Basketball Tips & Strategies – April 2010

HoopTactics What’s New

• HoopTactics Newsletter: Teaching the Rules of the Game, Out of Bounds Rules, Free Throw Rules, Consoling Players, Featured Play: Box & One Offense
• Defensive Strategies: Quarter Court Trap
• Player Development: Off-Ball Screens – Execution
• Player Development: Off-Ball Screens – Reads & Counters

Coaching Strategies: Teach the Rules of the Game

There is no better time to observe the importance of knowing the rules of the game than the NCAA tournament where many of championship hopes have been shattered and lost simply by players not knowing the rules. “When talent becomes equal, then little things become paramount” – John Wooden. Do not ever assume players know even the simplest of rules. In tournament play there is no margin for error. Purchase and read the rule book. Have an official talk to your players each season about new rules and points of emphasis. Don’t become one of hose coaches who live the rest of their lives haunted because of a simple rule infraction in a crucial game. Learn more about the history and the evolution of basketball rules – Click Here

Inbounding the Ball Violations

When teaching out of bounds plays be sure to cover the rules. Most players know the 5 second rule. However, moving from the inbounds spot or stepping inbounds along with careless passes during a game can be fatal. These inbound violations are mainly a result of bad habits of not taking the ball out of bounds after a made basket in full court pick up games and scrimmages. Inbounding along the opponent’s baseline after a timeout can also be confusing. After timeouts, make sure that the player inbounding the ball knows if they can run the baseline or NOT. Learn more about Inbounding the Ball Under Pressure  – Premium Members Click Here

Intentional Missed Free Throw

Although it occurs rarely, intentionally missing a free throw should be an integral part of end of game preparations. This includes teaching the rules that the shooter cannot step across the free throw line until the ball hits the rim and that the ball must hit the rim. Proper execution of a missed free throw just may win you a game or even a championship, especially since the defense is usually ill-prepared to defend against an intentional miss.

Importance of Comforting & Consoling Players

If a rule violation happens to occur late in the game contributing to the lost, it is the coach’s fault, not the player. If not addressed, an end of game failure can become a devastating, life long, emotion injury. Be sure to immediately comfort, console, and restore the player’s confidence making sure that they realize that it was a good learning experience for things to come, not the end of the world. Basketball is a game, and it’s the effort that really counts, not the results. As long as they give their best effort, they will never lose a game – only run out of time.

Featured Play: “Box & One” Offense

Combination defenses can be very devastating to any team not prepared to attack them. The Box & One is the most common combination defense and is primarily used to stop or neutralize an outstanding offensive player. However, like all defenses, the Box & One has its strengths and weakness. One of the biggest problems in attacking a Box & One defense is that most coaches just do not take the time to sufficiently prepare their team. To be effective and successful, offenses against combination defenses need to be practiced and refined.

Since a Box & one offense(s) is a secondary offense, it is important to keep it simple and easy for players to learn. It may just require practicing a current offense against a Box & One defense. It is also helpful, if the offense being used is similar to an already used offense. Since the Box & defense is primarily deployed to deny and limit the “touches” of an outstanding, any offensive attack must be designed to counter this overplay and free up the scorer.  To explore attacking Box & One Defenses -Premium Members Click Here