This is the next installment of posting activites and readings I give the girls this season. The one is snipet from the LLABB (a great blog for those who do not know) followed by questions asking you to think about passing in terms of a relationship.
According to renowned Italian and EuroLeague coach, Renato Pasquali, passing is a relationship formed with others. When you do not pass to an open teammate, you are send them a message: "I did not trust you with our team's advantage."
Here's a look at the different types of passes and what message they send:
• NO PASS = No relationship. I don't trust you to do the right thing with the ball.
• FORCED PASS = A forced relationship. It is never completed or never whole.
• "DIRTY" PASS = A pass made after holding onto the ball for a long time. It's an afterthought that says, "I've exhausted all other options and my time with the ball. Here... take what's left."
• "CLEAN" PASS = A pass made on time and on target. This pass builds a relationship of trust. It says: "I'm thinking about you and what's needed for the team (in this moment)."
It's important to develop an understanding in players that when you do make a pass to a teammate, a sense of trust develops.”
(LLABB.blogspot.com)
Think about passing in terms of a relationship:
- If the person you are supposed to meet is not on time or does not ever show up? What does that say about the relationship? What about if they show up but how they are dressed, or when they arrive doesn’t allow you to do what you had planned?
- If the person you are in a relationship with only gives you a chance or lets you spend time with them when it is convenient/easy/they’ve got nothing else to do – How does that make you feel? How are they showing they feel?
- IF the person you are in a relationship with doesn’t trust you: follows you around, only lets you do certain things, will not trust you certain places or certain times – How does that effect your relationship?
- What if the person you are trying to be friends with does things that hurt you, hurts them or does things in a way that holds either of you back? Do you bring it up? When does it have to change?
- If the person in the relationship is always willing to look to you, give you a chance, believes and trusts you to do the right thing – What is the relationship like then?
- If your teammate tells you to “F%^& off, I’m better than you!” How does that make you feel? How about if they say “Your good. I trust you! Here take this and help the team.”?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
How to shrink your circle of respect, while strenghtening your circle of influence!
This is the next installment of readings for the girls!
7 Step to shrinking & strengthening the circle.
#1 – Create behaviours, expectations, and relationships that mark members of the circle as clearly different.
#2 – People within the circle must promote and work to make the each other stronger so the circle can be drawn together and made stronger
#3 – Those inside the circle and those from outside the circle are not allowed to pull the circle apart.
#4 – Members must recognize that momentary sacrifices of a few make us all better now and in the future
#5 – Everyone’s personal goals must be superceeded by the needs of the group. No one is allowed in the circles whose attitudes and goals do not improve us.
#6 – Members of the circle must be accountable and refuse to let other members down.
#7 – Outside influences are just that: OUTSIDE. They are for people not in the circle.
Law of the Chain: A chain is only as STRONG as ITS weakest link!!
7 Step to shrinking & strengthening the circle.
#1 – Create behaviours, expectations, and relationships that mark members of the circle as clearly different.
#2 – People within the circle must promote and work to make the each other stronger so the circle can be drawn together and made stronger
#3 – Those inside the circle and those from outside the circle are not allowed to pull the circle apart.
#4 – Members must recognize that momentary sacrifices of a few make us all better now and in the future
#5 – Everyone’s personal goals must be superceeded by the needs of the group. No one is allowed in the circles whose attitudes and goals do not improve us.
#6 – Members of the circle must be accountable and refuse to let other members down.
#7 – Outside influences are just that: OUTSIDE. They are for people not in the circle.
Law of the Chain: A chain is only as STRONG as ITS weakest link!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
5 Keys to being relentless
Over the next few weeks and monthes I will be updating the blog. These updates will be focused on readings and activities I give the girls to work with. The first one is below:
5 Keys to being able to be “Relentless”
#1 – A strict code of acting and behaving under stress. This includes:
- A disciplined way of responding to stress
- A precise way of moving and responding to every situation
- Quick and decisive response to commands – no hesitation is tolerated.
#2 – No visible sign allowed of weakness or negative emotion of any kind in response to stress. The expression of negative emotion is not permitted. No matter how you feel – this is the way you act, this is what we do!
#3 – Regular exposure to high levels of mental, emotional, and physical training stress to accelerate the toughening process. Practice should be tougher than games. People don’t step up in big games, people not used to that pressure and intensity simply fall behind.
#4 – Precise control over cycles of sleep, eating, drinking, and rest. Organization of your universe to every degree possible.
#5 – A rigorous physical fitness program. This focuses on aerobic, anaerobic, and strength training. You must be ready to take it too another level when others are dropping out.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
G.A.M.E.
* Warning persons reading this post should be informed that I'm a dork. Acronyms and silly word games amuse me thus when I design basketball items, these tend to bleed in.
What are we going to run on offense this year? G.A.M.E.
What are we going to run on offense this year? G.A.M.E.
Get A Mismatch Early - Offense
What is it? It is a concept based offense (you can call it motion, read and react, freelance, etc) with a priority on getting us the best chance to score.
How? We will use concepts for breaking out, reading penetration, passing and cutting, and using screens. The purpose behind all of which will be to get someone a mismatch that we can win to score. We will use speed, skill and team play to accomplish this.
When? When do we have a mismatch? Anytime somone has a 1 on 0 or a shooter/scorer has enough of a step that a catch and go will result in an 1 on 0. Mismatches also occur: when a player with the ability to finish inside has position and the advantage, a shooter is closed out on late or with hands down, a defensive breakdown allows us to beat our player off pentration.
Why? I like to keep things simple. Concept based offense allows for the most learning possible, while allowing enough structure and freedom for players skills to develop. It puts the owness on their skills and interpretations not the ability to memorize sets and counters.
Where? Where do we get mismatches. Anywhere we can find them a preferably early in the clock. Before the defense is set and communicating (or even back) is the best time to get a 1 on 0. If the defense is back then as soon as someone can create a 1 second advantage or easy mismatch we will exploit it.
G.A.M.E. Rules
1. Atack all the time. Use eyes, body and ball to attack.
2. The floor is divided into grids (6 in each half). No more then 1 player per grid.
3. Players must constanly be active and forcing movement.
4. Allowed types of movement include: cutting to force a push/pull of players without the ball, exchanging grids via a screen, being pushed or pulled in reaction to a cutter or the ball.
5. The ball ulitmately determines and supercedes all other movement.
6. Players must pass and then: cut to score, cut to create movement or cut to screen.
7. Players must recognize, use and attempt to score in a mismatch once it is presented.
8. Player must understand that concepts change in phases of the clock.
Phase 1 Concepts - Fast Break
- Get someone to the rim.
-Release players up each sideline.
-Have a ballhandler and pressure release opposite them.
-Get the ball up to an pentration and pass to the rim in the first 4 seconds of the shot clock.
Phase 2 Concepts - Transition
- Players not invovled in rim action should be reading push/pull in reaction to drive or cutting action.
- On a kick out shoot if open and able, or immediately reverse the ball.
- Unless we've shot, reverse the ball until player have all cut through and we can get right into mid clock concepts.
-Total ball reversal and repositioning should have happened by the 8 second mark of the shot clock.
Phase 3 Concepts - Mid Clock
- Mid clock phase is 10 seconds in length.
- Mid clock options: Pass Cut Fill, Pass Cut Screen, React to Pentration
- Once you pass the ball you must cut to catch and score, cut to force movment, cut to screen for a teammate. Which ever action creates the most immediate mismatch.
- Any time they are able to effectively attack the rim the player with the ball must attack forcing players to circle in the direction of their selected hand drive.
- Any time you would cross a teammates grid but they are not pushing through that immediately becomes a screen at the meeting point of the grid.
Phase 4 Concepts - Late Clock
- Late clock is the final 6 seconds of the shot clock.
- Player with the ball must immediately create on penetration or find the player most likely to be able to do so immediately. In the case of the later the player who recieves the pass must attack.
- Attacking player looks to create or kick out for a 1 pass shot.
We may also have a couple of sets or specific calls along with inbounds, late game and inbounding situational stuff. I can't give away all the secrets at once though.
We may also have a couple of sets or specific calls along with inbounds, late game and inbounding situational stuff. I can't give away all the secrets at once though.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tryouts and Evaluations
I don't have tryouts.
I used to have tryouts, and sometimes I miss the good old days. You line up a bunch of nervous kids around the middle, detailing your expectations for the season and at tryouts. Then you do some technical drills to test skills, space them out with a lot of high energy conditioning to see who will tough it out and then let the kid compete at some point to see if you missed anything in drills. After a few nights of this have a meeting or post a list of who survived and earned the right to make the team. I don't do that anymore.
Now we have evaluation camp. Over a period of 10 -12 practice sessions we put in our entire offense. Anything we will plan on doing that year we work on, we mix this with skill drills that work on pieces of the offense and transition/competitive drills to keep energy high. During this time we do three levels of evaluation:
- Team Player
- Off Court Player
-Program
At the end of the sessions we announce teams for that year. Then we spend more time on individual skill development and defense.
Team Player and Off Court Player
This is an assesment of the players we have in terms of desirable basketball and program traits. We examine the following traits in every player and each coach ranks them out of 4:
-Atheticism (Agility, Verticality, Flexibility)
- Speed/Quickness
-Offensive Skills
-Defensive Skills
-Rebounding
- Leadership
- Hustle
-Intelligence (Decision Making, Application of Concepts, Ability to Adjust)
- Focus
- Complication Free (Drama, Laziness, Attitude)
- Size (Height, Length, Wing Span, Strength)
- Experience (Level of competition previous, Programs involved with, Camp/Club experience)
This takes several days or even weeks to determine, as we need time to see players in various settings. We need to talk to teachers, former coaches and other persons of influence in their lives to make all these determinations. In the end coaches will agree on a total score for each player.
Program
Once the numbers are set for each player the coaches will rank them from 1-x based on the numbers. We then decide who will make what team.
