Want your players to play really, really hard?

I talked a few days ago about how basketball is a free, fluid, creative game. To play basketball at its highest level, players will do the most stunning things to creat shots or throw dime-ers. Think of the great things that you see when you watch an NBA game, or an NCAA game. The scoop-de-dos, the no-lookers, the fall away jumpers. Do you think those just happen? A kid walks on the floor already able to do those things? Of course not.

I few posts ago I described to you how one of the kids we have been working with had been doing really well in freezing her defense on the dribble. So she did that in practice one day and her coach told her, "don't do that again, that's just showing off." I could have screamed. What a silly thing to say.

But what did he really do with that comment? He took her creativity away. He took away a little bit of her zest for the game. He took away some of the emotion, the fun, the hugeness of playing the game. That's the kind of thing that too many youth coaches do.

What would have happened if he had applauded what she had done rather than castigated it? I'll tell you. She would have played even harder and she would be willing to do what ever he asked of her on the floor. Just with showing his appreciation for upping her game she would have performed much better. Instead, he wants robots. Shame! Shame! Shame!