GARY BLAIR COACHING ACADEMY JUMP DRIVE FOR PURCHASE

We've had a lot of request for information on the Gary Blair Coaching Academy information and if it would be available to those coaches who could not attend.  It has been a tradition of our to make as much of the materials available as possible.

This year, for $40, you will receive a jump drive that will have video of each of the presentations along with all the passouts the coaches made available while speaking.  

Click here for more ordering information.

In addition, there will be the following:

Aggie Offensive Playbook
Aggie Defensive Drill Booklet
Aggie Man to Man Defense Booklet
Passout on the Aggie Point Zone Defense
Passout on Aggie Scouting Guidelines

There will be also 50 set of clinic notes taken from other clinics from coaches such as Hubie Brown, Bob Knight, Roy Williams, Sherri Coale, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Don Meyer and many more.

Also included will be over 30 articles on coaches such Bill Parcells, Nick Saban, Rick Majerus and many more.

The video  segments include the following speakers along with their topics:

Mike Neighbors - Green Light Shooting Program
Mike Neighbors - Teaching and Motivating the iY Generation
Gary Blair - Aggie Man to Man Offense
Kelly Bond-White - Aggie Primary/Secondary Break
Amy Wright - Perimeter Player Development
Bob Starkey - Good Things I've Learned Along the Way
Bob Starkey - Aggie Shell Defense Series

Plus a complete Texas A&M basketball practice.

Any additional questions? Email me at: rstarkey@athletics.tamu.edu

MIKE NEIGHBORS: TRANSITION OFFENSE

Two clinic curses:
1. Can’t take it all back
2. I can’t do that because…

“Be good at the things you do a lot.” -Pete Carril

Chart success of your line ups

How fast can you function

Reward role players
1. Win race
2. How many screens set

Transition is about race and space

MN: Player loses two races in a row and she comes out.
Not running floor you’re either tired or unengaged

Rim runners (MN calls “Rabbits”) make for a great transition offense.

Goal for rabbit is to occupy the deed defensive transition player

“Locks” are the left and right corner runners.

“Ball” refers to point guard

“Dragon” refers to trailer

Defender back peddling can’t defend offensive player running down hill

“Make the defense wrong.”

“Reward decision making, not actions.”

Outlet — must be quick or long (or both)

Point guard is passing up the street or crossing the street with the dribble

Doesn’t like to feed the “rabbit” below the foul line on the run — chases her opposite the ball.

“Quick Strike” drill (our Aggie)

“Boom” is call for double drag when Rabbit is late.

“Pirate” = roll and post up

Need a good zone offense because people don’t want to guard you.

MN: We only have 4 players (with options)

Man: defense decides match up

Zone: offense decides match up

“If your best player isn’t getting the most shots, you suck as a coach.”

Key ball screen concepts: Arrive w/out a defender (change speed, direction, angles)

How are you occupying the help

“Argue with an idiot long enough and no one will know who the idiot is.”

Green light shooting...player is given “green light” on game day because she met a set numbers from a series of shooting drills. Players have to earn their “license.”

Ball screen defense — you need to play it more than one way. “Switchin’ and Fixin’”

Post defense: chin on shoulder

Wall up because their aren’t enough good post players to score

If transition defense walls up as a team to take point guard penetration away, your trailer has to be open.

Don’t let coaches pass in drills...use players do all the passing to improve their passing.

Advice he got from Coach Gary Blair: Be great at something.

TIM JANKOVICH CLINIC NOTES

We need to be in the business of being great for kids.

Are you creating a culture you’d want your child to be in?

Yelling and screaming are overrated. Must be a tool and not out of frustration. Don’t act like a coach. Be a coach.

Have gave tons of thought to exactly what you want to stand for.

Treat our players as if they are out family.

Question: “Would I do that to my own child?”

Coaches: Do more biting than barking.

You don’t want your team counting down the days until the season is over.

Coach Jankovich: “The games comes down to how good are my shots compared to yours and can I get more.”

More about who than what.

How do I beat the best 3 teams in my league.

Good action = how are we going to guard that? If I have to ask that question about an action it’s a good one.

Spends time thinking about where the game is going to be 10 years from now.

BUZZ WILLIAMS TABC CLINIC NOTES (Part III)

How do you move up the path?

1. Create a vision

2. Give ownership of that vision way everyday

3. Keep them connected to the vision (hardest thing)

    They have to believe that the vision is what’s best for them.

