Every NBA team now runs the horns offense also known as the A set (the starting positions resembles the letter A). The horns offense is a very versatile offense with great spacing that can work against a man or a zone and give multiple options based on your personnel. Continue reading “Horns offense – complete guide to plays run by every NBA team” »
Complete Guide to Kevin Eastman’s Transition (Fast Break) Defense + Drills!
In today’s uptempo game, athletes are faster and stronger than before. It’s important to go over the principles of transition defense and today we’ll break down Kevin Eastman’s tenets on transition defense.
Kevin Eastman was a college coach and NBA assistant for almost 40 years before retiring. One of his greatest achievements was helping mastermind the 2008 Boston Celtics to an NBA championship, a team that prided itself on great defense. As I looked through his Celtics notes and various writings on defense I knew I just had to share his ideas with you guys.
We’ve covered transition offense before by breaking down Tom Izzo’s numbered fast break. To recap, the goals of the offense are:
- Get layups/ open 3 point shots
- Play off a numbers advantage 2 v 1, 3 v 2, 4 v 3
So in our defense, we want to take these away by:
- Sprinting back into the paint area to prevent layups. Force mid range jump shots.
- When there’s a numbers advantage, go into a zone temporarily until help gets back.
Sounds simple? Well it’s easier said than done- I’ll break down these principles in depth for you and explain what drills you can use to teach the vital concept of transition defense.
Continue reading “Complete Guide to Kevin Eastman’s Transition (Fast Break) Defense + Drills!” »
How to develop players with flair the Spanish way
Do you ever watch players like Ricky Rubio and wonder where they get their creativity and flair from? Check out this video of him training at Barcelona and you’ll realise that those amazing passes he throws today aren’t accidents- he practiced those behind the back no look passes from a young age.
Coach Joe Riley spent many years in Spain learning about how the Spanish train their youth and in this interview he’ll share:
- Why he’s never seen a single shell drill in Spain
- How to create players with “flair” or their own identity as opposed to every player playing exactly the same way
- Why should you teach step away 3 point runners and behind the back passes to 13 years old?
- How the coaches in Spain don’t have a set drill book. They create new drills every practice.
- Where to draw inspiration for new drill ideas
Continue reading “How to develop players with flair the Spanish way” »
3 Practice Plans for Kids Aged 10-14 Years Old
The single most important aspect of coaching is running effective practices – Bob Knight
One of the things I regret the most was showing up to practice and winging it early in my coaching career. I’d just rely on drills my old coach used back in the 80’s. Yes, I should have figured that the game has changed in since the 80’s! Continue reading “3 Practice Plans for Kids Aged 10-14 Years Old” »
18 Essential Passing Drills for the Aspiring Spurs Team
Passing is possibly the most neglected fundamental of basketball. Often we show our players passing drills when they’re learning up the game, then never go back to them for the rest of their basketball career.
Think of the reasons why the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors and team USA (of which you’ll see video proof of below) run passing drills every day in practice. Think of all the components to a pass that turn a turnover into an assist: vision, accuracy, precision, timing and speed. A pass needs to be on target to the same degree of precision as a jump shot- and we make many more passes in a game than jump shots, but I’m willing to bet that there’s a very good chance 90% of the coaches out there will work on shooting for 1 hour and passing for 10 minutes. Continue reading “18 Essential Passing Drills for the Aspiring Spurs Team” »
2 Practice Plans for Kids Aged 6-9 Years Old with Videos
At this age, you’ll probably be introducing basketball to kids for the first time. It is at this age that they will start to develop what will hopefully become a lifelong passion for the game. I’m a big fan of Basketball Canada’s Long-term athlete development model (LTAD) and this post is largely based on that model.
If there’s 1 thing to take away from this post, it’s to make practice FUN and ENCOURAGING.
Continue reading “2 Practice Plans for Kids Aged 6-9 Years Old with Videos” »