Program Blueprint

2 articles contributed by Dr. Cory Dobbs.

How Will Your Decisions Help or Hurt Your Teammates?

A short, but very powerful post to share with your athletes.

You will make better decisions if you focus on how the consequences of your actions affect your teammates.  While this is only one criterion which can and should be applied to any decision you make, it is an important one.  You begin by asking “What will happen to my teammate(s) if I act upon this decision?   Over time, such reflective thinking will become habit.

 

Decision-Making
-I should act on this decision.
-I should not act on this decision.
-I cannot decide at this time (Need more information, time, etc.)

 

Using this matrix will not guarantee that your decisions will be good ones.  However, the consideration of the consequences of a given decision in terms of one’s self and one’s teammates in the near and distant future should increase the probability that harm to relations and relationships can be avoided.

Reflection and Discussion Questions

• Do you agree with the idea that the best decisions are those that have the most positive consequences for you and your teammate? And that the poorest decisions are those that have the most negative consequences?  Give an example to explain your reasoning.
• How do you know positive consequences will result from your action(s)? Inaction?
• How do you know negative consequences will result from your action(s)? Inaction?
• In which of the four quadrants would you find the most “immature” behavior? Why?
• As a team member, how can you use this matrix to help your teammates make better decisions?

Article #2

The People Principle

Nothing is More Fundamental to Tap Human Potential than the Power of Relationships

Think about this: How often do your decisions and actions influence the direction of a student-athlete’s life? It’s an incredibly humbling thought, isn’t it? That a person’s life-direction can be guided by your views, your values, and your choices.

Simple truths are often overlooked, yet powerful in action. Nothing is more fundamental to tap human potential than the coach and player relationship—let’s call this **The People Principle.**

The People Principle, when applied, increases the utilization of human potential in the team and school settings, creating conditions that generate commitment to a meaningful experience. The skillful and authentic use, or neglect, of The People Principle can make the difference between change for the better or no change at all in the student-athlete.

As a coach, administrator, and educator of young student-athletes your ability to help them become their best is perhaps your greatest responsibility. Yes, you need to win to validate your coaching skills and abilities, but how do you know when you’re succeeding in developing future leaders and people of character? How do you nurture, challenge, and build young people up, equipping them to make a difference in the lives of the people they’ll interact with throughout their lives?

NEW RESOURCE FOR COACHES

In Leadership Quest Dr. Cory Dobbs offers student-athletes a leadership fable that is engaging, instructive, and transformative. This book provides a simple, yet powerful, model of leadership that will build confident and effective team leaders for any sport. Using the power of storytelling, Leadership Quest presents a proven framework for student-athletes to follow and become exceptional leaders on the playing field and in everyday life. Leadership Quest advances an athlete-centered approach to developing the leader within each and every student-athlete.

Click here for more information on the: Leadership Quest Pack

About the Author

Dr. Cory Dobbs is a national expert on sport leadership and team building and is the founder of The Academy for Sport Leadership.  A teacher, speaker, consultant, and writer, Dr. Dobbs has worked with professional, collegiate, and high school athletes and coaches teaching leadership as a part of the sports experience.  He facilitates workshops, seminars, and consults with a wide-range of professional organizations and teams.  Dr. Dobbs previously taught in the graduate colleges of business and education at Northern Arizona University, Sport Management and Leadership at Ohio University, and the Jerry Colangelo College of Sports Business at Grand Canyon University.

This pre-season checklist was sent to me by Derek Sheridan, Head Boys Basketball Coach at Delta High School (Ohio).

I hope that this can serve to stimulate your thinking and your staff’s thinking about what you need to do to get the most out of your team for the upcoming season.

I know for me, putting my thoughts and ideas in document format, and making lists works best for me to flush out and clarify my beliefs, and then turn them into actions.

Here is Coach Sheridan’s Document that he and his staff use:

The value in this exercise is what you will plan to do and then execute to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.

Just because the worksheet suggests listing 10 does not mean that you should have 10 items for each list.  You might want to list 10 possibilities and then trim that number down as you have flushed out the possibilities or as you experiment with them once practice starts and see that some are not a good fit for this year’s team.

