Coaching Management 18.6

Coaching Management VOL. XVIII NO. 6

BASKETBALL

PRESEASON

EDITION

DISCOMFORT ZOne Dialing Up Your Defense With a 2-3 Zone ■ ■

Pre-Practice Routines Barefoot Training

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$7.00

2010

Circle No. 100

CONTENTS

Coaching Management Basketball Edition Preseason 2010 Vol. XVIII, No. 6

3 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 High school national championship debate … Big West coaches cook up publicity … Double duty on the sidelines … Young coach learning the ropes … Elmore on board with iHoops.

Discomfort Zone

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Leadership

Quality Time

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Randy Bennett, Head Men’s Coach at Saint Mary’s College, discusses his approach to revitalizing a down program and replacing star players.

NELSON CHENAULT/US PRESSWIRE

COVER STORY

No longer considered a lazy defense, today’s 2-3 zone is an attacking strategy that confuses opposing offenses and takes away easy shots.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Basketball FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Product Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Strength Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Coaching Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Teaching your team to put its pre-practice routine on autoplay empowers players and promotes crisp workouts.

Strength & Conditioning

Baring Their Soles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Barefoot training is a secret weapon for improving movement efficiency, balance, and kinetic chain integrity in players.

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ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 OVERTIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 On the cover: Last season, the shot blocking of Ekpe Udoh (13) and Quincy Acy (4) made the Baylor Bears’ 2-3 zone one of the stingiest defenses in the country and helped carry the team to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Elite Eight. Story begins on page 14.

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Dennis Read, Greg Scholand Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson, Kenny Berkowitz, Patrick Bohn, Abigail Funk, Mike Phelps

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Business Manager Pennie Small Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter Circulation Director Dave Dubin Circulation Manager Sandra Earle

Art Director Pamela Crawford Production Director Maria Bise Production Assistant Natalie Couch Graphic Artist Trish Landsparger Prepress Manager Neal Betts Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

The Coaching Management Basketball edition is pub­l­ ished in August and March by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Nationals Good For High Schools?

In the first year of the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, only private schools competed for the mythical national title. But this year, public schools joined the party after the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) decided to permit its members to compete in the tournament if invited. The FHSAA’s move, plus recent discussions by the NFHS, has many wondering if the tide is turning toward an official high school national championship.

While detractors say national tournaments featuring high school teams go against the spirit of scholastic sports, FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing views the Invitational as an opportunity.

“Number one, it was a way to promote high school athletics to a national audience,” he says. “All of the games were broadcast on ESPN channels.

Number two, it was a way to promote what we’re doing with basketball here in Florida. And number three, with the Invitational being held in Washington, D.C., we felt it would be a wonderful educational experience for our student-athletes.”

able feedback. We felt that all around, it was a good experience for the teams involved.”

But not everyone agrees that promoting high school athletics on a national scale is a good thing. Jack Roberts, Executive Director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), is one who objects. He believes that holding a national championship in any sport allows an emphasis that is inappropriate in education-centered inter interscholastic athletics.

“In fact, I think we already push the envelope by holding state championships,” he

says. “They interfere with classroom instructional time and cost schools, communities, and fans money. We’d be smarter to scale back rather than place even more emphasis on sports in schools.

“If we want to add to existing conflicts with academic programs, recruiting scandals, budget problems, and commercial influences, national championships are a way to do that,” Roberts continues.

“But if we want to stop those problems from getting worse, we should keep national championships out of our programming altogether. That’s Michigan’s strong position, as

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TJ ROOT FOR ESPN

Still, supporters say national tournaments are just the natural evolution of high school athletics. “People would be amazed at the tremendous level of competition in high school athletics now,” Dear Dearing says. “Some athletes and teams don’t find a challenge unless they seek out national competition.”

So far, the FHSAA plans to allow its invited teams to attend the ESPN RISE Invitational again next year. But no other state association has joined Florida in doing so—yet.

Meanwhile, the NFHS is considering creating its own national championships. “There were extensive discussions among a number of state association representatives at our winter meeting on the topic,” NFHS Executive Director Bob Kanaby says. “There are those who have expressed great interest and those who have said it’s not the direction to go in, but right now the decision rests with our Board of Directors, who will continue to discuss the matter.”

The ESPN RISE National High School Invitational also involved private schools from Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Vir Virginia. The teams were chosen based on their end-of-season ranking in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 and input from a selection committee. The winner of the boys’ bracket for the second year in a row was Findlay College Prep at the Henderson (Nev.) International School, adding fuel to the fire for critics of putting high school teams on a national stage.

Two boys’ teams and two girls’ teams from Florida competed in the three-day tournament in early April. Dearing says the FHSAA asked tournament organizers to invite the same number of boys’ and girls’ squads so there would be no risk of a Title IX violation. The FHSAA also reserved the right to block teams from attending if a squad faced disciplinary action or officials felt the team would not represent the FHSAA in a positive way.

“All of our coaches who went said it was one of the best experiences they ever had,” Dearing says. “When we heard the testimony from the coaches, it was just unbeliev-

it is in many other states.”

Top recruit Austin Rivers, of Winter Park (Fla.) High School, drives to the basket during the 2010 ESPN RISE National High School Invitational. There is growing debate whether national championships fit the high school athletics model.

Findlay Prep is quite familiar with the spotlight and has been a hotbed of controversy in recent years. The school’s team is made up of players from all over the country, and while detractors say it is a glorified travel team, others say the ath-

CoaChing ManageMent ent

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD letes benefit from the school’s customized one-on-one education opportunities. However, in late February, Henderson International announced that it would be closing after the current school year due to financial difficulties, leaving the Findlay Prep program searching for a new home.

Big West Coaches Cook Up Publicity It’s easy for preseason league media days to become bland affairs. So Mike Daniels, Assistant Commissioner of the Big West Conference, wanted to add some flavor to last season’s event. He reached out to marketers at Anaheim’s ESPN Zone restaurant, and together they turned the standard press conference into a Top Chef competition among head coaches.

“We were looking for a fun, entertaining activity that coaches wouldn’t ordinarily get to do,” says Daniels. “The cooking contest gave them a chance to interact in a different way and provided an opportunity for the media to get to know our coaches in a very social environment. We wanted to generate excitement for the upcoming season, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Victory was sweet for the Titans, whose Head Men’s

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Coaching Management

Based on the popular TV show Top Chef, the Big West version asked each team to prepare two pasta dishes in 20 minutes.

For their first course, the Fullerton duo successfully replicated ESPN Zone’s sun-dried tomato and pesto penne dish—without knowing the ingredients ahead of time. For the second, Foster used a recipe of her own, Smokin’ Chokin’ Chicken, which featured sautéed chicken breasts, garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms topped with butter sauce and served over rigatoni.

The panel of judges, which included the head chef of

ESPN Zone and the executive chef of Angel Stadium of Anaheim, praised Burton’s and Foster’s “blend of color,” “understated elegance,” and ability to “take a simple dish of ingredients and put them together in a pleasing way.”

They were less enthusiastic about UC-Riverside, whose coaches took home the Kitchen Nightmare award—an Anyone Can Cook book, a fire extinguisher, and an Easy Bake oven—while staying goodnatured about coming in last.

Knowing that coaches probably wouldn’t feel comfortable cooking in front of a crowd was actually part of the conference’s plan. “There was some hesitation from the coaches, because they’d never participated in something like this,” says Daniels.

“But for the event to succeed, they needed to take that leap, even if they didn’t completely understand what they were supposed to do. And the judges deliberately tried

to keep the chefs off balance, because that’s how you produce the most fun.”

Daniels is confident the competition could succeed in other conferences too, as long as they choose the right partner—one that’s willing to open its kitchen, set up contest rules, prepare ingredients ahead of time, and host a major media event. For this October’s edition, he’d like to increase fan participation through ticket contests on Twitter and Facebook, with winners getting the chance to cheer on their favorites in person.

With conference bragging rights at stake, Cal State-Fullerton is ready to defend its title. “My real goal is to be Big West basketball champion, not Big West cooking champion,” says Foster, who’s beginning her second season as head coach. “But if winning Top Chef gets Cal State-Fullerton’s name out there, it’s a positive for the program.

This season, we’ll come up with a dish that’s even better.”

Cal State-Fullerton Head Men’s Coach Bob Burton answers a question as he and the school’s Head Women’s Coach, Marcia Foster, cook up their award-winning pasta dish during the Big West Conference’s Top Chef competition. The event was part of the league’s 2009-10 preseason media day. Burton and Foster won the contest.

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MATT BROWN

Members of the Internet, print, radio, and television news media ate it up, filing stories about coaches trading playbooks for spatulas, trash talk around the hotplates, and dishes rich enough to give judges a heart attack. Men’s and women’s coaches from the conference’s five southern California schools—Cal State-Fullerton, Cal State-Northridge, Long Beach State, UC-Irvine, and UC-Riverside—competed in teams of two, and when the smoke cleared, Cal State-Fullerton found itself at the top of the culinary heap.

Coach Bob Burton and Head Women’s Coach Marcia Foster grabbed medals for Best Presentation, Best Taste, and overall honors as the Top Chefs.

“It was a nice way to kick off the season and represent our program,” says Foster. “It was a gimmick, but it created camaraderie and brought out everyone’s sense of competitiveness.”

Wise Beyond His Years They say coaching ages a per person, but in the case of Joshua Washington, Head Men’s Coach at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, that may not be a bad thing. At 25, Washington was one of the youngest head coaches in the NCAA during the 2009-10 season.

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Last season, two NYU-Poly players were the same age as Washington, but he downplays his youth. “It’s pretty similar to any coach who has become a head coach for the first time in his career,” he says. “I have the same obstacles, roadblocks, and learning curve.

“It doesn’t matter what my age is when it comes to relating to the players,” he adds.

“Someone could be 50 or 60

Last season, as Head Men’s Coach at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Joshua Washington was among the youngest coaches in the NCAA. At 25 years old, Washington was the same age as two NYU-Poly players. Cultivating relationships with his athletes is among Washington’s top priorities as a coach.

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CoaChing ManageMent ent

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD years old and get the best out of each player by treating them like a friend and being truthful.�

Washington played at NYU-Poly, an NCAA Division III school, for four years and served as an assistant coach for the school’s women’s team for two more seasons. Before accepting the men’s position, he spoke to Head Women’s Coach Jimmy Barrett and solicited advice from his high school and AAU coaches about taking over a program.

They told him to be honest with his athletes and to take an interest in them as players and people. “I have been really involved in the Poly community,� says Washington. “While I was the assistant women’s coach, I was building a relationship with the men’s team. During the season, I would help the men with their individual skill development and I served as a mentor to them at the same time I was coaching the women. When I was named the head men’s coach, the guys were excited because they knew who I was and we had already built friendships.�

Washington made developing relationships a priority through what he calls “360 feedback meetings.� “Once a month I sit down with my players and evaluate them,� he says. “I talk about basketball and their career goals. At the end of the meeting, they do an evaluation of me and how I can become a better coach and better interact with and understand them.�

Last season, the team finished 4-21, but despite the disappointing record, Washington isn’t panicking. He lost only one player and retains the Skyline Conference’s second-leading scorer and its top shot blocker.

