Player development during the season
Ideas from a Pro season - how to mix development and results
Qua il link per la versione in italiano
Individual improvement has always been a fundamental topic for any team, but in recent years, we have seen more and more high-level teams in Europe hiring specific figures for this function outside of the traditional coaching staff.
They are following the example of NBA staff, which are full of player development coaches. So, what does all of this mean?
Is this just a passing trend, or is it a necessary division of roles to help high-level staff who are already overwhelmed with scouting and an increasing number of games? Those reasons may be part of the answer, but are not the only ones.
Having individuals on a staff who have delved deeply into this area can be an added value for a company. The focus I'm referring to involves two specific areas. The first is the skill, including the details of movement and all the variations we can observe from around the world.
The second, fundamental but too often underestimated, is the methodology for pursuing this improvement. There is an entire fascinating field of study that can help us improve our performance by making our proposals and feedback more effective, Skill Acquisition.
It's impossible to comprehensively cover such a vast topic in one article, but I will try to offer an overview of how we can approach individual work during the season, referring to some of the methodologies used and including some links to start your own journey of discovery.
I hope to provide ideas and insights that each person can interpret in the most appropriate way for their specific reality.
Why is important?
The importance of individual player development during the season cannot be overstated.
The most obvious reason is that it leads to a direct improvement in team performance.
«If a player improves their skills, they will perform better during games, which in turn will improve the team's performance»
However, there is also an indirect way in which an environment that emphasizes individual improvement can lead to better team performance. When players have personal improvement goals and have the feeling that the coaching staff is really looking to help them reach those, they are more likely to maintain strong internal motivation throughout the season, even during the inevitable ups and downs. This can lead to more motivated and involved players, which can translate into indirect improvements for the team.
First step: Defining the goals
This process starts with an in-depth study of the player during the off-season to understand their skills and weaknesses and how they fit into the staff's plans for the upcoming season.
For example: a shooting guard has just been signed, and we see that in past seasons this player was used mostly in spot-up situations, shooting or attacking closeouts generated by others.
The staff will need to discuss what use they have in mind for this player in their system, whether to use them more with the ball or without it, in a way similar to what he did before or asking him to do something different.
A decision to change his use on the court can arise either out of necessity, he was the 8th man on his previous team and now he’s going to become our starting guard, or because we see glimpses of potential in him that we think we can use in our system.
Depending on the decision, our goal will differ, and so will his individual workouts in the first part of the season.
If there is an intention or need to use the player more with the ball in hand, then developing the player's skills in pick-and-roll situations and dribble handoffs will be a focus of the first training period.
Conversely, if that player will continue to play mostly without the ball, then it may be decided to focus on developing other characteristics, such as their ability to shoot in dynamic or offscreen situations, or "simply" concentrate on consolidating and improving their primary quality, attacking closeouts with even greater effectiveness.
This does not mean, of course, that zero time will be dedicated to other areas of their game that are not the primary target, but when it comes to individual improvement, the risk of pursuing different goals and not achieving any of them is very high.
Necessary premise: none of us in the summer has the certainty of how a team will define itself, of what dynamics will be created within it, and of how each player will be utilized, but it is important to talk about it. Having an idea in mind does not mean carving it in stone and making it an absolute truth
Once the staff has defined the goals, it is essential to share them with the player and explain the motivations behind them, why we think it's necessary, emphasizing the concrete improvements that we believe can be achieved, and also hinting at how we plan to achieve this goal.
The staff should also listen to the player's impressions about themselves and seek sincere conviction from the player, while maintaining mental flexibility toward what is best for the team and the player.
The process of defining goals can be different for each player, depending on factors such as their career stage. Nonetheless, it is an important step in the individual player development process that can lead to better team performance.
Specific goals lead to concrete results
To achieve these goals, it's essential to be specific about what we want to achieve, focusing on areas of the player's game that can lead to tangible improvement in a short amount of time.
Rather than simply aiming to "improve shooting," for example we need to be more precise.
We may want to improve the player's shooting in spot-up situations, gradually increasing the difficulty and specificity of tasks and incorporating more dynamic receptions and defensive reads.
Or we may want to work on shooting in dynamic situations, such as coming off screens or handoffs, which requires a different approach to footwork, balance, and decision-making.
Finally, we may focus on improving the player's shooting off the dribble in pick-and-roll situations, requiring a different set of technical and tactical skills, such as ball-handling, footwork, and decision-making.
As it is evident, the three objectives taken as an example above have something in common, but also many differences and require specific work both in technical and "tactical" terms, and in terms of the activities that we should create to train the player not only on the technical gesture but also on the decision of when and how to implement it.
Once the goal is established I think it’s crucial to have a player development plan written down, this is something that many have spoke about (JP Nerbun in his last book, but many others) so I won’t go deeper into the topics, but I’ll just say that this is a great tool both to monitor our process within the staff but also to show to other potential stakeholders such as GM, Administration, ownership, our job and our commitment to it.
By setting specific goals and working towards them in a focused and structured way, we can not only improve the player's individual performance but also contribute to the team's overall success on the court.
Planning to execute the goal
Once we have defined our objective, we must think about how to develop it practically in the field, taking into account all the specific constraints of our context, such as the number of training sessions, staff members, gym availability, time of the season (both mentally and physically), etc.
In addition to these considerations that are specific to each of us, I would like to add some of my own thoughts.
When defining our work programs, it is important to consider the player we will be working with.
Has he played on Sunday? For 5 or 30 minutes? Do they have any physical issues that require special load management during the week? Do they attend school?
Sometimes we will need to be creative in our organization, listening to the preferences of our players and head coach.
I have coached players who are not particularly inclined to work BEFORE the team training session for fear of getting tired by the end of it, but who are super available after training, as well as players who enjoy working beforehand, warming up, starting early even reaching truly competitive situations, but who do not like to stop post-training.
It’s important to know the preferences of our players, to take one step toward them when is possible but also to know when we need them to take one step to us if it’s impossible to meet their preferences due to external constraints.
Another important factor to consider is the moment of the week, especially if we are working with a player who will be on the court on Sunday.
The closer we get to the game, the more we can think about including something in our individual time that "recalls" the game plan and the tendencies of the opposing team.
For example, if on Tuesday our individual dynamic shooting session included different types of situations and solutions equally, on Friday we could focus more on the solution that we think may arise more on Sunday (e.g., the opposing team tends to play drop coverage on P&R, let’s work on some specific coverage solutions against that).
Another thought to consider is the player's current state of mind.
Empathy is a fundamental characteristic of teaching, not only in basketball, but in our job it can be translated in different ways.
We need to know when we want to raise the level of the challenge, the difficulty of our proposal, and when to slightly lower it to give a positive reinforcement to our player.
On some occasions, it may even be best to let them go home and "disconnect" from the game for a little longer. Of course, each of us knows our players and can think of the most appropriate solutions for them.
Finally, a fundamental question we must ask ourselves, and where we see the importance of working with our staff, integrating our work with the physical and medical staff, is what is "allowed" for that player at that moment.
How much can they work at high intensity? Can they only work at low intensity? Can they perform contact situations, whether guided or competitive? >
We must be flexible and able to adapt our work plan to what that player can do.
Putting the plan into action
Obviously, getting into the technical aspects of how individual work is carried out in each situation and which technical details we take care of would be impossible, but it is important to make some general considerations about the methodology we try to follow.
Let's start by listing the tools that a coach has at his disposal for the development of a player, there are obviously many, but here’s a brief and partial list:
Drills (ball-handling, passing, not related to game situations)
1v0
1v1 guided defense
1v1 aggressive defense - with or without handicap
Situations with multiple players, 1v2, 2v2, 2v1...
Differential learning (a very interesting approach to motor learning, more information can be found here, there are also interesting books and papers on the subject, and I will come back to it in the future, https://perceptionaction.com/dl/)
Constraints-led approach (as above: https://perceptionaction.com/cla/)
Use of videos, both of the player himself and of others as a teaching tool
These tools are our toolbox from which we can go and take out what we consider most appropriate, developing a program that takes into account all the limitations we have talked about above.
Sometimes there is a tendency with advanced players to stop at the use of the first two elements of the list, and there may be some understandable reasons: they have a lower energy load, they can be performed without the need for preventive warming up, and in part they allow us to do something every day that we want.
Of course, those elements could be important, they can be part of individual routines that help reinforce certain goals, (especially if mixed in with components of differential learning and constraints-led-approach) but if we think of obtaining a significant improvement that translates into the game, we cannot do without also using other tools.
Managing workloads is important, it is necessary to agree with the physical trainer on when higher intensity moments can be played, which players to involve, and how much work can be done.
It is true, however, that the improvement that players need can only come from competing against players of a level similar to them, who best simulate what will happen in the game.
An assistant who is 6 feet tall (even with the best effort in the world!) cannot be a sufficient obstacle for layups, for example.
Simply put, he cannot simulate the type of perceptions that occur during a game (and therefore force the player to find appropriate solutions).
Let's think about it for a second:
Let's examine the situation of a player who is driving and wants to shoot against the defender who is on his side, the player must perceive how the defender is moving, how much advantage he has over him, is worth trying to make contact with the defender to take away his jump? Is it better to anticipate the shot? Or maybe the defender is about to cut him off and he needs to use a counter-move, such as a euro-step or a spin move?
Not to mention all the situations in which he must perceive that the advantage is not enough for a good shot and evaluate which other choice to make.
If we want a player to improve in this type of decision-making, we must create the conditions so that he can practice it a high number of times, much more than those that occur during a team training session in 4v4 or 5v5.
The key here is a very famous concept in skill acquisition, the idea of "repetition without repetition" (you can find something about it here), which means repeating the same situation many times without all the external factors being the same, repeating the same "challenge" but with continuous variations of the variables to be perceived.
The case is obviously the same for any other type of situation we want to train, thinking of training technique mostly in a separate way from its use in the game, against a defender, is very limiting for the player himself.
The use of tools such as pads, sticks, or other props, can help and is important in some cases but we must not think that it can replace a real defender and all the specific characteristics that come with it.
Another scenario we want to avoid when it comes to individual improvement is the constant success in every exercise we propose.
While we want the player to strive for success in every repetition they make, if they are able to achieve it every time, then our proposal is probably not challenging enough. Several studies have focused on studying the ideal point of challenge for motor learning. You can find some useful links on this topic here
This is a concept that we can try to replicate in all of our proposals, such as dribbling challenges, finishing exercises with guided defense, and more. Only through mistakes can we achieve improvement, and it is important for the player to be aware of this.
A final consideration regarding methodology is the advice of incorporating as much variability as possible into what we do.
Long series of shots from the same position can have their usefulness at certain times and can maybe also serve as reinforcement of a player's confidence, especially if they are used to this type of objective.
However, more and more studies on motor learning show that greater variability leads to better long-term learning (here something more about it).
To introduce variability, it is not necessary to create live or dynamic situations.
For example, if you want to do a series of spot-up shots, you can still create variability by moving to a different position for each shot, moving along the entire arc of the three-point line, and not shooting from the typical 5 or 7 positions that many players are used to.
You can also slightly move away or closer to the three-point line. Obviously, in addition to shooting, we can apply this concept to every fundamental skill, such as finishing at the rim, dribbling movements, 1-on-1 situations, and more.
Walking this path with the player
I think the word "path" represents this type of work optimally.
It requires planning as well as flexibility, both in terms of how to achieve the goal (methods, timing, etc.) and in terms of changing the goal mid-season due to external factors (e.g. a new player has been signed, the player we were working on as a 3/4 will now exclusively play as a 4 for the entire season) or internal factors (we realize that the objective was too ambitious/not ambitious enough, and we need to take a step forward or backward on the same theme).
Speaking of the path, it is essential in individual improvement to use feedback, both in individual sessions or within the team's 5v5, and over time to monitor progress made.
One of the many reasons why I am used to filming all of our practices is because this gives me a chance to work with the video with my players in an environment that doesn’t have all the external pressure of a real game, where they can be more honest about what they feel and perceive in the game and accept feedbacks usually in a better way.
It is important to find moments during the months to hear the player's opinions, how do they feel about it? Do they perceive improvement through what we are doing? Are they able to see improvements in the game? Are they already able to apply them, or are they in a phase where they perceive a specific situation but cannot yet act accordingly with the necessary timing?
These conversations are fundamental steps of the path, and if we want an authentic response from the player, it is essential to choose the right moments to have them.
It is natural that during the season, a player will experience moments of high stress and pressure related to their performance, but when it comes to learning and improvement, it is essential that they do not feel like they have to respond in a certain way during these conversations. They should feel free to tell us that they are not yet comfortable with what we are asking, whether it is technically or in the application of it during a game. Only through honest communication can we understand where we are on the path, so we can achieve real, lasting improvement that will be reflected on the field in situations of competitive pressure.
Remember that learning is never a straight line, not even a stairway. There are steps back, rapid increases, and stagnant phases, and it is our job to keep the player's attention on their objective both in good times and in less positive moments of the season.
