Expand the horizon of possible. Find "virtual mentors" on the Internet. And "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."
An online community of coaches, players, and fans is as 'real' as a clinic. Share concerns, get push back against fallacy and fraud, and help generate ideas.
Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing hundreds of years ago, but the Angel Reese - Caitlin Clark tete-a-tete got more attention in a day than the Bard's play did in decades.
Define the problem - shooting form, strength and conditioning, breaking the half court trap - put it out there. Within any community, different sources provide more or less help. Don't be overly frustrated at delay.
Ask better questions.
- Post cellphone video of your shot and get feedback. Ignore the noise and embrace legitimate suggestions. "Have you tried this?"
- Don't be offended when others see you differently than you see yourself. Be open to multiple viewpoints.
- Excellent players want coaching. They're curious about improvement and willing to work.
Be humble. When I started coaching my twin daughters over twenty years ago, I was inexperienced in every way. Their becoming useful players (multiple All-League selections, 90-6 in high school) was more of a tribute to coaching from others.
Having developed a state champion, D1 player, and multiple All-Scholastics, I have embryonic and evolving knowledge. I'm no strength and conditioning coach. I can learn a lot about sport psychology. There's always much to be learned about player development.
Revise, add, and subtract. Ron Howard's advice that "the movie is made in the editing room" applies to multiple areas - the practice court, the video room, and game management. Be willing to share strengths and weaknesses with online video.
Look for what's missing. During video and analytic study, look for what's not there. If we're not scoring, consider organizing by spacing, 'creating advantage', and finishing. If we're not creating advantage, are we not using hard to defend actions (e.g. pick-and-roll, complex screening, aggressive transition)? If we can't finish, then reallocate more time to fundamentals.
If we allow too many points, examine whether opponents are scoring in transition, because of poor ball containment, half-court defense, allowing too many offensive rebounds.
Part of successful relationships is being vulnerable. Asking for help isn't weakness, it's smart. Don't allow blindspots to be our undoing.
Summary:
- Define the problem.
- Ask better questions.
- Be humble.
- Revise, add, and subtract
- Look for what's missing.
In a boundless world, the biggest mistake is to think we know it all.
Lagniappe. Study the PnR.