The only change he has decided on is conducting feedback meetings earlier and more frequently. Last year, he started holding them on a monthly basis later in the season, and this year he will start in the preseason.

Washington’s ultimate goal is to become an NBA coach, and his short-term goal is to approach each day looking to make step-by-step improvements. “Young coaches need to be consistent and research the game everyday,� he says. “The only way your team is going to get better is if you become a better coach each day.�

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Len Elmore Takes the Lead with iHoops If you watched any college or professional games last season, odds are you also saw a banner or viewed a commercial or two for iHoops. But do you know what iHoops is? And did you know that former college basketball great Len Elmore is its new Chief Executive Officer?

A year ago, this NCAA and NBA initiative to improve the quality of youth basketball—athletically, educationally, and socially—was still just an idea. Now, the group and its mission are beginning to take shape. Dubbed iHoops, the joint

3#/2% !./4(%2 7). 7)4( -),+ As the new Chief Executive Officer of iHoops, Len Elmore is helping develop the program as a resource for coaches, players, parents, and officials. effort unveiled its Web site, hosted its first nationwide skills challenge for youth players this spring, and formed several key partnerships to help keep the ball rolling.

The addition of Elmore, who took over in May, has been a shot in the arm for iHoops. A longtime college basketball broadcaster who spent eight seasons in the NBA, Elmore is familiar to coaches, players, and fans of all ages. A former assistant district attorney in New York City, Elmore holds a degree from Harvard Law School and is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Before being named CEO, Elmore was on the iHoops Board of Directors. “I realize this is a challenge, but the goals are worthy of the effort and the time,� he says. “For a long time, I’ve been lobbying

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD for the same important points that iHoops stands for, and I thought, how could I not step up to the plate and accept the challenge to move us forward?”

There’s no doubt that Elmore’s presence lends credibility to the initiative, and will go a long way toward the program’s development. As iHoops continues to cultivate its resources, Elmore says its goal is to get more athletes, coaches, parents, officials, and administrators on board.

ue to look for ways to provide more and better resources to our community.”

One way iHoops is aiming to connect with the coaching and youth audiences is through its partnerships with companies and athletic associations.

Nike, adidas, and Right Guard are iHoops’ founding partners, and more recent partners include USA Basketball, the Amateur Athletic Union, and the NFHS—which all have coaching education resources iHoops can tap into.

were narrowed down to 18 participants—nine boys and nine girls—in each age group who convened in Orlando, Fla., in May for the final event.

“The Skills Challenge is all about increased youth participation in basketball,” Elmore says. “It’s meant to emphasize the fun element of developing fundamental skills. We want kids to know from the get-go, and to always remember, that basketball is a fun sport.”

Elmore says creating the iHoops Web site was a big step. The Approximately 100,000 youth “We’ve gotten a lot done, but site offers a variety of resources, now it’s a matter of being able players participated in iHoops’ including a section called Pracinaugural Skills Challenge this to honor our mission,” Elmore tice Time where articles and spring. YMCAs, Boys & Girls says. “We’ve received great videos provide athletes with feedback from a range of folks Clubs, and other youth leagues tips for improving their game. scattered around the country who have been involved, and Another section called the Lockhosted Challenge events for the Web site has been widely er Room has the latest youth boys and girls ages nine to 14, accepted in the basketball basketball news from around community. We’re just scratch- who were divided into six difthe country and online quiz ing the surface and will contin- ferent age groups. The winners games.

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“We launched iHoops.com in October, and have been steadily building traffic,” Elmore says. “We want not only youth participant visitors, but also their coaches, parents, officials, and administrators.”

Double Duty On the Sidelines It’s not uncommon for a coach to have experience coaching both males and females.

But both at the same time?

This past winter, that was the reality for Rick Jackson, who served as Head Coach for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at St. Mary’s High School in Medford, Ore. Jackson, who has coached the boys’ team for six years, was pressed into double duty after the girls’ coach retired following the 2008-09 season. The

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school had difficulty finding a suitable replacement with varsity head coaching experience, so Jackson volunteered his services.

the locker room to speak to his boys’ squad for a few minutes, and then spend a few more minutes giving the girls’ a postgame evaluation.

He first spoke to his wife— who was receptive to the idea in part because their daughter would be entering the program as a ninth grader— before approaching his athletic director to make the pitch.

As it turned out, game days were the easiest part of Jackson’s week. Every day after school, he arrived at the gym at 3:30 p.m. to set up for boys’ practice from 4 to 6 p.m. He then grabbed a quick snack and went straight into girls’ practice, which lasted until 8 p.m.

“The girls were coming off the best season in the history of St. Mary’s, which was founded in 1895,” Jackson says. “They finished third in the state and the entire team, except for one girl, was returning. So I felt like it would have been an injustice to such a talented team to bring in someone who didn’t have the relevant coaching experience.”

Jackson then met with his boys’ assistant coaches to make sure they were okay with picking up some additional responsibilities. He also talked with returning players from each team to discuss the unique situation.

“I asked the boys’ team if they felt like I was splitting my attention too much, but they all gave it the thumbs up,” he says. “Then I went to the girls and told them I’d coach if they wanted me to, or we could try to find someone else. They all knew me and had seen me coach before, and unanimously said they wanted me to be their coach.”

The situation was logistically feasible because at the 2A level in Oregon, all four teams— boys’ and girls’ j.v. and varsity—travel together for games.

Following the j.v. contests, the girls’ varsity team always played before the boys, so Jackson had a full pre-game talk with that team. One of his assistants handled most of the preparation for the boys’ team as the girls’ game was wrapping up in the fourth quarter. Once the girls’ game ended, Jackson would rush to

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Although it took a lot of hard work, both teams ended up having extremely successful seasons. The girls’ team won the league title, finished with a record of 23-3—the most wins in school history—and was the state runner-up. The boys’ team, meanwhile, tied for the league championship and finished 16-7, losing in the first round of the state playoffs.

For Jackson, there were many lessons from the journey, and he believes the experience made him a better coach. “This was my eighth year as a head coach, and after about five years, I had my practice schedule down,” he says. “With two teams, I was forced to be much more organized with my planning— which I think really helped me grow as a coach.”

Jackson is leaning toward assuming the dual roles again this season, and says he would like to give his assistant coaches even more autonomy, especially during practice.

“I’ll probably allow them to do more of the coaching and demonstrating,” he says.

To help eliminate some stress of the practice schedule, the two teams sometimes worked out together, often on Fridays before weekends when there were no games. The joint practices were structured to be more fun, but Jackson scheduled them judiciously to avoid the perception that one or both squads were being shortchanged.

“My biggest thing going into the year was to try to keep it as two separate teams as much as possible,” he says. “The practice routines were different, and although some of our offensive sets were similar, I thought the girls’ strengths were better served with a different offense than I have been using with the boys.”

Jackson’s coaching style also differed slightly for each team.

“I played under fiery, aggressive, in-your-face type coaches, and I’m a little like that,” he says. “But I don’t think that style works as well with high school girls. So with them, I was a bit more relaxed and didn’t get in their face and challenge them as much as I’ve done with boys’ teams.”

Kylee Adderson from St. Mary’s High School in Medford, Ore., snares an offensive rebound against league rival Lost River High School. At St. Mary’s, Rick Jackson is head coach of both the school’s girls’ and boys’ teams.

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Q&A

Randy Bennett

Saint Mary’s College of California

When Randy Bennett took over as Head Men’s Coach at Saint Mary’s College in 2001, he inherited a team that won two games the previous season. Four years later, he tied the school’s singleseason wins record with 25, then broke it in 2008-09 with 28 victories.

To cap it all off, last season, Saint Mary’s beat rival Gonzaga University in the West Coast Conference (WCC) championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament. As a 10-seed, the Gaels stunned second-seed Villanova University in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

In his nine years on the job, Bennett has become the most successful coach in the program’s history. The 2008 and

CM: What goals did you set for the program when you took over?

Bennett: Number one, I wanted us to be a team. I wanted the players to understand and buy into the idea that there was something greater here than their own individual goals.

Number two, I wanted improved work ethic. I’m not saying the players weren’t workers before I got here, but if we were going to be good, we needed a work ethic as good as anyone else we played against.

Saint Mary’s Athletics/Tod Fierner

The third thing was improving the players’ attitudes. A good attitude is shown through succeeding in those first two tasks of becoming a team and working harder.

What I didn’t do was come in right off the bat and say that we needed to get better players—which is what a lot of coaches say when they take over a program. My thinking was that these were our guys and we were going to do the best we could with them. Then, as we gradually got better we would bring in even more talented players.

How did you get the players to buy into that idea of team?

It started with our staff. I hired assistant coaches who believed in the idea and would personify it. If your staff isn’t modeling the team philosophy, it’s going to be very hard for your players to buy in.

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2010 WCC Coach of the Year is Saint Mary’s all-time wins leader, and has led the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament three times.

Bennett has also seen 15 players earn all-WCC team honors and this past season, standout center Omar Samhan was named an honorable mention all-American by the Associated Press. Two years ago, team leader Patrick Mills was the first NBA draft pick from Saint Mary’s in 25 years.

Prior to his arrival at Saint Mary’s, Bennett was an assistant coach at the University of Idaho (1986-88), University of San Diego (1988-96), Pepperdine University (1996-99), and Saint Louis University (1999-2001)—where he coached under current University of Washington Head Coach Lorenzo Romar. In this interview, Bennett talks about getting players to trust his philosophy, what he looks for in assistants, and replacing stars like Samhan and Mills.

Next, we talked to the players about it in our very first team meeting. I still remember that meeting today. They had gone 2-27 and were beaten down from losing, and I told them I wasn’t going to watch any film from the year before. I wanted everyone to know they were all getting a fresh start. Each player would be judged on what they did from that day forward.

And we were consistent with that belief, whether evaluating an all-league player or the 12th man. The two best players from that team decided they wanted to leave, and instead of trying to talk them into staying, we just let them go. That established that I was serious about it truly being a team. I wasn’t going to chase a superstar who didn’t want to be here while everyone else was doing exactly what they were supposed to and were committed to the program. Because of that, the guys who stayed bought in and trusted us.

What was that first season like?

We had inherited a program that was at the bottom of the league and some things needed to change for us to get better. We knew we weren’t going to get Saint Mary’s College guard Matthew Dellavedova was a major contributor to the team’s Sweet Sixteen run in the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Dellavedova is one of 10 Australian players to have suited up for Gaels Head Coach Randy Bennett.

Coaching Management

11

better talent or mold better players right away, so we worked on the culture of the program. We might not have won as many games as we wanted to, but we did

in this profession are in it for their own interests and they’re more concerned about getting that next job, receiving credit for a recruit, or worrying about who has the first assistant or second assistant title than they are about the direction of the team. Those are things that get you beat.

after I did, so he was with me all nine years and helped build this program to where it is now. A by-product of our success last year was that Columbia wanted a coach from our program. As a head coach, not much makes you feel better than being able to help a guy like that move up. We’re all going to miss him, but we’re pumped for him.

How did you react when former Assistant Coach Kyle Smith left for the head coaching job at Columbia University after last season?

In 2009 you lost Patrick Mills to the NBA after his sophomore season. How do you deal with losing a star player?

