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Drill of the Day - 2 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 Disadvantage Drill

This drill comes from the Disadvantage Drills for Building your Team DVD that was reviewed here by Coach Troy Culley.  I am a big fan of disadvantage drills like this 2 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill, because I think they make practice much harder and games ultimately become easier because of them.  One of the cornerstones of my practices is a 5 on 4 shell drill to work on help defense.  Another drill I use somewhat less frequently is a 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill.  I like the drill, because it works on odd many situations, but one thing I don’t like about the drill is that it doesn’t simulate a real situation.  The drill allows you to work on how you want to attack a 3 on 2 situation (and subsequently a 2 on 1), however, there is never a time in a game when 3 guys are bringing the ball up the floor full court (with no pressure) against 2 waiting defenders.  Enter the 2 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill.

The 2 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill is explained in detail below in the diagram, but basically the drill begins with 2 offensive players against 3 defensive players.  In running this drill the first time your teams weaknesses will likely be exposed and you may find yourself wondering if this drill is worth running because it looks so sloppy.  I wouldn’t worry about that, and instead focus on how to improve your players ability when playing 2 on 3.  This part of the drill allows you to work on things like getting open without the ball and how to handle the pressure of a double team.  Early on I saw lots of poor decisions with the ball against a double team (like immediately putting the ball above their head), lots of dribbling east and west (instead of attacking the basket/defender) and frequently running behind the ball to get the ball (thus bringing everyone on the floor into one big cluster).  What is great with this too is you can’t hide, and guys who maybe aren’t generally comfortable with the ball in their hands against pressure are forced to work against pressure and learn by making mistakes which I think is a good thing.

The other thing I like about the 2 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill is that you are still working on 3 on 2 and 2 on 1, but the 3 on 2 becomes far more game like, because the 3 on 2 occurs in a true transition situation where the 3 offensive players are going back against 2 defensive players but the defense isn’t simply waiting for you at the other end of the court, and the 3 offensive players don’t miraculously begin with perfect spacing and the ball in the middle of the floor.  Take a look at the drill below and try it with your team and let me know how what you think on Twitter or on Facebook.  Also, don’t forget to check out the Disadvantage Drills for Building your Team DVD from Championship Productions if you like what you see.

Click to enlarge the image.

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Slip Screen Plays

If you turn on any game today you will undoubtedly see a great deal of ball screens being used.  Because of this, many coaches spend considerable practice time working on defending the pick and roll.  And while there are a number of ways you can defend the pick and roll (see this article I added for one example), one common way teams choose to defend the pick and roll is by hedging the screen.  As a coach I always like to have a counter to what I’m doing, so that if the defense tries to take away something I can counter it with something else that will work against it.  If you’re a pick and roll, ball screen type of team then, these slip screen plays might be a great counter for your team.  A slip screen is when a player comes to set a screen on a pick and roll but just before setting the screen the player ‘slips’/cuts to the basket.  Essentially you can think of the slip screen as a fake screen.  If you’re not a pick and roll team, these slip screen plays can still be very effective because ultimately if the defense sees a screen coming the defense naturally adjusts to what it plans to do on a pick and roll.  Think about your own team, how often do you work on defending slip screens versus working on defending pick and roll or even pick and pop?

Below you’ll find several slip screen plays including one slip screen play that is designed for a baseline out of bounds (BLOB) play.  Ultimately having even a couple of these plays in will be a nice counter to whatever you do on offense and it will certainly keep defenses off balance and make your ball screens even more effective than before.  Before you check out these plays though, take a look at this video featuring several slip screen plays run by college and pro teams.  You’ll see many of these plays featured below run by the very teams the plays come from so you get a good idea of what the slip screens should look like when used by your team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyerBi9xxwE

Download: Slip Screen Plays

Slip Screen Plays

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Summer basketball workout plans

