A Coach's Diary

The life of an athlete has a lot taking: Taking advice Taking motivation Taking inspiration Taking motivation Taking rides to and from games Taking every lesson that you can think of The 2nd they stop playing, they go from taking to giving: Giving advice Giving motivation  Giving inspiration Giving motivation Giving rides to and from games Giving every lesson that you can think of The transition to life after playing is hard for many.  Learning how to give back what can make it easier by providing purpose in your life.  Learn how to give back what you have taken.

Sometimes you just need a little more GRIT. Sometimes you just need a little more TOUGHNESS. Sometimes you just need a little more FIGHT. It's not going to be easy.  It is not supposed to.  And the better you get, the harder it will be to find an advantage.  The better you get, the tougher your competition will be. Your advantage has to be that you just won't quit.  That you will just keep fighting.  That you will just keep working to get better. The best ones know that it will be tough.  The tough ones don't quit.  The tough ones find a way. The great ones fight.  It's only a matter of time before the great ones fight through the challenges.

Do whatever you do with excellence and do it ESPECIALLY when no one is looking because who you are when nobody is looking is who you really are. Being excellent means going the extra mile every day.  You don't just stop at mediocre - you go beyond that. You don't show up late, you don't come back from the water-break late, and you don't miss that line in sprints or stop early. You want to make the team?  You want to start? You want to be all-district? You want a scholarship? Then show up early, get extra shots up, touch every line and do every set, and inspire and encourage your teammates to do the same. Go above and beyond to get what you want beyond what you already have. Do whatever you do with excellence and do it ESPECIALLY when no one is looking because who you are when nobody is looking is who you really are. What we do to impress other people doesn't say that much about us.  When we are faithful in the small things when nobo...

All great players take pride in being comeback specialists.  When the best players have a bad moment, or bad half, or a bad game, they love having the opportunity to fix it.   According to Dr. Afremow in A Champions Mind, instead of dwelling on the negative, become a resilient performer by staying positive and believe that something good is about to happen.  Keep momentum on your side by sticking with it, by staying positive, and by having hope. Plan to celebrate your successes and to learn from your failures going into all competition.   Next play, turn the page, learn from your mistakes, leave the past in the past, and stay in the moment are all common sayings to help us move forward when things aren't going out way.  Find one saying or affirmation that works for you and use it the next time that you are struggling. Minor setbacks are opportunities for major comebacks.  No matter how you start and no matter how...

Dev at In the Lab has been making really cool YouTube videos for years.  He is a basketball coach and skills trainer who brings a different view of the game to life.  He has videos covering many different aspects of the game, including ball-handling, one-on-one moves, shooting and more. In this video, Dev travels to Europe with Adidas to learn from some of the best basketball clubs in Europe. Here are some of my notes from Dev's video: Correct Spacing (3:22) When your teammates are attacking from the top towards you, you have to relocate to the corner to create space. If you don't, your defender can guard both of you. The Hockey Assist (3:45) The most open shot is not usually the first kick-out pass after the drive. The open shot is usually the extra pass. They often call this the 'Hockey Assist.' If the person drives the gap away from you, you usually have to fill the top of the key spot that the driver left. Drive With a Purpose (4:22) ...

Hailey Van Lith is one of the best basketball players in the country.  She burst on the scenes with a highlight video last summer where she was killing a group of guys in one-on-ones and she has since become one of the more popular high school players. She is a strong point guard who can shoot from deep and has a really good handle.  In her words, her game is saucy and the girls game is getting more style as a whole. I really enjoy her videos because of her style and ability.  She also has a very competitive mindset.  The video above is a really good video for all young players, but especially for girls who play basketball.  It shows that girls are tough, competitive, saucy and how much the girls game continues to grow and evolve. In the video above, she is mic'd up for practice.  The start of practices starts light and she helps to keep it light.  It seems like an inviting environment.  As the intensity starts to pick up, so does her...

Watching film of pro's is a good way to see what it looks like at the highest level.  We talk about offensive and defensive transition, talking and helping on defense, and many other things, but sometimes we have to 'see' it and 'hear' it. Team USA basketball is gearing up for their World Cup run, and highlights of one of their scrimmages was posted online.  A couple of things that I noticed were how fast they transition from offense to defense and defense to offense, how much they talked, spacing and reading the defense, and how they competed against each other.   This might be good for players to watch to see how some of the best players in the world compete in scrimmages. You can see the video and my notes from the video below. See my notes after the jump.

Preparation + Opportunity = An Explosion of Success Ray Allen's advantage was pulling up before anybody else was there.  One of the keys to success is self-confidence.  One of the keys to self-confidence is preparation.  One of the keys to preparation is repetition.  Doing it over and over and over again. Ray Allen would beat everybody to the gym, get his reps in so that he was prepared and confident, and the result was one of the best careers in NBA history. It takes a special kind of monster to consistently put in the type of work that it takes to be the best at something.  It might be easy and exciting to start something know, but it's hard to stay with it over weeks, months, and years. If you are looking for a video for your athletes that talks about the time and effort that it takes to become a great shooter, this video by Dev at In The Lab is really good. 7:00 - Pre-Game in the NBA.  There is an intentional focus on certain things and g...

In the Lab is one of my favorite YouTube channels for basketball.  The guy who runs the site is Dev, and he has a very realistic and fresh approach to the game.  He is going through the process of trying to perfect his shooting ability. Here he meets with former Baylor Basketball player Austin Mills to talk about how to extend your shooting range.  Some key points: 1 - It takes time, effort, and passion to become a great shooter; there is no short cut to being great at anything - shooting included; it's about information and reps/reps/reps; know how to shoot correctly and get as many reps as possible to become a better shooter 2 - When you are off, learn how to adjust or 'fix' your shot without completely changing your form 3 - Start with form shooting close to the basket to warm-up and to find a rhythm and flow 4 - A lot of being a great shooter is confidence and mentality; if you can do it in a small gym alone, consistently, you will get the confidence to b...

If you can spot greatness in someone else then that greatness is already in you because for you to recognize those traits in someone else, those traits must also be in you.  You just have to bring them out.  If you can spot it, then you've got it. Mentality and mindset are what separates the elite, and our attitude and how we approach a situation can determine our success or failure.  If we think we can, then we can.  If we make excuses, then those excuses will hold us back.   Your mind is what makes everything else work.  It's not usually your physical ability that separates elite athletes, but their character and their mindset. The mental abilities of confidence, composure, and concentration are critical. No matter where you are right now, you can become a champion.  You first have to shift your mindset and believe.  Work on your confidence, your composure and your level of concentration and belief, and watch your life an...

You don't have to be the biggest, strongest, fastest or even the most skilled to be the best. You really don't even have to be the 'best' to be the best.  If you can be the TOUGHEST you can beat them all. Being the TOUGHEST means competing.  Every possession.  Every day. Being the TOUGHEST means you are willing to outwork your opponent.  When they quit, you keep going.  When they slow down, you keep going. Being the TOUGHEST means you never quit.  You might get beat, but you don't quit. Being the TOUGHEST means being the one who tries the new move.  They know that learning is a part of getting better and they know that messing up is a part of learning.   The TOUGHEST might lose the ball, but they sprint back. The TOUGHEST go get it knowing that they might fail.  But the TOUGHEST know that if they do fail, they are TOUGH and TOUGH people always figure it out and correct their mistakes. ...

COMPETE When the battle gets tough, when they are bigger stronger or faster, when you start to feel doubt, when they start to push you, even if they start beating you - just compete. Compete this next possession.  Compete for this next touch.  Compete for the next ball.  Compete in this next race.  Compete in this next 1 on 1 battle.  Compete on this next sprint.  Compete to cut-off the baseline.  Compete to cut-off the sideline.  Compete for every inch. Compete with that little devil in your mind that is telling you that you can't, that you aren't good enough, that they are better than you.  Compete with those ghosts who are whispering about you and whispering around you, saying that you can't do this or you can't do that.  Compete to prove them wrong.  Compete to prove yourself right.  Compete to prove that you are good enough. Nobody can stop you from competing, and if you just compete, then you will alway...

Can we commit to getting 1% better?  Every day, let's try to find a way to get at least a little better.   If we can just get a little better every day, then over time these small gains will add up to something special, and we will become the athlete/person that we want to be. Getting 1% better can mean a lot of different things.  It could be getting better at shooting, or dribbling or throwing, or any technical skill that your sport requires.  It could be doing 10 minutes of ball-handling every day this week, not leaving the gym until you make 50 free-throws, doing 5 sprints after your workout, hitting ten perfect forehands and backhands, or any kind of extra skill work pertaining to the sport that you play.  When you get better by putting in the work, your confidence grows. Getting 1% better can mean getting stronger.  It can mean giving your all in the weight room, going hard in every rep, and not just being in the room with your friend...