Guaranteed Winning Basketball

Whether you're a chess master, a ping-pong player, a guitar picker, or just a run-of-the-mill businessman, rule number one of winning remains the same: Surround yourself with people who are wiser, more accomplished, and just plain smarter than you are.

I've tried to do that consistently over my coaching career, and I've been richly rewarded for it. I've worked with some of the best coaches, adminstrators, and leaders our region has to offer. And I like to think that a little bit of their wisdom and knowledge has rubbed off. So this month, in honor of the 2010-2011 season, I thought I'd try to distill some of what these people have taught me into tasty shots of wisdom. Here is what the winners I've met all seem to know.

Winners know what they don't know. This might sound like a contradiction, but if you know what you don't know, you can go out and learn it. Real ignorance is not a lack of knowledge or education, but a lack of curiosity. The moment you think you know everything, you're doomed. Before you make any big move, always ask yourself, What don't I know about what I'm getting into? Then go find it.

Winners know how to hire winners. As I said above surrounding yourself with highly accomplished co-workers is the best way to become highly accomplished yourself. Unfortunately, when it comes to hiring assistants, many coaches feel threatened by smart candidates and tend to want a supporting cast of people who won't question their choices or challenge their decisions.

Winners know there is always something new to win at. Whether you're Coach of Year, or Athletic Director of the Year, you're bound to be at the top of your game for only a few years before times change. Today's victories soon fade into the glory of days gone by. Winners focus on tomorrow's challenges.

Winners know how to dive in. Life isn't a distance event; its a series of sprints. And most sprints are won at the moment the gun goes off. Many of us spend our time worrying about failure. Winners don't care about failure, because they know that in no time they'll be diving into their next chance for success.

5 "Non-Negotiables" in Basketball

There are five "non-negotiables" that form the bedrock of Dick Bennett's philosophy in his storied coaching career. Players learn and execute by what specifics the coach teaches and what is emphasized. Coach Bennett's list of what he emphasizes includes intangibles, convert to defense, rebound on defense and sureness with the ball. Intangible areas begin with humility - the knowledge of self vs. what others think he is. Passion is a focus toward the task ahead with a total commitment. Unity, which comes from scripture, is the true way to greatness. Servant hood is a trademark of the way Bennett likes the game played and screening, being in the right place and passing are all skills that exemplify servant hood. Thankfulness is another intangible in Bennett's system. Progress comes from acceptance of losing and how it is handled. A loss of poise, consistency, focus are indicators that players must avoid and can be accomplished with being true to the five intangibles. Teaching areas that make up Coach Bennett's coaching philosophy are fundamentals, roles on offense, stopping penetration and recovering and trapping the post.

A number of year's ago, I had the opportunity to hear the late great coach John Wooden speak at clinic an hear are 7 steps he listed to attack a shot blocker at basketball.

1. Drive at a shot blocker, not as a primary strategy, but in the flow of the game. Mix it up by stopping for 10-foot bank shots.
2. Select drivers who are good "finishers" and skilled at drawing the foul.
3. Keep in mind that shot blockers depend on shooters leaving their feet early and releasing the ball away from the rim. Teach players to take it all the way to the nook between the basket and the backboard.
4. Make the extra pass to the shot blockers man when the shot blocker moves to block a shot.
5. If attacking the low post, use catch-and-score plays rather then one-on-one plays where the offensive player has to create his own shot.
6. Involve the shot blocker in screen and rolls and take it to the basket.
7. Make the shot blocker guard the high-post player. The post man is not the only player who can play the high post.

The Box Offense
by Coach Forrest McKinnis
Founder of Coach Mac's Basketball Playbooks
Author of the Top Seller, "Monster Flex Offense".

Coach Mac delivers again with this highly effective power game box offense. Using the high quality Fast Draw software, coach has put together over 50 pages of no-frills X's and O's. The playbook includes a look at the UCLA, Zipper, and Basic Box maneuvers, comprehensive drills to build the box offense fundamentals, over 20 set plays, the box series verses a man-to-man defense, and how to attack the zone out of a box set.

