Coaching Basketball For Dummies

The National Alliance For Youth Sports

Feb 2011 · John Wiley & Sons

About this ebook

So you’re thinking about volunteering to coach youth basketball? Great! You’re in for a fun, rewarding experience. Whether you’re new to the sport and looking for some guidance or you’re a seasoned coach hunting for some fresh tips, Coaching Basketball For Dummies will help you command the court with confidence.

Each friendly chapter is packed with expert advice on teaching the basics of basketball—from dribbling and shooting to rebounding and defending—and guiding your kids to a fun-filled, stress-free season. You get a crash course in the rules and regulations of the game, as well as clear explanations of what all those lines, circles, and half-circle markings mean on the court. You’ll assign team positions, run great practices, and work with both beginning and intermediate players of different age groups. You’ll also see how to ramp up your players’ skills and lead your team effectively during a game. This book will also help you discover how to:

• Develop your coaching philosophy
• Understand your league’s rules
• Conduct a preseason parents’ meeting—crucial for opening the lines of communication
• Teach offensive and defensive strategies
• Keep your kids healthy and injury-free
• Encourage good sportsmanship
• Make critical half-time adjustments during a game
• Help struggling players
• Address discipline problems and handle difficult parents
• Coach an All-Star or Travel team

Complete with numerous offensive and defensive drills and tips for helping your kids relax before a game, Coaching Basketball For Dummies is the fun and easy way to get the score on this worthwhile endeavor!

About the author

Greg Bach is the communications director for the National Alliance For Youth Sports (NAYS), a position he has held since 1993. Before joining NAYS, he worked as the sports editor of the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Michigan, where he captured numerous writing awards from the Associated Press, Michigan Press Association, and the Hearst Corporation. He has a journalism degree from Michigan State University, which he earned in 1989. He’s an avid sports fan — particularly of his beloved Spartan basketball team — and has coached a variety of youth sports. He’s also the author of Coaching Soccer For Dummies, Coaching Football For Dummies, and Coaching Baseball For Dummies.

The National Alliance For Youth Sports has been America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for children for the past 25 years. It serves volunteer coaches, parents with children involved in organized sports, game officials, youth sports administrators, league directors, and the youngsters who participate in organized sports. The Alliance’s programs are utilized in more than 3,000 communities nationwide by parks and recreation departments, Boys & Girls Clubs, Police Athletic Leagues, YMCAs/YWCAs, and various independent youth service groups, as well as on military installations worldwide. For more information on the Alliance’s programs, which appear in the following list, visit www.nays.org.