Kay Yow: Amazing Grace!

THE READ AND REACT STORY

A 3-paragraph excerpt from an article by Rick Torbett
THE READ AND REACT STORY


In the mid-to-late-90’s, after nearly twenty years in coaching, three incidents came together to create a turning point in my entire approach towards offense, developing players, and building teams:

1. Using the previous season’s videotapes, I charted all the points we scored from free throws, offensive rebounds, fast breaks, set plays, broken plays, etc., and found an unsettlingly ratio. 80% of our points came from broken plays, transition, and other PRINCIPLED basketball. We only scored the way our set plays were designed about 20% of the time. But in practice, the ratio was the opposite: we spent 80% of our offensive time on set plays and less than 20% of the time on PRINCIPLED basketball. I had to ask myself why I was spending 80% of our time on only 20% of our point production?

2. After a rather average season, my assistant coach asked me if I was happy. I replied, “Not particularly.” He asked what I would do differently if I could scrap our entire program and start all over. I said that I would teach our kids how to play the entire game by principle. He then asked, “Why don’t you do it?” The honest answer was: I didn’t know how. I had a lot of pieces, a lot of 2-man and 3-man principles, but not the entire thing. The whole thing seemed like a pretty tall order: to create a seamless offensive system that would encompass transition offense, man-to-man offense, and zone offense without contradiction, and without being limited to only one “set” (5-Out or 4-Out or 3-Out), and without needing a certain type of players, or players ideal for a particular style of play. (Stay tuned, the Read and React Offense does it!)

3. At about the same time, I experienced some success with a team built around six players who played together from 7th grade to 12th grade. We went to the Final 4 their last two years. Were they talented? Yes, but not to the extent you might think. Only two went on to play on the college level. Their real talent was their coordinated effort. They “knew” each other. They moved like a school of fish. Was I responsible for this? Had I suddenly become a coaching genius? No. Our success was due mostly to the fact that they had played together for six years. In fact, each year they were in the program was characterized by fewer plays and more principles.

Editor’s Note: To read this entire article for free, simply click here. The actual, entire Read and React Offense can be learned a on 6-DVD set, available from BetterBasketball.Com

The Total Athlete's "Center of Power"

by Greg Brittenham

20 Attributes of a Great Team

Over my 40 years as a player and coach at many levels I have accumulated an internal imprint in my mind of attributes which make great teams. Just like a shooter who has a visual picture of how their shot will look and feel each time they release it as a motion picture to follow, these attributes I believe are found in almost every team that has consistent success at all levels. Use these not so much as a check-list to say what you do not do as a player or team, but rather as part of a visual motion picture of how you want to play. In sports science terms this is called a frame of reference. A simpler way of saying it is that these are team goals for which you and your team should strive each and every day through a season and from season to season.

1. Running the offense with patience, intelligence, and poise.

2. Always getting back on defense, and seldom giving up easy baskets.

3. Excellent physical conditioning and strong mental attitudes.

4. Executing together.. .talking and encouraging each other.

5. Paying attention to details...being students of the game.

6. Knowing the teams strengths but admitting weaknesses and working toward eliminate them.

7. Complete selflessness eager to encourage and see teammates succeed.

8. Making the most from each practice session.

9. Being willing to unselfishly pass to teammates.

10. Believing in your teammates and your own abilities.

11. Sacrificing to be better players, no matter what the cost.

12. Excellent blocking out defensively, and being aggressive on the offensive boards.

13. Having positive attitudes... humble yet inwardly self confident.

14. Thinking while playing the game, adjusting to changing situations and using other tools when necessary to solve a problem on offense or defense.

15. Willingness to follow coach’s instructions.

16. Loyalty to teammates, and coaching staff.

17. Being able to say ~my fault” rather than blaming others.

18. Proper physical training and taking care of your body.

19. Getting the most out of every game situation by playing percentage basketball.

20. Working harder toward goals after adversity.

There are literally dozens of ways to play offensive sets and team defensive schemes. However my experience in the game has taught me that if you are not achieving many or most of these team goals, you are playing nowhere near your potential as a team. Remember attributes are adjectives that describe your team. Make them a priority if it is truly your desire to win championships and win on a consistent basis.

Alan Lambert
President/CEO
The Basketball Highway

Amoeba Defense

The following is the basic alignment for setting up the amoeba defense. This is the setup that your defenders need to be in when the offensive team is bringing the ball up-court. XI is responsible for picking up the ball handler as soon as he or she crosses half court. Xl's main job is to harass the ball handler, making it tough to dribble up the floor and pass to a teammate. X2 patrols the free-throw-line area looking for flash cuts to the high-post area. The tandem of XI and X2 should be the quickest players on your team. X3 and X4 are halfway between the free-throw line and the baseline, facing on an angle toward the sideline. X5 is the "hoop defender," the last line of defense guarding the basket. X5 stands as far back as needed to see the whole floor and must never get beat from behind.
When the ball is passed from the point to the wing, X2 charges out to play the opponent with the ball. XI retreats to guard the free-throw area. When the ball handler initiates a dribble, X3 sprints out to double team with X2. X5 moves over to the block area and X4 rotates to become the hoop defender. If the ball is passed back from the wing, X2 goes back to his or her original spot at the foul line and XI pops out to the top, back to his or her original spot.
XI and X4 are responsible for covering the shaded area on any pass from the double-team. The ball is now double-teamed at the wing. XI can either deny the point player or encourage a reverse pass from the double-team for a possible steal. Tarkanian believed that if X2 and X3 are doing a good job of double-teaming, any pass cross court will be high enough in the air to be picked off by either X4 or XI, depending on where the pass is thrown.

