Improving Communication

Coaching is communicating. To improve our coaching we must improve our communication daily. Here are a few thoughts on communication.

· Everything we do is a form of communication.
· 75% of marital problems are due to bad communication.

Why Communication is difficult?
· What you mean to say.
· What you actually say.
· What the other person hears.
· What the other person thinks he hears.
· What the other person says about what you said.
· What you think the other person said about what you said.

The Complete Message
· 55% is nonverbal
· 38% verbal
· 7% actual words

Joe Torre's 12 Keys To Managing

Joe Torre’s 12 Keys to Managing Team Players, Tough Bosses, Setbacks and Success

Key #4—Maintain Serenity
· Eliminate as many distractions as possible.
· There’s no avoiding pressure. It’s possible to be intense but not tense.

Five guidelines to help become more serene in your approach to your job

1. Focus on the Present
a. Hank Aaron said, “Each at-bat is a new day.” No matter what our line of work, we all endure slumps.
b. We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn’t get stuck there.

2. Maintain Your Perspective
a. Sense of humor. Support of teammates. Knowledge of our abilities based on past performance. The realization that tomorrow is a chance to do better. These things make up the “big picture” viewpoint.
b. Struggling batters and pitchers benefit by learning from their mistakes. But they suffer from mistakes when they become so overwhelmed by self-doubt that they can’t stay focused enough to make useful changes in their approach.

3. Control What You Can, Let Go of the Rest
a. When you control what you can, you know you’ve done everything possible to succeed. That means hard work, total commitment, painstaking preparation, and squeezing every ounce of ability from yourself.

4. Feel the Fear, Succeed Anyway
a. Fear doesn’t have to destroy their ability to be patient, to make adjustments, to play with passion.
b. Our togetherness as a team reduces our stress levels, because we know we have one another’s support through the tough times.

5. Keep Your Cool
a. Challenge people without always having to raise your voice.
b. Practice patience in every endeavor.
c. Consistency yields calm: Don’t let yourself get too low over one defeat or too high over one victory.

"Why We Win"--Key Ingredients To Championship Team

“Why We Win”—Key Ingredients For Championship Teams

Ara Parseghian
· It’s good chemistry. It’s loyalty. It’s good personnel. A team will reflect the intensity of a coach.

Anson Dorrance
· There are several keys. One is to have a collective will. We had some teams with very average talent that collectively were just so overwhelming. That was the key. It’s tied into team chemistry, really. And tied into philosophy that we’ve sort of encouraged from the beginning—that concept of playing for each other. Playing for championships or titles is overrated. In my experience, teams aren’t motivated for championship games; they’re motivated for each other.

Joe Gibbs
· People. You don’t win with X’s and O’s. They’re needed. You’ve got to be good at it, but you don’t win with it. You win with people.

Chuck Noll
· People. You can’t do it without talent. You have to have talented players who are good people. Attitude is the thing that separates people by far. You have to be ready to work together.

Tommy Lasorda
· A championship team is when you have a team who will play for the name on the front of the jersey and not for the one on the back.

Sparky Anderson
· It’s the players. If you have good players, you’re going to have good teams. Even if you’re not there. But if you are a good coach at any level, it’s what you do with that good personnel and how you keep them focused to play.

Dan Gable
· You have a championship team when everybody is contributing close to what they’re capable of contributing. When you have a group of individuals clicking for what they need, and still understanding the total team concept, then you’re going to have a championship team.

Bill Walsh
· It’s the day-to-day hard work, and making sure everyone is working for the same single purpose.

Joe Paterno
· The expectancy. The key ingredient is to plan for it.

Marshal Field's 12 Virtue Reminders

Chicago department store tycoon Marshall Field once indicated the following 12 reminders that can be helpful in obtaining a sound sense of values. These time honored principles never change:
1. The value of time.
2. The success of perseverance.
3. The pleasure of working.
4. The dignity of simplicity.
5. The worth of character.
6. The power of kindness.
7. The influence of example.
8. The obligation of duty.
9. The wisdom of economy.
10. The virtue of patience.
11. The improvement of talent.
12. The joy of originating.

Pat Riley's Philosophy

Pat Riley’s Philosophy

1. Bump and run on defense. Make that your go to part of the game.
2. Two most important things: REBOUNDING & DEFENSE
3. Defense: Be the most physical in the league. The idea of the game is to take the opponent out physically and mentally.
4. Spend your time getting into your players head individually. There is only so much you can do coaching a team.
5. Make certain that your players understand that if you’re going to be a team it has to be a team defense, team offense, never I always WE.
6. It’s what you get from the games you lose that is extremely important. Did we learn from losing? This is an important part of any team.
7. We want to, as much as possible, try to make our players understand who has strength in what areas. Talk about that a lot, spend time, do the things you need to do to try to make people understand that.
8. In dealing with administration, management, etc., understand that they are extremely interested in only themselves.
9. To have a great basketball team you have to have more mental preparation than physical preparation. Once you’re mentally tough, you can become tough physically. Once you’re tough mentally you can overcome being tired, you can overcome fatigue.
10. Always practice as hard as you can. Go for it even the day of a game.
11. Make certain that your team is mentally prepared. Don’t show them a ton of film. Mentally prepare them with your voice and mouth. Get them tuned into what you want.
12. Game day preparations. Real hard workout the day of the game, go after it that night.

