Coach Sivils’ Blog

>> Article Date: July 8, 2010

This summer we took our girls basketball teams to a pair of team camps and participated in a summer league with the returning players. As a result I spent quite a bit of time watching and not coaching games, the reason being my primary responsibility in my new role with our girls basketball program is to teach fundamentals. Our program has a good number of athletic girls but not many polished basketball players.

One of my mantra's has always been, and certainly will be this season, free throws and lay-ups win games! Most of the games we lost during the month of June we could have won or at least made a game of had the girls made lay-ups and free throws! The other overwhelming problem was poor passing technique! Most of our turnovers were of our own making and not a result of the opponent's defensive efforts.

This also brings up yet another mantra the girls are going to hear over and over, "control what you can control!" We can control making our lay-ups, free throws and passing technique. The opponent has no control over these basic, and essential, skills.

My current planning process is now being spent focusing on just how can I cram as many quality repetitions of these three essential game skills with as much game pressure as possible in the time allotted for me in practice to teach fundamentals.  This is a task all coaches should spend considerable time thinking about in the off-season.

Games are won and lost because of fundamentals, athletic ability and team concept. Offensive and defensive systems are just how the fundamentals are organized so they can be effectively used. Xs and Os might be more fun and stimulating mentally for coaches, but simple offensive and defensive systems well executed with outstanding fundamentals by effective, cohesive team units wins games. Especially if you make your lay-ups and free throws.

>> Article Date: June 10, 2010

The passing of the Great John Wooden has made me reflect a bit on the lessons I learned as a coach by studying his ideas. I even had the opportunity to meet and talk with the great man once. What an experience. One of the overriding lessons I learned in studying his ideas was the importance of fundamentals.

After a short retirement from the coaching profession after 22 years as a varsity head coach, I have been lured back to the court as an assistant coach by the A.D./Head Coach at the school I work at. Watching our incoming Freshman girls at open gym also drove home once again the idea that fundamentals are key.

The girls were having fun scrimmaging and playing but not a lot of scoring was taking place, largely because of turnovers. Most of these turnovers, including bad passes and dribbling errors, were caused by lack of good body balance or body control while moving.

I truly believe that movement skills such as change of pace, cutting, stopping, starting and pivoting(turning) must be taught and practiced each and every day of practice. For girls this is essential, perhaps more so than for boys, although both genders need to constantly practice these skills.

For a list of the movement skills I  teach, please go to the downloads page and download the handout titled Core Fundamentals Part I.

>> Article Date: June 6, 2010

The Passing of a Legend

John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood, has passed away from natural causes at age 99. The game of basketball will never see another coach like him. Even the casual basketball fan is aware of Wooden's legendary accomplishments, winning 10 NCAA National Championship titles, the winning streaks, the conference titles, the list goes on and on.

More important that his achievements in terms of winning are Wooden's achievements as an educator, husband and family man. His players maintained lifelong relationships with him. He shared his thoughts and ideas in numerous books that have spread his influence to other generations of players, coaches, fans and leaders.

Wooden had integrity. He was a deep thinker who was able to communicate complex ideas in simple ways. The game, and the nation, have lost a unique and wonderful individual.

>> Article Date: April 19, 2010

Once again the old dog is trying to learn new tricks. I have created a short video with some thoughts about shot selection. I really believe this is an aspect of the sport of basketball that is under taught by coaches and as a result games are lost and players are not as successful as they could be.

To watch this short video on youtube please click on the link below.

To the Shot Selection video.

>> Article Date: April 16, 2010

Seven Keys to Successful Teaching in Practice

>> Article Date: April 4, 2010

I will readily admit as a coach that I enjoy practice more than games. I will also admit that is probably because practice is when I am in control, in charge and get to do what I want to do. Game are anything but that. Of course the players prefer games since they want to play and not practice.

Sadly, and I believe to the detriment of the game, the trend is towards more games and in the off-season to play in travel tournaments, all at the expense of practice time or pick-up game time. Yes, players need to play and obtain game experience. Yes, players like to play games.

But the good players come to love the improvement in their game, the work that goes into developing skills. For many of us, the hours spent alone honing our game were almost as enjoyable as the games themselves.

I am not opposed to playing summer games. I do think there is a better way to do it than the way most off-season programs are run now. Rather than play in one, or two, summer leagues plus AAU tournaments I suggest going to two, possibly three, team camps instead. Open the gym up and allow kids to play for fun and to have skill development time.

Encourage kids to go to skill development camps with a reputation for focusing on fundamental instruction and not "playing games." The best camp I can think of in this regard was Don Meyer's Bison Basketball Camp while he still coached at Lipscomb University.