In our high school setting we generally follow this pattern:
- Best 8-10 kids based soley on the rankings make varsity. Then we fill in remaining roster spots (depending on team size) with any remaining grade 11-12's on the list from highest rank to lowest.
- Any left over 11 and 12's are met with and given opportunities to be involved with the program in other ways (managers, officials, work with minor program) etc.
- We now take the best remaining 9/10's to make up the JV team until the roster is filled. Any leftover players are given the same options as left over 11's and 12's.
In the time we've begun doing this we've been more successful at weeding kids out on their own and over timethen we had in shortened time frames of the past. Players who are able have a chance to show over time, and deficiencies become apparrent on and off the court after a few weeks, making decisions easier.
I used to have tryouts, and sometimes I miss the good old days. You line up a bunch of nervous kids around the middle, detailing your expectations for the season and at tryouts. Then you do some technical drills to test skills, space them out with a lot of high energy conditioning to see who will tough it out and then let the kid compete at some point to see if you missed anything in drills. After a few nights of this have a meeting or post a list of who survived and earned the right to make the team. I don't do that anymore.
Now we have evaluation camp. Over a period of 10 -12 practice sessions we put in our entire offense. Anything we will plan on doing that year we work on, we mix this with skill drills that work on pieces of the offense and transition/competitive drills to keep energy high. During this time we do three levels of evaluation:
- Team Player
- Off Court Player
-Program
At the end of the sessions we announce teams for that year. Then we spend more time on individual skill development and defense.
Team Player and Off Court Player
This is an assesment of the players we have in terms of desirable basketball and program traits. We examine the following traits in every player and each coach ranks them out of 4:
-Atheticism (Agility, Verticality, Flexibility)
- Speed/Quickness
-Offensive Skills
-Defensive Skills
-Rebounding
- Leadership
- Hustle
-Intelligence (Decision Making, Application of Concepts, Ability to Adjust)
- Focus
- Complication Free (Drama, Laziness, Attitude)
- Size (Height, Length, Wing Span, Strength)
- Experience (Level of competition previous, Programs involved with, Camp/Club experience)
This takes several days or even weeks to determine, as we need time to see players in various settings. We need to talk to teachers, former coaches and other persons of influence in their lives to make all these determinations. In the end coaches will agree on a total score for each player.
Program
Once the numbers are set for each player the coaches will rank them from 1-x based on the numbers. We then decide who will make what team.
In our high school setting we generally follow this pattern:
- Best 8-10 kids based soley on the rankings make varsity. Then we fill in remaining roster spots (depending on team size) with any remaining grade 11-12's on the list from highest rank to lowest.
- Any left over 11 and 12's are met with and given opportunities to be involved with the program in other ways (managers, officials, work with minor program) etc.
- We now take the best remaining 9/10's to make up the JV team until the roster is filled. Any leftover players are given the same options as left over 11's and 12's.
In the time we've begun doing this we've been more successful at weeding kids out on their own and over timethen we had in shortened time frames of the past. Players who are able have a chance to show over time, and deficiencies become apparrent on and off the court after a few weeks, making decisions easier.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Love, Like, Parenthood, and Our Canadian Women's Basketball Team
I've just finished watching our Canadian women's basketball team play, their pre tournament and initial round robin games. I must say I've been incredibly impressed, proud, frustrated, disgusted and amazed every single game. These women remind me of a quote from the book "Parenthood" by Bill Cosby my mother would often reference to all of her children.
"I love you, that does not mean I have to like you right now!"
I love lots of things in the game of basketball: guts, toughness, big shot making, intensity, hustle, pressure defense, teamwork, pace, passion . . . the list could go on and on.
Watching their games I constantly saw things that made me love this women's team. I also saw things that made me want to throw heavy things through my TV/computer screen:
Things I loved:
- We were tough. We played physical and gritty for full possessions of in your face offense and defense fighting and reading screens over and over again. Battled on the boards vs. teams twice our size and backed down from no one at any point.
-Coach McNeill. Like most of my favorite coaches she is nothing like me, and is constantly amazing me. She was intense while being composed. In moments where I would have been losing my mind, she was not only having focused and reasonable dialogue with players but was getting immediate results from timeouts and subs. She was determined, tough, committed and focused. Her team took on these traits in every way.
- Defending off ball action. For being outsized and athleted in most games, our women shut down teams screening games and cutting to the rim. Most teams found players to make tough shots, long threes or broke us down off the dribble in transition in order to score. 5 on 5 stopping other teams stuff I was very impressed with our effort and understanding.
- Adjustments. I think of all the teams I watched Canada did the best job of adapting from quarter to quarter. We would correct mistakes, make new reads and find ways to compete to get back into ball games. My congrats to the coaching staff and players on staying mentally tough, while being creative through many tough games.
I didn't like you right then (but I still love ya'):
- Possessions took years. We were playing with such a small margin for error, I was dying for possessions where we could get a quick turnover or an easy look in transition. To the point when we doubled a wing entry or got a rare fast break layup you'd have thought we were winning the Super Bowl in my basement. I love fast paced basketball, and by my own admission my solution to just about every problem I face as a coach tends to be better ball pressure, and cleaner transition offense. So for me watching us work 20 seconds off a clock and end up with a contested shot, or forcing teams to take long threes late in the clock time after time (only to give up the o-board and repeat process) caused me no end of frustration. Just personal preference, and as I stated previously I've got huge respect and love for the Canada coaching staff who know much better than I what they need to do to win.
- Make a jumper. We back screened as well and effectively as anyone at the tournament. The issue was eventually teams would load up on the paint and play under daring us to flare or pop and make shots. I have no idea what I found more frustrating the games where we would miss the majority of them, or the games where we had missed the majority of them before so we didn't shoot them and forced it into traffic for a turnover. The sun can't shine everyday, but even a broken watch is right twice a day (to mix a couple of metaphors.)
- Take it to the rack. Like most Canadian basketball fans, one of the most entertaining things for me to watch is Steve Nash circling and probing NBA defenses making individuals and teams look foolish. So you can imagine my feelings at watching us need to catch the right player, in the right matchup, in a late closeout (that rarely came because who closes out hard when you aren't making shots) in order to dribble drive the rim. In moments where I was dying for us to get an easy hoop we were forced to resort to waiting and reading on screens for match ups rather then just breaking people down.
- Breakout. I kept waiting for us to push the ball down, if not to fast break to at least get some action in transition before the longer defenses loaded up. I waited a lot. This is not a criticism of anyone on Team Canada, but as a fan I wanted to see us making some easy shots and plays to make runs. When we went on runs it was generally long stretches of great defensive stops and the opposition missing free throws, while we would show better offensive efficiency and make free throws.
In a nutshell I loved and continue to love our Canadian women's national team. I'm as proud of their effort and competitive spirit as I could be. The fan in me that grew up loving the "Bad Boys" in Detroit went crazy for our intensity. The fan in me that loves to fun and run and prefers "West Coast" NCAA to east coast, kept going crazy wanting us to score.
So conflicted.
"I love you, that does not mean I have to like you right now!"
I love lots of things in the game of basketball: guts, toughness, big shot making, intensity, hustle, pressure defense, teamwork, pace, passion . . . the list could go on and on.
Watching their games I constantly saw things that made me love this women's team. I also saw things that made me want to throw heavy things through my TV/computer screen:
Things I loved:
- We were tough. We played physical and gritty for full possessions of in your face offense and defense fighting and reading screens over and over again. Battled on the boards vs. teams twice our size and backed down from no one at any point.
-Coach McNeill. Like most of my favorite coaches she is nothing like me, and is constantly amazing me. She was intense while being composed. In moments where I would have been losing my mind, she was not only having focused and reasonable dialogue with players but was getting immediate results from timeouts and subs. She was determined, tough, committed and focused. Her team took on these traits in every way.
- Defending off ball action. For being outsized and athleted in most games, our women shut down teams screening games and cutting to the rim. Most teams found players to make tough shots, long threes or broke us down off the dribble in transition in order to score. 5 on 5 stopping other teams stuff I was very impressed with our effort and understanding.
- Adjustments. I think of all the teams I watched Canada did the best job of adapting from quarter to quarter. We would correct mistakes, make new reads and find ways to compete to get back into ball games. My congrats to the coaching staff and players on staying mentally tough, while being creative through many tough games.
I didn't like you right then (but I still love ya'):
- Possessions took years. We were playing with such a small margin for error, I was dying for possessions where we could get a quick turnover or an easy look in transition. To the point when we doubled a wing entry or got a rare fast break layup you'd have thought we were winning the Super Bowl in my basement. I love fast paced basketball, and by my own admission my solution to just about every problem I face as a coach tends to be better ball pressure, and cleaner transition offense. So for me watching us work 20 seconds off a clock and end up with a contested shot, or forcing teams to take long threes late in the clock time after time (only to give up the o-board and repeat process) caused me no end of frustration. Just personal preference, and as I stated previously I've got huge respect and love for the Canada coaching staff who know much better than I what they need to do to win.
- Make a jumper. We back screened as well and effectively as anyone at the tournament. The issue was eventually teams would load up on the paint and play under daring us to flare or pop and make shots. I have no idea what I found more frustrating the games where we would miss the majority of them, or the games where we had missed the majority of them before so we didn't shoot them and forced it into traffic for a turnover. The sun can't shine everyday, but even a broken watch is right twice a day (to mix a couple of metaphors.)
- Take it to the rack. Like most Canadian basketball fans, one of the most entertaining things for me to watch is Steve Nash circling and probing NBA defenses making individuals and teams look foolish. So you can imagine my feelings at watching us need to catch the right player, in the right matchup, in a late closeout (that rarely came because who closes out hard when you aren't making shots) in order to dribble drive the rim. In moments where I was dying for us to get an easy hoop we were forced to resort to waiting and reading on screens for match ups rather then just breaking people down.
- Breakout. I kept waiting for us to push the ball down, if not to fast break to at least get some action in transition before the longer defenses loaded up. I waited a lot. This is not a criticism of anyone on Team Canada, but as a fan I wanted to see us making some easy shots and plays to make runs. When we went on runs it was generally long stretches of great defensive stops and the opposition missing free throws, while we would show better offensive efficiency and make free throws.
