with Joe Wootten,
Bishop O'Connell (VA) HS Head Boys Coach; over 400 career victories;
5x Virginia State Independent Champions;
4x Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament Champions - including Back-to-Back-to-Back titles (2002-04);
3x WCAC Regular Season Champions;
3x Virginia State Independent Coach of the Year;
Director of Coach Wootten's Basketball Camp
Joe Wootten passes on some gems in the areas of shooting, rebounding, and defense in this video!
For the shooting section, Wootten addresses developing correct form and then shows drills that can be used in both small group settings or large camp settings. Next, he hits on some foundational defensive concepts that are sure to help you and your players find more success on that end of the court. Finally, he shows rebounding drills and concepts that may have you reevaluating how you teach this important skill.
Each drill and technique is clearly explained and will benefit both players and coaches.
Shooting
Coach Wootten begins with the acronym LA-BEEF when teaching shooting. Each letter means something important to developing a great and consistent shooting form. These simple, yet effective cues are great reminders for players as they develop the correct way to shoot. The most interesting piece of this section is Wootten's "A" (Attitude). Teaching kids to focus on the next make instead of the last miss is a mental piece of shooting that is a must in order to become a great shooter.
Coach Wootten passes on shooting drills that can be used as players develop their form. Some of the drills include:
- Shooting off the backboard - This drill works simply on form and gets players to avoid worrying about results
- Spot shooting - These close-up shots are essential in developing great shooters. Wootten expects his players to shoot the same way close as they would further away.
- 25 Made 3s - A great way to extend a player's shot out.
- 20 makes at 20 spots - This high-repetition shooting drill gets athletes real shots they will see in a game.
- Shooting off fade screens - Another game-like series that gets players comfortable with taking a shot off of a screen.
Defense
Coach Wootten hits on valuable defensive concepts and drills, including his three keys to playing great defense:
- Heart - Players must be willing to sacrifice in order to be a great team defender.
- Mind - Players must know how to play the right way.
- Feet - The essential key to great defense is to play with your feet and not your hands.
These three simple points are further explored throughout this section in the drills that Wootten uses to teach defense. While there are different strategies defensively in the game, Wootten's thoughts and drills can be applied to all. He adds a few quickness drills in this section, as one of the things all players can improve on is their quickness.
Rebounding
While most coaches stress the importance of rebounding, Coach Wootten focuses more on "going to get the ball." This simple concept may be the most important piece of any rebounding drill or strategy. Players must have the desire and commitment to go and get each and every rebound.
Wootten shows a few great drills that he uses to help his players excel at rebounding. The Superman drill is a basic, yet essential drill that players must excel at if they want to have success in Wootten's system. This conditioner is an excellent lesson in getting up and after the ball. Coach Wootten then adds a "second effort" drill that is a must-have.
Throughout the video, Coach Wootten does a great job of teaching each concept and fixing mistakes that his players make. You'll learn how to develop your players to become better at shooting, defense, and rebounding.
79 minutes. 2018