Outside the Arc with Coach RJay Barsh and Basketball Skills Trainer Shawn Faust

This is Outside the Arc with Coach RJay Barsh discussing the game of basketball with players and coaches from around the world of hoops presented by NBC Basketball Camps. This is Coach Barsh and this is Outside the Arc. We're live in the locker room.

Today we have an exciting podcast. I have Shawn Faust from iHandle Basketball. Shawn Faust has played in over 88 different countries.

He's one of the lead trainers for NBA China School in Dugan. I may have said that wrong, but he'll fix it later. Shawn is one of the best trainers in Central Florida on the East Coast.

Being the head coach at Southeast, I've been able to see his work. Shawn has extensive resume and we're just going to hit some of the key points as a high school coach or a college coach. If you're a young player listening to this podcast, what should you be looking for in skill development and what kind of trainers should you be paying your money to make sure your game is enhanced? Shawn has several players who have eclipsed a thousand mark this year alone in high school and some college players that are getting close.

Shawn, we are glad to have you on the show today. Really excited to be your coach. Now, did I pronounce that right for the NBA China? It's Dong Wang.

Dong Wang. When you're training in China, let me just go straight to the international aspect. What are some of the things you're seeing their kids doing that our kids aren't? The attention to detail, the attention to detail, the attention to want to really get it, grasp it, and constantly just really wrap to understand and understand the concept behind it and how it could be game relevant.

Yeah. Now, anyone who's watched the game of basketball in the last 10 years has seen the advancement of skills trainers. Now, if I'm a parent and I'm a coach and I get approached by a skills trainer, you know, what are some of the things that you look for if you were a coach and you were going to hire a skills trainer? What are some of the things you want to see a skills trainer be able to do? For one, to be able to relate the skill development and fuse it with game enhancement.

I think fusing skill enhancement and game enhancement are really, really important. I mean, at the end of the day, you can be really skilled, but if they can't play, they can't play. So being able to fuse that is something I think really coaches and parents and players really need to understand that if a trainer is not able to really focus and fuse the two together so the performance is on the floor, not necessarily during workouts, then you might want to start looking in other directions.

Now, you have a unique advantage because you play, you know, high level Division II basketball at the University of West Florida. You play with the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals, like I said earlier, in 88 different countries. So when you're training a young player, other than attention to detail, what are some of the things you want them to leave the gym with after working with I handle basketball? I want them to understand right when they walk out to the gym, I wasn't as good as I thought I was.

You know, really challenged, really, you know, because at the end of the day, if we're not challenging them, we're not changing them. So you want to make sure that they're struggling, that they're embracing struggles so they walk out realizing I have a lot that I still need to do, even though I'm still a pretty good basketball player. Now, I know as most coaches, we always go into in our practice and into games with film breakdowns and a practice plan.

And, you know, we're going to do this for five minutes and this for five minutes. As a skills trainer, do you usually go in every single workout with a game plan for your players or? Yeah, I do. I have I have a good game plan idea of the type of player I'm working with, depending on positions and so forth.

Sometimes I'll kind of go off grid, depending on where they are with it. If they're grasping concepts, I might add stuff. I might regress them a little bit.

I always feel like training and regression is always better than progression because you can start them and really cap them. You don't want to have them at a ceiling. You want to be able to challenge them and then drop it if you need to.

Versus they may already be at a certain point. You might be just spinning your wheels with that. So I definitely have a plan going into a workout, depending on the player, the position and where they're playing.

Now, you you travel a lot. You know, I'll be watching the NBA game, especially if it's in Milwaukee. You know, I'll see you behind the bench or somewhere in the vicinity.

What are some of the things that pro players do naturally that you try to teach young guys to skill wise to learn? The IQ of the game, the IQ, the understanding behind the game and how the skill and the game enhancement again are fused. There's that word again, fuse. And they just seem to have a grasp of it and understand.

I always tell them to watch their footwork, watch the body control, watch the balance and how it plays into continuity of what they're doing offensively and with the game. Now, in the show notes, we're going to have a video of Shawn Faust doing some of his eye handle training. And one of the things that's very unique about his training is he does put pressure on you with the ball and then some cones or different props and whatnot in the workout.

