Talking Split

Now that coaches have picked their teams, or are about to pick them, we look at some of the things that can make the season go a little better if you’re on top of them early. So much of what coaches do is focused around the on-court component, when we have just as much to take care of, off the court. We discuss the first parent meeting, what you need to go over, how to work with the parents, how to build team cohesion and what you should be looking at doing in your first training session with the group.

After 2 weeks off for the chaos of school holidays programs and selections, we are back this week to talk through what we all saw at the U12 Jamboree in Echuca, the FIBA Women’s World Cup and offer some advice and guidance to coaches that are going through one of the most stressful parts of their job – team selection.

In his final innings for Basketball Victoria, we have enlisted the help of BV's social guru Jarrod Potter to take coaches through how to navigate the world of social media, and how to use it for good instead of the dangerous world it can lead to! After six years, Jarrod is leaving Basketball Victoria, and he has has been a phenomenal supporter of not just the podcast, but basketball everywhere across the state. A huge thanks to Jarrod for all the time, care, and memories he has supplied to so many over the years!

Some rules are written (like don’t play zone in U12s or U14s), others are unwritten but common sense (like not clearing your throat into the microphone when recording a podcast – well done Zoe), and others are straight up unwritten and maybe not considered by everyone. We take a bit of a look into some of the things that we recommend coaches investigate doing and some that can be better left alone. There will be heaps of others we haven’t touched on, but you’re always welcome to send through an email for the next time we visit this topic or use the #TalkingSplit on Twitter where we will pick them up from!

There are so many great quotes about planning, and it’s that way for a reason – it’s important! We look at why coaches need to plan, some best practices for getting the most out of a training session, and what the content needs to look like when you step on the floor with the athletes. For coaches wanting some templates for session plans, just drop me an email on rob.coulter@basketballvictoria.com.au

It’s been fantastic to have the three Australian Junior Championships run for the first time in a few years! The team takes a look back at how the AJCs played out, changes and trends as well as how the BV programs have changed because of what we saw this time around! We then give our advice for what the coaches can do to give their players the best chance of success at this level!

It’s the fun time of year when finals coaching is the topic of discussion and we are looking at any areas that coaches can adjust in a game situation, to give their team a chance for success. Offence, Defence, Timeouts, Substitutions and your mental state all play a part, so get planning on what you can do to influence your team!

Jamboree: U12 tournament played in Echuca for Country and Wyndham this year for Metro FDP Academy: Future Development Program - U14 athletes SDP: State Development Program - U16 & U18 athletes NPP: National Performance Program - U16 & U18 identified athletes with National team potential AJC: Australian Junior Championships - U16, U18 & U20 Championships where state teams play each other SCC: Southern Cross Challenge - U14 & U15 Tournament held in January with other states ECC: East Coast Challenge - U16 & U18 tournament played in Sydney in January Country Cup: U14, U16, & U18 tournament played in Albury/Wodonga in January

Few guests get a third appearance on Talking Split... (usually their choice, not ours), but thankfully Dr.Julia Walsh returns to discuss how we can find what drives our athletes to play sport, how we as coaches can interact with all athletes better for their retention and foster an enjoyable learning environment.

Podcast debut for the new Metro High Performance Coach, Darren Best. Darren brings a wealth of experience into the role which relates heavily into today’s topic (submitted by Talking Split superfan – Daniel Gianchino), “How to tackle grading” for coaches. So many things to consider for coaches depending on the club, the age group, and your own coaching experience. We discuss what training should be made up of this time of year, and if there are things clubs can do to be a step ahead.