Video, or as we called it in the old days…..film.

I have always been a big believer in watching film with my teams. Early on in my career, I met a guy that had gone to high school in Dimmitt and played for the great Kenneth Cleveland. I asked him how much film they watched……his reply was an emphatic ‘lots!’ I had never met Coach Cleveland, but knew of Dimmitt and their great teams of the 70’s and early 80’s. I wish that I’d had the opportunity to meet Coach Cleveland…..he was obviously a great coach, and by all accounts a great man as well.

Anyway, I was a second year coach, still forming my philosophy, and this part of it was pretty simple: if Coach Cleveland’s teams watched lots of film, we were going to as well.

Over the years, I’ve heard coaches say that they don’t watch much film with their kids because it becomes a ‘joke around’ session and the kids don’t get much out of it…..here are my thoughts on watching film:

• I kept a rock and a sponge in view when watching video. At the first of the year, I would pour a little water on the rock and a little water on the sponge. I told the kids that they had a choice: they could be like the rock, and just let the information they were about to get run off them. Or, they could be like the sponge and absorb the information. I think this set the tone (and was a constant reminder) that this was expected to be a learning opportunity for them.
• I don’t think you can plug the tape in……I guess the more appropriate term now is turn the video on…..and watch it like a movie. It takes a little time and work beforehand, but every video has a counter. I would write down the specific clips on the video that I wanted to show them, and make notes about what I wanted them to get out of the clip.
• Film is just another form of practice, treat it like any other practice time….we told them that we wanted mental intensity out of them rather than physical intensity.
• I always allowed them to bring food and drink into the film session. Most of the time we had snacks left over in the locker room, and the kids would wipe them out during film.
• Just like practice time on the court, there is a time and place for fun and laughter. I think it’s ok to laugh and rewind a funny situation (somebody falling in slow motion, or reverse!) as long as you, as the teacher,getthem back on task.
• Teach, teach, teach…..pause it and ask them questions, just like in the classroom! It is a great time to see the ‘Big Picture’. Understanding that big picture helps speed up reaction time in game situations.
• We hardly ever watched film specifically of opponents…this was our time to makeourselvesbetter. Occassionally, we would watch a few clips of something very specific about our opponents…more often during playoffs.
• I didn’t encourage kids watching film with their parents or by themselves……just didn’t think it would be productive.
• It’s much harder to find time, or keep attention, with younger kids, but I think it can be a great tool for them as well.

Honestly, this time of year, I think that a good 30-45 minute film session can be more productive than 30-45 minutes spent on the court. It’s your job as a coach to prepare, conduct, and lead that time just like you would court time…..it can act as a ‘day off’ during the grind of district play, without actually giving time off.