OT: Suns Bball Camp

[denial]

Thinking about sending my 9 yr old son to Suns Bball camp.

-Am I just infatuated with the NBA and the Suns or is it actually fair to assume this will be superior to other non-nba-related camps (B&G Club is all we've ever done not sure what else there is)?

-Other than the obvious with regard to living/daily life, is the a difference bball wise between the overnight camp and daily camp?

-Anyone know how much supervision there is at overnight camp? I went to overnight baseball camp around same age and I was lost... missing seminars and training sessions and no adults really seemed to care. My son is not responsible enough to manage his own schedule... do they knock on doors and get kids to where they need to be?

-Safety security?

-Any other details or personal experience?

Thanks!

(PS if it matters to answer any of the ?'s above, my kid is an avg skill player with 2 years of team-play plus a couple of summer tourneys and b&g club camps. He plays tenacious defense and goes 100% all of the time. He is short and has small hands but his effort and IQ make him as good as many others.)

As a tangential question, now that I am writing this, are there any leagues that award this type of play? Where my son plays, much like the nba, the chuckers with low %'s and high PPG get all of the praise. Or maybe I just need to teach the kid how to shoot which I have never ever focused on (perhaps because I am unathletic and cant shoot and so I always focus on effort and D myself)

[SUN]

I haven't been at the camp, but they'll break the bank for a bit for sure. All those camps are highly overpriced.

[RunDogGun]

Sorry, no help on the camp, but there are tons of video on shooting technique. I would watch them myself, get the form down, and then show your boy. It will not only make him a better shooter, it will build a nice father/son relationship.

I coached middle school boys and girls, and I always worked on shooting form. I had a boy, who was extremely smart with sports, but had terrible form. After a few months working on his form, he was shooting from long distances with regularity. Steve Nash has a YouTube video of his daily shoot around. If you can dissect what he is doing, his form is some of the best I have seen.

Oh, and shooting form starts from the feet all the way to the tips of the fingers. Have fun, and let us know about the camp.

Start up close, have the feet about shoulder width apart, with the shooting foot about three to six inches ahead of the other. It is important to have a good base. When shooting, bend and extend at the knees. I start with kids, with one hand holding the ball above the head like a pedestal close to the basket. Once they feel comfortable, then add the guide hand. This might be a good time to also switch and shoot with the other hand, don't forget to switch the foot position. Do this every time you start shooting around. After a few months, his form should be pretty good. I would still get some videos, so you can see the form.

[Qwigglez]

I went to a couple of camps, and those NBA camps show nothing new that I didn't already know. It's just for rich guys to spend money on their spoiled kids. I wouldn't recommend it. The best videos I learned from were the Better Basketball videos. Helped me out tremendously with ballhandling and shooting. The shooting video was really good, IMO.
And then there is a video of Nash doing 20 minutes of shooting around (cardio type work) and that is what I usually warm up to when I shoot around at the gym now.

[denial]

Thanks. He's been taught those things, however he hasn't practiced it at all (ever) other than the few minutes in practice shooting-drills.

Since we're talking bout it, one question I have personally is, what am I supposed to do with my elbow? For some reason I have it in my head I am supposed to have it straight (pointing towards hoop). When I do this, and square towards the basket, I often shoot better. But it is extremely uncomfortable and awkward and unnatural. An alternate method I have found, is to not stand square to the hoop but to stand at an (left) angle, which allows my elbow to lazily be not straight and still be pointing towards the hoop (Ive seen an NBA'er do this but I forget who) but this doesn't seem correct to me. Forgive my ignorance all I know about basketball is what Ive learned from watching mostly nba and my kids practices... never b-played organized ball. My personal shooting is streaky and my sons seems the same (often bad-streaks). thx.

Oh back to the camp: My main motivation is that he is always trying to get away from home and do independent things and I thought the camp would be a good/safe way to do that which he would enjoy. I want him to have a lot of fun while learning at the same time. I can show him videos at home and make him hit the courts but he is not very disciplined. I try to force it on him and it backfires. I;m the type, well at least at my age, where I go to the court and wanna run him through drills. He just wants to play games against me. So with the camp, I think he be great to just have fun while just coincidentally learning at the same time. Thankfully, money isn't a super high concern (I mean, I cant afford to have Al Gentry come give private lessons or anything I'm not rich but at ~$500 for a 4 day overnight camp with room and board I think that is completely reasonable). And I know at the camp they'll be doing lots of drills and structured stuff but I think the fact that he'll be away from home and with new people with be distracting.entertaining enough to make it work. But I gues I am not 100% sure and thats why Im trying to get more of a feel for how it is.

