Josh A
Don Bailey
English 12
19 October 2015
Basketball Coaching There are many kinds of basketball coaches, there are good ones and there are bad ones. The way that the team you are coaching plays all determines which one the coach turns out to be. A basketball team is either a well-oiled machine or they are dysfunctional. It is all up to the coach and how they teach them to determine if the team will be a good one or not. A basketball coach has many jobs that they do while coaching the team. They have to make drills, order uniforms, make sure everyone has rides to and from games, make sure that the team works well together, and make sure the team has enough players. The coach also has to make sure that they plays are executed right and that every team member knows what position they play and how to play that position properly. The coach is constantly doing everything they can for the team, the coach devotes their life to the team that is being coached. There are three main topics of focus for this paper, they are; sports related injuries, how to properly motivate the team and better them as a team and individuals, and bullying in the sport. First, there are a lot of sports related injuries that occur when playing basketball. The most common is an ankle injury, it can be injured in the muscles, the tendons, or the joints. “Muscle strength and balance around the lower limb joints may play an important role for performance and injury prevention in basketball” (Gerodimos 1). When coaching a basketball team, the coach must look after his players to make sure that they do not get a sports related injury that could easily be avoided with proper training. When coaches plan out the exercises that they are going to do with their team, they often add exercises that add torque around the muscle joints to make sure that they are getting worked properly. Every sports related injury can be avoided and as a team’s coach, one must look out for that and plan accordingly. In males twelve to seventeen years old, the most common injury is with the plantar muscles and them being torn or pulled in some way when playing basketball. Another sports related injury that is common with basketball is a head injury or a wrist injury. When a player get knocked down from another player being too rough, the player either catches themselves with their hands and wrists or the player ends up hitting their head. Carpal fractures and radial fractures are very common injuries related to the wrists. A concussion is the most common head injury that a basketball player will receive. A good coach will teach his team to not injure other players and it will better the team and help to prevent basketball related injuries. Second, a good basketball coach must understand how to motivate his team and help better them as a whole as well as individually. “Leadership is plural, not singular, so there can be a number of leaders” (Hackman 1). A good coach will help his team to develop a bond that makes them work better as a team. “Sometimes the best leaders are the youngest or newest team members” (Hackman 1). On any basketball team there are always players who are going to be older than the others, but that does not mean that they are better or that they can be leaders. It is the coach’s job to recognize who will be a better team leader. Motivating a basketball team can make them play better and will make them function like a team. When the team is in sync, they are more likely to improve their game and do better when playing against other teams. “Development of achievement-related motives in young athletes is believed to be influenced by the motivational climate created by coaches” (Smith 1). When a coach motivates the team and gets the team to play as one, the results will start to show and the team will be a lot happier. Third, there is often a lot of bullying that comes with any sport that is played. “Coaching was the only significant predictor in 9 of 15 regression analyses of overall VI, PI, and PV, and one of two significant predictors in 4 of 6 additional analyses” (Shields 1). When players are on the courts playing and one of the players begins to get bullied, sometimes the coach is the only one who sees it and can put a stop to it. “Intimidation and violence are common in many sports and pose a serious problem” (Shields 1). When a player feels that he or she is better than the other players bullying tends to occur. The player that is better than the others tells the rest of the team that they aren’t as good or that the players have no reason to be playing. A good coach will teach their team that no player is better than the others, the coach will teach their team that each player have strengths and weaknesses and that if the players play as a team, it will better them as a whole. In conclusion, when coaching a basketball there are a few things that the coach needs to do to better the team that is being coached. The coach needs to watch out for sports related injuries to the head, ankles, and the wrists and make sure the coaching style helps to prevent injuries. The coach needs to motivate the team and make them work as one by teaching leadership and bettering the way they interact on and off the court. The final thing that a good coach needs to do to succeed is make sure that there is no bullying going on when the players are playing and when they are not playing. A coach needs to focus on sports related injuries, motivating the team, and the bullying that occurs on and off the court. All of these things are crucial parts of being a basketball coach and almost every good coach does them.

Works Cited
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Gerodimosa, V., et al. "Agonist And Antagonist Strength Of Ankle Musculature In Basketball Players Aged 12 To 17 Years." Isokinetics & Exercise Science 14.1 (2006): 81-89. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Bartholomew, James T., and David A. Collier. "The Benefits Of Forcing Offensive Basketball Players To Their Weak Side." Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900) 4.2 (2012): 19-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Smith, Ronald E.Smoll, Frank L.Cumming, Sean P. "Motivational Climate And Changes In Young Athletes’ Achievement Goal Orientations." Motivation & Emotion 33.2 (2009): 173-183. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 26 Oct. 2015
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