To become a better basketball coach and win more games, coaches often turn toward instructional basketball coaching videos and on-the-court clinics as primary resources for personal growth and development.
Championship Productions, the World’s leader in producing instructional coaching videos for basketball coaches at all levels of competition, continually releases new basketball video titles year-round … showcasing a wide array of the game’s hottest topics with information provided by the best and brightest coaching minds of today and the winningest, legendary coaches of yesteryear.
As exciting, new basketball coaching videos continue to make their debut from Championship Productions every month, there is also a virtual goldmine of innovative coaching strategies, game-proven tactics, program-building ideas, player-development plans and practice drills that can found in the highly acclaimed videos from year’s gone by, featuring some of the game’s winningest coaches.
Thom McDonald, Championship Productions’ Basketball Coaching Education Director, has worked with thousands of coaches over the years to produce the best, most-relevant coaching videos that cover basketball’s critical topics.
McDonald says that there is a treasure trove of must-see basketball coaching information that can be gleaned from some of Championship Productions’ stable of best-selling videos.
McDonald has provided a list of the following ’10 Best Videos That You May Have Forgotten About.’
Mike Krzyzewski
With over 50 years of coaching college basketball, over 1,200 wins, a 77-percent winning percentage and 5 NCAA Championships at Duke University, a video series by Mike Krzyzewski is a set that I feel is one of the best video series of all time.
This 6-video set, Mike Krzyzewski Duke Basketball 6-Pack features an awesome lineup of key coaching topics: Developing Post Players, Perimeter Players, and Point Guards, which all have their own videos. Plus, other gems such Attacking Any Zone Defense and Breaking the Press.
Rick Majerus
What a career. Coach Majerus may be one of the most innovative, unique and demanding basketball coaches to have ever worked with Championship Productions. With over 500 victories, a 71-percent winning percentage and 11 post-season tournament appearances, Coach Majerus’ place among the greatest basketball minds and great teachers of the game cannot be emphasized enough.
Coach Majerus has two videos that every coach should have in their basketball library, one is The Complete Guide to the Triangle and Two Defense. No matter what kind of defensive system you use, the information contained in this video will help you win more games. This defense can take your opponent out of their offense and put you in a position to win a game that you may not be favored to. It is a great equalizer of talent.
The second video by Coach Majerus, The Encyclopedia of the Four-Out 1-In Motion Offense is one of Championship Productions’ best-selling videos of all time.
Coach Majerus is absolutely brilliant in this video – in how he teaches, communicates and corrects players on the court. It’s fascinating to take in as a viewer.
Every coach on the planet should have these two Rick Majerus videos in their library of basketball coaching videos.
Jim Boeheim
No one will ever coach or participate for the same college program for 54 years in the game of basketball like Jim Boeheim did at Syracuse University. With 35 trips to post-season play, over 1,000 victories and a 70-percent winning percentage, Jim Boeheim’s style of play never changed.
An example of this is his saying that the 2-3 Zone Defense, ‘Is the way we’ll live, and this is how we will die.’
Coach Boeheim produced the Complete Guide to the 2-3 Match-Up Zone Defense, one of Championship Productions’ best-selling videos of all time.
Another video I would like to make you aware of, which is All-Access Syracuse Practice with Jim Boeheim.
What makes this video so unique is that it is all about the 2-3 zone and Coach Boeheim takes every part of the zone and tears it apart – helping the coaches watching it to understand how to teach and implement it. You’ll see the former Syracuse University coach Boeheim dissect each aspect of the 2-3 zone defense: the top of the zone, the two wing players and the middle man.
This All-Access Jim Boeheim video is 340-minutes long and it is the most thorough and informative zone defense videos ever made.
If you want to change the pace or the flow of the game, this is a must-watch video. Most coaches do not like to play against zone defenses, so a defense like the 2-3 zone is a good thing to have in your back pocket.
Jim Calhoun
Jim Calhoun has won at every level and institution he’s coached at including Northeastern, UConn, and St. Josephs. Coach Calhoun’s style of play transcends time and level of play. The video I would like to bring to your attention is the The 2-2-1 Press by Jim Calhoun.
If you want to change the tempo during a game, Coach Calhoun’s video is a great one to own. If you play with a shot clock, this is a great video to make your opponent handle the ball just a little bit more than they want to.
There are breakdown drills, that Jim Calhoun teaches using an effective whole-part-whole method that coaches will find helpful. This video illustrates how to put your team in a better position to win and make your opponent struggle.
Tom Izzo
With 41 years and counting, over 700 victories, 26 post-season tournament births and a 71% winning percentage, Tom Izzo is one of the best teachers in the game of basketball. Coach Izzo is relentless in his coaching style and his attention to detail, expectations and the execution of his philosophy is second to none.
The two videos that I’d like you to take a look from Tom Izzo, each follow that same thematic formula that the Michigan State coach has become famous for:
Tom Izzo: Rebounding Drills and Defending The Pick-And-Roll
Tom Izzo: Dominating Rebounding, Man-To-Man Defensive Drills
These two videos will help your team be successful and win games. The drills that Coach Izzo demonstrates, the way that he communicates with his players and how he holds them to the highest level of performance will be something that can help you and your team elevate their expectation for themselves and teammates.
