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Episode 61

Today is a conversation on what actually predicts long-term success in youth basketball. We cover the risks of early sport specialization, the relative age effect and why "late bloomers" often overtake early developers, and why overcoming setbacks and staying engaged with the game matters more than current skill level. Direct value for parents and coaches deciding how hard to push a young player.

Links/books mentioned in this episode:

• Previous episode with Alan Stein Jr. — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cDW7mYvnVoLr6UAZ94gDA?si=110df76123a54f0c

• The Sports Gene by David Epstein

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant

Connect with Gratas:

Instagram — @gratasgudavicius

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Episode 35 | Guest: Alan Stein Jr.

Alan Stein Jr. spent fifteen years as a basketball performance coach working with some of the greatest players the game has seen — Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry among them. In this episode he breaks down the mindset that separates elite players from everyone else, why "next play" thinking has to be practiced daily, and what parents and young athletes get wrong about the process.

Links mentioned in this episode:

"Can You Make It to Pro? The Honest Truth Nobody Tells You" — https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AVv1z22Hzh3Kb674YsXJ5

Connect with Alan:

Instagram — @AlanSteinJr

Website — alansteinjr.com

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Episode 35 | Guest: Gratas

Stan and Gratas break down "adolescent awkwardness" — the clumsy, uncoordinated phase many young athletes go through during a growth spurt. They cover why it happens, how to spot when growth is fast enough to raise injury risk, and what to actually do about it: strength training with movement variety, wrestling-style body-control drills, multi-sport exposure, coordination ladders, and sleep. Practical, not theoretical — built for parents and coaches watching a kid suddenly hit doorframes and drop passes.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ep 33 | Osgood-Schlatter and Sever's Disease: Causes, Testing, and Treatment

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Plisky et al., 2006, JOSPT — Star Excursion Balance Test as a Predictor of Lower Extremity Injury in High School Basketball Players

Connect with Gratas:

Instagram — @gratasgudavicius

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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In this episode, we break down how young players could manage training load across school practices, games, and strength training. We introduce a simple framework, separating everything into buckets, and explain why no more than 3 high-intensity days per week is the target. We explain how structured training can cut injury risk by two-thirds. This episode is for players, parents, and coaches who want to build a sustainable weekly schedule without overloading young athletes.

Links mentioned in this episode:

●        Episode on stress management and relaxation — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5z5kSYrvfYUXH4QJinrH81?si=sDWahZz9SaK0QmsA32YeKQ

●        Episode with Luka Svilar — https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DY8GuCINpTWKkSW35hWxq?si=ClM2qtvRTCCBdPVGSUq_-A

●        Episode with Domantas Tautkus (London Lions) — https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ss61EuyemA1sFpzpyV65m?si=6nmlyMs8TDOhzwnuO_ut7Q

●        Episode with Hugo Salazar — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5glHQI4y8B74zNImc5ZPpV?si=e1f42f9c1dc94f9a

Connect with Gratas:

●        Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/gratasgudavicius/

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Episode 33  | Guest: Gratas

In this episode, I'm joined by new co-host Gratas. We talk about the two most common growth-related pains in basketball: Osgood-Schlatter disease and Sever's disease. How to diagnose what the cause is, why resting alone often fails, and how you can improve your condition. This episode is for players, parents, and coaches dealing with knee or heel pain, especially during growth spurts.

Connect with Gratas:

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/gratasgudavicius/

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Episode 56 | Basketball, Body, and Mind

This episode was a spontaneous recording during the camp in the Czech Republic. I decided to share how to return safely to basketball after a knee injury (usually ACL). To do that, we need to attack three things: basketball, body, and mind. I wanted to make it very practical, so feel free to download the guide, which can be found in the description below.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free return-to-court guide (5-phase PDF) — https://basketball-body-and-mind.kit.com/56f8657f71

• Ep. 9 — Mindset Training For Basketball Players, with Kerdu Lenear — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-9-mindset-training-for-basketball-players-with/id1783540921?i=1000697544138

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Basketball Body and Mind

In this episode I talk about one of the biggest conditioning myths in basketball: that feeling tired in a game means you need to run more. It does not. I explain why getting tired can actually be a sign that you are pushing harder and improving, why long-distance running might not be the best way to build conditioning, and how to develop real basketball conditioning without stacking extra miles on top of your week. If you are a player, parent, or coach who wants to improve on the court, this is for you.

