GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

I was watching as an eliminated American Idol contestant in tears says," I don't understand how you could do great, do nothing wrong, and still get let down-I did everything I could" Obviously the poor 16-year old kid (who was a very talented singer) never played sports. One of the lessons you learn in sports, over and over again, is that it is possible to work really hard, do your very best, be proud of your performance, yet end up disappointed in the result. Not all of the valuable lessons are "rainbows and unicorns" and some of the toughest ones are the most valuable ones. Allowing young kids to lose and fail in sports prepares them to deal with disappointments in life later. While counter-intuitive to most parents, protecting our kids from failure is robbing them of the opportunity to learn this lesson.

Change of pace...change of direction....change the rhythm of your dribble - and get wherever you want to go on the basketball court. My oldest son was very good at this and used angles to get into the lane at will versus some very good defenders. I particularly remember a fairly one-sided matchup between him and a pretty athletic looking defender. After a number of penetrating drives leading to baskets or assists the other coach yelled, "LOOK AT HIM! ... LOOK AT YOU! ... HOW?!?" Change of pace...change of direction....change the rhythm of your dribble ... Thats how!

I don't believe in Quantum Physics when it comes to matters of basketball. While reading - think "Crash Davis " in Bull Durham (remember - Bull Durham comes with an "R" rating.) BAKETBALL BELIEFS I believe in the basketball. I believe in running the floor, the first open man, the ball reversal, the open shot, the jump stop, and the pivot foot. I believe in setting screens, using screens, dribbling for a reason, good passing angles, being "shot-ready" and catching passes with two hands. I believe in spacing, court vision, the"assist/turnover ratio", and the concept of "relative motion". I believe that there oughtta be a constitutional amendment outlawing the dunk and the hand-check. I believe in a good, defensive stance, pressure on the basketball, influencing to the sideline, preventing penetration, fronting the post in the "red-zone" and playing behind in the "smile". I believe in the "ball-man-line",...

We ran this against all Odd Front zones (3-2, 1-2-2, 1-3-1) I've found out that the best attack was also the simplest. Here goes: 2 post players at the block-who may flash a step or two when the ball is at the diagonal guard - no farther. 2 guards in a 2 guard front who should not move more than a step or two. Be a threat to shoot off the catch I always told them that "the second best thing that can happen in this offense is that you are guarded!" Your best player (read "smartest") goes WHEREVER HE SHOULD, basically - "go where they ain't", and the other players need to FIND HIM. The runner needs to go to the wing, corner, flash in the middle, wherever he needs to go to get open - but KEEP MOVING! The players just need to be in tune with the runner and at least every 3rd pass should find him (or her). He should be a threat to score, but maybe having good vision, being a good passer, and knowing WHERE to go is more important. Often times the ...

In light of the 170-35 blow-out victory by Yates High School over Lee High School in Houston, I though I'd repost a newsletter topic I wrote first back in 2004 , with a few additions/edits. Coaches should try to schedule games against teams that will present somewhat of a challenge. While padding the schedule with wins may seem attractive, playing teams of inferior talent will actually hinder a teams development. However, many times in preseason tournaments obvious mismatches between two teams occur or a league may be set up where you have to play someone far inferior. The tough thing for coaches in this situation is figuring out a way for their team to get everything out of the game that they can, without humiliating the opponent. Coaches, in the 1st half - do your thing, play your game, anything goes. If the lead starts to get real big, your regulars may not be benefiting anyway, so play your substitutes a little more. Mix up some lineups and play a couple of subs with the start...

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...