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YOUTH BASKETBALL

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

PSYCHOLOGY

hoop market

COACHES ASSOciation

referees

right or wrong?

doctors

conditioning

trainers

mini basketball
 content

YOUTH BASKETBALL
THE TRANSITION FROM OFFENSE TO DEFENSE AND VICE VERSA

 
FASTBREAK DRILLS


 
TRANSITION FASTBREAK BASKETBALL TO SECONDARY OFFENSE
 
THE SPANISH BASKETBALL FEDERATION YOUTH PROGRAM



Aussie Hoops:The Art and Science of Participation
 
BUILDING A MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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DEFENSIVE DRILLS


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RUSSIAN WOMEN’S YOUTH PROGRAM
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SIMPLE INDIVIDUAL DRILLS

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PRINCIPLES OF OFFENSE
   
FUNDAMENTALS DRILLS
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OFFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS: THE SPACING AND RHYTHM OF PLAY
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CROATIAN BASKETBALL AND ITS YOUNG PLAYERS
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE TRANSITION
FROM OFFENSE
TO DEFENSE
AND VICE VERSA
by Claudio Papini

Papini is one of the best teachers of funda- Once the defensive player has the ball, he
D.1
mentals in Italian basketball. During his 18 must take the most direct route and run full
years with the Rimini team, he has worked speed toward the offensive basket before the
with dozens of players, some who have defense has the possibility to recover.
played for the National team. The ball must be brought to the middle lane of
the court; two players must run in the two
The fastbreak is one of the most spectacular lateral lanes, leaving the other two players to
aspects in all of basketball. Ball possession fill in the lanes that are free.
changes frequently, and players switch I personally think the secondary break has
quickly from offense to defense and vice some limitations regarding the above con-
versa. cept.
I see many problems at the youth level,
Players must be able to adapt to these ever- where the players often think of the different
changing situations: solutions of the secondary fastbreak (first
■ I don’t have possession, trailer, types of cut), and, therefore, they are
I must play defense. not totally aware of the favorable options
■ I have possession, I play offense. found in the primary fastbreak.
■ I play offense, I loose the possession To build this type of the mentality, you should
of the ball, I must play defense use practice drills that reproduce possible
immediately. game situations, such as:
1. 1 vs. 0
This continuous change-from offense to 2. 1 vs. 1
defense and from defense to offense-are 3. 1 vs. 2 D.2
“mental transitions” and involve the quickly 4. 2 vs. 1
changing thought processes based on 5. 2 vs. 2
having the ball or not. 6. 3 vs. 1
7. 3 vs. 2
To play the fastbreak style basketball, players
must be in excellent physical condition, but QUICKNESS TEST WITH AND WITHOUT THE BALL
they must also be mentally prepared for An offensive player has the ball while a
these quick transitions. defensive player plays behind him, a few feet
away.
The fastbreak starts from a transition from The offensive player dribbles to the basket as
defense to offense, due to following situa- quickly as possible and the defensive player
tions: must touch the back of the offensive player
■ A defensive rebound after a missed shot. before he makes a lay-up (diagr. 1).
■ An intercepted pass.
■ A stolen ball from the player with TRANSITION FROM OFFENSE TO DEFENSE
the ball. Two lines of players, one in the corner and
■ A poorly thrown out-of-bounds pass. the other one in the lane. The coach has the
To start and finish the fastbreak, I prefer to ball and stands near the baseline. 1 goes to
use the primary fastbreak. the basket. At the same time, the coach rolls
PAGE 6 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z&
 D.3

D.4

D.5

FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 |EV\Z'

PAGE 7
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

the ball on the floor to the opposite side. 1 before the defensive recovery of 2 and 3.
runs toward the ball, goes over it, and makes Going back, 2 and 3 play offense versus 1
defensive slides. He then catches the ball, (diagr. 4). D.6
dribbles toward mid court, passes to 4, and
goes to the end of the line, behind 3. After 1 TWO VERSUS NONE
shoots, 2 catches the ball, passes to the 1 throws the ball off the backboard,
coach and goes behind the line of 4 in the rebounds and passes to 2, who dribbles to
corner. 4 repeats the same moves as 1 the middle of the court, while 1 goes to the
(diagr. 2). right lateral lane. 2 passes to 1, who shoots
a lay-up. In this situation, 1 has the tendency
DEFENSIVE RECOVERY to wait for the pass instead running forward.
TWO-ON-ONE To avoid this, he should run under the basket
The defensive player 3 stands behind the and come back, and not wait for the pass
baseline; 1 and 2, the offensive players, have (diagr. 5).
the ball at the free throw line extension. 1 D.7
and 2 pass the ball to each other and must CONTESTED OUT-OF-BOUNDS
shoot before the defensive recovery of 3 We put 2, a defensive player, behind 1, who
(diagr. 3). Going back, 2 and 3 play two on goes to the basket. If beaten, 2 tries to reco-
one against 1. ver, catches the ball, and makes the out-of-
bounds pass to 3. 1, after the shot, plays
ONE-ON-TWO/TWO-ON-ONE defense and puts pressure on 2, harassing
1 has the ball at the free throw line, with 2 the pass to 3 (diagr. 6).
and 3 standing near the baseline. 1 dribbles Second choice with the same drill: 1, after
quickly toward the basket and tries to shoot the shot, puts pressure on 3 (diagr. 7).

D.8

D.9

PAGE 8 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z(

D.10 D.11

D.12
CONTINUITY: TWO-ON-ONE
1 and 2 pass the ball to each other and then
they play two-on-one against 3. At the end of
the action, 3 plays on offense with 5 against
the defensive man, 4, who comes up high
(diagr. 8).

TWO-ON-ONE STATIC
1 and 2, standing at mid court, pass the ball
to each other with their feet facing toward
the basket, standing and without making any D.13
fakes. 3 tries to intercept the ball and if he
succeeds, he goes to the basket on the other
half court; if unsuccessful, 2 and 3 go to the
basket (diagr. 9).

ONE VERSUS NONE

Two possible situations of one versus none:
the defense intercepts or steals the ball, or
the player on the offensive transition recei-
ves a pass. If there is no defensive player
between him and the basket, he goes strai-
D.14
ght to the basket via the shortest route,
without turning is his head, and ready to take
a hard foul.

ONE-ON-ONE
1 purposely throws a bad pass to 2, the
defensive man, and then attacks 2, who
plays on offense. They play one on one full
court (diagr. 10). You can also play the oppo-
site way, with 2, who makes the pass to 1,
playing defense. To correct to an offensive D.15
mistake, you need to be very aggressive on
the ball.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE COACH THREE-ON-ONE OPTIONS

The coach passes the ball to the offensive If X1 goes aggressively and directly at 2, 2
man 1, who plays one on one with 2. At the passes to 4, the player most distant from
end of the action, 2 goes on offense and the defense and nearest to the basket. 3
plays full court with 1 (diagr. 11). runs toward basket for the offensive
rebound, if there is a missed shot, or to
TWO-ON-ONE receive a pass from 4, if 1 is pressuring 4
First Option: 1 passes to 2 and 1 plays defen- (diagr. 14).
D.16
se. 2 dribbles towards 1 and passes to 3 only
when 3 is below the free-throw line exten- THREE-ON-TWO DRILL
sion, and 3 goes to the basket (diagr. 12). X2 passes the ball to 2 and plays defense
Second option: If 1 recovers on 3, 3 passes on him, while X1 plays “L” defense.
the ball back to 2, who goes to the basket 2 passes to 3 and X1 plays aggressive
(diagr. 13). defense on him. 3 can pass the ball to 1,
A note: if the offensive player without the ball who is free and goes to the basket (diagr.
is at the same or higher level of the defensi- 15).
ve player, the ball handler does not pass to If 3 cannot pass to 1 or drive to the basket,
him because there is no clear advantage. he gives the ball to 2 and 2 to 1 (diagr. 16).

FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 |EV\Z)

PAGE 9
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

FASTBREAK
D.1

DRILLS
by Various Coaches

DRILL N. 1 one player, 2, under the basket. 2 tosses

Two lines of players at midcourt, one line the ball off the backboard, rebounds and
near the sideline and the other one at the tries to dribbling out of the double team of
jump ball area. 1 and 3, who go to the lane as soon as 2
1 passes to 2, then cuts to the basket, tap the ball to the backboard. Once 2
receives the ball and makes a lay-up. 2 frees himself, 1 and 3 become offensive
rebounds and passes to 1, who, after players and run to the opposite basket, on D.2
shooting, goes outside and receives the the lateral lanes near the sidelines.
outlet pass. 1 or 3 receives a pass from 2 and go strai-
1 dribbles toward the opposite basket and ght to the basket without dribbling (diagr.
makes a lay-up, 2 follows, rebounds and 4).
outlets to 1. 1 goes to the end of the line of
2 and 2 to the end line of 1 (diagr. 1). DRILL N. 5
Three lines of players set up outside of
DRILL N. 2 the baseline, with the ball in the middle
Two lines of players at the free-throw line line.
extension and one player under the The first group of three players pass the
basket. 1 shots the ball, touches the base- ball to each other and each player “fol-
line and sprints toward the opposite lows the pass”. This means he goes
basket. behind the player who received the ball
2 rebounds the ball and passes to 3, or, if (the weave) until one of the players recei-
the ball goes in, makes the out-of-bound ves the ball near the basket and makes a
pass to 3. lay-up without dribbling.
3 passes to 1 and the two players pass to Immediately after the shot, this player
each other until 1 is able to receive the runs back against the other two players,
ball and go to the basket without drib- who play two against one (diagr. 5).
bling.
1 takes the place of 2, 3 goes to the end of DRILL N. 6
the line of 1 and 2 goes to the end of the Three lines of players set up outside of
D.3
row of 3 (diagr. 2). the baseline, with the ball in the middle
line, and one line of players outside at the
DRILL N. 3 midcourt.
Two players near the lane, along the The first group of three players sprint to
baseline. They cut continuously from one the opposite basket, passing the ball to
side to the other side of the lane, along each other. Immediately after the first
with a player outside the lane with the pass, the first player of the midcourt line
ball. When 1 passes the ball to 2 or 3, (3 in enters on the floor and plays defense
this case), 3 shoots, 2 rebounds, makes against the three offensive players (diagr.
the outlet pass to 1, who has positioned 6).
himself near the sideline.
1 dribbles to the center of the floor DRILL N. 7
towards the other basket, while 2 and 3 Four players set up on the court, 4 and 3
sprint and cut to the basket at the free- at the three-point line, 1 in the lane and
throw line extension. one player, 2, out-of-bounds with the ball.
1 can pass to 2 or 3, 2 in this case, and 2 When 2 slaps the ball, the three players
makes a lay-up (diagr. 3). on the court run to touch the baseline.
2 can pass to 4 or 3 and then enters on the
DRILL N. 4 court, while 1 sprints back on defense.
Two players in the corner, 1 and 3, and The receiver of the out-of-bounds pass, 4
PAGE 10 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z*
 D.4

D.5

FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 |EV\Z+

PAGE 11
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.6

D.7

in this case, has different options.

He can give back the ball to 2 in the
middle of the lane, dribble in the midd-
le of the court or pass to 3, who is gone
to the middle of the lane.
After touching the baseline, 1 sprints defensive player in front of 3, runs to
back on defense. In this case, 4 passes touch the baseline and then sprints
back to 2, who brings the ball in the back to his the two teammates. 3 drib-
middle of the floor and 2, 3 and 4 try to bles near the baseline towards the
get to the basket. other basket.
If 1 rebounds the missed shot or steals The other two defensive players, X1
the ball, he goes on offense against 2, and X2, run and play defense against
3 and 4 (diagr. 7). 1, 2 and 3. If the offense does not
score while they outnumber the
DRILL N. 8 defense, they play three on three.
Three lines of players set up outside If the defensive players rebound the
the baseline, with the coach holding missed shot or steal the ball, they go
the ball near the free-throw line and on fastbreak.
three defensive players facing the At the end of the action, 1, 2 and 3
basket. become defenders and play against 4,
The coach passes to one of the offen- 5 and 6, with the same procedure
sive players, 3 in this case, and X3, the (diagr. 8).
PAGE 12 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z,
D.8

D.9

D.10

DRILL N. 9 DRILL N. 10
Three defensive players and two offen- Four players on offense and three play-
sive players. 2 has the ball out-of- ers on defense. 1, 2, and 3 are outside
bounds. 4 is the other offensive player, the three-point line, 4 is in the lane with
while 5, 3 and 1 are the defensive players. 1, the ball, while three defenders, X1, X2 and
3, 4, and 5, before starting to play, must first X3 are at midcourt.
touch the baseline. Two of the defensive 4 throws the ball against the backboard,
players, among 1, 3, and 5, trap on 4, while rebounds and passes to 1, who dribbles
the other defensive player not involved with towards the other basket. X1, X2, and X3
the trap goes to the other basket to play play defense.
defense. In this case 2 passes to 4, while 1 After the outlet pass, 4 runs to the basket
and 3 try to double team 4 or steal the pass as a trailer and can stop near the lane or
and 5 runs on defense. If 4 beats the two cut to the low post area.
defenders, he goes to fastbreak with 2 Now they play four-on-three. If a defen-
against 5, while 1 and 3 sprint back on defen- sive player steals or rebounds the ball,
se. If the defenders steal the ball, they go on they go to fastbreak against 1, 2, 3 and
fastbreak against 2 and 4 (diagr. 9). 4 (diagr. 10).
FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 | EV\Z-
PAGE 13
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Steve Witty

TRANSITION
Witty was head coach for thirteen years
at Ben Davis High School in Indiana-
polis, Indiana, where he had an 80%
winning record. His team won two State

FASTBREAK
Championships and he was voted Coach
of the Year three times in Indiana. Witty
is presently serving as the Executive
Director of the 3000-member Indiana
Basketball Coaches Association, the

BASKETBALL
largest basketball coaches group in the
US. He has published eight technical
books on basketball.

TO SECONDARY
Traditionally, teams that incorporated
the fastbreak as a part of their offensive
attack normally ran the traditional break
where the ball was outletted to a guard.

OFFENSE
The ball was then passed or dribbled to
the middle of the court and the first
players to get there filled the two outside
lanes.
PAGE 14 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z.
The object was to outnumber the transi- F. He should advance the ball in the
tion defense, establish a 3-on-2 situation, middle of the floor, if at all possible.
and get a lay-up before the defense
could get back in place. This is very G. The rebounder is allowed a maximum
basic, high-percentage basketball. But of two dribbles to create a passing lane.
then the three-point shot was added to
the game. H. Players 2 and 3 always sprint to spot
As a result the (fastbreak) transition up point at the free throw line extended,
game as we know it was changed fore- above the arc to the right or left of the
ver. basket. D.1
It has been generally accepted that the They must talk to each other and commu-
quickest way to get a three-point shot is nicate which lane each will occupy
in transition. (diagr. 3).
Spotting up the three-point shooters in
transition, designating one outlet player I. 2 and 3, when receiving the pass, are
to advance the ball up the floor and one looking for the three-point shot. They can
player posted down low on the block has drive to the basket if they feel they have
put more pressure on the transition an open lane for a lay-up, or feed the low
defense. post.
Besides stopping the ball and protecting
the basket, transition defenses now have J. If player 5 rebounds, he becomes the
to defend the spotted-up three point trailer on the play. The trailer always D.2
shooters. stays behind 1.
The numerous three-point scoring oppor-
tunities available in transition has added K. Player 4 sprints to post up on the ball-
more excitement to the game. side block, as you can see on the diagr. 3.
The following are some thoughts on the
transition game to secondary offense. L. If 4 rebounds he becomes the trailer
and the roles are reversed with 5.
WE WILL DISCUSS
1. Transition games rules M. If someone other than 4 or 5
rebounds, they outlet the ball and use
2. Personnel characteristics and their rules. D.3
assignments
N. 4 or 5, whoever gets there, first posts
3. Some examples of various on the ballside block, and the other
secondary offenses becomes the trailer. Again, the players
must communicate.
4. Various drills to teach the
transition game FASTBREAK TO SECONDARY
OFFENSE FLEX
TRANSITION GAME 1 passes to 2 and holds his position. 4
FASTBREAK RULES cuts to the ballside block and 2 looks for
A. Player 1 always receives the outlet shot or to pass to 4 in the low post (diagr.
pass to lead the break. He creates diago- 4). D.4
nal or vertical passing lanes to receive
outlet passes, not horizontal (diagr.1). If 2 cannot pass to 4, he dribbles to the
right to improve the passing lane and set
B. He should receive the outlet pass at up low post defense (diagr. 5).
the free throw line extended or higher,
unless the outlet area is in the middle of After two dribbles, if 2 cannot pass into
the floor (diagr. 2). low post, he passes to 1. 4 tries to seal
his man to receive a pass from 1 (diagr.
C. He should call for the outlet pass the 6).
same way each time.
Use only the term “outlet”. If 1 cannot feed 4 in the post, he reverses
D.5
the ball to 5 and the “flex” cuts begins
D. He should look to pass the ball to the (diagr. 7).
first open teammate.
If no one is open for a shot, 5 passes to 4
E. His passing options in order of prefe- and the flex cuts continue (diagr. 8).
rence are:
FAST BREAK TO SECONDARY
● First: 2 or 3 spotted up OFFENSE (KANSAS)
The set and movements are the same
● Second: 4 or 5 posted (see from diagr. 4 to diagr. 6).

FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 |EV\Z&%

PAGE 15
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

If 1 cannot pass to 4 in the low post area, Example:

he reverses the ball and passes to 5, who
passes to 3 (diagr. 9). ● 2 or 3 spotted for a three-point shot
● 4 inside - out
When 5 passes to 3, 4 flashes to the bal-
lside block to post (diagr. 10). ● 4 on reversal inside series

While 4 posts, 2 sets a back screen for 5 The players execute all these options D.9
and steps out. 3 should look for 5 for the from one end of the floor to the other end
lob pass or 2 stepping out for the jump before the drill ends. Players must think
shot (diagr. 11). and communicate with the teammates
the transition options to be executed.
DRILLS
FIVE-MAN WEAVE TRANSITION GAME FIVE-ON-FIVE TRANSITION
1 with the ball, 2, 3, 4 and 5 run five-man DEFENSE TO OFFENSE
weave to the other end of the floor 1. Line up five offensive players, A; B, C,
(diagr. 12). D and E, on the baseline and five defen-
After the lay-up is scored, the ball is sive players 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, facing them
taken out of the net and an outlet pass is at free-throw line extended (diagr. 14).
thrown to 1. D.10
All five players then use their transition 2. The coach has the ball and will pass to
rules (diagr. 13). one of the offensive players and a fastbreak
to the other end of the floor begins.
The coach tells players ahead of time
what transition options he wants them to 3. When the coach passes the ball, he
execute before the drill begins. calls out 1, 2, or 3 numbers. The players
assigned those specific numbers must
sprint and touch the baseline before they
get back on defense.
D.6
4. In containment transition defense, the D.11
first priority is the basket, the second prio-
rity is the ball and the third is to fan out and
play defense against shooters that are spot-
ted up. The players, who are running back
on defense, must communicate (diagr. 15).

5. If A, B, with the ball, C, D, and E, do not

score in transition, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 will
rebound and work on their transition game
and A, B, C, D, and E will work on transition
D.7 defense.

TWO-ON-TWO BLOCK OUT AND OUTLET

1. B passes to C or D, who receives the
pass and shoots (diagr. 16).

2. B and A close out to block out D and C.

D.12
3. If B or A successfully rebounds the
ball, they outlet the ball to 1, who has
created the passing lane (diagr. 17).
D.8
4. If C or D scores, B or A must take the
ball out and inbound to 1, who has crea-
ted the passing lane for the outlet pass.

5. If C or D scores, they both stay on offense

and B and A go to the end of the line.

6. If C or D does not score, A and B, after

outletting the ball, go from blocking out
to offense at the elbow. C and D go to the
ends of the rebounding lines.

7. Rotate different players at 1 spot.

PAGE 16 | 01 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z&&
 D.15

D.13

D.16

D.14

D.17

8. Run the drill for two minutes. outlet pass.

At the end of two minutes, all players in the 4. 2, 4, and 5 use their transition rules.
rebound lines do 10 fingertips push-ups.
5. Since there are only four players breaking D.18
FOUR-ON-FOUR SHELL DEFENSE the transition, the players will have to make
TO TRANSITION GAME decisions about what position will be unoc-
1. Four defensive players 1, 2, 4, and 5, will run cupied, spot up, post or trailer.
break on a steal or missed shot (diagr. 18).
SUMMATION
2. Team getting back on defense does not The transition game and the three-point shot
deny the ball to 1 man, but they must con- have added excitement to basketball.
centrate on getting back. Secondary offensive ideas are numerous
and limited only by the imagination and
3. 1 creates passing lane to receive the creativity of the coach.

FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE | 01 2003 |EV\Z&'

PAGE 17
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE SPANISH
BASKETBALL
FEDERATION
YOUTH PROGRAM
by Carlos Sergio

Head coach of the Spanish National Men’s Cadets team, he

is the coach of the Player Development Center, 21st
Century Basque Countries, and a member of the Technical
Committee of the Spanish Basketball Federation.

The Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) has achieved a

very important goal: Finding and developing players that
have the talent to excel in basketball. In order to do this
successfully, the FEB set two goals: During the first years of
player development (from 10 to 14 years of age) we offered
many youngsters special summer basketball courses.
These courses are designed to motivate the youngsters and
foster in them the love for the game.
The second goal was to offer coaches a chance to evalua-
te the potential of these young players and see if they could
play a role in the future of Spanish basketball.
This group of talented players identified and evaluated is
then followed during the course of the year in their local
championships, with coaches noting their progress. This
provides coaches another chance to also uncover other
promising players who are also developing, but were mis-
sed before. With this program now in place, we can invite at
least 30 players to try out for the national team.
Let’s look back at the players born in 1980-81.
These young athletes went on to win the European
Championship in 1998 and Junior World Championship in
1999. Some of these same players are now members of the
group that participated in Turkey in the European
Championships and at the World Championship in
Indianapolis.
They included Gasol, Lopez, Felipe Reyes, and Navarro. Gasol
has gone on to the NBA to play for Memphis, while Lopez plays
for Utah. Others, such as Navarro, the draft choice of
Washington, are expected to be NBA players in the future.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Another important program of the FEB is the Player
Development Centers (CFJ).

EV\Z&(
The Federation, in collaboration with other institutions, pro-
motes these sport projects. The goal of the CFJ is to help
basketball players between 14 and 18 years of age to train
in the most efficient way so basketball is compatible with
their studies and personal development.
These young prospects generally possess all the necessary
skills to be successful in basketball, but don’t have the best
training facilities in their hometowns.
They are at risk of being overlooked by the major sports
clubs. The FEB wants to discover as many of these players
as possible. There are now two of these centers in Spain:
The first one was created in 1990 in Barcelona. Six years
later, using the successful Barcelona model, the second
center was opened in the Technical Perfection Center of
Fadura.
This particular facility, called Player Development Center
“21st Century-Basque Countries”, was created with the
help of the Superior Sport Council, Basque Government
Sport Direction, and the Basque Basketball Federation.

BASIC PRINCIPLES
The Player Development Centers have three basic princi-
ples, which make them different from typical clubs and
schools.

VOLUME OF PRACTICE
Granted, there are many gifted athletes, but it still takes
practice to become a great player. In our case, we want to
use our practice time at the Center to be as efficient as pos-
sible. At our Center, the living quarters of the players are
located next to the sports arena and medical center. School
is nearby, just five minutes away by foot.

QUALITY OF PRACTICE
The quality of the practice sessions is determined by the
special coaches who are appointed to help with the deve-
lopment of the players. In our case, a multidisciplinary team
was formed consisting of basketball coaches, conditioning
coaches, physicians, and sports psychologists. The end
result is that we now have complete control over all the
variables that can influence player development. This
allows us to optimize the training sessions and avoid most
problems related to personal development on and off the
court, injuries, and schoolwork.

INDIVIDUALIZATION OF TRAINING
Having players in the program from 14 to 18 years of age
results in a long-term training program. Various work loads
are determined for each player based on physical and
medical tests, while the coaches determine the technical
defects of the players and design individualized training
sessions for them.

SELECTION OF PLAYERS
The selection process has been developed in collaboration
with the FEB coaches that already work in the program.
Their judgment is critical to the success of the program
since they are the ones who have to predict the potential of
the young players invited to come to the Centers. When a
possible young talent is discovered, he or she is invited to
the Center for a series of tests that will evaluate maturity
level, speed, strength, and a variety of psychological
aspects.
After this data is gathered, the coaches must decide on the
few players who will be invited to join the Center program.
Here is a look at the evaluation form used at our Center.

EV\Z&)
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

SELECTION CRITERIA
TECHNICAL/TACTICAL

Coachable Non Coachable

Creativity Technical execution

Intuition
Learning capacity Tactical execution of the game
level
Court vision
Knowledge

BIOMEDICAL
Anthropometric measurements
Biological maturity
Pathologies

PHYSICAL
Jumping ability
Reaction speed

PSYCHOLOGICAL
Personality
Self confidence
Concentration
Ability to adapt to game

TECHNICAL - TACTICAL TRAINING

We focus on three types of work at the Center: physical,
psychological, and technical-tactical. I’d like to describe
our technical-tactical philosophy.
It all begins with the player being convinced that his impro-
vement depends on how much he is able to learn and how
willing he is to work hard.
Through technical-tactical training, we want the player to
be able to coordinate his actions with his teammates and
his opponents in space and time, with maximum results
(points, rebounds, and steals) being achieved.
Based on the individual characteristics of the players, a
teaching-learning sequence is then determined.
Players are taught simple movements and situations and
then move up to situations that are more complex.
The goal of the Center is to stress three groups of concepts
with the players, with a new concept added each year.
being to teach in depth all the tactical situations that involve
INDIVIDUAL FUNDAMENTALS working with one or more teammates against one or more defen-
(1 on 1 or 1 on 0) ders. These situations start from the 2 on 1, up to 4 on 4. We can
In this phase, our goal is to make the player reach the play an outside 4 on 4, with all players out on the perimeter, or an
highest levels of individual fundamental technique (pene- inside-outside 3 on 3, with two perimeter players and one inside
tration, lay-up and jump shot) and develop his capacity to player. Or we can play an inside 2 on 2, with two players inside
utilize them in 1 on 1 situations. near the basket. We think this part of the program is an essential
The player must have a detailed knowledge of a number of step that allows the player to learn how to play together with his
movements. He must be able to stop and shoot, and be able to teammates and develop his strategic intelligence.
penetrate to the hoop when he is pressured. While this sounds
simple, putting it into practice is always not that easy. To make STYLE OF PLAY
sure that the players develop, we use the following work (5 on 5)
series: The final part of the program is highly anticipated by the
■ Suggestion, correction, and improvement players: the 5 on 5. At this point we prefer a simple and logi-
of the movements the player utilizes. cal style of play that allows the player to develop his natural
■ Increase of the number of player movements. talent and at the same time help his team improve and win.
■ Application of all of the movements in 1 on 1 situations. Our style of play, in accordance with all that is done with the
other FEB teams, is based on an aggressive defense, mostly
COLLECTIVE FUNDAMENTALS man to man, (without disregarding the options given by a
(2 on 2, 3 on 2) zone defense), and the fast break.
In this next phase, we increase the complexity, with the goal All of these work phases are carried out during the course

EV\Z&*
of four years. In the first two years a basic module is deve-
loped and work from the 1 on 0 to the 3 on 3 is accomplished
in large areas of the court with a medium to high technical
level. In the following years, situations from the 3 on 4, 4 on
4, 4 on 5 and 5 on 5 are covered with a high technical level.
Play occurs in more restricted areas of the court.

WHAT ARE THE COACHES DOING?

The amount of work performed by players at the Center is
challenging and, thanks to our coaches, is at a high profi-
ciency level.
We want our players to be active in practice.
When we use on-court drills, we want them to have the fol-
lowing:
■ A few simple rules that are easy to comprehend
and follow.
■ Direct: get to the point quickly with a few
phases in order to reach the goal.
■ Active: repeating the drill is easy.
■ Known: no need to invent a new drill every day;
simply add a variation.

RESULTS
When it was crea-
ted, the Center was
only a project that
we hoped would
yield results someti-
me in the future.
Now, thanks to the
support of the FEB,
we can affirm that
both Centers play an
important part in the
development of
young Spanish
basketball players.
Our coaches, physi-
cal trainers, and
doctors are all part
of various national
teams. Of the 22
players at the
Center, 12 have been
selected to the
national team, while
others are in various
Federation pro-
grams. It’s remarka-
ble when you think
that each player was
completely unknown
before being invited
to play in prestigious Spanish tournaments, and all perfor-
med exceptionally well.
The players graduate from the Center with their pre-univer-
sity studies completed and with offers from the best teams
(Unicaja, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Estudiantes, Pamesa,
Caceres, Tau Baskonia, and others).
Due to our early successes at the Centers, many young
players are now awaiting a call from us.
In addition, many coaches are also interested in our project
and the type of work we perform. I’m proud to say that the
future of the Centers is bright and Spanish basketball will
continue to benefit from these two unique training pro-
grams.

EV\Z&+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Aussie
Hoops:
The Art and
Science of
by Phil Matthews Participation
Phil Matthews is the former player, assistant and head 5. Because of basketball’s focus on international success,
coach, and General Manager of Newcastle team, our sport began to develop an “exclusive” mentality (i.e.
Australia. In 1986 he won as head coach of this team the Basketball catered for the “athletic elite”). Basketball
top Division Championship. Baskteball Australia, the needed a philosophical adjustment in thinking. Many peo-
national federation, Administrator of the Year in 1997, he ple simply enjoyed playing basketball, they may not be
is now Baskteball Australia General Manager - good but they loved the game. Participation focused on
Participation. increased membership.

2002 was a defining year for basketball in Australia. The ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
accomplishment of the One Basketball philosophy began 1. Basketball Australia needed ONE BRAND to
and central to this new management structure was the ■ Compete with rival sports
development and implementation of a National ■ Reduce market confusion
Participation Program for primary school aged children ■ Maximise the benefits of a unified approach
throughout Australia - Aussie Hoops. After 10 months,
Basketball Australia is beginning to see the fruits of its 2. Basketball Australia was required to meet the
labour, but participation growth requires vigilance, patien- Australian Sports Commission’s participation criteria to
ce, flexibility, passion and constant servicing. obtain funding from the Federal Government.

BACKGROUND 3. Basketball Australia under the One Basketball philo-

1. Basketball Australia, the governing body for basketball sophy, needed to develop a tripartisan participation pro-
in Australia, had previously focused primarily on develo- gram (supported by 8 state / territories and 500 local asso-
ping internationally successful National Teams. ciations). Aussie Hoops was predicated on
■ National Association (Basketball Australia)
2. The Federal Government, following Sydney Olympics DIRECTING
2000, launched their new sporting policy “Backing ■ State / Territory Associations COORDINATING
Australia’s Sporting Future”. For a variety of reason the ■ Local Associations (500 Associations) DELIVERING
Government incorporated a new initiative - Targeted
Participation Growth Program. The Federal Government 4. Basketball Australia needed to provide TRAINED,
established participation as a priority for all sports. ENTHUSIASTIC COORDINATORS in each state / territory
to drive the program
3. Competition from other sports and other leisure options.
Not only did basketball need to compete with a multitude 5. Basketball Australia needed an INCLUSIVE APPROA-
of other sports, the computer age was impacting on the CH. An approach which provided opportunities for all.
lifestyle of our youth.
6. Basketball Australia needed a flexible, simple and
4. Due to the challenges from other sports and lifestyle affordable model. A model which was practical for
changes, local associations were looking to Basketball
Australia to provide a blueprint for increasing participa- ■ Large (over 3000 members) and small associations
tion. (less than 50 members)
EV\Z&,
EV\Z&-
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

■ Urban and rural associations The primary focus of the Aussie Hoops pro- play”. The strong, the weak, the athletic, the
■ Indigenous people gram is to increase membership numbers. slow, the uncoordinated ........... all can learn
■ Disabled athletes to ENJOY basketball, but they may not be the
■ Boys and girls AUSSIE HOOPS IS NOT next Andrew Gaze or Michele Timms, two of
■ Schools and associations ■ A new product... but it is a new way our all - time best male and female players.
■ Rich and poor (socio-economic ■ About a takeover of what local
diversity) associations have done... 2. Clubs and Associations
but can offer a partnership Clubs and Associations, who were rivals in
7. Above all else, Basketball Australia nee- ■ A universal answer to recruitment.. representative leagues, believed they were
ded a program that was fun-focused. To but is an opportunity competitors in the participation area as well.
understand participation for primary school ■ A financial driven haven ... As a result, good practices were not shared
aged children it is a prerequisite that you but provides substantial and secrecy was paramount. This dimini-
understand children and therefore you need derived benefits (more teams) shed the overall benefits to the sport and
to listen for their views, their wants, ■ A guarantee... but is has was counter productive to GROWTH.
their desires. Children (aged 6-12) possibilities
want to have to fun. They ■ A quick fix ... but it is a 3. “Elite Success” Produced Increased
want to enjoy their sport. A long term strategy Participation.
life-long participant under- Basketball convinced itself that the success
pins growth and development of AUSSIE HOOPS IS at the highest level, i.e. Olympics, National
basketball in Australia. A positi- ■ About helping Championships, guaranteed that participa-
ve, enjoyable basketball expe- ■ About one brand tion numbers will grow. As a result, insuffi-
rience is the best advertisement for ■ About unifying cient attention was given to the infrastructu-
our sport. ■ About competing with re necessary to grow the sport when suc-
other sports cess is not occurring at an elite level. While
8. Flexible entry points - To allow ■ About assisting local success at the high profile end of our sport
children to enter our sport at anytime associations helps, it is NOT our “great salvation” nor a
■ About sharing better guaranteed recipe.
STRUCTURE practices
AUSSIE HOOPS - FUN TIME ■ About increasing numbers of kids 4. Coaching Techniques Need to Change.
School based activity to introduce children playing and enjoying Participation (6 - 12 years) is NOT about
to having fun with basketball ■ About improved delivery being “technically correct” but it is about
AUSSIE HOOPS - PLAY TIME ■ About a long term strategy enjoyment. This is an underlying philosophy
Association/club based activity to develop ■ About Overcoming the Obstacles of Aussie Hoops ....... FUN SENSE APPROA-
their enjoyment of basketball of Traditional Participation Model CH.
AUSSIE HOOPS - GAME TIME
Modified game of basketball, which allows OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES 5. Philosophy of Participation
children to experience the fun of playing The most frequent quoted comment from Participation is not about broadening the
basketball basketball coaches pre-Aussie Hoops in “base of the development pathway” it is
AUSSIE HOOPS - BIG TIME Associations was: about the development of a SOCIAL or
Mini-ball competition where children play “This is the way we have always done it!” FUN pathway. Not all players participate
their first real game of basketball. In 2002 and beyond, that response is doo- to move up the development pyramid
med to fail. Society is different. Children are ........ they may play for totally different
The model was adaptable, flexible and different and therefore sport must adapt. To reasons, e.g. To be with their mates, fit-
customer friendly. Children can start at any that end we need to change a number of ness, social reasons. The deve-
stage, the association could set the duration philosophies within the sport. lopment pyramid has no rele-
of the program, length of each session and vance to these players.
the cost to children. 1. Purpose of the
Participation AUSSIE HOOPS STRATEGIES
TARGETS Program 1. Unified Approach
To assess, encourage, motivate, monitor and Pre Aussie Hoops, parti- The initial phase of
assess the Aussie Hoops program, Basket- cipation programs were Aussie Hoops was the
ball Australia in consultation with the Sta- fundamentally aimed at most significant. Partici-
tes/Territories, established projected targets. “spotting” the next gene- pation Programs can only
■ Exposure Numbers - The number ration of “representative succeed if there is a unified
of participants, who received players” for their Under 10 and approach of National, State and
an Aussie Hoops (Full Time) session: Under 12 teams. Insufficient Local Associations working
a total of 182,500 schools in all 8 attention was given to maxi- together for a common purpose -
State/Territories. mizing the number of children INCREASING MEMBERSHIP. All
playing!!! It was about “finding the States have agreed to participate
■ Membership Numbers - The number of best and disregard the rest”. in the Aussie Hoops Program. Now
participants who joined the Aussie Aussie Hoops redirected our attention to the process of gaining local association
Hoops program: a total of 22,812. providing opportunities for “everyone to support has begun.

EV\Z&.
2. PARTICIPATION IS PEOPLE DRIVEN AUSSIE HOOPS RESOURCES To achieve the targets presented in our
The most important catalyst for progress was to 1. The most important resource in a partici- plan, BA will adopt three strategies:
establish a Regional Coordinator in each pation program is the presenter. ■ Maximise the level of exposure
State/Territory. The role of coordinator was to Just like a good teacher at school encoura- numbers. The more children
enact National policies/procedures, provide a ges learning, a good Aussie Hoops presen- we expose to Aussie Hoops,
membership focus in each State, encourage ter encourages the willingness and capa- the greater the opportunity to
local associations to become involved and city of participants to play basketball. achieve numbers.
DEMONSTRATE the benefits of Aussie Hoops. The Aussie Hoops presenter must
The Aussie Hoops coordinators, every six to ■ BE ENTHUSIASTIC ■ Develop and implement effective
eight weeks, have a teleconference where ■ SMILE methods to encourage people
they: ■ INVOLVE ALL to become members.
■ Share best practices ■ BE PREPARED
■ Discuss issues ■ BE TRAINED ■ Provide greater, more customer
■ Develop strategies ■ LOVE WORKING WITH focused membership benefits.
■ Communicate CHILDREN
developments As Basketball Australia experiments with
Most significantly, an Aussie the various methods of conversion, we will
3. Quality Control Hoops presenter need NOT need to monitor their effectiveness.
Our National Aussie Hoops be an expert (in terms of Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is
Coordinator visits all State knowledge) in basketball. NO ONE UNIVERSAL SOLUTION. Success
Coordinators three times over a will vary from region to region, according to
two-year cycle. During these 2. Progressive Association gender and with different age brackets.
visits, the coordinator will: Attitude. Cooperation is a key
■ View Aussie Hoops resource in this program. Undoubtedly this is the area where most
sessions at schools and research should be focuses.
Associations 3. Coaching Manual. Written for
■ Conduct Presenter’s Courses the “lay people”. 2. Resources
■ Meet with Presenters Simple, easy to read, uncomplicated, Continuous development of the resources
■ Solve problems non-technical and full of GAMES. This is a is an important component of the future.
■ Discuss plans for the future manual to DISCOVER basketball - it is NOT Videos, manuals and skills charts, which
■ Ensure guidelines/principles a manual to be designed for the technical communicate fun and learning, will be
are maintained mastery of our sport. One feature is the undertaken to ensure the program remains
eight laminated planned session which relevant to the participants.
4. Economies of Scale gives the novice coach (mum or dad,
Through the establishment of a National brother or sister) a ready made starting CONCLUSION
Program, Basketball Australia can pass on eco- point. The Aussie Hoops Program has provided
nomic benefits to the local associations. Basketball Australia with a
Through the bulk purchasing of balls, posters, 4. Poster This “all in one”, multi-purpose ■ Participation direction
coaching manuals, and promotional material, resource is given to all participants. The ■ Unifying, national approach
substantial financial savings can be passed on resource includes ■ Product to compete with other sports
to the local associations. ■ More balance, whole of sport,
■ Contact details structure
5. Sharing Ideas ■ Certificate ■ Fun focus
Within associations in Australia, there is a fier- ■ Wall chart
ce rivalry, i.e. at the representative level all ■ Achievement chart The fundamentals of the
associations are striving to be “the best”. This ■ Teaching points program lie in its
ethos, unfortunately, was carried over to the ■ Customer orientation
area of participation. Associations did their AUSSIE HOOPS FUTURE (the children)
own thing, were protective about their pro- 1. Membership Growth ■ Flexibility
grams and campaigned against each other. The undeniable focus of the ■ Simplicity
There was “conflict from within”. Aussie Hoops Aussie Hoops Program is to ■ Inclusiveness
has been a catalyst for the sharing of ideas, a increase membership in
cooperative rather than competitive approach basketball. The ASC’s definition of While the results are
being established and a more productive envi- membership consists of three ele- encouraging, the success
ronment created. ments: of the program will be in the
These strategies were essential in formulating long term benefits it brings to
the structures, values and principles of the ■ Must have a transaction the sport.
Aussie Hoops Program. Participation is ongoing, requi-
The inclusive approach of National, State and ■ Must know they are res patience, must adapt to
Local, working together, rather than in a dicta- a member society’s change and is a vital component of
torial directive from an NSO is an essential ele- a whole of sport approach.
ment of the long-term sustainable participation ■ Must be able to communicate with Long term success in basketball is about the
program. the person ART AND SCIENCE OF PARTICIPATION.
EV\Z'%
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Aluisio Ferreira
(Lula)

Aluisio Ferreira (Lula) is the head coach of

the Junior and Senior National teams of
Brazil. At the South American
Championships with the Junior team, he
won a gold medal in 1998 and a silver medal
in 2000. He earned a silver medal at 1998
Pan American Championships. With the
Brazilian Senior team, he won a silver
medal at the 2001 South American
Championships and Pan American Games.
Last year, he coached the Brazilian team to
the World Championships in Indianapolis.

1. DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY
A great basketball team, whatever its level,
must adhere to some defensive principles and
each player must understand that everything
he does on defense is not done alone. He is part
of a group made up of individuals who form a
team and work on defense together to neutrali-
ze the offense. It’s understood that the dynamic
of the game doesn’t allow the defense to stop
100 percent of the attack, but by working
together the defense can certainly create many
problems for the offense. To be effective on
defense, coaches must systematically teach
players a defensive philosophy that includes
such principles as:

■ EVERYONE ON THE TEAM MUST

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BALL.

■ THE DEFENSE MUST ALWAYS

ACT, NEVER REACT.
■ THE DEFENSE MUST SPONSOR The building of a defensive system
■ EVERYONE ON THE TEAM MUST THE ATTACK. demands time, patience, a lot of discipli-
SUPPORT A DEFENDER’S INITIATIVE. ne, and also the complete commitment of
■ THE SUM OF SMALL DEFENSIVE all the players on the team.
■ THE OFFENSE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED ACTIONS BUILDS A GREAT It’s up to the coach to accomplish the dif-
TO MOVE WHEREVER IT WANTS ON DEFENSE. ficult mission of explaining to the players
THE COURT. the benefits of an effective defensive
■ THE 24-SECOND CLOCK MUST system. This task demands a lot of discus-
■ A GOAL MUST BE SET IN EACH GAME BECOME A USEFUL DEFENSIVE sions, some good examples, constant sti-
FOR THE DEFENSE TO ACCOMPLISH. WEAPON. mulation, a lot of specific on-court drills,

BUILDING
A MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE EV\Z'&
and good physical conditioning.
These goals will only be reached with the full
support of all the players and the staff that
works with the team.

2. PHYSICAL AND TECHNICAL ABILITIES

One of the key elements in developing and
maintaining an effective defensive system is
physical conditioning. Skills such as quickness,
strength, agility, and stamina are essential for
the development of defensive techniques. In
addition, the athletes must also work on under-
standing the dynamic of the game. Learning
defensive techniques-the use of feet, legs,
arms, proper positioning, and rebounding-is an
important element in the development process.
Defense may be a player’s least favorite part of
basketball, but a team can’t win without a good
defensive game. It all starts with attitude. The
player must have a good attitude to become a
good defender. This attitude, and all the other
elements that make a good defensive player,
can be acquired with the right practice plan.

3. DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

OF A MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSIVE SYSTEM
The man-to-man defense is the foundation in
the development of all basketball players.
Therefore, it has to be part of the tactical plan-
ning for young teams.
The young player must develop his concepts of
basketball while learning individual defense,
living with a philosophy of tightly guarding his
opponent throughout a game. The following
strategy is a good way to build an effective
man-to-man defense system:

■ BASKETBALL TECHNIQUES MUST

ALWAYS BE PRACTICED.

■ THE EXERCISES 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3

AND 4-on-4 MUST BE USED TO DEVELOP
THE FOLLOWING CONCEPTS:
HELP, AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY,
DEFENSIVE TRANSITION,
ANTICIPATION, GUARDING THE
PASSING LANE, 2-on-1 AND KNOWING
HOW TO STRATEGICALLY TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF A DEFENSIVE
ACTION OF A TEAMMATE.

■ DURING THE TACTICAL PRACTICE,

AN ATTACK MUST ALWAYS FOLLOW
A SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE (DEFENSIVE
REBOUND OR DEFENSIVE TRANSITION).

■ A GOOD DEFENSIVE ATTITUDE MUST

ALWAYS BE UNDERLINED, EVEN IF IT
DOESN’T BRING AN IMMEDIATE
ADVANTAGE FOR THE TEAM.

■ A COLLECTIVE PRIDE IN DEFENSE

MUST BE CREATED BY THE REGULAR
EV\Z''
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

PRACTICE OF DEFENSIVE EXERCISES,

WITH TWO OR THREE PLAYERS TIGHTLY
GUARDING THE BALL (diagr. 1, 2, and 3).

During the practice session, the coach

should devote at least half of the time to
practice defensive drills. The schedule
below presents some suggestions for drills
for building an effective defense:

4. 100% MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE

The term “man-to-man” defense is mislea-
ding. In order for any team to play an effec-
tive man-to-man defense, all five players on
the court must work together. While there is
EV\Z'(
DRILL TECHNIQUES INTENSITY TRAINING NUMBER OF
INVOLVED DEMANDED PERIOD TECHNIQUES
1-on-1 1/2 strong PRE-SEASON 1. USE OF LEGS
2-on-2 1 / 2 / 3 / 4/ 6/ 8 / 9 strong PRE-SEASON 2. USE OF ARMS
3-on-3 all strong ALL 3. ANTICIPATION
4-on-4 all strong ALL 4. DEFENSIVE
TRANSITION
2-on-1 all very strong PRE-SEASON 5.AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY
3-on-2 all very strong PRE-SEASON 6. HELP
4-on-3 all very strong PRE-SEASON 7. DOUBLE-TEAM
5-on-4 all very strong ALL 8. HELP & RECOVER
1-on-2 all strong PRE-SEASON 9. REBOUND
2-on-3 all strong PRE-SEASON
3-on-4 all strong PRE-SEASON
4-on-5 all strong ALL
5-on-5 all very strong ALL

much individual responsibility in this defen-

se, the ability to help each other is vital.
The proverbial line, “a chain is only as strong as
its weakest link” fits perfectly when we talk
man-to-man defense.
Man-to-man is the most basic defensive stra-
tegy in the game of basketball, yet the most
misunderstood. To have a good man-to-man
defense, a player must do much more than
follow his player around the court. In man-to-
man, each defender is assigned to a specific
offensive player (diagr. 4). While this is a one-
on-one style of defense, it does allow for
switches and double teams.
Pressure on the ball handler is the key-the
goal of the defender is to stop his man from
passing or shooting. Many team turnovers
occur because of a strong man-to-man
defense. Man-to-man defenders need to put
pressure on the ball handler. Pressure the
dribble, block his shots, and always box out
when the shot is attempted. Don’t forget that
that the man-to-man is also a foul prone
defense. A good player will learn quickly
how to challenge his opponent without fou-
ling him; how to block the shot without
coming into physical contact with the shoo-
ter. A good man-to-man defensive player
knows where his man is at all times, and by
understanding the game, he anticipates the
play before it happens. The aggressive natu-
re of this defensive system takes precious
seconds away from the offense as they try
to run their plays, seconds that could be
essential for their victory.
By having your players play tough defense in
practice sessions, they will surely take that
same attitude into the games with them.
EV\Z')
FIBA EUROP
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Various Coaches
DRILL N. 1
STOP THE DRIVE AND RECOVER ON THE WING
1 with the ball, 3 in the corner, guarded by X3.
1 drives to the basket, and X3 cuts him off. 1
then passes the ball to 3 on the wing and 3
drives to the basket along the baseline. X3
must recover on 3 to stop him. 3 starts to
move only when he receives the ball. If he’s
in a good position, X3 can try to take a char-
ge on 1, after he passes the ball (diagr. 1).
At the beginning, 3 is static, but then he can
make a back-door cut when X3 cuts 1 off. At
the end of the action, the players rotate from
1 to 3, from 3 to X3, and from X3 to 1.

DRILL N.2
HELP AND THE RECOVER ON THE WING
One line of players is just off the court. Four
players form a box set around the lane, and
a defender, X4, sets up under the basket. 1
has a ball in his hands and another ball on
the floor. At a signal of 1, 3 fakes to go
toward the ball and then makes a backdoor
cut and receives the ball from 1. X4 must run
towards 3 to deflect the pass or take a char-
ge. After the first pass, 1 takes the second
ball and passes to 2. 2 then passes to 4, who
must make a V-cut before receiving the ball.
After cutting 3 off, X4 must recover. If 3
receives the ball, 3 and X4 play one-on-one.
If the pass to 4 is completed, 4 and X4 play
one-on-one. At the end of the action, the
players rotate from 3 to 1, from 1 to 2, from 2
to 4, while X4 goes to the end of the line off
the court and a new player takes the spot of
2 (diagr.2).

DRILL N. 3
HELP AND RECOVER ON THE CENTER
1 has two basketballs, 4 and 5 are positioned
near the basket, a defender, X4, is under the
basket and another one, X5, is fronting 5. A
line of players stands just off the court. 1 can
make a lob pass to 5 or to 4, who make a
flash cut to the high corner of the lane. After
the first pass, 1 takes the second ball and
passes to the other offensive player. X4 must
deflect both passes. If 4 or 5 receives the

DEFENSIVE
DRILLS EV\Z'*
ball, they play two-on-two with X4 and X5 D.1
(diagr. 3). At the end of the action, the
players rotate from 1 to 4, from 4 to X4, from
5 to X5, from X5 to 5. A new player takes the
place of 1.

DRILL N.4
DENY THE CUT AND BASELINE HELP
1 and 2 in the corners, a coach or a player in
the guard position, with two basketballs. 1 D.4
cuts in the lane and tries to receive the ball
from the coach. X1 must deflect the pass,
and immediately run in the corner to stop 2’s D.2 D.5
drive to the basket right after 2 has received
the second ball. If 1 gets the ball, 1 and X1
play one-on-one. If X1 deflects the pass to 1,
he will try to cut 2 off and will play one-on-
one with him (diagr. 4). At the end of the
action, the players rotate from 2 to 1, from 1
to X1, and a new player takes the place of 2.

DRILL N. 5
JAM ON THE LOW POST
1, with the ball at the guard position, 3, at the
forward, 5, in the low post, and three defen-
ders, X1, X3 and X5. 1 can pass to 3 or 5, who D.3
D.6
tries to get free to receive the ball. If 1 pas-
ses to 5, X3 will help X5 on 5, and X1 will run
to him to force him to kick out the ball. If,
instead, 3 passes to 5, X1 will help X5 on 5,
while X3 will run to X5 and help force the ball
to be passed outside (diagr. 5).

DRILL N: 6
TWO-ON-TWO DEFENSIVE ROTATION
Two lines of players at the mid court line, 3 in
the low post, 2, with the ball, at the forward,
X3 under the basket, and X2 one step behind
3. 2 drives to the basket along the baseline,
and X3 runs to guard him, while X2 goes on
3, who cuts high or low. If X3 succeeds in
stopping or slowing down 2, X3 yells
“hedge“ and recovers on 3. If this move is
unsuccessful, X3 calls “rotation” and the
two defenders exchange their offensive
players. If the offense scores or the defense
stops the action, the drill continues on the
other side of the court, with the other offen-
sive player, who starts the drive one step
ahead of the defender. At the end of the
action, the offensive players play defense,
and the first two players on the line become
the new offensive players (diagr. 6).

DRILL N.7
THREE MAN ROTATION
A coach with the basketball, 1 and 3 outside,
2 near the basket, and three defenders, X1,
positioned outside, X2 under the basket, and
X3 near the free-throw line. The coach pas-
ses the ball to one of the two outside players,
1, in this case. 1 drives to the basket, while
X1 starts the drill some feet behind 1. The
defenders must react to the moves of the
EV\Z'+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

offensive players. X2 runs to stop the pene-

tration of 1 outside of the lane, X3 goes under
the basket to guard 2, yelling “rotation,”
while X1 will go in the lane to deny the cut of
3 toward the ball. They then play three-on-
three. At the end of the action, the players
rotate from 1 to X1, from X1 to 2, from 2 to 3
and 3 to X3 (diagr. 7).

DRILL N.8
INSIDE AGGRESSIVE SWITCH
1, with the ball, and X1 at the middle of the
floor, 5 at the high post, X5 guards 5, and a
line of players wait just off the court. 1 drives
to the basket, trying to use 5 as a screen. X5
must yell “change” and make a jump switch
on 1, while X1 guards 5, who has rolled to the
basket. After the end of the action, the
players rotate from 1’s spot to X1, from X1 to
5, from 5 to X5. X5 goes to the end of the out-
side line and a new player takes the place of
X5 (diagr. 8).

DRILL N. 9
AGGRESSIVE SWITCH WITH THREE DEFENDERS
Three lines of players are stationed near the
mid court line. 1, with the ball, X1, the defen-
der, in the middle of the floor, 2 and 3, with
two defenders, X2 and X3. 1 passes to 2, and
makes a pick-and-roll with 2. X1 switches
aggressively, getting in the path of 2 (X1 and
X2 can also double team), yelling “switch”.
X2 guards 1, who has rolled to the basket
after the screen. X3 stays in the lane in
between X1 and X2 for help, as well as to
guard 3. After this first move, they play three-
on-three, with all the possible solutions, on
offense and defense (diagr. 9).

DRILL N. 10
SLIDING THROUGH THE AWAY
FROM THE BALL SCREENS
Three lines of players take position near the
mid court line. Three offensive players, 1
with the ball, 2 and 3 on the wing, and three
defenders X1, X2 and X3. 1 passes the ball to
2, screens for 3, and then 1 rolls to the
basket. X3 must see all the court and, after
the pass from 1 to 2, he must make a retreat
step towards the basket, and slide through
the screen, trying to intercept the possible
pass to 2. The drill continues, with a pass
from 2 to 3, who comes up to the middle of
the floor. After all the three defenders make
a slide through the screen, they play three-
on-three (diagr. 10).

DRILL N.11
HELP AND RECOVER ON THE PICKS
FROM THE FORWARD-CENTER
3, with the ball, and X3, the defender, in the
corner, 5 in the high post, and X5 is the
defender. 3 drives X3 towards the static pick
EV\Z',
 D.7 D.8

D.9

D.10

D.11

D.12

of 5, and X5 “hedges.” This means he comes DRILL N. 12

out hard and fast to stop the drive of 3. By HELP AND RECOVER ON THE PICKS
doing this, he lets X3 recover on 3. After the GUARD-CENTER
recovery of X3, X5 goes back to defend 5. 3 Same drill as the previous one, but in this
tries to bring X3 off the pick of 5 several times, case the picks are made between the guard
and X5 always “hedges” (diagr. 11). and the center (diagr. 12).
EV\Z'-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE SLOVENIAN
BASKETBALL
FEDERATION
YOUTH
PROGRAM
by Janez Drvaric

Janez Drvaric, a member of the Europe. From one viewpoint, this is

Board and President of the a positive aspect because the
Technical Committee of Slovenian whole basketball process is more
Basketball Federation, is also controllable and transparent, but it
member of the Youth Committee of can also be seen as a weakness.
FIBA Europe. Coach of Cibona Nevertheless, during the years of
Zagreb, he won the Cup of Cups. He the Slovenian independence a lot
was also head coach of of good basketball results have
Yugoslavian National Men’s team been achieved and these results
(Gold medal at 1987 Mediterranean are proof that we have made good
Games), and the Cadets National use of our limited supply of basket-
team (gold, silver, and bronze ball players. While we don’t have
medals at European many players to pick from compa-
Championships). He was an assi- red to larger countries, we do have
stant coach of the Yugoslavian talented young athletes who are
Senior National teams at the 1984 first discovered by coaches for
and 1988 Olympics Games and at their club teams, later for regional
the 1989 European Championship. teams, and finally, for national
In 1993 he was head coach of teams.
Slovenian national team at the
European Championship. Our record speaks for itself. The
Slovenian National Teams have
INTRODUCTION participated in the official FIBA
Slovenia, one of the smallest international competitions since
European countries, became an 1993. The Men’s National Team
independent state in 1991 and a qualified for six European
member of FIBA in 1992. We have Championships, the Young Men
only about two million citizens and National Team qualified for five
that puts Slovenia in 40th place European and one World
among the 50 members of FIBA- Championship, the Junior Men par-
EV\Z'.
ticipated in four European and one
World Championship, and the
Cadet National Team qualified for
two European Championships. The
Cadet Women’s National Team
qualified for the European
Championship and the Junior
Women National Team competed in
the European Championship 2002,
which was held in Slovenia. The
Slovenian National teams won one
European Championship title
(Young Men in 2000) and won two
second places (Young Men in 1998
and Junior Men) in 2002.

Slovenian basketball members

have always been taught that good
results could be achieved only with
practice sessions that were well
designed and executed. We are
especially aware that our basket-
ball talent pool is small due to the
size of our country so we pay extra
attention to each and every player
we feel has the potential to become
a top player.

Our basketball players have gone

on to achieve greater acclaim out
of the country. Here is a current list
of Slovenian basketball players
who went through the Slovenian
Basketball Federation Youth
Program and are now playing in the

EV\Z(%
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

NBA, for top European basketball

clubs, and for an American univer-
sity team:
Radoslav Nesterovic (Italy, NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves), Marko
Milic (NBA Phoenix Suns, Spain,
Italy), Primoz Brezec (NBA Indiana
Pacers), Bostjan Nachbar (Italy,
NBA Houston Rockets), Boris
Gorenc (France, Italy), Marko
Tusek (Italy), Jaka Lakovic
(Greece), Matjaz Smodis (Italy),
Sani Becirovic (Italy), Beno Udrih
(Israel), Erazem Lorbek (Michigan
State University), Aleksander
Vujacic (Italy).

BASKETBALL ORGANIZATION
IN SLOVENIA
In Slovenia, basketball is divided
into mass basketball and quality
basketball. Mass basketball is
handled in our schools, while the
clubs and the National Basketball
Federation take care of the quality
basketball. The schools, clubs, and
the National Basketball Federation
are all strongly connected to one
another.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
In the elementary schools, boys
and girls practice basketball during
their physical education courses
and those schoolboys and school-
girls who like basketball can play
as part of their extracurricular
basketball activities as well.
School teams compete in basket-
ball games held between schools.
These games have been organized
by the Basketball Federation of
Slovenia since 1966. Basketball is
now the most popular ball game
among children and youth in
Slovenia and in the school year
2001/2002, 62.5 percent of
Slovenian elementary schools par-
ticipated in basketball competi-
tions. Club coaches help the tea-
chers in the extracurricular basket-
ball activities for children and assi-
st in coaching the school teams.

HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Basketball is played during physi-
cal education classes and also as
part of extracurricular sports acti-
vities.

BASKETBALL CLUBS
Men’s and women’s basketball
clubs represent quality basketball

EV\Z(&
in Slovenia. The basic goal of the selection process of children
each Slovenian basketball club is into basketball, organize practice
the successful development of sessions and competitions, and
quality basketball in their region. help with the club selection pro-
This goal can be achieved only cess, regional team selections,
with the close co-operation and selection to the National
between clubs and schools. Federation’s basketball camps. A
Slovenian basketball clubs that go summer basketball camp has been
on to participate in international organized and sponsored by the
competitions have the responsibi- Basketball Federation of Slovenia
lity of maintaining quality basket- since 1997 and it has been instru-
ball in Slovenia and helping deve- mental in the development of our
lop the most talented players in young players.
the country.
PROGRAM FOR TALENTED
THE SLOVENIAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN SLOVENIA
BASKETBALL FEDERATION The Slovenian model of introdu-
The Basketball Federation of cing children to basketball, orga-
Slovenia takes care of 10 National nizing practice sessions, and
Teams (Boys and Girls, Cadets and selecting talented players has
Cadettes, Junior Men and Women, come from several models. We
Young Men and Women, Men and have looked at the experiences of
Women) and sponsors them in all those basketball clubs that have
international competitions. achieved very good results and
The Basketball Federation has also at the work of the National
developed, in co-operation with Teams within the Basketball
club’s coaches, a selection pro- Federation of Slovenia. In addi-
cess for the youth teams, which tion, we have referred to various
begins with 13- and 14-year-old physiological and psychological
basketball players. There are cur- studies of young athletes to
rently eight Regional Selection determine what works best. Here
Centers for boys and four Regional is an overview of our current six-
Centers for girls. Coaches conduct stage basketball model.

MODEL OF INTRODUCTION, PRACTICE, AND SELECTION PROCESS

AGE – CATEGORIES TYPE OF PRACTICE AND SPECIALIZATION INTRODUCTION PROCESS AND PLAYING ROLES SELECTION PROCESS

Over 20 Men Practice, games Men’s and Women’s

Teams
years Women 6th stage
20 years Men Global and particular practice Specialization by roles Young Men’s and
19 years Women Women’s Teams
5th Stage
18 years Junior Men Global and particular practice Specialization by roles Junior Men’s and
17 years Junior Women Women’s Teams
4th Stage
16 years Cadets Global and introduction Orientation to wider playing position Cadets and Cadettes
15 years Cadettes to special practice Teams
3rd Stage
14 years Older Global Practice Discovery of individual player skills Older Boy’s
boys andGirl’s Teams
13 years girls 2nd Stage
12 years Younger Global practice Younger Boy’s
boys and Girl’s Teams
11 years girls 1st Stage
10 years the Youngest Introduction to basketball practice Search for children who like basketball
boys Minibasketball
9 years girls Orientation

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

YOUTH LEVEL
PRE-SEASON
PRACTICE PLAN
by Andreas Pistiolis

For the past seven years, Andreas Pistiolis has coached the
youth level teams of Panathinaikos, a Division I team in Athens,
Greece. One of his former players is Antonis Fotsis, a power
forward who plays for Panathinaikos, and the Greek National
team.

1. INTRODUCTION
The workout suggestions I have to offer are geared for cadets,
players who are 14- and 15-years old. Due to the particular school
system we have in Greece, having two separate workouts a day
during preseason training is almost impossible. Therefore, all
aspects of this preseason period must be compressed into indivi-
dual training sessions that last from 2 to 2.5 hours.
It’s important to keep in mind that in Greece, when a player is fini-
shed with junior-level basketball competition, he must be ready to
go to the men’s team, which means there is no B team, as well as
no team between the junior level team and the men’s team.
Developing the important basic skills as a young player will help
him as he gets older. In Greece, a young man is either ready to
play with the men or he is not. Based on the practice time limita-
tions we have in Greece, I have created a daily training that looks
something like this:

1. Warm-up 15 minutes them how to play so that over time they can rise up to your higher
2. Main part expectations.
a. Basics 20 minutes 2. Try not to limit your players. Regardless of the position they
b. Team offense or defense 50 minutes play, they must be able to pass, dribble, and shoot without hesita-
3. Physical conditioning 25 minutes tion from anywhere on the court.
4. Cool down period 10 minutes 3. There is no place for dogma in basketball coaching. You must
be flexible, adjustable, and must keep an open mind.
When working at this young age level, one must keep in mind that
there is a vast talent difference between cadets and players on 2. PHYSICAL CONDITIONING.
the men’s team. I find it useful to keep the following in mind when This training period lasts about 8 to 10 weeks and it is during this
working with young players: important time that your players get in condition for the rest of the
1. It is not the team that must adjust to the coach, but the coach season. Your primary goals are to have your players achieve a
who must adjust to the young players. That means that someti- good level of aerobic (ability to run long distances) and anaerobic
mes the basketball played by these youngsters may not always (sprinting) conditioning, as well as increase their muscular
represent your basketball ideals and philosophy. They are lear- strength and explosiveness on the court.
ning to play the game and you must guide them along, teaching During a game, your player uses mainly the anaerobic mechani-
EV\Z((
sms, they sprint for short bursts, recuperate, and then sprint
again. That is the essence of basketball.
Some coaches concentrate only on the anaerobic aspects of trai-
ning and end up neglecting the aerobic development of their
players, the important ability to run for a long period of time.
Don’t forget that when a player has developed both his aerobic
and anaerobic capacity, he combines the two necessary ingre-
dients needed in a basketball player. Here is a training schedule
that will help you successfully combine aerobic and anaerobic
elements:

WEEK NUMBER SESSIONS AEROBIC ANAEROBIC

OF TRAINING
1 6 6 -
2 6 6 -
3 7 4 2
4 7 3 3
5 6 3 3
6 6 2 3
7 6 2 3
8 5 1 4
9 5 - 5
10 5 - -

The left column shows the training week, while the next column
details the number of training sessions for that particular week.
Some of these training sessions may not be used for aerobic or
anaerobic training; that depends on the fatigue level of the
players. The players may need a rest from all the training, or
they may have a friendly game approaching and you want them
refreshed and ready to play in order to see something from
them in the game.
The third column from the left refers to the number of aerobic
workouts for the week. As the weeks go by, the number of
these sessions declines. The fourth column details the anaero-
bic sessions, and as the weeks go by, the anaerobic workouts
increase. It’s best to alternate aerobic and anaerobic sessions
when they are both scheduled for the same week. Here is how
this can be done:

WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1 Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Off
2 Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Aerobic Off
3 Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Aerobic Basketb.only
4 Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Basketb.only
5 Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Friendly game
6 Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Basketball only Friendly game
7 Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Basketball only Friendly game
8 Anaerobic Anaerobic Aerobic Anaerobic Anaerobic Friendly game Friendly game
9 Anaerobic Anaerobic Friendly game Anaerobic Anaerobic Basketball only Friendly game
10 Basketball only Friendly game Basketball only Basketball only Basketball only Basketball only Official game

The highlighted practices are times which I consider to be good

opportunities to cut back on training intensity if you see that your
players aren’t able to keep up with the program as expected.

BUILDING STRENGTH
The second factor that must be developed and enhanced
during this preseason period is strength. Basketball is really not
a “non-contact” sport and the development of a powerful upper
body is important for young basketball players, as is the need for
EV\Z()
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

leg training. Before you begin a weight-training session, it’s make himself available for a pass, so he can then shoot or drive to
important that they all learn how to use the weights safely. There the basket. Every player needs to be taught this basic offensive skill.
are three steps that must be taken: Keep in mind, however, that while your players are learning how to
▼ You must teach each player the specific technique involved in do this in a game situation, you might lose some games. That is why,
each exercise. when you are planning your offense you are also planning what
▼ You must perform a test for each player in order to determine how kind of coach you will be. Setting your goal as winning as much as
much weight he can safely lift for each particular exercise. Usually possible is the easy path; the skill development of the players that
the maximum weight lifted should be no more than 70 percent of the will ultimately suffer if you only concentrate on winning. If you do
player’s bodyweight. choose to work on player skills, understand that you will need a lot
▼ A program of isometric leg exercises should be started. This will of patience. Many people, the players included, may not under-
not have any positive result in the athletic performance of your stand what you are trying to do and will expect immediate results.
players but I find that these exercises offer an excellent way to cut When designing an offense, I prefer to use continuous motions that
down on basketball-related injuries, especially knee injuries. It provide my players with plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities. There are
would be wise to introduce these exercises during the first week of two ways to teach your offense depending on what you want to
training. These exercises should be continued for the second week emphasize. If you prefer 5-on-5 situations to take advantage of a
good mismatch, you must start by teaching your main motion or
by any player that has a tendency to knee injuries.
play, then your fast break, followed by the transition game.
If you wish to emphasize the fast break, you need to first teach that,
3. TEAM OFFENSE
followed by the transition offense, and then the main play or motion.
When you are planning the offensive strategy of your team, keep in
The way you chose teaching it is all the same. Let’s say you want to
mind that your goals are not only to win games but also to improve
teach a play. First you work 5-on-0, then break it apart and work the
the skill levels of your players. Most young players look at winning
basic parts separately. If, for example, the play is using a UCLA cut
as the priority, but for the coach of young players, your goals is to
and then a pick. You would first teach the entire play, followed by
have players improve in all levels of the game.
the UCLA cut against no defense, then against a passive defense,
For example, if you are using a particular play that gets your player
and then against an active defense.
free by using screens, the player might score a lot of points and win
You would follow the same procedure with the pick, running the
a few games because of his offensive abilities. However, if that
entire play against a passive and then an active defense. The same
player finds himself in a situation where he doesn’t get screens, he
learning steps are used when teaching the fast break and transition
may not know what to do with a defender on him. As a coach, your
offense.
job is to then teach the player how to get free of the defense and
It’s important that your team understands how to play a particu-
lar offense before you begin teaching defense. The criteria I use
in deciding whether my team is ready for their first friendly game
is based on the progress they are making on offense in practice.
Keep in mind that once you start playing games, you will alter
your physical conditioning schedule, so you must not be hasty. In
general, your team should be ready to play another team by the
fourth week of training. We usually try to play the first game
against a weaker opponent. Sometimes you will find that it is bet-
ter to play against an opponent of equal skills. In that case, deci-
de beforehand with the other coach on the kind of defense that
will be used, or any other details that you think will be helpful in

EV\Z(*
order to achieve certain results with your team. go past the backboard and
D.2
Once your team is on the court and playing the game, don’t try to fix rebounds any missed shot.
everything at once, or you will not fix anything. Aim your coaching If/when X2 gets ahead of 2 on
focus on one particular aspect of the offense at a time and try to sprint, all basic one-on-one
make improvements as the game progresses. defensive principles apply.
Last but not least are the basics of the game. Teaching and fine 1 and X1 switch from offence to
tuning the basics is going to be your most important task throughout defence for return trip down
the season, so during preseason training you are allowed to neglect opposite side of court. Be sure
them just a little. It’s important that you leave plenty of time for shoo- to flop sides on this drill so that it
ting practice. Dribbling and passing drills, however, can be merged can be practiced from both the
with physical conditioning exercises. right and left sides of the court.

4. TEAM DEFENSE. Teaching Drill: “Loose Ball.”

Defense is one of the most important weapons a coach can have in Players form two lines under
his arsenal. Defense can win games for you, even against a more the basket. The coach, stan-
talented and physically superior adversary. Learning to play good ding under the basket, rolls the
defense helps build character in your players. Offense is basically a ball out on court. The first
matter of talent; sometimes a player has a bad day on the court player in each line then chases
when many of his shots don’t go in. With defense, however, there is and dives after the loose ball.
no such thing as a bad day. Defense is all about determination and The coach should start out
athleticism. A basketball player has to be willing to bend over, guard with short rolls and increase the distance as the players deve-
his man, and do everything he can to keep him from scoring. For this lop their skills (diagr. 2).
reason I like to teach the full court press and I use it often during a
game. 1-on-1 variation. The player D.3
Team defense must be worked on after your players have learned who gets the ball first imme-
the team offense, otherwise you will have difficulties. Personal diately goes on offense and
defense, however, and defensive technique can be combined with begins one-on-one play.
some physical conditioning exercises. When you are ready to start
working your defensive philosophy, you have to start from the bot- Teaching Drill: “Out of bounds
tom with the basics, including the proper defensive stance and sli- save.” Players assemble near mid
ding, and then work your way up to team defense. court. The coach bounces the ball
Team defense includes man-to-man, weak side, and playing again- out of bounds and the first player
st screens. As soon as you have completed individual defense, it is in the line runs after the ball, trying
time to incorporate your defensive transition. These exercises are to keep it in play. The player saves
best performed in conjunction with your team offense. When the ball to the coach, recovers,
working on defense, I also like to work on rebounding drills and dead and then cuts to basket, receiving
ball situations at the same time. The reason I do this is because, as a return pass from the coach for a
with defense, it’s not a matter of talent that makes you a good player shot. The coach varies the tosses-
but a willingness to work hard high bounces, low bounces, diffe-
and help achieve team goals. rent angles, and tosses to diffe-
D.1 rent areas of the court (diagr. 3).
5. DRILLS
Here are some drills that are Transition Drill: This is a good drill for teaching defensive tran-
useful during pre-season sition and physical conditioning.
training: The players set up on the
Teaching Drill: “Wolf”. This is court as in the diagram 4. The D.4
a one-on-one full court drill. It first pair starts by passing the
is a great offensive drill for ball three times and then the
practicing lay-ups at high player on the outside lane pas-
speeds. You will also find that ses to the corner. From the cor-
it’s a great physical conditio- ner, the player passes to the
ner as well (diagr.1). player on the inside lane, who
then shoots the ball. The corner
Offensive player 1 starts on player takes the rebound and
the sideline free-throw line passes it to the other corner
extended. Defensive player X1 player. The ball then moves from
is out of bounds on the baseli- there to the center and from
ne with the ball. X1 passes the there to the last player. The
ball ahead to 2, who in turns shooter runs back and tries to
drives hard to the basket for stop the ball before it reaches
lay-up. 1 drives the length of the court for lay-up shot. X2 pur- the last player. If he doesn’t
sues 2 in an attempt to pressure or block 2’s shot. make it, he tries to stop him from
X2 tries to block the shot low using the near hand. X2 must not making the basket (diagr. 4).
EV\Z(+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is one of the best high school

coach in Unites States. He was named
National Coach of the Year twice. He coa-
ches Oak Hill Academy and the Warriors
have been crowned National High School
Champions three times. Fourteen of his
players went on to play in the NBA, and
among them Ron Mercer of the Indiana
Pacers and Jerry Stackhouse of the
Washington Wizards (and many of his
players are playing in foreign countries).
Also Syracuse University Carmelo Anthony,
the MVP of this year NCAA Final, is a former
player from Oak Hill Academy.

In preparing to attack zone defenses, there

are several fundamentals a team must learn
if it’s to have consistent success.

These areas of instructions are:

1. Use of different screening
techniques;
2. Obtaining penetration
by dribbling and passing;
3. Frequent ball reversal to expand
the zone horizontally;
4. Use of the skip pass;
5. Use of the 3-point shot
as a weapon.

In keeping with these principles, we have

developed a series of rules for our zone
attack. They’re broken down into two cate-
gories: post player rules and perimeter player
rules.

BASIC ALIGNMENT
While there is nothing earthshaking about
the way we set up (diagr. 1), we do have
some guidelines for each player entering into
the offense.

1-4 AGAINST
THE ZONE EV\Z(,
 FIBA EUROP

D.1 D.4

D.2 D.5

D.3 D.6

Player 1 is the primary ballhandler. a reaction to the movement of the ball.

We want him to always set up in a seam and
to start the offense fairly high on the floor to RULES FOR THE POST PLAYERS
expand the zone vertically. 1. Anytime one post player receives the ball,
the other post player dives across the lane to
Players 2 and 3 are the wings - good perime- the opposite block.
ter shooters. This can happen when both post players are
We want them to start at least one step above at the high post or when they’re in a high low
the free-throw line extended, and to face in set (diagr. 2, 3 and 4).
such a way as to be able to see the defense The cut should be made on eye contact
with their peripheral vision. between the two players.

Players 4 and 5 are the post players. 2. Anytime the ball is passed from the wing to
We like them to start at the corners of the the top of the key, the high post down-
free-throw lane, facing each other. Their screens for the low post (diagr. 5).
objective is to screen the defensive guard or The screen should be made on the middle
to seal the guard to the outside in order to defender in the zone. For proper timing, the
receive a post entry pass from the 1 man. low post should pivot on the baseline foot
toward the baseline, then cross over through
This alignment allows for two things: the screen into the broken-circle area.
1. you have four options to start your
offense. 3. Anytime the ball is reversed by the way of
2. It moves the zone up the floor vertically, a skip pass, the post players should criss-
which creates larger seams. cross (diagr. 6), the high post player cutting
first.
Once the principles of the basic alignment
are covered, everything else in the offense is 4. On dribble penetration to the corner of the
EV\Z(-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.7

free-throw lane, the high post steps out

beyond the 3-point line and the low post
attempts to pin and seal on the block (diagr.
7).

5. On dribble penetration to the baseline, the

low-post player should inside-pivot and seal
the defender as the high-post player dives to
the weakside block (diagr. 8).

6. When receiving the ball, high-post players

should catch and inside-pivot (the James
Worthy, and Jack Sikma, the two great for-
mer NBA players, footwork) and face the
basket.
Low-post players should catch, chin and look
over the high-side shoulder.

RULES FOR PERIMETER PLAYERS

1. Anytime penetration is made toward the
baseline (either by dribbling or feeding the
post), all perimeter players rotate in a step-
slide technique toward the ballside baseline
(diagr. 9).

2. Anytime penetration is made toward the

corner of the free-throw lane (middle of the
court), all perimeter players step-slide
toward the weakside baseline (diagr. 10).

3. Anytime penetration is made from the top

of the key (by dribble or pass), wing player
step-slide to the corners or behind the pene-
trator (diagr. 11), depending on the type of
zone. On pass penetration, the point player
slides opposite the direction of the post
player.

4. Against an odd-guard front, the point guard

always plays in the blind side of the defensi-
ve guard.

5. Do not pass back to the same side unless

the point player dribbles or fakes across the
midline of the court.

6. Option: Anytime the ball is passed from the

point to the wing, the passer screens away
or exchanges with the opposite wing, depen-
ding on where the defensive off-guard plays.
EV\Z(.
D.8

D.9

D.10

D.11

EV\Z)%
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Muly Katzurin

For the past two years Muly Katzurin, who

is the head coach of the Senior National
team, has also been in charge of the all the
Youth Men’s National teams of Israel. The
next season he will coach Slask Wroclaw,
the Polish Division I team.

A basic offensive set is created by putting

together two and three-man plays. Just as
you need to learn the letters of the alpha-
bet before being able to read, players first
must learn and practice all the necessary
offensive skills. These include moving
without the ball (which is now a lost art, as
evidenced after watching many NBA
games), passing, dribbling, and shooting.
In addition, players must be able to read
the various defensive situations and react
to the moves of the defense.

In this article we will talk on the three-man

plays. As part of their offense, every team
has a pick-and-roll play, which is currently
the most-used offensive weapon in the
NBA. The best practitioners of this play
were the All-Star tandem of John Stockton
and Karl Malone, the former point guard
and power forward of the Utah Jazz, who
will play next season with the Los Angeles
Lakers. They worked this offensive move to
near perfection after more than a decade
of playing together in Utah.
The pick-and-roll usually involves a small
and big player, but it can also be performed
by two guards or two forwards. Let’s exa-
mine the different types of pick-and-roll
situations.

LATERAL PICK-AND-ROLL
1 passes to 2 and 1 receives a back screen
from 5 (diagr. 1). 1 cuts in the lane and goes
to the weakside of the court.

BASIC THREE-MAN
PLAYS EV\Z)&
5 comes out of the corner of the free- D.1 D.4
throw lane and makes a lateral screen on
2.2 dribbles off the screen and pass to 5,
who rolls to the basket after the screen
(diagr. 2).

Another option is to have 1, who comes

back after the cut, make a back screen
(screen the screener) on 5. 5 then recei-
ves the ball from 2 (diagr. 3).
Here’s yet another option after the screen
for 1: 5 makes the lateral screen and,
instead of rolling to the basket, pops out D.2 D.5
and receives the ball for a jump shot
(diagr. 4).

LOW POST PICK-AND-ROLL

Let’s now review the action with the cen-
ter in the low post position. 1 passes to 2,
receives a back screen from 5 and cuts to
the basket, going to the weak side (diagr.
5).

After the screen for 1, 5 screens on the ball

for 2, then rolls to the basket and receives D.3
the ball from 2 (diagr. 6). D.6

MIDDLE PICK-AND-ROLL
4 and 5 are in the low-post position. 5
comes up high in the middle of the court
and sets a screen for 1, who, before recei-
ving the screen, dribbles away from the
screen, then comes back and receives the
screen (diagr. 7).

5, after the screen, rolls to the basket,

while 4 simultaneously comes up outside
of the lane (diagr. 8).

1 passes to 4 and 4 passes to 5 in the lane

(diagr. 9). This pass from the high to the low
post is very difficult for the defense to stop.

SCREEN THE SCREENER

1 passes to 2, 3 comes out of the lane and
sets a screen for 1. 1 can cut or post up in
the low post area and receive the ball from
2 (diagr. 10).

Another option is to have 1 come up and

set a back screen for 3. 3 cuts and receives
the ball from 2 (diagr. 11).

Another option is a screen from 3 for 2,

who comes up and receives the ball from 1.
1 can also pass to 3, who goes in the low
post position after the screen (diagr. 12).

SCREEN AND SKIP PASS

1 dribbles toward 2. 3 comes out of the lane
and screens for 2. 2 cuts diagonally and
goes to the opposite side of the court
(diagr. 13).
EV\Z)'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

1 makes a skip pass to 2, from one side of

D.7 D.12 the court to the other (diagr. 14).

DIAGONAL SCREEN
With the ball on the wing in the hands of 1,
2, comes from the low post and makes a
diagonal screen for 3, who goes in the low-
post position.
After the pick, 2 goes to the high-post posi-
tion (diagr. 15).

1 can pass the ball to 3 in the low post, or

to 2, who can then pass to 3, who has cut
D.8 D.13 in the lane (diagr. 16).

CUT TO THE WEAK SIDE AND BASELINE SCREEN

1 passes to 2 and 2 to 3, who is in the low-
post area.
After the pass, 2 cuts near 3 for a return
pass and, if he doesn’t get a pass, goes to
low post on the weak side of the court
(diagr. 17).

3 passes back the ball to 1, who dribbles

towards the other side of the court. At the
D.9 D.14 same time, 2 makes a baseline pick for 3, who
can now receive a pass from 1 (diagr. 18).

X CUTS AND SCREEN

3 is in the free-throw lane, while 1 and 2
are in the guard positions. 1 passes the ball
to 3, cuts to his right and makes a screen
for 2, who cuts to his left. Both cutters go
on to the low-post position (diagr. 19).

3 passes to 1. 2 fakes to cut near the base-

line, receives a vertical screen from 3, and
D.10 D.15 comes up high (diagr. 20).

1 can either pass to 2 at the free-throw

lane, or to 3, who is near the basket (diagr.
21).

BASELINE PICK AND CURL

2 and 3 are in the low-post positions. 2 cuts
in the lane and receives a pick from 3. 1
passes to 3 (diagr. 22).
If the defensive player follows 2 outside, 2
can curl around 3, cut back in the lane, and
D.11 D.16 receive a pass from 1 (diagr. 23).

TWO SCREENS
2 is in the low-post position on the ball
side. 1, with the ball in the wing position,
receives a screen from 3 and dribbles to
the middle. Immediately after the screen, 3
screens 2, who pops out. After the screen,
3 goes in the low-post area (diagr. 24).

1 can pass to 2 for the shot. If 2 cannot

shoot, or if he sees that 3 is free or in a bet-
ter scoring position, he can pass him the
ball (diagr. 25).
EV\Z)(
D.17 D.18 D.19

D.20 D.22

D.21

D.23

D.24

D.25

EV\Z))
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

EV\Z)*
 RUSSIAN by Valery Lunichkin

WOMEN’S
YOUTH Valery Lunichkin is the Russian Basketball
Federation Coaches Council Chairman and
Head Coach of the Olympic Youth Training

PROGRAM
Center.
Former head coach of the Russian Senior
Women’s National teams, he won two
European Championships (1978 and 1989) and
one Olympic Games (1980).
With the Junior national team he won three
European Championships (1986, 1988, and
2000), while with the Young Women’s team he
won a silver Medal at the 2002 European
Championship. He was lecturer at many
international coaches clinics.

The Russian Women’s Youth Basketball

Program is designed to teach two important
aspects, one is the organizational skills and
the other focusing on the technical skills. We
achieve these aims in the following manner.

1. Specialized training camps for young

players are organized:
▼ Specialized “big man” camps
are organized.
▼ Special attention is devoted to each
position, shooting guard, point guard,
power forward, small forward, and
center.
▼ Special attention is given to one
aspect of the game, such as defense.

2. Competitions are arranged:

▼ School-level competitions
▼ Regional competitions
▼ Youth Basketball League competitions

3. National Teams:
▼ Cadets & Cadettes
▼ Junior Men & Women
▼ Young Men & Women

To have our players progress in a logical

fashion, we follow these important steps:
▼ Optimal intensification
▼ Athletic conditioning for years to last

EV\Z)+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Variable tactical preparation

▼ Uninterrupted playing preparation
▼ Step-by-step individualization

OPTIMAL INTENSIFICATION
Intensification is now a major trend in modern
sport training. It is used in basketball to:
▼ increase the player’s movements per
time unit
▼ decrease the time interval needed
to perform certain technical
movements
▼ increase the speed and velocity
of tactical interactions

In order to increase the skills and physical

conditioning of our young female basketball
players, we use the following methods:
▼ Young players 9-12 years old: The
intensification of performance
through special exercises that will
prepare them to play and compete.
▼ Young players 13-15 years old:
Intensify exercises and drills and
decrease the work volume.
▼ Young players 16-17 years old and
young women 18-20 years old:
The intensification of practicing with
a special program.

LONG-TERM ATHLETIC PREPARATION

The athletic conditioning of young women’s
players is a decisive factor in helping to crea-
te talented senior players years later.
This only comes after long-term athletic refi-
nement.
Within the category 9-12 years old players,
athletic conditioning is a complex one, with
all physical skills being trained at the same
time.
Games involving movement, running, gymna-
stics, and acrobatics are used to reach our
aims.
At the 13-15 years old level, conditioning is
slightly different, with emphasis placed on
specific physical qualities, and more training
time is spent on enhancing a player’s weaker
physical skills.
At this stage strength-training exercises are
introduced, using light weights to help build
upper-body and leg strength.
At the 16-17 and 18-20 years old levels, condi-
tioning is geared specifically towards on-
court improvement.
Sprinting and distance running exercises are
used to develop optimal cardiovascular
strength.
Weight-training exercises are introduced to
develop quick, explosive power.

VARIABLE TACTICAL PREPARATION

To increase the level of tactical preparedness

EV\Z),
we work on the development of indivi-
dual skills and the improvements in
team play.
Here are the specific aims for various
age groups:
▼ Young players 9-12 years old:
Improving the motor
components of reactions and
the shortening of reaction time
with special games of
movements.
▼ Young players13-15 years old:
Developing the operative mind
with special creative games
and algorithmic tasks, and
working on team tactics.
▼ Young players 16-17 years old
and 18-20 years old: Improving
the tactical mind with specific
practice sessions.

UNINTERRUPTED PLAYING PREPARATION

In the learning process the modern
psychophysiology says that one of the
most important aspects is that “the
game is a natural need of the child’s
body”.
What we call the “uninterrupted
playing preparation” is based upon the
ries it’s very important to keep a good positions) and the individual
method of playing and competing and
competitive level. approach working on the
the method of changing conditions on
tactical and technical drills. shortcomings.
IMPROVING PLAYERS INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
For young players 9 to 12 years old the
“Individualization” is the work for impro- ▼ Young players 16-17 years old
use of games for learning is accented.
ving the individual skills, based on indivi- and young women 18-20 years
Games of movements and relay-races
dual characteristics. We follow these old: The very accurate
are permanently included into the trai-
methods for reaching the aim: individualization by working on
ning process.
▼ Young players 9-12 years old: defining their best sport skills
For young players 13 - 15 years old dril-
ls where they play are regularly used The individualization of the and on improving their less
and we change the conditions of the learning process by skilled characteristics.
drills and the practice. implementing the technical
For young players 16-17 and young and tactical basketball In the training and learning work this
women 18-20 years old we run syste- fundamentals. type of individualization is implemented
matically mini tournaments (1 on 1, 2 ▼ Young players 13-15 years old: through the special highly individual
on 2, 3 on 3) in all the stages of work. The individualization at group exercises, always using the pedagogi-
Also, for these last two ages catego- level (the players are divided by cal criteria.

PREPARATION’S ASPECTS TO BE EMPHASIZED

AGE/TYPE ATHLETIC CONDITIONING TECHNICAL ASPECTS TACTICAL ASPECTS
OF PREPARATION

9-12 All basic aspects Introduction to basic basketball skills Individual tactics & simplest
group interactions

13-15 Differential, taking care Complex, coordinated Group interactions & team
also of the motor qualities’ movements tactics fundamentals
evolution and specialization by positions

16-17 & 18-20 Specialized, working Work on improving the fundamentals Team tactics based on the play
on the best skills on game situations of the opponents

EV\Z)-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE TRIANGLE
OFFENSE
by Wayne Barker

Wayne Barker coached Cowan, Wes-Del and Carroll High

Schools, and for the past eight years he has coached Bluffton,
in Indiana. He is Vice President of the Indiana Basketball
Coaches Association, and for many years he has been a popu-
lar lecturer at the Five-Star Camp.

For a high school coach, making decisions regarding offensi-

ve systems is a struggle as players graduate and talent levels
change.
Some coaches believe in teaching motion offenses where
players react and play to what the defense gives them. Other
coaches run continuity offenses that dictate where offensive
players must be regardless of what the defense does.
I have striven always to be somewhere in the middle, and this
Triangle Offense allows that flexibility. This is a continuity
offense where all players on the floor must read the defense
and make decisions in harmony.

We will discuss:
1. Reasons for choosing this offense.
2. Basic options.
3. Reading the options.
4. Denial options.
5. Other ball screen options.
6. Sagging defense options.

REASONS FOR CHOOSING THIS OFFENSE

One reason for changing to this Triangle Offense was precipi-
tated by a change in our personnel. For the first time we did
not have a true inside player who could score with his back to
the basket. However, we did have skilled players who could
put the ball on the floor and shoot from the perimeter.
Another reason for choosing the Triangle Offense is that it is
simplistic in nature and easily understood by our players. This
offense creates great spacing on the floor and allows for many
dribble penetration opportunities that create three-point
shots.
As a coach, I’ve always believed that the team that gets the
ball inside the most during the course of the game is going to
EV\Z).
win most of the time. Now, instead of throwing post feeds like READING THE OPTIONS
we did in the past, we dribble penetrate to get the ball inside. Our players must be capable of reading certain screens to
Also, this offense involves all the players at the same time. In execute this offense effectively. First, cutters need to be able
any offense players have a need to feel like they have an impor- to read their defender as they set up their cut so they know
tant role. where to cut. Secondly, passers need to read the cutter’s
This offense demands that they be involved. It stresses con- defender and any close-to-the-action helping defenders.
stant player and ball movement creating higher percentage Our players must be able to read defenders and execute in the
shots. following types of screens: UCLA screens, ball screens, and
Finally, this offense permits for the interchanging of parts. “cluster” screens.
Having the flexibility of putting players in different spots on the Players cutting off a UCLA screen (see diagr. 2) must set their
floor allows for the creation and exploitation of mismatches. cut up with two steps away from the ball and then cut on the
ball-side of the screen. We emphasize scoring on this initial
BASIC OPTIONS cut.
To run this offense there must be three players on one side of Secondly, players must be able to correctly execute ball
the floor and two players on the other side of the floor. The ball screens. Ball screens are difficult to defend because they
can be on the three-man side or the two-man side. In the basic force the defender to make a decision (see diagr. 3). If the
alignment (diagr. 1): we start with the ball on the three-man defenders switch, then 2 passes to 5 on the roll. If 2’s defender
side. is effectively screened and 5’s defender does not help, then 2
Our terminology for when the ball is on the three-man side of should penetrate as deep as possible to the basket. When the
the floor is “Triangle”. 1 passes to 2, 5 sets a “UCLA” screen for defensive players decide how they are going to defend ball
1, who is cutting off a double screen by 3 and 4 on the other side screens, the offensive players must react instinctively and
of the floor; 5 then sets a ball screen for 2 (diagr.2 and 3). 2 can simultaneously to the defense. Some other ball screen options
then pass to 1 on the other side of the floor, and the offense can will be explained in more detail later.
be run again. Finally, our players must be able to read “cluster” screens (see
Our terminology for when the ball is on the two-man side is diagr. 6). If 2’s defender goes high on the cluster screen, then
“Cluster”. 1 passes to 4 (diagr. 4), 4 passes to 3 (diagr. 5) and we 2 takes him higher and then cuts low. If 2’s defender goes low
execute a “Cluster” screen: 1 and 5 create a double screen on the cluster screen, then 2 takes him lower and then cuts
(forming a right angle at 90°) for 2, who reads his defender and
cuts high or low while 4 screens on the ball for 3 (diagr. 6). 1 and
5 fill the open spaces, and 4, after the screen, goes outside
(diagr. 7).

D.4

D.1

D.5

D.2

D.6

D.3

EV\Z*%
 YOUTH BASKETBALL

high. It is easy to teach 2 that read; however, it is much more An important part of these alternatives is that all can be run on
difficult to teach the two screeners and the passer to make that either side of the floor (two-man side or three-man side).
read.
Note: The diagrams for this section have only two players
DENIAL OPTIONS included. We are assuming the ball is on the three-man side of
It is important in any offense to have options to counter the tac- the floor and that 1 passed to 2 and cut off a “UCLA” screen by
tics that opponents will use to disrupt the offense. If 1 cannot 5 and then off the double screen by 3 and 4. This leaves only 5
pass the ball to initiate our offense because our receivers are and 2 left on that side of the floor. However, these options are
denied, we have two basic denial options. equally effective when the offense is initiated on the two-man
The best denial option is a simple screen of 5 on 2, with the ball side of the floor.
(diagr. 8). This action is difficult to defend. The slip-screen option (diagr 10): We have the screener go to
Usually the player guarding 5 must help or switch to 2 enabling the same place as he would in a ball screen, but instead of hol-
for an easy catch by 5. This is a good way to setup our no- ding and rolling on the dribble, we “slip” straight to the basket.
screen option that we will discuss later. Because of the ability We run this option against defenses that switch.
to interchange our players in this offense, we like this screen of As the screener’s defender jumps out at the offensive dribbler
5 for 2 as a denial option. to switch, we “slip” the screener to the basket. At times, we
The second denial option that we use is a screen on the ball of also run this option against defenses that hedge on the dribbler
4 for 1 (diagr. 9). After we run this option, we can keep the ball really hard.
on the two-man side of the floor and run “Cluster,” or 1 can The handoff option (diagr. 11): 2 dribbles the ball toward the
reverse the ball to the three-man side of the floor and run middle of the floor, and 5 goes behind for a handoff from 2. This
“Triangle.” is very difficult to defend if the defense expects a ball screen.
The no-screen option (diagr. 12): this is merely what it sounds
OTHER BALL SCREEN OPTIONS like 5 holds near the middle of the floor, and 2 does a jab step
Ball screens are a prominent part of this offense. We prefer ball crossover like he is going off a ball screen and then drives it
screens because they are difficult to defend. However, there baseline.
are times during games that we need other options on offense. This is usually very effective because 2’s defender is assuming
We use three alternative options in the place of ball screens. that a ball screen is coming, and there is relatively little help
They are: defense because of the double screen taking place on the
▼ Slip-screen option. other side of the floor. This is a great option to exploit a defen-
▼ Handoff option. der that cannot guard dribble penetration.
▼ No-screen option. In scouting, when we find a defender who cannot guard the
EV\Z*&
 D.13
dribble, we make him guard an offensive player starting in the
D.7
5 spot and combine the screen of 5 for 2 denial option with the
no screen option (discussed earlier).

SAGGING DEFENSE OPTIONS

Because this offense relies so much on dribble penetration,
opponents will sometimes sag their defenders into the lane to
be more conscious of helping.
We use two sagging defense options. They are:

▼ The cross screen option.

▼ The two screens option.

The cross screen option (diagr. 13): 1 passes to 2 and cuts off
the “UCLA” screen by 5. In this option, 5 holds and does not
set the ball screen for 2. Normally 1 cuts off the double screen
by 3 and 4.
However, this time, 1 sets a cross screen for 3 whose man is
sagging in the lane to help on dribble penetration. 1 then con-
D.8 D.14
tinues off the single screen by 4.
This is very difficult to defend because the defense often anti-
cipates normal Triangle Offense.
D.15 The two screens option (diagr. 14 and diagr.15): 1 passes to
2 and cuts under the basket off the UCLA screen by 5; 2 pas-
ses to 5 and then screens in for 1 to cut along the baseline
to the ball side (2 then slips that screen, if his defender
helps on 1).
At the same time 4 flare screens for 3 on the other side of
the floor (4 then slips that screen if his defender helps on 3);
D.9 5 must read the defense as these “two screens” are being
set. Again, this is very difficult to defend because the defen-
se is not expecting it.
1’s defender is not used to covering
D.10
that cut. 3’s defender is sagging in
the lane, and it is nearly impossible to
cover 3 over 4’s flare screen.
Running these sagging defense
options back-to-back is very effecti-
ve.
These options make the defense play
more honest and that opens up our
regular offense.

D.11 CONCLUSION
All coaches strive to find the offensi-
ve system that gives their team the
best chance to be successful.
That decision is almost always diffi-
cult to make.
Unless coaches have the ability to
choose or recruit their players it will
be a constantly evolving process.
The Triangle Offense has been a
good choice for our team.
D.12 It matches the talents of our players
and gives them an opportunity to
play to their strengths. It’s simple
and creates great floor spacing. It
stresses getting the ball inside.
Finally, the Triangle
Offense involves all players and
provides flexibility to interchange
players.
EV\Z*'
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Bruce Brown

by Joe Callero

Bruce Eamon Brown, former Athletic

Director at Northwest College, Kirkland,
Washington, taught and coached for
three decades, and produced several
instructional basketball videos. He is
the author, with Joe Callero, of the book
“101 Offensive Post Player Drills”,
Coaches Choice, from which we publish
this excerpt.

Joe Callero is the head coach at the

Seattle University and previously he ser-
ved as the head coach at the University
of Puget Sound, Washington.

POSITIONING DRILLS
The goal of the offensive post player is to
occupy court space, thereby creating
passing angles and room to operate
once the ball has been caught. He does
this by getting and maintaining good
position. Some terms used by coaches to
get good post position are “post-up”,
“shape-up”, and “seal-off”.

STRAIGHT LINE RULE

Objective: To teach the post to find the
correct alignment with the ball and
basket.
The coach holds the ball, and the post
player moves in a direct line with the ball

OFFENSIVE DRILLS
FOR THE POST PLA EV\Z*(
 FIBA EUROP

D.1 D.4

D.2 D.5

D.3 D.6

and the basket. The coach can move or direct-line position and seals the defen-
pass the ball to make the post player der with his body. If the defender choo-
adjust the direct line (also called the ses one side, the offensive post must go
“line of deployment”, by some coaches). against the pressure and attempt to
Lines can be drawn or taped on the floor move the defender off the direct-line
for younger players to grasp the concept with his hips, legs and shoulders. The
(diagr. 1). offensive post must assert his authority
By positioning on this line, you force the and be as physical as the defender. If the
defender to exaggerate his position if he defender is on the either side, the offen-
is going to play you on either side or stop sive player should not allow him to get
you by playing a “half a man around”. his lead foot in order to get around him
To teach the post to locate the correct (diagr. 4).
direct line position, the coach can start
with the ball on one side of the court RECOGNIZE THE DEFENSIVE PRESSURE

S
while the post players “V-cut” toward Objective: To locate the direct line posi-
the ball side and find the correct strai- tion and verbalize how the defender is
ght-line position (diagr. 2). This drill can playing him.
also be performed by having the ball pas- The offensive post player cuts to the
sed to different spots on the floor, where direct-line position and calls out whether
it can then be entered to the post player the defender is on the low side, high side,
(diagr. 3). or in front of him. This is the next step in

AYER
learning how to hold position. “Target”
MOVE TO THE STRAIGHT-LINE AND LOCATE the ball, and anticipate the offensive
THE DEFENSE move that will be used (diagr. 5, 6 and 7).
Objective: To locate the direct-line posi-
tion and physically seal the post defen- CHEEK THE FEET, PEEK, PEEK
der. Objective: To check the location of the
The offensive post player moves to the defender when he is playing behind the
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

post and not making any contact. MOVING ACROSS THE KEY
The offensive post flashes to the direct Objective: To teach the post how to cut
D.7
line, while the defender stays behind him, across the key toward the ball.
not making any contact. The offensive The post should not cut in a straight line.
post simply glances at his bottom foot to Always change the direction and pace to
see if the defender has a foot outside of explode toward the position on the direct
his own. If not, he knows he can “drop- line. Use the V-cut to set up the defender
step” and use his “power move” (diagr. and to change direction and pace (diagr.
8). This may result in a quicker initial 12 and 13).
move. If the defender’s foot is below his
bottom foot, he can make his move to the GO AWAY AND REPOSITION
middle of the floor, or just shoot the turn- Objective: To teach the post to reestabli-
around jumper to the middle (diagr. 9). sh a low post position by taking his man
Some coaches will have the post catch away. D.8
and immediately check the top foot of the The post starts on the direct line with the
defender, and if so, instruct the post to ball on the wing. The defender has the
drop step. Coaches who believe in advantage in position, so the offensive
checking the top foot often think that if post steps into the key as if screening
the receiver’s first look is toward the away or cutting away. He quickly rever-
middle as he is checking, it may influence ses and comes back to the block and
the defender to move that way, opening reestablish position, receives the pass
up the baseline drop-step. At the same and makes the appropriate move (diagr.
time the post is looking over his inside 14 and 15).
shoulder, he can begin hooking with his
baseline foot. Another teaching key is to HIGH/LOW POSITIONING
have the post player catch the ball and Objective: To teach the low post to get
peek over the baseline shoulder and then open to receive the ball, his first look
peek over the topside shoulder. This will should always be to “his buddy” in the
allow the receiver to get into the habit of low post. The low post player can use
finding the defender and looking first to any of the following techniques to posi-
go to the baseline side. tion himself to get open:
▼ Low post jab-step with his inside
ROLL BEHIND THE SIDE-ROLL foot. If the defender does not react,
Objective: To teach the low post player to step over his top leg and seal him off
counter the side front. (diagr. 16)
If the low post player is overplayed on ▼ Step across the lane and seal off on
one side, the offensive player executes a the opposite side (diagr. 17).
quick roll behind the defense, circling ▼ Flash with a quick step-up the lane
and pinning on the opposite side (diagr. to meet the ball (diagr. 18).
10). ▼ Step up toward the ball if fronted,
seal off and look for the lob
KEEP YOUR BALANCE (diagr. 19).
Objective: To have the offensive post ▼ Step between the feet of the
player learn to fight for and maintain a defender and execute a quick
good base and not be moved off balance. pivot to seal him below.
Most post errors are due to loss of balan-
ce. Balance begins with a good wide OFFENSIVE MOVES
base that allows the post player to main- AND SHOOTING DRILLS
tain position without being moved off the Good post players do not need a lot of
direct line. Knees must be bent, the feet moves. By practicing a few basic moves
wide with weight equally distributed on and turning them into habits, post
each foot, arms up in “double L’s” with players should develop confidence in D.9
the arms and head between the feet. their ability to score when the ball is pas-
Players need to learn how to make small sed into the post area. To develop the
lateral adjustments by moving their upper habit of rebound jumping back to the
body and head with their base against basket, the player needs to follow up
defensive pressure without being moved every shot in every shooting drill as it is
off balance. going to be missed.
The stance at the post should be comfor- Some coaches require each player to
table and similar to a good defensive learn the same offensive post moves. All
stance. Elbows should be out (double L’s) players do need to learn some basic
and hands up at the shoulder height. moves, but the coach should also look at
Hands should be open with fingers the natural strengths of each his post
spread (diagr. 11). players when deciding which secondary
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D.10

D.11

D.12

D.13

D.14

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

moves should be taught. Variables are:

strength, touch, shooting range, ability to
dribble, ability to catch, power jumping,
and quickness. When teaching offensive
post moves, the normal order of options is:
▼ High Post - 1. Pass 2. Shoot 3. Dribble
▼ Low Post- 1. Shoot 2. Pass 3. Dribble

LAY-UPS, HOOP CUTS, AND BALL-CUTS

Objective: To become automatic from the
lay-up area with either hand.
Post players shoot 10 lay-ups from the
right and 10 from the left at the start of
each practice session. Use the right
hand to shoot from the right side as you
face the basket, and use the left hand
from the left (diagr. 20). As soon as the
lay-ups are completed, the players
moves to the corner and make a “hoop-
cut” receiving a pass from the coach on
the weak side or from the high post. They
catch on the move, and shoot a lay-up
(diagr. 21). The third part of the warm up
includes a “ball cut” from the corner. The
post player receives the pass, squares
up in front of the basket, and shoots the
4- to 6 foot (note: from about 1,50 to 2,00
meter) jumper (diagr. 22). In each of the
last two drills, the player rebounds his
own shot and passes the ball back to the
coach as the next player in the line starts
his cut. After rebounding and passing the
ball back to the coach, each player
moves to line-up on the opposite corner
to repeat the same shot.

CUT ACROSS THE KEY, CATCH AND SHOT

Objective: To practice moving across the
key toward the ball with a V-Cut, cat-
ching the pass, and making a predeter-
mined offensive move.
Start with two coaches on opposite
wings with a ball and the offensive post
player on the opposite block (diagr. 23).
The player V-cut across the key, recei-
ves the ball with proper fundamentals,
and quickly makes the move called by
the coach as he began his cut (diagr. 24).
He follows up and scores any missed
shots, and then cuts back across the key
to the other coach, with the same move
from the other block (diagr. 25). The
defender must cooperate by playing on
the correct side so the post can make
the predetermined move.
The coach can call for any other shot he
wants the player to practice. The team-
mate waiting to be the next shooter acts
as the rebounder and outlets the ball
back to the coach who initiated the drill.
You can also add a defender and play 1-
on-1 live after the catch (diagr. 26). The
defender must cooperate by playing on
the correct side so the post can make
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the predeter- D.15
mined move. D.16 D.21

HIGH POST
FLASH, JUMP
SHOT, AND DRIVE
COUNTERS
Objective: To
practice the cut
to the high post
(flash) and then
jump shot from
the high post. Also, to practice the
D.17 D.22
“counter drive” to the jump shot.
With two coaches on the wings (each
with a ball), the player starts low and fla-
shes to the high post, catches with cor-
rect fundamentals, squares to the
basket, and shots (diagr. 27). He follows
his shot and scores any missed attempt.
He immediately cuts the other elbow and
repeats the patterns (diagr. 28). The
coach can call for a jump shot or a lift-
fake and drive. The next shooter acts as
a rebounder, returning the balls to the
coaches. You can also add a defender D.18
D.23
and play 1-on-1 live after the catch.
If the defender is trailing the cut, the post
can counter the jump shot with a strong
side drive to the basket (diagr. 29). If the
defender overplays the post as he cat-
ches the ball, the offensive player can
counter the jump shot by sweeping the
ball through and taking a cross over
drive (diagr. 30).

SLIDE TO THE LOW POST AND SHOOT

Objective: To practice shots after sliding D.24
D.19
down the lane from the high post.
Two coaches are on the wings, each
with a basketball. The post player starts
at the high post and slides down the side
of the lane until he reaches the direct-
line position, receives the ball, and
shoots the shot called by the coach as
he begun his slide (diagr. 31). He follows
his shot, rebounding, and scoring any
miss. He immediately returns to the high
post and slides down to the other side
(diagr. 32). The next scorer acts as a D.25
D.20
rebounder and returns the basketballs to
the coaches (diagr. 33). You can also add
a defender and play 1-on-1 live after the
catch.

POWER MOVE TO THE BASELINE

WITH A DROP-STEP, POWER DRIBBLE
Objective: To teach this strong move to
the basket based upon the defensive
pressure.
After reading the defense and feeling the
pressure on the high side, or by not
seeing the defender’s low- side foot
(diagr. 34), the offensive post takes a
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

straight step to the basket with the base-

D.26 D.31 line foot (diagr. 35). At the same time he
is stepping, the post player keeps the
defender on his hip and seals off the
baseline.
While he is stepping, he pushes the ball
down with his baseline hand, taking one
short and low power dribble, with the
ball kept between his legs.
The power dribble is taken so the trail
foot can step and gather without trave-
ling, and so the shooter has the power
source from both feet under him: He
D.27 D.32 gathers the ball into a shooting position
in front of him and brings the trail foot to
the basket, squares up to the baseline,
and powers-up to the hoop.
The player should use the backboard on
the power jump shot and land in a posi-
tion to “rebound jump” back to the
basket.
To add aggressiveness and practice
exploding the ball to the basket into this

D.28 D.33

D.29 D.34

D.30 D.35

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D.36 D.37 D.38

drill, the post player receives the ball

with the defender behind him does not D.39 D.41
give the defender any contact. He uses a
drop-step into the power spot and explo-
des to the basket, regardless of where
the defender is. This aggressive move is
just to set the tone of aggressiveness
and to play through contact.

WHEEL-COUNTER
TO THE BASELINE POWER MOVE
Objective: To counter the defense when
they cut off the baseline power move. D.40 D.42
This move is used in combination to the
baseline power move. It is used when
the defense is playing on the high side
(diagr. 36), but recovers to cut off the
drop-step, or when the defense is
playing behind and not putting any pres-
sure on the post (diagr. 37).
The offensive post drop-steps with the
baseline foot and power-dribbles the ball
to take the easiest shot. But, as the
defense reacts and cuts off the baseline,
the post immediately swings his top leg hook, jump hook or jump shot). This is the
across the lane ands shoots a jump hook, same move as the swing shot to the lane. D.43
baby hook, or jump shot (diagr. 38). A good post should be able to learn to go
to the swing shot either way (diagr. 41).
SWING SHOT TO THE LANE
Objective: To counter low side defensive BASELINE TURN AND FACE
pressure. Objective: To teach and practice a move
After reading the defensive foot or fee- to be used when the defender is behind
ling the pressure on the baseline (diagr. the post without any pressure.
39), the offensive post steps across the The low post player reads the defense
lane with the top foot as far as possible behind him, and, not feeling any pressu-
(diagr. 40). re, he steps out toward the ball to recei-
When the top foot hits the court, he ve it (diagr. 42).
brings the trail knee up to the gain height He then pivots to square his feet to the D.44
on the jump and goes with his best shot basket (diagr. 43 and 44).
(jump hook, baby hook, or jump shot). The shooter goes straight up and focu-
After shooting, he comes down in balan- ses on the spot on the backboard to bank
ce and prepares to follow up a miss. the shoot. After shooting, he lands in
balance with hands up, moving toward
SWING SHOT TO THE BASELINE the basket to rebound.
Objective: To counter high side defensi- The quickest key for the shooter to
ve pressure. check is by focusing on the hands of the
After reading the defensive foot or fee- defender as he closes out. If the hands
ling the pressure on the high side, the are low, he should “think shot” immedia-
offensive post takes a big step toward tely.
the baseline. When the baseline foot hits The post player should be able to pivot
the court, he brings the trail leg up for to the middle of the floor with the same
height and shoots his best shot (baseline shot, depending on his strength.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Sarunas Marciulionis

Sarunas Marciulionis, from Lithuania, played in the NBA

from 1989 to 1997 for Golden State, Seattle, Sacramento, and
Denver. As a player with the Russian national team, he won
the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games, while with the
Lithuanian national team he won two bronze medals at the
1992 and 1996 Olympics. He won a silver medal at the 1995
European Championships, where he was also chosen MVP.

Sports for active and enthusiastic children consists of much

more than just physical training. This is true at the Sarunas
Marciulionis Basketball Academy (formerly the SMB School)
in Vilnius, Lithuania, where young boys’ dreams come true.
How did it all start? The first idea was to establish a basket-
ball school for children to play the game and also receive a
supplementary education. That idea may have been born in
my childhood when my friends helped me building a basket-
ball court in my yard. It could also have been later in America,
when my dream to play with the world’s best basketball
players turned to reality and the money I earned there
allowed me to build the school. “Let the Lord be your will-
power and a slave to your conscience”. This is my motto. But
I understand that this is perhaps the most difficult to accom-
plish because individuals always have room for self-impro-
vement, with new goals to set and achieve. This has become
the school’s main attitude in developing young players. The
Sarunas Marciulionis Basketball School was founded on
September 1, 1992. The primary purpose of the school was to
train future athletes in fundamental basketball techniques
and enhance their educational skills. Apart from Lithuania’s
need of good basketball players, it also needs smart, hard-
working, and honest people. The ultimate goal is to raise the
quality of players available for Vilnius basketball teams,
Lithuanian National teams, and the Lithuania Basketball
League, my country’s first professional basketball league. In
2002 the SMB School celebrated its tenth anniversary. On
this special occasion, FIBA awarded Sarunas Marciulionis
Basketball School the status of Basketball Academy for its
great contribution in developing youth basketball in
Lithuania. There are currently 31 groups and 770 boys
between the ages of seven and 18 attending the Academy,

SARUNAS
with ten coaches and two teachers working there. The
Academy charges fees for training and there is a special
payment system worked out to ensure the viability of the
institution. The SMB Academy also attempts to raise aware-
ness that basketball is a team game and no achievements
can be obtained on one’s own. Ten- and eleven-year-olds
have four training sessions a week. The boys not only prac-

BASKETBA
tice basketball but also participate in different games and
competitions. In this way, they are introduced to the full game
and are taught the basic principles of team game on both
defense and offense.
Beginning in the fifth year, training sessions increase to five
per week. At this stage, the first and the second teams are
formed from the best players. They participate in different
tournaments in Lithuania and abroad. Starting from the sixth
year of training, the sessions extend from an hour and a half,
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 MARCIULIONIS
ALL ACADEMY EV\Z+'
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

to two hours. The boys have a chance to be selected for

Lithuania’s national team at this age group.
There are only two Cadet teams (14- or 15-year-olds) at the
Academy. Each team has its own coach. At this age, the boys
take their first steps in men’s basketball. They start playing
with a regulation basketball and are not limited as to the use
of team defense system. They are encouraged to work hard
to gain new skills and acquire new techniques. To adjust to
men’s basketball, the boys start participating in basketball
tournaments that are organized in Vilnius for men’s teams.
They become more skilful and mature. Experience gained
here assists them when competing with teams of the same
age in different tournaments and the Lithuanian Cadet cham-
pionships. The most gifted players are then selected to be on
the Lithuanian Cadet team, which represents Lithuania at the
European Cadet championships.
Two excellent teams attend the Academy. One is comprised
of 16-year-olds and the other of 17-year-olds, both of which
include the best and most promising players of that age
group. The most advanced team members play for the
Lithuanian national youth team. During the last year of their
basketball training education, the Academy graduates join
the best Lithuanian men’s club teams and participate in the
Lithuanian Basketball League, the Lithuanian Basketball
Highest League championships, and even the European
championships. Some of the boys go on to join American uni-
versity clubs.
The Basketball Academy club was founded in 2003. The pur-
pose of the club is to help the best basketball players even-
tually be selected to play for the best Lithuanian men’s clubs. image of a basketball player as being someone only intere-
By having their own club, they will not be tempted to go and sted in sports. With so much time spent in training and com-
play for American university teams, some of which are not at petition, very little time was left for spiritual and esthetical
the highest level. The best basketball players, 14 and older, self-improvement. But since it is important for the personality
are eligible to join the club. As club members, they will not to be fully developed, we came up with the idea of providing
have to pay school fees. They will train and participate in dif- children with a multilevel education.
ferent games up to the age of 22 or 23. We believe that this Consequently, in addition to teaching the complexities of
club will give young talented players a chance to mature as basketball, the boys supplement their basketball training with
basketball players, creating a greater likelihood that they will classes in ethics and aesthetics. They study English and take
stay in Lithuania and play for local basketball teams instead computer lessons. The youngest boys are taught norms of
of leaving and joining foreign teams. In establishing the behavior, and discuss topics concerning friendship. Older
school, one of my goals was to break the long-standing boys focus their attention on man’s full potential and are
acquainted with the basic principles of etiquette. They also
participate in geography competitions. The senior boys
discuss psychological issues about the formation of charac-
ter, temperament and relaxation, and they take different tests
in these areas.
The English language serves as means of communication on
tours abroad and when guests visit the Academy. The boys
spend a lot of time studying basketball terminology, the
knowledge of which helps them feel confident on the court
with foreign teams and referees. Watching educational
videos about basketball also assists them in their develop-
ment. The boys realize how important it is to be able to
express themselves in a language other than their own.
Lessons in computer technology form the third supplemen-
tary course that has been introduced at the Academy. The
boys have excellent opportunities for creative work. They are
introduced to the wide world of computers at the age of
eight. Senior boys work with word processors, clipart image
libraries, and they make their first layouts at this time. The
school has an Internet connection so that anyone who is wil-
ling to develop his skills and abilities has the right conditions
to work. Those boys who decide to leave the Academy early
will have benefited from their time spent here. They will have
learned the fundamentals of basketball and also received a
EV\Z+(
supplementary education. As a guest from Houston, Texas
recently said: “I hope to see some of these boys in the NBA
some day. But if not, it’s nice to know they are learning great
things about life. We need programs like this in the U.S., and
we need people like Sarunas to run them.”
When the academic year is over, the summer camp season
begins. Summer with a Basketball is a two-week training
session at the Academy for all the local boys and girls who
enjoy playing basketball. Teaching special techniques is not
emphasized. Rather, the children are encouraged to play and
have fun. They can show off their skills in free-throw, three-
point shot, and other competitions. When the training ses-
sion is over, children eat at the café and watch basketball
videos. Children usually spend most of the day at the
Academy. There is a regular schedule for all the tournaments
organized at the Sarunas Marciulionis Basketball Academy.
They are divided into professional and non-professional (or
public) tournaments. The SMB Academy not only invites
teams from other countries to come to Lithuania, but boys
also go on basketball tours abroad with the team. The map of
visited countries is quite colorful-26 countries so far. The
Academy has established friendly relations with many coun-
tries throughout Europe. Some of the teams have represen-
ted the SMB Academy in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan,
South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay. The boys participate
most actively in tournaments in France. Every spring two
teams from the school take part in the annual tournaments
held there. These trips not only assist boys in their overall
basketball development, but also encourage them to build
bonds of friendship, to meet new people, and to broaden
their outlook. The SMB Academy has already developed its
own holiday traditions, with an annual Christmas celebration,
All Star Days, Seeing the Old Year Off, and others. The begin-
ning and the end of the academic year are special occa-
sions, indeed. In the sports hall, one can visit the “Gallery of
Champions”, which displays small flags with the names of
basketball champions and the dates of their victories. The
most important events are described in the SMB School-
Academy Chronicle, which archives photographs as well as
newspaper and magazine articles about the school.
Ten years is a long time. Looking back, I recognize that the
first steps were rather difficult. I helped shoulder the finan-
cial responsibilities, and we pushed onward. Over the years,
the SMB Academy has gained a number of supporters,
friends who have offered a generous hand by donating pri-
zes or providing financial support for the tournaments and
tours. Currently, the SMB Academy is undergoing financial
difficulties. Unlike state-sponsored sport schools, the
Academy doesn’t receive any funding from the Lithuanian
Basketball League or the government. Due to Lithuania’s fra-
gile economic situation, it is getting more and more difficult
to find sponsors. What was my vision of the school ten years
ago? How did it exceed my expectations? We proceeded by
taking small steps, growing slowly and steadily. We still have
to overcome long-ingrained stereotypes within Lithuanian
society, a society that believes that private ownership is a
bad thing, perhaps even evil. I had always hoped things
would be different and that we would receive better treat-
ment from our government and governing institutions. Still, I
remain ever optimistic.
The SMB Academy is getting ready for the upcoming acade-
mic year and our new admissions. As one NBA player once
told me, “The lessons learned through sports will serve you
through your entire life. Be proud, see the vision, and achie-
ve the vision.”
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Lionel Hollins
THE SCREEN
Lionel Hollins, a 10-year veteran NBA
player, was the assistant coach at Arizona
VARIOUS OPT
State University and then an assistant with
the Phoenix Suns. He served as an assi-
stant, and later as the interim head coach
with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Hollins is now
an assistant coach of the Memphis
Grizzlies.

A screen, also called a “pick”, is a legal

block set by an offensive player on the side
of or behind a defender in order to free a
teammate to take a shot or receive a pass. In
the NBA, screening is a huge part of our
game plan, and there are a number of diffe-
rent types of screens we like to use. The
screens are so effective because it’s impos-
sible for the defense to take away all the
available options that the offense has at
disposal.
On all screens, the defense will try to play
you a certain way, according to their philo-
sophy or strengths and weaknesses. The
offense, however, always has options, usual-
ly two, and sometimes three, depending on
how the defense chooses to play.
The key to the success of using a screen is
not how fast the offensive player goes off the
screens, but how well you read what the
defense is doing against the screen. The
options you have include:
a. To go low.
b. To go high.
c. To go behind.
d. To go over the top of the screen.
On some screens, you can bump back for a
jump shot, or square up for a one-on-one
situation. Usually, the three screens you can
bump back on include the “UCLA” screen,
the “Flex” screen, and the “Hawk” screen
(please, see the following descriptions for
each).

Off-the-ball and on-the-ball screens usually

involve at least two players, and each has
their own responsibilities. The screener
usually picks an area and gets stationary
while the player using the screen waits until
the screener has gotten set. He then sets up
his man by faking away from where he
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 FIBA EUROP

D.1 D.4

NS AND
TIONS D.2 D.5

D.3 D.6

actually wants to go. The two offensive away from the screen (diagr. 3).
players must then read whether the
defense follows or shoots the gap. d. Bump/Slip: If the defender of the scree-
ner helps out and goes out to guard the
Let’s start to analyze the different screens player, who bumped and popped out, and
off and then on-the ball, but first I will this player has received the ball, the
describe some counter moves needed screener quickly slips to the basket for a
based to the reaction of the defense to pass from the player who has now popped
the screen. out in the corner (diagr. 4).

a. Curl: If the defense follows or trails the SCREENS OFF-THE-BALL

screened player, this player curls to the BACK SCREEN
passer. By this I mean that the player cir- ▼ If the defender stays on the screen, the
cles around the screener and then cuts to player, who received the screen, cuts in
the basket to receive the ball (diagr. 1). the lane and receives a lob pass
(diagr. 5).
b. Curl/Slip: If on the curl the defender of the
screener helps out and leaves his man, the ▼ If the player with the ball cannot pass
screener will then roll to the basket for a directly to the player, who cuts off the
pass. This is what we call a “slip” (diagr. 2). screen, the screener then pops out,
receives the ball, and passes to the
c. Bump: If on the curl the defender of the player, who has now posted up (diagr. 6).
player, who was screened, shoots the gap or
takes a short cut, the screener adjusts his ▼ If the defense goes low, he cuts
screen with a drop step to screen the defen- over the top (diagr. 7).
der. The player who should receive the ▼ If the defense goes high, he cuts
screen, executes a bump, and quickly pops low (diagr. 8).
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ If the defense cheats, he bumps and

pops up to receive the ball (diagr. 9). D.7

“UCLA”
▼ If the defense stays on the screen,
the player immediately cuts and
receives a lob pass (diagr. 10).

▼ If the defense goes outside, the

player cuts inside (diagr. 11).

▼ If the defense goes inside, the

player cuts outside (diagr. 12).
D.8

▼ If the defense cheats, the player

bumps and pops up to the ball
(diagr. 13).

“FLEX”
▼ If the defense goes high, the player
cuts low on the baseline (diagr. 14).
▼ If the defense goes low, the player
cuts high (diagr. 15).

▼ If the defense cheats, the player bumps

and pops to the ball (diagr. 16).
D.9
“HAWK”
▼ If the defense goes low, the player
cuts outside (diagr. 17).

▼ If the defense goes low, the player

cuts high (diagr. 18).

▼ If the defense cheats, the player bumps

and pops up to the ball (diagr. 19).
EV\Z+,
D.10

D.11

D.12

D.13

D.14

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

“FLARE”
▼ If the defense goes inside, the player
flares outside (diagr. 20).

▼ If the defense goes over, the player flares

and then cuts in the lane (diagr. 21).

▼ If the defense cheats, the player

cuts directly in the middle (diagr. 22).

“WIDE ANGLE PIN DOWN”

▼ If the defense follows, the player curls
(diagr. 23).

▼ If the defense goes under the screen,

the player bumps and then pops out
(diagr. 24).

▼ If the defense goes on top of the

screen, the player makes a backdoor
cut (diagr. 25).

CROSS SCREEN
▼ If the defense goes over the screen,
the player cuts low along the baseline
(diagr. 26).

▼ If the defense goes under, the player

stops in the lane (diagr. 27).

▼ If the defense cheats, the player stops

near the basket and receives a lob pass
(diagr. 28).

DOWN SCREEN
On this type of screen, the player receiving
the screen must wait for the screen, and then
the screener pops out or flashes.
▼ If the defense follows, the player curls
around the screen (diagr. 29).

▼ If the defense goes under the screen,

the player bumps and pops out
(diagr. 30).

▼ If the defense cheats, the player

makes a backdoor cut (diagr. 31).

ON-THE-BALL SCREENS
SIDE SCREEN
On-the-ball screens, the players on the weak
side are on a triangle, and the post player
always ducks in. If there is an “ice situation”,
where the dribbler is forced to the baseline,
the post comes to the strong side corner of
the free-throw lane.
▼ If the defense follows the player who
received the screen, this player turns
the corner, and the screener rolls to the
basket (diagr. 32).

▼ If the defense goes under, the player with

the ball stops and takes a jump shot
(diagr. 33).
EV\Z+.
D.15 D.16 D.21

D.17 D.22

D.18

D.23

D.19

D.24

D.20

D.25

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ If the defender follows and traps with

D.26 D.31 the screener’s defender, the player with
the ball takes two dribbles away and
finds the open teammate:
- the screener, who rolls, or
- the teammate whose defender has
gone to help on the roll of the screener
(diagr. 34).

▼ If the screener’s defender appears, but

doesn’t appear ready to play hard
defense, the player with the ball splits in
between (diagr. 35).
D.27 D.32
▼ If the defense cheats, the player
drives to the baseline (diagr. 36).

D.28 D.33

D.34

▼ If the defense forces him to the

baseline- what we call an “ice
D.29
situation”- the dribbler can drive to the
middle for a jump shot or pass to the
screener, who rolls to the basket. He
can also pass to the player, who has
flashed up from the low post to the
D.35 corner of the free-throw lane
(diagr. 37).

TOP SCREEN
▼ If the defense follows, the player
turns the corner (diagr. 38).

▼ If the defense goes under the screen,

D.30 the player stops and takes a jump shot
(diagr. 39).

▼ If the defense forces the player with

the ball outside, he passes to the
screener, who rolls (diagr. 40).
EV\Z,&
D.36 D.38 D.39

D.37 D.40
D.44

OTHER OPTIONS D.45

TRAP AND ROTATE D.41
▼ If the defense traps and rotates,
the offense has to spread the
defense. It does this by passing the
ball to the open player as soon as
possible (diagr. 41). The screener may
want to slip the screen early to
provide an outlet for the passer,
forcing a rotation and then finding the
open teammate quickly (diagr. 42).

“SHOW AND OVER”

On the “show and over move” of the D.42 D.46
defense, the dribbler has two options:
1. To go out and around the show
(diagr.43).
2. To go in and split the show (diagr.44).

Either way, it is important to keep the drib-

ble alive and get separation from the
screen. Good spacing force player rota-
tion and enhances the changes of getting
an open shot (diagr. 45).

“SHOW AND UNDER” D.43

If the defense decides to go under, it is
because the opponent thinks your ball
handler is an inconsistent shooter. Even
with defense going under, some guards
get in the lane and create possibilities for
their teammates (diagr. 46).

FORCE TO THE BASELINE D.47

If the defense forces the dribbler to the
baseline after the screen, the center rolls
to the basket and the nearest teammate
flashes to the free-throw lane corner
(diagr. 47).
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE INTEGRATED
IN-SEASON TRAINING
OF BASKETBALL
CADETS
by Slavko Trninic

Slavko Trninic is a Professor at the Phy-

sical Education University in Zagreb,
Croatia, and a member of the Board of
the Croatian Basketball Coaches Asso-
ciation. He was the former head coach
of Zadar, and Split, in Croatia, and Lju-
bljana, in Slovenia. He served as the
assistant coach of the Yugoslavian Na-
tional team at the Olympic Games in
1980, at the FIBA European Champion-
ship in 1981 and 1985, and he was the
assistant coach of the Croatian national
team at the Olympic Games in 1996.

The game of basketball is a complex

motor multi-structured team activity,
based on the symbiosis of cyclic and
acyclic movements of individual
players with and without the ball, the
performance quality of which is directly
related to motor-functional conditioning
status (fitness) of athletes and their
body composition. The internal load
players have to sustain in practice and
games is determined by the role in the
game, by the style of team play, and the
intensity requirements of play.
For the author, basketball is primarily a
sport of agility, the latter being a com-
plex combination of several motor abili-
ties (Figure 1).
Professional basketball training practi-
ce recognizes two successive objecti-
ves and directions of operating: pro-
duction of quality players and produc-
tion of high competitive and sport
achievements. The process of produ-
cing top players is a long-lasting sy-
stem of teaching and learning.
This process demands hard work and
continuity, a systematic and gradual
approach to mastering and perfecting
EV\Z,(
skills from different sport preparation a system and means of regeneration decisive criterion for individualized trai-
training programmes. The general goal and recovery (Figure 2). ning programming (prescription). The
is shaping, enhancing, and maintaining The two-mesocycle developmental trai- proposed training model (for late and
the quality of players (overall perfor- ning units consist of the following com- post-puberty) consists of multilateral
mance in the game). ponents of preparation: and introductory-specialized programs,
The most crucial task of basketball coa- as well as of procedures of early orien-
ches is to create elite players by desi- ▼ Multilateral: basic and special tation (specialization) of players to
gning and implementing developmental conditioning program. broader roles and/or positions.
training cycles that consist of versatile ▼ Technical - tactical: theoretical and The experimental training program can
synergistic training sessions. psychological preparation program. be divided in two mesocycles:
Developmental training is a complex,
gradual, and multi-annual process di- ▼ System of competition. ▼ The first mesocycle: 28 days, 21
rected at the acquisition and perfection training sessions and 4 matches.
of technical-tactical skills, knowledge, Basketball players 15 to 16 years of age Average duration of the daily
and habits. It also concerns encoura- (late and post-puberty) are able to inte- training load (volume): 145 minutes.
ging positive changes (transformations) grate the developmental and competiti- Average intensity: 60% of
in non-specific (basic) and specific abi- ve objectives during the season, if alter- maximum.
lities and characteristics that will per- nating work intensities are implemented
mit stable top performances throughout during microcycles. ▼ The second mesocycle: 29 days, 20
the long sports specialization process. Young players benefit from strength and training sessions and 4 matches.
The success of a player or overall power development training, and it’s al- Average duration of the daily
performance quality is directly related so an optimum period to teach game training load (volume): 130 minutes.
to the developmental level of relevant tactics. To get started, first come dia- Average intensity: 75% of
basic and specific anthropological at- gnostic procedures, and then objecti- maximum.
tributes, as well as to their interrelation ves of training are set. Training contents
(see again Figure 1). and methods are selected and distribu- The load is progressively increased du-
The work with young players should in- ted after the periodization calendar is ring the first three weeks in each me-
clude methods of assessing and moni- organized. The prescribed load volumes socycle by 2.5% (by means of increased
toring the actual quality (overall perfor- and intensities should permit in-season number of reps in a set and number of
mance) of the players. developmental training workouts prior sets in conditioning drills-volume-and
The competition system should be cor- to the specialization to the roles/posi- by a higher intensity of work-execution
related with physical conditioning; te- tions in the game. The degree of biologi- pace), whereas in the fourth week it
chnical-tactical, psychological and cal maturation of players (early develo- was decreased to allow adaptation to
theoretical preparation; as well as with pers or delayed maturers) should be a the workload.

A TWO-MONTH DEVELOPMENTALTRAINING PLAN AND PROGRAM

PERIOD COMPETITON SEASON
MESOCYCLE 1st 2nd 1st + 2nd
DURATION 30.09 - 27.10.1999 30.10-28.11.1999 30.09. - 28.11.1999
MO-FU:TECHNICAL-TACTICAL 35 : 65 45 : 55 40 : 60
NUMBER OF MICROCYCLES 4 4 8
NUMBER OF DAYS 28 29 57
NUMBER OF PRACTICE DAYS 25 26 51
NUMBER OF TRAINING SESSIONS 21 20 41
NUMBER OF GAMES 4 4 8
REST DAYS 3 3 6
VOLUME 145 130 137,5
INTENSITY 60 75 67,5
TESTING 28-29.09.1999 28-29.11.1999 28-29.09. / 28-29.11.

MO - FU: motor-functional conditioning as percentage of the maximum value

VOLUME: average duration of each work-out (min)
INTENSITY: average load level in a single practice (%)

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

The training contents used are aimed at

developing and/or maintaining of:

▼ Flexibility: stretching exercises-

active method, static and ballistic;
passive method and combined
method or PNF stretching.

▼ Trunk strength: exercises for core

strength enhancement-abdominal,
hip, and back muscle groups
(important for preventing injuries).

▼ Specific explosive power: vertical

jumping ability exercises.

▼ Specific ballistic explosive power:

catching and throwing a weighted
medicine ball.

▼ Anaerobic endurance: various

sprinting exercises on the
basketball court with situation-
related exercises (covering
technical-tactical skills of playing
transitional offense and defense,
at a high-work intensity mode).

▼ Balance (dynamic stability):

specific exercises to develop and
maintain balance (forwards,
backwards, and sideways-balance
squats; balance lunges; release
lunges; jumps from a basketball
stance with 90 to 360 turns with
open or closed eyes; and contact

DISTRIBUTION OF MOTOR-FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES IN A MICROCYCLE - 1ST MESOCYCLE

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

TRUNK STRENGTH X X X X X
FLEXIBILITY X X X X X
BALANCE X X
AGILITY X X
BALISTIC EXPLOSIVE POWER X X
EXPLOSIVE LEG POWER
VERTICAL JUMPING ABILITY X X
ARM AND UPPER-BACK STRENGTH X X
ANAEROBIC ALACTATE ENDURANCE X X
ANAEROBIC LACTATE ENDURANCE X X
TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL X X X X X
SKILLS AND CO-ORDINATION CAPACITY
THEORETICAL PREPARATION X
GAME X

EV\Z,*
DISTRIBUTION OF MOTOR-FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES IN A MICROCYCLE - 2nd MESOCYCLE
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

TRUNK STRENGTH X X X X X
FLEXIBILITY X X X X X
BALANCE X X
AGILITY X X
BALISTIC EXPLOSIVE POWER X X
EXPLOSIVE LEG POWER
VERTICAL JUMPING ABILITY X X X
ARM AND UPPER-BACK STRENGTH X X
ANAEROBIC ALACTATE ENDURANCE X X X
ANAEROBIC LACTATE ENDURANCE X X
TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL
SKILLS AND CO-ORDINATION CAPACITY X X X X X
THEORETICAL PREPARATION X
GAME X

Fig. 1.
Phenomenological
scheme of mutual de-
pendence of bio-motor
abilities (modified ac-
cording to Bompa).
Shaded abilities show
attributes important to
top basketball perfor-
mance.

exercises with an opponent on simulate game situations, e.g. changes of pace and direction-
offense and defense). moving on the court in all directions these exercises are aimed
while maintaining the basic at overcoming the body mass
▼ Agility and quick reaction: agility offensive or defensive stance: inertia at the highest speed with
should be developed in puberty and changing along the court’s maintenance of balance and
post-puberty, afterwards it should longitudinal axis with and without purposeful organization of a
be maintained with various the ball; offensive exercises particular movement structure
basketball- specific exercises that without the ball with multiple (skill).
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Arm and upper-back (shoulder)

power: weight-room strength-
training exercises-different lat-
machine pulls and pull-ups.

▼ Anaerobic endurance:
developmental exercises include
starts and accelerations from
different positions over various
distances up to 28 meters; a series
of two and one-foot hops and jumps
from the squat position, up to 10
seconds; leaps and jumps forward,
sideways, and backwards;
handicapped sprints over various
distances up to 28 meters; various
plyometric stepping exercises.

▼ Technical-tactical skills and

co-ordination capacities: exercises
focused on versatility of details,
technical finesse, and variations of
the performance rhythm.

▼ Theoretical knowledge: aspects of

the game and training, proper
performance of technical-tactical
skills, and principles of the game.

CONCLUSION
The applied developmental training pro-
cess produces significant changes in pa-
rameters of the motor-functional condition
(preparedness) of young players in sea-
son, with no substantial interference with
their performance. When I applied this
training cycle to my team, the team won all
eight matches in the period in which the
experimental program was implemented
(stable performance). It indirectly reinfor-
ces the opinion of certain experts that the
in-season work on improving motor-func-
tional conditioning does not substantially
affect overall performance or situation-re-
lated efficiency of cadets, probably due to
the fact that technical-tactical skills and
performance are founded on the specific
motor-functional condition.
The competition calendar (one match in a
microcycle) and just one workout per day
determined the system of sports prepara-
tion-players had enough time to rest and
recover. As opposed to senior teams,
where the primary objective of the in-sea-
son training is to maintain condition and
sport form, in junior and cadet teams it
seems feasible to apply the proposed mo-
del of developmental training cycle (inte-
grated sports preparation). The feasibility
is based on the main objective of work
with this age: to develop the potential of
players and transform it into individual and
team performance.

