Goliath made David. He didn't make David better. David practiced firing a stone over sixty miles per hour with deadly accuracy.
Use "advantage-disadvantage" to build skill and resilience. Don Meyer said, "make practice hard so games are easy." A few examples:
1. Numbers game, 5 vs 7. We lost a high school game to three time state champion Lexington. Coach Lane said, "you lost because it said Lexington on their jerseys," not because they were better. "We will not lose to them again." So we practiced, 5 against 7, full court, no dribble, until the rematch at their place. And you could hear a pin drop when we walked out with an eighteen point win.
2. Constraint department. Change the rules during practice. You can only score with your non-dominant hand. Play dribble tag with every third dribble a crossover. Only points in the paint count during a scrimmage. Made baskets have live rebounds.
3. Play up. The UCONN women (and other women's teams) drill and scrimmage against an all-men's team. And that team would win the Women's National Championship.
4. "Less, equal, better." Teach lesser competition, compete against equal, and struggle against superior players. Frank Shamrock calls it the plus, minus, equals system. Wayne Gretzky scored one goal as a six year-old playing his first year of youth hockey. His teammates were eleven.
5. "Change your environment." Wear a weight vest to disadvantage yourself. I attached a tennis racquet to a six-foot step ladder to simulate shooting over a defender. I put masking tape on the bottom of my glasses as a youngster to dribble with my head up. I wore gloves shooting during the frozen winter after shoveling the driveway.
6. Fatigue factor. Don't practice free throws fully rested. Shoot three, run a sprint. Repeat. Make it real.
7. Change the equipment. Wayne Gretzky practiced stick handling with a tennis ball on the ice to enhance control of a bouncing object. Kyrie Irving practiced dribbling a ball in a plastic bag.
8. Raise your standards. Practice free throws and only count swishes. Change Bill Bradley ("Beat the Pro") from having to make 11 of 14 to win (1 point for a score, Bill gets three for your miss) to 15 of 17 to win.
9. Add a nightmare. We had "pressure free throw" practice where your partner could say anything or do anything (without interfering with your shot). High school boys, you can only imagine.
10. Beat your PB (personal best). Whether it's shooting drills or an athletic standard, compete against your best. Raise your vertical. Lower your 3-cone drill time. Be quicker in the hexagon agility drill.
Summary:
- Numbers game
- Constraint department
- Play up
- Plus, minus, equals
- Change your environment
- Fatigue factor
- Change equipment
- Raise your standards
- Add a nightmare
- Personal best
Lagniappe. Review what went wrong. Be the adults in the room.
Lagniappe 2. Gretzky's Dad believed he could teach anticipation.
Watch video and work to anticipate what happens next.