Plan success. Use the mental model of inversion to think better. "Your new goal shouldn’t be finding ways to be successful, it should be determining what things could prevent you from being successful."
Feedback. Coaches guess what players know or don't know. Don't presume players know how to break the press, defend the pick and roll, or take advantage of 'numbers'. A lack of "performance-focused, feedback-rich" culture assures players won't be on the same page. And in the biggest moment, when you know precisely what you want, one or more will make mental or physical errors. Guaranteed.
Solution: Practice and test situational decision-making.
Scouting. Not scouting or game planning is a choice. Even in middle school, limiting a star player or a special situations play might separate winning and losing. When about a third of games are decided by two possessions or less, every possession counts.
Solution: "Do it." An opponent had scored multiple times with a SLOB. "We can't let them score threes off this." Taking this away helped us win a playoff game.
Conditioning. Everyone believes in conditioning. But how? Conditioning is preparation not punishment.
Solution: With limited practice time, we condition within drills. Instead of isolating conditioning, consider these transition/conditioning drills.
Want more?
Efficiency. Waste less time. Upgrade practice tempo. It's more than Brian McCormick's "no laps, no lines, no lectures."
Solution: Here's an old post addressing time wasting.
Toughness. Reduce the three deadly S's - softness, selfishness, and sloth.
Approach: We don't coach 'hamburger drills' but hand out the Jay Bilas "Toughness" principles as a laminated sheet. One of the most emphasized is, "It's not your shot, it's our shot." Consider toughness awards. Note that with middle school girls, they are reluctant to be singled out for criticism or even praise.
Solution: share clips of quality shots and lower quality shots and players being 'first to the floor' on a loose ball.
Organization. Some people believe that "any idiot with a whistle can coach." Without a defined philosophy, intended culture, and preferred identity, failure is likely. If it looks as though there is no plan, there is no plan.
Solution: Write it out. A shareable format like Google Drive allows a one-site fits all for philosophy, playbook, drill book, and teaching resource spreadsheets.
Lagniappe. Be open to new analysis. Choose your language. "Extra pass."
