Benefits of hiring a Skill Development Coach

I've been conducting skill development workouts since 2001. I actually wanted to become a college coach and never even thought about doing skill development workouts for a living. When my basketball career was over and I moved back home to finish school I was approached by the University of Central Arkansas' head men's basketball coach about working out one of the team's returning point guards. I have to admit I had no idea of what to do. So I just put him through the same drills I did when I prepared for the upcoming season. We only met a few times but that gave me enough to wet my appetite.

Ok, so I won't bore you with my life story. Let's get down to reason for this blog, the benefits of hiring a skill development coach. There are several reasons why someone would hire a skill development coach, but I'm just going to give you a few of them. 

1. Knowledge of the game - The good skill development coaches continue to study the game and gain knowledge. They don't just go on what they learned in high school or college. They continue to read, go to clinics, converse with other coaches, have mentors, and spend countless hours watching videos and games to have a better understanding and grasp of the game. I know there are a lot of parents out there that like to coach their kids and teach them the game. That's cool. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you can find a really good skill development coach with the knowledge and understanding of the game you can't go wrong.
2. Unbiased criticism - There are some skill development coaches out there that really care about their players/clients. When there is genuine care the coach will be honest and open about the player's skills and abilities. Parents sometimes are little biased toward their own kids. I was like that with my daughter. For the short amount of time she played I would catch myself saying, "She has more potential than her", even though she didn't want to go to the gym and practice. A skill development coach can give truthful feedback and his/her honest opinion without the player feeling like they are being attacked.
3. Won't put a strain on parent-kid relationship - Kids playing for their parents can be tough. The parents may have a certain expectation that the kid feel like they can't reach. This will then give the kid anxiety and pressure that will cause a decrease in performance. Well, hiring a skill development coach will relieve the pressure from the parent of having to make sure the kid gets better. You can hire someone to improve their ball handling, footwork, knowledge of the game and other skills.

Even though I only gave 3 tips the parents must realize when to back off. When you hire a skill development coach you are trusting that person to improve your kid's skill set. Let the skill development coach do the training and you do the parenting. Now you can still help your son or daughter by taking them to the gym. When you do you should be  echoing what the coach is instructing.

If you have any questions or comments on this blog you can leave them below. Or you can send an email to coachtj@nbnbball.com.