Transformando el Baloncesto - Alex Sarama (Traducción)
TRANSFORMANDO EL BALONCESTO
CAMBIANDO LA FORMA EN QUE PENSAMOS SOBRE EL RENDIMIENTO EN BALONCESTO
ALEX SARAMA
CONTENIDO
INTRODUCCIÓN - Explorando un enfoque alternativo
UNO - Superando el statu quo: Una industria construida sobre mitos y conceptos erróneos
DOS - ¿Qué es la habilidad? Diseñando enfoques informados por la complejidad del movimiento humano
TRES - Se necesitan dos para bailar: El poder de la percepción
CUATRO - Por qué el aprendizaje no es lineal: Implicaciones para entrenadores y profesionales
CINCO - Estudios de caso: Aplicaciones de un enfoque basado en restricciones en el baloncesto
SEIS - Desarrollo contemporáneo de jugadores: ¿El "Moneyball" no descubierto?
SIETE - Principios de juego: Conectando la ofensiva y la defensa con un marco teórico
OCHO - Transformando actividades: Adoptando métodos contemporáneos a todos los niveles del juego
NUEVE - Visión del futuro: Transformando el baloncesto mediante un enfoque contemporáneo
EPÍLOGO - ¿Qué sigue?
INTRODUCCIÓN
Para muchos jugadores, entrenadores y profesionales que trabajan en el mundo del baloncesto, sus
primeras experiencias con el juego ocurrieron en contextos informales como patios traseros o juegos libres.
[...]
(Traducción completa de la introducción aquí)
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CAPÍTULO 1: SUPERANDO EL STATU QUO - UNA INDUSTRIA CONSTRUIDA SOBRE MITOS Y MAL
ECLIPSING THE STATUS QUO
AN INDUSTRY BUILT ON MYTHS AND MISNOMERS
Never play anything the same way twice.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
The dominant approach in basketball is characterised by repetitive
coaching styles, siloed organisational procedures and the usage of a
technique-focused lens to view performance. These are not
phenomena exclusive to basketball, as they are observed in multiple
sports at all levels. The dominant approach fails to take into account
the complexity of the game. Reductionist philosophies, combined
with an over-reliance on personal experience, contributes to the
popularity of this approach.
Reductionism is the concept of attempting to enhance performance
by breaking components down into smaller parts before they are
reassembled. Reductionist thinking is observed through many
examples within the current basketball landscape:
1. The tendency of coaches to break down techniques into
various sub-components. For instance, using form shooting
exercises where different parts of the shot are broken down
and later reassembled.
2. How coaches use game models in the form of highly
patterned offensive and defensive schemes. This includes
pass and cut, continuity motion and highly scripted set plays
without opportunities to go off-script.
3. The usage of explicit instructions modelling a ?correct way?
to perform several different techniques. This includes
teaching highly specific basketball moves, such as a cross-jab
dribble or a particular finish at the rim.
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4. How organisations frequently work in silos with staff
members focused on their own areas of responsibility. This is
done in the hope that the combined individualistic outputs of
all organisational departments will contribute to a positive
outcome. This is the opposite to working in a highly unified
organisational manner.
Reductionism is apparent within the dominant approach to coaching.
This extends to how players are frequently tasked with performing a
high number of repetitive movements, considered by coaches as
being the ?correct? way to perform certain techniques. This is
accompanied by coaches attempting to perfect offensive and
defensive schemes, exemplified by players going through the
motions by practicing without a real opponent in a scripted manner.
Within the dominant style, coaches view their role as being to impart
their knowledge directly onto the players. The popularity of this
approach is an indicator of the extent to which misconceptions have
been made into what skilful performance and effective learning truly
entail. Coaches frequently have models in their head as to what
basketball movements, patterns, and ?skills? should look like, which
players are expected to replicate as closely as possible.
A distinguishing feature of the dominant style is how the success of
each drill is based upon the ability of the players to replicate a
desired movement or team-wide pattern. The coach typically
demonstrates or describes the specific sequence that should be
used. The same tendency is observed in how many strength
coaches, physical rehab therapists and biomechanics staff operate.
Any variation or alternative movement solution used by players is
commonly seen as ?incorrect?. Coaches and trainers believe that
players must first have fundamentals or ?basics? in place before being
able to succeed in more complex sequences, such as those involving
the presence of opponents that are more representative of
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basketball itself.
Within the dominant approach, players are expected to assemble
together various instructions provided by the coach, before
immediately incorporating such instructions into the movement
solutions they express within the game. This occurs after practicing
highly specific movements in tightly controlled and artificial
environments devoid of opposition. When an offense practices
against fresh air as opposed to against a defender, this is known as
?on-air? training. This type of practice environment differs greatly
from the real game and the complexity that awaits the players.
