Skill Level Break Down

Most of the time, each coach starts over every year with new kids  and tries to teach the game from the ground up - every year. But with time limitations, each coach can only get so far. Therefore the player only develops so far. I plan to keep my team for four, five and six years and have a set plan to build everyone in to all around players by the time they are Juniors in high school.

Below are my goals per the next three years for our team. Mastery of each of the skills at each level differs by age. Ten year old mastery of a crossover dribble is different from twelve year old mastery of a crossover dribble.  A ten year old who achieved good mastery of level 1 skills will still need to improve every one of those skills each year and tighten up the execution of each at each practice.

My goal was to introduced all Level 1 skills in the first season, Winter 2012. I missed a couple which I will introduce Summer 2013. I covered some of the higher level skills because some of my players were ready for them.  I aimed for age level mastery of 50% of Level 1 skills by the end of the our the first season. All of my travel players learned most of the Level 1 skills last season. We had 3 practice per week and most of my 8 players made it to an average of two per week. My season goal for this age group is to have a 3:1 practice to game ratio.

I teach the Read and React as our offense because it is the perfect offense for age-related progression of athleticism. Once a player know the "Foundation Layers", they may "play with", "compete with", and "develop with" older and perhaps more talented players.  Level 1 players can be on the court with Level 4 players. I find it perfectly suited for dealing with players who have different skill sets within a team. On the offensive side, especially during games, the R&R solves the problem of having a players with  different skills set on the floor together because it allows each of them to use to their current skills.

The foundational layers of the R&R provide a framework for teaching basic player-to-player defensive concepts. While I am emphasizing defense, players are continuing to build offensive habits and improve on their offensive skills at the same time with each repetition.


Level 1

1. Footwork

◦Catch the ball and square to the hoop in triple threat position with defensive pressure
◦Jump stop ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVu7dJ_lhZM )
◦Pivots of either leg (front and back)
◦Drop step
◦Step through with a both high low sweeps ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj00Q7uXm1U )
◦Lay up leap
◦Triple Attack Stance (also called triple threat)

2. Dribble

◦Dribble, head up, with both hands with speed and control
◦Crossover dribble with speed
◦Hesitation with a cross over
◦Protect the ball, dribble on one hip, keep defender on the other
◦Crab / Power Dribble
◦Reverse (back up) dribble

3. Pass and Catch

◦Catch the ball at speed and dribble it without traveling
◦Three basic passes – chest, bounce and overhead
◦Step to meet the pass and shorten the pass
◦Show a target

4. Offense

◦Make layups from each side of the hoop, off the proper foot with good form, at high speed.
◦Fake sandwich
◦Set a good pick
◦Wait for and come off a pick properly
◦Shooting with good form
--drop the elbow if you must, but don't shoot from the chest or hip
--good form over range
--Spend 5 minutes every day shooting form away from the basket. Do wall shooting or line shooting. 
◦Know and execute basic offensive principles of the Read and React 5 out  (Layers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15 and 17)
--Layer 1 – Pass & Cut
--Layer 2 – Post Pass & Cut (North - South)
--Layer 3 – Dribble At
--Layer 4 – Circle Move
--Layer 5 – Post Slides
--Layer 6 – Baseline Drive
--Layer 15 - Power Dribble
--Layer 17 – Transition
--pass and pick away
--give and go
--pass to the open man
-- floor balance
--spacing
--Player movement with out ball
-- talk
◦Fast break
-- Fill a lane and cut into the hoop on the fast break
-- Advance the ball up the middle of the court
-- Sprint the floor

5. Defense

◦Aggressive man to man defense
◦Defending the player with the ball
◦Defending receivers depending on ball and player position and movement
◦Defending dribble penetration
◦Defensive footwork and stance
--don't cross feet
--slide
--drop step
-- Run, slide, run
--On the ball, stay between your man and the hoop
--Nose to Ball
--Point your pistols (Ball, you, man)
--Don't reach
--Off the ball, help side defense
◦Close Out
--Stay straight up, don't swat to block shots
--Stop the ball on fast breaks
◦TALK ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B71rLswB30Y )
◦A man with a ball in the paint is EVERYONE'S MAN.
◦NO LAY UPS

6. Rebounding

◦Streak to the ball
◦Get two hands on the ball

7. Set Plays

◦Inbound "Stack"
◦Inbound Press Break "Flat-line"

8. Common Language

◦Race Track
◦Know the names of the parts of the floor
◦Hard Work
◦Streak to the ball
◦Down and dirty
◦Triple Attack Stance (instead of triple threat)
◦Attack, Attack, Attack!
◦Read Line

9. Situations

◦Bench sitting
◦Time Outs
◦Foul shots
◦Officals
--Always right
--Shake hands and thank after game

10. Strength, agility, speed, power and quickness

◦Crawling
--bear crawls  - forwards, backwards, side to side, and in a circle.
--crab crawls  - forwards, backwards, side to side, and in a circle.
--inchworms  - forwards, backwards, side to side, and in a circle.
◦Squat with Push – You squat down, have the ball at your chest, stand up and push the ball over your head.
◦Squat with Out of Sync Push – You squat down and push the ball above your head, stand up and bring the ball to your chest.
◦Tag ◦Red-Light, Yellow-Light, Green-Light.


+++++

This summer (2013), since I will have my entire travel team all summer long, I will start introducing Level 2 skills that I want for the second season while continuing to work on mastery of Level 1 skills. I will aim for age level mastery of 75% of level 1 skills and 50% of level 2 skills by the end of the our second Winter (2013) season. I am happy to be getting a head start.

Level 2


1. Footwork

◦V-cuts
◦back cuts
◦setting man up for picks
◦rolling off picks
◦1, 2 stop
◦ Jab and Shoot ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JvYOkvsWjHI )
- Get Low.
- Triple attach
- Short step.
- Keep ball in pocket.
- Keep your hand on top of the ball so you can go up and shoot it.
- Work both feet.
◦Jab and Go
- Push off that back foot and go.
- Your mentality:
- - - Play low to high
- - - Get past the defender’s hip (clip the hip)
- - - Take it hard to the rim.
◦Jab and Crossover
- Rip it to the left hip and then step with the leg.
- Then put the ball on the floor and take to the basket.
◦ Pivot and pass
◦ Dribble stop then pivot
◦ Pivot and shoot

2. Dribble

◦spin move
◦ 1/2 spin move
◦behind the back
◦between the legs
◦In and out dribble
◦Clip the hip on a rip and go
◦Escape dribbles ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvZITcNgyUE )

3.  Pass and Catch

◦pass the ball effectively off the dribble at speed
◦baseball pass
◦longer passes
◦outside hand & foot passing [primarily non-dominant]

4. Offense

◦Know and execute basic offensive principles of the Read and React in 5-out, 4-out, 3-out (Layers 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 18)
-- Layer  9 - Post Screens
-- Layer 10 - Ball Screens
-- Layer 11 - Multiple Screens
-- Layer 12 - Back Screens
-- Layer 13 - Post Pass and Cut (East West)
-- Layer 18 - Press Break
 ◦Make contested layups from each side of the hoop, off the proper foot with good form, at high  speed.
◦Mikans ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycNqi-VTL5Q )
-- Front
-- Jump Stop power ups with a pump fake
-- Reverse
◦back cuts
◦curl cuts off picks
◦shot fakes
-- Keep ball below your nose
◦Pass fakes
◦How to shoot a free throw
◦basic post moves
-- turn around jump shot to each side
--  up and under move
◦ Read and React Zone Attack- Hook and Look
-- After you pass, you must hook into an inside spot and look for the ball
-- After you hook into an inside spot, move to another spot after the first pass
-- After the second pass, fill out to an open spot - priority on keeping the spots next to the ball filled
◦Read and React Zone Attack - 3 out 2 in - Buddy System
-- When the ball goes to the short corner the high post must diveto the basket.
-- When the ball goes to the high post, the short corner must duck into the paint

