Thursday, July 30, 2009

Youth Basketball: Teach Individual Basics Before Teaching The Team Game

So many times, even experienced coaches rush into the team aspects of coaching--whether for lack of time before the first game or from a desire just to get going with the offense or defense.

Novice coaches at the youth level need to begin with teaching fundamentals, if for no other reason than they need to assess who can do what.

Every season should begin with at least a review of the player' skills and then teach what needs to be taught. Then, it's a matter of drilling these skills so the players are ready to use the skills within the framework of the team offense and defense.

The individual fundamental aspects of learning basic skills and honing these skills must come before working on team aspects. Players must know how to pass, dribble, shoot, rebound, move without the ball, move with the ball and to play defense on a player with the ball and on their player without the ball. Until players have these concepts and skills well in hand, it does no good to try to introduce a 5-on-5 situation....
To read this article, go to
http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/TeachBasicsFirst.html

See you next month.

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Born Talented Or Hard Work?

The off season is for building individual playing skills. The daily camp team games allow the player to work on those skills in game simulation and to meld their play within the team game with the other players. While these games go on, the instructors get a chance to see if the players are getting what is being taught during the daily skill sessions.

Just going with your school team to a team-type camp (it's the big thing, amounting to another season of play) doesn't build your playing skill. Sure, games help to hone the skills and to act as a proving-ground for your ability to use those skills. Games are fun and necessary to prove your game, BUT, just playing will not improve skills. If you have a fundamental flaw, and you continue to play with it, you will still be flawed.

Lots of off season time needs to be with the focus only on individual skill building. That's how players improve. For players to become great at the game, they will be disciplined to work on their game within every aspect of the game and pay close attention to the details of what they do and how they do it. Only through trial and error, making and correcting mistakes, will a player grow his or her game. Get in pickup or team games--absolutely. Then go back and work on yourself.

This is why I concentrate my website solely on individual aspects of the game. Plenty of coaches and plenty of sites will address offenses, defenses, special plays, etc. When a player or coach comes to my site, I want them thinking, "What can I do to better my teaching/playing skills"?

Check out my site--it's loaded with articles about improving you individual game. My ebooks, my hard cover book and teaching DVD are all about building player specific skills. Go to:

This month's featured article addresses some of the attitudes about becoming a great player. I borrowed it (with the author's permission) from one of the up-and-coming voices in teaching basketball, Brian McCormick. Last month he wrote an article that I thought would be very good for my readers to read and take heed.

Go here to read that portion of his article, I have named, "Born Talented Or Hard Work?".
http://www.top-basketball-coaching.com/BrianMcCormick

Until Next Month...

Yours in Sport & Spirit,
Coach Ronn