Player Development
Long-term development pathways for players of every level.
61 items
Basketball player development should expand what a player can do in the game. Begin with their strengths, the situations they encounter and the factors currently limiting them. A useful plan connects individual work with the team's way of playing.
Two players can struggle in the same activity for different reasons. One may not recognize the available opening; another may recognize it but lack the range or movement capability to use it. Repeating the same workout for both can miss the problem.
Articles
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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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Why Coaches Need to Understand Self-Determination Theory
Developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in the 1980s, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) explains how human motivation operates on a spectrum. Rather than simply being “motivated” or “unmotivated,” SDT focuses on the quality of motivation.
How to Deal with Intense Ball Pressure
On a recent member post (thanks to Brian Loomis), it got us thinking about a problem a lot of us have come up against at different points in our career……
Constraints-Led Approach Basketball: Teach Lay-Ups
What Is the Constraints-Led Approach Basketball? We had a member of our Transforming Community post this very interesting question: "How do I teach a beginner to do a lay-up—without boring them or killing their joy?"
10 Ideas for Improving Ball Handling
How can we add repetition without repetition to ball handling? So instead of asking a player to repeat the same dribble move 20 times in the same spot, we offer…
Coaching Mental Skills in Basketball: Developing Resiliency
As a coach, how can you develop skills such as resiliency within your players when the game or practice is not going their way?
How to Develop 'Shifty' Dribble Moves Through the CLA
A while ago I had a really good conversation with another coach here in Germany. I re-posted a particularly ‘shifty’ dribble move on Instagram, and he wanted to know how I would ‘teach’ that using the CLA.
The Importance of Defense in Basketball Player Development
Defense is arguably the biggest thing missing within the player development and skills training world. If watching a work-out or scrolling through social media, it is rare to find a work-out where defense is emphasised.
Rethinking the Idea of Vitamins in Basketball Player Development
The Spurs famously coined the term “vitamins” many years ago. This now refers to the delivery of short sessions of on-court player development.
Functional Solutions in 1-on-1 Player Development
1-on-1 can be one of the simplest, but most effective ways, to improve functional solutions in driving, shooting and finishing.
How to Use Guided Defense in Player Development
Guided defense is when the defense is constrained in how they can defend an offensive player(s) within a particular sequence or possession.
NBA Combine Testing: Why It Fails to Evaluate Talent
Why NBA Combine Testing Uses the Wrong Framework How is it possible that current NBA combine testing methods may bias, rather than effectively inform, front office decision-makers?
Developing Young Bigs: A Contemporary Perspective
Positionless basketball is nothing new, and has been spoken about as a concept for multiple years within the basketball world.
The Ecological Player Series: A Deep Dive into Jalen Williams
I have a background in ecological psychology and have been conducting a variety of research at UConn’s renowned Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action.
Reframing the Youth Basketball Experience
Within the global basketball community, the need to provide a better youth sports experience for children is one of the reasons that Transforming Basketball exists.
Podcast
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EP176: How to Approach Player Development During the Off-Season with Adam Omiecinski
13 min
EP171: NBA G-League Coach of the Year Vitor Galvani on Player Development and Style of Play
33 min
EP165: Constraints, Movement Layering, and Conceptual Basketball with Erick Vigansky
26 min
EP163: England Youth National Team Assistant Antony Distras on Transforming Player Development
25 min
EP154: Transforming Clinic on the Inner Game of Basketball with Felix Engel
28 min
EP151: How Oregon Recruits and Develops Players to the Pros with Mike Mennenga
43 min
EP147: Building a Culture of Playing Towards Each Other with Ryan Gensler
27 min
EP143: Value of Donor Sports and the Developmental Pyramid with Scott Peters
20 min
EP142: Applying the CLA - Case Study Insights with Konstantin Hula
35 min
EP141: The Art of Practice Design in Basketball with Tim Dather
26 min
EP140: From Player to Agent Journey with Billy Baron
37 min
EP138: A Global Approach to Elite Player Development with Tim Fanning
29 min
EP137: Q&a with Alex Sarama (Part 2)
28 min
EP134: An Inside Look at 'Bamalytics' and Alabama's Data-Driven Formula with Adam Bauman
27 min
EP133: The Evolution of Basketball Coaching with Coach Nick at BBallBreakdown
38 min
EP126: Q&a with Alex Sarama and Kerri Kuzbyt
28 min
EP122: Transforming Basketball Clinic in Piegros
36 min
EP120: Coaching Lessons from the London Lions Academy: Different Styles, Same Mission
37 min
EP117: Applying the CLA to Build a Championship Team with Paul Cortes
32 min
EP114: Redefining Youth Basketball Development in Australia with Gerard Hillier
29 min
EP113: Principles of Play for U16s
13 min
EP109: From Assistant to Associate: Chris Fowler's Path to Coaching Excellence
40 min
EP107: Exclusive Insights from the Transforming Community
42 min
EP99: The Significance of College Coaches with Chris Croft
33 min
EP89: Neil Houghton One Club Philosophy
41 min
EP86: Using the CLA at Brose Baskets
42 min
EP78: By Any Means Basketball with Coleman Ayers
27 min
EP76: Coaching the Italian Youth National Team with Alessandro Nocera
27 min
EP72: Transforming U14 Basketball with Will Twigg
28 min
EP69: What Exactly Is Acquired with Alex Lossberg
25 min
EP63: Intentionality in Professional Basketball with George Galanopoulos
50 min
EP58: Why There Is No 'One Size Fits All' with Martin Andrade
28 min
EP54: An Ever Evolving Coach with Jonas De Bruyne
24 min
EP52: How Ote Are Developing the Next Generation of Pro Players with Markus Klusemann
24 min
EP46: Feed the Cats - How to Train Smarter with Tony Holler
33 min
EP41: How Sweden Are Revolutionizing Player Development with Andrew Pleick and Rikard Aspegren
36 min
EP39: How Does a Small Italian Town Produce So Many Professional Players? With Francesco Rossi
25 min
EP38: Why Constraints Should Be Different for Every Player with Drew Dunlop and Jake Grossmann
24 min
EP35: The Secrets Behind Jeremy Lin's Workouts with Josh Fan
29 min
EP14: How Basketball Coaching Differs Across Continents with Jon Yu
30 min
EP12: The New Moneyball in Basketball? A Practical Guide to Skill Acquisition in Basketball
18 min