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Summer has arrived, and with summer comes increased time for basketball workouts.  Many coaches are beginning to get back into the swing of things with summer practices, scrimmages and team camps.  As for the players, we often talk about how players are made in the offseason, and outside of team activities that will occur over the next month or two, there is no question that what players do this offseason will be the biggest determining factor in the progress they make from one season to the next.  I found a few basketball workout plans for the summer from various sources that you may find useful.  Unfortunately some of them are in PDF format so you would be able to directly edit them to your liking but you may be able to develop some ideas from what you find.  Each of the following has some nice things that you might find useful as you prepare plans for your players to use for their summer basketball workouts.  In them you’ll find motivational material, dribbling drills, shooting drills, workout drills for speed, agility and strength, guard specific drills, post specific drills, and specific outlines for days of the week and what you should be working on.  I also like the Cut Bank program that has a 10,000 made shot chart for players to keep track of their off-season shooting.

If anyone else has some good summer basketball workout plans I would love to see them.  Feel free to contact me via Twitter, Facebook, comment below the article or by using the contact form that can be found near the bottom of the sidebar.  You can download the summer basketball workout plans below or view them further down on the page.

Basketball workout plans for the summer

Cut Bank High School Summer Program

Missouri Valley College Summer Basketball Workout

Simsbury High School Summer Basketball Workout

Summer Basketball Workout Plans

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Building a Half Court Pressure Defense

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I recently received an email from Occidental College associate head coach Ryan Moore who shared with me several quality resources.  As I started browsing through these resources I found some notes from Coach Kevin Ammann of Concordia Irvine on building a half court pressure defense.  Quite frequently I find that I am posting stuff related to offense, while neglecting the defensive side of things.  In reality I consider myself a defensive coach, and it’s something we preach more than anything where I coach.  Along with that we emphasize pressure defense principles similar to those presented here by Coach Ammann.

Just a quick glance at the 7 things Coach Ammann wants his half court pressure defense to do and you can see the goal is simple – make the other team feel uncomfortable.   In sports like basketball and football you have coaches of all styles.  Some prefer up-tempo, aggressive pressure defense and others prefer bend by don’t break make them beat you defenses.  I myself love to play pressure defense because I don’t want my opponent to ever feel comfortable and more importantly, I want to dictate what we do offensively AND defensively.  That isn’t to say running a pressure defense is simple, for us it comes down to the ability to have all five guys working together defensively in order for it to work, but when that cohesion is there it is extremely difficult for the opponent.  The other part I particularly like about pressure defense at high school levels is that most teams do not have more than a couple guys who are truly good with the ball and comfortable with pressure.  Imagine your four or five catching the ball with pressure.  Most of us would be worried about turnovers in that spot, and that’s exactly what pressure defenses are trying to create.

Coach Ammann does a great job of explaining his half court pressure defense goals, building blocks and drills so there is no need for me to over explain here.  Read below (click the arrow to maximize the screen) or download a copy for yourself.  Thanks again to Coach Moore for sharing.

Download: Kevin Ammann – Half court pressure defense

Building a half court pressure defense

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Florida Gators Coaches Clinic Notes

Here are some great notes from the 2010 Florida Gators coaches clinic.   The notes are very extensive and detailed and includes notes from Billy Donovan (Florida Gators), Brad Stevens (formerly of Butler, now with the Boston Celtics), Del Harris (Several NBA teams), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Shaka Smart (VCU), Kevin Eastman (LA Clippers assistant coach) and several others.  As mentioned the notes are very thorough and include nice diagrams that you don’t always get with clinic notes.  In the notes you will find information on strategy, special situations, plays, drills, defense, motion offense and much more.  Check the notes out below and download a copy for yourself.

Download Link: Florida Gators Coaches Clinic 2010

Press the pop out arrow in the top right corner of the box below to see the notes in full screen.

