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.