Finally, a Coaching Clinic for Beginners
Sunday, 25 January 2009 3,501 Views / 61 Comments
I admit it. I’m not only a frustrated basketball player. I’m also a frustrated basketball coach.  I was never a varsity player in high school or college, which is often a major prerequisite to starting a career in coaching.
To compensate, I often try to soak up as much information as I can about basketball coaching by reading literature on the subject or listening intently whenever one of my many friends in the coaching community would dissect a game or team or player. Of course, none of these will ever be enough to at least drill in the basics or fundamentals of basketball coaching.
Not that I still harbor any ambitions of becoming a coach, but it has had me wondering if there are others like me who are serious basketball fans and who want to give coaching a try but don’t exactly know how to get started. It also dawned on me that while basketball clinics in this country are a dime a dozen, coaching clinics are virtually non-existent, especially clinics for beginner coaches and people with zero experience.
That got me thinking about organizing just that: a coaching clinic for beginners and people with zero experience, a boot camp that would to teach aspiring coaches the dynamics of the right way to coach the game of basketball. For those who want to give coaching a shot, it would be a chance to find out if they had the aptitude and inclination. For those who are already coaching at some level and who are not 100% sure about what they’re doing, it would help broaden their skills and give them the right framework with which to work. Yes, I decided, it could be done.
So middle of last year I contacted Jojo Villa, head coach of St. Stephen’s and a longtime friend from UP, to pitch the idea and get his thoughts. He liked what he heard, and he suggested we bring in Ricky Dandan, Ateneo’s program director for basketball.  Jojo, Ricky and I all met and worked on the course modules and list of lecturers. Both coaches had a vast network of colleagues they could tap, and the initial list included names like Joe Lipa, Manny Dandan, Rico Perez, and Lito Vergara. We tentatively scheduled the clinic for November to coincide with the Philippine Collegiate Championship.
I felt it was a fruitful first meeting, and immediately made plans to meet up with Coach Joe to enlist his support. We met in early September, and while Coach agreed to help out, he advised me to revisit our proposed November timeline because he had heard that the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) was planning a clinic of its own around the same time.
After that I sort of got hit by ningas cugon, and the project lost momentum. But one October night over a few beers I mentioned my aborted clinic to my inboundpass colleague Mike Abasolo, and he liked the idea so much he volunteered to help me market the project. So it was back to picking up where we left off. While Mike was busy pitching our project to Corporate Philippines, I reconnected with Jojo and Ricky, decided on a venue, finalized the course modules, and sought the confirmations of our invited lecturers.
Slowly, the project began to take shape. Lecturers and courses started matching up. The first batch included Lipa handling Developing Your Coaching Philosophy, Ricky taking on Practice Organization, Jojo discussing Coaching Offense, Ed Cordero demonstrating Shooting Skills, and Lito Vergara handling Coaching Defense. Since the plan was to have ten topics over two days, that left five more topics I wanted to cover: Motivating Your Team, Game Preparation, Skills Development, Strength and Conditioning, and Big Man Skills. The first three eventually found lecturers in Patrick Aquino, Jude Roque and Rico Perez.
A few weeks later, Ronnie Dizer agreed to discuss Strength and Conditioning.  That left only Big Man Skills, and for this topic I wanted the best big man coach available: Norman Black. Tracking down the Ateneo coach proved difficult at first, but Mike and I eventually managed to meet with him at the Moro Lorenzo center just before a Blue Eagle practice. We had only a few minutes to make our pitch, so I got straight to the point.
After listening to the concept and hearing that the venue would be at the nearby Blue Eagle Gym, Norman thankfully gave his consent. Sid for the win! Almost improbably, we managed to assemble a pretty solid cast of speakers, if I do say so myself. We decided to name the clinic Coach Now, as in “you may start coaching nowâ€Â, and hold it from March 5 to 6 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The course schedule looks like this:
Thursday, March 5 8:00AM
Registration 9:00AM  Developing Your Coaching Philosophy – Joe Lipa
10:30AM  Strength & Conditioning – Ronnie Dizer
12:00NN Lunch
1:00PM Motivating Your Team – Patrick Aquino
2:30PM  Big Man Moves – Norman Black
4:00PM Shooting Skills – Ed Cordero
Friday, March 6
9:00AM  Coaching Offense – Jojo Villa
10:30AM Coaching Defense – Lito Vergara
12:00NN Lunch 1:00PM Practice Organization – Ricky Dandan
2:30PM Game Preparation – Jude Roque
4:00PM Skills Development – Rico Perez
Let me give you a brief background on the speakers.
