One-on-One Drills

The "Not Enough Guys" missive got unusual interest, so I'm going to narrow it. By definition, one-on-one includes both offense and defense. 

Excellent team defense begins with aggressive, alert individual defense. The same offensive mindset ("I can take this guy") has to apply defensively. The core defensive elements (ball pressure, no dribble penetration, no pass penetration, contest shots without fouling, block out and rebound) are 'unnatural' and must be learned and implemented. 

Team defense (like fronting the post) can only work with ball pressure. Success starts with winning your individual battle possession by possession. 

Finding ways to stress both our offensive and defensive players creates skill building opportunities. Catch and finish on offense...goal to never use more than two dribbles in the front court. Prioritize physical and mental toughness. 

Here are a few I find useful (a lot of this is middle school stuff...some players must have missed middle school). 

Dog Drill (maximum pressure)...dribbler must stay in lane (colored)...via Kevin Eastman. Defenders work to turn the ball in the backcourt and force in the front court. 

Force to tape (no middle). (Kevin Eastman) 

Jump to the ball. Deny the return pass. 1 must read defender action...if plays low, front cut; if plays high, back cut. 

Deny the cut...bump the cutter. 

Wing denial with finish (start with coaching demo)

Paint passing denial.

Closeouts from foul line (back to back)

Zig-zag to half, coach pass into one-on-one. (Bert Hammel)

Zig-zag to half, conversion one-on-one. (Bert Hammel)

Post denial (different sites) including fronting. 

One-on-one from three, chest to chest (run from different spots).

One dribble scoring from spacing line.

Nick Saban and Leadership

Nick Saban authored How Good Do You Want to Be, sharing his ideas on leadership. Saban's not perfect, but he's meticulous, prepared, disciplined to the nth degree, and consistent. You know who he is...authentic, respectable, if not always likable. 

We earn leadership every day, to deserve being called 'Coach'. A title doesn't make us a leader. If we are lazy, disrespectful, or dismissive, we're posers not leaders. Leaders listen, learn, and teach. They seek to understand not judge. 

He emphasizes (like all great coaches) practice preparation, organization to the minute, and detailed notes. 

In the "Leadership" chapter, Saban presents the following subheading "lessons". We can insert our own examples.

1. Great leaders stand up when adversity arises. I think of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Bowdoin professor whose Gettysburg counterattack held the southern front against the Alabama 15th regiment. How did he transform teaching to combat? "I can learn." 

2. Great leaders allow the team to take ownership of the rules. The 2008 Celtics developed fourteen guiding principles en route to an NBA championship. Kevin Eastman swore it to secrecy. No player is ever bigger than the team. 

3. Great leaders embrace future leaders. Coach Wooden remarked that he could better judge his work by seeing what type of men his players became. 

4. Great leaders lead the orchestra but let them play. The military expresses this as "commander's intent", so that front line followers know what intermediate and end-states should resemble. 

5. Great leaders pick their battles. General Sherman's march to the sea avoided great battles while devastating infrastructure during the Civil War. Saban emphasizes the importance of media relations. He says, "there's a fine line between accountability and micro-managing." 

6. Great leaders do not rush to make changes because of failure. Bill Walsh's first season with the 49ers led to a 2-14 record and the second was 6-10. San Francisco won a Super Bowl in his third season. It took time for his organization and "Standards of Excellence" to take hold.

7. Great leaders hire good people. "Hire tough." We see many hiring principles in practice, including qualification, experience, 'gut', politics, and nepotism. Saban warns against hiring 'Yes' men. 

8. Great leaders make tough decisions. Tom Brady replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe during the 2001 season. Bill Belichick had the foresight and fortitude to ride Brady's performance to the Super Bowl. Saban references Lou Kasischke, a climber who stopped four hundred feet of the Everest summit in 1996. He believed the conditions didn't justify the risk. Four of the six who continued perished. Remind your players, "the summit is not the only place on the mountain."

9. Great leaders accept responsibility. Mike Smith, who coached the Falcons to a Super Bowl berth, acknowledged that he owned the inability to maintain the team's performance going forward. Smith says, “If you are complaining, you are not leading. If you are leading, you are not complaining.”

