6 Thing You Should Do Every Practice
There is an old adage that you ‘play the way you practice.’ So here are are 6 things you should do every single practice: Have a detailed practice plan Go through a proper movement based warm-up Spend time on skills and fundamentals (ball handling, passing, shooting, etc.) Teach a specific aspect of the game Emphasize […]
Grit is a Key to Success
Grit [grit] Noun Courage and resolve; strength of character In order to truly be successful on the court… you have to have grit. Passion, self-belief and practice will only get you so far. Grit is relentlessness. Grit is resiliency. Grit is perseverance. Grit is determination. Grit means you will put in hard work after you […]
8 Momentum Building Plays
Basketball is a game of runs. It is a game of momentum. And a shift in momentum can happen in a few seconds. Here are 8 plays that can continue, or shift, momentum in your favor instantaneously: Taking a charge Diving for a loose ball Committing a hard foul Setting a hard screen Blocking a shot Throwing down […]
Skills without Drills – Part 11
Players: You want to bring something to the game – bring something to your team that can immediately affect the outcome of the game, but you don’t time to acquire a new skill like shooting, or point-guard-dribbling-abilities, or ten more pounds of muscle. These things take time – usually off-season time. What can you bring […]
No Guarantee
One of the toughest things to deal with as an adult is the concept that nothing in life is guaranteed. This concept of “nothing being guaranteed” is evident in sports. Jim Valvano, the iconic former coach of NC State and one of my all-time favorite motivational speakers, once said something to the effect of: “Just […]
Skills without Drills – Part 8
Players: You want to bring something to the game – bring something to your team that can immediately affect the outcome of the game, but you don’t time to acquire a new skill like shooting, or point-guard-dribbling-abilities, or ten more pounds of muscle. These things take time – usually off-season time. What can you bring […]
Bouncing Back from Mistakes – Next Steps
Our friend and mental toughness coach Spencer Wood was kind enough to share the following tips to overcoming mistakes. Errors are usually mechanical, tactical, or mental. This is important to understand because a mechanical error involves motor mechanics (such as a golfer moving his/her head too early, or a basketball player not squaring his/her […]
Maintaining a Championship Mindset
When the season first starts, every team is in the championship hunt. Every team sets their eyes on the final prize – winning a championship and being crowned #1. However, now that most of us have reached the halfway point in our season, conference/district play is ramping up and the pressure to win is increasing game […]
Silencing a Negative Internal Voice
Thanks to Spencer Wood for sharing this helpful advice. As the season progresses, one common solution coaches must try to fix is silencing the negative voice inside of a players’ head. The quick response to this common problem among athletes from all sports is that an athlete must first identify the type of thoughts that […]
Skills without Drills – Part 5
Here’s the situation: Season has begun and you find yourself wanting to bring something to your team that can immediately affect the outcome of the game. But you don’t time to acquire a new skill like shooting, or point-guard-dribbling-abilities, or ten more pounds of muscle. (Those kind of things take time – usually off-season time.) […]