Good Player, Great Player, Superb Player

GOOD PLAYER, GREAT PLAYER, SUPERB PLAYER

Positioning, Anticipation and Technique give Quickness; Therefore, you can always get quicker.
A Good player knows where he is on the court.
A Great player knows where everyone is on the court.
A Superb player knows where everyone is on the court and what everyone is going to do.

Thoughts on Effeciency

THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS ON EFFICIENCY

1. Post game stats. Review production of each player and the team. Have a system. Keep specific stats of areas of emphasis.
2. Must have a way to measure efficiency.
3. Don’t keep track of hours. Just production.
4. Meetings—don’t meet just to meet. Meet to get things done.
5. Don’t put things off. Catch things early.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
7. Don’t pretend to understand. Ask questions.
8. Spend time and energy on things you need to produce.
9. Constantly teach how to work smart.
10. Getting things done is a principle.
11. Production not potential.
12. Concept of being like a machine. Machines don’t care about time, temperature or environment. It does its job over and over.
13. Keep the machine finely tuned.
14. It’s not about making plays, it’s about eliminating poor judgment, carelessness and a casual approach.
15. Chart and track things that are important to you.
16. Necessity is the greatest creative force in the universe.
17. Find out the “why” on problems.
18. Make the maximum use of facilities, coaches and players.
19. It’s not X’s and O’s, it’s execution.
20. It’s not what we know, it’s what they execute.

Steve Nash Shooting Workout

STEVE NASH SHOOTING WORKOUT

I picked up Steve Nash's workout from a recent clinic. Most players do not realize how hard the NBA players work on their individual skills.

Everything is done at game speed. Shoot, chase after your own rebound and speed dribble to the next spot to shoot again.

Baseline Pullup Shot (from both sides) 1:30
Midrange Bank Shot (from both sides) 1:30
FT Line Elbow (from both sides) 1:30
Back-to-Basket (turn & shoot, jump hooks & step-through) 2:00
Shot Fake & 1 dribble pull-up 1:30
Hesitate with live dribble 1:30
Crossover & Pullback Crossover into shot (no extra dribble) 1:00
Stepback for shot 1:00
Catch & Shoot (spin out for shot) 1:30
Pick & Roll (1 dribble, 2 dribble jumper) 2:00
Speed Dribble from half-court into 3pt 1:00
FT’s (shoot while tired) 2:00

Dealing With Procrasitnation

What is procrastination and why do we do it?
Procrastination is self-doubt
Procrastination is self-punishment
Procrastination is escapism, self-made
Most of all, procrastination is a habit.
Putting things off can be incredibly seductive.
Procrastination is one common result of conflicting needs.

Temporary advantages of procrastination:
Satisfies the need to escape (like any addiction)
Maintains the status quo—avoid new responsibilities
Reduces time on unpleasant projects
Lets us retain a sense of control

How do we stop?
1.) Take Care of Yourself
Self-critical people suffer a basic syndrome: poor concentration, erratic work performance, procrastination.
Can’t complete a difficult project if you’re physically and mentally exhausted.
Keep fit; improve lifestyle.

2.) Develop a Different State of Mind
Learn to accept change and risk
Believe you can and will change

3.) Break a Bad Habit With a Good Habit
Change requires action
You’ve got to act different to be different
Insight and understanding change nothing
Put out rather than put off.

8 Words To Live By

Eight Words To Live By
Earl Nightingale


Honesty—It means honesty in everything we do or say; honesty as a way of life.

Workmanship—It means doing a job as well as we can do it without become obsessed with it. It’s saying, “Everything I do I will do to the best of my ability.”

Ambition—It means striving toward something we believe to be worthwhile.

Faith—It makes everything work, and faith in ourselves and what we believe in is the driving power of our ambition.

Education—The better our education - the broader, the more comprehensive our knowledge - the better, the richer, the more interesting our lives become.

Charity—It’s more than giving...it’s an attitude; it’s understanding that the more we share, the more we get. The more we help and lift up others, the more we are helped and lifted up ourselves.

Courage—It turns darkness into bright daylight; problems into possibilities.

Responsibility—For others and our lives.

Marketing Ideas

Minor League baseball is great source of marketing ideas. They get their stadiums full of energy.

Looking For Ways To Win--What Is A Workout

WHAT IS A WORKOUT?

· A workout is 25% PERSPIRATION and 75% DETERMINATION. Stated another way, it s one part physical exertion and 3 parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

· A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday.

· A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a WINNER—the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his or her destiny.

· A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in EXCELLENCE. It is a way of preparing for life’s challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

· A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to OPPORTUNITY and SUCCESS. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.

UCF Defensive Philosophy

UCF Defensive Philosophy

At UCF, we take great pride in our Defense and Rebounding. It is our belief that if our Defense can dictate how our opponents play, we will have a great chance to be successful on the road, at home and against all our opponents. We want to disrupt our opponents and not allow them to do what they do best. With the use of scouting reports, we want to be an intelligent defensive team and make shooters drivers and drivers shooters and be prepared to defend all types of offensive schemes.

