Talking Split

Great to welcome into the podcast Cassie Dover, Head Coach of the Women's Indigenous Basketball Association (IBA) team. Cassie takes us through her pathway to get where she is, the experience she has had in coaching her own daughter, what she does in the coaches space, the work that the IBA is doing to promote basketball in the community for players, and how as coaches we can make an impact with our players.

Thanks to one of our listeners Coach Funz, we were made aware of a report commissioned by Luka Doncic on the state of the junior game around the world. It's a fascinating look at what the landscape is in the sport, and the impact that we as coaches can have with our own development, but also player enjoyment. We unpack the 8 Core Principles of the Total Hoops Approach and how it applies to our landscape as coaches. If you're interested, you can download the report here: https://lukadoncicfoundation.org/iyb-report/

With the back half of many seasons fast approaching we are anticipating some tight games, so we discuss what the late game tactics are that coaches might need to consider when the pressure comes on! Strap in as as Besty takes us through his recent Japan and US travels, some of the basketball experiences he's had, and the different styles of basketball from around the globe.

For a lot of coaches, they're approaching the mid-point of the season and what better time than now to get a check in with your players? It's a great time to sit down with players and review goals from the start of the season, see if you can set new goals, find out more about your team culture, and give both coaches and players the opportunity to deliver and receive feedback to make it as positive an experience for everyone involved.

We have talked a lot about development on the podcast over the years, so we look to unpack it a little more this week. How does it feel, how does it happen and what can we do as coaches to help assist in the development of the players, when we all live in a world where winning is prioritised by so many? Any coach shoutouts you've got, send them through and be sure to check out the Talking Split pages on Instagram and X!

Back for another block of podcasts, and we are discussing some of the things that might go unnoticed from players or parents, about the coaches. There is a whole dynamic that some may not be aware of and can be explored to create a more harmonious environment for all involved. Along with building resiliency in athletes, and the U18 Nationals, there is something for everyone this week!

It's taken us a while, but we've finally got Besty back on the podcast this week and the carrot we had to throw out there was talking about one of his favourites – Shell Drill. It's a staple of most team training sessions, with onball defence, offball defence and all kinds of cutting and screening options being worked on, so we discuss the different areas of focus, why it's important and some of the different ways you can run it at your training session.

Joined on the pod this week by one of the other people that make Nick has to answer to, Luke Brennan (Trig) the South East Melbourne Phoenix Assistant Coach. Hailing from WA, we talk about his pathway in coaching, the things he believes in as a coach, NBA Summer League, his Boomers experience and advice for those younger in their coaching with aspirations to progress. Lots of takeaways for coaches of all levels regardless of where they are on their journey!

One of the things coaches discuss the most, is how to get the ball inbounded against pressure defence. So we've got you, just over an hour of inbound talk for this week! Actually, with the multiple tangents we go on, it's probably a fair bit under an hour, but either way, lots of discussion points to hopefully help with one of the bigger pain points we deal with as coaches. If you've got a Coach Shoutout, let us know and we will start building up a bit of a list to get through again.

We asked, and you delivered! We are back for a second round of parent questions, and how they apply to the coaches out there. Team Selection, Structures for development, and even how to choose the correct shoes feature in this week! Coops fills us in on his Japan trip, we have a Coach Shout in there (keep sending those in), and we have our Social Split Talk back for another week too.

Fortunate to be joined this week by Michelle de Highden to discuss her coaching journey, and in particular the work that she has done with Fixing the Leaky Pipeline project. Something in this one for coaches of all levels, ages and genders as we unpack the experience for everyone in coaching, and where it can go in the future to create the best environment possible. For more information on “The Leaky Pipeline”, head here: https://www.ais.gov.au/coach-development/wihpc For women interested in applying for the Accelerated Women's Coaching Program, head here: https://hubs.la/Q039mv7_0

Over the years we have had heaps of questions from parents that listen to the Talking Split podcast, so whilst it's a pod for the coaches we've thrown this one open for some of the questions we've had loaded up, along with Coach Shoutout, Book Club and Social Split Talk all in the podcast. We've still got a few questions we need to get through, so stay tuned for a part 2 on this one, and any questions parents might have – hit the Talking Split socials and send them in!

