Coach Rick
Forum Replies Created
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Here’s one of the reasons why I have the defenders carry/dribble a ball while playing defense in FUSION:
In order to practice rebounding, someone must shoot a ball.
If all 5 offensive players shoot a ball, then all 5 defensive players can practice blocking out and rebounding.
In order for all 5 offensive players to shoot a ball, their defensive partners need to have a ball.
When the rehearsal shot is taken, the other 4 defensive players can pass to their offensive partners so that shots are taken.
Now, the defenders can block out and rebound.
Now, each defender is accountable to pursuing the ball that they passed to their offensive partners.I did not have an entire season to train the players in the FUSION video. I had limited time to video this project. Sometimes they blocked out and rebounded and sometimes they did not. If I had repeated each of the 32 rehearsal steps in defensive mode (one for each team = 64 takes) until I got the defense to perform perfectly, I would still be videoing the project. 🙂
Not only was I not satisfied with the team’s consistency when performing block-outs and rebounds, I was not satisfied with defensive close-outs, or how they guarded the ball, guarded basket cuts, defended the post, helped and recovered on every defensive situation, just to name a few. So, I was forced by time constraints to take the best clips I could get. This meant that almost none of the clips were perfect. (It’s a high school team after all.)
Taking any team through the FUSION process for the first time will expose all of their weaknesses in all 6 areas that we’re trying to train. Exposing their weaknesses does not mean they are automatically solved. It means I will have to teach them what they don’t know and demand it from them daily until it is mastered.
If I was coaching this team, I would have stayed in Layer 1 rehearsals until I got the defense to the do the following:
1. Get in, move in, stay in a defensive stance until we get the ball.
2. Communicate what they are doing at all times until we get the ball. (“Ball, help, close-out, block-out, rebound, bust-out”)
3. Perform close-outs properly (no fouls) and check-out or block-out depending on your location.
4. After rebounding the shot, everyone should perform a “bust-out” dribble and peek at the rim on the other end of the floor (a crucial habit if you’re going to have good transition to offense)
5. How to guard the ball (in the bubble, on the bubble, outside the bubble, square or forcing?)
6. How to defend cutters
7. Where to be if you are not guarding the ball.The above 7 would have been taught and demanded the first day of practice. These are fundamental to any type of defense and are therefore non-negotiable. I would introduce punishment/reward based on these 6 and playing time would be contingent on them.
It’s not what you teach, it’s what you EMPHASIZE that counts!
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What an excellent question!
First of all, you are correct about whose turn it is when the passer feeds the post. Of course if the post can catch the ball in such a way that “no move is necessary” to score, then we want that to happen. Some post players are very good at doing all of their work ahead of time so that all they have to do is catch and go up.
But, when the post catches with their defender between them and the goal (in other words, a move will be necessary to score), then the order of operations is like you described. The passer making a Laker Cut is first. The post should wait on the Laker Cutter to see if they are open and see what that does to his/her defender and to see if it’s safe to make a move. If so, the post can make a move after the Laker Cutter goes by. If neither are open, then there’s usually a good reason like HELP DEFENSE IS IN THE LANE!. This is the trigger for an inside-out pass to the fillers on the perimeter. Those filling are last in the order (unless their defenders immediately double-team the post when the post is fed. But I don’t usually have to teach the post to get rid of the ball when this happens. It becomes obvious that you need to get rid of the ball and who you should pass to becomes obvious also.
But an X-Cut is different. Of course “Sweet or Lob” applies, but I’m skipping the obvious. First of all, most teams know which post players you’ll Laker Cut and which post players you’ll X-Cut. I would X-Cut a post player who is very good one-on-one; a player who is good at making a quick move on the catch. The X-Cut gives them time and space. So, if an X-Cut or Relocate is chosen by the passer, then we’re saying that it’s OK for the Post Player to go ahead and make a move immediately if they want to – but they don’t HAVE TO MAKE A MOVE. An X-Cut is simply a DELAYED basket cut. The passer is going to get their chance to score at the rim, but we’ve added the complexity of a screen for the teammate who would ordinarily be filling the passer’s spot. With an X-Cut the post will be deciding whether to pass it to the basket cutter or the filler on the perimeter at about the same time.
Also, be sure to teach WHOSE TURN IS IT when the post is not fed. When the wing (as an example) passes uphill, it’s his/her turn to score in the lane. The post should step out and back screen the passer as they cut. Then the post can SHAPE-UP (usually for an ISO 1on1 situation) and still get their turn. Cutter goes first and post gets their turn second – the same order as the Laker Cut sequence. Now, I can teach the team that both players, the passer and the post player, are going to get their turns to score whether we feed the post or not. If the team truly understands this, then you’ll cut down on turnovers caused by forcing the pass inside.
