You asked and we answered [Your Breakthrough Basketball Roundup]

Your Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag   We have a lot of great questions, comments, and content to share with you in this week’s Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag… including a [discount that expires tonight]( on our “Featured Program” with some great practice drills for team shooting!  As a reminder, this is where we share a wide variety of helpful content from the past few weeks, as well as answers to questions that you’ve sent us.  Going forward, if you have a question that you’d like us to answer or simply want to offer your thoughts and feedback,please feel free to reply to any of the emails we send.  With that in mind, here are some questions/answers particularly for coaches navigating some particularly difficult problems and situations:  Today’s Mailbag  Coaching Question About Coaching Youth Basketball:  Hello,  Wondering if I can get some feedback from some of the coaches here. This is my 1st year volunteer coaching community league basketball for 9-10yo. Am currently in my 3rd season this year; about 8wks per season. 7 games total; 1 game per week. About 1-2 months break between seasons. Requirement is 1hr practice per week per league guidelines. I found 1 hr per week of practice time was just not enough to get much done, so I have increased it to roughly 3 hrs per week spread over 2 days. I mainly use [Coach Huber’s Youth Coaching System](. My players are mostly beginners to intermediate level. I have to go over fundamental skill development mostly because most players don’t have them. I use a different variety of drills from practice to practice to keep things interesting. I use praise as well as correction when needed. I try to have multiple kids involved and few lines during drills. After drills, we have some scrimmage time to allow them to practice live.  What I’ve noticed is that a majority of the players don’t want to do drills but just want to scrimmage. When they scrimmage, they just go back to their old habits of playing and not really apply what they’re learning in drills. Then when it comes game time, we don’t do well because they’re back to their old habits. I could just have scrimmage most of practice time and the kids would love it, but I’m just perpetuating old habits. I also have to deal with easily distracted kids so it takes a lot of time and energy just to keep them on task; I feel I lose quite a bit of practice time and productivity to this. I try to stay positive, but am also starting to feel like I’m working harder than the kids. I actually feel like taking a break from practice. Let me know if you have any questions to help clarify my situation.  Thank you for hearing me out.  - Kenton  Coach Mark Brase’s Answer:  Hi Kenton-  First of all, thanks for volunteering to coach youth basketball. It is definitely not an easy task, and almost all coaches who have worked with athletes in that age group, get frustrated at times as well, including me. Sounds like you are a great coach trying to do things the right way.  I'm glad you are able to get more practice time than 1 hour. That being said, I've personally found over the years that the age group you are working with sometimes does best with practice times of an hour to an hour fifteen max, depending on the group/type of kids you have. So, I know it may not be possible, but if it were, you could try 3 days a week, for 1 hour. This may allow for better focus by the players.  It is also a huge challenge for coaches to get what they are working on in practice to carry over to scrimmage or games. It sounds like you are doing things right though. Maybe doing less 5v5 scrimmages if that is what you are doing, and play more 3v3 at the end of practices. You could have the players start the 3v3 drill working on one of the skills you are teaching. Maybe it is a drill where they are V-Cutting to get open, and if they don't get the ball, they make their backdoor cut, and the player from the corner fills and does the same thing. Once the ball is entered, then they can play 3v3. You can also help them by changing the rules occasionally. Maybe they get only 2 dribbles each time they touch the ball or maybe the ball starts from a different spot on the court another day. You can implement any rules you want to help you work on a targeted area for improvement for that practice or for that week. If you have the teams keep score, maybe you give them an extra point for every offensive rebound to work on being aggressive going after the ball. Players will definitely benefit from playing more 3v3 than 5v5 at this age if possible. You are most likely to see carry over to improvement in games if players get more reps doing things in practice.  When you are scrimmaging or playing 5v5 try focusing on only 1 area for improvement. Maybe talk to the team before the scrimmage about how you want them to work on sprinting to the rim on their basket cut each time. This also allows you and your assistant coach to only focus on this area. Otherwise with kids this age you'll see a million things they did wrong and you'll want to correct them all. Narrow your focus (as tough as that can be for a coach at times) and this will allow you to help them get better in this area quicker, as well as allow you to see the improvement they are making.   As far as feeling burned out, here are a few things to try as well.  Try switching up a practice. Maybe design a practice that simply has fun drills and games. Your goal for that practice is simply for them to have fun and enjoy. It might remove some stress from you for that practice, and the kids will enjoy it.  