Setting Goals and Milestones with Your Team

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches | 1 comment

A team that has its sights on a solid objective is bound to work hard to achieve that objective. This objective is also known as a goal. A milestone on the other hand is basically like a timetable of the project life. For example, if you set ‘reaching the state finals’ as your goal, one of your milestones would be ‘ranked top five by the first quarter of the season’.

Goals and milestones complement each other like bread and butter. Having one without the other will render one ineffective. A goal acts as a source of inspiration and a sense of objective that is shared by the whole team. Each and every member will have an idea of what needs to be done in order to achieve that goal.

The milestone on the other hand comes in handy as a check and balance system towards achieving the goal that was set. As mentioned earlier, milestones are set points along your project lifespan to achieve certain smaller objectives. Therefore, if the team is unable to achieve a certain point as scheduled, it is indicative that something needs to be done to resolve the lag.

When setting goals and milestones, it is important that you set them ‘with’ your team rather than ‘for’ your team. By including every team member in this process, a sense of ownership towards the goals will be developed. This will later be reflected in their sheer commitment towards achieving all the milestones. Also, having clear goals will avoid misunderstandings between your players and your support staff with yourself.

Goals should be set so that they are realistic and achievable. This is important to give the goal a sense of credibility to it. Although it’s not wrong to dream of big goals, just be sure that those goals are realistic. By having realistic goals, you and your team can work together progressively towards achieving them.

In addition to this, the goals and milestones that you set with your team must be specific, measurable and time related. Specific simply means that what needs to be achieved and when it needs to be achieved are mentioned explicitly. For example ‘everyone must be able to sprint below 10 seconds before 31st January’ is a specific goal that can be followed. This goal is also time related and measurable.

To make sure that everyone chips in their ideas towards setting up the goals for the team, talk to them beforehand about this. Tell them about the importance of goals and how they can help the team. After that, ask them to go home and put serious thought into it.

When you see them during the next practice session, take up some time after or before practice to discuss on the goals. Try to get the team to agree on certain goals. Once this is completed remind everyone of their commitment towards the goals.

The good thing about having these goals is that you will be able to use them as a source of motivation for your team. Always remind them of what the team as a whole wants to achieve and how the team agreed to work towards achieving them.

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Finding your perfect Team as Player

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

When trying to commit yourself to the sport of basketball, it is very important that you have strong support to encourage you all the way. Although family and friends might be able to push you forward every once in a while, there is nothing better than a perfect team that will constantly encourage you to perform your best and continuously improve yourself.

Basketball teams are formed on many levels – there are teams formed in schools, community, colleges and even professional teams. Of course, by the time you put in serious thought into finding a perfect team, you would have already known which level is the one that is most suited for you.

Before we continue further to discuss on ways that you can find a perfect team as a player, it is rather wise for us to discuss on the meaning of a perfect team. The word perfect itself is very ambiguous and subjective. Different people have different understandings and perceptions for this word. Thus, before you even think of finding a perfect team for yourself as a player, the key thing that you must cover first is your definition of ‘perfect’.

You should seriously ponder what a perfect team means to you. What comes into your mind when you think of a perfect team? Some people think of a team full of smiling faces and laughter all day long. Others think of a perfect team as a team that can nurture their development and are supportive to them. Some think of a perfect team as a team that can pay them a huge amount of money.

So, what is your definition of a perfect team?
Just be sure that you make these definitions according to your suitable level.

The first step to take in finding a perfect team as a player is to first learn about the various teams around. Once you have found a few teams that you are interested to play with, attend their games and practices. This will enable you to learn much more of their team culture and attitude.

When finding a perfect team, it is very important that you learn about their team culture and attitude. These two basically make up the definition of perfect. Some teams inculcate a culture that supports, develops and nourishes their players to become the best that they can be. Some teams on the other hand are only motivated by money and wins. This can be very stressful if you do not have this kind of mentality. Thus, understanding this is of utmost importance.

Once you have a firm understanding of these two basic things, you should try to talk to the coach or the team manager about the prospects for you to join them. When doing so, you should explain to them why you want to join them and why do you think you are suited to join them.

