Hello Coaches, Parents, and Players
Welcome to the 2nd addition of our 2012 19th annual spring league weekly newsletter. Make sure to view our website for schedule information, paperwork deadlines, and upcoming events. Our #1 priority for JAM continues helping coaches and parents build confidence in today’s youth.
- Mark Sharpley
This weeks JAM message - Offensive Skills:
Defense should be the backbone of your program, but offensive skill development will determine the ultimate success of the season. Paying significant attention to this part of your program will pay off, as developed offensive skills will get your team success during the season. You may have to alter some of your principles defensively (i.e. playing zone instead of man) to save time in practice to work on improving offensive skills.
Poor skill development, leads to – Poor basketball self-image that leads to – Losing basketball games that leads to –Team apathy.
Offensive Skills Breakdown
1. Pass-Catch: The toughest thing to do in basketball is to catch the ball going full speed and doing something intelligent with it. (Drill at full and half court – no defense involved)
2. Pass-Catch-Score: (Drill at full and half court – no defense involved)
3. Handling Press Skills: Learn how to handle defensive pressure. (Drill at full and half court – vs. defense – with and without allowing your players to dribble)
4. Shooting and Post Play: There is not a minute of practice time you can waste by shooting the ball too often, as long as you mimic game conditions.
5. Footwork: Starts, stops, pivot, screening/cutting, feet preparation to shoot, etc.
Try to get as many drills as you possibly can for each of the aforementioned categories to teach offensive skills. These drills are more important at times than running 5 on 5 offensive sets or scrimmaging. The basic offensive fundamentals listed above are essential for your play versus every conceivable kind of defense, whether it is full or half court. Your effectiveness on offense is totally dependent on developing each of these areas. We must stress the point that the proper execution of fundamentals is far more important than choosing an offensive pattern or style. Every offensive idea ever used in basketball depends primarily on the execution of the fundamentals. Offenses don’t score, players score. If they’re going to score often and consistently enough for you to win, they have to be taught how to play the game. This begins with the execution of the fundamentals.
A phrase that is constantly heard by the best players is “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” This maxim comes from a man who is generally considered America’s finest college basketball coach, John Wooden of UCLA. It is not enough for today’s players to simply execute the fundamentals. They must carry their execution one step further. Players need to practice the fundamentals over and over so they ultimately arrive at the point of quick execution. This is the key to basketball success – quick and proper execution of the game’s fundamentals.
There is a saying in teaching the game of basketball: “There is no joy early!” Each drill should be worked on everyday and should be built upon the previous one. Your goal: Get a little better everyday – your body doesn’t get tired; only your mind does.
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