My daughter’s 4th grade team had a great year. Tremendous improvement, lots of fun, and lots of life lessons learned…
And even though winning is not a measurement of a successful season, or good youth coaching for that matter, we did win lots of games and tournaments without taking any shortcuts and by doing things “the right way”!
I thought I’d share what we did this year. Maybe it will help you and your team.
Before getting started, read this post if you’re interested to see what we did with this exact same team last year as 3rd graders.
Here’s what we did with our 4th grade basketball team this year…
Motion Offense
We ran a 5 out motion offense giving players lots of freedom. I’m very happy with this offense because it’s a very simple and versatile offense that allows us to develop skills and teach fundamentals effectively.
Using the 5 out offense, we can teach all of the following offensive fundamentals that I think are important…
- Spacing fundamentals
- Cutting fundamentals
- Away screen fundamentals
- Back screen fundamentals
- Ball screen fundamentals
- Dribble drive fundamentals
- Perimeter play
- Post play
- Rebounding
This year we primarily focused on spacing, giving players freedom to be creative, dribble drive, cutting fundamentals, rebounding, reading the defense when one-pass away, and a little bit of screening.
Next year we’ll incorporate more away screens, maybe some ball screens, and maybe some post play. It will all depend on how quickly the players learn.
The good news is there is no limit to the offense and we can continue building it in layers. And it’s all based on “fundamentals” versus memorizing plays, reads, or continuities.
I also like that the positions are interchangeable so all the players learn all positions. The last thing I want to do is pigeonhole players into post, forward, or point guard positions.
Motion Offense Rules
Here are the rules for our motion offense. As mentioned above, we do not incorporate or emphasize all the options yet. That will take several years. But from a big picture standpoint, these are the rules.
- Maintain good spacing (12-15ft) by filling 5 perimeter spots.
- Always fill the spot closest to the ball.
- After you pass the ball you can basket cut, screen away, or go to the ball (ball screen).
- On pass to the post, always cut and fill opposite. Keep good spacing (ex: if player in low post, cut to elbow and then fill opposite corner).
- If you are overplayed when one pass away, back door cut.
- If you are underplayed (sagging defense) when pass away, pop out.
- After you basket cut you can either clear to an open corner spot, post up (seal and pin), or back screen.
- Look to reversal the ball when you catch at top.
- If the ball is dribbled at you, back cut.
- On dribble penetration, players off the ball need to move, maintain spacing, open passing windows, and then fill the open “5 out spots”.
- Fill rebounding spots on every shot. Priority is weakside block, then front of rim, and then strong side block. 2 other players are back near “guard spots”.
Zone Offense – Adjustments
Here are some adjustments to make to the 5 out offense when facing zone defense.
We did not incorporate any of these adjustments this year (we just “let them play” the few times we saw zone). But in years to come these are the adjustments we will make.
- Move corner spots in to the short corner.
- After you cut, hook back and look for the ball in a gap (for a 2 count).
- If ball goes to the middle, look to score or get the ball to short corner players
- If ball goes to short corner, top player should dive
- Players inside should find gaps and seal defender
- Short corner players can play behind the zone and flash cut to gaps (2 seconds).
Inbounds Plays
We ran one inbounds play called “box”. We never practiced the play. I just told players to get in a box and then get open. Sometimes I hollered at them to “set good screens” while they set up the play during games.
They had to figure out the rest on their own. By the end of the season, most of them would set “up screens”. However some of the players would just cut and others would set cross screens.
They rarely had trouble getting the ball inbounds. I can only remember one 5-second violation (although there were probably a couple others that I’m forgetting).
We scored quite a few baskets off the play (although it was often due to poor defense).
All in all I’m happy that we spent NO practice time on this play and it was very effective for us.
Half Court Plays
We toyed with a couple quick-hitter entry plays to initiate our offense but never used them and settled on just ONE half-court play called low.
