In todayâs newsletter, youâll get access to two of our most recent articles...  In [Planning Your Basketball Preseason Part 1 - Play!]( going to find out: - How to navigate preseason constraints to make the most of your practice time
- 3 reasons "Play" must be at the core of your preseason
- Teddy Roosevelt's advice for coaches Then in [Why FIBA 3x3 is Gold For Youth Basketball Players]( youâre going to find out: - How to play a unique 3x3 game modeled off the FIBA Olympics
- 3 reasons why this game is such a fun, effective and "sneaky" opportunity for player and team development
- Constraints you can add to spice it up and work on different skills Okay now, onto Part 1 of the content...  Planning Your Basketball Preseason Part 1 - Play!  If youâre like me, you are excitedly thinking about the upcoming basketball season. Itâs hard to believe we are only a few months away.  But before we get to our actual seasons, we have the Fall - the preseason.   In the coming weeks, weâll tackle how you can maximize this period.   All of us have different constraints in the fall. Some states donât allow coaching of any kind. Others of us coach at schools where most of our players are in a Fall sport. Some have issues getting gym time around fall sports.  That said, there is SOMETHING you can do to help your program. So letâs start examining the elements of a successful preseason!  3 Reasons Play Must Be At The Core Of Your Preseason  We recently covered some ways to [spice up your open gyms]( I would recommend going back through that list and seeing which apply to your situation.  Here are a few things to keep in mind that should apply to every situation:  1 - The value of playing to develop chemistry and apply their training - most kids today only play when someone else organizes it. Very few kids go to the park and play on their own.  Thus, we need to provide opportunities to play. Players need game reps. Open gyms are a way to get them.  There are numerous benefits to playing. Of course, playing gives your players reps where they can apply the skills theyâve been working on.  A second key benefit is starting to develop chemistry with their teammates.  Of course, you wonât have all your athletes present for open gym (if you do, youâre very lucky!). However, the ones who are there can develop synergy with their teammates that will benefit them when the season starts.    One common issue with this is a lack of numbers (perhaps due to kids playing a Fall sport). If thatâs a situation youâre in, try scheduling open gyms with other schools. If that wonât work, encourage your players to play 3v3.   Bottom line - donât let numbers be an excuse to not play.   Conversely, a few coaches have the issue of having a ton of kids who come to open gyms. This sounds good, unless some of those kids only come to goof around.   In most cases, you canât limit open gyms. If thatâs the situation youâre in, consider moving your open gyms to before school. Youâll quickly learn whoâs serious about getting better (it also solves most gym availability issues).  Bottom line - donât let numbers be a reason your open gyms suffer.  2 - The value of competing and valuing winning - this is crucial. Open gyms are often sloppy. Make sure yours arenât. Stress to your players the value of competing and playing the right way.   Competing is a skill. Itâs been devalued in todayâs world when kids might play 5 games in a weekend at a youth sports tournament. You want your players to compete at everything. Stress to them that your expectation (and more importantly, theirs) should be maximum effort at all times.  Remind them they are always building habits - good or bad. They need to choose good ones. If your state allows you to set conditions for open gym, set conditions that encourage good habits. If your state does not allow this, talk with your leaders about the importance of competing in open gyms. Task them with upholding the standard of competition. This can be an effective way of empowering them to lead (more on that to come).   3 - The value of conditioning through play - a later installment of this series will talk about [conditioning]( Getting into top shape should be a preseason priority.   There are multiple ways to do that. Of course, running is one. But playing is another. The game is the best conditioner out there.   Remind your players that if they come and play at a high level of intensity, that will take care of most of the conditioning needs.   Theyâll be happier because they are playing more and running less. Youâll be happier because they are playing harder!  Teddy Rooseveltâs Advice For Coaches  Teddy Roosevelt once said, âDo the best you can, with what you can, where you are.â I doubt coaches were his intended audience, but itâs great advice!  Many of us focus on what we CANâT do during the Fall. Donât be one of those coaches.   Instead, focus on what you can do.  One thing you can do is get your players playing. Somehow, someway, you can create playing opportunities that will help them improve. Find that way and start building to a great season.   ---------------------------------------  Now onto Part 2 of the content...  Why FIBA 3x3 is Gold For Youth Basketball Players  If youâre like me, you thoroughly enjoyed watching the Olympics. The stories of the athletes are incredible. The opportunity to see different sports is fun. It is truly a great event.  One of the breakout events of this Olympics was 3x3. I talked to numerous people who were completely taken with the game.   It makes for a great viewing experience. Itâs fast paced and exciting!  Itâs also an incredible way to teach your players how to play. Make it a staple part of your practices going forward!  How To Play  The rules are simple:  1 - Half court 3x3  2 - Take the ball back beyond the 3 point line on a change of possession. The defense can steal the ball as the offense takes it back so they should apply immediate pressure.  3 - 10 minute game  4 - :12 shot clock  5 - No breaks after scoring  6 - Game ends at 21  Thatâs it!  3 Reasons Why You Need To Play This Game  Weâve talked a lot about 3x3 recently. We discussed why itâs [ideal for developing players](  Some of those reasons are: - More touches
- Enhanced decision making opportunities
- More players involved
- Easier to coach
