"Good artists borrow, great artists steal." - Picasso
Don Meyer kept three notebooks - one for basketball, one for general information, and one for appreciation that he annually gifted his wife. What ideas can be gifted to coaches?
1) Keep a 'commonplace book'. It's a personal diary that allows us to keep information that we come across that adds value. It could be anything. A blog could serve the same function.
2) "Jar of Awesome." Keep a jar of awesome recording 'great stuff' that happens on slips of paper.
3) Season notebook. Every season deserves a notebook. I haven't done that but my coach did and I'm grateful he lent me the 1973 Season version with every story from the local and area papers.
4) Coaching 'history' notebook. As a part-time coach, you won't generate as many clips, cards, photographs and other memorabilia that a full-time coach will. Letters from players, families, and teams from a past season have value.
5) Gratitude journal. Harvard Professor Shawn Achor advises tracking gratitude. Record three items each night before bedtime. Today, I watched over a couple of grandchild toddlers for a few hours and both they and I survived. I am grateful.
6) Playbook. I've used FastModel for years as my "Playbook Archive" and shared many actions from all levels of play in this blog. The coach's job is to "advance the story" and that often happens by reducing input not adding. "Less is more."
7) Drillbook. See Playbook.
8) Teaching concepts. It can get overwhelming but maintaining "Google Sheets" with concepts (links) you feel valuable and sharable add value.
9) Mentoring page. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." What belongs on our 'core ideas' of mentoring and receiving mentoring? Part of that is "making friends with the dead." Wooden, Newell, Dean Smith, Bill Russell are all examples.
10) Rethinking Scorecard. Sometimes we're wrong or mistaken. We 'miss the offramp' on the highway. Find an exit ASAP. Adam Grant, author of "Think Again" advises to track our active rethinking. In the screenshot below, Shawn Achor advises us to "reject failure" with new paths.
Lagniappe. Drive and kick.
Rajon Rondo detailing the keys to the drive and kick game
“I always like to give my guys the seams…” pic.twitter.com/HqWi61plvT
Lagniappe 2. It's not about being the smartest guy on the court but making our players that.
— The Courtside Vault (@CourtsideVault) July 12, 2024
"Coaching is not what you know, but what you can get your players to do on the court"
— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 12, 2024
- Stan Van Gundy pic.twitter.com/RbfqC56iNi
Lagniappe 3. Another shooting drill.
10 Shot Series
— Reid Ouse (@reidouse) July 11, 2024
5 Spots - Wings, Slots & Top - Must touch the nail when changing spots.
Shoot 1 @ Each Spot & the 5 standstill 3’s in a row.
1st Shooter to 25 Makes pic.twitter.com/adRZ8KcNeW