Basketball: Winning Ideas from Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu's classic, The Art of War, shares millennia of wisdom. He earned recognition as a Chinese general, military strategist, and author. 

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War 

1. Bobby Knight advocated setting up in zone, yet playing man. 
2. Defensively, bait bad passes by appearing passive but springing into passing lanes. 

The back cut is among the simplest deceptions. "Cut to the ball before cutting away from the ball." 

“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” ― Sun Tzu

1. Every good team learns to apply and defeat pressure. 
2. Practice multiple presses to expose players to solving pressure. 
3. This includes man and zone presses with or without ball entry denial. 

"He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces."

As was said of Bear Bryant, "He can take his'n and beat your'n or your'n and beat his'n."

Hubie Brown shared the gospel of winning with less talent. The keys reflect my theory of possessions and possession. Get more possessions with better efficiency per possession.


“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Success follows you to the extent of your relationships. Be positive. Bring energy. Do the work - "chop wood and carry water." 

“Know yourself and you will win all battles” ― Sun Tzu

"Do more of what works and less of what doesn't."

“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” 
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"Basketball is a game of mismatches." Create mismatches with superior personnel, training better fundamentals, and opportunistic tactics. 

Simple small on big cross-screen out of 4 OUT set. 

“Great results, can be achieved with small forces.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Teach within Small Sided Games...master 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 play. 

Preparation beats aspiration. 

Vary offensive and defensive elements; condition within drills. 

“If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame. But, if orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.” ― Sun Tzu

Get everyone on the same page. 

“Be where your enemy is not.” ― Sun Tzu

1. Separate.
2. Create space.
3. Do not play in the traffic.

“If you fight with all your might,  there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"Fortune favors the bold." 

“Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Defense is not enough. 

Lagniappe 1: what is your brand? 

Lagniappe 2: Individual action off staggered screens

Maybe you have a dynamic player (2) whom you want to get in space. You could run "five out" into a double stagger for her or get her into a two-man game with five. You also could get 5 in isolation. You might run this as easily from the Horns set. Be creative. 

Basketball: Playing Before Crowds

Yesterday, our team got the chance to scrimmage at halftime during Senior Night, probably in front of 500 people. For many, it was the largest crowd they've experienced. Performing before crowds demands exceptional focus. 

You've all seen the Hoosiers scene, where Coach Dale (Gene Hackman) measures the hoop and court, reminding the players that the court is the same as their Hickory (actually Milan, Indiana) gym. 

That's the first key...the game is on the court. Whatever happens in the stands or the press box is irrelevant. Your family and friends can't help you from the fifteenth row. Learn to play in the moment, "be here now." 

Nick Saban and a fellow coach were diagramming football plays in a Youngstown bar. An armed robber entered and held up the establishment. Saban and his fellow coach never even noticed. 

Laurence Gonzales wrote one of my favorite books, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. Gonzales writes, "It is not a lack of fear that separates elite performers from the rest of us. They’re afraid, too, but they’re not overwhelmed by it. They manage fear. They use it to focus on taking correct action."

Preparation, both physical and mental, inform our actions on the 'big stage.' Gonzales shares, “Choking is about thinking too much. Panic is about thinking too little.”

We're wired to respond viscerally during stress. But focus allows us to reorient nervousness into excitement. We can fear the moment or seize the opportunity. 

The Chinese word for crisis, fuses the symbols for danger and opportunity. Top performers harness the energy available from danger into transforming actions.

Panic situations arise in basketball when we forget our training or lose focus on the blend of what we're doing, an opponent's response, and the context of the situation (e.g. time and score). Practicing situations regularly habituates our responses during crisis (games). 

But what matters is consistency and action. 

Lagniappe: Is our process up to the task? Do we reap enduring benefits from practice and games. "Love your losses." 

At times, in coaching, 2 get the team's sincere attention, it takes an epic loss, rather than winning a close game, 4 players 2 re-focus. The team was winning, but not competing. A "diva" setback is a reminder, winning is hard.

— Gordon Chiesa (@gchiesaohmy) February 9, 2019

Basketball: Fast Five - Why Should We Care? Tell a Great Story.

