Dear Coaches, Parents, Players
Welcome to the 5th addition and final JAM Fall League newsletter. Continue to view our website during the winter for future events, Denver Nugget ticket info, and our 20th spring league info. Don’t forget first annual all-star clinic is this weekend at West HS. Our #1 priority for JAM continues helping coaches and parents build confidence in today’s youth. Continue setting goals to make sure plans are in line to improve your game.
- Mark Sharpley
Practice Makes Perfect
John Wooden left us with “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” One of the key ingredients to a good practice is a good practice plan. No teacher or coach can walk into a classroom or court and just “wing it.” Practices and the drills within a practice must have a purpose.
When designing a practice, it is important to break the practice down into segments. The two most common segments are offense and defense. Then, have a skill segment, fundamental (warm-up) segment, rebounding - transition segment, and a late game/end of quarter segment. How much time you spend on each segment depends on how long your practice is and what you feel needs more work at that time in your season.
Practices need flow. One drill should lead or build into the next drill. For example, if facing a team that traps frequently, implement drills early in practice that teach players the skills to handle traps and then after those drills work on sets/plays that you will then use against that team that traps.
Another key point to planning practices is making sure that the maximum numbers of players are involved in each drill. Too many players standing around can lead to a very lethargic practice. players tend to get bored easily and lose interest when they have idle time. Try to utilize all the space that you have for your practice. When doing a breakdown drill, if you have enough coaches, use as many baskets as your gym has.
The length of a practice can also impact the quality of the practice. Don’t mistake quantity for quality. Just because you are practicing for two hours doesn't mean that your players are getting better all two hours. Early in the season you can practice a little longer because you have the player’s energy and interest. As the season progresses, maybe shorten practices as the grind of the season tends to take a toll on the players’ bodies.
Make practices competitive. In games, we keep score so players need to learn how to compete. Where is there a better place to teach them to compete than in practice? Just about every drill should include a point value to the drill. You do not have to give points for every basket scored. Reward points based on whatever it is that you are trying to emphasize. If your team is working on some component of defense, then award points for defensive rebounds, turnovers, charges, and just about anything else related to defense. If placing an emphasis on post defense, give the offense one point for every time they get the ball in the post.
Practice scoring systems can be as simple or as specific as one wants. Your practices should always be tougher than the games. By following this thought, your players should be much more comfortable in the games and then perform at a higher level. Play 6 on 5 with the offense at a disadvantage or 3 on 4 with the defense at a disadvantage. If an offense can score with 6 players on the court, they should be able to score much easier with only 5 on the court. If a defense of 3 guys can stop 4 offensive players just think how much easier is should be during a game. There are numerous other ways make practices tougher, you just have to be creative!
Maybe the most important aspect of practice planning is time management. All drills should have a set length and stay on time management task. Some coaches believe in doing a drill until the team “gets it.” That thought process will sometimes lead to your frustration and the team’s frustration. You should fulfill your time and if it needs more work come back to it the next time when everyone is in a different frame of mind.
These are some general thoughts on practice planning. That is not to say that there are other styles and forms out there that work just as well. The key is to find the appropriate plan for you, your coaching style, and your team. Good luck this season and look for our next publication around Thanksgiving.
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