Player development
How to Build a Player Development Plan You Can Use at Practice
Start with one rate limiter, agree on it with the player, and design a game that brings it into practice.
George Vaz
Nov 3, 20263 min read
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Explore practical ideas to design better practices, develop adaptable players, and help your team play better basketball.
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New to the Transforming approach
Start with how players actually learn, and why practice design is your greatest competitive advantage.
5-step routeDesign your next practice
Take Transforming principles and learn to design your own practices using our small-sided games and warm-up ideas
5-step routeDevelop your team's offense
Build an offense around spacing, movement and player decisions.
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Editor's picks
Team offense
Dominoes Principle: Floor is Lava
Teach better basketball spacing with the Floor is Lava constraint. Explore three dominoes principles, key exceptions, and a 4-on-3 small-sided game that helps players keep offensive advantages alive.
George Vaz
Oct 23, 20262 min read
Player development
Effective Player Development: The Essential Shift from “Drilling” to “Co-Designing”
If you were to ask the average person to draw a picture of a sports coach, they would likely sketch a stern figure equipped with a whistle, barking rigid instru
George Vaz
Sep 28, 20265 min read
Player development
Warm-Up: Deception & Tag – How to Build Agility and Perception Through Play
Use deception, tag games and live opponents to build basketball agility, perception and decision-making in your warm-up.
George Vaz
Sep 21, 20265 min read
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Player development
Better 1-on-1 Players: Move Away from “Check-Ball” and Embrace “Advantage-Starts”
Walk into almost any open gym, driveway, or team practice around the world, and you will inevitably witness the same sequence: a player stands at the top of the key, bounces the ball to their defender, receives it back, and systematically squares up to attack.
George Vaz
Sep 14, 20265 min read
Player development
Donor Sports: Using Other Games to Support Basketball Development
What if the secret to building an elite basketball player has nothing to do with playing basketball? Donor Sports are one of the most powerful ways to build more adaptable, creative, and robust basketball players.
George Vaz
Sep 7, 20265 min read
Player development
Guided Defense: Developing Finishing at the Rim
Guided defense is one of the most effective ways to help basketball players build real finishing dexterity at the rim.
George Vaz
Aug 31, 20265 min read
Practice design
Wrestling and Physicality Games in Basketball Warm-Ups
Are you building basketball players who shy away from contact, or robust athletes who thrive in the physical trenches of the game?
George Vaz
Aug 24, 20265 min read
Coaching & leadership
The Human Development Playbook for Sport
Why I Wrote This Series This series aims to integrate the idea of Human Development into the fabric of organizations by design. Most organizations invest heavily in scouting, analytics, marketing, and technology.
Kareem Kalil
Aug 17, 20261 min read
Team offense
Prevent vs Punish: Making Decisions in Pick and Roll
In the modern era of "pace and space," the pick and roll is the most heavily utilized trigger to generate offensive advantages. However, as offenses have evolved, so have defensive schemes.
George Vaz
Aug 17, 20265 min read
Practice design
Four Basketball Warm-Up Games for Your Next Practice
Stop wasting the first 15 minutes of your practice on dead layup lines and stretching.
George Vaz
Aug 10, 20265 min read
Team offense
Four Ways to Attack Switching Without Stopping Offensive Flow
Punish the switch by using these 4 distinct coverage solutions instead of letting the defense force you into stagnant isolation. In the modern era of pace and space, the pick-and-roll is the most heavily utilized trigger to create offensive advantages.
George Vaz
Aug 3, 20265 min read
Practice design
Rate Limiters: Designing Warm-Ups Around Player Needs
Are your warm-ups truly preparing your players for the chaotic, unpredictable nature of a live basketball game, or are they just programming them to be really good at stretching and running in straight lines?
George Vaz
Jul 27, 20265 min read
Team offense
Using the Low Post as a Playmaking Hub
For decades, the low post was the undisputed focal point of a traditional basketball offense.
George Vaz
Jul 20, 20264 min read
Team offense
Single and Double Gaps: Teaching Basketball Spacing
In the modern era of basketball, almost every coach preaches the importance of "pace and space." However, while teams are shooting more three-pointers and playing faster than ever before, the actual concept of space is often misunderstood.
George Vaz
Jul 13, 20266 min read
Player development
Alternatives to the Mikan Drill for Variable Finishing
Mikan drill alternatives are becoming essential for basketball coaches who want players to finish effectively in real game situations, not just look good in empty-gym workouts.
George Vaz
Jul 6, 20263 min read
Free resource
21 SSGs for Your Next Practice
Practical coaching ideas to try with your players.
- 21 small-sided games
- Ideas for your next practice