X O December 05

8/2/2019 X O December 05

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ALSO:Commonwealth Games preview

Preventing overuse injuries

Winning a National Championshipas a player/coach

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

V o l u m e 1 2 I s s u e 4

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION

Building a team aroundgood scorersLindsay Gaze

Building a team aroundgood scorersLindsay GazeALSO:Commonwealth Games preview


Winning a National Championshipas a player/coach



Basketball Australia gratefully acknowledges its major sponsors:

ABCA Life MembersLindsay Gaze Barry Barnes Ian Laurie

Merv Harris Dr Adrian Hurley Patrick Hunt

Ken Watson Brian Kerle Ray Tomlinson

CONTENTS

1 How to develop and utilise good scorers - Lindsay Gaze

4 WNBL Coach Profile - Cheryl Chambers

5 2005 Basketball Australia

National Intensive Training

Centre Program

9 Being the player/coach

(and winning a National

Championship)

10 Commonwealth Games

preview

12 Effective team building

in the pre season

13 Dealing with difficult people

14 AJC preview

14Duncan’s Drills

15 ICE program review

- AIS 2005

16 Monitoring training load: A

practical tool for basketball

coaches

17 Preventing overuse injuries

EDITOR

Rachel Wolters

GENERAL MANAGER, COMMUNITY BASKETBALLMichael Haynes

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suggestions. If you have an upcoming event orprogram you would like included, or if you would

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previous editions, you can email us [email protected], or submit content to usat the following address: The Editor, Xs and Os,

PO Box 7141 Alexandria NSW 2015.

Photographs should be clearly marked withcaption details including credits.

Xs and Os is produced by the Community Basketball

Department of Basketball Australia. Xs and Os is a

quarterly publication with cover dates of March, June,

September and December and is available only through

membership of ABCA.

© Reproduction of any material without written

permission from the Editor is strictly prohibited.

Signed articles represent the views of the author and

are not necessarily those of Basketball Australia.

Basketball Australiawww.basketball.net.au

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Cover

Photo:Andrew GazeS p o r t t h e L i b r a r y

8Rachael Sporn - How

did she last so long?



www.basketball.net.au Official Journal of the Australian Basketball Coaches Association 1www.basketball.net.au Official Journal of the Australian Basketball Coaches Association 1

How to develop and utilise

good scorers (shooters)

BY LINDSAY GAZE

Basketball Australia Hall of Famer,

Lindsay Gaze, has 22 seasons of NBL

coaching experience and two

Championship rings to his name. He has put

together innumerable teams over the years,

giving him a firm understanding of what

makes a winning combination. This article

gives coaches an insight into what to look

for in individual scorers to help lift the

performance of a whole team.

Many years ago when players’ agents became

more active in seeking to introduce new talent to

the Australian basketball scene, it was not

uncommon for an agent to describe his prospect

as “not a great shooter, but a good scorer”.

It seemed almost a contradiction in terms, but

after objective consideration, not too difficult to

understand.

James Bullock, who played for the Melbourne

Tigers was a typical example. Bullock was a

great rebounder for his size and a fierce

competitor. He had the ability to create scoringopportunities around the basket, whether by

setting up a good position to receive a pass, or

by scrapping hard for the offensive rebound

and second shot. Anything beyond the free

throw range, or taking an open jump shot off a

drive, was rarely a high percentage play for

him, yet he was one of the NBL’s leading

scorers during his career in Australia.

1980 Olympian and current Adelaide 36ers

assistant coach, Steve Breheney, was another

example of a player who quite often racked up

good scores, and although Steve might stillargue the case, he was never classified as a

good shooter. Steve gained a reputation for

being a great ‘garbageman’ and team mates

and opponents alike marvelled at his ability to

gather the loose ball or errant pass, and convert

it to scoring opportunities.

While there are many examples of not great

shooters becoming good scorers, there are just

as many examples of players who are blessed

with ‘the shooter’s touch’.

Some of the great ones in Australia’s basketball

history have included Peter Bumbers (through

the 50s), Werner Linde (the 60s) Eddie

Palubinskas (the 70s) Ian Davies and Michael

Johnson (the 80s) and in more recent times the M a r k B r a d t k e w a s a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f a s u c c e s s f u l M e l b o u r n e T i g e r s t e a m . P h o t o : S p o r t t h e L i b r a r y .



2 The Official Journal of the Australian Basketball Coaches Association www.basketball.net.au2 The Official Journal of the Australian Basketball Coaches Association www.basketball.net.au

likes of Andrew Gaze, Brett Maher and Shane

Heal. All had the ability to put the ball to the

floor, create their own scoring situation and be

equally efficient from close or long range.These

players are all recognised as great shooters

who also happen to be great scorers.

The question can be asked, “How did these

players become great shooters and how do

those who don’t seem to possess the shooters

touch become such good scorers?”

There is no simple explanation, but in every

case the common factor is ‘work’. All the

players mentioned have demonstrated a

desire for excellence and the energy to

practice and refine their skills to make the

best of their abilities.

In all examples of pure shooters, their

technique was fundamentally sound and their

confidence came from repetition of moves

practiced continually through their careers.

In the examples of the not so pure shooters but

good scorers, more often than not the players

were not the stars of their junior teams. Their

coaches however, inevitably recognised the

value they brought to their clubs through hard

work and refusal to concede to pure talent.

Most of their scoring was done close to the

basket and usually in traffic. All had long

careers at the top level.

While considering the characteristics of good

shooters, the history of the sport is littered with

examples of good (if not great) shooters, never

becoming good scorers.

These players have rarely survived for long in

the higher levels of competition. In the interest

of avoiding controversy, examples will not be

identified here, but almost inevitably theseplayers tended to be inconsistent, self centred,

only concerned about their own statistics and

reluctant to stick with the team rules. It is

always disappointing to observe fine natural

talent being wasted. Conversely it is always

stimulating to observe players making the best

of their ability whether blessed with natural

talent or not.

One of the best examples of a player

maximising his talent was 2003’s NBL Most

Valuable Player Chris Williams.

Williams was not classified as a pure shooter,

but he did prove to be a consistent scorer. He

did this mainly through his athletic moves to

the basket making what were difficult plays

look almost ridiculously easy.

Opposition defenders would often concede, or

even invite Williams to take the mid to long

range perimeter shot. Sometimes he would

accept the invitation, probably in an effort to

keep the defence honest, but his percentages

from that range were less than spectacular.

By contrast, his percentages on anything aroundthe basket were very impressive. At least some

of the credit for Williams’ success must go to

coach Brian Goorjian, who created a structure

and team offence that emphasised his star

player’s strengths. The combination of team

structure and Williams’ team discipline led to the

Kings winning their first NBL Championship.

Of course the Kings were not a one-man show.

While Williams provides a perfect example of a

good scorer who was not necessarily a great

shooter, the Kings also had Shane Heal, who

was a great shooter and a great scorer almostevery time he decided that was what he

wanted to be.

Other players on the Kings roster like, Kavossy

Franklin, Matt Nielsen and Brad Sheridan, can

be classified as good shooters, but not in the

same special category as Heal. In order to

utilise the great shooting and scoring talents of

L i n d s a y G a z e c o u l d r e c o g n i s e t h e s c o r i n g p o t e n t i a l o f h i s p l a y e r s . P h o t o : S p o r t t h e L i b r a r y .

A n d r e w G a z e . P h o t o : S p o r t t h e L i b r a r y .




all the Kings’ team, the players had to

understand their respective roles, play within

their limitations and emphasise their strengths.

Sometimes superior talent does not always

produce championship results. The great LA

Lakers team could not capture their third

successive title this year even though they had

the same nucleus of their previous two

championship teams.

Individual and team attitude will always

contribute to the end result and the writing

was well and truly on the wall early in the

season for the Lakers, notwithstanding their

injury problems.

Shaquille O’Neill must be a classic example of

a poor shooter who is a great scorer. Anything

but point blank is normally outside O’Neill’s

effective shooting range and yet he has

dominated the NBA for several years with his

thunderous dunking and scoring around thebasket. Kobe Bryant is also a classic example of

a great shooter and heavy scorer and few

would criticise the supporting talent of the

Lakers team.

