The road less travelled is sometimes the road to take.

The youth sports road is rugged and long requiring many turns, stops, hesitations, accelerations.  You innocently enter the first chosen path quickly turned high speed freeway somewhere at mile marker 1, 2, 3, or 4th grade.  Once you are on and up to speed, exiting, or even slowing down, becomes near impossible.  The chaotic traffic around you pushes you to maintain momentum.  You could go in the left lane and brush bumpers with the ultra aggressive high impact foot to the floor 5 sport 3 practice pavement scorchers. Or you could hang in the right lane and chill with the softer, gentler, participation ribbon battery scooters seemingly taking a safer and less complicated path.  Both bring great risk.  In the Daytona 5 hundert go go go go lane you experience the fear of the big one; a major wreck causing bodily damage or internal engine issues dropping you completely out of the race.  In the to grandmothers house we go don't touch my piece of rare china lane you can experience many loving and touchy feely moments but you quickly grow anxious that you may never reach your full potential.  

Then all the obstacles in your path.  Do you trust the directions you have been given? Youth sports has no gps.   One finger pointer opines you are on the right path as long as you follow them.  Another is quick to say you need to make a serious change of direction and follow them.   Sometimes multiple direction givers are talking at the same time without any concern with what each other is saying. As long as you follow them. 

So many questions.  What about your bags?  Are you adequately prepared for any tornado like conditions that you could face? Heck, you may even create tornado like conditions based on your approach or actions.  Are you going to be happy with your destination once you arrive, if you ever do?  Are you doing too much?  Too little?  Just right?  Just wrong?  Goodness, it is only sports.  I mean sports car (gotta keep the theme).

Then the conspiracies.  Imagine going to visit Mickey Moose and being told by others that if you do not follow a specific path you will not have any chance of getting there.  Or getting in.  Did you know Mickey will ask you what highways you took to get there and if you took a wrong turn or unacceptable road he will not allow you in the park?  Never mind you showed up with a full stack of Mickey bills.  If you don't follow everyone else you have no chance. 

The sad thing is with all the unknowns, obastacles, inconsistancies, and misinformations that are out there you can have the answer right in front of you and not even realize it.  Or you may realize it but not trust it. 

So what is the answer?  I am not telling.  Okay I will tell you part of it because it is lonely up here.  First of all  when your young precious baby begins to participate in thier first sport remember you are on a long long journey.  A 15 year plus journey.  Not an afternoon park ride.  Not a weekend getaway, Not a spring break fantasy trip.  Not even a summer home retreat.  A long long journey.  So don't set yourself up expecting Kwik Shop results.  Set your youth sports super self up for expecting consistent enjoyment with consistent improvement heading towards a... okay ... being the best damn player on the floor or else.  

Secondly,  if your little field tripper is not being challenged every moment.  And I mean challenged.  Then they will never reach their potential.  I don't care if they are the fastest slot car on the track right now somebody will make a faster one while you are relaxing and enjoying the scenery. 

Thirdly.  Oh I guess you better check if they enjoy it.  But wait.  Give me a young mind and I bet a strong parent could convince them that even though the cliff drop seems like 100 feet down once they jump it will shorten quickly.  In other words.  Don't give me that crap that they don't enjoy it.  Show me a child that doesnt enjoy something and I will bet close behind is a parent that is a bad salesman.   Hey kid if you don't like the view in the back seat learn how to drive. 

Fourfly.  If your little cruiser expects to stay on cruise control the entire trip your trip is in trouble.  Your cruiser better like to step on the gas.  Cause if they don't, they will be rund over.  Nothing, and I mean nothing replaces hard work.  If you have one that is allergic to it or fights it regardless of how far you would like to drive your trip will soon find a major pot hole and somebody is falling out the floor board. 

Is there a fifthly?  Oh yes.   If you are going to board a plane you better leave the pilot alone.  Do you really want the head honcho looking in the rear view window going 350?  Not me.  And remember,  don't teach your flight crew to jump off the plane half way there.  At least wait until the landing gear are down and the wheels touch land.   Trust your instincts.  If you think you are about to board a plane with an incompetent crew,  turn around.  You may save alot of people some grief.

