During my daughter’s 4th grade basketball game last weekend, one player picked up her dribble around the elbow.

She pivoted to protect the ball. As if on cue, 3 of her teammates sprinted to her. They all reached out to take the ball out of her hands. Of course, their defenders were with them, too.

This resulted in 8 players being within about 2 feet of the ball. It looked more like a rugby scrum than a basketball game.

Unfortunately, that’s not a unique situation. It happens all the time in youth basketball.

Teaching spacing is hard at all levels, but especially at the youth level.

To think you’ll run an offense that maintains proper spacing throughout possessions is probably unrealistic. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t start planting seeds about spacing.

With that in mind, let’s look at one question that will help fix bad spacing, no matter what you’re trying to do offensively.

Does Your Teammate Need Space Or Support?

When you get into a situation where your spacing is bad, stop and ask that question.

Most players don’t even think about what their teammate needs. They are usually more concerned with what they are trying to do.

However, to function properly as a team, they need to start considering this question.

Let’s look at both sides of this question. . .

When To Give Your Teammate Space

Space is generally preferable in the following situations:

• When a teammate first catches the ball 

• When a player has a mismatch

• When a player has a live dribble 

Those are scenarios where a player is a threat to create an advantage, either for themselves or for a teammate. They need space to do so. If they start to drive and a player cuts right into their drive, the advantage disappears.

To put it simply - players generally need space when they first get the ball.

When To Provide Support

If space is preferable when players first get the ball, support becomes more necessary the longer they have it.

Here are some of those situations:

• When a player has used their dribble

• When a player is on the bad end of a mismatch - a post player being pressured by a guard on the perimeter 

• When a player is being trapped

In those situations, a player needs support. (Not the type of support I mentioned at the beginning of the article - that’s too much support!).

Standing 40 feet away from someone who’s trapped calling for the ball doesn't do much good. In that case, your players need to make themselves more available to the ball.

1 Drill To Help Players Develop The Space V Support Instinct

Once you start talking to players about space v support, you’ll need to practice it.

4v4 2 Dribbles from The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber is a great way to do so.

Players have 2 dribbles every time they catch the ball. This enables them to attack. When they do, teammates should recognize that and give space.

However, once the 2 dribbles are used up, support becomes necessary. 

If you use this drill regularly, players will start to recognize which situations call for which answer.

Why Questions Should Be A Big Part Of Your Coaching

You have the answers (at least most of them). But that doesn’t mean you should just give them to your players.

Using questions is a great way to teach. It shows what your players know. It forces them to think. It gives them mental frameworks to evaluate situations.

When you’re tempted to leap in and tell players the solution, start by asking questions first.

Your players will learn more effectively this way, and you’ll learn more about them. It’s a win-win!

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