Try this 7-second test Mark put me through

Coach,  

Mark put me on the hot seat this week, and honestly, it was one of the most revealing exercises I've done in a while.

Here's what happened: He gave me seven seconds or less to answer coaching questions across our four SAVI pillars – Simplicity, Adversity, Victory, and Identity. No prep time, no overthinking, just gut reactions.

You know what I realized? If you can't explain something to your players in seven seconds or less, you probably haven't thought it through clearly enough.

Some of my answers surprised even me. When Mark asked for one word that defines my offensive identity, "Race" came out immediately. My go-to principle under pressure? "Two on, you pass. One on, you beat him." These weren't answers I rehearsed – they were just what's become core to how I think about the game.

But here's the thing that really got me thinking: We spent twenty minutes diving deep into why most coaches overcomplicate shooting. I said "shooting" was the thing every coach overcomplicates, and that led us down this rabbit hole about Rob Fodor from the Miami Heat, who studied how cats land on their feet to understand shooting mechanics, then distilled it all down to: "Pass it to the basket."

That's simplicity in action. All that complexity, all that study, just to arrive at something a five-year-old could understand.

The whole exercise made me realize how much clarity comes from being forced to cut through the noise. When you only have seven seconds, you can't give the textbook answer – you have to give your answer.

I'd challenge you to try this exercise yourself. Pick any aspect of your program and see if you can explain it in seven seconds. If you can't, maybe there's some simplifying to do.

Watch the full episode here where Mark grills me on everything from my biggest coaching mistakes to why I think most threes should come off the bounce, not off screens.

Plus, you'll hear the story about why I punched my college coach (and got kicked off the team).

Fair warning: You might find yourself questioning some of your own assumptions about the game.

Stay SAVI,

—Tyler

P.S. Wanna try the 7-second test yourself? Set a 7-second timer (use your phone) and answer each of the following questions. Record yourself to really get an understanding of where you can improve:

Simplicity Questions:

1. One word that defines your offensive identity.

2. Go-to principle under pressure.

3. Best teaching tool that you use?

4. What's one thing that every coach over complicates?

Adversity Questions:

1. Messiest but most effective activity in practice.

2. What's your favorite activity when practice gets flat?

3. Worst mistake that you've made as a coach or player that's helped you grow.

4. What's a moment where adversity became an advantage for you?

Victory Questions:

1. What's the most underrated win in coaching?

2. What's the number one stat you're looking at either during or after a game?

3. What's one metric that people overvalue?

4. What is one [metric] that people undervalue?

Identity Questions:

1. What's a non-negotiable of any savvy program that you would encourage people to implement or standard?

2. What's your coaching superpower?

3. What was maybe the most challenging thing for you to embrace as you were developing your identity?