MOTION PROBLEMS

Coach,

I'm in my first season as head coach. I am teaching motion to our players, as you know very difficult to do. We have come a long way since last spring, but still I find us doing a few things that we need to get better on: 1- playing way too fast; 2-not waiting for screens; 3-not looking at their man to read the defense (we want to watch the ball).

We do pretty well at 2 on 2 drills, but when we go 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 and definitely when we play open gym, the pace goes way too fast for them to make correct reads.

Any quick suggestions you could send my way would be appreciated.

My reply:

Dear Coach:

Your problems with motion are extremely common -- even on the collegiate level.

1. Playing too fast

We make our receivers hold the ball for a 2 count and if we are playing too fast in practice we make them count it out loud

We tell our players we have three rules for the cutter.

Rule #1 is "wait"...Rule #2 is "wait"...Rule #3 is "wait."

Restrictions is another way to help. If in playing too fast you are missing the screen the passer action (because you are reversing the ball) then we will add the restriction that you can only score off a screen the passer action. We do the same thing when we don't reverse the ball enough. We will tell them they must reverse the ball twice before a jump shot. In all restriction drills we never take away the dribble.

2. Not waiting for screens

We have our cutters hesitate at the screen to read the defender and this helps them to wait...still we will have a few that want to "hurry" before the screen is set. For repeat defenders, we will add a penalty of a sprint if they can't concentrate long enough for the screener to get set.

We will also play 4/4 or 5/5 and keep score by something other than points. For instance, we might play 4/4 and give a point for each good screen. Of course this must mean the screener sprints to screen and has the proper angle and the cutter must set up the defender and use it properly before we will give them a point. Play to 15 points or a set time and losers run. Putting a point value on a good screen and cut (along with running for losing) will greatly help their concentration level!

3. Watching the ball

Most difficult thing to teach offensive players on any level is to read the defender and not worry about the basketball...we tell our players to read the defense properly and "the ball will find you."

We do a lot of cutting/screening drills early without the ball. For instance, we might do 2/1 or 2/2 Down Screening and lay the ball on the court at the opposite wing. We want them to execute the down screen, the cut, and the screeners 2nd cut.

We will also work on this 1/0 in shooting drills. We will have a coach as a passer and a player as a cutter. We will use a chair as a screen. We will place a coach on the baseline below the chair and as the player nears the screen (chair), she must turn and look at the coach on the baseline who will be holding up fingers...1 finger = curl cut, 2 fingers = straight cut, 3 fingers = flair, and 4 fingers = back cut. We also demand our players to always verbally call out their cuts in every drill that we do.

Hope this helps!