Hope this helps!
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Don’t change what you are doing. That’s what a box & 1 wants you to do.
(1) Pass the ball away from your Good player (the one being guarded m2m) and train him to fill the empty spot VERY high. He’s being denied so he will be able to rear cut when the ball can be passed to him. He should catch it outside the arc – that’s how high he should be.
(2) Your Good player (if he’s 2 or more spots away or after cutting) should set PIN screens. This occupies two defenders because the defense is not supposed to switch off him. This allows him slip or shape up or slide to the Flank after the pass goes over his head. Just because he’s being guarded doesn’t mean he can’t get the ball. Tell him that he’s guarded the same way when it’s M2M and he still get’s the ball.
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The Front Cut is open when the defense does not take it away. The best way to explain it is to draw a line from the passer to the goal. If the defender is on the line or on the weakside of the line, take the Front Cut. If the defense is positioned on the ballside of the line, then take the Rear Cut.
Dribble-Ats usually create Rear Cuts, so I would not force the Front Cut on a Dribble-At.
The reason your players are choosing Dribble-At’s instead of Passing & Cutting is they might feel like passing is unsafe – especially if the team is not using the Read Line. Place your SPOTS about 4 feet outside the arc (the corner spots are the exception – not much you can do about them). Show them that if the defender is inside the arc that they cannot steal the pass – even if they know it’s coming. (If they can steal it, then move your SPOTS out further. Show them, teach them, drill them that a Pass creates TWO opportunities at the same time: (1) the Cutter to the goal and (2) the teammate filling the empty spot has the best chance of a Read Line Rear Cut, Curl the Puppydog, Open Shot, and Momentum Move. (See the best drill on this subject in Layer 1 under Filling the Empty Spot.
There is not easy way to encourage hard cutting. It takes every trick in your book, both positive and negative. Stroke the kid who cuts hard. Punish those who do not. Make playing time a function of hard cuts. Keep a “Hard Cut” chart and reward and praise the leaders. Emphasize that EVERYONE can be a hard cutter TODAY. This is not a skill like shooting or dribbling that takes a lot of time to create. In the Read & React, cutting sets up everything else. So I don’t care if we only score a handful of points on a Pass, Cut, Lay-up. CUTTING HARD is the circulation system for a healthy R&R offense. It dies without it.
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Don’t change what you are doing. That’s what a box & 1 wants you to do.
(1) Pass the ball away from your Good player (the one being guarded m2m) and train him to fill the empty spot VERY high. He’s being denied so he will be able to rear cut when the ball can be passed to him. He should catch it outside the arc – that’s how high he should be.
(2) Your Good player (if he’s 2 or more spots away or after cutting) should set PIN screens. This occupies two defenders because the defense is not supposed to switch off him. This allows him slip or shape up or slide to the Flank after the pass goes over his head. Just because he’s being guarded doesn’t mean he can’t get the ball. Tell him that he’s guarded the same way when it’s M2M and he still get’s the ball.
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Sorry. The techs are working on it. Can you send your email to [email protected]. That’s where its being fixed. Thanks!
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That webinar is going to be available in vault for All Access members. And we are working on a way to load lots of Read & React game footage into the Vault for you. I’ve been looking forward to doing this for a long time!
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Consider matching up with them when the ball is above the FT line (at least on your initial attack). It’s easier for them to double-team if you are playing in the gaps. After that, always have someone in the middle, whether it’s permanent or you send passers cutting into the middle. Don’t cut deep – just to the open area – turn around and make yourself available to the ball.
Have a plan to score – not to simply handle the traps.
I always like to trap a trapping team.
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See ZONE ATTACK and look for the Summary near the end of the course. You’ll find ways to attack a 1-3-1. Many involve a Pin & Skip: Baby Pin & Skips and Diagonal Pin & Skips. These lead to NAIL & FLANK attacks. Your BIG would probably serve you best as a permanent FLANK player.
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I’m going to guess that Scott means run to the rim or through the lane, then you can fill out and fill up. Scott’s answer is dead on.