These two videos demonstrate how you can hold your athletes accountable at the defensive end of the court and both offensive and defensive rebounding. Plus, these videos are a great for players of any age, gender or level of competition!
Jay Wright
I would recommend you buy every video that Jay Wright has ever done with Championship Productions – which includes 14 different topics on critical aspects of the game.
Coach Wright’s attention to detail, teaching style and communication skills are as good as any coach in any sport. He has done individual development, team defense, press defense, pressing defense full court. His 4-Out 1-In Motion Offense series is as good as any offensive system in basketball.
Coach Wright has a couple of videos on late game situations – which includes innovative strategies and highlight his thought process for 5-second plays, 3-second plays and 1-second plays are revolutionary. Plus, his style of play can be utilized at any age, gender, and level of play.
One specific video series I’d recommend you look at is the Coach Jay Wright 5-Pack Set. He talks about some of the most important topics that are not normally talked about: skill development drills, setting the tone for a successful season, defensive progression skills and techniques, footwork drills for perimeter players, drills for shooting and footwork.
The five videos included in this set will help your athletes become their best and put your team in a position to be successful. The videos in this 5-video set Include:
Jay Wright: 21 Versatile Skill Development Drills
Jay Wright: How To Set The Tone For a Successful Season
Jay Wright: Defensive Progression Drills & Techniques
Jay Wright: Attacking Footwork Drills For Perimeter Players
Jay Wright: 28 Competitive Drills For Shooting and Footwork
Dick Bennett
The father of pressure defense and the pack-line defense, Dick Bennett changed defensive basketball. The first video I ever purchased as a high school coach was Dick Bennett’s Pressure System; A System. That video changed my career as a coach. We went from a struggling defensive team to a dominant defensive team in the matter of a year.
In addition, every video that Coach Bennett has done from Blocker/Mover Offensive System to everything he’s done on the defensive system is revolutionary.
I would recommend you take a long look at all the defensive videos that Dick Bennett has he’s done with Championship Productions on defense, from pressure to pack-line defense, including: Dick Bennett: The ‘Pack-Line’ Pressure Defense.
Pack-line Defense is still utilized and relevant to every level of basketball today.
Coach Bennett has utilized this system at the high-school level and all levels of college basketball and has been unbelievably successful.
Shaka Smart
Shaka Smart’s Havoc Pressure Defense is a video that could change your career.
Coach Smart learned this style of play from then head coach at Florida, Billy Donovan. As a coach, if you want to change the style, tempo or flow of the game, Shaka Smart’s video is the perfect thing to help you achieve that goal.
Coach Smart’s defensive style of play forces your opponents into more turnovers, take quick shots and play under fatigue leading to more mental and physical mistakes.
You’ll also learn what is a good trap, how to trap, who, when, and where. He also takes a unique perspective on what to do when the trap is broken.
This style of play led the nation in steals and turnovers when Coach Smart was at VCU.
Coach Smart has participated in 11 post-season tournaments, has won 67-percent of his games and he’s won everywhere he’s coach.
Shaka Smart is a great teacher, communicator and his players love playing his style of basketball.
Bob Knight
Bob Knight is a legendary coach, second to none. What makes him unique is that he was a great, attentive learner. He listened to the coaches that came before him and let this mold him from all the coaches he respected so greatly. For example, Pete Newell, Clair Bee and numerous others.
Coach Knight’s philosophy of coaching was one of simplicity, execution, demand, and performance. His videos on motion offense, man to man defense, spacing, zone offense, mental toughness and teaching coaches how to coach are second to none.
I would also recommend that you look at the video series he and Geno Auriemma did on the court on motion offense, disadvantage, zone offense, shooting, screening, defense, defensive tactics and techniques. It is probably the best two-man coaches’ clinic ever done.
Bob Knight / Geno Auriemma: Zone Offense Strategies
The information found in any Coach Knight video provides innovative coaching information that could easily be adapted for today’s game of basketball.
Bill Self
Bill Self has mastered a style of basketball that is successful both at home and on the road. With over 800 wins, a 77-percentage winning percentage, 2 National Championships and 25 post-season appearances, Coach Self prides himself on execution and offensive and defensive absolutes.
Coach Self has done 18 videos with Championship Productions – all of them could help you win games.
Coach Self’s All-Access Kansas Basketball Practice With Bill Self is so thorough and detailed. It is 420-minutes long and does a great job of explaining each drill, why and how they do it, and the benefits of each one.
Two Bill Self videos I want to bring to your attention:
The High/Low Motion Offense by Bill Self is a staple to his offensive system. It is easy to implement and extremely difficult to stop. He also has a breakdown drill that goes with it.
The second video, Bill Self’s Defensive Absolutes, is a complete lesson on teaching defense that will help you thrive on the most difficult road locations and environments.
This video helps you understand the pace of your shell drill to maximize repetitions within your practice, how to defend a variety of ball screen situations, forcing your opponent out of the parts of the court they are trying to operate, doubling the post and taking your opponent’s post player out of the game.
These aspects of the game will help accelerate your career and the game.
Hopefully, the videos you’ve seen in this piece will provide terrific and valuable information to help you win more games next season!
