Transition Game
Coaches,
One of the areas I'd like to get going in our Posting-Up Forum is your ideas on the Transition game. There are a lot of different ways to build a transition game and variations all the way from the Kansas (Carolina) Secondary Break to the famous Paul Westhead Loyola Break system. The one thing I picked up as a coach years ago and really liked about Westhead's break following getting somem personal notes from him was the ideas of a 5 second break which included building an internal clock for your players to be at a given postion in a given amount of time. For example the point guard receives the ball up the the court as far as possible on the missed rebound or following a made shot in 1 second. The shooting guard sprints to get to the three point line in the offensive court in 2 seconds and so forth. What I like about this concept is that often as the game goes along a team who wants to fast break loses what I call their "temporal integrity" of the break. By practicing at a specific timing to positions this gives your players a frame of reference when they are not getting to spots to create a numbers advantage. Regardless of the type of break you run, think about developing a temporal "frame of reference" for them to practice. It will serve you well through the course of a season. When I did this with my teams I could simply count out the seconds "thousand 1, thousand 2, thousand 3" and with enough practice they could literally correct themselves during the course of the game if our break lagged. It also serves as a benchmark for players that don't want to get up the court. If they can't get to their spots they get a spot on the bench.
They didn't do anything
Great points raised by all
Curious
Question on Timing of Fastbreak
Coach,
Just as every team has a "most productive" offensive rhythm in the half court set, I believe there are teams that have a unique one on the fastbreak. Your personal knowledge of your players capabilities and what you want to accomplish in transition should enable you to give "time markers' for your teams own fastbreak whether they are 13-14 year olds or Pro's. What is key to using a temporal template is you and your players understanding that it is a feedback source to correct the break when it's not being well executed. It sounds to me like you are on the right track, and have a good understanding of this concept. I'm amazed more coaches in basketball don't pick up on the "temporal break" because virtually every coach is a stickler on "timing execution" in half court sets. Coach Westhead was way ahead of his time in developing such a concept and remains today one of the most innovative coaches in the game.
good interview with Westhead
http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2008/01/paul-westhead-never-slowing-...
Thanks for the post to the Coast Westhead Interview
Coach-M,
Thanks for the post to this very intersting interview with Paul Westhead. He is without a doubt one of the more innovative thinkers of our generation of basketball. I think his ideas are often misunderstood as playing reckless but the more you read the more it makes sense. Pace is simply a tool used to get a consistent advantage over the defense. Maintaining that high pace has always been one of his goals. I abstracted out the concept of a "speed template" because like in any basketball skill having in internal frame of reference the brain can compare between the proper way and improper way to due something is crucial to eliminating random execution and hone in our automation.
Fast Break Thoughts...
Alan,
Great point about using a count to get players into positions on the break. It sounds almost similar to Mike D'Antoni's idea of shooting the ball within 7 seconds. One of the misconceptions about the fast break is that it is highly undisciplined. I feel a team must be more disciplined to run an effective break. Everything from inbounding the ball quickly, filling your lanes, and sprinting down the floor must be done quickly and correctly on every possesion. Then the question becomes what do you get into off the break if no shot was taken?
There are lots of options, but none of them will work unless your team is fundamentally sound.......
Disciplined Fast Break
Coach Perkins,
You have keen insight into many aspects of the game and we appreciate your thoughts and contributions. I'll bet if you look back at most of the great fast breaking teams of the past 30-40 years, most ran a fairly disciplined systems both from a timing and position perspective. Many of us grew up watching John Wooden's great UCLA's teams. They didn't do anything particularly fancy, but they had a great outlet pass(er) with Alcindor (Jabbar) and Bill Walton combined with great finishers (remember the pull up bank shot that was about a 90 percent make because they practiced it) to just pound opponents. Consistency in execution in transition allows teams to make small or minor adjustments when necessary without losing high percentage shots. Chaotic fastbreak leads to decreased shooting percentages. Somewhere in the past 20 years in coaches desire to use athleticism and speed the game for the fans and players, too many have lost the importance of timing and execution. Nothing bothers me more than to see a perfectly set up 3 on 2 fast break botched. It's a simple game. Whether your fastbreak is a 5 second, or 7 second (see D'Antoni), the key is players knowing your expectations and executing them. My point on the temporal break if you can help them by giving them a template.