Effort Goals

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 tend to reflect the results and the scoreboard. Positive Coaching Alliance talks alot about effort goals. Effort goals are largely under one’s control regardless of the competition and tend to reflect a players personal excellence. Effort is everything that leads up to the possibility of having a successful outcome.

Things like Deflections, Contested Shots. Block Outs, and Offensive Rebound attempts are all Effort Goals. If you contest enough shots (we would strive for a 90% contested shot rate) the opponent will probably shoot a low percentage - the desired result of your efforts. If you block out 85% of the time - you'll get the defensive rebounds you should. And if you just attempt to get enough offensive rebounds - some are bound to bounce your way.

Chart an equal number of *Effort Goals* & mental or lack of effort errors...then use "symbolic rewards" to acknowledge those players with cumulative positive results. Try to make it equal - players need to know there are at least as many *positive behaviors* you will praise as there are negative behaviors you will scold. There should be as many ways to get to the penthouse as there are ways to get in your doghouse!

If you strive to reach your Effort Goals you have a better chance to achieve your Result Goals!