BasketBall Information

Coaching Basketball Is Not Always Fun And Games
I wound up volunteering to coach basketball, a game I new nearly nothing about. Shortly after I wound up with the job, a parent approached me and asked what sort of coaching style I was going to use. After I managed to clear up the blank look on my face and stammer out some lame answer, I drove quickly to the privacy of my own home to avoid any more questions, and thus, not let my inexperience be known, for I knew after that question that I was in way over my head.

At the time I was probably more suited to coach football, but basketball was what I was dealt. A buddy of mine who had played basketball in high school told me that his coach had used a hands-on coaching style. The coach played with the athletes, showing them the different techniques to use, and what situation to use them in, etc…However, he also pointed out that coaching basketball is more than just playing basketball with the kids like his coach did, but coaching is also about teaching fundamental skills that the players will use for life, as well as team work.

Feeling even more hopeless and confused after this conversation I set out to do heavy research on the topic of coaching basketball. I immediately realized that a large list of references existed to help me, which gave me a great feeling of relief. I had never thought of such concepts as team play, sportsmanship and sharing in regards to coaching sports before, but from my reading I began to get familiar with the topics and ideas. I quickly learned that basketball was about more than just putting a ball through a hoop.

As part of my research I began reading articles that focused on building skills and confidence level in young athletes while coaching. I did my best to absorb everything, but still felt that I might be a little out of my element coaching a basketball team. I had to constantly reassure myself that I could do it. The whole experience ultimately taught me that before you can coach other people you must be able to coach yourself, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

I’ve been coaching for six weeks now. I feel I’ve done a fair job of helping my players build skills and confidence levels they can use on the court and in the real world. This experience has taught me much about myself and about coaching. In regards to coaching, I have learned that it is not all fun and games, but a huge responsibility; however, I think I’ve prepared myself for the challenge. After all, my team is 5 and 1.

While coaching a team might seem a very attractive job to many a sports fan, it is not easy. I only coach at the Junior High level and it’s exhausting and stressful. I can’t imagine what it is like at the professional level, and I don’t want to. If you are interested in being a coach, make sure and give it some serious thought.

Basketball: Teaching Individual Defense, Part I
By Ronn
“More than anything else, playing inspired defense
is a matter of will.” Phil Jackson

We have to get the ball in order to play with the ball! Defense gets the ball! Period!

If both teams are equal and every player handles the ball equally, how much time will each player have with the ball? In This example, defense is fifty per cent of the game. Well, then that means half of the game is spent without the ball, trying to stop the other team from scoring and getting the ball so your team can score.

Defense is too important to just hope that players will get it. The coaches must teach it.

Not too far into my coaching career, I became acutely aware of the importance of teaching defense. Early on, I had been just setting up defenses and walking players through their positions and assignments. I realized that just telling the players to play defense wasn’t getting the job done. I learned “what” and “how” and then I began to teach every component, from the placement of the feet and the stance, how to react, how to play on the ball and off the ball, against cutters, in the post, etc., etc. We were rewarded with better play and I became a fully dedicated advocate of teaching defense.

Defense is so integral to the overall success of a program it cannot be afforded a cursory inspection, like I was doing in the first few years. Once we teaching-coaches know the “how”, it can then be taught easily enough, then drilled to perfection the same way we develop offenses-over and over and over, until it becomes UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE!

In my more than forty years of coaching, I have come to the following realizations about defense:
1. There is often a lot of generalization rather than specific teaching being done;
2. Many coaches believe zone defense is easier to teach than man defense;
(Defensive skills are easier to teach than offensive skills.)
3. Creating a good defensive player is infinitely easier than creating a good offensive player;
4. A team can play good defense and win even when the offense is having an off game;
5. Defense has always created most of my offense.

Throughout my career, at all levels of coaching, from the playgrounds in the beginning, to national teams, we won nearly three out of every four games we played. I had some high scoring teams, and on only few occasions was I blessed to have any superior offensive players. My highest scoring teams were my best defensive teams.

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