Often times, the most selfish players are the ones on the defensive end. Therefore, to emphasize everyone guards the ball and your player, our Ball – Man defensive system is designed to make each player accountable for their responsibilities. With accountability and communication, players learn to trust each other. Both instill great team work and confidence in our defense. We must not only be willing to play harder than our opponents, we must be willing to play Defense as a team and be mindful of not allowing our offense to affect our defense. Ultimately, we must commit as a team to not giving up easy baskets and contesting all shots.

A lot of championships have been won by teams that have not been the most talented. So, how are we going to win our conference, if you are not the most talented team? By influencing our opponent defensively. We know we are not going to “pitch” a shutout. But we can determine who scores, where they score and how they score, we are going to make it hard on them.

We want our system to be simple and efficient. Ernest Hemingway was once asked, “How did you learn to write?” Hemingway replied, “By writing every
day.” That is the mentality we take to our program on a daily basis. In doing so, we plan to outwork, outprepare and outfundamental our opponents.

In the teaching of our defense, we really concentrate on developing sound defensive techniques. It is essential that our players have a master of the proper defensive techniques. It is only when our players can get into, stay in and move in the various defensive stances will our defensive system be executed to its fullest.

There are basic four ways as to why games are lost:
Turnovers
Bad shots
Failure to blockout
Lack of pressure

Our defensive system is predicated on these four variables. We know that most games are lost, not won. We simply want to get the offense to do something they don’t want to do.

Finding Ways To Win--Competing In Practice

Finding Ways To Win--Compete

Coach Meyer always stressed to us not to think about winning, but think about ways to win. One of the biggest challenges we face is to get our players to compete in everything that we do. We use a variety of ways to compete in practice. One of the best is simply going against our male practice players. However, there are class conflicts at times and we do not have them at practice. Also, at the high school level it's not realistic to have male practice players (though going against your boys JV is often a good test).

Therefore, we have to compete against time and score. We compete in our breakdown drills. For example, in our 3/3, 4/4 defensive and offensive breakdown drills we play to a certain score or play for a time and keep score.

We always put what we emphasize to the disadvantage. In our defensive emphasis period, the defense gets one point for a stop and the offense gets 2,3 or And 1's they get whatever basket they score and we have been playing to 10. Losers run suicides for the difference in score.

When we go to our offensive breakdowns--we flip it around--offense gets one point for a score and defense gets two points for a stop and again losers run for the difference.

This creates the best competition (game speed) in our breakdown drills, as opposed simply going through the breakdown drills with no consequences.

Jon Gruden's 4 Components of Teamwork

Jon Gruden's 4 Components of Teamwork

1. Put strong individuals on your team
a. Every member has to be strong. Each player on the team has a job to do. They need to do it effectively and contribute to the team.
2. Match the individual to the best position for the team
a. So many times people take a position because it is in their comfort zone.
b. Are you using the talent of each individual in a way that is best for the team.
3. Provide direction and goals for your team
a. This starts with the coach or leader of the team.
b. Think big. Your goals should be attainable, but they should be a stretch. Clearly set goals will ensure the team is moving in the same direction.
c. You cannot expect hard work out of a player that doesn’t share your passion for the end result.
d. Set daily, weekly or monthly measurements.
4. Let team members share in the success
a. Everyone likes to be recognized for hard work.
b. People thrive on recognition.
c. Coach should set the tone.
d. Hard to expect the team to follow your lead if negativity is your daily outlook.
e. Motivate and challenge your team daily.
f. Your purpose is to bring out the best in each player on the team.

Distinguishing Between Good & Great

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT

1. PREPARATION
a. “Prepare for every game like you just lost your last game.”—Lon Kruger
b. There is a difference between readiness and preparation, readiness doesn’t get it done. You must prepare—Marine boot camp philosophy.
c. Johnny Cochran vs Marcia Clark
2. TEACHING
a. Not volume—quality
b. Emotional word pictures/key phrases/terminology
c. “It’s not what you teach—it’s what you emphasize”
d. See the skill
e. Feel the skill
f. Repeat correctly, quickly over, with variety and repetition.
3. THE THREE C’s
a. Consistently—simply correlate on both ends
b. Compete—always
c. Close—hardest part of surgery is closing; most plane crashes in Vietnam came when planes were returning from successful missions (relaxed).

