This Weeks Post Recap

It was a pretty successful week for the Basketball Knowledge and Facts blog, if I do say so myself. So far I have really enjoyed myself on this blog and I wanted to use this post as a recap of this weeks posts, which was only about 7 of them, but 7 good posts i'd like to believe.

I am going to list the posts of the week, starting with the oldest and work my way down to the newer ones, and give a brief recap on the topic and what was talked about, so lets get right into it.

The 5 Positions of A Basketball Team (6/22/15)
This was a fun one for me. Not a lot of people really think about the 5 different positions much anymore since the game has changed and players of varies sizes have the skills of more than one position and are often interchangeable. I listed each position and gave a fairly brief description of the position. The 5 positions were; Point Guard (PG), Shooting Guard (SG), Small Forward (SF), Power Forward (PF), and Center (C).

Stronger Team Blog (6/22/15)
For this one I just highlighted for you my favorite basketball blog on the internet, which is the Stronger Team blog written by Alan Stein. It covers every aspect of basketball, including drills, player interviews and ways to improve as both a coach and a player.

Alan Stein's Q & A With Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul (6/23/15)
Here, instead of highlighting the entire Stronger Team blog, I highlighted one of my favorite and more recent posts on the blog. It was a Q & A Alan did with Chris Paul, the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, regarding his experience with training.

Book Review: Father First (6/24/15)
I am not a very big book reader (I prefer articles and blogs) but this was a great book. Written by Miami Heat shooting guard, it talks about the struggles he has faced through his life and how he fought to gain sole custody of his 2 sons.

Nike Elite Championship Airlock Official Basketball (6/24/15)
As a basketball player, having a good basketball is essential. So for this post I recommended my absolute favorite basketball to play with, the Nike Elite Championship Airlock Official Basketball.

Basketball Knowledge and Facts (6/25/15)
This one was just to reiterate the whole purpose of this blog.

3 More Ways To Maximize Every Practice (6/25/15)
I read the post, 8 Ways To Maximize Every Practices, way back when I was just coming into high school and I thought it was important enough to share, plus add 3 of my own ways to maximize every practice.

3 More Ways To Maximize Every Practice

I remember in high school our coach was really big on the idea that the way you approach practice is nearly identical to the same way you are going to approach games, whether you admit it or not. So he made sure that we all read 8 Ways to Maximize Every Practice, not this is a much older post but it is still a very good one in regards to how to take on practice and get the most out of it.

I wanted to add 3 of my own ways to maximize every practice that I picked up during my time as a player and what I see now in some practices I have watched.

1. Ask Questions - A lot of the times players will listen and see what their coaches are trying to instill in them but they don't actually understand why to do these things or how they work the way they do. I was never the player to ask questions, I always thought my questions would be dumb and meaningless but if you don't understand something, there are no dumb questions if they make you a better basketball player.

2. Volunteer Yourself - When coach asks for volunteers for a drill how many people usually raise their hand? If you think hardly any, we are in a agreement. But why does it matter if I volunteer myself for drills? By volunteering yourself you are showing your coach and your teammates initiative to get become better, which is contagious. You are also making sure you are in on every drill both when it is being demonstrated and when the team goes through it, something that can only make you better.

3. Be Vocal - Now this point was actually touched up very briefly in the original 8 ways but I think it is important enough to be its own way. Being vocal in practice is going to help build the communication amongst you and your teammates and help with team chemistry that is going to translate into games. Another reason to be vocal is that it is a vital part in becoming a good leader. Relaying what coach has said to the rest of the team or vocally praising and motivating your teammates make for a good team leader.

Original article : 8 Ways to Maximize Every Practice

Basketball Knowledge and Facts

I want to take a little time and use this post to reiterate, or for those who may be newer to this blog, the whole point of my blog Basketball Knowledge and Facts.

The entire purpose when I started this blog was to help people who know nothing about basketball learn and for those who know some or for those know a lot to be able to come and just read and touch up on varies aspects that they may not know at all or know little a bit about. I think the mission statement does a very good job of summing that up, "Here to help you learn and understand the wonderful game of basketball.", for those of you that haven't seen it. I have tried to incorporate a wide variety of different materials encompassing every aspect of the game such as history, technique and how to's from my own personal experiences and from others who I believe are very insightful individuals within the basketball world. I believe that basketball truly is a wonderful game that sometimes gets overlooked because popularity wise it falls behind baseball and football for some people.

