Whalen's clinic

Nutrition

2011-01-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

I think we are making strides in our nutritional preperation. I do know however we spend such little time together that I dont totally get to give you guys all the information you need. The following article is a great one on nutrition in a new athlete. I want you to read this article and blog to me 2 things you learned about nutrition or two things you can improve on. Remember a car cant run without gas what makes you think your body can?????

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/eatnrun.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle#

new play

2011-01-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

Hoipefully this helps you guys see how the play works. This team is different than any other team I have coached in Groton everyone is responsible for knowing all positions you never know where you will be.

www.coachesclipboard.net

Improving who we are

2010-11-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

One of the best aspects of life is that we are always moving forward. There's always a next day or a next moment. As people we have to try each day to improve our actions and habits. I think it's important we try to have a positive influence on each other. Positive actions lead to positive results. I want to us to start to live our lives proactively vs reactively. To be reactive is to have a response to a stimulus. Proactive is essentially to prepare for a stimulus. I want us to be proactive in providing a positive environment in our community. Here is how we are gonna do this. Each week I will give you a different group, and you then in turn have to perform an act of kindness to someone who fits in that group. Your first assignment is through the next week I want you to do something nice for your teachers. It can be as small as pick up a paper for them, help by passing papers out. If you really like teacher tell them you appreciate them or thank them. A little bit of kindness can start a chain reaction. I want you to respond to this blog telling me what you have done for what teachers. I know that students tend to think I run hard practices with a lot of conditiong so this is what I'll do. I will check and the person who has the nicest action or the most actions will get a "get out of 1 conditioning drill card."

"Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to just get by, and the only thing wrong is to get caught." J.C. Watts

I also want you to think about this quote and see if there is a way you can work on your character or how it may apply to you.

first game and goals

2010-11-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

Today is our first game and I want to really stress what we have talked about all year. We are not only a team but a program. We are in this together from the youth program up to the varsity program and even after graduation. We have to support and help eachother through all levels, as well as on this team. Remember this:

"Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."

We have to keep in mind what I've told you all year "progress is a process." Let's stay focused on our goals and stay true to what we have preached all year progress, togetherness and pride.

I have come up with three goals for this year.

1.) Hold opponents under 30 pts.
2.) Have every player not on either the ineligible or restricted.
3.) We need to make contributions to make our environments positive. We will have a weekly goal as to how to do this I will explain.

first play

2010-11-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

Learning new plays are tough, especially at our level when we are being introduced to our first structured offense. I want you guys to understand that it is a process, and we will learn the plays. This offense is a continuity offense and one means one may be at every position. This is especially true with our low numbers. We need to know how to play every position. I want you guys to understand this as you begin to evolve into basketball players.
With that said the plays arent everything. Our offense is a body of work. The play is just the bones of the body; not the whole body. I often see players just running from spot to spot. I want you to play the game of basketball. If you get the basketball and have an opportunity to get to the basket or have a an open shot, I want you to take that opportunity at all times. I will never be mad at a player for shooting the ball. If we make a pass, take a bad shot or any mistake in general its ok. What we have to do is focus on getting the ball back on the next defensive possession. It's important that move forward and change the next play instead of dwelling on what just happened and cant be changed.

With that says here is the first part of the bones of our offense. Please click on the link you should all know where to go from there. www.coachesclipboard.net

Put a response on this blog to let me know you were here and looked at the play. Remember where to go once you're on the site. If you have trouble logging on talk to Mr. Giroux he is very knowledgable on how you can make a post. Also previous players like Zack Ossit, Kyle Palladino or Kyle Chrismer may be able to help. Any teacher may be able to help.