Host your own skill development camp. Don't pay lip service to the concept either, actually develop a unified system of skill development and teach it. This is particularly important for middle school aged players who are learning the game. Have camp games but require the kids to play man-to-man defense and use the skills they have been taught during camp sessions.

In season is time for games and off-season is the time for player development. I will go one step further, think about how you schedule your games and how much practice time you have. For example, do you really need to play a game on Monday or Tuesday when you play in a three day tournament that week? You and your players might be better served by having a day of practice instead. Days off occasionally are good as well. Put as much thought into planning your season long practice schedule as you do your game schedule.

Finally, never, and I mean never, stop working on basic fundamental skills!

>> Article Date: March 26, 2010

Respecting the Practice Schedule

Coaches always want to practice MORE! We often wonder why our players will resort to passive-aggressive behavior when it comes to practice or worse yet, simply openly defy coaches and not even show up at practice. We all know practice is the key to success.

What makes a single, unique practice session a success? It will be crisp, move quickly, smoothly and the players will go hard, practice with intensity and execute well. In addition, all of the information that needs to be transmitted to prepare for the next game will be conveyed in a clear manner by the coaching staff, readily understood by the players and absorbed by all. Another key factor is that every player will be present, on time or the start of the practice session, taped, dressed out and ready to go mentally!

What are some of the challenges coaches face when it comes to having their players ready for practice? Players will be late, skip practice, practice with lethargy and indifference, ignore key information or execute poorly.

What causes players to react this way towards practice?  What is the solution to these challenges? The next few blog postings will address this issue. I will be happy to give coaches a hint - Respect the Practice Schedule.

>> Article Date: March 4, 2010

I don't know if this post should be entitled "Improve Your Team" or "Improve Your Players" as they are one and the same. Sadly, there are many who do not recognize this.

Having long been one to champion a commitment to teaching, and insisting upon the use of, basic fundamentals, I strongly believe the mastery of these skills has a tremendous impact on both an individual player and a team's performance.

This leads to the question of what skills should receive priority? I will sidestep that question for a moment to respond with a philosophical answer, "control what you can control." Players, and coaches, will never have control over the opponent, how hard the opponent plays, the offense or defense the opponent runs and how well the opponent executes same.

What a player, and team, have control over is attitude, effort, choices and mastery of skills, which is really a result of the first three controllable items. You might not have control over the trapping defense the opponent will use, but you do have control over mastering the skills needed to defeat the trapping defense.

What skills should receive priority? This might be a little surprising. I don't believe it is shooting, ball handling or passing. Nor is it even defense or rebounding. Start with the skills that impact all of the other skills: stance, footwork and movement.

Players must first master, and then make a permanent habit, of correctly using the triple threat position facing the basket on offense and a perfect defensive stance on defense. These two position differ only in where the player locates the hands and it is from these two stances that all movement and skills will be initiated, making mastery essential.

The next item of priority is basic movement. This means start steps on offense (direct drive and crossover) and push steps on defense. Once players are in motion stopping is the next skill. On offense this means jump stops and stride stops and on defense this means closing out.

Spend the time to teach these essentials and it will make a difference in all other areas of play for both the player and the team. Insist players execute these correctly.

>> Article Date: February 23, 2010

Coaches and players alike often think of working on fundamentals as boring and repetitive. It certainly can be and there is an element of that which cannot be avoided. Nor, I think, should it be avoided. There is a great deal to be said for the discipline acquired through repetitive action, even monotonous, repetitive action. Players who learn to commit to and engage in this type of practice are often much more tenacious and unwilling to give up and surrender to an opponent.

A great deal of fundamental work is done by a single player or in a one-on-one setting. Some examples would be basic ball handling drills. Even when done in mass, these are essentially one-on-zero drills. A great deal of individual defensive work is done one-on-one such as one-on-one zig-zag, one-on-one closeouts, one-on-one denial or one-on-one contesting a shot and blocking out.

But does all work on fundamentals have to be done in one-on-one drill work? The answer is no. Three-on-three might be the ultimate teaching situation for the sport of basketball. Three offensive players allows nearly ever offensive building block in the sport to be executed and provides more room for cutting, screening and penetration than five-on-five.

Three-on-three eliminates two extra help defenders, making on the ball and one pass away defense even more demanding and critical that the defenders both execute their individual skills correctly and apply team defensive concepts quickly and correctly.

Three-on-three exposes mistakes of both an individual and a team nature more clearly. The players are better able to "see" the value of the individual fundamentals being stressed and the need to execute the team concepts perfectly.

