Inside Sports with Bud Wilkinson (mid 1950s)

inside sports with your host from the University of Oklahoma but Wilkinson America's missile on the ground in the air in any local or national emergency now to give you an inside look at some of the nation's most popular sports here's bud wilkinson hello everyone it's certainly good to be with you again but this is basketball season and a lot of young boys and girls are trying to play it now sometimes your parents wonder whether basketball is too strenuous for a young boy or girl how about that well I don't believe that it is it is a rugged game a lot of running and you get tired when you play it but the purpose of engaging in athletics really is to develop one's physique you don't get strong through inactivity and young boys and girls who do engage in competitive sports someone at a basketball do develop their physiques and I think that it pays great dividends to them in their later years the city sleeps a quiet trouble-free dreamless sleep for in this city as in yours there are those on the alert for instant action these are your National Guardsmen important members of your country's defense team fully trained Guardsmen who are ready willing and able to protect you in case of any state or national emergency they are on the alert day or night at fully equipped nike bases radar control centers with tanks and infantry in modern up-to-date jet aircraft proud members of your Army and Air National Guard sleep well tonight your national guard is awake but what's the big difference between basketball and other sports well i think that the major difference is that all men on the team have to do almost every fundamental equally well in football for example the duties of the linemen in the back are radically different alignment blocks or he plays defense in a very confined area whereas the back is handling the ball all the time throwing it catching it running with it and there it isn't too much that is alike about playing the different positions but in basketball all five men on the team have got to be able to dribble they've got to be able to pass the ball well imma shoot well it's that balance is fundamental is all men doing the same thing that I believe makes basketball in the different team game well I guess the first thing to learn is then how to shoot is that right well I guess we're all offensive minded but I think the first fundamental and basketball is how to catch the ball if you'll toss it to me hard I think that I can make the fundamental of the cats clear the first thing is to keep the fingers of the hand spread and to keep the fingers loose and relaxed so that the ball will cushion into the hand if you're nervous and tense your hand is stiff and hard and the ball will hit it and bounce off but if it's soft with the fingers spread the ball will come in and just cushion in there and you'll be able to catch it very well remember to keep your fingers spread they will cover more of the ball surface if they're closed and tight together you don't get enough of the ball to really catch it effectively if you follow those little tips I think that you will be able to catch the ball well well then after we learn how to catch it then the next thing to do is learn how to shoot right well I don't think so getting the ball down the floor requires passing and I think that learning to execute the passes really is next in importance there are four basic passes in basketball the first and most common of course is the chest pass the ball is held about chest high it's delivered with a little push of the arms and fingertips the ball leaving the fingertips so that you have fingertip control and if you're going to throw in a long way of course you must step forward to get a little bit of the body in the second pass that is almost similar to the chest pass is the bounce pass where you want to get the ball past a tall man quickly and you bounce it on the floor the ball is delivered in almost the same manner with fingertip control the next pass is the most difficult for you young basketball players to execute because of the size of your hand it's the baseball pass where you simply take the ball and throw it you lay it on your hand hold the ball high and then just throw it down the court just like you throw forward pass and football or baseball that's how it gets its name has the baseball past the last one is the overhead pass for short work in close quarters where you simply flip the ball from over your head keeping it high to your teammate let's go out on the court where Doyle parekh one of America's great basketball coaches has four of his players to demonstrate these passes the first is the chest pass as you can see the ball is grasped in two hands and delivered with a push off the chest the players take a step forward as they deliver the pass to give them a little direction and also to put a little more momentum on the ball in making the pass the ball should be grasped in the fingertips and as it is thrown the ball should leave the fingertips last this gives you fingertip control which ensures accuracy let's watch the chest pass in a setup scrimmage drill where the man breaks past the post after receiving the chest pass to hit for the two points let's watch the chest pass in the game whitey Skoog of Minnesota makes a beautiful chest pass to Hutchins of BYU who is up and hits this is the bounce pass and the execution is exactly the same as the chest pass however in throwing the ball it is well to put a little reverse English on it so that it will rebound high with backspin which is put on by having the thumbs cut them under the ball as it is thrown you get a high bounce if the bar were to have over spin it would be a low bounce and it would be hard to handle the bounce pass in a drill movement drills like these ensure a player's ability to operate well in scrimmage now the bounce pass in a game dick pantel then why you makes a beautiful pass to Solomon