If there is one thing I've learned over the past 10 years its patience. Not necessarily for things like laziness, bad attitude, static on the radio, etc. (I think static on the radio might be the thing I hate most in life). But I've learned to not rush development for a number of reasons. Every player develops at a different pace and their mental and physical maturity is a major factor why. You have to work with a player and where they are mentally and physically to not force the issue.
Shooting is a great example. Often I'll get kids at a pretty young age (5th/6th/7th grade) and we'll begin to work on their shooting mechanics. After 5 or so sessions, sometimes we'll get stuck at a point that is beyond mine or the players control... It could be lack of strength, it could be the size of their hands, it could be the size of their whole body. But the point is that until they get bigger and stronger there's going to be a few parts of their shot that isn't right until they get a little older. There's no forcing that issue, it just takes patience and continue to work on some other parts of their shot.
Another situation I'll run into pretty often is having to be patient with a players mental state. Probably the easiest way to describe it is middle school boys. Generally speaking MS boys are not the most serious group. They value "cool" more than they value true development. Laughing and goofing off with their friends is pretty high on the priority list, and shooting a 3 pointer with bad form is more fun than shooting a 7 foot shot with perfect form. Now as much as I can ask them to be serious and focus on becoming a "real basketball player" I usually know that's not going to happen until they get to high school. It's not a light switch where a kid is going to wake up one day and magically take basketball serious. But if we keep promoting to them the benefits of doing things the right way, eventually they will get there. So instead of boring them to death with slow paced drills and in depth detail, get them in a group with their friends, let them have fun and have them work on competitive drills that move at a fast pace. Even if they are making mistakes, put them in situations where they are having a great time but developing some part of their game and working hard at it.
Probably the most important point I want to make about having patience is for parents to understand that if they are not going to speed up the process by getting frustrated. I often times see parents get frustrated when their child can't do something right, or are not taking the time to practice on their own. Just keep in mind their physical and metal limitations. By no means am I saying don't guide them in the right direction, but understand why they may not doing what you expect of them yet. If they are not going out and practicing on their own, then don't fight it, embrace it. Find a group of friends or teammates who can get out together and have some fun.
One last thing to think about concerning patience with the physical aspect. When I was an 8th grader (6'5") I remember being in practice and my coach doing a drill to try to get me to explode when jumping up to the rim. In a big booming voice he kept yelling "EXPLODE" and I swear I was trying as hard as my goofy 14 year old body would allow me to. But I couldn't, I simply could not explode and jump any higher. I was trying and at that age I thought I was doing something wrong, but I wasn't, my body just wasn't ready to explode yet. I don't blame the coach for trying, if anything I thank the him for pushing me. But it just wasn't going to happen that day. A year later as a freshman in HS I dunked it for the first time in a practice.... Patience.
Alex Harris
Evolution Basketball Training
www.evobball.com
Want to talk about this topic? Email me: alex@evobball.com
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