The Basketball Podcast Coleman Ayers on Reengineering Player Development (EP408)
Jan 21, 2026
Coleman Ayers, founder of By Any Means Basketball and co-founder of ADAPT Academy, shares his innovative approach to player development by merging movement science and psychology. He discusses the importance of blending creativity with scientific training methods. Coleman emphasizes the role of adaptability over repeatability for player success and advocates for representative practice to enhance learning. He also highlights the value of honest communication with athletes and the need for tailored training strategies to suit individual player needs.
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Science Informs Creative Coaching
- Use science to inform ideas and creativity to apply them practically on the court.
- Coleman Ayers treats science as reinforcement for creative coaching experiments.
Start With Representative Play
- Start with live, representative situations and then isolate skills only when needed.
- Use a play–drill–play structure to ensure drills transfer back to game contexts.
Perception Beats Raw On-Air Skill
- Perception separates good players from great ones more than raw on-air skill.
- Training perception enables micro-adjustments and tactical manipulation in games.
