Yanders Law and The Basketball Movement will be back!

Stay-at-home orders may have closed the doors at The Basketball Movement and halted Yanders Law activities, but you can still follow along online.

Amidst unprecedented circumstances, The Basketball Movement and Yanders Law are suspending activities as local officials issue stay-at-home orders in our area. Though we are all bummed, we are hopeful that these events will put a stop to the spread of the coronavirus that is wreaking havoc on our country and our community.

If you have been following us for a while, you know how seriously #LawNation takes the well-being of our community both on and off the court. We ask that everyone do your part to slow the spread by staying inside and practicing excellent hygiene.

The sooner we come together and beat this thing, the sooner we can get back hooping and doing what we love. That’s right - we will be back!

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A post shared by @robtheevolution1 on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:02pm PDT

We ask that you stick with us by giving a follow on Twitter, likes on Facebook and Instagram, and checking back frequently as we update this blog as usual. We are going to be doing our best to continue a flow of quality basketball content in a time that sorely misses the sport already.

To not only help support us as a local business, but also to stay on top of your game in this surprise offseason, dive in on Robert Yanders’ Evolution of a Hooper series on Patreon.

Not only will your contributions help us come back strong from this trying time, but you will gain access to an incredible library of on and off-court curriculum from the basketball mind of our Founder, Rob Yanders. New drills will continue to be uploaded, many of which you can work on from your driveway, garage, etc. More on The Evolution coming soon.

Thank you to everyone who has already been doing their part to combat the virus. Everyone else, join in and just study some film for a few weeks! We will be back soon!

- Yanders Law

Stay safe, Law Nation!

Just a reminder for our #LawNation family to stay safe and informed during this coronavirus scare.

We do not yet know the extent of coronvirus’ impact on the United States, as it is still early in our exposure. What we do know is that if left to flourish, it can wreak havoc on even developed nations such as our own. Luckily, it does not seem to have a dramatic impact on the young or generally healthy.

That said, it can still be spread through these demographics. Just because you may not be at risk does not mean you can go about completely carefree. It is still possible to spread the disease on surfaces or in the air. For the sake of your family, your neighbors, older individuals, the immunocompromised, and their loved ones, practice social distancing and take special care of your personal hygiene.

Yanders Law is all about hoops and we are certainly bummed to be missing out on March Madness, the NBA season, and more. Still, we are more than basketball. We want to do our very best to look out for #LawNation like the family we are. We hope to keep you informed and will certainly reach out with any decisions that will affect our athletes or their families.

We just plead again that you all stay safe and informed. Maybe this will all blow over, maybe it won’t for some time. Either way, just take it seriously. Don’t be Rudy Gobert touching microphones and goofing around in the locker room. Unfortunately, this is life or death for some people.

If you can’t be in a gym, remember there are other ways to stay sharp! Practice handles in your garage, lay down on your back and check the backspin on your follow-through. From social media, we have seen that the best have been watching film like Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Check around our blog for articles on good players to study by position. Also, keep your head up! This too shall pass. In the meantime, do your part to stay ahead of this thing. ‘Till next time!

Community - Yanders Law

Ahead of the Angels of the Hardwood event, we examine the importance of community.

Community may have different meanings depending on who you ask. Communities can be big or small. They can consist of families, neighbors, peers, cities, or regions. Whatever you consider to be your community, understand that you and everyone else in it has a responsibility to make it better.

Not everyone will contribute in strengthening a community; not everyone can. That is why it is imperative that individuals such as yourself step up to the plate. Take pride in where you are from.

Any community that you have been a part of has helped to shape you into the person you are today. However, you aren’t the only one. Other individuals in your community have also been shaped by some common factors. Most importantly, others such as children are still being shaped while growing in those communities.

Widespread aid - helping on a large scale is fantastic, but not always easy. Giving back to the communities that helped shape you is an excellent way to make an immediate impact. The more you care about the people and places you are giving back to, the greater impact you will likely have.

At the Angels of the Hardwood event, The Basketball Movement and Yanders Law give back to the local community in the form of Nike Elite basketballs, Nike shoes, free lessons, motivation, and camaraderie. We turn something we are passionate about into a positive for our community and the results are amazing.

You are likely big into basketball yourself, but there are so many other ways to give back. If your talents are in music, use that to lift spirits at a local veteran’s home. If you are great with kids, get involved with after school programs. Not sure what to do? Find a great organization such as Convoy of Hope - they can always use help packing food and hygiene kits that help families all over.

However you do it, keep your community’s needs in your thoughts and allow those thoughts to become action whenever possible.

Check out more on Angels of the Hardwood here and keep following along as we use basketball to unite people and bring about positive change.

Make sure you are following Yanders Law across all platforms!

At Yanders Law, we do our best to keep you in the loop. Help us help you by giving us a follow on all social media platforms!

At present, Yanders Law social media accounts certainly share consistencies, but also some slight differences too. To make sure you are getting the full experience, you should be following along across the board to take in all content.

Our Facebook account is currently set up as an individual rather than a business page - be our friend! On Facebook you will see these blog updates, the biggest player news, and team updates. It is also a great place to reach out and let us know if you or your Yanders Law athlete have any big news concerning recruitment or otherwise.

