Basketball Player Checklist

All players should check the list below and make themselves fully aware of their own abilties. Things like this are techincially labled "self-assessment". They help a player to keep a realistic outlook on him/herself.

1. Can your body composition improve? (fat versus muscle)
2. Can you wind improve? (cardiovascular efficienct)
3. How high does your fingertip reach at your peak jump?
4. Do you make sacrifices for the betterment of your team? (set screens, box out)
5. How long does it take you to make 200 jump shots from 5' - 15'?
6. How long can you dribble & run w/two basketballs at the same time?
7. How fast can you run a suicide? (run a suicide and shoot a pair of free throws)
8. Can you make free throws (1 and 1) after a suicide? (always shoot 1 and 1)
9. How good is your peripheral vision? (HUGE KEY)
10. Do you focus during intense pressure situations? (focus NOT relax)

These are ten things that I personally feel are important for a basketball player to know about him/herself. Improving these things will allow a player to immediately step their game up to another level.

Innate Gifts

Innate means to be born with. Anytime someone uses the word innate, you now know what it means. Before a basketball game begins many innate talents can be seen during a pre-game warm up. Leaping, bounding, jumping, reaction, instincts, speed, and acceleration can easily be seen by the trained eye who looks for it. Roster height is also innate and something we can not control.

When the jump ball is thrown up into the air, ALL INNATE GIFTS no longer matter.
1. The man who wants the ball will go to it.
2. The man who executes properly will situate his team to win.
3. The man who stays within HIS game will help his team.

When I watch games, I always know who the best player is on every team. This is the player who is ALWAYS AROUND THE BALL. It doesn't matter if it is a box out, setting a screen, cutting to the basket, etc. A player who does not want to be around the ball should be replaced by someone who wants to be around it. Once you have a team of five players who are around the ball in symbiont with eachother, you have a chance to win every game you play.

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Ice Cup

A lot of experts pay special attention to build the body but forget how to care for it. Alexis Carrel, famous author of Man, The Unknown illustrated that very point. He made it clear that mankind should pay close attention to building and understanding MAN instead of all surrounding materials.

Today, no matter what type of training you put yourself through, remember to adequately care for yourself. If you decide to physically train, use the Ice Cup.

Ice Cup Recipe
1. Buy a sleeve of 8 ounce styrofome cups
2. Fill three of them almost to the top and place in freezer
3. 24 hours later, you have a therapeutic ice massager
4. Use 1 full cup after each training session

Basketball players should always use a full ice cup on the lower body and another on the upper body. It's either this or sit in a cold bath. :)

Mental Toughness

Do you know what it feels like to have hundreds of pounds pull you apart?...

I do. A few years after I decided to stop playing Professional Basketball, I decided to train hard. This hard training eventually led to me competing in amateur level strongman competitions. While I never won a competition, I did the best I could do. This particular picture was AFTER the Medley which was a four part event of hell. I literally vomitted, passed out, then woke up as I heard my name called for the Hercules Hold. I finished third in the event. I can remember my body getting pulled apart by the resistance but my mind would not give up. Eventually my hands gave up on their own without my command.

Once you are able to dominate your mind past your physical body, you're there. It takes time, a lot of soul searching, and MENTAL TOUGHNESS! I only acheived things through battling against myself. It didn't matter if it was overcoming injuries, obstacles, or life scenarios; I got it done. You can too!

We are both the same, we both bleed, have feelings, care about the ones we love, help the ones we can, and do everything we can to improve all things. The minute you read this blog post, I want you to ask yourself if you are giving your all to everything you do.

Are you?...
Could you do more?...
Is there something you could do to improve?...

These questions are for you to answer. Until then, I'll be doing the best I can to love my wife, brother, mother, father, and do the best I can with the time I have on Earth. Every single day is a day I can care and improve lives. Now, it's on you!

New Product (Keg Conditioning)

Keg Conditioning
Superior Strength, Endurance, & Muscular Power Development

Here at Basketball Strength, we develop unique Professional Grade Products. Three years ago, we began what would eventually become Keg Conditioning. We knew that our specific area of expertise WAS within improving the human physicality so we expanded it with an odd object (keg) piece of literature and DVD. In continuance, we knew that not everyone has unlimited funds to blow away by giving into commercial gyms and personal trainers.

It was at this point when Basketball Strength decided to put together a product geared towards improving EVERYONE. Keg Conditioning is a complete physical training resource for the person looking to improve him/herself! Now that it is completed I am extremely delighted. Please allow me to list the reasons for my excitement.

1. Keg Conditioning will erase the need for commercial gyms.
2. Keg Conditioning will erase the need for personal trainers.
3. Keg Conditioning will erase the need for informercial lies and deception.
4. Keg Conditioning will enable ALL people to become superior.
5. Keg Conditioning will be available to the public in January 2008.

The Book includes;
1. Step by step exercise instruction, execution, and development.
2. Self-assessment exercises and counseling modalities.
3. Mastery of human physiology in an easy to understand presentation.
4. Motivational stories of trial, error, and acheivement.
5. Amazing quotes, pictures, and feats of strength.