Try taking your favorite five-on-five drill and making it a three-on-three drill instead. You will find more opportunities for teaching as the players will be more exposed and more likely to make mistakes, creating teachable moments. An added benefit is the increased intensity level required and the conditioning that will take place. Players cannot hide in three-on-three.

>> Article Date: February 23, 2010

I am just stunned by the news.  I had the good fortune to work at Coach Meyer's Bison Basketball Camp for 17 summers while he was still the coach at Lipscomb University. Most of what I believe and teach as a coach I learned from him.

I really do not know any details of his decision. But if you go to the Northern State University Athletic Department website you will find an announcement that Coach is retiring.

Each of us as coaches benefited from his membership in our profession whether or not we ever knew it. The game, and our profession, will sadly miss Coach.

>> Article Date: February 16, 2010

The Game of Basketball: Basketball Fundamentals, Intangibles and Finer Points of the Game is now available for sale!  This book covers fundamentals of the game, intangibles and often overlooked finer points of the game. This is a book coaches, players and fans alike can all benefit from.

>> Article Date: February 9, 2010

Coaches all want to improve their teams. They spend countless hours studying Xs and Os, thinking about motivation and the best ways to implement a goal setting plan, strength and conditioning - the list could go on for a long time. All of these things are important and must be part of the equation to improve a team.

But sadly, and I see this more and more, coaches are neglecting the one area where a coach can make the biggest impact on improvement for both the individual player and the team, the instruction of basic fundamentals. I think there are several reasons why this trend has developed.

The first reason is most players tend to not like to work on fundamentals. It takes time, it can be monotonous and players, just like everyone else, resist change. Players want to scrimmage and play and who can really blame them? Playing is fun and is what attracted players to the sport in the first place.

The game would be more fun if the players had better skills.  Players begin losing interest in a sport when it is no longer fun and the first big drop off in participation numbers usually takes place in the transition from middle school to high school.  Part of this is due to players being cut but part of it is due to players with lesser skills not enjoying having to compete with players possessing more advanced skills.

Even more distressing is the trend of coaches entering the profession who do not know the basic fundamentals and how to teach them.  It is hard to emphasize something you yourself cannot do, demonstrate or teach to your players.  My legs have abandoned me as I have aged, but I simply show film, have an assistant demonstrate or an older player who has mastered the skill.  Most important of all, I emphasize and insist players master key fundamentals.

The most distressing aspect of this trend is that many coaches do not view fundamentals as that important.  They just want "talent" and if a player does not have "talent" the coach will find a player who does have talent.  Other coaches lament the fact they don't have "talent" and this is why they don't or can't win.

With the sheer amount of information available in so many different mediums today there is no excuse in players not being fundamentally sound. None.

Coaches must commit to making their individual players better. That means committing to learning the essential fundamentals of the game, learning how to teach these important skills, emphasizing these skills and then insisting the players utilize them in practice and games.

Step one for the coach is to learn the fundamentals!

>> Article Date: February 8, 2010

Regardless of the defense faced, there are four keys to defeating any defense. These three concepts are ball reversal, entering the ball into the lane/post, movement and screening.

The first concept, ball reversal, can be accomplished with just passing the ball from one side of the court to the other. A good verbal cue to use to remind players to reverse the ball is "side - top - side." This is also the easiest of the four keys to defend when used by itself. Ball reversal defeats the defense by forcing the defenders to shift from ball side to help side defense quickly and then repeating the process.  The constant movement and repositioning can lead to mistakes.

The second concept is entering the ball into the lane/post area.  To most coaches this concept means posting up a post player and feeding the post. This is not the only way this concept can be executed. The ball can be entered into the lane/post area other ways including flashing a cutter into the area to receive a pass or driving the ball into the area. This concept hurts defenses in one of two ways, the first of which is the close proximity to the goal may allow a high percentage shot to be taken.  Defenses are also forced to collapse, creating perimeter scoring opportunities. When the ball is passed out, even if a shot is not taken, the defense has been forced to collapse and then attack, covering a large amount of court area.

Player movement forces the defense to adjust. Simply moving players with purpose can cause defensive adjustments that lead to open shots. When offensive players stand still, the defense does not have to move and adjust, allowing the defense to increase its pressure, forcing the offense to make a mistake resulting in a turnover.

Screening is the final and most difficult of all offensive tactics to defend. Impeding the movement of the defenders allows offensive players to move to open areas on the court to either receive the ball for a shot or to continue running the offense in search of an open shot.

A sound offense, regardless of the type of defense being attacked, combines all four of these concepts. When one or more of these concepts is not found in an offense, that particular offensive scheme will not be effective. An otherwise sound offense will not function well if the players stop executing one or more of these concepts.

