Where To Buy:
Find The Best Price
Pros:
- Huge library of over 250+ basketball videos
- Lessons taught by NBA coaches, providing an inside look at how the best view the game
- Covers all skill levels and aspects of the game from defense to offense, fundamentals to advanced
- Accessible via Iphone app so you can watch the instructional videos anywhere
Cons:
- Many of the drills require multiple players, making them difficult to do at home
- There is no clear curriculum making it hard to develop a true training program based on the video lessons
Ready To Learn From The Best Coaches On The Planet?
When I first heard about eCoach I was pretty excited, and for good reason. Bringing together the best NBA coaches to teach us mere mortals the lessons and drills they use in practice sessions with the best players in the world is awesome.
Immediately I knew I needed to get access to this program and give my readers the inside scoop when it came to eCoach and what it offered developing hoopers. I reached out to the staff at eCoach and they were nothing but professional and gave me a 90 day trial to see the app and get a feel for the structure and content included.
I’ve now spent several days digging into eCoach and I’m ready to give you guys my assessment of this great up-and-coming sports instructional company. Below I break down everything from the coaches included in eCoach to lessons/drills to all the other things included with an eCoach subscription.
In Depth Review Of ECOACH
Who Teaches On ECOACH?
This is easily the biggest draw to the eCoach basketball experience. Thanks to successfully negotiating a deal with NBCA (National Basketball Coach Association), eCoach videos feature NBA head and assistant coaches.
Let’s take a look at the list of some of the NBA coaches with videos on eCoach:
1. Brad Stevens – Head coach of the Boston Celtics. Regarded as one of the best coaches in basketball.
2. Steve Kerr – Head coach of the Golden State Warriors and former player for the Chicago Bulls.
3. Brett Brown – Head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
4. Fred Hoiberg – Former head coach of the Chicago Bulls
5. Luke Walton – Head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
6. Stan Van Gundy – Former head coach of the Detroit Pistons
7. Rick Carlisle – Head coach of the Dallas Mavericks
8. Elton Brand – Former NBA player and current general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers
9. David Fizdale – Head coach of the New York Knicks
10. Dwane Casey – Head coach of the Detroit Pistons
And that’s just some of the coaches. Dang, I’m sure you’ll never find a better lineup when it comes to basketball instructional videos than what eCoach has put together. To say this is an impressive pedigree is an understatement.
Program Overview
The Program
Once you log in to your eCoach account you will be taken to the main menu where you are able to select videos based on skill level and the individual skill that is discussed in the video.
Home
Within the eCoach main menu you’ll find featured collections and media on the default screen. This will show you the freshest content in the eCoach library and allow you to see what’s new from some of the best coaches in the world.
Categories
This is where you’ll spend the bulk of your time on the eCoach app. The categories menu allows you to select videos specific to your individual skill level, the skill you want to work on (shooting, passing, defense, etc.), drills videos, team concepts, and allows you to watch videos from a specific coach.
Skill level categories are broken down as follows:
Level 1 (7 & Under)
Level 2 (8 & 9 Year Olds)
Level 3 (10 & 11 Year Olds)
Level 4 (12 & 13 Year Olds)
Level 5 (14 & 15 Year Olds)
Level 6 (16 – 18 Year Olds)
Level 7 (19 & Up)
Levels Breakdown
Level 1 (7 & Under)
Level 1 has a keen focus on the true fundamentals of the game of basketball. Topics covered in Level 1 include shooting & finishing, ball handling, passing, and defense.
Video drills include ball handling, passing, defense, and competition & fun.
Fundamental video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Passing
4. Defense
Drill video topics covered:
2. Ball handling
3. Passing
4. Defense
5. Competition and Fun
Level 2 (8 & 9 Year Olds)
Level 2 still is very much focused on the fundamentals of basketball. Certain aspects are built upon from level 1 videos. Steve Kerr talks about shooting with proper arc so that you give yourself the best chance to make shots. Mike Budenholzer also gives tips on a two ball warmup drill to improve ball handling.
Drill video topics include shooting and finishing, ball handling, passing, rebounding, and defense.
Fundamental video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Passing
4. Rebounding
5. Defense
Level 3 (10 & 11 Year Olds)
Level 3 takes things up a notch when it comes to drill complexity and the topics covered.
A couple specific videos include Luke Walton teaching how to execute the pin down screen, and Brad Stevens working with his son to show you how to finish around the rim.
Fundamental video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Defense
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Passing
4. Using screens
5. Post play
6. Defense
7. Competition and fun
Level 4 (12 & 13 Year Olds)
Level 4 brings team concepts into the mix. This is great for youth basketball coaches who are looking for strategies to utilize with their teams.
A couple specific topics covered in Level 4 include Coach Jim O’Brien discussing how to drive to the baseline effectively and motion offense from Coach Steve Clifford.