Whilst it seems like we have been going for a while, believe it or not we aren't too far off the season actually starting for junior and senior representative basketball. This week we go through some of the important things that all teams should have in place before the season begins, and unpack how to many the most of your time throughout. And a tip for everyone, work on your passing or you will be hearing from Jenna!

Back for another year of the Talking Split pod, and we are starting on the topic of Coach Wellbeing. We can't have our coaches not in their best shape to help our players, so the team highlight some areas where we as coaches can be better and focus on to start the year. Are going to do a whole month on Coach Wellbeing this year, so if there are any specific topics you want discussed around that, be sure to send us a message on socials!

It's our last pod for the year, and to make up for it, we doubled the length to a 2 hour Mailbag extravaganza! All the segments are in play this week, Coach Shoutout, Book Club, Social Sightings, multiple story times, oddly enough no Stoicism, but the answers to a heap of questions that the listeners sent in, including is Die Hard a Christmas movie, favourite BBQ side dishes, and even real basketball questions like Team Balance, Switching off after games, and favourite coaches to watch. Huge thanks to all the listeners over the year, and what better time than now to go through the whole back catalogue of podcast episodes?

When you talk Strength & Conditioning in the Basketball Victoria space, Durham McInnis from Core Advantage springs to mind straight away. We put it out to the listeners last week to come through with any questions and they delivered! We talk about the need for a good hinge, plyometrics, the best warmup in a short amount of time, some myths around strength training and the ice bath and sauna landscape. 

We are getting into that time of year again as the competition winds down, and there is some downtime coming up – but only for some! This is also the time of year where players and coaches get to work on various areas of their game, and try to make their good, great and work on some of their weaknesses. We cover off what a workout should look like, content, time, and some things that can make a big impact in the off season.

One of the age old debates in coaching, is do you teach the system first, or the skill set? And even then, do you start with the offence or the defence? How do you become time efficient, over the course of a season with limited practice time? We bounce around a few of these topics throughout the pod this week, in the hope that we make it easier for the coaches, but still remaining fun and enticing for the players.

There was a warning before we started the pod this week that this may not have been a good idea, and what was supposed to be a podcast coaching behaviours, wasn't. What we are left with though, is an hour of varying thoughts on coaching, winning, development, how the game is played and coached, and nearly any other topic or tangent we ventured down. In theory we will get to the behaviour topic in a few weeks time, just maybe not with this group of coaches involved on the pod…

It's the time of year where we focus on the other orange circular object and talk about the things that can scare us as players, coaches and spectators. We enlist the help of some of our loyal Talking Split listeners who sent in their ideas for the pod combined with some of our own thoughts on the subject. Reminder that we have our Mailbag podcast coming up soon, so any questions for the team, just send them in!

On the back of sometimes feeling we are an imposter last week, a little bit more self-reflection this week as we look at how coaches can progress with their own coaching. We discuss how it can change over time, some of the more underrated ways to improve, and some things we wish we knew when we first started out coaching. Far less Oasis references, but plenty of “Story time” and “Aurelius” drops in there to keep you occupied all the same!

A topic this week that raises the question for a lot of coaches, am I good enough to do this? Imposter syndrome is something that a lot of coaches go through, trying to work out if they fit, if they're the right person, or even if they're doing a good job with the team they're coaching. We look back through some of the examples we've had in our own coaching, but also some tools and strategies that we have used to work through this. Bonus points for every Oasis song reference you can find – this will make more sense as you listen, D'You Know What I Mean?

Busy time of year for everyone in the coaching world (is there ever a time where it isn't?), with selection trials happening around the state, and new teams being formed. As coaches, we have the difficult task, of knowing what the first things are that we can do with our teams and parents to tip off on the right note. We discuss parent meetings, training content, and getting everyone on the same page. It's also the podcast debut for Nick Mihai, who's recently joined Basketball Victoria in a Basketball Development Officer role – doubling the coaching department, to 2 people!

Bit of a different take on things this week, as we go over what players can do at their trials to give themselves the best possible chance of success. We look at some key things they can do before getting there, things players can do on court to contribute to their experience, and how to deal with the outcomes afterwards.

