theLLaBB

MARIO DeSISTI'S TOP 25 TEACHING POINTS

2011-10-24T17:12:00.001-05:00

FIBA Master course conductor and
Italian coaching legend, Mario
DeSisti, during clinic in Quebec in 2005.

The teacher-coach that I am now is substantially different from who I was 12 years ago.

When asked recently why that is, I responded: Mario DeSisti.

Granted I've had a number of basketball mentors (see: Mike MacKay) who have impacted how I think about the game, but it was during the spring of 2004 when I, along with 18 other coaches across Canada, was selected to participate in an IOC/FIBA certification course in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

DeSisti was the master teacher for that course. And, none of us had any clue about the mental — and sometimes physical — affront that we would endure over that week long course. To say he rattled the cage and forced you to have a reason behind *everything* you did, would be putting it mildly.

You could hear him bellow in his broken English: "Whhhhhhyyyyyy! Why you do that."

Or, "Noooo! That makes no sense. Why!?!"

Or, what struck the deepest cord in me: "Practice must read like a book...!"

Like many good teachers, you often don't appreciate what they're giving to you until after the fact. It's taken me a long time to digest his many lessons and teaching points. And, I'm only now beginning to put it all together.

Here's a top-25 list of teaching points that Mike MacKay put together from DeSisti's time with Canada Basketball...

...

[1] You need to have a “teach mentality.”

Give two options controlled by guided defence. If you want players to learn the game we must teach it in every drill. By using guided defence the offence learns the reason why they are doing what they are doing. It also helps defence become smarter. Understanding how defence can influence offensive decisions is a very important concept.

[2] If you have 2 options in decision making, stay on offense three times in a row.

Guided defence gives you option 1, option 2 and then the athletes makes a choice on the third. By staying on offence multiple reps, you get a chance to immediately learn from the rep before.

[3] Add another option when the first two (2) options have been consolidated.

[4] Add transition for conditioning and concentration.

Defence transitions vs. air i.e. 1-on-0, 2-on-0 etc.
Defence transition vs. offence 1-on-1, 3-on-3
Offence transition vs. new offensive 1-on-1 on-1, 3-on-3-on-3

[5] Teach offense the first three (3) months...

...next three (3) months = 70% defence 30% offence
...last 2 months = 40% transition, 30% offence, 30% defence.

[6] Use “Flying corrections”

Make corrections, as much as possible, without stopping the drill. If one player is having problems pull the out of the drill and give your correction. Don’t stop the drill for everyone because of the error of one individual.

[7] Use visual signals to force players to react

The coach should make the players read situations by giving signals that force players to react (e.g. a number, an arm up to indicate a dribble, showing two hands to call for a pass.)

[8] Continuity in practice.

It is hard for players to follow if you jump from drill to drill with no logical progression. Practice is like reading a book. Start with the introduction and proceed to chapter 1 then 2, 3 etc. You don’t start at chapter 5, and then go to 1 then 7 etc.

[9] If you have a shot clock in the game you must practice with one.

Even if it is a 10-second call by the coach. Players need to learn to adapt. What do you want to happen at 10 seconds? The athletes need to know to attack at about 8 seconds.

[10] If you don’t have a center, don’t play with a center.

Don’t force players to fit a system that does not promote development. You don’t want a lawsuit because we did not allow a player to develop the skills necessary to play at the next level. In school we teach [academic] 'skills' so player can be promoted to the next level [grade level]. This isn’t happening in basketball.

[11] We run too many old offenses and teach old offensive concepts.

Many have pre-dated the shot clock and the new physicality of today's defenses. We need to create problems in drills so the athletes can learn recovery. Spacing and movement are key.;making use of the contact by defence; no penetration, no movement, no continuous picks or screens into picks. Our style is very easy for today’s defences to defend. The chest pass is an “old” pass yet is the first taught and most used in drills where no defence is prevalent. It’s almost impossible to use in today’s game.

[12] Make use of your assistants.

Give them specific things to do. Debrief with assistants before practice as to what will be done that day. Have them take notes in practice. What corrections they had to make. You want assistants to ask to do things rather then you tell them to do things. Make assistants think about the why. When they have a suggestion, they should tell you why he thinks this is a good thing to do. Let players know which assistant will be working with them that day in practice. Who is in charge in each drill?

[13] When scouting your opponent...

Who passes to the centre? What happens when the ball is in the post? What type of screens does the team run? What zone do they play? Who are the shooters?

[14] A perimeter player is only denied when...

A player is denied when the elbow of the defender is in the passing lane (i.e. the line between the passer and receiver). A hand is not denying. Pass high outside and the offence will move to get the ball. Also, an offensive player can step through the hand to get the ball. Cannot step through an elbow.

[15] Teach to teach.

Be fussy. Make corrections. If you don’t make correction when the players are young you will never be able to make them when older.

[16] Keep the same drill and add to it.

Instead of changing drill formation all the time. This allows players to concentrate on learning the concept not the drill.

Also, be sure to give multiple reps—back-to-back—while working on reads and timing.

Utilize your players as passers or as guided defense in drills. Their job is to help the others learn.

[17] Never pass back without penetration first.

Must force the defence to help first. Dangerous pass without penetration.

[18] Practices at tournaments.

Do a lot of shooting, but no running. One (1) day before the tournament, have a light(er) practices. Two (2) days before, go hard.

[19] No easy 3-point shots.

There’s no help for a 3-point shot. It has changed the game. The more players who can shoot it the more dangerous that your team is going to be.

[20] Defensive responsibility on penetration.

The first dribble is the responsibility of the ball defender (i.e. work to prevent straight-line penetration at the basket). The second dribble is the helpside defender’s responsibility.

[21] Scouting reports...

Professionals watch video, juniors scout players, go through the types of screens you will see. Who passes to the centre? Be aggressive on that passer. Work mostly 2-on-2, 3-on-3 not 5-on-5.

[22] You cannot cure details if you skip around in practice.

One offence, one defensive drill. Stay consistent. Finish the offensive book before you start your defensive book.

[23] Don’t teach dirty tactics.

[24] Reward good defensive players.

Start them. Have good offensive players come off the bench.

[25] Start in odd formations and flow into a drill.

This forces the players to move into positions, which are more game like.

...

BIO — Mario DeSisti

Here's Mario (rt) and I in 2005 on one of his return trips to work
with Canada Basketball. I was fortunate to have been able to spend
a lot of time with him to pick his brain on the various European/FIBA
player development models. [ Grazie mille, Mario...! ]

DeSisti coached 17 years in Italian first Division, eight (8) years in the Italian 2nd Division and five (5) years the Young Italian National Team. During that time, he won the “Korac Cup” and won a European and world Military Championship.

Since 2001 he's been a clinician for FIBA and Master Course Conductor for Italian coaching development. He works with the Italian National team coaches to design curriculum for all coaches at all levels. He has had a major impact on the Italian system. Their silver medal finish at the Olympics summer of 2004 was a planned result. He is considered by FIBA to be one of their top two clinicians in the world.

3 GROUND RULES THAT SET RAFAEL NADAL UP FOR SUCCESS

2011-10-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

Thought by many to be the greatest tennis player of this generation, Rafael Nadal's story is atypical to that of most stars in sports.

The "great irony" of Rafael Nadal, as journalist Jeff Pearlman calls it, is that he's a "singularly relentless player... But it's not his forehand or his backhand; it's his will. He just wants it more than anyone else. No one comes close to matching his killer instinct."

Contrast that with the fact that when the match ends, Nadal morphs back in to a stoic, humble and grounded version of himself. Writes Pearlman:

"He lavishly praises opponents. He never cites injury as a reason for his rare defeats. Asked recently if he perceives himself as tennis's new king, he winced. 'Before the match you are who you are, and after the match, you have to know who you are too. You are the same, no?'"

I've always had interest in Nadal as an athlete. But when Jose Calderon, Spanish basketball's 'Conquistador', spoke of his reverence for the person that is Nadal, I took note.

Just Who Is Rafael Nadal?

I'm not sure I'll ever fully be able to answer that question. However, Pearlman wrote an good article on Nadal, that sheds light why tennis's ace is who he is.

[ Read the full article: Not Your Typical Tennis Pro ]

What jumped out to me in this article were the three ground rules that his coach, and uncle, Toni laid out for him as preconditions. Here they are:

If you ever throw the racket, we're finished. They're expensive, and when you throw a racket, you don't just disrespect the sport, you disrespect all the people who can't afford equipment.
Losing is a part of competing. You will lose. And when you lose, it's not going to be my fault or the fault of your racket or the balls or the courts or the weather. It's your fault, and you will accept it and try and do better next time.
Have fun. When you stop enjoying this, it's no good. Find something else that gives you pleasure.

Simple. Clear. Backed by values of the game—and life.

There's more to Nadal than this list. However it lays a foundation for expectation that forms the backbone of all that he faces.

Love it!

/sef.

"My focus is to win the next match I play. The [history] will happen. Or maybe it won't." –Rafael Nadal

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IF YOU DON'T KNOW PEOPLE, YOU DON'T KNOW BASKETBALL

2011-10-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

To me there are four pillars that must be developed in any athlete participating in competitive team sport: mental, physical, technical and socio-emotional. The latter of the bunch is, in my opinion, the most under-taught yet most important skill that will lead to championship performance.

That is, a player's or coach's ability to effectively communicate, engage, lead, inspire, and ultimately build trust with his or her teammates/players will have significant impact on the outcome of the season.

It's the difference between being a average team and being a winning team. It's the difference between being the kind of coach that players are drawn to, and enthusiastically want to play for; and the kind of coach that players just can't stand being around.

It's the difference between being the kind of player that basketball coaches covet and want to recruit; or, being the kind of basketball player that takes more energy from the team than they give. The type of players that coaches dread having on their team and begrudgingly put into the game.

Check out this video by Simon Sinek to learn more. I've been a fan of his work for quite some time and this video his the nail on the head.

What do you think? What are the things that you do do build trust? What are the 'symbols' that standout to you as ones that engender trustworthiness?

/sef.

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STOP STEADYING THE HORSES

2011-10-03T15:47:00.000-05:00

During World War II just before the Americans entered the war they were studying the big guns of the Germans. They found that they could fire a shell every 10 seconds. The best the Americans could do was one every 30 seconds.

They assigned a Colonel to study the matter. He found that the gunners were told to wait 20 seconds after firing a shell. When he asked why, everyone said because it is in the manual.

The Colonel went back to examine the World War I manual. It said: "...fire the shot and wait 20 seconds."

Frustrated, he went back to the civil war manuals. They said: "...fire the cannon and wait 20 seconds to steady the horses."

Why are you doing what you currently do? Is it because that is the way you have always done it?

[ Related: It's Always Been Done That Way → ]

Take the time to evaluate why you're doing what you're doing. Do you know reasons, philosophy and context under which the ideas were formed?

If not, you could be getting out gunned by your opponents. Stop steadying the horses!

Often, the stupid question is the un-asked question. Learn the 'why' behind the 'what'. Evaluate the merits of different ideas—without bias. And, continually seek out ways to improve your craft.

That's what winners do.

/sef.

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PREGAME: SOMETIMES YOU NEED PERSPECTIVE

2011-09-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

This video is of Beyoncé during her dressing room rehearsal for her American Idol appearance.

NO MICROPHONE. No effects.

"Sometimes you need perspective. You’ve been right in front of greatness so often that you need to step back and see it again for the first time." –Jay-Z

[Problems viewing the video? What it on lifeandtimes.com.]

...

At first, I wanted to share this because it just straight up gave me goosebumps. B is the real deal..!

At a glance, it doesn't appear like there's any parallel to basketball.

BUT... as I started to take a deep dive into what it was that impressed me the most about this performance, I realized something: "She's just practicing!"

Think about this... Jay-Z shot this video right *before* Beyoncé went on stage for her live performance. She's on point; singing with conviction and passion. Holding nothing back. She's at her best.

Often, athletes have a tendency to have a casual approach to their training. The mindset that many succumb to is one that says: "I'll be ready when it matters." Or, as Allen Iverson once said: "Practice! We're talking about practice?! Not the game..."

Here's the thing: Players that perform consistently at a high level, understand that those seemingly meaningless and repetitious 'dress rehearsals' are the building blocks for future successful performances.

You can get away once in a while with have a sloppy practice. However, if that's your habit, your paving the road for future failures.

What you'll find common in players that have a tough time being at their best when it most counts, is that they often don't show up at their best when they feel it doesn't count—both on and off the court.

Just like Beyoncé, make every practice your masterpiece. Autograph it with excellence!

/sef.

"Championships are not won on the night of a big event, but years before by athletes that commit themselves daily to championship principles." –Dick DeVenzio

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FOUNDATIONS OF STRENGTH

2011-09-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

I love creative coaching! And, earlier this week I stumbled upon Fitness Quest 10's Brett Klika.

Check out this video he recently posted called 'Foundational Strength'. In it, Klika walks you through a fun and effective progression for helping young athletes develop the functional strength to do push-ups.

What's so important about push-ups?

As Klika says: "as a coach you are developing physical intelligence."

I'd definitely agree. I call it 'physical literacy'. There are certain fundamental movement skills that form the building blocks for all sport movement (e.g. running, jumping, stopping, starting, balance, coordination, etc.). The ability to perform a push-up, "helps lay a strong foundation of strength and stability for the rest of [an child's] athletic career." Watch the video below, then read the blog »

In this second video, Klika shows a *fun* sequence for building core strength and dynamic stability in young athletes...

What Klika has done is build an effective 'regression-progression model'. It's great coaching—especially because it keeps in interesting for the athletes.

You can follow Brett on Twitter here: @bklika. I am.

Coach creatively! /sef.

"Coach is is a verb [not just a noun]." –Brett Klika

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GET RID OF THESE TWO SENTENCES

2011-08-23T16:21:00.009-05:00

Take these two phrases out of your vocab:

IT's – "I'm tired"
DFLI's – "I don't feel like it."

If you do, I'd argue that you will have essentially removed over 50% of the negative mental habits you'll face as a high performance athlete. Those two phrases are typically the tipping point for a downward spiraling conversation, in thought, that's not in the best interest of any athlete – or coach for the matter – interested in optimal performance.

These phrases are (self-) sabotaging.

Why 50%...?

Good question! It's probably more. I just like to under-promise and over-deliver.

At the end of the day, from having worked with thousands of athletes at all levels of the performance spectrum, both male and female, I've noticed that there's an ever so subtle difference between the ones that excel amidst adversity and the ones that get 'stuck in the muck' of the common challenges faced in elite sport.

Little Things Make a Big Difference.

Tired, bored, down, headache, sore, bad day, hard test, mad, frustrated, break up… Awesome! That's the life of a high performance athlete.

Every athlete that's playing competitive sports is going through a similar set of challenges. (In fact, to take it a step further, someone, somewhere, would love to have YOUR problems!).

Flip the mental script. Learn to think about adversity differently. It's a choice. Think of it as an opportunity to respond famously to a less-than-ideal situation.

The athletes that are able to perform at consistently high levels, when it's most required, think about themselves and their circumstances differently than their teammates and competitors.

What You Say Is Important

Tiger Woods, in his prime, would never talk about being in a slump or playing poorly.

(I know, I know, there were a lot of other things that he didn't talk about publicly either...! But, like / dislike / or otherwise, there's still some useful lessons we can learn from Mr. Woods. Stay with me...)

Tiger did a great job of managing his own external 'advertising campaign'. In interviews he’d more likely say, “You know what, I was great of the tee. I did a good job of getting on the green. Once I’m on the green, I need to do a little better job of finishing off the green.”

He rarely, if at all, made pronouncements that were not in his best interest. Yet, athletes – all aspiring to play at a similar level in their sport, do it all the time.

The most common way, I've found, is those presumably innocuous IT's and DFLI's.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that pro athletes have unshakeable enthusiasm each day. Not true. They work on it just like you need to—some quite religiously, to be honest.

Dena Evans over the years has shared a Winston Churchill quote with PGC Basketball grads that's become a favourite of mine too: "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

How Easy Will It Be?

There’s nothing innovative about having a positive attitude. It’s mostly just a matter of eliminating the clutter and changing one's less-productive mental habits.

Developing the right set of mental habits is quite simple. It's just not easy. It's going to take work.

It takes discipline and vigilance to change the way you think. But, it can be done.

I read recently that basketball shooting coach for the Dallas Mavericks, Bob Thate, told Jason Kidd that "it would take thousands of jumpers over several years to erase a lifetime of neglect." The pair then went on to work together nearly every day, in season and out, overhauling Kidd's mechanics.

Years later, we're all now seeing the result of that purposeful practice. It took a lot of work.

And, just like changing shooting form, it's going to take a lot of focused effort to overhaul your mental mechanics.

Two Mental 'Mistakes': Which Ones Are You Making?

Now is the time to self-assess and see which of these two negative habits you fall prey to committing. Then, fixum! But don’t forget to share the changes in your game – and life – you experience in the comments below!

What are you waiting for?! Get started right now.

/sef.

“There’s no place for 'I don't feel like it' in high level competitive sports.” –Scott Hawk, WNBA Connecticut Sun
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IT'S NOT THE CRITIC THAT COUNTS

2011-08-22T10:17:00.003-05:00

I was backtracking through some old files earlier and came across this thought from a former NBA coach's team manual. I thought it worth the share...

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “It is not the critic that counts … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who strives valiantly, who errs and often comes up short again and again … who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

/sef.
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6 LEADING US SPORT COACHES SHARE THEIR TIPS

2011-08-17T13:55:00.003-05:00

A quick hitter that's worth the watch as legendary coaches Bobby Bowden (former head football coach, Florida State), Pat Summit (Tennessee women's basketball), Lute Olsen (former men's basketball coach, Arizona), John Wooden (former UCLA men's basketball head coach) and George Horton (Cal State Fullerton baseball head coach) share insights on what it takes win championships.

"If you have never had adversity, you ain't goin' be nothing. You have got to have adversity to build your character and find out how tough you are and find out how good your judgment is." –Bobby Bowden

/sEf.
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ON DEFENSE: DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

2011-08-02T13:19:00.008-05:00

I recently did one of my favourite off and on-court basketball training sessions at PGC Basketball (formerly Point Guard College).

It's a favourite teaching topic of mine because, to be honest, it's the one thing that I could do, as an athlete, as an all-the-time, every-time thing. If you watched me play, the one thing you could count on me for, was defense.

[I'm sure I have teammates that will go to their grave saying, that's all I could do! ...In a way I'm being a little self-deprecating with that last line; however, it's also something that I take great pride in. And, as I tell athletes: The things you take pride in, are the things you do well!]

So, that's my bias... I *love* defense and tenacious defenders. I have an unbridled enthusiasm for all the subtleties, nuances and "tricks" that make the great defensive players, great.

Former Princeton head coach, Pete Carril, once said that defense is played first with the 'head, then the heart, then the legs.' I've always relished this thought. As a result, I'd argue that a great defensive player, has just as much basketball intelligence as any great offensive player. In fact, if you really got me fired up, I'd go so far as to say that it takes more of a basketball IQ to be good on defense than offense.

