Improving your Free-Throws

Posted by Eitel in For Players | 0 comments

A lot of people concentrate on offense and defence and forget one of the most critical points of the game that often gets overlooked as actually being crucial, and that is the free throws. Free throws are one of the only parts of the game that is completely controlled by the player making the shot. No one else can interfere and no one else can influence the shot. This means that the shooter has complete control, and if that shooter hasn`t practiced those shots or has under estimated their importance; you may find that some points that your team could be racking up, will be lost.

One tip that a lot of players, and even some coaches overlook is simple repetitive practice. Doing the same shot over and over again, while your coach is watching you to help you with small pointers and potential adjustments that can up your successful shooting percentage. This method doesn`t work with every single player, but should be integrated occasionally into all training regimes to ensure that players all have minimal amounts of free throw practice.

Players also have to learn to deal with the actual mental side of the shot as well. The crowd will be cheering loudly and proudly, your teammates will be shouting encouragement, and your opponents may simply try to distract you.

Whatever the case is you have to learn to ignore all these outsides factors and concentrate solely on the shot before you. While there is no exact way to measure the physical and the mental side to each shot, there is simply the ability to state that a successful free throw shooter has mastered both aspects or learned to adapt and control them. If this means having to practice on a crowded street and learned to deal with noise and distractions, then that`s what has to be done. If it means practicing in a quiet gym, then so be it. Either way coach and player will have to work together to decide the best ways, which come on a player by player basis. No two players on a team are EVER the same. What works for one player, may not work for another.

What is important is developing a free throw routine or “ritual”. Developing this will get you into a “zone” that will help you concentrate and block out your distractions and focus on the goal at hand.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and could be as simple as kissing the ball before you shoot it, or a single dribble. Either way you need to find a way to be able to put yourself in the concentration zone that will be required to maximize your potential success and minimize the failure.

In the end, one main thing stands out and that is practice. Free throws WILL NOT improve overnight, and they certain won’t improve without work. You need to be at it day in and day out, and constantly working hard to improve. Saying you want to improve is a start, doing something about it is a whole new ball game.

Photo credit: wm chamberlain

Making Hard Decisions: Cutting Players From Your Team

Posted by Eitel in For Coaches | 0 comments

Sometimes a team can do everything in its power to become better and improve, and sometimes it will seem like nothing is working. Training will be tweaked, as will the practices themselves, they will be increased or decreased. While many changes can be attempted, they may not work and sometimes this can leave the coach in quite the bind. The coach may have to cut a player from the team for one of many different reasons. Lack of skill, along with a lack of respect, and causing distractions to the team are a few of the reasons that come to mind immediately. No coach likes to cut players from their team, but eventually they will have to.

Making the Hard Choice
While it is hard to cut players from a team, it may come down to the simple fact that they do not fit in the current system. They may be better elsewhere and they aren’t happy, and if you are currently losing you likely aren’t happy either. Although winning teams may also look towards cutting people as well if they become an issue that causes negativity for the team.

There are too many reasons to simply list them all hear, all that anyone can do when thinking about cutting a player is sit back for a few moments and ponder if the cut will actually improve your team. Sometimes players are cut and made into scapegoats. This is what a coach has to avoid doing. Coaches while accepting input from the players, and other coaches with the team, need to ensure that the reasons for the release are completely professional and do not boil down to one player not liking another player. Politics, while you cannot deny it has a presence in the game; you can deny it a presence in your decisions.

Cutting a player is the last resort. After you’ve tried to work with them, taken corrective measures, and tried everything that you can think of, cutting them may be the only option. Sometimes it may even be a temporary cut and they could be welcomed back to the team when a certain action is taken and completed. It could be a few steps required, either way it needs to be analyzed and needs to be well thought out before it is done. It is not something you can just tell a player you are thinking of doing, because that can instantly demoralize them, and can instantly cause them to act out.

They also are likely already aware that it is a potential action, and are likely already trying to remedy it. Sometimes simple reminders in practice that roster spots are not guaranteed and only go to those that work and perform to their highest potentials and that give it their all game in and game out, will remain on the roster. Sometimes this simple and small speech worked in properly will jolt people to make the required improvements themselves, or seek out the help they need, or even remove themselves if it is realized it just isn’t working out.

Photo credit: uriba

Which Basic Skills are required to play Basketball?

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

There are very few skills that are required to play. A majority of the skills that basketball players possess are developed through training and exercise, and happen over time. No player is an instant star and can shoot free throws and 3 pointers perfectly every single time. These skills are developed with practice and patience and aren’t forced.

One of the most essential and required skills is the ability to work well with others. Team work is absolutely essential if you are to succeed and win in basketball. A dysfunctional team can lead to many problems, the biggest of which is no one will be having fun.

While fun to some people isn’t necessary, even people that like to win, have fun, and without that fun and love of the game, people wouldn’t be playing. If you cannot work well with others or do not enjoy working with others, then you shouldn’t be playing a team sport period.

Self Improvement is another important and key skill in basketball. No matter how good you are, you must be willing to improve and work at something. The best basketball players in the world still work out, still run drills, and still find ways to improve themselves.

You need to not only practice what you are taught by coaches and other players, but you need to seek other sources of improvement as well. Watching other players from leagues like the NBA and WNBA will show you what you can aspire to be, and what you can achieve with hard work. Being an athlete is only hard if you let it be. If you get yourself in a proper daily routine, and eat properly, you will find that you will develop the discipline required to be a basketball player. Discipline is something you need to enforce upon yourself, while coaches can teach you the basics, and you can read about it, you need to practice discipline in every aspect of your life.

Another essential aspect of basketball is a personalized warm up routine. This warm up routine should incorporate aspects of your team warm ups, but also aspects of drills that assist you in developing some of your weak points, while accenting some of your stronger points. These drills also need to be progressive in nature and need to evolve as your skills increase so that they keep up with you as a player and don’t fall behind.

Communication falls under the above mentioned teamwork, but also deserves a complete section of its own. You need to let your team mates know on the fly what you’re doing, or where you’re going. Communication is essential on and off the court. Coaches rely on it for feedback, and to sort out any issues and deal with them.

These above items are some of the very basic needs when going into basketball, some of the skills are specific to basketball, and some of them are just general life skills. When the above are present they form today’s basketball player.

Photo credit: _Shward_

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.

Photo credit: Tulane Public Relations