The instant download is currently on sale for a limited time at Coach Mac's Basketball

At the end of this week Coach Mac launched two new exciting instant playbook downloads with the same great price and savings for the youth basketball coach. Since 2006 Coach Mac has been documenting and publishing their basketball strategy; now you can find the 'Entire Collection' in a single simple to order instant download. Take full advantage of Coach Mac's 20 offenses and 407 pages worth of basketball X's and O's.

If 407 pages of basketball strategy is not enough for you, Coach Mac has also just launched his amazing "O" Offensive series designed behind the fundamental approach of the high post offense with a UCLA series twist. Swing by Coach Mac's now and find this new e-playbook for a price any serious coach can afford.

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.
4. The ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do no touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner.

Winning is a mere united effort of many. A coach's playbook is a place where they can record their team's dreams, goals and competitive desires. A difficulty frequently faced in basketball by many coaches in today's game; is getting their players to react to a defense in a positive, posed, and controlled manner. Flipping the pages of your playbook should reveal a combination of tactical highlights collect from various resources throughout the game. Personally, my playbook is a biography of the the coaches who have come before me; whether I came across the X's and O's from some from an opponent along the way or an awesome online resource, it has helped improve my success and defined my future. Begin finding plays for your playbook today!

Coach Mac has spent the season researching many of the top collegiate basketball programs around the country, the Blue Devil Complete Offensive System is the first of these total systematic playbooks. The Blue Devil system is based on Duke's basketball attack and includes 26 pages of high scoring quick hitters, set plays, and much more from one of the nations most successful programs. Join Coach Mac as he has partnered with Fast Draw Software to create an easy to read and understand playbook.

The school year officially begins on Monday and already there are teams around the country who have hit the gym preparing for the challenges of a title quest on the court. Outside of the athlete wishing to participate in a fall sports it is important as basketball coaches to address the conditioning needs of our athletes. Thus, let us focus on the 'jump program' or every popular vertical challenge. There are thousands of variations out there each charging an entire summer's wage to purchase, but in reality they all lead down the same path as long as they include certain elements. My kids have begun the MAX-VERT Elite Elevation Program which is currently being sold for $10 (not $99.95) and promises only returns for the hard working. The MAX-VERT incorporates the art jump roping with a challenging turbo charged cardio workout and a series of at-home weight training exercises that super charge your leg muscles. If your considering a pre-season workout for your basketball players, please don't let them spend their summer wages on the workout, but instead consider an intense challenge for $10 while working themselves into game condition.

As I prepare to board an express way airline to take me from the confines of my home town to the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas, it dawned on me the value of quick hitters in the game of basketball. I used to believe the game had very little room for a set far from those offered in terms of the primary and secondary offensive options. The world revolves around the freedom of express delivery through choice and at very little cost to the customer. The quick hitter in the game of basketball is similar in logic and in purpose. Coaches should consider using quick hitters in game winning situations. The quick hitter allows

Coaches to put players in positions to win. The quick hitter is designed to give the 'go-to' player an opportunity to use their skill set to win the game.

Offer little sacrifice from coaches in terms of time commitment. Quick hitters should be easy to teach and must be designed to pull out on need alone.

Gives teams' guidance from point A to point B in the best means possible. Like my shuttle flight, I know where I am starting and where I should end up, the same principles hold true to the quick hitter.

Allow for teams to produce specific types of shots.

Are you committed to success? Coaches, who have commitment, develop a level of preparation that outlasts their opponents. The value of return on quick hitters should be 95% or more. This makes using quick hitters the complete game winning system. Quick hitters-more often than not-use limited movements to produce outstanding results. A result on return is a perfect way of assessing the usefulness of a team's quick hitters. I challenge all coaches to develop an arsenal of plays held tight to your playbook to be used in that final moment of a close game where a shot assures your team a trip to the state tournament.

Coach Mac has created a library of basketball offenses and NOW he has made them avaliable to basketball coaches everywhere. Basketball offenses are critical to a winning tradition at any level. Here is your chance to find INSTANT ACCESS to a cheap library of the games offenses that really work.

Visit Coach Mac's Instant Library and get instant access to:

10 Game Winning Lethal Out of Bounds Plays for FREE.

21 simple to teach and quick to score continuity offenses such as the flex, UCLA 1-4 set, and the shuffle cut.

