Hard Smart Together Chalk Talks

How To Take Control of Your Confidence This Offseason Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are a HS basketball player that had struggles last season maintaining your confidence, today's episode is for you! I'm here to tell you that true confidence doesn't come from results, your playing time, your coach or anyone else, You can control your own confidence and in this episode I share 3 ways you can take control this offseason. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

3 Ways To Get The Most Out of Your Offseason Workouts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are a HS basketball player that is serious about improving, you have already started thinking about your off-season workouts. Today I want to go over a few things you can do, to get the most out of them and make sure at the beginning of next season you are full of confidence in your game, because of the work you put in, instead of being disappointed in yourself for not making the progress that you wanted to start next season with. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Learn How To Spot and Stop Runs To Become a High IQ HS Basketball Player Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are a HS basketball player that wants to be one of those high IQ players on the court, one of the best skills you can have is knowing how to spot and stop runs that the opposing team is on. The earlier you can spot a run, the less momentum the opposing team can build and with less runs, you have a better chances of winning the game. Today, we are going to discuss how to spot and stop runs! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How To Choose an AAU Basketball Program That’s The Best Fit For You Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are you a HS Basketball player that’s considering what AAU program or team might be your best fit? Now that your HS season is wrapping up, this is something that may be a stressful decision for you and your family. Today, I am going to try and help you calm that stress and find what’s best for you. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How To Use March Madness Games To Improve Your Basketball IQ Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles It’s the greatest time of the year again for basketball players, that’s right it’s March Madness. But if you are looking to build your basketball IQ as a HS player, I don’t want you watching games as a fan, I want you watching to improve your game. So today I’m going to share how you can get started by watching March Madness games over the next month and 4 things that you can focus on in each game you watch. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

3 Areas To Focus On To Shoot Better By Next Season Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Shooting Form - https://youtu.be/0ndAvEimca0 We are wrapping up another HS season and I hope you had a great season. But odds are you are already thinking about the things you want to improve for next season. This is a great time to reflect on what went well for you this season and what maybe didn’t. One universal thing most players want is to become a better shooter by next season. So today I want to go over 3 things you should focus on. You may need some time off after a long season, but this time of year is a great time to reflect on your past season as you plan your offseason. If player development is important to you and you want to come into next season even better than this one, that reflection will cover a lot of areas of your game, but shooting is so much fun, let’s start there. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

The Recruiting Process Has Changed When Should You Start Your Recruiting Process? Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles As I talk with student-athletes about the recruiting process, a recurring question comes up from them and their family. When is the right time to start the recruiting process and start sending emails to coaches? Today I am going to share what I tell them. If you think the recruiting process is you sitting back and opening a stack of letters or emails from coaches around the country, begging you to come play for them, you may find yourself disappointed. While that may be the experience of student-athletes who are at the top of their chosen sport, the majority of future college student-athletes are going to have to initiate and manage their own recruiting journey. So when do you start? And when do you send those introductory emails to coaches you are interested in maybe playing for? Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

When You're Behind At The End Of The Game On Defense How You Need To Play Defense Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles A few weeks ago I did an episode on high basketball IQ strategies on offense, when you are down at the end of the game. Today I am going to share how you can change your defensive play to give your team a better chance at getting stops and winning the game. You’re down at the end of the game and need the ball back to score and catch up. Now we aren’t talking about desperation, have to foul time. We are talking, not many possessions left and you need to make something happen on defense. As I mention, everytime we are talking strategy, a high IQ player always listens to what your coach instructs you to do. You first job is to execute their strategy. But you should also have situational awareness to avoid the mistakes made by so many average players. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave

