Phl cagers passion for game awes Baker
As he opens his first training camp in basketball- crazy Philippines, elite trainer, motivational speaker and skills coach Ganon Baker shared the basic formula that helped his highprofile trainees led by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Amare Stoudemire reap success.
“Do things that most players won’t do. Ninety-nine percent of players out there are only going to do what the coaches ask them to do. They gotta show up early, do a couple of drills to work on their weaknesses. In practice, don’t get bored; in practice, stay in the moment,” Baker said in a press briefing yesterday.
Baker, who is here to oversee the Ganon Baker Camp that will run until May 20 at Ronac Center in San Juan, expressed admiration with the Filipinos’ “unbelievable, unmatched passion not only for life but for the game of basketball.”
“Filipinos have an unbelievable passion so the players have to back it up with a purpose. Get into a routine, get into a game plan. They (have to) research the game – what do I need as a small guard? What do I need to be in the PBA? What do I need to learn if I want to go to the States and play? What do I need to eat? How tall I need to be, how heavy?
“They have to understand the trends of the game now, study their craft, find a routine, train their body, mind, skills and competitive game and they gotta do it everyday,” he said.
Baker‘s camp caters to boys and girls aged 12-18 as well as amateur and professional coaches who want to learn special drills and game approaches such as separation dribbling, shooting and attacking. Following the curriculum of Baker’s Elev8 school in Florida, the camp also focuses on defensive techniques and condition, according to Eric Bañes, local partner and camp organizer.
Baker said he was fortunate to work with certified achievers like Bryant, James, Paul and Stoudemire and he’s willing to pass off the knowledge to the camp participants.
“I’ve actually been with LeBron, I’ll show them LeBron’s move; I’ve actually been with Chris Paul and lived with Amare, I’ll show you their mindsets to the game so I’m bringing authentic message,” he said.
“I know some of their (superstars’) signature moves or some of their secrets to the game that I can pass off to them (participants),” he added.
Baker, who also counts Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Andray Blatche among his former pupils, said the successful players possess what he called “extra dimension” to complement their talents.
“They study the game intensely and then they have that extra, where they don’t melt when they feel pain. They battle through pain; they might be injured but they don’t sit out when they’re hurt.
“They have unbelievable mindset and toughness when they face adversity – bad calls, bad fouls, fatigue and they have unbelievable drive. If they’re weak on something, they fix it and find a solution and get to the gym,” he said.
Bañes, a certified skills coach and strength and conditioning specialist, will assist Baker in the camp along with coaches Mon Jose and Aries Dimaunahan.