On the weekend of August 14-16, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Orlando, FL to attend Ganon Baker’s Skill Development Certification Clinic for coaches and trainers. For those that may not know Ganon or know of him, then you have no idea what you’re missing. The man is a bundle of energy and knowledge. His ability to “reach, teach, innovate, demonstrate, and motivate” are second to none. I jumped at the chance to attend at Ganon’s recommendation.
This was not your typical coaching clinic. This was hands-on instruction. Friday night started with a “classroom” session in which we were in a ballroom taking notes while Ganon demonstrated and covered some of the early material in his curriculum guide. Coaches were asked to be demonstrators during the session as well. The depth of the material covered was amazing. Needless to say, there was smoke coming off of notepads all throughout the room, as we were all trying to write down everything the man said! We finished with a small meal and had some time to chat with other coaches. Then about 11 of us (the gym rats) stayed up until around 1am picking Ganon’s brain about the game and listening to his stories of training and working with players around the globe.
Saturday morning brought a quick breakfast and then we hopped on the bus and were off to a local high school for the day’s sessions. I must say this again, in person, Ganon is unbelievable. If you’ve seen his videos and love the energy he brings on those, then multiply that by 10 when you’re 15 feet away from him!
We covered so many different teaching points and techniques on Saturday. It was information overload, but everybody that was attending the clinic couldn’t get enough. We covered such topics as working out of the triple threat, using the pick-and-roll, ball handling, passing, rebounding, moving without the ball, and so much more. All of it was complete with motivational words or thoughts to help you remember the concepts. Coaches were encouraged to jump in the drills and demonstrate as well. Even as a pretty successful coach and trainer, I still felt the nerves creeping in when I jumped up to join in on the demonstrating. It’s almost as if your brain and body don’t connect because of the excitement of being on the floor and you forget things you’ve been doing naturally for years. Oh, and I forgot to mention that all of this was being filmed!
Saturday night was filled with more film study and discussion as well as a nice meal! Sunday morning brought more of the same, as we again loaded up on the bus and headed to the high school for a quick session from 9am until 1pm before everyone was scheduled to leave. Sunday’s session covered basic motion offense movements and progression teaching for those movements.
On both Saturday and Sunday, a group of high school players gladly gave up their time to be led in the drills and skills by Ganon. Sunday’s group was a bit more reluctant as their skill level was lower than Saturday’s group, but as the session went on, you could see the light bulbs flicker and begin to come on. The Sunday session ended in a great way as the players received a standing ovation from the coaches for their improved work ethic and desire. It was a special way to end the weekend.
The learning that took place was amazing and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to attend the clinic. The ability to break things down and progressively teach them is a gift. And sadly, many coaches are so focused on the game preparation that we forget, “you gotta have Jimmies and Joes before you can have X’s and O’s”! As coaches we have to be able to reach our players and break the game down into meaningful bits of information that they can process. If a particular skill area is lacking, then we must go back and teach it from the beginning. After attending the clinic, I can definitely say that my in-season practices will be much different this year. Game planning is crucial, but it’s hard to game plan with players that cannot execute because they lack the fundamental skills necessary to complete the task!
The weekend also ended on a high note for me (and my roommate, shout out to Seneca Blue and Blueprint Student Athlete Services), as I was personally asked by Ganon to be a part of his group. Since I run my own business focusing on skill development, I was asked to be a Ganon Baker Group Member, which allows business owners to be a part of the Ganon Baker Basketball group while still maintaining your own business identity. I happily accepted the invitation, but there was one little detail that I forgot to mention…I had to pass Ganon’s certification exam! That’s right. This wasn’t some coaching clinic that allowed coaches to socialize and get a little bit of information. This was learning at its finest.
All of the information covered during the clinic was developed into a curriculum and attendees were to study the information and then take a certification exam to become certified skill development trainers through Ganon. The exam consisted of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. This was not your simple test. It was challenging! I think I may have waited all of a day before taking the exam! I was so excited to get started and the information was so fresh in my mind that I sat down and took the exam Monday night around 10:30pm.
A few days passed and I personally received a call from Ganon about my test. Yes, I passed (and with a very good score) and I was on my way to becoming a Ganon Baker Basketball Group Member. I feel great about how the whole weekend and following days turned out. I plan to make the most of my opportunity with Ganon and his group! A big thank you goes out to Ganon and Stephanie Wood for the weekend. Ganon’s passion for the game kept me going and is keeping me fired up to get better, and Steph’s planning and words of wisdom cannot be measured!
Be on the lookout for more information concerning events with 3DS Sports Performance in conjunction with Ganon Baker Basketball in the near future!