Lou Holtz--5 Parts of a Plan

Lou Holtz
5 Parts of a Plan
11/10/09 Get Motivated Seminar

1. Attitude You Choose
a. Most important
b. You can succeed when nobody believes in you
c. You’ll never succeed if you don’t believe in yourself
d. What’s your attitude when people say negative things?
2. Have A Passion To Win
a. Persevere
i. Lincoln, Edison, Mother Teresa
ii. When you win is what you do between now and then
iii. It’s understanding what the competition does and more
iv. Get rid of excuses why you can’t do something
3. Understand What You Are Trying To Do
a. Help customers get what they want
b. Keep life simple—understand what you are trying to do.
c. Have to have teamwork
i. Bring people together is the beginning
ii. Keep them together is progress
iii. Working together is success
iv. Satisfy the needs of people you have to embrace change
4. Be A Dreamer
a. Motivated by our needs—intimidated by our fears
b. Decide what you want to do, someone to love, something to believe in, something to hope for.
c. No age restrictions on having dreams
d. Left Notre Dame—decided he wasn’t tired of coaching—he was tired of maintaining.
5. Have to Have Meaningful Relationships With People
a. Two types of people
i. People who lift you up
ii. People who pull you down
b. Three rules
i. Do what’s right
ii. Do everything to best of your ability
iii. Show people you care
c. Three questions everyone asks
i. Can I trust you?
ii. Are you committed to excellence? Committed by the standards you set.
iii. Do you care about me?
d. The three rules answer the three questions.

General Colin Powell's Notes From Orlando Get Motivated Seminar

General Colin Powell @ the November 10, 2009 Get Motivated Seminar


Don’t miss anything in life.
Always view things through the windshield, because you can’t change things in the rearview mirror.
No one can change who we are.

Leadership Traits
Common to everywhere
Put followers in best possible place
Take a sense of purpose and break it down, so followers know what to do.
Have to be passionate and infectious so others catch it.
Take care of the troops
Make sure everyone has what they need to get the job done.
Want people to be inspired that work for you
Compliment those who are doing a good job.
Recognize people’s worth
Can’t reorganize around the problem—get rid of it.
Can’t be afraid, tired or hungry in front of your troops
Trust is the glue that holds organizations together.

5 Things That Kill A Player's Potential

5 Things That Kill A Player’s Potential

1. Low pain threshold
2. Low IQ (basketball) for what we’re running
3. Selfishness
4. Can the person do the intangibles (charges, loose balls, pass aheads, rotations)
5. Drugs and Alcohol

3 Ingredients To Every Player's Success

3 INGREDIENTS TO EVERY PLAYER’S SUCCESS
1. Self-Discipline
2. Competitive Fire
3. Self-Belief
Identify and fortify fragile areas.Player development must be a strength as a coach

Rick Pitino Practice Breakdown

Rick Pitino Practice Breakdown
1. Shooting (15)
2. Transition Offense (15)
3. Man Offense (15)
4. Zone Defense (15)
5. Pressing and Trapping (15)
6. Press Attack (15)
7. Man Defense (15)
8. Special Situations

Leadership 101--Bo Pelini--The Huskers Way

LEADERSHIP 101
Bo Pelini – Huskers Football

Jeff Jamrog on Coach Pelini – “He holds you accountable but allows you to be and do your job.”

STAY the PROCESS!!

Be willing to serve. (Develop trust – build relationships from YOUR beliefs)
We live in the ME generation.
Selfishness is human nature – overcome it!
You can only lead people that respect & believe in you.

BUILDING A CULTURE:
#1 job is coaching your coaches/leaders
Do it YOUR way – don’t be someone that you’re not
What do you want to be known for?
Have expectations laid out
You get what you ask for and demand
NOT the what BUT the how you do it
Base principles & accountability
Surround yourself with the “right” people
Being capable is NOT enough – character & integrity matter
Be non-compromising about core character matters
Committed t o the little things (NO gray areas)
Don’t leave things open to interpretation
Find ways to nurture – seek the moments to praise/criticize
BALANCE in finding success, check your ego at the door
History proves that dictatorships don’t work
Win with people – “Coach’em Up”
Leaders don’t point the fingers – they point the thumb back at themselves
Manage people – can’t have different expectations for people
Why are people making mistakes? People don’t desire to mess up
(Are you doing your job – assume nothing!)
COMMUNICATION & EXPECTATIONS – then set goals
Concentration should be part of your process
Success if often not fun – the pot of gold at the end is
Being uncommon is tough!
Do what you have to do today
God has set our potential higher than we can achieve.
We are not close to our own output potential.
Don’t be someone you’re not – do what works for you
You’ve got to be consistent, when it’s time to work – WORK
Give feedback (Honest – Fair – Critical)
Unconditional love is part of tough love
DAILY WORK – communication – trust – relationships
You are who you are in ALL things (Classroom – Practice – Games)
You can’t go half speed in the classroom and full speed in games!
Never think you’ve arrived! Learn each day.
Don’t forget failures – Re-direct mindset & efforts
Parents establish core values

60 plays - - 6 seconds each = 6 minutes of football - - NEVER BEEN PLAYED PERFECT


Coach Pelini spoke extensively about Jerry Rice. He worked with the 49ers early in his coaching career and was simply amazed with Rice’s “everyday perfection”. He said that he was the absolute best football player he has ever seen. He did everything with perfection on the forefront of his mind. His preparation (in-season & off-season), TEAM relationships, coach ability, family, and even in the locker-room and training room was done to perfection. Jerry set the bar for the 49ers – who’s setting the bar in your organization?