4. They will have ownership

    If I couldn’t see what works would I be able to hear it at your practice?

What is your language specific to your program?

We are over the top with our terminology being consistent

Coach Williams ask recruits to explain their practice/game to get an idea of their basketball IQ

Only BCS coach without an agent

Has 10 staff members that report directly to him.

Coach Williams is big into researching “I need to score right now plays.”

Reads newspapers of every team on their schedule and certain college football programs where I know the coach.

“Don’t be the coach that says ‘It’s hard to coach this generation of players.’”

Adaption to how you teach...like of maturation not to adapt.

“Teams in the post season that succeed are engaged.”

Must measure to have consequences.

Don’t burn your emotional tank on things that aren’t measured.

Not into destination with relation to our path.

“How do you keep your team engaged?”

Chart: Stop-Scores

When ball is penetrated to baseline something should happen.

   Drift

   Fill (Crack)

   One More (Pro)

   Seal/Space (I Cut)

Coaching is figuring out your why.

Not enough truth tellers.

BUZZ WILLIAMS TABC CLINIC NOTES (Part II)

Smartest people don’t have the best answers, they have the best questions.”

“Recruiting” most overused work in college athletics. Coach Williams never asks a recruit “who’s recruiting you?”

“We don’t recruit.”

“Culture = Habits”

When taking the Virginia Tech job he told the team: “I’m not getting rid of anyone. I will coach all of you harder than you’ve ever been coached.”

“You don’t have to tell someone what your culture is — your habits will.”

Culture has nothing to do with talent.

Figure out the right habits.

“Recruiting” is a sales word...we like “Life Decision.”

 Virginia Tech takes the entire staff recruiting even though it may cost them days. Home visit = entire staff. Game = entire staff.

You can only manage what you measure. Not enough to say “play hard” — how can you measure that — find a way.

In individual workouts Virginia Tech measures everything. In some instances you must achieve a certain measurement before moving to the next level.

Boot Camp

Virginia Tech doesn’t teach play until November.

Doesn’t want plays for how we play but for his team to understand how to play.

Quote shirts

Doesn’t do business cards — does quote cards.

Primary philosophy: “Get better”

Created “Get better” bands for team

Always looking for things under $1.50 to give away

3 Worst Things for a Player to Say: “I got this.”

3 Worst Things for a Coach to Say: “I know this.”

Stay away from the feeling, “I know this.”

Coaching mailout every 6 weeks.

Must get app for articles - “Pocket”

What are you doing on a daily basis for your brand?

“The people you think of the most are the ones that are invested in you.”

Coach Williams’ mission: Tell the Truth

   Help as Many People As I Can

   If you ask anyone, would they say you your mission is?

Not as much about playing hard as about loving each other.

Beware of “imposters on your path” — like winning and losing. Be process oriented.

Has manager in charge of pulling clips from the newspaper on his opponents.

BUZZ WILLIAMS TABC CLINIC NOTES (Part I)

A day following an off day, Virginia Tech has an “Early Bird.” Might watch video, walk through something or do individual work...during season if will be about opponent, us, short and teach...in off-season if will be about life — not basketball.

Everybody in our program is the head coach of something...they are in charge of something.

Coach Williams has a “Head Coach in Charge of Time.” He also has a “Head Coach in Charge of Calendar.” Team and Coach William’s calendar are updated daily.

“If you struggle getting up early, you’re probably not very good.”

Likes to start day with quiet time — reading books.

Circle of influence in recruiting...how many “spokes” are there to the wheel — what is your plan in building a relationship with each.

Coach Williams uses W-C-E-T

Write

Call

Email

Text

Monthly contact list — changes monthly

List changes about 10% each month

Consistency in relationships

Can never achieve greatness unless you can max your pettiness.

Writes 2 thank you notes daily.

Sends team a “Teaching Text” every Tuesday.

Utilized Greg Brown type note card

Charts:

Man Offense

Zone Offense

Special Situations

Short Clock — obsessed with short clock plays

Scouting Reports on their way out...don’t give written reports to their kids.

Left Brain...Right Brain...Wires Crossed

Ways to learn:

   Write

   Visual

   Audial

   Do It

First coach Coach Williams worked for said “If I every catch you without pen & paper you’re fired.”

First thing you do with a new play? Teach it to your staff.

When teaching, you must understand that different players will pick it up differently based on how they are wired.

Goal: improve retention rate

“My best gift is I can help people.”

Huddle: Draw — Hear — Walk Thru guys are dead in front of me and last ones he talks to coming out of huddle.

Has football based mentality in preparation:

   2 Days before playing routine

   1 Day before playing routine

Coach Williams has few friends in basketball coaching. Lots of his friends are football coaches.

If your kids or coaches are asking “What are we doing in practice today?” you’re a poor coach.

“The best coaches are the exact same everyday.”

Coach Williams likes coaching kids with problems.

Beware of “imposters on your path” — like winning and losing. Be process oriented.

Has manager in charge of pulling clips from the newspaper on his opponents.

Coach Williams likes to do everything in 4’s (keys to the game, etc.)

HALF COURT DEFENSE WITH WILL WADE

The following comes from the TABC Clinic on May 20, 2017

Want to be a blue collar program
     Toughness
     Discipline
     We determine the outcome

We’re going to foul but game will be played on our terms.

Detail & disciplined in the little things.

Don’t get bored with accountability.

Emphasis for us:
     Offensive Rebounds
     Turnovers Forced
     Steals

“Never bet against consistent behavior.”

Never lost 3 games in a row.

What we’re about — ACT the right way
      Aggression
     Committed
     Thankful

“Chance favors the aggressor.” — only sign in locker room

We teach team attitude and mindset everyday.

Meets individually with each player for 10 minutes weekly — no basketball.

Write a note to someone who has helped you but you haven’t talked to in 3-5 years.

What we emphasize…
     1. No fast break lay-up
     2. No paint touches
     3. No middle
           Influence baseline
     4. No rhythm 3’s
          No ballside 3’s
     5. No straight line drives
     6. No 2nd chance points

Don’t do defensive rebounding drills — demands two-handed, two-footed rebounds

Offensive Rebounding — Must do one of these four on 80% of the opportunities:
     1. Swim
     2. Rip
     3. Spin
     4. Pin

Need steals and turnovers to overcome defensive rebounding.

Takes all 5 defenders:
     1. Vision
          1/3 up the line
     2. Communication
          “Talk to the ball”
          “Talking makes us quicker”
     3. Active
          Always adjust your position.
          “If you’re standing, you’re in the wrong place.”
     4. Off Ball
          Box taped at top of the key — deny zone
     5. Terminology
          Staff created an app for the team — got the idea from the Phoenix Suns

Staff created an app for their team -- got idea from Phoenix Suns
     1. Team’s terminology
     2. 3 Best games that individual has played
     3. Highlight video of team
     4. Highlights of their favorite NBA player

Things That Require Daily Maintenance
     1. Conversion Defense
     2. Pressure
          Want offense to turn back to defender or hold ball above head
     3. Closeout
          Play 3’s and Drivers
     4. Post Defense
          Pressure teams can’t play behind
     5. Blockout
          Hit - Find - Get

Conversion Defense Priorities
     Basket - Ball - Ballside
     Sprinting - Straightlines
     Build out
     No Easies: Zero Lay-ups

Loves to start practice w/conversion defense drills to emphasis and get into their conditioning early.

Rat Race Drill: Continual 3/2
     Everything they do has a winner and loser

4/2 Continuous Drill: Our 4/4/4

Pressure Ball
     1. Make ball handler uncomfortable
          Above head or turn back
     2. It starts with closeouts
          Run them off the 3-point line
     3. High hands
          Trace—guard 2 dribbles
     4. Quick twitch
     5. No Middle
     6. Flatten the ball
          4/3 Contest (SMU Drill)
          Offense 3 passes, 1 Dribble
          3 Straight Stops

Closeouts
     1. Can’t be late — move on airtime
     2. Can’t be short — take away the 3 
          (Coach Wade: “3’s get you beat”)
     3. Principles—Low, chop feet

Post Defense
     1. Front
          Knock ‘em back
          High hands
     2. Early and big
     3. Wall up
          Square ‘em up
     4. Two areas
          Post box and perimeter
          Know where to fight

“Whether you say you can or can’t you’re right.”

We don’t trap post because of 3 point philosophy.

We don’t believe 2’s will beat you.