You see, to me, there's an intuition, instinct and mindset that great defensive players develop. It's a way of thinking that requires one to be a student of the game, understand movement, action-reaction, body balance, human psychology, angles, salesmanship, and be great and coming up with a strategy or plan of attack that varies based on their opponent; or, even within the same basketball game, a strategy that varies based on time-and-score against that same opponent.

During our defensive training session at PGC, I kept asking the athletes before they began any of the drills in our defensive progression: "Do you have a plan?"

Most would pause. Think. Shrug. Then shake their heads as if to say "No, I don't."

In turn, I'd require them to come up with a plan before they could start.

To be honest, I didn't really care what their 'plan' was. All that mattered to me, was forcing them to pause, assess, and come up with a defensive plan of attack when going up against any offensive basketball player. My objective was to force them to devise some strategy that they would use; as opposed to going in blind at the whim of the offense.

Most basketball players do not have a plan (unfortunately).

How Does A Basketball Player Create Their Defensive Plan?

Allow me to share a very basic framework for coming up with an individual defensive 'plan of attack'. Here are some questions that a basketball player should ask themselves:

Who am I?

This is a foundational question. It's seeds the answers for all subsequent questions and answers. In order to be a effective and efficient defensive player, you must develop an acute awareness of what your strengths are defensively (e.g. speed, agility, height, length or reach, reaction off the ground, anticipation or reaction, etc.).

Who am I guarding?

In lockstep with the first question, one must also be able assess the strengths and weaknesses of the player their matched up against. For instance, if they're the primary ball handler and point guard, are they a hesitation-and-go type player or do they move more laterally, zig-zagging to advance the ball up the court? What's their primary and secondary ball handling attacking moves? What's their counter move if their primary and secondary are taken away? What dribble move do they use to get the ball from their weak hand to their dominant hand?
What's their weaker passing hand?
How do they create their offense, individually, in the half court (i.e. off the dribble or off the catch)? Are they allowed to free lance early clock? Or, does their coach require them to run the team's offense first?
What side of the court do they typically initiate their team's offense?
How do they initiative offense (i.e. off the pass, off penetration or dribble push, wing entry, high post or post entry)?

Who are my teammates? And, who are they guarding?

This is a crucial question too. Good defense is team defense. And, even the most effective individual defensive players, learn the defensive tendencies of their supporting cast of team members. They use this understanding to bolster their strategy. For instance, how you defend on ball when your defense is anchored by a post player that is a good shot blocker, will differ from how you guard the ball when you have a post player that's foul prone.
Further, what your teammates can do defensively will also be predicated on who they're guarding defensively. By example, if they're guarding a knock-down-deep-water-shooter, they're going be less able to help on penetration.

Now, once a basketball player has an awareness of these factors, they'll then need to determine how best to start to incorporating their individual strategies and tactics into their team's defensive strategies.

How Did You Get Beat?

It's one thing to have a plan. But, as they say in the military, your plan is only valid until it's put in to play. After that, you must be prepared to assess and adjust.

To me, the question good defensive players continually ask themselves is: How did I get beat?

Or, if they got a stop: What specifically did I do that led to that stop?

The best thing to do is develop a LAST-THREE-NEXT-THREE MENTALITY. What happened on the last three defensive possessions (trips)? What needs to get done on the next three?

Remember, players with a high defensive IQ are constantly assessing. To borrow the phrase: If you're not assessing, you're guessing!

Good defense in basketball is not guesswork. It's preparation, planning and improvisation. It starts in the head by making a commitment, moves to the heart where the best develop a pride and passion for it; and then, the 'legs' and body follow suit. If it happens the other way, as it does for so many players, they learn to dread it.

So, what's your plan? How do you develop defensive intelligence?

Talk to me... /sEf.

BTW – I'd be remiss if not to mention that on a foul call, the most effective defensive players are always asking themselves: "What can I do differently to make that play look it's not a foul?"

[This one might generate some controversy for some... but, the best defensive players, IMO, foul far more times than they get whistled for a foul. This is definitely an advanced concept and not one to offer up at the younger age group athletes.]

Zach: Thanks for the question and providing the inspiration for this post. Hope that helps to answer your question. Keep up the progress!

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ETTORE MESSINA: 5 THINGS A POST PLAYER NEEDS TO DO TO PLAY

2011-07-07T16:39:00.010-05:00

I'm going through some of my basketball clinic notes and came across this 'checklist' from Ettore Messina on post player basketball development...

Here are the five (5) questions any coach or young post player must be able to answer 'Yes!' to in order to be able to be a contributor on their basketball team.

Can the young post player...

Score in the fast break?
Control his body balance on an offensive rebound?
Make his foul shots?
Handle contact?
Be in the right position on defense?

Ettore Messina says that if s/he can accomplish these skills that post player can now stay in the game and be a positive contributor to the team.

As a basketball coach, it's our job to protect our developing 'bigs' by developing these skills in them so that they can be in a position to develop. We all know that post players

I love this checklist. It does two things: (1) builds confidence, and (2) builds trust.

My good friend Mano Watsa shared a thought that was passed along to him from former Canadian National Team head coach Don McCrae. He said, there are three people who will know when a player is ready to get more playing time: the player, his or her teammates, and the basketball coach.

This checklist creates accountability and builds the awareness of what needs to get done to be ready. The player now knows what they need to do to get more playing time. Also, the coaches charged with developing that player's skills, know what they're accountable for developing.

As that player starts to check things off the list and begins using those skills in games, they start to feel more confident about how they can help the team. Similarly, as his or her teammates see that player becoming more successful, they'll start to trust them more; giving them more touches (or, at least, looking for them! Wink, Wink.).

A young developing 'big' needs to first have the ability to go fast and then stop—on balance (...!). From watching Messina's clinic, he used a big chunk of time teaching and then continually emphasizing the skills for stopping. That skill allowed them to be able finish on the fast break. And, without it, 'bigs' look awkward and out of control.

Balance and body control are fundamental movement skills that form the foundation of player development.

After that, teach them how to absorb contact, regain balance in traffic and power up while getting bumped. For most young basketball players inside the paint, that's how they're going to get their shot attempts. Notice I didn't say makes (necessarily).

The reality is they're going to get fouled inside the key. That's why Messina has foul shots in his top five. If a post player is taught how to shoot foul shots, and make them, it'll build their confidence in knowing that they can still put some points on the board. They'll begin to understand that getting fouled is a positive outcome. With that, and in time, you'll see a noticeable vigor in basketball players for seeking contact, boxing out and pursuing the ball in rebounding situations.

Kids want to find ways to contribute, we just need to give them the tools.

What Offensive Skills Do You First Teach Developing Post Players?
Start with one move. Allow them groove that move on air (without defense or decision making). Then introduce a guided defender before moving to a live game-like basketball drill. The last step is to observe them to utilize that move in a game itself.

Once they've begun to consolidate that skill, you can later add a counter move that relates to that first move.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the hook shot (aka jump hook, half hook, etc.).

Mike Dunleavy (Sr) once said, "You should shoot a couple of hundred hooks everyday — only if you want to make 10‘s of millions of dollars." I got a kick out of that when I heard it. I think there's something to that, but that's for another blog.

--
Tell me, what skills would include on your 'Top-5 List' for post player development? Do you agree with Messina? What's the first post move you teach?

/sEf.

“I don’t fear the man who practiced 10,000 kicks one time. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” —Bruce Lee
...

REBOUNDING AND BOXING OUT ARE VERY DIFFERENT THINGS

2011-07-06T19:14:00.008-05:00

There are a lot of basketball coaches — especially those working with youth basketball players — that get upset at their team when their players don't secure the rebound. To an extent, that's understandable. A good coach knows the value of possessions and that offensive and defensive rebounding will have a huge impact on the outcome of a basketball game.

Often, you're hear coaches say that such-and-such a player doesn't rebound because they're not tough. In some cases that's true. Often though, we as coaches haven't created a mentality in our players to do the "right" thing.

When a player rebounds the basketball, everyone is happy. That doesn't mean, however, that they did the correct thing.

Stay with me while I attempt to give some clarity...

Rebounding and boxing out are two very different things. Rebounding is the act of securing the basketball when it's in the air (or loose). Boxing out, in contrast, involves making contact with a basketball player to impede his/her progress in a certain direction. [Did you have a light bulb moment too? When I got clarity on this, I did.]

You see, boxing out doesn't just occur in rebounding scenarios. For instance, when a player posts up or seals their defender, they're boxing out. On the perimeter, a guard may step into their defensive check and prevent them from jumping into the passing lane on a wing entry pass. They're also 'boxing out' (as the movement pattern are similar).

In university, I was lucky enough to play basketball with some skilled players. For two consecutive years, one of my teammates led the nation in rebounds. An awesome achievement for anyone. He was artistic in his pursuit of the basketball and I had a front row seat to what it everyday. It was a beautiful thing.

The challenge [...sorry, Steady if you're reading this...], was he didn't often box out. [He'd admit it too.] And, at times, it hurt us.

You'll hear coaches yell at their players all the time, "REBOUNNNNNDDDD!" In my observation, most times kids are making an effort to pursue and secure the ball. Here's the problem, the emphasis is on the wrong action. What that same coach should be reminding his players (in advance) to do is BOX OUT.

As the saying goes, it isn't so much what you teach, it's what you emphasize. The most important thing to teach when you're trying to win the 'battle of the boards' is mindset. You're players must understand the difference between rebounding and boxing out. And, you must equip them to be successful at both by teaching them the technical elements of each skill.

One of the best coaches that I know, Mike MacKay, shared that when working with elite basketball teams, a missed box out meant a trip to the bench—especially in free throw shooting situations. Early in the season, the message needed to be sent clearly that his basketball players needed to finish the play by boxing out and then securing the rebound.

"I knew from experience that we would never win late in the season if we did not learn to box out early in the season." –Mike MacKay

He even would also incorporate a games approach within his practices which kept boxing out as a point of emphasis. They would keep score in drills by how many box outs occurred. If it was 5on5 drill, there were five points available on each shot attempt. A point would be awarded for every player who made contact when the shot went up.

What are you emphasizing with your players? Do you want them to rebound? Or, box out then rebound? Be very clear and economic with your words in order to get your desired result.

/sEf.

BTW – Steady, if you do read this, I love you, baby! You cleaned up a lot of my mess on the glass. But... if you get another basketball life... please, BOX OUT!
...

QUANTUM LEAP IMPROVEMENT

2011-07-06T18:02:00.006-05:00

Sometimes progress is internal, therefore not visible to the naked eye. And, sometimes when we feel like we’re not making progress, we’re actually just taking a few steps back to gain speed before making a big leap!
...

HERE'S HOW TO APPROACH FAILURE

2011-07-02T13:01:00.007-05:00

Those driven toward excellence and winning, should never view failure as something that saps your energy, enthusiasm and vitality. Instead, it provides an opportunity to respond famously by animating, increasing your focus, and viewing the experience itself as an opportunity to learn, develop and adapt.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying significant failures won't be frustrating and emotional. What I am suggesting, though, is to acknowledge – in fact, honour – the emotion, without responding emotionally. There's no doubt that that is easier said than done, however, that's the approach will propel you toward achieving any goal that's outside your reach.

Do you remember the famous Nike "Failure" commercial where Michael Jordan says: "I’ve missed more than nine thousand shots in my career. I’ve lost almost three hundred games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."?

[I get goosebumps every time I see that commercial!]

Stay with me a little longer... Matthew Syed, in his book 'Bounce', points out that Jordan is "a living, breathing testament to the 'growth mindset'." MJ, in this Nike commercial, expresses "...a deep urgent truth: in order to become the greatest basketball player of all time, you have to embrace failure."

Here's what Michael Jordan also said: "Mental toughness and heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you have. I've always said that, and I've always believed that."

And, Thomas Edison, the American inventor, also echoes this point: "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."

What's your approach to failure and setbacks?

I find often we're inattentively looking for new answers to life's challenges, when the answers to our most challenging problems can be found in the lessons shared by others.

Seek out and identify the common denominators of success. (Disclosure: They're usually not overly earth shattering and innovative.) Get behind those ideas and stay committed to the *process* of pursuing excellence.

There are no guarantees that you'll get there. But the one guarantee is that if you don't try, you definitely won't.

As Pete Carril, former Princeton Basketball coach, said: "The smart take from the strong."

/sEf.

"The paradox of excellence is that it's built upon the foundations of necessary failure." –Matthew Syed
...

JOE BONAI: EXPLOSIVE CHANGE OF DIRECTION & ACL INJURY PREVENTION

2011-06-17T11:43:00.003-05:00

Joe Bonai produces and shares a lot of very good stuff. In a recent post, he gives a thorough breakdown of what he calls a "Cut Stop" (Don't get caught up in the name, delve into the concept and theory.) Here's what he says...

There's one exercise that will decrease ACL injury-risk, immediately and dramatically improve agility scores and also improve an athlete's endurance. It's not strength dependant, and can give athletes with the weakest engines a head start on their opponents. It's easy to coach and it's even easy for athletes to retain. It's the Cut Stop.

Bonai give a complete explanation of the progression and why he feels it's so important of a movement pattern for injury prevention, deceleration and acceleration on his website.

Here is a video that shows you how the 'Cut Stop' is introduced and progressed into lateral movement drills...

For more from Joe Bonai, follow him here @JJBonai. /sEf.
...

CHARACTER REVEALED

2011-06-16T14:38:00.004-05:00

This is great insight into the impact that Buzz Williams is making on the lives of the young men that come through his program. This video on Marquette Basketball's "Life Lessons" a testament – in more than one way...

Here's another video (via Coach Starkey's Hoop Thoughts) of Marquette's head coach, Buzz Williams, mic'd up at basketball practice with a powerful message to his players on 'their donation' to the team...

I get *really* excited when I watch these. He's planted a seed in me too. I'll definitely be making some tweaks to these and utilizing it with the athletes I work with.

Curious... What are some of the analogies, activities or messages you use to teach life lessons to your athletes?

/sEf.
...

THE MAKING OF A NAVY SEAL

2011-06-15T15:23:00.005-05:00

I've always had a latent fascination and interest in the training that goes into 'making' a NAVY Seal. What's involved in the training that yields an individual with mental make-up, self-awareness and discipline to warrant being able to be one of the few selected. (And selfishly, what learnings can be extracted from this training that can be transferred over to the coaching and player development.)

Well, here's an insightful video from BigThink.com's blog, "The Intellectual Life of a Navy SEAL".

Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens discusses the challenges he faced during SEAL training.

To borrow from the blog, "What makes Greitens’s narrative unique within the canon of Special Forces literature is his ability to articulate this sacrifice, and the process that makes sacrifice the only way to win. Greitens tells Big Think:

One of the things that make a warrior into a warrior is that they are dedicated to developing their strength in service to others. One of the things that makes Seals special is they can be thoughtful and disciplined and proportional in the use of force. But in order to do all of that, in order to master that, you have to have the self-mastery, you have to have the discipline that allows you to operate in these extraordinarily challenging and difficult environments and still make sure that you are in control of how you’re using force.

Check out the video...

"A SEAL’s smartest weapon, like a scholar’s, is his mind: his capacity to assess complex situations. This assessment is then coupled with the courage to achieve a given goal, and the humility to move on quietly to the next task."
...

I TEACH BECAUSE...

2011-06-15T11:50:00.003-05:00

"I TEACH"

...I teach because there is a great fulfillment that comes in working with boys and girls.
...I teach because I wanted to be a sculptor, and I can do so, by shaping lives for the future.
...I teach because I wanted to be an artist, and I can do so, by painting dreams for children.
...I teach because I wanted to be a musician, and I can, in giving inspiration to children.
...I teach because I wanted to be a historian, and I can in having recorded something for the lives of great men to come.
...I teach because I wanted to be a poet, and I can in writing impressive passages of mankind.
...I teach because of the reward I receive when a child’s frown turns to smiles, or when he/she says, “Now I understand.”
...I teach because of the personal growth I receive each day as I venture out on a quest for knowledge and techniques to help my students understand.
...I teach for it is in this where I can see the worthwhile and true fulfillment of living.

–Author Unknown

Why do you teach?

--
This was originally posted on MasterTeacher.com. A wonderful site I stumbled on that's focused on the professional development of teachers. Take a look around their site when you get a chance. There's some really good ideas that are applicable to sports coaches too.

Follow them here: @masterteacher.

THE GENEALOGY OF A VICIOUS MOVE

2011-05-27T10:30:00.004-05:00

Check out this video from NYtimes.com's video archive... It's a tribute to the crossover and neat video and useful teaching/learning video for athletes and coaches.

Thanks @dena10 and @GlideHoyas for the share! /sEf.

WHERE DO YOU PLACE YOUR ATTENTION?

2011-04-27T08:10:00.002-05:00

This video is a fantastic extension to all the discussion that came out of my previous post on mental toughness (see 'Unfairness: The Missing Ingredient in the Debate on Toughness').

This is actual footage shot at an in-class session from PGC Basketball... [I never get tired of listening to Coach Evans talk!].

//SB

BILL RUSSELL ON DEVELOPING AN OUTSIDE-IN LEADERSHIP STYLE

2011-04-23T16:58:00.007-05:00

Boston Celtics great, Bill Russell, the man with 11 NBA championship rings for 10 fingers, touches on developing an 'outside-in' versus 'inside-out' leadership style in his book 'Russell Rules'.

Here's one of the ways he shared for business leaders, basketball coaches and players to use when they're thinking about leadership:

Remember the five most important words:
"I am proud of you."

Remember the four most important words:
"What is your opinion?"

Remember the three most important words:
"I appreciate that."

Remember the two most important words:
"Thank you."

And remember the most important word:
"You."

—Bill Russell
'Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner'

ON BEING WRONG

2011-04-19T17:12:00.005-05:00

Call me crazy, but this TEDtalk from Kathryn Schulz has everything—and nothing—to do with basketball. Either way, pull up chair, you won't be disappointed...

Fallor Ergo Sum = I Err Therefore I am.

/sEf.

ESPN 'SPORT SCIENCE' BREAKS DOWN THE LAKERS TRIANGLE OFFENSE

2011-04-17T22:36:00.005-05:00

This is a nice piece from ESPN's Sport Science...

Well done. Thanks @CoachLok for the share! /sEf.

UNFAIRNESS: THE MISSING INGREDIENT IN THE DEBATE ON TOUGHNESS

2011-04-14T11:41:00.005-05:00

I'm in the midst of building out the curriculum for a new post player basketball course for PGC Basketball called 'Inside Presence'. I'm really excited about hitting the court for these sessions!

I've been fortunate enough to be teamed up with two wonderful co-directors in Coach Turner and Coach Snow; and, each week we meet to map things out. Additionally, thanks needs to be given to others who have so generously shared their ideas and philosophy for developing post players. (Extra special shout out to Coach Hawk for the shares!)

For the first time, I tried something new. I began soliciting feedback through my Facebook page. I asked the question: What's your definition of "TOUGHNESS"..?