Student Athlete Mindset Do You as a HS Basketball Player Inspire Others? Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles I love sports, all sports and I love following athletes and their stories. It’s typically the reason I follow certain teams. So as I was watching a show highlighting some of the athletes that are going to be in the upcoming Winter Olympics, it got me thinking about why people love sports so much and what HS basketball players can learn from the athletes we see on tv and inspire us. Every athlete has a story, whether it’s Lindsey Vonn or Alysa Lui, Steph Curry it’s the stories that inspire us. Can you imagine watching just a bunch of nameless, faceless people that you know nothing about playing sports. You probably wouldn’t care to even watch. So what can you learn from these heroes that have made it to the pinnacle of their sports as a HS Basketball player? Plenty, here are 3 things that you can learn. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How To Stand Out To College Coaches With Your Basketball Recruiting Video Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a HS Basketball player that has hopes of playing in college. One of the most important components in your recruiting process is making a highlight video for college coaches. Today we are going to discuss some common mistakes most players make with their videos and how you can stand out from the crowd. As a HS and College coach I have watched tons of recruiting highlight videos. Most of them are made from the perspective of a fan, not a coach. In the changing world of recruiting, a highlight video takes on a bigger responsibility than in ever has before. Let’s be honest, there are so many players out there that want to play in college, coaches have no way to know about them all and you can’t assume that any of the coaches that you may want to play for have any idea who you are. Coaches also want and need developed players, opting for transfers because there is more evidence of a player’s development. You have to stand out with your video! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Basketball Tip For When You’re Behind At The End Of The Game on Offense Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a HS Basketball player that wants to increase your basketball IQ, you need to study how to play in different game situations. Today I want to share what smart players can do in end of the game situations, when their team is behind and they need to score quickly on offense. Have you found yourself down at the end of any games this season? Did you know what your best chance of scoring on offense was? As a high IQ basketball player, you should also know how what to do on offense in this situation as well, so today I am going to share the easiest way to score quickly and give your team a chance to win. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

If You Are a HS Basketball Player Ask Yourself This Question Everyday! Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles In an episode a few weeks ago we talked about the difference between contributing vs contaminating. Today I am going to share the simple question you should ask yourself everyday as a HS Basketball player that will keep you on the right side of that equation. Just a quick review if you didn’t catch the episode a few weeks ago. There is an old saying, if you aren’t contributing, you are contaminating. That applies to everything you do with your basketball team. We talk in that episode about a few ways you could contribute, using your voice for a winning gym, helping your teammates get better and not being an energy vampire. Today I want to share how to make contributing a habit. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

What Are You Willing To Do For More Playing Time? Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles We’re at the point in the season that rotations are pretty set and your playing time is probably fairly consistent. For a lot of you HS Basketball players out there, that may mean that you aren’t getting the PT that you feel you deserve or want. Maybe you only get a few minutes a half or maybe you only get in during a blowout. The question I have for you is, how much do you really want more playing time? If you do, I am going to share your chance to carve out more at this point in the season. I know all the reasons, your coach plays favorites, you don’t get the opportunity to show what you can do, your teammate’s parents are involved, it’s unfair, blah, blah, blah… I doubt those are the reasons you aren’t getting more PT, but at the end of the day, does the reason really matter? You just want more time on the floor, so today I am going to share your best chance at more PT this season. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Student Athlete New Years Resolutions and 2026 Goal Setting Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles It’s that time of year again, when we all reflect on our resolutions of last year and make new ones, As a Student -Athlete and HS Basketball player, your’s may have been about basketball, school or something else. But before you make this year’s resolutions, I want you to reflect on the last year. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How Your Approach as a Student Athlete Makes a Statement About You Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles I watched the final game in a college football team’s season a couple of weeks ago and at the end of it I saw something that is a lesson for every HS student-athlete no matter what sport you play. It was a reminder of how important your approach to everything you do is and how you never know who’s watching. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

