US Sports Training Camp Basketball - 4 Defensive Technique Drills from Boston Celtics Assistant Coach Brandon Bailey

By Marek Hulva

As the Boston Celtics were getting ready to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, it gives us a great opportunity to study some basic fundamentals of the game. 

The Boston Celtics have been known for their effective and tough defense for the past couple of years, whether with Coach Brad Stevens or Coach Ime Udoka. 

I am really excited about this one, so today, I want to go over a few drills I have from Boston Celtics Assistant Coach Brandon Bailey, who gave us a great look at Celtic’s defense and techniques to improve fundamentals of individual defense.

Slide and Chest

This drill is excellent for teaching great lateral slide technique, as well as body and hands positioning. Especially players of younger age need to keep their hands up for the referee to see them, and don’t try to push with an elbow to stop the ball. Once players have the technique down, it’s an amazing drill to work on lateral quickness and reaction. Click here to watch an example

Long Shot Contest - Technique

How many coaches have you seen practice actual shot contests, instead of close - outs? The truth is, when we play against high level shooters, sometimes we don’t want to close out and risk an open 3. Proper contest technique needs to be practiced, but as you can see in this drill, it also needs to be practiced on how to recover after the close out. Watch the drill here for more:

Burnout - Vertical Finish Contest

In this drill, we are preparing for a situation where strong side defense is beat and the bottom defender needs to be ready to challenge the ball on the finish. This drill should absolutely be practiced at every level and age. Way too many players challenge the ball when the driving player is already up in the air and commit a foul - too little, too late. Challenge your players to show toughness and keep both arms up in the straight line. As Coach Bailey says, this drill is perfect for the middle of the workout, when you try to bring in a little extra fatigue before free throws.  Click here to watch an example....

2 on 1 Closeouts

Now we can add a little competitive side to closeouts and contests. Like Coach Bailey says, players need to challenge the pass with our hands to make sure the pass is really over the top. This fun drill can even be added on game days. Click here to watch an example....

Defense needs to be practiced, and sometimes we as coaches focus too much on defensive schemes, multiple Pick n Roll Coverages and other techniques, that we forget to develop individual ability of a player to defend. 

Fundamentals are the key to a successful defense, we should find a time each practice to work on individual defensive fundamentals, and reap the fruit when players incorporate it into our defensive schemes. 

Always keep improving,

The Coaches Clinic Community of Coaches helping Coaches

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Habit Building For Your Best Life

 

• Author Emma Viglucci

What routine tweaks are you implementing for more peaceful and joyful days? What systems are you putting in place to have more ease and flow in your home? What ritual can you integrate to launch the new season with spunk? What habit will you put in place to start the new quarter strong? How will you make this quarter special?

As you probably already know, I’m all about constantly optimizing everything. Am I perfect? Of course not! Do I strive for perfection? I let that go a long time ago… What I do strive for is becoming my Best Self, enhancing my wellness, vitality, performance, creativity, and connection. For Being the best human, I can be. To this end, I’m always researching, learning and experimenting with new tools, skills, concepts, and the like.

I’ve been on the improving habits kick for a while now, but I’m taking this interest to the next level. I’m obsessed with biohacking myself, enriching my routines and creating more flow… This means increased longevity, productivity, and impact… This means making a difference. This means having a meaningful and rewarding human experience…

As I’m letting go of Summer and fully turning into Autumn and all its splendor, I’m setting up for my best quarter yet. In all areas of my life. Hey, I practice what I preach! LOL

In playing with my obsessions and to assuage the hunger for more knowledge, I ended up with this current stack:

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

No Excuses! The Power of Self-Discipline

Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Break Bad Habits and Create New Ones

The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

I follow some of these authors’ work closely and I’m enthralled with the possibilities. As we continue to wake up to our potential, it is unbelievable what we are capable of… We can defy our human limitations as we know them… As we learn more about neuroplasticity, epigenetics, super-longevity, and the like we can have a truly amazing, off the charts, human experience…

I don’t know about you, but I want to make the most and the best of mine… What does this mean for us? For our daily life with ourselves, our loved ones and in all the contexts in our lives? It means we set ourselves up to do life with ease. To get the most out of every moment. That we hack the heck out of everything to go beyond the limits.