On our Twitter, you will see much of the same in the form of these posts and big player news. In addition, Twitter is where the league pages are most active such as NY2LA and GNBA. For this reason, we are easily able to retweet final score updates from games as well as their picks for any standout Yanders Law athletes. For the biggest Yanders Law fans, Twitter is a must.

Finally, our Instagram is the best place to get visual glimpses inside the Yanders Law program. The posts come directly from the Founder himself, Rob Yanders. He drops team pictures, news, and his patented motivation that everyone can benefit from.

So, make sure that you are tuned into all outlets of Yanders Law to get as much #LawNation goodness as possible! Even during stretches where school ball becomes prioritized, we will be coming at you with recruiting news, basketball tips, motivation, and more.

Do yourself a favor and stay tuned! Thanks as always for being along for the ride!

What it means to be "In the trenches"

There is a sports analogy that refers to teams being “in the trenches.” What exactly does this mean?

First, perhaps we should start by saying that the origin of saying you are “in the trenches” comes from war time. At war, soldiers would dig and then occupy trenches with their fellow soldiers, putting them in a frightening, front-lines experience that only their fellow soldiers could possibly understand. So, we want to quickly point out that nothing about basketball or any sport can actually truly compare to combat situations - in case that wasn’t obvious.

Despite the seriousness of its origins, the saying is still used because it is easy to apply to other situations in which you and your brothers or sisters on a team go through tough times together to achieve goals bigger than any one individual. Only athletes that have put blood, sweat, and tears into a sport can fully understand the elation of winning championships or the lows of big losses. That is why we so often hear professionals mentioning that outsiders don’t fully understand the work that goes in behind the scenes.

There is an old clip of Isaiah Thomas (the original, Bad Boy Pistons Isaiah Thomas) watching back for the first time the tape of himself battling through a sprained ankle in the Finals, doing everything he could to will his team to victory before falling short. They cut back to Thomas, who was crying. When the host asks him about his emotion, Thomas begins to answer, but winds up telling him “You wouldn’t understand.”

It’s true. Almost everyone has played sports, so there may be some degree of understanding, but the specific circumstances that you fight through as an individual or as a team are unique. Isaiah legitimately gave his all in that series, but was unable to make magic happen. Putting it all on the court and leaving it there is a big undertaking, but one that true competitors will take on every time.

What each team goes through is what brings them closer as individuals. The greatest teams drew close in practices, on the road, or off the court - A.K.A. the trenches.

To be in the trenches with teammates is a special thing that should not be taken lightly. We hope that all of our Yanders Law athletes understand this and not only use their time to become better at basketball, but also stronger individuals and better teammates/friends.

When you are putting in work down in the trenches of the sport, don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for your team - your brothers and sisters in Yanders Law colors. The best players are almost always amazing teammates. When and where do you become an amazing teammate? In the trenches.

Using size to your advantage

Basketball players come in many shapes and sizes. Each of these various sizes can be used to a player's advantage.

For a long time, basketball was closed off to only the biggest individuals at its highest levels. Throwing it into the post to let your bruiser back his/her way to the cup was the most effective form of offense. Times have changed.

The game itself has evolved, as has our understanding of what it takes to win. Foul-calling and the three pointer have been a pair of equalizers in addition to the knowledge of what it takes to succeed at smaller sizes.

It still certainly helps to be big, but now more than ever, smaller players have opportunities to compete as well.

Guards can use skill and speed

Perimeter players can be light and/or on the shorter side, while still achieving success. A great shot can go a long way in the sport of basketball. Ball-handling and passing as well. A taller player may be able to get a better view of the floor, but being lower to the ground often means improved ball-handling prowess and bounce pass options.

There are numerous examples of shorter players experiencing great success at all levels of the game. Yanders Law Founder, Rob Yanders played professionally with grit and savvy rather than overpowering opponents with strength and size - though quickness and toughness helped too.

Post players aren't going anywhere

Just because it is easier to be an undersized baller does not mean that post-play is out the door. A surplus of height, or even extra (managed) weight/muscle are always an intimidating factor on the court.

Manute Bol & Muggsy Bogues, team-mates and the tallest/shortest players in the history of the NBA at the time (1987) pic.twitter.com/7DQNBenb4v

— History Lovers Club (@historylvrsclub) May 2, 2018

The taller you are, the closer you are to the rim. Offense and defense both become a bit easier with height. The top rim-protectors have always been tall with an above-average wingspan.

Even if you are on the bigger side, but height isn't part of the equation, there are ways to succeed. The bigger you are, the more you will be able to impose your will on smaller players.

Not too big, but not too small?

You can definitely work with this too. Being somewhere in between means that you may be able to matchup with multiple positions.

A well-rounded skill set will help you to use your size on the perimeter or hang with the bigs down low.

For more help on how to take advantage of your size, whatever it may be, talk with you Yanders Law coaches. These individuals are in these positions because they know the game inside and out. Take advantage of this resource and pull out all the stops on the way to maximizing your potential.