3 Ways To Contribute To Your Basketball Team’s Success Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles There is an old saying, if you aren’t contributing, you are contaminating. That applies to everything you do with your basketball team. Doing nothing, just showing up, blending in, going through the motions aren’t options if you want to contribute to your team’s success, so today I am going to share 3 ways you can contribute to your HS basketball team’s success! Let’s be honest, I’m sure you went into the season with the best intentions, this was going to be the best season ever and you were going to be a major contributor. But as season’s progress it’s easy to become a contaminator vs a contributor to your team’s success. You don’t have to be a active contaminator but you can also just be a passive contaminator, by not contributing in some of the ways I’m going to share with you today. Because it’s not ok, to just go through the motions waiting for your turn. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How To Make a Bigger Impact on Defense as a HS Basketball Player Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are a HS Basketball player that wants to stand out on the court to your coach and earn more playing time, then you need to make a bigger impact on defense. That’s right defense, because that’s what coaches notice, while fans in the stands notice offense. But guess what fans don’t hand out your playing time! So today I am going to share a question, that will help you make a bigger impact on defense. You can impact a game on the defensive end of the court. Coaches notice and reward great defensive players, even if you aren’t a great shooter or scorer. There is a question you can ask yourself that will help you become more aware and make a bigger impact on defense and that question is, “is the player with the ball worried about me?”. Today I want to share how to create that worry for the offense, no matter if you are guarding the ball or not. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

3 Mindset Tips For HS Holiday Basketball Tournaments Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles High School Basketball Tournaments are upon us. It got me thinking about the mindset that players need during these early season tournaments that can set up them up for league games and postseason tournament success. Today I am going to share 3 mindset tips for approaching the holiday tournaments. Early season HS Holiday tournaments are really important as a foundation of season success. You get an opportunity to play against a variety of competition that isn’t in your league. So having the right mindset going into these tourneys is really important. Today I want to share 3 of these mindset tips. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Practice Gratitude For Better Basketball as HS Players Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles We are approaching Thanksgiving and it’s the time of year that people typically reflect on what they are grateful for. But what if I told you that practicing gratitude on a regular basis can actually have an impact on your basketball game? Today I am going to share how to practice gratitude for better basketball. We are all excited about Turkey dinners, school being out for Thanksgiving break and hanging out with friends. But what if I told you practicing gratitude on a regular basis, not just during Thanksgiving can give you a competitive advantage on the basketball court. Studies have shown that a positive mindset starts with gratitude and a positive mindset on the basketball court means you are free to play better. Today let’s cover 3 steps to incorporate gratitude into your routine, like you would a fundamental basketball drill. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Who Benefits From Fast vs Slow Tempo in High School Basketball Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Last week we talked about how you as a HS Basketball player can learn and get better at spotting momentum shifts in a basketball game. We touched on tempo in that chat as well. Tempo is one of those things that high IQ basketball players understand. So today, I am going to share, who benefits from fast tempo vs slow tempo. We’ve covered tempo in the past, but it’s one of those high basketball IQ things that you should have a great understanding of. So what is tempo? It’s not how fast you are running, or dribbling, or pushing to ball up the floor. It is simply the number of possessions in a game, or any period of time during the game. Fast tempo games have more possessions than slow tempo games. Today I want to share who benefits from each tempo, why and when. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Increasing Your Basketball IQ By Learning To Recognize Momentum Shifts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Basketball players with a high basketball IQ, know how to play and how to make adjustments, based on a variety of things going on in the game. If you are a HS basketball player that wants to increase your basketball IQ, one of the best places to start is getting better at spotting momentum shifts in the game. Today I am going to share 3 simple steps to getting better at this high level skill. Do you play the same way all game? Sure you play hard and try to guard your man, try to score when you can. If you want to be one of those smart players that stand out to coaches, you need to make in game adjustments to how you play and how your team plays depending on the game situation. Being good at spotting momentum shifts and knowing how to respond is one of those high IQ things you need to develop as a HS basketball player. These 3 steps will help you get better at spotting momentum shifts. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Focus on Defending The Paint As a HS Basketball Player Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Last week I shared how getting into the paint can help you become a better playmaker on the offensive end of the basketball court. Today I am going to share how you can focus on defending the paint on the defensive end so your team isn’t scored on as easily… Keeping the ball out of the paint on the defensive end of the floor is so important to your team’s success. We talked about the advantage you get as an offensive player in the paint last week and so if you don’t want to give opponents that advantage, you have to focus on defending the paint. I am going to share 3 ways that you as a HS basketball player can get better as a defender with that focus. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How The Paint Helps To Make You a Better Basketball Playmaker Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are a HS Basketball player that wants to be a playmaker, today’s episode is for you. Today I am going to share how you can use the paint to show off your playmaking and be a valuable contributor on offense for your team. Every HS Basketball player I know wants to be a contributor on the offensive end of the floor. Let’s face it, it’s fun to score and it’s fun to see your team score. So I am going to share why the paint is so important to you being a playmaker for your team, no matter how good a shooter you are or how dangerous an offensive player you are. So I am going to share how the paint makes you a better playmaker. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Lessons For HS Basketball Players That I Learned From My First 100 Episodes Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Last week’s episode was my 10oth episode and it got me reflecting on the lessons I have learned in the last 100 weeks. Funny thing is they are lessons that apply to my audience of HS basketball players too. So today I am going to share 3 lessons that you can use as we launch into a new basketball season! 100 episodes and I almost let it pass by without even mentioning it to you guys. I found myself falling in some of the same traps that I warn players about. I was a little disappointed in my progress, hard on myself about not accomplishing all of the things I wanted to accomplish and even having an internal debate if my efforts were making a difference. Then I shook off those thoughts and decided to share my lessons that you can use in your HS basketball season and career… Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

