Vault: Player Development

Verticality, Protecting The Rim & Shot Blocking

At all levels of play, the principle verticality is difficult to officiate. It’s just as challenging to coach. Yet, just because it’s difficult does not mean it’s something that we should avoid teaching—especially since the ability to defend at the rim without fouling is the difference between winning and losing. So, what is the “rule of verticality” …

Draymond Green: On allowing his character to be attacked

The 2016 NBA Playoffs Final between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t have been scripted any better than the real thing played out. Golden State, with a record 73 regular-season victories and comparisons to the all-time great teams in NBA history, jumps out to a 3-1 lead. No team in 32 tries had ever …

Sharing The Thinking With Your Players

Read this quote today by Luke Walton (Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers) on building a winning culture and developing basketball IQ: Let’s Go Deeper… I agree with the basic premise of the quote; yet, I think we can go deeper. Think about replacing freedom with responsibility. As the saying goes, ‘with freedom comes responsibility’. (I don’t think Luke will be …

Why Your Drills Suck

Did I get your attention with that headline? Man, I hate to have to use ‘click-bait’ headlines to get you to perk up. Yet, I’ll do what’s necessary to stimulate conversation. I’m really passionate the debate that centres around drills versus games. Turns out I’m not the only one… Stuart Armstrong, from The Talent Equation, has a strong point …

Coaching Is Developmental Science Not Rocket Science

Love how Dr. Kwame Brown, a developmental neuroscientist, frames it… “Coaching is not ‘rocket science’ but it is ‘developmental science’.  It is also developmental experience, and developmental awareness, and developmental temperament.” Same, Same But Different. — you need to convey your symptoms in vivid detail to get the proper diagnosis. Asking a coach who has …

Athletic Development

Every once in a while something comes across my (digital) windshield that makes me pause and say, “Ye-he-he-he-hesssssssss..!!!” It’s like finding the missing piece to at 500-piece puzzle. Or, discovering a crisp $20 in an old pair of jeans. (You get me drift.) Well, this video featuring Bill Knowles of HPSports, gave me that kinda feeling. Quotables: On …

Knowing vs Believing

Separating fact from opinion is one of the hardest challenges coaches face. It’s human nature for perspective to be clouded. And, notions of effective coaching are not immune to the myths of success (e.g. falling prey to it’s always been done that way and struggling to distinguish between because of and in spite of.) “Stay down in your stance… Don’t cross your feet when …