You see, toughness is one of those catch-all buzzwords that gets tossed around by coaches, players, parents and sports analysts. It's amazing though, that very few have taken the time to clearly articulate what it is and come up with ways to quantify it.

What does toughness look like? Can it be taught? If so, how? These are the questions that I get excited about.

One of the best definitions of toughness I've seen comes from Jay Bilas in his ESPN article. He gives some specific examples of how one can demonstrate true "toughness" in college basketball; for instance:

Going after rebounds with both hands.
Stepping to the line and knocking down pressure free throws, especially when tired.
Talking on defense and letting your teammates know that you are there in case they get beat.
Sticking with your team's defensive principles, and doing it under pressure.
Getting on the floor for a loose ball.
Taking a charge.
Getting down in a stance and staying there.
Setting up your man and making hard cuts.
Getting your teammates together and keeping them together on the road.
Not allowing yourself to get screened.
Moving on to the next play, and displaying positive body language to give confidence to your teammates.
Taking good shots, and having the judgment to pass up challenged ones.

There is another defining quality, at least for me, that is characteristic of "tough" players: TOUGH PLAYERS DON'T WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

That's right. Welcoming unfairness is one of the most useful principles in the life of any athlete.

Dick DeVenzio expresses this best...

Desiring fair treatment is the province of the mediocre. Champions don’t want to be treated like everyone else. Champions don’t want to be put on an equal plane with others, they welcome the opportunity to show what they are made of under all sorts of conditions. They don’t worry what has happened to anyone else. They are eager to demonstrate what they can do.

Tough players do not go through life constantly looking to see if they're being treated like everyone else. Instead, they make a habit of "responding famously" to whatever treatment that comes their way.

There's a lot more to 'toughness' than what Bilas has articulated, I'm sure. But, DeVenzio has hit the nail on the head as their is a mental resiliency and discipline of thought that precedes any outward action. At its core, that's the foundation of toughness.

What do you think? How do you describe or define toughness? Do you believe this attribute can be taught or is it innate?

/sEf.

DISCIPLINED THOUGHT PRECEDES DISCIPLINED ACTION

2011-03-08T08:04:00.008-05:00

'Disciplined thought precedes disciplined action.' And, with that, discipline is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you make that gradually turn who you are, at any given moment, into who you want to be.

These two thoughts were both inspired by Jim Collins (Good To Great) and Jim Rohn.

Rohn went on to say: "Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day."

One of the biggest mistakes that athletes make is that they enter a basketball practice or training regiment without predetermining what their intention will be for that workout. In turn though, where we often fail as coaches is in not requiring that athletes to begin with a set intention.

Having a clearly articulation and visualized goal for any practice is a discipline that is developed in thought first. From that, it translates to action.

WHAT'S YOUR ONE THING?
While working within the Canadian National Team development programs, we used to utilize the concept of 'One Thing' with the athletes.

"What's your 'one thing'?" I'd ask the athletes. Or, "What's the one thing you're focusing on that I should be watching and ready to give you feedback on?"

This simple question heightens focus and gives both the athlete and coach context for error correction, coaching interventions and, ultimately, holding kids accountable for what takes place within a training session.

BIGGEST FAILING OF 'ONE THING'
The thing you have to be on alert to when utilizing 'One Thing,' is that athletes will try and give you fluff for answers.

COACH: Jon, what's your one thing today?
ATHLETE: Coach, I'm going to focus on hustling today in practice?

Sound typical? I've gotten that answer a lot.

Here's the thing, most coaches would agree that the notion of hustling is a great thing. We all want our players to hustle. The problem is that hustle is an abstraction. Your vision of hustle as a coach might be very different from Jon's interpretation as an athlete.

It's important to transform abstract and vague answers into very specific, quantifiable and observable actions.

COACH: Jon, what specifically will I see to know you're hustling?

This question will stump your athletes — especially the first few times you go through the exercise. Most kids are allowed to get away with vague, token answers. It's important that you stay firm about inviting specific descriptions.

The objective is twofold:

(1) You're establishing an agreed upon understanding of what hustle will look like;
(2) You're helping your athletes build a vocabulary so that they can communicate more effectively. (Often athletes don't communicate in practice because they still have not developed the vocabulary for what to say... and then, how to say it. That's for another blog though.)

GIVE THEM TIME TO PROCESS
Most kids will need more time to answer the question about what specifically you should be seeing to know they're hustling. Perfect. That's completely normal—and, necessary.

COACH: I'll give you some time to think about. I'll come back to you.

[Move on to another athlete, but be sure to come back to Jon. Remember, the adage: It's not what you say, it's what you emphasize. If ensuring your athletes begin each basketball practice or game focused, you first have to make it a daily discipline where they develop the ability to do so.]

COACH: Jon, talk me through what specifically I'll see to know you're hustling?
ATHLETE: Coach, I'm going to sprint every time you call us in and in between drills.
COACH: Okay. I'll keep and eye out for that. You know hustle can also come if the form of touching every line, every time, on our sprints. That type of precision to your hustle really raises the bar for the rest of the team. Is that something you'd be willing to commit to doing as well today?
ATHLETE: Sure. I can do that, Coach.
COACH: Are you willing to be held accountable to this standard?
ATHLETE: Ya... I am.
COACH: Great. Let's have a good practice.

ARE YOU WILLING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE?
This, to me, is the most powerful of questions. Did you catch it? It's a very persuasive psychological trigger.

First, the coach established a shared understanding of what hustle will look like in that day's practice. He's guided the athlete to create the definition. And, when there was a gap between the athlete's definition and his, he made a suggestion to bridge the gap. By going through this process, the athlete has been enlisted to create the standard.

A big part of accountability is ownership. It's one thing to be held accountable to another person's vision. More effective is when you take ownership for setting standard.

"Are you willing to be held accountable to this standard?" now means that the athlete is giving you permission to hold them up to their standard; essentially, what THEY determined they would do. To the athlete's mind, it's no longer 'Coach is coming down on me again!'... It's 'Coach is really holding me to the standard I set for myself. Wow!'

Go on... experiment and explore with 'One Thing'. Let me know how it goes! /sEf.

"Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment." via Pick The Brain

ETTORE MESSINA: ON DRIBBLE PENETRATION

2011-03-07T05:03:00.004-05:00

"A gifted athlete with poor understanding of the game will be slower to react than a slower player who better understands the game." -Ettore Messina

The more dribble penetrations that are allowed, the more help is required and subsequently, more susceptible your team is to offensive rebounds.

In an ideal world, each player on your team could stop their opponent 1on1. In reality, that's never the case when playing against a good team. So, with that, it's important to instill in your players (...team) and understanding that "help-recover" *IS* the goal, not "help-and-rotate". Once your teams starts scrambling, the opposition has advantage. And, efficient teams will exploit it.

Observations During the 2010 Euroleague Online Coaching Clinic
This last thought stems from a basketball blog written by Coach Stephen Pottage. Last year, at about this time, Coach Pottage flipped me an email to share some of his basketball clinic notes from the Mastermind Coaching Clinic put on by the Euroleague Basketball Institute. As it turns out, we both shared an interest in the coaching philosophies of Ettore Messina.

Connected to this post, here are some of Coach Pottage's blogs that may interest you:

Enjoy... I did! /sEf.

(For those less familiar with Messina, he is well regarded as one of the top basketball coaches in the world. As recently as a few years ago, there were a number of NBA teams trying to secure his services and wrestle him away from the Euroleague.)

HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR 10 MOST FEARED SHOTS

2011-02-03T05:46:00.004-05:00

For those who know me, you'd be *really* surprised to hear if I was espousing thoughts on the "game" of golf. (That's right. I didn't say sport!)

Well, don't worry. I'm not dropping any nuggets on golf. David Pelz is though.

It's probably more accurate to say that he gives some insightful thoughts to how good teachers teach and how great players must think. And, anyone who hits on those two things, has my attention. (It could be bocce ball for all I care. I'll listen intently for a few golden nuggets!)

So, if you're like me in that regard, you'll really enjoy this interview by Charlie Rose. I did.

WATCH THE VIDEO »

I liked it so much that I went out and bought the book: Dave Pelz's Golf without Fear: How to Play the 10 Most Feared Shots in Golf with Confidence. Now I don't know if it will help my short game any, but I'm sure it'll make me a better teacher-coach. Excited!

I'll let you know what I learn.

/sEf.

Thanks @Dena for the share!

A CONVERSATION WITH STEVE NASH

2011-02-03T05:24:00.003-05:00

It's one thing to be great at your craft. There are many — both in sport and out of it — who are exceptionally gifted at what they do. Yet, so many fail to be able to effectively articulate it so others can make sense of it.

Steve Nash is an exception amongst exceptions. To me, this is a MUST-WATCH video for anyone interested in understanding what makes Nash, Nash. And, in fact, what it means to achieve excellence in basketball.

Curious to know... What did you find most compelling in this video? What stands out to you? What would you share with your athletes, coaches or teammates? What will you incorporate into your philosophy?

/sEf.

"The ability to express an idea is well nigh as important as the idea itself." -Bernard Baruch

I would be remiss if not to shout-out Charlie Rose for the GREAT interviews. Here's more »

DESPERATELY SEEKING...

2011-02-03T05:08:00.004-05:00

I'm having a flash back to days of old.

It's 3:45am - or at least it was when I woke. (Disclosure: It's 5:09am now! That doesn't make me feel any better though).

My wheels have been spinning. I'm yearning for some meaningful basketball conversations. Something with more depth. The usual who-dunked-on-who (— or whom..?) and who's going to win this-or-that just doesn't do it for me.

So, I'm putting it out there... Who do you know who thinks about the game differently? Teaches it differently? Who is radicalizing basketball education and just does things differently from the mainstream? Who stretches how you think about what you do?

I want to meet them. Break bread. And, pull out the salt and pepper shakers.

Talk to me Basketball World! I'm making my intentions known. /sEf.

CAN STRUGGLE MAKE YOU SMARTER?

2011-01-16T20:55:00.006-05:00

[Click to Play This 2-min Game]

Can struggle make you smarter? Play this quiz to understand why practicing deeper is far more efficient than practicing harder.

After you play the quiz, ask yourself the same question. This time, however, ask it from the perspective of a teacher-coach. Can struggle make your players smarter?

If the answer to that question, is still yes. Then it's important to begin to assess how you're creating struggle in your practice environment for your players. A couple thoughts...

What type of coach are you?
How do you communicate with your team? That is, are you the "guide on the side" or the "sage on the stage"?
Do you understand the nature of memory and how to harness its power in your coaching?
Are you creating an environment where your athletes can retain 90% of what they learn?

/sEf.

"New ideas suggest themselves as a synthesis of various solutions to other past problems." -Dick DeVenzio

HOW TO RETAIN 90% OF EVERYTHING YOU LEARN

2011-01-10T10:59:00.006-05:00

"Almost all of us waste 90% of our time, resources and learning time, because we don't understand a simple concept called the Learning Pyramid."

This was a line in an email that popped up in my inbox from Sean D'Souza of Psychotactics. Sean's message was directed towards marketers, but I think its application holds true for teacher-coaches too.

The Learning Pyramid was developed way back in the 1960s by the NTL Institute in Bethel, Maine.

D'Souza goes on to say: "...if you look at the pyramid you'll see something really weird. That weird thing is that you're wasting time. You're wasting resources. You're just doing everything you can to prevent learning. And here's why."

When you summarize the numbers, you see learners retain approximately:

90% of what they learn when they teach someone else/use immediately.
75% of what they learn when they practice what they learned.
50% of what they learn when engaged in a group discussion.
30% of what they learn when they see a demonstration.
20% of what they learn from audio-visual.
10% of what they learn when they've learned from reading.
5% of what they learn when they've learned from lecture.

Here's the reason why we retain what we implement or teach: We inevitable make mistakes, right away.

When you, yourself, start to make mistakes, you have to go back and correct those mistakes. In doing so, your focus in heightened as you begin to concentrate on the error correction.

Avoidance of mistakes is a recipe for failure. We know this now as adults.

ASK YOURSELF:

What type of learning environment am I creating for my student-athletes?
What's my primary teaching style? [Are you the 'Sage On The Stage' or the 'Guide On The Side'?]
Am I using different modalities in my instruction (e.g. auditory, visual demonstration, clipboard, video, athlete led instruction, discovery activities)?
How do I respond when an athlete makes a mistake?

If you're not creating an environment where mistakes are celebrated -- as a necessary part of the pursuit excellence -- then you're short changing how quickly they learn and apply, but all the vested interest you have in succeeding. It's a double whammy.

WHAT MY YOGA PRACTICE HAS TAUGHT ME AS A COACH

A few months ago I officially made yoga a part of my weekly fitness routine. Admittedly, I'd be toying with it on DVD for about 2-yrs, but I recently made my first foray into attending an actual yoga class in-person.

Now, I know it can be intimidating for women to walk into a gym with a bunch of hulking, testosterone filled guys, grunting away. Well, I'd argue that it's equally intimidating for a guy to walk into his first yoga class full of gumby-women!

As I began that first class, I tried to embrace my nervousness. It wasn't long into the session, that we were instructed to manoeuvre our bodies into a position that frankly wasn't meant for me (at that time!). I wobbled, shook and then fell. Without hesitation, I heard my yoga teacher swoon: "If you've fallen out of your pose, CONGRATULATIONS! On your time, ease back into it."

Congratulations...!?!

In the moment, I didn't really think about it. I just knew that I was welcome as a participant. And, that my mistakes were a necessary part of my learning and growth. Mistakes were not just acknowledged and encouraged. In fact, they were celebrated as a requirement of improvement and growth.

In retrospect, that "Congratulations!" was a powerful teaching/learning trigger that created an environment whereby I was 'freed' to explore my limits further.

The next time you see me on a basketball court teaching, you can bank on two things:

My athletes will be spending more time teaching skills to one another.
You'll be hearing the words "CONGRATULATIONS!" emphatically flowing from my lips when I see an athlete or coach make a mistake.

Let's make some mistakes! /sEf.

"To teach is to learn twice." [Joseph Joubert]

Oh ya... you can also count on seeing a lot more yoga inspired movements in my warm-up and recovery routines. Namaste!

A RECIPE FOR FAILURE: NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

2011-01-05T10:14:00.008-05:00

This is that time of year when it's common for people to starting crafting bold resolutions for the "New Year" that are going to dramatically change the trajectory of their lives.

Well 'ba-humbug' to New Year's resolutions. Yup, I said it.

The notion to me, has never really rung true. And, it probably shouldn't for you too. Let me tell you why.

Most New Year's resolution crash and burn not long after leaving the start line. According to an article in the NYTimes.com on whether your resolutions will last, "four out of five people who make New Year’s resolutions will eventually break them. In fact, a third won’t even make it to the end of January."

Startling isn't it? Disappointing too.

So what now? Do we just curl up and and give up on goal setting altogether? If you answered "No!" to that question, I'd agree with you.

In order to achieve our ambitions, we need specific, measurable, yet realistic 'stretch' goals. Without a clearly mapped out plan of attack, we CANNOT move forward in a straight line.

"Cannot" is an absolution. Not typical for the Canadian in me. But, there's research that backs up that assertion.

Check out this fascinating 3-minute video that demonstrates what happens when we try to walk in straight line while blindfolded...

The fact is, we all have a tendency to turn off course and get blinded when we don't have our eyes set on a specific target. Sometimes, when we think we're going straight we're actually veering off course.

Here's what I propose... Forget 'New YEAR' resolutions. Make a NEW WEEK'S RESOLUTION. And, back that up with a New DAY'S goals (that support your bigger picture aspiration for the week or month).

In university, I went to see a sports psychologist. Dr. John Corlett is his name. (A world class professor and teacher, but that's another post.) In one of our sessions, he asked me: "Sef, how do you eat an elephant?" I remember looking at him dumbfounded. To which he responded: "One bite at a time."

The intent of a New Year's resolutions is good. However, life change, progress or whatever one aspires to attain doesn't typically come in one dramatic swoop of action. Its like trying to eat an elephant in one sitting. Instead, successfully achieving any worthwhile 'stretch goal' comes in small resolute steps consistently taken over a sustained period of time.

If you need a count down, a ball to drop from the sky, and confetti to fall, no problem. Live your life on a one day "calendar year." And, every night, 10 seconds before midnight, grab the ones you love and toast to the wonderful opportunities awaiting you in the coming day.

Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one..! Happy New Day!

Here's to you. [Imagine me with a big toothy smile and raised glass.] /sEf.

Carpe diem.

HOW TO MAKE THIS YEAR YOUR BEST [COACHING] YEAR YET...

2011-01-03T14:38:00.004-05:00

This is a fantastic video from Robin Sharma that has nothing, yet everything to do with coaching.

Pull up a chair. Break out a note book and pen. And, tap into some good ideas on how you can better yourself (and your basketball team).

Enjoy. I did.

Happy New Year, everyone! /sEf.

TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE

2011-01-02T14:40:00.001-05:00

"People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do."

-Nannie Helen Burroughs

It's easy to pipe up out of frustration in the locker room and chastise your team(mates). But, what speaks loudest are the quiet, nondescript actions - or inaction - in the thousand of lost minutes that came prior. Those are the moments that will define how your team responds to adversity when it arises.

//SB

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FAST?

2010-11-17T08:44:00.005-05:00

The following article was taken from the Z-Health newsletter. I really enjoyed it and thought it worth sharing.

There is a popular saying in sports - “speed kills.” Ask almost any coach in any game and they will say that what they daydream about the most is a team of ultra-fast players. But what does it really mean to be fast?

When most people talk about how fast someone is, the discussion is usually about an athlete’s track speed. In most US sports, the two basic “measures” often discussed are an athlete’s 40 and 100 meter speeds.
But, how useful is that?

How often, in sports other than track, does an athlete run straight ahead for 100 meters without having to dodge, twist, and turn? Not often. In most field sports, as in life, you need to be fast at much shorter distances. It’s about being agile, quick, and responsive.

Linear speed is just one aspect of speed. What about lateral speed (moving sideways), limb speed, visual speed, interpretation speed?

All of these other types of speed play a critically important role – both on the field and off. Let’s take a short look at each.

LATERAL SPEED
This is the ability to move quickly sideways. You see it on the field or court all the time – tennis, basketball, American football, soccer. Virtually every sport out there has a lateral component.

Off the field, lateral speed is what lets you catch something that is falling just out of reach, grab a kid that is about to walk in to something, and narrowly avoid running in to someone in the hallway while you are both checking email on your phones.

LIMB SPEED
You can have amazing lower body speed without running a great 100m. If you have any doubts, search YouTube for clips of soccer player Cristiano Renaldo. He has spent years developing amazing footwork skills. Great boxers and martial artists display those same skills with the upper bodies.

And again, these skills translate off the field. Catching a glass that is tipping over, or using a foot to stop a door from closing when your hands are full with your laptop bag and morning Americano.

