5 THINGS NEEDED TO MAKE IT IN COACHING

HAVE A PASSION FOR COACHING
You have to have a passion for coaching if you are going to make a career out of it.  You just can't go through the motions and do just enough to get by.  If you are not "all in" your player will see right through you.  Doing just enough won't be good enough and if this happens you won't be coaching too long.

KEEP LEARNING
The second you think you know it all, you will quickly be reminded that you don't.  If you think you know it all, you know nothing.  There are so many resources out there for coaches to continue learning and growing:  coaching clinics, dvds, books, internet, other coaches, etc.  It is important that you remain a student of the game.


SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Surrounding yourself with good people makes a better environment for everyone involved.  The more you are on the same page with the people you work with or coach, the more organized your program will be.  Find people who believe in the same things you believe in. 

SET EXPECTATIONS
Set expectations for coaches and players.  If your players understand what is expected they will then have a better chance to be successful.  Set expectations for how you want your players to represent our program, set them for each drill you do, and set them for each game.  It is unrealistic to assume that things will go exactly as you want them just because expectations were set ahead of time.  But...Vince Lombardi said it best when he said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

DEAL WITH PEOPLE THE RIGHT WAY
Coaching is about dealing with people, so have to know how to handle and deal with people.  You might know everything about basketball but if you don’t know how to deal with people it doesn’t matter what you know. 

IMPROVE COMMUNICATION ON DEFENSE

"TALK!!!!!"  How many times have you ever said that to your team?  I'm guessing you have all had your blood pressure rise because a player or players on your team neglected to talk on defense.  Communication on defense is just as important as a team's ability to guard the ball, box out, or getting to proper help position. 

If you want your players to talk then you have to do more than ask them to talk.  You have to put your team in practice situations where they are required to talk to be successful.  The more you do this, the more they do it naturally.  Eventually it will become second nature with your players.

Below are some simple, yet effective, drills to use that will help promote communication with your players on the defensive end of the floor.

DISADVANTAGE DRILLS
Play 3-on-2, 4-on-3, or 5-on-4.  You can do this in half court or full court situations.  These drills put the defense at a tremendous disadvantage because they have one less player than the offense.  Remind your players because of the disadvantage not to be discouraged on defense if the offense has success from time to time.  In these drills you need to require your players to call out "ball!" when they are on the ball, "help!" when they are in help position, and "deny!" if they are in a denial position (or "gap" if you play a gap control defense).

BALL SCREEN DEFENSE DRILLS
There are several ways to defend ball screens.  No matter what your philosophy is on defending ball screens you will need your players to talk on defense.  You can do simple 2-on-2 drills where the offense must set ball screens while the defense defends them the way you require.  Players must call out the screen and side it is being set on.  Also, if you are trapping the dribbler you will need a buzz word the players will call out to signify the defense on the screen.  Example:  "Hot!"  If your philosophy is to hedge on the dribbler, you may also want a buzz word for that to signify and remind the defenders what they are doing.  Example:  "Bump!"

Another good ball screen defense drill is to play cut throat at one basket.  You can set a rule that when the team is on offense they must set ball screens.  This will give the defense many opportunities to communicate and work on their ball screen defense.

These are just a few ways to help promote communication amongst your team when they are on defense.  The more your players talk, the more aware they are.  And the more aware they are, the tougher it is for your opponent to score.

Good luck!

4-ON-3 SINK & FILL DRILL

 4-ON-3 SINK AND FILL DRILL
The purpose of this drill is to put the defense at a big
disadvantage while working on on help rotations away from the ball to protect the basket. Defensive
players will work on their defensive positioning on the floor, effort, and communication. Talking to each other is extremely important on defense, and this drill reveals that importance.

The drill is set up with four offensive players spaced around the three point line.  Each of the three defenders will guard one of the offensive players. One offensive player will remain unguarded to start the drill. 

The offensive players pass the ball around the perimeter, and the defensive players let the passes go.
When the ball is being passed around the defenders will get to their proper defensive position, remain in a good stance, and call out either "Ball" "Help" or "Deny". When the ungaurded offensive player receives a pass the drill becomes live.  The unguarded offensive player in this diagram is 4. When 4 receives the pass they have to try and attack the basket.  4 can shoot, drive, or pass. The defense must rotate to stop the ball, sink and fill on the backside. This requires lots of effort and communication by the defensive players. The rep for this drill ends when the offense scores or the defense gets a turnover or a defensive rebound.  Rotate so players get work on both defense and offense.

In this diagram you can see the rotations where players are sinking and filling on the backside so there are no layups given up.

IMPORTANT: It has to be stressed to the players how important it is to talk during this drill. It helps players understand where they need to be during this scramble situation.

