This article was written by Jay Bilas – ESPN .com and posted on the blog with his permission.

I have heard the word “toughness” thrown around a lot lately. Reporters on television, radio and in print have opined about a team or player’s “toughness” or quoted a coach talking about his team having to be “tougher” to win.

Then, in almost coordinated fashion, I would watch games and see player upon player thumping his chest after a routine play, angrily taunting an opponent after a blocked shot, getting into a shouting match with an opposing player, or squaring up nose-to-nose as if a fight might ensue. I see players jawing at each other, trying to “intimidate” other players. What a waste of time. That is nothing more than fake toughness, and it has no real value.

I often wonder: Do people really understand what coaches and experienced players mean when they emphasize “toughness” in basketball? Or is it just some buzzword that is thrown around haphazardly without clear definition or understanding? I thought it was the latter, and I wrote a short blog item about it a couple of weeks ago.

The response I received was overwhelming. Dozens of college basketball coaches called to tell me that they had put the article up in the locker room, put it in each player’s locker, or had gone over it in detail with their teams.

Memphis coach John Calipari called to say that he had his players post the definition of toughness over their beds because he believed that true “toughness” was the one thing that his team needed to develop to reach its potential. I received messages from high school coaches who wanted to relay the definition of toughness to their players and wanted to talk about it further.

Well, I got the message that I should expound upon what I consider toughness to be. It  may not be what you think.

Toughness is something I had to learn the hard way, and something I had no real idea of until I played college basketball. When I played my first game in college, I thought that toughness was physical and based on how much punishment I could dish out and how much I could take. I thought I was tough.

I found out pretty quickly that I wasn’t, but I toughened up over time, and I got a pretty good understanding of toughness through playing in the ACC, for USA Basketball, in NBA training camps, and as a professional basketball player in Europe. I left my playing career a heck of a lot tougher than I started it, and my only regret is that I didn’t truly “get it” much earlier in my playing career.

When I faced a tough opponent, I wasn’t worried that I would get hit — I was concerned that I would get sealed on ball reversal by a tough post man, or that I would get boxed out on every play, or that my assignment would sprint the floor on every possession and get something easy on me. The toughest guys I had to guard were the ones who made it tough on me.

Toughness has nothing to do with size, physical strength or athleticism. Some players may be born tough, but I believe that toughness is a skill, and it is a skill that can be developed and improved. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo always says, “Players play, but tough players win.” He is right. Here are some of the ways true toughness is exhibited in basketball:

Set a good screen:  The toughest players to guard are the players who set good screens. When you set a good screen, you are improving the chances for a teammate to get open, and you are greatly improving your chances of getting open. A good screen can force the defense to make a mistake. A lazy or bad screen is a waste of everyone’s time and energy. To be a tough player, you need to be a “screener/scorer,” a player who screens hard and immediately looks for an opportunity on offense. On the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team, Bob Knight made Michael Jordan set a screen before he could get a shot. If it is good enough for Jordan, arguably the toughest player ever, it is good enough for you.

Set up your cut: The toughest players make hard cuts, and set up their cuts. Basketball is about deception. Take your defender one way, and then plant the foot opposite of the direction you want to go and cut hard. A hard cut may get you a basket, but it may also get a teammate a basket. If you do not make a hard cut, you will not get anyone open. Setting up your cut, making the proper read of the defense, and making a hard cut require alertness, good conditioning and good concentration. Stephen Curry is hardly a physical muscle-man, but he is a tough player because he is in constant motion, he changes speeds, he sets up his cuts, and he cuts hard. Curry is hard to guard, and he is a tough player.

Talk on defense: The toughest players talk on defense, and communicate with their teammates. It is almost impossible to talk on defense and not be in a stance, down and ready, with a vision of man and ball. If you talk, you let your teammates know you are there, and make them and yourself better defenders. It also lets your opponent know that you are fully engaged.

