Confidence in coaching

When you hear Raheem Morris, the young Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, speak you hear a person with incredible confidence. As coaches, we know that confidence in players develops from demonstrated ability. Coach Morris is an example from whom we can all learn.

Currently, ESPN is running a series of profiles in promotion of "Content of Character" - a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. (this year is the 25th Anniversary of MLK Day). In the profile of Coach Morris, his friends and players (including veterans) commend him for his passion, commitment, dedication, and a little bit of swagger. He endears himself to his players because he really tries to understand what is happening in their lives, and he works hard to connect with each of them. One of the best lines in the commentary is a quote from Coach Morris, one that clearly demonstrates his confidence, focus on being positive and believing - "in order for there to be a reality, there must be a mentality."

Clever and simple language

In coaching, clear communication is essential. The English language sometimes offers some clever word connections that coaches can use to their advantage. One such twist is the word listen. When speaking to players, and demanding attention, coaches may want to point out that listen contains the same letters as the word silent. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Strong coaches do this

Look around the sport of basketball, at many different levels, and you will readily notice several commonalities of the quality programs run by strong coaches. Some features include:

• teaching - they believe that players need to be taught, not simply told, not just sport skills but team culture and life
  
• sharing - personal and program growth develops from sharing, encouraging communication
  
• promoting - through networking and community-building, programs realize great gains (get the message out!)
  
• inclusion - being open, bringing people together, adding talented assistants and people-connectors is invaluable
• passion - when others may have run out, leaders still have plenty left and do what others may not
  
• positives - leading by example, maintaining focus, never being satisfied with average, not allowing letdowns
  

TALK on defense

Communicate! Talk! Speak to the ball! Go to a gym, especially at the higher levels of the game, and you will hear coaches imploring their team to talk on defense. The old axiom is that a loud gym is a winning gym - in both practices and games. Teams, especially on defense, need to TALK:

T - Tell your team what you are doing, what you see, how you are helping.
A - Accept your responsibility in team defense - your player, the ball, your help, be unselfish.
L - Listen to your coach, and for how your teammates are helping you.
K - Keep talking - the moment you stop, others think they can do the same.

Drill - baseline chaos

A good drill to encourage communication, leadership, and quick-thinking. You can do this at camps, tryouts, elite workouts, or every day in practice. Puts stress on players, and also shows who is paying attention (or not).

Set up is single line at the baseline so that players are fed into the drill and it is obvious who is up next. Coach gives instruction with only enough time (1-2 seconds) for players to communicate and organize and get down court. Can just go down court one direction, or down and back. Can vary the finish at each end. Want to create chaos. Some combinations (can add in your own) are:

• 4 on 0 breakout
• 3 lane passing
• 5 on 0 breakout
• 3 person weave
• 5 person weave
• 3 lane passing with 2 balls
  
• 3 on 0 breakout
• 2 on 1, or 3 on 2 (designate defenders)
  

Understanding Athletes

Coaches, as this blog has mentioned previously, need to embrace the new media - especially when considering the social and communication behavior of their athletes. This weekend, an interesting discussion was repeated from an earlier broadcast of Spark on cbc.ca - the link follows. Essentially, it covered how people of all ages now view friendships, contacts, rank people, along with how they communicate and what is important to them. If nothing else, the discussion is thought-provoking, especially for coaches attempting to cross generation gaps:

http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/02/full-interview-danah-boyd-and-william-deresiewicz-on-friendship/

To view an article that goes into further detail, go to:

http://chronicle.com/article/Faux-Friendship/49308/

Communication

That communication is important is certainly an understatement. Need a reminder? Try getting your point across to somebody that does not speak your language. What tools do you have in that situation? Cues, both verbal and non, play a role. Some thoughts to consider and reinforce for a new season:

• recognize how you receive communication and it will help with how you send (if YOU don't listen when somebody rambles then DON'T be long-winded yourself)
• use cues with your players so that they can better establish what you mean/want (put your hand in the air when you say "hold" then they will understand the command when just the hand signal is used)
• understand that today's players are fundamentally very different from the previous generation and need different communication as a result (if you need evidence, volunteer to work at a camp of teenage players - they speak a unique language)
• embrace the new ways of communicating - the entire world is using sound bites, not long documentary pieces, you need to do the same
• utilize social media to your advantage - there is a reason that brief text messages and tweets are more popular than email and articles (some people want you to get your message across in 140 characters or you may lose their attention)
• timeouts are moments of communication with increased importance - use the brief time to get across two short messages (don't try to tell them all you know about the sport PLUS do remember that players may only recall the LAST thing you told them anyway)
  

