Basketball Coaching Philosophy Part II
Last week we dealt with these points:
- Be yourself
- Your teaching style
- Be organized
- Be open, learn from others
This week, we’ll focus on a couple more points.
5. Impact young people
You are by no means their parent, however, you are in a position to influence what they say and do. You must strive to be a positive influence on your players. Help your players develop priorities. The coach-player relationship is a vital cornerstone to successful coaching.
6. Communicate
Don’t leave the communication to your assistant coach. You should also set up meetings to talk to your players about everyday issues. These meetings can be done with the assistant coach. Before the season starts, meet with each player individually about goals, expectations, etc. Ask players for their input at halftime.
Some coaches like to have occasional team meetings. In my experience as a player and as an assistant coach, the team meetings don’t work. However, I’m not completely bashing the idea. Look at your players’ characters. If what you see in them tells you that a team meeting may be just what they need, then by all means have them. However, if not, don’t waste your time (and theirs) by holding useless team meetings. Figure out what works for your team and go with that idea.
7. Set rules and maintain discipline
Don’t have too many rules. At some point and time your rules will be violated. It’s the way kids are. Don’t set up so many rules that eventually the whole “team” consists of you and maybe your assistant coach. Never make a hasty decision. Find out the school policy, get both sides of the story, and talk to your athletic director before making your final decision on an issue. Remember, there are consequences for every action. What you decide will affect your players, fans, parents, and the community. Talk to your athletic director so that you will not make a decision that you will forget.
Here is a preview of what I’ll be dealing with in part III. This video discusses some practice planning tips from Hubie Brown, a basketball analyst. Come back for Part three next week!
