[quote]Tielie wrote:
Hi guys,
my first post on this forum because I have strong feelings about this subject. I even joined this forum for vertical jumps and especially this topic which I read.
I play basketball in Holland on a very average level. Which means I get to play against guys who got skills but are not good enough for the real work. So people who retired from pro ball in Holland or were found too short or something, they end up in my competition.
I recognize good ballers, like BodyGuard does, because I played them each week for the last 13 years now. I play against people nowadays far less athletic, fast, etc. as I am but still they punish me. Their shot, there basketball intelligence etc. is far superior than anything my team has to offer. We’re a bunch of 20/21 year olds still learning the tricks, maybe even still developing our shots and we play against veterans who got skills you can’t teach or learn. It’s all natural and comes with experience on a high level.
These dudes in their thirties or forties got a release on their shots that’s pure beauty. They haven’t lost anything of their former touch. You can’t forget how to shoot so Fred, I can see your shot is plain but-ugly and my guess is it’s always been that way.
So you, thinking your the man on the court, I’m sorry but this video did not impress me a bit. I won’t rate you because of the video on a day in the park, but I can see your shot, your slow handles etc. and it just doesn’t do it for me.
On a more positive note:
Your training is the shit, your dunks are cool.
I also train to be able to dunk. I’m 6" and touching the rim. I added 15 centimeters of vert and 10 kg’s of bodyweight over the last months and I feel good about it.
Basketball, for me, is fun. I won’t be pro, nor do I want to. I want to dunk because it looks cool and I bet it feels even better to do it. I care about winning, don’t get me wrong, but I want to be able to dunk in practise, on a street court and maybe even in a game. And why? Because it looks cool and is a big part of what makes basketball a nice game to watch.
In games, I throw a lot of weird no look passes or daring behind the backs. I make sure they’ll work, it doesn’t make my game bad. These are the plays people talk about after a game. Not a 12 foot jumpshot anyone can make.
So I believe basketball should be fun and good to watch. Dunking is a BIG part of that and I can totally see why one should bust his ass in a gym to jump higher. In fact, I’m gonna do it myself right now. Squatting, nice and deep, imagining myself floating through air, dunking a ball.
Bye now!
ps. have you guys thought about the fact that his training will not only make him jump higher but also move faster? Sprinting and jumping are very related. So the argument that dunking is not a part of the basketballgame does not count: being able to run fast and jump high DOES (rebounds, anyone?) and dunking comes with the package.[/quote]
Although I obviously agree with alot of what you said - you were a bit more diplomatic than me in the end - rebounding has NOTHING to do with how high you can jump. Again, you’d have to play at a high level to understand this. One of the greatest rebounders ever, Mose Malone, couldn’t really jump. Most rebounds are gotten on position and physicality - no one lets you stand under the rim and gather yourself and jump up like its a jump ball. It’s very physical in the lane. Most rebounds are recieved at rim height or below - not counting the ESPN highlights.
I do agree there is a strong correlation between jumping ability and running and general athletic performance. I’ve never downplayed jumping ability and I myself had it then. I’m just telling the uninformed that dunking is a SMALL part of the NBA game.