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 46–54 of 65 articles
Team offense
The Art of Off-Ball Screening
This blog provides an introduction into using off-ball screening actions. The idea is NOT to copy paste these ideas immediately into your offense, but provide a perspective of interesting off-ball…
Jul 28, 20252 min read
Practice design
Game Design Principles for Better Basketball Practices
How do the principles of video game design compare to that of game design on the basketball court? In this blog, we will look at the 5 basic principles of game design.
Jul 21, 20253 min read
Practice design
The Coach’s Role in Practice
Coaching goes far beyond just calling plays and giving instructions. Much like players who have specific roles on a team, coaches too have distinct responsibilities during practice.
Jul 14, 20254 min read
Practice design
The Best Warm-Ups for Basketball Practices
As a coach, we can all agree that warm-ups are an essential and important part of practice. A good warm-up can reduce the likelihood of injuries, preparing players both physically and mentally for the practice.
Jul 7, 20253 min read
Team offense
Dominating the Show Coverage Strategy
What are some coverage solutions (or coverage attacks) that can be used against a show coverage? In this blog, we’ve summarized all the Transforming coverage solutions we emphasize when playing against a show coverage.
Jun 30, 20253 min read
Team defense
Learning from Tuomas Iisalo’s Defense Techniques
This blog provides a brief overview of Tuomas Iisalo's clinic for the Serbian Association of Basketball Coaches.
Jun 23, 20254 min read
Team defense
Improving Team Defense with Goal-Setting
How can goal-setting be used to set tangible actions for improving your team’s defense? Utilizing stats and KPIs (key performance indicators) helps evaluate overall individual and team performance, as well as identifying areas for improvement and tracking progress (or regression!)
Jun 9, 20252 min read
Skill acquisition
Skill Acquisition in Basketball: The Science Behind Coaching
This blog explores the principles of skill acquisition research and how they apply to basketball, with a particular emphasis on using the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA).
Jun 2, 20252 min read
Player development
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?
May 26, 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.