Importance of
Individual Workouts
By Bob Marlin, Sam Houston State
Two years I received
a memo from our compliance officer, informing me that the NCAA
had made an adjustment to the guidelines for pre-season
workouts. Each player was still afforded two-hours per week to
work with a member of the coaching staff. That hasn’t changed.
What it is different is that we are unable to work out the
entire team until Sept. 15.
This is a good rule. Under the old guidelines, some coaches were
bypassing the individual workouts for one two-hour practice with
the entire team. It was defeating the entire purpose for having
individual workouts. Furthermore, it was unfair to schools on
the quarter system. A program like UCLA doesn’t begin school
until late September.
Most important to note is the fact that some (not all) were
taking advantage of this time period to conduct practice. At the
DI level, individual workouts are so important so it is good to
see a rule change that supports the idea of seeing the kids
improve. After all, that is what the college experience is
supposed to be all about. Getting prepared for the next step in
life.
One of the first things we relay to potential recruits is the
idea that we can make them better players. We never tell a kid
that they are a great player. We tell them that they are good
players and we can make them better. A big part of that process
involves individual workouts.
Coaches in the Southland Conference have told us repeatedly that
our kids have consistently improved with each year in college.
It’s really more of a testament to the players. They make the
commitment to become better players. We simply provide the
instructions.
I have always found that most kids want to learn and most kids
want to become better. They may come from different places and
they may have different levels of talent, but they all have one
thing in common. They all want to win. For us that process
begins the first time a student athlete steps on campus in his
rookie season.
Keeping with the two-hours per player per week model, a typical
week for us would be three 40-minute sessions, with as many as
four players at a time. Once Sept. 15 rolls around our weekly
schedule will look something like this:
- 40 minutes with four players. Ideally it would be best to have
either four guards or four post players. For the purposes of
this forum let’s say four guards.
- 40 minutes with the same four players.
- 40 minutes with those four players and the rest of the team.
Post players would follow the same model.
Things we would work on would include footwork (pivoting), ball
handling and a lot of shooting. Most of the workouts would focus
on the offensive aspects of the game. Defense is something that
I have always waited until full practice begins to address. We
would put an emphasis on both strengths and weaknesses. We want
to see you make your weaknesses into strengths, but we also want
to see your strengths become stronger.
This season full practice will begin on Oct. 13 (the closest
Friday to Oct. 15). However the start of full practice does not
mean that individual workouts are abandoned.
Once the season begins the approach to individual workout
regiments vary, from coach to coach. At some level there the
individual instruction continues, but to what degree would
depend on the program.
Here at Sam Houston State we give the players the
responsibility. Our kids know what they need to do so we leave
it up to them, as to whether or not they need additional help.
If someone wants to work on a particular aspect of their game,
they just knock on my door.
Florida head coach Billy Donovan has a different approach. Many
of you may recall what a hard-nosed player Billy was, during his
days at Providence and in the NBA. He may not have been the most
talented player on the floor, but nobody was going to out-work
him. He has brought that philosophy to the coaching ranks,
especially as it pertains to individual workouts.
Billy has a couple of rules.
1. Redshirts will have individual workouts on the day of game.
They aren’t eligible to play, but that doesn’t mean they can’t
work.
2. Those player who play less then 15 minutes on game day will
have an individual workout the day after a game. They didn’t
sweat quite enough on game night, but there is always tomorrow
to work a little more.
I have had the opportunity to see how Billy does things and I
don’t think there is any question that he doesn’t get nearly the
credit he deserves. I also don’t think it’s an accident that his
team accomplished what it did last season. His approach to
individual workouts is a big reason the Florida Gators are the
defending National Champions.
Of course Billy will tell you that it’s still all about the
desire to work. As I noted previously, we simply provide the
instructions. It’s up to the player to do the work.
How hard a player works is relative to the character of that
individual. There are guys that talk about getting better and
there are guys that just work hard.
When I was a junior college coach at Pensacola, FL, I had a
player named Anthony Goldwyre who fit that bill. He was a very
good player, but every time he stepped on a court his intention
was to become a better player. That was epitomized by one Sunday
evening.
It was 10:30 p.m. and I was headed home after a day with friends
and family. As I was approaching the campus I noticed the lights
in the gym were on. In retrospect I should not have been
surprised to find Anthony on the floor working on his game.
That hard work would pay off as he went from a solid player to a
player that was recruited by Arkansas, Connecticut, Houston,
Memphis State and Southern California. He considered Arkansas,
but like the others they were deep at the guard position so he
opted for Houston. The Razorbacks went on to win the National
Championship that season.
Anthony was a very good player who became a great player through
hard work and desire. When his collegiate career was over he was
a second round selection by the Phoenix Suns.
Granted, Anthony had exceptional talent, but he is a great
example of how talent alone is not always good enough. Through
his individual workouts and his self-commitment, he became a
great player.
As coaches all we can really do is provide the instruction. It’s
still up to the individual to make the commitment, but I really
believe you can accelerate that process through the individual
workouts. You can accomplish in smaller groups and you set the
table for the players to pursue more on their own.