Jump to the ball: When on defense, the tough defenders move as the ball moves. The toughest players move on the flight of the ball, not when it gets to its destination. And the toughest players jump to the ball and take away the ball side of the cut. Tough players don’t let cutters cut across their face — they make the cutter change his path.

Don’t get screened: No coach can give a player the proper footwork to get through every screen. Tough players have a sense of urgency not to get screened and to get through screens so that the cutter cannot catch the ball where he wants to. A tough player makes the catch difficult.

Get your hands up: A pass discouraged is just as good as a pass denied. Tough players play with their hands up to take away vision, get deflections and to discourage a pass in order to allow a teammate to cover up. Cutters and post players will get open, if only for a count. If your hands are up, you can keep the passer from seeing a momentary opening.Play the ball, see your man: Most defenders see the ball and hug their man, because they are afraid to get beat. A tough defender plays the ball and sees his man. There is a difference.

Get on the floor: In my first road game as a freshman, there was a loose ball that I thought I could pick up and take the other way for an easy one. While I was bending over at the waist, one of my opponents dived on the floor and got possession of the ball. My coach was livid. We lost possession of the ball because I wasn’t tough enough to get on the floor for it. I tried like hell never to get out-toughed like that again.

The first player to get to the floor is usually the one to come up with any loose ball.Close out under control: It is too easy to fly at a shooter and think you are a tough defender. A tough defender closes out under control, takes away a straight line drive and takes away the shot. A tough player has a sense of urgency but has the discipline to do it the right way.

Post your man, not a spot: Most post players just blindly run to the low block and get into a shoving match for a spot on the floor. The toughest post players are posting their defensive man. A tough post player is always open, and working to get the ball to the proper angle to get a post feed. Tough post players seal on ball reversal and call for the ball, and they continue to post strong even if their teammates miss them.

Run the floor: Tough players sprint the floor, which drags the defense and opens up things for others. Tough players run hard and get “easy” baskets, even though there is nothing easy about them. Easy baskets are hard to get. Tough players don’t take tough shots — they work hard to make them easy.

Play so hard, your coach has to take you out: I was a really hard worker in high school and college. But I worked and trained exceptionally hard to make playing easier. I was wrong. I once read that Bob Knight had criticized a player of his by saying, “You just want to be comfortable out there!” Well, that was me, and when I read that, it clicked with me. I needed to work to increase my capacity for work, not to make it easier to play.

I needed to work in order to be more productive in my time on the floor. Tough players play so hard that their coaches have to take them out to get rest so they can put them back in. The toughest players don’t pace themselves.

Get to your teammate first: When your teammate lays his body on the line to dive on the floor or take a charge, the tough players get to him first to help him back up. If your teammate misses a free throw, tough players get to him right away. Tough players are also great teammates.

Take responsibility for your teammates: Tough players expect a lot from their teammates, but they also put them first. When the bus leaves at 9 a.m., tough players not only get themselves there, but they also make sure their teammates are up and get there, too. Tough players take responsibility for others in addition to themselves. They makesure their teammates eat first, and they give credit to their teammates before taking it themselves.

Take a charge: Tough players are in a stance, playing the ball, and alert in coming over from the weak side and taking a charge. Tough players understand the difference between being in the right spot and being in the right spot with the intention of stopping somebody. Some players will look puzzled and say, “But I was in the right spot.” Tough players know that they have to get to the right spot with the sense of urgency to stop someone.

The toughest players never shy away from taking a charge.Get in a stance: Tough players don’t play straight up and down and put themselves in the position of having to get ready to get ready. Tough players are down in a stance on both ends of the floor, with feet staggered and ready to move. Tough players are the aggressor, and the aggressor is in a stance.

Finish plays: Tough players don’t just get fouled, they get fouled and complete the play. They don’t give up on a play or assume that a teammate will do it. A tough player plays through to the end of the play and works to finish every play.

Work on your pass: A tough player doesn’t have his passes deflected. A tough player gets down, pivots, pass-fakes, and works to get the proper angle to pass away from the defense and deliver the ball.