Golfer Lee Trevino said, "Pressure is playing a five dollar Nassau with two dollars in your pocket." 

Sport helps us transcend the ordinary, to seize opportunity and become somebody. Our basketball emotions run from euphoria to despair.

Spencer Haywood had a tryout at the University of Detroit. The coach offered a scholarship if he sank fifteen consecutive free throws. The rest is history. 

This airport custodian became a Hall of Famer. 



The former janitor "cleaned up" the boards and is tied at fourteenth in NBA history with five NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. 

His maternal grandfather was executed during Armenian genocide. This Hall of Fame coach (2013) began as a California high school coach before moving on to junior college and Long Beach State. 

Legend has it that UCLA Coach John Wooden refused to schedule this coach's teams during the regular season. At the peak of the UCLA dynasty, his club lost to the Bruins in the 1971 West Regional final by two...after leading at halftime by twelve. He was offered the Lakers' job, but declined when he returned to Las Vegas and found his agent bound and shot in the trunk of a car. His UNLV teams went to four NCAA Final Fours and won the 1990 championship. Jerry Tarkanian was known for his teams' aggressive defense, the Amoeba defense, and his battles with the NCAA. 



At the 1972 Olympics, Doug Collins said the last song he heard coming out of the locker room was What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? Later, Collins made a pair of free throws before a devastating ending and a 51-50 US loss. 


During the peak of the Cold War, that foreshadowed the controversial US defeat by the Soviet Union, where referees allowed the winners multiple final second chances to win. The US team, to this day, refused to accept the silver medals. Several team members have clauses in their wills that descendants will never accept the medals. 

In his autobiography, this immigrant writes that administrators told the women's team in 1985 that they would get the best woman coach they could find. Players asked why they couldn't get the best coach? Since then his teams have won almost 500 conference games, over 1000 games, and 11 national titles. He literally has burn scars from sleeping too close to the fire as a child in Northern Italy. 

I've profiled some UCONN sets against Texas (2018) here. "The core beliefs that they have, have never changed." The talent and Geno Auriemma's coaching staff make UCONN a formidable team every year. 

Lagniappe: via @BBallImmersion

This action is usually run from a traditional Horns set up. Here it is moved off the top and a 2 side is created on the weak side. Great play design from Andy Enfield & USC basketball. pic.twitter.com/I079GS7lIX

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) February 8, 2019

Horns ball screen into screen-the-screener action...(pick and pick and pop)

Basketball: Performance Inspiration, Tips from USHER

MasterClass inspires. Here are notes from Chapter 3 (Gathering Inspiration) of Usher's MasterClass on Performing:

"Write in my journal...ideas that come to mind."

"Creativity...is all around you." 

"What's there before you is intended to be inspiration..."

"If you recognize that someone has a talent, be very clear...that they worked at it." 

"I want to have versatility like Stevie Wonder..."

(My observations:) See excellence in other people's craft, as in Jiro Dreams of Sushi or the remarkable documentary The Eagle Huntress. 

"There's so much inspiration around us...in conversations, books we read, movies we see..."

"Never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone...it only makes you better." 

"You have to live in this place that only you believe...and maybe only you see." 

Usher shares that Jackie Wilson was another inspiration for Michael Jackson: and as homework, he suggests studying and thinking about a performer...what they do to connect with you...

Lagniappe:

via @CoachLiamFlynn

Nice dynamic ball handling and passing drill here. Bucks guard @PlanetPat5 performs stationery dribbling moves at high intensity - coach moves around and asks for the pass with a visual or verbal cue. Pass comes straight off the bounce and must be accurate #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/lAYDmnCpyD

— Coach Liam Flynn (@coachliamflynn) February 4, 2019

Find time to work on individual skills and know how/whether you can apply them. 

Lagniappe 2: Offensively, freelance is good...as long as it includes core principles. Last night, with only eight girls at practice, we included 4 on 4 halfcourt with constraints...before taking a shot each possession, you needed to execute an off-ball screen or get the ball into the paint with two feet. 

