“Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness.”

You’ve probably heard that at some point. There certainly is some truth to it.

While it applies to many of our personality traits, it also applies to basketball.

Why do coaches love motion offense? Because it’s unpredictable. Every possession is different, making it impossible to scout.

And yet, those same characteristics can become a weakness if not taught properly. When that happens, motion offenses become chaotic and purposeless. Instead of confusing the defense, it’s the offense that looks confused.

Thus, running good motion offense requires excellent teaching and the use of constraints. 5v4 motion from Don Kelbick’s Motion Offense is a great drill to help your players see everything motion has to offer!

Clean Up Your Motion Offense with This Simple 5v4 Drill

Spacing is a critical component of motion offense. When installing motion, you want to build up to 5v5 by using small-sided games that teach the reads of the offense.

To get a FREE PDF of 10 Small-Sided Game For Player Development, click the banner below!

Then, it’s time to put 5 offensive players on the floor. Players need to understand how to work together as a 5 person unit.

However, you don’t want to go to 5v5 too fast. If you do, players will not be ready to use all the options of the offense. They’ll be overwhelmed and will regress to bad habits. 

So, how do you bridge that gap?

Coach Kelbick does it by playing 5v4. Here’s how:

• The offense has 5 players. The defense has 4.

• The 4 defensive players play man to man defense. They leave one offensive player unguarded.

• The unguarded offensive player is typically the post player.

• The offense tries to score. However, the unguarded offensive player cannot shoot. They can do anything else within the offense - dribble, screen, cut, pass, etc.

Why The 5v4 Motion Offense Drill Helps Players See All Their Motion Offense Options

Why is the drill effective? Here’s 2 reasons:

• It gives the offense room to breathe. When everyone is being pressured with the ball, players have a tendency to go away from the offense. Playing 5v4 relieves that pressure. 

  The offense knows 1 teammate is always open. This allows them to stay with the offense in the face of pressure.

• It teaches players to create scoring opportunities for others. The unguarded player can’t score. However they can CREATE scores. They can do so through screening and passing.

  That helps players learn the various options the offense provides. Instead of simply looking for their own shot, they start to look for ways to create offensive advantages for teammates.

Four 5v4 Constraints To Meet The Needs Of Your Team

Every team’s motion is a little different. As a result, you’ll want to constrain the drill in a way that meets the needs of your team.

Here are 4 examples that Coach Kelbick uses:

• High post is unguarded but cannot score - for teams that play a 4 out, 1 in with a high post player.

• Low post is unguarded but cannot score - for teams that play a 4 out, 1 in with a low post player.

• Open post & must get 2 post touches before a shot - this is a great way to show players the options they have when the ball is thrown inside. Many defenders turn and look at the ball. Good motion teams exploit this and create good shots.

• Open post & 5 passes before a jump shot - this teaches players to hunt for layups first. Too many teams settle for jumpers early in possessions. This takes away that option, incentivizing the offense to use actions that create shots at the rim.

These are only a few of the options at your disposal. Use them or create your own!

Control the Chaos: A Drill to Make Motion Offense Click

Watching good motion offense is a thing of beauty. When you see a team that really GETS IT, it’s obvious.

Getting to that point takes work. It takes intentional and well-planned coaching progressions.

5v4 is one of those. It’s a great teaching drill to slow the game down for your team. As your players get good at it, you’ll know you’re ready for 5v5.

To learn more of the teaching progressions that will make your motion effective, click the box below!

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