Basketball Drills Calipari Finishing

By Brian Williams on September 11, 2013

This video is of John Calipari going through some finishing drills and techniques with Derrick Rose.

The video is a YouTube video so make sure that you are on a server that allows YouTube access.

If you are not, I have a link to be able to watch the video on the Championship Productions site.

I have also listed some skill development drills that have already been posted on the site below the video.

Make sure your sound is on

If you cannot see the drill, you can use the link below. It will take you to the Championship productions site, click the play arrow on the video icon.

Calipari Finishing Drills

There is nothing to purchase to see the drill, however if you are interested in purchasing this or any other Championship DVD, you can use this link:

Calipari Finishing Drills

The video is 3 minutes and 48 seconds and should start immediately.

Make sure your sound is on.

Coaching Basketball Things I wish I Would Have Known Earlier as a Player

By Brian Williams on September 10, 2013

These thoughts were written by Sundance Wicks who played at Northern State University for Don Meyer.J

Sundance is currently the Director of Power Basketball Academy. He played professionally in Sweden after graduating from Coach Meyer’s program.

At the conclusion of his playing career, he served as an assistant at Northern Illinois for six year.

The second article on toughness for coaches was written by Coach Meyer and is directed for coaches.

What it feels like to be a senior (the sacrifice for the team)
How much time the coaching staff puts in trying to prepare the team for life, practices and games
How much time the coaching staff spends thinking about what is best for the team
Your team is only as good as the last player to buy in (weakest link) – you have a “true” team only when every last player has bought in
When you win with a “team”, the victory tastes much sweeter

Team chemistry is the most important thing in the game of basketball – without it championships are hard to come by
That the “team” is not the coaches’ team, it’s your (players) team
That it can take an entire season to build a “team” and one incident to destroy the chemistry that was built
How you play in practice ultimately affects your performance in the game
If you want to be the best player, you have to be the hardest worker

It doesn’t matter how good you are if you are not mentally tough
That you win games by preparing properly in practice and not just lacing up the sneakers on game night
It’s hard as a coach to sit a player who makes hustle plays consistently and works hard in practice
The importance of ball pressure and jumping to the ball and how to play it properly
Communication is a must to be successful on and off the court

I have a better chance to play if i am a great defender vs. A good shooter
The sooner i realize that everything starts with defense the better i will be able to prepare myself for the practices and games
The key to becoming a great rebounder is putting forth the effort to go to the glass and ability has little to do with it (rebound sequence)

A good team defense is built with the foundation of trust
How much you have to prepare mentally for the second night of play in conference Friday / Saturday games – after loses, more so wins
It’s not who starts the game, it’s who finishes the game – be a finisher
You have to have a great second half warm-up physically to get yourself ready mentally (perceived ability that we are ready to go)
That you can control two things in life: 1. Attitude 2. Effort – and more often than not, positive words and actions create positive reactions

YOUR TEAM IS NEVER AS TOUGH AS THEY CAN BE AND YOU CAN NEVER ASSUME THEY ARE TOUGH ENOUGH (BY Coach Don Meyer)

When looking in the dictionary you see descriptions for toughness such as: hard to break but not necessarily hard to bend, difficult to get the better of, apt to be aggressive, able to resist, etc.

When we think of toughness we immediately think of mental toughness and then physical toughness. LET ME SAY AT THE OUTSET THAT A TEAM WILL NEVER BE TOUGH
WHEN THEY ARE COACHED BY A STAFF OF COACHES WHO ARE NOT.

The hardest thing we have to do each day as coaches is saddle up and face the day with the attitude we want our players and team to adopt. WE CANNOT SELL THEM SOMETHING THAT WE DO NOT OWN.

My most difficult task as coach is to be tougher on myself and more demanding than I was the day before. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOUR PROGRAM IS WINNING GAMES. For every 100 who can handle failure, there is but one who can handle success. Winning can weaken the resolve of those who worship winning and do not plan, practice, play and coach to a higher standard.

THE BEHAVIOR OF YOUR PLAYERS IN THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF FATIGUE, BAD CALLS, TURNOVERS, MISSED SHOTS, BEING OPEN AND NOT GETTING THE BALL, HARRASSMENT FROM THE OPPOSING FANS, TRASH TALK FROM OPPONENTS, AND THEIR AND THEIR TEAMMATES FAILURES AND SUCCESSES will tell you all you need to know about how well you are teaching the life long lessons of toughness.

Basketball Plays Phoenix Reverse Xavier Shuffle

By Brian Williams on September 9, 2013

Coach Vonn Read has submitted several plays from his playbook series The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays to the Coaching Toolbox. Vonn is currently serving as an assistant on the Women’s Team at Houston.

He has also served as an assistant coach in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, Orlando Miracle, and San Antonio Silver Stars. He was an advanced scout for the Orlando Magic as well as The Charlotte Sting.

This play is a an idea for your early offense attack.

Diagrams created with FastDraw

Right out of Transition, we will run into a 4 Out 1 In Secondary Break.

The 1 player will reverse the ball to the 4 player.

The 5 player will set a Flex screen for the 2 player, who will stop right in the middle of the lane.

The 1 player will set a pindown for the 5 player popping high.

The 1 player will space to the mid wing area.

4 will pass to the 5 player, who will pass to the 1 player

The 4 player will cut hard to the basket off the screen set by the 2 player.

The 4 player can cut either way.

The 2 player will pop to the top for the shot off the Pick the Picker action.

Coach Read has also put together The Basketball Encyclopedia of plays. You can check them out here: The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays or read more about the books:

Any coach looking for the latest and innovative plays from the Professional, College, or High School levels can stop looking. With a compilation of over 7,700 different plays, you will never need to purchase another basketball playbook again. These playbooks can be used as a great reference tool for years to come. This 2 Volume Book includes plays from 19 different play categories, and they are the most extensive playbooks on the market.