Despite such an approach not being representative of the game, onair training exists as the dominant approach used within the present
day.
The dominant approach has not just impacted coaching, but
transcended to how entire organisations operate. Embracing
a contemporary approach would have huge implications on
every organisational role within the basketball world.
Many popular on-air drills, such as the three-player weave and zigzag drill, are viewed as timeless classics. In a three-player weave,
players attempt to throw accurate chest passes to teammates before
running behind the teammate that they pass to. In the zig-zag drill,
passive defenders must stay in front of a scripted offensive player
dribbling the ball, even though the ?defender? cannot steal the ball
and is fully aware of where the offensive player is dribbling to. Drills
such as these which focus on repeating one pre-determined
basketball action in high frequency are termed as blocked, constant
practice.
BLOCKED CONSTANT PRACTICE: a method of practice where a
player practices the same technique within a particular basketball action?
such as dribbling, shooting, passing or finishing?over and over again with
minimal variance. This is often accompanied by very specific feedback by the
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coach as to whether or not they are performing the movement correctly.
Examples of this could be performing one very specific dribble move through
cones over and over again, or an activity such as the Mikan Drill whereby
the same finishes are reproduced at high frequency.
BLOCKED VARIABLE PRACTICE: a method of practice whereby a
player practices the same type of basketball action?such as dribbling?but
with a different type of dribble move being performed each time. A player
could dribble through cones but use a different type of move as they pass
through each cone.
Two-ball dribbling is another example of a blocked constant practice
drill. Players may perform the exact same dribbling variation over
and over by bouncing both basketballs simultaneously. If a player
performs a two-ball dribbling drill by dribbling in a slightly different
manner each time, such as dribbling high, then low, crossing the
basketballs over and then going between the legs, this becomes
blocked variable practice.
Spot shooting from the same location would be classed as blocked
constant practice. If the shooter continuously changes location and
range while receiving different passes across each repetition, this
becomes blocked variable practice. A shift from blocked to random
practice occurs when different basketball actions are integrated,
such as a drill that features a combination of dribbling, passing and
shooting.
RANDOM PRACTICE: a method of practice whereby a player
performs different techniques and basketball-specific actions in a random
order and in a manner that is unpredictable. For instance, a pass followed by
a shot followed by a layup. Given how in random practice tasks different
basketball actions are integrated as opposed to being trained in isolation,
this contrasts to blocked constant and blocked variable practice forms.
?Copy and paste? culture has led to classical basketball drills being
commonly used all over the world. This is despite the limitations of
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blocked constant practice tasks being highlighted in research by
Battig close to 50 years ago, who coined the phrase ?contextual
interference affect.?
CONTEXTUAL INTERFERENCE EFFECT (CIE): a term referring
to the interference that is experienced when practicing multiple skills, or
variations of a skill, within a practice.3 High contextual interference occurs
when multiple skills are practiced one after the other, whereas low
contextual interference is when one skill is repeatedly practiced before
progressing to another skill. Early skill acquisition research demonstrated
that low contextual interference led to better performance during practice,
but it was the high contextual interference that led to better performance
during retention and transfer tests (the game).4
This led Battig to conclude that: ?The studies that have explored this
contrast (blocked vs random) generally show that, while the random
practice condition leads to poorer performance during acquisition
than the blocked practice condition, it yields superior performance
on a retention or transfer test, a phenomenon that is commonly
called the contextual interference effect.?5
The terms blocked constant, blocked variable, random practice and
contextual interference effect all derive from an older period of skill
acquisition research. During this era, the dominant skill acquisition
approach was heavily focused on technique and the use of ?correct?
movement patterns. As such, these concepts are made somewhat
redundant when contrasted with the contemporary skill acquisition
ideas shared throughout Transforming Basketball. In this case, why
are terms such as blocked and random practice included in the first
instance if they are indeed outdated? Their inclusion may help
practitioners understand just how much the skill acquisition
landscape has evolved over the last several decades.
SKILL ACQUISITION: used interchangeably with the term motor
learning, skill acquisition is an evidence-based interdisciplinary science
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studying how athletes become more skilful.
More importantly, these terms provide a tangible example of the
disconnect existing between the research and the reality of how
practitioners carry out their roles within the basketball world. Despite
skill acquisition research highlighting the shortcomings of blocked
constant drills for close to five decades, an enormous number of
coaches rely heavily on using such drills in the present day.
Bridging the gap between skill acquisition research and its practical
implementation requires moving beyond the dominant approach and
the simplistic framework of blocked versus random practice.
Empirical evidence stemming from contemporary skill acquisition
research indicates that there is a very different way to enhance
performance and help players become more skilful. Embedding these
ideas within basketball organisations may allow for a contemporary
approach to eventually be repositioned as the new dominant
methodology used throughout the world.
