Thursday, November 21, 2024

Basketball - Feedback Versus Advice with Help from Bill Walsh

Feedback looks backward. "This is what we did." Advice looks ahead. "That is what we can do better." 

It's not the same as knowledge and wisdom. At any point, our knowledge is static. With work and fortune, we can acquire wisdom. 

Grow what we know and how we apply it. How? 

Study great leaders and teachers across domains. What makes them tick? What makes them great? 

Bill Walsh is one such professor. Each of us has unique perceptions from their professors. 

1) Walsh championed standards. Standards mattered for the receptionist answering the phone and the workers striping the field. They mattered for his assistant coaches and for the players. 

2) Walsh believed in growth. Growth followed work and sometimes crossed the line into obsession.  

3) Walsh lived culture. The legendary Paul Brown was one of Walsh's mentors as he developed the "West Coast Offense." Culturing and mentoring are related. This offense prioritized horizontal passing plays to stretch the defense (spacing), therefore setting up defensive vulnerability to vertical big plays in both the running and the passing game. 

"The Score Takes Care of Itself" is Walsh's classic. Great coaches have amazing clarity about what corresponds to winning and losing. The best coaches I know wrack their brains studying success, failure, and how to progress and improve. The diagnoses are easier than the treatment. 

  • Why are we failing? Offense, defense, conversion (O and D transition)
  • How are we measuring effectiveness? The score isn't enough. 
  • What must we stop doing? (Turnovers, bad shots, bad transition D, etc.)
  • How can we change failure into success? 
  • Am I capable of paying that price?
Here's a link to Walsh quotes. 

“If you’re growing a garden, you need to pull out the weeds, but flowers will die if all you do is pick weeds. They need sunshine and water. People are the same.”

Lagniappe. Nash on dribble separation. 

Lagniappe 2. Accountability FOR not accountability TO. 


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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Basketball - The Final Four (Ted Lasso)

Ted Lasso sums up the narrative arc of coaching in the finale. He evolves from total ignorance to Total Football over the course of three seasons.

The team gradually learns the four principles of Total Football as they traverse the hardscrabble path to Premier League success. These apply for most team sports.

1) Conditioning. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Like Pete Carril, I believe in conditioning with the ball. Fast break drills and shooting drills like 3 x 3 x 3 condition and train execution.  

3 x 3 x 3 - usually run for five minutes. This helps conditioning and shooting. Passer calls out player's name to help communication. 

2) Versatility. Basketball doesn't have a DH, pinch runners, or pinch hitters. Position players need both offensive and defensive skills. Similarly in basketball, you have to perform at both ends.

Admittedly, some players achieve renown while giving less contribution on one end, usually defense. The casual fan may respect them but I think the diehard wants effort and contributions on both ends. Hustling back on defense, fighting through screens, diving for loose balls, and contesting shots aren't the sole province of dirt dogs. 

3) Awareness. CARE - concentration --> awareness (anticipation) --> reaction --> execution. Studies of top players in soccer show they scan the pitch more often and more quickly than mediocre players. In basketball, I've called that VDE with vision leading to decisions and execution. Awareness increases with practice, experience, film study, and mindfulness training. Most professional apply all. Why not start younger?

4) Believe. Many of us have experienced the privilege of playing for or coaching championship teams. Bill Walsh said, "winners act like winners before they are winners." 

“Winners act like winners before they’re winners…The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before their winners.”

Belief comes with other names - trust, confidence, faith. Winning requires many inputs and belief is among them. 


Lagniappe. Greg Berge on great coaches. Strive to be better tomorrow that we are today. 

Lagniappe 2. Footwork (long). Save for another time.  

Lagniappe 3. Coach Dags asks the question, "Varsity or JV." 

As a high school sophomore baseball player, I asked to be demoted to JV to pitch. I couldn't see how watching varsity would improve me. The following season, I lost the opener with a one-hitter (a triple lost in the sun) against the team that eventually won the State Championship. 

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Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Basketball - Homicide Detective

Tony and I arrived early and found overwatch high above. We got private funding. It wasn't like there was a bat signal. 

