Coaching Youth Basketball - Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - "And now a short note from our sponsor!"

No! No! No! This is not an ad, I wouldn't do that to you. In fact, here's a fun tip for you. You know those annoying phone calls you get that want you to buy something? Next time they call, here's what you say - "Sure I'll listen! I just applied for bankruptcy and I need new credit cards, do you offer those? You see my bankruptcy has NOT been discharged and I'm looking for a way to buy a lot of things!" These folks will freak out and hang up or find a way to nicely hang up.

Anyway, I feel that you and I have come far enough along to have a little one-on-one here. As you can tell, I have thrown a lot of my own beliefs and values in here. Why? Because I can! As if you didn't know, I'm the author, remember?

One point I want to make here, is that there is more than one way to skin a cat. For every viewpoint I give you, there are at least 100 different ones. Please understand that a lot of my viewpoints represent that of the minority. Most coaches want to win at all costs. I'm not like that, and I hope you won't be either. Here's an example.

Your 6th grade team is losing by 1 point and you have 5 seconds to go. Your right handed guard steals the ball from the other team and they are on his/her left side of the court. Naturally they dribble down the left side of the court and have a chance at making a lay-up from the left side of the basket. If they shoot the lay-up right handed it will probably go in. If they shoot it with their left hand it may not go in. What do you teach them to do?

Most coaches would scream bloody murder if their player tried it left handed and accuse them of intentionally trying to lose the game for them. AND they would probably see limited playing time for the rest of the season. This is
the majority point of view.

I think differently. My job is to teach these girls enough so that they can make their high school varsity team, and that includes opposite handed lay-ups in pressure situations. I want my player to shoot the lay-up left handed. In 6th grade it doesn't matter who wins or loses. What matters is are you teaching them good habits. If my player misses, I applaud them for doing it the right way. It takes 3 days to create a habit, it could take years to break one.

A side note to this scenario, most kids want to win. This being the case, if they know what you expect them to do, they will learn to do opposite handed lay-ups because they want to win. TEACH THEM ENOUGH TO WIN!!!

Now to stray back to my original point. Not all of you are going to buy into my belief system and that's ok. I just wanted you to know that I realize I am giving you a slanted perspective of the game. I only hope that it's a viewpoint slanted in favor of the kids and not the almighty win! When these kids hit 9th and 10th grade, the game is all about winning. Let's not make them old before their time. Basketball is always going to be about learning, but especially at the younger ages.

Some of you are going to adopt some of my viewpoints and some won't. The thing is, if you want your son or daughter to make the varsity team, you still have to teach them.

THINGS A HIGH SCHOOL COACH LOOKS FOR - BASICS

Can they make a right and left handed lay-up
Can they dribble with either hand or are they one dimensional
Do they hustle every minute they are on the floor - no one wants a lazy player
Are they coachable? Do they listen and follow instructions
Do they play defense as aggressively as they play offense
***** DO THEY HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE *****?
OK, so now you are saying I have totally lost it. You are coaching 3rd graders so why am I talking about the varsity team? That's an excellent question! I have just as excellent an answer. Because at the beginning of this book, I had you decide on what your priorities were as a coach. If your goal is to be a teacher of the game to your players, I believe that you need to know what you should teach and WHY you should teach them.

On the flip side, if all you want to do is win at the 3rd-6th grade levels, then here is your formula, teach them a tight 2-1-2 zone defense and don't let the other team get a shot close to the basket and this also stops the other team from getting many rebounds. You will win a lot of games. There is an inherent (another 50 cent word) problem with this. The other teams will be learning m-2-m defense during these 3 years. When the kids hit 7th grade, the other teams have learned and gotten better, and yours is still playing 3rd grade ball. You will lose by some pretty large scores.

Let me give you another example, it's the same thing as with my daughter's height. My daughter was 5'8" in 5th grade and one of the tallest players on the court. In 8th grade she is 5'9" and everyone else has caught up with her height-wise, and a lot of girls are now taller. These other teams will surpass you if you don't keep teaching. (OK, the analogy made sense to me before I put in on paper, oh well.)

My main point is that you have to have short range and long range goals. I'm trying to teach you more long range goals. Will they help you in the short run? Of course, but sometimes they could hurt your win - loss ratio. Sometimes your parents will question and criticize your tactics. If you want to stick to your priorities, you better have broad shoulders. There will be times when you are slammed and dissed so hard that you even think about quitting this stupid job. But then, you will see a kids face after they have used what you have taught them in a game, and that smile makes it all worthwhile.

The last part of this one-on-one is to remind you why you took the coaching job in the first place. You didn't sign up for the ego or power, you signed up so your kid and a bunch of other kids could play a game. And remember - these kids signed up to play a game. AND GAMES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN, DON'T LET THEM DOWN!!!!

Another little side note here: If you ever feel I am losing you and you can't follow a concept or an idea, e-mail me at firepow55@aol.com I do answer my mail. Thanks for bearing with me and allowing me a platform to spout off on.

PS - Remember I used that saying earlier about skinning a cat. I wonder where that came from? And why would anyone want to skin a cat? Can't use the hide or the meat, now can you?