10 KEYS TO REMEMBER WHEN THINKING LIKE A HEAD COACH

After coming back from the Assistant Coaching Professional Development Symposium I will from time to time share some of the things I learned. It was an amazing weekend. I was honored to be a presenter in two sessions but genuinely came back with more than I gave. Hats of to Felicia Hall Allen and her husband Johnny Allen for putting together something that help assistant coaches grow -- and in effect, help us grow the game!

The following notes come from Illinois assistant Lisa Cermignano talking about "How To Think Like A Head Coach."

1. Anticipate...always stay 2 steps ahead.

2. Speak your head coach's language...have open and honest dialogue with your head coach.

3. Put the time in...strive to be better each day; always look to learn.

4. Know your boss.

5. Understand where you are working and who you are working with.

6. Be about TEAM...be an example and keep everyone on the same page.

7. Be proactive...become a housekeeper.

8. Work Ethic

9. Be confident...know the game; know the business; know you.

10. Be loyal! It is not your program; it is not about you; it is not about power; it is not about money.

MOVING ATHLETES FROM GREAT TO GOOD

The following notes comes from Weber State's Phil Beckner following a meeting with
strength and conditioning coach Tim McClellan.

As a coach what are some ways you find to motivate athletes to be great vs. good?

1. COACH HEART... “They do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care” “Change a heart, change them forever” Tim thoroughly expressed being able to capture your player’s heart by showing and telling them that you believe in them and their goals/vision. ***This is one of the best things I heard from him, because I could feel his passion, and knew that he truly believed in this. At times I have not made this a priority in coaching athletes, and I left inspired to coach their heart first, before their skills.

2. Be Prepared: “All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.” Gain as much knowledge as possible in your sport. Everything you read, everyone you meet, everything you do will have an effect on this. Look for every opportunity to better yourself, and in turn you can better your players.

3. Find a Way: Help your players buy into the vision of what they can be and where they want to be! Show them that you believe in them and you are willing to do whatever you can to “find a way” to give them every tool they need to get there. Tim once opened up his garage at 10:30pm for a 2 hour workout when he had to be up at 5am the next day because an Olympic gold medalist missed his workout and could not go to sleep knowing he had not put in his work that day! As a coach, if you want to take your players from good to great you have to be willing to do everything possible to get them there, and that may mean you sacrificing sleep, fun, or free time as a coach.

4. Be Willing to Battle: they must be challenged and reminded that they need to do whatever it takes in order for them to become the best they possibly can. They must be willing to pursue the goal/vision they have w/out fear and with confidence! They must battle whatever obstacles and adversity that may present itself. As a coach you must be willing to battle with them and for them! Battle to push them to be their best, battle to motivate and inspire daily, and battle to give them every opportunity possible to succeed.

BRIAN TRACY ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE OBJECTIVE

Another great post on Brian Tracy and on that can effect coaches, players or pretty much anyone. I spoke at the Assistant Coaching Symposium in Atlanta a few weeks ago and one of my topics was scouting. One of the important parts of scouting, in terms of taking it to a higher level is to understand the "why" and "how" of what other teams do. It is not just enough to diagram the set. If you know why and how they run that set you better attack it. In others words, what is the "objective." Her is Tracy's thoughts on the subject:

Learn from the Lessons of History
The concepts of military strategy have been studied and written about for more than 4,000 years, going back to the early works of General Sun-Tzu in China more than 2,000 years BC. These principles of strategy that have been developed and perfected over the centuries have direct applications and implications for strategic thinking, both personally and corporately.

Decide In Advance What You Want
The most important military principle is the Principle of the Objective. This principle requires that you decide in advance exactly what it is that you are trying to accomplish. What exactly is your objective? In my experience, fully 80% of all problems in personal and corporate life come from a lack of clarity with regard to objectives and goals.

Clarity Is Critical
Clarity of objective precedes all other elements in strategic thinking. Here are some questions that you can use over and over again to focus and clarify your objectives. The first question is, "What am I trying to do?" The second question is, "How am I trying to do it?" The third question is, "What are my assumptions?" And the fourth question is, "What if my assumptions were wrong?"