Throw yourself into your team’s defense: A tough player fills his tank on the defensive end, not on offense. A tough player is not deterred by a missed shot. A tough player values his performance first by how well he defended.

Take and give criticism the right way: Tough players can take criticism without feeling the need to answer back or give excuses. They are open to getting better and expect to be challenged and hear tough things. You will never again in your life have the opportunity you have now at the college level: a coaching staff that is totally and completely dedicated to making you and your team better. Tough players listen and are not afraid to say what other teammates may not want to hear, but need to hear.

Show strength in your body language: Tough players project confidence and security with their body language. They do not hang their heads, do not react negatively to a mistake of a teammate, and do not whine and complain to officials. Tough players project strength, and do not cause their teammates to worry about them. Tough players do their jobs, and their body language communicates that to their teammates — and to their opponents.

Catch and face: Teams that press and trap are banking on the receiver’s falling apart and making a mistake. When pressed, tough players set up their cuts, cut hard to an open area and present themselves as a receiver to the passer. Tough players catch, face the defense,and make the right read and play, and they do it with poise. Tough players do not just catch and dribble; they catch and face.

Don’t get split: If you trap, a tough player gets shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammate and does not allow the handler to split the trap and gain an advantage on the back side of the trap.

Be alert: Tough players are not “cool.” Tough players are alert and active, and tough players communicate with teammates so that they are alert, too. Tough players echo commands until everyone is on the same page. They understand the best teams play five as one. Tough players are alert in transition and get back to protect the basket and the 3-point line. Tough players don’t just run back to find their man, they run back to stop the ball and protect the basket.

Concentrate, and encourage your teammates to concentrate: Concentration is a skill, and tough players work hard to concentrate on every play. Tough players go as hard as they can for as long as they can.

It’s not your shot; it’s our shot: Tough players don’t take bad shots, and they certainly don’t worry about getting “my” shots. Tough players work for good shots and understand that it is not “my” shot, it is “our” shot. Tough players celebrate when “we” score.

Box out and go to the glass every time: Tough players are disciplined enough to lay a body on someone. They make first contact and go after the ball. And tough players do it on every possession, not just when they feel like it. They understand defense is not complete until they secure the ball.

Take responsibility for your actions: Tough players make no excuses. They take responsibility for their actions. Take James Johnson for example. With 17 seconds to go in Wake’s game against Duke on Wednesday, Jon Scheyer missed a 3-pointer that bounced right to Johnson. But instead of aggressively pursuing the ball with a sense of urgency, Johnson stood there and waited for the ball to come to him. It never did.

Scheyer grabbed it, called a timeout and the Blue Devils hit a game-tying shot on a possession they never should’ve had. Going after the loose ball is toughness — and Johnson didn’t show it on that play. But what happened next? He re-focused, slipped a screen for the winning basket, and after the game — when he could’ve been basking only in the glow of victory — manned up to the mistake that could’ve cost his team the win.

“That was my responsibility — I should have had that,” Johnson said of the goof. No excuses. Shouldering the responsibility. That’s toughness.

Look your coaches and teammates in the eye: Tough players never drop their heads. They always look coaches and teammates in the eye, because if they are talking, it is important to them and to you.Move on to the next play: Tough players don’t waste time celebrating a good play or lamenting a bad one. They understand that basketball is too fast a game to waste time and opportunities with celebratory gestures or angry reactions. Tough players move on to the next play. They know that the most important play in any game is the next one.

Be hard to play against, and easy to play with: Tough players make their teammates’ jobs easier, and their opponents’ jobs tougher.

Make every game important: Tough players don’t categorize opponents and games. They know that if they are playing, it is important. Tough players understand that if they want to play in championship games, they must treat every game as a championship game.

Make getting better every day your goal: Tough players come to work every day to get better, and keep their horizons short. They meet victory and defeat the same way: They get up the next day and go to work to be better than they were the day before. Tough players hate losing but are not shaken or deterred by a loss. Tough players enjoy winning but are never satisfied. For tough players, a championship or a trophy is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is to get better every day.

