In investing, STYLE DRIFT means chasing different investment approaches...growth, value, momentum, various chart patterns, dividend stocks, whatever. The best investors have an edge through understanding markets, companies, value, and market price structure. They apply that edge relentlessly and have a sell discipline. It's NOT easy. It isn't supposed to be easy.
Coaches get lost in style drift, too. We're playing man-to-man defense, junk defenses, Amoeba, Freak, every imaginable zone. Play different defenses after made baskets, free throws, misses. That can be appropriate, even defining, for experienced teams. I ask myself, will this confuse opponents or us? Changing defenses creates problems, but young players need core competencies first.
As a middle school coach with limited practice time, I want technique and consistency. The first half of practice (or more) is always fundamentals...layups, shooting form, footwork and balance, shooting repetition, free throws, individual attack (e.g. box drills, wing series attack). The second half applies tactics, pressure and gameplay around special situations and O-D-O (offense/defense/offense. What fails in practice sometimes works in games because of surprise.
Creating options off core actions isn't style drift.
SLOB Zipper cut into high ball screen. Weak side actions can vary.
One attractive option is bringing the weak side cutter to screen for the inbounder. Sometimes it creates too much traffic. We haven't used that much.
During practice, defenses 'cheat'. That opens up the 'unzipped' back cut.
Or the very simple SLOB give-and-go with the zipper cut clearing out the lane. We get a 'feel' for how much each personnel group can handle. As they learn more, they want more.
Style drift can occur in practically any area - offense, defense, special situations. It's better to do fewer things well than many things with mediocrity. It's better to defend the pick-and-roll well with hedging (fake trap), switching, or trapping than having six or more options.
Do the calculus of Don Meyer's sophisticated complexity and mature simplicity. Black and white can outshine technicolor.
Lagniappe 1:
An easy BOB that our team struggled to defend in practice.
Lagniappe 2: via @BBallImmersion (Chris Oliver)
Here is a press entry set from Dartmouth & some teaching points that apply to the concept. Here I discuss why I don't teach press break structure before allowing players to experience playing vs. pressure in a games approach to coaching basketball https://t.co/a4W6duRKKY pic.twitter.com/KCeeaItepZ— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) January 17, 2019