Question Your Assumptions
Having the courage to ask these questions, and to question your assumptions, both spoken and unspoken, is a key mark of the superior person. Sometimes individuals avoid questioning their assumptions for fear that they will have to change their minds or do something other than what they started out to do. However, false assumptions lie at the root of almost every failure. The only way that you can root out these wrong assumptions is by carefully analyzing them and discussing them, and then by demanding proof or evidence that these assumptions are still valid.

Project Forward In Your Mind
Another method for clarifying your objectives is for you to project forward and look backward. In other words, imagine that you have already achieved the objective that you are working toward. Project yourself forward in your mind and then look back to the present day, to the present moment. What do you see? What changes could you make looking back from this imaginary perspective of hindsight? This is a key peak performance thinking technique.

Determine Why You Want It
The final part of clarifying your objectives revolves around your identifying the reasons why you want to achieve this objective in the first place. Why is it important? Is it still as important as when you started off? Is this objective more important than any other objective that you could be working on? It is essential that you be clear about the answers to these questions.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to apply the principle of the objective to your personal and business life:

First, take out a piece of paper and answer the question: "What am I trying to do?" What are your goals? What are your objectives? Why are you doing what you are doing in the first place? Is this the very best use of your time and energy?

Second, question your assumptions. What things are you assuming are true about yourself, the people around you and the situation? What if one of these assumptions turned out to be false? What changes would you have to make if you found that your most cherished assumptions were not based on reality, or were contradicted by facts?

Be sure to checkout: www.BrianTracy.com

KNOWLEDGE OVER INFORMATION

Thanks to Coach Creighton Burns and his newsletter for the following:

I came across this great definition of knowledge:

“Knowledge is information that changes something or somebody — either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different or
more effective action.”

-Peter F. Drucker

Don’t just give people information, give them the knowledge they need to be effective.

LEAD, DON'T BOSS

The follow comes from John Adair’s book, "Not Bosses But Leaders: How to Lead the Way to Success."

1. Direction.

Do you generate a sense of direction? “Finding a way forward involves setting new objectives and identifying new products, services, or markets,” says Adair.

2. Inspiration.

To be a leader you must inspire others to follow. “Leaders’ words and examples kindle the motivation-the moving energy- already present in the organization,” says the author.

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3. Team Building.

A leader thinks and motivates in terms of teams. “Groups of individuals are transforms into teams,” says Adair. “Equally, teams tend to look for leaders rather than bosses.”

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4. Example.

Actions speak louder than words- an old adage that is especially true in leadership. Are your actions worth following? Adair says, “A leader will have his or her own output or direct contribution to the common task, thereby leading from the front.”

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5. Acceptance.

“You can be appointed a manager but you are not really a leader until your appointment is ratified in the hearts and minds of those who work with you,” says Adair.

POST GAME EVAULATIONS

Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik utilizes statistics to help evaluate players. He says that stats and video are critical in the process because "otherwise players don't believe you." He has no problem with players looking at the basic post game stat sheet but uses these stats to help grade his players and team.

1. Point Guard Pushes

2. Offensive Rebounds

3. Running the Lanes in Transition

4. Charges

5. Cutouts (Blockouts)

6. Shot Challenges

He and his staff will use video to gain these stats the night after a game and he goes over with his team the next day.

LEADERSHIP MYTHS FROM JOHN MAXWELL

The myths of leading from the middle of an organization come from John Maxwell and his book 360 Degree Leadership (a great book -- especially for assistant coaches):

1. Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization.

2. You don’t have to be held hostage to your circumstances or position. You do not have to be the CEO to lead effectively. And you can learn to make an impact through your leadership even if you report to someone who is not a good leader. You learn to develop your influence from wherever you are in the organization by becoming a 360- Degree Leader. You learn to lead up, lead across, and lead down.

3. Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.

4. You can lead others from anywhere in an organization. And when you do, you make the organization better.

5. “To do nothing in the middle is to create more weight for the top leader to move. For some leaders- it might even feel like dead weight. Leaders in the middle can have a profound effect on an organization.”

6. Every level of an organization depends on leadership from someone.

7. Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he is. You can make a difference no matter where you are.