When I was playing, the players I respected most were not the best or most talented players. The players I respected most were the toughest players. I don’t remember anything about the players who talked a good game or blocked a shot and acted like a fool. I remember the players who were tough to play against.

Anybody can talk. Not anybody can be tough.

Mental Toughness for Basketball

Click this link to read a sample from the ebook 130 Great Ideas to Make Your Basketball Team More Mentally Tough:

http://www.coachingtoolbox.net/ebooks/mental-toughness/mental-toughness-ebook.html

The following post was written by Coach Alan Stein on his Stronger Team Blog (Click the link to visit the blog).  It would make a great handout for your players.  You are probably aware of Alan’s work in our profession as he is one of the top basketball specific strength and conditioning coaches.  He has produced several videos and is in high demand as a clinician.  He has given me permission to put his posts and videos on the Coaching Toolbox.

Energy Givers

Every time you interact with another human being… you either give them energy (‘fill their bucket’) or you take their energy (‘drain their bucket.’).  In every instance you are either an energygiver or an energy taker.

If you want to be successful in life, you need to not only be an energy giver… you need to surround yourself with energy givers.

Energy givers make those around them better.  9 out of 10 people adamantly admit they are more productive when they are around positive people (aka ‘energy givers’).

It’s pretty simple… if every member of your program (coaches and players) is an energy giver during a workout… the workout becomes more intense and more productive by default.  Nothing else is possible!  Obviously, if you have productive workouts on a consistent basis, you will make progress.

Not everyone can be 7 feet tall. Not everyone can jump out of the gym.  But everyone can be an energy giver.  Being an energy giver is a conscious choice.  It is an attitude.

Energy givers raise the confidence of everyone they come in contact with.  Energy givers improve morale, chemistry, and performance.  Coaches and teammates covet players who areenergy givers.

Are you an energy giver?

During your off-season workouts, do you give energy by listening and being coachable? By being a supportive teammate? By being enthusiastic? By working as hard as you possibly can?

Or do you drain energy by loafing, arguing, and complaining?

If you want to stand out at your summer league games, AAU games, and camps… and really have coaches take notice… then you need to be an energy giver!

Energy givers thank their teammates for a good pass.

Energy givers help their teammates up after they take a charge or dive for a loose ball.

Energy givers cheer their teammates on when they are not in the game.

Energy givers listen to their coach with their ears and their eyes.

Energy givers communicate on defense.

Energy givers show up early and are prepared to workout, practice or play.

Energy givers always give that little extra.  And it goes a long way.

Make a conscious effort to be an energy giver… it will pay off… trust me.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for coaching basketball including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

This comes from Creighton Burns’ newsletter:

TEAM ATTITUDE

1. Blame Nobody…Expect Nothing…Do Something (No Excuses)

2. Compete (No Excuses)

3. Be On Time…Pay Attention…Practice & Play Hard (No Excuses)

4. Always Listen – it is what is being said that is important, not how it is said

5. Play through Referee’s Calls

6. Know, Accept and Embrace Your Role

7. Hustle to the Free-Throw Huddle

8. Hustle On and Off the Floor during Substitutions

9. Hustle to Timeouts

10. Always Learn – understand concepts & ideas and apply them in game situations

11. No swearing On the Court

12. No Hanging Head

13. Never Quit On A Play! Never!!

14. No Poor Body Language

15. No Pointing Fingers (Unless for a good pass)

16. Always Love – your parents, coaches, and teammates

17. Attitude of Gratitude – Say “Thank You”

18. Look People in the Eye When Communicating

19. Be a Role Model Off the Floor – look the part

20. Share the Basketball, Protect the Basketball

21. Get Back On Defense – No Transition Baskets

22. Loyalty – Remember the people that have helped you in your basketball endeavors

23. Laugh – Enjoy the time spent with teammates and coaches

24. Take Skills Pride in All That You Do

25. Be A Great Teammate – Be Unselfish

“This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for coaching basketball including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

While I am going through my file of notes, here are some notes I have from a clinic on mental training given by Dr. James Jarvis.

At the end of this post, there is a link to read more ideas regarding mental toughness

1.  The mind does not know the difference between a real and an imagined event, that is why visualization and self talk are so powerful.

2.  The ideal performance state is calm on the inside and energized and alert on the outside.

3.  Two factors that seem to be consistent for athletes “in the zone” are preparation (both mental and physical).  The second factor is the ability to maintain concentration.

4.  Statistics show that locker room pep talks don’t seem to do much good a low keyed suggestions and stories do seem to be of some benefit.

5.  The most powerful motivators come from within.  Team spirit and expectations are extremely powerful motivators.  This takes place when there’s commitment to a shared goal.  The goal is an internal decision to do something rather than to wait for external forces to make something happen.

6.  Emphasize performance goals as well as outcome goals.  Performance goals are things like being ready to play, giving 100%, having a great attitude, always looking confident, sticking to your performance rituals maintaining concentration, and attaining individual goals such as individual free throw percentage.

7.  Two points about goal setting:  goals should always be written down and athletes must be committed to attending to the details of accomplishing the goals beyond their comfort level.  Great athletes practice beyond their comfort zones.

8.  Commitment to narrow your focus is a major key.  Players need to see what they need to do to reach their goals and not be distracted.

9.  Ones realistic goals are set, next step is preparation for competition.  Aside from previous success in competition, nothing gives an athlete greater confidence than thorough preparation.

10.  John Wooden model:  Practice the physical skills until they are so automatic that you can perform them without thinking under stressful competition.

11.  The key to consistency is concentration.

12.  Five keys to maintaining concentration in competition.

Stick to performance rituals before and during the game.  Load your players with performance rituals.  It keeps their minds from wandering.

Eye control.  Players and keep their eyes on the court.  If a player is looking into the crowd that player is losing focus.  The mind follows the eyes.

Emotional control.  Nothing blows up concentration more than losing emotional control.  Just as the mind follows the eyes, the emotions follow breathing.  If someone is upset, their breathing is shallow.  Teach players to lose their temper to take slow deep breaths.

Make use of visualization during competition.

Stay in the present moment.  The most important play in basketball is the one that is happening right now.  Human beings tend to not be in the present.  We’re either worrying about the past or worrying about the future.  Those projections into the future are almost always negative.  For example a player standing at the free throw line is thinking “what will happen if a miss the shot?” All these projections into the future are 90% negative in 90% untrue, but it really affects performance.  Emphasize two players to keep their minds in the present because that’s where the action is.

Here is a link to read 12 more ideas regarding mental toughness:  Mental Toughness

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

Got this from one of Don Meyer’s clinics.  The Warrior in the title is from our school mascot, so change as needed to use in your program.

You Are a Warrior When…

You don’t care if you are the one who sets the screen or the one who hits the winning three, because fulfilling your role, whatever that role is, is most important

You have a desire to excel for the benefit of those relying on you.

You have an unquenchable need to exceed your past limitations.

You play without the option of defeat.

You play and know, without a doubt, that you competed like a champion.

You understand your commitment to your teammates.

You understand that basketball is a team sport.

You finish playing and only your body leaves the floor your heart and soul are captured within the game.

You will exchange your blood, sweat, and tears for the benefit of the team.

You understand the irrelevance of individual awards.

You would rather encourage a teammate to success than benefit personally from his mistakes.

Your respect for the game outweighs your personal ego.

You make mistakes and use them to improve instead of using them as excuses.

Your ability to make your teammates better increases each time you play.

You do the little things right when nobody is watching.

You serve your teammates with unselfish motives.

You understand your role and strive to perform it better.

You have done all you can and still feel you haven’t done enough.

You play with pain without creating a scene.

You give more than what is asked and take less than what is deserved.

