I don't normally do this but since it is the slow days of summer and because I just thought it was a great topic that isn't discussed much I thought I would share some of the discussions on the X's and O's Basketball forum about ideas for running your own coaches clinic. I've never really thought about it myself since I've always only been a participant but definitely some things to keep in mind in the event you should ever think of hosting one:
1. What is an appropriate amount or the best way to compensate the coaches who present?
A thought is to give them X% of whatever money you make on the gate. That way the more people they draw, the more they get. That way, maybe, they will feel like they are getting a fair shake. This would also keep costs down for you and the people attending the clinic.
2. For a 1-2 day clinic, what is an appropriate amount to charge to attend? Granted I know it depends on how is presenting but I would like to keep the cost of admission as cheap as I can.
A good idea would be $10-$15 per hour at the clinic possibly. Also, what does your local Coaches Association charge? What do other clinics in your state and area charge? That is the other way I would look at it. Also, think about what you are giving away at the clinic. The more stuff you give away, the more you can charge.
3. Is there a typical time of year that is the best to have a clinic?
The "typical" type is spring and fall, but that is when everyone has their clinics.
4. What is the best way to have / assign coaches to talk about various topics? Is it best to just let them choose what they want to talk about?
Whatever they want to talk about, let them talk because they are going to be more excited about it and talk on it more confidently. If they are unsure, have them talk about what YOU think they excel at in their program - and if YOU are unsure have them do something on practice drills or general coaching advice.
5. How long should each session be?
I would say an hour and a half TOPS, and only if it is an in depth topic. The shorter and to the point the better. Most sessions are best left between 45-60 minutes.
More great tips:
-You don't have to have high profile D1 college coaches to have a great clinic. Many times the local high school guys are just as good if not better than many of the D1 guys. They can relate to what other high school coaches are going through and sometimes the college guys teach their system which they can recruit players to fit. Also, local colleges would probably LOVE to come in and get their message in front of local high school coaches, makes recruiting easier and is a great plug for their program. The college coach doesn't always have to be the head man either.
-Have several speakers. My favorite clinics are the ones where you see several different guys and get several different viewpoints on things.
-Think about having a clinic geared to a specific aspect of coaching. For you, this will go either very well or very bad. The good being coaches will love to come in and hear a bunch of different ideas from different people on the same topic. The bad being that some coaches may not care about the overall topic. so if you do it pick wisely. Something like "practice planning and drills" would probably be better than "Motion Offense" because everyone practices but not everyone is a motion fan.
-If you do a clinic with multiple aspects of coaching (which most do) have one segment for that new, cute, "buzzword" offense or defense. For instance, when Syracuse won the NCAA Title, you would have someone come in and talk about the 2-3 zone that Syracuse used to win it all. Or when Memphis was in the Final Four have a coach come in and talk dribble drive motion. If a coach won your state title with some offense or defense people talked about have him in to talk about it. There are many coaches that put in the new fad offense or defense every year, so make sure you have this aspect to rope them in. But also don't get completely fady so you turn off other coaches.
-Give stuff away. Everyone likes to get free stuff!! Try to work a deal with some companies to donate stuff so you can have a drawing for things like books, DVDs, etc. Also, have a complementary paper and pen for everyone. Not expensive but a nice touch.
-Are you going to feed the people? Many times there is a lunch break where everyone eats lunch and comes back. Nice way to break it up, relieve the bleacher butt, etc. Sometimes Coach Ninham had us eat on our own, other times he had Subway cater it. Something to think about.
-Try to have a coaches social. I have found, as many of you have too, that you learn more talking with coaches at a social than you did at the clinic. The lips get looser and the secrets flow here sometimes. You can have "adult beverages" as some do, or not the choice is yours. I would say try to set something up where all the coaches (even the speakers) can gather and chat.
The majority of this post comes from Coach John Carrier, a Varsity Head Coach in Iowa. In you like what you read, go ahead and check out more on his blog.
I've probably utilized all the basic zone defense formations in all the years that I've coached, but the one that I haven't used was the Point Zone. I've seen it run a couple of times and always wanted to learn more about it. Of course, one of the other reasons is because Dean Smith is known to have used it at North Carolina back in the day.
From what I've gathered, the point zone is similar to the amoeba zone defense. It's designed to put pressure on the ball while protecting the basket area. It's similar to a matchup zone in that the players and coverage shifts depending on where the ball is, this creates a lot of confusion for the offense and opposing coaches because they often are unsure whether to run their man offense or zone offense against it.
