This. Is. A. Coaching. Masterclass…! Seriously. It’s rare to observe basketball practices that have been mindfully designed to integrate the mental, technical, physical, social and competive constraints in a way that reads like a book. This is why we (affectionately) call Mike MacKay: Yoda Master MacKay. In his day “job”, he’s the Women’s High Performance …
Many refer to it as POSITIONLESS play. Years ago, while working with Canada Basketball, we had referred to it as developing the ‘global’ player (i.e. players that could shoot, pass, and dribble from all positions). Perhaps, better said, it’s PERMISSION-LESS… players are no longer seeking permission to initiate from multiple positions, in multiple ways. Perhaps, …
Every coach has been in the frustrating situation where their athletes don’t do, in a game, the things that they worked on during practice. There’s the common refrain bellowing from sidelines throughout the basketball world: “C’mon! We worked on that!” If you’re looking for a solution, start with you… Is This A Game-Like Drill? This is …
A while back I shared my coaching clinic notes from a basketball clinic I attended featuring Jasmin Repeša. Well, here’s the video of a clinic put on by by Canada Basketball (@canbball) – and shared by Basketball Manitoba (@basketballmb). Some useful ideas from a top-level European basketball coach. Break out your notebook and enjoy! Tell …
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT… Your coach says, ‘‘We’re going to do some grand slam training, so I want you to do 1100 sprints for eight to 10 seconds over the next six hours.” Sounds crazy, doesn’t in? Well, that’s exactly what Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal did in their five hour, 53 minute 2012 Australian …
The teacher-coach that I am now is substantially different from who I was in the 1990s and early 2000s. When asked recently why that is, the response comes easily: Mario DeSisti. Granted I’ve had a number of basketball mentors (see: Mike MacKay) who have had – and continue to have – a profound impact on …
It’s one thing to be great at your craft. There are many — both in sport and out of it — who are exceptionally gifted at what they do. Yet, so many fail to be able to effectively articulate it so others can make sense of it. Steve Nash is an exception amongst exceptions. To …
Written by MIKE MACKAY (High Performance Manager, Women’s High Performance Program, Canada Basketball) As I travel around the country I often get asked by players, coaches and parents when tryouts are for our age group National Teams. In a country the size of Canada having a one day tryout is a very difficult thing to do. I …
I know… It’s been some time. At least 3-weeks give or take. Man, I miss writing, but things have been so hectic with me being on the road, that I’ve sold some of my soul to Twitter. The good news is that I can now share, more frequently, in bite sized chunks. The bad news… …
Written by MIKE MACKAY (High Performance Manager, Women’s High Performance Program, Canada Basketball) “The greatest myth currently being perpetuated is the idea that basketball players can improve their skills by playing numerous games. Many of our developmental athletes are sometimes playing up to six basketball games on a weekend. This is often preceded by only one practice …