Watch a game and we should have an idea of the degree of autonomy, mastery, and purpose displayed. If we can't identify them, then likely the players can't either. Chances are my players don't have clarity on 'big picture thinking'. 1.What is our essence, our purpose, our WHY?
I expect players to commit to family first, to academic achievement, and to extracurricular activities third. Time sorts out where basketball belongs among the latter. The basketball court represents a different classroom, where a learning culture, teamwork, and extreme ownership apply. The more these values translate to your life the better. 2. Play tough. Toughness simply means playing the game the right way, with purpose, fully engaged, and helping your teammates.
3. "We play fast."
We couldn't play fast at the beginning of the season, lacking the "know how." Playing fast leverages our athleticism and makes the game more fun to play and to watch. It gives more control to players.
Coach Geno Auriemma explains why people don't execute the game. 4. "Get more and better shots than your opponent." - Pete Newell That means passing and cutting, executing fundamental basketball actions. - Drive to score. - Cut and pass, give and go, "movement kills defenses." - Make layups and free throws. - Exploit hard to defend situations, the pick-and-roll and ball reversal (forces closeouts) - Be here now. Win this possession. 5. No easy baskets. Understand what easy baskets are...don't give them. - Get back on defense (no transition baskets). - Deny the paint with the "scoring areas" - blocks and elbows. - Pressure the ball. - Challenge shots without fouling. - Rebound. No putbacks.
Lagniappe: (From CoachingToolbox.net)
SLOB Away Backdoor (could have 1 basket cut off the staggered screen)
“When you are not afraid of rejection and it feels like you have nothing to lose, amazing things can happen.” - Jia Jiang, Rejection Proof
We have a new team of sixth grade girls this year. None have played 'travel' basketball or AAU. Maybe we began the season with some fear. What could possibly go wrong? "Is the team we're playing good?" I'd say, "sixth grade teams aren't good." Not the perfect answer, carrying a hint of rejection.
We started poorly, playing a continuation of "wreck rec ball" with two losses in three games. The "faith" and "patience" monikers flanking the top of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success looked shaky. Our inexperience showed. This weekend we play the top (10-1) team in our league. "How do you feel about that?" The girls answer, "looking forward to it," having won seven of our last eight games. They have more tools, more confidence, ambition with humility. Embrace your philosophy, culture, and identity. But what is our team "values-based" identity? "The magic word is WHY?" Who we are defines how we play, fearfully (don't let me make a mistake) or aggressively ("fortune favors the bold."). Should I suggest possibilities or should the team define itself?
I had given them this laminated sheet; the lamination makes it harder (not impossible) to ignore. I'm curious to see if their values overlap mine. RESPECT the game. Let how you conduct yourself, how you "take care of business" define you. RESPECT your parents, teachers, teammates, coaches, opponents, and officials. LEARN constantly. Have the BEGINNER'S MIND. Be enthusiastic and open to new ideas and improving existing frameworks. Be solution oriented. GROW. When we're "pleased but not satisfied," it implies a desire to do more, to become more.
Getting open means having the mindset to create separation and quality shots. SHARE. "The strength of the wolf is the pack." Everybody can run; everybody defends. Each player can be "the queen." Use your individual gifts to help the team. I remind one player, "you're our fastest player. There is nobody you cannot catch defensively." Be there for each other. BE ACCOUNTABLE. I don't want to hear "my bad." That's negative accountability, because of poor decisions. Missing a shot doesn't imply poor technique or poor decision-making. Taking a poor quality shot, forced shot, or situationally-inappropriate shot is a choice. Become a better player by making better decisions. We choose how we play. Choose wisely. Lagniappe: Celtics ATO high ball screen double corner options
The first option (if 1, Kyrie Irving is covered) is a backscreen from 5 (Horford) giving Irving momentum and likely a switch. That didn't happen and the Celtics went into a high ball screen, pick-and-pop, leading to a Horford drive-and-kick (penetrate and pitch).
"A culture of asking and re-asking fundamental questions cuts away unhelpful beliefs in order to achieve clarity of execution. Humility allows us to ask a simple question: how can we do this better?" - James Kerr, in Legacy Animal behavior teaches us about human nature - opportunity and danger. Basketball imitates life.
In On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Darwin discussed factors that advantaged organisms. "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change."
Figure from Predator. I encourage our guards not to attack the strongest and best ball handler, but to identify the weak or out of control player, who is most likely to surrender the ball, travel, or make a poor pass. "Teams that cannot shoot free throws survive as long as dogs who chase cars." Tom Hellen (Coach Storm) Animals either have or learn basic survival skills, with inherent qualities like speed or camouflage, or acquired behaviors like warning calls or escaping potential dangers at hints of trouble. The best players adapt to do whatever it takes to survive game elements.
