Three Simple Rules to Improve Cutting and Screening

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Regardless of the type of offense used, cutting and screening are two essential offensive building blocks. In a recent survey I sent out I received a surprising large number of requests for information about screening more effectively. So, here are three simple rules that will improve the screening and cutting in any offense.

Communicate

As simple as it sounds, communication between the screener and the cutter is essential, even in a continuity offense where the cutter generally knows the screener is going to set a screen. The easiest way to do this is with a visual signal. I prefer screeners to raise both hands above their heads with the palms facing in the direction the screener wants to the cutter to go and then motioning in that direction. This silent, visual signal is easy for the cutter to recognize and has the added benefit of not being overwhelmed in a loud gym.

Screen a Man and Not Space

All to often screens are ineffective because the screener does not actually set a screen on the defender. This one rule, more than any other, can improve the effectiveness of screening within an offense. If the defender’s ability to move is not impeded, the screen and the cut will not be effective.

Wait, Wait, and Wait Some More

This is the second most important rule to improve screening and cutting. Many times the screener will screen a man and not space but due to the cutter not standing still and waiting for the screen to be set, what would otherwise have been an effective screen serves no functional purpose. Cutters must learn to wait for the screen to be set.

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New Nook Book Editions Now Available!

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Coach Sivils

The recent survey I sent out to the coaches who receive my eNewsletter, The Roundball Report, was very informative in a lot of ways. One that surprised me was the number of coaches who requested Nook editions of my books. After considerable thought I had several of my short, single topic books converted to the file format necessary to have the books made available as Barnes and Noble Nook books.

Instead of just the Nook edition of Game Strategy and Tactics for Basketball four new Nook books are available now: Defending the Three-Point Shot, Goal Setting for Sport: A Concise Guide for Coaches and Athletes, Eight Simple Concepts to Improve Your Fast Break Offense and Rebounding: The Game Within the Game.

Soon to be available as well in both Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook editions will be my latest book Fine Tuning Your Three-Point Attack, currently available in paperback from Amazon.

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Three Ways to Defend On-the-Ball Screens

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Ball Screens can be an effective offensive tactic. Teams who are well prepared for this screening tactic can cause considerable difficulty for teams who rely on ball screens for a major portion of their offense. Here are three defensive strategies to combat on ball screens.

Trapping Ball Screens

Trapping ball screens is an effective method of negating ball screens. For this tactic to be effective, it must be executed with assertiveness and no hesitation by the two defensive players executing the trap and depending on the scouting report on the offense, a third defensive player may be needed to rotate to cover the screener if the offense responds to the trap by slipping the screener for a quick pass and scoring opportunity.

In Diagram One the offense is setting a screen on the ball on the wing. As soon as X5 realizes #5 is going to set a ball screen X5 warns X1 with a verbal for a ball screen and immediately begins to provide early help in the form of a trap on the ball handler. X1 still gets into the cutter and X5 arrives before the screener does. The trap must be set before the screen arrives and all angles of escape via the dribble taken away.

Show on Ball Screens

Defending ball screens without trapping the ball can be done effectively by “showing” early on the ball screen with early help from the defensive player guarding the screener (Diagram Two).

X3 recognizes #3 is going to set a ball screen for #1 and calls the verbal “ball screen right.” X3 immediately “turns the corner” and plays at a right angle to X1 BEFORE #3 can arrive to set the screen. This tactic resembles a trap and encourages #1 to dribble wide and around the “show” by X3. On hearing the verbal warning a ball screen is coming, X1 should have “gotten into” the cutter and can skinny up and fight over #3’s ball screen if #1 has not already left to avoid the apparent trap.

X3 only shows long enough to force #1 wide then recovers to a denial position on #3. X1 must recover to proper on the ball positioning as quickly as possible. X3 must also take care to not impeded X1’s recovery to on the ball defense, granting X1 the clearest path to #1.

Force the Ball to Be Picked Up

The pick and roll has long been a staple in the game of basketball, particularly in the NBA. In recent years it has enjoyed resurgence in the college and high school game. It is an effective offensive tactic, forcing the defense to react to a screen and to cover a cutter.

One of the best strategies to defend the pick and roll is to proactively force the ball handler to pick up the dribble. This eliminates the threat of dribble penetration, allowing the on the ball defender to pressure the ball without fear. The defender of the screener can now totally focus on covering the cut, usually to the goal, being made by the screener.

There are several methods that can be used to encourage the ball handler to pick up the dribble. The easiest is to simply have both the on the ball defender and the screener’s defender trap the ball handler. This method will require that a third teammate cover the screener/cutter.

A second method requires the defender of the screener to show help early, possibly faking a trap, to discourage the use of the screen. With this method, the object is to encourage the ball handler to believe a trap is coming or that the second defender has committed, leaving the screener open to slip the screen for a pass.

