Who Are You Coaching For?

By Don Kelbick

Coaching is teaching. New ideas, new thoughts, trying to find ways to improve your players is all a part of coaching.

Coaching is also about control. Many coaches have become so involved with “my way or the highway,” that they miss the overall objective.

The objective is to maximize the players’ ability, not to get them to do what you want. All players are different. The way they learn and perform is unique. Trying to fit a player into a preconceived notion of the way he plays will almost always produce the opposite of the intended effect.

There was a story in the Miami Herald newspaper, recently, that caught my eye. The story was about a freshman player at the University of Miami named Shane Larkin. The reason that it sparked my interest was not because of who he is or how good a player he is (which is pretty good), but rather why he turned to basketball.

When he was younger, Larkin was a pretty good multi sport athlete. In fact, according to the story, baseball was his favorite sport. At least it was, until he ran into a coach who, after watching him bang out hit after hit, said to him that his hitting technique was based on luck and his good fortune would not last. If he wanted to be a good hitter, he had to change the way he hits the ball. The story said, after that discussion, he quit baseball.

On its surface, you might say that Larkin lacked the ability to accept criticism, learn new ideas or adapt to situations. But, in learning about his decision, you have to look beneath the surface.

For those of you who are not familiar with American baseball or are too young to remember some names, Shane Larkin is the son of baseball royalty. His father Barry Larkin is one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. For 19 years, Barry Larkin was the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. In those 19 years, Barry was an All-Star 12 times and won the Most Valuable Player award once. His fielding prowess was second to none and his hitting production compares favorably to the game’s all time greats. In 2012, he was the only player elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Growing up in that household would produce enough knowledge for any aspiring baseball player. But Shane went further than that. He lists his hitting instructors, in addition to his father, Tony Perez and Pete Rose. I would think that they would know a little bit about hitting. Perez is a Hall-Of-Famer who is one of the all time leaders in runs-batted-in and a number of other power hitting categories. Pete Rose is hitting. He, simply, has more hits than any other baseball player in history.

These are the players that taught Shane Larkin how to hit. I would think that the coach that recommended that Larkin change his hitting theories could probably learn from him.

My question is this; what was this coach trying to accomplish? Was he really trying to teach Larkin to be a better hitter? Or was the coach get him to hit his way, whether it was good for him or not?

That really is something to think about. Coaching should be about teaching, adjusting and maximizing players. Unfortunately, for many coaches, it is about control. I read it in comments and hear it in conversations every day. I also see it in practice and it can be destructive. Too many times I see coaches try to work with absolutes, pass this way, shoot this way, etc. They lose sight of the fact that all players are different and they are unique.

I have learned that there is no “right” way to do things on the basketball court. What is right for Billy might not be right for Bobby. There is, however, effective. Method 1 might be effective for Billy and method 2 might be effective for Bobby. As a coach, we should be open to evaluating which method is best for which player. Allow them to explore what works for them.

More importantly, as a coach, evaluate yourself as to what you are teaching and why. Be honest, are you teaching to improve your players or are you teaching to soothe your own ego? Are the issues really that of deficiency in your player or your own control issues?

As coaches, these are things that we have to decide every day. Keep perspective, teach your players, allow them to learn.

To view coaching products from Don Kelbick, go to Don Kelbick Products.

For more information on Don Kelbick, go to www.DonKelbickBasketball.com.

Newsletter 52 - New Misdirection Play, 2 Drills To Improve Guard Play, and More

By Joe Haefner

Here is our basketball newsletter - issue 52:

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/issue52.html

Here are a few of the new articles:

New Misdirection Play to Get Your Shooters and Post Players Wide Open Looks

How Do You Handle Slow Players In The Back Of Your Zone Defense?

Don Kelbick Helps Team USA Win Gold and Makes SportsCenter Top 10 Plays

How to Become a Better Shooter – Instantly

By Don Kelbick

I was watching television the other day and two media types were debating how good a shooter a particular player is. They were debating range, statistics and were comparing him to other players. Some interesting points came out. So interesting that I think all players should understand them.

What Is a Good Shooter?

Before you become a good shooter, you have to determine what a good shooter is. Is it someone who has perfect form? J. J. Redick of the Orlando Magic is a textbook shooter. He had a great career in college but can’t get off the bench in the NBA. Apparently, his textbook form did not make him a good enough shooter to get him on the court.