I have only been blogging for a short time but I do have a good amount of things I would like to talk about and share with everyone willing to read it. I am also extremely open to feedback and/or questions as well as possible topics for discussion ideas anyone has for me. I hope that this blog is serving its intended purpose to this point and continues to into the future. 

Nike Elite Championship Airlock Official Basketball

For some people, a basketball is just a basketball, they pick it up and just shoot or play with whatever they find. For me its a completely different story. I can stand a worn down or flat out bad basketball when I play. I have to be able to grip the basketball, it has to feel right when I hold it, but most importantly a good basketball for me makes it so I can get the rotation I need on my shots.

I have played with and used many different basketballs in my life and it truly is hard sometimes to find one that is virtually perfect. I have gone to places looking for a basketball and gone home empty handed despite there being over twenty different basketballs to choose from. That's why when I came across the Nike Elite Championship Airlock Official Basketball, I was in love. I was never accustomed to spending that much for a basketball, usually like $20-$30 but Nike's comes to about $70, which if I am being honest is a little hard to swallow but after owning two of these basketballs (one for inside and one for outside), I believe it was worth it. Now I know not everyone can fork over $70 for a basketball so this basketball might be better off for those who are serious basketball players or as a gift.

My favorite thing about this basketball is its grip. For starters, the grip feels great right out of the box but the best part is that the grip lasts! Anyone who has owned a basketball knows it may feel awesome for the first couple days or even weeks but that grip eventually fades and it feels like trying to shoot with a small child's bouncy ball, but not this basketball! As I mentioned a negative of this basketball is its price. You do however get what you pay for if you'd rather look at it that way. I highly recommend this basketball to anyone who loves to play basketball or is looking to get started. To find this basketball click here or the link above, both of which are to Dick's Sporting Goods, but if you find it somewhere else new and for a cheaper price, please let me know!

Book Review: A Father First

When it comes to reading I will admit that I don't generally like to read books or anything of that nature, I am more of an article or blog reader, something I can sit down and read within a couple of minutes or so. So today I wanted to talk about and give a little review of a book I actually took the time to read, and thoroughly enjoyed!

The book is, A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball by NBA star Dwyane Wade. I absolutely love this book. It is a great story, told by Dwyane himself, about his life growing up and the varies hardships he faced while living in the South Side of Chicago. Dwyane uses the book to take about the various father influences he had through his life, such as his own father and the many coaches he had as a basketball player through high school, college and in the NBA. A very important aspect of the book is the struggle Dwyane faced in trying to gain sole custody of his 2 sons, Zaire and Zion.

This really is a good book for teens and adults alike with an interest in basketball as it is full of advice and the personal life experiences of a successful NBA player who has had a rough patches in his life but has time and time again found a way to persevere. I would not consider this a shining piece of literature but the story itself along with the insight gained from the story is what makes this book by Dwyane Wade one of my favorites and I would give it a very solid 8/10 if I were to rate it. I strongly encourage you to check it out. The link above and right here will lead you to the book on amazon, but if you can't buy it see if it is available at your local library.

(Dwyane Wade with A Father First)

Alan Stein's Q & A With Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul

Despite just recently creating this blog I have been very much into reading blogs, as I have mentioned before and as I told you in yesterday's post I really enjoy the blogs of Alan Stein. However, today I want to spotlight one of his posts in particular.

Back in May alan talked about a little Q&A session he had with Los Angeles Clippers' and eight time all-star point guard, Chris Paul. For those wondering what Q&A is, it's just questions and answers, or an interview, to keep it simple. To me, posts of this nature whether they be in a blog or an article are really awesome and at the same time extremely valuable. I tend to seek these types of posts out as much as I can. It isn't everyday you you get to hear advice or insight from someone extremely successful in their field.

Alan chose to ask Chris a few questions regarding his training, such as when he began lifting weights, how he felt lifting weights helped his game and why performance training is important for basketball players. He also added questions pertaining to the difference between the NBA and college as well as what he thought players in both high school and college need to improve on, in his opinion. Now I don't want to ruin the answers but they are pretty good pieces of information to know, so if you are interested in reading what Chris Paul has to say just click here. I would love to hear of any other posts someone else has found involving Q&As as well!