Morgan Wooten's Favorite Coaching Concepts

Morgan Wooten
"My Favorite Coaching Concepts "

1.Never lose sight of the impact you are having on young people’s lives.
2. Teach your players the importance of proper priorities that allow for maximum personal, academic, and athletic development.
3. Evaluate wins and losses objectively, focusing more on effort and execution than on the outcome of the game.
4. Instruct, don’t dictate.
5. Never humiliate.
6. Communicate your approach in a style that is comfortable to you and fits your personality and philosophy.
7. Learn to anticipate problems.
8. Never announce penalty for rule violations in advance.
9. Enthusiasm creates heroism.
10. If you make a mistake and fall down, you must get back up.
11. Always have a “Thought for the Day.”
12. You are constantly being judged on what you are doing and not what you have done.
13. Be yourself.
14. Be eager to learn.
15. Don’t play players only because they have potential if they do not hustle, work hard, and listen.
16. Never discipline to punish, discipline to teach.
17. We are what we continually do.
18. Do to your opponent what you do not like done to you.
19. Play defense with your feet, eyes, and heart.
20. If you want the attention of your players, use compliments.
21. I believe that repetition of fundamentals at any level will make your players winners.
22. Play hard, play smart, play together, and have fun.
23. You must have total control of your program.
24. I will never curse my players, and they will never curse me.
25. I will never embarrass my players, and they will never embarrass me.
26. Do not assume anything.
27. Listen and learn from your players.
28. Excellence becomes a habit.
29. Don’t ever tell your players to win.
30. Never write a plan for practice that takes longer than two hours.
31. Make your players sprint over to you to begin practice on a hustling, enthusiastic note.
32. Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, it’s really hard.
33. Take time to talk individually with the players you are cutting.
34. Have your players write down their academic and athletic goals at the start of every year.
35. Building team chemistry is the most important thing you can do as a coach.

Truett Cathy's 11 Do's and Don'ts of Proven Success

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Live, Love and Lead event hosted by Chick-fil-A. It was a tremendous learning experience to listen to the Cathy family talk about their background, beliefs and leadership philosophy.

Truett Cathy’s 11 Do’s & Don’ts of Proven Success

Truett Cathy is the founder and CEo of Chick-fil-A. He has 1,400 restaurants and sales of nearly $3 billion.

1. Don’t be burdened with personal debt.
a. Car payment
b. House payment
c. Establish a nest egg.
d. Live simple.
2. Start early as a teenager. Concentrate on what brings you happiness in your career. Have a tremendous “want to”—determination.
3. Sacrifice material things. Reward yourself later.
4. Shortcut to success: Observe what is working in the lives of others. Teenagers, observe mature individuals.
5. Don’t try to please all people.
6. Set priorities in proper order.
7. Expand cautiously. Grow your business cautiously.
8. Franchising may or may not be good for your particular business. Use it cautiously.
9. Be prepared for disappointments. Many successful individuals experience failure.
10. Be kind to people. Courtesy is very cheap but brings great dividends.
11. Invite God to be involved in every decision. God gives us a brain to use—common sense. You can do it if you want to. God has given each of us a talent. Maybe yours is yet to be discovered. We honor God with our success. He designed us to be winners.

Rebounding Notes Outline

We take great pride in our rebounding. We have one of the top rebounders in the country in Junior Post Emma Cannon. Here is another handout that our players put in their notebooks. We then discuss and build our rebounding off these principles.

REBOUNDING

Statistics Related to Winning:
1. Good field goal percentage
2. Turnover Ratio
3. Rebounding—The top 20 rebounding teams in the nation, win over 80% of their games.

Principles of Rebounding—
1. Assume:
a. Offense—assume that every shot is a miss. Send 4 to boards.
b. Defense—assume every opponent is a terrible shooter. Send all 5 players to make physical contact.

2. Chin the Ball:
a. Chinning the ball—
i. Fingers spread wide and straight up when holding the ball.
ii. Elbows are held straight out in both directions.
iii. Try to squeeze the basketball.

3. Two From Two
a. Rebound with two feet with two hands.

4. Go Up With Both Hands Up
a. Both hands are up with elbows at least shoulder high


OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
1. Offensive Rebounding Rules:
a. See The Shot
i. A shot taken from 20 feet away will usually be rebounded 10 feet from the glass. The rule is half the distance of the shot.
ii. Shot taken on the left side will usually be rebounded on the right side.
b. Assume That All Shots Will Be Missed
c. Go To A Gap & Make Contact
i. Get the best piece of the pie. If the shot is taken from the right side, the best piece of the pie would be the baseline side of the defensive player.
ii. Go to a gap and block out the defensive player.
iii. Go to a gap and get even.
iv. Keep the ball alive.
1. How do you go to a gap?
a. If the player is in a block out position, you tap with the outside hand and swim with the inside hand. Get in a wide block position after this.


DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING
1. Defensive Rebounding Rules:
a. See or Hear The Shot
i. This is why a shot call is so vital. You are so involved with defending that you cannot see the shot. You must have a shot call by the person guarding the shooter.
ii. Get visual contact before you get physical contact. You must pick up who you are going to block out.
iii. Physical contact inside the arc. Proactive contact. I go after him.

Game Situations

We pride ourselves on preparation. We work to cover every area that may come to our players. The following is a handout that we go over with our team and add to throughout the season.

