Transforming Basketball Blog

Defense often gets sidelined in player development, but it's crucial for overall growth. Coaches must prioritize defensive concepts alongside offense to prepare players for senior basketball. Activities like tag games and 1-on-1 drills can develop defensive skills, including footwork, ball pressure, help defense, close-outs, post defense, and verbal communication.

We integrate time pressure into our practices using a random clock during small-sided games, fostering decisive actions on offense and defense. This approach promotes adaptability and intentionality in game-like scenarios, complemented by stable clock periods for variation.

The Swedish Basketball Federation is among the first in the world to formally adopt an ecological approach in basketball coaching and player development. Drawing on insights from Mark O'Sullivan and Swedish coach educators, this article unpacks what that shift looks like in practice. If you're a coach or federation looking to move beyond traditional methods, this is essential reading.

"Advance the Ball" is a versatile activity for large groups with limited court space, inspired by Spanish coach Jose Daniel Gonzalo. Players engage in 3-on-3, 2-on-2, and 3-on-3 formats using two balls and designated grids. The aim is to score only in assigned baskets, fostering adaptability and responsiveness while enhancing scanning abilities.

We are delighted to announce that Transforming Basketball's founder, Alex Sarama, will be joining Kenny Atkinson's staff in Cleveland as Director of Player Development.

In basketball, effective learning requires finding new, functional solutions rather than repeating the same outcomes over and over again. For instance every pick and roll situation is unique, yet many practices rely on predetermined drills that don't reflect the complexity of the game. Read this blog to learn about what it means for coaches to properly create an effective learning environment in practice.

Vitamins are a great concept for player development, but the problem with traditional vitamins are often how they are delivered through a technique-focused lens. In this blog, we outline how coaches can think differently to reframe player and team development through interactions between players and their teammates/ defenders, rather than working on techniques in isolation.

At Transforming Basketball, we steer clear of using 1-on-0 drills like two-ball dribbling or teaching specific dribble moves. Traditional 1-on-0 drills lack the key information needed that players actually encounter within the game itself. In this blog, learn why it's not about teaching moves but instead about creating environments which allow for many different moves to naturally emerge.

Playing more 1-on-1 can be one of the best ways to improve your players. However, how can base versions of 1-on-1 be improved by using constraints, allowing players to be far more skilful compared to playing ones in the same way every time? This blog provides ideas to be more intentional when using 1-on-1 in practice: such as frequently changing match-ups and setting specific goals.

Coaching youth basketball requires coaches to deliver their practices in methods aligned with how the players learn best. This is why using metaphors, such as comparing transition defense to the medieval siege, could be useful in making practices more engaging and enjoyable for youth players.