In a nutshell I loved and continue to love our Canadian women's national team. I'm as proud of their effort and competitive spirit as I could be. The fan in me that grew up loving the "Bad Boys" in Detroit went crazy for our intensity. The fan in me that loves to fun and run and prefers "West Coast" NCAA to east coast, kept going crazy wanting us to score.
So conflicted.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
How I Win?
I'm taking on a new challenge this year in moving to girls full time. This will mean not only CP and provincial teams with high end young women in the other seasons, but all winter with some much less committed (yet still lovable) JV girls in our school.
After having a pre-season meeting and sharing my expectations with the boys team I'd planned on coaching, I left the seniors with a message about "Sandpaper" (See previous entry.) Now that I'm changing gears and trying to build a new culture in our girls program I've given great consideration to the message I want to start off with to the ladies:
I only know one way to win - Create a culture of us against the world!
There are three things we need to do in order to live this attitude:
1. Be special.
2. Be emotionally honest (Vocally).
3. Be Hostile.
1. Be Special.
We need to earn the right to special, but also embrace and understand we are different. We can't act, want, and react to the world the way people who aren't on this team do. Cute boys, friendly girls, our parents, and our community are who we represent the best elements of, but they are not who we are. They make decisions and choices based on motivations that have nothing to do with selfless sacrifice to make you and your teammates the best. We need to be special. You can't make common/popular decisions. You won't be spending your time the same way as most people. Our interests, efforts and allegiances need to lie in very different places then the students you interact with everyday. You must work harder, sacrifice more, and have higher expectations for yourself then you can currently imagine. You will be more humble in public, and more arrogant about your abilities in private. We must not only be different, but better.
2. Be emotionally honest.
Winners don't mitigate. Mitigating is a social behavior we learn to share potentially unpopular ideas to superiors. We must be direct, honest and constant. We are a team, a family by choice not chance. If you can't say what you are thinking, and we can't take what you say and feel to make us stronger, then we won't amount to much anyway. On the floor and off the floor we need to be able to trust and anticipate each other. We can't do this unless we are constantly in each others ear about who we are, what we stand for and how we need each other to succeed. This not only requires the confidence to speak loudly about exactly what you need and feel, but the maturity to see and hear the truth from others with the focus of getting better.
3. Be Hostile
There is no such thing as a big game player. There are players and teams who in big games and big moments continue to achieve while others fall away simply because they can still play confidently in those moments. They can succeed where others fail because they've done it day in and day out in tougher circumstances then they face in the game. We need to be brutal. Our practices need to be more intense, more pressure packed, more physical and more competitive then any situation we could face. As soon as there is a ball and a score we need to play with the sibling rivalry that exists in families. You'll love each other once its over, but there is no way you are losing to each other or anyone else. You must compete ever second of every play, drill, and exercise as if not winning that moment will cost us a championship. This intensity and mild paranoia will breed frustration, focus that frustration into effort and aggression. Don't get mad, make us better.
After having a pre-season meeting and sharing my expectations with the boys team I'd planned on coaching, I left the seniors with a message about "Sandpaper" (See previous entry.) Now that I'm changing gears and trying to build a new culture in our girls program I've given great consideration to the message I want to start off with to the ladies:
I only know one way to win - Create a culture of us against the world!
There are three things we need to do in order to live this attitude:
1. Be special.
2. Be emotionally honest (Vocally).
3. Be Hostile.
1. Be Special.
We need to earn the right to special, but also embrace and understand we are different. We can't act, want, and react to the world the way people who aren't on this team do. Cute boys, friendly girls, our parents, and our community are who we represent the best elements of, but they are not who we are. They make decisions and choices based on motivations that have nothing to do with selfless sacrifice to make you and your teammates the best. We need to be special. You can't make common/popular decisions. You won't be spending your time the same way as most people. Our interests, efforts and allegiances need to lie in very different places then the students you interact with everyday. You must work harder, sacrifice more, and have higher expectations for yourself then you can currently imagine. You will be more humble in public, and more arrogant about your abilities in private. We must not only be different, but better.
2. Be emotionally honest.
Winners don't mitigate. Mitigating is a social behavior we learn to share potentially unpopular ideas to superiors. We must be direct, honest and constant. We are a team, a family by choice not chance. If you can't say what you are thinking, and we can't take what you say and feel to make us stronger, then we won't amount to much anyway. On the floor and off the floor we need to be able to trust and anticipate each other. We can't do this unless we are constantly in each others ear about who we are, what we stand for and how we need each other to succeed. This not only requires the confidence to speak loudly about exactly what you need and feel, but the maturity to see and hear the truth from others with the focus of getting better.
3. Be Hostile
There is no such thing as a big game player. There are players and teams who in big games and big moments continue to achieve while others fall away simply because they can still play confidently in those moments. They can succeed where others fail because they've done it day in and day out in tougher circumstances then they face in the game. We need to be brutal. Our practices need to be more intense, more pressure packed, more physical and more competitive then any situation we could face. As soon as there is a ball and a score we need to play with the sibling rivalry that exists in families. You'll love each other once its over, but there is no way you are losing to each other or anyone else. You must compete ever second of every play, drill, and exercise as if not winning that moment will cost us a championship. This intensity and mild paranoia will breed frustration, focus that frustration into effort and aggression. Don't get mad, make us better.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sandpaper - First Letter to This Year's Senior Boys
Everyone needs to embrace an attitude when they play basketball. For some people its their inner competitor, for others it is a persona, and for some it is the personality of their team or leaders. These individual and collective attitudes help to determine the make up of the team and contribute directly to results. Everyone competes hard at game time, you can see that in gym classes all over the world. The issue is you need to be able to bring the proper work ethic and attitude every time you train so you are prepared for game time.
This year I've decided to ask my seniors to adopt a persona in practice, off the court and at game time. For some of them it may be and extension of their basic personality but for others I'm sure it will be an exercise in trying adopt and embrace something larger then themselves.
I expect them to be our team's "SANDPAPER." What this means is no more complicated then looking at what sandpaper is and does then applying it to our team:
- Rough, gritty, tough. These are characteristics of any good piece of sandpaper. It also is exactly what we want our seniors to be and to bring to our team. In practice, in games, they need to be the ones setting the tone of playing with an edge of physicality, of being abrasive and intense (borderline hostile) to make sure we are at the right level all the time. They need to be the ones making sure "whatever it takes" is level and expectation every possession.
- Sand paper shapes with pressure, abrasion, and friction. Our seniors need to be making sure we are adopting the shapes, form and behaviors that we need on and off the court. They need to be the ones in people's ears, getting people out to train and lift, and getting on people that aren't doing what it takes. If someone isn't doing what it takes with their training, in the classroom or on the floor the seniors are the ones that need to make sure that a change is happening. We are only as strong as our weakest link and seniors need to be making sure that toughening, shaping and focusing their teammates is a 24-7 job.
- Sand paper is dependable, durable and you know exactly what you are going to get from it. Our senior leaders cannot be seen as weak or uncommitted. They need to be the first ones in, last ones out and the ones giving the most consistent effort, intensity and focus. They also can't be emotionally distant or labile; they need to be the rock that holds an even line through everything. They need to set the tone of efficiency and focus.
- Sand paper only works through force. Our seniors need to be the ones exerting the effort to help shape us. It is not just about them and their development it has to be about the making their teammates better, by actively doing whatever it takes to succeed at every moment. They need to exert active energy all the time in the name of meeting our goals. They cannot bystanders, mitigators or simply along for the ride they must be the driving force.
This is what it takes. It is what we need. You need to be our team's "SANDPAPER!:
This year I've decided to ask my seniors to adopt a persona in practice, off the court and at game time. For some of them it may be and extension of their basic personality but for others I'm sure it will be an exercise in trying adopt and embrace something larger then themselves.
I expect them to be our team's "SANDPAPER." What this means is no more complicated then looking at what sandpaper is and does then applying it to our team:
- Rough, gritty, tough. These are characteristics of any good piece of sandpaper. It also is exactly what we want our seniors to be and to bring to our team. In practice, in games, they need to be the ones setting the tone of playing with an edge of physicality, of being abrasive and intense (borderline hostile) to make sure we are at the right level all the time. They need to be the ones making sure "whatever it takes" is level and expectation every possession.
- Sand paper shapes with pressure, abrasion, and friction. Our seniors need to be making sure we are adopting the shapes, form and behaviors that we need on and off the court. They need to be the ones in people's ears, getting people out to train and lift, and getting on people that aren't doing what it takes. If someone isn't doing what it takes with their training, in the classroom or on the floor the seniors are the ones that need to make sure that a change is happening. We are only as strong as our weakest link and seniors need to be making sure that toughening, shaping and focusing their teammates is a 24-7 job.
- Sand paper is dependable, durable and you know exactly what you are going to get from it. Our senior leaders cannot be seen as weak or uncommitted. They need to be the first ones in, last ones out and the ones giving the most consistent effort, intensity and focus. They also can't be emotionally distant or labile; they need to be the rock that holds an even line through everything. They need to set the tone of efficiency and focus.
- Sand paper only works through force. Our seniors need to be the ones exerting the effort to help shape us. It is not just about them and their development it has to be about the making their teammates better, by actively doing whatever it takes to succeed at every moment. They need to exert active energy all the time in the name of meeting our goals. They cannot bystanders, mitigators or simply along for the ride they must be the driving force.
This is what it takes. It is what we need. You need to be our team's "SANDPAPER!:
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Best 5 Basketball Books , you may not know about.
Its summer and that means some extra time for reading. I'm sure like all basketball fans, my love of the game transcends other aspects of my life. In my case when it is time to read, I very well may read a book about basketball to get my mind off teaching and coaching basketball.
