That Basketball Life

Expanding on our topic from yesterday, we continue our discussions on perimeter footwork using Jay Wright's teaching methods. Enjoy!

Jay Wright is a coach who believes in trying to get the best out of his players. He doesn't rely on his players just being the best athletes on the floor. He prefers to teach them the footwork required to be more comfortable when playing. Check out this short video on jab steps and how he trains his players to feel comfortable using these moves.

A big part of a coach's responsibility during game day is how he will handle foul situations on given players.  How you handle a player who is in foul trouble can have a huge impact on the game and can easily take a victory and turn it into a loss or vice versa.

There are a lot of philosophies out there about what makes a good basketball player.  Some are valid and some are not.  Some sound complicated and some seem simple.  I like to keep things simple.  When you make things too complicated you tend to lose the people you are trying to teach.  So in an effort to summarize what I think makes a good all around player I will list 2 qualities an aspiring player should have offensively and defensively in order to make a difference.

Another passing drill that we like to use.  This one also helps to address multiple facets of the game at the same time so it is a good drill.

Passing is an art in basketball.  Good passers know how to pass both when they are standing still and when they are on the move.  They know how to pass with both hands on the ball and by using either one unilaterally.  All of this should be practiced so players have the confidence to use them in a game. Below is a drill that we at TBL like to use to help getting players used to passing while on the move.  This drill not only helps players with their passing but it also addresses receiving the pass and dribbling the ball.  Because it covers multiple facets of the game using only one drill this is one of our favorites:

Here at TBL we are all about basketball.  We have written articles about everything basketball related.  Topics of conversation have included how to articles, specific plays, and everything in between.  There is one topic that we haven't discussed yet that is extremely important.  The topic I'm talking about is "the stance." Whether you are shooting the ball, dribbling under pressure, playing defense, trying to break down a defender, or rebounding, players need to be comfortable (not just familiar) with playing in "the stance."

When a time out is called it's usually because things are going against your team.  The opposition may be on a big run that you're trying to break and your team may be frustrated or even worst worried about the outcome of the game.  This is why your composure during these time out situations are so important.  It is also important that your team and assistants understand how important timeouts are and know what is expected from them when a time out is called.

I've often sat back and wondered about basketball.  I really love the game and during most days I find myself thinking about various elements of the sport.  Today I was wondering about what a coach can do in order to make players work hard in practice.  It is a belief of mine that the harder a player works, the greater the chances are that the player will improve and this is what you want as a coach. Your goal at the start of every year (especially when coaching at the youth levels) is that each player you coach is better at the end of the season than they were at the start.  How do you do this?  The answer to this question deals with competition.  You need to make sure that every practice is competitive and that the players on the team have the opportunity to leave everything they have on the floor at practice as well as in games.

One of the big things a coach needs to determine before a game is how he should use his timeouts.  How you handle time outs is so critical when it comes to in game management that it could be the difference between giving your team a chance to win the game at the end or not. 

During a game, the way a coach conducts himself will determine how well his team reacts.  The coach needs to always keep in mind that as a leader, his team will feed off of his actions and reactions.  Show nerves and your team will also.  Be afraid of competition and your team will be afraid to compete.  Be negative and your team will not be able to properly express itself on the basketball court. With the above in mind, I would like to spend some time discussing what a coach should do in order to instill confidence in his team and have them play with confidence in all situations.  The way a coach can give confidence to his team has a lot to do with 6 things: