Conducting a Quality Basketball Practice
An effective team practice is an essential ingredient to optimizing the success of a team. Coaches must understand "you win games in practice". I am a firm believer in this approach to practice and the necessity of having players buy-in to this concept. Too often, we see teams that spend their entire practice session preparing and strategizing for their next game which, while certainly a component of practice, should not consume the entire session. We also find as the season wears on, that fundamentals and their teaching seem to minimize.
KEYS:
1. Have players understand that practice is preparation - preparation for player and team development.
2. Begin practice on time. It is an important life lesson.
3. Have a written practice schedule – name of drill, time allotment, points of emphasis – and then stay on time.
4. Enthusiasm is contagious and it starts with the coach.
5. Name Drills - Once the various drills you use are taught, naming them helps in the continuity of practice and player recognition to adjustment and change. Always explain what you want out of the drill – why you are using it and how it applies to the game.
6. Beside your drills on the practice plan label them Teaching, Learning or Competing drills. Teaching means players or coach can stop it to clarify something, Learning means only the coach can stop it and Competing means no one stops it – let them play through mistakes.
7. Transition between drills – move quickly from activity to activity and have the expectation that players will do so.
8. Most drills should be competitive with a winner and loser – loser will usually have a consequence. It is a fact of competitive sport that one team wins and one loses – your team must learn to practice with the effort necessary to achieve victory.
9. Each practice should begin with a team meeting to discuss the objectives of the practice and the general flow of practice.
10. Each practice must have a warm-up and cool-down. It is the proper way to train athletes and must not be left out or it demonstrates it is not important.
11. Each practice must have a skill development period.
12. Each practice must have an athletic development period.
13. Rather than running at the end of practice – use your drills, modified games and scrimmages to get the players in condition.
14. Present new material early in practice most of the time. However, to challenge player’s concentration at times present new material at the end of practice.
15. Do not expect drills to teach – the coach is the teacher and much constantly correct.
16. No lines, no laps, no lectures – as a general theme keep the players active and engaged.
17. Make practice more challenging than games both physically and mentally.
18. Determine what your basketball philosophy is and the most important aspects of the game are to you and teach to these daily. Any coach should be able to walk into your practice and after a short period of time determine what is important to you.
19. Insist your team talks. In warm-up, on defence, and on offence. You should have an offensive system, a defensive system and a communication system.
20. Do not insist one thing in one drill and then not insist on it in another. If it is important it is important all the time. This develops discipline and consistency.
21. Work on shooting everyday. It is the most important skill in the game and kids enjoy it.
22. Constantly ask players questions it will give them the opportunity to show understanding and will engage them.
23. Do not stop everyone to correct one athlete.
THOUGHTS FOR THE COACH
Treat players as they can be, not as they are - here you are demonstrating the player's potential and strive for continuous improvement. Reward that which you want done - Immediate impact is an excellent mental message to a player "Coach likes this, I'll do it again". Shout Praise...Whisper Criticism - Sometimes difficult, but our job as coaches is to teach. When communication turns to confrontation, no one learns. Players spending more time wondering and concerned with whose listening than the teaching you of which you are advising them. Separate emotion from circumstance - As coaches, we have to accept the fact that we will find ourselves in situations that it becomes difficult to address, but the focus needs to be on the circumstance, not the emotions that may surround it.