10.Great leaders show compassion for those around them. The Celtics' postseason has been uneven. Coach Brad Stevens has consistently supported a grieving Isaiah Thomas during the playoffs. 

11.Great leaders never force leadership. Real leaders model leadership. Arlene Blum led the all-woman ascent on Annapurna, but didn't insist on summiting herself. Ego is not the answer. 

12.Great leaders must insist on excellence. Saban relies on "The Process" as his standard at Alabama. Urban Meyer has a similar approach at Ohio State. Don Meyer used to say, "what is unacceptable in defeat is unacceptable in victory." 

13.Great leaders are not always popular. Admiral Rickover, father of the nuclear Navy, was considered an impossible person. His demands, preferences, and stress interviews were legendary. 


How often we see the "say-do" crowd...every day? 

14.Great leaders don't have all the answers, but they find them. Leaders find solutions, not just problems. Thomas Edison's 999 attempts led to his successful lightbulb. Gregg Popovich says you have to "pound the rock" a hundred times until it breaks. At the Naval Academy, plebes are taught five critical answers, "Yes, sir...no, sir, aye aye, sir...right away, sir...and I don't know but I'll find out, sir."

Coaching Profile: Clair Bee

Photo credit to Gordon Kaplan from Herb on Hoops

It's natural to overlook basketball history...how the game developed and those responsible for 'everyday' actions. Hoop Tactics shares some basketball chronology. "Basketball at one time was referred to as the “Cage Game” and players’ “Cagers”. This was a result of wire mesh (chicken wire) or chain-link fencing being hung around the entire court in an effort to make the game go faster by eliminating all the out of bounds delays. However, in reality, it served more as a barrier to protect the players and rowdy spectators from each other, as well as from the objects being thrown onto the court."

Clair Bee (1896-1983) was a multi-sport athlete and figured prominently in basketball innovation, coaching at Long Island University and the NBA with the Baltimore Bullets. His teams won two NIT Championships, THE title to win in his day. 

Bee is credited with introducing 1-3-1 defense and the 3-second rule. Some also say he is responsible for the idea behind the 24-second shot clock. 

Coaching Philosophy: 

Coach Bee's priorities were "teaching fundamentals and team play." We say, "we're not getting back to basics; we never leave the basics." 

Clair Bee quotes:

"Good coaching may be defined as the development of character, personality and habits of players, plus the teaching of fundamentals and team play."

Clair Bee coaching notes: 

Wes Kosel shares Bee 1-3-1 Coaching notes. 

He illustrates how the defense works, to keep three players between the ball and the basket. When the ball is on the side, it also protects ball side blocks and elbows, key scoring areas. 

Video: 

Kermit Davis presents his version of the 1-3-1 defense. I haven't considered playing 1-3-1 (not only because I don't believe it develops youth play) because we had no size to protect the diagonal pass . 




I think John Belein (Michigan) when I think on 1-3-1 defense in college hoop. 

SI profiles Bee in The Vault. 

Practice with "Not Enough Guys"

Let's adopt the Geno Auriemma convention...all players are "guys", as in "let's go, guys." 

We won't always have ten or more players for practice, especially summer workouts. First, that means MORE REPS for the players who show. "Repetitions make reputations." Second, we have plenty of drills, games, and activities for conditioning and skill building. Let's develop the theme of "not enough guys." Just a few ideas to get the summer off to a good start...

1 player

The game is "168" or "Pitino 168." Shoot from seven 'radians' over four quarters, keeping score. 84 shots total. 

Alternative is "Celtics 32", 5 radians, 3 shots along each, finish with two free throws. Total possible points, 32 (ergo, the name), and 17 shots.

Bonus, 251, shoot from corner, elbow, opposite elbow, corner. Repeat. Continue until two consecutive misses. Score 1 point for each shot taken. Players love this.  

One player wing series development also great. 

Track your results to see progress. 

2 players

One-on-one (play from corner, wing, elbow, top, post). Two dribble maximum. Remember to finish off two feet from the corners. 

Elbow to sideline (with rebounder). Many ways to vary...elbow to half-court, alternate elbows. You can vary number of shots taken or time. Shooting and conditioning...