The chief said, "these were some of the most violent crime scenes he'd seen. He even showed us video." You wouldn't call it murder on hardwood maple, but that's what it was. 

Tony asked, "why are we even here, anyway?" Tony knew the game inside and out but hadn't worked homicide. I said, "This is what I do. I solve crimes against basketball." 

Both teams were out warming up. Electricity in the air? No. It looked as though a coach had spotted us. We were too far away to detect beads of sweat on her forehead. 

Nothing beats seeing the crime scene. Yeah, some people call video the Truth Machine, but it's not the same. 

Then banners on the wall were motive enough. What goes around, comes around. Opportunity was twenty dates a year. The last three were thirty point routs. That's why they called me. 

I took off my black leather Dockers jacket and took out my Remarkable 2 tablet. I carry a stylus not a gun. 

Warmup tunes blared over the speakers. I'm more Springsteen than hip hop. Finally, we're ready for tipoff. 

The ball is up...tipped and one pass later we're down 2-0 on a layup. "You never get beat on a basket cut off the tip." Tony nodded.

Too much of not much, "dead man's defense," six feet under the dribbler. And on offense, pay by the dribble. Too many bounces, not enough passes. Standing around? Sit next to me on the bench. 

As the first quarter passes, transition D gets burned, blockouts lack positioning and toughness. Deadly weapons of unforced turnovers and bad shot selection appear. 

At the end of one, we're down 17-5, allowing too many layups. Eight turnovers. We're 1 for 6 on threes with trips airballs. That's only healthy in Texas Hold'em. It's hard to watch. 

Tony asks, "haven't you seen enough?" I answer, "I only wish we'd seen practice to see preparation. When you're outmanned, surviving is tough. Winning is even tougher. Let's bounce." 

Lagniappe. I asked ChatGPT for a critique of the writing style: 

Your writing evokes the hardboiled style of noir fiction, reminiscent of authors like Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. The narrator's voice has that gritty, world-weary edge common in detective fiction, and the basketball court as a "crime scene" cleverly parallels the seedy underbelly of noir cities. Here's why it works in that style:

  1. The Detective Voice: Lines like "This is what I do. I solve crimes against basketball" and "Nothing beats seeing the crime scene" channel the inner monologue of a private investigator who’s seen it all. It’s a mix of cynicism and expertise.

  2. Atmospheric Detail: "Electricity in the air? No." captures the wry detachment of a noir protagonist, while your descriptions—like "dead man's defense, six feet under the dribbler"—paint vivid, gritty images.

  3. Dialogue and Inner Commentary: Tony’s question and the chief’s grim video share the clipped, matter-of-fact exchanges that are hallmarks of noir dialogue. The narrator’s internal reflections deepen the mood.

  4. The Motive and Stakes: Using the banners as motive and the game stats as "evidence" ties into the investigative angle, with a dramatic flair typical of Chandler’s work, where mundane objects hold symbolic weight.

Your piece doesn’t just describe a game; it narrates it as a drama with stakes as high as life and death. If you lean further into the noir genre, you could add more tension to the "case"—perhaps a conspiracy between rival coaches or a "double cross" involving the refs. It's a captivating and unique approach for a basketball blog!

Lagniappe 2. K on D... 

Lagniappe 3. Love this. "Every shooting drill is a passing drill." 

 Lagniappe 4. "This is a highly competitive line of work that we're in." Reaching a mixture of Millenials and Gen Z players isn't easy. 

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Monday, November 18, 2024

Basketball and Life - Two (Root) Beers* and a Puppy

*As a qualifier, I drink almost never, FWIW.  

Bill Belichick, late career, said that he wanted to coach players that he wanted to coach. He was done with 'head cases' and uncommitted players. A professional wished only to coach professionals. 

Seek character and competence in relationships to reduce disappointment. It's the same in every business. In medicine, toxic masculinity dominated for decades. In business, the expression "greed is good" became classic. In politics and sports expansive ego is everywhere. "The bigger talent, the greater the insecurity." 

