Lebron James' Thursday night "Decision" ESPN special, has created crazy reactions from NBA fans and even normally disinterested bystanders alike. During the special, Lebron will announce the NBA team he has chosen to join or stay with, in his quest for an NBA Championship title.
Where will Lebron play the next 5 odd years? Reports suggest his decision is made and he will join Bosh and Wade in Miami, but we won't speculate or add to the confusion.
We know why Lebron can command such attention, he is a phenomenal athlete and basketball player. Along with Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant, he stands as the best of the NBA. There is little doubt that he will make any team he plays on a championship contender.
In Cleveland Lebron has contended for a number of years now, but has still not held the Larry O'Brien trophy. Whichever team he chooses, he will want team mates that complement his game by being skilled where Lebron is weak.
Lebron has very few weaknesses, but one possible weakness is his jump shot. Of course with some hard work it will improve, but if Lebron joins a team with an excellent outside shooter, he will be able to achieve quicker than if he tries to do it all himself. A dangerous skilled offensive partner will also give him more space on the floor as defenders will need to cover another great player.
So Lebron has studied the video and knows which team mates will work best for him. We expect him to join the likes of D-Wade or Derrick Rose in Chicago and benefit from their strengths.
Here is James vs Wade during the 2010 NBA season. The evidence suggests a strong partnership with every possibility of a championship.
Lebron James is definitely the master of the block on the basketball court. His chase downs are always spectacular and fun to watch.
There is a lot we can learn from watching Lebron's blocks particularly how he jumps keeping his head up and following the ball at all times with his eyes.
Here is some video of Lebron's top 10 blocks so far this 2010 season.
Basketball as a sport can be made to look so easy. We watch Lebron James dribble the ball down the right side of the court while he surveys the positions of his team mates and the opposition. Suddenly he breaks left toward the basket, switching his dribble to his left hand, one more step and one more bounce then he switches back to the right hand as he elevates for the dunk.
Not once in this sequence does he look at the ball (until it is going through the hoop). As he does each movement, including side steps and head fakes, he keeps the ball bouncing slightly out in front and to the side, positioned ready for the next spectacular play.
Dribbling the ball is an essential part of basketball. A player that can dribble with confidence and control will have more options to attack the basket and get good looks to shoot a jump shot or attack the basket for a lay up or dunk.
We collected some video of a player running and dribbling the ball with his right hand, as well as some close up video of the players hand while he bounces the ball while standing.
We set up the video camera on the side of the court so we could watch the player run through the camera field of view. This allows us to see where he bounces the ball as he runs through. If the player ran toward the camera we would be unable to determine how far in front he pushes the ball.
The close up video of the hand will show a good example of how to bounce the ball in the dribble.
A correctly inflated basketball should bounce most of the way back up to your hand if you simply dropped it. You only need to push the ball down with enough force to get it back to your hand. Push too hard and the ball will bounce higher than expected and you may lose control.
Bounce the ball off your spread fingers. You do not want to push down with your palm. Allow your fingers to feel for the ball as it bounces up and then spread your fingers and push down on the ball for the next bounce. Push down by bending flexing (bending) your wrist.
Keep your head up surveying the court and position of your team mates and the opponents. You should do this whether you are running with the ball or simply standing still.
Keep your legs slightly bent and be ready to make your move. You do not want to be caught back on your heals as you are dribbling the ball as this makes it easier for an opponent to steal the ball. Be in a position ready to move.
Although we do not show this in the video, you should learn to dribble with both hands and on both sides of your body. This will allow you more options when driving toward the basket or preparing for a pass.
Now take a look at our player in the first part of the video as he runs at 3/4 speed while dribbling the ball. Dribbling while running fast can put your opponent off balance and create room for yourself and your team.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when dribbling and running:
Once again, do not look down at the ball. You need to trust that the ball will bounce where you want it. This may be difficult at first but will come with practice. When running and dribbling it is even more important to keep your head up and see the court and be prepared to change direction quickly.
Bounce the ball far enough out in front of you so that you do not need to check your run to keep control of the ball. Many a fast break will come to nothing if you need to slow down to get control of the ball.
