The By Any Means Coaches Podcast
The By Any Means Coaches Podcast: Exploring the Science, Art, and Culture of Modern Coaching. The BAM Coaches Podcast takes coaches inside the evolution of player development. Grounded in modern skill acquisition science and Constraints-Led Approach but guided by balance and context. Hosts Coleman Ayers, Tyler Clark, and Alex Silva dive into how athletes truly learn - across cultures, systems, and environments. Each episode unpacks the intersection between science, experience, and intuition, equipping coaches to build players who think, adapt, and thrive anywhere in the world.
Jota Cuspinera on Spacing, Simplicity & Offensive Freedom
In this episode, we sit down with one of Spain’s most respected basketball minds, Jota Cuspinera, widely regarded as a master of spacing and offensive structure. With experience ranging from youth national teams to the ACB League and serving as an assistant coach with Real Madrid, Jota brings a rare blend of high-level tactical knowledge and deeply thoughtful teaching methodology. But what makes him truly unique isn’t just what he teaches, it’s how he teaches it.
Jota breaks down the three foundational spacing principles that shape all of his offensive philosophy and explains how simpli...
3 Things Coaches Say That Hurt Players
In this solo episode of the podcast, Coleman Ayers breaks down three extremely common things coaches say that often work against the outcomes they’re trying to create. While phrases like “move the ball,” “snap your wrist,” or “you’ve got to want it more” are well-intentioned and widely used at every level of basketball, Coleman explains how these cues can actually limit learning, decision-making, and performance when used without context.
Using insights from coaching experience, motor learning research, and player development, the episode explores how coaches can communicate more effectively. Coleman discusses why ball movement is actually a bypro...
Rob Gray on Ecological Dynamics, Task Simplification, Designing Game-Like Practice and Much More
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, we sit down with Rob Gray, one of the leading voices in ecological dynamics and modern skill acquisition. Rob is a professor at Arizona State University, author of How We Learn to Move, How to Be an Ecological Coach, and Learning to Optimize Movement, and host of the Perception & Action Podcast. Together, we unpack the difference between skill acquisition and skill adaptation, why variability is a feature, not a bug, of elite performance, and how coaches can rethink what it actually means to “teach” a move...
Principles of Play, Structure & Freedom
In this episode, Tyler sits down with co-host, Alex Silva, for a deep dive into all things principles of play. With the AU season right around the corner, this conversation centers on how and why coaches should be thinking about building out their team principles now. Alex and Tyler break down what principles of play actually are, how they differ from just running sets, and why they serve as the foundation for clarity, alignment, and identity within a program. They also explore when to implement them, where they show up most, and how to think about constructing them in...
Thomas Pennellier talks Paris & Bonn Basketball, Designing Game-Like Practices & True Transfer
Thomas is a young coach with a bright future, a disciple of Thomas Iisalo, and carving out his own path and philosophies that are creating ripples throughout the euroleague and the world. Tyler and Coleman sit down with Thomas Pennellier to dive deep into the art and science of coaching, skill acquisition, and player development. Thomas shares his journey from strength and conditioning into skill development, unpacking how his exposure to ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches reshaped the way he views practice design. He challenges traditional drill-based models and emphasizes representative learning environments, variability, and perception-action coupling as the f...
Why Most Scouting & Evaluating Misses the Point
In this solo episode, Coleman Ayers breaks down how to evaluate basketball players through the lens of ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach. Rather than focusing solely on what a player can currently do, Coleman challenges coaches and scouts to look deeper—into an athlete’s constraint history, adaptability, mental models, and ability to solve problems in representative environments. This episode is less about how to run practice and more about how to see players clearly.
Coleman outlines five key mindset shifts that can transform how coaches analyze talent: understanding environmental, individual, and task constraints; prioritizing adaptability over...
Dr. Job Fransen on Adaptability, Intuition, Building Better Practice Environments and Much More
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Tyler and Coleman sit down with Dr. Job Fransen—skill acquisition researcher, professor at Charles Sturt University, and consultant to a variety of professional organizations—to unpack what skill actually is and how coaches can better design environments that develop adaptable players. Job draws a powerful distinction between technique and skill, reframing skill as adaptability within context rather than mechanical perfection. From perception-action coupling to the limits of “memory bank” thinking, this conversation challenges traditional motor learning narratives and encourages coaches to rethink how players truly self-organize under pressure.
