Successful United Basketball coaches clinic

It was still early and bitterly cold on Sunday morning 5 February, but despite that an enthusiastic group of children from Nimma Gemina U12 were itching to get into sports hall De Horstacker in Nijmegen for the coaches clinic that United Basketball organised for basketball clubs in the Nijmegen region. And so there wasn’t just a group of kids present, but also a number of passionate coaches who work with their kids every week to develop their basketball skills as well as possible.

The aim of this clinic was to give coaches tools, ideas and practical tips on how to structure, fill and approach a training session, to learn from one another and — importantly — to get to know each other.

It turned into a lively morning in which Mark Hooiveld and Frans van der Geer of United Basketball worked very concretely with the children in the hall on a wide range of exercises around themes such as ball skills, attacking in 1-on-1 and 2-on-2, and defensive skills. The approach was interactive, with plenty of room for dialogue and questions, and the coaches stayed right on top of it so nothing was missed.

Alongside time for technique and tactics, plenty of attention went to didactics and pedagogy: how do you explain something, how long should an exercise last, when and how do you correct someone, how do you address children, and so on. The coaches present took plenty of notes and sketches, and there was ample room for questions. Meanwhile, the players of the two U12 teams from the fast-growing basketball club in Nijmegen-Oost joined in enthusiastically and picked up plenty along the way.

Looking back with the clubs present, we could conclude it had been a valuable and successful clinic. With a bag full of new knowledge, useful new contacts in the region, and a series of inspiring encounters, everyone could head home to Beuningen, Malden, Bemmel, Nijmegen and elsewhere. Thanks to Nimma Gemina for the pleasant partnership! Thanks to Wildcats for letting us use the canteen!

The next coaches clinic is already scheduled for Sunday 12 March. We’ll be guests of Pluto in Wageningen. Coaches from the region are once again warmly welcome! Want to know more, or have some input? Send an email to frans@unitedbasketball.nl.