A. Offensive Strengths

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

B. Offensive Weaknesses (also list 1-10)

C. Defensive Strengths (list 1-10)

D. Defensive Weaknesses (1-10)

E. Best team in our sectional

F.  How do we have to play in order to beat the best team in our sectional?

1) Offensively

2) Defensively

G. Projected starting 5

H. Projected second 5

 

TEAM ZONE OFFENSE

A. Zone Motion/Continuity Offenses vs. even-front ZONE defenses that highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses (List 1-6)

B. What sets will allocate inside scoring vs. even-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

C. What sets will allocate perimeter scoring vs. even-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

D. What sets will allocate driving (getting to FT Line) scoring opportunities vs. even-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

E. Zone Motion/Continuity Offenses vs. odd-front ZONE defenses that highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses (List 1-6)

F. What sets will allocate inside scoring vs. odd-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

G. What sets will allocate perimeter scoring vs. odd-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

H. What sets will allocate driving (getting to FT Line) scoring opportunities vs. even-front ZONE defenses (list 1-10)

I. BLOB plays vs. Zone Defense (list 1-10)

J.Offense vs. Junk Defenses (list 1-10)

K.SLOB plays vs. Zone Defenses (list 1-10)

L. Press offense vs. Half Court Trap (list 1-10)

M. Full Court Press Offense vs. Zone Presses (1-10)

 

TEAM MAN TO MAN OFFENSE

A. Motion/Continuity offenses that highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses. (list 1-10)

B. What offensive actions will allocate inside scoring and who needs to get the ball? (list 1-10)

C. What offensive actions will allocate perimeter scoring and who needs to get the ball? (list 1-10)

D. What offensive actions will allocate driving (getting to the FT line) scoring opportunities and who needs to get the ball? (list 1-10)

E. Sets for inside scoring (list 1-10)

F. Sets for penetration (list 1-10)

G. Master Entry List

1-4 High	1-4 Low	3-2	2-3 Triangle	2-1-2	4-1	ATO vs. Change-Up
1)	1)	1)	1)	1)	1)	1)
2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)
3)	3)	3)	3)	3)	3)	3)
4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)
5)	5)	5)	5)	5)	5)	5)
6)	6)	6)	6)	6)	6)	6)

H. Master Set-Play List (Families)

Family Names	Chase Goes Ball Side	Chaser Trails	Switching	Backdoor	Lob	Full Front Post	Play Behind Post
1)	1)	1)	1)	1)	1)	1)	1)
2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)
3)	3)	3)	3)	3)	3)	3)	3)
4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)
5)	5)	5)	5)	5)	5)	5)	5)
6)	6)	6)	6)	6)	6)	6)	6)

Special Situations/Game Winners:

BLOB vs. Man to Man	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
BLOB vs. Zone	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Deep SLOB vs. M to M	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Deep SLOB vs. Zone	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Short SLOB vs. M to M	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Deep Corner BLOB/SLOB	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Full Ct. Need 2 vs. M to M	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Full Ct. Need 3 vs. M to M	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Half Ct. Need 2 vs. Man to Man	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Half Ct. Need 3 vs. Zone	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)
Free Throw Sit Down 3	1)	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)

 

by Bob Starkey.  This article was originally posted on his HoopThoughts Blog

Editor’s Note from Brian: A good article to modify to fit your needs and share with your players. Coming from a Division I Coach, it will hopefully resonate with your players.

This past month has been primarily an evaluation period for those in the college game with two full weeks travelling the country looking for players that best fit our Aggie family.  As someone that cares about the game, observing the competition in the summer can by uplifting or disappointing depending upon the team and players you are watching.  It’s a lot of pressure on these young women because they know that a summer performance can often preclude their future options.

Some players can be found doing too much.  At times players can play with the thought of trying to impress a coach and end up over doing it as opposed to doing what their team needs to do to play better.  Ironically, helping your team play at a higher level is more impressive to college coaches than individual performance.

