Motion Offense vs. 2-3 Zone & My Favorite Shooting Drills

Does your team struggle against opponents that use zone defenses? Coach Mike Rhoades has solutions that will help any team to improve their execution. His zone offense utilizes motion offense principles that are applicable versus 2-3 or 3-2 zone defenses. These strategies, mixed with an assortment of structured actions and quick hitters, will allow you to attack the paint through your guards or posts. Rhoades also shares seven shooting drills that will help you develop the shooters you need to take down any zone you face.

Zone Offense

Learn a system for attacking zone defenses that can be tailored to your personnel. You can adapt the offense through the concepts you choose to emphasize rather than being committed to specific structure.

Post players learn how to play off each other by moving and spacing with the "X" concept. You will see how to teach your bigs to operate a 2-man motion that will help players read the floor to find openings and constantly put defenders at a disadvantage. Additional concepts help guards to attack the paint.

Coach Rhoades' offense allows for different types of random off-ball and on-ball screens to be set that create an advantage for perimeter players. You can change your alignment and create additional movement with "Gap Motion" and "Rover" to distort the zone defense. These variations will help your offense adapt to different types of zone defenses as well as confuse your opponents with extra wrinkles that they may not have seen on the scouting report.

Zone Quick-Hitters

In addition to showing how you can flow into the basic offense in transition, Rhoades also shares three quick-hitters that can be used on the fast break to free a shooter, run into a ball screen, or open up the high post. You'll also learn four tried and true set plays against 2-3 zones. "Blazer" will pull defenders out of position to free an open shooter, while "Knife" will get your players slicing through the defense to get quick paint touches.

Shooting Drills

Any offense can be improved with great shooters on the floor. You will see how Coach Rhoades emphasizes shooting in all of his practices with seven drills that are staples in his program.

Start practices by warming your players up with quick repetitions through multiple variations of the "Two Man-One Ball" and "Three Men-Two Ball" shooting drills. Use the "Shooting Lines" drill to have your whole team competing for records while working on four different ways to create a shot. Help your players assess their own shooting ability with the "Fatigue Drill" that VCU uses to measure whether guys have the "green light" in games.

Coach Rhoades also teaches you the ultimate practice drill for breaking down your team's drive and kick game. Through the "5-on-0 Hot" drill, your players will learn how to penetrate the paint, space the floor, and play off each other while working on their shooting.

For any coach that needs to upgrade their zone attack, look no further! Coach Rhoades has delivered one of the best videos for zone offense that you will find anywhere.

73 minutes. 2019.