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Summer is Here - Surprise your Kids and Family with these Great Hoop Ideas

Summer is here and after being in quarantine for so long we are all itching for some fun and to get out of the house (when it’s safe to do so of course).  Putting a smile on your kids face is what we all need and want.

So we here at My Backyard Sports have come up with some Basketball related gifts to surprise your kids. 

Basketball Related Gifts!

Hoops for the Holidays!

The Holiday Season is approaching quickly. My Backyard Sports has come up with Basketball related gifts you and your family or friends can enjoy for years to come.  If you have any specific questions, feel free to email us at anytime.

Hoops for the Holidays!

My Backyard Sports is Hiring!

Attention Athletes

Did you recently graduate college and are not sure what you want to do? Are you a former athlete that’s not quite ready to turn in your pinnie for pinstripes?

Start a career in the sports equipment sales and installation industry. The sporting goods industry is more than just the major shoe companies. Think of all the basketball hoops in driveways, swing sets in backyards and equipment within school gymnasiums and playing fields. Learn the industry, literally, from the ground up.  

Why the sports-equipment industry?

1. Why learn another industry when, as an athlete, you already know one? There’s nothing wrong with an office job but doesn’t sports sound more fun? Business is competition and the sporting goods industry is a $64 billion dollar a year industry. You know how to compete. Why not apply your competitive skills to an industry you understand in order to forge a rewarding career?
2. Installing courts and hoops makes kids happy. Every completed job gives you the personal satisfaction that families will be playing on what you did for years and years to come.
3. Work outside and in gymnasiums. Although there is some office work, there’s no suit and tie here. You’re on the courts and outside making games happen.

Job Description

My Backyard Sports is looking for full and part time sports equipment assembly and sales people to support our amazing customers. We’re looking for fun, team-oriented players with excellent organization skills and keen attention to detail to manage the day-to-day installation of basketball hoops, backyard court consultations and basketball court painting projects.

Responsibilities

• Enjoy talking sports all day
• Consult with homeowners on the proper system for their home as well as the proper placement of their product.
• Consult with athletic directors on the proper equipment for their facility.
• Load truck with materials and equipment according to daily schedule and checklist
• Navigate daily routes according to daily schedule
• Contact customers via phone to inform them of your estimated arrival time
• Manage material and hardware pick up at hardware stores along the route to include: Home Depot, Lowes etc…
• Execute installations according to manufacturer’s instructions and training.

Required Experience

• Knowledge of sports or kid’s sports environment a plus
• Basic ability with landscaping tools to include: shovels, post hole diggers, wheel barrows, measuring tapes, carpenter levels, wrenches and socket sets.
• Basic ability/comfort level with power tools to include: augers, hammer drills, angle grinders, power washers, backpack blowers and jackhammers.
• Ability to lift 80 lbs.
• Valid Drivers License and ability to work in the U.S.
• Proficiency with basic technological devices to include: smart phones to check schedule, take pics of completed jobs and to upload photos to social media sites, GPS to navigate and email.
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Team Player

Job Location

Multiple Areas throughout the United States

Position Type

Full-Time/Part-Time Regular

5-6 days a week

To Apply

Contact Us via our Contact Us Page

Is sports your passion?  Tell us your story and why you want to join us.

• What experience do you have that will make you a more seamless hire with less training required than others? 
• What installation or sales experience do you have; what was it and what connections do you have in the sports community (AD’s, coaches, Parks and Rec Directors) that will help you get a jumpstart on growing the company.
• Anything else that may help us get to know you better.

Thank you.

Revolutionize Your Basketball Practice by Copycatting Chip Kelly

Bill Walsh revolutionized football while watching a basketball game.  He took the motion, screens and high percentage of the inbounds pass from basketball and created a football offense along the same lines called the West Coast offense.  I won't go into how it revolutionized football as there have been encyclopedias written about it.  You can read a little about it here (Click Here)   

How can you steal from football to revolutionize basketball like Bill Walsh did with basketball for football?  What benefits, strategies or schemes can you take from football and apply to basketball?  Specifically, how can you emulate Chip Kelly?  

