coachmccormick
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Re:How to peak at the right time? - 2007/07/07 18:25
Well, I think the better your team, the easier it is because you are able to plan better. For instance, if you know your team is going to make the play-offs barring a disaster, you do not have to worry about being game ready for the pre-season games. However, if you are barely going to make the play-offs, every win counts, which changes the priorities and the planning.
I think the biggest mistake coaches make when they get to the play-offs is thinking that they have to take it up a notch to prepare players physically for play-offs. By play-offs, players are already in condition; if they aren't conditioned for the play-offs, then they aren't going to get there through 1-2 practices. If they are not prepared for a zone or a press by the time play-offs start, they aren't going to be.
Practice during the play-offs should be the shortest, least physically demanding practices of the year because the goal is to have players fresh for the game.
In track and field, you would not burn a sprinter out with a tough workout the day before a state meet; you taper. So, why run a grueling practice the day before a play-off game?
If you take a general to specific approach to the season, players should peak at the end of the season because they have had time to learn everything and have had enough repetitions to master the necessary skills. However, this takes planning. Often, coaches plan one practice, but they do not plan the season. While a coach must remain flexible, he or she also must have a vision.
Stanford, a couple years ago, surprised a bunch of people at the beginning of the year because they ran a 2-3 match-up in the pre-season NIT. A couple coaches remarked that they were not really ready for a zone yet because they had not moved to that part of their teaching. While at that level a team probably should be ready for anything, Stanford used the zone, atypical for Montgomery, to surprise teams and steal a couple important preseason wins, as they were not expected to have a great season. So, they started out great, but by the end of the year, they were average, as expected. The preseason wins helped them make the tourney, but they peaked early in the season because their talent level was average and the element of surprise allowed them to beat teams they probably shouldn't have. It was a good strategy.
However, the opponents also had a good plan. They did not rush the learning process. They suffered an early season loss, but they learned from it and built throughout the season. They had the luxury because they knew they'd be there at the end.
They were able to implement their tactics in stages, not all at once, and work from general to specific, while Stanford rushed to specifics right away to get some early wins, but also an early peak.
So, to peak in the play-offs build gradually. Master the basics and the fundamentals and then add complexity and sophistication. As play-offs role around, taper the physical training, prepare mentally and master the strategy; don't add a lot of new things or new wrinkles. You start to out-think yourself. Keep it simple, do what you do, prepare mentally and keep players fresh physically, emotionally and psychologically.
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