Coaching makes the difference between good basketball players and excellent basketball players. Even those with incredible natural talent can only go so far without guidance from a good coach.
Players will be coached as part of a team, but private basketball coaching can take them to the next level and there are plenty of great coaches out there, but how do you choose which one is right for you or your child?
Here's what to look for in a basketball coach.
Communication
Good communication is key. All great teachers are great communicators and a basketball coach has to get their point across to their players.
Communication extends beyond just training sessions, though. If you're going to hire a basketball coach, you want to make sure they're communicative when organizing sessions and responding to your messages or calls.
When contacting basketball coaches, you can actually learn a lot about their professionalism in the way they respond to messages.
While they don't need to write a novel to reply to you, make sure they're clear communicators. If they communicate well with potential clients, they're more likely to be good communicators in training sessions.
Pay particular attention to their communication skills during their trial sessions if they offer them.
Cost and Value
Cost and value are related, but they're not exactly the same. Cost is how much you pay for the coach and value is whether or not the coach is worth the cost. Generally, you should expect less from cheaper coaches and more from more expensive coaches.
There are coaches for all budgets out there but remember that it might be worthwhile to pay slightly more for a coach if they're significantly better than the budget option.
You should work out your budget for basketball coaching, too. Your coaching can end up being a waste of money if you end up having to stop because you can no longer afford it.
Dedication and Work Ethic
A basketball coach should be hard-working. Not only is this so that you can get value for the money you're paying them, but a good work ethic is just as important for coaches as it is for players.
It's hard for players to motivate themselves to work really hard when it looks like their coach is phoning it in. A hard-working and dedicated coach will find it much easier to inspire their players to work hard.
Experience
Any coach you hire should know what they're doing and while there are qualifications they should have (more on that in a moment), experience is often worth its weight in gold.
The more experience a coach has, the better they likely are. However, you'll also want to make sure that your basketball coach is up-to-date with modern coaching practices, the latest developments in sports science, and knows what's required of modern players.
Before you hire a basketball coach, it's a good idea to sit down and talk to them about their coaching experience even if you've already read a bit about it on their website or coaching profile.
Location
There's no point in hiring a coach who lives and works miles away. In some cases, coaches might live in one area but work in another so check where they're based and where they tend to do their training sessions.
Location can also affect the price so if they work in more expensive areas, they'll likely charge more. The cost of living will affect rates, too, and you don't really want to be spending more money on a coach just because they live somewhere expensive.
Be sure to think about the practicality of getting your coach or vice-versa as some places might look close on a map but until you've actually traveled there, you can't tell. You don't want to spend a long time in traffic jams on your way to your coach or have them regularly arrive late because they have to take a busy freeway during rush hour!
Objectives
Not setting clear objectives is one of the most common mistakes that young basketball players make, but you can avoid this with the right coach.
Good basketball coaches will set clear objectives and have a focus for their players. Speak to potential private basketball coaches about the kinds of goals that they'd set for you or your child.
You should also ask them about how they adjust said objectives to each player, the kinds of objectives they've set for their other clients, how they helped them achieve them, and how strict they are with said objectives.
Observation and Assessment
Part of achieving objectives is through regular observation and assessment and players will develop more quickly if they're regularly provided with feedback.
Chat with potential coaches about their process, how they provide feedback, and, if you're getting coaching for your child, how they'll relay this information to you so you can also help them to improve as a basketball player.
Qualifications
Qualifications are basically a shortcut to work out whether your coach knows what they're doing and while qualifications are important, they're not really worth anything to you if you don't know what they represent.
High school level coaches will likely have a teaching credential or have worked in a high school and there are credentials offered by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Some coaches will have worked in youth and amateur basketball leagues and have credentials from USA Basketball or local organizations.
There are also qualifications available from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that your potential coach may have.
Reputation
If your coach is known, their reputation might precede them. Ask around and you'll find out what people think of certain coaches.
For kids' coaches, you can speak to the other parents. Adults might want to speak to other players on their team for which coaches they work with. A good coach could help them to make the team as they'll have a better idea of what the coaches will be looking.
Reviews
A lot of basketball coaches will have online profiles where you can read reviews left by other clients. For those with their own coaching companies, they'll likely have some Google reviews that you can read, too.
Don't forget to read all the reviews and not just a handful of reviews. It's far more common for people to post a bad review when they're angry than a good review when they're happy with a service so don't be shocked if you see a bad review.
You can always discuss any bad reviews with the coach before you start working with them.
Schedule
The best coaches won't be much use if their schedule doesn't line up with yours. When talking to potential coaches, make sure that you're both available for coaching at the same time otherwise your coaching will be a non-starter.
Specialization
Different players need different kinds of coaching and for those choosing a private coach, specialization plays an important role.
Think carefully about the areas of basketball you (or your child) will need to work on, talk to potential coaches about them, and make sure their experience and qualifications are right for the kind of coaching you need.
The same is true for different ages and levels. A coach with college experience mightn't be able to effectively teach kids in elementary or middle school. The right coach might be the difference between getting your kid into basketball or another sport.
Support and Motivation
Every kind of sports coaching is as much about technique as it is about support and motivation. A good coach keeps their players motivated and different players will respond to different approaches.
With private basketball coaching, you need to look for a coach whose motivational techniques will work for you or your child. Some players respond better to a nurturing approach while others need a more direct approach.
Techniques and Approaches
It's always a good idea to talk to any potential coach about the techniques they use, how effective they've found them to be, and if there's any science or research to support the use of said techniques.
You don't want to hire a coach whose approaches won't work well and a coach with lots of experience mightn't use that experience effectively if they're using old and outdated basketball coaching techniques and approaches.
Training Plans
Ask potential coaches about their training plans, how they adapt them to their clients, and the results they've got from their different plans.
When you pay for a private coach, it's reasonable to expect the coach to adapt their sessions to their different clients as you're likely paying for a premium service and not a one-size-fits-all approach to coaching.
You might need a coach to help you improve your basketball shot and with the right coach with the right training plans, you'll see a dramatic improvement.
Trial Sessions
You'll have a lot of questions and a lot of things to work out before you choose a private basketball coach, but you can answer a lot of these questions by having a trial session with them.
Offering a trial session also shows you that your coach is confident about their coaching and believes that their trial session will likely convince you to hire them.
Be sure to try out a few different coaches before making your decision, though, because you'll likely see that a lot of them offer a pretty good coaching service.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
