Basketball - Reverse Engineer Great Coaching

One of the greatest advantages coaches have today is access to information. Books, podcasts, clinics, videos, and social media provide a wealth of ideas. 

The challenge is no longer finding information. The challenge is extraction, improving our 'yield' from available resources. 

One process that has helped me is to reverse engineer what outstanding coaches, teachers, and leaders do. Rather than asking, "Should I copy this?" ask, "Why does this work?"

Here's one approach.

An Alternative Learning Process

1. Find an outstanding book—basketball, leadership, psychology, or teaching.
2. Read the Table of Contents before reading the first chapter.
3. Ask yourself, "What do I already believe about these topics?"
4. Read the book carefully.
5. Return to the Table of Contents and mentally reconstruct the major lessons without opening the chapters.

If you can explain each chapter in your own words, you've moved beyond reading to learning.

Example  Habits That Make a Champion (Allistair McCaw)

What does being 'coachable' mean to you? 

If you were teaching a player or team about a coachable player, what lessons and examples would you emphasize? 

• High level of commitment 
• Listener
• Tries to follow instructions as presented
• Embraces feedback
• Applies lessons to make others better

Excerpts:

Repackage the lessons in a way meets your philosophy of developing character and competence. 

You may not believe that being an early riser adds value, thinking that getting more sleep is what matters more for recovery. Nothing obliges us to adopt everything from other coaches. But it raises valuable questions. 

What principle is the author trying to teach?

That's the value of reverse engineering.  We don't have to adopt everything we read. Understand why successful coaches believe what they believe.

Every great book becomes another tool in our coaching toolbox. Some tools recur daily.  Others stay in the drawer for years until the right player or situation appears.

The goal isn't to become another coach. Become a better version of yourself.

Lagniappe. Finishing at the rim against high "contestedness" isn't easy. Do the reps. 

USE YOUR STEPS

Players that have good size and length can instantly be better finishers at the rim when they learn how to use their full 2 steps at the rim

Here we are working on taking a bump and then covering as much ground as possible (in any direction) with our last 2… pic.twitter.com/khRA6syV0S

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) June 23, 2026