Besides that, teams usually hold tryouts before the season begins. During this time, the coach will usually talk about the team’s goals, visions, missions and objectives. This would be a great time for you to ask questions that might help you to decide whether or not the team is perfect for you.

Whatever it is, you must ensure that the team whom you are going to play with will be able to fulfil your mental, technical and tactical needs.

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Speaking to Referees in a Constructive Way

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches, For Parents, For Players | 0 comments

Referees play a very important task on the court. They ensure the smooth running of the game by keeping the behaviour and conduct of the players in check. Besides this, they also regulate the game to ensure that all the rules are followed. Referees are trained to follow and observe the game and develop a mental model of it as the game develops. They have to be aware of the attitude and aggressiveness of the players, the fans and the coach. The ability to understand and act based on these situations is imperative towards being a good referee. Although a referee is important to the game, they are hardly noticed. In fact, a good referee is one that people focus less on. The referee must know how to ensure that the game flows as smooth as possible. Thus, the attention should be more on the players rather than the referee.

However, sometimes referees make mistakes as well. There are times when we as coaches view referees as being inconsistent and even unfair. Of course, in these situations, we will feel like talking to the referee. Sometimes, coaches lose their temper and get really aggressive towards the referee. This kind of conduct is not only unsportsmanlike but will also put your team in a bad situation. Therefore, communicating with referees in a constructive way is a must. This is not only good for your side alone; in fact, communicating to the referee in a constructive manner is beneficial towards the flow of the game as a whole.

Sometimes, incidents such as fouls are viewed from different perspectives and angles. Therefore, there are times when we believe that the referee made a bad call. Also, if you believe that the referee is not making calls when he should, chances are that he didn’t even see it in the first place. A constructive way of assisting letting him know of this is by telling him about the incident yourself. Sometimes, referees pay less attention to complaints from the players on the court. Thus, if you could, try and approach the referee in the most polite way that you can. Besides this, you could also approach the assistant referee to address this issue.

There can also be times when you would have to face a really bad referee. In this situation, the golden rule that you must hold on to is never to argue with this kind of referee. Doing this might just cause you to get expelled from the bench for dissent. In addition to this, when you constantly argue with the referee and nag him, he might just become even more of a nightmare.

However, it doesn’t mean that you cannot talk to them. No matter how bad the referee is, always try to approach him politely. For example, if the referee made a bad call, instead of going at him with criticism, ask politely for clarification. This approach will cause the referee to reflect on his decision without you directly criticizing them.

If you believe that there is something awfully wrong with the way a referee presides over your game, you can’t really do much about it during the game. In fact, some team have suffered shocking losses because of bad refereeing. The best thing that you can do next is to submit a formal complaint to the governing body of the league or tournament that your team plays in. This will ensure that the referee gets the message and that the quality of his refereeing will improve.

In all, it is very important that you have to approach the referees in a constructive way. Doing this will improve the flow and fairness of the match as whole. However, doing the opposite might just be bad for your team and will cause more disruptions in the game.

[info_box]Picture credit: DeusXFlorida • Creative Commons Attribution[/info_box]

Dealing with other Coaches and Players

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches, For Parents, For Players | 0 comments

Coaching a basketball team is a very complicated task. The job as a coach demands a lot out of an individual. A head coach would have to successfully deal with the other coaches in the team and also the players. All these individuals will have different personalities, socio-economic backgrounds and also behavioural attributes. Therefore, to successfully deal with each one of them, a coach must possess a few qualities that distinguish a successful coach from a bad one.

Good coaches usually have different game plans, different styles and different approaches to training. However the things that they have in common are the key attributes that make them good. These attributes are indispensible towards successfully dealing with other coaches and players. Besides being intelligent and being able to spot problems in the team before it spirals even more, coaches need to be equipped with attributes such as humility, respect, trust and optimism.