It’s incredibly simple and we ONLY use it when we really need a bucket or at the end of the half/game.
Low worked great because we have a bunch of players on the team that can beat their defenders in 1on1 situations.
For the entire season, we spent a grand total of about 15 minutes in practice learning this play. It only takes a couple reps to learn and is incredibly easy. It’s for special situations only.
But I really like this play because I think it’s a waste of time to teach youth players to run set plays and spend hours of practice time getting them to memorize the movements.
Defense
We ran all man to man (player to player) defense. We applied a few basic guidelines to simplify the teaching process.
Our primary rule was…
“Keep the ball as far from the basket as possible (no lay ups, drives into the lane, or passes into the lane). “
That was the primary concept that we emphasized. Then other defensive concepts and lessons were taught with that in mind.
And quite often, players had to interpret what to do and learn by trial and error. For example…. a player just drove all the way to the basket. I might ask… “How did that happen? Who could have stopped that from happening?”
Then they start figuring out how to solve problems on their own and figure out better positioning and tactics.
Here are a few other defensive concepts we emphasized:
- Always pressure the ball. When on the ball, you should be close enough to easily touch the player.
- If you have a chance to steal the ball without letting them score, do it. Be aggressive.
- If the offense shows the ball, grab it with two hands.
- Get on the floor for loose balls.
- Always see the player you are guarding and the ball.
- Stay half way between the players you are guarding and the ball. The only exceptions are when you are guarding the ball or guarding someone in the post area.
- Hand in the passing lane when one-pass-away.
- ¾ front the post.
- Deny all cuts to the ball and passes near the basket.
- Communicate every single time down the court. Call out the numbers and point to the player you are guarding.
- Call out “ball” every time you close-out so teammates know who you’re guarding.
Lastly, we always double-teamed the ball when it went into the post and worked hard to dig the ball out.
We have a very short team and we were at a disadvantage in every game we played. Our opponents towered over us and once the ball was inside they could shoot over us with ease. So we quickly double-teamed and dug it out every time. This was a critical adjustment that allowed us to compete.
Our defense was a major strength and key to winning games. We have a very scrappy team.
We spent about 15 minutes per practice on shell drill or various defensive drills. The rest of the teaching was on context of scrimmages, games, or offensive skill drills.
Core Values
Here are the core values that guide our coaching and what we try to emphasize in every practice…
1. Hard working
– Effort
– Do more than what is expected of you. Try harder.
– Prepare (sharpen the saw) – enhance skills every day.
– Be proactive.
– Be passionate – don’t be lukewarm, commit to excellence.
2. Resilient
– Never give up and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
– Never say the word can’t. No excuses.
– Maintain a positive attitude at all times.
3. Selfless
– Help others.
– Make teammates better, lead by giving.
– Be a great friend.
4. Honest
– Be someone that can be trusted and relied upon.
– Be responsible. Do all you have agreed to do.
5. Grateful
– Have an attitude of gratitude – say “Thank You”.
– Be grateful and thankful for what you have.
– Enjoy practices and the process.
6. Kind
– Be caring and thoughtful in everything you do.
– Be respectful.
– Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
Our core values are arguably the most important aspect of coaching. It’s a challenge to constantly keep them in mind and make them part of your team’s DNA. So I include our core values on every practice plan.
We also try to incorporate our core values both on and off the court.
As an example, to “help others” off the court, our team volunteered to ring the bells to raise money for Salvation Army. We organized groups and went to the local grocery store to ring the bell during our shift. It was a good experience for everyone involved.
Listening Skills
I should also mention that we emphasize “listening” from day 1.
Our rule was… “when a coach is talking, your eyes are on the coach and you listen carefully”.
We were sticklers about this rule. We had tons of fun. But listening was a requirement and important skill we focused on constantly.
I can’t imagine coaching youth players without this rule.
Fundamental Skills
The majority of our time is spent on player development and improving fundamental skills.
