• Ep 1975 How Do You Build Real Confidence in Your Players?
    2026/08/21
    https://teachhoops.com/ How Do You Build Real Confidence in Your Players? Subtitle: Why confidence is built in practice, not handed out in pep talks Show Notes Every coach has said it. "Just be confident." It has never once worked. Confidence is not a mood you talk a player into. It is a byproduct of evidence. In this episode we break down where confidence actually comes from and how you engineer it inside your program. What we cover: 1. Confidence comes from competence Players believe what they have proven to themselves. A kid who has made 500 shots from the left wing in practice does not need a pep talk when he catches it there in a game. Build the rep count and the belief follows. 2. Give them a role they can win at Confidence collapses when a player is asked to be something he is not. Define a job that fits the player in front of you, then celebrate him doing that job well. A great screener who knows he is a great screener plays free. A great screener trying to be a scorer plays scared. 3. Praise the process, correct the outcome If you only praise made shots, you teach players that their worth is tied to results they cannot control. Praise the right read, the right cut, the right shot. Then they can miss and stay confident. 4. Be specific "Good job" builds nothing. "That was a great job of getting your feet set before the catch" builds a memory the player can go back to. Specific praise is a deposit. Vague praise is noise. 5. Watch your body language after mistakes Players read your face before they hear your words. The eye roll, the turn to the assistant, the hands on the hips. That does more damage than anything you say. If you want confident players, be the same coach after a turnover that you are after a layup. 6. Let them play through failure Confidence is not built by never failing. It is built by failing and surviving it. If every mistake means an immediate sub, you are teaching fear. Leave them in sometimes. Let them fix it themselves. 7. Film is your best confidence tool Show them clips of themselves doing it right. Most players carry a highlight reel of their worst moments. Replace it. Five clips of a kid doing his job well can change how he sees himself for a month. 8. Separate confidence from playing time The end of your bench needs confidence too. Those players determine practice quality, and practice quality determines everything. Invest in them like starters. Coach takeaway: You cannot give a player confidence. You can only give him the reps, the role, and the evidence that make it impossible for him to doubt himself. More coaching resources, practice plans, and the Coaching Community at https://teachhoops.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 分
  • Ep. 1974 What Should Your Preseason Philosophy Actually Be?
    2026/08/20
    https://teachhoops.com/ Title: What Should Your Preseason Philosophy Actually Be? Subtitle: Deciding what preseason is for before you ever blow the first whistle Show Notes Most coaches script their preseason before they ever define it. Drills get picked, days get filled, and three weeks later the team is tired but not better. Philosophy comes first. Once you know what preseason is FOR in your program, the practice plan writes itself. What we cover: 1. Preseason is for building capacity, not winning practice Nobody hangs a banner for a great October. The purpose is to raise the ceiling of what your team can handle later. Conditioning, habits, toughness, and shared language. If your preseason is built to look good, you built it wrong. 2. Pick your one non negotiable Every program needs a single thing that defines preseason. Some coaches choose defense. Some choose conditioning. Some choose culture and connection. You can only be great at one. Pick it, say it out loud to your team, and let everything else serve it. 3. Teach the why before the what Preseason is your best window to explain the reasoning behind your system. Once games start, you are correcting, not teaching. Front load the concepts now so that in December you can say two words instead of two minutes. 4. Compete every single day Habits form in preseason. If your players spend three weeks going through drills without a winner and a loser, you are training them to be comfortable. Score something every day. Make someone lose something every day. 5. Build the bench relationships early Roles get decided in preseason whether you address them or not. Talk to players about what their job will look like before they figure it out from the scorebook. Honest conversations in October save you from quitters in January. 6. Leave room to be wrong Your best guess about your team in week one will be partly wrong. Build a preseason that gathers information rather than locking in decisions. Flexibility is a philosophy too. 7. Finish with clarity, not exhaustion The goal at the end of preseason is a team that knows who they are, what they run, and how hard they are expected to play. If they are just tired, you spent the time but you did not spend it well. Coach takeaway: Preseason philosophy is simply answering one question. What do I want to be true about my team on opening night that is not true today? Everything else is just scheduling. More coaching resources, practice plans, and the Coaching Community at https://teachhoops.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 分
  • Ep 1973 How Do You Evaluate and Assess Your Preseason?
    2026/08/19
    https://teachhoops.com/ Title: How Do You Evaluate and Assess Your Preseason? Subtitle: A simple framework for measuring what actually got better before the first game tips off Show Notes Preseason flies by, and most coaches judge it by feel. Did practice look sharp? Did the team seem to click? Feel is a bad measuring stick. In this episode we break down how to assess preseason with evidence instead of vibes, so you walk into game one knowing exactly what your team can and cannot do. What we cover: 1. Start with what you said you wanted Go back to the three or four goals you wrote before preseason started. Install the offense. Establish shell defense. Build conditioning. Identify a rotation. If you never wrote them down, that is the first fix for next year. You cannot evaluate against a target that does not exist. 2. Assess in four buckets Physical: conditioning tests, sprint times, weight room numbers, injury count. These are the easiest to measure, so measure them. Skill: shooting percentages from your charted spots, live ball turnovers per practice, free throw numbers under fatigue. System: can they run your top five sets without a whistle stoppage? Can they get into your press break in under three seconds? Execution under pressure is the test, not walkthrough. Culture: who talks on defense, who sprints back, who picks teammates up. Track it. You will learn more about your rotation here than anywhere else. 3. Use scrimmage and situational data, not just eye test Chart your own practices. Five on five segments, situational work, last four minutes scenarios. Keep it simple with three or four stats you actually care about. Deflections, defensive rebounding percentage, points per possession in your primary offense. 4. Ask the players A two question survey works. What do you feel most confident in? What do you feel least prepared for? Their answers will surprise you and often expose a gap you were about to walk right past. 5. Rank your roster honestly By the end of preseason you should be able to list one through fifteen and defend every spot. If you cannot, you have not seen enough competitive reps. 6. Write the postseason preseason report One page. What worked, what did not, what to cut next year. Do it in the first week of the season while it is still fresh. Future you will thank present you. Coach takeaway: Preseason is not about looking good. It is about gathering information. Evaluate it like a scout would, not like a fan. More coaching resources, practice plans, and the Coaching Community at https://teachhoops.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 分
  • Ep 1972 Building Culture Preseason: Are You Setting the Standard or Just Hoping for One?
    2026/08/18
    Visit https://teachhoops.com/ Culture does not show up on its own in December. It gets built in the quiet weeks when nobody is watching, when there is no scoreboard and no crowd. In this episode we talk about what preseason culture work actually looks like, how to define standards your players can repeat back to you, and why the loudest speech you give in October is worth less than what you tolerate in November. Culture is what you allow, not what you say You can put words on a wall. Your players will read your reaction to a late arrival instead. We talk about the gap between stated values and lived ones. Pick three things, not twelve Programs that try to install a ten point culture code end up with nothing. Three standards, repeated daily, understood by every kid in the gym. We walk through how to choose yours. Make the standards behavioral "Play hard" is not a standard. "Sprint to the huddle" is. If a manager cannot tell whether it happened, it is not a standard, it is a slogan. Getting your leaders bought in first Culture travels through the locker room, not the coaches office. We talk about meeting with your returners individually before the group ever gathers, and what to ask them. Preseason meetings that actually land The team meeting, the individual meetings, and the parent meeting. What belongs in each one and what does not. Conditioning and open gyms as culture tools Nobody remembers the sprints. They remember who quit, who waited for a teammate, and whether the coach noticed. Use those weeks on purpose. Handling the kid who tests it early Somebody always tests it, usually your most talented player. What you do the first time sets the price for the whole season. Connection before correction Players take hard coaching from people they believe care about them. Preseason is when you earn that. We talk about simple ways to build it without turning into their buddy. Writing it down and revisiting it Put the standards on paper, hand them to every player, and pull them back out in January when things get hard. Culture is defined by what you accept on your worst day, not what you preach on your best one. Three clear standards beat a long list nobody remembers. Make every standard observable so accountability is not a debate. Win your returning leaders before you address the group. The first violation sets the price. Charge it. Relationships built in October are what let you coach hard in February. Before your next practice, write down the three standards your program runs on. Then ask three players separately to tell you what the standards are. If their answers do not match yours, you have your preseason priority. Practice plans, preseason checklists, team meeting templates, and the full coaching library at https://teachhoops.com/ Join the community and swap culture ideas with coaches at every level. Subscribe to Coach Unplugged so you never miss an episode. Leave a rating and review, it helps other coaches find the show. Have a question or a topic you want covered? Send it in and we may take it on the air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    14 分
  • Ep 1971 Is Effort a Talent Problem or a Coaching Problem?
    2026/08/17
    https://teachhoops.com/ My kids do not play hard. It might be the oldest complaint in coaching, and in this episode Coach Collins argues that most coaches are diagnosing it wrong. When a team does not play hard, we tend to treat it like a character problem. That kid is lazy. This group is soft. But playing hard is not a personality trait. It is a standard, and standards have to be taught, defined, and celebrated just like any skill in the game. The episode starts with a revealing test: if you asked five of your players what playing hard means in your program, would you get the same answer five times? The phrase play harder is not coachable because a kid cannot hit a standard he cannot see. Coach Collins walks through how to turn effort into visible, countable behaviors, things like sprinting the floor both directions, chasing every loose ball to the deck, sprinting to huddles, and picking teammates up off the floor. When effort becomes a checklist instead of a mood, a player can win the night even when his shot is broken. From there, the conversation turns to what coaches celebrate. Whatever you celebrate is whatever you grow, and your team learns what you really value from the first clip in your film session, not from the slogans on your practice shirts. Coach Collins explains why the first clip should be a charge or a deflection, why charting hustle plays changes behavior, and why every team plays hard at the things the coach counts. The episode also gets to the heart of effort: connection and clarity. Kids do not play hard for programs. They play hard for people. A player empties the tank when he trusts his coach and cannot stand the thought of letting his teammates down, and that trust is built in the hallway and on his worst days, long before the season starts. Role clarity matters just as much, because a confused player looks lazy, and a kid who does not know how his effort helps the team will never sell out for it. Finally, Coach Collins asks coaches to look in the mirror. Long lines and long speeches kill effort, standing around teaches standing around, and a standard your star does not have to meet is not a standard at all. The episode closes with a practical challenge: write out five visible behaviors that define playing hard in your program, then teach them the way you would teach a press break. Name them, rep them, track them, and celebrate them. This is an episode for coaches who are tired of begging for effort in February and ready to start teaching it in August. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    8 分
  • Ep Becoming a Better Basketball Coach
    2026/08/14
    Teachhoops.com⁠ ⁠CoachingYouthHoops.com⁠ ⁠https://forms.gle/kQ8zyxgfqwUA3ChU7⁠ ⁠Coach Collins Coaching Store⁠ Check out. [Teachhoops.com](⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠) 14 day Free Trial Youth Basketball Coaches Podcast Apple link: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coaching-youth-hoops/id1619185302⁠ Spotify link: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0g8yYhAfztndxT1FZ4OI3A⁠ ⁠Funnel Down Defense Podcast⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/funnel-down-defense/id1593734011⁠ Want More ⁠Funnel Down Defense⁠ ⁠https://coachcollins.podia.com/funnel-down-defense⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Coaches](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/basketballcoaches/)⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Drills](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/321590381624013/)⁠ Want to Get a Question Answered? [ Leave a Question here](⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/Teachhoops⁠) Check out our other podcast [High School Hoops ](⁠https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/high-school-hoops-coaching-high-school-basketball/id1441192866⁠) Check out our Sponsors [HERE](https://drdishbasketball.com/) Mention Coach Unplugged and get 350 dollars off your next purchase basketball resources free basketball resources Coach Unplugged Basketball drills, basketball coach, basketball workouts, basketball dribbling drills, ball handling drills, passing drills, shooting drills, basketball training equipment, basketball conditioning, fun basketball games, basketball jerseys, basketball shooting machine, basketball shot, basketball ball, basketball training, basketball camps, youth basketball, youth basketball leagues, basketball recruiting, basketball coaching jobs, basketball tryouts, basketball coach, youth basketball drills, The Basketball Podcast, How to Coach Basketball, Funnel Down Defense FDD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 分