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Play of the Day - Kansas Screen the Screener

Today’s play of the day is a play I really like because I think it’s very difficult to defend and very simple to run.  The play, titled Kansas, begins with your best mid range shooter (2 in the diagram below) setting a back screen for your 4.  This initial screen can be hard to defend, and the x2 defender will likely have to hedge/help on the back screen to prevent an easy lob.  Immediately after setting  the screen we have a screen the screener action where the 5 sets a screen for the 2 guard who cuts to the ball side baseline.  Because of the initial screen this action is a really hard defend for the x2 defender who must try and chase over the top on the play.  If for some reason x5 comes to help you should have an easy post entry for a layup, and if he doesn’t you should be able to get your 2 a very good look at the basket.  Watch the Philadelphia 76ers run the Kansas action in the video clip below the diagram.

Kansas Screen the Screener Action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gta1Ansrhb0

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Play of the Day - Indiana Pacers - Hawk 2 Strong Elevator Screen

Today’s play of the day is a very easy quickhitter designed to get your shooter a quick look from the perimeter.  The Indiana Pacers have the luxury of having a guy like Paul George, who has size and can shoot from outside, but this play can work well with any shooter.  The play starts with a high pick and roll by your 2 guard for your 1 guard.  After the pick and roll the 2 guard comes through an elevator screen by the 4 and the 5 and looks for his shot.  Check out the diagrams below and then view the video of the Indiana Pacers running the hawk 2 strong elevator screen play in a few games.

Hawk 2 Strong Elevator Screen Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v587vDk7O14

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Four high school basketball rule changes passed by NFHS for 2014-15 season

There are four rule basketball rule changes passed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) with a couple of them potentially being significant changes to the game.

The four rule basketball rule changes are as follows:

Players may enter the lane on free throws as soon as the ball is released by the shooter

Rule eliminate or reduce contact on the ball handler

Expanded definition of intentional fouls

Expansion of what can be worn by players

The first rule change, under rule 9-1-4, now allows a player to enter the lane when the ball is released by the shooter.  Prior to this, players were unable to enter the lane until the free throw attempt hit the rim or the backboard.  The new rules put free throw rules in line with college and professional basketball rules which is how many of us coaches remember them from our playing days.

The second rule the NFHS Rules Committee has added is an article to rule 10-6 which deals with contact.  Article 12 of this rule now states that a foul can be committed by…

Placing two hands on the player

Placing an extended arm bar on the player

Placing and keep a hand on the player

Contacting the player more than once with the same hand or alternating hands

This basketball rule change is an attempt to eliminate excessive contact on the ball handler particularly outside of the lane area.  This rule is pretty much identical to the one added last year by the NCAA that had many coaches and players upset, especially at the beginning of the year when many ‘touch fouls’ were being called.  Depending on enforcement this could be a very significant change for many teams particularly at the beginning of the season.

The rules committee also expanded the definition of an intentional foul found in rule 4-19-3d.  The rule now defines an intentional foul as “excessive contact with an opponent while the ball is live or until an airborne shooter returns to the floor.”

The final rule change recommendation is the expansion of what can be worn on an arm or leg, according to Rule 3-5-3. The rule changes allows players to now wear tights, as long as they meet color and logo restrictions under Rule 3-5-3. The rule previously allowed only arm sleeves and compression leg sleeves.

For more on the basketball rule changes for the 2014-15 season please check out the NFHS website below.

SOURCE: http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=10737

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Read and React Offense

For the past several years one offense that I have continued to use has been the read and react offense developed by Rick Torbett.  Rick Torbett does not refer to read and react  as a motion offense, but despite this you’ll find some similarities to dribble drive motion offense.  Despite this there’s still some key differences between the two, and ultimately I would call read and react a continuity offense, but the reality is that both offenses allow your players to play.  Despite this there is structure to the read and react system and in my opinion there is a lot of good basketball principles that you are coaching through the read and react system.

There is a lot to the read and react offense, and Rick Torbett has written 100′s of pages and made multiple DVD’s, so I don’t think I will cover it all in this post but I can give you some impressions of it, some thoughts, and guide you to some resources I have found related to the read and react offense.  First off I like the freedom that the offense provides, but for some coaches they might have a tough time given up this freedom.  The reason I like this however is that many of the teams we play are more athletic than us, and when they play man to man defense we sometimes have a tough time getting into our sets as easily I would like.  This offense allows your team to react to what the other team is doing (ideally) and use it against them.  But if you are a team that likes set plays, this is still a good offense to have, as you can get into this offense easily from any set, even if it breaks down which makes it a nice offense to have available.  Ultimately read and react teaches good offensive principles that can be adapted to any teams strengths and weaknesses.

The Basics of Read and React

Read and react is meant to be installed layer by layer.  Again, I won’t get into details (check the links below for that) but the layers range from pass and cut, dribble penetration, post reactions, and more.  Rick tells coaches to implement layer by layer until the players become bored with it, at which point you can add another layer.  In the video below you can see an excerpt from the pass and cut layer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xAzANFC74c

One thing you will notice in the resource below is that they teach the dribble penetration layer first, but this video shows pass and cut as the first layer.  In my opinion, the dribble penetration can be difficult for kids to become good at, and I would recommend teaching pass and cut first as it’s a bit more simple and still addresses the most important part of read and react and that is spacing.  As you’ll notice in the video, Rick will emphasize the importance of good spacing.  Again, this is just one of those good basketball principles that all players should learn.

What I like about the offense

Here are some things I like about the read and react offense.

Adaptable to your team, can be run as a 5 out offense, or 4 out 1 in or even 3 out 2 in depending on your personnel.

Can be added layer by layer, making it a simple offense that grows in its complexity.  The key though is that it only grows in its complexity as your players become capable of running it.

Can be run by youth teams who wish to run just the first few layers.  This also makes it great for high school programs want to have an offense that is run throughout its program.

Teaches good basketball skills like: Spacing, pass and cut, movement without the ball.

Very easy to get into the offense even if it breaks down.  This also makes it great for running it after a set play or if a set play breaks down.  Some motion offenses can fall apart if a pass can’t be made, read and react always has another option.

Freedom – Let players play.  Some may not like this ‘lack of control’ and see it as a downside, but I think many players are better when they aren’t overthinking things.  NOTE: Another key to read and react  is that the players become comfortable with each layer to the point where it’s natural and that they’re automatically reacting and not thinking about the offense.

There’s a counter to whatever the defense does to try and stop you.

Can allow your players to do what they’re best at doing.

What are some downsides to read and react

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter what offense you’re running there’s always going to be some issues.  Here are some things to be aware of and some potential concerns with the read and react offense.

The dribble penetration layer is difficult.  The basic idea behind the north/south dribble is to get players to attack the basket and the other four guys on the floor to rotate with the drive.  The reality is kids are very used to standing still while someone drives and breaking them of this habit is difficult.  Along with this they often don’t anticipate a drive, and kids who lose focus will often not rotate or they will rotate too late (they’re not reading and anticipating a drive).  Of all aspects of read and react I have found this to be one of the most difficult to teach (Note: I have not run all of the layers, but of the ones I have taught this one is difficult).

Spacing is very important, but it takes some time to master this.  You would think it seems simple, but once the game gets going you will find your kids moving closer than you want them to be on a consistent basis.  Last year I purchased a couple of these Sklz shot spotz to place on the floor and help show kids where they need to be.  For a $20 purchase I found them to be helpful and better than trying to tape the floor all the time.

Patience is key, and patience can be difficult.  As mentioned before it is important to have kids master a layer to the point where they are bored before moving to the next layer.  This takes patience, as some layers that seem easy enough can be much more difficult than you would anticipate to master.  Along with this, you’re always dealing with more than 1 kid, so while some may master a layer others may not and you may find yourself wanting to move ahead before everyone has figured out what they’re doing.  This is tough as a coach and might lead to leaving some kids behind if you’re not patient.

It can look very ugly at times as kids learn what they’re doing.  As mentioned above the resources below teach read and react by having players learn dribble penetration first.  If you do this it can look very ugly as kids try things they’re not capable of.  Eventually they will learn what they can and can’t do, and subsequent layers allow them to do things they’re good at and avoid things they’re not good at.  But I can say initially it may look a bit ugly.  Give it time.  Also, as stated above I plan to run the pass and cut layer first because it is easier to master and will help make the offense look better to begin with.