Your effort is constant and your play is consistent regardless of the situation.

You think you can, and you do.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

Here is another contribution from Coach Phil Beckner:

This is a great book for all coaches to read!  It’s filled with tons of information on “What the best do better than everyone else.”…I  highly recommend it!

Phil Beckner
Weber State Assistant Coach

From the book “Training Camp”

By: Jon Gordon

1. When you face a setback, think of it as a defining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.
2. When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.
3. When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it.  After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.
4. When you face the naysayers, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.
5. When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.
6. When you wake up in the morning, take a morning walk of gratitude and prayer.  It will create a fertile mind ready for success.
7. When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.
8. When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time you have succeeded.
9. When you head into battle, visualize success.
10. When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment.  The now is where your power is the greatest.
11. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.
12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.
13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into the The Zone.  The Zone is not a random event.  It can be created.
14. When you feel all is impossible, know that with God, all things are possible.
15. When you feel alone, think of all the people who have helped you along the way and who love and support you now.
16. When you feel lost, pray for guidance.
17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up.  Finish strong in everything you do.
18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.
19. When you feel like your situation is beyond your control, pray and surrender.  Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
20. When you’re in a high pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it.  Life is short; you only live once.  You have nothing to lose.  Seize the moment.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

Another contribution from Coach Phil Beckner of Weber State:

This spring I was able to meet w/one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the entire country Tim McClellan. Tim trains over 660 athletes a year at Rehab Plus in Phoenix, AZ.  He has trained athletes such as Donovan Mcnabb (NFL), Channing Frye (NBA), Gary Hall jr(Olympic Gold Medalist), and many others in every sport you could imagine.

I wanted to meet with Tim about…what makes the great ones tick…What separates the good from the great…what characteristics set these athletes apart from the mediocre athletes at their level.

Tim has also written a book that is absolutely amazing!  It has tons of stories and examples from the many athletes he has worked with.  If you are a coach this is a MUST read!  You can find it on Amazon Inner Strength Inner Peace: Life-Changing Lessons From The World’s Greatest

What do you constantly find in the great athletes?

1. Gifted Genetics-talent

2. They keep success simple… “can you make success simple as a coach”

3. They have a warrior mentality in every workout (more on his definition of a warrior in his book…great stuff!)

As a coach what are some ways you find to motivate athletes to be great vs. good?

1.  COACH HEART… “They do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care”  “Change a heart, change them forever” Tim thoroughly expressed being able to capture your player’s heart by showing and telling them that you believe in them and their goals/vision.  ***This is one of the best things I heard from him, because I could feel his passion, and knew that he truly believed in this.  At times I have not made this a priority in coaching athletes, and I left inspired to coach their heart first, before their skills.

2.   Be Prepared: “All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.” Gain as much knowledge as possible in your sport.  Everything you read, everyone you meet, everything you do will have an effect on this.  Look for every opportunity to better yourself, and in turn you can better your players.

3.   Find a Way: Help your players buy into the vision of what they can be and where they want to be!  Show them that you believe in them and you are willing to do whatever you can to “find a way” to give them every tool they need to get there.  Tim once opened up his garage at 10:30pm for a 2 hour workout when he had to be up at 5am the next day because an Olympic gold medalist missed his workout and could not go to sleep knowing he had not put in his work that day!  As a coach, if you want to take your players from good to great you have to be willing to do everything possible to get them there, and that may mean you sacrificing sleep, fun, or free time as a coach.

4.  Be Willing to Battle: they must be challenged and reminded that they need to do whatever it takes in order for them to become the best they possibly can.  They must be willing to pursue the goal/vision they have w/out fear and with confidence!  They must battle whatever obstacles and adversity that may present itself.  As a coach you must be willing to battle with them and for them! Battle to push them to be their best, battle to motivate and inspire daily, and battle to give them every opportunity possible to succeed.

