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Coaching Basketball

Coaching Basketball

 

There are many different basketball coaches out there with different coaching styles and philosophies, and many of those styles and philosophies conflict with each other. For example, one coach may be completely committed to tough half-court defense and walking the ball up the floor every time, while another coach wants to run and gun the entire game. Both basketball coaches could be really successful with their coaching styles, or they could both struggle to win games.

Coaching basketball the right way and being successful at it involves many different factors, and even though there is not one cut and dry way to be successful, there are some core principles that every coach should aim for with their team. This basketball basics article will cover some core coaching principles and some tips for being successful. Because this is such a broad topic, there will also be some great links to other quality basketball coaching articles breaking down some of the different topics. So make sure to take advantage of those links as well.

 

Team Culture

Developing your program’s culture is most likely going to be one of the hardest things you have to do as a coach, especially at the beginning. Team culture is the way that you believe your program should be run and what your team should be about. It is the standard that you hold all of your players, coaches, and managers to – regardless of whether you are winning or losing. Whether it is how you expect them to conduct themselves in classes, practice, games, etc., you have to be willing to work towards it every day and understand that it is sometimes going to be slow going.

 

 

Your Basketball System

The offensive and defensive system that you choose to run with your team can greatly impact whether you are successful or not as a basketball coach. A great example of this is NBA Coach Mike D’ Antoni. When he was with the Phoenix Suns as their coach, he had great success with his run and gun style of play, but when he got to the New Your Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, his teams really struggled to win games. The reason why is because he tried to use his run and gun system with the wrong personnel. The Knicks and Lakers teams were not built for that style of offense, and by playing it, they really struggled.

As a basketball coach, you need to make sure that you give your team the best possible chance to win. That means that you need to adjust your system to the players you have on your team. Ideally, you want to recruit or bring in players that will fit your system already, but if you don’t have that ability, you may need to change your system from year to year.


Relationships With Your Players

Coaching basketball is more than just X’s & O’s and trying to win games. It is about teaching your players and developing real relationships with them. Not only will this allow you to get the most from your players on the court, but it is also a lot more rewarding knowing that you have had a positive impact on a player’s life outside of basketball.

Getting back to performance, though, and getting the most out of your players, think about it like this. If a random stranger walked up to you and asked you to help them move out of their house the following day, you may say yes because you are a really nice person, but most likely, you would come up with an excuse or just say no.

However, if a close friend or family member asked you for the same help, you would most likely say yes because you care about them and want to help. The same thing goes for coaching. If you have real relationships with your players and know that you care about them, they will give you everything they have on the court.

 

 

Basketball Player Development

Great teams have great players. That doesn’t mean that you need to have a player that scores 25 points a game, but it does mean that you need to have players that can step up and make big plays when needed. Very rarely are you going to get a player like this straight out of the box. You must be willing to help develop your basketball players and spend the needed time building up their skills. This is especially true when coaching younger players. It is your job to coach every player to their full potential.

As a coach, there are only so many practice hours or basketball training hours in a week, and the temptation will be to spend all your time working on team stuff like going over the offensive sets, defense, out of bounds plays, game situations, etc. You need to fight this idea, though, and still find time to work on your team’s skill development. Even if it is only 20 minutes of drills during practice, make sure that your players can work on their different skill sets. After all, it doesn’t matter how great your offensive set is if your team can’t make the shot at the end of the play.

 

 

How to Coach Basketball Conclusion

Coaching basketball the right way is not always easy, but the coaches who have been able to figure it out are enjoying its benefits. Hopefully, this basketball article has given you some food for thought and will help you coach your team.

If you have any questions or need any further resources, please, feel free to comment below.

 

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