When analyzing why your offense is not working, start with these four concepts. Are they present? Are the players using all four of these concepts? Can adjustments be made to make these four concepts more effective? Always remember, when an offensive does not work, it is almost always the lack of execution of fundamental skills or one of these four basic concepts.

>> Article Date: February 7, 2010

>> Article Date: February 1, 2010

Many teams dread facing a good half court trap defense. In actuality, with a good plan of attack, half court traps are vulnerable for easy shots once the initial trap or line of pressure is defeated.

Some simple rules for attacking a half court trap:

1. Stay out of obvious trapping areas such as corners.
2. Enter the ball into the high post area as often as possible.
3. Use pass fakes and and shot fakes.
4. Use quick 15 foot passes to move the ball instead of dribbling.
5. Maintain good spacing at all times.
6. Upon receiving the ball the player must face up and look under the net.

For a simple and effective trap offense you can download the attached PDF below or go to the Downloads page and download it and other files there.

>> Article Date: February 1, 2010

To take a quick look at Coach Sivils new book, The Game of Basketball: Basketball Fundamentals, Intangibles and Finer Points of the Game for Coaches, Players and Fans, download the PDF file below.

>> Article Date: January 30, 2010

It is what  you have worked for all season. It started last spring and went through the summer, pre-season, tournaments and now it comes down to this, the state playoffs.

Just a few quick thoughts for those coaches and teams who have earned a berth in the state play-offs:

1) Dance with the girl (or boy) you came to the dance with. Now is not the time to radically change how you play.

2) Be prepared for the opponent but focus on your team when working with your players. You want your players to respect the opponent but not to fear the opponent.

3) Be positive with your players.  The play-offs are a reward for nearly a year of hard work. Be sure to have some fun!

4) Act like you belong there. The time go nuts is after you win it all!

5) Have intense practices but do not drag them out.  Your players only have so much physical, mental and emotional energy left.  Save it for the opponent!

6) Be prepared for anything.  Make sure your assistants and student assistants have are prepared for every possible contingency.  When disaster strikes, be calm, you and your staff are prepared.  Your calm attitude will allow your players to take the sudden change in stride.

7) It might be too late now, but try to schedule a game in an arena similar to the one the state finals will be played in.  This way your team will be comfortable in the arena.

8) Now is not the time to change your routine. In fact, your routine should have been planned for the play-offs, allowing the players to be comfortable and as relaxed as possible.

9) It is OK to be a little nervous. In fact, this is part of the fun of being in the play-offs!

10) It is just another game. It is a big game, but it is just another game. The kids know it is a one and done situation. The more you can make the situation normal and familiar, the better they will be able to perform.

>> Article Date: January 27, 2010

Coaches will argue until the sun comes up about what defensive system is the best style of defense to play.  The first stage of the argument usually starts with man-to-man versus zone defense.  Then the man-to-man advocates will argue that denial defense that forces a team out of its offense and causes maximum disruption is the best. Other man-to-man advocates will argue for switching man-to-man or sagging man-to-man. Then the devotees of each of the aforementioned styles will argue for one particular system advocated by a specific coach is the best, i.e. Dick Bennett Push versus Bobby Knight's man-to-man system.

The advocates of zone defense will argue the merits of match-up versus pure zone or a hybrid of the two. Then the discussion will move on to even front versus odd front zones.  Finally the discussion will move to half court defense versus full court defense and straight defense versus a trapping defense.

All of these arguments are valid and even fun intellectual exercises to engage in.  But they all miss the point. Coaches need to ask the question "what makes a defense, any defense, effective?"

The answer to that question is simple, ball pressure.  Any offense that is allowed to execute without intense pressure on the player with the ball will eventually break the defense down and obtain a good shot opportunity. By the same token, any defense that places great pressure on the offensive player with the ball will have a disruptive influence on the execution of the offense.

Nothing is as disruptive as not allowing the offensive player with the ball to think calmly and pass with ease. Most turnovers that are caused are due to an error by the offensive player with the ball, be it a bad pass or a mishandled ball. Pressure creates the mental errors that lead to the physical error.

Regardless of the type of defense your team plays, each and every practice time must be spent on individual on the ball defensive pressure.  Use short bouts to build intensity early in the season and as the season progresses, increase the length of time players are expected to apply extreme pressure on the ball during practice sessions.

Create as wide a range as possible of one-on-one scenarios in which pressure must be placed on the ball, allowing the defenders constant repetition in game like situations.

Insist that players pressure the ball or sit down. Remember, players do what coaches emphasize, not what coaches teach.

>> Article Date: January 26, 2010

How to lose a game might seem like strange topic for a coach to discuss, but it is an important one.  The right mind set is essential  for any team to be successful.  If you are not going to the win the game, you don't want to lose it.  You must make the opponent beat you.

