Players empower themselves with their plan, their preparation, and their commitment. Some have an alternative agenda. Action reveals ethos.
James Kerr's slide imagines our perfect world. Player thoughts unsaid often define us.
"Of course, I'm shooting." Have you earned the right to shoot? "I don't pass." "The quality of the pass determines the quality of the shot." "I'll dribble when I want." Dribble, like everything else, with purpose. "I don't cover." "Shooters shoot, passer pass, everyone plays defense." - Bob Knight "It's my turn." There is no my turn. "I don't feel like moving." Stand if you want to sit. "Make me." Play for the girls next to you. "I communicate on defense when the mood hits me." "Silent teams lose." "Why should I worry about my teammates' feelings?" Give respect to get respect. "I don't dive on the floor." "Give the coach a reason to keep you on the court." "Block out? Seriously?" "The game honors toughness." "Sprinting back is for track." Basketball is not a running game; it's a sprinting game." "Don't sweat the small stuff." "The details define us."
Players don't verbalize these attitudes. But we've all seen them. Empowered players bring the coach's program to the hardwood.
Lagniappe: backdoor and basket cuts, things of beauty
We celebrate a lot of people - basketball players, coaches, skill trainers. And we appreciate their training, skills, and commitment. But a lot of extraordinary people keep us going. Take time to remember farmers, truckers, grocery store personnel, pharmacists and pharmacy clerks. Nurses and ER docs fight on the frontlines every day. Nurses are our friends and part of our families. They don't hold press conferences. They don't ask for adulation, only for medical and personal protection equipment they need to stay on the job and to keep their families safe.
James Kerr authored Legacy, a brilliant examination of the All-Blacks rugby dynasty. Whakapapa reflects the vitality of ancestry, honoring those who came before us. During the Online Coaches Clinic, Kerr shared his experience with those who wear the Black Jersay and Silver Leaf.
Performance = CAPABILITY x BEHAVIOR
Players have a mystical respect for the jersey. The jersey is sacred, never touches the floor. "Nobody is bigger than the jersey."
Core values include humility, excellence, and respect. Humility is part of Whakapapa as everyone owes a tribute to those before us. Like the UNC Women's Soccer dynasty, the All-Blacks celebrate excellence without agenda. And respect belongs to both opponents and to each other. "Everyone has a voice" and participates. After a hard-fought game, post-game treatment, and gathering, everyone grabs a long-handled broom. Everyone sweeps the sheds. Part of the mystique is leaving the sheds, the locker room, and the jersey in a better place. Management came together in 2004 after key losses, understanding the program needed a reboot. They felt some had lost touch with their past. They built a campaign around a slogan, "Better people make better All Blacks." The coaching emphasized not just skills and togetherness but character. Kerr reminds us, "the stories we tell ourselves become the stories others tell about us." Our beliefs translate to our actions. Unit cohesion and character lie in performing the small things at a high level. Like the Navy SEALs, the All-Blacks practice that "Leaders create leaders." And just as "garbage in makes garbage out," so "Quality in equals quality out." Manager Wayne Smith remarked, "People will rise to a challenge if they believe it’s their challenge." Unity demands sacrifice. "Empowering others means relinquishing your own power."
Kerr references other organizations he studied. The 49ers' Bill Walsh preached, "The score takes care of itself" when standards define your mark. England's SAS owned "May the best idea win." The Patriots have "The Patriot Way" built around "do your job." And the Spurs ask, "how can I make my teammates better?" Another All Black motto is, "Stab me in the belly not the back." They are unafraid to ask, "What’s your commitment to the team?"
They borrow Charlie Munger's Inversion theme. They posit poor leadership, bad communication, a lack of development, and organization and work to nullify any of those destructive behaviors. My belief about teams is that as coach, "I don’t decide your commitment, your learning, or your progress, you do." When you excel, take credit, but share it with your teammates. Summary: - Performance = Capability x Behavior - Nobody is bigger than the jersey. - Practice humility, excellence, and respect for opponents and teammates. - People will rise to a challenge when they believe it's their challenge. - Learn and steal from other elite organizations. - Empowering others means relinquishing your power.
"Advertising is like vandalism - it's like loud, in your face, and it's still there the next day." - Jeff Goodby, MasterClass Big ideas last. Take another swing at the Goodby and Silverstein MasterClass. Goodby pro tips and basketball translation: 1. "Don't copy. Steal." See the world around us. Ideas are everywhere. Find ideas and translate them. Capture hearts and minds. Players succeed by becoming better people embracing better ideas. This reminds us of James Kerr's "better people make better All Blacks."
