The latest insights, from West Ottawa coaches for West Ottawa coaches.
These fresh insights are designed to help you in all areas of coaching. If you would like to contribute a blog post please reach out to Coach Mark.
Breaking the Press: Teach Players to Read Pressure, Not Memorize Plays
The best way to beat pressure isn’t to memorize a press break. It’s to develop players who understand how to recognize, attack, and exploit pressure. One of the most common challenges youth basketball teams face is handling full-court pressure. When opponents press, many coaches respond by installing a specific press-break play. Players are assigned positions,…
Teaching Finishing Reads: Develop Players Who Know How to Finish, Not Just How to Make Layups
Great finishers don’t just have a variety of finishing moves. They know when, why, and how to use them. Walk into almost any basketball practice and you’ll see players working on finishing. Power lay-ups. Outside the body (Kyrie) finishes. Euro steps. Pro hops. Reverse layups. Floaters. These are all valuable skills. But there’s a problem…
Building the Foundation: 5 Essential Skills for Young Basketball Players (Ages 6–11)
The best youth basketball coaches aren’t focused on winning the next game. They’re focused on developing the skills, confidence, and love of basketball that will last a lifetime. Between the ages of 6 and 11, young athletes are in one of the most important stages of their basketball development. It’s a time to build fundamental…
Great Teams Know Who They Are: Building a Team Identity That Drives Success
Great teams don’t leave their culture to chance. They intentionally define who they want to be—and then build the habits, behaviours, and systems that bring that identity to life. Ask a coach what kind of team they want, and you’ll often hear familiar answers. “We want to be tough.” “We want to play fast.” “We…
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