For less than 10% of the cost to attend a weekend clinic, coaches of all levels can get 6 MONTHS of championship coaching information in a new instructional program called Basketball Classroom. This one of a kind program is divided into six modules that each contains approximately 35 coaching resources (videos, special reports, audio interviews, animations, templates, etc.) that can be studied from the comfort of your own couch. The best part is that the program has been designed by a coach with nearly 30 years of coaching experience who has a winning percentage that is off the charts! He’s consistently won championships at the high school, AAU, and college levels. This isn’t a guy who has had one good year and then was asked to speak at a clinic to cash in on his name. No, this is the real deal and his strategies, tactics, and ideas have been proven to work over and over again.

Save your money for a real vacation and check out http://www.basketballclassroom.com/coach-the-coach/ and see for yourself. You, your players, their parents, and your administration will be glad you did!

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1. Provide a safe environment
2. Properly plan the activity
3. Provide adequate and proper equipment
4. Match or equate athletes
5. Warn of inherent risks in the sport
6. Supervise the activity closely
7. Evaluate athletes for injury
8. Know emergency procedures and first aid
9. Keep adequate records

All players should also have adequate insurance coverage before being allowed to participate and each parent should sign a consent form allowing the coach to act in his or her best judgment when treating any potential injury

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According the Rookie Basketball Coaches Guide, the following instructional goals are a good place to start:

1. Players will be able to assume and maintain the ready position
2. Players will be able to dribble with either hand
3. Players will be able to shoot a layup from both sides of the basket
4. Players will be able to make accurate chest and bounce passes to stationary and moving teammates
5. Players will be able to catch passes while stationary or moving
6. Players will be able to dribble while running
7. Players will be able to set effective screens on the ball and away from the ball
8. Players will be able to position themselves and slide their feet to guard an opposing player
9. Players will be able to position themselves correctly to guard opponents away from the ball
10. Players will be able to shoot the ball using correct shooting technique
11. Players will demonstrate knowledge of basketball rules
12. Players will demonstrate knowledge of basic offensive and defensive strategies.

Notice how just about everything mentioned above is centered around the basic fundamental skills of basketball and that only the last thing mentioned has to do with team offense and defense. These same skills are taught over and over in high school, college, and even in the NBA and WNBA. Remember, during the spring and summer, your main focus should be improving your individual skills and the best way to do that is to be brilliant at the basics!

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Dribbling Do’s

1. Maintain the dribble until a pass or shot opportunity is created
   
2. Vary the speed and direction of the dribble so defenders cannot anticipate steal opportunities.
   
3. Keep a body-ball-defender relationship when dribbling the ball near an opponent.
   
4. Cross over, or switch dribbling hands, after dribbling past an opponent to protect the ball
   
5. Stay in the middle areas of the court and away from the corners when dribbling to avoid getting trapped
   

Dribbling Don’ts

1. Don’t automatically put the ball on the floor and begin dribbling immediately after receiving the ball unless a layup opportunity is evident.
   
2. Don’t pick up or stop the dribble with no apparent option (shot or pass) available.
   
3. Don’t dribble into a crowd, because the ball is likely to be stolen.
   
4. Don’t try to get fancy, when the basics of dribbling are difficult enough.
   
5. Don’t hesitate, because an unsure dribbler is a turnover waiting to happen.
   

The above ideas were taken from the American Coaching Effectiveness Program

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I recently found the following editorial in my files. It was written by John T. Malloy

“In last week’s column I discussed the differences in the attitudes of winners and losers. This week I will point out some more major differences. One is paramount: Winners work.

Failures I have found don’t work very hard. Many of them will talk a good job and will be happy to tell you how hard they work and how much they do. But the sad fact is that they do very little.

They tend to be clock watchers. If 5 o’clock is quitting time they want to quit at 5 on the dot if not a few minutes before. Never would they even think of putting in any extra time or staying longer than is required. They simply do not put in the same number of hours as successful people.

