Competition informs us about strengths and deficiencies. A weekend tournament defines glaring and subtle opportunities. Each of us must build a personal instruction manual.
UNC Women's Soccer Coach Anson Dorrance (21 National Championships) has required reading for his players. Michael Useem's The Leadership Moment shares key questions:
1. What went well?
2. What went poorly?
3. What can we do differently?
4. What are the enduring lessons?
From MasterClass.com, Helen Mirren Teaches Acting
What went well? At times we executed the game precisely, especially running actions from spread offense, playing pick-and-roll, attacking closeouts, and moving the ball without hesitation. Our BOBs and SLOBs created high efficiency scoring. More players look to pass and cut. We drag screen without instruction. We were well-conditioned, likely from having an abundance of soccer players. In the final three games of the weekend, we averaged 49 points per game, solid for seventh grade girls in a developmental program. In fact, some opposition questioned whether these were seventh graders.
Spread corner backcut.
What went poorly? Defense begins with attitude, the will to get in people's faces and skill to win individual battles. Ball pressure varied and we ceded too many face cuts. We didn't run wide in transition (I call this stampeding), need more players to be physical on the boards, and can leverage time and space better.
We frequently advance the ball along the sidelines. Good teams don't "live on the edge (above)." Any competent defense would load to the ball and make us play 2 or 3 against 5. The game we lost we played passively and didn't aggressively contest shots without fouling.
What can we do differently (practice changes)? Three practices in, most players need work on individual defense. We generate energy from pressing, but we can press more intelligently and double opportunistically. Our team strength is athleticism so extending defense is natural.
From the late Bert Hammel.
Opportunistic Trapping and Rotation
Via Kevin Eastman
What are the enduring lessons? We have several keys:
1) maintain aggressiveness (practice communication and advantage-disadvantage)
2) leverage space and time consistently (we're extension not compression of the floor)
3) win the turnover battle (monitor and give feedback)
4) improve finishing (make layups)
Lagniappe: (from Chris Oliver)
Here is an effective 1-4 play from Lincoln Memorial that can cues a weak side two player action after a high post entry and UCLA cut. pic.twitter.com/zx5gKagSRb— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) November 19, 2018