Bonus, every closeout drill invented (above). Keep score, one point for a score, defender gets one point for a stop. 

3 players 

Kirby Schepp (designated screener). 

Commando. 1-on-1-on-1. Game to five (by ones). 

Closeout option attack. 

2 on 1 (from halfcourt); Two dribble maximum. 

4 players

Two-on-two with constraints (the midline bisecting the court lengthwise is out-of-bounds). Teaches the 'two man game'. 

4-on-0 transition. 

1 on 1 into give-and-go with finish

"Dog drill." Turn the ballhandler in the backcourt and force from middle in forecourt. 

5 players

Thirty buckets (three shooters, three rebounders)...players have three minutes to make as many shots as possible. 

Coach "uncovers" player. 1 must read and attack. 

3 on 2 three-quarter court. Defense must protect the basket and 'shape up'. 

6 players

Rollouts. Ball is rolled out (to any player) and action goes live. Can add constraints like a screen must be set before a shot or scoring in the paint. 

"Stanford." Small-sided play. 

 

DHO with weakside post player. 5 should learn to cross into ballscreen off the DHO. 

Variant, DHO with "dribble at" into cross-screen.  

Shivek pass and cut drill, pass and forced cut. 

7 players 

"Ten seconds to glory." Coach enters ball to guard, and offensive player has "floppy" like set to score within ten seconds. Variant, allows 4 and 5 to score. 

Ballside cutters versus zone simulation...put defensive stress on the 5.

BOB America's Play simulation 

Blocks and elbows, passing and finishing. Ball movement is everything. "Make the ball do the work." 

8 players

Four-on-four half court (no dribble)...forces players to pass and cut. 

Shell drill. Emphasis on defensive positioning both on and off ball. 

Zone offense (versus box and diamond). One dribble limit and insist on scoring within the paint. 

9 players 

Five-on-four full court. A version of advantage-disadvantage. 

3-on-3-on-3.

3 line shooting drill. Pass and run to the other free-throw line to shoot. Keep track of shooting percentage at both ends. 

And of course, we can use "subroutines" like 3 and 6 player activities with 9 players, 2 and 6 player activities with 8 players and so on. 

Communication and Cognitive Dissonance

Marshall Goldsmith wrote What Got You Here Won't Get You There. He points out that we establish our competence relatively early; progress then depends not on skill, intelligence, or personality, but on relationships. 

He presents what I'll call self-defeating behaviors that often alienate or take power away from coworkers or subordinates. I discuss three and their coaching relevance. 

1. Winning All the Time
2. Adding Too Much Value 
3. Passing Judgment

Winning too much is a problem when we disempower those around us to maintain or enhance our status. But as coaches, we don't want sycophants and "Yes Men" surrounding us. We all know the story of GSW video coordinator Nick U'Ren, who suggested going small against Cleveland in the 2015 NBA Finals. Coach Steve Kerr substituted Andre Iguodala for Andrew Bogut and the rest is history. "We wanted to tell him in time to watch the film for himself and make the decision." Winning has to be about the team and not ourself. Leaders develop leaders, giving them an opportunity to grow and advance either within or outside the system.

Adding too much value refers to adding small contributions that may diminish an idea originator's ownership or participation. It's a subset of winning all the time and can devalue contributors. There's a difference between subtle and radical change. Ford Motor under the autocratic Henry Ford, said your car could be any color, as long as it was black. GM, led by Alfred P. Sloan, offered modifications to suit individual owners. As coaches, we need to see the big picture, but also have flexibility to make smaller changes in personnel, strategy, and motivation to enhance team performance. 

Passing judgment can create resentment, disinterest, or rebellion. Players may see judgments as arbitrary, disrespectful, or unfair. We pass judgment on people and ideas. The author suggests that we try going a week without being judgmental and see how people respond to that. The flip side is that as coaches, we have to choose Peter over Paul, and make Sophie's Choice on personnel and strategy. Making decisions is the job description, the DNA of the task. 

As coaches, if everyone likes us, then we're not doing the job. Conversely, if the 'wrong' people dislike us, then we have no job. That's cognitive dissonance for sure. 

Bonus concepts:

1) Seal on swing to create the hockey assist "pass leading to assist. 