We try to identify the possibility a couple of years ahead of time. Saint Mary’s isn’t typically a place that has one-and-done or two-and-done players. North Carolina, yes, Kentucky, yes, but at Saint Mary’s, we usually have four- and five-year guys.

“[Our players] see each other and their non-athlete peers in class every day and hang out all the time.

The bond between our student body and our team is strong ... which has translated to great home court support.” all the things right that gave us the best chance to win.

What do you look for when hiring assistant coaches?

The same things I look for when recruiting players: A good person who is reliable, trustworthy, and unselfish. Often, people

I was 100-percent supportive of the move. He had been trying to get a head coaching job these last couple of years, and he’s paid his dues. It was time. He had applied for other head coaching jobs in the past, and as our program became better, I think his name became a more viable option.

Kyle is a big reason for our team’s success. He arrived at Saint Mary’s two days

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Coaching Management

Circle No. 108 CoachesNetwork.com

Q&A foundation that we could survive that, and be even better.

Has recruiting gotten easier with your recent success?

Yes and no. It’s now easier to get the same quality player we were recruiting nine years ago. But as our program has improved, we’ve set our sights higher. Now we’re competing for the best players, so recruiting is still challenging in that respect.

Since you’ve been at Saint Mary’s, you’ve had 10 Australian players on your rosters. How did you establish that pipeline?

My first year, we took Adam Caporn on a recommendation. An assistant coach from another school saw him play while on a recruiting tour in Australia, and told me that Adam wanted to come to the States and get a Division I scholarship, but didn’t have any offers. So we called him.

He had great grades, was a captain on his team at the Australian Institute of Sport, and really wanted to come here.

We had two spots open, took a gamble on him, and it worked out. He started every game for two years before return-

ing to Australia to play professionally.

Before Adam’s second year with us, he brought over his friend Daniel Kickert—who ended up having a great career here and was our all-time leading scorer by the time he left.

By then, we were winning games and had made it to the NCAA Tournament. When Adam and Daniel went back home, they told their friends, “Hey, it’s a good deal over there at Saint Mary’s.”

Then Pat Mills came, and after that, the floodgates opened. I even have an assistant who is from Australia. I wish I could tell you it was all a result of a great idea I had, but it wasn’t. We were smart enough to take advantage of it once we had a niche there.

What are the rewards of coaching at a smaller Division I school?

Students, teachers, and administrators come here because they want a more personal touch and I think that’s what they get. Our team is tight, and our players are very much a part of the student body. They see each other and their non-athlete peers in class every day and hang out all the time. The bond

between our student body and our team is strong because of those relationships, which has translated to great home court support.

Personally, I don’t have to deal with some of the pressures and the issues that come with the job at a big school. Everything I do or say isn’t posted on a message board or in the media, and I don’t have a reporter following me around every second.

That’s not something I would look forward to if I were at one of those bigger schools.

Sure, they pay you more money, but the pressure to win is much greater. There’s pressure to win here, too, but that pressure comes from me.

How would you describe your work-life balance at Saint Mary’s?

It’s something I make a conscious effort to have. My wife and I have two boys, who are six and seven years old, so that takes a lot of time. I don’t want to miss out on their childhood. If you want to do a good job as a parent and you want to be a good dad, you have to put the time in. But really, it’s not hard for me to sort out what my priorities are.

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No longer considered a lazy defense, today’s 2-3 zone is an attacking strategy that confuses opposing offenses and takes away easy shots.

BY MIKE PHELPS reg Kamans KamansKy Ky used to consider K himself a strict man-to-man coach. as head men’s coach at cal Poly Pomona a university, he used the defense his first four u years on the job—until he finally got fed up.

Kamansky grew tired of watching his teams get bounced from the national tournament, and was sick of opposing offenses having their way with his defense. the tipping point came in 2004, when cal Poly Pomona was eliminated from the ncaa division ii tourtour nament in the first round, as humboldt state university buried 15 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. Kamansky decided he needed a new approach. ““at that point, teams were driving and kicking on us at will, so something had to change,” he says. “i talked to some of my coaching friends and they suggested playing zone. i figured we might as well give it a try.” for most purists, zone defenses aren’t a logical solution for limiting three-point shots. But this way, Kamansky thought, at least he’d know they were coming and where they’d be coming from, and his players could react accord accordMike Phelps is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: mp@MomentumMedia.com.

PHOTO BY NELSON CHENAULT/US PRESSWIRE

DISCOMFORT

Last season, the shot blocking of Ekpe Udoh (13) and Quincy Acy (4) made Baylor’s 2-3 zone one of the stingiest defenses in the country and took the team to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Elite Eight.

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

ingly. So he began developing his new defense, eventually fully implementing it in the sixth game of the 2005 season.

In that contest, Cal Poly Pomona held Grand Canyon University to 37 points through the game’s first 38 minutes.

Kamansky was hooked.

Since that game, the Broncos have been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country. In 2009, they advanced to the NCAA Division II title game and held undefeated Findlay University to 12 points in the second half before falling in overtime on a buzzer beater. And last season, Cal Poly Pomona finally broke through, winning the national championship by holding Indiana University of

Pennsylvania to just 30 percent shooting from the field.

“Our defense was in sync and our players were all over the place,” says Kamansky. “If your zone is working together, it’s almost like you have six defenders on the court.”

But that doesn’t mean switching to a zone as your primary defense is easy, or that it’ll immediately bring a national or state title to your school. As Kamansky and other coaches have found, you can’t just position two players at the top of the key, three along the baseline, and expect them to stop the other team.

A successful zone requires five defenders who communicate and move as a

A common fear among coaches WHO PLAY A 2-3 ZONE

or are thinking about switching to one is that a lack of clear man-to-man assignments will leave their teams vulnerable to offensive rebounds. Of all the questions Greg Kamansky, Head Men’s Coach at Cal Poly Pomona University, fields each year about his team’s zone, the most common are about controlling the glass.

“There’s no secret recipe to being a great rebounding team,” Kamansky says. “We’ve done really well rebounding out of the zone. It’s more effort and communication and commitment to blocking out. If you’re going to run the zone, you have to work on rebounding almost as much as you work on defense.”

Securing a rebound starts when the ball leaves the shooter’s hand, not when it hits the rim. “The first thing we tell our players is when you see a shot go up, you have to turn and identify,” says Rocky Peterson, Head Boys’ Coach at Winona (Minn.) High School. “That means you have to find the offensive guy who’s planning on going to the offensive glass and get a body on him. If you’re in man, you usually have a hand close to the guy and you know exactly where he’s going to be. But in a zone you have to turn and find that opponent before you can block him out.”

Doug Hepler, Head Girls’ Coach at Mount Vernon (Mo.) High School, teaches turn and identify by having his players play a game of tag. “We yell ‘tag’ when the shot goes up and each player has to turn and touch somebody,” he says. “Then if the player they touch goes to the hole, they have to turn and block her out. If the player doesn’t go to the glass, they find someone else to block out.”

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Coaching Management

single unit while closing out on shooters and rotating to help on drivers. For most 2-3 zone coaches, man-to-man principles guide their approach, including blocking out rebounders and putting pressure on the ball. Good coaches know that zone defense requires the right players, a lot of practice, and a little patience.

A Zone That’s Man-Made When Herb Sendek arrived at Arizona State University in 2006, he faced a tough decision. Though his coaching philosophy included an emphasis on in-your-face man defense, the personnel he inherited wasn’t suited for that style.

So Sendek and his coaching staff built

Players at Mount Vernon are required to wear kneepads, which Hepler feels makes them more aggressive on the floor and more willing to battle for loose balls. He also has his players run a drill that has a very low success rate.

“We do a drill where there are eight people on offense and five on defense, and the five on defense have to block out the eight,” Hepler says. “It’s impossible to do, but it forces the defender to get better at reading the ball off the rim and figuring out who they need to block out. I tell them it’s better to have two people blocking out the same person than to have one player not boxing out anybody at all.”

Cal Poly Pomona works on rebounding by using three-onthree drills, with three defensive players in the key and three offensive players on the perimeter, which allows players to practice blocking out someone crashing from outside. The Broncos also use drills that help them move from the rebound to the transition game.

“We’ll play five-on-five, where the offensive team gets a point for an offensive rebound and the defensive team gets a point for a stop,” Kamansky says. “If a basket is made, neither side gets a point. We set up a team in the half court, they run through their offensive stuff, they shoot it, and if the defense gets the rebound, we transition to the other end of the court and play live for one possession down there. That allows one team to work on transitioning to offense out of the zone, and allows the other to get into the zone defense after their offensive possession.”

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COVER STORY

a 2-3 zone defense designed to contain penetration, guard the three-point line, and control the boards.

“Those three things are man concepts, so that’s where we start—simply closing out, containing penetration, and keeping the ball outside the paint” says Arizona State Associate Head Coach Dedrique Taylor. “Then we talk about coverage areas, slides, and the different things that go along with making the zone move as one.”

When Sendek and Taylor teach defense, they talk in terms of pack and push. Push refers to the defense trying

the ball and the basket to protect against the drive, while the other two trap from either side.

“Our zone is a little different, because we very rarely guard the ball,” Hepler says. “We work on being close enough to influence a shot but far enough away that the player is unsure if she’s open or not. We force opposing players into being indecisive.”

At Cal Poly Pomona, Kamansky wants to limit the damage from the outside and avoid reliving the nightmarish games when opposing teams shot 75 percent on long balls against his squad.

“I want our guards to close out hard and know they have help behind them from our zone.

We want our opponent to feel so uncomfortable with the ball that they either shoot quickly and out of rhythm, or they don’t even look at the rim because we’re closing out so hard.” to push the ball away from the middle of the floor and toward certain areas. Pack, meanwhile, means the defense allows the opposing team to reverse the ball, but refuses to let them penetrate into the paint. The Sun Devils are more along the lines of a pack defense.

“When one of the guys is out of the pack area, he’s guarding the ball,” Taylor says. “That means the other four guys are in the pack area and they have the basic man principles of ‘ball, man, me.’ Understanding that concept is the foundation of the defense.

“For example, let’s say I’m guarding the ball and my teammate on the left wing is in the pack position,” Taylor continues. “As the ball is reversed to the left wing, that teammate comes out of the pack area and closes out, and I drop back in the pack to build a wall in front of the ball handler and cut off his driving lanes.

If the ball is then skipped to the right side, the guy matched up with him closes out, I remain in the pack, and the teammate on my left returns to the pack.”

When instructing his team at Mount Vernon (Mo.) High School, Head Girls’ Coach Doug Hepler tells players to form a triangle around the ball. The player in the middle of the zone stays between 18

Coaching Management

“I want our guards to close out hard and know they have help behind them from our zone. We want our opponent to feel so uncomfortable with the ball that they either shoot quickly and out of rhythm, or they don’t even look at the rim because we’re closing out so hard.”

When pressuring shooters, Kamansky wants his defenders to push the ball toward the corners and not let teams penetrate the middle of the floor. “If they go to the corner, our defenders are there waiting,” he says.

At Baylor University, where Head Men’s Coach Scott Drew used a 2-3 zone to help revitalize the Bears program and lead them to the 2010 NCAA Division I Elite Eight, the coaching staff emphasizes an active, energetic defense. “You should never just stand around in man-to-man, which holds true for a 2-3 zone,” Drew says. “Players should always be in a help mode, meaning if an opponent is driving, they’re not just letting them drive.

