"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso
Basketball Friday shares concepts, drills, and a set play.
Excellent coaches take teams where they cannot go alone. Give a short list of how you specifically achieved that. We build a program not a statue.
1. Be an anteambulo (clear the path). Help individuals pursue their dreams. What specific needs (athleticism, skill, game knowledge) can we enhance for each individual?
2. Networking. Develop contacts that steer a player into the school or field of their choice. My experience and contacts as a Naval Officer for ten years at Bethesda helped a former player earn entry to and a degree from Annapolis.
3. Recommendations. Let players know that we write letters and email, make calls, and online recommendations to help advance their basketball and academic opportunities.
4. Skill development. "Every day is player development day." There's no substitute for skill. As a player, ask "what am I doing to improve today?"
5. Motivation. Does motivation inspire results or do results inspire motivation? Energy, positivity, modeling excellence, and seeing progress serve as positive feedback loops. "The job of a youth coach is to help their athletes develop the skills, attitudes, and habits that will enable them to achieve success on and off the ice, field, or court."
6. Focus. Teach players to be here now. The answers don't come from the stands. "A man distracted is a man defeated." Practice eye contact and listening skills. Leverage strengths. "Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." Mindfulness training is proven to increase attention testing in students as young as six to eight.
When studying use the Pomodoro technique...25 minutes on and 5 minutes off.
7. Director Ron Howard says, "the film is made in the editing room." Another worthy saying is, "kill your darlings." As we find better drills, techniques, and tactics, retire others. What are we doing and why?
8. Communicate better. "Speak greatness" by avoiding negative words like BUT instead of AND. Use "sandwich technique" to put correction bracketed by praise. Be strategic in praise or criticism in front of a group.
9. Grow complementary players, those "who play best together." Bob Knight said, "just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot."
10.Build your teaching library. Compile a drill book, teaching clips, and your play book. I find Google Drive convenient and free.
Drill. Hustle double. 2 Minute solitary shooting drill. Constraints are time (two minutes) and need to make consecutive shots at each spot.
Drill 2. Three lines two balls passing. Advance the ball quickly.
Set play. Stagger truncated into curl.
The defender anticipates defending a staggered screen and gets caught in traffic.
Lagniappe (something extra). From Nick Saban via Kevin Eastman... are we ordinary or extraordinary?