Player Development

Principle #1- Off-Season Work Determines In-Season Success

The famous coach’s line, “Teams are made in-season, and players are made in the off-season.  I once heard a coach in a clinic talk about a player who came to them in January and asked what they could do to become a good FT shooter. The coach said that his thought was, “Go back to last May and start shooting 100 ft’s a day.”

Principle #2- With Basketball You Can Work By Yourself

Basketball is unique in that you can do ball handling in your basement, or if you have a hoop in the driveway, you can shoot by yourself. As a result, basketball rewards players with good work ethics.

Principle #3- Recording Your Behavior Changes Your Behavior

When I was in 8^th grade, my mother gave me book entitled, “Garage Door Basketball,” by Chuck Winsor and Tom Davis. The booklet had dozens of drills to do by yourself to improve your basketball skills. In the back of the book was a chart to record your workouts. For me it was a great motivator. Because of this booklet, I recorded ball handling workouts, FGM/FGA, FTM/FTA throughout the rest of my high school and college career in the off-season.

Later I took a grad class on “Behavior Modification.” When the professor talked about self-modification (changing our own behavior), he claimed the most effective incentive is to record your behavior. When you record your behavior, the chart does not lie!

Principle #4- The Premack Principle Equals Self-Discipline

The Premack principle is a theory of reinforcement that states that a less desired behavior can be reinforced by the opportunity to engage in a more desired behavior. In simple terms, don’t let yourself do things you like (video game/TV/cell phone) until you have done the things you know you need to do. This is self-discipline. Put first things first in your day.

Principle #5- 10,000 Reps Make You An Expert

Studies of all sorts of fields from airline pilots to athletes show that you need repetition to become an expert.

Principle #6- Practice At Game Speed

If you want to perform in at game speed, you must practice at game speed.

Principle #7- Become A Better Athlete

You will become a better basketball player if you become a better athlete. Work to become stronger and faster.