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Youth Basketball Play for 2-3 Zone

Posted on May 4, 2010 at 4:46 PM

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This play is run against a 2-3 zone defense.

#1 Dribble enters to the wing.

#3 rolls away and fills the backside wing.

#2 steps out and fills the point.

On the pass back to #2, #4 will flash into the middle, cutting against the grain.

If #4 is open on the cut,#2 should get him the ball for a shot.

if #4 does not have a shot, he should look down to #5and then to number one on the wing.

If #4 is not open, #2should move the ball down to #3.

On the pass to #3, #5 will slide across the laneto work to free himself.

#3 may have a shot attempt, or a feed to #5.

Note: when #2 makes the pass to #3, #2 and #1 should relocate toward the ball, and to get into a to guard front.

If nothing is open, #3 will start another ball reversal by passing to #2.

On the pass from #2 over to #1, #5 will screen the outside baseline defender and #4 will use the screen to cut to the wing.

#3 will flash into the middle from behind the zone.

#1 can feed #3 in the middle, #4 in the corner, or if #5 slips the screen, #1 may be able to get a ball to him.

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Best Offense for Youth Basketball

Posted on April 12, 2010 at 1:15 PM

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I am coaching a youth basketball team of 10/11 year olds and am having a tough time getting them to run any type of offense. What would be the best type of youth basketball offense to run and how do i get these kids to pay attention long enough to teach it? As it stands they play basketball in a big mass on the court and they have no spacing. Please help!!

COACHES RESPONSE:

Running an effective youth basketball offense can be dificult at this age. You have to keep your plays simple and if you are having trouble keeping their attention then I would suggest that your plays are too complex for them at this time. Take a look at this page below for an easy youth basketball motion offense that you can run and there also several suggestions for practice drills that will help you implement the offense on game day.

Great question and happy to hear how much you care about teaching these young players the right way to play the game.
Obviously fundamentals are key towards the individual players development, proper technique etc..But you are not alone when it comes to trying to implement a set offense for 11 year olds as a team.
A very simple motion offense we give coaches like you advice on is fairly easy to run and teach. So the 5 players start out in their 5 spots (top key, Right and Left Wing and Right and Left corners) - the point guard passes to either wing and cuts towards the hoop - the player from the opposite wing replaces the passer and the movement occurs like that.
You can run simple - ball screens and down screens out of there and its a lot of back door cuts and movement (which kids like to do) - simple things for them to remember and run.

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Zone Buster Basketball Offense

Posted on April 2, 2010 at 6:34 PM

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How the heck do I beat a zone?"

Playing against a good zone can be one of the most

frustrating things a coach can face.

You can't get the ball in the post. You can't enter it into the wing. Your players are standing still.

Your team is chucking up ill-advised treys,

while the opposing coach sneers with self-satisfaction.

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WHY NO ONE *DARES* PLAY ZONE AGAINST ME

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The funny thing is... once you figure out how

to beat a zone, it's like running a layup drills

against no defense.

Coaches who know me don't even *bother*

playing zone against me... Because they know my team will eat it

for breakfast!

They key is getting the ball into three "hot spots"

on the floor.

These are areas where *any* zone is vulnerable.Once you get the ball into these hot spots, the zone is forced to make rotations...

Then the floor opens up... And then you can make pinpoint passes for

layups and 12 foot jumpers all day. This video will show you how to get started:

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Easy Youth Basketball Motion Offense

Posted on January 11, 2010 at 2:42 PM

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First, pick a couple cuts or screens that you think would be goodfor your group. For example, you could choose down-screens andaway-screens.

Next, run shooting/footwork drills that incorporate thosemovements. You could have two offensive players (no defense). Oneplayer on the wing, another player on the block. A coach or thirdplayer could have the ball on top of the key. The player on the wingsets a down screen, the other player rubs off the screen, catches theball, pivots, and shoots.

Now repeat over and over. Your players areworking on screens (part of your motion offense), pivoting footwork andshooting (skills).

You can do the same thing with away screens, basket cuts, andany type of cut or screen. The key is to choose a couple elements fromyour motion offense and turn those elements into skill building drills.Your imagination is the only limit to the types of drills you can comeup with. It’s also important to mix things up and make the drills funtoo!

By practicing this way, you save a huge amount of time and get more done.

