Email:
I was boxing out a guy who put himself directly under the hoop, but I was facing him instead of having my back to him.  I had an arm on his back trying to 'box out' by keeping him under the basket.  He jumped backwards into me to try to get out from under the basket, and I held my position by pushing back with my arm in order to keep him from displacing me.  The ref called me for pushing.  Am I guilty of a foul, or am I entitled to push back with the necessary force to stay where I am? 

Reply:  Hi - Thanks for the question.

Email:  Hi Coach,
At middle school, I played the center position.  I'm 5'10, or somewhere near that.  I used to be able to block most of the shots that players bring into the paint area, and even players who are taller than me.  I also used to be able to gobble up rebounds at will.  Not saying I am as good as Dwight Howard, but I played exactly like him.  Helping out on the weak-side, swatting shots, and rebounding at will.  

But now that I am in high school, all that's seemed to change.

Email:  Dear Coach, 
I've been working on raising my vertical jump bar, I was successful in quite a short time, from 27 inches to 35 in about 3-4 weeks.  After the obvious gain, I might have gotten too motivated, I switched to working out nearly EVERY day while playing basketball on Wednesdays and Saturdays (full court, and I'm known for never slowing down).  Lately I've been feeling alot of pain on my shins, supposedly lactic acid, I get really fatigued playing, and I can barely jump up 30 inches.

Email:  Good Evening:
I am a brand new coach to basketball, a sport that I played briefly 30 years ago and have not followed since.  I was thrown into coaching 4 years ago when my son was in grade 4 and our school junior team needed a coach.  No teachers were willing to step forward.  Since then I have spent 100”s of hours researching and learning the game of basketball.  Although I have learned tons... I know there is tons left to learn.  The boys that I started with are now in their last year of grade school and have asked me to continue doing shooting practices a couple of mornings a week to prepare for high school ball.

Email:  I just finished reading your book and found it exactly what I needed to read.  I have begun the first part of the system, just practicing off the top corner of the glass and can already feel my confidence as a shooter growing.  I wanted to know if you coach privately, and if so how that process would work, would you come to me, or would I come to you?  What would the instruction cost?  I want you to know I have the drive to become the greatest basketball player I can be, but I need help getting there.

Answer:  I question why would anyone want to do that?  Or why would anyone want to completely eliminate all their feelings?  Or why would anyone want to completely eliminate all their senses?  All these are parts of being human.  How we respond to stimulation helps define our individuality, and athletes can use the same situations that create 'performance anxiety' to create continual personal bests.  

When we are introduced to unknowns we are introduced to change.