For a youth team, which option for cutting to the ball do you think is the simplest to teach first: the hand-off, setting a ball screen, rim running, something else?

Not sure. Never taught a youth team to go TO the ball, usually focus on the opposite because young kids usually have horrible spacing and tend to swarm towards the ball.

Maybe if you can give us context of the offense, age level, experience level, what they do now, etc, then we can give better advice.

I agree Jeff, I would think that cutting to the ball would be the last thing you would want them to do. I've seen enough of that lately in some youth games.... next thing you know there are 6 people in a small area....

When you are cutting, cut with a purpose, cut to the basket to score. Pass, cut to the basket and fill a spot away.

Let me give a little more context. First, I'm a huge believer in the 5 out motion offense. I think it's great for teaching the basic fundamentals of man-man offense. I have been working with 5th/6th grade girls for a few years and just last year started implementing the basics of this offense. I have the Lason Perkins, Bob Huggins and Jerry P videos and find them all very good.

In the Huggins video he reviews the pass and cut, pass and screen away and pass and cut to the ball options. His pass and cut to the ball options emphasize hand-offs more than screens, at least that's the case in this video.

My original question had more to do with what is the appropriate progression for teaching youth the 5 out motion if you want to include pass and screen away and pass and cut to the ball options. You may be correct--maybe it's not a good age to teach pass and cut to the ball. Perhaps it is better to just stick with pass and cut and pass and screen away. Anyway, my question had more to do with age appropriate learning than anything else. That's half the challenge in youth coaching--giving them something that they can grasp.
Thanks!

You and I are on the same page, I ran a lot of 5 out motion with my varsity teams... opposing teams hated us LOL

You are working with younger players and the simpler you make this the more they can just play... if they have to think too much, the feet get slower.

We never cut to the ball because it just gives the defense a better opportunity to trap and thats the last thing I wanted. I was you, I would start with pass and cut... you can always add the screen away later... it could be a surprise weapon.

Good luck

That makes sense. The real challenge in coaching this age group is keeping it simple and adapting what you teach to what they are capable of learning. I find, for example, that girls of this age have a hard time reading and reacting to defense. They just don't get, 'back cut when your defensive player crosses the 3 point line.' This can make teaching the motion hard at times. It would be great to talk with other coaches who implement this system at this age group to see how they teach it and in what progression. Seeing what works for others would be a great help. So, there's my idea for the next Breakthrough bball book: "Progressions in the Open Post Offense for Youth Coaches".

Thanks again.

Can they perform the 5 out motion offense effectively with just pass and cuts? Are the cuts hard and are they really trying to cross their defensive player's face to get open or just running to a spot? Do all of them understand how to fill? If you've got that down, then I'd start to add a screen in the mix.

What I find is most teams kind of get down the 5 out motion pass and cut, and then introduce other aspects too soon. I've yet to see a 7th grade team that can run that offense with any kind of consistency or effectiveness (mine included).

Those backcuts seem obvious to us, but for some reason, kids forget they have that option. One thing that helped us is moving out wider to create more space on the court. Something clicked with the wings at that point and they could see an open pathway to the basket.

You know how it goes, everything looks great on paper.

Hi Rob,

The answer to your questions is, 'no'. We are working on all the things you mentioned. And based on last year's team, I doubt they will be able to run a basic pass and cut 5 out motion by the end of the season (it's a parks and rec league with two practices/week and all get the same amount of playing time). Some girls probably are capable of picking it up, reading the defense and running the offense; others are not. And in game situations, it's typically worse.

Your question highlights the tension that I face as coach: teaching the basic fundamentals (spacing, passing and cutting, cutting hard, looking to the cutting person, using pivot foot, making good passes, etc.), to girls who at this age grasp at different levels and at different rates. Since we have so little time to practice and it's a short season, I want to focus on what's most effective for them to learn. We do lot's of drills, passing, cutting, pivoting, spacing. I think of it as putting in building blocks (teaching a how to make a good pass, how to pivot, how to v cut, etc) and then slowly put it all together into an offense. It's a learning process, as you know--for the girls AND the coach.

We spend a lot of time on defense as well, learning how to defend man-man, learning how to help, rebounding, etc. Games are won here--with defense. It's a big emphasis for me. I want to be an effective offensive coach as well, though.

Hi Rob,

The answer to your questions is, 'no'. We are working on all the things you mentioned. And based on last year's team, I doubt they will be able to run a basic pass and cut 5 out motion by the end of the season (it's a parks and rec league with two practices/week and all get the same amount of playing time). Some girls probably are capable of picking it up, reading the defense and running the offense; others are not. And in game situations, it's typically worse.

Your question highlights the tension that I face as coach: teaching the basic fundamentals (spacing, passing and cutting, cutting hard, looking to the cutting person, using pivot foot, making good passes, etc.), to girls who at this age grasp at different levels and at different rates. Since we have so little time to practice and it's a short season, I want to focus on what's most effective for them to learn. We do lot's of drills, passing, cutting, pivoting, spacing. I think of it as putting in building blocks (teaching a how to make a good pass, how to pivot, how to v cut, etc) and then slowly put it all together into an offense. It's a learning process, as you know--for the girls AND the coach.

We spend a lot of time on defense as well, learning how to defend man-man, learning how to help, rebounding, etc. Games are won here--with defense. It's a big emphasis for me. I want to be an effective offensive coach as well, though.

If your players are having a hard time reading the defense.... run a drill for back door cuts.... some might pick this up and others.... well, they are young.... do the best you can.

Stick with the basics.