We often play the game in 'parts' from one-on-one to three-on-three. Teach players to create against live defense. Sets draw lines on paper that allow players to author great manuscripts, works of art.
Monday night we worked some simple actions. We had only 9 players, divided into three groups with the 'off' group shooting free throws and rotating in.
Frame 1. Scissors/X action. By convention the passer cuts first. Set up hard cuts. The wing wants her defender caught in the traffic/trash. Young defenders have trouble with these actions. Quality shots follow.
Frame 2. Post entry options. The wing sets up aggressive defenders for a back cut AND finishes the cut. The post has isolation or the guard can get a late handoff. Ideally, the post delivers the bounce pass 'down the lane line."
Frame 3. Wing entry sets up the UCLA cut, the roll of the post low, wing isolation, and the wing ball screen. The guard cutter must leave the area to move her defender away.
Yes, this is "elementary" stuff. "Falling in love with easy" creates big defensive headaches.
Players learn to see a range of possibilities from a triangle (including the origins of the triangle offense)... and relate to the power of time and space...with on time and on target passing.
But we're not here, yet.
Lagniappe: Off-ball screen video from Igor Kokoskov.
