Sunday, August 25, 2019

Basketball: Mini-Clinic

"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso 

 I've stolen Picasso's line a thousand times. You should, too. 

 There aren't "ten best" tips to share, but certainly ten worthwhile ones. Find individual actions that foster or prevent scores. With many games decided by few possessions, a few possessions inform outcomes. 

1. "The ball scores." Five players defend as one. Some players wear "blinders" focused on stopping their assignment and forget to help.  

2. All transition is not created equal. Our goal is to get the second pass over half-court. We need a mindset and commitment to play fast. Secure the rebound. Outlet guard above the free throw line, back to sideline to open visual field. Run wide. "Basketball isn't a running game...it's a sprinting game. 

3. "Don't go there." Make life hard for defense by cutting hard, moving the ball quickly, and moving without the ball. Avoid primary trap zones that beg double teams.

4. "Run similar actions from different formations and different actions from the same formation." 

 5. Practice special situations every practice. O-D-O (offense-defense-offense) lends itself to practicing free throw offense and defense, BOBs, and SLOBs. 

 6. Practice "must score" actions at a minimum including best BOBs, best SLOBs, best Man-to-man, and best Zone set. 

 7. Pop says "Technique beats tactics." We don't go back to basics. We never leave them. Shooting is a highly perishable skill. To score at three levels (inside, mid-range, perimeter), practice at three levels. 

8. Be on target. In A Sense of Where You Are, John McPhee shared a Bill Bradley free throw shooting tip. Bradley aimed at the center of the four bolts that held the goal to the backboard. "More than seventy colleges tried to recruit him, nearly all of them offering him scholarships. Instead, Bradley chose a school that offered him no money at all." If a player struggles, consider refocusing their target.

 The target worked for him. Bradley made fifty-seven consecutive free throws as a freshman at Princeton. 
9. Layups, layups, layups. We can spend an hour on layups. Layups by the bushel (above). Remind players of Kevin Eastman's admonition, "eyes make layups." 
10. "Fall in love with easy." As Pete Carril shares, "the quality of passing informs the quality of shots." 

Lagniappe: Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) with a 1-4 action and a tough finish. 





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