"Developing Solution Seekers"

In this weeks blog we talk about how as coaches we can develop great "solution seekers".

BLOG TOPICS

• Guided Athlete Learning Environments

• See.Talk.Act.React

GUIDED ATHLETE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

It would be hard to find coaches around the world that do not align with the philosophy that it is a key part of our charter as a coach which is to support the learning and growth of athletes mentally, physically, emotionally and socially . As coaches we seek fulfilment from seeing others:

• Enjoy what they are doing and the company of their team mates

• Achieve new tasks and extending their capability boundaries

• Executing a skill or action with success

• and the winning thing...

But how can we create a learning environment in our program that:

• Is efficient with the use of facilities, human resources and time

• Has clear and concise outcomes that meet the needs of individuals and the group

• Empowers athletes to grow in the space of the ownership stakes in their development

• Balances the "learning" of new things while maintaining confidence and demonstrating resilience

These are some of the things that constantly rattle around my head and form discussions with other coaches as an "informal health check" of how we are going about delivering our practise's and if our athletes are improving.

As coaches we are required to offer opinions on players, subjectivity is unavoidable and we have to be comfortable with that, but let's rain-check this for now as strategies to assess a players development is for another blog. For now we'll focus on the actual learning environment itself and what we can do as coaches to help establish and activate a fun place for athletes to develop their games. We are regularly in "the training lab" with the players in and around games, so it's critical that we don't lose sight of our charter to continuing to provide an environment of positive learning. A huge part of creating a positive learning environment is how we empower players to grow their confidence and "capacity to make decisions". We want to develop great "solution seekers".

So what does it look like at practise?

We need to create opportunities for athletes to cognitively develop through the use of perception practice (what are they actually seeing, what should they be seeing) but connecting their perceptions with those of others so that the execution of the relevant skills can occur at the "right time" and "right place" on the court.  A simple acronym S.T.A.R. will be explained with some examples of the practical application of the process. While navigating this process, staying on course with coach-player interactions during the learning experience is essential. Some of the challenges for coaches specifically are:

• An awareness of the number of interventions during a drill / block / session. Ensuring there is sufficient time for repetition and "live" actions

• When using engagements such as questioning (ie. "what did you see') be conscious of the players body language in their response (are they responding just to respond, do they look confident or anxious)

• If players are "missing" the read or visual cue, "guide" them to an answer (sometimes being politely direct is essential to keep the practise flow going)

• Being comfortable with some "mess". It may not look perfect but that's OK

• Praise the process (eg. "right decision and skill attempt") not the outcome

THE S.T.A.R. PROCESS

Whether it be to run, walk, jump, pass, catch, shoot, dribble etc. it is essential for players to understand "context" by taking a "snapshot" before choosing to execute a movement / skill. This simple acronym is an easy way to frame the process a player can go through before deciding what to do next. Obviously the ability to become efficient in decision making is an essential sports skill.

SEE: The court, see mine, see others, see whats next.

Step 1 - A snapshot of the court

• Taking a quick picture of the court to establish what to do next. An example being when rebounding a ball turning and looking over your shoulder to "snapshot" the area and see if there is a player to pass to, or space to dribble into, commencing a transition. Or as a corner shooter "snapshotting" the keyway in anticipation of whether on the catch they'll have a passing or driving target if there isn't sufficient space to shoot the ball.

Step 2 - See Mine

• A flow-on from the last example above, the corner shooter observed that the keyway is congested and is about to receive the ball. They "see my" defender in their peripheral vision prior to the catch their perception is they have enough "space" to shoot the ball. TIP: enough space = if the defender is more than touch distance away on the catch.

Step 3 - See Others

• Provides a process when engaged in actions on the court with another player. After taking a snapshot of the court a player see's space in the keyway, on the catch they see insufficient space to shoot. They do see that the nearest defender is attached to their team mate (see other defender that's nearby) and there is sufficient space to drive to the basket. This is also the case in using screens. After a snapshot and seeing "my own" defender, a player should "see other" team mates defender (the screeners defender) before deciding what to do.