VISUAL SPEED
In almost every sport, there are legendary players who are best known for having amazing field vision.
What is that? It’s another term for elite-caliber visual speed. When you study these athletes, it is obvious that their eye muscles have the ability to quickly change focal points and track what is going on on the field. American football is the classic example here – it’s the running back that can always find the hole in the line.
Driving a car is a fantastic example of where this skill is super-handy. You need the ability to quickly change focal points so you can quickly alternate between checking the mirrors, watching the road, fiddling with the radio, and sending a text message (not that any of us would ever do that driving). While I joke, you get the point – the ability to quickly change your focus is incredibly important to safe, skilled driving. If you’'ve ever followed a slow, hesitant driver – there is an excellent chance you've seen poor visual skills in action.

INTERPRETATION SPEED
Finally, in our brief description of different components of speed, we come to interpretation speed. You can also think of this as reaction speed – but no matter what term you use, it’s your brains ability to take in what is going on around you and do something with it. Two very different skills.

You know those great field vision guys I referenced above? They also have amazing interpretation speed skills. They can see the field, know exactly where everyone is, and know what is likely coming next. They know if the hole is going to close or not and where a new gap is likely to occur (or not). The most important point here? What these athletes do with their eyes is a trainable skill – not a genetic mutation to make them a better football player!

With that said, I’m going to extend the driving analogy as well. We all say less-than-nice-things about the driver that “was no’t paying attention” and didn'’t realize that the cars in front of them were slowed down, or that they were driving at exactly the right speed such that they were holding up multiple lanes of traffic and effectively causing a traffic jam. What if they actually were paying attention, but simply didn’'t have the skill to be able to interpret what was going on around them so they could respond accordingly.

At this point you might be thinking that in the examples above, that none of those skills live in isolation. And, you are exactly right. Being good at all of them, and being able to integrate them is what is necessary to perform and be your best. Speed is not one single thing, but a host of intertwined movement, balance, and visual skills – all of which can be improved in virtually everyone – far faster than you might ever believe.

/sEf.

PASSING IS A RELATIONSHIP

2010-11-08T15:22:00.006-05:00

According to renowned Italian and EuroLeague coach, Renato Pasquali, passing is a relationship formed with others. When you do not pass to an open teammate, you are send them a message: "I did not trust you with our team's advantage."

Here's a look at the different types of passes and what message they send:

NO PASS = No relationship. I don't trust you to do the right thing with the ball.
FORCED PASS = A forced relationship. It is never completed or never whole.
"DIRTY" PASS = A pass made after holding onto the ball for a long time. It's an afterthought that says, "I've exhausted all other options and my time with the ball. Here... take what's left."
"CLEAN" PASS = A pass made on time and on target. This pass builds a relationship of trust. It says: "I'm thinking about you and what's needed for the team (in this moment)."

It's important to develop an understanding in players that when you do make a pass to a teammate, a sense of trust develops.

/sEf.

START IN STANCE... MOVE IN STANCE... FINISH IN STANCE

2010-10-27T17:41:00.005-05:00

Here's a video that I picked up from Swedish coach and friend David Leman's blog: Leman Coaching. (BTW - If you can translate Swedish, let me know. I know he's got more nuggets on his site, but I just can't translate it.)

In the video, Lithuanian coach, Evaldas Kandratavicius, takes a young basketball player through from movement and agility drills. And, in it you'll see some drills that others will like; while some will be familiar.

What I'd like to draw your eye to is:

Watch how this young athlete starts in stance, moves in stance and ends in stance. As we all continue to refine our coaching eyes, here's something that we must make a point of emphasis when developing basketball players.
Deceleration - There's so much chatter about speed training out there. I'd suggest that if a "speed coach" or strength and condition coach is not working on teaching an athlete how to decelerate (i.e. stop, turn horizontal momentum into vertical movement, etc.), then consider asking some hard hitting questions. Basketball isn't a 100-metre sprint. It involves starts-stops and changes of direction. Watch how well this young man 'sticks his landing' and/or self corrects on his stops.

What things do you like or dislike from this video? /sEf.

WHAT IS YOUR TEAM'S UNDERGIRDING MADE OF?

2010-09-26T15:15:00.009-05:00

Dick Bennett has left a legacy in basketball that far surpasses his successes on the court. He's known for recruiting players who were willing to place teamwork and discipline ahead of personal statistics. And, while few NBA players emerged from his programs, most of his players have gone on to success in other careers, including coaching.

Here some of his thoughts on team selection...

"I have always chosen people with sufficient skill and talent, but also (those who) demonstrate tremendous character ... A lot of my players don't (have) the greatest backgrounds and yet they have been given or developed character. (We are) going to struggle initially, we always have, but they are not going to give up. It's almost sequential in the way things develop."

"Once you succeed with this formula, getting good solid people who rank well across the board, others in the field think you are now going to get the great athletes. But the formula doesn't change; we still do not recruit off that top 100 list across the country. We continue to get the same kind of kids that put us here in the first place; it's character that makes the difference."

"I tend to look for the more unspectacular skills. The willingness to do the little things; to be a smart player, to have a degree of mental toughness. I especially look for an unselfish character; unselfishness is what any team must have as its undergirding. I choose people who demonstrate tremendous - work habits, attitudes, intelligence - for the game. I look for people who don't want the splashy approach, are not going to quit or take the easy way out."

[These coaching thoughts from Dick Bennet come from my archive. I'm starting to dig through the clutter of clinic notes that I've had buried in boxes and either use it, share it, or toss it. Good ideas were never meant to be boxed up. It's almost criminal. More to come... stay tuned. /sEf.]

I THANK MY COMPETITORS

2010-09-25T22:20:00.002-05:00

Pat Summit: "I carry this with me all the time."

I THANK MY COMPETITORS

My competitors do more for me

Than my friends.

My friends are too polite to point out my

weaknesses, but my competitors go to great

expense to tell of them.

My competitors are efficient and diligent.

They make me search for ways to improve

my products and services.

My competitors would take my business away

from me if they could.

This keeps me alert to hold what I have.

If I had no competitors, I would be lazy,

incompetent and complacent. I need the

discipline they enforce upon me.

I thank my competitors.

They have been good to me.

God Bless Them All.

--Author Unknown

//SB

IT’S ALWAYS BEEN DONE THAT WAY

2010-09-19T13:11:00.004-05:00

The story (below) of the caged monkeys is one that has always resonated with me. In fact, I often use it when leading train-the-trainer sessions, at coaches clinics, and when working with various coaching staffs.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards to the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result – all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.

The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.

Likewise, replace a third monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then a fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the new monkey.

After replacing all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana?

Why not? Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been done around here.

And that, my friends, is how company policy begins.

The most damaging phrase in the language is, “It’s always been done that way.”
(Admiral Grace Hopper, 1906-1992)

Have you ever been in an environment where things are done a certain way only because "...it's always been done that way"...? Or, perhaps, are you leading that environment?

Moving the thought from the group to the individual: what things do you personally do primarily because that's the way it was done before you? Could it be that that's the way you were taught? Or, you've simply recreated the same performance environment you played in?

The thought that we coach the way we were coached has been one that I wrestle with quite a bit. And then, recently, a close friend took it a step further when he said to me, "We coach the way we were parented."

["Wow!" I thought. I've never even taken it there. That's a whole other level of deep that I'm going to leave to Freud-ists to dissect.]

I do believe, though, as teacher-coaches we must become implicitly aware of our style of coaching and begin to understand whether it is best suited to the age and stage of athlete that you work with.

Don't just do things because that's the way it was done before you; or, because you had success with that approach 10 years ago. Continually assess and find new ways to engage the athletes and coaches you work with.

/sEf.

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."
Mark Twain

------------------

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

2010-09-09T17:25:00.004-05:00

Seems lately that I've been posting quite a few videos in theLLaBB lately. Perhaps things come in cycles, or it's because I'm getting so many great shares from others. Regardless, this 17-minute feature had me enthralled.

I *love* great speakers - especially those that are able to deliver a content in a way that makes the common, uncommon. You know what I mean, people who bring you to the edge of your seat and have you locked in when they speak. That's what Jay O'Callahan in his talk on "The Power of Storytelling" did to me.

I hesitated (momentarily) before posting this one. Why? Well, I thought: "How will this benefit coaches and basketball types?"

There was no question that I'd share it with those in my inner circle. Those, that is, who amuse my idiosyncratic slant for pulling from other art forms. But... would others like it too?

I'm still not sure. Let me tell you why I ended up sharing it...

BE A STORY-SELLER - I think all things involve sales. It's a life skill. (Admittedly, one that's a development area for me!) Think about it, you need to get buy-in from your players, boss, client, students, wife, kids (INSERT: whatever you'd like)... there's a salesmanship to it. That's what the best do so well. They get buy-in. They're delivering the same message that you and I are delivering, but the result is different. If you're looking for a way to get better buy-in. Watch this.
LISTEN. APPRECIATE. SUGGEST (INQUIRE) - O'Callahan said something that spotlights a problem we as coaches often fall prey to: criticizing. As he says... "leave it to ignorant and stupid to just point out the fault." It's easy to criticize. Anyone can do that. It's doesn't take a genius. In fact, by its very definition alone, it means to 'indicate faults in a disapproving way'; according to my dictionary. O'Callahan poses a different framework of listening, appreciating and suggesting.

OBSERVE. ASSESS. COMMUNICATE.

Taking it a step further, the notion of moving between listening/appreciating/suggesting directly connects to being a teacher-coach. Twisting a bit, think: Observe... Assess... Communicate.

To assess is to evaluate. Assessment requires one to remove judgement. Instead, you're observing and fact-finding. The last phase is involves being able to communicate. And, inherent in effective communication is the capacity to receive information. That is, to listen generously for understanding. Follow that with the power of storytelling and we'll all be well on the right path.

"50% of what we know is wrong; the problem is that we do not know which 50% it is" -Tim Nokes

Let's explore new possibilities together. Observe.... Ask the tough questions... Listen generously... Sell your story. /sEf.

SHUT UP & KEEP YOUR GOALS TO YOURSELF

2010-09-08T18:19:00.005-05:00

Many of you already know that I'm a *big* fan of TED Talks. Here's a 3-minute talk by Derek Sivers that caught me off guard. It centres on the notion that telling someone your goal makes it less likely to happen...!

"The mind mistakes the talking for the doing."

According to Derek's blog:

Once you've told people of your intentions, it gives you a “premature sense of completeness.”

You have “identity symbols” in your brain that make your self-image. Since both actions and talk create symbols in your brain, talking satisfies the brain enough that it “neglects the pursuit of further symbols.”

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

This one is interesting to me. I remember as a teen my mother telling me to 'protect my goals'. Keep them within and not to publicly announcement them; except to people in your close inner circle who were committed to helping you stretch into those goals.

Perhaps she knew something. (Don't tell her that I said that!) /sEf.

WHY SQUIRRELS GET TO ROCK AN "S" ON THEIR CHEST

2010-09-04T10:34:00.009-05:00

This story was given to me years ago by my coach as an athlete. I liked it then, and still do now. It's taken from "You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader" by Mark Sanborn:

THE POWER OF FOCUS

I have a friend named Bill who lives outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Several years ago, he bought a new house on the edge of a lush wooded area. Bill likes to feed birds, so upon moving in, Bill put a feeder up in his backyard. But before the sun even set that evening, squirrels were swinging off the bird feeder and chasing the birds away. Bill realized that he had to do something or the birds would soon be too scared to come near the feeder, so for the next two weeks he declared war on the squirrels. Bill isn't a mean guy and wouldn't do anything to hurt the squirrels, but he was willing to use any peaceful means necessary to keep them out of his bird feeder.

He tried greasing the post the bird feeder was on, but that didn't work. Stumped, Bill visited his local hardware store and bought a "squirrel-proof bird feeder", an odd-looking feeder with wire mesh wrapped around it. The label said it was guaranteed, so Bill took it home and put it in his backyard.

But by sunset, squirrels were once again swinging off the bird feeder. Bill was now really upset, and the next day he took the feeder back to the hardware store. he asked to see the manager, demanding a full refund.

"Calm down," the store manager told him. "I could have told you when you bought it that there is no such thing as a squirrel-proof bird feeder."

Bill looked at him in disbelief. You mean we can land a man on the moon and send instantaneous messages via satellite to anywhere around the world, but our best and brightest scientists and engineers can't design and manufacture a bird feeder that can outsmart an animal with the brain the size of a pea?

"Yep," said the retailer.

"Why not?" Bill persisted.

"Let me ask you something sir," the man replied. "How much time on average have you spent in the last two weeks trying to keep the squirrels out of your bird feeder?" Bill though it over for a moment and responded, "Maybe ten to fifteen minutes a day."

"And how much time do you think the squirrels spend each day trying to get in?"

The answer, Bill learned, is almost every waking squirrel moment; squirrels spend 98 percent of their waking hours looking for food. In fact, they are unique in the animal kingdom in that they would rather eat than procreate; they prefer foraging to fooling around. This just goes to show the kind of focus the squirrel bring to it's mission.

The moral of this story: Focus and determination beat brains and intellect every time. You don't necessarily have to be smarter or better educated to succeed. Your power lies in your ability to focus on doing what is important. If you focus on the right things, and work at them often, you will achieve exceptional results.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things." -Benjamin Franklin

RADICAL TRUTHS

2010-09-02T20:55:00.007-05:00

A few years ago, I began a personal collection of what I called "Radical Truths". I was actually going to name them inconvenient truths, but some former vice president of the United States snatched up the name for use in his documentary. (All's forgiven though... I can't really argue against the fight against the climate crisis.)

I've sat on it this for awhile. In fact, until now, it's been buried in my private collection. Since theLLaBB is a place of experimentation, I'm ready to unveil them and get your feedback. Let me know what you think. And, of course, if you have a few radical truths of your own, do share.

[In no particular order...]

RADICAL TRUTH [#33] :: WORK ETHIC TRUMPS TALENT

Talent is so terribly glamorous. Talent takes a drag on a cigarette and says nonchalantly, “Oh, that shot? I can do that with my eyes closed.”

On the other hand, there’s work ethic. Ugh, work ethic. How tedious.

Talent has sex appeal. By comparison, work ethic is talent’s bucktoothed, ugly stepchild.

Here’s the thing: Talent is fickle. Some days it shows up, other days it stays in its bathrobe until noon. You don’t even choose how much talent you’re born with.

Consistent success requires a high level of engagement, tenacity, and relentless optimism. You can’t always be the most talented person in the room, but you sure can be the hardest working.

Is that sexy? Not a bit. Does it work? Absolutely.

Work ethic is the only equal-opportunity resource available. Anyone can do it.

[More to come.... /sEf.]

What are some of your 'radical truths'? Comment below, share them on theLLaBB's Facebook page, hit me up on Twitter: @SefuBernard.

HOW GREAT LEADERS INSPIRE ACTION

2010-08-30T12:43:00.004-05:00

DO NOT CLICK PLAY unless you have 18 minutes to spare. I'm serious. If you're anything like me, once you start this video, you'll have a tough time stopping it.

This is a great talk by Simon Sinek:

People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.

Read that quote again, but this time substitute out "do business" with... 'hire people' ...'recruit athletes' ...'do life', etc. It takes on a new meaning.

Curious to hear what resonates with you.

/sEf.

Find more from Simon Sinek on his website: www.startwithwhy.com

PROFILE OF A CHAMPION: EIGHT (8) PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING

2010-08-29T13:05:00.007-05:00

To achieve success and fulfilment in virtually any endeavour one wishes to undertake, there is a common set of conditions that must be met. Every great man and woman throughout the pages of history has been a living testament to the prerequisites of achievement, which I call the "Eight Principles of Successful Living."

Principle #1: A White Hot Desire
Nothing of any real consequence happens until a person becomes passionate about achieving a specific outcome or objective.

Lukewarm desire does not work! Passion stimulates power!

Tentative actions stem from tentative thoughts. Both lack the power to self motivate or influence others. Tentative thoughts produce weak emotions, which create a disappointing outcome or circumstance. People who ultimately achieve their dreams start with and sustain a powerful passion for doing so, regardless of the circumstances they meet along the way.

A white hot desire to have the things you want must be matched with an equal desire to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to justify having them. Understanding this premise is essential to all achievement. The lack of this understanding is the primary reason for most of our failures.

Remember: Desire breeds Determination, which is expressed in Dedication!

Principle #2: Never Wait to "Feel" Motivated
One of the greatest misconceptions about becoming successful is the idea that you should "feel good" or "motivated" before you act. Motivation almost always follows action, but seldom precedes it. As Emerson said: "Do the thing and you shall have the power." Champions commit to disciplined actions and pay very little attention to how they feel.

Remember: Champions don't prime to perform they perform to prime!

Principle #3: Goals Are Essential to Success
A person's power resources are largely invisible. They are housed in the mind and spirit of man. The door to release this power resides in the unconscious mind, but the key to that door is the conscious mind declaring with conviction and accuracy what I t wants.

Goals are absolutely indispensable to success. The unconscious mind demands specific intent, or a goal, in order to function as an optimum achievement mechanism. A conquering current always flows with a powerfully declared specific goal.

Remember: When setting goals, "what I want" will always be equal to "what I don't want to do, struggle with or overcome to get it"!

Principle #4: Total Commitment is Paramount to Success
The dynamic expression and ultimate evidence of a person's level of commitment is seen in a constant striving to become exceptional in performance. Thus, actions, not words, are the barometer with which you measure the level of one's commitment. Total commitment also means that you must be able to accept or include whatever obstacles or roadblocks you might encounter along your road to eventual success.

Success, in reality, is seldom a sprint; most often it is a marathon. To finish, you cannot be content with mediocrity; true commitment won't allow it.

Laziness and despondency are the saboteurs of commitment, but the ultimate slayers of your commitment will be the critics you listen to from within ("self talk") or from without when the going gets tough. Self doubt, however imposed or accepted, will sap the strength of your commitment. When doubt comes, and it will, you need to abandon your emotions and rely almost entirely on your faith to be greater than your doubt.

Remember: What one actually does indicates with absolute clarity what one is committed to!

Principle #5: Persistence
A determined human spirit is indomitable. Winning in life depends almost entirely on your ability to work hard and persevere. Excitement wears off, but persistence wears down the obstacles between you and success. The price of success is dedication, de privation, lots of sustained effort and plenty of doubt and loneliness mixed in to test your resolve. Long hours of preparation are often required to hone the skills and develop the knowledge and techniques that will lead to efficiency and performance a nd ultimate victory.

To succeed greatly, you must sacrifice greatly. The best way to prepare for the sacrifice is to mentally include it as part of the price. "Surrender to purpose" creates an emotional cushion which softens the blow of negative emotions associated with disappointments that accompany striving for greatness.

Persistence is "falling in love" with the tedium of constant practice to become better. You have to be willing to do things over and over again. Consistency is the hallmark of all teachers. It is a quality which allows a person of average ability to be come a huge success. It is a concentrated patience. It deprives failure of the opportunity to become a permanent condition, but most of all, it is the one quality of spirit that transforms a person's dreams into a loving, dynamic reality. To become a success at something, you must become a master at it. That takes practice and perseverance.