Attitude, and a tendency to deviate from the

team structure, proved to be the Lakers’

downfall this year.

One of the most important instructions a coach

can give their players is:“ U n d e r s t a n d y o u r o w n s t r e n g t h s a n dw e a k n e s s e s . M a x i m i s e y o u r s t r e n g t h sa n d m i n i m i s e , o r a t l e a s t c a m o u f l a g e ,y o u r w e a k n e s s e s . ”Too many times players will try to do things

beyond their natural abilities. This is not to say

players should not practice moves that will

make them better, or they should not take risks.

Being too rigid or too restrictive can be just as

damaging as being too adventurous, or just

plain careless. Knowing what you do best and

then working to exploit your strength is more

likely to lead to success.

Perhaps the best example recently was inthe 2005 NBA Finals Series Game 5 between

San Antonio and New Jersey. San Antonio

had demonstrated a tendency to fritter away

leads in the last quarter of their games due

to focussing almost exclusively on their MVP

Tim Duncan to score on low post moves.

One-on-one plays would become one-on-two,

or one-on-three.

Throughout the season and in the earlier play

off rounds Duncan had repeatedly saved the

Spurs with his individual heroics within the

team plan. However, the added pressure of the

Finals and tougher defence indicated that

more was needed. With just a couple of

minutes left and the Spurs lead once again

whittled down to three, coach Greg Popovic

called on rarely used Steve Kerr, a specialist

three-point shooter, to take the court for the

first time.

Kerr passed to Duncan in the low post, and

Kerr’s man double teamed Duncan. Duncan

passes back out to Kerr who connects on a

three-pointer and virtually makes the game safe.

The fact that Steve Kerr saw extremely little

action not only in the Finals, but throughout the

season, did not reduce his effectiveness, or

his attitude.

Kerr is the highest percentage three-point

shooter in the NBA. He knew his role, his team

mates knew his capabilities and his coach had

faith. Only those who have played in similar

situations know how difficult it is to come off

the bench in the latter stages of an important

game and contribute like you have played

significant minutes.

Those few minutes, and a few other minutes

played during the Finals series with equal

effect, gave Steve Kerr the chance to show that

he is not just a great shooter, but one who

understands the role he was asked to fulfil. A

player with the right attitude, in a team with the

right attitude and a coach who provided the

structure that enhanced the individual talents of

all team members.

These are the ingredients for success.

L a n a r d C o p e l a n d w a s a p r o l i f i c s c o r e r f o r t h e T i g e r s . P h o t o : S p o r t t h e L i b r a r y .




X&Os: What was your greatest achievement

as a player?

CC: I have two. Winning a Championship in the

early days of the WNBL, and playing a few

games for Australia.

X&Os: What is your greatest achievement asa coach thus far?

CC: It would have to be getting the group to

where we are now. I started three years ago and

we finished second last year (although not

doing too well in the finals).That is definitely my

biggest achievement as a head coach.

X&Os: What is or has been more rewarding,

coaching or playing?

CC: They are two completely different things.

The old adage that “you’re a long time retired”

is certainly pretty true, because playing is

something you can’t do all your life. Although

you don’t have a lot of control when you’re

coaching, because you can’t go out and do it

yourself, it certainly has a lot of rewards. The

reward of seeing players improve is great.

X&Os: What similarities and difference do

you find between coaching and playing?

CC: I came from the point guard position, so

thinking about tactics, how to score and

offences is fairly similar. However, the

difference as a player is that you don’t need to

manage 12 or 13 players; you just manageyourself and the four other people on the court

with you. The management of talent and

personalties, and getting them all on the same

page is huge difference as a coach.

X&Os: Has being an assistant coach for thePrice Attack Opals and the Gems helped you

as a WNBL coach?

CC: Without a doubt. I am very lucky to have

these opportunities. I try to go into every camp

and tour with an open mind. I sap up as much

as I can from the other coaches while watching

the international competition and the quality

players. Also, when you get the 10 best

Australian players in the room they can teach

you a lot. It has certainly contributed to me

becoming a better coach.

X&Os: Having coached and played for the

same team, would you have done anything

fundamentally different as a player?

CC: If I had the mind and knowledge that I have

now when I was a player I could have been

something really special! I would have been

twice the player I was. The mind is such an

important tool, and knowledge is power in this

game.

X&Os: Would you like to have coached

yourself?

CC: It depends which myself! I played for 13years, so there were many different mes! At

times I would have loved to coach myself

because I think I had some good attributes and

I would like to think that I was fairly clever as a

player. The other thing was that I wasn’t as

athletically gifted as other players, so I had

make up for it by being smart. Some years I

would have been a pleasure to coach,and other

years I didn’t have as good a time. But this has

helped me as a coach as I can identify that in

my players and help them learn from my

experiences.

X&Os: Do you see any similarities in your

players and yourself when you played?

CC: I do. It’s good to have played, because

sometimes players say things to me and I think,

“I can really relate to that, I lost my confidence

when that happened.” You can help players

through difficult times.

X&Os: Do you feel that playing in the league

that you now coach has helped your

perspective on coaching?

CC: I think so. Sometimes you have to remind

the younger players that there is a long tradition

of women’s basketball in Australia and that this

is a sport where you have to put back in. A lot

of people put in when I was playing and that

allowed the sport to grow and become more

successful. You have to remind players of that,

because sometimes it comes a little easy for

some and it’s a good reminder.

X&Os: What is your coaching philosophy?

CC: I really care about the players. It’s important

to care about those you coach otherwise youwon’t get the best out of them.Also, I have to be

organised. If you’re organised as a group and a

team, it helps you to move forward together, as

team, with a goal.

X&Os: Who did you look up to as a player?

CC: I was lucky to play at Nunawading when

Michele Timms and Robyn Maher were there. I

also played with Karin Maar. She was one of the

Coach’s Q&A: Bulleen MelbourneBoomers Head Coach - Cheryl Chambers

C h e r y l C h a m b e r s h a s b u i l t a s t r o n g B u l l e e nM e l b o u r n e u n i t . P h o t o : L o r i s s e D a r t .

T h e B o o m e r s h a v e a s t r o n g t e a m e t h i c a n d a b a n d o f l o y a l f a n s . P h o t o : Y v o n n e M i l b a n k .




best competitors in the League, and is still one

of the most competitive people I know.

X&Os: Who do you look up to now as a

coach?

CC: I think Carrie Graf is a wonderful coach and

I try to listen and learn from her whenever I can.

She’s had some wonderful experience as the

Opals assistant and being in the WNBA. Working

with Gary Fox and Jan Stirling with the Opals is

a great experience. They have been doing this

for 15 years and I have only been doing it for

three, so I really look up to them. Ray Tomlinson

and Brian Goorjian are another two... There are

a lot of people I try to touch base with and try

and listen to and learn from their ideas.

X&Os: As a player, what aspect of the game

(offence or defence) did you feel was the

most important, and has that feeling

changed as a coach?

CC: As a point guard, I was pretty good atshooting, scoring and organising, but I wasn’t as

impressive at the defensive end.Now I know that

if you don’t stop other teams from scoring,you’re

never going to win. So, my emphasis as a coach

is at both the offensive and defensive ends.

X&Os: How were you able to build such a

successful team without having the revenue

of other teams in the league?

CC: At first it was hard to attract people. Some

people came to us because other clubs decided

they didn’t fit into that team’s program, but the

way to attract players is to build a team culture,

and a relationship with the players, and that is

how we’ve done it. That’s how we retain people

too. I have a pretty good relationship with my

players and we’ve built a culture where we allwork hard. Nothing is given out without being

earned and I think the culture attracts people.

When Hollie Grima joined us, I said to her that

once she’s come over to us she would never

want to leave, and she now says, “You’re right,

I don’t want to go anywhere else!”

X&Os: What player has impressed you the

most this season?

CC: Desiree Glaubitz. She has worked really

hard and become a really dynamic

scorer/penetrator. A player from another team

who has impressed me is Samantha Richards.

