College Team Issued

Can someone please help me with an off season shooting guard workout/?

Recently, I tried out for a college team, but did not make it. (Mostly because of endurance and stamina issues due to injury). But can someone help me with a shooting guard workout (weight lifting, skills, endurance, etc.)?

This is a workout I used to do, put together from pieces of workouts from old coaches and trainers. Start by shooting between 10 and 50 short range shots just to warm up the arms and legs. Make sure you are shooting with proper form because this is what your body will remember throughout the workout. Once you are done with that shoot ten free throws. Now run a set of lines (start on baseline, run to first free throw, back to baseline, to half-court, baseline, three-quarters court, baseline, full, baseline) for each free throw missed–hopefully it will not be more than three. When running these lines it is ok to do about half speed. Now stretch well, upper and lower body.

Now comes the workout. Spin pass to yourself (tossing the ball forward with backspin so that it comes back to you), catch the ball how you would like to receive it in a game, and shoot. Make sure that you are in shooting position when you catch the ball, and use your legs to step into the ball and the shot. Do twenty of these from inside 8 feet from all sides of the hoop, adding in some post moves here and there. Then shoot ten free throws. Now run a set of lines at 100% for each throw missed. Next phase is within 12 feet. Twenty shots. Ten free throws. Run for missed throws. Then 20 shots from 15 feet and 10 free throws. Run for missed free throws. Then a cycle from the three point line.

When done, add some more depending on energy level or just do a cool down jog and stretch.

That is a complete shooting workout, but to take away some of the repetition, you can add these extras in. During any one of the cycles throw some pump-fakes. Pump-fake once, take one hard dribble, and then shoot. You can also put a broom on a chair so that it looks like a hand in the face, and shoot over it. This will help your game-shooting. Passes off walls are good to get angles. You can also set the ball on the floor, make a cut with a jab-step and return to the ball, picking it up in crouched shooting position, and shoot. Those are good for the jumps too.

Bottom line is, don’t spend any money like the guy above me suggests. It is not necessary. Add these shooting drills to plyometrics of sprinting and leaping/bounding every other day, with some lifting and it will do the job—provided you stick with it on a regular basis.

Also, if I was on that coaching staff, I would love a player that did not make my team the year before to come into my office and ask what he needs to work on in the offseason to make the team next year. I would surely have ten minutes for a player that wanted to commit to helping himself, and then helping the team. I might even send him to a trainer for some individual drill help.

Are You Ready to Coach a College Sports Team?

Coaching a college sports team can be a rewarding experience for a coach, it can also be quite stressful and challenging if you do not understand what you might be getting your self into.

When you make that career decision to coach at the college level you are about to take on a wide array of responsibilities.

You Will Be Responsible For:
Representing your school in an appropriate way while trying to succeed as a team, all of the players on your team, handling all of the extra requirements for your international players such as visa concerns, organising holiday accommodation, transport, language barriers and much more.

You will also have to monitor your athlete’s academic status and maintain eligibility requirements, safely transport your team when on a road trip. This often requires you to drive a bus for long distances to unknown locations.

Other areas of responsibility include being in compliance with NCAA rules, organising and conducting team practices, administration issues, attending school events and meetings, co-operating with the media and providing results, attracting alumni support, scheduling matches and tournaments, recruiting athletes, scholarships, intra-team issues, facility management and maintenance and the list goes on and on.

Being a college coach can be very satisfying and rewarding from the other more traditional roles as a coach (eg. Club, High School or YMCA Coach)
You will develop a bond with your players but will also experience the pressure of being successful and having a winning record. College sports programs seek titles, whether they are Conference, regional or National Titles. These are often used by coaches and schools in helping to recruit the best players. Obviously a top athlete will want to go to a successful program rather than one that fails to win year in and year out.

A successful program can often be the deciding factor for a lot of students when deciding between schools. Many students have chosen schools primarily because of the success of their football or basketball teams ands want to be associated with a winning school for bragging rights. This pressure to succeed in the big sports often falls onto the coach and their staff. The life of a college coach is not a very secure one.

The Best Ways to Prepare For Being a College Coach Are:
Experience playing the sport you want to coach, playing on a college team when you were a student, spending several years working as an Assistant Coach under an experienced Head Coach in a successful program, find a mentor.

Many schools require coaches to have a Masters Degree or college degree at minimum.

You will also need to build a good resume, acquire leadership skills while going through school, study in advance and get a good understanding of the NCAA rules and regulations, have a plan to present to your employer, understand your style of coaching and the leadership style you will follow, do some research to see if coaching at the college level is viable for you from as financial perspective, know that many coaches work for minimum wage, be prepared with an extensive list of coaching drills to implement into your programs.

Some of the benefits of Being a College Coach Include:
Gaining valuable experience in leadership and coaching large numbers of athletes, it can be very rewarding when you succeed as a team, you can progress from a smaller school to a larger one that is more challenging a lucrative, you will develop a bond with your athletes, you will have a support system in place from the sports program, you can often negotiate accommodation into your contracts.

Other benefits include getting discounts on tuition for yourself or family members, some of your living costs are paid by the school, you can make a lot of money from running summer clinics and camps, you can find financially lucrative positions, you feel a sense of belonging, experience the fun of being involved with young motivated athletes with possible desires of being professional athletes once their college years are over, you have sponsors providing you with free equipment and clothing, you will gain respect from athletes and peers, you will develop other skills of recruiting, managing, administration and promoting.

When choosing a college you will want to research the following areas as they will help you decide if the position is right for you:
Salary and benefits
Job security
School location
Family issues
Accommodation availability
Scholarships available to you for recruiting the best players
The report amongst the other coaches
Training facilities (fitness centre, sporting fields)
What division are they in (Division 1, 2, 3)
Do you have to share the playing courts, field with other teams?
Will you have an assistant coach?
How much money is in the budget?
Can you afford to take the team on long trips over spring / fall break?
Does the school have a high standard of academics?
Is there room to progress or climb the coaching ladder?
What is the reputation of the Athletics Director? Is he / she easy to work with?
Do you have your own office or do you have to share?
What is the condition of the playing facilities?
Do you have to do your own maintenance on the facilities?

Coaching a college team is fun, rewarding, financially lucrative at the highest levels, challenging, can be stressful, requires working week-ends and odd hours, lots of organising, dealing with many issues and much more. It is a personal decision for each individual and the best advice is to gain experience as an assistant coach before plunging into the position as a head coach.

Remember – you have to love what you are doing, if you don’t love coaching and your sport then it can end up being a miserable experience! It’s is up to you to do your homework!

About the Author

David Horne is a former professional tennis player who has created several online sports web sites including Global Sports Zone which is the Ultimate Sports Directory for all sports fans! You can also visit the global web site for Tennis Coaching at Global Sports Coaching