The primary skills we have focused on include:
Dribbling
- Beat defenders in closed space (1on1)
- Beat defenders in open court (1on1)
- Handle double teams (1v2)
- Dribble with eyes up
- Change of direction moves
- Change of speed (pace)
- Retreat dribble
Passing
- Chest, overhead, and bounce passes
- Passing to open players (decision making)
- Passing off the dribble
- Meeting your pass
Footwork
- Front, reverse, step through, sweep, and drop step
- Combining pivots
- Jump stops
Ball security
- Protecting the ball when in triple threat and defender is close. Use footwork and keep the ball out of the middle (rip low below the knees or high above the head).
- Control dribble and protecting the ball when dribbling.
Defense
- On ball defense and agility
- Helping each other
- Communication
Spacing
- Maintaining good spacing as the ball and other players move (string spacing).
- Creating good passing angles (opening windows).
Cutting
- Basket cuts
- Flash cuts
- Elusiveness (playing tag)
- Changing speeds
- Quick change of direction (no rounding corners)
- Read defense when one pass away
- Cutting when defender turns head
Screening
- Back screen concepts
- Screen away, curl cut and pop
- Setting up screens
- Creating good angles
- Cutting shoulder to shoulder
- Recognizing screening opportunities
Lay ups
- Basic lay ups
- Jumping off left or right foot on either side of the basket (eliminating the extra step)
- Left hand coordination and strength
- Contested lay ups
Basic shooting form
- Left and right hand form shooting
- Stance, grip, getting set
- Hold follow through
- Back spin
- Getting the ball to roll off fingers the same way every time and in a straight line.
We did not spend much time on shooting… just basic form. Our players are not strong enough or ready for a lot of shooting practice or instruction yet.
Emphasis on Ballhandling
We spend a lot of time on all aspects of ballhandling. I think that is step one for young players.
This includes dribbling concepts, passing, decision-making, and even footwork (for ball security).
My goal is for all 10 players on the team to have very strong point guard skills. I want them all to be able to beat double teams, beat their defenders off the dribble, make good passes, and so on.
As a result, ballhandling is a big strength for us.
Practices
We practice twice a week. Each practice lasted 90 minutes. We started practicing around November 1st and had our last practice towards the end of February.
We also offer some occasional skills camps and small group training in the summer/fall. However we take the spring completely off and encourage our kids to play in other sports through out the year.
In fact every player on our team plays soccer. Soccer has helped our players tremendously with foot coordination, agility, spatial awareness, decision making on the court (passing, spacing, etc), and more. There is a ton of overlap and universal concepts that apply to soccer and basketball.
I think kids should be playing several sports seasonally so they develop into well-rounded athletes, avoid burn out, and so on. That is something I highly recommend.
Some great sports for developing athleticism and coordination include soccer, swimming, gymnastics, martial arts, and small sided flag football.
Combo Drills
90% of our practice time consists of skill development.
In most cases we use combo drills to improve efficiency.
Don’t get me wrong. When needed, we’ll break down isolated skills. And sometimes we review certain fundamentals. But for the most part we use “game based learning” (see below) and combo drills to develop skills.
To teach offense, we take a piece of the offense and turn it into a skill drill. We have drills where we practice face cuts, passing, and lay ups at the same time.
So we spend very little time practicing our offense. The majority of practice time is spent on fundamental skills and combo drills that incorporate pieces of our offense.
Small Sided Games and Game Based Learning
We use LOTS of small-sided games and use “game based learning” in practices. This is a fun and effective way to develop skills.
I’d say at least 50% of our practices consist of game based learning.
Games can include 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 5v5, 1v2, 2v1,2v3,3v2, etc. Then we adjust rules, boundaries, and so on to emphasize certain skills.
As an example, if I want to practice beating defenders 1on1 in the open court, we might use the High Five 1on1 Drill.