We...
How To Get BASKETBALL Strong
In this quick-hitter episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, Coleman Ayers breaks down a concept that most basketball coaches overlook: how to build truly basketball-strong players. Not weight-room strong. Not just bigger or more powerful. But athletes who can absorb, create, and manipulate contact in ways that directly translate to the game. Coleman reframes strength as a skill, one rooted in timing, momentum, and feel. Rather than brute force.
He organizes all on-court physical interactions into four key categories: closing space, maintaining and gaining position, standing your ground, and arm battles. From there, he delivers plug-and-play solutions...
Tyler Ackley (HC MBB St. Joseph's College) talks building a culture, the current state of recruiting, practice design and more
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Tyler Clark and Alex Silva sit down with Tyler Ackley, head men’s basketball coach at St. Joseph’s College of Maine, joins the podcast to unpack what it really takes to build, and rebuild, a winning program. From stepping in after a 25+ year coaching legacy during an abrupt transition, to navigating injuries, culture shock, and the modern recruiting landscape, Tyler shares a transparent look at leadership rooted in relationships, accountability, and clarity.
This episode dives deep into culture creation, effort standards, recruiting philosophy, and the evolving stat...
How to MAXIMIZE Your Team’s Player Development
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Coleman Ayers dives into one of the most common, and most mishandled, questions in basketball: how do you develop players during the season without sacrificing team performance? With limited time, energy, and gym access, Coleman breaks down why generic “vitamin” work and feel-good reps often fail to transfer, and how intentional player development can actually solve team problems rather than distract from winning.
Coleman outlines a practical, system-aligned approach to in-season player development, centered around individualized player development plans, rate limiters, and superpowers. He explains how to use...
Mitchell Kirsch (@hoopin_mitch) talks developing elite shooters, competency over confidence, building a culture that lasts and more
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Tyler Clark and Coleman Ayers sit down with elite shooting coach Mitchell Kirsch (@hoopin_mitch) to dive deep into modern shooting development, learning theory, and what actually transfers to the game. The conversation breaks down how Mitchell’s approach to shooting has evolved, not through radical mechanical changes, but through a deeper understanding of physics, biology, and how humans truly learn movement in chaotic environments.
The trio explore differential learning, self-organization, and why confidence is more often a competence problem disguised as psychology. Fr...
Why Player Development Isn’t Linear
In this solo episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Coleman Ayers breaks down the concept of nonlinear pedagogy, reframed as the nonlinear progression model, and explains why learning, development, and skill acquisition in basketball are rarely clean, linear processes. Drawing from research across sport, education, and motor learning, Coleman challenges the traditional “start simple and build up” mindset and makes the case for starting closer to (or slightly above) an athlete’s true challenge point to accelerate learning and improve transfer to the game.
Through practical basketball-specific examples like shooting footwork, ball screen decisi...
How to SKYROCKET Your Creativity as a Player Development Coach
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, Coleman Ayers breaks down what creativity actually is—and more importantly, how coaches can systematically develop it. Rather than treating creativity as an innate talent or mysterious gift, the episode reframes it as a skill rooted in deep understanding, problem-solving, and exposure to diverse ideas. Through personal experience, coaching education, and the constraints-led approach, Coleman outlines why creativity is best built on strong foundations of knowledge, curiosity, and intentional learning.
The episode also explores practical ways coaches can unlock creativity in their daily work: aligning wi...
Rikki Broadmore (the.secret.trainer) talks principles of play, defensive concepts, triggers, developing a process-oriented culture and more
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, we sit down with Rikki Broadmore, head coach at Barking Abbey Academy and one of the most respected youth development coaches in the UK. Rikki breaks down how he designs principles of play around personnel, why efficiency metrics matter more than systems, and how Barking Abbey reverse-engineers the modern game to prepare players for college, professional, and international basketball. The conversation offers a deep look into how winning, development, and long-term athlete preparation can coexist when the process is clear.
The discussion also dives into...
Research Review: Young Hoopers & Scaled Equipment
In this research review episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, the conversation dives deep into the impact of scaled equipment—lower rims, smaller basketballs, and modified environments—on youth basketball development. Through the lens of current research and the constraints-led approach, the episode challenges long-held assumptions about “toughening kids up” with regulation equipment and instead explores how properly scaled tasks can accelerate skill acquisition, improve movement quality, and foster long-term engagement with the game.
