GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

"Marriage, and life, is like basketball. You need to develop a game plan. And try to give your very best effort every day. Have patience...but not too much... Sometimes you need to take time out to talk. Then make some adjustments. Manage your mistakes and deal with setbacks. Then come back the next day even more determined. But most of all you need to care enough to make the commitment. Each and every day. To yourself...and your teammate, To be selfless enough to do your very best To try and never let them down. All these lessons you learned through basketball Will help you while you move forward In life... as Husband and Wife." - - Ray Lokar, as Father of the Bride in Toast to Mr. & Mrs. Dave Thomas Congratulations to Heather and Dave! September 24, 2011

I coached basketball for 9 years at Pomona-Pitzer College and our D3 athletes played for the right reasons. They did not play for a scholarship or dreams of pro career. They loved to compete - but also wanted to be students - and I had some tremendous mentors that allowed them to do so. My oldest son had the opportunity to play basketball AND baseball at D3, before ultimately deciding on just hoops where he was a starter and a captain- graduating Summa Cum Laude at the University of La Verne. He also met his wife at the college and 9 years later they have a beautiful little daughter. My oldest daughter majored in biology, played hoops, started for two years (is still in the record books), was the Fellowship of Christian Athletes campus rep, worked in Intramurals AND in the Athletic Training Department getting a great introduction to her career - as she is a few months from completing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy after graduating Phi Beta Kappa at University of Redlands. My younges...

There is always plenty of discussion and varying opinions when it comes to post season trophies in youth sports. There is a great thread in the "Ask PCA" page on the Positive Coaching Alliance website Some leagues choose to give "participation awards" to everyone, while others award the top finishers with varying size trophies. I tend to think that initially all players should get a participant trophy. Youngsters get excited at that's what it is ALL about at that age. As players get a bit older there are many life-lessons that sink in and "earning" awards becomes much more meaningful. This might be at U10 or U12. This is an opportunity to reward hard work and achievement and, in a way, encourage those who didn't get an award to come back and work even harder next season. However, even at that, I believe each player should get some token to commemorate the season. Maybe that is a smaller medal, pin, or even a framed team photo. I got an idea from m...

An old man going a lone highway Came at the evening cold and gray To a chasm vast and deep and wide, Through which was flowing a swollen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim That swollen stream held no fears for him But he paused when safe on the other side And built a bridge to span the tide. "Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near, "You are wasting strength with building here. Your journey will end with the ending day; You never again must pass this way. You have crossed the chasm deep and wide; Why build you the bridge at the eventide?" The builder lifted his old gray head, "Good friend, in the path I have come," he said, "There follows after me today A youth whose feet must pass this way. This swollen stream which was naught to me To that fair haired youth may a pitfall be. He, too, must cross in the twilight dim. Good friend, I am building the bridge for hi...

Coaches need to constantly discover ways to improve their drills or get the most out of them. All coaches have their own sets of drills that teach their basketball philosophy, but there are many ways that you can create more intensity, enthusiasm, discipline, etc. This can be done by evaluating all the factors involved in a drill. Drill what fits your own offensive or defensive philosophy. Believe in what you are doing. Practice things you'll be trying to do in actual games.

 Give all drills a name so players can identify the procedure and purpose of each drill. For example, "Two-Ball Power-Ups" drills on inside power moves, using two balls in the lane area. Don't waste time on the floor going from drill to drill. Discipline your players to sprint to the next drill station. You don't want to find yourself spending too much time explaining how to run a drill. Demonstrate all new drills on chalkboard prior to practice or give the players a page for their playbook t...

If you're visiting here then you're probably like me and have a thirst for knowledge. There are so many great sites to visit -and here's one you should definitely give a look to. HoopsU.com is giving away 5 yearly memberships to Hoops U. Insider as part of the Hoops U. Relaunch Event! Click your way over right now to get in on the fun!

My name is Ray... and I Tweet. Yes, I get on Twitter, follow some absolutely great people, have learned a ton and share thoughts with some great "followers". I have built some great relationships with like-minded people who I’ve never met face to face –yet consider friends. It’s opened some doors, and actually led to my being a contributor here. So don't be afraid. Like they used to tell Mikey on the Life Cereal commercials, "Try it… you'll like it!" My philosophy with Twitter is “Here is what I'm thinking. What do you think?” You can follow me here and try it out. Those who have read my previous entries (or those who have followed me on Twitter) know that I coached middle-school for 6 years, in high school for 13 years, at the college level for 9 years, but the most difficult coaching I’ve experienced was the 15 years that I coached my children in a variety of youth-sports. As you could imagine, I learned a bunch of “dos and don’ts” during that time....

CBS 60 Minutes did a fabulous piece on Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley, from "Miracle on St Anthony" fame. Coaches that are a little "rough around the edges" (to borrow a good friends phrase) can be very polarizing in circles that evaluate their, performance, effectiveness, and quality of the players' experience. Some quotes from the story really caught my attention. First, Coach Hurley doesn't sugar coach anything and players. They absolutely know what they're getting into. Coach Hurley says, "I'm still one of the most demanding people that the kids are gonna come across" But at the same time, that demanding nature comes form a great place. " I think everybody can be better than they think they can be." And being a former Parole Officer in New Jersey, he's used to working with a tough crowd. "I'm dealing with adolescent males," Hurley said. "And in order to get them to perform on a regular basis, this grou...

Close games become a way of life for coaches and teams on all levels. Successful teams are prepared for end of the game situations. It is often this five or ten minutes a day which coaches spend on end of the game situations that makes the difference between a district title, a berth in the state tournament or a disappointing trip home. It is very important to not assume that your players know what to do! Try to work on special situations every day. Here are some questions all coaches should ask themselves. The answers will vary according to your personal philosophy and your team’s strengths. Then share those answers with the team and prepare them to execute: Do you push the ball and play or call a timeout to set up the last shot? How do you intentionally miss a free throw? With a three-point lead, do you want to foul before a three-point shot is taken? Do your players know when to foul? How to foul? Do you have a sign or call so your players know to foul without alerting the other t...