If we want to work on passing and ball security, we might play a game like Volleyball Passing. This game is played inside the volleyball court lines. Split players up into two teams. Players must complete 20 passes without a fumble, travel or going out of bounds. If the ball gets knocked down, other team takes it and starts passing right away.
Volleyball Passing improves passing skills, decision making, pivoting, ball security, spacing, and so on. It can also improve communication by adding the rule “you have to call out the number of passes out loud”. The person who catches the ball has to call out the number; otherwise it’s a turnover. Players need to use their leadership voice. This makes every person on the team talk… not just the loud person.
For more drills and ideas on game based learning I highly recommend a book called The 1st Century Basketball Practice by Brian McCormick.
Games and Results
We played in 8 tournaments and brought 7-9 players to each tournament. We didn’t bring all 10 players because it’s rare they were all available and I didn’t want 5 players sitting on the bench.
Our players exceeded my expectations in regards to winning. They did not place in their first two tournaments – but after that we only lost two games.
They ended up with four 1st place finishes and two 2nd place finishes!
Not bad for an undersized team that, to this point, has accepted all players that wanted to participate (no cutting).
Nor did we cut corners or try to take short cuts in regards to coaching. We focused on basic fundamentals and doing things the right way.
As a result. our players were more skilled and more aggressive than most opponents. We were able to win because of their skills and their aggressiveness (effort).
It’s always nice to win. But I would have been pleased with this group whether they won games or not.
And I only point out our wins to show coaches that you don’t have to take short cuts. You don’t have to go to that 2-3 zone or full court press defense. You don’t have to spend time on plays to overcome deficiencies.
Focus on fundamentals, teach life lessons, and be persistent.
Tools and Coaching Aids
Here are the tools and coaching aids that I use:
Breakthrough Stats App
We are fortunate to have a few parents that keep track extensive stats. We focus on and report “hustle stats” back to our players. Those hustle stats include rebounding, force jump balls, steals, blocks, deflections, and force turnovers.
We also show players their Value Point Score and utilize the rating to motivate them to play the right way and improve. The stats app we use calculates the rating for you automatically.
I am a big fan of stats and track stats in every game we play.
Smaller Basketball
In tournaments, they require us to use full sized 28.5 women’s basketball. But in practices we use the lighter youth basketball so we avoid bad shooting habits.
Recommended DVDs and Books for Youth Coaches
Here are a few DVDs and books that I recommend for coaches working with youth players (6-12 years old):
Jim Huber’s Man to Man Defense
Don Kelbick Motion Offense
Attack & Counter Skill Development System
Rick Penny Shooting
The 21st Century Basketball Practice
Developing Basketball Intelligence
30 Competitive Skill Building Drills
Great summation Jeff. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. It is a bit uncanny that your programme philosophy and running is very similar to mine and our Club program we are trying to develop. I like the 5 out offense to teach spacing which I regard as one of the most important skills to develop with youth. I note that many of the elements are the same as the layers in the read and react offense concept which we are introducing starting with grade 3 players. Your de emphasising winning as a the only measure of success is spot on. Congrats and Thankyou for the blog!
Phillip – Thanks for the reply. Glad you liked the article. You mentioned the offense is similar to Read and React. There are similarities, especially the base pass and cut layer. But other than universal fundamentals, I think that’s where the similarities end. The R&R is based on reacting to the ball. Our offense is more free form and up for player interpretation. Also, with our 5 out, there is almost no memorization of what to do. Where the R&R is based on memorizing what to do based on what happens with the ball. Its a good offense but not what we are doing. If I had to pick an offense to compare to, I’d say ours is closer to the Bob Huggings 5 Out and the Lason Perkins Open Post. I actually combined concepts that I liked from a about a dozen several different 5 out offenses. Thanks again and keep up the good work with your program!
Thanks Jeff, you are right, it is the basic pass cutt layer that is the similarity. This is the starting point for what I am teaching as well as the dribble at option as a means of creating player movement. Of course the main thing I like about a five out offense for this age is that it teaches spacing . There is some memorizing but I have found in a short time it does become pretty automatic.
