I spend a good deal of my time in the fall traveling the country to speak at various coaching clinics; both state association and Nike Championship Basketball clinics. I get to meet a ton of passionate coaches who obviously understand the importance of their own professional development (duh, that’s why they are at the clinic!).
How hard do you work on your craft? Whether you are a player, a coach, or a trainer… how much time and effort to put into your own development and improvement? An honest answer to this question will ultimately dictate your overall success. It’s really not a mystery; the more energy you put into honing your specific skill sets the better you will be and the more success you will attain.
Are you constantly in search of new information? Do you expose yourself to a variety of resources? Do approach new learning experiences with an open mind? Again, your answer to these questions will speak volumes about your potential success.
With the exception of the small percentage of folks who are involved in basketball for mere recreation; I assume everyone else’s goal is to become the absolute best player, coach, or trainer they can be and to maximize their potential. That is most certainly my goal as a basketball strength & conditioning coach.
I have always taken my professional development very seriously and spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, and money to ensure constant improvement. And I tend to gravitate towards players, coaches and trainers who have the same approach.
For my specific situation, there are 5 key areas and skill sets I must continuously develop to thrive in the private training industry:
Training methodologies & philosophies (exercises & drills, equipment, etc.)
Coaching techniques (ways to motivate players, better communication, etc.)
Relationship building (building rapport with players, networking, social media, etc.)
Running a business (customer service, branding, marketing, etc.)
Public speaking & writing (speaking at clinics, writing a blog, etc.)
For players and coaches, it is slightly different. Aside from academics (which is obviously most important), a high school and college player needs to focus on the specific skill sets of their fundamentals, applying those fundamentals to the game, and being a good teammate. Coaches need to be able to teach the game, motivate players, create a winning culture, and implement the X’s and O’s. Please note I am well aware the roles and responsibilities of both players and coaches far exceed the cursory list I just compiled. In fact, I suggest you write down your own list of skill set categories that you want to develop to be successful.
I make sure to spend an appropriate amount of time working on each of these specific skill sets because they each play a role in my overall success. Players and coaches need to do the same. Don’t just focus on shooting drills and ball handling drills… there is so much more to becoming a well rounded player or coach.
Many of you know this past January I set the goal of reading 50 books in 2009. That is just one example of my commitment to my development. I read books on success, leadership, motivation, mental training, biographies, as well as strength & conditioning resources; so reading actually helps me in every skill set I am trying to improve!
I just finished Pistol Pete’s biography (which was fascinating and for the record was the 43rd book I have read this year). I will be starting up The Miracle of St. Anthony next (which documents a season with one of the most storied high school programs of all time). Montrose will actually be paying St. Anthony’s this February up in New Jersey at the Prime Time Shootout. It will be a memorable game as two the nation’s top coaches (Bob Hurley Sr. and Stu Vetter) and most heralded programs collide!
In addition to reading a variety of different books I subscribe to several e-newsletters; all of which have a wealth of info to share. Brian McCormick, Ganon Baker, Kevin Eastman, Steven Chandler, and Jeffrey Gitomer are a few I follow very regularly. Doing this gives me weekly injections of professional development.
My goal, whether I am reading a book, watching a DVD, or attending a clinic is to pick up one new thing. Maybe one new coaching cue. Or one new drill or concept. If I can get one new tidbit from a resource I consider it well worth the time and/or money spent. More times than not I end up picking up several new “nuggets”… but one is always the goal.
I then try to take what I learn, a new drill or new concept, and tweak it to make it “mine” and make it fit my specific needs. I try to add a new spin to make it unique. However, I readily admit and give proper credit to whomever I got it from. With that said, I love when coaches borrow my drills; that’s what I want. I am flattered when a coach uses a drill from one of my DVD’s or coaching clinics. And I really love it when they put their own twist on it and share it with me because then I learn something new too!
Quick side note: I want to reiterate that 95% of the quotes I post on Twitter and Facebook are not my own quotes; they are a compilation of thousands and thousands of quotes I have collected over the years. I choose not to post the original author because 75% of the time I don’t even know the original author and with the 140 character limitation there is rarely enough room.
