Darius Sirtautas: “Talent is a gift from God, my job is to develop skills”

ABOUT THE MISINTERPRETATION OF INDIVIDUAL SKILL TRAINING

The other day Jonas Maciulis swung by the “Zalgiris” basketball center: „So, doing those dribblings of yours again?”.

Dribblings?

Personal excellence is fundamental in any sport. Those individual skills are what separates average players from the good, very good and the superior. When there are just a few seconds left in the game and one player has to decide how it will end – to create a shot opportunity in one square meter – the whole body, arms, legs, head are working…to call all that simply dribblings?..

Is this one of Jonas’ jokes (surprised)? Like that time when he said that the youth players of “Zalgiris” who came to “Nevezis” of Kedainiai do not know the most basic defensive terms? Every sweet day they hear nothing but “hedge”, “under”, “deny” and other English words.

Paulius Murauskas trained with the main team of “Zalgiris” for several years before joining “Nevezis” , he plays for Lithuanian national youth teams every summer. Who could seriously believe that he does not know basic English basketball terms?

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL SKILL TRAINING IN THE USA AND EUROPE

In Europe, the development of individual mastery is understood as the improvement of one player’s actions in the context of any play that is run by his team. How to break away from the defender, how to get him off the screen, how to set up your feet for the shot and make it. Everything I mentioned now is game situation practice, but it has nothing to do with developing the skills of a basketball player.

Why have I been utilizing the methods of Micah Lancaster of “I’m Possible” in my work for so many years? It’s a long-standing practice of good youth education with the necessary means, system and consistency needed for real progress. Most importantly, everything is based on analysis and research. At what age what exercises are relevant? What does each movement, each action mean in a real game situation? How should the body be prepared for training? How to recover afterwards? There is much more science to sports than we think.

Americans use the 40:40 formula for 17-19 year olds. That’s how much gets allocated to development of technique and physical preparation, with the remaining 20% going to tactics. Until you are individually prepared even the world’s best trainers with the most genius methodologies will not be able to get results out of you. But for our dinosaur J.Maciulis, skills training equates only to dribbling the basketball and throwing a tennis ball against the wall at the same time.

MODERN METHODS IN THE OLDER ERA

Would I have become a better basketball player if 40 years ago I had used the same program and tools that I’m utilizing to train the kids now? I really don’t know.  I sometimes think that players such as Kurtinaitis, Stombergas or Kemzura had to learn everything by themselves to become Kurtinaitis, Stombergas and Kemzura. First of all, we had to find our strengths ourselves and then create our own ways to develop them. Basketball players of those days were creating their own path and delving into their own actions more, rather than methodologies or tactics.

A UNIFORM “ZALGIRIS” BASKETBALL SYSTEM

In “Zalgiris”, it is required that the youth team play according to the same system that is implemented by the head coach of the men’s team. It doesn’t matter if it suits the available players or not, the youngsters that join the men during practices must fully know the combinations and the idea of the game. When Saras was here, one by one we would go on the balcony of the arena and summarize everything in our notebooks: Sernius, Kersis, Gronskis, Pliauga. Everything was written down and said and shown during film study. Very good practice, sure, but after half a year the question started to arise “So, when will we get our diplomas?” (laughs).

DOES MEMORIZING 80 PLAYS EQUATE TO BASKETBALL IQ?

Most teams have 15-20 basic combinations. Depending on the opponent’s defense and the flow of the combination itself, there are at least 4 more variations on how to beat the opponent. That means when we get stuck somewhere we choose tactics, but we don’t try to exploit physical advantage or individual prowess. They say that this is how the player’s thinking, awareness and general IQ develop.

I ask “How was the IQ of Stombergas or Kemzura developed, who grew up with that lone “criss-cross” play? Were the first coaches of Siskauskas, Macijauskas, Jasikevicius some kind of tactical geniuses that raised such players for Lithuania and top foreign clubs?”.

Then we walk around with our heads down and envy the Spaniards’ technique, the French’s athleticism, until we finally realize that we simply no longer have such talents. Get the point?

ABOUT RESTRICTIONS IN LITHUANIAN YOUTH BASKETBALL

It doesn’t matter if setting screens is forbidden or not, what really matters is who is the player who will be setting those screens? The worst thing in young age is compartmentalizing kids by positions. Modern basketball is about being able to create opportunities for yourself and others, therefore in youth basketball tactics should be minimal.