Transition 3 on 2. Ballhandler and receivers must know best shooter and 'automatic' options.

Marshall Plan: "The Devil Is in the Details"

"Marshall gambled that a concise statement of his own convictions, backed up with facts and figures, might affect the decision or at least allow a judgment to be made in light of a fuller grasp of the situation." Howard Gardner, in Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership

General George C. Marshall mastered details of logistics in warfare and had limited patience for grand schemes bereft of meticulous planning. Leaders find solutions as platitudes do not solve problems. His sharp mind and oversight of WWII planning also helped him win positions as Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and a Nobel Prize. 

We cannot presume as leaders (coaches) that everything we do is 'correct', that nothing is broken, or that there can be no 'better way' or middle ground. Belief in our infallibility usually reflects ignorance, inexperience, and arrogance. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, 

“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” And a firehose of facts sprayed upon the desert doesn't make an oasis. 

Fortunately, in athletics, we have a scoreboard. And the score informs us about our personnel, tactics, strategy, training, and motivation. As much as we want to edit our narrative, the record speaks independently and impartially. 

We seek players with the same commitment to improvement, excellence, and accountability that we have. But we can't control their time, engagement, study, and repetitions. But we can improve our organization, preparation, teaching, and communication to add value and earn their buy-in. 

The offseason drives performance. What belongs in practice? 

Of course, theory and practice differ. Participation (voluntary) was inadequate last year. I plan to combine workouts with another grade this year and open them to other players as well. Younger players will be challenged to "play up". Older players can learn leadership skills as 'big sisters'. 

Within the activities, players need to understand the purpose (e.g. create/prevent separation), techniques (good and bad), and situational appropriateness. 

What is the biggest 'problem'? Imagine teaching vocabulary to a class that constantly changes in membership and capability. If you want to teach 'roots', e.g. inter- (between) or omni-(all) like interaction and omniscient, some students don't get exposed. If you stress specific words like assiduous, sedition, or hegemony, the same applies, plus they didn't hear the root concepts. 

Regardless, we have to work with tempo, be demanding, and teach to the concepts not to the test. “Well, it doesn’t work. Lowering standards just leads to poorly educated students who feel entitled to easy work and lavish praise.” 

― Matthew Syed, Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success

Details matter. Sun Tzu remarked in The Art of War, "Every battle is won before it is fought." 

Footwork Presentation (Basketball Manitoba) Annotated

Coach Pete Newell emphasized footwork, balance, and 'maneuvering speed'. Busy coaches don't always have time to watch a full video. Ergo, I take notes for myself and willingly share (emphasis on the first 18 minutes, the length of a TED talk.)

Kevin Eastman reminds us, "Don't be a know-it-all, become a learn-it-all." Find drills that work for you. They do individual footwork daily. 

Starts with footwork and finishes, to improve layup shooting percentage and decrease travels.
1) Classic layup (alternates side with each) 
2) Two-dribbles to a power (two-foot) finish. 
3) Two-dribbles to a power finish with upfake. 

Adds "drag layup" (we called this two-hand scoop). 

Adds two dribble (from wing) into baseline and middle mid-range shot. 

Adds crossover step (right foot pivot from left and vice versa).

4 on 4 with passes delivered from BELOW the head. Endlines are baseline and half-court. This enhances passing, cutting, receiving, pivoting, and decision-making. 

"Canada drill" (catch and sweep (we call this rip)...then into catch and shoot, then catch, pump, and one-dribble into a pullup, then catch and reverse pivot (with deep step) into layup, then reverse pivot into pullup. 

9 foot catch-and-shoot, then up and under, and into reverse pivots, and into baby hooks. 

3 point line, catch and rip into a pullup. 

3 point line, catch and rip into a hesitation into layup or into a pullup. 

3 point line catch and rip into a crossover and finishes (layup/pullup)

"Repetition builds confidence." 

Two Quick Hitters and a SLOB

Xs and Os are part of our core competence. Here are a couple that caught my eye. 

Even in defeat, lessons emerge. The Celtics ran this "UCLA cut" action against the Wizards, getting a layup for Jae Crowder (4) off the slip. The defense got preoccupied with the backscreen (Isaiah Thomas not a huge lob threat), and Crowder got rewarded. 

