Newsletter #354

Today's Theme... Teaching Basketball IQ and Reads

Basketball IQ is often described as something a player either has or doesn't have.  But much of basketball IQ can be taught... at both youth and high school levels.  Start early and teach basketball IQ by helping players read defenders, recognize advantages, make better decisions, and develop smart basketball habits.  

Players become smarter players when they learn what to look for, what it means, and how to react.  Instead of simply memorizing plays and patterns, they begin to recognize situations and make good decisions on their own.

At first, players will need to recognize a situation and think about the correct read and response.  But with more reps, practice and maturation, the player will see it and react without thinking about it... so it becomes a natural habit.

Teach the read. Repeat the decision. Develop the habit.
The goal is not to teach young players every possible basketball read.  Start with a few important, repeatable decisions that occur in almost every game.  As players improve, gradually introduce more advanced reads.

Visit this new comprehensive article:  Teaching Basketball IQ: Reads That Matter

You'll learn:

• Teaching Reads and Basketball Habits
• The 9 Basketball Reads That Matter
• Teaching Basketball IQ in Practice
• Progressing from Beginning to Advanced Players
• Letting Players Learn from Mistakes

The article breaks down these 9 important reads:

1.  Read Your Defender
2.  Read the Driving Lane
3.  Read the Help Defender
4.  Read the Closeout
5.  Read Screens
6.  Read Your Teammates
7.  Recognize an Advantage
8.  Make Defensive Reads Too
9.  Read the Game Situation

You'll also learn how to teach basketball IQ in your practices, with drills that require players to see situations and make decisions rather than always being told what to do.

And instead of always telling players what they did wrong, learn what questions to ask them so they begin figuring out the answers themselves.

Don't overload young players by trying to teach too many reads at once.  Players don't need an encyclopedia of basketball decisions.  Choose a few reads appropriate for their age and experience and reinforce them repeatedly.  As those reads become habits, add new ones.

The article presents a logical progression for:

• Level 1 - Beginning Players
• Level 2 - Developing Players
• Level 3 - More Advanced Youth/High School Players

And don't be afraid to let players make mistakes as part of the learning process.  There are times when coaches need to stop practice and teach.  But there are also times when players should be allowed to play through a situation, make a mistake, and discover what happens.

The Goal: Smart players who can solve problems on the fly.

Start with simple reads.  Repeat them often.  Let players make mistakes and learn.  Then progress to more reads as they are ready.

Teach the read. Repeat the decision. Develop the habit.

Ultimately, our job isn't merely to teach young players what to do.

It's to teach them how to play the game — not just plays.

See:  Teaching Basketball IQ: Reads That Matter