The day my drill went viral (and I got exposed as a coach)

“A typical IG trainer!”
“Embarrassing!”
“This helps absolutely no one!”
“This can’t be serious!”

These are just some of the comments I woke up with one day on social media.  I didn’t have a clue what was going on.  I was shocked and embarrassed.

It took me a few moments (and skipped heartbeats) to figure out what happened.

As you might already know, I’m acting as the headcoach of EuroProBasket Academy in Valencia (Spain).  We teach European basketball to prospects from all over the world looking for their first professional contract in Europe. We are very visible on the different social media platforms as we like sharing what we do.

One morning, I woke up to find that my phone had practically exploded with notifications. One of our videos had been picked up by Overtime, a hugely popular basketball platform with over 10 million of followers on TikTok.

The video in question featured one of my drills. It was a bit unconventional I must admit.  It involved using a large fitness ball to simulate shot-blocking during layups.

Ok ok ok… I know what you’re thinking right now, but hold your horses…! 

The clip that went viral didn’t quite capture the essence of the drill. An overenthusiastic assistant coach was overdoing it a bit with the fitness ball, and let’s just say the footage our social media guy selected wasn’t the best representation of what I was aiming to achieve.

The result? A video that looked more like clickbait than an instructive drill.

Overnight, the video gathered thousands of views and a flood of comments from coaches and players alike.  In just 30 seconds, my drill—and by extension, my coaching philosophy—was judged (and dismissed) by people who had seen just a fraction of what I do.

Here’s the thing: I GET IT!!

I’m guilty of the same thing—seeing a snippet of a drill online and forming an opinion without context.  When I walk into a practice, I have a clear idea about the coach and his philosophy within a few minutes.

But that’s a flawed approach. Coaching isn’t about one-size-fits-all drills or universally “good” or “bad” exercises. It’s about understanding why a coach uses a particular drill in a specific situation, with a particular group of players, and for a specific purpose.

No drill is inherently good or bad. A drill that looks absurd in a short clip might be incredibly effective if used briefly and with clear intent.

Other drills widely regarded as the gold standard might be completely wrong for your team depending on their needs and the current situation.

It’s not the drill itself that matters—it’s how, why, and when you use it.

Still curious what the drill is all about?  I explained and demonstrated it during a coaching clinic this past summer in Thessaloniki for the Greek Basketball Coaches Association.  Here you can watch the clip:

So, the next time you see a drill that makes you raise an eyebrow, consider this: What’s the context? What’s the purpose? Because a drill that looks off the wall could be exactly what those players need at that moment. And as coaches, our job is to find the right tools, even if they don’t always make sense to everyone watching from the outside.

In the end, the video may have exposed me to a wave of criticism, but it also reinforced an important lesson—coaching isn’t about impressing the crowd; it’s about doing what’s right for your team, even if it doesn’t always look pretty.

Anyway, I’m off to the gym.  Trying to find ways to make my players better.

Talk soon,
Pascal.