Basketball Coaching - 5 Steps To An Effective Practice

Many coaches find it useful to create a "skeleton practice plan" and review it before you arrive at the gym. This will ensure your activities are well though out, you accomplish the goals of your practice, and you maximize the use of your time and space.

Here are 5 essential tips for planning your practice:

1. Schedule time for a warm up–It is essential that all practices start with a warm up that mimics the actions the athletes will perform during practice. If athletes will be running plays, have them begin by jogging. If they will be doing shooting drills, have them loosen up their arm, shoulder, and back muscles.
2. Schedule time for a cool down - A cool down period is also essential to help athletes come down from the practice, both mentally and physically. The cool down should be done with little or no talking, or with soothing music to help encourage athletes to come back to their normal state of being. A cool down is also essential to prevent sore muscles and promote muscle growth.
   
3. Allow time for rest and drink breaks – It’s easy to forget that athletes need some downtime in a practice in order to be effective for the whole thing. Give athletes some time to rehydrate (every 15 minutes is a good rule) as well as catch their breath.
4. Combine fun and learning – If your team has a favorite activity or game, build that into the practice plan. Mix fun and learning – remember, these athletes are at practice to learn more than just basketball skills. They also need to learn interpersonal skills, which often come from more casual, fun interactions
5. Keep activities short – Young players have a remarkably short attention span, so underestimate when it comes to assigning time for activities. It is always better to have too many activities planned and cut something than be searching for something to do to fill the time. In the actual practice, play it by ear and let yourself change the time based on how the team is reacting.

Fill in the Blanks

Now that you’ve got a practice plan skeleton, continue the exercise by planning practices for a week. Choose specific drills, plays, and strength exercises and plug them into the open slots in your skeleton.

Consider creating additional skeletons in order to mix things up. Athletes will quickly become bored with a basketball program where every practice is basically the same. With just two or three skeletons, you can keep everyone interested and engaged!

For more great tips on planning and executing a killer practice, check out this basketball coaching article.