How U | Teach Them What You Want Them To Do

One season, I had a team that just couldn't shoot it very well. We had one really good shooter, and everybody else wasn't very skilled at shooting. We played very hard, we were aggressive on defense, but shooting was not a strength of ours.

I spent the first few practices complaining about our ability, or lack thereof, to shoot the ball. During one of my complaining sessions, my dad asked me, "What are you doing to teach them how to shoot?"

That question changed my career as a coach and as a teacher. From then on, I stopped being a victim of my personnel, and I took ownership over what I taught them and their skill and ability.

All it took was a mindset shift and good guidance from dad.

Instead of saying my team can't do this _______________," ask yourself three questions:

1 - Why can't they?
2 - How can I teach this?
3 - What am I allowing them to do? Don't be a victim of your personnel. If your team can't shoot, teach them how. If your team can't dribble, teach them. If your team can't play defense, teach them. If your team has bad footwork, teach them. Instead of saying, "We can't do this ___," teach them how. Coaches are teachers, and teachers have to teach them the skills, on and off the court, that they need to be successful on our teams and in life. Take ownership over your ability to teach, to inspire, to motivate, and to grow your athletes.