She’s been very impressive in her ability to

score, but also to get other people involved in

Dandenong’s game.

X&Os: Would you want to coach anywhere

else - why or why not?

CC: No. Well, I wouldn’t mind going to the

WNBA… No, I am happy where I am. We sat

down three years ago and said, “What do we

need to get this done?” and we put it in place. I

like the culture. It would be hard to change the

word Boomer to anything else.D e s i r e e G l a u b i t z h a s i m p r e s s e d C h e r y l C h a m b e r st h i s s e a s o n . P h o t o : I a n K n i g h t P h o t o g r a p h y .

Basketball Australia’s National

Intensive Training Centre Program is

renown as one of the world’s leading

basketball development programs and its

focus is to develop athletes and coaches

with national and international potential.The program accordingly has a focus on

international trends in both playing styles

and talent identification and development

programs.

To this end, fourteen coaches from Basketball

Australia’s National Intensive Training Centre

Program and the Australian Institute of Sport

participated in a Coaches International Study Tour

to USA, Turkey and China. The study tour was

organised and led by Patrick Hunt, Head Coach of

the Basketball Australia NITCP and Manager,

National Player and Coach Development.

The objectives of the tour were to experience

coaching concepts, methods and techniques

used in a variety of programs and to evaluate

the technical content, sports science and

medicine support services. In the USA the

coaches were joined by Carol Byers, the head

netball coach at the Western Australia Institute

of Sport, which gave the coaches the

opportunity to discuss the differences andsimilarities between the skills and training

methods of the two sports.

The coaches also had the opportunity to explore

coach education, national talent identification

programs, national talent development

programs, national team programs and club

structure and local and national competition

organisation and structure.

In the USA coaches visited men’s and women’s

programs at Lafayette College, Villanova

University, St Joseph’s University, DrexelUniversity, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke

University, Wake Forest University and the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In Turkey the coaches visited junior and senior

women’s and men’s programs in Istanbul. In China

the coaches visited junior and senior women’s and

men’s programs in Beijing and met with officials

from the Chinese Basketball Association.

In a very demanding and hectic 26 day programcoaches attended 41 practice sessions, 31

technical/coaches presentations, attended 6

games, participated in 7 study/workshop

sessions and attended 6 meetings with

Basketball Administrators. A total of 91

activities were undertaken.

At Villanova the coaches attended a clinic

conducted by Mens Head Coach Jay Wright,

which focused on developing team and

individual defensive fundamental skills. Whilst

these skills were not necessarily, it is refreshing

to see the teaching points and emphasis usedby other coaches. Following is come notes

taken from this clinic.

continued page 6

2005 Basketball Australia National

Intensive Training Centre ProgramOverseas coaches study tour




Individual Defence Concepts

Mass Stance Defensive Drill

This is a drill commonly used by coaches

throughout Australia, giving players the

opportunity to “rehearse” defensive footwork

and hand positions. An important adage to

keep in mind is that “practice makes

permanent” and attention to detail is important

in this drill.

Having some “extra eyes” to watch players can

be very useful. If you don’t have assistant

coaches, asking managers or parents to help

out can be just as effective. Keep your teaching

points concise and have the manager/parent

look at that specific thing.

Coach has a basketball and the players are on

the floor in lines. When the coach calls for the

players to get into defensive stance the players

slap the floor and yell “D time”

When changingbetween the

different defensive

positions the drill

players give two

quick hand claps

Defensive stance

is very wide and

very low.

The players went

through the

following build up.

Defending a Passer

To pressure a passer defenders must have their

head and both hands on the basketball, whilst

keeping their knees slightly bent so they can be

quick to to move.

If the passer moves the ball from one side to the

other the defender must slide over quickly to

get keep their head and hands on the

basketball. They call out “ball”.

Defending a Dribbler

Defence keeps a hand on the basketball (at

arms length). A low and wide stance is

emphasised by players imagining they are

sitting down in a seat.

If the defender drive fakes the defender hops

back (whilst staying in stance) to maintain the

gap distance between the offence and defence.

The coach points and players move with a

footwork pattern of one long step and one short

step. A defender must strive to contain the

offensive player for their first two dribbles.

Slide, Run, Slide

If an offensive player gets their head past a

defender’s shoulder, the defender needs to turn

and run low getting their head back on the ball.

Players were instructed to use a “cheat step”,

(a step with the foot closest to the dribbler) so

they can remain low. If they step with their foot

furthest away from the offence they

automatically stand up and lose their

quickness.

The defender should pick a spot in front of their

opponent, run for two sprints to that spot and

get into stance putting a hand on the basketball

Slide, Run, Chest

If a defender cannot get in front of the offensive

player then they will chest the player. With

hands up they “ride” the outside shoulder of the

defensive player, making sure not to lean on the

offensive player as this will be a foul.

Hand on ball drill

Players each have a partner with one having a

basketball. The coach will call out the names of

the various defensive activities:

“drive”

- offence showsdrive fake

- defence hops

back and

forward

“pass”

- offence puts

ball above

head

- defence puts

two hands and

their head on the ball

“dribbler

- two dribbles to dead

- offence takes two dribbles either right or

left

- defence slides in stance long step short

step and keep hand on the ball

“run, slide, run” -

- offence takes two dribbles and beats

defence

- defence slides uses a run step runs two

strides and comes up in front of the offence

“run, slide, chest”

- dribble and show lay up

- offence dribbles three or four times and

pretends to shoot layup

- defence slides runs and chests the offence

Half Court Team Defence

Fundamentals

With each of these drills players were allowed

to practice several times to get the form and

technique correct then drills were played live.

Offence were allowed two dribbles only and if

the offensive player caught the ball inside the

three point area the offence would rotate out

however the defence had to stay

Defending the Pass and Cut

When defending

the pass and cut

as soon as pass is

made defender

must jump to theball and stay on

the line of the ball.

They must not




jump to the basket. If the person jumps to the

basket it gives the opportunity for offence to

pop back and shoot or to simply cut past the

defender. If the player jumps to the ball then

they keep vision on the ball and can also deny

a pass back to them.

The closer the offensive cutter gets to the ball

then the closer the defender needs to move

towards the cutter, conversely the further thecutter goes away from the ball then the greater

the distance between the cutter and their

defender.

The defence is maintaining one hand in denial

off the pass and the other arm in a bent forearm

and with a clenched fist on the cutting player.

The defenders back is to the baseline. As the

cutter goes away the defender will stay in

stance with their head under the basket always

maintain vision on the ball and the player they

are guarding. If the offensive player tries to cut

and flash cut to the top of the key the defender

denies this cut with a strong forearm and fist.

Pass and Cut, Back Cut and Flash Cut

Offence will

execute the

same drill as

above however

now after the

offence has

executed the

flash cut they

will cut outside the three point line and sprintto the basket to execute a back cut

The defence will play as above however as the

defence back cuts they will throw their hands

as they head snap and they will have their

denial hand down to the floor (palm facing the

passer) to stop a bounce pass.

The coaches at Villanova instructed their

players to always “head and hands snap”,

rather than opening up to the ball.

Denial

Offensiveplayers would

try and lead to

catch the

basketball from

the coach. The

defence would

stay in a strong

forearm and fist denial stance being physical

and using their body they would keep their

back to the basket outside the scoring area. If

the player catches the ball the must get hand

on the ball and have their feet square to theoffensive player.

“Two on Two” Wack Out

Players are in

stance on split

line. When the

coach slams

the ball on the

ground the

players slap

the ground andcall the name of the player the are going to

guard.

When coach calls “wack out” defensive players

step with the foot closest to the offensive player

(who already have a basketball) and stay low.

Coaches instructed players to use this “cheat”

step because if they step with back foot they

will stand up.The defender closing out runs 2/3

of the way to the offence player they throw their

head back and hands out.They close out to take

away the drive firstly, sprints out and closes outthe player with the ball.

