The Transforming Basketball Podcast EP129: Inside the Hawks: Zay West on Tag Games, Variability, and Performance Coaching
Sep 3, 2025
Zay West, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Atlanta Hawks, is all about maximizing player performance with innovative methods. He dives into the importance of creativity in training and the balance between structure and variability. Zay emphasizes teaching athletes how to fall safely to prevent injuries, especially with rising Achilles issues. His insights on engaging warm-up games and fostering a curiosity-driven environment shed light on effective coaching strategies that benefit both athletes and teams.
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How Zay First Learned CLA
- Zay first encountered the Constraints-Led Approach while interning and watching Jamie Smith coach a wide range of ages.
- He adopted exploration and autonomy, then scaled those ideas into warm-ups and sessions with visible player transfer.
Coach By Doing Reps With Players
- Be present in sessions and model drills by doing reps with athletes before stepping back to observe.
- Use your participation to understand coaching cues and how to better guide athletes' exploration.
Introduce Intent, Then Add Variability
- Teach ideal movement shapes and intent, then allow athletes to explore different reps and stances.
- Once competent, ask them to vary speed, stance, and rep quality to build adaptability and engagement.