Preparation is the key

This point of the season brings many challenges. Athletes are coming back to competitive practices and games after a brief layoff. Some have been disciplined enough to maintain a level of fitness, others have perhaps let their training slide. Coaches are getting ready for conference play, the meat of their schedule, intense tournaments, the bulk of the season. One question to ask, especially long before any important challenges between the lines begin, is "are we ready?"

The journey to the ultimate tournament of any season is a collective marathon of short sprints and teams need to be ready for both aspects. Preparation is the key to successful execution. Many clinics have preached it, many coaches have written about it. Coaches need to ask themselves if their team is ready to handle the adversity that it will no doubt face. The challenges will come - physical fatigue, mental readiness, an unfriendly gym away from home court familiarity, a tough call by an official, a tight schedule, a relentless pressing defence, an unexpected travel delay, etc. The question remains, is your team ready for all that it may face? Have you limited or eliminated the risks? Have you prepared in practice using an unfair advantage to simulate extraordinary pressure? Have you allowed for extra travel time due to unpredictable weather? Has your team tried to play when it can't hear you because of incredible crowd noise? Have you provided your players with the mental training that will allow them to find cues that will keep them calm and focused? There are so many variables. As successful coaches have suggested, in order to NOT be surprised by something, your team needs to have already experienced it. The responsibility of preparation, among many, belongs to the coach. It's never too late to make an improvement.