Episode XI: Naval Ravikant, Practice isn't about being Equal, 11 Man Break is Dead & More...
"The key to major changes on a societal level is getting enough people to alter their behaviour at the same time. It's not enough for one person to act!" - Shane Parish
Every week, I share a couple of things that I’m reading, learning or actively doing in my personal and professional life. This week, we dive into:
Current Book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Practice Idea: It’s not about Equality
X’s & O’s: Why the 12 Man Rotation Drill is better than the 11 Man Break
Leadership Thought: Find Your Replacement
Recommended Article: Failures in Coordination
Reflective Question: Who is in your circle?
Before we dive in, I'd like to share some links to the works that I published during the week.
Current Book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
This has to be one of the most powerful books that I've read. For those who don't know, Naval Ravikant is a modern day philosopher and angel investor.
He consistently adds value with his thoughts and sparks new thinking. Check out his Twitter page for an intro and then dive straight into his book, which will have you highlighting literally every page.
https://www.amazon.com/Almanack-Naval-Ravikant-Wealth-Happiness-ebook/dp/B08FF8MTM6
Practice Idea: It’s not about Equality
Coaches often approach youth practices as if they’re classroom sessions. Everyone tends to receive the same information at the same time, in a series of perceived logical progressions
However, both in the classroom and on the court, players (students) are different from each other and have different rates of progression.
Therefore, what initially sounded logical isn't really logical at all.
Instead, one of the things that we've started doing more of is having players spend more time in the areas where they need the most attention and progess on.
For our players who is quite weak at guarding the ball, he would spend more repetitions in the on ball defense segments, compared to a player who needs more work on off ball spacing and movement. Therefore in the same drill, we're not rotating players around equally, rather we’re allowing them to get better at where they need it the most.
I first heard about this idea from Coach Michael MacKay and despite the extra work, planning and attention needed, it truly allows our players to develop in a more consistent manner.
X’s and O’s: Why the 12 Man Rotation Drill is better than the 11 Man Break
One of my favourite drills early on in my career was the 11 Man Break. The drill which works on several key components of the game, including:
Transition Offenses Spacing
Transition Defense
Decision Making
Shot Selection
Rebounding and Hustle
Despite all that, it still left a couple of things short. As a result, we were able to modify the drill and come up with the 12 Man Rotation Drill.
We've found this drill to be more in alignment with our Transition Offense and Defensive Concepts.
Leadership Thought: Find your Replacement
The function of a leader is to develop more leaders, not followers.
As a coach, I've often thought of myself as someone who is in transit. I'm just passing by. It is my job to ensure that there are people who are ready to step in and fill in my role when the time comes for me to move on.
I don't want to leave a string of followers behind who need directions and instructions for every task. I want to leave be able to leave an environment where people are confident that they have the skills or know where they can attain the skills to solve problems and deal with issues.
A parents job is to prepare their child for when they leave the home. A teachers job is to prepare their students for when they leave the school. As a coach and leader, I'm preparing my players and peers for when they grow their wings and fly away. Will they have the skills necessary to thrive?
That's on me.
Recommended Article: Failure in Coordination
We choose what makes sense given the existing incentives, which often discourage us from challenging the status quo.
In this article, Shane Parish dives into Game Theory, Nash Equilibrium and Prisoner’s Dilemma to share with us why people tend to continuously do things that don’t make sense or rather are inefficient, despite the overarching evidence to say they shouldn't do it.
https://fs.blog/coordination-problems/
Reflective Question: Who is in your circle?
Where do the people in your circle add the most value in your life?
That’s all for this week. If you found this interesting, I would appreciate you sharing it on your social media accounts.
Until next week.
Nabil Murad