EV\Z,,
 Structure of
sport preparation

Types of competition regeneration and potential and

sport system recovery systems actual quality
preparation and means assessments

physical
conditioning

technical
tactical
preparation

psychological
preparation

theoretical
preparation

integral fitness
(preparedness)
successful
overall
performance
(actualqulity)

sports
achievement
EV\Z,-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Al Sokaitis
ONE-ON-ONE
Al Sokaitis is the head coach of the
University of Alaska - Fairbanks. He
THE DRIBBLE
stion you see above. Although I had
lectured and demonstrated many
to winning is creating opportunities for
high percentage shots.
also coached North Adams State and times before, the simplicity of what I
Southern Maine. Expert on teaching was asking seemed to strike a chord There are essentially four ways you
one-on-one, he appeared for 14 con- with the players. Since that time, my can create scoring opportunities:
secutive times as lecturer at the clinics and demonstrations have revol-
Coaches Clinic at the NCAA Division I ved around the theme of how to score. 1. Dribble Moves
Final Four, and also at clinics in 2. Live Ball Moves
Greece and Lebanon. He works with I start teaching one-on-one play with a 3. Movement
NBA players and coaches for impro- simple premise. I tell every player that 4. Screening
ving the one-on-one. although basketball is a team game, at
some point they will be required to On this article I will write on dribble
“At some point in every game, it’s just score. They will simply have to beat moves. I would advise the reader that
you and your opponent, can you the man in front of them. One-on-one in order to be a great player, you do
score?” basketball is all about creating the not need a hundred different moves.
space you need to take a shot you can What you do need, however, is a move
In 1985 while giving a clinic at a high make. and a countermove and execution. Do
school all-star camp I posed the que- Anyone can get a shot off but the key a few things very well and you are on

SEQUENCE 1

EV\Z,.
 FIBA EUROP

skills:
you way to a great career. not into trouble. C. Combination moves
C. To change a passing angle. 1. Fake crossover to crossover
DRIBBLE MOVES D. To get to the hoop. 2. Fake crossover to spin
The defense is trying to contain the 3. Stop and go to crossover
ball. The ball handler is trying to force II. TYPES OF DRIBBLE MOVES 4. Between the legs to spin
the defender out of stance and out of A. Change of speed moves 5. Stutter to crossover
balance. You, the ball handler must 1. Acceleration 6. One hand cross to crossover
make the defender lunge, straighten 2. Stutter step 7. Spin, between the legs, crossover
his knees, go back on his heels or 3. Stop and go
cross his feet. You accomplish this 4. Fake crossover III. AN EXPLANATION
goal by using a change of speed, a OF THE DRIBBLE MOVES
change of direction or a combination B. Change of direction moves A. Change of speed moves.
of the two. 1. Crossover 1. Acceleration. The intent of accelera-
2. Pullback crossover tion is to lull the defender into a false
I. THE DRIBBLE 3. Between the legs sense of security about your speed of
You should use the dribble to: 4. Around the back travel and then spring by the defender.
A. Create space. 5. Spin moves The keys to acceleration are:
B. To get yourself out of trouble, 6. Slide dribble into a spin a. Act relaxed before exploding to the

EV\Z-%
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SEQUENCE 2

hoop. should either land on two feet or take a You begin with the ball in your right
b. Look up, to further lull the defender second small step and hop back to two hand. As you approach the defender you
into a relaxed state. feet. take a step to the left before pushing
c. Keep the ball protected. The defender must now react and move back to the right. The best description of
forward to close the space created by this move is to imagine ice skating and
2. Stutter. The stutter is executed by your back up. pushing off your right foot and then back
dribbling at a defender and freezing When the defender moves forward you out to the right. This slight shifting of the
him/her by stopped your forward motion should look up at the hoop before hand over the top of the ball is the most
and rapidly moving your feet up and quickly exploding to the basket. The significant part of the move. The keys to
down before exploding to the hoop. keys to the stop and go are: the fake crossover are:
The stutter should resemble a foot fire a. Keep the ball low throughout the a. Allow your body to move left while
drill. The keys to the stutter are: move. keeping the ball on your right.
a. Keep your knees bent to make your b. Make sure your knees are bent as you b. Slide your hand over the top of the
move to the hoop quicker. look up so you can explode to the hoop. ball without carrying the ball.
b. Look up before going to the hoop. c. Sell the fake with your eyes, your c. Keep the ball low so that it is easier to
hand that is not dribbling the ball and slide your hand over the top.
3. The stop and go. The stop and go is your body language.
actually a stop, back up, look up and go. B. Change of direction moves.
The first part involves dribbling at the 4. The in and out or fake crossover A change of direction move involves
defender and quickly stepping back off move. The fake crossover is intended to changing the ball from one side of the
your leg opposite the ball. give the defender the illusion that a body to the other. It also involves chan-
As you push back off your leg you crossover move is about to take place. ging the direction of travel in an
EV\Z-&
attempt to make the defender cross 2. Pull back crossover. The pullback your feet are landing in a simultaneous
his/her legs or come out of stance. crossover is executed by dribbling the motion on the ground (the end of the step
ball (in this example) with your right back), cross the ball.
1. The crossover move. The crossover is hand and stepping hard at the defen-
executed by pulling the ball from one side der with your left foot. As your weight 3. The between the legs moves. Dribbling
of your body to the other. transfers over your left or front foot, between the legs allows you to change
The exchange of the ball should be quick, you lift your back foot off the ground. the ball from hand to hand while protec-
hard and low. It is common to add a step This allows you to step back (or push ting the exchange with your body. The
back to the move before the crossover to back) off your front foot. When your right ball should always travel from front to
eliminate any chance of the defense foot comes down on the floor you lift your back away from the defender. You should
knocking the ball away. The keys to the left foot off the ground and hop further also allow your body to dip (similar to sit-
crossover are: back off the plant off your right foot. The ting in a chair) as the ball is passing
a. Pull the ball as opposed to simply drib- result of a coordinated well executed between your legs. This will set up your
ble the ball across the middle of your move is to create approximately seven body to spring in the opposite direction
body. feet of space between you and the defen- (sequence 3). The keys to the between
b. The ball should travel from outside your der (sequence 1). The ball has stayed in the legs, dribble are:
leg on the right to outside your leg on the your right hand throughout the move. As a. Don’t pound the ball through the legs,
left or vice versa. the defender scrambles to recover and dribble the ball through.
c. Keep the crossover low. Bringing your close the space between the two of you, b. Come to a two-footed stop before drib-
hand down to the floor helps to keep the it is the optimum time to execute a hard bling between the legs.
ball low. crossover (sequence 2). A key teaching c. Always dribble the ball between your
d. Sell the move with your shoulders. point is to remind your players that as legs from the front to the back so the ball
EV\Z-'
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SEQUENCE 3

is moving away from the defender. move, the spin move is often set up
by the defender. When the defender SEQUENCE 4
4. Around the back move. The reaches for the ball, you protect the
around the back move is ideal to ball by stepping toward the defender
change the passing angle. The move with the foot furthest from the ball.
is actually set up when a defender You now execute a reverse pivot
lunges for a ball that is being drib- away from the other hand. After
bled at your side. The object is for completing the pivot you change the
you to cross the ball from one hand ball to your other hand (sequence 5).
to the other behind your back. You The keys to the spin move are:
must learn to get your body in front a. Set up the defender by moving in
of the ball before making the one direction before attempting the
exchange from hand to hand to eli- pivot.
minate the possibility of a carry call b. Seal the defender with the pivot.
by the officials (sequence 4). The c. Upon completion of the pivot, the
keys to the around the back dribble toe of your front foot should be poin-
are: ted at the hoop. This will insure you
a. The around the back move must are moving north to south (hoop to
change your direction. If you main- hoop) rather than east to west (side-
tain a straight line of travel, even line to sideline).
though you changed hands on the d. Complete the pivot before chan-
ball, a charge will mostly likely ging hands on the ball.
occur.
b. Keep the ball low to avoid a carry 6. Slide dribble spin. This move was
call. made popular by Magic Johnson.
Magic would execute a slide
5. The spin move. The spin move is a (similar to a defensive slide) while
change of direction move that allows dribbling the ball. He would stand
you to seal the defender with your facing the sideline and bounce the
body. Similar to the around the back ball near his foot that was located
EV\Z-(
furthest from the defender. If the defen-
der tried to come around his front, he
would simply spin away.

C. Combining moves.
An ideal way to beat a defender is to
employ two moves in quick succession.
The first move should be a slower or
setup move to lead the defender in one
direction before exploding in a second
direction: An example of some of the
combination moves you might employ is:

1. Fake crossover to crossover

2. Fake crossover to spin
3. Stop and go to crossover
4. Between the legs to spin
5. Stutter to crossover

The moves described above have

already been explained in terms of hand
position, footwork and execution. The
following two moves need further exami-
nation.

6. One hand cross to crossover. The ball

handler takes the ball in his right hand
and bounces it across his body. He then
uses the same hand to bring the ball
back to its original starting point. The
ball is bounced in a rhythmic one-two
motion. When the ball returns to its ori-
ginal spot, the ball handler now explo-

EV\Z-)
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SEQUENCE 5

des into a crossover. We sometimes 2. Weight should be equally distributed stands at one end of the gym facing a
call this the bad crossover, good cros- on the balls of your feet. line of ball handlers. The coach quickly
sover move. The first motion is meant 3. Head up. A good teaching point is to pivots 180 degrees away from the
to lull the defender before exploding to hold up fingers while someone is drib- players. When he pivots the ball hand-
the hoop. bling and have them call out the num- lers dribble as fast as they can while
ber of fingers you have up. This tea- the coach counts loudly and quickly to
7. Spin, between the legs, crossover. This ches the ball handler to look up. five, yells red light and pivots back to
move actually requires three changes 4. The ball is controlled on the fingertips. the ball handlers. If he catches them
of direction in a very short time period. moving they return to the starting
The ball handler starts by spinning B. Drills to practice the basics. point. The object is to be the first to
away from the defender. He then drops 1. Dribble a ball side to side and front reach the coach. This ‘child’s’ game
the ball between his legs as the defen- to back while looking up. Repeat the teaches stop and go and ball control.
der is sliding back into position. Once drill with either hand. You can handle 5. Dribble tag. Place ten players with
more as the defender fights to recover two balls at once as the skill level basketballs in the half court area and
the ball handler drops his foot closest increases. designate the player that is poison. The
to the ball and executes a hard crosso- 2. Practice running forward at 3/4 player that is poison must touch
ver. speed and then accelerating. another and pass the poison. When the
3. Use cones or chairs to practice coach calls time, the last player with
IV. BALL HANDLING DRILLS changing directions and going around poison must run sprints.
A. Body position. objects. 6. Dribble tag versus the group. One
1. Knees bent, feet shoulders width 4. Play “red light” to practice sprinting member must touch each person in the
apart. and stopping with the ball. The coach group in a prescribed time.
EV\Z-*
7. Dribble tag with two people as poi- 4. One on two half court. Two defen- returning from the floor to your hand
son. ders try to corner and trap the ball you throw your hand over the ball to
handler. The ball handler tries to keep fake a pass. The heel of your hand
C. The Advanced drills. the ball alive for twenty seconds. should start the ball moving forward
1. One on one full court zig - zag. The 5. Play one on one where the ball hand- like an intended pass only to be pulled
ball handler works on pullbacks, chan- ler starts ten feet from the defender back by your fingertips at the last
ge of direction and change of pace and dribbles at his opponent trying to second.
moves while working his way down the execute a quick dribble move.
court versus a defender. The defender C. Fake around the back pass. As the
does not try to steal the ball. V. PASS FAKES OFF THE DRIBBLE ball is returning from the floor to your
2. The ball handler is face guarded by a Because you are moving when you hand you cup the ball and fake passing
defender and must get free for an dribble the ball it makes a pass fake it around your back and return it to its
inbounds pass. As soon as he receives very effective. The following are pass starting point.
the ball he must play full court one on fakes you should master.
one against a second defender who is VI. A FINAL NOTE ON BALL HANDLING
waiting ten feet back. A. Hard drive, jump stop and pass fake. Take a ball with you everywhere you go
3. One on one half-court. The defender The key is to stay low and step in the and you will become proficient in no
gets in defensive stance with his arm direction of the pass. You should be time. Regardless of your size, work
extended. The defenders job is to stay able to create space, step back and with your handles. Make the most of
within six feet of the ball handler for shoot. practice. In lay-up lines execute a dif-
five seconds. The ball handler must ferent dribble move every time you go
work to break contact. B. Fake one hand pass. As the ball is to the hoop.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

RISE TO THE
TOP WITH
by Gheith Aref Najjar SHOOTING
Gheith Aref Najjar, former head coach
of the Under 18, 19, and 22 National Jor-
dan men’s teams, was selected as the
head coach of the Senior Women’s Jor-
dan National team last year. He also coa-
ched a Division I team and now he sits on
the bench of the Arena Team.

In my approach to basketball practice, I

have been influenced by the words of the
former great UCLA coach, John Wooden,
who said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect-
perfect practice makes perfect.” Because
of this, I always stress that the players
should be coached in the fundamentals of
the game, using appropriate technique in
both practice sessions and in games.

Obviously, a crucial skill in the offensive

scheme of basketball is shooting.
Because of the importance of shooting, all
the other skills are introduced and perfor-
med with the goal of finding a way to shoot
the ball and to make a basket.

Shooting is probably the most practiced

skill of all, but not many players become
very good at it because they lack motiva-
tion.
Many players don’t know what aspects of
shooting to work on. When players practi-
ce with incorrect or sloppy technique, the
practice time doesn’t yield progress or
skill development. Shooting improvement
starts with good technique.
Players need to learn how to practice cor-
rectly and improve their shooting ability.
Let’s start with the free throw. The most
common technique taught today for exe-
cuting the free throw is known as BEEF,
which stands for:
EV\Z-,
B - Balance - Balance yourself as you
stand on the free-throw line. Make sure
you are steady.
E - Eyes - Look at the rim. Either the back or
the front; it really doesn’t matter.
E - Elbow - Make sure your elbow is in line
with the basket’s rim.
F - Follow through - When releasing the
ball, it is essential that you follow through
with your wrist and fingers.

Shooting drills will help instill proper shoo-

ting form.
Here are the three steps that I use in my
shooting practices:

Technique: Involves shooting mechanics.

Attention is given to the details of move-
ment. This is the most important and diffi-
cult part of shooting, and the coach must
watch each player closely.
Practice: Involves regular shooting from
short distances.
Players must start applying technique to
the close shots and then gradually move
back away from the basket, using the sa-
me technique.
Game-like shooting: Involves the applica-
tion of defensive pressure on players.
Shooting must occur under approximate
game-level conditions.

Improvements in shooting require con-

stant practice and time must be set aside
at each team session for individual shoo-
ting drills.
This can occur before team practice be-
gins or in the morning, but it must be done
conscientiously. It takes about one hour a
day.

I am recommending one daily workout du-

ring which the player can practice on his
own and, in a sense, be his own coach.
Players must understand that it’s the pro-
per shooting mechanics that affect the
success or failure of every shot.
I recommend that each player have a part-
ner during shooting practice because
competition enhances practice.
Shooting with a purpose at game intensity
in training is very important.
The players must set goals and try to rea-
ch them. In this way, they are constantly
improving their skills.

Additionally, it is important that the type of

shots the players focus on during the
shooting workout should be consistent
with the type of shots that they will most
likely be taking during a game; the post
player must practice the shots close to
the basket, while guards and forwards

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

work on shots farther away.

However, players can increase their
scoring opportunities by mastering all
the different types of shots from diffe-
rent ranges under pressure, as well as
easy open shots.
There is one shooting range that is im-
portant for all players on a team.
Close games are won or lost at the free-
throw line and fouling in the final minu-
tes has become an effective defensive
strategy. That is why free shooting
should be a regular part of every practi-
ce and the players, no matter what posi-
tion they play, must practice and master
this type of shot. The fundamentals of
the free-throw should be practiced until
they become second nature, regardless
of style. The shooter should make at lea-
st 80 percent of his free-throws in prac-
tice, executed as close to game-time
conditions as possible.

REASONS FOR POOR SHOOTING

It is important for both coach and
players to recognize the reasons for
good as well as for poor shooting.
Some of the factors that interfere with
successful shooting are:

Lack of confidence: In my opinion, con-

fidence is the most important element of
good shooting.
A player may have perfect technique
and may take an easy, uncontested
shot, but if his confidence level is low,
the shot may well be missed.
There are no drills to help the player
gain confidence. Confidence building
involves group work.
A player must overcome his fears and
gain confidence. The coach plays a big
role in building the player’s confidence.
It is a coach’s job to critique his players,
but the criticism must always be con-
structive. Teammates who openly show
lack of trust and support for each other
with teasing, put downs, or resentment
must curb such urges. In addition, fa-
mily and fans must be supportive. It is
oftentimes scary for the players to
perform in front of spectators knowing
that their mistakes will be exposed for
all to see. Confidence levels can be
enhanced through frequent practice. If
a player has made a shot a thousand ti-
mes in practice, there should not be a
problem with confidence. When a
player takes shots in games that have
been practiced, when he knows that the
shot is the right shot at the right time, he
increases his chances of achieving an
acceptable shooting percentage. Confi-

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dence comes from hard practice, good
coaching, and support from teammates
and others. I have seen many players
who show outstanding performance
when practicing alone but who fail to
perform under the pressure of a game.
Confidence is often the missing ingre-
dient in such scenarios.
Mental: When shooting the basketball
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

during a game, a player finds himself

under enormous psychological pressu-
re and must counteract negative thou-
ghts in order to sustain focus and suc-
cessful execution. Employing techni-
ques for sustaining focus, concentra-
tion and positive psychological energy
are important.
Incorrect shooting style: As with any
craft, bad habits and techniques, once
learned at an early age, are hard to era-
dicate. In my opinion, “unlearning” poor
technique takes as much hard work as
learning to do something correctly the
first time. It is important for players to
break bad habits in order to adopt good
ones.
The coach must be specific in laying out
the method of shooting for each player
and in making sure that each player fol-
lows correct technique as he practices
shooting. Otherwise, practice sessions
will result in minimum improvement, if
any at all.

Lack of practice: All coaches face the

problem of how to motivate their players
to practice. At a basic level, adequate
facilities must be found and workable
schedules designed.
For teams comprised mainly of inexpe-
rienced players, many things need to be
introduced and practiced during a trai-
ning session, not just shooting, and be-
cause of the shortage of facilities
(courts) in developing countries, players
do not end up with enough shooting ti-
me at practice.
It is necessary, therefore, for the coach
to motivate the players to practice an in-
dividual shooting program outside the
team practice.
It is very important for the players to
know exactly what to work on during
this extra session, and their style and te-
chnique must be monitored by their coa-
ch and their progress must be docu- understand that there are many player. It is important to stress to
mented closely. methods to shoot and score. For the player who is being closely
Ineffective coaching: For skills to deve- example, if the other team defends guarded to pass the ball to players
lop, good coaching is essential at all le- in a way to prevent the player from who are in better position. Of course,
vels. This is often difficult to achieve be- shooting, then it is time to play one- in order to improve all lay-ups and
cause most coaches are overworked or on-one and find his way to the inside shots should be practiced
have not set aside adequate time in basket through penetration, which with hands in the player’s face, again,
practice. is a great offensive weapon for any duplicating game-like conditions.
Because of this, shooting does not get player to have and use. ▼ The player must remember that it is
the time and effort that it deserves. ▼ The shooting practice must be not how many times he shoots at
executed always at game speed the basket that counts but rather
SHOOTING AND PRACTICE TIPS and game conditions. Such practice how many shots are actually made.
▼ Every player must know his shooting will result in desired game ▼ The player must not shoot in vain.
ability and range and learn to select performance. He must only shoot from distances
his shots wisely. The player must ▼ If a player is not in position to get a from which he shoots at in practice
know when and from where he can good shot, he must be taught to (shoot how and from where you
shoot and he must always pass the ball to a better-positioned practice).
EV\Z.&
▼ To increase the chances of making
the shot, the player must not force
his shot, and he must create space
between him and the defenders
prior to shooting.
▼ To control the mental behavior prior
to shooting free-throws, the player
must be ready mentally and
physically to execute the shot. Each
player must develop and execute
his own pre-shot routine.
This routine should be something
that makes him feel comfortable,
and he must repeat it every time he
goes to the free-throw line. This
routine can consist of bouncing the
ball the same number of times,
crouching low with knees bent,
taking a breath, or simply wiping his
hands on his shorts. The mental
aspects in the free-throw shooting
plays a great roll and it is routine
that helps ensure a high free-throw
shooting percentage.
▼ The player must be confident that
he is going to make the shot.
Confidence and mental
conditioning are critical when
shooting the basketball in a game.
Knowing when to shoot and being
able to do so effectively under
pressure makes the player a great
shooter.
▼ When executing the free-throw the
player must clear his mind and use
his preferred technique. He must
not think about details while
executing the shot and must block
out all external distractions.
Shooting motion must flow
automatically and the player must
never change his shooting
technique or routine between shots.
▼ To get proper rotation on the ball,
the shooter’s follow-through must
be correct. After the ball is
released, the shooter’s arm must be
fully extended at an approximately
45-degree angle (the elbow is
above the eyebrows) and the hand
is bent at the wrist.
▼ When the player is shooting any
shot, his eyes must be fixed on his
target through the entire shooting
process. For a jump shot, he must
always find a spot on the rim and fix
on that point. Some players focus
on the front of the rim, some look at
the back. Each player must find a
spot and always look for it when he
shoots.
▼ Pump faking while being guarded
by a person is a very good tactic. If
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

a defender is made to jump in the D.1

air, this will give the offensive
player a better opportunity for an
open jump shot or a lay-up.
▼ The player must practice only those
shots which he is likely to get in the
game, such as shooting off a
dribble; shooting after receiving a
pass while stationary, or while
ending a cut (players must learn to D.4
simulate receiving a pass in these
situations). He must take shots from
spots on the court similar to spots
from which he will be shooting in
games. He must make sure to shoot
each shot at game speed.
▼ The shooting percentage in
practice must be not less than:
- 70 percent: Consistently from 15
feet to the three-point line.
- 50 percent: From outside
the three-point line. D.5
- 70 percent: For free-throw
shooting. Players who do not
achieve this standard in practice
are not considered to be good
shooters.
▼ Jumping while shooting is
essential. It is very important that
the ball is released just before the
player reaches the peak of his jump.
Falling or fading away as a shot is
taken will result in a great loss of
power and inaccuracy. The players D.2 D.6
should not work on fade-away
shots until they have mastered the
basic jump shot.
▼ The player will need more power to
shoot the basket when he is further
from the basket. To get more power,
he must increase the flex or bend in
the knees. The player must know his
shooting range.
▼ Patience on the offense will usually
pay off in a shot that is easy to
make. Bad shot selection is a quick D.3 D.7
way to squander a lead. Wasted
shots are:
1. Drives to the basket without an court. Count for yourself while shooting
opening. Which results in an SHOOTING PROGRAM three and two-point shots. You will have
offensive foul. BEFORE STRETCHING one rebound and extra shot after each
2. Shots taken well outside the Chose each time one of the following drills miss which is counted one point, play un-
shooter’s effective range. for warming up before stretching: til you make the total of 30. Dribbling is im-
3. Shots taken when the shooter - Shoot 14 times at both baskets: from de- portant in this drill so use all kinds of drib-
has lost body control. signated spots on the court. bling as you prepare for your shots.
In summary, the player must learn the Count how many baskets you score.
fundamentals of shooting before starting You need to challenge yourself each time STRETCHING 8-10’
any shooting drills. Great shooters are by creating game-like situations. As you
not born; they are made through repeti- change baskets, use different types of SHOOTING DRILLS
tion. By understanding proper technique dribbling and speed changes. Repeat this BABY HOOKS
and then putting in hours of practice, drill twice before starting your stretching Start your shooting drills by making 25
players develop both scoring ability and (diagr. 1). baby hooks from under the basket, using
the confidence they need. - Make 30 points: on both ends of the the right hand, then the left.
EV\Z.(
Continue with the next drill. bles if a defender is involved. basket has been scored. Use the back-
board shot from the side always.
THE FORM DRILL Fourth Five - Shot fake with no foot fake FREE-THROW SHOOTING
Stand close to the basket, about two feet outside the arc. Shoot 25 free throws and note the percen-
away, and take jump shots, trying to make Drive hard, go somewhere with the drib- tage. (Repeat two times).
all swishes. Concentrate on good form and ble and finish with a jump shot. If desired For this drill, record the shooting percen-
follow through. Players should perform drill or capable, vary this dribble move by tages in the weekly shooting record
every day before they begin shooting the using the hop back move for a 3-point sheet.
basketball on the perimeter. This drill shot.
should be done slowly-don’t hurry. Fifth Five - 3-point attempts while the FOUR-MINUTE SHOOTING DRILL
partner tries to block each shot. Shoot and rebound and continue shooting
BASKETBALL GOLF DRILL Set of Ten - Mix up all moves and shots from all around the half court, timing your-
1. The player stands at position A. that were executed in the first five sets. self for a four-minute period. You must
2. The player advances to each position on count the made shots and your average
the court (B-I), advancing to the next posi- When working with a partner, this drill must be more than 25 made shots in the
tion once the shot is successfully made takes six to ten minutes for each shooter. four minutes (diagr. 5).
(diagr. 2). Points of emphasis: Shoot free-throws when finished. This is a
▼ Shots from positions A and G should good pre-practice drill or game day/walk STAR SHOOTING DRILL
be banked off the backboard. through drill. Modify the drill for post Repeat two times (diagr. 6 and 7).
▼ The player should move quickly from players. Include drop step power ups,
position to position. jump hooks, and up-and-under shots. If ONE-ON-ME
▼ The player should try to complete the player does not have a partner for a How to run the drill: This is a great drill to
the circuit with fewer than eighteen drill, they should pass to themselves in or- perform when you are by yourself and
shots. Repeat the drill two times. der to execute a solid V-cut or L-cut and want to get the most out of your practice
▼ A rebounder is helpful for this drill. move to get open. time.
The basic idea is this: Every shot you
THIRTY-FIVE SHOT DRILL THREE-POINT SHOOTING DRILL make counts as one point and every shot
First Five - Lay-ups off one or two feet Make it a competition drill between two you miss counts as two points. If you
guarded by a teammate. Shoot the ball off players to start shooting from opposite si- score ten points before you get to ten
the glass. des. The winner is one who can first make points on misses, you win. To get the mo-
Second Five - Call for the ball from your all baskets and arrive back to his original st out of this drill, run it at game speed;
partner and shoot jump shots well within starting position. Each player must make run to retrieve your shot; move quickly
the 3-point arc. The shooter can spin him- the basket before he moves to the next from spot to spot. Ideally, your accuracy
self a pass if playing alone. spot (diagr. 3). will get to the point where you can make
Third Five - Shot fake without a foot every miss count as five points, and you
fake outside the arc. The shot fake is AROUND-THE-PAINT SHOOTING DRILL will still be able to beat yourself. The
vital. Finish at the basket or in the lane Another good competition between two great shooters can.
with a jump shot. Get to the basket in players involves shooting in the paint (dia-
one dribble if possible. Take two drib- gr. 4). Do not move to another spot until a STRETCHING 5’
summary
Description Rep. Time
1 Warm-up drills (Choose one of two) 5-6’
2 Stretching 8-10’
3 Baby hooks 25 2’
4 Form Drill 2’
5 Basketball golf drill 9 made 4’
6 Thirty-five shooting drill 35 made 8’
7 Three-point shooting drill 10 made 4’
8 Around-the-paint shooting drill 15 made 4’
9 Free-throw shooting 50 Shots 8’
10 Four-minute shooting drill 26-28 4’
11 Star shooting drill 2 times 5’
12 One-on-me 10 points 6’
13 Stretching 5’

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Ed Palubinskas
THE JUMP
Ed Palubinskas was the top scorer at
1976 Olympics Games with the
SHOT
Australian National team. Best NCAA
free-throw shooter (92.4%) with LSU, he
developed a unique method of teaching
free-throws and jump shots
(www.freethrowmaster.com). He was
the personal trainer of Shaquille O’Neal
of the Lakers, Lisa Leslie of the Sparks,
and now of Lauren Jackson of the Storm
of the WNBA.

All the mechanics used to complete a

free-throw are an exact duplicate during
a jump shot. The only difference is that
you release the ball at the top of your
jump or just a fraction of a second before
you get to the peak. If you have great
springs in your legs then you can shoot
whenever you want, because you have so
much time in the air.

BALL HAND RELATIONSHIP

You will notice (photo 1), we have here a
golf glove for better visual application and 1
comprehension. It also is a good idea to
try and practice shooting with a golf glove
to get acquainted with “touch” and “feel”
of the actual ball being released. 2
It is where your mind needs to be anyhow
and not focused on making the shot.
In this case , the fingers are numbered 0-
4, with the thumb being 0, the index finger
being 1, the middle finger is 2, the ring fin-
ger being 3 and the pinky is 4.
The green dots signify that the ball should
definitely be in contact with the green
dots, and many of you will want the ball to
cover the smaller blue dots, probably
because you may have smaller and/or
weaker fingers.
Notice that no part of the palm touches
the ball, ever.
It is a common flaw of all shooters to start
closing their hand during the shot release.
You must keep the shooing hand wide
throughout the whole shot process, from
beginning to end.
The big red dot signifies the final contact
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 FIBA EUROP

point with the ball and you must be men-

3 BALL ON FINGER PADS - REAR VIEW tally cognizant of this contact point as you
pull the trigger.

FINGER NUMBER SYSTEM IN TRIANGLE

Looking at the back of the shooting hand
you will see the numbers allocated to
each finger and the reason for this is to
have each finger accountable for physi-
0 cal effort on each shot (photo 2). You must
be able to trace back the effort given by
each finger. There is an individual
4 accountability for each appendage. If you
have never been able to actually tell
which fingers have been directly involved
and the amount of thrust power applied
3 by each finger, then you have not been in
touch with the finesse aspect of shooting,
2 1 and you definitely need some fine tuning.
If I would apply a non- scientific percen-
tage of accountability per finger, then it
would be as follows:
▼ 0 or thumb- provides stability and
has about 10% involvement.
▼ 1 or index finger-This is the big gun. I
would allocate about 60% control to
this trigger finger. See the red dot.
▼ 2 or the middle finger has
a surprisingly small amount
4 LAY DOWN FOLLOW of control or about 15%.
▼ 3 or the ring finger is just a
THROUGH DRILL stabilizer and has about a 5% role.
▼ 4 or the pinky finger balances out
the triangle with a 10% value. By
keeping it wide the pinky provides
width, stability and keeps the ball
from “fishtailing”.

“PALUBINSKAS PERFECT
SHOOTER’S TRIANGLE”
The basis of the perfect shooter’s triangle
is to have fingers, joints and pads numbe-
red so that each individual part of the
hand can be held accountable. The rea-
son the ball misses a lot is because the
ball only responds to the physical effort
dictated by the shooter. The ball path
does not lie. And Newton’s law says “For
every action there is an equal and opposi-
te reaction” (photo 3).
You are doing something to make the ball
go left or right, long or short. If you don’t
understand why, then that is why you
wont improve significantly. “The
Palubinskas Triangle” demonstrates
appendage accountability. Just lay down
on the floor and shoot up at the ceiling
and study your hand and feel which fin-
gers do what (photo 4). Just shoot about 2
meters (or 6-8 feet high) is enough. Do
hundreds.
Next drill, lay under the backboard at 45
degrees to the glass and rim. While laying
down shoot the real “lay-up” while on
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

your back and see if you can make 5 in a

row off the glass. You can raise your head 5
off the floor, but keep your back against PERFECT “SHOT POCKET” - SIDE VIEW
the floor. This is very difficult and it will
open your eyes by showing you how
weak we really are as shooters. Focus on
the perfect triangle and follow through
and not on making the basket. This is
backwards thinking. Practice this daily
and you will get stronger and more accu-
rate with the right mechanics.

ELBOW LOCATION BEFORE SHOT

This goes along with the perfect “shot
pocket” (photo 5). Where do you actually
start your shot from? Is it in front of the
belly, chest, face, to the side near the ear
or near the forehead? Your starting point
or “shot pocket” reveals a lot about your
shot (photo 6) as far as shooting angles,
time of release, time of follow through,
amount of ball rotation etc.
The lower the ball is (near the stomach-
usually younger players with weak arms
and lack upper body strength as well as
weak fingers) the more effort is involved
in the “upthrust” and thus there is no
room for any “pause” time where you can
get your bearings on direction and distan-
ce.

INCORRECT “SHOT POCKET”

By the time this shot is released the elbow
joint will have moved about 0,80 meter (or
2 and a half feet) before it gets to the
locked position (photo
7). If the elbow is not
directly under the cen- 6
ter of the ball then this
creates inconsistent
direction, but not neces-
sarily distance (photo 8).
This action from the sto-
mach or chest almost
becomes a “throw”. If
you do shoot with the
ball in a low pocket,
focus on the elbow and
notice if it is inside
(medial) or outside (late-
ral) of the center of the
ball.

KNEE MOVEMENT
BEFORE SHOT
Both feet must be shoul-
der apart, and pointed
to the basket, with the
right foot about five
centimeters (or a couple
of inches) ahead, if you
are right-handed (or the
opposite if you are left
handed). A big reason to
EV\Z.,
 have both feet shoulders apart and
7 “toeing” the line is that the shoulders fol-
low the feet and you become more squa-
re, thus reducing the possibility of shoo-
ting irregularities.
The knee bend prior to shooting the ball is
only about 12 centimeters (or 6 inches) or
about the width of your shooting hand. No
major joints seem to move more than 12
centimeters (or 6 inches) .

GRIP ALIGNMENT
You can actually see a big figure”4” here
(photo 9). One adjustment you can make
here is the guide arm elbow can move to
the left if you feel like creating more
space or get the defense to foul you on a
jump shot.
The center of the ball is nicely distributed
through the center of the hand and wrist
joint. You’ll be very surprised how many
thousands of players don’t even have this
right. Copy this alignment. Shooting is not
8 about feeling comfortable. Science rules
here and it is our duty to create the new
scientifically correct mechanism and thus
create a whole new feeling action. You
are also re-energizing new muscle
memory. I was not born with my own
shooting mechanism. I totally had to learn
and re-fabricate or re-engineer the
mechanics so they would abide by scien-
tific and natural laws.

ELBOW MOVEMENT AFTER SHOT

When you have the high (recommended)
“shot pocket” near the forehead, it allows
you more time for your “radar” to kick in.
Watch the good athletes on their jump
shots. The ball is high and as well as
being more difficult to block it gives you
more opportunity to shoot for the “bull-
seye” or the hoop.
In the photo 10, notice that the elbow
9 angle is pointed at the rim. This will auto-
matically put your “shot pocket right
where it needs to be- near the forehead.
Once in this position all you need to do is
lock all the joints namely the knee, elbow
and wrist, only. Less is more here.
As the arm locks at the optimal 45 degree
angle to the floor, the actual elbow joint
should have only moved about 20 centi-
meters (6 inches). Test yourself. If you feel
uncomfortable it is probably because you
are lacking the strength and or your
timing is not synchronized with the three
main joints (knee, elbow and wrist) which
gives you the timing and power you need.

KNEE ACTION AFTER THE SHOT

At the moment the ball is being released
the knees and the elbow should be locked
or straight. You should hold your follow
EV\Z.-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

through till the ball goes through the

hoop while maintaining a statuesque 10
pose. Your energy should be generated
up through the hips and shoulders and
not through the forward movement of the
arms.

FINAL FOLLOW THROUGH ON “PALUBINSKAS

SHOOTER’S TRIANGLE”
The fingers are numbered and notice
they are cupped in the shape of the ball
(photo 11). If you connect the numbers,
they will form a dome shape (exactly like
the ball) The hand should stay in this
shape before during and after the shot.
This seems to be a real difficult task for a
lot of shooters for a short period of time.
It is a new process that must evolve if
improvement is desired.
The blue line must never veer off center
line, ever 2 and 3 fingers should never
drop below the line drawn between 0
and 4. In fact, the third knuckle on the
fingers should never bend.
The only joint that ever moves on this re-
engineered follow through is the wrist-
joint. This system is highly efficient. It
has served me well over the last 20
years. I have been averaging 99% from
the free-throw line for the last 20 years in

11 12

SHAPE OF FOLLOW THROUGH

shooting competitions.
SHAPE OF FOLLOW THROUGH
Here it is important to recognize that the
finished follow through has a real shape
to it (photo 12). You can call it cupped,
domed, circular or round. Whatever way
you look at it, it does take on the shape of
the ball from where it was just formed,
and it must stay this way throughout the
shot.
The fingers are all spread comfortably,
firm but not stiff, before, during and after
the shot. Many players actually move
their hand around on the ball after they
catch or pick it up especially on free-
throws.
This tells me they are looking for comfort
EV\Z..
and not specificity.
This takes some discipline and practice 13
to re-educate your muscle memory, but it
is well worth the new control that you will
feel. Just don’t ever let 2 and 3 break at
the three joints on the back of the hand
(photo 13). If they do they start domina-
ting the shot and you don’t want this.

POOR FOLLOW THROUGH

This image shows me extra tension in the
finish of the shot. Notice the thumb of the
guide hand.
He used the thumb for extra effort to get
the ball there (photo 14). This action must
be eliminated. The guide hand is only for
support of the ball and not to assist the
shot or its flight path. This guide hand
thumb is a real detriment to shooting
accuracy.
Also the shooting hand has completely
collapsed. All the 3rd knuckles have bent,
the fingers have lost their width and they
are all pointing to the floor. The basket is
10’ high. You are not shooting at a sha-
dow on the floor. Double jointed players
may have a harder time getting control of
all their joints due to their genetic
makeup. Strength development does
help.

14

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL
by Carlo Bressan
TRAINING... AT THE
SPEED OF SOUND!
Carlo Bressan works as the Conditio-
ning Coach for the Italian Women’s Ba-
sketball National Teams. Now in his fifth
year of collaboration with the Italian Ba-
sketball Federation (FIP), he also
worked with the Women’s Olympic ba-
sketball team. He was chosen to be on
the Coaching Staff of the Women’s All
Star team, and has worked with many
men’s pro teams, including Division I
team Benetton Treviso.

This article briefly describes an innovati-

ve training approach regularly imple-
mented by “Progetto Azzurina”, the Wo-
men’s Youth National Program of the Ita-
lian Basketball Federation (FIP).
Before explaining in detail this new trai-
ning system, known as “Bressan
Method”, let me introduce you to “Pro-
getto Azzurrina”.
Started in 2002, thanks to the desire of
the FIP to improve results, participation,
and media exposure on youth italian ba-
sketball, “Azzurrina” took shape due to
the vision of coach Renato Nani, Coor-
dinator of Women’s Youth National Pro-
grams.
In a nutshell, here’s how Azzurrina is
structured: 128 selected players (13-15
year old girls) are divided into 8 Regional
Teams, each practicing twice a week.
Each team follows a unified training
program, coordinated by coach Nani
and supervised locally by two coaches
and a physical trainer.
The focus of the program is to develop
the skills of each player by regularly
working on three main learning and
conditioning aspects: technical, physi-
cal and technical-physical. A National
Regional Team Tournament is played
twice a month, having all 8 teams mea-
suring their progress one against other
in game situations.
Thanks to Nani’s hard work and the
support of FIP Vice-President Paolo
Troncarelli, Azzurrina has been enthu-
siastically recognized and accepted by
EV\Z&%&
the basketball community, receiving tre- ting a bigger and brighter future for Ita- As a coach, have you ever wished that,
mendous media exposure as well. lian Basketball. as easily as flipping a switch, you could
Live demonstrations by 128 “Azzurrina” Now, let’s find out what’s so different communicate and motivate your players
players performing the drills has now be- about my methodology and why it could to get totally excited to give all they have,
come an event that is pure entertain- be a valuable tool for youth teams execu- working harder at daily practice ses-
ment. The young players have appeared tives looking for new, compelling ways sions, running, jumping, sweating, doing
on national television, and segmens we- for promoting basketball. endless drills repetitions.
re devoted to them during the 2004 All- Thanks to this training approach, you’ll be What if you could easily program and
Star Game and both the 2003 and 2004 able to: monitor the most effective speed needed
Italian Cup Finals. 1. Motivate more youngsters to come on each drill, leading your players to a
Although it is only in its second year of and experience the fun of playing precise, step-by-step progressive condi-
operation, “Progetto Azzurrina” is al- basketball. tioning at, let say, 90%, 95%, 97,5%, 100%
ready showing the potential for creating 2. Scientifically plan and improve skill of their own personal best?
and developing better players and crea- performance, easily and in less time. Or maybe you prefer having access to a
training system that allowed you to pre-
cisely work on your technical skills, whi-
le executing the moves in a higher gear,
i.e.: improving a crossover dribble while
maintaining a technically correct execu-
tion?
You could simply choose a drill and say:
“Let’s do 4 Rep. at Speed #1, 3 Rep. at
Speed #2 and 2 Rep. at Speed #3“, then
sit back and enjoy the show, while liste-
ning to a special remix of players’ favori-
tes Top Ten music hits, looking at your
team performing the drill at higher and
higher intensity, exactly as you planned!
My method is a breakthrough in basket-
ball functional training that can show
you-no matter if you are a beginner or a
pro, a coach or a player-how you can
learn (or teach) to optimize game skills
performance in the shortest time possi-
ble... while enjoying your practice!
Plus, it is so easy to use and so fun to do
and has the flexibility to be great even for
mini-basketball lovers.
This system is designed with the purpose
of scientifically stimulating and challen-
ging speed, power, and control of techni-
cal moves in order to reach the highest
sport performance potential. It offers ea-
sy-to-follow exercises that introduce the
player to a new concept on basketball
(and sports) training by refining S.A.I.D.
(Specific Adaptation to an Imposed De-
mand) “muscular grow” concept to a
more functional S.A.V.I.P. (Specific Adap-
tation to a Virtually Improved Performan-
ce) “neuro-muscular development.”

The system brings into play a new trai-

ning tool that has the proven ability to
raise the standard against which athle-
tes are trained and measured while at
the same time, transform traditional hard
work into a more enjoyable routine.
You’ll be able to:
1. Provide constant or variable
intensity on drills practice.
2. Customize and implement specific
physical overload on fundamental
moves.
EV\Z&%'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

3. Easily monitor and evaluate

progress, in real time.
MONTHLYDRILLS CHART - Compact disc outline
4. Improve focus and effectiveness of for Program ‘A’
performance on technical skills. Workout schedule: twice a week, alternating program ‘A’ & ‘B’.
5. Offer a self-motivating, (NB: this chart covers onlyProgram ‘A’)
self-correcting, self-coaching tool.

It’s your favorite music digitally transfor-

med into an “INTERACTIVE CHRONOME-
TER”: a revolutionary Chrono-Game-
Workout that integrates body/mind lear-
ning strategies and computers technolo-
gies with:

▼ Fundamental moves
▼ Conditioning drills
▼ Progressive speed levels
▼ Personalized intensity
▼ Non-verbal instructions
▼ Subconscious motivation booster.

Basically, it’s a series of audio CDs with

a very special remix of your favorites
songs. The result is an easy-to-use (a
10-year-old child do it) SPACE-TIME
Rhythmic Conditioning System that will
entertain the players, while stimulating
and systematically challenging their
performance on drills practices.
Can you imagine monitoring your peak
performance on your best moves, im-
proving quickness, speed, and power,
all while “going with the flow”to the
rhythm of your favorite basketball mu-
sic?
From beginners to pros, everyone can
dramatically enhance QUALITY AND
EXCITEMENT of their own personal
practice in a rapid and effective way.
Everyone.
“In my 18-year career I never saw
anything get even closer to a training
system able that was able to transfer
that level of intensity and enthusiasm to
the players. Even more important, tech-
nical and physical improvements are
evident after just a few sessions!” said
national coach Renato Nani.

This method is based on objective, veri-

fiable facts. It’s backed up by 11 years of
applied studies and practical workouts
that have already been experienced by
thousands of players, ranging from the
Women’s National Basketball Teams to
youth summer camps, from mini-basket- rified objectively and subjectively, in real ly Improved Performance - Plan and
ball and school programs, to mens’ pro time. Perform a move with sets and repetitions
teams. 2. PLAN: Learn how to program and repro- at Progressive Intensity Levels (i.e.: 95%,
More specifically, this results-oriented duce the exact increment of quickness, 98%, 105% of your peak performance).
program will allow you to: speed, and power on a technical move.
4. MODEL: Help the player to Recognize
1. EVALUATE: Find the easiest way to mo- 3. DEVELOP: Use the most effective way (in real time) and Model (on each repeti-
nitor optimal physical performance on for conditioning specific strength: tion) the planned intensity level of condi-
fundamental moves. Progress can be ve- S.A.V.I.P.-Specific Adaptation to a Virtual- tioning. By mirroring your best physical
EV\Z&%(
moves (V.I.P.), you’ll also develop a new
level of awareness on which “Inner Ga-
me” your mind is playing, and you’ll be
able to recognize the useful one that will
take you to the next level.

5. INTEGRATE: Optimize practice time by

using specific, three-in-one drills. You
will improve neuromuscolar efficiency,
wich will result in faster and more accu-
rate performance, including:

▼ Technical Skills: Improve proper

execution on fundamentals
performed at peak intensity level.

▼ Physical Power: Quantify

and enhance Specific Strength,
Agility, and Control on technical
moves.

▼ Mental Focus: Sharpen Precision,

Timing and Balance by
properly performing a given move at
the right time and at the right place.

6. STIMULATE: Ideal for developing focus

and proper attitude towards the most fa-
tiguing drills that require high numbers of
repetitions, this system it has proven to
be an excellent “energy booster”. It can
be applied for individual and group work,
and provide a viable method for achie-
ving the highest skill level possible in
sports performance.

SCHOOL PROJECTS
To teach new skills while generating
enthusiasm for learning the flexibility of
this methodology allows you to bypass all
the “training for results” principles and
focus instead on increasing fun and par-
ticipation, generating curiosity and
enthusiasm for playing basketball by
transforming learning new skills into an
enjoyable and energizing game.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll get
when you tailor this system for 9-13 year
old players:

▼ You’ll discover new “teach to learn”

techniques for stimulating players’
self-evaluation and self-correction.
You’ll be able to stimulate a
new attitude in youngsters, leading
them to discover new levels of
enthusiasm and motivation for
physical activities.

▼ Your school demonstrations will

become an event, almost a show, a
mix of sport and entertainment that
will amuse and thrill all students
(and teachers as well).
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE GREEK YOUTH

by Nikos
Stavropoulos
PROGRAM: OFFENSIVE
PHILOsOPHY
Nikos Stavropoulos is the Head Coach of the
Greek National Junior Men’s Team. His team
won the bronze medal at the FIBA European
Junior Men’s Championships in 2000 and 2002,
and at the FIBA World Junior Men’s
Championships. His team won a silver medal
at the Mediterranean Games in 2001.

Basketball in Greece has always been thou-

ght of as an activity laden with intrinsic edu-
cational value. As a youngster grows, a sports
activity can positively impact his physical,
social, moral, and emotional value system.
Hence, a basketball coach has an opportunity
to influence and determine the worth of athle-
tic participation. The pressure to win in youth
basketball directly affects athletes and coa-
ches. Too often, the social pressures to win
become too great for coaches to ignore. In
our society, winning has become synonymous
with success and losing has been linked with
failure.
Although coaches are expected to produce
winning programs, our youth basketball pro-
grams are actually part of the educational
curriculum. Basketball is a simple game but
sometimes we coaches make it more com-
plex than it has to be. The philosophy of our
Greek Basketball Youth Program determines
how the young athlete will view the athletic
experience. We build credibility for our pro-
gram when people actually see the team
doing what the coach is suggesting they do.
The team is an extension of the personality of
the coach.
I am a fundamentals coach and I teach
basketball basics at all times.
It is not what we do, but how well our players
are able to execute what we want them to do.
It’s how well we teach them the fundamentals
of the game that will yield these results.
Team play from the offensive point of view is a
result of well conditioned players who have
mastered the fundamentals and now play as a
smooth working unit.
Despite the size, conditioning, and talent of
today’s basketball players, who succeeds and
who fails in the sport is still determined by
who possesses and executes fundamental
EV\Z&%*
 FIBA EUROP

D.1
D.4

D.2 D.5

D.3 D.6

basketball skills. I always feel that I am a cess of the Greek National Junior basket- THINGS THAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT
teacher of basketball. The floor is an ball teams. OFFENSIVELY
extension of the classroom, which means To determine a success rate, the resear- 1. The utilization of the pass:
we need discipline, methods, and other cher focused on the effects of fundamen- a. We always try to make four passes
pertinent elements in order to achieve the tals, such as the utilization of passes, the before attempting a shot unless one
desired goals. variety of passes used, the utilization of of our shooters is wide open. Pass
In summing up my feelings on basketball dribbling, and all the different kinds of drib- away from the defense.
fundamentals: the success of a team is in bling used while on offense. b. We always try to make chest passes
direct proportion to the coach’s ability to The study reported that Greek National before attempting a shot.
devise and continually emphasize funda- Basketball Junior teams demonstrated a c. We always try to eliminate all bounce
mental drills. Thus, the importance of tea- greater percentage of success during passes before attempting a shot.
ching fundamentals in practice is stressed offense when the final shot was attempted
so players can respond automatically and after taking four to five passes and less 2. We always try to use the overhead
naturally in a game, free to concentrate on than ten dribbles. pass instead of the bounce pass
game strategy. Furthermore, the percentage of “success” when feeding the low post position.
Drills used in practice cover as many fun- from the perimeter and inside areas was
damentals as possible and are the forerun- significantly higher after over-head passes 3. We always try to use from four to
ners of what we are trying to teach. In were made versus those attempted after a five passes before attempting a shot
general, no system will be successful bounce pass. The number of bounce pas- from the perimeter and from one to
unless the players are well grounded in the ses used was significantly less compared two passes when inside.
fundamentals and execute them properly to chest and over-head passes. Thus, the
and quickly so that they seem to be instinc- results of the present study helped valida- 4. The utilization of the dribble:
tive. A researcher once conducted a study te what we were already doing and were a. We try to take no more than ten
to determine the influence of selected critically important in the planning of our dribbles before attempting a shot.
playing variables in maximizing the suc- future programs. We have a need to handle the ball in
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

order to get in position where we can

attempt a good shot at the basket.
b. We always try to make speed-control
dribbles in our offense.
c. We always try to use crossover
dribbles when necessary.
d. We always try to eliminate all reverse
dribbles.
e. Don’t over-use the dribble.
Use the dribble to improve a passing
angle, achieve dribble penetration, and
take the ball to the basket.

WHY RUN A MOTION OFFENSE?

▼ It’s unpredictable. It’s hard to have
any secrets on offense due to
detailed scouting and televised
games.

▼ It teaches players how to play so

they become better players. They
must be able to “read” how they are
being defended. They can run motion
when they are in pick up games.

▼ It is an offense based upon intelligent

passing, cutting and screening.

▼ The passer, the cutter, and the

screener are all of equal importance.

▼ It is an offense where player

movement dictates where the ball is
taken.

▼ It makes better defenders.

In practice, they are guarding
against unpredictable situations.

▼ Players feel better when they make

the decisions.

▼ To be “shot specific.” You have

certain players shoot because they
all understand who are the best
shooters.

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING MOTION

There are different types of motion:
▼ 5 players out;
▼ 3 out, 2 in;
▼ 4 out, 1 in.

THE PART-WHOLE METHOD OF TEACHING

1. Read the defense: We want our players to
recognize and anticipate situations, to see
the game, and take what the defense gives
them.

2. Spacing: We teach our players to spread

out the floor, to use of all the possible
space. The ideal spacing on the floor is for
players to be five to six meters apart.
EV\Z&%,
D.7
D.9 D.11

D.8
D.10 D.12

3. Timing: We like to use a guard GENERAL MOTION RULES 11. Recognize potential areas or seams
interchange to help with the flow and 1. All players, screeners, cutters, and for passing angles or possible
timing of these sets. the ball handler must read the penetration.
defense and react.
4. Roles: We teach our players the 12. Anytime a passer feeds the low post,
importance of being 2. Players must be unpredictable and he must move away from his position
interchangeable in their roles. never make the same cut twice in and relocate.
succession. They should always be
5. Shot: We develop shooting abilities in motion, thus making them difficult 13. If the defense looks to switch when
under pressure. Execution is critical. to guard. screened, the offense must react so
the screener will become the cutter.
6. Without the ball: We teach our 3. The players closest to the middle of
players how to cut, screen, and move the floor are the primary screeners. DEFINING VARIOUS
without the ball. Players have to use SCREENS AND CUTS
the “V” cut and learn how to get open, 4. The players farthest from the center
so the offense can flow smoothly. of the floor initially cut to the basket. DOWN SCREEN
The screener screens toward the
7. With the ball: The man with the ball 5. Players set-up all screens and cuts basket, allowing the cutter to move
must be reading the defender playing with a “V” cut away from the ball. directly up toward the ball. Our screener
him. takes his man into the lane one or two
6. All screeners should set screens steps and then moves over to screen.
8. Count of two: We want any player with their back completely to the ball The cutter, first and foremost, faces the
receiving the ball at any position on so that they are wide and do not basket and takes his man two or three
the court to immediately face the allow the defense to play through on steps beyond the screen then cuts to
basket for a two-count. the line of the ball. come off the screen.

9. Concentrate: We want our players 7. No player should ever cut into an BACK SCREEN
concentrating on making cuts that occupied post area. The screener starts near the basket and
don’t take two of them into the same screens in the direction of the ball. This
position. Make hard, sharp cuts. 8. No two cutters should move in the usually results in two different direc-
same direction at the same time. tions off a back screen.
10. Teamwork: Help each other get open
by screening and unselfish play. 9. A player, particularly a big man, CROSS SCREEN
should always flash to the top of the The screener starts on one side of the
11. Conditioning: We devise drills that are circle. This creates floor balance lane and screens a teammate on the
conditioning the players, while teaching and is the best area of the floor for opposite side. In setting up a cross-
fundamentals at the same time. an entry pass to the low post. screen with our posts, the first thing we
tell the player is that at no time are they
12. Goals: We teach our players to set 10. No pass should be made to the baseline to set up below the box. Teaching the
realistic and attainable goals. unless someone is open for a shot. cutter to set his man up and come off
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

the screen shoulder-to-shoulder will be a back screen from 1, while 2 down

the hardest thing we will have to teach on screens for 3. We have the continuity with
this screen. the basic set (diagr. 8).

FLARE SCREEN THREE-MAN MOTION AND TWO-MAN POST

The cutter moves to an open area on the In this alignment, we have three perimeter
floor from which the screener comes from. players and two post players. The three
We use this screen to set up a guard who is perimeter players will be making cuts and
a good shooter for an opportunity to get the they are working as feeders for the post
shot on an open side of the floor. (diagr. 9, 10, 11, and 12). The post players
are constantly screening for each other.
DOUBLE SCREEN The man on the ballside is the screener and
The cutter is screened simultaneously by the man away from the ball is the cutter.
two screeners.
FOUR-MAN MOTION AND A POST
BALL SCREEN In this alignment, we isolate the post man
A screener steps up to screen for the ball in the area outlined by the box (diagr. 13).
handler. This will only occur when there is a We run four-man motion around him with
breakdown in spacing. those four players doing all of the things
that are part of our offense. The first rea-
MOTION OFFENSE son to isolate the post man is because he
is so good and moves so well in the post
FIVE-MAN MOTION SIDE that we want to keep everybody else out of
The ball remains stationary and the other his way.
four people have worked together. And The second reason to isolate him is that he
that’s exactly what we want. is an inexperienced post player, who has D.13
problems working as a cutter coming off
The idea here is that the ball remains with the screens, as well as setting the screens
one person, while the other four players are himself. In our offense, the man on the
working to get in position to receive it. 5 sets high post is our primary back screener. He
a flare screen for 3, and 4 gets a back can screen for the ballside forward (diagr.
screen from 2. 5 goes down to the weak 14). A back screen can also be set on the
side in the medium post area (diagr. 1). guard making the pass (diagr. 15).
He can also screen to the opposite side of
1 passes to 4, 3 gets a back screen from 5 the floor where the cutter can either come
and cuts to the basket. 1 gets a flare over the top (diagr. 16) or set up the flare
screen from 5 (diagr. 2). cut (diagr. 17).
D.14
4 passes to 5, 2 gets a back screen from 3 The Greek Basketball Federation Youth
and cuts to the basket. 4 gets a flare Program is one of the least complicated
screen from 3 (diagr. 3). systems and it relies on player fundamen-
5 passes to 3, 1 gets a back screen from 2 tals and player teamwork.
and cuts to the basket. 5 gets a flare The key to the entire offense is for the
screen from 2. The continuity continues players to read the defense and react
with the basic set (diagr. 4). quickly.
Coaches have to be interested in more
FIVE-MAN MOTION CIRCLE than the final score.
As before, the idea is that the ball is in one As coaches and teachers, we have a
person’s hands and the other four people responsibility to be role models and teach
are working to get it. the values that can be transferable to D.15
1 passes to 3 and gets a back screen from everyday life away from the basketball
2. 5 screens away for 4. arena.
The ball remains stationary and the other We know that our players are continually
four people have worked together (diagr. being influenced by the many factors at
5). work in competitive sport. Instead of tea-
ching young athletes to be focused solely
3 passes to 2 and 4 sets back screen for 3. on winning, our attention should be focu-
1 sets a down screen for 5 (diagr. 6). sed on how to make the practice and game
situations a truly enjoyable athletic expe-
4 can pass back to the top of the key and rience.
we have the continuity with the basic set We need to utilize every opportunity to
D.16
(diagr. 7). reinforce desirable traits, traits that ena-
ble the individual to become a positive
5 can pass back to the top of the key, gets contributing factor in our culture.
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D.17

EV\Z&&%
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

by Miograd Veskovic

SIMPLE
INDIVIDUAL
DRILLS
Miograd Veskovic currently coa- tant elements in shooting are ba-
ches Parma, the Division I Italian lance and quickness. The player
women’s team he helped guide to must control his body completely in
the Italian Cup in 2002. He pre- order to move quickly. This means
viously won three Yugoslavian that when first starting out, players
championships and three Cups must master the basic basketball
with the Hemofarm Vrsac team position from which they can start
and was Women’s Coach of the the action.
Year for three seasons. He coa-
ched the Yugoslavian National Your body must be balanced when
Women’s Cadet team to a bronze shooting the basketball. Balance is
medal, and with the Junior team critical to shooting because the
he won a silver medal at the FIBA power for a shot comes from your
European Championship. While legs, not your arms. Your legs are as
coaching the Senior Women’s Na- important as your arms in shooting
tional Team, he won two silver a jump shot because they generate
medals at the 1989 and 1991 FIBA the strength you need to shoot the
European Championships, and a ball. The shot starts all the way in
silver medal at the FIBA 1990 your toes and you must “uncoil”
World Championship. with a nice smooth rhythm from
your toes, ankles, knees, waist,
Basketball is one of the hardest ga- shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers.
mes to learn. The individual offensi- Whether you are a good jumper or
ve fundamentals serve as the basis not, you must get your legs into
of the game and must be learned in- your shot in order to shoot a consi-
stinctively in order to be a good stent jump shot.
player. Each coach has his own
personal teaching methods he uses First, your feet must be about shoul-
to help players achieve their full po- der width apart in order to give you
tential. I shall try to explain how I a solid base. Next, your “strong
teach some offensive technique by foot” (the foot on the side as your
looking closely at shooting. shooting hand) should be about a
half step ahead of the other. Finally,
In my opinion, the two most impor- your head should be centered. This
EV\Z&&&
 will keep you balanced throughout
the shot and allow you take the
shot without making any adjust-
ments.

The positioning of the legs and feet

is vitally important in shooting. At
the beginning of the learning pro-
cess, I work a lot on balance exer-
D.1 D.6 cises by shifting body weight from
the front part of the feet to back
part of the feet and then back
again.

DEVELOP BALANCE
BY USING YOUR FEET
Balance: The player loads the wei-
ght on the left foot while unloading
of weight on right foot. Two-thirds
of the body weight is on left leg,
with one-third of body weight on ri-
D.2 D.7
ght leg (diagr. 1, 2 and 3).

Players should learn to move in a

straight line and change direction,
rhythm, and speed (diagr. 4 and 5).
All drills should be made with a di-
stinct change of speed. The rule is
that every time a player goes in a
new direction, he must change his
speed (diagr. 6 and 7).

D.3 D.8 A player cannot move well with

change of speed and direction if he
doesn’t know how to stop correctly
and, for reason, he must have body
control and balance.

The proper form for shooting a ba-

sketball all starts with footwork.
Shooting a jump shot while moving,
either off a dribble or the pass, a
player is going to want to come into
D.4 D.9
the shot with his heel hitting the
floor first and then move off his
toes for the shot. Stopping can be
done with one or two feet. This
means making contact with the
floor with a two-count stop (one
foot first hits the court followed
quickly by the other) or one-count
stop, or jump stop, (both feet touch
the floor at the same time), which is
the more difficult stop to make.
The players should learn both ways
D.5 D.10 of stopping.

The following is one of many drills I

use in teaching players how to
stop.

Players start at the half court in a

balanced position (diagr. 8). They
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

change speed and stop in a one-

count stop (simultaneously with
both feet).

They then change direction, go

towards the ball, and stop with a
two-count stop (left-right foot).
Again, they change direction, stop
with a one-count stop (right-left
foot simultaneously), change di-
rection and stop again in a one- D.11
count. While running the drill, the
players must always see the ball.

The following is an exercise I often

use in my practice sessions. Two
passers are stationed on the left
and right side of the lane, outside
of the three-point line and pass the
ball every time a player asks for it
(diagr. 9). The offensive player must
start the drill in a balanced posi- D.12
tion.

The offensive player has to change

direction and speed and then stop
correctly in balance. When the ball
is passed, he should receive it cor-
rectly, pass it back, and shoot it af-
ter he receives it again. At the be-
ginning of the exercise, the players
make these movements without
the ball. In the second phase, they
receive the ball and pass it back, D.13
and in the third phase, they receive
the ball and shoot at the basket,
mindful of their speed and balance.

This drill should be practiced regu-

larly until the movements become
automatic. Then, when the players
have mastered the proper techni-
que, we add a defensive player.

When the offensive player is on the D.14

left side of the three-second lane,
he receives the ball only from the
left side passer; when on the right
side, he receives the ball from the
left side passer (diagr. 10).

When these drills have been ma-

stered, I then begin to work on develops the necessary force to If the player takes care of maintai-
maintaining balance on the jump jump up towards the basket. ning his momentum (putting weight
shot. I will start by reviewing my on one foot, before the jump stop),
philosophy on how a player must From the left side of the lane (diagr. he will be in balance if and when
be ready for shooting. 11), the player receives the pass with there is contact with a defensive
his left hand. The last floor contact is player.
If the offensive player receives the with his right foot (the foot on which
ball from the right side of the court the player should put his body wei- If the player dribbles the ball with ri-
and wants to use a one-two stop, ght). Then comes the contact with ght hand (diagr. 12), the body weight
he should put his body weight on the floor by the other foot before is on left foot and leg, with two-thirds
the left foot and leg. In this way, he shooting (the knees must be bent). of his weight on the last dribble, fol-
EV\Z&&(
lowed by all the body weight on left
leg (before the two feet take con-
tact with the floor). The right leg is
completely off weight and swings
to the basket, and helps for explo-
siveness.

When the player puts his body wei-

ght on the right foot, he holds con-
tact with the defensive player: the
body weight is on the foot closer to
defender, the ball is protected with
the right side of body. He stops left
dribbling and uses the free left leg
to swing, for coming closer to the
basket, and then he makes the
jump shot. In this way, he should
try to get closer to the basket (dia-
gr. 13). The movement is opposite
on the other side of the lane (diagr.
14).

Two important elements on jump

shot are the balance while a player
if going up, and the balance while
the player is landing on the floor
after the shot.
To become a good jump shooter, a
player must have talent, explosive
leg strength, and strong arms.
Strong legs give good balance and
jump. Strong shoulders and arms
help control the shot from all posi-
tions.
Here is what the young players
should do if they don’t have all tho-
se skills, and they want to master
the technique of the jump shot. I
use trampolines in different drills
and this is one of the drills I use.

The player is dribbling the ball with

the right hand. In front of the tram-
poline (diagr. 15) the player cat-
ches the ball at the level of his right
hip (the opposite if he is a lefthan-
der). He puts all his body weight on
left leg, jumps on trampoline, whi-
ch helps him to go up and be in ba-
D.15
lance, while is executing the jump
shot. The drill is done while drib-
bling with left and right hand.
The player receives the ball from
the passer before jumping on the
trampoline (diagr. 16).
At the beginning the exercises are
done slower, so the player can
control players can control their
movements. We should take care
of the feet position, the body wei-
ght, the position of arms and head D.16
and, and the change of rhythm of
the moves.
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

PRINCIPLES
OF OFFENSE
by Stuart Manwaring

Stuart Manwaring is a Zone Development Of-

ficer with FIBA Oceania. He is a former State
Director of Coaching in Tasmania, Australia
and National Coach of Mauritius. Manwaring
has coached senior and junior men’s and wo-
men’s teams during a 35 year career.

This article features teaching a simple Motion

Offense using the “Concept of Offense” and
the “Principles of Playing Offense”. Once
players have learned this concept and these
principles they will be able to play any style of
offense (provided they also learn the neces-
sary skills for offense).

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES

OF TEAM OFFENSE
CONCEPT
The concept of offense is: take the ball to open
spaces. Whether passing, dribbling or shoo-
ting, always take the ball into an open space,
away from the defense.

PRINCIPLES
Playing without the ball: most of the game is
played without the ball and so what a player
does without the ball is most important.
▼ Always move away from your defender
into an open space (be available for the
ball).
▼ Use peripheral vision to see your run, run, run (helps with timing also). allow for good spacing and to be able to
defender, the ball and the court to ▼ Basketball is a running game - i.e. one reverse the ball from side - to -side, and
make good decisions. foot on the floor at a time (in offense and to allow for a safety player out top.
▼ Move away from the ball, or away from defense). ▼ Keep it simple - basketball is a simple game.
you, or a teammate, to move into. ▼ Always play with legs flexed to have ▼ Teamwork is played by players without
▼ Always turn (pivot) to see the court and immediate power available. If you the ball. Communication is the key to all
the basket. straighten your legs, you will need to bend good teamwork. By leaving an area a
▼ Use change of direction to move into them again to move: this makes you player creates space for another player
space. Create good passing angles slow to react. to come into (with or without using a
with a change of direction. ▼ Play with your head in the middle of your screen).
▼ Use correct footwork. Point your foot body and keep it still. Do not swivel
where you want to move; step with your it from side to side to change your vision, PLAYING WITH THE BALL
right foot to go right and with your left instead open up your feet to see more. ▼ Receiving the ball going away from the
foot to go left. ▼ Pivoting is used in almost every basket, square up taking the ball to the hip
▼ Use a quick first and second step to basketball skill area of the free foot (the non-pivot foot),
beat an opponent, more important than ▼ Use good spacing (12-15 feet/4-5 ready to pass, dribble or shoot, in that
speed up and down the court. metres apart) to spread the order.
▼ Basketball is a movement game. We court to create space to move into. ▼ Receiving the ball going toward the
move in three ways - walk, run and sprint. ▼ Have good court balance (at least, two basket, square up taking the ball to the
Walk and then explode is better then players on each side of the court) to shoulder of the free foot (the non-pivot
EV\Z&&*
 foot), ready to pass, shoot or dribble,
in that order.
▼ Always pass to a player who is moving
(if he stops and the defense keeps moving,
the defense will end up with the ball).
▼ Good passing teams are those that pass
the ball to players in open spaces.
▼ Ball movement is important. The defense
reacts to the movement of the ball first and
D.1 player movement second. D.6
▼ Ball reversal is the single most potent
weapon to beat good defense.
▼ Manage the ball well (look after the ball) in
crucial situations. The team with the less
turnovers is usually that team that wins.

THE THREE STEPS TO LEARNING TO PLAY

There are three areas for a player to develop:
1. SKILLS
2. UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PLAY
3. DECISION MAKING
D.2 Of these three areas skills take a much longer D.7
period to develop (approx 10 years to develop
all skills to a high level), however they should
obviously start to be introduced early in deve-
lopment to allow the player to have some com-
petence and confidence.
Most coaches follow these same steps, howe-
ver, the sequence in which I teach them is diffe-
rent. Teach the concepts and principles of the
game (the concept and principles of offense
and of defense) and how to use them in playing.
a. Teach the players how to make good deci-
D.3 D.8
sions during play by using their peripheral vi-
sion.
b. Teach the skills of the game progressively,
and in the correct order while learning how to
play and make good decisions (steps 1 and 2
above).

DRILL ONE. 2-on-2 on a quarter of the court (no

dribble, no scoring). The player without the ball
moves to open spaces, always away from the
defense by focusing mostly on the defensive
D.4 player (diagr. 1). D.9
Emphasize:
▼ Play in the allowed court space
(quarter court).
▼ Use peripheral vision to see defense
and ball.
▼ Change direction to move away from
the defender. into an open space
to receive the ball.
▼ Read the defense and move to create a
good passing angle.
▼ Basketball is a running game (always one
D.5 foot on the floor at a time). D.10
After passing, the player moves away from his
defender into an open space and the drill conti-
nues. The defense should make every effort to
prevent their man from receiving the ball.

DRILL TWO. 2-on-2 on a quarter of the court (no

dribble, no scoring). Teach the player to use all
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

the available space to get open and to make space (have them play 15 to 18 feet, or 3
good choices as to which of the available to 5 metres, apart).
spaces he should run into (diagr. 2). ▼ Players without the ball move to get
Stress: open within their area of the court by
▼ Moving away from the ball creates more reading the defense and moving to
space into which to move. spaces away from their defenders and
▼ Use correct footwork of pointing the foot using changes of direction (V-cuts).
where the player wants to go and step
with the left foot to go left and the right DRILL FIVE. 3-on-3 half court (across the
foot to go right. court - no dribble, no scoring). Now we
▼ Teach to pivot on the leading foot and start to teach teamwork between the D.11
to step with the other foot to change players playing without the ball (diagr. 3).
direction. Stress:
▼ Basketball is a game of angles and ▼ Teamwork starts with communication
requires changes of direction (do not run (one player calls the name of the other
back and forth in a straight line or run in player and initiates a movement toward
circles). the basket). This creates space for his
▼ Beat the defense with one step and a teammate to run into (use angles
change of direction. of movement).
▼ Move with hands up to protect space ▼ When flaring out wide use sharp angles
around the body and to be ready to catch of movement.
the ball. ▼ By using all of the available space to take
D.12
▼ Add squaring up to the basket in the the defense out wide and then beat him
correct way (always pivot to see the again on a backdoor cut (diagr. 4) or by
court and other players. using a curl cut to move back to the basket
▼ Use patience to pass the ball, making between the defender and the ball.
sure the receiver is moving into a space ▼ If on any movement the player reads
with a good passing angle away from his that his defender is out of a good
defense (never pass to a player standing defensive position, he should move
still - except in the low post position). back toward where he came from or to
another part of that side of the court to
DRILL THREE. 2-on-2 on a quarter of the court receive the ball.
(no dribble, add scoring). Now allow the ▼ Without this re-communication both
players to score, but only from within the lane players may not maintain good court
and from below the jump ball circle - encou- balance.
raging a lay-up. ▼ In this drill players learn that by leaving a
Emphasize: space they will create space for a
▼ Player without the ball tries to get open teammate to run into.
going toward the basket, working to get ▼ The player with the ball should look
between his defender and the ball. toward the basket and use peripheral
▼ Use of space and change of direction to vision to see both offensive teammates
create a backdoor cut to the basket. and their defenders to pass the ball to the
first open player away from his defender.
DRILLFOUR. 3-on-3 half court (across the court ▼ Players without the ball need to continue
- no dribble, no scoring). Now stress that it is to read the defense and move to spaces
important to have vision on all players to away from the defensive player and NOT
make good decisions: now they learn to play run to spots on the floor.
in positions and maintain spacing and court ▼ Stress getting open going to the basket
balance. as well as out wide.
▼ Three positions: the guard (level with the ▼ Do not let the players continually pass the
angle of the lane and halfway between ball away from the direction of the basket.
the three-point line and the mid court ▼ Use changes of movement (i.e. walk and
line) and the two wings on each side then explode) to beat their defender to a
(above the free-throw line and outside space. shooter shoots the ball ONLY in an open
the three-point line). ▼ Teach players to always be looking to space. If his defender, or another defensive
▼ Initially, these three positions will allow score and, if they do not get open inside player, gets to him, then he looks to make a
them to have good angles to pass the the lane, then they must move out to spa pass. The player who passes to him should
ball to players going toward basket. ce to be available for a pass (later for be cutting toward the basket and an open
Later, they may play in other positions. ball reversal). space for a pass or a rebound. In all shooting
▼ By learning to play in positions, they will situations there should be a shooter and a
start to understand the court balance DRILL SIX. 3-on-3 half court (across the court - rebounder. The third player must fill toward
and spacing. This means always having add scoring, add dribbling). Quickly build to the guard area at the top of the lane to be
a player on each side of the court and scoring, again within the lane and below the available for a pass outside and ready to play
not having two players run to the same circle to encourage a lay-up. Ensure that the defense on a turnover. Now the coach can
EV\Z&&,
furthest from the defender. If the defen-
der tried to come around his front, he
would simply spin away.

C. Combining moves.
An ideal way to beat a defender is to
employ two moves in quick succession.
The first move should be a slower or
setup move to lead the defender in one
direction before exploding in a second
direction: An example of some of the
combination moves you might employ is:

1. Fake crossover to crossover

2. Fake crossover to spin
3. Stop and go to crossover
4. Between the legs to spin
5. Stutter to crossover

The moves described above have

already been explained in terms of hand
position, footwork and execution. The
following two moves need further exami-
nation.

6. One hand cross to crossover. The ball

handler takes the ball in his right hand
and bounces it across his body. He then
uses the same hand to bring the ball
back to its original starting point. The
ball is bounced in a rhythmic one-two
motion. When the ball returns to its ori-
ginal spot, the ball handler now explo-

EV\Z&&-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SEQUENCE 3

is moving away from the defender. move, the spin move is often set up
by the defender. When the defender SEQUENCE 4
4. Around the back move. The reaches for the ball, you protect the
around the back move is ideal to ball by stepping toward the defender
change the passing angle. The move with the foot furthest from the ball.
is actually set up when a defender You now execute a reverse pivot
lunges for a ball that is being drib- away from the other hand. After
bled at your side. The object is for completing the pivot you change the
you to cross the ball from one hand ball to your other hand (sequence 5).
to the other behind your back. You The keys to the spin move are:
must learn to get your body in front a. Set up the defender by moving in
of the ball before making the one direction before attempting the
exchange from hand to hand to eli- pivot.
minate the possibility of a carry call b. Seal the defender with the pivot.
by the officials (sequence 4). The c. Upon completion of the pivot, the
keys to the around the back dribble toe of your front foot should be poin-
are: ted at the hoop. This will insure you
a. The around the back move must are moving north to south (hoop to
change your direction. If you main- hoop) rather than east to west (side-
tain a straight line of travel, even line to sideline).
though you changed hands on the d. Complete the pivot before chan-
ball, a charge will mostly likely ging hands on the ball.
occur.
b. Keep the ball low to avoid a carry 6. Slide dribble spin. This move was
call. made popular by Magic Johnson.
Magic would execute a slide
5. The spin move. The spin move is a (similar to a defensive slide) while
change of direction move that allows dribbling the ball. He would stand
you to seal the defender with your facing the sideline and bounce the
body. Similar to the around the back ball near his foot that was located
EV\Z&&.
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

FUNDAMENTALS
by Kevin Eastman
DRILLS
Kevin Eastman is one of the best tea-
chers of basketball fundamentals in
the U.S. A former coach of
Washington State and North Carolina-
Wilmington, and NBA scout, he is
currently Director of NIKE Skills
Academy. Last summer, he worked
closely with LeBron James
(Cleveland Cavaliers) and Carmelo
Anthony (Denver Nuggets). He is the
author of five videos on basketball
fundamentals, produced by
Championship Productions.

There are many coaches who spend

time directing basketball drills, but
they do not understand how to make
each drill as competitive as it can be.
Making drills competitive will be what
makes your workouts different from
others. The more competitive the dril-
ls, the more intense your players are
likely to be, and the more game-like
your drills will be.

There are three forms of competition:

1. Competing against yourself.

2. Competing against the clock.
3. Competing against an opponent.

COMPETING AGAINST YOURSELF

You are challenging yourself each day
to make one more shot, or do one
more repetition, or jump one inch
higher. You are only concerned with
what you did yesterday and whether
you can beat it today.

COMPETING AGAINST THE CLOCK

You see how many repetitions you can
do in a certain period of time. Your
main challenge here is to see if you
can improve upon the number of repe-
titions in the same time period.

COMPETING AGAINST AN OPPONENT

Plain and simple, it is you against the
other person: Who does better, who
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Ensure good leaving the scoring area (the lane) open,

spacing is used maintaining good spacing, having patience
on each side to score and also using ball reversal. When
of the court the ball is reversed and the lane is not being
and that entered by a teammate, the low post should
players stay on change side to form a triangle on the ball
their side (do side. Teach the low post to turn and face the
not let them lane before cutting, by making a forward
change across pivot on his baseline foot to create space
the court to away from his defender. This enables him to
the other side). read the defense and move to space and so
▼ Stress patience as not to interfere with any cutter into the
(hold the ball lane. If the ball is reversed and the wing and
and look before low post are in exchanging, then the wing
passing - do not should continue to the other side of the lane
just throw the to fill the low post. Later, the coach can add
ball around). that this wing may also communicate with
▼ Add scoring the other wing and exchange with him (i.e.
with one playing across the court from the perime-
dribble to a ter).
lay-up (no As the coach continues to teach the offense
other shot through breakdown drills in practice ses-
is allowed). sions, the guard should start the offense
dribbling across the mid court line into the
DRILL ELEVEN. 4-on- front court, with the other players already
4 half court (playing moving to get open. Too many coaches al-
up and down and low players to practice from a standing start
across the court on and consequently, they do this in a game.
the perimeter). This only allows a good defender to step up
Continue to play two and deny passing lanes, taking away any
on each side of the early chance to score and reducing the time
court, in the wing available on the 24-second clock in which to
spot and the guard create a good scoring opportunity.
spot, playing to- It is not important what type of offense a
gether up and down coach uses, but how he teaches the exe-
the court to get open. cution of the play. So many coaches turn
now play two on each side of the court, in the Add that a player without the ball may also out robots as players, particularly in the
wing spot and the guard spot (that is there are communicate with a teammate on the other player’s early years. This restricts the de-
two players on each side of the court playing side of the court to play with him now playing velopment of the player and does not let
up and down the court). By playing four out, across the court as well (diagr. 12). him utilise the natural talent and athletici-
the players learn to play together on the peri- sm he may have.
meter of the offense. The two players on the ▼ This player movement up and down and The following lists include things that every
side opposite the ball work together (exchan- across the court is more complex and will offense, regardless of style, should have.
ge with each other) looking to get open by require far greater patience and timing. If these are taught along with the concept and
creating space for each other. ▼ The coach must stress not to rush. principles of offense to all players, then these
▼ Movement may be initiated from the ▼ When the player without the ball on the players will be able to go anywhere and play
guard or wing. ball side crosses the court to play with for any coach with whatever style of offense.
▼ The guard may make a cut to the basket another player he then sets up a clear out
allowing the wing to flash up. situation for the player with the ball
▼ Or the wing may make a baseline cut to play one on one. CRITERIA FOR BEATING
(similar to a shallow cut) allowing the ▼ Allow players to use a dribble for THE DEFENSE
wing to flare wide (a possible three- point penetration and creating a passing RULES FOR EVERY OFFENSE
play or baseline drive play). angle. ▼ Create a side of the court (get - maintain
▼ The player without the ball on the ball ▼ Continue to stress ball reversal and good spacing and the ball out of the
side must learn to get open within his reading the defense to make good middle guard position).
own area. decisions (diagr. 13 and 14). ▼ Maintain court balance.
▼ The player with the ball must see all his ▼ Take the ball below the free throw.
teammates and their defense to make a DRILL TWELVE. 5-on-5 half court (basic ▼ Movement of ball and players line (flatten
good decision. Motion Offense). Now put the lot together. the defense).
▼ Pass the ball to the first player open, Three players in a triangle on one side and ▼ Use patience and timing.
always looking to reverse the ball to beat two in the guard and wing spot on the ▼ Take the ball inside (make the good shot
good defense, not just moving the ball other side. The player with the ball conti- selection, defense collapse).
from one side of the court to the nues to look for the first open player. Allow ▼ Reverse the ball.
other (diagr. 11). players to dribble and score inside. Stress
EV\Z&'&
add dribbling. The concept for using a dribble ▼ These moves by the wing and the low
is the same, always take the ball to an open post will be the basis of setting good
space and toward the basket (where possi- screens later on, as well as providing
ble). Emphasize that there are only two rea- opportunities for immediate scoring now
sons to use a dribble - to penetrate the ball without screens.
toward the basket or to improve a passing ▼ If there is no pass available from the new
angle (includes using a retreat dribble). Do not wing, the new low post and the guard
allow players to dribble the ball up and down now play together.
on a spot or to dribble in circles. Scoring ▼ Again the low post player will
should again be within the lane, but now a communicate and initiate the movement
D.13
pull-up jump shot is allowed as well as a lay- to allow space for the guard cutting to the
up. Next, teach the use of a dribble entry and basket.
a shallow cut. This play can be used in the ▼ It is important that the low post gets
game when the defense denies a pass into above the free-throw line before the
the wing position to initiate the offensive guard enters into the lane.
movement. The guard dribbles toward the ▼ To set some timing the guard must walk
wing. This forces the wing player to make a his defense across the court (not toward
cut away from that area (creating space for the free-throw line), and away from the
the dribbler to move into) toward the basket, ball for a few steps to try to create space
and then he moves sharply back up toward to cut between his defender and the ball.
the guard spot. If, from the free-throw line out, ▼ If this timing is not there, then the guard
his defender is ahead of the line between him will arrive into the low post area while it is D.14
and the ball, he should make a backdoor cut still being filled by his team mate
to the basket (move to the open space away and his defender.
▼ Now the player with the ball is required to
from the defense). The player making the ▼ Stress again to use patience and timing
read all the play and see opportunities,
shallow cut may also work in teamwork with to try to get a score in the lane on the way
before they actually are available.
the other wing player. Stress the communica- to the basket.
The opportunities could be one of the fol-
tion and patience. lowing situations:
DRILL EIGHT. 3-on-3 on a quarter of the court
1. Guard has the ball and wing makes a baseli-
DRILL SEVEN. 3-on-3 on a quarter of the court (add post play in triangles). Now the coach
ne cut. If the wing, his defender and the ball
(use of triangle, scoring, no dribble). Now the needs to teach the players how to play in the
are in a line as the wing crosses the three-
coach can start to teach playing up and down low post position. point line, the guard reverses the ball to the
the court (that is on one side of the court). ▼ Teach simple back to the basket moves passer (or the new wing then to passer) for a
Three positions: guard and wing (outlined ear- first, followed by front to the basket moves. backdoor play with the wing (diagr. 7 and 8).
lier) and the low post. This position is on the ▼ Teach correct feeding to the post with a 2. If the wing cuts between his defender and
side of the key and just above the block. If the curl pass and off the dribble. the ball, the guard can reverse the ball to the
low post plays below this area, then he will ▼ Now the post player will be a bigger passer for a better angle pass to the cutter.
not have a good angle to the basket on any threat in the play. 3. Wing has the ball and the low post player
baseline move. ▼ Outside shooting can also be added from cuts up high with his defense between him
▼ These three positions create a triangle: a pass out from the low post and the ball.
there are easiest passing angles and (i.e. an inside/outside game). 4. Wing reverses the ball for the passer to hit
scoring opportunities. ▼ The two perimeter players should still the low post player dropping to the basket (dia-
▼ Again, we should start with the ball in the look to move and exchange by creating gr. 9).
guard position. space for each other and reading their 5. Wing has the ball and guard cuts behind his
▼ The other two players (wing and low defender. defender.
post) now play together as before in Drill 5. ▼ Communication is still the key to good 6. Wing reverses the ball to the passer for a
▼ It is preferable to get a player open going teamwork. pass to the guard cutting to the basket (diagr.
toward the basket. 10).
▼ The low post player communicates and DRILL NINE. 4-on-3 on a quarter of the court ▼ Anytime the low post player spins and
initiates the movement, leaving his area (add ball reversal). The next step is to teach pins his defense on the side opposite the
first, to create space for the wing to cut ball reversal to the other side of the court to be ball, the ball should be reversed to the
into (diagr. 5). able to take the ball to the player in an open passer to hit the post.
▼ The low post may move up the lane space on the opposite side of a well positio- ▼ Early vision and decisions are essential
toward the free-throw line, allowing ned defensive player. Ball reversal is an to create the timing for these ball reversal
space for the wing to cut baseline side. excellent way to beat good defense. We now situations. It may take some time for the
▼ This may result in a pass to the player have also a passer in the wing spot on the players to get the decisions and timing
filling the wing position and then a pass other side of the court (he should initially be in correct.
inside to the new low post player (later closer to the lane than would be normal in a ▼ Do not allow the ball to be reversed
also for ball reversal to the player moving game to ensure easier passes). unless there is an opportunity to get the
toward the basket). ▼ The ball is only passed to the passer ball to a player going to the basket and to
▼ Or the low post may move out to the when the player with the ball sees that beat good defense.
sideline and sharply up to the wing one of his teammates is going to be open
position, allowing the wing to cut into the for a pass from the opposite side of the DRILL TEN. 4-on-4 half court (playing up and
middle of the lane (diagr. 6). court. down the court on the perimeter). The players
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Ensure good leaving the scoring area (the lane) open,

spacing is used maintaining good spacing, having patience
on each side to score and also using ball reversal. When
of the court the ball is reversed and the lane is not being
and that entered by a teammate, the low post should
players stay on change side to form a triangle on the ball
their side (do side. Teach the low post to turn and face the
not let them lane before cutting, by making a forward
change across pivot on his baseline foot to create space
the court to away from his defender. This enables him to
the other side). read the defense and move to space and so
▼ Stress patience as not to interfere with any cutter into the
(hold the ball lane. If the ball is reversed and the wing and
and look before low post are in exchanging, then the wing
passing - do not should continue to the other side of the lane
just throw the to fill the low post. Later, the coach can add
ball around). that this wing may also communicate with
▼ Add scoring the other wing and exchange with him (i.e.
with one playing across the court from the perime-
dribble to a ter).
lay-up (no As the coach continues to teach the offense
other shot through breakdown drills in practice ses-
is allowed). sions, the guard should start the offense
dribbling across the mid court line into the
DRILL ELEVEN. 4-on- front court, with the other players already
4 half court (playing moving to get open. Too many coaches al-
up and down and low players to practice from a standing start
across the court on and consequently, they do this in a game.
the perimeter). This only allows a good defender to step up
Continue to play two and deny passing lanes, taking away any
on each side of the early chance to score and reducing the time
court, in the wing available on the 24-second clock in which to
spot and the guard create a good scoring opportunity.
spot, playing to- It is not important what type of offense a
gether up and down coach uses, but how he teaches the exe-
the court to get open. cution of the play. So many coaches turn
now play two on each side of the court, in the Add that a player without the ball may also out robots as players, particularly in the
wing spot and the guard spot (that is there are communicate with a teammate on the other player’s early years. This restricts the de-
two players on each side of the court playing side of the court to play with him now playing velopment of the player and does not let
up and down the court). By playing four out, across the court as well (diagr. 12). him utilise the natural talent and athletici-
the players learn to play together on the peri- sm he may have.
meter of the offense. The two players on the ▼ This player movement up and down and The following lists include things that every
side opposite the ball work together (exchan- across the court is more complex and will offense, regardless of style, should have.
ge with each other) looking to get open by require far greater patience and timing. If these are taught along with the concept and
creating space for each other. ▼ The coach must stress not to rush. principles of offense to all players, then these
▼ Movement may be initiated from the ▼ When the player without the ball on the players will be able to go anywhere and play
guard or wing. ball side crosses the court to play with for any coach with whatever style of offense.
▼ The guard may make a cut to the basket another player he then sets up a clear out
allowing the wing to flash up. situation for the player with the ball
▼ Or the wing may make a baseline cut to play one on one. CRITERIA FOR BEATING
(similar to a shallow cut) allowing the ▼ Allow players to use a dribble for THE DEFENSE
wing to flare wide (a possible three- point penetration and creating a passing RULES FOR EVERY OFFENSE
play or baseline drive play). angle. ▼ Create a side of the court (get - maintain
▼ The player without the ball on the ball ▼ Continue to stress ball reversal and good spacing and the ball out of the
side must learn to get open within his reading the defense to make good middle guard position).
own area. decisions (diagr. 13 and 14). ▼ Maintain court balance.
▼ The player with the ball must see all his ▼ Take the ball below the free throw.
teammates and their defense to make a DRILL TWELVE. 5-on-5 half court (basic ▼ Movement of ball and players line (flatten
good decision. Motion Offense). Now put the lot together. the defense).
▼ Pass the ball to the first player open, Three players in a triangle on one side and ▼ Use patience and timing.
always looking to reverse the ball to beat two in the guard and wing spot on the ▼ Take the ball inside (make the good shot
good defense, not just moving the ball other side. The player with the ball conti- selection, defense collapse).
from one side of the court to the nues to look for the first open player. Allow ▼ Reverse the ball.
other (diagr. 11). players to dribble and score inside. Stress
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

INSIDE
by Moncho Monsalve

PLAYERS
Moncho Monsalve coached Mataro METHODOLOGY
Barcelona and Tenerife, both of which A. Be patient - “A mistake is not a fault.”
he lead from LEB to ACB, the top divi- Give them opportunities to play. Their
sion. He has also coached Badalona, progress is usually slow.
Murcia, Cantabria, Malaga and Ferrol.
He lead Valencia to the female Spanish B. Be positive - Always put them in si-
title in 1996 and coached teams around tuations in which they feel comforta-
the world, such as Monaco (France), ble.
and Mestre (Italy). He also directed
several National teams: the 1995 C. Work every day - Plan specific and
Central America silver medal individual technical sessions.
Dominican Republic, the Switzerland
National Team, the 2001 African D. Design a conditioning program - It
Champion Morocco, and the Second must be specific for them. I have
Team of Spain. always believed in weight training,
even during season.
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT
Some considerations: E. Build the offense - The inside
▼ It is important to be a good passer. players need to see their integra-
▼ These athletes must know how to tion and how important they are to
play facing and with their back to the the team. Naturally, this depends
basket. on their particular athletic charac-
▼ They are not requested to do what teristics and basketball skills. Insi-
the perimeter players are able to do. de players need to have their areas
▼ Sometimes the 2-meter players are of play clearly defined.
more dominant and play “bigger”
than much taller players. F. Teach them:
▼ It is very important to be strong and ▼ To gain position, to receive the ball, to
accept physical contact. pass, and pivot with the ball.
▼ You do not always win by just shoo- ▼ How and when to execute offensive
ting from the outside. moves.
▼ Good inside players make good ▼ To use both hands. This will help
shooters even better. them to move on both sides of the
▼ Good shooters help to create space, court. It is important that they play on
therefore our inside play will be ea- both sides of the “paint.”
sier. ▼ To play in the low, medium, and high
post.
PHILOSOPHY
In this game you win and you lose in the G. We have to teach them
3-second area known as “the paint”. progressively. Do not teach
It is very valuable to have big men that anything new until they have
are good passers and know how to play mastered the previous fundamental.
the game well.
When training, use audiovisual aids.
Therefore, the first thing to develop in big “Pictures never lie.” Whenever possi-
men is the mental aspect of the game, ble, videotape their training sessions
their areas of play on the court, and a to- and games. In addition, have them wat-
tal understanding of the game. It is im- ch videos of top post players in action.
portant that inside players receive the
ball to make them participate in the game Key aspect - It is of great importance to
even if their “priority” is defense and re- “prepare” the perimeter players to play
bounding. with the posts:
EV\Z&')
 a. Show and convince the other
players of the importance of the insi-
de players, without breaking the har-
mony of the team.
b. Teach the perimeter players how to
read the defense. 80% of turnovers
happen while passing and receiving
the ball.
D.1 c. Play without the ball; take a free spa-
ce or cut after having passed the ball
inside. Teach and repeat tactical si-
tuations where both inside and out-
side players are involved.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INSIDE PLAYERS

Big men need to prove they have a posi-
tive image. This is intangible, but it has
been proven scientifically. We must let
them prove how important their role is
because:
D.2 a. We win with big men;
b. The best offensive action is “from
the inside to the outside”;
c. If they score between 50% and 65%
of the shots, they have to be the top
shooters of the team. If not, we can
use them for rebounds, passing, and
blocking: the “dirty” work that is not
appreciated by many players.

A golden rule - Statistics have proven

that for every three passes made, one
D.3 must go inside the low post area: this of-
fers high scoring percentages.
Encourage inside players to become
“three-point” players: basket + additio-
nal free-throw.
Inside play, aside from good scoring per-
centages, it provokes fouls, free-throws,
and substitutions, all leading to victory.
Therefore, it is important that post
players are good shooters from the free-
throw line.
D.4
FUNDAMENTALS: OFFENSE
The basic ingredients, which we will ex-
plain later, are:

▼ Position
▼ Target
▼ Reception
▼ Rebound (first pass)
▼ Pass
▼ Shot
▼ Movement
D.5 ▼ Blocks

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Feet - Move with good balance,
footwork, and practice cutting. Stay low,
with the knees flexed.

Hands - They have to be strong, sensiti-

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

ve, and reactive. in relation to the ball (diagr. 4).

Head - Always follows the direction of Once you have taken up a position, you
the shoulders; use peripheral vision at all must wait for the arrival of the ball. Hold
times. that position until you receive the ball.
If you cannot gain the position and the
BASIC AREAS defender is anticipating what you will
Strength - Inside play is not a matter of do, pressure must be released to make
“finesse”; rather, it is a power game. him think that he has beaten you. It is
now the time to “drop the foot” and, with
Endurance - Physical and mental; the a reverse pivot, quickly ask for the ball D.6
majority of big men lack endurance and on the inside of the area (diagr. 5).
consistency in both of these key areas. If your post is left-handed, he should ini-
tially be on the left side in relation to the
Coordination - We must work on it every basket and vice versa, if he is right-han-
day. ded (diagr. 6 and 7).
The most difficult action to defend in the-
Reaction - The most important aspect: to se areas is the “flash-cut” to the ball
react to verbal and visual signs with (diagr. 8).
quick actions and determination.
2. Read the defense
Offensive moves - Well-defined; it is not This is the key to gaining position. Both
imperative to have a wide variety of mo- parties must be involved in this: perime- D.7
ves. As a result of the game’s natural ter players and inside players. Therefo-
evolution, a new concept has been crea- re, the relationship and understanding
ted: the “distributor”. It means a player between them is essential (diagr. 9, 10,
that from the “central axle” of the court 11, 12, and 13).
threatens with three pointers, helps to If the defense is playing on the side of
change the ball to the other side, creates the ball, move up towards the ball and
“high post - low post” situations. create a bigger space, allowing the ball
to come in. If the defense is defending
DESCRIPTION OF FUNDAMENTALS on the baseline, then go down towards
1. The position the line. If the defender plays in front,
The starting point is the geometric cen- come out a step “looking at” the free-th-
row line: your teammate will have a bet- D.8
ter between the free-throw line and the
baseline. Move along the same way on ter vision of the court and more space
both sides: spaces (diagr. 1). for a lob pass to be thrown in to you. This
position also protects us from a possible
If we play with a “double-post,” it is bet- offensive foul. Throwing and receiving a
ter that they look at the inside of the zone lob pass has two possible problems: a.
(facing each other). They will control the offensive player displaces the defen-
their defender better if they face him and der and may committ a foul; b. we start
keep the defense inside the area (diagr. very close to the basket, therefore, there
2). Most post players start with their back is minimal time and space to react.
to the basket, but this position does not Do not leave your position until the ball is
above your head; look at the ball and
have the above-mentioned advantages D.9
create a space; then move towards the
(diagr. 3).
ball and pick it up with both feet together
It is important to have a good space, a
and, with a continuous movement, make (diagr. 14).
strong position, and good balance.
the power move towards the basket. It is important to convince inside players
Legs must be flexed and in line with the
to think when they receive the ball and
shoulders.
Important - If the pass is coming below not before. The defense will always tell
Hands must be at shoulder height and the free-throw line, it is better to direct us which way to score.
the arms outstretched. the ball towards the corner of the board.
If the defensive player is playing behind 3. The target
Very important: Wait for things to hap- the inside player, turn with the ball and Inside players must signal the target.
pen. Let the ball be passed or dribbled face the defender. Look at the defender: This is of vital importance. It is a silent
beyond the free-throw line. Always be in if he is rigid and stiff, he is “dead” and form of communication between the
a passing position and never “open up to we must not let him take up another po- passer and the receiver.
the ball” until you have a defined posi- sition. If, when we turn, he is distant, The hand indicating the target should be
tion: always play facing the defender. then we shoot over him. If the defender the opposite hand to the shoulder that is
Allow the defender to define his position establishes contact, we must attack closer to the defender. The arm should
and then you react, pivoting so that he is and dribble the ball, looking to see how be outstretched and slightly flexed.
now behind you. Do not allow your de- he reacts: if he blocks the baseline, we
fender to have a foot out in front of yours turn and go through inside the area Note: The passer must always use the
EV\Z&'+
shoulder that is closer to the defender as
a reference point.

Rule: If our post player does not signal

the target with his hand, we must not gi-
ve him the ball. This way we avoid loo-
sing possession.

Perimeter players - The relationship

between perimeter and inside players is
based on this major premise: read the
defense.

4. The pass
To have a good offensive game, it is es-
sential that the inside players have a
good knowledge of the game and a va-
riety of passes.
a. 1st pass of a fast-break (counter-at-
tack).
b. Passes for distribution and changing
the ball from one side to the other.
c. “Inside-outside” play: free space or
cutting.
d. Play between posts.

▼ We recommend the “baseball”

pass; direct it towards the outside
rather than the inside of the court.
▼ If possible, thrown towards the cor-
ner of the hoop and not the side of
the court.
▼ If the player cannot make a direct
pass, he should bounce the ball 2-3
times and try to improve the passing
angle.
▼ If the opposing team has scored, try
a long pass. Go for a quick transition
from defense to offense.

5. How to receive the ball

Hands should point to the ball. If the pass
is high, the fingers should be outstret-
ched. If the pass is low, the fingers
should be pointed toward the floor, the
opposite if the pass is high.
Receiving a pass consists of two ac-
tions: stopping it and gathering it. We
should stop it with our fingers outstret-
ched, the palms of our hands opened
and wide. Gather the ball in and bring it
quickly towards your chest.
When we are about to receive the ball,
we must keep our arms away from the
body. Once we have the ball, we bring it
towards us, with elbows pointing out. If
we receive the ball too close to our body,
the defender can intercept it or knock it
away with his hand.
“Pick the ball up with the eyes:” We mu-
st look at the ball when it is arriving in our
hands. Many post players lose the ball
because they move before actually re-
ceiving the ball.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

MOVES line between 10 and 14 times per ga-

They are dictated by the defense: the de- me.
fense tells us what to do.
When receiving the ball, we must have a REBOUNDS
reference point to look at the defender. You need strength, power, determination,
We like the center of the area. aggressiveness, desire, and timing.

RULE I have seen players only 1,98 tall who are

If we receive the ball on the low post: great rebounders and players who are
No. 1. Score 2,10 tall who are really bad at rebounding. D.10
No. 2. Pass “To play big is more important than to be
big.” Players that are good at rebounding
If we receive the ball on the high post: create space around them when they
No. 1.Pass pick the ball up.
No. 2. Score
Defensive rebound - When an opposing
As soon as we receive the ball, we must player takes a shot, we must not give him
be ready for a quick move; the first prio- a second chance. In games contested by
rity is to be a “3-point player”. teams of the same talent level, the num-
ber of ball possessions is a major factor
It is not particularly beneficial to teach that contributes to winning. Therefore,
many offensive moves; between three we must not give the other team “extra” D.11
and four well-executed offensive moves ball possessions. If we are in control of
are enough. our defensive board, we can certainly
dictate the rhythm of the game.
SHOOTING
A good offensive post player only needs Offensive rebound - It is invaluable be-
to master three types of shots: cause it gives you:
a. Jump shot - With or without bounce ▼ Extra ball possessions.
and fake. ▼ Short-distance shots of high-scoring
percentage possibility.
b. Hook - Direct with and without boun- ▼ Defensive fouls.
ce. Jump hook: this is, in my opinion, ▼ We can prevent the other team from
D.12
a particularly important shot after a fast-breaking (counter-attacking).
quick move under the basket. It is
very effective, especially against a a. Head - Always know which player is
zone-defense. To execute a hook, shooting and from where he is shoo-
either direct or jumping, and with ting from. It is essential to anticipate
bounce and fake or without, you must the shot and take up a position for
use both hands. the rebound. We should not always
wait for the shot to be taken before
c. Power - Fake and inside movement. looking for a position under the ba-
This is executed after one or two sket. Remember to follow the ball’s
dribbles, looking to make contact trajectory only after noting your de-
with the defender. fensive player and blocking him out. D.13

When you have “won” the baseline, you b. Legs - The relationship between po-
must put your body parallel to the line. sition and jump is crucial. To jump
quickly is more important than to
Bounce the ball one or two times maxi- jump high. A “horizontal” jump (si-
mum, keeping the ball close to the body. deways) can also be more important
Use the non-shooting arm to protect than a vertical jump (straight up).
the shot and avoid a possible block,
especially when penetrating to the ba- c. Arms - Keep them high and in good
sket from the free-throw line. position. For offensive rebounding,
arms must be active and keep the
I like inside players that shoot facing ball alive. Basic rule: “Elbows should D.14
the basket from four to five meters be kept above shoulder height”.
away, whether from a standstill or
while moving. It is very important for d. Hands - Improve the strength
inside players to be good free-throw without losing sensitivity and tou-
shooters, with a percentage between ch. The use of one hand is only ef-
76% and 86%. In fact, I expect good in- fective in offensive rebounding
side players will go to the free-throw (“tapping”). Big men must be tau-
EV\Z&'-
 ght to always use two hands
when going for the ball. After
jumping: both hands should be
kept above the hoop.

REBOUND EXERCISES
1. Without jumping: “3 against 3,” un-
der the hoop, without lifting the feet
to pick the ball up. Inside players
should be taught to use their arms,
their hands, positioning, and speed.
2. Timing: working on reaction and
coordination using the baskets.
3. Jumping to the hoop: Repetitions,
touching the hoop.
Another vital aspect is to teach inside
players how to pivot and hold onto the
ball when they are in possession of it
and playing under pressure.

THE PERIMETER: RULES

We must always pass away from the
defender. Therefore, the first thing to
look for and see is the position of the
defender. If he is two steps away, do
not try to pass the ball to the post. In-
stead, put the ball on the floor and for-
ce the defense to get closer: in this
way, we create better passing angles.

The ideal distance between passer

and receiver is 3 to 4 meters. As soon
as the receiver is free, this is the time to
pass the ball. If we are on the perime-
ter and want to make a pass, do not
keep the ball above head before pas-
sing; this tells everybody in which di-
rection we intend to pass.

If the perimeter players believe in our

three-point game in its two variations
(shot behind the 6,25 line or 2 points
scored + additional free-throw), they
should always try, when possible, to get
the ball into the low post area.

a. “Freeze” the defense with a pas-

sing fake.
b. The best type of pass for inside
players is the bounce pass, as they
have more time to see it coming.
c. Every time we give the ball inside
the low-post area, we must move:
cut or take up a free space.

When the defender turns around and

goes to help, we must occupy the
space that he cannot see when he
turns his head: attack the back of his
neck. If he does not move or turn his
head, we can take any direction we
want; this makes it more difficult for
him to double team the post player
inside.
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SCOUTING AND
by Jean-Pierre
de Vincenzi TRAINING IN FRANCE
Jean-Pierre de Vincenzi won a gold
medal as head coach of the Junior
Men’s French National team at
European Championship in 1992, and a
Silver Medal at the Olympic Games in
2000 with the Men’s French National
team. He is now Technical Director of
the French Basketball Federation.

INTRODUCTION
The strategy behind our system for
scouting and training our elite young
players is based upon two factors which
are specific to France:

▼ The Ministry of Youth and Sport

places Technical Sports Counselors
at our disposal. These experts are
specialized in basketball and
distributed throughout 24 political
districts and the overseas
territories.

▼ The administrative structuring of

the federation is divided into
county conferences, regional
leagues, and seven geographical
zones.

The Technical Sports Counselors

appointed by the National Technical
Director are charged with scouting the
best potential young players in their
region, training them, and preparing the
various county, regional, and zone
teams.

The federal structures act as supports

for the organization of clinics and
tournaments, and provide the necessary
human and financial resources.
They do this under the control and with
the direct assistance of the federation
and the national technical
management.

AIMS OF THE SCOUTING NETWORK

▼ To obtain results at the European
Championships for Young Men and
Young Women.
EV\Z&(%
 ❴
▼ To renew the supply of professional
national and international elite

NATIONAL TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT

players.
EUROPEAN
▼ To scout young players in order to
train them better, the emphasis CHAMPIONSHIP
being on the following principles:

▼ The best players should train

together.

▼ The best players should play

FRENCH
together. TEAM
▼ To direct potential elite players
towards federal training structures
(from hopefuls to national level)
and the professional clubs’ training
FRENCH
centers. GROUP
PYRAMID SYSTEM OF SCOUTING
The scouting network goes into action
each year with young players aged 14, NATIONAL 30 best girls,
two years before the European 30 best boys
Championships for Cadet (te) s (see CAMP
the chart).
The national groups formed following
1 INTER-ZONE
TOURNAMENT
7 ZONE TEAMS
PARTICIPATION
OF 84 GIRLS, 84 BOYS

7 INTER-LEAGUE TOURNAMENTS
27 LEAGUE TEAMS
PARTICIPATION OF
324 GIRLS, 324 BOYS

27 INTER-CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
95 CONFERENCE TEAMS
PARTICIPATION OF
1,140 GIRLS,
1,140 BOYS

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

this scouting process become the

responsibility of the national coaches
concerned.
These groups constitute the working
basis for the coaches’ future team and
players may be added or eliminated at
any time.

SELECTION CRITERIA
The Technical Sports Counselors and
national coaches carry out spotting
potential selectable players during
tournaments, using the following
criteria:

▼ General morphology and physical

qualities.

▼ Speed (running, body movements,

reaction).

▼ Motor skills (dexterity, balance,

skill, control, coordination).

▼ Mental attitude (motivation,

aggressiveness, fighting spirit).

▼ Anticipation (understanding of the

game).

▼ The athlete’s build.

Further detailed evaluation is carried

out at training clinics using specific
tests and during training sessions.

TRAINING ELITE YOUNG PLAYERS

The best potential young male and
female players aged 14 and 15 are
grouped together under the federal
structures.

GROUPS FOR HOPEFULS

Controlled and partially financed by
the Ministry of Sport and distributed
throughout the country to make them
closer to families, schools and clubs,
there are 33 groups for hopefuls,
encompassing approximately 500
young players.
They are trained by the Technical
Sports Counselors and undergo 12
hours of training a week with
academic and medical support.
At the weekend, they return to their
club to play in a French championship
game for young players.

The young players constituting the

potential framework of the national
cadet (te) and junior teams are
grouped together in the FRENCH
NATIONAL GROUPS which are located
EV\Z&('
at the National Institute for Sport and
Physical Education (INSEP1) in Paris
and at the Regional Center for Physical
and Sports Education (Creps2) in
Toulouse.
They are trained by the national
coaches and take part in the French
national championships, divisions 1
and 2.

At the age of 16, over 50 percent of the

young players who leave the groups
for hopefuls and do not go on to play in
the French national groups are taken
on by the training centers of high level
clubs, thus continuing their ascent to
the best level possible.

THE MAIN AXES OF FURTHER TRAINING

We have defined two main stages for
which we have drawn up working
criteria containing essential data based
on our shortcomings and with
reference to international competitions.

1. Prior to the age of 16. This

corresponds to “pre-training” and is
what should be carried out in the
groups for hopefuls.

Training hinges on the individual

aspects of the game:

▼ Ball skills.

▼ Relative strength in battles

for the ball.

▼ Quality of passing.

▼ Dexterity.

▼ Game when not in possession

of ball.

To this we add a physical training

strategy, which aims to lay the
foundations for later work and is based
on acquiring the qualities of strength,
power, and explosiveness.

The headings of this strategy are as

follows:

▼ Consolidation of general attitude.

▼ Articular proprioception.

▼ Stretching.

▼ Sleeving.

▼ Planning the build-up of muscle.

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Speed.

▼ Jumping.

2. Second stage.
After the age of 16 and corresponding
to that of the clubs’ training centers
and the French national groups.

This involves developing the player’s

profile with reference to the limits and
characteristics at the highest level.

One of the specific aspects is the

organization of players into a sporting
and academic project respecting other
people’s rules and their own physical
and technical integrity.

On the level of individual technique,

this will be a question of reinforcing
know-how by giving greater
importance to the specificities of
playing positions and their application
in competition.
We pay particular attention to the
repetition of body movements,
together with the development of
“individual tactics” (reading the game
in order to select the move appropriate
to the situation).

It is at this stage that we integrate

collective training:

▼ The basics of group play.

▼ Tactics: systems of play.

▼ Competition: optimizing the

player’s individual role in the sum
commitment to win.

CONCLUSION
Our scouting/training network, which
is outlined here and was set up in 1997
by the national technical management,
has brought us some rewards in the
form of our results at international
level which have never been as
convincing.

The system also has its weaknesses

and has created difficulties.
The improvements that we are
attempting to make depend upon the
conditions which are already enabling
it to function and which are placed
upon it by the state and the French
Basketball Federation, namely the
effectiveness and the quality of human
resources and the financial means
available.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

ONE-ON-ONE:
by Ganon Baker
CREATING SPACE
Ganon Baker, former assistant coach SEQUENCE 1
at Hampton, Belmont Abbey, and
Coastal Carolina, and President of
the “Shake n’Bake Basketball
Services”, he was also player-coach
of a team in Iceland. He teaches one-
on-one moves at camps and clinics
all over the US, and he was also invi-
ted to give clinics in Australia. He
produced two videos on these moves
with Championship Productions.

Basketball - What a great game! I

have had the opportunity to play with,
coach, and train many great players.
The best and most talented players in
the world are in the NBA. Throughout
my experiences, I have discovered 7
NBA dribble moves used by the NBA’s
best players to create space. The
three main reasons you use a dribble
move are:
1. To create distance from your defen-
der to make a pass or shot attempt.
2. To attack the basket for a better
scoring opportunity.
SEQUENCE 2
3. To alleviate pressure from an
aggressive defender.

Begin first by doing the drills statio-

nary. I call this the “training wheel”
theory.
To learn how to ride a bike, you make
it easier by using a two-wheel trai-
ning gadget hooked on the back
wheel for balance.
To execute these dribble moves,
practice them stationary first with
proper balance. The progression is
form to full speed. Go slow-motion to
one continuous motion on each drib-
ble move. It is important to remember
that ball handling needs to be done
every day.
Let’s start sweating.
Stance is a big key to execution.
Correct practice builds correct
habits.
In all of your moves, you should:
1. Drop your hips to where your knees
EV\Z&(*
 FIBA EUROP

SEQUENCE 3

SEQUENCE 4

are, form a 90 degree angle and your back (i.e. right hand - right foot, left hand - left THE MOVES
is straight like a steel rod. Don’t bend over, foot) and use the opposite hand to shield 1. JOHN STOCKTON (STUTTER JAB)
bend down. off the defender (“chicken wing”). Keep Drive at the defender with the right hand,
2. Keep your eyes and head up. the ball close to your body. Plant or stop jab or step to the side with the left foot,
3. Dribble hard at knee level. with the lead foot and use “chicken wing” then keep going right (sequence 2).
4. Step with the lead foot on first step to keep defender away from the ball Stationary practice: continuous jab step to
when you execute the move on the run (sequence 1). the side with the left foot - hard dribble
EV\Z&(+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SEQUENCE 5

SEQUENCE 6

with the right hand (each drill done for 30 right. Stationary practice: go continuous
seconds on each side, and then switch Stationary practice: dribble 3 times between the legs, then behind the back
direction). between the legs, then switch or scissor (sequence 4).
feet and repeat the process (sequence 3).
2. TRACY MCGRADY 3. KOBE BRYANT 4. KOBE BRYANT
(DOUBLE BETWEEN THE LEGS) (BETWEEN THE LEGS - BEHIND THE BACK) (BETWEEN THE LEGS - CROSSOVER)
Attack the defender dribbling with the Step with the left leg, the right hand Step with the left leg, the right hand
right hand - go through the legs to the left between legs, to the left hand, then the left between the legs to the left hand, then the
- the left foot planted in front, then back hand to the right hand behind the back, left hand to the right hand crossover in
through to the right hand - keep going step with the right leg. front, step with the right leg.
EV\Z&(,
 SEQUENCE 7

SEQUENCE 8

Stationary practice: go between the legs, direction (sequence 6). tion (sequence 7).
crossover in one spot (sequence 5).
6. MIKE BIBBY (DOUBLE BEHIND THE BACK) 7. LEBRON JAMES (CROSSOVER THEN UNDER
5. KOBE BRYANT Plant the left foot, dribble with the right LEGS)
(BEHIND THE BACK - CROSSOVER) hand to left, below the buttocks, then the Drive right with the right hand, crossover
Step with the left foot, the left hand to right left hand back to the right hand. The wrist to the left, plant the left leg, bring the ball
hand, behind the back, then right to left snaps and the ball is thrown, while step- under and through the left leg to the right
hand crossover, step with the left foot. ping right and left. hand, and go or shoot jumper.
Stationary practice: go behind the Stationary practice: go continuous Stationary practice: do continuous cros-
back, then crossover, and then switch behind the back, and then switch direc- sover and under leg (sequence 8).
EV\Z&(-
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SERBIA AND
by Borivoje Cenic
MONTENEGRO
YOUTH PROGRAM
Borivoje Cenic is a Professor at the a. Selection Group skills, and tactical skills.
Coaches Basketball Academy of the b. Preparation Group Club coaches attend these practices
Serbia and Montenegro Federation. He c. Competition Group and receive instructions for the club
coached top division men’s teams in In addition, there is also mini-basket- practice plan that has been also desi-
the former Yugoslavia, Greece, and ball for players 7 to 10 years old. gned for individual improvement.
Kuwait. He coached the Radnicki Bel-
grade senior women’s team to four SELECTION GROUP REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS
championships. With the senior wo- This consists of players 11-14 years old. At the end of the season there are Re-
men’s national team, he won one silver Boys start to be selected when they are gional Tournaments for the Young Pio-
medal at the European Championship, 11 because their psychophysical status neers (11 and 12 years old) and Older
and with the women’s junior team, he enables their gradual introduction into Pioneers (13 and 14 years old), and the
won two silver and two bronze medals the training process. best players are then gathered within
at the European Championships. He This Selection Group program is run in the Regional Teams.
was honored by the Serbia and Monte- a total of 11 regions, 8 in Serbia and 3 in
negro Coaches Association for his life- Montenegro.
time achievement for coaches.
NATIONAL DEVELOPING
Practices are held twice a month (from TRAINING CENTER (DTC)
THE PLAN September until mid-June) and last one
day. The players are put into four sepa- 1. SELECTION GROUP
The organization of youth programs in rate groups based on their age (11, 12, At the end of the season, the best
Serbia and Montenegro is based on a 13, and 14), and they have a total of 12 players of each Region are choosen,
wide selection that is expanded in such practice sessions. Each year, 20 of the and sixty of the most promising players
a way that no talented player could top players for their age group are invi- of all age groups from all the Regions
ever be left out. ted to participate in regional competi- are invited to practice at the National
We are a small country and have a tions. Developing Training Center.
small number of possible candidates for The young players practice twice a day,
our national teams. REGIONAL TECHNICAL STAFF for a total of four hours.
Each year we lose our top players to Each Region has its staff, formed by: They also undergo physical and techni-
other European and the NBA clubs. cal skill tests.
In order to solve this problem, we have 1. Regional Coordinator, who is in con- The best players are invited to join the
chosen a more intensive and quicker stant communication with all club Preparatory Group, while those players
development of top players through in- coaches and the Federation’s head who are not selected will continue to
creased training periods, which helps coordinator of this program. practice throughout the summer to
create a wide selection net. The high further improve their skills.
world ranking of our national basketball 2. Two coaches for each age category.
teams creates much interest among the 2. PREPARATORY GROUP
younger players. The Regional Coordinator checks the The Preparatory Group includes poten-
The number of the players has increa- practices and club competitions and tial candidates for the Cadet National
sed over the course of years. Today we selects the players. team (15 and 16 years old).
have 1,025 teams with 15,610 licensed There are more than 2,000 boys that They practice four times a year for a to-
players. take part in the four-year training pro- tal of 60 days.
cess. The number of players in this Group is
ORGANIZATIONAL SCHEME lowered to 30 and this number decrea-
The training process is performed in th- The training process within the Region ses even further after several training
ree groups: includes testing of technique, physical selections.
EV\Z&(.
3. COMPETITION GROUP
This Group consists of the Cadet (16
years old), Junior (17 and 18 years old)
and Young (up to 20 years old) National
teams.
Practices are held in various periods:

a. During the weekend for two days

(to check the players’ improvement
and games against club teams).

b. At week-long practices in autumn,

winter, and summer, held immedia-
tely before certain international
tournaments.

c. Longer practice periods before the

qualifications for the FIBA Euro-
pean Championship, World Cham-
pionship, and other competitions,
such as the University Games.

There are 80 practice days annually,

with 15 to 25 games.
The roster of players is trimmed to 20
and later to 14 just before the official
competitions.

COMPETITION STAFF SELECTION

Expert coaches and those that have
achieved results in the training of
young players are selected for this
program.
Each coach has to have the title of Se-
nior Basketball Coach.

The staff of the competition teams con-

sists of:

▼ Head coach.
▼ Two assistant coaches.
▼ A medical doctor.
▼ A physiotherapist.
▼ One senior coach, who acts as a
team leader.

LOCAL COMPETITIONS
Based on ages, the competitions are
divided into the following categories:

1. Younger Pioneers (11 and 12 years of

age): they play for the Regional titles.

2. Pioneers (13 and 14 years of age):

they play for the State title.

3. Cadets (15 and 16 years of age):

they play for the State title.

4. Juniors (17 and 18 years of age):

they play for the State title.

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

There are four phases:

▼ I phase- at the Regions level.
▼ II phase- the winners of two Regions
play an elimination round.
▼ III phase- within Republics tournament.
▼ IV phase- at the state level tournament.

All the competitions are held from Sep-

tember to June, with an average of 30-
40 official games playerd before rea-
ching the final.

CHANGES OF AGE RULES

FOR THE TEAMS
The decision to “make space” to in-
crease the number of younger players
on the senior teams necessitated a
change of License Rules.
We limited the number of older players
on the teams at every level. In this way,
we rejuvenated our League. Many clubs
are now forced to start the serious pro-
gram for young players.

a. In the I-A League, only 12 players ol-

der than 18 years old may be licen-
sed, with no limit of the number of
younger players.

b. In the I-B League, only 3 players ol-

der than 26 and 9 players older than
18 may be licensed, with no limit of
the number of younger players.

c. In the Republic Leagues, 4 players

older than 24 and 8 players older
than 18 are licensed, with no limit of
the number of younger players.

These rule changes have yielded quick

results: the teams play a quicker game
and there are now more quality younger
players involved in top level competitions.

THE AIM
Although there were great results, as
well as failures, at the international
competitions, we can say that the basic
aims for the growth of young and high
quality players was achieved and the
results back this up.

INTERNATIONAL RESULTS OF
THE YOUTH NATIONAL TEAMS
CADET NATIONAL TEAM
The Cadets national teams won the Gold
medal at the last four European Champion-

EV\Z&)&
ships. This is due to a variety of factors:

a. A careful selection of the national

team;

b. Early beginning of very organized

practices and a thoroughly prepa-
red Plan and Program;

c. Strong cooperation of the national

team coach with the club coaches;

d. Outstanding support of the Federa-

tion;

e. Thorough scouting of the opposing

teams;

f. The other national teams are as-

sembled later and are less prepa-
red.

JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM

The Junior national team hasn’t achie-
ved the results that we expected, fai-
ling to qualify for the European Cham-
pionship.
Why? Where are the quality players?
What’s the cause of the poor results?
A detailed analysis offers us various
facts that explain the situation, but cer-
tainly, do not justify the poor results.

We can explain such results for the fol-

lowing reasons:

1. Rapid maturation of young talented

players forced the clubs to include
them on their senior teams. The mo-
re talented players go to play for
other European teams.

2. Clubs are not very keen to have

their players practice for a long ti-
me with the national teams. The
most obvious example: before last
year’s European Junior Champion-
ship, only four players partecipated
in all of the practices of the natio-
nal team. Even if a player wanted to
take part in all the training ses-
sions, many clubs do not let them
do so.
Based on the Federation rules, the
clubs have the right to behave in
this manner.

3. Moving from youth to senior teams

does not give the young player the
possibility to practice with conti-
nuity. Some players do not get

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

enough time to practice or partici- OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUE ▼ Creating the habit to always see the
pate in games, which slows their ▼ Ballhandling. ball (on offense and defense).
progress. ▼ A player with the ball must always
▼ One count stop. watch the basket.
4. This stops their normal process of ▼ A defender mustn’t allow the offen-
technical development, and affects ▼ Catching and holding the ball. se player to beat him with the drib-
their psychological growth and con- ble or shot.
centration. ▼ Passing:
a. Chest pass with two hands, directly PHYSICAL PREPARATION
YOUNG NATIONAL TEAM or off the dribble; ▼ Running technique.
Most players of the Young national b. With one hand from the shoulder or off
team (Under 20) have good individual the dribble (with right and left hand). ▼ Development of psycho-motor skills:
and collective fundamentals, and they a. Speed;
are potential candidates for the senior ▼ Dribbling (with right and left hand): b. Coordination;
national team. a. Crossover; c. Flexibility;
At this point in their athletic careers, b. Change of rhythm; d. Sense of space;
they are at a great crossroad. We belie- c. Change of direction: in front - throu- e. Balance.
ve that players of this age are already gh the legs.
mature enough to be members of the OLDER PIONEERS
senior national teams. ▼ Dribbling after using the pivot foot. (13 AND 14 YEARS OLD)
These are the past results: ▼ Pivoting- in place (front and rear): TYPE OF WORK
- After stopping from dribbling; a. Basic fundamentals: 50%
1. Bronze medal at the World Cham- - After moving and stopping; b. Individual and group tactics: 30%
pionship in Australia. - Two-count-after dribbling (right and left); c. Physical preparation: 20%
- Two-count: after receiving the ball
2. Gold medal at the European Cham- or on movement. OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUE
pionship in Italy. All the above fundamentals are practiced
▼ Shooting: again.
3. Silver medal at the European Cham- - From a spot with one hand;
pionship in Turkey. - Jump shot from short distances, after NEW FUNDAMENTALS
stopping in one-count from dribbling; ▼ Stopping in two-count:
However, at the latest two European - Shot fake and shoot; - After dribbling;
Championships, the team hasn’t achie- - Shot fake and driving. - After cutting.
ved remarkable results, and we haven’t
participated in the World Champion- ▼ Cutting without the ball: ▼ Passing:
ship. - Change of direction; a. Push pass:
- Change of pace; - After dribbling;
PROGRAM OF WORK - How to get open (going one direc- - From cutting.
tion, and in two directions). b. Baseball pass;
A Program of Work was implemented c. Hand-off pass;
for candidates for the national teams. DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUE d. Passing with two hands above the
Because of its wide scope, it entailed a ▼ Defensive stance: head.
great coordination of all the members - Paralell;
of the staff, which runs the practices - Diagonal; ▼ Two steps:
during the weekend sessions, and also - Footwork-sliding into defensive - With continuous jumps;
with the club coaches. stance (in all directions); - Zig-zag step.
Special attention was paid to the crea- - Hand work-movement in all directions;
tion of regulations for our basketball - Running in various directions with ▼ Dribbling (with right and left hand):
school. turns and jumps; - Change of direction behind the back;
All the possible rules, criteria, funda- - Jumps with both legs while catching - Reverse;
mentals, and every other detail for the ball that bounced off the basket; - Faking with stepping out while
being considered a potential candidate - Chasing the player and getting back dribbling.
of this special program were set. in the proper defensive stance.
▼ Shooting
YOUNGER PIONEER TACTICS a. Jump shot after a two-count stop:
(11 AND 12 YEARS OLD) ▼ 1-on-1. - From middle distance (after the dribble
▼ 2-on-1. and a cut);
TYPE OF WORK ▼ Showing the hand (give a target and a si- b. Lay-up shot:
a. Basic fundamental: 70% gnal to the passer) and asking for the ball. - After a turn;
b. Individual tactics: 10% ▼ Understanding the proper offensive - After a rebound under the basket;
c. Physical preparation: 20% spacing (distance, width, and depth). - With one-count stop;

EV\Z&)(
 ▼ Cutting with the use of the screen on the
ball.
▼ 2-on-2, plus the help of a player without
the ball.
▼ 3-on-2 on offense and defense.
▼ 3-on-3- cutting and help of players without
the ball (proper space).
▼ Fastbreak (run in the middle of the court or
near the sidelines):
- Outlet pass.
▼ How to get open to receive the outlet pass.
▼ Triangle: one player in the middle lane and
two players on the lateral lanes.

PHYSICAL PREPARATION
▼ Speed development under game
conditions.
▼ Strength development with weight lifting.
▼ Jumping technique on one and two legs.
▼ Combination of running and jumps.

CADETS
(15 AND 16 YEARS OLD)
These players must be ready to master all the
previous fundamentals and must work to play
at a certain level.

TYPE OF WORK
a. Technique and individual tactics: 30%
b. Tactics: 45% (on groups and all the team)
c. Physical preparation: 25%.

As usual, the fundamentals and game tactics

are very important.

OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUE
▼ Passing:
c. Lay-up after a prolonged step; DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUE - From cutting from the first step;
d. Fake- “triple threat”. ▼ Footwork: technique of alternating step. - From jump shot;
▼ How to use the hands: depending on - Overhead pass;
▼ Cutting without the ball (how to get the ball position and intention of the of- - Baseball pass;
open): fensive player. - After dribbling with “tennis” pass (with the
- “V” cut- toward the ball; non-dribbling hand after the bounce of the
- “V” cut away from the ball; DEFENSIVE STANCES ball).
- “L” cut; ▼ “Closed” stance.
- In front of the defender; ▼ “Open” stance. ▼ Dribbling:
- Back-door. - Changes of direction, followed by a direct
When to use one or the other stance de- pass;
▼ How to set the screen: pends by the position of the the ball and of- - Intensive work on the combination of
- Lateral screen; fensive player. rhythm and change direction.
- Back screen (“blind screen”).
▼Blocking out technique: ▼ Shooting:
▼ Technique of bringing the defender into - With a turn to the back; - Fade away jump shot;
a screen: - With lateral contact. - “Fade away” - after dribbling;
- On dribbling; - Reverse jump shot ;
- On cutting. ▼Rebounding technique: - Tap-in;
- After contact with offensive player. - Dunk.
▼ Technique of offensive rebound:
- From cutting and jumping on one TACTICS ▼ Baby hook inside the lane:
leg; ▼ 2-on-2 with two passes. - After dribbling;
- Jumping on both legs. ▼ Cutting without use of the screen. - After cutting;

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

- Center’s shots from the center’ COLLECTIVE OFFENSIVE TACTICS according to the roles and player’s posi-
positions. ▼ Principles and cutting into the tions in the game.
secondary fastbreak. Technique is practiced under game con-
▼ Cutting without the ball: ▼ Cutting in “early offense”. ditions.
- Cutting of the center in the lane; ▼ Principles and cutting in offense
- Cutting without the ball; against zone defense. COLLECTIVE OFFENSE
- Cutting with the defender; ▼ Principles and cutting in the offense ▼ How to get open: “V” cut to the ball and
- Cutting in transition; against zone pressing. away from the ball.
- Use of the space when the offense out- ▼ Ball movement and players’ cutting ▼ Cutting on the screens - based on the
numbers the defense; from one side of the offense to the situations of:
- Double screens - how to use and to get other side. a. Staggered screen;
open; b. Screen made by a perimeter player for a
- Staggered screens; PHYSICAL PREPARATION big player;
- “Return” screens. Tasks: c. Screen away from the ball;
▼ Development of speed endurance. ▼ Double pick-and-roll.
▼ Defense against the screens: ▼ Improvement of: ▼ Pick-and-roll while using the third
a. Pick-and-roll with cutting: - Balance; player.
- In front of the screen; - Speed;
- Behind the screen; - Jumping; COLLECTIVE DEFENSE
b. Popping out on the direction of the offen- - Strength development ▼ Helping.
sive player and come back; (explosiveness); ▼ Aggressive overplaying.
c. Aggressive change; - Work without load; ▼ “Bumping”.
d. Against staggered screens; - Work with load; ▼ Rotations.
e. Against “return” screens. - Perfection of flexibility.

▼ Defense on the dribble penetration: The Cadet players must have the comple-
TEAM TACTICS
- Help and recover. te knowledge of fundamental and group OFFENSE
tactics of offense and defense. ▼ Quick hitter with two and three players,
▼ Defense in outnumbered situations. The best players of this category are with quick ball reversal from one side to
ready to be incorporated into the senior the other side of the court.
▼ “Channeling” in one direction. teams. ▼ Offense against zone defenses:
Thus, the program of work with cadets is a. Even;
▼ Trapping. very important for players’ development, b. Odd.
their maturation and readiness for sati- ▼ Offense against pressing - out-of-bounds
▼ Blocking out while the post is guarded in sfying the demands and the training of pass.
front. older categories. ▼ Secondary fastbreak.
▼ Sideline out-of-bounds.
COLLECTIVE TACTICS JUNIORS ▼ Baseline out-of-bounds.
▼ Basic principles of individual defenses. (17 AND 18 YEARS OLD) ▼ Offense against zone press.
▼ Offense against combined defenses.
▼ Basic principles of zone defense. The training methods of this category are
adjusted to the demands of the contempo- DEFENSE
▼ Basic principles of zone press. rary basketball game. ▼ Individual defense on and away from
This relates to the aggresiveness, contact the ball.
COLLECTIVE OFFENSE game, and especially to the very quick ▼ Pressing defense with traps.
▼ “Pick-and-roll”: transitions from offense to defense and ▼ Zone defense (full and half court).
- With opening towards the basket; from defense to offense. ▼ Combined defense “box and one” and
- With opening towards outer positions. A special accent is put on the aggressive two players man-to-man and three
and physical play for the rebound under players at zone.
▼ Play with overplay center: the basket.
- without the screens; Everything that has been mentioned in the
- with the screens. TYPE OF WORK Basics of the Program, according to the age
▼ Technique: 15% categories, represents the necessary know-
▼ When to use: ▼ Tactics: 40% ledge needed for successful implementation
- Continuous screens; ▼ Physical preparation: 25% of the National Team Program.
- Return screens. ▼ Game: 20% We specifically insist that clubs offer indi-
vidual work as well as group and collecti-
▼ Avoiding the trapping. INDIVIDUAL FUNDAMENTALS ve tactics.
Above all, repeating and improving of techni- This system of work with the young catego-
▼ How the center can get free. cal elements of offense and defense and cor- ries has created a good foundation and is
rection of details. constantly being improved in order to obtain
▼ Game 3: 3+1. Special attention is paid to the details top results.

EV\Z&)*
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

DEVELOPMENT IN
LEBANESE WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
by Tony Khalil

Tony Khalil has sixteen years experience as

the head coach of top basketball teams in
Lebanon. He was also the senior Lebanese
national coach in 1992, and he was in char-
ge for the women’s Lebanese basketball
program from 1997 to 1999. He won two
FIBA Western Asia Basketball Association
(WABA) Championships for Junior Women
in 1998 and 1999.

Throughout my career, I have coached at all

levels, from the beginners to the National
Team. However, after five years now, one
experience still holds a special place in my
career: being responsible for the women’s
program in the Lebanese Basketball
Federation from 1997 to 1999. A coach usual-
ly has to either help develop young players
or build a winning team at the senior level.
Building a complete program from A to Z
was really a challenge.

I am seeing the fruit of this work when I see

girls that I started working with at the age of
13 years blossom as basketball players and
are part of the Women’s national team of
Lebanon. After the end of the games, I was asked by an average of eight clubs in 1999.
the Lebanese Basketball Federation to
It all started in 1997, when Lebanon was start building the women’s program that 2 - Create age-group championships.
hosting the FIBA Pan-Arab Games. I was would compete with the elite of the Arab Instead of one championship, we now
named to the technical staff of the countries. With the support of the had the mini-basketball category, Under
womens Lebanese team that ultimately Federation, we started the project. Here is 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16,
finished third in this tournament. what had to be done: Junior Women, and Young Ladies cham-
However, one major drawback was the pionships. In each category, players had
lack of players. For this tournament, we 1 - Increase the number of clubs and d i v i - an average of seven to eight months of
lined up 12 players, but only seven had sions of basketball in 1997 (five teams and competition, either with the first team or
the experience to play at this higher level. one division) to three divisions, each with with the specific age category.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

3 - Make regular weekly practices for the

national teams and adjust the schedule
of the championships. Tuesdays and
Thursdays were for the senior A & B
teams, Fridays and Sundays for the 14-
to-18-year bracket, Saturdays for the
under-14 bracket. By doing this, we had
had the continuity of the national
teams.
D.1 D.4
4 - Involve coaches to work with this pro-
gram through the clinics that the
Lebanese Basketball Federation organi-
zed. We could then choose among these
coaches a special group to work with
the national teams for women, giving
them the advantages and the experien-
ce of international level competition.

5 - First participate on the regional level and

then move to the international level.
Starting in 1998, we emphasized partici- D.2 D.5
pation with the Western Asia Basketball
Association and the Arab Basketball
Federation.

6 - Involve the parents with basketball and

the practice sesions by having them
come to practices of the national
teams.

7 - Involve TV in broadcasting women’s

basketball.
D.3 D.6
WHAT RESULTS DID THIS PROGRAM ACHIEVE?
First, it increased the number of licensed
woman players and the number of women’s
▼ Teaching of the jump stop or two count Pivot offensive moves:
clubs.
stop to our center, first without the ball We need to work on daily offensive moves.
and then feeding her with passes. The The moves that post players use to score to
Second, it made the women’s national teams
coach dribbles around the perimeter. control the offensive basket include:
a force on regional level, winning the junior
The center sprints toward the ball, recei-
women’s championship of WABA in 1998
ves the pass after a jump stop or a two- A - Catch-and-go
and 1999, the FIBA Pan-Arab Championship count stop (diagr. 1). 1 - Jump stop: Every night our big player
in 2000 (third in 1998), and winning second catch at least several passes from seve-
place in the FIBA Senior Pan-Arab Games in ▼ Movement in the low post: We start by ral parts of the court and come to a jump
2000. teaching without the feeder and without stop from each of these areas (diagr. 4).
defense. The pivot will fake left, then go 2 - Catch-and-go: The post player should
Lebanese Clubs soon became more intere- right, or vice versa. She will learn to step catch-and-go every day from the spots
sted in creating a women’s team. one way, change direction and go to the shown in diagram 5.
ball. This is the V cut.
This was a brief view of the organizational After we do these drills, we add the soft
work done in this period, but how about the ▼ The second step is to perform the same defense in order to perfect the recognition.
technical work that was performed? drill and receive ball. We emphasize the
We basically worked on two lines: the gene- change of direction and hand calling for B - Show the ball and go to the opposite,
ral and individual. ball. same sequence of work. First, with no
This was done for all the players, with spe- defense, then with defense. All is perfor-
cialized work done according to the position. ▼ For the third step, we add a defensive med with the back to the basket.
Although it was the work of the club to form player and start the teaching process of
the players, the technical staff took it on feeding her with the ball against an C - Show the ball and go the same way. All
itself to work with the players on the basics opponent. Our pivot should feel her is performed with the back to the basket.
fo the game. Here is how this work was opponent and lead her one way to break
done: to the ball (diagr. 2 and 3). D - Drop step-and-go: With her back to the
EV\Z&),
 basket, she jump stops, catches the ball, ball, square up, and face the basket. They the player attack the defense while dribbling:
does a drop step, and goes to the basket must always be in the triple-threat position
from the four different positions. because from this position they can dribble, ▼ Stop-and-go: The perimeter player is
shoot, or pass. Their left foot should be sligh- dribbling as if attacking the defense, but
▼ Post face the basket: Players sprint to tly ahead, if they are right-handed, and vice she suddenly stops, and when the defen-
one of the spots, pivot, face the basket, versa if left handed. Once they have maste- se stops, she explodes directly to the
then drive for the lay-up. red this drill of catchin the ball and being in basket.
the triple-threat, we start teaching the move:
▼ Post face and shoot: Same routine. ▼ Cross over: The perimeter player is drib-
Instead of going to the basket, shoot 1 - Direct drive or the strong-side drive: bling, attacking the defense, and she
immediately. Once the player catches the ball and she plants her front foot and crosses over,
is in the triple threat position, she uses low to the other side.
▼ Post face fake left, go left, fake right, go the jab step. This is done with the right
right. foot for right-handed players, and with ▼ The reverse: If the player is right-han-
the left foot for left-handed players. ded, she plants her left foot and rever-
▼ Post various moves: Like any drill, this After the first short jab step , a bigger ses to the other side, keeping the ball
starts with a jump step and it must be one is made, and the player then explo- with the right hand. When she finishes
done from various spots on the floor, first des to the basket. Players must learn to the move, she dribbles with her left
without defense, then with the addition of go in a straight line to the basket and not hand and explodes past the defense.
defense. to curve or loop around the defense.
Looping around the defense allows the These moves I have described are not the
WHAT ARE THE MOVES? defense time to recover and block only drills we use, but they are important
▼ Outside Run access to the basket. because they provide the player with the
▼ Inside Run offensive tools needed to score.
▼ Outside pivot 2 - The cross-over drive: Same start as the Since the local clubs did not work on
▼ Inside pivot (diagr. 6) direct drive. The perimeter player cat- these drills, we had to do this on the natio-
ches the ball and goes into triple threat nal team level, in order to get our players
Also, on our daily big ladies routine, we must position, then jab steps. The defense is ready for high-level competition.
work with pivot shots. These include: cutting the way to the basket: If the player
A - Right and left hand is right-handed, she crosses her right foot When we achieved our national team suc-
B - Right and left reverse over to the left side, stepping by the cess, women’s basketball in Lebanon
C - Perimeter jump shot defender’s feet and putting the defender received much attnetion from local clubs
D - Baby hook (right and left) on her hip. and more work was done on the regional
level to help develop better players.
I described our work with our centers and With both of these moves, players can use Soon, we had more teams and more coaches
power forward players. I would now like to either the jump shot or the power lay-up. involved in the teaching process.
describe workouts for our perimeter players. Both moves are performed after a jump stop The tremendous success we had with
and catching the ball. women’s basketball, between 1997 and
We start the same as for the big ladies with 2000, would not have been possible if the
the jump stop. The players must catch the Let me now describe the moves, which help Lebanese Basketball Federation would
not have the
foresight to work
on a long-term
program, and the
Western Asian
Basketball
Association
(which includes
teams from
Korea, China,
and Japan) crea-
ted regular com-
petitions for
women.
Looking at this
experience, I see
that much work
has already been
done; however,
we have to conti-
nue to push
forward and do
even better.
EV\Z&)-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Basic offense
by Quin Snyder

One of the emerging coaches in the college

ranks, Snyder was an assistant coach at Duke
for four years, before joining the Los Angeles
Clippers coaching staff as assistant. Since
1999, he has been the head coach at the
University of Missouri.

