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Pure Shooting defined

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about Pure Shooting, our new basketball instructional DVD!

During the famous Seinfeld episode in which Jerry and George are pitching their TV series concept to NBC, George says: “I think you can sum this show up in one word: ‘nothing’”. While George and Jerry eventually have to modify that message with the NBC producers, Seinfeld fans understand that “nothing” is without a doubt the perfect description for the actual sitcom. While a lot goes into making that show popular, “nothing” is the one word that fits best when describing what the show is about!

Is Jerry Seinfeld the newest spokesman for Aim High Hoops? We wish!

The link here is that to explain the definition of “Pure Shooting”, one only needs a single word: confidence. Just like Seinfeld, our Pure Shooting instructional DVD took time, planning, and adjustments along the way. We use a lot of basketball terminology in the instructional DVD. Learning the many training points patience and commitment.

Having said that, everything we offer at Aim High Hoops, from the Pure Shooting instructional DVD, to the Pure Shooting Clinics and Pure Shooter’s Report Card, was created to help players understand confidence when shooting the basketball. Having confidence means trusting that the ball is going in the hoop before the shot even happens, because a foundation of good mechanics, plus a lot of repetition, has been built. Our instructional DVD and clinics teach good shooting mechanics, and we also share our ideas for successful shooting repetition, but ultimately, we want players to know what it takes to be Pure Shooters, and that is confidence.

Confidence is what we stress at the beginning in the Pure Shooting instructional DVD, and also at the Pure Shooting clinics, and then we say in both instances that players, by the end of the respective programs, should know just what it takes to have confidence when shooting a basketball. Whether or not players choose to do what it takes to earn that confidence is yet another story! The ones that do what must be done are rewarded with an unshakeable confidence that brings about a lot of made shots every time they step onto the court.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

The Art of Pure Shooting Video

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about Pure Shooting, our new basketball instructional DVD!

It has been a busy two months! We had three excellent turnouts for each one of the Pure Shooting Clinics this fall, averaging over 60 individuals for each clinic. We look forward to keeping in contact with players not only in this season, but throughout their playing careers. What we were aiming to achieve at the Pure Shooting Clinics was to help players lay an excellent foundation to their shooting mechanics. We highlighted our 6 Principles of Pure Shooting at the clinics, plus took the opportunity to showcase our Pure Shooting instructional DVD and Pure Shooter’s Report Card. We felt that if players bought in to the 6 Principles at the clinic, the instructional DVD could provide a much better comprehension of the 6 Principles. The Report Card would then connect our teaching to the players’ current shot mechanics by studying the players’ shots, using video footage, based on the 6 Principles. Hopefully, with time, players’ shots then become more aligned with all the 6 Principles and they feel more confident about making shots!

We’re also pleased to say that a number of the clinic participants bought the instructional DVD, and others bought the Report Card. We look forward to being a resource for many years to players that have already been associated with Aim High Hoops and for those that work with us in the future.

We invite our blog readers to check out the primary website, www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com, to understand more about the Pure Shooting training video, Pure Shooter’s Report Card, and our Pure Shooting Clinics. We have recently updated the site with our “Art of Pure Shooting” promotional video (check under “Pure Shooting” tab), which we’re very excited about! Please take a look and continue sending us feedback.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Aim High Hoops Pure Shooting Clinics

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about Pure Shooting, our new basketball instructional DVD!

On September 25, 2010, Aim High Hoops will formally be open for business at the first of three Pure Shooting Clinics this fall. The clinics are for 5th-8th grade boys and girls, and the purpose of the clinics is to teach players the overview of our Pure Shooting method as seen in our Pure Shooting instructional DVD. We are convinced players will walk away from our clinics positively confident that they know the required steps to become a pure shooter. Coaches and parents attending will also understand how to help players take the necessary steps to become pure shooters. As we say in the Pure Shooting instructional DVD, how you can become a pure shooter is a “simple answer that requires a lot of work.” We’re excited to help!

At our Pure Shooting Clinics, players can count on an emphasis on our 6 Principles along with our shooting warm-up and shooting workout programs. The player to coach ratio is low enough for players to get individual feedback all through the clinic. This is important because every player’s shot is a little different and good advice for one player is not always good advice for everyone. Our 6 Principles stay the same for players of any age and ability, but there are actually various ways that players can apply the principles to their shots, based on their current age, level of physical maturity, and level of skill.

For sale at the clinics is Pure Shooting, our first instructional DVD which breaks down even more the Pure Shooting method we will be presenting at the clinics. The DVD has demonstrations for the 6 Principles, the shooting warm-up, and the shooting workout, using players of different age levels, as well as various camera angles and on-screen graphics in order to boost viewers’ learning experience.

For the players at the clinics, also available for sale is the Pure Shooter’s Report Card. We’ll use clinic video footage to analyze a player’s shooting mechanics based on our 6 Principles of Pure Shooting. Based on the 6 Principles, players will understand where their shot mechanics currently stand, and they will learn what to do to make their mechanics even better.

Please let us know if you are interested in learning a little more about hosting a Pure Shooting Clinic in your town.

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

AimHighHoopsOnline@gmail.com

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Pure Shooting instructional DVD coming very soon!

By Aim High Hoops

Click here for more information about our new basketball instructional DVD!

Since August 2009, we have talked about and added to and transformed what Aim High Hoops was all about. Our first discussion involved producing basketball instructional DVDs, and although a lot of things have happened along the way, the ultimate goal from those initial talks has never changed: to create a high-quality and easy-to-follow basketball instructional DVD for players wanting to become better shooters.

We’re extremely pleased to say that almost 14 months after first outlining the film script, our Pure Shooting instructional DVD is in reproduction and will be readily available for purchase by the end of September. We will offer Pure Shooting through our company website, www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com, and at our three Pure Shooting clinics we will be hosting this fall.

Pure Shooting gives players a precise, proven roadmap for becoming better shooters, and hopefully, Pure Shooters, meaning players will know their shot is going to FEEL GOOD and LOOK GOOD all the time, and BE GOOD as much as possible. For players to possess a shot that can FEEL, LOOK, and BE GOOD, there are 6 Principles that we teach in the instructional DVD. While there is a lot of detail involved with the 6 Principles, remembering “only” 6 things is essentially what can help players really boost their skill development, which is our goal for players at Aim High Hoops.

Parents and coaches may also use Pure Shooting as a teaching tool. The 6 Principles explanations are reinforced with demonstrations by players of various ages, both female and male, and we offer a series of advanced teaching points for players that are ready for such advancement. Parents and coaches can therefore take the Pure Shooting instructional DVD and pass along the teaching points to beginning players as well as to more experienced players. We’re very pleased to be able to offer Pure Shooting to you!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

First Birthday for Aim High Hoops

By Aim High Hoops

It is August 4, 2010, and one year ago we got together to first talk about the thought of producing professional basketball instructional DVDs. Though we did outline what all three instructional DVDs could be about, our emphasis promptly turned solely to the idea of “Pure Shooting”, developed to teach players what it takes to make shots in game situations. Our plan is to have our second (ball-handling) and third (advanced shooting) instructional DVDs for sale by the summers of 2011 and 2012, respectively. We are on schedule to have the Pure Shooting DVD ready for purchase within 5-6 weeks. A year ago, we would have been thrilled at the idea of our first instructional DVD being ready to go by fall 2010! We’ve been very fortunate to have worked with great people along the way, from the financing people, to RogueLens, our video production company, to our demonstrators, and especially to our many friends & family, slash advisors and strongest critics!

Also, because of the work over the last year, we’re in position to provide our Pure Shooter’s Report Card as a supplement to the Pure Shooting instructional DVD, as well as our Pure Shooting Basketball Clinics. We have four clinics booked for fall 2010 and anticipate a full schedule of clinics throughout 2011.

After a year our mission remains the same: At Aim High Hoops we want to teach players both basic and advanced basketball skill fundamentals, using high-quality professional products and customer service. We’re fully committed to our mission, look forward to hitting the marketplace soon, and most definitely look forward to what the next year will bring!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

 

Finding The Zone

By Aim High Hoops

For a basketball player, there isn’t a better individual feeling than being in “the zone”. Shooting the ball into the hoop is not a challenge within the zone. Getting open is simple, the defense seems to moves slower than usual, and most importantly, there is an incredibly high level of focus and confidence that is a natural part of being in the zone.

Although it might not happen often, basketball players don’t go into the zone by accident. It’s a response to many, many years of skill development, based on precise shooting fundamentals. The zone is the realization of maximum physical performance along with a very high level of concentration and determination. It happens for athletes in other sports as well, and it happens for the exact same reasons in other sports as it does in basketball.