The DVD includes;
1. Hard and smart exercise execution by Dave Lemanczyk.
2. Full, intense workouts performed by Dave Lemanczyk.
3. Keg Conditioning fully explained to you while he does it!
4. Amazing background music, menu development, and camera work.
5. Step by step progressive instruction.

Keg Conditioning is one of the finest physical training products ever made. The simple reason is because I developed it to eradicate the need for many business services that don't need to exist. Ever person deserves the right to understand how to develop Superior Strength, Endurance, & Muscular Power Development.

Keg Conditioning
coming soon...

Time for Self

The picture you see above is a beach I found and the ONLY sand beach on the island of Madeira. I spent a lot of time on this beach and learned a lot about myself. The only person on this beach was me. To get to this beach you had to climb a mountain. Once at the top, you could see marine life in the ocean. To reach the sand beach, I had to climb down a steep slope.

During my time spent playing professional ball, I had a plethora of free time. Believe it or not, I read more educational literary pieces during this time than any other in my lifes history. Most people would have guessed that I should have read the majority of literature IN the University but...In one years time overseas, I read through a complete library of relevant literature.

I found myself interested in the development of world civilizations/religions/cultures, development of mankind/evolution, psychoanalysis, physical development, preservation of mankind as a race, and many other topics.

This rounded education allowed me to reach a deeper understanding of myself. I was beginning to see ultimate purpose to my existance; a protector/leader/teacher. While overseas many of the people throughout Europe thought I WAS European. My teammate/friend Amilcar Gomes (12 year pro) said it best, "Dave, you are a man that leads, respects and asks nothing from others. Most Americans care only for themselves." I took that as a tremendous compliment and Amilcar made my transition in the old world easy by introducing me to the right people. He stills plays pro.

While on the island and I did a lot of hiking/self-discovery. I simply could not stay couped up in the big city of Funchal, I knew there was more for me on the island. I climbed endless levadas, mountanious caverns, inactive volcanos, and tremendous mountains.

Our games were played @ the Sao Joao Gynasio which was over a mile high in elevation. It's no woner why we hardly ever lost a game @ home. How many other places in the world do you know where the climate is tropical and a stadium is over a mile high? I know no other.

Basketball is an intense game full of split second reactions. Such intensity warrants the polar opposite of relaxation and meditation. Practices of self-discovery rest the psyche and allow for superior mental/physical development. Too often players get wrapped up in skills when they should be improving themself.

1. Develop the mind (reading relevant material).
2. Develop the body (physical conditioning).
3. Develop self-discovery techniques (meditation, & relaxation.

Chest on Man

To move an opponent in the game of basketball you need to have your chest on the man. Once your chest is on your man, move him with your legs. Your hands should be in the air so the official can see them. In essence, this is a reverse box out because you are facing the man your are moving.

Most players at lower levels miss the picture here for a few reasons;

1. They watch pro games and THINK position is given instead of worked for.
2. They watch college games and THINK position isn't worked for.
3. They watch other high school players and THINK position isn't worked for.

Perfect practice makes solid players. Defensively, your chest should be on your man if he is trying to post up. Simply move him with your body. Offensively, if you want to gain position in the post, box the defender down into the paint with your legs.

The name of the game is LEGS, CONDITIONING, & ADEQUACY. When you are ready to accept the truth to making the ultimate player Buy Volume I!

Boxing Out

In my estimation, the ability to box out consistently is directly related to effort. A player has to understand the NEED to box out and then simply do it.

Boxing out is obtaining leverage advantage positions over your opponent when the shot is up. Once the shot is up, player boxing out must keep his opponent off balance using his body (driving backwards). The hands should be held up for possibilities.

There is no rule against boxing out. You can easily box out on the defensive and offensive end. Obtain position, drive your legs back into your defender and move him. It takes strong legs that are durable to box out all game long.

When you obtain position over an opponent consistently, you break his will.

December

The month of December always brings a smile to my face. Not so much because of the Holidays but because of the cold weather. I have always enjoyed the cold and it reminds me of one time of the year; BASKETBALL SEASON!

In the Northeast, it's always cold during basketball season. We have grown accustomed to having to thaw out and then play the game we love. Well, I'll tell you what...I decided not to train in my gym (my home & yard) this last week because I have a big job to do. My job is to chop firewood and today it's snowing. I have over one ton of wood to cut up.

Anyone ever remember Rocky IV when Balboa splits the logs in one shot? Well I do and that's what I'm gonna' do. It's me, the snow, the cold, the wood, my axe, and the inevitable reality of hard conditioning. There is tremendous benefit from chopping wood. You can gain unbelievable strength and conditioning just by chopping wood! When I was about ten or eleven my father taught me how to chop wood, in specific to split a log in one shot. I had so much fun with it, I began slicing logs. It worked out very nicely for my family as the fireplace was always lit.

Some nineteen years of experience later, it's time for me to chop over a ton of wood and get my fireplace going. Remember, training is a highly selfish situation whereas personal benefit is the sole intention of purpose. Here, as I chop wood, I have an opportunity to improve the life of my wife AND recieve a tremendous fitness benefit...for all you basketball players out there, chop wood for twenty minutes and tell me if you think it's a great workout for a change of pace!

Buy Volume I Now!