With 25 state titles and a spot in the basketball Hall of Fame, Bobby Hurley has helped countless youngsters learn the game. But he’s learned, too. He talks about it in his book, “Chasing Perfect.” “Here’s what I learned from the game of basketball early on: if you kept at it, you got better. If […]
A friend of mine once went to Italy to explore his ethnic roots. While there, he had the chance to study a courtship ritual. The groom’s family put out the word that he was looking for a wife. Then the would-be brides and their families were invited to make what amounted to a sales pitch. […]
At first glance, you might not see much connection between school homework and gaining skill at a sport. But there’s one common theme: improvement. Coaches and teachers alike should constantly be searching for ways to help their student-athletes get better at what they do. In this article from the New York Times, the author argues […]
Today’s post comes in the form of a poem offered by the Coaching Toolbox web site. Many thanks to Kevin Reilly for sending it along. The poem portrays a young athlete learning how to handle praise; it would make great material to put on a gym wall. It also raises the issue of deliberate practice, […]
Yesterday we began our off-season training camp and, after holding the first competitive drill, we posted the results. Not everyone was happy. Some players scored better than others. Here is what we said to those who were disappointed with their results. First, your score on the first day of training camp doesn’t matter nearly as […]
There are some drills that are just magic. You wish all drills were, but there are some that do such a good job of building skill that you can’t help but love them. Let me explain what I mean. At our school, one of the basketball coaches wants the players to do a four-foot shooting […]