Of course, everybody knows Norman Black and Joe Lipa, so I won’t waste your time writing about them.  Ronnie Dizer is a faculty member at the UP College of Human Kinetics and has served as trainer of the national team and some PBA teams many times in the past. He has promised to share his knowledge on the latest trends in physical conditioning.
Patrick Aquino is a former UPIS and Xavier head coach who is now connected with Mighty Sports. He led Xavier to the Tiong Lian title in 2006 and UPIS to the UAAP Finals the year before. He played for UP in the early 90s and has also served as an assistant coach in the PBL. He will share his many experiences in motivating a team, knowing which buttons to push, and how to deal with problem players.
Ed Cordero is currently an assistant coach at San Beda and is one of the finest shooters in the history of the UAAP, for which he served as commissioner in 2007. He will conduct a shooting demonstration to show the correct shooting form and how to teach this to players.
Jojo Villa has been coaching since 1994. He has been an assistant coach at UP and San Miguel and FedEx in the PBA. He was head coach of NU in 1996, Nueva Ecija in the MBA in 2000, and is currently coaching St. Stephen’s in the Tiong Lian tournament. He has attended several coaching seminars in the US, and was once invited to observe the practices of the Kansas University Jayhawks by no less than Kansas coach Roy Williams. He will teach participants the different offensive patterns and team drills.
Lito Vergara is currently head coach of Xavier School and an assistant coach of the JRU Heavy Bombers. He was head coach of the UP Maroons from 2003 to 2005. He previously led UPIS to its first-ever UAAP title in 2002. He got started as an assistant coach with La Salle Greenhills in the late 90s. Lito is known as an excellent defensive coach, making him the ideal lecturer for his topic.
Ricky Dandan is currently the program director for basketball in Ateneo. He was head coach of University of St. La Salle for six years. He also served as head coach in the MBA and assistant coach of Ateneo in the UAAP and FedEx/Air21 in the PBA. He also attended coaching clinics under Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski and Temple University coach John Chaney. One of his peers has called him one of the most technically sound coaches in the country. He will share his insights on the importance of practice and how best to go about practice organization and planning.
Jude Roque most recently coached Taguig in the Liga Pilipinas. He is also in the coaching staff of the RP Men’s Basketball Team and was an assistant with the San Beda Red Lions until 2006. He likewise has had stints as assistant coach in the PBA and the MBA. He is currently working for the Samahang Basketbolista ng Pilipinas. He will give his inputs on game day preparation and actual game coaching.
Rico Perez is an assistant coach of the NU Bulldogs, where he also served as head coach for two years. He has also coached at La Salle Greenhills, and is an instructor at the Ateneo Basketball School. He attended the Tom Newell Coaches Workshop a few years ago and will lecture on properly teaching fundamentals plus the most effective drills and programs for individual skills development. I believe anybody who has always wanted to try out coaching but didn’t have the playing pedigree to get started, and current coaches who wish to further hone their skills under some of our best bench tacticians, to sign up for this clinic.
This won’t be just another clinic with no real measurable output. At the end of the two-day training, all participants will undergo a test covering everything that was taught to find out their overall aptitude and in which areas they excel. Results will be made available to all the lecturers for evaluation. So who knows? This may be your ticket to that coaching career you’ve always dreamed of.
To register, just go to www.icancoachnow.com and fill out a form. The site includes information about the course with an extensive write-up on the lecturers to come. The seminar fee is pegged at P3,500, inclusive of lunch. Early-bird rate is P3,000 good until February 20. And for large groups, get a big discount with a five-for-the-price-of-four package. You may pay in check or cash at Redmedia Solutions, Inc., 317A Computer Kingdom, Mile Long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati. Please make all checks payable to Redmedia Solutions, Inc. Please feel free to e-mail Mike at mike@redmediacrm.com or myself at sid.ventura@gmail.com for any questions you may have.  Start coaching now!