Sixthly.  If you don't know.  Find out. 

Like any trip pick a destination, invistigate the numerous paths, take directions from competetent direction givers, prepare your youngster for the lengthy trip,  make sure you are properly packed,  expect that not everything will be perfect while expecting perfection,  enjoy the journey and sell it to everyone else cause they will believe.  Then once in awhile, get out of the way and let the doctor get it done.   Finally, when it is good, go all in but don't turn blind cause things can change.  










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The Debate Season - Youth Sports Style

During September and October each year we always have a couple high school basketball events at the gym.    As a result I have had and have the chance to talk with several high school coaches and college coaches watching the high school players.  In the spirit of the political season here are some discussions and observations we had that may be worth debating:

Issue #1.  God and/or the environment

--When discussing a couple local talented high school players with a division I coach the questions the coach had involved: 1. what kind of family the player was from and 2. what type of coaching the player was getting.  Hm.  So besides the need to have God given talent the environment the player is surrounded by is important huh?

--Two local phenominal athletes that should be enjoying their junior or senior season at the division 1 level are in fact playing pickup games at local gyms.  Why?  I wonder if it has to do with the enviroment they were surrounded by?  Maybe character, attitude, discipline, and work ethic matter. 

Issue #2  Do we have a skill deficit? 

--Watching several games with various high school coaches many of the comments were:  1. boy if we could make our layups 2. boy if we could make our freethrows.  3.  I have noone that can dribble.    But wait, these kids have been playing games since they were in 3rd grade.  What is going on?

--What is a better plan?  Trying to be well rounded playing several sports but potentially being mediocre at all of them or focusing on playing a couple of sports with the potential of being really good?

Issue #3 The welfare of our children.  Should we feed a fish or teach how to fish?

--I asked one college coach about a particular player and how he was doing.  The coach responded;  "If the kid only wanted it as bad as his dad wanted it he could be phenominal"  "Right now I don't think he wants to be in college let alone play basketball".    Hm, so as a parent we could pretty much give our kid a college education but if he/she really doesn't want it it could result in waisted time money and energy?  But why the heck wouldnt this kid want to go to college and play basketball?  For goodness sakes he is 6'8'' !!  He has been handed everything he could want. Okay, maybe we should just give him something else?  Or should we encourage him to decide what he wants for himself and then facilitate the hard work and effort it takes to be good at it?

Issue #4 - What lies ahead for the future?  What will be our legacy?

--When our kids have kids (God forbid with mine)  will our kids be willing to go at the same pace with thier kids that we are going with them?  Say that 5 times really fast then discuss. 

Issue #5 - Foreign Affairs

--When discussing the development process with one coach we pointed out how with most kids even at the high school level it is all or nothing on the offensive end.  Kids either shoot the outside shot or drive all the way to the rim.  Why don't they stop and pop from 8-10'?  Could be they don't have the footwork or leg strength to make sudden stops under pressure and then get the shot off.  Could be they are not quite ready mentally to make quick decisions like that under pressure.  Bottom line, what seems obvious to us is still foreign to them.  Development takes time.

These are some of the important topics of today.  With your vote, I hope to change the world one dribbler at a time. 



 

Things you see and feel from the bench

This last weekend was another successful step forward for the Stunners teams and families as we competed in Monmouth.  There were several teams competing at different levels.  Sometimes it is fun just to sit, watch, listen and observe at events like this.  It can be very instructive.  Some observations.

Watching the refs attempt to officiate 10 games a day two days in a row.  Impossible to do a decent job.  In my experience after your fourth game you start to lose control of your ability to focus on what just happened and make consistent and accurate calls.  What a disservice to the sport they make by accepting so many games.  This "event" is suppose to be a learning experience for the kids.  A good referee calling a good game is as important as a good coach.  Tough to help teach when the game is being played at the other end of the court.  Then the untucked shirts.  Goodness. Calm down G.   Happens too often in these summer tournaments.  Believe me it will get worse.

