Basketball Training - How to Jump Higher and Start Dunking on Your Opponents

There are two important things in basketball, one is your shot and the other is your vertical jump. You have probably seen many basketball on the shorter side with incredible hops that you couldn't believe and thought were God given talent. Well, they might be, but many high school and college players are taking their average vertical jumps and transforming them into amazing hops thanks to vertical jump training.

The proof begins with players who as short as 5'7" have increased their vertical and can actually dunk a basketball! By using the right training program, players have transformed average verticals to unbelievable verticals. There are plenty NBA players with verticals that are significantly less than what players achieve when they use vertical jump programs. In fact, the average prospect for the NBA has a one-step vertical of 28-30 inches. It's possible to achieve a vertical closer to 42 inches with the right program. Transform your average vertical basketball into an amazing vertical with a few easy steps. High school players can enhance their talent and skills and increase their odds of being chosen for a college team. The same goes for college players looking to stand out on the court. An amazing vertical will certainly do that and could be the path to the NBA. Above all, men and women basketball players can simply play better ball by improving their hops.

What's a Vertical Plan about? High school and college basketball players have a lot of competition and must practice long and hard to stand out. However, they must know how to practice and train in the best way for their bodies. For example, the average linebacker has a vertical of 36 inches although he weighs significantly more than most basketball players. This is shocking at first, but it proves the basis of vertical jump training, which is there are core muscle groups that must be trained to develop an explosive vertical jump. Power and strength are what are most important for the highest vertical jump possible.

The basis of the plan is to determine the athlete's force, speed, bodyweight and body fat percentage. All of these numbers are used to create a specially designed program for each individual athlete. The most important aspect of an amazing vertical is strength and knowing how the individual athlete should train to build that strength.

If you are a serious High School or College Basketball baller and are interested in learning How to Jump Higher visit Kelly Baggett's http://the-vertical-jump-bible.com for more information

March Madness For Venues - NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four Arenas

On Selection Sunday, March 15th, sixty-five basketball are selected for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament. This begins March Madness and the drive to see who makes it to the Final Four tournament at Ford Field in Detroit.

The NCAA basketball tournament means it's show time for the venues who host the games. Attendance is expected to soar to over 700,000 this year, making March Madness a mini stimulus package for the host city and a chance for venues to shine on a national stage.

The Road to the Final Four plays through 13 cities. Here's a quick venue tour of the final rounds of the NCAA tournament:

TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
East Regional - March 26 & 28, 2009
Boston has a long and successful history as a sports town and the NCAA East Regional Championship games will, no doubt, build on Boston's reputation for being a top-notch host for big events. Inside the TD Banknorth Gardens is the Sports Museum of New England. For $6 for adults, $4 for children and $15 per family visitors can see Larry Bird's locker, a Boston Garden penalty box, lots of Red Sox memorabilia and more.

When you arrive inside the Garden you have to take a few minutes to look up at all the championship banners hanging inside this building. With the Celtics winning 17 NBA titles and the Bruins winning 5 Stanley Cups and numerous division titles, TD Banknorth Gardens is decorated with lines of banners hanging proudly above the crowd.

Remember your ID when you head to TD Banknorth Gardens. To purchase alcohol you must have a Massachusetts ID that shows you are 21 years old. If you have an out of state ID you must be 25 years old and produce another form of identification along with your license. They're tight with this rule so you are forewarned to have your drinking credentials ready.

University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
West Regional - March 26 & 28, 2009
The University of Phoenix Stadium is designed to represent a Barrel Cactus. It's a beautiful stadium with large metal panels that catch the desert light.

The University of Phoenix Stadium in known for taking care of their disabled guests. The staff goes out of their way to accommodate guests with special needs beginning with over 2000 spaces for disabled guests to park. Speaking of parking, you will want to make sure you have a parking pass before you arrive. They're usually included in the ticket price, but if you don't have one you may end up in a far away lot, riding a bus to the entrance.

