Learn from Sesame Street. Expect the unexpected.
Kids love Sesame Street. They love the characters, the sound, the colors, and themes. There are over 150 versions of Sesame Street in 70 languages.
Themes. For example, Teacher Appreciation. Everyone loves appreciation. Quoting Robert Townsend, say, "thanks is the cheapest form of compensation."
Just as Dean Smith had a daily theme, so does Sesame Street. There's "letter of the day" and daily number with the Count. Develop a daily theme like zone attack or one dribble scoring from the three-point line. Dean Smith had a fondness for counting (analytics) before Dean Oliver's Four Factors.
Sesame Street's process relates to John Wooden's EDIR - explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition x 5.
Sesame Street promotes values - collaboration, connection, inclusivity, and participation.
Sesame Street integrates concepts like counting and science. For example, insects have six legs while arachnids (like spiders) have eight. They cross disciplines. During a segment on spiders, "If we don't know it, what do we do? We look it up on the WEB."
Coaches, discuss difference makers like points per possession (PPP), effective field goal percentage, and the impact of turnovers and free throws on PPP. Free throws boost PPP and turnovers crush it. Basketball math should make sense.
Sesame Street radiates positivity. "Believe in yourself." And coaches understand "you can only be as good as you believe you can be."
Simplicity. To explain concepts make it as clear as possible. Sesame Street repeats and repeats. They'd explain "Spain" not as a backscreen on a screener but screening the roller. They'd explain a back cut with a video not words.
Fun. And as you saw above, they'd have an NBA player on to teach winning and competition.
Dependability. Sesame Street has shown up every day for over half a century. Show up daily prepared with energy and enthusiasm for a dozen players.
Summary:
- "Thanks is the cheapest form of compensation."
- Develop daily themes.
- EDIR - explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition x 5
- Promote values - collaboration, connection, inclusivity, participation
- Discuss difference makers like points per possession and EFG%
- "Believe in yourself."
- Show up daily prepared with energy and enthusiasm