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thanks for the info – really love to be part of that seminar. (marvin of olongapo)
This is great news, Sid.
See you there. =)
Al
this is a good development for basketball fanatic/eies nthusiast who never had a chance to make good in big time leagues but who has a desire to get involve into basketball tru coaching….wishing/hoping that in the near future,clinics of similar magnitude be opened in cities like cebu,ormoc,tacloban coz it’s nearer to my place,catbalogan,samar…
this is a good development for basketball fanatic/e nthusiast who never had a chance to make good in big time leagues but who has a desire to get involve into basketball tru coaching….wishing/hoping that in the near future,clinics of similar magnitude be opened in cities like cebu,ormoc,tacloban coz it’s nearer to my place,catbalogan,samar…
sid di mo kinuha si coach ryan?mukhang ayaw mo talaga sa mga gregorio.hahaha!
Congrats mga brad!!! Sayang huli ako ng 2 weeks para maka-tulong man lang dyan.
@marvin and ray piczon: if there is sufficient demand for this, we will plan an out of town seminar in the future.
@al bernarte: pare, kumusta? hope to see you there. Ihatak ninyo si bayaw. Haha.
@mike reyes: I did invite Ryan but he didn’t reply.
@Kim: pare habol ka! Book an earlier flight!
very,very nice! sana madami ang magparticipate
ang mahal naman ng singil nyo!!!career advancement in basketball coaching in the 1960′s setting????
Huh? What 1960s setting are you talking about?
un mga speakers at instructors UP boys at 60′s or 70′s un mgaalam nilang strategies, except norman black
Very good idea! I wish scouting was also part of the clinic. :)
I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Only Joe Lipa played in the 60s, but he coached until 2007. Ricky Dandan, Jojo Villa, Ronnie Dizer, Rico Perez, Patrick Aquino, and Lito Vergara were all players or students in UP in the 80s, and all of them are still actively coaching. Please read their write-ups a little more carefully. Norman is even older than most of them.
@luck: good point. SOmeone actually mentioned to me that there should be scouting, recruiting and conducting tryouts. I’m studying where we can fit these in.
Btw my previous post was for mickey.
ok yan mr. sid alam nyo napakagaganda ng report mo… good luck po
sid,
you forgot to invite somebody who is arguably the best collegiate coach currently: Louie Alas
a topic he can lecture on: how to maximize your team’s potential. Puwede na rin sa Motivating your team.
Good day Sir Sid,I am also a basketball coach, I have many inventions/creations in basketball. I have a motion offense system that can be executed in transition and in the halfcourt set,i think it is the only one in the world right now.Who do I approach so that i can i find a venue in which i could further improve my talent and knowledge.
I used to be a varsity coach for a small school and have led them to an intercollegiate championship.
I have several motion offense creations,the last one is the TRIANGLE PUSH,It is somewhat frustrating because i have to coach in order to develop all my creations. I also have created several/many many drills. I hope you can help Sir. servaschris@yahoo.com
@chris: Why don’t you attend our clinic? That way you can mingle with fellow coaches and get inputs from our lecturers.
I really wish I could sir,I am from Pangasinan,and hopefully they will conduct clinics in the provinces so that kids can learn more and get the skills development they need,and thereby improve their decision making on the floor.Good skills lead to confidence and confidence leads to a degree of calmness on the court,and that calmness will translate into an intelligent/wise anticipation of the future.
Decision making really is the gap between Manila based players and provincial players.
About Coach Alas ,yes he probably is the best right now. Pero Coach Lipa ako humahanga talaga, sana di siya trinato ng ganun sa skul nia.Legend siya and one of the greatest coaches sa ating bansa.
It’s still a month away. I suggest you try and make it to Manila because it’s hard to tell when all the lecturers can be available again. It’s really tough synchronizing the schedules of all the lecturers. March is really the ideal time because the collegiate summer leagues haven’t begun yet so most coaches are free.
You can also look for four others to go with you so you can avail of the group discount.
sir chris pwede k bang makuha email add nyo pra macontact ko kayo…at gagawa kami ng programa sa Pangasinan mainly in Dagupan…
finally! :) at long last! :)
nagtataka ako bakit ang galing niyo magset-up ng coaching school, pero nung nangcoach kayo sa UP di naman nananalo. Hay grabe, sana lang tama yung mga tinuturo nila.