Read and React Resources

Here are several read and react resources that you can use to learn how exactly how each layer works and drills you can use to implement the system.

Read and React Offense (This is everything you could want to know and more, tons of detail)

Read and React Offense PowerPoint (Also concise and includes some extra visuals)

Read and React Offense and Drills (Concise and to the point)

If any other coaches out there have run the read and react or currently run the read and react I’d love to hear what you have to say about your successes and/or failures with running the offense.

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Fred Hoiberg Open Practice Series

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With Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State University Head Coach; 2014 Big 12 Tournament Champions; 2012 Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year; 10-year NBA veteran and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Open Practice: Skill Development and Practice Drills

Fred Hoiberg provides access to live practices showing 16 drills you can use to improve your team’s fundamental skills. The practice footage includes:

Team warm-up

Five post breakdown drills

Six guard breakdown drills

One rebounding drill

Two shooting drills

One passing drill

One transition build up drill

Coach Hoiberg works to build his players offensive skills, defensive skills and court awareness through these drills. He uses post player and guard break out sessions for players to build their individual offensive moves. He has his guards and posts go through a variety of shooting drills to get shots up within Iowa State’s offense. Spacing and court awareness is stressed in each offensive drill. Pick and roll defense and contesting shots and rebounding is worked on two player drill situations.

Team drills include the Three Man Weave, Speed Shooting, 4:15 Shooting, 3-on-3 Rebounding vs Pads and a Transition Build Up drill. Coach Hoiberg constantly stresses spacing and being shot ready throughout all of these drills, which has helped Iowa State become one of the highest scoring and best three point shooting teams in the nation.

Iowa State’s team warm-up is also included, showing a unique look at how players are given a variety of slow and fast tempo drills to get them ready for high energy practices.

This is a great DVD for any coach looking to build their players individual and team skills.

62 minutes. 2014.

Open Practice: Offensive System

with Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State University Head Coach; 2014 Big 12 Tournament Champions; 2012 Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year; 10-year NBA veteran and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Fred Hoiberg provides an extensive look into the Iowa State transition offense system. Coach Hoiberg uses mid season practice sessions to guide you through a simple primary break and secondary actions by taking you through step by step details on the whiteboard. Key points include an emphasis on spacing, opening lanes for play makers and being in position to force the defense to make decisions. You can see the primary break and secondary actions drilled on court in 5-on-0 and 5-on-5 situations.

Coach Hoiberg starts out by drawing up his primary break showing the spots on the floor wings and posts need to fill to create good spacing. He explains how big men create space by running the floor and how players should react to middle and baseline drives.

Next, Hoiberg shows three secondary actions involving drag screens, a double stagger screen and pin down screen. He includes two quick hitters that take advantage of aggressive defenses to get good looks at the rim.

Hoiberg goes over a late game situation inbounds play to get your best shooter and three point shot or an easy lay-up from your post player. On court he has his players work through a situation in which they are leading and runs plays to get good looks at the basket.

Finally, Hoiberg goes over two out of bounds plays and talks about his philosophy on how his season practice plan by segmenting the season into three segments and how each segment is used. Offensive personnel is also discussed and how he tailors his offense to the players he has.

With Fred Hoiberg’s transition offense, your teams will be able to run a well spaced, disciplined fast break that leaves defenses out of position and always one step behind the offense.

2014.

Open Practice: Defensive Strategies & Drills

with Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State University Head Coach; 2014 Big 12 Tournament Champions; 2012 Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year; 10-year NBA veteran and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Fred Hoiberg runs his team through five live practices as they prepare for their next game and focus on defensive concepts. Watch as Coach Hoiberg explains how he prepares his team defensively and walks them through Iowa State’s next opponent’s offense on court.

Next he explains his philosophy on transition defense which includes who is sent to rebound offensively, who gets back on defense and how he builds a wall to take away key scoring areas on the floor. Coach Hoiberg draws up several drills on the whiteboard and demonstrates the Line Transition drill on court.