I would love to get hold of the Bob Huggins 5 out Offence you referred to if you could direct me.
I am trying to put together a development program that is based on age or grade. I am so impressed with what you are doing with your 4th grade that I would like to use what you have put down as a good basis for ours.
I notice that one of your references is the 21st Century Basketball Practice – I am in the process of reading it and enjoying it tremendously.
Again thanks for what you offer- your site is one of my favourite and main reference sources.
To come up with our motion, I studied open post offenses from Mitch Buonguro, Jerry Petitgoue, Lason Perkins, Chris Endres, Bob Huggins, Geeoff McCraken, Rick Torbett, and probably a few others I’m forgetting. I picked up little pieces from all of them. But I probably picked up the most from Huggins and Perkins.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/perkins-open-post-offense.html
http://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Basketball/Bob-Huggins-Open-Post-Motion-Offense_BD-02275.html
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the article, I do have a few questions.
#1. How do you choose your team members? Our organization runs skill drills in which we evaluate, mostly objectively, and rate players. We try to divide our two teams evenly in 4th grade but in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades we put our top 10-12 on an “A” team and our second 10-12 is on a “B” team.
a. Any thoughts on dividing teams equally or dividing “A” and “B” teams.
#2. How do you determine playing time in games? Do you give equal playing time or do you have some players playing 3 quarters and others only getting 1 quarter?
#3. Do you require your ballhandler to make an entry pass most of the time to start your offense at this level? Do you alternate your primary ball handlers?
#4. Do you require a certain number of passes before a shot (except if they have a lay-up)?
I coached high school varsity boy basketball for 30 years here in Ohio. I am a strong believer in teaching the Open Post offense (Huggins), even at the youth level. I like to introduce team defensive terminology and concepts at early ages, knowing most kids will not grasp complete understanding in their first year, but by keeping it consistant over the years, they will progress in their understanding.
I am finding parents with little experience in basketball leading youth community sports organizations. Too much politics, with parents making decisions based on what is good for certain kids (certain kids on the “A” team / kids have to be with their friends, etc.) instead of making decisions for what is good to develop, or give opportunity to develop, to all our kids.
Thank you for your time.
#1 – The first year of play my daughter chose the team (her good friends from school and soccer). A couple of those players moved or decided to stop playing basketball. But most are still on the team. Once your on, I don’t cut. Then we had a “try out”. I just let everyone join. This past year we had another player move and one decided not to go out. So we had another tryout. This time I was very picky in the tryouts and only took players that I knew would be ready to play at our level. So now we have 12 players to protect the team from attrition, etc. We only take 8-9 to tournaments. If we “play up”, I’ll talk or top players. If we play at our own age level, I’ll leave a few top players at home. Basically we mix it up even and it’s a hybrid approach. I know this probably doesn’t help you but it’s how I do things for my daughters team. I always try to match players with the appropriate competition so they are challenged but not always challenged too much.
#2 – Playing time is NOT equal from game to game. However by the end of the year, everyone should get around the same number of minutes. If a player is not giving her best effort (hustling) I’ll sit them on the bench and explain why they are sitting and getting reduced minutes for that game. If I feel one player is dominating and someone else needs experience, I might sit the good player. If a less skilled player is in a position where they just won’t be able to succeed, I might sit them to avoid losing confidence. Basically I constantly change things up to try and maximize the development of players. There too many factors to explain in this text box. For a beginner coach, I wouldn’t suggest this. But again it’s how I do things. It’s fairly advanced way of doing things and requires considerable experience.
#3 – No. If every player is denied and sticking right on their player (bad defense), attack and get to the rim. Basically make good decisions based on the situation. I do alternate point guards. Every kid on the team gets to play PG at some point. Also, if you get the rebound, you can be PG. That’s how we run our fast break. On made baskets or dead ball, there is a designated PG.