2. "Part of your job is not to do your job." Invest time thinking, not just working. Ad king David Ogilvie said, "You should be looking for things to write about." "Be alert all the time." Free money is lying around. 3. "Run toward fire." Where's the action? "Do the right thing and make sure people notice it." The obvious choice during the game'squarantine is player and coach development. 4. "Seek out fame." Care that people are noticing you (career promotion). Get to know the media. "Fortune favors the bold." 5. Share the CMO's foxhole. Care about key people in your organization and understand their problems. Caring about everyone matters. When we watch a great game, movie, or read an awesome story, be inspired, get "butterflies." Share the WOW FACTOR.
Lagniappe 1: (Adapted from Online Coaches Clinic) Screen, rescreen 2 on 1
Ball pressure isn't the same as ball containment. Many young players won't pressure the ball, fearing they can't contain the dribbler. It starts with a defender's attitude. "You can't beat me." That doesn't always work out. At younger ages, we like to force the dribbler to the non-dominant hand. As players develop more experience, Kevin Eastman's "force to tape model" works.
The players readily see twin goals of "no middle" and "no direct drives." Consistent ball pressure makes players uncomfortable: - The dribbler cannot easily establish the offense. - Pressure makes passes and shots harder. - Pressure may force poor decisions and turnovers. - Pressure uses up time on the shot clock. Coach Mike Fratello teaches that a defender is responsible for "one and a half," her defender and half of the closest offensive player (help). Communicating that help is also her responsibility. Journalist Bob Woodward had a sign in his office, FAA. Not the FAA, but FOCUS, ACT, AGGRESSIVELY. Good defensive advice. Remember your ABCs - attitude, brains, and competitiveness. Fratello also prioritized "holding down" the scorer below her average, the passer below average assists, and the rebounder below usual rebounds. The side benefit is successful defensive may frustrate and fatigue your assignment. Pete Newell's core skills of balance, footwork, and maneuvering speed also apply defensively. Stance considerations (different coaches teach differently): - Forcing...the front foot is slightly forward, the rear toes about equal to the front heel - Knees...bent - Feet about shoulder width apart - Chest fairly upright - Hands...I favor ballside hand up (mirroring) and opposite to take away the crossover - Vision...on the "belt buckle" as the body follows the buckle Be aware that many strong offensive players attack the front foot/front hand, so the defender must be ready to play cornerback with a drop step and hip turn if beaten. Side-to-side sliding often gets beaten by quickness. Summary: - "You can't beat me." - "Force to tape. - You own one and one-half players." - FAA. Focus. Act aggressively. - Prioritize "holding down" your assignment. - Balance, footwork, maneuvering speed works on defense, too. Lagniappe: via Brad Stevens
When considering the consequences of not doing the little things, you realize that there are no little things. --Brad Stevens 200316
"You can't make the club from the tub." If you're sick, you can't play or work out. A brief and non-comprehensive introduction can help us stay healthier. Handwashing for about 24 seconds kills many viruses and bacteria. Easy to remember - 24 second rule... People tend to touch their hands to the face about twenty times an hour; work to break that habit. Viruses are particularly effective in crossing mucosal surfaces in the eye, nose, and mouth. During a cough, cover our mouth, ideally with a tissue, or cough into the elbow. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (60-70 percent alcohol) remove skin oils, but can kill pathogens. Place the gel in the palm, cleaning all parts of the hand, including nails and wrists. It should take 25-30 seconds to dry on the hands. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers DO NOT work well against the Norovirus (associated with cruise ships). Normal bacteria quickly repopulate the hands. Shoes are 'dirty' and frequently carry pathogens (disease-causing bacteria). Leave them at the door. Most gyms provide disinfectant and towels because many pathogens (disease-causing bacteria) are left during circuit training, especially methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA). The six-to-eight foot distancing recommendation comes because that is about how far bacteria and viruses travel after a cough. Bleach is 99% effective against pathogens. One of the dirtiest items in the home is the kitchen sink sponge. Two minutes in the microwave can help (don't get burned). Bad news, about 20 percent of cellphones harbor intestinal bacteria. They can also live on touchscreens and the television clicker. Ultraviolet (UV) wands can sterilize a variety of surfaces. When a toilet is flushed, pathogens are aerosolized over about a three-foot range. Close the toilet before flushing. "Feed a cold starve a fever." Is it true? Feed both... 1) food provides energy for defense and 2) metabolism is increased during illness. Chicken soup has been recommended for common colds since the twelfth century! The keys are extra