Early in my coaching career, I was set on running a motion offense. The thing that attracted me to it was its unpredictable nature.

Unlike some pattern offenses, motion offenses give players options. That prevents the defense from knowing what’s coming.

I stressed that to my team as we went over the various options. And yet, despite the potential freedom, a troubling pattern emerged. . .

They did the same things over and over again. In this case, that was almost always pass and pick away.

Somehow, we’d turned this offense that prides itself on being unpredictable into a patterned offense.

Needless to say, that was incredibly frustrating. When I reflected on the experience, I realized the problem wasn’t with my players - it was with me.

While I’d gone over a number of actions they could use, I hadn’t forced them to use them. As a result, they defaulted to what they knew best.

In the Don Kelbick Motion Offense, Coach Kelbick addresses this problem head on. He uses various constraints to get his players to explore all the options a motion offense provides.

The Structure Paradox: How Constraints Can Unlock Creative Players

When you think of being constrained, you probably think of being held back. In coaching, constraints are ways you can manipulate the practice environment to influence the development of your team. These can take a number of forms.

Coach Kelbick uses 2 different types of constraints when installing his offense - “musts,” and “only.”

• “Musts” require the offensive team to execute something before they are able to score.

• “Only’s” occur when you restrain a team to isolate a specific skill or action.

Musts and onlys are great ways to get players to explore options they might otherwise ignore. While they limit players in the moment, in the long run, they ingrain various new options, creating more well-rounded players and teams.

No matter what offense you run, you can use these type of constraints to ingrain the habits you want your players to have.

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Get More Low Post Touches with THIS Simple Constraint

In the videos, Coach Kelbick covers a number of constraints that he uses to teach his motion offense.

One is based around getting the ball inside. You may have noticed that few players look to throw the ball into the post anymore. This could be because not as many players post up in today’s game.

However, whether you use the post to score or as a hub for other offensive actions, it’s an opportunity to generate great shots.

To encourage that, Coach Kelbick uses the constraint to 2 low post touches before a jump shot.

Stretch The Comfort Zone With Constraints

We all have the tendency to fall into patterns, whether on the court or in life. Sometimes, these can help us.

Sometimes they don’t. With motion offense, much of the value comes from the lack of patterns. 

Using constraints is a great way to get your players to see all the options at their disposal.

To learn more motion offense constraints as well as ways to install this timeless offense, click the box below!

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