Losing stinks.  Winning heals. 

There is no better feeling as a coach than when you share a smile with a tentative youngster that just hit a shot after you have been encouraging them to be confident in their shooting for several practices.... Priceless.  

A coach that acts like a thug is as powerful a teacher as one that teaches respect.  Add a set of parents that endorse the thug coach with a set of refs that call a bad game and whalla  the perfect storm.  Put two sets of the above together and you have the perfect riot.    

 A "looker" is a term used to describe a young player that consistently looks at a parent during a game.  A "sitter"  is what a good coach makes a "looker" do soon after each occurance.  It is very difficult to help a "looker" get better.  Most "lookers" become a burner outer over time. 

Young players will usually do what you ask of them if they fully understand what you are asking of them and they believe they are good enough to succeed at it. 

Sometimes when a player is ultra physically fatiqued they are in a good spot to start absorbing some of the mental sides of the game. Some of the best teaching occurs in the last two weeks of a long season. 

What does a young player do when 2 coaches and 2 parents stationed around the court are trying to get their attention constantly during a game?  Usually nothing.  What is this called?  Coaching in stereo. 

When a coach comes up to you before a game and mentions to you that they are missing their best player they are really saying we may lose and its not my fault. 

When someone from the losing team yells "you guys cheated" they are really saying my kid sucks and its not my fault.

What do you call a parent/coach that constantly yells at their player/child during a game?  A better 1v1 coach.

What is the proper protocol when a player gets hurt and is laying on the court?  A.  meet the parent at the scene and hold your hand out after the parent yells "get up!!"  or B.  Just sit there and marvel at how fast one mother can dive in, repair the broken arm, and have the child ready to return in less than 5 minutes.   Medical miracle. 

Most kids agree M&M's taste the same after two laffy taffy's and a Mt Dew. 

If you are going to play zone defense in 4th grade let me know.  I will stay home, stand 5 grappling dummies up and have them chuck baseball passes from 3 point land. 

If your child breaks a team rule and is reprimanded properly what should you do as a parent to help teach your child?  Change teams of course.

What do you get when you add up 160 minutes of play, 2 bad meals, 1 smelly jersey, a couple drama incedents, a missing head band, an overpriced tshirt, and a dead battery in a cell phone?  A quiet ride home. 



 

    

Doing Things the Hard Way

The theme the last two weeks has been work ethic.  We have reinforced to the players how important hard work is and how there is nothing that replaces hard work.  We have asked the young people to use their strong minds in a positive way to push themselves physically to the next level of effort.  We have asked the kids to lay off any negative messages and focus on what can motivate themselves and their teammates.  During brief rests between drills we have asked them to give all of us a motivational speech of encouragement.  Boy have we heard some interesting things.  As you can imagine the young mind can only regurgitate small tidbits of messages that us adults are pounding in.  It is a reminder that development of anything takes time and repetition. 

On the court we have been working hard executing several elements of the game.  Transition offense and defense.  We continue to focus on the sideline break and the jump ball play.  We have started adding out of bounds plays and increased the intensity on our half court sets.  As usual a well oiled offense can take the longest time to develop. 

The kids are enthusiastic about learning and applying what they are being taught.  I like what I see.  We seem to have their attention.  Thank you for encouraging this.  As a coach it is easy to tell who we are reaching and who we are not. 

Skill wise as always we focus on ball handling, shooting, rebounding, defense, and passing fundamentals each week.  The kids continue to improve in these areas but we have a long way to go. 

Here are some additional messages that we continue to reinforce at practice:

Being very thankful for everything your parent(s) are doing to provide for you.  I hope you are getting this feedback from them like always. 

What you do at home outside of scheduled practices and games is as important as the scheduled practices and games.  Get the ball in your hands on a regular basis.  Work the game. 

Everyone wants to be the shooter.  Fewer want to be the passer that sets up the shooter.  Both are equally important.

We are always looking for a leader that leads by example by being the one that practices the hardest which ultimately lifts up the effort of the others. 