During the summer, I found myself jotting down a few things that EVERY player could do to be better that had nothing to do with talent.  Things that regardless of their skill level, they could enhance their contribution by focusing on these areas:

1. Shot Fake and Pass Fake
Truly a lost art.  When’s the last time you said to yourself, “that player is excellent as shot and pass fakes.”  Of course part of the responsibility belongs to us as a coaches — are we teaching and emphasizing it?  Few things can help an offensive player more than the proper use of a pass fake and a shot fake.

2. Know and Execute the Plays
Sounds a little silly saying “know the plays” but it’s amazing to see a player or two who doesn’t know where they are supposed to be or what they are supposed to being doing.  Whether is an inbounds plays, a half-court set, a motion entry or anything else structured, take the time to know where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing.  Next is execution — doing it when you are supposed to and as well as you can.  This does not take talent but commitment to knowing and understanding your team’s playbook.

3. Play Hard
Again, seems like it shouldn’t have to be said but it does.  And here is the key to playing hard — you have to do it all the time…not just when your team’s ahead or the play is called for you.  Playing hard means that you are making all your cuts in your offense hard.  It means that you are sprinting to screen.  It means that getting back on defense is a full speed proposition.

4. Have a Team First Attitude
Be the player constantly encouraging their teammates…picking them up both physically and emotionally when the time comes.  Don’t be the player with the horrific body language when a teammate turns the ball over as if you were saying “I wouldn’t have made that mistake.”  If a played does make a mistake, correct it is a positive manner.

5. Understand Shot Selection
Forcing shots does not help your team nor does it impress a college coach.  Know what a good shot is for you — and yes, your shot selection will vary from those of your teammates.  Don’t hunt shots, let the shots find you.

6. Concentrate
As I heard Nick Saban once say, “Wherever your shoes are, be there.”  Don’t wonder mentally.  Stay focused to the job at hand.  Be a process oriented player.  Don’t worry about the past play — it’s over.  Don’t worry about a play in the future they may or may not happen.  All you can control is the current possession you are involved with — give the possession complete concentration.

7. Be a Great Listener
This actually can do a long way to helping with concentration.  In timeouts are you locked in with your eyes and ears.  Does you coach have your complete attention.  There’s a free throw situation and your coach or captain is barking out instructions.  Are you actually listening and processing or just hearing — and there is a difference between listening and hearing.

8. Be in Great Shape
Without doing anything in regard to skill work…without saying anything about your talent level…you can make an impact on your team by being in great physical shape.  When the game is in the fourth quarter or late int he second half and everyone else is starting to drag, this is where you can make a difference.  Not only will you be a step faster because of your conditioning level, but you will be mentally sharper as well.  How many times have we seen a team put on a late run and in large part because of players that are in just better shape that run the floor and past their opponent.

9. Control Your Intangibles
Again, these have nothing to do with skill or talent but they are game changers.  The three areas that players can control (but often choose not to) are: attitude, energy, enthusiasm.  Now I’m not saying it is easy but if you want to make a difference in your team its well work working on.  By controlling your intangibles, I mean you don’t let officiating, teammates, opponents, coaches, gym conditions or anything else effect you having a team-first attitude, with high energy and positive enthusiasm.

10. Be an Example
What do your teammates see when they see or think of you?  He or she is always early to the gym.  They stay late.  They are on time for meetings.  They listen to the coach.  They keep their composure.  Off the court they conducting themselves the right way.  They maintain a proper diet to put fuel in the tank.  They are positive talkers — not criticizing a coach or gossiping about a teammate.

11.  Rebound
Some of the best rebounders are lacking in talent and athleticism — they board well because of effort and tenacity.  Rebounding is one of the only areas in basketball where it’s alright to selfish.  I’ve coached for over 35 years and have never heard of a coach taking a player out for rebounding too much!

I would imagine some of my coaching friends can add to this list but the key for players to understand is that every player can adopt these principles and it will make them a better player and their team a better team.  There’s nothing on here that requires you to jump higher, run faster or have an amazing handle.  Be committed to areas that you can control and work towards being the best you can in those areas.