IS THIS COACHING? My Experience With Distance Learning...So Far

This blog has not seen a new entry in a while. This will be my first post that is not 100% focused on basketball. But I'll tell you what it does have a lot to do with - coaching and teamwork.

The Coronavirus has put just about everything in a holding pattern throughout the world. Scary stuff. Please know that I understand how serious this virus is. What I'm about to write is about how this has impacted my professional life as a teacher, witnessing teamwork, servant leadership, and how much being a coach has helped me personally the past couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago the governor of our great state of Minnesota gave us the news that schools will not be in session as they typically would be over the next few weeks. Social distancing is now a very important thing to do. Those few weeks have now been extended for a longer period of time. The school I am fortunate to teach at gave our students a few days off before the start of our spring break. During those few days, our teaching staff had to come up with a plan to make this work. Wait, what? Distance learning? How? Our spring break was then used to continue working on a plan. Planning ahead and working with others for the betterment of others. That's coaching.

With the guidance of our administration, our staff rolled up their sleeves and went to work. There was a plan put in place for everyone; teachers, paraprofessionals, food service, custodians, community education, bus drivers, office staff, and everyone else associated with our school. It was incredible to see everyone pull together with the mindset of "What is best for the children and their families?" guiding us along the way. Leadership, planning, servant leadership, work ethic. That's coaching.

We are fortunate at our school that we have a 1:1 technology initiative for students in grades 3-12. My opinion is that this really helps with distance learning. It helps a lot. That being said, my first "wow!" moment was when I visited with teachers in grades K-2, and they shared with me that their plan was coming into place. They amazed me in how they could make a plan, and put that plan in place without the help of a technology device going home with their students. Incredible! Awesome! Taking the hand you are dealt with and making the most of the situation. How many times have you been short-handed in your coaching career with an injury, illness, being less talented, too small, too big, etc.? Coaching, teamwork, adapting. That's coaching.

I teach third grade in a K-4 building. Third and fourth-grade teachers had to come up with a plan to make distance learning a productive and positive experience for our students with the use of the technology device the students were taking home with them. Throughout our planning, we tried to make sure school work was as close to typical as it would be if we were in our actual school building. Having to do this when you aren't in the same room as your students is not easy. Why? Because it's very different. And it IS different...for now. Keeping school as typical as we can under these circumstances while still being productive is a challenge. But it's a challenge that can be met if we do what is best for everyone. Thinking about this as a basketball coach, I thought about how many times I had conversations with players and/or teams about doing what is best for the team. That entered my mind hundreds of times while planning with other teachers for distance learning. Egos were set aside, and the kids and families came first. As they always should. Servant leadership. That's coaching.

March 30th was the first day of distance learning for us. That day was not as stressful because I had prepared videos for the class that day, and touched base with kids and families via email. Easy enough. But then March 31st happened. That was the first day I was going to have two Zoom meeting sessions with my third-grade class. I had been in a Zoom meeting one time before this. Once! Now I had to organize and run one of these meetings with potentially 24 third-graders? And they were depending on me to know what I was doing? Oh boy. What would I do if I was a coach in this situation? Well, I would have gotten all the information I could. I would have planned and practiced ahead of time. And that's what I did. It worked. Was it perfect? No. But those third-graders figured it out on their end and we made it work. Trusting your students/players. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Show them how and practice the plan. That's coaching.

Parents. Thank goodness for our parents. The parents of my students have been extremely supportive of what we are doing. They have been supporting their own child to make sure they are getting things set up, organized, and that they are on time for Zoom sessions. Receiving a kind email from a parent during these trying times is an energy boost to our teachers that takes us a long way. From what I hear from my coworkers, they say the same. We are all grateful for them. I think the best thing we've done to get this support is communication. Our teachers communicate not just with the students, but also with the parents. Parents have a lot going on with their own personal and professional lives and now they have to help their child with a lot more school work than would be typically asked of them. There is a lesson in this for coaches. As coaches, we don't have to avoid parents. Embrace them. This doesn't mean you have to go out to dinner (when social distancing is over) with them or send them a friend request on Facebook. It doesn't mean a coach has to talk playing time with them either. However, it means communicating with parents and keeping the door open to communicate with them builds trust. It's good for the parent. It's good for the coach. This is coaching in today's world. That trust helps get you the support you need.

