Month: October 2016

Dealing with Zebra’s (aka referees)

Dealing with RefereesAs a player or coach, how do you work with the referees who are officiating your game?  Or are you in a constant battle with them to try to get them to make the “right” call?

Today I interviewed an experienced basketball referee to find out the best ways to “deal with the zebras” wearing the referee jerseys during your games.  A lot of it comes down to common sense and simply respecting that officials have a difficult job to do.  The best ones know that they are not perfect (and I even got my interviewee to say that he might have missed a call at some point in his career as a basketball referee).

Here is a link to the audio recording of the interview…
“What Coaches need to know about the Zebras”

[I am working on a transcript of the interview for those who would prefer to read instead of listen.  Check back here tomorrow.]

In the meantime, please leave your comments, reactions and questions in the comment section below.  What has worked for you?  Do you have a story involving referees that at the time wasn’t very funny but with time you were able to see the humor?  We would love to hear about it… so leave a comment below!

 

4 Reasons for a Player Journal

This is an idea that I picked up from legendary high school coach Bob Hurley, Sr. and have implemented with all my teams.  The idea is for each player to keep a journal throughout the season and record ideas, concepts and information that they may want to reference at a later date.

Here are the four key reasons to use Player Journals…
    1. Reinforce key learning points
      By writing down key ideas and things they learn at practice, players are more likely to retain the information.  It has been proven that the act of writing down an idea will increase retention of that idea or fact from days to weeks later.  Writing down important concepts is also a chance for players to translate the ideas into their own words, which personalizes the concepts and makes them part of the player’s own thinking.

 

    1. Capture statistics and personal records
      By recording how they did in certain drills in practice, a player can refer back to this information and see that they are improving.  Often, if it is not written down, old information is forgotten and it is easy to miss the progress that is being made as the season progresses.  When the measurements and results are recorded, it is easy to see improvements that would otherwise be missed.  Each new Personal Record (PR) is an opportunity to celebrate and add to the player’s motivation for further accomplishments.

 

    1. Questions?
      A player’s journal is also a place where they can record ideas of their own or questions that might come up outside of practice.  It can also be a way for players to remember to bring up questions for the coach that their parents might be asking them.  When they bring these ideas or questions to practice, they help the team better understand what we are trying to accomplish since if they have the question, it is likely that other players have the same thoughts.Sometimes the question(s) are more personal, such as, “What do I need to do to get more playing time?” and, again, writing in their journal will remind them to talk with their coach before or after practice.

 

  1. Record The Experience
    The final benefit of a player’s journal (or even a coach’s journal) is that you are creating a record of thoughts and experiences throughout the season.  What challenges did you face?  How did you overcome them?  What lessons did you learn?Sports is a metaphor for life so it you learn what it takes to win on the court or the field, you can apply these skills and ideas to many other areas of your life.  Having a player journal with the ideas (and your comments) is a great way to reinforce the most important lessons that are gained through athletics.

    What is your experience implementing a player journal?

Have you used the player journal idea with your teams?  What were the results?  How did you ensure that the players brought them to practice?  And took care of them?  Leave a comment below to share your ideas with other coaches !

Moves – James Harden Veer

I am a big fan of the work they do over at Krossover.com and that is how I came across the video below that shows how to do the “James Harden Veer” move so that you draw contact on your drive to the basket and go to the foul line more often.

Quick note:  Krossover has found that going to the foul line more often increases the odds that you will win basketball games.

“Finishing with contact is a key skill
that separates the good from the great!”
– Coach Dave Wheeler

I am also a fan of the Pure Sweat Podcast who hosted/presented this video about the James Harden Veer Move in association with Krossover.com.  Subscribe to the Pure Sweat Podcast on iTunes !

Do you have a Winning Attitude?

Building a Winning Attitude with Coach Dave WheelerWhat does it take to become a winner?  Many people talk about a “Winning Attitude” but how many actually practice it?  How many of us even know what goes into a winning attitude?

Today I will look at what goes into a winning attitude, using basketball as the example, and how we can cultivate a winning attitude in ourselves and our teams.

Quick Summary of a Winning Attitude:
  • A Winner sets high standards
  • A Winner expects to win
  • A Winner learns from losses
  • A Winner prepares to win
  • A Winner embraces challenges
  • A Winner enjoys the process
“How you do anything is how you do everything”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person”?  The thinking is that someone who is already busy will already have the habits in place to get things done where someone who finds ways to NOT be busy is simply avoiding getting things done.  Winning is a habit and like the saying goes, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”  If you have a winning attitude, you will apply it to all aspects of your life.  It doesn’t mean you have to be competitive with everyone in your life (that’s called “a jerk”) but you can recognize what your goals are and do whatever is needed to meet those goals.

How do I apply this as part of a Winning Attitude?

There are opportunities every day to “let it slide” or settle for less than the best that you can do.  Winners know that if you will give up on the small things you will give up on the big things too.  Small actions prepare you for big successes.  A Winning Attitude means holding yourself to a higher standard than other people.  Most people are not winners.  It is a fact of life, but winning is a choice and you can make that choice … every single day.,

“In it to Win it”

If you are going to play, you are going to win.  A Winning Attitude is about committing to being a winner.  Are you going to win every single time?  Not necessarily… but winners start with their goal in mind and focus on what it takes to win.

“Win or Learn”

Even if you are committed to winning, there will be times when you encounter someone who is better prepared or has better strategies or tactics and you come out on the short end of the competition.  Does this mean you Lose?  Not necessarily… You have a choice.  You can either Lose or Learn.  If you quit after you are beaten, then you Lose.  If you Learn from the experience and apply it to make you and your team better, then you are better prepared to win the next time.  As motivational speaker Les Brown says, “It’s not over until I win.”

