I already know that next season will be....

....the most fun I ever had as a coach. So many things happening and still i have a life on the side with normal work and more rest time than I have had in 7 years.

I will continue with boys 98 and their progress has been great so far and its much up to me to continue developing and in the last days I have found out which my other team will be for next season, but its not official yet, so I have to make you wait for that.

But to teams that have many things in common and the passion is there, so next season will be the most fun in 18 years and to be able to call that out already is just awesome :-)

Can hardly wait to get going witht he new team also :-)

Had a strange hot weekend

Well was supposed to work last saturday extra at my work, but that changed into giving the shift away and babysitting my sisters daughter in Sweden.

Hot like hell both in denmark and in sweden and whiel still in sweden this afternoon my phone rang and it was one of players on the phone: "I`m been bored all weekend can you come and train me in the gym?"

F**k second player from the team that has called me and asked this is for me on of the biggest things since I started coaching 18 years ago. "My answer I`m in Sweden, but cant you call someone on the team?"

I found out he did and they where up in a gym playing 3vs3 great stuff.

Tomorrow I will have the final young coaches academy for this season and the young coaches that will attend will have practical exercise with my boys.

15minutes in drilling them and I will give them feedback good and BAD and give them concrete ideas on what to do instead and so on, will be great fun. Just to bad that everyone cant attend, but thats just how it is.

Have started putting together the second Workout I have taped so far, but babysitting messed up my plan to be finished this weekend.
I call it "big"man series, so keep you eyes open.

Workout: Steve Nash Series

Have started to record some workouts I put together several years ago for my 98 boys, so they can practise wherever they will be this summer. There will be at least 6 more recorded and put up on the tube.

I call this one Steve Nash Series since it has a lot of hand eye coordination drills and he was/is a great passer and that has a lot to do with how coordinated eyes hands, feet are. So hope you like it, its not pro made and no retakes but made out of passion for the game.

One season has ended and another has begun

Well, summer is getting closer and closer here in Denmark and like the preacher I`m my players get to hear about summerpractice as much as possible. I have succeded in motivating them to practice extra during the season and in a few months I will know if I have done my job in motivating them to train like a possessed bballer this summer.

I have started to record more stuff in the practices for myself, my players and for everybody else that loves this beautiful game. Maybe it can help somebody, inspirere somebody how to do or not to do it, no matter what its there for all that have love for the game.

I have put up to short videos so far and here they are:
They haven`t been edited so you see good things and bad things and I added music so you dont have to listen to my voice screamning No, YES, athletic position and so on hehe :-)




I have a quest this summer and that is to record many, many drills and workouts with players and put them on the net. If I can fullfill my quest, well we will see in time.
Until then you have 2 videos here atleast.

YCA`s first clinic a success in many ways

As some of you know I`m running a project here in Hørsholm Basketball that I call Young Coaches Academy and the main purposes of this is too educate new, young coaches and make it a little bit easier in becoming a coach.
That is done with different actions like, miniclinics theoretical and on the floor, leadership education, talks with leaguecoaches about coaching and so much more.

One thing is also that YCA aims to arrange two clinics each season and the first one was held on the second of march 2011.
I had four coaches doing clinics, 3 of them had 30 minute clincs and one of them had 1 hour clinic.
I have uploaded the clinic to youtube and the quality is what it is, but clinics you are suppose to see live, so see you next time. Next clinic will be in september of 2011 and will be teamoriented, while this clinic in the spring always will be on foundamentals, individual focus.

Here are the clinics:
Here is the first clinic of the evening and its Coach Igor Gavrilovic that talks and shows drills, technic in passing.



Second clinic with Coach Michael Boje-Formann about running technic, footwork, explosivness and more


The third clinic which is one hour by Coach Jan Mikulowski about outside/insidemoves from the perspective, what does the defense give you?
(clinic is divided into 5 parts because of problems with camera)











The last clinic of the evening was by Coach Johan Enbom, who had about functional strength training.