Every time you and your kids step on the court you must have a mind set that if you aren't going to win the game, you are going to make it hard for the opponent to beat you. This does not mean play dirty.  It does mean make things as difficult as possible for the opponent to win the game.  Take care of the ball. Contest every shot. Dive on the floor for every loose ball. Take charges to protect the rim. Take every possible easy thing away from the opponent.

There is nothing worse than be defeated and feeling like you could have won the game. But if you did everything you could and made it difficult for the opponent and got beat, but did not lose, you and your players can walk out of the gym with your head up and feel good about yourselves.

Getting beat, and not losing the game, is more than just making it hard on the opponent.  You must control those things that you can control. If you are going to commit a turnover, it must be due to the defensive pressure from the opponent. Make your free throws and lay-ups. If you miss a field goal attempt it needs to be a good shot that did not go in. Do not take bad shots, which are the same thing as a turnover.

Have hand discipline on defense and do not commit needless, pointless fouls.  Foul only for profit. Set good screens and force the opponent to play defense. Rebound.

The idea that your players must have is a mental mindset of mental and physical toughness. "You might beat us, but we're going to make you pay!"

This might seem childish, but if you have played well and are getting beat by a good sized margin, hold the ball for the last shot of the game. Treat the game like you are closing out a close game and protecting a lead. Run your delay game then close out the game with your end of game play. Nothing sends a message to your kids like this - we played to the bitter end and we got last push! It is even sweeter when your kids score the last shot.

This tactic forces your kids to compete the final minutes of the game in a blow out and gives them something to feel good about when the game is over.  It also helps to teach the idea of control what you control, never lose the game by making unforced errors and force the opponent to beat you.

By the way, this mindset goes a long way to helping you win games as well by competing ever minute of every game and eliminating the mistakes that allow the opponent to win the game.

I talk about the concept of controlling what you can control in much greater detail in my book Game Strategy and Tactics for Basketball.

>> Article Date: January 25, 2010

Which is better for your players? Playing AAU or travel team basketball or working on individual skill development during the off-season.  With out question I believe skill development is far more important.

In my book Game Strategy and Tactics for Basketball I discuss the Meyer Principle. Briefly the Meyer Principle can be summed up as follows: Which would you rather have come the state play-offs, two new plays or two better players? I would rather have two better players.

Simply playing games will not dramatically increase a player's strength level, skill level or add skills to a player's game. Will it increase a player's game experience? Maybe, but what kind of game experience is that player being provided with? The ills of creating self-centered players as a result of the AAU or travel team experience are to be saved for another discussion.

Does this mean that players should not play games during the off-season? Not at all, in fact, this is when players should play just for the fun of it. Players today spend far too much time playing in adult structured environments with adult goals attached to the outcome of the games.  Players are not allowed to play for the fun, joy and love of the game any more.

Players need time to develop their bodies and rest and recover from conditioning activities designed to make them bigger, faster and stronger. Players need time to work on essential fundamentals, add skills to their individual game and perfect them. Players who are part of an AAU or travel team spend their off-season time playing games, not getting stronger, more agile or adding skills to their game.

One of the reasons that the United States has lost its once dominant edge in world competition is that the European players spend considerable time working on developing skills while American players just play.

The other issue with AAU and travel teams versus school teams is the issue of serving two masters.  It is a Biblical principle that a servant cannot serve two masters. The servant will love one and hate the other. Which team is the most important to the player? The AAU team or the school team?

Are all AAU teams and travel teams bad? Probably not. But do these teams truly serve the best interests of the players? That is a legitimate question and often times for most players I believe the answer is no.

>> Article Date: January 24, 2010

Wanting to win is nice. Everyone wants to win. Preparing to win is another thing all together.  How many people are really willing to make the commitment to do the work and make the sacrifices necessary to become a winner at the game of basketball, or for that matter, anything in life?

Goal setting is one of the tools necessary to provide the focus for coaches and players alike to plan to prepare to win.  I am a huge advocate of planning as part of preparation.  Goal setting helps individuals have specific actions to take with deadlines and tangible means of measuring progress, success and yes, failure.

Evaluation is part of the goal setting process as well and coaches and players alike should learn from each success and failure in the goal setting process. Always learn from every opportunity.

I plan on having a detailed handout on goal setting available in the future but right now have a short guide to the steps of goal setting available on the download page.

>> Article Date: January 22, 2010

Considerable research and discussion has centered around the topic of burnout. For many teams and individual players the late season blahs set in and a drop in commitment level, interest and intensity can be seen in practice and games. Some players feel so burned out that they quit before the season is over or "throw in the towel" and leave the sport when the season is over.

