SKILL DEVELOPMENT THOUGHTS FROM KEVIN EASTMAN

1. The coach must bring energy as well as knowledge to the work out

2. It’s not just about what you know; it's often as much about what you bring

3. Make players do drills at a rate equal to or greater than what will occur in a game

4. Hold players accountable to the details of the execution

5. Make sure players are taking game shots, from game spots, at game speed

6. Make sure players know that improvement is a process; it will take days, weeks, months, and years to improve to the level they dream of

7. Make sure to include variety in workouts in order to relieve boredom

8. Players must commit to being in shape so that they can do all drills at game speed

9. Constantly look for new teaching points and drills so you can keep things fresh

10. Players must take ownership of their own improvement

Visit: www.CoachKevinEastman.com

JOHN MAXWELL: HOW TO INVEST IN YOUR TEAM

1. Make the decision to build a team… this starts the investment in the team.

2. Gather the best team possible… this elevates the potential of the team.

3. Pay the price of develop the team… this ensures the growth of the team.

4. Do things together as a team… this provides community for the team: “Even when you’ve played the game of your life, it’s the feeling of teamwork that you’ll remember. You’ll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you’ll never forget your teammates.”

5. Empower team members with responsibility and authority… this raises up leaders for the team.

6. Give credit for success to the team… this lifts the morale of the team: “I can live for two months on one good compliment.” -Mark Twain; “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

7. Watch to see that the investment in the team in paying off… this brings accountability to the team.

8. Stop your investment in players who do not grow… this eliminates greater losses for the team.

9. Create new opportunities for the team… this allows the team to stretch.

10. Give the team the best possible chance to succeed… this guarantees the team a high return: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” -James E. Hunton

From "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" by John C. Maxwell

BRIAN TRACY'S 11 WAYS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

1. Develop clear goals and write them down.

Because higher productivity begins with clear goals, goal setting is a key component of our coaching program. As you know, a goal must be specific and measurable to be effective in guiding your behavior. It must reflect your beliefs and be within your power to achieve.

2. Write a clear action plan.

Next, if you want to turbo-charge your productivity, make sure you have a clear, written plan of action. Every minute you spend in careful planning will save you as many as ten minutes in execution.

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3. Set your priorities.

The third step is to prioritize your list. Analyze your list before you take action. Identify and start with the high-value tasks on your list.

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4. Concentrate and eliminate distractions.

In this step, choose a high-value activity or task, start on it immediately, and stay with it until it is done. Focusing single-minded attention on one task allows you to complete it far more quickly than starting and stopping.

5. Lengthen your workday but increase your time off.

By starting your workday a little earlier, working through lunchtime, and staying a little later, you can become one of the most productive people in your field.

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6. Work harder at what you do.

When you are at work, concentrate on work all the time you are there. Don't squander your time or fall into the habit of treating the workplace as a community where socializing is acceptable.

7. Pick up the pace.

At work, develop a sense of urgency and maintain a quicker tempo in all your activities. Get on with the job. Dedicate yourself to moving quickly from task to task.

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8. Work smarter.

Focus on the value of the tasks you complete. While the number of hours you put in is important, what matters most is the quality and quantity of results you achieve.

9. Align your work with your skills.

Skill and experience count. You achieve more in less time when you work on tasks at which you are especially skilled or experienced.

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10. Bunch your tasks.

Group similar activities and do them all at the same time. Making all your calls, completing all your estimates, or preparing all your presentation slides at the same time allows you to develop speed and skill at each activity.

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11. Cut out steps.

Pull several parts of the job together into a single task and eliminate several steps. Where you can, cut lower-value activities completely.

THE ESSENCE OF THE HEAD COACH

"The man who gets the most satisfactory

results is not always the man with the most

brilliant single mind, but rather the man

who can best coordinate the brains

and talents of his associates."

-Alton Jones-

BILL PARCELLS: THE TEAM'S 3 DAILY FIGHTS

There are three fights that a team has to fight every day.

1. Division from within (team chemistry; unhappiness regarding roles)

2. Competition (your opponent)

3. Outside influences (agents, media, family)

From "Championship Performance" newsletter

HOUSTON COACHING CLINIC THIS WEEKEND

I will be in the Houston area this weekend to speak at a Coaching Clinic on the campus of Texas Southern. The clinic is at the HP & E Arena and the cost is $60. For more information, you can contact Texas Southern assistant coach Wesley Brooks at: brooksww@TSU.EDU

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 11, 2010

8:30 - 9:20

Daryl Armstrong - Dallas Maverick - Shooting

9:30 - 10:20

John Lucas - Player Development

10:30 - 11:20

Mike Carey - WVU - Man Defense

11:30 - 12:20

Bob Starkey - LSU - Offense

The clinic has a great list of speakers and I'll be there bright and early to listen and learn from them. If you make it by, please come up and introduce yourself afterwards. I'll be glad to stick around and talk basketball with anyone interested.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER

"Look for players with character and ability. But remember, character comes first. "
- Joe Gibbs, Former Head Coach, Washington Redskins.

The most powerful force on any team is the personal character of the athletes and coaches. Personal character matters because it is the foundation of trust. Teams that trust each other player harder, smarter, quicker, tougher, and more together than teams that lack trust. Most importantly, teams with strong character stick together during difficult times. Consequently, teams with strong personal character win when they should and often upset teams with superior physical talent. Here are ten winning practices you can use to elevate your team with your own personal character.

1. Show Spirit
Competitive spirit is a winning combination of energy and enthusiasm. Athletes who have it like to play the game. They are able to get themselves pumped up and positive even when things are tough. Athletes with spirit are especially valuable because they inspire everyone around them to elevate their own spirit of competition.