Referring to Bill Parcells quote “If they don’t bite when they are pups, they won’t bite when they are grown.”  If an athlete is missing an edge, or the toughness/competitiveness to be great, to put thierself on the next level can you that be developed it?  Can you coach it?  Can you bring it out in them, or will they just always be missing something?

1. YES! You can help bring this out in them! Heart CAN BE coached and it’s the first thing you should coach!

2. Hold them accountable to how good they can become and get them to battle for it every day!

3. Face to face ask them what they want…make them look you in the eye.  Use open probed and closed probed questions to make them look within themselves and have to answer specifically yes or no.

4. Evaluate their MENTALITY and bring it to their attention.  Do let them give in to anything less than what they have answered to you w/your questions.  Bring this to their attention, and tell them how much you believe in them and know they are capable of so much more.

5. Great example of a question to ask yourself as a coach in finding ways to motivate your best players…”How do I get someone like Shaq unhappy w/himself until he surpasses all of kareem’s numbers?”

What is your formula for success in bringing out an athlete’s best?

1. Make them buy into the best that their capable of being

2. Measure them vs. their potential

3. Have them doing everything they are capable of doing—then what???

4. Work to optimize vs. enhance their performance

5. Look them in the eye and tell them “I can’t accept 94% from you…94% isn’t good enough.  If I do that, I’M FAILING YOU”   When you tell a player this there is a sense of responsibility and accountability they will accept for you giving them everything you have.

How much do the elite athletes take ownership for their individual workouts, film sessions, etc?

1. Almost all of them want to do EXTRA!  They finish the workout and ask ‘What else do you have for me”

2. They are PROACTIVE in finding ways to get an edge or improve.  If they aren’t proactive, then use brutal honesty and tell them what’s not good enough, so they become more proactive.

3. There coaches have told them exactly “here’s how to win, or here’s how to get where you want to be”  they accept the answer and pursue it.

What makes great coaches special?  What are some of the characteristics of great coaches you have came across?

***Great coaches always have their players HEART! “Change a heart, change them forever”

1. The best coaches have the ability to teach, they are long hard workers, express care to their athletes, won’t accept mediocrity in sport and life, and will never accept anything less than the player’s best effort.

2. They are never satisfied w/their own personal development, knowledge of the game, or  network of people they now.  They are always striving for more, striving for better!

3. Be an “outlier”, do things different, don’t always sit in the crowd.  Know who you are and what you are about as a coach and person…stick with it.  Believe in yourself and be confident in every situation.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

SINCERITY. Some people we know always have their cards face up. We know where they stand and we know where we stand with them.  There is no sham, pretense, hypocrisy, apple-polishing, show, arrogance or equivocation.  They are real all the way through.  This is an essential ingredient in getting along with people.

PERSONAL INTEGRITY. This refers to the special qualities of decency, honesty, loyalty, fair play and honor.  An individual with a real personal integrity has a deep sense of  responsibility and dependability.   He is sound.  He keeps his promises.  He lives up to his commitments.

HUMILITY. If one picks out the great leaders of our present, of our past, one invariably finds the character trait humility.   Maturity is usually combined with modesty.  Never is it present in the smart alecks, the know-it-alls, the self appointed saviors, nor the persons whoknow the answers before they hear the questions,

COURTESY. This means much more than just being thoughtful or polite to other people, It means tolerance.  I have my eccentricities and peculiarities and I approve of you having yours.  You are just as good as I am, and I’ll respect your right to speak your piece even if I don’t agree, this is courtesy in its largest sense.  Can you, under pressure, remain gracious, considerate, and courteous?

WISDOM. There isn’t any escape from the fact that, even though an individual might, be sincere and humble and courteous, unless he has the wisdom to make the right decisions and actions, to do the right things at the right time, to give correct guidance and counsel when  it is indicated, he doesn’t get along with people.

CHARITY. Maybe this is the most important attribute for any personality.     In its broadest interpretation it means the capacity to love.  It implies acceptance of the fact that we all have weaknesses; we all make mistakes.  To be able to get along with people requires the charity of forgiveness.  Are you big enough and generous enough to love your neighbor as yourself?

