Assistant Coaches and why they are important

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches | 0 comments

Assistant coaches are vital to any sporting organization. Head coaches tend to choose their assistant coaches wisely. The importance of assistant coaches varies by individual teams however; there are some must-have traits which assistant coaches must contain.

Loyalty
Loyalty must be displayed not only to the head coach of the team but to the players and educational institution. The head coach and assistant coach do not have to be “buddies” however; they must reflect one another in making their team a winning team.

Guarding a taller Player

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

Guarding a taller player is not always an easy task. This is typically not something most basketball players enjoy doing. Sometimes the team has players who have fouled out or simply no one tall enough to handle those tall players on the boards or anywhere else on the court.

I was once ordered to guard a taller player and as I stood there in disbelief with the full knowledge that I could not competently take on the taller player, my coach informed me that when we were in under the boards, to step on the taller players pivot foot. Is this ethical? No, it is not which is why I want to share some tips for short people guarding taller players.

Habits of Early Specialization in Children

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

As coaches, it is all too easy to look to the things that the players of our teams need to possess. As parents, it’s easy to persuade a child that has mad skills to do better at the game they play because they could go far. Yet, if we are not careful, we could put too much pressure on a child.

A child should be a child. Games that they play should be fun. We as adults need to put our focus more on teaching them how to work as a team than picking out the next Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and other athletes who our young players want to be just like.

Guarding a quicker Player

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

The game of basketball is full of mismatches not only in the player’s height, but also in the physical attributes of the players. Every basketball team boosts of a couple of players who are quick on their feet and quick to pass the ball around. There are also tall players who are aggressive, and strong however cannot be termed as quick as the shorter players. It is therefore imperative to take care of this aspect of the game, since quick feet and quick passes can change the entire course of the game.

The answer is having a good defense strategy that can stop quick players. It also maintains the consistency of the team and keeps your team included in an interesting game. With a great defense team you will not only learn how to tackle a quick player but you will also help your team win the game.

Improving your Skills on your own

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

One thing that players occasionally forget is that improvement doesn’t stop once a practice or a game is over. Players need to maximize the time they spend working on their own time to improve their game. There is a lot of wasted time when players don’t work when the coach isn’t around.

There are many things that players can do on their own time, by themselves that will go a long way in assisting them in becoming the better players that they wish to become. Players need to take the initiative and take the drills, and suggestions that a coach makes during practice and games, and put them into play when they are alone. This allows the player on their own to figure things out, or allows them to see a different view of things that they otherwise would miss because they are busy with team activities.

While some people don’t learn the best on their own, it doesn’t hurt to get some alone time a few times a week, just to allow yourself to clear your mind, and to get out any potential pre-game day jitters. The alone time allows a player to sort out their head, and while some people think that it’s unnecessary, if a player goes into a game with doubts and fears that haven’t been addressed, they can wreck havoc and become more of a factor than they should be.

Mental preparation is something that needs to be factored into game preparation, and this preparation varies from player to player. Some players get themselves going by listening to music, some by doing some exercises, yoga, or even just simple meditation. Whatever works for them, may not work for you and is why you simply have to attempt to find out what works for you through the trial and error method. If you have something that calms you down and mellows you out in other aspects of your life, try to apply it to basketball.

Improving your game is simply finding a balance that works for you between the mental and physical aspects of the game. Working too hard on one or the other can cause you to throw one out of balance, and when one is out of balance, you will find your game completely out of whack. If you’ve tried some exercises to improve various aspects of your game and things just aren’t working, sit down with your coach. Don’t just assume that you are a failure; a coach is there to help you. They will help where they can, and sometimes just a quick brainstorming can go a long way when you have another head in the situation coming up with potential solutions.

There is never a short cut to becoming a great basketball player. It takes years of hard work and dedication to become good at the sport. You have to avoid all of these schemes and methods that guarantee you become a NBA calibre player over night and use the one thing that will ensure you will be the best that you can be, and that’s dedication!

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