Monday, October 24, 2022

Basketball: Simple Is Hard. Keep Simple in Focus.

"Simple is hard." Don Meyer described the third stage of coaching as mature simplicity. Balancing "powerful" and "easy to operate" is a constant struggle. 

Watching clear Jay Wright videos inspires joy. 


Prioritize 'simple'.  
  • "Get more and better shots than our opponent." - Pete Newell 
  • Means winning turnover and board battles and taking good shots.
  • "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson (Shared vision, shared sacrifice, shared results)
Make it simple. A sixth grader asked at tryouts about how to defend.
  • "Ball-you-basket" Stay between the dribbler and the basket. "Contain the ball."
  • "Ball-you-player." Off-the-ball, stay between the ball and your cover (there are exceptions). 
Keep it simple. 
  • Use 'more is less' by editing out less useful drills and plays.
  • Get feedback to assure everyone is on the same page.
Reduce mistakes. 
  • Build skill and decision-making to reduce turnovers.
  • Avoid bad fouls. "Fouls negate effort." 
  • Poor quality shots fall on the spectrum of turnovers. 
Simple doesn't mean reducing the necessary. 
  • Talk on defense energizes and intimidates.  
  • Habits matter. "Any outcome is just a point along the spectrum of possibilities." 
  • Track progress to show "continual ascension."
The daily struggle is changing from who we are to become what we want. 

Summary: 
  • Simple is hard.
  • Prioritize simple.
  • Make it simple.
  • Keep it simple. 
  • Reduce mistakes.
  • Don't throw out the necessary.  
Lagniappe. Why does something work or not work?
 


Lagniappe 2. Who were your favorite teammates and why? 


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