Engaging Youth Practices
Who it's for
Coaches of young and beginner players.
Takeaway
How to keep youth practice fun and active while still developing real skill.
Transforming Clinician
George Vaz
Coach educator & host of The Transforming Basketball Podcast
Goiânia, Brazil
George Vaz is a basketball coach consultant and the host of The Transforming Basketball Podcast. Based in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, he works with coaches, players and organizations — and as podcast host he explores the ideas behind modern, evidence-informed coaching with guests from across the game.
- Youth practice design
- Representative learning
- Conceptual offense
Experience at a glance
George'S Coaching Background
- Basketball coach consultant
- Works with coaches, players and organizations on modern player development.
- Host of The Transforming Basketball Podcast
- Leads the conversations on the official Transforming Basketball show.
- Based in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Coaches and consults from Brazil, working with groups internationally.
George's work
Youth practice· 10:24
What Youth Practices Really Need to Look Like — U11 Dribbling Activities with George Vaz
George leads a U11 practice built around engaging, game-relevant dribbling activities.
Watch on YouTubeWhat you can learn
What You Can Learn with George
Representative Learning Design
Who it's for
Coaches designing practice that transfers to games.
Takeaway
How to design activities that represent real game demands so learning transfers to play.
Introducing Conceptual Offense
Who it's for
Coaches moving a team toward a conceptual, principles-based offense.
Takeaway
How to introduce conceptual offense, work through the messy phase and earn buy-in.
Coaching in practice
Leading a U11 Dribbling Practice
Context
In this Transforming Basketball video, George leads a U11 practice built around dribbling activities designed for young players.
Approach
He uses playful, representative activities that keep young players engaged while still challenging real ball-handling and decision-making.
What coaches can explore
How to design youth dribbling practice that stays fun and game-relevant, and how activity design shapes what young players actually work on.
Learn with George
More from George on Transforming Basketball
Official Transforming Basketball videos and podcast episodes featuring George.
Podcast episode · 15 min
EP136: Traditional vs CLA Drills
George explains representative practice design and coaching to the demands of the game.
Listen on SpotifyPodcast episode · 13 min
EP158: Transforming Team Offense — Implementing the CLA and Conceptual Offense
George on transitioning to conceptual offense, the messy phase and stakeholder buy-in.
Listen on SpotifyAs a Transforming Clinician and the podcast's host, George brings youth-practice design and conceptual-offense ideas to camps and clinics, and helps coaches connect the show's conversations to what they run on court.
Articles by George
Showing 28–36 of 65 articles
Coaching & leadership
A New Era for Norwegian Basketball and Transforming Basketball
What Does This Mean? The landscape of basketball coaching is shifting. It is moving towards a dynamic, player-centered approach that prioritizes decision-making and adaptability.
Feb 9, 20265 min read
Team offense
The Read and React Offense vs a Conceptual Offense
A conceptual offense is one where players are playing with triggers and constantly reading the defense, looking to create and exploit advantages.
Jan 12, 20262 min read
Player development
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.
Jan 5, 20264 min read
Skill acquisition
Ecological Dynamics: The Core Principles Behind the CLA
In the world of sports coaching and skill acquisition, Ecological Dynamics has emerged as a powerful framework for understanding how athletes learn, adapt their movements, and perform on the court.
Dec 8, 20253 min read
Team offense
Coaching the Dribble Hand-Off in Basketball with the CLA
The dribble hand-off is one example of a trigger you can use within your conceptual offense. One of the challenges in our membership community was centered around how you would implement this trigger through a constraints-led approach.
Nov 24, 20251 min read
Practice design
How to Plan Your Youth Basketball Practices
In this blog, we touch on all the considerations coaches should take into account when creating a practice plan. It is important to write and save each practice plan.
Nov 17, 20254 min read
Player development
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……
Nov 10, 20252 min read
Team offense
Common Triggers for a Conceptual Offense
Firstly, what is a trigger? A trigger is an offensive action that will ‘trigger’ or cause the first domino to fall - creating an advantage.
Nov 3, 20253 min read
Skill acquisition
Why We Need to Stop Coaching Basketball Fundamentals
You may have read our first marquee blog which challenged the very nature of fundamentals.
Oct 27, 20252 min read
Host a camp
Enquire about hosting GeorgeEnquire About Hosting George
Bring George to your club, academy or federation for a Transforming camp or clinic. Dates and clinician availability are agreed with our team when you enquire.