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE: evidence-based information which stems
from research. This can be used to inform methodologies and practices as
opposed to practitioners relying on opinion, hearsay or the latest trends.
Many of the evidence-based ideas outlined throughout the book originate
from contemporary skill acquisition research.
Evidence-based approaches provide an opportunity for organisations
to align their working processes with the research. This may lead to
the emergence of innovative new approaches as opposed to being
reliant upon tradition. A contemporary approach differs to the
dominant style by incorporating methodologies that are informed by
evidence, as opposed to relying predominantly on personal opinions
and experiences.
Adopting evidence-based organisational approaches serves as a
huge paradigm shift. Assumptions are commonly formed based on
practitioners? previous playing and coaching experiences, leading to
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preconceived beliefs about how organisational duties should be
performed. This commonly manifests itself in activities that feature
scripted routines and an excessive amount of explicit instruction. A
linear pedagogy accounts for the nature of this approach. It is often
assumed that consistent inputs arising from regular and deliberate
practice will lead to consistent outputs in the form of gradual
improvement. The reality is that learning is not optimised within
such a linearised framework.
Without a base of empirical evidence to rely upon, what
rationale exists to justify current methodologies other than
experience and attitudes such as ?We?ve always done it this
way??
What are the implications of contemporary ideas for many practice
staples, such as the three-player weave, zig-zag and other highly
popular drills? This includes the likes of:
? Mass Close-Out Lines
? The Shell Drill
? 5-on-0 Offensive Execution
? 1-on-0 Finishes
? Dribbling through Cones
? Box and Line Drills
? The Mikan Drill
? 2-on-0 Partner Passing
? Static Ball Handling with One or Two Basketballs
? Form and Spot Shooting
In order to share why such drills are ineffective, it becomes
necessary to explore early skill acquisition ideas and unpack their
relationship with the dominant approach. This starts with
information processing theory, which has existed as a skill acquisition
theory since the 1960?s. Information processing continues to have an
influence in the present day with many of the individuals studying
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motor learning, sports science and physical education at university
being educated in information processing based theories.6
INFORMATION PROCESSING (IP): a theory looking at how
humans move and supposedly ?acquire? the movement skills required to be
successful in sports. Information processing theory suggests that humans
respond to stimuli (e.g. defenders, ball, location of teammates) from the
environment, before processing this information by deciding and selecting an
appropriate action response from a choice of available actions. This becomes
a three-phased ?see-decide-act? mechanism. The brain is compared to that of
a computer being capable of analysing and storing information and
movement patterns.
In the present day, IP is being gradually replaced by ecological
dynamics as the dominant skill acquisition theory. The ideas shared
throughout Transforming Basketball lie within an ecological dynamics
framework, which differ greatly from an IP rationale. This transcends
basketball, as an ecological approach can be used to make sense of
movement and coordination in all fields and forms of life.
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS: a scientific framework which studies the
behaviour of neurobiological systems (including humans), specifically related
to the processes of action, perception and cognition.7 The mutual
relationship between the environment and individual underpins the
ecological approach. The roots of ecological dynamics originate from
ecological psychology and dynamical systems theory. An understanding of
both fields is therefore required to appreciate how they inherently
complement each other. Ecological dynamics manifests into a nonlinear
pedagogy and the constraints-led approach, providing practical ideas for
how ecological dynamics can be applied by basketball coaches and
practitioners.
When researchers first began studying sports performance, IP was
used as the main theory to account for how athletes executed motor
skills. While many practitioners are unaware of theories such as IP
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and ecological dynamics, the vast majority align with an IP approach
?whether they are aware of it or not. This is where the introduction
of ?theory? alongside coaching is often met with scepticism. However,
bringing awareness into the spotlight that coaches are using a
theory whether they like it or not, is likely the biggest hurdle to
surpass when introducing skill acquisition to the basketball industry.
As stated by Rob Gray, Associate Professor at Arizona State
University, many practitioners say that they do not need a theory to
account for how they operate. However, the reality is that every
practitioner has a theory, and they are already making use of one!8
If a coach believes that using a three-player weave or zig-zag drill is
effective, then clearly the coach has a theory of learning and
believes that such methods are more effective than others.
Therefore, it may be beneficial to utilise a theory that is informed by
evidence rather than being solely influenced by experiential
knowledge.
Transforming Basketball presents the case for why practitioners need
to have a valid theoretical framework to account for their work. This
allows them to be well-informed of the essence of human
movement, the emergent nature of skill, and how to design practice
conditions which develop skills effectively. In order to develop a
sense of this theoretical framework, it is critical to first have an
understanding of how an ecological approach differs to IP, and then
how it can be practically applied. This means an understanding of
the IP framework and its inherent limitations are necessary.
