by, Jim “Makevery” Schatz

If you perform a Google search for “free throw” and click on some of the links, you will quickly find there is no agreement, even among expert coaches, in regards to targeting while shooting free throws. Some coaches say aim at the back of the rim, some say aim at the front of the rim, some say aim above the rim and I say, aim at the "sweet-spot"/bulls-eye target.

I was recently asked to share some ideas about how to motivate players.  I think most coaches try to motivate their team more than the individual players.  I think that is normal, but many individuals don't respond to group motivation and will need to be dealt with separately.  On the part of the coach, the latter is definitely more difficult than the former.  Motivating the individual will require more information about a player.

If we're talking about youth recreation teams, at that age, where fun should be the key motivator, ice cream or pizza (or both) could probably suffice.  However as the players age, and the corresponding pressures to do their best and to win begin to dominate the individual psyches, the answers to motivation are more difficult, more varied and can border on the esoteric.

While I have retired from team coaching, I still work with coaches and players privately and in workshops. Motivational issues are almost always part of the teaching plan.

I don't believe there is any one method for motivating. Players relate to different styles: i.e. Bobby Knight vs. John Wooden vs. Jerry Tarkanian vs. Dean Smith.

I receive emails from coaches all over the world whose coaching experiences and needs are varied but often faced by a number of novice youth coaches—boys and girls.  While I answer every one of their queries, it is hard to address them all in the form of an article.

This month's article is really a two-parter.  First, a coach wants to know how to best warm up their young players and to get them "up" to play the game.   Secondly, a coach asks what kind of offensive game strategy to use for 10-12 year-old girls.  (Go ahead and think boys or girls here!)

Answers to the first part:

I spent several years administering youth basketball programs. Prior to each season I would introduce a Parent-Child Clinic for new players and their parents.  I found this to be both a successful teaching method and a bonding experience for the participants.

Most experienced coaches usually have a starting point planned for their early season practices.  They generally know what they want to work on, how long to work on it and when they will begin to work on the team aspects of putting everything together.