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and respect your privacy. SPECIAL NOTE: The number of subscribers
to this Newsletter has just passed the 1,000 mark! Thanks a thousand!!! Articles are written about this dilemma,
and people are looking for an answer. I feel I can provide that
answer. If you agree with what I'm saying, please help me get
my coaching methods out there. Refer people to my Website and
be in communication with me. Thanks. Most coaches feel they have to be telling their students or players things "to do" or they're not good coaches. At least I know I did when I first started coaching. We feel we have to provide information and instructions that the student then will integrate into her or his physical action. This is how we all learned a lot of stuff while growing up, with parents, coaches and friends telling us stuff. However, I feel a lot of learning was interfered with by too much of this kind of instruction. Yes, of course, we need some basic instruction as to how the game is played, passing, dribbling, shooting, ideas about offensive plays and defenses, rebounding, blocking out, etc. etc. But "how" each of the actions is learned is something else. AWARENESS IS DEVELOPMENTAL The most important quality a student needs to develop is AWARENESS (what could also be called "feel" or "experience"). To learn a physical motion, awareness provides the student with realtime feedback as to what's happening. The thought "about" something or the conceptual instruction to "do" something are nothing like the real experience. For example thinking of what you had for breakfast is nothing like the taste of the breakfast. The thought of a sunset is nothing like actually seeing a sunset. A sunset is really "undescribable," though we try to describe it anyway. The theories on blocking out an opponent are a far cry from the actual, physical action needed to do it. A coach's job is best described, I believe, as guiding a student into her or his own "discoveries." Another way to say it is that "experience is the only teacher." Words can help at times, as they lead the student into the areas of awareness where the learning takes place. But mostly the student needs to do the learning by using the senses and experiencing what happens. "WHAT HAPPENED?" When I am coaching someone and don't know what to say to help them learn, I remember this one question: "What Happened?" You can't go wrong with that question, and you'll probably be praised as being a good coach some day by asking it over and over. That question puts people in the mode of Exploration and Discovery. If the student can be guided into really feeling and seeing what happens, then their very smart bodies will learn. That's the key thing! The student does the learning from experience, not from the clever words of the Teacher or Coach. If you can get that, your coaching will start to soar, and the good news is that it's very easy to coach this way. A friend and I were watching a playoff game recently wondering why it is that poor shooting is so prevalent in the game today. Aren't players learning what works through practice? Aren't they experimenting with different ways of shooting, learning how to control distance or direction? Don't they see how flat their shots are and experiment shooting higher? Apparently not. We reasoned that they're mostly in Hope and Fear, hoping to shoot better and fearing there's something wrong with them. But they're not doing much about it. And since most coaches don't know how to coach shooting very well, players can't get much help there. Also, since most players in the game today (with few exceptions) shoot badly, a poor shooter doesn't stand out, so the pressure is off. That's the problem when the whole system starts to deteriorate. No one's to blame. ARM YOURSELF WITH AWARENESS QUESTIONS As a coach, be it for shooting or for any skill in any sport, arm yourself with awareness questions: What happened? What did your arm point that time? Where did the ball land that time (exactly)? Where did the power come from in that shot? Almost any "What" question is helpful. Just be careful not to hide "To Do" questions in a "What" format: for example, "What would happen if you did this next time?" It helps to know where you're headed with a coaching session as a coach, because then you can guide the learning more skillfully. But anytime you tell somebody what to do or, even worse, what they did (instead of them telling you), you rob them of the riches of self discovery. Try it next time. When you want to coach something, ask questions instead of telling. If you want to coach higher arch, make that the goal and then simply ask players, "How high was that shot?" Figure out a scale for the reporting, either in feet or with something like a 1 to 10 scale, where `1' is the flattest and `10' is the highest conceivable. I'm sure you'll see lots of learning if you do, and shots will start to go higher ... naturally. And, if properly set up, it will encourage curiosity and exploration. Do a `10' on purpose, then do a `1' on purpose. "What was different about them? What did you notice?" You can coach team things this way, too. If you want to coach more "Aggressiveness" as a team, for example, ask the team after a particular play, "How aggressive were you that time, on a scale of 1 to 10?" Ask each of them to rate it. Then ask them to run the play again without telling them how to be aggressive. I'll bet their aggressiveness goes up. You could do the same with "Ball Movement," or "Defensive Pressure," or "Screening out," etc. If this way of coaching interests you,