  • Ep 1969 Commitment and Player Development
    2026/08/13
    Teachhoops.com⁠ ⁠CoachingYouthHoops.com⁠ ⁠https://forms.gle/kQ8zyxgfqwUA3ChU7⁠ ⁠Coach Collins Coaching Store⁠ Check out. [Teachhoops.com](⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠) 14 day Free Trial Youth Basketball Coaches Podcast Apple link: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coaching-youth-hoops/id1619185302⁠ Spotify link: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0g8yYhAfztndxT1FZ4OI3A⁠ ⁠Funnel Down Defense Podcast⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/funnel-down-defense/id1593734011⁠ Want More ⁠Funnel Down Defense⁠ ⁠https://coachcollins.podia.com/funnel-down-defense⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Coaches](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/basketballcoaches/)⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Drills](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/321590381624013/)⁠ Want to Get a Question Answered? [ Leave a Question here](⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/Teachhoops⁠) Check out our other podcast [High School Hoops ](⁠https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/high-school-hoops-coaching-high-school-basketball/id1441192866⁠) Check out our Sponsors [HERE](https://drdishbasketball.com/) Mention Coach Unplugged and get 350 dollars off your next purchase basketball resources free basketball resources Coach Unplugged Basketball drills, basketball coach, basketball workouts, basketball dribbling drills, ball handling drills, passing drills, shooting drills, basketball training equipment, basketball conditioning, fun basketball games, basketball jerseys, basketball shooting machine, basketball shot, basketball ball, basketball training, basketball camps, youth basketball, youth basketball leagues, basketball recruiting, basketball coaching jobs, basketball tryouts, basketball coach, youth basketball drills, The Basketball Podcast, How to Coach Basketball, Funnel Down Defense FDD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    14 分
  • Ep 1968 Winning vs Competitive Practices
    2026/08/12
    Teachhoops.com⁠ ⁠CoachingYouthHoops.com⁠ ⁠https://forms.gle/kQ8zyxgfqwUA3ChU7⁠ ⁠Coach Collins Coaching Store⁠ Check out. [Teachhoops.com](⁠https://teachhoops.com/⁠) 14 day Free Trial Youth Basketball Coaches Podcast Apple link: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coaching-youth-hoops/id1619185302⁠ Spotify link: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0g8yYhAfztndxT1FZ4OI3A⁠ ⁠Funnel Down Defense Podcast⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/funnel-down-defense/id1593734011⁠ Want More ⁠Funnel Down Defense⁠ ⁠https://coachcollins.podia.com/funnel-down-defense⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Coaches](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/basketballcoaches/)⁠ [Facebook Group . Basketball Drills](⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/321590381624013/)⁠ Want to Get a Question Answered? [ Leave a Question here](⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/Teachhoops⁠) Check out our other podcast [High School Hoops ](⁠https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/high-school-hoops-coaching-high-school-basketball/id1441192866⁠) Check out our Sponsors [HERE](https://drdishbasketball.com/) Mention Coach Unplugged and get 350 dollars off your next purchase basketball resources free basketball resources Coach Unplugged Basketball drills, basketball coach, basketball workouts, basketball dribbling drills, ball handling drills, passing drills, shooting drills, basketball training equipment, basketball conditioning, fun basketball games, basketball jerseys, basketball shooting machine, basketball shot, basketball ball, basketball training, basketball camps, youth basketball, youth basketball leagues, basketball recruiting, basketball coaching jobs, basketball tryouts, basketball coach, youth basketball drills, The Basketball Podcast, How to Coach Basketball, Funnel Down Defense FDD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    10 分