This is pure nastiness from the Spurs on an ATO. Left, pass to the top of the key. 3 (Leonard) cuts to the corner and Parker (1) goes through. The ball is entered to the 4 and 5 screens 2 in scissors-like action. Ginobili (2) then has a basket attack or drive and dish to Leonard as x3 helps. 

The Spurs use a simple DHO into a pick-and-roll (left) setting a weak side back screen as Parker (1) comes off the PnR. 

The Impact of Other Sports on Basketball

Do we incorporate enough principles from other sports into basketball? 

First, FastModelSports contrasts basketball with both football and soccer. A few major principles they discuss are: 

1) Free-flowing versus structured play. We've all watched basketball where coaches want to dictate every action. My seventh graders would know that if the other coach called "UCLA" that the opposition would run wing entry/UCLA cut action at the outset. 




2) "Let the ball do the work." This loosely translates into "pass and cut."



3) Play the beautiful game. For many years, I coached with another coach who implored players, "Entertain your parents and me." Yes, he was very competitive and emphasized winning, but he also wanted to win with team play and style. 

The majority of the players I've recently coached were "soccer players playing basketball." That often translates to athleticism, but less often to high basketball skill levels or size. 

What core concepts translate well between other sports and basketball?

• Give and go in soccer (triangular passing/through pass)
• Futsal (small court, limited number players)...we often play 3 on 3 'one side' (yellow areas above are out of bounds). Futsal prioritizes small-area-play and gives players more touches than 5-on-5. More touches promotes more skill. 
• No dribbling. Full court without dribbling, we only have pass and cut. Initially, I also add the constraint of no bounce passes. If the ball hits the floor, it's a turnover, which also teaches players CONVERSION, immediate change from defense to offense and vice versa. As players become more comfortable, then I add bounce passes, which speeds up the game. Over time, we add more defenders, and play either 4 on 6 or 5 on 7 no dribbling, simulating pressure defenses. 

I'm absolutely NOT saying my teams are better prepared or more skilled. We're not. But we have to do something to compensate for our lack of size and skill. 

Vertical Jump

Most athletes want to jump higher. A detailed presentation on muscle physiology and anatomy won't get you there. Here are a few presentations that SHOW athletes what to do.



You don't need a lot of expensive equipment. I'm a big believer in jumping rope. 

USA basketball gives a coherent presentation on the three dimensions needed to increase your vertical - flexibility, strength, and power. 

Here are a pair of videos that illustrate the article discusses. 



You don't need the extra apparatus...

"We're All Publishers"

"People who do not practice what they preach are hypocrites, and hypocrisy mutes the effectiveness of their stories." - Howard Gardner, Leading Minds, An Anatomy of Leadership

What are the consequences of content? We stimulate thought or hatred; we spread ideas or disinformation. We inform or mislead...and we do so with what agenda?

Most of us play on teams...immediate family, extended family, coworkers, and community. Some affiliate with other 'teams'-trade and professional organizations, religious groups, charities, service organizations (e.g. Scouts), et cetera. What messages do we send, how valid are they, and how do we stay "on message"? How do we get our 'team' on the same page? 

Do we practice "critical thinking"? 

"Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People who think critically attempt, with consistent and conscious effort, to live rationally, reasonably, and empathically. They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked."

Critical thinkers examines both sides of an argument. None of us do it all of the time, because it's too time-consuming and carries risk and costs. If a speeding car approaches us, we need to react not ponder. We choose automatic thinking (mostly) for food choices. We don't research the relative benefits of twenty breakfast options before eating. 

How can we 'think better' and communicate better about basketball? Is 'thought leadership' revolutionary and iconoclastic, quantitative (analytics) or qualitative, or a hodgepodge of competence and questions? 

Einstein explained the universe in terms of space, time, and gravity, among other ideas like relating matter and energy. In basketball, offense functions in a blur of space and time while defense works and fails depending on gravity (ball pressure, help, and recovery). Energy always matters. 

For us to share our ideas with our players and peers, we must understand, distill, and simplify the game. We must inform them but teach them to edit the lessons and share and clarify. "We are all publishers."