0:00
Baseball is back, and the first pitch is on Netflix.
0:04
The New York Yankees, led by seven-time all-star Aaron Judge, head to the San Francisco Bay
0:09
to take on Raphael Devar's San Francisco Giants.
0:12
This season kicks off with one exclusive opening night game.
0:16
Watch MLB Opening Night, the New York Yankees versus the San Francisco Giants live on Netflix.
0:22
Wednesday, March 25th at 8 PM Eastern 5 PM Pacific.
0:25
5 AM, I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink, running 12 miles today.
0:33
Grab a green juice, quick change, and head to work, meetings, workshops.
0:37
One more Celsius, no slowing down, working late, but obviously still meeting the girls
0:41
for a little dancing.
0:42
Celsius, live, fit, go.
0:45
Grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius.com.
0:52
They say you should learn something new every day.
0:54
Like how you should only drink Yeager Meister at zero degrees Fahrenheit.
0:58
Like those frozen cavemen they find, which makes you wonder, what would a caveman think
1:03
Well, if you served it warm, he'd probably throw it in your face, say,
1:06
and storm off, and nobody wants that.
1:09
So drink it cold, or not at all.
1:14
Drink responsibly, Yeager Meister, La Cure, 35% alcohol by volume, imported by Master Yeager
1:17
Meister, US, White Plains, New York.
1:21
On the 5th quarter studios in Madison, Wisconsin, you're listening to Coach Unplugged.
1:27
And now, your host, Steve Collins.
1:31
Hey, everybody, welcome, welcome, welcome to Coach Unplugged.
1:37
I'm so happy you decided to join us.
1:39
Coach, before we get into it, go to teachoops.com.
1:42
That's where I put the stuff that actually helps practice plans, culture tools, game prep,
1:48
no fluff, teachoops.com.
1:50
All right, it's March.
1:53
And March is different.
1:54
March is when you find out if your team has habits, or if your team has hopes.
2:02
Because hope is not a strategy.
2:04
And March doesn't care what you ran in December.
2:07
March cares what you can execute when you're tired, when the crowd is loud, when the whistle
2:13
feels weird, when the other team is grabbing and bumping.
2:17
When your kids look at you like, coach, what do we do now?
2:23
So today, I'm giving you a March readiness checklist, not a cute list, a real one.
2:30
Stuff you can install and reinforce this week.
2:34
Because here's the truth.
2:36
Most teams don't lose in March because they forgot to play.
2:40
They lose because the game speeds up and they don't have answers.
2:46
They turn it over twice in a row.
2:48
They give up an offensive rebound.
2:51
They foul a three point shooter.
2:53
They take a bad shot early.
2:56
Then they argue with the ref.
2:58
Then they stop talking on defense.
3:01
And now you're down eight.
3:03
And it feels like 20.
3:06
So let's talk about what wins in March.
3:09
Number one, simplify the menu.
3:13
March is not the time to become a chef.
3:16
March is the time to become a master of your best two meals.
3:22
You do not need 12 sets.
3:24
You need two that you can run against anything.
3:29
And you need counters that are easy.
3:32
If your players have to remember a paragraph, your toast.
3:38
Make your calls shorter.
3:40
Make your rules tighter.
3:43
Make your teaching cleaner and spend your time on execution.
3:51
Because in March, the team that thinks less plays faster, plays freer, plays tougher.
4:01
Number two, you need a pressure plan.
4:04
And I don't mean be strong with the ball.
4:11
Because every March game has that stretch.
4:16
They pick you up full.
4:18
They trap the first pass.
4:21
They deny the wings.
4:25
Your point guard starts dribbling like the ball is a grenade.
4:30
And your wings start hiding.
4:33
So you need answers.
4:41
A simple trigger and simple rules.
4:46
Two hands on catches.
4:50
Pivot before you dribble.
4:54
Attack the middle with purpose.
4:59
And you need a ball security group.
5:02
Who are the five guys you trust when it gets chaotic?
5:07
That group has to know it's their job.
5:10
And you have to rehearse it.
5:17
Pressure is not solved by motivation.
5:21
Pressure is solved by reps.
5:24
Number three, win the first four minutes.
5:28
And win the last four minutes.
5:32
Most coaches obsess over the middle.
5:35
The middle is messy.
5:37
The start and the finish are a clean.
5:41
The start tells you if you're ready.
5:44
The finish tells you if you're grown.
5:48
So script your first few possessions.
6:02
And late game, stop hoping.
6:08
If you're up three with 22 seconds left, what are you doing?
6:14
If you're down to with 12 seconds, what are you doing?
6:19
If you need a stop and you have a follow to give,
6:23
do your kids know that?
6:26
Or do they look at you like it's a pop quiz?
6:30
March is not the time for pop quizzes.
6:34
March is the time for open book tests
6:38
because you've studied it together.
6:42
Number four, special situations are free points.
6:47
Free if you prepare.
6:51
Baseline out of bounds.
6:53
Side line out of bounds.
6:56
Jump ball situations.
6:58
Free throw rebounding.
7:00
Two for one moments.
7:09
Most teams waste special situations.
7:12
They just run something.
7:15
They don't run something with a purpose.
7:19
So here's a quick upgrade.
7:23
One that gets a layup.
7:25
One that gets a shooter a clean look.
7:31
One to get it in safely.
7:34
One to attack immediately.
7:37
And have one end of game action you believe in.
7:41
Something you can run against switching.
7:45
Something you can run against no switching.
7:49
And one bail out option.
7:52
Because in March, the first look won't always be there.
7:57
But the second look can be great if you're spacing is right.
8:03
And your kids trust the plan.
8:06
Number five, your identity has to travel.
8:11
Because March is a road trip.
8:16
The crowd is different.
8:18
The refs are different.
8:20
The energy is different.
8:22
So your identity can't be when we're feeling good.
8:27
It has to be this is who we are.
8:36
Taking care of the ball travels.
8:39
Communication travels.
8:44
If your identity is we make threes, that's fine.
8:51
But what happens when you go to for 16?
8:59
The best March teams have a plan B that looks like toughness.
9:07
They can get a stop.
9:09
They can get a rebound.
9:11
They can manufacture at basket.
9:17
And that's not negative.
9:21
The prime time stage is set for the TGL presented
9:24
Los Angeles Golf Club versus Tiger's Jupiter links.
9:27
Keep up, it's playoffs.
9:28
Tune in Monday, March 23rd, 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN 2
9:32
and Tuesday, March 24th, 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN
9:36
and on the ESPN app.
9:40
Abercrombie's active brand, your personal best
9:42
is built for every part of your workout routine.
9:45
The YPB neonate hoodies and sweatpants are soft, breathable,
9:49
and moisture wicking.
9:51
You're perfect warm up layers.
9:53
And for leg day or any lifting day,
9:55
pair YPB motion tech shorts with their active teas and tanks.
9:59
Level up your workout routine with all new active by Abercrombie.
10:03
Shop YPB in the app, online, and in stores.