The Smartest Questions Come from Coaches Who've Done the Work

Hey Coach,

We just hit 600+ members in the SAVI community.

And instead of planning our usual podcast episode, Mark and I spent the morning going through the questions coaches are asking in there.

We realized something: these aren't just good questions—they're smart questions.

A smart question shows effort. It shows you've learned the principle, attempted to apply it, and run into a specific obstacle. That's when we can actually help you.

A not-smart question? "Where's the shovel?"

If I knew where it was, I'd tell you to get it from the garage.

But "I found three shovels—which one do you want?" That's a smart question.

This mailbag episode is full of smart questions from coaches putting in the work.

👉 Listen to the full episode here →

Or get the full breakdown below.

In this one, Mark and I break down:

• Why third-graders can't shoot threes (and what you're doing wrong)

• How to utilize capable assistant coaches

• The five-question framework for reacting to any opponent

• Why you don't guard stagger screens in Lock Left

• What the Phoenix Suns can teach you about switching

• Why your shooting instruction is probably backwards

Question 1: My Third Graders Can't Shoot from the Three-Point Line. Where Should They Stand?

The big principle: What are you even doing here, coach? Are you trying to win a third-grade rec game on Saturday, or are you trying to teach these players how to play basketball in a way that's going to serve them their entire life?

Where do you want them standing 10 years from now when they're playing varsity? That's where they should stand today.

The small principle: Spacing is for passing, not shooting. The closer they stand to the rim, the more crowded it gets. The harder it is for the ball to move. Fast ball movement creates big advantages. Big advantages create easy drives for layups.

The real issue: Why can't they shoot from there? Because they haven't been taught to generate power. Third graders can get the ball to the rim—just not with "proper" form. And proper form doesn't matter if it doesn't work.

Can you get the ball there? Can it go in? Can you get it off in a real game? That's the right way to shoot.

If you dive into the SAVI Shooting System, I'm confident you can get third graders making threes in three months. My daughter's in fifth grade shooting NBA threes with ease. This is the only way I've taught her to shoot—developed over 20 years of teaching shooters from pro to youth level.

Question 2: How Do I Give Roles to Two Assistant Coaches Who Could Be Head Coaches?

Mark's answer: Ask them.

Don't create their job description for them. Have them write it. Tell them to shoot for the moon—what's their area of genius? What do they want ownership over?

When Mark did this with his staff, one coach wanted to run scouts and handle subs. Another wanted to drive competitiveness in practice and open the gym early for extra work. A third wanted to be defensive coordinator—something Mark never would have known without asking.

It starts the conversation. Then you put the puzzle pieces together from there.

My follow-up: What does "capable of being a head coach" actually mean? That doesn't tell me their skillset. Put them in their areas of genius. Let them run with it. Same thing you'd do with your players.

Question 3: How Do You Guard Stagger Screens in Lock Left?

You don't.

If you're guarding stagger screens in Lock Left, you're not running Lock Left correctly.

Here's the five-question framework for reacting to any opponent action:

1. Why do you care?

Most coaches prepare for things that haven't hurt them yet. They scout an opponent, see they run staggers, and spend 20 minutes in practice on it. But it hasn't actually beaten you. Focus less on what they do and more on what you can do to not be in that situation.

2. Have you checked the math?

How many possessions did you actually have to guard staggers? If it's under 10%, forget about it. If it's 25%, okay—but is there something happening over 50% of possessions you should tackle first?

And of those stagger possessions, how many times did they actually shoot off it? Four times in the whole game? You just spent 20 minutes of practice time on five points. That's a terrible ROI.

3. Rewind the tape.

What happened before the stagger that allowed them to run it? Your on-ball defender didn't make the ball go. That's the problem. Address that instead of reacting to their offense.

4. Make your game look like your practice.

When Mark was all-in on disruptive defense, teams would practice their continuity offense or flex cuts. But they never got to run them because his team disrupted timing immediately. The game felt like Mark's practice, not theirs.

5. Practice switching your actions, not theirs.

If you need to work on switching, don't practice against their staggers. Practice against your own split game. Get better on both sides of the ball with actions you actually run.

The Phoenix Suns Guarding Wemby: A Switching Masterclass

The biggest mismatch in the NBA right now? A small guard on Victor Wembanyama at 7'5".

The Suns switched everything. Small guards on Wemby. Full front in the post. Wall coming over from the backside. Massive disruption.

It's not about who switches. It's about how you switch. Talk, touch, be physical. That's how you guard a star player—don't worry about the mismatch. Full switch so they never catch with advantage.

If they have to create advantage from neutral in an ISO, we've already won.

Why Your Shooting Instruction Is Backwards

Here's my observation from reviewing 20 players' shots for one of our annual members:

Players in the same program shoot the same way. Same inefficiencies. Same problems. Because they were taught by the same local coach or "expert."

The two biggest issues I see everywhere (especially girls):

1. Feet too narrow (or way too wide)

2. Ball position too high (loading at the chin)

You can't generate power with narrow feet. You can't swing your arms from your chin. Shooting is about applying force to an object—the basketball. There's an optimal way to transfer force from the ground through your kinetic chain to the ball.

The traditional approach is backwards:

Where do you teach form shooting? Two feet from the rim.

How many times do you get that shot in a game? Never.

Then why are we practicing there?

Here's what I told 150 coaches in Utah:

If you can't get the ball to the rim from the three-point line, don't move in. Move back.

When you can at least touch the rim from the four-point line, then you might have a chance of making a shot from the three-point line. That's going to inform what you need to do functionally to get this object through space.

Function over form. Always.

Want the full breakdown? Mark and I go deep on all of these questions—plus switching, close-and-fly defense, and why SAVI is revolutionizing shooting instruction.

👉 Listen to The Hours here

Stay SAVI.

-Tyler

P.S. Not a SAVI member yet? We've got a 7-day free trial. Ask your first question in the community—maybe yours will make the next mailbag.