GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

In keeping with the Spirit of Christmas I thought I`d leave you with a little song, sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" *******The Twelve Weeks of Basketball******* ™ On the first day of practice my team promised me: a Big, Golden Championship Ring In the next week of the season my team promised me: 2 Made Free Throws, and a Big, Golden Championship Ring. In the third week of the season my team promised me 3 Point Plays, 2 Made Free Throws, and a Big, Golden Championship Ring In the fourth week of the season my team promised me: 4 quarters played , 3 Point Plays, 2 Made Free Throws, and a Big, Golden Championship Ring In the fifth week of the season my team promised me: 5 GREAT PLAYERS, 4 quarters played , 3 Point Plays, 2 Made Free Throws, and a Big, Golden Championship Ring In the sixth week of the season my team promised me: 6 Deadly Shooters, 5 GREAT PLAYERS, 4 quarters played , 3 Point Plays, 2 Made Free Throws, and a Big, Golden Championship Ring In the s...

If the other team has a poor free throw shooter think about fouling to force them to shoot from the line in hopes that they miss. Even if they make both, you are in the same boat as if they had scored, but you have at least saved the time of the whole possession. This stage should not be entered too soon, but at some point you will recognize that the opponent is taking too much time during their possessions to allow you enough time to come back. I don't like yelling like a wild man foul! foul! or "red! red!" - because then the ref may call one even when it's not there. When we are in "foul mode" we don't really want to foul - we want to gain possession of the ball. Take it from them , go through them, go over their back - whatever it takes. But make SURE that there is either a steal or a foul! I've had referees even ask "if we want a quick one?" and I tell them - "if you see one call it, but we're not TRYING to foul" We use h...

Much has been made of the trials and tribulations of the Oregon Ducks Football program this season. And they've certainly had both. I'm not going to lie- after the game one debacle against Boise St, I thought Head Coach Chip Kelly was waaaaay overmatched, as I'm sure many did. Heck, as he walked to the locker room at half-time with NO first downs - the thought probably slipped into his head at least for a second. After the defeat, the aftermath was worse with the LeGarrette Blount implosion that has been seen far too many time - so I won't link it here. What Coach Kelly did afterwards to set the Ducks back in the correct direction is quite impressive. Rather than ranting and raving (although he may have done a little of that) Kelly told them the story of Alexander - right out of a children's book, and all of the awful things that happened to Alexander on a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day . Things worked out for Alexander... and the Oregon Ducks. You can g...

University of Portland has started the season with a couple great wins - but those that follow them shouldn't be surprised. Here's a great 7-Minute Culture Clinic with Coach Eric Reveno They run some really good offensive sets, and some serious specials. Here's a nice one they run for a 3 pt shooter - which they have a few of. Then out of the same set they can attack the post off a great ball reversal If you like teams that "play the right way" - catch some games in the West Coast Conference

I think a lot of times coaches get paralyzed by the phrase “K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). This does not mean we have to give up on teaching the game. It shouldn't scare coaches from implementing additional strategies or tactics that they feel necessary. What we can do is ensure that we are as concise and consistent as possible with terminology, principles, and tactics. If you are able to do this you can still take a pretty complex package and make it palatable for your players. “The Princeton Offense” is looked at as complex, but that memorable backdoor to beat UCLA , in vintage Pete Carril lingo, was called "center-forward…because the ball goes to the center and then to the forward. Complex - but taught simply. Albert Einstein explanation of the complicated conversion of mass to energy is expressed in a formula so simple as E=MC². He once said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." We should keep that in mind when we coac...

Nice Baseline Out of Bounds play run by Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks against the Memphis Tigers to get Cole Aldrich a dunk. I see too many teams pass on this great scoring opportunity and simply run a play to get the ball in. Unless you are running some clock - take advantage and run a play to SCORE!

One of my favorite conditioning activities in the off-season is a game I call Ultimate Medicine Ball (like Ultimate Frisbee). You play the game with a medicine ball (obviously), and play 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 with a 30 yard field, about the length of a basketball court. At each end of the field create a 15’ square end zone, about the size of the key. The object of the game is to advance the ball up the field with a series of passes & score a point by passing the ball to a teammate inside the end zone. You may set screens or run offensive patterns to help get teammates open. You must only throw two-handed passes – and encourage two-handed catches – they might even be necessary depending on the weight of the medicine ball. You may not run with the ball and you must maintain a pivot foot – just as in basketball. Use this and skills such as pressuring the ball, denying passes, moving to get open, understanding spacing, passing catching, pivot feet, and advancing the ball up the floor a...

