Should Coaches Love the Off-Season?

The season is officially over and I am as excited, if not more excited because of it.

Not because that I have more free time on my hands and that I don’t have to plan practices, watch game tapes, scout oppositions or go on road trips to coach around the country. NO, I am excited because it is the OFF-SEASON!!

Most coaches would agree that the off-season is when players need to work on the individual skill development and become a better, stronger, more rounded basketball player. Players should work on their shooting mechanics, work on the strength and conditioning, work on their agility, and plyometrics so that they can have an edge over their opposition the following season.

That is why I am excited. The off-season is a time for personal growth and development. I have more time on my hands now to work with players on an individual basis to aid their skill development and strengthen their applicable weaknesses. I have more time to read now and understand why a certain offense may be better suited to our personnel than another.

I have time to attend clinics, meet with coaches, break down game tapes of what we did last season to see how we can improve as a team. How I can improve as a coach? What is my body language like when we’re up 10 as opposed to down 10? Do I need to change that?

There are several areas that need improvement in my game as a coach, and I don’t intend to attack all of them at once or even all of them during this off-season, but make no mistake about it, I will evaluate myself as a coach and highlight one or two key areas that need improvement. Then, I will acquire whatever resources out there to help me become a better coach, help my players become better skilled and more rounded players, because that is what development and growth is all about. That is what my I owe my team, my players and myself.

I love the Off-Season because it is time that I can work on my personal development to come back even stronger than I was before.