5. Defense
◦Defending the post
◦Defending cuts
◦Aggressive man to man defense full court
◦Trapping
◦Match Up Zone defense
◦switching
◦three quarter defense on the post
◦double teaming in the post

6. Rebounding

◦Box out – reverse pivot
◦Chin the ball
◦Rebound, pivot, outlet pass
◦bust out dribble

7. Set Plays

8. Common Language

◦Clip the hip

9. Situations

10. Strength, agility, speed, power and quickness

◦Game speed
--Hip Mobility
--Ankle Mobility
--Leg Strength
--Stop and Start
--Change Directions
◦Jump Rope Workout
  1. Jump forward & backwards
  2. Jump laterally both directions.
  3. Rotational (transverse) jumps w/ toes pointing in on landing.
  4. Hops (forward and backward).
  5. Lateral hops both directions.
  6. Rotational (transverse) hops.
Go about 5 to 15 yards in each direction based on the level of the athlete.
Key Points:
  • Toes up in dorsiflexion
  • Spend little time on the ground.
  • Soft landing.
  • Use wrists and forearms to turn rope.
  • Keep shoulders relaxed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gy9pDb2WWg



+++++

NEXT summer (2014)  I will start to introduce all Level 3 skills, while continuing to work on mastery of Level 1  and 2 skills. I will aim for age level mastery of 90% of level 1 skills, 75% of level 2 skills and 50 %  of level 3 skills by the end of the our second Winter (2014) season.

Level 3

1. Footwork

◦Euro step
◦Hop stop
◦Leg whip to post, sit and seal

2. Dribble

◦behind the back
◦between the legs

3. Pass and catch

◦Throwing and catching a skip pass
◦passing under pressure

4. Offense

◦Know and execute basic offensive principles of the Read and React (Layers 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 19 and 20)
-- Layer 7 - Pin and Skip
-- Layer 8 - Circle Reverse
-- Layer 14 - Corners Pass and Cut
-- Layer 16 - Advance Post Slides
-- Layer 19 - Full Court Trips
-- Layer  20 - Flow
◦Make reveres layups from each side of the hoop, off the proper foot with good form, at high speed.
◦Make reveres layups from each side of the hoop, off the opposite foot with good form, at high speed.
◦Superman layups
◦pick and roll
◦simple hand-off
◦hand-off into a step back with a pass back into a basket cut
◦fake hand-off
◦combination moves, e.g. jab step then shot fake, jab step then crossover
◦Shooting with good form
--no dropping elbow
-- form over range
◦intermediate post moves
▪ drop step
▪ jump hook

5. Defense

◦bumping cutters
◦jump ball side
◦fronting the post
◦defending pick and roll
◦getting around screens
◦2/3 zone defense

6. Rebounding

◦boxing out from a zone defense
◦offensive rebounding techniques

7. Set Plays

8. Common Language

9. Situations


++++++

The summer of 2015  I will start to introduce all Level 4 skills, while continuing to work on mastery of Level 1,  2 and 4 skills. I will aim for age level mastery of 95% of level 1 skills, 85% of level 2 skills, 75 %  of level 3 skills and %50 mastery of level 4 by the end of the our  Winter (2015) season.

Level 4


1. Footwork

2. Dribble

◦ Dribble combinations at speed
◦ Dribble combinations at speed in heavy traffic

3. Pass and catch


4. Offense

◦Know and execute basic offensive principles of the Read and React in combinations of layers
◦2 ball Lay-ups
◦2 ball Mikans (front and reverse)
◦Pull up jumper ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gErWZnR0ELI )
-- Boom Groove

5. Defense

6. Rebounding

7. Set Plays

8. Common Language

9. Situations

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