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Archives by Tag 'Offensive Systems'

Breakdown of the 4-Out 1-In Attack & React Offense

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Follow along as Pitt State University coach Andrew Grantz breaks down the 4-Out 1-In Attack & React Offense, a highly-effective system that helps exploit your team’s strengths. The offense — which can be described as a mix between the Dribble Drive and Read & React — also teaches players how to play the game of basketball versus just running set plays. This week, Coach Grantz provides an overview of his system before getting into Phase 1 of the offense.

Basics of the 4-Out 1-in Attack & React

The offense is based on six perimeter spots that can be filled at any time (see diagram in video clip below). The top two spots are guard spots. The wings are 3 and 4 players (or forwards). The post can move block to block. There are also corner spots for whenever you cut and fill out and there’s an overload on one side.

Meanwhile, the line going across the half court along the second hash mark of the free throw line is called the Drive Line. There are specific reactions above and below the drive line.

Learning About Each Spot

Players 1 and 2 – Start just outside the lane-line extended and above the three-point arc. The same thing goes with the 2. This gives us good spacing.

Players 3 and 4 – We want them to be drive-line extended. The reason is that we want players 1 and 2 to have passing options. However, we don’t want to bring them up to the free throw line extended because it congests the offense. It opens up a wider driving gap this way.

Player 5 – This player moves block to block away from the ball. He/she can post up for a one count. If not open, this player must get to the opposite block immediately.

Each player should be outside the college three-point line, more like the NBA three-point line. In other words, we want NBA three-point spacing. This spreads the court and opens gaps for drivers and backdoor options.

Phase 1 – Dribble Penetration

In this first phase of the offense, any time a player penetrates, we want to teach them to make a decision above the drive line. Are you going all the way to the rim and score OR are you going to pitch out? You don’t want to over-penetrate.

Once below the drive line, you must finish the shot or dump off to the 5 player. With the 5 staying opposite of the ball, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense.

Coaching Point: It’s important in this phase to attack the basket to score. You should have an aggressive mentality from the start.

Reactions When a Player Drives

Let’s say that player 1 drives and gets forced to the right. If so, the player on the same side (the 3 in this case) slides up. The 3 keeps NBA spacing and stays wide. Be patient and wait until the ball is driven inside the three-point line. This gives the 3 player options to step up and shoot or make a strong drive to the basket.

If player 1 dribbles to the middle, the 2 man must be patient and will eventually slide right behind. The 4 will also slightly slide up as well. Player 5 must get opposite of the ball. You now have different pitch-out options. All the while, the 3 stays put or moves just slightly to stay out of the shadow of his/her defender.

After the pitch out, always fill to the spot of the pass. This keeps the floor spread and driving lanes open for us to continue attacking.

Stay tuned for more breakdowns of the Attack & React Offense. The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD ”4-Out 1-In Attack & React Motion Offense” with Andrew Grantz. To check out more videos focusing on team systems, click here.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: Andrew Grantz, Attack & React Offense, BasketballCoach Newsletter, Dribble Drive, Issue #64, Motion Offense, Offensive Systems, Team Concepts

Transition Offense: Breakdown of the 5 v 4 Fast Break Drill

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Give your transition game a boost with this effective 5 v 4 fast break drill. Follow along as Cortland women’s head lacrosse coach Kathy Taylor breaks down the action via whiteboard before heading out to the field for live simulations. This is a terrific drill to practice team finishing and working against defensive pressure in a fast break setting.

Chalk Talk: Breaking Down the 5 v 4 Drill

The drill starts at the restraining line with the midfielders. Imagine that your middie has broken free and is now ahead of their opposing midfielder. Meanwhile, you should have four other attack players lined up. The goal is to keep the ball ahead of the other middie, who is currently behind us and catching up to the play.

With a 5 on 4 situation, we have a numbers advantage and have the defense matched up. Therefore, the midfielder with the ball must force one of the defenders to make a decision quickly. However, executing here is easier said than done.

Far too often, ball carriers hold on to the ball far too long. As soon as the defense makes any kind of commitment, put that ball into the respective attacker’s stick. Move through the space and look for the pass right back for a give and go and a shot. If it doesn’t work, keep moving the ball ahead of the defensive slides. There will be a player open.

