Excellent coaches are great teachers - the big picture and the fine details.
For example, we say, "Basketball is a game of separation." Offenses need separation and defenses limit it. Golf is the analogy with the statement, "drive for show and putt for dough." You get "paid" for finishing plays.
Doug Lemov's "Teach Like a Champion 2.0" shares teaching skills. Let's steal some ideas today!
BEGIN WITH THE END. Invest extra time on finishing.
- Have a great warmup sequence for players like Get 50.
- Free throws...gotta have 'em.
- Modify Box Drills to finish with either hand off either or both feet from either side.
Track to show continual improvement.
POST IT
Give "students" the lesson plan. Publish the practice schedule. As a youth coach, I wanted maximal transparency so parents could see the lesson plans and attend practice (few did).
NAME THE STEPS
Sound familiar? Maybe it modifies the Feynman Technique.
- EDIRx5 - explain, demonstrate, imitate, repeat x 5
- Rules of 2s - 2 mins to demonstrate a new move, 2 weeks to develop, 2 months to feel comfortable in a game
COLD CALL
Ask players what our terminology means. I don't expect youths to know elbow get, Iverson action, ram screen, pistol action, etc. But call on players to explain what they should know...back cut, front or back pivot, nail, short corner, and so forth. Young players should know a few ways to defend the pick-and-roll and be able to know why a foul or a violation occurred.
BREAK IT DOWN
Why are we having execution problems, such as running or defending the pick-and-roll?
- Are we on the same page?
- Are we communicating?
- Do we have both coverage and protection?
Or perhaps we're discussing TEMPO, how fast we play.
Provide an example. "Adjust tempo to time and score."
Provide context. If trailing, play faster to get more possessions.
Provide a rule. If behind by 1 point per minute left we play faster. "If we're down eight with eight minutes left, let's up the pace."
Nothing here is rocket science, just techniques to improve our teaching and players' learning. Get and give feedback.
Lagniappe. Our philosophy, values, and beliefs are personal. Others may not share them. Doug Lemov's "The Coach's Guide to Teaching" covers a lot of territory. It's probably worth a reread.
Lagniappe 2. If your season is over, then your offseason is here.