For this method to be successful, the second defender must be adept at both faking the trap/showing early help, and anticipating the slip screen by the screener. If the second defender can take away the pass on the slipped screen, the ball handler has no immediate passing opportunity and the pick and roll has been defeated.

The third method is the most difficult but is the safest. The second defender calls screen to alert the on the ball defender to the fact that a pick and roll screen is about to be set. The on the ball defender “gets into the ball handler” by getting as close as possible.

As the screener approaches, the second defender shows early help in an effort to cause the ball handler to hesitate. The on the ball defender “skinnies up” by stepping through and over the screener, using both a leg and an arm to establish position in a gap between the ball handler and the screener. This tactic neutralizes the screen and will force the ball handler to drive in a wider than desired path.

By crowding the ball handler through the screen and forcing the dribble penetration into a wider than desired path, it is hoped that the ball handler will pick up the dribble. The second defender recovers to a denial position as quickly as possible, preventing a pass to the screener/cutter.

Despite the difficulty of this method, it is the safest as the screener/cutter is always covered and there is no need for a third defensive player to rotate to cover an open cutter.

The above information was excerpted from Fine Tuning Your Man-to-Man Defense, available from Amazon.

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From TeachtoWin – Thoughts on Drill Selection

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Picking the right drills are essential in order to teach fundamentals, build confidence and create the right habits for excellent performance in actual games. Drills are how we as coaches build the foundation for the strategy and tactics we will use to compete. Drills are part of how our athletes learn to compete and challenge themselves. If planning practice in detail is part of the process of building a winning team, picking the right drills for practice is another essential part of the process!

Over the 20+ years in the coaching game I have arrived at a checklist of twelve items to use when selecting drills. Here is the list:

1) Create a master list of drills to use prior to the start of each season and stick to the drills on the list. The exception is if there is a need for a NEW drill to be created to teach something unforeseen during the off-season planning process, I will create the so-called custom drill and add it to the list.

2) The first question to ask when creating the master drill list is “does the drill fit the system?” If the drill does not teach a key fundamental or concept essential to the system it does not make the list. If there are better drills to teach the same things, the drill does not make the list. Be ruthless when creating the master drill list.

3) Is everything covered? In addition to the master drill list, I create a master list of skills, concepts, strategy, tactics and special situations. The drills have to teach all of this AND fit all of the above requirements to make the master drill list. Begin with the end in mind!

To read the rest go to:

http://www.teachtowin.com/2012/03/improve-your-team-by-selecting-right.html

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Dealing with Burnout and Staleness

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Coaches burnout. Players burnout. Teams get stale. It happens. It also usually happens at the worse possible time. How many times have you seen teams who were playing well suddenly begin to lose? The same team that was hitting on all eight cylinders suddenly begins to struggle. The players still give a good effort and the team can even play reasonably well, but something is missing. The team is just going through the motions and the result is the edge needed to win against quality opponents is gone.

What exactly is burnout and staleness?

Burnout can be defined as a state of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion brought about by persistent commitment or adherence to a goal or activity, where the likelihood of being able to achieve is almost non-existent. Basically, burnout is the result of working to achieve a goal for which there is little or no hope of achieving success or reward.

To read more…(Visit TeachtoWin.com)

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One Skill All Players Should Master

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Coach Sivils

The title to this post is a bit misleading. Perhaps incorrectly titled would be a better description. After mastering free throws and lay-ups, the one skill all players should master is…

The start step. A long low start step to be specific. To be used any time the player executes a direct drive or a crossover, a pass, dribble move or accelerates to run.

Players and coaches alike do not realize the amount of carryover that can be found at times from one skill to another. By linking the common movements mentally and perfecting the physical execution of one movement, players will improve a complete range of skills.

The most obvious use of the long, low start step is the execution of a live ball move such as a direct drive or a crossover. The execution of this movement in this instance should be a long step taken as directly as possible towards the goal or the intended direction of travel. The step should be as close as possible to the defender with the foot of the long step at least as far as the defender’s lead foot or the foot being attacked.

Stepping to the side or away from the defender makes the path to the desired area less direct. Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The more directly the start step is pointed at the intended arrival point, the shorter, and thereby the quicker, the route the offensive player will be able to take.

The long start step is used when accelerating, either to run or to accelerate past a defender when using a dribble move such as a change of pace or a crossover dribble. The same rules apply in executing the movement.

To make and receive a pass, the long, low start step is also used. The passer uses the step to both create the window of opportunity to pass by creating space away from the on the ball defender and to generate velocity on the actual pass.

The receiver uses the start step to “shorten the pass” by stepping towards the ball, to “meet” the pass. This technique in receiving the pass will eliminate many turnovers, draw fouls from the defender and generate momentum for the receiver to then execute some type of move.

