COMPLETE Understanding

As he shared with our coaching staff in the past, at the beginning of every season, Coach Don Meyer would hand out a slip of paper to each player and staff member. On it, were three simple words - Coach, Player, and Official. Each person in Coach Meyer's program was asked to circle ONE choice on the paper - they could only be either a coach, player, or official. That meant the OTHER two duties had to be left to others. Makes sense. Drives home a very important point to all involved.

However, in order to have a COMPLETE understanding of one's own role, it helps to understand the roles of others - "walk a mile" in their shoes, see the world through their eyes, it will make you better. Know how it feels to BE another person, and then you will have a better idea of how to interact with them.

• Coach - benefit from being a parent or communicating with parents, listen and learn about what issues players face in their lives (school, work, etc.), spend time talking to officials (away from the game) in order to determine what officials are looking for/experience in games (even BE an official - volunteer or otherwise - very humbling)
  
• Player - go to a coaching clinic or read coaching blogs/books/articles in order to understand why coaches approach player development the way they do, communicate with officials (away from games) to better understand how refs view contact plays/footwork faults/player advantages (again, volunteer to be an official for a younger age group), speak to parents so that the player truly grasps the sacrifices that parents make so that kids can participate in sports
• Official - either speak to or be a parent so that they know why parents want the best for their kids (and may be passionate in the stands), talk to players to fully understand what happens on court in games (the speed of the game, the challenges, rules interpretations, inconsistencies, etc), and finally coach at any level to comprehend what is involved with being a leader on the sidelines
• Parent - communicate with coaches in areas of philosophy, skill development, nutrition, fitness, etc. (don't assume that coaches are not approachable, don't judge them) - even better, try being a coach in order to completely understand the joys and pressures of the role - talk to players and learn, as athletes, what challenges they face, and either learn the rules of the sport (in order to best appreciate what is happening on the court), ask for the help of an official, or BE an official
  

A DAY IN THE LIFE: COACH BEILEIN & THE WOLVERINES

Somebody sent me this article outlining a day in the life of John Beilein at Michigan. There is so much to do in a day but only so many hours – and those hours seem to fly by so it is not surprising to see that his days are full.

In reading the article it brought to mind a recent article in the Globe and Mail that outlined the evils of multi-tasking that argues multitasking doesn't save time. In fact the only benefit of it might be that it provides a sense of accomplishment. For coaches and teachers the lesson is clear and that is to focus on the task at hand. This is often difficult with the phone ringing and your email buzzing but I have found that if I create times of the day devoted to video, phone calls and emails that I am much more efficient, not to mention much more relaxed, in getting the necessary tasks done. This is sometimes easier said than done I admit. One of the biggest challenges is disciplining yourself to focus only on one task. This requires priority setting and an understanding that "the other things" will get done in time. I can say with conviction however that this process helps me get everything done. My goal is always that when I return home at night after practices or games that my work day is done and I can now focus on family and relaxation.

An inspiration for me was the book the 4-Hour Work Week. The concept of a four hour work week is highly implausible in my mind but some of the concepts do hit home. The first is that time is valuable. After reading this book I’ve started to value my time more. If I am reading something and it is not relevant or interesting than I will stop reading it. Simple really – don’t waste time on things that aren’t important to you. Time away from activities that bring me pleasure and from loved ones needs to be justified. I’m no longer willing to spend all of my time on work. There needs to be more to life. There are simply some tasks that are either really time consuming or we just don’t want to engage in. I learned from this book also that outsourcing can be done at almost every level. The benefit to all of this outsourcing is that you have more time to focus on your business or to do whatever it is that you enjoy doing. I have tried to find more ways to outsource or eliminate some tasks that take me away from what I value and enjoy.

Click here for the full article A DAY IN THE LIFE: COACH BEILEIN

3 examples of unselfishness

Putting others first, ahead of yourself. Truly being unselfish. Recognizing you are a part of a team. Realizing that you will need help from others in order to achieve your goals. These thoughts have appeared in this blog before, but three shining examples came to light this past week.

• The "Tradition" of Windsor Men's Basketball was on display and celebrated by so many people - all of whom, we are fortunate to hold close to the heart of our program. Last Saturday, our program was pleased and proud to host its annual Past, Present, and Future reception. To gather together, celebrate, and be reminded of the ways in which so many have selflessly contributed to a common purpose, was very humbling. We remain grateful to each and every one of our program's many supporters.
• Jerry Sloan, the longtime, successful coach of the Utah Jazz, retired this week. Coach Sloan is an outstanding example of a person being steadfastly committed to doing things the right way. His discipline, his purposeful approach, and unselfish commitment to making other people better are to be commended. He has improved the lives and careers of so many - in basketball, and beyond.
• This is not a political statement - merely an observation. A truly historic event took place in a unique part of the world. The citizens of a region may have indeed changed their future by putting others ahead of themselves, realizing they were one small part of a large team, and knowing that the help of others would be needed in order to achieve their own personal goals.
  

All-Access with Oakland U Basketball

Oakland University head basketball coach Greg Kampe is a past speaker at the COBA Can-Am On-Court Basketball Coaching Clinic - Here are some of his clips: 1-4 Ballscreen Stagger Set and 1-4 Ballscreen Set (Note: This year's clinic is June 3-4, 2011 in Windsor, ON and includes Pete Gillen)

This video provides an inside look at Coach Kampe and his basketball program. Coach Kampe is an excellent teacher. I have had the chance to watch his team's practice. They are very organized and he is demanding without being demeaning. His team is currently 17-9 and in 1st place in the Summit League. They have a great chance to do some damage in the NCAA tournament as they have already beaten Tennessee and had a close game vs. Michigan State.

Watch the All-Access with Oakland University

Transform Versus Conform

In order to fully have an 'others' focus, players need to differentiate between TRANSform and CONform. I will explain. So that they can grow and develop, people need to realize that they will need the help of others to help get them to where they want to go. I have reinforced this concept with recent tweets at twitter.com/Chris__Oliver (or @Chris__Oliver).

If players (and coaches) recognize that help from others is needed, then they also need to have an 'others' focus so that they develop the proper unselfish mindset themselves - another example of balance. In order for that to happen, those same players need to change their thinking away from "my teammates and coaches need to CONform to my style of play." If teams are going to succeed, the unselfish mindset of "I need to use my skills and adjust my attitude to TRANSform to my team's goals and style of play" needs to prevail.

On paper, this is all wonderful and good. In reality, this is only accomplished through personal maturity, a true unselfish approach, and a genuine desire to make others around us better. Individuals on successful teams transform - they do not expect team members to conform. The difference is enormous, the results are obvious.

COBA Player Development

Wondering what COBA is all about? Here is a video highlighting some of the drills/skills and basketball specific athletic development that takes place during COBA skill development sessions. CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO. Better basketball players and coaches are developed during the off‐season. However, it is common for players and coaches to put many hours into developing without maximizing their returns. Our development sessions will help you become a better basketball player and coach by developing and refining your basketball‐specific skills, athletic ability and knowledge. There are two types of COBA camps:
2 DAY COBA PLAYER/COACH DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS which combine player development sessions with a coaching clinic as we show you how to teach the drills and skills we use to develop our players.
5-Day COBA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CAMP which combine on and off court basketball specific player development skills and drills.