When the ball is passed from the wing to the corner, X5 comes flying out and closes out on the corner player with the ball. When X3 sees that the ball is being passed from the wing to the corner, he or she pivots and sprints to the low-post area, in what Tarkanian called an "X-cut." X3 fronts the low-post offensive player. The gamble here is when the corner offensive player gets the ball and X5 is sprinting toward him or her, the player with the ball will see the low-post player open, not knowing that X3 is on the way to that area. Many times, in a panic, the corner player instantly passes to the seemingly open post player and X3 comes up with a steal. Tarkanian's belief is that if X5 is closing out and tracing the ball, a good pass will be impossible to deliver and X3 will come up with a steal. XI and X4 are still responsible for the weak side of the floor. X2 denies the reverse pass back to the wing from the corner. Any attempt to pass to the point will be picked off by XI.

The pass is complete from the corner. X4 would be the closest defender to the ball, so he or she would cover the receiver. X3 goes from low post to low post and X5 would become the hoop defender. X2 retreats to the middle to provide any help that is needed and XI would deny the pass to the point.
This diagram shows the initial entry pass as seen in Diagram 2, but here you have an offensive player on the high post. In this case - just as in Diagram 2 - when the ball is passed to the wing, X2 sprints out to defend and XI drops down to play the offensive player in the high post. This leaves the point guard alone, the theory being that he or she can't harm you being that far from the basket. If the offensive wing player with the ball takes a dribble, X3 comes out to defend and double-teams with X2. XI, who's denying the high post, can anticipate a pass back to the point and go for the steal. At this point, if the ball is passed from the wing to the corner, X5 sprints out and plays the corner player. X3 "X-cuts" and goes to defend the block area and X4 becomes the hoop defender. X4 and XI are responsible for stealing anything thrown cross court from the block area and higher. This may seem like a lot of area to cover, but Tarkanian believed that if your defenders are playing good, hard-nosed defense, the only pass that will be thrown is one high in the air that X4 and XI have a great chance for a steal.

If the offense plays a two-guard front, XI and X2 match-up with the guards. If the offensive team puts a player at the high post, X5 comes up and guards behind. This encourages the offense to make a pass into the high post, which is what you want to happen. If the ball is passed into the high post, XI and X2 immediately double down and create a triple team at the high post. This may cause the high-post player with the ball to panic and either give up his dribble or throw an errant pass. X3 and X4 anticipate any passes into their areas and go for the easy steal.

When the ball is passed to the wing from the post, XI retreats to the high-post area and denies the post. X2 plays the wing player and X3 denies the pass to the corner or encourages a pass and gets a trap or steal in the corner. X2 may sprint down and double-team the corner player, depending on the game situation. X4 becomes the hoop defender and X5 guards the low post. XI, who's playing the post, must anticipate passes to the point from the corner, the wing and cross court. This is one of the reasons why it's critical that XI and X2 be your quickest players. XI and X2 must always be alert and have the ability to anticipate defensively. If the ball is passed to the corner from the post or wing, X3 sprints out to play the corner player, X5 drops to the low-post area and X4 becomes the hoop defender. XI denies the post and X2 denies the pass back to the wing from the corner or encourages the pass and looks to make a steal. A pass from the corner to the point weak-side guard can be picked off by XI and taken the other way for an easy layup.

Catching, Passing and Faking Skills Part I

Teaching Catching, Pivoting, and Faking Skills: Part I

by Alan Lambert President of The Basketball Highway

Introduction

The fundamental skills of catching, pivoting, and faking are amongst the most overlooked and undertaught skills in the game of basketball today. I cannot count the number of times in observing a game (including college and professional), that I have seen poor play as a consequence of a team or players inability to catch, pivot or make an effective fake at a critical time. 

In today's game, aggressive pressure defenses require that you teach these fundamentals. If you have a big man that can't catch or make a proper pivot at the appropriate moment, you may as well put a stone statue on the court, because you'll be about as successful. Interestingly enough, I have to think extremely hard to find a great scorer today in the game, who cannot catch and pivot very effectively. The two are inextricably bound. My point is this, if you are not spending 5-10 minutes per day on catching, pivoting and faking, how can you expect your players to execute these skills under duress in the heat of battle and perform at a high level. You may have a race horse of a player, but unless the horseshoe is comfortable, you're not going to win the race.

The purpose of this month's clinic is to provide you some basic rules for each of these skills, some suggested drills, and descriptive ways to make these points retainable when teaching your players.

Catching

Here are five simple principles which I have taught to my players when they are having difficulty catching the ball:

• 1) Always practice moving to the ball with both hands up. This is an unnatural position because our normal running motion involves swinging the arms in opposite synchronization with our leg stride. Lifting the arms, and in fact any movement of the body involves what is called a response time. Response time is a combination of reaction time and movement time. For very simple movements a reaction time can be as fast as 100 milliseconds (or 1/10th of a second). For larger movements such as raising the arms to catch a ball reaction time is more likely in the neighborhood of 200-400 milliseconds (or slightly less than half a second). Movement time is generally a little bit more than reaction time. I don't want to get caught up in a long scientific discussion of reaction and movement time, the point is that it likely take from a 1/2 to 3/4 of a second to make a response to catch a ball. If your player always seems to be late in getting their hands prepared to a pass, they aren't necessarily bad at actually catching the ball, but rather ALWAYS late to prepare to catch the ball. By moving with their hands constantly up, they reduce their preparation time. Finally, moving to the passer with both hands up signals the passer that your player wants the ball and is alert for a pass at any time. All coaches teach this (or attempt to), however very few players actually put it into practice to the point that it is a non-thinking repetitive skill (such as shooting a free throw).
• 2) Always run through the ball when catching a pass. This is another basic and simple rule, but more turnovers are caused in the game of basketball today because the player catching the ball, doesn't practice this. Another reason for doing this is that it is easier to pivot and keep your balance if your body has some motion or energy in it. By stopping your movement too early, most players release all of their energy into the floor and are susceptible to being forced off balance by an aggressive defender. Motion means energy, and as long as the energy is balanced (controlled) you have a player who is prepared to shoot, pass, or drive when they need to.
• 3) Catch the ball with your thumbs pointed upwards and towards the eyes, collapsing the arms to absorb (decelerate) the force of the arriving ball. It is difficult to collapse the arms if your thumbs are pointing outward away from the eyes, try it and you'll see what I mean. It's a very awkward and rigid movement. Many young players have trouble catching because they catch with stiff arms. The energy must go somewhere usually remaining in the ball and causing the ball to glance hard off of the hands. By slightly relaxing the arms you reduce the force (remember from your physics class that Force=Mass x Acceleration). The mass (weight of the ball) stays constant so to reduce the force...collapse. It's the same principle that auto makers use in designing bumpers on their cars to absorb the force of a crash. When you players learn to do this, they will have softer hands and become good receivers of the ball. Make sure they watch the ball completely into their hands before quickly locating the basket with their eyes when the ball is properly secured.
• 4) Always catch the ball near the basket from a one contact (two foot) jump stop. If you're catching the ball on the wing, it is better to catch the ball off the inside pivot foot, but still as nearly as possible to a one contact stop. A player who does this will nearly always have balance and be able to read, react and move with equal quickness in any direction from that position. This is equally important for pivoting which we will discuss later on in this month's clinic. Simultaneously catching the ball on both feet in the high or low post is a must. You eliminate too many post move options by pre-establishing a given pivot foot. The reasons you should catch the ball off the inside pivot foot (foot closest to the basket) from the perimeter or wing position are; first, by establishing the inside pivot foot you are actually closer to the basket by a few feet than if you took used the outside foot. This may not seem like much but when you are talking scoring threat for most player the difference of 19 feet versus 21 feet is quite substantial. Secondly, if a player must circle behind you to get the ball (called a give back) you are in a much better position to hand the ball safely off to this player and use your body as a screen away from the aggressive defense. In either case, whether in the post or perimeter, the two foot jump stop gives you two direction options at all times.
• 5) Whenever you catch the ball you must immediately bring the ball to the triple threat position. Many players afraid of pressure defense are either taught or through habit bring the ball high above the head or low toward the knees. There are situations where these positions are affective, however not when you have immediately received the ball against pressure.

When the ball is brought high above the head you cannot shoot from that position, or penetrate quickly, so in effect you are telling the defense play me for the pass only. If you bring the ball too low, you can really only penetrate from that position. The older and more experienced your defender is, the great the chance they will read these signals and take away your strength. Pete Newell, one of the truly great teachers of the game, has said that basketball is a game of "read and react". If you bring the ball to any position other than the triple threat you going to take away one of the three options which your defender might be forcing you to react to.

This is an uncomfortable position for many young players, however with much practice they will learn when that defender reaches for the ball in that triple threat position, they will likely have to raise their center of gravity and lift up their body, thus opening the "react" decision to penetration dribble. If the defender stays low, they can quickly "read and react" by taking the jump shot before the defender can challenge the shot.

One last point here is to keep the ball basically motionless. I have worked with a number of young players who have a fairly decent shooting technique however the ball is constantly being shifted around to avoid defensive pressure. The react decision is not to move the ball when you're pressured, but to move the body toward the basket or open spot away from the pressure for an open shot or lay-up. When the offensive player is shifting the ball, their shooting accuracy will dip considerably. It would be analogous to a golfer trying to hit a golf ball that was swinging from a rope. It can be done, but not very accurately.

Teach your players to bring the ball with strength to the triple threat position prepared to shoot, pass, or drive.

When you are working on catching drills it is best to build them in sequence. Start first with catching from a stationary position. This is best done in combination with stationary passing drills. Simple examples players in pairs, or in a circle. The next step is to add movement to the catching. I always create drills which are similar to our game situations, such as creating a lead on the wing or post players coming to the high post, and squaring up. The final step of catching off of movement should be catching in the open court on a full speed run, such as required by the fastbreak.

I have found that using a simple 2 on 0 pass and catch drill is effective for teaching catching in fast break situations. In this drill the players are required to pass, sprint, and catch the length of the floor for a lay- up, without any dribbles, traveling, or bad passes, with 6, 5, then 4, possibly 3 passes. This is a good warm-up drill, and also teaches players to stride (remember stride length and stride rate= speed) to the basket. How many fast breaks have your teams had where they were open but the players threw the ball away or couldn't catch it.

Drills you might consider using after your players have mastered the basic art of catching include bad pass drills, where the receiver must adjust and gather the ball to the triple threat position once they have caught the poorly thrown pass. DON'T do this is your players have trouble catching the ball. You'll never build confidence this way. Finally, I have used four corner dribble, pivot and pass drills, where different types of pivots and passes are called out for at various intervals to teach concentration. Even the best players with the best skills will make mistakes if their concentration isn't sharp. I'm a firm believer that concentration is a practiced skill. You can't expect your players to concentrate for 30 or 40 minutes in a game if they can't keep their concentration in a 2 minutes passing drill.

Remember coaches teach your players to:

• 1) Always practice moving to the ball with both hands up.
• 2) Always run through the ball when catching a pass.
• 3) Catch the ball with your thumbs pointed upwards and towards the eyes, collapsing the arms to absorb (decelerate) the force of the arriving ball.
• 4) Always catch the ball near the basket from a one contact (two foot) jump stop.
• 5. Whenever you catch the ball you must immediately bring the ball to the triple threat position.

Go to Part II of our clinic where I discuss techniques and rules for teaching Pivoting, and Faking Skills

Catching, Pivoting and Faking Skills: Part II

Teaching Catching, Pivoting, and Faking Skills: Part II
by Alan Lambert President of The Basketball Highway

Pivoting Fundamentals

Pivoting is without question the most under-taught and under-developed skill in basketball. The sad part is that it is truly one of the greatest confidence builders that young players can have, and opens up a players skill level far beyond what most think they are capable of achieving. I believe that Michael Jordan is certainly one of the greatest athletes ever to play the game of basketball. What stands out most in my mind however, is his penetration step to the basket. If we could freeze frame that move you'd see his knee almost touching the ground, with the knee and ankle joint bent at 90 degrees. A penetration step to the basket is essentially a forward moving pivot from either a standing, or triple threat position.