Step-lunges are a great way to introduce this movement and work on the necessary movement and balance required to execute this movement in a live setting. Also, when working on live ball, dribble moves and pass and receiving, emphasize to the players the need to execute the long, low start step properly. Use the exact phrase “long, low, start step” in order to clarify and emphasize the idea that the same basic movement skill is being utilized for all of these basketball related skills.

The emphasis and time invested in teaching this one item of footwork will result in fewer turnovers and players who have quicker attacking ability with the ball, regardless of what their athletic speed and quickness is.

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Drive Middle – NOT Baseline!

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Driving baseline has become one of my pet coaching peeves. Unless there is a direct, uncontested path to the goal for a lay-up there is no good reason to do so. Yes, I know you can execute a “baseline drift” or run an “I-cut” with a post and both of these are tactics I have taught in the past. The diagram below on the left depicts a baseline drift and the diagram on the right depicts an I-Cut.

I abandoned these two tactics after Coach Doug Porter encouraged me to consider adopting his rule of Drive Middle – Not Baseline! After doing an assessment, it became pretty apparent to me the risks involved were not worth the possible gains.

Regardless of whether the defense is a zone, man-to-man or a variation of a trapping defense, they are all geared to stop any attack directly at the goal, particularly on the baseline. This is due in part to the fact most offenses have multiple tactics designed to enter the ball into the offensive ball side low post.

The defense is strong in these situations because of the time tested help and recover combined with a baseline sink, a tactic most teams will drill on a daily basis for most of the season. The diagram below on the left depicts help and recover with a sink covering the baseline drift. The diagram below on the right depicts coverage for an I-Cut.

These two tactics will work once or twice due to the element of surprise. Well coached defensive teams will quickly adjust and generate turnovers if these two concepts continue to be used.

The first diagram on the left below depicts all the options available by driving to the middle in one hypothetical situation. The following four diagrams show how the defense could defend each possible situation. Note, in the final diagram the offense does not have a direct shot attempt but does create another immediate middle penetration option.

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Do You Have a Plan to Win? From “TeachtoWin.com”

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Coach Sivils

More importantly, do your players know how to win? Bobby Knight might be well know for his volcanic temper, but he knows a thing or two about winning. One of my favorite quotes from Coach Knight is “the will to win is overrated. The will to prepare to win is what matters.”

Part of preparing your team to win is knowing how the game will be won. Do you have a plan to win? For the game, district or league play, the regular season and the post-season.

It certainly seems logical to have a well thought plan to win. How many coaches actually take the time to sit down and develop such a plan? What components make up a plan to win and how all encompassing should the plan be?

Planning to build a successful program, one that allows teams to have success and win, requires vision and a clear idea of what the finished product should look like. It is necessary to begin with the end in mind.

The first stage of crafting a plan to win is to craft the program’s overriding purpose, the guiding principles that control and guide the decision making process for every individual involved in the program. What are the non-negotiables of the program? The principles and concepts that must withstand the test of time, adversity and change.

What are the immediate goals of the program? What future goals have been set? Who will be evaluating the progress of the program? Sometimes these are factors beyond the control of the coach but must be a part of the planning process. What level of success will be considered acceptable and how quickly must that level of play be reached? How will it be sustained or can it even be sustained?

Style of play is often important but in the case of high schools or middle schools, it can be dictated by the quality of the athletes available. To some extent this is less of a factor in the collegiate and pro ranks as players can be recruited, drafted or signed as free agents to fit a particular style of play.

Once a style of play and the level of desired success have been identified, what kind of support, facilities, equipment and finances will be required to achieve the desired outcome? Where will these resources come from?

To read more…

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Driving “Against the Grain” – Add a Weapon To Your Player’s Arsenal

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Coach Sivils

Driving against the grain is an outstanding one-on-one tactic. Diagram One depicts the offensive player #3, making a long v-cut to get open. Note the distance the defender, X3, must cover.

Diagram Two depicts #3 “driving against the grain.” This means the offensive player drives in the direction from which he/she initially cut. In this example, this means #3 drives back to the left hand low post block.

This tactic works because of the Law of Inertia. An object in motion tends to stay in motion and travel in a straight line (the direction the object was initially traveling in). Note X3′s momentum carries him/her in the direction opposite of where #3 will drive.

To make this tactic most effective, #3 must attempt to catch facing the goal in triple threat ready to shoot a 3-point shot. A two-inch shot fake, combined with a crossover, make the initial attack almost impossible to defend, forcing the defense to rotate to help. This is an excellent attack for slower offensive players to initiate dribble penetration. For 3-point shooters who will be pressured on the perimeter, this is an essential skill to add to the arsenal.




