practice

Good coaches ask great questions
The idea for this article comes from the book, “Good Leaders Ask Great Questions” by John Maxwell. It’s a wonderful book and I would strongly advise you to both read and take notes from it. It’s full of information that I feel is extremely be...

Structuring a well-organized plan for practices
After more than 40 years of coaching high school basketball, it has become apparent to me the importance of having an organized practice plan. How a coach sets up his or her practices and how effectively they are run ultimately determines a team’s ...

Five tips to create a positive practice environment
As leaders, we must strive to create a positive environment that allows our players to thrive. I take a lot of pride in the fact that my players enjoy practice. That doesn’t mean practice is not difficult, but as coaches we can create an environmen...

Game-speed drills to improve your team’s 3-point shooting
Getting players to go “game-speed” and take shots during practices at a pace that is equivalent to how they will play on game days is one of the most challenging messages to get across to players. To help our players practice at a faster pace and...

Creating the master practice plan
How a structured, organized blueprint can improve team performance Few things are more important than planning an effective practice session. Legendary coach John Wooden once said, "Failure to prepare is preparing for failure." Obviously, the level ...

Study: Limits on football practice contact making a big difference
Limiting contact during high school football practices was undoubtedly going to reduce head-impact exposure for athletes, but we were unsure just how much. Now, we finally have an idea. [caption id="attachment_14682" align="alignright" width="...

Florida limits live contact during HS football practices
Florida's athletic association announced Monday new limits on how much contact high school football teams can have during their practices. According to a statement from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), live contact will be lim...

Creating a post-competition analysis sheet for your players
Do you wonder what your athletes think about following a contest? Depending on their commitment, confidence and competitiveness levels, your athletes responses will run the gamut. While the competitors on your team take your losses to heart ...