The way you warm up typically is the way you play.  If you give special attention to your warm up you are more likely to be the person that brings high energy from the start of competition.


Questions of the day.  There may not be a right or wrong answer.  If you are a great player and you are put on a team of poor players will that make you a lessor player?  If you are a poor player and you are put on a really good team will that make you a better player? 

Headed to Monmouth this weekend.  Cannot wait to get in the gym and help the kids get better. 

Practice has begun

Our 6 weeks of training camp have ended and we are now hitting practices at full speed.  It is great to get the kids in the gym with their teams so we can work more on individual team stuff.  Games are only a few days away. 
This training camp was the most productive and participated in of any since the Stunners program began.  We had more than 600 participants over the 5 week period.  The kids worked extremely hard.  Many kids participated multiple times each week.  This is a tribute to the kids desire to get better and the commitment the parents have for their kids.  It is a reminder of the important responsibility our program has to make every minute of practice worthwhile so we continue to provide a great service.
One of our goals we helped our kids set was to have them each shoot 10,000 shots over the summer. It has been promoted that they do much of the shooting outside of dedicated practices and events.  We already have one player that has achieved that in 7 weeks time with several others getting close.  What an incredible accomplishment.  It is so much fun seeing focus and enthusiasm in their eyes.  It is certainly the groundwork for greatness to be achieved. 
As we now work hard in our team practices we are able to build on the foundation that has been laid in skills camps.  Keep in mind the work performed in the skills camps never ends.  This skill work is so important for our kids to perform on a regular basis that much of each team practice is dedicated to it.  Yet, as we get closer to games being played it is important to prepare each of the teams for competition.  We now have increased intensity on team half court offense and defense, as well as full court pressing and press break. It will take some time for everyone to be on board. 
Although the games are fun for the kids to play and hopefully entertaining for the parents hopefully everyone will be patient.  We will just be getting our first taste of competition after only two weeks of team practice.  Our expectations will be big as far as the effort we are looking for but low with how they play together and in their execution.  Any success we have will be a nice surprise while any difficulties will be expected.  It doesn't change the great enthusiasm and pride we want to bring to the games with the goal of winning each of them. 
Finally having just watched a Memorial Day special on the 9-11 tragedy it is a great reminder of how unimportant basketball can be sometimes.  At our shooting practices on Saturday and practice on Monday we encouraged the kids to be thankful for the sacrifices our troops make as well as for how hard their parents are working for them.  We are very lucky to live in this great country.

Cannot wait to see the kids at our next practice. 
     

A Passion for the Game

We just finished up week 4 of training camp.  All week the kids were independent workers.  They were given pre-designed, written 1 hour workouts which included various shooting, ball handling, and rebounding drills.    In some of the sessions we allowed them to choose any workout partners or work alone.  In other sessions we broke them up into designated groups and asked them to work together.  In all of the sessions they were allowed to work at their own speed and intensity. Emphasis was place on the kids practicing what they have learned to date at skills camps and doing it at game speed.  We then observed their practice habits and techniques.

Overall the kids bought into the experience and enjoyed the opportunity. Some kids were relentless workers that pushed themselves. Some kids really showed good technique in what they were doing.  They seem to like the idea of having a list of things to do and be allowed some flexibility and space to do them on their own.  In the end it was emphasized that they use this same work ethic and focus doing their home workouts. 

The main theme this week was to continiue to facilitate an enjoyment for what they were doing.  Further, they were encouraged that the more they do this type of workout outside of scheduled practices the more improvement they will experience.  The carrots of course are they can be the best possible player they can be by working so hard and they can help their team win.

Each week it is important to find a good balance of what is fun and what will make them better.  Sometimes those two intersect and sometimes not.  Some of the most difficult drills we do are difficult to have fun with so we overwhelm them with positive reinforcement. It is important to have both to really keep them involved long term. 

Studies have shown two main reasons kids quit sports is because it stopped being fun for them and they no longer experienced improvement.  When does it stop being fun?  Maybe when they feel too much pressure to get better too fast or are critiqued too critically with every movement they make.  Maybe its no longer fun when playing games feels too much like a job and the only time they feel releived is when they won the last game and they were an integral part of the win.  When do they stop experiencing improvement?  Maybe when they are no longer motivated to work hard or they are not being led properly with the proper training techniques. 

It is important for us as parents and coaches to recognize that long term improvement and involvement is not compatable with a win this week or else attitude or with too many "why didnt you do this?"  comments. Our kids must be given some flexibility and space to learn and enjoy.  That includes the belief that they are still safe when they mess up. 

Final week of training camp this week.  Cannot wait to see the smiling faces in the gym. 

The Goal is Clear

Week 3 in the Stunners gym was spent building additional confidence with the ball.  We have about 12 different ball handling fundamental drills.  We explored a couple more this week to work on a different aspect and to keep things new and fresh.  We also added our secondary option on the sideline break. Further our shooting campaign continues.  We already have a couple kids that have taken over 2000 shots in just 3 weeks.  We introduced the 11 man drill.  It was a big hit.  The kids always enjoy it. 

The majority of the kids in the program are coming multiple times to the skills camps each week. They are bringing great enthusiasm and a desire to play. The competitions are the biggest hit. They are also very drawn by the positive reinforcement given as they work hard. Some have commented that they have never had a coach compliment them. 

Our theme this week was goals; otherwise known as dreams with a date.  We emphasized how goals are important in that they take a general long term target like a dream and break it down into small stepping stones that are easy to see and achieve.  We touched on the idea of both short term and long term goals.  Charactistics of goals are they must be specific, challenging, and realistic.  In addition, a goal can increase in power when written down.  Finally, goals don't really matter unless you take action.  The kids were again given the example of how each skills camp or 30 minute home workout is one more stepping stone towards the dream of being a great basketball player.   
To highlite the themes of the last three weeks on Thursday we focused on the simplest of ideas to bring it all together.  Our message was to stay true to your values and allow them to help you make good decisions, dream big, and be goal driven.  This process gives you a plan and helps develop some motivation to work hard and engage it.

For the Stunners our goal or target is our mission.  The strategy is clear.  To continue to provide our kids a structured workout that builds skill, mix in some competitions, and give alot of positive reinforcement. 

Cannot wait to get in the gym this coming week. 

The Stunners Dream is Alive.

Week 2 in the gym has already been a productive one.  We are continuing our quest to develop master ball handlers, working on our 3rd progression in our defensive rebounding technique, and  shooting 100 + shots per skills camp.  In addition we are placing special emphasis on developing good hands and footwork.  Finally, we are pushing the 30 minute home work out given to each child if they are not able to make it in a particular day.  Out of 20 kids in our first skills camp on Monday more than half of them had completed a structured home work out over the weekend.  Look out!

From a teamwork standpoint we are working tirelessly this week on a sideline break.  We focused on the first option of looking down low for a quick shot after the ball makes it to the corner.  Next week we will add to it by executing the second option involving reversing the ball to the opposite side as well as our jump ball play.  What is the key to success?  Only practicing them 1,000 times.  No biggy.
   
Our theme this week is the power of dreaming aka daydreaming, big plans,  having a target.  This week we are asking that great and important question;  "If I had unlimited time, talent, and money, what would I do with my life"?  What a cool question to answer.  What a great country we live in to have the ability to answer such a question, and then be given the opportunity to strive towards its achievement.    We are emphasizing that where values (last weeks theme) help develop a strong foundation of inner strength and stability to build a plan on, their dreams will give them an achievable target to focus on.  We are stressing that characteristics of dreams are that they should align with their values, have no limitations, and may take a long time to achieve.  Further, their dreams may change as they grow older.  The cool thing about the power of having dreams it that when inspired to achieve,  dreams can help them overcome obstacles that get in their way.

