Play ball. Ed Smith reminds sportsmen about the virtue of PLAY. In the wake of a cricket on-field death, players played. The New Zealand team found comfort in playing instead of mourning.
Complicating the game with armies of administrators and computers forgets the goal - putting the ball in a hoop. Stay simple.
See what 'is'. That doesn't nullify the value of measuring performance, a.k.a. analytics. Analytics are another dimension helping us "see" what is going well versus what is not. I remember a parent screaming at his daughter to shoot a three instead of passing. She passed. I explained, "she made the right play. She is one for nineteen on three-pointers this season." Less was more.
Video helps, too. The easily-forgotten bad pass or shot gets imprinted after the back-and-forth replay, "$#7t shot."
Make ability carry players. Reduce the game to simplicity to free players worry over complex execution. Don Meyer called it "mature simplicity." I say, "fall in love with easy." The superior athlete who can beat the defense with dribble penetration or cutting should do so.
Traffic in specifics. What promotes simplicity?
- Emphasize fundamentals- footwork, separation, and finishing (almost half of our practices emphasized 'basics').
- Earn excellence in the PnR and two-man game.
- Play small-sided games (more touches, more decisions).
- Limit the number of sets, special situations plays, and defenses.
Give and get feedback.
"Speak greatness." Sandwich criticism (Kiss me. Kick me. Kiss me.).
Summary:
- Be basic.
- See the truth (analytics can reveal truths - turnovers, shot quality).
- Use video.
- Leverage advantage. "Fall in love with easy."
- Be great at what happens a lot.
- Use feedback well. (Kiss me. Kick me. Kiss me.)
Lagniappe. Players learn either direction continuation moves (speed, hesi, in-and-out), reversal moves (crossover, between-the-legs, behind-the-back, spin), and combinations. Better to have fewer sharp tools than a quiver of dull arrows. We
