Preparing for the next Basketball Season

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

In one week time from now, schools are closing for the summer holidays here in Germany. This will be same time when the gyms are closing and the practices will stop for the next couple of weeks. It’s this time of the year where coaches and players alike take a short break and find time to rest their bodies and minds.

As coach I always feel relieved when this time of season comes. It gives me time to think about the past 7 or 8 months. What went well, what needs improvement? How can I organise myself better and how can I improve things within my organisation?

Preparing for your Opponent

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

Being in a basketball team, it will only be a matter of time before you face an opponent on the court. By learning how to prepare for your opponent you will perform better on the court and increase your team’s chances of victory. There is a lot that you can do to get ready and practicing your skills and strategy is an important part of the process. This is because having confidence in your skills and abilities can really give you a mental edge over anyone facing you.

It also means that if you improve your ball handling skills you will be able to move in unexpected and difficult to anticipate ways and directions. If your opponent cannot tell where you will move next, you will be able to fool them and get past their defense in order to close on their basket much more easily. Getting into the zone around their basket and finding ways to keep the game play in that area means that you have more opportunity to score on their basket and prevent the ball from getting close to your own net where it may be able to cause problems for you and your team.

Things to consider when taking over a Basketball Program

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches | 0 comments

As coaches there are big things you envision for the basketball program that you are headed to take over. Although the process is not easy and involves a lot of patience, understanding and cool, the positive events that unfold are always gratifying. Some of the best coaches have said that »Success lies in its simplicity; it is a process and not an event.« Although as coaches we might want a quick fix to every issue that crops up either with players or their games and attitudes, the key here lies in analyzing the situation at first and then organizing a strategy that works for you as well as your team. Being a coach is all about being a leader and the approach when taking over a program is the same as in business.

Corporations, Business and Basketball

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches | 0 comments

Basketball has many different playing levels and different styles of leagues all around. From the professional competitive leagues, to recreational leagues, and even youth, it all comes down to money in the end. You need money to travel, to afford equipment, and to do a wide array of other tasks that aren’t listed here. Most of the time the fund raising efforts depending on the level of play are handled by the team, or specific staff members that work for them team, but often one aspect that is left completely out of the loop are corporations and businesses that make donations.

Donations of any sort are an absolute essential part of any sports team. You require money to cover your costs, weather you are a professional team paying your players a salary, or a recreational team just looking to cover equipment and other costs. Without a certain amount of money coming into your team, you would quickly find yourself in a hole that could cause your team’s performance to drop, or even cause your team to not exist.

When you approach a business or corporation for money, it is ALWAYS best to have a proper plan laid out for how much money you need to take care of your costs, and show how you would spend any money’s that were given to you. Without the plan, and without a proper presentation, you will likely strike out in your attempts to gain funds. Many teams, charities, and other groups are looking to seize the funding that is out there for grabs, so if you come to the table unprepared, you will be setting yourself up for nothing but rejection and negative images. If it is your first time fundraising for a team, just think of what it is that would have you giving money to an organization if you were approached. Would you give money to someone who walked up simply with their hand held out, or would you give to the people that explained why they need the money, and how they plan on using the money.

With the current costs of operating a team at all levels of sport sky rocketing, you cannot rely on the old fundraising techniques. While you previously may have been able to rely solely on the donations from the private sector, you may now have to seek places willing to sponsor your team to provide you with the money.

While some people will shy away from trying to get corporate dollars, and don’t want to look like they are begging, businesses and corporations are frequently willing to sponsor teams and players of all skill levels and play levels. If you offer them some advertising in return for their investment you will even be able to form long term relationships that will go that extra step in ensuring that your team will be financially stable for years to come.

Not every team has to fund raise, some have owners or coaches that are able to afford the daily fees out of pocket, but for those that need to get outside sources of funding, don’t count businesses and corporations out of your equation, they can play a big role!

Photo credit: pittaya

Essential Items in your Sports Bag

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

Your equipment bag is one of your most important tools for on and off the court. It contains any essentials that you need for your practice, along with anything you may need for situations that may arise throughout the practice.

Ensuring that your equipment bag is fully stocked is one thing that some players overlook and underestimate the importance of. While ensuring that your equipment bag has the essentials, you also have to ensure that is all it contains, and that valuables and other items are left behind if they aren’t necessary.

While most teams provide their team with water or refreshment of some sort, it is always in a player’s best interest to ensure that they have a bottle of water or Gatorade with them in the practice bag, on a just in case basis. This ensures that the player has their own source of refreshment and that is essential to the practice.

Another highly important item is the equipment itself. You should have your basketball sneakers in the bag, along with a practice jersey, pair of shorts, and any protective equipment that you may require. This could be eye, knee pads, elbow pads, etc.

You may also want to carry some base items like Tylenol. Some players get headaches or minor pains, and while some condemn the carrying of Tylenol, it seems a bit silly to let a headache or minor pain derail your practice or downgrade it’s quality. Being prepared in all aspects includes thinking of the things that you will rarely use, but are prepared for just in case. Just ensure that you adhere to the guidelines on any medications that you will potentially consume, and ensure that if it is prescription based or you have any prescriptions, that you review the use of Tylenol or other medicines with your family doctor before you take them.

Fresh change of clothes will also be a welcome addition to your equipment bag. No one wants to go home after practice, smelling like practice. It doesn’t have to be your Sunday finest, just a t-shirt, pair of jogging pants, socks, and shoes would suffice.

Some minor toiletries are also a good idea. Shampoo, deodorant, and a little body spray, are the minimums that you will need. While they seem like unimportant things that don’t really matter, in the end they will go a long way.

While some of these things may seem trivial and unnecessary, they go a long ways in ensuring that you have the most productive and pleasurable experience. These items are the bare essentials and while there are many other items that could be included, they would do nothing but clutter up your bag unnecessarily. In the end just ensuring that you have the above items will send a message to coach and team that you are ready, willing, and able to do your part in the practice. That will go far in showing the type of person, and player that you are!

[info_box]Picture credit: Mat Honan • Creative Commons Attribution[/info_box]