What are some of your bad ideas? Bad ideas come from the "not sticky enough glue" from 3M that turned into Post-It Notes. Or the software company that has a quarterly bug-fixing session instead of a regular work day. Find gems among the stones. But many bad ideas are just bad ideas.
Paint by numbers. Number several offensive actions one through six (e.g. pick-and-roll, give-and-go, off-ball-screen, backdoor cut, staggered screen, screen-the-screener). Roll a pair of dice, assign the actions, and combine them into a play. Some will be bad.
14 = pick-and-roll/backdoor cut
Suggestion box. From time to time, players ask "why don't we play zone defense?" I don't doubt that we might win more games playing zone (against middle school teams). But I want players to win in high school, not just middle school.
When my friend and I coached MS and ran the summer program, the HS enjoyed some success...we had a lot of good players.
Free throw harassment. You can't touch the shooter or block their vision. But you can yell, make them laugh, or get very close to them. I might get behind them at practice and randomly clap loudly during their shot. Focus on the target and routine. Block out the distractions.
Once in a lifetime. Ask players to give their best total effort and literally ask them to sign a pledge that it will be today. It's a one-time, use it and lose it technique. The problem is not 'wasting it' on a Summer League game against Palookaville. I've done it with success but it's perishable, like a 25 percent off coupon or an avocado.
Drawing lesson. Call a timeout during practice. Explain that you're diagramming a game winning play. Draw it up on your whiteboard. Then hand out pencils and paper and ask the players to reproduce the play. Terrifying...for them and you. Many players struggle with this exercise, not understanding concepts. If they can't do it at practice, do you expect them to execute in crunch time?
Run until they drop. Conditioning is integral to performance. Punitive running on treadmills, with laps, or sprints doesn't imprint basketball IQ. Day one of tryouts without a basketball to assess conditioning or mental toughness doesn't measure basketball skills or basketball IQ. We have limitless opportunities to condition within drills and scrimmaging.
Find the words to reach them. Everyone won't dance to the same tune. Say it differently and maybe something will stick.
Seniority systems. Give opportunity priorities to upperclassmen. They've earned it. Parents expect it. Wrong! Sport is a meritocracy. Coach players up to leverage size, athleticism, skill, and toughness to kick the door down as underclassmen. As a player, force the coach to play you.
What are your bad ideas?
Lagniappe: Ball reversal, weak-side screening
Diagrammed.