The one factor that makes most players poor pivoter's (a.k.a penetrator) is lack of leg, stomach and back strength. They simply can't hold the proper pivot position, and maintain control of their energy and body weight. They compensate by twisting and contorting their body and muscles to a position that's more comfortable, but totally ineffective in executing pivots. How can you expect players to perform what they don't practice. How much time do you spend in practice pivoting? If you don't incorporate 10-15 minutes of pivoting technique into your daily drills, I will guarantee you there will be teams that pressure your team hard, and it will be reflected in you turnover stats.

I teach basically two types of pivots, or you might even describe them as two directional types of pivots. Pivots can occur in the down position, where the pivot foot on the floor is bent 90 degrees at the toes, angle, and knee with the knee almost touching the floor. The back is straight and the head within the base of support (area underneath both feet in contact with the floor). Most players lean forward with the head because of lack of strength and are in a very unbalanced position for making any kind of pivot. Pivots also can occur in the up position, where the player has the knees slightly flexed and are on the balls of their feet very much like the triple threat position. A good pivoter can move as easily in either of these two positions and from up to down and down to up position quickly without losing their balance.

Here are my techniques points for teaching fundamentally sound pivoting skills:

• 1) Always have your balance before you pivot. If you have lost your balance, then correct it before you try pivoting again. This would be analogous to a figure skater attempting to perform a triple axle with their head way outside of their feet (base of support). Young players tend to start their pivot before correcting their position.
• 2) When you pivot, the hip of the pivoting leg should be pulled through on a straight line to the new position. We teach our players to penetrate to the basket in a straight line, so why would we teach the same players to pivot any portion of their body in a circular fashion. This is not so easily seen, but when they've lost their balance, you can almost be assured that it is because the hips movement did not start in a linear direction and the body was pulled off balance. When I'm teaching my players to go from the up pivoting position, to a down position, where they have shifted the ball to the weak side hand away from the defensive pressure, they must pull that hip down as quickly and straight as possible to the new position. It is as if there is a rope attached to their hip, and someone yanks that rope. The point is in doing this centrifugal force is reduced and better helps players to maintain their balance.
• 3) When you pivot lower your center of gravity. Interestingly enough this is very similar to the problems a defensive player encounters when they are learning to perform defensive slide steps without looking like a caterpillar. When a player pivots from the down position with, let's say the right foot forward, and steps through in the other direction most players will raise their center of gravity (thereby losing their balance) and be susceptible to a push or shove by an aggressive defender. The rules of physics don't change for pivoting, a low center of gravity is always the best way to keep your balance.
• 4) Decrease the radius of your pivot as you turn. This will increase the speed with which your body can rotate. Again, I'll use the figure skater analogy. When a figure skater wants to slow their spin, they open their arms and legs increasing the radius of the spinning body. If they want to spin faster they draw their arms and legs as close to the axis of rotation as possible. This holds true for pivoting in basketball as well. A tight pivot is a fast pivot. Ideally the pivoter will transfer all of their weight for one moment in time directly over the pivot foot, much like the young boy did in the movie Karate Kid when learning balance, and then immediately shift half of that weight back to the newly established stepping foot. It can be done, but takes a great deal of practice. The players I've seen who could do this were able to pivot in virtually any direction at any time and were extremely difficult to pressure. They simply kept their balance. Of course this is much simpler for a 5'5" player than for someone 7'0" tall, but the laws of physics hold no matter what your size is.
• 5) Keep your upper body as straight and vertical as possible when pivoting. This keeps the head still and helps the player maintain balance. For most people their head is somewhere around 30% of their total body weight. If that head gets to slinging, so will the body. I've demonstrated this to my players by tying a ball with weight on the end of a rope and letting them swing it around in a circle like a cowboy wanting to lasso something. Then I ask them to quickly switch directions. The shorter the rope length (radius) the easier it is to change directions. Let that rope out 5 or 6 feet and it's almost impossible to change directions quickly. Your head is that ball. By keeping the back straight a player will control their head movement. The problem with this is that it requires lower leg and back strength which many players don't have. Practice it, and include strength training exercises to develop these areas.
• 6) Always pivot on the ball of your pivot foot. I can't count the number of times I've seen players (especially big men) who have no pivoting skills because the whole footprint remains attached to the floor. I don't care how big or small you are, if your complete foot remains glued to the floor you will NOT be able to pivot more than the few degrees your knee will twist. Twisting knees aren't very good for basketball players either. Tell your players, bend at the toes, bend at the ankle, bend at the knee, and you'll have a player that can virtually pivot 360 degrees.
• 7) Always pivot into your defender when squaring up to the basket. A player who pivots away from pressure will get locked up by the defender where they have no freedom of movement.
• 8) To avoid pressure on the ball when you're pivoting tuck the ball into a position of strength either: a) under the chin or tight to the waist, or b) low between the legs momentarily until you have established the new position to which you have pivoted. Before I get a bunch of nasty comments back from coaches, I'm not saying to keep the ball between your legs, only to momentarily bring it their when you must pivot against pressure. It is a very difficult place for a defender to get their hands to without getting so low to the ground that they don't open up the jump shot. Finally, when moving the ball, you might initially move the ball away from the direction you want to pivot to draw the defenders hands or body in that direction which will make the step through pivot to the new position much simpler. It is a concept well used through the game of basket.

