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Saturday, March 1, 2025

How Can AI Help Coaches?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to help or replace us (with a better coach). 

The most common type of AI is supervised learning as input predicts outputs such as separating spam from nonspam or to predict house prices.

Recommendation systems are used by companies like Netflix. 

The most logical approach is to ask AI systems how it can help us. The two free ones I use are ChatGPT and Claude.ai.

First, Claude.ai answers.

AI can significantly enhance basketball coaching in several ways:

  1. Advanced performance analytics - AI can track and analyze player movements, shooting mechanics, and defensive positioning to identify patterns and improvement areas that human eyes might miss.
  2. Personalized training programs - By analyzing individual player data, AI can help create tailored development plans that address specific weaknesses and build on strengths.
  3. Opponent scouting - AI can process game footage to identify opposing teams' tendencies, plays, and player habits, giving coaches strategic advantages in game preparation.
  4. Injury prevention - By monitoring biomechanics and fatigue indicators, AI can help identify when players are at higher risk of injury, allowing for preventative interventions.
  5. Decision support during games - Real-time analysis can provide coaches with tactical suggestions based on current game situations and historical performance data.
  6. Video breakdown efficiency - AI can automatically tag and categorize game footage, saving coaches countless hours when reviewing film and enabling more focused teaching moments.
  7. Skill development visualization - Using augmented reality and motion capture, AI can help players visualize optimal techniques and movements.
  8. Load management optimization - AI can help determine ideal practice intensities and playing time to maximize performance while minimizing injury risk.

Next, ChatGPT: 

AI can give basketball coaches an edge by providing deeper insights, automating tasks, and personalizing player development. Here are some ways AI can help:

1. Game Strategy & Analytics

  • Opponent Scouting: AI analyzes opponent tendencies, set plays, and defensive schemes using video breakdowns.
  • In-Game Adjustments: AI-powered tools suggest strategic shifts based on live data, such as defensive matchups or shot selection.
  • Shot Quality Analysis: AI evaluates shot selection, efficiency, and expected points per possession to refine offensive sets.

2. Player Development

  • Biomechanics Analysis: AI-powered motion tracking evaluates shooting form, footwork, and defensive positioning.
  • Personalized Drills: AI adapts workouts based on player strengths, weaknesses, and progress over time.
  • Fatigue & Injury Prediction: AI monitors workload and movement patterns to prevent overuse injuries.

3. Practice Optimization

  • Smart Video Breakdown: AI auto-tags key moments, eliminating hours of manual film study.
  • Decision-Making Training: AI simulates game scenarios for players to develop faster reads and reactions.
  • Automated Stat Tracking: AI records shooting percentages, turnovers, and passing efficiency in real-time.

4. Team & Player Engagement

  • Virtual Assistants: AI chatbots provide instant feedback on workouts, schedules, and game plans.
  • AI-Enhanced Leadership Development: AI analyzes communication patterns to improve coaching effectiveness.
  • Motivation Insights: AI tracks player engagement and suggests motivational strategies.
AI won't transform a team without talent or coaches who can teach, but it's an edge for the capable. 

Ask questions (prompts) to help AI address competence and character. The more specific the question, the better the answers. I'm not saying that AI gives comprehensive or perfect answers. It won't always reflect the most current or our approaches. But it provides ideas and frameworks. 

"Our basketball defense struggles with ball containment and excessive fouling. This allows opponents too many layups and free throws. Please suggest education and training to help our players." (Annotations in green)

To improve ball containment and reduce fouling, focus on education, technique training, and game awareness:

Education & Mindset

  1. Defensive Discipline: Teach players that great defense isn’t about reaching or gambling—it's about positioning and control. (It also depends on athleticism, aggressiveness, and decision making.)
  2. Understand Foul Types: Show film of unnecessary fouls (e.g., reaching, late help, bad closeouts) and discuss how to avoid them.
  3. Hand Positioning: Reinforce the principle of “hands up, not out” to contest shots without fouling. (Brad Stevens teaches players to "show your hands," which may help both players and officials 'limit' fouls.)

Training & Drills

1. Ball Containment

  • Mirror Drill: Defender mirrors offensive player’s movements without reaching. Focus on staying in front with quick, short slides.
  • Cone Lateral Quickness: Place cones in a zigzag; players slide quickly around them while staying balanced. (I prefer "live" drills to cone drills.)
  • Cutoff Drill: Defender forces the ball handler to change direction repeatedly without lunging.
Anyone who wants to become a superior defender has to invest time in developing strength, quickness, especially lateral quickness, and technique by practicing individual defense. Working against a superior offensive player helps. 

2. On-Ball Defense Without Fouling

  • No-Hands Drill: Defenders must play with hands behind their backs to emphasize footwork and positioning. (Kevin Eastman's DOG DRILL helped our players.) 
  • Closeout & Contain: Players practice closing out under control, chopping their feet, and forcing bad shots instead of fouling. (The Celtics have a different approach.) 
  • Verticality Work: Teach how to contest shots legally by keeping hands straight up and absorbing contact.

3. Reducing Fouls in Help Defense
  • Wall-Up Drill: Post defenders practice going straight up instead of swiping down.
  • Help & Recover Drill: Defenders practice proper rotations without overcommitting and fouling late. (Cover 1.5 mindset, yours and half of another, can help.)
  • 1-on-1 Drive & Stop: Defender must stop the drive in one or two slides without reaching—only legal chest contact allowed.

Game Awareness Adjustments

  • Foul Tracking: Make players aware of team foul counts and personal fouls to increase discipline. (Changes in foul counting, bonus on five, impacts free throws and aggressiveness possibilities. It also suggests need to accumulate fouls if likely to have MUST FOUL LATE situations.)
  • Ref Watch Film Session: Analyze past games to show how referees call fouls and what habits lead to whistles.
  • Controlled Scrimmages: Run scrimmages with an emphasis on defensive discipline, blowing the whistle frequently on bad habits.
Lagniappe. A coaching example to reduce fouls. 

Lagniappe 2. On ball defense is among the toughest skills to learn.

 

Lagniappe 3. Are we going to complain or do something? 



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