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Sunday, June 15, 2025

All Coaching Is Editing

 

Coaches wrestle with the blank page early in our careers and messes later. Author Salman Rushdie reminds us that “all writing is rewriting.” Coaching is editing. Every season reflects the sum of the good and the needy. 

What’s the story and what’s the language? Remember, story (intent), characters (players), and dialogue (possessions). Director Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story." As the coach is the keeper of the performance. 

Rushdie says, "Be able to step back from the work and come back to it and look at it afresh." If we can't acknowledge when our work isn't good, that's a problem. 

In a twenty game high school season you approach 1,500 offensive and defensive possessions. Plenty won't have gone as hoped for.

Key points-

  • Shift gears from creative to critical imagination
  • What’s in our program that needs removal?
  • What’s missing that needs inclusion?
1) Critical imagination. What is wrong, harming our success, and 'what does our team need now?'

2) What needs removal? Hollywood comedy writers exhaust their career 'shaving syllables'? Experienced coaches created a lengthy drill book, playbook, performance-enhancement program. There are always elements that need removal or replacement. Always. 

3) What's missing? Offensively, a significant number of teams need better fundamentals - spacing, urgent cutting, ball movement, excellent shot selection, better shooting. "We can't run what we can't run." 

Many teams also don't use enough "hard to defend actions" - core PnR actions, back cuts, complex screening (staggers including Iverson actions, screen-the-screener, Spain PnR), early offense like pistol and zoom.

The offseason allows us to review, revise, reteach, and reinvest in our work. Everyone can do better.

Lagniappe. "Great defense is multiple efforts." 

Lagniappe 2. Attention to detail separates excellent from good. 

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