Triple Threat Upper Body

Trunk/Head

            This part of the body is one that coaches really don’t focus on but a player must be able to have good head and trunk alignment. Many great players are not able to maximize their athleticism because they have lazy upperbody alignment while playing the game. Players will lean forward or backward too much and look everywhere but where they should. Though it is mentioned earlier that feet, knees and hips affect balance, but the trunk and head determine a players balance.

First of all we have to look at the trunk. Many players will lean forward or backward in their athletic stance. This takes the center of balance from over the balls of the feet over either the heels or toes. To align the trunk over the balls of the toes a player should have their shoulders in line with their knees and the trunk should be erect. Because the hips will be a little further back, the shoulders in line with the knees will engage the core and will bring the center of gravity over the balls of the feet.

            The head is also important in the athletic stance. On offense a player should have their head always to the basket, where as on defense a player should try to keep his/her head between the shoulders of the offensive player. Many players tend to look elsewhere and move their head all over the place while moving around the basketball court. Located in the head are the mechanisms which determine the bodies equilibrium, or balance. This means that the more a players head bobs all over the place, the less balance and control they will have. This is why it is important to have the players align their head with the spine and keep in straight between the shoulders to allow for a player to maintain equilibrium and this will give them good balance. Not to mention it will also help when trying to teach players to always play with their head up on offense and defense to always see the floor.

Triple Threat (lower body)

            The first and most important aspect of basketball is the athletic stance, or the triple threat position. Basketball is a game that requires a high level of athleticism and skill. This means that players must understand how to have their body in a balanced yet explosive position on both offense and defense. This is why it is important to teach begin teaching players by showing them the athletic stance.

            I like to teach this position as the athletic stance. Many coaches will call it the triple threat position, because when you use the position on offense it allows a player to have the option to shoot, pass, or dribble. I like to use athletic stance because the triple threat position is also the same position that a player should also assume when on defense. Whether on offense or defense a player must put themselves in an athletic stance so that they are ready to make quick and explosive movements either horizontally, laterally, or vertically. The stance that must be assumed is similar to a boxer’s stance.

Feet

            In the athletic position, feet should be about shoulder width apart. When on offense the feet should be shoulder width apart, but on defense they should be a little bit further than shoulder width apart. If the feet are too close together or too far apart then a player will be off balance and will lose their speed and explosiveness.

            Legendary coach Morgan Wootten had a saying when describing triple threat position, “heel-toe action.” Heel-toe action allows for comfort and balance in the triple threat postion. To have heel-toe action a player will want to slightly move their dominant foot forward just a very little bit so that the heel of their dominant foot is in line with the toe of their off foot. This heel-toe action allows for balance, and will set up a player offensively to pass, shoot, or dribble.

Knees/Hips

            Once a player’s feet are in the correct positon, they must now assume the athletic stance. I tell the players to drop their hips. This means that a player should drop into a squat position with their knees bent and their butt down. It is important that a player is not too low in the squat position and not deep enough. If a player is not deep enough then their balance and strength will be compromised whereas if a player is too deep then they will lose their speed and quickness. I prefer that the players squat to be between 45 degrees and 60 degrees, whichever is most comfortable for the player. Some players like to be a little lower, whereas some just refuse to get low. An angle of 45 to 60 degrees is ideal for having good balance, speed, and explosiveness.

            Key to squat position: The knees should not bend past the toes but aligned with the balls of the feet. The hips should also be dropped, not stuck out backwards. If the knees are behind the toes and the hips are dropped to about 45 degrees then the weight of the lower body will be over the balls of the feet, which is key for explosiveness, balance and strength.

Welcome to the blog!

My name is Matthew Kearney and I am currently a basketball coach in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization in which I am working for is called Promo Jeune Basket, or PJB (in English this means promotion of youth basketball). The focus of our organization is to use basketball as a tool for education and development within the province of North Kivu in the DRC. For more information on our program you can visit our new website: www.kivubasketball.com.

I developed this blog as a means to show what and how we are teaching the fundamentals within our program. My philosophy on basketball is that it is a game of skill and for a player to excel at the highest levels of the game; they must first master the skills of the game to the smallest of details. I set up this blog to first explore my own skill teaching philosophy and my knowledge of the fundamentals, to provide a written document of the fundamental skills we teach within PJB, and also use the blog as a way to receive advice from fellow coach on how they would teach the development of fundamental basketball skills to their players.

Thank you for your interest in my blog and feel free to comment on whatever you like or dislike, or any suggestions you have. As a coach I know that it is important to share ideas and philosophies so that each of us as individuals as well as the sport of basketball can continue to grow.

Hope you enjoy!

Coach Matthew Kearney