Skill Development

Basketball on the Edge – Player Development (Playing Through Mistakes)

Player Development. We hear that term thrown around by trainers, coaches, and parents. Everyone seems to agree that player development is a good thing, but what is it exactly?

My definition of player development is, “Teaching or coaching that helps a player perform better in games and become a better person on and off the court.”

We’ll be looking at some key aspects of player development over the next several posts. Here’s the first one.

1. Players must be allowed to play through mistakes.

Watch a few high school games and you’ll see coaches pulling players from the game after a mistake. Typically the players that get a quick hook are bench players who have not yet earned the coach’s trust. As a result, these players are often looking over their shoulder at the coach, afraid to try and do anything fearing they will be subbed out. Conversely, the starters on the team are often given much more freedom to make mistakes and recover from them without being taken out of the game. Who is more likely to make a positive play to help their team? The player knowing that one mistake will send him to the bench or the one playing loose knowing that he or she will be able to play through a missed shot or a turnover?

A shot becomes much more pressurized if a player knows they are coming out if they miss. A player with more leeway can shoot with confidence knowing that a miss won’t send them to the bench. Trying to be perfect often leads to trying too hard to avoid mistakes. This mindset typically leads to more mistakes rather than less. This is the classic “playing not to lose” scenario. When we try not to do anything bad, nothing good happens and we end up with a bad result!

Players need to develop their decision making skills. Basketball is a complex game with literally thousands of decisions to be made over the course of a game. Practice is a time to help players improve their decision making. Coaches should give players more opportunities to participate in drills with a live defense and then let players go through the drill without constant interruption and correction. This allows players to think for themselves, learn from mistakes, and make better decisions in the future.

To help the skill development of young players, coaches need to give them confidence. Let young players know that it’s ok to make mistakes, and in fact mistakes are expected. The key is to learn from the mistakes and don’t turn one mistake into a second one by pouting or not hustling back on defense.

By allowing players to play through mistakes coaches give their players confidence and improve their decision making skills.

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Basketball on the Edge – A Hidden Key to In-Season Improvement

Improving yourself during the season is always a challenge. Most coaches spend the majority of their practice time working on “team” drills as opposed to drills that offer players an opportunity for individual improvement. There aren’t a ton of opportunities to get reps, take a ton of shots, or really work long and hard on your individual skills during a team practice. So what can you do? What do you work on that can lead to improved performance? How do you get better during the season and help your team in the process?

I believe a hidden key to in-season improvement that most players don’t recognize is the ability to look in the mirror. A mirror reflects back the image that is in front of it. When you look in a mirror you see yourself. During your basketball season it is important to look in the mirror and think about what you are seeing. Many players have a tendency to look out through a window at what others are doing. They look at their teammates, their coaches, the referees, or their opponents and place blame or responsibility on one of those external groups rather looking internally for ways they can improve. Blaming the coach or a teammate for a loss or poor performance is never beneficial. Great players know that they must look for solutions within themselves.

After each practice, workout, or game you should be looking critically at what happened and ask yourself, “What could I have done better or differently to produce a different outcome?” Do this shortly after the event so that the details are still sharp in your mind. If you are an older player you may have access to game film that can help you with this process. Go through your performance and think of one or two aspects of the game where you could have done better. Maybe you didn’t box out enough, or you had trouble handling a double team when the other team was pressing. By looking in the mirror at your performance you will begin to develop a game plan for in-season improvement. At your next practice you can focus on boxing out during every scrimmage situation, even if the drill is not focused on rebounding. You can up your concentration level when being double-teamed so you’ll be prepared to be strong with the ball the next time you face pressure in a game. Whatever you discover when you look in the mirror, make a commitment to focus on that particular skill the next time you have the chance.

This type of self-analysis is a huge step in your development as a player. Poor players look for others to blame. “The coach played the wrong defense.” “My teammates didn’t screen for me.” “The refs blew that call at the end of the game.” “That team we played was way too tough for us, there is no way we could have beaten them.” By looking at others and placing blame you are missing a great opportunity to improve as a player. Don’t look for problems, look for solutions. Great players always look in the mirror and ask themselves, “What could I have done better or differently to create a different outcome?”

