Your Guide to Productive Practices

Every year, we start out by telling ourselves that this year is going to be different.  This year we’re going to be on top of things.  This is the year we’re going to be organized.

This section is designed to accomplish just that.  When coaching basketball, you need to map out your road to success before the start of the school year. 

The mistake that many basketball coaches make is that they tend to practice too long.  The ideal practice session should only be 1 to 1 ½ hrs long.  This allows your players to function at the best of their abilities.

Your map to success should be divided into three categories:

1. Pre-season conditioning - the period from the start of the school to the date of the first permissible basketball practice.
2. Pre-season practice - the period from the first permissible day practice with the coach is allowed until the day before the first scheduled game.
3. In-season practice - the period from the first scheduled game to the last game of the season.

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Pre-Season Conditioning:

It is extremely important that you as a basketball coach set up off-season conditioning programs for your players.  Conditioning should be a year round process for any athlete.  Players that spend the off-season conditioning, see a dramatic improvement in their game throughout the season. 

Successfully coaching basketball requires you to set up off-season conditioning programs for all your players.  At the end of the season, you should meet individually with all of your players and give them each their very own personal off-season workout.

To help get you started, we’ve provided you with typical Post and Perimeter Player Daily Workouts:

• Post Players
• Perimeter Players

Outline Your Practice:

Your practices for the up-coming season should be outlined well before the start of the season.  Of course, your outline will probably change regularly depending on different situations that arise throughout the season.

But, you must keep in mind that a sound practice plan makes the best use of your practice time. Your practices need to be organized, straight to the point, and efficient. 

Here is a great resource where you can instantly get access to 15 high quality Practice Plans: Click Here Right Now.

Effectively Teach Your Kids:

Be careful not to over-teach your kids during the pre-season practice sessions. You want your players to retain what is being taught. Players can't learn when mentally exhausted.

Whenever one of your players makes a mistake, you should always ask "Why?" Your players should always know the reason for everything they do on the court.

When coaching basketball, you should criticize softly and encourage loudly. 

You should constantly strive for mental anticipation, instinctive reaction, and intelligent aggressiveness on the part of all your players. These intangibles turn a good player into a great one and an average team into a championship team.

Conveying the Message:

By now, you should already have a coaching philosophy and an offensive and defensive system in mind. 

Now it’s time to relate the information to your players.  This should be done in a way so that your players will have confidence in what you’re relating to them.

This can be accomplished by following this order:

1. Explain and diagram your tactics.
2. Demonstrate the skills involved.
3. Walk the players through the various parts of the offense, and/or defense.
4. Then, run them through at half speed.
5. After that run through at full speed without opposition.
6. Finally, implement the strategy at full speed with light defense.

Following the above enables the team to practice their strategies successfully, thus creating a positive attitude about their abilities as well as the system as a whole.

Basketball Coaching Tips:

The coach needs to set an example for the rest of the team.  If he arrives late and comes to practice unprepared, he should expect the same from his players.  You need to maximize your practice times and the only way is to come to practice early and prepared.

Click Here For Carefully Conceived, Skillfully Organized, and Well Executed Drills and Plays

As you start, you’ll realize that drills are the best way to teach your offense, defense, and condition your players.  It is important to keep drills simple and competitive. 

Drills will only be of benefit only when they'er completely absorbed by your squad.  You need to give the reasons and logic for each operation and explain the correct techniques.

When this is followed:

·        Players understand and gain confidence.

·        They realize that there is a reason for everything.

·        Proper technique is learned because you can analyze any mistakes your players are making and allows you to compliment those players who do the drill well.

Hand picked drills allow you to have concentrated practices in specific areas. You should use some drills just as a change of pace.  Having a good variety of drills keeps your players interested, prevents boredom and complacency.

You need to constantly be observant and make corrections immediately. You must overcome the tendency to ignore or overlook slight irregularities or imperfections in your player's form or habits.

Remember that by practicing something incorrectly is just as habit forming as practicing something correctly.

Teammate Evaluation Sheets:

Teammate evaluation sheets should definitely be used.  Below, you’ll find sample questions.

POSITIVE FACTORS 

Ø      Three players who always take good shots.