They’re rotating over and helping keep the ball out of the paint.”

Five Defenders, All In When implementing a zone, one of the most important things to consider is that it is a true team defense. If a basket is

scored, all five players on the floor have failed to defend the hoop, not just one.

So it’s difficult to structure individual drills to work on zone defense, which is why many coaches believe the best way to teach a zone is to spend most of practice playing five-on-five in the half-court.

“For the intricacies of the zone, you have to work five-on-five,” Kamansky says.

“There are a million different scenarios that could play out, so you almost have to treat it like a walk through.

“In the beginning of the season, we do the basic scenarios, then after a few weeks, we get into the more complex stuff,” he adds. “For example, if a guy sets a high ball screen, what do we do? If they overload four guys on one side, what do we do? We spend a lot of time in half court, walking through things over and over again.”

To teach those concepts, the Sun Devils employ a lot of drills similar to those used to teach man-to-man defense.

They place extra emphasis on closing out quickly on shooters, especially those beyond the three-point line.

“We do close-out drills to different areas on the floor, based on coverage parts,” Taylor says. “For instance, our 4s and 5s are responsible for a lot of the corner areas, so we spend time closing out to the corners and trying to limit penetration with our post guys.”

During practices, coaches shouldn’t feel bad about abruptly stopping play if they see something they don’t like. “I will sometimes stop our players two or three times during one offensive possession to talk about how the rotation needed to be this way or that way, or what to do when the offense passes to this particular spot,” says Rocky Peterson, Head Boys’ Coach at Winona (Minn.) High School. “It’s a lot of repetition and teaching.”

The film room can also be vital. “We teach a great deal through watching film to help players see things better,” Taylor says. “Putting them out there on the floor and letting them make mistakes, then showing them where they went wrong is very beneficial. We take time to point out things, ask them to adjust, and make sure they see why we’re doing this.”

At Baylor, coaches frequently use shell drills to teach players the zone’s intricate movements. Drew positions eight offensive players at different locations on the court—one at the free throw line, one on each block, one on each corner, one CoachesNetwork.com

COVER STORY

players or fronting the post, whatever the case may be,” Hepler says. “She works on moving on the pass, really sprinting in that direction. To help, we’ll put some perimeter defenders out there to force lobs and makes it more game like. But sometimes, I’ll take those people away to make her anticipate the passes.”

Talking Points Communication is vital in any defense, but it takes on greater importance in a zone. Every on-ball defensive movement needs to be verbalized, as does every movement off the ball.

“I think all coaches struggle with get getting players to communicate more,” Drew says. “We never have a problem getting them to talk more when they’re not supposed to, but when we want them to talk on the court, it’s tougher.

“Communication is so hard because when you get tired, one thing you stop doing is talking,” he continues. “It’s something we accent, but there’s no drill for it.

If someone’s getting an open look and no one’s calling out the shot, then we’ll

hold them accountable for that.”

At Mount Vernon, Hepler emphasizes talking about positioning on the floor.

“You have to let your teammates know what’s going on,” he says. “Whatever position we’re in, we’re telling our teammates what we’re doing and they’re telling us where they’re at. If we know where every everyone is, it gives us more confidence and a better understanding of where we’re supposed to be.

“And it makes me feel more comfort comfortable as a coach,” he adds. “If they’re talk talking, that means I know they know what they’re doing. If not, it tells me they’re not quite sure of the situation.”

Hepler has found a way to encourage his players to keep talking. “Running is a pretty good teacher,” he says.

“If they’re not talking in practice, then we’ll get on the end line and run. I tell them I’d rather have them say the wrong thing in practice than not say anything at all. If they’re not saying anything, we’ve got a problem. They’re either being lazy or don’t understand— and neither of those is acceptable.”

S

on each wing, and one up top with the ball—and has them pass the ball around while the defense attempts to cover.

“The eight offensive players aren’t moving, it’s just a shell,” Drew explains.

“As the ball is moving, the five men on defense have to recover and rotate to those positions. It’s a good way for play players to learn how to defend the ball in different locations and how to react to different kinds of passes.”

When doing drills in his zone, Hepler focuses on different skills with different players. He’ll place four or five offensive players around the perimeter, and the defense’s goal is to force the person with the ball to throw a lob pass. “We get the girls in the passing lanes and have them try to force the ball to be thrown over the top, as opposed to a straight line pass,” he says.

To teach the defender in the middle of the floor how to react, Hepler positions several offensive players in different areas inside the paint. “When the ball is going around the perimeter, the defender has to get to her position between two post

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COVER STORY

Communication also helps teammates build trust in each other. “If a player gets beat, he needs to trust that his defensive partners are going to be there to help,” Peterson says. “The

the guy on the ball a different level of confidence,” Taylor says. “It also lets the offense know they have to go against not only the guy in front of them, but also another player waiting behind that

“If a player gets beat, he needs to trust that his defensive partners are going to be there to help. The player won’t know his help is going to be there unless everyone is talking and telling him they’ve got his back.” player won’t know his help is going to be there unless everyone is talking and telling him they’ve got his back.”

In addition to letting teammates know where you are, communication lets the opposing team know they have to get past multiple waves of defenders to get to the basket. “If you open your mouth and let a guy know, ‘I’m here, I’ve got your back,’ that provides

defender. That could discourage the offensive player from putting the ball on the floor and attacking his defender.”

Patience Pays Off It took Kamansky until the sixth game of the 2005 season to fully implement his zone because for the first five games, he wasn’t sure it would work. Having used a man-to-man defense his entire career, he

wasn’t confident he could fully commit to a new style. But once he tried the zone, it became a key to his success.

There may be some growing pains at first, but coaches need to stay dedicated to the cause. “It takes patience, which most coaches don’t have a lot of,” Kaman-sky says. “But sometimes you have to go through tough times before you reap rewards. We had some rough patches, but I stuck with it and it has paid off.”

During Taylor and Sendek’s first sea season at Arizona State—their first relying on a match-up zone as their primary defense—the Sun Devils won just eight games. Despite some initial wavering, the staff stayed the course.

“At the beginning, we would sometimes switch to man to change up the pace of the game, but eventually Coach Sendek decided that in order for us to be good, we needed to sell out to the concept,” Taylor says. “We were just try trying to survive that first year and find a way to put our guys in a position to be successful, but now it’s become the talk of the town.” n

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Circle No. 114

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LEADERSHIP

QUALITY TIME

Teaching your team to put its pre-practice routine on autoplay empowers players and promotes crisp workouts.

W

CHRIS MURPHY/CMURPH.COM

BY MATTHEW NEIGHBORS

hat do the 10 minutes prior to your team’s practice look like? Are players warming up properly, stretching, and work working on fundamentals? Or is it playground-like chaos with balls bouncing off the walls, ill-advised long-range shots, and young play players hanging on the rims attempt attempting to dunk?

Experienced teachers know that to have an effective learning session, it’s

imperative to have procedures and routines in place that immediately focus students, facilitate administrative tasks, and maximize instructional time. Likewise, great coaches use similar processes to transition athletes from the locker room to the court.

Some call this period “pre-practice” because it’s typically at a time when sneakers haven’t really started squeak squeaking and jerseys aren’t yet drenched with sweat. Despite a lack of physical intensity,

Matthew Neighbors is the Assistant Boys’ Coach at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. The team has won three straight district championships in the state’s highest classification.

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LEADERSHIP

when approached correctly, this short period of time can become a valuable part of your practice.

Getting Quickstarted At Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, we label the first 15 minutes of each practice as our “Quickstart” regimen. Once players are dressed, taped, and on the court, they begin programmed routines that do not require much instruction or feedback from our coaches. While the players are on “autoplay” for these pre-practice routines, one coach monitors the locker room and handles any paperwork as another greets players entering the gym area and readies the facility.

In Texas, we typically play two games per week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Therefore, it is convenient for us to build three distinct Quickstarts—a different set of exercises and drills for each of our three practice days. Our set stations remain the same. Spontaneity and variety within structure are important elements.

The stations you choose should be specific to your team and what you want to emphasize at various points in the season. Quickstart regimens may vary from the beginning of the season to the end based on team needs.

For example, if your goal is to improve free throw shooting, reduce turnovers, or improve at rebounding fundamentals, you can spend more time on those aspects using Quickstart drills.

How long do you want your Quickstart period to last? In the beginning of the program, each station may last up to

five minutes as players learn the skills and get comfortable with the circuits.

However, as the season progresses, the time tapers and eventually players will be spending only a couple minutes at each station, making the entire Quickstart around 10 minutes.

For partner pairings, you can manipulate groups according to your situation and needs—by position, class, or skill level. We often rotate the hardest working players into different pairings to help motivate their less-inspired teammates and have found that good habits are contagious.

It’s important to remember that different sets of players will reach the court at varied times with some arriving simultaneously. There are situations when more than one group will be at the same station so be sure to prep your players in advance on how you want them to handle this.

Don’t forget that this is quality practice time. It also provides coaches with time to deal with unexpected issues, walk around and build relationships with the players, and give managers and assistants instruction on preparing for the remainder of practice. The players are on autopilot, and you will enjoy seeing them initiate drills and take responsibility for others on the team.

Sample Stations When building Quickstart programs, it is important to include a variety of activities to address your players’ physical warmup and skill-building needs. You can vary the drills and still work on the same basics each day. With so many dif-

Coaches often ask, “What do you do about players who finish a Quickstart program early?” Once again, the

answer should be specific to your team and what point you are at in your season.

Let them get a drink of water and then have a designated place for them to shoot on their own or practice individual skills. Another option is to have early finishers assist their teammates in finishing the drills.

This downtime is also a good opportunity for the head coach to visit with his or her athletes. Many will want to finish early just to have some face time with the head coach.

EARLY BIRDS 24

Coaching Management

ferent static and dynamic stretches, and endless drills to address fundamentals, this is not difficult to accomplish.

Conditioning: Here are three sample conditioning routines: Day A: n Jog three laps around gym. n Jump rope—100 with feet together, 100 on the right leg, 100 on the left leg. n Zig-zag defensive slides down and back. n One shuttle run.

Day B: n Form running drills—High knee, butt kicks. n A & B skips, reverse skips, and bounds. n 25 backboard touches. n Figure 8 slides. n One sprint-slide-sprint using cones at varying distances.

Day C: n Speed ladder drills. n Ten bleachers. n UCLA slide drill. n Two five-second sprints (corner to corner).

Stretching: We always follow a conditioning station with a stretching station because once the muscles are warmed up, they’re also more flexible and fewer injuries are apt to occur. You should designate how long to hold each stretch and have partners count. This is also a great place to incorporate core strength and/or dynamic flexibility drills. Here are some sample stretch routines: Day A: n Standing stretches: Quads, knee to chest, toe touches. n Core Stretches: We incorporate Pilates and other static core stretches including “wide stance” stretches that elongate the muscles while players are in a defensive stance. These include reaching for each foot with both hands, reaching back with both hands, and twisting side-to-side with both feet set. n Runner’s stretch: Do a walking lunge and hold the lunge position. n Ankle and hip rolls. n Shoulder and neck shrugs.

Day B: n Sitting stretches: Touch toes with feet together, touch toes with feet apart, butterfly stretches CoachesNetwork.com

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Lower back, knees to chest.

