Professional vs Basketball Coaching: Common Ground

Professional coaching and basketball coaching…what do they have in common?  At first glance, being a professional coach and coaching a 4th-grade basketball team might seem worlds apart. However, when you dive deeper, you may find that these two coaching roles share more in common than you might think. I have recently concluded my first experience coaching my son’s 4th-grade basketball team. That experience has caused me to reflect on how these two types of coaching are similar and share some strategies I used with the team.

Whether you’re a professional coach guiding an executive or a basketball coach training young athletes, building trust is paramount. Coaches must create a safe environment where individuals feel comfortable sharing their challenges, fears, and aspirations. Trust is built over time and that was challenging with the basketball team because of the relatively short season.  The kids not only had to trust their coaches, but they also had to trust each other.  When there was a lack of trust, things simply didn’t work well.  For example, we didn’t have as many assists, we had frustration from kids who weren’t getting the ball, and we had kids not passing the ball because they were worried it would result in a turnover.  How did we build trust?  By encouraging the pass, by building ball-handling skills, and by setting clear expectations about teamwork.  By the end of the season we were playing like a well-oiled machine and the foundation of our success was trust.

Both types of coaches work with their coachees to set clear, achievable goals. As a professional coach, this might involve career advancement or personal development goals. As a 4th-grade basketball coach, it was about helping the kids set goals to master a skill or improve teamwork. We took time at the beginning of most practices to have each team member share a goal for the practice or the upcoming tournament.  Some of the kids were more willing to share than others, but each had the opportunity to both share and listen.  I saw growth in the kids’ confidence throughout the season by building this expectation and holding them accountable for their goals.

As a professional coach, I help my clients develop skills that are crucial for their professional growth, such as leadership, communication, or strategic thinking. Similarly, as a basketball coach, I focused on teaching my players fundamental skills like ball handling, passing, movement without the ball, defense, and rebounding. For young athletes, learning the fundamentals is critical for success in both the short and long term. Motivating the kids to focus on the “boring stuff” was difficult at times, but creating friendly team-based competition helped.  By the end of the season, the kids shared their gratitude with me for not only a successful season but also for the improvements they had made in their fundamental skills.  It made me proud!

Feedback is a critical component of coaching. As a professional coach, it is my job to provide constructive feedback to help my clients improve. Similarly, as a basketball coach, I provided feedback to the players. For 4 ^th graders, I found that providing this feedback immediately at practice or in the game was the most successful approach.  It allowed them to put the past behind them and immediately try again.  Kids are generally incredibly willing to try and fail and try again.  They haven’t fallen into the bad habits (and deep ruts) that adults have.  I found the kids’ passion to improve inspiring.

Both professional coaches and 4th-grade basketball coaches foster a growth mindset. I encourage my coachees to view challenges as opportunities for learning and growth, rather than as insurmountable obstacles. With the basketball team, I made a significant effort to balance constructive criticism with positive reinforcement at each opportunity. The times when I saw the most growth came when we were behind during our games.  In those moments, the mental game was what needed attention, not the physical one.  Fostering the mental growth with 4 ^th graders who are still maturing emotionally was challenging, but so rewarding to see.

Finally, both types of coaches celebrate the successes of their coachees. Whether it’s a promotion at work or a win on the basketball court, coaches recognize and celebrate these achievements, reinforcing the positive behaviors that led to success. In basketball, we were very diligent about celebrating success and luckily we had a very successful season.  At the end of each game, we gave one kid “the chain” which he could wear around his neck until the next game.  It was given by the coaches and was a point of pride for the kids.  We collected the stats from the games and shared those with the kids at the beginning of the practice following the tournaments.  I would share the “highlight reel” calling out the kids that led us in rebounding, assists, steals, shooting percentage, etc.  It gave the kids a chance to be recognized and also motivated them to get on that leaderboard in the next tournament.  We finished our season with a team party and gave awards recognizing what each player uniquely brought to the team.  It’s a day I’ll never forget.

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