I wanted to pass along some advice on Planning
Practices. I wrote a whole ebook on techniques in
[tag]Basketball Practice Planning[/tag]… so I’ve kind of got
it down to an art form…
My philosophy on Practice Planning is based on 4
ingredients:
1. Structure: A successful [tag]basketball[/tag] practice
has to be well-organized, following a clear set of
objectives from start to finish. My practices will
always follow a simple formula:
a) Warm-up: Effective warm-ups allow the players
to become mentally and physically focused to begin the
practice.
Properly warming up the muscles and ligaments
of the body is also essential for avoiding injury.
b) Fundamentals & Defense: Michael Jordan once
said “I don’t need to play with superstars.”
“Just put me on the court with five guys who
have strong fundamentals and can play defense,
and I guarantee you we’ll be a winning team.”“
While I doubt you have any budding MJ’s on your squad,
this principle is the basis for the core part of my
practices.
Equip your players with the basics in ballhandling,
shooting, passing, rebounding, and defense, and you
can guarantee an increase in your winning percentage.
c) Game Preparation:“ I believe firmly in coaching
simplicity. For the vast majority of teams at the high
school level and below, all that is necessary is a handful
of set plays.
The key is executing these plays with precision, and
understanding how to react to the defense.
2. Variety: Players can become easily bored with the same drills
being repeated practice after practice. You MUST
continually introduce new drills to keep them interested.
3. Competition: Encourage an atmosphere of hard competition to
simulate a game-like level of play.
Do this by rewarding hard play (i.e. Hustling for loose balls,
taking the charge) with positive feedback, and punishing
poor play (i.e. missed layups; poor foul shooting,
poor concentration in drills).
4. Fun: Don’t take yourself too seriously. If the players
aren’t having fun, they’ll lose interest and motivation very
quickly.
Remember, healthy competition is also a source of
fun. Push your team to compete hard to win at every drill.
Inside the ebook, I put together 25 pre-designed practice
plans that make sure you get Structure, Variety, Competition,
and Fun with every single practice.
You can learn more here:
http://www.basketballpracticeplan.com/ar.html
Talk soon,
Coach Pat
“