rest and treating symptoms. Antibiotics will not help. Our immune system also helps keep us healthy. In additional to physical barriers (e.g. intact skin), we have cellular, (cell-based), humoral (antibody), and organ-based defenses. Fever ramps up our host defenses and affects bacterial growth. Alcohol compromises our immunity. "Alcohol disrupts ciliary function in the upper airways, impairs the function of immune cells (i.e., alveolar macrophages and neutrophils), and weakens the barrier function of the epithelia in the lower airways."During epidemic illness, I don't consume any alcohol; it's not a sacrifice, just a small precaution. Cellular (cell-based) immunity uses a variety of cells to fight infection. Pus is a cluster of white blood cells working to fight local infection. The "sand" in your eyes is white blood cell debris. When patients undergo chemotherapy, some notice the "sand" disappears and when white blood cells return, so does the grit. Other cell defenses directly attack to consume pathogens or help create antibodies (below). Humoral (antibody-related) immunity helps fight both bacterial and viral infection. Our bodies develop antibodies to specific germ, but require seven to fourteen days. Doctors are experimenting with using antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat severely ill patients.
Lack of sleep reduces our ability to fight infection. It alters our circulating inflammatory chemicals and cell-based immunity. Get enough sleep (seven to eight hours nightly). Mindfulness can enhance our immunity but requires more study. There is limited evidence that mindfulness increases our antibody response to immunization. Lagniappe: How can we do this better?
*Some of the recommendations are adapted from Chapters 7 and 8 in Introduction to Infectious Disease by Dr. Barry Fox in The Great Courses. Lagniappe 2: "Penetrate, pass, pass"
Another concept we use with our @CedarvilleWBB team to promote moving the ball is "penetrate, pass, pass". If you catch the pass out of penetration (either dribble or post touch), either shoot it or swing it. Don't hold it, don't drive it. pic.twitter.com/0KeZShlq3c
"Never get into a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel." - Chuck Daly
Model excellence. Players see everything, how we treat others. Authenticity has no value if we are an authentic jerk.
Take time to counsel players about expectations and cautions.
Be respectful at all times. Playing is your job; communicating is theirs.
It's not all about you, so don't make it all about you.
Know what's important - family, school, and then extracurriculars. Be thankful publicly; have sound priorities. Fair or not, readers and viewers will judge you by your maturity and communication skills.
Share credit. Nobody likes arrogance. If you want to be an outcast, make it about you. Thank your teammates and recognize that without them, your job is impossible.
Stay in your lane. When media ask questions about coaches and strategy, deflect and say the coaching staff has the experience and ability to answer those questions.
Be accountable. If you made a poor decision, it's fine to say "I'm not happy with that decision and I'm working to make the best decisions consistently."
Practice, in front of a mirror or with a parent. Present yourself as a responsible, thoughtful young adult. Minimize the "like", "um", and poor grammar. "My teammates and I" sounds much better than "Me and my teammates." Have a friend, sibling, or parent do a brief (two minute) cellphone video for you.
Develop a thick skin. As film director Mira Nair says, "have the soul of a poet and the skin of an elephant."
Present your best self. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."
Get feedback. After an interview, ask whether the interviewer has suggestions on how you can improve in the future.
"Repetitions make reputations." What's your offseason program...your work on your body, skill, knowledge, and resilience? Are you tracking it?
Start with your MUST, NEED, WANT list. Trim to essentials. List as many drills as possible, then kill your darlings. Here's a specific list that I created for a player.
Review a game film and your performance. - What was the shot quality of EACH shot? (Balance, range, openness, rhythm) - Review your shot mechanics for EACH shot? - Did you use the backboard appropriately? - How was your defensive positioning? Pro Tip: Include shooting off the glass as part of your routine Pro Tip 2: Include a small number of emergency shots (fallaways, flyaways, double pump)...if you take 500 shots, maybe 20 should be "bad shots practiced" Lagniappe: Ladders (via Coach Castellaw)
Vary the Drill
Number of spots
Sequence (e.g. 13524 spots)
Restart if miss two consecutive shots (force concentration)
"People don't reason to their conclusions; they believe what they want." - David Kyle Johnson, Philosophy Professor People seek comfort. Basketball excellence demands physical and mental discomfort.Players must learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Pete Newell's admonition to coaches is "teach players to see the game." Assumption: young players don't know what questions to ask. - Where do points arise? - Where do opponents points arise? - How do we get more of the former and fewer of the latter?
