Physical vs Mental

Still no news on coaching.
I went to watch the provincial u17 girls team work out today and while they were amazing to watch I couldn't help to think how similar they are to the rest of the basketball players who play the game.

During one stretch near the middle of practice they were required to make 8 out of 12 shots as a team and yet they were unable to do so. So naturally the punishment was running and then do it again. This happened three times until the team finally made 11 out of 12 shots. A little later in practice they tried again but once again they were unsuccessful.

The coaches kep stressing the importance of keeping thier routine and not changing anything but watching the girls you could tell they were rushing the shots.

It was not a matter of themn being unable to physically doing it but more a matter of focus, focus , focus and more focus. There comes a time when your mental game has to be just as strong or perhaps even stronger than your physical game.

Shooting fouls shots for the elite player has to become a mental exercise and once they can realize that they will taking a step closer to being a complete player.

Style of Coaching Preference

Teaching vs. Adjusting

I was watching my eldest tryout for a team that gets to travel to the states for a weekend and found myself asking myself, “What is better coaching to teach or coaching to adjust?”

Allow me to explain , as I was witnessing these 17 year old girls doing basic dribbling drills I was amazed that some of them were still unable to perform some fundamental two ball dribbles that I have my 9 year olds completing I began to think that one of the wonders of coaching is being able to make each player better in some way throughout the year.
It also reminded me how much I miss coaching, well that is a whole other subject.

But you see , when I coach beginners I tend to focus on teaching the fundamentals of the game while with the elite team I am applying for it is more a matter of making minor when adjustments to their game and more focus on game strategies. I am wondering if I will miss the teaching aspect of the game …..

I guess only time will tell .

Greatest coach

11 NBA Championships for Phil Jackson !!!

Can we now close the debate as to who the greatest professional coach?

He is one of the coaches I look at when I try to model myself. Especially when dealing with a group of elite athletes and his ability to recognize and utilize his players full potential.

What does a team player look like ?

Sitting here watching “The Heart of the Game” , the movie about Darnellia Russell and so many things run through my mind from how great the game of basketball is to the impact it can have on people’s lives but one scene always seems to resonate with me.


The team is up by two in the championship game for the state championship and the other team is on the foul line. They miss the first shot and then call a timeout. Everyone in the gym knows that the team plans to miss on purpose then get the rebound. Coach decides to put some height in the game to prevent them from getting the rebound and preserving the lead. At that point a young girl named Maggie says “ put her in for me , I am short “. Now that is what I call teamwork and doing what is best for the team.

Losing one of the Great Ones

During UCLA's run through the 2006 NCAA basketball tournament to a championship game loss to Florida, Bruins coach Ben Howland frequently honored the legacy of former coach John Wooden.


"He was a better person than a basketball coach," Howland said more than once.

Considering that Wooden was arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game, it was quite a statement.

And, perhaps, no exaggeration.

Wooden died Friday night of natural causes at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to the university. He was 99.

Coaching ......does it make an impact ?

I was watching the ultimate fighter series last night and was quite surprised at the reaction of grown men to something that you would think only young people would be affected by. These grown men who train to beat other people up were genuinely upset that their coach was fired from the series. Not only were they upset by the dismissal of coach Tito they also seemed saddened when he didn’t say goodbye to them. Now he did eventually come back to say bye to the guys but watching them get emotional over someone they have only know for five weeks was quite the experience.

I have known from a firsthand perspective how much influence adults have as coaches as sometimes we are put in the same category as teachers, which I like to think is a key role of any coach, to teach. I have witnessed firsthand where coaches can manage to get young children to do simple things like even putting on their coats before they go outside when they have been told by their parents to do the exact same thing but the child for some reason listens to the coach before the parent. I am not saying this is right but rather as a coach it is important to realize the dramatic impact we can have on our player both good and bad.

I try not to take myself too seriously but I do take the role of coaching very seriously.

The Free Throw ... Is it really Free ?

There are only mere seconds remaining in the game. The score is tied or worse there is only a 2 point differential and your shots will determine if the team wins or loses. The crowd is silent; no one is in front of you. It is just you, the basketball and the net! Every eye in the building is watching you, not their child or favorite player BUT only you and waiting to see what happens. You dribble the ball, you spin it backwards, you look to the net and you shot. As the ball is in the air all eyes are watching its path and you are hoping that all your practice has paid off.


THE FOUL SHOT !!!!

Commonly known as the Free Throw, it is far from free as even though you have no one guarding you the pressure can be intense . I like to refer to it as the hardest shot in the game. In the pros you have the fans from the other team doing everything they can to distract you but in the youth leagues you can hear a pin drop. Talk about pressure, knowing that everyone is waiting for you to either make the shot or in some cases miss the shot.

Now some can handle the pressure and that is what makes the difference in a game. I have seen youngsters at the age of 9 years old hit nothing but net with 1.2 seconds in a tie game and that is a sign of what you call a player. Of course there is the likes of Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics who can be depended upon to hit both shots in a crucial playoff game but even when he is shooting you can still feel the tension even watching on television.

So next time you see a player go to take a foul shot do not think about how lucky they are to have no one guarding them but rather watch to see how they handle the pressure.