Never too cold or wet for the The Basketball Movement

Poor weather? No problem. Indoor court, outdoor court, no court - there is always a way to keep working on your game.

Life is always going to be handing you great excuses to not hone your craft. Bad weather, full schedule, no gym, the list goes on. There is nothing wrong with taking breaks or needed time off - life happens. Just remember that the players you are striving to be better than may not be doing the same.

Basketball is of course an indoor sport primarily. If the weather is good enough for you to get to a gym, you can practice to your heart's content. Not everyone has court access (you can at least check out the Movement's Saturday Open Clinic), but there are always things you can do.

Locked in the house with bad weather? Grab a basketball. No, we're not going to tell you to dribble around the house. Do some around the worlds to keep your handles and the feel of the ball fresh. Lay flat on your back and get some shots up. Not hitting the ceiling, just watching the rotation of the ball to check your release and flick of the wrist.

Sharpen your mind

Whether you are a player or even a coach, there is always studying to be done on the game. Watch game footage. You do not have to have tapes of opponents or anything like that. Watch some NBA. Watch some college hoops. Get on YouTube and watch some of the greats to learn footwork and where to be on D.

Visualization can be a big part of the game. The same way pros visualize the ball going in the hoop at the free throw line, you can put yourself in the shoes of the players you see on the screen. Keep your eye out for players that you think you can model your game after.

Not everyone can be Michael Jordan, but there are things to be learned from any player that has made it to college or the NBA. Work on your weaknesses, but also focus on your strengths to become elite.

If the weather has you cooped up, keep these things in mind. Also, check out The Basketball Movement on YouTube for the podcast and drills of the week for when you can get back out there.

For more motivation, news, and everything hoops, keep in locked to The Basketball Movement.

Basketball Movement testimonial - Wil Harrington

The Basketball Movement can mean a lot of different things to different people. For me, it elevated more than my game.

I was first introduced to the way of The Basketball Movement before it had that title. I was probably 11 or 12 when I first met Robert Yanders and witnessed firsthand what the Movement was all about.

Rob was a hard-nosed player that made up for his smaller stature by outworking everyone else and taking advantage of his strengths. He brings his intensity and intrinsic motivation and uses it to maximum effect as a coach.

I remember going through speed and skill trainings with Robert while I was in Jr. High. Basketball was always my favorite sport, but I knew that I wasn't in it to become a collegiate player or anything.

Training with Robert was probably the most physically demanding thing I have ever done. I dropped gallons of sweat in the same gym where The Basketball Movement still coaches players today.

Yanders Law guard Anton Brookshire grinding it out with the Basketball Movement in Missouri.

One of the biggest takeaways from my time was what I learned about mind over body. I remember running lines with another player, my buddy Derrick. Rob set a time we had to make it in. We didn't, so he took time off the clock.

That didn't make a lot of sense to me. We ran it again and of course didn't make the new time, now exhausted, as it was pretty late in the workout. Robert took a couple more seconds off the clock. I was too tired to consider that maybe he was just crazy.

Without saying a word to each other, Derrick and I got back on the line and knew that if we didn't make it this time, we were going to keep running forever. Once Rob said go, I moved my tired body as fast as I've ever run before.

We both made it under the new time, even though we were much more tired and had a much loftier goal than the first few attempts. That taught me a lot about what I could do, and what it takes to achieve even the toughest goals.

The discipline and ability to push myself to the limit were lessons that I applied to my whole life, not just basketball. I overcame tough coaches, tough teammates, and did certainly gain some foot-speed and athleticism.

What I leaned from Robert as a coach and as a man has helped me in school and work. Now, he is helping me pursue my interest in writing by handing me the reigns to The Basketball Movement blog.

I would highly recommend The Basketball Movement to anyone. Whether it is skill training or even just the Saturday open clinic. Parents, get your kids in front of Robert Yanders. Rob is one of the most positive influences I can imagine for players of any age.

Dive in to all The Movement has to offer, and keep it locked here for more basketball content. Follow me @WilHarrington

The Basketball Movement is on YouTube

Quick reminder here: The Basketball Movement has plenty of basketball content for you on our YouTube channel.

The Basketball Movement is dropping b-ball knowledge on you from all angles. This site is where you can come to find all of the consolidated information at your fingertips. Of course, there is more to it than just our site!

You may already be following along on Twitter @BBall_Movement for quick hitting updates or even on Instagram @thebasketballmovement. But! Did you know that The Basketball Movement has a YouTube channel?

The channel has our podcast videos like the one above, drills of the week, highlights from tournaments (including our Basketball Movement Invitational), updates on The Movement, and more.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Yanderslaw.

Don't forget to follow all of these avenues to stay up to date on The Basketball Movement!

Don't be like Mike - The beauty of knowing your limits

Most players and fans grow up idolizing players on TV. The superstars carry a lot of appeal, but not everyone can be Michael Jordan.

We saw Kobe Bryant, who clearly modeled his game after Michael Jordan, grow into one of the greatest basketball players ever. Young players everywhere are honing their skills hoping to be just like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, almost none of them will be. Don't worry! That is perfectly okay.

Everyone is made differently. You can hit the weight room every day,  but you are most likely not going to be able to bang in the paint with Dwight Howard or Shaq. Does that mean you should give up? Does not being Michael Jordan mean you should quit reaching? Heck no.

MJ could jump, handle, guard like crazy, and make defenders looks silly in almost every way. There aren't a lot of people who can be so extraordinary at so many aspects of the game.

So what do you do?

Find your personal strengths and work on them until it hurts. Shore up any weaknesses, but focus even more on what makes you a special player.

Just because you do have limits, doesn't mean you can't raise them. Have a decent jumper? Become a reliable jump shooter. Then, become a dangerous shooter. Always elevate each aspect of your game as much as possible, just don't get frustrated when you aren't the best there is.

If the Bulls had five fantastic shooting guards, would they start five shooting guards?

Every team needs bigs to crash the glass. Every team needs willing defenders who are content being the glue that doesn't stand out on the stat sheet. There are a lot of champions at every level of the game who are there because they put their ego aside and did what made them great for their team.

Don't be defined by your physical limits, but don't be afraid to embrace them either. There is a reason that Kyrie Irving doesn't care about dunking and Tim Duncan never worried about the three point line.

You can be great. Adapt and conquer the game in every way that is available to you. Don't be like Mike, be the best version of you that you can create.

Start by jumping aboard The Basketball Movement.