A Pen And A Napkin

As coaches, we're always trying to "win on the margins", and here's another area in which you can help your team win; the timeout game. In this pod, we discuss timeout philosophy, organization, how to "steal" timeouts and what you should be teaching your team about your timeout philosophy.

If you couldn't make it to our coaches clinic on May 1st . . . no problem!! We taped every on court presentation, and they are now available to you at the VERY affordable price of $10 per video, or $50 for the entire collection! Over 4 hours of coaching information from some of the best in the midwest, with NO repeats when it comes to concepts and drills taught! It is truly a complete library that is going to expand your own knowledge of the game and help you hone your craft!

In a two-part interview, we have nationally renowed Bob Starkey, the new associate head coach at Auburn University, one of the preeminent assistant coaches in the country. We chat about his experiences with Hall of Famer's Dale Brown, Sue Gunter and Gary Blair, being the coach of TWO #1 overall draft picks from different genders, coaching Shaquillle O'Neal, his friendship with Don Meyer and "The Art of . . ." coaching series. In the second half, Babe Kwasniak returns to the pod, where we talk about his year off, lessons learned and how he's going to attack his new job at Cornerstone Christian Academy. A bunch of terrific stuff in this pod!!!

Execution at the moments of highest pressure is what separates many teams, and the comeback game is no different. Inevitably, your team is going to fall behind at various points of the game, so what is going to be the plan when that happens? Here are some thoughts and tips to look at the game with the end in mind and to put your team in a situation to be successful when it seems the most unlikely.

In an abbreviated but terrific version of "Quick Hitters", we have Kelly Kielsmeier, the Associate Head Coach at Quincy University (IL) coming on the pod to talk offensive actions and movement. The second half of our "Quick Hitter" is Chris Oliver from Basketball Immersion; we chat about all things basketball from the 30,000 foot view, including comparing HS coaching to AAU and European ball. Enjoy!!

In part three of our three part series on the mental game, we explore practical applications to the mental game, both for you and your players. Things like breathing, "Think Time" (borrowing from Kevin Eastman), cue words, phrases, self talk and more, here are some ways that you and your program can conquer the toughest opponent of all; yourself.

It's another "Quick Hitter" pod, with Nate Wall of David City Aquinas coming on to talk about building a youth program. Dave Runchey, the longtime assistant to Scott DeJong at Ankeny Centennial, discusses the qualities of a good assistant coach. We wrap up with Sarah Goodwin, who discusses 1 on 1 workouts and how to build trust with individual players. Alot of great information, including a teaser at the end!

Just like any skill(s) in sport, you have to practice the mental game and prepare for certain scenarios just like we would offense and/or defense. In this Foundation Friday, we take a look at strategies for prepping your players and yourself as a coach for practices and competitions, including how to handle adversity and what to do after games to keep your mental edge.

For the last few months, I've been thinking of ways to expand the "APAAN" universe, and the result of that is "A Pen And A Napkin University", a program to help coaches in a more direct fashion to hone their craft. It's an affordable program that is flexible and can fit both your schedule and your wishes as to what you would like to sign up for, all done in the off-season! Make yourself a better coach by enrolling into "A Pen And A Napkin" University!!

Longtime Howells-Dodge (NE) GBB HC Scott Polacek comes on the pod this week for a lively discussion. We jump into building a summer schedule and what to look for in a summer camp, bringing football and mock trial experiences into coaching basketball, reaching 400 wins, "Becker Time" and the importance of press breaks. Alot of really good information tossed back and forth . . . Enjoy!