The Threee's: Energy-Efectiveness-Efficient

As a coach there are three things I always ask of my players:


As a trainer there are three things I always ask of the athlete:


As a coach I look at my practice plan in three ways:


As a father and employee I try and supply three things:





What are the three things:

ENERGY-EFFECTIVENESS-EFFICIENCY

ENERGY- As a coach I love bringing energy to the table. It's a must. I'm fiery, intense, on the verge of spaz sometimes, lol, but its the passion inside me. I can't contain it. I try and keep it moving in my practice plans. Maintain the player's focus. On the same note, I expect the kids I train, and my teams to match my energy. IT'S A MUST! As a technically oriented perfectionist, the best advice I can give anyone I'm working with is, 'Go Hard!'. I always tell others that most mistakes, flawed skills can be fixed but the mistake is being made not because of a lack of knowledge or ability but lack of desire or intensity.

For example a poor defensive stance can be taught but to be done right you have to DO IT, and that takes energy. Another example is I continually fight with young shooters to get more extension and higher release point on their shot. Well now that I have told you what I want- energy, energy, energy. That is the only way to accomplish it. Driving to the hole and layups, sure there is some technique but go hard and half the time you will get it on your own. Then we can teach where we need to but just do everything as hard as you can and I will have to correct less. When working on an athlete's 1st and 2nd step, or dribbling attack moves I can tell them what they are doing well and not doing so well to be more effective, usually its being to high, steps aren't big enough and, or dribble is not being extended beyond the defense. How to correct it, GO HARDER!

EFFECTIVENESS- Players, cover all areas of the game but also learn to specialize in the type of player you are, the position you play, and the offense your team runs. Do all ur drills as real as possible. Tighten up all your moves and learn to quicken your shot.

Coaches, build your shooting drills and such around what kind of offense you will run. If you run a high-post/UCLA cut in your offense, run it as a lay-up drill. If screens are set out on the perimeter for ball handlers, have the perimeter players practice shooting off of screens, splitting the D, finding the screener, cutting back on the cheating D. Screeners should practice rolling and finsihing, popping and shooting after setting screens. BE EFFECTIVE!

EFFECIENCY- NO WASTED TIME, NO WASTED MOVEMENT! From where you set without the ball, how you catch set up your shot, and shoot to how you cross between the legs and attack, make what you do concise, quick, as little movement as possible to accomplish the task. Dribble hard, low, & quick. Keep your shot high, straight in your delivery, as little movement as possible that isn't N-S.

As a coach, keep practice moving, as little standing around as possible. Make points clear and precise. Don't waste time doing things in practice that aren't working towards your goals. Finally I am so surprised how many coaches that coach elite AAU teams never refer to a practice plan. A practice plan is like the chief cornerstone to a succesfull practice. Practice plans help maintian focus. Things are already thought out freeing your mind to teach rather than making stuff up on the fly and being concerned with what is next. PRACTICE PLAN, simple as that.

Even when I do 1/1 with individuals I know what I'm doing before I walk in the gym. I don't wait till I get there to figure it out.

PG Individual 9/5

• 00-> Warm-up


• 15-> Stationary dribbling- build up to 2 balls


• 25-> Ice Drill


• 30-> 2-0 Passing w/heavy trainer


• 35-> attacking the odd & even front 1/2 court traps off the dribble


• 45-> Shooting warm-up (10ft/5spots out of between the leg crossovers-10makes/spot *looking to speed the hands up and footwork*


• 55-> Shooting off of on-ball screens (High Mid)
• (R),(L) pull-up 3
• Attack the help, finish
• Space find the screener
• Split the defense
• 65-> Shooting off of on-ball screens {Inside screen on the wing (R)&(L)}
• Pull-up 15ftr
• Attack the help, finish
• pick & roll
• Split the defense
• 75-> Heavy trainer shooting ( 15ftrs 7spots)
• 90--------------------------------------------------------------------

