Emphasis: agility, ballhanding, decisions under pressure, shooting Summary: I wasn’t happy about the last practice so I thought that I would emphasize three elements in every section to keep the workout focused: athletic abilities, shooting and deliberate play. You have to shoot the ball, but you also need to play defense and make decisions so I did not want to neglect those areas. For a Friday afternoon, I added extra time for the game situations. Reflection: The training group was small. I kept the same structure but let the players decide on the points of emphasis. We did creating an …
Spring Basketball Workout #4
Emphasis: lower body strength, speed, one-dribble attack, post play Summary: I wanted to introduce the players to some of the sport-specific lower body exercises that could be performed in the weight room. There is a tendency to overuse the leg extension and hamstring curl machines (everyone seems to gravitate to those machines at the moment); although they do help build lower body muscles, they lack a stability component that is needed for basketball. If a weight room mostly has machines, it should be supplemented with free weight, kettle bell or medicine ball activities that force players to engage their core …
Spring Basketball Workout #3
Emphasis: explosiveness, core stability, full-speed ballhandling, shooting at game speed Summary: It’s important to encourage students to stay hydrated when the temperature is this warm. Drink beyond thirst. Since I had already covered the Athletic Abilities routines earlier, I felt comfortable raising the intensity level in order to establish a tone for the workout. Every workout component should have a high Rate of Perceived Exertion, from the personal fitness exercises to the ballhandling and shooting drills. Reflection: I feel that there could be a little more work done individually between sessions to maximize the intensity level of these workouts. Little …
Spring Basketball Workout #2
Emphasis: upper body strength, footwork, finish at the rim, recovery & regeneration Summary: After a false start last week, the players organized a second workout today. We began the session with some footwork exercises and went into the weight room to do some sport-specific upper body exercises. Afterwards, we tried to get to the basket & finish at the rim. The defense endeavoured to pressure the ball & close out shooters. Reflection: Two more players would have been better to keep things moving but the Rate of Perceived Exertion was accurate. Players seemed to enjoy the workout although some reminders …
Spring Basketball Workout #1
Emphasis: footwork, core stability, dribbling against contact, stay hydrated Summary: Today, I was able to get into the gym & weight room with six players today. In the weight room, we did some stairs, core stability & sport-specific exercises with the medecine balls. In the gym, we were able to get some reps dribbling against contact & playing full-court. Reflection: Thanks to the players who came out and put work in. I didn’t quite get to the end of the plan that I had created because instructing some core exercises for the first time took more than anticipated. I think …
Dean Smith’s Coaching Philosophy
A couple of discussions inspired me to reflect further about Dean Smith and delve deeper into his coaching philosophy and leadership style. Certainly, this post may have been timelier had I published it at the time of Smith’s passing in 2015 but I feel that the thoughts remain relevant because of his lasting impact on the game. When I began coaching, I was drawn to Smith’s methods because of his winning track record and the fact that he was one of the limited numbers of coaches who had published a book that was easily available in the 1990s. To me, …
Finishing at the Rim
These drills help players finish at the rim at game intensity. Coaches should monitor the drills to ensure random practice, solid fundamentals & an appropriate Work:Pause ratio to develop explosiveness (1:4). Three Cones (Phase A) Learning Goal: Perform explosive ball moves in sequence with either hand. Points of Emphasis: Footwork when cutting, driving & finishing. Set up three agility poles or pylons in a row. The first player curls around the top cone using an outside foot pivot as they receive a pass (outside hand pass). At the first cone, they use a ball move to beat one defender; at …
Dribbling against Contact
These drills help dribblers handle the ball against a physical defender. The drills were also posted on Canada Basketball’s GamePlan site. Create Contact (Phase A) Learning Goal: Execute ball moves & draw contact. Points of Emphasis: Stay balanced & low, drop hips, explode through pads. The ballhandler self-passes the ball outside the arc and catches the ball in a balanced stance, squaring up & looking at the rim. A coach stands in the key with a blocking pas. The player pounds the ball twice to start the drill. The dribbler executes a ball move and drives their inside shoulder into …