Ø      Three best shooters.

Ø      Three best rebounders.

Ø      Three best drivers.

Ø      Three best passers.

Ø      Three best defensive players.

Ø      Three best team players offensively.

Ø      Three best team players defensively.

Ø      Three best hustlers.

Ø      Three quickest players.

Ø      Three players with the best straightaway speed.

Ø      Four players you most like to play with.

NEGATIVE FACTORS

Ø      Three players who habitually take bad shots.

Ø      Three poorest shooters.

Ø      Three poorest rebounders.

Ø      Three poorest drivers.

Ø      Three poorest passers.

Ø      Three poorest defenders.

Ø      Three poorest players offensively.

Ø      Three poorest players defensively.

Ø      Three poorest hustlers.

Ø      Three players who are least quick.

Ø      Three players with the least straightaway speed.

Ø      Four players you least like to play with.

Player Self-Evaluation Sheets:

Self-evaluation sheets are also important. This sheet covers the intangibles as well as the qualities that you as the coach can observe. This sheet is as follows:

FACTORS TO BE RATED:

Ø      Basketball instinct.

Ø      Attention to details.

Ø      Ability to follow instructions.

Ø      Alertness.

Ø      Aggressiveness.

Ø      Individual defensive ability.

Ø      Team defensive ability.

Ø      Individual offensive ability.

Ø      Team offensive ability.

Ø      Rebounding ability.

Ø      Shooting ability.

Ø      Shot selection.

Ø      Ability to penetrate.

Ø      Desire for the game.

Ø      Physical condition.

Ø      Selflessness.

Ø      Dribbling ability.

Ø      Passing ability.

Ø      Catching ability.

Ø      Quickness.

Ø      Straightaway speed.

Ø      Hustle.

Ø      Leaping ability.

Ø      Work ethic.

Ø      Footwork.

Ø      Ability to get along with teammates.

Ratings of 4 for excellent, 3 for good, 2 for fair, and 1 for poor should be given.

A lot of times, you will find that players are either downgrading themselves, or have an exaggerated opinion of themselves. Through individual talks, you should be able to help the players evaluate themselves realistically. At the end, you also should rate each player on the same 4 to 1 scale.

Scrimmaging in Early Pre-season:

It is a good idea to have multiple scrimmaging sessions.  This way, every player feels that they're part of the team. 

Scrimmaging also helps you evaluate your players in “real game” settings.  This is why it’s important to have officials, scoreboard, etc.  You should try to simulate a real game as much as possible.

Pre-season Essentials:

At the end of each session, you should conduct meetings with your coaches.  During the meetings, you should analyze the practice sessions and decide if it accomplished what it was planned.  You and your coaches should also analyze each player’s progress as a whole.

Pre-Game Checklist:

It is very important that you have thoroughly covered the following areas before your first game:

OFFENSE:

Ø      Fast-Break: This could either be a side-line or conventional break.

Ø      Secondary Break: This is the possible scoring opportunities that occur while getting into basic patterns.

Ø      Basic attack against man-to-man defenses.

Ø      Basic attack against zone defenses.

Ø      Basic attack against combination defenses.

Ø      Basic attack against pressing defenses.

Ø      Out-of-bounds plays, both from the side and under the basket, first for possession of the ball and then for a score.

Ø      Free-throw alignment for a possible fast-break.

Ø      Semi-freeze and stall situations.

Ø      A one-shot play for late in the game.

Ø      Rebounding fundamentals for the individual and the team.

Ø      Last minute and late game situations when behind, with the score tied, and when ahead.

DEFENSE:

Ø      The methods of stopping the fast-break at the defensive backboard, cutting off the outlet, and guarding the rebounder to delay the break.

Ø      Full-court defenses: Both man-to-man and zone (Aggressive and loose).

Ø      Half-court defenses: Man-to-man, zone, and combination (Aggressive and loose).

Ø      The defensive rebounding pattern for both individual and team.

Ø      Last minute situations when behind, with the score tied, and when ahead.

By implementing the principles and using the resources laid down here, your job coaching basketball will be a snap.  You now have the guidelines necessary to orchestrate the perfect practice. Congratulations, you’re well on your way to making a name for yourself.

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