How Players LearnHow Players Learn: Tips on Coaching Methods
Understand how players learn and structure your practices accordingly. Below are some examples on how players learn.
Repetition: Have your players perform a skill to the best of their ability over and over. Stress and correct key points along the way. Be careful not to allow your players to be lazy with fundamental repetition and develop bad habits.
Progressions: Break a skill or set of skills into basic parts, then build back to the whole. Example- the Shooting Progression (without a ball): develop footwork, then body position, then alignment, then release, then add the ball.
Restrictions or Conditions: Some skills become emphasized when others are restricted or disallowed in scrimmage play. For example, scrimmaging with no dribbles allowed help players learn ball movement and player movement through passing only.
Freezing Play: As your players perform a drill or engage in a scrimmage, stop play with a whistle or "freeze" call to illustrate a point. Used correctly this can really help your players learn from their own example. Used too often and they'll tune out your attempt at teaching.
Player Analysis: At the end of a set time or points limit, bring the players together and allow them with guidance to analyze their play. Ask, "How did it go? What went well? What didn't go so well? What do we need to work on?" Empowering your players to teach themselves is a very effective learning strategy. When used with 'restrictions or conditions', players analysis becomes even more effective.
Homework: Give players specific assignments to accomplish by the next practice. Ball handling drills make great homework assignments
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