Due to the space constraints, in this article I

will talk only about some of our basic offensive
principles, and how we teach them. All the dril-
ls are carried out with the help of a manager or
an assistant coach, who passes the ball to the
player filling up the open area in the court.

PENETRATION AND KICK PASS:

TO THE TOP FORWARD
a) The player with the ball must:
▼ Make an explosive first step, “attacking”
the defender’s hip.
▼ Make a strong penetration to force the
defender to help.
▼ After passing, fill the open area.

b) The player, who receives the ball, must:

▼ Create a passing lane.
▼ Read the moves of the defender.
▼ Read the moves of the teammates.
▼ Be always in control of what happens on
the court.
▼ Call for the ball and be ready to shoot.

1. FADE
1 drives to the middle of the lane and, if the
2’s defender helps on 1’s penetration, 2
fades away, receives the ball and shoots
(diagr. 1).

Fill the open area

After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 2).

2. BACK-DOOR LOB PASS

1 drives to the middle of the lane and, if 1’s
defender helps on 1’s penetration or assumes
a strong denial position, 2 makes a back-door
cut, receives a lob pass from 1 and goes in for
a lay-up (diagr. 3).
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 FIBA EUROP

D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.6 D.11 D.12

D.7

D.8

D.9 Fill the open area ves the ball and shoots (diagr. 7).
After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and Fill the open area
shoot (diagr. 4). After the pass, 2 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
3. CIRCLE BEHIND shoot (diagr. 8).
1 drives to the central lane: if the 2’s defender
helps with a cut parallel to the baseline, 2 cir- 5. CIRCLE BEHIND
cles behind 1 and receives a pass and shoots 2 drives laterally: if 1’s defender helps down
(diagr. 5). on 2’s penetration, 1 circles behind 2, receives
the ball and shoots (diagr. 9).
Fill the open area
D.10 After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready Fill the open area
to receive the second ball from the coach and After the pass, 2 replaces himself: he is ready
shoot (diagr. 6). to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 10).
4. FADE
2 drives laterally: if 2’s defender helps exter- 6. CIRCLE BEHIND
nally on 1’s penetration, 1 fades away, recei- 2 drives to the baseline: if 1’s defender helps on
EV\Z&*&
 2’s penetration by going down, 1 circles behind
2 to receive the pass and shoot (diagr. 11).

Fill the open area

After the pass, 2 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 12).

PENETRATION AND KICK PASS:

D.13
FROM FORWARD - TO - FORWARD
1.FADE
1 drives laterally: if 2’s defender helps on 1’s
penetration, 2 fades, receives the ball and
shoots (diagr. 13).
D.18
Fill the open area
After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 14).

2. BACK-DOOR LOB PASS

D.14 1 drives laterally and, if 2’s defender helps on
1’s penetration or assumes a strong denial
position on 1, 2 makes a back-door cut, recei-
ves a lob pass from 1 and goes in for a lay-up
(diagr. 15).
D.19
Fill the open area
After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 16).

3. CIRCLE BEHIND
D.15 1 drives laterally: if 2’s defender helps on 1’s
penetration, cutting parallel to the baseline, 2
circles behind 1 to receive the pass and shoot
(diagr. 17).

D.20 Fill the open area

After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 18).

4.FADE/BACKDOOR LOB PASS

If 1 drives laterally and 2’s defender helps on
D.16 1’s penetration, or stays to guard 2, 2 fades or
makes a back-door, receives a lob pass and
goes in for a lay-up (diagr. 19).

Fill the open area

D.21 After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 20).

5.FLATTEN
2 drives along the baseline and, if 2’s defender
helps on 1’s penetration by cutting to the zone:
D.17 2 flattens to the corner, receives the ball from
1 and shoots (diagr.21).

Fill the open area

After the pass, 1 replaces himself: he is ready
D.22 to receive the second ball from the coach and
shoot (diagr. 22).
EV\Z&*'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE “12 GIANTS”

by Defne Patir
BASKETBALL SCHOOLS
Defne Patır works in the Business
Planning and Development Depart-
ment of the Turkish Basketball Fede-
ration, and is in charge of public rela-
tions for the “12 Giants” Basketball
Schools program.

The concept of 12 “Dev Adam” Ba-

sketball Schools (“12 Dev Adam”
means “12 Giants” and it’s been the
brandname of the Turkish National
Team since 2001) began after Euroba-
sket 2001, when Turkey took second
place.

The goal was to spread the love of ba-

sketball to all of the cities in Turkey,
especially to those where there was
no or limited basketball activity.
We wanted to raise future giant men
for the success of Turkish Basketball.
We also wanted to create new refe-
rees, coaches, and a conscious ba-
sketball audience.
In particular, we wanted to develop a
generation accustomed to the “ba-
sketball culture.”

The Turkish Basketball Federation gi-

ves great importance to the education
of youth, who are to become the future
of Turkish basketball.

Besides the organization of regular

youth competitions, clinics, and many
important educational and develop-
ment projects, the Federation fully
backed the “12 Giants” Basketball
Schools, which was initiated in June
of 2002, and the “2010 Educational
Centers for Basketball” (this particu-
lar project is going to begin this year).

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT,
AND ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT
For the organizing and planning the
basketball courses, a department was
EV\Z&*(
formed under the administration of the
Turkish Basketball Federation consi-
sting of professionals from technical,
advertising, and marketing fields.

The crew in the headquarters is led by

Hasim Tündogan, who is the General
Coordinator of the Project, Defne Patır
(Organization/Public Relations), Tugba
Gülener (Public Relations/Organiza-
tion), and Samer Senbayrak (Admini-
stration/Organization).
During the planning period, it was de-
cided that there would be a three-
month summer course that would be
active during the weekdays, and a se-
ven-month winter course that would
be active only during the weekends.
As for the groups, it was decided that
in every city one group would consist
of 25 children and 2 coaches (one
head coach and one assistant coach).
There could be as many groups as
possible in any city.

The most important factor of the enrol-

lment process into the courses was
that “12 Dev Adam” Basketball Cour-
ses would be open to everyone
(male/female) between the ages of 7
and 14, without concern to cultural or
socio-economic class, or basketball
talent.

After the detailed planning period in

EV\Z&*)
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

the headquarters was completed, the fi-

nancial necessities were determined.
In order to overcome the financial bur-
den of such a widespread project, a
sponsor was needed.
After various meetings with different
sponsors, Garanti Bank (finance sector)
became the main sponsor with Kar Gida
(food sector), and Dagi (textile sector)
as the two co-sponsors. Kar Gıda and
Dagi were only the sponsors for the first
summer session, where extra support
was needed to launch the project.
The others sessions were, and are still,
totally sponsored by Garanti Bank.
EV\Z&**
THE BEGINNING
With the sponsorship of Garanti Bank,
which is also the sponsor of the Turkish
Senior Men’s National Team, the “12 Dev
Adam” Basketball Courses began on Ju-
ne 24, 2002 with the three-month sum-
mer course.

During this research and infrastructure

development process, the basketball
course officials visited all of the poten-
tial cities, and examined all the sports
halls and fields.

The officials met with the local govern-

ment authorities, including the Provin-
cial Sports and Basketball Representati-
ves and got feedback regarding the can-
didates for the coaching positions and
the potential for basketball in that city.

After a wide ranging research, the cities

where the courses were to be opened
were then determined.
Twenty-one cities and five areas of the
Northern Republic of Cyprus were cho-
sen for this project, which aims to reach
every part of Turkey.

Meanwhile, after the cities were cho-

sen, the processes began to select the
coaches in those cities.

EV\Z&*+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

The 110 coaches who were chosen

were all brought to Istanbul to the Ab-
di Ipekçi Sports Arena.
This is the headquarter of the Federa-
tion and on June 10, 2002 a two-day
educational seminar, organized by the
Turkish Basketball Federation began.
The seminar was hosted by the Gene-
ral Coordinator of the Basketball Cour-
ses, Hasim Tündogan, who is also the
head coach of the Turkish B National
Team.

The other speakers included coaches

and assistant coaches of the national
and first league club teams. Besides
technical topics, there were lectures
about player psychology, family rela-
tions, injuries, player nutrition and
health, and referees.

The first summer session, from June to

September 2002, was followed by a
winter session that ran from October
2002 to May 2003.
Since then, the “12 Dev Adam” Ba-
sketball Courses continued to grow
with every session and the number of
cities has increased.
There were 21 cities involved in the
first session, and they have now
grown to 34.

COACHING CLINICS
Before the beginning of every session
a coaching clinic is held. The location
is either at the headquarters of the Fe-
deration in Istanbul or another suita-
ble city.

All of the coaches from each city whe-

re the basketball courses are found
are brought in for the multi-day clinic,
with all expenses paid.
The coaches get to attend seminars
given by successful Turkish coaches
and other professionals in the health,
psychology, and nutrition fields.
The coaches are given new educatio-
nal materials and booklets for each TOURNAMENTS AND FESTIVALS held in Kusadası, which is a popular
session. During winter breaks in January and tourist area on the Aegean coast of
spring breaks in April-May, regional Turkey.
This teaching material, which is stan- and national tournaments and festivals
dard for all groups throughout Turkey, are held. POSITIVE FEEDBACK
is closely monitored by the Project These tournaments and festivals bring The practice sessions of the project
Management. the children together and give them have provided thousands of children a
the opportunity to exhibit their new quality environment to develop their
THE STUDENT POPULATION skills. basketball skills.
During the summer sessions, approxi- Since the courses opened in the sum- But, there is more to be mentioned.
mately 3,000 students take part. In the mer of 2002, five major tournaments
winter sessions, due to the academic and festivals were held, mainly at From the feedback that was received
demands and weekend availability, Istanbul’s Abdi Ipekçi Sports Arena. by the local authorities, parents, coa-
this number drops to approximately ches, and the children themselves, it is
2,000. In the spring of 2003, a tournament was possible to say that the whole “12 Dev
EV\Z&*,
Adam” Basketball Courses organiza-
tion and these tournaments have had a
really big impact on the children and
their coaches.
The main feedback from the parents is
that their children have improved their
physical and, most importantly, their
social skills.
According to them, this organization
as a whole has had a positive influen-
ce on the psychological development
of their children.

THE FUTURE
The organization of the “12 Dev Adam”
Basketball Courses is geared to conti-
nue and grow every year.

The next step in this project is to start

a children’s league across Turkey, now
that we have such a good resource of
young basketball players.

At the moment, the Turkish First Lea-

gue Clubs are centered in four cities
(Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Bursa)
and there is already a great resource
of basketball players in these cities.

The aim is to create local clubs (for

example, “12 Dev Adam” Istanbul, or
“12 Dev Adam” Adana) in the cities
where the courses are located, and
for everybody to participate in the lea-
gue in their home town.

We aim for this new generation of ba-

sketball players to be fruitful in their
own cities.

With such a resource, potential clubs

to join the local, second, and first lea-
gue will be formed after a time.
In this way basketball will be played
in every corner of Turkey and a mass
resource of successful basketball
players will be raised for future gene-
rations.
The future for basketball now looks
great in Turkey.

In the near future, apart from those

remaining in the sport as players,
coaches, or referees, there will be
thousands of others in many different
circles of society who were part of the
project for a certain period of their
childhood.

These are the people who will not only

know but appreciate the “culture of
basketball.”
EV\Z&*-
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Australian
by Phil Brown

Women’s
Program
Phil Brown is the head coach of the Austra- their basketball experience and can accele-
lian National Junior Women’s Team, as well rate their development and provide the junior
as the head coach of the Australian Institute player with a better understanding of the skil-
of Sport Women’s team. ls (physical and mental) necessary to be suc-
cessful at the higher levels.
The National Women’s Teams of Australia ha-
ve enjoyed substantial success over the past The establishment by Basketball Australia of
ten years at the international level with the the National Intensive Training Centre Pro-
Senior Team, called the Opals, winning me- gram (NITCP) in the early Nineties has provi-
dals at the last two Olympic Games and World ded opportunities for our most talented ju-
Championships. The Opals are currently niors (12-17 years of age) in metropolitan and
ranked 3rd in the World and Australian regional areas to develop their individual ba-
players are in high demand playing professio- sketball skills, and receive education in areas
nally throughout Europe and the WNBA. This such as injury prevention/management, men-
is a great achievement given Australia has a tal skills training for competition and sports
population of just 20 million people! nutrition. In addition to developing a founda-
tion of individual fundamental skills, many of
The National Junior Women’s Program (the the State ITC Programs conduct weekend
Gems) has been one of Australia’s most suc- training camps, providing an opportunity for
cessful National Team programs for many the players to improve their 2-on-2, 5-on-5
years. The Gems have consistently been in skills. Many club programs throughout the
the top four in the World at the Under 20 level country have adopted components of the ITC
for over 15 years and their success at World Program and are placing a greater emphasis
Championships includes Bronze in 1989, Gold on the development of each individual in their
in 1993 and a Silver Medal in 1997. Players junior teams and less on team plays etc. As a
from the Australian Institute of Sport and the consequence, generally young female
Gems programs that have progressed to the players are coming through with better indivi-
Australian Senior National Team (the Opals) dual fundamentals then was the case 10-15
include Michelle Timms, Sandy Brondello, Mi- years ago.
chelle Brogan, Jenny Whittle, Alison Tranquil-
li, Carla Boyd, Jo Hill, Kristi Harrower, Suzy In addition to “individuals” and “small group
Batkovic, Trisha Fallon, Penny Taylor, Lauren work”, some State ITC Programs expose their
Jackson, Kristen Veal, Laura Summerton, young players to the demands and require-
Shelley Hammonds and Hollie Grima. ments of playing internationally by under-
taking an international tour every two years.
The success of Australia’s junior develop- These tours provide another relevant “ba-
mental system can be attributed to a many sketball experience”, and a wonderful life ex-
factors. Some of these factors are characteri- perience as the athletes cope and adapt to
stics of our sports system. For example, young the rigors and challenges of travelling to and
girls are encouraged in our society to be phy- playing in a foreign country.
sically active and generally to be competitive The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has
in sport. Another advantage of our basketball played a significant part in helping develop
culture is that talented young female basket- many Gems and Opals players in the past 12
ball players throughout Australia are often years. Over 95 % of the current Opals squad,
competing against “seasoned” veterans (i.e. and, all but one of the previous Gems Teams in
adults) at 15-16 years of age. This increases the past 12 years, have come through the In-
EV\Z&*.
stitute system. The two to three times per day,
six times per week training including indivi-
dualised skills programs, strength develop-
ment, shooting programs, sport science and
team practice has given an “edge” to Austra-
lia’s high performance programs that most
other countries do not have. The opportunity
to compete in the Women’s National Basket-
ball League as a team provides the AIS
players with a demanding and extremely chal-
lenging competition to measure their progress
individually and collectively.

Basketball Australia established the Austra-

lian Junior Camp in the early 80’s. Our most ta-
lented and potentially best players are selec-
ted primarily from the National Under 16 and
Under 18 Junior Championships each year to
attend this prestigious camp held at the AIS.
The players are introduced and drilled in the
principles, concepts and skills necessary to
be successful at the international level. It is
generally the first experience for a future na-
tional player in wearing the “green and gold”!

Basketball Australia has been committed in

providing financial support for Gems training
camps and international tours to prepare the
team for World Junior Championships. From
1990-1993, the Gems exposed 47 players to the
National Program through a comprehensive
schedule, including 13 training camps and 5
international tours. The immediate result in
1993 was Australia’s first Gold Medal at a
World Championships or Olympic Games. The
long-term benefits for Australian basketball
were that nine of the twelve players on the
1993 World Champion Gems team went on to
represent the Opals in the following years. Of
the remaining 35 athletes exposed to the Na-
tional Junior Team program many went on to
have strong careers in the WNBL and ABA
providing further “depth” of talent in those
leagues.

At the senior level, the “landscape” has chan-

ged considerably over the past few years in
Australia, with the increase in opportunities
for our top players to play the game professio-
nally overseas. With most of our best players
playing in Europe from September through to
May each year, and some continuing in the
WNBA from May through August, it has beco-
me increasingly challenging to get access to
our best players to prepare our National Team
for major competitions, such as the Olympic
Games and World Championships.

Through the Nineties, the Opals were largely

prepared as a “club” team program, with re-
gular training camps, individual skills ses-
sions, small group sessions in capital cities
and frequent international tours.

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Having regular contact with the players al- culture. When you also consider the basketball countries are continuing to
lowed the National coaches to monitor ea- competition among many sports for the develop new programs for their juniors
ch player’s physical development, identify corporate sponsorship dollar, it is ama- and/or improve current ones. The stan-
and enhance specific skill areas in each zing how successful Australia has been dard of women’s basketball at the junior
player, and complete “break-down” drills in over the years as a basketball nation. Au- level throughout the world continues to
small group sessions around Australia. stralian Basketball is now considered a improve at an amazing rate! The rest of
At centralised training camps the coaches “powerhouse” by the rest of the basket- the world have observed Australia’s
were able to focus more on 5-on-5 team ball world! We need to understand, achievements during the past ten years,
concepts such as transition offence, set however, that the rest of the world is get- and many countries are now copying
plays, out of bounds plays etc and conduct ting better also! parts of Australia’s developmental sy-
practice games against junior men’s teams. By the age of 13, 14, and 15, European stem and implementing them into their
This intensive approach prepared our players are representing their country existing programs. So what are some of
players and Opals teams to compete stron- playing international basketball in the Eu- the long-term strategies being imple-
gly at the international level. ropean ‘Cadets’ Championships. In Fran- mented by Basketball Australia to remain
Like most other countries, Australia must ce, the approximate size of New South in the top echelon of the basketball
adapt to the changing basketball environ- Wales, the equivalent to our Intensive world?
ment that currently exists, and implement Training Centre Program employs over 70
new methods in preparing our senior Natio- full time coaches. In addition they have a The introduction of ‘Aussie Hoops’
nal Teams for major competitions. There is centralised residential developmental should have a long-term positive impact
no doubt our senior players benefit greatly basketball Program (INSEP), based in on our Women’s National League and
from playing in overseas leagues. They are Paris. The specialist sports schools in National team Programs. As a sport, ba-
regularly competing against the best Eastern Europe remain “alive and well”. sketball needs to ensure we are attrac-
players in the world, in addition to genera- The USA recently implemented training ting the most athletically talented young
ting an income from playing the game pro- camps at their Olympic Training Centre in girls to our game. In particular, we need
fessionally. The experience gained over- Colorado Springs for “invited” high to do a better job at identifying tall girls
seas benefits the Australian National team school and college players through their (+190 cm) and investing the time, energy
as the players become accustomed to the summer months. They are now investing and providing the opportunities to encou-
physical and athletic nature of the European more time and money in “indoctrinating” rage them to play. We need to continue to
and US leagues. In addition, confidence in- American players at a young age to the build the NITC Program and make it
creases as the players become more suc- USA National Team Basketball culture stronger. In particular, we must continue
cessful at competing against top players and exposing them to the skills and spe- to develop our junior coaches and provi-
week in, week out. cific elements of the “international” ga- de relevant professional development
me. In Asia, for a number of years, China opportunities for them. Our players’ ba-
Basketball Australia must now adopt an “All has been sending their best juniors to the sketball ability will reflect the competen-
Star” approach to developing our National USA for two-month training camps under ce of our junior coaches. There is an in-
team, due to the limited access the National the direction of American coaches. Most creasing need to continue to find ways to
coaches have to the players and the limited
preparation time the team has together. We
may need to simplify our playing system
while ensuring we maintain the key ele-
ments that have made us successful over
the past 10 years. Two to three weeks prior
to major competition the Opals may have a
small “window” of opportunity to prepare
prior to going into competition. By imple-
menting a simplified playing system, utili-
sing practice games and maximising the in-
dividual talents and skills of the athletic and
highly skilled players the Australian junior
system has developed, Australia may place
itself in the best position to continue it’s suc-
cess.

The challenge to remain in the top four

countries in the world for Australian Wo-
men’s basketball is to continue to expand
existing programs, and develop new and re-
levant basketball opportunities for our ta-
lented junior players. To achieve this, there
are many unique challenges we face in Au-
stralian basketball. Geographic isolation, a
huge land mass, a relative small population
and a sport that is not “traditional” to our
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recognise and reward our proficient junior
coaches!

In addition to the NITCP international tours,

we may need to explore overseas opportuni-
ties for our most talented 14 and 15 year-old
female players. A tour every second year to
China or Japan for our National Under 16 Girls
Team would be advantageous. Possibly an ex-
change program with one of these countries
may be the most cost effective.

The Gems training camps program needs to

be a continuous process, regardless of the
current stage in the four-year World Junior
Championships cycle. In recent years the
Gems have had two-year programs or less
leading up to the World Championships for Ju-
nior Women. This has involved only four trai-
ning camps and two international tours. In
particular at the junior level ‘time’ is the most
important resource. ‘Time’ is needed to learn
and improve the skills of the game, and ‘time’
together is necessary to fully comprehend and
cultivate the Australian style of play in our ju-
nior players. From 2007 FIBA will be conduc-
ting World Junior Championships every two
years. This positive initiative will result in our
most talented juniors, irrespective of age, ha-
ving the opportunity to represent Australia at a
World Junior Championship. There is a need
to increase the number of National training
camps each year, and the number of interna-
tional games our players compete in, both he-
re in Australia, or overseas. The outcome is
increased depth of experienced quality
players in our domestic National Leagues,
which, in turn, increases the standard of our
competitions which, in turn, develops further
depth of talent available for our National
Teams. Additionally, through the introduction
and development of further high performance
programs come increased opportunities for
coaches.

Many of the above strategies are reliant on

available financial resources. The challenge
is to continue to seek out sponsors, but also to
explore opportunities that are cost effective
and provide relevant experiences for our ju-
nior players.

The challenge for Australian Basketball is to

continually improve our players by developing
our coaching programs, competitions, admi-
nistration and encouraging new initiatives
that will enhance the opportunities and
performances of our outstanding junior
players. To consistently compete against the
best in the world successfully Australia must
continue to stay at the “cutting edge” of deve-
lopmental programs, sports science and inter-
national playing styles and trends.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

OFFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALs:
by Fabrizio Frates

THE SPACING AND

RHYTHM OF PLAY
Fabrizio Frates was head coach at Cantù, where his
team won the Korac Cup. At Treviso, his team won
the Italian Cup. He also coached at Milan,
Montecatini, Gorizia, Siena, and Udine. He was
elected Coach of the Year in Italy in 1995. In 2003, he
became coach of Reggio Emilia, and won the A-2
League. For the past four years, he has been the
assistant coach of the Italian National team.

The introduction of the 24-second rule convinced

me of the importance of daily work with my team on
spacing on the court and of the need to move on
offense without the ball. This is necessary to avoid
an exaggerated use of the one-on-one.
We want a good ball movement on offense, which
helps create fluid and dynamic movement of
players. To achieve this aim, we need to give our
players some simple rules governing movement on
the open court.
The goal is to have the players understand the
importance of correct spacing, pushing them to
make even the smallest adjustments to facilitate ball
movement, so eventually we have created a system
of play based on passing, not on driving.
We put particular emphasis on the timing of the
pass, and to "rhythm of the play." By this, I mean that
to create a good shot, the entire team is involved,
moving as one, as if they were in an orchestra. Yes,
individual creativity has its own place on the team,
but it can't be allowed to supercede the "rhythm of
play." I liken it to a jazz jam session, where the single
artist releases his creativity, but without moving
away from the basic theme created by the rest of the
band.
I start with the rhythm of shooting and the timing of
passing with these two drills (diagr. 1, 2, 3, and 4).
The player with the ball must be able to pass at the
proper time to a teammate so he can receive the ball
and shoot immediately without much difficulty. The
passer must know the shooting skills of each of his
teammates. For example, if he is able to shoot from
long range, he will receive the ball outside of the
three-point line. At the same time, the teammate
who will receive the ball, must time his movements
properly so he can take the pass and be ready to
shoot immediately without having to make too many
body adjustments.
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 FIBA EUROP

The next teaching step is to recognize the spaces

and distances: The teammate who receives the ball
cannot shoot immediately, but must dribble and
create a new situation. In short, there are now two
different situations, and both players must collabo-
rate to create the best shooting opportunity, always
respecting space and timing.
In this drill, the movements must be based on the
direction of the drive: If the teammate with the ball
drives toward the baseline, the teammate must play
D.1
(diagr. 5) behind him ("shadow"). However, if he dri- D.6
ves toward the lane, he must move in the opposite
direction (diagr. 6).
I particularly emphasize the type of passing, and the
movement of the player without the ball. I prefer
lateral moves, so the player can always have his feet
and the shoulders pointed toward the basket, the-
reby optimizing his chances of scoring after getting
a pass. Collaboration with three players is next on
the practice session: with the court shortened, it's
necessary to pay even more attention to spacing
and timing. I introduce the concept of reversing the
D.2 ball on the other side of the court (diagr. 7, 8, 9, 10, D.7
and 11), and the use of the skip pass. In this drill, the
players must react to the drive and choose a side of
the court, with a player always positioned on the
opposite corner. They use a skip pass and react to
the drive on the center and on the baseline.

Analyzing the different situations on the court, I

teach them how to create a shot with one pass
(diagr. 12), and then with two passes (diagr. 13). The
player drives and kicks out, while the other teamma-
tes must move without the ball. They must create a
D.3 shot with two passes. D.8

After I have defined with simple rules the move-

ments of the perimeter players, I now add now an
inside player. With him, we can now build rules of
collaboration, which makes ball movements and
respect of the spaces much easier. The inside player
is forced to improve his play facing the basket,
working on receiving the ball and shooting. He must
also improve his passing, which reverses the ball.
He must see both sides of the offensive court, and he
must avoid dribbling immediately. His goal is a colla-
D.4 boration with his teammates, which is achieved with D.9
quick passes and picks. Watching the baseline, he
must be able to see all his teammates, and read the
situations when the ball is reversed.
I suggest using the two-hand overhead pass to
reverse the ball. If the dribbler drives to the center of
the lane, the inside player goes to the short corner
(diagr. 14). However, if he drives to the baseline, he
then goes to corner of the free-throw area (diagr. 15).
Once the players have acquired and understand
these rules, I will add the defenders. They can also
play three-on-three with an inside player, who must
D.5 be very alert to read the situations after the reverse D.10
of the ball.
An easy rule is to base offensive movement depen-
ding on the reaction of defenders. For example, a
player can make a pick on the ball if his defender
stays in the three-second lane, and will have not
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.11 D.16 D.21

D.12 D.17 D.22

D.13 D.18 D.23

enough time to recover and help the defender on the

ball (diagr. 16). However, if his defender comes out
aggressively, he then screens away (diagr. 17).
Moving to full court situations, the offense is for-
ced to find the open teammate, always playing
with the proper spaces, and respecting the distan-
ce between each other. This is the case of four-on-
three situation (diagr. 18, 19, and 20). The defense
can play a triangle zone or man-to-man. They
D.14 D.19
guard the ball and the other two defenders cover
the players nearest to the ball, forcing the offensi-
ve players to watch the weak side, possibly
thinking to reverse the ball so they can create an
easier shot.
When a fourth defender is added, more problems
are created for the offense (diagr. 21, 22, and 23).
The offensive player must penetrate, respect the
spacing, and read the defense.
Working daily on these principles has improved
the individual feeling of the rhythm of the play,
peripheral vision, and play without the ball. These
D.15 D.20 drills have also helped my players understand the
proper use of the spaces. They are involved in a
real collective system of play, where the individual
one-on-one skills have still a great importance, but
within a frame of rules that respect team play and
their other teammates.

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

CROATIAN
by Boris Jakimenko
BASKETBALL
AND ITS YOUNG
PLAYERS
Boris Jakimenko is the Sports Director of
the Croatian Basketball Federation.

In the wide-ranging European basketball

family, Croatia is certainly represented
with most prominent individuals.
The fact is even more considerable when
you realize that Croatia has only a little
more than four million citizens.
Such a small country has produced ten
basketball players that have played in the
National Basketball Association (Drazen
Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Stojko
Vrankovic, Zan Tabak, Mate Skelin, Bruno
Sundov, Dalibor Bagaric, Gordan Giricek,
and Zoran Planinic). Croatia also has had
a number of great players who have won
more than 60 individual medals at the big-
gest FIBA World and European
Championships (Kresimir Cosic, Giuseppe
Giergia, Nikola Plecas, Petar Skansi, Rato
Tvrdic, Zeljko Jerkov, Damir Solman,
Velimir Perasovic, Mihovil Nakic, Andro
Knego, Duje Krstulovic, Branko Skroce,
Aleksandar Petrovic, Zeljko Poljak, Petar
Popovic, Veljko Petranovic, Franjo
Arapovic, Zoran Cutura, Danko
Cvjeticanin, and Ivan Sunara).
In addition, Croatia has also produced
players that have been selected as the
best European young players (Dubravko
Zemljic, Nikola Vujcic, and Josip Sesar).
Croatia has a seemingly inexhaustible
source of basketball talents.
Still, on a national team level, Croatian
basketball has not been able to stay atop
the European and world basketball ranks
since winning the bronze medal at the
European Championship in 1995 in Athens.
This is all the more surprising, because
Croatian clubs have won the European
Championship five times; three times by
Split CO Split (Jugoplastika, 1989, 1990
and POP 84 1991) and twice by Cibona
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Zagreb (1985, 1986). players, who represent top world because it could negatively affect the
After the political independence of basketball potential. So, where's the future of the club.
Croatia, the official independence of problem? Sometimes, coaches aren't even inclu-
Croatian basketball started on January Let's review the situation. A young ded in the process of choosing players
19, 1991 when the Croatian Basketball talented Croatian player at the age of for their club.
Federation became a member of FIBA. 18 falls into one of the following cate- Earlier, coaches were involved in the
It is important to stress that the gories: club's policies and they worked conti-
Croatian Basketball Federation was 1. Those players who have been reco- nuously for the same club.
founded in 1948 and that the begin- gnized as having great potential will Today, coaches are constantly being
nings of basketball in Croatia go back leave for other European clubs, fired and replaced. Team managers are
to the 1920s. without having ever played a single in charge of policies and the choice of
The Croatian basketball national team game with their clubs' first teams. players, so a coach isn't able to really
played its first official game on May 20, Furthermore, there are cases when improve the young players' abilities.
1992 in Slovenske Konjice against a 19-year-old player with exceptio- The main principle being used is: "Why
national team of Slovenia and earned nal physical characteristics goes spend the time and effort to create a
its first victory (93-74). That was a pre- directly to the NBA without having player when he can always be bou-
paration game before the Barcelona played with the senior team, and ght?"
Olympic Games in 1992. then stays on the NBA bench for Other than that, once a player has pas-
The Croatian national team was led by five years. sed to the senior level he is no longer
its first captain, Drazen "Amadeus" taught the fundamentals of the game.
Petrovic. By winning in a close semi- 2. Players, who haven't been offered There's little time spent on individual
final game against the USSR, Croatia to play abroad, stay in Croatia and techniques and tactics, instead the
reached the big final against the only then a few years pass (with a mini- practice time is only increased.
real and original Dream Team, the USA mum of minutes played per game) In past times, when a player was part
national team. Croatia won a silver before they get a real chance to of both the junior and the senior team,
medal with a golden shine. play. he would spend up to eight hours at the
That was, and remains, the biggest
success of Croatian basketball and 3. Players, who, due to
Croatian sport in general. various circumstances
It was an unforgettable Olympic final, (most often because of
but, unfortunately, also the last game the clubs' financial ina-
of Drazen Petrovic for the Croatian bility to buy experien-
national team. Petrovic's death in a ced players), become
traffic accident stunned the basketball leading players for
world, but, more than anything, it their clubs (which is
wrecked Croatian basketball. If you the preliminary condi-
had never watched Petrovic play in tion for a player's deve-
person, you missed the opportunity of lopment).
seeing one of the most exciting players
ever. One of the primary condi-
If there is consistency in Croatian tions for developing a top
basketball, it is with our young players, player is for players to
who have won medals at various tour- begin playing for the first
naments. team at the age of 16 or 17.
The Croatian Junior Men's Team won At this point, I must
the FIBA European Championship gold emphasize the word
1996 in France, silver in Bulgaria in "playing" and not being the
1998, silver in Croatia in 2000, and gold 12th player on the bench.
in 2002 in Germany. They also won the Only by playing, a player
FIBA Junior World Championship bron- can develop and have
ze medal 1999 in Portugal. The Young results. This problem can
Men's Team won the FIBA World silver be solved solely by coa-
medal in Japan in 2001, and the ches.
cadets won the FIBA European Today, however, coaches
Championship gold in Portugal. are pushed by the club's
Considering all that has been said, the management that is exclu-
question arises: Why hasn't the sively interested in results.
National Men's Team won a single It's quite risky for a coach
medal in the last eight years, and why to give a young player a
has it missed the FIBA World chance to play at the
Championship and the Olympics? It is expense of winning.
beyond question that Croatia has a Young players aren't given
disproportionate number of talented a right to make mistakes,
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basketball court.
Players would, by themselves, come
earlier and would stay late after the
practice in order to improve their tech-
niques and shooting skills.
Today's young players, however, are
more focused on managers and promi-
sed earnings than on working at impro-
ving their skill levels.
Interest that is shown in the young
players by scouts from European and
NBA clubs gives them a false sense of
basketball stardom. At this stage of
their athletic careers, they are only on
the way to possibly one day becoming
stars. They shouldn't enjoy such "star"
status until they achieve a representa-
tive result in the senior category. If
players transfer to a club abroad, while
still too young, many can't handle
themselves in a foreign country with
completely professional conditions, so
they often stagnate and even fall
backwards in their basketball skills.
It is not unusual for a young player,
who has been invited to preparations
for official competitions of the young or
senior National team, to have played
more minutes per game at the prepara-
tions than throughout the season in
their own club. This represents the
fundamental problem.
The work done with the National Team
should be just an addition to the work
done in clubs, only a fine correction of
the skills that are already there.
The focus of the National Team should
be on the team's technique and team
play. This is not the case, however.
The coaches have to spend most of
their energy on basketball fundamen-
tals than on the coordination of the
team for the official competitions. The
fundamental basketball unit must be
the club, and the National team should
only be a mirror image of the efforts
made in clubs. This, unfortunately, is development and the biggest chance to team and achieve the best results
not the case. turn their potential into the makings of
Another extremely important problem a great player. ▼ A player has to gain experience, has
is that clubs are often unwilling to let Of course, this can only be said about to become the leader of his team in
their players participate in the prepa- the best of Croatian clubs where the- order to develop into a top player
rations of the National teams, because, re's much attention paid to individual
other than the fact that players' sum- work. ▼ The National team has to be viewed
mer leave is shortened, there is the For them to go abroad at a later time is as a "sacred" team and everyone
increased possibility of injuries. a logical choice both from the perspec- should want to play for the team
Players will often listen to the wishes tive of the player's improvement and
of their clubs, oftentimes leaving the from playing for top-level clubs. ▼ The National team has to be led by
national team without the most talen- the top coaches
ted players. In conclusion:
Those talented young players, who ▼ Young players are the foundation of Once these objectives are met, the
have, nonetheless, stayed in Croatia basketball in Croatia-the goal is to senior National team can justifiably
and became leaders of the first team of create a top player, and this is the expect to win medals in European and
their club have the most harmonious only way to develop a top National world competitions.
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

2010 CAMEROON
by Felix Simen Gaping
BASKETBALL PROJECT
Felix Simen Gaping, head coach of the
senior basketball team of the Univer-
sity of Yaounde, Cameroon, had pre-
viously been head coach of the Came-
roon junior national team and assistant
coach of the Women’s national basket-
ball team. He is a FIBA Expert Coach.

Cameroon is now devoting more atten-

tion to basketball, taking part in several
international tournaments that have re-
cently been held in Africa. To solidify
our efforts and add goals to our basket-
ball future, we created the “ 2010 Ca-
meroon Basketball Project.” To follow
these are our aims:

1) Promote the practice of basketball

in Cameroon’s primary schools.

2) Establish and promote mini-basket-

ball in Cameroon.

3) Provide the opportunity to youths to

have their best performances befo-
re the age of 20.

4) Enable Cameroon to become a

great African basketball nation by
2010.

What do we teach in our basketball

centers?

THE COORDINATION QUALITIES

The coordination qualities are generali-
zed psychomotor performance pre-
conditions of the athlete. They have the
function to regulate.

The coordination qualities play an im-

portant role for all motor actions. They
are necessary for quite a number of
motor actions.
At present, we focus on seven coordi-
nation qualities:
▼ Orientation capacity;
▼ Combination capacity;
▼ Differentiation capacity;
▼ Balance capacity;
▼ Rhythm capacity;
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 me and to realize it and/or find the
own dynamics in the course of move-
ment.

Example:
▼ Running for an open space.

The reaction capacity is the athlete’s

ability to perform effective actions
quickly and purposefully according to a
signal and/or sudden change of the si-
tuation.

Example:
▼ Rebound and subsequent fastbreak.

The adaptation capacity is the athlete’s

ability to adapt the original program of
action to the changing situation.

Example:
▼ Fake instead of shot;
▼ Shot with left hand instead of right
hand under the basket;
▼ Shot with right hand instead of left
hand under the basket;
▼ Dribbling.

TRAINING
METHOD DEVELOPMENT
RULES
The following rules are very important
when we are planning and organizing the
development of the coordination quali-
ties in our centers.

First Rule:
▼ The development of the coordination
qualities has to be started quickly.

Second Rule:
▼ Reaction capacity; ▼ Ball reception and shoot. ▼ The development and perfection of
▼ Adaptation capacity. one coordination quality needs the
The differentiation capacity is the athle- application of several different mo-
The orientation capacity is the athlete’s te’s ability to perform the action with re- tor actions, which serve the deve-
ability to determine the position and mo- gard to strength, time, and space accor- lopment of this particular quality.
vement of his own body and/or of a mo- ding to the aim of action.
ving object (opponent, ball, teammate) Third Rule:
with regard to space. Examples: ▼ The coordination qualities are deve-
▼ Spatial perception; loped in general, but already aimed at
Examples: ▼ Short and long passes; the sport and in connection with
▼ Ball reception on a fastbreak; ▼ Free-throw. other performance factors (fitness,
▼ Rebound; tactics).
▼ Games on small court. The balance capacity is the athlete’s
ability to keep the total body in a certain Fourth Rule:
The combination capacity is the athle- position or to re-establish it. ▼ The specific coordination qualities
te’s ability to coordinate partial move- are trained together with other trai-
ments of the body with regard to space, Example: ning means.
time and dynamics and/or to perform ▼ Jump shot.
this coordination during a game. Fifth Rule:
The rhythm capacity is the athlete’s ▼ The degree of difficulty of exercises
Examples: ability to understand the structure of a mastered is to be increased conti-
▼ Ball reception and pass; course of movement with regard to ti- nuously.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

ORGANIZATION OF TRAINING ▼ The action with regard to strength, For the development of the adaptation
time, and space according to the capacity the following method measures
PRINCIPAL ASPECTS program of action. are especially suitable:
The organization of the training of the ▼ To change the outer conditions;
coordination qualities is aimed at: For the development of the differentiation ▼ To combine motor skills.
capacity the following method measures
▼ Variety of motor requirements which are especially suitable: To develop effectively the different coor-
serve the development of the re- ▼ To vary the performance of the mo- dination qualities in the basketball trai-
spective coordination qualities; vement; ning we applied the following training
▼ Increase of the coordination requi- ▼ To vary the outer conditions. method measures:
rements by the following training- ▼ To vary the performance of the mo-
method measures: DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALANCE CAPACITY vement;
a. Variation of the performance of the To develop the balance capacity it is ne- ▼ To change the outer conditions;
movements; cessary ▼ To vary the intake of stimuli;
b. Variation of the conditions to take in ▼ To keep the total body in a certain po- ▼ To combine motor skills.
stimuli ; sition;
c. Combination of motor skills; ▼ To re-establish it in case of devia- Coordination qualities are the pre-condi-
d. Change of outer conditions; tions. tions for coordination performances.
e. Practice under pressure; The higher the requirements to the co-or-
▼ Low number of repetitions. For the development of the balance ca- dination performance, the stronger their
pacity the following method measures influence upon the competitive result.
The better the mastery of the exercises, are especially suitable:
the wider the variety of the training- ▼ To change the outer conditions, and
method measures. thus, the intake of stimuli.
The coordination qualities possess a
general and specific aspect. DEVELOPMENT OF THE RHYTHM CAPACITY
To develop the rhythm capacity it is ne-
ORGANIZATION OF cessary:
THE GENERAL TRAINING ▼ To understand the structure of a
course of movement with regard to
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORIENTATION time and dynamics, to store and to
CAPACITY realize it;
To develop the orientation capacity it is ▼ To find the own dynamics in the cour-
necessary to take in and process cor- se of movement.
rectly information on:
▼ The position and the movement of For the development of the rhythm capa-
the body in space; city the following method measures are
▼ The movements of teammates and especially suitable:
opponents. ▼ To vary the performance of the mo-
vement;
For the development of the orientation ▼ To combine motor skills;
capacity, the following method measu- ▼ To change the outer conditions.
res are especially suitable:
▼ To practice under pressure; DEVELOPMENT OF THE REACTION CAPACITY
▼ To combine motor skills. To develop the reaction capacity it is ne-
cessary to perform fast and purposeful
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMBINATION actions:
CAPACITY ▼ According to a signal;
To develop the combination capacity it ▼ In a suddenly changed situation.
is necessary:
▼ To coordinate the partial movements For the development of the reaction ca-
of the body with regard to space, ti- pacity the following method measures
me, and dynamics; are especially suitable:
▼ To perform this coordination under ▼ To practice under pressure ;
the condition of an existing oppo- ▼ To vary the intake of stimuli;
nent or at an apparatus; ▼ To practice after preceding load.
▼ To combine sports technical skills in
a game situation. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADAPTATION
CAPACITY
DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIFFERENTIATION To develop the adaptation capacity it is
CAPACITY necessary:
To develop the differentiation capacity it ▼ To adapt the original program of ac-
is necessary to process information on: tion to the changing situation.
EV\Z&,&
They:
▼ Are no independent qualities;
▼ Mainly exist as a complex;
▼ Promote the combination of different
partial actions to one total action;
▼ Only exist in connection with one or
several performance pre-conditions
as fitness, sports technique, and
sports tactic.

The coordination qualities are expres-

sed by:
▼ The quality of the movement;
▼ The speed of motor learning;
▼ The ability to update programs of
action;
▼ The economy and aesthetics of the
movement.

EV\Z&,'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE WEEKLY
by Slobodan Subotic

PRACTICE
SCHEDULE
Slobodan Subotic was head coach of fensive rotations, good assists, a gether. Centers and power forwards
the Slovenian Men's National team. slow defensive transition, and good work together.
He has coached many Greek teams, screens. During the practice, each player must
including Iraklis, Aek, Aris Thessalo- I show certain bad and good highli- score between 600 and 700 baskets.
niki (which won a Korac Cup), Pa- ghts repeatedly and discuss with All shots must be taken in game-like si-
nathinaikos (one Greek title), Panio- players the movements that need to tuations.
nios, Paok, and Olympiakos (one be made. If necessary, we will stay
Greek Cup). Now he is head coach of for an hour discussing all of this in Afternoon
Jesi (Italy). the video room. We play a friendly game and if we can-
not find a team to play, we create two
During the first year of my career as a 2. Monday afternoon practice is balanced teams out of our team. We
head coach I was very lucky because I always a practice devoted to de- scrimmage with referees, scorer, and
had an opportunity to work with Pro- fense. We work on improving a statistician.
fessor Aleksander Nikolic, one of the things that gave us problems du-
greatest coaches ever in Europe. ring the last game. THURSDAY
Nikolic, who recently passed away, For example, defensive rebounds, Morning
was selected as a member of U.S. Ba- zone, and man-to-man defense, 1. One hour working with weights.
sketball Hall of Fame. From the first and skills one-against-one full The weights are less than on Mon-
day working with him, he gave me im- court, two-against-two, three- day, but the movements are faster.
portant advice on how to prepare a against-three, four-against-four,
team before and during the season. and five-against-five. 2. One hour shooting practice where the
After my ten years as a head coach I players score at least 250 baskets.
keep following Nikolic's advice becau- TUESDAY
se it always brought me good results Morning Afternoon
and great success. Free The most difficult practice of the week.
We show our players the offensive and
WEEKLY SCHEDULE Afternoon defensive systems of the opponent.
For the first time, we show the players The head coach chooses three or four
MONDAY highlights of the team that we will play plays of the opponent. During the prac-
Morning the next weekend. tice, we split the team in three teams
The practice is a physical conditioning This practice must have lots of running of four players-groups A, B, and C.
session. and we work on improving our offensi- We start with playing four (group A)
1. 75 minutes working with weights. ve plays. against four (group B) and the rest four
I recommend starting the practice with (group C) are waiting aside. Teams are
2. Weather permitting, we run outside four-against-four with three teams. using the plays of the opponent. The
for 35-40 minutes to improve aero- The team that scores remains on of- team that scores remains on the court
bic conditioning. fense. At the end of the practice, the and faces the team waiting on the si-
players work on improving their sprin- delines. All this is happening on a half
Afternoon ting ability. court. At the end of the practice, we
1. Before the practice session, play five-against-five, full court, but
players watch 15 minutes of video- WEDNESDAY we use our own plays.
taped highlights of the last game. In Morning
this tape, we show both good and Shooting practice. FRIDAY
bad things. Players come in two groups. Morning
For example, I will keep in bad de- Guards and small forwards work to- Free
EV\Z&,(
EV\Z&,)
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Afternoon
1. Video room to watch highlights of
the opponent.

2. Practice starts with five-against-fi-

ve, half court and five-against-five
full court for two games.
One game is strictly man-to-man,
with the other zone or zone press.
At the end of the practice, 10 minu-
tes are devoted to jump shooting
and 5 minutes to shooting
free-throws.

SATURDAY
Before lunch, we once again show hi-
ghlights of the opponent as a final re-
minder.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE
FOR TEAMS WITH
TWO GAMES PER WEEK
For example, when the team is playing
a game on Wednesday and Saturday.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY
Morning
Practice is never scheduled.

Afternoon
We have practice in two separate
groups. In one group there are the
players who played more than 20 mi-
nutes.
Following a good stretching routine,
they work on shooting skills for 20-30
minutes.
At the same time, the other players are
doing a normal practice with lots of
running, two-against-two, three-
against-three, and four-against-four. If
necessary, we show the highlights of
previous night's game.

MONDAY
Morning
We split the team in two groups.

Group A
First half of the practice is spent
working with weights.
Second half of the practice is spent
shooting practice. Players must make
at least 250-300 baskets.

Group B
First half of the practice is spent shoo-
ting practice. Players must make at
EV\Z&,*
least 250-300 baskets.
Second half of the practice is spent
working with weights.

Afternoon
The most difficult practice of the week.
We show our players the offensive and
defensive systems of the opponent. The
head coach chooses three or four plays
of the opponent. The whole team is split
in three groups of four for teams A, B,
and C. A plays B with C waiting on the si-
delines. Everyone uses the plays of the
upcoming opponent. The team that kee-
ps scoring remains on court. At the end
of the practice we play five-against-five
full court using our own plays.

TUESDAY
Morning
Free

Afternoon
1. Video room to watch taped highli-
ghts of the opponent we will be
playing.

2. Practice starts with five-against-five,

half court, and five-against-five, full
court, for two games. One game is
man-to-man and the other is zone or
zone press. At the end of the practi-
ce, 10 minutes are spent with jump
shooting and 5 minutes shooting
free- throws.

WEDNESDAY
The game.

THURSDAY
Morning
Free

Afternoon
We first watch the video highlights of
the team that we are going to play on
Saturday. We follow with the same
practice we had on Sunday afternoon.

FRIDAY
Morning
Free

Afternoon
Before we start practice, we show five
players the plays of the opponent and di-
scuss how we are going to defend them.
We continue the practice the same way
as on Tuesday afternoon (second part).

SATURDAY

The game.
EV\Z&,+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

DRILLS FOR
by Billy Donovan
IMPROVEMENT
Billy Donovan was formerly an assistant If your elbow is out away from your side
coach to Rick Pitino at the University of it will hurt your accuracy.
Kentucky. When he moved to Marshall 5. When waiting for the pass, you should
University in 1994 at the age of 28, he beca- be in a "ready position", knees bent, feet
me the youngest head coach in the history pointing at the basket, hands ready with
of the NCAA. For the past eight seasons he fingers pointing up, prepared to receive
has been head coach at the University of the ball. Good defensive players reco-
Florida, making it to the NCAA Final in ver quickly, so you must be ready to
2000. shoot the ball.
6. Eyes should be locked on your target.
Basketball is a great team game that can be Some people shoot for the back of the
worked on individually. The only person rim and some for just over the front of
who will know if you are working hard is the rim. Whether you concentrate on
you. Just remember, you will get out of the the front or back, keep your eyes on that
game exactly what you put into it. Give it point and do not watch the ball.
your best! 7. As you jump, reach up, and release the
ball with a flick of the wrist and a good
THE JUMPSHOT follow through. The follow through will
In the game of basketball, great shooters give you good reverse rotation and
are hard to find. If you want to be a great make your shot soft on the rim.
shooter, all you need to do is decide to get it
done. First, you must perfect your funda- NOTE: A good player must shoot the ball
mentals. well off both the pass and off the dribble.
All this requires is good coaching and hours When shooting off the dribble, make the
of practice. Second, you must practice at last dribble hard and high to help you move
game speed. directly into your shot. When receiving a
This means you approach your shooting pass, run the ball into your hands and catch
workout with the same intensity you the ball with knees bent.
approach a game. It is much better to take
100 shots at game speed than to take 500 INDIVIDUAL SHOOTING
lazy shots that a good defender would
never let you shoot anyway. Finally, you FORM SHOOTING
must understand that working on your 1. Begin close to the basket.
shooting is just like putting money in the 2. Shoot one-handed shots. Use proper
bank. If you don't put anything into it, you form.
can't expect to get anything out when you 3. Bend knees, extend up on toes, relense
really need it later on. and follow through.
4. Make 5 from each spot. Take one step
COACHING POINTS back and repeat (diagr. 1).
1. The ball should sit on the finger pads of
your shooting hand and not on the palm. SEVEN SPOT SHOOT AND FOLLOW
2. Yuor wrist should be flexed all the way (4 METERS)
back so that you can see wrinkles 1. Shoot jumpshot from spot 1.
where the back of your hand meets 2. Follow your shot, dribble hard to spot 7,
your arm. shoot the ball.
3. Your non-shooting or guide hand should 3. Follow, dribble hard to spot 1, shoot the
be on the side of the ball for better ball ball.
control. 4. Make 10 shots.
4. Your elbow is bent and should be direc- 5. Repeat for spots 6 and 2, 5 and 3, and 4
tly under the ball. (diagr. 2).
EV\Z&,,
 FIBA EUROP

SEVEN SPOT SHOOT AND FOLLOW 4. Follow your shot, retrieve ball and pass
(FROM 3-POINT LINE) to partner who shoots.
1. Repeat as with Drill 2. 5. Continue alternating until one person
2. Step into your shot, elevate and release makes five shots.
(diagr. 3). 6. Rotate to next spot. Repeat for all seven
spots (diagr. 8).
SQUARE-UP SHOOTING
1. Begin at spot 1, flip the ball to spot 2. TWO MAN, SHOOT AND FOLLOW WITH CONTEST
2. Follow, get behind the ball, catch, ele- 1. Drill is done as one above.
vate and shoot. 2. Step into your shot as you catch the ball
3. Make 10 shots, then move to spots 3/4 3. Elevate and release the ball.
D.1
and repeat. 4. Shoot until one person has made five
4. Finish by shooting spots 5/6 (diagr. 4). shots.
5. Rotate to next spot. Repeat for all seven
FIVE SPOT SHOT FAKE spots (diagr. 9).
(4 METERS OR FROM 3-POINT LINE)
1. Start at any spot. TWO MAN, SHOOT AND FOLLOW, SHOT FAKE
2. With knees bent and head up, shot 1. Drill is done as those above.
fake, take one or two hard dribbles 2. Catch ball with knees bent and fingers
right, square up and shoot the jumper. pointed up.
3. Return to spot, shot fake, take one or 3. Defender follows pass and contents
two hard dribbles left, square up and shot. Do not block.
shoot the jumper. 4. Shooter gives good shot fake, drives by
D.2 4. Make five from each spot (diagr. 5). body to body.
5. Take one or two dribbles, pull up and
JUMPERS OFF THE DRIBBLE shoot jumper.
1. Beginning at half-court, dribble toward 6. Make five and rotate (diagr. 10).
the basket at game speed, lower your
body, pull up and shoot the jumpshot. TWO MAN, SQUARE-UP
2. Shots should be taken from 15 feet or (4 METERS OR FROM 3-POINT LINE)
behind the 3-point line. Work both sides 1. Shooter gets behind the pass, hands
and the middle of the court. ready, fingers up.
3. Use all five dribble moves: speed, inside 2. Passer delivers ball to outside shoulder.
out, hard stutter, change of pace and 3. Shooter moves back and forth between
inside out/crossover. spots.
D.3 4. Shoot five shots for each move (diagr. 4. Shoot corner to wing (both sides) and
6). elbow to elbow.
5. Make seven shots, shoot two foul shots
NOTE: This is a challenging drill and a great and rotate (diagr. 11).
conditioner. It may also be done full court.
SHOTS ON THE MOVE
BEATYOUR FAVORITE PRO (4 METERS OR FROM 3-POINT LINE)
1. Start by shooting one foul shot. If you 1. Shooter moves along perimeter at
make it you get one point. If you miss game speed.
the pro gets three. 2. Passer delivers ball to outside shoulder.
2. All remaining shots will be game speed 3. Player should square, catch and shoot.
jumpshots. Work on different moves 4. Make seven shots, shoot two foul shots
D.4 and shots. Each time you make a jum- and rotate (diagr. 12).
per you get one point. Each time you
miss, the pro gets two points. Game is NOTE: This drill has three variations.
played to 11 points. a. Catch and shoot.
3. This is a great drill and a super way to b. Catch, shot fake, one or two dribbles
end a workout. Go hard! Get better! same directions, jumper.
(diagr. 7). c. Catch, shot fake, pull through opposite
directions one or two dribbles, jumper
PARTNER SHOOTING (diagr. 13).

TWO MAN, SHOOT AND FOLLOW DRIBBLE SERIES, JUMPSHOTS

(4 METERS OR FROM 3-POINT LINE) (4 METERS OR FROM 3-POINT LINE)
D.5 1. Drill begins with a good, crisp, pass. 1. Shooter starts at half court and dribbles
Follow the pass. at game speed, drops weight down and
2. Shooter catches ball with knees bent, shoots pull-up jumpshot.
hands ready, fingers pointed up. 2. The non-shooter rebounds the ball and
3. Catch and shoot the ball in one smooth passes ball to shooter on the other side.
motion. 3. Shooter should begin dribbling with
EV\Z&,-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.6 D.11 D.12

right hand on right side and left hand on BACK SCREEN, POP-BACK
the left side (diagr. 14). 1. Shooter starts on the block and steps out
to simulate a back screen.
NOTE: Use speed dribble, change of pace, 2. As cutter comes off the screen, screener
inside-out, hard stutter and inside-out cros- steps to the ball with hands ready and fin-
sover. gers pointing up.
3. Catch the ball with knees bent and imme-
THREE MAN, TWO BALL SHOOTING diately elevate and take the shot.
4. Make seven shots then rotate (diagr.
D.7 DRILL SET-UP 16).
1. One player shoots, one player passes,
one player rebounds. SCREEN AWAY, FLASH
2. Shooter shoots seven shots, then beco- 1. Shooter simulates using a screen away
mes the rebounder. by taking man away and then coming
3. Passer becomes the shooter. Rebounder hard to the ball.
becomes the passer (diagr. 14). 2. Hand should be ready to receive the ball
with fingers pointing up.
DRILL VARIATIONS 3. Catch the ball with knees bent and imme-
1. Seven Spot Shooting (4 meters.) diately elevate into shot.
2. Seven Spot Shooting (from 3-point line) 4. Make seven shots then rotate (diagr. 17).
3. 5 Spot Shot Fake
D.8 4. Square-up Shooting SCREEN AND STEP BACK
5. Shoot and Follow 1. Offensive player screens on the ball.
2. Ball handler comes off the screen aggres-
sively.
PARTNER SHOOTING: 3. Instead of rolling to the basket, the scree-
USING SCREENS ner steps back with hands ready to recei-
ve the pass.
To use a screen properly, you must "read the 4. Catch the ball with knees bent and step
defense". You must keep eye contact with the into the shot.
ball handler and see how the defender is 5. Make seven shots and rotate (diagr. 18).
playing you. A player that moves well without
the ball and can use screens effectively is LOW POST SCREEN: WING CUT
D.9 very valuable on offense. When watching a 1. Offensive player takes man under the rim,
game involving good players, concentrate on cuts shoulder to shoulder off screen to
how well your favorite players move without the wing.
the ball. The most difficult player to defend is 2. Hands ready, fingers pointed up.
one who moves well on offence. 3. On the catch, square to the basket in triple
thrent position.
BACK SCREEN, FLARE 4. Work the jumpshot series in sets of five:
1. Player simulates coming off a back catch and shoot, shot fake dribble left and
screen and flares to the corner shot fake dribble right jumpshot. Rotate
2. Overhead pass is thrown to the inside every five shots (diagr. 19).
shoulder.
3. Shooter catches with knees bent and LOW POST SCREEN: FADE CUT
D.10 steps into his shot. 1. Offensive player takes man into lane and
4. Shooter follows his shot, passes to part- defensive player is cheating to the middle
ner and return to original spot. of the floor.
5. Make seven shots then rotate (diagr. 15). 2. Fade to the corner so defender will get
caught on screen.
NOTE: Do not backpedal when flaring. Rotate 3. Have hands ready and receive ball in tri-
your hips and run, seeing the ball. ple threat position.

EV\Z&,.
D.13 D.23

D.18

D.14 D.24

4. Work the jumpshot series as above. Rotate

every five shots (diagr. 20).

D.19 LOW POST SCREEN: CURL CUT

1. The defensive man is following you closely
off the screen.
2. Cut shoulder to shoulder and curl to foul
line area.
3. Catch the ball and square to the basket in
triple threat position.
D.15
4. Work the jumpshot series as above. Rotate
every 5 shots (diagr. 21).

PARTNER SHOOTING:
D.20 PENETRATE AND KICK
PENETRATE AND KICK: FROM THE TOP
1. Player has the ball and drives it into the gap
to draw help defender and passes to the
player on the wing.
2. Receiver of pass must adjust position on
D.16 the floor and have hands ready to receive
the ball.
3. Shooter should catch the ball with knees
bent and step into the shot.
4. The passer rebounds the shot and passes
D.21 to the shooter.
5. Now the person who shot first is penetra-
ting and passing the ball to his partner.
6. Players alternate position for 10 shots
(diagr. 22).

PENETRATE AND KICK: FROM THE WING

D.17 Some concept as drill above (diagr. 23).

PENETRATE AND KICK: FROM THE CORNER

Some concept as drill above (diagr. 24).

D.22

EV\Z&-%
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE ISRAEL YOUTH

by Yehuda Shikma
NATIONAL TEAMS
Yehuda Shikma is the Secretary General of
the Israeli Basketball Federation, as well as
a member of the FIBA Council for
Basketball for Persons with a Disability.

The Israel Basketball Association is in char-

ge of the selection and development of youth
national teams, as well as the organization of
all youth competitions.

The first stage in establishing a new national

team (Cadets U16) is been done within the
framework of the regional structure. The
sports clubs receive a notification from the
Israel Basketball Association about the esta-
blishment of the regional teams, along with
the date for the tryouts/practice sessions, in
order to create teams according to age
groupings.

New regional teams are being created in all

parts of the country. The number of teams is
created according to the quality of available
players, and there is no certain limit for this.
Usually there are four regional teams.

Each region has about 20 players, two coa-

ches, and one fitness coach. The practice
sessions of regional teams are held once
every two weeks, two hours per practice. At
practices, we emphasize improvement of
personal technique and athletic abilities.

Regional teams also play against each other.

After several months of work, the regional
teams are reduced into two teams, which
practice until the beginning of the project
(preparation for the European
Championship), with only one team working
as a national team.

The Professional Committee of the Israel

Basketball Association is in charge of confir-
ming the plans of the national youth teams.
The Committee is comprised of representati-
ve members of the Israel Basketball
Association, as well as professional people
from the Israel basketball world.

The head coach of all youth teams is in

charge of preparing the professional plan
and taking care of all the details and the
EV\Z&-&
 PYRAMID OF ACTIVITIES
TEAMS (MEN) ACTIVITY
U-20 (players born in 1985) 8 months preparation for the
Preparation for European Championship 2005 Championship; practice once a week.
6 weeks before the championship; more
practices according to a special plan.

Junior U-18 (players born in 1987) 6 months preparation for the Championship;
Preparation for European Championship 2005 practice every weekend (3 times a month).
6 weeks before the championship,
more practices according to a special plan.

Cadets U-16 (players born in 1989) 6 months preparation for the Championship;
Preparation for European Championship 2005 practices every weekend (3 times a month).
6 weeks before the championship,
more practices according to a special plane

Regional Teams (pre-)

Born in 1991: Cadets for European Championship 2007 3-4 regions, two practices a month
Born in 1990: Cadets for European Championship 2006 3-4 regions, two practices a month
Born in 1988: Junior for European Championship 2006 one region, two practices a month

Special practices according to roles: Practices once a week

- Big men age 18-20
- Shooters team age 16-20
- Point guard team age 16-20

FIBA Under 16 European Championships,

seven out of nine FIBA Under 18 European
Championships, and in all seven final rounds
of FIBA Under 20 European Championships.
Israel also participated in two FIBA Young
Men's World Championships (finishing ninth in
1993 and seventh in 2001). All this is part of an
overall national team program that ends with
our Men's national team. Since 1993, Israel
has participated in all six final rounds of the
European Championships.

In each team and special framework session

we emphasis the following:

A. Developing physical ability (running and

strength room)
B. Nutrition
C. Medical examination
D. Counseling and psychological
preparation.
organization. Over the years, the Israel Basketball
In addition to the head coach, there is also Federation has been working this way; This year, there are two U 20 teams (players
a head strength and conditioning coach, we are very satisfied with the outcome born in 1984 for the World Championship and
who is in charge of the physical prepara- of the work. Since 1989, Israel participa- players born in 1985 for the European
tion of each player on the youth team. ted in the final round in eight out of nine Championship).
EV\Z&-'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

DEVELOPING YOUNG
by Nihat Izic
TURKISH PLAYERS
Nihat Izic was head coach of the Bo-
snia & Herzegovina Cadets, as well as
coach of their Junior, and Men's Natio-
nal teams. He also coached Antalya,
Bursa, and Fenerbahce in the Turkish
Division I. He is currently the assistant
coach of the Men's National team.

In 1994, the Turkish Commission for

Youth Basketball decided to create a
new program for the development of
young basketball players. The first aim
was nurturing and growth of top
players, who would be able to play for
Senior National Team in the future and
achieve the best results in European
basketball.
We needed to create a new generation
of young players, who would be chosen
on standards based on height, quick-
ness, and jumping ability. With many
games and practices, we had to prepa-
re them in technical and tactical areas
and give them international experience
before they started to play for Senior
National Team.
We have chosen players born in 1978
and 1979 and created a four-year pro-
gram, in which they played four FIBA
European Championships and one FIBA
World Championship, competing in
about 200 international games. As a re-
sult of that program, we have develo-
ped six young players, who played for
the Senior National team, with two
going to play in the NBA. As a team, we
came in third place in the FIBA Euro-
pean Championship in Sicily, Italy (our
team was three years younger then
other teams, on average) and won fifth
place in FIBA World Championship in
Australia.
After the 2001 FIBA European Cham-
pionship in Istanbul, where the Turkish
Men's National team achieved the se-
cond place silver medal, the best result
in the history of Turkish basketball, the
Turkish Federation Commission for
Youth Basketball convened a new mee-
ting with the target of creating a new
program for the develpment of young
EV\Z&-(
players. Again, we had to develop new
young players, who would be able to
win championships in the future.
We had to find and develop players,
who would be taller, quicker, jump hi-
gher, and have a winning mentality. We
have been analyzing the Yugoslavian
Men’s team that beat us in the final of
the FIBA European Championship in
2001 in Istanbul. Here are their heights:

▼ Guard: Bodiroga 204 cm

▼ Guard : Jaric 202 cm
▼ Forward: Gurovic 206 cm
▼ Center: Drobnjak 210 cm
▼ Center : Tarlac 212 cm

Our goal, which was to beat such a

team, was to find players, who whould
have the same height at the same posi-
tion, the same quickness, jumping abi-
lity, overall basketball fundamentals,
and experience. We had to find young
talented players, who would, at the end
of their development, play for the Turki-
sh Men's National team, and be able to
face the best European national teams.
The second goal was to prepare them
to play multiple positions on the court at
a young age, which is what we did with
Hidayet Turkoglu, who now plays in the
NBA. Again, we wanted players, who
were even better than Turkoglu at that
age. We had to find a good scorer, who

EV\Z&-)
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

could play different roles (better than

Ibrahim Kutluay, a good shooter), and be HEIGHT AND WINGSPAN OF THE YUGOSLAV NATIONAL CADETS 1968
a good defender, and rebounder. He had GENERATION (MEASUREMENTS ARE IN CENTIMETERS)
to be super-quick, as well.
As you can see, our goal was to find bet- Name Height Wingspan Difference
ter players than we ever had in the pre- N. Videka 197 199 2
vious generation. We created a four-year T. Kukoc 207,5 211 3,5
program, with more practices than ever R. Dobras 198 194 -4
before, and we scheduled as many inter- N. Razic 202 210 8
national games as possbile. V. Divac 212 220 8
We started in August 2001, and from the S. Koprivica 204 207 3
200 young players, who tried out for the A. Lukic 196 203 7
team, we chose 16 players for the Natio-
L. Pavlicevic 194 192 -2
nal Cadet team. We had these players
D. Nikolic 204 206 2
complete a variety of physiologic and
psychological tests, and compared their N. Ilic 198 192 -6
characteristics with the results of Hi- Z. Kalpic 203 202 -1
dayet Turkoglu, Kerem Tunceri and Meh- S. Stefanovic 197 199 2
met Okur, and other players from the ge- R. Milutinovic 197,5 196,5 -1
neration that started in 1979. A. Trunic 186 183 -3
I am happy to report that the new genera- I. Skenderovic 206 207 1
tion of players in Turkey achieved better TOTAL Average: 200,1 Average: 201,4 19,5
results in all categories. We continue to
test the players annually. We also had the HEIGHT AND WINGSPAN OF THE YUGOSLAV NATIONAL CADET TEAM -
oportunity to compare some of these te- GENERATION 1970
sts with the best Yugoslav cadets' team
from 1968-70. The results are on the right. Name Height Wingspan Difference
Z. Badzim 199 196 -3
M. Kraljevic 212 203 -9
M. Pavlovic 201 195 -6
O. Popovic 190 202 12
O. Ignjatovic 206 207 1
R. Cvetkovic 207 213 6
A. Komazec (1971) 200 201 1
N. Grmusa 193 192 -1
D. Pejcinovic 206 218 12
A. Perica 205 213 8
Z. Tabak 209 212 3
TOTAL Average: 202,5 Average: 204,7 24

TURKISH NATIONAL SELECTION - CADETS - GENERATION 1987-88

HEIGHT AND WINGSPAN STATISTICS

Name Height Wingspan Difference

Mehmet Yagmur 185 184 -1
Cenk Akyol 197 204 7
Yasin Gorluk 204 204 0
Barus Hersek 204 207 3
Mehmet Sahin 204 205 1
Murat Goktas 200 201 1
Erhan Yetim 204 206 2
Mutlu Demir 207 206 -1
Oguz Savas 208 209 1
Emre Bayev 209 222 13
Cem Coskun 209 212 3
Ersan Ilyasova 206 217 9
Cemal Nalga 204 207 3
Bora Pacun 206 210 4
TOTAL Average: 203,3 Average: 206,7 45

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

WHEELCHAIR
by David Titmuss
BASKETBALL:
TRANSITION FROM
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE
David Titmuss has head coached at the shot in the early Nineties compared to teams execute transition from defense
international level in both the running contemporary images. It's like looking at to offense and vice versa.
game and with Great Britain men's film of the running game in the Fifties and
wheelchair basketball squad. He won comparing it with today. THE MOMENT OF TRANSITION - DEFENSE TO
the silver medal at the International OFFENSE
Wheelchair Basketball Federation 2002 In the modern wheelchair game players I think generally coaches are more
World Championships and the bronze are more athletic and skilful and demon- insecure about their half-court offense
medal at the Athens 2004 Paralympics. strate amazing manoeuvrability in their than just about any other aspect of
specially engineered chairs and this has team preparation and as a result this is
given a disproportionate emphasis -
Wheelchair basketball at the internatio- encouraged coaches to come up with
even by experienced coaches - over
nal level has developed dramatically innovative individual and team play tech-
the course of a season. I think this is a
from where it was 10 years ago, this is niques. Nowhere is this more evident mistake because how a team handles
clearly evident from a study of videotape than in the way the leading international transition probably has more bearing
on the outcome of a game than how
either half-court offense or half-court
defense is played!

Great defense-to-offense transition

starts with all five players anticipating
the moment that their team will get pos-
session, and then reacting in a split
second when they know it has happe-
ned. This cannot be achieved in the
running game unless players in defen-
se constantly reposition themselves in
relation to the ball so that they can see
both it and their assignment and can
then anticipate recovery. Seeing the
ball in this way is essential, too, when
defensive breakdowns occur and sup-
port is needed to prevent an easy score
- an idea beautifully encapsulated in
Coach Bobby Knight's definition of
defense as "one man guards the ball,
and four people help him."
In the running game maintaining vision
on ball and man is relatively easy to do
(unless for tactical reasons an oppo-
nent is being totally face-guarded), but
most defensive schemes in wheelchair
basketball are designed to block an
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

opponent's chair from getting into the

restricted area. This means that a
defensive player must focus more on
stopping an opponent cutting into the
key than on locating the ball and, in fact,
'ball-watching' that then results in an
offensive player slipping passed the
defender into a scoring position, is a
serious defensive breakdown from
which it is difficult to recover not least
because of restrictions in lateral move-
ment.

A few wheelchair players around the

world have developed the technique of
seeing man and ball, perhaps using quick
glances, peripheral vision or the sensa-
tion of contact with an opposing player's
chair to feel movement, and these
players, whether by design or not, do still team-mates to block-out and rebound, want to sprint in almost straight lines.
seem able to prevent an opponent from and a player marking the man in posses- Wheelchair players in transition to
flashing into the key. sion will call "pass" each time his assign- offense will look to make crossing
ment releases the ball so that his team- movements that allow them to receive
A high priority in the wheelchair game is mates know the ball is in the air. the ball at a 45 degree angle to the pas-
placed on vocal communication to help ser; to create paths for the dribbling
compensate for lack of visual cues. A On recovery of the ball, wheelchair ball-handler by picking his defender out;
player recovering the ball will call "ball"; a players are more likely to describe zig- and to create multiple picking situations
player guarding a shooter will, as in the zag patterns in their movements down that the defense has to constantly
running game, call "shot" to alert his court while running game players will defend, usually by switching.
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At first glance the idea of making cros- players to flare out to the three-point line The pick-back can be opportunistic and
sing movements might seem to the run- and spot-up waiting for the penetration random against any player; alternatively
ning game coach an extremely inefficient and 'kick' type of play; he might stress a specific opponent can be targeted. And
and slow way of getting from one end of getting early and aggressive post position the Coach might designate one or two of
the court to the other - like executing a or the idea of encouraging trailing players his players for the job of picking-back or
three-man weave as a fastbreak! to read the defense and make cuts to the encourage any of his players to do it.
basket based on what they see. And a
But in wheelchair, the pick can be such a plethora of sophisticated 'primary' and The main purpose of the pick-back is to
devastating weapon that it is possible to 'secondary' break patterns have been get a momentary numerical, size or
create offense as the players move down developed with the idea of getting a good quickness advantage at the offensive
court with the result that the defense shot against a recovering defense. end so that the ball can be moved to the
becomes outnumbered in the quarter- open man for an unchallenged shot. And
court and, with good ball-movement, a There is an opportunity, unique to the there are different ways of picking-back.
high percentage shot can be obtained. wheelchair game, to create offensive A defender might just make a glancing
The defense will often also be vulnerable advantage that entails the use of the pick in order to stop his opponent's chair
to mis-matches. chair to block the progress of an oppo- for a second to delay him; he might sha-
nent in the backcourt who is trying to dow the offensive player, forcing him to
In the wheelchair game there is extreme recover to the defensive end. This would move more laterally across the court
emphasis placed on looking for mismatches be pretty difficult to do legally in the run- than he wants to, before 'releasing'
that are difficult to guard because there is ning game! once the ball is in the attack area of the
no ability to jump or 'get into' the body of the A player can even be stopped dead and court or he can pick-back, release and
offensive player and, also, the offensive prevented from getting down court - pick-back again forcing the offensive
player might be physically more able. generally called a 'pick-back' - especial- player to stop and start. Two players
ly if there is a mismatch in manoeuvrabi- might be used to delay a particularly
There is probably more variety in the run- lity between the player doing the dangerous opponent and while this
ning game with what can be done again- 'blocking' and the player being 'held'. might not create a numerical advantage
st a recovering defense in the scoring There are counters to this tactic aimed at it could keep him from getting to a posi-
area (although wheelchair coaches releasing the player being picked-back tion where he can be effective defensi-
might disagree!) and this will depend on but an explanation of these is not within vely. Now wouldn't that be great in the
the coach's approach. He may like the scope of this article. running game!

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Freeze Pull-Ups
by Jay Hernandez

picture 1 picture 2

Jay Hernandez is the founder of Pro

Hoops Inc. which is a basketball trai-
ning company that provides basketball
specific workouts, camps, strength and
conditioning and more. He has one video
out on Wally Szczerbiak's (Minnesota
Timberwolves) shooting routine and has
another video on ball-handling in the
works ([email protected]).

In today's game many people are

talking about the fact that there aren't
many players, who have a mid-range
game. Players are either settling for the
three-pointer or they are going all of the
way to the basket.
There are many styles and ways of
doing things that players can choose picture 3 picture 4
from. The Pro Hoops way teaches
players to do a number of setup moves
before they go into the Freeze Pull-up
series. For example, a player should
attack the basket hard with a stutter
step and then do another move using
the between the legs going to the
basket. After this the defender knows
and respects that the offensive player
can go by them.
The Freeze Pull-up is designed to use
moves that have already worked pre-
viously going past a defender and make
it look like you are going to attempt the
same move but you pull-up instead. The
Freeze Pull-Ups are categorized into 2
categories: picture 5 picture 6
▼ The first category is the 1-2.
▼ The second category is the Jay-
Step.

Category I: The 1-2 was established

because most players hop after a
move and usually hop forward into
the defense that they just got to
retreat back. This always gives a
good defender a second chance for
a deflection, a blocked shot or a
hard contest. There are two 1-2
moves which includes the stutter-
step and the inside-out.
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 FIBA EUROP

A. Stutter-Step: The stutter-step is a

picture 7 move where the feet move in a
right/left pattern quickly in a spot
before an explosion to the basket.
After the explosion the defense will
look to stop this move the next time.
The stutter-step/1-2 will work great
the next time. Start the stutter-step
on the run and about an arm and a
half length away from the defender.
With every stutter move your body
lower and lower like you are going
down a stair case (Move and stutter
down not forward). Keep the dribble
waist high even though you are get-
ting lower and lower because we
want to have the ball as close to our
shooting pocket as possible. The
hardest part of this move is to drib-
ble and stutter at the same time and
into a 1-2 step (right-left or left-
right). Most players stutter and then
dribble (again into the defense they
just broke down). This pattern done
correctly will ensure a player being
picture 8 frozen in their stance (picture 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, and 6).

Review:
▼ Stutter down not forward.

▼ Dribble stays waist high.

▼ Stutter and dribble at the same time.

▼ Finish with a 1-2 step off of the stut-

ter which will get a shot off faster
than a hop.

▼ Stutter on the balls of your feet.

B. Inside-Out: The inside-out move is

usually called a carry when done
above the chest. We teach to do this
picture 9 move below the waist and don't
have the inside-out come across the
body. It should stop half way in
order to get off a quicker move and
to get into a combination move if
needed. Players normally fake with
their opposite foot when doing the
move to make it look like they are
going into that direction and then
they explode back to the same side
that the ball is on. Players try to imi-
tate this when doing pull-ups and it
results in a much slower move. Pro
Hoops teaches to separate the
movements of the upper body from
the lower. The upper body is moving
side to side trying to catch the
attention of the defenders eyes with
this movement pattern. Starting with
the right hand everything from the
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

head, the shoulders and the ball are

moving from right to left. The feet picture 10 picture 11
are a doing a 1-2 step simultaneou-
sly with the inside-out. The knees
are bent into a shooting position by
the time the inside-out is over and a
shot is going up in less than a
second (picture 7, 8, and 9).

Review:
▼ Inside-out stays below the waist
and stops at the mid-point of the
body.

▼ Upper body moves from right to left

while the lower body is doing a 1-2
step in preparation for the shot.

▼ Jab on the balls of your feet.

Category II: The Jay-Step is a moved

used a lot by Jay Hernandez in his
playing days and worked so well
that it was named after him. The
moves that we will focus on for the
Jay-Step are the between the legs
and the behind the back. These
moves all finish up with a jab-step
off of the move.

A. The between the legs: Starting with

the right hand. Start with a quick
right step digging your toes into the
ground. You should then proceed to
throw the ball through the legs as
hard as you can. At the same time picture 12 picture 13
that this is happening you should jab
with the left foot and lean the upper
body to the left. Finally bring back
your left foot to your shooting stan-
ce and release the ball. Don't come
out of a low stance and don't jab
forward but jab on an angle about a
foot away from where your shooting
stance normally is. This move will
make it look as if you are trying to go
past the defender but you pull back
quickly and get a shot off as they get
frozen into their stance and watch
you shoot over them. Always stay
low and don't bounce out of the
stance. Do the opposite footwork for
the left hand (picture 10, 11, 12, and
13).

Review:
▼ Start with a quick step with the
same side that the ball is on.

▼ Throw the ball as hard as you can

through the legs.
▼ Jab step slightly with the other foot
to the side and not straight out in
order to get the shot off quicker.
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 ▼ Bring that foot back to a shooting
picture 14 stance and release the ball. Don't
get out of a low stance when making
this move.

B. Behind the Back: This move follows

the same pattern as above. The
issues related with this move usual-
ly stem from not having a step-jab
pattern. Most players in order to get
the ball behind the back tend to
jump both feet on the ground at the
same time. The other issue is that
the ball is wrapped around by
players like they normally do when
they go to the basket. A player
should always throw the ball strai-
ght back and below the butt in order
to get the shot off fast and freeze the
defender (picture 14, 15, and 16).

Review:
▼ Start with a quick step with the
same side that the ball is on.

picture 15 ▼ Throw the ball as hard as you can

behind the back and below the butt.

▼ Jab step slightly with the other foot

to the side and not straight out in
order to get the shot off quicker.

▼ Bring that foot back to a shooting

stance and release the ball. Don't
get out of a low stance when making
this move.

In conclusion, a freeze pull-up is a term

used by Pro Hoops Inc. to explain how
a player should look when these moves
are done correctly. The defender will
not be able to react or they react too
hard to the move that they can't reco-
ver.
picture 16
Overall Keys to the Freeze-Pull-Up
include:

1. These moves are best used when

started an arms length away from
the defender.

2. These moves are best used after a

set up move that goes towards the
basket.

3. These moves can be used on the run

or while dribbling in place.

4. The same move you used for the set

up would be a good move to also use
for the freeze pull-up.

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE INTERNATIONAL
by Carsten Kerner
BERLIN BASKETBALL
ACADEMY (IBBA)

Carsten Kerner has been the President of

the International Berlin Basketball
Academy since 1999. He had previously
been head coach of TuS Lichterfelde
Berlin and of several Division I and II
women's teams.

CREDO
The International Berlin Basketball
Academy (IBBA) is a basketball training
and service center. Its primary function is
to train talented young athletes and turn
them into top international players. In
addition, the IBBA organizes activities
aimed at meeting the requirements of top-
level basketball. These especially involve
the planning and hosting of camps, tourna-
ments, and coaches' clinics.

HISTORY
In the 1990-1991 season, work with young
players in Berlin was already being carried
out very successfully and with impressive
results. The Berlin Basketball Federation's
regional selections were achieving good
results and players from Berlin were regu-
larly selected for national youth teams.
None of these players, however, ever
managed to make the leap into the national
league. A plan was then developed to
bring talented young basketball players up
to first division level. The result was the
signing of the first joint co-operation con-
tract in German basketball, still today con-
sidered as the first example of its kind.
It was out of this vision the concept for the
individual promotion of talented players
was developed. This was then refined in
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co-operation with the Berlin Basketball
Federation, Alba Berlin, and TuS
Lichterfelde, the other partners in the
project. Given the national importance of
the plan, the German Basketball
Federation soon signed on as a partner. On
March 15, 1999, the International Berlin
Basketball Academy (IBBA) was founded,
the first basketball service center in
Germany. Many players coached within
this network have later gone on to play for
Alba Berlin and other top European clubs.

CONCEPT
At the heart of the IBBA concept is the
talented young player and his particular
needs. The IBBA sees its task as being
able to provide each athlete with his opti-
mal training environment. Some examples:
▼ Co-ordinating the school timetable with
the basketball-training schedule.
▼ Reducing travelling distances between
home, school, and training gyms.
▼ Organizing supervision at school
and/or the possibility for weight trai-
ning where the player can take advan-
tage of it without losing any time.

The following provides an overview of the

IBBA's tasks and areas of activity:

COORDINATION OF INTERESTS
One of the main tasks with the individual
promotion of talented young players is co-
ordinating the demands and appointments,
which have to be taken into consideration
for every single player. The IBBA tries to
ensure balanced planning by working
together with teachers, parents, coaches,
and the player himself. In doing this, the
following factors, among other things,
must be taken into account:
▼ Accommodating the player's commit-
ments with his youth team.
▼ Synchronizing inter-regional youth tour-
naments with the national and regional
league dates.
▼ Co-ordinating the weekly training sche-
▼ Based on the assessment of perfor- PHYSIOTHERAPY
dule with the school timetable. mance, the provision of special, tai- ▼ Power training.
▼ Taking into account academic require- lor-made measures to help the ▼ Specific training for strength and
ments (exams, A-levels, participation player progress, in the form of trai- coordination.
at official Olympic training sessions for ning sessions, technical and tactical ▼ Joint-friendly posture training.
young athletes). trainings, etc. ▼ Teaching players to be aware of
▼ Coordinating the German Basketball ▼ Individual training and training in their own body.
Federation national team training ses- small groups. ▼ Sports physiotherapy for prevention
sions and games with club interests. ▼ Group and individual tactics. and/or rehabilitation of injuries.
▼ Specific analysis of videos, theory. ▼ Training on respiratory function.
BASKETBALL-SPECIFIC PROMOTION ▼ Workouts using the most up-to-date ▼ General and performance-related
▼ Regular and recurring analysis of the analysis techniques. diagnosis.
player's athletic, technical, and tacti- ▼ Supervision by recognized and
cal skills and abilities. experienced top-class international SUPERVISION IN SCHOOL
▼ Pinpointing strengths and weaknesses and national trainers and coaches in ▼ Specific supervision and support in
in performance. both youth and senior basketball. coping with academic requirements.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Encouragement to carry out tasks inde-

pendently.
▼ Establishing a regular pattern to help
cope with the mechanics of day-to-day
life.
▼ Establishing and prioritizing require-
ments through close cooperation with
a) the responsible coaches, trainers
and supervisors and b) the parents or
legal guardians.
▼ Achieving, maintaining, and improving
academic performance.
▼ Supervision of schoolwork.
▼ Working on weak subjects in small
groups.
▼ Private tuition for specific athletes.
▼ Provision of strategies for learning and
working.
▼ Drawing up work timetables (on a
monthly, weekly, and daily basis).
▼ Teaching concrete learning techni-
ques.
▼ Making someone available to help in
dealing with organizational problems.
▼ Information from the schools concer-
ned regarding the schedule for the cur-
rent course.
▼ Feedback from class teachers and
parents in the case of the student
being overtaxed.

ADVICE (IN COOPERATION WITH THE BERLIN

OLYMPIC CENTER)
Nutritional advice
▼ Drawing up a diet plan geared to high-
performance sport.
▼ Supervision by nutritional specialists,
using the most up-to-date scientific
knowledge.

Career planning
▼ Support and advice on apprenticeshi-
ps, national service, community servi-
ce, college/university, a career in
sports, etc.

Training Accommodation to the flats or act as an accompanying

▼ Training on how to behave and pre- Up to two young people are accommo- person (for visits to government offi-
sent oneself as a high-class athlete dated in a suitable flat (two rooms, kit- ces, authorities, shopping, etc.).
to the public, the media, and spon- chen, bathroom) as close to school (for
sors. example the Coubertin or Bröndby The amount of supervision required is
▼ Acquisition and improvement of com- grammar schools) and/or the Max- assessed weekly and on an individual
munication skills. Schmeling hall as possible. The flats and flexible basis, whereby experience
are adequately furnished but with has shown that around six to ten hours'
SUPERVISED ACCOMMODATION enough space for personal items of fur- supervision per week is usually suffi-
Target group niture. cient.
Talented young basketball players aged 15
and older from all over Germany, whose Supervision by social Support and assistance with:
sporting abilities are to be furthered by the education workers ▼ Organizing and keeping house.
IBBA and who, in addition to support on an Flexible supervision is provided on an ▼ Getting to know and finding one's
academic and sporting level, require peda- hourly basis by social education way around the new city/district.
gogical supervision in the areas of living workers from our partner, Independent ▼ Joint budgeting and managing of
independently and everyday life. Living e.V. These workers either come available finances.
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▼ Academic problems; close contacts preventative and rehabilitative measures, the second time, Henrik Rödl gathered
with the responsible schoolteachers; it is the training for up-and-coming young together around 80 children, born
supervising homework. athletes carried out by the Center's col- between 1991 and 1994, on the Baltic
▼ Arranging free time activities; taking league Axel Noack (who participated in island of Fehmarn, in order to introduce
advantage of the range of educational the Olympic walking event on three occa- them to the fascination of basketball. The
adventure and leisure activities offe- sions), which is at the forefront. This camp will be held again this year.
red by Independent Living e.V. (fit- comprehensive system of support which
ness, canoeing, short trips, Internet extends from young to top-class athletes Immediately following the end of the sea-
café, billiards...). is exemplary for game sports in Germany. son, IBBA Coach Emir Mutapcic invited
▼ Fixed contact partners for all pro- 32 of the most talented players born
blems. FINANCING between 1987 and 1988 to the Max-
▼ Close consultation and regular infor- The IBBA finances its activities by means Schmeling Hall, with the aim of impres-
mation sessions with parents. of membership fees, sponsoring and sing upon them the Berlin philosophy, and
▼ Emergency on-call service. donations. There is also a financial return coaching them.
generated by development contracts with
PARTNERS the players being promoted. Generally Last but not least, Alba Berlin and the
In addition to the founding members, speaking, contracts run for four years so IBBA once again organized the "adidas
namely the German Basketball that a player is supported between the superstar camp". From July 21-24 2004, a
Federation, the Berlin Basketball ages of 15 and 19. All IBBA services that team of coaches made up of Emir
Federation, Alba Berlin basketball team the player takes advantage of are made Mutapcic, Burkhardt Prigge and Henrik
and TuS Lichterfelde, it is, primarily, the available by the IBBA in the form of a Rödl, together with other internationally-
following partners who support the IBBA loan. If, after the contract has terminated acclaimed coaches-among them the for-
and without whose involvement the qua- and within a period of three years, the mer Alba coach, Svetislav Pesic-trained
lity of our services would no longer be player earns his living from basketball, 48 talented junior players from 20 coun-
assured: half of this loan must be paid back in tries. The star guests in the Max-
instalments to the IBBA. These finances Schmeling Hall were the three-time NBA
German National Railways are then used to benefit following gene- Allstar Detlef Schremp, as well as Nene,
In addition to the basketball elite, it is rations of young players. power forward with the Denver Nuggets,
young players who are to benefit from the and Theo Ratliff, center of the Portland
commitment of "Die Bahn" (German ACTIVITIES & SUCCESSES Trail Blazers, all three of whom trained
National Railways). It is for this reason Though still in its early years, the IBBA with the young players.
that the company supports the Berlin has already chalked up several succes-
Basketball Camp, first organized by the ses and organised events. The highlights: Coaches' Clinics
IBBA in the summer of 2002, and also On the occasion of the German league's
sponsors the shirts for the International Ibba Teams "All Star Days," the IBBA conducted a
Berlin Basketball Academy (IBBA) team. As a result of the large number of high- coaches' clinic on the subject of "compe-
In this way, "Die Bahn" has extended its performing players in the current age titive basketball for young players." Over
involvement with talented young basket- groups, the IBBA is already starting its 60 coaches took part in the training. The
ball players to top-level promotion in the third year with its own teams, which also program was put together by the top-
hope that, for a great many of these play in the German championships. In class experts Emir Mutapcic and
players, the transition into the national 2003, the under-16 team became the Svetislav Pesic. A further two training
league will be made easier. unbeaten champion and the following courses will also be conducted this year.
year gained the bronze medal. In the cur-
Adidas rent season and for the first time, the THE PICTURE TODAY
No other institution in Germany has dedi- IBBA is taking part with an under-16 and At the moment, there are 24 young
cated itself to promoting talented young an under-18 team. players (born between 1984 and 1988)
basketball players like the IBBA has. being trained in Berlin, of whom 15 are
Through its intensive cooperation, adidas Participation in the currently on German Basketball
is once again stressing its commitment to William Jones Cup 2004 Federation squads. In this respect, the
basketball in Berlin at all levels, from the A selection from the International Berlin development of these players within the
IBBAto TuS Licherfelde, and right up to Basketball Academy was in Taipei, squads is to be positively emphasized:
Alba Berlin. This comprehensive concept Taiwan in summer 2004, where from July over the last two years, 13 of the 14 natio-
reflects adidas' philosophy: "To be a part- 24 to August 1, the talented young players nal team players from the IBBA in Berlin
ner for sport at all levels." represented Germany at the 26th William have managed to move up into the next
Jones Cup, participating in a tournament squad!
Berlin Olympic Center with ten teams from Asia, Europe, and As of the season 2004-2005, Henrik Rödl,
The successful and long-established North America. former player of the German National
cooperation between the Berlin team, has joined the forces of Alba
Basketball Federation and the Berlin Camps Berlin's full-time coaching staff. As Head
Olympic Centre has been further exten- Apart from promoting talented young Coach of Alba he is additionally responsi-
ded to include the IBBA. Apart from the individuals, the IBBA also organizes ble both for the sporting program at the
regular and in-depth analysis of the regular camps aimed at various groups of IBBA and the men's first team at TuS
whole team's performance, as well as young people. In the summer of 2004, for Lichterfelde.
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE NATIONAL FRENCH

by Lucien Legrand
CADETS TEAM:
THE PHILOSOPHY
AND THE WORK
Lucien Legrand was assistant coach of
the French Men's national team from
1989 to 1993. He was also head coach of
the Junior National team, and, since
1995, head coach of the Men's Cadet
National team. His team won the FIBA
European Cadets Championship in 2004.
Since 1999 he has been the Director of
the Federal Center of the French
Basketball Federation.

SOME PREMISES
Our teaching methods for the 1988 French
National Cadets team:

1. The will to develop the inside game,

for giving chances to our centers to
score, even if not particularly tall.
2. The daily improvement of the inside
players, playing with the back to the
basket, teaching them different types
of shots.
3. The establishment of rules and skills
necessary for defensive and offensive
rebounding.
4. The improvement of the physical skil-
ls of our players, thanks to physical,
endurance and muscular conditio-
ning, has made it possible for us to
still be in very good physical condition
in the fourth quarter.
5. A strict daily lifestyle, with monitoring
of diet and relaxation.
6. Sessions of viewing videos to correct
errors and understand the opponents'
strategies.
7. Man-to-man defense, with simple
principles, but constant pressure on
the player with the ball, and the ability
to change the type of defense during
the course of the game.
8. A supplementary and close-knit group
of technical staff members.
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 D.1 D.3 D.8

D.2 D.4 D.9

9. Players, who agreed to work with

great determination and the utmost
respect for the group, both on and off
the basketball court.
10. A coaching staff that used the past
experiences and transferred to the
player educational and motivational
values.
D.5 D.10
PHILOSOPHY OF THE OFFENSIVE GAME
▼ The aim is to make our young players
understand they must be responsible
for their game choices, by "reading"
the game.
▼ Keep constant offensive aggressive-
ness while respecting the principles
of the game.
▼ Simplify practices through the deve-
lopment of post players' shooting
skills.
D.6 D.11
PASSING GAME
It's a free offense, which helps the young
players to develop and puts the accent on
reading the defense, aggressiveness, the
rational use of spacing, and the individual
and collective fundamentals. We used
this while winning the FIBA Cadets
European Championships last year.

Diagram Legend
I: inside player D.12
D.7
E: perimeter player

INITIAL SET
One low post player, with the other four
players on the perimeter, outside the
three-point line, including the other inside
player, who is in the middle of the court,
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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

right in front of the basket (diagr. 1). 4) If there is no other solution, the ball is
reversed on the other side of the
BEGINNING OF THE PLAY court. We can reach this aim in diffe-
The player with the ball attempts to drive rent ways:
to open up the passing lanes and force ▼ By the pass from the point guard to
the help by the other defenders. He can the other inside player, who started
dish off the ball to the low post or to the the play in the middle of the court, and
outside player, spotted up around the from him to the other perimeter player
perimeter, outside the three-point line. on the other side (diagr. 6).
D.13 It is essential that the player with the ball ▼ With a pass from the point guard to
make a hard and aggressive drive to the the inside player in the middle of the
basket, while the other teammates set up court, and then with a handoff pass
themselves to offer the passing options, (diagr. 7).
creating wider space between the defen- ▼ By a pick-and-roll between the point
ders, who help, or make back door cuts guard and the inside player in the midd-
(diagr. 2). le of the court (diagr. 8).

1) If the player with the ball has not suc- 5) Once the ball has been reversed, the
ceeded in driving, he attempts to pass inside player cuts in the lane to post up
to a forward, who will face the inside in the low-post position on the ball side
player, who is positioned in the low (diagr. 9).
D.14 post area on the ball side (diagr. 3).
THE PRINCIPLES
2) If the point guard cannot pass to the ▼ The ball is passed to the inside player
forward, he may also dribble to the each time he is guarded behind
wing to create a better passing angle (diagr. 10).
to the low post, while the forward ▼ If the inside player is guarded in front,
frees the wing spot (diagr. 4). the priority is to create a passing trian-
gle to play high-low: the perimeter
3) The forward, in this case, can go in player passes to the inside player at the
the corner on the ball side, or on the top of the lane, and he passes to the low
other corner opposite to the ball post (diagr. 11).
D.15 (diagr. 5). ▼ After any inside pass, the player, who

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 has passed the ball, cuts to corner,
outside of the three-point line, or to the
corner of the free-throw area. This
opens passing lanes to the low post, if
he cannot shoot or if he is trapped
(diagr. 12).
▼ After the inside player on the top of the
circle has passed the ball on the peri-
meter, he must make a screen away
from the ball (diagr. 13) or on the ball D.16 D.21
(diagr. 14).

Once the ball has been passed on the peri-

meter, the two players nearest to the base-
line have two options:
a. The low post steps out and screens for
the perimeter player (diagr. 15).
b. The perimeter player opposite to the
ball makes a baseline screen for the low
post (diagr. 16).

REVIEW OF THE COLLECTIVE PRINCIPLES D.17 D.22

▼ The forward must cut in the lane whe-
never the point guard dribbles toward
him (diagr. 17). After a pass to the low
post, the passer must always move
away from the ball to give passing
options to the low post and for an outsi-
de shot (diagr. 18).
▼ On the reverse of the ball, the perime-
ter player on the baseline and away
from the ball must make a screen on
the other side of the court for the low
post (diagr. 19). After the inside player D.18 D.23
at the top of the circle has passed the
ball to the wing, he screens the peri-
meter player, who screened the post, a
play called "screen the screener"
(diagr. 20).
▼ On the reversal of the ball, the low
post steps out and screens for the
baseline perimeter player (diagr. 21).
After the reversal pass, the inside
player at the top of the circle screens
away from the ball for the perimeter D.24
D.19
player on the wing, while the perime-
ter player on the low post steps out of
the lane and the low pots cuts to the
ball side (diagr. 22).
▼ On the reversal pass (diagr. 23), the
inside player at the top of the circle
makes a screen on the ball (diagr. 24),
then rolls to the basket and receives
the ball from the perimeter player. The
low post can also come high, receive
the ball, and make a high-low play
(diagr. 25). D.20 D.25

There are countless options on this type of

play, and because there is not a strict pat-
tern to follow, this helps the creativity of
the players. Besides, this play is impossi-
ble to scout, due to the variety of solutions.

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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

The Lost Art of

by Ganon Baker
the Jump Shot
Ganon Baker, former assistant coach at
Hampton, Belmont Abbey, and Coastal
Carolina, and President of the "Shake n'Bake
Basketball Services", was also player-
coach of a team in Iceland. He teaches one-
on-one moves at camps and clinics all over
the US, and he was also invited to give cli-
nics in Australia and New Zealand. He pro-
duced five videos and DVDs on these moves
with Championship Productions.

With the recent third place finish in our

Olympic Games and through my travels, it
has become evident to me that shooting is
a third option on offense. Many players
from Jr High to the Pros would rather
"Flush"(Dunk) on someone or "break some
ankles" (crossover dribble on the defense)
than take the mid-range open jump shot.
1 2
In this article I will teach you how to cor-
rect your jumper and/or how to develop
one.

I. THE STANCE BEFORE YOU RECEIVE THE BALL

Be ready to score before you receive the ball
1. Drop hips, back straight.
2. 10 fingers to sky to show passer your
palms.
3. Always have "trigger foot" behind you,
ready to create energy on the catch
(photo 1).

II. SHOOTING STANCE

1. Feet, hips, shoulders all pointing at rim.
2. Hips dropped, back straight.
3. Ball placement with wrist and forearm
is the shape of "L".
4. Ball is placed somewhere between
shoulder and hip (I like to place it
parallel with my chest). Make sure it is
to the shooting side.
5. Ball is tucked where shooting elbow is
slightly behind your hips and behind
the ball.
6. Eyes on rim (photo 2).

III. THE RELEASE OF THE JUMPER

1. Keep ball to the shooting side.
2. Make release in one motion. 3 4
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 FIBA EUROP

3. Keep wrist and elbow under ball entire

motion.
4. Extend shooting arm through ball
(punch ball).
5. Keep guide hand still and elbow sligh-
tly flexed.
6. Release point should be above eyes
and shooting elbow is lifted up past
eyes, not out infront of eyes.
7. Fire feet (jump hard and firm).
8. Hold release until ball hits goal. All five
shooting fingers should be pointing
down to the ground (photo 3 and 4).

IV. DRILLS TO BUILD HABITS

1. Step Drill with and without the Ball
▼ Fire feet quick and violent into shoo-
ting position (photo 5 and 6).
5 6
2. Self Shots
▼ Shoot to yourself with and without ball.

7 8 9
▼ With ball you stay in same position
each rep.
▼ Don't move from spot, shoot ball from
one shooting side to other side of body,
catch with opposite hand (photo 7, 8, 9,
10, and 11).

3. Knee Shots
▼ Keep back straight and eyes on rim.
▼ This really strengthens your release
and helps you shoot in one motion
(photo 12, 13, and 14).

4. Chair Shots with and without Jumping

▼ Sit on edge of chair.
▼ Is just like knee shots.
▼ Add jump after form (photo 15, 16, 17,
18, and 19).

10 11 5. Form Shots
▼ Barely jump, work on total stance and
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

12 13 14

15 16 17
release. Then do it with a hard or
"game" jump.
▼ Shots should be 3-5 feet away from
basket at the two post spots and top
of key.
▼ All swishes, all banks, all makes in a
row. All are different varieties of drills
(photo 20, 21, and 22).

6. Toss and Catch Drill

▼ Toss ball out with back spin.
▼ Plant a foot, come back to stance in
one motion, release a balanced shot
in one motion squared to rim.
▼ Make 7-8 shots in one minute at game
speed (photo 23, 24, 25, and 26).

This give you a foundation for your

jumpshot. You must practice everyday
with intensity and consistency.
It takes 17,000 repetitions to learn a
skill.
Get after it!
18 19
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20 21 22

23 24

25 26

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

INSEP: THE SCHOOL

by AlexandreCarlier
OF FRENCH
CHAMPIONS
Alexandre Carlier was a journalist who
worked for the French newspaper "But"
before joining the French Basketball
Federation in 2002.

Under the aegis of the French Basketball

Federation, through its National Technical
Department, the National Institute for Sport and
Physical Education (INSEP) has been home to
the Federal Basketball Center for more than
twenty years. A real catalyst for positive energy,
it brings together the country's best potential
young players in their high-level quest to form
the framework of future French national teams.
At the heart of the Vincennes forest in Paris,
INSEP has for years kept company with the
plantains, oak and chestnut trees. Yesterday, it
drew today's big names deep into this forest in
order to make them climb, one by one, the rungs
of the ladder to the legend of French sport. The
number 112 bus still drops off the nation's great
hopefuls at INSEP's doors, setting them down
on the launching ramp to success. This establi-
shment, placed under the supervision of the
Ministry for Youth and Sport, has been at the
service of high-level athletes since 1945. It offers
the French elite optimal conditions, enabling
them to combine their training with an education
at school, university, or professional level. On a
site covering 34 hectares, the athletes, who are
recruited through their sports federations, have
everything they need to achieve their goals at
the Center.
The basketball players first took up residence
in 1983. Their Federal Center is a body of the
National Technical Department and has been
nurturing champions for almost twenty years.
The latter decided to devote itself body and
soul to the training of young players by allowing
them not only to learn the basics of basketball,
but also to pursue their studies. The aim is
clear: to provide the framework of future
French national men's and women's teams.
The professional success of the members who
have passed through its doors and the excel-
lent success rate in the baccalauréat (approxi-
mately 90 percent) have encouraged the insti-
tution to maintain its course.

EV\Z'%*
The academic side of things, for that matter, it
not neglected. "It would be wrong to think that
being here necessarily means success." conce-
des Jean-Pierre de Vincenzi, National Technical
Director. "If the student doesn't make the grade,
then he leaves. At the Federal Center, he has
rights, for example. He benefits from free trai-
ning, but he also has responsibilities. He must
respect the rules and get good academic
results." The slot reserved for training is of the
same standard. For three to five hours a day, the
students wear out their shoes on the wooden
floors and practice their range of moves in order
to become professionals. No need to mention
that they must be at a physical peak to withstand
a course, which on average, lasts two years,
even longer if they so choose. "To succeed here,
you have to like pain and have great moral and
physical qualities," confirms Lucien Legrand, the
Center's Director. "You constantly have to try and
improve. The biggest reward is when one of our
former students comes and says, "Lucien, you
made my life hell, but you were right."
Everyone, who is close to the young athletes-
from the teachers to the coaches, to the doctors
and the cooks-is also dedicated to instilling
strong values in his young charges. Lucien
Legrand notes that he and his staff are respon-
sible for building respectable people, an essen-
tial asset in society. "It's a permanent educatio-
nal worry. It's our duty to equip a young man or
woman for life. We help them become responsi-
ble and we try to make them mature early."
The method of recruitment is well established.
Very frequently, the young player will be spotted
by a regional technical body during some inter-
league tournament or championship game. His
potential and natural qualities in the game ena-
ble him to take part in trials before, if he makes a
favourable impression, joining the federal struc-
ture. However, everything is still not perfect with
this system of detection. There are still some iso-
lated cases of leaders, hiding behind a certain
selfishness, who attempt to conceal their rare
pearls, not wanting to see them leave the club
they worship.
The majority of talented players are neverthe-
less tracked down and put forward for promo- profile of a player, who is increasingly pre- lopment. Leaving nothing to chance, the
tion. Sometimes, certain players, such as Olivier sent in modern basketball is obtained. It was young player, after having being discovered,
Gouez, who is just finishing his fourth season this observation that pushed Jean-Pierre de is closely supervised medically and benefits
under the Federal Basketball Center's banner, Vincenzi to launch operation "Extra Tall" in the from specifically assigned personnel. "This
are guided back towards the "straight and nar- men's and women's leagues throughout follow-up is important," clarifies Legrand. "We
row." Far away from basketball, his current coa- France. The aim of this project is to detect are, after all, talking about a child's health
ches made him understand that he had to jump potentially tall players at a very early stage here. We need to know if he can train hard.
at an unexpected opportunity in this sport. It has and help them to progress. "Our mission," After this, the individual follows a training
to be said that this young man does present a confirms Lucien Legrand, "is to find young plan adapted to his size. We attempt to turn
somewhat unusual profile, being no less than players who, in the future, will be at least 2.10 him into a skilled player capable of jumping
2.18 m tall. Reaching such heights is extremely m tall for the boys and 1.95 m for the girls. But and running, like Isabelle Fijalkowski (one of
rare in France. The basket, placed at 3.05 m, is this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. the best women's players in Europe), while
not within the reach of just anyone, hence the At that level, we just don't have the same using his height for rebounding. However,
strong development of a game based upon resources as, say, the former Yugoslavs." we're not looking for an overpowering giant.
swiftness and precision. The Center also has to make sure that this In short, we give the extra tall players capa-
When these two qualities come together, the height is not due to premature physical deve- bilities to become high-level players."
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

As far as competition is concerned, the two

teams giving their all at the heart of INSEP, girls
and boys, cadettes and cadets, each play in the
National 1 league, the French Division III,
without the possibility of either relegation or
promotion, whatever their season result. The
boy's team often has trouble in maintaining its
sporting level and thus not in playing the joker it
holds by virtue of its educational purpose.
However, coach Richard Billant believes in his
group and forces it to give its best against adult
teams who are confirmed members of the third
national level.
The girls, on the other hand, practically play the
lead every year in what, for them, is the second
division. There is nothing above them, but the
women's league and its stars from
Valenciennes, Berry, or Tarbes. Of this current
generation, the girls' coach François Gomez sta-
tes, "I expect them to grow up more quickly than
normal girls and to behave like high-level
players. I want them to work on their faults to
correct them absolutely so that they can get as
close as possible to the French national A team
in two years' time. The girls learn a lot during an
increasingly structured National 1, where the
clubs are now entitled to one foreign player. This
is good for the level of the French Basketball
Center."
It is also interesting to work with players from
very different sporting backgrounds. Each sea-
son, male and female players, who have only
played at their regional level, arrive and get to
know their new partners. Many of them are
already European medal-holders in the category
at international level. The aims are obviously not
the same since they are mainly based on indivi-
dual performances. However, Richard Billant
likes to repeat this philosophy: "We have to
remind them that basketball is a team game
where you do nothing without the help of your
teammate. This is the only way to achieve great
things."
It logically follows that the category's "crème de
la crème," having taken refuge at the Federal
Center, are to be found forming the framework of
national youth teams during summer competi-
tions. Very widely recognised for their results
and their quality of play, the new junior and
cadet (boys and girls) teams go around collec-
ting trinkets. "The summer competitions are
necessary," acknowledges Lucien Legrand,
who is also coach of the French national cadet same way and come out of it extremely title gained in 2003 with the San Antonio
team. "It's important for our young players to well. Moreover, it is no longer surprising to Spurs, Parker returned to France in
measure themselves internationally. Our teams see former players from the Federal Center September and gave the current INSEP
always get good results, which demonstrates thank it and its staff for having made it pos- generation the chance to meet the stars
our value." sible for them to get where they are. from his team, such as Tim Duncan and
The reverse side of the medal is that the pre- The most obvious example is that of Tony Emanuel Ginobili. On their way to Paris for
season training is shortened and the start in the Parker. The former Paris Basket Racing an exhibition game against Memphis, the
National 1 is often slightly labored. One month, playmaker never misses a chance in inter- Spurs wanted to visit their French teamma-
perhaps more, separates them from the date views to mention the name of Lucien te's "high school." Says Lucien Legrand: "It
upon which games against their future oppo- Legrand or the special time he had at the makes people realize that he worked really
nents start again. But others have gone the Center. Following the NBA championship hard here to get there, just like Boris Diaw,
EV\Z'%,
the guard now playing with the Atlanta Hawks.
These are competitors, who didn't balk at the
task ahead, young men, who always wanted to
reach higher."
An exception in France, the Federal Center
quickly caught our neighbors' attention. "With
our results, it's normal that we be asked que-
stions about how we work," continues Jean-
Pierre de Vincenzi. "We are, in a way, the fore-
runners. But, we have to try and keep our
advantage while continuing to make progress."
There have been many "spies" lurking in the
undergrowth. The vultures have been out in
force too. There are a number of unscrupulous
people who are ready to make money out of the
future French basketball professionals.
In order to prevent this, the young players are
closely supervised at this level. "They are highly
sought after," Richard Billant is almost sorry to
say. "With some of them, it can go to their heads.
We have to be careful that it doesn't get to them,
which is why we talk to them a lot about it.
Planning certain aims is part of our work. It's
very important for their motivation." The National
Technical Department has also made this one of
its hobbyhorses. "The bane of sport today is the
business aspect," clarifies the French selector,
who won the silver medal at the Olympic Games
in Sydney in 2000. "You sometimes see agents
putting astounding things into young players'
heads. They have a destructive attitude and
disturb the players' education. We have to pro-
tect them from that."
In order to be of the greatest help to players lea-
vinga the federal structure, Patrick Beesley,
assistant coach to Claude Bergeaud, who
heads the rookies national team, has seen him-
self charged with the mission of following them
up. "It is the Federal Center's duty to ensure that
when they leave here everything goes as well
as possible," he explains. "My goal is to study all
the possibilities that they have as a result of their
level and their wishes. Each season, we inform
the Pro A and Pro B clubs which players will be
available at the end of the year and provide a
technical profile drawn up by the coaches, as
well as a statistics sheet. This step is also inten-
ded to reduce chaotic requests. In the end, it's
always the individual who decides. We just help
him to see things more clearly. We also encou-
rage him to go and spend a few days on site so
that he has a better idea of what awaits him."
Ever conscious of fulfilling its task to the best of
its ability, the institution is getting ready to
undergo a major change in the near future. The
juniors and cadets, both girls and boys, will be
brought together in Paris. The cadettes Center in
Toulouse has already ceased to be. Its members
will be joining INSEP's benches and, from now
on, they too will be taking the number 112 bus so
that the Federal Center's perpetual cycle never
comes to rest.

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 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL
by Dragan Kokovic
ASPECTS OF THE
DEVELOPMENT
OF YOUNG PLAYERS
Dragan Kokovic is a Professor at the Genetic determinism proceeds from young player is very important to the
Department of Sociology, Faculty of heredity and, basically speaking, it basketball coach. If he doesn't take it
Philosophy in Novi Sad (Serbia and claims that many individual's manife- into account in his approach to the
Montenegro), and he is teaching at the stations are a matter of heredity and of player, it is very probable that there
Basketball Academy in Belgrade. He the things we inherited from our ance- will be misinterpretations regarding
is the author of several works on the stors (temper, character, tempera- the capability of realizing certain
sociology of culture, sport, education, ment). achievement-especially among young
and of religion, and a co-author of Psychological determinism claims that players-and that could have further
various university textbooks. the forms of behaviour of a young and serious consequences.
player are the result of what was done In the constant learning of the
Creating a player is a difficult and lon- to us by our parents. The education basketball technique, tactical
glasting process that, systematically and experience from childhood essen- variants of the court movement, the
speaking, may be presented with a tially predetermines the development psychology of training and learning is
cybernetic model of input (entry) into of the person and his character struc- also crucial. Many coaches, regar-
the training processes and output (exit), ture. If a player is afraid of being a ding young players do not know the
more concretely speaking, with the group leader, this is, among other staff, curved line of the achievements, and
creation of players with productive it is the result of the parents' educa- they should be familiar with it from
orientation. A young player takes from tion. their experience. A young player rela-
his surroundings, which includes cultu- A young player that feels very guilty tively quickly reaches a certain level
re, area, race, nation, stratum, class, when he makes a mistake, "remem- because he possesses great skills. If
family, and education. He is in great bers" the emotional scenario from the he stops suddenly, he doesn't go
measure determined by his life condi- time when he was vulnerable, sensiti- further. This is the sign that such a
tions and other conditioning processes. ve. and dependant. He can be influen- player reached the plateau, and rela-
There are three widely accepted con- ced by possible punishment when his tive stagnation occurs, or even a fall
ceptions, particular ones or in the com- emotions suffered, when he was rejec- and because of that he starts to feel
binations, that explain the conditions ted and underestimated, when he insecure.
and situational influences involved in compared himself to others, when he There are numerous cases where
the development of young players. didn't meet certain expectations. great talents, frustrated with not
Ambiental determinism basically says knowing such learning principles,
"Young players have to learn to respect that the individual's (player's) develop- became insecure and blocked in their
individual differences within their group, ment is under the influence of chiefs, further sports development.
to accept and to live together with their coaches, opponents, economic situa- Many young basketball players get
teammates that, in some cases, can tions, and state policy. reputations after early matches, and
belong to different social group, race, One should not forget that many young then get lost in the multitude of avera-
religion, ethnic group, country, or town. sportsmen come from countries that ge players. One could make a few
They have to respect the differences pays a lot of attention to sports, but teams of great players' potential out of
that appear while playing basketball there are always those ones that come them.
because some of them play better than from countries that pay no attention to If one had thought timely at this
others, some acquire certain skills sports. Top achievements of indivi- approach, if the way of approaching
quicker than others, and some are duals are the reflection of these these players had been more expert in
playing longer than others." various conditions but also of the self sports and more socio-psychological,
confidence, of the hard work perfor- many of these talents would have
(Jose Maria Buceta, former Spanish med in order to help oneself efficiently. become standard players in the per-
Women’s National Team Coach) Progress in the development of a manent lineup of their club and perha-
EV\Z'%.
ps of the national team, too. 1. Strength-It is wise to start strenght particularly for some sport, in this
For such a positive development, based training only after the beginning of case basketball, should be based on
on optimal learning, it is necessary to puberty because as a child natural- enhancing basic technical skills. In no
provide at least the minimum of emotio- ly matures, he depends on the other life period the approach to lear-
nal relaxation (not emotional devasta- growth of muscular mass. Before ning motorics is as easy as in the
tion!) and more pleasant atmosphere at this period, strength training will child's age.
training sessions ("joyful training"), harm more than be useful. Training with children should be plan-
especially during the technical trai- ned in such a way to be more diverse,
ning. When learning fine coordination 2. When talking about speed, the to comprise different technique skills
movements, like basketball techniques, basic speed will mostly depend on and to make it possible for the child to
spiritual relaxation is extremely impor- the individual predispositons found become conscious of general relations
tant, and it is crucial that there is no with "fast-" and slow-twitch muscle (For example: the ability to shoot after
convulsion. fibers. running and coming to a stop, attemp-
One should create an atmosphere of ting to shoot while standing still and
joy and happiness. When one gains 3. Training of endurance in child's age then jumping, as well as shooting right
and trains condition, everything is har- was considered some time ago to after receiveing a pass are all familiar
der, more tiring, more aggressive. be inefficient and not practical. variants that can be trained).
When one trains the tactics, then Nowdays, there is much evidence Each mentioned action that is perfor-
everything is more thought of, with a of a child's achievements in endu- med at the beginning rather unsucces-
distance and one learns in a step-by- rance (For example: participation in sfully, with lots of tries and errors,
step fashion. Some coaches realized 26-mile marathon races). becomes more perfect, more automatic
that the players' technique and work Nevertheless, it is obvious that the with regular exercise.
with the ball requires some sort of attitudes of whether to train kids in By automatic, I meant that a degree of
musicality, relaxation and joy. That's endurance may be done (For exam- body control at which one needn't
why they succeed. ple: could the extraordinary achie- concentrate on is carried out as part
If you want to train kids really well, you vements of children of that age in of the movement performance. It prac-
have to know something about their endurance be explained with spe- tically occurs by itself, because it's
development (corporeal, cognitive and cial predispositions and technical- "automatic".
soul development). Evolution phases of tactical instruction, related to the A great advantage of automatization is
the child should be known well in order high level of motivation). Research that an athlete can pay attention to
to adjust the training in the proper way. has shown that at least one thing is other tasks. For example, one can con-
On the contrary, there is a typical over- sure: a regular control of the pulse centrate on the opponent or teammate
burdening. This is no pleasure to anyo- in a long period cannot be used as only when one doesn't have to watch
ne, and children stop playing basket- an indicator of successful training the ball in dribbling and can pass it in
ball already when teenagers because of children in endurance because the right moment and in the right
of it. At that time, other activities, its frequency in children that are direction.
perhaps adventures too, other sports growing is slowing down-slowing For the automatization of the court
become more important than playing down, in that case, must not be movement it is very important that the
basketball. interpreted, as it is ordinary with same movements are constantly
If one analyzes more thoroughly the grown-ups, as an effect of all the repeated.
development of body motorics, one training. Neuromuscular activity will be optimal
could observe a precondition of the only with very frequent repetition of
psychomotoric development-move- 4. Mobility is very significant for certain elements.
ment development. First soft, cartilagi- basketball because it represents a Coaches should know that fine moto-
nous tissue in the process of ossifica- basic precondition for acquiring rics can be improved only if the body
tion becomes harder. At the same time, motorical skills in sports. It is clear has had a complete rest and recovery
with neuromuscular maturation, this is that reduction will occur if one doe- period. For example, this would mean
the precondition for the child to learn sn't train for years. that it is not very wise to do conditio-
to sit, stand, and walk. All these pro- ning training in the morning followed by
cesses are mainly the processes of 5. Skillfulness is related to the neuro- an exercise technique in the afternoon.
maturing that are related to nutrition muscular acitivity that optimally Automatization may be interupted if we
that has to be adjusted to the age. One regulates the processes of connec- become conscious of what we have
cannot almost influence these proces- tion and automatization of sports- learned. It happens the same was as it
ses and it would be unwisely to force motorical skills. Precisely, this skill- did to the story of the centipede.
them with too early exercises. Anytime fulness is the condition skill that can When asked by a turtle how it manages
you froce a child may cause develop- be trained most early because it to coordinate all hundred legs, the cen-
ment disorders and block the develop- perfectly suits the process of child's tipede thought for a moment about
ment processes that are supposed to psychomotorical development, for what it had never before had to think of
happen. which constant acquiring of new and at the next moment it could not
Regarding the training condition in motorical skills is characteristic. move its numerous legs forward in the
child's age, certain factors must be right rhythm.
taken into account: strength, speed, There's a special rule in the training of Perception is very significant in every
endurance, mobility, and skillfulness. children: The focus of their teaching, sport. It is not by chance that: "what is
EV\Z'&%
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

the perception like, such will be the floor, the player must assess in There are players that should be pre-
reception". Perceptive truth differs advance what "extraordinary" direc- pared early. The coach should get
from construed truth. In sports, it is tion a ball could get. For example, he them ready for the match that is
necessary to learn perceptive logics has to apply according to this his going to be played, in seven days, for
and "tools" for widening and changing own running direction and prepare example.
of perception. Experience acquired in the change of direction by replacing On the other hand, some players
the early days helps athletes to per- his own balance (similar problems become too tense if motivated for too
ceive. The experience makes foretel- ocur when the floor is slippery and long. The less preoccupied they are
ling possible. For example, it lets the when the ball starts to behave untipi- with their performance and tasks
experience make decisions according cally, and the players more cautiou- before the match, the less burdened
to few parameters and information. sly). they are at the start of the game.
Perceptive expectation may help An individual organizes perception on Coaches can learn a lot about motiva-
sometimes to percieve quicker what his own and does it by choosing parti- tion. It is not enough to rely only on
we expect and in that way to react cular sense stimuli. our feelings. If it were correct that
quickly and adequately. But there may On the basis of collected data already enhanced motivation was a guarantee
be some confusion, most often when available by childhood, structures are for success, why then do coaches
something we haven't hoped for created to which any other perception speak to the players and tell them to
appears (surprise factor in sports). is added. Only those stimuli that we pull themselves together, calm down,
That is the time to react to this unex- can integrate in the familiar sample, and relax. It is always necessary to
pected stimulus longer than if we can be maintained and changed. take into account the particularities of
didn't expect anything at all. With every additional, new experience the sport and motorical forms (some
The basis of sports training consists of the sample changes and widens, and motorical exercises are more complex
diferentiation of movements and their becomes more individual and differen- than others).
coordination with visual perception. tiated-under the hypothesis that in Excessive motivation can be counter-
The perception development consists adults there are constantly new volun- productive in those sports whose cha-
of space and time experience. tary experiences, and naturally also racteristics are complex, clear, and
These experiences depend on such that are against our will. Thus, entail controlled coordination-basket-
whether they are contentful or not. having finished the basketball match ball is an example of this.
For example, time at the match pas- there are many versions of what was Apart from the motive, there are
ses quickly, while it may seem to us experienced. The fact that spectators needs that can also be incentives of
that the coach's lecture lasts too belong to or are supporters of diffe- human behavior.
long, like eternity. Something similar rent clubs can change the perception The meaning of concepts "motive"
could be said about the last minutes of the same match. and "need" are partially the same, and
(seconds) of the basketball game that Motivating young players represents in ordinary, colloquial speech there is
often seem infinite to the coach, mostly positive motivation that gives almost no difference. However, when
players and spectators in a closely strength (instead of a "motive," the meeting needs, state of shortage, that
contested game. word "incentive" is sometimes used). occured in organism (hunger, thirst)
The assessment of distance is crucial The significance of motivation in or in the individual's mind-for exam-
in further development of perception. instruction of young players is huge. It ple, the need for social recognition-is
During the development, the distance is well-known that an individual, canceled.
assessment becomes more realistic. although he perfoms something well, There are primary and secondary
Pre-school children that handle the may do it even better. needs, primary and secondary motiva-
ball variously assess and perceive the The difference between a successful tion. When the basketball player that
distance; kids catch the ball when it and less successful coach is in taking has a primary motivation enters the
rolls in front of their feet or when they into account the motivation and know- game, he becomes active because he
step forward. ledge about it. likes basketball. However, the secon-
Pre-school children at shorter distan- Motivating players must be individual dary motivated player will not engage
ce manage much better to assess the or in smaller groups. In additon, the because of the emotional or material
speed of the ball and its trajectory. motivation must begin on time. prize he expects. (Some coaches moti-
With years, the experience increases However, enhanced motivation does vate their players by making it clear to
and young players are capable to not help some athletes-it often harms them what kind of prize they can
exactly adjust in time the way they them. Excessive insisting may be expect in the case of victory. Some do
have to cross with the ball trajectory. counterproductive. it in such a way by sticking money on
It has been noted that, although Coaches sometimes with great enthu- the wall of the dressing room).
these experiences are getting more siasm stimulate the players using unu- If there is no communication, motivation
automatized, they can, if the factors sual forms (One athelte at the recent won't be possible. These are two areas
of surroundings change, lead to Olympic Games in Greece, for exam- that are very tightly connected. It's the
defeat. For example, it is crucial for ple, was motivated by listening to the matter of what to say, when to do it, and
the player to understand and reco- epic fiddle poems). of course who is going to tell it.
gnize in a timely fashion whether the Coaches are making a mistake when When it comes to motivation, the
ball that flies toward him is "cut" or they apply the same strategy of motiva- damage that can be created because
not. If it is very "cut" and if a player tion to all the team members; many don't of the wrong approach mustn't be
cannot catch it before it falls on the realize that they are making an error. underestimated.
EV\Z'&&
Many coaches cannot communicate Coaches have a positive influence if vanity, and multitude of the guilty ones.
because they don't knowhow to listen they do not behave in this way and if Defeat is considered to be a natural
(they are not from a culture of listening). they apply the following strategies: disaster and no one gets ready for it.
Selfconsciousness in others may be Metaphorically speaking "defeat is the
developed only by a person that is self- ▼ Clearly and precisely define the victory that we are deprived of" (cor-
conscious. objectives that players have to ruption, referee, mass interference,
A young player can be infected with achieve. violation of rules, etc.). Rejecting to
enthusiasm only by an enthusiastic give legitimacy to the concept of
man (only a delighted man can delight). ▼ Help players achieving the objecti- defeat, leads us often to the situation
Aggresion (we think of aggression ves and point out their good work. to lie ourselves. Perhaps the whole
within rules) can be transmitted only culture of one nation is reflected in the
by an aggressive person. A coach has ▼ Select the practice sessions that culture of defeat, and our culture
to experience himself exactly what he are related to sports skills and to keeps sports at distance. Without cul-
wants his staff to teach. There's the pay attention to them. ture of defeat one stays without cultu-
danger with this because one may re of victory.
think one knows everything the best ▼ Correct each player in a construc- Coaches should teach a young player
and thus he doesn't have to listen but tive way by showing him what he is that defeat does not represent him as
only speak. If the players say two or doing wrong while making it possi- a person and that it is transitory.
three sentences, the coach knows in ble for them to realize the error. Defeat can be shown as a wonderful
advance what he should say. The Offer him the possibility to correct opportunity to learn something we
players' speech becomes boring to him himself." couldn't learn under other circum-
and the conversation often ends with stances. Losing means being a man,
an imperative phrase, "shorten the (Jose Maria Buceta, former Spanish but we are all humans. It is important
speech". Women’s National Team Coach) to find out whether we lost because of
The coach may have the right, but he the reasons we could control, or
will not convince the players. Young players that attracted early because of the reasons we couldn't
A player, especially a young man, feels attention and publicity because of the control.
unaccepted; roots of acceptance and skills now have to face high expec-
feeling are extremely important for a taions from clubs. Unfortunately, too "You should invest whole strength in
young player, and this is the very obli- many are not able to live up to the what you want to achieve, but never
gation of the coach. However, the expectations. when it is obvious that it will be use-
coach wouldn't be able to do it unless This occurs because not enough time less".
he knows how to listen. has been allowed for learning and
This is a great weakness of the coach, maturing. Optimum levels of motivation Limited psychological energy must be
and of the professor in school as well; are needed to help this player achieve directed not at the feeling of depres-
having always been right for years in his potential. sion, but in constructive purposes.
the classroom, they treat their children Every player with whom a coach con-
at home in the same way-they always tacts provides from particular social "Defeat makes you miserable, rejec-
have to be right. surroundings within which there are ted and helpless. On the other hand,
specific communication structures. you can take it as a challenge to the
"The relation between a coach and Children learn through specific cha- temptation of our own force and skill
young players may have a decisive racteristics of communication structu- to manage in difficult circumstances,
influence on the opinion that a player res that prevail in their families. impetus to get to know yourself, to
has about himself and on his self con- Out of a young player a successful per- replace your priorities and to think of
fidence. Thus the coach's behavior son should be created. what to do further and how to go on in
towards his players is extremely Defeat plays an important role, as well. future. Defeat helps to precisely
important. For example: A coach may A player that wants to become succes- determine the directon of progress in
have a negative influence if he insults sful has to possess the following quali- your own life segment. No matter how
his players ("Are you crazy?"); if he ties: direction, understanding, coura- unpleasant it is, nevertheless it helps
underestimates his players ("Why are ge, scrupules, respect, self confidence you to understand better where you
you always making a fool of your- and self acceptance. are and in which direction you want to
self?"); if he ridicules them in front of The picture and mechanism of defeat go. If you get the message from
their teammates ("Kid, the basket is are related to frustrations (hopeles- defeat, then it was not
not on the other side of the street!"); if sness, feeling unworthy), aggression worthless...every difficulty should be
he scorns them without any explana- (wrongly directed), insecurity, loneli- considered to be the challenge, test
tion or without a possibility to correct ness (lack of "unity with oneself"), hesi- of strength, opportunity to develop. If
themselves later ("You are never doing tation, resistane, and emptiness. you look in such a way at the happe-
this right! You're making mistakes all Selfconsciousness of a young player is nings, then you are the winner in
the time."); or if he uses the words that built also with the culture of defeat. every situation."
compare player's sports values with Culture of defeat or more narrowly (Terry Orlick, Sport Psychologist)
his human qualities ("You are not said, sports defeat, is one of the darke-
doing anything right, because you are st places of our sports consciousness. Life is constant adjustment. The more
just lazy! "). This is the place of conspiracies, you adjust, the healthier you will be.
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FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

CREATING AND
by Simone Pianigiani
TRAINING
A JUNIOR
"SUPER GROUP"
Since 1995, Simone Pianigiani has been the thought the ideal way would be to form a "SUPER GROUP"
assistant coach of Mens Sana Siena, the "super group. This would be a team of inte- What's that? Ideally, a group comprised of
Italian Division I team, and also head coach resting players with potential that can work 15 or 16 players, divided into three age grou-
of the youth team and Director of the Youth together and benefit from a high level of ps of cadets and junior players. For example:
program. He won two Italian Cadet titles in coaching and serious training sessions. five players in their last year at the junior
2002 and 2003, one Under-20 title, and a level, five players entering their first year of
Junior title in 2004 and 2005. With the PREMISE junior level play, and then five players in their
Division I team he has also won the Saporta It is necessary that any organization (like the last year of cadets. Note that I use these
Cup and an Italian Championship. one we had in Siena during these past proportions only as an example. Instead, you
years) that wants to run such a technical could have three players plus eight plus four,
A sport club that invests in recruitment of program have a professional staff (coaches, or any other proportion, according to your
young players and in overall organization strength and conditioning coaches, physi- own goals and player availability.
demands that the youth level coaches deve- cians, and trainers) to design and carry out
lop and train very high-level players. To an effective technical program with a "super Why: this age (15/18 years old) is the heart of
achieve this important goal, I have always group." the youth level. During these two or three

EV\Z'&(
 FIBA EUROP

years of daily training, the athlete (already

matured physically and psychologically)
makes greater and more important progress,
and he improves his fundamentals from a
technical, physical, and behavioural point of
view.
These fifteen players (a number that the
technical staff can carefully coach on and
off the court) represent the best of three dif-
ferent age groups of the club and also inclu-
des players from different parts of the coun-
try who have been recruited to the club.

Advantages
▼ Every player feels "drafted" and impor-
tant. He knows immediately that his work
is oriented, so that everyone reaches the
highest athletic standard. Of course,
there are different levels of responsibility
and expectation, because of their ages
and from being at the first or last year of
this road to complete growth. However,
no player is made to feel they are on the
fringe or neglected in this group.
▼ The best players play together (younger
players against older players), train
together, incite each other, and face
each other daily.
▼ All players learn to adapt to the system:
the oldest players transmit rules,
methods of work, and example. The local
players transmit the tradition of the club.
The players, who come from different
cities and regions, make friends and
create bonds of friendship.
▼ They learn immediately to work with
more people and with different coaches;
the players are not property of a coach,
but they are property of the club.
▼ Planning is easier: at the end of every
season, a small group of players "goes
out" of the "super group" to join the senior
team, while other new cadet and newly
recruited players will join the "super
group" for the first time. In this way we
can have a project lasting several years.
▼ Everyone plays: the year-long activity,
injuries, practices with the Youth
National team, games with the senior
team, two different championships
(cadet and junior), and several tourna-
ments gives us a continuous turnover. In
this way, every player will get a chance
to play often.

GENERAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The work goes on for eleven months
(July is the vacation period). The first ten
or twelve days of August are assigned
for medical visits and strength, flexibility,
and conditioning tests with the conditio-
ning coach. If possible, we try to make all
our players sustain heavy training,

EV\Z'&)
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

DAY / TIME 14.30 -15.30 20.00 - 20.15 20.15 - 21.30

MONDAY Groups A, B, C, D Study, spare time, Practice with the Team work
Technical work on therapies conditioning coach or official game
rotation

Groups B, C, D Specific trainings with Practice with the Team work

TUESDAY Technical / physical work single players that are conditioning coach or official game
(Group A rests) out of the group

Groups A, C, D Practice with the Team work

WEDNESDAY Technical / physical work conditioning coach
(Group B rests)

Groups A, B, D Practice with the Team work

THURSDAY Technical / physical work conditioning coach
(Group C rests)

Groups A, B, C Practice with the Team work

FRIDAY Technical / physical work conditioning coach
(Group A rests)

SATURDAY 2 hours of team work + if necessary, individual practice or official game

SUNDAY DAY OFF

without problems, in the second part of When school starts, we begin with the underline the difficulties and the
the season. After two days of holiday for basic weekly program. Until December, situations where they can and must
August 15th, we begin to teach basket- the main priorities are the growth of indi- improve as an individual player and
ball. From now until the opening of the vidual players (team play is not ignored); as a team.
school year, the practice consists of two during this period we give them a lot of ▼ Acclimate to experiences of common
hours of training in the morning (condi- information, corrections, and attention to life as an elite athlete (travels, hotels,
tioning, plus individual technical practi- details. nutrition).
ces) and two and a half hours in the Starting in January (maintaining the ▼ Acclimate to elite level competition.
afternoon (team practice). For every two same working plan), we tend to decrease Player learns how to win and how to
mornings of work, we give them one of the amount of corrections during lose gracefully.
rest, but (with very rare exceptions) we teamwork, letting the players play (five Players encounter another level of pres-
never plan a whole day of rest. versus five). This means fewer interrup- sure when they participate in the
Here is how the rest of the year shapes tions during the practices. National championship finals. When the
up: two days of hard practice are fol- In this second part of the season, we finals are completed, we meet with each
lowed by two days of lighter practices; also want the players to play several player and recommend specific training
for two weeks of hard work, there are hard games. Therefore, at least every schedules, encompassing work on tech-
two weeks of lighter work; after two month, we try to participate in a tough nical and physical aspects. The strength
months of hard work, there are two tournament that goes on for a few days. and conditioning coach provides each
months of lighter work. In this time, we We especially look for foreign teams to player a personal program that goes into
make the team work to set general rules play so we can face different competi- July.
(offense and defense) that will build a tions and different styles of play. After one year in the program, the player
common base, so the players can play fully understands he has received indivi-
together and they can communicate on Benefits of "hard" games: dual attention and realizes his importan-
the court, laying, in this way, the founda- ▼ These are important tests for the ce to the coaches and club. If he had a
tions to create and to consolidate the players after months of training. good season, he knows that he can still
group. ▼ The games help us to discover and make progress. If it ended poorly, he
EV\Z'&*
feels that he can progress and do better the
next year.

A BASIC WEEK
The idea is to separate individual work from
team work. We prefer to treat this activity,
which requires concentration on the details
in the absence of competitive spirit and com-
petition, during a training that lasts a maxi-
mum of 45/60 minutes. Following a day at
school, and with the right diet, the players
come to the gym to work with one strength
and conditioning coach from 2:30 p.m. to
3:15/3:30 maximum.
For this reason, we divide the team into four
groups (A, B, C, D), comprised of three or
four players maximum. The groups are for-
med by players, who have similar skills that
must be improved. They follow the plan
described in the box of the previous page.
On Monday, after a day of vacation, the four
groups work on stations. They rotate after fif-
teen minutes, going from shooting, passing,
ball handling and conditioning.
From Tuesday to Friday, three groups work
and another group rests. For example, on
Tuesday groups A, B, and C work and D rests.
On Wednesday B, C, and D work, while A
rests. There are no rotations, and every
group works alone: two groups, each under a
basket, have a coach and the rest of the
group trains with the strength and conditio-
ning coach.
We plan this type of work monthly, but we
update it weekly, in accordance with the
progress, or lack of, that is being made.
On Monday and Friday evening (leaving time
to study in the afternoon) the strength and
conditioning coach works with the players
from 8:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., focusing on stret-
ching, activation, and reaction. We then
practice team work 8:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
On Saturday, we have a single practice in the
afternoon, typically from 3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday is free.
Any tournament games (we usually play
during the week and, sometimes, on
Saturday) simply take the place of the sche-
duled team work, but they don't interfere
with individual practice.

If some athletes have spare time in the mor-

ning (private school, some hours free of les-
sons) we use this time. We want that the ath-
letes decide themselves to spend their spare
time in the gym, but it's important to underli-
ne the fact that the workloads are never
hard. Individual work sessions are serious,
but fun. Players work on their weak points
with coaches.
The ultimate aim is to make that this attention
to detail will help shape the player, but also,
the will of improving will be a player's "natu-
ral habit" for his entire career.
EV\Z'&+
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SCORING AND
by Eddie Casteels
SHOOTING DRILLS
Eddie Casteels is the head coach of the Men's
Belgian National team, and the head coach of the
Division I Belgian Pepinster club team. He has been
selected "Coach of the Year" three times in
Belgium. He won two Division I Belgian titles and
Belgian Cups. He has also worked as an instructor
at "Basketball Without the Borders," the NBA and
FIBA camp for top European young players.

As coaches, we are always searching for intere-

sting and innovative shooting drills, which can help
us improve the abilities of our players, as well our
practice sessions. In this article, I will describe some
scoring and shooting drills that cover different shoo-
ting situations, with options for both inside and peri-
meter players.

Here are some notes and premises for these drills:

▼ Each drill can be performed individually, but also
as a team.
▼ Each drill is focused on a particular fundamental,
but the coach must also take care of the other
important fundamentals involved, such as pivo-
ting, footwork, dribbling, screening, and passing.
▼ These drills can be used as a warm-up at the
beginning of the practice, as well as a shooting
practice after a weightroom session.
▼ All players are included in the drills: guards,
forwards, and centers.
▼ The rotation of the players must be as quick as
possible on each drill, the passing must be per-
fect, and the rebounding position accurate and
fast.

PART ONE: INSIDE SHOOTING

A line of players with basketballs outside of the
baseline, three players on the court, one in the midd-
le and two on the wings (diagr. 1).
The players outside the court pass the ball to the
perimeter players, enter on the court, post up on the
low post and receive the ball from the perimeter
players and score, using different moves decided by
the coach, such as turn-around jump shot, shot fake
and crossover, and so on. Attention must be paid to
footwork (diagr. 2, 3, 4, and 5).
The drill start with one of the players off the court
passing the ball to one of the player, who is standing
around the perimeter.