Fundamental video topics covered:
1. Ball handling
2. Post Play
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Rebounding
4. Using screens
5. Post play
6. Defense
7. Competition and fun
Team Concept video topics covered:
1. Man offense
2. Zone offense
3. Side OB
4. Under OB
5. Warmup drills
Level 5 (14 & 15 Year Olds)
Level 5 continues to build on some of the concepts and topics covered in Level 4. At this point, these videos are meant for players about to enter high school, so the topics are becoming more advanced.
A couple specific topics covered in Level 5 include Coach Jim O’Brien on the high low out of a screen and roll and using 3 on 3 basketball to teach motion and cut concepts from Coach Brett Brown.
Fundamental video topics covered:
1. Post Play
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Ball handling
3. Rebounding
4. Using screens
5. Post play
6. Defense
7. Competition and fun
Level 6 (16-18 Year Olds)
Level 6 is for advanced players who are now well within the age of playing varsity-level high school basketball. There are no fundamental videos at this level.
A couple specific topics covered in Level 6 include Coach Stan Van Gundy on the X Out Shooting Drill and Vegas Closeouts from Coach Brad Stevens.
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Post Play
3. Rebounding
4. Defense
5. Competition and Fun
Team concept topics covered:
1. Man offense
Level 7 (19+ Year Olds)
Level 7 is for those developing as a collegiate basketball player and are now inching toward the top of their game. These drills and concepts are done only after building upon years of experience playing and practicing.
A couple specific topics covered in Level 7 include Coach Kenny Atkinson on using creative ways to finish at the basket and Coach Nate McMillan teaching different ways to defend the pick and roll.
Drill video topics covered:
1. Shooting and finishing
2. Defense
Team concept topics covered:
1. Man offense
My Take On ECOACH Basketball
Price
At $10 per month, the eCoach Basketball subscription is priced pretty fairly. They are consistently adding new content to their instructional library and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Who Is eCoach For?
The videos from eCoach Basketball run the entire spectrum of player development, from just getting started to collegiate level concepts. This is both a strength and a weakness.
Because of the broad video topics it feels that eCoach isn’t targeting any specific player at this point, and wants something for everyone. When this happens you get a product that doesn’t meet anyone’s needs perfectly. Some of the videos are great for individual practice, and others require a formal practice session with a team of players.
The true nuggets of information come from the team concepts and strategy videos. This makes sense, given the high level coaches featured in the videos. A couple of my favorites include Fred Hoiberg’s labeling spots on the perimeter for proper offensive spacing and Brad Stevens’ series on vegas closeouts.
Truthfully, most of the individual player drills featured on eCoach can be found elsewhere without the cost. If you are a basketball player looking to improve your individual skills, I’d look at individual player development programs like those from Coach Rock at ILoveBasketball.
Because the bulk of the value of eCoach is coming from team concepts and strategy, I’d recommend this product to all levels of basketball coaches from youth all the way to college. If you’re a coach you’ll get plenty of great ideas for both strategy and drills you can do during practice.
What’s Missing For Players?
eCoach is missing a critical component if it wants to attract individual players to its program, and that critical component is a curriculum. The current format of eCoach is lacking structure. Sure, it has the levels, but this isn’t enough to create a basketball program on its own.
I’d like to see eCoach utilize their video library to create specific programs for all the areas of basketball; shooting, passing, defense, dribbling, etc. These programs would tell players what videos to watch and give a daily/weekly program of drills to do to improve a specific skill.
For example, a beginning dribbler would watch the level 1/2 ball handling videos and then follow a curriculum that told them how often to do each drill. It would also give them tests to do so they could measure their improvement over time.
Conclusion
Summary
eCoach offers a wealth of information from the best coaches in the world. Going through the videos I was able to learn a lot of great concepts about the game of basketball and I’m sure anyone who has an interest in the game will benefit greatly from an eCoach Basketball subscription.
I like that eCoach Basketball has broken down the videos into skill levels so that you can work on skills appropriate for your individual game. It would be great if they take this to the next step and develop actual curriculums for the different basketball skills, taking advantage of the great library of coaching videos they have on the app.
In its current state, eCoach Basketball will best serve coaches, giving them things to do during practice that will improve their team performance. As a youth basketball coach I can say with confidence that having a subscription to eCoach Basketball will help me greatly when it comes to structuring practice and giving me tons of ideas for basketball drills.
The Final Verdict
eCoach is providing something that no one else has: bringing together the best the NBA has to offer in regard to coaches and providing basketball instructional videos featuring these high-level basketball minds.
That alone makes this a worthwhile investment, especially for basketball coaches.
With a couple improvements, eCoach could become the go-to place for basketball instruction both for players and coaches.
If you are a coach, get eCoach.
If you are a player, consider basketball programs with a greater focus on individual skill development.