As a Giant's fan, I hate Chip Kelly but, as an entrepreneur, I really admire how Chip Kelly operates practices.  What he's done is create a practice so efficient that the players are able to execute 30-50%,and in some cases 1000%, more plays per practice than other teams.  

Some players are able to get complete practices worth of reps where, in the past and for other teams, they wouldn't get in a single rep.  For the Eagles and previously for Oregon, they receive the added benefit of not just the increased reps for the backup players, but it gives the coaches a chance to discover diamonds in the rough.

Practice makes perfect and Chip Kelly has taken this mantra to another level.  You can read a little more about his philosophy here.  (Click Here)

How can you use Chip Kelly's philosophy to help your team?  I won't go into specific drills or strategies but what I will talk about is how you can better use your equipment to achieve the same efficiency as Chip Kelly.

I have been into thousands of high schools, junior schools and middle schools and I see many patterns.  With the exception of the main court boards, almost every single gym has wooden or steel side backboards.  

The ball does not react the same as tempered glass; they are not clearglass or see through; almost 100% of them do not have breakaway rims and they are not set at the regulation height of 10'.  Almost 80% of the rims I measure are 1/2"-1" off and, in some case, even more.  (Test it yourself)

Your players are practicing on backboards and rims they will not be playing on in regulation games.  They are not practicing perfectly.  Not because of anything you are doing but the equipment.  

How much improvement would you see if you had six regulation boards with regulation rims?  How much improvement would you see with perfect practice on perfect equipment?  

How many more drills could you do with six regulation backboards with breakaway rims in play?  Six sets of kids doing Mikan drills.  Six sets of kids doing free throw shooting drills.  Six sets of kids doing lay up, warm up or ball handling drills.  

How many more reps will your players get?  How many diamonds in the rough will you find?

Speaking of efficiency, upgrading backboards is one of the easiest and most affordable upgrades you can do in your gym.  It's low cost and doesn't require gym downtime.  There are also numerous ways to get new tempered-glass backboards. 

If you have any questions or would like to know how we can help you purchase new boards, feel free to reach out to us at 1-877-Hoop 101 (877-466-7101).

5 Cost-Effective Gymnasium Upgrades

Below are several quick-fix yet cost-effective solutions for your school.

5. Backboard Upgrades (Click Here)
Most backboards in schools have been there since the school was built. Upgrading a steel backboard to a tempered-glass backboard for indoor use or an acrylic for outdoor use is easy to do and extremely cost-effective. Because most backboard mounting points are compatible with one another, it’s as simple as just swapping out the old board for the new.

For example, a school can convert an indoor board to a regulation-sized 42″ X 72″ tempered-glass backboard for roughly $1,000-$1,200 per backboard. 

The benefits go beyond just appearance. It gives basketball teams additional systems to use for practicing drills as well as giving Phys Ed teachers additional tools to work with for class.

Article on backboards (Click Here)

4. Bleacher Repair
Many schools experience problems with their retractable bleachers being unable to close completely. This occurs for the following reason, when your bleachers are fully extended, the planks sag due to the weight of the spectators. When you go to close the bleachers they no longer line up. In most cases this is a relatively easy fix. My Backyard Sports will install braces with wheels in the middle of each plank which will prevent the plank from sagging while allowing the bleacher to still retract and close.

This fix can save your school tens of thousands of dollars as well as many headaches for you and your custodial staff.

3. Wall Padding (Click Here)
Wall padding is another tool that, over time, fades, rips and tears. Replacing it will not only improve the appearance of your facility but the safety of it as well.

An important note, the National Federation of State High School Associations has revised their recommendations for the safe distance between a basketball hoop’s end line and wall from 3′ to 10′ that should be padded. Read Article!