Here the different passing options:

a. The perimeter player can pass the ball right back
to the inside player, and he will score in the lane.

EV\Z'&,
b. The low post player receives the ball and passes
again outside to another perimeter player (diagr. D.4
6 and 7).
c. The perimeter player, who receives the first pass
from the off-court player, can pass to one of the
two teammates on the perimeter, who will then
pass the ball to the inside player (diagr. 8).

The inside player will run with proper timing and

footwork towards the player with the ball, receive D.1
the ball, and shoot inside.

PARTTWO: BEATTHE CLOSE OUT

We use the same set of previous drills. The off court
players pass the ball to one of the perimeter players
and run to close him out. The player receiving the
ball has different shooting options:
a. Strong drive to the basket, finishing with a lay-up
or a jump stop and a power lay-up (diagr. 9).
b. Give-and-go with a teammate (diagr. 10).
c. Shot fake, one dribble, and shot, or else one
step-back dribble and a shot (diagr. 11). D.2 D.5
d. He can also receive the ball, pass the ball to the
teammate in the middle of the court, receive a
screen, cut inside while the screener pops out
receives the ball and passes it inside (diagr. 12).
e. Catch the ball and shoot immediately. The pas-
ser puts pressure by putting his hands in the
face of the shooter (diagr. 13).

D.3 D.6

PARTTHREE: DRIVE AND KICK-OUT PASS

The perimeter player makes two dribbles to
beat the defender, kicks the ball out to one
of the other two perimeter players, who,
after the drive of the ballhandler, have spot-
ted up to receive the ball.

The perimeter player, who receives the

ball, has these options: D.7
a. The player, who receives the kick
pass, shoots immediately from outside
(diagr. 14).
b. The first receiver passes to the other perimeter
player, who shoots (diagr. 15).
c. The player off the court, who makes the first
pass to a perimeter player, runs to aggressively
put pressure on the other player, who received
the kick out pass and shoots. The two offensive
players play two-on-one (diagr. 16).

The perimeter player will use shot and pass fakes.

PART FOUR: PASS AND SCREEN

Using all the fundamentals of the ball screen, the
perimeter player, who receives the ball quickly
passes to one of the teammates and then sets a
screen on the ball. The off court player replaces
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D.8

D.9

D.10

D.11

D.12

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the screener (diagr.
17).
The two players invol-
ved in the screen can
play pick-and-roll: the
screened player can
use the screen for
shooting or he can
pass the ball to
the screener, who D.13 D.15 D.20
rolled to the
basket.

Another option is the

drive to the basket,
using the screen and
then making a kick
back pass for the
shooter (diagr. 18).

PART FIVE:
COMPETITIVE ONE- D.14 D.16 D.21
ON-ONE
All the scoring and shooting options are now
competitive situations. Same set and entry, but
now the second player off the baseline runs on
the court and plays an aggressive defense on
the inside player (diagr. 19).
This is the rotation: the defender becomes the
offensive player, the next player on the row out
of the baseline becomes the defender, and the
offensive player replaces the player on the peri-
meter, who made the pass inside. D.17 D.22

An option: The perimeter player who passed the

ball to the inside player now passes the ball to
the other teammate, who makes a jump shot,
and the two players under the basket fight for
the rebound (diagr. 20).

PART SIX: ONE-ON-ONE ON THE PERIMETER

Same set and same entry: After the pass, the
player closes out and plays one-on-one with
the perimeter player. The offensive player can-
not take more than three dribbles (diagr. 21). D.18 D.23

One option: The perimeter player can pass to

one of the wings. The defender jumps to the ball
and denies the pass back. The offensive player
must free himself, using the back door cut
(diagr. 22).

Second option: The receiver can pass to a

teammate, who shoots, and the other two
players fight for the rebound (diagr. 23).

PART SEVEN: THREE-ON-TWO SHOOTING D.19 D.24

This is a more advanced situation: As the ball is
being passed to the perimeter player, another
defender runs on the court from the out of the
baseline row and they play three-on-two (diagr.
24).
The rotation: The passer replaces the shooter.
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COMING OUT
by Giovanni Piccin by Gianluca Basile

OF SCREENS
1 2 3

Giovanni Piccin started to work with the Italian

National Teams Department of the Federation in 1986 4
as assistant coach of the Youth National teams. He
then coached Udine in the A2 Division for three sea-
sons, and then he was back to the Federation with the
Men's team. He was the head coach of the University
Games team in 1993, and then assistant coach of the
Men's teams, which won a silver medal at the
Goodwill Games, a silver medal (1997), gold medal
(1999), and a bronze medal at the 2003 FIBA European
Championships. His teams also won the gold medal at
the Mediterranean Games and a silver medal at the
2004 Olympic Games. He was on the coaching staff of
teams that participated in the 2000 Olympic Games
and the 2001 FIBA European Championship.

Gianluca Basile started his career at the top level

with Reggio Emilia, Italy, and then went to Fortitudo
Bologna, where his team won Division I titles in 2000
and 2005. He was MVP of the Italian Division I cham-
pionship in 2004. He presently plays with Barcelona,
Spain. With the National team, he won a gold and
bronze medal at the FIBA European Championships
and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
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With aggressive defenses and athletic defenders it is

5 very important to exploit the screen of a teammate to
receive the ball, and shoot before the defender's
recovery. In the following examples, we will see how
the player should exploit the screen, without consi-
dering the movements of the screener.
To exploit a screen, a player should know how to
move on the court, looking at the position of the
defender, and then bring the defender into the
screen, and come out from the screen to receive the
ball. The first movement entails getting as close as
possible to the defender, making contact with him,
and then making one or two steps to the opposite
direction of where you expect to get a screen.
Quickly change direction and sprint towards the
teammate, who is setting the screen.
It is very important to go "shoulder-against-shoulder"
with the screener, really brushing the shoulder of the
screener, preventing the defender from sliding in
between the screener and yourself. It is also impor-
tant to place the inside arm, the one nearest to the
screener, bent at about a 45 degree angle and in front
6 of defender's hip.
Let's review various situations and the defender's
reactions.

THE DEFENDER STAYS ON THE SCREEN

The offensive player comes out of the screen, recei-
ves the ball, and makes a jump shot. Note how the
feet roll and that both are in front of the basket (pho-
tos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7).

THE DEFENDER FOLLOWS AND POPS OUT

WHERE THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER WILL RECEIVE
THE BALL (FADE AWAY)
The offensive player gets far from the screen, goes in
the opposite direction of the defender, and then
receives the ball and takes a jump shot. Note how I
lean against the screener's hip and I push with my
hands on his hip. Look at my left leg and how I use it
to help myself get on the opposite side of the defen-
der. When I am about to receive the ball, I turn my
body and my feet towards the basket (photos 8, 9, 10,
7 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15).

THE DEFENDER FOLLOWS AND TRIES TO SLIDE

OVER THE SCREEN (CURL)
The offensive player turns around the screen, cuts in
the lane, and he now can:
▼ Receive and shoot under the basket, if the defen-
der is late and if he remains on the screen (pho-
tos 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21);
▼ Receive and take a jump shot, if the defender tries
to recover the position in the lane (photos 22, 23,
24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30).

If the defender slides over the screen, another possi-

bility is to come back where to the original position
and then make a back door move to the basket.

IMPORTANT DETAILS
▼ The teammate, who is near where the screen is to
occur, doesn't have to look at the player that has

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8 9 10

11 12 13

14 15

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16 17 18

19 20

the ball or to who is making the screen. This pre-

21 vents his defender from knowing that a screen is
about to occur.
▼ No running frenziedly toward the screen, but use
changes of speed and direction.
▼ Leave adequate time for the teammate to make
the screen.
▼ Exploit the screen through broken and not straight
lines. Align the body with the teammate who sets
the screen, creating an angle that prevents the
defender from sliding on the inside of the screen.
▼ Stay low when going towards the screen and
receiving the ball in order to speed up the shot
or the movement around the screen.
▼ Be ready to receive the ball and shoot immediately.

We would like to thank the Italian Basketball

Players Association (GIBA), and Giacomo
Galanda, captain of the Italian National team, for
their collaboration.

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22 23 24

25 26

27 28

29 30

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PLAYER AND SKILL

by Kevin Sutton

DEVELOPMENT:
THE POST
Kevin Sutton is the head coach of Montverde
Academy in Florida, one of the top high
schools in US. He has over twenty years of
coaching experience, as assistant coach at
James Madison University and Old Dominion
University. He has built his reputation as an
excellent teacher of the fundamentals and he
is a regular lecturer at the Nike Skills
Academy and Five-Star, the two top US sum-
mer basketball camps. He has produced two
DVDs, "30 Drills for Building a Complete
Guard" and "30 Drills for Building a Complete
Post Player" (Championship Productions).

INTRODUCTION
Player development/skill development has
always been my passion! I have been bles-
sed to have help develop six professional
players and 94 collegiate players. The things
I have always enjoyed and provide a great
deal of personal satisfaction include: 1)
seeing a player develop the proper work
ethic that will serve him well through his life;
2) studying the game; 3) designing drills that
address the individual areas of improvement;
4) learning the motivational level of the indivi-
dual; 5) designing a challenging and great
workout.
In this article, I want to share with you these
three objectives:
1) My philosophy on player/individual deve-
lopment.
2) My philosophy on planning a workout.
3) My philosophy on what it takes to be a
successful post player.

MY PHILOSOPHY ON PLAYER/INDIVIDUAL
DEVELOPMENT
My philosophy on player/individual develop-
ment is that the player has to be provided a
well-organized workout. When the workout is
organized, then it shows thought (why did we
choose these drills?). The progression from
one drill to the next drill is vitally important to
the success of the workout (i.e. catch-and-
shoot drill to a shooting-on-the-move drill). I
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YOUTH BASKETBALL

their shots to give them feedback. Give them

goals to reach within each segment. Use
rewards and penalties within each drill or
segment. Choose drill leaders and then hold
them accountable to lead the drill properly.
Rotate your leaders within a drill segment;
this will help them to learn how to be a leader
and how to follow when they are not the lea-
der. To the player and/or players, who desire
D.1 D.6 to be great, their competitive spirit/character
will come to the surface.
The workout should be creative/imaginative.
The use of objects (cones, chairs, trash cans),
are very important to the success of the
workout. Their ability to learn visually is being
taught. Vary the angles of the drills to increase
their imagination and grow their creativity.
Provide the drills or moves names of players
that they can identify the move with (example:
triple threat ball place: Tim Duncan = shoulder
to shoulder, Allen Iverson = ankle to ankle). I
D.2 D.7 also like to name drills after my players, who
perform the drill really well or I will name a drill
after a player, who needs to improve in this
area. Another idea that I use to keep my
workouts creative/imaginative is changing the
drill order, the basket, and the location points.
By doing these things, boredom and compla-
cency are eliminated. Finally, the workout
should be fun without being silly.

MY PHILOSOPHY ON PLANNING A WORKOUT

I design my workouts to address the fol-
D.3 D.8
lowing fundamental areas:
▼ Ball handling.
like to use a conditioning drill like push-ups or ▼ Dribbling.
else, free-throws as a penalty or else use a ▼ Footwork.
water break to help transition from one sec- ▼ Shooting.
tion of the workout to the next. The transitions ▼ Passing.
help to teach the competitiveness that is nee- ▼ Conditioning.
ded to improve. Within these areas, the drills are further
The workout has to be challenging, mentally broken down into positional drills. For exam-
challenging, with multi-dimensional drills that ple, the footwork for the post is not the same
D.4
require the individual to think the game and as for the perimeter: back to the basket
use his basketball IQ (attacking the defense footwork for the posts versus facing the
with three different dribble moves). The basket footwork for the perimeter players. I
workout must be physically challenging, using am also a big believer that you must rotate
conditioning drills such as sprints while drib- your "sub drills" each third day and then intro-
bling, push-ups, sit-ups, jump rope at different duce a new sub drill. An example of this is the
points in the workout, limiting the number of two ball stationary dribble and then the two
water breaks, or rewarding water breaks ball dribbling on the move.
when maximum/game like effort is given. I like to use my conditioning drills as transi-
The workout has to focus on improvement. tional drills from one segment to the next.
Too often players equate a good or bad Conditioning is such an important part of the
workout on the number of shots made. I feel game. The mental as well as the physical
that especially when you are learning a new toughness should be developed in the athlete
D.5
concept(s), the focus has to be on the indivi- during the workout. A very big part of my
dual's ability to try/attempt and on their ability workouts is spent on developing the confi-
to grasp what is being taught to them. Their dence outside their comfort zone. The deve-
ability to leave their comfort zone in an lopment of security versus insecurity within
attempt to learn a new concept that will help an athlete starts with their ability to encoura-
improve their game is very important. ge a teammate. That is why I am a big belie-
The workout should be competitive. Chart ver that within a good workout you hear a lot
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 of good/positive talk taking place. Thus, it is
important to choose your drill leaders and rota-
te them to ensure that the development of lea-
dership and "fellowship" are both learned.

MY PHILOSOPHY ON WHAT IT TAKES

TO BE A SUCCESSFUL POST PLAYER
To be a successful post player I think a player
needs the following:
a. Passion - Pure joy/drive. D.14
D.9
b. You have to want to be a post player. Be
what I call a P.I.G. (A pig loves to get dirty).
P.I.G. also stands for: P-assion to play in the
post / I-ntensity to compete/ G-uts to battle
on every play.
c. Great Feet (allows on balance).
d. Great Hands (catch everything).
e. Great Vision (sees everything /feels
everything).

I also believe that the truly great post players

D.10 do five things great: D.15
a. They run the floor (win the foul line to foul
line race/great shape).
b. They are relentless rebounders.
c. Good free-throw shooters.
d. Develop an unstoppable go to move.
e. Develop a counter to their go to move.

POST WORKOUT
A. Footwork Drills
1. Quick catch reads (diagr. 1).
Three chairs with a ball in each chair: the D.16
D.11 player runs to the chair, makes a two-foot
stop, with the bent knees, pivots, and
makes:
▼ One dribble lay-up
▼ One dribble jump shot.
2. Self pass, jump stop drill, then execute a
pivot, no shot (diagr. 2).
3. Self pass, jump stop drill, with reaction to
coach's commands (diagr. 3):
▼ Drop step to the baseline on the left side.
▼ Jump shot on free-throw line.
D.12 ▼ Jump hook in the middle of the lane from D.17
left side.
4. Battle ground drill
The player starts at the three-point line,
passes the ball to the wing, and then:
▼ Runs until he is under the rim and he then
he makes a sharp cut and posts up (diagr.
4).
▼ From the low post to high post on a swing
pass (diagr. 5).
▼ A ball screen series: pick-and-roll, pick-
and-pop, early slip (diagr. 6). D.18
D.13
▼ The under the basket and flash cuts
(diagr. 7).
At the end, 5 free-throws.

B. Catching the Ball Drills (with toss

back device)
The toss back is an elastic net that passes

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back the ball. The player starts the drill G. Conditioning Drills
throwing the ball into the toss back, and then 1. Heavy rope - 4 sets x 30 jumps = 120
he makes a: jumps.
1. 360° turn and catch drill (diagr. 8). 2. Speed rope - pyramid: 30 secs, 45 secs., 1
2. The player fronts the coach, who throws min., 45 secs., 30 secs.
the ball into the device: the player makes 3. Sit ups - crunches - 4 sets x 25 crunches
a 180° turn and catches the ball (diagr. 9). = 100 crunches.
3. Blind catch: the player has his back to the 4. Ball push-ups (with the hands on basket-
toss back and the coach throws the ball balls) - 4 sets x 10 push-ups = 40 push ups.
D.19 into the device: he must turn immediately
and catch the ball (diagr. 10). CONCLUSION
4. Foot fire catching drill: the player starts in Now I challenge the player to ask himself
the middle of the lane, and must catches these questions:
the balls thrown into the device by both 1. Am I passionate?
coaches at a 180°: he must catch the ball 2. Am I willing to work to develop myself?
on the opposite side from where it is 3. How good do I really want to be?
thrown into the toss back (diagr. 11, and
12).
At the end, 5 free-throws.

C. Scoring on the Move Drills

D.20 The player starts under the rim, makes four
Mikan drills (two short hooks on the right
and then two on the left side, without let-
ting the ball touch the floor), then goes out
on the baseline, passes to the coach, runs
to the middle of the floor and around a
chair and makes: D.24
1. On the rim shot drill, after changing direc-
tion and pace (diagr. 13).
2. Shot fake and direct drill (diagr. 14).
3. Jump shot as a trail of a fast break (diagr.
D.21 15).
4. Jump shot as a trail with ball screen
series: pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop out,
and early slip (diagr. 16 and 17).
At the end, 5 free-throws.

D. Two-Chair Low Post Moves/Block-to- D.25

Block Drills
1. Drop step baseline (diagr. 18).
2. Jump hook baseline and middle (diagr.
19).
3. Dribble drop (diagr. 20).
D.22 4. Reverse pivot to a jump hook (diagr.
21).
At the end, 5 free-throws.

E. Two-Chair Mid/High Post Jumper Drills:

1. Continuous flash jumper drill (diagr. 22).
2. Trail jumper drill (diagr. 23). D.26
3. Continuous sprint ball screen drill on
both sides of the lane (diagr. 24 and 25).
At the end, 5 free-throws.

D.23 F. Three-Chair Post Moves Drills (low-

middle-high post)
1. Multiple Sequence using drills from:
a. Scoring on the move - on the rim.
b. Low post moves - reverse pivot to a jump
hook (diagr. 26).
c. High post moves - trail jumper (diagr. 27). D.27
At the end, 5 free-throws.
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THE "ADVANTAGE"
by Pam Tanner

AND OTHER DRILLS

by Tanya Haave

Pam Tanner begins her 11th season at the

helm of the University of Denver women's
basketball program. During these years,
Denver basketball passed to Division I in 1998
and appeared for the first time in the NCAA
Division I Tournament in 2001. She has been
named Conference Coach of the Year three
times, including back-to-back Sun Belt
Conference honors in 2000 and 2001. Tanner is
the all-time winningest coach in Denver
women's basketball history.

Tanya Haave begins her first season as assi-

stant coach at the University of Denver.
Previously, she was an assistant coach at the
University of Colorado for three seasons, from
2001-2005. She was also an assistant coach at
Regis University in Denver from 1999-2000.
Before joining the collegiate ranks, Haave
was a great basketball player in France, Italy,
Sweden and Australia, winning lots of perso-
nal awards. She also served as coach in
Satila, Sweden.

INTRODUCTION
The "Advantage Drill" is a transition drill we run
in practice to work on our offensive and/or
defensive concepts. Offensively, the drill's
purpose is to recognize and understand the
differences between running a primary or less
organized transition break and moving into a
more organized secondary transition opportu-
nity. Defensively, the drill focuses on defen-
ding situations where we have a numerical
disadvantage. In these situations we go into
our "scramble defense" mentality which allows
us to rotate until we are matched back up.
Ex: 2 on 1, 3 on 2, 4 on 3, 5 on 4, traps and
screens on ball.

The drill begins with five players on each

baseline (two teams, one on each end) and
one coach on each baseline. The coach is
there to help the drill run smoothly and to be
the outlet on every change of possession.
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For example, the drill began with a 2 on 1

D.1 D.3
(diagr. 1).
On the change of possession, the drill has now
become 3 on 2 (diagr. 2).

When there is a change of possession, the 3

players who were just on offense running from
left to right now transition back as 3 defenders.
The two players who were just on defense,
now add 2 more players from the baseline as
the pass the ball to the coach and now we
have a 4 on 3 (diagr. 3).

Key: On every (including steals) change of

possession, the coach on that end of the
court must be passed the ball by the new
offensive group.

On the next change of possession, the 3

defenders add 2 new players and transition
down on offense 5 against 4 (diagr. 4). This is
where we teach the difference between our
primary and secondary breaks.

D.2 D.4 In the last change of possession, the 4

defenders now add the only 1 remaining
player to their team (diagr. 5), and now tran-
sition down 5 on 5 (our secondary break).

You can keep score a number of different

ways. Sometimes, we keep only offensive or
defensive points, not worrying about the
overall baskets scored. Other times, we
track the percentage of possessions scored.
We typically run this drill twice, with one
team starting the drill on offense the first
time and the other team beginning the drill
the second time.

The first three players to start the drill parti-

cipate in the entire drill so it is important to
rotate those initial players. Rotating those
initial players also give players different
decision making opportunities to based on
the number of players/positions on the floor.

The ball starts on one end (right end) of The drill begins when the coach hands Defensively, our goal is teach our transition
the court in the coach's hands with the ball to one of the players on the right defense from a disadvantage standpoint. For
two players on that end ready to begin end of the court. Those two players run a our team we try and stress the odds of each
the drill. The three remaining players primary break down verses the one situation. For example, in a 2 on 1 situation,
on that end of the court are on the player on the other end. Play continues our goal is to give up the pull-up jumper
baseline, waiting to come in on chan- until there is change of possession. instead of the lay-up (not an easy concept
ges of possession on their end of the for some.) In a 3 on 2, 4 on 3 situation, our
court. On any change of possession, the ball goal is to make the offensive team make one
must be passed to the coach on that end more pass in order for our trail defenders to
On the opposite end of the court (left before play continues. On the change of get into the play. Our "scramble defense" is a
end), one player starts in the lane, ready possession, two new offensive players mentality we practice on a daily basis and is
to play defense against the two players, (from the baseline) join their one teamma- beneficial in rotating after traps, screen on
who will transition down as the drill te, who was playing defense running the the balls and defending penetration, etc.
begins. The other four players will be offensive transition down to the other
waiting on the baseline with the coach, end. Those players, who came down on Offensively, we want our players to under-
waiting to come on changes of posses- offensive transition initially, now become stand the difference between a primary
sion on their end of the court. defensive players. break, where we have an advantage that we
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D.5 D.7

D.6 D.8

want to exploit quickly and explosively, and Variation opposite lane wide and receives a pass
a secondary break, where the defense has Start lines in the corner. Use different angles from the coach at the other end.
most of its team back, and we want to look and cuts (diagr. 7). The rebounding line rebounds the made
for a quick, good shot, but understand that basket, then takes it out of bounds and
we will probably be reversing the basket- SPRINT LAY-INS throws it to the outlet. The outlet passes
ball and getting into an offensive set. This is a great conditioning drill. the ball to the next player in line. The
Start with a shooting and rebounding line rebounder becomes the outlet. On a mis-
BUMPERS and a person at the outlet position. The sed lay-up the rebounder passes the ball
This is a great conditioning drill. first two people in the shooting line have to the outlet.
Lines start at the baseline on both ends. balls. Use cones to keep the players wide:
Each player in line needs a ball. The drill You will need two coaches (or a mana- ▼ 2 right hand lay-ups.
starts with a quick pass and a return pass ger/injured player) as the passer and ▼ 2 left hand lay-ups.
from the "bumper." After the last bumper the rebounder at the far basket. ▼ 2 down the middle (r,l).
player will go hard in for a lay-up and go to The coach at the top of the key will need two
the end of the next line (diagr. 6). balls. Both coaches need to be ready and Variation
▼ Time: 30 seconds. alert. Have the players shoot jump shots after
▼ Go right and left hand Lay-ups. The drill can start with a dribble or pass. The they receive the pass from the coach
▼ Count Misses. shooter goes in for a lay-up then fills the (diagr. 8).
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YOUTH BASKETBALL

MAN-TO-MAN
by Hal Wissel
OFFENSE:
PASSING GAME
Hal Wissel coached Springfield player the opportunity to handle the
College, North Carolina-Charlotte, ball, cut, screen, and move outside
Florida Southern, Fordham, and inside. The 3-2 set provides ini-
Lafayette and Trenton State. He was tial structure and spacing that allow
also assistant coach of Atlanta, players to execute basic two- and
Milwaukee, New Jersey, and three-person plays and plays invol-
Memphis of the NBA. He founded ving all five players, such as a five-
the Basketball World, an agency player weave or five-player five-
who organizes camps and clinics, and-go offense.
and is author of two books and two When executing the passing game,
new DVDs, "Basketball Shooting: keep in mind these basic principles
Confidence, Rhythm and of good teamwork.
Mechanics", and "Basketball
Shooting: Off the Pass, Off the TALK
Dribble and In the Post" Communication is key to all aspects
(www.basketballworld.com). of team offense. The passing game
is not a set play offense, and players
The passing game, or motion offen- are not assigned a specific set of
se, is one of the most popular man- responsibilities. Therefore, continual
to-man offenses in basketball. In the communication between players
passing game players are guided becomes especially important when
more by principles than by a strict executing the passing game.
set of specific assigned responsibili-
ties. Every player should learn to SEE THE RIM
execute the passing game because By having the rim in view, you see
it teaches team play and is an offen- the entire court. When you have the
se used by mant teams. ball, keep the rim in view and look for
The passing game can be started teammates cutting to the basket,
from a variety of offensive forma- posting up, and cutting off screens.
tions, or sets, including the 3-2, 2-3, When you do not have the ball, you
1-3-1, 2-1-2, and 1-4. The 3-2 open should have the rim and the player
set, also called the spread formation, with the ball in view.
is the most basic formation for lear-
ning to play team offense. It involves MAINTAIN SPACING AND
three perimeter players and two COURT BALANCE
baseline players. The point position Start in an open formation with
is above the top of the circle. The players spread 15 to 20 feet (from m.
wing positions (players 2 and 3) are 4,5 to m. 6) apart. Space yourself
at the imaginary foul line extended high at the top, wide on the wing,
on each side. The baseline positions and at the midpoint between the
(players 4 and 5) are at the midpoint basket and corner on the baseline.
between the corner and the basket
on each side. BACKDOOR CUT WHEN OVERPLAYED
The 3-2 open set encourages versa- When overplayed by a defender,
tility rather than forcing players into who denies you the pass, make a
restricted roles as center, power backdoor cut all the way to the
forward, small forward, shooting basket. When backdoor cuts are
guard, or point guard. It gives each used frequently, the passing game
EV\Z'((
becomes a great offense for beating within rhythm and range or can
pressure defenses. make an easy pass to a player cuttin
inside or posting up. You can move
FLASH BEETWEEN THE PASSER AND the ball more quickly if you swing it
OVERPLAYED RECEIVER from wing to point to wing and keep
When a defender denies your team- it off the baseline.
mate the pass and you are the next
player away from the receiver, auto- KNOWYOUR OPTIONS
matically flash to an open area ATTHE POINT POSITION
between the passer and the over- When you are at the point position, D.1
played receiver. Flashing to the ball your options, in order, are to reverse
helps relieve defensive pressure on the ball quickly to the weak side, look
your teammates by giving the passer inside for a pass to a post-up player,
another outlet. A flash can not only penetrate and pass (draw-and-kick),
prevent a possible turnover, but also or fake a pass to the weak side and
can create a scoring opportunity if make a quick snapback pass to the
the overplayed receiver combines it wing on the side from which you
with a well-timed backdoor cut. received the pass.

KEEPTHE MIDDLE OPEN KNOWYOU OPTIONS

When you cut to the basket and do ATTHE BASELINE POSITION
not receive the pass, you should When you are at a baseline position,
D.2
continue on through and fill an open look to set up your defender for a cut
spot on the side of the court with off a down screen or set a back pick
fewer players. This will keep the for a wing player. On the baseline,
middle open and the floor balanced. you should be especially alert to
Do not stay in the post area for more flash to the ball when a wing is
than one count. denied the pass. Look to receive a
pass on the baseline only when you
MOVE TO A VACATED SPOT QUICKLY are in an open catch-and-shoot
When you are the next player away position within your rhythm and
from a cutting player, quickly move to range or can make an easy pass to a
the vacated spot. It is especially player cutting inside or posting up.
important to replace a player who The ball can be moved more quickly D.3
has cut from the point or top position. if it is kept off the baseline.
To replace the player at the point, cut
high above the three-point line, crea- KNOWYOUR OPTIONS
ting a better passing angle to receive AS A POST-UP PLAYER
a swing pass from a wing and a bet- When you receive the ball in the low
ter angle to reverse the ball to the post, read th defense and look to
weak side. This will also force the score before passing out to a peri-
defense to cover more of the court, meter player. When you do not recei-
thus providing more space for cut- ve a pass in the low post, look to set
ting, driving, and posting up. a back pick for a perimeter player.
After setting the pick, pop out to
KNOWYOUR OPTIONS receive a pass on the perimeter for a D.4
ATTHE WING POSITION possible jump shot within you rhythm
When you are on the wing, your and range.
options are to catch and shoot within
your rhythm and range or to continue MAINTAIN REBOUNDING
your cut out wide. AND DEFENSIVE BALANCE
When you catch the ball outside of On a shot inside, players should
your range, look to pass inside to a rebound, while the point guard and
cutter or player posting up. On the another outside player should get
wing, hold the ball for a count or two back for defensive balance. When
to give cutters and post-up players you take a shot outside of the lane
time to get open. If you are unable to area, you should get back for defen-
D.5
pass to an open teammate cuttin or sive balance. Any time the player at
posting up, look to penetrate and the point drives to the basket, players
pass (draw-and-kick) or try to balan- at the wings should get back for
ce the court by quickly dribbling to defensive balance.
the point. Look to pass to a baseline
players only if that teammate is open A member of your team, usually the
for a catch-and-shoot jump shot point guard, signals the start of the
EV\Z'()
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

passing game with a simple verbal between the passer and over-
call such as "Passing game" or played receiver. Flashing to the ball
"Motion" or with a hand signal such relieves defensive pressure on
as circling one finger upward. The your teammates by giving the pas-
best way to start is to pass the ball ser another outlet. A flash can not
to the wing and then work together, only prevent a possible turnover,
using basic passing game actions. but combined with a well-timed
After receiving a pass on the wing, backdoor cut by the overplayed
you should be a triple threat to receiver, can also create a scoring
pass, shoot, or drive to the basket. opportunity. Signal your flash cut D.6
On a drive, look to score or to pene- with the key word "Flash". As you
trate and pass (draw-and-kick) receive the pass, look to pass to
inside or outside to an open team- you overplayed teammate cutting
mate. backdoor to the basket. If your
When the ball is at the point, the teammate is covered on the back-
closest wing player should initiate door cut, front turn into a triple-
movement by cutting through to threat position for a possible shot,
create an opena area for a baseli- drive to the basket, or pass. Flash
ne player, who will cut to the wing high when your teammate is pre-
for a pass from the point (diagr. 1). vented from receiving a pass on
When you are at the point and can- the perimeter (diagr. 5). You can
not pass to the wing, initiate move- also flash to the high post when D.7
ment by dribbling at the wing and your teammate is being fronted in
using a dribble screen or weave the low post (diagr. 6), and you can
action (diagr. 2). flash to the low post if your team-
Some of the basic actions used in mate is being denied at the high
the passing game are the back- post (diagr. 7).
door cut, flash, give-and-go, drib-
ble screen or weave, down screen, GIVE-AND-GO
back pick, elbow curl, cross The give-and-go (diagr. 8) is the
screen, pick-and-roll, and draw- most basic play in basketball. Give
and-kick. (pass) the ball to your teammate
and go (cut) to the basket, looking D.8
BACKDOOR CUT to receive a return pass for a lay-
You should automatically use a up. Read and set up your defender
backdoor cut any time you are with a well-timed fake before the
overplayed by a defender and pre- cut. Fake by taking a step or two
vented from receiving a pass. You away from the ball (as if you are not
should also use a backdoor cut involved in the play). Then, as your
when your defender's head is tur- defender moves with you, change
ned away from you, causing a direction sharply and use a front
momentary loss of visual contact. cut to the basket. Another way to
Use a designated key word such fake is by taking a step or two
as "Eyeball" to signal the passer toward the ball as if you are going
that you are going backdoor. The to set a screen for or take a handoff D.9
designated word indicates that you from the player with the ball. As
will continue your backdoor cut to your defender moves with you,
the basket once you start it. When change direction sharply and male your defender attempts to prevent
you are on the wing, set up your a backdoor cut behind. Diagram 8 the handoff by getting in your path,
defender by taking a step above and 9 show a five player give-and- make a backdoor cut to the basket.
the foul line extended (diagr. 3), or go offensive pattern. After you receive a handoff on a drib-
when you are at the point, by taking ble screen, read the defense. If the
a step above the free throw circle DRIBBLE SCREEN OR WEAVE defenders do not switch and your
(diagr. 4). After receiving the pass, A dribble screen is set by dribbling defender is slow getting over the
look to shoot, drive to the basket for toward a teammate and screening screen, turn the corner and drive to
a lay-up, or penetrate and pass the defender while handing off the the basket. If your defender slides
(draw-and-kick). ball to a teammate. On a dribble behind the screen, look to take the
screen, the defensive reaction outside shot, go at least two dribbles
FLASH usually will be for the screener's past the screen and pass back to the
Any time you see a teammate defender to give defensive help or screener, either rolling to the basket
being denied the pass and you are switch. or popping out.
the next player away, you should Before receiving the handoff, read One way to defend the dribble
automatically flash to an open area the defensive positioning. When screen is for the dribble screener's

EV\Z'(*
defender to jump switch into the how it is defended: pop-out, curl,
path of the receiver with the intent backdoor cut, and fade. Be patient.
of drawing a charge or changing Wait until the screen is set to pre-
the direction of the player receiving vent an illegal moving block, and
the ball. To combat the jump switch read how the defense is playing it.
after the handoff, make a short 5- to Before using the screen, slowly set
10-foot (from m. 1,5 to m. 3) cut to an up your move off it. Set a good angle
open area and look for a quick for cutting off the screen by first
return pass. If you anticipate a jump moving slowly in the direction your
switch, fake the handoff and drive defender plays you and then cutting D.10
to the basket. off the screen in the opposite direc-
Another way to defense may try to tion. Cut far enough away from the
overcome the dribble screen is for screen so that one defender cannot
both defenders to trap the player guard both you and the screener.
receiving the ball on the handoff. If This creates space for a pass to the
the defenders trap you, retreat drib- screener if there is a defensive
ble to stretch the defense and then switch.
pass to your teammate, making a When you cut off a screen correc-
short 5- to 10-foot (from m. 1,5 to m. tly, the screener's defender usually
3) cut to an open area. will give defensive help or switch. If
The defense will then be outnumbe- you cut to the outside, the screener
red, and the player with the ball will will be free to roll in toward the D.11
be able to drive or pass to an open basket and receive a pass for an
teammate for a shot. inside shot. If you cut to the basket,
The dribble screen is used to exe- the screener becomes free to pop
cute a weave (diagr. 10 and 11), a out and receive a pass for an outsi-
basic play in basketball. A weave de shot (diagr. 12).
involves at least three players who
set dribble screen for each other. It BACK PICK
starts with a dribble screen and When you screen for a teammate
handoff to your teammate. After by setting a pick behind the team-
receiving the handoff, shoot from mate's defender, it is called a back
behind the screen, drive to the pick or up screen (diagr. 13). By set-
basket, or continue the weave by ting a back pick for a teammate, you D.12
dribbling toward another teammate create the opportunity for either the
for another dribble screen and han- teammate or you to score. Your
doff. The weave continues until you teammate can cut off your back
or a teammate can take advantage pick to get open to receive a pass
of an opening for a shot or drive to for a lay-up or drive. If your defen-
the basket. der switches to the cutter, you will
be on the ball side of your teamma-
DOWN SCREEN te's defender, free to pop out to the
A screen is set by a player scree- ball to receive a pass for a jump
ning down for a teammate is called shot. Take a few steps toward the
a down screen. By setting a down basket to get a better angle on the
defender you will back pick, com- D.13
screen for a teammate, you create
a scoring opportunity. Your team- municating to your teammate by
mate can cut off your down screen shouting a designated key word
to get open to receive a pass for a such as "Up".
shot or drive. If your defender swit- Make sure you set a legal screen.
ches to your cutting teammate, you With a back pick, you are not
will be on the ball side of the defen- allowed to be closer than a normal
der you screened, momentarily step from a stationary opponent if
open. Taking a few steps toward the that opponent is unaware of your
basket before setting the screen screen. You also may not be so
enables you to get a better angle on close that a moving opponent can-
the defender. You want the defen- not avoid contact whitout changing
D.14
der to go under the pick. As you set direction or stopping. Your oppo-
the down screen, communicate nent's speed determines what your
with your teammate by using a screening position may be. This
designated key word such as position will vary and might be one
"Down". to two normal steps away.
Use one of the four basic options for As with the down screen, wait until
cutting off a screen, depending on the back pick is set before cutting
EV\Z'(+
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

off it to prevent an illegal screen and to release), and stretch-the trap.

read the defense. Slowly set up your move Diagram 17 shows the basic option when
off the screen for a good angle before you defenders switch.
cut hard off it in the opposite direction. If
you cut to be basket with a front cut or DRAW-AND-KICK
backdoor cut, the screener will be free to When you penetrate past a defender and a
pop out and receive a pass for an outside teammate's defender leaves to give defen-
shot, the screener should cut to the basket. sive help on you, an open passing lane to
The four basic options for cutting off a your teammate is created.
back pick, depending on how it is defen- This action of penetrating and passing is D.15
ded, are the front cut, backdoor cut, pop- called "draw-and-kick".
out, and fade. Always be alert for an opportunity to drive
past a defender to score or create an open
ELBOW CURL shot for a teammate whose defender is
When you set a down screen for a team- drawn to you. Also look for an opening or
mate positioned at the elbow, your team- gap between two defenders to penetrate
mate should look to curl off your down with one or two dribbles and draw the
screen. On an elbow curl (diagr. 14), your defenders to you.
defender usually will give defensive help Effective use of the draw-and-kick
or switch. This momentarily frees you to depends on judging well when and where
pop out and receive a pass for a jump shot. to penetrate. But it also depends on
The elbow curl is best used when a smal- players without the ball moving to open D.16
ler player sets a down screen at the elbow spots. Because the passing game
for a bigger player. The bigger player can depends primarily on moving the ball, over-
curl to the basket and the smaller player dribbling becomes counterproductive. The
can pop out for a catch-and-shoot jump draw-and-kick is best used from the wing
shot. To set the screen for an elbow curl, after a swing of the ball from ball side to
again take a few steps toward the basket weak side. Penetrating options include dri-
to get a better angle on the defender. ving to the basket, shooting an in -between
Signal to your teammate to curl off your runner (pull-up jump shot), penetrating and
down screen by shouting the word "curl". passing inside (diagr. 18), and penetrating
and passing outside (diagr. 19).
CROSS SCREEN
A cross screen (diagr. 15 and 16) is set by D.17
starting on one block and screening
across the lane for a teammate at the
opposite block. On a cross screen, the
screener's defender usually reacts by
giving defensive help or switching.
When you cut off a cross screen, you
should read the defensive positioning and
cut either over or under the screen. When
you set a cross screen and your teamma-
te cuts low to the block by cutting over or
under the cross screen, you should pop
D.18
out high to the elbow area and receive a
pass for an outside shot. If your teammate
flashes high to the elbow to receive a pass
for an outside shot, you should roll back to
the ball-side block.

PICK-AND-ROLL
The pick-and-roll (diagr. 17), another basic
basketball play, gets its name from the
action. Your set a pick (screen) for your
teammate, who dribbles past it for an out-
side shot or drive. If your defender swit- D.19
ches to your teammate, you will momenta-
rily be inside the defender you screened
and free to roll toward the basket, looking
to receive a return pass from the dribbler
for a lay-up. Four options with the pick-
and-roll, depending on how it is defended,
are pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, slip (early
EV\Z'(,
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

STRATEGIC PLANNING
by Aluisio (Lula)
Ferreira FOR THE BRAZILIAN
MEN'S NATIONALTEAM
Aluisio (Lula) Ferreira is the head coach of
the Brazilian Men's and Youth National
teams. He won a gold and a silver medal
with the Junior teams at the South
American Championships, two silver
medals at the FIBA Pan-American Games
with the Men's team, and one silver medal
at the FIBA South American
Championships.

DEFINITION OF TARGETS AND AIMS

The Brazilian Basketball Confederation
defined participation in the Beijing
Olympics in 2008 as a great target for the
men's team. With many teams fighting for
the podium in the major international com-
petitions, the objective we proposed
demanded detailed strategic planning if
we are to be successful. Considering this
is a new generation in Brazilian basket-
ball, some strategic measures are absolu-
tely necessary. First of all, it is important to
define exactly the paths which can lead
Brazil to a spot in the Olympics, establi-
shing targets for each of the stages.
These targets include:

2005 FIBA Americas Championship

World Championship Qual. Tournament
Dominican Republic
The aim in this competition was to take
the group of players-which can play in the
Olympic Qualifying tournament in 2007-
and have them grow as a team and gain
international experience. The other target
was winning the gold medal in order to
give confidence to the group, which has time keeping up the work we initiated for America's Cup 2005, making the neces-
an average of 22 years old. As a third aim, the FIBA America's Cup in 2005. sary adjustments regarding the technical
we wanted to qualify the Brazilian team part (players selection), tactics (game
for the FIBA World Championship in 2006. 2007 FIBA Pan-American Games-Brazil philosophy), and strategy (how to use the
We reached this aim. The aim is to win gold for the third con- available resources).
secutive time and lets this serve as a
2006 FIBA World Championship-Japan preparation base for the FIBA America's 2007 FIBA Americas Championship
The target is to reach the podium, since the Cup 2007, which qualifies the team for Olympic Qualifying Tournament
winning a medal will enhance the players' the Olympics. Since the competition will This is, without any doubt, the most impor-
confidence and consolidate the group as a be held in Brazil, it can reinforce the win- tant competition in order to reach the final
winning team. Another aim is to take the ning image for players and the Brazilian target, which is a spot in the Beijing
best players, especially those who play in public. Another target is to keep the Olympics in 2008. We foresee more than
the NBA and Europe, while at the same team, which was selected from the FIBA 50 international games, from 2005 to the
EV\Z'(-
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Olympic Qualifying tournament in 2007.

Our second goal is to finish in the FIBA
Americas Championship in at least fifth
place, which would secure Brazil a spot
in the World Olympic Qualifying
Tournament, which will be played in 2008
and will indicate the three last countries,
which will be represented in the
Basketball Tournament of the Olympics.

WORKING PROCEDURES
The Brazilian technical staff is formed
by a multidisciplinary team, as shown in
the diagram of page 13:

To assure the work is well done, plan-

ning meetings take place with all the
technical staff to ensure that all mem-
bers have the same work philosophy
and understand all the tasks that must
be performed.
The technical staff must:
▼ Select players.
▼ Follow the performances of the
candidates.
▼ Select technical practices for the
games.
▼ Select tactical moves for defense
and offense.
▼ Collect videos of games involving
possible opponents.
▼ Define the game philosophy.
▼ Organize the training plan.
▼ Organize the planning of prepara-
tion matches.
▼ Edit tapes of the Brazilian team and
their opponents.
▼ Systematically evaluate the plan-
ning development.
▼ Constantly exchange information
amongst staff members.
▼ Participate of all reunions with
other Brazilian coaches and
Brazilian Basketball Federation
Directors.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
This is the most important and delicate
sector of the project because it defines
how all the available resources will be
used.
Winning the gold medal at the FIBA
Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a
priority for Brazilian basketball.
Achieving that goal will depend on:
▼ Selecting the best players.
▼ Having a specific training period to
prepare the team.
▼ Playing 8 to 10 friendly matches to
make the final adjustments.
▼ Playing the games in Brazil to gain
and maintain public recognition and
support.
EV\Z'(.
 THE BRAZILIAN TECHNICAL STAFF

pons, which are our player's speed and

creativity. However, in order to win, there
should be tactical discipline and respect
to some important rules. Therefore, the
team should play with creativity and
responsibility. Developing this way of
playing brings what all teams look for:
consistency, which transmits to positive
results.
The following targets were defined as the
ones we wanted to achieve: Game volume
(number of shots attempted) around 175
points with the following distribution: 20
three-point shots, converting from 35% to
40%; 45 field goals, converting from 55% to
60%; and 25 free-throws, converting over
80%. With the team achieving between
50% and 55%, the final score will be
around 90 points.

On defense, our goal is to limit the oppo-

nents to 80 points per game. Emphasis has
to be on defensive rebounding, keeping
the opponent from a second shot at the
basket.
In order to ensure a positive performance,
turnovers have to be limited. Our goal is 12
turnovers per game.
These goals must serve as a reference point
▼ Correcting mistakes made at the 2003 for the technical staff to direct its work. The
Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto players must execute their actions on the
Rico (rushing shots and poor three-point court, receiving all kinds of instruction and
shooting percentage). information from the technical staff in order
▼ Making team matters a top priority. to achieve our ultimate goal.
▼ Maintaining national spirit, the pride of
playing for Brazil. CONCLUSION
▼ Forging player talents to the needs of the Considering that the initial target-win-
group. ning the FIBA America's Cup-was achie-
ved, this stage was very important for the
All these points were exhaustively debated by formation of the team that will represent
the technical staff in meetings prior to the trai- Brazil in the fight for a place in the next
ning period, and it became very clear that it Olympic Games. The numbers achieved
was up to the players selected for the team that in the games were very close to our ideal
would ultimately help us achieve our goals. targets. This tells us that our planning is
heading in the right direction and that as
GAME PHILOSOPHY we move towards qualification for the
The technical staff defined that the Brazilian Olympics, we will review and adjust our
style of play should respect our main wea- strategy as needed.
EV\Z')%
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Lithuania U21:
the road to the
2005 World title
by Saulius Samulevicius

Saulius Samulevicius is the Secretary

General of the Lithuanian Basketball
Federation (LBF).

It was in 2000, following the Olympic

Games in Sydney where the Lithuanian
National Men’s basketball team won the
bronze medal, that the Lithuanian
Basketball Federation (LBF) decided to
pay special attention to the Lithuanian
Young Men’s basketball team. These
were the reserves for our top National
team.

Even though there were many young

players on the team in Sydney, prepara-
tion of replacements was now an impor-
tant goal for us.

The following aims were formulated for

the team of young men by the LBF:

1. Win the FIBA World Championship for

Young Men in 2005;

2. Educate players and train them, so

they can compete for the top clubs in
Lithuania;

3. Prepare replacements for the

Lithuanian National Men’s basketball
team.

In order to achieve these aims it was

necessary to:

▼ Prepare a team in four years that

could compete in the team’s most
important tournament, the FIBA World
Championship in 2005;

EV\Z')&
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

▼ Select players from the top league for U-20 Men in 2004; chance to play at the highest level of
in Lithuania (1st division) to be on basketball, and have a “taste” (physi-
the team. Due to limited financial ▼ 2nd place in European Championship cally, technically and mentally) of
resources, the National team could for U-20 Men in 2005. what it means to play with the older,
only have a two-month training more skilled, and stronger players.
camp. However, by having players Members of Lithuanian Young Men
on the top teams, they could conti- team returned to play for the strongest During this five-year span, 35 candida-
nue their high-level training throu- national clubs, and took part in games tes were tested and 15 of the best
ghout the year; facing the players from the strongest players were eventually chosen by the
European men’s club teams. During coaches and the staff in 2005 to play
▼ Solve the problem of “player leaka- summer camp, the team regularly on the team and continue their prepa-
ge” to the U.S. that saw many of played a few exhibition games with ration for the World Championship.
the most talented young players our National Men’s team and during The coaches refused the services of
leave for the United States every these games the young players had a some players (including some who
year to play at the high school and
university level and were not wil-
ling to play for the National team;

▼ Ensure a stable annual schedule of

preparation for the World
Championship by playing in official
basketball competitions, i.e. World
and European championships.

▼ Prepare the team psychologically

by convincing the players to belie-
ve they could achieve victory in the
World Championship.

In 2001, the Lithuanian Basketball

Federation started to prepare the team
for the FIBA World Young Men
Championship 2005.
During that period, summer training
camps of 60 days were organized for
the team. In addition to this, 10 to 12
games were planned to see how pre-
pared the team was.
This all led up to the European and
World championships.

During these years, the Lithuanian

basketball team gained invaluable
experience by playing international
games.
Over this period, they played 54 inter-
national games against teams that had
a variety of styles.
The team faced the strongest teams of
the world and constantly improved
their skills.
Here are the results they achieved
during this period:
▼ 4th place in European Championship
for U-16 Men in 2001;

▼ 4th place in European Championship

for U-18 Men in 2002;

▼ 2nd place in World Championship for

U-19 Men in 2003;

▼ 3rd place in European Championship

EV\Z')'
EV\Z')(
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

played abroad) for not fulfilling expec-

tations.

The core of the team was composed

mainly of young players playing for
local teams (nine players from the
national league competition and three
players competing for foreign clubs).

Undoubtedly, there were some pro-

blems faced during this period:

▼ The head coach was replaced in

2004 because he was not able to
adequately coach the players;

▼ The team did not win decisive

games (semifinals, finals) in offi-
cial tournaments;

▼ Some good players were not able

to play because of injuries.

That said, the results achieved by the

team pointed out that we could win the
FIBA World Young Men’s Championship.
The main problem for the team was psy-
chological.
Up to that point, the team had suffered
painful defeats in a few most impor-
tant games.
For example, in the semifinal of the
FIBA European Championship in 2002,
we lost to Croatia even though we
were leading for three quarters by 13
points. We lost the final of the FIBA
World Championship in 2003 to
Australia by 31 points even though we
had beaten them in group play.
We lost to Slovenia by 40 points in the
semifinal of the FIBA European
Championship in 2004 in spite of
having previously beaten them in a dif-
ferent group.

Working hard on the many team short-

comings, the coaches eventually suc-
ceeded in solving the many problems
the team had. It all came down to the
final game of the FIBA U21 World also trained talented basketball players Ramunas Butautas, who was the head
Championship 2005 in August, on a representing very good men’s club coach, guided the team to the FIBA
basketball court far from home. teams: Darius Silinskis, Paulius Under 21 World Championship with the
Lithuania won the gold medal by Jankunas, Jonas Maciulis (Euroleague, help of Rimas Kurtinaitis, his assistant.
defeating Greece 65-63 in a thrilling Zalgiris Kaunas), Renaldas Seibutis Many talented basketball players now
final game in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. (Euroleague, Olympiakos Piraeus), and play for the Lithuanian National Senior
During the entire game, no team could Arturas Jomantas (FIBA Europe Men’s team, with many candidates wai-
take more than a 5-point lead. Eurocup, Siauliai Siauliai). Linas Kleiza ting for a place on the team.
It came down to the last play before (NBA, Denver Nuggets), Martynas
Lithuania could achieve the hard-ear- Andriuskevicius (NBA, Cleveland The competition is very tough, but the
ned victory. Cavaliers) trained with the team, but did LBF is certain that these players will
not take part in the World Championship. form the nucleus of a team that will
Over the five-year period of training Lithuanian Basketball Federation has prolong the victorious traditions of our
and competing, not only have we also succeeded in training young coa- team in World and European basketball
achieved our ultimate victory, but we ches. competition in years to come.
EV\Z'))
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

Player and skill

by Kevin Sutton

development:
the perimeter
Kevin Sutton is the head coach of
Montverde Academy in Florida, one of the
top high schools in US. He has over twenty
years of coaching experience, as assi-
stant coach at James Madison University
and Old Dominion University. He has built
his reputation as an excellent teacher of
the fundamentals and he is a regular lec-
turer at the Nike Skills Academy and Five-
Star, the two top US summer basketball
camps. He has produced two DVDs, "30
Drills for Building a Complete Guard" and
"30 Drills for Building a Complete Post
Player" (Championship Productions).

INTRODUCTION
Since 1986 when the NCAA introduced and
adopted the three point line into the college
game, the definition of perimeter and post
became more define. Inside the arc is the
post area and outside of the arc is the peri-
meter area. The line enabled coaches and
players to have a better understanding of
spacing. Interestingly enough twenty years
later, there is talk of moving the line back to
the international distance. The battle lines
have been drawn (in an arc form), I might
add. Some coaches are for it, and some
coaches oppose the change. I am of the opi-
nion that what has been missing in the game
of basketball is the "midrange game". The
midrange game is vital to the success of a
good perimeter player's game. I feel that the
midrange game adds balance to the game.
Too often perimeter players are labled as:
1) slashers - guys, who attack the basket, or
2) standstill shooters - guys, who can only
catch and shoot the ball. That is why I
have placed a high premium on teaching
my players the midrange game.
In this article, I want to share with you these
two objectives:
1) My philosophy on what makes a suc-
cessful perimeter player, and
2) Workout drills I use to develop perimeter
players.
EV\Z')*
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

MY PHILOSOPHY ON WHAT IT TAKES TO BE

A SUCCESSFUL PERIMETER PLAYER
By definition, perimeter mean: outside or
around a designated area. Well, in the game of
basketball, the perimeter is the area beyond
the three point line that is around the post area
or paint. So what does it take to be a succes-
sful perimeter player?

D.1 D.6 a) Understanding of the Game

1. Spacing
2. How to move without the ball (Ray Allen,
Richard Hamilton, of the NBA)
3. Shot selection (good shots = high percen-
tage; bad shot = low percentage)
4. Making right decisions (time & score,
when to pass/when to shoot).

b) Ball Handling/Dribbling Skills

1. Fundamental knowledge of how to execu-
te and effectively use the following dribble
D.2 D.7
moves: crossover, spin, between the legs,
pound, around the back, below the butt
2. Understanding of open full court dribbling
vs. half court guarded dribbling.

c) Passing Skills
1. Fundamental knowledge of how to execu-
te and effectively use the following passes:
chest, bounce, overhead/ outlet, one hand
push, around the back
2. How to and when to the feed the post.
D.8
D.3
d) Footwork Skills
1. Must always be on balance
2. Effective use of different types of pivots:
front, reverse, jab series
3. Triple threat position/ attack game (pass/
dribble/ shoot).

e) Shooting Ability Skills

1. Catch and shoot
2. Ability to create own shot (mid range game)
3. Use of ball screens
D.4 D.9 4. Drive game scoring different ways (floater,
score off wrong leg)
5. Free-throw game (the result of an effective
drive game)

I also believe that the truly great perimeter

players are:
a) Students of the game. They study the game
and their opponents. They know the spots
on the floor where they shoot a high per-
centage, and they know how to get there.
D.5 D.10
b) Versatile. The more versatile you are, the
more valuable you are. They have the abi-
lity to play more than one position. The
game now requires the perimeter players
to be multidimensional. For example: 1 1/2
guard is a point guard, who can play the 2
guard spot and look to score.
EV\Z')+
 c) In great shape both physically and mentally. In this particular workout, I want concentrate
By this I mean the great perimeter players on the development of:
never get tired of moving without the ball. 1. Hand/ coordination
Nor, do they give into fatigue, when they are 2. Pound dribbling
being pressured as they run the offense. 3. Passing
Mentally, they are in great shape as well 4. Shooting
with clarity of thought. They don't get 5. Basketball knowledge
discouraged if and when they do not get the 6. Conditioning through the use of two ball.
ball when they feel they are open. Clarity of
D.11 thought enables the player to make the right The workout starts with the players doing the
decision in those pressured situations. “Two Ball Stationary Pound Dribble” series
which consists of:
d) Good free-throw shooters. Primarily 1) Two ball pound dribble together. Pound
because they know this is a "positive/ selfi- dribbling the ball at the same time at shoul-
sh " play that benefits both the team and der height, then waist height, the knee hei-
the individual player. Furthermore, getting ght, and then ankle height. This should be
to the free-throw line means that you are repeated at the coaches's command. The
putting pressure on the defense. Everyone pound dribble is a hard dribble that requi-
wants to score, and what better way than res the dribbler to keep their hands on top
by shooting uncontested shots while you of the ball. Thus giving the dribbler more
are stationary? In my opinion, the great control while dribbling.
D.12
perimeter players attempt at least ten free- 2) Two ball alternate pound dribble. The drib-
throw a game. bler should alternate their dribble at their
shoulder, waist, knees, and ankles. This
e) Always play at different speeds (fast to should be repeated at the coach's com-
slow/ slow to fast). By changing your mand.
speeds, the perimeter player makes it very 3) The third in this series is called two ball
difficult on the defender over the course of rhythm dribble. The dribbler must pound
the game. For example, the players are fast dribble the two balls together in front of him
to their spot on the offense set, and then in a side to side motion. Then they must
slow as they come off the screen. Playing pound dribble the two balls together on
slow after he/ she catches the ball enables outside of each leg in a front to back
D.13 the perimeter player to have more control, motion.
allow the play (situation) to develop, and
then, when the decision has been made, These next drills are what I call the “Two
the player makes his/her move fast to Ball/Pass/Dribble and Shoot Basic One Man
ensure maximum success. Drills”: in all of these drills, the location can
and should be changed so that the players
f) Know how to involve their teammates. Last learn to: understanding different angles on the
and certainly not least, I think the truly court and they will also learn which moves are
great perimeter players have a great most effective in those certain areas of the
understanding/ knowledge of how to invol- court. The basic one - man drills are divided
ve their teammates. They involve them by into two categories:
being great passers, thus forcing their 1) The player going in the opposite direction
D.14 teammates to move intelligently without of their initial pass (which is illustrated in
the ball, but all the while expecting a pass diagr. from 1 to 5).
when they are open. The great ones know 2) The player going in the same direction of
how to use their voices. By using their voi- their initial pass (which is illustrated in
ces, they engage in communication with diagr. from 6 to 8).
their teammates that allow for clarity and In diagr. 1, the player starts at half court, drib-
understanding of assignments. Their voi- bling two basketballs at the same time. They
ces can reinforce either positively or nega- dribble up to the object/defender and execute
tively based on what the situation requires a one-hand push pass to the right wing while
getting the maximum performance from maintaining control of their dribble with the
their teammates. Finally, the really great ball in their left hand. After making the pass to
perimeter players know how to get their the right wing they throw a one - handed push
D.15 teammates involved by using them pro- pass to the left wing. The drill is the building
perly and timely as screeners. block drill, upon which all of the other drills that
will follow are built. So it is very important that
TWO BALL/ PASS/ DRIBBLE AND SHOOT WORKOUT the player masters this drill first. In diagr. 2 and
Now I want to share with you one of my 3 we advance to allowing the player to shoot
workouts that I use to help develop my perime- shots after they have successfully made a
ter players. good pass to the wing.
EV\Z'),
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

In diagr. 2 everything starts the same as diagr.

1 with the two - ball dribble and one hand push
pass to the wing. After making the one hand
push pass to the wing, the player then
"attacks” the basket with a dribble drive for a
lay - up. These drills are one shot drills.
Diagr. 4 and 5 are an illustration of two - shot dril-
ls. The drills begin with the player successfully
executing two - ball dribbling and a one hand
push pass to the wing. Then "exploding" for a D.16 D.17
jump shot at the elbow, after shooting the first
shot, they must run around the object that has
been placed at the top of the key to the other 1) How to move effectively without the ball.
elbow to receive a pass to shoot their second 2) Poise and ball control by the dribbler.
shot. The second categories of “Two/Ball/Pass/ 3) The ability to make the proper pass at the
Dribble and Shoot Basic One Man” drills are illu- proper time to the cutter.
strated in diagr. 6. The player starts with the two 4) The ability to communicate.
ball dribble and them makes a one-hand push Diagr. 13 is the demonstration of the basic drills
pass to the right wing, while maintaining their to start with when teaching two - man dribble/
dribble with the ball in their left hand they exe- pass and shoot three - man drills. These two dril-
cute a dribble move (crossover, spin, between ls are "catch-and-shoot" drills from the wings
the legs, behind the back) going in the same (diagr. 14), with the pass coming from the top D.18
direction of their pass. After making a succes- (diagr. 13) and a change of location that with the
sful dribble move then they are allowed to shoot shots in the corner and the top with the pass
on the following shots: (lay ups, 2pt. jumper or 3 coming from the wing. The next set of drills
pt. jumper). In diagr. 7 and 8, are an example of a starts to implement moving without the ball that
two shot drill. Much like diagr. 4 and 5, the player will require the shooters to make basketball cuts
must execute a pass to the wing, make a strong such as (backdoor, curl, fade and back screen
dribble move and follow his pass to take his first with shape up). In diagr. 15, 16, and 17, player 1
shot at the elbow and then run around the object executes a backdoor cut and player 2 executes
to receive a pass for his second shot. a curl cut. All three players must communicate
with one another through (verbal and nonverbal
After mastering the “Two-Ball Dribble/Pass communication) to get the proper timing on cuts
D.19
and Shoot One Man” drills, now progress into and passes from the passer. This drill is game
“Two-man” drills. The purpose of the “Two- like the last series of drills in the “Two-Ball
Ball Dribble/Pass and Shoot Two-Man” drills is Dribble/Pass and Shoot Three-Man” drills is the
to teach: incorporation of the third ball which enable all
1) How to communicate (work together) three players the opportunity to shoot. In diagr.
through verbal and nonverbal communica- 18, the drill starts when the dribbler attack the
tion. I define communication as informa- object and makes a one - hand push pass with
tion given, received and understood. It is one ball to one wing, then make a one hand push
not enough to just talk to one another. pass to the other wing. When the two wing
2) The passer how to make a pass that the players receive their passes, they are allowed to
shooter can handle/shoot. take shots or make moves that will lead to shots.
3) The shooter how to be "shot ready", give the Then in diagr. 19, the dribbler takes the third ball D.20
passer a target with his hands to hit and call out of the chair placed at the top of the key, and
for the ball with not only their hands as well execute a shot fake and one dribble move for a
as their voice. Diagr. from 9 to 12 show four jump shot at the foul line. In diagr. 20 and 21 are
different examples of “Two-Man” drills: the same drills executed at a different loca-
▼ Diagr. 9: regular. tion/angle.
▼ Diagr. 10: shot fake by wing.
▼ Diagr. 11: moving without the ball cuts. CONCLUSION
▼ Diagr. 12: changing of location. Player and perimeter develop can and should
A major part of these drills that I feel is impor- be so much fun. With imagination, creativity
tant is that the dribbler/passer must demon- and a desire for becoming a student of the
strate: poise/patience, ball control and the abi- game, the player can become an outstanding
lity to deliver a one-hand push pass accurately perimeter player. Passion and desire are intan- D.21
to the shooter, all the while maintaining his gible qualities that separate the above avera-
dribble with the other basketball. ge from the average and great from the good.
The final set of drills in my “Two-Ball The simple formula of input/output says that
Dribble/Pass and Shoot” drills, are the “Three- the more you put in, the more you get out.
Man” drills. These drills are absolutely great Finally, don't fear failure, but more importantly,
for teaching the following: EMBRACE SUCCESS!
EV\Z')-
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

CANADA BASKETBALL
by Michael MacKay
TEACHING PYRAMID
Michael MacKay is the Manager of Coaches
Education and Development of Canada
Basketball. He was also high school coach
in Nova Scotia, and coach of the men's team
of the Acadia University, and women's team
of the Lakehead University of the Canadian
Intercollegiate Sports.

Many of our coaches at the developmental

stages are volunteers and they apply an adult D.1
view of the game to the children. To win often the technical decision making skills. We do
overshadows the development of the players. not promote 5-on-5 basketball at this stage, so palm, until one of you can step both feet over
"Be One" is a unifying program designed to there is no need for strategies and tactics. As the line. Do not take a poor pushing position
align the system of development in the coun- the players move into mini-basketball, 10 -11 for basketball, but stay in a balanced position
try using the "Long Term Athlete Development years old, the coach introduces simple strate- with the eyes up. To correct this have one
Model" (LTAD). Canada Basketball has so gies on how to play 5-on-5. This allows all player release position randomly. When one
developed this teaching pyramid. players to play on every position. The children player releases the pressure, the other will
Fundamentals - The principles of movement. It must enjoy this experience and the coach fall because he/she is not in a stable position.
is divided into two separate components (the should not be the reason why the child is not Loading the Drill
how and why of basics basketball): able to play at the next stage of development. To increase the challenge the drill can be
1. Fundamental movement skills (walking, jog- The teaching pyramid also assists the coa- loaded in the following ways:
ging, running, twisting, bending, lunging, ches in planning their season and practices, ▼ Have the players balance on one foot.
squatting, pushing, pulling jumping, throwing which should start with the fundamentals and This really works the core and the stabi-
and balance) end with the tactics. Early in the season the lizing muscles.
2. The basic basketball skills (footwork, ball bulk of the practicing should be on the lower ▼ Use a basketball as the object being
handling, dribbling, passing, shooting). part of the pyramid. Near the end of the sea- pushed. You can also change this into
Technical skills - These are more specific in son more of an emphasis can be on the upper pushing and pulling. Have the athletes
nature and involving decision making. The part of the pyramid. wrestle with the ball for a period of time.
emphasis is on when to use the skills (should This is an example of a skill and how we On your command one can try to take
the athlete pass, shoot or dribble when in tri- would progress it through the pyramid. These the ball from the other.
ple threat? It should be the athletes' decision, progressions are used within our Centres for Pushing on Different Planes
not because the coach tells him what to do). Performance, which target talented players in We also want to make sure that the athletes
Repetitions allows the athletes to enhance all regions of Canada. We like to take a drill can push and withstand pushing along diffe-
their decision making skills are used. and continually "load" it, both physically and rent planes of the body. We can use the
Strategies - The long term plan the coach psychologically, simply increasing the speed same progressions that were shown for
employs for team play on offense and defen- or intensity of the drill or adding another chal- push straight ahead:
se. The athletes learn through exposure to lenge. By not changing the structure of the ▼ Side to side - be sure to work all combi-
real game like conditions, and what he is drill the players can total concentrate on lear- nations - right hip to right hip, left hip to
going to do. ning the new concept. When you continually left hip, right hip to left hip and left hip to
Tactics - These are the short term adjust- change drills it takes to players time to learn right hip.
ments to the plan. It is specific preparation for the formation and rotations of the new drills. ▼ Back-to-back.
a particular game or the adjustments that take Let's now talk of the crab or protected dribble. ▼ T- position - side to chest. This most
place within a single game. We will start with some basic moves that are resembles the crab dribble. With youn-
Many coaches spend too much time on tac- the foundation for this skill, and then progress ger children they may not feel comforta-
tics and strategies. Often the entire practice is up through the pyramid. ble touching each other. Sometimes hol-
dedicated to prepare for the next opponent, ding a ball in between helps them.
especially alarming when it occurs at the CRAB DRIBBLE In all of the above drills a way to have the
younger stages of an athlete's development. Fundamental Movement - Pushing players keep their heads up is to move about
Our "Model" helps coaches in the delivery of The players need to be able to push, while randomly passing a ball to them. After cat-
developmentally appropriate programs. maintaining their balance (good also to work ching the ball, they pass it back to the coach
The 5 -9 years old players' coaches concen- on core strength). Face your partner with a (or a player). Their natural inclination will be
trate on basic moves, fundamental skills and line on the floor separating you. Push palm to to look at their feet.
EV\Z').
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

BASKETBALLFUNDAMENTAL where the weak side defenders are may pre-

We now want to practice the actual crab drib- dicate what type of dribble can be used. A spin
ble. The wave dribbling drill is excellent to dribble is not wise if you know that the help
teach to keep the heads up while dribbling. could quickly appear from the blind side. Many
Wave Dribble top players will use a step back dribble, for
This is a basic, but still very effective for all moving backward and to the side at the same
ages. The players must dribble in the direction time, creating space from the defender.
the coach points. Keys: Chest Shoulder Reading Drill
▼ Do not change your signal too quickly at To work on the move prep for this skill two
first; you want the players to move in the players line up between two pylons and the D.2
desired direction with some speed. If you space varies depending on the skill level . One
change too fast they end up standing. is designated defense, one offense. The
▼ The ball should be positioned behind the offensive player moves laterally back and
foot in a crab dribble. forth, the defense mirrors this movement. The
The body should be low with the back strai- offensive player then attempts to cut between
ght and the lead arm out to protect the ball the two pylons. The defender attempts to
(diagr. 1). keep his/her chest in the line of the cut. Read
Random Passers the body of the defense. Have the defense
To increase the load on the players have a keep the arms up by the shoulder area. This is
partner call for a random pass. Once the ball a great drill to teach offensive and defensive
is passed, the ball could be passed back or the footwork. It also teaches faking. Now add the
player with the ball must know join the wave ball. A final loading is to have the coach or D.3
dribble drill. Here I have shown six random player call from random passes: this encoura-
pass receivers. This may be because the ge the players to keep the head up and be
coach only has six balls. You could only have scanning through the defense to the basket.
one person and also use assistant coaches.
Note: it is crucial that players are able to do STRATEGY
this drill using both hands. We show how it can be used in the three dif-
Mirror Mirror ferent positions in a game like situation.
Everyone has a ball. The players facing the Guard Play Front Court
coach react to his/ her wave. The other player The offensive player works on crab dribbles
is facing the ball handler and reacts to his/her for passing to the wings. After making the
movement (diagr. 2). pass to 2, 1 immediately returns for another
Loading ball and passes to 3 on the other side, or pas- D.4
▼ Add the random pass - the player would ses also to a post (diagr. 3).
pass the ball and immediately get a return Points of emphasis
pass. Be sure to use both hands. ▼ Head up.
Mirror with Guided Defense ▼ Pass when the receiver present a target.
Now we add a guided defender who is ▼ Rhythm - have the proper timing and spa-
moving to the dribble. cing).
Loading Loading
▼ The random pass rule can still be used. ▼ Add defense to wings.
▼ Use both hands ▼ Sometimes allow the guard to beat the
As the players become more successful, you defender to penetrate to score.
can increase the intensity of the defense. At ▼ Add also a post players.
D.5
first do not allow them to steal the ball. Wing Play - Baseline Drive
Technical Decision Making (Reading the The wing player drives baseline and meets
Defense) early help - the perfect time for a retreating Loading
We now ant the player to learn to read the crab dribble (diagr. 4). Options: The coach can guide the defense.
defense not the coach. The key is to read the ▼ Pull back shot. Sometimes double early sometimes after
chest of the defender. ▼ Pull back and pass. the dribble. Mix up the defender, who dou-
Shoulder and Chest ▼ Pull back and split the defense to the bles. The final phase would be to allow the
When a shoulder (hands, arms and elbows) middle. players to play in a game like situation (3-
presents itself "go". The player needs to K.O.B. ▼ Pull back, hesitate and attack again either on-3, 4-on-4, 5-on-5). If they are not using
(keep on the body) of the defender to prevent middle or baseline. the crab dribble effectively, start the
the defense from recovering. We teach them Loading sequence in a crab dribble situation and
to probe with the lead foot to the outside of the It is important that the coach guides the then play live out of that situation. We hope
defender's foot. If the defender does not mir- defense. If the defense always does the same that have been able to see how we effecti-
ror this action, attack the shoulder. action, this is the action your players will be vely use the pyramid in teaching various
Chest able to handle. skills of the game. It does take a tremen-
If your path is impeded by a chest, the bal- Post Play - Dribble Moves dous amount of time, but it is our feeling
lhandler must stop moving in that direction and Once 4 reads that no double teams are pre- that, if we skip the crucial steps in the short
change direction. This could be a backward sent, he/she can start to use the crab dribble term, we lose out in the long term develop-
dribble, or to either side. The ability to know in the post. Attack the middle (diagr. 5). ment of our players.
EV\Z'*%
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S U19
by Zoran Kovacic

MONTENEGRO
Zoran Kovacic is the Technical Director of Youth
Women’s National teams of Serbia and Montenegro. He
coached the Yugoslavian senior and youth women’s
teams of the Red Star Belgrade, Kovin and Buducnost,
winning a total of five senior titles, six Yugoslavian
Cups, eleven Under 18, and seven Under 16 Yugoslavian
titles. With the former Yugoslavia and then Serbia and
Montenegro Women’s National teams, he won one sil-
ver medal at the FIBA European Championship with the
senior team, and two silver and one bronze medal with
the Under 18 teams at the FIBA World Championships,
one gold medal and one bronze medals at the European
Championships. He also won two bronze medals with
the Under 16 team at the FIBA European Championships.

The breakup of former Yugoslavian Republics caused a

number of new independent states to appear in the
Balkans.
All former Federal Republics had by now established
their own autonomous state, barring Serbia and
Montenegro, which stayed together. The very succes-
sful method of work we used until then in the basketball
area has changed. Now, we have a much smaller base
of players to choose from, and the requirements of com-
peting on the highest level are increasing.
When I became a coach of youth teams, I decided to use
the same training approach for all the different age
national teams.

EV\Z'*&
SERBIA AND
OFFENSE

EV\Z'*'
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

D.1 D.2 D.3

Our staff for the Under 19 World Championship ▼ 1 zone offense and 1 zone press offense.
in Tunisia 2005 consisted of: This is the description of one of the man-to-
▼ One Head coach. man offense sets we used (diagr. 1). 2 and 4
▼ Two assistant coaches. form a stack on the left side of the half court,
▼ One strength and conditioning coach. while 1 is in the low post position and 5 in the
▼ One psychologist. high post on the right corner of the free-
▼ One physiotherapist. throw area. 3 passes the ball to 2, and if she
is open, she shoots. If she cannot shoot, 4
We created team offense sets that will be sets a screen for 3, who goes to low post,
explained further. where she will back down her defender, if
D.4
she gets the ball. If she isn’t open for the pass
TEAM DEFENSE (diagr. 2), 2 passes the ball to 4, while 5 sets a
Let’s now briefly review our defense, which is screen for 1, who is trying to get in position to
always at the base of a winning team. receive a pass from 4. If 3 cannot receive the
ball (diagr. 3), 4 passes the ball to 1, 3 uses
Basic rules of our man-to-man defense are: the screen of 5 on the other side of the court,
1. Force the opposing players to the sideline and tries to receive a pass, going outside of
or baseline. the lane. After the pass to 1, 4 sets a lateral
2. When the opposing team reaches our half screen for 2 (diagr. 4), and 1 has four options:
court, we force the ball handler to one side pass to 4 or 5 in the three-second lane, to 2 or
in order to determine the weak side. to 3 for a jump shot from outside (diagr. 5).
3. Do not allow the opponent to play their D.5
regular offense sets. ZONE OFFENSE
4. Force the point guard to use weaker hand The start positions are shown
to dribble the ball. in diagr. 6, with 5 on the low
5. Do not allow the penetration to the middle post on the left side of the
and make inside passing extremely difficult. court, 3 and 4 forming a stack
on the right side, and 1 and 2
We split our defense to six areas of the half playing at the same level in
court, so that the players could easily com- the guard positions. 3 opens
prehend the defense set. up to receive the ball from 2,
and, if free, takes the shot. If
In addition to this basic defense, we also used she cannot take the shot
these other defenses: (diagr. 6), 3 passes the ball
a) 2-1-2 zone. back to 2, uses the screen of 4
b) Two versions of 1-1-2-1 half court zone press. and cuts in the three-second
lane, also using the screen
TEAM OFFENSE from 5. 2 passes the ball to 1
MAN-TO-MAN and 1 passes to 3 (diagr. 7). If
This offense is based on the great individual 3 cannot shoot, 4 sets a
technical and tactical knowledge of the small screen for 2, and goes to the
forward, 3. This player could play the point high post position at the cor-
guard in some situations against the aggressi- ner of the free-throw lane. 2
ve defense, and she could play at center, continues her cut to the
while being guarded by a shorter player. We strong side, uses a screen
used these sets during the course of the tour- from 5 (diagr. 8). 3 now has
nament: four options: she can pass to 2
coming off the screen of 5;
▼ 3 plays against man-to-man defense. pass to 5 in the low post; pass
▼ 2 zone offenses. to 4 in the high post, or pass to
▼ 3 out of bounds plays (2 from the baseline, 1 in the middle of the court
1 from the sideline). (diagr. 9).
EV\Z'*(
BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS
Here is one of our out-of-bound plays. 2 is the
inbounder, and 4 and 5 form a stack on the ball side
of the court. 1 fakes to cut in the three-second lane
and then using the double screen of 4 and 5, goes
outside to receive the ball from 2, while 3 goes low
(diagr. 10).
After the pass, 2 uses the stagger screen of 4 and
5 and goes high (diagr. 11). Right after the stagger
screen, 4 and 5 make another baseline stagger for D.10
D.6
3, who cuts baseline and goes in the opposite cor-
ner (diagr. 12). Finally, 5 screens for 4 (diagr. 13).

This method of training provided us another great

result: after only 15 days, 10 players from the
Under 19 team, which won the silver medal at FIBA
World Championships, played in the Under 18 FIBA
European Championship, and they went ton to win
the gold medal.

D.7 D.11

D.8 D.12

D.9 D.13

EV\Z'*)
 FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

SHOOTING
by Francis Denis
DRILLS
After a twenty-year career as a player, Francis
Denis started coaching in 1975 with the
Abidjan (Ivory Coast), then with the Ivory Coast
National team, where he won the gold medal
at African Championship in 1985. In 1986 he
came back to France, coaching Grenoble for
two years. In 1991 he became coach of the
French Women's national team A, winning the
silver medal at the 1993 FIBA European
Championships. From 1997 to 2002 he coached
the French Women's Under 16 national team,
winning the bronze medal at the 1999 FIBA
European Championship and the gold medal at
the 2001 FIBA European Championship. He is
the current head coach of the French women's
Under 20 national team, which won the gold
medal at the 2005 FIBA European
Championship.

The preparation for a competition such as the

FIBA Youth European Championships requires
perfect organization and precise rules. The pre-
paration was extended over a period of six
weeks before the beginning of the competition,
and was made up of different practice sessions,
followed by internal friendly games and exhibi-
tion games in different tournaments. The teams
played one game a day as a way to prepare for
the mental and physical challenge of the FIBA
European Championships.
We dedicated a good amount of time to indivi-
dual skills improvement, with drills based on the
spot of the floor, the roles of the players and the
game strategies we decided to adopt. These dril-
ls, along with goals to achieve, were used as an
evaluation index both for the coach and for the
players. Described below are some of the many
examples of drills we used during the summer of
2004, before the FIBA European Championships
played in France, where our national team won a
silver medal. They were also used in the 2005
FIBA Under 18 European Championship, where
we won the gold medal.

DRILLS
LAY-UP DRILLS
Straight lay-up: 6 running lay-ups, 3 from the
right, 3 from the left side (diagr. 1).
Finish the drill with 10 free throws for each
player.
Reverse lay-up: The same move, but this time it
EV\Z'**
must end with a reverse lay-up. It's necessary
to make sure the move is made by changing
hands (diagr. 2).
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each
player.

JUMP SHOT DRILLS

One count stop. If a passer is available, 8 jump
shots are taken at a 45° angle to the basket
after receiving the ball, 4 from the right, 4 from D.1
the left side. If there is not a passer, jump shots
are made off the dribble. 8 jump shots off the
dribble are taken from inside the three-second
lane (diagr. 3). For this drill, the coach must take
care of these technical details:
▼ When finishing the dribble, the legs must be
flexed, lowering the center of gravity.
▼ The heels must first touch the floor to make a
good stop and help maintain body balance.
▼ The body must immediately spring up to
reach the ideal height needed to execute
the shot. D.2
▼ The technical sequence must be repeated
with a good base and proper flow.
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each
player.

Change of direction and flare on a back pick. 8 GUARDS AND FORWARDS

shots, 4 from the right and 4 from the left side 20 three-point shots (10 from the right and 10
(diagr. 4). Again, the coach must take care of from the left side), after coming out of horizon-
these technical details: tal and vertical stagger screens (with the chan-
▼ When finishing the dribble, the legs must be ce to come out on the left or on the right side),
flexed, lowering the center of gravity. always paying attentions to foot position and
▼ The heels must first touch the floor to movement (diagr. 6). D.3
make a good stop and help maintain body ▼ On the horizontal stagger screen (with the
balance. exit on the right or on the left side of the
▼ The body must immediately spring up to court): the player must make a two-count
reach the ideal height needed to execute stop.
the shot. ▼ On the vertical stagger screen (with the exit
▼ The technical sequence must be repeated on the left or the right side of the court): the
with a good base and proper flow. player must make curl around the screen
▼ For making a good stop on the left side, the and make a count stop.
heel of the left foot touches the floor first, Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each
followed by the heel of the right foot (the player.
sequence is reversed, when the player is
D.4
on the on the right side of the floor). For versatile guards and forwards to develop
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each post-up skills. 10 shots (5 from the right and 5
player. from the left side) in the following situations
(diagr. 7):
Change of pace. 16 shots, 4 from the right and 4 ▼ After taking position in the low post (taking
from the left side of the floor, for each of these and reading the physical contact);
two different situations (diagr. 5): ▼ After going up to the high post (to play dif-
▼ After a pass from inside to outside, the ferent situations);
player comes out on the short corner (pre- ▼ After a back-door cut in the low post (cut-
ferable situation). ting along the baseline), an action that
▼ After a pass from inside to outside, the begins with a teammate's drive to the
player comes out vertically, after using a basket on the same side of the court (to D.5
screen, faking the different defensive situa- clear out an area of the court).
tions and making a curl or flaring out. Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each
It would be preferable to change the order of player.
the shots and situations during this drill.
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each CENTERS
player. 10 three-point shots (5 from the right side and
EV\Z'*+
FIBA EUROPE
YOUTH BASKETBALL

5 from the left side), after the following situa- CONCLUSIONS

tions (diagr. 8): These drills can also be used with players
▼ A screen under the basket. with different levels of skills. To obtain the
▼ Taking position in the low post. best results, it's better for a coach to check
▼ To shoot after a normal exit to the three- out the execution of the technical moves,
point line, or after a fake, or after a fake insisting on technical corrections where it's
and dribble. needed (one or two counts stops before
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each shooting, the right flow to shoot, etc.). The
player. coach should also evaluate the success of
every single drill. After completing all the dril- D.6
For versatile centers. 20 shots (10 from the ls, a player will have taken a total of 124 shots
right and 10 from the left side), after the fol- (including 60 free-throws), but it's possible to
lowing situations (diagr. 9): modify the quantity of shots for every practi-
▼ After taking position in the low post (taking ce, as well as changing the number of shots
and reading the physical contact). from each spot on the court. With our natio-
▼ After going to the high post (to play diffe- nal team, once the players learned the order
rent situations). of the drills, the number of shots increased to
▼ After a back-door cut in the low post 174, and then to 214. Considering the eventual
(cutting along the baseline), an action high shooting percentages of our players in
that begins with a teammate's drive to the championships, my advice is to increase
the basket on the same side of the court the number of shots in the practice sessions.
(to clear out an area of the court). This is especially true for the inside players, D.7
Finish the drill with 10 free-throws for each who must be particularly efficient for this part
player. of the game.

D.8

D.9

EV\Z'*,
 content

OFFENSE
ARGENTINA’S MAN-TO-MAN PLAYS
@
  

ZONE OFFENSE
    ,
TWO OFFENSIVE SETS OF THE DALLAS MAVERICKS
)
5
7
ZONE OFFENSE
8 !* 
THE KENTUCKY MAN-TO-MAN PLAY “40”
2

*  
EARLY AND SECONDARY FASTBREAK
' >*

7
ZONE OFFENSE

2
A                                                                                          &&
NOTRE DAME BASKETBALL: MOTION OFFENSE
 + &
THE GAME PHILOSOPHY OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS
3

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THE OREGON UNIVERSITY OFFENSE
8 +  ,
ATTACKING THE UNORTHODOX ZONE
) -
7
OFFENSIVE OUT-OF-BOUNDS SITUATIONS
/

1 ,
DEVELOPING AN OFFENSIVE STYLE OF PLAY
   ,
THE BASIC OFFENSE OF THE HOUSTON COMETS
  
9
MAN-TO-MAN OFFENSE


OFFENSIVE BASKETBALL: AN ASSESSMENT
 -+( 
HOW TO BUILD A WELL-BALANCED TEAM
-  .
Plays To Run as the Shot Clock Expires
  
.
THE ATTACK OF THE detroit pistons
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THE ARGENTINA OFFENSE
@
  
 
OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES
) -/* 
OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS FROM ONE-ON-ONE
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Transition offense
5  67
WAKE FOREST OFFENSE
Skip Prosser, )
3
 . . . . . . . . . . 77
MULTIPLe-CHOICE OFFENSE
!
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THE PICk-ANd-ROLL ON OFFENSE

"  
- .
SCOUTING THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES
'
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A MUTATION OF THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE
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HOW TO ATTACK THE ZONE DEFENSE
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  9
THE 3 OUTSIDE - 2 INSIDE OFFENSE
 


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ARIZONA HIGH POST SERIES
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THE SECONDARY FASTBREAK OF NORTH CAROLINA
@
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PLAYING BY CONCEPTS


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TRANSITION GAME
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THE OFFENSIVE SETS OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS, NBA CHAMPIONS 2005
3

 
Half court man-to-man offense
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THE IMPORTANCE OF A FREE ATTACK
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Eurobasket CHAMPION OFFENSE
 
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GERMANY’S GAME PLAN
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BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS SERIES
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HOW TO START THE GAME
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SERBIAN UNDER 18 NATIONAL TEAM OFFENSE
 +(  .,
THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRACTICE DRILLS and offensive post play
*  .
THE HIGH-POST AND THE TRIANGLE OFFENSEs
3
! **  9
THE MARYLAND OFFENSE
/ "  
THE RATIONAL GAME
2*
 (  
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ARGENTINA’S
MAN-TO-MAN
PLAYS
by Ruben Magnano

With the Argentinean Men’s Youth National

team, Magnano won the South American
Championship and with the Under 21 team
the Pan-American Championship in 2000.
In 2001 he became also head coach of the
Senior Men’s team and won the South
American, the Pre - World Championship
and the silver medal at the Goodwill
Games in Australia.
His most recent achievement was winning
the silver medal at the World Champion-
ship in Indianapolis.
With the Atenas Cordoba club, he won
three Argentinean titles, two South This is the starting five that we have lined up at last year’s World
American, one Pan-American and two Championships in Indianapolis and the corresponding numbers in the
South American League Championships. diagrams:

We try to run the fastbreak on every possi- N.1 Pepe Sanchez (playmaker, m. 1,93, Detroit Pistons)
ble occasion. However, if we don’t succeed N.2 Emanuel Ginobili (guard- small forward, m. 1.98, S. Antonio Spurs)
with the primary break, we then play in the N.3 Hugo Sconocchini (small forward, m. 1,96, Milan)
following way. N.4 Ruben Wolkowyski (power forward, m.2,08, Tau Vitoria)
We don’t usually call the play, but instead N.5 Fabricio Oberto (center, m.2,08, Tau Vitoria)
move offensively depending upon where
the first pass is made and how the defen-
ders react. area on the opposite side (diagr. 1). 4 passes to 1. First option: 2 screens for
3, 3 cuts in the lane along the baseline
After the early fastbreak, the initial set is Depending on who rebounds, 4 and 5 and receives another screen (stagge-
the two - three. 1 is the playmaker with the can exchange their position. red screens) from 5. After having pas-
ball, 4, the power forward, in low post posi- 5 passes to 4 and, at the same time, 1 sed to 1, 4 screens for 2 (screen the
tion, 5, the center, out of the line of the comes out screening 2, who cuts in the screener). 1 can choose whether to
three-point shot, 2, the guard, on the other lane and goes to the low post on the pass to 3, who comes out of the stag-
side of the court, and 3, the small forward, opposite side. gered screens of 2 and 5, or to pass to
on the side of the ball. 1 passes to 5 and 2, who comes up outside the three
makes a vertical screen for 4, who comes After having passed to 4, 5 screens for point line (diagr. 3).
up at the opposite spot of 5, outside of the 1 (screen the screener) and 1 comes up 4 passes to 1. Second option: 3 fakes to
three-point shot line. After the screen, 1 to receive the pass outside the three- go toward the screen of 2 and, instead,
cuts in the lane and goes to the low post point shot line (diagr. 2). pops out of the vertical screen of 4, 2
EV\Z&
cuts in the lane along the baseline, receives
a screen of 5 and goes out to the other cor- D.1
ner. 1 can choose to pass to 2 or to 3 (diagr.
4).

1 passes to 3, then cuts and goes in the cor-

ner on the same side of the ball and 5 repla-
ces 1, while 4 comes up and posts himself in
middle post area, ready to make a screen
(diagr. 5).

3 passes to 5 and 5 changes side to the ball,

D.2
passing to 2. 4 goes to screen 3, who cuts in
the lane and posts himself up in low post
area on the other side of the court. 2 can
pass to 3 (diagr. 6).

D.3

D.4

1, who was in the corner, receives two

screens (staggered screens), the first one
from 4 and then another one from 5 and then
comes up high in the middle of the floor, out-
side of the three-point line. 2 passes to 1
D.5
(diagr. 7).

After having passed the ball, 2 cuts in the

lane near the baseline and receives three
screens in succession: the first one from 3,
the second one from 4 and, at the end, the
third one from 5. 1 passes to 2, who has gone
out on the opposite side in the wing position
(diagr. 8).

We always start from the same set two -

three, as seen in the first diagram. 1 passes D.6
to 5. On this pass, 4 goes out and screens for
3, while 1 screens 4 (screen the screener). 3
cuts in the lane near the baseline and posts
himself in low post area on the other side of
the lane. 2 pops out and receives the ball
from 5 (diagr. 9).

If X2, the defender who covers 2, plays high

and X5, the defender who covers 5 stays low

EV\Z'
 OFFENSE

to cover the pick and roll, 2 passes the ball

D.10
again to 5, who receives a screen from 3,
who pops out from the low post position.
2 cuts in the lane along the baseline and
goes to the low post area on the other side
of the court. The ball changes side: 5 pas-
ses to 4, 4 passes to 1, who gets free, and 1
can passes to 2 (diagr. 10).

If 1 can’t make a successful pass to 2, he

receives a screen from 4 and then 4 recei-
ves a screen from 2 (screen the screener),
who popped out from the lane. After the
screen, 4 goes in the low post position
(diagr. 11).

1 passes the ball to 2 and 2 passes to 4 in

low post position (diagr. 12).

Initial set is the same seen in the first dia-

D.11
gram, the two - three. 1 passes to 5.
On the pass from 1 to 5, 4 goes out and
screens for 2. After the screen for 2, 4
receives a screen from 1 (screen the scre-
ener).
2 cuts on the opposite side of the lane
along the baseline and posts in low post
area. 5 swings the ball, passing to 3 and 3
passes to 2 (diagr. 13).

D.12

D.7

D.13

D.8

After having passed the ball to 2, if is no

possibility of shooting for 2, 5 goes to make
a direct screen for 3 and 3 dribbles toward
the middle of the lane and replaces 5, while
4 goes to the wing area. Immediately, after
5 has screened for 3, 2 goes out and makes
a back screen for 5 (screen the screener). D.14
5 goes in the low post area and 2 pops out
to the wing (diagr. 14).

3 passes to 2 and 2 passes to 5 in the low

post position (diagr. 15).

This was the play, that we used the most at

the World Championship. It is simple in the
movements, creates possibility of shooting
for all the players and it opens the court,
D.9 helping exploit the one-on-one, the three- D.15
point shot, and the inside game.

EV\Z(
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ZONE OFFENSE
He won a European Cadet, Junior, and
Senior Championships, a pair of World
Junior and World Senior Gold Medals with
the Yugoslavian National Teams. Pesic also
won a European Senior Championship while
at the helm of the German National team in by Svetislav Pesic
1991. With a club team, he won one Yugo-
slavian Championship and one Yugoslavia
Cup, two German Championships and two 1. OUTLET PASS AND RECEIVING THE PASS
Germany Cups. He is now head coach of the We have two options and two solutions. Both
team in Barcelona. guards must be ready to receive the outlet
pass. The outlet pass can be made to 1 in the
INTRODUCTION wing position or to 2 in the middle of the floor
The introduction of the 24-second shot clock (diagr. 1 & 2).
and eight-seconds speeded up the pace of
the game. Many coaches quickly adopted 2. THE FORWARD SPRINTS STRAIGHT
offensive plays that could be put in motion in TO THE BASKET
six or less seconds. For these reasons, the The forward sprints, near the sideline, in a
transition offense has become more and position where he can receive a pass from
more important; it is organized, quick and one of the guards (diagr. 3).
simple. Very few teams now utilize offensive This transition offense has three trailers.
strategies, that use all the three phases of
offense: early fastbreak, secondary fast- FIRST TRAILER
break and set play. Don’t make the mistake of He sprints opposite the ball. He is the most
thinking that defense is now less important dangerous player of the fastbreak and must
than in the past. I’ve never seen a great team be ready to receive the ball.
or winning coach that did not have a great
defense. During the course of the years, we SECOND TRAILER
will face more and more organized defenses He is involved with the secondary break. He
and more zone defenses, which are used for runs the middle lane of the court and must go
containing and disrupting organized offen- to the low post area.
ses. The aim is to force a quick shot or to
speed up the decisions of the offense. With THIRD TRAILER
the 24-second rule, we will not face the clas- He is the last player who goes on offense. He
sic zone defenses as in the past, but match- must change the side of the ball, pass to the
up or combination defenses, such as the low post, and make a screen.
triangle-and-two and the box-and-one.
3. THE FIVE LANES D.1
ZONE OFFENSE Ideally, the court is divided in five lanes and a
A team must be prepared for every eventua- player (diagr. 4) must occupy each lane.
lity. In a world of endless defenses and set
plays, a team must have in his arsenal an 4. QUICK DRIBBLE TO THE MIDDLE
offense that is useful against man-to-man, as OF THE COURT OR A LATERAL PASS
well as zone defense. In the majority of the It is better to make a short pass instead of a
cases, the best weapon against the zone is the long one and the best pass is tipically the
fastbreak. Because one of the weak points of lateral pass. The player on the opposite side,
the zone versus the fastbreak is the fact that the first trailer, can run over to one of the
the defensive players cannot reach their assi- guards to speed up the fastbreak.
gned positions before the arrival of the offensi- D.2
ve players. We want our players to run quickly 5. INTERNAL PLAY
to the offensive end, passing the ball up court If we cannot get to the basket on the first try,
without giving the defense a chance to recu- the offense must immediately create other
perate. This way we can take advantage of all options.
the options offered during the transition attack The second trailer, the player who runs in the
after a steal, a turnover, a rebound, or quick middle lane of the floor, must go to the low
out-of-bounds pass after a field goal made. post area and the perimeter players should
give him the ball. If there is not this option, we
EARLY FASTBREAK try to use the third trailer: the aim is to attack
These are the rules the players should follow. the zone under the basket, using the secon-
EV\Z)
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

dary break, because this part of the lane is ready to receive the ball if:
D.3
not controlled by the defense during this a) A teammate makes a dribble penetration.
phase of the play. b) The low post receives the ball.
c) The high post receives the ball.
SECONDARY BREAK
1 passes to 2 and 2 to 4. 1 after making this SCREENS
pass, cuts in the lane. 5 stops outside the Every time a player screens, he must roll to
free-throw line area and 3 outside the three- the ball after the screen.
point line (diagr. 5).
If 2 cannot pass to 4, 2 passes to 5 and 5 PASSES
makes a pass to 4, who cuts in the lane The most efficient passes are the short and
(diagr. 6). quick ones.
5 can also make a screen for 3, who receives
the ball from 2. 4 cuts in the lane (diagr. 7). INSIDE PLAY
After screening for 3, 5 picks for 1. 3 can From the beginning, it’s important that the
pass to 1 or 4 (diagr. 8). ball must be passed under the basket (insi-
1 pass to 5 in the low post, while 4 goes high de play), before the defense can recupe-
to screen 3. 2 goes in the middle of the floor rate. It is not advisable to immediately sho-
(diagr. 9). ot from the outside, because we like to
If 1 cannot pass to 5, 1 passes to 4 and 4 pas- reserve the jump shot in the second stage
ses to 5 (diagr. 10). of the play.
D.4

SET OFFENSE AGAINST THE ZONE OPTION A

Every offense depends on how it is set up Start this set play on the left or right side
and how the plays are executed. against the two-three zone. 1 tries to make
In order to be successful, every offense: physical contact with X1, as well as 2 and
■ Must be efficient against every type 3 with X2 and X3 (diagr. 11).
of defense (man-to-man, zone or 1 can pass to 2 or 3: these two offensive
combination defenses). players must have physical contact with X2
■ Must be able to adapt according to the and X3, before popping out for receiving
changing defenses. the ball (diagr. 12 & 13).

OFFENSIVE PRINCIPLES TIMING ON MOVEMENTS

D.5
1. The offense must be flexible and Initially, the high post area is free and 4 and
balanced, using: 5 stay behind their defensive players X4 and
a. Passes X5. Their movements depend on the position
b. Dribble Penetration of the ball. They move to the open area near
c. Offensive Rebounding the basket and behind the defensive players
2. Must have continuity from the starting and then they continue the cut toward the
pass until the end of the offense. high-post area (diagr. 14).
3. Must hide the offensive weaknesses
and exploit the strong points of the team. CONTINUITY ON OFFENSE
4. The players must have excellent Against the three - two zone defense, 1 drib-
technical knowledge. bles straight against the defensive player
5. The offense must be usable against any nearest to him and then passes to 2, who,
type of defense. after contact with X2, pops out to receive D.6
the ball. 3 and 4 cut behind the defense,
SPECIAL RULES AGAINST THE CLASSIC ZONE AND with 4 cutting high at the free-throw line
THE COMBINATION DEFENSES area, or in the corner. 3 can go on the
Perimeter Players opposite corner or go also at the free-
At the beginning of the set play, all the throw area (diagr. 15).
perimeter players must be in physical 5 can post out or make a screen for 3, if 3
contact with the defensive players neare- cuts to the opposite corner. 1, after pas-
st to them. sing to 2, makes contact with his defensi-
ve player and goes outside on the wing at
INSIDE PLAYERS a 45° angle (diagr. 16).
D.7
Both inside players must be positioned 2 has the option of passing to 4 under the
externally, one on the left and the other on basket, or to 5, who rolls after the pick for
the right, slightly outside of the three- 3 (diagr. 17).
second area, near the baseline. 2 passes to 3 and cuts to the opposite
Initially, there is no player on the high post corner, while 1 goes in the middle of the
area. This spot will be occupied later on. floor (diagr. 18).
3 can pass, dribble, or shoot. If 3 passes to
DRIBBLE PENETRATION 5, 4 cuts and goes to the low post on the
Dribble penetration among two defenders of opposite side to 5 (diagr. 19).
the zone. All the offensive players must be If 3 passes to 4, 4 can shoot, dribble to the

EV\Z*
 D.11

D.16

D.12

D.17

D.13

D.8
D.18

D.14

D.19
D.9

D.15 D.20
D.10

basket, or pass to 5 (diagr. 20). 2 passes to 5. 5 can shoot or pass to 4 and

4 can also change side with the ball, pas- 3 rebounds (diagr. 22).
sing to 2, then cutting in the lane and
going straight toward X4, and then to the OPTION B
low-post position. Cutting of the point guard
At the same time, 5 makes contact with X5 1 dribbles toward X1 and then passes to 3
and then cuts in the middle of the lane (diagr. 23). 1 then cuts to the basket and 2,
(diagr. 21). while 1 cuts, makes contact with X3 and
EV\Z+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.21 D.25

D.22 D.26

D.23

D.27

D.24 D.28

then pops out toward the ball (diagr. 24). position. Again, I would like to underline
1 cuts and screens for 4 (diagr. 25). the fact that the offensive players, before
After screening for 4, 1 cuts in the corner popping out to receive the ball, must
using the pick of 5 and receives the ball make physical contact with the nearest
from 2. 4 cuts and goes in the high post defender, and then must occupy the open
area (diagr. 26). spaces. If every movement is done as I’ve
2 passes the ball to 1, and cutting around explained, we can have a variety of shoo-
4 goes in the opposite corner, while 3 ting solutions.
goes high (diagr. 27). The key to success is always how well
1 pass to 4 in the high-post area, or to 5 in the players execute the movements, their
the low-post. If 4 receives the ball, he level of preparation, and their coaching.
can pass to 5, who cuts in the lane (diagr. The advantages of the described con-
28). cepts are:

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS 1. Unlimited possibilities for our players to

It is extremely important to run the set in create individual shooting opportunities.
a precise way to break down the normal
zones and the combination defenses. 2. The possibilities to make a quick shot in
We want that the ball to be in certain spot every special situation, such as time run-
of the floor, with the players in the exact ning out or foul problems for the defense.

EV\Z,
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

TWO OFFENSIVE SETS OF

THE DALLAS MAVERICKS

by Donn Nelson

Donn Nelson, the assistant coach of the Mavericks,

is one of the most knowledgeable experts on inter-
national basketball in the NBA. Scout and assistant
coach for Milwaukee, Golden State, and Phoenix,
since 1998 he has been President of Basketball
Operations and assistant coach of the Mavs. Nelson
continues to lecture at clinics all over the world.

Our man-to-man offensive plays are centered around

two players: the German forward Dirk Nowitzki, one
of the best players in the NBA, and the top scorer in
last year’s World Championship in Indianapolis, and
Steve Nash, the Canadian point guard, who is among
the top assist men in our league.

Our plays are simple. They take advantage of the

technical and physical skills of our players and how
the defense reacts to them. With the exception of
our centers, practically all of our players can chan-
ge their position and cover two different positions,
such as Van Exel, who can play both point guard and
guard, or Nowitzki, who can play at the power and
small forward spot.

PLAY N.1
Here are the roles and numbering of the players in
the diagrams:
● Two guards 1, and 2.
● A small forward, 3.
● A power forward, 4.
● A center, 5.

This is the set on the court: 3 in the corner, 4 and 5

near the lane, and 1 and 2 outside of the three-point
line.
1 passes the ball to 3, who came to the corner of the
lane, 2 makes a cut around 3, and then goes out to
EV\Z-
the opposite corner. After the pass, 1 goes on the
same corner where he passed the ball. 3 can pass to
2 or to 1 (diagr.1).

FIRST OPTION
After the cut in the corner, 2 comes back on the
baseline and receives a series of staggered picks,
the first by 4, and second from 5 (diagr.2).

After 2 cuts in the in the lane, 5 screens for 4 (screen D.1 D.6
the screener). 4 comes high and 5 goes in the corner.
3 has the option to pass to 2 near the basket, to 5 in
the corner, or to 4 in the wing area (diagr. 3).

If 3 cannot pass to any other teammates, he passes

to 1 and they make a pick and roll for each other
(diagr. 4).

SECOND OPTION
As in the previous action, 2, who came out in the cor-
ner, receives a staggered pick, the first from 4 and
the second from 5. On this play, 2, instead of cutting
along the baseline, comes up high. Then 5 screens D.2 D.7
for 4 (screen the screener), but in this option 4
makes a curl around 5 and then cuts in the lane. 5,
after the screen, goes in the corner. 3 can pass to 2
on the wing, to 4 in the lane, or to 5 in the corner
(diagr. 5).
If 3 cannot pass to anybody, he passes to 1 and they
make a pick and roll for each other (diagr. 6).

THIRD OPTION
2 receives a staggered pick from 4 and 5 and comes
out high (diagr. 7). This time 5, after the pick for 4,
instead of going to the corner, cuts to the basket,
D.3
and 4 goes to the corner (diagr.8). 3 can pass the ball D.8
to 2, to 5, who is cutting in the lane, or to 4, who can
take a jump shot (diagr. 9).

As usual, if 3 cannot pass the ball to 2, 4, or 5, he can

pass to 1, and they can make a pick and roll for each
other.

FOURTH OPTION
As I’ve already said, if there is no solution, 3 can
pass to 1 and set a pick for him (diagr. 10). The next
moves of 1 and 3 depend on the reactions of the
defenders (if the defenders change; if the defensive
player, who is screened, goes under or over the D.4 D.9

screen, etc.).

PLAY “CAMP”
A point guard, 1, two wings, 2 and 3, outside the three-
point line, and two big men, 4, the power forward, and
5, the center, near the basket.

1 passes the ball to one of the wings, 2, in this case,

and then goes in the corner, on the same side of the
ball (diagr. 11).

2 passes to 4 and immediately 1 makes a backdoor

cut along the baseline, and then goes on the opposi- D.5 D.10
te corner.
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.11 D.12

After the pass to 4 and the cut of 1, 2 sets a screen

for 5, who can curl around the pick or can flare out.
With these movements, the offensive players take
away the help of the defensive players and they can
isolate 4, who can play one-on-one (diagr. 12) .

Here are the other possible solutions. 4 can pass to:

● 1 on the backdoor cut

● 2 on the cut in the lane
● 5, who receives the pick from 2, and then makes a
curl cut in the lane or a flare out

Another different solution: After the start of the play,

with a pass from 1 to 2, 1 goes to the corner. 2 pas-
ses to 4 and then sets a screen for 3. 3 can come out
of the pick, receive the ball from 4 and penetrate to
the basket or else take a jump shot (diagr. 13).

Another different solution is to have 2, after passing

to 4, setting a screen for 1 in the corner and then cut-
ting along the baseline. 1, after the screen, cuts in
the lane and then screens for 5 (diagr. 14).

Our main goal with this play is to create scoring

opportunities for 4

D.13

D.14

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OFFENSE

ZONE
Ergin Ataman began coaching the
Efes Pilsen Istanbul junior team in
1990, winning seven national cham-
pionships. For two years he was
head coach of Turk Ankara and in
1998 he left for Stanford University.

OFFENSE
The following year, while coaching
Pinar Karsiyaka, he moved back to
Efes Pilsen, guiding them to the
Turkish National Final and the
Euroleague Final Four. Voted Coach
of the Year in 2000, he was asked to
join the Turkish Olympic Committee. by Ergin Ataman
He is head coach of Mens Sana
Siena, and with this team, he won
last year the Saporta Cup.

In the recent past we had many

complex zone offenses that worked
the defense with several ball swings
in the hopes of causing some kind of
mistake. Now, with the 24-second
clock, the predominant offensive
principle that I utilize involves giving
the players a few simple concepts
that allow them to immediately
attack any kind of defensive align-
ment and without the use of set
plays.
In order for this to happen, the first
thing we must do, however, is define
the particular areas in which our
various players can move:
Our center must constantly move in
the area outlined in diagr.1.
He must work behind the defense,
using a series of flash cuts in the
center area to get open, trying to
gain positions from about the middle
post to the corner.
Our power forward has his particu-
lar space, as in diagr. 2, taking posi-
tions from just below the free throw
line all the way to the three-point
line (so he can shoot, swing the ball
in an emergency, or screen for peri-
meter players). It is essential for the
two post players to maintain the
right spacing, not too close to one
another. This forces the defense to
spread out (for example, if 5 is in the
middle post, 4 should be beyond the
three-point line, or if 5 is in the cor-
ner position, 4 can be below the free
throw line, as in diagr. 3 and 4).
We prefer that our two inside
players take the second type of
position, posting sideways (diagr. 5)
we think this creates more problems
for the defense.
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1

The first goal of our offense is to

pass the ball to the players in one of
D.2
these two positions. Every time one
of the two catches the ball, the other
must cut strong towards the basket,
as in diagr. 6 and 7.
We ask our perimeter players to
move freely outside the three-point
line, maintaining spacing between
themselves and the inside players,
and making sure that one defender
cannot guard two offensive players
at the same time (diagr. 8).
We also want to teach our players
D.3
some offensive situations that, even
if not pre-arranged, can be very
effective: A quick pick and roll at the
high post (diagr.9); back screens
between perimeter players; or back
screens between the inside and
perimeter players against a 3-2 zone
(diagr. 10 and 11).
Only later will I give a starting set up
for the offense; for example a 1-4
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D.4

D.5

D.6

D.7

D.8

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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.9

D.10

D.11

formation, which is quite useful in

identifying every type of defense
that can be employed. A big part of
the offensive work of my team con-
sists of optimal player spacing. It’s
not only my job. The players must
learn to take initiatives and create
opportunities that are not pre-arran-
ged, knowing that every movement
they make will cause a correspon-
ding movement of the other players
in order to preserve the correct spa-
cing (penetrate and kick).
This is only one part of the offensive
strategy. In the meantime, you can’t
forget the proper technical work on
passes, skip passes, fakes, post
player collaboration with the other
teammates, and all the fundamentals
that are employed against zones.
I have found that this type of offensi-
ve approach gives great confidence
to the players and makes it very dif-
ficult for the opposition to ever scout
the team prior to a game.
EV\Z&)
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE KENTUCKY
MAN-TO-MAN PLAY “40”
ball for 1. At the same time, 3 screens for 2 (diagr. 2).
After the screen of 3, 2 comes up and receives another
screen from 4 (staggered screen). 2 can receive the ball
from 1 and look for a jumpshot (diagr. 3). Other options:
▼ 1 can pass to 5, who rolls to the basket
by Tubby Smith after the screen on the ball
▼ 2 can pass to 3, who popped out on the wing
after the screen
Orlando “Tubby” Smith has coached at the University of ▼ 2 can pass to 4, who rolled to the basket
Tulsa and the University of Georgia. He has been the head after the screen for 2
coach at the University of Kentucky since 1997. Coach
Smith guided the Kentucky Wildcats to the NCAA title in “41”
his first season. In 2000, he was assistant coach of the US 1 passes to the wing 2 and makes a “UCLA” cut to the
Men’s National Team, which won the gold medal at the post and then establishes low post position (diagr. 4).
Sydney Olympic Games. Smith, who was selected as 2 passes to 5, who has stepped out of the lane, and 5
Coach of the Year in 1998 and in 2003, has won more than
70 percent of the games he has coached.

Basketball is more than a sport at the University of

Kentucky. It was, and is, a big part of life for everybody
who works and attends the University, and it’ a big part of
life for all the citizens of Kentucky. Kentucky was the
home of legendary coach, Adolph “Baron” Rupp, for
whom our 23,000-seat arena is named. Coach Rupp coa-
ched at UK for 42 seasons, winning four NCAA
Championships during his tenure. When you step on the D.1
UK court for a practice or a game you have the special
feeling of being part of one of the top basketball pro-
grams in the U.S. The banners that hang from the rafters
of Rupp Arena celebrate the seven NCAA championshi-
ps. They are there as a constant reminder of Kentucky’s
100 years of storied basketball history and what it means
to coach and play for the University of Kentucky. I would
like to explain one of our sets that we call the “40
Series.” This is a series of plays against the man-to-man
defense we use to get a quick hitter on the perimeter, as
well as post up opportunities for both our guards and
inside players. The beauty of these plays is that when we D.2
see there are defensive mismatches, the “40 Series”
allows us to quickly exploit the defensive weakness.

“40”
The initial set is a one-four, with two high posts, 4 and 5,
positioned at the corners of the free-throw lane, two
wings, 2 and 3, and a point guard, 1. 1 starts the play, pas-
sing the ball to one of the two posts, 5 in this case. As
soon as 5 receives the ball, 2 fakes to go towards the ball
and then makes a backdoor cut to receive the ball from 5
(diagr. 1). If 2 does not receive the ball, he continues the D.4
cut and goes to the weakside block. 1 cuts around 5 and D.3
receives a hand-off pass from 5. 5 then screens on the
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 D.7 D.10 D.13

D.8 D.11 D.14

D.9 D.12 D.15

D.16

reverses the ball to 4 (diagr. 5).

3 frees himself and gets the ball from 4. 1 sets a flex-
screen for 2, and then 1 receives a staggered screen, the
first one by 5, and the second one by 4.
Options: 3 can pass to 2, who has cut in the lane to the
ball-side block, or to 1, who came out of the staggered
screen, or to 4 or 5, who opened up toward the ball after
the screen (diagr. 6).

“42”
D.5 D.6 1 dribbles toward the wing 2, and 2 cuts in the lane, while
3 goes low near the basket. 5 shows his hands to ask for
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

the ball and freezes his defender (diagr. 7).

D.22
2 sets a cross-screen for 3. 3 initially looks for a quick post-
up, and then pops out to the corner. 1 can pass to 3 in the
low post (diagr. 8). 4 and 5 set a double screen for 2 (screen
the screener), who comes out in the free-throw lane area
and receives a pass from 1 and looks for the jumpshot. After
the double screen, 4 and 5 “X” cross and go to the opposi-
te low post positions. 1 can also pass the ball to the low post
on his side, 4, in this case (diagr. 9).
D.17
Note: If there is strong pressure on the ball, 1 can also “rub”
his defensive player off a screen set by 4 or 5 before star-
ting the play.
D.23
“43”
This is the same play as “42,” but made on the opposite side
for 3 (diagr. 10, 11, and 12).

“42” PINCH
5 sets a ball screen for 1, who dribbles toward 2. 2 cuts in
the lane and screens for 3, as in the previous play (diagr. 13).
4 and 5 set a double screen for 2. 2, in this play, does not rub
around the screen, but cuts in the middle of 4 and 5, who D.18
screen the defensive player of 2. 1 passes to 2, who looks
for the jumpshot. (diagr. 14). D.24

“43” PINCH
This is the same play as “42” Pinch, but run on the opposi-
te side for 3 (diagr. 15 and 16).
“44”
1 rubs around 5’s screen and dribbles toward 2. 2 cuts in the
lane and sets a back screen for 4, who goes in the low post
area. 5, after the screen for 1, sets a down screen for 2 D.19
(screen the screener). 2 comes off the screen and receives
the ball from 1. 1 can also pass to 4, in the low post area, or D.25
to 5, who rolls to the ball after the screen (diagr. 17).
“45”
This is the is the same play as “44,” but run on the opposite
side for 3 (diagr. 18).
“46”
1 rubs on 5’s screen and dribbles toward the wing. 3 cuts in
the lane and sets the first back screen for 4. 2 then sets
another back screen for 4 (staggered back screen). After D.20

the screens, 4 goes on the low post area looking for the
post-up (diagr. 19).
3 then quickly clears out to the wing and 5 sets a down
screen for 2 (screen the screener). After the screen, 5 pops
out and goes to the left corner of the lane. 1 can pass to 4 in
the low post, to 2, or to 5 (diagr. 20).
“47”
This is the same play as “46,” but run on the other side of
the court for 5 (diagr. 21 and 22).
D.21 D.26
“48”
1 rubs off the screen of 5, and dribbles toward the wing 2. 2
cuts in the lane and sets a cross screen for 3, who cuts and
goes in the wing position (diagr. 23). 2 continues the cut and
sets a back screen, first for 4, then back-screens for 5. 1
tries to make a lob pass to 4 or 5 (diagr. 24).
“49”
This is the same play as “48,”, but run on the other side of
the court (diagr. 25 and 26).
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

EARLY AND
Javier Imbroda coached last season Real
Madrid, Spanish Division I team. Coach of
the Year in 1995 and 1999, he was also head
coach at Division I teams in Malaga and

SECONDARY
Caja San Fernando. Assistant coach of the
Senior Spanish national team from 1995 to
2000, in 2001-2002 he was head coach of
the National team. At the 1992 Olympic
Games, he was assistant coach of the

FASTBREAK
Lithuanian National team.

SUMMARY
I. Introduction
by Javier Imbroda
II. Philosophy
III. The players skills
IV. How the fastbreak is run and the drills to
develop it
V. Preserving the fastbreak

I. INTRODUCTION
If we would conduct a survey among all
coaches, players, and fans, I’m certain that
a vast majority would characterize themsel-
ves as lovers of the fastbreak. If the survey
is taken before a season starts, I am con-
vinced that all coaches would say that they
want to play a fastbreak style game.
Basketball is synonymous with speed and
lively play, a fundamental aspect of our
sport. It is something we should enhance
whenever possible because it is so popular
with spectators. Before the implementation
of four quarters and the 24-second shot
clock, the fastbreak was like an endange-
red species. Teams played control basket-
ball and slowed the tempo excessively.
Fastbreaks were rare, if at all. This led to a
game that was both slow and boring.
The new rule changes helped the game
become more dynamic and led to a reco-
very of part of its speed. The all-out full- D.1
speed game has still not been fully attained.
Here’s why. The biggest enemy of the fast-
break is the “tactic foul”, a penalty taken
that’s not a flagrant foul, but still sufficient
enough to keep the fastbreak from develo- would definitely lose most of its sparkle and
ping. This type of foul inevitably harms the liveliness.
game. Although it can’t be considered as a
type of defensive strategy, it doesn’t allow a 2. The players like it
good offensive play to develop. In my opi- When asked what style of play they prefer,
nion, such a foul should be penalized in a players will tell you that they like to run fast-
different way in order to try to banish it com- break on every possible occasion.
pletely from the game. This would allow the
fastbreak to develop for the sake of the 3. Easy baskets D.2
teams and the fans. This will be described The fastbreak entails a higher offensive and
more fully in the last point of my article. defensive intensity. All the five players can
be involved on the fastbreak and each one
II. PHILOSOPHY can score easy baskets.
1. It pleases the fans
All fans like to watch a maximum number of 4. Risky style of play
high-speed plays during a game. We can The fastbreak has its disadvantages, prima-
agree that the controlled game is often rily a greater possibility of turnovers. When
more effective but we can also agree that if you increase the speed of the game, you
only that type of style were played the game also run the risk of losing control at times,

EV\Z&-
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.3

D.4

and the players can make more turnovers. For team at higher risk in terms of confusion
this reason some coaches are afraid to use and/or turnovers.
the fastbreak as a style of play. In any case, this can all be worked out in
detailed training sessions.
III. THE PLAYERS SKILLS
The athletic and technical skills of the players IV. HOW THE FASTBREAK IS RUN
have greatly improved over the years, thanks AND THE DRILLS TO DEVELOP IT D.5
to the evolution of the game and the increased When talking about fastbreak, what do
effort that is put in training and conditioning. players like the best? Without a doubt, it’s the
This has allowed the traditional fastbreak finalization of the break with a lay-up, a short
(orchestrated by the playmaker) to improve as jump shot, or a dunk. However, the most
well, resulting in a faster game with more sco- important part of the break is the outlet pass.
ring possibilities. How it is made is usually a good indicator of
With more athletic players, a power forward how the play will eventually end.
who gets a rebound now has the possibility of
dribbling and leading the fastbreak by himself, EARLY FASTBREAK
without giving the first pass to a teammate. Construction of the fastbreak:
This leaves the playmaker to fill in the lane on 1. Different situations
one of the wings. In truth, this is not all that 2. Making the first pass D.6
common, but with our talented big men, it’s a 3. “Winning” the spaces
possibility. I have had the opportunity to coach 4. Development: filling the lanes
a few highly-talented power forwards-the last 5. Finalization: different options
one being Pau Gasol, now in the NBA, with the
capability of rebounding and leading the fast- 1. Different situations
break. The same goes for some shooting I like to build the fastbreak from different situa-
guards and small forwards. tion, such as after a defensive rebound, after a
When you have the talent, you should allow steal, after scoring an action basket, or after a
players other than the playmakers to lead and free-throw, hopefully developing a fastbreak
run the fastbreak. This does not leave the with the advantage of 2 on 1 or 3 on 2.

EV\Z&.
2. Making the first pass order to run the break with a certain disci-
Even though the end of the fastbreak is the pline. You can switch the order of the
most enjoyable part, the most crucial part is players to force them to find their proper
the beginning. It starts with a rebound, the lane.
all-important first pass, acceleration, filling ▼ Diagr. 9: All players face the coach, who
the lanes, and a drive to the basket. In order passes the ball to 3, who leads the fast-
to become a team that runs the fastbreak break as the rest of the players find their
successfully, it is critical that your players proper lanes. This is a way of preparing
master each of these key aspects. your team to run what I call an “open fast-
I like to use a series of drills that help per- break.” This allows the team to take advan-
fect the first pass and accelerate the fast-
tage of any possible situation so that our
break:
players run the fastbreak, enjoy the game,
▼ Diagr. 1: In 2 on 0, after the rebound, the
D.7 and improve their skills.
aim is to move to open the passing lanes.
In this series of drills, three specific con-
After the reception of the first pass, players cepts must be considered:
switch to high-speed running. a) Using a partially deflated basketball in
▼ Diagr. 2: It’s exactly the same situation, some of these drills during the first weeks of
but this time it’s 3 on 0 after the first pass, practice allows players to concentrate on
with the players filling the lanes. passing rather than dribbling.
▼ Diagr. 3: Again, it’s exactly the same b) The first trailer should run ahead of the
situation, but in this instance imagine that ball any time he can.
your playmaker is overplayed and, therefo- c) Who stays behind to prevent a fast-
re, he’s denied first pass. The center, after break? If, during the fastbreak, a player
taking a couple of dribbles, moves to the commits a turnover, or the opposing team in
side in order to get free and makes the first D.8 - bounds immediately in order to run their
pass on the dribble. This way, the play- own fastbreak, your players have to be pre-
maker doesn’t have to go behind the center pared to the defensive transition. 5 (who is
D.9 usually the slowest player) has to be ready
for an hand-off pass, losing so his position
and the fastbreak advantage. to switch to protect our basket at mid-court,
▼ Diagr. 4: It’s the same situation, again with
while his teammates are trying to score on
the defender overplaying the first pass. This the early fastbreak.
forces the receivers to work hard in order
5. Finalization: different situations
create a passing lane.
▼ Diagr. 10, 11, and 12: We can see different
▼ Diagr. 5: The difficulty is increased as two
finalizations where we will reward our first
defenders choose whom they want to
trailer whenever he runs ahead of the ball.
defend. It’s then up to the rebounder to read
▼ Diagr. 10: Finalization with a lay-up.
the situation and choose whether he makes
▼ Diagr. 11: Same finalization, but with a
the first pass. If he sees that the receivers
D.10
previous cut of the forwards.
are overplayed, he can drive the ball, as in
▼ Diagr. 12: The trailer changes direction
diagr. 3.
with a big step in order to receive a pass
3. “Winning” the spaces and score.
Where do we make the first pass?
SECONDARY FASTBREAK
▼ Diagr. 6: The pass can be made to diffe-
We start to talk now a series of finalizations
rent positions, depending on the abilities
that pertain to what we call “the secondary
and the skills of the players. fastbreak.”
There are some teams that need all its
▼ Diagr. 13: The wing with the ball gets
players to box-out in order to get the defen-
the ball inside and then, from inside, we
sive rebounds. Their athletic skills don’t
allow for any possible relaxation. In this swing the ball. At the same time, both big
D.11
case, it is position 1 where the first pass will men try to improve their positions by cut-
be thrown. ting in order to receive a pass in the low
Other teams can get an advantage by recei- post. 4 looks for the ball again and 5 cuts
ving the ball farther upcourt. Thanks to their from the 3-point line to the weak side.
skills, they can receive the first pass in posi- The outside players continue to maintain
tions 2 and 3. “Winning” these spaces their spaces.
allows you to improve your possibilities of ▼ Diagr. 14: We are trying to make a pass
beating the defense. in the low post. If we can’t pass the ball
inside to the first side, we can look for
4. Development: filling the lanes the same player on the other side after a
▼ Diagr. 7, 8 and 9: There are several drills cross-pick is made on the baseline.
that will help choose the proper lanes in ▼ Diagr. 15: Since the wings are not

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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.12 D.18

D.13 D.19

D.16

D.14 D.20

D.17
D.15

open, the playmaker drives and holds the ter who comes up high. If the defender commits a foul in this area
dribble until 5 sets a pick and then rolls with the intention of stealing the ball or
inside. At the same time, the other big V. PRESERVING THE FASTBREAK stopping the fastbreak, it would be easy
man 4 comes up high to receive a pass in Tactical foul must be punished. for the referees to call the play. If the
the high post. I would like to see any fouls committed in referees, who are running in the same
▼ Diagr. 16, 17, and 18: 1 drives in a lateral this area, diagr. 20-the so-called “tactic path as the players, consider it as a “nor-
wing and passes the ball to the other side. fouls”- penalized with a free-throw plus pos- mal” foul, then the team either inbounds
This leaves two options. The first one is a session of the ball. the ball. Banishing the tactical foul is my
screen for 4, who then receives the ball in It’s easy to differentiate the “tactic foul.” way of trying to protect the fastbreak, a
The defender doesn’t have any intention crucial part of the spectacular nature of
the low post coming from the outside. The
of stopping the fastbreak through good our sport and one of the biggest appeals
second option is to make two consecutive
defense. He simply stops it by committing for the fans. By eliminating these fouls,
screens for one of the forwards. a foul that, even though it’s not a flagrant defenders would have to bring their game
▼ Diagr. 19: This option can confuse the up to a new level in order to defend
foul, prevents the possibility of the offen-
defense. 2 cuts over 5.5 5 makes a pick- se from scoring an easy basket. By against the fastbreak. And if a foul is
and- roll with 1. At the same time, on the allowing these tactical fouls to go unpu- committed, it should be penalized ade-
other side, there will be screens for a shoo- nished, the game is substantially harmed. quately.

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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ZONE OFFENSE
by Moussa Tourè

Moussa Tourè, a FIBA Level III coach, is an assistant

coach of the Senegalese Women’s National Basketball
Team. In 1997 he served as head coach of the Senegalese
Men’s National Cadets Team.

PREMISE
Two are the types of zone defenses:
▼ The even zones (with two defenders in the front line): 2-
3 zone, 2-2-1 zone, 2-1-2 zone.
▼ The odd zones (with one defender in the front line): 1-2-
2 zone, 1-3-1 zone.
The fast break is the best weapon to attack any defense
because it is quicker, safer, and does not allow the defen-
se to get back to its position in time to effectively stop ball
movement to the basket.
When and if the defense gets back in time to organize itself
into a zone defense, it is necessary to counterattack with
an offensive system that is both simple and efficient. The
goal of any zone offense is to get an uncontested shot; a
shot that offers a good opportunity to get fouled; or a shot
that can be easily rebounded. It is particularly important to
get the ball inside against zones because it can be very
demoralizing to the defense: the heart of the defense has
been penetrated.
The zone offense owes its strength and efficacy to both
individual tactical abilities and overall group tactics (the
effective link of two or three players). The identification of
the qualities of your players and their positions must be
taken into account when setting up your zone defense.

INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM BASICS - INDIVIDUAL FUNDAMENTALS

Passing, dribbling, shooting, faking, cutting, and offensive
rebounding. Rebounding is critically important against a
zone defense. One of the major weaknesses of a zone
defense is the confusion regarding box-out assignments.
Make your players aware of this. Many rebounds fall on
the side opposite the shot, so have the players concentra-
te on weak-side rebounding.

INDIVIDUALTACTICS
When and why to use these different techniques.

TEAM TACTICS
How to set up and use screens.
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INSIDE PLAYERS:
1. Move and post up.
2. Pass and cut.
3. Skip pass and cut.
4. Shoot and rebound.

PERIMETER PLAYERS:
1. Pass and cut.
2. Dribble attack.
3. Open a gap.
4. Spacing for a shoot.
5. Every three passes, a pass to the low or high post. D.1 D.6

GENERAL PRINCIPLESTHE FASTBREAK

As already mentioned, the fastbreak remains the most effi-
cient weapon against any defense. The objective of the
break is to score quickly before the zone defense has a
chance to set up.

SPACING ON THE COURT

All areas of the court do not have the same importance.
When facing a zone defense, it is important that the attack
be organized so that each player is in position to effectively
D.2 D.7
break down the defense. For that, players must:
1. Occupy the gaps by always isolating a defender with
two offensive player.
2. Occupy the key low post area.
3. Occupy the high post area.
4. Widen the defense on the court, making defenders
cover more area.

OVERLOADING
An offensive player must create an overload position and
then pass the ball as quickly as possible from the strong to
the weak side of the court. The aim is to position the best D.3
shooter to get the ball to the player who is able to penetra- D.8
te the defense and drive to the basket.

OCCUPATION OF THE HIGH POST AREA

When the ball is received in the high post there is no effec-
tive defense. This is the best area in a half-court set and I
like to position my center or forward here. These are
players who are good ball handlers and good shooters.

ISOLATING ONE DEFENDER AGAINST TWO OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

You need to have a good weak side offensive player. Get the
ball to him quickly for the shot. D.9
D.4
OPEN GAP
A good attack creates a good open gap, forcing the defen-
se to move quickly. Players must not dribble right after they
receive a pass. The ball handler must always be in triple
threat position, in order to force a defender to come out,
make a dribble in such a manner such another defender
would intervene and then pass. Don’t ignore fake passes.
Don’t forget that when an offensive player fakes a pass, the
defense will often be thrown off balance.

CUT AFTER THE PASS

Don’t stand around. The player must cut after a pass in D.5 D.10
order to make the defender move from his position. The
player must not run towards the basket with his back to the
ball; always be ready for a return pass.
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ALTERNATE THE RHYTHM OF THE ATTACK D.14

Move the ball quickly after overloading one side.

BE PATIENT
Good ball movement, screening, and dribble penetration
will eventually cause a zone to break down and yield a good
shot at the basket. Patience and tactical discipline are very
important characteristics needed in order to effectively
attack any zone. Never rush or precipitate offensive
actions, but always seek to provoke the defense. Get your D.11
players to slow down and make good passes. Turnovers are
caused from rushing the attack against a zone defense. Be
patient and good shots will come. The best time to shoot is ▼ Passing (primarily the skip pass), based on the various
when both rebounding and offensive balance is assured. positions of players on the court.
▼ Optimal spacing on the court. Keep players approxima-
OFFENSE VERSUS THE 2-1-2 ZONE tely 10 to 15 feet apart from each other in order to keep one
This is the basic set versus the even zone, a 2-1-2 in this defender from being able to guard two players.
case (diagr. 1). 1 passes to 2, and 2 to 4, who pops out in the ▼ Timing of cutting.
corner (diagr.2).
After the pass to 4, 2 cuts and goes in the low post position, Remember: any zone defense can be broken down with
1 replaces 2 and 3 replaces 1, while 5 goes in the high post four or five well-executed passes. So, be sure to stress pas-
area (diagr 3). 4 passes to 1, and 2 cuts and goes to weak sing, passing, and more passing in your practice sessions.
side, outside the three-point line (diagr. 4).
As soon 4 passes the ball to 1 and 1 to 3 in the middle of the
floor, 5 goes to the low post and 4 in the high post (diagr. 5).
From this position 3 can pass to any of
his teammates (diagr. 6).
If 3 passes to 2, 2 can pass to 4, who can
make a pass to 1, or to 5 in the low post
area. After the pass 2 can cut (diagr. 7).
For the continuity of this offense, 4 can
come out in the corner and the players
move as already described (diagr. 8).

ZONE OFFENSE 1-2-2

This is the basic set against the odd type
of zone. a 1-2-2 defense in this case
(diagr. 9). D.15
With the ball in the hands of 1, 1 passes
to 4, who pops out in the corner. At the
same time, 3 goes in the low post area, D.16
and 5 goes in the high post position (diagr. 10).
1, after passing to 4, cuts in the lane, 2 replaces 1, 3 goes to
the low post area, and 5 moves up to the high post position
(diagr. 11). 1 comes out of the lane and goes out of the three-
point line (diagr. 12). 4 passes to 2 and 2 makes a skip pass
(this cross-court pass gives the offense more options and is
essential in attacking the weak side of a zone) from one side
of the court to the other to 1. 3 cuts to the other side of the
court to the low post position, and 4 replaces 3.(diagr. 13).
For the continuity, 1 can pass to 3, who pops out in the cor- D.12
ner, and cuts, or he can make a skip pass to 2 (diagr.14).

ZONE OFFENSE DRILL

Two lines of players set up outside of the court with the ball,
and two lines set up outside the three-point line. 5 and 7
pass the ball respectively to 2 and 1 at the same time (diagr.
15). After the pass, 5 and 7 run outside the three-point line
(diagr. 16).
2 passes to 7 and 1 passes to 5. 5 and 7 make a couple of
dribbles, and then take a jump shot. 1 and 2 then go to
rebound (diagr. 17).
In preparing an effective zone offense, it is important to D.13 D.17
practice these key items:
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

NOTRE DAME
BASKETBALL:
MOTION OFFENSE
Sean Kearney, former assistant coach at
by Sean Kearney

Providence with Rick Pitino, at

D.1
Northwestern with Bill Foster, and
Delaware, he became associate head
coach at Delaware and, three years ago,
at Notre Dame.

BASIC PRINCIPLES
Our “Motion Offense” under head coach
Mike Brey is basically 3 players outside, 2
players inside. In the halfcourt, with the
ball on top, we are in screening pairs with
the two inside players working together
with the perimeter players to get open.
These initial screens can be a variety of
different angles. We encourage the
players to get to different spots on the
floor to receive screens. We want to get
away from it always being a big player
setting a down screen for a perimeter
player. Once we get the ball to the entry
(foul line extended) the perimeter players
will work together as will the inside
players.

WHY MOTION OFFENSE?

We love to be “hard to guard”. We’ve
been fortunate to have versatile / multi-
talented players in our program that have
flourished within this system. Naturally,
as a result of our success, we continue to
recruit talented young guys who will fit us
well.

Teams that run motion offense are diffi-

cult to defend and difficult to scout. We
teach our guys to read the defense and
make the right play. We have certainly
instituted some rules but we try to give
plenty of freedom. Whether they are
responsible enough to handle that free-
dom is something coaches need to work
through. Defining roles with your group is
just as important as where you are ente-
ring the ball. If your best perimeter shoo-
ter is not getting enough touches and
shots then you have work to do.
Teammates need to understand their
roles and then trust each other within
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

D.6

their own assignments. Coaches need to important for us in this offense. We use the
have the ability to loosen the reins at first, three-point line as a guide for our perimeter
then pull them back in as your team handles spacing. 2 can either pass to 5, in this case,
this freedom. who posted up right away or 5 can screen to
the other side for 4. At the same time, 1 and
INITIAL ALIGNMENT 3 are working together, either screening
4 and 5, the big players, screen for 3 and 2 away or 1 can set a fade screen and then
and 1 passes the ball to one of the wings, 2 shaping up to ball on top. If 5 has screened
in this case (diagr. 1 and 2). Spacing is so across for 4, after he does that he will imme-
EV\Z'+
diately shape up high and get himself to should time it so the down screen occurs
the high post (diagr. 3). just as the ball is coming back to the top
from 1 to 2 (diagr. 5). We will get an awful
Like all good offensive situations, ball lot of good looks with this movement. The
reversal is crucial to the success of this initial pass from the wing back to the top
offense. It is so much easier to make a cannot be a lazy one. We don’t use it as
penetrating dribble or post feed after frequently but we could shallow from
we’ve moved the defense some with wing to top as well. When 2 passes the
reversal. Most often reversal will come ball to 3, 2 makes a screen for 1 and 5
through the perimeter player who has comes to the high post, for keeping the
come to the top. We do, however, love to defenders busy and not allow them to
get reversal through the big player in the help (diagr. 6).
high post. As the big player catches the D.7
ball in the high post, we teach him to look b. “Circle” - 1 dribbles at 2, the wing, and
for his shot (depending on personnel), pushes the perimeter players 2 and 3,
look to feed his partner in a high-low D.8 around on the three-point line, each
situation, or to reverse to the opposite replacing the other (diagr. 7). 5, the ball
perimeter player at foul line extended. At side big player, will post up. 4, the opposi-
times we have had a rule where anytime te big player, will look to down screen for
the ball is reversed through the high post 2, who was “circled” initially. Timing is
you must follow with a screen on the ball. important. We may or may not get a shot
We will generally either roll the big player or dump down to the big, but it does get us
to the basket or have him step out to the good ball reversal, with the ball passed
short corner. Our angle of the ball screen from 1 to 3 and from 3 to 2 (diagr. 8).
is usually back to the middle. On penetra-
tion, the guard will have numerous c. “Cross” - With ball in center of floor, 2
options which will include the other big and 3, the perimeters players, will cross
player at the opposite side of the court or D.9 under the basket and receive down
even the other perimeter player in a drive screens from 4 and 5 to get open (diagr. 9).
and kick pass situation. We have generally always crossed under
the basket with both players coming out
It is important that once the ball is passed on the low side. This year we have made
to the wing, the perimeter players are a slight adjustment. The perimeter players
patient to allow the big players to work coming from left to right will come off at a
together before they look to reverse the different angle of the big player at the
ball. We teach that, for the most part, if right elbow. We are very interested to see
you can see the jersey of our big player this evolve. It should initially create some
and he has a guy on his back, the ball has good three point opportunities (diagr. 10).
to go in there. It may not always be for a As teams look to fight over the screens to
scoring opportunity, but it does flatten out get to our shooters, we should have big
the defense and we get more chances D.10 players rolling to the basket. The perime-
from there. We may play two man game ter players will also have a significant dri-
on the same side and go inside - out with ving area with the big players in a high
a shooter. He may look to go low to high position.
for the other big player for a jumpshot at
the corner of the three second lane. Or d. “Exchange” - Perimeter players will
we may look to make a skip pass across dribble exchange at any opportunity. It is
the lane to the perimeter for reversal: all more of an exchange than a dribble
good options in our motion. weave (diagr. 11). We teach for the ball
handler to try to drive the defense back by
AUDIBLES penetrating and flipping back the ball to
Along with our initial screening pairs we the teammate to create some space
have several audibles we will utilize. D.11 (diagr. 12). This has even evolved to the
point where we may wind up with one or
a. “Shallow” - probably used most often. two exchanges followed by a big player,
1 dribbles to the wing 2 and 2 will replace who makes a screen on the ball on the top
1 to the top. 3, the other wing, may choo- of the three second lane (diagr. 13) .
se to go down below 4 and get help with
a screen or just get to the top as quickly e. “Release” - Most defenders of the big
as possible. For good spacing we encou- players are not comfortable defending
rage them to get a foot in the lane as they out on the floor away from the basket.
make their cut (diagr. 4). Anytime we Against teams who we have difficulty
“shallow” a wing, 4, the big player, and 3, make the entry pass directly to the wing,
the perimeter player on the other side, we will just make a “release” pass to a
EV\Z',
big player, who comes out high to begin to score, but are aware of the other group D.12
our motion (diagr. 14). 1, the ball handler, on the opposite side of the floor.
will take the ball away from that big on top
and than pass the ball to him, 5 in this d. 5 vs. 0 motion
case. We may look for a quick duck - in We are now in a position to put it all
and post up and then we are into motion. together. We are using our initial scree-
You need to feel comfortable with that big ning pairs to enter the ball as well as our
player catching and handling the ball and audibles. Footwork and communication
making decisions with it out there. are important. The wing, who has just cau-
ght the ball, may tell the ball side big
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT player to go screen away because he is
Everything we do in regard to our indivi- not open. They have to trust each other
dual improvement plan is centered that they will get it back and that they are D.13
around our motion offense. We want to helping each other. We are also in a posi-
teach them the offensive “dance” within tion to preach defensive balance that
our offense. Simple drills which emphasi- when a shot goes up we are being sure
ze catch and face without traveling are that the guards are thinking about being
vital to our development. Can our big back and not going to the boards.
players flash high, catch the ball and
make a high to low post feed without tra- SUMMARY
veling? Can our perimeter players come Our Notre Dame version of the motion
off a big down screen, catch the entry offense has truly “evolved” over the cour-
pass and under great duress make a se of the last eight years under Head
game winning post feed? Coach Mike Brey. Initially we were much
more inclined to have more rules than less D.14
HOW DO WE BUILD IT? because it is difficult to let the control out
a. Perimeter players 3 vs. 0 of your hands. Much of this evolution had
Using all of the audibles, the perimeters as much to do with the players we were
work together to get open. Great empha- fortunate to have and their individual abili-
sis for them on proper spacing, particu- ties. Just as much had to do with their
larly in the high post, need to keep that improved ability to read defenses and
area clear for the opposite big player. make decisions with the basketball. A one
Getting them to read drive and kick pass
situations, reading the defense. May add
a coach to the post to allow them to make
post feeds and read situations off of that. dimensional player, such as a low block
only big man, may not enjoy great success
b. Big players 2 vs. 0 in our system. Hopefully we can recruit
With passers at each entry pass to the the right type of player to help us continue
wings, big players work together. Need to to have success and win championships.
get both high and low posts filled and very In the meantime, we may continue to
important for them to communicate with tinker with it some and make subtle chan-
each other. Must shape up to the ball after ges. The interesting thing is that someti-
screening, screener most often the open mes you can just sit back and watch what
guy! Big players may also step out to your team may be able to do with it them-
make a ball screen for passers. Mostly selves. Players can do that. Don’t be afraid
coming from high post to be a ball scree- to let them show you some new things
ner but will also allow them to some out of every once in a while.
low post to accomplish the same thing.
There are many ways to run motion offen-
c. 3 vs. 0 on a side se. Ours has helped us to three straight
With twelve players we will have four NCAA Tournament appearances, inclu-
groups of three active players in this drill, ding a Sweet Sixteen finish last season.
two at each end. Again without defense, During that time we have been the most
the ball handler has ball on top and big consistent team in the Big East
and perimeter players are working Conference, the only one to reach the
together in screening pairs. We look to NCAA’s each of the last three years. On
start in different alignments and get top of the successes, our Motion Offense
various angles. Once the ball is entered to and how we play are what we are known
the wing, big player posts up. On post for. Our style of play is Notre Dame
feed, the perimeter players work together, Basketball under Head Coach Mike Brey.
either screening for each other, basket Coaches and fans alike always remark to
cutting and replacing, or by just replacing us about how well we play the game.
themselves on the perimeter. Players look What a great compliment for now!
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE GAME PHILOSOPHY OF THE

SAN ANTONIO SPURS
by Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the

San Antonio Spurs, won NBA titles in 1999
and 2003. He started his NBA career in
1988 as assistant coach of San Antonio,
went on to be an assistant coach with
Golden State before coming back to San
Antonio as the coach and General Mana-
ger. He was also assistant coach of the US
National team at the FIBA 2002 World
Championship.