(Chris Paul)

Stronger Team Blog

As you can tell by my posts (the few I have posted so far) I am pretty passionate about the game of basketball. I try to get my daily fix of anything basketball anyway that I can, one of which happens to be reading blogs. There are a handful of great basketball blogs out there to be read, blogs on general basketball topics (such as mine), blogs on different drills you can incorporate into your training, blogs for those who want to coach basketball rather than play, and many other types of blogs.

For this post I wanted spotlight a blog that I read on a weekly basis when I can find the time. The blog is on strongerteam.com and is authored by Alan Stein, a name you are probably familiar with as referenced him in a past post. As I mentioned in that post Alan is a well know and respected teacher of the game of basketball. Well turns out he is also a very insightful blogger on basketball as well.

Alan's blog is one of my all-time favorites because it does a really good job of hitting various different topics within the basketball world, whereas other blogs specialize in specific fields usually. Alan has blogged about things such as how players can get the most out of every practice, how coach's can gain the trust and respect of their players, and even Q&A's with NBA players, most recently with Chris Paul starting point guard of the Los Angeles Clippers!

If you are interested in learning more about basketball I highly suggest you give Alan Stein's blog a look. I provided the link above and it is also available here which will take you directly to the blog itself. I will tell you though, Alan has recently said he will be taking the summer off of blogging but I encourage you to read his previous posts until he returns to blogging in September!

The 5 Positions of a Basketball Team

At all times during an organized basketball game there are always five men or women on the court for both sides, now this does not always apply to "pickup" games played in various locations that can be 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4. Each person on the court is one of five different positions. Now I will note that in today's game many strategies and newer concepts have gone away from the traditional five clear-cut position team, to things such as "small ball", in which the players on the court are all relatively small for all five positions but I will not be discussing that in this post. In the list below we will talk briefly about each of these five positions.

1. Point Guard (PG)
The point guard is generally the smallest of the five positions and most times is tasked with being the leader of the team on the court, what I mean by this is that his particular set of skills is focused around leading the offense of the team. The point guard's main job is to set up chances or opportunities for his or her teammates. To do this a point guard must be a good facilitator, what this means is they must be a skilled passer so that they can find an open teammate and be able to get them the ball at the right moment, in the right spot to score the basketball. Another important skill for point guards is the ability to handle the ball extremely well. Point guards are generally good shooters as well but the really good point guards usually have a pass-first mindset.

(Chris Paul)

2. Shooting Guard (SG) 
The other guard on the team is the shooting guard. Shooting guards are, if you haven't guessed yet, usually the shooters of the team. They are usually fantastic spot up shooter, shooting from a certain spot after receiving a pass, as well as good at creating their own shots, usually shooting off a dribble. Shooting guards are also fairly gifted with ball handling ability as well.

(Ray Allen)

3. Small Forward (SF)
Now we get to the bigger guys on the court, starting with the small forwards. Small forwards are usually bigger than the two previous guards but smaller than the power forward and center, they are basically in the middle. For this reason the small forward is seen as the most versatile of the five positions. They are good at scoring the basketball but usually from mid-range and attacking, or dribbling to, the basket. Even though they are bigger than the guards, small forwards still have speed and athleticism as well.

(LeBron James)

4. Power Forward (PF)
Power forwards, much like the small forward, are a pretty versatile players, playing a style of basketball mirroring closely to the center. A lot of the power forwards time is spent close to the paint/post, or area of the court closest to the rim. They have a variety of moves allowing them to score from close to the basket as well as from mid-range, if need-be. The power forward is the first of our five positions who has an emphasis on rebounding. This requires them to be bigger and stronger than the previous three positions.

(LaMarcus Aldridge)

5. Center (C)
Finally, to the center. The center is the usually the biggest and most dominating player on the court in regards to size and strength. They are sometimes considered the anchor of the team. Their job is to score extremely close to the basket, usually only a few feet out, and to grab rebounds. Another important role of the center is to be a rim protector, this involves staying close to the basket on defense to either block or disrupt any shots the other team may get close to the basket. Traditionally centers are big and dominating as I mentioned earlier but as the game has evolved many centers are much more versatile, acting almost like a second power forward.