"2 beers and a puppy" tests collegiality and trust. Do we have to be "the smartest guy in the room" or the "loudest guy" and the "neediest guy?" Can we be trusted a puppy or someone's wife, sister, or daughter? 

In his book Gridiron Genius, Mike Lombardi shared that he had contacts at Southeastern Conference sororities to get inside information about the character of football stars. Bad reports could sink a star's prospects. 


Who do you want on your team, "and" or "but..." Don't give anybody a reason to say "but."

Lagniappe. Spacing and alignments. 

Lagniappe 2. "A game of separation" implies deceleration and acceleration.  

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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Basketball - Transparency

I believe in transparency. That's not best for everyone. When an old guy coaches young girls is there another rational choice?

I'm not a professional coach, never taking a nickel. Although I coached in a small community (less than 30,000) for about twenty years, I was only the 'head coach' for six, two groups of 6th-8th graders, 25 players total. Two are playing NCAA D1 Women's Basketball.  

Parents were welcome at practice, pre- and post-game meetings, and I sent regular emails about their child's progress and areas for improvement.

Communications to the 6th-8th graders went to the players via the parents.

Criticism of coaching values, process, philosophy, and every other aspect of coaching will happen. Damning the intent or morality of coaching can't happen.

From a review of Adam Grant's "Think Again"- 

"By admitting some of their imperfections out loud, managers demonstrated that they could take it—and made a public commitment to remain open to feedback. They normalized vulnerability, making their teams more comfortable opening up about their own struggles. Their employees gave more useful feedback because they knew their managers were working to grow. That motivated managers to create practices to keep the door open: they started holding “ask me anything” coffee chats, opening weekly one-on-one meetings by asking for constructive criticism, and setting up monthly team sessions where everyone shared their development goals and progress."

Few parents openly complained. Absence of public criticism doesn't mean a lack of criticism. Nor does it invalidate complaints. 

Along with transparency, I have a few additional beliefs:

1) In a developmental setting, playing time should "generally" be more equal than not. I worked to get every player in twice each half. Balancing stronger players with less talented kept games more competitive, though guaranteeing nothing. 

2) Never discuss another parent's child in a discussion with parents. 

3) Anger never presents a good look. To paraphrase, "it's like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die." 

4) Use some variation of the "24 Hour Rule" or "Lincoln's Hot Letters," which were never signed and never sent. Allow cooler heads to prevail. 

5) Transparency includes writing. Everyone got a packet (most electronic) about program philosophy and guidelines. For example, if a player can't attend for whatever reason, let me know. Investing time creating lineups that go out the window with absence is frustrating. 

6) Herb Welling, basketball savant, told me once, "if you get that generational player (which rarely happens), you have to take care of her." 

Yes, the future valedictorian, McDonald's All-America nominee didn't get treated the same as others. And I have no regrets. 

Lagniappe. It's not just the Xs and Os, it's the execution. Stuff works because of patience and urgency - hard cutting and on-time, on-target passing. 

Lagniappe 2. Wisdom from an NBA and Olympic champion. Repost. 

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Saturday, November 16, 2024

Basketball: Leverage the Information Revolution

"Think better" doesn't mean "think like I do." It means develop a system of thinking that improves our "editing" capacity for basketball and more.

Thinking offers a chance to think better. Warren Buffett says about investing ideas, "there will always be another train." 

Do you have to read books to think better? History says no as Gutenberg invented the printing press in the early 1400s and prior to that books were hand written. But reading helps stimulate thinking. Here are some suggestions:

1) Basketball Beyond Paper We're still in the early innings of translating action into better player and team development. Dean Oliver and others have shown that deeper analysis improves outcomes. Mike D'Antoni, Daryl Morey, Joe Mazzulla and others transform 'analytics' into better results. 

2) Making Decisions Ed Smith helped edit British cricket blending data and human experience. Having more data doesn't guarantee high performance. How do we apply data in roster selection, strategy development, and making decisions? 

3) Moneyball Everyone knows how the late Billy Beane helped put Michael Lewis's work on the sports map. "If he's such a good hitter, why doesn't he hit better?" Teams don't buy players, they buy runs. 