And when they are working they usually don’t accomplish very much. That’s partly because of their rituals for stopping work. If the coffee cart comes by, a friend shows up at their desk, they get a headache, a car with a siren goes past and everything stops.

Losers hardly ever work on their own and will rarely use spare time as work time. They would never think of grabbing a half hour here or a half hour there to get in some extra work.

The greatest disadvantage our research uncovered was that failures have an energy problem. They are always tired – especially at work. After work they tend to engage in activities that are passive and mindless such watching hours of television until they doze off in their chairs. Their successful co-workers jogged, read, attended classes, and went bowling. In other words, they stayed mentally and physically active – even after 10-12 hour work days.”

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When you first start out working with a Heavy Jump Rope you might want to jump a minute and then rest a minute. Then jump another minute and then rest a minute. Keep repeating the cycles (if you can) until you jump for a total of 10 minutes. By the time you finish the workout you will definitely feel the burn in your forearms, shoulders and back! Eventually reduce your rest period from one minute down to 30 seconds.

As you start to get stronger, faster, and quicker increase your jumping to two minutes at a time followed by a one to two minute rest. This is a serious workout and if done with maximum intensity will provide quick and impressive results!

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Most coaches don’t go to this extreme for fear that it may hurt future recruiting efforts but he is still acting within his rights and within the rules.

Those who are the most upset at this should be much more upset with the NCAA than they are with Bo Ryan.

Players transfer all the time. Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and many others have all had players leave. Just this week a player has transferred from UCONN’s women’s team, the most successful women’s program in the country for the last several years. It is just impossible to please everyone all of the time!

If you are a player who understands the game and has a fairly high basketball IQ then I can almost guarantee that you are not going to always agree with your coach. The same is true if you are not your team’s best player. Nearly every athlete can list a couple things that they would like to change about their coach. However, the more successful the coach, the least likely he is going to change anything because he is going to take the attitude of “If it’s not broke why fix it?”

Knowing this, don’t waste your time whining and complaining about things that every athlete has to deal with. So your coach isn’t perfect! So what! So he doesn’t do everything the way you (or your parents) think he should do them. So what! That’s been part of the game since James Naismith nailed up the very first peach basket.

Instead of worrying about what your coach is or isn’t doing, worry about what you can be doing to improve your game and strengthen your skill sets. There are many, many things you can do to elevate your game, especially this time of year, regardless of what your coach is doing or not doing. If you need some suggestions go through the articles and other resources here on the HoopSkills website. I promise that as your skills improve, and as your playing time and scoring average increases, your coach will suddenly “get better” as well!

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There are two separate schools of thought when it comes to defensive rebounding. You either screen out (block out) and keep the offensive player from getting to the ball or you simply just go after the ball and try to get there before the offense does. Here are some ideas if you want to be a “block out” team:

1. Must rebound with two hands and two feet
2. Must be able to rebound two spaces removed
3. Must have no fear of contact
4. Must read the length and angle of the rebound
5. Initiate contact in the lane area
6. Get your nose under the ball
7. Get inside, decide, or pin the defender when offensive rebounding. Avoid the block out.
8. Get inside position and take away the path to the ball
9. Create a “cup” in the lane area
10. Play every shot as a missed shot
11. Tip the ball up or back on defense
12. Have three people within three feet of all rebounds

The above ideas were taken from Marc Comstock as printed in Winning Hoops magazine.

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Several years ago she wrote a book called “Reach for the Summitt” which I bought in hopes of learning some of her secrets to success. Following are the notes that I took years ago (and still review regularly) and they apply to every coach of every sport at every level.

You have a choice. You can settle for mediocrity, never venturing forth much effort or feeling very much. Or you can commit. If you commit I guarantee you that for every pain you will experience an equal or surpassing pleasure.

A lot of people can win once. They get lucky, or follow their intuition, or strike on a good short term formula. But very few people know how to repeat success on a consistent basis. They lose sight of their priorities, grow content, and abandon their principles.

“Believe me you’ll work. No one’s ever died from it. I don’t remember anyone passing out either. – Although some came close!”