Basics of the Point Zone:
The basic idea of the point zone is to pair up defenders in a T formation. The top and bottom defenders form a pair (the buddy system), and the wings form a pair. When X1 is on the ball, X4 is at the goal, X2 and X3 are the wings in help position,
When the ball goes to the wing, above the free-throw line extended, either through a dribble-replace or a pass, the T shifts such that X2 is now on the ball, X3 is at the goal, X4 and X1 are the wings in help position,
If the ball goes to the corner, the T shifts once again such that X4 is now on the ball. But because the corner is treated slightly differently (explained in more depth below), X2 is the wing covering the wing, X3 is the buddy to X2 covering the goal, and X1 is the bottom of the T but is now splitting the weak side anticipating the skip pass. X3 and X2 are lower because as you see, X5 is on the strong-side low block,
The position of X5 in this defense is governed by the principle of "defender between the ball and the basket at all times." So, wherever the ball goes, X5 shadows the ball keeping the body in line between the ball and basket. When the offense has their foward/center, X5 should front when the ball is below the free-throw line,
If you are familiar with other zone defenses, this won't be difficult to adapt to. Shell drills should be done with the 4 defenders in the T formation to get the hang of how the players shift.
Defending the Corner and Ball Reversal:
Like the amoeba defense, the most vulnerable spot in the point zone is in the corner, especially when the ball is reversed from corner to corner. According to the orthodox, X4 must sprint from corner to corner to cover. You can easily wear out the defense in 2 or 3 possessions simply by continuous ball reversal such that X4 might simply give up running,
An adjustment you can make against teams that do this is to trap the corner. Either with X2 from the wing or X5 from the bottom, along with X4. Trap the corner, force a few turnovers, and the offense will most likely back down from the corners,
Summary:
In thinking about the different zone defenses you can use to switch up tempo, momentum, etc, I think the point zone is great to have since you can also put a lot of ball pressure, something not all zones do. It should do well against dribble-penetration leaving only skip passes and long 3-pointers as possible zone busters. You can easily adapt the point zone to a box and 1 or a triangle and 2 if you want as well.
For more info on the point zone, the definitive guide is Dean Smith's Point Zone DVD from the legendary UNC head coach himself, but Paul Hewitt's DVD on his 3-2 Point Zone is worth look at as well.
Via a recent edition of the weekly Xavier newsletter (which hopefully will continue under new head coach Chris Mack), the following is from Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown on their defensive rotations on ballscreens and traps:
Question to Coach Brown: What do you mean by saying 'I use the same rotations?'
Answer: Don’t rotate Big to Big. The positions 1-5 of the defensive players involved are irrelevant. We form 2 interceptors and a goal tender through the rotation. An example of a full rotation because of a ballscreen is shown. The teaching of this is consistent and the same from day one. Because of this, the players are interchangeable and accountable. The nearest defender rotates when a trap happens. When 'downing' a ballscreen, the nearest defender would rotate to the screener after the screen is set. Our defense treats all rotations the same. The closest man rotates.
The offense has a ballscreen scenario taking place. The defense is "downing" it. 2 dribbles away from the ballscreen because of X2's positioning.
X2 and X4 corner and contain 2. 2 passes to the ballscreener, 4. On the pass out to 4, X3 is the closest defender. He begins his rotation.
As 4 catches the pass, X3 closes out to 4, X1 rotates to 3, and X4 rotates out to the weakside. X5 stays at home in the post when possible.
Thinking philosophically about defense, I'm not sure if equal rotations regardless of position is always the best way. If you have a team of similarly skilled/talented players, this probably will work. But if you have a traditional team of tall slower forwards with smaller quicker guards, the mismatches could cause major problems. I'm not sure I agree with the accountability argument either. When you have same rotations, its easier for players to cop out of a rotation by claiming confusion. If you have set rotations (big on big), its easier to make players accountable, ie. you are a big, you must rotate to the other big.Either way, it's good to flush these things out on paper and experiment on what may or may not work before implementing in practice.
If you are a Bobcats fan or Coach Brown fan, take a look at Larry Brown's DVD on Secondary Break and Pick and Roll Offense. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.
Coaches Sharing Information -- Football vs Basketball
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipVia the great blog Smart Football, a great Q&A with Florida head coach Urban Meyer on sharing coaching information. Here are some excerpts:
HARRY: You hear a lot in the offseason about coaches going to visit different schools and exchanging ideas with other coaches for the sake of the program and professional development. How's that work here?In my opinion, there is a lot more sharing between football coaches than basketball coaches. I started this blog and the forum because I felt that there were too few places on the Internet to share coaching information for free. Just do a search on google, you'll find dozens of people sharing/trading football notes/video. The same search for basketball will point you to very few resources for basketball info, and a bunch that are for pay.