Re: Game Situations

1. General Rules
a. New rules
b. Key rules
c. No facial expressions, win the officials.

2. Game Day Procedure
a. Shoot around—short but intense—focused
b. Team goals
c. Scouting report/ game plan

3. Lockerroom Attitude
a. Preparation: Mentally & Physically
b. Team thoughts to relax, forget yourself
c. Quiet, aggressive, confident
d. Prayer
e. Team together

4. Pre-Game Warmup
a. Arrival time to gym
b. Rehearsal
c. Concentrate on your physical and mental preparation
d. Quick movement, hands ready, “second wind”
e. Enthusiasm and encouragement for teammates
f. Position shooting
g. FT’s
h. Sound fundamentals
i. Set the tone

5. Pre-Game Introductions
a. Hustle out
b. Individual and team enthusiasm and determination
c. Identify your match-up
d. Entire team together


6. Bench Organization
a. Will vary with situations
b. Attention to game, concentrate, enthusiasm
c. Bench decorum

7. Jump Ball
a. Technique: Hands ready, knees bent
b. Assignments: Sandwich, get by your man at ½ circle, defensive or offensive
c. It’s a loose ball, get every one, we want possession.

8. Substitutions
a. Report to scorer, person at scorebook, at the “X”
b. Official must beckon you in
c. Towel, get the man you are guarding
d. Sprint off floor
e. Bench up
f. When coming out touch each player on bench

9. Time Out Organization
a. How to call
b. Sprint off floor to bench, seating arrangement
c. Water and towel quickly
d. Attention is most important
e. “Give us your eyes”

10. FT’s
a. Block out assignments
b. Hands up and knees bent

11. Half-Time Procedure
a. All warm-ups to locker room
b. Use rest room
c. Coaches meet and discuss
d. Team discusses until coaches enter/ keys on board
e. Adjustments to make
f. First 5 possession of 2nd half are key
g. You usually do not win the game in the first half
h. Check back in to start the half





12. Post Game
a. Shake hands with opponent
b. Class
c. Hustle to locker room immediately after leaving opponents
d. Congratulate/ Encourage teammates
e. Discuss with coaches, “Even Keel”
f. Time for next practice/ game
g. Locker room cleaner when leaving than when we arrived

13. Discussing the Game
a. Do not make excuses
b. Focus on your mistakes rather than finding fault in teammates
c. Enjoy the victory but remember to be gracious in victory and emotionally balanced after defeat.
d. If we improve each game, we have no defeats, only bad performances.
e. Be realistic.
f. Think about the team and your teammates.
g. Prepare and improve fundamentals.




Nothing is more important than our individual and Team Attitudes

Stephen Covey 8 Characteristics of Principle Centered Leaders

STEPHEN COVEY
Principle-Centered Leaders

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Covey opens his book, Principle-Centered Leadership, with this traditional quote. The basis for much of Covey’s theory on leadership is that ineffective people try to manage their time around priorities, whereas effective people lead their lives and manage their relationships according to principles—natural laws governing values that are universally valid.

He outlines eight characteristics of Principle-Centered Leaders:

1. They are continually learning. Leaders are always curious, always trying to develop new skills.
2. They are service oriented. Life is a mission, not a career. Develop a sense of contribution and service.
3. They radiate positive energy. Their optimism becomes self-fulfilling.
4. They believe in other people. Create a climate for growth.
5. They lead balanced lives. They read, watch, observe and learn.
6. They see life as an adventure.
7. They are synergistic. Synergy is a state in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Leaders improve almost any situation they get into.
8. They exercise self-renewal. They work to develop the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. By exercising these aspects of their life, they develop a strong and healthy character, discipline and will.

Limiting Turnovers

Eliminating Turnovers:

3000 games of analysis +4.2 wins 64% of the time

Motion Checklist

1) Must have established screeners

2) Shot Selection

3) Shot opportunities
How will we get shots and who will get them?

4) Offensive Rebounding

5) Spacing

6) Penetration: Drive and Space

7) TPDCR--Get ball inside
Transition/ Post/ Drives/ Cutters/ Rebounds

8) Turnovers

9) Secondary

10) Entries

Cutting & Screening Thoughts

We scrimmaged our practice players in a live 2nd half scrimmage today. The most glaring part was our lack of movement and spacing. Here are a few thoughts:

Three things you can do in basketball:
1. Move the basketball
2. Move people—Johnny Orr used to run motion w/o screens.Screening—negative to screening is that you momentarily destroy spacing

Re: ARETE

Re: Arete

There are moments like this when I feel I possess that elusive quality known as class. More frequently, I am certain I don’t. But I am aware that it is always available to me. Anyone can have class. It’s character is nonetheless elusive.

In talking about class and trying to define it, one runs the risk of sounding silly and snobbish. For one thing, not only is class difficult to define, it is much more evident in its absence. Since part of class is not boasting about it, the no-class people stand out. For every class athlete you see, you can name any number of spoilsports, showboats, alibiers and cheaters.

The Greeks have a word for it. Arete means the best. Arete also contains the idea of something, whether it be an object or a creature, doing exactly what it was made for. Arete means being the absolute embodiment of what it was designed to be. It is not being better than something else; it s the best of what it is. Arete is me being the best possible ______ I can be.

