Basketball is a sport that requires a special set of skills. Skills that don’t improve without commitment to that end. A game of pick-up basketball alone will not improve those skills. You must spend time working on every area of your game.

Spending 30 minutes a day working on the various aspects of the game is all that is needed to make noteable improvements. Then, that game of pick-up ball will benefit you as you put those skills into action. Thirty minutes is ideal because it is manageable. There is less likely to be a chance of burnout or boredom. Breaking it up into 5 – 10 minute increments can go a long way. The areas to cover are for example, 5 minutes of ball handling, 10 minutes of shooting without the dribble, (so you can spin the ball to bounce back to you resembling a pass received), 5 – 10 minutes doing 1 and 2 dribble moves to the basket. Always alternate with left and right hands for drills so that you can comfortably go both ways. In otherwords, “Be hard to guard”.

Between each drill shoot 10 free throws. You always want to shoot free-throws when you are fatigued. It most resembles a game situation.

There is a tightrope to walk at times when you are trying to ensure every one’s satisfaction. When it comes to meeting the expectations of players and their parents it can seem nearly impossible.

We have put together a set of documents that you are welcome to utilize if you feel they can be of benefit to your program. They are intended to help coaches to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to the inevitable conflict or misunderstanding that will arise.

We believe it will be helpful in communicating with athletes and their parents a clear understanding of their roles on the team and how much they will contribute in a game situation. There are also contracts between the player/parent and the coach so that assumptions are not made that a parent gets the same information that a coach has told their child. There are handouts for players and potential players to establish an understanding of expectations coaches have for their program.

For example: off-season participation at team camps, summer leagues, and/or discipline in individual work-outs, etc. Those expectations will depend on your personal preferences.

What I want to mention is that some of these “contracts” or expectation agreements can be passed out prior to summer vacation so players and parents are fully aware of their options well in advance. It is also a clear way to communicate your own expectations of how you will choose the 12 – 15 players that will make up the team.

Please check them out. You will find them listed on the in the file-sharing application. Please provide your feedback if you do. We’d love to know if/how we can perhaps improve on them.

As a coach at the high school level, I thoroughly enjoy teaching the young men who have played on my varsity squad over the past 25+ years.

I enjoy the younger players as well. I appreciate their energy, their teach-ability, particularly in those younger years, and watching them light up when they achieve success in whatever form. I’ve had the privilege of coaching many young, up-and-coming athletes over the years at my summer basketball camps. They are hungry to learn. This is where the groundwork is laid for all the years that will follow as they pursue their interest. It is where they learn the fundamentals and skills required to experience success.

Over the years I have seen many high school players come through my program who lacked the proper instruction of the fundamentals in those earlier years. Obviously they are disappointed to learn that their shooting form is incorrect or that their ball handling skills are inadequate, etc.

Often, the coaches in the younger years are well-meaning dads instructing their kids in their driveways or serving as volunteer coaches to their own kids in leagues who can’t find enough qualified coaches to meet the demand of young athletes wanting to play. The kids miss out on the fundamental details that they need.

I feel there is a need to be met and I believe this website will address those needs and more. I believe it will serve the parents of athletes who want to equip their kids and need to know how. It will serve the former players turned coaches to take on their new roles, as the responsibility is now theirs to run a practice. Many have shared how much they have forgotten of their practice drills since high school. It is a place for the athletes themselves to watch the video drill sessions and work on them out on their patio or at an outdoor basketball court.

It is intended to be a resource for high school coaches to direct their middle-school and frosh coaches for practice plans and the breakdown of the various drills shown on the site. It’s this and so much more.

I invite you to become very familiar with the site and see how it will benefit you. I want to be available to answer your questions, address concerns and hope to provide inspiration and motivation by way of my regular blogs. Look forward to reading your own blogs as well.