For my money, a good shooter is one who puts the ball in the basket. Is Shaquille O’Neal a good shooter? Based upon his shooting percentage, I would say that he is. How about LeBron James? He is a great scorer but only shoots 30% from beyond the 3-point line. However, his overall shooting percentage is 50%. I would say that Lebron is a good shooter.

I think that studying these 3 players will give you a key as to how to be a better shooter.

The Key

How can Shaq be a good shooter? He can’t make a basket beyond 10 feet. You are right. However, have you seen him take a shot from beyond 10 feet? I know I never have. Why should he when he can be more effective and make a big percentage of his shots inside 10 feet?

If LeBron shoots 50% from the floor while only shooting 30% from beyond the 3, what must his shooting percentage be from inside the 3?

The reason why both of these players can be called good shooters is because a majority of the shots they take are shots they can make. That is the key to being a good shooter.

I think a good shooter is one who puts the ball in the basket. I don’t care where it is shot from. If the shot doesn’t go in, it doesn’t count.

J. J. Redick is a pure shooter with great form who takes a majority of his shots from long range. If it doesn’t go in, it doesn’t count. The result is that Redick is a career 41% shooter.

Become a Better Shooter Today

All things being equal, meaning that you understand that you have to work on your shot every day. To truly become a good shooter you have to get in hundreds, possibly thousands, of repetitions to ingrain your fundamentals. You know that the more you practice, the more consistent you will be. But none of that matters unless you take shots that you can make.

Making a couple of long ones might make you feel good, they may make the fans ooh and aah, but you have to decide if you can make enough shots to be good at it? If not, take fewer. Take more shots that you can make.

If you want to be a better shooter over time, develop a workout program that will give you enough repetitions and enough work to make you consistent. Surely, that should be a part of every player’s routine. If you want to become a better shooter today, take only shots you can make.

To view coaching products from Don Kelbick, go to Don Kelbick Products.

For more information on Don Kelbick, go to www.DonKelbickBasketball.com.

Which basketball would make me tear up if I lost it?

By Joe Haefner

Here are two basketballs that I value quite a bit.

The first basketball is a basketball I had autographed by Michael Jordan at his camp during my 8th grade year.

The second basketball is one signed by a 7th grade basketball team that I coached last summer.

Between the two basketballs, any guesses on which one I value infinitely more than the other and would cause me to tear up if lost it? I think any coach or parent would already know the answer.

Coach Like A Champion

By Joe Haefner

While on Twitter, I saw some tweets between Rick Allison and Sefu Bernard that referenced “Teach Like A Champion.”

I pre-ordered the book before it was released a year or two ago. Actually, I bought it for my wife, but after it was sitting on her nightstand for a week, I asked her if I could read it and she let me. I loved it. It reinforced a lot of great things I already believed in and it will surely add great teaching techniques to your coaching arsenal as it did to mine.

The premise behind the book is that Doug Lemov studies teachers that are outliers. Basically, he studies teachers that greatly exceed their expectations based on certain criteria like poverty level and location. After studying the outliers (teachers), he puts together 49 teaching techniques that were quite common among the teachers. Not all 49 teaching techniques apply to coaching basketball, but most of the techniques were still very helpful.

They focus on the little things that engage students and enhance learning. Something as subtle as the way you ask questions. He uses techniques such as “right is right” and “cold call”. After you implement their strategies, you can see the progress with your athletes or students.

Due to the reminder on Twitter, I hope to re-read this over the next month and post some articles with the tips and techniques I learned from the book.

Another bonus is that the book includes a CD that has short video clips of the teachers using the teaching techniques in action.

I advise you pick up a copy if you have not already!

Newsletter Issue #51

By Joe Haefner

Here is our latest newsletter: Issue 51

Here are some of the new articles:

The Ultimate Team Defense Drill That Your Players Will Love!

What Are Your 7 Core Coaching Values?

“Sneaky” - Simple End of Game Play Against Man and Zone Defenses

3 Tips On How To Choose the Right Basketball Drills for Your Team

Breakthrough Basketball News - Don Kelbick Mentioned on ESPN!

How Using Weird Starting Times Can Help You Coach

By Ken Sartini

There are times when your players forget the time they are supposed to be at practice or a meeting… here is something that we started doing….