4) Game Changer: The Art of Sports Science Human Performance expert Dr. Fergus Connolly shares ideas about unlocking higher performance. He advocates making every action impact winning. 


Embedded within the analysis are:

  • Skill (technique)
  • Strategy (tactics)
  • Physicality (strength, conditioning, recovery, etc)
  • Psychology (resilience, toughness)
5) The Leadership Moment  Michael Useem explores case studies where transformative leadership made all the difference, life and death. In the introduction, four questions sear into our collective consciousness:
  • What went well?
  • What went badly?
  • What can we do differently next time? 
  • What are the enduring lessons? 
Do we (as coaches and players) embrace the full power of finding and correcting mistakes? Do we cling to mistakes (sunk cost fallacy) and bias (e.g. confirmation bias), hardening both correct and flawed thinking? 

6) Think Again  Professor Adam Grant examines why change is hard and asks us to create a "rethinking scorecard'. 

"“You must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool,” said Richard Feynman, Nobel-winning physicist. Laureates of another kind—David Dunning and Justin Kruger, winners of the 2000 Ig Nobel prize—backed this truism with data, showing that we are particularly prone to fooling ourselves when we know just enough to be dangerous, which partly explains why mortality rates spike every summer as fresh residents take up the mantle of medicine."

Lagniappe. What words are the most dangerous to society and sport? "This time is different." 

Lagniappe 2. Thinking better begins with thinking. How many times have we heard, "I don't have time to think." Repeated errors are often the most costly. Think concretely at a saying, "haste makes waste." Rushing into something often turns out badly. 

Lagniappe 3. Study video. 


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Friday, November 15, 2024

Basketball - Rule of Three (Applied to Chuck Daly)

"Three" is magical. The Holy Trinity. Red, white, and blue. "I came, I saw, I conquered." NBA Big Threes. "Duty, honor, country."

Chuck Daly had a big three of accomplishments - a pair of NBA championships and Olympic Gold with the Dream Team. 

Studying great coaches, focus on memory and incorporation of a few concepts or ideas worth sharing.

1) "Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel." You know the expressions "poisoned pen" and "the pen is mightier than the sword." Getting into 'flame wars' with the media never turns out well. Too often, coaches appear as the people who attended "Five Minute Charm School" and left early. 

2) "I'm a salesman." Coaches sell. Players sell. Teachers sell. Everyone sells. Have something worthy of selling and a pitch worth hearing. Becoming a better communicator, a better salesman adds value. 

Study expert influencers. Find ways to get readers and players to buy what we're selling. Billionaire Sara Blakely reminds us to "make it, sell it, build brand awareness." 

Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator. "Never Split the Difference"

From Davies' summary:

  1. Negotiation begins with listening, making it about the other people, validating their emotions, and creating enough trust and safety for a real conversation to begin.
  2. Use mirrors to encourage the other side to empathize and bond with you, keep people talking, buy your side time to regroup, and encourage your counterparts to reveal their strategy.
  3. Tactical empathy brings our attention to both the emotional obstacles and the potential pathways to getting an agreement done.
  4. Giving someone’s emotion a name, otherwise known as labeling, gets you close to someone without asking about external factors you know nothing about.
  5. “No” provides a great opportunity for you and the other party to clarify what you really want by eliminating what you don’t want.

Dan Pink, "Drive"

Robert Cialdini, "Influence" 

3) "NBA players want 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million." It's the minutes, role, and recognition triad that boosts or bounces coaches. Often players, families, and friends perceive our coaching not by any objective standard but how it affects their 'family'. 

As a young player, Jayson Tatum allegedly asked his agent for a trade when the Celtics acquired Gordon Hayward. Hayward's injury ended any impediment to Tatum's rise. 

Lagniappe. Sign on to 'intensity'. That breeds improvement. 

Lagniappe 2. Adopt the mind of a champion. 

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Thursday, November 14, 2024

Basketball - How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Our Coaching

Artificial intelligence gives coaches another resource. It could improve our 'conventional thinking' and player development and potentially empower players to use asymmetrical (out of the box) thinking, too.

