As the season wraps up and playoffs and tournaments begin for everyone, lets please keep in mind that this is recreation level basketball.  The outcome of these games, in the long run means nothing to our children's future, if they are clouded by us as parents not setting the proper example on and off the court.  These past few weekends, I have witnessed a bunch of game, involving multiple teams, and have gotten numerous phone calls about coaches complaining about each other, the referrees, etc.  And as the competition heats up, sometimes we loose focus on what is at stake here, which for us as parents is little, outside of seeing our children have fun, learn about fair play and sportsmanship, teamwork and overcoming adversity.  As a coach for over 20 years now, I know it is easy to loose focus, but we have to step back and remember we have to do what is best for our children and their teammates.  Sportsmanship is our priority for the rest of the season.  The wins and losses will take care of themselves.

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 01:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Does anyone know who these three guys are?  I think we probably heard our parents say those names when telling a story when we were kids, when they didn't remember the persons name involved in the story. I had a coach in high school who use to come up with creative names for drills, plays and defenses, so that it was easy for us to remember.  Every drill had a name and a meaning for the name.  It was fun to hear the history of the origin of the play, whether is was a basketball story or from life or maybe even a movie.  So that way, when he said we were doing the South Carolina drills, we knew it came from Dick McGuire in the 50's and you wanted to know more about Coach McGuire.  Now that I coach girls, we have incorporated plenty of princess references!  So make it easy for you and them, and come up with creative names for all parts of the game.  One coach use to use red, white and blue for 3 forms of our pressing defense.  Another, would have a number series, so that you knew where the defense started (half or full) and weather it was man or zone.  Here is the best way I know this works long term.  Last week I went to watch 2 former assistants of mine play a game versus each other for the first time.  When it came time to run an out of bounds play, the coach yelled out, "Harry!", and the other teams coach started to laugh and I could here a kid on defense say, "Hey, they are running our play!"  By the way, Tom, Dick and Harry actually come from a very famous movie about World War II, do you know it?

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 02:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

 My son doesn't use the glass when shooting layups? Is this something he should be doing?

 "Going Glass" as we like to call it, is essential when we talk about shooting from any distance in basketball at an angle.  What you have to teach your son is that the box on the backboard is there for a reason.  Basketball is a sport that geometry people love because it is always about angles, weather you are talking about passing, shooting or dribbling.  When shooting, on the side of the basket, I always have taught my players that if they aim for the corner of the box on that side of the backboard, the ball will usually go in.  So your job is to prove it!  Stand near the basket and show them and keep moving back and you will see that it is true!  The best angle for using the back board is usually 45 degrees, but around the hoop, you should always try to use the board.  You will see most good shooters all the way up to the pro level use the board as far out as 15 feet.  Tim Duncan of the Spurs throws it off the window with a great deal of confidence and he has done well for himself!   

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 03:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Coach,

This past weekend we were playing a game and the we were on the short end of a very lopsided score, which is ok, since I know our team is inexperienced and still learning.  The problem is that our opponent didn't let up in pressing until the game was way out of hand.  I was so busy coaching my team and I didn't want to bother the other coach, but this could have been avoided I am sure. I coach a 6th grade team.  Any suggestions?

 Coach,

Most leagues now have a pressing rule based on points ahead.  I would think up until the 6th grade, that once a team is ahead by 15 points, they should be made to back up theire defense to inside the 3 point line atleast.  This would allow a team to get the ball across half court and get into an offense before feeling pressure.  Any league below 5th grade, might not want to allow pressing at all, since most players are still learning the game and its rules.  If your league does not have a rule, then you may want to speak to the other coach before the game, and ask their feelings on pressing and if your team is weak, then ask the coach to keep an eye on the score and the pressing so that it does not become a negative situation.  Some coaches might say this is the only time my 2nd team can practice pressing in a game situation, since at that level, practice time is limited.  If that is the case, then as long as you know in advance then that is ok as well.  One time, when we knew one team was that much better then the other, we didn't keep a running score on the scoreboard, and since noone knew what was the real score, the game was still productive for both teams since we knew the outcome was already a given.  Communication and common sense is the key!

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 03:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Coach,

A few games into the season, and already I can tell that our team is going to be on the "short" side for our league, and we are going to have trouble getting our share of the rebounds.  Any suggestions?