- Stage one after close out each player will

take two dribbles to the base line with the

defenders in stance and containing. When

defending base line drive player steps with

base line foot first making sure they stay low

and don’t stand up and keep a hand on the

ball

- Stage two after close out each player will

take two dribbles to the middle with the

defenders in stance and containing. When

defending middle drive player steps with top

foot first making sure they stay low and don’t

stand up and keep a hand on the ball

- Stage three only the coach will have a

basketball. Drill starts as above however the

coach will throw the ball to one of the

offensive players. One defender will close out

whilst the other stays on split and on the line

of the ball. If the help defenders player is

above the free throw line then the help

defender will have two feet in the key and on

the line of the ball. If the help side defender

is above the free throw line the defence has

one foot in they key whilst on the line of the

ball.

If the person

guarding the

ball is beaten

then the help

side defender

has to “read

help” if you

think that the

person is completely beaten they you have to

help outside the key. The player that is beaten

will recover to the other player.

If the person guarding the ball is chesting their

opponent then help defence should hedge at

the ball handler before sprinting to their player

ready to block out

When reading help if the defender is contained

then fine, if not contained then fake help and

recover. At all times contain first and contest

late.

The ball starts

on the wing.

In this

example O1 is

above the free

throw line so

X3 would

have one foot

in the key. As

the ball is reversed to the coach X2 jumps to

the line of the ball and both players sprint to

denial.

Coach passes to either player, if offence back cuts, defence must throw hand low to deny

whilst keeping other arm forearm and fist on

the player, if reversed to a player on the wing

then they are hand on ball and pressuring

In 2006 notes from the complete study tour will

be prepared together with video of some of

these sessions. Notes and videos from previous

study tours are available from the NITCP head

coaches in each state.

JOIN ABCATODAY.Fill in the form on

the back of this magazine.




Rachael Sporn is one of Australia’s

most known and loved basketball

representatives. She retired from the

game following the 2004 Athens Olympics,

at the age of 36. She had played in the WNBL

since 1986 and first represented Australia in

1989. She retired from the Opals having

played 304 senior games.

X&Os: Who was the best coach you had

and why?

RS: Number one for me was Tom Maher. I was

coached by Tom for his entire stint as the head

coach of the Opals (1993-2000). Tom came

along at a time that the Australian women's

program was in need of an injection of

enthusiasm and confidence (which he provided

immediately), due to our failure to qualify for the

Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Tom groomed theOpals to be a classy and professional group. He

instilled in us the Opals seven themes, which

became, and still are, the cornerstone of what it

means to be an Opal. With Tom it was straight

down the line, there was no grey area and I

respected him tremendously for that approach.

I had to wait until I was 28 years of age to play

at my first Olympics (Atlanta,1996), so the coach

that took me there and gave me that opportunity

will always be as special as the 11 team-mates

who also took that journey with me.

What Tom Maher was able to do for the Opals,

Jan Stirling did for Adelaide Lightning. Ourinaugural year as Lightning was in 1993 and

Jan set the benchmark with our fitness level as

well as our professionalism on and off the

court. Winning three Championships in a row in

1994, 1995 and 1996 was a huge highlight and

was testament to Jan being able to get the best

out of her athletes.

Current coach of the AIS women’s program,Dean Kinsman, was another coach who had a

huge influence on my career. He was assistant

coach of Lightning in 1995 and 1996. Dean had

a great rapport with all players and was very

intuitive at recognising when you needed

assistance with either the physical or mental

side of the game. He provided me with the

opportunity to play with Forestville in State

League to gain that extra fitness and

confidence after giving birth to my daughter

Teja. That was instrumental in my eventual

selection in my third Olympic team for the

Athens Olympics.

My most sentimental favourite is my first ever

coach, Graeme ‘Colonel’ Wyatt. In my

hometown of Murrayville, there was no junior

basketball, so at the age of 9 I was playing with

and against adults in the ‘B’ grade. By the time

I was 12, I was playing ‘A’ grade with mum, and

with Colonel as coach we won five

premierships in a row together. Colonel was a

softly spoken man who gave me the most

positive and enjoyable start to my basketball

career that I could have ever hoped for.

X&Os: What was the best technique usedon you to motivate you to play better and

try harder?

RS: Simple, old-fashioned positive reinforcement.

X&Os: What was the worst technique?

RS: Negativity.

X&Os: What training plan/diary worked best

for you?

RS: A monthly training plan that was worked

out in advance allowed you to assess what your

workload was going to be, which then enabled

you to work out what other activities outside of

basketball could fit into your hectic schedule. It

was always about having balance and not

getting burnt out or run down by trying to cram

in too much in any given week. Physically

writing down in your diary your training for the

week/month is a form of motivation as it

becomes a priority and makes you disciplined.

X&Os: Why do you think you had so

few injuries?

RS: I never carried any extra weight and was

religious with making sure that I had a weekly

massage. I probably should have done more

stretching than I did but I do believe that luck

also had a bit to do with me staying relatively

injury free. Before my knee reconstruction I had

only missed one WNBL game in 14 years.

X&Os: What injury prevention techniques

and exercises did you use?

RS: In the latter part of my career we were

introduced more to core strength exercises and

Pilates, which I believe helped tremendouslywith injury prevention. Ensuring that I wore

correct footwear with orthotics was also a

preventative measure for injury.

X&Os: Do you think you will go into

coaching (perhaps when Teja is old enough

to play)?

RS: I am biding my time until Teja is at an age

that she will be playing in a team and a coach

is required – I am sure I will get the phone call!

As far as coaching at the elite level I have no

interest at this stage.

X&Os: Any advice to coaches out there whowant to get the best out of their players?

RS: Be firm but fair. If you respect your coach

you will always want to play hard for them.

Respect is achieved by being honest and

showing commitment to achieving success.

Provide constructive criticism when required

and praise when it is earned. Don’t send mixed

messages. Be clear about what you want from

your players and definitely don’t show

favouritism towards certain players. Positive

body language is important, just as it is letting

the players know that you love what you do.

And, for both players and coaches, as Tom

Maher would say – “ E m b r a c e h a r d w o r k a n d b ed e t e r m i n e d t o g i v e m u c h m o r e t h a n y o ur e c e i v e . ”

Rachael Sporn - How did she last so long?

R a c h a e l S p o r n b e l i e v e s ‘ S i m p l e , o l d - f a s h i o n e d p o s i t i v e r e i n f o r c e m e n t ’ i s t h e w a y t o m o t i v a t e p l a y e r s . P h o t o : G e t t y I m a g e s




BY KYM CASSELLS

Player/Coach, Ballarat Lady Miners

Starting as a player with the Ballarat

Lady Miners at the age of 15, I have

seen the transition from runner-up in

the CVIBL days to the 2005 ABA National

Champions – it has been a steady

progression.

After winning eight consecutive titles in the Big

V, the Ballarat Lady Miners stepped up to the

SEABL in 2003. This was a natural progression

after so many successful years; however the

transition was difficult for all involved.

The majority of players, including myself, had

never played in the SEABL, so the step up was

daunting. However, this was the challenge that

the Lady Miners program needed.

This year’s National Championship was more

than 12 months in the making, with the

majority of the team being together for a

number of years. In fact, most of the team have

come through the Ballarat Basketball

Association junior program - something thetown, the Association, and the team are very

proud of. This stability no doubt helped to bring

the Championship to Ballarat.

After finishing just outside the Finals in 2003,

and being runners-up in 2004, the Lady Miners

had unfinished business come 2005. With these

results we were confident that the program and

philosophies we had in place weren’t far away

from where we needed to be; it was merely a

refining process that had to take place.

This year we put a lot more time into

scrimmaging than we have in previous years.This built our understanding and confidence in

our plays, and in one another. I feel this was one

of the keys to the Lady Miners success in 2005.

Along with scrimmaging, we also spent a lot of

time with drills such as 3-on-2 transition which,

due to having a playing group that likes to run,

was the style of game the Lady Miners became

comfortable with. In this we put a focus on both

offensive and defensive transition. Another drill

that was important to our success was the use

of the shell drill. This drill allows us a solid base

for our team defence and is a drill that we do atleast once a fortnight.