Coach Hoiberg explains how he uses 3-on-3 drills to work on defensive skills to guard ball screens and dribble hand offs. Each drill focuses on important details like hand position, staying active and communication. Drills are diagramed and shown on court.

Coach Hoiberg’s method for defending the post with undersized players is explained. He talks about key points to force post players into turnovers by using high, active hands and taking away baseline moves to force post moves to the middle of the floor.

Coach Hoiberg’s unique NBA style of defending ball screens to keep them on one side of the floor using weak side help and rotation. Different calls are used to communicate how the defense is play the screens. Two drills are shown on court to drill defending ball screens.

Finally, everything is put together in Hoiberg’s Down-Back-Stop drill. The drill is a full court game simulation between two teams in which players start with the ball on one end of the floor and play the offensive possession, transition down to the other end on defense, come back on offense and stop. Between each Down-Back-Stop players huddle with a coach to discuss what the previous repetition and what will be emphasized in the next rep.

This video will help the undersized team prepare for opponents, learn to defend the ball, defend screens, create turnovers in the post and stop teams in transition.

77 minutes. 2014.

Open Practice: Off Season Shooting and Conditioning Workout

with Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State University Head Coach; 2014 Big 12 Tournament Champions; 2012 Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year; 10-year NBA veteran and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Take the opportunity to watch Fred Hoiberg put his players through an off season shooting workout, preparing the team for the 2013-14 Big 12 season. Coach Hoiberg learned these drills from some the NBA’s all time best shooters – Larry Bird, Chris Mullin, Reggie Miller and others. Hoiberg used these drills to develop into the leading 3-point percentage shooter in the NBA in 2005 and now uses them as a coach.

First, Coach Hoiberg gets his shooter warmed up with a drill emphasizing footwork, balance and finishing every shot. The workout continues through 10 more shooting drills that have conditioning elements, game like shooting for many game situations like coming off screens, transition shooting, finishing at the rim and shooting off the catch.

After each drill, Coach Hoiberg has his shooter complete a round of threes. During the round of threes, players must make two threes from five spots (corner, wing, top, wing, corner) and come back around making one three at each spot. After the round of threes, players must make five free throws to continue to the next drill.

Coach Hoiberg’s is a firm believer that players are made better in the off season. With enough time and effort, these drills will create the muscle memory and mental toughness to become the best shooter one can be.

52 minutes. 2014.

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Play of the Day: Blazers Pistol

Today’s play of the day is a quickhitter called blazers pistol.  This simple but effective quickhitter is frequently used by the Portland Trailblazers hence the name blazers pistol.  Portland happens to have an outstanding young point guard in Damien Lillard so this play works great for them, but really any team with a solid PG and SG could run this play effectively.  The beauty of it is really it’s downright simplicity and the fact that there are three different slightly different options off the same play.  I could see this play being a very effective AAU play, where many teams have good guards and also where you see more one on one defense than you might see during the high school season.

This play is meant to be run out of a transition look (make or miss) which allows you to run it quickly and without allowing the defense to get set and comfortable.  As you watch the Blazers run this play (see the video below) you will notice how quickly they run it and how Lillard doesn’t go half speed to get the ball back.  This is what makes it hard to defend, is because he’s coming at you full speed and the guy most likely to pick him up is the x2 defender who is likely at a stand still.

The Blazers will also run this set play where the 2 guard keeps it and comes off the screen by the 5 man for a high pick and roll (Option 2 above), and finally will run it where the PG does not pass but keeps the ball and comes off a screen by the 2 guard who then gets a screen himself from the 5 man (Option 3 above).  In the end you have one set play that can be run with slight variations depending on what the defense is giving you.  And as mentioned above, this is such a simple play, yet hard to defend that it would be something you could easily add in with your team.  With AAU teams having limited practice time this is something that could be easily added in a pinch.  Watch the Blazers run this set play below (first minute shows it with the pass, then they start running it without the initial pass).