Tryout Success
During the spring and summer season, basketball teams roam the continent, pursuing elusive scholarships, hype and respect. Camps, travel teams and training camps hold tryouts to determine which athletes should be selected and parents and players attend these sessions en masse. Consternation abounds but is this energy directed in the appropriate direction? Following some simple guidelines and putting forth one’s best effort will enable athletes to make the programs that they desire. Athletes succeed not only because of their bodies but also their minds. It’s not necessary to solve any mystery in order to make a basketball team but a …
Raptors BLOBs
The Toronto Raptors have executed some intriguing baseline out of bounds sets this year that feature a number of diverse actions. Running plays with different actions from the same setup all the way until the end is typical of playing at the next level. Flex Action: Bismack Biyombo backscreens for Cory Joseph and pops to receive the inbounds pass from Kyle Lowry. Joseph sets a flex screen for Lowry. Biyombo passes to DeMar DeRozan in the pinch post and downscreens for Joseph. DeRozan passes it back to Joseph as Lowry and Biyombo set a staggered screen on the baseline for …
N.B.A. ATO Plays
The first play after a timeout is an opportune time to re-establish stability on the offensive end and return to the team’s core principles. During play, the philosophy can become lost as emotions take over but coaches can take advantage of the break provided by the timeout to get back to basics. For some teams, basics means getting the ball inside to the post. Recent Toronto Raptors opponents the San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge) and Sacramento Kings (DeMarcus Cousins) have exceptional post players so they chose to counter a Toronto run by getting the ball inside. Little adjustments …
2015 N.B.A. Offense Lessons
The first half the N.B.A. season has demonstrated the progression of offensive basketball at the highest level. Young players can develop their own game by playing with focus and patience and applying some of these elements. When young teams run discipline sets, the ball moves, everyone looks good and the team takes advantage of good looks. If that same team rushes, disjointed basketball unfolds and teams look their age. Any team can play hard, play smart and play together on offense. Coaches should study the best teams in the league because they are applying concepts that work against the most …
Building a Culture
Creating a culture that lasts from season to season is one of the coach’s most challenging tasks. When all team members buy in, significant successes can be reached so it is worth the effort. For a culture to truly come to life, the responsibility for its development must be shared by players and coaches alike. Give Players Ownership When New Zealand All Blacks coach Graham Henry took over after an unsuccessful 2003 Rugby World Cup, he began by making players responsible for the team. At first, the coaching staff identified some players who were negative influences in the clubhouse and …
The Secret Play
Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson developed a special chemistry on the floppy/pin down action during their time with the Boston Celtics. Using a pin down is as much about the fundamentals of cutting, passion and shooting as it is reading the defense and reacting to their moves. When opponents would overplay his use of the screen, Bird would cut backdoor for the layup. Note how Bird pushes off his own teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish and takes his man into a bunch of traffic to create space for himself. Johnson throws a variety of passes off the bounce, one …
Spain Early Offense
When coaches design actions that involve everyone on the court and allow them to play, there is the potential for a very dynamic offense. By developing the skills utilized by the sets and teaching players how to read the defense, teams can generate many effective options out of the same play. Out of transition, Spain gets everyone moving and puts the defense on its heels. Sergio Llull brings the ball up the court, passes to Pau Ribas and cuts of Nikola Mirotić as he fills the corner. Ribas reverses through the trail Pau Gasol and uses a back screen from …
Follow Your Shot
“Don’t get caught watching the paint dry.” Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch A screen and roll play continues after the shot is released. The defense must still secure the ball and the offense still has some high percentage scoring opportunities on the offensive glass. Defense: Cory Joseph goes over the screen so Facundo Campazzo cuts back and uses Luis Scola as a rescreen. Anthony Bennett stunts to stop the drive and Campazzo must pass the ball. Scola pops and Kelly Olynyk, who was playing under the screen closes out the shot but does not make contact on the box out. After the …