nutrition

2010-01-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

Now when you hear the word diet what do you think that means? Most people associate the word diet with losing weight. This association isnt necessarily true. The diet for a young athlete contains higher levels of calorie intake. Since you are young your body needs nutrients for it to grow. Being athletes we are breaking down these nutrients when we compete, which means we need to be taking in even more nutrients than kids not participating in sports. You may often hear your parents talk about cutting fat out of their diet but this doesn't apply to the young athlete. YOU NEED FAT IN YOUR DIET! This may sound crazy but its true, because active muscles quickly burn through carbs and need fats for long-lasting energy. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Now this is not an invitation to run home and buy a bag of Doritos and chow the whole thing down!!! I repeat, This is not an invitation to run home and buy a bag of Doritos and chow the whole thing down !!! (haha) This article talks about all the nutrients your body needs and how much. It tells you what types of fats you should consume and it also talks about what we should eat on a game day. I would really like us all to read this article and take it seriously. Some of us may not eat enough some of us may be just eating the wrong things at the wrong times. We will discuss this article. Read through all the pages please. I want you to respond to this blog and tell me one thing you learned from this article and one thing you can change in your diet to make sure you are supplied with the appropriate nutrients and energy.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/eatnrun.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle#

Remember teen athletes should consume 2,000-5,000 calories a day. I would encourage for this team depending on the individual.

Life's Lessons

2009-12-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

We talk about as a team not focusing on what just happened, but moving forward and making the next moment better. We say as a team that if the score is 30-30 and you commit a turnover, its ok, because if we defend and get it back its still 30-30. This is an attitude I hope you all take into life as well as basketball. Its not about the mistakes you make its how you react to them. Each decision or action in your life should become a learning experience. What this means is that whether it be a grade, game or action in your personal life you should reflect upon it. If you get a good or bad grade you should look back and say "how did this happen." If it was good, think about making your preperation for that subjects tests a routine. If a grade is bad, you should reflect upon what you can do differently to prevent this from happening again. The moral here is dont be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are a part of learning, however DONT REPEAT MISTAKES!

“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

Your homework for the weekend is to respond to this blog. I want to reflect upon something you want to change and post what it is, as well as, how you may try to change it. There is no practice this Saturday. I ask that you spend sometime with your family if you can. If you have other plans your job is to do something nice for your family. This can be something as little as doing a chore your parents usually do without being asked. So when your home get out the vaccuum, and vaccuum the living room. You can do all the dishes after dinner. If you really want to treat your family, get up early and make them breakfast! Remember an act done without being asked is always more appreciated.

Nutrition

2009-12-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

After Saturdays practice and observing you guys in the cafeteria it has come to my attention that you need information on the proper diet for an athlete. Now when you hear the word diet what do you think that means? Most people associate the word diet with losing weight. This association isnt necessarily true. The diet for a young athlete contains higher levels of calorie intake. Since you are young your body needs nutrients for it to grow. Being athletes we are breaking down these nutrients when we compete, which means we need to be taking in even more nutrients than kids not participating in sports. You may often hear your parents talk about cutting fat out of their diet but this doesnt apply to the young athlete. YOU NEED FAT IN YOUR DIET! This may sound crazy but its true, because active muscles quickly burn through carbs and need fats for long-lasting energy. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Now this is not an invitation to run home and buy a bag of Doritos and chow the whole thing down!!! I repeat, This is not an invitation to run home and buy a bag of Doritos and chow the whole thing down !!! (haha) This article talks about all the nutrients your body needs and how much. It tells you what types of fats you should consume and it also talks about what we should eat on a game day. I would really like us all to read this article and take it seriously. We have an issue as a whole team of improper diet. Some of us may not eat enough some of us may be just eating the wrong things at the wrong times. We will discuss this article. Read through all the pages please.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/eatnrun.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle#

Remember teen athletes should consume 2,000-5,000 calories a day. I would encourage for this team 3,000-4,500 depending on the individual.

FIRST GAME!!!!!

2009-11-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

Guys today is the first game and I just want to stress one of the points we have talked about all year. We are a program and a team. We support eachother and work together toward a common goal. I offer you this quote to remember as we enter this game.

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ”

Lets stay focused on our goals and stay true to what we have preached all season Progress Togetherness and Pride.

I have looked through our goals and am setting out three for this season.

