Deep practice starts with proper technique, no matter how slow you have to start. Players have to learn to crawl before they learn to walk, so to speak.
Coyle sites the example of a young soccer player trying to learn a new move, but he gradually goes slower, failing time after time until he eventually gets it. The problem is that we place an emphasis on intensity over technique. Don’t get me wrong; intensity is key after technique is learned.
We teach form first and speed second. You can’t get better going at breakneck speed if you’re using the wrong technique. Our game desperately needs more teachers who study the game and impart it with care, not workout guys who just make kids sweat and run.
Failure Is Good
You need to make an environment where kids understand that it is OK to fail, as long as you are putting forth your best effort to perform correctly.
As Coyle writes, “Deep practice is built on a paradox: struggling in certain targeted ways—operating at the edges of your ability, where you makes mistakes—makes you smarter.” The only mistake you can make is not making mistakes.
Drills are actually more efficient if you have to slow down, make errors and correct them yourself. A player’s goals should be just out of reach—trying to reach blind goals or easy goals has little effect.
A great way to breed skill development is by creating positive learning environments Small-sided games can be great for this.
When I was coaching AAU, we ran a ton of two-on-two with pin-downs, two-on-two penetration, and three-on-three penetration. Place limits on players such as a three-dribble max, or only allow specific offensive strategies, such as only playing solely off penetration—no ball screens, no pin-downs, no post-ups.
Focus on developing one skill at a time while putting the kids in situations where they are getting a ton of repetitions. Failure is part of learning, and it demonstrates how to improve.
Futsal: Lessons from Brazil
A soccer academy in Brazil, which has produced some of the top soccer players in the world, developed a game called “futsal” to play indoors. The five-on-five game dramatically increased the amount of repetitions players got by as much as 600% more than on a full field with a full soccer team!
Many of the top Brazilians played futsal until the age of 14, using smaller soccer balls with less bounce instead of full-sized soccer balls. In America, this has a slim to none chance of happening in basketball development.
This is a reason that we play a ton of one-on-one at our camps. I haven’t done the exact math, but in my mind, that is close to 500% more repetitions than only playing pick-up games.
Learn to teach, study the game, and let the kids play in controlled situations to work on specific skills. It’s an investment. Yes, in the short term, you’re going to win more games with a great trapping defense and a few quick hitters. But teaching and developing the skills to play the game helps players reach their potential, both individually and together.
So treat the youth level as the bedrock of your program. Decide which skills you want to emphasize and then chunk it up: Explain, demonstrate, repeat, correct, repeat, and compete! When players understand a skill and cement their technique first, it gives them the tools needed to develop.
But chunking it up is just the first rule of deep practice.
–
Mike Lee Basketball Services trains thousands of middle school through NBA players across the country each year in their skill development training, camps and coaches Academies. The owner, Mike Lee, is also a former Nike Girls Skills Academy instructor and former assistant director for the Stephen Curry Skills Academy. Recently the company has authored 7 skill development DVDs and created miSkillz Online Basketball training.
–
Click here for more information on Daniel Coyle and The Talent Code