From the time I was little I knew I was great `cause the people would tell me -"you`ll make it - just wait." But they never did tell me how great I would be if I ever played someone who was greater than me. When I`m in my backyard -I`m king with the ball. To swish all those baskets is no sweat at all. But all of a sudden there`s a man in my face who doesn`t seem to realize - I`m king of this place. So the pressure gets to me - I rush with the ball. My passes to teammates could fly through the wall. My jumpers not falling - my dibbles not sure. My hand is not steady - my eye is not pure. The fault is my teammates - they don`t understand. The fault is my coach`s - what a terrible plan. The fault is the call by that blind referee but the fault is not mine - I`m the greatest you see. Then finally it hits me when I started to see that the face in the mirror looks exactly like me. It wasn`t my teammates who were dropping the ball and it wasn`t my coach shooting bricks at the wall. ...

The following was forwarded to me and written by Jim Donovan Do some coaches do this to young players? Have others done it to us? A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. To say the least, it was a fascinating experience. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at th...

In a "catch and shoot" situation. We feel that a player must KNOW if he is open before the catch, when he/she is on the move. If he KNOWS he is open, he should plant the inside foot and rise into the shot. As he is heading towards the pass and he plants the inside foot, and it squares you to the basket a lot faster and is probably more comfortable. Quickness is the key to getting off a good shot. The emphasis on preparing their feet and being "shot ready" gets the player to be thinking about shooting on the catch - that's when a player should be most open. Also emphasize that this is a great time to use the defenders positioning against himself. Making a move to attack that defender is more often than not the best time to do so. But we are not really talking about establish a pivot foot for future use - we are simply talking about preparing the body to rise into the shot in the quickest manner possible. If it turns out that he ISN'T open and he's stuck o...

Coach Sallie Guillory, Assistant Womens Coach at McNeese St posted the following on Twitter: Coach Crean has these boards up in locker rooms and watch film after games so they are updated when team comes in the next day... 1.) Deflections (Individual) 2.) Charges taken (2 deflections count as a charge) 3.) Forced turnovers 4.) M.A.’s (missed assignments) 5.) 50/50 Ball + or - in getting to 6.) Shot challenges. Use charts to get percentage of challenged shots 7.) Block outs. Strive for 85% 8.) Blow Bye’s- 1 on 1 defense Marquette offensive board 1.) Missed Layups- 10 push ups/after a loss 25 pushups 2.) Bad shots vs. open shots 3.) Missed Assignments. Ex: screens, cuts, spacing of penetration, positions 4.) Assists 5.) Offensive rebound attempts Goals are great. It’s hard to know if you are improving if you don’t set goals and keep track of how well you are doing in moving toward the goals. Most coaches set Outcome Goals, which are highly dependent on the quality of one’s opponent and...

During the preseason, as basketball coaches are introducing the offensive and defensive game plans, philosophies, and strategies, it is easy to forget some basic actions that can improve players and the team. There are some fundamental things that ANY player can commit to doing, simply by putting their mind to it, without needing to get better at any "basketball fundamentals". These "commitments" can make the player more effective IMMEDIATELY without getting any better at “basketball skills”. ➢ PLAY WITH YOUR KNEES BENT. Always stay in an athletic stance. It is your point of maximum explosion. Be just like a track sprinter coming out of the blocks. Have your knees bent. Be on balance. Be ready to move. You will get open on offense more often. You will guard your man on defense easier. The player with the lowest active stance usually wins. ➢ GET A HAND UP ON EVERY SHOOTER The only person who can score is the one with the ball. Go guard him even if he is not your ma...

The beauty of the mistake ritual is that it allows players to flush, brush off, throw away, or put mistakes behind them. The only part of the mistake a player needs to remember is that part that teaches them. So we don't want players to simply "forget it" we want them to learn from it. Depending upon the sport you have 5, 6, 9, 11 players to coach and any number of them may have made some mistake on each and every play. You don't have time to make all those corrections so a simple sign or symbol says the rest. If they don't KNOW you saw it - they also don't KNOW it's OK... so you have to do something. If that something is a verbal barrage they'll be afraid of making a mistake next time and if it's a litany of instructions we run the risk of "Paralysis by Analysis". If it's a simple "mistake ritual" it may say, and do, all you need in mere seconds. I wrote about the few things that have to happen In order to learn from mista...

Do any of you use a "mistake ritual" with your players? You probably do and just don't know it. But if not... why not? When a player looks at the bench after a mistake What are they looking for?And what does he or she see? Does it help them 1) recognize it was a mistake, 2) reassure them that it's OK, 3) re-instruct them , and 4) help them get Ready for the next play? Anything else is defeating the purpose. I wrote about it here a little more than a year ago, during the Lakers/Celtics final. The Lakers sure put that one behind them and learned from it. A "mistake ritual" can help players put that mistake behind them and play without the fear of making another. Some good examples of rituals and those who uses them are here in this blog. But it's really about Positive Coaching Alliance starting a National Conversation on best practices. Read and comment here if you have any thoughts on the "mistake ritual". Take part in the Conversation. Nat...

The typical basketball lineup in recent years has been three perimeter players with two post players, maybe one more comfortable on the block and another able to step outside a bit. A recent trend is going 4-out around a single post and many teams are even playing open-post, due to the shortage of bigs or the versatility of their players. However, many coaches ask, "What if THREE of my best players are posts and I want them ALL on the floor?" Here is an offense that might fit those needs. This offense can also be run with three perimeter players and two post players out of a 1-4 set, but here is an option with two guards and three forwards/posts. Coaches should work to develop enough perimeter skill in your post players to catch the ball on the perimeter, look to feed the post, and be able to reverse the basketball. Any more than that and it is a definite bonus. This creates some great post up opportunities by erasing the help, off cross screens and then getting the ball to y...

A players confidence, generally, comes from experiencing REPEATED SUCCESS. This success begins in practice. When a player has worked in practice enough, and done all that she can, she should KNOW that she has prepared enough to play, and that's what's really important. Too often success tends to be defined by results and the scoreboard. The great basketball coach John Wooden uses the definition of success as "Peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable." In much the same way, at Positive Coaching Alliance we strive to redefine and reinforce a more complete definition of "Winning" or success. The traditional definition of a winner is the person or team that does the best on the scoreboard. Even a team that is outplayed in every facet of a game but comes away with more points on the scoreboard is declared the winner. Whereas the scoreboard definition is concerned with...

We've pretty much agreed that in a perfect world the club and HS coaches should work together in the best interest of the kid. In reality, we also realize that in a majority of cases that probably doesn't happen. So now what? How do we create change? We've pretty much identified the problems and rehashed them - now we need to do SOMETHING. I spoke at Stanford University with Chip Heath, the author of "Made to Stick:Why some ideas Survive and Others Die", who came and visited with us at Positive Coaching Alliance (http://www.positivecoach.org). We talked about his new book coming out in 2010 titled "Switch:How to Change Things When Change is Hard. I read a manuscript and really like the concepts. Keep an eye out for it because it is pretty good. I think this situation applies because this is a very difficult change to make. I will attempt to briefly summarize and avoid his unique metaphors and examples that Chip uses to make the book great, but essentially it ...

This is the time of the year that youth baseball leagues are selecting their All-Star teams. A small percentage of the players in a league are selected for a tournament team - the vast majority of players do not make these teams. How are parents best equipped to deal with this phenomenon? The key to being able to handle All-Star disappointments is to start emphasizing the Positive Coaching Alliance's ELM Tree (Effort, Learning, and bouncing back from Mistakes) at the earliest ages and rather than worrying about Results and Comparing your child to others. This will create a mindset where being named to these teams is less important (or traumatic). Rather than dwelling on the setback, this is an opportunity for a player to go out with renewed effort to improve and possibly strive to making that team the following season. Focus on the efforts and improvements that were made, rather than the end result of the All-Star snub. Try hard, at all times, not to equate the players performanc...

It's good to have a organized Pressbreak that is consistent with how you attack after any made basket. This should be a set that flows directly from your transition game or early offense. There may be times when the opponent springs a press after a score, and you don't want to be disorganized or have to call a time-out to set up your pressbreak. In this set after a made basket, 3 would inbound the ball quickly, preferably to 1 around the FT line. 2 would run the right lane for a possible over the top pass, 4 would run the left lane and 5 would sprint to the rim. When a press is recognized the team enters the pressbreak seamlessly. 2 would come back to the ball and has the entire right lane to get open from the lane-line extended to the sidelines. 1 needs to get open in the box from that same lane-line to the opposite sideline and below the top of the key. 4 can begin cut to the top of the key and look for an open spot in the middle of the press. 5 continues to the rime to stre...

A careful man I must always be; A little fellow follows me. I know I dare not go astray For fear he'll go the self same way. I cannot once escape his eyes, Whate'er he sees me do, he tries. Like me he says he's going to be; The little chap who follows me. He thinks that I am good and fine, Believes in every word of mine. The base in me he must not see; The little chap who follows me. I must be careful as I go Through summer's sun and winter's snow, Because I'm building for the years to be; This little chap who follows me.