Thx

[denial]

It's just for rich guys to spend money on their spoiled kids.

Funny I said what I said about having the $ to send him to camp (before I saw your last reply) and now I feel embarrassed. Do you really have to be rich to afford $500 camp? I have friends on welfare who spend that much on weed. I'm not rich but I mean, I have a job and all

Personally, I strive to be a rich guy who spoils my kids. That's kinda one of my goals. But I realize that's not a really popular attitude to have so I suppose I should stay away from that topic.

Again, and I don't mean to be a jerk, I now he could simply "Google how to play basketball"... but I was kind of interested in the entire experience as well as the instruction.

EDIT: I Guess I should clarify/simplify my question though... as it is kinda my fault for being vague in my questioning. What I am basically trying to do is, spoil my kids and send them to the best all-around/funnest/most instructive camp I can afford in AZ. So my question is, how does the suns camp stack up to other similar camps in AZ?

Thx

[RunDogGun]

The better basketball videos are some of the best, and Qwiggles mentioned the Nash video. I do parts of that 20 minute video of Nash's when hit the gym. I work a ton on backboard shooting and my opposite hand.

Keep your elbow in, but it shouldn't be uncomfortable. I like to keep my feet staggered, but keep your shoulders square to the basket.

I wasn't suggesting your son google basketball, I was suggesting you look up stuff, learn it yourself, then teach it to your kid. When I was coaching, I went a ton of coaches' clinics and tried to get involved in practices of other coaches at my school. Actually doing the drills myself were so helpful.

[DRK]

Ehh. Dont need a camp. I learnt how to play basketball just by watching youtube videos, and have played for my high school twice, once as a starter.

If your kid has got a love for the game, he'll figure out how to play himself, and save you a whole heap of cash.

[Miklo]

While I agree there's a LOT to be learned/taught at home, I also support basketball camp as a means of developing the team game - and being totally immersed (you can't stop practicing to go in and play video games, you get pushed - hard).

I went to Duke Basketball Camp as a teenager and had the time of my life, as well as making huge strides in my game...I don't think it's a waste of money when your kid gets to take instruction from pros (or whoever runs the camps - it's a confidence booster for your game having gotten professional instruction, even if you can watch a lot of the same things on youtube), and play organized team ball at a high level of play. When I went I was maybe 15 though so I'm not sure what it's like for younger kids, but I'm sure it's the same idea. It was also a chance for me to play against (and get my ass kicked by, in a good way) higher skilled players than I encountered otherwise.

I know you're talking about things in the AZ area but if he's ever interested in going away to camp when he's a little older you definitely should check out the Duke camp - kids from all over the country/world go, and they really do stress the team game and intangibles so his style of play would be rewarded.

[Qwigglez]

It's just for rich guys to spend money on their spoiled kids.

Funny I said what I said about having the $ to send him to camp (before I saw your last reply) and now I feel embarrassed. Do you really have to be rich to afford $500 camp? I have friends on welfare who spend that much on weed. I'm not rich but I mean, I have a job and all

Personally, I strive to be a rich guy who spoils my kids. That's kinda one of my goals. But I realize that's not a really popular attitude to have so I suppose I should stay away from that topic.

Again, and I don't mean to be a jerk, I now he could simply "Google how to play basketball"... but I was kind of interested in the entire experience as well as the instruction.

EDIT: I Guess I should clarify/simplify my question though... as it is kinda my fault for being vague in my questioning. What I am basically trying to do is, spoil my kids and send them to the best all-around/funnest/most instructive camp I can afford in AZ. So my question is, how does the suns camp stack up to other similar camps in AZ?