The causes of burnout can be numerous.  Never getting to play yet attending every practice, game and team function can make the sacrifices to be on the team no longer seem worthwhile. Losing constantly, experiencing nothing but failure on a personal or team level are major sources of burnout. Staleness, another form of burnout, can set in if players become bored.

The biggest contributing factor that all of these have in common is a lack of positive reinforcement of some form combined with a lack of success. 

Players and teams do not have to win games in order to experience success.  Unfortunately, that is the most common way American society measures success.  Coaches should help players set goals and work to meet them.

Performance goals and not outcome goals should be utilized. The difference between the two is important.  Outcome goals focus only on the outcome of the athletic event.  If the goal is to win the game or the championship and this goal is not achieved, then the only result possible in terms of achieving the goal is complete and total failure.

Performance goals focus on performance factors. In the case of basketball examples for individual performance goals could be shooting 70% from the free throw line, having no turnovers, setting five good screens and committing no personal fouls.  Examples of team performance goals include not putting the opponent in the bonus, drawing five charges as a team, shooting 45% from the field as a team and holding the opponent to under 40% shooting from the field.

Notice both the player and the team could achieve all of these goals and still lose the game.  By using performance oriented goals, players can still achieve success and have some type of positive reinforcement.

Also of importance is the type of performance goals that are set.  Only goals that contribute to the quality of play should be set as performance goals. Note, the examples given are all specific items that have a strong impact on a team's quality of play and are essential to winning a game. Individual performance goals that are selfish and do not serve the overall good of the team should not be tolerated.

Outcome goals are important and should be part of the goal setting process but should be limited in number.  Performance goals should be geared towards helping the individual and the team in achieving the one or two outcome goals that the team has set.

Goals can be powerful motivating factors and the use of goals can help a team deal with factors that cause burnout late in the season.

Other items the coach can control to help with burnout include shortening practice sessions while increasing intensity.  Scheduled days off are important.  Players look forward to knowing they will have a break from the  daily grind of their season and can plan to engage in other activities.

Routine is important in sports, but a little variety can go a long way in helping players, and coaches, deal with the mental factors that cause burnout late in the season.

>> Article Date: January 20, 2010

I have posted a complete set of my clinic notes on Dick Bennett in a PDF on the downloads page. These notes are from a one man, two day clinic Coach Bennett gave at the LHSCA.

Included in the notes is information on his Biblical Principles, Pack Defense System and the Blocker-Mover Motion Offense as well as some other information. 

These are great notes! Even if you don't want to run Bennett's stuff there are some good teaching ideas in these notes.

>> Article Date: January 19, 2010

I have read several e-books about Dribble Drive Motion by Coach Scott Peterman and they have all been easy to understand, clearly illustrated and full of information. I have even read several of his e-books that aren't about DDM and got a lot of information out of them. Another of my favorites of his is a summary of the famed .07 seconds or less offense made popular by Coach D'Antoni formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now of the New York Knicks.

His website is a popular one and you can trade coaching notes there as well.  I just got through looking at DDM and All the Little Things To It again and just felt compelled to mention his books on my blog.

Click here to go to Coach Peterman's website.

>> Article Date: January 17, 2010

I went to watch a key district game yesterday.  It was a fiercely contested contest with the game winning shot being made with just three seconds left.  From a fan's perspective, this game was fun to watch.  It was just plain painful for me.

The team that won had controlled the contest for the majority of the game but in my opinion, did not deserve to win the game for one simple reason.  Bad shot selection.  With a 12 point lead with just over 3:30 remaining in the game, three players decided they needed to pad their individual scoring totals, or so it seemed, and proceeded to take such bad shots that the opponent was able to come roaring back and tie the score with just 10 seconds remaining.

There is no way to know what is going on in a player's mind so you have to judge what they are thinking by their actions.  Taking a 1-on-3 shot is a pretty good indicator that the player is either selfish and thinking only of their own point total or really does not understand the time aspect of shot selection. By the way, most of the shots the aforementioned three players took were of the 1-on-3 variety.

Closing out a game with a lead changes the rules of shot selection.  It is obvious that 1-on-3 shots are poor choices of shots at nearly any time during a game.  But what are good shots when closing out a game? The obvious choice for a good shot is one that is totally unguarded.  Those are often mental back-breakers for the opponent making the shot even more desirable.

Another favorite is the one-on-one post isolation where the post player has sealed the post defender out in such a way that the post only has to catch the ball to score.  A shot in which the post defender must execute a post move and beat the post defender 1-on-1 is NOT the same thing.  Early in the game, this is a great shot and highly desirable.  Late in a game where time is critical a missed post move is the same thing as a turnover.