This article is taken from the Belgrade

(Serbia and Montenegro) Clinic 2003, orga-
nized by the Yugoslavian Association of
Basketball Coaches.

The defensive philosophy of the San Anto-

nio Spurs starts with the answer to the
question: At which part of the court do we
begin to play defense? Full-court defense,
if played from one baseline to the other
one, is called “40”; if we play from the free-
throw line at the front half of the court we
call it “30,” from mid-court is “20,” and in
the shooting zone is called “10”.
Coach Dean Smith of the University of
North Carolina taught me this very simple
way to play defense and I have found that
the players easily understand it. If we are
playing against a team like the Los Angeles
Lakers that is not making too much transi-
tion, but relies mainly on the set offense
around the lane, then we play a full-court
defense to use up their offensive time and
change their passing angles. We don’t let
them start their famous “triangle offense,”
but make them use up time in the front
court.
On the other hand, when we play against
teams like New Jersey Nets, against
whom we played in the NBA Finals last
season, our tactics are different. The Nets
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run an excellent fastbreak, so there will be
no full-court pressing, especially when Ja-
son Kidd is playing point guard. Compared
to the majority of NBA teams, we play a dif-
ferent half-court defense (diagr. 1). We put
pressure on the player with the ball: X1
plays aggressively against 1, and X2, the
player, who is one pass away from the ball,
plays in a closed stance and doesn’t let 2
receive the ball. X3, the player who is guar- D.1
ding 3, who is two passes away from the
ball, slides towards the ball and under the D.3
passing line. The passing line is the imagi-
nary line between the player with a ball D.2
and 3.
One of the best positions for shooting is
when the player is positioned in the corner
on the ball side. The majority of coaches
want their players to try and stop the pene-
tration by moving the defender X4 to play
this defensive role. I do just the opposite. A
defender from the angle never helps on pe-
netration because I won’t let the offense
make a shot from the corner. This defensi-
ve concept is, among other things, one of
the reasons why San Antonio was second
in the NBA defensive statistics for the help. He maintains the closed stance. Our
lowest percentage of three-point shots goal is to make the most difficult possible
made by opponents. situation for the team that wants to take a
My second rule is that the player with the three-point shot.
ball can never penetrate to the middle of There are many players that have a good
the court. Our goal is to always direct him first step off the dribble and there are the
to the baseline. If the defender of the those that jump and shoot well at the end of
player with the ball lets the penetration into the penetration. However, there are only a D.4
the middle, I will immediatly take that few that can shoot in the space between
player out of the game. In practice ses- the start of the dribble and the position they
finally reach under the basket. That’s be- three teams of four players involved) and it
sions I constantly underline to my players serves to convince players that they don’t
the proper way to approach to the offensi- cause they have a defender by their side
and another one, usually a tall player, that win with the offense but rather by playing
ve player. This means that the leg of the de- tough defense, especially in the last quar-
fender farthest from the baseline must be runs towards him to stop penetration to the
basket. These shots in the lane are difficult, ter of the game. At San Antonio, this drill is
over the farthest leg of the offensive player. run by the youngest team player, Tony
X2, the player, who is one pass away from if not impossible ones to make and usually
you will find that the offensive players in Parker, as well as by the oldest player, Ke-
the ball. must be in a closed stance at the vin Willis, so they clearly understand what
three-point line and, if there’s penetration, these situations will kick the ball out to a
teammate. In this situation, the defender is necessary to win.
he immediately leaves his offensive player While running this drill, we typically play up
and slides down at the help side, to the who goes to cover the ball, forces the
player with ball to the baseline. to seven points. The offensive players can
spot of X3, who must run to stop the pene- play any way they want (diagr. 2). If any of
tration and place himself between the In short, we don’t help out defensively if we
are one pass away from the ball. Every time the four players on offense score, they
player with the ball and his teammmate un- gain a point. If they miss a shot, the defen-
der the passing line. we force the player with the ball to the ba-
seline, and we help at the penetration from se gains a point. If the offensive players do
Penetration is stopped by going face to fa- not score, they play defense against the
ce with the player with the ball. X2 goes all the help side (i.e. from the lower position, a
defender from the baseline), and we ap- other team, positioned at mid court. The
the way down, and if there’s a pass, he mu- coach stays under the basket to get the
st go for it. While approaching the player proach the offensive players, we apply the
same rules, always forcing to the baseline. ball if the basket is made and pass it to the
with the ball after he receives the pass, the next team, which immediately starts to
defender must again force him to the side- Naturally, when the ball is passed, a defen-
der must jump to the ball and move to a play. The players don’t have time to talk or
line of the court, without letting him pene- rest, and they must quickly communicate
trate in the middle. good defensive position. We practice our
defensive rules for 20 to 25 minutes a day, and decide who they will guard. I use this
The defender of the player with the ball in defensive drill every day and we play with
the corner must follow the same rule. Also, playing four-on-four at both halves of the
court. All players run these drills so they the maximum intensity. In this way, the
if there’s penetration of the player with the players gain the self confidence necessary
ball from the corner to the middle, the de- become automatic. The following drill is a
4-on-4 (it is called 4-4-4, because there are to play a tough defense. They learn to com-
fender that is the first pass away does not municate with their teammates and make
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

switches, when necessary, to stop their

opponent. As a penalty, the teams that lose
the game have to perform extra running
drills.
The final item I focus on is rebounding. If
the offense takes a shot, misses, and grabs
the rebound, the defensive team loses a
point. In some cases, a defensive team that
keeps losing rebounds can end up with mi-
nus points, below zero, putting even more
pressure on them to tighten their defense.
This drill is a basic part of each practice
session and, on average, we spend a third
of the practice session performing it.
Let’s now talk about offense. Let’s assume
we start the offense with a defensive re-
bound (diagr 3). The forwards run and the
first big man, 4, in this case, runs on the sa-
me side of the ball and tries to set himself
into the low post position in front of defen-
sive player to get the ball and score. Of
course, if the defensive player is behind
him, he seals the defender and he can ea-
sily receive the ball. However, if the defen-
sive player is contesting the pass, he must
push him completely under the basket and
look for the ball. Karl Malone of the Los An-
geles Lakers is a master of this move. The
perimeter players run near the baseline to
force the defense to run behind them and
to make it possible for the high post player
to receive the ball.
If we can’t score off the fastbreak, I believe
that the best way to play offense is the insi-
de game (diagr. 4). The ball is passed to 2,
the player in the corner, then to the low po-
st, 4. After the pass, 2 runs alongside 4, the
player with the ball, near the baseline, and
the other post player, 5, goes to the low po-
st position on the opposite side of 4. The
player in the other corner, 3, goes to the top
of the lane. If there’s no double team by the
defensive players, the player with the ball
in the low post, 4, can play one-on-one. Af-
ter the cut of 2, 1 goes in the corner, and
then 3 takes the place of 1. After the pass
and cut of 2, 1 goes in the corner, and 1 is
replaced by 3.
If we do not want to or simply can’t pass
the ball in the corner (diagr. 5), the pass is
made from 1 to the second trailer, 5, and
from him to the other side of the court, a re-
versal pass, to 3. The first big man, 4, fla-
shes to the other side of the lane to get the
ball. After the cut of 4, 1 and 5 make a stag-
gered screen, one screen after the other,
for 2, who comes high at the top of the lane.
After the first screen, 1 goes to the other si-
de of the court where he and the other two
players set a double screen or another
staggered screen for the screener. In this
last situation, it does not matter what you
will do because there are many options

EV\Z(&
which can be signaled with a fist or some
other pre-determined signal.
Unless we can give a ball to one of the th-
ree players on the same side, we try to
pass the ball to the low post player. If we
cannot do this, then this player can go to
the free-throw line, receive the ball and
play one-on-one or else pass the ball back
to the player who made the pass and play
pick-and-roll with him. This is an excellent D.5
D.7
situation to use against the teams that pop
out vertically to the player from the pick-
and-roll.
We have two options to begin our offense.
First, the ball goes to the corner and then to
the low post. Second, the ball is passed to
the other trailer on the other side and then
there is a staggered screen. To move the
ball effectively, we do not always need to
dribble on offense. A lateral pass can be
done immediately to get the ball in the cor-
ner. This position on offense gives us a lot D.6 D.8
of possible options. The trailer (5) has to
guess the offense: if the ball goes to low
post, he goes to the other low post position.
If the ball is passed around, he moves to
the other side of the court and participates
in the staggered screen and later, in the la-
teral two-on-two play. If we do not mana-
ge to get a good situation for shooting and
the offense time starts to run out, players
should be aware of how much time is left
for offense and the ball immediately goes
to the side. The players clear out to play
one-on-one or pick-and-roll. Tall players
have a special responsibility in this situa-
tion should always be prepared to start a
pick-and-roll as the final seconds tick
away. I have already described the basic
cutting that allows us numerous options,
and now I’d like to focus on just one of the-
se options. 2, the player, in the corner, cuts
around the post, 4, and runs to the top of
the lane (diagr. 6). The second post, 5, from
the top of the lane, screens on 3, the player
in the corner, who cuts to the basket. We
can call this a sort of offense in a triangle
(‘’loop”option). After a screen, the player in
the corner does not go towards the basket,
but instead goes to screen the player with
the ball. They then play pick-and-roll. If the
pass to the trailer is not possible, the trailer
makes a backdoor cut, goes to the low post
position and the player with the ball drib-
bles to the top of the lane and changes the
offense side.
The key issue is that the ball changes the
side and defense moves from one side to
the other. If there’s penetration along the the previous four-on-four drill but the points does not score and the defense rebounds,
baseline, we always want to have a player are awarded differently. If the offense sco- the defense gets a point and can immedia-
available on the opposite angle for an open res (they don’t have to use any set plays), the tely fastbreak. Should they score off a fast-
pass and shot. offense go on defense and the defense on break, they earn another point. Even if they
The following five-on-five drill is similar to offense. The team on offense does not win don’t score from the fastbreak, the same five
any points for scoring a basket. If offense players remain on defense, and have the
EV\Z('
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

possibility to earn more points. We play un-

til a team scores 10 points. The losing team
has to perform extra running drills.
I have always tried to increase the pressu-
re in practice. The Spurs have not been a
good free-throw shooting team-we were
26th out of 29 NBA teams last season.
What I do is choose one player from the
team that lost the game to 10 and have him
shoot two free throws. If he scores both
free-throws, his teammates do not have to
run. If he misses, they all run.
My final thoughts: The team that plays
strong defense is going to win. If you can
get your team to play tough defense, they
will lead you to victory.
Question: How do you get the motion of-
fense started?
There are no special calls for starting the
offense. When I was a player, my position
was playmaker. I knew that two guards
had to run in front of the ball and that the
first tall player had to go to low post and
that the second trailer came last. Someti-
mes, while starting offense, a playmaker
may call the trailer to begin a pick-and-roll
at half court. In such situations, help from
the defense most frequently comes from
the corner, leaving the shooter alone in the
corner. There are no calls on offense and
the player with the ball will pass it to the
corner or else will bring it to the corner. Af-
ter the pass, the player in the corner may
run behind the tall player. The ball may be
returned to the playmaker that also has a
few solutions depending on whether the
trailer is open for make a pass or not.
Running an offense is based on the defen-
sive situations and the score of the game,
and other situations that present themsel-
ves on the court. Certainly, in some situa-
tions I react. For example, if Tim Duncan
hasn’t received the ball for three to four mi-
nutes, I will naturally call a play for him.. I
am not a coach like Phil Jackson of the Los
Angeles Lakers, for example, who lets a
player run a play for as many as eight ti-
mes. I will call a timeout if that happens.
The cutting that I have described in our of-
shing, use some hand contact and a good performed every day in order to make
fense gives equal opportunities for all the
defensive stance to force him to the baseli- players pay attention to tbasic details. Th-
players to score. If it’s not working or get-
ne. ree offensive players are placed on the half
ting the results I want, I will call for a spe-
We also use a half-court drill to achieve this court, one in the center of the court and the
cial offense.
objective. After a pass is made, the defensi- other two on the wings. The two on the
Question: What’s the best way to force the
ve player runs towards the offensive player wings should get free to receive the ball. Af-
offensive player to the baseline and how
and they play one-on-one. The offensive ter making a pass, the passer goes away
do you practice these situations?
player tries to penetrate in the middle and from the ball a step or two and then tries to
There are various drills we do on defense
the defense tries to force him to the sideline pop out to receive the ball.
to push the offensive player to the baseline
(diagr. 7). Each time, before before receiving the ball,
so he can’t make it to the middle. One of
Winning basketball teams are those that be- the player should cut away from the ball and
these drills is a full-court one-on-one whe-
lieve in what they do and stick to what they then move towards the ball and cut in. A low
re the aim is to return to a good defensive
do best. The key to winning basketball are screen can be made at the opposite side
position after a penetration. This entails
basic skills performed well. The following from the ball (diagr. 8), and then the player
sprinting up to the player and, without pu-
drill is a basketball basic and should be should roll toward the ball.
EV\Z((
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE OREGON
UNIVERSITY
by Ernie Kent

Ernie Kent, former head coach of

OFFENSE
St.Mary’s College, since 1997 is on the
bench of Oregon University.
Assistant coach of the US Under 21
Men’s National team in 2001, he was
head coach of the US Men’s Junior
National team at the last FIBA World
Championship for Junior Men.

MAN-TO-MAN OFFENSE
“EAGLE”
“Eagle” is one of our primary half
court set plays. We like this play
because it gives us both inside and
outside scoring opportunities.
It is a very difficult play to defend
because our alignment forces the
weak side defender to make decisions
about guarding our post man or con-
centrating on covering the shooter,
who comes off the double pick.

ACTION
▼ The set: one point guard, 1, two
wings, 2, and 3, two big men, 4,
and 5 at the corner of the free-
throw lane.
▼ 1 dribbles the ball to the right side
of the court. As he does, the ball
side post, 5, slides down the lane
to the low post position and the
ball side wing 2 slides to thecorner.
▼ 4 readies himself to pop to the
high post as the point guard 1
reaches the wing area (diagr.1).

SECOND ACTION
▼ As 1 makes a reversal pass to 4, 2
makes a flex cut off of the post 5.
While doing this, he is looking to
run into 5’s defender to clear some
space for the big man to post up
deeper into the lane.
EV\Z()
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z(*
▼ 2 continues through the lane to ZONE OFFENSES
the weak side block area.
▼ 3 slides in toward the lane “STACK”
(diagr. 2). “Stack” is one of the simplest, yet
most effective plays to use versus the
THIRD ACTION zone defense. By out-manning the
▼ As 1 gets the ball back from 4, he defense (three offensive players vs.
immediately looks to dump the ball two defenders) inside, we are able to
inside to the post if he is open. score with easy baskets to force our
▼ Otherwise, he directs his attention opponent back into a man-to-man
D.6
back toward 2 as he comes off the look.
high double screen set by 4 and 3
(diagr. 3). ACTION
▼ The action starts out of a one-two-
TAIL END two set.
▼ The tail of the play has 3 going ▼ 1 initiates the play by passing the
out to the ball side baseline after ball to the best shooter 2.
he sets the double for the ▼ The ball side big man 5 slides
shooter 2. across the lane to form a low
▼ If 5 cannot receive the ball in the stack with 4. We always want 5 to
low post, he turns and screens in be the high man in the stack
for 3, who goes in the opposite (diagr. 9).
corner, and 1 passes the ball to 3
D.7 NEXT ACTION
(diagr. 4).
▼ 2 passes the ball back to the point
“3” guard 1, who dribbles opposite
“3” is designed to get a three-point and passes to 3 on the other wing.
shot for our best shooter. We use a D.8 ▼ 2 runs off the stack set by the two
“flex” action to disguise movement. big men 5 and 4, and loops up off
the baseline to draw the outside
ALIGNMENT defender in the zone with him
(diagr.10).
We begin in a one-four low set across
the baseline, and our best shooter, 2,
NOTE: If the outside defender does not
in this case, is always in the right cor-
guard our cutter, we will throw the ball
ner.
to him for the open jump shot.
We want the cutter to drag the defen-
ACTION
sive forward to the corner with him so
▼ 1 dribbles to 2’s side, staying even that we can get the ball into the short
with the lane line. corner area vacated by the defense.
▼ 4 flashes up the lane to receive
D.9
the ball from 1 (diagr. 5). SCORING ACTION
▼ After 2 runs off the double pick of
NEXT ACTION 5 and 4, our top big man 5 screens
▼ 3 takes one step off the lane and the middle man in the zone. The
sets a back screen for 2. low man 4 steps to the short
▼ Using 3’s screen,2 makes a “flex corner directly behind 5’s screen
cut” across the lane to the low and looks for the pass from 3 for
block (diagr. 6). the short jumper or drive to the
basket (diagr. 11).
NEXT
▼ As 2 cuts off 3’s back screen,1 STACK HIGH
should be screening down for 3 ▼ “Stack High” is essentially the
(his man should be helping same plays “Stack” except we
defensively in the lane). 1 then begin the action from a different
clears to the corner. set, one-three-one as opposed to
▼ 4 hits 3 with a pass . a one-two-two look.
▼ 5 should slide out of the corner to ▼ As noted in the diagr. 12, 4 lines up
get a better screening angle on the wing and 2 in the high post
(diagr. 7). to begin the play.
▼ The point guard always begins the
FINALLY action with a pass away from 4. As
▼ 5 and 4 set a double screen for 2 D.10
he passes to the wing, 4 moves to
for the three-point shot (diagr. 8). the block and 2 cuts under the basket.
EV\Z(+
▼ Once the point guard receives the D.15
return pass, he dribbles to the
wing and the big men run our
stack action as 2 cuts to ball side
corner (diagr. 12).

“STACK & HOLD”

“Stack & Hold” is used against teams
playing a zone defense with one or
two defenders on the baseline (i.e.: D.11
one-two-two or one-three-one).
The idea is to flood the baseline area
with three offensive players against D.12
their one or two men.
If properly executed, the play results
in either a fifteen-foot jump shot or a
pass to the post for an easy score insi-
de.

ACTION
▼ The action starts out of a one-
two-two set with 4 and 5, who D.16
form a low stack on either side. As
in stack, we always want our 5 as
the high player in the stack, as D.13
his job will be to screen, then post
up low.
▼ 1 initiates the play by passing the
ball to the guard on the stack-side
of the court, 3 in this case.
▼ As the pass is being made, 5
screens in the low defender and 4
pops to fifteen feet for the short D.17
jump shot (diagr. 13).

SECOND ACTION
▼ If the defense gets wise to our
strategy and decides to cheat out
on 4 popping out, we tell to 5 to
“find the next defender” and post
him up in the lane. The passer
reads the defense and then looks
inside to our 5 posting up as he’ll
be one-on-one with his defender
and with the both feet inside the D.14 D.18
lane (diagr.14).
▼ As with all our offense, we empha
size shot selection and discourage ALIGNMENT FINISH
taking poor shots. ▼ We start the play in a one-two-two ▼ 3, the passer, must read the
If we get nothing out of the action, alignment with the big men on the defense to make the correct pass.
we tell our inside players not to low blocks. ▼ If the defensive center gets held up
force a shot, but to kick the ball to on the screen, 5 in the short corner
our perimeter players and allow FIRST should be open (diagr. 17).
us to reset the play to the opposite ▼ 1 passes to 3 to initiate the play. ▼ If the defensive center slides
side of the floor. ▼ 2 cuts along the baseline to the through 4’s screen to cover 2 in the
strong side corner (diagr. 15). short corner, 4 should be open on a
“5” post up (diagr. 18).
“5” is designed to get a high percenta- NEXT
ge shot against a zone defense. ▼ As 2 cuts by the post players 5 and 4, NOTE: It is imperative for the offense
It is very similar to “Stack” in that we 4 turns and screens for 5 the middle to read the defense and make the cor-
are trying to draw the defensive man in the zone. rect play.
forward to the sideline and screen the ▼ Using the screen, 5 cuts right off of This is a very tough play to defend if
middleman in, leaving an open area in 4’s hip and moves to the short we screen well and make the proper
the short corner. corner (diagr. 16). pass.
EV\Z(,
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ATTACKING
THE UNORTHODOX ZONE

by Dragan Sakota

Dragan Sakota coached Zadar and Cibo-

na Zagreb (Croatia), Paok, Iraklis, Peri-
steri, Aris, AEK, and, this season, Olym-
piakos (Greece). In 1991 he won the Sa-
porta Cup with Paok.

When putting a team together, every ba-

sketball coach wants to have a satisfying
number of good defensive players on his
roster. This is also the main reason why a
coach spends a lot of his practice time
working on team and individual defense.
Since the primary defense for most
teams is man-to-man, the coach’s bigge-
st satisfaction is when he sees that his
defender is able to successfully guard
the opponent’s outstanding player.
In reality, everybody knows that guarding
the opponent’s “star” is a very difficult
task. It is also difficult for a team to mat-
ch-up with a team that has a high level of
collective offensive play and can attack
in a variety of ways. Facing these two
kinds of problems are the coach’s main
reasons for using alternative defenses,
such as the simple zone defense and the
unorthodox zone defense.
My subject of discussion is the offense
that can be used against the one-four zo- closely guarded by a man. The opposing BOX-AND-ONE DEFENSE
ne. However, before I delve into the phi- team then switched from the one-four The box-and-one defense consists of
losophy of this defense and my theory of back to a simple zone defense and the four men playing a box zone defense,
how to attack this and other zones, I game fortunately turned in our favor. with one man playing aggressive man-
would like to share with you my expe- From that day on, I spent a lot of time to-man defense against the best offensi-
rience facing the one-four. The first time thinking about how to face this kind of ve player (diagr. 1). The goal of this de-
was in 1987 at the final game of the “Yu- defense and before every game I now fense is to neutralize the scoring poten-
goslavian Cup.” Like any young and inex- pay special attention to the possibility of tial of this player. The box is used to for-
perienced coach, I was surprised and that defense being used. My players and ce the outside shot by preventing easy
unprepared when the opposing team I will not be caught surprised and unpre- shots from close range. However, this
switched to the one-four zone. Since I pared. I always have a play prepared for defense has its weaknesses.
had no organized offense for this kind of every kind of unorthodox zone defense: The box-and-one is not a good choice to
defense, I acted on my instincts. I quickly the box-and-one, the triangle-and-two, use against a team with several good
substituted the player that was being and finally, the diamond-and-one. outside shooters and can easily be
EV\Z(-
broken with penetration at the gaps.
The best way to attack this defense is to
place one man in the gap between the
two defensive guards. This man should
then make an effort to penetrate in this
gap, with the intention of drawing the
two men to cover him. This quickly opens
room for the wing man. Once the ball is
kicked outside, the offense should not
differ much from any other offensive mo- D.1 D.3
tion used against a zone defense.
The slight difference though, is seen
when an individual player is pressured
by a defender who is not following the
zone formation. In order to give more
space to his teammates and remain an of-
fensive threat as well, this player should
always set up outside or near the baseline.
In this offensive motion, however, a pro-
blem can occur when the individual player
that is being pressured is the team’s point
guard. In this case, the point guard must D.2 D.4
switch positions with the 2 guard, with the
2 taking on the point guard duties. Howe-
ver, the best solution is to have two point
guards in the game at this time so the of-
fense can run easily and effectively. ve a double pick from players 2 and 5 (dia-
With this offense, you can see that the in- gr. 3). Since the whole defense is focused
dividual player’s job can be difficult when on the ball and looking for a shot to come
confronted by this defense. For this rea- off the double pick, this double pick can be
son, the other four players have a bigger used as a decoy so the play can quickly be
responsibility. They must attack based on transferred to the other side. At the same
principles from offenses against a normal time when 3 comes of the double pick, 2
zone. The best way to prepare for this kind aggressively sprints to the opposite side D.5
of defense is to use an exercise “shell” and 4 pops out to the high post to receive
during practice sessions. We force the of- the ball from the 1 (diagr. 4). As soon as 4
fense to penetrate in the gaps in order to gets the ball, he must immediately pass to DIAMOND-AND-ONE
disorientate the defensive formation and 2, who should now be open for a shot. The principles of this defense are similar
create easy free shots. When preparing When 4 passes the ball, he has to cut to the to the box-and-one defense, with the
for this defense, it is of vital importance to basket, looking for a return pass and an only difference being in the formation of
make the right player selection. You easy lay-up. 2 has several options. Consi- the players. The alignment consists of an
should have four effective shooters from dering the fact that he is a good shooter, odd-man front. The clear purpose of this
the perimeter. They should be very agile his first option would be to face the basket defense is to attack the point guard in or-
and good passers. Since you are confron- and, if open, shoot. He should also see that der to disorganize the offense (diagr. 9).
ting a defense with plenty of rotations, you 4 is cutting to the basket for an easy lay-up. This defense is weak against teams with
should have a big low-post man who is ca- However, 2’s third option is to look at 5, good shooters and players who can pe-
pable of finishing mismatches and getting who has flashed at the high post area. 2 netrate from the baseline. For this rea-
offensive rebounds. When you have fini- can pass to him for a shot or involve him in son, the same principles that we use in
shed your preparation for attacking this a high-low game (diagr. 5). an offense against the box-and-one can
defense and have selected your best In case that 2 does not do any of this, he re- be also used against this diamond-and-
players, you can then proceed in choosing turns the ball to the point guard, who now one defense. Penetration is a very
the one or more systems you might have makes a strong move towards the ball to powerful weapon against this defense.
for the box-and-one zone. At this point, I receive the pass. Not only because of the kick-out pass
will show you the system I have used for a After the pass, the team’s alignment is option, but because it offers the chance
long time against the box-and-one, an ef- exactly the same as it was at the beginning for an inside game as well; the diamond
fective system that still helps me today. of the play, only the players are now on the defense is particularly weak and vulne-
opposite sides (diagr. 6). rable at the low post.
OFFENSE Therefore, 2 sets the double pick for 3, and
The basic alignment for this attack is one- runs to the opposite side, followed by 5, OFFENSE
four low (diagr. 2). The man in position 1 or- who pops out to receive the pass from 1 One particular offense that has been te-
ganizes the play in such a way that he (diagr. 7). Then, 5 passes to 2, who in this sted a number of times and with great
waits for 3, who is being pressured to re- moment should be able to attack the basket success against this kind of defense is
ceive a back pick from 4 and then conti- either by feeding 5 on the post, or using him the following (diagr. 10): 3, who is facing
nues on the other side. Here, he will recei- for a pick-and-roll game (diagr. 8). the man-to-man defense, stands in a
EV\Z(.
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ses it to 1, who rolls in towards the basket af-

ter the pick. The pass to 1, as well as the pass
to 5, are the two possible final passes that
can happen. During the course of this attack,
however, the option for making a diagonal
pass to an open player- due to a possible de-
fensive delay-always exists. Obviously, in or-
der for any of these options to work, good ti-
ming between the players is a must.
D.6 D.10
CONCLUSION
Never allow yourself or your team to be sur-
prised when facing this kind of defense. By
being prepared, you let your opponent know
that you have been expecting his move.
▼ Use all offensive principles against a
zone defense.
▼ Choose a wise offense in which the
tightly-guarded player can move in
such ways that he would give his
teammates more space to create and
D.7 D.11 be effective offensively.
▼ The four men that are facing the zone
defense should have a greater
responsibility in the game than they
usually have, since their
closely-guarded teammate will give
them more space.
▼ As long as the tightly-guarded player is
the point guard, it is recommended that
he switches his position with another
guard who is not being pressured or, if
possible, have two point guards in the
D.8 D.12 line-up.
▼ After every shot shot,
be in position for the
offensive rebound
since this defense is
vulnerable to that
aspect of the game.
▼ It is vitally important
to make a wise
selection of the four
players who will be
D.9
facing the normal
zone defense. The
wing players should
be good shooters, and
the “4” man, who is
the key against this
kind of defense, should also be a good
stack position next to 4. In the meantime, makes a strong pick for 5, who uses that shooter and a good passer.
the ball is being passed around the peri- pick to cut towards the ball and possibly ▼ Insist on an aggressive defense that
meter. Once 2 receives the ball, he drib- receive an easy pass either from 2 or 4, will gain quick possession of the ball
bles down, opposite from the stack, and according to the timing of the movement. and run the fast break at every
passes it to 5, who pops out to the corner. In this triangular position, 2 and 5 now ha- opportunity. This will prevent the zone
2 then cuts to the opposite side. While he ve a good chance for an easy shot. 3 is al- defense from setting up properly.
is cutting, 4 makes a flash to the level of so in position for an open jump-shot from Many coaches consider these unorthodox
the foul line, and receives the pass from 1 the foul-line if the defense is not aggressi- zones a poor way to play defense and I agree.
in order to then pass it to 2, who should be ve. If, however, none of this occurs, 2 re- However, since the nature of using these zo-
on the other side in a triple-threat offensi- turns the ball from his triple-threat position nes is to surprise the opponent, I strongly re-
ve stance. (diagr. 11). However, when 4 to 4, who again passes it to 3, who has just commend that before a game, a coach
has the ball on the foul line, 3 moves to the received a pick from 1 in order to get open should spend a few minutes reviewing what
other side, intersecting with 2’s cut, and (diagr. 12). If 3 does not have a shot, he pas- to do if one of these defenses is used.
EV\Z)%
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

by Bob Huggins

Bob Huggins is one of the most successful

college coaches. He was assistant coach
of Ohio State, and then head coach of
Akron. For the last 14 years he has been
the head coach of University of Cincinnati.
He reached the Final Four in 1991-92, and
was chosen as National Coach of the Year
by ESPN and various publications in 1998,
2000 and 2002. He has written eight techni-
cal books with Coaches Choice. This arti-
cle is an excerpt from the book “Special
Situations-Making the Most of Limited
Possessions”, 2002.

END OUT-OF-BOUNDS
LOB FOR THE BIG PLAYER
1: Screen down hard on his defender
(diagr. 1 and 2).
If the lob is not available, 1 cuts by 2’s
screen to the corner for the inbounds
pass.
If the ball come to 1 in the corner, 1 looks
to feed 4, who has stepped inbounds and
posted.

2: Screen down hard on his defender.

If the lob is not available, 2 side screens
for 1 so he can cut to the corner.
If 2’s man switches on 1, 2 seals 1’s man
and steps to the basket.

3: Screen down hard on his defender.

If 3’s man tries to anticipate the lob and
go behind the line, 3 cuts to the open
basket area.

OFFENSIVE
OUT-OF-BOUNDS
SITUATIONS EV\Z)&
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

4: Takes the ball out-of-bounds to move his

taller defender away from the front of the D.1 D.3
basket.
Looks first for the soft lob to 5, who cuts
behind the line of screens in front of the
basket.
Second read is 1 clearing to the corner; if
the pass goes to 1, then 4 steps in and calls
for the ball at the post.

5: Starts to cut as if going in front of the

line, then V-cuts and goes behind the line
for the lob in front of the basket.
If possible, 5 should try to catch and shoot
D.2 D.4
before bringing the ball down.
If 5 defensive man anticipates and goes
behind the line early, then 5 simply steps to
the ball and scores.

SLASH TO THE BASKET AND THE LOB

1: Reads the play in one of our four ways:
▼ First is to inbound to 3 making a
basket cut (diagr. 3).
▼ Second is to inbound to 4 making
the second basket cut.
▼ Third to inbound to 5, if X5 moves
to either cutter.
▼ Four is to inbound to 2, step in,
and come off a screen to 2’s side.

2: Delays for a count and then cuts to the

ballside wing, making himself ready to
receive the safe entry pass.
Catches the ball looking either for a shot,
for 1 coming inbounds and off the baseli-
ne screen, or for 4 posting up on the
block.
If 4 is fronted, looks for 5 who has flashed
to the high post for a high-low with 4 (diagr.
4).

3: The ball side player cuts first off 5 and

can cut on either side of 5, but normally
goes to the side away from the ball.
Attempts to rub his defender off on 5, while
at the same time creating another screen
for 4.
If the ball is inbounded to to anyone else,
immediately thinks - “offensive rebound”.
Posts up big if 5 receives the ball at the
high post from 2.

4: Is the second cutter off 5.

Attempts to rub his man off on 5 or hang
him up as he cuts off 3’s tail.
Reads 3 to make sure he cuts away from
ballside.
Moves to the ballside and posts hard.
If the ball is inbounded to 2, he screens for
1, who is stepping inbounds.
Continues to post hard and, if fronted, pins
defender and expects the ball to be pas-
sed to 5 at the high post for a high - low
feed.
EV\Z)'
 3: Spots up outside the three-point line for a
D.8
shot and targets the ball with his hands.
If the ball is passed to him, looks for the
shoot or 5 posting up in the lane.

4: Reads how the defense is playing him and

makes one of the following decisions
accordingly:
▼ If X4 steps above 5 on the left, 5
D.5 will cut left to the basket and 4
will go right to the basket.
▼ If X4 steps above 5 on the right, 5
will cut right to the basket and 4
D.9 will go left to the basket.
▼ If X4 plays behind 5, then 5
screens X4, and 4 pops straight
out, as far as his shooting range
will allow.
If the entry pass comes to him, he looks to
catch and shoot if the defense doesn’t get to
him.
If the defense comes out to guard 4, he
D.6
looks to make a high-low entry to 5 posting
in the lane.
Could receive a lob from 1 if the defense
sags too deep on the stack.

5: Faces the basket and reads how his

defender and 4’s defender are playing
them:
▼ If X4 is above him on the left, he
cuts left to the basket.
▼ If X4 is above him on the right, he
cuts right to the basket.
D.10
D.7 ▼ If X4 plays on the baseline side
of him, 5 screens down to him.
▼ If 4 gets the ball high, he posts
5: Stands facing the basket six or seven 4: Receives the screen from 2. hard in the lane and looks for the
feet from the baseline. Catches the entry pass from 3. high-low feed.
Reads his defender as he acts as a screen Reverse the ball to 1. If 2 or 3 receives the ball, 5 posts up strong
for 3 and 4. Cuts behind the zone, receiving a screen on the ball side.
Slips to the basket or looks for the lob if his from 3.
defender moves to cover either cutter. Catches the ball at the highest point for a 1-4 LOW, DOUBLE SCREEN FOR THE BEST SHOOTER
If 2 receives the ball on the wing, he flashes lay-in or a dunk. 1: Spots up behind the three-point line, tar-
to the high post and looks for high - low geting the ball with his hands and looking
feed. 5: Post up looking for a direct entry pass for a shot (diagr. 10).
from 3. Keeps the defender occupied and backcuts
LOB VERSUS A ZONE DEFENSE Flashes to a spot between the two low if the defender loses vision or double-teams
1: Receives a screen from 2 (diagr. 5). defenders in the zone to set them up for the the ball.
Receives a reversal pass from 4. back screen. Sets down-screen toward the block if X2
Takes a hard dribble away from 4. Targets the ball as he flashes, looking to anticipates the double-team and cheats
Looks to 5 flashing into the lane. receive a pass from 1 and scores. toward the side of the double screen (diagr.
Looks for lob to 4 behind 3’s screen. 11).
TANDEM STACK FOR THE L0B OR POST UP
2: Screens the top of the zone to get 4 open. 1: Reads 4’s defender, X4, to anticipate 2: Inbounds the ball to 5 on a pop-back cut
Sets screen for 1 to get open for the rever- which cut will open (diagr 7, 8, and 9). near the elbow.
sal pass. Feeds 4 or 5 cutting to the basket. Sets his man up and runs off the double
Steps back for a shot and occupies the Enters the court away from the ballside. screen set by 3 and 4.
zone defender in his area (diagr.6). Reads how his defender plays the double to
2: Spots up outside the three-point line decide if he is going to curl or flare off the
3: Inbounds the ball to 4. for a shot and targets the ball with his screen.
After the ball is reversed to 1, 3 steps hands. If X2 anticipates the double screen and
inbounds and screens the back defender in If the ball is passed to him, looks for the cheats toward it, 2 comes off the single
the zone. shoot or 5 posting up in the lane. screen set by 1.
EV\Z)(
3: Comes in from the corner on the inbounds
pass and sets up on the bottom side of the
double screen (the better shooter between
3 and 4 goes to the bottom of the double).
As soon as 2 has cleared the double screen
out of his line of vision, 4 screens down on 3
defender, and 3 “pops the stack” cutting up
the key looking for the shot or feed down to
4, who is posting (diagr. 12).
D.11
4: Has the freedom to cut to the ball if X4
relaxes or loses vision.
As the ball is inbounded to 5, 4 sets up as D.12
the top man in the double screen with 3.
After 2 has cleared the screen, 4 screens
down for 3 and then posts looking for high-
low from 3, who has popped the stack and
gone to the high post.

5: Attempts to pin his defender and receive

a lob from 1.
Tries to duck in and post if X5 is between
him and the basket.
Pins X5 and pops out to the elbow to recei-
ve entry pass. D.13
Reads 2’s defender and looks for him either
coming off the double screen or the single
screen by 1.
Reads the stack and looks for either 3 pop-
ping the stack up the key or 4 screening
down and posting up.
If 2 uses the single screen, 5 can also bounds and is spotted up on the three-point
read the switch and feed 1 as he splits the line.
switch.
2: Lines up below the triple stack below 1.
SIDE OUT-OF-BOUNDS D.14 Screens for 1 as he curls to the corner.
BEST SHOOTER OFF Cuts between 4 and 5 as they close the
A TRIPLE STAGGERED SCREEN gate.
1: Sets up defender and comes off 5’s Angles his cut, squares his feet, and cat-
screen (diagr. 13). ches the ball in “ready shoot” position to
Catches the ball at the top of the key and shoot the open three.
looks for 2 coming off the staggered If he catches the pass but cannot get a
screen. As 2 goes off the screens, 1 looks good look at the basket, he immediately
for any of the screeners slipping the makes a return pass to 3 stepping inbounds
screen for a shot. for the three.

2: Initiates the play from out-of-bounds 5: Starts the play by setting a down-screen 3: Looks first for 1 in the corner for the three;
and passes to 1 flashing to the top of the for 1. passes him the ball so he can catch and get
key. Turns and sets the first screen of the triple off a quick shot.
Runs off the triple stagger sets by 5, 4, and for 2. Second look is for 2 stepping through the
then 3. Reads his defender as 2 uses his screen double screen to the top of the key for a
After curling around 3 screen toward the and looks to slip the screen and post. three.
three-point line, looks for a pass from 2 for Immediately steps inbounds and spots up
the shot. A LAST-SECOND THREE for return pass and a three-point shot.
1: Starts in the middle of the triple stack
3: Sets the final screen for 2 making sure between 4 and 5 (diagr. 14). 4: Lines up nearest the ball in the triple stack
that he has a great angle for 2 to curl. Cuts to the basket and uses 2’s screen to and screens for 2 as he cuts to the top of the
As he is screening, 3 reads the defense and curl to the corner. key.
looks to slip if his defender cheats. Angles his approach to the three-point line Steps to the ball if neither 1 or 2 are open
so that when he catches the ball, his feet and makes a quick return pass to 3.
4: Sets the final screen for 2, attempting to are squared up and clearly outside the line.
make a contact in the key. If he catches the pass and cannot get off a 5: Lines up on the far side of the stack.
Tries to make his defender switch and then good shot, he immediately makes a return Sets a screen for 2 as he cuts to the top of
opens to the ball and posts up. pass to 3 who has stepped in from out-of- the key.
EV\Z))
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

DEVELOPING
by Sterling Wright

AN OFFENSIVE
STYLE OF PLAY
Sterling Wright was the head coach of the
Senior Men’s National team of Morocco at
2003 African Championship for Men’s, and
as well as the Technical Director of the Fe-
deration. He is FIBA Coaching Instructor,
and has been coach of French teams at
every level and of the Tabac Sports Club of
Casablanca, Morocco.

Developing an offensive style of play is one

of the most important tasks of a coach. To
analyze the strengths and weakness of the
group, find solutions, which will enable the
team to reach the maximum of their poten-
tial, are some of the goals of the coaching
staff. On the elite level, (club or National
Team), individual and collective develop-
ment are important, but winning is the un-
derlining factor to gage success.
A coach must have general knowledge of
both the controllable factors such as his
team, club, etc., and some of the uncontrol-
lable factors, such as the competition that
he is engaged, his adversaries (both known
and unknown), etc., to have a chance for
success.
After taking into account a general under-
standing of these elements, a style of play
consistent to satisfying players, coaches,
and crowd while having the greatest chan-
ce of winning should be developed. How
many times have we observed an unsuc- fensively, and defensively. We try to com- taller opponents. The same point holds true
cessful team become successful by chan- pensate our lack of height and physical den- for our perimeter players in that if they can
ging a few elements? Changing a player(s), sity, by speed of execution, and preventing receive the ball in movement, and have the
coach, or style of play to produce a different the opponent from playing their normal ga- proper spacing, they can take advantage of
winning style of basketball. We feel that it is me. To take advantage of our athletic but their creative skills. We feel that creating a
important to attempt to get the most possible physically limited players, we feel that if we style of play, which permits our players to
from everyone concerned to have a real can have a moving type of offence we can “read and react”, as opposed to “think and
chance to achieve expectations. neutralize some of our limitations. Our inte- execute” will give us the best chance of
We feel for the Moroccan teams to be com- rior players receiving the ball in a moving ty- success. To play pressure basketball, both
petitive on international level we must play a pe of situation, as opposed to “fighting it out” offensively and defensively, creates specta-
very aggressive style of basketball both of- in the low post position against stronger and cular style, which the players and the public
EV\Z)*
enjoy. Since we have a young, developing other our scoring areas (diagr. 1)
athletic team, this style gives the maximum Actually our offense begins when we obtain
amount of playing time to nine-ten players possession of the ball. We try to have a conti-
as opposed to a more limited number. So nuous free flowing offense taking advantage
with a maximum number of players involved of any mistakes or weakness of our oppo-
and highly motivated, we have had some de- nents. When we gain possession we try to
gree of success in the present, while buil- get the ball in one of our attacking areas
ding for the future. (which is a couple of steps right over the half
court line) as rapidly as possible. It is at this
RAPID OFFENSE point that we want the ball handler to read
We like to use as our basic offense the fast the situation if: (a) there is a open teammate
break or what we call pressure basketball. ahead of him to pass the ball if possible (b) he D.3
Really we hope that rarely we have to run a has an advantage to attack the basket (c)
set half court offense. continue to advance the ball by passing, or
We try to take at least a third or more of our dribbling down the same side to the scoring
total shots from a fast break, or transition si- area. Advancing the ball down the side
tuation. Playing an up-tempo style of game, opens the middle lane for our big players to
while having the possibility to play from a set run to the basket, trailer, or offensive rebound
offense, is what we try to do. We feel that
this is the best way to create the easiest
scoring possibilities before our opponents
can set up their complete team defense. We
feel that if we walk the ball up the court
every time we will be playing against a set
defense that often has the physical domi-
nance against us. If we must play 5-on-5 ba-
sketball with almost every possession that
we are in for a long game without many ad-
vantages or possibilities to control the out-
come.
D.1
In our offense, fast break or half court, we
always want to create several advantages.
With the fast break, a team can create seve- D.4
ral advantages and through good passing
can find an open player for a high-percenta-
ge shot.
We feel that getting the ball in a situation
that our players feel comfortable with the
minimum constraints gives them the best
chance of success. This helps build con-
fidence in their abilities. In our half court
offense, through good movement, pas-
sing, and screens, we try to create a
quick 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 match up that can
yield a high-percentage shot. So it is im- possibilities. It also opens the opposite side
portant for us to create situations where lane for open shots on quick ball reversal.
the players have time and the proper Once the ball is in the attacking area we
spacing to react to certain situations, want to continue to have good ball move-
with a few rules so everyone under- ment looking to profit on what the defense
stands what we want to accomplish on gives us.
the floor.
Once we gain possession of the ball, we
Our first option in our offense at any time D.2 want to get the ball to 1-the point guard, as
during the game is our rapid attack. We soon as possible. We want our perimeter
like to run our primary break, which we players 2-the shooting guard, and 3-the
create from steals, rebounds, blocked small forward, to sprint to the attacking
shots, made or missed field goals, made areas on their respective sides of the court,
or missed free throws. looking back for the ball only when they ha-
We like to divide the court into three la- ve crossed the half court line. It is important
nes the traditional side - middle - side la- to have good floor balance and, if they find
nes. However after the half court line we themselves on the same side, then one must
like to designate two additional areas. One go to the far side lane. The rule is if the ad-
which we call our attacking areas, and the vanced attacker is in the attacking area,
EV\Z)+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

The last man down the floor, the rebounder,

or the in bounder on a made shooting at-
tempt, is the trailer running the middle, but
going to the opposite side of the lane of the
ball side low post. As he reaches the post
area, he must read the situation. If the ball is:
(a) in the opposite side scoring area, he can
stop either at the high, or low post area
ready to play the offensive rebound; (b) in
D.5 D.10
the center lane, he can set a pick for the ball
handler, or stop at the high post. (c) on his si-
de, he can set a pick for the perimeter ball
handler, or slide low post (diagr. 2). 4 gets the
rebound and passes to 1, who comes to the
ball. Perimeter players 2, and 3 sprint to the
attacking areas on their respective sides of
the court. 5 sprints down the middle of the
floor towards the opposite basket. 1 passes
to 2 in the attacking area right over half
court. At this point we have the following ru-
les:
D.6 D.11
1-ON-1 SITUATION
This situation should always produce a hi-
gh-percentage shot, whether it be a lay-up
or a short jump shot. We want our players to
attempt a shot for two reasons: (a) chances
are it will be a good shot, and (b) in normal
conditions offensive players generally chan-
ge ends faster than defensive players, whi-
ch can result in a rebounding edge as offen-
sive teammates are hustling down the floor
in anticipation of a missed shot attempt.
D.7 D.12
We would like for our offensive player to
read the defender. If the offensive player
feels he can beat the defender on the drib-
ble, he should take it all the way to the ba-
sket. If the defender does a good job against
the dribble, then the offensive player should
pull up for the short jump shot.
Certain time and score conditions may force
us to tell our players to take only the lay-up if
it’s available. If it’s not, we may want to have
them pull back out and set up the half court
D.8 D.13
offense.

2-ON-1 SITUATION
then the second perimeter player crosses We try to teach our players that with the fast
the middle lane to go to the opposite side. If break they must try to get a good shot off
the advanced attacker is in the scoring area, when they have a numbers advantage. Ho-
then the advanced attacker should continue pefully, the shot will be relatively unconte-
to the basket then out to the opposite side sted and taken from a short distance. When
scoring area. we are in a 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 situation, we try
to shoot the ball (given the time and score si-
On a made basket, or foul shot we want 4- tuation). When a shot is taken, we can either
D.9 the post, in bounding the ball to 1. 5 - the cen- score, rebound the missed attempt, or, at
ter, sprints down the middle of the floor to least, prevent the defense from possibly
the opposite basket, then looks for the pass, scoring as a result of a turnover. We must
or offensive rebound. He should read the si- use a numbers advantage as quickly as pos-
tuation and if there is not a shot, or pass insi- sible because the remaining defenders are
de, he should go to the ball side low post eventually going to set up their defense.
looking for: (a) the pass; (b) the two-man ga- In a 2-on-1 situation, the offensive players
me with the perimeter ball handler. must fill the outside areas and spread out
EV\Z),
wide enough to prevent the defender from
playing them both at the same time. As the of-
fensive players enter the scoring area (which
is about a couple steps outside the three-
point line), the ball handler should take the ball
to the basket, while the other perimeter player
“spots up” on the opposite side area waiting
for a possible outlet pass on the dribble pene-
tration for an uncontested jump shot.
D.14 D.17
3-ON-1 SITUATION
If we have not created a scoring opportunity,
or the ball handler chooses to only advance
the ball to the scoring area, the other players
continue to run their lanes. 80 to 85% of the ti-
me our primary break is executed by our three
perimeter players. We teach them that every
time we gain possession to sprint to their re-
spective lanes to create the proper offensive
spacing. The middle lane is left open for the
point guard, who directs the break, and the
post and center, who are usually the slowest D.15 D.18
players, who serve as defenders in case there
is a turnover. As 1 crosses half court our pri-
mary break becomes a 3-on-1; or 3-on-2 situa-
tion with the point guard becoming the third
offensive player.
2, after receiving the pass in the attacking
area, drives to the basket until he has good
defensive resistance. At this point he passes
out to the point guard at the top of the three-
second lane. When 1 approaches the three-
point area he should stop, and this will create
D.16 D.19
space for 4 and 5 cutting to the basket, but al-
so to be in the best position for the quick re-
verse pass to 3 for a possible two or three-
point shot (diagr.3). If the up defender X1 co- gh percentage shot; or (b) a defensive mi- then we should be able to find the open of-
mes out to far to contest the reverse pass smatch giving us a physical advantage. fensive player. Also, it will be easier to exe-
from 2 to 1, then 3 must read the situation and 2 has advanced the ball to the side scoring cute player and ball movement.
cuts towards the basket, and the 3-on-2 situa- area. The defense has slowed the fast As stated earlier, the first interior player
tion becomes a 2-on-1 break. As 1 receives break as 5 beats his defensive player to the who crosses the half court line should cut
the ball, he swings the ball to 3 for a wide open lane looking for a quick return pass for a directly to the basket looking for a quick
jump shot. On occasion, 1 can take the jump lay up. If X3, who is the weak side defender, pass for a possible lay- up. You would be
shot, or penetrate, depending on the condi- attempts to help we want 5 to post him up surprised by how many easy opportunities
tions of the game (time, score, defensive posi- right under the basket taking advantage of we get by a lay-up, or offensive rebound by
tioning). a mismatch situation. If he does not recei- just running the floor. If he doesn’t receive
ve the ball, then he goes to the ball side low the ball he should go to the block on the
4-ON-2 / 4-ON-3 SITUATIONS post position. ball side and post up his defensive player
4-on-2 or 4-on-3 fast break situations are very looking for the ball. He can also screen the
rare. Usually the forth and fifth players beco- THE SECONDARY BREAK ball handler’s defender in the event the de-
me involved during the secondary break If the initial primary break does not produ- fense over plays the reverse pass from 2 to
when these possibilities occur. We want our ce a good high percentage scoring possi- 1 and play a two-man game with the wing
forth and fifth players to go to the same posi- bility, we want the players to continue mo- (diagr. 5 and 6).
tions as in our secondary break. The forth ving and our secondary break begins. It is
player (5 in diagr. 4) cuts down the lane to the very important not to stop the action after 5 receives the pass from perimeter player 2
basket looking for a pass for a lay-up, or to pi- our initial break, unless the time, score, or in the low post. 5 looks to score if possible.
vot when he gets to the basket to pin a possi- game conditions determine otherwise. So- If not, he must read the situation of his
ble defender for a post up basket and possible metimes our offensive players fail to exe- teammates movement. After the pass, 2
three-point play with a foul. If he doesn’t re- cute our primary break properly, or the de- reads the defensive situation and he can
ceive the ball in the lane, he should post up on fense does a good job in transition getting cut to the basket, looking for a quick return
the ball side. If any of the respective players enough players back in time to stop our ini- pass, then clearing to the opposite side
are slow in their defensive transition, with tial attack. We feel that if we continue to corner if he doesn’t receive the ball. 2 can
good intelligent ball movement we hope to run, and just one defensive player is slow slide to the corner for a jump shot if his de-
get: (a) an open player for an uncontested hi- getting back, or if the defense is not set, fensive player double-teams the low post
EV\Z)-
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

5. 2 can pick away for 1, who can replace him point guard reads the situation and determi- the ball to receive the pass looking for a post
at the wing, looking for a jump shot coming off nes when to stop our secondary break. shot, or high-low, two-man game with 5.
the screen. Any of these options are possible
depending on what the defense gives us. We 1 passes to high post and screens away for 3. 1 continues his cut to form a double screen
just don’t want 2 to stay in place, if he passes If there is a switch on the screen, 1 rolls to the with high post 4 at the foul line area. 2 cuts
inside. basket. 5 posts up in the lane for a possible hi- off the double screen, looking for a possible
gh-low post pass from 4. 4 can also look for three-point shot, while 5 is positioning low
5 can come out to set a on the ball screen for his shot (diagr. 10). on the strong side (diagr. 14). At this point we
perimeter player 2. This option helps us espe- are looking to get the ball inside for a two-
cially if defender X1 pressures the reverse This time 1 swings the ball to 3, who looks for point possibility, or a possible three-point
pass to the point guard 1 (diagr.6). Also, if we an uncontested shot, or pass inside to high shot by 2 at the top of the key. As 2 passes
want to get the ball inside to 5, this option post 4 cutting to the basket. 4 can also stay on the screen, 1 cuts underneath 4 to the wing
creates movement and, sometimes, a defen- high post with this pass, and 5 can cut to the area.
sive mismatch if there is a switch of the de- ball side low post (diagr.11).
fensive players on the screen. If 2 drives in the If 2 does not take his shot, he reverses the
middle we like the other perimeter players 1 SET OFFENSE ball to 1 in the wing area, while 4 cuts low
and 3 to slide to create space and position for From a set offense we like to have a lot of looking to post up his defender. 1 can look for
a possible outside uncontested shot if there is player movement to limit the “help” possibili- his shot, or pass to 4 posting up (diagr. 15). 5
defensive help. ties of the defense. All of this trying to keep it looks to position for possible weak side re-
simple while constantly having both “quick bound, 3 slides to the corner spotting up, and
The last player who crosses half court, 4, the hitter” and ball control possibilities in our set 2 slides opposite his pass also spotting up.
offensive trailer, has several options as he en- offence.
ters the attack area. The majority of the time With the ball in the wing area, 1 can play a
we would like for him to stop at the side high We use several man-to-man plays out of a two-man game with 4, if he does not shoot,
post opposite 5, the center. He can also conti- one-four set offensive pattern. This formation or pass inside. If there is not a shot, he looks
nue to the opposite low post, or set an on the gives us the proper spacing, floor balance, re- to pass to 3 coming off a staggered screen
ball pick, depending on the situation. He must bound positioning to satisfy our needs. The set by 5 and 2 at the top of the three-second
read the offensive ball position, and adapt, as following play we call “telephone” and it pro- lane (diagr. 16).
he is the last player to enter the offense. The- vides the possibility to constantly have post 1 passes to 3 at the top of the three-second
se are the options: play, three-point possibilities, and proper spa- lane as 3 looks for his shot. 5 and 4 go to the
cing for isolation and one-on-one play. It is im- lane, looking for offensive rebounding posi-
▼ 4 enters the attack area with the ball on portant for our players to read the defensive tion, and 2 slides to the wing area (diagr. 17).
the opposite side attack area. He can situation to take advantage of what the defen-
stop at the side high post, or continue to se gives us. 3 swings the ball to 2 and cuts away to the
the opposite low post looking for a pass opposite side. 2, when he receives the ball,
if he beats his man to these areas The basic line up is one-four with two high po- can look for his shot, or pass inside to 5 po-
(diagr. 7). sts, 4 and 5, positioned at the corners of the sting up, or play the two-man game with 5
foul lane, two wings, 2 and 3, positioned at the (diagr. 18). 4 positions for a possible offensi-
▼ 4 enters the attack area with the ball this foul line extended and 1 the point guard. ve rebound while 1 spots up in the
time in the center of the attack area. He corner(the same movement as diagr. 4, but
stops and sets an on the ball pick for 1. The play starts with 1 dribbling to either side, the opposite side).
He could also stop at the high or low in this case the left side, towards the wing 2.
post (diagr. 8). The wing 2 cuts to the basket looking for a At this point we have the same options as
quick pass from 1 on his back door cut. If we diagr. 5, but on the opposite side of the floor
▼ 4 enters the attack area and this time have a speed advantage over 2’s defender, with 1 coming off the staggered screen set
and finds the ball in his side attack area. we look for a bounce pass to 2 going to the by 3 and 4 (diagr. 19).
He can stop at the high post, low post, or basket (diagr. 12). If we have an athletic ad-
set an on the ball pick for 3 (diagr. 9). vantage with 2’s defender we can look for the We fell that this play gives to all three of our
lob pass. We can also post up 2, if we want to perimeter players a chance to shoot the th-
5-ON-5 SITUATIONS create an isolation situation with his respecti- ree-point shot, or run a two-man on the ball
Once the five offensive players have entered ve defensive player when 2 gets to the lane pick-and-roll situation with the low post.
the attack area, our rapid offense continues area. At the same time, 3 cuts over the top of It also gives our players a chance to play
until there has been ball reversal from one si- the key, using staggered picks set by the high one-on-one, while spotting up on the weak
de of the court to the other, constantly looking posts 4 and 5 to replace 2 in the wing area. side when and if there is defensive help. Al-
for the open player for the good open high so, we have good general floor balance, and
percentage shot. When the ball swings to the If 1 does not pass to 2 going to the basket, he weak side rebounding positioning. It beco-
point guard 1, he can pass to the post and split passes to 3 in the wing area, and cuts to the mes a continuous play action if we want to
with 3, screening X3, the perimeter defensive opposite side of the court. Upon the reception have ball possession while constantly ha-
player (diagr. 10). Or, 1 can swing the ball to 3, of the ball, 3 faces the basket looking for shot. ving low post, and perimeter threats. It is im-
who looks for an uncontested shot; or pass in- High post 4 sets a screen on 5’s defender, as portant that our players read the defensive
side to high post 4 cutting to the basket (diagr. 5 cuts to low post looking for the ball. 2 conti- situations, and it has brought us a great deal
11). The last option is for 1 to hold the ball, and nues his cut to the weak side low post (diagr. of success not only against man to man de-
we go right into our set offense, without any 13). If 4 and 5’s defenders switch their defen- fenses, but mixed defenses (box and one,
break in the rhythm of our offensive play. Our sive assignments on the pick, 4 steps back to triangle-and-two, etc.), as well.
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE BASIC OFFENSE OF

THE HOUSTON COMETS

by Van Chancellor

Van Chancellor was the head coach of

the University of Mississippi women’s
team for 19 years before accepting the
head-coaching job of Houston Comets of
the WNBA, the women’s professional
league of the NBA. He won four straight
WNBA titles and was voted Coach of the
Year three times. Coaching the USA Wo-
men’s Senior National team, he won the
2002 FIBA World Championship. He will
coach the U.S. Women’s National Team
that will play in the 2004 Olympic Ga-
mes.

Our plays are based on a series of quick-

hitting moves, each with different options.

1 dribbles to the middle of the court and

passes the ball to 3. As 3 gets the ball, 4
makes a pick for her. At the same time, 1
and 5 make a staggered screen for 2, who
can receive a pass from 3 (diagr. 1).

If 2 cannot shoot, 5 screens on the ball for

2. 5 can roll to the basket or flare, if she has
a good outside jumpshot (diagr. 2).

1 dribbles toward the sideline, and recei-

ves a screen from 5, while 2 and 4 make a
double screen for 3. 1 passes to 3 for a
possible shot (diagr. 3).
If 3 is guarded and cannot shoot, she
quickly passes the ball to 2 in the corner,
who can pass to 4 in the low-post position
(diagr. 4).

1 dribbles down the left side, as 2 cuts in

the lane on the ball side, and then goes to
the opposite side of the lane to screen for
3. 1 can pass the ball to 3 in the low-post
position (diagr. 5).
If 3 is not open, 5 pops out, receives the
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ball from 1, and passes to 2, who is coming
off a down screen set by 4 (diagr. 6).

“Screen the screener” action: 2 sets a

cross screen for 3, and then receives a
down screen from 5. 1 can pass to 3 in the
low-post position, or to 2 in the free-throw
area (diagr. 7).
A variation of “screen the screener” ac-
tion: 1 dribbles down the left side and D.1 D.4
looks to pass to 3, who received a screen
from 2. 3 posts up in the low post. If 3 is
not open, 1 dribbles towards the top of
the three-second lane and passes to 2,
who is coming off the double screen of 4
and 5 (diagr. 8).

The “Zipper” play: While 1 dribbles down

the left side, 3 cuts off a down screen ma-
de by 5, and can receive the ball from 1. 3
can pass to 2, who is coming off the down
screen set by 4 (diagr. 9). D.2 D.5

2 must read and react to the moves of the

defenders:
▼ If the defender X2 is screened
properly and stays on the screen,
2 pops out for a possible jump shot
(diagr. 10).

▼ If X2 tries the short route

and slides over the screen, 2 cuts
to the corner for a possible jump
shot (diagr. 11). D.3 D.6

▼ If X2 plays tight and

comes off with 2 from
the baseline, 2 will
“curl” to the middle.
This means that she will
go around the pick and
cut in the lane for a
lay-up (diagr. 12).

▼ If X4, the defender

D.7
guarding the post, tries
to step out and help on
2, 4 quickly cuts to the
basket, looking for
a pass from 1 (diagr. 13).

1 dribbles down the left side,

goes to the middle of the
court, and tries to pass to 2,
who is coming off the
screen set by 5. At the same
time, 3 cuts in the lane and D.8
clears out to the opposite si-
de of the court. 3, while cut-
ting in the lane, uses the
pick of 4 to get open. 2 re-
ceives the ball from 1 and
quickly looks for a shot (dia-
gr. 14).
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.9 D.13 D.18

D.10 D.14 D.19

D.11 D.15 D.20

If 2 cannot shoot, she can pass to 3, and 3

can then pass to 5, who is posted up in the
low-post position (diagr. 15).

1 dribbles to the middle of the court and

looks to pass to 2, who is coming off the
screen set by 4. 3 cuts in the lane and
clears to the opposite side of the court,
while 5 holds. 2 receives the ball from 1
D.12 D.16 and looks for the possible shot (diagr. 16).

If 2 cannot shoot, she has an excellent

clear-out situation for a one-on-one and a
drive to the basket (diagr. 17).

1 dribbles down and then to the opposite

side and passes the ball to 2, who has re-
ceived a triple staggered screen, set by 4,
who steps out of the lane, by 5 in the lane,
and by 3 near the lane (diagr. 18).

D.17 1 dribbles towards the high-post player,

who steps out of the free-throw area and
sets a pick for 1. As 5 rolls to the basket, 4
pops out to the free-throw area to receive
the ball for a possible shot (diagr. 19).
If 4 cannot shoot, she passes to 3, who
can pass to 5, who has posted up in the
low-post area (diagr. 20).
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

MAN-TO-MAN
OFFENSE
by Paul Coughter

Paul Coughter is currently celebrating his 25th sea-

D.1 D.5a
son as an international basketball coach. He has tra-
velled to more than 100 FIBA federations all over the
world. While head coach of the Hung Kno Elephants
in 1996-97 in Taiwan, he won the championship and
he followed that up in the next season with another
title. He is presently the head coach of Blue Stars in
Beirut, Lebanon.

INTRODUCTION
In order to get consistently good shots in the half
court man-to-man offense we need to teach spacing,
timing, screening, passing and shooting. With this in
mind, we have developed a team shooting drill that D.2 D.5b
allows us to breakdown all these various aspects of
playing. This drill is progressive and facilitates team
awareness and collective responsibility, while
allowing each player to develop and enhance their
individual skills. And, the bottom line is, we get a lot of
different game-type shots in a short amount of time.

PART I
TEAM JUMP SHOT DRILL
Spacing reflects that of a half court set. We start the
drill with two shooters, one on each side of the lane,
a screener at the corner of the free-throw lane, and D.3 D.5c
two lines of players with two balls on each line, as
shown in the diagr. 1.
Basic sequence: Passers become screeners and
screeners become shooters.
The initial pass will be to the screeners on the sides
of the lane, but originating from the opposite side, as
shown in diagr. 2. Timing is crucial in all half court
sets. In this drill we emphasis timing awareness on a
daily basis. The first shooter, shoulders square to the
ball, will start the drill.
As the shooter sets his man up with a jab step
towards the basket, the passer steps with his left foot D.4 D.6
down the ball side shooter, keeping the ball outside
his left knee. As the shooter changes direction and
begins to accelerate up the lane, the passer “swee-
ps” the ball low and fast across the floor, quickly get-
ting his left leg across his body and transfers the ball
to his right side maintaining a leg, arm, ball posture
(diagr. 3). The screener gets wide utilizing the
free-throw line and the area as guides. His chin
is tucked on his left collarbone (basket side), to
afford him the vision of the ball and his man:
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

(angle: “butt-to-ball”). This affords the screener

D.7 D.10a the opportunity to be part of the set rather than
impersonating a “piece of furniture” and pre-
vents us from playing four against five (diagr. 4).
The pass should be delivered when the shooter is
parallel to the screener. As the shooter approaches
the screen, he slows down to avoid “flying over” the
screen and to be able to see his defender (diagr. 5a).
As he gets parallel, he brings his hands up to receive
the pass and opens his right (inside) foot towards the
base line, which will help square him to the basket.
His momentum will carry him to the middle of the
D.8a D.10b free-throw line without dribbling (diagr. 5b).
The screener will release when the pass is in the air;
maintaining ball vision, he makes himself available
for a pass or rebound.
The shooter takes his jump shot and is responsible
for the ball. He pursues, make or miss, cleans the
lane and passes the ball to the line that it came from;
he will go to the end of whichever line that needs
balance (diagr. 5c).
The passer who started the drill will now continue the
exercise by setting a screen on his side of the floor
and we go from there. We set a team goal of made
D.8b D.11a shots before moving on, say, “five in a row” (diagr. 6).
After the basic sequence is understood we begin to
emphasis the teaching points: footwork with and
without the ball, mental preparation by the shooters,
ball vision, man acceptance, etc. (diagr. 7).

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
In our half court man system we have a couple of
“catch-and-shoot” sets; we play “stack” with 4 and
5 at an angle at the edge of the lane with their shoul-
ders square to the basket (diagr. 8a). The posts main-
tain ball vision, while 2 and 3 meet under the hoop
D.9a D.11b (diagr. 8b), read their defenders, and decide which
“door” to go out. This is our north-to-south “quick-
hitter” and we also have an east-to-west, “catch-
and-shoot” set that we call “loop”.
Dribble entry is on either side; in this case, 1 dribbles
left so 2 slides around behind 4; then accelerates
across the lane going over the high side on a screen
by 5 (diagr. 9a).
As 2 crosses the lane looking to pick up his screen, 3
goes straight across the baseline coming off a lateral
screen by 4 (diagr. 9b).

D.9b D.12a PART II

PROGRESSING THE DRILL: SHOT FAKE
We have to consider that we may not get a clean look
when we receive the pass coming off the screen. We
can then incorporate the shot fake into the same drill
(diagr. 10a).
The shooter brings the ball up into the delivery posi-
tion, but keeps his body down, knees flexed; he then
pulls the ball down and across his body on an angle,
and, with the ball now outside his hip, dribbles once
to the corner of the lane, keeping his leg and arm in
front of the ball.
We dribble to the spot vacated by the screener.
Everything else in the drill remains the same. Once
again, we set a team goal of made consecutive shots
that has to be achieved before moving on (diagr. 10b).
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D.12b D.14b D.15a

D.13a D.14c PART III

UTILIZING THE SCREEN: THREE WAYS
These are three ways to accept the screen that we
use in our shooting drill. It should be noted that this
particular screen, is positional and passive. The
responsibility for executing the screen properly falls
to the potential shooter:
1) the first way to accept the screen is to run the
defender into the screener. This is accomplished by
setting the defender up and getting a good angle to
approach the screen. We looked at this in Part I, and
then, in Part II we added the shot fake technique.
D.14d
D.13b 2) The second way to accept the screen is to “curl”
- it means to go around the screen-, when the defen-
der follows the shooter over the screen.
Teaching points: Our shooter finds his defender,
makes shoulder-to-shoulder contact with the scree-
ner and slides around him into the lane. The passer
must learn to read this adjustment made by shooter
and change his delivery by “sweeping” the ball to
the other side of his body to create a clean passing
angle (diagr. 11a).
At the same time the screener should
step back and open up to the ball
D.13c
making himself available for the jump
shot at the corner of the lane (diagr.
11b).
3) The defender may choose to go
under the screen, which brings us to
the third way to accept the screen,
which is the “fade”. Our shooter sees
the defender going under the screen,
so he stops at the parallel position and
pushes himself back to the three-point
line. Our passer, once again, must
D.14a
read the adjustment; he pulls the ball
back and over his head and makes a
“skip” pass-it means a pass from one
side to the other side of the court
(diagr. 12a).
The screener will roll to the basket
when the pass is in the air (diagr. 12b).
We add defense by position, initially
guarding just the passers, then defen-
ding the shooters and screeners, and
creating a “live” drill. Naturally, if you
like this drill, modify it to suit your
needs and make it your own.

MULTIPLE SCREEN SET

The set is initiated by a pass to either
post (diagr. 13a).
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

On the pass, 3 comes up ball side looking for the ball; D.15b D.15f
1 has down screened for 2 and 4 sets a pin down
screen to complete the staggered double screen
(diagr. 13b). 5 passes to 2, coming off the double and
looking to shoot. 1 retreats while 3, 4, and 5 hit the
boards (diagr. 13c).
We also have continuity in case 2 doesn’t get a clean
look.
3 will go off a screen by 1, then pick up another late-
ral baseline screen by 4 (diagr. 14a). As soon as 3
goes past the screen by 1, 1 will up screen for 5. If we
pass to 3, then 5 has excellent rebound position
(diagr. 14b). D.15c D.16a
2 has the chance of a lob pass to 5, if 3 isn’t open, or
he can swing the ball to 1 for an excellent 2 man post
up opportunity between 1 and 5 (diagr. 14c and 14d).

MULTIPLE SCREEN ON THE SIDE OF THE BALL

4 and 5 are on the corner of the lane to screen for 1.
3 sets a fake cross screen to help free 1, who goes
hand up the lane off the staggered double (diagr.
15a).
3 will roll back to the ball, looking for a direct pass if
he has a mismatch. Otherwise, we pass to 1 (diagr.
15b). D.15d D.16b
On the catch by 1, 3 back picks 2’s defender. 1 pas-
ses to 3 for a possible three-poin shot (diagr. 15c).
1 goes off a ball side back pick by 5, and then 5 pivots
and sets a double screen next to 4 for 1 (diagr. 15d).
2 may curl this double if his defender follows him
(diagr. 15e).
If 2 curls, then 1 will come up off a pin down stagge-
red screen by 5 and 4 for a top of the lane jump shot
(diagr. 15f).

MULTIPLE SCREEN BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAY

1 takes it out, 5 fakes an up screen (diagr. 16a), then D.15e D.16c
squares his shoulders to the lane; 4 fakes towards
the screen, then changes direction and goes off 2’s
angle back pick (diagr. 16b).
We look for 4; 2, if is not open, goes off a lateral
screen by 5. We usually make this pass and look to
shoot. 5 will continue into the lane to set another
back pick for 3 (diagr. 16c).
If 2 can’t shoot, he will dribble up towards half court
to get a passing angle for 1 coming off a staggered
screen (diagr. 16d).

CONCLUSION D.16d
This has only been an introduction to half court man
offense utilizing a teaching drill to create offensive
building blocks and to hopefully instill positive habits.
The majority of the screens in this article are “passi-
ve”, screens where the responsibility to get open
rests with the potential shooter. But there are “acti-
ve” screens, ball screens and situational screens
such as small-to-big or big-to-small screens. My
intent in writing this technical article was to pro-
voke discussion, encourage dialogue, and to
prompt communication among my coaching col-
leagues. If you wish to share your thoughts with
me regarding any aspect of the article, you can
contact me via e-mail at
[email protected]
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

OFFENSIVE BASKETBALL:
AN ASSESSMENT
by Mike Katz

Mike Katz, the assistant coach of the

Canadian National Senior Team, is al-
so head coach of the Humber College
men’s team. His teams have won five
national college titles and he was se-
lected the Canadian College Coach of
the Year in 2003.

At the 2002 World Basketball Cham-

pionships held in Indianapolis, India-
na, it was apparent that some national
teams had finally caught up with the
USA. Many reasons have been offered
for this. Some, however said that the
U.S. did not send their best players, or
that they had not properly prepared for
the tournament. What happened on
the court however, requires close
scrutiny in order to assess how the ta-
lent gap has been actually narrowed.

Argentina played very well against the

U.S. I believe that a large part of the
success of the Argentinean national
team was in their offensive schemes
and the manner in which they executed
their systems. This was a team that had
no NBA players (unlike Spain and Yu-
goslavia, who also defeated Team
USA), but nevertheless dominated their
game against the USA in a manner un-
like the other two. Their supposed les-
ser talent was more than made up for
by teamwork, intelligence, and execu-
tion on the offensive end of the floor.

Argentina’s arsenal included a transi-

tion and early offense phase, a five-
man continuity segment, as well as
plays that isolated post-up and peri-
meter one-on-one advantages. It can-
not be emphasized enough how effi-
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ciently they ran their offense. As one

observer noted, they don’t run their of-
fense, they sprint it!

By no means, I am mitigating the es-

sential roles that individual or team
defenses play in enhancing team suc-
cess, nor the importance of individual
and ongoing offensive skill develop-
ment. What I am saying is that a conci-
se, delineated offensive system can
D.1 D.2
bring about much improvement.

The purpose of an early offense is to

get easy baskets in transition. Many
teams spend a lot of time working on
the fast break, but have nothing to
flow into if the quick score does not
occur. This critical phase is essential
because the defense is still not in pla-
ce, leaving them quite vulnerable to
open shots or dribble penetration. The

D.3

offensive player alignment of this im-

portant secondary phase is the same
as that of a patterned fast break, whi-
ch allows for a seamless transition to
this part of the overall offense. In es-
sence, it becomes the link between
the break and the half court attack.
As an example, the Canadian team has
enjoyed success in transition by pu-
shing the ball down the sideline, almo-
st to the baseline. If there is no quick
scoring opportunity, it will reverse the
ball to the trail post, initiating the of-
fense and quickly taking advantage of
the defense, which has still not set up
properly.
Other teams with an explosive point
guard will often execute a quick
screen on the ball around mid court or
deeper along the sideline out of their
fast break attack, which is very hard to
defend against.

The essential purpose of a continuity

offense is to get the ball from side to
side (run as secondary or as a set
play), which invariably involves in-
creased player movement. This can
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D.4

D.5

D.6

D.7

exploit defensive mistakes for easy The benefit of set plays for quick ba- This keeps the defensive team off ba-
scores. At the FIBA World Champion- skets allows for certain players to get lance.
ships, we saw that it also created nu- the ball where they can be most effec- It will be interesting to see how offen-
merous foul calls against the defensive tive. sive trends and patterns have shifted
team. This is important because it al- Post up situations or three-point shots at the upcoming Olympic Games.
lows you to run your side and end out- are created from well-executed plays The game of basketball is forever evol-
of-bounds plays, which tend to be less that are designed for this purpose. ving and the international game has
frequently scouted and are good sco- Plays that utilized ball screens, proven itself to be a trendsetter at all
ring opportunities. U.C.L.A. action, and small to big cross levels of basketball.
Many international teams run a form of screens were popular at the FIBA
shuffle action with up and baseline World Championships. The following are diagrams that ad-
staggered screens as their continuity dress the early attack in transition and
scheme. Argentina enjoyed great suc- An offensive structure, which involves may be of some aid for those coaches
cess with a form of flex offense, rejec- early continuity and quick shots allows looking to quickly move their team from
ting the basic pattern at opportune ti- a team to shift tempos as desired a fast break attack into a secondary of-
mes for open shots. within a game. fense.
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

FASTBREAK TO EARLY OFFENSE

Legend
1 - point guard
2 and 3 - perimeters players
4 and 5 - posts

BASIC FASTBREAK PATTERN

▼ 1 receives the outlet
pass from 5 and looks down court
to pass the ball to either 2 or 3.

▼ 4 runs in the middle lane of court,

and in the middle of the three-se
cond area, until he is under the
basket (front rim). He looks for a
direct pass from 1, 2, or 3 to make
a quick score (diagr. 1).

SECONDARY PHASE
▼ If 4 does not receive an early pass
in transition, he moves over to the
ball side in a low-post position.
3 moves to middle of the court
to receive a pass from 2.

▼ 1 cuts in the three-second area to

the front of the rim and runs out
side to the corner, after he recei ves
a down pick from 5 (diagr. 2 and 3).

1, with the ball on the wing, has a num-

ber of options:
a) A quick shot (diagr. 4);
b) A side pick-and-roll with 5, while 4
cuts in the lane, and 3 and 2 move to
open spaces, opposite of the ball (dia-
gr. 5).
c) A skip pass from one side of the
court to the other, after 3 has received
a flare screen from 4. This is a screen
made while 3 is going away from the
ball (diagr. 6).
d) 1 could also play a high/low post op-
tion. This entails a pass to the post or a
pass from the high to low post with 4
and 5, or a pass to 5 in the low post, af-
ter the flare pick of 4.

PUSH OPTION
1 keeps the dribble alive on the sideli-
ne, which is a signal for 2 to cut in the
lane near the baseline. At the same ti-
me, 3 comes to middle of the court to
receive a pass and then make a pass
to the weak side of the court (diagr. 6).
2 receives the reversal pass and his
options remain as indicated earlier.
(diagr. 7).

This option was utilized by the Detroit

Pistons in the recent NBA playoffs. Ri-
chard Hamilton received the ball on
the wing, setting him up for a variety of
one-on-one opportunities.
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

HOW TO BUILD
by Petar Skansi
A WELL-BALANCED
TEAM
Petar Skansi began his coaching career in 1973 with
Yugoplastika Split, the winners of the Yugoslavian
championship, Yugoslavian Cup, and the European Cup
in 1977. In 1978, he became the assistant coach of the
Yugoslavian National team. From 1980 to 1998, he coa-
ched different teams in Italy, including Pesaro (Cup of
Cups in 1983), Fabriano, Venice, Rome, Treviso (Italian
Championship in 1992). As head coach of the Croatian
National team, he won a silver medal at the 1992
Olympic Games. This past season, he coached Novo
Mesto, Slovenia. He has been an advisor and lecturer
of the FIBA Olympic Solidarity Program since 2000.

The most difficult, as well as the most important job for

a coach, comes when he has to build his team at the
beginning of the season. Every time we begin to speak
about a working program, we must focus on the star-
ting point: the selection of players.
Only those athletes who possess the highest levels of
psychological and physical qualities and who can be
directed to follow a systematic and well-planned pro-
gram, can help a coach achieve his goals for the year.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEAM

Here is an overview of what physical and mental attri-
butes you want to look for in your players.

N.1 POINT GUARD (PLAYMAKER)

It is not mandatory, but it is preferable to have a team
leader in this role. Along with good ball-handling skills
and good outside shooting, this player must also
understand the team organization and team defense.
This player will act as the coach’s right hand man
when he is on the floor.

N.2 SHOOTING GUARD

I expect this player to be the best defender. The team
will work hard so he can get his shot, but he has to pay
them back by working hard on defense.

N.3 SMALL FORWARD

This player has the same characteristics as the shoo-
ting guard. In addition, he must be a good rebounder,
an inside shooter, and be able to effectively guard the
most dangerous opponents.

N.4 POWER FORWARD

This is your crucial player. This player must play aggres-
sive defense like a smaller player, be able to make a

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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

high percentage of three-point shots, have a good insi-

de game, and be an excellent passer. Ideally, this one
player must possess all of these characteristics.

N.5 BIG MAN, PIVOT

This player is the hardest worker of them all. He
“lives” under difficult conditions in the low post. He
is your most important defensive player and the first
rebounder. He opens up the transition and most
likely touches the ball on offense less than the
others. He must be able to have strong inside moves
with his back to the basket.

N.6 BACK-UP POINT GUARD

This player has a very sensitive role on the team.
Sometimes he becomes more important than the star-
ting point guard. He is the player who must change the
rhythm of the game. It is better if he is not a copy of your
starting point guard. He should be a specialist in some
other area like zone offense, transition, or shooting.

N.7
This player has similar characteristics as N.2 and N.3
(not necessarily a back-up, but he is a specialist).

N.8
Back-up player to N.4 and N.5. He is a strong reboun-
der, a good offensive player (for example: against zone
defenses). In all probability, he needs to gain more
game experience.

N.9 AND N.10

These are the young players with promising futures.
Outside or inside players - it does not matter. What
does matter, however, is that they are attentive players
who will work hard in practice. They need game expe-
rience and the coach must give them the opportunity to
play every time he can. They must be ready to take
advantage of the opportunity.

My basic philosophy is that a good team is the

result/consequence of a team’s unity. We have to work
a lot on this aspect every day throughout the season.
Problems in unity typically develop because each
player has his own “confessor” (his agent, his father,
friend, girlfriend, or a journalist) and each of these peo-
ple wants their “protégé” to be “the star” of the team.
But this is not possible until the whole team becomes
“a star.” The solution to this is the following: every sin-
gle player has to play strong defense.

We have to build the team every day in practice. Here

are the daily goals and how to achieve them:
1. Never let others work with the team.
2. Nobody is perfect! Have you ever seen a
game or a player without mistakes?
3. The player needs encouragement when he
makes a mistake.
4. You must care about the last player on the
bench the same way as you do about your
team star.
5. Don’t ever change your attitude
because of a player’s mistake.
6. It is enough if the players give their best
EV\Z+'
 4. Giving credit to the players who do small,
but equally important things.
5. A good pass must always be recognized.
Show the passer that you have appreciated
the pass by putting your thumb up.
6. Letting the players show you when they are
tired. Do not let the opponents notice this.
7. Make the players play defense with the
same intensity as offense.
8. A good action has to be recognized by every
member of the team. Players have to
congratulate each other.
9. After the game, point out the qualities of the
opponent to your players. It is bad to
underestimate the opponents.
10. Be sure that your players know why they
have to sprint! They have to do it because of
pride! They sprint because they want to be
better than the others. Sprints help them to
build team unity.
11. Never allow a team member to become
discouraged or depressed.
12. Every player has to have the feeling
of belonging to a team.
13. Coaches, this is your team. You provide the
rules and you make the team respect them.
Do not turn players against you with hysteria,
either in practice sessions or games.
14. Once you punish a player for discretion,
it’s over! Don’t bring it up again.
15. Young men want discipline. All of this helps
them to build their own self-discipline.
16. Give young men another chance.

How to get your ideas and concepts across to the

players:
1. Let the player know that he is not on the floor
just for shooting by changes in the line-up
you make during the game.
2. We have to correct players, not criticize
them. When you correct, also remind them of
the good things they are doing.
3. Don’t disturb them during the game or during
practice.
4. You must always encourage them. This will
help make them mentally stronger.
5. Positive thinking is extremely important.
effort. What more can you expect? 6. It is not necessary that you always start the
7. The respect of every single player is game with your best players. The opponents
of fundamental importance. prepare their game against your best men.
8. We demand tolerance, but we do not try to By not starting with your best, you will
satisfy players in every way and we do not distract the opponent while giving your team
beg them to do what is necessary. a mental boost. When you do put in your best
9. We all know that our long-term unity players, it will increase the intensity of play.
depends on winning. 7. Always have a back-up player ready if you
want to make a change. Recognize each
What else is important? player who comes out of the game with a pat
1. To build and to nourish respect between the on the back or a word of encouragement.
coach and players. 8. It is to think about your fans. Try to make
2. A coach must always stress the players’ them happy: how do you do this?
qualities. 9. A young player is better than a tired star (at
3. Back-up players must always stand up least, for a couple of minutes). Be sure that
and encourage the teammate who comes the players know when they can play.
off the floor. 10. It is clear that we need more than five
EV\Z+(
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

players on a team. Players think primarily

about scoring, but we must also appreciate
other skills. We must encourage good
passing and help on defense.
11. Never make the mistake of underestimating
your players, the opposing players, or the
coach.
12. Always speak to the opposing coach after
the game.
13. Use the best performances of your players.
Sometimes we win even if we don’t play
good basketball.
14. Always insist on pride.

My philosophy of coaching basketball is wrapped

up in the following attributes. In my opinion, coa-
ches should take them into consideration during the
ongoing selection of the players at the beginning of
the season:
The major character attributes:
▼ Ambition
▼ Bravery
▼ Discipline
▼ Intelligence

The major physical attributes:

▼ Height
▼ Speed
▼ Power

These physical attributes don’t necessarily need to be

combined in one person, yet it is clear that a person
who is neither tall nor fast does not have the neces-
sary requirements to be a good basketball player.
Power, as an essential component of modern basket-
ball, can be developed through hard work in the wei-
ght-training room.
EV\Z+)
 FIBA EUROPE
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Plays To Run as the

Shot Clock Expires
by Phil Melillo

Phil Melillo became head coach of the A2

team of Forlì, Italy, in 1994, where he won
the championship. He then coached Vero-
na, in A1, and won the Italian Supercup. He
also seated on the bench of the teams of
Siena, Roseto (where he won another
championship in A2) in two different pe-
riods, Udine, and, since last season, he has
been the head coach of Scavolini Pesaro.

When the shot clock is running out and

we are running set plays I feel it is very
important to have all the players touching
the ball and moving without the ball,
making the defense work harder. If the
players are having a difficult time finding
a way to score, they can run this set play:
2 goes out to the wing using the screen
set by 5, 3 goes to the opposite wing posi-
tion, 1 then passes to 2 (diagr. 1 and 2). 1
uses the screen set by 4 and then goes to
the corner. 4, after the screen, gets open
by going wide and receives the ball from 2
(diagr. 3). 3 moves to the opposite corner.
4 passes the ball to 1, who has just moved
from the corner up to the wing position
(diagr. 4). 4 sets up a pick-and-roll with 1.
1 uses the screen to drive to the basket or
can pass to 5, who is cutting to the basket,
if the drive can not occur (diagr. 5). After
the screen has been set, 4 can either
establish himself low or move out to the
three-point line. On the other hand, if it is 5
setting up the pick-and-roll with 1, 5 then
moves into the low post and 4 must move
out to the three-point line (diagr. 6). Let’s
now have a look at the options we have in
the development of this play.

FIRST OPTION: BALL TO 5 IN THE LOW POST

2 goes to pick for 4, while, on the other
side, 3 cuts and exchanges his position
EV\Z+*
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

with 1. The aim is to keep the defense

busy, not allowing the defenders to rest.
This gives 5 the chance to play one-on-
one and avoid drawing the double team
(diagr. 7).

SECOND OPTION: 5 KICKS THE BALL OUT

First opportunity
5 passes the ball from the low post to 4. If
4 can not shoot, he passes the ball to 2,
who is at the top of the key, or who can
pass to 1, who is coming off a staggered
screen set by 5 and 4 (diagr. 8).
Second opportunity
If 5 can not receive the ball, 2 passes the
ball to 4, who is now looking for to play
with 5 in the post (diagr. 9).
EV\Z++
D.5 D.6 D.7

D.8 D.9

D.10

D.11

THIRD OPTION: SWING

First opportunity
3 makes a back door cut, while 1 is trying
to get open at the wing (diagr. 10).
Second opportunity
Now 1 has several options: 1 can shoot, he
can drive or play one-on-one in the area left
open from the backdoor cut of 3 (diagr. 11).
Third opportunity with 3 in the post
After the back door, 3 takes position in the
low post. If he receives the ball from 1, 1
goes and picks for 4 and then replaces 4’s
position (diagr. 12).
If it is 5 instead of 4 at the top of the key, 1
does not pick for 4, but establishes his own
position on the wing, allowing 5 to set a
screen for 2 on the weak side (diagram 13).
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 FIBA EUROPE
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D.12

D.13

D.14

D.15

FOURTH OPTION: PICK-AND-ROLL

4, after he has swung the ball to the weak si-
de, sets a screen for 1, and breaks free. If he
is not open, he can continue out to the three-
point line or cut to the basket. Meanwhile, 5
moves out to the three-point line (diagr. 14).
Now, with their roles exchanged, 5, after the
pick of the player with the ball, cuts towards
the basket and 4, starting from the low post,
goes out to the three-point line (diagr. 15).
This play allows me to have:
▼ Players in constant movement;
▼ The ball moving from side to side;
▼ All players touching the ball, which is
the most important thing, because it
makes the defenses job harder and al-
lows for the best scoring opportunity.
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Larry Brown is the current head coach of the 2004 NBA

Champions Detroit Pistons and USA Men’s Olympic
Basketball team. A 2002 inductee to the Basketball
Hall of Fame, Brown is the only U.S. male to play and
coach in the Olympics. He is also the only coach to
win both a NCAA and NBA title. Included among the
teams he has coached are the UCLA Bruins, Kansas
Jayhawks, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and
the Philadelphia 76ers. After playing and coaching for
more than thirty years, Larry Brown is widely conside-
red one of the premier teachers of the game.

In an exclusive interview we received the technical

opinion on the NBA Champions Detroit Pistons by for-
mer legendary coach Chuck Daly.
Not only he was the coach of the first, uncomparable
Dream Team that won the gold medal in the 1992
Barcelona Olympics, but Daly also won two consecu-
tive NBA Championships with the Pistons in 1989 and
1990.

“This team reminds me a lot of the one winning two

titles many years ago. It’s déjà vu. Just like the 1989
and 1990 teams, the basis is a strong defense inclu-
ding two great rebounders and shot blockers.
These roles were filled by Ben and Rasheed Wallace
who can be compared to Salley and Rodman.
The transistion game starting on the defensive end
ultimately led to easy fast break points. The great pre-
cision in executing offensive set plays and giving
Hamilton several options were major factors for the
success and equal distribution of points.
All five starters for the Pistons scored in double digits
in comparison to just two on the Lakers, O’Neal and
Bryant. Another advantage of the Pistons was the
capitalization of each time out, where they scored
almost immediately after each one.
Talking about players individually, I want to underline
the impact Ben Wallace had. His defensive presence
was most noted, but his effectiveness on the offensive
end was an unexpected asset.
He was able to score using tap-ins and other methods
to help the Pistons in troubled times throughout the

THE ATTACK OF THE

detroit pistons EV\Z+.
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1 D.6 D.11

D.2 D.7

D.3 D.8

D.4 D.9

D.5 D.10

EV\Z,%
series. The main factor, however, was Chauncey
Billups and his ability to increase his points per game
average from the regular season, while also being an
effective playmaker at the point guard position.
We can’t forget the defensive impact made by Prince,
the only player to significantly slow down Kobe
Bryant due to his height m 2.06 and wingspan,
allowing him to play taller and follow Bryant in his
movements. Thus, Larry Brown won using the basket-
ball tools from the past : defense, fundamentals, offen-
sive transition, perfect execution of set plays and the
fact that all the Pistons were team players.”

THE 2003-2004 PISTONS ROSTER

▼ Chauncey Billups Playmaker m. 1.91
Lindsay Hunter Playmaker m. 1.88
▼ Richard Hamilton Guard/Forward m. 2.01
Corliss Williamson Forward m. 2.01
▼ Tayshaun Prince Forward m. 2.06
▼ Rasheed Wallace Forward m. 2.13
Mehmet Okur Forward m. 2.11
▼ Ben Wallace Center m. 2.06
Elden Campbell Center m. 2.13

▼ = Starting Five Players

“CROSS FIST”
The beginning position has three perimeter and two
low post players, placed in a stack. 1 (Billups) passes to
one of the forwards, 2 (Hamilton), in this case, then
cuts to the paint while 3 ( Prince) takes 1’s place.
1 picks for 4 (Ben Wallace), then 4 cuts to the paint to
receive the ball. If he does not receive it, he goes to
play pick-and-roll with 2, while 1 comes out of the paint
and goes to the corner (diagr. 1 and 2).
Another solution: 1 cuts and goes to pick for 5 (Rasheed
Wallace), after having passed to 2, 5 then cuts in the
paint and sets up in the low post to get a pass from 2
and to play one-on-one. After the pass, 2 moves up or
down on the three-point line for a pass from 5, if the
defender of 2 traps on 5 (diagr. 3).

“CHEST”
1 dribbles in the central lane, 4 is in mid post, 2 is in high
post, 3 and 5 are positioned in a stack on the other side
of the court. 2 cuts around the stack of 3 and 5.
When 2 has cut to the paint, 3 cuts and then goes to the
wing. 1 can pass to 2 or 3 near the basket or on the wing
(diagr. 4). If 3 receives the ball, he can shoot or pass to
5 in high post. If these listed solutions do not occur, 2
keeps cutting, gets a pick by 4 on the baseline, goes to
the wing and receives a pass from 1. If he cannot shoot
or pass to 4 in the low post, 4 leaves the paint and plays
pick-and-roll with 2 (diagr. 5). Another solution: If 2 is
not open after the baseline pick of 4, 1 passes the ball
to 3, 5 goes out and sets a side block to play a pick-and-
roll with 3 (diagr. 6).

“FIST”
1 dribbles along the midfield lane, 4 and 5 are placed at
the elbows of the key, while 2 and 3 are in the low post.
1 dribbles to the left. 4 then sets a pick for 5, who goes
EV\Z,&
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

out to the wing. After the pick for 5, 4 keeps on cutting

and makes a stack with 3. 2 then cuts and goes out of
the stack, going to the wing (diagr. 7).
5 plays a pick-and-roll with 1 (diagr. 8) who dribbles
toward the other side of the court and passes to 2 who
has come out of the stack (diagr. 9).
As it is shown in the previous diagram, after the stack,
2 goes to the corner, 3 goes to the wing and 4 goes to
the low post.

“GET”
It is a set play intended to allow equal shots by
Hamilton and Prince.
1 dribbles along the right side of the court, while 2, 4, 3
and 5 assemble a low stack near the basket. When 1 is
on that side, 2 goes out using the pick set by 5 and rises
up to the key to receive, and shoot or to pass to 5, who
should get open (diagr. 10).
If 2 can’t shoot or pass to 5, 4 sets a pick for 3, who first
goes out to the wing and then keeps on cutting to the
basket. After having picked, 4 rises up immediately and
receives pass from 1 and now he can pass to 3 (diagr.
11). The factor we have to underline is that in all the
Pistons set plays a great attention was paid to balan-
cing, thus allowing a fast defensive transition.

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OFFENSE

THE ARGENTINA
by Ruben Magnano

OFFENSE
Ruben Magnano won the FIBA South
America and Pan-American Champion-
ships with the Argentinean Under-21
National team in 2000. In 2001, at the helm
of Senior National Men’s team, he won the
FIBA South American, FIBA Tournament of
the Americas and a silver medal at the
Goodwill Games. In 2002, he won the silver
medal at the FIBA World Championship,
and this year the gold medal at the Olym-
pic Games in Athens. With the Atenas Cor-
dobas club, he won three Argentinean ti-
tles, two South American, one Pan-Ameri-
can, and two South American League
Championships.

FASTBREAK “NEW”
5 makes the out-of-bounda pass to 1,
who dribbles the ball on the lateral lane,
and stops at the three-point line. 4 runs
in the middle of the court and goes to
the low-post position on the ball side, 2
and 3 sprints near the sidelines, and 5
sprints to the basket in the center lane,
and stops outside of the three-point line
(diagr. 1).
2, the wing on the ball side, cuts in the la-
ne, receives a screen from 3, and comes
out of the three-point line. 5 screens for
1, and 1 dribbles towards 2. After the pick
for 2, 3 picks for 4, who cuts in the lane to
receive the ball from 1. After the screen
for 1, 5 screens down for 3 (screen the
screener). 1 can pass to 2, 4, 3 or to 5,
who opens up to the ball after the screen
(diagr. 2).

FASTBREAK “CIRCLE”
5 passes to 1 and enters on the court as a
safety man, while 2 and 3 sprint near the
sidelines towards the offensive basket. 4
sprints in the middle of the court, acting
as a trailer (diagr. 3).
1 runs the fastbreak, while the other four
players sprint to reach their respective
positions. 2 and 3 stop at the three-point
line (diagr. 4).
1 passes to 2 on the wing, while 4, the
trailer, goes to the low-post position on
the ball side, and 5 to the high post (diagr. 5). 3
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FIBA EUROPE
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D.3

D.1 D.2 D.4

comes in the middle of the court to receive side, while 5 rolls to the basket. If he does the midddle of the court, the two posts at
the ball from 2 and 1 cuts in the lane and re- not receive the ball, he goes on the low- the corner of the free-throw lane, and the
places 2 on the wing (diagr. 6). post position (diagr. 9). wings in low-post positions. 1 receives a
3 plays pick-and-roll with 5, 4 goes to the high 1 passes the ball to 4. 4 passes directly to screen from 5, who, after the screen,
post position, and 1 and 3 go in the corner 5 in the low post or to 3. 3 passes to 5 goes on the high-post position and then
(diagr. 7). (diagr. 10). dribbles towards the wing. 4 receives a
2 passes to 4, who can pass directly to 5 in the If 4 cannot pass to 3 or 5, 1 follows the blind, diagonal screen (staggered
lane, or pass to 3. 3 can pass to 5, who cuts to pass, receives a pass back from 4, pene- screen), first from 3, and then from 2. Af-
the ball (diagr. 8). trates, and makes a kick pass to 2, or to 5, ter the screen, 3 goes outside the three-
who cuts in the lane, or to 4 who went in point line (diagr. 12).
A MAN-TO-MAN PLAY the opposite direction of the penetration of 2 comes high, receives a screen from 5,
The initial set is a 1-2-2 formation, with one 1. 1 and 4 can also play a pick-and-roll and cuts outside the three-point-line to
point guard in the middle of the court, two (diagr. 11). receive the ball from 1. After the screen,
high posts, and two wings in the corners. 1 5 goes outside the lane. 1 and 2 go down
passes to 4, follows the pass, and receives A MAN-TO-MAN AND A MATCH-UP in the corners (diagr. 13).
a pass back from 4. Right after the pass, 4 OFFENSE: ZERO 5 screens for 2 and then rolls to the ba-
receives a blind pick from 5 and goes out- The set is a 1-2-2, with the point guard in sket. 2 dribbles to the right and then pas-
EV\Z,)
 D.7 D.12

D.5 D.8 D.13

D.6 D.9 D.14

ses immediately to 4, who comes in the

middle of the court to receive the pass
and make a reversal pass to 1, who co-
mes towards the ball (diagr. 14).

ZONE OFFENSE
I will list the general principles, which
serve as the basis of the our offense
versus the zone:
D.10 D.9
D.15
1. Attack the weak sides of the zone
with and without the ball.
2. Respect the spacing between the of- down (diagr. 16). the baseline (diagr. 17).
fensive players. 5 passes to 1 and then goes on the 1 dribbles towards the mid-court,
3. Use the dribble only to divide the zo- opposite direction, while 4 goes 3 cuts in the corner and receives a
ne, to improve the angle of passing, or on the low-post position on the pick from 4. It’s very important that
for creating proper spacing. ball side, 5 goes to the high-post 3 coordinates his movement with
4. Do not face a defensive player. position, and 4 starts to cut along the movement of 1. 5 goes to the
5. Utilize the skip pass for attacking the
defense from behind.

OFFENSE VERSUS THE ODD ZONE: 12

The starting set is a 2-3. 1 passes to 2,
while 5 cuts along the baseline, and re-
ceives a pass from 2. 4 picks for 5, 3 co-
mes high at the corner of the free-throw
line, and 1 and 2 move away from the
ball (diagr. 15).
D.11 D.16
If 2 cannot shoot, he passes the ball to
5, who comes out of the lane. 4 goes
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.17 D.21 D.23

D.18 D.22 D.24

who comes in the middle of the court, and 3

to 2. When 2 gets the ball, 5 can choose to
cut high or cut low, and 4, based on the di-
rection of the 5’s cut, goes in the opposite
direction (diagr. 21).
An option: 3 gives the ball back to 1, and
then goes in the opposite direction. On this
pass, 2 can cut in order to go back to his ori-
D.19 ginal position, and 5 and 4 screen the two
D.25
defenders on the ball side. 2 comes out in
the corner and receives the ball from 1 (dia-
gr. 22).

SIDELINE-OUT OF BOUNDS: “THUMB”

The players are set in a box formation, with
the point guard 1 in the low post to the ball
side, and the post 5 opposite to him. 4
screens for 1 and 5 screens for 2. 1 goes hi-
gh and receives the ball from 3 (diagr. 23).
1 receives a screen from 5, and dribbles to
D.20
the other side of the court, while 5 rolls to D.26
the basket. 1 can pass to 5 or to 2. After the
screen, 4 comes high (diagr. 24).
corner of the lane, while 2 is moving away
from the ball (diagr. 18). BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS
2 has the ball for the out-of-bound pass, 3
OFFENSE VERSUS THE EVEN ZONE: 23 picks for 1, who goes in the corner. At the
The initial set is a 1-4, with the point guard in same time, 5 screens for 3 (screen the
the middle of the court, the two wings and screener). 2 can choose to pass to 1, 3, or 5
two posts at the corners of the free-throw la- (diagr. 25).
ne. If 1 receives the ball, 4 goes outside of the
1 passes the ball to one of the wings (2 in this free-throw lane, and receives a pass from
case). After the pass to 2, 4 goes low and 5 him, while 3 continues his cut and goes out D.27
cuts in the lane and goes outside in the cor- of the three-point line (diagr. 26).
ner on the ball side (diagr. 19). After the out-of-bounds pass, 2 enters the
2 can pass to 5 in the corner or back to 1. Af- court and screens for 5, who goes towards
ter the pass, 2 cuts in the lane and goes in the ball. Right after the screen of 2 for 5, 4
the other wing position. 3 comes high and makes a vertical screen (screen the scree-
receives the ball from 1 (diagr. 20). ner) for 2. 3 can pass inside to 5, or to 2 for a
If 5 receives the ball, he passes to 1, 1 to 3, jump shot (diagr. 27).
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by Dirk Bauermann

Dirk Bauermann, a former assistant coach at

Fresno State University (U.S.), was the head coach
of Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided his teams
to six German titles and three German Cups. He
also coached the German National team from 1994
to 1998. In addition, Bauermann also coached
Sunair Ostende (Belgium) and Apollon Patras
(Greece). He presently is the head coach of
Bamberg (Germany) and the German Men’s
National team.

The following article describes some of the basic

offensive concepts that I have used against man-
to-man defenses in the last couple of years. Both
the club team that I am currently coaching, and the
German National team play according to these
concepts.
As coaches, we must constantly adjust our offensi-
ve strategies to the players at hand. We also have
to constantly incorporate new ideas into our philo-
sophy. Nonetheless, we all have certain beliefs
and convictions that create the very substance of
our coaching philosophy. I will outline some of my
basic offensive tactics, principles, and concepts.

1. CREATE OFFENSE WITH DEFENSE

I have always believed that an aggressive, physical
man-to-man defense is the most important building
block of a team’s success. Ideally, we would like to
generate at least one-third of our points from our
defense.

2. BALANCED SCORING
Currently, where statistics have become a major
selling point for agents, every player wants good
statistics to back up his efforts. If the system provi- Roles have to be clearly defined and not everybody gets
des scoring opportunities for everybody, the player the same amount of shots. I would much rather have six
will have much greater motivation to defend, players score in double figures than two score over
rebound, and do the dirty work. Also, in a balanced thirty. Why? Because we will be a better offensive team
attack with a lot of weapons, defensive preparation that way.
is much more difficult because one cannot con-
centrate on stopping the two star players. 3. PREPAREDNESS
Am I a friend of equal opportunity offense? No. Bobby Knight once said that it is not just the will to win,

OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS
AND PRINCIPLES EV\Z,,
FIBA EUROPE
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D.1 D.6

D.2 D.7

D.3 D.8 but, also, the will to prepare to win that makes a
team successful. He said it more in the context of
game preparation, but there is no doubt in my mind
that we must prepare our teams for every concei-
vable eventuality and situation. I want them prepa-
red for anything that our opponent might throw at
us. I also want them to know precisely what to do at
critical points in the game (e.g., end of quarter
situations, special situations, and end of game
situations). That is why we work on these types of
situations for at least five minutes at the end of
every practice.
D.4 D.9
This kind of preparedness will help you win becau-

D.5 D.10 D.11

EV\Z,-
 se your players know what to do and it will develop
the kind of confidence that you need to win your
close games.

4. GAME TEMPO
I’ve always felt that a nice balance of transition and
half-court basketball is most conducive to winning.
Players need to able to get out in the open court
and enjoy the freedom and creativity that the run-
D.12 ning game provides. Also, the transition game ena-
bles you to score easy baskets, which is the main
objective of offensive basketball in the first place.
On the other hand, good teams will minimize your
fast break opportunities with good shot selection,
intelligent decision making, good defensive balan-
ce, and great transition defense.
D.17 Thus, a team’s ability to function in the half-court
game, to take care of the basketball, to properly
execute its plays under pressure, and to make
smart decisions with the basketball defines its
degree of success to a great extent, especially in
D.13
the play-offs.

5. OFFENSIVE STRUCTURE
a. After a defensive rebound, we try to score within
the first six seconds of the shot clock. We want the
ball in our point guard’s hands as quickly as possi-
ble. If another player comes up with a defensive
D.18 rebound and he has the ability to push the ball up
the court, we encourage him to do so as a way to
eliminate the outlet pass. We want the ball in the
middle of the floor and we want them to pitch the
ball ahead to open receivers. We want our wing-
D.14 men to sprint, rather than run, and we want them to
slow down just before they approach the scoring
area. In my estimation, it is vital that the players
look for and find open teammates. If they do not,
wings and big men will stop running. We want our
non-rebounding big man to run right at the rim and
D.19
we send our rebounding big man right to the weak-
side elbow area (diagr. 1). If the defense is still
scrambling to get back, we try to score quickly out
of this box alignment with quick pick-rolls, post-
ups, or skips (diagr. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). All these are sim-
ple yet effective ways of creating 2-on-2 situations
D.15 out of transition. If the defense has gotten back on
us and there is no more conceivable advantage,
we get the ball to our point guard, change the
rhythm, and run a set play.
b. After a steal, we obviously try to score quickly.
We only encourage our players not to be in a hurry
D.20 and make good decisions with the basketball.
c. After a made field goal by our opponent, we
want one of our big men to inbound the ball as
quickly as possible to our point guard. If we can
surprise and score quickly, great. If not, we will run
D.16
into a pre-set offensive alignment that looks like a
diamond and then run different options out of that
particular set, depending on the point guard’s call.

6. OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS
These are basic guidelines for our players that give
them an idea of how we want the game to be played.
EV\Z,.
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

a. The main objective of offensive basketball is to

create a shot for a teammate, not for yourself.
b. Play off the pass rather than the dribble.
c. Play with a purpose.
d. Get the ball inside on a consistent basis - play
inside-out.
e. Do not be content shooting jump shots - attack
the rim-get fouled, score on the free throw line.
f. Play within yourself - KISS (Keep-It-Simple-
Stupid). D.21 D.25
g. Spacing and balance
h. Play with poise and savvy at all times-don’t be in
a hurry.
i. Have faith in each other-share the ball and make
the extra pass.

7. OFFENSIVE AUTOMATICS
As I have mentioned earlier, we run various plays.
Most of them are continuity plays, where we basi-
cally go from one option to the next. The players
know their looks and options. We usually try to
reverse the basketball once before we actually D.22 D.26
look to score. We try to get the ball inside first, then
settle for a jump shot, or else go to a pick-roll of
some sort. But regardless of what plays one runs,
the same situations occur. With what we call
“automatics” we try to give our players some basic
rules as to how to react and what to expect from
their teammates in these types of situations. Here
are some examples of our automatics:
a. Baseline drive - baseline drift (diagr.7)
When a player drives baseline, the wing player on
the weak side of the floor must move/drift to the
D.23 D.27
corner in order to get open for a shot.
b. Overplay on wing:
- open post situation: backdoor (diagr. 8) The 5-play (diagr. 17, 18, and 19) is
- post down low: pinch post action (diagr. 9). designed to get the ball inside to our
b. Wing drives baseline - big man pulls out to elbow center.
(diagr. 10). Note that we always try to reverse the
c. Wing drives middle - post drifts to soft spot basketball once before we look to
(diagr. 11). score.
d. Pick-and-roll with 5, 4 up to junction (diagr. 12). Not every option and counter will be
e. Pick-and-pop with 4, 5 ducks in and attacks dot- shown in detail.
ted line (diagr. 13). The 3-play (diagr. 20, 21, 22, and 23) is
f. Post feed: Passer runs elbow or baseline cut, D.24
a version of the shuffle play run by
others replace (diagr. 14) or screens and dives many teams. In this particular play, we
(diagr. 15) depending on what the defense does. try to get a shot for our small forward
We also have rules against post and pick-roll traps, by playing him inside-outside.
but I unfortunately can’t cover them in detail in this 9. SET PLAYS
short article. Most of our set plays are continuity plays.
We rarely run isolation plays or quick hitters, even
8. EARLY OFFENSE though we realize that they are sometimes neces-
As I have mentioned earlier, we run into a pre-set sary in order to get a good quick shot, such as
play after made baskets by our opponent. Our point when it takes you too long to get into your offense
guard pushes the ball up the right sideline and or if you have to go quick because you’re behind
each player runs to a pre-designed starting spot on late in the game.
the floor (diagr. 16). Sometimes you also might want to foul a certain
As our point guard approaches mid-court, he calls player out of the game and run an isolation play
a particular play that we run out of this diamond set. against him. Again, we strongly believe in the value
A specific play is indicated by the numbers 1 through 5. of patience and quick, precise ball- and player-
Now I will outline our 5 and 3 play to give an exam- movement and our play selection reflects this con-
ple of the type of ball- and player-movement we cept. As an example (diagr.24, 25, 26, and 27), here
like. are plays that show our ‘shorts’ play.
EV\Z-%
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS
by Vicente Rodriguez
FROM ONE-ON-ONE
Vicente Rodriguez is the head coach of the
Spanish Women's National Team. His teams
won two bronze medals at the 2001 and 2003
FIBA European Championships. He coached
the Celta Simeòn club team to the Spanish ti-
tle in 1999.

In this article, I would like to illustrate the basic

movement concepts a team has to follow when
one of its players has decided to score by at-
tacking the basket.
Starting from three positions (central, lateral,
and low post), I am going to analyze the offense
circulation in order to make it easier to score,
which is the goal of every offense. It is neces-
sary to keep some basic concepts in mind:

▼ Players have to move to a clear space.

▼ Players have to make more than one offense

option possible through their moves.

▼ The offensive player has to move depending

on the defender's reaction:
a. He can make a back-door cut.
b. He can cut in front of the defender from the
top.
c. He can make himself open (which is the pri-
mary target of the offense).

▼ If the player with the ball realizes that his de-

fender doesn't stand on a direct line
between himself and the basket, he always
has make a hard attack on the basket.

ONE-ON-ONE MOVES FROM A CENTRAL POSITION

If the player with the ball starts to drive towards
the basket with the primary aim to score, the re-
st of the team has to facilitate this move. In order
to do this, some basic rules have to be stated:

▼ The forward on the same side on which 1

starts to drive, 2, in this case, runs towards
the baseline to create space for 1. This will
improve the passing angle for receiving a
possible pass from 1.

▼ 4 and 5 drop to the baseline, when 1 starts to

make the first dribble.
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

EV\Z-'
 D.5

D.6

D.7

D.8

▼ The other forward, 3, who has just started good position to receive a pass from 1. Or,
to run towards the baseline when 1 deci- he can set a screen on X2, who is recove-
des on which side he will go, runs to the top ring. 4 goes outside in order to be in a good
of the key so he can create the proper spa- position for a medium-range shot. In this
ce, and can also be a safety man on defen- way, we create two passing lines for 1: an
se (diagr. 1). inside pass to 5 and, at the same time, an
outside pass to 4 (diagr. 2).
The defense can react in several ways to this
starting movement, so we are going to move b. Second possibility: X2 helps. If X2 goes to
depending on which defender is coming to help X1 on 1's drive, 5 will rise to stop X2 to D.9
help from the weak side on the dribble penetra- make him unable to recover in a straight li-
tion of 1. Therefore, there are two possibilities, ne towards his offensive player, in case 1
because X5 or X2, have come up to help on the decides to pass laterally to 2, outside of the
opposite side of 1's drive. three-point line (diagr. 3).
a. First possibility: X5 helps. If it is the post's
defender, X5, who comes up to stop 1's dri- If 2 receives the ball after the screen of 5 on X2,
ve, 5 can screen on X4, or he can take a he can have enough time to shoot, or he can
EV\Z-(
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

now force X5 to sag off his position to cover the X1 HELPS

outside shot. In this case, 5 can easily go to the Here are the different options:
low post position, receive the ball from the team- a. Both the offensive players on the side, 2 and
mate, and get an easy basket (diagr. 4). 3, go to the corners and 1 will try to overtake
X1 (diagr. 11).
ONE-ON-ONE MOVES FROM LATERAL POSITION
Here is an analysis of the cross drive towards the b. If 4 is a good shooter, he goes to the central
basket, from the lateral forward position. On a lane towards the three-point line, or stops
cross drive, the primary goal is to gain a central before. 2 and 3, positioned on the two sides, D.10
lane position to achieve as many play's options go to the corners, while 1 takes a cross posi-
as we can for scoring. There are several moves tion (diagr. 12).
to be made, depending on the rotation of the de-
fense: X4 HELPS
▼ After 1 has started to drive, two different de- a. If X5 gets X4's help, both on low post in this
fensive helps can come to stop him and this case, they move depending on 4's shooting
can lead to different reactions by the offense. ability (diagr. 13). If 4 is a bad shooter, he kee-
ps taking the low post and breaks X3's line,
▼ If the help is made by X2, it is the post 4, who so that he can't recover backwards; on the
will go to set a screen on X2, to help 2 to re- other side, if X3 can take his position, then 4
ceive the ball (diagr. 5). screens to allow 5 to make a lob pass to 3, af-
D.11
ter a back step, changing the play's side. At
▼ If it is X4 who comes up to stop the drive, 4 will the same time, 1 follows the whole move-
a take position in the lane, or he can go ment, going to the middle of the court.
behind X2 to stop his recovery (diagr. 6).
b. If 4 is a good shooter, he comes up in the
▼ In addition to these two possibilities, there is center of the court towards the three-point
a third one: when the other offensive forward line, depending on his shooting ability, while
is on the same side as the drive. If 3 is in the the other players, 1, 2 and 3 will move, all de-
corner on the drive side, 3 has to clear the pending on their defender's positions to
area, so he quickly changes sides with a ba- clear spaces (diagr. 14).
seline cut (diagr. 7).
D.12
CONCLUSIONS
ONE-ON-ONE MOVES FROM THE LOW POST Every movement that can be completed fol-
If we decide to attack the basket from the low po- lowing the concepts described in this article has
st, the premises for our offensive players are dif- to be executed according to these principles:
ferent from the ones in the previous situations.
First, we have to pass the ball to 5 to let him play ▼ The players have to clear spaces so the help
one-on-one. Beginning from the designated posi- side defenders should be apart from each
tions, we can then pass the ball to 5 (diagr. 8). other, thus making recoveries difficult be-
Once 5 has the ball, he will always play one-on- cause of space and time.
one if his defender is not helped by any of his
teammates. It is important to be patient playing ▼ It is important to move when the ball does.
one-on-one, and never hurry. The other offensive D.13
players will keep their defenders busy, by going ▼ It is important to stay on the defensive reco-
behind them with backdoor cuts, or other moves. very lines. By doing this, we will gain many
advantages over the defense when going
X2 HELPS for offensive rebounds.
Here are the different options:
a. If 4 isn't a good shooter, then 2 will cut behind ▼ Always remember that the best offensive
X2. At the same time, he can surprise his de- action is the one that surprises the defender.
fender with a sudden cut beyond 5. 1 and 3
will move depending on their defender's mo- ▼ Always remember to follow the drives on the
ves and on 2's moves. 4 runs to the baseline, weak side, which will make it possible for
below X4, eventually (diagr. 9). one more pass option.
D.14

b. If 4 is a good shooter, then 2 goes towards the ▼ It is important that every offensive player is
baseline. 4 comes up in center of the lane, able to read two or three play options.
stopping on the free-throw line, or on the th-
ree-point line, as well. 1 and 3 go outside wi- ▼ When these principles are followed, we can
de to create space for 4's move (diagr. 10). use every set play we want.
EV\Z-)
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Transition
by Neven Spahija

offense D.1

Neven Spahija coached Cibona Zagreb

(Croatia), Krka Novo Mesto (Slovenia),
Saratov (Russia), and now Roseto (Italy). He
was coach of the Croatian Under 22 national
team, which won a silver medal at the FIBA
U22 World Championship in Japan. He cur-
rently is head coach of the Croatian National
men’s team. His Cibona team won two
Croatian club titles, while Krka Novo Mesto
won one Slovenian league title.

Modern basketball cannot be seriously analy-

zed without paying special attention to the
transition offense. Every coach, at least during
one part of his daily practice, covers the fast
break, transition offense or quick-hitters
offense. All these words symbolize one com-
mon goal that every modern and successful
team is trying to achieve: scoring as many
easy points as possible during the game.
There is one very important technical aspect
that puts even more importance on the transi- D.2
tion offense, and that is the new 24-second
shot clock. When this rule was first adopted,
the time for offense decreased by six seconds,
which gave the defense a greater chance to
succeed. Teams that put a lot of emphasis on
transition defense have become a real threat
to the opponents that depended exclusively on
a set offense.
Therefore, the importance of quality and
effective transition offense started to play a
crucial role in modern basketball. The coa-
ches now put countless hours in practicing
this transition offense, and this phase of the
game. This phase occurs when the defense on the ball at three quarters or even on of this set, but I will offer some of which
turns into offense. This phase becomes a cru- the full court. That kind of energetic and I most frequently use with teams that I
cial factor in determination of the success of athletic defense makes is really hard for coach. Without any special introduction,
team transition defense and/or offense. The a slower or more passive offense to it is important to mention that every tran-
team that accepts and learns how to quickly function. sition offense or fast break starts with a
transform from one phase of the game to This is another reason why we are now successful defense. After our team fulfil-
another is the team that has a chance to beco- experiencing the evolution of the transi- ls all the defensive requirements neces-
me what coaches call “a good overall team.” tion offense and a quality fast break. Due sary to limit the offense, starting a poten-
Watching today’s basketball, it’s possible to to all reasons mentioned above, coa- tial fast break is that much easier,
notice that there are not a lot of easy baskets ches have started to use all means quicker, and effective. There are several
that are being scored during the game. The necessary to bring their transition offen- defensive criteria that we always
reason for this is that there are players that se to perfection. emphasize to our teams:
possess great athletic ability and through their I would like to now detail one of the tran- ▼ Strong ball pressure.
athleticism, they manage to completely domi- sition offenses and all of its possible ▼ Stopping the easy ball circulation.
nate the game. There are teams that have options. It is important to notice that ▼ Putting constant pressure on the shot
players that are capable of putting pressure there are plenty of options that come out and not allowing easy shot selection.
EV\Z-*
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

▼ Boxing-out.
▼ Control of the defensive side of the ball.
▼ Outlet pass after the control of the defensi-
ve rebound.

These factors are crucial and later lead to the

successful fast break situation. Other situa-
tions that can lead to a successful fast break
are free-throw situations or even after the
D.6 opposing team scores a basket (the so called
quick-entry situation if the team that has just
scored a basket did not recover well or if they
were slow running back on defense). The
classic outlet pass of the fast break occurs
when the big man (4 or 5) takes the ball out-of-
bounds. At that time, the other big man runs
the floor as the so-called “first trailer.” The
small forward and the off-guard are running
wide on both sides of the court, and the point
guard is responsible for bringing the ball up
the court. After the ball is inbounded, the
D.7 inbounder comes down the court as a
“second trailer” (diagr. 1):
▼ Post player, 5, takes the ball out-of-bounds,
and passes to the point guard, 1.
▼ Point guard is moving to free himself to
receive the outlet pass.
▼ Off-guard, 2, and small forward, 3, run in the
lateral lanes.
▼ Power forward, 4, runs as a first trailer.

AFTER THE OUTLET PASS

After the initial pass, the post player runs
D.3 D.8 down the court as a second trailer, behind the
point guard and the power forward (diagr. 2).
Usually the point guard, after he catches the
ball, can pass directly to the forward, without
a dribble or after a couple of dribbles. The
forward passes to the off-guard or a small
forward sprinting down the court on both late-
ral lanes. These two players can get open for
a pass using two classic techniques:
- A regular “V-cut”.
- Crossing, switching sides by running near
the baseline.
D.4 D.9
Both of these techniques are shown in
diagr. 2.
▼ The off-guard is getting open to receive
the ball, using a V-cut technique.
▼ The point guard passes to the off-guard.
▼ The point guard clears the side by moving
toward the baseline.
▼ The power forward cuts to the ball side.
▼ The small forward and the post fill the
lanes.
D.5 D.10
TWO OPTIONS
Here are two possible options.

a. If the defense is out of balance on the side of

the power forward on the low post, then the pass
goes from the off-guard to the power forward.
EV\Z-+
 b. If we decide not to pass the ball down to ▼ If the defense denies the cut and prevents
the low post, then the small forward cuts to the small forward to go for the hand-off
the ball, and post player fills the lane (diagr. pass, then the post and small forward
3). have excellent opportunities to make a
back-door play (diagr. 10).
USE OF THE SCREEN
In diagr. 4, we describe the use of the screen ▼ If the defender follows the point guard
(big player for small player), and the impor- closely behind, he has an opportunity to
tance of a cut to the ball motion. make one strong dribble, right after the
D.11 hand-off pass, gaining an advantage and
▼ The pass goes from the small forward to going to the basket (diagr. 11).
the post player.
▼ The power forward sets a back screen on ▼ There are also screens set by the small
the off-guard. forward, the power forward, and the post
▼ The off-guard tries to cut to the basket. for the off-guard. At this time, the off-
▼ The pass goes from the post player to the guard has the option of deciding which
off-guard, if he is open. side to come out on, either after a single
screen set by the power forward, or after
OPTIONS BASED ON THE REACTION OF THE DEFENSE a double screen set by the small forward
I will now describe how players with sound and the post on the other side (diagr. 12).
fundamentals can take advantage of the
D.12 defensive weaknesses, mistakes, or miss- The point guard passes to the off-guard or to
matches. They must read the defense and the small forward for a shot or penetration.
use one of the following options. This is an entry pass into the last phase of the
offense (diagr. 13).
▼ If the defender of the power forward
bumps the off-guard on his cut to the FINAL PHASE OF THIS MOTION OFFENSE
basket on the outside, than the power Here are just few possible endings for this
forward, who sets the screen, has to offensive motion (diagr. 14).
read the situation: he must makes a ▼ The ball is passed from the off-guard to
strong step to get in the front of the the post.
defender and receive the ball from the ▼ The power forward fills the high post
post (diagr. 5). position.
D.13 ▼ After the pass, the off-guard clears the side
▼ If the defense does not bump the offensive by setting the screen for the point guard.
player to stop the cut, the power forward ▼ The point guard is open on the strong side
(after he set the screen) has to read the for an eventual back pass (from 5 to 1).
situation, and use the pop-out move on the ▼ The small forward keeps good offensive
outside. He has to be ready to receive a spacing.
pass and make a jump shot (diagr. 6). ▼ The post plays one-on-one.
▼ There is the possibility of the pass for an
▼ After a pass from the small forward to the open shot by the point guard or a similar
post, the post fakes a hand-off pass pass and shot by the power forward
between the small forward and himself, (diagr. 15).
and then executes a hand-off pass
D.14
between himself and the guard. Finally, This is just one of the many examples of a
the small forward cuts to the basket fastbreak offense. Modern and successful
(diagr. 7). basketball teams must have this weapon in
their offensive arsenal. A fast and dynamic
OPTIONS IN THIS PHASE OF THE FASTBREAK up-tempo style of basketball is what makes
This phase of the fastbreak offense offers this game interesting and what brings fans to
several options. the arenas.
We, as coaches, have a great responsibility
▼ If the defender guarding the small forward on our shoulders: we have to respect all
follows him behind, then the post can aspects of this great game but, at the same
pass to the small forward for the lay-up time, we have to keep the game developing
D.15 (diagr. 8). into right direction. Gone are the days of the
slow, controlled offense game. Today the
▼ If the defender guarding the post with the game is dominated by teams that can run,
ball goes for the bump, or if he decides to that can defend, and have great offensive
help on the cut of the small forward, the potential. We have to do our best and teach
post can read the situation and go the the methods of modern basketball to the
basket himself (diagr. 9). teams that we coach.
EV\Z-,
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

WAKE FOREST
by Skip Prosser by Dino Gaudio
OFFENSE
Skip Prosser was head coach at Loyola
College in Baltimore, then Xavier and, sin-
ce 2000, at Wake Forest University. He is
the only collegiate coach who has brought
three teams to the NCAA Tournament in his
first year. He was selected as the Atlantic
Coast Conference Coach of the Year in
2003.

Dino Gaudio was assistant coach at Xa-

vier, before becoming head coach at Army,
and then Loyola College. He joined Coach
Prosser at Wake Forest in 2001.

Due to the limited space, we are unable to

show all our offensive plays, so we would
like to introduce only few that we use
against the man-to-man defense.

SECONDARY BREAK
After a made shot of the opponent, we run
the secondary break. 1 passes to 4, 4 pas-
ses to 3, while 5 follows the movement of
the ball, and goes in the low post position
on the same side of the ball. 2 replaces 5 in
that position. 4 tries to pass to 5, while 5 is
cutting in the lane, and then to 3, if 5 is not
open. If it is 3, who receives the ball, he
tries to pass to 5 in the low post (diagr. 1).

After the pass to 3, 4 picks for 2, who comes

out of the screen and receives the ball from
3. After the pick, 4 goes in the low post on
the other side of the lane (diagr. 2).

When 2 receives the ball and cannot shoot,

4 and 5 cut and take a strong position in the
lane, sealing off their defenders. 2 can pass
the ball to one of the two (diagr. 3).

If the 2's defender tries to cheat on the pick

and goes high, 2, instead going toward the
screen, cuts low and around 5, and 3 can
pass the ball to him (diagr. 4 and 5).

"LOBo" PLAY
We use this play against the teams, which
defend strong on the pick. This means we
use it when the screener's defender shows
up high to help his teammate, who is scree-
ned. Starting from a one-four set, 1 dribbles
toward 5. If X5 shows up in advance to help
EV\Z--
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

out, then 1 changes the side of the ball and

passes to 4, who has stepped out of the cor-
ner of the free-throw lane to receive the ball
(diagr. 6).

On this pass, 5 cuts to the basket and 4 pas-

ses to 5 (diagr. 7).

It is crucial that the point guard, 1, gives the

impression to X5 that he wants to go around D.6
the screen, thereby forcing X5 to show up
strong.

"45 Out" PLAY

1 dribbles toward the right side of the floor,
and this is a signal for 4, who came high, to D.1
go around 2, and make a pick on the ball for 1
(diagr. 8).

As soon as X4 starts to show up strong, 4 "sli-

des" in the middle. This means he cuts strai- D.7
ght to the basket, without screening for 1. If 4
is free, 1 passes to 4 (diagr. 9).

If 4 does not receive the ball from 1, 2

screens for 5. 5 comes up in the middle of the
court, and plays pick-and-roll with 1. In the
D.2
meantime, 4 goes in the corner, 2 continues
the cut and comes out of the lane. If, on the
dribble penetration, the defenders help out, 1

D.8

D.3

D.9

D.4

D.10

D.5

EV\Z-.
 D.11

D.12

D.13

can also pass to 2, 3, or 4 (diagr. 10). the dotted line of the lane. As before, 1 pas-
ses to 4 and screens for 5 (diagr. 14).
"45 DOWn" PLAY
We start from a one- four set. 1 passes to 4 4 passes to 5, who, after the screen, comes
and picks for 5, who comes out to the three- out of the three-point line. When 5 sees that
point line. After the pick, 1 goes to the wing X4 is lower than 4, he fakes a pass to 1, then D.14
position, and 2 goes in the low post area passes to 3, while 2 comes, as usual, high to
(diagr. 11). set a back screen for 4 (diagr. 15).

4 passes the ball to ,5 and 5 then changes When 2 sees the position of X4, he screens
the side of the ball, passing to 1. 2 makes a again X4, and 4 cuts toward the baseline to
back pick for 4(diagr. 12). receive the ball from 3 (diagr. 16).
If we call "54 down" and "54 down reverse,
1 can pass to 2, who comes out of the pick, the play is the same, but is run for 5.
or to 4 in the low post (diagr. 13).
"ZIPPER 3"
"45 DOWN REVERSe" PLAY 1 dribbles toward the left wing, and 3 comes
Starting from the same set one-four and high and replaces 1 in the middle of the D.15
with the same beginning of the play descri- court. At the same time, 5 goes in the low po-
bed before, we want to show an option of st on the same side and 2 cuts along the ba-
the play, based on the reaction of the de- seline, and goes in the corner on the ball si-
fenders. de (diagr. 17).
We call for this play when X4, the defender
of 4, tries to avoid the back screen of 4, sli- 1 passes to 3 and 5, with his back to the
ding in advance in a position lower of 4, near baseline, starts to make some steps in the
EV\Z.%
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

lane to bring his defender under the basket

(diagr. 18).

3 dribbles hard toward the other side of the

court on the wing, and then passes to 5, who
turned and faced the ball, or to 4, who is in the
corner of the free-throw area (diagr. 19).

"ZIPPER 2 " PLAY

The play is the same, but it is run on the other D.16 D.18
side of the court for 2 (diagr. 20 and 21).

If 4 is fronted, 2 passes to 5 and then 5 passes

to 4 for a "high-low" play between the two posts
(diagr. 22).

D.17 D.19

D.20

D.21

D.22

EV\Z.&
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

MULTIPLe-CHOICE
by Aca Petrovic
OFFENSE
Aca Petrovic was head coach of Cibona Zagreb
(Croatia) at three different times and won a total
of six championships and one Cup of Croatia. He
was also the assistant coach and head coach of
the Croatian National team. He coached Caja
San Fernando and Lleida in Spain, as well as
Anwill Wloclawek in Poland.

Basketball is constantly changing and it can be

said that we are witnessing some sort of basket-
ball evolution. The worst thing that could possibly
happen to any coach at any level is to be stuck in
one time period, and stop developing his basket-
ball knowledge or upgrading his methods of coa-
ching (either tactical or theoretical).
Methods of preparation for the game are diffe-
rent today than they were 10 or 15 years ago, and
defense is starting to play a crucial role in a
team's preparation process. Therefore, I truly
believe that coaches have to start paying more
attention to specific details in their offensive sets
if they are going to succeed. When I say details, I
mean that today we have to focus on reading the
defensive position, mismatches, and defensive
mistakes. In other words, we have to use the ver-
satility of our players to the maximum. To go along
with that statement, modern offense has to be
composed of several scoring options. With this
type of diverse offense, the team is going to be
difficult to scout and prepare for. That is one of
the many reasons why I picked what I like to call
a multiple-choice offense. Before I start with an
explanation of the offense and break down little
details, let me just point out several preconditions
that have to be satisfied in order for this offense
to work. First, not to diminish the importance of
other players, but this offensive set can't function D.1
to its potential if the team does not have versatile
players at the 2 and 3 positions. If those players
have well developed skills, they can play with
their back to the basket, and are genuine shoo-
ting threats, then we can explore all options of
this offense. I am not saying that the other three
positions are less important but for this particular
set to work properly, the versatility of the outside
players present the key to successful implemen-
tation.

This offense begins in the classic "two players D.2

high set," with 4, the power forward, and 5, the
center, on the high post area, while 3, the small
forward, is in the low post area, opposite to the
EV\Z.'
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ball and 2, the shooting guard, is near the three-

point line. The play begins when 1, the point
guard, dribbles the ball laterally on the side of 4
or 5 (it's his decision to make; the play can be
executed on both sides). In this case, he dribbles
on the side of the 5. At the same time, 5 uses a V-
cut technique and gets free to receive the ball
(diagr. 1).

D.3 D.6
Immediately after he receives the ball (ideal area
for receiving the ball is near the three-point line),
2 has to set a strong screen for 3 on the opposite
low post area. This screen presents a precondi-
tion for the continuation of the play (diagr. 2).

In order to create proper offensive spacing when

the screen between 2 and 3 is occurring, 4 sets a
flair screen for 1, the point guard at the top of the
lane. It is essential that, after this flair screen, 4
pops out and keeps a good space between him
and the man with the ball (diagr. 3).
D.4 D.7
At this point, we have an opportunity to read the

D.5

EV\Z.(
 defensive position for the first time. If 2 had set a The dribble to his left side signals to 2 to go to the
strong screen on 3, and if the defense did not opposite low post spot to set a screen for 5
defend well (they failed to use the bump move, or (diagr. 9).
if they did not jump to the ball to create space),
then we can expect the pass from 5 to 3 in the When the screen occurs, 5 cuts to the ball side
low post: he can play one-on-one, with the back and the action is going on between 1 and 5 on
to the basket (diagr. 4). the side. His other teammates have to keep good
offensive spacing. The first option is to pass to 5
If 5 cannot pass to 3, there is a possibility of pas- in the low post for a back to the basket play
D.8 sing the ball to the top to 4. After the pass to 4, 5 (diagr. 10).
receives a back screen from 3. This again crea-
tes a triangle between 3, 4, and 5 on one side of If, by chance, there is no open passing lane for 5,
the floor, with an option for a low post play, with the final option is the side pick-and-roll between
the back to the basket (diagr. 5). 1 and 5 (diagr. 11).

If the triangle does not present an opportunity for Let's return to the situation previously described
a low post play, the next option is to pass the ball in diagram 8. If 1 does not dribble to the left side,
to 3, and play pick-and-roll (or pick-and-pop out, the action continues on the right side of the floor.
depending on the 4's shooting ability) between 1 Which means that 4 passes the ball to 1, while, at
and 4 (diagr. 6). the same time, the back screen is run between 3
and 5 (diagr. 12).
D.9 At this point, we are going back to the situation
previously described in diagr. 3. Let's assume 1 has the ball on the left side, 4 is setting the side
that the first option could not be run, so the ball screen for 3. If there is a good timing of the
is passed from 5 to 4 up top, and, immediately screen, and if 3 brings his defender into the
after, a back screen is run between 3 and 5 screen, there is a great chance that 3 will be
(diagr. 7). open for a three-point shot (diagr. 13).

When there is a back screen between 3 and 5, In case that 3 is not open for the shot, we want 5
the ball is passed to 1. At this point, we are again to clear the weak-side low post. At this time, we
looking at two possible options. This decision is also want 3 to decide if he has an option to play
up to our point guard after he reads the position one-on-one. If he chooses to do so, then 4 has to
of the defenders. Now, let's assume that he can- slide to the corner as a safety option for an out-
D.10 not pass the ball to the right side, so he decides side shot if his defender decides to help out on
to dribble to the left offensive side (diagr. 8). the drive of 3 (diagr. 14).

This is a final option, but I must admit that I pre-

fer for the play to be finished before this option
has to be used. There are several reasons for
this. First of all, the option is the pick-and-roll
between 3 and 4. Obviously, this is the final
option of this play, but I always tell my players to
use it only if it is absolutely necessary. You have
to realize that, at this point, there is not too much
time left on the shot clock and that playing the
pick-and-roll between 3 and 4 is not as effective
because it presents an easy switch situation for
the defense. So, again this is the part that is used
only if we run out all other options. I have to say
that if we practice particular segments of the
play in detail that we will hardly ever have to use
this option (diagr. 15).