The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays (Platinum Series) contains over 7,700 Plays (Both Volumes combined) from the NBA, WNBA, USBL, and College levels from someone who has worked as an Advanced Scout or Coach on each level!!! This book has been intensely compiled over the last 21 years, with plays taken from a lot of NBA Coaches (past and present), WNBA coaches, and College coaches (Men’s and Women’s) from around the country.

Any coach that is serious about improving their knowledge of the game from an X and O standpoint will benefit tremendously from these books. These Books can be used to discover New Quick hitters, add a New Package to your playbook, or develop an entire Offensive System. There are a lot of new ideas and concepts in these books to study, and the Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays can be a great resource for coaches on all levels!!! This book is definitely for those X and O junkies who are always looking to improve as a Coach.

“THE GAME IS ALWAYS CHANGING? ARE YOU?” Vonn Read

Here is the link: The Basketball Encyclopedia of Plays

Basketball Drills Line Conversion

By Brian Williams on September 6, 2013

In my opinion, converting to defense is one of the key factors to being good defensively. Our goal every time we convert to defense is to force the opponent to play against our set 5 on 5 defense without fouling to do so.

Depending on the level you coach, you will be converting to defense 40 – 60 times per game on average, so it is essential to practice it regularly.

We practice converting off of made and missed shots, off turnovers, and off of made and missed free throws. We use the “change” drill to simulate a turnover. (Coach yells change, offense drops balls and converts to defense, team on defense picks up the ball as if transitioning after a steal.)

Today’s post is a video of another converion drill used by former NBA Coach Mike Fratello to cover his defensive conversion fundamentals and assignments. It is not a fancy drill, but it is effective.

The video is a You Tube video, so make sure that you can access You Tube.

Make sure your sound is on as you watch.

If you are interested in purchasing this or any other Championship DVD, you can use this link:

Mike Fratello Conversion Drill

The video is 90 seconds long–Make sure your sound is on.

Below are some links to other individual and team defensive drills that are posted on the Coaching Toolbox:

Basketball Coaching Players Love the Game

By Brian Williams on September 4, 2013

A couple of articles By Basketball Trainer Alan Stein, Stronger Team Blog (re-posted with permission), for you to think about applying for your players in your program.

Do You Love the Game?

Or do you love the idea of being a basketball player?

That is a very powerful distinction.

There is a big difference between truly loving the game and loving what the game can do for you (fame, money, girls, etc.).

If you truly love the game you want to be in the gym, by yourself, all of the time.

You want to work on your handle and make hundreds of shots every day.

You want to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

You want to do all of the extra work (strength & conditioning, watch film, rest & recovery techniques, etc.) to help you become the best player you can be.

If you truly love the game you would rather play basketball than go to the movies, hang out at the mall, or play Xbox.

Whether you’re alone on an outside court at the park or playing 5 on 5, basketball brings you more joy than anything else in your life.

Do you really love the game?

Do You Spend or Invest Your Time?

At nearly every one of my Cutting Edge Clinics, I ask the players a (somewhat tricky) question:

“There is a very specific amount of money I can withdraw from my bank account anytime I want. Can you guess how much that is?”

The answers usually vary from $50 to $1,000… which always makes me chuckle. Almost inevitably though, someone blurts out, “As much as you want!”

To which I smile and reply, “As much as I want? How about $1,000,000? Do any of you think I can go to Bank of America right now and withdraw $1,000,000?”

They all laugh and say, “No way!”

Which of course, they are correct. I most certainly do not have $1,000,000 in my checking or savings account. Far from it.

So what is the answer? How much can I withdraw?

Exactly what I put in… not a penny more.

I can only take out what I put in.

NOTE: Thankfully, I haven’t had a smart ass ruin my analogy by bringing up the concept of interest!

My somewhat elementary banking analogy holds true in basketball as well.

You only get out… what you put in.

Do you want to jump higher when the season starts? To be a better shooter? Or better ball handler?

Now is the time you need to be making ‘deposits.’ A 45 minutes shooting workout is like making a $100 deposit. A bodyweight strength workout is like dropping in another $50. And trust me, it will add up.

A good friend of mine recently reminded me of a similar mindset… and a very powerful concept:

You either spend time or you invest time.

Great players understand this.

For the rest of this month, will you spend time laying at the pool, playing video games or hanging out at the mall?

Or will you invest time working on your game, hitting the weight room and watching film?

If you invest now, you will be able to make a hefty withdrawal this winter.

Train hard. Fuel smart. Get better.
The Stronger Team Huddle is a revolutionary basketball-specific strength & conditioning learning experience. It is a must for any coach looking to take their program to the next level.

Our next Huddle will be held at the Nike World Headquarters in Portland, OR the weekend of October 4-6, 2013. Participants will get a formal tour of the Nike campus, access to the heralded Nike Employee Store and a copy of the Stronger Team Training System.

The deadline for early bird registration is September 20, 2013 (limited spots available). For full event details and to register, please visit http://www.strongerteam.com/huddle/

Alan Stein
Hardwood Hustle Blog
http://www.About.me/AlanStein

Coaching Basketball Teaching Shooting

By Brian Williams on September 3, 2013

This video has some thoughts from professional shooting coaches as well as a breakdown of some of the NBA’s best shooters.

I have posted some links to some basketball skill development drills below the video. Some of the drills are team drills and others are individual workout drills.

This is a youtube video, so please make sure that you are on a server that allows youtube access.

This video is from Coach Nick Hauselman of bballbreakdown.com who has worked under Stan Van Gundy, Sean Miller, and Stu Jackson.

Press the play arrow to see the video. Some things to think about as you work with your shooters. The video is 6 minutes long.