Coaches - before we dive in…I’ve been using these clipboards lately on my TikTok/YouTube videos (including this one that breaks down the 5-Out Offense in a simple manner) and have been enjoying them!
They’re durable AND…coolest of all…they have all kinds of colors (red, yellow, brown, green, blue, and even pink!)
To get some of these boards on your own, check out this Amazon link!
On to the newsletter!
A few posts ago, I wrote: “Skill Work Made Simple”.
That post was directed towards skill workouts/skill development sessions with your team - or even in small groups or camp settings.
Today, let’s take a look at a simple skill work framework you can pass on to your players to make sure they have things to work on when they work on their game individually…rather than just standing around and chucking the ball for a meaningless 30 minutes.
Each skill work session needs the following:
ball handling work
finishing work
shooting work
I’d recommend giving your players a few high-optimal drills in each category and telling them to choose 1-2 to work on each day in the offseason.
For example, your ball-handling section might include:
Five Star Drills, Dribble 100s, 2 Ball Routine, Up 2/Back 2, Kill the Grass, etc. (whatever drills you use/believe in)
Your finishing section might include:
Daily Dozen Finishes, Chill Drill, X-Out Layups, Post Finishes, etc.(whatever drills you use/believe in)
Your shooting section might include:
Beat the Pro, FT Streaks, 5 Minute 3s, shooting challenges, etc. (whatever drills you use/believe in)
Your players choose 1-2 of those drills and work on them for the day.
They do the same thing for finishing.
They do the same thing for shooting.
Here’s an example of a sample Mon/Tues/Wed schedule:
MON = Dribble 100s, Chill Drill, and 5 Minute 3s
TUES = Five Star Drills, Post Finishes, FT Streaks
WED = 2 Ball Routine, X-Out Layups, Beat the Pro
The level of work depends on your players but at least they are doing something if they can follow this simple framework for a few minutes each day this offseason!
A few other things to consider:
obviously, challenge your players to do MORE than the recommended amount
have your players chart their results and send it to you
if you’re feeling really froggy, send out results every day to your group chat to hold your players accountable
TELL THEM exactly what drills to do each day
add a fourth component as a “workout finisher”
examples: make 10 free throws in a row, make 25 free throws, shoot 50 three-pointers, take 25 left-hand layups, do 50 pushes, run a mile, whatever!
The bottom line is this: your roster likely isn’t full of kids who are going to go outside every day this spring and summer and shoot 500 jumpers, only stopping to take gulps of the gallon of water they brought on the bike ride over to the local playground.
And that’s okay.
So, how do YOU - as a coach - get them to still work on their game this summer?
It’s a balance. Your job is to find the happy medium that is going to keep them motivated, keep a ball in their hands, and have them come back to you next fall as a better basketball player.
Until next time!
P.S. - Whenever you’re ready, there are a few ways I can help you as a coach!
Hoops Companion Master Playbook/Drill Book with almost 500 pages of plays and drills
2023 NCAA Tournament Playbook - 3 sets/actions/concepts from each of the 68 NCAA Tournament teams (204 total) - in video AND diagram form!
Create Your Coaching Portfolio Course to help you organize your coaching, develop a portfolio, and focus your philosophy (self-paced course)
Join Hoops Companion Extra - for $5/month, you can get 5 links in your inbox EVERY weekend…and other perks