How? Make the commitment to have your best life, to collaborate with your partner, to enlist relevant and excellent support, to always be learning, healing and evolving… Make the commitment to own your energy, your time, your days, your choices, your decisions, your actions, your presence, your focus, all of you…

Assignment: Let’s drill in and into the practical… What things, activities, habits will you commit to removing for a better lifestyle? What things, activities, habits will you commit to adding for a better lifestyle? Pick one of each and go to town! Really embrace this to get the results you are seeking, to stay the course on having your best human experience…

Let me tell you something. When I focus on these things, my life is juiced up, joyful and easier… I invite you to join me being high on life!

Complete the Assignment, and share your takeaway, insights, and results with a note in the Comments box at the end! I’d love to hear how you are using this content.

Happy Upleveling!

P.S. We are here for you! If you need more support to create a shift in your life, creating your successful and meaningful life, we are here to help. Schedule a Get Acquainted Call to connect, and discuss how we can help you and how to get started. Look forward to Connecting with you!

~ Some Related Issues

New habits, routines and motivation

The power of having Intentional Habits™

The 5 Elements of the Successful Couple Strategy™

Are you achieving your relationship goals?

Are you tapping into your partnership synergy?

How focusing can save your relationship

How to save your relationship

How to get more love from your partner

Yes, you can love too much…

Start a new relationship, with your partner

Resource yourself, uplevel your marriage

~ Share Your Thoughts & Successes in the comment box at the end!

Take a moment now to share below any thoughts, comments, take away, tips, and successes! PLEASE post a comment now – we grow in community!

Thanks for connecting with the MetroRelationship™ Family!

Copyright (c) 2019 Emma K. Viglucci. All rights reserved.

Emma K. Viglucci, LMFT has been in the mental health field in varying capacities for the past 20+ years. She is the Founder and Director of MetroRelationship.com a psychotherapy and coaching practice specializing in working with busy professional and entrepreneurial couples who are struggling getting on the same page and feeling connected.

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US Sports Training Camp Football Presented by CoachTube - How to Maximize Tackling Efficiency within Scheme

 

How to Maximize Tackling Efficiency within Scheme

• By Keith Grabowski
 
• 2021-03-26

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We’ve gone through the era of the Hawk tackle and various certifications and made a ton of progress in the teaching of tackling in regard to safety.  Since then (2014), not much new knowledge has been shared, especially in terms of how the tackle fits into the scheme and how to be sure technique is married to scheme.

All of those techniques had a foundation in rugby. Rugby players don’t wear helmets so protecting their face and head with proper technique is critical, and the techniques made football safer.  The only problem, and this was said to me directly by a rugby tackling expert, is that rugby is not football. Rugby does not have the dynamic of the schemes which include blockers and fits.  So while the technique of the tackle is an upgrade, you still need to account for scheme.

In that regard, Fordham assistant Vince DiGaetano has put together an approach around a philosophy he calls the 3 C’s which he explains in the video (click here to watch videos):

Coach Dig incorporates tackling basics that can be utilized to help develop a coach's eyes when making on field and off field corrections. Through the coach's eye we develop the ability to narrow the focus on tackling evaluation and incorporate our assessment into the defensive scheme to measure its effectiveness and get more players to the ball. It’s a principle he has borrowed from Bill Walsh:

This in-depth system that Coach Dig has put together accomplishes the following:

1. incorporates scheme into skill keeping balance between the two 

2. Efficient in evaluation - not labor-intensive 

3. Can be infused into already existing practices without a complete overhaul to systems 

4. Allows coaches ownership and ability to coach faster 

5. Allows pinpointing schematic success and challenges with leverage 

6. Narrows focus on the most relevant part of skill to pinpoint corrections in pre or post-contact.

Being able to utilize tackling to play effective team defense leads to better leverage for your defense and decreased yardage for the offense you are facing. This resource helps to create value for your defense in three main aspects: Contact, Chase and Converge in simple terms that are relatable to your coaching staff and players. 

This Masterclass includes: 

Full Presentation 

Full Access to Slides from Presentation 

Videos of Drills Explained 

Individual Drill Video with point of Emphasis

Examples of Hit Chart for Use

Coach Dig also put together a resource focused more on the players in the box. Defense is about fitting gaps and defeating scheme. “Winning Gaps with Engaged Tackles” covers the ability to win a short area of space on the field within various schemes.  Most defenders in the box face situations when they are at short range and power is at not 100%, and they can’t cleanly get off of the block. Dig explains what an “engaged tackle” is here:

How important is coaching the engaged tackle?  70% of a defensive lineman’s tackle is made while engaged with a blocker. A linebacker will have this situation about 30% of the time. He shares how it’s important to understand how this works here:

Of course, taking this to the practice field and execution on game day starts with effective and applicable drills. The One Arm Tear Drill is one of Dig’s favorites. He illustrates it here:

What’s this look like in game? Dig breaks it down here:

If you follow coach Dig on twitter, you will know he’s been sharing his #TackleStudy clips daily for almost a year. Here is an example of Ndamukong Suh in an engaged block situation on #TackleStudy:

The primary focus of this resource is working with interior lineman and in box players that create leverage is short spaces. This masterclass covers purpose, concepts, drills and game film to find areas for this to be implemented into your existing tackle system. 

