Do your athletes understand how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together in such a way that the result will be success on the court, field or track? Are they able to understand, use and execute the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve victory?

Just what do I mean when I make the statement “do your players KNOW how to win?” Does your offense know how to run the clock down in a football game? Does your team know how to force tempo in order to defeat a deliberate pace team with superior athletes in the game of basketball? Do your runners understand race strategy as well as pace?

As coaches we can lose sight of the forest because of the trees. We spend so much time focused on teaching tactics, skills, strategy, dealing with conditioning, goal setting, etc, that we forget to teach our players and teams how to combine all of these items into one and when executed as designed, the result will be success.

One of the best teaching tools is the controlled scrimmage situation with a winner and a loser. The key is to define the winner as the player or group of players who successfully used the strategy or tactic being practiced in order to win. If the other group can use the correct strategy, tactic or skill to prevent success, they win.

This approach works with team and individual sports and it makes practice sessions more enjoyable and meaningful for the athletes. Regardless of the approach you take to teach your players “how to win” be sure to include one session in each practice. It will pay huge rewards as the season progresses.

by Kevin S. on November 17, 2012 – originally published on Teach to Win.

This downloadable PDF ebook is seven books combined into one. This special offer ebook contains:

- A total of 806 pages of coaching information in one file!
- Over 200 drills to help your team and players improve!
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- Coaching concepts that will help you improve any offense.
- Seven books combined into one.

The following seven books are available rolled into this one downloadable pdf ebook:

- 101 Shooting Drills for the Game of Basketball
- The Fine Art of Cutting and Screening
- Fine Tuning Your Three-Point Attack
- Coaching Basketball: 30 Set Plays and Quick Hitters for the 1-4 High Alignment
- Coaching Basketball: 50 Two-Minute Intensity Drills
- The Rebounding Workshop
- Offensive Building Blocks

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This downloadable PDF ebook is seven books combined into one. This special offer ebook contains:

A total of 806 pages of coaching information in one file!
Over 200 drills to help your team and players improve!
Set plays, secondary breaks and quick hitters.
Coaching concepts that will help you improve any offense.
Six (actually seven) books combined into one.

The following seven books are available rolled into this one downloadable pdf ebook:

101 Shooting Drills for the Game of Basketball
The Fine Art of Cutting and Screening
Fine Tuning Your Three-Point Attack
Coaching Basketball: 30 Set Plays and Quick Hitters for the 1-4 High Alignment
Coaching Basketball: 50 Two-Minute Intensity Drills
The Rebounding Workshop
Offensive Building Blocks

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Eliminate Ball Reversal: It is always a desirable defensive goal to not allow the opponent to reverse the ball. The Ball Hawk has the option of playing more than six feet from the ball handler, particularly if the ball handler shows no signs of planning to dribble penetrate. The primary goal of playing off the ball and in the guard-guard passing lane is to encourage a pass to the ball side corner for a hard trap. This also allows ball side rules to be engaged defensively.

On Ball Reversal: The Ball Hawk reacts accordingly and plays the new ball handler in the same manner as before.

Forecourt Responsibilities:

High post ball entry: Should the ball be entered into the high post area despite attempts to prevent it from happening, the Ball Hawk immediately covers down for a hard trap on the ball to force a pass out (Diagram Six).

Guard to wing or corner pass: If the opponent is able to pass the ball over the head of the wing defender to the ball side wing or corner, the Ball Hawk must spring to the ball side and deny an entry pass into the high post area (Diagram Seven).

This is necessary in order for the high post defender to sprint to cover the low post area. It is also a source for interceptions, steals and deflections as the high post will seem to be open.

The Ball Hawk is responsible to block out any offensive player in the high post area should a shot be taken while the ball is at or below the ball side wing.

Wing/corner to guard pass: If the ball is passed out of the wing/corner to the ball side guard the Ball Hawk must sprint back into the guard-to-guard passing lane (Diagram Eight).

Complicated systems require players to over think and over analyze game situations. When facing an aggressive full court pressing defense, over thinking, lack of confidence and moving slowly and indecisively spells TROUBLE!

Since I teach an uptempo, attacking fast break style of play, I want to attack a press, beat it and score on it! This approach not only fits the mindset I want my players to have (Yippee! They’re pressing us! Let’s run and score on ‘em!) but by using my numbered and structured fast break system as the basis for our press offense, it is also in keeping with my less is more philosophy.

In keeping with the idea of keeping things simple, I have four objectives for a press offense:

1) simplicity with structure but flexibility.
2) a box formation around a player in the middle.
3) safely get the ball inbounds, preferably in the hands of my best ball handler.
4) attack and score!

To meet the first objective I use the numbered fast break system as the basis of any press offense. This reduces the time it takes to get into the press offense (we run on made baskets) and every player knows exactly were to go based on habit.

Regardless of where players wind up (remember the flexible concept?) we want to be in a rough box formation with a player in the middle of the court (Diagram A). Note that the designated inbounder opposite and behind in the box formation. This allows for a permanent safety outlet against a trapping zone press. While some 1-2-1-1 zone presses will rotate someone up to cover that pass, by doing so, they must leave gaps in their defense elsewhere that can be exploited. The simplest way to exploit this habit is to inbounds the ball to the #2 guard and then to the point guard cutting through the middle (not shown).

To make sure we get the ball inbounds, I like the 4-across alignment shown in Diagram B. This forces teams to either let you inbounds the ball or to bring up all of their defenders, leaving the front court undefended for a lightning quick attack (remember, always attack!).

Diagram C depicts the cutting action to inbounds the ball from the 4-across alignment. Note the cut the point guard makes (basically the post player and the point guard are making a big circle). This is the same exact cut used in my numbered fast break for the point guard to get open regardless of whether or not the possession started with a made basket, a turnover or a defensive rebound. Remember, less is more. Use the habits you have already built into your players. The added benefit of using this cut is the fact a curving running cut like this can be very difficult for zone presses to defend.

It also bears mentioning that on made baskets the designated inbounder (#5) and the point guard (#1) are expected to work together to get the ball out of the net and into the point guard’s hands in 1.5 seconds or less. One of the best ways to beat a press is to be gone before the defense can set the press up.

Also, we only use the 4-across alignment in deadball situations when the opponent can get their press set up before we are allowed to inbounds the ball. On made goals we just sprint into our regular fast break with the wings looking to come back to the ball if necessary.

In an ideal situation simply getting the ball into the hands of the point guard is enough to beat the press and we simply run a 3-on-1 or 3-on-2 fast break to attack the back of the zone press (Diagram D).

Diagram E depicts a situation where the point guard is not able to advance the ball up the court. The ball is reversed to the designated inbounder who is always opposite and behind the ball. Note the post player has formed the “box formation” by cutting to the middle. On the ball reversal pass the post cuts again to maintain the box formation while the point guard again makes a looping cut into the middle.

Diagram F depicts the ball being reversed back quickly to the post player who filled the box and a dribble pitch-a-head being made allowing #2 and #3 to attack in a 2-on-1.

Diagram G depicts either a direct pass from #5 to the cutting #1 or the ball being reversed a second time and then entered to the point guard in the middle. The point guard, turns, looks under the net, decides and attacks.

This short description of the zone press offense does not cover every possible situation. But I hope it conveys the basics of simplicity, using your fast break as the basis of your press offense and the other basic concepts.

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Shooting the ball successfully is the most important skill in the sport of basketball. The latest in the Coaching Basketball Series, 101 Shooting Drills for the Game of Basketball provides coaches who are searching for drills to improve their players shooting ability will find this book invaluable.

Illustrated with both diagrams and photographs, 101 Shooting Drills for the Game of Basketball contains drills to cover nearly every instructional situation a coach will face. Some of the chapters included are:

- Warming up the Shot
- Lay-ups
- Free Throws
- Developmental Shooting Drills
- Competitive Shooting Drills
- Fast Break Drills
- Shooting Drills for Fun
- Post Play Shooting Drills

Each drill is described in detail, provides information on organization, estimated time to be allotted, and the concepts the drill teaches. There is something for every basketball coach in 101 Shooting Drills for Basketball, veteran and rookie coach alike.

Two stats are important in measuring your team’s success or failure in regards to turnovers and playing the running game. They are:

– turnover to possession ratio
– total turnovers

Which is number is more important? I would initially focus on the turnover to possession ratio stat. Emphasize to your players how important it is to increase the total number of possessions in the game AND the need to have as many possessions without a turnover as possible.

Always remember this principle. Players do not do what their coaches teach them. Players do what their coaches emphasize!

Four Line Rush, or Four Ball Rush, is a player favorite. It is a great conditioning drill, places a heavy emphasis on taking care of the ball, cutting, running fast break lanes wide, every player gets to run, catch and pass the ball and shoot at the end of the rush up the court.

Once players have mastered the drill it can be made competitive by setting a goal for the entire team to score. Turnovers result in losing points from the total. If you have an excellent group of student assistants, each group of four can be a team and you can have an internal competition.

Be creative in adapting this basic drill to increase the difficulty of performing the drill by creating mental pressure to excel.

More drills will be forthcoming in future posts on this topic.

I used to believe it. Until I went from a ball control offense to an all out running game. Yes, initially our turnovers did increase, sort of.

What do I mean by “sort of?” That first season of run and gun saw my team’s turnover average go up by about five turnovers a game. This nearly drove me insane until I compared the number of possessions per game. By adopting a running style of play, we had increased our total average number of possessions per game by nearly 30 possessions! Our turnover to possession ratio was actually almost the same!

The second year of run and gun saw our average number of turnovers per game go down to about two turnovers below the average of one of my good ball control teams. Why? Because I had learned the turnover to possession ratio figure was the important stat, not the total number of turnovers!