5 Out series guaranteed to get wide open layups.

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Over the course of the past few years I have had the opportunity to interact with many in the small coaching community and the topic of scouting comes up more frequently then not. There are two driving schools of though in terms of scouting for success in high school basketball. The first being the fundamental school of thought which breaks down individual player strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. The second being a more hybrid form of scouting which takes a look at certain aspects and tactics that often decide the outcome of basketball games.

At last here are the top 5 things to scout to assure you give your team the best possible means for success.

1. Scout out-of-bounds plays. In the high school game teams often use out-of-bounds plays as a scoring opportunity; especially from underneath the basket. Teams with a success rate of more then 65% in their out-of-bounds sets should be taken seriously. Keep an eye on the sets teams use, what point in the game they use them, and who they are trying to get the ball to; then adjust your defense accordingly.

2. What fundamental team skill do they execute well. For example the Utah Jazz made a living with the fundamental pick and roll series. Scout your opponent for their fundamental skill. No need to break down player by player if you understand their fundamental skill for each teams athletes will be involved in this skill. Skills to look for--pick and roll (high and side), screening (cross, curl, flare), cutting, and high/low. Remember these may take many forms, but if you do your job and scout the skill then you can prepare your team to trump the skill no matter how it is used.

3. Quarter by quarter break down of shots taken or offensive sets executed. Just like us all we are all born either right or left handed. Teams are no exception, more often then not teams will be more comfortable on one end of the floor. Know which end this is and set your defense to take your opponent out of their comfort area.

4. Coaches are creatures of habit. Understand these habits. We had a veteran coach in our league that would always--no matter the case--call a time out in the first minute of the game. Use these habits to your advantage. Understand what a coach's habits are and use them in your favor. Areas to look for what defensive or offensive pattern will a coach turn to after a timeout, when will they often call a timeout, what are their substitution patterns, in late game situations what are their tendencies, and most importantly do they tend to use only things they've shown before or will they toss something new at you--if so, what?

5. Have a plan to turn to in late game situations. Rely on your system to give you a chance to win the game, but have a plan for when the game is close in the final minutes. Who should you foul? What are the team's late game tendencies? Will they stall? How will you counter a stall? If it comes down to one shot what play will you run knowing the defense you will most likely see? What players will be on the floor in the closing seconds?

Take these 5 steps on how to scout to win and watch you teams have success on the floor. Develop a scouting system such as this to eliminate hours of film breakdown while preparing for this week's rival. For more information on strategies to use to help hybrid scouting system win or developing a winning system visit Coach Mac's Website for basketball success.

Yes! Finally, those of us who have been having withdrawls over how the season ended last year, can now begin our quests to league championships, district runs, and state titles.

Season openers have now come and gone and with them we see a turning of the tide in the tempo. It appears more and more teams are moving away from a slow mythodical pace, but attempting to push the ball after made baskets, on turnovers, and rebounds.

I must lay caution in this philosophy, not because the 'run and gun' isn't fun to watch--more importantly play, but rather because such a change in philosophy requires an increased knowledge of the fundamentals of the game. Why you ask are some successful in this tempo and others not? Quite simple, great coaches teach fundamentals first and offenses second. I see an influx in new coaches. This is not a bad thing--we all had to start somewhere--but many of these new coaches are using the break, but failing to teach the fundamentals along the way. Thus, we come to our answer winning teams understand fundamentals, those losing are most likely lacking in the structure fundamentals bring.

As the philosophy changes so must too a coaches approach to the basics. One can not teach the 'Dribble Drive Motion" without first teaching how to dribble and/or drive..

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Coach Mac's Continuity Offense

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The three things Coach Mac's Continutiy Offenses from Oregon Small School Programs book is going to communicate to the coach is that offenses--specifically the continuity offenses (flex, etc) are a profitable way to develop an offensive philosophy in your program that lends itself to success on and off the court.

1. Continuity offenses, unlike their motion counterparts rely heavily upon proper execution of a specific formation and patterned movement. Joe Naismith the man credited for the popularity of basketball was the godfather of the continuity offense.