Bounce the ball out a little to the side. If you are dribbling with your right hand keep the ball a little outside and far enough in front of your right leg. If you bounce the ball directly in front of you then you will have more difficulty controlling it as you run. Of course if you are about to cut in toward the basket then you will need to bounce the ball in front of your body, but then you will also be turning your body or switching dribbling hands and will still be keeping ball slight outside your legs.
Once again use your fingers to bounce the ball and push it out in front of you. Do not use your palm as you are likely to lose control and probably the ball if you are running fast.
Practice will help you learn any new skill or get better at it. The more you practice the easier you will find the skill as your muscles and body learn what to expect and anticipates the limb movement and muscle action required.
We often say watch video of pros and of yourself and then practice with this in mind. Watching pros allows you to see how it should be done. Watching yourself ensures you know how you compare to these pros. Both are important. If you practiced all day but had no idea what you were doing wrong, you could teach your body to perform the skill incorrectly.
With video technology today there is no reason why you cannot easily assess your own performance. Take a look at previous articles in this website to find more tips on filming yourself or how to do specific skills.
The NBA playoffs are now in full swing. King Lebron James is showing us all why he deserves the MVP and why the Cleveland Cavaliers must be considered the favorites for the title. Free throw shooting in the playoffs is even more critical than during the regular season and therefore we bring you a second installment of our video analysis of the basketball free throw.
In March we introduced the Video Analysis of the Basketball Freethrow and compared two different subjects and their respective shooting techniques. We focused on the angle of release in particular. This week, we captured video of our Subject 1 from March, to see if he was able to use the video analysis to make improvements. Once again we will use video analysis software to determine and quantify whether any significant improvements have been made with his technique.
As you may recall from our first analysis, it was noted that this subject could improve his chances of making a successful free throw by increasing the angle of release of the ball, so it falls on more of a downward arc as it gets closer to the hoop. Let's take a look at some stillshots that were created with some analysis software.
This week we filmed our video at a different court and set up our camera on the right side of the subject so we could see his right arm more clearly. Unfortunately in the earlier video (top photo), we needed to set up on the left side of the subject for lighting reasons. In order to compare the subjects free throw technique, we used our analysis software to create a mirror image of the subject from the March video (top photo). This allows us to watch the video and study the still shots with more clarity. When we mirror the image, it looks as if the subject in the mirror image is left handed, but of course this is not the case. The mirror image function of video analysis software is very useful for comparing left and right handed players or comparing video of movement in different directions, as we do here.
Ok, let's get onto the analysis. For the "before" shot (subject with blue shirt, top photo), we see the angle of release is 48 degrees from horizontal. For the "after" shot (subject with red shirt, bottom photo), the angle of release is 61 degrees from horizontal. This is approximately a 27% increase in the angle of release from the first to second shot. As we mentioned in the March post the higher the angle the higher the arc of the free throw. Therefore, we can safely say the ball will be coming down in more of a downward arc as it approaches the rim. If the subject continues to shoot with the technique seen in the more recent shot; this will likely result in more free throws made.
The video below shows a side by side view of the subject's free throw attempts in full motion.
Besides the improvement in release angle we can also note how the subject follows through on each shot. Although it would be easier to see from a behind or front-on view, we can still see that the "before" subject follows through across his body, whereas the "after" subject follows through more towards the hoop. Following through towards the hoop is going to help the subject's chances of shooting the ball towards the middle of the hoop, rather than to one side or another. For obvious reasons a ball moving straight toward the hoop is more likely to go in to the basket.
Following through towards the hoop on a free throw (or jump shot) helps ensure the player moves the ball towards the target throughout the shot, rather than having to rely on perfect timing to get the ball going towards the hoop. Minimizing this error of the shot going left or right makes it easier for the subject to now focus most of his attention on the angle of release relative to horizontal.
Remember to use your video camera, so that you can see and analyze your own free throws. Once you see your shot you will have a better understanding of how to improve it. We hope this posting helps you get the most out of your free throw practice sessions. Whether you need to make free throws to get into a pickup game at a park, or your team's relying on you to hit the game winning foul shot, the ability to make free throws consistently is an important skill for every basketball player to have.
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