One of my favorite coaches to learn from is Coach Phil Beckner. Currently a Player Development Coach and consultant, Coach Beckner has stimulated my thinking about designing a Player Development Philosophy.

We hear these questions all the time as coaches:

What’s your offensive philosophy?

–> 5 out, 4 out 1 in, Princeton, Dribble Drive, Motion, Flow, Secondary, Continuity, etc.

What’s your defensive philosophy?

–> Force baseline and cover down, play the pack, play a soft pack in the gaps, pressure the ball and deny, full court pressure, zone, man, closeouts, how and where to help, etc.

These philosophies are critical. They play a role in the culture of your program, and we all know the popularity of the word culture. Jordan Sperber at Hoops Vision broke that down for us, check out the video here – https://twitter.com/hoopvision68/status/1120336532945158144

So, you have your offensive and defensive philosophy. You have your values, pillars, or non-negotiables, but do you have a player development philosophy? In other words, how are you getting your guys better? As a High School coach, I play the hand I’m dealt. I’m not recruiting to a system. I have to have a philosophy and plan to make guys better. At the college level, even recruiting to a system, how are you making guys better to fit that system and help guys reach their goal of playing at the next level? At the professional level, you either get better or get cut. Spots are limited and players are relying on a player development philosophy and program to continue to improve and compete at a high level. Player development coaches are on an all-time rise.

Here’s a couple tips for developing a player development philosophy, based around a great podcast on the topic from the United Basketball and Leadership Podcast. Here’s a link to listen – https://lnns.co/QIkzxpPRf40

1. Know what you are looking for – In your program, based off your offensive and defensive philosophies, what do you need your guys to be able to do at high-level day in and day out? Coach Beckner preaches “High Clarity = High Performance”
2. Be intentional – Develop specific plans for each individual player or position. Ask yourself “why are we doing this, are we getting better? Use short sided games to mimic game like situations. Coach proclaims “Efficient training = efficient play”
3. Set a high standard – You can’t be too cool to get better. You have to be willing to make and even applaud mistakes at times. Game like pace, reps and speed are critical to elevating performance. Coach Beckner commands “Pace, Precision & Purpose with every rep.”

I highly recommend a couple of Player Development workshops Coach Beckner has put together for more in-depth ideas and development pictured below.

What are you doing to get your guys better?

Drop a comment!