Relationships with players

Head Coach Buzz Williams and his Marquette program continue to offer great insight into their practices, philosophies, and their program. In a recent clip (courtesy of the Marquette Athletics YouTube channel and 3 Penny Films), Coach Williams works with his players in order to make connections.

Two excellent statements jump out for coaches - 1) "I've got to count on the people I'm supposed to count on" and 2) I love our players based on their heart, toughness, and mentality (not based on their talent). Enjoy the brief clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHLHouigvpc

Creativity in the off-season

To achieve different or better results, the same actions can't be taken. We've all heard the famous quote about insanity. All too often, coaches don't take advantage of their off-season in order to be creative with new approaches in the next season. To challenge yourself and change the way you see things, consider trying the following:

• read a different style of book (i.e. not just bball drills, but an adventure mystery when you would normally read a biography)
• try puzzles - word search, crossword, sudoku, brain teasers
• go to a practice or game and close your eyes for a short while and just listen to the game - what do you hear?
• watch a practice or game with the sound off - what do you focus on? how does the experience help you view the game differently?
• as a coach you are supposed to be a model and example - ask if that is how you lead and actually live when it comes to health, nutrition, exercise - what do people see?
• watch another sport (i.e. recently soccer on the world stage or football), pay attention to what works in that sport that will help your team (emphasis on footwork, spacing, fakes, etc) - reinforce/apply the lessons to bball
  

Coaches Toolbox - Twitter

There are many terrific sources of information for coaches - books, dvd's, clinics, other coaches, watching games, online resources, blogs, etc. Add Twitter to that long list. Twitter is yet another avenue where coaches who want to learn can connect with coaches and leaders that like to share.

Getting started is easy. Finding resources is easy. Staying connected is easy. The rest is then up to you. If you wish, simply follow people that offer material that interests you - whether on nutrition, quotes and phrases, physical development, mental training, x's and o's, motivation, leadership, coaching resources, the list is endless. If you want to share, then that is available too - who knows, you may develop a list of learners that want to follow you.

Regardless, it is yet another great tool in your box. The best part of all is that the information comes to you - after you set up the list of people from who you'd like to learn, they automatically teach and share with you on a regular basis. Unlike books, dvd's, and watching games, you don't have to go looking for this information - it comes to you. Going to http://twitter.com/ will get you started.

Quotes to use with teams

With their teams, many successful coaches use quotes to emphasize a point, inspire, motivate, focus, or pick up their teams. Some coaches post a daily quote on their board or practice plan. There are tens of thousands of terrific quotes that are applicable to basketball. Over time, many quotes will be offered in this blog. If using a quote, coaches need to ensure they pay proper respect to it's author (which also encourages players to do the same, and may provide a spark to a player that inspires them to learn even more). Some popular quotes are:

• "Morale is when your hands and feet keep on working when your head says it can't be done." (Benjamin Morrell)
• "Dreams are what get you started. Discipline is what keeps you going." (Jim Ryun)
• "Competing is like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you are tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired." (unknown)
• "I want to know what I don't know." (Kevin Eastman, Boston Celtics)
• "What really counts is not the number of hours you put in - it's what you put in those hours." (unknown)
• "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." (Sir Winston Churchill)
• "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." (John Wooden)
• "The four destructive behaviours of athletes are criticizing, complaining, comparing, and condemning." (Eric Musselman)
  

The importance of mental training

Playing the sport of basketball requires, amongst many qualities, tremendous strength and discipline. Not only physical, but mental. Being disciplined requires players to have a "present focus" (applies to coaches too). Players need to learn how to let go of mistakes as they happen so that they can then re-focus on the present moment. Here are some ideas to help your players with their discipline:

• educate them that the LAST play (or shot) does NOT affect the NEXT play - every moment in a game is independent of others
• teach your players how to "park" their negative thoughts. Letting go of, or moving beyond, negative thoughts is essential to success as an athlete
  
• watch your player's body language (make sure they are aware of the enormous difference between positive and negative signals)
  
• pay attention to your player's tone and choice of words
• help your players understand THEY are in control of their thoughts and reactions to events that involve them