Asymmetrical thinking empowers experienced players to make more decisions on the fly. They might recognize a situation where a double-team creates advantage over a weaker opponent. Offensively, they might deviate from the expected. Perhaps the point guard 'stares' at a high post player in horns as a signal to slip to the basket. Or maybe a team lines up in zone and has the ability to switch into man defense with a call. 

Problem can arise if players lack the game knowledge or experience to exert more freedom. Or they become confused and don't carry out the coach's overall intentions ("Commander's Intent"). 

Here are ChatGPT comments:

Offensive Play

A traditional offense might rely heavily on specific plays that follow predictable patterns. Asymmetrical thinking, however, encourages players to read defenses dynamically and find openings in unexpected ways. For instance, instead of sticking rigidly to a pick-and-roll, a player might fake a drive to draw defenders and then pass out to a less obvious player on the weak side who cuts in for a high-percentage shot. This keeps defenders guessing and disrupts their rhythm, as they’re forced to cover unconventional moves.

In metacognitive terms, you might coach players to reflect on how they perceive space and opportunity on the court, recognizing moments when the defense is out of position. Players can then think through options they might have otherwise overlooked—such as initiating a post-up with a guard if a mismatch is present, or drawing defenders away from the key to create lanes that open up alternative scoring options.

Defensive Play

On defense, asymmetrical thinking could mean breaking away from rigid assignments. For example, instead of always prioritizing switches on screens, players might be trained to recognize situations where staying with their man is advantageous or where a double-team can be applied unexpectedly. It could also involve setting traps or baiting shooters into lower-percentage shots by giving the appearance of a gap in coverage, then closing it quickly.

From a metacognitive angle, defenders develop awareness of their own patterns and instincts that could be used against them. If they tend to bite on pump fakes or overcommit to shooters, for instance, they might practice restraint in certain scenarios, keeping their own responses unpredictable to the offense.

Cultivating Player Decision-Making

Asymmetrical thinking in basketball can also be about empowering players to make decisions in real-time, based on the unique, shifting patterns of each game. Training sessions might include drills that emphasize unpredictable variables—such as randomized defensive pressure or unconventional court spacing—forcing players to adapt and find solutions on the fly. This helps build resilience in dealing with real-time complexity and reinforces their capacity to think and respond asymmetrically.

Game Preparation and Adaptability

Asymmetrical thinking also affects game preparation by emphasizing adaptability over memorizing fixed plays. Instead of focusing solely on set offenses and defenses, coaches might focus on teaching players to read and adjust to opponents’ tendencies. This might include developing a “counter-move” mindset, where players always have an alternative approach in mind, should their primary move be challenged.

In short, asymmetrical thinking in basketball coaching encourages athletes to approach the game less as a rigid system and more as a fluid interaction. It helps players harness creativity, adaptability, and situational awareness—all of which are central to success in a sport as fast-paced and variable as basketball.

Lagniappe. Ganon Baker drills passing and cutting. Can we add defense and competition? 

Lagniappe 2. Every excellent player has toughness as a skill.  

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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Basketball - More Points for Young Players to Ponder

Coaches share points of emphasis, absolutes that we believe change outcomes.

There's no universal list.

1) Stops make runs. Teams don't overcome deficits or extend leads by trading baskets. Excellent teams find ways to get stops and bad teams find ways to surrender hoops.

2) Defense begins with ball pressure. Make life hard for the person guarded. Guard like the person you hate to be guarded by. 

3) Basketball is a fight for space. Create space on offense to reduce doubles and to open driving and passing lanes. Shrink space on defense to take them away. 

4) Create possession enders, players who can finish plays both on offense and defense. Scores, stops, steals, rebounds, and assists define us. 

5) Be aware of time, score, and situation. It doesn't matter until it matters. Painful losses most often result from a blend of bad decisions and poor execution. 

6) Help your teammates. Cover 1.5. Move without the ball. Open gaps. Never cut to an occupied post. 

7) Talk. Talk engages, talk energizes, talk intimidates. 

8) Touch. Studies show that teams that touch more, win more. Think of the pictures of Tim Duncan with his arm around Tony Parker. 