We're offering free logos with the purchase of 12 wall pads or more.  Call 1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101) for pricing.

2. Weight Rooms
Fitness equipment is incredibly expensive. Renovation of the room is not. There are many low-cost improvement options that can give you an improved appearance and functionality such as replacing the flooring, installing mirrors, painting, installing storage racks or hooks and much, much more. It’s possible to completely renovate an entire weight room for a fraction of the cost of one piece of cardio equipment such as a treadmill. We’d be happy to review pictures of your space and give you some recommendations.

-Fix mirrors.

-Repholster ripped or torn vinyl

-Replace flooring

1. Color your lines, not your courts
Painting a tennis or basketball court is extremely expensive. However, painting lines on an outdoor basketball court in your school colors with your school logo in the key or center court can save you plenty and while still being just as visually appealing.

We hope you find this list useful and if you have any questions feel free to call or email us at:

1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101).

How to Start A K-3 Basketball Program

Dear Basketball Coaches and Athletic Directors,

1. Why start a K-3 Basketball Program?

Raise more money for your basketball program and school.  This is a pool of four additional grades of students not currently included in your basketball program.  Not only will you raise more money, you're helping parents by giving them another activity for their child.
Make your program more competitive. By exposing kids to basketball at an earlier age, you improve their fundamentals and your program's retention rate.
It's a win-win for your elementary school phys ed teachers.  We recommend installing height-adjustment systems at elementary schools.  It gives physical education teachers at those elementary schools another tool to use in class.

2. What prevents most schools from having a K-3 Basketball Program?

Yes there is the issue of finding coaches, court time and more but, generally speaking, the main reason towns do not start a K-3 basketball program is that kids cannot shoot on a regulation-height rim of 10'.

3. What's the solution?  Get a Backboard Height Adjuster!

These systems adjust from 10' - 8'.  (Click Here)

How to get Started?

Call Home Court Hoops @ 1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101).  

How much do they cost?

You can get indoor backboard height-adjustment systems, with installation, for as little as $1,200 per backboard.

Gym Basketball Backboards- Sizes and Materials

Basketball Hoops with Front-Mounted Height Adjustment Systems

Many homes don't have ideal spots to install a basketball hoop because they have tricky driveways with obstacles such as retaining walls, thick shrubs or they are too narrow to put a hoop on the side of the driveway.  There is a trick to this.  Install a hoop with a front-mounted height-adjustment crank.  This allows you to tuck/back the pole nice and close up against either the wall, shrubs or between two garage doors.

In all three of the above scenarios, if you were to put a hoop with a rear-mounted height-adjustment crank, the pole with have to be placed too far out from either the wall or shrubs to compensate for the hand crank which would than either stick too far out into your court or just be impractical.  

With a front-mounted height-adjustment crank, you can tuck the pole nice and tight like you see with the pics for the American Eagle Patriot Basketball Hoop.  (Click Here)  Pay particular attention to the side pic of the hoop between the two garage doors.  This will give you a vantage point of how closely you can tuck the pole up against the house.  (Click Here)

The advantage to the front-mounted hoop is you can adjust the hoop from in front of the hoop without having to go behind the hoop.  In the above scenarios, this prevents you from having to climb up a hill, fight with shrubs to turn the crank and it gives you the ability to place the hoop between two garage doors.

Due to costs and streamlining their manufacturing processes, most basketball hoop manufacturers only make 3-4 hoops and almost all of them have rear-mounted height-adjustment cranks.  There only five hoops I know of the even offer these type of system:

• First Team Champ
• First Team Vector
• Spalding
• American Eagle Patriot
• American Eagle AH60 Front Mount

Of these systems, the American Eagle basketball goals are far and away the better of the systems and much more competitively priced.  I won't go into the specs because you can read for yourself but if you any specific questions feel free to send me a message or give me a call.

Sincerely,

The Sports Staff at Home Court Hoops 

1-877-Hoop-101 (877-466-7101).