Plan, Prepare, Succeed in Your Upcoming Basketball Season

Coaches, I can’t believe it’s already that time of year again… the basketball season is just around the corner! It seems the triumph of winning or the agony of defeat at the end of last season is still fresh in our mind as we gear up once again for months of intense battle, sleepless nights, long bus rides, sweaty locker rooms, big hugs, high fives, chest bumps, intense moments of anxiety, and sweet moments of satisfactions. We are a crazy lot aren’t we… but it’s in our blood and we love it!

If you are anything like me the next few weeks are going to be extremely busy for you as you try to organize your thoughts around the upcoming season. Dreams of this year being THE year keep you up at night and you have that far away stare that only a coach can get as he or she can’t stop thinking about different combinations of players, plays, and situations.

The biggest problem you probably have is being able to gather all of your thoughts into one place in an organized manner. Every year I would devise plans of how to keep better organized with practice plans, scouting reports, and game plans. I used binders, not pads, and folders. You know exactly what I’m talking about. By the 3rd or 4th week of the season I was back to losing papers and losing my mind about where I put things that were important to the success of my team. It was frustrating! I spent 10 years trying to remember which three-ring binder or folder had my summer clinic notes in it, where were my thoughts and notes from just after the season when my mind was fresh on what we needed to do for next year, and where were the scouting reports of that team that always had our number?

The key to staying organized as a coach is to make sure all of your most important forms such as daily practice plans, scouting reports, game plans, and summer clinic notes are in one place and easily accessible. The biggest mistake young coaches will make is thinking that they have it all in their head. If you are not planning and staying organized then you are planning to fail. It will catch up to you. The ability to easily access a practice plan from last month, a scouting report from two weeks ago, or a game plan from that devastating 2 point loss can cause you to repeat the same mistakes over again.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can keep it all organized in your head. When you plan and prepare in an organized manner…success is sure to follow.

https://youtu.be/MJTY2wN7Dz4