Basketball: Understanding Others, Study Words and Actions

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

Ascribing intent to others chases a fool’s errand. That goes for management, coaches, and players. We generally say and do what will make the world look upon us favorably. Sometimes that makes us hypocrites. 

Dissatisfied with a coaching hire? We speculate about the back room politics, favors, horse trading, search parameters, competence, prejudices, and alternatives. We usually lack clarity on the process. But we’re insider or outsiders. 

Unhappy with coaching philosophy and game management? Again, do we know their origins, inspiration, and rationale? Do we have input? If we don’t then we’re spinning our wheels. Control what we can control.

Are you chafing at your minutes and role? Heed Kevin Eastman’s wisdom, “you own your paycheck.” Ask the coaches how you can contribute more to the team and what you can do to improve. 

In Usher’s MasterClass on performing, he recommends studying those who inspired those who inspire you. For example, he says that a James Brown and Jackie Wilson served as models for Michael Jackson. Usher uses many sources, from Stevie Wonder to Gene Kelly. Dean Smith mentored Michael Jordan. Studying Smith helps understand Jordan. 

Who inspired your favorite coaches? History has history. Concepts from John Wooden and Smith impacted my coach, Sonny Lane who prioritized multiple defenses and limiting turnovers. Wooden studied English at Purdue and Smith was a math major at Kansas. Both were socially conscious, enduring educators. 

We know that elite college hoop coaches are about winning not truth. "Pass the hair gel." 

Use coaches' words and actions as their standard. Coach Mike Krzyzewski says, "There is more than one way to run a business, and just appreciate the expertise of all the people doing it in these ways." On Krzyzewski's website, he writes, “In our program, the truth is the basis of all that we do. There is nothing more important than the truth because there’s nothing more powerful than the truth. Consequently, on our team, we always tell one another the truth. We must be honest with one another. There is no other way.” Dillon Brooks might disagree. 

Lagniappe:  Celtics Zone Defense against inbounds

Basketball: Rules, Study, and Solutions

Every day is a learning day. MasterClass inspires and challenges students.  

Author Neil Gaiman informs "rules" translatable into the coaching profession. We will never find shortcuts to success. 

1. You have to write (coach/practice). 

2. You have to finish what you write (develop a soup to nuts integrated program). 

3. You have to send it out to somebody who could publish it (compete/play the game).  

4. Refrain from rewriting except to editorial request (believe in and sign your work). 

5. When it comes back, send it out again (it won't always be pretty). 

6. Start the next thing (evolve).

Frustration and coaching are partners. Return to Michael Useem's BIG FOUR questions from The Leadership Moment. 

- What went well?
- What went poorly?
- What can we do differently? 
- What are the enduring lessons?

We have developed ways to generate more extended defensive pressure. While part of that is scheme-oriented, the bigger factor is improved conversion. Teams have to shrink the 'golden moment' between scoring and converting into aware and alert defense. That demands practice and repetition. 

"Failure" can be ingrained or a one-off (had a bad day). When players don't shorten the pass (come to the ball), aggressive defenses thrive. When teams "play the edge" they play into the defense's hands. 

Good spacing alone is insufficient. Above, note how the offense ineffectively plays two on five. Creating multiple actions includes combining paint touches and ball reversal. 

Against pressure, living on the edges includes dribbling into traps and lacking core skills like back-dribbling and crossovers (we started practice with that last night). 

"Movement kills defenses." 

'Stagnant' half court offense often includes poor spacing and/or lack of movement. Work on spread principles starting with 2 on 2 core actions (give-and-go, pick-and-roll, cut and pass - both face and back cuts). We set too many ball screens and too few off-ball screens. That reflects poor coaching. 

"Play like your hair's on fire." Not many teams are talented enough that they can just 'show up' and win. Similarly, there's no on-off switch to flip. Effort and mental engagement are non-negotiable. Maturing players learn how to play with force and block out distractions. 




There is no secret. Without effort and engagement, "odds are you won't live to see tomorrow" in the postseason. 

Lagniappe: Study how elite players use off-ball screens to separate.  

Basketball: Be a Sponge, 10 Dimensions

“Hubris was a crime in ancient Athens. To humiliate a defeated foe was a crime.” - Rick Pitino, The One-Day Contract: How to Add Value to Every Minute of Your Life

How can the upstart, young player or coach, smooth the path to success? 