The stepwise procedure for practicing pivoting should include basic inside and outside pivots off of either foot without the ball and include moving from the upright triple threat position to the down penetration step position. Your players should be able to make that penetration step movement in all directions including backward. My philosophy always has been that I want my players to be able to react in any direction, at any moment in time with equal quickness. This takes practicing a lot of different skills but approaching that goal makes for multi-dimensional players. Then proceed to pivoting with the basketball, working on maintaining balance and positioning of the ball in various position against pressure (generally away from the defense). I usually with follow this step with pivoting off of movement after a one contact (two foot) jump stop. The best players don't quit once their dribble penetration has been taking away or they've picked up their dribble. Plan on spending a considerable amount of time working with your players on the step through pivot against pressure. I usually work toward the goal of not only having my player be able to pivot to avoid pressure, but more importantly to be able to pivot to set up passing lanes, and go from virtually any pivot position down or up into the (forward) penetration step which I have described earlier.

Practice Pivoting Coaches

I'm very realistic about how much practice time you have. In many cases you have enough trouble getting shooting, or defensive footwork time, let alone time to practice pivoting. However, you can incorporate pivoting into every drill that you run. Rebound outlet, with a quarter pivot, wing entry pass to square-up position, to penetration footwork, or high post position play with catching a lob pass and working on the up to down position to penetrate with one step to the basket. A good coach knows how to make good use of limited practice time. It can be done with proper planning.

Remind your players to:

• 1) Always have your balance before you pivot.
• 2) When you pivot, the hip of the pivoting leg should be pulled through on a straight line to the new position.
• 3) When you pivot lower your center of gravity.
• 4) Decrease the radius of your pivot as you turn.
• 5) Keep your upper body as straight and vertical as possible when pivoting.
• 6) Always pivot on the ball of your pivot foot.
• 7) Always pivot into your defender when squaring up to the basket.
• 8) To avoid pressure on the ball when you're pivoting tuck the ball into a position of strength Now that you've learned some techniques for catching and pivoting with the ball

I want to close this clinic with several ideas on using fakes.  Go to Catching, Pivoting, and Faking Skills: Part III to read more.

Catching, Pivoting, and Faking Skills: Part III

Teaching Catching, Pivoting, and Faking Skills: Part III
by Alan Lambert Professional Coach President of The Basketball Highway

Faking

The best fake is the movement that most resembles the first 2/10th of a second of a players normally executed basketball skills. That is just enough movement on the jump shot (possibly arching the back, or lifting the eyes) to get the defender to respond, and within that time frame initiate the second movement (such as penetration). In boxing they call this the "1-2 Punch". The boxer is defending the jab, and can't respond to stop the big hook and gets knocked out. The reason they can't respond quickly is due to a phenomena called the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP). A PRP describes the situation where that once a movement is initiated by a person, that for a period of about 1/4 of a second, this person is virtually helpless to stop or change that movement due to the wiring of the human nervous system.

In this case any fake lasting longer than 1/4 of a second, may allow a defensive player to respond to a fake, and recover to defend the desired movement by the offensive player. Conversely, if an offensive player, can make a very short fake and begin their second movement within that time frame, the offensive player will have a 1/4 second time advantage on your defender. This effect is multiplied when the initial fake draws a response from a defender moving in the direction opposite of the second movement. Using the penetration fake to pull the defender into a swinging door motion is a good example of this. Learned properly this is a decisive advantage in the game of basketball with today's athletic players.

Now that I may have confused you with scientific jargon, let me try to put this is simpler terms. A fairly large portion of the time it takes a person to make a decision about which response to make is based upon our ability to perceive incoming cues. In other words, what's is my opponent's body language saying. Most coaches call this reading your opponent. When your defender is low in an aggressive defensive position, they are telling you for example "shoot the jump shot on me because I can't get up quick enough to challenge your shot". Perception is our ability to distinguish one "thing" from "another". It has also been called sensation plus experience. Experience allows us to focus our attention on critical cues. Less experienced players almost always focus on the wrong cues, but even the best players can be fooled.

Freeze The Defender

I believe that by teaching very specific movement cues (when faking), a player will increase the time it takes their opponent to respond, and in many cases put the defender in a position where they cannot (for a quarter of a second or more) respond at all (in coaching terminology called freezing the defender). Freezing your defender means that you have made a fake that will bring a movement response from your defender which cannot be altered in time to adequately stop your movement. This is where faking becomes a game of "read and react". Larry Bird, during his great NBA career demonstrated the usefulness of a slower less athletic player being able to keep his defender constantly off balance and guess what he was going to do next. This more than leveled the playing field for Larry.

Here are some suggestions which can help your players become better "fakers":

• 1) Keep your fakes believable, the movements relatively small, and be prepared to "react" to the defenders initial movement within a quarter of second in the opposite direction.
• 2) Sometimes, no faking is the best fake, especially if you have a very experienced defender. I call this Sphinx face faking. An experienced defender will pick up whether your fake is a good one. They will know that your shot fake is different than your actually shooting motion by the position of the ball, or that you are not going to penetrate because your penetrate stride to twice as long, as the slight forward step you take to shot your jumper. By being in the triple threat position, a player can gain an advantage by simply waiting for the slightest movement by the defender in one direction (up or down, or right or left) and as Pete Newell says read and react" in the opposite direction.

I have shared with other coaches at clinics what I believe is a good analogy for young players. It's a fishing story. The young fisherman puts his line and worm into the water wanting to catch the grand daddy of all catfish. Well that old catch fish is pretty hungry, but nobody's fool. The young fisherman is getting real impatient and starts yanking his pole trying to get ol' granddaddy to bite. But ol granddaddy is sitting down their at the bottom of the lake and saying, that ain't no fly up there...that's a young lad thinking he's a fly. I'm not biting. Well a couple of months later, the young lad is a little smarter. And ol' granddaddy is a little hungrier. This time the boy throws the line out there and does nothing. Except every once in a while he just bobs the line once or twice. No ol' granddaddy says, hummmmmm., I'm not sure if that's a fly, but I sure am hungry, and it sure ain't no young lad. Pretty soon he takes the bait and the young lad got ol granddaddy". The moral of the story is: When you fake, it better be a fly if you expect to catch the best fish.