Bicycle. n Bridges. n Arms.

Day C: n Partner stretches: Arms, back, hamstrings. n Dynamic duo routine. n Medicine ball routine. n n

[Ball handling] is an easy station to organize, but it’s important to choose drills that will continue to challenge the players as the season progresses.

Free Throws: The next station in our example is free throws. Having them work in partners with one acting as a rebounder maximizes the efficiency of most free throw shooting drills. You

can also have them record each other’s makes and misses with a nearby clipboard or poster. Players must take these shots seriously, so you may want to incorporate a form shooting or shooting warmup station before players come to this one.

Day A: n Ten game-situation free throws— two at a time. Each player goes through his or her game free throw ritual before each shot. No hurry.

Day B: n Twenty catch-and-shoot free throws, five at a time. Partner rebounds and passes. No shooting off of your own rebound—shooter must receive a pass first.

Day C: n One-and-one free throw drill.

If the first shot is missed, jog full court down and back. If the second is missed, jog to half-court and back.

Each player shoots five one-and-ones.

Ball Handling: This is an easy station to organize, but it’s important to choose

drills that will continue to challenge the players as the season progresses. You can have each player time his or her partner or keep track of how many reps of each drill each completes without a mistake, trying to better their score each practice.

The accountability of a teammate can be a powerful motivator.

Day A: n Stationary drills—Right and left leg circles, figure 8s, spider drill, behind-the-back, and skips.

Day B: n Full Court drills—Crossovers, in-and-out, behind-the-back, between the legs, and left and right spins.

Day C: n Two-ball dribbling drills— Practice handling two balls at once, both while stationary and dribbling the length of the court.

Rebounding: Our team typically finishes with a few rebounding drills each day.

Day A: n Rebound machine—Ten snatch-

Circle No. 116 CoachesNetwork.com

Coaching Management

25

LEADERSHIP

es at 24 inches above the player’s reach height.

Day B: n Backboard form rebounding— one partner tosses ball off backboard and the rebounder brings it to their chin and throws an outlet pass.

Day C: n One-on-one block-out with part partner: A coach or manager shoots, and the two players take turns blocking out and going after rebounds.

Pre-Practice With Purpose As you design your own Quickstart routines, do not lose sight of the pur pur-pose behind the drills you choose. Each team has specific issues that need more attention than others. Subtly addressing those weaknesses is a more positive way to build good habits than bringing nega nega-tive attention to a skill deficit.

In our program, no one begins a Quickstart routine alone. Each player must have a partner before stepping on the floor or initiating a single drill.

To encourage a variety of player combi-

nations and improved punctuality, our imbues them with a sense of trust necescoaches also post assigned tandems in sary for effective team chemistry.

With the completion of each the locker room. For us, it reinforces a key program concept—we do nothing Quickstart routine, players’ bodies alone. Our players do not visit the con- should be warmed up and their minds cession stand alone and they always get tuned to the task at hand. They have addressed weaknesses and are ready to off the bus as a group.

Coaches often state the desire to mold leaders and for players to take more Each team has specific issues ownership in the teambuilding process. But hav havthat need more attention than ing strict, scripted workouts others. Subtly addressing doesn’t allow athletes many opportunities to cultivate those weaknesses is a more those qualities during pracpositive way to build good tice.

What freedom and indihabits than bringing negative vidual responsibility do you attention to a skill deficit. entrust each player with during practice? Do you give them opportunities to hold one another accountable, or is it begin full-team workouts. You will be always the head coach implementing surprised how much better the quality any discipline? A benefit of having a of your practice time is once players start player-initiated Quickstart system is it arriving ready to compete and improve shifts some responsibility to players and individually and as a team. n

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Circle No. 119

Circle No. 120

Strength & conditioning

The Northeastern University men’s team uses barefoot training to develop foot and ankle muscles that lie dormant during shoes-on exercise.

Brian Tucker Bresnahan

Baring Their SOleS Barefoot training is this author’s secret weapon for improving movement efficiency, balance, and kinetic chain integrity in his athletes.

A

t the 1960 Summer OlympicS in rome, ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila earned worldwide fame by winning the marathon with a world-record time of 2:15:16. the attention focused not just on his remarkable feat, but on his remarkable

BY ART HORNE

feet--Bikila completed the marathon without wearing shoes or socks.

Some would say that event catapulted the concept of barefoot training into mainstream consciousness. But in reality, athletes around the world trained barefoot in various ways long before

Art Horne is Strength & Conditioning Coach and Coordinator of Care for men’s basketball at Northeastern University, and is currently serving as the Interim Director of Sport Performance.

He can be reached at: a.horne@neu.edu.

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CoaChing ManageMent ent

29

Strength & conditioning

Bikila’s accomplishment--in fact, you might argue that barefoot training is as old as athletics itself. Barefoot training advocates argue that “shod” (shoe-wear (shoe-wearing) athletes miss out on many benefits, ranging from proprioception and motor development to recruitment of impor important muscles that remain underutilized and practically dormant inside rigid, restrictive modern footwear.

There is very little research providing clear answers on how best to implement barefoot work into today’s training strategies. But as an athletic trainer and strength coach who has employed barefoot training with basketball players at

Northeastern University for several years, I firmly believe it’s well worth the time investment. In this article, I’ll explain the concepts behind barefoot training, outline how I use it with my athletes, and discuss the benefits I’ve seen from having athletes bare their soles during workouts.

Theory Before Practice Anyone who has walked barefoot on a beach or grassy field can grasp the theory behind barefoot training and its athletic benefits. By letting the foot return to its primitive state, in which it must grip the earth to produce efficient

While barefoot training is a safe way to enhance foot strength and functionality, like every training activity it carries some risk. Here are a few pointers on how to minimize the chance of injury:

Ournbase training phaseweights, and while I evaluate Before every barefoot training technique, because session, inspect the surface is a cornerstone ofbro-our squatting it is beneficial to see the for sharp objects, such as unshod foot as it moves dur durken glass, pieces of metal, or off-season conditioning ing squats. anything else that could cause program, andwounds. it typically cuts or puncture n As mentioned in this article, athletes with high arches and lastsn four toa 12 Athletes with woundweeks on their those with pre-existing foot or foot should not train baredepending onif they team foot, especially cannot andankle conditions usually should not go barefoot, as they keep the wound covered with individual needs. may need cushioning and/or a secure bandage. Diabetic athletes should be especially cautious, as they have an increased tendency to develop foot ulcers.

n In most cases, athletes should not go barefoot in the weightroom--the risk of dropping a plate, dumbbell, or other piece of equipment on an exposed foot is too great.

There are just two exceptions in our facility: during prep work when no one in the weightroom is handling free

orthotic support at all times to avoid injury. When in doubt, consult a podiatrist.

n As with any new form of training, the body requires an adaptation period. When introducing barefoot training, start with just a few minutes of light stretching and movement prep at each workout, and gradually add greater challenges as the athletes grow more comfortable.

STAYING SAFE 30

CoaChing ManageMent

movement, you can feel the engagement of intrinsic muscles of the toes, midfoot, heel, and ankle that receive little oppor opportunity for strengthening in our shoesrequired world.

The idea behind barefoot training is that developing these muscles improves foot and ankle function, while also providing benefits up the entire kinetic chain. Barefoot proponents point to increased proprioception related to the movement of the feet and ankles in time and space, lower impact forces due to reduced heel strike, higher efficiency in running as measured by lower oxygen consumption, and an increase in bone density throughout the foot and ankle.

Humans’ relationship with shoes is a surprisingly complex one, involving both physical and psychological elements. For example, in a 1997 study, researchers had subjects repeatedly step onto and off of a box, each time landing on a pad made of material commonly found in shoe insoles. The material was the same each time, but the authors used different terms to describe the landing pad, and found that participants landed with greatest impact forces when stepping down onto surfaces described with words like “advanced technology” and “used in the most expensive sneakers.”

The authors noted the natural human tendency “to be less cautious when using new devices of unknown benefit because of overly positive attitudes associated with new technology and novel devices.” If that’s true, it may mean today’s athletes, who wear more and more advanced foot footwear and often receive custom tape jobs before each practice and game, pay less attention than ever to the fundamentals of foot movement and function, possibly harming their performance and increasing their risk for injury. Barefoot training can help reverse those practices.

Consider a more specific example: High-top sneakers with stiff soles are worn almost universally in basketball, and many athletes wear ankle braces or tape underneath them, even for workouts.

This practically ensures a weak and dor dormant foot and ankle complex. Kinematic data suggests that the hallux (big toe) requires 20 degrees of extension and the ankle needs around 20 degrees of dorsiflexion to allow for normal forward motion. Both those movement dimensions are commonly limited by basketball shoes, tape, and braces. coachesnetwork.com

Strength & conditioning

foot work, because most physicians agree that high-arched feet require support to prevent excessive plantar stress and decrease injury risk. In addition, we exclude athletes who have experienced a stress fracture or other serious injury, or have had surgery on the foot or ankle. To let these players’ feet strike

When athletes perform activities such as a dynamic warmup with bare feet, they recruit the muscles of their feet and ankles and experience feedback and proprioception in the plantar surface of the foot.

coachesnetwork.com

Bare Essentials Before beginning our barefoot program, we hold an educational session to introduce the athletes to this strategy and explain what they should expect.

We tell them it’s normal to feel some residual foot soreness after training in bare feet, especially if they’ve never trained this way before.

However, we note that if the soreness lasts for more than a day, if it’s accompanied by sharp or shooting pain, or if it leads to sudden knee or back pain, they should see us for an evaluation, which might lead us to discontinue their bare-

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Free The Foot When athletes perform activities such as dynamic warmup with bare feet, they recruit the muscles of their feet and ankles and experience feedback and proprioception in the plantar surface of the foot. At Northeastern, we strongly believe this leads to better positional sense and may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement. For those reasons, we have implemented year-round strategies for our men’s basketball players to promote the normal motion of the athletes’ feet, toes, and ankles.

During evaluations at the beginning of the year, each player undergoes goniometric testing of the ankle, knee, and hip, traditional movement screening (including jumping and landing measures), and an examination of their feet for existing pathologies or mechanical challenges. This is essential, because certain foot-related conditions can make barefoot training counterproductive and even dangerous.

For example, athletes with excessively high arches are excluded from our bare-

the ground repetitively without support during barefoot training would produce injury risks that outweigh any potential benefits.

Some believe that excessive pronators must have firm support from custom orthotics during all activities, but it’s been my experience that these athletes do very well in a progressive barefoot program. In fact, I’ve found that symptoms such as anterior knee pain typically seen in pronators are often resolved when barefoot work is added to their overall training plan. Nonetheless, it’s always best to consult a physician, pref preferably a podiatrist, if there are doubts about the safety of barefoot training for a particular athlete.

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In addition, modern sneakers are usually built with some form of “air cells” or other shock absorbers or supports that raise the heel above its normal resting elevation during standing, planting, and running. For many athletes, this effect contributes to an adaptive shortening of the gastroc/soleus complex and Achilles tendon over time.

