GAtwood
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Is your team in shape? Another perspective... - 2008/03/23 19:03
I've found that some players want to feel like they are being ran just for the sake of running them. In fact, some of them don't believe they are in good shape unless they are lined up and sprinted again & again. I've found some feel this way despite evidence that they are in good shape.
One of my core principles is that playing basketball should be fun. So I don't like doing things in practice that seem like "punishment." While I was coaching at the Jr High level, I made a conscious decision to avoid running my teams just for the sake of running. No suicides. I got my player conditioning done thru activities (sometimes drills) that more often than not placed a ball in their hands so they were also working on ball handling, passing & dribble skills. They were doing lots of sprints, but they didn't necessarily recognize that I was conditioning them.
I have my "focus sprints" where the whole team runs when there's too much goofing off, poor effort, not listening, etc. My personal favorite is "8's." I have them sprint side line to side line and must touch each sideline 8 times, in under 40 seconds. I want my guards & wings under 35 seconds. Some teams run more of these than others. I tend to have teams do "8's" in groups of 2 at time.
I also usually end my practices with the same pressure free throw (everyone on the base line, 1 shooter at a time) drill that the Portland T'Blazers use which I found linked in this thread. Except we only run once down & back on misses, but we also don't shoot beter than 70% as a team, so I'm sure we run at least as much as a pro team.
We almost always play 4 quarters of full court pressure defense. Obviously you have to be in great shape to play that style and remain in the game. I use a lot of players. This past season as the JV coach, I had to rotate 3 players in the 5 spot constantly. 2 out of the 3 (big girls) couldn't go more than about 3 game minutes without needing a rest.
In the absence of a definative fitness test such as I've seen in this thread, I've always used the measurement of how long they can play our full court pressure D as the indicator of individual fitness. My assessment is that I do a good job of getting about 10 out of 12 in real good condition. With the other 2, there's usually some limiting factor which enhibits their conditioning such as over weight, shin splints, or the occassional player who just will not push hard.
At the end of each season, I hand out a SASE envelope to each player that contains a survey form which I do not require a name on it. I use it as a tool to help me become a better coach. This season, my first at a head JV coach at the HS level, I was hit with about 6 responses that indicated they thought practices were not hard enough and that they were not in as good condition as they could have been. I should add that these 6 or so all played for a coach in Jr High who does run them just to run them and does use suicides.
At least one of these players spent the 1st half of the season "dogging" it in sprints, but did finish very strong, like a "switch" had been flipped in her head. My assistant and I took her off to the side several times to talk about effort in practice. But when she finally came around, it wasn't from us pushing her, it was of her own resolve.
So now I'm wondering what to do to address this. I'm leaning toward running them more just for the sake of running them in early season. Maybe even get them out on the track a couple times a week like I've seen in this thread.
I'm thinking, even if they actually are in good shape the way I've been conditioning them up to now, if they believe they are in better shape, then we are better off at least psychologically.
This is a rambling post. I guess I'm just wondering if others have had similar experiences. Or if my observations here conjur up any relevant thoughts? Just trying to get better.
Post edited by: coach7, at: 2008/03/23 19:07
Post edited by: coach7, at: 2008/03/23 19:09
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