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Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

TeamSnap Presents The Big East Today on US Sports Net Featuring: Who is Kelan Martin's NBA Comparison?



As a scorer, Kelan Martin reminds Jay Alter of a right-handed Cuttino Mobley. Agree? Who do you think is a better comparison for the former Butler Bulldog? [Videos and More Below]

And now this Teachable Moment From CoachTube!


Game Day Guide: How to Prepare for a Basketball Game


“The key is not the ‘will to win’—everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” This quote comes from legendary college basketball coach Bob Knight. Over the course of a career largely with Indiana and Texas Tech, Knight amassed 902 victories and proved to be a unique breed in coaching circles. However, I believe it is this quote from Knight that shows preparation is just as vital as the actual game. This is a factor that separates the good from the great.

Practice like a Game

Everyone goes to practice. Even on bad teams, the players are still going to show up for practices. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be on the squad. With this said, the difference between success and failure is how you practice, not if you practice. It’s easy to show up and just go through the motions. After all, what does it really matter if you out hustle others in practice, but still struggle in games. The only answer I have to these skeptics: what does it hurt to practice at game speed. This is the only way to enhance your game and translate this playing style directly to a game. In addition to this, it’s a way to impress the coaches. If you’re at the junior high or high school level, you may be wanting to gain some more minutes. What better way to do this than at practice where the coaches are carefully watching you? Likewise, if you’re at the youth level and are tired of being stuck at forward when you want to play guard, then make the coaches change their thinking. Prove to them that you can!

Pre-Game Meal

When I ran cross country, my coach would always stress eating healthy. If you want to compete to the fullest of your abilities, then you must avoid falling victim to a poor pre-game meal. Even though cross country is a much different sport than basketball, the same logic holds true. As you lead up to the game (and really every day during the week), I recommend making sure you drink plenty of water and eat a meal that contains a significant amount of carbohydrates. For an example of this, I recommend spaghetti. I always have and continue to use this as a go-to meal leading up to any races I run.

Rest, Rest, Rest!

Just as eating right is important before your basketball game, it is also vital to get plenty of rest. I understand you might be nervous the night before, particularly if it is a big game or even your first game, but try to get at least eight hours of sleep. This is needed to compete at peak condition.

Mental Preparation

The last two items I discussed largely had physical connections. Now, I will discuss the mental side of hoops. With any sport, I urge young players to understand the importance of this and to not ignore it. Hall of Famer Bill Russell once said, “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” When it comes to basketball, anything that comes from the great Bill Russell should be taken to heart. With mental preparation, there are a few things I think are vital:

Envision Success

If you’re constantly thinking you’re going to fail, then chances are you’ll fail. However, if you picture yourself in your mind succeeding on the court, then your odds of success rise. In basketball, it is important to see the ball going through the net. Even if you’ve had a few rough games, start believing you can succeed. This idea of mental picturing can be useful in any sport, not just basketball.

Don’t Overthink It!

On the night before your game, don’t spend tons of time stewing over the game. It is fine to do a little mental picturing, as discussed above, but don’t overdo it. Try to find something to keep your mind off basketball. Whether it be watching a movie or reading a book, you don’t want to get to the point where you’re thinking on the court the next day, rather than just playing.

Have a Short Memory

As I started to elude to in the prior sections, you’re going to have some failures in basketball. No one is expecting you to make 100% of your shots. In fact, making just half of them is a pretty solid percentage. With this being the case, don’t let one bad game hinder future games. Chances are you’ll have plenty where you can’t find your shot. That doesn’t mean you should let it affect everything else you do on the court. Build a short memory and have confidence in your game!