Michael Jordan is known to have said that throughout his playing career, on games when he was in the zone, he usually woke up the morning of the game knowing he was going to have an excellent performance. In Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Boston Celtics’ shooting guard Ray Allen made the first 7 three-point shots he attempted, on the biggest stage in basketball while undoubtedly drawing added attention from the defense after the first few makes. Allen is one of the best at his craft, and part of his game-day routine is to go through a shooting workout three hours before each and every game.

Because of their work ethic and passion for the game, Allen and Jordan have each been rewarded by entering the zone often throughout their careers, putting on shooting displays that dazzle the crowd and anger the opponents. The simple truth is that any driven basketball player has the opportunity to enter “the zone”. It’s all about knowing how to shoot the ball, and then doing it a whole lot. This is a primary focus of our instructional DVD “Pure Shooting”. No matter your age, athletic ability, gender, or experience, learn and apply our 6 Principles to Pure Shooting, so you give yourself a chance to become a great shooter, hopefully putting on a couple of shooting shows along the way!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Understanding how to play Basketball

By Aim High Hoops

“Learning to play” basketball means two things.

The first aspect is the individual skill development; i.e. dribbling and shooting the basketball well. Resources and direction for proper skill development are what we provide at Aim High Hoops. Our skill clinics, instructional DVDs, and Pure Shooter’s Report Card help players discover which skills are necessary, along with proven techniques for maximizing those vital skills.

The next element of learning to play is playing. Players should be on the court, in game situations, trying things out and learning from mistakes. Playing doesn’t always have to entail an organized 5-on-5 game with coaches and referees. Actually, if the players call fouls and it is a scenario of either win or sit for a long time (no coach to make substitutions), players acquire a strength and hunger to win.

One and not the other is not enough.

Players that spend all day in the gym working on their dribbling and shooting, but don’t get involved with competitive games in the off-season might be behind during the season. Why? Because in games is when a dribbler learns to find seams in the defense to penetrate, and in games is when a shooter learns how to use a screen against an opposing player that trails, or cheats the screen, and it’s also in games when a scorer learns to use head fakes and draw real fouls for three-point plays.

Players who merely play games all day long will no doubt establish very good instincts for the game, but without proper dribbling and shot development, these players could be pressured into dribbling mistakes and left open to shoot a shot they are uneasy with during clutch moments of games.

In an NBA Summer League game, the announcers commented on #1 draft pick John Wall. They hit on both parts of the two-part process of learning to play basketball. First, they said Wall had to continue fixing his jump shot (skill development). After a dribble spin move that ended with Wall’s lay-up try getting blocked off the backboard, they said that Wall will have to use the summer league to start becoming accustomed to the speed and athleticism of the NBA (playing).

A few possessions later Wall floated a lay-up off the backboard and also got fouled for a three-point play attempt. It appears like he’s learning quickly!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Tim Tebow & the fundamentals

By Aim High Hoops

It turns out that establishing correct habits in early stages isn’t only for basketball players! In the June 14, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated, there’s an article entitled: “Tim Tebow: The Making of a Quarterback.” The subtitle says that the Denver Broncos are “starting from scratch” with Tebow, a national champion and Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, because his throwing mechanics are so mediocre.

Tebow’s NFL future depends on whether he’ll master the throwing mechanics that his fellow quarterbacks mastered at an early age. Have a look at a few of the quotes within the report:

“Most scouts saw him as a 6’3’’, 236-pound option quarterback with poor throwing mechanics.”

“He has to completely overhaul the way he throws.”

“The goal, of course, is for this new motion to become natural,…”

“But he’s in a race to remake his delivery.”

The way Tebow treats this obstacle needs to be a lesson for every single young athlete learning a new sport: “The mechanics—I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time. I’ve got to make the uncomfortable comfortable, and I’ve got to hurry.”

“Tebow treated every pass as if it were a game.”

Head Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniel’s and his assistant coach and brother Ben are on the front lines of the challenge for Tebow, and he comments on not just the urgency of the predicament but the very necessity of getting it correct, stating, “Imagine you’re throwing darts and your body is spinning like this. You can’t have the control you want. How’s your release point going to stay the same?”

