PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: How to Make the Fast Break Second Nature
Pushing the ball up the court is second nature for me. It was drilled into my head as a high school and college player, and I did my best to instill the same fast break mindset into the players that I coached. A run-the-ball mentality doesn’t happen over night, but by using drills that focus on the fast break, and consistent encouragement, your team can learn to move with ease into transition offense.
A Fast Break Mentality
Make sure your players know from day one, that they are going to be a fast break team. Explain what it will take to become a great running team and the advantages they will gain from the effort they put in. How they can get easy baskets and win games.
Set the Expectation of Hustle
To be an excellent fast break team your players need a different mindset. They need to hustle throughout practice. To sprint when they meet you at the baseline for instructions, and when they line up for drills. They need to make hustling a habit. Not only will this help get them in shape, it will build their fast break mindset.
Push The Ball
We ran our transition offense up the middle of the court, but many teams run sideline breaks, they key is to move the ball up the court quickly. Normally one thinks of a fast break happening after a shot is missed, but a fast break mindset will help even after your opponent makes a shot. If your inbounder is trained to get the ball out of the net and hit a guard right away, you can often beat your opponent up the court and score before they can set up defense. Push the ball!
Start With The Rebound
You can’t run the ball if you don’t have it. Teach your players how to […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Lesson Young Athletes Learn From Sports
I played basketball because I love the game. Little did I know that the lessons that I learned on the court would one day save my life. When I was twenty-four, I was nearly killed when the car I was riding in was hit by a train. Knowing how to work through challenges and set goals helped me to make it through the most difficult time in my life; to set goals, to commit to physical therapy, to handle the stress, to believe in myself and to go on living.
What you learn on the court, rink, diamond or whatever playing field you take when you participate in your sport, will be with you the rest of your life and shape the person who you become.
Belief In Yourself
You can define this as resilience or developing a never give up attitude. Your time playing sports will teach you to believe in yourself and understand that you are capable of more than you think you are. When you participate in sports, you have setbacks and learn more about yourself. You loose games, you deal with injuries, you find that life is not always fair. But you also learn how to overcome these obstacles. This is a powerful lesson.
Set and Work Toward Goals
You overcome obstacles on the court, diamond or sports field by setting goals and working toward them. You learn what steps to take and how to adjust along the way to reach your goals. When you loose a game you, and your team, will work on drills in practice so that you improve. If you get injured you will do physical therapy so that you can play again. Setting goals and working to reach them is part of life; it’s how you reach your dreams.
Commitment & Work Ethic
To reach your dreams […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Is Using Humor And Sarcasm Appropriate While Coaching?
A great way to have fun and bring a team together is by using humor. However, some coaches may think that they are using humor when in fact they are using sarcasm. Sarcasm can be hurtful to players and destructive to the team, so it is important to be aware of the difference.
Humor vs Sarcasm
Humor, the quality of being amusing or comical, can keep athletes laughing and help them enjoy a sport that at times might be difficult and intense. It can give players a break and make things lighter. When a coach uses positive humor, it is a great thing. Sarcasm on the other hand is the use of irony to mock or convey contempt and is often used to cut or give pain. Sarcasm is hard on players and teams. And unfortunately many coaches don’t understand the difference.
How many times have you heard a coach make fun of a player? They might say, “Nice pass,” when a player made a terrible pass. The coach thinks they are making light of the situation, but instead it only brings resentment and pain for that player. If the player acts hurt, a coach may even respond with, “I was just kidding or it was a joke.” which doesn’t help. The damage has been done.
A Fine Line
There can be a fine line between humor and sarcasm. If a coach has a close connection to a player and they understand the humor of that player, they might joke in a way that is close to sarcasm. The player may also think it is funny and the comment does the trick of lightening up the mood at practice. But it’s best to proceed with caution and truly understand the difference. Be aware of your intent with a comment, but more important consider how a […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: 4 Must Watch Basketball Movies
I’m a sucker for a great basketball movie. As a high school coach, I had “movie night” each season so that the team could bond over an inspiring sports story. Here are four oldies but goodies that are inspired by true stories. Powerful movies that you’ve got to watch.
In 1965, Texas Western Coach Don Haskins recruits a team based on talent rather than race, and even though the team is winning, the conservative community is upset about it. Learn more about Texas Western’s challenges on the way to the NCAA Tournament in this powerful movie based on a true story.
Believe in Me is the story of a girl’s basketball team in a small Oklahoma community during the mid-1960’s who want to play basketball just as much as the boys do. The movie, based on the book, Brief Garland: The True Story of coach Jim Keith, delves into the inequalities in girls sports pre-Title IX and tells the story of the coach, and the young women, who work for the chance to play the game they love. (BTW: In the movie the girl’s play five-on-five, but during that time in history girl’s played a six-on-six half-court game, some states still played the half-court game up until the early 1990’s. Learn more about the history of women’s basketball HERE)
In 1972, Coach Cathy Rush wanted to make a difference at Immaculata College but she ended up making history. Starting with no budget, no uniforms and no gym, she and eleven young women worked to dominate bigger and better-funded schools on their way to compete in the first-ever national women’s college basketball championship. Watch the movie and cheer for the legendary Mighty Macs on their road to the championship.
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: How to Make the Fast Break Second Nature
Pushing the ball up the court is second nature for me. It was drilled into my head as a high school and college player, and I did my best to instill the same fast break mindset into the players that I coached. A run-the-ball mentality doesn’t happen over night, but by using drills that focus on the fast break, and consistent encouragement, your team can learn to move with ease into transition offense.
A Fast Break Mentality
Make sure your players know from day one, that they are going to be a fast break team. Explain what it will take to become a great running team and the advantages they will gain from the effort they put in. How they can get easy baskets and win games.
Set the Expectation of Hustle
To be an excellent fast break team your players need a different mindset. They need to hustle throughout practice. To sprint when […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Lesson Young Athletes Learn From Sports
I played basketball because I love the game. Little did I know that the lessons that I learned on the court would one day save my life. When I was twenty-four, I was nearly killed when the car I was riding in was hit by a train. Knowing how to work through challenges and set goals helped me to make it through the most difficult time in my life; to set goals, to commit to physical therapy, to handle the stress, to believe in myself and to go on living.
What you learn on the court, rink, diamond or whatever playing field you take when you participate in your sport, will be with you the rest of your life and shape the person who you become.
Belief In Yourself
You can define this as resilience or developing a never give up attitude. Your time playing sports will teach you to believe in […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Is Using Humor And Sarcasm Appropriate While Coaching?
A great way to have fun and bring a team together is by using humor. However, some coaches may think that they are using humor when in fact they are using sarcasm. Sarcasm can be hurtful to players and destructive to the team, so it is important to be aware of the difference.
Humor vs Sarcasm
Humor, the quality of being amusing or comical, can keep athletes laughing and help them enjoy a sport that at times might be difficult and intense. It can give players a break and make things lighter. When a coach uses positive humor, it is a great thing. Sarcasm on the other hand is the use of irony to mock or convey contempt and is often used to cut or give pain. Sarcasm is hard on players and teams. And unfortunately many coaches don’t understand the difference.
How many times have you heard a coach make fun of […]
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