Beyond shooting percentages, this episode explores how scaled environments influence biomechanics, perception, psychology, and decision-making. From earlier emergence of adult-li...
Common Mistakes in Your Drill Design
In this episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, Tyler Clark, Alex Silva and Coleman Ayers host an open group discussion with coaches from the BAM community - diving into real-world challenges, questions, and reflections around some of the most common mistakes made when putting together small sided games and designing practices.
The conversation explores what coaches are currently wrestling with in their own environments—from practice design and communication to confidence, leadership, and navigating uncertainty early in the coaching journey. Rather than presenting a polished lecture, this episode captures the raw thinking pr...
Joerik Michiels (@joerik) talks practice design, dealing with imposter syndrome, growing from "cook" to "chef" and more
In this episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, Tyler Clark and Coleman Ayers sit down with Joerik Michiels for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, entrepreneurship, learning, and personal evolution.
Joerik shares his journey from building one of the first player development academies in Belgium to eventually walking away from multiple businesses in pursuit of freedom, alignment, and life quality. The conversation moves fluidly between gratitude practices, cultural differences in ambition, ego versus confidence in coaching, and what truly defines a great coach at different levels of the game.
From practice...
If I Were The Head of a Country's Basketball Federation...
In this episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, Coleman Ayers walks through a thought experiment: how he would design and run an entire country’s basketball federation if it were built around ecological dynamics, skill acquisition, and long-term athlete development.
Drawing from experiences working in over 35 countries, Coleman explores how culture, environment, and structure shape the way athletes learn the game. The episode covers everything from offseason competition models and facility access to coach education, talent identification, and making basketball culturally relevant for young athletes.
Rather than focusing on tactics or systems, this conversation centers on...
Time On Task: Five Pillars to Time On Task
In this episode, the BAM Coaches break down one of the most underrated yet impactful concepts in player development: Time on Task.
We explore what time on task really means, why it’s a massive competitive advantage in both team and player development settings, and how coaches can immediately improve it through smarter drill design, communication, and constraint-based training. From youth players to professionals, this conversation connects theory, real-world coaching experience, and practical application.
We Time on Task down into five different pillars:Â
1. Drill Simplicity (Smart Drill Design)
2...
A Universal Framework to Simplify Your Offense
In this episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, we break down a simple but powerful framework for evaluating, building, and teaching offense in basketball.
Coleman Ayers introduces a three-part lens: advantage creation, advantage maintenance, and advantage finishing to help coaches cut through the chaos of offensive evaluation. Instead of getting lost in systems, sets, or play calls, this framework allows coaches to clearly identify where their offense is breaking down and why.
The episode dives into practical coaching applications, including how individual skill, spacing, decision-making, and small-sided games all play a role in...
Ed Silva (UNE MBB) talks leading with love & respect, practice design, shared language and much more
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, we sit down with Ed Silva, a longtime collegiate head coach, mentor, and leader in the basketball community. Coach Silva reflects on his 25-year coaching journey and shares how his leadership philosophy has evolved from fear and shame-based coaching to an approach rooted in love, respect, empathy, and accountability.
Through powerful stories, honest self-reflection, and practical coaching insights, this conversation dives deep into what it truly means to lead people — not just players.
Want to Go Deeper?
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Ofek Pazuelo (@op.hoops) talks player development from youth to pro's, intent and a deep dive into the mental side of basketball
In this episode of the By Any Means Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Ofek “OP” Pazuelo, professional player development coach for Elitzur Netanya (Israel First Division). Ofek shares his unconventional journey into coaching, his deep dive into Constraint-Led Approach (CLA) and skill acquisition, and how intention—not drills—is the foundation of effective player development.
From youth basketball to working with former NBA players, Ofek breaks down how development becomes art when grounded in science, why chaos is necessary for growth, and how clubs can better align individual development with team tacti...
Build Elite Change of Speed With Your Athletes
Change of speed is one of the most talked-about concepts in player development, and for good reason. But too often, it’s taught in an oversimplified way: rep it out, add a hesitation, slow down then go fast, and assume it will magically transfer to the game. In this episode, we break down why that approach falls short and how we think about change of speed through the BAM Framework. The key distinction? Being able to change speed isn’t the same as knowing when, why, and how to do it in real game contexts.
