LISTENING vs HEARING

One of the most important, yet overlooked aspects of communication during a game, is whether or not the message being communicated by the coach is actually being understood the same way the message was intended.

A perfect example of this would be when a coach calls an isolation play to get the ball to a particular shooter or even when the coach calls to drive-at and attack a particular defender because they are in foul trouble.

Although the coach may think he is sending a clear and concise message... do the players really understand it? From my experience, most of the time... the exact opposite occurs. The shooter the coach wants to get the ball to, ends up standing alone on the opposite side of the court watching because the ball went everywhere BUT where the coach wanted it to go.

Or maybe the opposing post player with four fouls never picks up her 5th foul during the entire second-half because, for some reason, even though the coach gave instructions to do so, no one will drive the ball at her and force her into either fouling or giving up an easy basket.

It's no secret that coaches can sometimes give too much information, rambling on until the players just shut down and hear nothing. But my experience has been that “less is often more” and most players understand with minimal instruction.

So why then does the opposite usually occur? Smart play and strategy will often beat talent... unless of course it goes in one ear and out the other. There is a big difference between hearing the message and listening to the message.

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