Assess For Motivation And For Fun

Well, the NBA finals are set and it isn't who I thought. I really wanted to see Cleveland and Lakers face off but nonetheless it should be a great finals.

I am sure the Cavs will go back and assess their current situation and address their limitation this off season. Assessing situations is what allows us all to make decisions on the next step or action plan. Tonight is the first night of summer open gym for the girls basketball, and I am going to start off with fun assessments for 2 reasons:

1. I want the girls to see areas they can work on over the summer to improve their game.
2. The girls really like doing tests and seeing how well they can do.

The results of the tests don't really matter to me at the age I am working with, but it motivates them and makes for a fun session.

I could choose any number of exercises to test but I am basically going to use fun and simple tests the kids will enjoy. Here are some samples of what i will use. I will even use tests the girls want to try- remember, it is about them in the first place:

1. 555 shuffle- I will set up a 5 yard area and have the players shuffle this distance 3 times.
2. 20 yard sprint- simple and to the point.
3. M-ball through- the girls will sit and use the upper body chest pass for distance.
4. Full court slalom dribble and back- Each cone will be at roughly 45 degrees and 15 feet apart. The girls must dribble up and back through the slalom.
5. 5-10-5 test- great for change of direction and learning to use the hips.

Again, I am not after the numbers. I am trying to build excitement and a program. By having testing that is fun and the girls like to do, they will enjoy the day and learn what they can work on.

What ever you do don't make a big deal out of poor scores or great scores. Just let them make up and enjoy the process- they will figure it out on their own.

Love to hear your thoughts.

Play Hard,

Lee

PS: I know basketball season is still a long ways away but you have the perfect opportunity to build your game now. Check out www.BasketballSpeed.com and www.BasketballSpeed2.com so you can get a great head start.