Conducting Great Practices in February
It’s February. The end of the conference season is fast approaching and tournament time is just around the corner. By this time, you already have a rotation set and more than likely 7 or 8 players are seeing a majority of the game minutes. How long should your practices be this time of year?
I worked one season at Central Wyoming College for Jamie Stevens’ (current Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Montana State University-Billings). This time of year he would always promote getting “in-and-out of drills.†Our practices would usually only last between 75 and 90 minutes; however, they were incredibly productive and very efficient. Our players knew they needed to compete and they knew that drills would be shortened if the intensity was high. As a result of long, early season practices and months of hard work our players knew “our stuff†very well.
Therefore, practices in February primary focused on:
Competing: Our athletes have to go game-speed. The drills are designed to be competitive and progressive. Many drills provide an opportunity for the team to reach a goal OR for two teams to go against each other. The losing team is put on the line for a quick up-and-back. Then, we are on to the next competitive drill. There are no water breaks; however, players who are not in the drill can drink from their water bottle whenever they have ample time. We used competitive drills as a way to work on our offensive action, transition offense, transition defense, shell defense, and rebounding. Each drill lasted between 3-6 minutes.
Preparing for your opponent: Athletes should have mastered your “stuff†at this point in the season. While running through your action is important for refining and making adjustments, it shouldn’t be a primary focus this time of year. Pre-season, early-season and mid-season practices should emphasis the design, introduction, advancement, and details of your offensive system. This time of year you should focus on your opponent. Having a scout team is beneficial if you have time to properly prepare them. Having a scout team is counter-productive if they are not prepared and able to imitate your opponent effectively. Have your scout team watch film and work with them prior to practice so they can run your opponents stuff game-speed and with precision. Time constraints with gym time, student-athlete schedules, and assistant coach schedules make this easier said than done. But if you want to be great, if you want an added advantage next game, then properly prepare your scout team. Your practices will run much more efficient and your players will be better prepared.
Getting shots up: You have to hit shots to win. Game-speed shots, pressure free throws, and shots within your system should all be the focus of your practice shooting. Get up a lot of shots this time of year, each and every practice.
The Bottom Line: You have 7-8 athletes playing a majority of your minutes. To keep them fresh and most productive get them in and out of practice…BE EFFICIENT IN FEBRUARY!
Do Not Forget: Perimeter and post breakdown. If you are not conducting individual player development sessions right now make sure skill development is taking place during practice. This includes ball-handling, working on “go-to†post moves, direct drives, and much more!