1. Priorities. Focus on becoming our better version, improving every day. 

2. Mindset. "Invest time don't spend it." 

3. Culture and core values. Our core values are teamwork, improvement, and accountability. Players are accountable to each other. 

via @WindsorLRSD

4. Inversion. Use mental models. Charlie Munger's inversion examines the factors that will guarantee failure.  

5. Commitment. Commitment means not only discipline to do the work but also to stay the course. 

6. Mentoring. We derive experience and training from many around us. We share our experience with coworkers and trainees. Without leadership there is no team. Without followers there is no leadership. 

7. Curiosity. Innovators are curious. Leonardo was fascinated by the interplay of light and shadow (chiaroscuro), color, focus, perspective and more. His 'drapery' studies illustrate these principles. How are we exhibiting curiosity today? 

8. Organization. "Plan your trade. Trade your plan." Does everyone understand Commander's Intent? What should the 'end-state' look like and what intermediate stages are necessary to that achievement.

9. Lesson plans use learning principles like pomodoro (concentrated work in a defined time) and spaced repetition to reinforce learning.  

10. Reflect on progress and problems. Games remind us about problems and practice is the opportunity to correct them. Yesterday we continually dribbled into traps, struggled with awareness, violated spacing by "playing on the edges," didn't dominate 50-50 balls, and didn't get into early offense. Winning doesn't mean good basketball. Our first goal is playing well, allowing the score to take care of itself. 

I own the problems and we need to fix them together. 

Lagniappe: via @RadiusAthletics

Frame 1 - Getting depth, no width. Defense allowed to remain compact.
Frame 2 - Width + Depth pulls the defense apart pic.twitter.com/yyu7A27vIh

— Radius Athletics (@RadiusAthletics) February 3, 2019

Give yourself a chance to exploit dribble penetration and passing lanes. Simple principles make quality scoring chances a possibility. 

Basketball: Creating Your World

"Tell a great story. Tell it as best you can." - Neil Gaiman, MasterClass

Worldbuild. Bridge the gaps between imagination and reality to create a basketball experience.  

Define your world. Begone the Old World of grey lockers, Tuf-skin, tape balls, stale sweat, and rat tails. Welcome chiaroscuro in the New World. Contemporary order wears tights, earrings, and body spray...on the boys. In our perfect world princesses process into panthers. 

Simplicity works. Lombardi's 49/28 Sweep wreaked symphonic havoc on the 1960s NFL. Good guard play still translates. 

Urban Meyer's universe crossed the Rubiconian red line around the OSU football field. When you entered his world, you pledged maximum effort. For top performers to access the weight room, they brought a partner...by rule. Drag others into the top 10 percent. 

Construct constraints and rules. Players avoid pitfalls. Rules make reigns. "Pass away from the defender." "See the help defender." "Draw 2." "Eyes make layups." "Wait, wait, wait for the screen." "Attack the front foot." "Never cut to an occupied post." "Profit from mismatches." 




Beautify your world (see Jayson Tatum highlight at 0:14 of video) with precision and power. 

Make a lasting impression. My middle school world included a volleyball. If we lost sight of the basketball, whoomp, the volleyball magically appeared, a drone strike correcting our oversight. Cruel? We didn't think so. Don't try this at home. But awareness became the standard in our Pavlovian world. 




What inhabits your world? "What would people feel cheated by if they didn't get?" Want to see pressure, transition, halfcourt offense with skilled cutting, passing, and finishing. Don't flimflam fans with disorganization and poor execution. 

Fans deserve a world unpacked with poise and pressure, teamwork and toughness. At least that's the vision. 
 
Lagniappe: shape your magic kingdom.

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heav'n in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour." 
                - William Blake 

Lagniappe 2: via @BBallImmersion

Dayton turns a flex cut into a cross screen to get a low post the ball at the basket. It is a great add-on to a flex screen play you already run, or as a stand alone play to get the ball to a low post. pic.twitter.com/yFQxfzHTjA

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) February 2, 2019

Dynamic DHO distracts into innovative screening. 

