ORIGIN
For some time I’ve been designing a project that connects basketball, learning and technology to a much bigger magnitude than this simple web page. However, the conditions to develop such a project haven't been given yet. FBP will become just the first brick of everything.
Forming a Basketball Player was born because of a gross index made in about twenty-five minutes by Juanki Rivero and myself. It wasn't clear its use at first, whether a book, a drills summary or a blog. But the main goal is to be a flexible guide to develop modern basketball players, quality ones.
GOALS
The aim of FBP is to become an information support for coaches and players. Yes, for players as well. So the web page is based to provide attractive contents, simple to understand and helpful in the short, medium and long term planning.
Flexibility is one of the keys for FBP. In the way of editing contents that we know for advance will be obsolete, modified or refuted. Because basketball, like any other sport, is a changing element in which new tendencies never stop coming.
And the last and more complex goal is to become a tool for social interaction and debate of ideas through the comments. And it would even be great if more people join the project and contribute to its expansion.
TO YOUNG PLAYERS
The project was designed to develop players in formation age. That is the stage where they need an intense and excellent individualized planning. The contents to be trained must be determined by the long and medium term goals and, in turn, knowing how to deal with the short term and the competition issue.
The formation stage determines the type of player that you will be in the future, keeping in mind the physical condition is yet unfinished. That's why it's so important to design flexible plans and have good professionals working with young players, pros who are able to understand the goals and implement them.
TO PRO PLAYERS
Professional player doesn't mean finished product but the opposite. When professionalism increases, the level of demand also does so, therefore the player has to improve to fill that demand. Today, the players who have more difficulties are those who can’t improve or adapt.
Before the current season, my idea of senior basketball was very different. Because of my experience, I had always believed that working with senior players meant keeping them healthy and adapting your ideas to make them feel comfortable. But that is a lie. They also love to practice, they're intrigued by the idea of improving, they're attracted to do new things on the court, and above all, they're extremely addicted to the competition, no matter what situation or the achievement. Now I understand that developing a professional player isn't just possible but necessary for them, even though they may not know it.
THANKS
I'd like to thank the people who constitute FBP’s team, for their help, their support and the adventure spirit they always put on the table when new projects show up.
And of course, I appreciate being able to develop FBP in parallel with my work as a coach at Torpan Pojat, where I have the privilege to work daily with great players. Thanks to those professional players this project is a reality.
INDEX
FBP’s index is a summary with the most important points, general or specific, that we think necessary to develop a quality basketball player. It's classified into four sections, related and interdependent: Basketball IQ, Offense, Defense and Off the Court.
Within the index, each subsection preceded by a dot (·) which means that at certain point it will become an article itself, where we’ll be more precise, explaining the concepts and it’ll be supported by different materials (video, photos, exercises).
We prefer to publish the route map in advance, although it's incomplete at the beginning. Because the index itself provides already a lot of valuable information for those who understand the terms. So little by little we'll get a clearer picture of the whole.
The index doesn't follow a specific order, however we try to set the concepts more or less in the way we should practice or the importance they have. But it isn't a mathematical thing, square and motionless, exactly the opposite, the subsections are dependent on each other and even, they have to progress equally.
INDEX SECTIONS
BASKETBALL IQ
Those things related to intelligence, emotions, self-control and control of the environment, which have a direct impact on the game itself. Being a smart player is DNA’s consequence, but knowing how to play intelligent is not only possible but also trainable.
OFFENSE
The offensive concepts, individual or collective, that a player needs. Personally, I think there are three basic skills that will continue impacting the game next few years: advanced ball handling, no looking pass and shooting extremely quick.
DEFENSE
The defensive concepts, individual or collective, that a player needs. The big change for defense will be taking the initiative from the offense, not just being an element to minimize damages. How to anticipate, using the hands and attacking the mismatches.
OFF THE COURT
Those external things that influence, direct or indirectly, in the learning process and the performance of the player. This section is the most definitive to become a professional, and normally is the one which less care is taken.
BASKETBALL STYLE
The people who started this project have the same basketball root, and that root is Antonio de Torres Moreno, professional Spanish coach for more than forty years. Most of the things we do and the ideas we teach are adopted from Antonio’s basketball way. His style is based on innovation, competitiveness and a really precise planning. In other words: being a quality professional that never stops updating.
Our ideal basketball is based on having players able to take good decisions in short time intervals, whether in offense or defense. Therefore, we make a lot of emphasis on individual skills, timing & spacing, reading the game, anticipation, concentration, precision on the execution and improvisation. Our players are able to adapt to any game system and occupy a wide variety of roles, because they are educated knowing how to perform in all the spots.