1.) Lets hold 5 teams under 35 points this year.
2.) Every student off restricted list (ineligible isnt even a thought).
3.) Ability to make 7 out of 10 left handed lay ups.

friday's practice

2009-11-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

Once again I am sorry I cant be there these two days. You all need to understand that the effort you put in practice will directly correspond to your performance in the games. We play Friday and we need to be prepared. There isn't always a coach or someone telling you guys what to do. You need to look within yourself and decide if you want to do well. If so you will act like young adults these 2 days and go even harder to show me improvement in the time I am gone. Leave a comment on how practice went or a response to this quote. Remember attitude is a direct relationship to how we perform.

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." ~J.C. Watts

1st offense

2009-11-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

You guys have the directions on how to find the play. This is the website http://www.coachesclipboard.net/ . Make sure you follow along and see your responsibilities. This is a continuity offense, which means there is constant movement and it is important that we you know the respobsibilites of every position.

----- is a pass

____ is a cut

----I (straight not dotted) is a screen

Goals

2009-10-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

What are some goals for this year? This could be personal as well as team oriented. This can cover several areas (basketball, school, home, friends etc...).

Attitude reflects leadership

2009-10-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

OK boys lets start the year on this note. I firmly believe and stand by this quote and we need to make it a point to have the right attitude everyday. Leave a response to this on either how attitude effects the different areas in your life, or how you can apply this to improve upon an area you feel you can improve on...

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home a team. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

MVP?

2009-04-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Alright its that time of year. NBA playoffs are under way, 40 games in 40 nights. The question of the week is Who deserves to be this years MVP? I'm not giving my answer until the end of the week. I need to know who deserves it and why you think they deserve it. You are your players attorney argue for him!

what are we putting in our bodies?

2009-04-07T05:47:00.001-07:00

I think one of the main reasons we life in an obese society (besides lack of motivation and activity) is we are unaware of what we are putting in our bodies. It’s not always what we eat its how its prepared and its not where we eat its what we get. Now we all need nutrients from the food we eat so its good to eat as growing boys but we need to eliminate the excess fat. I’m leaving some links for you to have fun with and see how what you’re eating is affecting your body. For example Subway is known for helping Jared lose weight. Before we talk about food lets acknowledge the weight loss can’t occur without steady workouts. Jared had to be eating certain subs because some of them are awful for us.

Subway:

Italian BMT: 42g of fat, 46 grams of protein
Roast Beef: 10g of fat, 38g of protein
Double meat turkey breast: 10g of fat, 56 g of protein

You can get just as much protein and nutrients from roast beef and a double meat turkey with 32 less grams of fat. If you love to eat food like I do the turkey makes it so you get double the sandwich.

Check out these sites and play with them to see what you’re taking in when you eat out! The first site is a chart on what you should be taking in, but remember athletes need more because we expend more.
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/archives/percentDV.htm
http://www.wendys.com/food/Nutrition.jsp

http://www.fatcalories.com/

Why do we play the game?

2009-03-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

This site is going to be dedicated to discussions on basketball and life. I want to be able to connect all the kids I have worked with from various areas. There will be a range of D1 prospects to players who play the game just for recreation. I want everyone to be able to discuss and be open to each others opinions and possibly everyone can learn from each other. I wil throw out discussion pieces once or twice a week for us to talk and comment on. I will be posting sites and drills I find successful to help developing basketball players as well. My first blog to help generate conversation as I get people to join is a simple yet complex question

Why do you play the game? I'm interested to see what motivates today's youth. There are many reasons on a broad spectrum as to why people are motivated to play the game. Is it for fun, to keep out of trouble, excellence etc... I will start off. I started playing the game because I enjoyed it. I never played seriously. Once I buckled down I played because I loved being good. I would always say “I don’t love basketball. I love bringing the ball up looking at you and saying to myself there is nothing you can do right now.” That was the fire in me. That was the aspiration to be the best at something and maybe just be successful at something. I always said I was using the game as a vehicle to get to college then I would be done with it when college was done. Now I love the game to see the growth in the kids I work with. The way I felt for the game didn’t turn to love until I began coaching and saw from this perspective the effect it can have on lives.