• 3) Most players tend to tip off then defender by their body position. I work extremely hard on teaching uniform position (triple threat), where the player can pass, drive, or shoot from that spot. This even goes to the use of the eyes. Virtually every young player I've ever coached tipped off what they were going to do with their eyes, or ball position. If their eyes are on my position, they certainly weren't going to have a good look at the basket.
• 4) Players should be taught to give "phantom cues". Looking away from where you want to pass is a good example. The rule is give false information in the opposite direction you want to move. This seems to more of a lost art as our players become more athletic and spectacular in their play.

Faking Without the Ball

It is equally important to know how to fake without the ball, especially in creating a lead to receive a pass. Here are some additional tips for faking without the ball:

• 1) Always begin your fake away from the ball or where you want to receive the ball.
• 2) You must move enough to get your defender to move or significantly break their balance (this is at a minimum two hard sprint steps). The most common error amongst young players is moving the upper body a lot, and the feet only move a step or so. I call this dancing. I don't want my players dancing with their opponent. They make him respond with movement, or they are open. When they move, you read and react in the opposite direction. The key is beginning your opposite direction movement the moment you feel your defender leaning or initiating the movement away.
• 3) Always cut in a straight line toward and through the ball. What good is a great fake, when you run a circle cut, and the defender recovers and meets you at the pass by sprinting in straight line.
• 4) If the defender is playing between you and the ball, run directly at the defender, and make a cut 90 degrees from your direct path. This is especially useful against full court deny pressure.
• 5) Always make your fakes and cuts sufficient to get the ball where you want to get it. In all offensive patterns spacing is critical to being able have good passing angles, take away defensive help, and getting an advantage for an open shot. If you let the defender force you 3 steps beyond three point line, you will have difficulty executing your plays.
• 6) A good offensive players will keep moving as long as it takes to shake their defender and get open. However, the experienced player knows not to move or fake before the passer is in a position to deliver the ball, and knows how to get open with a minimum amount of energy expended and movement made.
• 7) A good offensive player will attempt to get behind the eyes of a defender. A head turning defender can easily be lost. This is much more difficult with a fundamentally sound defensive player. But remember, make them turn their heads.

Finally, I have discussed primarily techniques for faking without the ball or from a stationary position. There are many times you already has the dribble and must make fakes. The best technique for accomplishing this is "changing speeds and direction". A player who is able to quickly change speed will create a "1-2 punch" or PRP while in motion. I hope that our clinic has given you some new ideas and refreshed some previously learned techniques. If you want to be a championship team, you will practice catching, pivoting and faking skills and make them a significant part of your daily practice routines.

Return to Part I: Catching, Pivoting and Faking Skills

 (reprinting of this article is granted only with the expressed written consent of the author)

Communicating With Parents

By: Kathleen Hessert, CSP


The CNN.com headline reads:
“Father of youth hockey player accused of breaking coach’s nose”
The story goes on to say that the father allegedly became enraged because the coach took his 10-year-old son out of the game in the closing minutes.  As the game ended, the father grabbed two hockey sticks; walked up to the coach and cross-checked him in the face, breaking his nose.  What is going on with these parents in youth sports?

Granted, this is an extreme case, but the problem with parents of the very young and not so young athlete is not only bad, it’s getting worse.  As a matter of fact, when speaking at the Nike Championship Basketball Coaches’ Clinics, I asked thousands of coaches what their biggest crisis or concern was.  The #1 answer by a landslide was, “parents”.  So how do you keep parents happy, or at least, just keep them from breaking your nose?  Frequent, clear communication is your only hope.

First and foremost, you’ve got to establish an open line of communication with parents. Communication in general is more effective when people believe it flows two ways.  To lay this groundwork early on, schedule a mandatory parent meeting before the season for youth and high school teams.  At this meeting, explain your philosophy, expectations and ramifications if the kids (or parents) don’t follow the rules. This meeting will also provide the parents an opportunity for involvement from the start and when well orchestrated, sets realistic parameters.  Most importantly, though, it shows your willingness to work with them to provide a positive experience for their children.  

Another good idea that is becoming more popular these days is the “parent code of conduct”.  This is a list of rules that parents must follow through the season.  This can be introduced at the preseason parent meeting.  Many associations are requiring that parents agree with and sign the code for their child to participate.  The National Association for Youth Sports can provide more information on this concept as well as other parent programs.  They have a convenient Website located at www.nays.org.

When a parent has an issue to discuss, encourage him / her to set up an appointment with you.  This helps to avoid a confrontation at the worst place…on the court.  At a game, emotions are running high for both of you.  You both run the risk of saying or doing something you might regret.  If a parent does confront you at an inappropriate time, don’t be baited.  Diffuse their anger by explaining to them calmly that you won’t discuss it there, but will be happy to make an appointment with them.

When you’re meeting with a parent, practice active listening. One high school basketball coach complained to me that he communicated with parents with no success. But after getting the details, I’d hardly call it communication in the best sense of the word. He agreed to a meeting with the parents in his office. When they arrived he said, “I’m not here to listen to you. You’re here to listen to me. I’m the coach and this is my team!”