Links mentioned in this episode:

•      Previous episode on sleep, stress management, and relaxation — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5z5kSYrvfYUXH4QJinrH81?si=LYsJQwO4SAaUHG8wdjjYvQ

Connect with me:

Instagram — @balticmove

Website — www.balticmove.net

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Your ankle sprain is not just “bad luck” and it is definitely not a life sentence. We walk through what I found while researching chronic ankle instability in youth athletes, including the one test that created the clearest separation between athletes who trust their ankles and athletes who feel that constant “giving out” problem.

We start with the basics that parents, players, and coaches actually need: what chronic ankle instability means, why repeat ankle sprains happen, and how sprains differ by type and severity. Then we move into the practical screening side. I explain how I used the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) to classify ankles, why dorsiflexion often shows up in the research, and how lateral ankle strength and muscle reaction timing can change how you land, cut, and decelerate.

Then we get very actionable. You will learn how to set a baseline at home with a wall test for ankle dorsiflexion, a single leg balance test with eyes closed, and a 30 cm lateral hop test you can time with your phone. I share real youth basketball benchmarks from my testing and how to retest every few weeks so rehab becomes a measurable plan instead of a guessing game. We also talk about smarter ankle rehab and injury prevention training: progressing from simple strength to dynamic stability, building hip control, and using plyometrics that match real basketball movement.

If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a teammate or coach, and leave a review so more players stop repeating the same ankle sprain cycle.

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Eight knee surgeries is the part people don’t see. The standings don’t show it, the highlights don’t mention it, and most young players never hear what it feels like to sit on the sideline while your team practices. Former pro power forward and center Jurej Macura joins us to tell the full story, from leaving Slovenia for a top academy environment to fighting through a career that keeps rerouting.

We get real about what actually drives youth basketball development: stepping out of your comfort zone, doing the unglamorous extra work, and learning to train your body with intention. Jurej breaks down coordination training during growth spurts, why strength and conditioning matters even during the season, and the simplest knee-protection advice he trusts: get stronger with squats and deadlifts. We also unpack how recovery habits like sleep and nutrition stack up over years, not days, and why “perfect health” is rare in pro sports.

The deeper thread is mindset. Club changes, COVID chaos, coach turnover, and even bankruptcy can hit without warning, so we focus on a principle that applies on and off the court: control what you can control, and don’t waste energy on the rest. Jurej also shares how the right people, family support, and mental skills coaching help athletes handle setbacks and keep growing.

We close with what he’s building next: FiThrive (https://fithrive.app/), a team management app designed to help coaches track readiness, sleep, soreness, pain, motivation, and communication in one place to reduce missed info and lower injury risk. If you coach, play, or parent a serious hoopers, subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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A 7 foot 2 center tells you he nearly quit at 12, and somehow that’s the most useful part of his story. We sit down with Motiejus Krivas, Lithuania’s Šiauliai native who climbed through the Sabonis Academy and Jalgiris system before landing with the Arizona Wildcats in NCAA Division I basketball, to talk about what development really looks like when nobody is promising you minutes.

We get specific about the habits that travel across levels: going hard in practice, building real strength and conditioning, and using film study to see the game instead of just watching it. Motiejus explains why he didn’t even dream of college basketball at first, how the move to the United States happened late, and what surprised him most once he hit the Big 12: the speed, the wrestling-match physicality, and the reality that “most skilled” does not always mean “finishes games.”

The conversation turns honest when we talk injury, doubt, and the two-year stretch where progress feels slow. Motiejus shares how foot surgery reshaped his mindset into gratitude and patience, plus the recovery routine that helps him stay on the court: ankle work, mobility, compression boots, red light, stretching, sleep, and better nutrition. We also dig into advice for youth basketball players and parents who are weighing big moves early, and why grades and eligibility still matter in college recruiting.

If you care about youth basketball development, NCAA basketball preparation, and the mental side of earning trust, listen through the end and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a player or parent who needs it, and leave a review with the one routine you’re committing to next.