Monday, May 28, 2012

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. 
     


Sunday, May 13, 2012

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. 

Sunday, May 6, 2012

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.