On the advice of our podiatrist, we have actually made lateral cuts to the bottom of many of our basketball players’ shoes. The cuts extend from one side of the forefoot to the other through the fulllength fiberglass insert, basically running across the ball of the foot to alleviate manufactured stiffness and allow for normal big toe extension. We started doing this after several complaints of Achilles tendon pain and anterior knee pain, both of which were alleviated after normal foot motion was restored. Increasing natural foot mobility can also help athletes improve their movement mechanics.

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31

Strength & conditioning

foot program. These symptoms may indicate an unresolved previous injury, such as a stress reaction or fracture.

For those with normal soreness, we recommend general soft tissue work, such as plantar fascia rolls on a tennis or field hockey ball and basic warmup activities such as ankle mobility drills, static gastroc/soleus stretching, and general dynamic movement patterns.

So what does the barefoot portion of a workout actually look like? For us, it begins with cold stretching, including plantar fascia rolls, foam rolling, and standard static pre-workout stretches.

We’ll then put the athletes through a series of simple dynamic movements and agility ladder drills such as skips in all directions, butt kickers, spidermans, toe kicks, inchworms, and shuffles in all directions.

Next come mobility drills, such as lunges in various planes, hurdle walks/duckunders, single-leg reaches in multiple planes, and various balance activities such as one-quarter jump-and-lands on one or two legs, hops, balancing on one leg with eyes closed, single-leg chopping patterns with core balls, and light bounding.

We also use our barefoot training time as an opportunity to develop the core with a number of upright standing exercises, such as partner antirotation, cable chops, and resisted lumbar cable extensions. By placing the athletes in positions that imitate live basketball action but without the usual support of their shoes, we enhance the sport-specific foot and ankle sensory system. And by improving the foot’s tactile feedback and gripping strength, we provide benefits not only for the foot and ankle complex but all the way up the kinetic chain to the knee, hip, and lumbar spine.

At the end of a barefoot session, stretching and recovery includes strap stretches and foam rolling. We also use light jogging in the cooldown portion of some workouts, along with locomotion patterns such as walking with toes and feet pointed in, out, and up, walking on toes, shuffling in circular patterns, and backward jogging and running.

In addition to our traditional cooldown modalities, we also employ yoga during some sessions, particularly in the summer and the early preseason.

This allows additional opportunities to stretch and maintain tissue quality while providing a refreshingly different type of ground-foot interaction.

The most striking thing about yoga work with our players is the extent to which they struggle to maintain the

We also use our barefoot training time as an opportunity to develop the core with a number of upright standing exercises, such as partner anti-rotation, cable chops, and resisted lumbar cable extensions.

We tell them their foot muscles have been dormant for years in their shoes, so this new engagement and mobilization will be fatiguing--but it shouldn’t be seriously painful. If it is, we want to know right away so we can determine the cause.

One of the first priorities when implementing barefoot training is to find a workspace with the right type of surface. Synthetic turf is the best choice, and we are fortunate at Northeastern to have two indoor surfaces (a fieldhouse and a turf area located in our weightroom). Since much of the benefit of barefoot training comes from athletes’ ability to use their foot muscles to “grip” the ground and feel feedback from a soft ground-foot interface, synthetic turf is far superior to a gym floor or weightroom mat.

ON THE WEB To learn more about barefoot training, visit our sister Web site, www.Training-Conditioning.com and enter “Bare Essentials” into the search window.

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Coaching Management

balance necessary for even basic poses such as the warrior series, high lunges, extended triangles, and downward facing dog. But improving balance is part of the reason we use barefoot training in the first place, so as they make progress in yoga, we know they are adding a new dimension of awareness and proficient mobility that will transfer to the entire kinetic chain.

As our athletes grow more comfortable with barefoot training, we gradually get them out of their shoes more and more often. For example, after regular conditioning sessions, weightroom workouts, and sled work, we might have them perform cooldown and stretching in bare feet on our indoor turf to keep the foot muscles engaged and maintain the strength gains they’ve made.

One question we have considered at length is how much barefoot training athletes should perform. We believe that once they’ve been evaluated and introduced to barefoot work, they should do as many training activities unshod as is practical. In our conditioning program, the barefoot portion of a workout typically takes between five and 20 minutes—so while it’s certainly not the bulk of training, it is a significant part of the broader program.

I’ve seen demonstrably positive results from incorporating this type of training into athletes’ workouts on a regular basis. Since we first implemented barefoot work in the summer of 2007, we have noticed a significant drop in episodes of anterior knee pain, ankle sprains, and low back pain among our basketball players. In fact, during the 2008-09 men’s season, no one missed a game due to an ankle sprain or any form of lower extremity pain. I’m confident that our barefoot protocols contributed to this success.

Is barefoot training the secret to solving all foot, ankle, and gross movement problems? Certainly not. But with the outcomes we’ve witnessed, we won’t be dropping it from our training program any time soon. After all, why would humans have such an incredibly complex mechanism as the foot if it wasn’t intended to move freely? n A version of this article appeared in our sister publication, Training & Conditioning.

To view more strength training articles from T&C, go to: www.Training-Conditioning.com.

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Circle No. 503

Name Recognition

Clarin’s logo stools are great courtside and in the locker room. For a limited time, get two free logo stools with each purchase of 24. Visit www.clarinseating.com/logochair to submit your logo and get a free quote and virtual sample of what your stool will look like. Offer valid July 15 to November 30, 2010.

Clarin Corporation • 800-323-9062 www.clarinseating.com

Circle No. 505

Everything You Need

M.A.S.A. offers a wide variety of top-quality products for basketball facilities, including complete portable goal systems, backboards, adjustable systems, goal height adjusters, youth basketball goals, stationary and side-swing systems, wall-mount systems, padding, and much more. Go online or call today to learn more about these products, and to request your free copy of the M.A.S.A. catalog.

M.A.S.A. • 800-264-4519 www.sportsadvantage.com

Circle No. 506

Hoops Where You Need It

Spalding spring-assisted main court portable backstops are recommended for the highest level of competition. One person can easily operate the backstop without hydraulics or electric motors.

The standard backstop is equipped with a SuperGlass Pro Backboard, SlamDunk Precision 180 Goal, and E-Z Bolt Backboard Padding. Spalding is the official backstop of the NBA, basketball equipment supplier to the NFHS, as well as the backstop and backboard supplier to the NCAA Final Four.

Spalding • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com

Circle No. 507

UNBREAKABLE Backboards

Spalding manufactures quality-driven basketball products for competitive, recreation, and physical education use including goals, backboards, and accessories. The Replica Pro Ball Rack is constructed of durable chrome steel tubing with a non-topple base and swivel casters.

The rack is designed with angled rails for easy ball removal and holds up to 15 basketballs. This unit has a sturdy yet stylish design which is built to last.

Unbreakable Glass Backboards, made

by Bison and sold at Future Pro, have an unconditional lifetime warranty. Confident you will never need a replacement, a $250 installation reimbursement is offered on any BA42XL or BA48XL backboard replaced under this warranty. A heavy-duty rear support absorbs over 98 percent of stress from player contact. The goal mounts to frame without touching glass at any point.

Boards are predrilled for DuraSkin backboard padding, now free with these backboards ordered though October 31.

Spalding • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com

Future Pro • 800-328-4625 www.futureproinc.com

Smarter Storage

CoachesNetwork.com

Circle No. 504

Circle No. 532

Coaching Management

37

Basketball Court Equipment

A Smart Upgrade Package

Replace old backboards and rims with a regulation 42” x 72” x 1/2” tempered glass backboard with bolt-on padding and a competition breakaway rim. Pre-installed mounting brackets in the board easily affix to your existing fan-shaped or rectangular backboard mounting points. All stress from the rim is absorbed by the mounting bracket, and the backboard comes with a lifetime warranty. Consider adding the industry’s only height adjuster with a 10-year warranty to allow stable rim height adjustment from eight to 10 feet.

Institutional Basketball Systems • 877-272-5430 www.institutionalbasketballsystems.com Circle No. 501

Portable and Affordable

The affordable portable is at Future Pro. The T-Rex 54 SR has the basic features of larger competition portables that are popular on arena courts, but this T-Rex is a compact portable that fits into gyms where larger systems can’t.

The T-Rex 54 SR has a 72-inch glass backboard with a lifetime warranty, a breakaway goal, and DuraSkin backboard padding. The goal height adjusts from eight to 10 feet. Padding is available in 16 colors. This portable will meet your team’s needs and your budget.

Future Pro is an authorized Bison dealer.

Future Pro • 800-328-4625 www.futureproinc.com Circle No. 533

Premier Seating

Look like the pros with Clarin logo chairs.

Perfect for your team bench, locker room, VIP patron seating, and more. For a limited time, get two free logo chairs with each purchase of 24. Visit www.clarinseating. com/logochair for a free quote and virtual sample. Offer valid July 15 to November 30, 2010.

Clarin Corporation • 800-323-9062 www.clarinseating.com

Circle No. 508

Product Launch

ZAMST IW-2 Icing Set

Excel

Active Ankle Systems, Inc. www.activeankle.com 800-800-2896 Circle No. 528

ZAMST www.zamst.com 877-ZAMST-US Circle No. 529

Unique features:

• For athletes who want the best of both worlds: the comfort and mobility of a lace-up ankle brace with the support and security of a “tape job” • Circumferential strap helps stabilize the brace • Lacing system tightens all the way around for a better conforming and more comfortable fit

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Coaching Management

Benefits for the user:

• Neoprene lined for maximum comfort and fit • Nylon eyelets reduce pressure points

Unique features:

• Easy wrapping and immobilization of up to three ice bags • Dual-strap design enables accurate placement of bags • Perfect for R.I.C.E. procedures

Benefits for the user:

• Straps are machinewashable • Provides optimum hands-free application on shoulder, back, and joints • Allows adjustable compression of the affected body part

CoachesNetwork.com

Team Equipment

Stay Cool on the Sideline

The Eastbay Performance Polo is constructed with coaches in mind.

When you are sweating over what play to call on fourth-and-one, our polo will keep you looking cool, confident, and composed. Antimicrobial and moisturemanagement properties are designed to keep you dry and odor-free. Available in awesome eight colors with sizes from S-4XL. Only available at Eastbay.

Eastbay Team Sales • 800-841-5748 www eastbayteamsales.com

Circle No. 560

Decal Packs

Fundraising with Pride Packs helps schools promote their logo, build their brand, and support their program. The company custom designs decal packs that teams can sell for 100 percent profit, and provides free artwork, free

shipping, and free sell sheets. There are no upfront costs and no money down until the decals are sold and the order is placed. Contact us today for free sample.

Pride Packs • 888-700-5863 www.pridepacks.com

Circle No.550

Look Sharp

Looking great has never felt so good with the Eastbay All Sport Moisture-Management Jacket & Pants. Features include inner media pockets, elastic cuffs, slash pockets, and moisture-management properties to maintain that cool, confident edge in any situation. Available in 15 colors with sizes from S-4XL, the Eastbay All Sport Moisture-Management Jacket & Pant is the perfect palette to display your team logo. Only available at Eastbay.