Use weird starting times… we started practice at 3:16 ….. pre game meetings at 4:33 etc. …….doing things like this makes the time stick in a kids head rather than 3 or 3:30 - the usual stuff.

I think they were saying to themselves, “what’s with this goofy time?”
But it does sink into their minds.

Important tip to design end of game plays

By Jeff Haefner

When you choose your EOG plays, choose/design plays that work against both man and zone. (Sneaky is an example). That way if the coach changes defense during a time out, the play you drew up still works. Plus it takes you less time to teach them (because you have fewer plays).

Newsletter 50 - New Drill, New Play, New Defense, and more new Articles

By Joe Haefner

In our recent newsletter, we have some new drills, plays, and articles. Here are a few:

How To Plan For Success In Youth Basketball!

2 Competitive Drills To Improve Perimeter Play

New Play With 3 Variations To Confuse Defense

State Championship Game Defense -The Rotating Diamond and One Zone Defense

Do You Think Too Much When You Play?

By Don Kelbick

I am a huge proponent of leaving your brain at the door when you step on the court. I believe that over-thinking produces the most deadly of all game killers, “Analysis Paralysis.”

Just by looking at the words (a good English project for players) “analysis paralysis” means what it says, you are unable to take action because you are examining your action so closely that it forces you to freeze.

I also believe that coaches, in our desire to create the best players that we can, foster analysis paralysis by our teaching coaching methods. Insisting on attention to the minutest detail, focusing on the tiniest minutiae when performing skills, such as shooting, while well-intentioned often produces a result that is opposite of what we intend.

When shooting, concentrating on elbows, launch angles, aim, etc. places emphasis on the wrong priorities. Shooting is a skill of kinesthetic sense and feel. Anything that gets in the way of that feel, diminishes results (have you ever tried to aim a shot with a 6′ 10″ athletic monster with the wing span of a 747 running at you?). When a player misses a shot and goes back to the minutiae for correction, odds are his shot will get worse, not better.

I find analogies in the strangest places but I am easily able to relate them to my teaching. When I find something that I think will support my coaching philosophy, I integrate it into my teaching. My latest discovery comes from watching football player Plaxico Burress.

If you have never seen the TV show “Sport Science,” you owe it to yourself to search it out and watch a few episodes. “Sport Science” looks for scientific reasons behind many sports phenomena, it even creates some itself. Some examples of the show include a scientific study of who is more accurate at 25 yards, Drew Brees of the New Oleans Saints in the NFL or an Olympic Gold Medalist in Archery (it was Brees), who has faster hands NBA guard Jared Bayless or a rock and roll drummer (Bayless) or what is the most effective distraction on the foul line (it was not physical distraction of people acting crazy behind the basket or the sound of 20,000 people booing). It is truly fascinating stuff and it might blow away some of your theories behind your playing or teaching.

In the episode featuring Plaxico Burress, I don’t know if it was BP (before prison) or AP (after prison), they were studying the effect of pass patterns and timing on completion rate. They asked Burress to run multiple pass pattern; buttonhooks, in patterns, out patterns, slants; and simulated when the ball would arrive. I don’t know how they come up with this stuff, but they scientifically measure things like deviation, probability, etc.

Here is the payoff. After having Burress run patterns and measure them for accuracy, consistency, speed, etc., they had him run the same patterns blindfolded. BLINDFOLDED! These were the results, when blindfolded, there was LESS variation in his pass patterns then when he could see. In addition, the variation between the patterns with and without the blindfold was less than 1″ vertically and less than 2.5″ laterally. That means he was able to virtually duplicate his patterns whether he could see or not.

Both Burress and the Sports Science people attribute this to the huge amount of repetition he has had in running these patterns.

I believe that repetition is the key to becoming proficient with any skill. When it becomes an unconscious action, it gets better. If you do the same thing over and over and over, accept the little variations as being human as opposed to being failures, eventually you will get good at what you do. That is not to say that there aren’t more efficient ways than others, but the search for efficiency should not overcome the search for effectiveness.

Don’t think about what you do, just do it over and over again until it becomes an unconscious action, like walking. You don’t think about putting one foot in front of the other when you walk, yet you still get to where you are going. Don’t think when you play. You might be surprised at the result.

To view coaching products from Don Kelbick, go to Don Kelbick Products.

For more information on Don Kelbick, go to www.DonKelbickBasketball.com.