My philosophy on practice is based on four principles:

1. Structure: A successful basketball 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 [tag]strong fundamentals[/tag] 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 forms 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.  The Game Prep drills will always focus on the skills that were developed in the practice.

2. Variety: The beauty of this website is that it instantly provides the variety of drills that is so difficult to plan for.  Players can become easily bored with the same drills being repeated practice after practice.  This book does all the thinking for you.

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.  My website contains a number of fun drills that will keep your team showing up to practice with a smile on their faces. “  Remember, healthy competition is also a source of fun.  Push your team to compete hard to win at every drill.

[tag] basketball coaching philosophy, basketball philosophy, basketball, coaching strategy, practice strategy [/tag]