When shots aren't falling, they elevate their defense, rebounding, or passing. "Know that" and "know how" differ vastly.
You cannot measure it, but you know it when you see it. Toughness, like excellence, doesn't just happen. You have to want it, chase it. You must want to play harder, to be the Alpha Dog. James Kerr writes in Legacy, "Our values decide our character. Our character decides our value."
Jay Bilas authored Toughness, "I would watch games and see player upon player
thumping his chest after a routine play, angrily taunting an opponent after a blocked shot,
getting into a shouting match with an opposing player, or squaring up nose-to-nose as if a
fight might ensue. I see players jawing at each other, trying to "intimidate" other players.
What a waste of time. That is nothing more than fake toughness, and it has no real value." The animal world teaches us the value of teamwork, resilience, having a thick skin.
Nature exacts a terrible toll, taught by telltale experience.
Young players learn 'survival skills' from their elders. "Instinctive" or "creative" play doesn't just happen. Years of practice and observation serve as foundation for advanced play. Coming to work determined to be your best is THE best preparation for life. Lagniappe:
Grainy video of Scott Skiles. "It's not boasting if you can do it." - Dizzy Dean
"The only thing worse than losing is winning every game."
Mike Neighbors shares an eponymous newsletter and has written extensively on what constitutes a "well-coached team." Coach George Raveling remarks, "what is not learned has not been taught." A well-coached team has what hallmarks? An incident arose in our game yesterday where a player had no idea whom she was covering. It wasn't the first time I've seen that but I want it to be the last. I burned a timeout to discuss this with my team. "Everyone must know their assignment. You don't owe that to me; <pointing to teammates> you owe that to them. You might be fortunate enough to play in a (championship) game someday where one missed assignment decides winning or losing." I cannot claim quality or even adequate coaching when players don't know their assignments. Extreme ownership means owning everything in our world, missed assignments and missed layups. Well-coached teams leave the gym better than they found it, without water bottles, gear adrift, trash, tape balls, or puddles. Well-coached teams communicate - verbally, nonverbally, and with touches...a fist bump or an arm on a teammate's shoulder. Well-coached teams compete. They win more than their share of fifty-fifty balls and go to the floor instinctively not reluctantly. Well-coached teams radiate joy. Before the game, I asked the girls to play joyfully, to perform for and to entertain their families. Well-coached teams prepare consistently, with commitment, discipline, and engagement. They translate practice knowledge and experience into game play. They don't "cheat the drills" and see practice as opportunity not drudgery. Well-coached teams execute fundamental individual and team plays. They execute pick-and-roll, give-and-go, backdoor cuts, and reading off-the-ball screens at high levels. Well-coached teams have specific plans to inform quality scoring chances and a plan to limit their opponents' preferred means of scoring. They take good shots, not "my turn" shots. When we see well-coached teams, we know their intent, but we may struggle because of the detail of their execution. They set up cuts, help teammates with precision screens, cut hard, drive to score, and share the ball willingly and crisply. Well-coached teams pressure the ball, deny the paint and the post, disallow cuts to the ball, contest shots without fouling, and use position and toughness to control the defensive boards. Well-coached teams don't deliver cheap shots or disrespect teammates, coaches, opponents, and officials. Well-coached teams constantly find ways to help each other. They treat each other kindly. They have intangible qualities of excellence and no agendas beyond winning. Well-coached teams have an indomitable spirit. They...do...not...quit. Lagniappe:
"I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were felt by the whole human race, there would not be one cheerful face left on earth." - Abraham Lincoln Winston Churchill referred to ill moods and depression as "the black dog." Perhaps the most famous American leader afflicted by depression was Abraham Lincoln, suffering what some called Lincoln's Melancholy. By age 32, Lincoln had experienced major depression twice, somehow channeling moroseness into greatness.