Next clinic will be in September and will have subjects that is teamoriented.
Hope that more take the opertunity too learn in September, YCA is here to stay

I wish a day had 30 hours

Ever had that feeling that you are missing some hours every day to do all the stuff you wanna do. Well, I have that feeling right now.....working 37 hours in 4 days and will have 3 games with boys 98 and 1 want to watch 2 games livem. Actuall I have 2 games with my other teama also on sunday, but I have to work so I`m not coaching those games.

I had 2 weekends straight without any musts, not a game, not a practise, so its not so bad. I remember one season my and my fellow coach of a team sat down and checked before the season how many days that was gonna be free of basketball.
This was in beginning of september and he realized in february there will be one day free and then no, no, no maybe....summer :-)
We had fun that year, but we spent more hours in the gym then at home it felt like:-)

My life now is different with a normal job and basketball on the side, but I`m as tired as a ever been, even though I have had more freetime this season than in 17 years as a coach. Since the trainaccident in september I´m fighting problems with a bad shoulder and I have pain 24/7 and cant afford not to work. Shoulder needs rest and rehab, but bills need money and everyday is fight.

I have had tough times in my life but this is the hardest in many ways and i refuse to loose, but I like I always wich of my players to do their best in every situations, and I ask of them to find solutions not to just see the problem. Last week when I talked about these things again (Im like a parrot), when I said try to find solutions,  one kid asked "do you do that?"

I think I can without a shadow of a doubt say that I do just that, but sometimes you need that little extra, some call it luck, some call it karma I dont really care what you call it, but I could need some of that now :-)

"I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person." - Rita Mero

Wrong time and why at this time?

Apparantly there has been made several interviews with import players here in denmark from the highest league and their thoughts of the referees. These interviews have been linked from official pages on the net also for the league.

As a coach I have had many bad refs, but also many good refs just like I have had bad and god players. Complaining and bitching about it never creates a better situation, these talks should be before and after the seasons.

In countries like Denmark, Sweden and so on refs do it as a extra activity and most of them out of pure passion for the game. Refs in our contries will never be as good or better until they get the possibility to train and prepair as our players do. The development of our players the last years and also the jobmarket for players has really opened up and that means many different countries are represented in our leagues and all coming with different qaulity of their "Home" referees.

I would be the first to say that the referee level should be much better, but if we dont create the possibilitys for the refs to get better. We including I should really shut up and play after the set up for the games that we have made. Its only the clubs, federations that can change this and its costs money so odds for it to happen aint that great.

But its one thing that you bitch a little and another when you thoughts become offical thoughts and I believe that all league players should shut up and play the game and if they think the refs suck, well get better and play in another league then. Its really that simply.....

Sometimes its much easier as a coach or as a player to focus on other things than your own stuff. But to put these thoughts out there in the middle of the season and with the teams starplayers.

If I coached a player whom said these things out to media I would be furious and very disapointed because I would have made a terrible scouting work on that player I brought to my team. The playoffs are around the corner and well guess what refs are human to and humans get mad and sometimes hold things against the ones whom said them.

We also should remember another thing and that is the facts, yes we have few great referees, it is our own fault and these interviews will not make a bad situation better. Maybe and yes maybe it will create a discussion that will lead into better things, but its not the time for it in the middle of the season.

Burgess "Disaster to the game"


Maybe some refs will take this very bad and stop to ref at the highest level and guess what now other less educated, less experinced refs will take their place and then players complaing maybe will be more like Darkos Milics? :-)


Shut up and play.....complain via the right channels and think before about the effects of what you will say.

And coaches controll your players they will have effects on you whole club and youthsections and people watching the games.

Basketball dont need a witchhunt from the bleeches and I`m afraid these interviews has given the green light for just that.

My world of basketball

Could be My World Of Sports, but it aint :-)

All my life sports has been a big part of my life and I`m very thanful of the things have gotten from doing sports. I have learned so much from it both learning from great coaches and bad coaches and from other players during the years.

I would say sports has made me into the person I am today and at the same time I see how much it has helped me, I today see so many not doing any sports at all.