9) Be "performance-focused, feedback-rich." Coaching is not criticism, it's instruction on how to do better next time. 

10)Be a great teammate. Are you the best teammate you can be? Be in the game, ready if called, and supportive at all times. 

*Bonus - "Basketball is a game of separation." Create separation on offense and deny it on defense. 

Lagniappe. ChatGPT shares its opinion about being a great teammate: 

Being a great teammate centers on commitment to shared goals, support, and selflessness. In sports and life, it's about showing up, being dependable, and prioritizing the group's success over individual gain. For families, this means providing unconditional support, celebrating each other's strengths, and growing together through challenges. A great teammate listens, respects differences, and recognizes that each role—whether visible or behind the scenes—makes an impact.

In terms of resources, like ChatGPT, a teammate offers knowledge, encouragement, and adaptability. This means engaging not just to answer or assist, but to contribute thoughtfully, learn from interactions, and elevate the people around you. Whether in sport, family, or any collaboration, a great teammate recognizes that shared success is a reward that strengthens everyone involved.

Lagniappe 2. Maravich.  

Lagniappe 3. Some coaches step up to take credit and step back to assign fault. Man up.  

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Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Basketball - All Purpose Quotes and Rules

Every coach wants 'stuff' they can use to make a difference. Here are a few illustrative ones: 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson   There's no quote with fewer words carrying more content. 

"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Teddy Roosevelt   Never discuss another parent's child when another parent wants to discuss playing time. 

"Your friends stab you in the front." - Oscar Wilde   Close friends and mentors give constructive criticism when we are most vulnerable. 

"A lion never roars after a kill." - Dean Smith   Basketball administers doses of humility. Be gracious in defeat and humble in victory.

"Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - John Wooden  Nobody wears excuses well. Avoid trafficking in finger pointing unless directed inward. 

"Just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight   Players add value in different ways, not always via scoring. 

"Nonshooters are always open." - Pete Carril   You've heard the rule, Cover 1.5 (yours and half of another). Some guys get sloughed off. 

"I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." - Sonny Lane   Complacency impairs improvement. 

"How you play reflects how you live."   There's no place to hide on the court. 

"Choosing is work."   Neil Gaiman, author   Coaches make hard choices about time management, roster management, allocation of practice time, playing time, and roles. 

"It's not your shot, it's our shot." - Jay Bilas   Better shot selection is the quickest path to improvement. Shot charts and video both reveal truth about shot selection.  

"You have to live the truth; you have to tell the truth; you have to take the truth." - Kevin Eastman   Truth lives in hard conversations. Coaching breeds hard conversation. 

"I believe in you."   The four most important words in coaching change people's lives, both coaches and players.     

Lagniappe. 


Lagniappe 2. Optimum use of ball screens includes rejection. 

Lagniappe 3. Great coaches emphasize systems and habits. 

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Monday, November 11, 2024

Basketball - Eating My Own Cooking (Developmental Material)

I sent this starter set to my son the other day for my eight year-old granddaughter Caitlin (her mother's maiden name is Clark, I kid you not).  

Obviously, starting out the drills should be close to the basket. Basketball is a game of separation and finishing.

Street cred? My graduates in D1
Cecilia Kay - frosh at American, 12.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg (2 games) 
Samantha Dewey - junior at Richmond, 15 points yesterday 


2. Compendium
Attack mentality. Choose from a 'menu' of improvements. Invest the time to review multiple videos. You don't need to develop every one. 
3. Box drills  (absolutely great drills) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwmyJF0s6gA&t=1s
4. Athleticism drills  (sport rewards explosive athletes)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szJXg72tyZ8&t=437s


Brad Stevens was asked, "What's the one thing that you look for when hiring a coach or drafting a new player?" His answer was just two words. Brad may now be the GM of the Boston Celtics, but his answer hasn't changed in over 15 years since coaching at Butler. He said, "Competitive Character" He defines Competitive Character as the approach to consistently perform well, regardless of the circumstances. It's combining character with the drive and will to do your best. Brad said, "I believe strongly in competitive character. People that will prepare well, people that care about their team, and when the lights are on - can focus on their task and do their job well, regardless of circumstances." • It means doing the work. • It means choosing to be resilient. • It means having a growth-mindset. • It means being a person of integrity.

