Basketball Thoughts from Larry Bird

Larry Bird recently became the first person to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Here are some thougts from Bird, as told by Mark Shaw in his book Larry Legend:

On passing - Once I realized I could pass the ball, my game changed completely.

On coaching - A lot of coaches try to coach too much. Prepare the players, get them in good shape, tell them what you expect, and then stay back and let them play.

On free throw shooting - I've never really understood why more players don't make the effort to become great free-throw shooters. It just takes practice and hard work. And concentration.

On defense - To play good, sound defense takes five guys playing and thinking together. But you can't do that all the time. Sometimes the big stand is taken in the first quarter. Or the third. The crucial times are the key.

On great teams - If you want to be a great team...win a championship...you've got to fight through everything. You've got to keep hammerin' and focusing yourself.

George Raveling Rebounding - "Anticipation of the Missed Shot"

I'll continue to highlight some of the key points from George Raveling's War on the Boards. The following are preparation points for rebounders in anticipation of a missed shot.

1. Observe how far away from the basket the shot was taken. - 10-15 feet shots rebound short. 20-25 feet shots rebound long.

2. Observe the type of shot taken and the amount of arc on the shot.

3. Observe the angle on the floor from which the shot was taken in relation to the basket. Was it taken from the corner, middle, side or inside of the foul line?

4. Conduct a pre-game check - Are the backboards and rims loose or tight? Does the game ball have the proper amount of air in it?

5. Have a complete knowledge of the shooting abilities of your teammates and your opponents - What moves and shots will opponents utilize? Know when a shooter likes to shoot, from where, types of shots, amount of force and arc behind his shots.

George Raveling's Anatomy of a Rebound

I have become a collector of old basketball coaching books. I came across a gem last week at a baseball card show. It is titled War on the Boards, one of two rebounding books that George Raveling has written. It was published while Raveling was the head coach at Washington State in 1984 and is the most comprehensive rebounding book I have ever seen.

I’ll post a series of blogs on Raveling’s good stuff. This post includes the four mechanical areas of rebounding. These are great teaching points when working on rebounding:

1) Positioning– the precise position on the court from which a player can most effectively compete for the missed shot


Defensive player – keep yourself between the offensive player and the basket
Offensive player – position yourself in the general area in which you think the shot will rebound

2)Rebounding Stance

1. Feet – spaced apart
2. Knees - flexibility
3. Trunk – slight lean towards the basket
4. Hips – lowered into semi-crouch position
5. Elbows – out and away from the body
6. Hands – spread apart, upward, open
7. Eyes and Head – eyes on flight of shot; head up and straight
8. Body Balance – allow for easy movement in any direction
9. Toes – push off as the body leaves the floor

3) Approach

Quick and aggressive movement toward the ball
Arms fully extended
Grasp the ball tightly with two hands
Bring ball down in a quick jerking motion with elbows out, away from the body
“Spread eagle” with a firm base

4) Conversion– “outlet” a sharp or direct pass; use of dribble only used as a last resort

Coach Raveling also has a wonderful website (www.CoachGeorgeRaveling.com) and is a great follow on Twitter (@GeorgeRaveling).