Six Qualities of Character Essential for Maturity by: Horace E. Hudson, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia

Adopted from materials on Character and Moral DevelopmentUniversity of Illinois, Cooperative Extension Service inAgriculture and Home Economics, Urbana, Illinois

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

Other than the John Wooden definition of success at the end, I am not sure where I came across the rest of this, but I thought that it was worth passing along.  I think it is something that is worth constantly reminding your teams about as you work to keep an even keel throughout the season.

In my opinion, one of the most important life lessons to be learned in competitive athletics is that you can work very hard and sacrifice, but not always come out on top on the scoreboard because the other team is also working hard.  It is a different lesson than a classroom, because most high school students can earn successful grades in most classes where they do work very hard.  They are not competing against others for the grades, only against a standard.  I like to use this thought to help players to come to terms with losses when they have put a lot of effort in and seemingly not gotten a return on their investment.

The road to becoming a good basketball player is not by any means an easy road.  It is a road paved with hard work, sweat, skinned knees, and sometimes tears.  Along the way you will find victory and defeat, encouragement and discouragement, disappointment and joy, praise and criticism, success and failure, but you should always retain the satisfaction of knowing you did the best you were possibly capable of doing.  Success is this self-satisfaction.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!

The Coaching Toolbox turned one year old on March 1 and I just wanted to share a few thoughts on the first year of the site.  This has always been one of my favorite times of the year with high school tournaments in full swing and NCAA March Madness just around the corner, so it seemed like as good a time as any to get the site started at this time last year.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started and I have learned a lot about building and maintaining a website and about life on the Internet over the past year, in addition to continue to learn about the game of basketball and coaching it.

But, the most enjoyable part of working on the site has been having the opportunity to correspond with basketball coaches and players from around the world and at varied levels of coaching through the site.  It has given me another reason to stay in touch with former players who are now coaching, coaches I have coached with, coaches I have coached against, and coaches who publish other basketball websites.  I have even developed a friendship with Coach Josh Stinson from Perfect Practice as we have worked together on HoopClinics.

My goal each week is to throw out some ideas in the daily e-mails from various coaching topics, some that I have used and some that I don’t use, but that I hope the visitors to the site and the newsletter subscribers might be able to use.  Each week my plan is to vary what I send out, but to put out a defensive topic, an offensive topic, a drill, something on leadership/inspiration, and something on program development.  I know that not every e-mail is going to be used by every coach every day, but I hope that by offering a variety, everyone can find something they like and that fits their coaching situation and the abilities of the players they coach. I strive to mix up the delivery method and offer some videos, some written ideas, some of my interpretations and adaptations of coaching concepts, some ideas from other websites or newsletters, and anything else I can think of to offer variety and that you might find useful.

I have done my best to keep up with the feedback and requests.  I appreciate all of them, and know that it is one area that I want to improve on in the coming year.  Please feel free to leave an ideas that you would like to see explored in the coming year in the comments below.

There have been a couple of side benefits from doing this project.   One is that I have been discovered on face book by several students that I taught as a classroom teacher and friends that I had lost touch with.  I have enjoyed corresponding with them as well.  The second is that we are putting together a reunion for this coming summer of our players, managers, and coaching staff from a school that I coached at 10 years ago.  I am really looking forward to that!

For the most part, things have gone well.  There are always problems in any project and I am still learning how to get all of the e-mails through and help each of you be able to open the videos.  I know that many servers block some of the channels that I use because others use them to send out offensive and unsolicited e-mails.  I will continue to work to improve those things.

I do thank you for the time that each of you have taken to look at the site and the e-mails and for the feedback you have offered.  Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for the coming year.  I still have a long way to go to meet my goals of the number of visitors per day and the number of subscribers to the newsletters, so anything you can do to let others know about the site who might be interested in taking a look would be appreciated!

Brian

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for basketball coaching including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!