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 …
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 …
Reduce Mental Errors
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Josh Donaldson hits a fly ball to Anthony Gose in right-centre field. Gose catches the ball but fogets the number of outs and does not throw the ball back to the infield promptly. Ryan Goins tags and scores from second base. The mental error provided the Blue Jays with an extra run and demonstrated how players, teammates and coaches can work together to stay focused. Players: Goins knows that he will tag up on a fly ball and notices correctly that the ball will not go over Gose’s head so he returns to …
Make the Most of Gym Class
To maximize the benefits a period or workout, teachers and students (or coaches and athletes) have responsibilities to keep the class (or team) focused and engaged. Teachers must design meaningful activities that develop athletic abilities and simulate game situations. Students should perform the drills as best as they can, in order to improve their personal fitness and prepare for competitions. Part of this focus comes from understanding the purpose behind the exercise. Ideally, a teacher would clearly explain their reasoning beforehand but sometimes students must think critically and figure things out for themselves. Teachers and coaches rarely fill classes or workouts …
Raptors Execute Details
Raptors Execute Many Little Things to Create Game-Winning Shot Down 1 vs. Orlando, Toronto ran an interesting SLOB to create a drive and kick situation. Lou Williams finally made a corner 3 because the team understood the details. First of all, the best time to shoot a three is when you don’t need one. The defense is more concerned about stopping penetration towards the rim than sticking to a shooter or running them off the ball. Greivis Vasquez inbounded the ball, Lou Williams started on the strong-side elbow opposite Patrick Patterson and DeMar DeRozan was on the weak-side wing. Kyle …
Coaches Challenge Themselves
He’s always challenging himself. He has this saying about, ‘Take the lid off it. See where it can go.’ You can tell he’s done all these great things, and he’ll continue to do great things as long as he’s coaching. Tom Thibodeau on Mike Krzyzewski
Fouling at the End of Games
The Lakers experienced an awkward play at the end of of Friday’s game against the Grizzlies. Memphis was up a single point with under twenty seconds remaining but Los Angeles elected not to foul immediately. Eventually, Kobe Bryant ran over and fouled Mike Conley. The Lakers eventually lost by three points. Some areas for improvement: L.A. did not seem to discuss who they would foul if this situation arose. Conley was the best free throw shooter on the court and it might have been possible to trap him in order to steal (hopefully) or force him to give up the …
Raptors-Warriors: Compare and Contrast
The Toronto Raptors are a good team with an effective offense but the Golden State Warriors are a great team with an elite offense. The Dubs do a great job of consistently creating high percentage looks with their activity. On Friday night, Golden State made forty-nine field goals on thirty-five assists (71.4%).