Communication Ideas

• We would all rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism
• Brutal Truth / Must have credibility
• Kids today don’t know the difference between criticism & instruction – Larry Brown
• If all I can do is stand up and clap then that is how I contribute
• Whisper criticism & yell praise
• Everyone is reached in a different way

Gregg Popovich - emphasis in drills

Coach Popovich pays great attention to detail and places emphasis on doing the right things the right way. If he is listed as a presenter at a clinic, that clinic is definitely worth attending. Who knows, maybe he'll be a headline coach at a Can-Am Basketball clinic (next one is June 4-5) in years to come? On the topic of drills, Coach emphasizes:

• be strong on the fundamentals of the game (footwork, hands, body positioning)
• work on being perfect before fast - do it properly, then be quick enough to be uncomfortable
• drills need to provide enough of a challenge for your team that your leaders will rise up and talk, lead, get others doing properly
• want adversity, want players to have to think and talk
• give a change command to the next group in the drill but only give just enough time that they have to communicate and organize quickly
• transition within a drill or between drills should be done without delay, want chaos
• if a group is playing too slow or not correctly then give a point to the other team and boot the poor performers out of the drill
• look to test mental strength of players, important to know who gives up too early, who battles to the end
  

Continued wisdom from Coach Don Meyer

Although coaching creativity is definitely encouraged, much is still to be learned from those that have paved a solid path before us. Among many successful coaches leading that way is Don Meyer. Due to his discipline, work ethic, unquestionable character, and countless attributes, Coach Meyer is to be greatly respected. He is also responsible for the following gems:

• importance of body language, he asks "how does your team sub?" - need to hustle on and off the court
• on communication, players need to "yell what they are in" - shows leadership, makes sure everybody is paying attention
• regarding confidence, players need to be strong and not worry about getting shots blocked
• importance of ball reversal, critical for getting a good shot, two or three reversals may be needed
• know how to draw fouls - get out quickly on the break, take the ball to the rim, get the ball in to the post
• on rebounding, play hard, rebound "out of your range", pursue the ball, secure it with two hands

MSU thinks outside the box, sleeps inside the gym

Be creative. Think differently. Make memories. See the game another way. Foster leadership in your players. These are all wonderful ideals. Go to the link below and read the story that outlines some creative thinking by the men's basketball program at Michigan State.

http://www.greenandwhite.com/article/20100302/GW0201/3020334/1026/GW0201

Essentially, they needed to change things up, bring in something fresh to replace a stale atmosphere, improve communication, and develop a better cohesion and chemistry. How did they do it? A sleepover at mid-court - they camped out on the floor of their home gym. Not only that but it took place the night before an important game. For now, it seems to have been a good idea. In a few weeks, if they win it all, it will be a legendary idea. Regardless, they embraced a change. The best part of all, as described by Head Coach Tom Izzo, is that "it was a player decision" and showed initiative. His players took responsibility, offered a solution, and put it into action.

Thoughts from the book "Destination Basketball"

In their recent book, Destination Basketball, authors Andrew Hemminger and Dave Bensch provide coaching insight from 29 successful NCAA coaches. Essentially, the two college students from Ohio traveled thousands of miles to personally sit down and interview some of the best male coaches that have ever walked the sidelines. By way of example, a few interesting answers follow:

• when John Beilein of Michigan was asked what he tries to improve as a coach, he responded with "communication." He then went on to say that it's not WHAT a coach knows but rather what a coach can get his players to know. As a result, he looks to hire assistants that are excellent communicators.
• Bruce Weber of Illinois mentioned, when developing and executing his program philosophy, an underlying rule is that "no job is beneath you." This is very similar to what Coach Don Meyer at NSU has always promoted - "everybody picks up garbage."
• when Bo Ryan of Wisconsin was asked what he hopes his players will take away after being in their program, he commented that he hopes "they will be good neighbors" after they leave him. First, they will need to look after the needs of their own families and then be considerate citizens, help in the community, give back, and be good neighbors. Again, this is the "servant attitude" that many coaches promote - unselfishness, thinking of others.
• Tom Izzo of Michigan State wants to be remembered as a coach that told his players what they needed to hear, NOT what they wanted to hear. He firmly believes that physical and mental toughness are keys to every type of success in life. He feels that part of his role is to combine his players' individual goals (recognizes that all people are partially selfish) with Spartan team goals. Asking for individual goals shows that he cares about his players - they then care about what Coach Izzo wants for the team.