And it's very, very interesting to watch because when you play in the game, there's always several things going on. And as a coach, one thing I've always been frustrated with training is guys don't know how to put in-game pressure on themselves. What made you start using different items to put pressure on players and work out? Just being able to be around different avenues of basketball all over the world and in the United States and different trainers that I've kind of come around to grow and have similar mindsets.

Because I think that there are certain tools that you can use that simulate game movements, you know, whereas cones, you can, you know, it simulates active offhand, you know, protection and then resistance with some med ball stuff, timing with some tennis ball stuff, you know. And I think tools can be a really great factor in implementing in the game if you're able to teach it and fuse it again and really teach the player how to understand how this shows its face in the game. I think one thing we need to understand too as a coach and as trainers is Shawn keeps using the word fuse.

And I think what he's saying is, because I've seen him train, is you want to make sure what you're working on translates to the offense you're playing in, right? If your coach is running a flex offense and you're catching the ball and you're doing eight dribble spin moves, there's nowhere that move is going to work. Now, if you're in a motion and it's a dribble drive and it's different things, then you can fuse different moves together. Shawn, as a trainer, if there's trainers listening, do you go to high school practices and do you watch the offenses they're running? Like, how does that work for you in building the workout? I actually spend a lot of time really building relationship with high school coaches on the girl side and boy side.

I try to build relationships, go out to the practices. I have coaches that actually bring me out to practices and work with their whole team for hours at a time. And I start to fuse in the skill with the game enhancement based off of how they run their offense, whether it's motion, flex cuts, if they use a lot of ball screens.

So the players are understanding how to use what we're doing within continuity of what their coach is trying to do. I think that, at no point, eight dribbles in a spin move should ever be implemented in a game. But I agree with you, Coach.

Unless you're Steph Curry. Unless you're Steph Curry. True, true.

Exactly, exactly. But yeah, just to teach them how to be effective. I think it's really important for trainers to try to build relationships with coaches and work with coaches and not against coaches to help the better of the player.

Because if you help the player, the player's going to help the team and then everybody wins in the situation. No, I really, like you said, work together. Everybody wins in that situation.

Shawn, why did you get into skills training? I just really get a huge drive and self-gratification off of seeing players put in work and achieving goals. And I think, at the end of the day, you're helping change lives, too. I think it's important as coaches and parents, when we're choosing the trainer, to understand their why.

Because I feel like it's a new hustle in basketball. So you have a lot of people in training because they find out you can rent a gym and you can make a dollar that way. So as you're a coach, you're a parent, it's real important to understand the why.

Once you look at the show notes and you get Shawn Faust's Instagram and his Twitter, I mean, he's very active every single day. Several different workouts, team workouts, individual workouts. Shawn, let's go ahead and break down the game a little bit for a point guard when you're training.

So say I'm an eighth grade point guard and I want to play varsity my freshman year. What are some of the things you would say this summer you've got to focus on? I would say the first thing is the, I don't want to say basics, but I want to say you want to make sure that your footwork, your body control, and your fusing in, handle work, and fusing all that together for game moments. Because at the end of the day, when you're playing, you can work game moments all day long, but then when you get into that moment, it immediately will turn to skill.

So you want to make sure that you're breaking down the footwork, you want to break down the body control piece, and make sure that players feet in their body control, and then you start tying in dribbles and creating space and reads and IQ. That's kind of one thing I would start with, and then make sure you're challenging them a little bit because again, when you're challenging them, you're changing them, and that's going to help them get better a lot quicker. Yeah, when I was training guys back in the Seattle-Tacoma area, one of the things I would always say is R-R-E-E, relentless repetition, effortless execution.

So if you're relentless with your repetition and training, once it's time to execute it in the game, it's going to be effortless. And I think that's one of the things in training is, you don't have to always go in there and do a new move. If it's one dribble, step back a hundred times, like I saw you doing this summer with Kevin Foster who plays for the Orlando Magic G-League team.

And I saw even Corey in one of their last games, he hits a two dribble step back that I've seen you work with him several times over the summer. So it was relentless repetition. He wanted to move on up to five minutes.

