Show notes
https://teachhoops.com/ — Coach Collins' coaching resource site, 14 day free trial (also said as "teachgroups.com" and "t-tubes.com" in the transcript, both transcription errors for TeachHoops)
https://coachingyouthhoops.com/ — practice plans and season planning, the one stop shop pitched in the sponsor reads
https://heysammi.com/ — text based team communication app, spelled out on air as H E Y S A M M I (Sammi with an i)
Coach Collins and Coach Steve tackle one of the most common questions in youth basketball: how do you get kids to stop jacking up bad shots without killing their confidence? The answer is a three word framework you can run live in practice, no film room required.
Coach Steve shares the exact language he uses with his teams, why he asks "why" instead of correcting, and how a shot that is terrible for one player can be the right shot for another. Coach Collins connects it back to what he does at the varsity level in film sessions, and explains why immediate feedback in a scrimmage may actually beat watching it on tape two days later.
The episode opens with a candid conversation about retirement, giving the next coach space, and the hardest part of walking away from a program you built.
The good shot, great shot, no shot framework and how to define each one for your age group
Why efficient scoring belongs in your program pillars, and what it actually looks like in practice
How to teach range so players honestly know their own shooting distance
The whistle and question method: pause the scrimmage, ask what kind of shot that was, then ask why
Why you should not answer for the player, and what happens when they answer for themselves
How shot selection standards should differ by player without singling anyone out
Handling the parent problem, when mom and dad are yelling "shoot it" right after you said do not
The retirement conversation: why the best thing a retiring coach can do is stay out of the gym
00:00 Welcome and a word about TeachHoops.com, the 7 and 14 first season, and finding mentors that changed everything
01:02 Retirement talk, no more tests to grade, and the practice plans Coach Collins will miss
01:35 The retired coach who now shows up to critique his son's practices, and why space matters
02:24 "I will help you, but you have to ask." Setting the boundary with a former assistant
02:48 Why walking back into the gym is complicated when the kids were on your team
03:15 Sponsors: CoachingYouthHoops.com for practice plans and season planning, and HeySammi.com for cutting administrative work
04:53 Today's topic arrives from the Facebook group: teaching shot selection at the youth level
05:00 The real problem, kids get asked how many points they scored, never how many stops they made
05:38 Quick break, TeachHoops.com and the 14 day free trial
05:59 Coach Steve defines a great shot: on balance, no hand in your face, inside your range
06:45 How do players learn their own range? They know more than you think
07:28 The live teaching method, blow the whistle, name the shot, then ask why
07:56 The unexpected result: players start passing to the teammate who has the great shot
08:00 Great shot, good shot, no shot examples for third through fifth grade
08:29 Coach Collins on film sessions at the high school level versus live correction at the youth level
09:23 Why immediate feedback is the advantage of teaching this in the moment
09:47 "You told me not to shoot a three, but Steve just shot one." Handling that conversation
10:28 Differentiating standards without calling players out: this is where you are right now, and it is okay
10:54 Coach Steve's closing advice: define it, keep it quick, and know the individual
11:26 The player who can slice between two defenders versus the one who cannot, same drive, different verdict
11:41 Closing thoughts and where to go next
"The best thing a coach can do when they retire is give the other coach space."
"I do not say that is right or wrong. I just say, okay, why?"
"What I have seen over the course of this season is they are passing the ball now to someone who has a great shot."
"It is not calling them out. It is just, this is where you are right now. It is okay."
Shot selection is not a rule, it is a conversation you repeat until it becomes instinct. Keep the vocabulary to three words so a nine year old can hold it in their head during live play. Blow the whistle, ask what that was, ask why, then move on. Do not lecture. And accept that the definition of a great shot is different for every kid on your roster, which is the whole point.
TeachHoops.com for coaches who want to get better, 14 day free trial
CoachingYouthHoops.com, practice plans and season planning for youth coaches
HeySammi.com, text based team communication that syncs your family's sports apps into one place, spelled H E Y S A M M I
The TeachHoops Facebook group, where this week's question came from
If this episode helped, please subscribe, leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a coach who needs it. Then head over to TeachHoops.com and start your 14 day free trial.
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