3 Things HS Basketball Players Do Too Much While Trying To Show Their Skills Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you are like most HS Basketball players you probably are really excited to show off your skills to the coach during tryouts and at the beginning of the season. The problem is that most players show off the wrong stuff by doing too much of the 3 things that I’m going to share with you today. I know you’ve spent all summer working on your game and you want to show your coach what you can do, but a lot of you are going about it the wrong way, When I was a player in HS and College I did too much of the wrong things and as a HS and College Coach I have seen so many players throughout the years doing too much of the 3 things I am going to share today. If your goal is to make that team, to impress the coach and to be a valuable contributor to your team, stop doing too much of these 3 things. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

The Easiest Way To Show Your Mental Toughness To Your Coach Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Mental Toughness is one of those things that coaches are looking for in players. So how do you show off your mental toughness in tryouts or in the beginning of the season, as your coach is evaluating you and your teammates? Today I am going to share a subtle thing that coaches look for in players that can help you stand out! One of the most frustrating things that coaches hear all the time is how they have favorites on the team. I like to tell all you HS basketball players out there the truth on this channel, so guess what, sure they do! But probably not for the reasons you think, a lot of times it’s subtle little things that you don’t even realize that you as a player are in control of. Yes, you can be a favorite and one of the simplest ways is by showing off your mental toughness. Today I am going to share how to show your mental toughness, so you can kick off this season on the right foot! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

The Best Role You Can Have On Your High School Basketball Team Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Another HS Basketball season is upon us and pretty soon you will find out what your role on the team is. Today, I want to share a really valuable piece of advice I got for a NCAA Division I head coach, on the best role you can have on a basketball team. I was coaching at the NCAA Division II level, when I went to talk to a NCAA Division I coach that I had met while taking my HS teams to camp at USF. That coach gave me some advice that I wish I had heard as a HS and College player and as a HS coach, but I still needed to hear it even as I had worked my way to coaching in college. The advice, “The best role you can have is the one you have”. I am going to share 3 things today that can help you embrace your current role, while working towards your dream role. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Defensive Skills To Show Off During HS Basketball Tryouts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles We are wrapping up the series I started 4 weeks ago on skills you should show off during your HS Basketball tryouts. In the past episodes we have covered showing off control, communication and hustle. Today we are going to share how to stand out on the defensive end off the floor. 99% of coaches on the planet love defense. All the skills we’ve been talking about to show off and stand out in tryouts are culture building skills. That’s part of the trick in standing out in a tryout, showing the coaches that you are the type of player that can help them build the culture of the team. Defense is one of those culture-building skills, it doesn’t matter what scheme a coach is going to run, we are talking about skills you can show off no matter the scheme or your individual talent level. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How To Show Off Good Hustle During HS Basketball Tryouts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles HS Basketball Tryouts are going to be here in the blink of an eye and today I want to continue the series that I started out a couple of weeks ago on skills that you should show off to stand out in your high school basketball tryouts. If you’ve been following you know I’ve shared how to show off your control on the court and your communication on the court. In today’s episode we are sharing how to show off your hustle that coaches will notice! Today we are talking about hustle, not the kind of hustle that you might think will make you look like a kiss-butt. Not the kind of fake hustle that actually hurts your team by taking you out of position to make high IQ plays on the court. We are talking about the kind of hustle that coaches look for in tryouts, the kind of hustle that coaches see and think that player can help our program’s culture, the kind of hustle that makes you not only stand out in tryouts, but makes you a better player and teammate! I am going to give you 3 ways to show off that kind of hustle… Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