I'm not talking about coaching handbooks, or drill lists, or manuals (although I've got a shelf of those too). I'm talking about some good inspirational basketball thoughts and stories. So here is my current list of top 5 basketball books you may want to check out for the first time or even again in no particular order:
Values of the Game - Bill Bradley
A collection of thoughts and essays from former pro, princeton grad and US senator Bill Bradley on the values and lessons learned through basketball. Great thoughts, stories and memories from some of the greats of the game past and present while focusing on the character lessons players, coaches and any basketball fan should be embracing.
To Hate Like This is to Be Happy Forever [A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting and Occasionally Unbiased Account of the DUKE-NORTH CAROLINA RIVALRY] - WILL BLYTHE
The title really says it all. An in depth, laugh at loud, "Oh my god! Really . . " and thought provoking look at college basketball's greatest rivalry. I sports writer from a die hard Tarheel family takes a year of to examine everything that makes this rivalry transcend school and region to be an internationally notorious one. He goes through a whole season watching games, meeting coaches, interviewing die hard fans and following every aspect of the rivalry possible, backdropped by his family's personal relationship in this saga.
Transition Game: How Hoosiers went Hip Hop - L. Jon Werthem
Basketball was born in Springfield Mass. Its home and heartbeat has always been the state of Indiana. This book examines how factors that are changing our world (gloablization, multiculturalism, etc) have done the same to the game of basketball in the state of Indiana. It is a warm walk down memory lane following the history of the state of Indiana, the state of the game, and the state of the world through interlaced stories of familiar basketball faces and legends up to contemporary day basketball in Indiana.
Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska - Micheal D'Orso
Coaches, players and fans all seem to think that no other place has quite the problems or has to deal with issues that their team has to overcome. Try being the coach in Fort Yukon. This book follows a year in with the basketball team in Fort Yukon, Alaska. Fort Yukon is a small native community above the arctic circle deep in the Alaskan wilderness. The only way to travel is snowmobile, getting to games means a plane trip which may or may not be cancelled by -50 degree weather, kids growing up with the struggles and pressures of trying to be regular teenagers in toady's world, members of their tribes culture/heritage and working to try to win a state championship. This book has everything you could ask from a story of a team for a season to bring some perspective to your own world of basketball.
Winning Sounds Like This: A season with the women's basketball team at Gallaudet University, the world's only university for the deaf. - Wayne Coffey
What most people love about sports (in particular basketball) has something to do with the pressure, overcoming adversity, seeing life lessons played out in a microcosm, and the thrills of the unexpected. Well imagine trying to win at a NCAA university in the capital city of the United States, and by the waty - your team is all hearing impaired. A wonderful story of a season with some of the most special athletes, coaches, playing high level basketball at arguably the most unique university and culture in the world. If you need to know what basketball, winning, and the power of sport really are - read this book!
(Honorable mention should go to The Last Amateurs. A story following a season in the the only Division 1 basketball conference that does not offer sports scholarships.)
I'm not talking about coaching handbooks, or drill lists, or manuals (although I've got a shelf of those too). I'm talking about some good inspirational basketball thoughts and stories. So here is my current list of top 5 basketball books you may want to check out for the first time or even again in no particular order:
Values of the Game - Bill Bradley
A collection of thoughts and essays from former pro, princeton grad and US senator Bill Bradley on the values and lessons learned through basketball. Great thoughts, stories and memories from some of the greats of the game past and present while focusing on the character lessons players, coaches and any basketball fan should be embracing.
To Hate Like This is to Be Happy Forever [A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting and Occasionally Unbiased Account of the DUKE-NORTH CAROLINA RIVALRY] - WILL BLYTHE
The title really says it all. An in depth, laugh at loud, "Oh my god! Really . . " and thought provoking look at college basketball's greatest rivalry. I sports writer from a die hard Tarheel family takes a year of to examine everything that makes this rivalry transcend school and region to be an internationally notorious one. He goes through a whole season watching games, meeting coaches, interviewing die hard fans and following every aspect of the rivalry possible, backdropped by his family's personal relationship in this saga.
Transition Game: How Hoosiers went Hip Hop - L. Jon Werthem
Basketball was born in Springfield Mass. Its home and heartbeat has always been the state of Indiana. This book examines how factors that are changing our world (gloablization, multiculturalism, etc) have done the same to the game of basketball in the state of Indiana. It is a warm walk down memory lane following the history of the state of Indiana, the state of the game, and the state of the world through interlaced stories of familiar basketball faces and legends up to contemporary day basketball in Indiana.
Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska - Micheal D'Orso
Coaches, players and fans all seem to think that no other place has quite the problems or has to deal with issues that their team has to overcome. Try being the coach in Fort Yukon. This book follows a year in with the basketball team in Fort Yukon, Alaska. Fort Yukon is a small native community above the arctic circle deep in the Alaskan wilderness. The only way to travel is snowmobile, getting to games means a plane trip which may or may not be cancelled by -50 degree weather, kids growing up with the struggles and pressures of trying to be regular teenagers in toady's world, members of their tribes culture/heritage and working to try to win a state championship. This book has everything you could ask from a story of a team for a season to bring some perspective to your own world of basketball.
Winning Sounds Like This: A season with the women's basketball team at Gallaudet University, the world's only university for the deaf. - Wayne Coffey
What most people love about sports (in particular basketball) has something to do with the pressure, overcoming adversity, seeing life lessons played out in a microcosm, and the thrills of the unexpected. Well imagine trying to win at a NCAA university in the capital city of the United States, and by the waty - your team is all hearing impaired. A wonderful story of a season with some of the most special athletes, coaches, playing high level basketball at arguably the most unique university and culture in the world. If you need to know what basketball, winning, and the power of sport really are - read this book!
(Honorable mention should go to The Last Amateurs. A story following a season in the the only Division 1 basketball conference that does not offer sports scholarships.)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Poker and Post Defense
Playing poker with people tends to be fairly telling about their personalities. Who is playing the percentages, who is betting aggressively early, who is playing tight, who is bullying, etc? One of the most important elements of the game is recognizing and understanding your opponent. You look for "tells" and watch how they play certain situations to make decisions later.
When we look at the game of basketball coaches try to find common elements to identify the way teams and coaches do things by picking out certain traits.
One of the things I key in on as a coach is what the other team does to defend posts. In my experience, almost to a team:
-If they play behind they think they are bigger. stronger and can bullying us off spots. They play tough contain to pressure m2m and try to make individual stops, and make you shoot contested shots over the primary defender. Rotation is likely to be help late at the rim or edge of the key with shot blocker.
- If they play 1/2 or 3/4 around high side they are a team that funnels to help in the middle or influences non dominant. They will probably help across (more hands in the middle) allowing you to skip and trying to recover. They will active wing defenders and want their bigs to stay at home.
- If they 1/2 or 3/4 around low side then they are a ball pressure to contain team influencing sideline and baseline and will probably double down if the post catches. They will also help earlier and rotate by dropping down. They tend to be more team oriented defensively with athletic active bigs.
- If they front the basketball, they are probably a high ball pressure team. Relying on early traps/help on baseline penetration and with combination rotations to cover passing lanes and traps. They are probably undersized and fast.
It sounds silly but its true. Same as you read the player guarding the screener when attacking with screens, I look at the way teams defend post play to determine their defensive philosophy and what we want to do. I'm sure teams do the same to us.
What they should see when they look at our post defense:
- Post defenders should be full front. I arm length's away (measured by a locked out inside arm fist first into the high hip). Low stance with active feet and outside hand up as high as possible. If teams try to seal or lock it down we simply give ground out. On a reverse we have enough space with the arm's length to step or sprint free without getting pinned.
Why do we defend this way:
- We are a ball pressure team looking to force traps/run and jumps so this technique keeps us closer to the ball, prevents any pass except a lob into an immediate trap and gives us the space we need to sprint free in rotations without getting locked/pinned.
I know that a lot of coaches worry about the lob, reverses or rebounding when fronting. I respect their feeling but disagree. The lob and reverse are both taken away with good on ball pressure to make the ball bounce. I've never really felt like is has hurt us on the boards but we tend to hit and go with all five anyway so our activity level either works for us or not regardless of positioning.
FYI in poker I also bet almost anything and will go all in much more often then anyone else in the game pushing the pace. Your personality is your personality, I guess.
When we look at the game of basketball coaches try to find common elements to identify the way teams and coaches do things by picking out certain traits.
One of the things I key in on as a coach is what the other team does to defend posts. In my experience, almost to a team:
-If they play behind they think they are bigger. stronger and can bullying us off spots. They play tough contain to pressure m2m and try to make individual stops, and make you shoot contested shots over the primary defender. Rotation is likely to be help late at the rim or edge of the key with shot blocker.
- If they play 1/2 or 3/4 around high side they are a team that funnels to help in the middle or influences non dominant. They will probably help across (more hands in the middle) allowing you to skip and trying to recover. They will active wing defenders and want their bigs to stay at home.
- If they 1/2 or 3/4 around low side then they are a ball pressure to contain team influencing sideline and baseline and will probably double down if the post catches. They will also help earlier and rotate by dropping down. They tend to be more team oriented defensively with athletic active bigs.
- If they front the basketball, they are probably a high ball pressure team. Relying on early traps/help on baseline penetration and with combination rotations to cover passing lanes and traps. They are probably undersized and fast.
It sounds silly but its true. Same as you read the player guarding the screener when attacking with screens, I look at the way teams defend post play to determine their defensive philosophy and what we want to do. I'm sure teams do the same to us.
What they should see when they look at our post defense:
- Post defenders should be full front. I arm length's away (measured by a locked out inside arm fist first into the high hip). Low stance with active feet and outside hand up as high as possible. If teams try to seal or lock it down we simply give ground out. On a reverse we have enough space with the arm's length to step or sprint free without getting pinned.
Why do we defend this way:
- We are a ball pressure team looking to force traps/run and jumps so this technique keeps us closer to the ball, prevents any pass except a lob into an immediate trap and gives us the space we need to sprint free in rotations without getting locked/pinned.