A little update on payment methods: you may now also pay via East West Bank. Details are as follows:
Bank name – East West Bank Gil Puyat Branch
Account name – Redmedia Solutions, Inc.
Account number – 01-02-03627-1
Please remember to SCAN the deposit slip and send to mike@redmediacrm.com. You will get your Official Receipt on the day of the clinic.
If you are paying for the group package, please jot down the names of the five persons included on the deposit slip or include them in the e-mail. Thanks guys.
@Atom Tambalot
nice views, yan din ang iniisip ko. they can inspire beginners to coach. pero bakit sila mismo ay hindi nila napachampion ang UP Fighting Maroons noong time nila na nacoach sila or noong naglaro sila. tapos old fashion pa un ituturo nila. anu na lang ang ituturo ko sa mga players ko??? old fashion din, eh 2009 na!!!
Heto na naman tayo with that “old-fashoined” argument. Who is old-fashioned among the coaches, specifically, and why do you say so? I think I already answered your concern Carl/Mickey, and you obviously just ignored it. I can send you their resumes if you like. I have your e-mail address(es) anyway.
Please, let’s not post of for the sake of posting. You’re making yourself look very silly. If you think this clinic isn’t worth your while, then don’t attend. It’s as simple as that.
sid,bro wag pikon…opinion ko un eh…sori na ok…
HIndi ako napipikon, frustrating lang kung sinasagot ko nga yung concerns, pero tila hindi mo naman pinakinggan.
Kung ang basehan mo kasi sa kakayanan ng mga UP coaches ay yung record nila nung 2007, parang mali yata yun. At hindi lang iyon. Si Lipa at Jojo Villa lang ang nasa coaching staff ng UP noong panahon na iyon. At kung gusto mo na rin pag-usapan kung napachampion ba nila ang UP dati, ang sagot ay oo, nung 1986.
Ricky Dandan is from UP, but he has been program director of the Ateneo Basketball School since 2001 and has done a very good job. Patrick Aquino and Lito Vergara, parehong napachampion ang Xavier. In fact, Patrick has just been appointed head coach of the women’s national 16-under team. Hindi naman siguro ma-aappoint siya kung “old-fashioned” siya diba?
Walang problema kung hindi ka sang-ayon sa clinic na ito. Pero kung mali kasi ang dahilan kung bakit ayaw mo, tingin mo may obligasyon akong ipaliwanag kung bakit ka mali.
sori n nga!!! pasensya!!!
No problem. Are we good?
Anyway, for those in the provinces who registered already but may not have time to pay or who aren’t near any East West Bank, you may pay on the day of the clinic.
Coach Chris! nice to hear from you! Mukhang maganda nga opportunity ito para ma showcase mo ang mga nadevelop mong offense/defensive plays, why not ask D.I. to sponsor you and maybe some other coaches in pangasinan that we know, so that they can attend also =) hope to see you soon coach! sayang di rin ako makakapunta sa clinic n ito kuntento nako manood ng mga plays nyo. =)
Sir Gilbert(gienecees),nice to hear from you too!
UP may not have the resources like those of other schools when Coach Lipa was coaching.And the talent level of the players were not there when he was with the Maroons.Coaching is not all about Ws, Coach Lipa’s players have a certain way of carrying themselves on the floor and off the floor.I think his players fell a little short from their potential.But one can not say that it is because of poor coaching,there are some factors that spectators are not aware of when a team is sinking down the drain.One mentioned something about being old fashioned,being old fashioned(Values and fundamentals) in the game of basketball I think is an advantage,it is something that most coaches dont have right now.It is something that one must have because it is something that players need to make them men and not just boys.Coach Joe lipa,I think is a great man and no great man can ever coach poorly.
Just to add,to name a few of my creations about defense(zone);Half court slide trap,staircase trap,slide zone,deny and slash 2-3 zone,check right 2-1-2 zone,check left 2-1-2 zone, and many others……full front close out zone………….but coaching is not really about how many set plays or defensive strategies you have……..it is also about seeking what is simple in a very complex situation.