One question I commonly get asked is, “Is it

hard being a playing coach?” The simple

answer is “Yes.” However, when I sit back and

think about it, I really wouldn’t have had it any

other way. It is one of the most challenging, but

rewarding, experiences I have had in

basketball. I have no doubt that being a playing

coach is not the ideal situation for everyone.

My contribution as a player has certainly been

taken down a notch to allow me to fulfil my

coaching responsibilities. The role I have taken

over the last few years I would best describe as

a ‘coach who plays a little.’ My objective has

always been to make sure I take care of 100%of my coaching responsibilities, and if the team

situation requires me to take the court, then I

will do so. I am employed to coach the Lady

Miners and I have always made sure that

coaching comes first. I believe that a player

who plays a lot of minutes would struggle in the

role of a playing coach, because concentrating

on your playing would take away from your

coaching responsibilities.

Generally, my role as a player in the last couple

of years has been more for stability. We have

had a young guard rotation and I have providedsome experience in the rotation. By being on

the court I am also able to be directly involved

in immediate decisions and implementation;

this is especially relevant for example, in tight

situations when we may need to get right

through an offence to get the best shot

possible. There are many games where I do not

play more than a couple of minutes.

There are a number of important functions that

need to be in place to allow the team to have a

playing coach. The key is having a structure

that supports you in this role. This spans from

having a competent assistant coach who can

take the reigns when need be, to having the

backing of the players and committee.

There are a number of positives and negatives

surrounding the playing coach situation, and

too many to discuss. However, the biggest

positive for me is being able to get out in the

action. This certainly gives you a different look

at the game, and you can pick up more than

you may standing on the sidelines.

On the other hand, there is also the criticism

that comes with either playing too many or too

few minutes, depending on the situation.

Regardless of any negatives, I feel you’re a longtime retired, so I will continue in the role I am in

for as long as I feel it helps the Ballarat Lady

Miners to be a successful sporting team.

Being the player/coach

(and winning a national championship)

T h e L a d y M i n e r s c e l e b r a t e t h e i r N a t i o n a l C h a m p i o n s h i p i n 2 0 0 5 . P h o t o : N o e l R o w s e l l .




The Commonwealth Games is a great

opportunity for coaches to get out and

see some great international

basketball on our shores.

Our Aussie teams are expected to do well, andwe hope to reach the top of the podium in both

the men’s and women’s competitions.

The preliminary rounds of basketball will be

played in the regional venues of Ballarat,

Bendigo, Traralgon and Geelong, meaning Trish

Fallon (Geelong) and Glen Saville’s (Bendigo)

hometown fans get to see them on home

soil again.

The finals will see the teams return to

Melbourne and the Vodafone Arena, and the

gold medal matches will be played on Thursday

the 23rd for the women, and Friday the 24th

for the men.

New Zealand are expected to be the biggest

threat to our gold medal hopes, but both the

Boomers and the Price Attack Opals accounted

for the Kiwis in 2005 in the Oceania

Championships.

The Boomers recently completed a camp in

Gosford, and after two days, four sessions and

innumerable bottles of Gatorade, they finished

their one and only training camp ahead of the

naming of the Australian basketball team forthe Commonwealth Games in mid February.

The 20-man squad was put through its paces

by head coach Brian Goorjian and his

assistants, Brendan Joyce and Rob Beveridge.

Fitness Coordinator Nick Popovic spent time

with each player to determine fitness, strength

and the dreaded skin fold count.

As the camp was during the Philips

Championship season, Goorjian and his team

were mindful to treat the players with the

utmost care to ensure they returned to their

club unscathed.

However, with places in the Commonwealth

Games team on the line, the players didn’t take

a backward step on the training court.

Jacob Holmes was the only athlete to require

medical care, copping a Larry Davidson elbow

in the eyebrow. Doc game him six quick

stitches and it didn’t slow the Adelaide guard

down a bit.

Glen Saville and Paul Rogers both came into the

camp with niggling injuries, incurred with their

respective clubs, and took it easy for most ofthe camp.

The 12-man Commonwealth Games team will

be announced in mid February.The team will go

Preview of Commonwealth Games

Boomers Commonwealth Games squad:

CJ Bruton (Sydney Kings), Jacob Holmes (Adelaide 36ers), Glen Saville (Wollongong Hawks),

Jason Smith (Sydney Kings), Mark Worthington (Sydney Kings), Peter Crawford (Perth Wildcats),

Brad Davidson (Hunter Pirates), Brad Newley (Townsville Crocs), Russell Hinder (Hunter Pirates),

Oscar Forman (Adelaide 36ers), David Barlow (Sydney Kings), Greg Vanderjagt (Townsville

Crocs), Luke Kendall (Sydney Kings), Pero Vasiljevic (West Sydney Razorbacks), Sam Mackinnon

(Brisbane Bullets), Neil Mottram (Melbourne Tigers), Tony Ronaldson (Perth Wildcats), Adam

Caporn (Wollongong Hawks), Larry Davidson (Hunter Pirates), Paul Rogers (Perth).

Opals Commonwealth Games squad:

Tully Bevilaqua (Canberra Capitals), Erin Phillips (Adelaide Fellas), Kathleen Macleod (Dandenong

Rangers), Sam Richards (Dandenong Rangers), Belinda Snell (Sydney Uni Flames), Jenni Screen

(Adelaide Fellas), Carly Wilson (Dandenong Rangers), Alison Tranquilli (Bulleen Melbourne

Boomers), Trish Fallon (Sydney Uni Flames), Katrina Hibbert (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers), Laura

Summerton (Adelaide Fellas), Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers), Rohanee Cox (Townsville

Fire), Desiree Glaubitz (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers), Deanna Smith (Perth Lynx), Hollie Grima(Bulleen Melbourne Boomers), Jacinta Hamilton (Dandenong Rangers), Natalie Porter (Sydney

Uni Flames), Jenny Whittle (Canberra Capitals), Emma Randall (Dandenong Rangers), Lauren

Jackson (injured), Alicia Poto (injured), Jae Kingi (overseas).

T h e B o o m e r s a r e t i p p e d t o w i n g o l d a t t h e M e l b o u r n e 2 0 0 6 C o m m o n w e a l t h G a m e s . P h o t o : G e t t y I m a g e s .




into camp on March 8 before travelling to

Melbourne to enter the Athlete’s Village on

March 12.

The Price Attack Opals trained at the Melbourne

Sports and Aquatic Centre from December

11-14 and also had a productive, but short

camp.

Injured centre, Lauren Jackson, observed fromthe sideline, still recovering from shin splints.

Jackson, and fellow Athens Olympian, Alicia

Poto, attended the camp to observe training and

bond with the squad, but are not yet fit enough

to take the floor. Both women are working hard

on their recoveries to be ready for the March 16

tip off against India in Traralgon.

This was the only camp Jan Stirling and her

staff will hold before the 12-woman

Commonwealth Games team is announced inmid February.

A full basketball schedule follows. Make sure

you get out to a game if you can, but if you miss

out on tickets, or can’t make it to Victoria, tune

into Channel Nine or FOX Sports for all

the action.




BY SUZI TURNER

Performance Psychology Fellow

Australian Institute of Sport

Introduction

Team building is designed to help a team work

together more effectively and promote an

increased sense of unity on and off the court.

Team building activities have been widely

used by sports teams as part of pre-season

training. This article looks at the benefits that

can be gained from well-planned team

building sessions and gives practicalsuggestions on effective strategies to use with

your basketball team.

Why getting along can be pretty

useful

Competition amongst team members is

inevitable when selection is imminent and can

generate intensity at practice and motivation,

but sometimes too much competition can lead

to dysfunctional teams, on court arguments

and distractions that can impact performance

negatively. A good team environment can lead

to improved performance and as many

coaches will have experienced, team

dynamics can change every time the roster of

players changes.

The beginning of a new season is therefore an

ideal time to include some team building

activities into the program. Identifying the

playing culture that represents the team is a

good way to start the new season. When this

playing culture is identified early in the pre-

season, players are accountable for displaying

representative attitudes and behaviours on and

off the court.

How to develop a team culture

Junior Teams

A junior team may have some highly

competitive players and some players who

enjoy the more social aspects of basketball.