The Will to Win vs. The Will to Prepare to Win

Winning is a result of preparation.  Games are won based on what you do in practice and HOW you practice always shows up in how you play.  Winners are always looking for ways to improve, whether it is physically, mentally or by developing their skills.

Embrace The Challenge

Someone with a Winning Attitude is not intimidated by challenges.  They are seen as opportunities to test your abilities and develop confidence.  Winning means that you find ways to win, even when there are obstacles or strong competition.

In fact, winners enjoy the challenge.  They recognize that without challenges and obstacles, they can never find out how good they really are. That’s why going undefeated by playing poor competition can be a curse in disguise.  Certainly you want to win when the stakes are the highest, but if you don’t face any competition before the championship game then how do you know if you are ready?  Have you faced strong competition that could bring out the best that you have?  A winner looks for strong competition because they know that it will make them better.

How do I develop my Winning Attitude?

Practice, Practice, Practice…
Challenge.  Learn. Repeat.

A winning attitude is all about
1) Embracing Preparation & Competition,
2) Learning and Growing, and
3) Enjoying the process.

You can change your attitude immediately… if you recognize where it needs to change.  This article has given you some ideas but it is up to you to catch yourself when you are not in a “winning attitude” and make the necessary changes.

This sounds hard.  Is it realistic?

Like I’ve said before, not everyone is a winner even though anyone can become a winner.  Will it take extra effort?  Absolutely.  Will you have to give up some things that might have been “nice to have”?  Sure.  Will it be worth it?  Certainly.

An excellent book for anyone lookiGood to Great by Jim Collinsng to develop a winning attitude is “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.  One of the key ideas that Jim Collins writes about is the reason there are so few “Greats”.

“Good is the enemy of Great” – Jim Collins

Most people settle for “good” or “good enough” while winners are the ones that go for “Great”.  The funny thing Jim Collins found as part of his research for the book was that it takes no more effort to be great.  Different effort and concerted, focused effort but not necessarily “more effort”.  That begs the question… If you can see yourself as good, why not go for great?

Coach’s Obstacle of the Week (COW) #2 – Words

cow-basketballOne of the biggest pet peeves I have as a coach is the damaging words that players sometimes use.  As we get older, we appreciate how important the words we use are and, as a coach, one of the worst things to hear is when one of the players on the team says “I can’t”.  I know how much damage those words are doing to that player in terms of confidence and future potential and I can feel my blood pressure starts to rise.  I would much prefer them to say “I am not yet able” and I will tell you why…

Words program our minds

We all have an “internal dialog” going on in our head.  We are telling ourselves what everything means that happens to us and this often leads to the mood we are in, or worse, whether we quit and never reach our full potential.

The good news is that we can take control of our internal dialogue and start to program our mind to take us where we want to go in life (and on the court).  The first step to controlling our internal dialogue is noticing what you are saying and putting a stop to the words or phrases that are holding you back.

light-hfordAs I mentioned before, one great example is “I can’t”.  Whenever you catch yourself saying, or thinking, the words “I can’t”, immediately STOP and take another look at the situation.  When you say “I can’t” that implies that you never will.  The reality often is that you simply have not trained long enough to accomplish the task or have not learned what is required to do it.  I always come back to the idea that if someone else has done it, then I can too.  I just need to find out what they did and do the same thing (or at least use their path as a guide to my success).  This is called “modeling” and is a powerful tool to get what you want.

What words or phrases are holding back your players?

Another word that I hate to hear are the infamous, “But”.  “Coach, I know that is the right way to do it, but…”  Typically the word “but” is followed by an excuse.  At the very least, it says that the statement they just made is not true or they don’t believe it is possible.  As a speaker friend of mine likes to say, “You can either have results or excuses. Your choice.”

Are there words or phrases that you hear that are holding back players?  What are they? How do you turn them around?  What words are better replacements?  Leave a comment below and let us know!

Did you miss COW# 1?  Check it out here…
Coach’s Obstacle of the Week (COW) # 1

 

What’s your “Signature Move”?

Signature MoveWhat is your signature move on the basketball court?  Do you even have one?  Or are you still learning the game and could benefit from adding a few more moves?

The YouTube video at the bottom of this article is about 45 minutes long but you will want to set aside time to watch it.  The video contains one of the best discussions on Basketball moves that I have come across in a long time.  It also features video of the “Signature Moves” of a long list of NBA All Stars and NBA Hall of Famers.  The moves they talk about and show include ones for all positions… “Guard Moves”, “Big Man Moves” as well as some “Unstoppable Moves”.  Don’t you want to see these moves?  Sure you do!

The video also contains a couple of the drills that helped the players develop the ball handling skills, footwork and physical abilities necessary to make their moves legendary.  If you are serious about improving your

basketball game, this video is one that you will want to watch.

29 Signature NBA Moves
Click the image above to download a PDF of the list.

 

 

Here is a downloadable PDF of the list of basketball moves that they talk about in the Youtube video…

 

 

One quick thought before you watch the video and start planning your own “signature move”…

Do you notice that there aren’t a lot of repeat names on this list?  And the ones that are repeated are simply variations on the same move?

This is because you don’t need all these moves to become a great basketball player.  In fact, if you try to focus on more than one move at a time you may end up not being good enough with any of them.  The best advice is to see which ones fit into your game and the position you want to play… and focus on just ONE move until you have mastered it.  This means that you can use it successfully in a game against real competition.  Some of these moves are relatively simple while others require more athletic ability or ball handling skills.  Start where you want and build your game one move at a time.

Now, let’s watch this video…

And if you want more help with your moves… apply for an invitation to an upcoming basketball camp over at www.InviteOnlyBasketball.com.