The important thing about actions is not what you do but the way you do it. “Every calling is great, said Oliver Wendell Holmes; “when greatly pursued.” It is the old refrain all over again. Have no care for the outcome. Play the game to the hilt. Show a little class.

The great ones, whether they are mechanics or cardiologists, waiters or housewives, always do. They have all the virtues and qualities that go with class. They believe the way they do something matters, and in the long run that is all that matters.

The distinction between life lived as a success and life lived as a failure as I see it, is a matter of class. Class is a product of body and mind and spirit. I suspect that for me it begins with an all-consuming desire to do my best, a compulsion that everyone has felt from time to time for different activities. My task it to do it to everything I do.


Taken from This Running Life
By Dr. George Sheehan

What You Can Learn By Watching Players Run Sprints

You can learn a lot about a player by simply watching them run sprints:

What can you learn from watching players run sprints?
Are they simply trying not to be last?
Are they just trying to finish?
Are they mad because of having to run sprints?
Are they trying to win every single sprint?

A Disciplined Player & A Disciplined Team

A DISCIPLINED PLAYER…
1. Knows the importance of being on time.
2. Has learned the value of regular hours and good training habits from working hard in practice.
3. Has learned that the team come before himself. This strengthens his character as he is sometimes called upon to sacrifice for others.
4. Has learned to take orders; in taking orders, he learns how to give them.
5. Knows that discipline is the essence of every successful organization; as a member of the team, he understands the need for it.
6. Has learned that many of these things establish a degree of self-discipline.

A DISCIPLINED BASKETBALL TEAM…
1. Doesn’t beat itself by mistakes.
2. Is always ready to play—INTENSITY
3. Has the guts to come from behind.
4. Rises above adversity.
5. Never, never quits.

Discipline

“My whole philosophy of discipline is that if you
Learn to think about consequences, and
More than that, actually
See and feel the repercussions of your actions
Ahead of time, you just might prevent yourself
From doing something stupid”

Planning Projects & Details

Working at Tennessee for Coach Summitt gave me the opportunity to work in one of the greatest environments for organization and planning. Here are some of Pat's rules for handling projects:

In all projects and situations:
· Get it written down. Get everyone involved copies.
· What specific things are we going to do?
· Specifics and details on everything. Ask questions. Make sure you have all the bases covered.
· What’s the problem?
o How’s it going to be fixed?
o Who’s responsible?

Definition of Insanity

Albert Einstein’s Definition of Insanity:
“To continue to do the same thing
But expect different results.”

Skill Development Teaching Progression

SKILL DEVELOPMENT TEACHING PROGRESSION
Identifying skills:
· Identify the skill
· Break the skill down
· Replicate game situations
Teaching the skill:
· SEE THE SKILL—Demonstrate correctly
· FEEL THE SKILL—Execute the skill
· PROPERLY AND QUICKLY REPLICATE THE SKILL TO AD NAUSEUM

Maintaining Standards

"Evil is anything that imperceptibly lowers our standards just a hair."

Early Season Teaching Points

General Teaching Points For The Start Of Practice
· Good defense is relative to the ball and position of teammates.
· Cant spend too long on 1 thing
· Explain the purpose of every drill.
· Teaching progression.
· Tell the “how” and “why” in meetings.
· Demonstration by the players, not coaches.
· Out fundamental our opponents.
· Intimidate them physically.
· Do what you say you are going to do.

5 Characteristics of Successful Players

FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS

1. Commitment
a. Don’t be Luke-warm, put your whole self in—Be PASSIONATE about what you do.
b. “A leader with great passion and few skills will always outperform a leader with great skills and little passion.”—John Maxwell
c. Be committed to becoming the best you can be—Skill Development (develop the unconscious)
i. Confidence comes from demonstrated ability.
d. Four Types of Players
i. Unconscious and incompetent
ii. Conscious and incompetent
iii. Conscious and competent
iv. Unconscious and competent (develop the unconscious to become automatic through repetition.)
2. Toughness (physical and mental)
a. Mental more than physical (attention to detail because good is in the details)
b. BE COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE (pressure is good and stress is bad)
c. You have to have tenacity, which is the ability to stick with it and be persistent in your attitude and effort.
d. If you want to be the best player you have to be the hardest worker and those who work the hardest are the last to surrender.
3. Communication (on and off the floor)
a. Listen vs Hearing (listen with your eyes, ears, mind and heart)
b. Great players crave hard instruction
c. Have huddles on the floor to communicate with teammates
d. Sometimes you have to figure it out without your coach (communicate to “Fix It”)—Adapt, Improvise & Overcome
4. Leadership
a. Leadership starts from the top
b. You have to learn to serve before you can lead (servant leader)
c. Lead from the front not from the rear (lead by example because your example isn’t the main thing, it is the only thing)
d. Not everybody can lead, but everybody has a role.
i. Roles
1. Define
2. Understand
3. Accept
4. Fulfill
5. Goal Oriented
a. Have long term & short term goals
b. Set specific goals that are observable & measurable (have a narrow focus to help concentration)
c. Set goals that are realistically attainable & within your control
d. Determine what you want—find out how much it is going to cost you—decide whether you are willing to pay the price
e. You must have the persistence to follow through with your set goals (BE A FINISHER)

