OFF-SEASON THOUGHTS -- DAY #5: WHAT IS YOUR EMPHASIS IN OFF-SEASON PICK UP GAMES?

OFF-SEASON THOUGHTS -- DAY #5: During this 10-day period, we are going to load up our blog on thoughts that are relevant to developing or improving your off-season program.  We will delve on off-season topics from player development and drill work to motivation and team building.  It will be our sincere wish that over the next 10 days we can provide you with at least one item or thought that will help you and your program.

A key part of off-season development is pick up games.  Most coaches are great to organize their pick up games by scheduling the gym time for the team.  Maybe even helping establish teams.  However, what can you to maximize the time spent by your team when they are playing without your watchful eye upon them?

A great example below are some guidelines that Rick Majerus shared with us one summer while speaking at Coach Don Meyer's Coaching Academy.  He obviously wanted to stress to his team pressure defense over the summer and these are the defensive guidelines he asked them to follow.  He was also quick to point out that if he his team worked to apply this pressure on defense in pick up games, not only would it improve their defense but force their offense to play against pressure in the summer as well

1. Deny every pass & get back-doored every time = Overplay, ear in chest, on & up the line
2. On catch, put your nose on the chest, force dribble, and level him off.
3. Stance = On ball, Denial, Help.
4. Front the Post = At all times when ball is outside of the funnel
5. Close out to everybody as though they are a great shooter = no jump shots
     a. Get a nose in their chest & force baseline without opening the game

 

What are you going to ask of your team when they are playing this summer?