The Mechanics: For the quarterback, it is a consistent release point. For a baseball batter, it is a compressed swing with a good bat angle. In golf, an excellent grip and correct club angle at impact lead to deep shots down the fairway. For basketball, Aim High Hoops offers The 6 Principles of Pure Shooting instructional DVD, to explain what is required for any ambitious basketball player: a balanced jump shot on line with the target and with a chance to go in EVERY time the player shoots. Many basketball players guess how to get to that particular point, while others learn it well through good teaching and plenty of practice. Let us help you learn to be a pure shooter!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

Valuing the Fundamentals

By Aim High Hoops

Inside our past blog posting about our experience at the FastPitch competition, we talked about the importance of young basketball players building correct habits as soon as possible in the learning progression. Making a 3-point shot with defense on you, when the score is close, and in the last seconds of a game is tough enough to do with GOOD mechanics established correctly over years and years. Trying to change poor mechanics which have been already engrained in a player’s memory is a tough challenge for both the mind as well as the body.

With our instructional DVDs, Pure Shooter’s Report Card, and our Aim High Hoops shooting clinics, we give a clear picture for players who wish to become great shooters, and we plan on offering equally effective resources for dribbling and advanced shooting techniques, thus offering players all they require to maximize their individual offensive basketball potential.

If you’re still suspicious about the idea of an hour of mechanics drills on a daily basis, pay attention to what the best player ever to play basketball, Michael Jordan said: “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down first and the level of everything you do will rise.”

Jordan was known for practicing, practicing, and practicing more, to keep his fundamentals at the highest level possible constantly. Only in those circumstances, he believed, could he reach his maximum potential as a basketball player. His career shows that “at his best” was the only real approved level for Jordan, though the only reason he was able to get there and stay there was because he laid an extremely strong foundation in the fundamentals of the game at a very early age.

Our mission at Aim High Hoops is to help players learn both basic and advanced basketball fundamentals, using high-quality resources and customer service. We look forward to assisting players of all ages and skill levels reach their highest levels possible and stay there.

Stay in touch!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

FastPitch Business Challenge

By Aim High Hoops

Last Tuesday, we took part in the business competition known as “FastPitch”. The format was for entrepreneurs to present both their product or service and their business model, all in three minutes. A 3-person panel of judges had three extra minutes to ask follow-up questions or make further comments.

While we didn’t win any prize money, planning for the FastPitch presentation allowed us to consider our reasons for developing Aim High Hoops, and about what we wanted to provide to basketball players, parents and coaches. We were able to focus on our mission—“Helping players learn both basic and advanced basketball fundamentals, using high-quality professional resources and customer service” —and how the mission is naturally the basis around which everything we do is centered.

We outlined our first instructional DVD, “Pure Shooting”, which we look to have available by the end of the summer. We feel that a competitive advantage in the DVD is in the presentation format. Many prosperous athletes do not become outstanding coaches, because they know how to “do what they do” but not “explain what they do”, because their athletic abilities always came naturally and without them having to think about it. As teachers, we know how to break content down into comprehensible, logically-ordered pieces so the audience understands the connection between everything. Here, our students are the instructional dvd viewers and the lesson is all about becoming a Pure Shooter.

We also went into depth about the Pure Shooter’s Report Card, our shooting analysis that will allow us to connect to players across the country with individual instruction, right from their backyards. We wrote a little about the Report Card back in an April 2010 blog and will continue to share developments.

The third product/service we offer, and have not blogged about, are our Aim High Hoops Shooting & Ball-handling clinics. Our purpose with those is not to cram as many players in the gym as we can, but rather, maintain the player to coach ratio at 8:1, guaranteeing individual attention for each player. The first clinic program coincides with our first training dvd on the mechanics of shooting and how to become a “Pure Shooter”. We’re going to have the DVD and Report Card for sale on site.

We are truly confident that what we provide will assist players who would like to become great shooters become great shooters. The reason for the optimism is because the basketball experience that the Aim High Hoops team brings in, coupled with the products we offer, provides a specific picture of building the right fundamental foundation for learning to be a great basketball player. Obviously, it is up to the players to actually “build” that foundation of skills. The biggest thing to not overlook is: Players that learn the correct habits early on just keep on the quickest path to basketball excellence, while players who learn poor habits have a great deal to “unlearn” before being able to reach their potentials, a a lot longer process.

Overall, it was an outstanding experience at FastPitch!

Billy Lewis & Jonathan Schneiderman

Aim High Hoops, Inc.

www.AimHighHoopsOnline.com

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