Eastbay Team Sales • 800-841-5748 www eastbayteamsales.com

Circle No. 561

MULTI-COURTS & SURFACES

The Most

ADVANCED

Multi-Court Surface

on the Planet

U. S

U

.F

Official Flooring of U.S. Futsal

TS

AL

Official Flooring of All Under One Roof AAU and Jam On It Basketball

JAM ON IT™

SnapSports is a FIBA Associate Manufacturer

SnapSports® is a registered trademark of SnapSports, Inc. - Salt Lake City, USA

Circle No. 124 CoachesNetwork.com

Coaching Management

39

Directory

Advertising Directory Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

105. .Athlete Assessments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 125. .Athletic Bid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 109. .Bison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 104. .California University of Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . 8 102. .Clarin Seating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 129. .Coaches Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 123. .Coaches vs. Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 128. .Courtclean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 106. .Eastbay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 115. .EverWhite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

114. .Future Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 100. .Gatorade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC 121. .Institutional Basketball Systems . . . . . . . . . . 31 113. .M.A.S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 103. .MilkPEP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 101. .Mueller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 122. .NFHS Coach Certification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 116. .OPTP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 126. .Powernetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC 118. .Pride Packs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

108. .Save-A-Tooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 112. .Screen2Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 127. .Shoot-A-Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC 124. .SnapSports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 120. .Spalding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 111. .The Sports People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 107. .TurfCordz/NZ Mfg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 119. .WBCA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 117. .Wiffletree World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 110. .ZAMST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Product Directory Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

Circle #. Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #

528. .Active Ankle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 522. .Athlete Assessments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 502. .Bison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 526. .California University of Pennsylvania. . . . . . . 46 508. .Clarin Seating (logo chairs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 505. .Clarin Seating (logo stools) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 503. .Courtclean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 560. .Eastbay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 561. .Eastbay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 521. .EverWhite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 533. .Future Pro (T-Rex 54 SR). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 532. .Future Pro (Unbreakable Glass Backboards) . 37 527. .Gatorade (Prime 01) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

524. .Gatorade (Recover 03). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 501. .Institutional Basketball Systems . . . . . . . . . . 38 506. .M.A.S.A. (products for basketball facilities) . . 37 500. .M.A.S.A. (training aids) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 525. .MilkPEP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 516. .Mueller (ATF 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 509. .Mueller (Kinesiology Tape). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 519. .OPTP (RumbleRoller). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 513. .OPTP (Stretch Out Strap). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 520. .Power Systems (Adjustable Power-Plyo Box). 43 514. .Power Systems (Infinity vest). . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 512. .Powernetics (High Stepper). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 518. .Powernetics (Shoulder Rotator). . . . . . . . . . . 43

550. .Pride Packs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 515. .Save-A-Tooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 535. .Screen2Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 531. .Shoot-A-Way (6000 Series Gun) . . . . . . . . . . 44 530. .Shoot-A-Way (8000 Series Gun) . . . . . . . . . . 44 507. .Spalding (portable backstops). . . . . . . . . . . . 37 504. .Spalding (Replica Pro Ball Rack) . . . . . . . . . . 37 534. .The Sports People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 511. .TurfCordz/NZ Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 523. .Wiffletree World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 529. .ZAMST (IW-2 Icing Set). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 510. .ZAMST (JK Band) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 517. .ZAMST (ZK-7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Web News

Site Specific

Active Ankle has a newly designed Web site boasting a wealth of information, from a Community of Sport forum and photo gallery where athletes, coaches, parents, and athletic trainers can post and share information to an entire section on ankle health. The site includes printable injury treatment and injury prevention guidelines and step-by-step videos displaying the treatment and rehab of an ankle sprain, along with strengthening exercises to keep ankles strong and healthy while wearing Active Ankle braces for added protection.

Check out www.activeankle.com for all the information and research needed on healthy ankles and ankle supports.

www.activeankle.com

Do Your Whiteboards Promote Team Spirit?

Personalized for any high school, college, or professional team’s needs, EverWhite custom printed whiteboards are used for strength and conditioning charts, field and court diagrams, team lineups, offensive and defensive play charts, and more. Provide your own design or have EverWhite design a graphic for you. Vibrant, photo-quality graphics will

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Coaching Management

display your team’s logos and mascots, and the graphics are embedded under the dry-erase surface so they won’t wear away over time. Visit the company online to learn more.

www.everwhiteboards.com

Sites That Can Help You Knock Out Pain

Performance Health/Hygenic Corp.’s Web sites align with their primary brands and research initiatives. Visitors will find product specifications, educational resources, FAQs, and testimonials. The sites also feature a “Where to Buy” locator tool that enables consumers to easily find healthcare professionals who sell Biofreeze and Thera-Band products.

Market-leading Thera-Band and Biofreeze healthcare and fitness products provide preferred solutions that help clients manage pain, improve strength, and restore function. The Thera-Band Academy’s Web site, www.Thera-BandAcademy. com, is a free resource designed to provide a large, searchable library of research, evidenced-based protocols, and exercise instructions for healthcare professionals and consumers.

www.biofreeze.com www.thera-band.com

CoachesNetwork.com

Case Study

The Chicago Bulls’ Solution to Visual Communication

S

ince joining the Chicago Bulls 10 years ago as Manager of Purchasing, Ben Adair has taken on the challenge of finding the most effective visual communications tools for the coaches, conditioning professionals, and players. The coaching staff relies heavily on the use of whiteboards printed with court diagrams and workout charts to communicate with players. These visual communications tools can be found in the team's locker rooms, meeting rooms, coaches' offices, workout rooms, and gymnasium.

The Bulls’ whiteboards needed to withstand frequent use, without having their graphics fade. Adair became frustrated with the quality of the team's printed whiteboards. "We were disappointed in the ghosting left behind. Even though we used the appropriate materials for cleaning—they still didn't clean up well," explains Adair.

The stains interfered with basketball plays and notes written on the boards.

Adair had ordered from various well-known suppliers and manufacturers, but none of the whiteboards met his expectations. Determined to find a product that would work, Adair researched online and came across EverWhite, a manufacturer of visual communications solutions.

EverWhite offers printed whiteboards with graphics that will not wear away and a lifetime guaranteed dry erase surface. Adair took advantage of EverWhite's offer and requested a free sample.

CoachesNetwork.com

When the EverWhite whiteboard sample arrived, Adair tested it thoroughly.

"The whiteness was outstanding and the erasing capability was perfect,” he says.

“The writing removed so easily and left the surface just as white as it was before."

Adair wasted no time ordering EverWhite's printed whiteboards for his team. When the products arrived, he compared them side by side with his previous whiteboards.

He noted that the EverWhite whiteboards had brighter graphics and a smoother writing surface. With the additional assurance of a lifetime guarantee, Adair felt confident he had made the right choice by choosing EverWhite boards.

When Chicago Bulls' staff, coaches and players started using the new printed whiteboards, the response was very positive. The EverWhite boards provided the quality, stain-resistance, and customization they were looking for.

According to Adair, "Everything from the customer service to the design of the graphics went smoothly. I wished I'd known about EverWhite years ago."

EverWhite • 800-824-1482 W158 N9332 Nor-X-Way Ave., Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 graphics@everwhiteboards.com/ www.everwhiteboards.com

Coaching Management

41

Strength Training & Injury Prevention

Stress Reduction

The ZAMST JK Band is designed to reduce stress on the patellar tendon. The threedimensional patellar pad applies pressure to the area below the kneecap while the thinband, featuring no-slip material and two points of adjustment, covers only a small area of the knee for optimum comfort. The ZAMST JK Band is washable and user-friendly.

ZAMST • 877-ZAMST-US (877-926-7887) www.zamst.com

Circle No. 510

The high-impact TurfCordz jump belt, used by professional sports teams and Olympians, strengthens leg muscles to enhance vertical leap. With five resistance levels, it's ideal for basketball, football, and track training.

The easy-to-use jump belt features an adjustable cam buckle closure that fits up to a 36-inch (90 cm) waist and two 30-inch (75 cm) rubber tubes that connect to foot straps.

Circle No. 511

Reduce Groin Injuries

The High Stepper develops explosive power in the hip flexors and legs in a running motion, substantially increasing athletes' speed, quickness, and durability. Coaches notice fewer groin injuries with their athletes after training on the High Stepper.

It can improve 40-yard dash times, decrease groin injuries, and train the legs to explode higher and more powerfully.

Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com

Circle No. 512

The patented Stretch Out Strap delivers the benefits of PNF stretching without a partner. Alternating a stretch with a "relax phase" while using the Stretch Out Strap allows for maximum flexibility and decreases risk of injury. Each stretch out strap comes with a stretching guide with over 28 illustrations for the hamstrings, quads, inner and outer thighs, back, sides, chest and arms.

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Coaching Management

Circle No. 514

Because Time Matters

Without proper care, a knocked-out tooth begins to die in 15 minutes.

The Save-A-Tooth emergency tooth preserving system utilizes Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) to not only preserve, but also reconstitute many of the degenerated cells. The patented basket and net container are designed to protect tooth root cells. This is the only system that keeps tooth cells alive for up to 24 hours.

Save-A-Tooth® • 888-788-6684 www.save-a-tooth.com

Circle No. 515

All-Around Support

The Mueller ATF 2 features patented ankle straps designed to self-adjust to support the Anterior Talofibular Ligament and help protect against "rolling the ankle" without restricting jumping, speed or agility. ATF 2 straps also help weakened or sprained ankles. The ATF 2 is ideal for high-impact sports. The bi-directional back elastic gives supported, unrestricted motion while the single layer of fabric over the ankle bone offers increased comfort. Rigid plastic stays act like tendons to reinforce both sides of the ankle.

Available XS through XXXL. Mueller Sports Medicine • 800-356-9522 www.muellersportsmed.com

Solo Stretching

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

Improve your strength and overall fitness with the new comfortable formfitting Infinity vest. The breathable design offers adjustable quick release buckles, reflective stripes, and a secure pocket for your phone or mp3 player. Add resistance to your bodyweight training, jogging, or jumping without adding inconvenience and discomfort. One size fits most.

Available in 6 lb and 10 lb models.

Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com

Jump-start Training

NZ Manufacturing • 800-866-6621 www.turfcordz.com

Power Play

Circle No. 513

Circle No. 516

Compression & Stability

The ZAMST ZK-7 is a sleeve-type knee support with a semi-open design that delivers a superior fit and helps prevent slipping. The ZAMST ZK-7 features criss-crossed and parallel straps to provide effective compression and intense anterior stability for the lower leg.

Unique resin stays improve lateral and medial stability and enable smooth flexion and extension.

The ZAMST ZK-7 is ideal for ACL/PCL support.

ZAMST • 877-ZAMST-US (877-926-7887) www.zamst.com

Circle No. 517

CoachesNetwork.com

Strength Training & Injury Prevention

A Shoulder’S BeSt Friend

The Shoulder Rotator, available from Powernetics, develops powerful strength in the shoulders, arms, and forearms for throwing, shooting, spiking, and more. The motion of the Shoulder Rotator is also great for rehabilitating shoulders to rebuild strength and flexibility.

Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com

Circle No. 518

Feel the WAve

Designed to help increase the natural blood flow around your muscles, Mueller Kinesiology Tape features a revolutionary wave pattern adhesive that moves with skin and muscles to reduce muscle pain, increase mobility, and enhance recovery.

Designed to aid in the treatment of ligament injuries, muscle conditioning, fascia repositioning, and even carpal tunnel syndrome, it is applied to the skin in patterns to mimic muscles. The 100 percent cotton tape is latex-free.