Play of the Day: Blazers Pistol Set Play

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRLwqP2GeUs

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What does it mean to 'blue' a pick and roll?

What does it mean to ‘blue’ a pick and roll? (via SB Nation)

By Doug Eberhardt  @ebehoops on Jan 16 2014, 2:57p + One of the most important defensive concepts is also known as one of the core colors of the rainbow. We explain the concept of “blueing” a pick and roll, using one of the league’s best defensive…

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Does free throw practice help improve your game?

There are few people in the world who would argue with the cliche practice makes perfect. But when it comes to free throw shooting, does practice actually improve your ability to shoot free throws in a game situation? I recently came across this great article on free throw practice from Brian McCormick’s blog on developing basketball IQ.  The blog is well done and worth checking out if you get a chance.

No one would question you as a coach if you said you make your players shoot 50 free throws a practice since every coach knows how important free throws are when it comes to winning basketball games.  The thing with science however is that it aims to use reasoning through research and experimentation to come up with conclusions.  I know most of you reading this don’t want a review of the scientific method, but it’s hard to question science and it’s ability to transform our society.  More and more in sports we are seeing science and mathematical analysis come into play (See Sabermetrics if you need any further proof of that).  The gist of Brian’s article is based around the picture below…

What stands out is the remarkable accuracy with which players shoot in practice and the remarkable lack of translation into game situations.  So why is this?  Why can players who shoot nearly 90 percent in practice shoot under 70 percent in games?  The simple answer might be fatigue or the crowd or the pressure of the moment in game situations or something along those lines.  And while all of that might very well be true to some extent, Brian points to something he calls block practice as a reason for this disparity.

Block practice would be as a I described earlier.  Make 50 free throws, shoot 100 free throws, or something along those lines.  While this might help build some muscle memory in your body, it also makes you a better free throw shooter… IN PRACTICE.  In game situations you never find yourself at the line for 25 free throws, with nothing in between.  You never shoot 5 free throws (or more) in a row.  It simply doesn’t happen.  And while shooting 100 free throws can help make improvements as previously mentioned with muscle memory, it simply doesn’t translate completely into games (See Dwight Howard in the image above).

Random and Variable Free Throw Practice

So what is a coach to do?  Brian’s article talks about two alternative types of practice.  One he calls random practice, the other he refers to as variable practice.  Random practice would be doing stuff in practice that works on multiple skills and mimic’s game like situations.  One way we do this in our practices is through our cut throat drill.  In cut throat we have three teams of 4 or 5 guys per team.  Two teams play half court, while one team sits out.  If the offense scores the player that made the shot has to ‘validate’ the basket by making a free throw in order to get the point.  If he misses the ball is live and no points are scored.  The defense has to get a stop and ‘clear out’ by going the other way and getting it passed the free throw line on the opposite end of the floor.  If they clear out the team who was out of play comes on to play defense and now it’s 5 on 5 again.  All offensive possessions end up on one side of the court.  By doing this we’re working on game like scenarios, you work on breaking a press, your offense, and we then incorporate the free throws in a more game like situation.  The only downside is not everyone scores so not everyone is practicing free throws, and even then you’re not shooting a large volume of free throws.

Brian describes variable practice as say making ten jump shots and then shooting two free throws.  Or another method he describes is shooting free throws from varying distance.  For example, swish three and then take a step back and shoot again.  This would still work on muscle memory but would vary the shooting which might better simulate the variability of game like scenarios with free throws.

There is a good quote as well from the article on Steve Kerr, one of the all time great shooters in the NBA.

