Episode 155: Alex Sarama and Chris Oliver, Geeking Out on Basketball Immersion Concepts

Guest: Chris Oliver, Founder of Basketball Immersion, and Alex Sarama, Player Development Coach

In this week’s basketball coaching conversation, Jen Oliver hosts a discussion between Chris Oliver and Alex Sarama who join the Basketball Podcast to geek out on Basketball Immersion concepts. Chris and Alex provide insights on keywords like games approach, constraints, BDT, random practice, zero seconds, and the Basketball Immersion membership community.

Chris Oliver is the founder of Basketball Immersion, The Basketball Podcast, and Immersion Videos.

As an expert in basketball decision training, he coaches, trains, and mentors coach to maximize their players’ potential and enjoyment of practices and games. What he is most passionate about in his work is sharing evidence-based coaching ideas that can stimulate your coaching to get better results. The goal is to improve your players’ retention and transfer of the things you teach to their performance. You can learn more about concepts like messy learning, constraints-based coaching, maximizing active learning time, adding decision-making to drills, and much more in the numerous blogs he shares at Basketball Immersion Blogs.

After coaching for over 23 years, completing his Master’s degree, traveling the world to watch NCAA, NBA and Pro teams from around the world, Chris saw the need for more education on a games approach to coaching basketball and training methods to support this. He created Basketball Decision Training (BDT) to bridge the gap between skill development and game applications of those skills.

Alex Sarama shares creative team and player development ideas for basketball coaches, federations, and organizations around the world. Alex helps coaches apply Basketball Immersion concepts such as coaching with a games-approach, Basketball Decision Training and much more.

During the season, Alex is based at Pallacanestro College Basket in Italy, while also traveling to deliver Immersion coaching clinics, camps, and in-person consulting. During the off-season, Alex focuses solely on Immersion events as well as working with professional players.

Alex’s coaching journey began as a 14-year-old in his hometown of Guildford, England. Alex started coaching the Under 12 team at his school, before then going on to start his own club aged 16. Over the next few years, the “Guildford Goldhawks” became one of the most established youth clubs in the South of England, producing over 10 National Team junior players, in addition to running major international events featuring coaches and players from all over Europe. Alex ran Goldhawks semi-remotely while also studying Modern History at the University of Nottingham, where he also played and later coached on the university team.

Jen Oliver is the author of the international bestselling book, The Love FitMama Way: Transforming the Core of Motherhood, and is the creator and host of the FitMama Podcast (The Work into your Workout).

Jen has a true passion for helping people make a greater impact through sharing their passion, intellectual property, and wisdom with the world. Coaches help others constantly and give freely. She can help you create a business using your education, experience, and energy that you can share. She can help you clarify your expertise, expand your reach globally and create a business and brand you love.

As a Business Mindset Coach, Podcaster, and Speaker, Jen inspires, educates, and motivates entrepreneurs around the globe to begin all things with self-love. She has helped produce six and seven-figure launches, and campaigns, for entrepreneurs in a range of businesses

Breakdown

1:00 - How Basketball Immersion Started

4:00 - Concepts Around Basketball Immersion

7:30 - Basketball Decision Training

9:00 - Practicing on Air vs 5-on-5

12:00 - Implementing Learning Concepts

17:00 - Creating an Advantage

19:00 - The Beginning Step

24:00 - Absolutes are Important

28:00 - Idea of Constraints

35:00 - Time on Tasks

39:00 - Burst Concept