I know that a lot of coaches worry about the lob, reverses or rebounding when fronting. I respect their feeling but disagree. The lob and reverse are both taken away with good on ball pressure to make the ball bounce. I've never really felt like is has hurt us on the boards but we tend to hit and go with all five anyway so our activity level either works for us or not regardless of positioning.
FYI in poker I also bet almost anything and will go all in much more often then anyone else in the game pushing the pace. Your personality is your personality, I guess.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Mismatches
I have a friend who used to coach with me. He grew up in the US attending a private school in Tennessee where he played football and basketball as a 5'7 vs larger division 1 prospect athletes. Every now and then we will lace up our sneakers and play in some pick up basketball. Now I pity the first big guy who takes the yells "Mismatch" and tries to back him down in the post. Mostly because after school, but before becoming a teacher, this guy was a carpenter and is crazy strong for his size. This results in forearm shots to big guys ribs, backs and thighs that tend to leave them regretting trying to go get an easy layup.
As my coaching evolves I find myself coming back around to things. My latest re discovery is the idea of the mismatch.
As a concept based offensive coach I am constantly amazed at the assumptions I make about kids understanding of the game. Mismatches are a huge one. We are trying to break down the other teams defense to get someone a 1 on 1 they can win, to create a 1 on 0 for us to score. As simple as that sounds, you would like to believe that players would then immediately find the easiest way to beat someone (our best matchup taking advantage), but you would be wrong. Kids limited understanding of mismatches does not seem to extend beyond physical size into skill vs skill or situational concepts.
We'll feed undersized basket cutters heading into a wall of posts. We'll have an average ball handler trying to break down an athletic defender. We will pass up pull up jump shots at 8 feet by our best players, only to see them fire tough passes to post players (who can't handle) at 12 feet who will end up in a close out situation. The decision making is mind boggling.
I think this is a result of 3 problems:
Problem 1
A lack of exposure by today's youth players to pick up ball that honed most of the previous generation's game. Playground players just found the weak link, or the chucker , or someone's little brother and attacked that whenever anything got meaningful. Today's kids have grown up in such a structured sport environment where everyone gets to play, and we should all get a chance, that some of the innate primitive instinct to find the weakest in the herd and take them down has been lost. They have accepted we (the coaches) know what we're doing so they blindly do what they think we see as the right thing regardless of situation to succeed.
Problem 2
Over developed sense of self and others. Today's athlete has grown up empowered, aware of their rights, empathizing with the feelings of others, and learning to respect their environment and those in it. Bullying, judging, taking advantage of others, disrespect and selfishness are all looked down upon and to be avoided. (Yet those traits are exactly what attacking a mismatch is all about.) Confidence in themselves as people may give them a false sense of confidence in their game, but more importantly their sensitivity and respect of others doesn't allow them to mercilessly and eagerly attack and exploit other individuals naturally. In fact in the rare cases where youth coaches get players who will, in most cases they are told to share the ball and given some speech about being a better teammate and giving everyone a chance.
Problem 3
Coach as sage. Adults run their houses, their schools, their recreation, their sports, their free time, their structured time - we run just about everything their is to run in the lives of young people. (hmmm and kids seem to have bad instincts in a lot of on and off the court situations). We then also take players and too early structure their play. Particularly on the court coaches will recognize an advantage and set up plays or their whole system around this advantage. Players then execute the system because coach said so without understanding why, they don't see what they are dong as exploiting their advantages it is just how they play. Then when they go to another team or level with different strengths they either struggle because they can't adjust or the coach makes the adjustments for them again.
SOLUTIONS
- We as coaches must model and teach more and more. The only way to ensure a kid knows anything is to make sure they learn it from you.
- Coaches need to improve their players understanding of the game and the reasons behind "What-Why- When".
- Youth basketball needs less plays and more concepts and opportunities to play. Structured freedom to play, rather then smaller less skilled versions of elite level games.
- Players must be praised for using and reading a mismatch properly regardless of the outcome, while players who attack in bad situations, times and places must understand this regardless of how it worked out at this level.
- Kids must be encouraged to shoot more often and improve their shooting. This will stretch the floor making one on one matchups and skills more important then running structured offenses to get your kids who can finish closer to the rim to score and succeed more often.
- Every kid must have the skills to exploit their advantage. If they are being guarded by the worst on ball defender, they must be able to handle. If they are being guarded by a sagger they must be able to shoot.
- Do not use a punishment/reward system to motivate understanding. Punish/Reward returns are only high for basic physical tasks. When dealing with basketball IQ and exploiting advantages players must be given autonomy and freedom of creativity while being given feedback to improve.
As my coaching evolves I find myself coming back around to things. My latest re discovery is the idea of the mismatch.
As a concept based offensive coach I am constantly amazed at the assumptions I make about kids understanding of the game. Mismatches are a huge one. We are trying to break down the other teams defense to get someone a 1 on 1 they can win, to create a 1 on 0 for us to score. As simple as that sounds, you would like to believe that players would then immediately find the easiest way to beat someone (our best matchup taking advantage), but you would be wrong. Kids limited understanding of mismatches does not seem to extend beyond physical size into skill vs skill or situational concepts.
We'll feed undersized basket cutters heading into a wall of posts. We'll have an average ball handler trying to break down an athletic defender. We will pass up pull up jump shots at 8 feet by our best players, only to see them fire tough passes to post players (who can't handle) at 12 feet who will end up in a close out situation. The decision making is mind boggling.
I think this is a result of 3 problems:
Problem 1
A lack of exposure by today's youth players to pick up ball that honed most of the previous generation's game. Playground players just found the weak link, or the chucker , or someone's little brother and attacked that whenever anything got meaningful. Today's kids have grown up in such a structured sport environment where everyone gets to play, and we should all get a chance, that some of the innate primitive instinct to find the weakest in the herd and take them down has been lost. They have accepted we (the coaches) know what we're doing so they blindly do what they think we see as the right thing regardless of situation to succeed.
Problem 2
Over developed sense of self and others. Today's athlete has grown up empowered, aware of their rights, empathizing with the feelings of others, and learning to respect their environment and those in it. Bullying, judging, taking advantage of others, disrespect and selfishness are all looked down upon and to be avoided. (Yet those traits are exactly what attacking a mismatch is all about.) Confidence in themselves as people may give them a false sense of confidence in their game, but more importantly their sensitivity and respect of others doesn't allow them to mercilessly and eagerly attack and exploit other individuals naturally. In fact in the rare cases where youth coaches get players who will, in most cases they are told to share the ball and given some speech about being a better teammate and giving everyone a chance.
Problem 3
Coach as sage. Adults run their houses, their schools, their recreation, their sports, their free time, their structured time - we run just about everything their is to run in the lives of young people. (hmmm and kids seem to have bad instincts in a lot of on and off the court situations). We then also take players and too early structure their play. Particularly on the court coaches will recognize an advantage and set up plays or their whole system around this advantage. Players then execute the system because coach said so without understanding why, they don't see what they are dong as exploiting their advantages it is just how they play. Then when they go to another team or level with different strengths they either struggle because they can't adjust or the coach makes the adjustments for them again.
SOLUTIONS
- We as coaches must model and teach more and more. The only way to ensure a kid knows anything is to make sure they learn it from you.
- Coaches need to improve their players understanding of the game and the reasons behind "What-Why- When".
- Youth basketball needs less plays and more concepts and opportunities to play. Structured freedom to play, rather then smaller less skilled versions of elite level games.
- Players must be praised for using and reading a mismatch properly regardless of the outcome, while players who attack in bad situations, times and places must understand this regardless of how it worked out at this level.
- Kids must be encouraged to shoot more often and improve their shooting. This will stretch the floor making one on one matchups and skills more important then running structured offenses to get your kids who can finish closer to the rim to score and succeed more often.
- Every kid must have the skills to exploit their advantage. If they are being guarded by the worst on ball defender, they must be able to handle. If they are being guarded by a sagger they must be able to shoot.
- Do not use a punishment/reward system to motivate understanding. Punish/Reward returns are only high for basic physical tasks. When dealing with basketball IQ and exploiting advantages players must be given autonomy and freedom of creativity while being given feedback to improve.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Defending Screens
Obviously in the grand scheme of things all coaches would like to game plan for every eventuality. If they flex we'll jump and switch the screens early. If they ball screen with a non shooter we'll hedge soft and go under. If they down screen with the shooter to pop or re-screen the shooter we'll fight through and deny hard on the scorer and play under the non shooter.
On and on and on it goes, in coaches' favorite game of who can have the marker last.
At most levels particularly below the elite level we don't have the prep time or player IQ to properly teach all these variables and program specific reactions. In an attempt to determine a way to teach defending screens that our kids can execute and remember in times of crisis we've come up with the B.A.T. theory.
We like a one rule for all (or at least as many as possible) attitude on defense. Keep it simple and work hard as a team.
B.A.T.
We B.A.T. all screens and leave the individual reads up to players in the match ups at the moment. Please keep in mind we are a ball pressure team so that the ball handler should be under immense pressure to dribble or find space not be sitting back reading and making great passes.
B - Ball side. We get both players to the ball side of any screen plugging straight line passes and forcing lobs (rainbow passes) we can run under, knock down or close out too. We trust on any pass that off the ball defenders, whether a particular player or area is their responsibility, can sprint to deflect any pass with air under it.
A - Active. No one should be easy to screen or read. Both players should be low, moving, changing angles to that it is not clear what is going to happen or who will end up where. This way we are hard to screen, read, and attack. Active is hands, feet, hips, arms and mouths.
T - Talk. The most important issue here is communicate the current situation. We have no set switch or stay, we get both defenders ball side, moving, and seeing how the offense reacts then communicating new movements or matchups. Primary concern is always being able to stop the ball or to rotate to cover threats when we move to stop the ball.
On and on and on it goes, in coaches' favorite game of who can have the marker last.
At most levels particularly below the elite level we don't have the prep time or player IQ to properly teach all these variables and program specific reactions. In an attempt to determine a way to teach defending screens that our kids can execute and remember in times of crisis we've come up with the B.A.T. theory.
