Obviously in the grand scheme of things all coaches would like to game plan for every eventuality. If they flex we'll jump and switch the screens early. If they ball screen with a non shooter we'll hedge soft and go under. If they down screen with the shooter to pop or re-screen the shooter we'll fight through and deny hard on the scorer and play under the non shooter.
On and on and on it goes, in coaches' favorite game of who can have the marker last.
At most levels particularly below the elite level we don't have the prep time or player IQ to properly teach all these variables and program specific reactions. In an attempt to determine a way to teach defending screens that our kids can execute and remember in times of crisis we've come up with the B.A.T. theory.
We like a one rule for all (or at least as many as possible) attitude on defense. Keep it simple and work hard as a team.
B.A.T.
We B.A.T. all screens and leave the individual reads up to players in the match ups at the moment. Please keep in mind we are a ball pressure team so that the ball handler should be under immense pressure to dribble or find space not be sitting back reading and making great passes.
B - Ball side. We get both players to the ball side of any screen plugging straight line passes and forcing lobs (rainbow passes) we can run under, knock down or close out too. We trust on any pass that off the ball defenders, whether a particular player or area is their responsibility, can sprint to deflect any pass with air under it.
A - Active. No one should be easy to screen or read. Both players should be low, moving, changing angles to that it is not clear what is going to happen or who will end up where. This way we are hard to screen, read, and attack. Active is hands, feet, hips, arms and mouths.
T - Talk. The most important issue here is communicate the current situation. We have no set switch or stay, we get both defenders ball side, moving, and seeing how the offense reacts then communicating new movements or matchups. Primary concern is always being able to stop the ball or to rotate to cover threats when we move to stop the ball.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Defensive Essentials
I always find it challenging when coaching groups that shoot poorly or need a lot of general and specific work on their offensive fundamentals. Given my druthers I would input our offensive scheme the first 3 weeks of the season and then spend the rest of the year refining offensive fundamentals to match. This would free up almost my entire season for defensive concepts, skills and wrinkles.
Unfortunately short of a top university or provinicial program no one gets that sort of luxury.
Since I live in a universe in order for me to spend as much a time as possible on offensive development while still getting defensive work in to become the team we want here are the essential defensive drills that we emphasis and use as our base teaching methods:
Foundation Drills:
- Closeout Footwork + Inital Move Footwork (Daily)
- Positioing and Footwork Drills (Regularly Early in the Year, Less Frequent Late)
- Doubling Positioning Drills (Once per week)
- *3 vs 3 Purpose series (1 every day)
- Shell Drill
Competitive Re-Enforcement Drills:
- 1 vs 1 Full Court
- 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 get the ball over 1/2 court.
- Shell drill with less d then offense. Short chot clock, o gets points for getting shots up that hit the rim.
- 2 vs 2 continuos focus on player picking up early the 2nd taking the rim runner.
Defensive Conditioners:
- Seagull Slides (Figure 8 around court)
-Army Slides (3 perimeter spots, 2 check points. Players closeout take 1 slide then sprint to check point. Do all three return to end of line.)
- Wall Sits
- Explosion Sqauts
- Team Hustle (PLayers slide and dive across the key # of times chosen by coach then sprint to the other end.)
- Body Moving (Training Course Requiring to move quickly through a series of jumps, slides, sprints in a circuit for 10 minutes.)
* 3 vs 3 Purpose series.
We set up specific 3 on 3 scenarios that have program initail movements for everyone then after the defensive sequence is execute we go live. 2 possesions per group then rotate a group in.
ie.
Kill the Big - Weak side block big and 2 wings on offense. Ballside wing drives, big defender comes to shut down the baseline, weak side wing defender must drop hard into the big. Once the ball is trapped and the big is hit we skip the ball at which point we are live.
ie.
No Middle - 3 Perimeter players on offense who may only pass bleow foul line extended if they dribble through the foul line. Offense gets points by getting through the foul line on the dribble or taking a jump shot that hits rim. 3 d must work together to keep ball pressure to bounce but not allow it through the foul line.
We set up very specific densive goals in 3 on 3 settings to practice movements wheil requiring the offense to attack a specific way to program our defensive responses.
Unfortunately short of a top university or provinicial program no one gets that sort of luxury.
Since I live in a universe in order for me to spend as much a time as possible on offensive development while still getting defensive work in to become the team we want here are the essential defensive drills that we emphasis and use as our base teaching methods:
Foundation Drills:
- Closeout Footwork + Inital Move Footwork (Daily)
- Positioing and Footwork Drills (Regularly Early in the Year, Less Frequent Late)
- Doubling Positioning Drills (Once per week)
- *3 vs 3 Purpose series (1 every day)
- Shell Drill
Competitive Re-Enforcement Drills:
- 1 vs 1 Full Court
- 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 get the ball over 1/2 court.
- Shell drill with less d then offense. Short chot clock, o gets points for getting shots up that hit the rim.
- 2 vs 2 continuos focus on player picking up early the 2nd taking the rim runner.
Defensive Conditioners:
- Seagull Slides (Figure 8 around court)
-Army Slides (3 perimeter spots, 2 check points. Players closeout take 1 slide then sprint to check point. Do all three return to end of line.)
- Wall Sits
- Explosion Sqauts
- Team Hustle (PLayers slide and dive across the key # of times chosen by coach then sprint to the other end.)
- Body Moving (Training Course Requiring to move quickly through a series of jumps, slides, sprints in a circuit for 10 minutes.)
* 3 vs 3 Purpose series.
We set up specific 3 on 3 scenarios that have program initail movements for everyone then after the defensive sequence is execute we go live. 2 possesions per group then rotate a group in.
ie.
Kill the Big - Weak side block big and 2 wings on offense. Ballside wing drives, big defender comes to shut down the baseline, weak side wing defender must drop hard into the big. Once the ball is trapped and the big is hit we skip the ball at which point we are live.
ie.
No Middle - 3 Perimeter players on offense who may only pass bleow foul line extended if they dribble through the foul line. Offense gets points by getting through the foul line on the dribble or taking a jump shot that hits rim. 3 d must work together to keep ball pressure to bounce but not allow it through the foul line.
We set up very specific densive goals in 3 on 3 settings to practice movements wheil requiring the offense to attack a specific way to program our defensive responses.
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