Shawn said, no, and then an hour later, okay, let's move on to the next drill. And then he gets in a game this past week and he hits big shots using those moves. And so that's got to be exciting for you when you see one of the guys you've worked with play well.

Yes, and I always make sure that I build relationships with the players from a mentorship standpoint and follow up with them, watch games when I'm able to and simulate whether, if I see stuff we're doing, see stuff when they could implement, hey, remember we work this, it would be a good moment for that. Like I said, it's all about working game moments. And the more that you work that repetition stuff in the reps, the better they're going to be in that game moment when they need to react with that rep.

One thing in skills training that I've always liked when I make different trainers is the ability to teach. And when Shawn is over in China, he's got to be a teacher. And there's a lot of trainers in America that just go out there and they can play the game, but they can't teach.

I think it's Tyler Ralph who's in Dallas, who's probably one of the better skills trainers I've seen as far as teaching goes. Is it Micah Lancaster is great, Drew Hanlin, and you come from that school. You come from that school of I was a good player, but guess what? I can also teach this.

How important is it to be able to teach the game? I think it's more important than being able to just play it. I think that if you really understand the IQ behind the game, the game enhancement of the game, understand teaching these kids and these players where it's relevant and how it would show its face from a defensive perspective, from an offensive perspective, and from a team culture as well. Like I said, you don't want to always be going against the grain with the coaches.

You want to make sure you're working with them. And I think teaching is more important than probably any aspect of it. People often give me a high five if Kevin Knox plays well because he's a player I've worked with in the past or if Isaiah Thomas does well.

And here's one thing I've always said to parents and I've said to coaches and I've said to players, Kevin Knox, Isaiah Thomas, the Corey Sanders, Dwayne Bacon's guys we've worked with, they're going to be players without us because they're gym reps. Now we can elevate their skill and their talent to another level, but they're going to be players. I think what parents have to watch out for is determining if the skills trainer can make their kid a player.

It's all about in your bio, enhancing what they already do. Can you speak to the parents who are putting all this pressure and money into this summer, you're going to do three days of skill work so you can make varsity? I mean, like I said, the kids have to want it, the players have to want to do it. Just like you said, gym rat's a great word.

I refer to them as gym rats and gym junkies. You just, you want to make sure that they're in the gym. I always have parents come ask me like with players that are getting a thousand points or they get a 30 point game or something like that, they're like, oh, I need to have my kid in the gym with you.

And they think just because they get in the gym with you, that that's going to dictate all this success when it's really, it's the teaching that I do and then the amount of time and reps that the players are putting in. So I think as a trainer, one thing you really need to look for with a trainer is making sure that the trainer holds the player accountable to putting in the work and wanting to do it on their own. Wait, wait, wait.

So the trainer is not the hype man. You're right, no hype behind it. It's not about money.

It's not about any of that stuff. Hold the players accountable to working, not just when they come to you, but on their own, doing stuff on their own. Because I think player accountability is why some of these kids like our Dwayne Bacon's, Corey Sanders, all these guys that we've been able to be in the gym with are where they are because they hold themselves accountable to always wanting to be better and they're just starving to get better.

And I think that's a big key to it is just player accountability. One of the reasons that Shawn has free reign with our players at Southeastern and in Central Florida with most of the coaches is because of that accountability factor. We've had several thousand point scores at our school.

You know, Dwayne Johnson reached that plateau. I believe Dre Winston, you know, Ryan Atkins. We've had some guys get their scoring, but here's one of the reasons because they see Shawn in our gym throughout the year.

So when spring comes and Shawn's running workouts, it's like the coach is still here because of that accountability factor. So good trainers aren't fly by nights. And when it's popular, out when it's not.

And when they're schedule free, like they're guys who are constantly on the grind. And can you just for like 30 seconds, talk to trainers about how important it is to hold players accountable by being in unison with their high school or college coach? I mean, I can't express it enough. I say, you know, it's worked wonders for me and not just from a business perspective, but just a self gratification perspective of seeing players succeed because at the end of the day, we got to look at we're mentors and we're changing these kids' lives and we're changing these parents' lives, you know, from a financial perspective of being able to play college basketball, but you need to, that accountability piece has to be there.

