Basketball Coaching in a Remote Community

Basketball Coaching does not always happen within a supportive environment like in an established program. In the corners of many rural or regional areas clubs, schools or associations are started or established by individuals, not boards, or committees. In these types of situations where there is a “bare bones” approach to what can be offered, basketball coaching expertise and knowledge at its simplest is of the highest priority. So how can a coach gain support and continue to develop their knowledge as well as confidence in these types of situations?”

There a number of different support mechanisms that can be employed to help when basketball coaching. It often just requires a little more time and effort to find the support many coaches often require to continue along their coaching journey.

Internet

It is well documented on the Functional Basketball Coaching website, as well as gaining evidence from a quick internet search, that there is plenty of information to be found on the world wide web. Some of this information will be written, some will be in audio, and other resources will be audio visual. Depending on the coach, then one of the different mediums will be easier to utilise then the others.

For coaches who cannot gain access to meeting with other basketball coaches face to face, then using a mixture of these mediums will be the best strategy to understanding the correct technique or tactical breakdowns needed for individual development and game play.

Videoing Sessions

One of the more easily used strategies when basketball coaching in isolation of other coaches is to simply video tape training sessions and games. These videos can be sent to other coaches, coaches associations, or regulatory bodies who will then (in most cases) provide some critical feedback.

Many regulatory bodies while not always having resources to support everyone face to face by putting people into the field, However they can often mobilise resources to provide feedback through the use of video.

Using the internet to send audio visual files is the easiest way to transfer the information. All modern video cameras make this a very easy process of recording, downloading and then attaching to e-mail or using cloud services to saves files where they can be easily accessed.

Developing a Local General Coaching Network

Coaching is a universal skill and can be transferred from one sporting context to another. While the technical and tactical knowledge is specific to a sport, the art of coaching is not. A coach with sound communication skills can utilise these skills in any number of similar situations that are different to just being on the court.

Asking coaches from other sports to come, view a training session, and then provide feedback can be a highly valuable way of gaining feedback that is not sports specific, but can still be very useful for everyday coaching.

Online Courses

With the development of the internet, there is now wealth of knowledge available through online courses. The courses are often provided by governing bodies and cover sports specific topics as well as general principles of coaching. Other organisations such as commercial entities will also provide these services, but if possible working with the state sporting organisation is the best options as these courses are specifically designed to meet the sporting philosophy of the area.

In remote areas, coaching can be a challenge. Problems with facilities, recruiting athletes and having the right equipment can be a real challenging. Coaching however, remains often an ongoing issue, as it is a harder, more draw out process when working by yourself and trying to develop a range of skills specific to sport.

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