Competition breeds better performance.
When you add a competitive element to any basketball drill, it can make it much more effective. Players generally work harder and are more focused to master a drill when there is added competition.
Without the competitive aspect, players can quickly become bored. You'll see them going through the motions rather than pouring their heart into improving and mastering a skill.
Everyone needs to be motivated now and again to find focus and work on the little things so that we improve. Give your players a little push and add some competition.
For example:
• When running a shooting drill, you can keep track of successful baskets and award the winner with the most made.
• You can also add special rules to defensive drills like 2 points for charges, 1 point for ball deflections, and 2 points for steals.
• You can award "permissions" every time you notice a kid really doing a good job with the drill.
• Run a rebound drill and award the player with the most rebounds
• Or, award teams that don't drop a single pass during basketball handling drills.
These are just a few examples but I'm sure you can come up with more with a little imagination. Now that you have them motivated and focused, take the time to pay close attention and...
Don't allow your players to develop bad habits.
Running a practice takes a lot of attention. Often coaches make the mistake of showing a drill to their players and then walking away to prepare for the next drill.
When coaches aren't watching close enough, they don't see players forming bad habits. They also don't see when players are doing something right.Take the extra time to watch your players and make sure they are doing the little things right.For example, when running a shooting drill, make sure each player keeps their knees bent when they catch the ball. Watch them for proper footwork and follow through. For a defensive drill, you might watch your players to make sure you always see man and ball, that they keep their hands out, and that they keep a wide base. You run drills to develop good basketball habits but if you're not taking the time to pay attention you aren't able to determine where your players need help, improvement, or correction. Bad habits develop fast and it is often difficult to correct them.
Of course, it's difficult for you as their coach to remember all of the important issues that you need to work on with your players. That's why it is important that you follow the next guideline. Remember to keep your "points of emphasis" fresh in your mind.
To avoid forgetting important points, you should have a cheat sheet for everyone single drill that you run. I personally have a "points of emphasis" section on every practice plan. "Points of emphasis" are the things you want to watch closely during your drills to make sure that your players are performing each aspect properly -- to make sure that they're developing good habits!
For example, on a shooting drill you might write:
• Get the shot off quickly by getting prepared before they catch the ball (make sure that their knees are bent and feet are square to the basket before catching the ball).
• Refrain from sacrificing good shooting form for taking a quick shot.
• Go straight up with the jump shot - don't start going after the rebound before the ball leaves their hand!
• Focus on jumping straight up and down.
Practices are busy and you're going to be torn in many directions. If you don't take the time to write down the important points for each drill, it's way too easy to forget them. Another way to keep drills clear in your head and your players is to...
Remember the benefit of keeping it simple and don't forget the simple drills.
Often times the simple drills that have been around forever are the best ones.
Don't forget those drills or overlook them just because they are simple. They are often the most effective and the most fun basketball drills. Simple drills can allow your players to focus on the smaller aspects of a skill, which can often lead to big improvements in a players overall skill and performance.
Rotate a simple drill with your more complicated drills. It will not only give your players a break but it will eliminate the monotony. Players generally lose focus after working on the same thing. For example, you could do 10 minutes of basic defensive drills and then change things up to a simple shooting drill that they enjoy. It can be a struggle to motivate your players but it shouldn't be your biggest challenge. By employing these guidelines, your practices can run more smoothly and you'll see the kind of improvement in your players that you know they're capable of.
Author, Jeff Haefner, an experienced basketball coach, player, and owner of BreakthroughBasketball.com, knows the difficulty that coaches face when trying to keep their players motivated and engaged. He is the author of Winning Drills, a free e-book available for download at his website WinningDrills.com. It offers 70 full color basketball drills with motivation tips, diagrams, and easy to use step-by-step instructions.
Tags: mistake, element, good job, heart, rebounds, bad habits, extra time, baskets, knees, little imagination, rebound, going through the motions, basketball, single pass