And if you're just training them and then they just tell you how they did, I mean, that's great and all, but it always works wonders when they see you there, when the coaches are building relationships with you. You know, I try to go out and watch each of my players at least five or six times during the season, you know, and just build these relationships with them. And I think if you're more than just, you know, like summer workout guy, and then during the season, you disappear until it's time for them to get back in the gym with you again, it's just gonna be kind of like a one thing wonder, you know, you're gonna, they're gonna need you when they need you and then that's gonna be it versus you'll feel more gratification on knowing you really changed that player on the court, off the floor, you know, cause there's more to basketball than just between 94 or 50, you know, so.

I think it's important. I know I've recognized this as a coach and as watching skills trainers is the best ones are able to articulate their vision for the player. They're able to sit down with the player, put out a game plan and say, this is where I believe you will arrive.

And if you're a trainer, you're a parent, and you're able to see your trainer has a game plan, the high school coach will probably come alongside and support that. The issue that comes from coaches is when trainers are in and out of our gym using it as a rental and not using it to enhance our programs. One thing I appreciate about good trainers and I've mentioned a few of them, there's also a friend of mine, Clint Parks, who's in California.

A lot of these trainers invest so much of their personal time to help personal players to help your program. And as coaches, we gotta appreciate them, you know, and so, you know, Shawn's done several things for our program and people recognize him as someone who works with us. I'm glad that we're able to sit down with you, Shawn.

I know there's a ton of other things we could talk about. I'm gonna just leave with one last question that you can help parents and coaches understand. What are some of the misnomers in skills training? Some of the things that people say, if you train with me, this is gonna happen, that parents should watch out for.

And I see it all the time and I have parents come to me and we should have done this, we should have been in this direction. If a trainer is guaranteeing you that if they work with me, they're gonna be playing at this level, they're gonna be getting this many points or they're gonna be getting this accolade, run. That's all I can tell you because there's no guarantees with it and there's no, like, genuineness behind it.

You know, you don't want the gimmicks, you don't want any of that. You want somebody that's gonna be able to invest in your kid, invest in them on the floor, off the floor, mentorship-wise, and then build a relationship with them. And anybody that's around them as well because, believe it or not, the people that spend the most time with them are influential as well.

So you don't wanna just, yeah, run if they start guaranteeing you all this stuff. And it's interesting. Like I said, this is Coach Barsh outside the arc.

And one thing we have to understand as coaches and basketball connoisseurs is you have to invest something to be able to have a withdrawal. And at the end of the day, if you wanna be a great player, you have to invest great time. If you wanna be a great coach, you have to invest great time.

And when you invest that time, when it's your moment to shine, you will be able to withdraw. I tell my players all the time, your body language speaks without you saying a word. And I can go recruit in the gym and I can tell a shooter from a guy who just made a couple of threes.

Because a guy who can shoot, his facial expression doesn't really change when he sees that thing go in. He might change a little bit if he misses, but he knows how to fix his shot because he's invested the time. If there's one thing you got out of today's podcast with iHandle Basketball founder, Shawn Faust says, you've got to put in the time.

You've got to fuse your workouts with what your high school or college coach is doing. Find a skills trainer that's gonna hold you accountable. And then parents and coaches, remember, you do get what you pay for.

So make sure you do your homework on the skills trainers because there's a lot of guys out there who are selling false goods or false abilities. Make sure you do your homework on skills trainers. Once again, this is outside the arc.

This is Coach Barsh. And today we had Shawn Faust and we'll put a bunch of info in the show notes. I put some of his workouts, some of his favorite drills, so you can follow him on Instagram.

Shawn, why don't you go and tell us your Instagram handle right now. It's I handle underscore Shawn Faust. It's I handle underscore Shawn Faust and that's S-H-A-W-N-F-A-U-S-T.

Once again, this is outside the arc and we're outta here. Have a great day. Thank you for listening to Outside the Arc.

For more information about NBC Basketball camps, visit NBCCamps.com and listen to other Outside the Arc podcast episodes available on iTunes.