When you visit, check out the roof. The roof is retractable and translucent. Guests enjoy natural light even when the roof is closed. The strong, dark trusses on the roof look great outlined by the bright fabric cover.

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana
Midwest Regional - March 27 & 29, 2009
Lucas Oil Stadium also has a retractable roof, but theirs has a unique feature. Instead of opening end to end, the roof at Lucas Oil Stadium opens side to side. The enormous steel trusses that support the roof are 760 feet long. Stand the trusses upright-end to end-and they'd reach higher than the tallest skyscraper in Indy.

Take the time to visit the Bud Light Zone at Lucas Oil Stadium. It has an extra large window with amazing views of the stadium and downtown Indianapolis. This is the best place in the stadium to enjoy a drink.

You can park around Lucas Oil Stadium and you'll still have enough money left over for that drink in the Bud Light Zone. This area is full of good, cheap parking. It will cost you $5 to $30 to park near the stadium and if you get there early you may even be able to nab a free space. There's a complete listing of parking on Know Your Venue.

FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee
South Regional - March 27 & 29, 2009
Even though tickets for the NCAA Men's Basketball were sold out at FedEx Forum months ago you may not be totally out of the game. The FedEx Forum will host an open practice showcasing the talent of all four teams. Head to the Forum on Thursday, March 26 for an open practice all day long....and it's free.

One of the best things about the FedEx Forum is its location. Just steps from famous Beale Street, the location offers fans ample opportunities to eat, drink and be merry. If you like live music with your basketball just take a walk down Beale and your Air Jordon's will be tapping.

Inside the Forum fans will find the theme is more music than basketball. Reflecting the city's Blues heritage, visitors will enjoy murals of great musicians and entertainers like B.B. King, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis Presley.

Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
Final Four - April 4 & 6, 2009

The Motor City is the end of the Road to the Final Four. The Championship teams will make it official here and Ford Field expects a giant basketball crowd. Ford Field can accommodate 80,000 fans for basketball games; most basketball arenas have a capacity of around 20,000.

The fun and excitement of the March Madness starts the Friday before the game. Fans can head over to Cobo Center and enjoy the NCAA Basketball Experience at Hoop City. Fans have a chance to win prizes, play ball, learn new moves and get autographs. It's $8 if you're over 12 and $6 for under 12, college students, military and seniors.

On Friday fans can catch a championship team practice. All four teams will be practicing at Ford Field beginning at 12 pm on Friday and it's free. And you won't want to miss The Big Dance. basketball the Detroit Riverfront fans can enjoy a festival full of entertainment, celebrities, games and more. The best part is that it's free. Head down near the Renaissance Center April 3rd - 5th to celebrate 'The Big Dance' of March Madness.

Over 700,000 fans are expected to attend NCAA tournament games this March. More than 70,000 people have tickets to the final games at Ford Field. Millions will watch the games on television and still more will view the games streaming on their computers. Whatever way you tune in, let March Madness be your distraction for all the craziness going on in the world. Check out a game, enjoy a venue, get in on an office pool, root for the underdog, root for the top dog, and enjoy. Reality will be waiting when the Madness stops.

KnowYourVenue.com is a one stop spot for information on stadiums, arenas, NASCAR tracks, amphitheaters, performing arts centers and more. We have parking information, seating tips, directions, easy to find list of prohibited items and venue policies, restaurants and hotels near the venue and more.

Know Your Venue.com Home Page: http://www.knowyourvenue.com/

Know Your Venue Spotlight Page featuring the NCAA Men's Division 1 Road to the Final Four Venues: http://www.knowyourvenue.com/Spotlight.aspx

Youth Basketball - Teaching Offense to 9 and 10 Year-Olds

I am often basketball about how to teach offense to 9 and 10 year-olds.Those asking usually fall into two categories: 1) Those in rec programs and 2) Those in competitive programs. While the former would like to win, it isn't their overriding motivation.They really want to know how to teach offensive skills and what kind of an offense would be appropriate for that age group.

