Next time you're in the gym working on your game, shoot a shot and close your eyes as soon as you release the ball.  Don't open your eyes until the ball hits the ground (make or miss). Not too beneficial is it? Yet that's basically what every player does during their workouts until they meet me.

The reason you watch your shot go in or out is so that you can judge your shooting form and performance.  Make all your shots-your form is great. Miss them all-your form is bad, but for some reason most players only watch (and thus track) only their shooting performance during workouts. Players very rarely track their speed, how quickly they shoot, how fast they dribble or any of the other various drills they may work on.

That's where I come in.  A few years ago, I began tracking some of the data and drills of some of the players I train. Four years later, we now how a solid database called Living by Numbers which houses 1000's of players scores in at least 12 different drills.  With this database, we track players reps/scores for numerous drills.  For example, many players are familiar with the Mikan Drill, but no one every tracks their progress in that drill.  We do.  Check out AJ Davis (2013) of the Buford Wolves as he records 21 made Mikans in :30 tying our record held by former Milton standout and current Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Julian Royal.

We have 4 Divisions in our Living by Numbers database: High School (3rd-4th graders), College (5th-6th graders), NBA (7th-8th graders) and Elite (High School and Collegiate players). We have found that tracking players scores in these drills really encourages them to A) work on their fundamentals and B) push themselves to get a better score each time they perform.  Using the Living by Numbers program, players can truly see their progress year over year. In 2010, Owen Ferguson broke our Front/Back Bounce record of 76 bounces in :30, when he collected 88 bounces at our NIKE Camp in Birmingham, Alabama.  Was Owen satisfied? No.  He came back to our camp again in 2011 and this time he broke his own record and collected 99 bounces (see video below).  Amazing! That's a 12.5% improvement in 1 year and when you can show players that they are actually improving it makes it that much easier for them to work on their game.



The bottom line is track every thing you do.  Most of our drills are :30, but be creative with your own workout and be sure to make it fun.  Then track your progress and watch your own records fall.  If you have any questions about our Living by Number program, feel free to email me at lmiller@elitehoopsbasketball.com.

Lee Miller
National Director
Elite Hoops
"Release Your Potential"