I highly recommend you approach all learning opportunities with an open mind; but make sure you stick strong to your convictions. Listen to all angles and all sides; but think for yourself. Just because a successful player or coach does something a certain way doesn’t mean that is the only way or that is how you should automatically do it. Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone works great for him; doesn’t mean it will work great for you. Don’t be the coach who goes to a weekend clinic and comes back Monday with an entirely new philosophy! But subtle changes and improvements are vital for success. Your program and your philosophy should always be a work in progress. You are never there. You must evolve. The only thing constant is change. It is all about professional development.
Make sure you put your ego aside too. Your ultimate goal is to be the best player, coach, or trainer you can be. So if someone out there knows a better way to do something… listen and learn. I know for myself, in the past few years I have altered the way I teach a defensive slide and how a player should plant and cut to change direction… because I learned better ways.
In regards to keeping an open mind, don’t be biased on who you learn from either. You can learn something from any valid source. I have learned a great deal from guys who are almost three times my age (Hubie Brown, Tates Locke) as well as guys who are closer to half my age (Drew Hanlen from Pure Sweat Basketball). You know who gave me the most useful “stuff” at a two day clinic this summer? Andrea Hudy, the outstanding strength & conditioning coach for men’s and women’s basketball at Kansas. Because of her innovative thinking, I immediately made plans to add an adjustable pull up bar (goes from 7 to 11 feet) to use for jumping pull-ups as soon as her presentation was over! That exercise is now a staple in my program.
And you can learn things from the most obscure sources too. Hip hop music actually helps me improve several important skill sets (building rapport with today’s youth and public speaking). Despite being a 33 year old suburban white guy, I listen to hip hop because brilliant artists like Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Eminem, Tupac, and Biggie have an amazing control of the English language and portray unbelievable imagery in their words (granted the images they portray aren’t always appropriate or positive; but that’s not the point). They are master linguists and have amazing speaking rhythms. Listening to hip hop makes me a better public speaker. It also keeps me in touch with today’s youth and helps me form better relationships with my players.
Do you want to be the best player you can be? Then you need to spend time watching players who are ahead of you. But instead of watching as a fan, watch for the small things. When you watch guys like LeBron or Kobe; watch how they get open. Watch them move without the ball. Watch them on help side defense. Watching for that stuff, as opposed to drooling over dunks and long 3 balls, will make you a better player.
To maximize your professional development, you need to constantly evaluate your specific skill sets. This will allow you to prioritize what you need to work on. This can be done after every workout, practice, game, or in my case… after speaking at a clinic or posting a new blog. I have had readers graciously bring to my attention a few typos I made in recent blog posts. I am totally cool with that! I welcome feedback and welcome constructive comments on how to improve. I want to put out the best product possible, so I appreciate when someone points out an error. Just recently I had a doctor email me and point out an incorrect statement I made in my Vertical Jump Con Artists blog. I had made a statement that was factually incorrect regarding fiber types. He politely set the record straight, which I very much appreciated. I am now wiser.
I am a realist. I know how busy everyone is. I am well aware the number one excuse people make for not working on their craft and professional development is lack of time. Let me tell you, you will never find time for professional development. You have to make time for it! And it doesn’t have to be huge amounts of time either; strive for quality over quantity. Set aside 15 minutes a day to read one chapter in a book. Instead of watching Seinfeld re-runs; watch a training DVD. Print out e-newsletters and read them Sunday morning instead of the newspaper. Listen to audiobooks on your commute to school or work. You can make time if it is important to you! And what is more important (aside from health and family) than being the best you can be?
I will be conducting workouts and speaking at clinics in Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Virginia, Minnesota, and Iowa in the next several weeks… so please email if you want some more information on those specific events… as I would be honored to help you with your own professional development.
As always, for daily coaching points, motivational quotes, and videos of the “exercise of the week”, please follow me (and subscribe) to:
www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom
Train hard. Train smart.
Alan Stein
PS: If you are interested in the e-newsletters I subscribe to; check them out for yourself!
www.TrainForHoops.com
www.GanonBakerBasketball.com
www.KevinEastmanBasketball.com
www.ClubFearless.net
www.Gitomer.com