The Overlooked Basketball Skill You Should Show Off To Standout In HS Basketball Tryouts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Basketball Tryouts are getting closer by the week and today I want to continue the series that I started last week on skills that you should show off to stand out in your high school basketball tryouts. If you listened last week you know we covered showing off your control on the court, today we are sharing how to show off a critical skill that’s often overlooked, communication! Today we are talking about showing off communication skills that will make you standout to coaches during your HS tryouts. Being an effective on-court communicator is one of the most valuable things you can bring to your team and it can help you stand out as a player. Have you ever not really known what to say on the court, so you just don’t say anything? Have you been unsure about your communication skills? Have you ever felt you just can’t get your teammate’s or your coach’s attention? Today I’m going to share 3 things you can be confident in that will make you a better on-court communicator, Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Basketball Skills You Should Show Off To Standout In HS Basketball Tryouts Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles We are weeks away from your HS Basketball Tryouts. If you’re a Basketball player, this is a very exciting time of the year, but it can also be a stressful time of the year as y0u anticipate whether you make the team, or whether you finally earn that starting spot? I want you going into tryouts with the confidence that you are prepared to stand out to your coaches, so I am going to share the skills you need to show off in tryouts! Today we are talking about showing off skills that will make you standout to coaches during your HS tryouts. I’m going to make this a series over the next few week kinda like the series I did over the summer on this to show off in AAU games. This series I want to concentrate on things you can practice and are easy to implement in a short amount of time before your tryouts. In the coming weeks we will talk about specific ways you can show off your control, communication, hustle and defense. Today we will cover showing off your control on the court. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How Girls HS Basketball Players Should Study Game Film Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a Girls High School Basketball player or a coach or parent of a girls HS Basketball player, today is your day! Last week we talked specifically about a typical mistake boys make when they are watching game film for individual player development. We know that one of the best things you can do to improve on the court is studying game film. In this episode, I’m going to share how girls typically approach watching film and how it’s different from boys and some tips on making the most out of watching film. Today we are talking about studying game film for player development. We talked last week about how boys and girls basketball players are different. Their approach to the game, their individual improvement and yes especially their approach to watching game film. So just like last week for boys, I am going to cover, how a typical girls player watches game film and how they can make more out of that valuable time. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a Boys High School Basketball player or a coach or parent of a boys HS Basketball player, one of the best things you can do to improve on the court is studying game film. In this episode, I share a typical mistake that is specific to boys when they are watching game film for player development and tips on how to get the most out of your film study sessions. Today we are talking about studying game film for player development. You might be saying to yourself, Coach Dave, why are you just talking about boys players today? Well, believe it or not, boys and girls are different, in there approach to the game and especially how they think about their own improvement. So if you are a boys HS player or coaching a boys player you have to have a different approach to film study in order to get the most from your sessions. Now there are a lot of things you can use film study for, scouting opponents, learning plays, analysis, but today we are talking specifically about watching your own game or practice film for individual improvement. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that wants to set yourself up for success in not just basketball, but for your future as you move forward in your athletic recruiting, college admissions or in college and beyond, you need to focus on growing your own personal network both in basketball and outside of basketball. Because your future is not just based on what you know, but also on who you know. Today I’m going to share 3 simple things you can do to grow your own personal network. I get it, trying to form new meaningful relationships and growing your network as a teenager isn’t easy. For some of you it may come easier than for others, but if you’re anything like me, when I was in HS, I would rather do almost anything than start a conversation with an adult. For one I didn’t really understand the value of building a network back then and I wasn’t super confident. Oh I might have come off like I knew it all, but it’s like John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts” I wish someone would have shared these 3 simple steps with me back then. It would have had a huge impact on my basketball career, academic career and work career. So today I give them to you. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that wants to improve your game, you may be unsure of what exactly to work on. Today, I’m going to share a simple question that will give you clarity on what part of your basketball game to focus on next as you are preparing for the season. A couple of months ago I was watching the NBA draft, I’m a sucker for watching sports drafts, NBA, WNBA, NFL, MBL y0u name it. I’m always fascinated by the stories of the paths player’s took to get them to the professional level, but I’m also fascinated by the analysts that typically discuss each player’s strengths and weakness. If you are a high school basketball player that wants to improve your game, but aren’t quite sure what you should be working on next for the upcoming season, there is one question you should be asking yourself and your trusted coaches. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles One Handed Form Shooting Focus Points - https://youtu.be/0ndAvEimca0 Pressure Shooting Drill - https://youtu.be/SO20AlEV38Y If you’re a High School Basketball player that wants to improve your Free Throw shooting. Today I’m going to build on last week’s episode and give you a 10 Week FT Challenge, to get you ready for your upcoming HS season. Last week we talked about increasing your scoring this coming HS season, by improving your FT shooting. I shared how important each aspect of a FT routine is for becoming a confident FT shooter. Today, I decided to help you put action behind your FT improvement with a 10 week FT Shooting Challenge. In a little over 10 weeks you’re going to be heading into tryouts and starting practices for this HS season, so this give you plenty of time to dial in your FT routine, get used to pressure situations and become confident when you step up to the FT line. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that wants to score more next season, one of the simplest ways to increase your scoring is to improve your FT shooting. Today I’m going to share one of the most critical things you need to practice when shooting FTs and why it’s the secret to becoming a better FT shooter. Everybody likes scoring points in a basketball game, so if you’re a HS player, I’m guessing you would like to increase your scoring next season. One of the simplest ways is to increase your FT shooting percentage. One of the things that all great FT shooters share is having a FT routine that they can depend on under pressure. The great thing about routines are they can be as unique as each different player. Do you have a routine you follow on each FT? Have you seen different routines from players at all levels? Today, I am going to share 3 steps to developing a FT routine and why each step is so important. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that’s playing on an AAU team this summer, this is my 5th and last episode in a series that shares the skills that you should be showing off in your summer AAU basketball games. The last 4 weeks we talked about how to show off your positive energy, your control, your on ball and help defense. Today we’re talking about a skill that every coach notices in a player, their shot selection. I’ve been talking about skills to show off in your AAU games that will help you no matter what your reason for playing AAU this summer, whether you’re playing for exposure, improvement or just for fun. I’ve also been giving you some insight into what the college coaches in the stands are thinking as they evaluated players. Today’s skill is so important, not just to show off in your AAU games, but to make a habit, This skill can mean the difference in PT, getting recruited and really effect your confidence. I have an entire online training dedicated to shot selection and how to make it a habit. But today let’s cover 3 things you should be thinking of before every game. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that’s playing on an AAU team this summer, this is my 4th episode in a series that shares the skills that you should be showing off in your summer AAU basketball games. In the last few weeks we talked about showing off your positive energy, control and on ball defense. Today we’re staying on the defensive side of the ball sharing why and how you can show off your help defense. Help defense is one of those skills that doesn’t get a lot of attention at the AAU level. Let’s face it, not all, but most teams aren’t together long enough to work on the finer points of team defensive schemes. That’s one reason that last week’s episode is so important, because it’s hard to guard someone one on one without a ton of help defense. It’s also why there’s a big opportunity for you to stand out and show off your help defense to all those college coaches in the stands evaluating players. I’m going to share 3 ways you can show off your help defense. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that’s playing on an AAU team this summer, this is a third episode in a series that shares the skills that you should be showing off in your summer AAU basketball games. The last couple of weeks we talked about showing off your positive energy and your control. Today we’re talking about another on court skill that’s one of the keys to playing time at every level of basketball. I’ve been talking about skills to show off in your AAU games that will help you no matter what your reason for playing AAU this summer, whether you’re playing for exposure, improvement or just for fun. I’ve also been giving you some insight into what the college coaches in the stands are thinking as they evaluated players. Another one of the biggest questions they have about players on the floor is “Who can they guard?” Can they guard the players at our level, can they contribute on the defensive end or will they be a liability that we can’t get on the floor? So today we are talking about 3 ways to show off your on ball defense! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that’s playing on an AAU team this summer, this is my second episode in a series that shares the skills that you should be showing off in your summer AAU basketball games. Last week we talked about showing off your positive energy, today we’re talking about an on court skill that coaches love to see in players. It doesn’t matter why you are playing AAU basketball this summer, to get exposure to college coaches, to improve your game for next HS season or just to have fun, today’s skill is something that will help you with all of the above. Coaches that are watching players play AAU are evaluating several things, but one of the critical things is how much development are we going to have to do with this player to get them any PT for our program. Coaches aren’t going to give PT to out of control players, so today we are talking about 3 ways to show off your control! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you’re a High School Basketball player that’s playing on an AAU team this summer, this series of episodes are going to be for you. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share 6 skills that you should be showing off in your AAU games this summer. How many times have you been watching a basketball game or any sport for that matter and heard the announcers talk about how one team is playing with so much energy? Or even about a particular player bringing energy to their team? How about seeing a team “feeding” off the energy of their crowd? Have you ever heard a coach say, we are playing with a lot of energy tonight, or some nights the same coach may say we aren’t playing connected as a team tonight… The world is made up of energy and today I’m going to share how you should be showing off one of your most important skills in AAU games, your positive energy! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com  

