It is now officially the beginning of the school year.It is one of my favorite times of the year because we get to resume basketball conditioning for the athletes who are not involved in fall sports.If you have taken the last couple of months off from basketball you need to quickly realize that the basketball season is less than 100 days away from beginning (Hurray!).
At our school we will focus quite a bit on getting in basketball shape.We will do quite a bit of running and weight room work and then we will just let the athletes play basketball.I find that these basketball at the beginning of the season are very important in setting the tone and pace for the actual season.I am looking for the kids to come out and be in decent shape to start the session (if they are not they will pay a heavy price in being very sore for the first couple of weeks).I am looking for the players to simply do the right things on the basketball court during these games. Some of the things I am looking for involve basketball awareness.I am looking for players to know what an open shot is and I will correct them when they seem to lack that knowledge.While these games are considered pickup games they are chances for us to teach about the expectations we have for the season.
I always try to get the players to think about who else might be more open than they are at any given point in a basketball possession. If we can get them to start thinking about getting the best shot each time down the floor during the pre-season, it can have a basketball impact on the regular season.It also teaches players to be unselfish and makes the open gyms a lot more fun for the entire team and not just the few players who can create their own shots each time down the floor. I also start to emphasize defense.I will begin to notice and make positive comments regarding a players defense right away, sending a message to the team that they can get large amounts of praise from the coach for playing great defense.I will rarely say something negative to the players at this point unless it involves a lack of effort on their part.Keeping comments positive at this time of the year benefits everyone and helps me to keep my wits about me as I watch all the athletes try to impress the coaching staff.
The final thought to share on pre-season basketball is that it should be taken seriously.Remembering that the season is only 100 days away and that this is the time to get in basketball shape, get your shot in great form for your team tryout, and fine tune your basketball skills prior to the season should make it one of the best times of the year.
Coach Chuck Stewart operates a basketball web site offering basketball shooting aids and coaching/instructional videos along with lots of free coaching content. Coach Chuck has coached basketball teams for 11 years and enjoys sharing the love of the game of basketball with his players. He has a special passion for teaching the proper basketball shooting technique to his players.
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