Who We Are--Knights Basketball

“WHO WE ARE’

WE ARE A BLUE COLLAR TEAM
WE ARE A REAL TEAM
WE ARE A FAMILY
WE ARE LOVING

WE ARE STUDENTS OF THE GAME
WE ARE FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND
WE ARE STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE
WE ARE PERSISTENT IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

WE ARE PASSIONATE
WE ARE UNIQUE
WE ARE FEARLESS
WE ARE UNCOOL

WE ARE STEADFAST (EVEN KEEL)
WE ARE DETERMINED AND DISCIPLINE
WE ARE UNSELFISH
WE ARE INSPIRING

Dick Bennett's 5 Biblical Concepts

Dick Bennett’s Five Biblical Concepts

1. DON’T BE LUKEWARM
a. Don’t be the spit out of someone’s mouth like lukewarm water.
b. Be passionate about things that matter.
c. Maintain an individual and team hunger.
2. HAVE THE MENTALITY OF A SERVANT
a. Always look for an opportunity to serve.
b. It’s best to serve when you expect nothing in return.
3. UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE HUMILITY
a. James 3:13—Deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.
b. Consider other’s interests before you own.
c. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
4. NEVER LET THE SUN GO DOWN WITHOUT RESOLVING ALL BAD SITUATIONS
a. Say what needs to be said now and then get on with your life.
b. Don’t let pride hold you back—say you’re sorry.
c. Live today with the assumption that it will be your last.
5. MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF THANKSGIVING
a. Be thankful for what you have. Don’t waste time on jealousy.
b. Consider every situation to be an opportunity for growth.
c. Be thankful in and for every situation.

To Win On The Road

TO WIN ON THE ROAD

1. Must defend.
2. Must eliminate transition baskets.
3. Must rebound.
4. Must have defensive resolve.
5. Eliminate turnovers.

5 Areas of Consistency

5 AREAS OF CONSISTENCY

1. Focus
2. Effort
3. Positioning
4. Awareness
5. Alertness
   

Details & Skill Development

Repetition creates skills. Commitment to detail creates great skills. The great ones think in detail.

6 Must Haves For Championship Defense

SIX MUST HAVES FOR CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE:

1. Communication—6 reasons why
a. Talk intimidates.
b. Gives defense a head start.
c. Gives the man on the ball more confidence.
d. You can make up for a disengaged defender.
e. Catches the mistake before it happens.
f. Energize your team—Productive loud.
2. Trust—Teams that don’t trust foul more.
3. Positioning
4. Awareness
5. Alertness
6. Multiple effort mind-set.

DNA Of Great Players

DNA OF GREAT PLAYERS
1. Compete in every practice and game.
2. Hold themselves accountable.
3. Put demands on themselves and others.

Thoughts On The Team

Just wanted to share a few thoughts about the TEAM. I know many of you are heading into your high school, middle school seasons.. Just a few things to think about.

Team Thoughts
1. Get better together
2. What can we do to play to our strengths?
3. No coach keeps a player from:
a. Running the floor
b. Diving for loose balls
c. Rebounding
4. It’s not about talent, it’s about commitment
5. Selecting a team:
a. Speed over size
b. Spirit over temperament
c. Team contribution over individual
6. Team Morale
a. Awareness and communication
b. Know the types of kids we have

Be Excellent At The Things We Can Control

We treat Excellence as a skill that must be tended to and developed daily. We work to get our players to understand that they must take ownership of the things they can control. Here are some items that we work to control and strive for Excellence at:

1. Attitude
2. Effort
3. Being a team
4. Communication
5. Rebounding
6. Pushing ball and running floor
7. Playing in active stances
8. Perfect defensive positioning
9. Conditioning

Pre-Season Conditioning Routine

ENDURANCE TRAINING
Metabolic Speed Program

While coaching high school in Tennessee, we used this program to break up the monotony of pre-season conditioning.
This type of program will involve sprinting, carioca, backpedal and side shuffle with a brief amount of rest between each set. It will simulate the running and resting times during a game.

Distance Rest—15 seconds between each drill
1. Baseline to top of key
2. Baseline to half-court line
3. Baseline to foul line
4. Shuffle, baseline to foul line
5. Baseline to foul line
6. Baseline to half-court line
7. Back pedal, baseline to foul line
8. Carioca, baseline to foul line
9. Baseline to half-court line
10. Baseline to baseline

3 Minute Rest
1. Baseline to baseline
2. Side shuffle, baseline to half-court line
3. Baseline to foul line
4. Baseline to baseline
5. Carioca, baseline to top of key
6. Baseline to top of key
7. Side shuffle, baseline to foul line
8. Baseline to top of key
9. Baseline to baseline
10. Back pedal, baseline to foul line

3 Minute Rest
1. Side shuffle, baseline to baseline
2. Baseline to baseline
3. Baseline to foul line
4. Carioca, baseline to foul line
5. Baseline to baseline

Repeat 3 Times Equals One Game