It's a crazy stressful time of year about to come up, with multiple clubs about to go through selection trials for the coming season and lots of kids wandering around the state with permanent marker on their bodies! With Coops AWOL, Rob & Zoe cover off what coaches need to be aware of, such as what content needs to be in a selection trials, how you would evaluate players in a short period of time, and why it's important to look after your admin people on the day!

Bit of an extended Book Club this week, as we delve into the 2009 article from Jay Bilas, on Toughness. What it is, who exhibits it the most, how do we coach it, what are some of the things that are considered to be “tough”, and how it may have changed since the article and book first came out. If you're keen to read the full article, you can find it here: https://www.ncacoach.org/uploads/Glines2.pdf

It's finals time for a lot of our junior hoopers out there, and as coaches we want to have a couple of tricks up our sleeves to help give them the best chance of getting over the line. We discuss how to prepare for late game, adjustments you might be able to make, and hear from Besty on his trip to China with the Victorian athletes.

Things that are inevitable extend to anytime that Zoe, Coops and Rob are on the pod together, it ends with a 2-part episode. Back again this week to discuss things that seem to happen all the time, like team selection problems, re-penetration after a drive, non purposeful dribble, and putting too much weight in statistics. A reminder again, for any coach shoutouts or any book club recommendations, to send them through and follow along on @talkingsplit Instagram and X!

It doesn't matter how often you try, sometimes things can't be avoided. Same in the world of coaching. Timeout management, closeouts, guards dribbling to the sidelines, awful Elvis accents. They are all a part of this weeks pod but stay tuned for Part 2 next week. If you've got any we may not have covered (yet), be sure to leave them in the comments!

How incredible to have had so much international level basketball available to us over the past few months! We unpack what our observations have been on the Olympics so far, Coops gives us his thoughts from being Head Coach in Turkey at the World Cup, and of course how it all translates back into what we as coaches do at the grassroots level. This was recorded before the 2 Serbia games so may be a little out dated now - and now that I have access to the stats, Boomers are 65.6% and the Opals are 71.2% from the FT line!

Joined this week by Wayne Holdsworth to talk about SmackTalk, an initiative that started to talk suicide prevention, and make sure that people can have conversations to help save lives. Wayne takes us through how to have the conversation with people, the role that coaches can play with our young players, the need to discuss mental fitness and where to go to find out more information. You can follow along on the SmackTalk website and on Instagram to help Wayne spread the message.

All coaches have opinions (listen back a couple of episodes to hear some), but today we revisit some of the stronger opinions we have and see if we can unpack the other side of the coin with what we believe. In some we come around, and look at a few different ways we could all do things, and in others it's fair to say we don't deviate too much!

One of the most frequent areas of frustration for coaches (and usually parents on the sidelines) is the skill of passing. For what is one of the more basic skills in the sport, it causes a mountain of turnovers in every game, and the last thing we need to be doing, is handing fastbreak points to the opposition! This week we discuss what is a good pass, how to increase player vision, and how to inbound the ball whilst under pressure amongst other things, and various tangents.

It's always interesting to hear what opinions that coaches have, that they won't waiver on, so this week we unpack a number opinions that the coaches are prepared to die on that hill for. With everything from training content, to game style and play to team selection we cover off a bit of everything. If there's an opinion you strongly believe in, drop it in the comments!

We are all time poor planning out training sessions, and even getting to games and training, and whilst we all do our best, there are times that we can overlook certain areas of the game. The good news is, we've got you covered! We discuss some things that can easily be forgotten about, and how to make sure that they are still featuring in how we all coach.

Big weekend of basketball for most coaches coming up, with tournaments a plenty around the country running. We discuss the balance of winning and development, what you can try and get from them, and importantly how to manage the load coming out of them. No book club this week, but happy to accept submissions, and we have a coach shoutout we are also accepting submissions for. We have a discussion around Coops' Crocs camp and upcoming tournament, and the Caitlin Clark effect on basketball.

We get that sometimes you get a bit tired of hearing the same old voices, so we've gone looking for some additional sound bytes from around the sporting world to unpack and discuss. We hear from Coops about his Crocs Camp, and Rob is on for Book Club where he advocates for an early morning wake up, which Zoe is quick to put up her rebuttal for! Last episode until we are back in May, so plenty of time to get the coach appreciation shout outs through!