If you don’t want responsibility, don’t sit in the big chair.

When you sit in the big chair you must make tough, unpopular decisions because you are responsible for the group and the greater good.

You can’t pick and choose the days that you feel like being responsible.

Rule: Everybody on our team is responsible for a loose ball

Why do something just because everybody else does it? We don’t want players who follow. We want leaders.

The single most common reason organizations self destruct is disloyalty, especially when they are made up of young people who have a tendency to talk behind each other’s backs.

If you are both strong and selective, if you seek out quality people and convince them to be loyal to your organization, then you will succeed and you will eliminate a lot of trouble, mistakes, and wasted energy along the way.

Complimentary chemistry. When I’m forceful, they’re compassionate. When I’m punishing, they’re soothing. They have patience when I’m out of it, humor when I need it, and good judgment when I lack it.

You don’t compliment people for driving the speed limit or stopping at a stop sign. I’m not going to rah-rah every time you sprint down the floor, because you’re supposed to sprint. If you make six passes, set four screens, and make five cuts, I can’t possibly compliment you for doing all those things.

I practice preemptive discipline – when the mere thought of the consequences is enough to prevent a problem from occurring in the first place. Players have to think that just about anything is better than facing me.

Each year we have had at least one discipline problem. Why don’t you be the first (Umpqua) team to go through an entire season without one?

Our program is not boot camp. It is demanding but not impossible. If you keep yourself fit, behave responsibly, and maintain your grades, you won’t have a problem with me. But if you don’t do those things then you and I are going to tangle. And I’m going to win. It’s just that simple.

Find out what’s important to people. Once you know what they care about then you know what to take away or what to use as a reward

The fewer rules you have, the fewer rules will be broken.

Here’s how I’m going to beat you – I’m going to outwork you!!

I could throw open the door of our locker room and show you all the inner workings of our program, and you still wouldn’t beat us, if you weren’t willing to outwork us.

There is a direct correlation between our record and our work ethic

We don’t have lazy people in our organization. They either leave or I run them off. If you are selfish or lazy you won’t make it with me.

Only you know and I know how hard we are willing to work for each other.

Think big and focus small. Attention to everyday, ordinary detail is what will separate you from everyone else.

We expect to win because we practice it.

Focus on completing each play. You have forty minutes to win, but you have to do it one possession at a time.

I love my job more than anybody I know and I still don’t like it about a third of the time.

You forget about the long practices when you see the championship

One asst. watches the offense and subs the perimeter players. Two asst. watches the defense and subs the post players. HC takes input, makes executive decisions, pulls the trigger, and is responsible for the consequences.

You can’t always be the strongest or most talented person in the room, but you can be the most competitive. You can put forth so much effort that you cut your opponent down to size and force him to play below his own abilities.

When two teams are evenly matched, the hustle plays can win it. The defense, the rebounds, and the loose balls can decide the outcome. The team that makes the first effort and the extra effort will win.

Reach down. You can get more. Don’t tell me you’ve reached down as far as you can go.

When you choose to compete, you make the conscious decision to find out what your real limits are, not just what you think they are.

Ask yourself, are you a competitor? Are you seeking weak competition or strong? Are you settling for less or reaching for more?

Never wait till next year

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He won’t be able to learn new offensive and defensive sets and the time spent working on and explaining a detailed game plan may be wasted if it doesn’t sink in. And a player who can’t concentrate and focus can be an enormous liability in crucial time out situations.

How can a player improve his ability to concentrate? One way is by using this very effective drill.

Have your players go through a simple stretch such as bending over and touching their toes or sitting in a butterfly position. While stretching, have them close their eyes and slowly count from one to fifty. The only catch is that while counting they can’t let another single thought enter their minds. As soon as another thought creeps in, whether it’s about a class assignment, an upcoming opponent, or a problem at home, the drill is over.

Just as the stretching will gradually make your players more flexible, counting to fifty will help them establish and maintain a greater level of concentration. That ability to shut out the unnecessary will become a tremendous asset both on and off the court.

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