Full access to presentation slides 

Engaged Tackle drills explained and noted 

Game film evidence of Engaged Tackles 

BONUS: Clips from #TACKLESTUDY that cover scenarios of Engaged Tackles 

Both masterclasses are available in this bundle - Ultimate Tackling Master Class. Over 5 1/2 Hours of instruction plus downloadable resources.

I am very impressed by the depth and detail in this resource. If you coach defense, this one is invaluable to have in your library and implement.

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Tips for healthy aging to keep your mind sharp and your body fit. And Muscle Quality, Fat Loss & Your Metabolism: Facts to Know

 

• Author Maryam Umar

As each day passes, so does our age increase, and with increasing age comes aging. Aging is an inevitable process, although it comes with an overload of happiness, extra free time, infinite wisdom, and financial gains (senior discounts and others), it can also have downsides like wrinkling, decreased immunity thus susceptibility to illness, and often loneliness. Although we can’t stop aging, what we can do is make sure that we go through it the best way possible, and we can achieve this by aiming to stay healthy as we grow older.

Why should we strive to stay healthy as we grow older?

-To stay energetic and help control your wealth.

-To prevent some diseases and delay many health conditions that come with aging like high blood pressure, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

-To keep your muscles stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others.

How can we stay healthy as we grow older? By…

-By adopting a healthy diet.

-Working well to have a positive mindset and lifestyle.

-Exercising regularly.

-Get involved in activities in your neighborhood to help you stay proactive.

Adopting a healthy diet: you don’t have to change everything you eat just because you’re getting older, you can replace some not so healthy options with healthier alternatives eg replace all chocolate with dark chocolate, replace ice cream with frozen yogurt, replace beer with spirits or wine, replacing butter with margarine and others. Add fiber to your diet because fiber reduces constipation, helps to lose weight, reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer, and lowers your blood cholesterol level. Try the Mediterranean diet which promotes foods such as fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Drink more water, staying hydrated will give you more energy and flush out toxins.

Working well to have a positive mindset and lifestyle: we can have a positive mindset by focusing on the good things, practice gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal(you can do this efficiently and easily by downloading the Gratitude app on Apple), practicing positive self-talk, spending time with positive people, opening ourselves up to humor, treating ourselves to some self-care every day, identifying our areas of negativity and tackle one area at a time and avoid spreading gossip.

Exercise regularly: Exercise 15 to 30 minutes daily or a few times a week. Try a combination of aerobics (walking, swimming), and strength training with light weights, if you don’t like exercising, try other activities like gardening, dancing, fishing, tai-chi, or yoga. Any activity that you enjoy that’ll keep you in the right state of mind. Exercise can also improve diseases like diabetes. A healthy diet and exercise help feed your brain and improve your decision-making abilities as you get older.

Get involved in activities in your neighborhood: There are many ways to get involved in healthy aging activities in your neighborhood. Volunteering is one of the most popular and easiest ways to get involved. Volunteering can be done at a senior center, a hospital, or even at home with a loved one. If you are not able to volunteer, there are still plenty of other ways that you can get involved in healthy aging activities in your neighborhood. For example, you could attend or organize community events such as health fairs or fitness classes. You could also take care of someone else’s pet while they visit the doctor or help out with yard work for an elderly person nearby.

What if you’ve not been active for most of your life, do you think it’s already too late for you to get started living healthy and even get fit? No, it’s not, you can start your health and fitness journey at any point in your life, regardless of your age. These are how to become healthy and get fit (and stay fit) at any age, …

When you’re in your 30s, here you’re still close to your peak fitness level, cardio is key here, get involved in 20-30 minutes of running, a dance class, or hit the gym. Start slowly but push yourself daily, start with 5 - 10 reps and keep increasing this regularly. Because you start to lose bone mass in your 30’s, it is important to consume high calcium foods such as broccoli, spinach, kale, almonds, yogurt, and cheese, and incorporate omega 3s which have both short-term benefits like improved mood and cognition, and reduced inflammation, as well as long term benefits like an improved mental and cardiovascular health.

