Sports
Practice More, Play Less (Photos)
basketball, practice, coaching, USA Basketball clinic, clinic, coaches academy, learning, skills
LAKEWOOD, OH — On day 1 of the USA Basketball Coaches Academy held at St. Edward HS in Lakewood for the Cleveland, OH area, I learned something that for a long time I felt was an issue with USA basketball. Don Showalter of USA basketball told us that there was a big difference between International and American basketball. There was a 6 to 1 ratio of practicing to playing games.
We play more than we practice and everyone else spends more time practicing. This can especially be detrimental to the development of youth basketball talent. Over my years as a player, HS coach and NIKE basketball photographer, I've seen this in action. One can't help but notice how international players are playing better and better every year and how young players are not improving up to their potential.
So, on this first day of this coaching academy/clinic, we were exposed to strategies and actual drills to help us coach better and more importantly encourage our youth while teaching them the requisite skills to maximize their playing potential.