#4 – Sometimes. That is a great way to teach offense in practice and sometimes in games. I don’t do that often because we pass and move the ball really well already. I have also implemented “no dribble” rule after the first pass from the PG. We play no dribble in practice all the time. Even did it in a couple games.
I love the Huggins 5 out. Everyone touches the ball, great youth or high school or college offense. Nothing is worse than planting your big kid in the post (really hinders his development). All youth offenses should have interchangeable positions (like the 5 out huggins).
hi ..this has been a fantastic read…i am trying to develop a R&R BUT with 4 out…i have very limited time to train the lads…i coach ages btwn 14-18 team….and i only have two hours everyday to coach so time has been a challenge….i like the R&R for the same reason as it teaches spacing and it really develops basketball IQ…
tHANKS AGAIN FOR THIS BLOG IT HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFULL
One thing I meant to ask previously, Jeff. Did your girls play competitive games weekly (like in a local roster) as well as training twice weekly? You only mentioned the tournaments and I am assuming they are played over various weekends as they are here in Oz. Just trying to get a good idea of the ratio of training to competitive play in your program.
Thanks,
Phil
We played in a few scrimmages but for the most part we just played in tournaments. If there was a good league to join we would have done that. But the available leagues were either lower level competition or would conflict with our practice times during the week. I didn’t want to miss practice so the next best thing was tournaments on weekends. We try to get a ratio of approx 2 practices to 1 game. I think we came pretty close to that because we didn’t play every weekend.
Good read.
My sister coached her twin daughters on a 3rd grade (9U) team last winter and it was a lot of fun.
I had coached her for several seasons when she was about the same age, so she called me in as a consigliere/consultant for the team. But she still did most of the coaching.
Her team had one 2-hour practice weekly, which she broke up with a 5-10 minute “halftime” in the middle.
She and I agreed that the biggest problem for kids at many youth levels today is they rarely actually PLAY BASKETBALL — it is very rare for kids around here to play on the ‘playground.’ Almost all of their basketball comes in organized sessions such as practices and games.
So — quite to the contrary of many ‘coaching manuals’ — Sis usually had the team scrimmage for the majority of the 2-hour session. Sis believes the most important thing is to get the kids used to playing basketball
She had 9 players on the team so if everybody showed up, she could run 5-on-5 practice with her assistant coach (a team dad) filling the empty slot. If they had fewer players, she would run 4-on-4 or 3-on-3.
During the season a 10th player joined so Sis could run full 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Like your team, the “Pandas” were quite small but very fast, so Sis decided their best option was to install a running and high-pressure scheme.
Sis believes (something handed down from the days when I coached her) that running a high-speed, fast-break game with a lot of shots, passes, and rebounds, gives the players good experience in playing aggressively at all times and also gets the team in very good shape, since they run for most of the practice.
Also like me, Sis never used running (laps, sprints, suicides) as punishment or “busy work” — she did not want the kids looking on running as something to be avoided or gotten out of. Sis kept practices running full throttle full court enough it was the same if she had had them running 15 minutes of laps or sprints at the beginning or end of practice.
In the city rec league at this level the rules mandated man to man defense and also prohibited full-court pressing, so Sis usually had the Pandas retreat behind the center court line, then jump out into a high-pressure halfcourt man to man defense as soon as the ball got to half court.
Many (actually most) opponents could not handle this and numerous turnovers and fast break baskets were the result.
The offense was basically just a 1-4 continuation break. The PG brings the ball down court, the other 4 players did a crisscross formation across the free throw lane. The point guard either drives if there is an opening or hits somebody crossing the lane with a pass.
They did have one inbounds play, a straight-line stack play which Sis installed precisely as she used to run it when I coached her 30 years ago. The PG is the inbounds passer, the other 4 players line up in 2-3-4-5 order on the edge of the key, when the PG slaps the ball, 2-3-4 slide across the lane (setting a kind of marginally moving triple screen, hah hah) and then #5 cuts straight down the lane for a lob pass for a layup.
