Chapter - 30

Organizing Practice Sessions

Types of plans needed | Sample practice plans | General suggestions

Why is it necessary to organize practice sessions? Why not take the floor and work on whatever phase of the game that the coach may feel necessary? Chiefly, practice organization is necessary because of the following reasons:

1. It assures maximum use of time available.

2. It assures coverage of all phases of the game. Without thorough planning, some important phase of the game may be neglected resulting in costly mistakes on game nights.

3. It eliminates over-emphasis of any one phase of the game.  The seemingly natural tendency to over-emphasize the offensive side can be curbed and equal time devoted to defense and the other components of the game.

4. It maintains better player interest. Shorter drills are generally more effective than lengthy ones. Unless practice time is pre-planned, drills may become somewhat long, boring to players, and learning reduced.

5. It allows for evaluation at the end of the season and aids in planning for future seasons. A composite total of time devoted to each phase of the game can be invaluable in determining the reason for individual and team weaknesses and enable an adjustment in practice plans for future seasons aimed at correction of these weaknesses.

Types of Plans Needed

1. The Master Plan. This is a composite plan of all phases of the game that must be covered in practice during a season.  By using a master plan and checking it regularly, the coach can be assured that his team will cover all necessary phases of the game before the season opens.

2. The Weekly Plan. The weekly plan is a useful guide to planning daily practice sessions. If conditioning is to receive primary emphasis during the week, the coach can plan his daily plans accordingly. If the weekly guide calls for offensive emphasis, appropriate drills are easily planned for the daily practice sessions.

3. The Daily Plan. No coach should take the practice floor without a daily practice plan. The plan should include each drill and phase of the game to be covered that day with the amount o£ time to be devoted to each drill.

Sample Practice Plans

Master Plan:

Conditioning Fundamentals

Shooting

Passing

Dribbling

Rebounding

Footwork

Individual Offense

Individual Defense

Team Half-court Offense vs. Man-for-Man Defense

Team Half-court Offense vs. Various Zones

Team Offense against Pressing Defenses

Fast-break Offense and Defense

Jump-ball Offense and Defense

Free-throw Offense and Defense

Out-of-Bounds Plays

Team Half-court Defense

Team Pressing Defense

Freeze or Stall Offense

Double-teaming Techniques

Special Plays

Weekly Plan:

Conditioning Fundamentals

Shooting

Passing

Dribbling

Rebounding

Individual Offense

Basic Team Offense vs. Man-for-Man

Front-court phase of the Fast-break

Basic Team Defense

Daily Plan:

4:00-4:10—Lay-up shooting

4:10-4:20—Jump-shooting drill

4:20-4:35—Conditioning Drills

4:35-4:45—Defensive rebounding drill

4:45-4:55—Fast-break drill (front-court)

4:55-5:05—Explanation of Team Offense vs. Man-for-Man

5:05-5:25—Team Offense vs. Man-for-Man (no defense)

5:25-5:35—"Slide through" defensive drill

5:35-5:50—Free-throw shooting

General Suggestions

1. Carefully plan practice sessions and follow the plan.

2. Refer regularly to the Master practice plan.

3. Provide for adequate time for individual attention to each player.

4. Full-court  scrimmage  twice  weekly during  pre-season  sessions  is ample.

5. Once the regular season is underway, full-court scrimmage should be held to a minimum.

6. Practice sessions on days preceding and after games should be relatively light.

7. As the season progresses, the length of the practice sessions may be reduced slightly.

8. Evaluate the practice plans at the end of the season. How much time was devoted to offense? To defense? What was the weakest part of the team play during the season? Make adjustments in practice plans that will help correct these faults next season.

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