Helena O.

Experienced coaching middle school, high school and young adults from different parts of the world.
My duties consisted in supervising and preparing morning o conditioning work-outs, personalizing 1 on 1 sessions, organizing trips and activities, working with other staff members, and building positive and meaningful relationships with the athletes.
Moreover, experienced in training younger kids.
I consider myself a very lucky woman who had the great opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches and players in Europe. I would like to teach young athletes all my knowledge and have fun playing this beautiful sport.

I am from Barcelona, Spain and I have played five European Championships with the Spanish National Team in which 4 of them we got Gold and 1 Bronze. Also played a World Cup in 2015 and played in the Youth Olympic Games in China in 2014; which we won the bronze medal. I have played College Basketball Division I at Fairfield University and at Academy of Art University (Division II.)

1) In every practice, I include one of the following: agility drills, footwork, explosiveness drills (jumping and sprinting), balance (ankle and knee mobility), core exercises, and strength. 
2) Dribbling: It is imperative that the athletes feel comfortable with a basketball. Therefore, a variety of drills will be done to improve the quickness and width of the dribble and make efficient choices using less amount of space and dribbles to finish. Moreover, I like to teach the athletes different scenarios to be able to make decisions in a short amount of time reading the defense. 
3) Finishing: I am a big fan of Miken drills. The athletes feel so comfortable afterward finishing with either hand. We would work on lay-ups, pier lay-ups, reverse lay-ups, post moves, floater, and more. 
4) Passing. In my opinion, teams do not emphasize this area and it is incredibly important to ensure a good ball movement. For this reason, I like to strengthen one hand passing and to be able to decide what kind of pass is better for each situation.
5)Defense: Feet quickness is the key to be able to stand in front of the offensive player. Defense is the most humble part of basketball and it is important to teach that this area does not require any special skill more than wanting and willing to give your best for oneself and the team. Boxing out is also a big factor in which I like to work to be a good rebounder. 
6) Technical area: I can not stress enough how important is to read the game, to be able to understand where is the advantage, how to move without the basketball, how to set screens, and where are the openings. 
7) Shooting: The athletes must get used to shooting in the right technique. Once they learn to shoot well, we could focus on increasing their effectiveness.