Mailbag!

  Welcome to the mailbag! We’ve received some great questions and comments on our recent articles and content lately.  Before we get to the articles and questions, we have a couple of exciting announcements…  NEW TikTok Account… and links to other social media accounts!  For those of you who use [TikTok]( we are a little late to the party, but we’ve started to post some of our videos there as well.  Here is the [Breakthrough Basketball TikTok account](.  Also, if you’re interested in other platforms, you can see them here:  [YouTube](  [X / Twitter](  [Facebook](  [Instagram](  [LinkedIn](  Breakthrough Basketball Coaches Dominate Playoffs!  This week we’re featuring high school coaches.   Next week, we’ll feature college coaches, since many of their seasons are just wrapping up. And shortly after that, we’ll show you the amazing accomplishments of some of our camp coaches.   1 - Nate Steege (the expert on[the highly popular Zoom Offense)]( reached his 4th state championship game.   2 - Mike Hilmer (the creator of[the unpredictable trapping Relentless Pressure System]( won his 3rd state championship and reached his 7th straight championship game appearance (zero prior to implementing his system).  3 - Rob Brost (the expert behind[Uncomfortable Pace]( and[Man Left Defense]( finished 26-5 with another conference championship! And reached another Sectional Final in the highly competitive state of Illinois.  4 - Ryan Schultz (expert behind [Hybrid Attack Offense]( [Early Attack Offense]( and [How To Run Championship Practices - 21 Drills]( made yet another state tournament appearance look routine in the highly competitive big-school division. Finished 20-4 and reached his 8th state tournament in 10 years.  5 - Nate Sanderson (expert on [50+ Game-Based Drills]( - Reached the state semifinals... after the program went 1-20 just three years prior. He now has 4 state semi-final appearances and 2 state championships.  6 - Nick LoGalbo (expert behind the [Outer 1/3 Defense]( [Team Offense Shooting Drills]( [12 Practice Drills]( - Produced yet another 20-win season at an academic-focused school... against some of the best high school competition in the country.  7 - Rob Beucler (expert on the [2-2-1 Versatile Press]( - Finished 2nd in the conference... just two years after a 9th place finish!  Congrats and good luck!   NEW Coaching Articles, Plays, Drills & Videos (ALL Age Levels):  [2v1 Fast Break Drill: Develops Better Ball Handling, Passing, Scoring, and Decision Making](  [4 End of Game Plays]( - 2 DHO Full Court Plays, "Wizard" SLOB, and "Special" BLOB  [Are You Coaching a Team or Leading a Program? 7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Find Out](   NEW YOUTH Coaching Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [Should You Stop Using 1v1 Drills?](   NEW Training Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [Become a Dynamic Dribbler With This Simple "Random" Drill for Elite Handles](  [Transform Your Shooting Skills with a Quick 20-Minute Solo Workout](  [Youth Athletic Development Workout - Improve Jumping, Strength, Quickness, and Injury Prevention](  [The BEST Dribble Move Ever?Â](  [How Increase Your Shooting Percentage By 14% Without Practice](   Today’s Mailbag  Could the Fake & Fade have prevented Oakland’s upset of Kentucky?  Coach Rob Brost recently pointed how the “Fake and Fade” (covered in his [Man Left Defense video]( could’ve helped Kentucky in their first round matchup against Oakland… Potentially even preventing the upset.  Here’s the [Twitter post]( if you’d like to watch the Kentucky-Oakland video clip.  If you’d like to learn more about the “Fake and Fade” and how it can help you prevent lay ups and 3-point shots at the same time, you can [read the article and watch the video here](.  And this leads to another question we got on Facebook…  Question: Does the fake & fade work in International basketball?  Coach Tim McTamney (Former Pro Coach in New Zealand NBL) left [this question on Facebook](  The effectiveness of Force Left concepts are undeniable at age group level, however I would be interested to see if this particular element, 'fake and fade' would be effective internationally.  The smaller effective playing area and much shorter three point line in the US means less space to defend and significantly longer closeouts...I think the 'fake' could put the defender in a difficult spot.  Perhaps playing in the gap, no fake and then fade on the ball being picked up will avoid changes in the defender's momentum, closeouts may be more achievable.  Joe Haefner’s Response:  Since I have zero International basketball coaching experience, I don’t have a good answer for this one. However, if you have coached International basketball and have any experience with utilizing the Fake & Fade, please reply to this email and let me know!  Questions and Comments: Why A Great Record Doesn’t Always Equate To Great Coaching In Youth Basketball… Can 5-15 Be Greater Than 20 - 0!?  