Using Player-Centered Learning to Augment On-Court Training
In both of his graduate programs, first at Harvard University, then at UC Berkeley, Coach Hopkins
researched and analyzed the strategies used by some of the best coaches in men's and women's basketball history. And while some interesting patterns did emerge in terms of the best and worst practices of both successful and unsuccessful leaders, he was surprised by a startling lack of literature dedicated to athletic coaching. As a result, Coach Hopkins concentrated the bulk of his studies not on emulating others, but on theorizing innovative ways to apply findings from academic research in fields like Human Development, Social Psychology, Motivation Theory, and scholastic pedagogy, to the world of coaching.
researched and analyzed the strategies used by some of the best coaches in men's and women's basketball history. And while some interesting patterns did emerge in terms of the best and worst practices of both successful and unsuccessful leaders, he was surprised by a startling lack of literature dedicated to athletic coaching. As a result, Coach Hopkins concentrated the bulk of his studies not on emulating others, but on theorizing innovative ways to apply findings from academic research in fields like Human Development, Social Psychology, Motivation Theory, and scholastic pedagogy, to the world of coaching.
What was born from this research was an innovative approach to player development, which placed the student as the center of engagement, rather than the coach. After experimenting with this strategy both on and off of the court, Coach Hopkins found that this method was particularly effective in classroom settings, where players were free from the necessity for physical engagement, and thus were able to fully immerse themselves in cognitive analysis of a given topic. Guided by Coach Hopkins and his education on this style of teaching, players have almost universally exhibited a higher level of both interest and understanding following activities such as analyzing game film, reviewing scouting reports, or even introducing the logic behind complex defensive rotations and offensive counters to those defensive strategies.
It's been well established that we all respond differently to different teaching styles, so while this approach might not be groundbreaking for some types of learners, it has proven to lead to both mental and physical breakthroughs for others. This service is highly recommended for players at all levels, and is offered on both a group, and an individual basis.
It's been well established that we all respond differently to different teaching styles, so while this approach might not be groundbreaking for some types of learners, it has proven to lead to both mental and physical breakthroughs for others. This service is highly recommended for players at all levels, and is offered on both a group, and an individual basis.