Tuesday, March 26, 2019

AAU is in bad shape

I am a former player that played AAU basketball. Our middle school team went 101- 0 and won 3 National Championships. I have also coached the number 1 8th grade team in the country! AAU is in trouble. The adults that are around this sport are killing off the spirit of the sport! It starts with the coach, who never took any courses in coaching. Probably never ever taught in a school setting before.  Here is the problem with 95% of these so-called coaches, they want to win over teaching. I don't think some of these coaches realized that they are teachers and they have a big role in shaping the youth! If you as a coach are teaching your kids that winning is the most important thing, then you are setting them up for failure. Elementary basketball should be a lot of fun, teachable moments and hugs! You should be creating an environment where the youth can grow and develop. There is no reason for an 8-year-old to get cussed out for making a mistake! It's no way the coach should, who I'm very sure hasn't taught the youth the correct way to do things and even then it takes over 300 hours of practice to be able to retain the muscle memory to be able to go out and execute! So many coaches want to win and play horrible basketball. That at the end of the day the youth are getting Neglected and also the coaches are doing them a disservice Because they are not teaching the right way! I have seen a team that dribbles to the corner every time with the basketball and then they will try to pass the ball from the corner with the basketball over there head. then they get the ball taken and the coach is screaming for a foul in that situation! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! A good coach in this situation would correct the players from dribbling in the corner. Also, this is another teachable moment Because the player should not be passing the ball from over his head he or she should be throwing a chest pass or a bounce pass in these situations. Or I have seen a youth which this is his first year playing basketball and he gets called for travel several times in a game and the coach is screaming and yelling and cussing him out. Another teachable moment and a time for a hug! I really believe coaches on every level should take a coaching course and they should have to pass the coaching course, also I believe At the beginning of every season referees and coaches should have a clinic together so coaches can understand what is a foul and what is not a foul. And my final point when I mention what I have been through as a coach and a player in AAU is to say no one cares what you did in elementary or middle school. Too many coaches want to be the best elementary coach in the world and middle school, let's say its a reason why most of you guys coach at that level and never ever will move up to high school or college! If you don't study coaching and read books about coaching and go to coaching clinics then what are you really doing?