I would like to say few words about what we like

to do when practicing particular segments of
this offense. There are many ways of practicing,
but what I do is separate the team into two grou-
ps and pair the players up (for instance, two
positions in couples, guards/wings and big men),
or I will separate them by position and practice
just their particular segments. For instance, they
will practice setting screens, stepping in for the
big men and reading, passing, cutting, using
screens for guards and forwards. I believe that

EV\Z.)
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

both ways of practicing are good and they both

yield good results. If performed correctly, you
should try to practice both ways during the cour-
se of the week. Sometimes, the team will perform
individual drills in the morning, and then combine
the morning drills in the group work during the
afternoon practice. However, there are several
segments of these drills that need special atten-
tion:
D.11 D.14
▼ Setting screens, either guard for the big men
or opposite: This segment becomes crucial
because there are number of teams which do
not pay attention to small details such as
screen angle or timing of the screen. These
details are very important and they give the
edge in this kind of offensive set.
▼ About screens: We have to teach our players
to use screens, to read the defensive position,
and gain advantage from that position.
▼ Moving without the ball: Players need to be
active and make themselves an offensive D.12 D.15
threat all the time. If they move properly
without the ball, they are very hard to guard,
and our offensive flow is much better.
▼ Passing: There is not much to explain here.
This is simple detail, but a very important one.
Players must be taught to make good deci-
sions. When they pass the ball, the passes
should be on target, allowing the teammate to
score immediately after receiving the pass.
These simple details are often overlooked,
but they play a very important role in succes-
sful completion of this play.
D.13
After we practice these technical segments and
have become comfortable in executing
them, I like to focus on particular options in
the offensive set. Of course, I am not trying
to make my players move mechanically
without thinking about what is going on,
but I am just trying to use repetition in
order to achieve perfection. By doing this,
I know that they will gain even more confi-
dence in the play and start to make some
good reads. It is the responsibility of the
coach to teach them and point out all
necessary options that the play consists
of. As a final segment of the preparation, I
have them play five-on-five on both sides
of the floor. This is an ideal way to practice
both offense as well defense. Earlier in the
season, when we are introducing the
plays, I allow only certain options to be
executed at certain times. By doing this, I
force them to focus and make them think.
During the course of the season, I have
noticed that there is a growing number of
coaches, who are using multiple-choice
offenses, and that guarantees dynamic
offensive solutions, keeps the defense
guessing all the time, makes the team
more dangerous and less predictable, and
hopefully, more successful.

EV\Z.*
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE PICk-ANd-ROLL
by Saso Filipovski
ON OFFENSE
Saso Filipovski has been assistant
coach of Olimpja Lubljana, Slovenia,
from 1996 to 2003. After becoming head
coach in 2003, his team won the
Slovenian Supercup and the national
title.

INTRODUCTION
Coaches the world over have their own
philosophy when it comes to offense
and defense. To defeat their oppo- D.1
nents, they use tactics which are
adapted to the players they coach.
Many offenses use the pick-and-roll to
help players increase their scoring
opportunities with open shots. There
are many ways of defending against
the pick-and-roll, and one of them is to
direct the pick away, it means take
away the screen. The purpose of the
defense is to keep the offensive
players away from the three-second
lane and force them to the baseline D.2
with the helpside teammates ready to
help, rotate, or steal the ball.
This defense is also used to cover up
the lack of talent, especially of the big
men.
This type of defense has many different
rules (trapping and stealing, rotating of
all the defenders, helping and recove-
ring, and switching) that must be maste-
red if the defense wants to be truly
effective. To be effective against this
defense, the offense also has to know
these rules.
Therefore, the offense against the
defense of the pick-and-roll has to be
practiced a lot (from two-on-two to five-
on-five).
It is especially important to practice the
five-on-five matchups because it dupli-
cates game situations with time pressu-
re, where decision-making comes in
milliseconds.
As there are many different ways to
defend the pick-and-roll, there are
many options to attack the defense. In
this article, I will review some of the
possibilities that are used by top
European basketball teams.
EV\Z.+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

DIFFERENT OPTIONS
5 screens X1 and 1 is free to shoot a
three-point jumpshot (diagr. 1).

5 screens X1, 1 makes two strong drib-

bles toward the sideline, and takes the
open jumpshot (diagr. 2).

5 screens X1 and 1 drives in the middle

between X1 and X5. The teammates
must be aware of 1's drive, and be
ready to rotate: 1 can pass to 4, 3, and
2 (diagr. 3).

5 screens X1 and 1 takes two strong

dribbles to the sideline. When X5 goes
toward 1 to help, 1 changes the pace
and immediately penetrates on the
baseline: again. The teammates must be
aware of 1's drive: 1 can pass to 4 or 3
(diagr. 4).

5 screens 1, who fakes to drive to the

baseline. 5 re-screens (changing the
angle and the height of the screen) X1 to
the middle and creates space for 1 to
penetrate in the middle (diagr. 5).

D.3 D.6

D.4 D.7 D.9

D.5 D.8 D.10

EV\Z.,
 5 screens X1, rolls to the corner of the free- directly to the basket. He can also pass the
throw lane, receives the ball from 1, and ball to 5 (diagr. 17).
shoots (diagr. 6). If X1 and X5 switch while 1 is driving to the
baseline, 1 can pass the ball to 5 (diagr. 18).
5 screens X1 and rolls inside the three- 5 can pass back to 1 and 1 can shoot or drive
second lane. 4 flashes to the high post area. on X5 (diagr.19).
1 can pass to 5 or 4 for a "high-low" play After the pass to 1, 5 can make a direct cut to
(diagr. 7). the basket, or go to the low post area and
receive the ball from 1. 4, after the cut of 5,
D.11
5 screens X1, pops out to the three-point line, flashes to the high post area, receives the
and receives the ball from 1 (diagr. 8). After ball from 1 and plays "high-low" with 5, who is
receiving the pass, he has many options: now guarded by X1, a smaller defender, and
tries to take advantage of the situation.
▼ Shoot; (diagr. 20).
▼ Penetrate in the middle and shoot, or
pass to 4, 3, or 2 (diagr. 9); CONCLUSION
▼ Change sides to the ball, passing to 2, It is very important to attack this defense and
who can penetrate and shoot, or pass to this will rely on a precise execution of tech-
3 (diagr. 10); nical and tactical offensive elements.
▼ Pass on the same side to 1 (diagr. 11 and Fundamentals, spacing, complete vision of
12); the floor, timing, patience, and team coopera-
D.12 ▼ Penetrate toward the baseline and pass tion on offense without selfishness are the
to 4 or 3 (diagr. 13). keys to success. For the offense to work
effectively, players need to become consi-
5 screens X1 and pops out to the three-point stent in their actions and behavior on the
line (diagr. 14). After receiving the pass from floor, helping each other by talking constantly
1, he has many options: as they get the offense in motion.
▼ Pass to 2, who can immediately make a
pass under the basket to 4 (diagr. 15).
These two offensive players can also play
two-on-two, with a hand-off or fake and
hand-off, and penetrate or make a back-
D.13 door cut;
▼ 5 can also screen down X1, and 1 can:
receive a pass from 2 and shoot immedia-
tely, make a backdoor cut, a curl, or fade
away to the corner (diagr. 16).

5 screens X1 and pops out to the three-point

D.18
line, while 1 drives to the baseline and goes

D.14

D.16 D.19

D.15

D.17 D.20

EV\Z.-
 FIBA EUROPE
ofFENSE

SCOUTING THE 2004

OLYMPIC GAMES
by Jonas Kazlauskas

Jonas Kazlauskas was the head coach of

the Zalgiris Kaunas (the winner of one Eu-
roleague championship and two national
titles), and the Lietuvos rytas Vilnius,
clubs in Lithuania. He was also head coa-
ch of the Lithuanian National Cadets, Ju-
nior, and Men's teams. He was elected
European Coach of the Year in 1999. At the
2004 Olympic Games he was assistant
coach of the Chinese National team.

Everything in basketball is developing so

fast (just like real life), and every player
needs to work hard, so they don't fall
behind the other players. Not such a long
time ago, the USA national team was ma-
de up of university students and they were
formidable opponents.
The USSR national team lost a game
against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1987,
even when the Bucks played without its
top players. Much has changed since
then. Now, the USA national team is com-
posed of the leading NBA players and they
have a hard time wining against internatio-
nal teams. International basketball has
made huge progress and it was so intere-
sting to watch the most recent games of
the FIBA European and World Champion-
ships, and the Olympic Games.
During the FIBA European Championship
in Turkey in 2001 the leaders of the teams,
such as Nowitzki, Kirilenko, Stojakovic,
and Gasol, have prevailed over the team-
mates so much, that they had to drag all
the game load on the top games.
The same situation remained during the
next FIBA World Championship in Indiana-
polis in 2002. Most of success and failure
of the teams was based on the performan-
ce of the top players. The leader's success
as a main factor is evident in difficult ga-
mes and in the final minutes of the games.
EV\Z..
Things are starting to change. At the FIBA However, after good teamwork, the team
European Championships in Sweden and in achieved great results. The Italians have
Olympic Games in Greece it could be noti- showed just how dangerous two-on-two
ced that teams that demonstrated good play can be, especially when you have inge-
"team" play, such as Italy, Lithuania and, of nious players. Bulleri and Pozzecco have
course, Argentina, did very well. Argentina, done a great job, and have fascinated not
with many talented players, was able to only me, but all the coaches, with their un-
handle their players and show high-class selfish play. In many cases, these players
collective play, using the strongest sides of used different variations that made it very
its game in different ways. hard for the opponents to foresee. D.1
The Lithuanian team also demonstrated so-
My favorite combinations from Argentina's lid play and the peak was reached during
play is shown in diagr. 1 and 2. The players 2 the game against Greece in the Olympics.
and 3 make a staggered pick for 4: it seems As usual, Lithuania had many good scorers
a very easy play, but the key is that each and their tactics were to use those scorers
player finds his right place on the court. The and structure the best plays so they could
team could then run the offense in various score. From that point of view, double-
directions. screens or triple screens, when the power
The Italian silver medal was also an outco- forward jumps back into three-point area,
me of good collective work and, especially, left the low post area free for the center, and
an excellent coaches' work. It should be it proved to be very effective (diagr. 3 and 4). D.2
mentioned that the Italian team was not on This play worked well at the European
the list of favorite teams before the Euro- Championship in Sweden (diagr. 5), but was
pean Championship or before the Olympics. less effective during the Olympics, probably

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z&%%
FIBA EUROPE
ofFENSE

D.6 D.7 D.9

because of the poor play of the big men in

the three-second lane.
What about the team from China? The best
result, which was reached in Olympics
and World Championship before, was pur-
sued again. The Chinese lost some games
by big margins, which shows a lack of indi-
vidual player strength and little experience
playing games against high-level teams. D.8
D.10
The Chinese players had so many turno-
vers that it was impossible to run a suita-
ble attack. Still, the Chinese did make it to
the final eight, playing in a group, where on defense, follow the cutters, and the de-
the Serbia and Montenegro (gold medal at fense collapses on the center, this play is
the 2002 FIBA World Championship) and not very effective. If the defender follows
New Zealand (fourth place at the same the cutter, it is advisable to make a double
event) had poor results. Chinese basket- cut on the opposite side (diagr. 10). At the
ball is developing very fast, and much at- beginning of this play, we could distract
tention is now paid by the government and the opponent or check their defense with
huge resources are put into basketball in the cut of 3 or 2 (diagr. 11). After the ball is
passed back to 1, 2 and 3 (there should be D.11
whole country. It seems that Chinese ba-
sketball players will become very powerful a space of three to four meters between
in the future. them) cut to opposite sides and take their
China has a star basketball player, Yao positions. After the second cut, 4 and 5
Ming, who plays for the Houston Rockets play "high-low." The power forward on the
in the NBA. Obviously, the main goal for weak side could jump back for scoring ac-
the coaches in the Olympics was to use cording his skills. A double cut with the fol-
this superstar and direct their offensive lowing "high-low" play gives a big advanta-
plays through this player. The main goal for ge in specific area and opens up the three-
the opponents was to isolate this player. second zone.
Talking about defense, the zone defense or During the last few years players became
the mixed defense, the use of the double acquainted with the 24-second rule on of-
D.12
and triple team against the top players, fense and the play is becoming faster and
caused many problems. faster.
In playing against a zone defense, we
used our main weapon, the "high-low" The team that has dominant centers (Chi-
plays, with different cuts. This combina- na with Yao Ming, and Lithuania with Arvy-
tion starts from the easy cut (diagr. 6). 1 das Sabonis) can use the following combi-
passes into the corner for 3 or 2 and then nation.
cuts to the corner. 4 and 5 play "high-low." When 5 brings the ball into high post, three
At this time, the player with a ball has to other players on the strong side should ro-
evaluate the situation and pass the ball to tate. If any free player does not receive the
make it difficult for the opponents (diagr. ball, the center has more free space to
7). In case of a failure, the ball should be play one-on-one in the three-second area D.13
returned to the player 5, then passed into or else the ball should be passed to the op-
the opposite corner 2 or 3, and after the posite side to 4, and, further, to the corner
cut the "high-low" game is played again (diagr. 12).
(diagr. 8 and 9). When the ball is in the possession of the
During this set, all the players should mo- cutter, additional cuts should be made
ve. If players 4 and 5 are good scorers, (diagr. 13). When the ball is in possession
they will make it very difficult for the oppo- of the center, this play is not effective
nents. If the defenders move properly, talk against the zone defense.
EV\Z&%&
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

A MUTATION OF THE
by Henrik Dettmann
TRIANGLE OFFENSE
Henrik Dettmann coached the Finnish national
teams at every level, from Cadets to Men's.
From 1997 to 2003, he also coached the German
Men's National team, winning a bronze medal
at the 2002 FIBA World Championships. His
teams also won three club titles in the First
Division League in Finland, where he was
elected Coach of the Year two times. He was
the head coach of MBC Weissenfels in
Germany and his team won the FIBA Europe
Cup. He was also elected Coach of the Year in
Germany. He is now coach of Braunschweig
(Germany), as well as head coach of the
Finnish Men's National team.

Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki once wrote, "To

give your sheep a large, spacious meadow is
the way to control them." I mention this quote
mainly because, in the figurative sense, it ser-
ves as the role model for a modern team game.
The meadow represents wide tactical bounda-
ries, within which the players themselves
determine their path to success. There are few
limitations and much space for creativity,
where intuition and a readiness to take risks
are rewarded.
Modern basketball is a "players' game". Ideally,
in a "players' game" the coach becomes redun-
dant. Looking at it another way, the aim of a
good teacher should be to teach his students to
eventually manage without him. It is his duty to
help his students to find their own potential and
exploit it to the fullest.
What is understood by the concept triangle
offense, but not practiced very often, is very
similar to this idea of the "players' game".
The triangle offense is like an amoeba. There
are as many different types of triangle offenses
as there are coaches using this offense.
"No ball, no game-simple. In the triangle offen-
se the ball always dictates the direction of
movement!"
The triangle offense derives from basketball
basics such as 3-on-3, 2-on-2, and 1-on-1. It is
predicated on constant ball and player move-
ment, and on anticipating and reacting to game
situations. One play sequence follows the next.
Triangle offense has the invaluable advantage
that in the offense no player is doomed to stand
around and look on. That does not mean that D.1 D.2
the players should be constantly shooting. All
the players are involved; they move, pass the
EV\Z&%'
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

The triangle offense can be played at various

levels of difficulty and, like a set of building
blocks, it offers unlimited possibilities. You can
run this offense against a man-to-man defense
as well as you can against a zone.
The greater the number of offensive options,
the less predictable the offense will be, whe-
reby the requirements also become apparent
when this system displays its full strengths: the
D.3 D.8 longer the coach and players can hone the
system, the more efficient it will be.

RULES
Rule 1: Penetrate the defense
This you can't emphasize enough. One should
not misunderstand and think that the only
penetration to use is the dribble penetration.
The best way to penetrate the defense is a
pass to a player cutting to the basket.
Rule 2: Court positions
Players must find the proper court positions to
D.4 D.9 be able to determinate the triangle side (three-
man game), and the tandem side (two-man
game).
Rule 3: Spacing
The distance between each player on the court
must be approximately 4 meters.
Rule 4: Timing
Number the passing options (penetration pass
is always number 1, swing pass number 2, etc.)
to help the players understand the timing of the
offense.
Rule 5: Pass the ball to the open man
D.10 All players should always be available for a
D.5 pass and you should always pass the ball to the
open man (following rule no. 1). This is the ulti-
ball and, above all, learn to assess their skills. mate goal of team play. A pass to the open man
If all the players are involved in the offense, will result in a "natural way of playing", as well
they all become motivated on the defense, too. as create confidence and harmony between
Moreover, as we all know, "defense wins the players. There are no predetermined deci-
championships. sions, since everything is reading the play and
The triangle offense does not just help the big then reacting. This makes the offense very hard
stars, but also the role players, since it gives to scout. Think pass-look to score!
them a sense of rhythm and self-confidence. The more passes you make, the higher your
This offense promotes the training of all-round shooting percentage will be. In the bronze
players, as each player moves to almost every medal game against New Zealand at the World
D.6
position, thus learning to act and react accor- Championships in Indianapolis, we had 32 assi-
dingly. Yet, depending on the players' skills, this sts and a 65 percent shooting average from the
concept also allows the game to reach varying field.
levels. It enables the players to recognize their Rule 6: Move with a purpose
limits and know what to work on. A player without the ball should always be
At an advanced level, the triangle offense ready/open to receive a pass. If you are not
works without any great gestures and words. open, then move with a purpose to get open.
Each player movement and ball movement We all are of equal danger for our opponent
determines the next player and ball movement. when we are on the basketball court. The diffe-
These are actions which, on the one hand are rence will be seen as soon as we move or we
automatic and naturally have to be practiced, receive the ball. The old good saying is "cut to
but at the same time do not follow a set pattern. the basket and something good will happen."
D.7
Still, they provide the players with escape
options, any time, any place, according to their PLAYERS' ROLES
individual skills. This calls for each player to N. 5 (center - back to the basket)
know his strengths and accept his role. There The center should be able to get open in the
is room for improvisation without the game post. He should be a good passer and he
ending in chaos or a wild 5-on-5. should be able to hold the ball in the post. As
EV\Z&%(
 soon as he catches the ball (in the post), he gnize) the triangle side and the tandem side.
becomes a passer (except if he has his man Then teach the different options using the side-
sealed of and he can have a lay-up or a dunk). line triangle.
When the center is feeding the cutters, the pass Rule 1 says: "Penetrate the defense," so you start
should always be a bounce pass (bounce the to teach all options on how to get the ball to your
ball hard on the floor so the cutter can pick it up big man from the sideline triangle and then how
easily without loosing his court vision). to execute the "inside option."
If the defense is able to cut off all passes and Second, teach all options on how to swing the
there are no openings, the center must be able ball and how to execute the "swing option."
D.11
to work his man and go for a lay-up. Then, at last, teach the different ways to execu-
N. 4 (power forward - face the basket/back to te the "corner option."
the basket) I had a very interesting experience when I was
He is (perhaps) the most important player on this teaching the basic triangle offense to a team
offense. He should have a complete game (full made up of top boys and girls. Both were more
package: passing, putting the ball on the floor, or less at the same basketball level and about
three-point range shooting, cutting, driving to the same age. The girls were able to understand
the basket). He should also be good in reading and execute the different options right away.
the openings and flashing to the ball. They "played the game" and were able to use the
N. 2, 3 (wings - face the basket) options the defense gave them. They tried to
Must understand how to feed the post, as well solve the problems collectively "using their
as playing without the ball (by cutting, the wings heads." The boys were different. As soon as they
are creating opportunities for their teammates). got in trouble, they jumped out of the offense
D.12
The wing must be able to use the dribble pene- using their one-on-one skills. The boys tried to
tration against pressure defense. solve the problems individually using their phy-
N. 1 (point - key player - as alwaysl) siological ability.
Pick & roll/hand-off, must be able to beat his I found that I could show the whole basic con-
man off the dribble. The triangle offense is a cept to the girls at once, while teaching the boys
"read and react" offense. The better your point it was really necessary to emphasize only one
guard learns to understand the different options thing at a time.
and the strength of the different individuals, the This is a typical example of what coaching is all
more you will get out of this offense. about. You should have a clear philosophy of
Note: The offense itself does not need a traditio- what and how you want to run things. At the
nal point guard, since all outside positions (1, 2 same time, you must be able to adjust your con-
and 3) are interchangeable. In this case, you cepts according to your personnel.
D.13
must just count that the team will need more
time to create a natural understanding of each POINTS OF EMPHASIS
other's game. ▼ The philosophy contains all elements of play.
▼ Creativity, risks, no predetermined deci-
TEACHING EXPERIENCES sions, handmade, intuition, players game,
I have been running the triangle offense with dif- the ball is the game.
ferent teams, on different levels, for more than ▼ Know yourself.
10 years, and have found that every situation ▼ Play to your strengths.
requires a different approach. ▼ Ultimate team concept.
One thing is obvious in modern basketball: it has ▼ Sharing the ball = sharing the game (enjoy
become a full-court game. Transition offense together).
D.14 and transition defense will decide the outcome ▼ Emphasizes all basketball basics.
of the game. We like to build almost all our drills ▼ Shooting, passing, dribbling, timing, spacing,
where we you convert from offense to defense getting open, cutting, screening.
or vice versa. ▼ Know and accept your role.
To build up the triangle offense we start at one ▼ Everyone has an opportunity to participate.
end of the court with a simple three-player trian- ▼ No spectators.
gle action (the inside option with the wings cut- ▼ Built on the basic elements of the game:
ting), then we run our transition offense over to ▼ 1-on-1.
the other basket and go straight into our sideline ▼ 2-on-2.
triangle where we repeat the cuts. Then, we ▼ 3-on-3.
continue piece by piece, until we have all basic ▼ Develops versatile players who have to
movement covered. learn to use all basic basketball tools.
D.15 Do one thing well, than ten things "so-so." The ▼ Versatility = hard to scout.
most important question a coach should ask ▼ In the end, no one has a problem when you
before he starts to plan a practice is: "If there is win a game.
only one thing we can learn today, what should ▼ Good role model for the modern game.
we work on?" Of course, this philosophy also
applies to teaching the triangle offense. Your EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAMS
players should first learn to develop (and reco- Basic Alignment. 1, the point guard, 3, the

EV\Z&%)
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

wing, and 5 the post, form the triangle, posts up (diagr. 13).
while 2 is on the other wing position, and Ball to 3: 2, 3, and 4 form the triangle, 1 is on
4, the power forward, in the short corner the other wing and and 5 in the low post on
(diagr. 1). the weakside.
Strong Entry. 3 feeds 5, 1 must clear out, and Passing Options for 3. He can pass:
then screens for 4, while 2 goes in the midd- a. Inside to 4;
le of the court (diagr. 2). b. To 1 in the wing, or
Strong Entry (another option). 3, 1 and 5 form c. To 2 in the corner (diagr. 14).
the triangle, while 2 and 5 play on the other Weakside Entry. 1 passes to 2 and cuts to
side of the court. 1 passes to 3 and cuts insi- the corner. 2 passes to 4, who comes out to D.16
de or outside to 3, and goes in the corner the wing. 2 goes to the opposite side on the
(diagr. 3). low post position after the pass (diagr. 15).
Passing Options for 3. He can pass: Options. We can use the same options on
a. Inside to 5; the strong entry: 5 forms the triangle with 1
b. To the wing to 2, or and 4, and 3 goes in the middle of the court.
c. To the corner to 1 (diagr. 4). Passing Options for 4. He can pass:
Ball to 5. He can pass: a. Inside to 5;
a. To 1; b. To the wing to 3 (or use a slice cut, see
b. To 3, while he cuts going to screen ,or diagrams 17 and 18).
c. To 2 (diagr. 5). c. To the corner to 1 (diagr. 16).
Passing Options for 5. He can pass: Slice Cut. This is an option, when 3 has the
a. To 2; ball. 4 receives a screen from 5, and 3, after
D.17
b. To 4, who comes off the screen of 3; passing to 2, comes from the corner to the
c. To 3, who rolls to the basket, after the wing, and screens for 1. 4 goes around the
screen for 4, or screen and then to the low post on the ball
d. To 1 (diagr. 6). side, while 3 cuts in the corner on the ball
Passing Options for 2. He can pass: side (diagr. 17).
a. Inside to 5; Form a triangle. 2, 3, and 4 forms a triangle,
b. Inside to 4, or 1 in the wing, and 5 in the low post on the
c. To 3 in the wing (diagr. 7). weak side. 4 can pass to 3, who comes in
Passing Options for 4. He can pass: the middle of the court, or to 1 in the corner
a. Inside to 5 (play high-low); (diagr. 18).
b. To the wing to 1, or Flash Entry. 1 passes to 4 and 2 cuts near
c. To 2, who passes to 5 (diagr. 8). him, while 5 screens for 3. 4 can pass to 2 on
D.18
the cut (diagr. 19).
Triangle on the Other Side. If nothing hap- Other Options. 4 can also pass:
pens, 1, 3, and 4 form a triangle on the other a. To 3, who goes around the screen of 5, or
side. b. To 1 with an hand-off pass, while 2 goes in
Passing options for 1. He can pass: the corner, opposite to the ball (diagr. 20).
a. Inside to 4; Form a triangle. 1, 3, and 4 form a triangle. 2
b. To 2, who comes to the middle of the half is on the wing and 5 on the low post on the
court, or weakside. 1 receives the ball and drives to
c. To the corner to 3 (diagr. 9). the wing, while 5 screens for 2 (diagr. 21).
Passing Options for 2. He can pass: Passing Options for 1. He can pass:
a. To 5 (play high-low); a. Inside to 4;
b. To 4, who has cut to the free-throw b. To the wing to 2,or D.19
area, or c. To the corner to 3 (diagr. 22).
c. To 1, who comes off the screen of 3 Push Down Option. If 3 is overplayed, 1 drib-
(diagr. 10). bles toward 3, and this is a signal for 3 to go
Passing Options for 1. He can pass: in the corner, while 2 replaces 1 (diagr. 23).
a. Inside to 4; Cross Screen Option. For creating space
b. To 3, who cuts off the screen of 5, or we can use a cross screen when the inside
c. To 5, who rolls to the ball after the screen player, 4, in this case, is overplayed. 4
for 3 (diagr. 11). screens for 5, and 1 passes to 5 (diagr. 24).
Ball to 5. He can pass: Flash Entry Option. This is used for creating
a. To 2, who cuts around him; space for a lob pass or a high-low play,
b. To 3, who has received a screen from 4, when the inside player, 4, in this case, is
and, after the screen, goes out, or overplayed. 1 can make a lob pass to 4, or D.20
c. To 4, who received a screen from 2- pass to 5, who has flashed to the high post,
screen the screener (diagr. 12). and 5 passes to 4 (diagr. 25).
Drive of 1. He can penetrate and pass: Back Screen Option. This is used to get open
a. To 5, who has cut to the basket or faded when the inside and wing players are over-
away in the corner; played. 5 screens 2, and then rolls to the
b. To 4, while 2 goes to the corner, and 3 basket. 1 can pass to 2 or 5 (diagr. 26).

EV\Z&%*
D.21 D.24

D.22 D.25

D.23 D.26

EV\Z&%+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

HOW TO ATTACK
THE ZONE DEFENSE
by Bodizar Maljkovic

Bozidar Maljkovic is currently the head

coach of Real Madrid. He previously coa-
ched Jugoplastika Split (winning 2 Euro-
pean Cups, 3 Yugoslavian Championships,
and 3 Cups), Barcelona (1 King's Cup), Limo-
ges (1 European Cup, 2 French Champion-
ships and 2 Cups), Panathinaikos, (European
Cup, Intercontinetal Cup, and Greek Cup),
and Malaga (Korac Cup). He was selected
European Coach of the Year and was twice
selected as the French Coach of the Year.

The zone offense can be applied to attack all

types of zone defenses. The best way to
beat a zone defense is with the fastbreak.
You can score two, perhaps even three easy
points, but what you also do, which has an
even greater effect, is demoralize the oppo-
nent.

The second basic way to attack the zone

defense is put the offensive players in the
gaps of the zone. This means putting a
player in between two defensive players,
assuming a contrary alignment to the align-
ment of the zone.

The third element entails the use of screens:

single, staggered, and double. There is a dif-
ference between a screen on a man-to-man
defense and a screen against the zone de-
fense. If we play against man-to-man, we
set a screen and jam the defender, who is
guarding a teammate for whom the screen
is being set. In the screen against a zone de-
fense, however, we simply block the move
of the nearest man to the screener, or we
block the one nearest to the area where an
offensive player positions himself. We do
this because zone defenders cover a cer-
tain area of the court, and are not concer-
EV\Z&%,
ned with defending a particular player. an open area and punish the defender for his
mistake.
Passing the ball within the free-throw area is I would like to underline an important techni-
another very important element used to at- cal and tactical point against the zone defen-
tack the zone because from this position it is se, and that concerns faking passes. In Euro-
possible to pass easily in all directions, and to pe, we should use more fakes in our game
all positions of the court (diagr.1). In this area, and use all kinds of them. In this aspect, Ame-
we should try to exchange players quickly. rican basketball is far ahead of us. They also
are more aware of the fake pass when they
To move the defense, it is also very important are on defense. You can see that when an D.1
to quickly change the side of the ball from left American player is in the balanced, low de-
to right and vice-versa (as well, as we said, fensive stance, his head is moving constantly,
passing the ball inside will also keep the de- always active. By contrast, you see European
fense moving). players with their upper body erect, stiff and
firm, and their heads are not moving as much
The next essential element in the attack as their American counterparts.
against the zone is-depending on the coach's
philosophy-overloading the strong side of the The last element on zone offense is not a te-
offense with three or four players at a time. chnical aspect, but, rather, a psychological
one. You must emphasize the psychological
Dribble penetration into the three-second la- aspect of the game, convincing your players D.2
ne in between two defenders will split the de- that a basket made against the zone is the
fense, and is another key attack element. In reward, a product of the fine effort of the who-
this case, the offensive player, who drives in le team as a unit. The shooter must be sure
the lane, must make a quick, two-count stop that his shot will go in, while the other four
for better balance and then take a quick shot players think that he will miss the shot and
before the big man moves over to defend. The move very aggressively to get the offensive
other option is to pass the ball to an open rebound.
teammate. Drive penetration-and-shoot and
drive-penetration-and-pass creates many The early start for the offensive rebound be-
problems for the zone defense. gins when the ball, still in the hands of a shoo-
ter, reaches the level of his chin. During the lif- D.3
Another very crucial element, that most US ting action, and immediately before the shot is
college coaches demand to their players, is actually released, the offensive players
that the ball be passed inside a minimum of should be moving if for a possible rebound.
two times before a shot is taken. By moving Statistical data and video evidence, together
the ball inside, the defense instinctively colla- with other "live" observations, clearly show
pses towards the ball and, therefore, loses its that 90 percent of teams and players go for a
outside aggressiveness. When the offensive rebound when the ball is actually released
player receives the ball in the right low-post from the shooter's hand and is going towards
position (diagr. 2), he must first see all his four the basket. However, it is too late at this point
teammates (for the possible swing pass), but to go for the rebound. I think you would ac-
he also has time and space for playing one- tually be better off running back to play defen-
D.4
on-one. se because you will never get to the ball.

Let's now review a very important aspect FIRSTZONE OFFENSE

concerning offensive player positioning. If I will now review three types of zone offenses
they face the defenders and start to move or based on the evaluation of our own team's
cut in certain directions, it is easier for the de- skills and those of the opposing team. From
fenders to see them and move to guard them. this analysis, we can see whether we have
However, if the offensive players stay inside the advantage with our big and small players.
the lane behind the defenders, the defenders The offense that I am going to introduce is
cannot see what's happening, and they must that one I started to use many years ago with
turn their heads. The offensive player has the Jugoplastika Split. I have continued to work
advantage. It is now easier to pop out. With on it ever since, refining it to meet the needs D.5
less distance to cover, shooting position is of my teams. If you want to execute it succes-
better and a shot can quickly be taken. Many sfully, you must have very quick players on
successful teams put three or four players the perimeter, where the defense is really ac-
near the basket and then have them pop out tive and aggressive. The players really like
to receive a pass from the point guard, who this offense, because it gives them more free-
penetrates and dishes off the ball. If the de- dom to decide when to play one-on-one and
fender does not see where the ball is, the of- use their dribble penetration. In many techni-
fensive player can easily make a flash cut in cal books, it is said that the ball should be mo-
EV\Z&%-
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

there is a chance to pass the ball to the cut-

ter. If he cannot pass the ball to 1, 2 dribbles
hard toward the defender, breaks into the
three-second lane (diagr. 4), opens the pas-
sing lines and, based on the reaction of the
defenders, dishes the ball to an open team-
mate. When 2 penetrates in the lane, we ha-
ve a rule for the centers: if 2 penetrates dia-
gonally, 4, the center opposite to the drive,
D.6 cuts inside, while 5, the center on the same D.10
side of the drive, fades out (diagr. 5).

If the offense is run from the other side,

everything is reversed. 4, who cuts in the la-
ne, could be covered, but 5, who has faded
away, can be open. If nothing happens, 2
can also start the offense on the left side of
the court, with a pass from 1 to 3, and then
from 3 to 4 (diagr. 6). At the same time, we
set a back screen on the weakside with 5,
D.7 who screens X2. 4 swings the ball to 2, and 2
D.11
to 1. If X3, the defender on the back line of
the zone, comes high to help, 1 passes to 3,
who can shoot. When this happens, all the
offensive players go hard for the offensive
rebound (diagr. 7). This means we run the
action on the opposite side from where we
started the offense.
We can also make a "decoy" play: 1 pas-
ses the ball to 2, and cuts in the corner on
the ball side. However, this is not where
D.8 we want to shoot (diagr. 8). We want, in
D.12
fact, to have 4 make a back screen on the
weakside for 3, our best shooter, who is
closely guarded by X1. On the pass from 1
to 2, 3 spots up, going in the opposite di-
rection of the ball. He receives a back
screen from 4, and 2 passes the ball to 3.
When 2 passes the ball to 3, X4 comes out
to guard 3. In this moment, we have crea-
ted a miss-match, with a small player
against the big tall player outside, away
from the basket: 3 can also pass the ball
D.9
to 4 (diagr. 9). To execute this play pro- D.13
perly, you need to have good inside and
outside players. If the perimeter defen-
ved using the pass when playing a zone de- ders X1, X2, and X3 are faster than my of-
fense. This offense is exactly just the oppo- fensive players, I do not run this offense.
site: We simply leave the perimeter area
empty and we don't put any high post Another extremely important point of
players in. This forces the defense to start emphasis on the zone offense-but for any
playing man-to-man. We don't use a player offense, for that matter-is to always receive
to jam the offense in the free-throw area, but the ball with the hands and body in a posi-
we pass the ball to one side of the court (the tion where you are ready to shoot: the hands
right side, in this example), and quickly make are not brought down; you are looking at the
D.14
a flash cut into the three-second lane (diagr. basket, prepared to launch a shot.
3). The point guard asks for the ball while he
is in the lane and then he pops out on the sa- SECOND ZONE OFFENSE
me side. This zone offense is based on having good
big players in different positions: a big small
2, the player, who received the entry pass, forward, a skilled power forward, and an ex-
waits to see whether the first line defender cellent center. We generally use this play
of the zone comes out towards him, and if when we think we are stronger under the
EV\Z&%.
basket than the opposing team. Here's how
we run this zone offense (diagr. 10): 1 drib-
bles to the lateral wing, where we don't ha-
ve a big player on the low post, and this is a
signal for 4 to run quickly in the low post po-
sition, attack the defender of the last line of
the zone, turn and seal him off. At the same
time, 3, who was near the corner of the free-
throw area, jumps out to the three-point line
to receive and shoot, while 5 flashes to the
high-post area, outside of the lane. The ball
goes from 1 to 3, and from 3 to 5. At the same
time, the two small perimeter players, 2 and D.15
1, run down to the baseline (diagr. 11).
In this way we can play three-on-three: 5
can pass to 2 or 1 in the corner, or pass di-
rectly to 4, who ducks in the lane, or makes
an high cut, and then a cut to the basket. 5
can also pass to 2 in the corner, and then
cut to the basket and receive the ball from
2, a "give-and-go" (diagr. 12). The guards, 1
and 2, can punish the defenders if they
cheat on defense: if the small defensive
players come high to help, 1 or 2 can have
an open shot. D.16

On every reversal pass from one side to the

other side of the half court, from 1 to 2 or vi-
ce-versa (diagr. 13), we automatically make
a double screen on the other side. As soon
as the ball is in the hands of an offensive
player in the corner after a reversal pass,
the low post on the side of the ball comes
out of the lane, and goes to the perimeter.
In the meantime, the guard on the ball side
spots up on the weak side of the court. 1 D.17
passes the ball to 4 and cuts on the baseli-
ne. 4 passes to 3, and 3 to 1 (diagr. 14). This
is how we utilize double screens and stag-
gered screens against the zone defense.

If this offensive action doesn't work, the ball

should be reversed as quickly as possible
from one side to the other of the half court. 1
passes to 3, 3 to 4 and from 4 to 2, who has
cut to the opposite corner. We then play
pick-and-roll, a two-on-two (diagr. 15). He- D.18
re, we simply force the defense to switch
from zone to a man-to-man defense.

THIRD ZONE OFFENSE

The third zone offense is based on playing
both an inside and outside game. Our pri-
mary objective is to overload one side of the
zone defense, intentionally leaving our best
player on the weak side, opposite to the
overload. The offensive set is a one-four
spread high (diagr. 16): we have two sides
where we can start the play, the right and D.19
the left side. 1 passes to the right, in this ca-
se to 2, 5 goes down in the low post area and
aggressively seals his defender. At the same
time, 3 drops down to the baseline, cutting
EV\Z&&%
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.20

D.21

D.22

D.23

on the baseline. 5, with his hands up and his the deep corner (diagr. 19). If there is con- ball from 2, and, while 5 has the ball: we
elbows locked, asks for the ball. If he does fusion between the two defenders X2 and want 2 to cut to the middle, and then 3 cuts
not receive the ball, he puts his arms down X3, regarding who should switch, fight th- in the low-post position. The defense colla-
low, the pre-agreed signal that he does not rough the screen, or help on the screen, 3 pses, covering the two cutters with two de-
want the ball anymore. 5 sets the screen will immediately make a pass to 4. Instead, fenders.
for 3, who goes out of the lane, and recei- if 3 is free, he can shoot, or pass to 1 in the The defense must change this set, if not,
ves the ball from 2 (diagr. 17). right, deep corner for a possible unconte- the center receives the ball and simply
sted shot. 3 keeps the same position on the dunks or makes a lay-up.
After the screen, 5 rolls quickly to the cor- side, and 4 drops down towards the baseli-
ner and receives the ball-but only if he is ne; 5 flashes up to the high-post position, Nothing changes if the entry pass goes di-
alone. Otherwise, 1 can pass also to 4 and, and we have the side overload with four rectly to 4 (diagr. 23): 1 gives the ball to 4, 5
in this case, 1 goes straight down in the players, while the fifth player is on the op- drops down to the right side, low-post posi-
deep corner (diagr. 18). In the right deep posite side of the floor. tion, and 3 attacks the baseline. 1 can cut in
corner, a back screen is set on X2, a very the lane as the third cutter. In this case, we
hard play to defend. 3 makes a back- We now have a second option (diagr. 20, 21 will overload with 3 and 1, with only one
screen for 2, 2 exchanges the position hi- and 22). 5, after setting the screen for 3, player outside. This is 2, the shooting
gh-low with 3, and cuts down outside to goes to the mid-post position, receives the guard.
EV\Z&&&
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE 3 OUTSIDE -
by Sergio Scariolo
2 INSIDE OFFENSE
Sergio Scariolo won the World Title with the
Italian Military Army National team in 1985, an
Italian National Championship with Scavolini
Pesaro, and the award as the Coach of the
Year in 1990. He also coached Desio and
Fortitudo Bologna in the Italian Division I.
While coaching in Spain, he won a King's Cup
with Tau Vitoria in 1999, a championship with
Real Madrid in 2000, as well as the Coach of
the Year and a King's Cup with Malaga in 2005.

Throughout my career as an head coach at the

professional level, I've always used a "3 outsi-
de/2 inside" offensive set up. The main reason
for playing this way came from having very
perimeter-oriented guards and forwards (and
most of the time a "2-3" at the "3" spot) and I felt
we needed two solid inside players at the 4 and
5 positions. In the 2000-2001 season, my second
with Real Madrid, we had a very powerful small
forward, Marko Milic, who was very effective
close to the basket. We also had two of the four
big men, Jiri Zidek and Iker Iturbe. That team
reached both the ACB, the Spanish First
Division, and the King's Cup Finals, finally losing
to F.C. Barcelona, headed by the great Pau
Gasol. My feeling was that we had played a
very nice game, possibly the best ever played
by a team that I had coached.
Landing at Málaga, one of the things that sur-
prised me the most was the poor spacing of the
players in the man-to-man offense: the ten-
dency of the small and big forward and the
center was to play as near as they could to the
basket. Unfortunately, this made it much easier
for the opponent to sag, help, recover, and rota-
te without giving up a big advantage to the
offense.

D.1 D.2

EV\Z&&'
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

What the team was doing was not making use

of a part of the court that is difficult for even the
best defensive teams to cover: the corner. One
of my first decisions, after a couple of weeks of
working with the players, was to move our 4
(Larry Lewis and Germán Gabriel) farther from
the basket, first to the high post area, then strai-
ght out of the three-point line. My goals were
three:
D.3 D.8 1. Widen distances for the defensive rota-
tions.
2. Clear space for the penetrations of 1 and 3,
and increase post-up plays.
3. Make dish-off passes easier for the pene-
trator, and having three targets that are
more visible on the perimeter instead of
two (diagr. 1 and 2).
A few lines above, I've underlined the word
"spacing," since I consider that this is the key to
the perennial war between defense and offen-

D.4 D.9

D.5 D.10

D.6

D.7

EV\Z&&(
 se: when the "D" is able to force the "O" to use a
limited part of the court (e.g.: a quarter of court),
it is likely the winner of the war. However, when
the offense learns how to use the whole court,
going straight to the corners, odds are very
high on the possibility of scoring a basket or
drawing a foul.
What do we need in order to play a "4 outside/1
inside" offensive system?
D.11 D.16 1. A good power forward, skilful in handling
the ball while facing the basket. He needs
an acceptable shooting range and, even
more important, he has to be able to read
the different defensive reactions and make
quick appropriate decisions.
2. Two players, among the other four (1, 2, 3
and 5), who can effectively play in the low
post, scoring or creating scoring opportuni-
ties for teammates.
3. Patience: Everybody must know what
makes a good shot. It comes from skill, the
D.12 D.17 particular moment of the offensive pos-
session, the particular moment of the
game, and the defensive reaction. They
must understand that they will need to
give up good shots to generate (with a
quick pass or with second and third pene-
trations) a better one for a teammate. This
is the unselfish, correct choice (diagr. 3, 4,
5, and 6).
4. Movement without the ball: Every ball move
requires a re-adjustment of the correct
spacing into the court. It is necessary to
D.13 D.18 keep the same distance between the four
perimeter players (diagr. 7 and 8).
What are the general rules of our offensive
system?
1. I want to open the court, use the entire
offensive half-court, while not forgetting
the corners. I also want correct spacing
during the entire offensive possession, fil-
ling these four spots on the court.
2. 5 must stay as close to the basket as he
can: He never must go toward the ball
during a penetration, keeping himself ready
to finish a penetrate-and-dish play, if his
D.14 D.19
man helps (diagr. 9), or neutralize the rota-
tion of the defensive player with a screen
(diagr. 10). If somebody else is playing in the
low post, his job will be the same.
3. When a penetrator passes out, he will
quickly run to a corner on the side where
there is only one teammate, in case of a
middle penetration (diagr. 11), always on
the side where he passed the ball, in case
of baseline penetration (diagr. 12). In both
cases, teammates, who reacted to his
D.20
penetration going below the ball line, will
D.15
re-adjust their spacing, clearing the area
where he will end up. A priority is to pass
the ball back to him, since he will be open
most of the time (diagr. 13).
4. The power forward 4, who happens to be
in a perimeter position without a clear
EV\Z&&)
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

advantage to shoot or penetrate, will not

stop or slow down the ball circulation.
Instead, he will offer a dribble hand-off to
one of two teammates next to him on the
perimeter, playing a kind of dynamic pick-
and-roll (diagr. 14).
5. When the low post is passed the ball, the
passer will choose, according to his physical
and technical skills, between cutting (diagr.
15) or screening (diagr. 16). 4 will always D.21
screen and pop out, making sure he does not
bring his defensive big man too close to the
low post. His position, during the low post
one-on-one, will be the top of the key (diagr.
17). No one is allowed to cross the free-
throw line extension, with the only exception D.26
being if there is a double team on the low
post (diagr. 18).
6. Either 5 or 4 can set a pick for the man with
the ball (diagr. 19 and 20). If the defense
wants to help from the middle or trap, the first
goal of the man with the ball is to get rid of it D.22
as soon as he can. If 5 sets the pick, he'll roll
to the basket as fast as he can. We'll try to hit
him from 4 (diagr. 21), whose next look will be
to the corners, in order to punish possible
helps (diagr. 22 and 23). If 4 can't shoot or
penetrate, or pass to 5 or to the corners, he D.27
won't stop the flow of the offense, continuing
with a dribble hand-off to one of the closest
perimeter players (diagr. 24). If 4 sets the pick,
we'll clear out to allow a pick-and-pop move
(diagr. 25), or to beat the X5/X4 rotation with a
pass underneath to 5 (diagr. 26). If the defen- D.23
se forces a player to the baseline, and 5 sets
the pick, he will change his screening angle,
and roll to the basket (diagr. 27). The man
with the ball could shoot, or attack X5's help
with a baseline penetration (diagr. 28). If 4
sets the pick, he will pop in the backcourt to D.28
shoot, penetrate, or play a dribble hand-off
(diagr. 29). Other options we've used have
been the re-pick (screening the second time
and popping out laterally) and the middle-
pop, with a hand-off (diagr. 30) or back-door
D.24
(diagr. 31).
7. In our set plays, we always want to give our
4 a double possibility. He can cut down for a
post-up move, or come high to face the
basket out of the three-point line, either in a
shuffle cut (diagr. 32) or in a box-to-box pick
(diagr. 33 and 34). In the pop-out option, it is D.29
necessary that 5 follows 4's move with a
strong cut inside. This way he will punish the
defense for the very common switch that the
defender will presumably run (diagr. 35).
Finally, we prefer to have our perimeter
D.25
player 4 screening first in the low staggered
screens. This will allow a quick reaction to
the opposite side in case of help (diagr. 36 e
37). At the opposite, we like to have our 4
become the second screener in the high
staggered screens, making 4 pop out wide
D.30
open if his man helps (diagr. 38).

EV\Z&&*
D.31

D.32

D.33

D.36

D.34

D.37

D.35

D.38

EV\Z&&+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

ARIZONA HIGH
by Lute Olson

POST SERIES
by Josh Pastner

Lute Olson is one of the best American

university coaches. He coached at
Long Beach State and Iowa, and for
more than 20 years at the University of
Arizona. He reached the Final Four four
times and won the NCAA title in 1997.
He coached the U.S. Men's National
team that won the FIBA World Cham-
pionship in 1986. He was inducted in
the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
in 2002.

After ending his collegiate career se-

ven years ago, Josh Pastner joined the
University of Arizona staff as video
scouting and recruiting coordinator.
He has served as assistant coach sin-
ce 2003.

POST STEP-IN OPTION

The set is a one-four, with two high po-
sts, 4 and 5. 1 passes to 5 and 3, the
wing on the ball side, sets his defender
up, and then goes backdoor (diagr. 1).

5 first looks to pass to 3 on the back-

door cut, and, if he cannot deliver the
ball to 3, 5 can shoot if his defender is
off him and tries to help on 3. If none of
these two options are possible, 5
makes a strong dribble to the center of
the free-throw area. At this point, 2, the
offside wing, comes toward 5 to recei-
ve the ball on a dribble hand-off pass
(diagr. 2). 5 can either pass to 2, or
looking to pass to the other post, 4, who
is ducking in the lane, and sealing his
defender (diagr. 3).

On the initial pass to 5, 4, the other po-

st, slides down to the low post position,
EV\Z&&,
and sets a cross screen for the wing, 3,
who had gone backdoor (see diagr. 1). 5
can also pass to 3, who came out of the
screen of 4. D.1

POST WING OPEN SIDE OF THE COURT

The play starts as before (diagr. 4). The
only difference is that 5 takes his defender
off the first pass.
Once 3 goes through with the backdoor
cut, the ball side of the court will be clear,
and 5 can play one-on-one and go to the
basket (diagr. 5).

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z&&-
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

back door cut and

the step in have had
the proper time to
develop. If the de-
fender plays for the
hand-off pass and
cheats, the guard
can back cut down
the three-second
D.6 lane (see diagr. 7).

2 can drive to the

basket, cutting insi-
de or outside 5, and
can pass to 4, who
ducked in the lane
(diagr. 8).

Note: Obviously all

of these plays can
D.7 be run on either si-
de of the court, and
with the posts and
perimeter players
moved to match
your personnel
strengths.

OPTION FOR THE

BEST SHOOTER
The first option of
this play is for 2, the
D.8
best shooter. If 2 is
aggressively over-
played, 1 dribbles
toward him. This is
a signal for 2, who
brings his defender
down and then goes
opposite the ball
and gets a flare
screen by 5 (diagr.
9): The key ingre-
D.9 dient for the suc-
cess of this play is
▼ If 2 passes to the post, 4, he can fake
for 2 to bring his defender deep enough
a straight cut, then go off the ball si-
GUARD DRIBBLE HAND-OFF OPTION to correctly set up the flare screen.
de, receive a hand-off pass and
Once again, the start of the play is the Once 2 receives the ball, he has several
shoot.
options:
same as before (diagr. 6). In this case, 5 ▼ After the hand off, if 2 cannot shoot
completes the hand-off pass with 2, the ▼ He can pass to 4, fake a cut in the th-
immediately, he can go on the left
offside guard. This action frees up the ree-second lane, use the screen of 5,
wing spot to play one-on-one in the
back side of the court, so 2 can drive receive the ball from 4, and shoot
open court. While 4 clears out, and
straight to the basket or kick out the (diagr. 10).
goes to the middle of the court, 1
ball to 1 in the corner (diagr. 7). ▼ If he cannot shoot, he can pass to 3,
cuts away from the ball, and recei-
This type of action becomes ideal in al- who took his defender under the ba-
ves a staggered screen, the first
lowing 2 to come free off the hand-off sket, and then circled back for the
from 3, and the second from 5 (diagr.
pass, or get switched to a big post post up.
13).
▼ He can pass to 1, who brought his
player. ▼ If 2 cannot shoot from the wing spot,
defender down, and then received a
he can pass to 4, and 4 to 1, who co-
The key to good execution is the timing staggered screen, the first from 4,
mes out off the staggered screen, or
of the offside guard cut. The cut should and the second from 5 (diagr. 11).
to 3, who, after the screen for 1, cuts
not be made until the post puts the ball in the three-second lane, and goes in
on the floor. This guarantees that the Other options for this play include:
the low post position (diagr. 14).
EV\Z&&.
D.10

D.11

D.12

D.13

D.14

EV\Z&'%
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE SECONDARY
by Roy Williams

FASTBREAK OF
by C.B. McGrath
NORTH CAROLINA
Roy Williams in one of the best college
coaches in the United States. He was the
assistant coach of Dean Smith at the
University of North Carolina from 1978 to
1988, and then head coach of the
University of Kansas, where he reached
the NCAA Final Four four times, moving to
the NCAA final in 2003. He was named
Coach of the Year four times. For the past
two seasons he has coached the
University of North Carolina, winning the
NCAA title in the 2004-05 season. He was
assistant coach of the US National Team
at the University Games in Germany, and
held the same post at the 2004 Olympic
Games.

C. B. McGrath has been with Roy

Williams during his basketball career,
first as a player, and then as a coach. He
was assistant coach at Kansas for four
years and for the past two years he has
been the assistant at the University of
North Carolina.

EV\Z&'&
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Our team was comprised of very fast

players. All of them, and that includes
the big men, were able to run a fast-
break. For this reason, we based our
offense on the primary and secondary
fastbreak. This allowed us to have the
most prolific offense in the NCAA this
year (89.3 points scored per game, 33
wins and 4 losses), helping us win the
D.1
NCAA title.
D.5
Our goal is to move the ball on offense as
quickly as possible, scoring a basket with
our primary fastbreak.
However, if two or more defenders reco-
ver, we then play a secondary fastbreak
that we use with every ball possession,
including after all missed shots or after a
basket has been made by the opponent.

There are two fastbreak situations that we

D.6 are going to describe:

▼ Regular secondary fastbreak

▼ Dribbling secondary fastbreak

REGULAR SECONDARY FASTBREAK

After the opponent scores a basket, 4, the
big forward, takes the ball out-of-bounds
and passes to 1, the point guard, while 2
and 3, the guard and the small forward, run
near the sidelines. 5, the post, runs on the
central lane of the court and goes under
the basket in the low-post position on the
ball side. 4, who rebounded or made the
D.2 out-of-bound pass, is the trailer. He runs
the central lane and stops out near the
three-point line (diagr. 1).

1 quickly goes on offense and can dribble

on either side of the court (the right side in
this example). If his teammate on the wing,
2 in this case, is not guarded, 1 passes the
ball to him, or he can pass to 4, the trailer.
4 tries to play high-low with 5, the post. If
this solution is not possible, 4 reverses the
ball and passes to 3, the wing on the
D.3

NAME HEIGHT POSITION

Starting Five
Raymond Felton m.1,85 Guard
Jackie Manuel m.1,96 Guard/forward
Sean May m.2,05 Center/forward
Rashad McCants m.1,93 Guard/forward
Jawad Williams m.2,05 Forward

Top Reserves
D.4 Melvin Scott m.1,85 Guard
Marvin Williams m.2,04 Forward
David Noel m.1,98 Guard/forward
Quentin Thomas m.1,90 Guard
Reyshawn Terry m.2,02 Forward

EV\Z&''
D.7 D.11

D.12

D.8 D.13

D.9

D.10

EV\Z&'(
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

the central lane to go under the basket, in

a low-post position on the ball side, while
4 is the trailer and sets himself up out at
the three-point line, in the middle of the
half court. In this fastbreak, 1 starts to
weakside. With the pass from 4 to 3 (diagr. dribble laterally (on the right side of the
2), 5 cuts to the lane and goes in a low court, in this example), and then dribbles
post position on the other side of the diagonally to get to the opposite side
court: 5 is always our first option for the (diagr. 6 and 7).
secondary fastbreak.
3, this time, is at the corner, and 2 is on the
When the ball arrives to 3 and 3 cannot wing. 1 tries to pass the ball to 4, but, in this
pass it to 5, 2, the player on the wing, fakes case, the defense overplays the pass and
to cut into the lane and then comes high for keeps the ball from being reversed. 4 then
a back screen, out of the lane, for 4. 3 tries makes a screen on the ball for 1, who drib-
to make a lob pass to 4 and, if he cannot do bles to the opposite side. At the same time,
it, 3 passes to 2, who, after the backscreen, 5 cuts into the lane to go to the low post
is open (diagr. 3). position on the other side (diagr. 8).

If 4 does not receive the ball on the lob 1 tries to pass to 5 cutting into the lane,
pass, he continues his cut to the lane and while 3 fakes to cut into the lane and then
makes a screen for the low post 5. 5 uses makes a back screen for 4, who cuts to the
the screen of 4 on the low side of the basket and tries to receive a lob pass from
screen. 2 can pass to 5 or to 4, who is open, 1. If 4 does not receive the pass, he goes to
after the screen (diagr. 4). If it is not possi- the low-post position on the same side of
ble to pass the ball into the lane, 2 passes the screen (diagr. 9).
to any of his teammates who are not guar-
ded on the perimeter. This starts our motion After the screen, 3 pops out, receives the
offense (diagr. 5). ball, and dribbles to the wing, while 5
comes to the high-post position in the free
DRIBBLING SECONDARY FASTBREAK throw area. 3 tries to pass the ball to 4 in
The fastbreak starts after a basket is sco- the low post (diagr. 10).
red by the opponent or after a defensive
rebound. 4 takes the ball to inbound it or, if On this movement, 1 screens for 2, who
he rebounds, passes to 1, 2. or 3, who run comes high (diagr. 11). If there is no solu-
on the lanes near the sidelines. 5 runs on tion, we start our motion offense.

EV\Z&')
SECONDARY FASTBREAK WITH
A REVERSE PASS
Starting from the dribbling secondary fast-
break (see diagr. 6 and 7), 1 passes to 4 and
4 tries to pass to 2. However, in this parti-
cular case, 2 cannot receive the ball
because he is overplayed, so 4 passes
back the ball to 1 (diagr. 12).

3, who had faked a cut into the lane, D.14

comes high and makes a screen for 4, who
goes in a low-post position. 5 does not fol-
low the ball as he did in the previous play
(diagr. 13).

1 tries to pass directly to 4 on the cut or

when he is in the low-post position, while
3, after the screen, goes to the corner on
the other side (diagr. 14).

5 comes high to the free-throw area, while

2 screens for 3 (diagr. 15). D.15

1 tries to pass to 5 in the free-throw area,

and 5 can pass to 4 in a low-post position,
or to 3, who came out from the screen of 2
(diagr. 16).

D.16

EV\Z&'*
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

PLAYING
by Moncho Lopez

BY CONCEPTS D.1

Moncho Lopez coached Gijon (Spain) from 1998 replace the playmaker. The center on the
to 2002, then he was assistant coach of the other side of the court comes to the high-
Spanish National Team at the FIBA World post position (diagr. 2). This is the option I
Championship in Indianapolis. In 2002 he beca- prefer, but 4 has to be a very good shooter.
me head coach, winning the silver medal at the
2003 FIBA European Championship. He now is Starting option with a pass inside
the head coach of Leche Rio Breogan Lugo. ▼ We put a player in the medium post position;
he does not have to be the center (diagr. 3).
The problem a coach faces is how to have the ▼ The passer has three options: pass and cut,
players take advantage of the offensive plays. pass and pick, pass and go away (diagr. 4).
They do not play based on the reaction of a cer- ▼ The "pass and cut" option is maybe the worst D.2
tain move of the defense, but more on a whim of one, because the position of the two posts
the offensive player. I agree that a team should creates a lack of space for the cutter to take
have a particular set offensive philosophy. advantage of the situation.
Nonetheless, I prefer to adopt a base that uses ▼ I prefer the "pass and go away" concept. We
easy or complex concepts, chosen by the coach want to clear out the lane, so the other center
and adapted to the individual skills of his players comes high: he can decide to play in a high-
and the structure of the team. I call this philo- post position or go outside of the three-point
sophy "offensive basic play by concepts". When line (diagr. 5). We can also use an alignment
a coach chooses one, a very important factor is with four perimeter players and cheat with
the team's talent level: simple concepts for the defense for a possible pass to 5.
players with low technical levels, higher and ▼ The "pass and pick": This is used to distract
more structured concepts for a team with supe- the defense, but, especially, as a tactic to D.3
rior technical-tactical skills. My experience has leave 4 unguarded, so he can be a threat
been to apply easy concepts. This is useful for under the basket. He should be positioned
developing individual fundamentals and game facing the basket (diagr. 6).
comprehension. I want this basic play to be ▼ Backscreen: We use this screen in all the
dominant in all stages of the offensive sets: fast- situations when the center on the other side
break, transition, and the halfcourt game. The dif- comes high. He does this before the move of
ferent offensive plays are optimized, thanks to the perimeter players in the middle of the
the use of these offensive concepts. Finally, our court, even if the playmaker waits to decide
goal is to create different shooting possibilities, where to make the entry pass (diagr. 7).
using the various offensive team movements.
B) BALL INSIDE
A) INSIDE GAME Rules for movement without the ball D.4
The first goal is to use a player at the medium ▼ Cheating on the strong side: the passer
post as the receiver. The player chosen will be an moves where he can be an offensive threat
offensive point of reference and all the plays will and receive a pass and shoot (diagr. 8).
start from him and will be developed using the ▼ Cheating on the helpside: The center deci-
game concepts previously decided upon. des to go outside or to cut to the basket. If he
is a shooter or not, or by the defensive reac-
Free game to define the entry side of the play tion, 4 has two options: he can get outside or
▼ Pass: The side where the play starts is defi- else make a strong cut inside the lane.
ned by a pass. The perimeter players will be ▼ If the center cuts, the outside players repla-
set on the court to create different options for ce him in the middle or on the side the court,
receiving the ball, using players in a medium depending on the position of 4 (diagr. 9).
post position as a pick (diagr. 1). ▼ If 4 gets open, the perimeter players cut D.5
▼ "Jam": The playmaker dribbles to one side, behind the defense from the helpside. The
defining with his movement the medium post goal is to get an advantage from the cuts, or
chosen as a first game option. keep the defenders busy on the help side
▼ The perimeter player on the strong side cuts (diagr. 10).
to the opposite side, while another perimeter ▼ When the high post is not a threat from out-
player goes to the central lane of the court to side, we use the concept of the inside cut.
EV\Z&'+
 FIBA EUROP

▼ This cut can also be done, based on the help

position of the high post’s defender; we make a
strong cut behind him to receive the ball and
bring him away from the help position (diagr. 11).
▼ The passer does not cut from the strong side,
with these exceptions: a) 2 cuts behind his
defender; b) 2 cuts, because the center has
received with his feet outside the lane and
needs space for playing one-on-one (diagr. 12).
D.6 D.11
▼ The medium post goes outside to receive the
ball: in this case, 2 has space to play a "pass and
cut" (diagr. 13). The cut of 2 is also useful to clear
out this side of the floor for the one-on-one of 4.
▼ If the passer is a power forward (3), he can cut,
because it will not be easy for him to move on
the strong side, and because he would jam the
space of the post player, who received the ball.
▼ If 3 decides to cut, a perimeter player from the
other side of the court replaces him, balancing
out the offensive positions (diagr. 14).
▼ After the cut of 3, we take the advantage of
D.7 having the ball in the post area, using the rever- D.12
sal of the ball and passing triangle (diagr. 15).

Inside - outside play

▼ Inside-outside and cut / get open. If there is a
pass in the middle lane of the court, the center
tries to play a "pass and cut" inside the lane to
receive the ball (diagr. 16).
▼ A center who has the skills to play in front of the
basket can play a "pass and get out of the lane,"
against a taller and slower defender (diagr. 17).
D.8
Inside - outside and repositioning D.13
▼ The center passes outside and uses the
momentary relaxation of his defender to gain
space inside and receive again (diagr. 18).

Inside - outside plus a direct pick: under and over

the free-throw line extension
▼ Depending on the position of the perimeter
player, who receives the ball outside, under or
over the extension of the free-throw line, we
bring a pick on the ball with a certain angle.
▼ When the perimeter player receives under the
D.9 free-throw line extension, the center quickly D.14
comes out to pick the defender of the perimeter
player, who is recovering on the offensive
player who received the ball (diagr. 19).
▼ When the perimeter player receives the ball
over the free-throw line extension, the center
makes a high pick so that the dribbler can drive
toward the baseline (diagr. 20).

C) HIGH POST WITH THE BALL

Drive to the basket
D.10 The post can receive the ball from outside or inside.
▼ If the center received in the high post position, D.15
he can go to the basket in different ways: shoo-
ting from the post, shooting from the three-point
line, or driving to the basket (diagr. 21).
Passing triangle: short / large
Short Triangle
▼ When 4 receives in the high-post position from a
EV\Z&',
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.16 D.21 D.25

D.17 D.22 D.26

D.18 D.23 D.27

perimeter player or from the low post, this situa-

tion can create a passing lane for 5 and a high-
low game between the two centers (diagr. 22).
Large Triangle
▼ If there is not a direct game of high-low between
the two centers, 4 will read the defensive position
and will make a reversal pass to the other cor-
ner, creating a passing lane for 5 (diagr. 23).

D.19 D.24 Reverse and three game options: cut /pick on the
ball/pick away from the ball
▼ When the perimeter player receives from the
high post with a skip pass, the high post has three
options:
1. If he has an advantage, after a rotation or a
defensive recover: he plays a "pass and cut" and
goes to the medium post (diagr. 24).
2. If the center, who received the ball is not a good
shooter: he can play a "pass and make a screen
away from the ball," especially if the low post,
who is screened, is a good shooter (diagr. 25).
D.20 3. 4, as well as 5, can directly attack the defender:
by reversing the ball and coming quickly out from
the lane to put a screen on the ball (diagr. 25).
When 4 reverses the ball and picks on the teammate
with the ball, the perimeter player on the ball side cuts
to the other side of the court to clear out for 4, who
can pick and fade away, or else roll to the basket.
EV\Z&'-
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

TRANSITION GAME
by Gordon McLeod

Gordon McLeod is the manager, coach, and 7. The following drills shown have evolved
Director of Player Development of the New with the program.
Zealand Basketball Federation. He was
coach of the Australian Junior Men's team DRILL ONE
and also coach of West Sydney Razorbacks, Two-on-one, half court
the senior professional men's team of the ▼ Teaching points: two offensive players
National Basketball League (NBL), the Au- play against one defender (diagr. 1).
stralian top league. One-on-one, full court
▼ Defensive pressure: the defender goes
OUR PHILOSOPHY on offense versus the two former offensi-
D.2 ve players (diagr. 2).
Our fastbreak and transition philosophy was
made up of two components: Two-on-one, full court
1. Our fastbreak was triggered by our defen- ▼ Fastbreak: then the offensive player
sive intensity and we wanted to run the goes on defense and plays two-on-one
fastbreak at every opportunity. (diagr. 3).
2. Control the tempo of the game by incorpo-
rating a structured offensive secondary DRILL TWO
break, which we called "transition." Same procedure as before, but now three-
on-one, half court
PERSONNEL ▼ Teaching points (diagr. 4).
The athleticism and mobility of our team and, Two-on-one, full court
especially, in the frontcourt, as well as our ▼ Offensive versus defensive pressure
combined scoring ability in all positions, was (diagr. 5).
an integral ingredient in evolving this transi- Three-on-one, full court
tion system or secondary break. ▼ Fastbreak (diagr. 6).

THE FASTBREAK THE TRANSITION (SECONDARY BREAK)

1. There was no "magic" drills or formulas. The secondary break was in three phases:
2. Our fastbreak was triggered by our defen- ▼ Early - power the post.
sive intensity. ▼ Middle - flex cut and shuffle cut.
3. We worked hard on developing a "fast- ▼ Late - staggered screens into motion.
break mentality."
4. Our main rule: if the defense gets three or The following plays were used in the secon-
more players back, then we would go into dary break:
D.3
our secondary break (transition). ▼ Post-up flex cut.
5. Basic core of drills used: ▼ Post-up shuffle cut.
▼ One-on-one, full court. ▼ Pressure releases - dribble "push 2", drib-
▼ Two-on-one, full court; two-on-one, plus one. ble "push 4" and backdoors.
▼ Two-on-one, full court. ▼ Delay.
▼ Three-on-one, full court; three-on-two
plus one. I will only detail the first two points in this ar-
6. The basic fundamental fastbreak princi- ticle. When teaching, we used the whole-
ples were emphasized in these drills. part-whole method.
To convert our players from defense to of-
fense, we used a "numbered full court transi-
tion": 1 advances the ball down either side,
preferably with a pass; 2 and 3 fill the outside
lanes (2 is usually on the right); 5 sprints
from the middle of the court to the basket,
and then to the block; 4 is the trailer and the
safety player. 1, 2, and 3 are interchangea-
ble, as are 4 and 5 (diagr. 7).

EARLY TRANSITION - POWER THE POST

D.1 1 passes to 5, if the defense is behind or 2
and 4 are overplayed.
EV\Z&'.
2 passes to 5, if the defense is behind or 4 and 1
are overplayed (diagr. 8). D.4

2 passes to 5 or 1 passes to 5, if 5 beats his man

down the court (diagr. 9).

2 skip passes to 3, if 5, 1, and 4 are all over-

played. 5 seals his man and receives a pass
from 3. 1 skip passes to 3, if 5, 2, and 4 are all
overplayed. 5 seals his man and receives a
pass from 3 (diagr. 10). D.7

MIDDLE TRANSITION - FLEX CUT

1 passes to 4 and 2 sets his man up for a flex
cut, or to receive a pass from 4 (diagr. 11).

4 passes to 3, and 2 cuts over the top of 5. 5

cuts off the back of 2 for a possible pass from 3
or 4 (diagr. 12).

4 passes to 3 and 4 holds the cut to see if 5 re-

ceives a pass from 3. If not, he cuts or exchan-
ges with 1 (diagr. 13). D.5

MIDDLE TRANSITION - SHUFFLE CUT

3 passes to 1 and 4 sets his man up to receive a
pass from 1. 3 sets his man up for a shuffle cut
or an L-cut (diagr. 14).

1 passes to 4 and 3, shuffle or L-cuts off 5. 5

reads the defense and looks for a possible
pass from 4. If 5 is not open, he and 1 go down
and set a staggered screen for 2, who has set
his man up for a cut (diagr. 15). D.8

4 looks for 2, who is coming off the screens. 3

is in the block or in the corner. 1 on skip for a
post up for 5. There is a drive to the basket
possibility if the passing lanes are overplayed
(diagr. 16).

LATE TRANSITION
4 passes to 2, who looks for a shot or a pass to
3 or 5 inside. 4, after passing, goes after 3's de-
fense (diagr. 17).
D.9
2 passes to 1 and goes for 3's defense. 1 looks D.6
inside to 5 and then to 3, who is coming off the
screens, and then back into 5 for late post up
(diagr. 18).

1 passes to 3. Now we are balanced into our

"motion," or we can continue our late stagge-
red screening action (diagr. 19).

POST UP - FLEX CUT

3 looks to post up 2 or 5 off 2's back (diagr. 20).
4 reads 5's defense, cheating off, he fakes a D.10
pass to 3 and kicks it back to 1 for post up for 5
(diagr. 21).

3 down screens for 2, then returns to the peri-

meter. 4 down screens for 2, then opens to the
ball and busts to block. 1 looks inside to 5 early,
then to 2 coming off the screens set by 3 and 4;

EV\Z&(%
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

then back inside to 5 late (diagr. 22).

1 passes to 2, and 2 looks for: a shot, for 5,

who is sealing inside, for 4, who is ducking
in, for 3 or 1 on the perimeter, or to post up 4
or 5 again (diagr. 23).

POST UP - SHUFFLE CUT

4 looks to post up 3 or hit 5 for a jumper, if the
defense cheats off (diagr. 24).
D.11 D.16
1 keys on 5's defense cheating off on cut,
fakes a pass to 4 and kicks the ball back to 2,
to post up 5 (diagr. 25).

4 down screens for 3, then opens to the ball.

1 down screens for 3, then pops out to the
perimeter. 2 looks inside to 5 early, then to 3
coming off the screens made by 4 and 1, and
then back into 5 late (diagr. 26).

2 passes to 3, and 3 looks for: a shot, for 5

D.12 D.17 sealing inside, for 4 who is ducking in, for 1
or 2 on the perimeter, or to post up 4 or 5
again (diagr. 27).

BREAKDOWN RECOGNITION DRILL

We also liked to use a breakdown drill, whi-
ch focused on mismatches in different posi-
tions on the court. The players are required
to use our transition offense or secondary
break to go at these mismatches.

Drill: Three-on-two fastbreak, to five-on-th-

D.13 D.18 ree transition, to three-on-two fastbreak
continuous.

FASTBREAK CONTINUOUS
Three-on-two fastbreak
Players on the same team A play against ea-
ch other three-on-two (diagr. 28).

Five-on-three: transition
5 players on team A fastbreak three-on-two
drill. Are now on offense as a team and
break into transition at the other end versus
D.14 D.19 three defensive players, who have come in
as team B from the halfway line, and are
matched up on three nominated offensive
players and they only defend those three
players. Team A must go at one of those mi-
smatched players (diagr. 29).
Three-on-two: fastbreak
When team B gets the ball, the three players
on defense then break three-on-two versus
the other two players from their team B, who
have come in on defense from the halfway li-
ne (diagr. 30).
D.15 D.20
Both teams are now in continuous fastbreak
and transition.
Only the offense being defended can score.
Offense not being defended works on recei-
ving, positioning, timing, spacing and pas-
sing angles to mismatched players.

EV\Z&(&
D.21

D.29

D.22

D.23 D.26

D.24 D.27

D.28

D.30

D.25

EV\Z&('
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE OFFENSIVE SETS

by Gregg Popovich
OF THE
SAN ANTONIO SPURS,
NBA CHAMPIONS 2005
Gregg Popovich was an assistant coach
of the San Antonio Spurs for four years,
before he went to the Golden State
Warriors in 1992 as an assistant coach.
He was named general manager of the
San Antonio Spurs in 1994 and became
the head coach in 1996. His teams have
won three NBA championships (1999,
2003, and 2005), and he was named "NBA
Coach of the Year" for his efforts in the
2002-2003 season. Popovich was an
assistant coach on the bronze-medal
winning U.S. basketball team at the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens.

The San Antonio Spurs, the most "inter-

national" of the NBA teams, beat the
Detroit Pistons in seven games, winning
the NBA Championship for the third time
in seven years. Tim Duncan won his third
MVP title in three different finals, proving
that he is the successful leader of the
team. Manu Ginobli played a key role for
the team, especially helping the team in
Game 1 and Game 2. The Argentinean
player had lots of offensive punch and a
highly effective defense during the Finals,
lessening the pressure brought to
Duncan and Tony Parker by the Detroit
defense.
The offensive plays we use have been
mostly built on the perimeter and they
exploit the skills of Tim Duncan, an all-
around player, who is able to play close
to the basket, as well as shoot from
medium distance. In addition to Duncan, the game for us. The three-point shot has TRANSITION OFFENSE
the team is dangerous to our opponents been one of the most effective weapons Parker dribbles in the middle zone of the
because of the offensive penetrations of we had against the Pistons, alllowing us to court and passes the ball to Duncan, while
Parker and Ginobili, and the precise dominate Rasheed Wallace and Ben Ginobili runs to the right corner and
shooting of Bruce Bowen and Robert Wallace, the Detroit Piston players that Bowen to the left corner. Parker then sets
Horry. Horry is a special player, extremely worked the defensive lanes. a pick for Ginobili, who goes to the free-
lethal during the crucial moments, espe- Note: In the following diagrams, players throw line and receives the ball from
cially in the Game Five, when he scored are identified by the first letter of their last Duncan to shoot (diagr. 1).
the decisive three-point shot that won name. Nazr Mohammed, who is the trailer, occu-
EV\Z&((
 D.1

D.2

pies the left corner of the free-throw line. while Mohammed, sets a pick for Bowen. MAIN SET AGAINST A MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
If Ginobili cannot receive a pass from Duncan receives the ball from Parker Parker dribbles on the left side to Ginobili,
Duncan, he cuts around Mohammed and (diagr. 3). If Duncan cannot get the ball, who cuts from the lane and goes under the
gets the ball from Duncan and then they Parker passes it to Ginobili, who is out at basket; then he comes out to the free-
play pick-and-roll (diagr. 2). the three-point line. Ginobili passes the throw line, exploiting a vertical screen
A second transition attack begins when ball to Bowen, while Mohammed, around from Duncan. At the same time, Bowen
Parker dribbles to the left corner, where the baseline, makes a pick for Duncan, makes a double screen with Mohammed
Ginobili is located; this is a sign for Ginobili who cuts and receives the ball from on the right side. Parker can then pass the
to go and make a backscreen for Duncan, Bowen (diagr. 4). ball to Ginobili (diagr. 5).
EV\Z&()
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

If Ginobili can't shoot, Parker cuts to the

lane, exploiting the double screen of
Bowen and Mohammed. Bowen cuts
well around the baseline and goes to the
other side of the court. Parker receives
from Ginobili and shoots, or he can pass
the ball to Mohammed, who's in the low-
post position (diagr. 6).
If no shot is possible, Ginobili receives a
high pick from Duncan and receives the D.4
ball from Parker to shoot close to the
basket (diagr. 7).

OPTION
Ginobili, after the pick from Duncan, drib-
bles to the right side and passes the ball
to Bowen, who had cut on the baseline to
go to the corner. He can also play pick-
and-roll with Duncan, who had rolled to
the basket after the pick (diagr. 8).
Another possibility with the starting line- D.5
up is that Parker can receive a pick from
Duncan out of the lane, while Ginobili
cuts on the baseline and exploits the dou-
ble screen of Mohammed and Bowen,
who, after the pick, cuts and goes to the
opposite corner. Parker has two choices:
he can exploit the pick of Duncan by drib-
bling to the right line and then pass the
ball to Ginobili (who can shoot or pass the
ball to Mohammed in the low-post posi-
tion), or he can dribble to the left side and
pass the ball to Bowen. Parker can also D.6
pass the ball directly to Duncan, who rol-
led to the basket after the pick-and-roll.
Whomever receives the ball from Parker
(Ginobili or Bowen) can pass the ball to
Duncan, who is open to the ball (diagr. 9).

LOOP 4 ICE
The ball is in Parker's hands and he is on
the right side of the court: Bowen comes
from the low-post position and exploits
the pick from Mohammed, who is in the
high-post position on the corner of the
free-throw line. He comes out to the
three-point line to get the ball and shoot.
While Bowen cuts, Ginobili receives a
backscreen from Duncan on the other
side of the court: Bowen can pass to
Ginobili or Duncan, who is ready to
receive the ball under the basket after
the pick for Ginobili (diagr. 10).
If these choices aren't possible, Bowen
passes the ball again to Parker, and
Parker to Ginobili, who has cut, going to
the right corner. He has a large portion
of the court open to him to now play
one-on-one (diagr. 11).

WEDGE ROLL D.3

Parker has the ball, Duncan fakes to cut
in the lane first, and then he makes a
EV\Z&(*
lateral pick to Parker. In the meantime,
Ginobili fakes to screen the screener
and then he cuts to the lane to receive
the ball from Parker (diagr. 12).

15 (RUB TOP HEAD)

This is a play that offers the possibility of
a three-point shot for three players. We
use it when Robert Horry, our three-
point specialist, is on the court. D.7 D.12
Parker receives a high pick in the cen-
tral lane of the court from Duncan, while
Ginobili, Bowen and Horry are out at the
three-point line. Parker exploits the pick
of Duncan and can pass the ball to
Bowen or to Ginobili in the corners, or to
Horry who has come to the middle of the
court. Parker can also pass to Duncan,
who is ready to receive the ball after the
pick (diagr. 13).
D.8 D.13
DOUBLE FIST
Also in this play, Parker has the ball
during the attack, while Duncan and
Horry are in high-post positions on the
corner of the free-throw line. Ginobili
and Bowen are on the low corners, out
at the free-throw line. Duncan, in this
case (or Horry), makes a pick for Parker,
who exploits the pick and can pass to
Ginobili in the corner, to Duncan, who is
open to the ball and turns to the basket,
or to Horry, who came out to the free- D.9 D.14
throw line to get the ball. Horry passes
to Bowen, who came up to receive the
ball (diagr. 14).

FLOPPY
Parker passes the ball to Duncan, who is
on the free-throw line, as Bowen cuts
backdoor and goes to the right corner.
After the pass, Parker makes a pick for
Ginobili, who receives the ball from
Duncan to drive to the basket, exploiting
the empty space left by Bowen, who has D.10 D.15
been followed by his direct defender,
leaving the left corner of the court free
(diagr. 15).

STRONG
Parker, who is in the left wing, passes
the ball to Mohammed, who came up to
go to the central position. Mohammed
passes the ball to Bowen on the right
wing.
Ginobili receives two staggered
D.11 D.16
screens, the first one from Parker, the
second one from Mohammed, while
Duncan cuts to the lane and goes to
low-post position in the right corner:
Bowen can pass the ball to Ginobili or to
Duncan (diagr. 16).

EV\Z&(+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Half court
by Zeljko Obradovic

man-to-man
offense
Zeljko Obradovic coached Partizan Belgrade
(Yugoslavia) in 1991, and then moved on to
Badalona and Real Madrid (Spain), and
Benetton Treviso (Italy). He has been the
head coach of Panathinaikos (Greece) since
1999. Obradovic has also been coach of the
Yugoslavian National Team from 1996 to 2000
and, of Serbia and Montenegro, until 2005.
With national team, he won two gold medals,
the first at the 1998 FIBA World Championship
and the second at the 1997 FIBA European
Championship. His team won a silver medal
at the 1996 Olympic Games and a bronze
medal at the 1999 FIBA European
Championship. His clubs have won five
Euroleague titles, two with Panathinaikos in
2000 and 2002 (and also four Greek
Championships), one with Real Madrid in
1995, one with Joventut Badalona in 1994,
and one with Partizan Belgrade in 1992.

I always try to choose players, who can play

one-on-one. The more you have of this type of
player on your team, the easier it is to create
a variety of offenses.
The essence of the offensive game is based
on three basic elements:

1. ONE-ON-ONE PLAY
If you have a good low post, player who is
ready to accept a physical game, then you
have the key to success. In the first phase of
offense, the ball should be passed to him as
soon as possible. It is very important to give
him the ball because it will force the defense
to work extra hard to keep it away from him,
using rotations, switches, and double-tea-
ming to prevent this.
The defense will then hardly protect:
▼ The area around the 45 degrees to the
basket.
▼ The area around the top of the key, a cen-
tral position where offense begins.

2. PICK-AND-ROLL
The whole world plays pick-and-roll basket-
EV\Z&(,
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

guards often try hard to receive the ball in the

low position, near the base or side line (deep
corner) or under the basket, but I think there is
nothing worse than this. I ask my players to
create an open area or to leave an area as
wide as possible in front of them (diagr. 1).

Now everything depends on the reaction of

D.4 the defense, whether it denies the pass to the
point guard or it double-teams or overplays on
certain spots.
To really help your offense, it all starts in the
practice sessions that you organize. While
you are practicing on offense, your team on
defense must play real game-like defense so
the players can improve on offense and on
defense, and the coach can have proper
D.1 feedback. In my practice sessions, if I am
dealing with offense, my assistant coach is
working on the defense and he can stop the
action whenever he thinks the defense is
D.5 making a mistake. I am not interested the
name of the player. If he is a superstar or the
last of the reserves, they are all the same, all
equal. I do expect that they play as hard as
possible in practice and do things the way
that I want them to be done.

If the defense double-teams, 5 goes opposite

to 1 to receive the ball. In this option-when
you are sure through scouting that the oppo-
nent frequently double teams- you can
always have your playmaker inbound the ball
D.6
and have him receive the pass back in the
middle of the court (diagr. 2).
ball, especially when there are few seconds We spread out our players in a set, so that,
left on the 24-second clock. For me, it is after the screen, it results in an easy basket.
important where the pick-and-roll is run. The However, if it comes to switching, 2 or 3
best place is at the top of the key or on the moves to the opposite side, 5 drops down and
side. 4 stays on high post area. The two other shoo-
ters stay on the same side (diagr. 3). This is the
3. THE PLAYS FOR SHOOTERS most frequent case, when our player is clo-
There are many different plays, including the sely guarded. Hence, the important thing in
double high post at the foul line, one of the this situation is that our offensive shooters
most simplest that everybody plays in Europe must not stay too close to each other, so one
on the club level. From this set, there are defender can easily guard both of them.
many possible single and double screens. Instead, they should set a screen (high to
However, your shooter must be able to set the low), so the player on the low position is open
screen and then to pop out or curl around the to receive the pass in the most of the cases.
D.2 screen.
You can create a million plays, but everything One great play for the shooters can be arran-
is based on having players on your team, who ged with two centers on the mid (or high) post
know how to move and read the defense, position. The guards pin screens inside and
players, who are able to recognize all diffe- pop out (diagr. 4). The most common mistake
rent situations and are able to beat any in this situation is that they don't know how to
mismatches that develop. use their feet. Too many times, they are una-
ble to sprint out to get open.
In this play, you will notice that we started The player should utilize the set screen, and
from transition and then run a set offense when approaching it, wait a second, bringing
against pressure defense. the defender into the screen. The success of
The ball is in-bounded by the small forward, 3, the screen itself doesn't depend on the scree-
D.3 while 5, the big man and 2, the shooting guard, ner, but, really, by the screened. Before he
come across the court. In these situations, the starts to run out, the player must make a short
EV\Z&(-
 step, then fake to catch the ball by showing
the "target" hand. After these fakes, the defen-
der often reacts by bringing his body up and
turning his head towards the ball. At this time,
the offensive player will be free and comes
out to receive the ball. Depending on how
quick the reaction of defense is, whether it
follows him or goes under the screen, the
offense must read all these reactions becau-
D.7 se the defense can cheat. This would be the D.12
offense to use if the defense presses on the
perimeter.

The second offense can be the simplest one

to use in transition, utilizing the same opening
when players reach the perimeter area (diagr.
5). If 5 is guarded in front, 1 will pass and not
stay on that spot, but quickly move somewhe-
re else. When the ball is passed, the player
goes to the other side of the lane, setting the
D.8 screen on the opposite side. D.13

Here is a simple offense where two players

are wide, outside the three-point line, and two
centers are on the mid/high post, where they goes to the low post (diagr. 10). 2 passes the
should set screens for their teammates (diagr. ball to 5 and runs a hand-off with 5.
6). In this situation, you ought to have a player Simultaneously, 4 screens on 1's defender
who is capable to shoot a three pointer or play and 3 back screens for 4, who, after using
around the perimeter and thus read the the screen, returns and opens to the ball
defense all the time, finding the occasion for (diagr. 11).
this shot. In this situation, it is better that a big, 5, after the hand-off, stays all the time outside
tall player makes the initial move to the basket the area. Typically, it happens that a straight
D.9 before making the pick-and-roll. Then he pass is made from 2 to the low post 4 after he
should quickly run out and set a proper rolls to the basket. Obviously, this offense is
screen. If he stands in one spot and then designed for the dominant center, who is
makes the pick-and-roll, the defense has strong enough to finish the play. Sometimes,
enough time to read the offense and react. So when he cannot receive the ball, we have a
it is a good option if centers make a split cut very similar situation as before, but the entry
and exchange positions (diagr. 7) and, pass goes to 1, while 4 has made a preliminary
afterwards, go to set screen. "blind" screen for 5, a move made only to keep
In this play, 5 is probably the player you want the defense honest (diagr. 12).
to put in the three-second area and 4 is the
designated outside shooter, or vice versa. As an option, when 3 sets the screen for 4 and
With this set-up, we have reduced our play to when the defense applies a little bit of help
D.10 three-on-three, but the other two players, inside, 3 runs out around 5, who is positioned
possibly good, sharp shooters, are spotted up on the high post, ready to shoot for three or
in the deep corners, ready to shoot (diagr. 8). two points (diagr.13). Even in this situation, the
To keep the defense honest, we will set a screen is usually set for the player, who is
screen for an offensive player, whose defen- guarding the first screener. In these situa-
der is in the helping position (diagr. 9). In this tions, it often happens that the screener stays
specific situation, when the defense plays in the screen too long, pushing the defender,
really aggressively, I ask my playmaker to run instead of trying to do basic things, such as
very few simple things, or to overthrow the ducking under or going low down in front of
feed pass down to the low post man, or utilize the defender for the inside rebounding posi-
the pick-and-roll with 5. tion. All the other players must also try, when
D.11 Why pick-and-roll with 5? Well, there is an the shot is released, to fight for the inside
immense difference between 1 and 5, position or to duck in, placing themselves in
speaking of the size of the players, and it pro- front of the defenders ready for a rebound.
bably will not lead to switch. The main thing is that the player, who is set-
ting the screen for a big man should also be a
STATIONARY OFFENSE good shooter. I had an excellent experience
The entry pass is made laterally from 1 to 2. recently when many of my shooters scored
After the pass, 1 is back screened by 5, and many baskets using this offensive play.
EV\Z&(.
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Here I would still like to underline one more ters on the 5 position.
detail on the hand-off pass, depending on If 4 receives the ball outside the three-second
how the defense is set. If the defense is area, the other two guards quickly make a
coming out under the hand off, the next option short screen. This offense is run on the both
is the open shot, and, if the defense is playing sides of the floor, depending on your wish or
aggressively, following the player over the demand, whether you want 4 or 5 to receive
hand off pass, the other option is to drive hard the ball for a score.
to the basket for an easy lay-up, while the
other players are engaged with setting If 5 receives the ball on the low post position
D.14 screens. (diagr. 17), 4 is moving up to the high post posi-
tion, but he will not stay there for a long time.
If the ball cannot be passed to 5 and make the Instead, he simply changes the rhythm, fla-
hand off pass, 5 sets a screen on 2's defender shing towards the basket and keeping the
and they then play pick-and-roll. defense honest with this move, while at the
same time, 5 plays one-on-one close to the
If 1 cannot pass laterally, due to a great basket. After the hand-off, the player with the
aggressiveness of the defenders, 5 runs up ball has at least three options (diagr. 18): pass
and receives the ball, and the teammate on to the side, pass inside the three-second lane,
his side quickly changes pace and direction and pass to the opposite side to a player
and then cuts backdoor (diagr. 14). When an coming out and open in the middle of the
D.15 offensive player punishes the defender with court.
two easy baskets, the defense will not be as
aggressive anymore. In these situations, The second option to counter the aggressive
there is no need for a coach to react or to defense is the straight pass to 5 and the con-
advise because intelligent players make their tinuation move with cut to the basket around
own decisions. 4 or high post player (diagr. 19) Very often, the
If the backdoor does not succeed and the ball can easily reach the cutter because the
defense still plays aggressively, 1 dribbles to defense is playing aggressively to the outside
the side towards 2, who drops down to the and there is no help inside. After this initial
low post position (diagr. 15) and then our move, we come into the same wide positio-
offense is continued, but with the exchanged ning for our regular offensive set.
roles. 1, with the ball on the side, should not
D.16
use those dangerous crossover dribbles or One more good option: 1 passes the ball late-
through the legs dribbling. Teach your point rally and cuts down towards the baseline
guards and perimeter players that when they using the blind screen of 4, who, in a split
want to play pick-and-roll, the distance second, later receives the ball from 2. In a
between them and defense shouldn't be very synchronized fashion, 1 sets a back pick for 2
wide, but if the defense sags towards the on the opposite side, 5 sets the down screen
basket, you come closer, and run him into the for 3, who has stepped into the paint to run his
screen. man straight into the screen (diagr. 20).
When the screen is successfully done and the The next option following the same offensive
defender of the screener pops out in front of sequence is that instead of setting the back
the player with the ball, this player makes an pick, we use the simple down screen or
D.17 hesitation dribble backwards, changes pace exchange of positions between 1 and 2. We
quickly, and drives to the basket. Remember then continue our offense as previously
that to dribble backwards safely is one of the described.
most difficult and hardest dribbles to perform
correctly in basketball, and the footwork Here, I want to present one more detail. If 5
should be perfect. cannot receive the ball, due to the aggressi-
One more detail: when the defense makes veness of the defense, 1, who has moved
adjustments to defend the screen under the down to the low post position, returns and
basket for 4, 4 can then make an inside fake sets blind screen for 5 (diagr. 21). If the ball is
move and come out around the other center 5, not passed down to center, but instead is pas-
to shoot the ball, and run his defender into the sed to 1, the other center first makes a short
screen. Again, 5 sets the screen on his own move away and then towards 1. They then
D.18 defender. After 4 coming in a curl around 5, 3, play pick-and-roll (diagr. 22).
who was setting the actual screen, makes a The player with the ball in the pick-and-roll
quick return, asking for the ball in the middle situation must have some patience to read the
of the three-second area because he is open defense. In these types of situations, usually,
for an uncontested shot and completely after a pick-and-roll, centers playing defense
unguarded (diagr. 16). exchange their men to guard and in doing this
I have had numerous good shooters on the 4 they get help from their guards or make cer-
position on my teams, as well as sharpshoo- tain fakes as if they are closing out and con-
EV\Z&)%
 D.19

D.20

D.21

D.22

testing the players with a ball. In these situa- while 1 sets a screen opposite 3. Afterwards,
tions, offensive players whose defenders are he comes around the double screen (diagr.
helping out must be ready to take the back 23). D.23
door cut. In the meantime, players with the The defense is often fighting against this and
ball should give them a good feed pass. In trying to defend a double screen by popping
this offense, there are too many details and out as an early help. The center will often
possibilities to benefit by simply changing position himself near the potential passing
them accordingly. lane with the intention of intercepting or
This is an option with a double screen of 4 and slowing down the pass. In this situation, 4
5 on the foul line. The ball is on the side with 2, screens 5 and enters into the lane.
EV\Z&)&
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE IMPORTANCE
by Aito Garcia Reneses
OF A FREE ATTACK
Aito Garcia Reneses was head coach
(and also general manager) of Barcelo-
na (Spain) for many years, where he won
three Division I championships, three
Spanish Cups, one Cup of Kings, two Cu-
ps of Europe, and two Korac Cups. He
has been head coach of Badalona
(Spain) since 2003.

When we tell a player that he can play

freely, he will typically do what he does
best, and only that. The player who can
shoot three pointers only wants to shoot
three pointers, and will not try to pass or
drive. The player with the quick first step,
who drives from the right side, wants to
drive only from the right side when he gets
the ball.
This way of play is certainly free play,
but it's misunderstood by the players.
Everyone thinks he can do whatever he
wants when he's told to do what he
wants. Unfortunately, what players end
up doing is only what they do best. They
never try new moves or refinements of
the fundamental offensive moves. And
that is a shame.
I tried to give my teams a lot of offensive
freedom, but, in the end, I could not. What
I do now is teach my players a combina-
tion between free play and organized play.
I introduce this style of play at pre-season
practice, but, after a while, I understood I
needed more time to develop this play.
Many of our plays did not last long becau-
se they had options of 8 and 12 seconds,
and when these options ended, if we
didn't make a good shot, we continued
with this free play that we learned at the
beginning of season. We never allow to

D.1 D.2 D.3

EV\Z&)'
our players to do whatever they want,
without rules and without the comprehen-
sion of the play.
So, when you plan your play, understand that
every player cannot do whatever he wants.
Instead, you should think about your global
idea of basketball, which rules you want to
establish in organized play and what you
would like to do.
Establishing these rules, you should think
D.4 D.9
about the following points:
1) Are you working with a team "in evolu-
tion" or with a competitive team;
2) What is the nature and skills of your
players (are they are strong or not, short
or tall, good or so-so players, fast or
slow?).
We will have different ways of free play, de-
pending if we play with 5 players out, 4
players out and 1 in, 3 out and 1 in, or with 2
out and 3 in. As our philosophy of play, we try
to obtain an easy basket in every offense. As D.5 D.10
a definition, the easiest basket is that one
scored under the basket, but we have
players that can easily score from 4 or 6,25
metres, so, when we talk about easy ba-
skets, we cannot just mean only the ones un-
der the basket, but those ones scored
without the pressure of the defense, also
outside of the lane. The first seconds of ball
possession, during the phase called "offensi-
ve transition," we try to get an easy basket,
thereby forcing the defense to work and put-
ting foul pressue on the opponents. D.6 D.11
We can achieve our aim of scoring an easy
basket with a drive, a cut, or by getting the
ball in the lane.
Let me now explain a common free play: 3
players out and 2 in.

STARTING LINE UP 1-2-2

The goal is playing with three players on the
perimeter (diagr. 1).
These are the rules for the inside players:
1) They cannot receive the ball unless they
go to basket. D.7 D.12
2) They must help their teammates:
▼ Making picks
▼ Cutting away from the ball
▼ Going for offensive rebounds.
These are the rules for the player who has
the ball:
▼ He must recognize if he has a shot option
▼ He must see the entire floor and recogni-
ze if one of his teammates has a better
shot option.

Here are the options for the position of the D.8 D.13
centers:
1) One is on one side and the other on the
opposite side of the low-post position at
the starting line up.
2) Two on the same side of the low-post po-
sition (diagr. 2)

EV\Z&)(
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

3) Two in high-post position (diagr. 3).

4) One in low-post position and the other
one in high-post position (diagr. 4).

The task of the perimeter offensive player

on the defensive help side-aside from the
movement that we want to make-is to
make it difficult for the defender to see "the
man-and-ball" at the same time.
For this reason, we make a move (diagr. 5): D.14 D.19
a) Around the baseline;
b) Getting closer to the defender.

We must try to make it as difficult as possi-

ble, which then helps the player with the
ball. The task of the center is to help the
perimeter players. In diagr. 6, we have a si-
tuation where the center clears out when
the perimeter player starts to drive toward
the baseline.
In diagr. 7, we see a pick of the center and
the cut of the screened player in the lane D.20
D.15
and the help side.
In diagr. 8, a pick is made on the player
with the ball, and the cut in the corner by
the offensive player on the help side is ma-
de to keep defensive help away.
These are the rules that I give my centers
so they can help their teammates. The mo-
tions of the players away from the ball are
made in the following way:
a) Diagr. 9: We pass the ball on one side
and we make a pick away on the help
side. The player, who receives the pick D.16 D.21
tries to cut to basket; the picker comes
back on the perimeter.
b) Diagr. 10: We pass the ball on one side,
then we make a pick away from the
ball on the help side. The player, who
received the pick, tries to shoot from
the perimeter, while the picker rolls to
the basket.
c) Diagr. 11: Passing and cutting. The
player passes the ball to one side, then
he cuts to basket. After that, he can
come out to the strong or go to the D.17 D.22
help side.
d) Diag. 12: Clear out on the help side We
can use this to play one-on-one. Spa-
cing is important: don't forget that the
distance between the players must be
at least 4 meters. Beginning from here,
we create play situations for five-on-fi-
ve. If, for example, there's a drive of
one perimeter player and defensive
help from the defender of the low post
(diagr. 13), the offensive center can:
1. Open himself to the corner. D.18 D.23
2. Obtain a good position in the lane.
If the other inside defender provides the
second help, we pass the ball to the other
post, who gets position in the lane.
We never make a lob pass to the opposite
side of the court (diagr. 14).

EV\Z&))
But, there is this exception (see diagr. 8). If THE TASKS OF THE CENTER
the away-from-the ball-defender is helping Let's come back to the free play. At the be-
and close to the ball, and he is then picked by ginning, we played for the three perimeter
a center, there is a big risk of losing the ball players, but now, we will use the centers for
because the defense is packed. In this case the free play.
we can make a lob pass. The center will not ask to have the ball, if he
We must work on faking to receive the ball. doesn't have perfect position in the lane (dia-
a) Play without the ball, using the "V" cut gr. 21).
(diagr. 15). If there's a good defense on the post (guar-
▼ Out/in. ded in a three/quarters stance), we can use
D.24
▼ OGoing away/getting closer. the high post to get the ball to the low post:
b) Using the center, cutting on him and co- we pass the ball to the high post, and from
ming out (diagr. 16). him to the low post (diagr. 22).
We practice these aspects of play with the If the defender tries to recover his position on
three perimeters players, working with th- the low post, he must pivot to have a good
ree-on-three drills. position on the baseline (diagr. 23). The ball is
In diagr. 17, we play the screen away from the passed out from the high post to the wing,
ball with the player, who receives the screen who dribbles to the corner to get a better
and cuts to basket, while the screener comes passing angle. The wing passes to the low
back to the perimeter for a shot. The player post, who is keeping his position.
with the ball will pass the ball to him. In the final part of the practice, we change
the goal of five-on-five: we put the perimeter D.25
Details: players to the service of the inside players,
a) It's important that the player, who recei- who work to obtain the position.
ves the pick, goes away from his defen- When the low-post player finally receives
der. the ball, he must immediately play one-on-
b) The picker, who comes back to the peri- one. The perimeter player, 2, after having
meter, must shoot if he receives the ball. passed the ball to the low-post player, will
c) Make a quick cut to the basket. not stay in the same position where his de-
fender can help and recover. In that case, he
In diagr. 18, we continue with the pick away can (diagr. 24):
from the ball: the player, who receives the a) Go away from the ball in the middle of the
pick moves around the perimeter to receive court.
and shoot, while the picker rolls to the ba- b) Go to the corner near the baseline. D.26
sket. c) Cut to the basket.
Practice on free play is made during the pre-
Details: This is a good two-on-two drill to improve the season; with the competitive teams, I need it
Importance of the timing of the pick: the of- coordination and timing between the two to face up the final seconds of ball posses-
fensive player brings his defender to the pick, centers (diagr. 25). sion, when we don't obtain a clear option
and then changes his direction to basket One center receives the ball and plays one- with the two systems.
when the pick is coming. on-one. The other offensive player, observing Another important key: the defense must
his teammate's move, looks for a passing line work hard in practice in order for the offense
In diagr. 19, we pass and cut. The player, who if the defender helps out. If he can shoot, the to improve.
passes, cuts to basket. We must finish with a teammate works to get a possible offensive
strong layup, taking only one step. rebound. Before beginning, you have to remember to:
Again, one basic rule for the free play with in- 1) Respect the spaces:
Details: side players is that when the high post has The least distance between the perimeter
Bring the defender away from the ball, befo- the ball, none of the perimeter players can players is 4 metres.
re the cut. stay behind. Shorter distances mean a limitation of ac-
Moreover, if, after the passing, 1 moves in a tion space in the drives of the players with
More details to work on: different position (diagr. 26) and his defender the ball without provoking the defensive
▼ The players, who should receive the helps on the center, the perimeter player will helps.
pass, must fake to receive the ball. be free to receive the pass back and shoot.
▼ Facing the basket. Anyways, at the end of these details, we 2) The use of the dribble:
▼ On the left side everyone must pass with want to underline that the most important A player must dribble to penetrate. If he doe-
the right hand. goal is to improve the fundamentals. We can- sn't, I only want that he dribbles to improve
not do that with organized play, nor with free the passing angles. Two dribbles in the same
It is very important to work in a methodical play. position are useless.
way on the back door cut. The perimeter We need to impress the players on how im-
player moves to receive a pass, and, when portant it is to be consistent. 3) Shooting if the defenders float.
he gets to the three-point line, quickly chan- However, our words must be confirmed by When the ball is kicked out after a drive or a
ges direction to the basket and make a back the facts. We cannot pretend to have a de- player receives the ball on a cut, he must
door cut. The passer dribbles to improve the fensive team if we have better offensive than shoot if the defender is floating. We don't ha-
angle of passing (diagr. 20). defensive players. ve to drive against a player who's floating.
EV\Z&)*
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Eurobasket
by Panagiotis Giannakis
CHAMPION OFFENSE
Panagiotis Giannakis is the head coach of
the Greek National team, which won the
2005 EuroBasket. He is one of the most
popular Greek basketball players of all
times. He played for Aris Thessaloniki,
Panionios Athens, and Panathinaikos
Athens, winning numerous awards, inclu-
ding a FIBA European Championship with
the Greek National Team in 1987. He began
coaching Panionios Athens in 2001, and
moved to Maroussi Athens in December
2003, reaching the Greek League Final.

We, the technical staff of the Greek men's

national team, have based our offensive
tactics at the 2005 EuroBasket on the indivi-
dual characteristics of the players on our
twelve-member squad.

The key-elements we viewed for success:

a) We counted on all twelve players on an
equal basis (no one was underestima-
ted, nor overestimated). We tried to iso-
late and make use of each player's indi-
vidual strengths and weaknesses in
light of certain offensive and defensive
situations, and the next opponent we
were to play.
b) Luckily enough, we had the chance to
pick our twelve players from a quality
sample. Several players had the ability
to play more than one position (at least
two or even three). This made us flexi-
ble in our tactics on both offense and
defense, creating trouble for our oppo-
nents, when they scouted our games.
c) Our low post game was based on our
center, Papadopoulos, as well as on our
small forwards and point guards (usual- PLAY ONE: 1-3-1 SET receive the ball, while, at the same time, 4
ly Papaloukas and Diamantidis), who Option A cuts to the basket. After the pass, 1 cuts to
were taller than their defenders, crea- We used the following players: the deep corner, outside of the three-point
ting mismatch situations. 1- Papaloukas line (diagr. 2).
In this article, I would like to present two of 2- Zisis When the ball is in the hands of 5, 2 makes a
our basic plays that were used in crucial 3- Kakiouzis down screen for 4, who changes pace and
games and "showed us the way" to the top 4- Dikoudis direction, and pops out on the perimeter, out-
of the 2005 EuroBasket. 5- Papadopoulos side of the three-point line (diagr. 3).
Please, bear in mind that the five players The players start in a 1-3-1 formation (diagr. 1). When 4 receives the ball from 5, he can try to
listed on these two plays changed during The point guard 1 makes the entry pass to 5, shoot or play one-on-one. After screening 4,
the course of the Eurobasket competition. who steps up outside the three-point line to 2 goes to make a back screen on 3. At the
EV\Z&)+
D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z&),
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.6

D.7

D.8

same time, 5 makes a down screen, parallel to 3 continues his cut until the low post area and
2, again for 3. In this option, 3 receives the tries to receive the ball, while 2 receives a
screen from 2, and cuts to the low post posi- screen from 5 and pops out to the three-point
tion, trying to receive the ball from 4 (diagr. 4). line. 4 has two options: pass to 2 on the peri-
If 3 does not receive the ball, he pops outside meter for a three-point shot, or to 3 in the low
the three-point line, in the deep corner. At the post (diagr. 8).
same time, 5 screens down for 2 (screen the If 3 does not receive the ball, he pops out to the
screener action), who pops out to the three- three-point line, in the deep corner, and 4 pas- D.9
point line, receives the ball from 4, and shots ses the ball to 2 (diagr. 9).
(diagr. 5). When the ball is in 2's hands, 5 makes a pick-
If 2 cannot shoot, then 5 ducks in the lane after and-roll play with 2, while the players on the
the screen, and can receive the ball from 2, perimeter spot up, ready to receive a possible
while the teammates on the perimeters create kick-out pass, if the defense helps, and take a
spaces to receive a possible kick pass from 5, three-point shot (diagr. 10).
if the defense collapses inside the three-
second lane (diagr. 6). PLAY 3
With this play, we try to take advantage of the We used these players for this play:
mismatch created when 3 receives the screen 1- Diamantidis
and also on 5's screen. 2- Xatzivrettas D.10
3- Kakoiuzis
Option B 4- Fotsis
The play is run as described previously (see 5- Papadopoulos
diagr. 1, 2 and 3). In this option, 3 reads the
defensive situation and he does not use the The players start with a one-four formation,
screen of 2, but that of 5, curling around him with the power forward and center at the
(diagr. 7). elbow of the free-throw area (diagr. 11).

EV\Z&)-
 D.11 D.15

D.12 D.16

D.13 D.17

D.14 D.18

The point guard starts the play on a side of and reads the defense to see if there is the side. He is ready to receive the ball from 1 for
the entry pass (in this example, it's the right possibility of a shot or a mismatch play a shot or a one-on-one situation (diagr. 16).
side of the court). 2 makes a "V" cut to recei- (diagr. 14). If nothing happens, with the ball in 2's
ve the ball from 1 (diagr. 12). When the ball is on the hands of 1 and hands, 4 then makes a down screen for 3,
Right after 2 receives the ball from 1, 1 nothing happens, 3 makes a cross screen and then pops out in the corner. 3 comes
makes a “UCLA” cut, using the back for 5, creating a one-on-one situation on the high and can shoot or play one-on-one
screen of 4 to go in the low-post position on low post area on the ball side. It is important (diagr. 17).
the same side of the ball. Also, 3 goes to the that 1-if he cannot shoot or pass to 5 on the At the end of every play, and when the ball
low post position on the other side of the screen and roll-dribbles to the side to impro- is on the low post side, the strong side
court (diagr. 13). ve his passing angle to 5 in the low post player, 4, in this case, stays in the corner.
If 2 cannot give the ball to 1, he passes to 4, (diagr. 15). He is one pass away from the ball. 3 in this
who popped out of the screen, outside of If there is no solution at this point in the play, example, makes a strong cut in the lane,
the three-point line. 4 can shoot or play 4 makes a "V" turn. This means that he fakes and comes out on the other side of the
one-on-one. As soon as 4 receives the ball, to go in one direction and then screens court, while the other two perimeter
5 will make a diagonal down screen for 1, away from the ball for 2, who pops out players spot up outside of the three-point
who comes high, outside of the three-point, beyond the three-point line, and close to the line, ready to receive a kick pass and
line parallel to 4. He receives the ball from 4 elbow of the free-throw area on the ball shoot (diagr. 18).
EV\Z&).
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

GERMANY'S
by Dirk Bauermann

GAME PLAN
Dirk Bauermann, a former assistant
coach at Fresno State University (US),
be able to make the decision in terms
of how to attack his defender, as
high outside of the three-point lane
(diagr. 2);
was the head coach of Bayer opposed to having the coach or a
Leverkusen, where he guided his point guard making that decision for ▼ Option two: two different solutions.
teams to six German titles and three him. Low post: If Dirk wanted to post his
German Cups. He also coached the In order to allow him to make that defender up, he would make a ver-
German National team from 1994 to decision himself, we devised the fol- tical screen on 1 (which is also cal-
1998. In addition, Bauermann also lowing options (in the diagrams, led "pin down") and bring 1, the
coached Sunair Ostende (Belgium) Nowitzki is indicated with the No. 4): point guard back up, outside the
and Apollon Patras (Greece). He pre- three-second lane, which gives
sently is the head coach of Bamberg Everything starts with a UCLA cut, him the possibility to play in a post-
(Germany) and of the German Men's which means the ball handler 1 passes up situation (diagr. 3).
National team. His team won the sil- the ball to 2, at the wing position, and One-on-one on the perimeter: If he
ver medal at the 2005 EuroBasket in cuts on 4, set on the high post, at the was not aggressively posting-up,
Belgrade. corner of the free-throw area. After we went to phase two of the play,
the cut, 1 posts up in the low-post which would put him in a situation
Winning the silver medal in Belgrade at position (diagr. 1). of isolation on the top of the free-
the 2005 EuroBasket was a tremendous throw area.
achievement, made possible thanks to ▼ Option one: If Dirk wanted to run a After having received the ball from
great team chemistry, a total commit- lateral pick-and-roll, he stepped 1, 2 passes the ball to 3, who recei-
ment to defense, an offense that stres- out to pick 2. Everyone else had to ved a screen from 5, and popped
sed discipline and ball movement of the read his move, and react according out. 4 comes high and screens for
players, and... a certain, incredible to what he did after the point guard 1, who, after the screen, rolls to the
player named Dirk Nowitzki, who, for runs the UCLA cut. After the cut wing position (diagr. 4).
his superior basketball skills, total and post up, 1 cuts in the three- 4 receives the ball from 3 and can
team commitment, and mental tough- second area, receives a staggered play one-on-one on the perimeter
ness was the point of reference for our screen by 3 and 5 and comes up (diagr. 5).
team. Dirk was elected
Most Valuable Player of
the 2005 EuroBasket.

OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
Having a player like
Nowitzki made it natural
and easy to build
everything around him.
We wanted to take
advantage of his tremen-
dous versatility by put-
ting him in various situa-
tions such as:
▼ Post-ups, to exploit
smaller defenders;
▼ Isolations, to exploit
slower defenders;
▼ Pick-and-rolls, or
pick-and-pop out,
either with him, or
with the ballhandler
as a picker.

We wanted Nowitzki to

EV\Z&*%
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

▼ Option three: If he wanted to come off option was very good for us (diagr. 6
a baseline pick to free himself up for a and 7).
shot, he would make a diagonal
screen ("pin down" diagonally) and ▼ Option four: We also wanted to put
then come off a single screen, made him in a high pick-and-roll, because:
by either our center, 5, or our point 1) He had successfully done this in the
guard 1. Since most power forwards NBA;
are not used to defending a shooter 2) With his size and vision, he is a great
coming off a pick (usually, the perime- passer;
D.1
ter players, guards and small forward, 3) Most power forwards are not used to
must chase shooters around screens guarding a ballhandler in a pick-and-
and the power forwards defend the roll situation (diagr. 8 and 9).
screener), it's rather difficult to swit-
ch (Dirk went by a center on a switch We were confident that even against a
and shot over the point guard). This very strong Greek defense we would

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z&*&
D.6

D.7

D.8

D.9

EV\Z&*'
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

score enough points to have a chance to

win the championship game.
We did not feel that a lot of offensive
adjustments would be necessary or
helpful. First, because we only had 24
hours to prepare the game, and,
secondly, because I did not want our
players to think too much and worry
about the strength of the Greek defense.
We wanted them to play with tons of
confidence, be aggressive offensively,
and stay with what had gotten us this
far.

DEFENSIVE STRATEGY
Defensively, we felt that we needed to
come up with a solid game, and if we
had to do some things that we had not
done much before, we were willing to do
that.
Our basic premises were to make them
beat us from the outside, but not give up
easy basket inside.
In the two games we had played against
them before the 2005 EuroBasket final,
they took our guards inside and either
scored on them at will, or else they got
them into foul trouble.
We also were not been able to control
their big center, Papadopoulos, in the
three-second lane.
Even though, we were well aware of their
tremendous passing ability (for example,
Diamantidis is one of the best passers
out of the post that I have seen in a long
time), we felt that, because of the big
pressure they were under to beat us, the
fact that they had a relatively young
team, and because of the fatigue factor,
they right struggle from the outside.
Consequently, we decided to trap any
post-up off the nearest perimeter defen-
der (usually the passer), as soon as they
put the ball on the floor.
In other words, we trapped on the first
dribble and not when the player recei-
ved the ball.
We also hoped to create some turnovers
and score in transition that way,
knowing how difficult it would be to
score against their half-court defense.
Lastly, we wanted to be the most
aggressive team in the first five minutes
and were hoping to surprise them with
this a sound, but risky strategy.
The Greeks beat us by playing a great
game and by utilizing their biggest asset,
which was their defense.
However, I was and still am extremely
proud of how all my players performed
in that game, especially Dirk Nowitzki,
one of the best basketball players in the
world.
EV\Z&*(
EV\Z&*)
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

BASELINE
by Lon Kruger

OUT-OF-BOUNDS
SERIES
For the past two seasons, Lon Kruger ▼ The second number (receiver of the
has been coach at the University of guard-to-guard pass) must catch the
Nevada-Las Vegas. Previously, he had swing pass, even with the catch area
had been the head coach of the NBA on the opposite side of the free-
Atlanta Hawks and an assistant coach throw lane.
of the New York Knicks. At the college
level he was on the bench of Pan It is very important that the proper recei-
American University, Kansas State, ver makes himself available to catch the
Florida, and Illinois. He won the gold ball in the proper area at the time the
medal with the U.S. Junior National passer is ready to make the pass. We
team at the FIBA Junior World should also understand that the pass
Championship in 1991, as well as the does not have to go directly to the catch
gold medal when he coached the U.S. area from the out-of-bounds pass. If the
University National team at the defense takes this possible pass away,
University Games in 1995. As an assi- the ball can go through the corner to the
stant coach, he won the bronze medal catch area and we still have the same
with the U.S. Men's national team at the action.
FIBA Men's World Championship in
1998 and at the FIBA Pan American ACTIONS
Games in 1983. 1. Strong. The big man not involved in
the call comes off a shuffle cut set by
We have done a very good job executing the point guard stepping inbounds.
our baseline out-of-bounds series in the The receiver of the inbounds pass
past. We must continue to improve in screens down on the point guard.
this area and introduce new looks that
will increase the effectiveness of our 2. Weak. As the ball is swung, the
series. receiver of the inbounds pass recei-
ves a flair screen from the big man
The series is designated by a number not involved in the call.
and an action. The first number designa-
tes the receiver of the inbounds pass. 3. Counter. If the swing pass is over-
The second number designates the played, the receiver of the guard-to-
receiver of the guard-to-guard pass. The guard pass steps his man up the
action is designated by the second part floor and cuts backdoor for the lay-
of the call, which will be described in a up or the lob. Players not involved in
moment. It is imperative that we get to the back cut must get their defen-
the proper spots on the court to receive ders up the floor.
the inbounds pass and execute the
action. 4. Triple. The smallest player not invol-
ved in the call runs a baseline chase
▼ The first number (receiver of the off three screens for a shot (probably
inbounds area) must catch the pass a 3-pointer). The shooter will start in
in the catch area. This is an area the widest position opposite the
around the elbow extended on the inbounder.
side of the inbounder.

EV\Z&**
D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.6

D.7

D.8

D.9

D.10

EV\Z&*,
 ▼ 4 receives the guard-to-guard
pass.
▼ 3 and 5 are out at the three-point
line.
▼ After the pass, 1 goes to the
opposite side, in the low-post
position (diagr. 3).
▼ 2 swings the ball to 4.
▼ 5 sets a flair screen for 2.
▼ 5 reads the defense: if his defen-
der jumps out, 5 slips the screen
to the basket. 2 can pass to 1, to
5, or to 3, and 3 can pass to 1 in
low post (diagr. 4).

43 COUNTER
▼ 4 receives in the catch area.
After the pass, 1 goes out to the
three-point line.
▼ 3 pops to swing area, taking his
defender high.
▼ 2 steps his man up the lane. 5 is
out at the three-point line
(diagr. 5).
▼ 3 takes his man up the court and
cuts for a lob pass (diagr. 6).

43 TRIPLE
▼ 4 catches the ball in the catch
area.
▼ After the out-of-bounds pass, 1
steps across the lane to begin a
triple screen.
▼ 3 pops to catch the guard-to-
guard pass.
▼ 5 and 2 are out at the three-point
line (diagr. 7).
▼ 1 screens for 2.
▼ 5 screens for 2 in the lane.
▼ 4 swings the ball to 3.
▼ 4 sets the third screen for 2 for a
triple chase.
▼ 3 dribbles to the side where he
received the ball and passes to
2. He can also pass to 4 or 5,
who are open after the screen
(diagr. 8).

5. Weak Dive. In the weak action, after off a shuffle screen from 1 and goes The play will be run for the smallest
the ball has been thrown over the to low post on the other side of the player not included in the call.
top of the flair screen, the passer area. After the cut of 5, 4 screens
dives to the open area of the lane. down on 1 (screen the screener). 2 24 WEAK DIVE
42 STRONG can pass to 5, to 1, or to 4 (diagr. 2). ▼ 2 receives the pass in the catch
▼ 4 is the receiver in the catch area. lane.
▼ 2 is the receiver of the guard-to- It is important that we catch the ball in ▼ 4 receives the guard-to-guard
guard pass. the catch areas. pass.
▼ 5 and 3 are out of the three-point It is also important for the receivers to ▼ 3 and 5 are out at the three-point
line. get free when the passer is in a posi- line (diagr. 9).
▼ 1 passes to 4 and goes to the low- tion to pass the ball. ▼ 2 swings the ball to 4.
post position, while 2 fakes to cut ▼ 5 sets a flair screen for 2.
into the lane and comes out of the 24 WEAK ▼ On the pass over the top to 2, 4
three-point line (diagr. 1). ▼ 2 receives the pass in the catch dives to the basket (diagr. 10).
▼ 4 swings the ball to 2, while 5 comes area.
EV\Z&*-
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

HOW TO START
by Dusan Ivkovic

THE GAME
Dusan Ivkovic started his coaching career
in 1978 with Partizan Belgrade. He then
coached Radnicki Belgrade, Sibenka
Sibenik, Vojvodina Novi Sad (Yugoslavia),
Aris Thessaloniki, PAOK Thessaloniki,
Panionios Athens, Olympiacos Athens and
AEK Athens (Greece) and CSKA Moscow.
He is currently the head coach of Dynamo
Moscow. During his career he won one
Yugoslavian National Championship, two
Greek National Championships, and three
Russian National Championships; one
Yugoslavian National Cup, three Greek
National Cups, and one Russian National
Cup; one Euroleague, two Saporta Cups,
and one Korac Cup. He also coached the
Yugoslavian National Team, winning three
gold medals at the 1989, 1991 and 1995 FIBA
European Championship, a gold medal at
the 1990 FIBA World Championship, and
two silver medals at the 1988 and 1996
Olympic Games.

What is the best way to approach a decisi-

ve game, a game that puts coach and
players under great psychological and com-
petitive pressure? Many of these games
decide the ultimate destiny of a coach.
Preparing for an important game that has to
be won is extremely difficult. How do you
gain the advantage over an opponent when
the game is played on their home court?
How do you beat a team that has players,
who are equally talented to your own, who
match up in size and speed? Here are some
of my thoughts on what can be done, star-
ting right at the beginning of the game.
Although it's hard to resist, I've never looked
forward to a quick and easy lead of ten or
more points at the beginning of the game. As
a rule, there is a drop in concentration of
your players and it's only a matter of time
before the opponent starts to score baskets
and ties the game. I never use a newly desi-
gned offense or defense at the beginning of
the game. That's because I know that my
opposing coach will read my strategy and
quickly make changes in his offense or
defense. The easily achieved points from
the new offenses or defenses are ones that
I want to save for key game moments, when
EV\Z&*.
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.1

D.2

the game has slowed down, for example. In this 2) A well organized defense transition that, at
way I have a new solution when a basket is least until the foul bonus, will limit the oppo-
desperately needed. One should patiently wait nent's fastbreak points.
until the second half, giving the opponents little
time to adapt to your changes. Key mismatch This is the offense set that I most often use to
situations should be exploited at this time. start the game. The initial set has to be the one
The introduction of the 8-second and 24-second that players use while in a fastbreak (diagr. 1).
rules into the FIBA competitions has been a The playmaker, 1, is at the elbow position, 5, a
positive move, making the game more aggressi- dominant center, is in the low post, with 2, the
ve, increasing the number of stolen balls. shooting guard, at the same side, placed in the
D.3 Offensive output has increased (12.5 points per triangle with 1 and 5. 4, the power forward, is at
game in women's competitions and 14 points the high post and he has to receive the ball after
per game in men's competitions), and shooting an aggressive cut within four or five seconds of
percent has not fallen. We now have fewer starting the offense. 3, the other forward on the
games with low scores. In the past, many obser- help side, should be active and ready if the
vers considered low-scoring games the conse- defense tries to deny the first pass to 4 and work
quence of good defense. However, what turned with him. After the pass by 1 to 4, 2 running at full
out to be the case was that there were too few speed, uses the screens of 5 and 3 and changes
opportunities for well-executed offensive plays! his position from one to the other side.
The 8-second and 24-second rule hasn't affec- In this introductory offensive setting, a coach
ted my coaching philosophy a great deal. should not look for solutions at the left offensive
Aggressive defense from baseline to baseline side if the opposing team aggressively contests
D.4
has always been my desire. My offensive stra- there and doesn't let a pass go to 3 in the low-
tegies have remained the same. My objective post position (diagr. 2) or if ball is passed to 2 in
has always been to score more than 50 percent the corner (diagr. 3 and 4). If the ball is not pas-
of our points from the fastbreak and secondary sed to the left side, and 4 has the ball, then there
offense. This will bring us the highest shooting is a down screen for 1 and a pass to 5, while 4
percentage as well. That said, choosing the immediately attacks the basket with a backdoor
right offense is a decisive factor for game con- cut, using the back screen of 3. In the meantime,
trol and a successful score. 1 goes in the corner to create more space (diagr.
The half-court offense should be balanced. I will 5). When 1 sets the second screen for 4 to recei-
tell my players, jokingly, that at least at the ve the ball in the low-post area, 5 passes to 4, 3
beginning of the game they all have the possibi- screens 2, and immediately after the pass, 5
D.5 lity to touch the ball. Cutting without ball should screens for 2 (diagr. 6). I believe that this deser-
be executed by all players in order to provide ves further analysis. In modern basketball,
continuity and passing flow. My initial setting where vertical cutting towards the basket and
must impose its own style of playing: screens dominate, we have three horizontal
1) On offense, have a "post up" game with a screens. 4 has the option to shoot from the cor-
strong rebounding triangle and good balan- ner; he may pass to 2, so he can shoot; or he can
ce, which will lead to make a "U" cut around the screener or 1, after
EV\Z&+%
D.6

D.7

D.8

the screen is made for 4, makes a back screen tall) or talented shot blockers, then the post 4
for 5 and 5 receives the ball under the basket and 5 should exchange their positions. If you
(diagr. 7). have a good shooter in the 5 position, someone
D.9 In early 1990s, when coaching PAOK like Victor Alexander, then he could go in the
Thessaloniki (Greece), I had a player at the 4 corner, which would force the shot blocker to
position, who was excellent at reading the follow him to the corner as well, taking his
offensive situations. After the shot from the defensive presence out of the three-second
corner by 5, Fassoulas, the famous Greek cen- lane. This creates space under the basket and
ter, often used the back screen of 1, Korfas, the opportunities to score inside.
playmaker, and went aggressively to the
basket to rebound. He was a master at reading ANOTHER OFFENSIVE SET
the defense and he knew that after a fake pass 1 is positioned at the left elbow; the power
towards 2, Prelevic, the guard, would receive a forward 4 is on the low post on the left; the
back screen from Korfas to play one-on-one, shooting guard 2 is on the left side; 5, the cen-
with the possibility of an easy dunk on the other ter, is in the middle post, on the right side; and
D.10 side of basket. 2 and 3, along with 4 and 5, must the forward 3 is at the high post on the right
be always aggressive rebounders, while 1, side. 3 makes a screen for 5, who receives the
with 2 or 3, should be ready to run back on ball at the high post. 3 opens up at a 45-degree
defense and prevent the fast break. It is often angle. 2, 4, and 1 run into "flex" movement on
possible in this set offense to change some, the left side of the court (diagr. 8). 5 passes the
sometimes even all, playing positions. If the ball to 4 at the high post, and 4 then passes to 1
opponent has extremely tall players (over 7 feet at the left side of the court. In the continuation
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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.11

D.12

D.13

D.14

D.15

EV\Z&+'
of the offense, 2 makes a back screen for 3 diagr. 16. Another option: After the clear out of 3,
(diagr. 9). If 3 has not gone under the basket, who goes to the opposite corner, and the pene-
then 1 and 4 play pick-and-pop. 2 sets the back tration of 1, kick off pass can be made to 2 or 3
screen for 5 and 3 sets a back screen for 4 (diagram 17 and 18). While finishing up this arti-
(diagr. 10). cle on a Sunday in January, I have the statistics
In this situation 1, the player with the ball, has from yesterday’s game in front of me. In this
the possibility to shoot from a pick-and-roll. He year’s Russian Super League, my team
also has four pass options. If none of these (Dynamo Moscow) had a bad start and after the D.16
options work, the ball is passed to the post side first part of the season (13 rounds) we had lost 4
(diagr. 11). If the ball goes to 3 and the defenders times. If we had lost a fifth game, we would cer-
switch (after the back screen), there is a 1-on-1 tainly not have any chance for achieving a good
possibility (diagr. 12). Please note that I prefer position in the play-offs, and this means in the
that pick-and-roll plays not be the chosen offen- first four places. We have lost the game versus
se at the beginning of the match. Khimki in the first part of the championship with
The early offense is flowing on the offensive 5 points of difference. We should win the game
position directly from the primary break: after away, beating the team that in a game of the
the pass to 5 in the low post, 3 cuts around 5 FIBA Euroleague beat Juventud Badalona with
with the possibility of a hand-off pass and an 24 points of difference. We won the game 87 to
easy shot under the basket. 1 replaces 3, and 71 and our defense functioned perfectly. In all
D.17
the second big player 4 makes a screen for the categories of the shoot we achieved better per-
guard 2 (diagr. 13). If, when 5 receives the ball in centage, we controlled defense, and in the
the low-post position and plays 1-on-1, he then offense details we had almost 100% of success.
drives hard to the middle of the three-second Most points we scored from the fast break, 37
lane. The players move as shown in diagr. 14. points, and in the early fast break 13 points, so in
However, if 5 drives hard to the baseline, the total 50 points, ie. 57% of all points scored.
cuts and moves of the rest of his teammates are
shown in diagr. 15. When the 5 is guarded in These are just a few of my thoughts. Remember
front and he cannot receive the ball from 1, or that the game is a live creature and things chan-
when the power forward 4 is aggressively con- ge quickly on the court, often in the blink of an
tested at the top of the key, we teach 4 to make eye. The role of the coach is to set the structure
a backdoor cut or a quick exchange of position of the game right at the beginning, leaving the D.18
with 2. He will receive the ball, as shown in many options to the great players on the court.
EV\Z&+(
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

SERBIAN UNDER 18
by Stevan Karadzic
NATIONAL TEAM
OFFENSE
Stevan Karadzic, assistant coach of the Division I
Serbia and Montenegro Red Star team of Belgra-
de since 1995, became the selector of all the Ser-
bian and Montenegro Youth national teams in
2001. As head coach of the Under 18 national
team, he won the 2005 FIBA European Champion-
ship. He was also head coach of the Under 20 Na-
tional team, and was assistant coach of the
Men's National team at the FIBA 2002 World and
2003 European Championships.

We established a special program for selecting

the best youth players in 2001, and since then we
have had excellent results. In fact, we won the
gold medals at the 2001 FIBA European Under 14,
2003 Under 16, and 2005 Under 18 Championships.
We remained undefeated in these three events.
To prepare for the 2005 FIBA European Under 18
Championship, we trained for about 100 days and
played 20 exhibition tournaments. The practice
period, specifically aimed at the European Cham-
pionships, was made up for a total of 54 practices
with 10 exhibition games.

All these great results were possible thanks to the

mental, physical, and technical skills of my players,
and the offensive game was tailored to their skills
and attitudes. I will now describe the four plays we
used as our foundation and used successfully du-
ring the course of the championship.

SECONDARY BREAK
We used this play on the secondary break, when
the defense was not yet set.

1 passes the ball to 4, who immediately reverses

the ball and passes to 2, while 5 steps out and

D.1 D.2 D.3

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FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

D.4

D.5

D.6

screens for 3, who cuts in the three-second la- clears out, going on the low-post position, oppo-
ne and goes to the low-post position on the ball site of 4. At the same time, 5 screens for 3. The
side (diagr. 1). first option for 2 is to pass the ball to 4. (diagr. 6).

3 screens for 5, then cuts high, receives a verti- If 2 cannot pass the ball to 4, he reverses the
cal screen from 4 and pops out at the three- ball, passing to 3, while 5 screens down for 1,
point line (diagr. 2). who pops outside the three-point line (diagr. 7).
D.7
2 can pass to 3 for a three-point shot, or to 5 in 3 passes to 1, then cuts in the lane and goes out
the low-post area (diagr. 3). in the corner opposite to the pass, and 2 spots
up. The first option for 1 is to pass the ball to 5 in
If 3 receives the ball, but he cannot shoot, he the low-post (diagr. 8).
plays pick-and-roll with 4, while 5 cuts in the la-
ne and goes to the low-post area on the other If this is not possible, 5 comes out of the lane,
side of the court (diagr. 4). and plays pick-and-roll with 1, while 4 comes
to the high-post position on the corner of the
3 dribbles around the screen, and can pass to 5 free-throw area (diagr. 9).
or to 4, who rolls to the basket after the screen
(diagr.5). Again, 1 tries to pass to 5, or he can also pass
D.8
to 4 for a high-low play: in this case, 4 passes
BASIC OFFENSE: LOW POST the ball to 5 (diagr. 10).
The primary option is to pass the ball to the low
post. 4 is in the low-post area, while 5 is outside PLAY FOR THE OUTSIDE SHOOTERS
of the lane, on the opposite side of the court, This play is designed for the outside shooters.
and 2 and 3 are outside the three-point line. 1, We start with a one-two-two set, with two hi-
the point guard, passes the ball to 2, and then gh posts at the corners of the free-throw area,
EV\Z&+*
 D.9 D.14 D.15

and the two shooters in the corners.

3 fakes a cut in the three-second lane, and then
comes high and receives a screen from 5, while
1 dribbles in the wing area to improve his pas-
sing angle (diagr. 11).

1 passes the ball to 3 for a jump shot, while 4

screens down for 2 (diagr. 12).

D.10 If 3 cannot shoot, he passes the ball to 2, while 1 D.16

cuts along the baseline, and, using the screen of
4, goes out in the corner (diagr. 13).

Right after the pass to 2, 3 fakes to go toward the

ball and then cuts on the flare screen of 5, fades
away and receives the ball from 2 (diagr. 14).

3 can take a jump shot or pass the ball to 5, who,

after the flare screen, cuts and goes on the low
post on the ball side (diagr. 15).
D.11 D.17
PLAY FOR THE SMALL AND POWER FORWARDS
We use this play to exploit the skills of our small
and power forwards, as well as to beat a poor
defense with the backdoor cuts.

On this play, 5 is at the high post and the other

four players are on the perimeter. 1 passes to 4
and then clears out on the weak side of the
court, while 3 fakes to cut in the lane, makes a
backdoor cut and then replaces 1 in the middle
of the court (diagr. 16).
D.12 D.18
4 passes to 3, 1 makes a backdoor cut, and, if he
does not receive the ball, comes back to the ori-
ginal 45-degree position (diagr. 17).

3 passes the ball to 1, and using the screen

from 5, cuts in the three-second lane. If he
does not receive the ball, he goes out of the la-
ne and makes a back pick for 4, who cuts insi-
de and goes to the low-post area on the ball si-
de (diagr. 18).
D.13 D.19
3 and 5 set a staggered screen for 2, who co-
mes high. 1 has three passing options: he can
give the ball to 4 in the low post, to 2 in the middle
of the court, and to 5, who, after the screen for 2,
rolls to the basket (diagr. 19).

EV\Z&++
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE PHILOSOPHY OF
by Steve Smith PRACTICE DRILLS and
offensive post play
Steve Smith, head coach of the Oak Hill Academy
(644 wins, 39 losses), was named National Coach of
the Year by USA Today three times. His teams have
been crowned National High School Champions six
times. Many of his players went to play in the NBA,
and among them Stephen Jackson, Josh Smith, Ron
Mercer, Carmelo Anthony, Jerry Stackhouse, Steve
Blake, DeSagana Diop, and many others are playing
professionally in countries around the world.

PRACTICE DRILLS
▼ Ask yourself occasionally “Why do we do this
drill? How often do we do this drill? Am I receiving
the desired results?”
▼ Every drill should have a name.
▼ Each drill should be multi-purpose.
▼ Perform drills at the full court level, third-quarter
court and half court level.
▼ Stress the importance of transferring the correct
execution of drills to game situations.
▼ Drills require imagination and concentration.
▼ Most do not like drill, and you must sell the value
of drill work.
▼ All drills must be competitive.
Teaching a Drill
1. Explain why drill is being performed.
2. Demonstrate the drill (slowly).
3. Ask for feedback.
4. Have players run the drill (half speed).
5. Make necessary corrections.
6. Allow players to perform the drill at game speed.
Creating Competition
1. Compete against clock.
2. Compete against opponent.
3. Compete against self.
▼ Drills should be timed (use score clock).
▼ Build a portfolio of drills that specially relate to
your system of play and fundamental concepts.
▼ Vary the use of drills (protect against boredom).
▼ Stress enthusiasm…be a “vocal” coach…let
them know you are watching.
▼ Hold each player to your highest performance
standards.
Coach’s Responsibilities During Drill Work
1. Teach.
2. Motivate.
3. Discipline (not punish, stressing correctness,
more a mental discipline than physical)
▼ Each drill should relate to the coaches system of
play.
▼ Two of the most abused aspects of drill work are
passing and cutting.
EV\Z&+,
▼ Players tend to view drills as a conditioning exer-
cise.
▼ The biggest challenge for a player during drill
work is to concentrate on performance.
▼ Every drill must be placed at the most advanta-
geous time during the practice period.
▼ New drills should always be introduced early in
the practice period while the player’s concentra-
tion level is still high.
▼ Physically difficult drills should be followed by D.4
D.1
more pleasurable (fun) drills and vice-versa.
Drill Stations
1. Allow for more variety while maintaining empha-
sis on the same subject manner (i. e. offense,
defense, rebounding).
2. Protects against monotony.
3. Fewer players standing around.
4. Give assistant coaches the opportunity to teach.
▼ Combine as many fundamentals as possible into
the drills even though emphasis may be on one
only.
▼ Use small carefully organized groups of three to D.2 D.5
five players for teaching purposes.
▼ Each player will not require the same amount of
work (or attention) on each fundamental.
▼ Be demanding! Demand correct execution of
basic skills.
▼ When the coach steps into the practice area, he
must know:
1. What he is going to teach.
2. How he is going to teach.
3. Why he is going to teach it.
▼ Express your expectations of each drill at the
start, set the tone, don’t compromise your stan- D.3 D.6
dards.
▼ Be certain to balance criticism with praise.
(Ratio… 2 to 1-Praise) opposite basket.
▼ Explain how the drill relates to the offense, defen- 2. Step with the left foot and shoot a rever-
se, etc… Help each player understand the bigger se lay-up with the right hand.
picture. 3. Grab the ball out of the net.
▼ Coaches are teachers. Drill work requires con- 4. Step with the right foot and shoot a
stant teaching. reverse lay-up with the left hand.
▼ Guard against ending practice with an activity 5. Work to make 25 in a row (diagr. 2).
which causes the players to feel they are being Backboard Taps
punished. 1. Begin on the right side of the backboard.
▼ Conclude the practice with a drill that the players 2. Throw the ball off the backboard and
enjoy. Whenever possible, coaches and players tap the ball with the right hand. D.7
should exit practice with a positive feeling. 3. Bounce off your toes and tap the ball
off the backboard 10 times. On the final
OFFENSIVE POST PLAYDRILLS tap put the ball in the hoop.
Let’s now talk of the drills we use at Oak Hill Academy 4. Repeat with the left hand (diagr. 3).
for teaching the offensive post play. Explosion Lay-Ups
Mikan Drill 1. Start underneath the goal with a basketball.
1. Start on the left side of the rim facing the back- 2. Dribble with your right hand past the three-point
board. line to the elbow, turn and use one dribble with
2. Step with the left foot and shoot a hook shot with the same hand, striding out all the way to the rim,
the right hand. making a lay-up with the right hand.
3. Grab the ball out of the net. 3. Grab your own rebound and repeat the pro-
4. Step with the right foot and shoot a hook shot cess to the other side using the left hand
with the left hand. (diagr. 4).
5. Work to make 25 in a row (diagr. 1). ▼ Add a coach/manager/teammate with a pad to
Note: Do not bring the ball below your head and don’t try to affect the shot after the drill has been com-
let the ball touch the floor. pleted a couple of times.
Reverse Mikan Drill ▼ Do drill for 35 seconds or until you make 10 lay-
1. Start with your heels on the baseline facing the ups.
EV\Z&+-
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

Lynums Inside Pivot

1. Line up below the low block 2 ft. (50 cm) outsi- 1. Sprint to the chair on the right side of the floor
de the lane with your back to the baseline. with a wide base.
2. Place a coach/manager/teammate with a ball 2. Make sure the players do not bend their back
at the elbow. to pick up the basketball, but that they bend
3. The coach/manager/teammate fires the their legs and get low.
basketball to you. 3. Once the players have picked up the ball,
4. Pivot around the foot closest to the rim, squa- have them pivot off their right foot and squa-
re your body to the baseline and jump off re their body to the basket and make these
both feet shooting a lay-up off the glass different types of shots: a) Jump Shot – D.8
(diagr. 5). Once the player is square and balanced,
▼ Once you have successfully completed this have them rise up and shoot a jump shot; b)
drill, move further outside the lane and use a Jab Baseline 1 Dribble Jump Hook Middle –
power dribble between your legs after you With their non pivot foot (left foot on right
pivot. Finish the same way. side of the floor) have them make an
▼ Make 10 lay-ups each with a dribble and aggressive jab baseline as if they were
without a dribble, and then repeat the drill on going to drive baseline. After they jab, have
the left side. On all of the chair drills remem- them take one dribble with their right hand
ber the points mentioned on with regards to into the paint and off both feet rise up and
the low post moves. To complete the chair shoot a jump hook; c) Rip Through Baseline
drills successfully it is necessary to have two – Instead of jabbing with their left foot, this
other people, whether it be a coach/mana- time they will (in a continuous motion) step D.9
ger/teammate, involved in the drill at all with there left foot, taking a dribble so they
times. One person needs to rebound and the do not travel, and off one dribble finish on
other person needs to replace the basketbal- the other side of the rim.
ls on the chair. 4. Immediately sprint to the opposite chair after
Low Block Chair Drills each move and repeat the same steps with
1. Place 1 chair slightly outside the lane directly the opposite hands (diagr. 9).
above each of the low blocks. Off The Block Chair Drills
2. Place a basketball in each of the chairs. Once the player has mastered the technique of
3. Start the player in the drill in the middle of the the above chair drills, move the chairs above the
lane (diagr. 6). low block to the first marker and have them add a
Drop-Step Baseline Power Lay-up power dribble with each move (diagr. 10).
1. Sprint to the chair on the right side of the floor Dribble Jump Hook Baseline D.10
with a wide base. 1. Sprint to the chair on the right side of the floor
2. Make sure the players do not bend their back with a wide base.
to pick up the basketball, but that they bend 2. Make sure the players do not bend their back
their legs and get low. to pick up the basketball, but that they bend
3. Once they have picked up the basketball, their legs and get low.
aggressively have them drop their right foot 3. Once the players have picked up the ball,
towards the rim and shoot a left-handed lay- have them aggressively drop their right foot
up off the glass. towards the rim, while, at the same time,
4. Immediately sprint to the opposite chair, taking a power dribble with both hands in
repeating the same steps as before, except between their legs.
this time instead of dropping the right foot, 4. Gather the basketball and go up off two feet
have them aggressively drop their left foot and shoot a left-handed jump hook off the D.11
towards the rim and then shoot a right-han- glass.
ded lay-up off the glass (diagr. 7). 5. Sprint to the opposite chair and repeat the
Drop-Step Middle Jump Hook same steps with the other hand (diagr. 11).
1. Sprint to the chair on the right side of the floor Dribble Jump Hook Middle
with a wide base. 1. Sprint to the chair on the right side of the floor
2. Make sure the players do not bend their back with a wide base.
to pick up the basketball, but that they bend 2. Make sure the players do not bend their back
their legs and get low. to pick up the basketball, but that they bend
3. Once they have picked up the basketball, their legs and get low.
aggressively have them drop their left foot 3. Once the player has picked up the ball, have
towards the rim and shoot a right handed them aggressively drop their left foot towards
jump hook. the rim, while, at the same time, taking a D.12
4. Immediately sprint to the opposite chair, power dribble with both hands in between
repeating the same steps as before, except their legs.
this time, instead of dropping the left foot, 4. Gather the basketball and go up off two feet
have them drop their right foot aggressively and shoot a right-handed jump hook.
towards the rim and then shoot a left-handed 5. Sprint to the opposite chair and repeat the
jump hook (diagr. 8). same steps with the other hand (diagr. 12).

