Sport tourism – A coach’s obligation?

Today I want to refer to a topic that doesn’t really relate to training process. However I think that it is a part of our job when we are occupied with young boys and girls. I believe that besides the knowledge we offer via trainings, we should give them images and experience from teams and cities away from our home. I owe a lot to my first team in which I was playing, because it organized every year a trip for friendly games and arranged the pre-seasonal preparation to take place in an athletic centre outside Thessaloniki. They were my first sport experiences from basketball teams and players away from my city and my first journeys without my parents.

Inevitably, I have tried to apply this mentality to the teams/boards in which I have worked. I usually take over a team at the end of May and persuade the parents for the necessity of the pre-seasonal preparation away from our city. Most of the athletic centre are in ideal sites and if you book early, you can pay lower prices. On the other hand, the team’s connection is accomplished better and the players’ attitude is more positive at the start of the season. Believe me, the majority of parents finds this idea excellent and I did not have problems about organizing this activity except for some families which had economics problems. In these cases, my opinion is to quit the idea, because in a preparation we must have all the athletes.

An easier way to organize a trip is the participation in a tournament or a journey to a city where you have found one team or more for friendly games. It is a piece of cake most of the times, because you can easily find a team via the web. The trip can take place in a period "off the season" or during a game break. Finally, because of the low cost airlines you can think about a journey abroad.  

Iraklis BC women U16- Preparation in Velvento 2010

Ajax women U19,U16-Journey to Milano, Italy 2013-Friendly game with Milano Stars

Machites BC-Journey to Paris, France- Eindhoven, Holland 2006

I am looking forward to your views, ideas, objections, considerations via my email: kitsoleris@hotmail.com or at twitter @Gkitsoleris.

Choosing “Push” as defensive pick and roll reaction.

Coaching young girls, a coach divides the time during the training between offensive and defensive fundamentals, drills and skills. After teaching basic principles of both sides, it comes the moment that the young player (I believe that 13-14 years old is the correct time) learn about pick and roll cooperation. Having to choose among a variety ways, I choose the “push defense” in early years.

It is known that if the defender pushes the player who screens, it is a foul and 90% of the referees will charge that. But only in a high level! So this is not a disadvantage if you coach young athletes. Our goals, when we try to teach the pick and roll defense, usually are:

1)We don’t want the offense to create a situation 2on1 after the screen. With push defense players are responsible mainly for their opponents. The most important thing is the communication to call/ inform the player who guards the ball player. 

2) The tall player doesn’t cut towards the basket after the screen and there is not an easily breakthrough from the short player. 

3) We enhance the body contact which is a difficult part in women basketball. We insist on the players making a contact without lifting their body. They push the opponent’s body or chest having the hand and the arm at a 90˚ horizontal angle. 

4) We force them to see the defender getting there with the screener not after her.

If you establish the push defense in a young women team, you will also improve their confidence. The body contact during pick and roll is always important for my players’ psychology. In my opinion, the part that is difficult in this kind of defense is the side pick and roll. But I propose it unreservedly for pick and roll on the cap/the top of the key.

I am looking forward to your views, ideas, objections, considerations via my email: kitsoleris@hotmail.com or at twitter @Gkitsoleris.

The purpose of this blog

The idea of this website resulted from the gratitude that I feel about other sources of information;websites, blogs,social media have helped me improve my coaching database and affected my coaching philosophy. It is incredible how many people decide to share knowledge, experience, directions with others. In many cases, this material is free for everyone. And it happens in all the fields of sciences or sports. 

Independently whether one deals with basketball coaching as a job or a hobby, he can find in this blog particular thoughts and considerations which may problematize him. But the most important is the start of a communication between the writer and the reader, about schemes, problems and solutions in basketball generally or women basketball development specifically.

Having coached women teams for 10 years, having worked in the Greek development program, in Greek Basketball Federation and as an assistant coach in the national team U16, I believe that I will be a good interlocutor with you. Conversation is said to solve problems, an idea brings the other one and leads to evolution.

You can find many drills in the other sites, many plays or tactics. Here, one will read practical schemes and coaches' philosophy on women basketball development. And if you wonder why only on  women basketball development, the answer is that it is widely believed that people should talk about whatever they have experienced.