By: Kevin
Gallagher
Head Basketball
Coach
La Salle University, Retired
Coaching Points:
Over the years, perhaps one of the most important things that one can learn is that success is based primarily upon good organization. In other words there are many good ideas or good plans that never materialize or reach true potential due to the fact that those who are responsible have not given proper thought to detail or time limitations.
Now it is true that in lower level youth programs, coaches only have a limited amount of time, perhaps as little as one hour per week. This is a small amount of time to develop a program. It is absolutely remarkable to me that some coaches manage to do so well under such adverse circumstances. What is the secret? I think that you would invariably find that the coach in question has learned to organize.
No matter how much or how
little time any coach has for practice, it is probably true that most of our
opponents have about the same amount of time. If a coach
practices two hours per week and his opponents do also, how does he get the
edge on time? Must one practice three hours per week? (Assuming that you can
get gym space/time.) I think not. Just use your time more wisely.
For example, how many teams have their players run laps to get warmed up? This can be a poor use of precious time. Running, of course, is necessary. A player must be in good cardiovascular condition to be successful. However, where in the game of basketball, does a player run laps? To the best of my knowledge, this does not occur. Rather, basketball is a game of sprinting, stopping, and starting again. So, at the beginning of practice, or at the end, have the players run some sort of sprints, not laps. This is a much better use of time.
To take this example further, put a ball in the hands of as many players as possible. Make them dribble as they sprint. So, in the above example, a threefold use can be made of the same time frame. They are getting in shape, they are preparing specifically for the game of basketball by sprinting, and they are sharpening their ball skills all at the same time.
Try to use the above concept in your practice. When you use drills, try to make that drill one small facet of your offense, defense or your own basketball philosophy. For example, if your team offense consists of a pick and roll set aside ten minutes to have the players practice the pick and roll.
Try not to have players stand around waiting to take part in drills. If you have a pick and roll drill, do not have all the players waiting to take part in this two on two drill. If you have the use of more than one basket, put some players at one basket and some at another. Even if you only have one basket, put some players on one side and the rest on the other.
In looking at the coming season, one probably knows what he wants the team to do but the secret lies in teaching it. For an overall game plan, break the team ideas downto the fundamental building blocks.
Practice Organization Outline
It must be pointed out that it will take many practices to teach all of this, much less drill all of it properly. If your time does not permit teaching all of this, omit the things that you think are less important.
Much thinking must go into a coach's philosophy before mapping out an outline like the preceding one. For example, what are your offensive objectives? General rules would be: get a high percentage shot, create one-on-one situations, adapt to personnel, achieve floor balance, protect floor to prevent fast break by the opposition, recognize the defense, create movement off the ball, provide equal scoring opportunities for all offensive players, and create continuity.
Each coach would have to evaluate the above points and decide not only what is important, but decide which concepts are the most important and which are the least important, and which ideas fall in between. It is also imperative to exclude the things that you think are worthless. There are no wrong ideas by coaches, if the coach believes in them. Once a coach does some of the above thinking, he will be ready to implement an offense. For example, some coaches do not want equal scoring opportunities for all players. They would say, why give as many shots to your worst shooter as you would to your best shooter? Other coaches would say that not allowing players to shoot much would destroy their confidence. (Players do not have to be told that they are not encouraged to shoot. They are not stupid. They can sense things and put together what goes on around them.) Other coaches would not want to talk in abstracts, rather they would want to see a specific team and see the disparity between the good shooter and the bad shooter. So, you see, there are many ideas, and they are all valid, if they are your ideas.
Next, once one defines his individual philosophy, incorporate a particular defense and explain to the team the objectives of that particular defense. To cite an example, if a coach decides that a 1-2-1-1 zone press is the best for the team, the coach's objectives could be any one of the following.
Any one of these ideas would be a good one to use in the above press.