And society has created a new form of youth sports department, the department of  "Im afraid of taking it seriuos since then I can fail". Usually not taking it serious was just for older men women needing some exercise or wanna continue their career but not as serious as before. Nowdays, its perfectly fine not ever to try to become the best you can be, do sports and chill, nobody will critize you and if you wanna skip some practises thats fine......

The young kids taking this road will not ever get anyhting else out of the sports than just having a activite and some fun with friends and well you might think thats fine and maybe so. But the problem is that I think it should havefun, try to be the best you can be, have just fun again. Dont know if you understand what I`m trying to write here, but I think we in give young kids the option of just having fun without any demands, rules and so on too easy nowdays and to early.

I have done many sports and learned a lot from them and of course it has formed me, I have tried to become the best I could be and still I have had and still have lots of fun.

Computers has taken over too much......

We as adults are suppose to guide the youngsters, help them build character and more, but giving them the "easy way" out too early makes them their own guides and since their young age they have no clue, many will get lost and will not be prepaired for adultlife.

We as sportsclubs can not become "curling clubs" and I`m of course hinting towards popular nickname for parents which try to be friends instead of parents to their kids and more or less do everything they want.

I asked a former player player of mine some days ago if he had started coaching since he has leadership and teaching skills (he is 16 years old) and I know that many want him to coach. His answer made me so happy "No, first I will give my all to be as good as I can" and he finished of with "Just like you said".

I`m so happy for him, there is a time for everything and you can`t do it all at the same time, then its will be halfhearted and you cant be the best you can be.

Champions league soccer on TV:e its so boring, but I like Zlatan Ibrahimovic so I watch it still he is a shining star and just like Kobe Bryant a joy to follow.

Basketball is the same or?

Basketball is the same all over the world and at the same time it aint. Different cultures, rules, levels make the differences that sometimes is quite crazy.

Read this great article about a american player, who is playing in south korea and yes the ball is the same size, basket at the same height......but its a different, very different basketball life.

Read the article here from www.hoopshype.com!

Summer Camp in Lithuania anybody?

Get more info here --> Camp Nida 2011

The net is full of interesting things

A couple of days ago a got this webpage sent to me by a coach from Sweden. I haven`t seen it before, but maybe its not new to you, but I think its great at least.

I remember when I started coaching at 16 I had tons of videotapes with games from the NBa and I started going throught them and drawing plays that they did in the games. I gattered them in a map and I had several plays from each team. When I moved to denmark I found that map again after not seeing it for many years.

Som call it crazy, some call me a nerd, me I`m just glad I have a passion for something. I just need to learn to controll the passion like in every relationship to much is to much :-)

Take a look at this great site, click on the picture.

No Copa Del Rey for Messina

Coach Messina tried but his team Real Madrid was beaten like normally by bigger brother Regal Barcelona and they won their 22:nd Copa del Rey if I heard correct.

 

 

 

One more try to make a comeback.....late in the game.

It wasn`t the greatest of games, but had some highlights like the inboundsplay by Regal Barca, which resultet in a alleyhoop dunk directly from the inbound over a defender.
And the last dunk that was missed and the ball went high up in the air and came back down again and went into the basket, just like rubbing it into the faces of Real Madrid.

Night ends with black mamba

Sunday and just taking some minutes to write a little while waiting for the coffee to be ready :-)

I will fix some personal stuff tonight, but otherwise this will be a great basketball sunday. Starting with The final in Copa Del Rey in Basketball between Regal Barcelona and Real Madrid at 18:00 european time. That game I have to watch on the internet, but the ACB has great webb TV:e so thats gonna be nice if my internet is up in gear.

Later in at 21:30 my favourite danish TV channel DK4 will show Los Angeles Lakers vs Orlando Magic and there is only one reason why I watch it and thats the black mamba Kobe Bryant. I couldn`t care less about the other players. He is a pure joy the study on the court........

But a week ago I actually saw Dwight Howard do a move in a game that was a huge surprise :-)

Coffee is ready have a great night.