Basketball: Blindspots, Personal Coaching Reminders

Coaches make mistakes. We all do. It's inevitable as we make a firehose of decisions. We select the wrong player, don't develop an individual or team as well as possible, show poor body language, fail at self-control, neglect our families, and more. Stop and think. 

Better coaches make better decisions. We coach great kids, smart, enthusiastic, hard-working players who want to improve. Who wouldn't want to be part of that? 

Where do I need restraint? I'm sure more ways belong. 

1. Mission creep ensues, a gradual change in objectives. Prioritize development, prepare young girls to play high school basketball through skill development and game understanding. Imperceptibly, competition and wanting to win affects decisions. Better becomes an enemy of good. 


 
2. KISS off. Keep it simple, stupid. Put young players in a position to succeed. Fight the constant battle to install "a little more." We have two presses, full court man with entry denial (hawk) and 1-2-1-1 (eagle). I cut my teeth on the 2-2-1 and run-and-jump, but limited practice time, player illnesses, and the reality of "do more with less" keep echoing. 

Basic spread actions. 

Horns pick-and-roll and slip, run to either side. 

Horns 45 combination actions.

Horns back screen. 

Cross-screen mismatch generator against switch-everything. 

Iverson staggered screen actions. 

Even a limited number of actions always ends up being too many. In my dreams, I see DHO actions, Spain PnR, staggered screens, legions of backdoor plays...enough! 

3. Control control. Where's the balance between freedom and control? The "prettiest basketball" comes from spontaneous multiple actions where players find opportunity and execute. Do "lines on the page" make writing better or just illusion? How often, how many, and when are set plays necessary? Remind me to control...control. 

4. Is practice 'right'? What's the best allocation of practice time to fundamentals, offense, defense, conversion, special situations? The more I've coached, the greater the imbalance toward offense occurs. We've won 17 of our last 20 league games over the past  two years...proving what? Not much.  


5. "Pleased but not satisfied." Don't let it become an obsession. If it's never enough, that's too much. Remember, these are kids. To be your best, think about playing basketball not working basketball. 

6. Bad body language. The other "Coach K" holds our clipboard. That prevents clipboard abuse. Abusing inanimate objects teaches everyone the wrong lessons about self-control. 

7. Time out. Double entendre. You can't save timeouts for Christmas presents or next season. Similarly, time not used to sleep, to exercise, to eat right, and to invest in our better versions is time ill spent. 

8. "Never be a child's last coach."  Remember, teach players to see the game, to love the game, to care about each other. 

Lagniappe: R-E-S-P-E-C-T the game by always respecting others. 

Respect, @mrvincecarter15 ❤️#ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/bmnnHsNlCj

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 2, 2019

Basketball: Angels and Demons

"You don't have a lot
But it's all that you've got
And you can turn it into more than it seems
Just give it a shot
Fantasize every movement
And imagine every inch of your dreams." - Meatloaf

The twelve year-old girl was leaving in her softball uniform. "You're going out to play softball." "NO, Daddy, I'm going out to win." She understood the distinction between playing and winning. 

Education changes behavior. Learning how to play and playing to win aren't the same. The value from winning derives from its difficulty. Emotionally low cost wins have less value. 

Character and dialogue aren't identical, but author Neil Gaiman says that our conversations say much about us. What do coaches emphasize and repeat? Say what you believe. Character and coaching become inseparable. Authentic beliefs, attitudes, and values transfer. In "10 Minute Toughness" Jason Selk defines this by training his clients using an identity statement (this is who I am) and a performance statement (this is how I play). 

"Explode to the basket." 

"Play with force." 

"Space, cut, and pass." 

"Value the ball." 

"It's not who starts that matters, it's who finishes." 

"Are we going to stand around or are we going to fight?" 

"Play for the girl next to you." 

"No middle, no paint."

Coaches change lives when telling players, "I believe in you" and players embrace that becoming belief...street angels and court demons. 

Lagniappe: via Medium.com 

Understanding spacing and reading cutters is essential to creating high quality opportunities. This Basketball Bits article has illustrative video.