I believe as a coach you should find your trademark: what is your specialty?
Where do you want to your team to be known for?
It should be 3 things that are super important to you and that are based on your philosophy and play-style. Those 3 things should return in every practice.
When you start your practice plan, make sure to plan in those 3 things first and then the topic of the plan. For example for me as a skills trainer these are the 3 things that I emphasize and where we would spend at least 10 minutes on each topic in every practice.
These are the three things I envision all of my players to excel when they work with me for a certain time:
- Shooting: for me shooting is the master skill. Definitely three point shooting is something we work on daily. I want all my players to have a “shot-first” mentality and to become efficient from behind the three point line.
- Footwork: progressing from footwork-on-the-catch to footwork in finishing, I want all of the players who train with me to develop mastery in this.
- 1v1: I believe that you should be able to create opportunities for yourself if you want to make it to the absolute top. Every practice we play at least 10 minutes of 1v1 from some kind of situation, with or without an advantage.
I had a recent talk with another coach who also believed in emphasizing 3 things but in his mind they were offensive rebounding, corner 3’s & pick and roll situations.
Find your 3 things of focus and let them show up in every practice in different setups.
In time your team will excel in them!
Joerik Michiels is co-founder of Elite Athletes and is the Skill Director and soul of the Elite Academy.
Follow Joerik through instagram @joerik or connect at joerik.michiels@eliteathletes.be.