EV\Z&+.
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE HIGH-POST
by Geno Auriemma

AND THE TRIANGLE

OFFENSEs
Geno Auriemma, 2006 inductee in the
Basketball Hall of Fame, was women's team
assistant coach at the University of St.
Joseph's, and then at the University of Virginia.
As head coach of the University of Connecticut,
he won five NCAA women's titles. This Italian-
American coach was chosen as Women's
National Coach of the Year five times by diffe-
rent organizations, and coached six collegiate
Women's National Players of the Year. He also
won a gold medal as assistant coach of the
U.S. Women's National team at the Sydney
Olympic Games, and a bronze medal as the
head coach of the women's team at the 2001
FIBA Junior World Championship.

The basic move from which we start to teach

this offense is the split cut, which is a cut of two
players around the high post. The first one, who
passed the ball, cuts first (diagr. 1). The center
can pass the ball to one of the two cutters, or
she can turn, face the basket, and shoot the
ball herself.

When I was young, the players were not indi-

cated as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but simply as two
guards, two forwards, and one center. So many
times I will mention the two guards, who cross
the mid-court line practically at the same time,
and one center, who goes in the high-post posi-
tion whenever it's possible. The reason we
cross the mid-court line with two guards is that
it's difficult for the defense to double team
when the offense moves this way.

After the ball is passed to 1, 2 makes a cross

cut and, if she is free, receives the ball from 1
(diagr. 2). If not, 1 goes to the middle of the
court. She cannot be trapped here, because
there is always a teammate near her, who will
punish the trap.

If 1 is overplayed, she makes a backdoor cut

going towards the mid-court line, or, if she
receives the ball, she can pass to 2 or dribble,
crossing towards the mid-court line (diagr. 3).
EV\Z&,%
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

2's defender cannot trap, because there is immediately a

pass back or 2 can easily go behind the ball line and help
the dribbler. Besides, we can send the center away from
the ball, after the inbound pass, because we do not need
her as a safety. In this way, we can avoid to have the cen-
ter dribbling the ball.

A basic detail: the guard without the ball does not cross the
mid-court line until the dribbler herself: she can be a safety
valve and receive a pass from 1 (diagr. 4), when the defen- D.1
se gets tight.

When we dribble over the mid-court line and are able to

pass the ball to the post, we make the split action with the
first passer, who cuts first.
Here are the various options:

▼ Pass and cut.

▼ Pass and make a screen.
▼ Pass, fake a cut, and come back.
▼ The center can pass to one of the cutters, or else fake
D.4
a pass, and then play one-on-one.

The key point of this action is that we want the defenders

of the two guards to turn their heads and watch the ball as
it reaches the high post. It's difficult to play good defense
in this situation because the defenders do not know where
the offensive players will go.

I would like to underline that the success of this play does

not depend on the quickness of the two guards, because
they can beat the defenders even if they are slower: they
can count on reading the defense on different options and D.2
on the two different cuts.

THREE PLAYER SET

We start to build the split simulating a situation of a
rebound, baseline out-of-bound, and then the split at the
beginning a 3 vs 0 and then a 3-on-2 (diagr. 5).

We set the players in three lines, with a guard, who

brings the ball on offense starting from over the mid-
court. There is also one mid post player and one at the
free-throw line extension. 1 crosses the mid-court line
D.5
and then changes direction. She must pass the ball to
the forward before going out with both feet from the
center court circle: this is the time for deciding where
to pass the ball (diagr. 6).

We set the players in three lines: 1 passes the ball (again,

before going out with the feet of the center court circle),
and then cuts and goes in the corner on the ball side
(diagr. 7).

2 passes the ball to the mid post and then 1 and 2 make the
split cut (diagr. 8). The center must be active and smart to D.3
read the defenders' moves and capitalize on their
mistakes. It's a must to read the defense, both for the cut-
ters, as well as for the center with the ball. D.6
It's also very important to have a good alignment between
the forward and the center (diagr. 9):
▼ The forward must be outside the three-point line, at the
free-throw line extension.
EV\Z&,&
 ▼ The center must be at the mid post position, with
enough space between her and the baseline for
the cut of a teammate. There should also be enou-
gh room to let her play one-on-one as a final
option.

We say to the players that no move is prearranged,

but, again, they must read the defense and let that
set up determine what will work best.

Here, for example, are two other options after the

pass to the mid post:
D.7 D.12 ▼ 1 can anticipate the cut (diagr. 10) or
▼ Makes a curl cut around 5, without going in the
corner (diagr. 11).

Let's now assume that the forward 2 is overplayed:

here are the different solutions:
a. Backdoor. 5 comes high at the corner of the free-
throw area, facing the midcourt line, and automa-
tically 2 will make a backdoor cut to receive the
ball (diagr. 12).

In short, when the ball crosses the mid-court line, the

D.8 D.13 play becomes a three-player collaboration: 5 must
read the defense and see if her teammate is over-
played. Then she must offer the choice of the entry
pass to 1.

b. Hand off. If 2 goes backdoor, 1 can receive a hand

off pass and shoots, or drives to the basket, or 5
can always play one-on-one (diagr. 13).

c. UCLA cut. 1 passes to 2, makes a cut on 5, and

then goes on the opposite corner. 5 then does a
D.9 D.14 pick-and-roll with 2: 2 can shoot, pass to 5 on the
roll, or make a skip pass to 1 for a three-point shot
(diagr. 14).

d. Post up. After the pass to 2 and the UCLA cut, 1

can also stop at the low post position (diagr. 15). 2
goes down to pick 1, after the pass to 5 (diagr. 16).
2 then comes high to back screen 5, after 5 has
passed the ball to 1 (diagr. 17).

FOUR PLAYER SET

Let's now add another player, playing with three
D.10 D.15 guards and a center. The beginning of the play is the
same, with the ball passed from 1 to 3, and from 3 to 5,
with 1 going to the corner on the ball side. 2 replaces
1 in the middle of the court, after faking a cut in the
other direction (diagr. 18).

If 5 is aggressively guarded, 3 passes the ball to 1, and

1 passes to 5, who has faked a high cut (diagr. 19). If 1
cannot pass to 5, 5 comes out, makes a back screen
for 3, and then plays pick-and-roll with 1 in the corner
(diagr. 20).
D.11 D.16
Spacing is always very important, staying especially
outside of the three-point line.

FIVE PLAYER SET

We start with two guards on the line, one forward at
EV\Z&,'
FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

the free-throw line extension, one mid-post on the

forward side and the other forward at the mid-post
position on the other side of the court (diagr. 21).

The play starts when the two guards cross the mid-
court line, and the players move based on the
defenders' reactions.
When there is an offensive overload in the corner,
2 must always come in the middle of the court. They
D.17 D.22 can now play three-on-three on one side, and two-
on-two on the other side of the court (diagr. 22).

If 3 has the ball and cannot pass to 1 or 5, 3 makes

a dribble weave, difficult to defend, going towards
1 and then passes to 1. 1 passes to 5, while 2 recei-
ves a back screen from 4, and then flares out (diagr.
23). Then, 1 and 3 make a split cut on 5 (diagr. 24).

If we cannot pass directly to 5, we reverse the ball

from 3 to 2, who is set in the middle of the court and
D.18 D.23 outside of the three-point line. 2 can pass inside to
5 (diagr. 25).

If nothing happens, 4 and 2 play two-on-two on the

other side of the court. 2 passes to 4, who comes
high, and then 2 moves, based on the reactions of
the defense, making a hand off, or a pick-and-roll,
using different fakes (diagr. 26).

If 2 is overplayed, 4 comes high, 3 passes the ball to

4, 2 makes a backdoor cut and receives the ball
from 4 (diagr. 27).
D.19 D.24

DIFFERENT OPTIONS
Based on the previous premises, we can build any
play. For example, if 3 is overplayed, 5 comes up to
the elbow, and receives the ball from 1, who, after
the pass, screens for 2, who goes on the forward
spot. At the same time, 3 cuts in the lane and goes
to the opposite corner (diagr. 28). 5 can make a
pass to 2 or 1. We now form a new triangle on the
other side of the court, the left side (diagr. 29).

D.20 D.25 On this side we can create a new three-on-three

play, with 1, who passes to 3 in the corner, and then
receives a back screen from 4, who then plays
pick-and-roll with 3. In the meantime, 5 screens for
2 (diagr. 30).

Another option is the entry pass to 4 on the weak

side post, with 2, who immediately makes a back-
door cut to receive the ball and goes to the basket
(diagr. 31). It's important to underline that 1, the ball
handler, must make the entry pass right away,
D.21 D.26
when she crosses the mid-court line.

If 1 does not have any entry pass options to 3, to 5,

or 4, she will pass to 2. 4 will pop out at the forward
position, and 5 will come out for a back pick for 3,
who will cut in the lane, heading in the opposite
corner (diagr. 32).

We can also form a triangle with 3, 4 and 5, who,

EV\Z&,(
D.27 D.32

after the pick, opens up. 4 can pass to 3, or to 5,

who can pass to 1 on an automatic back-door cut,
right after 5 receives the ball (diagr. 33).
In short, this play can have many options, always has a
triangle on one side, and a two-on-two play on the
other side.
D.28 The keys are:
▼ Read the defense.
▼ Proper spacing.
D.33 ▼ Patience.

D.29

D.30

D.31

EV\Z&,)
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE MARYLAND
by Brenda Frese
OFFENSE

Brenda Frese started her coaching career as an assistant coach The three perimeter players stay outside the three-point line,
at Kent State, followed by positions at Iowa State and Ball State. while the two inside players are set up with one at the corner of
She became head coach at the University of Minnesota in 1998, the free-throw area and the other opposite to her in the low post
where she earned National Coach of the Year honors, and two position.
years later became head coach at the University of Maryland. In
2006, she guided her team to the NCAA Women's Championship CREATING A TRIANGLE
and she again won the Coach of the Year award. 1, the point guard, has two choices for starting this play:
▼ If she dribbles towards 2, it means that 2 must go to the deep
I would like to share with you some of our offensive sets that corner (diagr. 1).
helped Maryland win the 2006 NCAA Women's national title. ▼ If she can pass to 2, 1 will cut and go in the deep corner
(diagr. 2).
In this way we start to form a triangle on one side of the court.
MAN-TO-MAN OFFENSE
SET UP ENTRY PASS
We initially line up in a three perimeter and two inside player set. Once the triangle is loaded, we are looking for a quick pass to

EV\Z&,*
D.1 D.2 D.4

D.3 D.5

the low post 5, from 1, in this case, or from 2, if 1 is able

to pass the ball to 2 on the wing.
On this pass, 4 will dive hard down to the low post,
on the same side of the court, while 3 will slide up
(diagr. 3).
If we cannot pass the ball to 5, because she is over-
played on the side, 1 will pass to 2 and 2 will pass the
ball to 5.
If 1 passes to 2 and 2 cannot pass to 5, 1 will cut in the
lane and will go on to the opposite side of the court,
outside of the three-point line to clear out the ball side
side of the court. 5 will come out and screen on the ball
EV\Z&,+
 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

for 2. 2 will attack the defender and 5 will roll to the

basket. As this action is taking place, 4 will screen
for 3 (diagr. 4).

If there is no chance of shooting, 2 can come off the

screen, dribble towards 3 and pass her the ball,
while 5 goes to the low post position (diagr. 5).

3 will now be able to set a new triangle on the other

D.6 D.11 side of the court: she will dribble the ball to the wing
position, 4 will go in the low post area, while 5 will
come up in the high post position, opposite of 4
(diagr. 6).

If 3 passes the ball to 5, 5 can look to pass to 4, who

has cut inside the three-second lane. As an option,
we can also do a hand-off pass between 5 and 2
(who must set up her defender before going
towards 5 to receive the ball). This offensive play is
very hard to guard against and gives a chance to 2
D.7 D.12
to get open for a shot (diagr. 7).

ZONE OFFENSE
With this offense we want to create maximum
players movement that will enable us to use the
same basic attack versus various zones and
match-ups. I want our team to be able to use
dribble penetrations, posts-ups, screens, over-
load, and slides into the open areas. You can
initiate the offense from various sets, such as
the 1-4, the 1-3-1 or 2-1-2 set, or out of the tran-
D.8 D.13 sition, with the guards at about 4 meters apart
to ensure easy passes between them, if neces-
sary.

ENTRY PASS
On the entry pass, from 1 to 2, in this case, the
weak side post 4 cuts to the ball on the short side
corner, in an open area on the baseline in the
gap of the zone (diagr. 8). The other post, 5, hunts
the ball and is in line with the ball and the basket
(diagr. 9).
D.9 D.14
RULE 1
On any point guard to wing pass, the offside post
curls to the ball side short corner. The strong
side post gets in line with the ball and the basket
(diagr. 10).

On a pass to the weak side (diagr. 11 and 12), 5 fla-

shes hard to the ball side and 4 loops to the strong
side short corner (it's also possible to start with one
of the post players in the short corner).
D.10 D.15
RULE 2
On any pass from the wing back to the point guard,
or from a wing to a wing, the passer makes a skip
pass and cuts to the basket, becoming the next
short corner player on whichever side the ball is
passed. The short corner player replaces the wing
that cut, and 5 continues to stay in line with the ball
and the basket (diagr. 13).

EV\Z&,,
From here, if 1 swings the ball to 3, then 2 beco-
mes the short corner player on the ball side. 5
stays in line with the ball and the basket (diagr.
14).

If 1 had passed the ball back to 4, 2 would be the

short corner player on 4's side, and again 5
would be in line with the ball and the basket
(diagr. 15).
D.16 D.21
BASIC MOVEMENT RULES
When a wing passes to the point guard, or to
another wing with a skip pass, that wing first
cuts to the basket and becomes the next short
corner on the ball side. The short corner player
replaces the wing, while the post stays in line
with the ball and the basket (diagr. 16 and 17).

RULE 3
On any pass to the short corner, the wing that
made the pass cuts to the middle of the lane and D.17 D.22
becomes the next short corner player on the ball
side (diagr. 18).

Rule 4
The short corner player must catch the pass,
face up to the basket, shoot, drive, or drag the
ball back out to the wing. If a player is double
teamed, she should look for the diagonal pass to
the point guard or across the baseline to the
wing, who has dropped (diagr. 19, 20, and 21).

SCREENING THE ZONE OR MATCH-UPS D.18 D.23

Anytime the wing passes to the point, she may
screen the strong side back line player in the
zone, or match-up. After the screen, 2 slides into
the short corner and 4 replaces 2 at the wing
(diagr. 22).

Or, the short corner player can back screen the

back line of the zone for the alley-hoop pass to 2,
cutting to the basket. If the pass is not thrown,
then 4 slides out to the wing to replace 2, and 2
slides to the short corner on the ball side (diagr. D.19 D.24
23 and 24).

RULE 5
When a pass is made into the post, everyone spots
up to shoot. The short corner player changes sides
of the floor, looking for the ball (diagr. 25).

OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
Offensive rebounding is quite effective because
the cutters are in excellent position to "get to the
glass." In addition, the short corner players have D.20 D.25
good angles for sneaking in for rebounds.
Obviously, we always rebound with both the
wings and the posts, while the point guard goes
back defensively to prevent the fastbreak.

Against the odd front zones, simply tilt the offen-

se by dribbling the ball off the center court, while
everyone keeps the proper spacing.

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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

THE RATIONAL GAME

by Tamas Sterbenz

Tamas Sterbenz is a former player of the RATIONALITY should be multiplied by 0.44 to get the cor-
Hungarian National Team. He was A behavior is considered rational if it rect number of possessions for a whole
appointed head coach of the Hungarian helps achieve a definite goal. So, first we season (for fast post game analysis 0.5
Women’s National Team in 2004. He tea- need to determine the goals in basketball. can be used).
ches economics and management at the For example, the goal can be to win a
Hungarian University of Physical championship, to beat a specific oppo- Possession = Field Goal + (Free-Throw
Education. His Ph.D. topic was “Bounded nent, or in the short term, to score a 0.44) + Turnover - Offensive Rebound
Rationality in Decision Making in Sports basket. These goals are simple but they
Management”. are not the same. Therefore, we need to Offensive rebounds have to be deducted
select one unit to analyze the rationality. from the equation, because they are still
Smart play is a goal of coaches and In competitive basketball this unit should part of the same possession; only the
players in every sport. The winner is be the game because performance can be offensive time starts over. This ensures
always proud of his strategy and emphasi- best compared at the game level. During that both teams have equal number of
zes the correct execution. The loser criti- the game the teams alternate possession opportunities to score. This does not
cizes the game plan or blames the coach of the ball. Both teams have equal oppor- mean that offensive rebounds are not
or players for neglecting that. Indeed, do tunity to score points and the team that important, as is described in the next sec-
the sportspeople know what should they scores more will win the game. We can tion.
have done? Do they know how rational see the better performance within a
strategy should be built the next time? game, but if we want to compare several CRUCIAL FACTORS
Unfortunately, in most cases they do not games we need to look at the ratio That team that wins is one whose offensi-
know. In this short article, I will analyze between points made and number of pos- ve rating is higher than its own defensive
the rationality of basketball and describe sessions. To analyze the performance, rating, which is equal to the opponent’s
some strategic principles. final score itself is not good indicator. The offensive rating. Both offensive and
score should be weighted by defensive ratings are good tools for analy-
the total number of attempts, sis by the coach. Yet, to make the best
which also shows the rhythm rational strategic decision, the coach
of the game. needs to find which elements are the most
critical to increase the offensive rating
EFFICIENCY and decrease the defensive rating.
To measure efficiency of According to Dean Oliver, the four basic
defense and offense, methods aspects of a game include:
have been created and used
for several decades. Histo- 1. Shooting percentage from the field.
rically, famous coaches such 2. Offensive rebounding.
as Dean Smith and Frank 3. Committing turnovers.
McGuire and analysts like 4. Going to the foul line a lot and making
Dean Oliver and John the shots.
Hollinger have worked on
developing a measure of To better understand these crucial
offensive rating: aspects, a good guide is that in professio-
nal men’s basketball the offensive rating is
Offensive Rating = Score around 1, so a team usually makes 1 point
Points / Possession in average per possession (in 1991-92, the
NBA’s Chicago Bulls reached the highest
Current statistics do not keep seasonal offensive score of 1.155 in).
count of the number of pos-
sessions, but this can easily 1. If the team finishes all its offenses with
be counted or estimated. a 2-point shot, a 50% shooting percen-
Offense ends with either a tage ensures an offensive score that is
field goal or a free-throw higher than 1. In case of 3-point shots,
attempt or turnover. Obviously, the team has to have a 33% shooting
a free-throw will not count for percentage to reach the same.
1 possession. According to the 2. Increasing the number of free-throws
NBA’s estimation, a free-throw helps the team reach an offensive
EV\Z&,.
 Time: there are 24 seconds to finish the
possession, and the quarters are 10
minutes long. The remaining time left in
the 24-second period or the quarter will
always influence the decisions. Rational
behavior must take this into considera-
tion. The same shot in the beginning of
the possession is irrational compared to
the shot at the end of the period, which is
necessary.

Space: moves are differentiated by

where they take place on the court.
Shooting percentage depends on how far
the player is from the basket. Rational
strategy should increase the expected
value of the shooting. The opponent’s
position on defense affects what the
offense should do (rational strategy must
differ when playing against press or zone
defense).

Personal fouls: the offense must be

aware of how the defense can stop the
team from scoring. If the defensive team
has less than 4 personal fouls, the offen-
sive team should know that rational deci-
sion might be to commit a foul.

Result: at all times the actual score will

influence tactical decision. Rationality of
all tactical decision depends on how it
impacts the final score. Decisions throu-
ghout the game can be evaluated based
on time and score, and risk taking must
consider the same factors.

RISK AND UNCERTAINTY

All decision contains risk and uncer-
tainty. Nothing is certain, situations are
ambiguous, decisions depend on multiple
criteria, and execution depends on the
whole team. Even though all these are
score higher than 1. Other than extre- were missed on purpose, the team rational factors, there will be the oppo-
me cases, all players make free- would have a chance to make a 2- nent that will impact the outcome.
throws above 50% success rate. or 3-point shot.
3. High number of field scoring attempts In basketball, there are only rational deci-
shows that the team does not commit BOUNDARIES IN BASKETBALL sions, but not optimal decisions. One
turnovers. Also, low number of turno- Every sport is surrounded by rules to must know that success is relative, and it
vers decreases the defensive rating, make the game more difficult and intere- is often affected by good fortune.
because the opponent could not sting. These rules, or boundaries, impact Rational strategy ensures only long-term
make many easy baskets. the strategies and the decisions in the efficiency but single actions depend on
4. Increase in offensive rebounds will execution. The following boundaries exist intuition and anticipation. In a game, both
lead to more chances to make a in basketball. teams have 80 to 90 possessions and
close attempt or to get to the free- sometimes even irrational behavior can
throw line. Often at the end of the Opponent: in basketball, the goal is not lead to success.
game, following an offensive to make many baskets, but to make
rebound, the team will get a new 24- more baskets than the opponent. The During practices, coaches should build
seconds on the shot clock, which moves don’t have to be fast, but faster boundaries into the drills to teach players
can lead to winning the game. than the opponent. In decision making, to be rational. If both teams play smart
Offensive rebounds would also can’t neglect the opponent. Success and use correct strategy, there still will
increase the offensive rating, and doesn’t only depend on a team’s deci- be a winner and a loser, but basketball
save the game. If the free throws sion, but also on the opponent’s choice. will advance!
EV\Z&-%
 content

DEFENSE
INDIVIDUAL OFF BALL DEFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS
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HOW TO BUILD A 2-3 ZONE DEFENSE
 

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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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2-2-1 PRESSURE DEFENSE
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THE FRENCH WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM DEFENSE
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PRACTICING MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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THE MATCH-UP DEFENSE
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AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM: A FULL COURT TRAPPING DEFENSE
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DEFENSE AGAINST PICKS OF PLAYERS WITHOUT THE BALL
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SWITCHING FROM 2-3 ZONE TO MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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ZONE DEFENSE
 
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PRINCIPLES OF PRESSURE DEFENSE
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THE BASICS OF MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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THE “TRIANGLE AND TWO” DEFENSE
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DEFENSE: A “WINNING STRATEGY”
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DEFENDING THE PICK-AND-ROLL
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“FIRE”: DOUBLING THE POST
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COMBINATION DEFENSE: THE TRIANGLE AND TWO
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DEFENSE IS A CONSTANT
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PRINCIPLES OF THE MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE

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BUILDING A MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
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DEFENSIVE DRILLS OF THE CHICAGO BULLS
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DEFENSE: A TEAM CONCEPT
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MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE WITH TRAPS
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MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
$ 2
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THE FULL COURT 2-2-1 ZONE PRESS
8  9
1-3-1 ZONE TRAP
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

INDIVIDUAL OFF
BALL DEFENSIVE
FUNDAMENTALS
by Ernie Woods

One of the winning coaches in the State of Washington,

he is lecturer at clinics in US and abroad. He was also
scout for NBA teams. Since many years he applies the
technology to basketball and he has a web site hoo-
pstactics.com.

1. PASS DENIAL
Guarding player on ball side without the ball
Off ball defenders primary responsibility is to constantly
attack and disrupt the passing lanes. This requires a
commitment of hard work and determination. Defenders
must maintain a low bent knee stance, “Ear on Chest”
position using split vision to see both their opponent and
the ball. The arm closest to the ball should be extended
straight out in passing lane with palm toward the passer
(“Stop Sign”) to deflect or discourage any pass. The
rear foot should be placed 12” behind the receiver.
When assuming a pass denial stance, defenders should
move with quick, short shuffle steps staying low.

OFF BALL PASS DENIAL POSITION

ATTACKING THE PASSING LANE
Rule: Off ball defenders should never allow any pass
over 15 feet. Successful passes over 15’ compromises
the defense and gives the offense a distinct advantage.
It is important to see the ball and the opponent at all
times. This is especially true when in defensive transi-
tion where the defenders should never run down the
court with their backs to the ball.

BALL-YOU-MAN PRINCIPLE
In order to effectively attack and deny passing lanes, the
defender must play in an UP position between his oppo- D.1 D.2
nent and the ball (diagr. 1).
When the ball is in the backcourt, the off ball defenders
should stay above the free throw line extended until the
ball crosses the midcourt line.
Incorrect: Ball - You - Man
When the defender plays in a DOWN position below
their opponent, they have to close out and lunge at the
pass. This usually resulting in a near miss interception or
deflection and easy shot off dribble penetration (diagr. 2).
Do NOT leave a shooter to help.

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 DEFENSE

Stay at home (pass denial) on ball side.

D.3
When the guard 1 penetrates past the defender X1,
defender X3 on ball side must STAY with the shooter 3.
Helpside defenders are responsible for rotating over to
help stop 1’s dribble penetration (diagr. 3).

PROBLEM OF HELPING OUT

ON BALL SIDE
Be aware! Smart point guards like to penetrate to draw
ball side defenders to them, and then make a kick out D.5
pass to a wide open shooter (diagr. 4).

DEFENDING AGAINST THE CUTTER

A. Dribble Clear Action D.4
When the point guard 1 dribbles toward the wing, defen-
der X3 maintains a pass denial position on 3’s back cut
to the basket and then assumes a low “Helpside I” posi-
tion as 3 clears out to the weakside (diagr. 5). X3 does
NOT follow the cutter out to the weakside wing.
B. Double Team Option
Since 3 is clearing out to the weakside, defender X3 can
double back and trap 1 with X3 on the wing (diagr. 6). D.6
C. Defending against the Basket Cut (“Give & Go”)
When guarding the player with the ball, once the player
gives up the ball, it is imperative that the defender
“jump to the ball” to establish a ball side pass denial
position.
D. Give & Go Pass Denial
When ballhandler 1 passes to 3 and executes a basket
cut, defender X1 first moves in the direction of the pass,
and then assumes a ball side pass denial position pre-
venting any return pass to 1 (diagr. 7).
E. Incorrect: Basket Cut
Defender X1 cannot allow cutter 1 to make an unconte-
sted cut to the basket (diagr. 8).
F. Cutter Goes Away
When ballhandler 1 passes to wing 3 and goes away,
defender X1 moves in the direction of the pass, and
then assumes a Helpside I position. X1 does not fol-
low 1 out to the weakside wing (diagr. 9).
G. Double Team Option
Since 1 is clearing out to the weakside, defender X1
can double back and trap 1 with X3 on the wing (diagr.
10).

2. “HELPSIDE I”
Backside Help Position With Basket Responsibility
When guarding a player without the ball on the weak-
side or helpside of the defense, the defender should
sag off and assume a Ball - You - Man “Helpside
I”position. In this “Helpside I” position, players should
maintain a low bent knee stance with both arms
extended straight out. One arm points to their oppo-
nent and the other one towards the ball. They must
remain alert with active feet (do not stand flat footed)
anticipating and disrupting the offense’s next move.
Note: On all cuts away from ball defenders should
also assume the “Helpside I” position. and not chase
after any cutter going away from the ball.

VISION
Helpside defenders should use split vision and adjust
their position to where they can see both the ball and
their opponent without moving their head. This also
will limit the offensive player to only one cutting
option (diagr.11).

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 Incorrect “Helpside I” Position.
When the defender takes a position mid way between the D.12
ball and their opponent it not only creates a vision pro-
blem it also allows the offense the options of cutting high
or low (diagr.12).
Basic Actions taken from “Helpside I” Position.
By sagging off into the a “Helpside I” position, it enables
the defender to double team or trap, to deny any cuts to
the ball, to close out quickly on cross court passes, to box
our and rebound.
D.15
A. Double Team
The helpside defender can double team or take an offen-
sive charge or show and recover (fake trap) to keep the D.13
offensive player off balance (diagr. 13).
B. Hit - Deny All Cuts
The “Helpside I” defender can aggressively block and
prevent any direct cut to the ball or basket (diagr.14).
C. Close Out Quickly
In being alert, the “Helpside I” defender can intercept or
deflect any cross court pass or quickly close out on
balance when the pass is completed (diagr.15).
D. Box Out & Rebound D.16
When shots are taken, “Helpside I” defender must antici-
pate a miss, and box out. Do not allow any second efforts
(diagr. 16). D.14

3. CLOSING OUT
Quick recovery from “Helpside I” position to a “Ballside”
positionIf/when the offense deploys the post on the ball
side of the court, a double “I” helpside defensive align-
ment is created. From this helpside alignment the two
defenders provide
for strong back- D.17
D.7 side defensive
help, creating a
five on three situa- it opens up a large
tion in favor of the area in the middle
defense (diagr.17). for the ballhandler to
Problem of No dribble penetrate
Helpside Support (diagr. 18).
When the weaksi- Near Man Rule:
de defenders do When a pass is
not sag off to help, made over to the
helpside of the
D.10
D.8 defense, all players D.18
must immediately
rotate to the nearest
opponent as the ball
leaves the passers
hands. The ability to
close out quickly
and effectively is a
real key to defensi-
ve success (diagr.
19).
D.11 When closing out to
D.9 D.19
a player with ball,
the defender must
maintain balance
with both hands up to disrupt or prevent a shot or pass.
“Take away middle penetration” by influencing the player
with the ball toward a sideline or baseline check point. Be
sure to stay down and do not run past the shooter. When
closing out to a player without ball, aggressively attack and
deny the passing lane. Stay low in an “ear on chest” with
“Stop Sign” (arm) extended pass denial position.

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

HOW TO BUILD
A 2-3 ZONE DEFENSE
by Victorino Cunha

For 20 years, he was head coach of the good outside shooters.

Angolan national team and won three African ■ It is problematic against quick ball rota
Championships, one Pan African Games, and tion, combined with splits and cuts in
one Military Championship. Cunha, the for- the gaps of the zone.
mer President of African Coaches Committee,
participated with Angola in three World 4. MAIN PRINCIPLES
Championships and one Olympic Games It is easy to teach zone defense, but it is very
(Barcelona, 1992). Cunha is presently the difficult to do so efficiently.
FIBA instructor for Africa and the National The zone defense has many weak points.
Technical Director of the Angolan Federation. ■ The defensive players must
D.1
recover quickly.
1. PHILOSOPHY ■ All defensive players must know exactly
Zone defense challenges the offense to their position on the court and what are
shoot well from the outside. The main goals theirresponsibilities.
D.2
of the zone defenses are: ■ Each defender must know the position
■ Put pressure on the ball in all areas of the of the ball.
half court, with the primary purpose being to ■ The defenders must go to certain
prevent high-percentage shots, and offer rebound areas.
help when one offensive player penetrates
with or without the ball (dribbling penetra- 5. STUDIES ON REBOUND AREAS
tion, cuts from the weakside of the ball, pass Based on research, diagr. 1 shows the ten
to the centers). probable rebound areas that open when a
■ Prevent the penetration of the ball (by medium distance shot is taken and missed.
pass, dribble, or cut), forcing the offense to ■ These are the percentage of possibilities
move the ball around the perimeter, farther that the ball rebounds in certain areas, inde-
away from the basket. pendently of where the player shoots from:
■ The defenders never move before the pass - Area n. 3: 40%
is made and the defender nearest to the ball - Area n. 4: 35 % D.3
should “defend” on the next pass. - Area n. 10: 15%
- The final 10% of the rebounds
2. WHEN WE SHOULD PLAY ZONE DEFENSE are divided in the other areas:
When we want: ■ Missed shots from area n.1: 55% of the
■ To catch the offense unprepared rebounds will land in area n.4.
because we switch the defense. ■ Missed shots from area n.2: 60%
■ To protect the area near the basket. of the rebounds will land in area n.3.
■ To hide one (or more) weak defensive ■ Missed shots from area n.5: 66%
player. of the rebounds will land in area n.4.
■ To protect one or more players, who are ■ Missed shots from area n.6: 56%
in foul trouble. of the rebounds will land in area n.3.
■ To force the offense in the last two ■ Missed shots from area n.7: 54%
minutes of the game, when we are of the rebounds will land in area n.4. D.4
ahead by 8 to 10 points, to make extra ■ Missed shots from area n. 8:
passes before shooting. 52% of the rebounds will land
■ To organize our fastbreak in a very in area n.3.
efficient way.
TWO - THREE ZONE DEFENSE
3. DISADVANTAGES In order to teach the two-three zone defen-
■ Does not encourage the improvement of se we split the half court in two fundamental
individual defensive skills. areas (diagr. 2):
■ Leaves the team vulnerable against 1. Above the free-throw line (defenders X1

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 D.5

D.6

D.7

D.8
and X2). Dribbling penetration
2. Below the free-throw line (defenders X3, If 1 dribbles into the gap of the front line of
X4 and X5). X1 and X2 and then passes the ball to 3, X3
comes out of the lane and puts pressure on
BALL ABOVE THE FREE THROW LINE 3. X1 goes to the free-throw line corner, X5
Defensive slides of X1 and X2 overplays 5, the strong side low post, and X2
In diagr. 3, the slides of the first line defen- goes in the helpside position inside the
ders are shown. three-second lane. X4 goes under the
In diagr. 4, you can see the position of defen- basket on the help side position (diagr. 8).
der X1 on the ball and the other one, X2, who
helps out. BALL BELOW THE FREE THROW LINE
D.9
In diagr. 5, X1 goes towards the dribbler, Ball to the Wing
puts pressure, and then slides when the ball If the ball is passed from above the free-
is passed to the other guard. X2 helps and throw line to the wing player below the free-
waits for the pass to the helpside. throw line, in this case from 1 to 3 (as we
Another option: X1 and X2 can also wait for can see in diagr. 9, 10, and 11), note the
the lateral pass and then slide (diagr. 6). defensive slides of X1, X2 and X3.
X1 and X2 are in a tandem position, with X1 Diagr. 12 shows the movements of the
pressuring 1 with the ball and X2 is behind second defensive line, X3, X5, and X4, when
X1, ready to go out to guard the ball after it the ball is below the free-throw line. In
is passed by 1 (diagr.7). diagr. 13, notice the slides of the same
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.10

D.11

D.12
D.12

defenders when the ball is instead passed Ball in the Low Post
to the wing on the weak side. If 2 is not a good shooter, X3 can help on 5
- the same rule is applied to X1 - (diagr.18).
Ball to the Wing and Cut from the Weak Ball in the High Post
D.13
Side (Three Defenders Slides) If 5 receives the ball, X5 must pressure him
If 2 cuts from the wing position to the (diagr. 19).
opposite corner, X5 goes out of the lane to
pressure the ball when 2 receives the ball SPECIAL SITUATIONS
from 3. X4 overplays the low post on the Flash Cut to the Ball
ball side and X3 double teams 2, if 3 is not If 4 makes a flash cut to the ball from the weak
a good shooter. If 3 is a good shooter, X3 side, it is possible to make two different
does not double team and instead over- defensive adjustments:
plays 3 in an open stance (diagr.14).
A. X4 overplays 4’s cut, while X2 is responsible
Ball to the Wing and Cut from the Weak for covering 2 on the weak side (diagr. 20).
Side (All Five Defenders Slide)
In diagr. 15, 16, and 17 I have illustrated the B. X2 overplays 4’s cut, while X4 is responsible D.14
movements of each of the five defenders for covering 2 on the weak side position
when the ball is on the wing and there is a (diagr. 21).
cut of the guard 2 to the opposite corner on
the side of the low post 5, to overload one Pass to the High Post and then to the
side of the floor (diagr. 15). When the pass is Opposite Wing
made from 1 to 3 (diagr. 16), X3 pressures 3, If 3 passes to the high post 4 and 4 passes
giving X1 the time to slide to guard 3. X3 then to the opposite wing 2, changing the side
goes low to guard 2, who is going in the cor- to the ball, we can slide in two specific
ner, cutting from the weak side (diagr. 17). ways, as shown in diagr. 22 and 23.
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D.15 D.20

D.16 D.21

D.25

D.17 D.22

D.26

D.18 D.23

D.27

D.19

D.28

D.24

HOW TO TEACH THE ZONE DEFENSE seven players on offense.

A. Progression of Teaching ■ Five on five.

■ Ball movements around the zone. B. Special Drill

■ Ball movements and cuts to
the basket. Six players involved on offense: five static
■ Ball movements with passes players and one player, who cuts along the
to the low and high post. baseline, from one corner to the other D.29
■ Movements with six and (diagr. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29).

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF THE MAN-TO-MAN
DEFENSE
Ettore Messina won three Italian
Championships, three Italian Cups,
two Euroleague Championships, and
one Cup of Cups. With the Italian
National team, Messina won a gold
medal at the Mediterranean Games,
one silver medal at the Goodwill by Ettore Messina
and
Games, and at the European Emanuele Molin
Championship in Barcelona. He was
selected Coach of the Year three
times in Italy, and once as European
Coach of the Year. He is Vice
President of the European Coaches
Association. He coached Benetton
Treviso to the 2003 Italian Cup.
D.1
Emanuele Molin coached the youth
teams of Mestre and Virtus Bologna
before becoming an assistant coach
with Treviso and Virtus Bologna,
where he worked with Ettore
Messina and other top coaches. He
is currently the assistant coach at
Benetton Treviso.

A good offense has to be ready to

beat the defense, especially in 1-on-1 D.2
and 2-on-2 situations. It also has to
know how the defense moves and
reacts on weakside plays. Active ball
movement and the proper spacing of
the offensive players on the court are
problems a defense will face. On the
strongside, the defense has to work
hard against one-on-one situations,
screens set by a perimeter player for
a big man, and pick-and-roll situa-
tions. For all these reasons, the
defense must also be ready to rotate D.3
and help out on the weakside as well.
The main goal of the defense in these
situations is to force and limit the
offense to 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 options.
All penetrating passes are to be
denied. These are passes directly
into the post areas, or passes to the
wings that may lead to a post pass.
You want to keep the offense from
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

working on the weak side because feet and be able to analyze and anti-
there the options are several, inclu- cipate various offensive situations.
ding: dribble penetration and kick He has to learn to increase the defen-
away for jump shot; 1-on-1 with the sive pressure when the offensive
defender on a help-and-recover player wants to pass the ball and sli-
situation; post-up situations with their ghtly decrease the pressure when he
big man; advantages from spacing wants to start the dribble.
and movement of the ball; and second
shot attempts after a rebound. DRILL N. 3
The best way to provide a consistently DYNAMIC ONE-ON-ONE: THE RECOVERY
solid team defense is to emphasize the In the diagr. 4 and 5, the coach fakes a
one-on-one defense. This defensive dribble penetration on a one-on-one
strategy places all the responsibility situation and then passes the ball to the
on the individual player to stop his man weakside. The defender and offensive
from passing and attempting to score. player react to this situation by playing
With each defensive player now one-on-one without the ball. On the
responsible for his own man, it makes pass, the defensive player, while reco-
it easy for a coach to find defensive vering, changes his position from the
mistakes when a basket is scored and weakside to the strongside, guarding
note which player made the mistake. the offensive player with the ball. While
Since there is individual defensive he is recovering, he should get closer
responsibility, the coach will then to the offensive player with short, quick
know what to suggest to a particular steps, faking to go toward the ball with
player about how to react during cru- his hands: the aim is not to allow a jump
cial moments of the game. Daily prac- shot to be taken. Immediately after, he
tice sessions should be geared should be able to react by stepping
towards improving the individual back, stopping the possible dribble
defensive techniques of your players penetration, and forcing the offensive D.4
and having them learn to anticipate player towards the baseline (do not
the offensive moves, both as individual allow any dribble penetration in the
defenders and as a member of team middle of the court).
working together on defense. The second aim is to force the offen-
se out of their usual positions, pres-
DRILL N. 1 suring the ball and anticipating all
DEFENSE ON THE CROSS-OVER STEP passes (RULE N. 2).
The offensive player passes to the On the strongside, the defense must
coach, follows the pass, receives a anticipate in such a way as to force
hand-off pass, and then makes a the offensive players to receive the
strong cross-over dribble. To avoid ball in those positions where they are
being beaten on this play, the defensi- the least dangerous offensive threats
ve player must make a retreat step (diagr. 6). In any case, the defense D.5
and, at the same time, a lateral slide must slow down the ball movement
in order to keep his body between the without taking an open defensive
ball and the basket (diagr. 1). When stance and getting beaten by the
the defensive player has his chest backdoor cuts. On the weakside, the
between the ball and the basket, we defender must position his body in
call this “making a wall.” (RULE N.1). such a way so he can intercept possi-
ble passes (diagr. 7), but at the same
DRILL N. 2 time, always being sure to watch his
MOVE WITH THE BALL man and the ball.
The emphasis in this drill is on the On a dribble penetration (diagr. 8), he
defensive position to be used on the must adapt his stance, and as the ball
offensive player with the ball, as well gets closer, he will take an extra step
as the slides that need to be made, all in the lane (ready for a defensive D.6
which are based on the movements help). It is crucial in this dynamic
of the ball (diagr.2 and 3). When the situation that the defensive player
ball changes sides and is in the hands stays in the passing lane to keep the
of the offensive player, we stress the ball and offensive players out. We call
importance of reacting and correc- this “stay on the passing lane,” as a
ting the position of the body, which way of reminding players that we
again, is based on ball movement. In can’t anticipate unless there is pres-
this way, the player is ready to “make sure on the ball.
a wall” on the ball. The defensive Here some drills we use to teach this
player has to be able to think on his phase of the defense.
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 D.7

D.8

D.9

D.10

DRILL N. 4 their man, contesting the potential

D.11 THREE-ON-THREE: DEFENSIVE ZIPPER passing lanes. Once one of the
From a situation of 3-on-3 (diagr.9), offensive players receives the ball
the coach has the ball, fakes a one- from the coach, they play three-on-
on-one situation, and then uses drib- three.
ble penetration. The defenders on
the weakside must then adapt their DRILL N. 5
position and pack the three-second THREE-ON-THREE: COME UP WITH THE BALL
lane, without losing sight of their own This drill is similar to the previous
offensive players (diagr. 10). one, except that the coach starts on
When the coach passes the ball the weakside (diagr. 11). The offen-
outside, the defenders recover on sive player with the ball, along with
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.12

D.13

D.14

a defensive player on him, penetrates when the ball is passed away, but always Additional aspects of man-to-man defen-
with a dribble. As this move is started, keeping pressure on the passing lanes. se that have to be worked on include how
the other two defenders slide into the The third aim is to defend, prevent shots to defend against shooters using a
lane. When the offensive player passes inside the lane, and “control all defensi- screen; back picks of the perimeter
the ball to the coach, who is positioned ve rebounds” (RULE N. 3). players for the big men; the pick-and-roll;
in the middle of the floor, the three and also the double team on the post,
defenders then slide high toward the To achieve this goal, you do not only need which necessitates a defensive rotation.
ball, contesting the position in the pas- to contest the offensive players in the low
sing lane (diagr. 12). post, stop the dribble penetrations, and SUMMATION
It must be noted that this is naturally a crowd the lane, but you also need to In order for a team to play an effective
tougher situation than the players will understand the offense of the other team man-to-man defense, all five players on
encounter in an actual game, where a and make the proper defensive match- the court must work together.
pass from that position to the center of ups. We always want to have our center While there is much individual responsi-
the court is contested and/or slowed patrol the lane and we help him choosing bility in the man-to-man defense, the abi-
down. the proper tactics for defending against lity of each player to help each other is
one or more offensive sets, which critical.
DRILL N. 6 attempt to bring him out of the lane with a The strength of a team comes from
THREE-ON-THREE: JUMP TO THE BALL pick-and-roll. having a clear idea of exactly what to do
As seen in the diagr. 13 and 14, this drill is Don’t forget that improving individual in different defensive situations the
made from a sequence of cuts and posi- defensive skills can be assured though players will encounter during the course
tions, where the defenders change their daily practice. Our defensive rules don’t of a game. We work every day in practice
positions, going from the weak to the create confusion for our players because to achieve our defensive aims because
strong side of the court. they practice defense regularly and know we strongly believe that good defensive
The aim of this drill is to teach the defen- exactly what they need to do. What we work is a skill that can be learned and
se to close up when the ball is near the have described here is only the founda- improved, just like passing and shooting.
basket (with the pass), and then open up, tion of our defensive philosophy. All this hard work will yield results.
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 FIBA EUROPE
OFFENSE

2-2-1 PRESSURE
D.1

DEFENSE
Jim Calhoun was for 14 years head coach at
Northeastern University, and then for 16 years
at University of Connecticut. With this team he
won a National Invitation Tournament, and
the 1999 NCAA Championship. by Jim Calhoun

At the University of Connecticut the 2-2-1

zone press defense has been used with There are seven keys to the press:
remarkable effectiveness. This defense plays 1) PRESSURE - Ball pressure is a fundamen-
an integral role in a Connecticut defense tal key to the success of the press. We
which annually produces a high number of emphasize solid, intelligent pressure on the D.2
turnovers, yet still is able to hold opponents ball, which in turn will enable us to apply
under 40% field goal shooting. The ability of other steps in executing the press.
the 2-2-1 to pressure teams and force tempo, 2) FORCE - Our second objective is to force
but also allow coverage to keep easy baskets the ball to a sideline - also referred to us an
to a minimum is most appealing to my philo- “alley” - where we can set up a trap
sophy. between one of our “first line” defenders
This particular press is used for several rea- and a “second line” defender.
sons. First, we feel that the work ethic and the 3) CONTAIN - In addition to being able to
individual talents of our team members fit into pressure the ballhandler and force him to
the scheme of the press very well. By combi- the sideline, we must be able to contain him
ning attitude and hard work with our quick- and keep the ball out of the middle of the
ness and athleticism we are able to play this court or the press will break down
defense very effectively. In turn we can play 4) “1-4” PRINCIPLES - Within the 2-2-1 press
this press very aggressively and dictate alignment we emphasize one defender
tempo of the game with it. The 2-2-1 press for- applying solid pressure on the ball, and the
ces our opponents to attack us; in effect, remaining four defenders in good, balanced
teams cannot just bring the ball upcourt help position.
without incurring a ten-second violation or 5) ROTATE - After we funnel the ballhandler
being forced to make a decision as to where into a trap, each of our defenders must rota-
and how to avoid traps. Certainly it causes te accordingly and make the proper defensi-
opponents to think about something other ve adjustments. This becomes even more
than their halfcourt offense. This, of course, is important when there is a ball reversal. D.3
a major objective of the press, which is not 6) CHALLENGE EVERY SHOT - When the ball
designed to take the ball away from oppo- is advanced against our press and a shot is
nents nearly as much as to force them into taken, it must be challenged aggressively.
mental and physical errors on which we will 7) REBOUND - We must secure the rebound
capitalize. and limit second shot opportunities.

The 2-2-1 is a very versatile press. We can INITIAL SET-UP, SLIDES, AND ROTATIONS (DIAGR. 1)
get into the 2-2-1 off of made baskets or free The ball is not denied on the inbounds. Tight
throws, backcourt out-of-bounds situations, pressure is immediately applied on the ball
and even off of missed shots attempts. after it is inbounded by the first line defender
Furthermore, various options can be utilized on the ball side X1. The opposite frontline
within the scheme and execution of the 2-2- guard X2 pinches to the middle and must
1. In addition to our standard version, we can stay at or above the level of the ball as it is
match up out of it, we can pull the press back being advanced. The strongside second line
into a “retreat” version, and we can also trap defender X3 plays “cat and mouse”, a game
particular players at different locations. Each of hedge and recovery always staying in the
of these options will be discussed in this passing lane and encouraging a lob pass.
report. The second line weakside defender X4 must
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

play in tandem and communicate with the it is a good trap. We tell our players that “we
deep man, X5. X5 will move to the strongside want a good trap, not necessarily an early D.4
to defend the deep “alleyway” against any one.” By a “good trap” we mean an aggressi-
lob pass to a frontcourt offensive player. X4 ve, solidly executed trap in which our defen-
will quickly rotate back to the basket. It is ders have their hands up, put pressure on the
important to note that any pass to the middle ball, and body up to the offensive player to
is greatly discouraged. We must KEEP THE make it more difficult for him to escape or
BALL OUT OF THE MIDDLE for our press to be make a pass.
effective. The ball must go around our press,
never through it. We can create good traps in the backcourt as
well as in the frontcourt. Again, we allow the
We do not discourage the reversal pass reversal pass - we would like for the oppo-
because we do not believe that will hurt us if nents to use as much up the 10-second limit
our protection is good. After our first trap, we to get past halfcourt as possible. Moreover,
will rotate, adjust, and recover to retrap, a uni- once the ball does get advanced just over
que feature of our 2-2-1, which has contributed halfcourt, ideal trap situations arise and we
significantly to the success of our press. Many tell our players “this is where we’re going to
teams trap once before pulling their press get them.” Another advantage of having the
back. We will trap a number of times in a sin- having the trap occur in this area is that we
gle possession before tacking off the press.
Another point we emphasize is that we do not
believe the long diagonal pass will hurt us,
simply because we will discourage that pass D.5
and make it very difficult to throw by placing
good pressure on the ballhandler.

DIAGRAM 2
On a ball reversal we will employ the funda-
mental “bump” principle and make the
appropriate rotations. As the ball is reversed,
the entire zone quickly rotates back to our
regular 2-2-1 alignment. As the ball is rever-
sed from 1 to 2, X1 immediately pinches to the
middle and “bumps” X2 back over to the
strongside where he can pressure the ball
and force it sideline. In maintaining our
objectives of keeping the ball out of the midd-
le, X2 must hold for X1 momentarily before
this adjustment is made. To execute this
movement efficiently and effectively requires
good recognition, anticipation, communica-
tion, and hard work. X3, now the weakside
second line defender, must trap back toward
the middle into what we call “short middle”
position. X4 is now the strongside second
D.6
line defender, applying good “hedge and
recover” principles and attempting to lull 2
into a sideline trap. X5 rotates back to the
basket for protection in what we call “deep
middle” position. have less ground to cover should a trap be
broken.
This is a good example of our “1-4 Principle”
at work. Initially X1 pressured the ball while When a trap is broken each player must
X2, X3, X4, and X5 essentially formed a “box” work hard to recover back into good defensi-
of help behind him ready to react. On the ve position. The short middleman and the
reversal X2 now pressures the ball at the deep middleman must work very hard to pro-
point of our “1-4 Principle” with X1, X3, X4, tect the middle area and the basket. In
and X5 providing help behind him. essence the deep man must move with the
basketball or “mirror” the basketball as it is
DIAGRAM 3 advanced.
We are always trying to spring out traps in We can recover back into a man-to-man or
the alleys along either sideline. It is important zone defense according to my preference. I
to note that we are not as concerned with will normally indicate this to the players
where the trap is made in the alley as long as through a verbal or numerical signal.
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 DIAGRAM 5
In the match-up option of the 2-2-1 we will
make an adjustment to deny the reversal
pass after it is inbounded. This tends to con-
fuse or distract opponents after they have
initially tried to confront the regular version
of our 2-2-1.
In diagram 5 the ball is inbounded to 2. X2
immediately puts solid containment pressure
on 2 and attempts to force him sideline. His
counterpart on the frontline of the press, X1,
jumps up to guard the inbounder and deny
the reverse pass. X3 moves up and matches
up with 1, who ordinarily would have been
X1’s man.
X4 and X5 will also match up to the frontcourt
personnel. Hence, the match up becomes
more like a man-to-man press except that we
will also trap out of this version of the 2-2-1
press. Rotations will be similar to those in the
regular version of the 2-2-1 press.
The secondline defender on the weakside
will be a pivotal player in this configuration
because he must play off his man and be
ready to rotate and protect against a long
pass while a trap is being made.

DIAGRAM 6
Depending upon the scouting report of an
upcoming opponent, we may find it advisable
to vary our 2-2-1 pressure by pulling it back
and retreating some. This presents another
look for our opponents to contend with. We
simply will start our frontline people back
toward halfcourt (as opposed to the foul line
extended area where they would normally
pick up opponents). When executed properly
this version of the press is also very effective
at helping us to alter and control the tempo of
the game.
DIAGRAM 4
We will oftentimes try to spring several Other options available to us include ver-
traps within each possession depending on sions where we fake traps or we leave one
the strength of our opponents. We will player alone to handle the ball against the
obviously gamble much more, encourage press. This creates more confusion on the
more traps, and therefore may allow a few part of our opponents. We are prepared to
more easier hoops against weaker teams. make their adjustments because we practice
We take fewer chances with multiple traps the press and incorporate breakdown drills
within a possession against the stronger into our daily regimen in order to enhance
teams on our schedule. the effectiveness of the press. To sum up,
then, we feel that the 2-2-1 press is a very
Assume they throw out of our first trap near effective means of controlling tempo and
midcourt to a player ahead in the alley. providing us with opportunities to capitalize
Continuing the action from diagram 3, if 2 on the mistakes of our opponents. At the
throws up the sideline to 4, X5’s job is to same time we feel it is a very safe press
control 4 by not sprinting out wildly at a live because we work very hard at the necessary
ball. X5 has to time his close out to corre- rotations. Further, it is not a press where we
spond with X4 coming from midcourt. As X4 emphasize a very early trap and have the
and close a trap, X3 must cover the strong- whole floor the recover (such as the 1-2-1-1,
side block and basket, X1 has to sprint to for instance).
cover anyone in the top of the key to elbow With hard work, good communication and
area, and X2 takes any pass out of the trap teamwork, the 2-2-1 is a very effective
back towards midcourt. means of full or 3/4 court pressure.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE FRENCH WOMEN’S

NATIONAL TEAM D.1

DEFENSE
D.2

by Alain Jardel

Alain Jardel won three straight French

Women’s Division I titles, from 1988 to
1990 with the Mirande team. Since
1997, he has been head coach of the
D.3
Senior French Women’s National team,
winning a bronze medal at the
Mediterranean Games in 1998, a silver
medal at European Championship in
1999, and the gold medal at the last
European Championships.

I would like to review the concepts that

form the defensive basics for the
French Women’s National team.

SITUATIONS TO EMPHASIZE
The most important aspects of the
defense include:
▼ Organized defensive transition
Do not give easy baskets to
the opponents.
This means:
- going for the rebound with two
- players in an organized fashion
- two players must recover in the lane
- one player must guard the opponent
with the ball
▼ Do not make foolish and unnecessary
fouls (minimize free-throws for the
opponent)
▼ Do not use the hands when guarding
the player with the ball
▼ Hands and arms are extended only
when guarding offensive players
without the ball
▼ Do not “bump” the offensive players D.4
when they cut

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

▼ Play one-on-one defense with the

help of all the team members
▼ Do not leave a defensive player
alone: we play defense with all five
players
▼ Apply the 5 defensive principles
at all times
- Pressure on the ball
- Help
- Anticipate
- Push towards certain areas
- Stay in the passing lanes
▼Defense on the ball
▼Be aware of the position and the
movements of the ball
▼Be in a position to always see the ball
D.5
THE MOST IMPORTANT DEFENSIVE SPOTS
ON THE COURT
▼Three-point line (diagr. 1)
situation (diagr. 6).
▼We must create a “wall”
c) anticipate the possible dribble pene-
▼We must play defense up high; this
tration (the only move the player with
means starting to guard the offensive the ball can make when she has been
player in the area between center kept from the middle of the court).
court and the free-throw line d) anticipate the moves of the players
▼Ideal line from one basket to the without the ball, such as a backdoor cut
other basket (diagr. 2) (diagr. 7).
▼Don’t let the ball stay in the middle of
the court because you don’t know IV. DEFENSE ON THE BALL D.6
where the strong side and the weak ▼ The point guard 1 (the player at the
side is on defense. Push the ball to top of the defense) must:
the right or the left of the ideal line, - Bend her knees and keep in a low
which goes from one basket to the defensive stance.
other basket. - Not use the hands to defend.
▼ Stop or slow down the swing of the - Create a “wall” over the line of the
ball from one side of the court to the three-point shot. Guard the opponent
other. Apply pressure so the ball high on the court.
can’t easily be passed. All defenders - Protect the free-throw circle area.
must be ready to slide. - Push the opponent towards the
sidelines. D.7
▼No ball at 45° (diagr. 3)
▼Do not let the ball stay at a 45° angle
▼ The perimeter defensive players
to the basket: it will be impossible to
must:
defend in the low post if this occurs.
- Defend against the shot with both
▼The defensive player X3 must push
hands up near the face of the shooter.
the offensive player out to the corner. - Not let the offensive player stay at a
45° angle to the basket.
III. THE DEFENSIVE “NETWORK” - Force the dribbler towards the
I do not like to highlight “duels” baseline on a dribble penetration.
between individual defensive and
offensive players. When there is a top V. CONTESTING THE PASSING GAME
offensive player on the other team, use ▼ Strong side (side of the ball)
team defense to keep the player in - Overplay in a closed stance when the - If the ball is below the free-throw line
check. It is your job to motivate any ball is past the free-throw line extension, play in an open stance
player who is less inclined to play tough extension. (diagr. 9).
defense. - Overplay in an open stance when the ▼ Pass back
▼We must collapse in the lane to pro - The defender overplays in an open
ball is below the free-throw line
tect the basket (diagr. 4) and we need extension (diagr. 8). stance (diagr. 10).
to adjust the defensive position to the ▼ Weak side (help side, opposite to the
position of the ball, as well as: ball) VI. DEFENSE ON PENETRATION
a) anticipate the passing lane (diagr. 5) - If the ball is past the free-throw line ▼ On the strong side, we do not help.
b) come up high to the ball when it’s extension, play in a closed stance. ▼ On the weak side, we help with:
passed out from a help-and-recover - the player nearest to the penetration,
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 D.8

D.9

D.10

D.11

or - Avoid contact with the offensive

D.12 - the player nearest the baseline player so she doesn’t have any point
(diagr. 11). of reference.
Note: Do not let any dribble penetration - Move continuously and quickly.
occur in the center of the lane. If it does - When the ball is going in the corner,
occur, the defender must go towards pass over her (diagr. 13).
the dribbler and try to take the charge - When the ball is going up, pass under
(diagr. 12). her (diagr. 14).
- When the ball is in the corner, 4 can
VII. DEFENSE AGAINSTTHE INSIDE GAME help by trying to steal the pass (diagr.
▼ Specific work of the defensive player 15).
when the center is in the low position - When 5 has the ball in the low post,
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

we never help from the strong side, and then comes up strong at a 90˚
coming from outside of the lane. angle into the path of the dribbler to
That’s because 5 could pass to 2, the slow her down (diagr. 17). This
perimeter player, who would then defensive action can involve two or
D.13 have an open shot (diagr. 16). We trap three players. If there is a need of
with X3 or X4, or we force 5 to turn additional help, X5 can provide it.
towards the middle of the lane. - If the pick is made below the free-throw
line, we can try a trap and put extreme
▼ Defense against the cut pressure on the offensive player (diagr.
- Create an obstacle with the body, hips, 18).
and back, when going over the cutter.
- We don’t use the so-called “bump ▼ Defense of the pick-and-roll of two
action” because we do not think it’s players without the ball
part of a good defense: we want to - When two offensive players are involved
put pressure on the ball. in a pick away from the ball on the oppo
site side, we must be ready to switch.
▼ Defense on a pick-and-roll - If there is a vertical screen, each
In women’s basketball, especially in defender slides through, staying with
Eastern countries, the pick-and-roll is her offensive player.
used to create an outside jump shot. - If there is a horizontal pick, X5 lets X3
- If the pick is made high and far from slide over (she does not follow the
the basket, the defender of the offensive player). X5 stays open to the
dribbler slides over the pick, while the ball (diagr. 19).
D.14 defender of the “picker” provides - If there is a diagonal pick, X2 slides over
adequate space to her teammate, the pick, pushing her offensive player to
go to the corner. X4 must stay open up
the ball pushing with the back the picker
down the baseline, while X1 slows
down the dribbler, as well the change of
the side of the ball (diagr. 20).
- If there is a double stack, X3 follows the
D.18
screened player, while X4 makes the
hedge, going in the path of the screened
player (diagr. 21).
- If there is a staggered screen (this
means two picks in a row), we change if
D.15 2 and 3 changes sides (from the strong
side to weak side), or X2 follows, going
under the pick of 5 (diagr. 22).

D.16 D.19

D.21

D.20
D.17

D.22

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

PRACTICING
MAN-TO-MAN D.1

DEFENSE
Antonino Molino, who won two Women’s
by Antonino Molino
Division II titles with Bari and Taranto,
was assistant coach of the Senior Italian
Women’s National team from 1996 to 2000.
His team won the Italian Cup and the ▼ Player with the ball: A “wall” is created.
Division I Championship in 2003. This means that in order to contain all
penetrations to the basket, the defensive
I always divide the seasonal program for player is always between the offensive
my teams into three parts: player with the ball and the basket.
1. Pre-season (setting goals, working on ▼ Player without the ball: there is always
individual technique, and stressing someone in the passing lane, strongly
defensive rules) contesting any movement there. The
2. Regular season (individual and defensive player must jump towards the D.2
team tactics) ball if the offensive player passes the ball
3. Playoffs (videotape sessions to study (diagr. 2).
the offensive sets and particular ▼ Defense on the cuts: players are paired.
moves of opposing players) They play two-on-two full court, with two
other players waiting at the free-throw
PRE-SEASON
line extension: These two players are sta-
Principles to emphasize:
tic and used only for receiving and pas-
▼ Mental toughness
sing the ball back into play. The offensive
▼ Aggressiveness
players must pass to one of these helpers
▼ Individual and team responsibilities
before shooting the ball. At the end of the
action, the defense goes on offense, and
In all the drills:
offense to defense. (diagr. 3).
1. Use the ball on offense and defense.
▼ Ball below the free-throw line exten-
2. Recreate game situations, with the
transition from defense to offense. sion: the defensive players on the weaksi-
D.3
3. Motivate the players, using the clock de must go down to the level of the ball
and keeping score. (diagr. 4).
▼ Penetration in the middle of the court:
DEFENSIVE RULES the player must defend, help, and recover,
▼ Maintain good defensive balance (big changing from the closed to open defensi-
players need to rebound; the point guard ve position (diagr. 5).
must anticipate the outlet pass of the ▼ Penetration on the baseline: help from
opposing fastbreak; the other players the weakside, with the proper rotation of
must recover on defense) the players (slide diagonally to avoid being
▼ A good drill for teaching defensive cut off). When the ball is passed outside,
balance is the four-on-four with conti- be ready to open up again (diagr. 6).
nuity. The team is divided into three ▼ Defense on the screens on the ball: we
squads: squad A on offense, squad B on follow up, with the help of the defensive
defense, and squad C, off the playing sur- player of the screener. You must slow
face at the mid court. After the shot, down the pass to player’s screened or
player A guards C (the outlet pass must be make body-check. We want strong defen-
made on the front half court, while player sive pressure put on the ball (diagr. 7).
B is at the midcourt (diagr.1). ▼ Screens away from the ball: the defen-
der slides through, asking for sufficient
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

space from the teammate, who defends check, and then goes back to guard 2
D.7
the screener: the defensive players must (diagr. 15).
communicate with each other or the When the offensive guard is particularly
defense will not work (diagr. 8). dangerous on offense, we ask for a
▼ Double screens: we follow up with the defensive change with X3, who covers 3,
help of the screener’s defender nearest the guard on the weakside (diagr. 16). In
to the ball. The defender who is farthest this type of drill, we want our defensive
away from the ball must protect the players to make the offensive transition
three-second lane. (diagr. 9). when they steal the ball or take the
▼ Screens between players of the same rebound.
role: defenders have to ask for a change
(diagr. 10). PLAYOFFS
▼ Defense against the center: the defen-
The same team will be played again
within a few days. It is important to: D.8
der plays in front of the center in the low
1. Analyze the videotape of the opponent.
post, trying to push her to the baseline in
2. Screen the offensive plays of the
order to prevent a lob pass (diagr. 11).
opponent. Find out which are the most
If the center is going towards the ball,
popular offensive plays and come up
this must be anticipated in order to con-
with defensive strategies for each.
test a pass to the high post (diagr. 12).
3. Analyze each offensive player, noting
▼ Pick-and-roll: the help-and-recover
what are their preferred spots on the
defense is used, but the player does not court to set up, where on the court they
switch. Whenever possible, the defen- scored most of their points, and note
der pushes the screener away to force a their shooting percentages.
pick-and-roll situation outside the three-
point line. If there is a pass to the scree-
ner who rolls to the basket, a defensive D.4 D.9
change must be made with the defender
in the low post or with the player in the
corner (diagr. 13).
▼ Pick-and-roll between players who
are dangerous on dribble penetration,
but not on outside shooting: We slide
through with the defender, who guards
the player with the ball, and make hedge
on the dribble penetration with the
screener’s defender (diagr. 14).

REGULAR SEASON
D.10
Individual and team tactics are stressed D.5
during the regular season.
The following characteristics of each
player on the opposing team must be
learned:
1. Which is the preferred pivot foot?
2. Does she dribble with the left hand,
right hand, or equally well with
both?
3. Does she shoot only from outside?
4. Does she only make dribble
penetrations?
We also stress defense against the D.6 D.11
opponent’s offense, which can include
the flex, the triple post, or the pick-and-
roll. Here’s an example of a three-on-
three screen-the-screener with a static
offensive player, who can only receive
and pass the ball. 4 passes to the static
player and goes to the free-throw line to
screen 2, who previously made a screen
for 5. A strong defense is put on 2,
pushing her towards the baseline: X5
goes over the top, X2 makes a body-
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 D.14

D.12
D.15

D.13

D.16

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE MATCH-UP DEFENSE

by Joe Ciampi

Joe Ciampi is the head coach of

Auburn University for the past 24 years.
He is one of the most successful coa-
ches in women’s college basketball.
He has won eight SEC titles and been
three NCAA Filan Fours. He is in the top
ten all time winningest active coaches
for both winning percentage (.741) and
number of wins (585 - 204). He was
named National Coach of the Year
three times.

PREMISE
What you do defensively will greatly
influence your offense. The team that
can control the tempo of the game will
have a high rate of success. At Auburn
we enjoy a fast paced game and
emphasize transition from defense to
offense and, more importantly, offense
to defense. Basketball is a game of
reactions and we must take the offensi-
ve on defense to accomplish our defen-
sive goals.
The defense we run is a combination of
a rotating zone and a sagging man-for-
man. The defense is expected to delay
and disrupt the offense. The position of
the ball dictates the rules of the defense
and alerts the individual of what speci-
fic area she must defend.
The foundation of the defense begins
with three general concepts that are
incorporated into our daily drills:
1. Take away the inside.
2. Contest the shot and the pass.
3. Rebounds the
blocks.
A good defense D.1 D.2 D.3
requires under-
standing and
effort. The team
must be aware of
their individual re-
sponsibilities,
before we can
execute the team
defense. Five cha-
racteristics that
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

the individual must repeat daily in drills basket side offensive guard from the free-
are as follow: throw line.
1. Pressure the ball when it is shot, X3 is in line with the ball and the opposite
passed or dribbled. corner and with both feet in the lane.
2. Move when the ball moves, not X1 is in the free-throw circle, with the insi-
when is caught. de foot in contact with the free-throw line.
3. Prevent penetration of the ball to the
basket (with a pass or a dribble). PASS FROM THE POINTTO THE LEFT WING
4. Rebound weak side. X3 guards the wing face to face, with the
5. Help the helper. inside foot up, and force her toward the
Good defense requires learning, disci- sideline, taking away the pass to the low D.4
pline and effort. Once practiced and post (diagr. 3).
learned, it will become a habit. Your daily X5 is in a position halfway to corner and
defensive drills must incorporate your she must be ready with the inside arm to
defensive principles. deflect the pass to the low post.
No matter what defense you want to X4 is in line with the ball and on the basket
execute, your drills must also be desi- side offensive guard from the free-throw
gned to have a winner and a loser, and line.
should be time, peer, or goal related. X2 is in line with the ball and the opposite
Practice does not make the defense: it is corner and with both feet in the lane.
the quality and intensity of practice that X1 is in the free-throw circle, with the insi-
develops the defense. de foot in contact with the free-throw line.
D.5

BASIC SET PASS FROM THE WING

With the ball on the top this is the ini- TO THE RIGHT CORNER
tial set of the defense, a 1-2-2 (diagr. X4 guards the offensive player in this
1). area of the court face to face; she tries
X1 is the point defensive player and to delay the pass to low post, and
the best on defense: she has the heel keeps the hands above the shoulders
on the top of the lane, the head on the (diagr. 4).
ball shoulder, and the hands above the X5 denies the pass to the low or
shoulders for forcing the player with medium post, fronting him.
the ball on the left side of the court. X3 keeps her head in line with the rim
X2 has her inside foot on the elbow and on the midline of the lane. D.6
and her inside arm at shoulder level. X2 plays in an open stance to the ball
She is the best defensive guard. and denies the pass to the corner of
X3 is one step from the elbow, with the the free-throw lane.
inside arm at the shoulder level and X1 keeps her head in line with the rim
she is the best rebounding wing. and stays on the midline of the lane.
X4 has both feet in the lane, above the
block, must be one step closer to the PASS FROM THE WING TO THE LEFT CORNER
ball than the offensive post, with the X5 guards the offensive player in this area
arms at the shoulder level, and she is of the court face to face; she tries to delay
the best rebounder. the pass to low post, and keeps the hands
X5 has both feet in the lane, above the above the shoulders (diagr. 5).
block, must be one step closer to the X4 denies the pass to the low or medium
ball than the offensive post, with the post, fronting her. D.7
arms at the shoulder level, and she is X2 keeps her head in line with the rim and
the best rebounder. It is important that on the midline of the lane. post, X2 goes in the angle of the free-
you put your players in positions that X3 plays in an open stance to the ball and throw lane, and X1 guards the wing
will be best use their ability. denies the pass to the corner of the free- (diagr. 7).
X1, X2, and X3 should be interchan- throw lane.
geable, and X4 and X5 should have X1 keeps her head in line with the rim and PASS FROM THE CORNER TO THE RIGHT WING
their positions mirrored. stays on the midline of the lane. X4 slides to the medium post area
(diagr. 8).
PASS FROM POINT TO THE RIGHT WING OPTIONS FOR X2 OR X3 ON A PASS FROM THE X5 stays in line with the ball and the
X2 guards the wing face to face, with WING TO THE CORNER post.
the inside foot up, and force her toward Option A. X3 guards in front the low or X3 stays in line with the ball and the
the sideline, taking away the pass to the medium post (diagr. 6). X2 guards 1, X1 the corner.
low post (diagr. 2). wing on the ball side, X5 the player in the X2 denies the pass to the post, and she
X4 is in a position halfway to corner and corner, and X4 stays in the middle of the plays in front face-to-face.
she must be ready with the inside arm to lane. X1 plays in the open stance to the ball
deflect the pass to the low post. Option B. X 5 and X3 trap the ball in the and guards the area of the angle of the
X5 is in line with the ball and on the corner, X4 guards the low or medium free-throw lane.
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 D.8

D.9

D.10

D.11
PASS FROM THE CORNER TO THE LEFT WING X4 traps with X5 on the medium post with
X5 slides to the medium post area (diagr. the ball.
9). X3 goes on the block on the weak side of
X4 stays in line with the ball and the post. the court.
X2 stays in line with the ball and the corner. X1 goes on the angle of the free-throw line.
X3 denies the pass to the post, and she X2 makes a quarter of a turn, and watches
plays in front face-to-face. the ball, ready to cover the pass from the
X1 plays in the open stance to the ball and wing.
guards the area of the angle of the free-
throw lane. PASS TO THE MEDIUM POST
FROM THE LEFT WING
PASS TO THE HIGH POST FROM THE POINT X4 covers the ball, and stays between
X4 covers the player with the ball (diagr. the ball and the basket (diagr. 12).
10). X5 traps with X5 on the medium post
X5 slides and forms a tandem with X4, until with the ball.
X3 slides down. X2 stays on the block on the weak side
X3 slides to the low or medium post area. of the court.
X2, with the hands high, plays zone in that X3 stays on the angle of the free-throw
area. line.
X4 attacks the player with the ball. X1 makes a quarter of a turn, and wat-
D.12 X1 makes a quarter of a turn, and watches ches the ball, ready to cover the pass
the ball and the player at the point. from the wing.

PASS TO THE MEDIUM POST PASS TO THE LOW OR MEDIUM POST FROM
FROM THE RIGHT WING THE RIGHT CORNER
X5 covers the ball, and stays between X5 covers the ball (diagr. 13).
the ball and the basket (diagr. 11). X3 stays on the block on the weak side
EV\Z')
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

of the court. X3 stays in line with the ball in the opposite

D.13 X2 slides down to help in the lane. corner.
X4 turns and attacks the ball.
X1 protects the high post area. DRIBBLE COVERAGE FROM THE POINT
TO THE LEFT WING
PASS TO THE LOW OR MEDIUM POST FROM X1 will guard the player with the ball after
THE LEFT CORNER she made three dribbles, and then will chan-
X4 covers the ball (diagr. 14). ge with X3 (diagr. 16).
X2 stays on the block on the weak side of X3 will change with X1 and will guard the
the court. dribbler.
X3 slides down to help in the lane. X5 will stay one step higher, covering from
X5 turns and attacks the ball. the inside out.
X1 protects the high post area. X4 will adapt his position to the position of
the dribbler and will guard from inside.
DRIBBLE COVERAGE FROM X2 stays in line with the ball in the opposite
THE POINTTO THE RIGHT WING corner.
X1 will guard the player with the ball after
he made three dribbles, and then will DRIBBLE COVERAGE
change with X2 (diagr. 15). FROM RIGHT WING TO THE CORNER
X2 will change with X1 and will guard the X2 will cover the dribbler (diagr. 17).
dribbler. X4 will protect from the low to medium post
X4 will stay one step higher, covering from area.
the inside out. X1 protects from the post to the wing area.
D.14 X5 stays in the lane, steps in front of the
X5 will adapt his position to position of the
dribbler and will guard from inside. basket, and must be aware of the flash cut to
the post area.
X3 stays in line with the ball and the opposi-
D.15 te angle of the free-throw circle.

DRIBBLE COVERAGE FROM LEFT WING

TO THE CORNER
X3 will cover the dribbler (diagr. 18).
X5 will protect from the low to medium post
area.
X1 protects from the post to the wing area.
X4 stays in the lane, steps in front of the
D.18
basket, and must be aware of the flash cut to
the post area.
X2 stays in line with the ball and the opposi-
te angle of the free-throw circle.
D.16 D.19
DRIBBLE COVERAGE FROM LEFT
CORNER TO THE WING
X2 covers the dribbler and then change with
X1 (diagr. 19).
X1 guards the dribbler, when he changes
with X2.
X4 covers the medium and low post area.
X5 stays in the lane, and will adapt his posi-
tion to the position of the dribbler.
X3 slides to the angle of the free-throw lane
opposite to the ball.

D.17 DRIBBLE COVERAGE FROM RIGHT

CORNER TO THE WING
X3 covers the dribbler and then change with
X1 (diagr. 20).
X1 guards the dribbler, when he changes
with X3.
X5 covers the medium and low post area.
X4 stays in the lane, and will adapt his posi-
tion to the position of the dribbler.
D.20 X2 slides to the angle of the free-throw lane
opposite to the ball.
EV\Z'*
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL
JUNIOR TEAM: A FULL
COURTTRAPPING DEFENSE
by Rob Beveridge

Rob Beveridge, 2000 National Junior Coach

of the Year in Australia, is the Head Coach of
Australian National Junior Men’s team, the
2003 World Champion. Since 1997, he is the
head coach of the New South Wales
Institute for Sport, Basketball Program.

I believed that for our team to compete effec-

tively against the best in the world, we would
have to implement a style of game that not
only suited our personnel, but that could also
put us in a position to win games.
Our National team, named the “Emus”, the
typical Australian bird, was relatively small
compared to other nations and was, to some
extent, less talented offensively. We had to
implement a system that allowed us to play

D.1 D.2

an up tempo style of game that would be dif-

ficult for teams to adapt to. Offensively, we
had to push the ball forward quickly to gain
easy transition baskets. Defensively, we had
to have a variety of defenses that could crea-
te confusion within the other teams.
Although we had some offensive deficien-
cies, we had an exceptionally committed
group of players who enjoyed the challenge
of playing hard-nosed defense. The players
believed in what they were doing within our
defensive system and were completely disci-
EV\Z'+
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

plined in executing it.

Our goal was to generate quick, effective
offence by using pressure defense to signifi-
cantly disrupt our opponent’s offence. The
main defensive weapons for our team were
our half court traps and full court presses.

FULL COURT PRESSES

In the full court, we generally applied two dif-
ferent full court presses. The first type we cal-
led 50 on, where we wanted to trap the main D.5
D.3
ball handler. The second type we called 50 off,
where we would face guard and try and get a
quick turnover. Both of these presses were
used to increase the tempo of the game and to
create turnovers.

HALF COURTTRAPS
We utilised three different half-court traps. We
either trapped the ball handler, which we cal-
led 12 on, or the first pass, which we called 12
off. In our third variation, 12 delay, we did not
trap (but sometimes faked the trap), causing
the opposition to use significant time off their
clock, reducing their time to execute on offen-
ce and creating increasing mental pressure.
The purpose of using the combination of traps
and presses was primarily to control the tempo
of the game. We wanted to put the opposition
in a situation where the consistent pressure
would cause mental and physical errors,
which in turn would ultimately allow us to
score easy baskets.
The type of defense we would use would
depend on our assessment of the situation we
were in. For example, if we wanted to slow the
game, we could apply the half court traps. If
we wanted to increase the tempo, we could
apply the full court presses. Furthermore, our
system of different defenses gave us the flexi-
bility to change quickly between the defenses
as situations changed. We could alter the
defense depending on whether it was a dead
ball situation, off a made free-throw, from a
back court out of bounds situation or from a D.4 D.6
made basket.
In the 1/4 court, we mixed up our defenses 2. Closing out in good stance was essential. they have to sprint back behind the “line of
between man to man and match up zone. All players had to be able to close out with the ball”. Our rotation rule from the trap was
Unfortunately, there is insufficient space avai- good balance so the opposition could not that the defender who “sees” the pass go
lable in this article to expand on the detail rela- easily split the trap or dribble past them. out of the trap will leave the trap. Therefore,
ted to this part of our system. This was necessary to prevent possible the defender who has his back to the ball
No matter which one of our different types of transition baskets. will stay and deny the offensive player.
defense was being played, the following were The remainder of this article will cover two
key requirements to our defenses being suc- 3. Containment of middle penetration. All of our full court presses in detail, 50 on and
cessful: players must be always in a good stance to 50 off.
allow the defense to move laterally and fun-
1. Ball pressure was imperative. All players nel the ball away from the middle towards 50 ON - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 ALIGNMENT
needed to have the ability to apply great ball the sideline. We had to slow the ball down, In this defense, we are looking at trapping
pressure so the offensive player would not be to allow the other defensive players to the best ball handler.
able to see the open player. We did not want to sprint back behind the ball. X4 applies enormous ball pressure on 5 so
steal the ball in the trap, rather, we wanted to he cannot make a direct full court pass to 3
get a deflection of the ball as it was passed, 4. Rotation from traps. After the ball has left or 4.
which could then be intercepted by the rota- a trapped area all players must sprint back X1 and X2 do not deny: they have to force
ting defense. and adjust to the appropriate situation - their respective players 1 and 2 to lead for
EV\Z',
 If X3 cannot steal the ball, he must contain
this player and slow the penetration down
to allow other defensive players to get back.
X1 will deny 1 the ball.
X2 and X4 must sprint back behind the line
of ball, into the key (diagr. 4).

IF 1 PASSES TO 3
If X3 cannot steal the ball, he must contain
this player and slow the penetration down
to allow other defensive players to get back.
D.7 D.9 X1 will deny 1 the ball.
X5 will initially need to guard two players, 2
and 4, and will take the next pass if made.
X5 may be required to hedge and recover if
the second pass is made.
X2 and X4 must sprint back behind the line
of ball, into the key (diagr. 5).
From this situation we can either match up
in man or zone defense.

50 OFF - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 ALIGNMENT
In this defense we are encoura-
ging the lob pass over the face
D.8 guard for steal or trap. 5 is the
inbound passer. X4 applies enor-
mous ball pressure so 5 cannot
see the open player. X1 and X2
completely face guard their
respective offensive players. X3 is
the “centre fielder” or intercep-
tor.X5 is the safety player (diagr. 6).

IF 5 MAKES THE PASS

OVER THE TOP OF X1
X3 looks to intercept the ball.
If X3 cannot intercept the ball, he
must contain the ball.
X1 will look to trap with X3.
X2 and X4 will sprint back behind
the line of the ball. They may look
to be interceptors. X2 will cover
the basket. X4 will cover the midd-
le.
X5 will anticipate and look to inter-
cept any pass to 3 or 4 (diagr. 7).
the ball in the corner. If 1 and 2 screen for each IF 5 PASSES THE BALL ON TO 2
other or cross sides, X1 and X2 they simply X3 will take this player.X4 will deny 1 the ball. IF 1 PASSES THE BALLTO 3
switch. X3 starts near the top of the circle X2 and X1 must sprint back to the key. X5 will look for intercept or trap.
ready to anticipate and intercept the pass. X3 X1 will leave the initial trap and then trap
should be looking at the eyes of the passer. X5 IF 1 PASSES TO 2 with X5.
is the safety player and must be ready to inter- X3 will look to shoot the gap looking for steal. If X3 can deny 1, the main ball handler.
cept any long pass (diagr. 1). X3 cannot steal the ball, he must contain this X4 must get back behind the line of ball
player and slow the penetration down to allow (diagr. 8).
5 IN-BOUNDS THE BALLTO 1 other defensive players to get back.
X4 leaves the inbound passer 5 and applies a X4 will deny 1 the ball. X5 will initially need to IF 1 PASSES THE BALLTO 4
trap with X1 in the corner on 1 with great ball guard two players, 2 and 3, and will take the X5 will look for intercept or trap.
pressure (diagr. 2). next pass if made (X5 may be required to X2 will go and trap with X5.
hedge and recover if the second pass is X1 will leave the initial trap and get back
IF 1 PASSES BACKTO 5 made). X2 and X1 must sprint back behind the behind the line of the ball.
X2 will shoot the gap towards 5 looking for the line of ball, into the key (diagr. 3). X3 can deny 1, the main ball handler.
steal. If X2 does not intercept the pass, he X4 will cover the basket (diagr. 9).
must contain this player and not allow any IF 1 PASSES TO 4 From this situation we can either match up
penetration. X3 will look to shoot the gap looking for steal. in man or zone defense.
EV\Z'-
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENSE AGAINST
PICKS OF PLAYERS
by Jean-Pierre
de Vincenzi WITHOUT THE BALL
Jean-Pierre de Vincenzi won a gold medal as head
coach of the Junior Men’s French National team at
the FIBA European Championship in 1992, and a
Silver Medal at the Olympic Games in 2000 with the
Men’s French National team. He is now Technical
Director of the French Basketball Federation.

When talking about defense, there is usually a ten-

dency to talk more about defending the player with
the ball. There is little discussion about defending the
player without the ball, and even less so about
defending a player who is working on picks away
from the ball.
This, in my opinion, is all the more regrettable since
many offensive moves have their origins off well-
executed picks or, at the least, gaps are created out
of picks between players without the ball. For this
reason, defenders should anticipate the various
offensive moves that their opponents can use with
picks. I would like to point out certain situations
which often occur on the court that necessitate
immediate defensive decisions being made, both by
the individual defender as well as by the rest of the
team members.

D.1

D.3 D.4a
D.2

EV\Z'.
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

1. CLASSIC THREE-POINT SHOT SITUATION

1, 2, and 3 are offensive players and X1, X2, and X3
are defensive players. Here’s a situation where 1
passes to 3. After the pass, 1 will screen 2. 2, who
is setting up his defender for the pick, starts to
shift (diagr. 1).
X2 must anticipate the move and jump forward in
order to overcome the pick (diagr. 2). When 1
screens X2, the two defenders could switch, a
very effective move for the defense (diagr. 3).
D.4b D.5a
2. PICK BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE PLAYERS
Drill 3-on-3 with a stationary passer.
1 and 2 are inside players positioned at the low ▼ X3 and X1 do not switch.
post and act as screeners for 3. 3, with his back to ▼ X1 follows 1 while X3 bumps 1.
the baseline, facing the passer P, will use 1 or 2’s ▼ Then X3 opens up to the ball to prevent P’s
pick. He will move in one or the other direction pass to 1 as he goes in the lane after 3’s pick
and will take advantage of X3’s reaction (diagr. (diagr. 7).
4A). A defender, who, at the request of the coach, ▼ 1 screens 2.
will apply more or less defensive pressure, will ▼ 2 will cut in the lane using 3’s pick.
guard P. ▼ His defender (now X1) will follow him while
X3 will step out.
D.5b
The orders to the defense will be as follows: ▼ Here too, if 2 curls, X2 or X1 can switch with
▼ The defender of the player with the ball puts X3.
defensive pressure according to the coach’s
wishes. Note: The coach can also add a defender on the
▼ X3 follows 3. passer and this player can apply more or less
▼ X1 and X2 step out. pressure.
▼ If 3 curls, the defenders can switch between
X3 and X1 or X3 and X2 (diagr. 4B). 6. PICK BY AN INSIDE PLAYER ON AN OUTSIDE PLAYER
At the coach’s signal, player 2 will cut to the oppo-
3. PICK BY INSIDE PLAYERS FOR AN OUTSIDE PLAYER site side towards 1 or go up-court to use 3’s pick
▼ 2, positioned at low post, comes high to get (diagr. 8A).
free by using 1’s pick at the high post (diagr. Each of these defensive situations has already D.6a
5A). been seen in the previous paragraphs. Switching
▼ P will pass to 2. the defensive players could also be recommen-
▼ X1 will defend by stepping out to help ded (diagr. 8B), for example, X1 or X2 takes 1, and
against the defensive move by X2, who will X3 takes 1 or 2.
follow 2 (diagr. 5B).
▼ If 2 curls, X1 and X2 switch. 7. PICK BY AN OUTSIDE PLAYER ON AN INSIDE PLAYER
FOLLOWED BY A PICK BY AN INSIDE PLAYER
It is also possible that X1 will bump 2 to allow X2 ON AN OUTSIDE PLAYER
to follow and recover on 2. ▼ 3 is a power forward.
▼ 5 is a low post.
4. PICK BY AN INSIDE PLAYER FOR AN OUTSIDE PLAYER ▼ 4 is a high post.
In this case, the high post serves as a relay for an ▼ 1 is the passer.
attacking roll (diagr. 6A and 6B). ▼ The coach requests the type of defensive D.6b

The aim of the defense is to force 4 to screen as pressure that he wishes the passer
far up the court as possible, thus forcing 1 to to be placed under.
receive the ball away from the basket (diagr. 6C). ▼ 3 breaks away and screens 5, who will cut
along the baseline to place the defense
▼ X1 will follow 1. in difficulty. This move forces X3 to bump 5
▼ X4 will a step out. long enough for X5 to recover on 5. Then X3
▼ X4, following 4’s pass to 3, will bump 4 to recovers on 3, who goes back up-court to
make his task of screening X1 more difficult take advantage of 4’s pick to receive the ball,
and ineffective. and either shoot or penetrate (diagr. 9).
▼ If 1 curls, X4 and X1 switch as they ▼ If 3 passes back, 4 goes down.
did before. X4 can also bump 1 to help X1 to
recover on 1. The situation can then be continued as follows: D.6c
▼ 3 positions himself with his back to the
5. PICK BETWEEN OUTSIDE AND INSIDE PLAYERS baseline and can use of either 4 or 5’s pick
▼ P is the passer. (diagr.10).
▼ 1 cuts and uses 3’s pick. The defensive situation described in diagr. 4A is
thus seen again.
EV\Z(%
 8. PICKS BETWEEN OUTSIDE-INSIDE PLAYERS
D.11 AND OUTSIDE PLAYERS
1 is the passer and his defender follows the coa-
ch’s orders. When 2 cuts using 3’s pick, there can
be a defensive switch between X3 and X2. Then 3
goes up towards the high post to use a pick by 1:
the two defenders X1 and X2 (or X3) will switch
(diagr. 11).
Player 2, continuing in the same direction, will use
D.7 a pick by 5:
▼ X2 follows him while X5 steps out.
▼ If 2 curls, X5 and X2 can switch, if necessary.
▼ If 2 receives the ball, he passes back to 3
then cuts into the lane.
▼ X5 will bump 2 in order to let X2 recover to
defend efficiently against 2 (diagr. 12) .

9. PICK BY INSIDE PLAYERS FOLLOWING BY A DOUBLE

PICK OF TWO OUTSIDE PLAYERS
▼ The defenders will switch (diagr. 13).
▼ 1, after the screen of 2, goes back up-court to
take advantage of a double pick by 4 and 3.
D.8a D.12
▼ X2 will step out, X1 will defend in the lane,
and X3 will follow him (diagr. 14).
▼ The coach will decide how much pressure
D.8b D.13 the defender of the passer P will put on him.
▼ After the pick on 2, 1 will take up position in
the opposite low post while 3 will go down to
the low post on the same side.

2 will come into the center of the lane with his

back to the baseline and will get free from his
opponent by going out of 4 or 3 pick (diagr. 15).
The defensive players will move as seen in the
previous diagr. 4A and 4B.

BACK PICK BYTHE HIGH POST ON THE PLAYMAKER

D.9
D.14 ▼ 1 passes to 5.
▼ 4 screens X1 and 1 takes advantage to get
free by making a backdoor cut to the wing
(diagr. 16).
▼ X4 lets X1 slide between him and 4, while X5
must apply strong defensive pressure to
make it difficult for 5 to pass to 1 (diagr. 17A).
▼ Should 5 pass to 1, 5 and 4 will screen 3, so
he can receive and shoot or penetrate and
go to the basket.
▼ In this case, X4 steps out, X3 follows 3, and
X5 stays in the lane (diagr.17B).
D.10 D.15
Pick after a handoff pass.
▼ 1 passes to 3.
▼ 3 returns the ball to 1, who comes behind him
to get the ball with a handoff pass.
▼ 3 plays on 4’s back pick.
▼ X4 bumps 3.
▼ X3 follows and continues to cover 3
(diagr.18).
▼ The same offensive and defensive situation
continues as in exercise II, with 4 and 5 being
sent down to the low post area (diagr. 19).

10. A GAME SITUATION COMMONLYUSED AT HIGH LEVEL

▼ In this game situation, X4 will bump 3 to slow
EV\Z(&
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

him down and allow X3 to continue

defending against 3.
▼ X4 stays with 4 (diagr. 20).
▼ While 3 cuts again, X5 contests 2’s pass to 5.
▼ X3, surprising his opponent very early while
he is still breaking through, attempts
to render 5’s pick on 3 ineffective.
▼ X4 steps out, knowing that X3 is following 3.
If 4 continues with a pick on X5, then X5 and
D.16 D.20 X4 will switch (diagr.21).

X5 will be very careful to regain first place again-

st 4 when he opens up to the ball and possibly
goes up to the high post position (diagr. 22 and 23).

11. SPECIAL GAME SITUATION FOR THREE-POINT SHOTS

▼ 2 uses 4’s horizontal screen while 1 dribbles
forward.
▼ X2 will follow 2.
▼ X4 allows X2 to pass between him and 4.
▼ While 1 is dribbling forward, 5 screens 3.
▼ X5 bumps 3 and then guards 5.
D.17a D.21
▼ X3 follows 3 who has been bumped by X5 so
X3 can better guard his man (diagr. 24).
▼ 1 passes to 2, 3 cuts, 2 moves forward
instead of 3 in the wing area at the baseline
(diagr. 25).
▼ At the same time, 3 moves back up towards
the high post to take advantage of 4’s pick, or
again cuts to the baseline on the opposite
side to receive the pick of 5 (diagr. 26).

In both cases, he will be in a position to take a

three-point shot and X4 and X5 will step out. X3
D.17a D.22
will follow (same options as in the diagr. 8A).

D.18 D.23 D.25

D.19 D.24

D.26

EV\Z('
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

SWITCHING FROM
2-3 ZONE TO
MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE
D.1

by Jasmin Repesa

Jasmin Repesa, former coach of Cibona Zagreb

and Split, Croatia, and Tofas Bursa, Turkey, won
three championships and two Croatian Cups. In
Turkey, his teams won two Cups and one
President’s Cup. As assistant coach of the
Croatian National team, he won a bronze medal
at the 1995 FIBA European Championship. He is
currently the coach of Fortitudo Bologna, Italy.

There are many situations during the game

when it makes sense to mix things up defensi-
vely and go from one defensive alignment to the
other. I want to discuss the success I have had
going from the 2-3 zone to man-to-man.
WHY - One of the main reasons because we
use this system is to create instant trouble and
doubts for the opponent, forcing them to break
their comfortable rhythm and make it more diffi- D.2
cult for them at certain parts during the game.
With the introduction of the 24-second rule, of the first line guards the dribbler, while the
quickly changing the defense puts more pressu- defender at mid court slides toward the lane
re on the offense to react in a timely fashion. (diagr. 3).
WHEN - We can make these defensive swit- C. If the first defender is beaten by the dribbler,
ches at various times throughout the course of there will be another change: the defender at
the game, but I suggest that you introduce mid court runs to cover the player with the ball,
changes after dead-ball situations, following a and the first defender runs to fill the empty spot
made shot, or a made free-throw. at mid court (diagr. 4).

POSSIBLE SETS 2. 2-3 FULLCOURT

1. 1-1-3 FULLCOURT Two defenders are set near the offensive basket
One defensive player sets in the lane near the at the extension of the free-throw lane, and the
offensive basket, another one near the mid- other three on the same line near our defensive
court circle, and three on the same line near the basket (diagr. 5).
defensive basket (diagr. 1). We let the ball come into the court without
A. In case of a long pass made from the out-of- attempting a steal, because one of our main
bounds, the defender under the defensive goals is to make the opponent team lose time.
basket runs to the mid court and the defender at We also let them make horizontal passes. If the
mid court covers the offensive player, who ball is inbounded to the right side of the court,
receives the long pass (diagr. 2). the defender on this side will guard the man
B. If the ball is inbounded and the player who with the ball, while the other one will slide
receives the ball starts to dribble, the defender down, toward the ball, ready to help and cover
EV\Z((
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

the offensive player, who made the inbound

D.3 D.5
pass (diagr. 6).

3. SETIMMEDIATELYTHE ZONE TO PROTECTTHE LANE

If the offensive player, who inbounded the ball,
receives a pass back, the defender, who pre-
viously went over towards the ball, goes back to
cover the man with the ball (diagr. 7).
In the first two situations, our main goal is to
slow down the ball without letting the oppo-
nent make long passes (the three players
behind are responsible for them), and prevent
the man with the ball from easily beating his
defender. This is how we set up in the two-
three zone (diagr. 8).

2-3 ZONE HALF COURT

When the ball gets close to the three-point line,
we use the 2-3 zone following the traditional
rules, but adding some other specific rules.

A. When the ball is in the forward position, we

don’t allow an easy reversal pass, putting the
body of the defender parallel to the sideline
(diagr. 9). If the ball comes back in the middle D.4 D.6
of the court, we don’t let a pass be made to the
other side (diagr. 10).

B. We don’t let inside passes be made to the

low post. X5 guards the low post in a three-
quarter anticipated position, X2 puts a lot of
pressure on the offensive player with the ball,
and X3 is in a position where he can help on 5,
and also recover on his man (diagr. 11). If the
ball goes in the corner, the three defensive
players will change their positions as seen in
the diagr. 12.

C. We also do our best to prevent inside pas-

ses to the high-post (diagr. 13).

D. We let (or better yet, we force) the oppo-

nent to pass the ball to the corner. In this
way, we don’t need a help-and-recover
situation, so every player can easily keep a
balanced defensive position, staying near
an opponent (diagr. 14).

E. When we will have that situation, the center

of our zone X5, our “defensive playmaker,” will because he is the one who can and must tainment defense, which means filling the
order a change to the individual defense by control the different situations on the court. lane and forcing the dribbler to pass the ball
means of a conventional signal. In this moment, At the right moment, X5 is the player who will out. Against the “two-on-two,” our main
our transformation from zone defense to indivi- order the changes in defensive alignment. goal is to systematically switch to play a
dual defense is completed (diagr. 15). containment defense.
INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE However, we know there can be some risky
F. There are two other situations in which it’s Our individual man-to-man defense will start situations when making a defensive switch,
possible to make the transformation from zone when the clock indicates there is 10 particularly between a big man with a peri-
defense to the individual defense: Specifically, seconds (or less) until a shot has to be meter player far from the lane, or between a
when the ball gets far (with passes or dribbles) made, without letting the opponent have perimeter player with a big man near to the
from shooting range, we have more time enough time to organize a good shooting basket. In the first situation, our goal is a
(seconds) to change the defense (diagr. 16 and situation. In that case, the offense can try a containment defense, filling the lane without
17). It is important to remember again that in this “one-on-one” or a “two-on-two” solution permitting easy penetration (diagr. 18).
defensive system the most crucial and respon- (pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop-out). Against In the second situation, there are two pri-
sible man for this defense is the center, X5, the “one-on-one”, our main goal is a con- mary difficulties that have to be overcome.
EV\Z()
D.7

D.11 D.16

D.17

D.12

D.18

D.8

D.13

D.19

D.9

D.14

D.20

D.10

D.15

First, don’t let the offensive player make the on the baseline with the closest defender of
inside pass. the man with the ball: we don’t let him make
The defender must be in front of the opponent any central penetrations or reversal passes,
in the low post (diagr. 19). Then, if the ball arri- and we force him to dribble to the baseline
ves to the low-post, organize a quick rotation (diagr. 20).
EV\Z(*
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

ZONE DEFENSE
by Carlo Recalcati

Carlo Recalcati coached the Divi-

sion I Italian teams of Bergamo,
Cantù, Reggio Calabria, Milan, Vare-
se, and Fortitudo Bologna. He won
two Italian Championships with Va-
rese and Bologna. He has been the
coach of the Italian Men’s National
team since 2001 and won a bronze
medal at last year’s European Cham-
pionships.

This defense is built after taking into

consideration the particular talents
of each player and then giving each a
specific task they need to carry out
on a particular area of the court (dia-
gr. 1 and 2).

▼ X5 is the center and he guards

both the high and low post. He guards
the offensive center on the ball side,
but I do not want him to go outside
the lane to guard the players in the
corners.
▼ X4 is the power forward (of the
two big men he is the most reactive,
and must be able to shut down the
penetration of the players on the pe-
rimeter). He covers the post and the
players in the corners. When he is on
the help side, he is in charge of gui-
ding the defense. He must close the
rebounding triangle and cover all
cuts in the lane.
▼ X3 is the small forward and the be-
st rebounder among the perimeter
players. He
guards the
D.2 D.3
wing, and this D.1
allows X5 to
stay in the lane.
When he is on the
help side, he has
the same tasks as
X4.
▼ X2 is a guard
and he covers the
offensive wing
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.4

D.5

D.6

D.6bis

and guard, as well as the corner of the free- player who received the pass.
throw lane on his side.
▼ X1 is the point guard or a small guard. DEFENSIVE SETS
When the ball is in the corner and X3 guards Even offense (with one front player): X1
the player with the ball, he must be ready to guards the offensive player in the middle of
rotate to let X3 guard the player in the cor- the court (diagr. 3).
ner. He also covers the offensive wing, Odd offense (with two front players): X1
guard, and high post. guards the left offensive guard, while X2 co-
When other offensive players pass through D.7
vers the right offensive guard (diagr. 4). If
their area, all the defenders must be ready there are two low posts, they are defended
to help out and then quickly recover. against as shown in diagr. 5.
When a skip pass, a pass from one side to If there is a low post on the right side of the
the other side of the court, is made to his lane and a high post, the appropriate defen-
area, the defender must sprint to cover the sive set is shown in diagr. 6.
EV\Z(,
 D.8 D.12 D.15

D.9 D.13 D.16

D.9bis D.14 D.17

D.10 On the other hand, if there is a low post set with the ball and also play in front of the high
up on the left side of the lane and a high post, post. If the ball is passed to the wing or to
X4 and X5 will change their defensive posi- the corner, he must anticipate the pass to
tions (diagr. 6 bis). the high post. If the high post receives the
Finally, if there are two high posts, X4 and X5 ball, he must quickly go to defend at the cor-
will defend as shown in diagr. 7. ner of the free-throw lane.
Pass from the corner to the wing, and then to
OFFENSIVE SETS the middle of the court: X1 helps and then re-
Let’s review the defensive sets based on par- covers, and X3 goes up (diagr. 11).
ticular offensive sets. Skip pass from one side of the court to the
1-2-2 offense: The defenders will set up as other (for example, from left to right), and
shown in diagr. 8. then from the corner to the wing: X1 and X2
1-3-1 offense: The defenders will set up as will slide, as in diagr. 12.
shown in diagr. 9. Indirect change of side, made with two pas-
If the offensive low post is on the right side, ses: X1 will slide over the high post (diagr.
the defensive set to use is shown in diagr. 9 13).
bis. Direct change of side with one pass from the
1-4 offense: The defenders will station them- wing to the other wing: X1 will slide behind
selves as shown in diagr. 10. the high post (diagr. 14).
Movement of the ball with the dribble: If the
D.11 RESPONSIBILITY offensive player in the middle of the floor
OF EACH DEFENDER dribbles to the left or to the right, X1 will slide
as shown in diagr. 15.
X1’S RESPONSIBILITY
Initial position: This player must not go past X2’S RESPONSIBILITY
the three-point line. With the ball in the X2 starts out by placing himself between the
middle of the court, he must cover the man corner of the free-throw lane and the three-
EV\Z(-
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

point line (diagr. 16). position (diagr. 22).

Ball in the wing: X2 keeps the ball on this si- Pass from the wing to the corner or vice-
de of the court. versa: X3 recovers with a “banana”-slightly
Ball in the corner: X2 must place himself curved-movement (diagr. 23).
between the corner of the free-throw lane Direct change of side with a skip pass to the
and the three-point line (diagr. 17). wing: X3 guards the player, who received
Indirect change of side, made with two pas- the ball (diagr. 24).
ses: X2 must help and recover (diagr. 18). Ball in the opposite corner: X3 helps on the
Direct change of side with one pass from the pass to the low post, while X5 is fronting the
D.18 wing to the other wing: X2 guards the wing, low post (diagr. 25).
but, if the pass is made to the corner, he hel- Ball to the high post, with a low post: X3
ps and recovers (diagr. 19). plays in front of the low post (diagr. 26).
Movement of the ball with the dribble: If the Movement of the ball with the dribble: If the
dribbler goes to the center of the court, X2 dribbler goes towards the baseline, X3 must
D.19 follows him and then changes with X1. follow him.
However, if the dribbler goes to the corner, If the dribbler goes to the middle of the
X2 follows him and then chances with X4 court, X3 changes with X1 (diagr. 27).
(diagr. 20).
X4’S RESPONSIBILITY
X3’S RESPONSIBILITY Initial set: X4 stays with a foot in the lane,
Initial set: X3 stays between the corner and and, if there is a low post player, he plays in
the three-point line (diagr. 21). front of him (diagr. 28).
Ball in the wing: X3 keeps the ball on this si- Ball to the wing: X4 stays in a position
de of the court. between the low post and the corner (diagr.
Ball in the corner: X3 keeps the ball in this 29).
Ball in the corner: X4 keeps the ball in this
position.
D.20 Ball to the high post: If there is a low post, X4
plays in front of him.
The ball comes high by dribbling: X4 follows
the dribbler and then changes with the nea-
rest defender.
Ball on the opposite side: X4 helps on the
pass to the low post, while X5 plays in front
of the low post (diagr. 30).
Indirect change of side with more passes:
D.23 X4 helps and recovers (diagr. 31).

X5’S RESPONSIBILITY
Initial set: X5 stays with a foot in the lane
D.21 and, if there is a low post, he plays in front of
him (diagr. 32).
Ball in the middle of the court: X5 plays in
front of the low post (diagr. 33).
Ball in the wing: X5 plays in front of the low
post.
Ball in the corner: X5 anticipates the post on
the low side (diagr. 34).
D.24
The defensive moves I have just described
also apply to offensive situations that are
run on the other side of the court
Ball to the high post: X5 guards him face-
to-face (diagr. 35).
D.25 Indirect change of side of the ball, with two
passes: X5 slides over the low post (diagr.
36).
Direct change of side with a skip pass to
the wing: X5 slides under the low post (dia-
gr. 37).
Pass from the wing to the corner: X5 helps
and recovers (diagr. 38).

D.22 HOW TO DEFEND AGAINSTTHE CUTS

Cut in the middle of the three-second lane:
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 D.28

D.27
D.26

D.29

D.30

D.31

D.32

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

X1 follows the cutter, and then changes with Or, if the cut is made on X4’s side, X4 follows
D.33 X4, while X2 helps on the low post (diagr. 39). and then changes with X1.
Cut along the baseline: X4 follows the cutter
and then changes with X3, while X5 helps PICK-AND-ROLLS
and recovers (diagr. 40). Pick-and-roll in the middle of the court: X1
Diagonal cut from one side of the court to slides under the pick and X2 goes out to
the other: X3 follows the cutter, and then slow down the dribbler (diagr. 43).
changes with X4, while X5 helps in the lane Pick-and-roll in the wing area: X3 slides un-
(diagr. 41). der the pick and X1 goes out to slow down
Cut toward the middle of the court: X3 fol- the dribbler (diagr. 44).
lows the cutter and then changes with X1 Pick-and-roll for the guard: X1 changes with
(diagr. 42). X2 (diagr. 45).

D.42

D.34 D.38

D.35 D.39 D.43

D.44

D.36
D.40

D.41 D.45

D.37

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

PRINCIPLES OF
PRESSURE DEFENSE
by Fernando Durò

Fernando Durò has been the assistant coach of

D.1 D.5
the Argentinean Men’s Senior National Basket-
ball team from 1992 to 1997, and, later, from 2000
to present. He won a bronze medal as head coa-
ch of the Argentinean Under-21 National team at
the 2001 FIBA World Championship. He was also
coach of Obras Sanitarias, the club team that
won the National Division I title in 1996.

There are four different aspects to be considered

by a coach when he decides to utilize a pressure
defense:
A. Know what pressure defense and why. D.2
B. Conditioning and intensity.
C. Tactical discipline.
D. Psychological aspects.

WHAT AND WHY THE PRESSURE DEFENSE

1. The players must know:
▼ Why we play this type of defense:
Cause misplays or bad passes by
the opponents, taking advantage
of the eight-second rule. We also
want to slow down the offense.
D.3 D.6
▼ In which situations we use full-
court pressure. After a made free-throw
or after a time-out is a good time.

▼ In which part of the court do we

apply the pressure: 3/4 of the court,
1/2 of the court.

▼ Which type of defense we will then

use when the press is stopped:
man-to-man, zone, or a combination.
D.4
CONDITIONING AND INTENSITY
To play this defense effectively with the physical
intensity required, players must be in optimal phy-
sical condition.

TACTICAL DISCIPLINE
Pre-game scouting and external conditions, such
as the referees and impact of the crowd on the
game, are all important considerations that have
to be taken into account in deciding when to use
this defense.
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS
The coach must find the proper way to motivate
his team to play this physically and psychologi-
cally demanding defense. In addition to fully be-
lieving that this defense will work and yield positi-
ve results, the players must understand that total
concentration and effort is critical to its ultimate
success.

VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

It is fundamental that the players know the basics
of man-to-man defense, from the one-on-one, the
two-on-two, to the three-on-three. They must be
very adept at double-teaming (each one knowing
how to create a double team), and they must
know how to recover (defensive transition).
Pressure defense starts with the out-of-bound
pass (diagr. 1 and 2). The players must know
exactly in which area of the court they can trap.
The coach must define one or two areas where
he wants the players to trap, and then explain
other possible traps.

The coach must decide if the first trap will be ma-

de right after the first inbound pass or, as is de-
scribed in this case, after the offensive player
starts to dribble.
Once the ball is inbounded, defensive pressure
has to immediately be applied, forcing the player
to dribble. The aim is to keep the dribbler from
the middle of the court, forcing him to the sideli-
nes where the second defender will be ready to
apply the first trap (diagr. 3 and 4).

Once the offensive player is double-teamed, the

other three defensive players must continue to
guard their own man or area of the court, always
ready to intercept a pass or help out with an ad-
ditional trap. (diagr. 5).

Once the ball comes out of the trap, new tactical

situations arise. If the ball is passed back toward
D.7 D.8
the baseline, defensive players must then move
back to their original defensive positions. This
will give the defense another chance for a dou-
ble team, or in the least, the ability to slow down
the defense. (diagr. 6).

If the trap is beaten with a pass over the two de-

fenders (diagr. 7), the defense must recover and
rotate. This will force the defenders to run and
move in much larger spaces of the court. This of-
fers to the offense the numeric advantage and
the possibility to easily beat the defense. In this
case, it might be necessary that the defenders
switch their defensive assignments, with small
players possibly guarding bigger players (diagr.
8).
For developing the proper attitude and the ade-
quate technique, practice sessions must be de-
voted introducing the players to all defensive po-
sitions on the court. In that way, when they get
into a game, they will not be surprised and will
know exactly what to do.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE BASICS
OF MAN-TO-MAN
by Emir Mutapcic
DEFENSE
Emir Mutapcic was a player and
then assistant coach for Alba Ber-
lin (Germany) from 1998 to 2000. He
then became head coach of the
club, winning three straight Ger-
man First Division League titles
and the German Cup championshi-
ps in 2002 and 2003.

A coach can say his team played

sound defense when his players
made: a) good defensive transi-
tions; b) strong baseline screen de-
fense throughout the game; and c)
were effective against the pick-
and-rolls.
Remember: Good defense can only
work when the defenders are
always in a defensive stance!

TRANSITION DEFENSE
We want to get set with our defen-
se as early as possible. Once the
opponent has ball possesion, all fi-
ve players have to sprint back at
full speed to gain their defensive
positions, seeing the ball at all ti-
mes. The forward ball movement
must be stopped as soon as possi-
ble. Penetration of the ball by a
pass or dribbling must be elimina-
ted.

PRESSURE ON THE BALL

The player with the ball must be

D.1

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

D.6

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D.7

pressured at all times so he: fensive player.

We want to close all passing lanes and
D.8 ▼ Cannot shoot keep the ball above the free-throw line ex-
tension as long as possible. Don’t allow an
▼ Cannot easily pass the ball inside easy pass to the corner! Deny the pass
more than just one time.
▼ Cannot penetrate in the middle The defense must force the ball to the out-
side (diagr. 2).
By doing this, we create a ballside and a
helpside. We do not want the ball to be in HELPSIDE
the middle of the court (diagr. 1). Players on the helpside sag to the middle
Against good fastbreak teams (for exam- of the lane and set up in a flat triangle
ple, the Italian team of Benetton Treviso in with their offensive players and the ball.
Euroleague), we run back on defense in They fill up the positions towards the ba-
D.9 three seconds. seline and sag to the level of the ball.
On the other hand, when we play in Euro- They patrol the lane and are ready to in-
league against the Turkish team of Efes tercept (lob) passes, block shots, get re-
Pilsen, we apply a full-court press, becau- bounds, take charging fouls, and help and
se this team runs a very good set offense. rotate early, if this becomes necessary
(diagr. 3).
DENY If there is now a low post player on the
Players who defend against an offensive ballside, and therefore there is no defen-
player who is one pass away from the ball der either, the helpside defender closest
must adopt a closed denial stance, putting to the baseline must sag all the way to the
them in line between the ball and their of- edge of the lane on the ballside to fill up
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

Passes from the wing and back to the

D.10
guard position have to be denied.

FRONT THE LOW POST

If the ball is above the free-throw line ex-
tended, the center must be guarded like
an outside player, i.e. according to his po-
sition, either on the ballside or on the hel-
pside. We deny the pass to him or his de-
fender must sag to the middle (diagr. 10).
Since high post players are practically
always one pass away from the ball, they
have to be denied the ball.
D.11 With the ball below the free-throw line
extended, all low post players must be to-
tally fronted, with the face of the defen-
der towards the ball (diagr 11). A low post
player is any offensive player at the side
of the lane, on the ballside, below the dot-
ted line.
We have two reasons for doing this: First,
we deny any pass to the center, with the
exception of a lob pass and, second, our
defensive center is in excellent position
to help on any penetration towards the
D.12 baseline.

EARLY HELP
With early help, our man-to-man defense
becomes a real team defense.
On a penetration from outside the three-
point line, the gap between the defender
on the ball and the next offensive player
must be closed by the defender of the
next man. He should help only until he
realizes that the player with the ball is ju-
st about to slow down, then recover insi-
D.13 de-out to his own man. Good anticipation
is essential.
It is much easier to help and recover if
the defender in a deny position is already
this position. He must help and recover if away one-third of the way to the ball and
the offensive forward on the ballside pe- ready to help, so that after making a short
netrates to the baseline (diagr. 4). move to help, he can make his move back
The next defenders from the helpside ro- to his man and recover (diagr. 12 and 13).
tate accordingly, in order to create a
compact defense (diagr. 5). If there is a low post on the ballside, this
The ballside defenders make our defense defender will be the first helper. The next
more aggressive, but it’s the helpside de- defender behind him must rotate quickly
D.14 fenders who make it successful (diagr. 6 and, if possible, get in front of the low po-
and 7). st (second help). In turn, the next defen-
We don’t want to allow the offense to der on the weakside has to rotate for him
swing the ball from one side of the court (diagr. 14).
to the other (diagr. 8 and 9). The earlier you help, the better you can
As long as we are able to keep the ball on stop the offense. You can never help too
the same side of the court, we are in posi- early!
tion to have five defensive players defend
against three or, at the most, four offensi- EVERYBODY SAG
ve players. If the offense succeeds in penetrating our
If we allow the offense to swing the ball defense (by a pass to the center or by
quickly from side to side, the defensive dribble penetration), all defenders must
players must constantly change position sag to the level of the ball and virtually
from deny to helpside and back, which is squeeze the ball back out to the perime-
very difficult. ter, thus forcing the offense to start over.
EV\Z),
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENDING
THE PICK-AND-ROLL
by Laszlo Ratgeber

Laszlo Ratgeber is head coach of Pecs,

the Hungarian Women’s Division I
team. He has won six championships
and seven Hungarian Cups. From 1994
to 1997 he was head coach of the
Hungarian Senior Women’s National
Team. Previously, he was also head
coach of the Yugoslavian Junior and
Senior National teams.

The pick-and-roll is one of the truly

classic basketball plays. When
worked properly, teams can use this
offensive play to baffle defenses-even
when they know that it is coming. That
is because when it is well executed, it
is very difficult to stop. The pick-and-
roll is basic basketball: An offensive
player stops to block a defender (the
pick) for a teammate handling the ball
and then slips behind the defender
(the roll) to accept a pass as he moves
towards the basket for a lay-up.

Defensive practice sessions should be

divided between the defense on the
moves with the ball, and those without
the ball. Defending the one-on-one
moves with the ball are the most impor-
tant, but right after that comes the
defense of two-on-two with the ball. The
most important play to be ready for is the
pick-and-roll play. Teams that are able to
defend the pick-and-roll are able to
solve plenty of defensive problems, thus
protecting against many easy baskets.
Here I will descri-
be different ways
to defend on the
pick-and-roll,
based on different
offensive situa-
tions, spots on the
court, and the type
of offensive and
defensive
D.1 D.2 D.3
players involved
in the play.
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DEFENSE

SLIDE THROUGH 2 passes the

Aside from any type of defense on the ball to 1, X4
pick-and-roll, the best way to defend on stays on 2 until
this offensive play is having the scree- X2 reaches 2,
ned player trying to break through the and then reco-
screen. When this happens, the screen vers on 4, his
become ineffective and the offense offensive
must try something else. player, who rol-
led to the D.4 D.6
PUSHING OUT basket. In the
Another way for making the pick inef- meantime, X5
fective is by pushing out. When practi- plays in a sort of
cing the technique of pushing out, the zone defense
defensive player must force the offen- (diagr. 1, 2, 3,
sive player out and away from the pick. and 4).
This defensive strategy must be If 4 rolls to the
employed with bent elbows and legs, basket after the
with the feet slightly apart, using the pick, and recei-
hand closest to the ball for force, while ves the ball
the other hand is ready to contest the from 2, then
three point shot. There is no defensive there must be a D.7
D.5
rotation at all, and this is a huge advan- rotation
tage for the defense. However, if the between X4 and
offensive player makes a dribble back X5. X5 must immediately run to guard 4,
and tries to use the pick again, the while X4 goes in middle of the lane to
defensive player on the pick can jump guard 5. X1 must be ready to intercept a
out to help and then quickly recover. possible pass to 1, while X3 is in the
passing lanes to 5 and 3 (diagr. 5 and 6).
HELP AND RECOVER, AND ROTATION
1 passes the ball to 2 in the wing area DOUBLE TEAM
and the high post 4 makes a pick on the 1 passes the ball to 2 and 4 comes out of
ball. X2 must slide through the screen corner of the free-throw lane and
of player 4, and X4 must stop the move- makes a pick on X2. In this case, X4 D.8
ment of player 2, jumping in his path. If jumps out with his body parallel to the
EV\Z).
D.9 D.14 D.17

D.10 D.15 D.18

D.11 D.16 D.19

sideline. X2 positions himself parallel with the SWITCH

D.12
sideline, and won’t let 2 go inside, trying to push One of the preferred methods of defending the
him into the imaginary corridor, towards the pick-and-roll in women’s basketball is swit-
baseline. ching. Especially in situations where the height
We can use two different options for helping difference between the forward and the center
out at this point: is not so huge. This kind of defense has its
▼ One. When 2 is stopped, we double advantages and shortcomings, but, even when
team with X2 and X4, who popped out. playing against a huge height difference, it is a
X1 moves up to anticipate the first definitely good weapon against pick-and-roll in
possible pass from 2 to 1. X5 moves to the last seconds (6 to 8 seconds) of the 24-
he ball side and covers his own second shot clock. In these moments, there are
opponent, also filling the lane, but only a few seconds to take advantage of height.
D.13 ready to help on 4, who rolls to the 2 receives a pick from 5 and dribbles outside:
basket. In the meantime, X3 takes up X5 and X2 switch, with X5, who aggressively
a position between 5 and 3 (diagr. 7, 8, guards 2, the player with the ball, while X2
and 9). defends against 5. X5’s tasks are to prevent 2
from penetrating and to stop the outside shot,
▼ Two. Let’s image a pick of 4 for 3, while X2’s task is to defend 5 by playing him in
with 3 who drives to the baseline. X5, front. We react to the first pass to 4 only by
from the weak side, has to stop and moving sideways, or by X5 withdrawing a little.
trap 3 with X3, while X4 remains with But when the offense passes the ball back, we
his opponent at the top of the key. X2 recover to our original man (diagr. 12).
must try to intercept the first pass to 5 If the second pass is made and the ball gets
and X1 remains between 1 and 2 to 1, then you can make the switch-back: X5
(diagr. 10). Also in this case, we allow is primarily defending the area under the
only one pass, which is to 1, and after basket, and X2 moves back to intercept the
the pass, every defender moves back cross pass (diagr. 13). It is very important for
to guard his own opponent (diagr. 11). the defenders on the ball to pressure their
EV\Z*%
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

offensive players, thus making the job of the down from the high post area to protect the
defenders away from the ball easier. lane and cover X5, if this offensive player
rolls to the basket after the pick. X2 slides to
STAY the corner of the free-throw lane, and X1
When you apply this defensive option, good comes up to guard 1. If the ball is passed to
communication is of utmost importance. After 4, who came out of the high post position,
2 has received the ball and 4 starts moving to each defender recovers on his own offensi-
the screen, X4 must warn X2 to take up a posi- ve player (diagr. 21, 22, and 23).
tion parallel to the baseline before the pick is
D.20 completed. To make this kind of communica- BACK SCREEN
tion effective, the players need to shout a 1 has the ball in the middle of the court. 5
harsh order (a word such as “now”) or a num- comes out of the high post position and makes
ber (“two,” “three”) that is used exclusively in a back screen for 1. X1 must force 1 to the
this situation (diagr. 14 and 15). baseline and then X1 and X5 double team 1
Let’s examine now this case: 3 receives the (diagr. 24). If 1 passes the ball outside to 5, who
ball from 1 and 4 comes out to make a pick. rolled out after the pick, we then have two
If 3 penetrates towards the baseline, X3 fol- options:
low him and X4 helps out. The most impor- ▼ X5 jumps out and recovers on 5.
tant thing for X4 is to move and set himself in
a way that 3 could not make the first easy ▼ We make a switch: X4, who guarded
pass. The only option left would be to pass 4 near the corner of the free-throw
to 2. When the ball is received by 2, we can lane, jumps on 5, and X5 covers 4
easily recover (diagr. 16, 17 and 18). (diagr. 25 and 26).
D.21
If 3 is passive, everyone should stay on their
assigned offensive player. The above mentioned defensive options on
the pick-and-roll, however, cannot be
CROSS SCREEN applied automatically. It is very important to
Now I would like to analyze the defense to know the characteristics of your team. We
be used against the cross screen. 1 passes must choose the defensive option that suits
the ball to 2, while 5 is going to pick 3. X5 our players’ individual skills and physical
stays high over 5, while X3 chases 3, staying abilities, in order to create a team that can
low and parallel to the baseline (diagr. 19 defend the pick-and-roll effectively. It is not
and 20). enough to only examine the problems ari-
In this case, 3 receives the ball in the corner sing from defending the pick-and-roll. It is
and 5, after the pick in the lane, comes out as important to adapt to the style of the
and picks for 3 again. X3 and X5 then trap 3 opponent and to the characteristics of their
D.22
in the corner. If the pass comes out of the players!
trap and 3 passes the ball to 2, X4 slides For instance, against teams with players who
are good on dribbling penetration, but not so
good as outside shooters the “push out defen-
se” can be an outstanding weapon.
Against teams having no real big or physi-
cally strong players in the post-reducing the
need to strongly control the lane-but with
good shooting power forwards (the 4 posi-
tion), the switching option is a proven defen-
sive scheme.
We must also consider another important
factor when we apply a certain defensive
D.23 D.25 option. Namely: the score. If our team has
fallen behind, it is important to make a steal
or force a turnover as soon as possible.
Applying a passive defense on the pick-and-
roll does not help. Therefore, we must use
an aggressive defense. For example, we
must employ the double team or else chan-
nel the offensive player to a certain area of
the court, so we can trap him there. The lat-
ter option can be applied, too, when we
want to prevent the opponent from making a
pick-and-roll. Forcing the offensive player to
D.26
use his weak hand, we channel him into a
D.24
corridor and force him to make a turnover.

EV\Z*&
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

ZONE DEFENSE
D.1

D.2
by Phil Martelli

Phil Martelli was an assistant coach at St. TEACHING POINTS

Joseph’s University in Philadelphia for ten a. Keep the hands high, not out at the sides.
years and has been the head coach since b. Use simple and easy words to
1995. A specialist on defensive strategy, and communicate: “ball” or “help.”
among the elite coaches of the college ba- c. Slide and guard the high and the low post
sketball, he was voted the 2004 College Coa- by getting in front of the offensive player.
ch of the Year. His team, unbeaten in the re- d. On all passes from one side to the other
gular season with 27 victories, reached the side of the court, the wings, X1 and X2,
Final Eight of the NCAA. must guard the player who receives the D.3
pass.
At St. Joseph’s, we call out each of the va- e. Box-out.
rious zone defenses with numbers: f. Flexibility: The players must have the
a. “3”: a 1-2-2 normal zone ability to defend an attack using one or
b. “31”: a 1-2-2 zone, with a trap applied on two players in the first line of the defense.
the first pass when the ball is passed be-
low the free-throw line extension. “X3” REGULAR
Initial set
Let’s now review the “3” zone defense. ▼ X3 starts defending above the three-point
line area.
STARTING SET ▼ X1 and X2 have one foot inside
Here are the positions and tasks for each the three-second lane. PASS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE COURT
player: ▼ X4 and X5 have both feet inside TO THE OTHER (SKIP PASS)
▼ X3, the small forward, or even the power the three-second lane (diagr. 2). A. Pass from the corner to the opposite
forward, plays on the top of the zone. wing
▼ X1, the point guard, stays on the right side PASS TO THE WING ▼ X2, the wing, who is on the help side,
of the defense. ▼ X1 goes to guard the offensive player with sprints to guard the offensive player who
▼ X2, the other guard, stays on the left side the ball and applies pressure. has received the ball.
of the defense. ▼ X5, the defender of the lower part of the ▼ X4, if there a low post in his area, guards
▼ X5, the best rebounder, sets low in the lane, guards the low post by playing the low post by playing in front.
lane, always on the side of the point guard. in front of the offensive player. ▼ X3 sprints to guard the high post area, on
▼ X4, the other post or power forward, ▼ X3, the defender on the top of the lane, the ball side.
plays low, on the other side of the slides down to the ball side in the high ▼ X5 slides and moves into the
lane (diagr. 1). post area at the corner of the free-throw three-second lane.
area, or contests any offensive player ▼ X1 slides towards the ball at the corner
PRINCIPLES who makes a flash cut to reach of the free-throw lane (diagr. 5).
▼ Put constant pressure on the offensive this position.
player with the ball. ▼ X4, the other low defender in the zone, B. Pass from the wing to the opposite corner
▼ Do not allow any lay-ups. slides towards the ball (diagr. 3). ▼ X2 sprints to guard the offensive player
▼ Communication: Always talk on defense. that received the ball in the corner.
▼ Play hard and hustle. PASS TO THE CORNER ▼ X3 sprints to the corner of the
▼ Contest every shot. ▼ X5 goes aggressively out to guard the free-throw lane, replaces X2, and, if
▼ Do not ever foul the shooter. offensive player who received the ball. there is a high post, guards this
▼ Do not allow passes inside the defense, ▼ X3 goes down and guards the low offensive player.
but allow passes around the perimeter. post in front. ▼ X4 guards the low post by playing in front
▼ Guard the low post player by fronting him. ▼ X1 covers the high post and the wing of the player.
▼ All the defenders must box-out after position on the ball side. ▼ X5 slides inside the three second lane,
a shot is taken. ▼ X2 and X4 adapt to the ball position, on the help side.
▼ The hands must always be active, the feet always keeping their shoulders parallel ▼ X1 goes to corner of the free-throw lane,
always in motion. to the baseline (diagr.4). and replaces X3 (diagr. 6 and 7).

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.4 D.8 D.12

D.9

D.5 D.13

D.6 D.10

D.7 D.11

PASS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE COURT the offensive player in the corner. ▼ X4 and X5 stay in the three-second lane
TO THE OTHER AND TO THE WING ▼ X2 sprints in the middle of the (diagr. 11).
A. Pass from the wing to the opposite three-second lane.
corner ▼ X3 guards the wing with the ball. COVERAGE OF THE DRIBBLER
▼ X2 sprints to guard the offensive player ▼ X1 slides to the corner of the free-throw A. If the offensive player has the ball in the cen-
with the ball in the corner. lane, and replaces X3. tral part of the court and dribbles to the wing:
▼ X4 guards the low post on the ball side. ▼ X5 stays in the lane (diagr. 10). ▼ X1 guards him aggressively and makes
▼ X5 guards the entire basket area. physical contact or else jumps in his path
▼ X3 slides on the corner of the free-throw C. Pass from the wing to the center of the (diagr.12).
area. court
▼ X1 slides in the three-second lane (diagr. ▼ X3 guards the offensive player with the B. If the offensive player in the corner goes
8 and 9). ball in the middle of the floor. out dribbling from this position towards the
▼ X1 sets him outside the left corner of the mid-court:
B. Pass from the corner to the wing on the free-throw lane. ▼ X1 guards him aggressively, and tries
same side ▼ X2 sets himself on the right corner of the to keep him from leaving that area,
▼ X4 slides up in between the low post and free-throw lane. making a strong contact (diag. 13).
EV\Z*(
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

PICK-AND-ROLL
by Dusko Ivanovic
DEFENSE
Dusko Ivanovic began his coaching
career in Switzerland, where he
won two Swiss Cups. From 1997 to
2000, he coached the Swiss
National team, and the following
season he coched Limoges, France,
where his team won the national
championship, the Cup of France,
and the Korac Cup. For the past
three seasons, he has been coa-
ching Tau Vitoria, Spain, and has
won a King’s Cup.

Before beginning, let me explain my

philosophy about players. I believe
that instead of accepting players
how they are, my job is to try to
change the players.
When a new player comes to my
team, he has to change and accept
my methods of practice and how I
want basketball to be played. For a
sound defense on the pick-and-roll,
the players must have good court
vision so they know where the other
defenders are located. They need
good timing and, above all, aggressi-
veness.
My teams employ various ways to
defend the pick-and-roll, but my
main goal is to aggressively contain
the ball handler whenever the pick-
and-roll is applied.
If the offensive team has two high
post players, we force the ball to the
side where one of them is set (diagr.
1), and contain the ball on the oppo-
site side where the other post player
is stationed. How to defend the pick-
and-roll depends on the abilities of
the players I have, as well as the
talent level of the opposing team.
There are now many forwards and
centers who are good three-point
shooters, which adds an additional
concern for our defense.

