What Does That Mean???

Hello Basketball Fan,

I hope you are enjoying the start of the season. I really enjoyed watching the early season college tournaments. It is going to be a fun season.

Boy! I would like to know if ANYONE can beat North Carolina Men. They are TOUGH! I can't believe the speed they have on both ends of the floor. I will say though- they need to play tougher defense all the time and I don't just mean in your face. I mean get more quality stops all the time. Last year that was a kink in their armor. It is going to be a fun season.

I love watching the NCAA women's games as well. I love the consistency of the top teams. Tenessee, UCONN, UNC, Duke, Texas Tech, just to name a few. The thing I love about the women's games is the purity of the fundamentals. They really do a nice job of breaking down a defender of offense. They use the triple threat position well, and can flat out shoot. Should be another exciting year.

Weekly Tip: This weeks tip is from "The Speed Guy"

RE: Single Leg Strength

Purpose: To increase performance and reduce the potential for injury

Drill: Multidirectional lunge

The ability to lunge in all directions (forward, angular forward, sideways, angular backwards, and backwards) not only strength the legs and hips but it also increases stability and balance. In order for the basketball player to perform the multidirectional lunge correctly they must improve hip mobility, stability, balance, and strength/power.

The great thing about a lunge is you have to improve power in order to get back to the starting position. This is important for basketball players to be able to recover in all directions.

Perform: Do 2-3 sets of 3-4 reps in each direction.

Tips: Keep the torso in great posture by not flexing the spine. Keep the lead heel in contact with the floor- don't lift the heel so pressure goes to the knee. Finally, don't take too long or short of a lunge- it should be comfortable for you to maintain proper positions.

I am a Defensive Coach??

I recently had a discussion with a friend and a BB coach at the boys 8th grade level. He was telling me how he instructs defense. He said, "I am a defensive coach." I thought, "hmmm." He went on to tell me that he likes only man-to-man and in your face defense at that. He then went on to tell me how he coaches his players to position themselves on defense when guarding the ball. I had no problem with his technique except you better have an underlying foundation of defense and not just rely on this one technique- especially with 8th graders.

Here is my opinion on this conversation. First of all. I consider myself a defensive coach and probably so does ever coach on the planet. But make no mistake about it, I coach my players to put the ball in the hoop. Defense just happens to be a way for me to do that better than my opponents.

Often I hear coaches say- AHH! I am a defensive guy...there is too much shooting in today's game. Players only worry about offense. Well, Yeah! I did too when I played. I loved playing hard defense because I was quick and could really hawk an offensive player. But don't think for one second I didn't want that ball in my hand trying to create some offensive move for myself or my teammates.

The complete coach comes in with a realistic approach that the game is won on the scoreboard. The team that scores the most wins every time. Doesn't mean the losing team wasn't successful but a higher score means a win in the books. You should be a defensive-minded, offensive-minded, and situational-minded coach all the time. Don't overthink the game. Rick Patino is known for being one of the toughest defensive pressure coaches, but he is also the coach that took a small providence team to the final four based off the 3 point shot- he did it for years with Kentucky and is now doing it with Louisville.

I have a ton of respect for my friend and other coaches who say they are defensive-minded coaches. I just don't buy the rationale that defense comes first. Like I have said many times- You have to evaluate your situation and make plans accordingly. If you have a great hustling team that scraps all over the court and plays great defense, but can't shoot the ball in the ocean- you are not going to win many games without finding scoring opportunities.

My advice is- Be a coach to your team. Don't just go in with a blind philosophy because you think it gives you an identity as a coach. Do what your team needs and be willing to make adjustments all the time to help your team.

For all you coaches out there I want to wish you a great season and hopefully you are off to a great start. If you are not off to the start you hoped for there is lots of time to evaluate and adjust. You can do it!

Play Hard,

Lee

PS: Hey, if you have a friend, coach, player, or parent that would benefit from getting great basketball information each month and throughout each month then send the to http://www.basketballspeedinsiders.com/ so they can enjoy being an insider.