Thx

Lol. No offense taken. I remember when I went to some Phoenix Suns camps, they were kids who pretty much suck at basketball, but their parents could afford to spend the money on it. From what I remember, a lot of these kids knew each other from previous Phoenix Suns camps, but really none of them were really good.
I actually didn't learn any new drills at the Phoenix Suns camps that I didn't already know. It was fun and all though, because it was a way to show off my skills.
Do you live in the Phoenix area? I'd suggest just signing him up for the local recreation center. Usually they have a league over the summer.

[Qwigglez]

It was a lot of fun though. The experience is cool, but I had more fun just being in the league at the Longview Recreation center (downtown Phoenix).

[RaisingArizona]

Haters gona hate. I went to Suns camps as a kid and liked them. If your kid is seriously interested in basketball then its a no brainer to send him IMO.

[Qwigglez]

Look, in short. If your kid sucks at basketball, he'll go there and learn a lot, lol. It's fun, but I went there with my buddy and we both agreed it didn't teach us anything new. You're kid is 9 years old, so I'm assuming he doesn't know much, so I would do it, lol.
At the same time, look at summer leagues around AZ. They are very affordable and usually last like 8 weeks with a game every week, and at least a one hour practice session once a week (depending on the coach). Extremely fun because you build a connection with other players. I'm still friends with people I met when I was 9 years old in these basketball leagues.

[Revived]

Who's going to Babby's singing camp? Teaches you how to sing like an angel.

Its for all ages.

Sorry, off topic.

[impulsenine]

I'd say send 'em. You'll have a mini-break in parenting, he gets to play as a teammate (which you can't do in drills). Win-win.

[grumpysaddle]

I went to a bunch of overnight basketball camps, but not until like... 12/13. I went to the Knicks summer camp. And I had a blast (though the only player that came was Charles Oakley, but he was pretty cool). It was cool, because I was about 6'0" when I went at 13, which isn't all that tall. And, at my high school I was the center. At the Knicks camp I was a shooting guard. So, a little more true to position. Some of the kids were good, and I learned a lot, and actually ended up making the All-Star team at the end. It's a good life lesson for kids... but maybe you want to wait til he's 12 or so...

[denial]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies.

Its so funny, some of you are probably very athletic naturally and so you speak about kids who "suck" but you probably have no idea what it is like to be short and weak! haha

Just to be fair, and offer context:
I am 5' 7" weigh about 175lbs.
I have small hands and small feet
I am slow and cannot jump
My son has my genes

My point is, by your standard, he probably does suck. And maybe you all didn't read my full posts (fair enough they are long), he already participates in league play and summer play... mostly with the Boys and Girls Club.

I am not trying to get him prepared for pro ball. He is 9. I want him to have a lot of fun. And I want him to be good enough at sports so that he doesn't grow up feeling like ****. Sports is a huge thing in a males life, especially during school years, and I just want him to at least be able to compete at a decent level. He goes to a upper-middle-class school and when his Boys and Girls team travels around the state, the competition is usually much higher than what we have to offer. (our kids are soft man, I admit it).

However, and I only say this as a proud father to keep things clear and accurate, despite being short and slow, my son will hold his head high and play until the absolute last buzzer. And he contributes a lot.

So yeah, one of my goals is for him to shoot better. And I want him to get better at playing.

But honestly, I brought up the camp to him, and all he cared about was "will there be Suns there!?" which I just think is adorable personally. I told him that I saw flix from last year and J Duds appeard to be there... so, "no one really famous" I said. He was like "JARED DUDLEY ARE YOU CRAZY DAD he is too famous!!". It was funny.

I would love for my son to be nose-down hard-core lets grind for 20 hours straight on training and drills. But he is 9. I just want him to have a cool experience and learn some new stuff.

At B&G club the stuff they teach is the absolute most remedial of skills. So I'm sure ANY non B&G camp would be good for him. But would the experience be equal to an nba sponsored one?

Anyways, I think I am gonna give it a try. He doesn't want to do the overnight one; he seems a little scary! So funny how tough he can act one minute and then curl up at the thought of being away.
So maybe we'll do the day camp in Phoenix.

If he does it, I will post back on how it goes.

Thanks again.

[denial]

I was suggesting you look up stuff, learn it yourself, then teach it to your kid.

I will definitely continue doing this.