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Eight Alternative Strategies for Defensive Rebounding

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Coach Sivils

It really helps to have size in the sport of basketball. I have had the luxury of coaching size with talent, size with speed and size with heart. Those teams won a lot of games. I have also had the luxury of coaching teams without size, much speed but lots of heart. Those teams won a lot of games. In fact, one of my favorite teams of all time went 29-9, won an undefeated district title, advanced deep into the state play-offs and did not have a player over six feet tall, with the exception of our good, but undersized 6’2″ center.

The common wisdom of the sport says size matters, and it does, when it comes to rebounding. You won’t win a lot of games without great rebounding. Or can you? It may require a considerable bit of rethinking of how your teach and coach the game as a coach, but it can be done. Here are eight ideas to consider to help resolve your team’s defensive rebounding problems.

First, let me get a couple of things clear. Defensive rebounding matters and size is a factor. These ideas are a bit out of the box but they will cause problems for the opponent if you as a coach teach these ideas, make them habits and stick with them. There is no escaping the need to rebound defensively, the idea is to reduce the problem to a manageable level if your team struggles with defensive rebounding.

Number One:

Rely on turnovers instead of defensive rebounds. If the opponent does not get a chance to shoot the ball, you don’t have to worry about the defensive rebound. Consider a high pressure defense designed to force an unusually large number of turnovers. Half court traps and pressure denial man-to-man with traps such as the famed North Carolina Scramble defense are effective. Full court trapping defenses, be they zone or man-to-man, can be equally effective.

For small teams with speed and quickness, this is a fantastic approach. It has the advantage of attacking the opponent and forcing the opponent to react to what your team is doing and not focusing on taking advantage of its size and rebounding strength.

Number Two:

Encourage the 3-point shot in certain situations – long rebounds are like loose balls. If the opponent is an OK outside shooting team or a poor one, consider encouraging the 3-point shot. Play a defense that fiercely contests all interior shots, whether by penetration, cutting or feeding the post, but concedes the outside shot.

Missed 3-point shots take much longer rebounds, about half the distance from where the shot was taken. This reduces to a degree the size advantage of the larger team. The rebounds are more like loose balls than rebounds, making quickness to the ball as big an issue as size and position.If the opponent has one great shooter, pressure that shooter and let the rest cast up long range 3-point attempts all game long.

This tactic has to be practiced and the emphasis should be on being the first to the ball and either controlling the ball or deflecting it to an open area on the court where possession can be obtained. It should be combined with an overall emphasis of obtaining every loose ball.

Number Three:

Consider adjusting your help side positioning. The closer your help defenders are to their defensive assignments, the quicker they will be able to block out. This may render your defense a bit more vulnerable (well, there is no may about it) in certain situations, but you have to consider if the trade-off is worth the quicker block out times.

Number Four:

Send the point guard to the weak side or middle – the other team’s point guard will be getting back on defense or at least moving towards balancing the floor to prevent a fast break.

Let’s face it, how many point guards rebound? Nearly every team sends its point guard back to prevent the fast break. This should allow your point guard to be a free, extra rebounder. Since 80% of missed shots rebound on the side of the goal opposite from the side the shot was taken (can you believe someone charted that?), simply run the point guard to that side of the court. Not only will it provide you with an extra, free, unblocked out rebounder, this is the quickest possible way to initiate a fast break.

Number Five:

Pick who you block out – play percentages and flood the weak side with multiple rebounders. Some players are just not going to rebound well. When confronted with an exceptional rebounder, it might be a good strategy to find the one player, other than the point guard, who does not rebound effectively and not block that player out. Use the defender who would normally responsible for that player to double block out the gifted rebounder. Be sure to send the point guard into the area as well to improve the chances of obtaining the rebound.

Number Six

Turn rebounds into loose balls – tip the ball into the short corner and run it down. Don’t slug it out with a heavy weight, you’ll lose. Try to tip the ball to the short corner, the area between the goal and the corner, near the baseline and behind the backboard. By tipping the ball to a known area, your team will have a greater chance of running down the ball. If the opponent does secure the offensive rebound, it is a difficult location of the court to score from, requiring the opponent to set up their offense, giving your defense time to reset as well.

Number Seven:

Fast break on every opportunity – teams stop crashing the offensive glass to get back. This may seem more like an offensive tactic, but it works, especially against deliberate teams. Opponents who fear the fast break are vulnerable to this tactic. Deliberate teams place such a heavy emphasis on defensive transition to prevent the fast break, allowing them to control the tempo of the game and keep the pace slow, they will often concede the offensive rebound in order to make defensive transition.

Number Eight:

Emphasize obtaining the rebound more than blocking out. Heresy I know. But as I said before, size matters. In this case, the size of the rebounder’s heart, the level of desire to obtain the ball. The issue should never be how possession of the ball is obtained, but that it possession of the ball is obtained and obtained legally, without fouling or turning the ball over.

To effectively use any or all of these concepts, they must be practiced daily and emphasized. Remember, players do not what their coach teaches but what their coach emphasizes!

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