SMALL THINGS THAT PAY `BIG TIME'! DEVELOPING `MATCH SENSE'

I have often seen a team having a lead of 10 or 20 points slowly fritter away their advantage and lose the match. WHAT HAPPENED? It is very important to do the `small' things correctly. Developing `match sense' is the key to playing basketball and winning. It is a shame that most of the coaches do not clearly specify and thus leading to a confusion in the mind of the players - especially when the players are young. Many have confessed to me that they think `younger players' should not be burdened with too much `match sense'.

YOU ARE PART OF A TEAM! Most of the players who have developed either dribbling or shooting skills love to exhibit them - EXHIBITIONISM COMES NATURALLY TO BASKETBALL PLAYERS! The desire to do too much of it may lead `heart burn' in other players of your team. Be a part - not the whole. DO NOT BALL HOG! A correct `pass' leading to an easy basket will win you more matches. That is why the ball handler is burdened with the `managing the game' on the court.

OFFENCE OR DEFENCE? Basketball coaches throughout the world know it - THE MATCH IS WON THROUGH DEFENCE. Unfortunately, the `attraction' of attacking and scoring a basket is so great that DEFENCE is forgotten. AND this can lead to an easy basket by the opposition. Drill it in your mind - IT IS MORE IMPORTANT to not allow a basket than scoring a basket. The lesser the baskets scored against you - the easier it is to win a match. If five people go for `offence' - there must be five people for `defence'. Even senior players commit the crime of over-reaching and allow a team having better `match sense' to rip apart the lesser player's defence. GETTING BACK to your court is very important. Run to the half-line after a basket or a turnover and then run back-ward from half line onwards to your defence. The most hated GERMAN RELAYS are a perfect exercise - they are the perfect method to build stamina.

I am not done with defence - a more detailed analysis would be done later on in the manual. One of my better player celebrates a basket and during this celebration the opposition scores a basket. AND HE LOOKS AT ME and says WHAT WRONG DID I DO. I agree - what wrong did I do in putting him in the team.

DO SMALL THINGS CORRECTLY! Dribble the ball close to your body - keep the ball away from the reach of the opposition - make a correct pass - FAKE the movement of the ball - EARLY PASS or DELAYED PASS helps your player `open' up the defence. Practice these small things again and again and again - so that during the match you exactly know what role you are expected to play. You can easily lose the ball to a very aggressive player so move the ball and cut in or set up a screen and roll in - do dummy runs over and over till you become perfect. Never allow the opposition to `anticipate' - keep changing your strategies - find out the `weak spots' and then PRESS. On some days you will do all the things correctly and on another day every thing goes horribly wrong - IT HAPPENS because the opposition has read your game.

Whether you are playing man to man or zone - always be ready for double teaming. RECOVERY is the key for `match sense' - a continuous hustle even when you are faked. Your body language is an indicator of your preparedness - be threatening but do not foul - expand your body [NOT BY BECOMING OBESE] by opening your legs wide and raise your arms vertically up to reduce the shooting angle of a shooter - and finally jump defensively to block a shot or to take a rebound. HUSTLE ALL THE TIME - WANT THE BALL ALL THE TIME - make your body absolutely fit - you will enjoy playing the game.

Running up and down takes lot of energy - so fitness is very important. But fitness alone cannot win matches. That is why developing `match sense' is even more important. AND doing small things correctly is the perfect key to win matches.