When you’re in your 40s, due to hormonal fluctuation, your metabolism starts to slow down as you head into menopause causing weight gain and faster loss of muscle mass, thus here, you should do a lot of strength training to help you build and retain your muscle mass, gradually work up to using heavier dumbbells or adding more reps to your push-ups. Eat foods rich in good carbs like whole grains, this will help you stay energized all day, you can add some anti-aging food eg spinach, almonds, broccoli, avocado, coconut oil, and olive oil to your nutrition list to help your heart, brain, and skin stay healthy.

When you’re in your 50s, you’ll experience increasing bone loss, especially in females due to menopause and decreased estrogen levels. Low estrogen also facilitates weight gain. At this age, you should turn to exercises that can keep you lean, strong, and safe. Adding yoga to your routine will be amazing to keep you in a good state of mind while keeping the extra pounds away. Here, it is important to eat meals that contain several key nutrients daily and eat high protein foods eg beans and lentils, eggs, tempeh, fish, lean meat, poultry, dairy products, nuts, and seeds.

Conclusion:

Even though we cannot stop ourselves from aging, we can put effort to make sure that we age in the best way possible. By following the tips above, be assured that you’re going to age in the most amazing way there is. Do you think there are other ways to ensure that you age amazingly? If there is, be sure to drop a comment below.

I am a freelance health and fitness copywriter and content writer. You can contact me at maryamumar053@gmail.com.

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Real Life Hero - Sabin Barto and Tactical PE Citizen Warrior Saves Children's Lives Superheroes Amongst Us!

 

• By Melissa Praemonitus

The fiery crash on a warm Florida evening on July 4, 2012 left an unconscious man trapped in his burning car.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a figure plunged out of the darkness through a sheet of flames to rip open the door and carry the driver to safety just moments before the car exploded. Like a scene from a movie, the Independence Day hero retreated to the shadows of obscurity, but it wouldn't be the last time he would help someone in danger.

A modest man, Sabin Barto, doesn't talk much about his 10+ years in the U.S. Navy. He spends his post-military career selling real estate in Florida, writing children's books, developing a website devoted to saving the Everglades' habitat, and getting kids engaged in environmentalism. He seems like a pretty nice, normal guy, but his neighbors and friends claim he is a real-life Captain America with superhero strength and courage. Captain America, because his heroics always seem to kick in on the 4th of July, or within a few hours thereof.

On July 3, 2016, in Naples, Florida, Barto witnessed a car crash while driving home with his daughter from a fireworks celebration with some friends. As Sabin exited his vehicle to assist the driver and passengers, a lone female police officer who had been chasing them arrived on scene. Weapon drawn, she shouted at the passenger who tried to flee to get on the ground. Surmising that this was a criminal suspect, Barto saw the driver exit and run, to which he sprang into action, grabbed the driver and held him on the ground so that the officer could properly handcuff him after apprehending the passenger. Barto stayed with the officer until her backup arrived.

Like a superhero, Sabin Barto seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. That exploding car incident in 2012 took place right in front of his house.

This all brings to mind the nature of extraordinary heroism, which often expresses itself in emergencies and difficult circumstances. While most of us flinch and flee from danger, a few, like the men and women who make up local police departments across the country, dash headlong into the jaws of possible death to save a stranger. At a time when we are compelled to remind people that Blue Lives Matter, it's bracing to know that American Exceptionalism also finds a home in the muscle, hearts and minds of Americans like Sabin Barto.

Personal mgr for 2-time Pulitzer cartoonist Michael P. Ramirez & Dave Sussman: Dave Sussman Show/ Whiskey Politics.

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US Sports Training Camp-Baseball Featuring Catchers can influence pitchers...for bad or good

 

By Drew Johnson

 

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“Who's their catcher?” This is the first question many Major League pitchers ask when they are being traded. The pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to the success of a ball team, which means it’s vital to train your youth catchers the art of working with their pitchers. 

Catchers are constantly thinking about the best way to get a batter out. Just like with pitchers, it is always an advantage if a catcher knows the scouting report on the batter or at least pays attention during each at-bat.

Noticing whether a player tends to hit for the fences or pull the ball to left field can make all the difference in a catcher’s performance at calling pitches.