It's important to teach sports in the proper progression. Have reasonable expectations of your level of play and teach to their ability through setting achievable goals for the players. Stretch each player to improve and try not to leave anyone behind by challenging them with drills and activities that measure their improvement over a previous standard or a competition against others. Encourage kids to ask questions by providing sincere answers to all of them. As hard as it is sometimes - it develops a growth mindset they'll appreciate forever. Your entire team (coaches, players and parents) should strive to achieve the Magic Ratio of 5 positive experiences for every correction/critiscism or negative experience. Consider everything verbal and non-verbal. A great rule of thumb is to Relentlessly Reward Desired Effort! Think about that statement. It means you're always trying, you're attempting to be more positive by recognizing achievements, it means they're learnin...

Be yourself. Have a plan. Be decisive. Do what you know is right. Communicate with everybody - about everything. Build trust among the group - that might be most important. Fix "broken windows" immediately - otherwise there'll be more before you know it. Take kids where they want to go - after you sell them on your vision of where that should be.

It’s nice to have a standard Sideline Out-Of-Bounds play (SLOB) that the players can run at any time – but is versatile enough to give your team different options. There have been games where we’ve scored more than a half-dozen different ways out of the same play. Down the stretch in close games with so many stoppages of play, there are often several opportunities to take the ball out on the side. If you can come out of a time out or give the same look – yet attack in a completely different way it gives you a tremendous offensive advantage. The play easily flows into a 3-out/2-in set or works if a team is better suited to a single-post set. Finally, by having a lone multi-purpose play it saves your team practice time to work on other things that are necessary and allows the coach to Keep it Simple-Stupid (K.I.S.S) As the official hands the inbounder, the 3-man, the ball, the 5-man in the corner looks to down screen for the best shooter, in this case the 2-man. If the shooter is open i...

In coaching, especially at the youth sports level, what position a player has an opportunity to play is always a hot topic. In basketball forwards want to play guard, shooting guards want a chance to play point guard. In football, players desire to play offense rather than defense and everyone wants to be the quarterback, running back or receiver. In those youth sports, coaches often "stereotype" players into particular positions. I had a 10 yr old on a team while working a basketball camp, and after going through several substitution rotations, the 5 biggest players on the team were on the floor at once. The best of them asked me, "who's going to play point guard".. so I answered that he should. He replied, "I'm not a point guard... my coach says I'm a center". My response was, "There's no such thing as a 10 yr old center!" And he played point guard, doing quite well, I might add. In " Positive Coaching in a Nutshell" ...

Positive Coaching Alliance says that a Triple-Impact Competitor works as hard as possible to make an impact on three levels: • Improving yourself as a player and person • Helping your teammates improve • Improving the sport as a whole. This plaque was placed on the wall outside the Florida Gators athletic facility. Does this "promise" epitomize that concept? Wouldn't we all love to have a leader on our teams that would make this "promise"?

When people and coaches refer to the "Heart of a Champion", what are they really talking about? Aren't they talking about qualities exhibited like confidence, conviction, focus, poise, dedication, determination, courage, sacrifice, selflessness, and perseverance? Aren't those all heroic character traits that stem from tremendous *mental toughness*? Isn't that being "more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, resilient, and in control under pressure (Jones et al, 2002). Wouldn't we describe that person as having the "Heart of a Champion"? Shouldn't it then be, "Play with the MIND of a champion"?

When I see the emotion on Senior Nights, or after the final game of the season, it reminds me that one day the ball stops bouncing for the players and how precious the time really is. It's our responsibility as coaches to value that time and provide the best experience possible. We get those kids that are sometimes like the fresh sand in our SoCal coastline... and we leave footprints. Every once in a while we get players that could be like the late-night beaches... they might need some cleaning up first. It's our job to help inspire them to keep going during that process. Sometimes that's with a "chest-bump", a pat on the back, or a kick a little lower. Figuratively, of course. Sometimes we inspire with a well-placed comment, a little concern and compassion, or simply setting a good example. I asked some coaches in Fort Wayne, Indiana this past fall, "What is your programs mission?" Dan Kline, retired athletic director and men’s basketball coach at India...

The topic of Free Throw Shooting is always a hot one as the games become more and more important at the end of the season. There are a bunch of great ideas out there to help. Here is one we used. One year created a "free throw ladder" for the team. Each player shot 100 FTs (during our FT-a-thon) and we placed their name on our roster board next to the scoreboard in the order of finish. The practice before a game we would lower the roster board and shoot 25 ft's. Players would pair off starting at the top. If they beat the person above them they would go to the board and the winner would switch the order of the names. We would raise the roster board and on game day the names were not in numerical order or alphabetical order, but in order of our top free throw shooters. I always worried that opponents would catch on and figure out who to foul at the end of games ! hopefully we became good enough free throw shooters as a team that it wouldn't matter !:?) Here is a sample...

