EP137: Q&A with Alex Sarama (Part 2)

In this episode, Alex Sarama continues the Q&A workshop with coaches, diving deeper into how practice design, constraints, and teaching methods can drive player development. The conversation highlights how to balance principles with in-game adjustments, why autonomy and accountability matter, and how conceptual offense evolves through experimentation.

Chapters:

01:00 – Shifting the lens in practice: solving problems, not filling time

03:00 – Using players to officiate constraints and build accountability

05:00 – Balancing long-term principles with short-term game adjustments

07:00 – Observing player transfer: triggers, spacing, and early progress

09:00 – Evaluating the role and efficiency of DHOs in youth basketball

12:00 – Why uphill DHOs and retriggers can be more effective than perimeter ones

14:00 – Teaching solos, posts, and exploiting mismatches (turtle vs. mouse)

16:00 – Managing feedback, intentionality, and when to add detail

19:00 – The three stages of skill acquisition: coordination, flexibility, optimization

21:00 – Conceptual offense in practice: mixing structure with freedom

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