Last night I thought we had a bad practice.
What went well? Combination drills with conditioning, shooting, and passing met accountability. The 5 on 8 press break was adequate, not great. Implementation of a 'delay offense' was satisfactory.
What went poorly? I take accountability for practice. I had a practice outline and preparation.
But organization means timely transitions between practice segments, higher tempo, and full engagement of players at all times. When I say "DON'T CHEAT THE DRILL", I mean don't cheat yourself, your teammates, and the team.
The transitions between segments were inadequate. I can't be the only one bringing ENERGY to practice. TOO MUCH TALK can wear players down. That didn't happen. A lack of full engagement can create STANDING AROUND.
A poor practice LACKS COMPETITION. Competition means "competitive fire", the necessary relentlessness inherent to success. Successful players compete in every drill, every possession, every repetition. Not all players 'brought it'. Anything short of full FOCUS and ENGAGEMENT fails. Failure reflects poor coaching.
What do I think caused the "poor practice"? After our inability to execute zone offense (despite winning), we needed more attention. And I think that sucked the energy out of the players, along with poor TRANSITIONS. "We play fast." Teams are working to slow the game and force us to play slowly.
What can we do better? Solutions. I've bought practice shirts (that we use). The players want to wear what they want to wear. I'm asking players to bring/wear red or white tee shirts. We will have red, white, and blue "groups" (with pinnies). That should cut down some of the transition issues during and between scrimmages.
What are the enduring lessons? I am accountable for practice. "No progress occurs without change, but not all change is progress." It will be better with crisper transitions, more energy, and more focus.