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Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Basketball: You Don’t Say (Never Say These)

What goes unsaid can make all the difference. Every coach wishes for do-overs. Consider making a list of what you won't say. 

"You’re worthless." Young people often lack the ego strength and self-confidence to weather personal attacks. Applying The Four Agreements we also know "don't take anything personally." Verbal abuse says more about the source and less about the target. 

"You have no heart." Rather than criticize the player, change the behavior by cultivating better habits and applying sport psychology techniques like mindfulness and visualization. 

"You can’t improve." Own everything in our world. Own leadership, own communication, own player development. Sometimes people "project" our limitations on others instead of working to improve. 

"You're part of the problem." Coaching is about relationships. It's a 'we' sport. Relationships build trust. Trust earns loyalty. Fragmenting relationships destroys trust. 

"I promise you..." Don't make promises that we can't keep about playing time, recognition, or anything else. Offer opportunity if we intend to fulfill that. 

Lagniappe. Develop agility with partnered drills. 

Lagniappe 2. The best "tip of the day." Find ways to steal points. In high school, we stole points off tap plays, run and jump steals, and slips. 


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