Why We Need to Stop Coaching Basketball Fundamentals

You may have read our first marquee blog which challenged the very nature of fundamentals. 

In our membership community, we posed that very question to our members all around the world: How would you explain these ideas to a coach brand new to contemporary coaching informed by research?

As always, we had some great responses from our members….

Christoph does a great job highlighting the difference between technique and skill. Many coaches confuse both of these terms. The problem with learning a technique out-of-context is that you then have to re-learn it in-context. What coaches have the time for that?!

Tahj succinctly poses the question as to whether or not we need to “redefine” what the fundamentals are. For example, instead of considering fundamentals as the ability to do a textbook chest pass 2-on-0, or a perfect jump stop 1-on-0, should we start considering decision-making as the new fundamental of the 21st century?! 

Kane draws on how we learn to move as human beings. As children, we are not consciously taught movement or given breakdowns of how we should be crawling, jumping or running. Basketball should not be any different! 

 

Sometimes, the best reflections draw on analogies and real life experiences as opposed to the research found in the papers and textbooks. Coach Jason George does an excellent job applying Transforming principles in Idaho. His challenge entry is one of the best and most thoughtful responses we’ve had to help coaches discover this new way of coaching.
Now moving to Italy, Samuele works with a youth team where he applies the CLA. He provides a very interesting observation from watching his best players and seeing what they were doing more in practice. As Alex Sarama often says, “the best players are the most adaptable.” 

Finally, let’s hear from Bastian. The biggest flaw in fundamentals is the fact that we almost NEVER see fundamentals emerge in the game as they are practiced. Why? Because every possession is different and the constraints are never the same. If we know this, then why do we not promote such conditions in practice as opposed to treating variability as “undesirable noise”?

Learn more from this FREE Online Skill Acquisition Workshop – https://transformingbball.com/online-skill-acquisition-workshop