Tips From the Pros: Summer Skills Edition

With a lot of trick shots you end up just throwing the ball. But this keeps the integrity of a jump shot. You're just shooting it in reverse.

Set your feet facing away from the basket. You have to get your legs into the shot, so bend your knees. Hold the ball just like you would on a regular shot. Arch your back a little, bring the ball over your head, and instead of flicking your wrist forward, flick it backward.

When I was in seventh grade, I was playing [tournaments] with high schoolers, and Diana Taurasi was playing on the next court over. It was the first time I had ever seen her play. And in a game, she actually took a backward shot like this and made it!

The first time you practice an ollie you can do it without even rolling. You want to bring your front foot pretty close to the middle of the board. With your back foot, your toes should be at the center of the tip of your tail.

When you jump, you want to push down with your back foot so your tail hits the ground. But you want to be light on your back foot once your board hits the ground -- if you're too heavy, the board won't come back up.

The front of the board is going to rise up. Roll your front foot and slide it forward. That will make the back of the board come up. It takes practice, but eventually you'll find that perfect pressure and that perfect rhythm.

I haven't been doing [this trick] for that long. It's something I started doing just a couple of years ago when I was with the Colts.

Basically, you spin a football the same way you would spin a top. If you can get it spinning for five seconds, you've done it well. I put the nose of the ball in the center of my right hand. And then I'm using my whole arm to drop it and spin it: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, fingers. It's not easy at first. You have to do it for a while to get used to it.

The most important thing is that you have to get the ball to land on the nose. You may not spin it fast or long, but if it's not on the nose, it isn't going to spin at all.

When I went to the YMCA as a kid, the lifeguards would freak out when I showed up, because I would just climb up on the diving board and jump in. But it's better to be safe than sorry, so this is for experienced divers who have a parent's permission!

For your takeoff, stand at the end of the board. If it's a springboard, rock back and forth to get the board moving. Bend your knees, jump up, and put your arms above your head -- as straight as possible with your elbows locked. Once you're off the board, bend your body in half and touch your toes, like you are bending over to tie your shoes. Then unfold and prepare for the splashdown.

The more vertical you are when you hit the water, the less splash you are going to make. Keep your elbows locked and hands together, your legs straight, and your toes pointed. Finally, look as pretty as possible!

The great thing about juggling is that it will actually make you a better soccer player. You're teaching yourself ball control.

If you're starting out, don't even try to juggle it multiple times. Just drop it from your hands to your thigh, and practice until you can hit it right back into your hands without moving them every time. Then do the same thing with your feet.

When you juggle with your feet, you should have your toe pointed up a bit and hit the ball right on your shoelaces so that you're controlling it close to your body.

When you're more advanced, you can work in your head. When you're juggling with your head, you don't really want to strike the ball. You just want to let it hit your forehead.