GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

There needs to be more consistency in determining the fine line between advantage /disadvantage and what is called in one area of the floor should be called elsewhere, what is called at one point in the game should be called in all points of the game. But I'm not sure that, in the long run, it would be a free throw contest as is sometimes suggested. Don't you think that players (and coaches) would simply learn not to foul. They'd have to, or they wouldn't play. They'd get in foul trouble and have to sit. They'd start to give up points at the free throw line. So they would change. In football changes were adopted to add action and tempo to games such as the extent of downfield contact a defender could have with an eligible receiver was restricted; wide receivers blocking back toward the ball within three yards of the line of scrimmage were prevented from blocking below the waist, the pass-blocking rule was interpreted to permit the extending of arms and open hand...

Yahoo! Groups : Basketball-Coaching Messages : Parents are parents. BUT, parents at private schools sometimes feel a little more entitlement because they pay tuition. Nip that early by letting everyone know where you stand, what is allowable and what is off-linmits. However, you MUST be willing to communicate them. Too many coaches have failed in private school settings by being 'unnaproachable'. Develop a relationship with parents/boosters that shows that you are working together. An interesting way of looking at the player/coach relationship, is that players don�t play FOR us, but rather we work FOR our players to assist them in developing into the players and people that they are capable of becoming. Naturally, we need to do this within the team concept and keeping in mind what is also best for the group. Finding that balance is truly the one of the most important tasks that the basketball coach has. We talk to staff all the time about coaching the way that we would want our...

NBA age limit : When debating the proposed 20 year old age limit in the NBA draft, I'm not certain that an age limit is what the NBA is really searching for. It is not really a certain age that they want, but rather a ceratin level of maturity and preparation. In both basketball and life. The league seems to be concerned with their "image" and how prepared their players are for life off of the court. Possibly they now see that being in the league carries some responsibility and is not all about basketball ability. It is also about being a representative and spokesperson for a multi-billion dollar industry. A high school diploma does not pepare most for that burden. Nor does simply reaching a certain age. Restrictions on age might even be considered unlawful or at the very least, unethical. But most jobs require certain qualifications. Look in todays classified ads. Nearly every job lists qualifications. Most say a bachelors degree is necessary while some employers requi...

SoCalHoops Message Board: This post came off of a message board and was written in response to an LA Times article titled Sporting behavior . It was written by a fellow (I presume) that has posted often over the last several years. Unfortunately his contributions have waned some over the past year or so (maybe his children have moved on beyond high school and its primarily a high school/youth board). He appears to be a very wise man - and his posts are almost always very insightful "GREAT COACHES recognize that children are the most precious possession that families have and that FAMILIES WILL NOT TURN A DEAF EAR AND A BLIND EYE TO ANY ONE who comes into a child's life simply because you put on a coaches hat with NO training...NON PROFESSIONAL COACHES must stress growth and not winning...COACHES must not treat the best player like 'Prince Charming' and then treat the 'up and coming' player like they have a disease...Coaches must CARE about academics and not S...

From SoCalHoops: Question For Coach Lok? Does attending the summer circuit for club rather then playing with the high school Team A Must? When it comes time for summer basketball, everyone needs to work together in the best interest of the player and the HS team. An interesting way of looking at the player/coach relationship , is that players don’t play FOR the coach, but rather the coach works FOR the players to assist them in developing into the players and people that they are capable of becoming. Naturally, coaches need to do this within the team concept and keeping in mind what is also best for the group. Finding that balance is truly the one of the most important tasks that the basketball coach has. On the other hand, the players, and parents, need to commit some exclusive time to each side (club/HS). Most importantly, remember that the offseason is when players are made - not only seen. Players need to be first commited to their education and training as a basketball player, rat...

I think that proper shooting technique and successful shooting results are two different things. We've all seen those players with great form that can't buy a basket. Or those who are so unorthodox it's hard to determine how it could get so bad, but the shot goes in at an amazing rate. However, believing that the human body is an amazing thing, in my opinion the eyes and the brain have as much, or more, to do with the result of the shot as do proper fundamentals. Naturally, those that have everything working in a positive manner will be the best at what they do. I believe that the most successful shooters are those who are truly able to focus on one small target spot to shoot for. Some say they do, but who can really tell what the eyes and mind are doing? If the eyes can focus on a spot and effectively send the message to the brain to tell the body what it needs to do to propel the ball toward the target, the shot has a pretty good chance of hitting that target, techni...

Seven Basketball Rules Myths A defensive player must be stationary to take a charge. Reality: Once a defensive player has obtained a legal guarding position, the defensive player may always move to maintain that guarding position and may even have one or both feet off the floor when contact occurs with the offensive player. Legal guarding position occurs when the defensive player has both feet on the floor and is facing the opponent. This applies to a defensive player who is defending the dribble. A dribble that bounces above the dribbler's head is an illegal dribble violation . Reality: There is no restriction as to how high a player may bounce the ball, provided the ball does not come to rest in the player's hand. A player in the backcourt who dribbles the ball across the midcourt line may not dribble it back into the backcourt. Reality: The ball and BOTH feet must be entirely in the front court to be deemed in the frontcourt. The line is considered in the backcourt. So unt...

The concept of Advantage/Disadvantage is a fallacy. It puts officials in the business of predicting the future. What may not seem like an advantage this millisecond, just may be in the next second. An advantage as the offensive player could be completely gone in the time lost by the littlest of bumps. When the dribbler is fouled by a handcheck and an official CHOOSES not to call it, when the dribbler pushes off one dribble later to combat the handcheck, should the official call that one? Unfortunately, they often do. I've had an official tell me that if the dribbler had lost posession he would have called it. So now we'd be rewarded if we were WORSE and lost control. Then we'd have a foul called, shoot free throws, or maintain posession and be a foul closer to the bonus with one more foul on that particular defender - who may have to lessen his defensive pressure the next time. Advantage or disadvantage? In the final minutes of yesterdays Kansas/Ok State game Kansas clearly...

We all tend to become caricatures of ourselves as time goes on. People go with the personality traits that make them successful or popular, sometimes taking things to the next level and going too far. You see this with entertainment figures and comediens all the time, and coaches like Abe Lemons took his humor to the extreme so that now he's remembered for that, rather than his coaching ability. Some coaches such as Woody Hayes , Bob Knight , and now John Chaney with his latest incident they, cross that line between passionate and intense to out of control. It doesn't make them bad people, but it does tend to erase (or at least cloud) all of the good that they do. It is just as hard for people to define the line between "fan" and "fanatic". I'm a Laker fan, but I'm a basketball fan first. So right now I don't like them so much. I don't think that is "jumping on and off the bandwagon" it is simply enjoying and respecting a good ba...

If you are a regular reader, you know that Basketball4ALL endorses the ACE IntelliGym(tm). For those that don't know. ACE (Applied Cognitive Engineering) has developed a revolutionary training tool that enables basketball players to dramatically improve their game-intelligence skills. The ACE IntelliGym(tm) is available at Basketball4all and it directly stimulates the brain-functions responsible for basketball`s cognitive skills. By doing so, this unique trainer enables super-quick development of proficiencies that, until now, were considered an "instinct", something that the players either have or they don`t. Skills such as decision making and execution, shot selection and team play, movement anticipation and pattern recognition, peripheral vision and spatial awareness, unpredictability and overall court sense. Testing the system on real basketball teams has shown to improve their performance in 22% to 28%. The University of Memphis began using the system,available at ...