Stretching and Shoot Around

The final item I will discuss focuses solely on the events right before the game. All of the stuff above broke down what to do in the days leading up. Once you arrive at the court, I recommend getting a solid stretching session in. This not only prepares you to compete at a high level, but it also ensures injuries won’t be an issue. Some coaches like to have their teams stretch together. The main thing is that you don’t ignore this part and get your muscles loosened up for game action.
Next, you’ll need to go through shoot around. Most of the time, this will open up with lay-up lines before breaking individuals up to work on shots around the court. The key here is to take advantage of this time. Utilize it to work on shots you’ll shoot in game or ones that you’ve been struggling with. If free throws have been an issue, then take some reps there to build up your confidence. Similarly, if you’re shot from the corner has been off, then shoot some jump shots from there. The key is to see the ball go throw the net and build confidence leading up to game.
In this course from CoachTube, Bill Thom provides some useful drills that can be completed during shoot around to work on various skills, including rebounding and rhythm shooting. Check it out if you’re struggling to come up with ideas!

Improve!

Odds are that you won’t find the perfect pre-game preparation routine after one time. It may take some tinkering before you fully understand how your body reacts to different things. With this said, as long as you’re working on doing everything right, there is little room for argument. It is when players begin to think they can do whatever the night before the game and still succeed on the court that troubles start to arise. Don’t fall victim to this illogical thinking.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

TeamSnap Presents Pac 12 Update Featuring-Highlight: Arizona State advances to first WCWS since 2013 by sweeping South Carolina on US Sports Net!

Relive the final out from Arizona State's 5-2 win over South Carolina on Saturday during the Tempe Super Regional. It marks the Sun Devils' first trip to OKC since 2013.[Video Below]

5 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make


This can definitely be the case in softball as well. In this article, I’ll discuss some of the biggest mistakes that plenty of softball coaches seem to make time and time again.
Mistake #1: Instructing All Players The EXACT Same
At the youth game, differences in skill sets might not be as distinct. However, trust me, they are there. The easy approach to coaching is running every player through the exact same drills. However, you have different types of players. Some are more speed focused, while others rely on the pop produced by their bat. With this said, coaches should be grouping players by skillsets for practice set-ups. The first half should focus on honing in on strengths and making those as pristine as possible. Then, with the second half of practice, focus on weaknesses. Look at the areas that are holding the player back from being a more complete player.
Mistake #2: Not Being the Coach
Not being the coach? Some of you might raise an eye at this one. With this said, what I’m stressing is the need to be the coach and sometimes this means discipline. I’m not talking about continuously yelling at your players, but rather using your position to train players. Occasionally, you’ll likely confront players that think they know more than the coach. Don’t let a negative attitude disrupt the rest of your team.
Mistake #3: It’s Not All About Winning
We live in a world where winning is sometimes viewed as always being the primary goal. Michael Jordan once said, “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Don’t be the coach that creates a culture where players think an “L” is a complete failure and any season that doesn’t end with a trophy is a disappointment. Once you let the culture get away, all of a sudden softball goes from fun to a burden.
Mistake #4: Thinking All Kids Should Fall in Love With the Game
This mistake is mainly applicable to youth coaches. I always say that youth coaches should be more focused on development, as opposed to racking up the trophies. At the same time, you need to understand not every player on a youth team is going to be “all-in” on a particular sport. Don’t take this as an insult. Some kids are just there for the social part. Don’t think that you need to be more disciplined to get them to love the game. For these kids, it might be more about teaching them some life skills instead of perfecting their softball talents.
Mistake #5: I’m the Expert
As a coach, it is your job to teach players and develop their skills. However, don’t be the coach that is never accepting feedback from anyone. Going along with this, you don’t want to be the one that is always coming up with random historical philosophies that will ‘supposedly’ transform your team. At the end of the day, it’s critical to find a happy medium between being strict and having fun. After all, softball is supposed to be fun, right?
At the end of the day, no coach is perfect. We’re all going to make some mistakes. Just don’t keep falling victim to the same one. Just as it should be with your players, learn from your mistakes!

Thursday, December 7, 2017

TeamSnap Presents: Live Sports Now On US Sports Net!


Dedicated to Making Managing a Team Easier

TeamSnap was founded as a secret society of underwater welders who decided to learn code. No, that's not true. But we were founded by social scientists, an improv comedian and an oil field engineer who had a vision for making group organization easier.