I am not so arrogant to believe that what our school is doing is the only way to do this. We will find glitches along the way and then we'll adjust. But I will tell you that the leadership and efforts that went into putting together a plan was AMAZING. This virus has forced us to communicate more as a team. It's forced us to communicate more with parents. It has forced us to communicate more with students. Communication is a big part of coaching.

Lessons can be learned in everything we experience. This virus has forced everyone to do things differently. Maybe we can all become better teachers, better coaches, and better people because of the experiences we have already had with it and will continue to have until we come out on the other side of this virus outbreak.

I wish you all good health during these crazy times.

1-ON-1 FINISHING DRILLS

Below are two 1-on-1 drills that will work on finishing at the basket while the offensive player's shot is being contested. Your players will also work on contesting shots without fouling.                


                  Michigan Finishing Drill

• 1 and 2 both face the basket.
• While still holding the ball, 1 places the ball on 2's back.
• The rep is live when 1 rips the ball off 2's back and attacks the basket.
• 2 tries to defend the basket as 1 tries to finish.

               

                     Handoffs Finishing Drill

• Coach stands between 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are facing the basket.
• Coach starts with the ball. 
• Coach will handoff to either 1 or 2.
• If Coach hands off to 1, 1 is offense and 2 is defense. 
• 1 attacks the hoop while 2 tries to contest and/or block their shot.

YOUR SEASON JUST ENDED. WHAT NOW?

Your team just got beat in the playoffs, and your season just ended. What now? In the first few days that follow the last day of a the season a coach's emotions are still all over the place. Coaches constantly wonder what they could have done differently in that last game that could have helped their season continue. Hindsight is still 20/20, right? As coaches, we typically struggle with the end because we all want to win. We want to advance as far as we can in the playoffs. It's part of our competitive nature that we strive to win, win, win. These emotions will eventually settle, and that is when coaches gain a clearer perspective of the experiences of the season. 

To keep moving forward, after the completion of your season, coaches should consider the following:

1. Keep things in perspective. Whether your team won 30 games, or finished in last place, remember the big picture. 

• How much progress did your team make during the season?
• Did your team follow and live by the core values of your program?
• Did your players enjoy the experience?
• In twenty years do you think your players will say they are glad they were part of this team?

 2. Even though the season has ended your job as a coach has not ended.

• What message/theme do you want to have for your post-season meeting with your team?
• Have your planned your team banquet?
• Will you have exit meetings with each of your players? 
• What kind of off-season opportunities have you planned for your players?
• Workouts
• Strength Training
• Camps
• Leagues and/or tournaments
• What teams do you want to add/delete to next year's schedule?
• Will you be making an changes or additions to your coaching staff?
• Are there any style of play changes you need to make with the personnel you have coming back next season?

BUCKEYE SHOOTING DRILL

Buckeye Shooting works on perimeter shooting, ball handling, and conditioning. 

Line of 1's have a ball. 

Line of 2's start just inside the sideline. 

Line of 3's have a ball and line up along the lane line. 

1 and 2 start at the same time. 1 speed dribbles around the cone. 2 sprints around the cone. Designate that 1 goes closest to the cone and 2 goes over 1 to avoid a collision. 2 will spot up at spot they want to shoot from. When 1 goes around the cone they make a pass to 2. 2 shoots. 1 continues and receives a pass from 3. 1 shoots. Each player gets their own rebound. Players rotate 2-1-3.     

Drill Variation:  Require 1's (ball handlers) to make a dribble attack move during their speed dribble.

2 DRILLS TO HELP FINISHING AT THE BASKET

LOUISVILLE 1-ON-1

1 starts at the elbow while X1 starts right underneath the basket. On coach's call, 1 dribbles around the cone and attempts to get to the basket while X1 sprints to touch the cone. X1 attempts to stop the score.

If 1 scores, they go back to the offense line. If X1 gets a stop, they go to the offense line and 1 goes to the defense line.     

MICHIGAN DRILL

1 and 2 both face the basket.

1 places the ball on 2's back.

1 rips the ball off 2's back and attacks the basket.

When 2 feels the ball leave their back they can start to defend as 1 attempts to finish at the basket.      