MEYER: "That's a big part of what we do. For example, our strength coach and my administrative assistant, every year -- and they have no choice -- have to get on a plane and go visit the best places in America and find out if we're doing the right stuff. I've always encouraged our trainers, our academic people. It's the ones who sit around and do nothing. At some point, [everybody's] going to catch you. No, that is a must. You are graded on your professional development. That's part of your evaluation. And we don't want to be frivolous. We run a certain style, so we don't want to waste time. Go see your buddy? We don't want to do that. There has to be a reason. [The concept] is kind of amazing. I tell people, I'm sure Pepsi doesn't visit Coca-Cola and figure out how to make pop"
HARRY: Where do you draw the line?
MEYER: "It's hard. We've drawn it more. It got out of control a little bit. You have so much work to do. All of a sudden, people are walking in saying, 'Hey coach, you got three hours?' No. You just don't have time. So the last few years we've kind of made it off limits. We do allow some in. If Jon Gruden calls? Absolutely. Bill Belichick comes down every year. We're certainly not going to say no to them. So we handpick who we allow to come in."
HARRY: A guy like Gruden, you never know. He could be standing across from you on a sideline one day.
MEYER: "True. But you have to get something. This is a two-way street. For Jon Gruden to come in and just take? We're not going to do that. We're not into supplying information. We're into exchanging information. A guy like Bill Belichick? I get 10 times more than what he gets from us. Same for Jon Gruden. . . . I could go on and on and on. [California's] Jeff Tedford. He's one of my great friends. We always do it. Rich Rodriguez? We used to do it all the time [when he was at West Virginia], but now he's at Michigan and a competitor in recruiting so we don't anymore. [Rutgers'] Greg Schiano. I could go on and on. Mike Leach at Texas Tech. We often have conversation. [Utah's] Kyle Willingham and I talk twice a week."
HARRY: Give me an example of something Bill Belichick could share with you.
MEYER: "Where do I start? I am amazed at the how he handles elite athletes. You never hear about issues with off-the-field stuff. I am amazed to the point that I got on a plane and I went up and watched over three days and saw how he handled these, um, some of these elite guys. For some reason, the Patriots do this, but you hear about the Cowboys and these other teams just falling apart because of chemistry issues. And then there's Bill Belichick. Our whole program is based on what we learned from him; the core of the team has to be strong."
When I first started out coaching in basketball, it literally took years to learn even just the basics. Even when working as an assistant, many head coaches would not share all their "stuff" for fear of losing their advantage. When I started coaching football, I knew almost nothing save for the few things I remembered from my playing days. Thanks to both the online community and other coaches I've worked with, I learned more in 3 years coaching football than I did in 10 years coaching basketball. The point is, share as much as you can, its for the benefit for everyone.
Via LSU Women's head coach, Bob Starkey's blog, Northern State University men’s basketball coach Don Meyer will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at ESPN's annual ESPY awards presentation on July 15 in Los Angeles, airing nationally on ESPN on July 19.
Back last fall, Coach Meyer lost part of his leg after surviving a near-fatal car accident only to learn he had cancer. He successfully battled both his injuries and the cancer and returned to the sidelines later in the season. This past January, Coach Meyer set a national record for career coaching wins in NCAA men’s basketball passing Bobby Knight.
Everyone inside of coaching knows Coach Meyer, yet most sports fans couldn't tell you what sport he coaches. I'm still not sure how coach Meyer's story was not THE sports story of the year last year, but its good to see him get some national recognition. Here is the E:60 segment about Coach Meyer that ran a few months ago, worth it for sure if you haven't watched it,
I noticed that I haven't posted many drill info so I thought I would do that today. Here are some great defensive drills for practicing help defense concepts that I drew up out of a 2009 Nike Coaches Clinic set of notes. They are based out of a clinic performed by Mike Rice of Robert Morris University.
George Karl Drill:
Drill starts with a coach at the top of the key and an offensive player on the wing and one in the corner with a defensive player covering each. Drill begins with the coach penetrating to the middle of the defense where x1 is forced to step in to help. The drill focuses on x2 as he is forced to help up the line on the pass to 1 and scramble back to his man as x1 sprints to recover. Emphasize helping up the line. X2 sagging back into the lane flat with x2 is NOT help defense.
Help the Helper Drill:
"I HATE working on getting beat, but you got to do it." Run this drill with several variations/formations. All drill variations begin with a coach acting as the defender being beaten (use blocker pads to bump penetrating guard to help build toughness). The post defender is forced to step over to provide help and the other guard must drop to discourage the offensive guard from making the dump-down pass to post (emphasize for the guard to have his hand across post’s chest). If the ball is kicked back out, the guard must closeout. Make it competitive by keeping score. 3 variations below.
Final variation is with 4 on offense, 3 on defense. Must take away the baseline drive first, then the post dump-off, then the weakside corner 3-pointer, if the pass goes back up top, then weakside guard has to closeout. We practice taking away the weakside corner 3-pointer because the offense will usually put their best 3-pointer there.