2. The continuity offense put players in a position to contribute to the team.

3. Success if often defined as the one who scores, but continuity offenses are team oriented and it takes a team to win the game.

For more on Coach Mac'sOffensive book visit Amazon.com

Over the course of my ten years as a varsity head basketball coach, I have explored the idea of team marketing through traditional means and compared the results with the means of a technologically driven marketing plan. Without question services such Mark 88 Hosting - Domain registration and transfer - starting at $7.49/year! and BrainScanMedia.com, Inc. - A Web Solutions Company! Get your business on the web today! are worth their weight in gold. The name of the game in marketing is getting your name or your teams information out there for as many people to see as possible--web hosting services are the only way to go here. Now you might be saying, who cares, "I coach a team in a public high school" and I am dealt the cards I have. But, please remember the term "market" has many different definitions. If you coach at a public high school such as myself you might use webhosting services like BrainScanMedia.com, Inc. - A Web Solutions Company! Get your business on the web today! to communicate with players, parents, other coaches and the community.

In fact, here is the point of my article; In order to be successful as a coach you must find ways to communicate your philosophy with stackholders and in today's busy lives of many parents--the traditional meeting is not going to work. Thus here is my steps to a successful marketing strategy for any sports team;

1. Much like developing a business plan; develop a marketing plan that outlines what you hope to communicate about your program--philosophy, schedules (game & practice), program guidelines, stats, affilate with local merchants, sell program apparel, important links, FAQ section, and much more. The sky is the limit in terms of the internet.

2. Gather photos and other flashy material sells your philosophy to your stackholders.

3. Do you want players, parents, and community members to be able to communicate with you through this site.

4. Make sure you continue to update your site on a weekly basis.

5. I personally liked the idea of publishing a newsletter through the site. You can even begin a mailing list.

6. Finally, use every means possible to tell stackholders about your website. It will take some time for people to pick it up, but once they do they can turn to the site to answer questions instead of calling you at home.

Take it from expert coach Pat Anderson;

There are many different basketball offensive plays that can be run by any offense. Many plays can be run by any style of offense while other plays are suited to only one style of offense. A good coach will change the style of a team's offense to fit what the players do best, and the basketball offensive plays will also be designed to make the most of the talent on a team.

"A good coach will change the style of a team's offense to fit what the players do best."

Just about everything that happens on the basketball court is deemed a play. A defender steals the ball from the ball handler and that is called a great defensive play. A player jumps into the seats to save a ball that's going out of bounds, that's called a good play. A player hustles back and stops a fast break, that's called a play too.

But plays can be something larger too. Coaches devise plays that involve several players doing different things on the court in order to get a good shot. There are also inbounds plays and two man basketball plays and even defensive trap plays. This list goes on and on.

But on offense there two broad categories of offensive plays: They are for fast-paced offenses and a slowed-down offenses. Obviously, the fast-paced offense will run their basketball offensive plays quickly and the plays themselves will be very short. On the other hand, slowed-down offenses will take their time and make several little plays and wait for the development of the play that will result in a shot attempt.

For teams that like an up-tempo style of play, basketball offensive plays are usually quick and not all that complicated. For example, the point guard may come running down the court. He might use a hesitation dribble to freeze the defender and then penetrate into the lane. Then he might kick the ball out for a quick three pointer. The play may have taken only five or six seconds to develop and result in a shot.

Teams that like to play slow and deliberate styles of offense will take a long time before any player takes a shot. Their offensive possession will be made-up of lots of little plays by each of the players. For example, the players will be screening to free-up other players. There will also be backdoor cuts and many other individual plays that each player is trying to make.

Of course after a shot is taken, there is the opportunity for other offensive players to make a great offensive basketball play if the shot is missed. A player could grab a strong rebound and go back-up and slam the ball through the hoop. That would be considered another good offensive basketball play.

Every basketball game is made-up of both team and individual basketball offensive plays. In fact, there are hundreds of plays that happen in every single basketball game. Some plays go unnoticed while other plays have the potential to be remembered for years. A few plays are scripted but most of the plays simply happen in the course of the game. Depending what style of offense is being played, the scoring plays may happen quickly or they may develop slowly.