GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

The only Free Throw goal that we had was to "Make more Free Throws than they shoot". The first part addressed our offense (how many FT we got) and our effectiveness at the line (were we making enough of the ones we got) while the second part dealt with our defense (were we fouling and putting them on the line?) As I think about it, does talking about achieving a certain percentage motivate a kids to get there? Or does it get kids worrying about their shot when they fall short of the goal? Ask the Memphis Tigers. Or Shaq! I'm starting to think that, while it is harder to chart, an *effort goal* of getting enough arc, holding their follow thru, and using proper technique rather than a *result goal* might help kids get there quicker. Just thinkin' out loud.

When I played, my coaches rarely said anything to officials and I always felt they didn't stick up for us. So I set out to be the opposite. Soon I figured that if the other coach got up to "work the official" that I had to match that and "work him" a bit harder. Punch - counterpunch. Players definitely should not be the ones to EVER talk to an official. The coach needs to be the one doing the communicating, outside of the team captain, who can be a good buffer by building a good on court relationship wit the officials. However, when the coach does talk, he needs to pick his spots. If you chirp all the time (and I did) they stop listening. It could also backfire on the coach. A coaching friend of mine tells a story about a ref that asked him if he thought it was a good call. When the coach proceeded to tell him all of the reasons that it wasn't, the ref said, "then wait 'til you see the next one!" Officials are human - as much as we wish they ...

I've often thought that it would be a service to kids to provide a league that was NOT refereed - but merely "moderated". Allow the kids to call their own - and give them a minimum time to agree before the moderator steps in. Kinda like we used to do at the park. Players no longer have (or don't take advantage of) those opportunities. And how much do you learn about *life* by settling your own disagreements, admitting that you made a mistake (foul), or having the courage to call someone on one of their "transgressions", and coming to a consensus in a timely fashion ?

The small, 14th-century, Hungarian village of Kocs is located on the main road along the Danube between Vienna and Budapest. These two great cities needed well-built, fast vehicles that would carry more than two people over the bumpy roads of the day in as much comfort as was then possible. So in Kocs they began to build superior wagons, carts and carriages. One of the best of these multi-horse carts was called, in Hungarian, "kocsi szekér" or a "wagon from Kocs". Its design was so compact, elegant and sturdy that the design spread throughout Europe. The German-speaking Viennese started to call this vehicle a Kutsche, which is how they heard Hungarians saying the name of their little carriage-making town. From Vienna these lively vehicles traveled to Paris and the French, adapting the Austrian word, called it a coche. When it arrived in Rome in Italian, it was a cocchio. Eventually, the English called it a coach. When Anne of Bohemia married England’s Richard II ...

Communicating on defense is crucial, but for some reason is very difficult to get players to do. We can`t get them to be quiet in class and can`t get them to talk on the court - go figure!:?) To just get them to talk, and also help foster a better team attitude, we would use a "Buddy System." Whoever your pre-practice shooting partner was is your "Buddy" for the day. It was up to you to recognize EVERY positive thing that your "Buddy" did and let them know. In order for that to happen players had to watch, recognize, and understand what they were praising. Soon players will be doing it, on instinct, to players who are not their "Buddies" also. So it also helped to keep players engaged and positive - leaving them more receptive to coaching. Simply encouraging players to talk at all times helps, but having an organized method gives players specific verbal cues to go with situations and fosters effective team defensive communication. Here's our ...