Remember: The house of Mastery sits at the end of Persistence Street!

Principle #6: Set Your Mind to Station WIN
It is absolutely amazing to see how many people today are still not aware of the interwoven relationship between the nature of their thoughts and the conditions in their lives. In spite of the fact that every great spiritual teacher, philosopher, poet an d psychologist has taught us about that exact relationship and its significance, most people are still in the dark on this pivotal truth. It is our thoughts that create our motivation to act or not act in any given situation. It is our thoughts about ourselves that determine our capabilities, limitations, "okayness" or "not okayness," worthiness or unworthiness, lovability or unlovability.

Thus, we think our personal reality into existence. No one else thinks your thoughts but you. No one else is creating your life as it is perceived by you except you. Your thoughts are actually creating your experience of life.

It is your thoughts that trigger your emotions of love or hate, happiness or depression, guilt or serenity, and so it goes, on and on. The relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours is reciprocal. You define yourself and your life by the thoughts you think. Everything you experience in your life is experienced in your mind. We are all trapped by our thoughts, our judgments and interpretations of the events in our lives. It is, therefore, essential that we take control of our thoughts.

Success begins in the mind and it is impossible to achieve while your private beliefs and thoughts are hostile to it. Be aware that any thought that serves to diminish you, your strength, your confidence, your intelligence or your security will produce anxiety and stress. You will deal with that stress and anxiety as your thoughts about them dictate. You will either choose to use the stress and anxiety to perform, or you will retreat into resignation which, in turn, must create more thoughts to perpetrate your misfortune. Thus, we become what we think about! "We reap what we sow" is never truer than in the domain of thought.

To change the conditions of your life you must be willing to correct the thinking that created those conditions. This is what Disraeli meant when he said, "Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of man." Thoughts, themselves unseen, nonetheless work their effects unerringly. Consequently, you receive what you think about most of the time.

Reveal your dominant thoughts and a person who understands this concept can write an accurate description of your life. Our lives as they are, therefore, are a perfect advertisement of our dominant thoughts. There is a constant creating dialogue between our thoughts and our conditions in life. Change the thoughts, and you eventually change the conditions.

This truth must be too simple to grasp, for too many people never catch on. The works of Dr. William James say it best: "You can alter the conditions of your life by altering your attitudes of mind!"

Remember: You may not always control what happens in your life, but you have absolute control over what you decide to think about what happens. Take control of your thoughts and you take control of your life!

Principle #7: Have an Upbeat Vibration As You Work and Live
Enthusiasm is the least expensive yet most effective cosmetic in the world. It is beauty dancing for its own enjoyment. It is the fuel that propels great actions. It is an unequalled attention getter. It is life's primary expression of appreciation of itself. When combined with sincerity, it is the most enduring of all positive personality traits. It compels us to look for the best in all situations. It makes you a human magnet, pulling close the people and circumstances you need to be involved with to reach your goals. It will transform a sincere wish into a vivid reality. You discover your real self and your talents when you are enthusiastic. As an added bonus, you feel truly alive.

Being "laid back" may be considered a cool attitude in some circles, but the people who get what they want in life are expressive and alive in their actions. They abandon pretense and get flat out excited about what they are doing.

True self expression flows from an enthusiastic spirit. When you are really fired up for the task at hand, you discover who you really are and what your powers to create can actually achieve. In the final analysis, there are only two types of people on the planet: Those who are inspired and those who are not! Uninspired people get what is easily available and not very satisfying.

Remember: Enthusiasm is an art. It must become a learned attitude, totally independent of favourable or unfavourable stimuli.

Principle #8: Live Life Now
The achievement resources we have as humans are awesome powers when developed and directed toward specific objectives. The weaving, connecting and maturing influence is TIME. When understood as a limited resource wherein the virtually unlimited resources of our minds express themselves, it becomes crucial to develop a healthy relationship with time. Most people, since they are not specific with their intent, have a neurotic preoccupation with time and its apparent limitations. They are likely to squander it or struggle with not having enough of the stuff to accomplish what needs doing.

The crucial element of time is clearly its use. This is one area where we all unquestionably are created equal. We all get the same amount for doing the deeds of a day. How does one allocate time and on what activities does one spend or invest it? Time in this context becomes a critical factor in achievement. Choice becomes of critical import, as well.

When one chooses to do a particular thing, it requires time. That single choice eliminates all other choices for a specified number of minutes, hours, or days. Now it becomes clear that time is a limited and therefore precious resource which should be invested very wisely.

Would I put my money (resource) in a bank that paid no interest, or in a bond that had no history of positive performance? No! Why? Because it would be an unwise investment. Yet I will seldom audit my use of time, my most precious commodity my life expressing itself in the context of a limitation. Wow! I need to wake up!

Life is NOW experience and if I am to be blessed to be here tomorrow, all I'll have is another NOW to make it happen.

In conclusion, life is about growth, about "become," within a limited period of linear time called Earth life. If life is to have meaning, it must have purpose. Purpose on this planet is manifest in the context of time. Becoming all you can be, given y our unusual self, is the ultimate joy life offers. The journey is recorded in time. Its wise use is all you and I have with which to "become" our purpose.

This is a universe of laws and operating principles. Learning comes through concentrated study. Mastery, however, comes through tedious repetition of the principles and rules of the game you are playing. The game you're playing is LIFE, and every day I s Super Bowl Sunday!

Remember: Life is the ride and Time is the train. Make the most of your trip and become all you can possibly become on your journey.

---
GEORGE ZALUCKI has done it all polio survivor, basketball star, winning coach, college professor of psychology and sociology, business manager, college dean, top marketer with a successful Fortune 500 company. Learn more about Zalucki on his website.

You should check out theLLaBB on Facebook for ideas on athlete and coach development. And, follow me on Twitter: @SefuBernard.

CLINIC NOTES: KEVIN EASTMAN & BRENDAN SUHR'S 'COACHING U'

2010-08-24T15:58:00.007-05:00

The basketball community is a very small one, indeed. I had these notes shared with me by a coach in Germany (Coach Enderlein). And, did obtain permission to share from Brandon Rosenthal (St. Edward's University) who helped compile them.

*BIG* thanks to Brandon, Adam Cohen (University of Southern California) and Lason Perkins for doing the heavy lifting by putting this document together. This was no small undertaking! I attended the clinic and am appreciative of the reminders within it.

CLICK HERE to download the notes.

You can follow Brandon on Twitter at @CoachRosenthal or on his new website.

These notes are a snapshot shot more than the complete photo album. In order to benefit fully from the insight of these master coaches, I strongly encourage you to attend Coaching U in 2011. I was there this year and plan on attending again. It's well worth the time investment of time, energy and money. I'm sure they'll continue to improve it too.

/sEf.

You should check out theLLaBB on Facebook for ideas on athlete and coach development. And, follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

HOW THE SHOT CLOCK IMPROVES PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

2010-08-19T13:32:00.012-05:00

I'm *SO* excited about the FIBA 2010 World Championships in Turkey that's coming up. One of the things that I enjoy about FIBA basketball is how skilled the players are. Since beginning to study and learn more about international basketball, the differences in style of play, rules, and development structure, the one thing that jumps out that changes the way the game is taught and played is the shot clock.

Let me expand on that that... It's the shortened FIBA 24-second shot clock AND the inability to interrupt a play by calling a timeout during live action which makes the biggest difference, to me, around the international basketball game. It has forced FIBA coaches to do two things:

Develop the 'global' athlete
Do their coaching (i.e. strategy, tactics, late-clock situations, etc.) in advance

THE GLOBAL ATHLETE

For a basketball player to excel in FIBA basketball, they must be multi-skilled. Players that can dribble, pass and shoot - from all positions - will excel in this game. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that from I've come to learn, the 'big' who is the least effective shooter, regardless of height, becomes the '5'.

DOING YOUR COACHING IN ADVANCE

Let me explain this notion by making a parallel to another sport loved by so many... NFL football. Think back to that fateful moment in the 2010 NFC Championship Game when the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback, Brett Favre, was staring down the defense of the New Orleans Saints [video]. Viking ball... Tie game... 19 seconds left... 3rd and 15... Vikings with 1-time out... On the snap, the Saints come with pressure flushing Favre out of the pocket. Favre sprints right. He's looking. Coverage is tight and is about to throw across the field into tight coverage when... the COACH CALLS TIME OUT!

What?! What's wrong with that?

The coach sees that his star QB is about to make a fatal error and throw a pass that could get picked off. The defensive pressure is tough. Just call a time out and reset things.

Well, football fans would be irate. Deservedly so...

Well, what takes place with the use of time-outs in your typical NCAA or US high school basketball game is analogous to this scenario. Based on the current rules, a coach can call a time out on the fly when a turnover is about to occur... when they don't like what they see... when the defense makes the 'right call' forcing tough decision making.

Ultimately, the game is coach controlled. So much of the decision making that needs to take place at the athlete level, can still be manipulated by coaches. Now, there are those that argue, that that dynamic is inherently okay. That's the way it's always been. The challenge that gets overlooked is the impact it has on athlete development and in-game decision making.

This is the one thing that the FIBA coach understands, that we have yet to become aware of.

All good coaches know that if we can get our best players to take the most shots from spots on the floor where he/she can shoot the highest percentage, they'll have a good chance of scoring. And, without a shot clock a team can take as long as it wants to do this.

With a shot clock, on the other hand, a team has to get the best shot available within any given possession. This might not always be a team's best scorer; which is especially true in the shorter FIBA 24-second shot clock. The net effect for the FIBA coach is that their team cannot waste time to advance the ball up the court to initiate offense.

IMPACT: More players have to be able to initiate offensive transition through the use of breakout dribbles or develop vision and passing skills to 'head man' the ball.

This is why Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay, Kevin Love; and formerly, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, etc. prove so valuable in the FIBA game. (There are other reasons, I know.) Each is multi-skilled and can initiate offense with the dribble or pass effectively.

Here's another thing to consider... In a shortened shot clock basketball game, more late clock scenarios will arise where your best scorer will not be the only one with the ball in their hands.

IMPACT: More players have to have skills to initiate scoring; either by creating for themselves or for a teammate.

As a friend and mentor of mine, Mike MacKay, once wrote: "If at the end of a clock you: [a] always run continuity, [b] have to yell set up, or [c] rely on same size screens you may need to reconsider what you do late in the clock [in the FIBA game]. Your players need to DEVELOP THE SKILLS TO MAKE PLAYS, NOT RUN PLAYS."

Here's more from Coach MacKay...

PLAYERS MUST DEVELOP A SHOT CLOCK, TIME-AND-SCORE MENTALITY. The speed of the game and types of shots available to you will be the biggest difference within this style of play. FIBA coaches are forced to develop a time-and-score mentality in their players. Players must catch the ball "shot ready" or in the least with a mindset to be opportunistic and to create or maintain advantage situations for their team.

The 'Shot Clock Game' requires:

Ability to execute skills at a higher rate of speed
Athletes to know how to make late clock decisions and have an awareness of time-and-score
Development of multi-skilled athletes

Recently, Sports Illustrated wrote an article about Butler's Shelvin Mack redefining himself on USA Basketball's 2010 Men's Select Team.

"Mack [was] yelled at by U.S. select team coach Jay Wright once during the scrimmages in New York -- for not taking enough shots. Because they were working with a 24-second clock against a long-armed NBA zone, Wright pulled Mack to the bench to remind him that if he passed up one open shot, he might never get another one."

You see, in a coach controlled game (i.e. high school, AAU and NCAA), one of the subtleties of the game gets smothered: The development basketball IQ in our players.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Let's look at the numbers and the deeper impact of the shot clock in athlete development:

Number of Possessions (by both teams)

High School-AAU (no shot clock) = (4) possessions minimum
NCAA men (35-second shot clock) = (68) possessions minimum
NCAA women (30-second shot clock) = (80) possessions minimum
FIBA-WNBA (24-second shot clock) = (100) possessions minimum
NBA (24-second shot clock @ 48mins/game) = (120) possessions minimum

For some reason, when people see this, they think it's absurd to suggest that a high school level basketball game, in 2010, could only have four possessions. It's seems archaic (circa 1970s), right?

Well, I challenge you to step into a high school basketball game between a big city athletic team and a small town less-than-athletic team and observe for yourself. It happens all the time. Every summer in "big-time" AAU tournaments across the U.S., one team realizes that they can't out-athlete the other, so the coaching strategy is to take the 'air out of the ball.' They slow it down to minimize number of possessions to level the playing field.

The net effect is that yes, there are less possessions and an increased likelihood for the less athletic team to be able to compete for the win. But look deeper than that. There's a much deeper problem... Less possessions means more "Set it up! Set it up!" It means that less players get touches where meaningful action-reaction and initiation needs to take place. It means that one player on a team can 'dominate' - as the Euros like to say - the ball for extended periods of time. And, ultimately, it means that the development of a broader base of skilled and intelligent basketball comes to a screeching halt.

In the 'shot clock game' with only 24 seconds, at a minimum you're looking at 120 possessions. That's 120 opportunities where decisions have to be made... a minimum of 120 late clock situations... a minimum of 120... well, hopefully you get my point.

IMPACT: Improved offensively skilled players.

By simply changing the rules within which we play, we could drastically improve the quality of basketball player that's produced in North America. The rules alone would force us as coaches to teach more effectively.

What do you think about the FIBA game and the 24-second shot clock? Would it help or hurt athlete development?

/sEf.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: There are 212 basketball playing countries in the world, only one doesn’t play FIBA rules.

BTW - You should check out theLLaBB on Facebook for ideas on athlete and coach development. And, follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

WHAT DETERMINES THE STRENGTH OF THE WHEEL?

2010-08-18T08:57:00.005-05:00

Are you the 'GUIDE ON THE SIDE' facilitating the success of your team? Or, the 'SAGE ON THE STAGE'; all knowing and all wise dictating all things?

Emperor Liu Bang, in the third century B.C., became the first ruler to consolidate China into a unified empire. To celebrate his victory, Liu Bang held a great banquet in the palace, inviting many important government officials, military leaders, poets, and teachers, including Chen Cen, a master who had given him guidance during the campaign.

Chen Cen’s disciples, who accompanied him to the banquet, were impressed by the proceedings but were baffled by an enigma at the heart of the celebration.

Seated at the central table with Liu Bang was his illustrious high command. First there was Xiao He, an eminent general whose knowledge of military logistics was second to none. Next to him was Han Xin, a legendary tactician who’d won every battle he’d ever fought. Last was Chang Yang, a shrewd diplomat who was gifted at convincing heads of state to form alliances and surrender without fighting. These men the disciples could understand. What puzzled them was how Liu Bang, who didn’t have a noble birth or knowledge comparable to that of his chief advisors, fit into the picture.

“Why is he the emperor?” they asked.Chen Cen smiled and asked them: what determines the strength of a wheel?

“Is it not the sturdiness of the spokes?” one responded. “Then why is it that two wheels made of identical spokes differ in strength?” asked Chen Cen.

After a moment, he continued, “See beyond what is seen. Never forget that a wheel is made not only of spokes but also of the space between the spokes. Sturdy spokes poorly placed make a weak wheel. Whether their full potential is realized depends on the harmony between. The essence of wheelmaking lies in the craftman’s ability to conceive and create the space that holds and balances the spokes within the wheel. Think now, who is the craftsman here?”

The disciples were silent until one of them said, “But master, how does a craftsman secure the harmony between the spokes?”

Chen Cen asked them to think of sunlight.“The sun nurtures and vitalizes the trees and flowers,” he said. “It does so by giving away it’s light. But in the end, in which direction do they grow?” so it is with a master craftsman like Liu Bang. After placing individuals in positions that fully realize their potential, he secures harmony among them by giving them all credit for their distinctive achievements. And in the end, as the trees and flowers grow toward the giver, the sun, individuals grow toward Liu Bang with devotion.”

...

EINSTEIN'S 3 RULES OF WORK

2010-08-17T08:24:00.005-05:00

Albert Einstein, it has been said, once described his rules of work as follows...

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

These three simple rules are simple yet quite profound in their application.

As an athlete, the struggle is often learning to simplify amidst that orderly-chaos that takes place in a game. For instance, point guards often struggle to advance the ball versus pressure 1on1 often using multiple combinations of dribble moves. Instead, the most successful approach is to make 'one move and go.' Great ball handlers don't find themselves caught up using a plethora of dribble moves. They learn to simplify.

Team sport, or better said, the pursuit of excellence in any endeavour is fraught with difficulty and discord. To borrow the cliche: If it was easy, anyone would do it. It's true. As Einstein declares in his rules of work, can you find harmony amidst the turbulent moments? Or, far greater, can you create harmony within an environment? Similarly, can you identify the opportunity within difficulty?

//SB

THE MYTH OF THE SUPERHERO

2010-08-17T06:43:00.004-05:00

Just getting back into 'the LLaBB' after a really rewarding week at Point Guard College's 'College Session'. It's difficult to put into words how uplifting the session was for me, but there was a synergy that took place during the session that was palatable.

Our College Session provides a pretty unique experience where collegiate basketball players have the opportunity to train and compete together five days. There aren't many places out there in North America where a high level collegiate NCAA athlete can go and train with like- or greater-minded athletes.

Now in it's second year, we're very appreciative that programs such as UNC, UCONN, Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, Boston, Harvard, Virginia, and Georgia Tech (to name some); entrusted us with their players.

In looking back at the week, I was reminded of these excerpts from Phil Jackson's book, Sacred Hoops:

Basketball is a sport that involves the subtle interweaving of players at full speed to the point where they are thinking and moving as one. To do that successfully, they need to trust each other on a deep level and know instinctively how their teammates will respond in pressure situations. A great player can only do so much on his own - no matter how breathtaking his one-on-one moves. If he is out of sync psychologically with everyone else, the team will never achieve the harmony needed to win a championship.

It [isn't] brilliant individual performances that made great teams, but the energy that's unleashed when players put their egos aside and work toward a common goal.

Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the "me" for the "we".

/sEf.

TWO TYPES OF COACHES

2010-08-07T09:12:00.003-05:00

The first coach puts the players first by placing the players in front of him/herself. This coach pushes the players to succeed. The players are the one in the limelight.

The second coach puts him/herself in front of the players. S/he then uses the players to boost his/her status in order to place the spotlight on the coach.

What kind of coach do you want to be?

By: Renato Pasquali

EXTRAORDINARY REQUIRES EXTRA

2010-07-31T18:11:00.002-05:00

Build a team, hire staff, recruit players, with extraordinary expectations, to do tasks extraordinarily. This will be rewarded with extraordinary results.

Championship performance doesn’t necessarily result in championships. But, surrounding yourself with people who have developed championship-like habits, increases the likelihood that the championships will follow. As a worst case, they're going to max out their capacity to achieve. And, at the end of day, that's all the good teacher-coaches do. They bring out the best in their people. And often, they bring out things that people did not even know existed within them; both individually and collectively.