HOW TO SPOT TALENT EARLY?

It’s not that hard. At least it wasn’t before, when kids used to play outdoors more. What is talent? It’s simply an ability. In the beginning , proficiency for sports can be seen during simple children’s games, such as hide and seek or rope jump. Later those abilities transfer themselves to some sport, often those children with that gift of ability play more than one sport and play them well. Ability should not be confused with skill or athleticism, on the contrary, how well a young person is able to develop skills and physical fitness is what makes someone more talented.

CRUCIAL TRAIT THAT HELPS TRANSITION TO MEN’S BASKETBALL

The ability to combine your skills, physical attributes and IQ. And if there is a fire in the heart on top of it, such a person will be very hard to contain.

WORKING IN A BASKETBALL CLUB – BORING?

I see myself clearly as a coach of individual development. Working in a team is a little bit boring. During the two daily training sessions, i.e in four hours I have about 30 minutes of action that I am responsible for. Yes, and those players that come early or stay late to do some extra work. I feel like I could spend all this time in my profession more purposefully. I have been thinking about working with girls for some time. Unprestigious job? On the contrary, I think this input of mine is exactly what Lithuanian women’s basketball could use the most right now. To be valued and to feel valued is a great honour.

UGNE SIRTAUTAITE, U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPION

We did not try to influence Ugne to play basketball at all. She quietly, calmly watched me, mom at the officiating table, brother Simas refereeing. And suddenly one day she writes on her Facebook wall: “I love basketball!” (laughs out loud). We were in tears! But that love came from the camaraderie of basketball in our family, not the conscious pressure to pick up the ball.

Ugne has good tools. She understands that basketball isn’t just a game, she sees how many positive things she gets out of being a basketball player: like-minded friends, trips around the world. For a young person to find motivation and meaning in their life is a great gift from God.

PERSONAL IMMATURITY AT A YOUNG AGE

There were good coaches around me, good conditions. I had every opportunity to play in the Olympics. I had enough work and competitiveness in me. But my attitude was tragic. Absolute immaturity of personality, egoistic assessment of situations, anger towards others. Although I had already graduated from the university and grew up in a normal family, I must admit that spiritually I was in complete poverty. These vices shriveled me, ate away, and broke all the talent. It is a great paradox that a person who is completely empty inside can have so much false pride.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPIRITUAL EDUCATION IN LIFE

Religious education is not too different from any other education. Some scientist might ask “How can I know God? I need facts.” But can’t the truths, goodness, teachings and values that are spread by Christ be understood as facts, just spiritual ones? Are they not as essential to a person as knowledge of mathematics and languages? Some person who bends his back all day, working in a job that does not require any qualifications, can also shout loudly: “I don’t need those universities of yours”.

DUTIES OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN

You often hear that talent is an innate thing. But I can say that it is a gift from God. In other words – it is a vocation with which God blessed a man to go through life and share this goodness with his other children. We are talking about the same things, we just use different concepts. It is our responsibility as parents to help our children discover what they are good at and what gives them the most meaning.

​​HOW CAN PARENTS HELP THE COACH?

Biggest help for the coach is when the parents do not impose their will on the children. When they don’t try to realize their own unfulfilled dreams through them. Being naturally interested, talking to the child, delving into their emotional world after practices and competitions does a lot more than simply placing a box of supplements on the table and going off to scold the coach that their son or daughter played 5 minutes less than another teammate. I know first-hand how much self-control that takes. I’ve caught myself with clenched fists and a tirade of expletives in my head when I didn’t understand why my own son was riding the bench.

JONAS SIRTAUTAS – 6’8 SHOOTING GUARD

My son Jonas graduated from high school this year and will remain in the “Žalgiris” system for two more years. He went to some tryouts in Spain, ACB clubs, but at home he has a little more clarity. The tools are good – long arms, agile, but so far he cannot gain weight – only 143 pounds. He needs an opportunity and playing time.

As a father, I am pleased with Jonas’ emotional maturity. Even if he goes out on the town with his friends in the evening, he prefers to go home using “CityBee” car-sharing service instead of having a cocktail because he likes to drive new cars. He knows his goal, he purposefully pursues it, sometimes I even catch him lifting weights at home of his own volition.

My wife and I say a prayer every night that God will bless our children.