The latter group cares more about having a winning offense and less about teaching the whole group offensive skills. They will usually verbalize something about preparing the kids to be successful high school players, but inside they really want a group of the best 9-10 year old studs/studettes they can muster.After all, winning is their basketball motivation for asking my ideas about what kind of an offense to run.

I have consistently stated that I think 9 and 10 year-olds don't need offensive systems. They need to be taught fundamentals--how to move without the basketball. When one player has the ball, the other four teammates should be moving with a purpose without the ball. This means cutting to the basket for a pass, screening away for another player or moving to balance the floor. This is continuous motion, and when the player with the ball passes, that player also joins the purposeful movement. The player with the ball is looking to pass, shoot or attack the basket. On offense, it's an unending cycle of cuts, screens and floor balance movement.If you teach these things to a 9 or 10 year-old, with everyone moving purposefully, in unison, you have offense. Some coaches either don't understand this or still want to have a set offense.

So, quickly, here's my idea about how to win at 9-10 y.o. basketball-and it doesn't require much teaching of offense.Teach aggressive zone defense, trapping the dribbler at every opportunity (because they usually don't dribble all that well).Force the other 4 offensive players to move well, pass well and shoot well from long distance-all of which they don't usually do well at this age.Defense trumps offense here at this level.Teach aggressive team rebounding, especially from the zone defense. Teach fast break from every opportunity, utilizing the rewards of tough zone "D" and rebounding.The fast break will become your offense, resulting in layups and saving all that practice time trying to teach more sophisticated offensive sets.

The above scenario would work better for a competitive situation where they have more practices and more games to hone their skills.It works well for coaches who just want to win and aren't too big on teaching skills.Competition leagues usually allow for more practices, an expanded game schedule where they gain playing experience, and have no rules about substitution (so the STUDS can stay on the floor together), pressing defenses or running up the score on opponents.

The biggest drawbacks for rec programs are lack of practice time and rules of play within the program. YMCA programs at this age level, as an example, usually require that everyone plays at least half the game, substituting every 4 minutes with an 8-minute running clock, have no fast break, no pressing defense, and a 20 point rule for stopping keepingscore.In rec programs a couple of 2-man plays will work better than any offensive set involving 5 players who may have questionable skills.My opinion--I think designing offense at this age for rec programs is a waste of time.Teach the fundamentals instead and let offense happen as a result of play.

Frankly, no competitive offense will function well without each player being able to understand the nuances of playing both with and without the ball, keeping good floor spacing for the players, making good and timely passes, dribbling with control, able to finish at the basket, rebound, shoot, and play man defense.Having 5 players on the floor who can do all these things well, at this age, seems a stretch,much less to run a continuity, flex, 3-out, 4-out, or whatever flavor-of-the-week offense.Yet... coaches still want to have offenses that will have a WOW factor.

There are so many offensive elements that need to be taught, drilled and perfected at 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on3 levels, before even attempting putting the five-man game together-and this is at the high school level.Sadly, lots of youth coaches think their group of 9-10 year-olds are going to be up for it.

If I haven't dissuaded everyone yet, for those die-hards who must have an offense, here's a place to begin.Go to this page on my website to read the rest of the article:http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/9-10offense.

Coach Ronn Wyckoff has spent more than fifty years in basketball. As an international consultant, his programs have reached hundreds of players and coaches around the world. He has coached four national teams and conducted national player camps. In forty-plus years of coaching boys, girls, men and women, from the playgrounds to national teams, they won over 70% of their games. The international club teams he coached won over 80%.

His 4-hour teaching DVD, "Basketball On A Triangle: A Higher Level of Coaching and Playing", has received high praise. His newly released book of the same title has received accolades from those who have reviewed it, as being unique in it's detailed approach to teaching life lessons through the teaching of the game, as well as teaching coaches how to teach fundamentals.

For more info go to http://www.Top-Basketball-Coaching.com