Jeff Haefner's Coaching Blog

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Why You NEED a “Team Identity” and Important Club Guidelines for Developing Players

November 1, 2019 by Jeff Haefner 1 Comment

This winter I’m coaching a 7th grade boys Iowa Prep club team.  My son Evan is on the team. I’d like to share what we’re doing — and what I consider to be important aspects of both winning and player development… What I Consider to be Good Club Guidelines for Developing Players Iowa Prep is […]

Filed Under: 7th grade basketball, Strategy

How To Get ALL Your Players Sprinting Back In Transition Defense

September 16, 2015 by Jeff Haefner 3 Comments

We all know the FIRST THREE STEPS are critical for getting back into good transition defense.  Those first three steps must be a sprint!  In most cases, if the first three steps are a sprint, the following steps will follow suit and players will be in a good position to stop the ball. But how do […]

Filed Under: 5th grade basketball, Defense, Strategy

Another Bo Ryan Article – How to Avoid Fouls

April 9, 2015 by Jeff Haefner

Here’s another Bo Ryan article that gives you interesting insight into how he leads the nation each year in fewest committed fouls. Good read. http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/24/wisconsin-ncaa-tournament-fouls  

Filed Under: Stats, Strategy

The Secret Behind Bo Ryan’s Consistent Success

April 3, 2015 by Jeff Haefner

I love Bo Ryan’s basketball coaching formula!  And I found an awesome article giving you insight behind his consistent success. As an Iowa fan that watches a lot of Big Ten basketball, I see Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers quite a bit.  It’s amazing what Bo Ryan gets accomplished every single year.  He has things […]

Filed Under: Strategy

What We Did With Our 4th Grade Youth Basketball Team – Offense, Defense, Skills and More…

February 27, 2015 by Jeff Haefner 15 Comments

My daughter’s 4th grade team had a great year.  Tremendous improvement, lots of fun, and lots of life lessons learned… And even though winning is not a measurement of a successful season, or good youth coaching for that matter, we did win lots of games and tournaments without taking any shortcuts and by doing things […]

Filed Under: 4th Grade Basketball, Practice Strategy, Strategy

Youth Sports Specialization – How to Decide “IF” or “WHEN” Your Child Should Specialize

July 9, 2014 by Jeff Haefner

Here’s a good article I found about youth sports specialization.  This is highly recommended reading for youth coaches and parents: The article give you an objective look at specializing in sports and what you should consider. In particular I like the distinction between “early specialization” and “late specialization” sports… “The relative desirability of specialization depends […]

Filed Under: Player Development, Strategy

The Effects of Positive Coaching

June 5, 2014 by Jeff Haefner

For those interested in brain science as it relates to coaching, here’s an interesting research finding from Case Western: http://blog.case.edu/think/2010/11/15/coaching_with_compassion_can_alight_upa_human_thoughts

Filed Under: Positive Impact, Strategy

The Race to Nowhere in Youth Sports

April 1, 2014 by Jeff Haefner

Here’s a really good article about youth sports.  It’s a good read for both parents and coaches. http://changingthegameproject.com/the-race-to-nowhere-in-youth-sports/  

Filed Under: Positive Impact, Strategy

Coaching Youth Basketball – What We Did With Our 3rd Grade Team and Ideas that Might Help You

March 7, 2014 by Jeff Haefner 46 Comments

I wanted to share the results from our 3rd grade basketball season and some ideas that might help you and your team. I hope in some way this gives you ideas and helps you with your youth teams and making a positive impact on them. Our First 5 on 5 Tournament Experience I’ll start with […]

Filed Under: 3rd Grade Basketball, Strategy

Decision-Training Style of Coaching. Is This a Better Method?

December 20, 2013 by Jeff Haefner

Brian McCormick makes good points about asking questions and using decision based teaching.  I’m trying to do a better job on this area.  It takes practice.  I guess us coaches still have to practice too! Use a decision-training style of coaching, meaning that I ask a lot of questions to help the players learn. Coaches […]

Filed Under: Strategy

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About Me

I’m a basketball coach, skill development trainer, and Co-Owner of Breakthrough Basketball. I currently live in Marion, Iowa with my wife, two kids, and our golden retriever (Izzy).

Right now I am coaching two teams. I will be coaching... Read More...

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