The essence of IP begins with the premise that players become
more skilled as they progress through three observable stages of
learning: cognitive, associative, and autonomous.9
1. Cognitive: a high element of cognitive load where lots of
errors are visible within movement executions at this stage.
2. Associative: a player may grasp the ?basics? and reduce
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variability in movements through repetition, reducing
cognitive load so the brain has a greater capacity to process
more information.
3. Autonomous: executing skill involves little conscious
thought as players perform skills without thinking, freeing up
a greater amount of cognitive capacity to take on harder or
complex skills.
It is important to note that even within an IP rationale, researchers
did not stipulate that practice should not feature variability, as
blocked versus random was emphasised as an alternative to rote
repetition. However, the inherent nature of the stage-based learning
model naturally suggests that learning is a linear process, in addition
to the need to ?drill? a particular habit or movement into the players.
Within the Oxford Dictionary, the word drill is defined as ?a way of
learning something by means of repeated exercises? or ?the correct
or usual way to do something.? The essence of drilling aligns with
the cognitive and associative stages of IP, where there are
corrections of movements and a frequent reference to the ?basics.? IP
may have contributed to the widespread belief that ?fundamentals?
are essential, prerequisite components of developing skilled
basketball players. This is not merely exclusive to basketball, as this
same belief is observed in virtually every other sport.
A key component of IP is the idea that humans are similar to a
digital computer by interpreting and processing stimuli before
producing an action output.10 Information enters an individual
through the sensory systems (visual, auditory, proprioceptive) and is
encoded and stored in either working or long-term memory. IP
theory is a top-down approach to movement, with mental
representations accounting for how movements occur.11 Supposedly
the more repetitions that occur, the better a player is able to move
information between working and long-term memory. This is what
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allows for players to more effectively recall stored movements, thus
accounting for how they become more skilful.
IP suggests that in the early stages of learning, players struggle
learning a new technique as their ?working memory? is overloaded.
After more repetitive practice, a player becomes more skilled and
becomes less conscious of what they are doing. This frees up the
computer-like brain by allowing working memory to process more
information. The rationales and methods adopted by the majority of
basketball
practitioners
prove
how?whether
intentionally
or
unintentionally?IP-based practice styles are far more widespread
than an ecological approach. This accounts for the popularity of
repetition and highly scripted drills.
The eight laws of learning are explanation, demonstration,
imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition,
repetition.
JOHN WOODEN
The above quote from the legendary Coach Wooden clearly aligns
with the IP ?associative? stage of learning. While acknowledging that
Wooden was a pioneer of his era and one of the most successful
coaches ever, 50 years have elapsed since Wooden?s last NCAA
championship. Basketball practitioners in the present day can
therefore benefit from research that did not exist in Wooden?s era,
such as an ecological dynamics framework.
In other fields of human life, what was done 50 years ago is often
completely outdated in comparison to what can be achieved in the
present day. If methodologies even a decade old were still adopted
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in fields such as medicine and technology, global advancement
would be massively curtailed or even worse; individuals would be
sued for malpractice! Even if one approach has been popular in the
past, this does not validate it being used to justify the dominant
approaches that are repeated within basketball in the present day.
The
dominant
approach?whether
informed
by
no
skill
acquisition
theory
or
an
IP-based
approach?contrasts
greatly with an ecological approach. Instead of using drills,
within an ecological framework the coach sees their role as
existing to design rich learning environments that are more
representative of what players encounter within the game.
Within IP theory, representations are formed throughout the learning
process. This supposedly enables players to decide and select a plan
of action, with mental processing enabling them to execute a chosen
movement pattern. Given the complexity and lack of time available
to execute sudden movements in basketball, IP has severe
limitations as a framework to make sense of human movement. It is
implausible to consider that there is enough time to select and
decide upon appropriate action responses within a fast-paced and
unpredictable sport such as basketball.12 This stage-based model
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simply does not account for the speed and flexibility in which
movements occur within the game. An offensive player driving and
suddenly encountering a help defender does not have time to select,
decide and act on an appropriate movement response.
In defensive sequences such as Giannis Antetokounmpo?s incredible
block during the 2021 NBA Finals, it would be impossible for Giannis
to have interpreted and selected the appropriate movement
response mechanism required to perform a successful block over an
incredibly short timeframe. According to an IP rationale, Giannis
would have interpreted sensory information based on factors such as
the positioning of his defensive teammates, the movements of the
offensive opponents, the speed of the ball handler and the flight of
the pass. This would then be ?processed? before using stored
memory structures within the brain to select and initiate an
appropriate movement pattern. It is highly improbable that a threestaged process can occur within possessions such as this one,
occurring over thousandths of a second. Furthermore, what if
Giannis selected an action response, but then wanted to use a
different movement outcome as a result of new information being
encountered within his environment? If players decided and
retrieved their movement solutions, then they would simply always
be a split second behind in being capable of producing an effective
response!