We like a one rule for all (or at least as many as possible) attitude on defense. Keep it simple and work hard as a team.
B.A.T.
We B.A.T. all screens and leave the individual reads up to players in the match ups at the moment. Please keep in mind we are a ball pressure team so that the ball handler should be under immense pressure to dribble or find space not be sitting back reading and making great passes.
B - Ball side. We get both players to the ball side of any screen plugging straight line passes and forcing lobs (rainbow passes) we can run under, knock down or close out too. We trust on any pass that off the ball defenders, whether a particular player or area is their responsibility, can sprint to deflect any pass with air under it.
A - Active. No one should be easy to screen or read. Both players should be low, moving, changing angles to that it is not clear what is going to happen or who will end up where. This way we are hard to screen, read, and attack. Active is hands, feet, hips, arms and mouths.
T - Talk. The most important issue here is communicate the current situation. We have no set switch or stay, we get both defenders ball side, moving, and seeing how the offense reacts then communicating new movements or matchups. Primary concern is always being able to stop the ball or to rotate to cover threats when we move to stop the ball.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Defensive Essentials
I always find it challenging when coaching groups that shoot poorly or need a lot of general and specific work on their offensive fundamentals. Given my druthers I would input our offensive scheme the first 3 weeks of the season and then spend the rest of the year refining offensive fundamentals to match. This would free up almost my entire season for defensive concepts, skills and wrinkles.
Unfortunately short of a top university or provinicial program no one gets that sort of luxury.
Since I live in a universe in order for me to spend as much a time as possible on offensive development while still getting defensive work in to become the team we want here are the essential defensive drills that we emphasis and use as our base teaching methods:
Foundation Drills:
- Closeout Footwork + Inital Move Footwork (Daily)
- Positioing and Footwork Drills (Regularly Early in the Year, Less Frequent Late)
- Doubling Positioning Drills (Once per week)
- *3 vs 3 Purpose series (1 every day)
- Shell Drill
Competitive Re-Enforcement Drills:
- 1 vs 1 Full Court
- 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 get the ball over 1/2 court.
- Shell drill with less d then offense. Short chot clock, o gets points for getting shots up that hit the rim.
- 2 vs 2 continuos focus on player picking up early the 2nd taking the rim runner.
Defensive Conditioners:
- Seagull Slides (Figure 8 around court)
-Army Slides (3 perimeter spots, 2 check points. Players closeout take 1 slide then sprint to check point. Do all three return to end of line.)
- Wall Sits
- Explosion Sqauts
- Team Hustle (PLayers slide and dive across the key # of times chosen by coach then sprint to the other end.)
- Body Moving (Training Course Requiring to move quickly through a series of jumps, slides, sprints in a circuit for 10 minutes.)
* 3 vs 3 Purpose series.
We set up specific 3 on 3 scenarios that have program initail movements for everyone then after the defensive sequence is execute we go live. 2 possesions per group then rotate a group in.
ie.
Kill the Big - Weak side block big and 2 wings on offense. Ballside wing drives, big defender comes to shut down the baseline, weak side wing defender must drop hard into the big. Once the ball is trapped and the big is hit we skip the ball at which point we are live.
ie.
No Middle - 3 Perimeter players on offense who may only pass bleow foul line extended if they dribble through the foul line. Offense gets points by getting through the foul line on the dribble or taking a jump shot that hits rim. 3 d must work together to keep ball pressure to bounce but not allow it through the foul line.
We set up very specific densive goals in 3 on 3 settings to practice movements wheil requiring the offense to attack a specific way to program our defensive responses.
Unfortunately short of a top university or provinicial program no one gets that sort of luxury.
Since I live in a universe in order for me to spend as much a time as possible on offensive development while still getting defensive work in to become the team we want here are the essential defensive drills that we emphasis and use as our base teaching methods:
Foundation Drills:
- Closeout Footwork + Inital Move Footwork (Daily)
- Positioing and Footwork Drills (Regularly Early in the Year, Less Frequent Late)
- Doubling Positioning Drills (Once per week)
- *3 vs 3 Purpose series (1 every day)
- Shell Drill
Competitive Re-Enforcement Drills:
- 1 vs 1 Full Court
- 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 get the ball over 1/2 court.
- Shell drill with less d then offense. Short chot clock, o gets points for getting shots up that hit the rim.
- 2 vs 2 continuos focus on player picking up early the 2nd taking the rim runner.
Defensive Conditioners:
- Seagull Slides (Figure 8 around court)
-Army Slides (3 perimeter spots, 2 check points. Players closeout take 1 slide then sprint to check point. Do all three return to end of line.)
- Wall Sits
- Explosion Sqauts
- Team Hustle (PLayers slide and dive across the key # of times chosen by coach then sprint to the other end.)
- Body Moving (Training Course Requiring to move quickly through a series of jumps, slides, sprints in a circuit for 10 minutes.)
* 3 vs 3 Purpose series.
We set up specific 3 on 3 scenarios that have program initail movements for everyone then after the defensive sequence is execute we go live. 2 possesions per group then rotate a group in.
ie.
Kill the Big - Weak side block big and 2 wings on offense. Ballside wing drives, big defender comes to shut down the baseline, weak side wing defender must drop hard into the big. Once the ball is trapped and the big is hit we skip the ball at which point we are live.
ie.
No Middle - 3 Perimeter players on offense who may only pass bleow foul line extended if they dribble through the foul line. Offense gets points by getting through the foul line on the dribble or taking a jump shot that hits rim. 3 d must work together to keep ball pressure to bounce but not allow it through the foul line.
We set up very specific densive goals in 3 on 3 settings to practice movements wheil requiring the offense to attack a specific way to program our defensive responses.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Message to Seniors on Awards Night
“Time and Pressure”
Do you know how a diamond is made? Pure carbon (like you find in coal) is put under tremendous pressure below the earth’s surface. This immense pressure continues for millions of years. The pressure eventually hardens the carbon into diamond. The lesson: the difference between your regular lump of coal and a diamond is only time and pressure.
Time and Pressure is how the earth makes precious stones, how you succeed on the court, and it is how people become the legacy they will leave behind.
To my seniors:
6 years seems far too short a time for us to have worked, accomplished, failed, learned, and succeeded quite so much.
I have spent more time with you then my wife would like, at times more than you have wanted, and more time then is healthy on my concern for each of you. Some demanded more concern than others, but all in many different ways. This concern I possessed was always with an eye on end product. The end of our time together does not mean though that you are an end product.
I had finite time to apply finite pressure. The edges I’ve worn off and mold I’ve pressed you towards are not the goal. You had to simply learn that to improve yourself you must push yourself from where you were, through discomfort, to where and who you want to be. I’ve seen all of you change, whether I think that change is good, bad, or other is of no consequence. What matters is that under time and pressure you changed.
As young men journeying into the world you have inherited the gifts of finite time and control over how much pressure you place on yourself to increase your self worth. Every moment you have is time to change, to grow to become whoever the world will remember.
While touring a coal mine in Cape Breton I learned that there are many grades of coal. Each is unique and serves a unique purpose; men often argue their value or merit. The difference between the lowest grade of coal and the most perfect diamond is not whether one is better or worse. Their value is determined by how rare and valuable others find them. The difference was simply: time and pressure.
Monday, May 24, 2010
My Favorite Basketball Day
I have lots of favorite days for lots of reasons. You give me some parameters and I can come up with a great day that I had under those conditions. I could probably come up with a dozen days related to basketball in hearbeat. The day I want to write about is my most recent Favorite Basketball Day. Maybe I'll wax nostaglic another time.
A few weekends ago we had CP Atlantic in Moncton. What an amazing epxerience! Getting to work with the best young players in the maritimes and some of the youngest most innovative coaching minds in the Country. It was blow your mind ridiculously fun and educational.
Some highlights that made is wonderful:
- The players. From top to bottom a group a hardworking well intentioned kids. Between national level performers and future CIS stars this group really made it easy and fun to coach.
- The lodge. Staying at the lodge in Moncton is always fun. Close quarters, bunch beds you aren't sure are going to make it. Plus all the amazing people all under one roof.
- Canada Basketball the Canada basketball rep that was sent to the boys came over to see us (ours got sick and was MIA) and just wandered around picking coaches minds, offering suggestions and phrasing things in a way to me and the kids that made me want to write it all down.
- Sitting around talking to CIS coaches and seeing the game from their perspective, their issues, their successes. It was eye opening and really lit a fire under me.
- #1 Highlight is Carly Clarke. She is a rock star. The new head coach at UPEI on the women's side not only ran sessions but also was evaluating a potential recruit. Carly allowed me to assist her in the evaluation and even put the player through some drills. This was a experience I'll never forget and totally convinced me that I wouldn't leave my current situation with school and basketball for many, but to help Carly at UPEI I would go in a heartbeat if I could make it work.
What a tremendous weekend. Thanks everyone for reminding me again what is great about this game.
A few weekends ago we had CP Atlantic in Moncton. What an amazing epxerience! Getting to work with the best young players in the maritimes and some of the youngest most innovative coaching minds in the Country. It was blow your mind ridiculously fun and educational.
Some highlights that made is wonderful:
- The players. From top to bottom a group a hardworking well intentioned kids. Between national level performers and future CIS stars this group really made it easy and fun to coach.
- The lodge. Staying at the lodge in Moncton is always fun. Close quarters, bunch beds you aren't sure are going to make it. Plus all the amazing people all under one roof.
- Canada Basketball the Canada basketball rep that was sent to the boys came over to see us (ours got sick and was MIA) and just wandered around picking coaches minds, offering suggestions and phrasing things in a way to me and the kids that made me want to write it all down.
- Sitting around talking to CIS coaches and seeing the game from their perspective, their issues, their successes. It was eye opening and really lit a fire under me.
- #1 Highlight is Carly Clarke. She is a rock star. The new head coach at UPEI on the women's side not only ran sessions but also was evaluating a potential recruit. Carly allowed me to assist her in the evaluation and even put the player through some drills. This was a experience I'll never forget and totally convinced me that I wouldn't leave my current situation with school and basketball for many, but to help Carly at UPEI I would go in a heartbeat if I could make it work.
