What it means to be a coach

What does it mean to be a coach? How about a good coach for that matter? Coaching is different than any other teaching job. You often have time to build relationships with players that can... more »

A zone offense to break zone defenses

Nearly every year that I coached, we ran some version of this zone offense. There is continuity, but also the option of running some very effective set plays. The original version of this offense came... more »

5 strategies for small schools to succeed against bigger programs

In 2015, a statewide reclassification in Georgia forced us to either compete in class A or to make the leap to AAA. With an upper school enrollment of nearly 450 students, we would compete against... more »

Adopting the ‘Winner Package’

Teach your team these game-winning strategies in time for next season Football coaches often have different packages for different game situations. Some common packages are the two-minute drill, the goal-line package, the red-zone package and... more »

Offseason is a time for professional development

If there’s one thing successful basketball coaches have in common, it’s their relentless pursuit of information. They’re at the clinics, they’re reading the books and they’re networking to build a library of basketball strategies they... more »

7 strategies to avoid offseason overtraining

Overtraining is the enemy of all athletes. It hinders performance and leads to injury. Symptoms include
a noticeable loss in strength and conditioning, increased muscle and joint soreness, lack of enthusiasm for workouts, and insomnia. Basketball... more »

18 characteristics of a good defensive team

Teams that know how to defense well and pressure opposing offenses have these 18 characteristics in common. 1. They recognize their opponent’s offensive actions/tendencies while they're in the flow of the game. 2. They play... more »

Learning the three-down man offense

The three-down man offense is a man package of plays that are designed to be quick-hitters. If shots are not manufactured, all players end up in the same group of spot-ups after each entry. The... more »

Eating right during the offseason

A decrease in activity level due to an injury or the offseason can cause an athlete to become concerned about weight gain or muscle loss. I receive numerous inquiries from athletes asking how much they... more »

Teaching players to attack opponents with both hands

Unless an aspiring young basketball player is lucky enough to be born ambidextrous, a tough learning experience lies ahead. As every coach knows, to be truly successful, a player must be able to cut, pass... more »