Having coach a high school team with no players over 6'1, we battled that for the entire season, but with some creativity, we worked around it.  First, in practice, we started to emphasize team rebounding, with everyone playing a role.  The person who is closest to the shooter is responsible for them and everyone else should then be inside the 3 second lane, with a body on someone on the other team, especially those near the basket.  We would then try to gain position between the basket and the opponent.  We would first practice this in the form of 1 on 1, then 2 one 2, 3 on 3, etc., drills in the form of mini games, with the defense getting one point for the rebound and successful outlet pass and the offense getting 2 points for scoring on the defense.  We would play these mini games to 7 and I found them to be very spirited.  Also, while working 5 on 5, we would stop the play and tell the players to freeze right after the rebound was recovered, so they could see themselves in or out of the position we wanted.  We would spend an entire practice on just rebounding emphasis and see how it applied to the rest of the week's games and practices and bring it back when needed.  I noticed it eventually caught on as a team goal and helped us a great deal to rebound as a team.  It came in helpful against a 7 ft player, Mark Blount.  Yes he dominated play at times, but we held our own when we rebounded against him as a team and he is now playing along side Shaquille O'Neill in the NBA!

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 08:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Coach Bill,

This weekend is our first practice for my son's rec team and even though I played in high school, I haven't been around an organized basketball practice in a long time and forget how to run a practice, etc.  Any suggestions?

Coach,

My first thought is to send you to our website and watch any of the videos posted there by the coaches.  They really give you great examples of simple drills to teach ball handling, shooting, etc.  I just had my first practice last night with my kid's team and we had to get to know each others names, so one of the things we do is get in a circle, and pass the ball to each other and we call our each others names as we catch and pass the ball.  Another thing we emphasized was pivoting.  To often kids travel because they don't know how to keep their pivot foot.  So, have them practice doing fakes with the ball while they pivot, so they get to use to that.  Don't jump into scrimmaging so fast.  Try building up to it, by doing 2 on 2, 3 on 3, etc., and show them how they can screen for one another and plus it helps them understand how to pass to someone when they are being guarded.  As always, keep if fun and make sure you work in some shooting drills where one group goes against the other.   

 

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 04:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My son is a junior in high school and is new to his school and basketball is his passion.  He participated in Fall Basketball and goes to every open gym, but when the team played their games, he barely played.  The tryouts for his team are just a month away and I want to make sure he gets a fair chance of making the team, but I don't want to be one of those whining and complaining parents who annoys the coach.  I think he is an above average player, but I am his parent, so I am sure I am biased.  What do I do?

First of all, being someone who shared those same dreams as your son has now, I can appreciate his zest for the game.  But here are a few ideas.  First, he needs to take the initiative here, not you.  Try to explain to him that he is the new kid on the block and he will have to still prove himself for awhile and the first step in doing that is having your son go to the coach and asking him, based on what he saw from his play in the fall, what are the things he should concentrate on improving on in the next month leading up to tryouts.  Next, have him ask the coach what type of things he is looking for in tryouts that will set him apart from players with similar abilities. Right now his goal is to make the team and get his foot in the door.  Then, any good coach will see in the day to day of practice what kind of player each kid is.  Game experience is great, but once you get to high school, coaches can see who can do what very quickly and after a few scrimmages and games, if he really is as good as you think he is, he will get his playing time.  But let him fight this battle unless the coach is doing something deliberately to block his progress.  If the coach blows him off when he goes to him for advice, then maybe you can talk to the coach, but make sure you do it at a time that is convenient for the coach, and a time when other players or your son are not around.  The minute anyone sees you in his office, you son will be labeled in the ways you fear.  Even if he gets cut from a team, you have to turn that into a positive as well.  We as parents are biased and we sometimes see thing in tunnel vision, but most of the time that is really our way of showing them how much we love them.  The odds of basketball being the end all for anyone is less then 5%, but that doesn't mean it cant be a part of your life.  I played on a team that was 1- 19 in high school, but yet went on the coach high school teams that were ranked in the top 5 in NY State.  My own girls will never be basketball players at a level higher the recreation, but they all enjoy watching the games, keeping score and being a part of the team.  Basketball might be his dream for now, but just remember, Michael Jordan got cut from his first high school tryouts and he turned out OK as well.  Bottom line, and I know I have my parents to thank for this, let him fight his own fight, in the long run, he is the one that will benefit the most. 

Good luck,
Bill

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 12:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

What should I look for in a youth basketball coach for my son?

If your child is just playing in a rec league, you generally have no choice on who is coaching them. Everyone volunteers their time and generally they try to divide teams to make sure that all teams are somewhat equal. If your child is playing in a more organized setting, like a school team, travel team or AAU, here are a few things to find out up front. What is the coach’s philosophy on playing time, and how is it earned? What kind of experience do they have coaching this age level, ability level and sex? For the first 20 years of my coaching experience, I only coached boys, and only when I started coaching my daughters did I realize the differences.

Posted by Bill Sniffen at 06:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)