Check out the All-New Hoops U. Basketball Store!!

The all-new Hoops U. Basketball Store is now open for business! At the store, you will find great basketball coaching and training products such as DVD's, books, training aids, equipment, software, and much more! If it will help you out and I can sell it, I will get it in the store!

Also, if you are a Hoops U. Insider member, you can get 10% off all of your orders from the Hoops U. Basketball Store! That's a fantastic bonus for joining the Insider! You can learn more over at Hoops UInsider.com

Check out the Hoops U. Basketball Store...

Are You Getting Better Today?

The offseason is in full swing now...what are you doing to prepare? This is the time to get quicker, stronger, faster and more explosive! Work hard and work right with "The Complete Basketball Strength and Speed Program from Hoops U.

The Complete Basketball Strength and Speed Program will make you a better athlete. Well, you will make yourself a better athlete, but this basketball training program will help guide you and direct you along the way. It is a complete, year-round basketball training program. It is all laid out for you -- weightlifting and power exercises; speed, agility, and conditioning drills; abdominal and core exercises; and much, much more.

Each phase throughout the year is printable so that you can chart your progress. All exercises are explained and/or diagrammed so that you know how to do everything. Follow this program with hard work and quality effort and you will see yourself improve dramatically along the way!

Get your copy of The Complete Basketball Strength & Speed Program and get better!!

New eBook Now Available With Insider Membership

I just put the finishing touches on a new eBook you will receive for FREE when you become a Hoops U. Insider member! If you want to be a great defensive basketball team, this 10-page eBook will help you to learn what you need to teach and emphasize.

Learn more about the "50 Basic Rules of Defense" eBook...

Become a More Successful Basketball Coach!!

The ULTIMATE Collection of basketball plays, drills, X's and O's, strategies, player development and networking is now available! Receive a FREE trial and a FREE bonus eBook!

HoopsU.com is proud to offer the all-new, members-only division -- HoopsUInsider.com!  The brand new 'Insider' site is designed to delve deeper into the game and to connect basketball coaches and players from around the world! Hoops U. Insider is already loaded with plays and drills, articles and more -- and will get continuous updates!!  You also have the ability to network with others via the forum, member uploads, messaging, friend list, and several other applications.  Many other applications are also currently in development!!  Here is a just the short list of what you will find (see all membership benefits):

• Weekly (sometimes daily) updates and additions to the Insider Playbook; all-new plays, drills, tips and techniques added covering all areas of the game!  Similar to the Playbook here at Hoops U, just constant updates.  For about the cost of a book or video, you get a full year of great information -- plus something you don't get with a book or video -- constant updates!! (Monthly option available as well)
• Insider-only Discussion Forum -- talk basketball techniques and strategies, ask and answer questions, delve deeper into the game with others who also want to share and learn!
• Network with other coaches and players from around the world! Add fellow members to your network so you can interact privately and keep up-to-date with your friends!
• 'My Playbook' feature -- save all of your favorite plays and drills to your own playbook; allowing you to always have them at your fingertips!
• A member-upload section! Insider members can upload documents such as clinic notes and any other coaching tool for other members to download. A great tool to share information with other coaches!

Join now at the 'Charter Member' price and get 'Inside' the game as never before!

Check it all out for yourself at HoopsUInsider.com!!

In Honor of Coach Chuck Daly, an All-New Coaching Tips Article

Winning in the NBA by Chuck Daly

To be a successful coach in the NBA, it's essential to have a good relationship with the superstars on the team. Paul Westhead learned this lesson the hard way. He coached the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship, and a year later he was fired. He had an alleged disagreement with Magic Johnson about how the game should be played, and Magic won. This should not detract from Westhead's ability as a coach. He's been successful throughout his career and went from the Lakers to little-known Loyola Marymount, which he turned into a national power.

Continue reading "Winning in the NBA"...

All-New Hoops U. Book Review

I just added a review for the book, The Perfect Jump Shot by Scott Jaimet. This is a great book to guide through shooting and teaching the jump shot.

The Perfect Jump Shot by Scott Jaimet is actually quite the concept for a book! How many books, video's, or clinics have you seen about shooting a basketball where they actually talked about the jump shot? The only thing I can recall about learning the jump shot is having been told to release it just as you reach your high point. True, but there really is a lot more to the jump shot than that; and there is a lot more to it than a normal, or set shot. Coach Jaimet, in The Perfect Jump Shot, breaks it down and teaches it a simple and understandable way.

Continue Reading...

Recommended

Special Play of the Day!

Hoops U. Goes Old School for a Great Basketball Offense!

This play originally appeared in the March 1974 edition of "The Coaching Clinic", a monthly publication published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. It was submitted by my dad, Jim Alfonso, back when he was a freshman boys coach.

"Coaching basketball at the freshman level in high school poses some unique challenges. In our program at Antigo (Wisconsin) High School, we bring together boys from nine different eighth-grade teams in the district. Our primary goals are twofold: prepare each boy for junior varsity and varsity competition, and instill a winning habit."

Check out the 'Open Key Offensive Patterns'...

New Basketball Coaching Tool!

Basketball Player Tryout Evaluation Form

With basketball season just starting (maybe it's already started for you), utilize this Player Evaluation Form from Hoops U. to help guide you through the tryout process. This evaluation form is simple in nature but designed to help you evaluate not only basketball skills such as dribbling, shooting, and passing, but also the intangibles that help to define each player. This form is in .pdf format you can save and/or print for your own use.

Get the Hoops U. Basketball Player Tryout Evaluation Form...