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Play Better With Practice!

Play Better!

"They say good things come to those who wait. I believe good things come to those who work." Wilt Chamberlain

Nothing in basketball, even for the best players, is acheived without hard work.  But the work can also be fun!  Here you will find a compilation of challenges, instructional activities, and videos which will help your game improve and increase your enjoyment of basketball through improved play!


Appleton East 10,000 Made Shot Club

Program Overview
This off-season program is designed to encourage boys and girls in the AEYBA and the Appleton East basketball programs to practice their shooting on a regular basis. A player’s shooting form eventually becomes natural and more difficult to change with each shot taken. Therefore it is very important that proper form and drills be followed. Players with poor form that shoot thousands of shots will have a more difficult time breaking their bad habits when compared to players with good form and good habits.

Before entering into this challenge, please consider the following:

  • The type of shots you are taking…longer shots are more likely to be shot with poor form than closer shots. Older players should be shooting plenty of 3-point shots, but a player in 4th grade for example should keep the bulk of their shooting closer to the basket
  • Incorporate different types of shots with different foot work around the rim, i.e. right hand lay-up off one foot, outside-inside power finish, inside-outside stop with different pivots (outside, vicious, spin), jump stop with different pivots, no dribble spin, hips across jump stop, etc.
  • For any pull up off the dribble work, plant the inside foot as the pivot foot
  • When practicing catch and shoot shots, the player should make sure to catch with the power foot back and at maximum bend with hands out ready to catch the ball
  • A good habit to start is following up any miss with a lay-up type make

Players that shoot shots with proper form will improve faster and elevate their game quicker than a player shooting with improper form or not shooting at all.


How to Participate
Players need to keep track of their made shots from June through September. The competition will only allow a player to record 150 made shots per day as a means to get the player out shooting on a regular, almost daily basis if they want to reach the goal of 10,000 makes. However, players can shoot more than 150 shots per day given they are taken following proper form and drills.

There are four calendar sheets on the AEYBA website where players can record their makes. Parents need to sign off on the made shots at the end of the month so the AEYBA board knows the parent feels their son or daughter approached this honestly. Calendar records with parent signatures need to be submitted to their AEYBA coach by October 16th, 2020. Please make sure to include your name on the sheets when you hand them in.

Where do the players shoot?
Anywhere there is a regulation size basket – school gym, park, YMCA, fitness center, driveway, church etc….

Rewards
Players reaching 10,000  made shots this off-season will be recognized the night of a varsity basketball game with a sweatshirt.