Having a Plan

The biggest thing I took out of today's practice is about players having a plan. This is a huge detail that is eventually going to become a big part of my coaching philosophy. Right now I actually think this one of the most important teachable parts of the game of basketball.

It is such an important part of learning. It is what ensures that you are actively trying to figure out the game and that you are on task. We as coaches talk about plans in several ways.

Most frequently we give plans to our teams to carry out on a big picture level. What are the other team's strengths? What are their weaknesses? More importantly, what are your team's strengths? What are your team's weaknesses? So what can we do to give ourselves the most success? The Coach has to formulate some of that plan and the players have to formulate some of that plan. This is the big picture plan, it guides all actions.

One of the most common plans is when you talk about your individual defensive matchup. So what do you have to do to make your opponent have the toughest time possible? Do they favor one direction over the other? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? So now to answer that question, you have to think about that other player. And maybe you have to watch that other player to see what their strengths are. When you go on the floor to play them, that plan is going to guide your actions.

The other type of plan is the one that I think our players do the most poorly with. It is the dynamic building of a plan on the fly. I can almost guarantee that Steve Nash has a plan formulated when he comes off a pick and roll. As he comes off it, he makes reads and decisions and then moves on to his next plan. In this case it is almost a synonym for anticipation. I don't think that you can just read the defense and become a great player. It is not enough. There is some kind of element of control that you have to establish that is bigger than just reacting to the game. You want to be the one pulling the strings and making puppets dance.

That control and how to get it is the #1 most underappreciated and undertaught skill in the game. I have sort of an arrogance about basketball skills. I think that I can always learn the details necessary to teach a basketball skill. All coaches out there can learn skills and teach them. What is more interesting to me is the mental side of the game, and how you teach players to approach situations.

All the physical skills in the game are governed by mental approaches and practices that bring everything together. This is where our coaching needs to take the biggest steps.

Tyler