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If you're a High School Basketball player that wants to show up to next season better than you were last season, who wants to make next season the best season you’ve ever had, then you need to work on your game this summer. Today I’m going to share the 3 skill sets that you should be scheduling some time to work on over the summer. We are talking about how you might want to carve out your time for your own player development this summer. There are 3 distinct areas of your game that you can work on and I am going to share some ideas for you to improve in each of these skill sets. The first thing you have to commit to is scheduling some of your summer time to each area of your game. If you spend all summer just playing games, you may get a little better, but you aren’t going to see the drastic improvement you can see if you focus your time and energy. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com

Download my free gift for High School Basketball Players - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are you a High School Basketball player that wants more playing time next season, or you want to feel more confident on the court, or maybe you have big plans to play at the next level. We’ve talked a lot about turning bad on court habits into good habits and summer is a great time to get a head start on that process. Today I’m going to share 3 steps that will help you get started in breaking your bad habits. We are talking about those bad on-court habits that you’ve developed over your playing career, how to break those and develop good habits in their place. First I want you to know that you can do it, even though it can be a long and frustrating process, you have to ability to become that confident, high iq, fundamental player you want to be. Remember, whenever you are on the court you are creating habits, either good ones or bad ones, so why not use that time to create good ones. I’m going to share why summer is a great time work on breaking bad habits and 3 simple steps you can take to get started. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

Download my free gift for you - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles If You are a High School Basketball player that wants to play more, you need to earn your coach’s trust more. One of the things that coaches can’t stand are turnovers. So one of the simplest things you can do is to cut down on turnovers. Today I’m going to share a simple habit that can drastically cut down on your unnecessary turnovers. Ran into a coaching friend of mine and he told me about his team’s final game of the season. If they win they go on to the section playoffs, if the loose the season is over. They are up by one at the end of the game and all they have to do is not turn the ball over. Well guess what happens? One of his players made the very avoidable mistake that we are going to discuss today. This player hadn’t developed the basketball high IQ play that would have sent their team to the playoffs. Here I share how you can avoid this same mistake on the court… Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How High School Basketball Players Can Have Your Best Summer Ever Download my free gift for you - Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are You a High School Basketball player that has ever gotten to the end of the summer and thought to yourself, what happened, summer is gone, school is starting again and I don’t feel like summer was what I expected it to be. Or I had all these goals for my game improvement and I didn’t really get any better. Or I was so busy, I forgot to enjoy it! Today I’m going to share how you can have a summer without those regrets when it’s over. We are just a couple of weeks from Summer break. If you don’t have a very specific vision for your summer, someone else will come up with a vision for you. They mean well, but they will fill your summer with what they think you want, or what they think you should do. This might be a coach, a parent, a group of friends. You and you alone need to have a vision for your summer, so when it’s over you won’t say to yourself, where did it go? You have to have a vision, before you make your summer goals, action plan or your summer schedule for yourself. This exercise will give you total clarity on what you should do this summer! Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave Website: https://www.hardsmarttogether.com Game footage in this video is intended for critique and education.