The team culture needs to reflect the mix of

players in your team.

Split players into pairs and ask them to ask

each other the following questions:

1. Why did you start playing basketball?

2. What do you enjoy most about playing

basketball?

3. What do you enjoy least about playing

basketball?

4. How should team mates treat one another?

After each question get each player’s partner to

feed back the answers to the rest of the team.Finally the coach summarises the responses to

all the questions and outlines his/her

expectations of the players in the team.

Practical tips

• Run a practical session where experienced

players take turns to demonstrate key skills

on court whilst shouting out to the rest of the

team the five things they wish they hadknown when they started out with the team.

• Team kit (outfi ts) is also a good way to

develop a team atmosphere. Kit means

more to players when they earn the right to

wear it; awarding players a hat after playing

in three games, or after scoring a certain

number of baskets will help to create a good

team environment.

Senior teams

Senior teams are competitive, have a strong

focus towards winning and may have alreadydeveloped their own language and culture. It is

important to ensure that the existing team

culture promotes intensity in training and that

any newcomers integrate well with the team.

• A well-integrated team has similar

expectations about acceptable behaviour

during practices and matches. Let the team

spend some time developing their ideas in

small groups on what is acceptable

behaviour, then discuss these ideas as a

team to determine what the key points are.

Keep a record of the information as it can beinvaluable to review with players later in the

season when emotions are running high and

conflicts may occur.

Effective team building in the pre season

H a v i n g y o u r t e a m d o t h i n g s t o g e t h e r o f f t h e c o u r t c a n h e l p t h e i r p e r f o r m a n c e o n t h e c o u r t .




• A well-integrated team will also have similar

aspirations for the upcoming season. Goal

setting can focus players’ attention, provide

motivation, and increase the amount of effort

they put into the game.Feed in statistics from

previous seasons to give them a realistic idea

of performance targets they can aspire to in

practice and games. Team and individual

targets are important to develop. Review theirprogress after every four games, as your

team will get pride and satisfaction if they

achieve challenging goals.

• As a coach you may find it challenging when

you join a well-established team. You may

come up against resistance from players if

you make changes to their established

routines. Try to involve the players in some of

the decisions you make and the players will

be more likely to support those decisions.

Social teamsPeople may join a team to meet new friends

and enjoy the more social aspects of team

games. A social event during preseason would

allow players to get to know one another away

from the court environment. Team games at

these events should be fun, engage as many

people as possible and should encourage

players to interact with one another.

• Schedule a preseason picnic in the local

park. Get everyone to bring an unusual

item of food along for their team mates to

try, and get everyone to bring along a team

game to play.

• Get into teams containing a mixture of newer

and older players and have a competition to

list as many acronyms or names that the team

uses as possible for the benefit of familiarising

new players with team language.

• Run a question and answer session at the

start of each training session where each

member of the team has to ask another

member of the team a question. The

questions are designed to encourage team

interaction and learning about the game.

How to develop a communication

framework

Developing a team culture and team-buildingactivities in the preseason encourages

interaction between members of the team, but

it is important that this interaction continues

throughout the season. Men may be less likely

than women to discuss any issues or concerns

that they have with their team mates. If small

issues aren’t resolved quickly then they can

soon escalate into more serious problems.

The preseason is the ideal time to determine

how you will encourage your players to resolve

team issues quickly and effectively. Setting up

periodic team meetings during the season, or

initiating a five minute group discussion at the

end of each practice session can encourage

players to resolve issues promptly and can

prevent potential problems from escalating outof control.

BY DR. ROSIE(ROSANNASTANIMIROVIC)

Australian Institute of Sport

On a daily basis you are interacting

with people. How you interact with

people is often based on the type of

relationship you have and the reason for

why you engage. For example you

communicate with your family differently to

a work colleague. The nature of the

information you exchange is also very

different. Think about the relationships you

have with your family, work people,

basketball people, socially, etc. Think about

your experiences dealing with a difficult

family member, a colleague at work,

someone from basketball, a friend.

Think about the following:

• What is different about your communication

style in all the relationships?

• What is common about your communication

style in all the relationships?

• How do you feel after communicating with

different people?

Strategies:

• Be the listener, not the responder, and you

will become more aware of why the other

person is being difficult

• Having your say is not always the best

outcome for you in the end. Even though we

always want to have our say!

• Letting others have their say can often be the

best outcome for you in the end.

• You are often better to prov ide a short

response and leave the conversation because

you will not get the results you’re after.

• Come back to the conversation at a later date

and a resolution will be negotiated which will

be the better outcome for you.

Summary:

When people feel intimidated by a situation

they will not communicate effectively towards a

resolution. People are always going to be

difficult and respond in defence when they

perceive they are not confident in a situation.

Furthermore they will not be open to other

options to resolve the problem. Use the

strategies to make sure that both you and the

person you are communicating with are

comfortable and can openly and honestly

engage.

Dealing with difficult people

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Team building can help a team work

together more effectively and promote

increased sense of unity on and off the

court.

• Identifying the playing culture that

represents the team is a good way to

start the new season.

• Team building during the preseason can

encourage players to communicate

during the season and help to prevent

interpersonal conflicts.

• Team building needs to be directly

related to team performance so that

players contribute to the activities

purposefully.




AJC preview

The 2006 Australian Junior Camp will be

held at the Australian Institute of Sport

from January 16 - 22 and is set to host

the best junior talent in the country. With 74

athletes, 34 coaches and 20 referees

attending the camp, participants will work through a challenging schedule that gives

them a glimpse of what is required to

represent Australia at the international level.

The 2006 camp has taken a slightly different

path in that athletes that have been selected to

attend are now part of the 2007 and 2009

Junior Women’s (Gems) and Junior Men’s

(Emus) squads. These athletes will be given an

opportunity to perform under some very

experienced national and state team coaches.

Coaches involved with the camp will include

Boomers Head Coach, Brian Goorjian, and Price

Attack Opals Head Coach, Jan Stirling, as well

as 2003 gold medal winning Junior Men World

Championships Head Coach, Rob Beveridge,

and Australian Institute of Sport Head Coaches,

Marty Clarke and Dean Kinsman.

Like the athletes, the refereeing component of thecamp is also a chance for referees gain education

from some experienced referee coaches and

active referees. Headed by Basketball Australia’s

Bill Mildenhall, Officials will discuss what is

required to be a National League and International

referee as well as various topics including

communication, conflict resolution, feel for the

game and on court mechanics. Referees will have

the privilege of working with current FIBA and

National League referee Scott Butler, who will

share his various refereeing experiences with the

group including those from the 2004 Olympics.

Parents and coaches are welcome to view the

action from the camp at the Australian

Institute Training Hall over the week. For more

information log onto www.basketball.net.au

Duncan’s drillsG’day coaches!

Duncan here again for the

last time this year. I hope

you had a great 2005, and

introduced and encouraged

lots of kids in basketball.

I met heaps of kids this year. The CartoonNetwork Aussie Hoops Mega Clinics were a

huge success in Bankstown, Cairns and

Adelaide. The final was in Dandenong on

December 8 and over 1000 kids came along to

meet me, Scooby Doo and stars from the Opals,

Dandenong, Bulleen Melbourne and the

Melbourne Tigers.What a way to finish the year.

Thanks to Cartoon Network for helping us

deliver these programs, and also to the

Associations that hosted us.

Also, November was Aussie Hoops month all over

Australia. I got to meet lots of players from the

Philips Championship and the Price Attack WNBL

when we went out to schools. We also had kidscome to games and play at half time of games

across the country and some of the kids even got

on TV! Aussie Hoops month was a great success

and we’ll be doing it again next November.

Have a great summer break and I’ll see you

again next year. Remember, it is important to

teach FUNdamental basketball skills!