Humility is very essential to get the team to want to work with you as a coach. You must bear in mind the fact that you alone cannot ensure the success of the team and also your career. As head coach, you must acknowledge the roles that are played by the other coaches as well. In fact, if these coaches decided to stop working one day, you would definitely be in a lot of trouble. Therefore, you should be humble enough to ask them for their opinion and also accept their ideas. Instead of forcing them to implement your ideas, you should try to discuss with them why you believe your idea is better.

You should also be humble with your players. Never try to belittle them because of their weaknesses. Instead, always encourage and support them to continuously improve to become better players.

In addition to this, having a sense of mutual respect with the other coaches and the players is very important. Mutual respect goes a very long way towards ensuring a teams’ success. When the coach successfully instils mutual respect within the team, unity and understanding within the team will flourish. The simple rule to achieve mutual respect with other coaches and players is to be humble, polite and above all, walk the talk. Also, a coach must, at all costs avoid favouritism.

A coach is essentially a leader. A leader is only able to lead his men if and only if his men trust him to lead them. The moment a leader breaks his word, players will immediately lose trust in him. Losing the trust of the team is equivalent as loosing the whole team. Therefore, it is very important that the head coach deals with other coaches and players in a trustworthy way.

Next, a coach must at all times be optimistic about his team. The head coach is basically the focal point of the team. During times of despair, the team looks at the coach for inspiration. The optimism of the coach will somewhat pass on to the other coaches and players in the team. However, if the head coach is a pessimist, this negative attitude will pass on to the other coaches and players as well.

These three attributes are very essential to ensure that a team is run smoothly and at its best. A coach who neglects these attributes will most probably have problems in dealing with other coaches and players.

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How to start playing Basketball

Posted by Eitel in For Parents, For Players | Comments Off

The wonderful thing about basketball is the fact that it can be shared and enjoyed by players on a wide range of skills level. It is a very simple game that can be understood immediately by just watching people play. Essentially, basketball can be made into a really simple game or it can be made into an extremely complicated game – you decide.

Its simplicity and beauty is one of the main reasons why it has become one of the most popular sports in the world. By learning three basic skills, one can begin to start playing the game – ‘hooping it’ is how they say it in basketball lingo.

The most basic skill that you need to master is dribbling the ball. Of course, you don’t need to dribble like a professional just yet. As long as you can do the basics, you would be able to play basketball as a beginner. Now, you might be wondering what in the world does dribbling mean.
Well, to put it simple, dribbling is basically walking or running with the ball.

You begin by bouncing the ball while standing still. Make sure that you do this back and forth between your two hands. Once you’ve got a hang of this, try walking while bouncing the ball on your side or in front of you. When you become comfortable with this, try to run with the ball. The key to this is practice, practice and more practice.

Next, you should proceed to learn correct passing techniques. Basketball is a team sport; therefore, you don’t want to keep the ball to yourself. If you play this way, you wouldn’t be making many friends on the court. Pass training is easier to do with a partner.

There are basically two common passing methods. These are the chest pass and the bounce pass. In chest pass, you position the ball at your chest level and aim to pass to your partners’ chest. Bounce pass on the other hand utilizes the bounce of the ball on the court. This is a great way to evade defenders and create some open spaces.

The third essential skill is shooting. You wouldn’t be having much fun on the court if you can’t shoot a basket. Shooting the basket becomes almost natural once you’ve mastered the form. Basically, when shooting, you should use both hands. Whereby, one hand acts as the shooting hand while the other acts as the guiding or support hand. The support hand should extend above the head and cup the ball. When shooting, extend your arm and flick the ball with your wrist. Remember; use your wrist and not your arm. It takes constant practice to be good at shooting the basket.

If you are really serious about basketball, you should learn more about the rules of the game. This can be done in many ways such as watching matches, reading books or just asking around. These days, it’s real easy to get information on any subject that you wish to.

Now that you’ve learnt about the basic skills that need to be covered, you are well prepared to start playing basketball. If you don’t succeed when you first start, don’t give up. After all, it takes practice to reach perfection. That’s how they coined the term ‘practice makes perfect’ anyways.

Let me know: What made you start playing basketball?

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