Edvard Munch, The Scream Many other celebrities, from Billy Joel, Munch (above), Mozart, Sir Isaac Newton, Teddy Roosevelt, and Robin Williams suffered major depression. Athletes are not immune, despite fame and fortune. Larry Sanders' struggles were well-known, moreso than those of Eddie Griffin or Greg Stiemsma. Dave Cowens famously took a "leave of absence" from the Celtics in 1976. It may not have been "the black dog," but each of us owns our peculiar pooch. Jerry West chronicled his struggles with depression in West by West. It's a tough read. West, a 16 year-old, held a gun to his father who had abused his mother. West remarked, "you can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good." Coaching athletes with depression is part of the contemporary landscape. The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates a prevalence of 8.7 percent among persons aged 18 to 25. It's even higher among high school students. "What the coach may witness is a lack of focus, an unexplainable fatigue or lack of energy where formerly the player was a top notch performer. Depression can even look like a shift in “attitude”, a loss of competitive drive, and even apathy." Depression is common within society and athletes are not immune. The Atlantic shares, "a more pervasive source of stress for young athletes is the Darwinian culture of youth sports, which starts well before university and persists throughout it...when you over-train athletes, neurologically speaking the symptoms are quite predictable: sleep problems, anxiety, depression." Some coaches influence players through positive relationships and motivation, but unfortunately at times, through degradation. Putting players down doesn't raise them up. Arguing that athletes are "soft" or "lack mental toughness" doesn't account for academics, socioeconomic struggle, emotional baggage, abuse, family mental health issues, substance abuse, and other background stressors. We can "run them down" mentally and physically, by what we say or what we do not, by bullying or burying them on the bench. We have all seen it. We don't have to countenance it. We become what we think. "Negative thinking is a hallmark of depressive illness." To overcome negative thoughts, we must recognize them, challenge their validity, and overcome them. Share positive affirmations with players to encourage confidence: I score effortlessly. I am driven to win. I am a successful basketball player. My game is improving. I will focus my mind on becoming a top level basketball player. Depression is common, real, underrecognized, and difficult to manage. Our job is to support our student-athletes; compassionate coaching matters. Lagniappe:
Having a plan isn't enough. Success demands multidimensional planning over space and time. According to Bill Belichick, we develop of mosaic of values and how they apply to our team.
Brad Stevens remarks about "soaring with your strengths" to put people to succeed with what they do best. Like Steve Kerr, he describes how mentors changed him. He shares about the Patriots, "the tempo at which they work is incredible...efficient...everybody is on the same page." Coach Stevens asks how people learn and how hard do they work? Coach Auriemma depicts people who are great at what they do. "You're going to have to perform in a way that they're going to see something that they cannot see somewhere else...at that concert, did they get every third word wrong?" He explains, "you know that you can't get that just anywhere." We tell our middle schoolers, "entertain your parents. Play the kind of basketball they want to see." Take lessons and experience from practice and apply them during the games. Parents don't come to watch lackadaisical effort, poor vision, carelessness with the ball, ball sticking, uncovering defensive assignment, and bad shots. They come to see their child grow and improve, and to see the team play not with each other but for each other. Auriemma adds, "these guys spend...years...spending that perfect piece of marble. It may take years to finish...if we bring in flawed individuals...we're never going to be able to create the player that we think you can be." Lagniappe: Simple actions.
Duke creates mismatches with a simple downscreen...
Points do not grow on trees. With a developmental program (sixth grade this year), we have to find ways to score. At the other extreme of maturity and skill, UCONN's Geno Auriemma-led Huskies project scoring a third in transition, a third off threes, and a third off set plays. We don't practice threes at this age; we need another way forward. Special situations (inbounds plays) - 15% Offensive rebounds (put backs) - 20% Transition - 30% Learning to play (pass and cut) - 35% I'm including defense to offense (pressure/turnovers) in the transition domain. Offensive practice doesn't always reflect those goals. Practice prioritizes fundamentals, transition (conditioning, decision-making, passing) and developmental basketball (small-sided games, e.g. 3-on-3, 2-on-2, and 4-on-4 no dribble). It demands more "north-south" play versus perimeter east-west dribbling. It requires constant reminders about ball and player movement. Special situations. Within our two, two-hour practices, we always work special situations (e.g. BOB, SLOB, free throws) into offense-defense-offense play. We focus on BOBs against 2-3 zones and man-to-man, looking to convert 3-4 times per game into scores. Offensive rebounds. Working on "Bradleys," jumping with high release to score (or be fouled) inside, we're gradually getting more putbacks. Transition. Converting defense into offense is critical, especially against better teams, who surrender fewer points in transition. That demands a "sprinting" mindset, willing passing, spacing (running wide), and finishers.
We struggle with this as our players don't all have the strength to pass well. This three pass transition drill has each player touching the ball in transition, getting a layup for '4' and everyone shoots. 4 then returns in the middle and again, everyone gets a shot. Last night both tempo and execution were mediocre not average. We also worked on 2 on 1 from half-court, with an emphasis on scoring a layup EVERY 2 on 1 possession. What we lack in size, we have in speed and we should parlay that 'cavalry' attitude into points. Small-sided games (SSG). The four pillars of offense I want players to appreciate are spacing, cutting, passing, and screening. Finding the "right" amount of screening is non-intuitive, because it initially compromises spacing. With ten players available for most of practice, that allowed us to rotate between 3-on-3 and 2-on-2 play.
