, workout DVDs and more.

It's basically our "best of the web" selection of basketball sites and information for players and fans. We picked the best sites on the web, the best links, the best of everything related to basketball and put it all on one page.


Don't forget: gets tons of great playing tips, drills, and training information at Basketballsuccess.com.

What can a basketball player learn from Tiger Woods?

How is Tiger Woods so dominant? What makes him so good? There are a number of things that separate him from the rest of the pack. But three areas in which he excels are:

• Preparation
• Confidence
• Concentration

Learn from this, and apply it to your basketball game.

Tiger works hard at his game. The amount of time he puts into getting ready for tournaments is legendary. Lesson: practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for hard work.

Tiger has amazing confidence. This is partly due to the amount of time he spends preparing for tournaments. But he also believes in himself. He eliminates (as much as possible) negative thoughts as he plays. Lesson: believe in yourself. Have a quiet and strong confidence in your abilities.

Tiger has an amazing capacity to concentrate out on the course. He can focus and block out distractions, and this helps him succeed. Lesson: focus and zone in on the task at hand, and your game will improve.

Tiger may not be a basketball player, but you can learn a lot from how he plays his sport.

For more great basketball tips, visit our website.

Don't Listen to Ron Artest

I will only devote a few sentences to Ron Artest because he makes me sick. This is a guy that asked the coach of his team (and the general manager) if he could take some time off from the NBA season so he could work on his recording career. This is also the guy who was front and center in the brawl with the Pistons. Now, Artest tells a group of children (as part of his community service for the brawl no less) that what he did was OK.

This guy has no class. This guy needs some psychiatric help. A lot of people look up to NBA players. A lot of people look at NBA players as heroes.

I will tell you this: don't be like Ron Artest. Ever. He may have some basketball talent, but that doesn't excuse his actions or comments.

I repeat: don't EVER act like Ron Artest.

Why is the first step so important?

We've just posted a new article on Basketball Success.com. Check it out here. It's explains why the first step is such an important move for an offensive player, and how you can make yours better.

And we put up a new article about playing down low in the post, and what the some of the secrets are to being a great player in the paint. You can view that article by clicking here.

This blog will have all sorts of great information about how to become a better player, but don't forget about our main website, Basketballsuccess.com. It has basketball tips, drills, and training information...tons of it...to help make you a better player.

And we just launched a new site with information and links for players and fans. Click here to visit that website.

Click here to go to Basketball Success.com

The secret short-cut to becoming a great player

People also ask me all the time if there are any "short cuts" to becoming a great player.

The answer is no. Point blank. If it was easy, everyone would be good. If it was easy, everyone would be in the NBA.

The bottom line is that there are lots of average players (at all levels). To excel at the game, you have to have physical talent, and tons of basketball talent (shooting ability, dribbling skills, etc.).
Even if you are born with tons of God-given physical talent, you still have to work at your game, tirelessly, to improve and compete at the highest levels.

The only path to success in basketball: work hard, then work some more, then work even harder. I wish I could give you the magic trick, the short-cut. But there is none.

Want some tips and drills to help make you a great player? Click here.

Do you want to become a great offensive player?

Being a great offensive player takes great confidence and great scoring ability. And when you break "scoring" down, it really means being able to create room for your shot, and then being able to score the ball (either with a jumper, or a drive to the basket).

Click here to check out our latest article on creating space for your shot. Creating space (in other words: having enough room so you can shoot the ball) is as important to scoring as being a good shooter. Because if you can't get the room to shoot the ball, it doesn't matter how good a shooter you are.

Finish the Summer Strong

Don't forget to get the most out of each day in the Summer to work on your game.

Summer is just about over, but that doesn't mean you should let up on your workouts. Keep pushing. Keep working. The off-season is the time when you can really break your game down, work on all the little things (the fundamentals), and get yourself ready for the season ahead.

There's still plenty of time to put together a great training program to work on the various important aspects of your game (quickness, shooting, ball handling, etc.). Remember, your teammates and opponents are all working on their games. If you don't work hard on yours, you'll be left behind.

Remember, our website has great tips and information on workouts. Click here for great playing and training tips.

Do you know what a basketball lens is?

A lens is simply a website where someone shares their "best of" ideas (their list of best websites to visit, lists of their favorite players, thoughts on where the best information is on the Web, etc.).

I've recently created a new basketball lens and it's got some great information on it. Everything from updated news headlines from the NBA, to some great workout DVDs, links to great websites, and more.

Click here to check out our lens.