“You don't have to win a championship to be a champion." -Don Meyer

Are you creating an environment that’s demands ordinary or extraordinary?

Do you expect extraordinary results from ordinary effort?

//SB

CHARACTER COUNTS

2010-07-28T05:35:00.008-05:00

Last week, while in Vegas, I was fortunate enough to attend 'Coaching U'. Doc Rivers (Head Coach, Boston Celtics) was scheduled to speak on the topic of "Offensive Concepts & Strategies." Interestingly enough, he spent a good chunk of his time speaking first about character.

Here are some bullets that jumped out to me from this part of his talk:

"If it's all about you, your players will figure it out."
On winning an NBA championship: "We did all the little things that mattered. Nothing big stood out. The little things matter."
"I fight for my culture every single day. CHARACTER COUNTS."
"Character over characters. More R's and less S's."
"How many mules can you put in your program before the heard starts going the other way?"

CHARACTER COUNTS

Here's a blog from Michael Josephson on 'The Nature of Character':

Abraham Lincoln was very concerned with character, but he also was aware of the importance of having a good reputation. He explained the difference this way: “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Put another way, your reputation is what people think of you, and your character is what you actually are.

In a world preoccupied with image, it’s easy to worry too much about our reputation and too little about our character. Building a reputation is largely a public relations project; building character requires us to focus on our values and actions. Noble rhetoric and good intentions aren’t enough.

What we’re looking for is moral strength based on ethical principles. Character is revealed by actions, not words — especially when there’s a gap between what we want to do and what we should do, and when doing the right thing costs more than we want to pay.

Our character is revealed by how we deal with pressures and temptations. But it’s also disclosed by everyday actions, including what we say and do when we think no one is looking and we assume we won’t get caught. The way we treat people we think can’t help or hurt us, like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries, tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. People who are honest, kind, and fair only when there is something to gain shouldn’t be confused with people of real character who demonstrate these qualities habitually, under all circumstances.

Character is not a fancy coat we put on for show; it’s who we really are.

Get more from Michael Josephson on the Character Counts website.

//SB

10 LAWS OF LIFETIME GROWTH

2010-07-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

There are quite a few good things being said about Dan Sullivan & Catherine Nomura's book: The Laws of Lifetime Growth. Admittedly, I have yet to read it. That's not going to stop me from sharing a few of the nuggets that I stumbled upon:

LAW ONE: Always make your future bigger than your past.

"Approach your past with this attitude, and you will have an insatiable desire for even better, more enjoyable experiences."

LAW TWO: Always make your learning greater than your experience.

"Experience alone is no guarantee of lifetime growth. But continually transform you experiences into new lessons, and you will make each day of your life a source of growth."

LAW THREE: Always make your contribution bigger than your reward.

"The one sure guarantee that rewards will continually increase is not to think too much about them. Instead, continue making an even greater contribution – by helping others eliminate their dangers, capture their opportunities, and maximize their strengths."

LAW FOUR: Always make your performance greater than your applause.

"If you become more skillful and useful, you will receive greater applause from an expanding audience. This can be intoxicating, and the temptation will be to start organizing your life around other people’s recognition and praise. You’ll keep repeating what got you the applause in the first place – rather than moving on to something new, better, and different. The applause will become more important to you than your improved performance."

LAW FIVE: Always make your gratitude greater than your success.
"Continually acknowledge others’ contributions, and you will automatically create room in your mind and in the world for much greater success."

LAW SIX: Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort.
"Finding ways to get more and more enjoyment from your activities is one way to ensure continued growth."

LAW SEVEN: Always make your cooperation greater than your status.
"Working with others and creating opportunities for increased cooperation makes greater things possible in our lives and in the world."

LAW EIGHT: Always make your confidence greater than your comfort.
"Many successful people start off life as dreamers and risk-takers, but the moment they become successful, they start seeking greater security and comfort as their main goal. This attitude puts them to sleep motivationally, and they lose the confidence that made them so successful."

LAW NINE: Always make your purpose greater than your money.
Money as an end, becomes a growth stopper. Having a purpose that is greater than yourself will give you a constant impetus to strive. Purpose gives life meaning and helps us direct and focus our talents and efforts.

LAW TEN: Always make your questions bigger than your answers.

"… all growth lies in the territory of the unknown. What we already know is in the past. What we have yet to discover is the future. Always make your questions bigger than your answers and you’ll keep drawing yourself into a bigger future with new possibilities."

Click here to find out more on the laws.

//SB

Find more golden nuggets from theLLaBB by clicking here.

FAILURE IS NEITHER GOOD OR BAD, INHERENTLY

2010-07-27T12:51:00.004-05:00

I was just inspired by a few of the blogs at www.learningjunkies.com. His recent tweet on failure triggered something in me:

Fail fast.

Fail easy.
Fail often.
Repeat. Then Learn.

Something profound in it's simplicity.

Perhaps, as well, it struck a cord because I've been reading a lot about the subject lately. Allow me to expand on the notion of failure with a few additional thoughts...

Failure is neither good or bad, inherently. It's just an opportunity to improve.

There's a transformation power that comes from changing how we think about failure. And, to me, this is a life skill that must be nourished in young - whether they be athletes or not.

The way we filter experience is the precursor that determines our success.

Carol Dweck in her book Mindset speaks to what she calls a "fixed mind-set" versus a "growth mind-set". Take a look at this graphic that'll gives a visual snapshot of her thesis...

In order to move from good to great, failure must be embraced for all that it is: an opportunity to learn.

Thomas Edison, the much lauded American inventor, made the same point: "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."

Samuel Beckett, the playwright, also expresses this maxim in his novella Worstward Ho: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

//SB

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THE ANT PHILOSOPHY: ALL YOU POSSIBLY CAN

2010-07-25T12:10:00.005-05:00

A Simple but Powerful Concept Jim Rohn...

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy. Here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If you're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in the middle of summer.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long -- we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. what an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

[Source: Jim Rohn]

All-you-possibly-can... Love this idea.

I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas where my sole goal was to attend a coaching clinic called 'Coaching U' that's put on by Kevin Eastman (Boston Celtics assistant coach) and Brendan Suhr (long time NBA coach and executive).

You see, I've been hungering for some personal and professional development after a busy past eight months focused on Point Guard College's marketing efforts. I enjoy that, but my real passion is teaching. I came close to re-joining our Canadian U17 national team in France for the FIBA Cadette World Championships. That opportunity fell through (unfortunately!).

So, I sucked it up and returned for my first 'North American' basketball coaching clinic in many, many years. I have to confess, I've turned into a cynic when it comes to your stereotypical coaching clinics in North America. Lots of fluff, very little substance. Empty stories filled with expletives combined with with a barrage of plays, sets and ego-filled schmoozing. Not exactly my cup of tea.

Am I ever glad that I attended Coaching U! It was a refreshing change... They taught, they shared useful insights and were committed to what they called a "rapid fire, high content" approach. (Love it... Very PGC!)

The thing that struck the deepest cord with me was watching Kevin Eastman and Lawrence Frank (also speaking at the event). These guys sat front row at EVERY one of the sessions taking notes! You want to talk about rabid learners. It was thrilling to see guys – supposedly – at the peak of their profession, feverishly taking notes. When they spoke, they all continually touched on how much they read, visited other coach’s practices and studied their craft in their extra time.

To top it off, Doc Rivers (Head Coach, Boston Celtics) was also there to present. They had to practically peal him off the stage. In the middle of MC thanking him for his time – after he spoke for 2hrs – he interrupted to ask the audience: “Okay, up 3-points with 7-seconds left... Do you foul?”

Honestly, it was AMAZING! These guys asked more questions, when the other speaker said “Any questions?” than the audience.

They practiced what they preached, but more importantly modelled it authentically. It was just who they were. It struck a cord in me as an important reminder to maintain the ‘beginner’s mind’ and continually seek out new ways to improve myself in my craft.

They were intent on getting 'all they possibly could' from the clinic; embodying 'the ant philosophy'.

//SB

REMOVING NAILS FROM THE BOARD

2010-06-19T15:33:00.004-05:00

A young man was struggling in his relationships with other people. He had a tendency to fly off the handle when things did not go his way. In an effort to improve himself, he went to see his mentor for advice. The mentor suggested that after every time the young man lashed out at someone, he should hammer a nail into a board. the young man followed this advice. Everyday he was hammering less nails than the previous day.

After a few weeks, he realized that he didn't hammer any nails on the board. He went back to his mentor and told him, "I'm not hammering nails anymore. I quit arguing with everybody." At this point, his mentor told him, "Very good! Now, every time you have a chance to repair a relationship with someone that you argued with before, you have to remove one of the nails from the board."

Again, the young man followed the mentor's advice. A few weeks later, he approached his mentor and said, "I have followed your advice and I have removed all the nails from the board. I repaired all the good relationships with everyone I had an argument with before. In the last few weeks I have become less callous to my colleagues, but they are cold to me. Why have they not accepted that I have changed?"

The mentor responded, "Think of the board as your colleagues. You have driven in nails and then removed them, but has the board remained the same?"

"No!" replied the young man, "It still has all of the holes in it."

"Exactly!" answered the mentor. "When you are harsh to people it is like driving a nail into the board. It hurts. When you decide to pull the nail back with an apology or simple gesture of kindness, there is still a scar left from the first deed. It takes time for things to heal."

(via Coach Renato Pasquali)

THE SURPRISING TRUTH ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE

2010-06-02T23:01:00.004-05:00

11 minutes long and well worth the time to watch.

How's that for being direct and to the point?

This talk (and video) from Dan Pink is FANTASTIC! He reveals some fascinating 'truths' about what motivates people.

Creative delivery with fast moving illustrations that are easy to track.

Judge for yourself... [Click here full version on YouTube.]

//SB

TEACHING WITH GAMES

2010-05-26T10:14:00.005-05:00

The director of the Quest2Learn school in New York talks about how they're using 'game-like' learning to reach young people and get them excited about education. The school organizes its curriculum around gaming and digital culture.

"Game design is 'math sex'." Man, I wish someone framed it like that for me back in the day. That would have gotten me to sit up and pay attention.

Check out this video from BigThink.com. It has some interesting ideas.

What ideas do you think we as teacher-coaches can take from this an apply to player development?

//SB

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG OR A COFFEE BEAN?

2010-05-21T00:36:00.003-05:00

By Author Unknown

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life, and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity- boiling water-but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity?

Like the CARROT, the EGG, OR the COFFEE BEAN?

HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL OVERSEAS (HOW-TO RESOURCE GUIDE)

2010-04-26T20:23:00.005-05:00

I stumbled across this how-to guide on playing basketball overseas. It's a free resource guide with content on topics like:

How To Start Playing Overseas
How To Play Overseas Representing Myself
Pros of Representing Yourself Without a Basketball Agent
Cons of Representing Yourself Without a Basketball Agent
About Agents and their Scams
Creating A Basketball Profile
What to Expect Overseas
Best Basketball Countries
Culture Shock and New Languages

Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to go through it - yet. I would love to hear what you think about it though.

Download it: Basketball Overseas Guide

Is it worth spreading? /sEf.

I MISSED YOU

2010-04-26T13:14:00.001-05:00

I have a few admissions, but none bigger than: I missed you. Well, not you (necessarily)… I missed writing. Sharing. It’s been way too long.

There have been so many positive things that have demanded my full attention, that something had to give. The biggest of those positives has be the launch of our new website at Point Guard College. Check it out and let me know what you think: www.pointguardcollege.com.

As with anything, there are many who contributed to bringing it to life, but it was my baby. I was the “PM” as they say on The Apprentice. I definitely have to give a shout out to Mel and the rest of the Cowie & Fox crew for taking this project from concept to creation.

My New e-Mistress
With the new site, comes a whole new platform for chatting hoops and athlete development. I’ll be spending time sharing my thoughts on the PGC blog, but rest assured that this is still my number one spot. (Think I have some notions that still might be too radical for the North American crowd). Stay tuned…

140 or Less
In between my sporadic blog posts, you can also find me on Twitter (@SefuBernard). Never thought I’d enjoy tweeting, but it’s a great way for me to share a few golden nuggets while also staying up to speed on what other sharp minds are saying in and around my areas of interest. You should follow me there.

Talk soon. /sEf.

CORE vs PILLAR: WHAT DOES IT MEAN EXACTLY?

2010-03-23T16:05:00.002-05:00

What's the difference between your core and your pillar? Are they the same thing? Why is it even important to you as an athlete or coach?

In this video from Core Performance, Performance Specialist, Nick Winkelman, does a great job of explaining in layman's terms.

"Most people think your abs and lower back comprise your core, but in fact, these muscles alone don't provide the strength and stability you need. As performance specialist Nick Winkelman explains in this video, all the muscles that support your hips, torso, and shoulders, which we refer to as the "pillar," is the foundation for movement. Understanding this important distinction will help you train your body more effectively."

Check out: www.coreperformance.com/movement

//SB

ACHIEVEMENT

2010-03-17T06:40:00.006-05:00

“If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven’t done anything today.” Lou Holtz

Check out www.savagechickens.com or follow them at @savagechickens.

COACHING LITMUS TEST by DON MEYER

2010-03-08T11:43:00.004-05:00

Via Coach Jimmy Johnson comes a great nugget from Don Meyer...

"The behavior of your players in their acceptance of fatigue, bad calls, turnovers, missed shots, being open and not getting the ball, harassment from opposing fans, trash talk from opponents, and teammates failures and successes will tell a coach all s/he needs to know about how well he is teaching the lifelong lessons of toughness."

For more insights, visit: www.coachmeyer.com.

//SB

LEADERSHIP LESSON #1: LEADING IS FOLLOWING

2010-03-03T07:03:00.006-05:00

This is a *great* video from Derek Sivers called "Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy." Loved it and had to share it. Powerful, yet simple.

It's also timely... I had just met with my mentor last week while in Toronto and he was asking me whether I thought that leaders were born or could be made. To that, I responded: everyone can be a leader. You see my definition of leadership is influence. Simple.

You don't have to be the 'pack leader' to create influence; instead, you just have to know when and who to follow. Leadership, as Derek shows in this short clip, is also followership. [Followership creates influence.]

Transcript:

If you've learned a lot about leadership and making a movement, then let's watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and dissect some lessons:

A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he's doing is so simple, it's almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it's not about the leader anymore - it's about them, plural. Notice he's calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself. Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.

The 2nd follower is a turning point: it's proof the first has done well. Now it's not a lone nut, and it's not two nuts. Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.

A movement must be public. Make sure outsiders see more than just the leader. Everyone needs to see the followers, because new followers emulate followers - not the leader.

Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we've got a movement!

As more people jump in, it's no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join now. They won't be ridiculed, they won't stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry. Over the next minute you'll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they'd be ridiculed for not joining.

And ladies and gentlemen that is how a movement is made! Let's recap what we learned:

If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you.

Be public. Be easy to follow!

But the biggest lesson here - did you catch it?

Leadership is over-glorified.

Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he'll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:

It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.

There is no movement without the first follower.

We're told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective.

The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.

[Source: Derek Sivers | http://sivers.org/ff]

60 SECOND PHD IN LEADERSHIP

2010-02-22T21:56:00.002-05:00

Make a list of all the things you abhorred.
DON'T DO THEM TO OTHERS... EVER.
Make another list of the things done to you that you loved.
DO THEM TO OTHERS... ALWAYS.

And you thought leadership was complicated.

(Source: Dee Hock, Founder of VISA)

//SB

GENO AURIEMMA ON CHASING THE UNATTAINABLE... PERFECTION

2010-02-12T07:22:00.004-05:00

Via ESPN.com - Geno Auriemma on chasing excellence:

"Monday we start the whole process over again; Monday, we start the chase -- I call it the chase," Auriemma said. "Somebody sent me … a pretty good Lombardi quote recently. It said, 'Perfection is unattainable, but if you chase perfection you'll catch excellence.'

"So the chase starts, and some people just get tired of the chase. Some don't even start the chase. Some start it, realize they can't catch it and they just stop. What I've been trying to teach my players all along is that's the fun part -- knowing that you can't get to that and you're going as hard as you can to get there anyway."

Click here for the whole article.

//SB

THAT WAS YOUR TRYOUT (BY MIKE MACKAY)

2010-02-08T19:34:00.007-05:00

GUEST BLOG | WRITTEN BY MIKE MACKAY
Manager of Coach Education and Development | Canada Basketball

Coach MacKay has a blog, "X's and O's By Mike MacKay" that helps both coaches and players develop their skills. Visit the Canada Basketball website.
--

THAT WAS YOUR TRYOUT
As I travel around the country I often get asked by players, coaches and parents when tryouts are for our age group National Teams. In a county the size of Canada having a one day tryout is a very difficult thing to do. I try to explain that you never know when and where the tryout is occurring.

This past summer our Junior National team was having a shoot around in preparation for an exhibition game with another country. It was early in the morning and many of the players were not too excited about having to be up that early. The shoot around took place and it was not one of the better performances by the players. After the shoot around the coach pulled the players together and told them that they he was disappointed in their performance. He also asked if any of them knew who the gentlemen were, that were sitting off to the side when practice was taking place. The answer was no. Coach proceeded to tell them that they were all scouts for the NBA and they had just had their first tryout for the NBA and first impressions are hard to change. Needless to say we never had another poor shoot around. Anytime a stranger walked in the gym; the players assumed he must be another NBA scout and did not want to have another bad tryout.

Too much stock is put into the one day formal tryout. If a players scores some points in a tryout everyone assumes he should be on the team. Players, coaches and parents need to understand that every time a player walks on to the court eyes are watching and conducting a tryout. Tryouts also occur off the court. The behaviour of a player before and after the game is just as important as the performance on the court. How a player handles being subbed. How he sits with his teammates on the bench. When a player shows up late for a training session, this is part of the tryout. When a player decides to sub him/her self out of a drill this is part of a tryout. When a player does not touch the lines in a conditioning drill, this is part of a tryout. When a player misbehaves in a hotel room on the road, this is part of the tryout. All of these little details go in to a tryout.

Players must take responsibility for their actions at all times. I know from experience that I would never pick a team, that I was going to travel over night with, if I did not first have those players stay overnight in a residence situation, over which I had supervision. I wanted to know how they handled meal time, bed time, meeting time, practice time and all the time in between. They had to know that tryout time was all the time.

JASON KIDD: A MOVING PICTURE

2010-01-22T13:39:00.002-05:00

"Playing the point isn't about threading the needle through a handful of defenders. It's about finding your scorers and placing the ball exactly where THEY want to catch it."

This piece is well done. //SB

COACH K & BOB KNIGHT 1on1: UNDERSTANDING HOW GREAT COACHES THINK

2010-01-18T12:45:00.004-05:00

This is a great "intimate & interactive" 1on1 with Coach K and Bob Knight. They give a perspective on how they think the game that those outside the inner circle can't typically access.

On thing I took from it: FOCUSED EFFORT + POSITIVE HABITS leads to CONFIDENCE.