3'S FROM COACH ALLEN OSBORNE

I just received this via email from my junior high school coach and mentor Allen Osborne. Allen has built an elite program at Poca High School in West Virginia and continues to work to make me a better coach.

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back:

1. Time

2. Words

3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person:

1. Anger

2. Pride

3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose:

1. Hope

2. Peace

3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable:

1. Love

2. Family

3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain:

1. Fortune

2. Success

3. Dreams

Three things that make a person

1. Commitment

2. Sincerity

3. Hard work

POSITION YOURSELF AS A VALUABLE PART OF THE PROGRAM

After coming back from the Assistant Coaching Professional Development Symposium I will from time to time share some of the things I learned. It was an amazing weekend. I was honored to be a presenter in two sessions but geniunely came back with more than I gave. Hats of to Felicia Hall Allen and her husband Johnny Allen for putting together something that help assistant coaches grow -- and in effect, help us grow the game!

The following comes from UNC-Charlotte head coach Karen Aston who was for years recognized as one of the nation's top assistant coaches. Her input I thought was invaluable because after being an assistant coach she is now a head coach and you could tell her her understanding from both sides as she spoke. Her topic was "Position Yourself As A Valuable Part of the Program."

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Take Ownership and Initiative

1. Have options and ideas ready.

2. Be prepared in meetings and have a checklist of tasks. make sure you have checked them off.

3. Be embarrassed if your head coach has to continually check on you (phone calls, letters, emails, etc.)

4. Don't be the motivated -- be the motivator!

Be A Buffer

1. Be a buffer between the head and the players. Explain the coach's methods and teachings. Always, always, speak the same language as the head coach.

2. Talk to parents after games, etc.

3. Talk to fans, administration, etc. whenever possible. Be an advocate for the program and the head coach.

Study Basketball

1. Study film on your team and opponents.

2. Share with friends in the business who are from successful programs. Steal from them and share.

3. Know all answers about opponents and scouting. Be prepared when the head coach asks questions about an opponent.

Be In The Office and On The Court Before and After The Head Coach

1. Don't be the first one off the court after practice.

2. Spend outside time with players during the season. Head coaches want them in the gym and it gives players extra attention.

3. Don't let the head coach beat you to the office.

HANDLING THE GAME AT THE END WHEN YOU ARE TRAILING

Another great article from www.Hooptactics.net. One of my absolute favortie sites!

Fouling plays a critical part in the outcome of the game, especially when it comes playoff time. Fouls were added to the basketball rule book to penalize; however, intelligent players and teams can use fouls to their advantage. When trailing by more than two offensive possessions late in the end, the clock is your worst enemy not your opponent. Every second counts, so if you have to foul, foul immediately. Do not let any precious time run off. Legendary, Hall of Fame coach, Dean Smith, was a mastermind of this end of game strategy.

However, when it comes to fouling to gain a competitive edge do not assume that players know how to foul. Have you practiced fouling? in reality, when a coach tells their players to foul, they are most likely to just push or grab an opponent resulting in an intentional foul. Since the opponent gets to shoot free throws and retains ball possession, this is disastrous. Players need to know how to foul, when to foul, and who to foul.

These end of game fouling techniques must practiced. When taking a quick foul, players should first attack the passing lane and go for the ball. A steal, five second count or picking up an offensive charge is much better than a foul. If unsuccessful, players should foul by trying to knock the ball out of their opponent’s hands. Every once in awhile, they just might be successful in knocking the ball loose. In addition, officials will, occasionally, be out of position and not call the foul. When trapping, execute one hard trap and then foul. Learn more see Clock Management & Fouling – Premium Members Click Here

Wise Substitutions

When faced with a must foul situation, do not forget to substitute!!! During a timeout or when shooting a free throw, be sure to make defensive substitutions and put players into the game that can afford to foul instead of putting your best players into foul trouble or even losing them to disqualification. Once the foul has been committed and the clock stopped, players in foul trouble or key players can be reinserted back into the game. How many times in the recent NCAA Tournament games have you see key players, needlessly, foul out in must foul situations?

Read the rest of this article at: http://bit.ly/arbUxV