If you have an assistant coach, switch roles for a practice. Let them design the practice if they are comfortable doing so, and you take on the role of assistant coach. We've done this exact thing at college levels as well as at high school levels. It is a great break from the same old routine. The kids enjoy it as well.  Hope these ideas help a little. Hang in there. I think every youth coach has felt the same way you do at some time or another.  ***********************************************  Coaching Question About Finding Gym Space:  I’ve also been coaching basketball since the 99'. I've coached anything from preschool through high school over the decades which includes both boys and girls. I've recently quit my job as Assistant AD and Basketball coordinator.  With a few of the other coaches we decided to start our own venture running an organization. We had a following of 6 teams and we are anticipating almost 15 teams in the 23-24 Fall/Winter season. Our biggest problems are gym availability and locations. We have so much that we've accomplished previously and things that we would like to implement but not having a gym of our own is cutting our legs out from under us.  Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Coach J  Coach Mark Brase’s Answer:  Hi Jonathan-  I definitely feel your pain with this situation. Finding gym space if you don't own a facility can definitely be difficult if not downright impossible at times.  Obviously reaching out to area schools, community groups, anyone with a gym is the first step, which I'm sure you've done.  If I were in your shoes, I'd probably see if I could partner with anybody. If you have fees that players or teams must pay, you could waive those fees for kids from a particular school as a trade off for using gym space.  Another idea would be to offer free camp/clinics at a school or schools, in return for use of gym space.  Other than that, I don't have a lot of great ideas besides continuing to reach out to all locations that have available gyms.  Sorry, and best of luck to you and your organization!  *****************************************  Coaching Question About Full Court Pressure and Growth Mindset:  My name is Jeff , I’ve been coaching for the last 5 years (firstly under 8s then 9s ..up to 12s boys ) now trying my hand at under 15 b grade boys.  I love to try things out , encourage mistakes on both the game court and in practice as long as they are attempting the right pass , the good shot i find it a great way to learn found an issue with these older boys not so keen on running and pressing (unlike the 8/11 yr olds who love applying pressure )  I’ve been replaced (twice) now for a more experienced coach which I’ve not taken real well but..i keep fronting up and coaching to learn more , not 100% sure of my faults that will stop me losing good teams  I’ll happily take on more advice.  P.S. I ran two of your drills last night in practice the doubles ( two players shooting a three after a few passes ) boys enjoyed it ..thank you  cheers coach Jeff  Coach Mark Brase’s Answer:  Hi Jeff-  It's awesome that you are encouraging players to work hard, and try to make the right plays, but mistakes are OK. That is the best way for players to learn, and eventually make less and less mistakes.  Also love the fact that you have a growth mindset for yourself and are continually wanting to learn. I think this is crucial for any coach that is trying to get better and improve themselves. The best part is, the players will see you doing this, and it will likely carry over to them as well!  Keep doing what you are doing.  As far as getting players to run full court pressure, I'd work on teaching them how to guard the ball full court. You can do drills where it is 1v1 full court (or narrow the court down to full court, but 1/3 of the width) and then work on players guarding the ball and keeping the ball in front of them, while still applying pressure to the ball. Lots of times players are afraid of guarding full court because they will let the ball get by them. Once they get more comfortable pressuring the ball, they will likely be more comfortable with full court pressure.  One key is, when the ball handler beats them dribbling full court, the defender MUST sprint to get the ball cut off again.  Take Care and Good Luck!  ***********************************************  Breakthrough Basketball Camp Update  Attendance for our Spring & Summer Camps this year continues to shatter all sorts of records! We’ve currently surged past 100 camps sold out, and there are a number more with only a few spots left.  We’re putting the finishing touches on our plans for each camp, and this year we have an impressive, experienced lineup of coaches leading the charge. I can’t wait for these players to transform every aspect of their games and have their best season next year.  If you’d still like to attend (or know someone who would like to), then you can see exactly which of our 300+ summer camps across the country still have spots left at [this link here and register!](  Also, in case you’re wondering what past attendees have to say about the camp, I came across this story the other day and I think it’s a really helpful summary of what makes Breakthrough Basketball such a unique experience compared to other camps: This was the third Basketball Camp my son had attended this Summer, and I can tell you hands down the Breakthrough Camp was absolutely the best and worth every penny!! Most Camps you go to just run some basic shooting and dribbling skills, then play pick up ball the rest of the time. This Camp was different! I was so impressed with the in-depth details this camp went into for the kids during instruction and how to apply the skills they had just learned on the Court with detailed film study! I think we found our go to Camp going forward!! Great job Breakthrough basketball! Kobie Henley - Wichita, KS ***********************************************  Featured Program of the Week - Team Shooting Drills For Better Offense!  