Good day all. You may not remember me but a few of you great coaches helped me thru a rough time with my 6th grader's AAU organization and all the shenanigan's that entails. I know I will need to get my kid involved with some organization unless I can find to do it myself. I soooooo want it to be about the kid's learning the game the right way and not only about the coaches want to be viewed as "winners" merely by getting the best kids (of which 80% seems to be kids who are one to two years older than the others thru Being held back and/or reclassified).

To that note I was hoping to get more info on this new video series "Attack and Counter". To be honest just pumping money into someone's videos can be folly. I mean there are so many that claim to be "the answer" that I honestly get a little overwhelmed. I've posted in this forum numerous times and have found all the comments to be helpful, honest and "about the kids". That's why I would like to ask for more of your input now before I purchase the videos. Here are a few of my questions/concerns:

1. Is the info/system inline or compatible with the Motion Offense?
2. Its seems like an awful lot of information, can it be taught easily?
3. What age group(s) is it recommended for?
4. Does it cover defense?

I'm sure I have others but they're the ones that come to mind. I greatly look forward to any and all input.

Thanks

Michael Brown
Newark, DE

Michael,

I know what you're saying. They all claim to be “the answer” and it can be tough to know what to invest in. I'll answer your questions and then give you my opinion.

"1. Is the info/system inline or compatible with the Motion Offense?"

Yes, most definitely. I personally use motion offense and many of the drills and techniques taught in the Attack and Counter System. If you need further explanation, let me know.

"2. Its seems like an awful lot of information, can it be taught easily?"

Yes and no. The basis of it is simple. But it's not something you do all at once. Like anything it's a process and a progression of improvement. You start with footwork taught in chapter 1... learning the terminology and proper footwork. With 3rd graders I only teach 4 pivots shown. With 4th graders I add one more pivot. And with 5th graders I teach all the footwork.

Then once they get it you can incorporate the footwork in other situations as explained in the DVDs.

Then there are lots of drills for you to choose from. You won't use all of them... just choose what you like and fits your needs.

"3. What age group(s) is it recommended for?"

Hopefully my response above answers that question. I use the system with my youth teams and high school teams.

"4. Does it cover defense?"

No, it does not cover defense. It’s all about offensive skill and player development.


Lastly, I'll give you my two cents. My philosophy as a coach is to focus on learning as much as I can about player development. So I try to get my hands on any product about skill / player development that I can. I think learning from different coaches is great and this is a never ending process of learning.

So in this case, I think it's worth the investment for any coach because it's all about player development... which in my mind is more important than anything else (other than teaching life lessons and just being a positive person in players lives).

If you can develop great players that can shoot, dribble, make decisions, create shots, make plays, finish at the basket, get open, etc.... you're gonna have a good team no matter what offense you run. Not to mention, it's just seem like the right thing to do... focus on developing the players and putting their best interests first.

The Attack & Counter System won't solve all your problems. But it is any excellent system and an excellent product on how to develop players. I recommend it and definitely believe it's the step in the right direction for any coach.

If you have questions, let us know. Don Kelbick, myself, and other excellent coaches are always here to help when needed.

Thanks so much Coach I appreciate it very much. I am in 100% agreement with your point of view and will be getting the package. All I want is for kids to learn the fundamentals of the game at an early age, that way they will have a strong foundation from which to build upon with whatever level of athleticism they grow into. I would love to have my own program where development is the primary focus and no kid who truly wants to learn gets left out... I'm just sick of the best players (often not even best players really it's the best athletes) get all the attentions and benefit of the doubt and the rest are being cast to the side (I'm speaking of young middle school age kids). The only thing worse is Daddy-ball and that's pervasive also. Don't mean to sound bitter but it breaks my heart to see young kids just sitting on the bench for 90% of the game time when the other players are permitted to play and make any and all mistakes. Tho my own kid worked hard and earned significantly more playing time it still is hard for me to watch any kid who work hard in practice but reap few of the benefits during the games... anyone's kid.

Anyhoo, thanks again and I look forward to learning more and more from the people and products from this site!

Michael