Has the Importance of Free Throws Diminished?

Today, we’re going to do a little Q&A on coaching basketball and some questions about our waitlist for basketball camps… Here’s a few topics that we’re going to discuss below: - How To Handle a Player Struggling With Instructions and Comprehension (And Tips for Coaching 9 to 11 Year Olds) -  - Has the Importance of Free Throws Diminished? -  - Q&A For Basketball Camp Waiting List - Nearly 100 Camps Sold Out  --------------------------------------------------------------- How To Handle a Player Struggling With Instructions and Comprehension (And Tips for Coaching 9 to 11 Year Olds) Reader Question: I fell into an assistant coach role for 5th grade girls. And was asked to do it next year too. I don’t know much about basketball and have used youtube for drill ideas and ball handling. There are a lot of emotions we are dealing with. We have 1 player that doesn’t seem into it and has a hard time comprehending what to do or where to go after being shown several times. Not sure how to address that. Any ideas would be great!  First off, these resources could be helpful with coaching your 5th grade team. I listed the 4th grade link because it was an advanced group of 4th graders. It shares… - Half Court Offense - Zone Offense - Inbounds Plays - Defense - Core Values / Character Development - Fundamental Skills - Types of Drills to Use - Recommended Tools & Resources [Coaching 4th Grade Basketball (9 and 10 Year Olds)]( [Coaching 5th Grade Basketball (10 and 11 Year Olds)]( Note, I would do many similar things with younger and older age groups as well. Now, let’s get to the struggling child... Is the coach teaching for the different learning styles? Generally, with athletes... - You need to tell them verbally what to do. -  - Then show them what to do. -  - Then walk them through what to do. And it never hurts to show them some video clips of this action in games to give them a better understanding. Kids need to hear, see, and feel to fully understand. If that doesn't fix the issue... First off, after becoming a parent myself and having prior coaching experience, I've learned a great deal about differences in children from a neurological standpoint. To put it frankly, some children are just wired differently for many different reasons. I'm sure you already know this, but it's something I always need to remind myself. They could have anxiety. They might lack confidence and have poor self-image. They might struggle with focus. They might be bullied. They might not understand things but are afraid to ask in front of their peers. It could be a chemical imbalance in their body or brain that might make certain things more difficult for them. And we all have what can be perceived as "weaknesses" and "strengths." You might chat with the child's parents. However, you have to be careful to phrase things in a positive way. You might just ask them if they know how their child learns best. At that time, they might also reveal something else that could be helpful with coaching the child. Additionally, you can get to know the player better. Once they know you care, they will get more comfortable talking to you. I would talk to them 1v1 before practice, during breaks, and after practice. It doesn't even have to be basketball related. What is their favorite sport? What do they like to do in school? What do they like to do outside of school? What's their favorite food? What is their favorite video game? I think this will help better connect with that athlete and the entire team over time. Hope that helps!  --------------------------------------------------------------- Has the Importance of Free Throws Diminished? Next, we have a question from a reader for Don Kelbick. You can see Don’s response below. Reader Question: Coach: I have coached for over 50 year. I try to watch/listen to as many NCAA Tournaments games (both men’s and women’s) as I can during the NCAA Tournaments. I have always believed that free throws win and lose big games anytime of the season but most of all at tournament time. I heard this statement today. I really don’t know who said it. I listen to these games more to hear what the announcers/analysts say then to watch the outcome of the games. Most times I don’t have a dog in the race, so I really don’t care who wins and who loses. I am always trying to pick up some little gem that will make me a better coach and something I can give my players to help them become better players. His is the statement that I heard: “If you are a player and you play over half the game and you don’t engage your defender and get to the free throw line at least one time…you are probably more of a liability to your team than you are an asset.” Please think about this and give me your thoughts! Thanks Jim Hi Jim, I heard the comment, too. I'm not sure which game it was but it was said by Jim Spanarkel. I am not sure I agree with him. In 40 years of coaching, I have had quite a few players that I dreaded going to the foul line. For them, as really bad foul shooters, a foul shot was as good as a turnover. Losing a scoring opportunity (either for that particular player or another player) for foul shots that are missed a large percentage of the time is very damaging to a team. In fact, as I write this I am watching the NCAA playoffs and seeing UConn and Houston miss foul shots, keeping the score close, makes me think that had they been allowed to play on, they might have been better served. The fact that they both won their games despite shooting poorly from the foul line (Houston for several games), I believe that is indicative of a shifting paradigm in today's game, and it holds true at all levels of play. With the increase of the importance and effectiveness of the 3-point shot, a lot of the beliefs you and I hold (you said you have coached for 50 years, I am closing in on 44 years) need to be examined and adjusted. Because of the preponderous of 3-point goals, a lot of the errors and shortcomings can be overcome with just a couple of shots. Foul shooting itself has become devalued. The most points you can get in any possession from the foul line is 2, and you have to shoot twice to attain that. You can get 3 points in 1 shot if you did not get fouled. The same thing is true for turnovers. It seems, while never a good thing, having a high number of turnovers seems to be more easily overcome by