Saturday, July 13, 2019

Basketball: Simple Innovation (Do More with Less)

"No progress occurs without change, but not all change is progress." - John Wooden

 "Imagination leads to innovation, leading to differentiation." - Bill Russell

 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is synonymous with innovation. DARPA spawned the Internet, drones, "colored" defoliants (most famously Agent Orange), the human exoskeleton, and more. 

Even if we're not so innovative, we can do more with less. Simple rocks! 

 Equipment modification: 
-Masking tape on glasses can limit ball-watching during dribbling.
-Kyrie Irving improved his handle by covering a ball with a plastic bag.
-Shooting with cloth gloves hinders feel.
-Slightly deflated basketballs force passing versus dribbling.

 Equipment disadvantage:
-Ankle weights or weighted vests challenge movement. 
-Weighted basketballs increase strength. 

 Home-grown cheap tech: 
-Fill empty half-gallon plastic bottles with water and use instead of cones (if you must)
-Trash cans in the driveway substitute as screeners, to work on shooting off screens. 
-Duct-taped bundled newspapers are jump box substitutes. 
-A tennis racquet duct-taped to a step ladder builds a shot blocker.
-Combine techniques (trash can plus shot blocker) 

Boundary changes:

Practice "developmental offense" inside the split (line bisecting baskets). This could simulate a low set or horns, "Triangle" offense, UCLA, or spread. Demonstrate creative options and encourage freelance. 

 Time modification:

 -Simulate time and score situations (low shot clock, end-of-period, end-of-game). 
-Change the rules. Give one team an arbitrary lead (e.g. six points with three minutes left) and give the other team possessions in the half-court (defend the lead). 

 Player constraint:

 -Because her backhand relies on her left hand, Serena Williams sometimes practices tennis LEFT-HANDED. Larry Bird played a game left-handed (incompletely) and scored 47 points.
-During practice, limit players during a scrimmage from shooting outside the paint. 
-Some coaches will require a player to keep one hand at their side during a drill to prioritize moving feet
-You all remember Norman Dale (Hoosiers) insisting on four passes before a shot. Practice paint touch and ball reversal or multiple ball reversals before a shot to train ball movement (Kirby Schepp). 

 These are just some examples. Coaches regularly use advantage-disadvantage drills and other techniques to innovate teaching and practice. 

 Lagniappe 1: Via Half-court hoops, Blazers actions
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