check this out. Let me know what you discover! Thanks. I'd like to add a fourth to that list. An instruction I hear being used a lot is that the elbow of the shooting hand needs to be "directly under the ball" before you shoot a basketball. Have you heard coaches say that? Do you coach that way? Do you believe it's true? Please allow me to say I don't believe it's true and let me prove it. THE CONCEPT OF EVERYTHING NEEDING TO BE ALIGNED First, let me say that this instruction must have come from someone's concept a long time ago that if everything is lined up, then accuracy is somehow assured. If we can get the hand, elbow, knee, leg and foot all aligned, the story goes, then you'll get better accuracy. I admit it's a seductive idea. It makes sense, doesn't it, that if everything is lined up, then nothing will go off line. But what if the human body is not designed for that? Wouldn't that then be a form of sabotage of good shooting, an instruction that actually interferes? Let me see if I can prove to you that the instruction is not an effective one. I FEEL THE HAND NEEDS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE TARGET, NOT THE ELBOW UNDER THE BALL First, I need to make an assertion here. I feel it's helpful for accuracy that the shooting hand be aligned with the target, that the center of the palm be pointed directly in line with the target with the fingers aligned vertically. Along with that, let me add that it's most effective when the shooting eye is in alignment, as well. When those four things are aligned (target, ball, hand, eye), then you can push the hand in line with the target basket and the ball should go directly in that same line. That gives accuracy. Yes, of course, we can send the ball off line by pushing or pulling with arm, wrist or hand/fingers, but if you don't do that, the ball will go straight. Doesn't that make sense? If your hand is not pointing directly in line to where you want the ball to go, then you will have to do some manipulation to get the ball to go straight. TEST IT Now here's the point. Sitting or standing without a ball, pick a target on the wall and then "open" your body to that target. For right handers, this would mean rotating counter-clockwise, a little or a lot, whatever feels right to you. Now bring your shooting hand up above your strong eye and in line with the eye and the target. Point the middle of the hand (palm) directly in line with your strong eye and that target. The ball, when you add one, will be sitting in the hand, cradled by the fingers and thumb, and resting on the finger pads and the top part of the palm (but off the bottom part of the palm due to slight finger pressure). When the hand is thus aligned, look at the elbow on your shooting arm. Where is it in relation to the target line? Isn't it to the right (for right handers, to the left for left handers) ~4-5"? How far right depends on the length of your arm. That is because that's how the arm, wrist and hand are built. Now let's test the original concept, that the elbow has to be under the ball. With your hand and eye in alignment with the target, now bring the elbow in directly under your hand (and the imaginary ball). What does that do to the hand? Doesn't it tilt the hand off the target line? Can you see that your shot will be compromised by this elbow-under-the-ball idea? Sure, you could compensate somehow with the hand or fingers to get the ball on line to a target, but that's a "compensation," something adding variables and complexity, making it hard to repeat. Great shooters don't have those kinds of complications. This is why I feel this particular instruction about the elbow is ineffective. Please check it out yourself on a basketball court with a real ball. See if you agree that accuracy is much more assured if the center of the hand is directly in line with the target and eye, rather than the elbow being under the ball. GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS Email me with your discoveries. Next month
I'll publish some of the feedback I get on this. Thanks for your