In addition to having strong balance, agility, glove work, toughness, hand and foot speed, and strategic thinking, catchers need to have incredible interpersonal skills. When your catcher can properly communicate with your pitcher, your team can improve its success. 

Tell the Pitcher What He Needs to Hear

Your catcher needs to know his pitcher. Without an understanding of the personality of the pitcher, the catcher will have a hard time knowing what to say. Many pitchers need their catchers to be soft and caring, while others want someone direct.

“He pitches better when he’s mad, so I try to make him that way,” Jorge Posada said about Orlando Hernandez, according to an ESPN article. Certainly, kids shouldn’t be mad on the field, but a little bee in the bonnet can cultivate that competitive spirit.

No matter a pitcher’s preference, they all need to know the truth.

A catcher shouldn’t tell a pitcher he is doing great when it’s clear he’s had much better days. Telling the pitcher the truth is essential, but most pitchers prefer when a catcher does so kindly. Rather than just saying “You need to work the inside of the plate,” catchers must tell the pitcher the way they execute better. Pitchers can often clearly see the areas where they are not effective, but they need to know what they should do to become better. Some kids have this down “naturally,” and others can gain this skill from an understanding parent who doesn’t coddle but suggests guidelines.

Treat Practice Like a Game

Rather than simply placing the glove in the strike zone and merely going through the motions during practice, a catcher can treat practice like the real game. Working all corners of the plate, as well as up and down, will have your pitcher familiar with the way you set up during a game.

Visiting the Pitcher

Paying a visit to the pitcher typically results in an effective partnership. Taking trips to the mound to talk to the pitcher and calm him down can help build his confidence. Effective catchers can make pitchers smile in tough situations, and this can relax them.

Communication Is Key, Too

Certainly, the pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to a team’s success. This makes it vital for coaches to train catcher in this art of social interaction. Certain catchers are simply on the same page as their pitchers, and these relationships often result in a low ERA. Ultimately, overall improved relationships on your team boost morale and improve performance.

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THE VALUE OF GODLY FRIENDSHIPS and The Best Kept Secret: Your Greatest Discovery

 by Creflo Dollar |

Good friends enrich our lives. We’ve all had times when we’ve suffered disappointments or loss and drew strength from loyal friends who came to support and encourage us. These people, who remain faithful through good and bad, are to be treasured. In light of this, it’s extremely important that we’re deliberate and intentional in establishing godly relationships.

There are plenty of people in the world, but not all of them are suitable to be called our close friends. Only a select few, those who accept us with all our imperfections, can be allowed into our inner circle. Spiritually, there’s great danger in choosing the wrong friends; spending time with people who hide ill intentions can be disastrous for us. “So stop fooling yourselves! Evil companions will corrupt good morals and character” (1 Corinthians 15:33, TPT).

Who we hang around with influences us tremendously, for either good or bad. The relationships we foster can either build us up and help us reach our potential or tear down our sense of self-worth and destroy any positive self-image we have. Faithful friends are gifts from God; He therefore needs to be present in all our friendships. “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence” (Proverbs 27:9, TPT).

We’ve all met people who pretend to be our friends but whose motives are suspect. There are plenty of people like that in the world; associating with them can drain the joy out of our lives and leave us wondering why we feel so negative after being with them. Individuals like this can be traps for our emotional health and well-being. True friends always have our best interest at heart, and tell us the truth in love. “You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty, but your enemy’s pretended flattery comes from insincerity” (Proverbs 27:6, TPT).

We must also be aware of how anger affects a friendship. This emotion can lead to strife and bickering, and eventually destroy a perfectly good relationship. When we’re influenced by someone like this, their anger negatively affects our emotional outlook. This should be a red flag for us. “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul” (Proverbs 22:24, 25, NLT).

When selecting who gets to be our friend, it’s important to be able to recognize and weed out the ones who judge us for not being perfect. Some people need to stay acquaintances in our outer circle because they have character issues. We need to be picky who we open ourselves up to and become vulnerable with. Good friends are non-judgmental; they accept us the way we are and help us along our God-given path. “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends” (Proverbs 17:9).

Good friendships stand the test of time. God sends some people into our lives for a brief season; He sends others to walk with us through the years, ministering to us and encouraging us in tough times by their very presence. These are the people He can work through to show us His love and kindness. Recognizing the ones He has put in our path, and nourishing those relationships, makes life sweet.