making a couple of shots from the 3-point line. I'm not advocating not getting fouled or turning the ball over, but the data says those things are becoming less important so I don't worry about them as much as I used to. Here are examples. Below I have listed some "Stats Related to Winning." These stats were compiled over the last 6 NBA seasons. I used NBA because those stats are not only available, but they are more accurate than stats at lower levels. But, I believe they are scalable, maybe not to a youth level, but certainly from HS and up. I got them from a friend in the NBA. He listed the top 20 stats that they believe are related to winning. What that means is the percentage of times that the team had an advantage in a particular category wins the game. The spread goes from the team that won the battle of Effective FG % won 78.1% of the games as opposed to the team that had the Most Field Goal Attempts won 45.3% of the games. Here are the top 5: - Effective Field Goal % - 78.1% - Defensive Rebounding - 76.0% - Number Field Goals Made - 75.8% - 3-Point Goal % - 74.6% - Number of Assists - .69.9% A couple of those surprise me. Here are a few selected stats: - 2-Point Field Goal % - 68.9% (7th) - # 3-Point Field Goals Made - 64.0% (8th) - Free Throws Made - 61.3% (10th) - Free Throws Attempted - 60.3% (11th) - Turnovers - 58.4% (13th) - Free Throw % - 56.3% (16th) I know this is a little long but I enjoy talking basketball. The answer to your question is actually contained above. I was shocked to learn that the things I grew up with and learned to value, most specifically Free Throws and cutting turnovers are now in the bottom 10 of things that determine winning and are sinking. I think it is because of the effect of the 3-Point Shot and its ability to overcome negative play. That's not to say they are not important. But I think that foul shooting, even more specifically, getting fouled, has an importance that has yet to be contained in statistical analysis (I think). After spending over 1,000 games on the bench I have come to the realization that the better team usually wins (it took me a while, I'm not very smart). Sure, there are some outliers and upsets, that's why they play the games. But it holds true most of the time. What makes one team better than another? Usually, it's better players. I would rather be a bad coach with really good players than be a really good coach with bad players (I've tried it both ways). So, to beat better teams, you have to neutralize the talent and ability of the better team. How do you do that? I can't speak for everyone but I know what I tried to do. I tried to get their better players in foul trouble. By getting them into foul trouble, at some point they have to come out of the game. If their better players are no longer on the court, they cease to become a better team. I think, therein, lies the true value of fouls, especially as today's game continues to evolve. The biggest thing I have learned over my years in coaching is: Don't listen to the opinions of people in the media. - Don Kelbick Here are more resources from Don Kelbick: [Motion Offense, Match Up Zone Defense, Skill Development, and More]( [Attack & Counter Skill Development Camps](  --------------------------------------------------------------- Q&A For Basketball Camp Waiting List - Nearly 100 Camps Sold Out  Just in case you missed it, here’s an email from last week that answered common questions regarding our summer camp waiting lists... In the next few weeks, the number of camps sold out will surge past 100. If a camp is sold out, we highly recommend that you add yourself to the waitlist for the camp... Spots do open up for sold out camps! And this gives you a chance to attend... but it requires FAST action!  How to get added to Waitlist First, to get added to a waiting list, it’s very easy. You just follow these steps: 1. Go to the registration page of the camp you're interested in. ([Camp Schedule Here]( 2. Click the orange "Register for Waitlist" button below the picture near the top of the page (Top right for desktop computers). You can also scroll down to the “Sign Up Now to Reserve a Spot” section and fill in your information. 3. Fill out the required information and click "Register.” And be sure to register for the waiting list ASAP. Many spots just randomly open up at any time. If you’re not on the waiting list, you can miss out!  Spot opens up! Important note about payments if you receive an email Once a spot becomes available, an email will be automatically generated from info@breakthroughbasketball.com with instructions on how to pay to reserve your spot. You should act fast and immediately make a payment, as this email will be sent to everyone on the waitlist at the same time. Note: If you click on the link to pay and you can make a payment, that means there is an open spot. Please do so right away! Many people ask us if a spot is open before they pay, and before we can respond, someone else will make a payment and take the open spot. So don’t hesitate. We will not accept your money if we can't guarantee a spot in the camp.  I already registered for a camp that is sold out, but did not pay. Am I on a Waitlist? If you already registered for a camp that is now sold out, however, you never submitted payment, then you will automatically be placed on the waitlist. There is no need to register again.  Should I also register for a different camp that isn’t sold out? If you’re interested in attending another camp, we highly recommend you do this. If you register and make a payment, this guarantees a spot at one of our camps. You can still be on the waitlist for the other camp as well just in case a spot opens up. You can see all of the camps at the page below. When you find a camp, just click “Reserve Your Spot” to learn more about the camp and register. [Breakthrough Basketball Camp Schedule](  A spot opens up on the waitlist, but I paid for a different camp. Can I switch camps? Yes! But make sure to make a payment and reserve your spot right away for the waitlist camp. After you make a payment, contact us and we will refund you for the other camp that you’re not attending.  All the Best, - Joe Haefner Breakthrough Basketball  This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © 2021 Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved. Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif] .