With this information in hand, I had proof with which to teach my players it was possible to reduce our turnovers and be even more efficient!

Already a believer in the essential importance of mastery of basic fundamentals, my new found obsession with reducing turnovers while playing a fast break offense led me to place even more importance on passing with great accuracy and catching the ball appropriately. By incorporating a few new drills where the emphasis was on not turning over the ball while operating in a running mode.

If you don’t believe me, take the time to consult with noted run and gun coaches such as Dave Arsenault of Grinnell College fame (creator of “the system”) and Doug Porter, former head coach of the Olivet Nazarene Lady Tigers. Both found their turnovers were lower once their teams mastered the running game.

Will your turnovers go up while learning a new style of play? Yes. But as your players master the new pace of play and an enormous emphasis on the part of the coaches on passing and catching correctly, those turnovers will decrease.

One final note. Don’t approach reducing turnovers as an elimination of a negative only. Be sure to praise the assists and great passes as they happen. Players prefer praise to criticism. Criticize the turnovers and lavish praise on the great passes, catches and assists! Players will work hard to gravitate to praise and avoid the criticism.

Next post: Drills to reduce turnovers in the running game.

It is essential the right personnel not only be available to play this defense, but the personnel are placed in the correct position. The success of this defense relies upon each player possessing the correct attributes for their position and understanding the role each player is to play.

All five players must act as a single unit, retaining both correct position and proper spacing. Most important of all, when the ball moves, all five defenders must sprint to the ball (reposition correctly) in unison. Failure to sprint to the ball as a single unit will cause gaps in the defensive coverage to appear, leaving the defense vulnerable to easy dribble penetration or interior passes for an easy score.

Player Personnel Requirements by Position:

Number One: The One is usually the point guard and is responsible to steer the ball out of the “funnel” and to one of the two trapping areas. Often referred to as the “Ball Hawk.”

Numbers Two and Three: These two players are the trappers. Some coaches may want to have the two players change sides as the Three is usually the better rebounder of the two. (The Two is usually a shooting guard and Three is usually a small forward). In this instance, the players are positioned as shown because of the need for each to be able to fill a designated lane in a numbered fast break as quickly as possible.

Number Four: This player, like the point guard, could be considered the “quarterback” of the defense. This player has the widest area of responsibility and is called the baseline runner.

Number Five: This position is played by the designated inbounder in my system, the smaller and more agile of the two post players. This position is occupied by the post player with the longest arm span or the biggest overall size and is referred to as the “post.”

Depending on the shooting habits of the opponent, it might be wise to have the Four and the Five change defensive positions, particularly if the Four is mobile, allowing the Five to have an easier time of inbounding the ball quickly on a made basket by reducing the amount of distance the inbounder must cover.

Ball Hawk Responsibilities: The Ball Hawk must prevent dribble penetration in the “funnel” which is depicted in Diagram Two.

Initial position: The Ball Hawk’s initial position is just across the half court line. This is so the Ball Hawk can attack the dribbler in the backcourt and attempt to dictate the direction the ball handler’s actions. The goal is to encourage the ball handler to dribble the ball across half court and not allow an unpressured pass up the court.

Steering: Ideally the Ball Hawk will pressure the ball handler out of the middle of the court and away from the funnel area. Preferably the ball handler will be forced in the direction of his or her weak hand.

Guiding pressure: Intense on the ball pressure will cause skilled, experienced ball handlers to attack gaps with dribble penetration or to reverse direction with the dribble, both of which have bad results for the Spread defense, particularly if the ball winds up in the middle area.

The Ball Hawk is to use a combination of positioning, gentle pressure and bluffing to lure the ball handler towards the sideline and into a trapping area. The Ball Hawk must learn to leave enough space between him/herself and the ball handler to be close enough to harass while not being so close the ball handler can reverse direction with the use of the dribble.

Explain to the Ball Hawk the idea of “luring” the ball handler into the trapping area instead of “shoving” the ball handler into the trapping area. Finesse is the name of the game!

Guard to Guard Pass: If the ball handler resorts to using a “guard to guard” pass, either to another guard or a trailer, the Ball Hawk immediately leaves the original ball handler and sprints to the new position and resumes the tactic of steering the ball into the trapping area, this time on the opposite side of the court.

Play to one side/Provide a visual cue: The Ball Hawk must never play “head on the ball” defense, even when the ball is dead center in the middle of the court. The Ball Hawk must push the ball to one side or the other of the court.

The Ball Hawk’s position on the ball, regardless of where the ball is located, indicates to the other four defenders which side of the court is the “ball side.”

Diagram Four depicts the Ball Hawk playing on the right hand side of the ball handler. This indicates to the other four defenders the left side of the court, as determined when viewing the court from the offense’s viewpoint, the fact the left side of court is the strong side.

Why would the Ball Hawk play an offensive player in this manner? If the ball handler had a weak left hand, so much so the ball handler is likely to turn the ball over anytime he or she is forced to drive to the left, this is a good tactic.