Couldn't pass this up...
Many times, players complain about "no calls" in practice. They say out of frustration, "In a game, that's a foul!" -- in an attempt to remind coaches to call fouls during drills or scrimmages. However, in a real game, players may not be able to finish because they aren't used to getting hacked -- or they aren't mentally tough enough to get through the hammering. Or, it's just plain immoral to let the fouling go.
So, take the angle of Adrian Dantley and his training tips, courtesy of a book from 1987, via 20 Second Timeout:
Playing underneath is tough, no question about it. You have to be willing to get fouled and take a beating. I prepare myself for this in the summer by playing with friends, working especially on my moves under the basket. We'll often play half-court for four or five baskets, and allow grabbing and holding when a player goes to the basket. Other times we'll decide to play the entire game without calling fouls. By playing like this, I'm able to concentrate on making my offensive move and following through with my shot even though I'm being pushed and shoved while I'm doing it. It often gets like that or even rougher when you play underneath in the NBA.
2 comments:
I totally believe this. Adrian was a beast on the block & underneath. He is definitely deserving of his HOF induction.
Agreed on AD being beastly. I'm a die-hard LA Laker fan from Kareem and Company's first championship in 1980, and had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing his well-rounded skills. He could face up, back you down, post and go either direction, and he could score with an awesome array of hooks, scoops, two-handed push shots and other finishers seemingly forgotten by so many players over the last 15+ years.
Most impressive to me was that just like Magic Johnson, AD didn't have the foot speed and quickness of someone like Tiny Archibald or Mo Cheeks. Yet, just like Magic, he was very good at rebounding the ball and not being out of position on defense.
I remember watching Charles Barkley in the late 80s and thinking his game was like Dantley's, but with more leaping power and, sadly, no lip smacking/licking at the free throw line =) I was always disgusted by the cheap shot thug tactics Laimbeer used (ask Kevin McHale how his foot feels), but ya had to respect some of the Bad Boys; AD easily makes that list.
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