Uhm Sir Sid can you give a discount to those young men who really want to coach, most especially me, soon ill be finishing my Physical Education course.
I’ve created three combination defense on the court, and it is effective. I tried to used it to my players in our place to defeat their opponent on the league.
I called it the “Diamond Combo Press” Its like a 1-3-1 formation on the court, but you will noticed that it has three combined defensive plays wherein the exterior, midcourt, and the interior is tightly defended with 5 players. Hehehe!
Hope to hear from you soon!
@Scoutman: We’ve actually received a lot of inquiries from students with the same concern as yours, and we’re seriously thinking of giving a student discount. Of course, you’ll need to submit proof that you’re still a student (i.e., current school I.D., registration form, etc.)
E-mail me your contact number and I’ll get back to you by Wednesday. Thanks!
Sid
@chris: you got mail, sir.
ano naman ituturo ni Joe Lipa dyan? pano magpatambak at mag 0-14? pano murahin at makipag away sa referee? Dumura at manigarilyo sa court? coaching etiquette?
If coaching is not for the Ws? what is it for? getting resources, i think, is part of coaching. if you’re a good coach, i think resources will come. I dont think there is any excuse for UP to lose “BIG TIME” when Lipa was the coach. They had the talent on that team! They may not be the best team on papers, but certainly not the worst. Some of the blue chip recruits were on the Maroons line up that year, but what happened?
@Coach Chris, wish i could see and watch those new plays that you’ve come up with, i also heard that DI even entrusted you the youth basketball programs for our city? seeing you mention those kinds of play again is rather nostalgic, badly missing Pangasinan =(
its not just in the W’s that makes you a good coach but rather the influence that you are to your players and to the whole team. I also believe, as mentioned by coach Chris earlier, Values and fundamentals are more essential to becoming a better if not the best coach there is. Molding young people to become better individuals and good citizens in the future who are well-disciplined is the lasting legacy of a great coach.
sir, pwede q po b malaman qng cno bagong coach ng mapua? nakita q po kc praktis nla kanina sa campus.. bago n ung mga andun.. tnx sir.. =]
Sir Sid can i ask permission to post your coaching clinic at my site? uhm it would help you guys to gain more enrollees. Thanks!
@Scoutman: sure no problem. What is your site?
@basketballfan: let me get back to you on that, although Mike would probably know since he is our NCAA insider.
@ basketballfan
sir if im not mistaken, Chito Victolero is the new head coach of Mapua. He served as an asst.coach to coach koy banal of Magnolia in the recently concluded PBL Finals.
Bkit naman weekdays. wala bang weekend.
@ Coach Chris
Coach Chris?Are u from Pangasinan? What team do u coach? I’m also coaching here in Dagupan.
@Athletic Soul
Are u friends with coach Lito Vergara.Will u be kind enough to send me his e mail? Kalaro ko kasi dati yan sa Peyups, dont know if he still knows me though.
I wish they could move the seminar on a weekend.Sayang naman kasi,medyo malayo dito sa province tapos may work sa weekdays.thanks anyways.
looking forward
great!
any qc alternative for payment?
amorsolo ofice open saturdays? whole day?
thanks
great!
any qc alternative for payment?
amorsolo ofice open saturdays? whole day?
thanks
09178299331
great!
any qc alternative for payment?
amorsolo ofice open saturdays? whole day?
thanks
09178299331
evenfor qc residents can we pay on day itself
Hi Chino,
You may also pay via bank deposit at any East West Bank. Details are as follows:
Bank name – East West Bank Gil Puyat Branch
Account name – Redmedia Solutions, Inc.
Account number – 01-02-03627-1
Please remember to SCAN the deposit slip and send to mike@redmediacrm.com. You may get your official receipt on the day of the clinic.
Hope to see you there!
@JC and Jayvee: My original plan was to hold the clinic on a Friday-Saturday schedule, but the BEG is booked on weekends due to the Ateneo Basketball League.
@ Athletic Soul
Sayang, I cant go then, i really would like to attend but my off is on Saturdays and Sundays lang.Gusto ko rin sana makausap si Coach Tolits, kumustahan lang, and is Coach Joe Lipa one of the speakers too?Ayways, please keep me posted sa mga next skeds…Thanks a lot.