The first thing that coaches need to continue to tell themselves during tough times is that it's never going to be as important to them as it is too you. Even on a championship team it isn't. It's the coaches career and we passionately think about it all day. They think about it a couple hours at practice. The second thing to remind yourself that you hadn't forgotten anything in the past year or years since the last successful season. Coaches are no "worse" a coach when they struggle than they were when they were successful, so try not to determine your "self-worth" based on the record. Sometimes it's not the X's & O's but rather, the Johnny's and Joe's! We tried to build some pride in playing * one possession at a time *. This really was the foundation behind a championship year in which we won a title. We had them convinced that a single possession in practice should be approached with the same intensity and focus as a pla...

It was only one possession, Why must my coach scream, My poor defense permitted the basket, But what can one hoop mean? As the pass comes my direction, And I fumble it into the stands, The coach's voice rings loud and clear, "Catch with you eyes and hands!" C'mon, coach, it's a single possession, Our team will be okay. It's just the first two minutes, My gosh, we've got all day. At the 10-minute mark I remember, That the center is strong and stout. A putback for two, quite simply due, To my failure to turn and block out. But it was only one possession, I didn't commit a crime, My team is ahead and I'm playing well, And there's still plenty of time! As the halftime buzzer is sounding, And I watch the ball bank in, I know that I will hear from my loving coach. Of my questionable effort to defend. But it was only one possession, Coach - don't have a heart attack! We're down by one, but we're having fun, I know we'll get the lead ba...

In "The Legend of Baggar Vance" the movie was in a golf setting but was a tremendous analogy for coaching, life, or the game of basketball. The title character is a mysterious caddie and in many ways, the consummate coach. Bagger Vance helps a down-on-his-luck golfer named Junuh find the deep place inside, where his ego is quiet and where he can “be” with only himself, and where he can be at one with himself. The vehicle for his transformation is the game of golf where he becomes one with the game. This is only possible when he sets aside his ego and the need to validate himself with individual achievement. At one critical point in the movie Bagger says, "...it’s time...time for you to see the field...feel that focus. Alotta shots to choose from, duffs `n` tops `n` skulls. But only ONE shot is in perfect harmony with the field. An "authentic shot". And that shot chooses YOU. There’s a perfect shot out there trying to find each and every one of us - and all we g...

I had an opportunity to finally read Positive Coaching Alliance founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson's newest book Positive Sports Parenting from cover to cover on a flight to Florida on the day of the BCS National Championship game - unfortunately to Tampa and not Miami !:?) . Jim's book is a must read for parents whose kids are participating in youth sports. It is a very easy read and provides some real tangible tools for parents to provide the best experience in sports, navigate some youth sports landmines, build a great coach/parent partnership, and strengthen their relationship with their children - which is far mor important than any athletic success.

We've been highlighting the 2-Guard Continuity that is, primarily, an offense used vs man-to-man defenses, and some specials run out of it. Now we've "tilted" the offense for use against a zone, leaving the *continuity* from position to position as the same. However we now use cuts and slides to put pressure on the zone, rather than setting and using screens to help get players open. This allows the offense to be as effective against all zone defenses and match-ups as it is against a man-to-man. I prefer a zone offense that relies on the principles of ball and player movement, getting into gaps, and penetration via the pass or the dribble. However, many match-up or very active zones make that a bit more difficult. When facing a match-up zone, one of the toughest things for the matchup to cover are multiple cuts which force decision making on who will defend what cut, and whether the cutter will be passed or "bumped" to another defender. When run against a ...

After years of writing for Lifetips.com as their basketball "guru" they made an offer to publish some of the over 600 tips that I've written over the course of the past seven years if I would compile them into a book. The first of those books is now available at Amazon.com 101 Basketball Tips contains some of the most important fundamentals and is written in short, concise, stand-alone tips that are void of too much technical jargon and diagrams. It gives written descriptions of the fundamentals and should be a great tool for the coach looking to find a way to build a knowledge base, or the coach who may be looking for a different way to present the fundamentals they are presently teaching. While these might not be the 101 most important tips in the game of basketball, I hope that there is something for everyone. I've tried to provide some ideas that may not be mainstream, some might be presented in a different manner than usual, and a few that initially might not co...