That Basketball Life

Here at That Basketball Life we have spent a lot of time discussing drills that can be used to help improve your basketball game.  There are a ton of drills for dribbling, shooting, agility, defense and all the rest of the good stuff.  What I haven't spent a lot of time doing is discussing how you can incorporate all of the drills into a useful plan to help take your game to the next level.  In order to do this you need to incorporate a plan that not only teaches you how to use the skills but also when to use them.   The "when" is done with the mind processing information.  At first your mind will be slow to process this information as you will spend more time thinking but eventually the thinking will become reactive and instinctive.  To nurture this process, you need to be involved in battles against other players.  I love small sided games (SSG) for this reason.  Going 1v1 or 2v2 or even going 3v2 and learning how to capitalize on the advantage are all invaluable ways o

As a coach I am always looking for ways to have my kids improve as basketball players.  I try to find time in practice to do as much skill work as I possibly can but the one question that I always have is "Are my kids getting better by going 1v0 all the time?"  The answer to that question is no.  Don't get me wrong there is plenty of room for skill work without a defender but playing against resistance is the best way to apply what you have learned during skill work.  This is why I always try to incorporate Small Sided Games (SSG) into as many practices as I can.  Before I get into the numerous possibilities in incorporating SSG into practice, I want to explain some of the great benefits involved in using SSG. It forces players to apply the skills they have acquired in a competitive environment. It allows players who normally don't get many touches 5v5 to get involved and evolve their game. It allows coaches to better control games by tailoring the games to empha