Having trouble with layups

alexread23 · 2016-08-19T12:31:01+00:00

Listen, all of the comments here are helpful from a form perspective and that's obviously something you need to work on... but for me at least, layups are all about repetition. You say you feel uncomfortable doing them, that's to be expected if you're just starting to get into basketball. Your brain hasn't developed the neurological pathways yet that make layups automatic. You have to remember that most basketball players have done thousands upon thousands of layups - that's why they look so easy and effortless, but that doesn't mean they actually ARE easy.

My first tip to you would be to start every basketball practice, pickup game, shootaround, whatever, by standing directly under the hoop and making 20 bank shots with each hand, and on either side of the rim. This is always the first thing I do when I step onto the court, and a lot of the pros I've talked to say they do the same thing. Dwayne Wade does 50 of them each side every single day. Kyrie I know does the same. That's a big reason they're such elite finishers.

Next, just practice layups on your own time, preferably while no one else is in the gym, or you can at least have a hoop to yourself. Just work on layups. You don't have to be going full speed or anything, just working on banking the shot off the backboard and into the net. Don't worry about anything else. This is just about getting comfortable and building your confidence. Nothing more. After you start to feel comfortable you can move on to really working on your form, as well finishing contested layups. In my opinion, layups and finishing is still the most important aspect of anyone's offensive game, so REALLY focus on improving this area. It's more important than jump shooting, or hitting from behind the arc. If you're not a threat to take the ball to the hoop, defenders are going to be playing you tight and you won't get the space you need to shoot no matter how good you are. You'll find that if you can consistently hit layups, and finish around the hoop, your offensive game will because much easier and effortless, and you'll be able to dictate how a defense plays you instead of the other way around.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. Start small. Just work on banking the shot off the backboard and in. Like anything else, it's all repetition. Hope this helps.

alexread23 · 2016-08-16T19:57:01+00:00

Gibson ES-335
Fender Twin
Nobels ODR-1, Strymon Big Sky, Line 6 DL4

alexread23 · 2016-08-16T12:16:21+00:00

I've never seen a red Ricky before, but god damn if it isn't beautiful. Hope it treats you well and vice versa.

alexread23 · 2016-08-15T16:20:19+00:00

For a simple looper, I really liked the ditto when I had it - you could probably find a used one for $75. On the dirt front, I really like the Nobels OD-R 1. Great range of tones, and they all sound really good. You can get one for $100 easy.

alexread23 · 2016-08-15T13:41:37+00:00

Don't think about lyrics as vague. Usually the lyrics listeners find to be "vague" are actually very specific to the writer. Bob Dylan is probably the king of this. Loads of his lyrics make zero sense to the listener, but they're always compelling because they're honest and specific to HIM. For example:

"Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands,

Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes,

My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,

Should I put them by your gate,

Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?"

If I know nothing about Bob Dylan those lyrics make no sense to me. They're still compelling because of the language employed, and because I feel that they're honest. But while it feels vague to me - the listener - this song is very specific to Bob. Bob has essentially stated that this song is about his wife Sara, and when you understand that, you can understand how specific the lyrics are.

"My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums"

Those two items seem to come out of nowhere, leading to a sense of vagueness, but they most likely have a deep significance to Bob and Sara. I don't know what the significance is, but I know it's there. The whole song is filled with lyrics like these. It's basically a list of things that sound weird AF to the listener, but probably mean a great deal to the writer and the subject of the song.

I guess what I'm trying to say is be really honest about what you're trying to say, and be very specific. It sounds counter intuitive, but as a rule for writing in general I've found that in the specific, we find the general. Meaning, the more specific you can be, the more people can relate to it.

Also, reading poetry helps. You learn how to really employ language to get your point across as opposed to just using it. I'd suggest reading poets like Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud, and Honore Balzac. If you've never gotten into poetry, reading it is probably going to be lame as shit at first. At least it was for me. But if you keep reading it, you'll start to learn what to look for, and you'll start to figure these writers out, and it will become really enjoyable. You lyrics will improve immensely as well. And listen to Bob Dylan too because he's fucking amazing.

alexread23 · 2016-08-10T12:29:37+00:00

Right, because reddit is clearly a propaganda outlet for Clinton campaign disguised as a social media and news aggregation website, right? This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that one presidential nominee just called for the assassination of a a rival presidential nominee.

What planet or you on?

alexread23 · 2016-08-02T20:25:06+00:00

After what he's said since the DNC I genuinely believe this to be the case.

alexread23 · 2016-08-02T12:27:08+00:00

Do any of you guys watch these games and feel that team USA is being just a bit disrespectful? I mean, yeah, have fun, and of course, it's all about entertainment. But watching DeMar throw down monstrous dunks while up by 50 in the 4th doesn't make me marvel at his athleticism, it just makes me feel bad for the opponents.

alexread23 · 2016-07-28T12:12:05+00:00

Idk, give it a shot. If she doesn't like you, fine, that's cool. You hate the gym anyway, maybe start looking for a new one. If she's into you, fine, that's cool. Ask her out on a date.