Even if the brain was able to control movement, there is no scientific
evidence for parts of the brain being capable of storing and updating
movement skills. This is known as the ?black box theory.? Given the
limitations of IP, it begs the question as to why the dominant
approach in basketball is so focused on the importance of repetition,
teaching new moves, and mastering patterns.
If players do not store and recall movement patterns to
execute within the game, then why are enormous amounts
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of practice time and entire organisational approaches based
on this misnomer?
It?s almost embarrassing because I couldn?t tell you a drill to
do. Like, I don?t do drills at all. I think that?s why a lot of
people who handle the basketball, I think mine looks different.
You know, ?cause I?ve never done a drill. I?ve never done ?get
to a chair and go through your legs,? or ?get to a spot and a
cone and go through your legs or behind your back. It was
always off instinct, because that cone is not going to be a 6?5?,
6?6?, 6?7? wing who?s athletic who can jump and can move. I
think with me not scripting anything, my moves are more
effective that way.13
JAMAL CRAWFORD
REFLECTIVE TASK #1: How is the dominant approach to
coaching exemplified in other fields through how the following
organisational roles are performed?
? Athletic Performance
? Mental Skills
? Physical Therapist
? Analytics
? Front Office
In reflecting upon the above question, one of major impacts of the
dominant approach is its contribution to siloed operational
procedures. Siloed thinking arises when individuals focus excessively
on their own specific role without integration, frequent interaction
and an adept awareness of how other organisational duties are
performed. This is a phenomenon affecting many organisations
within the sports world, especially basketball. As resources have
increased substantially over the last decade, organisations have
become even more specialised. This often contributes to various
departments working in an even more fragmented and reductionist
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manner.
One of the reasons for siloed thinking is due to the lack of a robust
theoretical framework, such as ecological dynamics, which could be
used to integrate all organisational departments. Examples of siloed
thinking could include a physical therapist working independently
from the coaching staff when supporting a player returning from
injury, or an athletic performance coach designing a programme
featuring movements that are very different to the movement
solutions frequently demonstrated by the players within the game.
The opposite to working in silos is adopting a unified organisational
approach. In order to achieve organisational unity, an appreciation is
required of how effective team and player development consists of
far more than merely delivering on-court drills through the dominant
approach. Unity is needed within every organisational department to
break down departmental silos and adopt a contemporary player
development framework. Throughout Transforming Basketball, the
incorporation of processes informed by an ecological dynamics
framework is presented as a means of achieving this.
Ecological dynamics can be therefore be used for:
? Understanding and reconceptualising performance in
basketball
? Informing how each organisational staff member
approaches their role
? Shaping principles of play and how the game is played
offensively and defensively
? Providing the basis for coaches to shift from a dominant to
contemporary approach, supported by contemporary skill
acquisition research
? Laying the foundation for organisations to achieve unity as
opposed to continuing to work in silos
Embracing an ecological framework allows for every department to
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make sense of what effective learning truly involves. This allows for
practice conditions to be developed which enhance basketball
performance in a manner aligned with a valid theoretical framework.
This requires everyone within an organisation to work together in a
highly integrated manner: the front office, coaching staff, athletic
performance, analytics, performance analysts, mental performance,
nutritionists, and other relevant departments.
The prevalence of siloed thinking has emerged through no fault of
the individuals working within basketball; but rather as a reflection
of the industry as a whole. The overwhelming majority of individuals
working in basketball are extremely well-intentioned. However, with
people on the ?inside? of the industry being so busy with the day-today practicalities of their roles, this makes it difficult to step back
and consider an alternative approach.
The notion of path dependency accounts for many of the
aforementioned themes. The term may be most relevant to account
for the popularity of the dominant approach and the prevalence of
siloed thinking.
PATH
DEPENDENCY: when a practitioner?s reliance on prior
experiences or beliefs informs current practice methodologies.14 Path
dependency accounts for how elements that seem so normal in the present
day?such as the dominant approach and siloed thinking?continue to be
used as primary methodologies despite other evidence suggesting a more
effective alternative.
The concept of path dependency originated with John McWhorter,
Professor of Linguistics and Western Civilisation at Columbia
University. Path dependency accounts for many of the methodologies
that are entrenched within the sporting world. This leads to
individuals and organisations progressing down the same path by
continuing to use the same methods, oftentimes remaining unaware
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of an alternative. Breaking away from path dependency to adopt a
contemporary approach is a recurring theme of this book series.
