The Tribe

24 Jul Hype Number: Coaching Tailored to the Individual

We've discussed hype number before, but now we have Spencer Wood (founder of Icebox Athlete) breaking down it's importance on video. The excerpt below is from our three DVD series, Dynamic Defense. I think there are two huge takeaways from that 5 minute clip. First, most basketball...

02 Jul Bubbles, Close Talkers, and Dynamic Defense

Part of effective teaching is putting techniques in terms that are easily transferable and easily remembered. Dynamic Defense helps you do just that. In order to make proper one-on-one defensive spacing easy to understand, I've defined it in terms of a conversation with the help of a personal space bubble. We all enjoy our personal space and when people operate outside of the societal conventions of that space, things get weird quick. Those conventions can help players quickly recognize appropriate defensive spacing (depending on the situation) while allowing you, the coach, to quickly communicate what you want. First, use your imagination to picture a translucent bubble surrounding the offensive player. It should be just large enough that if the offensive player extends their arms in front of them, they'll be touching the edge of their bubble. This is that personal space bubble that we are inherently familiar with. Now, with the bubble as a guideline, let's discuss conversational defensive positioning. Conversation Distance: Most of the time, we want players to play on the surface of the bubble. In other words, they should be stuck to the bubble at all times - close enough to discourage a shot, bother the dribble, and deflect passes. This would be the correct distance to shake hands with another person, or to have a normal conversation. Most well adjusted people instinctively know the appropriate distance socially required to have a one-on-one conversation. That's conversation distance.

25 Jun Mental Toughness for Defensive Success

While the presence of mental toughness is certainly not enough to guarantee a championship, the lack of mental toughness is almost certainly a guarantee against one. Put in Spencer Wood's words, "Lack of mental toughness is guaranteed to cost you a championship." Of course, not all of...