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Archives by Tag 'Offensive Systems'
Essential Offensive Principles for High Scoring Attacks
By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
In this week’s chalk talk segment, we’ll break down key offensive principles for high scoring attacks. Follow along as Virginia associate head coach and offensive coordinator Marc Van Arsdale runs through essential team principles, individual responsibilities, and off-ball responsibilities for an overall effective offense. By incorporating these tips and techniques, you’ll be able to put your players in the best position possible to be successful on the offensive end.
Team Principles
When we talk about team offense, we start with team principles. It doesn’t matter what set your team runs. These principles can be applied from the youth level and all the way up to the college game.
1) Remain Balanced and Spread Out on Offense
You want the entire field to be covered by the defense. For this example, we’ll attack out of a 2-3-1 set from the top. We’ve got two midfielders up top, a midfielder on the crease, and attackman on both wings, and one attackman behind the cage. This set up is balanced, spreads out the field, and allows you to maintain proper spacing on the field.
Note: With younger players, they have the tendency to crowd the ball. But we don’t want too many guys in one area. This makes it too easy for the defense to double team or prevent you from throwing passes to teammates.
2) The Notion That the Play Happens Two Passes Away From the Initial Dodge
We want to get the ball across the middle of the field and essentially use all four quadrants of the field. Every time the ball crosses a quadrant line, it changes which side is ballside and which side is weakside for defense, so it makes everything more complicated for defenses in terms of sliding. When it does cross that line, it’s a great time for re-dodges, cuts, seals, and feeds to the inside.
For instance, if the ball starts in the top left quadrant, the shot may generate somewhere on the bottom left side. We like the ball moving from the front to back and back to front. This makes defenders turn their heads. In lacrosse, there’s a fair amount of area behind the net to attack, so we want to occupy that space by moving the ball front to back and across the middle of the field. There are many ways to do that and hopefully find the weakside for a high-percentage scoring chance.
3) When Dodging, Always Make Sure the Dodger Has an Outlet In Both Directions
The key is that we want to be able to get the ball through to the backside.
4) Attacking the Long Poles
This puts the short sticks into a sliding position and it reduces one of the long sticks that may be in one of the passing lanes. This means you are also putting the ball into the hands of your best players.
Individual Responsibilities on Offense
Within all of these concepts, there are many responsibilities for the individual.
1) Ball Carrier Responsibilities
The ball carrier has two options. First, they can make a hard penetrating move to the goal. Or second, they can move their feet to make a pass. With younger players, it’s important to remember to run while you are looking and look while you are running. Don’t stand still. Also, don’t catch the ball and then put your head down and charge. If you do this, you aren’t seeing the field. Remember, you are a dodger and passer at the same time.
2) What to Do When a Player Does Make a Pass
First, you can prepare to clear space. Don’t crowd the ball carrier. Move your feet and create some space for the new ball carrier. Second, make a simple cut or prepare to make one, like a give and go. Third, pick away. If you are a midfielder up top, you can pick away for another midfielder. It creates space for teammates to move into. You can also pick for the crease man and create a chance for him.
Fourth, although it’s not recommended for younger players, you can pass the ball and be in a position to go pick for the ball. This way, you can work more of a two-man game (and this is becoming far more prevalent today as well). However, to do this, players need to have very good stick skills, otherwise it’s a bit dangerous to run at a younger level due to high turnover rates.
Off-Ball Responsibilities
The first responsibility of an off-ball player is to make space for the ball carrier (like a backdoor cut). Don’t just stand there and call for the ball. Create some space so your teammate has the chance to attack the cage. It also forces the defense to make decisions as well.
Second, you can V-cut to receive the ball. Read the body language of the ball carrier. This will determine where to go from there.
For the crease player, his job is to maintain a relationship where he is away from the ball. This creates lanes for cutters and makes slides a bit longer. You can lengthen those slides as much as possible. Each time the ball moves, the crease player moves. It gives him the opportunity to read a slide. Look to find an open area and move away from where the slide is. Then back away into the open space to receive a pass and finish on the inside.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “High Scoring Team Offense.” To check out our entire collection of offensive lacrosse videos, click here.