Practice finding that open player and attacking. But remember, keep the ball ahead of the pressure and make quick decisions. You only have a few seconds until the numbers return to even again.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Building Your Team’s Transition Game” with Kathy Taylor.” To check out more videos featuring specific offensive systems, visit our lacrosse video library.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Cortland University, Inside the Crease, Kathy Taylor, Offensive Systems, Transition Offense

3 Fundamental Shooting Drills Building On the Motion Offense

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The motion offense is a highly-effective system particularly useful at teaching the fundamentals of lacrosse. Suitable for teams at every level of lacrosse, this distinct pass and move system makes each player a threat with the ball and maintains optimal field balance. Led by Limestone head men’s coach JB Clarke, the following drills all revolve around the motion offense and will serve as perfect practice additions for your lacrosse team.

Attack Shooting

This is a simple catch and shoot drill focusing on accurate passing, catching, cutting, and shooting. Start with two opposite lines behind the net. One player has the ball and starts the drill by cutting up towards the GLE as his drill partner comes around a cone placed about 7-10 yards in front of the net. The ball carrier dishes to the shooter, who gets off a quick shot on cage in front.

Try this drill with only attackmen to start practice. Look to get a ton of shots in a short amount of time with this drill and switch sides each time with the catching and shooting. Also, shooters should aim low at the net, point their off shoulder at the feed, and choke up on the stick when down low.

Tips: Remember to communicate early so your teammate knows where to throw the ball. Shooters, turn your head, pick a spot, and finish hard.

Spill It Scoring

This drill puts the motion offense in play. First, the ball starts up top with a middie and he will dodge hard down the alley before making a circle rollback. Next, try to square up in the top center and throw it to a teammate vacating out of the crease. for a high percentage shot. This is the motion that the offense takes when dodging down the alley.

It’s crucial to make a good hard initial dodge. One of the keys for the guy carrying the ball is that he turns and actually circles back. Otherwise, the defender will be right in his hands. When you roll away, you can get your hands free and this allows you some space from the defender and you can throw that feed.

Tips: Remember to run this drill in both directions and get a lot of realistic shots within the motion offense. Look to attack at the defense’s weakest, which is right after a dodge in this situation. You can add a hitch to the shot, too. This helps when defenders are flying out on the crease player and then you can hitch, step around them, and score.

1-on-1’s (in a 2-on-2 format)

This 1-on-1 drill puts the players in more realistic formats. Start by putting your crease guys in there as well so the drill takes on a 2-on-2 format. From wherever you start the 1-on-1, the dodger must go with his head up and can’t just go running through the crease. You can also put the players behind the net and on the wings to get a ton of reps from different angles. The crease guys have to anticipate what’s really going on.

Rules: The crease defenders are only allowed to slide but can’t double the ball. The dodger cannot throw the ball to the offensive guy in the crease until the defense slides.

Tips: The first part of any good motion offense is that you have to run by someone and force the defense to slide and that creates a 5-on-4 situation. This should be a main goal of what you do; creating unsettled situations behind the ball. Take the time to teach your players how to dodge, make good moves, and get in good positions to score.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Building Your Motion Offense” with JB Clarke. To check out more videos featuring offensive systems, head over to our lacrosse DVD library.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: JB Clarke, Limestone Lacrosse, Motion Offense, Offensive Systems, Shooting Drills

5 Fantastic Breakdown Drills for the Flex Offense

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Back in April, we introduced basic continuity and counters for the popular Flex Offense. This week, we’re taking the Flex one step further by highlighting five tremendous breakdown drills, including 1-on-1 pivoting, drive and kicks, and pull throughs. Elizabethtown head men’s basketball coach Bob Schlosser once again leads you through each drill and provides helpful commentary along the way.

Pull Through Drill

Start with each player under the basket (on the block). One at a time, players will come up on a side and use their inside foot as a pivot, pull through, and finish on the left. Have the coach simulating a defender closing in. Emphasize their triple threat positioning and going to the basket hard.

Pad Finish - Now do the exact same thing, but jump off of two feet. Get a coach to pad them as they finish. This drill simulates going up against a defender down low and looking to finish in traffic with a defender draped on you. Rip through at the elbow like before.

Right Side and Backdoors

Now move to the right side. Emphasize the inside foot as the pivot and making a right-hand finish as players rip through and go hard to the basket.

Next in the progression, coaches should make players go backdoor by denying at the elbow. Players should signal the backdoor with a fist held out so the passer sees and reads his teammate going backdoor.

1-on-1 Pivoting

In the Flex, it’s critical to emphasize using your inside foot as your pivot foot and triple threat positioning. This drill works on just that. To begin, two players go at once and start on opposite low blocks.

Next, one player cuts up towards the top of the key/wing area, receives a pass, faces the basket in triple threat position, makes a ball fake, and then dishes to the other opposite player. This player now meets the pass near the top of the key, gets into triple threat position, and then passes to the opposite player, and the cycle continues.

