That Basketball Life

There are many different metrics which are used by coaches to gage why a result of a game may have turned out the way it did.  Some like to use turnovers, others like to use rebounding differential, others like to use field goal percentage, and the list goes on and on.  The one metric that I like to use takes many of the stats other coaches use and combines them into one figure and it is called Quality Possessions Percentage (QP%).

“ There may be people that have more talent than you, but theres no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

Coaching young kids under the age of 10 is a huge responsibility and one that should be taken seriously.  There are a lot of decisions that need to be made.  You need to teach them fundamentals at that age but how do you go about doing it?  How fast should you go?  How do you keep them interested?  Do you toss in coordination drills as well?  How often do you have them play a game?  Should those games be played 5 a side or with less players.  How about defense?  Do you teach them man to man principles from a young age and have them build on that or do you teach them a zone? Finally what about offense?  Do you teach them a structured offense or do you teach them about floor balance and pass and move basketball?  This post is aimed to addressing all of these questions.

Basketball is a game and a game is supposed to be fun.  As a coach you can't lose sight of that. The main reason why your players play is because they want to have fun.  When the game stops being fun then you've lost your players.

Ever since I first touched a basketball I have loved this game.  Growing up in Chicago and being able to witness the Michael Jordan years cemented my love for the game.  Rain or shine, cold or snow, sunshine or darkness, I would always be outside shooting hoops in the backyard.  My neighbors must have thought I was nuts but nobody ever complained.  Through all of the practice, I did manage to become a decent basketball player and I could hold my own in most pick up games, but I made the huge mistake of not trying out for my high school team.  As a greek kid growing up in the US, your identity comes from the church you attend.  I attended Holy Trinity church in Chicago and made most of my friends and acquaintances at the church.  It was because of this that my loyalty belonged to the church and I made my choice to play basketball in a church league instead of in high school.  Now don't get me wrong, I was never good enough to play ball beyond the h...

Footwork drills include doing all of the necessary footwork drills in basketball repetitively until they become second nature.   Do each of the below 3 times and make sure you use both legs if the drill is one legged.  The workout should be done once per week.

One of the best pieces of equipment to help with balance is the Bosu Ball. All of these exercises are done with no weights and with the ball side of the Bosu ball on the floor.   Each of the exercises should be done for 2 sets of 10 reps 3 days a week. 1.        Two legged squats – these squats do not need to go down to 90 degrees.   2.        Standing side leg lifts – alternate legs doing this exercise. 3.        Standing front leg lifts – alternate legs doing this exercise. 4.        Standing back leg lifts – alternate legs doing this exercise. 5.        One legged step ons – alternate legs doing this exercise. 6.        Ski moguls side to side – rock from left to right 7.        Rock front to back

Do the workout below 1 time per week. Body Squats – 2 sets of 10 reps Keep knees shoulder width apart with toes pointed slightly outward.   Slowly bend the knees come down to the point where your leg forms a 90 degree angle at the knees.   Explode up from the squat position but do not lock your knees when you are upright.   Keep your back straight when doing this exercise.

Jump Rope – This drill is a great drill to improve your foot speed and coordination.   At the beginning your child may not be able to do it correctly.   Try to emphasize that the rope needs to be skipped for every time you jump in the air.   A big tendency at a young age is to use double jumps every time you skip the rope.   When first starting just focus on trying to get the right motion going.   Try doing this drill 3 times per week.  

Summer Workout Descriptions The workout below is for 5-7 year olds.  It is recommended that the player does this workout 3 times a week minimum over the summer time.  the total duration of the drill is not long (about 15 minutes if you do the recommended minimums).   The workout focuses on three important areas of basketball: dribbling, passing/catching, and shooting.

The Comfort Threshold As a coach I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to push players to improve.   Whether it be ball handling, shooting, passing, defense, rebounding, or footwork there is a natural tendency for a player to stay in his/her comfort level when playing basketball.   I call this comfort level the comfort threshold and it is the point where a trigger occurs in a player’s mind which warns the player that if you go beyond this point there is no guarantee of success and the odds of failure are greatly increased.   

Basketball Coordination, Strength, Balance, and Footwork drills Just like in all sports the most successful players on the basketball floor are usually the ones who are the most coordinated.   To some athletes, coordination, strength, balance, and footwork come naturally.   We’ve all seen kids who, regardless of the sport, always seem to excel.   The reason for their excellence is that they are more advanced than their peers in terms of coordination, strength, balance, and footwork.   Everything seems easy for them because it is easier for them.   The fact that they have naturally been able to master what in essence is body control has helped make the game easier for them. At this point one might ask what about the rest of us who may not have as much god given ability?   Are we doomed to be an also ran in the sporting world in general and specifically in basketball?   The answer to that question is no.   Coordination, strength, balance, and...