Examples and conclusions
To conclude, here are some examples of the situations we worked on last year along with a brief description and a link to a YouTube video.
These are not news-breaking activities, but just some examples of what we were doing throughout the year:
1c0 + guided defense
This is an example of a guided defense done by an assistant coach and a trainer when no other options were available.
The player has two reads to make - on the start, where the assistant coach can also cut off their path and force them to a cross-over, and on the finish, where the second defender can contest from the side or block their penetration and force them into a counter move like a euro step, spin move, or reverse.
The exercise is done in blocks of three finish in a row, from different positions to increase variability, and the third repetition always consists of a dump shot.
Dribbling Warm Up
A different way to conclude a dribbling warm-up, an activity that we often see even in mini-basketball.
One of the two players leads while the other has to stay in front of them like a "shadow". Here too, we try to keep score and introduce variables such as which hand the player can dribble with, the number of seconds available, and more.
Finishing the warm-up with something that also activates the players mentally is crucial for a training session in which they will then be asked to think, read, and perceive.
2-on-1 shooting
This is a classic drill and it’s for me a good way to teach the decision-making aspects of the shot, it can be loaded and changed in a thousand ways.
Two attackers are positioned on the 3-point line about 3-4 meters apart, with a defender starting in the middle.
The defender passes the ball to one of the attackers and defends live.
The offense can make a maximum of one pass, and they have 2-3 seconds to take the shot.
As you can see, the quality of the shots is still high, but if you try it, you will immediately notice a decrease in shooting percentages compared to a series of shots without defense.
The goal is to simulate at least in part a situation where the player not only has to execute the technical movement but also choose whether to shoot or pass, as usually happens in a game. We often notice how good shooters are able to prepare for the shot while receiving the ball, perceiving that the space between them and the defender will allow them to shoot. This is a simple way to train this ability.
To make it competitive, we always counted the points, 1 point for an assist or basket, 1 point for a deflected or blocked ball.
1-on-1 from P&R, Handoff, Closeout
In each situation, we can of course manipulate the constraints to make it more challenging for the level of players involved.
For example, in P&R and handoff situations, they where NOT to be able to go to the rim if the defender went over the screen, imagining a big man player protecting the basket, but rather forcing them to create space for a pull-up jumper, working on the ability to put the defender in the screen, to use a rescreen if the defense went under (allowed only once), but to emphasize the importance of rejecting ball screens we allowed players to go to the basket if they attacked in the opposite directions. This is a simple way to show how we can manipulate constraints to nudge our players into specific solutions
Obviously, this type of situation does not simulate the difficulties of a game 100%, but it allows for the recreation of a simplified situation in which the player can work on certain aspects of their game while retaining almost all the specifying information of the real task.
Rim-finish with defender
The offense starts with a live dribble or from a start outside the 3-point line, and the defender starts at their side with one foot inside and one foot outside the 3-point line. The offense chooses when to start, and the defense tries to recover.
It seems an easy exercise, but you will see more mistakes and even more creative motor solutions than expected.
You can obviously modify it in a thousand ways, emphasizing one aspect rather than another, encouraging a certain type of conclusion rather than another, or even inserting a second defender in the weak-side or in the smile.
Dynamic shooting with a defender
This is a fun and competitive activity with game rules outlined in the video. By adjusting the cone positions, the difficulty level can be increased or decreased, simulating different types screens on the court.
It allows to recreate some of the key components of this skill without the need to go full-live with the physicality of contacts and top-locking, this can be useful during lighter load periods or morning workouts.
Additionally, we can manipulate the number of dribbles that are allowed: perhaps no dribbles, one dribble, or just one dribble but only to create a pull-up situation, or even just a 3-pointer.
To further motivate players and ignite a sense of competition, it's important to incorporate a scoring system.
I hope that everyone can steal something from these thoughts, even if your conclusions or your approach are going to be different from mine.
Personally, the things that have taught me the most among those I have read in recent years are those that I did not agree with 100%, but that offered me different ideas to interpret and think about.
For me it’s fundamental that we, both pros and youth coaches, focus as much as we do on WHAT to teach (XsOs, technique, strategies) on HOW we teach it, this will improve our performance drastically.
For reaching out my mail is fr.nanni@gmail.com and you can find me on Twitter @Franz_nanniBK
Hope you enjoyed this!