When Steve Kerr was having a hard time shooting well coming off the bench, shooting coach Chip Engelland did something amazing. He’d sit on the bench in the empty gym and chat with Kerr, about this, that, or whatever. Then every few minutes he’d yell that it was time to shoot, and Kerr would run out on the court and take just a few shots. It got him used to sitting, sitting, sitting and then having a couple of opportunities. And it worked. (From The Art of a Beautiful Game by Chris Ballard, via True Hoop)

Lastly the article discusses Steve Nash, one of the few Lakers who’s practice percentage generally translates into games.  Watching this clip of Steve Nash you see a guy who recalls his muscle memory by practicing without the ball in his hands.  By the time he gets the ball he’s already recalled that long term muscle memory he’s built up in practice.  It’s like a golfer taking practice swings before their shot.  No matter how many times Tiger Woods has hit a golf ball he’s still going to take a practice swing or two to ‘remind himself’ before the actual shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Pf0lAO21AZk

None of what Brian talks about in this article surprised me.  Think about a drill you’ve done to work on one specific aspect of the game and whether it ‘translates or not’.  One good example of this is a war rebounding drill that I have moved away from using as frequently.  For this drill we had 5 guys around the perimeter and 5 guys inside the paint.  On the shot by the coach the 5 guys on the perimeter crash the boards hard and the 5 guys inside have to box out and rebound.  This drill might improve physicality in guys, but rarely if ever did it improve our ability to box out because it simply was not game like.  At no point is the game slowed down into one moment where you stand still, wait for a shot and then box out with nothing else happening in the game.  This drill is the definition of block practice and does not have the randomness or variability of game like situation.  I often found that doing that drill did not improve my teams ability to box out and rebound.

As you think of this topic I encourage you to think of ways to add more randomness and variability to your free throw practice.  Do not assume that block practice can’t help at all as I think it can build long-term muscle memory, but you must be sure to practice free throws in other ways to improve translation into games.  If you have some thoughts on doing this I’d love to hear some comments below.  Also, be sure to check out Brian’s blog as it has a lot of useful information for coaches.

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Creative tweaking: How a defensive switch can ruin the best after-timeout sequence

Creative tweaking: How a defensive switch can ruin the best after-timeout sequence (via SB Nation)

By Doug Eberhardt  @ebehoops on Feb 13 2014, 4:01p 2 Strong after-timeout coaching doesn’t just happen on offense. We highlight an example of a defensive call that helped the Pacers win a critical game against the Blazers. We traditionally recognize…

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'Hammer time': Breaking down one of the San Antonio Spurs' favorite plays

‘Hammer time’: Breaking down one of the San Antonio Spurs’ favorite plays (via SB Nation)

By Doug Eberhardt  @ebehoops on Jan 23 2014, 3:49p + The Spurs’ favorite set play has become more common across the league. We break down how they do it in this week’s edition. There have been many famous people nicknamed “Hammer” in the world of…

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Play of the Day - Tennessee Box Set Play

Every year I look forward to March Madness and all the excitement it brings along with it.  It is also a great time to watch some great coaching and some excellent x’s and o’s.  Today’s play of the day is a quickhitter by Tennessee run out of a box set that they used in their play-in game against Iowa.  This Tennessee box set play features flex style action which as always is tough to defend and matchup against.  If you like flex chances are you’ll like this set play.

Tennessee Box Set Play

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Play of the Day - Bob Hurley Sideline out of Bounds Play

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Bob Hurley is the well known coach of St. Anthony High School in New Jersey.  He may be as well known or perhaps more well known as the father of Bobby Hurley, former Duke star and now the head coach at the University of Buffalo.  Bob Hurley has won over 1000 games in his high school coaching career, one of only ten to ever accomplish that feat and has won numerous championships three USA Today national coach of the year awards.  Needless to say the guy knows his stuff (and has had the luxury of coaching some great players as well).

This Bob Hurley sideline out of bounds play gives you multiple options for multiple different players.  In the video he even talks about how he liked the play so much he had to incorporate it as a half court set for his team.  The play looks very fluid and well timed out, creates lots of movement, and features a couple of always tough to defend screen the screener options.  Check out the diagram below and be sure to watch the video as he brings up some very good coaching points on how to make the lob pass and how the 2 guard should open up when he makes his baseline cut.  If you like the video you can check out more Bob Hurley coaching videos from Championship Productions.

Bob Hurley Sideline out of Bounds Play

Bob Hurley Sideline out of Bounds Play – Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKUqhnen5AE

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