Ever have those sessions where it's just flat, or you're struggling to find ways to get the attention to detail out of the session? Yep, you're not on your own – us too! We look at some of the things you can do before, during and after practice to make sure that you get the most out of your session.

When you think of Melbourne, hopefully it's because of the Traralgon based superstar Jade Melbourne, and not just because it's the world's most liveable city! In a desperate attempt to get Jarrod Potter back listening to the podcast, we have enlisted the help of one of Victoria Country's finest ever athletes who takes us through her career to this point, and what it looks like in the future (and hopefully Paris in particular!). Lots for coaches and players to take from this one to help with their basketball, and welcome back Potter…

Back again to discuss team culture and dynamics, an area that is always spoken about, but sometimes doesn't get the attention it deserves from coaches. Is it the coaches, or the players job to drive and establish the team culture? Does the role of the captain matter, or does it make it harder to be a player? We also have a few opportunities for coaches to develop and get involved coaching some of the BV athletes, and it's Rob's turn at the Book Club this week.

Too much for 1 pod, we are back this week to discuss the other components of the mental side of the game for our players. We discuss keeping them on track with referees, oppositions players, pressure to perform and Coops gets involved in Book Club for this week.

It's only taken us a few weeks, and already we are into a 2-part pod topic! Great input from one of the listeners who suggested we discuss the mental side of the game from our players perspective and this week we talk preparation for an upcoming game, and how to avoid the dreaded complacency trap. Coops is tormented with more Sunderland pain, and Zoe “cooks” up the first edition of the Talking Split Book Club – stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

Not travelling quite as far this week with the U.S. Tour covered off last week, but the HP staff are thankful that the chaos of January is now behind them. This week we are in with Coops and Jenna as they discuss what they took away from the National Performance Camp and being the Head Coaches of the U20 Victoria Navy teams at the recent National Championships, and how some of their observations can help coaches in the development levels, help their players.

Not just a Vanessa Carlton banger, but a small portion of the amount of distance travelled by the HP Crew over the December and January period. We know the U.S. won't change to metric anytime soon, so we will stick with this unit of measure. We review the US Tour, East Coast Challenge, Country Cup, and Southern Cross Challenge for the coaches, and the kids.

Last episode of the year, last episode in the Gaze Room, and first appearance of Gary the dog! It's time for the small window that coaches get to have some downtime, and reacquaint themselves with family and friends, but on the off chance that you can't help yourself, we have some options for you to keep yourself occupied over the break!  Big thanks to all the listeners throughout the year, and we will be back next year!

The topic was supposed to be Playbooks, we started off talking about Playbooks, and how to set them up, best programs for them and then diverted slightly throughout the podcast to talking about systems and styles of play. So, there is some playbook talk in there, it's just taken a bit of a back seat!

 We are very much in the 4th quarter of the year, and it's a great time for a guest on the podcast! This week we have J.P. Nerburn on the pod, the author of The Sports Parent Solution, which is a great resource for junior coaches especially. He talks about how we as coaches can work in better with parents, for a better experience for everyone involved using his real life experience as both a player and a coach. If you're interested in getting a copy, or hearing more from J.P. you can contact him on his website https://www.tocculture.com/tocculture

You wish you had more of them, and you try and use them to your advantage when you have them. Not lights out shooters, but timeouts! The team unpack how to be more efficient in your timeouts, when to use them, how you can avoid using them, and what is good timeout etiquette whilst coaching.

Once of the most frequently asked questions by junior coaches, is what should they focus on teaching in their age groups? We unpack a few of the different skills and concepts and the teaching points to give a bit of a guide for all coaches out there.

That one's a deliberate typo before the spelling police come for us to point it out, but it grabbed your attention, didn't it? So now that we have your attention, how about you have a listen to some more of the mistakes that we have made as coaches. There have been enough, that we have had to come back for Round 2 in fact, and eventually, I'm sure we will end up with a Round 3!

Mistakes, we all make them, and coaches aren't immune either! In a humbling bit of self-reflection, we go through only some of the mistakes we have all made in our coaching days, in the hope that it helps some coaches recognise their own areas for improvement. Over an hour, and only Part 1? Turns there are a few more mistakes than we had hoped for, and we will be back with a Part 2!