The one characteristic of dreams that we really stressed is how some may take a lifetime to achieve.  The plan is to break the dream down into small steps that can be taken each day.  We used the example of taking a vacation.  Pick your destination first, then plan your incremental path to get there.  In basketball,  they all have a dream of being great basketball players.  They get there by taking small daily steps,like attending a skills camp or doing a 30 minute home workout,  and repeat it over and over. Makes for a great lesson learning journey.

Overall the kids are really progressing.  They are becoming more familiar with what they are doing.  Although it takes some time to see the improvement I can definately notice some small additions to their ability. Its expected that some of the time they will be sluggish because they do have alot going on in their lives,  but overall, they are headed towards a  bright future, or, I mean target. 

Next week we work on goals, otherwise know as a dream with a date.

Week 1. A Valuable Week in the IAI Stunners Gym

Our spring and summer season has begun.  We have already had two nights of skill work.  There is no doubt we have a great group of kids from great families ready to work hard to improve their game and themselves.

Our Stunners theme this week is values and how important positive strong values are in everyday life, and then how they relate to a sport like basketball.  We begin by emphasising important values in life like God, family, and community and how feeling a close relationship with each is quite important.  We discuss the characteristics of values like how they rarely change, they are always positive, and are reflected in their dreams and goals in life.  Lastly, we emphasise how important it is to choose friends that have similar values and recognize that the friends they have now may change as they grow older. Unfortunately it is true some friends suddenly begin to make bad choices.  Our kids must be strong enough to say no.   As a result Stunners stress it is always important to diversify.  Have many friends.

In basketball our Stunners values we stress are; 1. To fight to win.  2.  To always work hard. 3. Teamwork. 4. Good Sportsmanship. 5. Building relationships 6. Being Thankful. 

1.Stunners want to fight hard to win every game but understand there are no guarantees. 
2.The Stunners answer to everything is to work hard.  If we win a game we come back to the gym and work hard.  If we lose a game we come back to the gym and work hard. 
3. Stunners value teamwork.  We empower the individul with confidence and skill which will then improve the team.  Yet this is not like playing video games alone in your room.  This is a team sport.  We emphasise encouraging your teammates every moment you get. 
4.  Stunners are good sportsmen .. or sportsshe/he-men or sportswomen or something like that.  We understand that youth sports is a very imperfect thing.  People make mistakes.  Stunners make mistakes.  Officials, coaches, parents, scorekeepers make mistakes.  The hotdog maker will mess up.  We don't overreact.  We respect that and fight hard to overcome it.
5. Stunners build relationships.  We build relationships with each other and with others.  Its okay to like someone but want to kick their butt out on the court.  Its okay to dislike someone and want to kick their butt out on the court. 
6.  Stunners are thankful.  We ask our kids to thank their parents or whoever takes care of them after each practice or event and tell them you love them.   It is stressed that someone close to them is working hard to provide great opportunity.  A thank you will go a long way.

Next week we will take the next step and talk about the power of dreaming. 

And oh, by the way, the kids are working their butts off out on the court. 

Go Stunners!


 

Season Three of the Stunners Program: another chance to improve.

We are now about to begin our 3rd spring and summer season. To date we have completed three fall and winter and two spring and summer seasons.  Although each season is long it is incredible how they seem to be passing by quickly.  Each season is bringing growth and improvement. 
 
One important element of our mission is to improve the quality of basketball at the high school level in the Quad City area.  How long it will take is hard to say.  Some areas that currently have quality high school basketball are blessed with 25 year old youth programs pushing kids through.  At three years old we are still in the incubation stage.

To satisfy our mission on the court everyone has been working overtime. As an organization we have increased our amount of skills camps, practices, and open gyms offered.  The kids have been working hard executing every drill and play.  The coaches have been focused on teaching the fundamentals each and every practice.  The parents have been working tirelessly keeping their kids plugged into the process.  We are all setting an incredible pace.  We are all doing the right things the right way.  We are close to seeing dramatic results. 

We will be looking for some giant leaps in improvement individually and as teams this summer.  We will focus heavily on all fundamentals with an emphasis on making shots.  Although we are bringing on many new athletes we have a good core of kids coming back and staying involved.  Everyone is ready to take a big step up.