Note that any missed shot late in the stages of the game that the opponent is able to take possession of is the same thing as a turnover. Players must be taught to understand this.

Does this mean that players should not shoot while closing the game out? The answer is no. Often the defense will be able to force a turnover or two in the final minutes and convert the turnover into a fast break and score. The team attempting to run the clock out usually needs to score once or twice for confidence, to maintain the point spread of their lead and to hold the opponent at bay. The key is shot selection and poise under pressure.

At some point the rules of shot selection will change once again.  Possession of the ball becomes more important than scoring.  My rule of thumb in this situation is a little variable but ranges from a high of one minute to a low of 30 seconds. Once I tell my players to "Ice" the game, woe to the player who takes a shot.

Why is it more important to hold the ball than to score? Granted, if you score your lead increases. But the opponent gets the ball back and a chance to score a three, set up their press and obtain a quick turnover and score again, increasing panic and pressure for the team that is leading the game.  Don't give the opponent a chance to pull-off an improbable come back.  Maintaining possession of the ball prevents the opponent from scoring and ultimately is the best way to protect a lead in the final minute of a game.

If you are interested in some ideas about shot selection to serve as a starting point for you to develop your own guidelines for shot selection for your players, you can go to the download section of the website and download the handout for shot selection.

For more information on late game strategy or holding the ball successfully, you can check out two books I have written, Game Strategy and Tactics forBasketball and Delay Games: Holding the Ball.

>> Article Date: January 15, 2010

The new downloads section of the website is now working!  You can down load most of items for free such as SLOBs and BLOBs or different plays I have posted there.  Also available are articles about different aspects of coaching or articles meant to provoke thought on the part of the coaches who read them. Also, I will be posting a summarized version of the 2009 Newsletter as a single PDF as soon as I get a chance to combine them into a single file and delete the duplicate material from the file.

There will be some files there that will be for sale but they will be few in number.  The wife says this is not a hobby and some bills have to be paid.  Also, there will be a widget where you can view some coaching books that I recommend and visit their product pages on Amazon.com.  If  you decide to purchase one of these books and do so by going through this website I get a very tiny percentage of the sale, but again, it goes to support this website.

>> Article Date: January 11, 2010

I strongly believe that coaches should prepare their teams for as many situations as possible in advance, allowing their players a better chance to succeed.  I learned this play as a player in high school from my high school coach, Gary Niehaus, who I believe learned the play from Morgan Wootten since the play is named DeMatha.

This play has some flexibility built into it and coaches should fit the play to their personnel and practice variations of the play and time remaining on a regular basis. This play has been successful for my teams, the most critical use of it was to send a game into overtime in what would eventually be a victory that led to an undefeated district title.

To obtain the play you must download it from the link below.

>> Article Date: January 9, 2010

Balance, without it players won't have much chance for success.  Coaches, and players, spend hours focusing on the details of performing a skill correctly and in the process neglect the concept of balance. Have you ever seen a player dribbling as fast as possible on a fast break and simply lose control of the ball or head right into a trap despite seeing the defenders approaching?

The typical response from the coach and those who view the train wreck in process is that the player is out of control. They are partially correct, the player is out of balance. Simply telling the player to "get under control" is not sufficient corrective feedback.  Rewind the tape of the out of control ball handler. Look at the location of the player's head.  It will be too far in front of their center of gravity and the player will be upright in their running stance.

Slowing down a little will help the control issue, but to really help the player the issue of balance must be addressed.  Coaches need to take a look at how their players position their bodies in terms of balance as well as how they execute their technique.  Think of all the shots players miss due to poor body balance.

How many times to players travel while under pressure from the defense and the cause of the traveling violation was the pressure led the offensive player under pressure to assume a stance that had poor balance.  This is what led to the turn over.

Three basic principles need to be kept in mind when correcting balance issues. First, how high or low is the player's center of gravity. Second, the player's head controls the direction the center of gravity will move in. Is the player's head centrally located over the central mass of the player's body? How wide and stable is the player's base?

Often there is little wrong with the player's mechanics of executing a specific skill. Instead, the player has poor body balance which is the real cause of the poor execution of the skill.

>> Article Date: December 29, 2009

Conference and district play is rolling around this time of the basketball season.  Teams are playing their last tournaments and non-conference or non-district games as they finish preparing for league play. Practices are a little shorter and just as intense as ever in preparing for each league game.

Keep the Meyer Principle in mind when planning practice this time of the year.  A quick summary of the Meyer Principle is to have two better players instead of two new trick plays this time of the season.