Listening is a great tool. The value of listening to your athletes is obvious to most coaches. It’s really the only way to discover how to get through to them… to motivate and educate them.  Listening to parents can be equally valuable. Listen carefully to what they say and ask questions to make sure you understand them. Parents aren’t necessarily any better at making their points then their kids are.  This will help the parents realize they’re important to you and you’re doing your best to figure out a solution.  Here are some pointers for becoming an active listener from my Coach’s Communication Playbook:

• Cultivate an inner attitude that listening matters
• Assume something valuable will be said
• Think about the content and tone of the message
• Don’t reach conclusions until the other person is through speaking
• Blot out distractions like phone calls and papers on your desk
• Concentrate on what the speaker is saying
• Look him / her straight in the eye
• Don’t let other business interrupt
• Ask occasional, appropriate questions
• Don’t interrupt
• Afterward, make notes with date and time

When you feel you understand their situation and emotions, acknowledge it.  Remember that they have a right to their opinion.  At the same time, you don’t have to agree with that opinion!  “I can see why as parents you may think that…” Then bridge to your point of view with a phrase like, “however, the key issue is…”.  Then clearly and concisely state your point of view.  These steps can be easily remembered as A-B-C.

    A: Acknowledge their emotional position
        B: Bridge to your point of view
            C: Clearly and concisely state your point of view

Coaching is tough enough without problems with parents.  Be proactive to avoid problems before they occur preventing uncomfortable moments for you and your athletes’ parents.  Not to mention keeping your nose in tact.

 

Enhance Your Coaching Magnetism

By Kathleen Hessert

Have you ever wondered why some coaches attract the best players, while others don't?  Often you find that athletes retire, transfer, or are traded when a favorite coach leaves a team.  The classic example is the Michael Jordan/Phil Jackson story – when Jackson left the Chicago Bulls, talk of Jordan returning to the team ceased – but there are countless others.  One reason Jackson and other esteemed coaches are so successful is "Coaching Magnetism."  It's a quality most often found in the best coaches – the ones with the ability to attract the best athletes and the most positive attention.  Magnetic coaches know how to motivate a team, and also have exemplary one-on-one communication skills. They have a mighty current running in their favor.

The following is a list of essential characteristics that make someone more charismatic, dynamic, and ultimately persuasive.  People virtually ask to be persuaded by a magnetic coach.

Magnetic Coaches Do...

• Inspire:         Bring a positive and dynamic perspective to any situation.
• Influence:     Understand that athletes and others look up to them and follow their lead. And they take their influence seriously
• Set Expectations:    Know what they want and state their messages clearly.    
• Persuade:         Easily win people over to their way of thinking.
• Cheerlead:        Bolster self-esteem and confidence in competition and in life.

Most of all, magnetic coaches are the ones who never stop learning, growing, and improving their communication skills. And coaches who constantly work to refine their communication skills are more likely to be magnetic coaches.  

On the other hand, there are several types of behavior that a successful coach must avoid in order to catapult his/her career.

Magnetic Coaches Don't . . .

•  Complain to their athletes.
•  Send mixed messages to athletes, the media, staff, or others.
•  Set unrealistic or inconsistent expectations.
•  Dictate, lecture, or condescend.
•  Single out specific athletes for excessive public praise or criticism.

Successful coaches do more than lead their teams – they inspire them.  Winning for the sake of winning is one thing, but a magnetic coach gives winning greater significance. They have a radiant attraction and those around them feel a surge – a desire to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. "Win one for the Gipper" is one example of a successful, though outdated motivation technique.  Use motivational techniques such as those listed below to inspire today’s athletes to a higher level of achievement.

Make an appeal to strong values.  
“Being the best” or “outperforming the competition” are strong trigger points.

Ask the right questions.  
It’s often better to ask a question than to tell people what you want them to do.  For example, a coach might ask a question like: How many of you want to win?  This elicits emotion and inspires them to try harder.

Appeal to multiple senses.   
You want athletes to hear and feel your message.  This will help them to imagine the total experience of winning.

Inspire people with success stories.  
These stories are a great way to inspire others, and they encourage others to improve themselves.  However, don’t over-use them, because you don’t want to appear to be living in the past.

The Basketball Triangle Offensive

The Basketball Triangle Offensive

Basic Concepts

Basic Triangle Alignment (Right Side)

As you can see by the basic alignment in diagram [1], this triangle is on one side of the floor. Opposite the triangle are two players in what is called the "tandem" side of the offense.

Tandem Entry

Player 1 has the ball. 2 runs to the free-throw line extended from the block area. 1 can pass to 2 and cut for the handoff or keep the ball and use 2 for a pick. If 2 hands the ball off to 1, 2 can roll to the basket for a perfect pick-and-roll. On the triangle side, 3 and 4 will go to the block area and set a double screen for 5. 5 will take his or her assigned defender behind the screen, then pop out toward the tandem side looking for a pass from 2, providing he or she didn't handoff to 1.
If 5 doesn't get the ball, he or she continues the route to form the triangle. Without the ball, 1 continues to the corner looking for a pass from 2 and a jump shot. 2 can also pass to 1, slide down the lane and play a two-player game with 1 because that side of the floor is open. 2 can always turn and face-up with the defender for a one-on-one situation. 4 slides up to the tandem post while 3 pops to the top. If 1 has the ball in the corner, 5 ducks into the lane and gets a pass from 1 for an easy layup or dish-off. After the player movements, notice that the triangle and tandem are now on the opposite sides of the floor. For simplicity, try to have every entry with the triangle and tandem on the same side.

Triangle Entry from Corner

5 has the ball and passes to 4 in the corner to start the series. 3 steps up to set a pick for 5. 5 cuts off 3 looking for a pass from 4. If 5 fails to get a pass from 4, he or she runs a route and curls around 2 looking for a pass from 4. If 5 still doesn't get a pass, he or she drifts to form the triangle on the left side. As 5 is running through the lane, 3 sets a pick for 4 trying to set up a pick-and-roll.
If nothing materializes from the corner entry, 4 dribbles to the top as 3 goes to the block area to form the other half of the tandem. Players 5, 2 and 1 makeup the triangle on the opposite side.

