A few weeks ago, we hosted our first annual “SG SoCal Coaches Summit.” In this unique, intimate setting, terrific coaches from high school to the NBA had the opportunity to connect, present, and exchange ideas on a wide range of topics. We are incredibly grateful to the coaches who presented and shared their insights. Thanks to their generosity, we’re excited to share some of the presentations over the coming weeks.
To kick off the summit, one of the best Player Development Coaches in the game, Phil Beckner, shared his insights on Player Standards, and emphasizing the importance of clarity, communication, and accountability in building a strong culture. He then took to the court to explore Player Development through the lens of “Myths in Player Development.”
*Note: Coach Beckner’s podcast with us is one of the most popular of all time. You can listen to our conversation HERE.
What sets Coach Beckner apart as an elite teacher and presenter is his ability to simplify the complexities of the game or a skill-work, focusing on the foundational elements of passing, shooting, dribbling, and more. By breaking these skills down into their most essential components, Coach Beckner creates clarity in what he is teaching and what he expects from the players. This clarity enhances both the intensity and efficiency of his player development sessions, allowing players to engage in purposeful, game-like reps to maximize their potential.
In this dynamic presentation, Coach Beckner addresses some of the misconceptions that he sees pop up in the realm of player development, giving his perspectives and insights—not just into the drills but, more importantly, into the “lens” through which he views and teaches skill development.
Below are a few of the myths Coach Beckner discusses…
Myth #1 – Players Need Dynamic Ballhandling
“The ball needs to work with them, they don’t work with the ball.”
Coach Beckner opens the clinic by addressing ballhandling and pushing back on the notion that players always need creativity and dynamic ballhandling. Taking us through his progression of ballhandling exercises, Coach Beckner emphasizes focusing on the precision and force of the dribble. If a player can achieve these two things with their dribble, everything from their passing, shooting and decision making will ultimately improve.
Coach Beckner goes on to discuss that players need to be able to feel both the precision and force of their dribble within an exercise. Rather than introducing overly dynamic drills that could distract from these key aspects, he focuses on keeping exercises simple with close attention to detail. From this solid foundation, he gradually expands the drills to include body movement, while still maintaining a focus on precision and force.
Myth #2 – Players Need Multiple Rim Solutions
“Players need to be great at the finishes that happen a lot….a right hand lay-up.”
As Coach Beckner addresses, the #1 finish in all of basketball remains the lay-up. Building on the fundamentals of dribbling, Coach Beckner progresses to finishing at the rim, teaching the four most common types of lay-ups: a regular 1-2 lay-up, the inside hand finish, the Nash “extend out,” and the two-foot power finish.
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Once a player has their pound and posture correct in their dribble, Coach Beckner can begin to emphasize the “Three E’s to Finishing”:
- Eyes to the Rim
- Extend to Finish
- Explode
Myth #3 – New Drills Equal Better Results
“New doesn’t always mean better…”
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In today’s video, Coach Beckner elaborates much further on all of the above myths, providing on-court examples, while also diving into thoughts on the use of “block training”, developing shooters, “simple vs. complex” new drills, and much more.
The first part of Coach Beckner’s presentation on Developing High Level Player Standards is available for free here…
The rest of his on-court presentation at “SoCal Coaches Summit” is available for SG Plus members on SGTV.