Unlike your team Jeff, Sis did have the Pandas practice this play a LOT, and was very insistent on doing it “right.” Same as in the olden days when she was the PG, this play was absoutely deadly — over the course of the season I would say it ‘worked’ about 80% of the time (that is, produced a wide open layup shot from inside 5 feet of the basket). Since that play also features 3 players in prime offensive rebounding position, we frequently scored on rebounds even if we missed the first shot.
Opposing coaches and players got totally frustrated — one coach yelled out, “they run the same dang inbounds play every time,” (true) and her players said, “We know but we still can’t stop it.”
The season went very well. They won their first 9 games by an average score of 30-14 and clinched the league title.
The last game of the season they played a team they had already beaten easily, but who had a huge and very strong center.
This was the team’s one fatal weakness and we knew it all along: the lineup of the Pandas essentially had 5 guards and 4 small forwards.
In the final game, the huge center, who had 14 of the opponents 18 points the first time they played, had 26 points as they pulled the upset, 30-24.
But still it was a very fun season and the kids are very excited about next year.
JJ
Hi Jeff,
I coach a sixth grade girls team. We normally play five out due to our size. In our league, we face a lot of 2-3 zone where the two top defenders play high and wide into our passing lanes to the wings. Once the PG brings the ball over half court, they move in to double team. This approach has caused us problems. I’ve moved our best player to the HP and one corner to the strong side short corner (SC) for a 1-3-1. That helps with our entry pass but I’m not quite sure about the ball movement after the PG cuts and fills other than a pass to the SC followed by a dive. What should the motion be if the HP passes to the wing?
Thank you,
Chris
First, when you are pressured in a zone (full or half court), spacing and fundamentals are the key. Ideally you want a reversal pass option, middle pass option, sideline pass option, and a deep option. The spreads out the defense both north/south and east/west… making it impossible for the defense to cover everything when double teams. I think your 1-3-1 alignment should give you spacing for that. You can also go with a 2-1-2 alignment for spacing.
For fundamentals you need players that can dribble and pass out of double teams. We practice this drill every other practice as soon as kids are proficient with 1v1 full court dribbling.
https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/play.asp?id=66
As a result, every single player on our 5th grade girls team can beat double teams with their dribble.
You can also do drills like this to develop the passing aspects but we don’t really do this yet as we should not be getting in that situation in the first place. Dribbler should have their head up and not dribble into a double team and pick up the ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr95gszKe7o
I have not faced a doubling teaming 2-3 zone with our youth team yet. So I’m not 100% sure on what will work. I do know that against zone we do one of three things..
a) run 5 out and have the cutter (after passing) stop in the middle gap for a 3 count. it’s important to have weakside player replace when that happens.
b) run a 4 out pass and cut (with cutter stopping in lane) and have a permanent post working the short corners
c) run a 1-3-1 gap attack
All three offenses are very simple. But you need to use good fundamentals… pass fakes, sealing in post, meeting your pass, attacking close outs, keep good spacing, reverse the ball, etc, etc.
To answer your last question, when running the 1-3-1 gap attack, we don’t have movement as far as switching spots. Players look to reverse the ball, find gaps, v-cut, seal, drive gaps, etc. You could have a continuity but that takes too much practice time to memorize and time is better spent on fundamentals in my opinion.
Thank you. We’ve done a lot of work on passing and dribbling out of double teams the last few weeks as a result. I’ll work in some reversal instruction as well.
Looking forward to your “What We Did With Our 5th Grade Youth Basketball Team”. Should be in about one month, I’m guessing? Big help to me as my daughter is currently in 4th grade and I’m taking over the team next year. Using your stuff as a guide.
I’ll try to put something together. Probably sometime in March.