Triangle Entry from Post

5 passes to 3 in the post. 4 runs baseline looking for a backdoor pass from 3. As 4 cuts across the baseline, 1 forms a double screen with 2. 4 curls and looks for a pass from 3. If 4 fails to get a pass, he or she proceeds to the top to form the triangle. 2 flares out to the corner and 1 becomes the triangle-side post 5 can cut off 3 for a handoff or play a two-man game with 3 as soon as 4 clears out. If nothing happens, 3 dribbles out and 5 goes to the post to form the tandem side. 3 also has the option to face-up and go one-on-one with the assigned defender.

Triangle Options

Triangle Post Option 5 has the ball, 1 sprints toward 5 for a pass as 3 steps and locks out his or her defender and steps into the lane looking for a quick pass from 1 for a layup.
Tandem Backdoor Option. 2 sprints toward the baseline, then jab steps and runs to get a pass from 5 at the triangle elbow. 1 takes two or three steps to the left and cuts toward the basket looking for a pass from 5.
Tandem Screen-And-Shoot Option. Players proceed as in diagram 6. As 4 is just about to curl around the screen, he or she backpedals to the corner looking for a skip pass from 3 for the jump shot.
Triangle Pop-And- Shoot Option. Players proceed as in diagram 2 above. 1 passes to 2 and cuts while looking for the return pass. 3 and 4 set a screen for 5. 5 runs the normal route behind screen, but instead of coming over the screen, he or she pops to the corner looking for a skip pass from 2 for the jump shot. If 5 fails to receive the pass, he or she should come over the screen looking for the pass and shot at the free-throw line area or try to go under the screen for an easy layup.

Thoughts On Hall of Fame Coach Ralph Miller

Cut From A Different Mold

Wednesday morning this week I woke up to hear the sad news of the passing of Hall of Fame Coach Ralph Miller (read his biography).  For those of you who never knew Coach Miller, you missed a great treasure in the game of basketball.  Ralph and his lovely wife Jean were a special couple who treated those around them with respect and who really loved the game of basketball.  It was my good fortunate to have been an Women's Assistant Coach at Oregon State during some of Ralph's best years at OSU during the Gary Payton, Eric Knox, Jose Ortiz, and Earl Martin years and a couple of Pac10 Championships.

I say fortunate because nearly every day over four years I had the opportunity to listen to Coach Miller as our offices were next door to each other, and observe his practices.  He was a special man.  Many people thought this aging coach was past his prime, but in all honesty he was a tough, fair, hard-nose and very generous man who knew how to coach the game like few others. He was good to the very end, maybe even better.  In 38 years he only had 3 losing seasons.  He won 657 games (retiring as the the 6th all-time winningest coach in NCAA history) at Wichita State, Iowa and 19 years at Oregon State.  That is an average of nearly 20 wins a season for a lifetime.  Let me tell you, he might have retired in 1990 but Ralph never stopped coaching.  You ca still see his impact in players like Gary Payton, A.C. Green, and one of Puerto Rico's best player's ever Olympian Jose "Piculin" Ortiz.  The legacy of this great coach will live on.

Coach Miller was a man of few words.  But when he did say something the point was made, and you listened. I don't know if I have ever met someone who said so much with so few words. In fact he taught you a lot by what he didn't say.  His gravelly firm voice could be heard echoing across Gill Coliseum.  As an observer you could not help but smile and chuckle when he stopped action to paternally remind Gary Payton "I thought I told you to take care of the ball!!!"  While some coaches can go on a tirade to make a point, with Ralph is was a stare, a glare, a short comment, each enough to get your attention in a hurry.

While most people only saw Ralph's competitive side and rough exterior, he was a very kind and generous person in many ways.  More than a few times I entered his office needing some assistance and tepidly expecting his firm fatherly voice to ask "what do you want?" only to be the recipient of his kind heart.  He was the grandfather you all wished you had.  Firm, tough, honest, wise, and there for you, yet challenging you not to accept mediocrity.

I am taking a moment out of my schedule to pause and reflect and honor Coach Miller because he was a positive influence in my coaching career.  I cannot recall all the stories Ralph shared on occasion about his  days at Kansas (1938-42) where he played for and captained a team lead by the legendary Phog Allen.  Dr. James Naismith was one of his physical education teacher at Kansas.  Naismith started the program at Kansas and turned it over to his former player, another Hall of Fame Coach Phog Allen.  Adolph Rupp (1923) and Dean Smith (1953) were also Kansas graduates influenced by this basketball hotbed.  It was truly an amazing time to sit and talk with Coach Miller, a man who knew much about of the man who invented the game.  His insight into how the game developed, yet remained so unchanged in many ways reflected the way Ralph coached the game.

Of all the things I learned from him, simplicity and execution were keys to success.  Great defense based upon the simple concept of pressuring the ball at all times from advancing up the court, help weak side and stopping penetration, and on offense excellent passing and cutting from his famous 1-4 offense were his teams trademark's.  Ralph's teams played up tempo, but unlike many of today's teams his up tempo teams had the discipline to take care of the ball.  One season they averaged only 10 turnovers a game, almost unheard of in the modern game.  In fact it was not uncommon to watch a game where they only turned the ball over only 5 or 6 times.  I suppose the point I'd like to make is that with great talent, his teams won because they were well schooled and executed.  His record speaks for itself, but that is only half the story.  He was even better off the court.

Personally, he helped in the early day's of the Basketball Highway by providing us one of our first articles on Implementing the Ralph Miller Pressure Defense.  I cannot count the number times he help me, and the images that will forever be imprinted on my mind of his practices and methods were a priceless gift.  I wish you all could have known him like I did.  The game is missing one of it's greats today and I hope each of us in the coaching community will reflect back on those who have helped us grow along the way and remind them for the lessons and investments they have made in us who follow.  To Jean and his family, thanks for sharing Ralph with the basketball world, our thoughts and prayers are with you.  We are all better off for what he left us.

Alan Lambert
President/CEO
The Basketball Highway