Points come in transition, from sets, and from application of concepts in 'free play' whether we call it motion, dribble drive, or something else. Players need knowledge AND imagination. Combine film, diagram, and practice to expand the chunking (data sets/variations) possibilities. "Offense wins games." If you want to believe that something exists, the burden of proof is on the believer. My lying eyes tell me that our outcomes paralleled 1) relative talent, 2) offensive execution, and 3) sporadic failure to take away specific types of easy baskets (transition, open 3s, back door cuts). Relative talent. If their Jimmies and Joes are dramatically better than ours, the die is cast. Beating "poor talent" is meaningless. Competing against "better" talent shows progress. Offensive execution. Scoring sums many inputs, critically movement, passing, turnovers, and shot selection. The quickest path to improvement is better shot selection.
The Easy Paradigm. Excellent teams find ways to fall in love with easy, easy scoring and disallowing easy scoring. If I'm coaching again, I will emphasize the "easy paradigm." Lagniappe: "Repetitions make repetitions." The Kemba, Curry, and more. You've got nothing but time with no school for the near future. Get a sibling or parent to take some cell phone video now and compare with video of the same action in 2-4 weeks.
"Spacing is offense and offense is spacing." Peter Lonergan shared thoughts on decision making on the Online Coaching seminar. Embrace spacing and then "space exploration." "Let the defense be your instructor." Learning to read the defense dictates where the best opportunities lie. Good players play in space, not in traffic. Teach the kids to play from concepts. We've moved toward more small-sided-games and random practice elements. For example, consider PnR short roll passing (below). Practice it as three-on-three inside the split.
Coaches have to teach the concept. Young players don't automatically know. "Find ways to add decisions to practices." Players need, "vision, decision, precision" sequencing. As far as vision, he suggested reading, "corner-middle-corner" just as the quarterback goes through his route progressions. He favors (like Knight) advantage/disadvantage training, realizing that advantage is MOMENTARY...the defense gets back into play.
Practice randomness, because “The game is mess.” Teams cannot navigate unfamiliar situations without good communication.
As in soccer (futsal), development flows from time and touches. As a result, he is a big fan of three-on-three. Lagniappe: Lonergan on spacing and decision making
"We want 3-point spacing not necessarily always 3-point shooting." It's worth the watch.
Better spacing occurs with the ballside post lower.
Set up "Five D's." Posting away changes spacing.
There's more to the game than PnR for the point guard.
Lagniappe 2: Mary Mallon. You all know of her. But then again, no...cook or serial killer?
Carl Pierson, educator, coach, and author joined me to address The Politics of Coaching. "Politics" shares his and other coaches' experiences revealing the pitfalls of current coaching. All of us have coaching memories that we can't unsee.
CJP (@CarlJPierson): Coach, thanks for asking my perspective.
RPS: Do you see the trajectory of the coach-parent relationship changing?
The short answer is "yes". The first evidence was a differing dynamic in the classroom. My first year as a teacher was the 1999-2000 school year. During my childhood and early years teaching, if a teacher reached out to a parent, the parents never questioned the teacher's competence or motive. The parent came down on the student for not getting homework turned in or for messing around in school.
That started to change in the mid-2000s. Parents defended their child no matter what the offense. Parents are trying to be "friends" to their kids instead of parents. For some reason, parents now advocate for their child in every circumstance. Certainly times arise for parents to "go to bat" for their kid, but I have witnessed too many outliers.
One of my colleagues just dealt with such a circumstance. He caught a student cheating on a test. He asked the student to step out into the hallway to limit the embarrassment of confrontation and for privacy. The student admitted cheating. But the parent demanded the grade not reflect any penalty, demanding to know what "evidence" the teacher had. The teacher refused to bend and the parent threatened to meet with the school administration. Our administration vigorously defended the teacher, but why the parent felt compelled to defend the indefensible represents what coaches face.
The proclivity of parents to advocate aggressively for their kids applies even more to athletics. Parents often make a greater financial and emotional investment into their child's athletics. The stakes are raised so much. A cultural parenting shift and the economic investment in club sports created a combustible coach/parent relationship over the past fifteen years.
