Are you over- or under-teaching?

Coach,  

The Gambling Coach – Are You Taking the Over or the Under?

Every coaching decision is a calculated bet.

The question is: Are you playing to win—or playing not to lose?

In a recent conversation with a pro coach, he said something that hit:

“The superpower of high performers is their ability to deeply focus on the right things.”

So in today’s edition, we’re giving you a chance to check the betting line on your own coaching approach.

Are you spending too much time on the wrong things? Not enough time on the right ones?

You can’t evaluate this alone, because when you’re deep in the craft, you’ve already made up your mind about what matters most.

That’s where feedback comes in.

That’s what we do at SAVI.

🧠 The Coaching Over/Unders – Check the Line

We’ve consulted with thousands of coaches across all levels. Here's where most are misplacing their chips:

1. Loose Balls

The SAVI Line: OVER TAUGHT

Too many coaches run loose ball drills like it’s a war zone. Players diving for drama. Coaches yelling for optics.

But let’s bet the facts:

• Diving increases injury risk

• You're often out of position

• Sprinting to the ball is faster, safer, smarter

🎯 The Sharp Play: Teach sprint-to-the-ball. Save the floor burns for March.

2. Effort

The SAVI Line: UNDER TAUGHT

This one’s a silent killer.

Coaches assume their team “knows how to compete.” But effort isn’t a given—it’s coached.

• If you find out in Game 1 that your team doesn’t play hard? That’s on you.

• Practice structure should build effort, not just demand it

🔥 The Smart Bet: Install effort as part of your daily system, not as a motivational speech.

3. Technique Training

The SAVI Line: OVER TAUGHT

Most coaches obsess over perfect shooting mechanics, textbook footwork, and “clean” form. But here’s the reality:

The best solutions are often player-discovered. And discovered solutions stick—they transfer under pressure.

• Dictating every movement kills creativity

• Discovery creates ownership

• Form follows function, not the other way around

♠️ The Smart Bet: Guide discovery. Build environments where players find what works—don’t script every step. The game is chaotic. The solution should be adaptable.

4. Plays

The SAVI Line: OVER TAUGHT

You’ve got 20 plays in the book. Congrats. But do any of them create an actual advantage?

• Too many plays = too little mastery

• More complexity = more confusion

⚡️ The Edge: Teach 2–3 actions that create leverage. Focus on spacing, timing, and reads.

Final Word

So, Coach, where are your overs? Where are your unders?

Every drill, every film session, every emphasis is a wager. Are you placing smart bets? Are you intrigued? Do you want feedback on your focus? Wondering how to build an environment that encourages player-generated solutions?

Give us one month.

Dive into our courses. Get live training from our experts. Learn with coaches just like you inside our private community.

And here’s the deal: If it’s not worth your $97, I’ll gladly give you your money back.

Get results like this:

🎥 Don’t miss the latest episode of The Hours, where Mark and I go deep on the biggest coaching over/unders in the game today.

Stay SAVI.

- Tyler & The SAVI Basketball Team 

P.S. We just introduced a brand new (FREE) LockLeft Educational Email series. . . If you’ve been wanting to dive deeper into LockLeft but you’re not sure where to start, download the free pdf and get the emails here: