There is a saying in basketball that "the coach who emphasizes everything, teaches nothing". It is hard to be great at man defense, zone defense, fast break transition, motion offense, breaking presses, rebounding, passing, taking care of the ball, ballhandling, shooting, scoring in the post, pressing, and so on.
At the youth competitive level, one of the hardest thing to acquire is enough gym time. With this in mind coaches simply do not have enougth time to teach everything in a short period, however, this does not discourage them from trying to do way too much.
The best approach is to choose 3 or 4 things that you will be great at. Then you focus on those 3 areas and do what ever it takes to be great. In other words, you focus on the critical few, versus the trivial many.
This will give your team an identity. This will give you, as a coach, more focus. This will give your players a clearer understanding of what you want from them. This will cause other teams to adjust to you, instead of you adjusting to them.
What 4 things should you focus on?
- GREAT man to man defense plus a great zone defense.
- GREAT team rebounding.
- GREAT half court offense that is methodical and takes high percentage shots.
- GREAT at taking care of the ball....avoiding turnovers.
While doing the above, keep in mind that teaching young players is all about player development and having fun. Winning will eventually be a by-product of the above focus.