What a tremendous weekend. Thanks everyone for reminding me again what is great about this game.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ladder of Priorities
“You give up the right to do your own thing, when you make commitments to other.” -Holtz
The key to any successful endeavor is to have an understanding of priorities of all the participants and aligning them with the goals of group. A sport is no exception.
In school sports the most frequent conflict arises as the incoming priorities of coaches, parents, and players are in opposition. In order to become successful people must supplant their individual goals for the betterment of the group.
The chart clearly illustrates where conflict arises. While the overall importance of school can be seen throughout, the coaches’ focus must be on what is best for the largest number while the others are more concerned with the individual.
Most coaches are very considerate of the individual’s needs and wants when making decisions but their bottom line the priorities outlined by their job and position come first. In order to have a successful program the coach must manage and guide their players to subvert their instincts of self first. Team success is a product of having the individuals focused on a group end goal, not short term individual goals.
Convincing players and parents that the program must be your primary focus in perhaps the greatest challenge that facing school coaches.
The key to any successful endeavor is to have an understanding of priorities of all the participants and aligning them with the goals of group. A sport is no exception.
In school sports the most frequent conflict arises as the incoming priorities of coaches, parents, and players are in opposition. In order to become successful people must supplant their individual goals for the betterment of the group.
Examine the example below, where you have the incoming priority lists of the three key groups.
Parent's Priorities
1 - Athlete
2 - School
2 - School
3 - Team
4 - Program
Player's Priorities
1 - Individual
2 - Team
3 - School
4 - Program
Coach's Priorities
1- Program
2 - School
3 - Team
4 - Individual
Most coaches are very considerate of the individual’s needs and wants when making decisions but their bottom line the priorities outlined by their job and position come first. In order to have a successful program the coach must manage and guide their players to subvert their instincts of self first. Team success is a product of having the individuals focused on a group end goal, not short term individual goals.
Convincing players and parents that the program must be your primary focus in perhaps the greatest challenge that facing school coaches.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Nutbrown
I've had very few original ideas lately related to basketball. It may have something to do with me trying to focus on Miss V (Verity - my daughter). To round out my quota for this month here is list given to me by Coach Daye senior that he took from a meeting with Coach Nutbrown.
FYI: Coach Nutbrown is 3 parts coaching legend, 1 part urban myth in Atlantic Canada.
Dave Nutbrown is one of the most successful Canadian university coaches to ever come out of NB. Not only did he successfully coach high school basketball in this province but he surveyed programs for many years at the university level. Before looking at the players to recruit, he would evaluate the program at a particular school to determine his willingness to associate with it.
The following criteria (in no specific order) are the issues that Coach Nutbrown looked at when determining program strength:
- The most talented kids possible.
- Desire and ability to play year round (at least part time)
- Won/Lost record vs. strength of schedule
- Championships
- Kids aspiring to play at a higher level
- What effect does it have on the school? Community?
- Immediate + Long Range effects on individuals
- Co-operation of administration
- Community and Parental interest
- Kids having to want to play and play often
- Coaches are a model of expectations at practice
- Practices mimic game intensity and expectations
- Coach willing and able to make the person a better player then he/she wants to be
- Strong feeder programs that mimic the attributes of the high school program.
- The prioritizing of long term goals, ahead of short term goals.
FYI: Coach Nutbrown is 3 parts coaching legend, 1 part urban myth in Atlantic Canada.
Dave Nutbrown is one of the most successful Canadian university coaches to ever come out of NB. Not only did he successfully coach high school basketball in this province but he surveyed programs for many years at the university level. Before looking at the players to recruit, he would evaluate the program at a particular school to determine his willingness to associate with it.
The following criteria (in no specific order) are the issues that Coach Nutbrown looked at when determining program strength:
- The most talented kids possible.
- Desire and ability to play year round (at least part time)
- Won/Lost record vs. strength of schedule
- Championships
- Kids aspiring to play at a higher level
- What effect does it have on the school? Community?
- Immediate + Long Range effects on individuals
- Co-operation of administration
- Community and Parental interest
- Kids having to want to play and play often
- Coaches are a model of expectations at practice
- Practices mimic game intensity and expectations
- Coach willing and able to make the person a better player then he/she wants to be
- Strong feeder programs that mimic the attributes of the high school program.
- The prioritizing of long term goals, ahead of short term goals.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ASU
Arizona State is freaking ridiculous. I'm sure that also means that most large division 1 schools facilities are also nuts, but having never been that up close and personal with a program like that before; I could only imagine. From lockers on computer codes, to whirlpools in player lounges, to multiple weight and training facilities and all this carved into the side of hill in the beautiful Arizona scenery/weather - wow! It makes you wonder why anyone would play in the North East.
Now to the game itself.
To be fair (and totally biased) I have a huge crush on ASU as a whole right now including their coach Charli Thorne and the entire team. They are as long, athletic and skilled a group of university women I'ld ever seen in person. The atmosphere for even "just a women's game on wednesday night" was ridiculous. I sat in the student band section rocking some yellow threads and was entertained.
Now all that being said they were playing Stanford, and there is no way anyone is beating Stanford. I know they lost to UCONN and may lose again to UCONN but I genuinely have no idea how any women's team anywhere could beat Stanford. They are skilled in frames and muscle masses I didn't know women came in. Their point guard had more muscle then any player for Arizona State. Their posts were flat out scary.
ASU had quick cuts on offense and fancy footwork on defense. Stanford had staggered screens and post ups resembling tanks rolling over some unsuspecting village in a war zone, and on defense they got extra physical.
Coach Thorne was coaching her butt off to make adjustments. Coach Vanderveer sat there until her team would make a mistake on anything then she would get up sub them out, chew them out, and sit back down. The final was 60 something to 40 something, but Stanford decided that is what it would be.
Now to the game itself.
To be fair (and totally biased) I have a huge crush on ASU as a whole right now including their coach Charli Thorne and the entire team. They are as long, athletic and skilled a group of university women I'ld ever seen in person. The atmosphere for even "just a women's game on wednesday night" was ridiculous. I sat in the student band section rocking some yellow threads and was entertained.
Now all that being said they were playing Stanford, and there is no way anyone is beating Stanford. I know they lost to UCONN and may lose again to UCONN but I genuinely have no idea how any women's team anywhere could beat Stanford. They are skilled in frames and muscle masses I didn't know women came in. Their point guard had more muscle then any player for Arizona State. Their posts were flat out scary.
ASU had quick cuts on offense and fancy footwork on defense. Stanford had staggered screens and post ups resembling tanks rolling over some unsuspecting village in a war zone, and on defense they got extra physical.
Coach Thorne was coaching her butt off to make adjustments. Coach Vanderveer sat there until her team would make a mistake on anything then she would get up sub them out, chew them out, and sit back down. The final was 60 something to 40 something, but Stanford decided that is what it would be.
Steve - WOW!!!
So I went to Phoenix which definitely meant that I was going to see the Suns play. Luckily enough they were in town during the week of the conference playing the 76'ers (two canadian NBA players in one building, who would have thought). What a game!
The suns were on fire and Philly isn't very good so it was 20 plus the whole way. Here are some memorable basketball things I took away from the game:
- When everyone is 200+ pounds I have no idea what is a foul inside of 14 feet other then a punch in the mouth.
- Steve had 24 points, 13 assists in 30 minutes of playing time on 8-10 shooting and with 1 turnover. He is always 3 steps ahead, he's reading the defensive and making eye contact with the guy he's going to find after the screen doubles to chase him and they rotate to pick up the slip.
- Communication at this level is art form. No one is calling plays around the court, you'd never get heard in time. Steve's coming down the floor with one hand or the other determining the action and movment by the side he attacks and wether he runs his hand through his hair or wipes it on the front of his jersey. After that it is read and react in hurry.
- When you can finish in the rim in two strides for a 6'10 frame, then allowing people to catch and play single coverage inside of 15 feet is impossible to defend post catch 1 on 1.
- Basketball still boils down to making the offense do something they don't want. Players in position to make shots/plays must make shots or plays.
- 3 Point shooting in transistion is back breaking particularly off a turnover.
The suns were on fire and Philly isn't very good so it was 20 plus the whole way. Here are some memorable basketball things I took away from the game:
- When everyone is 200+ pounds I have no idea what is a foul inside of 14 feet other then a punch in the mouth.
- Steve had 24 points, 13 assists in 30 minutes of playing time on 8-10 shooting and with 1 turnover. He is always 3 steps ahead, he's reading the defensive and making eye contact with the guy he's going to find after the screen doubles to chase him and they rotate to pick up the slip.
- Communication at this level is art form. No one is calling plays around the court, you'd never get heard in time. Steve's coming down the floor with one hand or the other determining the action and movment by the side he attacks and wether he runs his hand through his hair or wipes it on the front of his jersey. After that it is read and react in hurry.
- When you can finish in the rim in two strides for a 6'10 frame, then allowing people to catch and play single coverage inside of 15 feet is impossible to defend post catch 1 on 1.
- Basketball still boils down to making the offense do something they don't want. Players in position to make shots/plays must make shots or plays.
- 3 Point shooting in transistion is back breaking particularly off a turnover.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Season Reflection #8 - Playoffs
We we certainly spent the last 3 weekends learning a lot about us as team, us individuals and the qaulity of our high school basketball scene province wide.
Regionals
We went to Ormocoto needing to the first game to qaulify and wanting to play well in the seeding the next day. We managed to do both though despite that being our goal the competitior in me is still unhappy with the opportunities we missed.