Earlier this week, we sent you [this article]( on Indiana’s unique “Short Roll” play to counter defenses that blitz screens and we also shared Coach Showalter’s dynamic [“20 Ball Screen Offense”]( program as a way to help you and your team level up your ball screen offense.  For this week’s Program of the Week, we’re offering you a 20% discount on another product that features the short roll: [Coach Nick LoGalbo’s Team Offense Shooting Drills That Build IQ - “Snap Shot Shooting”](  These next level shooting drills allow you to overcome the persistent problem that many coaches face during practice: players losing focus and not getting enough game-like reps in!  In Coach LoGalbo’s system, he expands on some of the drills former Duke Coach Chris Collins (long-time assistant of Coach K’s) shared at a coaching clinic and he put his own unique spin on it.  The result?  Highly efficient shooting drills that ensure his players: - Get off dozens of shot attempts during each practice - Stay engaged and focused on every repetition - Build their IQ as they move through these fast-paced drills and learn how to instinctively attack different defensive looks - Improve in a game-like environment so they’re ready for all types of live situations Here is what one coach to say: "I am always looking for ways to improve my shooting drills. Snap Shot Shooting is EXACTLY what I was looking for. No more boring drills that seem one-dimensional. Players can work on shots within my own offensive system. They are shooting on the move and taking reps from all locations shots come from in our offense. I also love the Primary, Secondary, and Half-Court Actions that Coach LoGalbo demos on film and will incorporate some of those actions into our offensive system!" -Steve P. Des Moines, IA [Get a 20% discount on Coach Nick LoGalbo’s Team Offense Shooting Drills That Build IQ - “Snap Shot Shooting Program” HERE](  Closing Notes Thanks so much for reading our Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag! We’re excited to share many more of these going forward so you can get a full overview of the latest updates and content around Breakthrough Basketball. If you have any thoughts on the type of content you’d like to see more of in upcoming mailings, please feel free to shoot us a reply and let us know! And if you have any basketball-related questions you’d like us to answer, shoot us a reply too–who knows, your question could end up in a future Mailbag! All the best, Joe Haefner Breakthrough Basketball             This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you indicated that you'd like to receive emails and updates from Breakthrough Basketball on 2016-12-16 05:42:39. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please [Change Your Email Preferences]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved. Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif]  .  It’s our mission to build a strong community centered around basketball, personal development and most importantly - fun! We love to create extraordinary and useful products and share them with you! We love to help people learn how to enjoy the game of basketball at the next level by simply creating the right products that they use in their practices and games. Every day we are building and strengthening partnerships with companies and coaches that are in alignment with our own values. We particularly love working with coaches, players, and parents because through their passion and their craft they help elevate the game of basketball. As much as we care about basketball, we also care about your privacy. Breakthrough Basketball is owned and operated by Breakthrough Basketball. We are committed to advising you of the right to your privacy, and strives to provide a safe and secure user experience. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store and use personal information, provided by you on our website. When you visit our Web site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and Web site use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web site. For example, you may need to provide the following information: • Name • Website URL information • Email address • Home and business phone number It also explains how we collect and use non-personal information. By accessing and using our website, you explicitly accept, without limitation or qualification, the collection, use and transfer of the personal information and non-personal information in the manner described in our Privacy Policy. Please read this Policy on our website(s) carefully, as it affects your rights and liabilities under the law. If you disagree with the way we collect and process personal and non-personal information, please do not use this website. This Policy applies to this website as well as all webpages Breakthrough Basketball hosts. It regulates the processing of information relating to you and grants both of us various rights with respect to your personal data. It also informs you of how to notify us to stop using your personal information. We are located in the United States of America. You may be located in a country that has laws which are more restrictive about the collection and use of your personal information. However, by using our website, you agree to waive the more restrictive laws and agree to be governed by the laws of the United States of America. If you wish to view our official policies, please visit our website.