Overall, a good read - quick and easy too. Consider it when looking for a gift for a coach, or even treat yourself to a well-deserved book. For those of you that prefer to order online, good options are amazon.com and chaptersindigo.ca.

Player Substitutions - use them wisely

It is a given that coaches have MANY responsibilities - both in the big picture as well as in a detailed sense. Paying attention to small details, beyond being good for your program, can also help you gain an advantage in games. Consider substitutions. The strategic subbing of players, if done well, can be of tremendous benefit to your team. Give some thought to:

• how do your players sub in?
• encourage them, much like free throws, to have a routine (while waiting to sub in) that helps them focus and get ready to work
  
• subs need to hustle over to you then the scorer's table when called upon
  
• players should sprint on and off the court (with enthusiasm and/or good body language each way)
• subs entering need to shake hands of teammates exiting the game, get matchups, and communicate current defensive/offensive calls
• in order to slow down tempo or set up defensive pressure, sub after a made free throw
• to disrupt opponent's matchups, sub at timeouts (preferably at the end of the TO)
• to help your first subs off the bench prepare mentally and develop a game-to-game routine, consider advising them of what time they should expect to enter the game for their first substitution
• end of game situations may require you to sub for defense or offense - be prepared, have a plan, anticipate the scenarios, and execute
  

Defending ballscreens

Proper defending of ballscreen action is a vital component in the success of overall team defense. The screen defense calls and reads that are made are dependent upon the team's defensive system and priorities, the skills of the individual offensive players, the skill sets of your personnel, game variables (i.e. player fouls, team fouls, time and score), offensive sets of the opposition, etc. Regardless of the plans chosen, all members of the defense MUST communicate - especially the four that are away from the ball and can clearly see the screen action. Decisions, based on team philosophies, must be made - some screen defensive strategies are more aggressive than others. Some options for defending ballscreens are:

• trap on the ballhandler by both the ball defender and screen defender
• jam by both defenders - jam up into the ballhandler by the on-ball defender as well as a jam under the screener (to prevent a roll or movement) by the screener's defender
• hedge by the screen defender and then position under the screen action by the ball defender (must read, don't assume the ballhandler is using the screen to then go a certain direction)
• hedge by the screen defender and then movement over the screen action by the ball defender (either over the hedge or through a gap between the hedge and the screener that the screen defender would then have to close on recovery to the screener)
• zone off and back (i.e. to a defensive lane position) by the screen defender with an aggressive chase over the screen action by the ball defender (to disrupt the ball and force a hurried play)
  
• the hedge by the screener's defender can, depending on system and priorities, be a hard hedge to take the ball up and away from the rim and towards midcourt or a high hedge followed by a flat hedge (90 degree screen defender pivot) in order to prevent the ball from penetrating the lane (and further help the on-ball defender)
  

The importance of communication

Regardless of the age or gender of your athletes, I can guarantee you that you've covered the topic of communication - in your practices, meetings, and games. As coaches, we often need to address "proper talk" - the clear communication of a message between a sender and receiver. Communication is a vital component of any team's success.

An online article, this time not directly related to basketball, at USA Today highlights the (in this example, critical) importance of clear communication between members of any team. Essentially, after an accident, a man passed away and the possible reason is a fundamental breakdown of a very simple concept - people speaking clearly to others. The line that jumps right off the page is "A police officer......should be sent to talk to people."

In the sport of basketball, this translates so well. Many times, problems can easily be avoided if somebody would just go and talk to another person. Perhaps situations would not get out of hand? Conflicts could be avoided. In the above example, disasters averted. With any person in our programs, we need to encourage clear communication - no mixed messages, no misunderstandings. In our technologically advanced age of electronic messaging, a good old face to face meeting stands the test of time.