responses. Oklahoma was ranked 10th in the country and Texas Tech 14th, but Texas Tech pulled it out 68-60 to take over second place in the Big 12 Conference. What impressed me was the beautiful basketball that was being played. It was fast and well executed at both ends of the court. These were superbly conditioned athletes. It was hard fought but it was fair. If a player was knocked down, players from both teams came quickly to help her up. It was a wonderful display of teamwork and healthy competition on the part of both teams. Both teams could shoot well from inside and outside. I saw beautiful high-arching 3's and mid-range jumpers. The tide ebbed and flowed back and forth. First one team would take the lead and then the other. It looked like Oklahoma was going to win, but then Texas Tech made a tremendous surge. In the end, the Red Raiders had the edge, but it didn't matter (at least not to me). I just loved seeing it. It's the way the game was meant to be played, and these gals were superbly fit and coached. Bravo to both teams and their coaches! It was an honor to see you play at that level. I invite you to watch more of the women's
and girls' games. I think you'll see the essence of basketball
better than with many of the boys' and men's games. "Today at a camp at Sky View High School in Billings, Jesse was chosen player of the day. He made 4 three pointers in a game that lasted only 16 minutes. He called me on the phone to tell me he was "on fire." Jesse and I want to thank you for the help you have given him through your video. It has really opened our eyes to what it takes to be a good shooter. We're also enjoying watching basketball games more. We're watching for the great shooters with high arc and soft touch like yours." Sincerely, S. Bronson, Montana (Editor's note: It's rare that a video
has this kind of impact with a viewer. It shows two things: (1)
that the video is clear and inspiring and gives a specific approach
to the learning, and (2) the viewer is very coachable. The boy,
in this case, watched the video many times and then was able
to go to a court and apply the principles and learn. Because
the principles are simple, natural, make sense, and lead to immediate
results, the interest in doing and staying with the exercises
and paying attention is high. The video reveals the distinctions
that matter in shooting, and anyone who explores them with a
high degree of awareness will learn to shoot well quite quickly.) Some of you had winning seasons and others had losing seasons. Joy and disappointment were lurking around the corner of every game. When you win, it's easy to feel proud of yourself and your team. But when you lost, what happened? Did you feel badly about yourselves? When you congratulated your opponents after the games, was it all about "you," or could you get a little into how the other team felt and congratulate or sympathize with them? Did you happen to read my story in a recent Newsletter of how the New Zealand Olympic Men's Basketball Team, after losing badly to the Americans, did a Maori (the native peoples of New Zealand) dance for them, a dance of respect and gratitude? It blew everyone's mind who saw it. The main purpose of the game is not about winning! It's to learn something about yourself (and your teammates), to grow and develop, and most importantly, to have fun. Did you accomplish some or all of that? As it's my big interest, I hope your shooting developed during the year. Did you notice that you were making more shots, and maybe that you learned how to perform a little better under pressure? Were you coachable? Did you ask the coaches and parents for help? And when they gave you coaching, did you listen and do what was told? Whether you did or didn't, just keep plugging away at all these things and you'll become a better and better player, and a competitor who's fun to play against. I remember playing recreation ball back in Minneapolis after college, and I played on a Health Club's team against other such clubs. One team had a guy named Tommy Hall (his name just came back to me from over 30 years ago), who had played football for the Minnesota Vikings, a great physical specimen, about 6'4", 210 lbs, quick, strong, very athletic. He was a joy to play against because he played hard but very fair. If he bumped you too hard, by mistake, he apologized. He had a joyful spirit. He played to win, as hard as anyone I've ever played against, but it was with joy and respect. Whenever we were to play against his team, I remember feeling happy with the prospect of challenging this magnificent warrior. Perhaps this story might inspire you to become a great warrior on the court, one who loves and respects oneself, the game and your competitors equally. Basketball is a great game. Play it "greatly!" Please tell others about my site and my
video. Send them the URL (http://www.swish22.com) and let them
know there's hope for better shooting. (More than "hope,"
it's a proven Method.) See my Website for news about Clinics, Camps and Private Sessions. Here's a direct link to that respective page: Clinics, Camps being planned ------------------------------------------------------------ To SUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter: To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter: ------------------------------------------------------------ |