Note: This is a scramble situation where the defense is at a disadvantage, so the offense may get score some baskets. Keep encouraging the defense to hustle, talk, and they will get their shrare of stops.

JAGUAR DRILL: TRANSITION DEFENSE/OFFENSE

The Jaguar drill focuses on transition offense and transition defense in a 3-on-2 setting.  Players get one possession per rep, but it also serves as a good drill to keep your players in shape as they get many reps throughout the duration of the drill.

Players 1-2-3-4-5 start on the baseline.  The middle player (3) starts with the ball.  In this drill players 1, 3, and 5 are on offense.  Players 2 and 4 are on defense.

On the coach's command players 1, 3, and 5 will sprint (3 is dribbling) to the opposite baseline.  Once they get to the opposite baseline they immediately sprint back towards the basket they started at to play offense.  Meanwhile players 4 and 5 sprint to the opposite end elblows at the free throw line.  They will immediately sprint back to play defense.

Defenders must communicate in this drill.  Based on your defensive philosophy in a 3-on-2 situation, you will want your players to communicate your philosophy in this situation.  Who has the first pass?  Who has the second pass?  When do you want the top player to pick up the ball?  These are just a few questions to consider.

Coaches can have their teams work on a variety of things or add particular rules, like:
*Offense can only make two passes before a shot must be taken.
*No shots allowed outside the lane area.  Players must attack the basket.
*Defense must force at least two passes before a shot is taken or they run a sprint.
*Offense cannot use the dribble after the first pass is made.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES & OBJECTIVES

If you had to list the priorities and main objectives of your basketball program what would they be?  If you were to ask one hundred coaches chances are you would not get two answers that are exactly the same.  It is important for your program to have some specific priorities and objectives that every coach knows from the head coach and down through your youth programs. These priorities and objectives should be kept in mind when you make out every practice plan and prepare for every game.  Having these priorities and objectives are great, but putting them into action is what's needed.

Below is an example of what a program's priorities and objectives might look like.  As stated earlier, there is no one perfect example as every program's list will look different. 

1. Our teams will represent our community the right way.
2. Our players will enjoy being a part of this program.
3. Our players will know that our team/program is bigger than themselves.
4. Our teams will play an aggressive style of basketball.
5. Our team will take pride in playing team defense.
6. Our team will not be out-worked.  We will take pride in winning 50-50 battles.
7. Our coaches will be organized.
8. Our teams will be prepared, know what is to be done, and will understand our gameplans.

3-PERSON PASS & PIVOT DRILL

DRILL EMPHASIS
Pivots
Passing
Catching
V-Cuts
Communication
Being strong

Divide players into groups of three.  Each group needs one basketball.

The rule for the defense is to foul the offensive player.  Be aggressive with them without the intent to be too over zealous.  But be physical by getting your hands on the offense trying to force them into being off balance.

The drill starts with 1 having the ball.  2 is on defense. 3 is on offense 12 to 15 feet away.  1 starts to pivot while 3 v-cuts and looks for a pass and calling "ball".  1 will continue pivoting until they can get clear to make a pass to 3.

When 1 passes the ball to 3, 2 replaces 1.  1 now sprints to 3 (who now has the ball) and plays physical defense on them.  3 will pivot with the ball while 2 v-cuts and calls for the ball.

3 will now pass to 2.  1 replaces 3.  3 sprints to 2 and defends. 

Repeat this process for 30 seconds.  Blow the whistle to stop the drill.  Give the players a short rest and repeat.  3 thirty second sessions give the players a good workout.

DRILL VARIATION
Allow the offensive players one dribble before they pass (if needed) to get a better passing angle.

COACHES SHARE RESPONSES: WHO INFLUENCED YOU?

Thank you Coach B for taking the time to share and honor a coach that influenced you.  Your input helps us all.  We welcome ALL  coaches  to help with the share each week.  Check back next Saturday for our question.


This week's Coaches Share question:  Here is your chance to honor a coach you had during your playing career.  Who influenced you in a positive way? How was that coach able to make that positive impact on you? 

"My high school coach is a guy who taught me many things other than how to play basketball.  Sure, he had a good basketball mind, and he was successful throughout his career.  Coach retired five years ago after 30 years of service to our profession.  When I go back home and see him, I still call him "Coach" even though we are now both adults.  I still respect this man and he will always be 'Coach' to me.  One of the greatest things he taught me was to be a good teammate.  He was always reminding us that a season can survive without any one player, but the season cannot survive without a team.  We knew we were a part of something bigger than ourselves.  I try to do the same with my players every year.  Thanks Coach!"
~Coach B (IL)