who bounces it back to him he's up and the basket is made now the baseball pass this is exactly what the term describes it's a one-handed throw exactly as you would use it in a baseball game however a basketball is a large object and very few people can pick the ball up and throw it with one hand consequently in making the pass the opposite hand must place the ball on the throwing hand again the drill where the players learn to execute the pass while moving as they will in game competition the baseball past executed beautifully by Whitey skoog in the college all-star game skoog chose to Ernie Barrett of Kansas State who makes a beautiful one-handed shot the overhead pass or overhead flip is used mostly to get the ball into the pivot man or on a fast break the ball is held above the head and simply flipped with the wrist and the forearms in this drill the players are practicing the overhead pass into the pivot man who fakes and gives to one of his teammates as he breaks past the overhead pass in a game the shot is messed it looks this other ball will go out of bounds but a beautiful save is made now serving making the sign overhead pass and again a basket results the players now will execute all of the basic passes this one is of course the chest pass now the bounce pass try to get a little reverse English on this pass so that the ball will rebound high the baseball pass very effective for moving the ball down the court on the fast break the overhead pass or flip especially good to get the ball into the pivot or postman it also is an effective fast break pass where you do not have to throw the ball for a very great distance and moving into the game competition fingertip control as the important thing in all basketball passes notice how the ball leaves the fingertips of the players at the last moment to hit the target accurately the bud we found out how to catch the ball on how to throw it now there any definite plays a basketball team uses well yes there are but they're sometimes difficult for you fans to distinguish because basketball is a game of continuous motion now many of our games like baseball and football have what I termed stop motion in baseball for example Lee pitch is thrown and then the catcher will throw the ball back to the pitcher and everything stops the outfield may shift around a little Lee infield come in little the picture will look all around to be sure he said and then he'll deliver the ball and the play starts but in basketball everybody's moving all the time and that constant motion makes it difficult for you to see the pattern of the play but every play in basketball is based on screening by screening it's a movement of the offensive player to set up a block which will leave him free his defensive man not being able to follow him while he shoots for example that this man throws the ball into the pivot man and then follows his pass going around the pivot man the defensive player will not be able to get through the screen that will be set up the pivot man will then be able to turn and throw the ball to his teammate who can make a layup shot let's go out on the court and what's the Minneapolis Lakers execute a cut-off pivot play all basketball plays have various options and the Lakers will demonstrate them here George Mikan player the half century is the pivot man Vern Mikkelsen has the ball he passes into Mikan who fakes to Mickelson and has Pollard as an alternate this time he gives the ball off to collared who is up and shoots Pollard has the ball this time to throw it into the pivot man Mike and Mike and fakes to both men turns and makes a beautiful pivot shot he's screening maneuvers set up the different plays in a basketball offense once again Mike and faking to both men and shooting notice his form this play in an actual game sat Macaulay fakes to both men and easy Eddie makes a beautiful pivot shot to score mikan on that play as you noted fake to both men and then made a bounce pass back now let's watch big George execute the same thing in actual competition Vern Mikkelsen has the ball an overhand pass into Mikan who makes a reverse bounce pass to Pollard the ball is on the rim but it goes through the Lakers are really a great team this is a battery of mighty Nikes our new defense against an enemy attack right now many nike bases are manned by your national guard these bases circle the major cities of the United States and our territories guard you against the unexpected the National Guardsmen who man these bases are men of great skill in the art of rocketry they must learn quickly the many skills necessary for this tough job this is one of the many jobs your national guard does to protect you in case of a local or national emergency they're all volunteers ready willing and able constantly on the alert the National Guard is an important member of your country's defense team be proud of them these guardsmen they're your team by the way George Mikan and the rest of those Lakers make basketball look so easy they must be naturally gifted well they're great players and when you people see them play this winter as I hope many of you will you'll be amazed at how simple they make those great shots but new young basketball players must remember that they have spent countless hours of practice before they were ready to play in big-time competition you know when you work hard every day you don't get much better day by day just a little bit but when you put that sincere effort over a period of time you're a great deal better at the end of the year you can accomplish almost any goal if you're willing to prepare yourself and practice long enough it's been awfully good to be with you and I look forward to seeing you again next week inside sports with bud wilkinson men Howard Newman is directed and photographed by Ned Hoffman and is a bud Wilkinson production inside sports is brought to you as a public service by destination in collaboration with your national guard