Within the 3-on-3 SSG, I want better pick-and-roll action as well as decision-making from 3 depending on x3 defensive coverage. It's far from perfect. Sometimes it's not even acceptable. But practice should awaken players' creativity and mastery. I watched an excellent (yet still young) high school team control a game from opening tap to buzzer. That's worth working toward. Where are your points arising?
Every season we write a new narrative. Sometimes we lack joy. Bret Ledbetter shares a brief story of joyless success. The panel discusses championship reality. Don't let expectations diminish your joy. Don't let others define us. Define yourself through character, process, and sharing. How can we do that?
Everyone experiences disappointment. But we choose our response. Don't let the absence of winning define us as losers. Focus on doing our best not being the best. Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee remarked, “For me the joy of athletics has never resided in winning… I derive as much happiness from the process as from the results. I don’t mind losing as long as I see improvement or I feel I’ve done as well as I possible could. If I lose, I just go back to the track and work some more.”
Distill the graphic (above) from What Drives Winning into two questions, "who are we" and "how do we play?" In 10-Minute Toughness, Jason Selk argues for having an "identity statement" and a "performance statement." Here is an excellent summary of Selk's book. When we excel at these skills, we can embrace the results at the top. Examined another way, if we lack character skills, should we deserve joy in positive results? If we know someone who is lazy, dishonest, disrespectful, negative, and selfish, would we want that for ourselves? Even when clouds arise, so can joy.
Play joyfully. Coach joyfully. Expecting majestic displays from twelve year-olds is an act of faith. But I'm waiting patiently, imagining great brushstrokes on an ethereal canvas. Lagniappe: BOB Stack plays
I coach sixth grade girls. Practice didn't go as well as I'd like last night. Apply the four pillars to examine what happened. What went well? What went poorly? How can we do better? What are the enduring lessons? What went well? As usual, the Monday practice plan was heavy on fundamentals, ranging from ball handling, to layups, and shooting.
The initial phase, up to about 7:56, moved along reasonably well. I brought a weighted (10 pound) medicine ball, because we need to play stronger inside. What went poorly?
3-on-3 transition with chaser. Coach initiates pass, x1 takes three steps in, then chases 3 on 2 break. Middle leads break, wings run wide, and defenders communicate and "shape up" to defend transition. Offensive execution broke down. Wings didn't run wide enough. Middles had poorer passing angles and often struggled with decision-making. Nobody could finish. Free throws were better, as groups competed to make the most consecutive free throws (not very many at this point). We had a mini water break and I asked about the energy level at practice. I told them that I am responsible for their energy, but we have many potential leaders to help. They seemed unmoved. Shell drill (including passing and cutting or screening) was okay, better than the transition drill. And with two games this weekend, I reviewed zone offense principles and the DR FlaPS acronym: Dribble into gaps (DRAW TWO) Reverse the ball FLash to open spots ("the ball is a camera") Post up Screen I substituted some running drills (including racehorse and 5 on 7 full court press break) instead of half court offense, hoping to increase the energy level. We finished with O-D-O (offense-defense-offense) including playing off free throws, BOBs, and SLOBs. I briefly introduced LION, a modification of TIGER.
We don't have all these implemented.
This can be modified to stack along the inbounder side and use to create FENCE (screen) or SANDWICH (screen). How can we do better? If we want to be consistent, we need to bring more energy and intensity to every activity, every repetition. What is the enduring lesson? I'm coaching young players. Consistency has no meaning at this age and PATIENCE is on me. Having a sense of urgency and yet remaining patient contradicts rationality.
Morse code (TTP) for Trust the Process. It wasn't all bad. I have to manage my expectations better.
"Only the penitent man shall pass." "Basketball is a game of cutting and passing with player and ball movement." But situations arise when players shouldn't pass. When might that occur? Maintaining possession. Away from the offensive end, in the final seconds of a quarter or game (with the lead), doing nothing and allowing time to expire can be better than taking chances on surrendering possession. Playing without a shot clock, situations arise when skilled dribbling can run out the clock. Maintaining advantage/Avoiding disadvantage. Sometimes young, interior players have 'scoring' possession under the basket (literally their wheelhouse), and pass instead of shooting and/or taking contact. When driving to the basket with a favorable angle for a layup, keep your edge. Know whom should receive and where. In transition, some players have catching ("bad hands") or ball handling deficiencies and shouldn't get the ball where they're likely to turn it over. Avoid putting players in bad positions for them.
When having a choice, avoid primary trap zones (yellow). Good defenses use boundaries to their advantage. Sometimes players can't avoid passing into primary trap zones Avoiding turnovers. Good passers limit turnovers. Many games, we see forecourt players "flirt" with passing to players established in the backcourt (violation). Turnovers are more like when a receiver is not open or if a receiver is in traffic ("don't play in the traffic"). Choosing better options. Limit passes to nonshooters (shot turnover) or in a "foul situations" when better free throw shooters dictate who shoots.
Don't count your possessions; make every possession count. When an action reduces your chance of quality possession or increases risk of losing possession, keep it in the bag.
Lagniappe: Keep the ball out of the paint. Kevin Eastman's "Force to Tape" drill teaches that.
The "Opposite George" Seinfeld episode illustrates, "do more of what works and less of what isn't." We see basketball teams and players that can learn from Opposite George. What opportunities lead the Opposite George parade? Not looking. You didn't look ahead, catch and survey, drive when you had the angle, or pass when you had an open man. VDE. Vision, decision, execution. Just watching. You came, you saw, you stood. If you're aware and alert and do nothing, you're not helping. Coach Wooden reminds us, "Never confuse activity with achievement."
Dot B means, "take a breath" not stop everything. "No, No." Shot selection. "What was THAT?" Take quality shots not quantity shots. Conversion. You're unaware and unalert. The team is playing four on the floor while you're lost in space. WE are not amused. Find your player immediately on D and get moving offensively. "There's drill for that." Drill: Coach blows the whistle and the ballhandler must immediately drop the ball and defense converts to offense and vice versa. Transition. Basketball is a sprinting game. You're not sprinting. Or you're running back but mentally on vacation. Or you're buddy running. Sprint back fully engaged. Lagniappe:
When teams trap out of the 2-3 defense, overloading quickly to the ballside block and elbow pressures the middle of the defense. If 3 moves the ball quickly to either, then the other usually has a basket cut pressuring the interior (x5).
Klay Thompson lives in the shadow of Steph Curry and Kevin Durant but maintains an impressive resume'.
His consistency and accuracy (career 3 point percentage over 42%), defensive skill, and winning play make him a perennial all-star.
What shooting analysts notice about Thompson is his variable DIP (see bottom video). Coach Castellaw reviews how Thompson loads his shot and his follow-through. I am not anti-dip, but I teach inside shooting off "Bradleys", the higher catch and release technique helping players finish near the basket.
In this Jay Wright video (about 3:52), he reviews the Bradley Drill, which we use every practice, along with flips..."high release, off two feet, under control." Players need some dip away from the basket.
BBallBreakdown shares pre-shot footwork that Thompson uses to accelerate to the basket or get his shot off. Young players may neglect "pre-shot preparation" and suffer less separation and slower release. Here's the most extensive Thompson breakdown I've seen. Key points: 1. Chooses a wider stance than many 2. Hops most of the time 3. Plants right foot seamlessly going right 4. Catches with wide, flexed stance gathering momentum 5. Sets the ball prior to his leaving the ground 6. Targets through "open window" visually (no obstructed view) 7. Keeps elbow in 8. "Turns" right shoulder forward only modestly
9. Turns more pronounced with longer distance for power
10.Relaxes wrist (note thumb is not far spread, keeping wrist relaxed)
Ideas are the currency of the future. Encourage players to give more, their personal best. Explain the Aristotelian essential nature of an item or activity. The discussion about the "fundamental nature" of things, whether flutes or golf, relates to basketball. "We too rarely articulate and defend and argue about those big moral questions." We can apply the sacred to the profane, the day-to-day fundamentals. Aristotle said we sometimes have to reason about and sometimes argue about the purpose of the thing. Last night I heard parents calmly discussing distribution of shots, not selection but distribution. The "big moral question" is the justice of who shoots, how often, and when. For me, the argument centers on what is best for the team not the individual. Focus the idea. “Excellent shooters develop proper and consistent form.” Explain the importance. “Making shots is vital to team success.” Construct the idea with familiar concepts and tools. “Shooting percentage difference is the first and highest correlation to success. That demands better technique, skill, and shot selection - and Jay Bilas’s ‘It’s not your shot, it’s our shot.’” Add value. Kevin Eastman says, “you own your paycheck.” If you want more shots, create more separation, get more option shots, and make them.
If you were sharing your basketball philosophy in a TED talk, what ideas would emerge? Steve Kerr might begin with mindset, mentors, and culture. I’d argue for philosophy, culture, and identity. “How you play or coach is how you live your life. How you connect with teammates defines who you are." How do you play? How do you relate?