The 5-Out Motion Offense: Overview and Key Rules
By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The 5-Out Motion Offense is a unique system that has proven to be extremely effective for longtime Villanova head women’s basketball coach Harry Perretta. The versatile offense revolves around a number system that specifies particular actions to be made by the players. This “No Mistake” offense also allows teams to play loose yet aggressively, plus gives them the ability to easily spread the floor and put control in the hands of players.
In this week’s team development feature, you’ll learn basic sets of the offense, key rules, strategies, and options within the system. See what you can pick up and then start immediately implementing with your own squad.
5-Out Motion Offense: Brief Overview
The 5-Out Motion Offense involves five people leaving and filling spots through typical basketball cuts and movements. Each one of the specific cuts is numbered. For instance, 1 is a basket cut, 2 is a curl cut, 3 is a backdoor, 4 is a slip, 5 is a back screen flare, 6 is a pick and roll, and 7 is a handoff.
The object of the numbers is to communicate with the players what you want them to do without having to call a timeout or stopping the flow of the game. Villanova is big on continuous play, so the less the team can prevent stoppages, the more confusion the they can cause for the defense. By using the numbers, Coach Perretta can also say, “start using more 2’s, or mix in some more 3’s.” You can also play where you use a combination of numbers within a possession.
The basic set of the offense is a 1-2-2. It’s important that you keep the court as spread out as possible. Additionally, you’re looking to get more drives out of this offense and get defenders running at you, so keep the lane open. Also, get drives even though you may not be quicker than opponents to force defenders to have to run at you.
Remember, there are no mistakes in this offense. If you make a technical mistake, you just have to fill one of the spots. Once you fill all of the spots, you just continue play from there.
As for the basics, let’s start with the point guard passing to the wing and making a 1 cut or basket cut. The elbow player fills the spot. Next, the player with the ball passes to either one of her nearest teammates. If we are still doing 1 cuts, the players keep making 1 cuts and players continue to fill the spots.
If you make a wing pass and then screen opposite, you’ll want to make a curl cut. So as the screen comes, the opposite player makes a curl cut around the screener. Then we replace.
Rules for the 5-Out Offense
As we are running this, any time the ball gets passed up top, the direction that the ball came from is referred to as the strong side. So we tell players up top to often look back to the strong side (the action seems to work better). Meanwhile, the players on the weak side should delay. Next on the strong side, there’s a screen down by the wing player to the corner player. The corner player makes a 2 cut. If this isn’t open, we can then look back to the weakside because of their delay and we get a chance to go both sides.
All the while, you can play two different ways within the offense. The first is that the players are allowed to play options, where they can play and pass the ball using whatever number they want.
The other way is that you can play where the coach calls out a sequence of numbers, especially if he/she notices that the opposition is trailing on all screens. So the coach may say “do all 2’s” or may say “go with 25”.
With 25, you’ll start by doing the first number twice. Now the kids know that 2 is the first number, so start the top kids a little tighter and the bottom players a little wider for better screening angles. Next, the top players come and screen down and the first move is 2. They curl and replace and hit someone with the pass.
The second time around we do another 2. Now look back to the strong side and then the weakside delay. Now you should move to the second number which is a 5 or flare screen.
Tip: Teach your kids to set opponents up on screens. Also, have the players call out the numbers to each other.
Offensive Keys & Slips
Look to use the numbers 1-5 together, and 6 and 7 as separate. Villanova uses any sequence of 1 to 5. Coach Perretta likes how in the flow of the game, he can change things up without disrupting the action. In this case, Coach will run through “15″ quickly to show you it looks and keeps the flow together. Check it out in the video below:
Note: You can use a 4 (slip move) any time you want aside from when curling or backdooring (or else you will run into each other). If you do 4 but there’s nothing open, simple fill the spot, pass, and get the ball up top. The 5 play can also lead to a lot of slips.
The previous clips can all be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “The Unstoppable, ‘No Mistake’ 5-Out Motion Offense.” To check out more videos featuring set plays and specific systems, simply visit our basketball DVD library.
All Access Richmond Basketball: Coaches Meetings and Offensive Sets
By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
In this week’s edition of All Access, we take you back to Richmond, Virginia for a behind-the-scenes look inside a University of Richmond men’s basketball practice.
First, watch as head coach Chris Mooney sits down with his coaching staff for a pre-practice meeting. The coaches take turns emphasizing specific goals and strategies the team needs to work on. Finally, we’ll take you out to the basketball court as the Spiders run through baseline charges, the “4 around 1” motion offense, and several other offensive sets.
