A generation of young Australian players grew up trying to shoot like Patty Mills or Lauren Jackson, bat like Ricky Ponting or snap from the boundary like Buddy Franklin. Imitating our sporting heroes is very much part of how Australians develop their early skills. In my youth, it was the elegant cover drive of Greg Chappell, the perfect bowling action of DK Lillee and classic raking right foot of Geoff Raines out of the middle that was imitated in the front yard or driveway daily. Imitation has long been a key element in young players across all sports learning and developing skill and is a ..read more

Basketball New South Wales is currently conducting a series of free coaches clinics as part of their “D-League” program. These clinics provide coaches both in the event and in associations with a wide scope of skills, drills, concepts and strategies for their coaching. Here are some notes from a recent clinic conducted at Penrith on “Building Your Team Offence”. Introduction – When building your offensive system, identify your priorities in three key areas What do we want early – Pace phase What next – Poise phase How do we want to finish – Penetration phase Think “fast break” before “transi ..read more

Coach Don Showalter is one of the most respected youth development coaches in the international game, forging an imposing 62-0 record at the helm of the USA Under 17 Men and presenting clinics globally. Currently in Australia for a series of clinics in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, Coach Showalter is sharing his vast knowledge of player development with more than 300 coaches during his visit. Here are some notes from his recent clinic at Newington College, Sydney. Introduction – First question for all coaches – “Why do you coach?”– important to have clarity on why you started coac ..read more