McWhorter accounted for the prevalence of path dependency by
stating that it exists ?despite the eclipse of the justification for that
choice, because once established, external factors discouraged going
into reverse to try other alternatives.?15 In other words, powerful
socio-cultural factors inhibit progression within basketball, drawing
practitioners back to old habits and the status quo. This is what has
contributed to path dependency ascending to the highest levels of
the game. To avoid the continuation of this self-perpetuating cycle,
empirical evidence can help individuals and entire organisations
realise the benefits of adopting alternative methodologies.
There is a path dependence, an ideological inertia, shielding
the inherited beliefs about how skill is understood and
?acquired.? Path dependency implies that traditional approaches
remain challenging to change and can be very sticky.16
IAN RENSHAW ET AL.
Within many organisations, particular departments such as sports
medicine, physical therapy and biomechanics are naturally more
grounded in empirical evidence due to the nature of their fields.
However, the question remains as to whether the evidence is
integrated and applied across an entire organisation as effectively as
it could be. Furthermore, is there an organisation promoting interdepartmental collaboration through sharing the same set of
theoretical principles?
Despite being the most influential field within basketball, coaching is
the area that has the most potential to benefit from new ideas. This
is highlighted by the fact that at the moment of publication, there is
only one skill acquisition professional working across all thirty
organisations within the NBA. No skill acquisition professionals work
in the NCAA or EuroLeague. In light of the hundreds of millions
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of dollars spent at the highest levels, the easiest way to
make a tangible difference on performance has remained
completely unused.
How the coach, or any individual within an organisation, performs
their role is subject to the influences of the context they are in, their
previous experiences and society as a whole. Influential sociocultural constraints therefore contribute to shaping particular
coaching and playing behaviours, leading to the emergence of
impactful forms of life. Forms of life are a key concept to grasp, as
understanding their impact is a key distinguishing feature between
the dominant and contemporary approach.
FORMS OF LIFE: Rothwell, Davids and Stone proposed how forms of
life are founded upon ?specific socio-cultural, economic and historical
constraints that have shaped the development of performance in a particular
sport and physical activity.?17 Forms of life can subsequently account for the
manner in which players play within basketball, as well as the methodologies
practitioners adopt and how they approach their individual roles. Forms of
life may therefore exist as either positive or negative factors.
As described by Vaughan and colleagues, a form of life could be
described as an individual?s way of being, acting, and behaving.18
For players, this could be observed through their personalities,
characteristics and playing styles. For practitioners, forms of life
account for why path dependence exists with coaches commonly
drawn to similar coaching behaviours and ways of thinking. This
accounts for the tendency of individuals to begin their careers and
recycle the same old methodologies rather than providing new
alternatives. This phenomenon is stifling innovation and progress
throughout the basketball industry as a whole because practitioners
are often hired for their ability to recreate the status quo.
Furthermore, when practitioners do have something unique to offer,
it not often understood by hiring managers because of how
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drastically this differs to the dominant approach.
By understanding the root causes behind how these forms of life
arise and why many widely-held notions within the basketball world
need to be re-examined, it may reduce the continued prevalence of
the dominant approach. The illustration below highlights how various
forms of life have contributed to path dependency, with the various
subtopics being expanded upon throughout the course of this
chapter.
The most important starting point in overcoming path dependency
lies in exploring and increasing self-awareness of why coaches coach
in the manner in which they coach. In research conducted by Moy et
al., it was suggested that coaches frequently resort to the
philosophies and drills they are most comfortable with. This acts as a
limiting factor in being able to adopt an approach informed by
contemporary skill acquisition through the use of more progressive
coaching styles.19 One reason for this is the past experiences that
coaches accumulate through previous playing careers. These
experiences have a powerful influence on what coaches and front
office staff perceive as ?effective? coaching. Therefore when players
retire and ascend through the coaching ranks, this leads to the same
coaching methods being recycled that players experienced while
playing. This is often done without a consideration as to whether or
not such methods are effective or could be enhanced.
This aligns with research conducted by Lortie, who used the term
?custodial approach? to account for how many pedagogists work in a
similar way to how they were taught.20 If players experience the
dominant style throughout their career, regardless of whether or not
they had success being trained with such methods, they are likely to
adopt that same approach. The reality faced by many coaches is
that they have a great amount of confidence in using blocked,
constant classical drills. This is what they are most familiar with, as
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well as the method used almost everywhere else within the entire
basketball ecosystem. This creates a form of inertia which prevents
individuals from being willing to try something different.
The popularisation of drills by NBA and NCAA coaches serves as
another reason for the popularity of the dominant approach. Famous
coaches and their drills are copied by others in an attempt to
emulate their successes. Many believe that any success achieved
was a direct result of the drills used as opposed to other factors that
could have been more significant. For all the successful coaches that
utilise a dominant approach, there are a far greater number of
coaches who utilised the same methods without achieving anywhere
near the same level of success. This is known as survivorship bias.
