Ahhh… summer…finally some time for a little relaxation, special projects, and studying how to gain an edge over the rest of the conference next season. We’re taking a slight detour this week to highlight one of our favorite, and what some members call most valuable parts of SG Plus, our Coaches Roundtable Series. These intimate discussion with coaches from all levels offer the ability to share, connect and learn from others on relevant topics that most of us are thinking about between trips to the lake, Vegas, and recruiting events this summer.
Start, Sub, or Sit?” Increasing Efficiency – Spacing / Shot Selection / Pace
One of the major interests around the SG Offices (garages) this offseason has been in studying the most efficient offenses from around the world last season. This includes looking at play types {🎙}, actions, players, etc. So, to continue scratching that itch and gain some wisdom from our own members, we started the Roundtable with a “Start, Sub, or Sit?!” question for the entire group to gage their thoughts on creating a more efficient offense.
The question was…
“Start, Sub, or Sit… when thinking about increasing efficiency in your offense, what factor is most important to you at your level? Spacing, Shot Selection, or Pace?”
What ensued was a thoughtful discussion around:
- The connection between talent, level, and pace of play?
- “Tempo” as opposed to “Pace”, and how it relates to screening actions, transitioning between play types, “action to action”, and more.
This part of the discussion also took a fun detour into screening concepts, arriving with separation, creating mini-closeouts, 4v0 to start practice, and more.
Drills to Teach Concepts
After solving the efficiency problem, we then shared some of our favorite drills from this past season when it comes to Teaching Concepts. Many great examples were given including:
- Continuous 5v0
- Including No Stoppage, Hockey Subs • Creating unusual lineups
- 4v4v4 Continuous
- Giving the teams that are off avenues to talk and communicate.
- Questioning the team after the drill.
- Using Constraints to Emphasize and Teach
- Scoring Systems, Weighting Shot Types, etc.
Evaluating Practice and Late Game Coaching Mindset
To finish the session we had two great topics presented by different members about 1) how a coach can evaluate whether their team is on track when it comes to “practice-to-game” carryover of concepts, and 2) thoughts on late-game coaching and the overall mindset needed to be successful in making clear decisions.
For Evaluating Practice, some great points were given on:
- Time on Task? Emphasizing Values & Identity or Preparing for Opponent • If it doesn’t fit into these two things then not worth the time.
- Intensity & Competition
- Getting feedback from players
- Practicing live the day before a game
- “Get good reps” vs “feel good reps”
- And more
For Late Game Coaching Mindset, we discussed:
- Watching film and talking through late game moments with the team.
- Making as many decisions as you can before the game so you are prepared to make them in the game.
- Working with a Sports Psychologist as a Head Coach.
- Evaluating decisions post-game with your staff.
- And more
It was a terrific learning experience and thanks again to all the coaches who participated. This, and all previous roundtables can now be viewed now on SGTV when you become an SG Plus Member!
