Skill Execution
Submitted by lambert on Mon, 11/03/2008 - 16:33
Coaches,
I would like to add a topic for our Posting Up Forum because I think it's a vital one for young players to understand. I constantly observe coaches who put in pretty solid drills only to see a lack of focus and concentration to properly execute the drills. Please share with our coaches forum ideas you have in your drills for getting players to concentrate and execute drills critical to their growth. I'd like to hear what you do if they don't execute, and how you work to get your kids to understand the importance of the details in automating their individual and team skills.
To apply for Russian visa in
replica watches
Patek Philippe is renowned As
This is nice post which I was
rubber strap Water resistant
They will be happy if more
chat
super like the post. quite
I m a noob in all sports!!
Well, it could be more
Dean Smith writes about this
You ran a clinic on your old
I would be very thankful if
Keep your drills simple and
I enjoyed reading your post.
Because Coach outlet is
I vary the type of pass
Question
Keep it simple, keep it moving
Skill execution
Coaching junior high kids, I've found a great way to focus them is to start with a fundamentals drill - close outs, help d, hedging screens, etc - then play 3 man cut throat. During cut throat - the rules can change minute to minute to emphasize the skill they just reviewed. One point for an offensive rebound, you are off for a weak close out, must set a pick away from the ball before a shot, must cut to the basket after a pass. Instant feedback in a competitive environment really gets them focused. If the game moves rapidly enough, the kids can get back on the court to correct their mistakes very quickly. The coach running the game has to be Almighty. He he doesn't like a box out or screen, the whole team is off instantly and all three run if any whining. We finsh most practices with cut throat or a competitive 2:1 full court game. The kids love it.
Thanks for sharing your
Change the Challenge to Get Focus
Coach,
These are some great ideas. They go back to Bob Knight's concept of keeping practice moving, constantly challenging and making the players think for themselves under pressure. In reality a coach who doesn't put his players into these rapidly changing challenging envionrments can't expect his players to execute and make sound decisions when they face them in game situations. Great point you make.
Run and Jump Defense
Coach Lambert,
You ran a clinic on your old website on the Run and Jump Defense and I remember distinctly that you wrote it was not a trapping defense but a stunting or switching defense. Dean Smith writes about this defense in his book on multiple offenses and defenses. My question is are there any teams, college or pro that run this defense? If not, why? Is it a defense that is out of favor right now and may come back or is it too antiquated for this day and age?
I have tried to implement it a little bit in the last season or two with varying degrees of success. I am trying to sell it to my varsity coach to use program wide and I believe if he saw it being used at other levels I might be a little more successful in convincing him.
Any info you have will be appreciated
Thanks,
Coach Mac
Run and Jump at the Pro Level?
Coach Mac,
The basic premise of the Run and Jump is that you can get a less experienced ball handler, or player to make a poor decision when you constrain the area of the court they can pass into, the vision they have and the ability to dribble with their head up to see the open man. At the pro level the ball handlers at this level are simply too good at breaking down a pressuring defender, seeing the open man down the court or maintaining control of the ball under heavy pressure. The reason the Pro's can sometimes successfully double or trap and rotate in the half court is because the offense is working against the shot clock. Most teams at the pro level will stunt or trap in the backcourt not so much to get a steal, but rather to take 6-8 seconds off the shot clock for the attacking team in the front court. If you can get the shot clock down to 10-12 seconds the offense might only get the first or second option of a play. It's easier to stunt, trap or rotate a half court set if you know the offense has limited time to get the shot off. In the full court setting, if you "run and jump" (stunt early) the chances of getting beat down the court at the pro level are much higher than progressively lower levels of basketball like college, high school or junior high where the shot clock is less of a factor. Some Pro teams will use it, but the goal is more times than not to take time off the clock rather than a high rate of gambles to eat up the clock. The other factor for not seeing it more is that it requires a substantial amount of practice time and energy to execute over the course of a season. Teams playing in an 82 game schedule have neither and must be very judicious about what types of defenses they commit time to, and the energy required relative to the return on their investment.
