The winter basketball season is almost here!
Typically, winter basketball tryouts for middle school athletes are before Thanksgiving and for high school players they are right after Thanksgiving!
The winter season in MA lasts from early December until early March, which is about 13-14 weeks (very short season)!
In this article, we will be sharing what we believe to be key ingredients in a successful winter season at both the middle school and high school level.
Before getting into this article, it’s important to understand what it means to you as a coach and as a program to have a “successful” season. Do you care about winning a lot of games? Do you care about significant team improvement from day one until the end of the season? We do not believe there as a correct answer to this question, but the goal of the season should be established before heading in.
Middle School Season vs. High School Season:
Although many of our tips are in common for both middle and high school seasons, we still believe that their should be some differences in the focuses and goals.
At the middle school level, players may be just beginning to learn the fundamentals of the game. E.g. How to execute a proper pick and roll, how to make a proper pass or ball fake, etc… We believe that the season for middle school players (boys and girls ages 10 to 14) should be focused around building good/proper fundamentals, habits, and skills as well as having a lot of FUN. Basketball is an incredibly fun game and we believe that this should be instilled in players at a young age!
Although winning games is important, we do not feel as though this should be the number one goal of a team or program at the middle school level. Being a part of a team, having fun, and learning fundamentals is what builds a groundwork for the future. If a player enjoys himself/herself at any sport at a young age, this may motivate him/her to practice and play more by themselves.
Of course, goals change at the high school level. The chances of making the team are smaller. Playing time is not guaranteed. Players are expected to practice daily on their skills in the off-season. The competition level increases. Winning becomes a priority. Sometimes “winning” can take the place of “having fun”. In this article, we will share some thoughts and tips that we feel will lead to a successful season at both the middle and high school level and will also keep a healthy balance for players to keep having fun.
Tips for Having a Successful Basketball Season
For Coaches:
1) Meet with your players before the season starts and get to know them. Let them the way you will be coaching them and your expectations.
2) Always have a practice plan and stay consistent to it.
3) Hold players accountable. If you make a rule that a player will be benched for if he/she is late to practice then stay true to this regardless if he is your best or worst player.
4) End practice on a “fun” note. We feel that after a tough, physical, and mentally draining practice it’s important to end with a fun game such as knockout.
5) Practice your pre-game warm-up so that players know exactly what to do before a game starts. It’s very important to come into a game organized and with a serious attitude. A good warm-up routine will do that.
For Players:
1) Lead by example. There are stretches in the season where players on your team may be goofing off or not going hard. Be the player that does the “little” things… always runs their hardest in sprints, sets hard screens, boxes out, gets deflections, and etc.
2) Go to bed early before the night of a game. It’s very important to be serious and well rested before a game. It sets the tone for game day.
3) Don’t talk back to your coach. There is a difference between asking a question about the plays and giving a coach an excuse for why you were not in the right spot on defense. If a coach tells you something, just say “OK coach”. It’s like music to a coaches ears.
4) Come to practice early and/or stay after to get up more shots or work on your weaknesses. As the season progresses all of the extra work that you put in with add up.
5) Stretch and drink a lot of water. This may be the most underrated piece of advice, but I cannot tell you how many injuries occur from players not being stretched or hydrated to start practice or a game. Do not do static stretches before a game or practice. It’s important to do a dynamic routine that keeps you moving and gets you sweaty/loose. After practice is when you should do static stretches.
On top of these things, We have found it very helpful to do private lessons with a good skills coach during the season. Not only does it give you more repetition for your skills, but you can also input everything you learn from a private coach into your practice or game the next day (throughout the entire season).
Premier Hoops will be offering the following things throughout the winter in Eastern Massachusetts:
- Coaches clinics (one-time free trial)
- Skill development for shooting, passing and ball-handling
- Leagues for beginners and advanced 2nd-6th graders
- Kiddie Hoops (basketball for 3-6 year olds)
- Vacation clinics
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