RPS: Are there 'red flags' about a program/community that coaches should anticipate?
CJP: Absolutely. Before accepting a position at a school, find out how much turnover exists on the school's coaching staff in the past five to seven years. Coaches shouldn't just consider the frequency with which coaches have been replaced or moved on. If a school is quick to get rid of wrestling, volleyball, or soccer coaches they won't hesitate to pull the plug on a basketball coach.
What is the level of interest and investment in the community? A town that loves their team can make coaching rewarding, but it can create a climate where a coach is coaching for their job every year. If a coach is looking for longevity and lack of drama, find a school and community concerned with the choir's success or how the local college team is doing.
I outline other "red flags" in "The Politics of Coaching." Another worth noting is the booster club as sole funding source for your team or activity. Those situations tend to become hyper-political and toxic.
RPS: What helped you engage players and parents to mitigate problems?
CJP: I preach the virtues of the "open door policy" until blue in the face. My door is always open. Some coaches say "never talk to me about playing time". Others say that parents must wait until 24 hours after the game to reach out. My conversations with coaches from across the country taught me that helps coaches get a better night's sleep, but they do not promote longevity.
Players and parents get frustrated because they don't understand why certain decisions are made. If coaches can't explain or defend decisions they probably shouldn't be the deciders.
When a coach refuses to engage their questions or complaints, that does NOT mean the issue vanishes. They escalate to a higher authority, an AD or a school board member. When that happens, the coach has lost control of the situation. The coach is now at the mercy of the administrator.
I always encourage a coach to invite players and parents to come to them FIRST. I preface those encounters with the caveat that "I respect your role as a parent in looking out for the best interest of your child. Were you to do anything different you would be delinquent in your duties as a parent. I hope you respect that and understand that I advocate for the best interest of your child as often as possible. When the best interest of one player conflicts with what is best for the team, my first responsibility will always be to the team." There's the rub. Coaches don't have the luxury of looking out for only one kid.
The meetings between disgruntled parents and a coach seldom end with a hearty handshake and the parent saying "Wow, you've convinced me you're right." That is not the coach's goal. Often the best thing a coach can do, beyond explaining their decision, is to listen empathetically. Most of the anger goes away when the coach has explained the "why" and the parent has a chance to vent.
RPS: What should eighth graders/parents be aware of heading into high school?
CJP: Something few players and parents are prepared for when they advance is the idea that they now compete against older, higher level competition. Some expect that a kid will step in on varsity or at worst, junior varsity. This is something we've seen develop over the past fifteen years as well.
Why? Increased participation in club sports contributes to this misguided mentality. When kids play on "elite" club teams, egos get inflated. They start to believe they are as exceptional as the club's name.
Another factor the rising frosh see is that juniors and seniors are bigger, faster, and stronger. A legit star on your middle school team does not automatically translate to early impact on varsity.
Kids and their support system become disillusioned when they aren't on varsity right away. Participation numbers dip in many high school sports, partly when a kid doesn't earn "varsity" status, they quit the sport altogether.
Enjoy playing on the 9th grade team. Often the coach isn't playing the junior or senior because of "politics". They play because they make better decisions, are stronger and more skilled. Coaches want to win. They play the players that give them the best chance to do that. It's easier to assume a conspiracy rather than concede that your kid may not be ready to compete at the varsity level. Take off your tin foil hat and join us in the real world.
RPS: How could administrators help coaches cope with the societal problem of helicopter parenting?
CJP: Supportive administrators are worth their weight in gold. Let coaches know they aren't going to put much stock in angry emails about playing time or team selection.
But coaches need to inform administrators about their decisions. Let them know what is going on and why. Consistent communication between the AD and the coach is critical and part of the coach's responsibility.
For example, if a coach changes the starting lineup, call the AD. Let the administrator know what you are doing and why. This empowers the AD to support you when the angry email inevitably comes.
No administrator likes surprises. Keep them in the loop. That helps them put out fires.
RPS: Thanks for sharing, Carl. I enjoyed your book and know readers would, too. Lagniappe: Great dialogue translates across domains. (Longmire)
Lagniappe 2: Brad Beal, Drew Hanlen, Unseen Hours
Lagniappe 3: The difference between want and work... "Everybody wants to have a conference title. Everybody wants to be a captain. Everybody wants to be all-conference. Very few want to put in the work to make that happen." - Coach Chuck Benda Lagniappe 4: SLOB (Geronimo) Zipper Backscreen
