I get constantly teased by parent responses after the game."Its over there Coach!" or "I saw it coach!" The "it" in question is the basketball. The reason for the teasing is fans will hear me constantly barking out the seemingly obvious question "Where is the ball?"
Now a 250lbs man hopping up and down the sideline screaming about whereabouts of the only orange object in the game which has everyone's focus could be laughable. It is in fact! The issue is that I am trying to cue up an important concept in my kids defensively.
Our defense is predicated on the simple concept of: We want the ball!
What is the first step? Knowing where the ball is! What is the second step? Working as a group to get it.
My feelings on defense are pretty well known to people who watch us play at all. There is one ball, if you get it the other team can't score. Over the years we've done different things defensively: zone, m2m, traps, matchups . . . you name it I've tried it. The constant has been you pressure the basketball. If the ball is pressured we can get it.
If the player with the ball is allowed options we must defend those options. If the player with the ball has to dribble because it is the only option left to avoid pyschotic pressure then we need to defend one option. If you are guarding a player without the ball you need to shift to help stop the ball or cover for a teammate who is going to be helping stop the ball.
We go through a lot of the same questions and comments with first time players in the program: Coach my guy is a shooter! But I'll get beat on a cut! But what about the screens/ cuts to the basket? My answer is pretty standard, they can't score they don't have the ball. If we make the guy with the ball bounce it into trouble, then stop him and make him try to get it out of trouble he'll throw us the ball.
A player under tremendous pressure from one or two defenders is not thinking clearly or making great reads. They are trying to get rid of the ball without making a decision that is going to get them benched. So if we pressure them and leave their only options to be things that will risk getting them benched if it doesn't work, we should end up with the ball a lot and their best kids in a lot of trouble with their coach.
"Where is the ball?" If we stop it they don't score. If we get it they can't score and their coach is ticked off.
Know where the ball is and load up on the ball and the ball's options. No one else can hurt us until the get it. Pretty simple stuff.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Shooting fixes everything . . .
This may not acutally be true but it sure fixes a lot of things. I was on the sideline for a game this summer where we were the superior team but should have lost the game. We didn't adjust to the way the game was being officiated and sent the other team to the line 48 times and they made 39 of them. We gave away close to forty points and had just about everyone in foul trouble, but it was a non issue and we won it running away becuase of how well shot the ball. (69% from three, 60% from two).
In fact, look at the NB womens results from Canada Games and the recent FIBA Americas qaulifier that the National Men's team played in. When the NB women and Canadian men managed shoot 50% or better from 3 and 40% + from 2 they won. WHen that didn't happen and the opposition made those numbers they lost.
On the other side of the coin the NB men at Canada Games lost a 2pt point game to BC and an 18 point game to Ont where they shot less than 25 % all game but held both teams well below their tournament averages.
In a 24 - 8 game there are just going to be more shots period. The team that has more better shooters is going to win. One good shooter is easier to defend against with a shoretended shot clock, while less time for offense means more times who ever has the ball is going to have to be the one to finish it. Everyone needs to be able to shoot it. Especially on the teams I mentioned and on all teams in NB, because as our kids progress through the levels we just don't regularly produce the size and athleticsm of athlete to be a Post or often a forward at higher levels. Most high level players that come from NB need to be guards and shooters. But that is for another post.
What makes us better shooters? Deliberate practice.
A high volume of meaningful shots practiced with focus on technique or competitive situation or both.
Technique we are concerned with:
- Start from a balanced ready position.
- We always over extend our shooting elbow when straightening, and over extend our wrist on the snap. Always the highest release possible with the most follow through possible. (Shooting it as hard as we can (properly) with our arms on every shot means our shot mechanics never change. When we want to determine range we add or subtract legs instead of messing with our mechanics. Would you rather need to master 100 different swings for golf, or have a 1 swing and a variety of clubs that made the adjustments in range.)
- Never leave a shot short.
- Proper footwork on the catch to be ready to shoot/or attack effectively.
Competitive Issues we are concerned with:
- Getting the shot ready and off quickly.
- Being able to shoot under pressures of: time, noise, speed, fatigue, a defensive contest)
- Being able to shoot it effectively and be ready to catch and shoot playing at game speed.
- Not changing the jump shot in a competitive situations.
- Ability to make the sorts of shots the player will get in a game.
In fact, look at the NB womens results from Canada Games and the recent FIBA Americas qaulifier that the National Men's team played in. When the NB women and Canadian men managed shoot 50% or better from 3 and 40% + from 2 they won. WHen that didn't happen and the opposition made those numbers they lost.
On the other side of the coin the NB men at Canada Games lost a 2pt point game to BC and an 18 point game to Ont where they shot less than 25 % all game but held both teams well below their tournament averages.
In a 24 - 8 game there are just going to be more shots period. The team that has more better shooters is going to win. One good shooter is easier to defend against with a shoretended shot clock, while less time for offense means more times who ever has the ball is going to have to be the one to finish it. Everyone needs to be able to shoot it. Especially on the teams I mentioned and on all teams in NB, because as our kids progress through the levels we just don't regularly produce the size and athleticsm of athlete to be a Post or often a forward at higher levels. Most high level players that come from NB need to be guards and shooters. But that is for another post.
What makes us better shooters? Deliberate practice.
A high volume of meaningful shots practiced with focus on technique or competitive situation or both.
Technique we are concerned with:
- Start from a balanced ready position.
- We always over extend our shooting elbow when straightening, and over extend our wrist on the snap. Always the highest release possible with the most follow through possible. (Shooting it as hard as we can (properly) with our arms on every shot means our shot mechanics never change. When we want to determine range we add or subtract legs instead of messing with our mechanics. Would you rather need to master 100 different swings for golf, or have a 1 swing and a variety of clubs that made the adjustments in range.)
- Never leave a shot short.
- Proper footwork on the catch to be ready to shoot/or attack effectively.
Competitive Issues we are concerned with:
- Getting the shot ready and off quickly.
- Being able to shoot under pressures of: time, noise, speed, fatigue, a defensive contest)
- Being able to shoot it effectively and be ready to catch and shoot playing at game speed.
- Not changing the jump shot in a competitive situations.
- Ability to make the sorts of shots the player will get in a game.
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