Most of us have witnessed a broadcast, an instructor or a presentation where it was clear that the person stumbles. While most people can excuse or forget the first occurrence, the more it happens the more disengaged the audience becomes. At some point it is clear they need more experience and practice.
We, as coaches or parents, feel the responsibility to make sure our team does not get caught in the same situation. We strive to make sure players go through a drill, skill, practice or game smoothly.
There are tons of cliches that every player have heard and coaches have used that are meant to highlight the importance of practice. My personal favorite which applies to players and coaches:
Success is when hard word meets opportunity.
This post will highlight the four easiest things you can do to make sure your team is prepared for the first day of the season.
1. Provide a workout routine
Perhaps the easiest tool you can provide your players is a routine that will keep them in shape and make them stronger. I suggest a few things they can memorize and complete in 20-30 minutes.
Summer Down time
It is important to keep it simple enough for them to memorize so they can repeat with out some sort of aid. It should be easy for them to complete when they go on a vacation or weekend getaway. They also won’t be able to use that as excuse for not starting. Plus it will be easy for them to see how the can complete it without interrupting their whole day.
Similarly, a shorter 20-30 duration makes it easy to fit into the schedule of a busy day. They won’t have the excuse of ‘not enough time’ between events or chores. Again, it will make it an achievable task and easy to envision the completion which increases the likelihood the will start.
2. Schedule open gym time
When it comes to a good off season option that is easy for coaches, there is little that can beat setting up open gym times. These opportunities allow kids to get valuable experience with the game specifically:
- Adjusting to all levels of competition
- Adjusting to all levels teammates
- Providing better conditioning than cutting the grass or sitting on the couch
- It will foster more fun and highlight the kids that have a love for the game.
3. Organize a summer camp
Organizing a summer camp for 3-5 consecutive days allows you to work with your potential team but it can take a huge commitment as a coach.
You can try to organize your own camp if you have the time. However, aside from the time during the camp, you need to spend the time to:
- secure the location
- confirm the days and times
- recruit staff
- promote registration
- collect fees
- coordinate promotional items
- develop schedule for each day
While all together this effort may sound intimidating, it may be worth it to build up participation, loyalty and financial stability in the program.
Plus, as you plan for next season, the time spend with these kids will help build skills, maintain conditioning and build a foundational relationship between coaches and players for the next season.
A summer camp can be a ‘bootcamp’ for your future team. If done right, it will be a great way to encourage attendance at tryouts.
4. Promote registration and tryouts
These days, ther are a lot of athletic opportunities for kids year round. On one hand, as a parent, it is great to know there are a lot of options.
Games before you know it!
On the other hand, as a coach, this means there is a lot of competition for participants before the season even starts. The competition comes from within the basketball community but also from other sports that are in the same season plus year round “travel” sports like hockey, soccer or baseball.
Therefore, you need to make sure you are always inviting kids to participate. These days, unfortunately, a lot of kids are deciding to focus on one sport younger and younger each year. Your job is to make it so popular and welcoming that everyone wants to be there. When that anticipation builds, you can use that motivation all season long.
In summary, your ‘off-season’ as a coach needs to be preparing the kids, the coaches and community for a successful regular season. You can’t presume to have a successful season, starting on the first day of practice, if you haven’t done the hard work in advance of the opportunity the comes with day one of the season.
If you don’t prepare in the off season, you can expect to stumble and risk letting your players disengage just when you need their attention the most.
What tips do you have for the off season? What would you like to accomplish next season? Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts.