GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

To clarify our situation chart and the use of "the book", I have a bench coach that has this chart on the bench and it's been his job to be "in my ear" and remind me when one of those situations occur. That doesn't mean that sometimes a "gut feeling" won't trump the chart, but this serves as a guideline. Obviously, the chart has our calls, so come up with the plays that you have in your arsenal that best fit that situation. Next to the situation have a play or two that you'd prefer to run in that scenario - then maybe you can choose from a couple diferent ones. However, some of the situations, for me, ARE pretty cut and dry and this is what we will do in that situation *every time*. This way the kids are prepared, through practice, and time outs are not as necessary. KNOWING what they are going to do does wonders for their confidence in the fact that they CAN get it done.

Having not had a great high school or collegiate experience with coaches, When I first stopped playing and got into coaching I thought that I knew better and had all of the answers. After a few years I realized that I had mentors that were letting me hang around (regardless of how stubborn I may have been) and I was not letting them mentor me. So we began to get in open debates and I took to becoming a real student of the game. Allowing yourself to be exposed to a variety of ideas and styles of play helps you solidify what you really believe and enables you develop your own unique philosophy, instead of just being a clone of those that you played for. Later I realized that one of the the most important aspects of teaching was that a player recognized that they made a mistake - not to just let them know how much I know, that I'm in charge and then chastise them for making it. If a player knows that he made a mistake, what to do to correct it, and he also knows that you know - that ...