Nod to the Coach

When your coach tells you how he wants you to do something, if you understand what he is telling you, nod to him. This seems like an obvious thing, and hardly a tip for a good basketball player yet very often players fail to do this. Nodding to the coach tells him you understand his instruction, and more importantly it gives the coach a good feeling about telling you.

You may think a small thing like nodding is not necessary, that it’s enough to look your coach in the eye while he is talking and just take in the information. But it is not enough. Nodding to your coach will give him that little bit of extra satisfaction that will urge him to do his best — he’s only human, too — and to keep helping and working with you.

This should apply not only to the times that the coach is talking directly to you, but also to the times when he is talking to the team in general or when he is specifically correcting another player. Get in the habit of listening whenever your coach is talking and nodding when you understand. Your nod does not have to be some grand gesture. Just a slight tilt of recognition and eye contact that says, “I’ve got it, Coach.”

It makes sense to make it enjoyable for your coach to work with you. Your success is intricately tied to his opinion of you and the confidence he has in you. A little nod when he speaks goes a long way toward establishing the kind of player-coach relationship that leads to winning basketball.

Excerpt from Dick DeVenzio’s critically acclaimed book, Stuff Good Players Should Know.