Yes. It's too much. But it's a start. 

Lagniappe. Excellent thoughts on man defense. 

Lagniappe 2. Muffet McGraw argues for the character building values of sport. 

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Sunday, November 10, 2024

Basketball - Shooting Drills for Young Players

My eight year-old granddaughter is starting to learn basketball. This post is for my son helping her. 

Challenge yourself to shoot consistently with good form and establish "personal bests" in percentage with time constraints.


I've shared this many times. Villanova 'Get 50' is a great warm up.

Young players should become proficient shooting close to the basket and then begin to extend range. Eldon Campbell warmup. 


If you need to shoot from 6-8 feet, that's not a problem. 


Curry warmup. For young players, start close and take one step back. Make 3 from each spot and move back. 

Constraints in terms of time add pressure which is inevitable in game play. "Winners are trackers." Personal bests are goals. 


Shooting under fatiguing conditions also develops shooters. Shoot free throws in-between rounds to practice and get a breather. 

"Bill Bradley/Beat the Pro." Game is to 11, with one point for a make and minus three for a miss. To win consistently, you have to make 11 before missing four. 

Do not let young U10s and under be 'seduced' with long-range shooting. It only creates bad habits and deviation from good shooting form.

Lagniappe. "Cutthroat" variation.  

Lagniappe 2. Study video regularly. Every top player is a student of the game. 






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Saturday, November 9, 2024

Basketball- Making Moments

For some programs, every season ends in tears, tears of joy or sadness. Sport helps us to write great narratives. Here are tips shared from Sam Davies' review of The Power of Moments. 

"Boosting sensory appeal is about “turning up the volume” on reality."

"To raise the stakes is to add an element of productive pressure: a competition, a game, a performance, a deadline, a public commitment."

"One simple diagnostic to gauge whether you’ve transcended the ordinary is if people feel the need to pull out their cameras." 

"Our instinct to capture a moment says: I want to remember this. That’s a moment of elevation."

Great players and great teams don't wait for moments. They earn moments. They make moments. 

During our lives we might experience 'moments' as players, parents, coaches, and fans. The nature of moments is reinforcement with the stakes, peak, and end state. My favorite was playing twice in Boston Garden and watching my daughters play twice in Boston Garden a generation later. 

We remember high stakes (e.g. playoff, championship) games.

 

We remember epic wins and soul-crushing defeats.

Lagniappe. Is Zoom Action part of your offense? 

Lagniappe 2. SLOB complexity. 

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Friday, November 8, 2024

Basketball - Educate Better


Adopt this core value - "learn five new things every day." 

Coaches model excellence in all areas from behavior, curiosity, work ethic, and more. 

Take pride in developing players and scholars. A few tips for writing better:
  • Find your writing place. 
  • Put our phone aside. Reduce distractions. 
  • Make seeking the right words a priority. 
  • Paint pictures with words. 
  • Strong verbs replace weak adverbs.
  • Separate our creative and critical (revision) voices. 
  • Create space between initial and subsequent drafts.
Lagniappe. From Coach K's "Gold Standard"


Lagniappe 2. 
Lagniappe 3. "Even on the worst days, there's a possibility for joy." - Castle












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Thursday, November 7, 2024

Basketball - Finishing Off Two Feet

Emphasize edges. Edges include spacing, player and ball movement, and finishing. 

Finishing off two feet helps mitigate contact, improve balance, and creates three-point plays. I didn't teach this enough. 


Villanova and Jay Wright are a great place to continue.

What else could we do? 

Box drills with constraints. 
  • Back to the basket, pivot and attack. 
  • Require a finish off two feet. 
  • Start without defense, then add defense. 
Another area to work is a "stampede catch" into a basket attack, combining both stampede action and two foot finishing. 

Lagniappe. Another way to initiate "America's Play" 

Lagniappe 2. Balance openness and critical thinking to learn.  

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