2. Show Intensity
Intensity is the desire to strive for excellence. Athletes with intensity know what they want to accomplish. They show up every day with a strong work ethic. They go hard in team practice, individual workouts, and competition. They do not let distractions get in the way of their goals. The tougher it gets out there, the more they love it.

3. Show Courage
Courage is the will to do the right thing even in the face of fear. Physical courage is the will to push your body to the limit. Emotional courage is the will to take a risk even if you might fail. And moral courage is the will to keep your integrity no matter what. Trusted athletes show all three kinds of courage.

4. Show Resilience
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from a setback. Every athlete has setbacks. Losses, slumps, illness, injury, and plain old bad days happen to everyone. But you can make a decision to be resilient, which is simply a decision to always get back up no matter what. Your teammates and coaches will trust you and respect you all the more when they see you rise up after a fall.

5. Show Integrity
Integrity is a combination of honesty, ethics, and reliability. Athletes with integrity tell the truth. They refuse to cheat. If they say they will do something, they do it. For obvious reasons, integrity is essential for earning the trust of your teammates.

6. Show Respect
Respect means treating people with courtesy and consideration. It is a simple virtue which is too often forgotten. Respectful athletes always take a moment to make sure they listen and speak to people with respect. This earns them trust, especially during challenging conversations.

7. Show Responsibility
Responsibility means fulfilling your duties to the team. It means showing up for workouts and competitions on time and prepared to perform. It also means managing schoolwork and other important priorities along with athletics. Responsible athletes earn trust because their teammates know they can depend on them to deliver.

8. Show Service
There are two kinds of athletes when it comes to service: me-first and team-first. Me-first athletes believe it is the job of their teammates and coaches to serve them. Team-first athletes believe it is their job to serve their teammates and coaches. Team-first athletes earn trust.

9. Show Loyalty
It is one thing to serve the team when things are going well. It is quite another thing to serve the team when things are going south. Loyalty means sticking with your team during difficult times. Loyal athletes earn the trust of their teammates.

10. Show Honor
Honor is the practice of holding the team in very high regard – and acting accordingly. This means representing the team well in competition. It also means representing the team well in school and the broader community. Honorable athletes never do anything to dishonor themselves or their team.


From: www.ElevatingAthletes.net

20 WAYS TO GET MENTALLY TOUGHER

Thanks to Phil Beckner (pictured above behind head coach) of Weber State for these notes from Jon Gordon's Training Camp:

1. When you face a setback, think of it as adefining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.

2. When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.

3. When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it. After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.

4. When you face the naysayers, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.

5. When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.

6. When you wake up in the morning, take a morning walk of gratitude and prayer. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.

7. When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.

8. When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time you have succeeded.

9. When you head into battle, visualize success.

10. When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment. The now is where your power is the greatest.

11. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.

12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.

13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into the The Zone. The Zone is not a random event. It can be created.

14. When you feel all is impossible, know that with God, all things are possible.

15. When you feel alone, think of all the people who have helped you along the way and who love and support you now.

16. When you feel lost, pray for guidance.

17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up. Finish strong in everything you do.

18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.

19. When you feel like your situation is beyond your control, pray and surrender. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.

20. When you’re in a high pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it. Life is short; you only live once. You have nothing to lose. Seize the moment.

I NEED A FAVOR FROM MY READERS PLEASE!!!

This will be my only post for the next few days to get maximum effect. Coach Don Meyer represents everything that is good in our profession. He should be a standard that we all strive to reach in the way we treat our players, the way teach basketball, and the way respect the game. On November 9, a book on Coach Meyer's journey will be released. "How Lucky Can You Be" is written by Buster Olney. I've been fortunate to see some pre-writes and Buster has done an amazing job of telling Coach Meyer's story.

Here is a link with more information about the book including ways your can purchase it in advance on-line: http://bit.ly/9xlERg
　

I NEED A FAVOR! First, I would love for everyone that teaches or coaches any sport on any level to purchase this book. You will be a better coach/teacher for it. I purchased five for our staff. But we really need to spread the word about this book and I would very much appreciate it if everyone that reads my blog would copy this link:

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http://bit.ly/a3Awkz

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and email it to as many people in the coaching/teaching profession that you know.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!
　
"Don Meyer is a dear friend to me and the entire Basketball Community. His passion to teach, to share, and to live is unmatched. Buster Olney does a magical job of capturing this truly unique man and presents him in a way that is surprising and unforgettable."
-Mike Krzyzewski, Coach of the Duke Blue Devils

"There are very few coaches who have positively impacted the game of basketball and the people who coach it as Don Meyer has done. His passion for the game, for teaching and for building character as well as his commitment to team are legendary. Coach Meyer has taught and given so much to us, and our game is better for it. This book chronicles not only his life as a coach, but his journey as a man through triumph and adversity. His story is a true inspiration and one which everyone should know."
-Pat Summitt, Coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols

"Those of us who savor fine sports journalism have long known that Buster Olney knows the baseball beat. Now, with this beautifully conceived and elegantly executed book Olney shows that he knows the beating heart of life and the pulse of humanity that makes sports matter."
-George F. Will, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO FILL THE BUCKETS ON YOUR TEAM

Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use that dipper to fill other people’s buckets—by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions—we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from others’ buckets—by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions—we diminish ourselves. Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic. But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy, and undermines our will. That’s why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us. So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another’s buckets, or we can dip from them. It’s an important choice—one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness

From "How Full is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. D.