Practice was an uptempo affair. We slowly built the intensity and then got up and down the court a little bit to try and compete. We began working on some fast break concepts and then some half court execution. It was good in some areas and bad in others. We turned the ball over too much and rushed a lot. We still have to develop our timing and pace of play but it was good for a first time trying to compete.
The girls worked very hard and are really trying to learn. They are a very nice bunch of ladies.
After practice we went directly to lunch under cloudy dark skies. A bit of rain was on the way. Lunch was good and we hung around afterward to discuss practice for the evening and prepare it. We took about an hour and had some good discussions. Our meetings are great, there is a lot of sharing and we seem to be on the same page. There is some great questioning going on which allows us to cut through the shit and figure out just what we need to do with the time we have. I am really enjoying our meetings. If we didn't have to practice we could meet for hours. Not sure what would be more fun, practicing or talking about the game. Both are a lot of fun.
Following our meeting I came back to residence and completed the plan and tweaked a few details. I tried to make a few recruiting calls but didn't reach anyone. I will have to try tomorrow. Still lots to be done.
I headed back to the gym at around 3:45 for a 4:30 practice. The skies were very dark and thunder was rolling. As I stepped into the building the rain started to hammer the campus. My timing was fantastic.
I took my ipad and wanted to work with Taryn on her shot release. I filmed it for her and she had never seen it before. I was a bit shocked by that. I will upload the film for her so she can use it in the future.
Practice was less intense from a running standpoint tonight. We did a lot of decision making and skill work with some half court execution. It was pretty good overall and once again the girls worked hard. I cut this practice down from 2.5 hours to 2. The girls are working hard and we need to manage their repetitions in practice, intensity level and length of practice. With only 12 girls we do not want to fatigue them to the point of nagging injuries.
Just before practice I met Ed who is another specialist that will work with Joanie to help our team this year. We had a meeting at 8:30 tonight with them and they discussed some of the work they will do over the next little bit. The girls will get tested in the weightroom and coached on technique. They will be evaluated in a lot of areas as well as have sessions regarding recovery, nutrition, how to train, how to travel and compete, etc.. I think the coolest thing for the girls is their dehydrations testing. EVERY DAY until we return from Belgium they will pee in a cup before breakfast and we can determine if they are properly hydrated. It is almost instant feedback and it is something they can control, which according to study, can affect your performance by as much as 5%. Often that can be the difference between a medal and no medal. So it was a cool session for sure.
Afterwards we met as coaches again for about an hour. The coaches thought practice was very good today and that they were planned well. They offered some great feedback and we worked on ideas for tomorrow's practice. I planned it out tonight but don't have a good feel for it. I will sleep on it and then talk with the coaches at breakfast. We'll see how it goes.
The other great thing tonight was the arrival of Mike MacKay. He is a guru in coaching in Canada and has provided me with a TON of guidance over my career. He is here to assist us with the camp and help with how we are planning things. I will enjoy his feedback.
Well now I am fading off so I need to end this. Lots of work to do tomorrow. Another 2 practices. One hard in the morning and a scaled back one in the evening.
So until tomorrow....it is off to Sandman city
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