//SB

DO ORDINARY BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE

2009-12-28T15:39:00.004-05:00

"I learned that it doesn't matter how you win. You play to the team's strength, whether it's offense, defense or special teams. I believe the best way to achieve success in each of these three areas is by attention to detail and a commitment to the fundamentals—doing the ordinary things better than anyone else." (Tony Dungy, www.coachdungy.com)

Looking forward to digging into this book. /sEf.

KILLING OF A DREAM

2009-12-17T15:22:00.004-05:00

"Creativity is that extra bit of magic that can turn communication into a dream. And there is no crisis that can justify the killing of a dream."

Merry-Happy Christmahanukwanzaakah! (Or, whatever else it is that you do). Regardless, all my best now and into the new year!

/sEf.

IN THE TRAINING ROOM WITH CHRIS PAUL

2009-12-03T14:55:00.003-05:00

How Chris Paul Stays on Top of His Game (via @ihoops)... Old but still good and relevant.

In college, Chris Paul will have played 1,000 or so minutes. In the NBA, he'll play 3,000 minutes.

//SB

AROUND THE WORLD IN 30-DAYS

2009-11-29T18:04:00.001-05:00

I've been noticeably absent from the digital world, I know. My lady-friend and I took the month of November off to travel, spend some QT together and see the world. No basketball. No law. Just us.

It's been a blast.

Here's our 2009 around-the-world-in-30-day trip in short: Cayman to San Francisco… SF to Hong Kong… HK to Phuket (Thailand)… chilled in Phuket to chill for a few days of R&R… off to Siem Riep, Cambodia… took in one of the must-see-before-you-die (#5) spots in Angkor Wat… jetted off to Luang Prabang, Laos… who knew this sleepy town had so much to offer as we rented a motorcycle and road through the country side mountains and lived the life a mahout riding 'bare back' on top of Asian elephants through the arteries that feed into the Mekong… puddle jumped back to Thailand to hang in Bangkok with the "father-in-law," and eat as copious amounts of local food (hhhmmmm!)… templed it up as we saw Grand Palace / Wat Pra Kaew and Wat Pho – The Temple of the Reclining Buddha (must-see-before-you-die #6)… ventured over to Kolkatta (formerly Calcutta), India… (Messy! Sorry, but it's true.)… got out of there only to find ourselves plopped down in Delhi… found a gorgeous haven at Hotel Amber (simply devine!)… made the 5-hour trek to Agra to take in the Taj Mahal (must-see-before-you-die #7)… impromptu change to the 'flight plan' as we made the 30+ hour trek to Playa del Carmen, Mexico… after 24 days of hustling, negotiating, brokering deals, near death experiences, hotel/flight books, etc., we thought we get a little vacation in during this vacation… 6-days all-in... heavenly.

At the final calculation: 14 flights, 9 airlines, 5 countries. And, we did, literally, go around the world – across the Pacific there back across the Atlantic to return.

Excited to be back.

/sEf.

WHICH COACH ARE YOU? DEVIL OR ANGEL?

2009-10-24T17:05:00.003-05:00

[Image source unknown. I discovered this one on the net some years ago. Sorry. I always like to 'thank the passer.']

WHAT'S YOUR COACHING COMMUNICATION STYLE?

2009-10-24T16:29:00.006-05:00

There are a lot of different styles of coaching/teaching. Yet, how aware are you of your communication style when you coach?

Take a look at the chart below and personally assess your communication style. Where would you place yourself on this spectrum?

In having the opportunity to coach coaches over the years, I've found that use of questions is the most difficult for coaches to incorporate. Often, the only technique used is the "tell and repeat" approach.

The truly great teacher-coaches move seamlessly between the different types of communication: tell & repeat, question & listen; and, collaborate. This is the art of coaching rather than a science.

None of the styles above, when examined in isolation, is better or worse than the other, necessarily. The challenge is when the only communication tool you have as a coach in your arsenal is one - especially if that one tool is the tell and repeat... tell and repeat... tell and repeat... tell. (You get my drift. It gets tired after a while. Now, imagine how your athletes feel after 4-months of that!).

Having a chance the opportunity to watch Coach K in live action this past week, I was so thoroughly impressed with who is is as a communicator. Truly masterful teacher.

He moved skillfully and intuitively between the different styles. And, at two separate points in the practice, he stopped the group to ask an athlete this one, very powerful question: "How do you feel right now?"

1st Ask:

Athlete Response: "Great."
Coach K (emphatic retort): "Hey... [-----] great!"

2nd Ask (toward the end of practice):

Athlete Response: "Tired."
Coach K: 'Tired... you look it. Don't underestimate the importance of being in shape. Not just physically, but mentally in shape. When you step on this court you have to be ready to but your *ss out there.' [SB: He then went on to briefly speak to each athlete's approach to every possession.]

Two different athlete responses both ending with the athletes feeling good about themselves. You could see a demonstrable increased commitment to the task at hand on their subsequent reps.

There's a time for telling. A time for questioning. And, a time to collaborate. Become a master communicator and you'll be well rewarded with how much more you'll be able to yield from your athletes.

//SB

DUKE, COACH K PRACTICE NOTES

2009-10-24T15:59:00.003-05:00

I had the privilege this past week to travel with the PGC directors through the 'research triangle' in North Carolina. We called it the Tobacco Road Tour. And, covered Durham (Duke), Chapel Hill (Univ of North Carolina), Winston-Salem (Wake Forest) and Raleigh (NC State).

Here are some thoughts from our time at the Duke Men's Basketball practice we attended:

Coach K started the practice with a brief talk to the team about remembering to acknowledge and thank the people around you that help make their experience possible. "When someone does something good, give a handshake... say thank you." [SB: I need to write a separate blog on how extraordinarily different the Duke culture is from any other I've seen.]
"A smart player is a better player. Be smart and help each other be smart."
All players echoed commands (e.g. play calls from teammates or coaches)
"If you pass slow, you run slow. Our (fast break) begins with the pass. Strong pass will lead to a strong break."
Keywords offensively = SPACING & BALANCE.
"Think as a scorer" Can't afford wasted opportunities.

//SB

COACHING CLINIC NOTES: EUROPEAN COACH JASMIN REPEŠA

2009-10-24T15:20:00.004-05:00

Two weeks (or so) ago, I attended a clinic that featured Jasmin Repeša. Coach Repeša has risen through the ranks of European basketball, first as a player and now as a coach.

Aside from being the Croatian National team coach, Repeša has also recently worked with Euroleague contender Lottomatica Roma and previously won two Turkish Cups and two Turkish Championships with Tofas S.K.

The theme of his 2-hour clinic was BALANCE: (1) Team balance, (2) Defensive balance and (3) Personal body balance - defensively and offensively.

(Before I give a dump of some nuggets from the clinic, I have to say that I enjoy sitting in on clinics done by people for whom English is not their first language. Yes, some things are lost translation. But, other things are said in such a direct and succinct way.)

Here are some highlights from my notes:

Balance lets you have the 'first step.' The first step gives you the advantage. Doesn't matter what the age of the athlete. In fact, balance is just as, in not more, important for a senior national team athlete than for a younger athlete. "Basketball IS first step."
Good defensive balance makes you quick (defensively). Players must develop controlled balance.
Catch (on balance) by getting "under' the ball."
Catching, cutting, running, sliding, the "next game" (i.e. transition from OFF to DEF or DEF to OFF)... must all be done on balance.
Very few players catch thinking about the next play. [SB: This is a mentality - skill - that must/can be taught.]
Be on balance on the catch, after the pass, on the shot, after the shot
Shoulders need to be relaxed (to optimize first step) ... [SB Note: Repeša spent a *LOT* of time correcting the demo athletes on their shoulders. "Relaxed!" his voice would boom. This was one of those things that you could tell was very important to him, but oft not discussed in North American basketball. Track coaches make this a point of emphasis for their sprinters. Something to give thought to.]
Defensively, don't elevate your body or extend your arms (to lunge or reach) - even on close outs. Just adjust the distance between your body and the offensive player.
"No balance, no possibility of quick recovery."
Wish, desire, concentration is a requirement that players need to have for help defense. Helping on the ball must be practiced everyday. "Move together with the ball" on the air time of the ball. New ball position = new defensive position. "Quick help... quicker recovery."
In Euroleague/International basketball, 80% of set offense starts or finishes with the pick and roll.
When teaching defense, start with... (1) individual responsibility, (2) help-recovery, (3) communication and (4) your system.

//SB

BEEN SOME TIME

2009-10-19T07:34:00.005-05:00

I know... It’s been some time. At least 3-weeks give or take. Man, I miss writing, but things have been so hectic with me being on the road, that I’ve sold some of my soul to Twitter. Good news is that I can share in bite sized chunks. The bad news... Brevity is not necessarily my strength so staying within 140 characters is a stretch.

You can also follow me at http://twitter.com/thellabb

I finally have a little time to take a breath. I write this one from the airport in MIA (en route to Raleigh). Airport layovers are a great way to getaway crack open a book or watch a flick with minimal distraction.

So, to give quick recap on all that’s gone down in the past few weeks.

Attended the Leadership Retreat & Fall Retreat with the PGC team in Tampa ... Strategic planning and good times mixed in.
Led national meetings for Canada Basketball’s Centre for Performance ... Coaching the coaches, superb idea exchanges and moved another step closer to ensuring that all national team targeted athletes are being developed using the same concepts/approach across the country.
Participated in technical summit on men’s basketball with leaders men’s sport at Canada Basketball and their Council of Excellence.
Spent a few days back at the ol’ stomping ground at Air Canada Centre in Toronto ... Caught up with all the guys and my past colleagues with the Raptors. Had chance to help work out Bosh. (Injured players don’t travel for Toronto... Just my luck!)
Met with one of my mentors at ACC and had an intensive session as he takes me through his executive leadership development program.
Attended a (great!) basketball clinic featuring legendary European and Croatian National Team Coach Jasmin Repeša. (Had dinner with Repeša, Ontario Basketball ED, Ms O’Keefe, and Maurizio Gherardini at a tantalizing italian resto. Lip smacking good! And, I learned so much. Almost turned that invite down to prep for an on-court session the next day, but remembered the advice of another mentor to always pick up or drop off the clinician if you really want to learn something. Glad I didn’t get too caught up in myself.)
Finally, got back on court (my haven!) at the women’s Ontario Centre for Performance session in T.O. for a weekend.
Picked up my visa to get me into India from their consulate. Taking some time in November and will be doing some travelling. (Yay!!!)

After all that... I hauled tail back home. Stayed just long enough for the clothes to make it out of the dryer and back out the door to North Carolina.

More to come as I do a dump of some of what I’ve picked up along the way. /sEf.

HOW DO YOU LEARN BEST?

2009-09-25T00:54:00.004-05:00

I know that this video is getting a lot of play and is enjoying a second lease on life... for a lot of good reasons. For starters, it's ABSOLUTELY hilarious!

But as I watched it a second time, it served as a reminder to me (for athletes): Some of our best learning comes from watching others.

Athletes spend a lot of time in lines. Could be on the sideline during a game, in the back of the line in a drill; and so on. If you watch most athletes, they have a real sloppy and shoddy approach when they're 'on deck.' This is a BIG mistake. A missed opportunity for growth and learning.

As coaches, we must draw attention to it. Bring awareness to heighten concentration.

Sometimes we learn best from watching others.

That said, our folks were on to something when they said: "Learn from my mistakes."

To that I often responded... "I have to make my own mistakes."

Perhaps our dancing baby is a reminder that we can watch and learn; while also putting our own spin on a good old fashioned booty shake. The results, surprisingly, can be just as good. /sEf.

Ben Zander is on to something with "Rule 6."

MYTH BUSTERS ON FOOTWORK

2009-09-09T00:39:00.004-05:00

Oh, this is a goodie (via twitter.com/brianmccormick). It's a video overlay of lateral slide with what the author calls a "trail leg as the power leg" contrasted with the "lead leg as the power leg" ... or what I'd call a cross over step. Which is faster?

Just because we've always taught it a certain way, doesn't make it right.

Assess. Innovate. Apply. Improve. //SB

OBAMA: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU POST

2009-09-08T16:48:00.005-05:00

I'm not endeavouring to get into the post-Obama-speech hoopla (pardon the pun!); although, I must say that I don't quite understand the rationale for parents not allowing their kids to what or listen to The President's message to America's students. (Save the politicized comments please. I'm a de facto neutral entity by nationality... just an observation.)

One thing that caught my eye online though, that I think that more coaches, educators, parents and influencers need to make a point of discussion is, online etiquette (for lack of better words).

From mashable.com:

"...Prior to his live Internet broadcast to students across the country earlier today, President Obama answered questions at a Virginia high school.

Asked by one student how he could become President someday, Obama issued a warning about Facebook. “I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life. That’s number one,” he said.

Poignant advice for aspiring politicians in the 21st century? Absolutely. It’s actually hard to imagine how someone who grows up with social media will be able to run for President one day without exercising extreme caution. That’s not to mention how wildly one’s views may change from the time they’re 15 to the when they’re 45, giving cables news channels decade’s worth of fodder to opine about.

Meanwhile, even for many of those with slightly lower ambitions, social media is proving to be an obstacle. Recent research showed that nearly half of companies now screen social media profiles in the hiring process, with content including provocative photos, alcohol, or bad-mouthing of former employers being frequently cited as a reason for not considering candidates. ..."
--

While working in the NBA, there was a lot of discussion about etiquette -- both on and off the court. Your seeing these challenges infiltrate into the business world now with the tightening of standards by ESPN on twittering by its employees; while the NBA is reviewing policy too.

Bigger than that, and just as insidious, is how the larger population of young people are using the various online forums. What legacy are they creating? Is it a positive reflection of them now and how others may interpret it later?

Like Hansel & Gretel, the pics and posts put online are bread crumbs that create a traceable e-trail. The question is, is what they're leaving behind closing doors to future opportunities? And, who's actively making a conversation of this issue with them an educating them?

There's never been a time in human history, I'd argue, where youth's understanding of technology exceeds their parents (and educators).

In business, it's said: 'Long-term success relies on staying relevant to the consumer.' The focus is on understanding and using technology to drive efficiency.

We, as teacher-coaches, have a responsibility to stay relevant to our consumers: athletes.

Off to figure out this tweeting thing... /sEf. (Follow me at http://twitter.com/thellabb)

FAV OBAMA LINES FROM HIS SPEECH:

"You can't let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you. Let them teach you what to do differently the next time."

"Don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. Because it shows you have strength to admit when you don't know something and that then allows you to learn something new."

"At the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse... There is no excuse for not trying. Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you... you write your own destiny. You make your own future."

MYTH BUSTERS ON GAMES vs. DEVELOPMENT

2009-09-03T17:22:00.003-05:00

This is not my own. It comes from Mike MacKay, Manager of Coach Education & Development, Canada Basketball. I've been meaning to share it for some time.

"The greatest myth currently being perpetuated is the idea that players can improve their skills by playing numerous games. Many of our developmental athletes are sometimes playing up to six games on a weekend. This is often preceded by only one practice during the week.

Upon closer inspection we see that if the athlete played six games on weekend this is actually only 192 minutes of basketball, if they played every minute of every game [32 minute game x 6 = 192 minutes (a 32-minute game was chosen since many leagues at the train to train stage only play this length of time.)].

Let us now assume that there was an equal split between the time spent on offence and defence [192/2 = 96 minutes on offence]. Since there are five players on the floor we will estimate that an individual player would only have the ball for 1/5 of this time [96/5 = 19.2 minutes]. It is very difficult to develop your ball handling, passing, shooting, lay ups, movement without the ball and fitness in only 19.2 minutes.

By going to a well constructed practice of one hour in length, the athlete would have surpassed the amount of developmental basketball played in the entire six games on the weekend. If you want to develop a skill like shooting, it requires deliberate practice to accumulate the number of repetitions that the experts say you need in order to master the skill. If the athlete took on average 10 shots a game it would take over 10,000 games to get up 100,000 shots."

Food for thought. /sEf.

FOOTWORK: ARTFUL & EFFICIENT

2009-09-01T18:30:00.010-05:00

This is a must see. This is not tennis, this is fundamental movement and a wonderful depiction/description of the basic physical literacy that any athlete must obtain to optimize performance.

Check out this NYtimes.com feature, "Federer's Footwork: Artful and Efficient." (http://bit.ly/13B3Bf)

Let me pull some examples out...

Forehand Section (of the video) - Coach Macdonald speaks to the exaggerated 'heel-to-toe' foot placement that allows Federer to maintain balance and slow the acceleration of his body. This action is the same movement pattern used by a basketball player dribbling into his/her jump shot stride stop (e.g. left-right or right-left). It's also the same action used by a high jumper as they attempt to transfer their horizontal momentum into vertical force.

Jab Step Section (of the video) - What in tennis Coach Macdonald refers to as a "jab step," is the same action taught by speed specialists (like Lee Taft) as a 'plyo step' and 'hip turn.' It is, in fact, the same action that a basketball player uses to change direction out of a defensive slide. Teaching a drop step is Old School basketball. (Just because we were taught it, doesn't mean that it's right.)

Backhand Section (of the video) - The action that's described as using "...his legs like a slalom skier" to "absorb the tremendous movement forces and maintain dynamic balance." First, without evening knowing of Coach Macdonald's pedigree, I'm assured in this sentence alone that he's an effective coach because he does what Mike MacKay calls "painting a picture" with words. Second, this action is the same in any sport where there's a lateral change of direction required. And last, do notice that as Federer explodes out of this direction change, he uses a crossover step (whereby his left foot crosses over his right to move laterally the other way). Again, in basketball, far too much time is spent in slides than what actually happens in live game action with an athletic offensive player. (My hypothesis!)

Got the link to this story via @ericmusselman on Twitter. Check out his tweets as he does a FANTASTIC job of sharing some great golden nuggets.

Also, I'm still blogging, but will also be doing more twittering and saving the blogs for my longer rambles. Follow me at http://twitter.com/theLLaBB.

/sEf.

AMAZING... absolutely amazing what technology can do nowadays!

SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION

2009-08-28T08:18:00.003-05:00

Dan Pink, in his TED Talk, does a great job of 'making a case' for why businesses doing is contradicting what science has proven to be true.

There are many take-aways in this one. And, if you have 18mins to stick sit through it, it think you find it insightful. If not, no worries. Tune in for the first 6mins.

Dan flushes out a very interesting point about how external reward is ineffective toward solving complex problems that require creative solutions.

My take-away... IF Dan is right, then when winning is the motivator for today's coach during an athlete's development years, then it becomes even more apparent why coaches end up with a single minded focus towards games-strategies-tactics. That’s the carrot and stick. Athlete development is a far more complex problem and therefore the motivation cannot be extrinsic alone. Ultimately, I think if Dan were speaking to a group of coaches and administrators, his case would expose the fact that we're sabotaging our own success.

Curious to hear what, if anything, others take away from this...? /sEf.

THE GAME HAS CHANGED

2009-08-22T16:34:00.004-05:00

A must see (to me!). Thanks LMF for sharing this one. The notion of what's being proposed here is not just for the business world. It's got greater application. We have to able to speak the language of today. Stay current, stay relevant.

