I have a confession to make. . . When I started coaching in 2005, I was a hoarder.

No, not that type of hoarder. A drill hoarder!

My intentions were good. I was new to coaching and wanted to learn everything I could.

I stored all these drills in a Word document. I still have the document. By the time I was “cured,” I had hundreds of drills typed out.

When I got a new drill, I couldn’t wait to try it out with my team. There were some benefits to this. I found some great drills. I learned new teaching methods. I also learned some things that don’t work.

However, there were some real drawbacks, too. I was consistently spending significant practice time teaching and explaining new drills.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I believed there was a magic drill out there that would fix my team’s issues.

If there is one, I still haven’t found it 20 years later. Chances are, you haven’t either.

That’s because the answer isn’t in the drill. . . it’s in the teaching. The truth is, you need very few drills. We’ve talked before about the power of platform drills.

Platform drills are drills that you use frequently in practice. They can be easily adjusted with constraints to shift the focus.

You need to be able to teach your team in a way that addresses their current needs..

And that’s where the constraints-led approach (CLA) comes in.

Why Constraints>Drills When It Comes To Team & Player Development

The CLA attempts to develop players who can think and adapt. Rather than prescribing a “right” way of doing things in advance, players are put in game-like situations that challenge them to find solutions that will work in competition.

Within those situations, you create constraints (or rules) that attempt to bring out the skills you want to see.

That’s especially huge at the youth level. Allowing players to experiment is a crucial part of learning. It also empowers them to lead their own learning down the road.

Why The CLA Isn’t Simply “Rolling The Balls Out”

Some think the CLA removes coaching. It’s actually the opposite. It’s a highly detailed and thought out way of coaching that follows a 3 step process:

1. Identify the skill or concept you are seeking to develop - this could be better finishing, better shot selection, improved communication, etc.

2. Choose or design constraints that put players in situations to use that skill - for example, if you wanted to work on finishing, you might start 1v1 drills with the defender on the side of the offensive player. That should allow the offensive player to get to the rim where they have to finish against defense.

3. Adjust based on what you see - the true art of the CLA comes from the way you adjust. If putting the defender on the player’s side is not producing the results you want, change the positioning. Evaluate in real time and change the constraints to produce your desired results.

Constraints apply to both individuals and teams.

For example…

• In a finishing drill, you might require a player who always finishes with their strong hand to finish only with their weak hand.

• In a team offense drill, you might require a paint touch before a shot.

Using constraints allows you to continually use the same drill, but to tweak it in different ways based upon the needs of your team.

That makes your practices more efficient. It leads to your players spending more time doing and less time standing around.

It also ensures that you are truly focusing on the skill or technique that you want to address.

7 Powerful Benefits Of The CLA

Coach Dave Lepisto is an expert on the constraints-led approach & creator of CLA Youth Basketball Drills With Dave Lepisto. He used it to develop a state championship program in Wisconsin at Kimberly high school.

He starts using the CLA with players as young as kindergarten and continues with it through 12th grade.

He’s found the following benefits from using it in his program:

• Players learn to self-organize

• Players learn to problem solve

• Players learn to play (not just run plays)

• Players become more creative

• Players are willing to take risks

• Players have less fear of failure

• Players can adapt to any situation

What Can The CLA Do For Your Team? 5 On Court Improvements Your Team Will See

As noted above, there are numerous benefits to using the CLA. But what do those benefits mean in terms of your team’s performance on the court?

A lot! If you apply the teachings of Coach Lepisto, your team will:

• Commit significantly fewer turnovers as a result of better footwork, spacing, & passing.

• Finish better as a result of constraints the develop multiple finishing solutions that allow players to convert in all types of situations.

• Have better shot selection from playing on balance, understanding space, and generating bigger advantages.

• See increased athleticism through the use of constraints that challenge players to move in multiple planes in game-like situations.

• Have improved offense through an understanding of spacing concepts like “headlights & taillights” & “chill before you fill.”

The CLA In Action: Finding The Gold In Fiba 3x3

FIBA 3x3 is a great platform drill.

• It teaches players to make quick decisions

• It teaches players how to create and keep advantages

• It’s great for communication & conditioning

Coach Lepsito uses it with his youth program. As you can see in the video below, he explains the drill and gets his players playing.

Then he adds a constraint. He tells them they must reverse the ball before a shot.

This simple rule helps solve one of the biggest problems in youth basketball - the ball getting stuck on 1 side of the floor.

When you watch youth games, the ball is almost never reversed. It usually gets passed or dribbled to 1 side (almost always the right side) and stays there the entire possession.

This leads to poor spacing and easy defensive rotations. Of course, Coach Lepisto could just tell them this.

However, by adding this simple constraint to the drill, Coach Lepisto gives his players an opportunity to discover the benefits of reversing the ball for themselves. That’s the type of learning that sticks!

(This is just 1 of 4 constraints Coach Lepisto demonstrates during the FIBA 3x3 drill to address common offensive problems. To see the others, be sure to check out CLA Youth Basketball With Dave Lepisto)

Constrain Today, Unleash Tomorrow

In coaching, we should constrain both ourselves & our players. We constrain ourselves by not feeling FOMO & chasing every drill or play that’s out there.

With our players & teams, we constrain them to help them improve and turn weaknesses into strengths.

When we do those 2 things, we create players with clarity, confidence, and creativity. And that adds up to continued development and on-court success!

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