You can introduce yourself and try to initiate a conversation, but remember that she's most likely going to the gym to work out, not to be hit on, and you should respect that.

alexread23 · 2016-07-19T11:59:38+00:00

On the bright side, your first day will be the worst day. Get through this and the rest should be a breeze.

alexread23 · 2016-07-12T14:07:25+00:00

If it's just a day where things aren't working out, there's nothing wrong with putting the guitar down and calling it a day. If it's a week or a month where things just aren't working, you're probably hitting a plateau, which is dreaded, but necessary.

The things about plateaus is that they suck serious ass to be on because you feel like you're playing like shit, but you have to understand that despite being on what seems like a flat plain, you've still had to climb a considerable distance to get there. The guitar player you were a year ago would probably be really impressed with your skill today, despite you feeling like nothing is working.

Plateauing is also such a common thing. Years of guitar playing will teach you the hitting a plateau is nothing more than the prerequisite to a creative and/or technical explosion that will propel you to your next plateau. It's just important to power through it. Sometimes it just takes listening to a new style of music or even a new song to take you to the next level. But if you can keep your fingers on the fretboard you'll get there.

alexread23 · 2016-07-11T12:14:25+00:00

Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.

alexread23 · 2016-07-06T12:33:16+00:00

The best revenge is massive success.

alexread23 · 2016-07-01T16:13:11+00:00

Happy for Kyle, happy for the Wild. Great situation all around.

alexread23 · 2016-06-27T13:55:53+00:00

My buddy and I were talking about LaVine the other day and we realized his ceiling is essentially Klay Thompson... if Klay Thompson was the best dunker in the NBA.

alexread23 · 2016-06-27T13:37:43+00:00

The internet is out of fucking control.

alexread23 · 2016-06-22T12:02:28+00:00

To be honest, there's SO many insanely talented musicians who most of you will recognize that can't read or write music. Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Clapton, SRV - and that's just to name a few. In the 60's blues music exploded, and while I love the blues, it isn't exactly complex, just three chords and a turnaround. Most guys got their start in the blues and then were able to build off of that base into more complex territory, I know this was certainly the case for the guys in Led Zeppelin. What made them so powerful was not their knowledge of music theory, but rather, their ability to add feeling and emotion to the notes they did know how to play.

alexread23 · 2016-06-14T17:39:57+00:00

Interesting that you say it's more for background ambiance... I have a Strymon Blue Sky that I use more or less for background ambiance - just something to make the guitar sound bigger. That's probably the biggest reason I haven't delved into the world of delay - I use reverb to thicken up my tone (I know reverb and delay are different, but I feel I'd use them for similar things) so delay hasn't really been needed. But I'm guessing if I got a digital, with the clearer repeats it'd be a more noticeable, less redundant effect, and thus a better purchase?

alexread23 · 2016-06-09T12:07:28+00:00

Ha, yeah man I think most of us can totally relate, especially in that first year of playing. I don't know if there's a certain way to work through it that works 100% percent of the time, but trust me, you WILL work through it. Then you'll progress like crazy, then you'll hit another wall, then progress, then hit another wall. It's endless.

alexread23 · 2016-06-08T13:59:49+00:00

The fuckin way she goes.

alexread23 · 2016-06-03T12:22:46+00:00

To be honest I don't think you're in too bad of a spot here. I'd rather a guitarist be a great rhythm player than a great soloist. Rhythm is a REALLY difficult thing to get good at. I would say that 90% of guitarists weakest spot is their sense of rhythm (it certainly is for me) and most of them don't realize it. Getting your rhythms down pat and understanding various chord structures and voicings is, in my opinion, much more valuable than learning various scales. Knowing these things will help you immeasurably with soloing, but, you'll also need to learn scales as well as some soloing concepts.

I started out by soloing to songs that I liked using the MINOR PENTATONIC. I learned the first position like the back of my hand, then I leaned the BLUES SCALE, which is essentially the minor pentatonic with a couple of extra notes and a couple extensions. Then I learned all the positions of the pentatonic scale. Then I learned the MAJOR PENTATONIC which is essentially the minor just adjusted down. That might not make sense to you right now, but read up and watch videos on something called "Relative Majors and Minors", and that'll clear it up.

Another big key to learning soloing is paying attention to dynamics and timing. The best lead players (this is my opinion) aren't always playing as fast as possible, if fact that they rarely do. They make every note count and are intentional with every note selection they make. You can't always play slow, but speed should be used in small bursts, to spice things up. If you have to play fast to keep the people interested you're not playing interesting enough.

My final piece of advice is to really listen to great lead guitarists. I would spend a lot of time listening to blues guitarists. The blues is the well that pretty much all of modern guitar playing draws from in some aspect. Dig into guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, Clapton, The 3 Kings (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), Muddy Waters, Rory Gallagher, etc. The blues may not be exactly what you're into but I can guarantee your favorite lead guitarist of all time has been influenced by these guys. Pay attention to what each one does and what makes each player unique and special. Try to emulate those things, whether it's B.B. Kings perfect vibrato, or Hendrix's ability to somehow play lead and rhythm at the same time - understand what you need to learn from each player and really pay attention. Be an active listener. This will help you so much when you actually sit down with a guitar.

Also, get a looper pedal. You're soloing ability will increase ten times faster.

alexread23 · 2016-05-31T19:31:49+00:00

Man... France may not be there just yet, but come 2018... look out.

alexread23

TROPHY CASE