Become a Better Finisher!

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As players begin to develop and work on their skill-sets this summer, let’s talk about becoming a better finisher! Finishing is a skill, players of all-levels (Youth, High School, College and Professional) must learn and continue to develop. To help you get better around the basket, here are three things to work on that can make you a better finisher.

3 Ways to Become a Better Finisher!

  1. Posture/Burst

    • “If we don’t start right, we don’t have a chance to finish right.”

  2. Chin on the Rim

    • “Run through your finish and win the race.”

  3. Three E’s

    • Eyes, Extend & Explode

“Finishing is something we can get better at, faster!” - Phil Beckner.

If you improve in any one of these three areas, you can become a better finisher. If you improve in all three of them and practice them consistently, you should see big increases in your finishing ability.

 

Chipping Away

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“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

I love this quote, think about this for a moment. You are about to get launched into space, and mission control is typing in your destination and for some reason there are no coordinates, which means, you are getting sent into space with no clear destination in mind. 

This should spark a thought, as you begin to start asking yourself, “WHY?” You can’t get to your destination without coordinates (Purpose). Think about it, If you had an opportunity to get launched anywhere where would you land? Be a Dreamer! Dream Big! Start assessing your current situation and start creating goals. Goals allow you to stay humble and honest so you don’t get lost with unrealistic goals. Understanding that your wildest dreams are much closer than you think. 

Don’t get caught in desert times, having purpose will allow you to have long term success and will create behaviors that will lead to results. Better results, include better behaviors! 

Understanding the importance of ‘GOALS’ & your ‘WHY’ will add purpose to everyday life. You will make choices that will align with your WHY, you will see small changes in everyday life. Remember this has to be something that YOU want to do! Be the dreamer! Trust me you will open so many doors and become rich with opportunity.

Tim DiFrancesco

Tim DiFrancesco

Chipping away one day at a time is a Motto that I love to live by, a motto shared by friend/mentor, Tim DeFrancesco, former Laker Strength & Conditioning Coach. His message was simple: Every day we have an opportunity to move with the ocean or stay stuck in a whirlpool. If I wanted to be anywhere it would be the ocean, constantly moving. If we are constantly moving forward then we are treading towards our goal. If we are stuck in a whirlpool; we are continuously rotating around behaviors that don’t get results. 

Let the real work begin! Start setting goals! TAKE ACTION! DO WORK!

Coach Maurice Brown

SIMPLE MOVEMENT WORKOUT

Here is a simple workout that adds purposeful movement to my daily life. Something I’ve learned while working at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC), is “Keep it Simple Stupid (KISS).” So, here is a KISS Workout that you may enjoy!

Warmup

Leg Cradle x 3 reps reach 

Lateral Squat x 3 reps each

Single leg Deadlift (SLDL) x 3 reps each 

Block B

SLDL x 10ea

Handwalks x 5 reps

Front Plank x :15seconds 

Block A

Glute Bridge x 10 reps

Push-Up x 10 reps 

Side Plank x :15seconds each

Bent-Knee Hamstring Stretch x 3 reps ea

3 Simple Warmup Exercises

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Are you warming-up?

The Show!

The Show!

This is an area that I love to focus on! Taking the moment to work on basic movements that will help me perform globally. If you are an athlete, warming up with purpose will be a game changer and also help mitigate the risk of injury. Something that will always stick with me while working with the Arizona Diamondbacks is, durability is more important than ability, let that sink in for a moment. Durability is more important than ability, if you are trying to teach your body to move fast (explosively) and you do not have the prerequisites to position yourself to generate force (strength), how are you assessing your program? What are you doing this off-season? In a strength training program it’s important to have step-by-step progression that will focus on building a solid foundation. A solid foundation consists of ongoing development of movement competency and movement capacity. Here is a simple warm-up we like to perform with our athletes and adults that will increase core temperature and address mobility demands. 

Warm-Up:

Body Weight Squats x 5-10reps

Knee Hug (Inplace) x 3ea

Reverse Lunge-Forearm In-Step w/Rotation x 3ea