Get in the habit of looking in the mirror after practices and games. You’ll be on your way to finding lots of different ways you can improve during your season. There is always MORE you can do during practices and games to help yourself get better and improve your team’s chances of having a winning season.

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Basketball on the Edge – A Key to Greatness by Dena Evans of PGC Basketball

What is a key characteristic of greatness in basketball? What do great players have in common with people who are highly successful at their job?

Find out now from PGC Basketball owner Dena Evans:

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Basketball on the Edge – Be Great When No One Is Watching

At my son’s 4th grade team practice this week I was also responsible for coaching my daughter’s 6th grade team. Her coaches had work and family obligations and weren’t able to be at practice. That left the responsibility for coaching both teams to me and my assistant coach. I knew this would be the case in advance so I was able to plan accordingly, but it is very difficult to watch 18 players at all times during a practice. We did several drills where every player had a ball and was working on a dribbling or shooting skill. As a coach it was impossible to watch every player make each move or take each shot. I made it a point to stop one of the drills and explain to the players on both teams how important it was to work hard and give their best effort even if no one was watching.

Chances are, most of us work pretty hard when someone else is watching us. We try to do things right, we don’t fool around, we give an effort to be proud of. But what happens when no one is watching us? Do we work just as hard? The great players do.

I have this conversation with my son all the time. Whenever he knows I am watching, he shoots the ball with correct form and tries his best. On the other hand, when he thinks I am not watching he’ll often loft the ball at the rim with terrible form. Those shots almost never go in. I’ll ask him why he shoots that way and he’ll shrug his shoulders. As a father and a coach, I have a hard time understanding his thought process. You have more success when you shoot correctly so why not do it right all the time? Maybe it’s harder, maybe it requires more concentration, I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s my job to keep encouraging him to do his best, even when no one is watching.

The best players and teams are great when no one is watching. They know that it requires discipline to bring your best effort whether a coach, parent, or teammate is watching or not. It’s much easier to slack when you think you can get away with it. The problem with slacking off is that it doesn’t make you better. Why spend your time going through the motions to be mediocre?

Practice by yourself and develop the self-discipline to work hard even when it’s just you alone in the gym. During a team practice, get after it on defense even if the coaches are focused on the offense. Look for opportunities to improve your skills.

If you want to be a great basketball player, or for that matter, a great anything, learn to be great when no one is watching.

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Basketball on the Edge – Be Annoying!

If you’ve ever played basketball on any level chances are you’ve come across this type of player…

They’re annoying to play against. They’re a pest. They drive you crazy. You just want to get away from them. What makes these players so annoying and why do you want to be just like them?

Every time their opponent catches the ball the annoying player is right there invading his personal space. Close enough to slap the ball away, deflect a pass, steal the dribble, or block a shot. These players make their opponent worried and aware of them at all times. The moment the ball arrives in their man’s hands they are there, ready to be a constant irritation. Basketball players like space to operate, they don’t like being crowded or bumped.

Every time a shot goes up the annoying player boxes out by making contact with their opponent and holding their position. They don’t worry about the shot, they just want to make sure their man doesn’t have a free path to the rebound. Being boxed out on every possession is frustrating!

Every time they set a screen the annoying player makes contact with their opponent. There are no “phantom” screens where they screen air and not an opponent. That physical play gets under the skin of their opponent in addition to freeing up their teammates as part of the offense.

Every time the annoying player finishes a game, a practice, or even a drill their opponent is glad to be rid of them. Being an annoying player is a challenge. It takes discipline to always be right there whenever your opponent turns around. It takes great conditioning. It takes mental toughness. It takes the will to make it happen. Do you have what it takes to be annoying? Annoying players are winning players.

Do opponents smile when they see you coming? Or do they say “Oh man, not that guy again!”

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