(Shaquille O'Neal)

"Great Players"

When I say "great players", in regards to basketball, many people have their own idea of who great players are. For example, my generation will say names such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant, whereas people of older generations will tell you Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and if you go way back names like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. The point is, we all have a general idea of who the great players in basketball, both current and in history, are but do most of us know why? The answer is probably not.

Alan Stein is a well known and respected teacher within the basketball and he posted an article about two years back on the 44 traits that ALL great basketball players display on a daily basis. For the sake of this post I am going to pick a few of my personal favorites but will provide a link at the bottom of the post and encourage you to check it out and read through all 44 of them.

Great players practice just as hard as they play in games. They don’t have an On and Off Switch – they are always on!

Great players allow themselves to be coached. They make eye contact, listen, and welcome coaching. They crave getting better.

Great players are great teammates. They are supportive, high energy, and make their enthusiasm contagious.

Great players love and respect the game of basketball. They don’t play for money or fame.

Great players hold themselves, their teammates, and their coaches accountable. They believe in collective responsibility.

Great players are students of the game. They watch film. They study opponents. They study themselves.

I chose these as my favorites because they are pretty fundamental and are good for people who are just taking up basketball and even for people who are naturally talented at basketball but may lack the less physical aspects of the game. I like these because they are things you can work on without even touching a basketball. Another cool aspect of the traits I have chosen is that not only will they contribute to making you a better basketball player but also contribute to you becoming a better person.

If you would like to read the rest of Alan Stein's, 44 Traits of Great Players, just follow the link! I highly recommend you do!

Where Did The Game of Basketball Come From?

The short answer, Springfield Massachusetts.

But no one likes short answers so lets briefly dive into the history of Basketball. Basketball was created by a man named Dr. James Naismith in the town of, you guessed it, Springfield Massachusetts. Dr. Naismith thought up the idea of basketball in 1891 when he was asked to think of a game for a P.E class during the winter months. His inspiration stemmed from a game he used to play as a child known as "Duck on a Rock" (for a short demonstration of Duck on a Rock, click here).

The early concept of the game is much like the game we know today. Two teams attempting to score by throwing a ball through a "hoop" to score points. I use the "" because in today's game it is clearly a hoop but when the game originated they used nailed up boxes or peach baskets if boxes were not available. One aspect of the game that has changed a little bit since Dr. Naismith founded are the rules. Dr. Naismith thought up thirteen original rules for basketball (for thirteen original rules click here), which according to Alexander Wolff in his book, 100 Years of Hoops, took Dr. Naismith only one hour to think up! The link provided for the thirteen original rules of basketball is one of my favorites because the author list the thirteen rules followed by comments on how the rule has changed and/or adapted.

So as I mentioned earlier, basketball was brought to life in Springfield, Massachusetts. So why do people commonly mistake it for being originated in the heart of Kansas (at least I did for quite some time)? Well that's because Dr. Naismith also founded the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program in 1998, only seven years after he founded the game himself!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look into the history of basketball and its founded Dr. Naismith. There are a plethora of articles available on the history of basketball out there to read that go much deeper than I did, so I encourage you to go and learn much more!

Dr. James Naismith

About Me

Hello, my name is C. It is probably clear that that is not my real name but for the sake of Basketball Knowledge and Facts I have decided to use a pen name. So lets talk a little about my history with the game of basketball. First of all, I have been around the game of basketball my entire life. I began playing organized basketball in the third grade, so about eight years old, up until my senior year of high school. During that time period I attended numerous camps and clinics and since then have helped coach and teach younger children the game of basketball. Much like the children I work with, I too had little to no knowledge of basketball when I started and it took years of my own different experiences and others there to help and guide me until I began to get a better understanding of it. I am not and do not claim to be an "expert" on basketball but I do like to think I have learned quite a lot over the years. This blog is to help individuals learn and develop a better understanding the game of basketball more than they already do. Basketball can be a rather basic sport to some but it can be much more complex as you dive in different styles and concepts within the game. To contact me, please email me at cdtaylo92@gmail.com. This email address is specifically used for the purpose of the Basketball Knowledge and Facts blog.