Fake Fundamentals: Volume 4

Fake Fundamentals: Volume 4 encourages coaches to grapple with their current coaching and the reasons certain drills or teaching points persist despite the game’s evolution. Coaches commonly ask, “Why not?” when ideas and information conflict with their experiences. Why not use fake fundamentals? These drills and teaching points made them into good players; they are good enough. Why not use them at their practices with their players? Fake Fundamentals asks “Why?” Why do some beliefs, drills, and instructions persist through generations despite a lack of evidence for their efficacy beyond personal (biased) anecdotes? The game evolves. Why not the common coaching instructions and drills? Including or adding a drill should be harder than excluding a drill. The change is subtle, but coaches should understand their purpose for any drill, practice activity, or teaching point. Something may be right in one situation or with one group, but wrong with another. What is your purpose for the drill or instruction? The discussion of fake fundamentals attests to the dichotomy between these views on skill development. When a coach has a great reason for using a fake fundamental, by all means continue. The purpose of these books is not to tell someone how to coach or what to do, but to challenge common perceptions.