Survivorship bias means that only the stories of the coaches and
players who became successful using particular methods are shared.
In other words, the ?survivors.? The thousands and thousands of
coaches and players who used the same dominant approach?but
failed?are never heard of. In only seeing the stories of the survivors
it paints an inaccurate picture by assuming that their methods were
the reason for why they became successful. What if coaches and
players could have become even more effective by using a
contemporary approach?
There will always be one winner at every level of basketball. Martí
Cañellas has highlighted how within the sporting landscape, we are
assimilated within a culture that assumes that the winners must
automatically embody best practice ideas. While it would be
foolhardy to suggest that absolutely nothing can be learnt from such
programmes?which is certainly not the case?this does not mean
that a winning organisation is necessarily training as effectively as
they could be, or that their developmental and organisational
processes could not be significantly enhanced.
If we put 20 highly mediocre coaches together into one league,
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one coach would still win.
JOAN CORTES
In the new age of social media, platforms such as Instagram, Twitter
and TikTok combine to deepen path dependency. Individuals and
influencers with large followings share content based on the
dominant approach, which is consumed and adopted by others who
consider it as being an effective way to coach. This leads to the
dominant coaching style becoming more entrenched as coaches
repeat the same drills and pedagogic style used by their peers, the
coaches they see on social media, as well as those within
professional or collegiate circles.
Furthermore, within the basketball world ?what to coach? is almost
always prioritised over ?how to coach.? A huge emphasis is placed on
various offensive and defensive schemes in addition to using various
drills. Drills are frequently used without highly specific intentions,
often filling time within a practice as opposed to solving a particular
problem which a team or specific players are struggling to solve. The
goal should therefore be to approach practice through the lens of
designing activities around the problems that present themselves, as
opposed to using the same drills over and over again. This may lead
to a variety of unique activities being designed throughout a season
in response to the problems that emerge over various timescales.
As a result of this tendency, the methodology behind why and how
coaches are using certain concepts becomes lost. Coaches do not
receive the chance to zoom out and ask the question ?Is there an
alternative?? This is commonly reflected in the coach education and
development sessions delivered by national federations and other
organisations. Coaching clinics mostly focus on offensive or
defensive philosophies as opposed to underpinning theories such as
skill acquisition, practice design, what constitutes effective learning
and how basketball organisations can understand the essence of
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skilful performance.
This tendency is further demonstrated by the overt focus placed on
the X?s and O?s side of the game. Many coaches develop a vast
collection of quick hitters and set plays, believing that running more
plays will help the team to win more games. The reality is there is no
such thing as ?the? best play, as what works for one team, may be
ineffective for another. Consequently a lot of attention is dedicated
to discovering new set plays, as opposed to doing more with less
and
improving
offensive
execution
through
practicing
with
contemporary skill acquisition ideas. There is a sense of immediate
gratification that comes with calling out various plays or
implementing a new practice drill, especially given their potential for
instant implementation. This approach greatly contrasts to learning
about how skilled movement emerges: an uncertain and nonlinear
process with results that are not immediately revealed.
Furthermore, if contemporary skill acquisition principles are
interpreted correctly, then there will almost certainly be some type of
failure within the practice environment. Without this, meaningful
learning cannot truly occur. This can be a very difficult concept to
appreciate when such an emphasis has been placed on ?perfect
practice? over the last several decades. Traditionally, practice is
supposed to be neat and tidy, with coaches believing that practice is
a poor refection upon them if players are consistently making
mistakes. This form of life is best encapsulated by the famous Vince
Lombardi quote: ?Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect
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practice makes perfect.?21
While the X?s and O?s side of the game cannot be completely
neglected, the ability to coach according to modern pedagogic
principles requires moving away from the misnomer of ?perfect
practice.? This is essential in order to develop more adaptive
basketball players, which will improve the effectiveness of any
offensive possession. Contemporary coaches of the future may be
viewed as those not merely adept at X?s and O?s, but also able to
adopt a transformational approach in how they develop relationships
within their team. This may be combined with a more equal
relationship between ?what? and ?how? to coach.
Another contributing factor to path dependency within the basketball
world is the coach licensing and educational systems used by
national federations. Many federations around the world have
national curricula whereby coaches are educated through the
dominant approach. This leads to entire generations of new coaches
emerging with the belief that coaching does not need to be
grounded in empirical evidence or skill acquisition research. Some
federations, including the Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish, Norwegian
and Bavarian Basketball Federations, are doing pioneering work to
educate coaches based on an ecological dynamics framework. After
partaking in rigorous coach education and licensing processes in
their respective countries, many international coaches find it difficult
to fathom how there is no national form of coach licensing and
education within the U.S. However, this could be a positive factor
due to how a lack of education may arguably be more beneficial
than an ill-informed education! It goes without saying that there is
enormous potential within the U.S. for effective coach development
to take place that is grounded in evidence-based ideas.
REFLECTIVE TASK #2: Spend 30 seconds reflecting on what
other influential constraints may have contributed to the dominant
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approach being so widespread in basketball. Identify as many as you can
unique to your own setting.
Job preservation exists as another form of life in preserving the
status quo, especially for professional and collegiate coaches. The
need to conform to societal expectations of how to coach can
prevent coaches from being more creative. This is especially relevant
for professional coaches, where losing three or four games in close
succession can lead to losing a job. If such coaches adopt a
contemporary approach, it is likely to be so different to what General
Managers (GMs) have previously experienced, that any potential
blame can easily be attributed to the ?out-of-the-box? methods used.
Within such a notoriously unstable industry, deviating from the
status quo to coach a team with an alternative methodology
provides an easy rationale for being fired in the instance of poor
performance. To begin changing this narrative, it is critical for GMs
and other front office staff to also have an awareness of the
evidence-based ideas shared throughout Transforming Basketball.
While many socio-cultural factors serve as limiting constraints in
breaking away from path dependency, there can be positive
influences. A Head Coach or General Manager who experiences
success using contemporary methods may lead to a reversal of this
perpetuating cycle. As soon as one organisation within the basketball
world achieves success using a contemporary approach, the
likelihood of others following suit may rapidly increase. To ascend
out of path dependency, individuals must be intrinsically motivated
to discover an alternative approach as opposed to settling for the
status quo. While skill acquisition research has existed for decades,
the rise of the internet, podcasts, and platforms focused on modern
coaching ideas can help to shape a new generation of practitioner.
However, even when such resources exist, spending time investing in
learning and research is not for everyone. Many professional and
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collegiate teams share ideas and hire staff from within their own
ecosystems as opposed to gaining inspiration from the outside. This
means there is little need for individuals to think differently. This
serves to further confine organisational thinking, increasing the
prevalence of the dominant approach. This can easily be solved
through more transparent hiring processes, ensuring staffs feature a
diverse collection of individuals from multiple backgrounds.
Individuals working without the pressure of conforming to the
dominant style may be best placed to reap the rewards of adopting
a contemporary approach. This conflicts with the tendency of many
basketball organisations, particularly at the youth level, to place an
emphasis on performance versus development. This affects the
coaching behaviours that emerge, contributing to a ?win at all costs?
mentality that is counter productive to growth and trying new things.
This is paired with many practitioners getting caught up in the cycle
of a gruelling season, leaving little time for self-development due to
the entire focus being placed upon game preparation and other dayto-day organisational duties. This takes time away from learning and
experimenting with evidence-based ideas.
Another form of life relevant to youth basketball is the inclination of
many youth coaches to look up to senior professional coaches and
adopt highly similar coaching approaches. In doing so, coaches
commonly overlook how senior basketball is very different to youth
basketball. While great ideas can be derived from senior coaches, if
widespread ?copy and paste? attitudes are adopted without careful
consideration as to what is age appropriate, it can lead to concepts
being employed that are not conducive to effective learning. A prime
example of this could involve copying a set play from a senior team,
before teaching the play in its entirety to an U12 team. Given that so
many youth coaches are volunteers or part-time coaches, they
commonly do not have the time to study, plan and review practices.
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This makes it easier to resort to the same old methods without
consideration of what is most effective.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the dominant approach is that it
relies solely on an individual?s experience and opinion, as opposed to
evidence as to what constitutes skilful performance. The ability to
incorporate and learn from past experiences is a key part of
coaching, but critically this should be paired with a compelling
evidence base. By embracing evidence-based ideas, the basketball
world no longer needs to rely on myths, opinions and
unsubstantiated truths. Comments such as ?We?ve always done it
this way? only stifle the creation of effective learning environments
which could otherwise help the next generation of players reach
their full potential.
Ultimately, the players are the most important part of an
organisation. As such, they deserve the opportunity to perform to
the best of their ability and benefit from evidence-based ideas. The
solution to overcoming path dependency is not through relying upon
opinions or hearsay, but by incorporating empirical evidence into
entire organisational approaches. This is a challenging feat given
how many practitioners have spent their whole careers using a
dominant approach. This is the very reason that path dependency
becomes so entrenched, acting as a barrier for the adoption of
contemporary methods.
To surpass this impasse, a vision of the future is required along with
a clear understanding of what the alternative could look like within
the basketball world. This needs to be highly specific and relevant
for both coaches and practitioners working in other organisational
roles. With a deep examination of the current landscape complete,
this sets the scene for future chapters to make sense of the
alternative. The illustrations below summarise path dependency, as
well as the alternative themes that will be explored throughout this
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book series.
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