The author of this article is Ryan Smith of Hoopskills. Hoopskills is a website that is dedicated to basketball training.

Using Technology to Enhance your Basketball Program

“A basketball coach’s guide to being more efficient”

Technology has rapidly become a big part of our society and as a result has changed the way we communicate and interact with each other.  Our kids live in a technology driven world that is constantly changing.  New devices and communication resources are continually being developed and as basketball coaches we have to be willing to adjust to the times and use it to help our programs. 

Effective basketball coaches are the ones that are willing and able to adapt to their players and their surroundings.  That includes adjusting what you may do on and off the court.  Most of your players will own a computer and or a cell phone so emailing and texting is something that you can use to communicate with your players. 

It may be sending a text or email to your players and parents about reminders of practice times or about game day information.  It could also be used to give individual players encouraging comments such as “Good practice today. Keep it up.” or “Good luck on your math test today.” 

A small comment can go a long way in helping your relationship with the players and team chemistry between players.  Also, you can use email and text to send game results to media outlets such as the local paper or other sources that may be willing to post information about your program.  Texting can be an easier, more effective, and quicker way for you to communicate with your players and parents. 

Another way to use the Internet is to create your own team web page.  Most school websites will have a section about athletics where they post schedules, pictures, and results throughout the year, but you should also have a webpage of your own that is solely devoted to your basketball program.  It should include your team philosophy and rules, practice times, schedule, game pictures, individual player pictures, and other information that players, parents, and fans are able to access.  It will be helpful to visit other team web pages to help you set up and organize your team page in order for it to better enhance the visibility of your program.    

Another continually changing technology tool is social networking.  Nowadays websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and MySpace are popular for a lot of teenagers and adults to use in order to send a message to a mass number of people at the same time.  In the following years it may change and it is your job to keep up with the latest communication trends and use them to your advantage. 

They can be used to announce fundraisers you may have or to ask for sponsorships from local and area businesses.  It can be very helpful for coaches that are starting new programs and need to get the word out.  It can be also be used to announce information about team camps or individual camps that you may be having and to find camps that you may want your team or individual players to attend. 

You can also use the Internet to find drills that you could implement in your practices or plays you may want to use with your team.  There are a lot of free sites available that can provide you with valuable information about coaching, teaching individual skills, and building a program.  They offer free videos and easy ways to purchase other videos from top college and pro level coaches. 

Other websites and blogs allow you to post questions you may have and receive comments from other coaches around the world.  It is also very useful in helping young coaches develop their philosophy as well as assisting experienced coaches in adjusting their philosophy. 

In the age of technology where mass information is available coaches have all the resources and knowledge needed to better enhance their coaching and visibility of their program. It is our job to learn and be willing to use the technology to help our players become better and help them reach their potential.

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