The first game we battled but I had made the mistake of making my kids think too much. We knew the team we were playing was built around one superstar so we made a point all week of instituting a "sniper" wrinkle which takes one player out of our rotation to full deny the star every where all the time, and creates an auto-double once he catches. We did an excellent job on him holding him to 7 points total, but our attention to him and going away from our regular rotation led us to doing a poor job team wise at stopping the role players on the other team. We won but it ended up being much closer then it should have been. In our other games our most talented players finnally started playing like our most talented and we other then running out of gas at the end of both games to lose by a basket in one and 6 in the other we did a good job. I understand the downside of playing with the pace we do without depth means multiple games in 24 hours are not our friend.
Provincials
Proud sure. Shell shocked definitely. So we did go and represent our school at this level for the first time since 1997 (that year I was a freshmen in university and knew nothing about this school). We also learned a lesson that we had coming all season. You can't play at a level you don't see everyday and practice/play/compete at regularly. We spent the first 1/2 learning what this level was about to the tune of 41-17 at halftime, then came out and brought our game to match it to end up losing 81 - 69. That sent us home so I didn't see anymore basketball that weekend.
Finals
What a great finals experience. I took up some local kids and saw the best the prvince had to offer. I was disappointed in the AA girls final as the individual and team skill became lost in the moment and the game degernated into lots of long shots and the winner was the team that could offensive and defensive rebound more often. The other games were great. In a province that often struggles to shoot the ball these teams all had clearly reached the top of their leagues by being able to shoot it the best of the teams out there. In each of the games that became apparent as the teams at this level were good enough to stop the intial action so secondary shooters or needed to make shots. The teams that won found shots and made them.
Lessons:
- Keep It Simple Stupid. Don't make adjustments that effect the way you play or percieve yourself.
- If you are going to play is if you have depth, you really need to have good depth to succeed.
- You only play at the level you compete at regularly.
- Getting open shots its effective only if you can shoot it.
- Shooting fixes everything.
- If no one can shoot you better be able to rebound.
Regionals
We went to Ormocoto needing to the first game to qaulify and wanting to play well in the seeding the next day. We managed to do both though despite that being our goal the competitior in me is still unhappy with the opportunities we missed.
The first game we battled but I had made the mistake of making my kids think too much. We knew the team we were playing was built around one superstar so we made a point all week of instituting a "sniper" wrinkle which takes one player out of our rotation to full deny the star every where all the time, and creates an auto-double once he catches. We did an excellent job on him holding him to 7 points total, but our attention to him and going away from our regular rotation led us to doing a poor job team wise at stopping the role players on the other team. We won but it ended up being much closer then it should have been. In our other games our most talented players finnally started playing like our most talented and we other then running out of gas at the end of both games to lose by a basket in one and 6 in the other we did a good job. I understand the downside of playing with the pace we do without depth means multiple games in 24 hours are not our friend.
Provincials
Proud sure. Shell shocked definitely. So we did go and represent our school at this level for the first time since 1997 (that year I was a freshmen in university and knew nothing about this school). We also learned a lesson that we had coming all season. You can't play at a level you don't see everyday and practice/play/compete at regularly. We spent the first 1/2 learning what this level was about to the tune of 41-17 at halftime, then came out and brought our game to match it to end up losing 81 - 69. That sent us home so I didn't see anymore basketball that weekend.
Finals
What a great finals experience. I took up some local kids and saw the best the prvince had to offer. I was disappointed in the AA girls final as the individual and team skill became lost in the moment and the game degernated into lots of long shots and the winner was the team that could offensive and defensive rebound more often. The other games were great. In a province that often struggles to shoot the ball these teams all had clearly reached the top of their leagues by being able to shoot it the best of the teams out there. In each of the games that became apparent as the teams at this level were good enough to stop the intial action so secondary shooters or needed to make shots. The teams that won found shots and made them.
Lessons:
- Keep It Simple Stupid. Don't make adjustments that effect the way you play or percieve yourself.
- If you are going to play is if you have depth, you really need to have good depth to succeed.
- You only play at the level you compete at regularly.
- Getting open shots its effective only if you can shoot it.
- Shooting fixes everything.
- If no one can shoot you better be able to rebound.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Season Reflection #7 - The Long Road Home
So you go on the road to compete in a tournament. You win your pool. The kids have great team building and the hotel and watching Avatar in theatre. You meet the team that won your home tournament in this final. You have a chance to win your first tournament of the year to send a message to your conference competition. You have the most rest going into the final. You have every reason to go out and compete hard. You have every reason to be hungry for a win.
Yet for some reason teenagers can still come out flat, lethargic and unwilling to defend competitively. You end up scoring 92 points in regulation but still can't win because no one defends all game long. Then the long ride home.
I hate that ride. You should be moving on (the teens you travel with clearly have) and all you want is silence to mope in. You've debriefed after the game. You've talked about positives and negatives for individuals, but still all I want is that ride to be over.
Grrr . . . I thought coaches were supposed be above petty competitive issues like this. Still need to grow up some I guess.
Yet for some reason teenagers can still come out flat, lethargic and unwilling to defend competitively. You end up scoring 92 points in regulation but still can't win because no one defends all game long. Then the long ride home.
I hate that ride. You should be moving on (the teens you travel with clearly have) and all you want is silence to mope in. You've debriefed after the game. You've talked about positives and negatives for individuals, but still all I want is that ride to be over.
Grrr . . . I thought coaches were supposed be above petty competitive issues like this. Still need to grow up some I guess.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Season Reflection #6 - Big Baby's
So apparently I can still let my emotions get the best of me.
We played the other night and it didn't go well in the first half. You can't give up 51 points in a high school half of basketball and expect to compete. That being said we were only down a dozen at half so we went to talk about. I went in and began detailing defensive adjustments we had to make in order to close the gap and positive things we needed to keep doing in order to maintain success on offense.
But I was mad.
(We interrupt this blog to remind the reader that has happned on many occassions I don't see the world like most people. When most coaches would think that their kids weren't playing well, or didn't understand, or weren't sharp or even were dumb I don't. My default position on everything in the universe is that if we cared more it would work. It you cared enough to try harder, cared enough to train better, cared enough to sacrifice yourself for the win, etc.)
So I was mad and under the surface was the looming - Why don't you care monster - and then I saw them. Player with their shoe laces undone, players with their heads down, players clearly upset with their playing time rather then the score. I stopped (snapped - no stopped) and said:
"Forget everything I just said its all bullS#&^ ! You know the real reason we can't stop these guys. Its the same reason my 6 month old daughter can't play high school boys basketball. Baby's can't defend at this level!"
That was it. Everyone playing their guts out felt like they needed to do more and looked emploringly at their teammates. Unfortunately the nature of being a "big baby" is that when someone calls you on it you sulk and make it worse.
Did I feel better? Sort of! Did the kids who wanted to say something but didn't feel like the elephant in the room was brought up and they could relax? Probably. Did the issues causing the defensive short comings get resolved? Mostly no!
The moral of the story is a common one with me and teens: what I say is not what they are hearing. What they are hearing is definitely not what I mean. The really real truth is that in the at moment I want to run and around screaming "you see, you see" because all the stuff I bring up in practice and in meetings about needing to care more and work harder to be successful become manifest when its on the line. The simple fact is that at that point me gloating, finger pointing, or doing anything except being positive isn't going to help the outcome.
At this level of sports their are only so many in game adjustments kids can make. The competitor in me needs to take a back seat to the grown up coach who needs to find a way to manage the game. Could I have done something else? Would it have made a difference in the outcome?
I think what coach Greenburg says is true: You can't be the motivator, the disciplinarian, the counsellor, the teacher, the cheer leader and the support strucuture. If you are everything you burn out and they have nothing to do. The problem is cultural I'm still trying to make kids that aren't self motivators motivated instead of addressing the issue that they need to train them to be self motivated. I need to have less responsibilty and invesment in the outcome then they do.
How do I get them to do that?
We played the other night and it didn't go well in the first half. You can't give up 51 points in a high school half of basketball and expect to compete. That being said we were only down a dozen at half so we went to talk about. I went in and began detailing defensive adjustments we had to make in order to close the gap and positive things we needed to keep doing in order to maintain success on offense.
But I was mad.
(We interrupt this blog to remind the reader that has happned on many occassions I don't see the world like most people. When most coaches would think that their kids weren't playing well, or didn't understand, or weren't sharp or even were dumb I don't. My default position on everything in the universe is that if we cared more it would work. It you cared enough to try harder, cared enough to train better, cared enough to sacrifice yourself for the win, etc.)
So I was mad and under the surface was the looming - Why don't you care monster - and then I saw them. Player with their shoe laces undone, players with their heads down, players clearly upset with their playing time rather then the score. I stopped (snapped - no stopped) and said:
"Forget everything I just said its all bullS#&^ ! You know the real reason we can't stop these guys. Its the same reason my 6 month old daughter can't play high school boys basketball. Baby's can't defend at this level!"
That was it. Everyone playing their guts out felt like they needed to do more and looked emploringly at their teammates. Unfortunately the nature of being a "big baby" is that when someone calls you on it you sulk and make it worse.
Did I feel better? Sort of! Did the kids who wanted to say something but didn't feel like the elephant in the room was brought up and they could relax? Probably. Did the issues causing the defensive short comings get resolved? Mostly no!
The moral of the story is a common one with me and teens: what I say is not what they are hearing. What they are hearing is definitely not what I mean. The really real truth is that in the at moment I want to run and around screaming "you see, you see" because all the stuff I bring up in practice and in meetings about needing to care more and work harder to be successful become manifest when its on the line. The simple fact is that at that point me gloating, finger pointing, or doing anything except being positive isn't going to help the outcome.
At this level of sports their are only so many in game adjustments kids can make. The competitor in me needs to take a back seat to the grown up coach who needs to find a way to manage the game. Could I have done something else? Would it have made a difference in the outcome?
I think what coach Greenburg says is true: You can't be the motivator, the disciplinarian, the counsellor, the teacher, the cheer leader and the support strucuture. If you are everything you burn out and they have nothing to do. The problem is cultural I'm still trying to make kids that aren't self motivators motivated instead of addressing the issue that they need to train them to be self motivated. I need to have less responsibilty and invesment in the outcome then they do.
How do I get them to do that?
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