I would suggest replacing the generated image at the top with a photo of you. It could be something as simple as holding as basketball on a court somewhere, or even the same profile shot you have in this forum. That way, you can build consistency with how you present on various material.

Creativity

@Joseph Wunder Nothing revolutionary, but trying to embed the skill repetition inside small-sided games so players get the benefits of deliberate practice without losing decision-making. Also reevaluating “traditional” drills against game scenarios and asking whether they have any benefit. An example I still see some coaches do at a junior level is the 3-man weave. Surely we can be more creative than that.

Similar to @Blair Bass ”Next play” mentality, training yourself not to react emotionally to misses during workouts or games. It is not a quick fix, but hopefully over time the brain stops treating misses like emergencies. You can definitely feel and acknowledge a miss, but give it only a second and move on. The shot and process shouldn’t change. As others have mentioned, having a supportive environment to help work through this is key - especially at the youth level, where emotions may be a bit more tender.

@Joseph Wunder Great question! I don’t know if there is one specific answer, as each player would be different with their mental game. It is something that might develop during a season or two, helped by consistent body language/messaging from the coach and teammates. I think hearing it from teammates is more powerful though, knowing that you’ve got their support no matter what the end result. It is a hard thing to communicate without words :) Constant encouragement/praise might also lose its effectiveness though. So I guess balance that out with being constructive in a positive way.

Agree with all of the above. I’d add that your expectations, standards and similar can be communicated to the group prior to actually meeting in person. Then it gives you something to fall back on and refer to during your first and future sessions. You can see who may have read it and are trying to implement it from Day 1, and who might need a bit more encouragement to get onboard.

Drills that are unlikely to transfer into a game. I believe it is important for coaches to think about things critically and ask the question “Is this something I’m likely to see on game day?” If not, then time is better spent elsewhere.

@Joseph Wunder It normally is driven by feedback from games. For example, if our group needs improvement on closing out, we may spend a bit of time discussing/demonstrating different techniques, but then get straight into live game action with feedback on the fly. I also like to get insight into the players mind, asking them why they did something a certain way. This allows me to reflect on my own teaching and delivery, so I can also improve to make sure I’m getting the best out of my team.