We explore the...
Why Most In-Season Training Fails (And How to Do It Right)
Most players and coaches think in-season development means one of two things:
Either you don’t train at all,Or you train the same way you do in the off-season… just shorter.We believe there’s a different approach.Â
In this episode, we break down how to actually plan in-season player development to move the needle.
Instead of generic workouts, intensity guesses, or “feel-good reps,” we walk through a simple but powerful readiness framework that helps you decide what to train, how hard, and how much, based on the athlete in front of you.
...
Can Small Sided Games Build Athleticism? (Research Review)
Can small-sided games actually build better athletes, not just better decision-makers?
In this episode, we break down a 2024 randomized controlled study showing that scoring-based small-sided games helped trained high-school players jump higher, get stronger, and land more efficiently, while possession-only games and normal practice did not.
We explore why attacking, finishing, and rebounding create a different stimulus, and why coaches should be careful about dosage and over-generalizing these results.Â
Want to Go Deeper?
A ton of what we talk about today connects directly to the ideas inside The M...
Podcast Announcements, Environmental constraints, the balance with creativity and team practices (Pt. 2)
Part 2 of a discussion that Alex and Tyler had two weeks ago, this part of the discussion we go into more depth about reverse engineering your principles of play in a team setting and then using those principles to create your player development sessions and team practices
We talk more about constraints, finding a balance between productive creativity and what's too much as well as talking about when to get general with your training versus specific.Â
Make sure to stay up to date on all of our social media!
IG: https://www.instagram.c...
Coleman Ayers (@byanymeansbasketball) talks new book: The Modern Basketball Blueprint
Coleman and Tyler take a look into how Coleman built the exact philosophies that you can read about in his book, there's so much to learn from someones journey and their experiences.
Coleman is a trailblazer in the player development space, he's forged his own path and didn't necessarily follow the traditional: play, intern as a rebounder/passer/defender, assistant coach and then finally start to create your own path. He's been creating his own path since he was 16.Â
This book is a culmination of all of his experimentation, trials and tribulations, the lessons he's l...
NBA Shooting Coach Dave Love (@coachdavelove) talks Shooting Periodization, Touch & The Future of Shooting
NBA shooting coach Dave Love joins Coleman and Tyler for one of the deepest conversations we’ve had on shooting development. Dave breaks down shooting periodization, quantifying touch, movement coordination, skill adaptability, the massive misconceptions coaches still hold about shooting mechanics and much more.
He shares stories from working with Aaron Gordon, Tristan Thompson, and other NBA clients, while also offering incredibly practical guidance for coaches working at every level.
This one’s a masterclass.
00:00 – 06:00 | Introduction & Dave’s Background
Dave Love’s career overviewHow he got into NBA shooting d...A Modern Approach to Building Lockdown Defenders
In today’s episode, we’re breaking down what actually builds better defenders in the modern game.
Most coaches approach defense with yelling, punishment, endless sliding, and shell drill reps… but none of that matters if your players can’t actually defend 1-on-1.
This episode dives into the three major pillars of developing elite defenders individually (the part most teams skip) and how these foundations translate to better team defense:
1. Perceptual Skills
Elite defense starts with reading the game.
We break down:
Your Eyes Control Your Shot: The Quiet Eye Deep Dive
In this episode, we break down a mini meta-analysis of three peer-reviewed studies on the quiet eye, or the visual behavior that predicts shooting performance better than mechanics, “form,” or feel. We look at how elite shooters use their eyes differently, what actually happens to gaze under pressure and fatigue, and why the final fixation on the rim is the single strongest predictor of accuracy across conditions.
You’ll walk away understanding the underlying science, how contest and intensity disrupt visual control, and what coaches can do to train quiet-eye stability on the court. This is the founda...
Podcast Announcements, Environmental constraints, the balance with creativity and team practices (Pt. 1)
Welcome to the By Any Means Coaches Podcast! The podcast has a new look and format, and we're about to bring so much value it's not even funny. The important format changes:Â
1. Coleman Ayers (@byanymeansbasketball) will be giving you guys 2 solo episodes a week: he'll be taking a deep dive into the art and science of player development, every single episode.
