I Get It Coach! by Joao Da Costa

This article is an excerpt from the book with the same name. The book is a compilation of drills that Coach Costa used during his own practices to improve the fundamental skills of his professional players. It is reprinted with the permission of the author, whose contact information and web site are listed at the conclusion of the article.

As a coach, hearing the words, “I get it, Coach!” is music to my ears. When my players understand how to execute my plays, my drills or the methods I am working during practice it is the greatest feeling. Practice time is something we never seem to have enough of, so when you have players that are excited and motivated it is a win win situation for both coaches and players. Preparing your team to perform at game time is what practice is all about. I have learned that training the team to respond to different situations and adversity during practice will make the team more adaptable and comfortable with the demands placed on them at game time. A great indication of how a team will play is by watching how they practices. A coach can tell a lot about how his team will perform during a game by how they respond and perform during practice.

The drills in this book where used during my own practices and helped not only keep my team motivated during practice but also to instill confidence in their own skills so they were not afraid to push themselves at game time. Confident players are more versatile at game time and can perform the plays that help win the game.

One of the most effective ways to build confident players is to keep your players sharp in the area of fundamentals. Providing a good base of technical skills will pay off at game time. There is a right way and a wrong way to everything and as a coach it is our job to instruct our players how to do things the right way. Practicing good habits will carry over to the next level of play. As a coach, having five fundamentally sound, confident players on the floor is a dream come true. There is no better feeling then coaching a skilled and motivated team to a win.

Another important area that contributes to good practices is motivation. Most of what a good coach does is to keep their players motivated. Keeping your team motivated is the key to successful practices which will carry over to the game. A motivated team can win against a more talented team almost every time.

The drills in this book will help you build your team’s confidence by practicing and building on their fundamental skills and most of all adding some variety will keep them motivated. When players “get” what the coach expects and know he believes in them, they will perform beyond all expectations.

Half Court Drills The half court drills that follow were developed to practice fundamentals such as ballhandling, dribbling, pivoting, passing, screening, shooting and rebounding. I have combined those individual skills into fun and purposeful drills that can be incorporated into your practice for immediate use. As a coach we are always looking for ways to improve our players’ fundamental skills and these drills will help you identify a player’s individual weakness and then you can focus on their improvements. Walk through the drills. I have broken them down into steps, then after it is understood run it at game speed. Require quick passing, purposeful dribbling and effective execution. Good basketball requires that players make split-second decisions, and these drills will help them execute more effectively. Run the drills correctly to build proper foundation. Enjoy and have fun.

Two Lay-Ups Half Court Drill

Player 1 drives hard to the hoop for a lay-up and takes the ball out of the net and inbounds to the Coach. Player 1 then sprints to the top of the key to receive the ball back from the Coach for a second lay-up.

Baseline & Wing Shooting Drill

Purpose: To emphasize the quickness of passing the ball to the open shooter. Player 3 crosses the baseline to the opposite corner to receive the ball from 4 for a shot. Player 4 crosses to right wing to receive the ball from 1 for a shot.

One Player Lay-Up & Shooting Drill

Player 2 initiates the drill by cutting to the ballside corner to receive the ball from the Coach for a lay-up. Player 2 then flashes to the wing to receive the ball from 1 for a fade away shot. Note: After the lay-up player 2 passes the ball back to the coach. Player 1 rebounds player 2’s shot.

Triple Shooting Drill

Purpose: To develop shooting from different angles on the court. Player 3 dribbles to the top of the key for the first shot. He then moves to the right wing to receive the pass from player 2 for the second shot. After the shot, player 3 goes to the left wing to receive the pass from 1 to execute the third shot.

Penetration and Kick Plus Box Out

Purpose: To develop scoring in special situations that may occur during the game. For example, teammate penetrates and kicks. Defenders X3 and X4 are in the box trying to stop O3 from making the lay-up. Player O3, under the rim, kicks the ball out to player O2 for a shot. Player X3 closeout to O2 and box out. Player O3, after the pass, quickly turns around to receive the pass from the Coach for a fade away shot. Player X4 closeout and box out against O3. Note: X4 and X3 stay in the box for a while until the Coach decides to call for another two defenders. Player O3, after the shot, goes to O2’s line and O2 goes to O3’s line.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Coach Joao Da Costa played professional basketball in Portugal. He is a professional coach and has been coaching International teams. Most recently he has coached in the American Basketball Association (ABA) League USA. Coach Costa coached in Washington State at the college level prior to coaching professionally. Coach Costa continues to develop his coaching skills with NBA and NCAA Universities Coaches. Coach Costa has been conducting coaching clinics and basketball camps in Europe, South America and the Middle East. He has been the featured guest speaker on both the national and international level. The book “I Get It, Coach! “is a compilation of drills that Coach Costa used during his own practices to improve the fundamental skills of his professional players. This is the third book by Coach Costa. His first book, “I’m Helping You, Coach! 100+ Offensive Drills For Your Basketball Program” contains unique offensive drills to incorporate into your practice. His second book, “Improve Your Defense, Coach! Man-to-Man Defense Drills” contains drills designed to improve your team’s defense. For more information about Coach Costa, his books, and camps & clinics.   Visit his website .