Exception: Will trap post with poor passing skills to create turnovers

“Hamer” = forearm

“Punch thru” = swim to fronting position

Low man wins in the post

4/1 post feed drill: Offensive post don’t always flash — “hold the real estate”

Blockout
     1. Emphasize every day
     2. Drill must finish with a clean rebound
     3. Make first contact — take away initial step

The Sandbag
     After 10 Turnovers
     Missed Blockout 
     Sprinting the Floor
     Court Balance

Has 10 balloons tacked to a board each day at practice...each turnover a manager pops a balloon...when all the balloons are gone they run.

Assigns an assistant coach to something specific…
     Head Coach of Turnovers
     Head Coach of Offensive Boards
     This is what they coach at practice in all drills

Game Standards
(Goal is to meet 3 of the 5 each game)
     1. 5 or more Turkeys (3 straight stops) 
          were 21-4 when they met this one standard
     2. 12 or less turnovers
     3. 40% of offensive rebounding opportunities
     4. 5 or less miscommunications
     5. Changes per team they play — often about 3 point defense

Ball screen defense — no switch, fight thru

COACH DON MEYER CLINIC NOTES - 2005

These are my complete notes from listening to Coach Don Meyer at the Baden Coaching Clinic in Coral Springs, Florida in 2005.  For those who have read Buster Olney's outstanding book on Coach Meyer, "How Lucky Can I Be," this was the clinic that Coach attempted to drive me off my diet with a pack or Oreos. 

Everything in RED is mine and highlighted as such because it struck a chord with me that day.

Get all the good ideas but you can’t use them.

Keep philosophy simple...Majerus says this is a difficult thing.

Tarkanian: “The more they think, the slower they get.”

Search for the teachable moment:

              -Loss

              -Big Win

What you say after loss or big win is tremendously important.

Why I Coach (Coach Meyer’s list) - make my list

Teach toughness (life skill)

Teach team attitude (everyday)

Teach fundamentals

Teach life skills

Bus ride — team bonding.

We need to collect our player notebooks and review them...periodically check them make sure “they get it.”

Jerry Krause

Be yourself

Find your unique talent or gift

Give your gift away

Real coaching is the test of time.

Wooden: “I miss the smell of the practice floor.”

Practice...one of the things you can control...not looking for pretty—looking to get better.

  

Hank Iba: “You must practice the game in the manner in which it is played.”

Joe Paterno: “It’s a coaches job to replicated game situations in practice.

7 C’s of Coaching

              Conditioning...to play hard you must be in shape

              Communication...early, often, loud

              Concentration...never saw a confident team that was quiet

              Compete...drills must be competitive

              Consistency...result of doing it everyday

              Chaos...must have it in practice because you have it in games

              Coach

John Wooden: “We might not be the most conditioned team but they think they are.”

Lon Krueger: “Prepare, practice and play like you just lost your last game.”

Morgan Wooten: “Leadership starts at the top.”

Good leaders make the team think they did it.

Got to have internal leaders.  We must develop

“An army of lions lead by an ass will be defeated by an army of asses lead by a lion.”

-sign on Doug Collins office

Wooden philosophy on helping kids: “It is better to go too far than not far enough.”

Points of Contact

Attraction: people feel attractive by you make them see themselves.

Somewhere we need to meet someone who expects greatness of you.

Listen to your leaders as a coach.

Got to have a couple of kids that know the game.

Coaching Energy—

Rest...if you are fatigued you can’t be consistent

Exercise

Relax...from your work

Enjoy the fruits of your labor

Enjoy the relationships with your kids and your friendships with coaches.

No down time if you coach right.

Savor the success of your work...journey’s a lot better than the end.

Thoughtfully reflect on what you learn in order to improve

Coach Meyer keeps 3 journals

              -Things I learned today

              -Basketball

              -Wife (will give to her as a present)

One minute assessments (Develop this in my coaching style)

              1 thing YOU did well and WHY

1 thing WE can do better and HOW

Coach Meyer: “What motivates me?  Being around coaches who care and love to teach.”

3 Stages of coaching:

Blind enthusiasm

Sophisticated complexity

Mature simplicity

Coaching...Passion...Burden

No job too small, no sacrifice to big.

Leaders must be accessible to kids (give this quote to our kids)

5 Stages of coaching:

     Survival

     Striving for Success

     Satisfaction

     Significant State (dangerous level = jealousy)

     Spent (have burnt the candle all the way down)

You should feel your program is the “front porch to the university” (Mark Emmert)

Demotivational Factors:

Fear

Doubt (yourself/system)

Worry

Worst reason to take a job is for the money.

MATTHEW 6:25-:34

Do Not Worry

    ²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[a]?

    ²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

5 “F” Words

              Faith...believe in something not yet seen

              Family...have to have a family with your team

              Friends...have to have them for balance

              Fitness...lifetime goal

              Finances...talk to your kids about

America keeps score by dollars — lousy way.

Money is a terrible master, an excellent servant

Not what you have but what has you.

Money has yet to make a man rich.

Nothing drains your energy more than a non-responsive player.

Life is too short to spend with losers.

Never be afraid to tell a coach, players, or team that you love them.

Coach Meyer’s Morning Routing (I need to develop one for off-season)

Meditate

List of people to pray for

Goals to achieve that day

Plannerpads.com

Dictaphone (do a better job of using mine)

Coaching pitfalls...

Pressure...Parents...Problems...Administration

On dealing with administrators: “Don’t wrestle in the mud with the pig because the pig likes it.”

Pressure is good...stress is bad.

A diamond is a hunk of coal made under pressure.

You’re a poor specimen if you can’t handle the pressure of adversity.

Cozy up to pressure.

A good enemy is often better than a good friend.

Coach Meyer will talk to parents about anything but playing time.

Coaches must learn to deal with parents.  Kids don’t pick their parents.

Can we win with you on the floor?

Can we win with you on the bench?

Body carriage

Passion

Aura

X Factor

Charisma

“They knew he was going to be great long before they called him ‘Bear.’”

It’s OK to make a mistake...not OK to mope, pout or quit...this applied to players and coaches (coaches first).

Learn from your kids...they’ll surprise you...if not, you’re a bad teacher.

Key to a great program...Look for ways to win!

Are you a victor or a victim?

NBA...Next Best Action

Greatest strength...greatest weakness — be balanced.

Only thing that can keep us safe is humility — lifetime learned.

Coach today the way you want 10 years from now.

Knight is into the common denominator of wins and loses.

Why did we win?

Why did we lose?

Dean Lockwood talking to Pat Summit on plane ride back from Michigan State loss…

...was Michigan State better conditioned...Summit: “No”

...did Michigan State have better athletes...Summit: “No”

...was Michigan State tougher...Summit: “No”

...was Michigan State more skilled...Summit: “Yes”

Team Building

Physically touch 1/3 of your players every day.

LaRussa—red fungo bat — converse with players at batting practice

Northern has daily sign-in sheet with space for comments.

Bulletin board is important but less is more on it.

“Waterhole”

Water fountain outside of Coach Meyer’s office

Players always stop and get a drink of water

Allows Coach Meyer to have a conversation with them

Sign on fountain: “No true wolf passes by without taking a drink.”

Team building: informal time...informal things together.

Scouting Sheet

              Seniors go over with others

              Watch video together the night before

             

Team goes to high school games together (community support/recruiting)

Team works concessions for other sports

Coach Meyer takes team on retreat.

“What are you going to give your team everyday?”

Player notebooks...do a better job of checking them!

Camp/Team (3 things everyone does)

Everyone takes notes (including coaches)

“Please”  “Thank You”  “Yes sir”  “No Sir”  “Yes mam”  “No mam”

Pick up trash

Teach Each Other!!!

Northern sometimes lifts after a game.

Stretch before and after practice

Recover procedure

Bananas/Gatorade

Redshirt workouts

We need to do this with redshirts or little used subs

Keeps them in shape...improves their skill...gives them value

Wolf Dog Festival

Great for community

have face-to-face with team before they leave for summer

Books:

“Getting Things Done”  - David Allen

Anything by Bruce Brown

Juggling — add to our 2 ball routine.

Coach Meyer look to use Swing Offense

Coach Meyer inbounding the ball on the left side to allow point to use right hand to cross main street.

PITFALLS OF POOR PLANNING

Type, laminate and keep copy on desk and in planner

#1 Allowing “to-dos” to rule day instead of prioritizing

#2 Setting unrealistic number of things to do each day

#3 Failing to have your planning system with you at all times

#4 Forgetting to allow time between schedule appointments

#5 Failing to allow 1 1/2 hours a day for the unexpected

#6 Not having an effective system for capturing and retrieving information

#7 Failing to have a personal management system

#8 Retaining unnecessary information

#9 Failing to plan for “big rocks” weekly, “small rocks” daily

#10 Failing to allow time for advanced planning