In a youth motion offense, your primary rules should allow you tomaintain spacing, maintain order, keep people moving, and keep everyoneinvolved. For example, use a 5-out motion and have three rules:

After every pass, the passer moves. (Cut or screen)Do not stand still for more than 2 seconds.Take the first good shot. When teaching motionto young players, don’t go too fast and don’t worry too much about yourplayers executing offense. If they maintain decent spacing and movearound, you are in good shape.

Almost all of your time should be on skill development. Then as time goes on, you can take a skill and showthem how to use it in different situations in the motion. But evenbefore that just let the kids get comfortable on the court. Let themplay and learn at the same time as you. Movement and spacing will causethings to happen. They will start figuring things out.

Youth coaches should concentrate on teaching skills and then just letting kids play. Motion is perfect for that.

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Fast Break Basketball Offensive Tips

Posted on December 28, 2009 at 4:32 PM

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Having an effective fast break basketball offense will keep your oppenent on the edge and force the oposing basketball coach to deviate from his game plan.

Fast-break offense, also known as transition offense, is one of the

best weapons you can teach your team. Here's why:

1) The fast break is the number one way to create easy scoring

opportunities.

2) It allows you to control the tempo of the game.

3) Effective way to beat pressure defenses, especially full-court

and half-court pressure defense.

4) Great way to beat the zone, as long as you attack before the

zone gets a chance to setup.

5) Puts tremendous pressure on the defense, and forces the other

coach to constantly adjust and go out of his gameplan.

6) Reduces the amount of offensive rebounds the other team gets,

because they're worried about getting back for the fast-break.

7) Keeps your players stimulated and highly energized. Conditions

them to be better athletes.

Takes maximum advantage of good three-point and mid-range

shooters. Shooters can get wide-open looks much faster.

9) Creates balanced scoring. Every one on the team, even the less

talented players, will have opportunities to get buckets.

10) Its a LOT of fun!

As a coach, you have to include a nice fast-break

offense into your overall strategy...which will give you a true

scoring advantage over the competition.

Now, lets take a look at some of the rules of running an effective

fast-break:

- Give the ball up - this is very important. Passing the ball on

the break is even more important than running fast. Teach your

players that they don't have to force the ball to the player

closest to the basket. Making the pass that leads to the scoring

pass is better than trying to force something that's not there.

- Look up and see the entire floor

- Pass ahead to any open player in front of you

- Keep running - take giant steps

- Pass first - avoid dribbling as much as possible

- Keep your bodies under control - don't run wildly

- Allow the play to develop itself

- Read the defense - go where you have the advantage

- Run the lanes as WIDE as possible - create spacing

- Make the easy play & avoid being fancy

- If the ball's in the middle, stop at the free-throw line to shoot

or make the pass

- Use chest passes - bounce passes are hard to use on the break

- Last player on the break stops near the 3-point line to serve as

a defensive "safety", incase of a turnover

- Keep your hands up and ready to catch

- Tell your players to Communicate! Use the tongue

- Don't have your mind made up...find the best opportunity

- Don't overpass - if you're open and within range, then shoot

- Meet the pass - unless its thrown overhead

- Pass the ball with both feet on the floor, for accuracy

- Don't pass to a player with too many defenders around him/her

- Take the open 12-14 foot shot rather than the defended 8-10 foot

shot.

Basketball Triangle Offense Explained in 500 Words or Less

Posted on December 21, 2009 at 5:52 PM

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How do you explain the most complex basketball offesenses ever devised in 500 words or less?

The Triangle Offense, also known as the Triple-Post offense, is an offensive strategy in basketball. Its basic ideas were initially established by Hall of Fame coach Sam Barry at the University ofSouthern California. His system was later refined by former KansasState University head basketball coach and current Los Angeles Lakersconsultant Tex Winter, who played for Barry in the late 1940s.

The system's most important feature is the sideline triangle created between the center, who stands at the low post; the forward, at thewing, and the guard at the corner. The team's other guard stands at the top of the key and the weak-side forward is on the weak-side high post— together forming the "two-man game".

Take a look at this video example...

Think of it as a very simple motion offense that utilizes the abilities of all positions very fluidly. It uses screens and back cuts to free up a base line jump shooter for"short corner to short corner" movement; and allows the bigs (the 4 and the 5) to have high low exchanges to get teh ball into either the highor low post. Of course, the system is all relative to the coach and can be utilized is many different ways.

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