Danish player born 95 scored 73points

Well in a game some days ago Jonas Swame from Hørsholm Basketball boys 95 scored 73 points in a game. Something like 10-20 dunks and 3-4 missed dunks, he could have score at least 90 points with the missed dunks and freethrows.

His team won big, but 73points and he didn`t play the whole game is still a lot of points he managed to put up there. The played team ball also so it wasn`t that they just looked for him.

Go Jonas!

Coach the players not the refs

Well, I think most of us been there in a game where the ref is totally wrong or just bad in general and you get upset trying to get him to change something he will never change. I have been there, but usually I dont say much to the referees in games, since it usually just leads to that you start on minus already next game with the same referees or friends to them.

Some coaches go at the refs as a tactic in games and YES, with some refs you can change their behaiver by being on their ass. But you need to be somebody for it too work usually, nationalteams coach, famous old player, then usually you can ride their ass all night long without getting the big T and in the same game to other coach says one thing and he gets T:ed badabing directly.

I once saw the great Coach Ivkovic ride two refs ass so hard in a friendly game in Novi Sad Serbia that it looked like the refs where little defenseless children. He made fun of them loudly so the whole gym could hear what he said and everybody was laughing. The refs well lets say the knew that is was majstore Ivkovic so of course nothing happened there, not even a warning. They just took the abuse......

Coach K can change refs minds in a game and he knows it

I still remember my first "T" as yesterday it was 17 years ago and it was in my first tournament Lundaspelen with my first team. We played a deciding game for A-playoffs against a german team and had two german refs, whom one of tried all tournament to score not a basket but the german teams coach. I knew that so I said absolutely nothing for more than half the game. With 3 minutes left we just scored and now was behind with one point we where hot and their guard dribbled the ball, but before she took 3 steps and not small steps.

I said loudly "Hey, ref travelling" and showed with my hands the referee sign for travelling, badabing the big "T" and he turned to their coach and smiled.

Why do I remember my "T"`s its easy I have gotten a total of 5 in 17 years as a coach. I have tried to get maybe four more without success, why just to make a statement for being raped by the refs.

The last two was in the same game and they where ridicolous and just bad refeering.
When a ref is trigger happy and chases the big "T"`s, well then that can happen.

I have it on tape and I have laughed at it so many times, Nothing I said should have been a "T", the second I got for saying "thanks". It was cold as hell outside the gym I tell you.

Well,  got hung up here a little about "T"`s, but back to my topic.

Watched a youth game some days ago and one of the teams are very good and the other teams lets just say not very good. From the first minute to the end their coach was on the referees asses about every call he thought was wrong. In the second period with a lead of 35 points the coach of the better team couldn`t keep his mouth shut anymore and told the other coach something like "Why on the refs the whole time, cant you give my guys some credit, we are up by 35 points, and some more, you need help or what?"

The bad team played zonepress, or different zones the whole game and all coaching that was done was, you are down, you are on top, you are 4,5 and so on. Mostly focused on the refs and onetime he put 6 players on the court just to make some kind of statement to the refs and when they saw it and gave him a "T" he even complained about that, "you cant give my a T now bla bla bla." Incredible.....

The better team won by 80 or 90 points and if it would have been great refs they would have won even more, because that coach couldn`t see the forrest because of the trees.

I sat there getting mad, because his kids tried, they really did, but the zonpress was just terrible and there zones was so full of holes you could fit a elephant in there. Why dont focus on their movement, placement and so on instead of riding the refs asses the whole game, it was to me sad since the kids tried, but the coach, coached the refs instead............

Maybe it was a one time deal that he focused totally on the refs I dont know I have only seen one game with him. But thats enought......

We can all get angry or caught up in the moment and lose it a little bit, where a humans......but coach remember when you are coaching the refs, your players are without what you are there for, so get come back to focus again, shake it off (hard ass hell sometimes I know, believe me), but remember who needs you the most and its never the refs.

Smile coach, smile!

I had practise this hursday, friday like every week with my young ones and I tell you they are really into it now and the practises are really great.

Progress is so evident that you can nearly smell it in the gym and I caught myself just standing there at halfcourt smiling like a had won a million bucks.