When players move up to the top of the key area in triple threat position, the next players up move down low and post up, simulating real game action and looking for the entry pass from the triple threat player.

Drive and Kick

This drill goes 5-on-0 in a half court setting. Assume a typical Flex set-up to begin. When a player catches the ball at the elbow, if he were to pull through and drive, the defense from the corner typically helps. Therefore in this drill, look to drive and kick and shoot that jumper. Go for five passes and keep going until everyone takes a shot out of the drive and kick. After each shot, balance the floor and immediately go again.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Comprehensive Guide to the Flex” by Bob Schlosser. Check out more videos featuring offensive systems by heading over to our basketball library. Got any other effective Flex Offense drills? Let us know by commenting below or by e-mailing us at info@championshipproductions.com.

Filed in Basketball Newsletter • Tags: Drills, Elizabethtown Men's basketball, Flex Offense, Issue #41, Offensive Systems, Robert Schlosser

Chalk Talk: Key Roles & Strategies for the Deuces “2-2-2″ Offense

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The “Deuces Offense” has been used at UMBC with great success over the years. By attacking in pairs, this effective offensive system is designed to get high percentage shots from the inside and attack the goal from both out top and behind.

With UMBC head lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman as your guide, you’ll learn how to implement this system with your own team and take away some key strategies in order to be successful. For this session, Coach Zimmerman focuses on the pair of men behind the cage in the offense and many different ways they can work together to create high percentage scoring opportunities.

Deuces Offense – A Brief Overview

The Deuces Offense allows a team to space itself in a way that gives it good dodging lanes from all corners. While you’re working as a six-man unit, the great aspect about this offense is that you’re able to work in three sets of pairs: The two behind players, the two players inside, and the two players up top.

The Men Behind

For this week, we’ll primarily focus on the men behind the cage in the offense. The ball starts with one man behind the goal and on the endline. We will then position the opposite man just on or above the goal line extended (the imaginary line that differentiates behind the goal and in front of the goal. Remember, you can’t score behind the goal, but in front you certainly can.

These two players will be working together. Together, they are going to free up one another. The best way to do that is usually the pick. At the whistle, we will look to time it between these two men where we set a pick at either X behind or Point behind. The key here is that the pick and the man with the ball arrive at the designated spot at the same time.

We do that to create confusion, hesitation, and indecision in the defense. The defense now needs to work together to communicate and talk through the pick. If we spring the pick on them all at once, they have less time to do that. But if the pick man arrives behind the ball, now the defender can read, recognize, and communicate and you lose the element of surprise.

Timing and Proper Movement

When you set or use a pick, timing is everything. Also, get your shoulders squared in the direction you want the dodger to attack the goal. Always be stationary at the time of the pick. Work and read the defensive movement for the best pick location. As for the man with the ball, square your defender up and drive him right into the pick situation.

Front Swings

If you want to throw in a wrinkle early in the game, look to front swing the off-ball man. It really keeps the defense on their toes. Coach Zimmerman is a big believer in deception and opposites. If you want to pick behind, make your man think you are going to front swing, and vice versa. Keep the defense guessing and on their heels.

Meanwhile, the key with the ball man is to sprint into, through, and out of the pick. Don’t slow down and hesitate. Use the element of deception and surprise to get an advantage on the defense. It’s also essential that you sprint. When you hesitate, you give them more time to think and adjust. Don’t lose that extra step.

Also, let’s say that you beat the defense off the pick but aren’t above the GLE. Get your stick in a feeding position. With the threat of a potential slide, the ball carrier must be able to dish off quickly and accurately. If no one comes as you approach the GLE, think like a scorer. Turn the body towards the goal and keep coming. Look to shoot high to low or on the side of the keeper.

Balance & Double Teams

As for the man who sets the pick, stay balanced. The picker must think about getting to the backside of the net to retain the balance. Now we must read the defense to see how they adjusted to the pick.

Note: Sometimes both defenders will end up on the same side as the pick. If this happens, get to the backside pipe and yell “DOUBLE.” When the ball man is doubled, the double call prevents the ball man from turning into the double team, and we echo the call. The man with ball must turn and run away knowing a blind double is coming. Your goal is to draw that double team to the outside. Meanwhile, his teammate is adjusting to his behind position and you get a man advantage situation. Then you can attack the goal behind the GLE. But as we come around, we are now looking to turn the corner and finish high to low.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “2-2-2 Deuces Offense” with Don Zimmerman. To check out more videos highlighting effective lacrosse systems, simply head over to our lacrosse library. Also, stay tuned in the coming weeks for more on 2-2-2 Offense.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Don Zimmerman, Offensive Systems, UMBC Men's Lacrosse

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