Sunday, January 8, 2023

Fast Five : Thinking Out of the Box

"Think outside the box." The origin is unknown although the 'nine dots puzzle' is referenced. 

Unconventional thinking is common in sports and film. 

Burgess Meredith raises Rocky's quickness with chicken chasing. 

Rocky IV contrasts high and low tech training. 

Work from the framework of skill, strategy, physicality, resilience, and combinations.   

Skill - 6 players with a ball, inside the arc, play dribble tag. Add constraints including dribbling with the non-dominant hand. 

Strategy - small-sided games; develop new games...first team to score on a layup, pick-and-roll, three-point shot. 

Physicality - create a "challenge course" with skill stations. How long does it take to complete the course successfully? Include maximum number of attempts for the 3 pointers. 

Resilience - Defeat the Gauntlet 


Two players have to defeat four layers of defense. Add a constraint of only one or two dribbles per catch. 

Wildcard combination possibilities. 

  • Bob Knight "timeout" during practice. Diagram a play. Then distribute pen and paper and see which players correctly draw it. 
  • Free throw practice, "swish or miss." Only count swishes as makes to force more concentration. Steph Curry finished free throw practice by making five consecutive swishes. 
  • Vary finishing during drills "never fatigue practicing footwork" (some examples below)