EP 101: Show, Don’t Tell: A simple tool for a better practice

Hey Coach,

We've all done it—spent five minutes explaining a drill, only to watch players set it up completely wrong.

Or told our team to "stay positive through mistakes," then watched them sulk after every turnover. The gap isn't effort. It's method.

This episode is about closing that gap. Tyler and Mark break down why showing beats telling every time.

Stop explaining what you want and start showing improvement, correction, and standards in real time.

Key Takeaways

• Don't demonstrate perfection—demonstrate correction. Pull out a player who's getting it wrong, coach them through the fix, and let the group see the before and after. That's what transfers.

• Show your staff how to teach, not just what to teach. If you want something done consistently at every basket, demo the teaching process with your assistants watching—not just the skill itself.

• Film sessions should show what right looks like first. Before you pile on mistake clips, show them doing it correctly. Then show the gap. Context matters more than critique.

• Scout with clips, not descriptions. "He's a good shooter" means nothing. Show how he gets his shots and how other teams have successfully defended him.

• Model the response you want to mistakes before practice starts. If you want players to stay positive through errors, create a low-stakes experience (like a simple game) where they feel what that energy looks like—then name it.

Listen to the full episode here:

One Teaching Cue or Question

"Show me you know how to set this up."

Use this after you demo. Have a group run the setup themselves. If they can't organize it, they didn't understand it. Give them a redo with help, then check again.

Why This Matters

Players don't learn from explanations—they learn from seeing change happen.

When you show improvement instead of perfection, you give them a mental model they can actually replicate.

You also create buy-in.

If they watch a teammate get better in 60 seconds, they believe the coaching works. That belief changes how they practice.

Stay SAVI,

-Tyler

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