Steal good ideas...from everywhere, from everyone, from every domain, from other languages. Sawubona. "I see you." Newton's 3rd law. "Newton's third law states: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." You get what you give.
When does practice start? On the spreadsheet...stretching (physical and mental), the practice plan, remembering a whistle. What do we want to accomplish, how, and what interference will arise (last season it was influenza)?
Wrong. Don't start with dynamic stretching or two laps to warm up muscles. Practice starts when we greet players as they come in. Basketball starts with relationships. Urban Meyer's practice starts when a player crosses the 'red line' around the field. That signals you're fired up and ready to go.
Everyone has a name. Some even have nicknames - Po (Polar Bear), Badger, The Blur, the V-Rex. And they're girls. If your moniker is the most ferocious dinosaur of all time, how do you play? The Blur went on to win a state championship in the 600.
Fire needs oxygen. Don't suck the air out of the room. Don't bore them. Don't be an energy vampire. Yes, I prefer them to start with flips and form shooting. But if they have five minutes early fun with Knockout, they're having fun. Basketball...fun...associate practice and enjoyment.
In high school, we began practice with five minutes of jumping rope. If I had more practice time, I'd start that way.
Drive the tempo. I know one coach (who played in the Final Four) who uses background music to accelerate the tempo. Keep the story moving.
Never saying my ideas are the best. That's why I'm stealing yours.
Lagniappe:
Basketball is a game of separation, getting it and preventing it. "Don't dribble the air out of the ball." But if you're dribbling, separate. Change direction and change pace. "Crossover on your shoe tops." A crossover is not just changing hands!