Available in four colors with a retail-ready display.

Mueller Sports Medicine • 800-356-9522 www.muellersportsmed.com

A Step up

The Adjustable Power-Plyo Box comes in two sizes and provides the same function as a traditional plyo box. The smaller box adjusts from 18 to 30 inches and the larger box adjusts from 30 to 42 inches. This box will allow your athletes to develop power and strength with the ability for progression in one location.

Steel construction with plywood with a non-slip surface. Black and gray in color.

Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com Circle No. 520

Circle No. 509

reAdy to rumBle

The RumbleRoller surface contains 200 specially designed bumps that are like the thumbs of a massage therapist. The bumps are firmer than muscle tissue, but much softer than bone, so they deflect if they contact your spine or other bony protrusions. The RumbleRoller was molded with an antimicrobial additive and is 31” x 6”, waterproof, and latex free.

OPTP • 800-367-7393 www.optp.com

Circle No. 519

The Most Innovative On-Line Buyer's Guide AthleticBid.com is a free service designed to help you research products and contact companies in an easy-to-use format. It used to take hours to contact dozens of companies to research products and plan purchases. By using AthleticBid.com, it now only takes minutes. Take advantage of the wealth of information and see why more than 13,000 unique users each month rely on AthleticBid.com. l View complete product lines, seeing all of the products offered by the company. l View catalog pages or spec sheets with detailed product information.

The information is stored as PDF files so you can view them on-line or print them out for easy reference. l Read a profile or description of the company or a company representative. l Request to be contacted by the company using an e-mail link direct to the company. l Ask for a catalog and sales literature from the company—again using an e-mail link direct to the company.

Use links and tools on AthleticBid.com Circle No. 125 CoachesNetwork.com

CoaChing ManageMent

43

Coaching Aids

It HIts tHe spot

Spot-to-spot programming, successful repetition, and easy setup combine with consistency and dependability to produce the allnew 8000 Series Gun. Shooting workouts can now be controlled anywhere in the gym by remote, and coaches have the ability to specify shooting location and number of shots per spot. The “challenge” mode requires players to make shots before moving, and player accountability is enhanced with the optional ticket printer.

Shoot-A-Way • 800-294-4654 www.shootaway.com

Circle No. 530

on Board

Fully customizable, EverWhite athletic whiteboards can display any graphics, including team logos, mascots, or even photos. The graphics are embedded under the dry erase surface, creating a smooth writing area with vibrant graphics that will never wear away. College, high school, and professional basketball coaches currently use them for strength and conditioning charts, training goals, court diagrams, and offensive and defensive play charts.

EverWhite • 800-824-1482 www.everwhiteboards.com

Circle No. 521

CoaCHIng BreaktHrougHs

For coaches who are serious about improving performance, Athlete Assessments provides the key tools to breakthrough performance. Identify your players’ individual strengths, limiting behaviors and unique motivation strategies. Know how to push your players’ performance buttons, improve communication, and develop stronger team bonds. Coaches can be confident about how their team “works” and turn around performance issues before they result in a loss. Get your free Coach’s Pack today.

Athlete Assessments • 760-742-5157 www.athleteassessments.com/cm

a smart Way to Learn

Circle No. 522

Wiffletree World, based in Arlington, Texas, is a software solutions company focused on providing affordable, applicable, and usable software products that assist both coaches and players with the tools to help

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CoaChing ManageMent

them reach their full potential. Wiffletree has developed a number of products for basketball: Video Hoops and Video Hoops Lt for video editing, LiftThis for strength training, and Combo for player performance reporting.

Wiffletree World, LLC • 817-460-3530 www.wiffletree.com

Circle No. 523

traInIng mannequIn

Take your practices to a higher level with the D-Man. Add a new obstacle and challenge to your everyday drills.

Offer more complex and realistic shooting scenarios for your team.

Develop players and team play, faster.

Choreograph your offense and defense with clear understanding. Develop creative dribbling and penetrating skills. The patented D-Man is great for individual or team training and is lightweight, portable, and collapsible with a telescoping arm height to 9 feet. Cost is $79.95 each.

The Sports People • 877-757-9255 www.thesportspeople.com

Circle No. 534

portaBLe projeCtIon sCreen

One of the challenges facing coaches on the road is finding a place to show PowerPoint presentations, slide shows, and video sessions. The solution is Screen2Go. It comes in an easy-carry pouch that collapses to just 18 inches for travel and weighs just six pounds.

Screen2Go opens to 75 diagonal inches for presentations. There is even a Screen2Go briefcase that holds your Screen2Go, laptop, and small LCD projector. Take advantage of a limited time promotional offer that includes the briefcase for $119.

Screen2Go • 630-237-4278 www.screen2go.com

Circle No. 535

ramp up your praCtICes

Simplicity and dependability best describe the 6000 Series Gun. It zips out passes from 15 to 35 feet and will throw to one spot or rotate to different spots around the perimeter. The optional computerized scoreboard displays “makes,” total shots, and shooting percentage. The fast-paced workout forces players to use a proper arc while shooting game shots at game spots at game speed. This product is protected by a five-year warranty.

Shoot-A-Way • 800-294-4654 www.shootaway.com

Circle No. 531

CoachesNetwork.com

National Federation of State High School Associations

NFHS Coach Certification www.nfhslearn.com NFHS Certification Program Designed to deliver the highest-quality professional development online at an affordable cost, this certification will: • Help coaches minimize the inherent risks faced by participating students • Improve the sport experience of participating students • Recognize coaches nationally • Develop a sense of personal and professional accomplishment • Enable coaches to increase liability insurance coverage through membership in the NFHS Coaches Association Level 1 – Accredited Interscholastic Coach

Get Certified!

� The coach must complete the following courses: �

NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching

� NFHS First Aid for Coaches (American Red Cross) or its equivalent

� Fundamentals of Coaching (Sport-specific) or Teaching Sport Skills Level 2 – Certified Interscholastic Coach

� Level 1 Completion + (Core Courses and Elective Courses)

Level 3 – Master Interscholastic Coach

� Level 2 Completion + (Core Courses and Elective Courses)

Elective Courses: • Engaging Effectively with Parents • Teaching and Modeling Behavior • Teaching Sport Skills

Take Part. Get Set For Life.™ Circle No. 122

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Testimonial

A Winning Look

Clarin Seating offers some of the highest quality courtside team and patron logo seating in the industry, providing schools with the opportunity to look like the pros and show their competition whose house they’re in.

For a limited time, get two free logo chairs with each purchase of 24. Go to www.clarinseating.com/logochair for more details. Here are just a few of the schools that have Clarin chairs: Arizona State University Ball State University Baylor University Boston College Colorado State University Cornell College Dartmouth College Duke University Emory University Florida State University Georgetown University Harvard University Michigan State University Northwestern University Ohio State University Penn State University Princeton University Purdue University Texas A&M University University of Colorado University of Florida University of Illinois University of Iowa University of Michigan University of Montana University of Nebraska University of Nevada University of New Mexico University of North Carolina University of North Dakota University of Notre Dame Virginia Tech West Point Academy Clarin Seating 927 North Shore Drive Lake Bluff, IL 60044 800-323-9062 www.clarinseating.com/logochair

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CoaChing ManageMent

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POST-ExErCISE rECOVEry

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Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com

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NATUrE’S PrOTEIN DrINk

Research suggests that low-fat chocolate milk, with its unique mix of nutrients, is a naturally nutrient-rich protein drink that can help athletes refuel and rehydrate within the critical two-hour recovery window after exercise. Drinking low-fat chocolate milk after exercise not only provides the carbohydrates and protein to refuel and repair muscles, it also helps replenish fluids and electrolytes that are lost in sweat, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium that are also lost in sweat.

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NEVEr STOP LEArNING

California University of Pennsylvania’s Global Online programs offer an exceptional 100-percent online learning experience with the convenience of an asynchronous format. Complete your coursework anywhere, at any time that’s convenient for you—all you need is a computer and Internet access. For more information on Cal U’s Global Online programs, call or go online today.

California University of Pennsylvania • 866-595-6348 www.cup.edu/go Circle No. 526

PrIME MOVEr

Gatorade Prime 01, part of the G Series, is a preworkout or pre-game fuel in a convenient and functional 4 oz. pouch. With 25g of carbohydrates, it is designed to be used within 15 minutes before a workout or competition to provide energy by maximizing the availability of carbohydrate energy to muscles. Gatorade Prime 01 also contains three B vitamins that help with energy metabolism as part of a daily diet.

Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com

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CoachesNetwork.com

Case Study

Reducing The Rate Of Ankle Injury

H

istorically, ankle injuries have been exceedingly frequent among female collegiate volleyball players. Since 1998, they have accounted for the highest percentage of injuries sustained

by NCAA female volleyball players, ranging from 18 to 36 percent of the total number of injuries in practices and games recorded by the NCAA. To our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the use of prophylactic ankle braces in these athletes and little, if any, evidence demonstrating their effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with this brace in preventing ankle injuries that result in a loss of playing time.

Materials & Methods:

Injury data, preparticipation medical histories, and total exposures were collected on all players at an NCAA Division I university from 1998 to 2005. Since 1998, all female volleyball players at this institution were required by the coaching staff to wear bilateral double upright padded ankle braces at all times. The braces in question were produced by Active Ankle.

Following the system used by the NCAA in its official Injury Surveillance System (ISS) database, preseason practices and games were included in our data acquisition, but postseason play was excluded from the evaluation.

Injuries were identified based on criteria set forth by the NCAA. All injury data was recorded on a prospective basis. Injury rate data for female NCAA volleyball players obtained from the NCAA ISS between 1998 and 2004 was used for comparison as a control group. Statistical analysis was performed.

CoachesNetwork.com

Results: In total, there were 13,500 exposures and one injury in our sample group, yielding an injury rate of 0.08 per 1,000 exposures. There were 744,932 exposures and 611 injuries in the NCAA ISS comparison group, for an injury rate of 0.82 per 1,000 exposures. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.002) according to the Pearson’s Chi Square and Fischer’s Exact tests (P<0.001).

Conclusion: To summarize,

in our cohort of athletes, prophylactic use of a double upright ankle brace significantly reduced the ankle injury rate compared to that reported by the NCAA Injury Surveillance System and those reported by other authors. Additionally, while nearly half of these athletes sustained ankle injuries prior to collegiate play, only one suffered an injury while wearing the brace. From our preliminary data, it appears that the use of such a brace is an effective way to decrease the incidence of ankle injuries in this active but vulnerable group of athletes.

About the authors: Selene G. Parekh, MD, MBA, is affiliated with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of North Carolina. David I. Pedowitz, MD, MS, Sudheer Reddy, MD, Russell Huffman, MD, MPH, and Brian J. Sennett, MD, work in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 P.O. Box 1001, Gardner, KS 66030 www.activeankle.com

Coaching Management

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John Calipari explains advanced dribbling skills

Jim Boeheim talks about his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s zone defense

Coaches Network offers an array of educational resources, including instructional videos from some of the top coaches in the country. You can now comment on videos you like and share them with your coaching friends. We also have articles that can help with the off-court side of the job, including nutrition, working with parents, and developing leaders.

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Box 329 Riverside, TX 77367 1 (800) 829-2928 www.powernetics.com

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