Step 4 - See Next

• To book-end the process, if using an example as mentioned above like screening once a player has actioned the initial response (ie. used a screen) then seeing "what's next" for example, the next line of defence, is important to finishing the execution of that action. If a player curls cuts off a screen and receives the ball and a screener rolls to the rim, prior to executing the pass the passer needs to see if there is a "next" line of defence that can impact the play. If not the pass is safe to make.

TALK: with the body and the voice

There is a saying that goes "the body tells a team mate WHAT to do, talk tell's them WHEN to do it". A simple example being when we pass to a cutter posting up. The player posting up is using their feet and body to fight for position and their hands are presenting a target - their body is telling their team mate they are posting up, so pass it. So often a player can be completely missed, a pass is deflected or inaccurate , the pass is way too early or more often late (for another blog). So when a player "demands" the ball firstly with strong body language they are telling the passer the light is orange so get ready, then when they "demand" the ball with their voice the light goes green and they are ready for it.

• Precision Passing = on time, on target

Talk is essential on so many levels in a sports context: building trust and relationships, timing (example above) and chemistry (such as the verbal and visual signals we use for screening situations). For more in-depth discussion on improving on-court communication check out my previous blog HERE.

ACTION: Once a player has seen what's going on, and communicated, then an action occurs.

A simple example of this is a player without the ball takes a "snapshot" of the keyway and see's some space, then see's their player in a denial position on defence. They perceive the opportunity exists to "backdoor cut". They commence their "talk" using their feet, and body to set up like receiving the ball on a reversal pass. The difference this time is, they "point to the floor" (this is the visual cue used in their team to indicate a player is back cutting). The player with the ball unfortunately is dealing with ball pressure and looking elsewhere, so the potential cutter now calls the player with the balls name to attract attention (another application of talking), and the player setting up the back cut repeats pointing to the floor. This is acknowledged by the eye contact between the players. The cutter then executes a change of direction and back cuts, calling for the "ball". This helps tell the passer the are "ready" for the pass.

A helpful hint: players should demand the ball a split second prior to being open to allow for the "lag-time" that exists for the passer to execute the pass.

REACTION: Once an initial action has commenced there is a "reaction to the action"

A simple flow-on from the example above is the execution of the pass to the back cutter. The cutter actioned a back cut. So the passer reacted, but let's take a quick PAUSE.

Let's now jump into the head of the passer. and wind the clock back a split second. They have the basketball at the top of the 3pt line and have been dealing with securing the ball against an active defender.

• They took a "snapshot" of the court and see that space is about to be created in the keyway as a cutter is emptying out weakside.

• As they "See Mine" (their own defender) they realise their path for a drive is blocked by the defender's position

• So they action a drive fake opposite to try and force a favourable reaction by the defender - UNPAUSE.

It's at this moment in time they hear their name called from the wing player and on turning to "see others" they see their team mate pointing to the ground (a back cut, here we go). In anticipation they deliver a pass fake to their team mate (hoping to get a reaction from both defenders). The back cut is commenced, and a pass over the top is executed on the command of the cutter calling for the ball.

This simple example above shows how both players use the S.T.A.R process to help execute an action. Now who goes first? There's no simple correct answer as the game is too fast and dynamic. However as a starting point for players it's good to state that the player with the ball should have right of way at the "decision making roundabout", but this should never stop their team mates "seeing" the traffic on the road and seeking safe opportunities. It just may mean waiting a bit longer before merging (creating & holding space) or taking off to to create an opportunity for the next (creating space through deliberate movement). A basketball game is a busy roundabout with a constant flow of traffic and it's best to approach it with caution and vision prior to determining what to do and when to do it. Like in different countries, the traffic rules are different for every team, the beauty as a coach is you have a big say in these rules but at the end of the day you can't drive the car for each and every player on your team. They are the ones behind the wheel making the constant and critical decisions. It's our job to provide the safe environment and the guidance for them to navigate their way through.

THE TAKEAWAY SHOP

• Remember the coaches charter

• Praise skill execution attempts and decision making, more than the outcome

• Take Snapshots. What did you see? Encourage players to see the intersection first

• Guiding Questions:

  • ie. was there space or congestion?

  • If you see "X", what is the solution?

• Talk is more than voice, it includes visual cues as well

• Start simple: practising seeing mine drills, before adding seeing others

• We want to develop confident "solution seekers" in our environments, empower them to drive their own cars