A Coach’s Effect on Youth Athlete’s Development
Originally published in Los Angeles Sports & Fitness. My friend – a father of five and a good youth basketball coach – sent me this email: “Here’s a stupid story. My son is playing minors baseball...
View ArticleWe should all have a coach
In his article, “Coaching a Surgeon,” Atul Gawande writes about the use of a coach for himself, a world-reknowned surgeon, and wonders why more people do not have a coach. When describing the coach,...
View ArticleConfidence and Motivation
One goal (duty) of a coach should be to increase the team’s motivation. In Sven-Goran Eriksson On Soccer, the authors suggest that motivation is a function of self-confidence – when a player loses...
View ArticleCoaching a European Club – Week 30: Semifinals
We entered the week down 1-0 to the top seed (21-1 in regular season). We had two practices to prepare after a 14-point loss. Nobody in the club gave us much of a chance; the club manager stopped me...
View ArticleCoaching a European Club – Week 31: Finals
The guys were beat up on Monday. This was the toughest stretch of the season: play Thursday, practice Friday, play Saturday on the road (home after 1 A.M.), off Sunday, practice Monday, play Tuesday on...
View ArticleShooting Coaches and Evaluating Improvement
During the preseason, I watched the shooting guard at the local college work out. Last season, she shot 14% from the three-point line. She did not have the shooting technique of a 14% shooter. After...
View ArticleMatt Barnes and two styles of coaching
What is the job of a coach? At the professional level, an argument could be made that the coach’s job is to put the team into position to win. How does one accomplish that goal? There seem to be two...
View ArticleHow do we develop talented players?
The NBA is not a development league; it is a competition, and most teams strive to win as many games as possible to reach the playoffs and ultimately win an NBA Championship. However, few players are...
View Article
