ROY RANA: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE

with Roy Rana
Ryerson University Head Coach;
led Ryerson to the Bronze Medal at the 2015 CIS national championship;
Head Coach for Canada's Junior National Team placed fifth at the FIBA U19 World Championships

Through all levels of basketball a series of great practices can be the difference between a winning and losing season. This is why it's so important that every coach understands how to piece together every aspect of their practices. < p>

Roy Rana has mastered the art of developing quality practice sessions for his players to be successful. He outlines how he's developed his practice philosophy and discusses specific drills he uses to help improve finishing skills around the rim and increase 3-point shooting effectiveness. Other innovative drills such as Base & Go are designed to build and foster team defensive excellence.< p>

The video is full of tips on how to get the most out of your practice time by delegating specific aspects of practice to assistant coaches and managers. Coach Rana shows how attention to detail in areas such as how equipment is organized and how you rest players can be implemented at any level despite drawbacks in available facilities.< p>

Pre-Practice Warm-Up< p>

Perhaps the most important building block of a successful practice is the warm-up. With the implementation of a pre-practice you'll address skill development while also engaging your players more so than simply stretching. Coach Rana gives you his pre-practice plan and demonstrates how it will benefit your team at any level.< p>

While players are working on their skills they're also getting loose through a three line warm-up. This is no ordinary layup line drill to get loose in practice. Coach Rana has his players practice their defensive rotations as coaches attack them off the dribble. Once players are loose they get the time needed to go through a dynamic stretch and be ready to go when the horn sounds.< p>

Practice Plan< p>

The meat of Coach Rana's practice sessions depends on the time of year. You'll see how he develops several types of practices: game day closer to playoffs pre-season and mid-season. Each type of practice has its own unique level of development but all include defending actions of teams you'll see throughout the season. < p>

Coach Rana demonstrates more than 10 drills including his Base and Go drill where players defend against the dribble drive and deny the offense paint touches. This focuses players on having teams beat them from the perimeter instead of allowing easy layups.< p>

How to Shape Your Practice Philosophy< p>

As practices evolve you should consider the following: How do you use injured players during practice? Are you developing a recovery practice for the day after an intense game? What stats are you going to use in practice? What is your emphasis to your players and how is it measurable? < p>

Each practice is a representation of you and it is your production according to Coach Rana. How you piece together equipment refs clock video practice plan rest breaks and culture will influence how successful you will be.< p>

Coach Rana makes you think about every element in your practices. Whether you are a new coach or someone that has been coaching for 30 years you will find something useful from this video that will help you improve your practice philosophy and sessions.< p>

Produced at the Fall 2015 Toronto clinic.< p>

71 minutes. 2016.< p>

Win more games by excelling in your practice preparation

Learn innovative drills that build focus and improve key areas such as team defense and finishing around the basket

Introduce a pre-practice routine to boost individual skills and create a more efficient, dynamic warm-up for players

Learn how to adjust practice length throughout the season to ensure players are fresh down the stretch