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Archives by Tag 'Vance Walberg'

Part II: Half-Court Pressure Defensive System “4-Out 1-In”

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, May 4, 2011

This week’s defensive feature is a continuation of our previous breakdown of Vance Walberg’s influential Half-Court Pressure System from our last Basketball Coach eNewsletter. Previously, we talked about the philosophy, terminology and provided a general overview of the defensive system. This week’s feature will now cover the 4-out 1-in set, an integral part of Walberg’s defense. Read through our overview and follow along with Coach Walberg so that you can implement his innovative defense with your own squad.

4-Out 1-In Overview

All defensive players should start out by hugging their man. When they hear the coach yell out “Quarters”, this means they should stop hugging their man and get to their correct spot on the floor.

The on-ball defender is called the controller. His job is to get tremendous pressure on his man. The way we can get away with great pressure is that our teammates are in their quarters. In the half-court setting, we call the controller a container. He will still put good pressure on the ball, but doesn’t want to be beat on a straight line drive. In other words, he cannot let his man get a paint touch or let the offensive player split the defense.

If you are one pass away up top, that means you are the same as a gapper (when you are one pass away horizontally). You should be able to see both the ball and your man and should be in a position that you can help out the controller.

When you are one penetrating pass away, you playing “High-Side.” This means that you are above your man in the passing lane. Defensively, the goal is to shut down the gaps. The only pass you want to give up is an overhead lob. Remember, a container cannot give up straight line drives. This will compromise the effectiveness of the defense.

Meanwhile, the inside man should be in a position to help when two passes away. This player should be off one step so they can see both the man and the ball. Also, ball pressure will dictate how you play your man.

In the 4-Out 1-In system, there are five keys points to remember:

*Only one person guards one man, and that’s the on-ball defender. Everyone else guards two men.

*Good players should always move on the pass. Great players, meanwhile, will move on the pivot and then sprint on the pass.

*Defensively, you want to get beat back door. The logic here is that if they can beat us back door, that means they have to do three things perfectly on offense.

*With good ball pressure, it forces the ball handler to take their vision off the basket and the middle of the court.

*Again, remember to move on the pivot and sprint on the pass.

Don’t forget to pick up more information on Walberg’s innovative defense from our previous BasketballCoach eNewsletter article, Half-Court Pressure Defensive System: Key Concepts and Strategies. Combined, the articles should help you get a better overall picture of the system along with video demonstrations to put all the necessary pieces together.

For more information and details about the 4-Out 1-In System, check out the Championship Productions’ DVD “Vance Walberg: Half-Court Pressure Defensive System.” To view the entire Vance Walberg catalog, click here.

Filed in Basketball • Tags: Basketball Defensive system, Basketball DVDs, BasketballCoach eNewsletter, Vance Walberg

Half Court Pressure Defensive System: Key Concepts and Strategies

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dribble Drive attack offense mastermind Vance Walberg is also renowned for his defensive systems. In this week’s team development feature, learn about the philosophy and strategies surrounding his highly effective half court pressure defense.

Then in our next newsletter, learn about player responsibilities and positioning as Walberg walks through some essential drills that will get your team prepared to take on the defense system.

In the half court pressure defense, the principles are quite similar to the full court version. In the full court version, it’s key to constantly get pressure, pressure and pressure. Meanwhile, it’s also important to break the court into quarters. Any time the ball is in an outside quarter, we expect that all five defenders will be on that half of the court. If the man with the ball is in an inside quarter, then all five defenders should be inside both inside quarters. Meanwhile, the actual defense begins when the offense starts with a hard attack dribble.

It’s important to remember in the half court pressure defense that when there’s a vertical pass, you must go trap to trap. The goal here is to get continued pressure and enough pressure on the other team that they can‘t run their offense. Trap and pressure them so much that they can’t run their basic offense. But remember, never trap on side-to-side passes.

When defending against the dribble drive, there are three main things that the offensive team is looking to do.

Get to the free throw line.

Get to the rack so they can score inside.

Get corner 3’s.

Therefore in the half court pressure defense, there are three areas we really want to key in on.

*Don’t let the opposing team get to the free throw line. If you foul, you slow the clock down and give your opponent extra possessions.
*Don’t let your opponent get into the paint. The goal is to limit rack shots.
*Don’t give up corner 3’s.

Ultimately, the best shot we want to give up defensively is the mid-range jump shot. Note that teams only shoot about 27 percent at this range. Remember to always challenge the shot, of course.

Stay tuned for our next basketball newsletter to get more on-court demonstrations and key movements, including 4 out 1 In, 3 out 2 in, and more.

The following defensive principles and strategies can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Vance Walberg: Half Court Pressure Defensive System.” Check out the entire Vance Walberg catalog by clicking here.

Filed in Basketball • Tags: Defensive Philosophy, Defensive Systems, Vance Walberg

Individual Drills for 2’s and 3’s Within the Dribble Drive Offense

By adam.warner - Last updated: Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Dribble Drive Offense is currently making waves across the country and has been adopted by hundreds of top coaches at the high school and college level. Engineered by current University of Massachusetts coach Vance Walberg, the innovative system places an emphasis on offensive players spreading out in a half-court setting so a penetrating guard can find gaps in the defense.

This week’s player development feature focuses on the 2’s and 3’s of the offensive system and breaks down several drills designed to improve overall play. From proper technique and footwork to spacing and shooting exercises, Walberg works with players step-by-step in each drill so that you can easily implement these important aspects within your own program.

Kick-Up Three’s

Overview: This drill features only the “2” and “3” players. The 3 player starts with the ball between half-court and the top of the key. He makes a hard penetration towards the hoop and jump-stops at the foul line. Meanwhile, the 2 man starts out in the near corner and does not make a move until the 3 jump-stops at the foul line. Once that happens, 2 cuts hard to the wing, receives the pass from 3 and takes the 3-point shot. As soon as 3 dishes off to 2, he then sprints into the near corner where 3 had vacated and then cuts hard down the floor to get back on defense.

Keys:
*2’s and 3’s must be patient. 2 shouldn’t leave his spot in the corner until 3 jump-stops at the foul line. However, it’s only okay to leave early if the player cuts toward the basket, but not if he’s just kicking up to the wing. Spacing and timing are two very important elements here.

*The 3 must use an attack dribble and only dribble once. Shoulders should always be facing the basket.

*Remember to “clip the hip” of the defender. Don’t take the big gap around. A good “racker” will initiate contact first.

Kick-Up Rack

Overview: In this drill, instead of 2 taking the long jumper, he will drive quickly to the hoop for a layup. As soon as 2 receives the pass from 3, he will “rip and go” versus going into a triple threat position and then driving to the basket.

Keys:
*Remember to make it a “positive” kick-up.

Kick-Up Rack Drag 2

Overview: In Drag 2, the simulation goes one step further. 3 jump-stops at the foul line and then dishes off to 2 on the wing. 2 drives to the lane but then passes back out to 3, who had sprinted to the wing area. 3 then takes the long jumper from the wing.

Keys:
*When driving to the lane, players must master the step-back dribble. This is key to eluding your defender and then being able to deliver an accurate pass to your teammate.

*Make sure that second pass is an overhead pass.

The drills featured in this week’s player development article can be seen in Championship Productions’ DVD “100 Drills & Sets for Implementing the Dribble Drive Offense.” To see more drills and videos featuring Vance Walberg and the Dribble Drive Offense, click here.