Homework Helps!!!
Think back to your school days.
You are sitting in class, and the teacher hands you an assignment, and its a hard one. An immediate look of frustration and resentment comes across your face as you say to yourself:
‘
‘Why do we have to learn this? It’s too hard!’
At this youthful stage, few of us fail to realize that the teacher isn’t giving us the assignment to frustrate us. The teacher also isn’t giving us the assignment to make us good at assignments. Ultimately, the teacher gives us the assignment in order to strengthen our skillset so that we can pass a greater test.
I see it all the time, young athletes are frustrated because they cannot dribble with their off hand, can not make shots off the run, cannot finish through contact, etc.
It’s frustrating and their body language is screaming:
‘Why do we have to learn this? It’s too hard!’
As a parent you can not only help them to recognize the importance of struggling through hard, but you can also help prepare them with homework.
Yes Homework!
Just as homework prepares us to have confidence to complete the assignment, it ultimately strengthens or skill set which will help us win when it comes to the test.
Ball Handling
Handling the ball is a skill set that anyone and everyone can and should learn. When I left high school I was an average ball-handler at best. This was because I was bigger than most high school guards, and I could simply shoot over the top.
When I recognized this deficiency during my Freshman year in college, I committed to staying 15 minutes after practice each day to work on ball-handling.
During these sessions I would keep it simple and simply work on pounding the ball in place. I got really good at performing dribble combinations like cross-straight-between the legs or cross-cross-between the legs-behind the back.
I will always remember the day a commentator, during one of our team’s ESPN broadcasts, dubbed me the top ball-handler in the nation behind TJ Ford, who was later a top 10 NBA draft pick!
Just a little homework of 15 minutes a day, for 3 years had transformed my skill set and a little homework can do the same for you.
Remember, keep it simple, pound in place, you can even watch YouTube for examples of easy workouts, checkout our JP3 dribbling drills video HERE.
Shooting
Ok, ok, not everyone can become an elite shooter.
There is an element of touch, wrist maleabilty, and finger mobility that makes some elite and some so-so. Still, everyone can improve their ability to shoot.
Would you believe it if I told you I averaged 28 points a game as a high school Senior while making just three 3-pointers for the entire season!?
The fact was, I was not a very good shooter beyond 8-10 feet.
But again, I put in the work, the Homework that is!
I began to committ to flipping the ball while sitting up in my bed, or laying on the floor on my back. One hand, off-hand, two hand flips, over and over and over.
I’m sure you can guess where this story is going, but I earned the University of Tulsa record for most three’s made in a single game (8) and finished top 10 in three’s made for an entire career.
Again, this is something you can improve on in under 15 minutes daily. Focus on full flips that cause the ball to climb up to it’s apex (4-8 ft above the head) and descend in the same location as where the shot started. Start with 300 flips and build to 1000.
In no time, you wil see your child’s form transform!
Remember: just a little homework never hurts, it only helps!
Here's To Your Player's Performance!
Dr. Jason Parker, JD
Athletics Education Specialist
JP3 Player Performance