This all-access pass derives from the first few days of practice during the 2009-10 basketball campaign.
Coaches Pre-Practice Meeting
We start things off with a pre-practice coaches meeting as Coach Mooney and his staff talk about the daily practice plan. Discussions revolve around elbow defense, personnel for drills/sets/coaching points, Robert Parrish comparisons, two-foot finishes, and how to take hits on a drive (see below with “baseline charges”). The roundtable discussion also emphasizes a few other plays and specific areas that players need to work on in order to make them effective.
Baseline Charges
In “baseline charges”, players practice taking charges in the paint. First, a player will start out with possession as the charger and rams into a defender stationed out in the lane. After this, the offensive player quickly changes over to the defender and takes a charge. Players then rotate through. Notice how players yell out to emphasize the hit. Also, zero in on the quality footwork and stance needed to pull off the charge.
4 Around 1 Motion Offense
The “4 Around 1″ offense is a motion offense that uses four perimeter players and one post player. It’s an ideal system to use when your team has solid outside players and fewer post players. Meanwhile, it’s also designed to gain favorable matchups.
In this particular practice session, Richmond is coming down the court in their transition spots. On offense, the squad will run staggered screens away after the point guard passes to the wing. They can also look to make a swing pass via staggered screen on the opposite side. Then after either staggered screen move, it’s a “4 around 1″ pass and cut.
Coach Mooney also provides some detailed coaching instruction for the defensive players in the drill regarding how they should play the initial passes and staggered screens up top.
Tip: The top guys on defense should have their feet on the elbow and keep their chest facing the ball.
The previous clips can all be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “All Access Richmond Basketball Practice with Chris Mooney.” To check our entire collection of All Access videos, simply head over to our basketball library.
Flex Offense Essentials: Basic Continuity and Counters to Net Easy Baskets
By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Flex Offense has been a popular offensive system at the high school and college levels of basketball for many decades. By using efficient spacing, lots of flaring action, and flex screens, plus constant movement on the offensive end, the Flex can be extremely effective, especially if executed properly.
In this week’s team concepts feature, Elizabethtown men’s basketball coach Bob Schlosser reveals his twist on the Flex, which eliminates the downscreen to create some high-percentage shots. Follow along as Coach Schlosser runs through the basic continuity before getting into counter plays to net easy baskets.
Basic Continuity
We start things off with a 2-out and 3-in alignment and make five passes before shooting a layup while running the flex pattern.
Keys: Whenever catching the ball, get into triple threat position. When the cutter is coming off the flex screen, he must show his hands and set his man up. When the screener is setting the screen, he must step out a bit. Players must also ball fake and shot fake constantly. Also, but quick, but don’t hurry.
In Schlosser’s Flex Offense, the team doesn’t down screen. Instead, when a player up top catches the ball on the cross pass, the squad feels he has room to pull through before the flex cut comes or he can pass to the corner and make that jumper where it’s not clogged.
Counters
First, we’ll run a backdoor play to end the first counter. Without the down screen, we have opened up an entire side of the floor. If this post/low block player is denied, he can run backdoor.
Let’s take a look at the action involved to set this up. Initially, a pass is made from guard to guard up top, then there’s a flex cut by the opposite corner player along the baseline using a low block screen provided by the low block player. After setting the screen, the screener cuts up to the elbow and then cuts backdoor immediately. He can also step out and to the near corner, replacing the former corner player (who steps up top to receive the pass across). We can then get right back into our flex continuity from here.
Meanwhile, the option is also there for a pass off the elbow. When we pass off the elbow, look to stagger screen away. If we pass the ball to the corner, we are going to stagger screen and then get right back into our flex spots if we aren’t able to enter the ball into the post.
Go
With “Go”, when the guard makes a pass across for the other guard, we have the options for a shot, pull through/rip through, or entry to the inside. We run the “Go” if a defender cheats on the cut as the pass is made. This frees up a player to catch the ball up top, hit an open jumper, or rip through if his man closes out.
Duck In
Finally, in “Duck In”, as the ball is passed from the top right to top left, the right side corner player sprints baseline, comes off a low block screen from his low block teammate, then cuts right off the shoulder of his low block screener and sprints to the opposite low block and faces the ball looking for the pass.