Probably in real life, you will have X2 stay on O2 and X3 drop down to cover O5 instead, but the drill above is better at practicing rotations and recovering.
For a brand new video, check out Kevin Boyle's DVD on Building a Man Defense. Coach Boyle is head coach of St. Patrick's High Shool in New Jersey and a part of the NIKE Grassroots Basketball Program.
Watched a really good video the other day with Kansas head coach Bill Self in a coaches clinic talking about his alternative to motion offense. At Kansas, they call it 'Fist', but it's really just a ball-screening continuity offense. Some really interesting thoughts before he got into the X's and O's. He used to be a motion coach earlier in his career but as many of you motion coaches can relate to, it always ended up that your worst player had the ball with the open shot. Motion worked well when it was Danny Manning shooting the ball, or Simeon Rice in the post who didn't need to dribble it for a post move. The Hi-Low offense was good, but he found that it was too much spot to spot.
So in thinking of a new offense, Self kept asking himself "what do you run behind what you run?" In other words, when it's the end of the game, what do you run? Mostly either a 1-4 flat or a high ball-screen. 1-4 flat is good for end of games/quarters, but not suitable all game, mainly due to transition issues. The ball is the hardest thing to defend, so why not design an offense solely around ball-screens. For the last 2 seasons, Kansas has been running Fist and several options out of it. I had to watch the video over a few times to sketch it all out, especially to make a continuity out of it, but I did get it down mostly. The offense is predicated on some basic rules:
1. Guards should fill any one of 6 spots on the floor, corners, wings, and wing-tops.
2. Anytime a forward catches the ball, and passes it back out to a guard, he chases the ball into a ball screen.
3. On any ball screen, the guard should try to drive to the rim (baseline or middle).
4. On any baseline drive off a ball screen, the forward pops out for pick and pop.
5. On any middle drive off a ball screen, the foward rolls off and sets a downscreen for the strong side corner then slips to the basket.
6. On any middle drive off a ball screen, the weakside forward should duck in once the ball crosses the lane.
7. On all ball reversal, weakside forward should duck-in attempting to seal his defender, for an easy drop step dunk move.
Sounds a little complicated, but I'll try to break it down with some diagrams. The first one is just the initial setup. Guards should attempt to fill one of six spots on the floor. It's usually a 3-out 2-in with 2 guards and 1 forward on the strong side, 1 forward and 1 guard on the weak side. The initial goal is to get the ball into the post,
If the post cannot make a move, kick the ball back out to start the action. Rule #2, anytime a post kicks the ball out, chase the ball into a ball screen,
The core of the offense is based on the ball screen. O5 sets a flat screen, O3 can choose either way, baseline or middle (Rule #3). If the guard comes off the ball screen naked (turning the corner unguarded), then it forces X4 to either help to stop penetration or free lane to the basket. O4 should look for a lob pass for the dunk. O5 pops out after setting the screen (Rule #4),
If O3 drives but can't score, and O4 is no longer open, reverse the ball to the weak side through O5 who has just popped out. O5 chases the ball into a ball screen (Rule #2), and on every ball reversal we're looking for the duck in by O4 (Rule #7). The duck in is key because on the ball-reversal, the post defender should be in help position, therefore on the reversal, the forward should be able to seal the defender with their butt such that they can get a drop step dunk,
Once the ball reaches the weak side, O5 is setting the ball screen again. In the diagram below, the screen is kind of a side-screen, but it should be flat. The guard should try to get to the rim, baseline or middle (Rule #3). If the guard goes baseline, then play like Diagram 3 above. If the guard goes middle, then O5 should roll to a downscreen then slip to the basket (Rule #5). O2 now has 4 options, O5 rolling to the basket, O4 on the duck in after O2 crosses the lane (Rule #6), or reverse it back out to O3,
O3 should immediately look for O4 on the duck in again, since X4 should be caught in help position after the ball reversal, O2 cuts to the opposite corner,
If X4 is unable to make a post move, the ball is kicked out again, and the offense repeats. I diagrammed the below just to show that the ball can be kicked out to any guard position, and it's the same, X4 chases the ball into a ball screen (Rule #2) and they repeat,
There are some more detailed notes on this offense in case you are interested in them. You can download them here.
It sounds pretty complicated, but if you follow through the sequences a few times, you'll see that it is pretty straightforward. I think this is the kind of offense that will work for JV and up. It's probably a little too complicated for youth. There are a lot of options you can run out of this, including 1-4 flat options, UCLA cut, etc... It's really flexible.
There isn't a dedicated video to just the offense, at least not just yet. But if you like Coach Self and the way Kansas plays, then take a look at Bill Self's DVD on Better Practices.