   

COACHING VIDEO NOTES: LARRY EUSTACHY "CREATING TOUGHNESS"

The following notes were taken from a coaching video by Larry Eustachy titled "Creating Toughness". The video was made when Eustachy was the head coach at Iowa State.  He is the current coach at Colorado State.

In creating toughness, it starts with the coach.

Eustachy feels that coaches with the label “player’s coach” don’t last long.  Considers himself a demanding coach. Coach needs to be demanding.

Coaches need to have that first day excitement every single day of the season. Your players deserve it.

A coach can be demanding without cursing or raising their voice if it isn’t their way.

You can be demanding, but there has to be some fun/enjoyment so they want to come back.

You can’t ask more of the individual or team than they can give you. Coach has to understand their team and where they are at.

The start of creating toughness...His team prides themselves on being the strongest team in the conference (physical strength). All the weight room time gives your players an edge physically and mentally. Knowing the work they put in, they see results physically, and they believe they are stronger.

Create adversity in practice. Put the players in stressful situations.  You can certainly be complimenting along the way.

Start practice with 5 sprints in 30 seconds.

In practice drills they have no out of bounds.  Gets players in habit of getting after loose balls.

During scrimmage time they use regular out of bounds rules.

95% of coaching is getting players to play hard.

If a player falls down, gets knocked down they must get up within 2 seconds or the team runs. Obviously if they are hurt, stay down.

5-MAN WEAVE
Go up and back two times.  Have two groups and take turn with their reps.

• If you miss the shot on the last time, you do it again
• If you don’t catch the ball with two hands, you do it again
• If the ball hits the floor, you do it again

FULL COURT 4-ON-4 DRILL

• If a team scores at one end, they keep the ball and continue to try and score at that end.
• If defense gains possession they transition to the other end and attempt to score.
• Emphasize things you want to work on. This can change every time you do this drill.
• Whatever you emphasize that day must be done or there will be a consequence.
• If it’s hands high on a closeout that is being emphasized and a player doesn’t do it, then the team runs.
• Any turnover results in running at the end of the drill.  If White team has three turnovers, they run three sprints.
• This drill also works well in 3-on-3.

Some coaches want practice to go smooth.  Smooth is no good. Things going wrong is good. Makes the players and the team tougher.

3-ON-3 BLOCKOUT DRILL

Three lines outside the three point line; one at the top of the key and one on each wing. The first three are defenders, the next three are offense.  Back the three lines back to give the 3-on-3 space to play.  They play 3-on-3.  The defense needs to get three stops in a row to get “out”. If the defense gives up an offensive rebound and still get a stop, it doesn’t count.  Need to get three stops in a row without giving up an offensive rebound. Each possession a new offensive team comes in so the defense is going against fresh players to make it more challenging.

THE MAN DRILL

5-on-5 halfcourt drill. 60 second drill

Offense cannot dribble, must catch with two hands, can’t travel, and no handoffs. Defense tries to prevent the offense from catching the ball.

Each offensive player keeps track of how many catches they had in 60 seconds. Then switch offense and defense.  New defensive players guard the player that guarded them.  At the end of this 60 seconds determine which player had the least number of catches. That player loses and has a consequence. If they tie, shoot a 3 to determine the winner.

Don’t take the fun out of it.  Be demanding. The players will know if you genuinely care about them. They will buy in if they know you care.

JAGUAR 4-ON-4 DRILL

Jaguar 4-on-4 can give you both an offensive and defensive focus for your players. On offense you can have your team work on specific cuts, screens, or reads against pressure defense.  This drill also forces your players to offensive players to be strong with the ball, and execute great pivots.  On defense you can specify certain parts of your defense you need work on (stance, seeing both player and ball, jumping to the ball on the pass, etc).  

In Jaguar 4-on-4, the offense cannot dribble, but they are looking to score while the defense attempts to get stops. 

Each team gets 90 seconds to play offense. Most points, wins. You can add as many rounds as you like for the drill.  Each team gets to play offense and defense the same number of times.

SCORING FOR OFFENSE:

made baskets = 2's and 3's

1 point for each complete pass

SCORING FOR DEFENSE:

2 points for a forced turnover

1 point for every touch of the ball. Even if the offensive player continues to gain possession of the ball and the defensive player touches the ball, it is a point for the defense.

DRILL VARIATIONS:

Give the offense 1 or 2 dribbles each time the catch the ball.