A productive practice feels like payday; when players come to practice excited and motivated to perform everyone benefits. The key to maintaining this enthusiasm lies in the coach’s ability to break the monotony and keep players challenged and focused during routine practice. Although this places an additional burden on the coach, challenging players is necessary to create an environment that is fun, while simultaneously fostering a team culture that is conducive to learning, enhances individual and team character and develops emotional intelligence.
The first step in developing a productive practice starts with the relationship the coach builds with their players. Relationships are an integral part of the coach-player dynamic because players don’t care about how much the coach knows until they know how much the coach cares. At all times encouragement is greater than correction, and when players are confident that the coach’s instruction comes from a place of encouragement, the more the players will allow the coach to challenge them. Through sustainability, players will eventually become comfortable with challenging themselves and each other.
Introducing confusion and noise to mundane routine drills is another mechanism to keep players focused and engaged in practices. Scholar athletes need repetition, but fluctuating the sequence of your practice plan and having student-led drills will create welcomed versatility. Imitating the noise level of real-time game situations by playing music or having the school band play during practice can reinforce non-verbal communication techniques and teaches players to focus. In addition, testing players’ knowledge and understanding of floor positioning while executing drills can help keep players alert and poised to respond to various scenarios when prompted. Testing players and utilizing confusion also works to promote emotional intelligence by creating positive confrontations and disruptions that force players to overcome distractions through team work and a mastery of the skills being taught.
Between regular drills, coaches can implement intervals of short, timed drills challenging players to compete against the clock to obtain a minimum score and then encouraging them to consistently improve. Examples of these drills include, Gary Colson’s “Peer Pressure Passing” and “Layup” drills. This gives coaches the opportunity to develop player skill – and by recording the results – players can chart their progress and challenge themselves in the process.
In the end, the true payday is to produce scholar athletes who understand the intrinsic value associated with constant learning and measurable improvements on and off the court. As a coach, creating the environment that maintains player focus and keeps them challenged during practice enhances one’s ability to achieve this goal. It is very easy for tenured coaches to become complacent and rely on familiar routines as the foundation of their instruction; however, it is important to periodically evaluate your team and understand when it is time to implement changes to your regimen that will keep your players enthused, focused, challenged and feeling like every practice is a payday.