SPAQ

1. Mt. Climbers=13
2. Agility Ladder 10-forms X's 2
3. Plyometrics

• Broad Jumps
• Jump Thrusts
• Lateral up&overs
• Lunge-Ups

Med Ball 200

120->Finished_____________________________________________

"Pick Up" Basketball-a girls basketball dilemma

"My emphasis is not on running an offense...it is on teaching my team offense. We want players who can play offense, not run an offense." (Mike Krzyyzewski)

Honestly, one of my favorite basketball quotes. I've been preaching for awhile that not enough girls enjoy freelance or pick-up ball. Women are great with structure, usually more than men. They are great at listening and doing exactly what you tell them, almost too much. It is very easy to coach or teach the 'play' out of a young lady. They will follow so much instruction to the 't' that they rarely learn or feel the game for themselves, and therefore can lack creativity, or play-ability. I also believe because young ladies listen so well that many young coaches get caught up in over teaching them set plays and things of that nature which stifle their games own maturation.

What actually prompted me to write this was when I was in the gym with my 13yr old daughter last week. We were doing some individual stuff on one side of the court, and on the other half were some grown men playing 'pick up ball'. With out any prompting, she said to me, "Dad, you know why I think us girls are hesitant to play using our crossover dribbles, spins, behind the back, are not aggressive all the time, things of that nature? Because we don't play enough pick up ball, 1/1, things like that."

How do we fix this problem? "Pick up ball", encourage your young ladies to get in the gym and just play some 1/1, 2/2, 3/3,/4/4,/5/5 where there is little obligation to run plays. Teach them the fundamentals of spacing, cutting, use of the dribble, passing, transition, positions, and defense. Then, let them play! If there is not many opportunities where your at for them to find pick up games, then provide the atmosphere for them. Break them into stations of 1/1, 2/2, &3/3, then finish off the day with some 5/5. Provide them some instruction, like the above mentioned fundamentals, but let them play. You can film if you like, and show them later where the fundamentals where performed well or not performed well, but try not to interrupt the games that much.

LET THEM PLAY!

"Be Creative"

Being Creative is what's behind evolution. It's putting to use valuable assets like empowerment. Although this applies to many facets of life, because I coach basketball, I'm going to make it specific to the game.


"The key to success is often the ability to adapt."
Many of the drills we use in basketball, the different offensive and defensive schemes, were created by someone. Most have evolved by other coaches taking ownership, improving on what already existed, and adapting what was given to them to their teams, & players. Many times coaches have to adapt and be flexible with what they do by how different teams play them. The bottom line is that we must remain flexible, and seek where we can make improvements. This takes a level of create ability, a sound understanding of the game, and intuit. Don't get me wrong. You can't just go out there and do whatever on the grounds of creativity and be successful. You must adhere to the fundamentals of the game. Good intuitiveness comes from experience, watching others, and having an understanding. You must be willing to make mistakes.


"Any change, even a change for the better is always accompanied by drawbacks & discomforts."
(Arnold Bennet)
Sometimes, you might have a great idea, that just doesn't get executed great by your team, or is well played by another. Don't necessarily give up on it. Maybe another team with other players might fit it better, or another opponent can be very vulnerable to it. Keep working, playing, and adjusting.



Often in youth sports you will see this lack of creativeness. Young coaches, or parent coaches will take something right out of a textbook, or something they learned in their playing days but can't adapt it to their team or teach a team how to play withing the play. The players look like robots, the coach gets frustrated, and parents say 'the offense doesn't work'. It's not that. It's the lack of teaching and creativity within the elements. You can't teach a play if you don't know how the fundamentals of angles, deployment, and match ups work.


(i.e)
I like to use different entries to flow into different offenses if we don't get what we want out of our quick or secondary offense. For example I might use a dribble @ back-cut move to set up a pick&roll on the wing rather than just a pass entry. The back cut will balance the floor into a triangle set. Once we are there and didn't get the shot or roll we have a sideline triangle we can work out of or motion. I often like to use a split high post action to get into the high post UCLA offense, triangle, or motion.



Don't be afraid to mix it up & have fun learning.
"When your finished changing, your finished." (Benjamin Franklin)

Final thought: Don't just do things the way the last person did. Emphasise different points. Put your own style and twist on the things. PUT A SIGNATURE ON EVERYTHING YOU DO.