They are in that age now around 12 where so much happens if you;

- Practise the foundamentals the right way (Especially body, cordination)

- Correct the little things that make the big things happen

- Keep them happy so they work harder, give the carrots

- Start demanding high focus in drills, technic

And what has happened after the last tournament that we played 2-5 januari is that more than half of the team (16 players) has started to practise by themselfs before, after and other practise free days to improve themself. That skyrockets their development of course and combined with the normal practises they improve so much they can recognize it themself and normal reaction to that is that you practise even more.

Some have more than doubled their hours because of that extra practise they do and thats one more for a old coach to smile about.

As a coach is sometimes hard to understand that WHAT you say even the shortest sentence ever can have so much impact on the kids. In that tournament in lund I had individual talks with the players and the day after we had a game again and one of the players was totally transformed. He was a new player I would say....

He came to my later on with a smile and said to me; "You that you said to me about believing in yourself and so on, thats why I played better this game"

He has continued after the tournament to be another player and all it took was one 5minute talk, well we all know it doesn`t come that easy in every case.

By the way I wrote some months ago about that the team will start shooting much better after new year and my prediction is spot on, its starting to rain now with the correct techniqe. Next step is the make it rain in games, so by march we should be in "hand down, man down"
mode.

Swedish federation is looking for

a fulltime physicalcoach to work with the nationalteams. The add is in swedish but you can find a email in the add, so maybe its something for you.

Phsyical coach for swedish basketball

5 games after eachother

Monday the 17th is a great day ub denmark for everybody who has the channel DK4, they show 5 games after eachother from the NBA with first game at 19:00.

My 98 boys will get togother home at one of the players hom to watched the first game together.
19:00 NBA: Knicks – Suns
21:30 NBA Pistons – Mavericks
00:30 NBA Clippers –Lakers
02:00 NBA Celtics - Magic
04:30 NBA Lakers – Oklahoma

One of the games its only the second half, but this is GREAT!

Thanks to Dk4 and their hardcore devoted basketballfreaks working at the channel.

The forgotten ones?

I have always wondered about how much effort is put in to following youth players that go to the states for high school and college. I`m not talking about the top players from each country they usually everybody has check on, but the other players that maybe will develop much in their USA years.

How much effort is put to finding players in the USA with double citizenships?
Last year....I "found" a player from the USA with a swedish mom and he`s good. He came in to the gym and asked if he could practise and I talked to his mom and dad and found out that he was actually swedish. Born here but moved to the states after a few years.....

His name is Jonas Pollard and plays at Minot State University, he`s a comboguard 6`3,and very athletic.

Stats for this season

Usually reasons for not finding this players are money reason and resources, but you only have to find ONE player in 10 years and it can change the whole success of your nationalteamsprogram no matter what level youth or senior.

I think its a big misstake by federation in "poor" basketball countries like for example Sweden, Denmark not to put the effort in, since the rewards can be tremendous for the nation.

Another player that is forgotten is Swedish 7`1 Jakob Batycki playing highschool ball at Phelps highschool and since he left sweden nobody from nationalteams organizations have even talked to him (what I have heard at least) and thoose 7`1 guys are so many of? Well not.....

He playing HS ball and actually right now is a starter for his team, he will go one more year after this in highschool and without letting out any names I can say that well respected colleges at d1 level have shown interest for him.

He has as a youthplayer done some nationalgames for Sweden, but now forgotten. What happens IF he becomes as good as he can and one of thoose d1 schools takes him, will somebody contact him then, propably yes, but the NEW question will then be;
Will he be interested after being forgotten for several years?

Cryin for me - Wayman Tisdale

Former great basketplayers Wayman Tisdale died in 2009 many years to early as a basketballplayer he ad som glory years and in 2007 he decided to go for music which was his other passion.

You can read more about Tisdales life here

As you see one of his legs is gone in the pic and that knee was amputated after they discorvered cancer in his knee.

He was great friends with artist Toby Keith and he wrote a great song to him after he died.

Listen to this song and you can feel the love and pain between to friends.