Meanwhile, after setting the screen, the screener ducks into the paint, with both hands reaching out, looking for the pass down low and a quick layup. This can be beneficial if the defense switches. The low block screener can now receive an inside pass off the duck in and layup. It’s key that guys here read the defense in switching or non-switching situations.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Comprehensive Guide to the Flex Offense” featuring Bob Schlosser. To check out more videos featuring offensive systems, simply head over to our basketball library.
The House Offense: Essential Strategies and Drills for a Potent Attack
By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Legendary women’s lacrosse coach Cindy Timchal has produced eight national titles and more than 400 career wins during her illustrious career. So what’s been a major key to her success over the years? The current Navy head coach credits the “House Offense” for producing some potent attacks and getting the most out of players.
Through whiteboard diagrams and on-field demonstrations, Timchal breaks down some of the core elements of the offense before showcasing key drills that support this offensive approach. Look to incorporate this highly effective offense with your squad and take away a few competitive practice drills as well.
The House Offense: A Brief Overview
It’s key to be organized on the offensive end. This takes some time at practice and there’s a number of drills to help break this down. Basically, this is a 7-on-7 offense or “House” because it’s in the shape of a house, with a box in front, a player behind, and players working inside. A major goal here is to establish great balance.
Meanwhile, stickwork skills are extremely valuable. Players should keep their sticks close to the body, tuck them in, and work on snapping moves in order to get more effective with their scoring abilities. It’s also key that they are constantly working in tight quarters and under great defensive pressure, just like in a game situation.
Spacing is also very important with this offense. Players can’t be too tight. This allows the defense to mark them more effectively. Too often the offense is spread out, making the passing lanes too far away. Proper spacing is critical to success here. Depending on the defense, the set-up is going to line up between the eight-meter and 12-meter lines.
Offensive Breakdown & Player Roles
The House Offense allows coaches to put players in positions to excel and utilize their strengths and role-playing abilities. If you have a lot of great players on your squad, you can really mix it up in order for them to respond.
Also, always challenge the defense by attacking both sides of the cage. If you bring the ball down the right side, you should also want to be able to get it behind and to the opposite side, as well. This puts the pressure on the defense and forces them to play on both sides of the field. At the same time, it helps you find openings all over the field, hopefully leading to easy goals.
Start with two dodgers at the top and just inside the 12-meter line. They are looking to go hard at the net and dodge. Drive aggressively and find that angle to the cage. A lot of teams will crash and double right away as a dodger goes to the net. If this happens, look to get the ball behind. This behind-the-net player (let’s call them A3) will really want to take off strong and attack the other side of the cage.
All the while, two post players on the inside (A5 and A6) can post up for each other, go with the left hand or the right hand, among many other options. These players can also come off picks and look for the feed inside from teammates behind or down the alley.
If A3 curls around the left side, A4 (the player on the top left side of the offense) can look for the backdoor. Players can also reposition from here as well. A key here is for players to demonstrate patience and poise instead of being hurried, rushed, and forcing passes.
Look to work in triangle formations as well. This way, there is always support on both the right and left sides of the field. Players can also work in triangles together up top and down low.
Key Drills for the House Offense
Driving Practice
Begin with a three-on-three formation. Start with two offensive players up top and one behind the cage. The first player will look to drive and force the double team. Eventually, the ball gets behind and then back up top on the opposite side. Now this up-top offensive player looks to drive. If she gets doubled, the ball goes back behind again. And the drill continues like this. Work quickly and make constant movement. Players with possession should always be moving aggressively.
1 vs. 1 Four Corners
Get four corners of players set up in a one-one-one format. Two offensive players will be behind the goal and two others start out up top. The goal here is to develop one-on-one moves. Start the ball behind the cage and look for the first player to go one-on-one to the cage and get a shot off. Then move to the top and have the next offensive player drive to the net. Keep moving around the horn until all players have taken reps. Look to work on inside moves in tight and get off quality shots.
Box Drill
Finally, this effective box drill is a 4-on-3 drill that works on offensive ball movement and defensive rotations.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “How to Run the House Offense” with Cindy Timchal. Check out more videos featuring effective lacrosse systems at our video library.
Filed in Lacrosse • Tags: Cindy Timchal, Coaching Instruction, Inside the Crease, Navy Women's Lacrosse, Offensive Systems
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