News

Hoops for the Holidays!

The Holiday Season is approaching quickly. My Backyard Sports has come up with Basketball related gifts you and your family or friends can enjoy for years to come.  If you have any specific questions, feel free to email us at anytime.

Hoops for the Holidays!

Revolutionize Your Basketball Practice by Copycatting Chip Kelly

Bill Walsh revolutionized football while watching a basketball game.  He took the motion, screens and high percentage of the inbounds pass from basketball and created a football offense along the same lines called the West Coast offense.  I won't go into how it revolutionized football as there have been encyclopedias written about it.  You can read a little about it here (Click Here)   

How can you steal from football to revolutionize basketball like Bill Walsh did with basketball for football?  What benefits, strategies or schemes can you take from football and apply to basketball?  Specifically, how can you emulate Chip Kelly?  

As a Giant's fan, I hate Chip Kelly but, as an entrepreneur, I really admire how Chip Kelly operates practices.  What he's done is create a practice so efficient that the players are able to execute 30-50%,and in some cases 1000%, more plays per practice than other teams.  

Some players are able to get complete practices worth of reps where, in the past and for other teams, they wouldn't get in a single rep.  For the Eagles and previously for Oregon, they receive the added benefit of not just the increased reps for the backup players, but it gives the coaches a chance to discover diamonds in the rough.

Practice makes perfect and Chip Kelly has taken this mantra to another level.  You can read a little more about his philosophy here.  (Click Here)

How can you use Chip Kelly's philosophy to help your team?  I won't go into specific drills or strategies but what I will talk about is how you can better use your equipment to achieve the same efficiency as Chip Kelly.

I have been into thousands of high schools, junior schools and middle schools and I see many patterns.  With the exception of the main court boards, almost every single gym has wooden or steel side backboards.  

 

 

 

The ball does not react the same as tempered glass; they are not clearglass or see through; almost 100% of them do not have breakaway rims and they are not set at the regulation height of 10'.  Almost 80% of the rims I measure are 1/2"-1" off and, in some case, even more.  (Test it yourself)

Your players are practicing on backboards and rims they will not be playing on in regulation games.  They are not practicing perfectly.  Not because of anything you are doing but the equipment.  

How much improvement would you see if you had six regulation boards with regulation rims?  How much improvement would you see with perfect practice on perfect equipment?  

How many more drills could you do with six regulation backboards with breakaway rims in play?  Six sets of kids doing Mikan drills.  Six sets of kids doing free throw shooting drills.  Six sets of kids doing lay up, warm up or ball handling drills.  

How many more reps will your players get?  How many diamonds in the rough will you find?

Speaking of efficiency, upgrading backboards is one of the easiest and most affordable upgrades you can do in your gym.  It's low cost and doesn't require gym downtime.  There are also numerous ways to get new tempered-glass backboards. 

If you have any questions or would like to know how we can help you purchase new boards, feel free to reach out to us at 1-877-Hoop 101 (877-466-7101).

 

5 Cost-Effective Gymnasium Upgrades

Below are several quick-fix yet cost-effective solutions for your school.

5. Backboard Upgrades (Click Here)
Most backboards in schools have been there since the school was built. Upgrading a steel backboard to a tempered-glass backboard for indoor use or an acrylic for outdoor use is easy to do and extremely cost-effective. Because most backboard mounting points are compatible with one another, it’s as simple as just swapping out the old board for the new.

For example, a school can convert an indoor board to a regulation-sized 42″ X 72″ tempered-glass backboard for roughly $1,000-$1,200 per backboard. 

The benefits go beyond just appearance. It gives basketball teams additional systems to use for practicing drills as well as giving Phys Ed teachers additional tools to work with for class.

Article on backboards (Click Here)

 

4. Bleacher Repair
Many schools experience problems with their retractable bleachers being unable to close completely. This occurs for the following reason, when your bleachers are fully extended, the planks sag due to the weight of the spectators. When you go to close the bleachers they no longer line up. In most cases this is a relatively easy fix. My Backyard Sports will install braces with wheels in the middle of each plank which will prevent the plank from sagging while allowing the bleacher to still retract and close.

This fix can save your school tens of thousands of dollars as well as many headaches for you and your custodial staff.

 

3. Wall Padding (Click Here)
Wall padding is another tool that, over time, fades, rips and tears. Replacing it will not only improve the appearance of your facility but the safety of it as well.

An important note, the National Federation of State High School Associations has revised their recommendations for the safe distance between a basketball hoop’s end line and wall from 3′ to 10′ that should be padded. Read Article!

 

We're offering free logos with the purchase of 12 wall pads or more.  Call 1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101) for pricing.

 

2. Weight Rooms
Fitness equipment is incredibly expensive. Renovation of the room is not. There are many low-cost improvement options that can give you an improved appearance and functionality such as replacing the flooring, installing mirrors, painting, installing storage racks or hooks and much, much more. It’s possible to completely renovate an entire weight room for a fraction of the cost of one piece of cardio equipment such as a treadmill. We’d be happy to review pictures of your space and give you some recommendations.

-Fix mirrors.

-Repholster ripped or torn vinyl

-Replace flooring

 

1. Color your lines, not your courts
Painting a tennis or basketball court is extremely expensive. However, painting lines on an outdoor basketball court in your school colors with your school logo in the key or center court can save you plenty and while still being just as visually appealing.

We hope you find this list useful and if you have any questions feel free to call or email us at:

1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101).

How to Start A K-3 Basketball Program

Dear Basketball Coaches and Athletic Directors,

 

1. Why start a K-3 Basketball Program?

Raise more money for your basketball program and school.  This is a pool of four additional grades of students not currently included in your basketball program.  Not only will you raise more money, you're helping parents by giving them another activity for their child.
Make your program more competitive. By exposing kids to basketball at an earlier age, you improve their fundamentals and your program's retention rate.
It's a win-win for your elementary school phys ed teachers.  We recommend installing height-adjustment systems at elementary schools.  It gives physical education teachers at those elementary schools another tool to use in class.

 

2. What prevents most schools from having a K-3 Basketball Program?

Yes there is the issue of finding coaches, court time and more but, generally speaking, the main reason towns do not start a K-3 basketball program is that kids cannot shoot on a regulation-height rim of 10'.

 

3. What's the solution?  Get a Backboard Height Adjuster!

These systems adjust from 10' - 8'.  (Click Here)

 

How to get Started?

Call Home Court Hoops @ 1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101).  

 

How much do they cost?

You can get indoor backboard height-adjustment systems, with installation, for as little as $1,200 per backboard.

 

Gym Basketball Backboards- Sizes and Materials

Upgrading or maintaining your gym basketball backboards is a very affordable and easy way to improve your gym from a standpoint of aesthetics and athletics.  This guide will show you thee different types of backboards, sizes and ways to replace them so your gym is more efficient.