2. Tyler and Alex will still be providing one episode per week in a similar dialogue and feel to prior episodes, discussing pertinent topics around: team coaching, player development, mindset/psychology and much more
You’re Not a Robot: Motor Noise & The Real Reason Shooters Miss
Basketball coaches talk a lot about “consistency,” “repeatability,” and “perfect reps.” But the human body was never built to operate like a robot. It’s built with noise… unavoidable variability in the nervous system, muscles, perception, and movement itself.
And if you don’t understand motor noise, you’ll completely misunderstand shooting mechanics, skill acquisition, and why even elite shooters miss wide open looks.
Make sure to check us out on all of our socials and stay updated on some very cool things happening in the very near future:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ByAnyMeansCoach...
10 SSGs That Build Complete Players (And Infinite Variations)
In this episode, we break down the 10 small-sided games I’d choose if I could only do 10 for the rest of my life! Because each game can be constrained and modified in countless ways, this list becomes an infinite toolbox for any coach or trainer.
Whether you primarily run team practices or smaller, PD-focused workouts, these 10 SSGs give you a simple, scalable framework for creating game-like learning environments without overthinking drills or reinventing the wheel.Â
Make sure to follow us on all socials to stay up to date on everything we have going on, you don...
Your best players should be the best at your drills
Yes, you read that title right, your best players should also be the best at your drills. Coleman takes a deep dive in a thought provoking prompt, a lot of coaches won't necessarily agree with this perspective and that's completely fine. There's a lot of value in your best players also performing your drills at the highest rate!
Make sure to check out all of our socials and youtube to stay up to date:
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@ByAnyMeansBasketball & https://www.youtube.com/@ByAnyMeansCoaches
IG: https://www.instagram.com/byanymeanscoaches/
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How to ACTUALLY build shooters
Coleman puts shooting under the microscope in this episode, there's a ridiculous amount of value packed into this 20 min episode. If you want to really, truly develop yourself, your players and your team into lights out shooters... you need to listen to this podcast.Â
Repping out the same shot, in five different spots may not be the best approach when developing your ability to shoot. Shocker. The science of building a shooter, breaking down the most important components of shooting - things like energy transfer, hand placement, adaptability and more and also how to develop these qualities a...
Confirmation Bias: The BIGGEST thing holding you back as a coach
"If it ain't broke don't fix it"
“Well, these drills worked for me,”
“The kids just need more reps,”
“We’ll get to that later.”
We've all heard these phrases and even used them ourselves, it a part of your evolution as a coach and as a person. We all go through our own journey's while on the pursuit of becoming our own person and coach, where it becomes harmful is when you just blindly follow and use what YOU were taught with no reflection or digging into why you're doing something or i...
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation: What is it, when, why and how to use it?
This was a great episode expanding on our conversation about consistency, we dive much further into the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - what exactly the difference is and discussing from our own experience when we've been either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated
The biggest message I want to get across in this episode is that you can use both and both are powerful fuel sources in their own right - it's important to recognize when to use them and even think about what holds more importance for us when considering what drives us (internal or external)<...
Timeout Philosophies & In-game feedback (Part 1)
Alex and I talk about timeout philosophies and how we approach giving feedback in-game, whether that's in a timeout, pre game, half time or post game
Alex brings a plethora of experience from middle school AAU all the way up to division 2 womens basketball and everything in between, while most of my experience has been through the lens of an assistant position at a collegiate level
The contrast in our experiences created a great dynamic to discuss both timeouts (when to call them, how to make them efficient, how to use them strategically, etc) and...
The Power of Showing Up: Is consistency the key to life?
Alex and I discuss the power of consistency, times we've struggled to be consistent in our own lives as well the times that consistency has helped take us to places that we didn't know we could go
We discuss the contrast between motivation and discipline, what exactly does it mean to be inspired and what place does that have, the bond and trust that comes with showing up consistently as well as what happens when you don't show up...Â
Beyond just consistency, we touched on priorities and the concept in which whether we can hold m...
Alex Silva (@byanymeanssilva) talks his unique rise to coaching, importance of relationships, youth & middle school training, how to utilize social media and more
We're so back.
Alex is one of the best people i know, as a person and coach, he's one of one and he has one of the more unique stories in the industry in my opinion.Â
He brings an incredible variety of expertise and experience, it's always a pleasure to talk to him and learn from him.Â
Make sure you guys tune in all the way until the end for a special announcement!
Make sure to follow both Alex and I on socials and share this if you took some value fr...