- Easy to adapt We shared an example of a [3x3 game]( you can use. We covered how to [teach your offensive actions]( through 3x3.  This game does all those things - at high speed! Here are 3 unique benefits to FIBA 3x3:  1 - Increases speed of decisions - the game never stops. Most 3x3 drills reset after a basket. In FIBA 3x3, players take the ball out of the net and immediately play.   Thus, players are constantly looking for opportunities to score. When a change of possession occurs, the 3 offensive players must look to find space to create an advantage.  If they canât, they need to quickly look to generate an advantage through some action (cutting, screening, etc.).   At first, your players will struggle with this. Over time, theyâll start to recognize opportunities more quickly. Their basketball IQ will grow and the game will slow down.  2 - Conditioning - this game is amazing for conditioning. I would not start by playing a 10 minute game. I would start with 2-3 minutes. If your players are going hard, this will be the limit of their endurance.  If you start at 10 minutes, the games will get sloppy and bad habits will emerge. Start with short games, then extend them as players decision-making and conditioning improves.   3 - Communication - FIBA 3x3 is great for defense, too! Players are constantly changing matchups. There is a lot of switching. Players have to recognize their positioning on a change of possession and [react and communicate]( quickly.  We usually focus on offensive decision making. However, defensive decision making is just as important. If your players can immediately react to what the offense is doing, theyâll be in better position to stop it.  FIBA 3x3 trains those reactions.   3 FIBA 3x3 Basketball Constraints to Add for Maximum Improvement  FIBA 3x3 is not just rolling the ball out. You still have to coach. Using constraints is one way to do this.   There are many ways you can constrain your small-sided games.  Here are 3 that are effective with FIBA 3x3.  1 - âChangeâ call - as players are playing, randomly yell out âchangeâ. As soon as you say that, the player with the ball must set the ball down. The team on offense immediately goes to defense. Their rule is they canât guard who was guarding them.  For the defense, this forces them to communicate and get matched up.  For the offense, they have a momentary advantage while this is happening. They should look to exploit the advantage before the defense can get back to neutral.  2 - Shot selection scoring - young players struggle with [understanding what a good shot is](. Reinforce this through your scoring system.   Make layups worth 5 points. Make open jump shots off the catch worth 3 points. Make contested jump shots or off the dribble jump shots worth 1.   Players will quickly adjust in an effort to win the game.    3 - Penetrate-pass-pass rule - too many youth players want to dribble every time they touch the ball. Use the penetrate-pass-pass rule to combat this.  Explain that if the player who has the ball before you drives, you probably shouldnât. This is because the defense is already compacted and so a drive would be ineffective.  If the player ahead of you drives and passes to you, you should shoot or immediately pass.  Under this rule, consecutive drives are a turnover. This is a good principle of play for players to start learning at a young age.  FIBA 3x3: The Fun Way to âSneakâ in Improvement  Too many drills feel like drills. Yes, players might know theyâre learning, but itâs not very engaging.  With FIBA 3x3, players are having so much fun that they donât even realize how much theyâre learning.   Because itâs fun, theyâll want to do more of it. When they do more of it, theyâll continue to grow and improve.  Fun and improvement? Mission accomplished.  Related Resources  [Jim Huber Beginner Basketball Ages 5-9](  [The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber Ages 9-14](  [3v3 Drills For Offense And Defense](  All the best,  Jeff Huber Breakthrough Basketball  This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you indicated that you'd like to receive emails and updates from Breakthrough Basketball on 2016-12-16 05:42:39. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please [Change Your Email Preferences]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved.
Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif] . Itâs our mission to build a strong community centered around basketball, personal development and most importantly - fun! We love to create extraordinary and useful products and share them with you! We love to help people learn how to enjoy the game of basketball at the next level by simply creating the right products that they use in their practices and games. Every day we are building and strengthening partnerships with companies and coaches that are in alignment with our own values. We particularly love working with coaches, players, and parents because through their passion and their craft they help elevate the game of basketball. As much as we care about basketball, we also care about your privacy. Breakthrough Basketball is owned and operated by Breakthrough Basketball. We are committed to advising you of the right to your privacy, and strives to provide a safe and secure user experience. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store and use personal information, provided by you on our website. When you visit our Web site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and Web site use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web site. For example, you may need to provide the following information: ⢠Name ⢠Website URL information ⢠Email address ⢠Home and business phone number It also explains how we collect and use non-personal information. By accessing and using our website, you explicitly accept, without limitation or qualification, the collection, use and transfer of the personal information and non-personal information in the manner described in our Privacy Policy. Please read this Policy on our website(s) carefully, as it affects your rights and liabilities under the law. If you disagree with the way we collect and process personal and non-personal information, please do not use this website. This Policy applies to this website as well as all webpages Breakthrough Basketball hosts. It regulates the processing of information relating to you and grants both of us various rights with respect to your personal data. It also informs you of how to notify us to stop using your personal information. We are located in the United States of America. You may be located in a country that has laws which are more restrictive about the collection and use of your personal information. However, by using our website, you agree to waive the more restrictive laws and agree to be governed by the laws of the United States of America. If you wish to view our official policies, please visit our website.