After hearing Basketball Australia’s Director of High-Performance Coach Development and Talent Identification Peter Lonergan share, I am always blown away by the clarity with which he imparts his knowledge. There are so many messages from Coach Lonergan that continue to shape me as a coach and I think this one will be another to add to the list!
This concept was introduced as a question:

What is your blend for practice?

Immediately my mind went to the balance of time between defense and offense within a given practice. Most of the coaches I have been around lean toward spending more time working specifically on the defensive end. This blend is a key consideration for practice as it becomes a reflection of certain aspects of your coaching philosophy.
But here’s what was awesome about this question to me:
It’s not just a question about the blend between offense and defense. It’s a question about the blend of… everything!

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What is your blend for practice in the following areas?

Some questions to ask when planning practice…
Effort
One end of the continuum might be max effort and live play while the other might be walk through or recovery. But this is just the blend of physical effort – what about the mental effort blend?
Instruction
Early in the season, there might need to be more instruction for new concepts. As the season progresses, less instruction and more repetition might be more beneficial.
Learning
This can go hand-in-hand with the instruction blend but a learning blend might also be a combination of video, quizzes, small-sided games, and peer-teaching.
Team Concepts
How much should this practice focus on individual development and how much on team concept development? Are they different within the program?
Competition
Who are we competing with today? Should this practice promote increased competition between individual players or should this aim to galvanize the group more toward a common goal?

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These are just a few of the factors that Coach introduced – it has forced me to think about more than just the offense and defense when it comes to this Blend concept. I often find myself trying to ‘balance’ contrasting aspects within a workout or practice, but using the phrasing of Blend and thinking of it as a combination resonated with me.

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The Blend of practice provides a practical point of reference when using this concept in different areas of my coaching. If the concept can be applied to practice, it can be applied to all other aspects of a basketball program. Thinking of any conflicting arguments and seeing what your blend is (and why it is) in the given moment can provide valuable insight for coaches like me developing their philosophy.

X’s and O’s Blends

Offense

• Sets vs Motion becomes – Freedom Blend
• Spacing vs Cutting becomes – Advantage Creation Blend
• 3 out 2 in vs 5 out becomes – Paint Touch Blend

Defense

• Pressure vs Pack becomes – Positioning Blend
• Man vs Zone becomes – Schematic Blend
• Stay vs Switch becomes – Match-up Integrity Blend

Teaching Blends

• Positive vs Negative becomes – Feedback Blend
• Players Listening vs Players Experiencing – Interactivity Blend
• Telling vs Asking – Questioning Blend

While these are all oversimplified examples because I’ve only listed two competing ideas, there are many basketball and non-basketball blends with a whole host of options to consider.

Multi-factor Coaching Blends

• Scheduling Blend
  • Practice vs Weights vs Individual Work vs Training Room vs Film vs Rest
• Substitution Blend
  • When, Why, How, and Who you sub
• Motivation Blend
  • Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Individual, and Team – Who needs what and when?
• Coaching Involvement Blend
  • Which problems can which players solve for themselves?

This is one of the many reasons we have to keep learning as coaches. To make sure we are aware of possibilities that might fall into a given blend category – that way we can make informed decisions that are shaped by our philosophies and the needs of the players in the current situation.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better” – Maya Angelou

Constant Evolution

Finding the most appropriate blend in a given context can be a blend itself! – one between the science and art of coaching. There are varying degrees of uncertainty in the decisions we make and developing an understanding of how different blends of the options will impact both the players and situation can shape our decisions in the moment.
While your coaching philosophy dictates some of your blend for a given practice, there is always room and reason to adjust certain blends to best fit the current team, objective, or situation.

• If I am coaching younger players, for example, a focus on development should supersede winning which will impact the blend between individual skill development and opponent specific preparation of those practices.

• If a player is struggling with shooting confidence, an individual workout might involve a more stationary blocked shooting practice rather than increasing challenge with random practice. Seeing the ball go in more often and finding a positive rhythm might just give them the confidence boost they need to be their best in the next game.

In this way, it is OK to be on the fence between different ideas – it might be even encouraged to change spots on that fence at different times. Finding a combination of coaching strategies that work for the team or the player in the given moment is a constant consideration after being guided by Coach Lonergan’s question.
Knowing where you sit on that fence in a vacuum can reveal aspects of your coaching philosophy.
Knowing where you need to sit on that fence in the present moment to be most effective – and allowing that to come to life for the players – is great coaching.
It is very rarely all of one idea and none of the others. Most of the time it is a blend.
I think Coach Lonergan said it best:

“Coaching is not a game of absolutes. Always avoid saying always. Try not to say try. Don’t say don’t, but never say never” – Peter Lonergan

Thanks for reading! I hope this has stimulated your thinking in the same way that the concept did for me (Thanks Coach). I would love to hear your thoughts on finding a coaching blend – reach out any time!
Hope this adds some value.