Your ballhandler can also get things started with a Dribble-At if the pass is not safe. Double Dribble-At is a good way to begin. Dribble-At and the cutter posts up – Feed the post and laker cut is a good way to begin. Double Dribble At in the same direction, pass uphill and cut hard to set a backscreen on the weakside allows the receiver of your pass to Draft Drive your cut without any help defense (Real Estate Layer 1). Dribble At a wing and let the players on the weakside set a Pin Screen on helping defenders – this allows you to start with Pin & Skip. Dribble-At a Wing – the Wing Posts up (but don’t feed them) – pass uphill and the post backscreens for the passer/cutter which creates two options: cutter and the screener shaping up for the 3 on the perimeter.
This could go on and on. There are 32 of these in the FUSION PRACTICE SYSTEM. There are 150+ of these in QUICKHITTERS.
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Yes, a passer will cut after passing to the Nail as well. I never want to change the rules of Read & React.
Example: Wing passes to the Nail and the Flank dives to rim. If the Flank is not open, they should keep going to the other side of the goal and eventually to the other Flank or fill out to the weakside perimeter. This “keep on moving” action will take a defender with them (at least a few steps – that’s why they are not open).
Now, back to the Wing who passed to the Nail: Just like feeding the post against Man2Man, the Wing will cut to the basket. A Laker Cut low is much more probable since the ball is caught high in the lane (Nail). This means that the Wing becomes a second cutter behind the Flank. The Flank dove to the rim first and the Wing comes behind them as a second cutter.
Sorry I didn’t make that clear in the course. You should set a drill to make that clear to your players.
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Absolutely! And don’t feel alone. Most teams must go through a “Coach-guided” stage while learning the Read & React. The good thing for you is that you can keep the following in your “back pocket” for times where you want the team to hunt a certain action.
The course called QUICKHITTERS is dedicated to this idea. You can also use the 32 STEPS in the FUSION PRACTICE SYSTEM to do the following:
Name or number any Read & React action that you want the players to perform and call them like set plays. However, instead of a “play”, they will be more like Quickhitters – just a way to get your action started. Most quickhitters don’t work, so they should wind up flowing into Read & React. Look at them as ways to INITIATE your offense. (That’s how I would sell it to the players. You’re just helping them get started. When they learn this stuff, you can slowly drop the number of times you have to help them with a call.)
1. Pass & Cut and look for Read Line Rear Cuts.
2. Pass, Cut, post up, feed the post and Laker Cut.
3. Dribble At a wing (look for a lay-up or Draft Drive behind the cut)
4. Dribble At a wing, Wing cuts and posts up, feed the post and laker cut.
5. Double Dribble At (change of direction)
6. Pass & Cut and look only for chances to Draft Drive or Real Estate Drive
7. Pass, Cut, and every cutter must try to backscreen their way out instead of just filling out.ETC.
I could go on and on. But hopefully you see what I’m trying to do. These are actions that I want the team to do on their own (eventually) and making them into Set Play/Quickhitters that you can call is simply a developmental crutch. Once they “get it”, you can drop that quickhitter and create another one. This way, you lead them through all of the possible actions of the Read & React. -
I tell the post that if they can catch and shoot with no move, then please do.
But if they catch in a position where they’ll have to make a move, they must wait on the Laker Cutter and make their move if the Laker Cutter is not open.
If help defense collapses on the post, then pass the ball inside-out. You don’t have to wait on anybody if you’re getting double-teamed.
If the post keeps making moves the moment she catches the ball, then don’t throw her the ball or don’t allow her to post up. She’ll get the message.
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I’m having a webinar on Thursday Nov 29, 2018 at 9:00 ET on “How to move your Star to a Superstar in the Read & React”. Join me – you might find something helpful for your situation.
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I would go back to the Baseline mode until the rehearsal looks good. Then I would go to one of the other modes, but not the Composite mode. Save the Composite until things are looking good on both offense and defense.
I would go to the 3/4 player reaction drills when I see that the players cannot react correctly in Fusion with defense on the floor (using any defensive mode). Sometimes you have to put in massive amounts of reps in order to get the players to do what you want them to do. That’s what I had in mind for the 3/4/5 player drills.
You’ll have to be the judge, but I also think you should communicate this to your players. Tell them why you must go to 3/4/5 player drills. “Fusion is more fun and more game-like, but until you react and move correctly, we have to stay in Drills!”
When Drills look good, we will go to Fusion Baseline.
When Fusion Baseline looks good, we’ll go to Fusion 2-Hand-Hold.
When 2-Hand-Hold looks good, we’ll go to Tucking.
Etc
When Fusion with defense in any mode looks good, we’ll go to LIVE.