The Wolf and Sheep game

Depending on the number of players available,

allocate players (sheep) to the jump ball circle(s)

of the court (one ball each) and one player (wolf) outside of the circle(s) (with the ball).Diagram 1

shows an example with a greater amount of

players in the full court and diagram 2 with

lesser players in the half court. When the coach

says, “the wolf isn’t here”, the sheep can move

freely throughout the court (the wolf can move

too, but cannot touch the sheep). When the

coach says “here comes the wolf”, the wolf can

touch all of the sheep that are outside the circles

(the sheep in the circles are safe for limited time

only). The sheep who are touched outside of the

circle become wolves and the game continues.

Position the players in a ‘star’ formation

around the jump ball circle(s) with one ball per

team. On the go, the players begin to pass the ball. The team that makes the most passes in a

set period of time wins. The players cannot

pass to the closest team member.

Star Passing

(Diagram 3)

Position the players in a ‘star’

formation around the jump ball circle(s) with one ball per team.

On the go, the players begin to

pass the ball. The team that

makes the most passes in a set

period of time wins. The players

cannot pass to the closest team

member.

Double Star Passing

(Diagram 4)

Like the previous game with two

teams (and two balls) passing

the ball at the same time.

D i a g r a m 3D i a g r a m 4

D i a g r a m 1D i a g r a m 2

7 4 a t h l e t e s w i l l b e g u i d e d b y A u s t r a l i a ’ s f i n e s t c o a c h e s .




ICE Program review, AIS 2005BY JASON BALD

NITCP – South Australia

The Interstate Coaching Experience

(ICE) is a Basketball Australia programdesigned to give developing coaches

the experience and expertise to become elite

coaches. Jason Bald is a South Australian

Intensive Training Centre Program coach,

and recently attended the 2005 ICE Program

at the Australian Institute of Sport in

Canberra. He shares his thoughts on the

Program with us.

One ITCP network coach from every State and

Territory in Australia was nominated to attend

the Experience, which included both team andindividual training sessions with the men’s and

women’s programs at the AIS and local WNBL

team the Canberra Capitals, various discussion

sessions with a variety of coaches on a number

of topics including current playing trends both

nationally and internationally, player and coachdevelopment pathways, performance analysis,

athlete strength and conditioning, and nutrition.

As a visiting coach, I was able to experience the

daily regimes of the AIS athletes in residence

who have to combine their schooling and

studies with a high performance sporting

program. These areas include the athlete’s self-

motivation, dedication and discipline as well as

outstanding time management to juggle the

many tasks required at this elite level.

The program was very well run and organised,with all the coaches spending time to discuss,

explain and answer any questions we may

have. It was very refreshing and reassuring

that the many fundamentals/drills and

development concepts we teach with our own

ITCP groups are still being taught andreinforced at this level.

Thanks must go to Basketball Australia and the

SA ITCP program for giving me the opportunity

to participate, Patrick Hunt and the coaches at

the AIS, Peter Buckle from the Canberra

Capitals and my fellow coaches from all over

Australia who made the experience a great

one. I would highly recommend the experience

to anyone who is given the opportunity in

the future.

I have included two of the many drills that Inoted during the four days.

Canberra Capitals Advantage/Disadvantage Transition Drill

As O1 & O2 cross the half with the ball for a 2-on-1 break situation, D2 will sprint to the jumping circle

and join the contest. D1 needs to try and contain/delay the offensive duo until D2 can recover to help-talk is vital get both players covered if they don’t complete the break. As soon as the basket is made or missed

D1 & D2 gain possession and O3 must sprint and touch the jumping circle to become the first defender

with O4 the trail defender. Coaches to emphasise communication, teamwork, work rate & intensity. If

standard is good, go to 3-2, 3-3.

Capitals Three Man Lane Runners Drill

O1 will start the drill by tossing the ball off the backboard,

rebounding strongly O1 will take two strong dribbles and outlet to

O2 who is running hard and wide in the right lane, O3 will also run

their lane hard and wide receiving the pass from O2 at the foul line

(run through the elbow) for the lay-up.

O1 will rebound the ball out of the net, land and make a strong

outlet pass to O3 who quickly gets to a receiver spot after makingthe lay-up, O2 must get to the foul line turn and run the lane

opposite the ball for the return lay-up. Ball is then rebounded by

the next player in line and the drill recommences. Target 20 made

baskets in succession. Points of emphasis - run your lane hard and

wide, sharp passes, catch the ball in the air and communicate.




BY PAUL MONTGOMERY

PhD Scholar Basketball Australia, Australian Institute of Sport

Basketball coaches in the modern era are acutely aware of the

need to monitor the training workload of their players so that

they can be maintained for weekly competition. However, to

improve performance a subsequent training stimulus must be

greater than the previous session so that adaptation can take place;

this is the basis of the progressive overload theory. This theory is

consistent for pre season programs, but it is not advisable for in

season programs where a more conservative approach is required to

moderate the training exposure and maintain optimum condition of

players.

Over reaching and over training are common terms used in coaching andsport science to describe the symptoms experienced by athletes when the

training stimulus has been excessive. Over reaching occurs when the training

stimulus is maintained at a high level so that the athletes begin to feel

fatigued, but can generally be reversed with a recovery period of 2-4 days.

Overtraining occurs when the training stimulus is maintained at high

volume and intensity for extended periods, which leads to decreased

performance, chronic fatigue, illness and many other symptoms. This

scenario is often impacted on and compounded by outside influences

such as life issues, school, peer pressure, family etc, and requires an

extended period of rehabilitation.

So how can a coach effectively manage the training workload of players

to determine if over reaching or overtraining are occurring?

This is often difficult, as all players will respond differently to the trainingstimulus.Additionally, the complex nature of the various components of the

training sessions incorporated into basketball such as tactical

requirements, speed development, aerobic conditioning and anaerobic

capacity make training hard to quantify. Therefore, finding a simple

measure that is time efficient and effective for the busy coach is important.

Within any training session there are two constants; intensity and

volume, so if these variables can be used to monitor training load then

this would be a valuable tool for coaches. Intensity refers to the level of

exertion a player requires to perform the tasks laid down for the

training session; volume refers to the length of the session or how

many repetitions are performed of an exercise within a training session.

Early research by Foster (1998) and Banister (1986) led to the

development of a system to monitor

training load using both intensity and

volume. This system is based on a scale

of perceived exertion (Fig. 1) and the total

time of the training session. The product

of these two variables when put together

provides an arbitrary unit of training

points. These have been referred to in

other research as the training impulse, or

TRIMPS for short. Generally, the output is

an exertion index.

Intensity is measured using a scale that

rates perceived exertion (RPE) (Fig. 1), this

will tell you how hard the players feel thetraining session was.When using the scale

it must be made clear that it should be used

at the end of the training session, and

players need to provide their rating based on the whole training, including

warm up and cool down, not just the hard drills in the middle. To gain an

appreciation of how hard the group is working, ask a broad cross section ofthe squad to provide their RPE score after each training and then determine

the average. Alternatively the coach can have the whole squad provide a

score, but care must be taken on how this is done, as players will inevitably

ask each other how they scored and will use the same score, as they will not

want to be seen as different from their peers, which will not provide a true

reflection of the group. Try to be confidential and discrete, and reinforce that

the objective is not to determine who trains the hardest and who trains with

the lowest intensity.

The volume of the training session is simply measured by timing the

length of the session and recording it in minutes.

By using an excel spreadsheet and some simple mathematical equations

the coach can now begin to monitor the training load of individuals, or the

squad as a whole. As the coach prepares the training plan, the intensity

and duration can be put into the spreadsheet to give an indication of the

training load, thus the coach can identify if the training stimulus from

week to week is appropriate. After each training session and recording the

information supplied by players, a comparison can be made of the original

training plan and adjustments can be made in subsequent sessions

accordingly.

The following is an explanation of the equations that form the training

load analysis:

Training load

This quantifies the training stimulus into one lump sum that can be easy

to follow, and is calculated from the Session RPE x session duration. For

example, if the average RPE for ten players asked for their RPE score forthe entire training session lasting 95 minutes was 7, then: training load =

7 x 95 = 665 points.

Training monotony

Training monotony relates to the day-to-day training variability

associated with overtraining when the training stimulus is boring and at

high levels.

Monitoring training load:

A practical tool for basketball coaches

F i g . 2 . A r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f a p e r i o d i s e d t r a i n i n g p l a n , s h o w i n g p r o p o s e dp r o g r e s s i v e o v e r l o a d a n d a c t u a l t r a i n i n g l o a d .F i g . 3 . A r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f p r o p o s e d a n d a c t u a l w e e k l y t r a i n i n g s t r a i n .

0 REST

1 VERY, VERY LIGHT

2

3 EASY

4

5 MODERATE

6 SOMEWHAT HARD

7 HARD

8 VERY HARD

9

10 MAXIMALF i g . 1 . R a t e o f p e r c e i v e de x e r t i o n s c a l e .



BY DR SCOTT BURNESports Physician, Sydney Sports Medicine Centre, (02-97643131) Team Doctor for the Australian Price Attack Opals

Lauren Jackson’s most recent stress

fracture highlights the need for players,

coaches and medical staff to be vigilant

for the presence of overuse injuries. Lauren’s

fracture involves the tibia (shin bone), a very

common site for overuse injury in basketball.

What do we mean by the term ‘overuse injuries’?These are injuries that arise as a consequence ofrepeated physical stress to a body region,resulting in some form of damage to a structure.This damage may be in the form ofinflammation, when the repeated (usually higherintensity) stress occurs over a very short periodof time. An example is tendinitis of the wrist ifshooting was repeatedly performed. Acuteinflammation can go on to be chronic. Anexample of this situation includes ‘shin splints’ (abetter term is ‘periostitis’, inflammation alongthe inner edge of the shin).

Alternatively, the damage may be what medical

personnel call ‘degenerative’. This unflatteringterm refers to the situation when microscopicinjury accumulates in a structure, typically atendon or joint, leading to the loss of normalanatomy and function. The tendon, for example,becomes weaker, leading to more damage.These injuries tend to occur over a much longerperiod of time than inflammatory problems. Theviscous cycle requires reduced loading and asatisfactory rehabilitation program.

Degenerative conditions are frequentlymisdiagnosed or mistaken as inflammatory byeven experienced doctors, coaches andplayers. There is a tendency in this situation to

mistreat them with anti-inflammatorymedication and ice when a more appropriatetreatment is needed. Classic examples of theseare patellar tendinitis and Achilles tendinitis(better termed tendinopathy).

The cornerstone of treatment for thesetendinopathies is to strengthen the tendon. Thisis done with specific ‘eccentric’ loadingprograms, where the muscle is loaded as itlengthens. Corticosteroid injection, used a lot inthe past, may result temporarily in painreduction, but is detrimental to healing and willnot result in an improved outcome. In addition,such injections may place the tendon atconsiderable risk of rupture due to potentialshort-term weakening.

A third form of overuse condition is stressfracture. These, often very frustrating, injuriesare much more common in the lower limb in

basketball due to the high impact loading in thelegs.The stress that is imparted to the bone on asingle jump is insufficient to cause a fracturewhen done just once, but when repeatedthousands of times, the bone undergoes aprocess of rapid remodeling, and subsequentweakness.A crack can eventually form at placeswhen the bone is either bent by the force or atsites where it is repeatedly compressed.

Stress fractures are most common in the tibia,but also occur in bones in the foot, groin andlower back. Occasionally they are seen in theforearm in basketball. All require a period ofunloading to allow the bone to recover strength

and heal. Some may require crutches, and evenplaster or a specialised boot. It usually takes atleast 6-8 weeks to return to full activityfollowing the diagnosis.

Overuse injuries are more common in femalethan male athletes. The reason for this is notentirely understood. Certain injuries may bemore prone in women and girls, due to relativedifferences in bone density, muscle motorpatterns (e.g. in landing from a jump) or bonyalignment (for instance, kneecap trackingproblems are said to be more likely in womendue to a broader pelvis, placing greater angle onthe knees). In addition, hormonal factors couldplay a role.

Factors specific to the individual will often becrucial.Muscle tightness or weakness may placeadded stress. Playing with an injury may lead to

altered running and landing styles and placemore stress on a certain region. Low bonedensity (osteoporosis) can be present even inyoung athletes and can significantly increase therisk of stress fracture.

Training errors, rapid training increases, poortechnique, hard surfaces, inadequate footwearand high volume/intensity of training can allimpact on the athlete to further increase the risk of overuse injury.

Athletes and coaches need to be alert to thepossibility of overuse injuries. Even minorsymptoms can be important and should not be‘shrugged off’ in the hope that it will just go

away. Some overuseinjuries can quickly

end promisingcareers. Players,

coaches and parentsshould seek out theassistance of a SportsPhysician or SportsPhysiotherapist early, toensure that the symptomsare diagnosed accurately

and treated appropriately toallow potential full recovery.


To calculate the monotony of the training, take the average of the daily

training load and divide by the standard deviation of the training load. If the

standard deviation is high then there is greater variability in the training

and therefore less monotony, conversely, low standard deviation reflects

high monotony.

Training strain

The strain of training is also associated with overtraining and illness in elite

athletes (Foster 1998). The training strain can be calculated from the sum

of the daily training loads multiplied by the standard deviation of the

training load.

From these equations, it can be seen that when the information is put into

a graph the coach can now visualise the intensity of the actual training

compared to what was developed in the original training plan. Conversely,

if players are constantly providing information that is above the original

training plan then the coach can reassess the program and determine if

the training stimulus is too great or the original plan was too light.

Therefore this provides the best training environment for the athlete.

Conclusion

This method of monitoring training load is practical and easy for the coach

to use and the athletes to understand. In time the athlete will be able to

judge how hard they are working during training and competition and

adjust their input according to the intensity required. By using this method

in conjunction with other sport specific performance test such as the beep

test then an over all picture can be obtained of how the athletes are

progressing in their development. This enables the coach to be more

aware of the players’ abilities and deficiencies and design specific trainingprograms to enhance individual and team performance.

References:

Banister, E. (1986). Sport and elite performers, pp. 7-23; Foster, C.

(1998). Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 30(7), 1164-8;

Coutes, A. (2001). Monitoring training in team sports, Sports Coach,

24(3), 21-23.


P h o t o : A c t i o n S p o r t s I m a g e s



AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL

COACHES ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP

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Basketball Coaches Association and enclose

a cheque/money order/credit card details for

$40 (GST incl) being registration fees for

12 months.

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BASKETBALL

AUSTRALIA

COMPETITION

EVENTS

200616-22 January Australian Junior Camp – AIS,Canberra

29 January Price Attack WNBL regular season ends

5 February Philips Championship regular season ends

10 February Men’s and women’s basketball teams announced

18 February Price Attack WNBL grand final day

19-25 February U/20 Men & Women & Ivor Burge - Perth

5 March Last game of NBL finals series – Sunday

8-12 March Opals and Boomers training camp

15–26 March 2006 Commonwealth Games - Melbourne

March ABA Leagues commence

7-14 April Opals World Challenge v USA,China and TBA

13–20 April AIS Men Albert Schweitzer Tournament - Germany

1-4 May Rollers Paralympic World Cup – Manchester,UK

16-21 May Rollers Roosevelt Cup – Warm Spring,USA 22-28 May Gliders Roosevelt Cup – Warm Spring,USA

24 June – 1 July U/16 Men & Women Championships – Ballarat,VIC

29 June – 8 July 4 Nations Tournament (Opals,China,Russia,Czech) - China

5-15 July Wheelchair World Championships,Men & Women’s Gold Cup -

Amsterdam

8-15 July Australian U/18 Men & Women Championships – SA

4-6 August FIBA Oceania Men’s & Women’s Junior Championships

10-13 August FIBA Oceania Championships for Young Women

19 August–3 September FIBA World Championships for Men - Japan

31 August – 2 September ABA National Finals – Newcastle,NSW

8-10 September NBL Pre-Season Blitz

12–23 September FIBA World Championships for Women - Brazil

18-23 September Australian U/14 Boy’s Club Championships – Ulverstone,TAS

25-30 September Australian U/14 Girl’s Club Championships – Carina,QLD

X O December 05

Documents

Transcript of X O December 05