To make sure that your players continue to improve as individuals, be sure to continue to work on fundamentals.  You can introduce new fundamentals drills to freshen things up during a time of the season when things can get stale in practice.  I am not suggesting you introduce a new offense or defense, but just a new way to practice a single skill.

Teams tend to reach a "saturation" point during the season where as a group the team does not improve much more.  One way to overcome this sticking point in improvement is to shift the focus slightly during practice to individual improvement.

Emphasize the fact that for the TEAM to continue to improve, each individual player must continue to improve.  As the individual players improve, the TEAM will once again move forward and improve again, getting past the sticking point in improvement.

Available to download at the link below is a handout on Ten Late Season Fundamentals To Emphasize In Practice.

>> Article Date: December 21, 2009

I stumbled across this book, Know Yourself As A Coach by Dennis Kuiper, while looking for a book on a different topic on Amazon.  I bought this book instead and am glad I did.

This is not a X's and O's book nor is it basketball specific.  Instead it is designed to make the reader evaluate what kind of coach the reader wants to be and compare that determination to the type of coach the reader currently is.  It can be a hard book to read at times as it forces you as a coach to evaluate yourself.

The book contains 36 chapters and covers a wide range of topics, some of which are: communication, motivation for coaches, people skills, using data to motivate, listening, leadership and integrity.

Other topics include sticking to your guns, evaluating non-athletic skills, coaching through intimidation vs other methods, styles of coaching, improving competitiveness and thinking outside the box.

It is truly a thought provoking book and both the rookie and veteran coach would be well served to give the book a read. This is a book that belongs on every coach's bookshelf.

>> Article Date: December 18, 2009

If all goes as planned my next book will be available in late February/early March, just in time for March Madness!  The title of my next book is The Game of Basketball: Basketball Fundamentals, Intangibles and the Finer Points of the Game for Coaches, Players and Fans.

The book covers a lot information that simply gets lost in most coaching books or DVDs.  These "intangibles" or fundamentals are often what separates good players from excellent and are the "finer points" of the game that most fans simply do not know about and as such do not appreciate.

This book has something for coaches, players and fans of the game of basketball.

In the coming months, I will post a few excerpts from the book on this site and I hope that you find them interesting and helpful.

Coach Sivils

>> Article Date: December 4, 2009

I am a confirmed basketball book and DVD junkie.  I literally have boxes of DVDs and VHS tapes, which my wife would love to have disappear, along with shelves full of coaching books and books about sport psychology and athletics, not to mention two filing cabinets filled with clinic notes.

In particular I like stuff on motion offense, Dick Bennett style man-to-man defense and the running game.  I have seen lots of good books, videos and been to some great clinics.  I also have more than my share of books and videos that are, to be honest, not worth the space they are taking up in a box.

Coach Scott Peterman's new e-book Dribble Drive Motion: The "Book" on DDM and all the Little Things To It is not one of those that is a waste of space.  I like to have hard copies of books so I can write in, make notes, and otherwise make a book my own and this book is no exception.  I printed out my copy and comb bound it. It is already marked in, dog eared, and somewhat battered in the few days that I have had my copy.

Coach Peterman has gone to great lengths to catalog every detail imaginable about the Dribble Drive Motion Offense. The book starts with a helpful section on terminology and the many "zones" involved in running this offense.  Not only does the book cover the big picture concepts of the DDM, but it includes lots of little things that make this offense really work.

The book includes two and three digit sets, the basic simple offensive positions on the court, as well as means to attack both sagging man-to-man defense and zone defense, the two most common means of attempting to stop the penetration attack of the DDM offense.

A special added bonus of the book is that a good deal of the information is based on clinic notes never before released from clinics by Vance Walberg, John Calipari and Chucky Martin.

The diagrams in the book are very clear and easy to follow and are accompanied by simple explanations of the action depicted in each diagram.  Important concepts that are often overlooked in coaching books are rebounding schemes and shot selection, both of which Coach Peterman addresses this in the book.

I found this offense just fascinating.  Even if you don't want to run this offense, you will have to defend it and this book provides a wealth of detail and information about the DDM offense.  Ideas about positioning of players in this offense can be applied to other offenses.

The next book I hope Coach Peterman brings out about the DDM offense is a detailed explanation of how to teach the offense and all of the skills the players need to run the offense.

This is a book that I will study for some time.

If you want to obtain a copy of the book, and I suggest you do so if you are interested in learning more about this offense, you will have to purchase it directly from Coach Peterman's website.  It is very reasonable priced at $14.95 and you download it shortly after paying for the e-book.

The link to Coach Peterman's site is below.  You will have to scroll down just a little to see the information for the book.

http://mensbasketballhoopscoop.blogspot.com/