How High School Basketball Players Can Change This Bad Habit Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are You a High School Basketball player that wants more confidence in your game? Making less mistakes, caused by bad habits you may have developed and changing them to good habits will give you more and more confidence in how you play. The offseason is one of the best times to do it. Today I’m going to share one of the bad habits you have to break and give you an example of how even professional NBA players struggle with the same bad habit that’s just a turnover waiting to happen. For those of you who have been following me for a long time, you probably know that I live in the SF Bay Area and I’m a long time GS Warriors fan. But even though I’m a fan of the NBA, I rarely use the NBA game as an example for helping you become a high IQ basketball player, because it’s not the most fundamental form of basketball. It’s funny how fundamental players at all levels are typically the same basketball players that are labeled smart players. I saw an example of a GS player showing the same bad habit in the playoff series with Houston, over and over again and thought what a great teaching moment… Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave

Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are You a High School Basketball player that wants to have the right focus and make the right decisions at critical times during games? Well today I’m going to share a practice drill that I got from a college head coach that emphasizes what you need to focus on at these critical moments. There are a lot of critical moments during games, end of the game, end of quarters or halves. Times that it seems the other team has momentum or momentum is up for grabs. The drill I’m going to share today isn’t just a drill that your team has to run in practice. It’s something that players with a high basketball IQ know and the game moments are something you can practice recognising, so you have the right focus during games. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave

Intangibles Skills Checklist - http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles One-handed Form Shooting - https://youtu.be/0ndAvEimca0 Pistol Pete Maravich Ball Handling - https://www.nba.com/watch/video/pete-maravich-dribbling-drills Pressure Shooting - https://youtu.be/SO20AlEV38Y Are You a High School Basketball player that wants to continue developing your basketball skills and habits even while giving your body a bit of a Spring break after your long season. Today I’m going to share 3 drills that you can do that will still give your body that break while developing some really foundational skills and habits. The last few weeks, we have been focused on giving your body and mind a bit of a basketball break during the Spring. But whether you are playing another Spring sport or just taking a break between your HS season and your upcoming Club Summer season, if you are a hooper, it’s hard to key a ball out of your hands. So, today I want to share these 3 drills that you should be making part of your routine that are hard on your body, but can make a big difference in your game. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave

DOWNLOAD MY SKILLS CHECKLIST! These are 8 skills that coaches love to see in players! → http://www.hardsmarttogether.com/intangibles Are You a High School Basketball player that experienced tension at key moments during games last season. Did you have some stressful times last season, in games, practice or trying to juggling basketball with school and all the other things in your life? Did you deal with nagging little injuries from constant tight muscles throughout the season? Today, I’m going to share a 5 minute exercise that can make next season different for you, if you start making it a habit this today. It's time for a reset, body break and to set the foundation for your summer development and to make next season your best ever. Being a high school athlete in today’s world can be pretty stressful, juggling the pressure to perform on the court and in the classroom at a high level, non-stop activities and responsibilities, it’s easy to find yourself stressed and tense. Today I want to give you an exercise that if you make it a consistent habit, it can help you eliminate or at least manage the tension that you may have felt in your game, body and life last season. Welcome back to Hard Smart Together! I’m Coach Dave, I’m here every week to help basketball players become the smart, confident players that coaches love. Hope you enjoy! Coach Dave