//SB

CANADA NOTCHES SILVER IN U16 FIBA AMERICAS

2009-08-21T09:26:00.003-05:00

Two for two with our U16 national age group teams! Congrats to all the athletes and coaches who bought in and played an integral role in the success of both our men's and women's cadet/te national teams.

As Senior Women's National Team Coach, Allison McNeill, reminded us: "It takes an entire village to raise a child." In the case of these teams, it took an entire nation to position these young men and women for the success that they had.

Big congratulations to head coach, Jacquie Lavallee, and assistant coach, Dawn Keith, for being able to create a cohesive unit within a short 3-day training camp leading into the tournament. The Canadian team went 4-0 heading into the gold medal match, falling to a overpowering US team in the finals.

Like the boys before them, the girls have qualified for the World Championships next summer.

When it comes to sport, there are very few things that can compare to the pride that comes out of representing your country. I'm proud to had played a contribution. GO CANADA GO!

//SB

GOOD TO BE GROUNDED

2009-08-21T08:52:00.004-05:00

I should say... Good to be grounded and at home - at least for a little while.

These past few months, since May, have come and gone at a blistering pace and were chalk full of travel. I am happy to report that it was all in the name of basketball. (Yes!).

Being back at home allows me to get back on track and be consistent with several personal commitments. I've been able to start of my personal training and dive back into another cycle of P90X (ahem... I should say "Plus" now) and can start to eat healthily again. Airport and cafeteria food just don't cut it.

This week every morning has started off with a green fruity smoothie. Coach Evans turned me on to these about a year ago and it's been a staple in my diet since. I LOVE 'EM!

Today's recipe included:

1 ripe banana
Handful of frozen blueberries
Handful of fresh pineapple
1 fresh squeezed lime (and the zest)
1/2 a cucumber
Handful of steel cut oats
Fresh kale (once all the others are in, just stuff the blender with as much as it can take)
Flax seed Oil
Dash of orange juice (to sweeten it a little more)
Water (more/less depending on how thick you want it)
(I forgot to add fresh ginger, but normally I do)

Stuff that all into the blender. Flip the switch and liquefy. And, you've got a great energizer.

There's a lot of info available online espousing the benefits of "green" shakes or smoothies. Look into it. I realized early that I could get more goodness in these shakes to start my day, than I would normally otherwise.

I mix up what I add based on what's available in the supermarket. Also, you'll want to mix up your greens from week to week. Typically, I rotate between spinach, kale and various lettuces. I'll also add celery and then toss in whatever left over from a salad from earlier in the week (e.g. dill, avocado, tomatoes, etc.).

True green smoothie enthusiasts don't typically add the fruit or juice; however, if you're like me and you don't want to totally taste your greens, a little splash of fruit douses their taste.

Salut... Enjoy! /sEf.

As Coach Evans shared, these smoothies contains many of the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids we all strive to include in our diets. Flax seeds or flax oil is the greatest non animal food source of these acids. The avocado and nuts/seeds are other good sources of various omega acids and make this very filling. Dark leafy greens are the other excellent source of omega 3’s. The banana’s sweetness makes this smoothie ideal for those who don’t want to totally taste their greens. Blueberries contain the most antioxidants of all fruits and are added for extra health benefits. If you don't like your drink green, blueberry will give it more of a red/purple color than green.

Also, feel free to add a handful of nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds) and/or seeds (e.g. pumpkin). I typically save that for my mid-morning oatmeal, but if you're not getting it in your diet at any other point, then throw it in the shake. Hhhmmm... hhhmmm.

MINING FOR GOLD

2009-08-06T00:37:00.005-05:00

I feel like one of them ol' time prospectors out sifting through the sludge mining for that nugget. Trying to find 'pay dirt.'

27 hours of basketball, 24 games, all in a span of 36 hours. "And, not all of it good," as one coach exclaimed. I just finished Day 2 of Canada Basketball's U15 National Championships, in Kamloops, British Columbia.

One year, to the date, I was sitting in the same gym doing talent ID for our cadet/te men's and women's basketball teams. I have no idea where 12-months went because, right now, it feels as if I never left. My only reminder is that the faces on the athletes look different.

The good news: After sifting through the stock pile and with a little free milling, there's gold and the end of the line.

I gotta go lie down and let my head decompress. Off to find the junkiest movie in my travel stash. Back on the saddle tomorrow and the day after. /sEf.

"You can have it now or you can have it all, but you can't have it all now." - Jack Donahue (former Canadian Senior Men's National Team Head Coach)

LANGUAGE CAN BE A BARRIER, BUT COMMUNICATION IS UNIVERSAL

2009-07-31T14:38:00.002-05:00

Good poetry makes me forget words,
renders me speechless.
I don't hear language littered like trinkets.
These aren't roadside tchotchkes,
they're riverbed stones.
Feelings don't clink like pebbles on tin scraps.
These landscapes are laid like boulders,
grenade-shattered reveries,
vast canyons we've ignored...
but poetry lets us walk among their ruins.
-Kerry Flory-

"Language is can be a barrier, but communication is universal."

All of the preceding words come from a young lady by the name of Kerry Flory. What a majestic manipulation of language that communicates so poignantly.

I've been fortunate over the years to have been blessed by the joy of listening to Ignatius "Iggy" Mwela perform his slam poety. I'm very excited for him as he, and his group, Mental Graffiti, will be hitting the national stage in the 2009 Poetry Slam Competition.

If you never experienced this art, check out Iggy on YouTube. //SB

TESTS & TRYING TO "RIGHT A WRONG"

2009-07-30T13:28:00.003-05:00

I just read a wonderful quote by Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and survivor of the Holocaust. He once wrote:

"Whosoever survives a test,
Whatever it may be,
Must tell the story.
That is his duty."

This thought resonates with me on a number of levels, but it also connects, I think, to the this video that was on ESPN's site called "Trying to Right a Wrong."

We know the story that the mother is attempting to rewrite. I wonder too what story this young lady will script.

Hope all are well! I have a busy few weeks ahead as I fly out to Kamloops, BC, to do some talent IDing at the Canadian national Under-15 championships. It'll be fun to see some of the future prospects that will go on to represent Canada in international competitions. Last year's identification was very fruitful as many of the athletes from that tournament represented Canada on the U16 Cadet/te teams, on the men's side, in Argentina this past June. And, for the women, next week in Mexico.

After that, I take off right away to St. James, Maryland, for our inaugural PGC college session. I'm very excited about that. It'll be almost like dessert after a summer that made for a long main course.

We have athletes coming in from UNC, UConn, Virginia, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Texas Christian, Seton Hall and Utah State to name a few. (Oh baby!) And, there will be a number of NCAA Div. 1 and high school coaches in attendance as Observing Coaches.

I'm starting to 'salivate' thinking about working with that calibre of athlete and the late night chalk talks.

If you can join, do so. Visit www.pointguardcollege.com/pgc/college-session.

My best. /sEf.

DICK DEVENZIO

2009-07-16T11:03:00.004-05:00

Bob Starkey in a recent post touched on Dick DeVenzio (founder of 'Point Guard Basketball College,' now Point Guard College). Coach Starkey is a maven. His blog is full of good info. (I think I've spotlighted it previously).

Dick has been a mentor for many. His legacy and teachings live on in his books and through PGC. (His brother, Dave, who I look forward to meeting one day, also carries to the torch in his National Point Guard Camp).

Coach Starkey excerpted one of Dick's chapters on loyalty…

Loyalty to friends, to teams and to nations is unwarranted when it conflicts with doing what's right.

Loyalty is a word often associated with sports. Some coaches emphasize its importance. Personally, I am skeptical about it. If you find yourself demanding or asking for loyalty, you may not be doing the things necessary to inspire it.

Make sure you remain loyal to yourself and to the principles you believe in. Loyalty is not always admirable; loyalty to friends, to teams and to nations is unwarranted when it conflicts with doing what's right.

You have to decide for yourself what's right.

Click here to read the whole post from Coach Starkey.

I have a lot of thoughts on the topic of loyalty that I'll look to share in another post. I know many struggle with it: How do you develop loyalty when it doesn't exist? How do you transform an organization's or team's culture? What things are loyalty killers?

These questions are ongoing challenges for all of us who seek to move ourselves and others from good to great.

In my experience, having been a part of some very good (and well led) organizations, loyalty is not something that requires a barrage of discussion and commentary. Define your org's or team's core values. Live it authentically. Protect it. Identify and secure others whose values align. When their sense of "what's right," as Dick says, aligns with yours, synergy occurs. A movement is created. Attraction and retention will come.

An overly simplified version of a complex and pervasive topic. I know.

We're working through it now. Like tending to a garden, it's a never ending process that requires a lot of LEADERSHIPENERGY.

For more from Dick (or on him)…

I'd recommended "Stuff!" or "Think Like a Champion" as starting points in his series of books. Dick also wrote a fantastic, yet hard to come by, book called "Smart Moves." (The latter is a personal favourite of mine and it has nothing to do with basketball.)
A great article at the time of his passing in 2001 about his legacy: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/columnists/20010603cook.asp
Article by Dick on Leadership from HoopU: http://www.hoopsu.com/coachingtips/devenzio-leadership.html
A lot of great notes from Dick by Eric Musselman: http://emuss.blogspot.com/2009/02/notes-from-dick-devenzios-book-stuff.html

Yes, Dick IS a superbly masterful basketball mind. But, his masterpiece is in his use of language. His musings go far beyond the court into all fields of play.

SCHAPE yourself first. /sEf.

"Communication isn't just a long word; it is a powerful force. It elevates – or drags down – all human experience." (Dick DeVenzio)

BREAKING OUT THE SALT & PEPPER AT POINT GUARD COLLEGE

2009-07-15T13:54:00.001-05:00

Amidst my commitments to the Canadian National Team program, I've been directing Point Guard College sessions this summer. Love it! What an honour and pleasure to work with such committed and enthusiastic athletes and coaches.

I just returned from two back-to-back sessions in Anderson, Indiana, and then in Bloomington, Illinois. These were especially fun as I was co-directing with Dave Daniels. Coach Daniels is the Head Coach at Colorado Christian University, a former Olympian and five time national teamer having played for Canada (most notably backing up Steve Nash in the 2000 Sydney Olympics). All of those credentials say nothing of the man. And, as I was fortunate enough to learn, Coach Daniels is a wonderfully authentic and genuine person with a sharp basketball mind. Thanks D for the many lessons learned and ideas exchanged! It's great to have you as a part of the PGC family. You're now in the "us" and "our" category. ;-)

Self promotion is not my forte… but I'm so excited about what's coming up, that I have to tell. August 10-14 in Maryland, PGC will be holding its first ever session for COLLEGE ATHLETES only at St. James Private School.

I truly enjoy all of the sessions, but one of the things that makes them so rewarding is the time spent with observing coaches exchanging ideas on athlete and skill development. And, each week, we typically have anywhere from 2-6 coaches who sit in on a PGC session as a part of their own personal and professional development. Awesome! Talk about a learning culture.

Last week was especially fun with the coaches in Illinois… what made it so good? Salt and pepper. Yup. The spices came out.

You see, it's so tough, for me at least, to sit around with a bunch of coaches because the conversations seem to quickly go in the direction of plays, sets and players. Who's who. And, where whomever is playing; and, for whom. (ZZZzzzzzz!). Sorry. It just doesn't do it for me.

Well, I knew I was with a good group when we broke out the salt and pepper shakers. (I was the first with my grubby hands on them, so pepper was on offense; and, since we were discussing concepts of zone attack and "Pack Defense," as I told Daniels, it's only fitting that salt be on defense!). It was great. We were beckoning to others in the cafeteria to donate their salt and pepper to the cause until we had enough for '5on5.'

I knew I was with a group of learners/sharers when everyone collectively slid forward in their chairs; others, interrupted the conversations with others breaking away mid sentence to come over and get in on the action.

I got goose bumps. Thanks coaches! Sorry we had to break off early to get back to our next session, but I look forward to doing it again.

Hey… If you're the type to get all goose-bumpy too at the thought of a little salt and pepper action, come join us at the PGC College Session. I'm getting excited just thinking about it! We'll have all five (5) PGC directors leading the session which also makes it extra special. And, this will be the only session NCAA Division One coaches can attend because there are no "recruitable" athletes in attendance.

/sEf.

(BTW – Athlete registration is limited for this session. There are still a few spots remaining for athletes looking to participate.)

On learning and sharing: "Eat like a chicken. Poop like an elephant."

U16s: PICTURES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

2009-06-24T10:15:00.007-05:00

Wrapping up the experience in Mendoza, Argentina, by sharing some pics from our time there. These will do far greater justice to it all than I could ever...

After the medal ceremony, Team Canada poses for on last group photo.

Click here for team roster and final team stats.

From left to right: Kirby Schepp (Assistant Coach), Roy Rana (Head Coach) and Krisjon Vargas (Trainer, Therapist and do-it-all)

Duane Notice (ON), Fergus Duke (NS), our attache, Marianella, and me. The boys managed to steal a few moments away from signing autographs to snap a pic or two. (I had to laugh as by weekend they were commenting that their hands were cramping up from signing autographs... if only they knew what the life a pro athlete is like!) Canada was a big hit amongst the fans.

Oscar, our driver for the week, tries desperately to keep up with the police escort after the final game. We had a police escort for the better part of the week, but on championship night, it was like a scene out of Bourne Identity. Argentine cops decked out in all black body suits and helmets with matching incognito black motor bikes and blue sirens. They had side pistols, shot guns and bullet proof vests lined with shot guns shells. These guys were bad-mama-jamas... and, whizz in and out of traffic criss-crossing in front and behind of us in an effort to stop traffic. The boys felt like they were in a presidential caravan. (Shoot... so did I!)

Club Israelita-Macabi was one of the practice gyms.

Group photo with the staff at Macabi after our final shoot around there. (That's me on the far right layered and deck out in a toque. I was 'frio' as it's the Argentine winter this time of year.)

Walk through at Macabi. We did most of our stuff in half court... see next to understand why.

This was the other end of the court. Looks good from a distance, but is far.

The old parquet floors at the garden have nothing on this. The wood tiles where literally torn up from the floor. My guess is that some had popped up and others were pulled from the baseline to use to patch up the main court. You had some tiles on court that were a good 1/2 inch up and loose. The coaches mandated against dunking as the rims were rusty and holding on by some loose screws. They couldn't afford having a player go down because of injury or 'rust poisoning.'

Here's a close up of some of the handiwork at half court. There's dead spots and then this this... potholes!

This is 'The Barn' as a couple of us called it. Here's our shoot around prior to the Bronze Medal game. This spot was real nice. It gave you the feeling of an old style gym from Indiana. It was Hoosier-esque. (And, still cold!)

Team trainer, Krisjon Vargas, maxing out time and getting creative with the use of space at Macabi. We were waiting for the Puerto Ricans to finish up their practice slot and then we discovered this gem of a court at Macabi. The surface looks like a clay tile. Kris led the boys through their dynamic warm up and movement prep here so that by the time we could get into the gym, the team could dive right in.

More dynamic work. The athletes loved this spot! It was so foreign to anything that they'd ever seen in North America.

The gentleman was a trip... he hopped in and started to do some movement prep with the guys. Hilarious! He also came through big time as he ended up washing our uniforms for us after each game for 1/5 of the price that our hotel was charging. Nice to find local hook ups like this. Gracias, senor!

Recovery & Regeneration: Oh so important. Again, Kris was working with the space he had available and took over the hotel halls. The rooms were too small, outside was too cold and their were no accessible common areas. Ice was at a premium and hard to come by... Kris tried to take advantage of using the outdoor pool for cold baths, but after taking a look at the build up of algae and other unknowns thought better of it. Instead, they rotated the guys through one of the bathroom tubs, but first had to get McGiver and create a plug out of plastic bags and athletic tape. Who knew that they didn't use plugs for their bath tups in Argentina. Lesson: To thrive in international basketball, you have to get creative.

//SB//

THEY DID IT... 2010 WORLD'S HERE WE COME

2009-06-21T17:52:00.003-05:00

Big congrats to Canada's Cadet Boys who have qualified for the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championships!

This was the sum of the effort, contribution and support of many; but a big shout out to the players, coaches and staff for creating synergy in such a short period of time. Well done.

Very proud and humbled to have the opportunity to have been a part of it all. It's not very often you have opportunity to represent your country in some capacity on an international stage.

One more thing off my 'bucket list.' /sEf.

PROUD... VERY PROUD

2009-06-20T10:23:00.004-05:00

We lost a hard fought, well coached game last night to the Argentines in overtime. Wow, what a basketball game... what an environment to play in.

Our boys got their first taste of passion and fire that comes along with international basketball yesterday. And, there's no better way to know what that intensity feels like other than to play the home team in their gym in an important game.

The stadium was shaking and the media booth, where I was perched, was trembling. The Argentine fans were jumping up and down, chanting songs, and sending sustained piercing whistles in the air that reverberated off the walls. Players couldn't hear the whistles over the mayhem and the coaching staff could barely issue orders from the bench. (Amazing!)

I was told by the players after the game that there fans behind the bench were unwavering and unrelenting in the ferociousness of their comments. As told to me by the coaches, one older gentleman, was right in the player's ears screaming: "Eff you MFer! I'm going to kill you." His English, I'm sure, wasn't great, but some things you don't need to call on the attache to translate. The F-Bomb is pretty much universal and the players only needed to feel the spittle and warm breath on the backs of their necks to know that he felt adamant about what he was saying. (Awesome!)

That's the fire and "orgullo" (pride) that these countries play with.

Hey... I'm not condoning it. But, as an athlete, you better have a positive approach to cope with playing in this type of an environment, if you want to compete for an Americas or World championship.

Our boys had it on this night. Very proud.

Despite the loss, we advance to the crossover round and will play USA tonight at 6PM. The team has given themselves a shot to qualify for the World Championship next summer and will have two chances to come away with the a win which will secure a spot. The top three (3) teams from this zone qualifier move on to 2010.

No mercy for the wicked... /sEf.

PICTURED ABOVE: Team Canada during time out of the CAN vs ARG game. U16 FIBA Americas Championship (June 19, 2009)

BIG MATCH FOR THE CANUCKS

2009-06-19T16:12:00.003-05:00

It doesn't get much better than this... playing the home team on their court, prime time on a Friday night.

Canada vs Argentina @ 8PM.

Argentina is a skilled and tough minded team. It will be a good test for our kids. That fans have been loving "Ka-na-daaaa!" Tonight, I think they'll turn on us. Lots of whistles and jeers.

Take a look at a few quick clips of their U16 team...

//SB

WELCOME TO INTERNATIONAL BALL

2009-06-19T15:29:00.004-05:00

International ball is a lot of things: Fast-paced, athletic, physical, skilled, crafty and outright dirty.

This was a no call...!

Filming credit goes Kirby "Kirbinder" Schepp (Assistant Coach, Canadian U16 National Team)... working his tail off breaking down film.

//SB