In reality, I think the Run and Jump can be very effective at the Jr. High, High School and college levels but more as a surprise defense against most teams. Run it out of time outs, when a team substitutes a back up point guard, or must play a 2 guard at the point with less handles, or near the end of a quarter or half when a team is tired and less likely to make sound open court decisions.. What I like about the Run and Jump is that it is a great teacher (with practice) of the time and space a defender can cover and recover in an open court pressure defense. The more your practice it, the better all your press defenses become. Players learn with confidence they can cover a specific 15' to intercept a ball, or play the player and angle to the basket. This is a skill I believe not being taught enough on the defensive end of the basketball court today.
Skills and Drills
Coach Lambert,
I just wanted to write that I was a big fan of your old website. I found it in my first years of a coach and found it to be a great source. I particularly enjoyed the clinics and Ask the Coach sections.
To touch on the skills and drills comment you made: Because I coach a Junior Varsity team many players are often weak on fundamentals so I do try to really work fundamental skills into my practice. One drill that I have found to be beneficial is the old 3-man weave. Here is how I try to maintain focus on certain skills.
I vary the type of pass thrown: bounce pass up, chest pass back OR alternate chest, bounce, chest, bounce
I vary the # of passes allowed. Between 3 and 6
I vary the lanes (Tight- wings on the lane lines, Regular- wings one step inside 3-pt line on baseline, Wide- wings on sideline)
The team will have to make a certain # of layups (proper hand, proper foot) in a row in a given time. Ex 12 in 2 min.
I have found the team focuses on the importance of good passing and catching as well as making layups under pressure. The fewer passes allowed the harder they have to go. Rather than just use it as a warm-up now the players are warming up their bodies but also focusing on certain skills required to execute any offense we might be working on.
Focus through Competition
Caoch Mac,
Thanks for the nice comments on the OLD Highway. We're working on bringing back all the old clinics, drills and information back so we appreciate your patience modify some details to make many of the archived material work. At some point I'll ressurect more Ask the Coach questions as well. In the meantime, one of the ways you can challenge your players to focus in any drill is by making it competive. In any drill you should compete against yourself (a previous goal, e.g. 80 straight free throw makes), a clock (15 made 3 pointers in 2 minutes) or an opponent (first team to 3 offensive rebounds wins the drill). This forces players to execute with concentration or intensity just like in game situations. Too many coaches fail to watch all their practice drills and insure they include some element of competition (once the initial teaching point is made). You have made an excellent point through your personal experiences. I hope other coaches take notice. Competition also increases the joy of practice for most players. It's the GAME that fun. When drills don't include a challenge or game they become redundant, boring, and players lose focus.
Skill execution
I think one of the most common problems I have is seeing the end result and forgetting all the steps it takes to get there. For example, by the end of the season I often see by teams defensive positioning and footwork get sloppy because we have gone away away from the fundamentals and on to the system.
Obviously, you drills get shorter and/or less frequent as the season goes on but we have to make sure they are planned in to our practices.
I have found early on, if the focus of the drill is on one or at the most two specific goals, the execution is better. If we don't constantly harp on the basic fundamentals of stance, footwork and positioning than our players will reflect that. Morgan Wooten said its not what you coach its what you emphasize. As coaches we need to emphasize the execution of whatever the fundamental of the drill is not just doing the drill as quickly as possible.
Very Astute Observations
Coach Mac,
I think your observations and experience in skill execution are very astute. I see it as well as a season progresses coaches loose focus on the actual day to day reminders of the simplest skill execution and divert that energy into systems of play. The problem as you identified and backed by Morgen Wootten's approach, you only successfully attain what you emphasis. This is a critical detail for young coaches. You cannot get more complex without getting better at the basics. When the basics go south on a given week, or period of time, you have to get back to emphasizing the most basics of skill execution. The great coaches do this all the time, regardless of the complexity of their drills. They are also keen from game to game in flagging any skill areas where they see skill slippage prior to them becoming a "skill slump". Please coaches share more ideas about your skills and drills and how you maintain focus. Just a few points of emphasis or even just one in a drill is a very good place to start.
Coach Lambert