Now it will be easier to teach the basic movements of this particular defense as well as the specific objectives of the defense. The next step would involve using drills to complement the overall defense and at the same time developing the individual skills of the players. A good drill to use would be one that would emphasize trapping, since this is an important part of the zone press. (E.g. Give the ball to one player and limit him to half court. To go out of the boundaries would be the equivalent of a turnover. Have the two defenders try to trap him and force him to pick up the dribble.) Next, incorporate a drill to improve your off the ball defense. Then develop a drill to teach rotation out of this press. Now your team would be 1) getting the proper conditioning (no drill is worthwhile if it is not done at game speed), 2) good individual defensive improvement, and 3) your team defense would benefit. Your team would be sufficiently organized and be successful that this particular defense.
At the end of this report is a sample practice schedule. This, like all the other examples, is just that. It should merely be a yardstick. First, a few suggestions would be beneficial to running a better practice. Try to plan your sessions down to the last minute and try to stay as close as possible to that original plan. This way you can accomplish all that you set out to do. If you are fortunate enough to have a manager or an assistant coach, or if you can keep track of the time as well as run a practice, you can end a drill and begin a new one. Make sure that there is a clock somewhere in evidence and that the manager has a sample of the practice schedule. It is not necessary to use a form like the one enclosed, but is more convenient for us to use a standardize things, keep them on file, refer back to them, etc.
It is recommended that drills not only incorporate as many skills as possible, but also that the drills be of relatively short duration. If drills run too long, players will allow their minds to wander. This will be counterproductive. By keeping drill short, the players will be more interested and, hopefully, have fun. It is human nature that we do the things that we like to do and avoid the things that we dislike. Also, the more that we like things, the more that we do these things. The more that we do them, the better we become. The better we become, the more it builds our confidence. It is an endless cycle and coaches must strive to do all that is necessary to keep players interested. The converse of the above scenario is also true regarding things that we do not like. It may be prudent to alternate drills from offense to defense for the same reason as above.
During the course of the season you may find that the basic structure of practice will change. In the early season, more time will be devoted to drills. As the season progresses, more scrimmage time will be allotted (i.e. to practice team offenses and team defenses). Hopefully, the fundamental skills of all the players will improve to allow the coach to devote more time to team endeavors.
Referring to the sample practice schedule, notice how time is budgeted. After normal stretching and layup routine, we employ a one on one full court drill to develop better ball handling skills and proper defensive techniques. This is also a great conditioner. The slides in the lane are performed by having the players stand in the middle of the foul lane, facing the foul line and will their backs to the basket. On a signal from the coach, the players get in a good defensive stance and slide from right to left.
In the 3-on-2, 2-on-1 drill, it is a fast break drill to teach proper transition from offense to defense. As the three offensive players come down toward the defense, the two defenders must try to stop them. Once the two defenders get the ball, they will try to score at the other end.
For all of the team work on offense we stress the movement of the ball as well as individual technique of passing, dribbling and shooting. The biggest phase to master is passing. Demand that the ball be moved quickly. When we practice a specific offense, we also will be working hard to stop them with a group of defenders. Therefore, our defense should improve also. For the players not involved at any time in team drills, have them shoot at a side basket (if it is available), or just dribble. Once they perform a task (e.g. make ten free throws) they can come over, stand beside the coach indicating that they have performed a task. This makes them eligible to substitute.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR PRACTICE TIME - ORGANIZE!
LaSalle Univ Basketball
Practice Date -
Schedule -
1.5:45 - 6:00 Warm up/stretching
2.6:00 - 6:10 Layups
3.6:10 - 6:20 1 on 1 fullcourt
4.6:20 - 6:30 Dribble tag
5.6:30 - 6:35 Slides in lane
6.6:35 - 6:45 3 on 2; 2 on 1
7.6:45 - 7:00 Offense vs. Man to Man
8.7:00 - 7:05 Water break
9.7:05 - 7:20 Offense vs. 2-3 zone
10.7:20 - 7:30 Sprints (with basketball)
11.7:30 - 7:40 Foul Shots
12.7:40 - 7:50 Sprints for missed foul shots
13.7:50 - 8:00 Close - team meeting