There were great comments and discussions here on this [Twitter post]( and the [Facebook post.](  It included comments on parents leaving your youth program if you’re not winning, youth zone defenses, and more.  Here were a few of the comments.  “Truly great, timeless ideas here. Couldn’t agree more.”  “Something I can say for this is that in my area a lot of youth coaches teach kids to run a 2-3 zone. Almost every kid on the court in the 6-7 age group can only shoot layups or short range. I get it helps you win but that’s not the mission here.  The mission is developing them.”  “Never underestimate the future benefits of youth being coached effectively and never underestimate the future negatives of youth being coached poorly.”  “As someone who has coached youth hoops for 40 years the article is spot on. Unfortunately Jon Anderson is also correct. The kids and parents won't stay with a losing team. You have to find balance.”  On a recent FB post, there was a conversation (among other things) regarding whether it’s important to win, so you can keep parents from leaving the youth program.  Since there are multiple comments and questions, you can just [read it here on Facebook]( if you’re interested.  Comment: Ray Allen Shooting Drill as a warm up  On this [twitter post for the Ray Allen Shooting Drill]( we received this comment:  I've used this as a warm up for my kids for the last ten years. Perfect for getting the form lined up.  Question: [20-Minute Shooting Workout]( and Adjusting Long-Distance Shots  Just wanted to say that that was a great email that I'm going to share with my 12u girls team. One question though: how would you adapt for a younger age that struggles making any 3 pointer. Maybe shift in to free throws? - Alex  Joe Haefner’s Response:  Absolutely! You can adjust the long-distance portion to whatever distance is necessary. With my 9 and 10 year old boys, we do a ton of shooting on lower heights (8 to 9 feet) and smaller basketballs (27.5”) as well.   It makes a world of difference with their ability to shoot with good form.  You can even draw a 3-point line that goes out to 12 or 15 feet. That way, they can maintain good technique and still feel like they’re shooting like the pros!  Breakthrough Basketball Camps  With our Spring camps set to start next week, I wanted to send a quick reminder that there’s still time to sign up for both Spring and Summer camps.  And if you’re wondering what other parents, players, and coaches are saying, here are a few of our most recent reviews. These will give you a good sense of what you can expect to gain from attending!  “Learned more in 2 days than she has the past two seasons”   Breakthrough Camps Starting Soon!  With the above in mind, here’s a list of our upcoming camps for the next 2 weeks.  There are still a few spots left at most of them, so if you’re interested and in the area, just click the link below for more info:   [Ina, Illinois]( - April 6-7 - Grades 5 to 10 [Carmel, Indiana]( - April 6-7 - Grades 7 to 12 [Mission, Kansas]( - April 6-7 - Grades 5 to 10 [New Berlin, Wisconsin]( - April 6-7 - Grades 5 to 10 [Bellevue, Washington]( - April 6-7 - Grades 5 to 10 [Hillsboro, Oregon]( - April 12-14 - Grades 7 to 12 [Clinton, Tennessee]( - April 12-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Cheyenne, Wyoming]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Fargo, North Dakota]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Grand Island, Nebraska]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Sold Out] [Gulf Shores, Alabama]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Sold Out] [Mason City, Iowa]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10 [Nampa, Idaho]( - April 13-14 - Grades 5 to 10   Here is our [entire 2024 spring and summer camp schedule]( with over 400+ camps.   Closing Notes  Thanks so much for reading this edition of the Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag! Stay tuned for upcoming editions, featuring more of your questions and comments. We value your input and look forward to helping you on your journey to success.  If you have any thoughts on the type of content you’d like to see more of in upcoming mailings, please feel free to shoot us a reply and let us know!   All the best, Joe Haefner Breakthrough Basketball  This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you indicated that you'd like to receive emails and updates from Breakthrough Basketball on 2016-12-16 06:42:39. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please [Change Your Email Preferences]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved. Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif] . It’s our mission to build a strong community centered around basketball, personal development and most importantly - fun! 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