I would like to now describe four

defensive situations. In the first one,
let’s suppose that there are two high
posts. The majority of the players in
these positions can shoot well, but,
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

in my opinion, shooting from these posi-

tions is not a major concern that will
decide winning or losing (diagr. 2).
Let us begin with a situation, which
many teams play very often: two high
posts, two forwards in the corners, and
the point guard outside, at the top of the
lane.
I do not force the point guard on one
side or the other, but he must be D.1 D.3
attacked by his defender, face-to-face,
and he must be pressured, so he has to
think about protecting the ball rather
than shooting. The ball handler can
choose to dribble towards one or the
other high post players and the defen-
der must play him very aggressively
and force him to change direction at
least one or, better yet, two times.
When we want to contain the ballhand-
ler, the defender of the high post player
must come out vertically and aggresi- D.2 D.4
vely to the ball: he must be ready, men-
tally and phisically, and anticipate the
pick-and-roll and the moves of the bal-
lhandler. I do not want my defenders to handler is contained, we must know, can go only in one direction.
jump out horizontally to the pick to con- through our scouting, whether or not he In analyzing games in which the pick-
tain the ball handler and then follow is a good or poor shooter. If he is a good and-roll is played, 70% of the time the
him. Rather, I want a switch. After the shooter, the defender will slide through ballhandler will drive to the opposite
pick, the offensive high post rolls to the his teammate, who has already contai- side of the screen.
basket, and our defender, who guards ned the dribbler, and pick him up again. When we contain ball handler, the other
the other high post, must leave his man At the same time, when the defender of three defenders must rotate (diagr. 5).
and cover the open post under the the ball handler slides through and is Our defender of the high post will stay
basket (diagr. 3). behind him, this defender will rotate, under the basket, regardless of where
In this situation, the other high post is sprint, and take position between the his opponent is: he is ready to pick the
wide open, with a large open area two offensive posts. screener up if he rolls and goes in the
around him. Our defender, who con- If the ballhandler is not a good shooter, low post after the pick. He must always
tains the ball handler, is far away from the defender, who guards him will then be aggressive and very quick to stop
the open high post and cannot help and slide behind the screener. The defender, the screener before he turns around
recover on him. For this reason, we do who guards the ball handler, is now in and faces the basket. However, if his
not come out to the ball horizontally the position to defend him in a one-on- opponent receives the ball before he
when we defend the pick-and-roll, but one situation. If one of our players is not stops him, he must also prevent him
we contain the ball vertically, because able to defend against a one-on-one from turning around with the ball and
our defensive post is only two steps situation, his place is on the bench. facing the basket: from here, he can see
away from the open opponent and he all his teammates and pass the ball to
can fall back and defend against him. There are many situations which can an open one. However, if his opponent
The defender, who has already contai- develop after a pick-and-roll. One of receives the ball and faces the basket,
ned the ballhandler, always covers the these occurs when the offensive weak- our defender will guard him face-to-
open high post. He sprints to take his side high post receives the ball: he can face at an arm’s length distance. If this
position between both the offensive shoot, but he can also pass to the weak- happens, the defender of the play-
posts to stop the drive of the ball hand- side corner man and set a screen for maker, will position himself at the top of
ler. The defender, who guards the him (diagr.4).
weakside cornerman, does not help if Here is how we cover this situation: The
the player on the high post is not a good defender of the ballhandler will guard
shooter, but stays with his opponent. him aggressively face-to-face and pres-
When the high post receives the ball, sure the ball. The defender of the scree-
we can let him shoot. Even if he makes ner will communicate to him that a
a few baskets, this will not hurt us too screen is about to be set, and this
much. defender will take a diagonal position at
The defender of the screener must his opponent’s side, opposite to the
come out to the ball vertically and screen. In this way he will prevent the
aggressively contain the ball handler ball handler from dribbling to the oppo- D.5
without using his hands. When the ball site side of the screen-the ball handler
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D.6 D.10 D.11

defender of the high post guards his man If one of two offensive high-post players is
on the weak side corner. If he is a good a good shooter and there is a pick-and-roll
shooter, he pressures him to prevent the on his side, we defend in the same way as
jump shot. The defender’s playmaker will I explained in the beginning. However, if
stay with him, and the defender’s low post the strong-side high post does not roll out
will pick up the high post. The other defen- to the low post, but instead looks for his
der of the post, who contained the ball own shot because he is a good shooter
handler on the pick-and-roll, will slide from this position, and the other high post
under the basket and guard the low post. slides under the basket, our rule is that the
Now let’s review how we defend on a pick- defensive posts never switch their oppo-
D.7
and-roll on other side, where there is a nents in this situation. Now we play our
high post player, who is not a good shoo- defense in a one-on-one situation.
ter. The ball handler’s defender, and the If I have a player on my team who could
screener’s defender, who will come out not recover after he contains ball handler,
horizontally in this case, switch oppo- here is how we now defend. When the
nents. The other weak side high post’s offense starts playing pick-and-roll to that
defender goes in the middle of the lane, side where our post player (who cannot
ready to help. As soon as the strong-side recover) plays, we force the ball. The
high post starts rolling out to go to the low defensive guard, who guards the ball
post, his defender, a perimeter player, will handler, will follow his opponent behind
not follow him, because his opponent is his back and try to slide through the top of
D.8 much bigger. Now we make the rotation: the screen, while the defensive post
the post’s defender in the middle of the player, who guards his opponent on the
lane, guards the low post, while the defen- weak-side high post, will slide in the midd-
der (a small player) rotates and guards the le of the lane and be ready to help.
weak side high post, who is a good shoo- The ball handler cannot change the direc-
ter. He guards him in a one-on-one situa- tion of his dribble and come back because
tion and must try to anticipate the pass. our defensive guard is behind his back and
If the post receives the ball, he has two following him. For this reason, the ball
options: beat the defender one-on-one, or handler has only two options: he can
slide and take position under the basket, either stop and shoot, or attack the defen-
where his advantage is evident because sive post player, who tries to contain him
he is bigger. If he goes to the low post, he one-on-one.
D.9 cannot receive the ball directly because it However, the ball handler can also conti-
is not on the same side of the court. nue his dribble to the sideline. If he does
For this reason, the ball handler must so, our guard will also continue to follow
the key, not allowing him to recei- change the direction of his dribble if he him and try to take a good defensive posi-
ve the ball at the three-point line. wants to take advantage of this mismatch, tion to defend him one-on-one. In this
If this player tries to receive the and he has two options: pass the ball to case, we do not make any more switches.
ball farther away from the three- the strong-side low post or pass to the
point line, then we do not pressu- strong side corner man because he is a Only in this following situation will we
re him. good shooter. For this reason, we rotate apply weak-side help (diagr. 7). In most
The defender of the weak side again (diagr. 6). cases, the ball handler will attack our post,
corner man will go in the lane, far The strong side corner player’s defender who already has a good defensive posi-
away from his opponent: this picks up the strong side offensive low tion. In this moment, we must switch our
player is not an offensive threat. post, because a forward can guard a taller opponents. As soon as the screener rolls
If the ball is reversed to the oppo- player. As soon as the strong-side high to go under the basket, our post, who is in
site side, as soon as the offensive post starts rolling out to go on the low the middle of the lane, will help by picking
playmaker receives the ball and position, his defender (a smaller player), up the screener on the low post. As soon
passes it to the weak side corner continues his lateral move and guards the as the ball handler attacks our post, our
player, we rotate again. The opponent in the strong-side corner. defensive guard will recover and pick up
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

the weak side offensive high post,

who is a good shooter.
Let’s talk about a frequent situation
where one tall player is on the high
post and plays pick-and-roll, and
the other one, a good shooter, is in
the corner, with both forwards on
the same side of the court, but
opposite to the corner man (diagr.
8). On the pick-and-roll, the scree-
ner rolls to the low post, while the
ball handler will try to pass either to
the low post or to the other team-
mate in the corner, who is also a
good shooter.
How we defend on the pick-and-
roll, depends on two conditions: the
area of the court where the pick-
and-roll is played, and how good a
shooter is the ball handler.
If the pick-and-roll is played outside
of three-point line, we do not try to
force the screener out because a
foul could be made. The defender of
the screener will take one vertical
step forward, aggressively contain
the ball handler, and then will slide
to take his position under the
basket. The defender of the ball
handler will slide through behind
the screener and pick up his oppo-
nent. After the pick-and-roll, each
defender will cover his own oppo-
nent. The defender of the corner
man must always be aware that his
opponent is a good shooter and the
offense is designed to give him the
ball, so he will not help, but instead
will guard him face-to-face, while
the other two forwards’ defenders
will take their defensive positions in
the lane, far away from their oppo-
nents.
If the pick-and-roll is played inside
of the three-point line, the defender
of the screener will also come out
vertically to contain the ball handler
aggressively and then he will sprint
back immediately to pick up his
opponent, who rolls on the low
post.
The ball handler’s defender, if his
opponent is a good shooter, will
slide through his teammate and
pick up the ball handler again.
However, if the ball handler is a
poor shooter, he will slide behind
the screener and cover his oppo-
nent again. When the pick-and-roll
is played in this position, the defen-
der of the corner man will go in the
lane, ready to help or sprint to the
corner.
EV\Z*,
His reaction will depend on how the defen-
sive guard will slide: if he slides through his
teammate, who contains the ball handler,
he will stay in the lane and help his team-
mate. However, if he slides behind the
screen, he will not help, but instead, sprint
to the corner to pick up his opponent. The
other two defenders, who guard offensive
forwards will also take their defensive posi-
tions in the lane, far away from their oppo-
nents (diagr. 9).
There are also many other situations of
screens among guards and forwards. It is
basic that both defenders cooperate and
communicate, and they must think, antici-
pate, and react at the right moment. As
soon as the defender of the screener warns
his teammate that the screen is about to be
set, the defender of the ball handler must
be ready to take position behind the scree-
ner. If he takes this position in time, the
screener cannot roll out and get open.
Taking his face-to-face position to guard
the screener, he will be able to switch with
his teammate. The screener’s defender will
take one step forward, come out to cover
the ball handler, and prevent him from
taking the outside shot. In this way, he will
guard the ball handler face-to-face, and
switch opponents with his teammate.
Now I shall explain a situation in which a
team will set up on the court with four peri-
meter players and one tall post. Let us
assume the tall post is not a good shooter,
but the playmaker is excellent (diagr. 10).
These two players play pick-and-roll to get
either a three-point shot or play one-on-
one under the basket, while the other three
short offensive outside players, also good
shooters, set themselves on the other side
of the court, opposite to the pick-and-roll.
The playmaker’s defender now is behind
the offensive tall post, and he will do all his
best to prevent the offensive post player
from taking his low-post position. The ball
handler will usually try to beat his tall
defender, who guards him now in a one-on-
one situation. When the ball handler pas-
ses the ball to the low post, we trap. As
soon as we trap, the other three short
defenders, who guard their opponents on
the opposite side of the court, will rotate.
Our short defender, who guards the low
post, must prevent him from dribbling the
ball to the baseline. The defensive post
does not set a normal trap, but he will take
a face-to-face defensive position and
guard this opponent in one-on-one situa-
tion.
Here is the rotation as soon as the ball is
passed to the low post under the basket:
our 2’s defender will rotate and pick up 1,
the passer, the 3’s defender will also rotate
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

and pick up 2, and, finally, the 4’s defen- ler, will pick up the
der will pick up 3. We shall not guard 4, second trailer, who
who plays in the corner, because he is is now coming down
opposite to the ball and he is not a the middle of the
serious threat. As soon as our defensive court to take his
post, who set the trap, is in a good posi- position in the lane.
tion to guard the low post one-on-one, Once again, I would
his short defender in the trap will sprint like to remind you of
in the opposite corner to cover 4, and so our defensive rule:
our tall defensive post will guard again- the defensive post,
st his tall opponent. All the other short who does not con-
defenders will guard their opponents. tain the ball handler,
Here is another situation in which 1 is always picks up the
the playmaker, who dribbles the ball opponent, who goes
down the middle. 2 and 3 are the to the low post,
forwards, who sprint down the sideli- while the defender,
nes. 1 will dribble towards one of the who contains the
sidelines or pass to one of the tall post ball handler, always
players, who trails and sprints to set the picks up the oppo-
screen on the side of the court where nent on the high post
his teammate has the ball. The other tall position.
offensive post player, 5, is the second The weak-side
trailer. He still did not get on the opposi- forward’s defender
te half court because he is usually the will get in the middle
defensive rebounder or the player who of the lane and away
makes the out-of-bound pass. This is from his opponent,
the moment when all defenders must who is not a serious
already be on their defensive half of the threat. However, if
court and take their defensive positions. his opponent tries to
Our two defensive posts, who guard cut in the lane, he
trailers, must also be inside of the three- must immediately
point line. The defender, who guards the beat him to the spot,
first trailer, who is the screener, will not preventing him from
follow and cover him, but he will go in receiving the ball in
the middle of the lane, between his the position
opponent and the basket. The defender between him and
of the second trailer will pick up the basket.
screener because his opponent is far This short defender
away from him. If the screen is set out- should also pick up the second trailer if side short defenders will be made only if
side and far away from the three-point he cuts in the lane and our defender, the reversal passes to the opposite side
line, the defense will guard the pick- who has contained the ball handler, is of the court and to the weak side oppo-
and-roll without any problem. late and cannot cover him in time: he nent in the corner is made very quickly
The ball handler’s short defender will must also try to deny the pass to this and if the tall defender, who has contai-
slide behind the screen and pick up his player. If the second trailer tries to take ned the ball handler, is late and cannot
opponent again. However, if the pick- the low-post position under the basket, pick up the second trailer in time.
and-roll is set near or inside the three- this defender will guard him in front. If However, if the tall defender, who has
point line, then the screener’ defender the playmaker passes the ball to the contained the ball handler, is not late and
will come out vertically and contain the weak-side forward, two of our weak- can cover the second trailer in time, the
ball aggressively. The ball handler’s side defenders rotate. two weak-side short defenders will not
short defender, warned of the screen, As soon as the playmaker passes the rotate. Good timing is very important for a
will take a diagonal defensive position ball to his weak side teammate, his successful defense in these situations.
and force his opponent to the screen. defender will quickly cover the oppo- Pick-and-roll defense must be practiced
He must not allow the ball handler to nent in the corner. every day. A good defense depends on
change the direction of his dribble and The other short defender, who guards the cooperation among defenders and
drive to the opposite side of the screen. the second trailer in the lane, will sprint their constant aggressiveness. Some
Both defenders must not also allow the to cover the playmaker. Our tall defen- level of confusion is a normal problem in
ball handler to split them and drive der, who has contained the ball handler, our defense at the beginning of each
between them. As soon as the screener will cover the second trailer, who has season because we have many new
starts rolling out to take the low-post already taken his position under the players on the team.
position, the defensive post, who has basket. In this way both our tall post’s However, as the season progresses, and
already taken his position in the lane, defenders guard two tall opponents the players have gained more experien-
will pick him up. The other defensive (diagr. 11). ce playing with each other, our defensi-
post, who has contained the ball hand- Once again, the rotation of two weak- ve play is almost automatic.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE “WALL”
by Oliver Purnell
DEFENSE
Oliver Purnell is the head coach of Clemson
University. He previously was an assistant
coach at Old Dominion University and the
University of Maryland, and then head coach
of Radford, Old Dominion, and the University of
Dayton. As head coach of the U.S. National
team, his team won the World University
Games in 1999. He served as an assistant
coach on the bronze-medal winning U.S.
Olympic team in Athens.

The philosophy of the “Wall Defense” is pri-

mary based on the concept that all five defen-
ders are guarding the ball. This defense can be
summed up simply by stating that, first and
foremost, the defense is guarding the ball
against the basket. “Building the Wall” is a
complete team effort, and require a cohesive,
unselfish group that understands how to sup-
port each of its members. Because the “Wall
Defense” does not deny any pass outside the
three-point line, this defense might often be
misconstrued to be more conservative.
Consequently, one of the major challenges in
developing a defensive philosophy, that is less
“man oriented” and more “ball oriented”, is
maintaining pressure on the ball.
Oftentimes, the problem with teaching (or even
learning a defense or developing a defensive
philosophy) can be that it is played “all-or-
nothing.” In other words, a defense is either
overly aggressive and its players are caught in
situation overplaying the offense, overexten-
ding and allowing dribble penetration - or gam-
bling too much in general - or the defense is too
passive and allows the basketball to be moved
wherever it would like without much opposi-
tion. The “Wall Defense” solves both of this
problem. By maintaining incredible, intense ball
pressure through the entire possession, while
also defining specific rules of extension and
denial, and, at the same time, trusting in the rest
of the defense to support this constant ball
pressure, a defense can succeed in being
aggressive, while not overextending.

ON THE BALL
X1 guards the offensive player with the ball,
and must apply intense ball pressure, while still
containing his man. Second, he must remem-
D.1 D.2
ber he is “influencing” the ball to the sideline.
And, third, his exact position will depend on
EV\Z+%
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

where the offensive player’s head is.

The rule is: head-on-head, it means he should
line his head up with the offensive player’s
head, but always maintaining intense ball pres-
sure and influencing the ball to the sideline
(diagr. 1).

OFF THE BALL (ONE PASS AWAY)

X2 and X3 are each one pass away from the
ball. With the understanding that X1, the defen- D.3 D.6
der on the ball, is applying intense ball pressu-
re, X2 and X3 are guarding the ball first, and
their man the second. Therefore, they must be
in a position to first to show the ball-handler
that there nowhere to go, and, second, to help
on the dribble drive if he, indeed, decides to
drive away. X2 and X3 are in what we call “Wall
Position.” A term that can be used to describe
how to defend the ball against the basket is that
the defense is “building the wall.”

OFF THE BALL (TWO OR MORE PASSES AWAY) D.4 D.7

X4 is two passes away from the ball, and he
is on the “help position”, with one foot in the
lane.

JUMPING ON THE BALL

On the pass, the defenders must “jump to the
ball”simultaneously as a unit (diagr. 2). The
defender, initially on the ball prior to the pass,
should be most conscious of “jumping” to the
ball, because his man may likely cut to the
basket, looking for a return pass.
X2 is on the ball, X1 and X4 are in “the wall”. X3 D.5 D.8
is now in “help” (diagr. 3).

GUARD-TO-FORWARD PASS
The defenders “jump to the ball.” Now X4 wall” position. X4 retakes his man, however
guards the man with the ball. He must remem- in help as well (diagr. 9).
ber that, when he jumps to the ball (diagr. 4), he
cannot get himself out of the position for the SKIP PASS OUT OF THE POST
“middle drive.” X2 is “in the wall”, X1 is “in X1 has to now “switch” out and take out the
help” two passes away, while X3 is “in help” ball, because he is the closest baseline
three passes away. defender. X2 gets in a “wall”, defending the
ball and 1. X3 gets in “help” defending the ball
X4 is on the ball, X2 “in the wall,” X1 and X3 are and 2. X4 is helping, giving “baseline sup- D.9
“in help”, while X3 is giving X4 his “baseline port,” guarding the ball and 4 (diagr.10).
support” (diagr. 5). Because the baseline drive created a “help”
situation, on a skip pass out of the post, players
BASELINE DRIVE are switched onto different men, but the princi-
X3 gets to the “launching pad” to stop 4 from ples remain consistent (diagr. 11).
getting to the basket. X1 “fills” the spot X3
left, and X2 “sinks” to help X1. X2 is the “zone CUTTER THROUGH
guy” for an instant, guarding both 1 and 2, if On this situation the players “jump to the ball”
either are to receive the ball on a pass out on the pass (X1 does not allow his man to “face
from 4 (diagr. 6). When the ball is stopped on cut” him). X 1 stays between his man and the
the baseline, this is where players should be ball, keeping eye on the ball, on a drive or
positioned (diagr. 7). If the pass comes out to another pass (diagr. 12). D.10

2, X2 guards the man with the ball, X1 gets “in

OFFENSE REPLACES AREAS
a wall” position, and X3 gets in help. X4
The principles stay the same. Now, X1 is in
retakes his man (diagr. 8). If the pass comes
help. He must make sure not to follow his man
out to 1, X2 (again) takes the ball, X1 gets “in
all the way out - this is a common mistake on a
the wall” position, and X3 sprints to his “the
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D.11 D.16 D.17

cut through the lane. X1 is now in help and can GUARD-TO-FORWARD SKIP PASS
stay in the lane, unless his man either cuts to In this case there are a number of critical
the basket or the ball becomes one pass away movements and thoughts that must take place.
from his man, while X3 is in “the wall.” X4’s First, X1 must close out in a manner that does
position is in “the wall” as well (diagr. 13). not allow 1 to have the option of driving to the
middle. He must close out in a manner that
DRIVE NOTTOWARD THE BASELINE does not allow 1 to drive to the middle. He must
If the dribble drive is more in the perimeter close out with a high hand and his top foot up,
area: this is where the “wall” begins to show forcing, if anything, a baseline drive. If this is
its benefits. Let’s review the situation from the only option 1 has, it is X4’s job to anticipate this
D.12
diagr. 2: 2 beats his defender momentarily in action and be ready to beat 1 to the “launching
the direction of 4. Because X4 was in a good pad.” X2 and X3 would “fill and sink,” accor-
“wall position,” he is in good position to help, dingly to X1’s baseline drive (diagr. 18).
but he will do this for a moment. X4 will “show
and go,” stepping up and to the driver as if to FORWARD-TO-FORWARD SKIP PASS
fully help, but recovering immediately to his SPOT-TO-FORWARD
man, putting the responsibility back to continue In this case there are a number of critical
to “ride the driver” (diagr. 14). movements and thoughts that must take
The reason because X4 does not fully com- place. First, X1 must close out in a manner that
mit is because the “stand still”, “spot-up”, does not allow 1 to have the option of driving
“three-point shot” - 4 in the corner is more a to the middle. He must close out with a high
D.13 threat to the defense, than a contested run- hand and his top foot up, forcing, if anything, a
ning shot in the lane, going toward the base- baseline drive. If this is only option 1 has, it is
line. By stepping to the ball for a moment, X4 X4’s job to anticipate this action and be ready
gives the illusion that is coming to the ball to beat 1 to the “launching pad.” X2 and X3
completely. Oftentimes, the ball-handler will would “fill and sink,” accordingly on X1’s
pick up his dribble, or better, yet make an baseline drive (diagr. 19).
errant pass to 4, assuming his defender X4
has left him and he open for a kick-out pass.
Many times, if the “show and go” is execu-
ted properly, the kick-out pass can be deflec-
ted or, even, stolen.

D.14 ON THE KICK-OUT PASS

X4 may be able to deflect, or even steal, the
pass. X4 is now on the ball and must make sure
he recovers to the top side of the offensive
player 4, so as to allow a middle drive (diagr.
D.18
15). If a perimeter player, one pass away from
the ball, is outside the three-point arc, the
defender X3 (and X4), is in a “wall” position, as
stated earlier. However, if the offensive player
steps inside the three-point arc, the defender is
in a denial position. The offensive player is now
a much greater threat to receive the ball in a
D.15 scoring area, so the defense must become
tighter an denial position assumed (diagr. 16).
Because 3 and 4 are now inside the three-point
arc, and one pass away, X3 and X4 assume a
full denial position (“ball-you-man”), playing D.19
the passing lane (diagr. 17).
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE “TRIANGLE
AND TWO” DEFENSE
by Tab Baldwin

Tab Baldwin came to New Zealand in the

late 1980s with the goal of leading Otago
from the national second division into the
NBL (National Basketball League) of New
Zealand. From 1995 to 2000 he coached
Auckland, winning five NBL titles and three
Coach-of-the-Year awards. Baldwin beca-
me coach of the National team in 2001 and
guided the Tall Blacks to the FIBA 2002
World Championship semifinals. Baldwin
also coached New Zealand in the 2004
Athens Olympic Games.

Coaching basketball should be fun. It should

also be a cooperative effort of a coaching
staff and their players. A team comprised of
a great coach and a reluctant team will fail to
play with style and imagination whereas a
team with a creative coach working with an
intelligent team committed to one another
and quality play can bedazzle and befuddle
opponents far superior in talent.
This was the formula that the New Zealand
Tall Blacks tried to employ heading into the
2002 World Championships. We knew that
we were out manned in terms of talent and
experience but we also believed to the core
of our being that a cohesive and unpredicta- that playing intelligently and using a full range a diverse system meant to our ability to reco-
ble team could produce success against of offenses and defenses would be one of the ver from bad patches in games was the
much more fancied opponents. Our intention main pillars upon which we would build the knowledge that having diversity meant we
was never to be overly complicated in terms strenght of our team. In using this approach always had other options as to how we would
of our playing systems. However, because we knew that our team would have to be very play the game. This became the foundation of
we were going to rely on multiple offenses adaptable to the ebbs and flows of games our belief system: every game is winnable,
and defenses and our preparation time was and that we, as coaches, would not always we just have to use the right strategy at the ri-
always going to be severely limited, we did make the right call but that we would always ght time and then play our butts off.
need to put a premium on the selection of in- have other options to go to if needed. One of the weapons that we employed in our
telligent players as opposed to selecting More importantly, we knew that we would be system diversity was the “triangle and two”
strictly along the lines of talent. Fortunately, able to test the adaptability of our opponents. defense, a renowned type of “junk” defense
because of the fine work of some of our pro- This aspect of our team was certainly a factor that I gave used off and on for many years.
vincial coaches in New Zealand, most of our in turning a seventeen point third quarter defi- The “triangle and two” defense, like many
highly talented players also came to us with cit to russia into a nine point win and rever- junk defenses, can be employed for a variety
a good basketball brain. sing a 12 - 35 first quarter scoreline against of reasons. One belief that I hold very strongly
So, very early in our preparation, we decided China into ultimate victory. As much as having about junk defenses is that they cannot be
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 D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

The above points outline the strenght possi-

bilities this particular defense offers to your
used for extended periods of time in a game. can sometimes tale the place of a time- overall defensive package. However, as I
We generally hold to the truth that the junk out or a substitution). said, if you overexpose this defense to an in-
defense can be effective for no more than ▼ To take an opposition team away from a telligent and unselfish opponent then you
four-six possessions consecutively. well executed offensive sequence that is will find that the inherent weaknesses of the
As I said, we use the “triangle and two” de- giving either our man-to-man or conven- defense will ultimately be exposed. Essen-
fense for any of several reasons. The primary tional zone defense trouble. tially, because it is difficult to maintain good
reason we will use the defese is to attack an ▼ To shut down a specific player who has ball pressure with this defense, it becomes
opposition line-up that lacks a third quality found a hot scoring streak. This can ap- vulnerable to quick ball movement and weak
perimeter shooter. Even if your opponent can ply ti an interior player as well as a peri- side seal/screen actions.
move an interior player outside to become a meter player. The fundamentals of the “triangle and two”
third shooting option, the defense can still be ▼ To shut down an effective penetrating defense are actually quite simple but it is a
very effective with only a simple structural guard who is creating easy scoring op- defense that requires a fair amount of practi-
adjustment. We will also use the defense for portunities with the drive and dish. ce if you hope to have consistent success
these other reasons: ▼ To negate the sideline or point pick and using it. When practicing the defense make
▼ To disrupt an opponent’s scoring run by roll play being used so effectively in to- sure that you run different types of offenses
changing to an unorthodox defense (this day’s international game. against it and allow the offense several at-
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.5 D.6 D.7

tempts to attack the defense. This will allow sure on the ball and not allowing the player
the offense to “learn” the defenses vulnerabi- with the ball to establish any rhythm in his
lities and consequently the defense will have shot or break down the defender with one-
to “learn” to adjust. Once players playing this on-one moves.
defense can make adjustments without speci- ▼ Do not allow penetration off the drible.
fic instruction, the defense becomes that mu-
ch harder to break. The ball is positioned on the wing (3) in a non-
In outlining the defense, I will focus as much shooter’s hands (diagr. 2).
on rules and guidelines as I do on diagrams. X3 - Plays “area” defense not allowing 3 to pe-
D.8
Because there are inherent positional weak- netrate or shoot in rhythm but will not consi-
nesses in the defense, the players must beco- stently pressure the ball either.
me excellent at communication. There are X5 - Fronts the low post and X4 will zone the
many times when the “rules” of the defense midline defending the weak side post as well forward at the bottom of the triangle zone
are broken but this may force the offense into as offering backside help to 5. (X5) will play the remaining offensive
just one more pass that may introduce the X1, X2 - in this diagram, X1 is denying on the player basically man-to-man.
pressure of the 24-second shot clock. So, as strong side while X2 is staying close to 2 and The key to getting the inversion quickly and
toy begin to follow the diagrams always keep not offering any help side defense. Both could accurately is to be constantly communica-
in mind that communication, effort and intelli- be playing off of their men and only pressuring ting and identify this offensive maneuver
gence will mean more to the success of the 1 and 2 when they have the ball. early.
defense than close adherence to the “rules” Finally, the defending of the screen and roll
of the defense. The ball is positioned in the corner in a non- for either one of the shooters is shown in
The basic formation of the defense is shown in shooter’s hands (diagr. 3). diagrams 5, 6, 7, and 8.
diagram 1. X5 - Plays “area” defense as X3 in diagram 2. The screen occurs at the top of the key
X1 and X2 will defend their players (1 and 2 to By playing “soft” on the ball, he makes the po- for 1. The defense simply executes a
be referred to from now on as shooters) man- st feed to 4 a difficult pass. switch with X3 picking up (and staying
to-man. The man-to-man component of the X4 - Comes across the three-second lane to with 1) and X1 assuming X3’s responsibi-
defense can be either full denial or more pas- play behind 4 in low post defense. If the ball is lities in the triangle zone as shown in dia-
sive, help oriented defense depending on the passed into the low post then X5 should hedge grams 5 and 6.
respective philosophy dictated by the oppo- down but not apply a hard double team. X3 We see the same screening action out of
nent’s capabilities. X3, X4, and X5 play a trian- must drop lower on the weak side and be pre- the corner for 2 in diagram 7. As X3 calls
gular zone with the following coverages and pared to close out on any reversal pass out of the switch on the screen, X2 responds by
responsibilities: the low post. X1 and X2 can provide some po- sprinting to the X3’s area of responsibility
X3 - Mid-post extended to the high post on sitional help until the ball is passed out of the leaving the corner area for X5 to cover.
both sides of the floor. This player should not post. Note: if 5 executes a re-screen and 2 rever-
extend beyond the three-point arc. He also X3 - Plays below the free-throw line and on the ses and dribbles back to the corner, then
must switch all ball screens in his coverage weak side of the midline. X3 often has the re- X5 will need to switch onto 2 and X4 will ha-
area and help on dribble penetration by either sponsibility of reading the eyes of the ball ve to provide help in the low post on 5’s roll
of X1 or X2’s assigned men. handler and closing out on passes out of the to the basket.
X4, X5 - Mid-post extended to the baseline on corner. This pass could be thrown to the wings X2 - has taken on the responsibility of X3 in
the perimeter. Front the low post when the ball or to the top and any of those passes become the triangle zone and X3 is now playing 2
is on the ball side wing and play behind the op- the responsibility of this man. man-to-man (diagr. 8).
posite low post when the opposite low post
defender is extended. These players must talk The offense has positioned 1 and 2 in the cor- As stated at the beginning of the article,
constantly as they can see the entire floor and ners and put two perimeter players at the top the triangle and two combination defense
defensive responsibilities can change quickly. in guard slots. This is done offensively to try to is not without its weaknesses. If an offense
“Area Defense” - To understand how the force X3 to guard two players at the top and is overexposed to this defense it will learn
triangle zone operates, you must understand create a better penetrating lane for one of the how to break it down. However, using the
the concept of “Area Defense”. offensive players (diagr. 4). defense in a limited way and knowing that
When one of the players playing the triangle As soon as we identify that the offense is it is always there means that you have one
zone has the responsibility of defending the doing this systematically, we simply invert the more weapon to disrupt a talented oppo-
ball in his area, he must use the following de- triangle zone and bring one of forwards (X4 or nent and exert some control over how your
fensive techniques: X5) to the top. We will stay like this as long as opposing coach is allowed to use his line-
▼ Constant foot movement varying the pres- the offense uses this attacking method. The up and tactics.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENSE: A “WINNING
by Ghassan Sarkis STRATEGY”
Ghassan Sarkis won eight Lebanese natio- defensive change. This willingness to “adjust c. Switch on the screens on the guard-to-
nal titles, seven National Cups, two Asian and change” a defensive strategy is what will guard pick-and-roll (diagr. 4).
Championships, and two Arab Club bring victories. We double team today and
Championships. He also coached the we don’t tomorrow. We deny passes, we trap d. Double team the pick-and-rolls set used
Sagesse team, the only Asian club that ever the low post, we switch on catch-and-shoot by big players and guards. We chase the
participated in the McDonald’s Tournament. screening, we deny middle cuts. Then again, player with the ball and force him to pick
we do the opposite things in different games up his dribble. Now we slow down him
Defense is a word that echoes in every gym against different teams. In my philosophy, it is and give our big man the chance to reco-
during every basketball practice and game. the opponent’s offensive strategy that deter- ver (diagr. 5).
During the practices, the coaches want their mines my own defensive strategy for each
teams work hard on defense. In the games, game. My players are ready to adapt to diffe- e. Keep the ball in the corner by over-
the fans shout “Defense!...Defense!...”. What rent defensive tasks rather than being “pro- playing and sealing the way to the midd-
importance does this word have on the out- grammed” to execute a single task. Offensive le, thus forcing a dribble to the baseline
comes of the games? Why do we demand it skills vary from one player to another and (diagr. 6).
every day? What is the meaning of the word? from one team to another, and thus these skil-
Defense wins championships. Still, how can ls should be defended differently. Defensive f. Trap the baseline dribbler outside the
we simplify and implement it in a new era of strategies are being scouted exactly like paint. This gives us a big chance to jam
basketball, where the individual offensive scouting the player’s offensive skills. This the other team’s passing game, and our
skills are improving tremendously and very gives us more reason to be unpredictable in rotations become easier. Our recoveries
rapidly? our defense. become easier also (diagr. 7).

MY DEFINITION BASICS OF A WINNING DEFENSIVE STRATEGY g. Move with the ball, not after the offensive
With my years of experience, I have learned a. Ball pressure: It destroys other team’s player catches it. Here we don’t want our
that a winning defense consists of several passing games (diagr.1). players to “react” to the passes: we sim-
important questions that need answers: How ply want to destroy their passing game. In
do we play defense? Against whom do we b. Full deny: This forces the offensive my philosophy, allowing the players to
play it? How do we “change” it from one players to work very hard to get free react to the passes is defined as “too
game to another? At what time do we change (diagr. 2 and 3). late” (diagr. 8).
our defense during a game? Many coaches
believe in a single defensive strategy, and
their own egos then become their enemies.
Many good coaches feel the necessity of
changing a defense, but they take no action.
It is important to be flexible in your defensive
strategy. Here’s a prime example: In 1999, my
Sagesse team was playing their first ever
Asian Club Final against a Chinese team. On
our road to the final, we only played man-to-
man defense, but the Chinese team procee-
D.1 D.3
ded to pick apart and destroy our man-to-man
defense. During the first half, they punished
us with their pick-and-roll and accurate
catch-and-shoot shots off the screens. At half
time, we were down by eleven points. During
the intermission, I briefed my players on their
mistakes and how we should adjust our rota-
tions. One minute before the jump ball to start
the second half, I summoned the players and
asked them to change over to a 2-3 zone. I fol-
lowed my sixth sense and just “changed.” It
turned out that our rivals could not handle the
surprise, and we managed to win this very D.2 D.4
precious international trophy thanks to a
EV\Z++
h. Slow down the shooters
and make them dribble.
Many good shooters
become less effective
when they shoot after
one or two dribbles, and
some of them don’t even
shoot after dribbling
(diagr. 9).
D.9
i. “No help.” I have found
that the word “help”
often has a negative
impact on a single
player’s determination to
play defense. The player
starts depending on his
teammates for help and the helper often lose
sight of his assigned offensive player. Our help is
restricted to a few situations and we never help
on the first dribble. Moreover, it is “too early”
before the second dribble to offer help. Our “no
help” strategy does not contradict with the D.10
basic help-side and ball-side players positioning
(diagr. 10).

j. “Weak” side defense. I strongly believe that this D.5

defense is the most difficult to teach and to exe-
cute. Good offensive teams are more effective
from the so called “weak” side. All teams play
strong defense on the side of the court where
the opponents have the ball. They double team,
they switch, and they help. Their eyes are focu-
sed on the player with the ball. Their hands and
feet are ready to anticipate his moves, and the D.11
other defenders are denying the ball-side pas-
ses. Now the offense swings the ball. The
defenders shift their attention to the new ball
side and, in many cases, they forget their men D.6
for a split second and they suddenly become
“spectators.” This is one of the very difficult
situations that we face in any game. It is also the
most difficult to teach (diagr. 11).

k. Dive on loose balls before the opponent does

(diagr. 12).
D.12
l. Defensive rebounding: No matter how good we
may look defensively, we cannot allow second
chances to occur, and third chances are usual-
ly too late to defend. To solidify our efforts, we D.7
have to get the players to box-out first and then
rebound (diagr. 13).

The final basic of the defense is to show to the

players the importance of their individual defensive
contributions to the benefit of building a winning
legacy, one championship after another.
D.13
Finally, we have to always remember that winning
the big games requires that our teams add all these
defensive basics. Neglecting any small detail will
keep us from achieving basketball greatness and D.8
keep us out of the basketball history books.

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENDING THE
PICK-AND-ROLL
by Bob Ociepka

Bob Ociepka is assistant coach of the

Milwaukee Bucks. He was also assistant
coach of the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles
Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland
Cavaliers, and the Detroit Pistons. Ociepka
is author of two books: “Plays from The
Pros” and “Basketball Playbook 2: More
Plays from the Pros”.

The pick-and-roll play is a great offensive

weapon, used by all NBA teams and one of
the most difficult actions for teams to stop.
Pick-and-rolls are run in transition as drags
and step-ups. They are run on the half court
on the side, in the middle of the floor and off
the elbow. The picks can be stationary or
off movement, and they can be set plays or
random actions. As you can see, pick-and-
roll plays can cause a strategic nightmare
for coaches just in looking at the numerous
actions that a team can present. Now, add
to the mix the great players involved, and
you further complicate matters. Do you de-
fend a side pick-and-roll involving Kobe
Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal the same way
you play Chauncey Billups driving off a
screen set by Rasheed Wallace? How
about a high screen-and-roll (in the middle
of the floor) with Jason Kidd attacking as
opposed to Andre Miller? These are just
some of the dilemmas facing NBA coaches
as they prepare game plans and get their
teams ready to face their opponents.

Obviously, there are many pick-and-roll ac-

tions and many techniques coaches will
devise to attempt to stop these plays.
Teams will trap, slide under, force the ball
to the baseline or switch to name some of
them. Coaches have important decisions to
make and these decisions fall into a few
categories. Some coaches have specific
thoughts on how they will play pick-and-
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 D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4
rolls and will not vary from their plans, no below average shooter takes a jump shot
matter who the opponent is, and which and, if the player with the ball is an excellent
personnel. The techniques taught are a li-
players are involved. For example, some shooter, then the trap should be employed.
mited number and drilled regularly so that
coaches will trap every side pick-and-roll So, different strategies are employed in the
ideally they can be effective even if chan-
with the thought that, by using the same te- same game versus different players. This
ged game to game or with a given game.
chnique, their players will get better and strategy might be used by a team facing the
This article will describe some of the tech-
better at the execution and over the course New York Knicks, where a coach would say
niques the Bucks have used to defend side
of a season become very good at containing that, if Stephon Marbury is involved in a
and high pick-and-rolls.
this play. This style of coaching makes ga- pick-and-roll, we will trap it to get the ball
me planning more simple as both coaches out of his hands and, if Franck Williams has
and players know that the side pick-and-roll the ball, we will go under. DEFENDING THE SIDE
will be trapped. Coach Pat Riley had suc- PICK-AND-ROLL
cess with this strategy in New York, so we Other coaches may change their strategy
know that this style works. game to game, trapping versus one team TRAPPING THE PICK-AND-ROLL
Other coaches adjust their techniques de- and turning the pick-and-roll down versus Trapping the side pick-and-roll involves an
pending on which players are involved in the next opponent. aggressive action and there must be com-
the play. For example, a coach may feel that munication between the player guarding
if the player with the ball is a non-shooter, The Milwaukee Bucks under coach Terry the ball and the player who is defending the
the best strategy is to go under on the pick, Porter ascribe to the second scenario and screener. So, the first thing we say is
with the worst-case scenario being that a utilize game plans based on the opponent’s “TALK.” The player on the ball cannot be
EV\Z+.
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

beat down the sideline and must influence

the ball to the screen. He must get into his
man and move aggressively going over the
top of the screener and form a trap with the
screener’s man. After talking, the defender
on the screener must move with his man
and jump out to double team the ball. The
screener’s defender is better off getting out
early, rather that jumping out late. We don’t
want to surprise man with the ball! The two
defenders must ensure that there is no
space between them, which would allow a
player to “split” the trap. Players such as
Steve Nash from Phoenix and Jason Kidd
of New Jersey are two examples of players
who are very good at splitting traps, which
might require a different technique. The
goal of the trap is to stop the ball, force a
turnover or make the dribbler retreat
toward halfcourt. Once the ball is trapped,
rotations are involved as the ball is passed.

As the pick-and-roll takes place, the weak-

side defenders must sag off their men
ready to move and rotate depending on the
direction of the pass. If the pass out of the
trap is made to the screener (roll man), the
Bucks will rotate the opposite big man to
cover him. Some teams will send whoever
is positioned low as the rotator. In diagram
1, as the trap takes place between X1 and
X4, X5 cheats over (in the NBA based on
the zone rule we call it a “2.9” as a defen-
der cannot stay in the lane without contac-
ting an offensive player for 3 seconds.) On
the pass to 4, X5 rotates to cover him. X2 ha
sagged off the top to give support in case
the ball escapes the trap. X3 is off his man
and must sink into the lane to take out a
pass to 5.

Diagram 2 illustrates the movement of X4

coming out of the trap. As the ball is pas-
sed, X4 must sprint to the front of the rim
and, in this case, take 5 and kick X3 back
out to his man in the corner.

If the ball is advanced across the top out

of the trap, X5, who has “2.9ed”, recovers
back to his own man, after buying some
time for X4 to get back to the roll man. X3,
X4 and X5 must all work together, if the
ball is advanced, as X3 cannot leave the
posted player until X5 can get back, and
X5 cannot leave the basket for a free roll
by 4, until his man starts to get back (dia-
gr. 3).
All players must worl quickly and aggres-
sively to make this action work. During
the past season, Milwaukee game plans
have sought to trap pick-and-rolls invol-
ving players like Baron Davis of New Or-
leans and Steve Francis of the Orlando
Magic.
EV\Z,%
 D.5 D.6 D.7

PUSHING THE SIDE PICK-AND-ROLL DOWN

Another technique used by the Bucks is to
“down” the pick-and-roll and not let the ball
get to the screen. Using the same offensive
alignment from above, X1 forces the drib-
bler away from the screen, not allowing a
straight line drive. He must keep the ball
away from the middle, but still cut the drib-
bler off by the baseline hash mark. Again, D.8
talking is crucial. X1 cannot “down” the
pick-and-roll, until he hears the call from X4,
who must drop off the screener toward the
lane to help on a drive. X2 sags off his man
at the top and is ready to rotate on a pass
out, if the screener is a good shooter. X3 mu-
st be up the floor, ready to rotate, if X2 goes,
and X5 must be prepared to defend 3 in the
opposite corner on a full rotation, which is
shown in diagram 4. This technique can be
used to keep a good penetrationg guard out
of the middle of the floor and might be used
on a pick-and-roll involving Jason Kidd and
Kenyon Martin.
If the screener is a non-shooter, or someone
the coach feels is not dangerous, the defen-
se would not rotate to him. In diagram 5, the
defense uses this approach after the ball is
“downed”. X2 “stunts” (fakes) at 4 to buy ti-
me for X4 to recover to is man and everyone
stays with their own men and no rotation is
involved.

DEFENDING THE HIGH PICK-AND-ROLL

Two techniques the Milwaukee Bucks use
versus high pick-and-rolls are “show” and
“weak.”
“Showing” on the screen is designed to
keep the ball ot of the lane off the dribble
and also to get out aggressively to deny an
open jump shot to the man with the ball.
“Weak” is used to force the dribbler to his
off hand and take away his strength.

SHOW HIGH - LOW (WITH SCREENER ROLLING)

Once again, the defender must “talk” and
call out the screen so that the defender on
the ball knows the pick is coming and can
force the ball to the pick. X1 must get into
the ball and not back off. He forces the ball
toward 4 and X4 must “show up” the floor.
He cannot show late or flat off the screen.
By “showing up” he forces the ball out on
EV\Z,&
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

the floor. This allow space for X1 to slide

under his teammate X4 and recover to his
own man. He cannot go under the screener
(diagr. 6). Many NBA teams will use a rolla
and replace stratedy. All baseline defen-
ders must be up the line off their men,
ready to help and, in X5’s case, pick up the
roll man. X5 must pick up 4 on the roll above
the broken line so he is denied a deep cat-
ch. X4 recovers high, after showing and
picks up 5 on his cut. X2 is up the line sup-
porting and ready to help in case there is a
break down on the show coverage. X3 is up
the line and “stunts” to 5 as he cuts high to
buy time for X4 to pick him up. The Bucks
used this strategy to attempt to contain
Mike Bibby who is dangerous shooting
behind screens and getting into the lane.

SHOW HIGH - LOW (WITH SCREENER POPPING)

Diagram 7 shows the recovery of X4 if his
man pops instead of rolling. In this case, X3
must again “stunt” and provide help to buy
time for X4 to get back to his own man. In so-
me cases, if this is a great shooter involved,
X3 may rotate to him. Chauncey Billups at-
tacking off a screen set by Rasheed Wallace
was especially challenging in the playoffs
this season but Damon Jones and Joe Smith
were able to defend the action through hard
work, communication and effort.

“WEAK” VERSUS HIGH PICK-AND-ROLL

If the ball handler is a strong left-handed at-
tacker, the Milwaukee Bucks may elect to in-
fluence the ball to the right or to the oppo-
nent’s weak hand. In the given name, the
plan may be to “weak” all high pick-and-rol-
ls, so the lefty’s are forced right and the right-
handers are forced left. In diagram 8 the
weak technique illustrates forcing the ball to
the right. This defensive strategy was used
versus Damon Stoudamire of the Portland
Trail Blazers, who is a great attacker if al-
lowed to penetrate to his strong left hand. X1
must influence the ball right, but cannot al-
low a straight line drive. X4 sags off his man
to support and help protect against a drive.
X4 helps and recovers back to his man as he
pops X3 “stunts” to help buy time for his
teammate’s recovery.

As stated in the initial paragraph, there are

numerous ways to defend pick-and-rolls and
the wide variety of these attacks. The above
diagrams illustrate some of the ways Coach
Porter has attempted to stop these actions. It
goes without saying that the best-designed
techniques cannot always stop the best
players in the world. The goal of the
Milwaukee Bucks and most NBA teams is to
force a guarded, contested shot with all our
players on the same page, talking, working
together and helping each other.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

"FIRE": DOUBLING
by Jeff Lebo
THE POST
Jeff Lebo is the head coach of Auburn Uni-
versity. He was assistant coach at East
Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina,
and head coach at Tennessee-Chattanoo-
ga, and Tennessee Tech.

"Fire" is a type of defense maneuver that

enables the defensive team to double
team the post when the post player is in a
position to score. The double-team player
can come from any area of the court or be
any defender, depending on your rules to
double up. Teams double the post to either
hide a weakness (not very big in the post
or the other team is better inside), or for
profit (a great place to double up and steal
the ball). This must be part of the defensive
scheme to be effective, as there are other
elements involved at the time of the double
team.

WHYDOUBLE?
1. Other team bigger or better.
2. Philosophy is don't get beat inside.
3. Turn the tables and make it your ad-
vantage if they go inside - their big
man is a double and you have inter-
ceptions.

D.1

D.2

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

4. Something different for a team to prepare 5. Indecision - about doubling as a 3-man

for. who we need to double.
5. Take away big man.
6. Take away rhythm of big man and team. II. Double From Top of the Lane
7. Protect your big players from foul trou- We double team in the low post with the top
ble. defender (X1 in this case) on any pass into
8. Make team and big man think - turn "fi- the low post (diagr. 1).
re" on/off.
Advantages:
HOW TO DOUBLE? 1. Everyone is defensively alert.
D.9
I. Big man on Big man 2. More steals - offensive post will try to
II. From Top of Floor throw it out to top 95% of the time.
3. Never get into jam about leaving the po-
I. Big Man on Big Man st feeder from wing/corner.
4. Doesn't matter who catches it in the post -
Advantages: whether it is a 3 man, we are still double
1. Always have size in the double. from top.
2. Easier to teach and put in. 5. Strange line-ups do not matter as the top
3. Makes big players active and alert. man will always double-position doesn't
4. Something different to prepare for. matter.
5. Post players don't dominate scoring the 6. Better jumps to the ball.
ball. 7. Better helpside.
D.10
8. More aggressive.
Disadvantages: 9. Something different to
1. 4-man throws it into post from wing/corner. prepare for.
2. Strange line-up, we can have different 4 10. Our niche.
men. 11. Offensive post players.
3. Angles to double may be missed. 12. Can cause more di-
4. Can be slower at times. stress to the offense.

D.3 D.6

D.4 D.7

D.5 D.8

EV\Z,)
 catches it, you will get spin on baseline, 4. "Interceptor" must know ball is coming
which is something, we can never ac- out to top from the trap 95% of the time.
cept. STEAL IT!
6. The job of the player trapping down low 5. "Goalie" must be in front of basket on the
is not to get beat baseline. lane-VITAL!
7. As the ball is in the air, we are coming 6. Top trapper must sprint weakside to find
from the top of the floor to make an "L" open man-he will be there, unless post
trap on the post: this is why jumping to has thrown it weakside out of a trap. If
the ball is so vital (diagr. 4). You must be that happens, top trapper will go back
sure that you get a good "L" shaped, ag- and guard original man.
D.11
gressive trap in the low post. 7. Foul with your lower body in trap and ha-
ve high hands-trappers do not foul to
KEYS reach as they aren't the ones going to
1. "L" Trap. get the steals.
2. High hands.
3. Do not foul. WHEN TO LEAVE THE TRAP
4. Do not get split. 1. Ball passed out. On a pass out of the
5. Take away vision. double team and to the other side of
the court, we sprint off the weakside
The trap is performed by the closest man to with the defender, who went down to
the ball at the top of the floor. He needs to double team, X1 in this case (diagr. 9).
D.12 always have a man below him and 100% of But we can also end up with different
the time he will, or else no double team will defenders when moving off the double
take place. He will be at the top of the floor team (diagr. 10).
Disadvantages: 95% of the time, unless there is an overload. 2. Ball dribble out to corner:
1. Everyone will be a doubler - everyone 8. Defender guarding the post feeder will a) Leave as soon as he dribbles out be-
must know it. deny the ball back out to post feeder cause you have accomplished your
2. Size - sometimes great size, sometimes (diagr. 5). goal.
small player will be the double. 9. On the lane, we should now have an "in- b) Stay with the double, because now
3. TOTAL commitment in practice. terceptor" and a "goalie". We cover the you are doubling a post player drib-
4. Post development offensively. basket in a "I" formation from the weaksi- bling the ball to the corner, which is a
5. Longer to teach. de (diagr. 6) great place to trap (diagr.11).
6. More complex to teach. ▼ The "interceptor" has a job of reading the
7. Can get you into mismatches. doubled post player and stealing HOW TO LEAVE THE TRAP
his pass out to the perimeter. 1. Top trapper must turn towards the ba-
WHEN TO DOUBLE? ▼ The "goalie" is on the lane protecting the sket and sprint weakside to find the
1. Player catches ball in scoring position basket from cutters (which it absorbs) open man, whether it is a two-man ro-
(this needs to be determined by catch and lay-ups. tation or a three-man rotation. The
and players get feel on where to dou- 10. The rotation out of the dribble is (diagr. 7): reason for turning inside is it is a
ble.) Rule is: If you go start doubling, go "Interceptor" takes the first perimeter quicker movement to the weakside.
hard and decisively. pass out.
2. a. When the offensive player catches 1) High trapper goes weakside looking for UNIQUE SITUATIONS
the ball. open man. 1. Wing Cutter-Go.
b. When the offensive player starts to drib- 2) Low trapper adjusts himself so ball doe- 2. Front Cutter-Absorb and hand off.
ble. sn't come in from top. 3. Screens-Switch.
3) Now we are back in our man-to-man de- 4. Little Man in Post-Optional
TECHNIQUE IN DOUBLING FROM THE TOP fense. 5. Overload -Middle Man (Wing)
1. Ball never entered to post from top of 4) These can be a two-man rotation or a th-
floor. Post must be up the line, on the li- ree-man rotation to scramble back in our TECHNIQUE IN DOUBLING-BIG ON BIG
ne when the ball is in middle of floor man-to-man defense. The technique is going to be the exact sa-
(diagr. 2). me as coming from the top, except the
2. Ball can be entered from wing. KEYS only trappers are X4 and X5. If X5 is guar-
3. If post player is on block -front and make 1. L-trap - Feet of low trapper parallel to la- ding the offensive post player, X4 will be-
sure he pushes you, so you can slide ne line-Feet of high trapper parallel to ba- come the high or top trapper and vice ver-
behind him and play topside. Why? If seline (diagr. 8). sa. We still must have a "goalie" and "inter-
you let post player get position on block, 2. Ball cannot be entered from the top. ceptor" and a deny man on the ballside
he will score before you can get the Why? wing. We still must get a "L" trap to take
double to him. a) Trap difficult to take place away vision to the weakside (diagr. 12).
4. Post push out and play 3/4 topside as we b) Impossible to take away his vision.
want the ball entered to the post as low c) Post will score before we get there. UNIQUE SITUATIONS
as we can force it (diagr. 3). d) Our players aren't there because ball 1. 4 or 5 throws it in
5. As ball is in the air, we will slide behind was at the top-No strong side or weak a. Wing
post, with our feet parallel to lane line side of the floor has been determined. b. Corner
and with bottom foot below him-if you 3. Keep ball from coming back out of origi- 2. X4 or X5 is guarding weakside block and
don't give him a little space early as he nal trap to wing feeder. gets too low.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

COMBINATION DEFENSE:
THE TRIANGLE AND TWO
by Julio Lamas

Julio Lamas coached the Argentinian

Division I teams of Boca Juniors (one
National championship), Obras Sanita-
rias, and now Ben Hur. In Spain, he
was head coach of Alicante and Real
Madrid. He also guided the Argentinian
National Men's team from 1997 to 1999.

The triangle and two is a combination

defense, because two defenders, X1
and X2, play man-to-man, while the
other three play a triangle zone, with X3
at the top and X4 and X5 at the base of
the imaginary triangle (diagr. 1).

RULES FOR THE TWO MAN-TO-MAN

DEFENDERS
a. They play face-to face.

b. They never help the first time (diagr.

2).

c. They help the second time, which

means only when the helper leaves
his own offensive player and goes
straight to stop the offensive player,
who beat his teammate (diagr. 3).

If there is a screen for the player, who is

guarded man-to-man, the screened de-
fender channels his offensive player
toward the middle of the lane so he can
have the help of the center, who can
"bump" (diagr. 4).
In fact, if we let the offensive player go
to the baseline, this can create a pro-
blem for the defense, because the
screener can easily roll to the center of
the lane toward the basket and receive
the ball when X4 goes to help (diagr. 5).
If one of the offensive players, guarded
EV\Z,+
man-to-man, receives a vertical pick and penetrate in the middle of the lane.
goes high, his defender, X2 in this case,
must always slide over the pick, and not b. They must anticipate any pass inside
follow him. the zone.
He must stay behind to avoid a curl
around the picker (diagr. 6). c. They must stop any inside game.
They must also stay more than three-
On a direct screen on the ball on the quarters of the distance between the
wing, we always push the offensive ball and the player in the low post if
player with the ball toward the baseline the ball is above the extension of the D.1
(diagr. 7). free-throw line.
However, if the screen occurs between In addition, they must anticipate a
the two offensive players, who are cove- pass to the low post, when the ball is
red man-to-man, we switch (diagr. 8). below the extension of the free-throw
line.
RULES FOR THE DEFENDERS ON THE ZONE
a. They do not let the offensive player d. If a player near the baseline goes high

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.6 D.8
D.10

D.7 D.9
D.11

and outside the perimeter, the de-

fender on his side, X4 in this case,
comes high, until the free-throw line
(diagr. 9).

When 1 passes to 4, X4 will cover 4,

but he will not follow him, if 4 is not a
good shooter. In this case, he will D.12
stay between the ball and the ba-
sket. However, if 4 is a good shooter,
X4 will play man-to-man. He will for-
ce him to the center, where he can
have the help of X3, if 4 drives to the
basket (diagr. 10).

e. If the ball is on the wing, the defen-

ders on the weakside stay in the
middle of the lane (diagr. 11).

f. If the ball goes in the deep corner, D.13

X5 runs to cover the player with the
ball, X4 guards the low post on the
ball side, and X3 slides toward the
baseline (diagr. 12).

g. If the ball is passed to the low post,

X4 is responsible for guarding 5 and
playing him one-on-one, without gi-
ving him the baseline. X3 and X5 sli-
de in the middle of the lane and fake
to help and recover (diagr. 13).
D.14
X5 helps only if 4 goes to the basket.
In this case, X2 leaves his offensive
player and rotates to help (diagr. 14).

h. The defensive triangle (the three

players on zone) lowers itself and
becomes smaller, whenever the ball
is nearest to the baseline.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

THE 1-2-2
by Zeljko Pavlicevic
MATCH UP ZONE
Zeljko Pavlicevic is the head coach of
the Japanese Men's National team. His
career started in Croatia, with the Cibo-
na Zagreb, where he won one Yugosla-
vian Championship, one Yugoslavian
Cup, and one European Cup. He then
coached in Spain, Ferrol and Vitoria, and
then Split, where he won one Yugosla-
vian title, one Cup of Yugoslavia, and
one European Cup. While in Greece, he
coached Panathinaikos Athens and won
one Cup of Greece. He was also Techni-
cal Director of all the Croatian national
teams.

With the improvement of outside shoo-

ters, the so called "classical zone defen-
se" started to be inefficient, and so new
and different types of more aggressive
zones began to become popular the
world over. In this article, I will focus on
the match-up defense.

This defense has incorporated more

sophisticated and specific rules that are
carefully chosen to satisfy the best sides
of both the zone and the man-to-man de-
fense.

The classical 1-2-2-zone alignment is the

D.1

D.2

EV\Z,.
best starting set for the match-up zone. does not guard one specific offensive
That's because this set offers the greate- player), and this principle is always
st mobility and the biggest adaptability. applied in this defense.
This defense is used as a secondary defen-
se, after the basic man-to-man defense. ▼ We divide the zone in two lines:
Then going up to the higher level, a coach - Front line, formed by the point guard,
is forced to utilize much more of a combi- the shooting guard, and the small
ned defense, and, particularly, the mat- forward.
ch-up zone. - Back line, formed by the power
forward and the center.
D.3
TOP CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE MATCH-UP ZONE This set has two advantages: the big, tall
▼ Mainly, this is a zone defense that in- men stay in the rebounding zone and ha-
corporates three important elements: ving a better position near the basket,
1. The synchronized movements of all fi- while the three players of the front line
ve defensive players. are quicker and they can run on the pri-
2. The movement of all five defenders mary fastbreak.
based on the position of the ball. The defensive big men can be protected
3. The coverage of certain strictly defi- by offensive big men with better skills,
ned areas of the half court. and they can be more effective on defen-
sive rebounding.
▼ Players responsibilities and position We cheat with the offense because they
assignments are the same as the see a zone, while this is not a normal zo- D.4
man-to-man defense: ne, and they need more time to adapt
1. All the principles of the one-on-one (and with the 24-second rule, this is an
defense are included. advantage).
2. Moving on the low, with a well-balan- The 1-2-2 set is ideal for the fast break.
ced defensive stance and proper
footwork. WHEN TO USE THE 1-2-2 MATCH UP ZONE
3. Closing out the baseline, with no pe- ▼ As a surprise for the opponent.
netration, by either driving or passing.
4. All five players box out, right after the ▼ When the other team does not have
release of the ball by the shooter. We outside shooters.
block out the area near the basket,
but each defender in the different ▼ When we want to change the pace of D.5
areas of the half court has some re- the game.
bounding responsibilities.
5. We do not trap, except for special oc- ▼ When we need to protect our
casions, and depending on the team player(s) when they are in foul trou-
we are playing. ble.
6. We try to harass every pass inside
with: ▼ To strengthen the defensive reboun-
- The movements of the hands that fol- ding.
low the passing of the ball on the peri-
meter. ▼ To score easy baskets with the fast-
- Good, strong contact with the offensi- breaks of the defenders on the front li-
D.6
ve players by all five defenders with ne.
constant pressure against possible
passing, shooting, and driving. ASSEMBLING THE DEFENSE AND
- The center and the power forward ha- THE PRINCIPLES
ve a particular role because they must Basic Alignment
contest any pass directed near and ▼ X1, the point guard, is the point of the
under the basket. front line of the defense, and covers 1.
- Preventing any penetration with the
ball inside the three-second lane, and, ▼ X2, the shooting guard, is on the right
above all, on the front line of the zone. side of the front line, and covers 2.
- We play defense on the screen with
the usual two-on-two defensive rules. ▼ X3, the small forward is on the left si-
- We fight any moves to the basket, as de of the front line, and covers 3. D.7
well as any cut, by bumping them or
breaking their moves "body-to-body." ▼ X4, the power forward, is on the left
side of the back line, and covers 4
SPECIFIC RULES OF THE MATCH UP DEFENSE
▼ Every defender is responsible for the ▼ X5, the center, is on the right side of
offensive player who is in front (he the back line, and covers 5 (diagr. 1).

EV\Z-%
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

The basic alignment is subject to chan- A. 1 passes to 4 and then cuts away
ges, depending on the position of the from the ball on the left corner: X2
offensive players, when they spot up to and X3 rotate to the center of the
start their offense. three-second lane (the circled
It is very important that the other team area), and X2 must decide if he
think we are playing a normal zone, should follow 2, or switch with X3
and spot up on the gap of the zone. on this offensive player (diagr. 6).
X1 is on 2 and must follow him all
The transition and the overload the way through, X3 must play on
of the offense the ball and protect from the inside
D.8 One of the best ways to attack the zone pass to 1, while is cutting in the th-
defense is to overload one side of the ree-second lane.
court.
Let's see the rotation of the defenders B. X2 calls the entry pass to 4 and
in this case (diagr. 2): warns X3, who comes up, guards
▼ X2 guards 1. and follows 1, staying in the passing
lane between 4 and 1 in the corner
▼ X1 guards 2. (diagr. 7). X2 guards 3. X3, X4, and
X5 are in an excellent rebounding
▼ X3 guards 3. position, based on the location of
the ball if the offensive player
▼ X4 guards 4. shoots from outside.
D.9
▼ X5 guards 5. New rotation based on new
offensive play
The moves and slides of the defenders Let's assume that 5 makes a cross
are based on the position of the ball, screen for 4, and they switch positions.
and three defenders must form a "trian- We switch on defense only on particu-
gle," which allows for better blocking lar situations and if these two players
out and rebounding (diagr. 3). are a big threat (diagr. 8), X2 stays in
the passing lane, contesting any possi-
▼ The position of X4 depends on the ble pass from 2 to 3.
position of 3 or 2. It's important to
prevent the inside pass to the low Here is another solution for the offense.
D.10 post 5. After the high-low exchange of 5 and 4,
4 sets a screen for 1 in the corner. X3
▼ X5 covers the high post area and must follow 1 all the way through his
guards 4, with the responsibility to cut to the basket, playing very aggres-
block out the rebounding position in sive and using the body for sliding over
the middle of the lane, as well as the screen. X3 stays with 1 until 1 rea-
contesting any pass and shot from ches his new position and the ball is in
this area of the court: This is a big the hands of 5 or 2 (diagr. 9).
threat for the defense because an
offensive player can see the entire We can also switch, with X4 guarding 1
court and have different solutions and X3 guarding 4, but in this case, we
for shooting and passing. have a mismatch in terms of size and
D.11 quickness.
In diagram 4, we can see what we
mean by "defensive triangle." If 3 sets a down screen for 1 in the cor-
The substitutions of the starting five This is formed by the three closest de- ner, a switch is made between X3 and
depend on the tactical demands and fenders, when the ball is in the hands X4 because we want to have X4 in good
the needs and philosophy of the coach. rebounding position (diagr. 10).
of 2.
▼ The shaded area in the diagram Cut of 1 or 2 in the three-second lane
The reaction of the defense is the same
mean that the offense cannot be if 3 sets a down screen for 1 and rolls
1 passes to 4 and then cuts in the lane,
allowed to make any cut, drive, or away: there can be a high-low between
on the right side of the half court, and
inside pass. 1 and 3, and X1 and X3 must switch.
then goes in the corner, on the ball side
(diagr. 5).
▼ It is difficult for the offensive X2 must follow 1 until he stops in the
If the screen of 4 for 3 has been suc-
players to move easily with the cessful, X4 covers the deep corner and
corner position, while the other four guards 3, while X3 stays on 4 in the
hard, physical contact applied by defenders sag to control the three-se-
all five defenders. low-post position (diagr. 11).
cond lane, preventing any flash cut or This defensive move can be dangerous
penetration. only if 4 is quick and if X3 is smaller
▼ The coach must use the players
that show the proper attitude and than 4. The other defenders X2 and X1
Let's see another situation, which can adjust their positions with the rest of
skills on this defense. be played defensively in two ways:
EV\Z-&
the defense, which must react to all It's very important to have the You also need to play five-on-five (do
the cuts and the moves of the offensi- teamwork and the co-operation of all not forget to ask the feedback from the
ve players. five players for the success of this de- players).
fense.
LAST REFLECTIONS You need to underline and explain the
There are some basic principles for If the players do not perfectly under- most frequent mistakes the player can
this defense: stand the moves and aims of this de- make in situations such as:
1. A quick and short communication fense, or they are not totally convin- ▼ Cutting in the lane
among all the defenders. ced, then it is better not to adopt this
type of defense for your team. ▼ Overloading one side of the court
2. The defenders must choose the
simplest and most rational solu- METHODOLOGY OF ▼ Screens
tions to the moves of the offense, THE PRACTICE SESSIONS
based on the sound principles of For teaching the 1-2-2 match-up de- ▼ Inversion and exchange of the de-
the zone defense. fense, you need to practice the basic fensive positions.
drills for the man-to-man defense.
3. The majority of the defensive situa- ▼ Rotations, with all the possible op-
tions can be solved in this way: ▼ Defensive slides and footwork. tions.

▼ By aggressively and physically ▼ One-on-one on defense and offen- Thanks to sufficient time dedicated in
contesting and following your assi- se (read the opponent). practice sessions, the players will
gned offensive player. soon come to play this defense auto-
▼ Two-on-two, especially focused on m a t i c a l l y. I t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h e
▼ By aggressively switching. early help and anticipation. players react to different situations on
the court.
▼ By the rotation. ▼ Sliding thorough the screens Be flexible. Remember that like
everything in basketball, there are cer-
Our primary aim on defense is to main- ▼ Closing and blocking out the baseline tain rules but they can be (and need to
tain our basic formation on the court be) changed due to particular game
with the front and back line. ▼ Blocking out after a shot conditions.

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENSE
by Zmago Sagadin
IS A CONSTANT
Zmago Sagadin coached Celje, Olimpia TALK vent quick passes (diagr. 2).
Ljubljana, and Maribor (Slovenia), Split All good defenses are “talking” defen-
(Croatia), and Red Star Belgrade (Ser- ses. With proper communication, NO MIDDLE
bia). He won nine Slovenian national players on a game court can help each Never allow the man with the ball to pe-
championship, nine national Cups, one other, discourage opponents, and avoid netrate the middle, from either the top
European Cup with Ljubljana (he was misunderstandings. The use of common or the side. Deny the offensive player to
also selected Slovenian Coach of the phrases, such as: "help," "switch," and go to the middle and expect him to drive
Year on nine occasions), and one Korac "screen right (or left)" improves the toward the baseline where teammates
Cup with Red Star Belgrade. A former team's defensive performance through should be ready to help. Furthermore, it
FIBA Instructor and President of the an active verbal interaction. There is vital that the defense does not allow
Slovenian Basketball Coaches Asso- should be no switching in a defense any direct drives into the paint.
ciation, he also coached the Slovenian without talk. Slide and talk.
Men's National team. NO CUT IN FRONT OF YOU
STEALING TIME Defensive players must move in the di-
Basketball is a very complex game. Whenever possible, teams should pres- rection of a pass to bump the cutter
Everything is important. The best teams sure the opponent full court to steal with his body and help the teammate
usually have a good balance between shot-clock time, pressure the ball, force guarding the man with the ball. All five
their offensive and defensive parts of the opponent to a rule violation (8 se- defensive players must react and adjust
the game. To have a successful basket- conds or a turnover), discourage poor their position after every single pass.
ball team you must be able to win not ball handlers and passers, and exhaust Move in the direction of the ball.
only home games, but also games on the opponent. You can always drop
the road. When you are not playing at back into a zone defense if you want. FIGHT SCREENS
home, your team will likely be under ad- However, do not foul or try to steal the Be aggressive and don't let opponents
ditional psychological pressure and will ball. Instead, steal time and wait for an screen you away. Discourage the
perform in different environment, which opponent's mistake to occur. screener by destroying the first screen
is unique in every gym or arena. In addi- with a foul. Make sure the defense
tion to referees, there is the crowd, ba- DECLARE A BALL-SIDE AND A HELP-SIDE talks and is ready to help or switch. Try
skets, lights, and a game ball that may As soon as possible, force the ball one to stop the opponent's pick-and-roll
not be the same as the ones your team side to declare a ball and help side. game by defending it without lateral
is used to. I believe it is hard, oftentimes Force the man with the ball to one side, movement. On the screen away, the
even risky, to count on a better shooting left or right, and try to keep him there defender should slide through the
percentage than the home team's. (diagr. 1). screen. There should be no automatic
Thus, offense is a variable in the game switching since it may lead to misun-
of basketball. However, you can still PRESSURE THE BALL - ATTACK OFFENSE derstanding about the responsibility
play great defense and win the battle of Defensive players must work on the for the attacker. Players should talk
the boards. Defense is a constant and man with the ball. Force the offensive when defending a pick-and-roll play
wins games. Defense and rebounding player to dribble where you want, but (diagr. 3).
together win championships. Cham- take away the middle of the court. Pri-
pionship teams, in most sports, have a marily, the purpose is not to steal the CHASE THE OPPONENT'S BEST SCORERS
strong defense and are comprised of ball, but to force the opponent to pick Overplay the team's best player or
players who never quit. Good defense up the ball and put pressure on his players. Make him work hard to receive
requires a synergy, teamwork of a pass in an area where he is no longer a the ball. The defender should follow him
group, committed to their team's effort. threat. on screens and stay close to the player
Furthermore, it takes sacrifice, intelli- without taking shortcuts. The goal is to
gence, aggressiveness, and discipline PRESSURE PASSING LINES wear out this player and be close to our
of each defensive player. A supportive There should be no easy passing to a main threat to prevent him from getting
team spirit and the winning attitude player one pass away. Don't let the op- into a scoring series. All teammates
should be learned. My road to a succes- ponent easily transfer the ball from si- should help guarding good scorers by
sful defense, and consequently to a ga- de to side. Move with a boxer's glide positioning themselves towards him
me won, leads through loyalty to a va- and be alert for interceptions. Good when he has the ball. Players under
riety of principles, rules and defensive defensive work of the individual guar- pressure are likely to become nervous
patterns. These are: ding the player with the ball will pre- and less effective, especially if he is
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D.2

D.3

D.4

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

fouled with small fouls and denied grab the ball firmly with both
the open shot. hands and turn in the air with
his legs spread. The rebound
POST DEFENSE should be followed by a quick
Prevent easy or direct passes to pass. Overall team size is im-
the edge of the paint or inside it. If portant but size alone will not
the opponent's post man is an ave- result in control of the boards
rage player, try to side him. Howe- (diagr. 4).
ver, if he is a good scorer, you
should front him. Do not allow pe- TRANSITION DEFENSE
netrations into the middle; force Sprint back to ball level, stop
the player to go to the side. the ball, help towards the bal-
lhandler, be ready to switch
DO NOT FOUL THE SHOOTER everything, bump the post trai-
Just play the percentages. With lers (don't let them make a di-
hands straight up, you must pre- rect cut), foul if necessary. No
vent the shooter from seeing the easy basket, no "coast to coast."
rim clearly and challenge his shot.
Let him shoot contested shots over "HOW?" IS MORE IMPORTANT
the defense's hands, but box him THAN "WHAT?"
out after. You can construct your defense
on different principles; more im-
MAKE GOOD/SMART FOULS portant is how your defensive
Use all four team fouls per quarter players execute them. Defini-
to "discomfort" the best opponent's tely all of them should defend
scorers, deny penetrations toward the opponent using the same
the middle, and fight the screens. principles.
The greatest sin is to score a ba-
sket and foul the shooter. It is es- INVOLVE YOUNG TALENT
sential to foul smart because we Encourage and force young
don't want to make any unsport- player to earn more time on the
smanlike fouls. floor with hard defense. Whate-
ver he'll do offensively is good
HELP SIDE DEFENSE but he must play tough defense.
When your man is two passes Develop his defensive pride and
away from the ball, fill the middle, attitude.
watch the ball, adjust your posi-
tion, and help as much as you can to fensive teams develop and use at USE SCOUTING REPORTS
stop the ball or force a attacker to least two principles for rotation. Find out what your opponent is playing
pass: offensively or what their best offensi-
▼ Be a disrupter-do anything to di- REBOUNDING ve patterns are. Prepare your team to
srupt the offense. A player's re- The team that controls the boards will prevent them from executing what
sponsibility should be to intercept win the majority of their games. Good they want. Destroy their patterns. Tea-
or draw a charge on lob pass situa- defensive rebounding reduces the ch your defense to read the offense.
tions. number of opponent's shots. Defense
▼ Read the offense-and be ready to should assume that every shot will be SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOUR DEFENSE
switch, rotate toward the ball side missed; therefore, every defensive man Some good examples: Make your op-
▼ Don't help too much-the amount of should fight for a good rebounding po- ponent shoot less than 50% for the ga-
help depends on the quickness of sition and box out his man. The team's me, make them score less than 20
the team's defense. Remember: you aim is to push the offense out of the points per quarter, do not allow easy
have to recover and box out your paint or under the basket. When boxing baskets, do not make stupid fouls ("ba-
opponents. out, intelligence plays an important ro- sket and foul"), get more rebounds
▼ Help the helper-we don't want any le. Players should be aware that 80% of than the opponent, no open three-point
open shots; thus, force the man all missed shots will bounce to the op- shots, prevent opponent's top scorer
with the ball to pass to another posite side they were shot from. In ad- from scoring a series, make less than
man. dition, defensive players should master 25 fouls, and steal more balls than the
▼ Surprise the man with a ball-if he the front and reverse pivot box-out te- opponent.
turns his head and looks away, try chnique to stop the offense from re-
to surprise him and steal the ball or
bounding the ball with his body. In free- In preparing the team, spend less time
double team him.
throw situations, fight and resist from working on the defense than offense,
▼ Rotations-rotate whenever neces-
being pushed by the offense under the but never pay less attention practicing
sary to stop penetration and force
the attacker to pass. All good de- basket. it and you will develop a winning de-
Once near the ball, the player should fense.

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

PRINCIPLES
by Pino Sacripanti
OF THE MAN-TO-MAN
DEFENSE
Pino Sacripanti’s Cantù youth teams 2. The big man nearest to the oppo- the player, to help and to start a ro-
won three Italian titles. He was an as- nent’s rebounder hinders the outlet tation from the baseline.
sistant coach of the Italian National Ju- pass, and then runs, as fast as pos- 3. With the player in the low post posi-
nior Team before becoming head coach sible, into his area. tion, we try to overplay three/quar-
of Cantù, the Italian Serie A team. Sa- 3. The outside player, who is nearest ter, preventing him from easily recei-
cripanti was named Coach of the Year the opponent’s dribbler, who is pu- ving the ball, rotating around the
in 2002. shing the fastbreak, must find a way player in relation to the ball position
to slow down the ball. His teamma- (diagr. 1 and 2).
It’s very important to underline some tes must guard the shooters and be
key points to eliminate all the easy shots ready to work on possible penetra- It is important to underline some consi-
of our opponents, to reduce their shoo- tions, helping and recovering. derations:
ting and rebounding percentage, and in- ▼ All the players must do all the rota-
crease their turnovers. ONE-ON-ONE ON THE BALL tions from the weakside at the same
Great responsibility is given to the de- time. It is necessary to always look
KEY POINTS fender on the ball, who must not be at the ball (diagr. 3).
1. Start from an efficient offense. overtaken in a one-on-one situation. He ▼ All the rotations must close all the
2. Complete the fastbreak. must try to avoid the defensive helps, most dangerous passing lanes that
3. One-on-one on the ball. the defensive switches and eventual ro- lead to a negative mismatch on the
4. One-on-one away from the ball. tations. defensive box-out (diagr. 4).
5. Defensive principles on different ▼ If we want to increase the aggressi-
kind of screens. 1. Try to contain the dribbler, at least veness of our overplays, we lift up
for the first three or four dribbles, gi- the defensive line of the player, who
THE TEAM DEFENSE STARTS FROM AN ving teammates time to set up. guards the man without the ball,
EFFICIENT OFFENSE 2. Push the ball near the sidelines trying to steal as many balls as pos-
▼ The primary aim of an efficient of- whenever possible, avoiding central sible (diagr. 5 and 6).
fense is to get good shots. penetrations, that create new pas- ▼ Recover on the offensive player,
▼ During the development of the fast- sing lanes for the offensive player. who received a dish off, by running
break, in all overload situations, the 3. Only after that, we prevent the of- towards him, hindering the shot and
last player of the offense stops at fensive player from using his strong trying to make two lateral slides if he
the half court, ready to balance if we hand. If he receives the ball, the de- starts to drive.
realize the primary fastbreak; only in fender must deny an easy crossover. ▼ The box-out must be done by all five
the second stage he will be part of 4. If the ball is in the low post, we try to defensive players in order to grab
the secondary fastbreak or of an contain the offensive player as long the defensive rebound.
eventual offensive transition. as possible, making him dribble to
the central lane. We then close the DEFENSE ON SCREENS
COMPLETE THE FASTBREAK direction, forcing him to go to the Always keeping pressure on the ball to
To develop the mentality of the defensi- baseline, where help from the weak- hinder the pass, we:
ve transition, it is important to have so- side will arrive. 1. Go behind the screen in third posi-
me basic rules: tion on the weakside (diagr. 7 and 8).
1. The two big men go for an offensive ONE-ON-ONE ON THE PLAYER 2. Follow on all kinds of screens on the
rebound, while the three outside WITHOUT THE BALL strong side (diagr. 9 and 10).
players balance; in case of penetra- 1. Aggressively overplay the man near 3. Work together on pick-and-rolls, pu-
tion of one of the three outside the ball, staying on the passing lane shing the offensive player on the
players, the big man, who is general- with the arm or with the body. screen and making a strong step
ly farthest away from the basket, 2. Leave the player far from the ball out, with the defender of the scree-
helps to balance. (weakside), ready to see the ball and ner, who pops out perpendicularly to

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

the driving line of the dribbler, to di-

sturb and slow down the passing
action. In relation to the dangerou-
sness of the other big man, we can
either switch between 4 and 5 (dia-
gr. 11 and 12) or help from the weak-
side on the big man, who rolls inside
and stays with the other offensive
player, who is open on the three-
point line for a possible shot (diagr. D.6 D.11
13, 14 and 15).

It is very important to keep in mind that,

on every screen there is the possibility
of an automatic switch. This creates an
advantage in keeping a good overplay
on the players without the ball, and so-
me imbalance on the covers, creating
many mismatch situations. The direct
consequence is that a big man must de-
fend one-on-one against a smaller D.7 D.12
player and vice-versa. This situation
can typically be used in last six to eight
seconds of an action, when the offense
has not the necessary time to adequa-
tely set up.

D.8 D.13

D.9 D.14

D.10 D.15

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

BUILDING A
by Jeff Capel
MAN-TO-MAN
DEFENSE
Jeff Capel began his coaching career in
2000 as an assistant coach at Old Domi-
nion University. After one year, he beca-
me an assistant coach at Virginia Com-
monwealth University, taking over the
head coaching job in 2002. He has recen-
tly served as assistant of the USA Natio-
nal Basketball Team at The World Uni-
versity Games.

BUMP - PHYSICAL ZIG ZAG

1 is the ballhandler and he starts on the
baseline. X1 is the defender. 1 must drib-
ble, staying in the lane lines. X1 plays a
very physical defense, moving his feet,
staying diagonally, and leaning on 1. 1 mu-
st be strong and protect the ball; when
they get to the top of key, they reverse ro-
les and play one on one (diagr. 1).

TAKE A CHARGE
The coach is at top of key with the ball. X1
plays defense on 1, contesting the pass to
the wing. 1 goes from the block to wing. If
the coach drives, while he's dribbling, X1
must slide over and take a charge. The
coach must run over X1 ! X1 must see the
ball. As 1 comes up to wing, X1 gets clo-
ser to the coach. When 1 gets closer to
the lane, X1 gets closer to 1 (diagr. 2).

PURSUIT LAY UPTO FULL

COURT DEFENSE
The coach starts with the ball in the midd-
le of the court and passes the ball to 1. 1

D.1

EV\Z-.
catches and finishes at the basket with X1
D.2 D.4
giving chase. An assistant grabs the ball
and takes it out of bounds. X1 now is on of-
fense and 1 must pick him, trying to deny
the inbounds pass. X1 must work to get
open, but an over the top pass is not al-
lowed. If the ball is inbounded, 1, who be-
came the defender, plays and zigzags X1
up the court trying to turn him as many ti-
mes as possible (diagr. 3).

CLOSE OUTS
X1 throws the ball out to the coach and
closes out. If the coach shoots, X1 blocks
out. The coach can also shoot fake and try
to drive. In this case, X1 must slide his feet
very quickly and keep the coach in front.
X1 must close out, sprint with choppy ste-
ps and hands held high (diagr. 4).

CLOSE OUTS - 2-ON-2

X1 passes to X2 and sprints to defend 1. X2 D.3 D.5
passes to 1 and sprints to defend 2. From

D.6

D.7

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

this point, play 2-on-2. The defenders

must pass the ball quickly and run fast to
defend (diagr. 5).

HELP AND RECOVER - 3-ON-2

The coach is the offensive player: he can
do whatever he wants and the defense
must react. If he gets the ball on the wing
and drives, X1 must come over stop the
drive and then recover if there is a pass
out. Work on positioning, with an empha-
sis on help defense (diagr. 6).

DEFEND BALL SCREENS

X1 guards 1 at top of key. 4 and 5 are ball
screens. 1 uses the screen and dribbles
to the wing, then back across the top
using a double screen. X1 must fight to
get over the screens (diagr. 7).

DEFEND BALL SCREENS - WITH HELP

1 uses a ball screen at the top of the key
and dribbles to the wing. Once he gets to
the wing, 5 follows and sets a wing ball
screen.
Work on different ways you will defend
the ball screens: hedge and get under
(the screens), or hedge and get over (the
screens), push up the screen and go un-
der (diagr. 8).

EV\Z.&
JUMPTO BALL POST D defense switches, X2 must work
3 offensive players are spread around hard so the screener does not pick
and 2 are in the low post position. De- him (diagr. 10).
fenders are on the low block players. 1
passes the ball around the perimeter, TAKE A CHARGE
and the defense must adjust. The ball is passed around the perime-
Start passing slowly to check posi- ter. X1 must adjust to the proper defen-
tioning. Move on a skip pass from sive position. If 1 drives, X1 must slide
one side to the other. Get around in over and take a charge (diagr. 11). X
front, when the ball handler dribbles must do a good job on the help side
to corner. Play the high side when and always see the ball.
ball is above foul line, and adjust as
the ball goes below the free-throw li- TAKE AWAY CUT
ne (diagr. 9). The ball is passed from the top to the D.8
wing. 1 tries to make direct cut to the
DEFEND BLOCK-TO-BLOCK SCREENS block on the other side of the lane. X1
The ball is passed from the top to the must defend the cut and not allow 1 to
wing. X2 must take away low cut. If 1 cut straight to the other side of the la-
goes low on screen, ride him out of ne. Instead, try to force 1 under the ba-
bounds. If 1 goes high, switch. If the sket (diagr. 12).

D.9

D.10

D.11

D.12

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE DRILLS
by Mike Wilhelm
OF THE CHICAGO
BULLS
Mike Wilhelm has been an assistant coach/ scou-
ting director of the Chicago Bulls for four years.
Previously, he was a scout of the Denver Nuggets
and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he was an assi-
stant coach of the Cleveland Rockers (WNBA). He
coached Sundvall in the Swedish League for two
seasons.

The Chicago Bulls obtained the good reputation for

being a very strong defensive team in the last season.
Scott Skiles, the coach, and his staff always deman-
ded the greatest attention on every defensive drill and
situation. We are so sure about the importance of our
defensive philosophy that our basic concepts are
introduced on the first day in training camp. At heart,
there is the belief that every player must believe in not
being beaten by the offensive player, who is covering,
and in the help coming from his teammates. Players
must understand the roles that everyone has when
employing our defensive sets.
For this reason, we were the best NBA team last sea-
son in holding opponents to the lowest overall shoo-
ting percentage. We were second best team in hol-
ding opponents to the lowest three-point shooting
percentage, and the seventh best team in holding
opponents back offensively. We reached these goals
by working hard during our daily defensive drill prac-
tice sessions that I'll describe. Our players always
practiced at the top speed, just like during a game.

FIRST DRILL
5 V. 5 FRONTING THE POST AND DOUBLING THE BASELINE
When first introducing the drill, walk through it
slowly, so everyone knows what is expected of them.
Play at normal speed the second and the third time,
then have the defenders become the attackers and
vice versa. Five players are on the court. 3 has the
ball, while 5 is in the low post position, an offensive
player is in the middle lane of court, another
forward and another low post player take their
position. When you front the post, there should be
a big pressure by X3 on the player with the ball, and
a good help on the weak side by the other three
players, X1, X2 and X4 (diagr. 1).
5 receives the ball and X4, running along the baseli-
ne, doubles on 5 with X5. X2 slides low and he covers
4, while X1 guards 1 (diagr. 2).
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.7

D.8

D.9

On the pass by 5 from one side to the other of On the outside pass, out of the trap, from 4 to
the court, X4 stays under the basket for a 1, X2 runs to cover 1 in the central lane of the
while, towards the side of the ball, and X1 runs half court. At the same time, X1 runs from
to cover 2 (diagr. 3). under the basket, quickly reads the defensive
X2 runs to cover X1 and X4 covers 4 (diagr. 4). situation, and he goes to guard the open
player, 2 (diagr. 7).
SECOND DRILL If, instead, the outside pass out of the trap is
made by 4 toward the opposite side of the half
5 V. 5 - FRONTING THE POST AND DOUBLING court to 2, X2 guards 2 and X1 comes out from
FROM THE CENTER OF THE COURT under the basket and runs to cover 1 (diagr. 8). D.10
If we guard a good offensive low post player,
we double again, but this time, we have a THIRD DRILL
defender that comes down from the central
lane of the half court to help out. As before, 5 V. 5- DOUBLING IN THE CENTRAL LANE
describe the drill by walking through it for the OF THE HALF COURT
first time, play normally the second and the This is the case where we double in the cen-
third time, then have the defenders become tral lane of the half court, when a pick-and-
attackers and vice versa. X1 runs to the low rolls occurs, and the other three offensive
post and he doubles with X4, while X3 covers players are set low, along the baseline. As
3 face-to-face. After 3 has passed to 5, don't before, describe the drill by walking for the
allow him to get the ball back (diagr. 5). first time, play normally for the second and the
X2 rotates from the weak side and he third time, then the defenders become D.11
defends against 1 in the central lane of the attackers and vice versa. 5 comes out from
half court (diagr. 6). the high post position and screens for 1. X5
EV\Z.*
comes out and he traps with X1 on 1, but towards the baseline. As before, walk the
always remaining in contact with 5, his assi- players through their assignments, play
gned offensive player (diagr. 9). normally the second and the third time, and
X3 and X2 come up toward the free-throw then the defenders become attackers and
line and they make defensive fakes, moving vice versa.
up and down from their position, but always 5 comes up from the low post position and
over the line of the ball (diagr. 10). he makes a side screen for 2, who has the
X4 comes up to guard 5, who rolls to the basket, ball (diagr. 13).
while X5 runs under the basket to cover 4, who X2 forces 2 along the baseline and he doe-
has cut to the basket. He is prevented from sn't allow him the drive to the middle of the
receiving the ball (diagr. 11). three-second lane or make a direct drive
X5 doesn't leave the trap until he and X1 have (diagr. 14).
not stopped 1, who has the ball (diagr. 12). X5 stops the penetration of 2 and forces him
to stop the dribbling and pass the ball. X5
FOURTH DRILL must not be beaten by 2 (diagr. 15). D.12

5 V. 5 - PUSHING TO THE BASELINE When 2 passes the ball to 5, X5 runs to cover

In this case, we practice pushing the offen- 5, with the arms held high and knees bent
sive player, who receives the side screen (diagr. 16).

D.13

D.14

D.15

D.16

EV\Z.+
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

DEFENSE:
by Oktay Mahmuti
A TEAM CONCEPT
Oktay Mahmuti is the head coach of Efes Pilsen
Istanbul (Turkey) since the season 2000. He won two
Turkish Cup, four Turkish Division I League titles,
and one Turkish President Cup.

Basketball is one of those special sports in which

success lies within the team concept, fulfilled by
players interpreting the game as a whole, offensively
and defensively. A productive offense offers success
only if it is coupled with defense of the same caliber.
There is common understanding that the team with
the ball is the one making the decisions on the court,
and therefore it is in control of the game. However, I
strongly believe a good defensive team can apply its
defensive schemes on the court and dictate the
opposing offense by taking the offensive weapons
out of their comfort zones. This happens through pre-
determined defensive principles and exercising
them game after game, as well as at each practice.
Of course, as there is a huge variety of offensive
plays at each coach's playbook due to the high level
of competition, there are nuances in defense diffe-
ring for each game or for some specific situations.
However, these are rather minor compared to a sta-
ble defensive philosophy. I will now explain my
defensive philosophy that has been in place at Efes
Pilsen for the last few years.

Our entire defensive system can be characterized by

a number of major themes. I call them “macros”. At
the beginning of each season, these themes
(macros) are explained and discussed with the
players on the roster. They include:
▼ All defensive drills and exercises are to be
performed with maximum intensity. This is the
only way that the defensive approach of the coa-
ch can be transferred from theory to practice.
▼ There are two indispensable focal points of de-
fense: aggressivity and pressure. These act as
the building blocks of our defense. Constructing a
team defense is not feasible when either of these
building blocks are missing.
▼ There are basic attacking points in a half-court
offense. Our defense aims to deny the opposing
players the ball. To achieve this, we apply full-
court pressure on the point guard when bringing
the ball down the court. Meanwhile, the other
four players should be working as well. They
deny the attacking points, forcing the offense to
receive the ball farther away from the basket.
This will force the offense to seek solutions, most
likely setting screens to free up off the players.

EV\Z.,
D.1 D.2 D.3

EV\Z.-
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.4

D.5

absolutely essential to establish a valid defen-

sive stance. The body should be in a configu-
ration designed to maintain balance at all
times. Feet should remain parallel to each
other with the upper body in a vertical position
D.6
at all times. The common mistake that leads to
an unbalanced situation develops with impro-
per use of the arms and hands. Players have a
▼ There are certain offensive schemes al- tendency to try to steal the ball by reaching it
most present in every set play. These are out. We prohibit any reaching activity that will D.7
single pick, pick-and-roll, staggered cause forward motion of the upper body
screens, and post-up plays. Defending because this will most likely result in being
these is a priority. beaten in a single dribble.
In our defensive philosophy, helping the ball
Teaching these themes in certain drills is handler by establishing early position is a duty
equally important. We prefer to build up from assigned to four players. In other words, hel-
basic 1-on-1 principles towards more combi- ping a penetration is not only the job of the big
ned drills. man. The defender on the ball takes the time
of the travel of the ball to slide towards the
1-ON-1 :THE BASIS new location of the ball, creating a triangle
Preparing for the worst-case scenario is a (ball - himself - his man, diagr. 1 and 2).
very common practice in basketball coaching. Timing matters in the sense that as the ball D.8
We want the defender on the ball to think that reaches to the new handler, the triangle must
he has no help from other players. This will have already been established. As the pene-
bring out his best defensive efforts. Similarly, tration starts, the defender who had jumped to
the defenders off the ball should be thinking the ball shows up for a split second and then
that the defender on the ball will be beaten, recovers to his man. This is a very common
and they should be ready to help out. pattern, especially for a defender at the top of
However, it should also be clearly indicated the key who jumps to the ball in a pass to a
that independent of the position of the handler, forward coming off a lateral pick towards the
the defender on the ball cannot be beaten in foul line extended. Designing a 3-on-3 drill
one dribble. Being beaten in one dribble almo- with one guard and two forwards is a realistic
st always guarantees a no-help situation, experience for this scenario (diagr. 3, 4, and 5).
where team defense cannot play a role. Defending the post players is a matter of esta- D.9
When defending 1-on-1 on the perimeter, it is blishing position. Working with the big men, it
EV\Z..
is important to review help situations. Helping a
penetration is an active process where the hel-
per attacks the ball instead of waiting for it in the
paint. There is no such thing as the "weak side,"
as you have to be strong at all times, even on the
opposite side of the ball. That is why we prefer to
call it "help side." In defending his own low post
match-up, we opt for pushing the low post player
out of the paint before he establishes position,
denying him the ball from the high post side
(diagr. 6, 7, 8, and 9).

2-ON-2 - DEFENDING THE SINGLE SCREEN

Using a defensive fake is one of the major ways
we dictate the action defensively. By doing the
unexpected, we can take the offensive player off
guard. For instance, instead of directly going in
between in a lateral pick, it would be much more
effective to keep the contact until the screen and
then use a foot fake to go through in the last
instance.
Forecasting is an integral part of our defensive
system. This provides a non-obvious advantage,
not in the next move, but in the one after it. For
example, if you push your man out of the block
while the ball is being passed from the top to the
forward (i. e. a pass earlier), you can find yourself
in an advantageous position to help the penetra-
tion to the baseline, as the forward has refused to
pass the ball to the low post man, who is off his
position and opted for going baseline instead. As
you know, things happen rapidly in basketball. In
a matter of milliseconds you will benefit from
forecasting.

4-ON-4 - COMBINING THE CHAPTERS

As the number of players in each drill increases,
so does the number of individual and collective
mistakes. However, we try our best to make the
clearest observation and clear any mistake with
the vocabulary that we have developed through
our previous drills (e. g. themes, forecasting,
defensive faking). My experience with the teams
that I have worked with has revealed that most
mistakes have to do with the fundamental defen-
sive stance than they do with the angle of a cer-
tain screen.
The pick-and-roll defense, one of the more fre-
quent in modern basketball, requires special
attention. We prefer "baseline" defense where
the on-the-ball defender forces the ballhandler
towards the baseline, and the defender of the
screener places himself between the ball and the
basket. In order not to lose aggressivity, the drib-
ble acts as a signal for a quick double team for-
cing the ballhandler out of the natural spacing,
keeping him contained in a position close to its
starting location.
Good results in games come from all the hard
work players put in during the defensive practice
sessions. If 4-on-4 play reaches the desired qua-
lity, I am more than happy to finish a practice ses-
sion without going into complete 5-on-5 play.

EV\Z&%%
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

MAN-TO-MAN
by Ioannis Ioannidis
DEFENSE
WITH TRAPS
Ioannis Ioannidis won 12 Greek cham- gets the ball from any other player. you do not press the ball and leave the
pionships (eight with Aris, four with player with the ball to move freely and
Olympiakos), six Greece Cups (five with I always used to number the defensive pass as he wants, you create a great
Aris, and one with Olympiakos). His areas for drills used in doubling the post. disadvantage for the defense. Each
teams reached the European Cup (six The center area was 5. If I say that the defender must first deal with his assigned
Final Fours, three with Aris help comes from zone 1, I mean the wing offensive player. We don't want a passive
Thessaloniki, two with Olympiakos, and on the strong side. The 2 area is the defense, but strong and aggressive pres-
one with AEK. He became head coach of player on the top, while the 3 area is the suring defense!
the Greek National Team in 1999 and wing on the weak side. The 4 area where The second secret to a good defense-
was on the bench at the 2003 Eurobasket the second center or power forward independent of which type of defense you
in Sweden. Today, he is a deputy in the plays, independently if he plays in the play-are the defenders on the strong side.
Greek parliament. high or in the low post (diagr. 1). As soon as the ball is passed from the
outside to the low post, the defender who
One of the most important aspects of HELP FROM X1 will help out needs to immediately move.
defense is the man-to-man defense with The first situation is when the ball goes in A mistake of this defender is to stay in the
traps in the low post and at the wing. the low post and we send X1 to help. He is same position after the ball is passed to
When we play defense, it is possible that floating a little in order to see the ball and the low post. If the offensive player goes
we will have a mismatch. We can try to the player at the same time. X1 traps only in the corner, the defender must follow
solve this problem and not be at a disad- if the offensive low post starts to dribble. him and prevent him from receiving the
vantage helping the defender of the low X1 goes to help and he is replaced by the ball, shooting, or driving to the basket
post make a trap, while the other three next defender X2. Consequently, we have from this spot (diagr. 4). There is no other
defenders rotate. two defenders low and near the basket defender to help, so the help should come
(X1 and X5) one defender on the strong from somewhere else. Consequently,
TRAPS IN THE LOW POST side (X2), and two defenders (X3 and X4) when the wing is moving to the corner,
There are five different situations where on the weak side in the three-second lane we do not want to trap with X1 (diagr. 4).
we send help to the low post. Let's sup- (diagr. 2).
pose that in the low post there is a 1 makes a pass to the big man in the low
mismatch and that 5's defender can be X2 contests the pass back to 1, playing post and then cuts along the baseline to
beaten easily. We have worked hard with very aggressively. The other defenders the opposite side of the court: X1 follows
our team and we know that each time have to cover the areas 3 and 4. From this 1 until he reaches the middle of the three-
when the ball goes in the low post that we place, the offensive player 5 has two second lane, and then returns to make a
will send help. When we play defense in choices: trap on 5. X5 knows that the help will
the low post we need to cover the post by ▼ If he passes the ball to 2, X3 goes up come from the baseline and so he plays
guarding him in front, or three-quarters. and covers him. At the same time, X1 accordingly (diagr. 5).
This is a must in our defensive philo- leaves the trap and runs to cover 3
sophy! The defender should "fight" the (diagr. 3). If the offensive wing cuts in the middle of
offensive player in the low post near the the three-second lane and then to the
basket and not let anybody receive the ▼ If the ball goes from the big man to 3 opposite side, then the low post's defen-
ball there. with a skip pass, the wing on the der knows that help will come from the
Therefore, X5, the defender of the low weak side X4 immediately comes out top from X1. Once this move is made, the
post must push 5 as far away from the to guard him, and the defender that offensive player 2 will spot up. X2 guards
basket as possible. We do not want that went to trap X1 runs to cover 4 in the him and anticipates the pass from the big
the ball goes to 5 from any other player, opposite low post, making sure to man to this player. The two defenders on
except from the wing. If, by some chance, guard him in front so he can't receive the weak side, X4 and X3, will stay in the
some passes are made from the top of a pass. lane as in a zone defense (diagr. 6).
key, it means that we have not played
good defense. Except if he gets the ball The first secret to playing a good defense This is the last move that 1 can make. He
from the wing, there are no excuses if 5 is putting strong pressure on the ball. If gives the ball to the big man in low post
EV\Z&%&
D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4

D.5

EV\Z&%'
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.6 D.7 D.8

and then cuts to the top of the lane. As mismatch. For this reason, when the shor- One of the most important details in tea-
long as 1 stays in this position, the defen- ter defender plays in front of the low post, ching the low-post trap is making the
der, X1, is going straight to trap the low we tell him to stay very low, bend his defenders understand that they must not
post and then we have a rotation: X2 rota- knees, and use his buttocks to press commit a foul; we do not want to steal the
tes and anticipates 1 to keep him from against the legs of the offensive low post ball and then have it called back because
receiving the ball again, while the defen- player in order to push him away from the of a foul. When we double team the low
ders of the weak side are playing a zone. block, knocking him off balance as well. post, we want to obstruct the vision of the
post player who is trying to get the ball. If
Whenever we have a trap in the low post When the low post player is pushed away he does get he ball, we want to make it
area and the player is shorter than the and is off balance, he will be in no posi- difficult for him to pass back to the peri-
offensive player, we have a distinct tion to receive an easy lob pass. meter. Our goal is to deflect and steal any
EV\Z&%(
pass that is made back to a perimeter X3 have been sent to trap. Let's now eva-
player. This is a major reason why we send luate the case where we send X4 to trap.
a defender to trap on the strong side.
TRAP FROM X4
HELP FROM X2 I used many of these defensive moves
Let's review the case where 2 passes to 1. when I was coaching AEK Athens (Greece).
With this pass, X2 should anticipate the Whenever I had a mismatch and the oppo-
return pass to 2, and he should be able to nent had a big man in the high post, I used
move in a position where he is able to help. to play with this type of trap. For example,
We prefer this second option. As soon as when I played with Panathinaikos, I used to
X2's assigned offensive player passes the trap Dino Radja, the great Croatian center,
ball, he must be always in position where because it was impossible for my defen-
he can help. From this spot, he can defend ders to guard him without any help. When
a possible "UCLA" cut of 2 and be the first to Radja received the ball in low post, we trap-
help out. ped with any big player in high post: my
X2 must know that this is his job. If he defender X4 would run down to trap in the D.9
remains right on 2 to contest a return pass, low post, so Radja had two big men cove-
the distance between him and the low post ring him, while the two perimeter defenders
is too wide and he cannot effectively help. played as if in a zone, with X2 covering for
Besides, if he stays in a help position, and if X4 (diagr. 11).
the ball is passed back from 1 to 2, he is can
go back to cover 2. With the ball in the low post, the offensive
player in the high post looks to cut to the
Let's review the case of 1, who passes the basket.
ball to 5 and then moves to the corner: X2 The first thing that X2 must do is keep 4
runs to trap the low post with his hands up. from receiving the ball on the cut. After X2
X5 and X2 are positioned right next to each covers the movement of 4, X3 runs to cover
D.10
other, so the low post player cannot slide in 2 if 5 passes the ball from low post to the
between them. The only thing X5 has to do top of the key. If 5 makes a skip pass to 3,
is to make side steps to prevent 5 from tur- the last player on the line comes out to
ning toward the baseline to pass the ball cover 3 (diagr. 12).
inside (diagr. 7). The decision on which type of low post trap
we will use depends on the personnel that I
Here another case: 1, after the pass to 5, have at my disposal.
cuts to the weak side and the defender fol-
lows him. After 1 has cut and positioned I have demonstrated four particular trap
himself on the opposite corner, he is not situations where X1, X2, X3, and X4 form the
dangerous anymore, so X1 will come back trap. If we face an excellent player such as
and defend inside the three second lane Dejan Bodiroga, one of the best all-around D.11
(diagr. 8). players in Europe, then we must think of the
best way of trapping him in the low post. He
If the ball from 5 in the low post is passed to is en excellent scorer, but also an excellent
2 at the top of the circle, X3 covers 2. X2 passer and he reads the situations on the
runs to guard 3 and contests the pass from court very well. In addition, he is very tall,
2, while X4 anticipates 4s movement, and which gives him a distinct advantage.
the rest of the defenders play as if in a zone
on the weak side of the court (diagr. 9). Let's imagine this type of player 5 is also
the best dribbler and passer, and he posts
TRAP FROM X3 up. In this case, we want to obstruct his
Here's another case: 1 passes the ball to vision as much as possible and prevent
the low post 5. X3 is the player on the weak him from seeing the entire court. When he D.12
side, so as soon as this pass is made, he receives the ball, the first thing that the
runs inside the three-second lane and he defender should do is shut down the cen-
traps, while X2 fills the gap. It is easier for ter of the three-second lane.
the defense if the trap is made with X3 As soon as he gets the ball, the defender
because we do not need a big rotation if the (X5) must push him low with his elbows
ball comes out from the trap. That's becau- toward the baseline, keeping him from
se each defender will go back to cover their turning to the middle.
original assigned offensive player. X4 We have to double team him with the
guards 4 in front and pushes with this body other big man X4, who comes from the
so 4 cannot get an easy lob pass (diagr. 10). baseline. X3 covers 4, while X2 covers
the top of the three- second lane and X1 D.13
Previously, I have shown where X1, X2, and stays on 1 (diagr. 13).

EV\Z&%)
 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

MAN-TO-MAN
by Mete Levent
Topsakal DEFENSE
After a career as a player in the top Turkish
Division and as a member of the Turkish
National team, from the Youth to the Men's
team, Mete Levent Topsakal started his coa-
ching career with a Turkish First Division
team. For the past two years, he has been
coach of the Under 16 National team. Last
year, his team won the Under 16 FIBA
European Championship.

We started to work together with a selection

of Under 16 Turkish players 22 months before
the 2005 FIBA European Championships. We
spent most of our time working on offensive
fundamental details, fastbreak fundamen-
tals, and half court offense. We chose short
and simple offensive sets in order to find the
necessary space, so the players had enough
room to take advantage of their talents.

I prefer high-tempo individual games. Players

like this kind of game as well and seem to
enjoy themselves on the court. It's very
important for them to enjoy themselves while
playing a game where they feel comfortable.
I find that they put on their best performance
during practices and the games when they
are happy. I think that players need a little
freedom, because when you put too much
pressure on them by asking to play a contol-
led type of basketball, this can result in
mistakes and turnovers. No player can impro-
ve himself without making mistakes. My
players made many mistakes during our time
together. I used our practice sessions to talk
things over, explain why mistakes were being
made, and tried to fix the situations as they
occurred. After a while, there was great
improvement in the players.

OUR PRACTICE PLAN

Our practice was two hours long and it was
divided in this way:

▼ 20% for drills on quickness coordination,

and conditioning
▼ 65% working on offense
▼ 15% working on defense

WHY WE CHOSE THESE PERCENTAGES

Like all coaches, I believe that defense is a
very important part of basketball. But, some-

EV\Z&%*
 D.1

D.2

D.3

times, in my opinion, it is at the same time ▼ "Talk" with your arms, eyes, and legs and THE DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES
the easiest part. To play good defense, you give the impression to the offensive Here is a list of principles we chose and then
need: player that he can't beat you. "sold" to our players:
▼ Quick and strong legs. ▼ When you stop your offensive man or ▼ Put constant pressure on the offensive
▼ Good conditioning. he makes a bad shot, you can feel player with the ball.
▼ Basketball intelligence. proud of yourself, and feel the pleasu- ▼ Close the right side of the court, if the of-
re of having reached your defensive fense comes from the right.
Players must also like to play defense and aim. ▼ Follow the cuts as if you were a shadow.
must always be ready to help teammates ▼ When your man has the ball, give him ▼ In order to beat screens, use foot and
out whenever possible. If the players have trouble with your strong and aggressive body fakes.
these abilities and mental attitudes, I believe pressure defense. ▼ Big guys must run back immediately af-
that we have already completed 80% of our ▼ When your man is passing the ball, be in ter the opponents get the defensive re-
defensive organization. a position to see all the court, keeping bound.
your eyes on him and all the offensive ▼ To beat the pick-and-roll, we have three
That's why we worked so much on quick- and defensive players. options: slide under the pick, double
ness, coordination and conditioning in my ▼ When one of your teammates makes a team the offensive player with the ball,
practice sessions. We didn't spend too mistake or is beaten, you must help and and show up and recover. It's up to the
much time on defensive organizations (like recover. players to choose whether to use one of
1-3-1 zone, 1-2-1 zone press, or 2-3 combi- ▼ During the entire game when you play these three options, based on the type of
nation). We had only a full-court defense, defense, stay in your defensive stance the pick-and-roll and the type of the op-
a man-to-man press. Just one month befo- position. ponents they are facing.
re the 2005 FIBA European ▼ Don't talk to your teammates in a negati- ▼ To best achieve the aim of building a
Championships, we worked on the 2-1-2 ve way ("Why didn't you come back?" or great and excellent defense, the coach
zone defense. "Why didn't you help?"). This applies to must explain all the reasons why the de-
defense and offense. It is a coach's job fense is played in that manner and what
OUR DEFENSIVE RULES AND PHILOSOPHY to ask those questions. rules he expects his players to under-
▼ Immediately find where your assigned ▼ Do not talk with the referees, because stand. Instead of just practicing defense,
offensive man is located on the court. you can lose your defensive concen- a coach needs to " sell" his defensive phi-
▼ Use your arms. tration. losophy first and convince the players to

EV\Z&%+
FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

adopt and play thsi style of defense. The

mental aspect of defense is equally im-
portant as the drills and practice. When
the players make mistakes, I never shout
at them. Instead, I stop the practice and
try to explain to them what their mistakes
are and how to avoid them.

Another thing that we did-and this was unu-

D.4 sual in modern basketball where scouting D.9
and videos are highly esteemed by the coa-
ches-was not have the team watch any
videos of their opponents before or after a
game during the 22 months of practice and
the 2005 FIBA European Championships.
Usually, I watched the videos and wrote
short notes on the other teams and tried to
explain the details to my players for 20 minu-
tes at the practice. We didn't dedicate any
practices to the opponent's offensive organi-
zations. Instead, we talked about their
D.5 D.10
strengths and weaknesses. I prefer to talk
about the weaknesses of our rivals. I believe
that when you start to focus on the other
teams offense and their strengths your
players are affected mentally and they start
the game 10 points behind their rival.

All of the things I have mentioned are extre-

mely important. However, I happened to be
very lucky because all of my players were
very respectful on the court. They are
D.6 respectful to each other, the other teams, D.11
and coaches. All of them are very coura-
geous and talented. They rewarded me and
Turkısh basketball with an amazing 2005
FIBA European Under 16 title. I have many
wonderful moments and memories with
them. I hope that all coaches could be as
lucky as me and that they get the opportunity
to work with these types of players and
reach such a great aims.

DEFENSIVE DRILLS
D.7 D.12
I would like to share with you some of the
defensive drills we most used for building our
man-to-man defense. At the 2005 FIBA Under
16 European Championship we held our
opponents to 72.6 points per game in 8
games.

Five-on-Five Defensive Position

This is very simple drill, but extremely impor-
tant to teach to the players. It concerns
where to position themselves, depending on
D.8 the position of the ball. For building a strong D.13
defense, you must constantly see your offen-
sive man and the ball. Remember that the
simpler the drill, the better the result.
We set the players in a three-two formation,
with one point guard, two wings, and two low
posts. The offensive players simply pass the
ball to each other, and each one of them
EV\Z&%,
must adapt to the position of the ball, with the and X1 adapts his position, going in the free-
proper stance and with the arms open. For throw area (diagr. 11).
the entire drill, after each pass, all of the If 5 passes the ball out of the trap to the other
players must shout "Arms! Stance!" side of the court to 3, X3 recovers on his man 3,
Ball on the point guard: X1 pressures 1, X2 X4 on 4 and X 5 stays on 5 (diagr. 12).
and X3 contest the pass to 2 and 3, while X4 A low post and a high post: with the ball in the
and X5 stay higher than 4 and 5 to avoid a hands of 5, the defenders are set as shown in
flash cut to ball and ready to help on a pene- the diagr. 13.
tration (diagr. 1). X3, who is on the weakside position, runs
Ball on the wing: We want that the offensive along the baseline and traps 5 with X5, while D.14
players with ball, 2, should be pressured by the other defenders are open to the ball
X2, while X1 contests the pass to 1, as well as (diagr. 14).
X5 to 5. On the help side of the court X4 is If 5 passes the ball out of the trap to the
open to the ball, ready to help on drive to the other side of the court to 3, X1 rotates on 3,
basket, as well as stopping a flash cut to the and X3 covers 1, switching their assign-
ball. X3 is also open to the ball, with the same ments (diagr. 15).
tasks of X4 (diagr. 2).
Ball on the low post: X5 plays aggressively,
X2, the defender on the ball side wing, opens
himself up with his back to the side line, ready
to help on the low post, as well as to stop a
D.15
cut to the basket or a kick off pass for an out-
side shot from 2. In the meantime, X4 is in the
middle of the lane, ready to help X5; X3 is in an
open stance on the help position (diagr. 3).
Ball on the high post: X4 plays hard behind 4,
while the other four defenders stay on the
passing lanes, contesting any pass (diagr. 4).
Ball on the low post with an high post: In
this case, X5 guards aggressively 5, X2 plays
as we saw in diagr. 3. X4 plays high and
stops any cut to the ball of 4, and X3 is on the
baseline help position, while X1 must avoid
any flash cut to the ball, but also see 5
(diagr. 5).

Four-on-Fıve Help and Recover

In this drill we play four defenders versus five
offensive players and one of them is a coach.
We set the offensive players with one point
guard, two wings, and a low post.
We begin the drill with X1, who starts guar-
ding the coach with the ball.
The coach passes the ball to 1 (diagr. 6 and 7).
1, as soon as he receives the ball, immedia-
tely drives hard to the basket: X2 guards 2, X5,
on the help side, helps and stop the penetra-
tion, X3 rotates and covers 5 (diagr. 8).
If X5 stops the penetration and 1 passes the
ball outside to 3, X5 and X3 run to guard
again their assigned offensive players
(diagr. 9).

Doubling the Post and the Rotation

We try to double the low post any time he
receives the ball.
Two low posts: If the offense plays with two
low posts, we automatically double the low
post as soon as he receives the ball (diagr.
10).
With the ball in the hands of 5, we send X4 to
aggressively double team 5, while X3 rotates
and guards 4, and X2 opens up to the side line
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL

THE FULL COURT

by Evgeny Pashutin

2-2-1 ZONE PRESS

Evgeny Pashutin started his coaching career convince his players that this defensive
in 2003 as the head coach of the CSKA system is a “team” defense, where each D.1
Moscow Junior Team. Hired as the assistant defender is a part of the system, where
coach of CSKA’s senior team, he won a everyone must work for and with the other
Russian Cup and a Russian Superleague defenders.
title. Since 2005, Pashutin has been the head
coach of the Russian Under 20 National We used this defense during the successful
team. They won the gold medal at the FIBA 2005 FIBA European Under 20 Championship
Under 20 European Championships 2005. and we had very good results during the
course of the tournament, as well in the final
The full court zone press is used for several stage.
different and distinct reasons:
▼ Control game tempo. INITIAL SET
▼ Create turnovers. We put two defenders at the corners of the
▼ Score easy and quick baskets. free-throw lane, two others near the half
▼ Take advantage of opponents with poor court line, and the last one, the bigger player,
ball handling and passing skills. just outside of the three-point line on our
defensive end (diagr. 1).
The most common mistakes defenders make We let the opponent make the inbound pass,
running this defense include: and, as soon the ball enters the court, our
a) Letting the ball come or stay in the central goal is to to trap and force a:
lane of the court: it is a must that the ball 1. Lob pass. D.2
should be passed or dribbled along the 2. Bounce pass.
baseline.
b) Lacking patience. Instead of gambling These passes are slow and give he defen-
with the offense by pressuring them on ders the possibility to recover and rotate
defense and trying to cause turnovers, (diagr. 2).
the players try for quick steals.
c) Not playing a “position” or “area of com- We do not want to:
petence” defense. Players rush to guard 1. Allow an easy lay-up
an offensive player. This is, as the word 2. Foolish and careless fouls from our
says, a “zone” defense, and it means defenders.
each defender must cover his area of the
court, and be responsible for any offensi- ROTATIONS
ve player, who enters into that area. It Let’s now examine three different rotations of
does not mean guarding one particular our defenders.
player.
d) Not staying in the passing lanes. Ball Reversal (Pass)
e) Not moving and not adapting to the move- If 1 receives the inbound pass, X1 will run to
ment of the ball and the offensive players. guard him and force him towards the baseli-
It also means that they don’t adjust to the ne for a trap. In this case, 1 immediately
movement of their fellow defensive reverses the ball to the other side of the
players. court: X2 then runs to guard 2, while X1 repla-
f) Not possessing an aggressive attitude ces X2. X3 goes up toward the ball, anticipa-
and playing without determination. ting 3, who goes to the middle of the court to
A final note for the coach: he must “sell” and receive a pass from 2. X4 follows 4, who

EV\Z&%.
D.3 D.1
D.6 D.7

D.4

D.5

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 DEFENSE FUNDAMENTALS AND YOUTH BASKETBALL

moves to the sideline towards the ball

(diagr. 3 and 4). D.8 D.11

Ball Reversal (Dribble)

Let’s assume that X1 and X3 traps 1 befo-
re the mid-court line. This is how we rota-
te: X2 covers the middle of the court, X5
rotates on the sideline toward the ball,
while X4 replaces X5 near the basket
(diagr. 5).

If 1 passes the ball out of the trap to 2, X2

goes high to cover 2. X1 replaces X2 in the
middle of the court, while X 4 runs high to
trap 2 with X2. X5 first goes back to cover
the basket, and then outside for guarding
5, while X3 runs down in the lane to pro-
tect the basket (diagr. 6 and 7).

Dribble Penetration in the Middle

When 1 receives the ball and then drives
to the middle of the court past X1, he kicks
off the pass to 2 after X2 comes to help. D.9 D.12
X2 plays help and recovers, X1 goes
down in the middle of the court, X 3 goes
in the middle of the lane and up, while X4
goes up and near the sideline, ready to
trap 2, if he drives near the sideline (diagr.
8).

ADJUSTMENTS
I would like now to review some other
situations that can happen on the court.
X1 and X3 has trapped 1 on the sideline
and the other three defenders have rota-
ted (diagr. 9).

1 kicks the ball out of the trap and passes

to 5 on the other side of the court. X2 runs
to guard 5 and traps him with X5. X1 runs
to the middle of the court and X3 covers
the wing 4, while X4 protects the basket
(diagr. 10).
D.10 D.13

Special Adjustment
Here are some special adjustments. We
anticipated the two wings, and the offen-
sive player in the middle of the court
receives the ball, and then he kicks the
ball back to the inbounder (diagr. 11).
As soon as the inbounder gets the ball
back, the defender on the right wing runs
to cover the opponent with the ball, for-
cing him to the left (diagr. 12).
As soon the ball handler passes the ball
to his teammate on the wing, the defen-
der runs to cover the receiver, and the
defender of the other wing goes in the
middle of the court. The defender in the
middle of the court rushes to the ballside,
while the last defender protect the basket
(diagr. 13).

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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

1-3-1 ZONE TRAP

by Aldo Corno

by Mario Buccoliero

Aldo Corno is the head coach of Taranto,

the Italian Serie A1 women's team. He
was the head coach of many Serie A1
women teams: Viterbo, Vicenza (where
he won 4 Italian titles and 4 European
Championships), Como (where he won 8
Italian titles, 5 Italian Cups, 1 Italian
Supercup, 1 World Cup for clubs and 2
European Championships), and Schio (2
Ronchetti Cups). As the head coach of
the Italian Women's National team, his
team won a silver medal at the 2001
Mediterranean Games and at the 2003
University Games.

Mario Buccoliero has been the assistant

coach of Taranto since 2000, and his team
won a Serie A2 title, the 2003 Italian title,
an Italian Cup and an Italian Supercup. He
started his career in Taranto as the coach
of the men's youth teams.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF 1-3-1-ZONE

I am not at all a "defensive" coach, but I
am convinced that without a great defen-
se you cannot build a great team. I star-
ted to apply my defensive philosophy
more than 20 years ago, and I have used
this 1-3-1 zone with most of my teams,
either with the clubs, as well as with the
Italian National team.
There are different types of 1-3-1 zones:
▼ Regular: without traps.
▼ Half court with the traps only in the
deep corners.
▼ Three-quarters court, with the traps in
the four corners of the defensive half
court.

In this article, I will focus on the last two

types.

ADVANTAGES
Here which are the advantages this
defense can offer:
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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

1. The most important advantage is that requires players with specific skills in
this defense is unique in "influencing" order to play it well.
D.1 the movement of the offense, forcing
them to play an unconventional offen- PLAYERS' SKILLS
se, a style of play that is risky and ▼ This defense requires players, who are
moves them out of their usual offensive able to sacrifice themselves and, from
spots. my experience, I find that women will
2. It can quickly change the direction of often guarantee that this happens most
the game and offer decisive breaks for of the time.
the defense. ▼ Players must totally believe that what
3. It's a spectacular defense, that crea- they are doing is the best for the team.
tes excitement with its aggressive A coach must be able to sell this defen-
traps. se to the team in order to make it work.
4. It "pumps up" the defense, when well- ▼ Players have to be quick and have
made stops and steals occur and excellent athletics skills.
"shakes" the defense, when players are ▼ Very important aspect: players must be
lazy and not playing aggressive basket- skilled in aggressive man-to-man
ball. defensive tactics.
5. It creates great problems for the offen- ▼ You will need months of practice and
se to move the ball, forcing them to use plenty of patience to build this defense
lob and bounce passes, slow passes so it can be regularly applied.
that can easily be stolen.
6. It creates extreme pressure on the INITIAL SET
offensive perimeter players. There are not fixed rules for where the
7. It will often create a "paralyzing" effect players should play. Each coach knows his
on the opponents, causing them to players best and will have to make individual
make bad passes and force their shots. decisions when assigning positions. Here,
for example, is how I set the players when I
D.2
DISADVANTAGES coached the Italian National team (diagr. 1):
This is a very risky defense (wide spaces ▼ X1, Zimerle, the point guard: quick,
to cover, traps), and a little mistake will strong, with quick hands.
allow the offense to easily beat you. ▼ X4, Balleggi, the power forward: fast,
There is no balance when blocking-out on with a great arm span, very agile.
defense and on the help-side rebounding. ▼ X3, Macchi, the small forward: similar
It requires a lot of energy, so this zone can- to X4, with a good elevation.
not be used throughout the game. In addi- ▼ X5, Paparazzo, the center: tough, good
tion, it's a very technical defense and on the passing lanes, intelligent.

D.3

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 ▼ X2, Masciadri, the guard: quick and the middle of the lane. This forces the
powerful, the "playmaker" of the offense to make slow (lob or bounce) pas-
defense, who is positioned in the last ses. It's very important that the defense
row of the defense, sees the entire relies on their arms and hands.
court, constantly talks with his team- Sometimes, we let the defenders jump to
D.4 mates and alerts them to movements. put more pressure on the offense.
She is the key for the 1-3-1 defense.
X5 must always be behind the ball, and in
TRAPS ON THE FOUR CORNERS front on the high post. In addition, he must
If we decide to use the three-quarters 1- be ready to slide down and front the low
3-1 trap, we will double team on the four post (diagr. 7).
corners of the defensive half court
(diagr. 2). TRAPS IN THE LOW CORNERS
These moves are fine when you play
GLOBAL TEACHING METHOD defense that double teams in all four cor-
For teaching this defense, I show how ners of the half court.
this defense works for all the players (glo-
D.5
bal method), and then I divide the defense X4 and X1 jam the lane if an opponent is in
into the five parts, so each player will shooting range or tries to drive (diagr. 8).
know her role (analytical method), and X4 must be aggressive on the ball. The
then go back again to all total defense player must not slide on the pass fake. X2
(global method). covers the low post and goes outside only
when a pass is made.
After a free-throw, we run the defense
high and we trap right after the half court If the ball reaches the player in the cor-
line (diagr. 3). ner, we run the double team and rotate as
in diagr. 9.
Here the individual tasks: First option: if 3 has both feet facing
▼ X1 forces the ball handler on one side towards the basket, X2 and X4 aggressi-
of the court, and does not let any drib- vely double team. X5 runs down to cover
ble penetration in the middle of the 5 in the low post, X1 guards the high post,
court. and X3 jams in the middle of the lane,
D.6 ▼ X4 slides down and double teams only covering the basket and all lob passes.
behind the mid-court line.
▼ X5 always plays behind the ball and Second option: if 3 is with his shoulders
fronts the offensive player, keeping towards the basket (diagr. 10): X1 goes in
her from receiving the ball. the passing lane nearest the ball, X3
▼ X2 covers the player in the corner or comes high to anticipate 4 at the high
the low post. post. We only leave a passing choice to 2
▼ X3 slides down to steal the potential on the other side of the court. This forces
diagonal pass. the offense to make a long and slow (lob
or bounce) pass to this player, who is the
If the double team is successful, we will most distant and least dangerous offensi-
be in the situation described in diagr. 4. ve player.
D.7
We will try to intercept the pass with X3
or X2, leaving 2 open, who is the least Important tips:
dangerous of all the offensive players. ▼ Convince the players - and coach
If we decide to continue with the high them with the appropriate drills - that,
traps (diagr. 5): if 1 passes the ball to 2, X3 while they are trapping, they must
runs to cover 2, X1 double teams 2, X5 fol- force a mistake or cause a bad pass to
lows the movement of the ball, and fronts be made while applying pressure on
5. X2 covers 3 on the opposite corner, and the trapped opponent.
X4 slides down, looking to steal a possible ▼ Do not ever let the ball enter on the
pass to 4 and to protect the basket. high post area, which is the most dan-
gerous spot on the floor. Once it
D.8
1-3-1 ZONE WITH TRAPS IN THE CORNERS makes it to the high post, the ball can
When and how to run it (diagr. 6): be passed on both sides of the floor.
If there are no "desperate" situations and
we do not want to run too many risks. PASS FROM GUARD-TO-GUARD
After the first trap, we double team only in If the ball is passed from one guard to the
the corners. The main aspect of this other, the defenders, who are always
defense is to "cover" the passing lanes. covering the passing lane, rotate as
This defense then "invites" penetrations in shown in diagr. 11.
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 FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.9 D.13

D.10 D.14

D.11 D.15

D.12

THE DANGEROUS SIDES Blocking Out

Skip Pass If the shot is taken from the corner before
If there is a skip pass from 3 to 2, the defense the double team, we have great problems
is placed in a very difficult situation (diagr. 12): because X5 is facing 5, who is now free to
▼ X3 must run to aggressively guard 2 go in for the rebound (diagr. 14).
with his arms up. We will react in this way:
▼ X1 must go around the high post 4, until ▼X3 goes on 3.
X5 recovers on him. ▼X1 is of a basic importance on the help-
▼ X5 goes on 5 and X2 runs in the lane, side and blocks out on 4 or on 2.
ready to cover 5. At the same time, X4 ▼ X4 recovers on 4 or 2, who is on the D.16
moves towards the ball. wing.
We will always be with one less defender,
The following moves are then made but quickness and collaboration between
(diagr. 13): the players should erase this problem.
▼ X1 recovers on the passing lanes.
▼ X4 guards 5 in the low post. Double Posts
▼ X5 recovers on the high post. The most difficult offense to face is one

EV\Z&&*
with two high posts (we also use this row of the zone, and must force 1 towards
offense versus the 1-3-1 trap). one side of the court. The defender must
We move in this way (diagr. 15): absolutely prevent the ball being returned
▼ X5 anticipates 5, who is the "inside" to the right side, in this case, of the diagram.
post.
▼ X3 anticipates 4, who is the "outside" Two-on-Two Drill
post. 2 is the most dangerous player, We increase the difficulty for the defender,
and can hardly be trapped. playing two-on-one, and two-on-two
(diagr. 18).
If the ball is dribbled in our defensive half X1 must push the ball handler on one side D.17
court by 2, we will move in this way (diagr. of the court, and also force 1 to make a lob
16): X3 will close and go on the passing line. pass to 2.
X5 must recover on 4. X2 will stay behind, X3 helps, closing on 2, letting X1 recover.
ready to guard a post if this player moves
down low. X4 closes on 5 or 3 under the Contesting the Post Drill
basket. If 4 goes low, he will be guarded by Contesting the pass for low post is basic
X2. Naturally, when we are in this situation, work (diagr. 19).
we do not make the first high trap. We will The perimeter players pass the ball to each
only make the traps in the corners. other, and X5 runs to contest the post,
always staying between the ball and basket.
ANALYTICAL TEACHING
D.18
Now we start to teach in an analytical way TRAPS
to build up the 1-3-1 trap (diagr. 17). One-on-two Trap Drill
Drills for teaching the proper double
One-on-One Drill teams: 2 vs 1 at three-quarters court
This drill is run for X1, who plays in the first (diagr. 20).

D.19

D.20

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FIBA EUROPE
DEFENSE

D.21

D.22

D.23

At the beginning, we facilitate the defen- situations, aggressively contesting the "Goalkeeper"
se by playing two defenders against one pass to the second offensive player This is for the defensive forwards X4
offensive player, giving two or three (diagr. 21). and X3. After a trap and a skip pass,
seconds for getting over the mid-court they must "dive" behind and recover,
line. X1 and X4 must force the ball hand- Three-on-Three Trap possibly stealing the "diagonal" pass.
ler towards the sideline and then double We work three-on-three to improve the Although this is a very dangerous move
team. The defenders must use their legs timing of the traps (diagr. 22). for the defense, it is a key moment in
and arms without making a foul, covering We put limitations on the offense, our 1-3-1 zone trap.
the ball, and trying to force a 5-seconds which now cannot use the post in the
violation. middle of the court. Besides, the offen- BACK TO THE GLOBAL TEACHING
se must get over the mid-court line by At the end of the session, we work
Two-on-Two Trap having one of the guards dribble the four-on-four, and finally we play five-
We now work two-on-two on different ball. on-five.
EV\Z&&,
 content

PSYCHOLOGY
FRENCH FEDERAL CENTER: PSYCHOLOGY AND THE TEAM
5 
@ *
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Building A Championship Team
)-
6
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DEALING WITH ADVERSITY
8 "
 
goal setting
- ,
CHALLENGES FOR THE COACHES
 
 
THE MOTIVATION OF ELITE PLAYERS part I
 '
A  /.
THE MOTIVATION OF ELITE PLAYERS part II
'
A  / 7
BASKETBALL SUCCESS: GENES ARE THE KEY part I
'
 5   9
BASKETBALL SUCCESS: GENES ARE THE KEY part II
'
 5   &
INTEGRATING PSYCHOLOGY AT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT part I
 !  
4  ,
INTEGRATING PSYCHOLOGY AT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT part II
 !  
4  .
Mental conditioning before the game
!
@


 7
PSYCHOLOGY AND MOTIVATION
 -
5

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COACHES AND PLAYERS
 
3*
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MOTIVATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION
+
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PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION
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EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM

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SIX WAYS TO WIN WITH BETTER TEAM CAPTAINS
'44'                                                                  9
FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

FRENCH FEDERAL CENTER:

PSYCHOLOGY
AND THE TEAM by Nicolas Raimbault
& Yannick Stephan

Nicolas Raimbault is the Director of Coaches Formation of chologist as a consultant similar in stature to an assistant
the French Baskteball Federation. Yannick Stephan is a psy- coach or a trainer. The psychologist may suggest, but does
chology consultant. not take any final decision in team matters.

To achieve the best results with a basketball team, three basic SOME IDEAS FROM THE CFBB FOR IMPROVING TEAM COHESION
elements are necessary: tactics and technique, physical fit- When psychological training is introduced to a team, it is pos-
ness, and sports psychology. We would like to focus on the sible to make noticeable improvements just as athletes do in
psychological aspects and how they can be integrated into a daily basketball training sessions on the court. Here are some
team framework. tips for dealing with a basketball team that will help better inte-
It is first important to understand that the body is a mass of grate the sports psychologist with the team:
muscles and nerves linked together into the central proces- ■ Do not talk or address your remarks only to the group; sche-
sing unit that is the brain. Sports psychology helps guide ath- dule private discussions with individual players.
letes in using that central processing unit to its greatest effect ■ Define what you can say to the team, what you must say,
in controlling the body to provide optimum athletic performan- when you can say it-try to avoid the “heated moments” for
ce. discussions-and, above all, how you speak to the team.
The coaches are generally concerned about psychology, but Following the common rules of communication will earn the
they do not usually have complete knowledge of the subject or respect of everybody on the team.
know how to work with a psychology consultant. The fol- ■ Accept, understand, and “handle” the differences among the
lowing are some of the guidelines we use for approaching individual players. Do not think that a star player wants to be
sports psychology at the French Federal Basketball Center treated like the last reserve on the team. Great coaches gene-
(CFBB) in order to create a solid and fruitful cooperation rally tolerate the different behavior and conduct of their top
between the coach and a psychology consultant. The Center, players.
directed by Lucien Legrand, and with the support of the ■ Distinguish in what way each player is different. Explain to
National Technical Director Jean Pierre De Vincenzi, is pla- each team member that you know how his personality is the
cing great emphasis on the technical as well as on the psy- same, as well as different, from his teammates and that you
chological aspects of training and game performance. respect those differences.
■ Discover the various “clans” inside the team. Do not disrupt
SOME PREMISES these special cliques, but find different ways of communicating
The coach cannot have a deep relationship with the players. with these different groups.
On the other hand, the players are not likely to open up them- ■ The coach and the team should make some joint decisions:
selves, either for reasons of time or for not wanting to create Define the rules of the group, how fines are levied and what
problems for themselves on the basketball court. they consist of, and how prizes and awards are given and what
It’s the psychological consultant, however, who can create the they consist of. It’s important that you let the team decide by
all-important link between the players and the technical staff. itself on some pre-game routine, such as a pre-game meal.
The psychology consultant can help the team reach the best ■ Define exactly the individual and collective aims for everyo-
performances possible. It would be best that this expert come ne on the team. Both the technical staff and players must know
from the basketball world, and it would be even better if he was their individual roles.
a former player. As a former player, he would know first-hand ■ Use game statistics in a different role as a way to measure
the feelings of the players, the overriding symptoms of stress individual and team goals. Review and compare the statistics
particular to basketball, the team dynamics and conflicts, and with the players and see if they have achieved their pre-season
any other psychological aspect related to basketball. targets.
When using a psychological consultant, it must be made very Many coaches intuitively know that the major differences
clear to the players that he is a member of the staff. All the between two players or two teams and between winning and
other staff members should know precisely how he wants to losing are psychological. Unfortunately, very few of them work
work with the team. It must also be made clear that the sports on this critical aspect of the game. In basketball, so many
psychologist has nothing to do with the technical choices or things are left to chance. But basketball is predictably unpre-
decisions of the coaching staff. dictable. Coaches should not let the mental mindset of their
Finally, there must not be any confusion concerning the role of athletes be another one of those unpredictable factors. In this
the psychological consultant: Only the coach decides what modern sports era, there’s no reason for an athlete’s mental
and how to do things with the team. Think of the sports psy- game to become his Achilles heel.
EV\Z&
FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

Building A
Championship Team
Dusko Vujosevic is the head coach of Partizan Belgrade and
the Serbian and Montenegro National team. While coaching
Partizan, he won two National Championships, one
Yugoslavian Cup, and the Korac Cup. As coach of the Junior
National team, he won a gold medal at the 1988 European
Championship. He also coached other Division I by Dusko Vujosevic
Yugoslavian, Spanish, and Italian clubs.

I don’t think team motivation is all about “big speeches and offensive move. He is a valuable asset to any team because
big words”. Motivation is a process that begins much earlier, he is the type of unselfish player who elevates the play of
going all the way back to the first day of practice. It starts his teammates.
with selecting players, explaining to them my coaching phi- Your players have to know that what makes the team good
losophy, establishing team rules, and then setting our goals. is the sum of their own individual sacrifices. Championship
The key part in achieving these important aims comes down teams have that kind of attitude. For example, even if your
to the selection of players. Of primary importance is the ath- top player scored 30 points, a player on a championship
letic ability coupled with strong desire to win. I look for spiri- caliber team is not happy if his team did not win the game.
ted competitors and good men. With players like these, your Nor would he be happy if his team won and he felt that he
job is not to explain WHY you have to win, rather, your job is did not fully contribute to the victory.
to teach them HOW to win. Players like these need to win. Once you have “good vibrations” from the players on your
They already have this attitude “inside” and will accept team, you maintain it by telling them both the good and bad
nothing less than victory. These players form the foundation things they are doing on the court. This goes for your best
upon which you, as coach, can start building your team. players as well. No one gets special treatment on a team.
Players have personalities and their own ideas. Coaches However, the best player and the head coach have to do
have to realize this. But this is a team we are building and one thing together-they are responsible for setting “team
one player with a bad attitude and his own ideas can destroy rules.” It’s the best player who has to become an example
everything you are working for. A coach should not tolerate for everybody else on the team. He has to work hard on the
something as seemingly “innocent” as a player turning his court, going hard in practice sessions and in the games.
back in a locker room discussion. Part of your job is to reco- I’m a realist and not a coach who thinks his team will win
gnize disruptive or disgruntled players and do everything in every game. But I am a coach who expects that each player
your power to stop them, even if it means dismissing them will give their best every time they are on the court. If the
from the team. team loses badly, it’s a sign that something is wrong with
You’ll know you are doing a good job in fostering a high sense the team and it needs to be corrected immediately. An
of team morale if your team has a willingness to hustle for the important next step for a coach at the beginning of the sea-
entire game. Explain to them that championship teams do son is setting both team goals and individual goals for every
play at this high level of enthusiasm and that they cannot player on my team. Individual goals need to be part of the
underperform. overall team goal.
The next step in building a team comes from hard practice I also want each of my players to have “day goals”
sessions. You have to work hard with your team and it is something they will try to accomplish at every practice. I
important for everybody on the team to understand one thing: want them to work hard on the court, so when they leave
the willingness to win games starts with a willingness to the court at the end of practice they will know that they
practice hard. Hard working players, like hard working pushed themselves to become a better player than they
teams, are not quitters. They don’t quit in practice sessions were at the start of practice. At each of my practices ses-
nor do they quit in games. Sasha Danilovic, who played in the sions, I want my players to compete, to do their best, to
NBA, and Milos Vujanic, who used to play for Partizan, and push themselves to succeed, and most of all to understand
soon for an NBA team, fully understand the concept of hard that we can’t reach the top without their willingness to
work. practice hard every single time. Dejan Bodiroga, who plays
As a coach, you have to do your best to develop something I for Barcelona, understands this concept.
call the “cult of unselfishness,” which is a special mindset He is what I call a “self-coached player.” He gives of him-
possessed by some of the better players. Watch Tony Kukoc, self at every practice because he wants to improve his
who is now with the Milwaukee Bucks. With the ball in his game. He wants to do better in every game. With a team of
hands, he always looks to pass to a teammate who is in bet- players with the work ethic of Bodiroga, a coach will cer-
ter scoring position before he attempts to make his own tainly come close to experiencing true coaching happiness.
EV\Z'
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
PSYCHOLOGY

DEALING WITH
ADVERSITY
by Eric Foister

Eric Foister, head coach of North Huntington High School since everything. Let the players see things, as they perceive them. Put the
1998, is a highly-regarded high school coach in the State of Indiana. players in conflict together in a competitive drill, one that you are
A former assistant coach at the college level at Ball State certain they will successfully complete. For example, put the two
University, St. Joseph’s, and Taylor, he was the high school “Coach players who are at odds with each other on the same 2-on-2 team.
of the Year” in Florida in 1996. Make sure this is a drill that they will do well, but not complete too
easily. By working together, they will develop confidence, reestabli-
The word “adversity” has been used to describe many different shing the bond they once had. Having confidence in fellow team-
things. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of adversity mates is good for teamwork and a to have an happy team. There will
is “A state of hardship or affliction, or a calamitous event.” In the be times when players come to blame the coach or the system he
world of sports, adversity usually goes hand in hand with success, uses for the times they are experiencing. When this happens, it’s
and failure. Learning how to deal with adversity can be difficult and because they are hearing things from outside. At the college, I find
not every player or coach will deal with it in the same way. that parents are the ones who put the ideas into their son’s heads.
Trust is the key word here. You have to develop a sense of trust
STAGE ONE between you and your staff . It is important that this trust be develo-
When adversity occurs, the initial reaction is a feeling of helples- ped before adversity sets in. Never deceive your team. Be truthful
sness, anger, or hurt. An injury to a teammate or the loss of a game when talking with your team about the competition. We sometimes
in the waning seconds is an example of adversity. When it first hap- think as coaches that we have to make the other team seem like an
pens, there are no immediate cures or pep talks that can help alle- all-star team every night to get our team pumped up and ready to
viate the pain. This is a critical stage that has to be overcome by the play. This can lead to mistrust at an early stage. It can seem like a
individual player. As a coach, you sometimes can make matters very small point but these types of things can add up. Make sure you
worse by showing too much emotion at this stage. It is easy to say have small success areas that you can develop and point out to your
things out of frustration or anger that can damage the team. The team during the season. Athletes have to have some success in
same goes for the players . Speaking emotionally, athletes can do or order to see the whole picture. This can help things when adversity
say things that will negatively affect the team. It is important that you does set in. I have always admitted my mistakes to my team. I really
know who these particular athletes are and help them see the whole feel like that lets them know that you are a part of the team and that
picture of the team concept. You need to be able to identify your true you are accountable and trying to improve yourself.
team leaders. They are the ones who will help reinforce your vision
of “the big picture” and help the players to deal with the adversity. STAGE THREE
Trust is the main attribute you must maintain during this time. For The last stage of dealing with adversity comes to channeling your
example, if your leading scorer is a vocal person and a leader then emotions and letting them drive you to overcome any obstacle. Once
you must spend quality time, one-on-one with that player, to make you have overcome the first two stages you have succeeded in
sure he understands exactly what are your expectations of him and becoming a true coach. Now it is time to reap the rewards of suc-
of the team. If, on the other hand, your star player is quiet and shy, cess. The great teams have learned to deal with adversity and tur-
then you need to bring the most trusted player on the team to a joint ned negative situations into positive ones. As a coach, you have to
meeting with the leading scorer and then share your expectations remind players to take any feelings of failure, anguish, or hurt and
with both of them. It is important to select a team member who is tru- channel those emotions into effort and concentration. Don’t over-
sted by both his teammates and by you, the coach. load them with talk. Let them feel it themselves with gentle remin-
ders. Remember perception is reality. What you feel and what your
STAGE TWO team feels may be two different things. If you have succeeded in
After the initial feelings of anger or frustration comes the “blaming channeling the emotion of the team into good effort and concentra-
stage.” Some athletes are going to blame themselves totally for a tion in practice then you should be ready to reap the rewards. My
loss or a particular incident. When a player has this much burden or philosophy is based on competing at a level where emotion meets
guilt on his or her shoulders, they cannot reach their optimum level execution. When this happens great things occur. I have seen it in
of performance. This has to be dealt with by the coach. One way is many “big games”. One team comes with a great amount emotion
to talk with the player and ask him to express why he feels the way early only to fall apart in the later stages of the game. I have also
he does. As coaches we have to be excellent communicators and seen teams who executed very well on the court only to lose to a
lead that player to conclude on his own that what really matters for team that made great emotional plays late in the game. A team
everyone is the health of the team. Players will blame each other at should have a perfect balance between emotion and execution. A
times of adversity, which can tear a team down faster than anything coach deals with many emotions that are hard to keep in check. The
else. If you have this problem with your team it usually means there exhilaration of success and anguish of defeat can be unbearable.
is some selfishness involved and you have to face this issue head When you deal with young athletes, anything can happen. It can
on. One way to deal with this is to institute team-building exercises make you question your own abilities as a coach, parent, spouse, or,
in your practice sessions. It has been my experience that you don’t even at times, a human being. Trust in your abilities to be a leader. If
tell the team what you are trying to accomplish. Perception is you have confidence in yourself, other people will as well.
EV\Z(
 FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

goal setting by Marty Clark

Marty Clark became assistant coach at the Australian Institute for
Sport in 1995. Since 2001 he is also assistant coach of the Australian
Junior National team, and this year he became Head Coach at the play goal (set by the player). At the end of each day the player notes
Australian Institute for Sport. things they did well, things they need to improve and rates their effort
for that day’s session/s. The players must have their diaries open on
The Australian Institute of Sport Men’s Basketball is a residential pro- the courtside seating before and during practice and the coaching
gram for 12 junior men identified with the potential to develop the men- staff can check their analysis from the day before and their goals for
tal, physical and basketball skills necessary to compete at both the that week. The coaches can then reinforce the player’s focus during
international and national league levels. training as well as provide technical assistance in working on that
The practice of goal setting is an integral part of the development of goal. The players will often refer to their monthly goals when setting
these individuals. The majority of the players are leaving a home envi- their weekly goal and/or the previous week/game performance.
ronment where they practice 2-4 times a week into a program where D. Game Targets: The group compete as a team in the East Conference
they practice 2-3 times a day. Whilst at home one below standard of the SEABL ABA - the 2nd tier national league. Over the course of a
practice means a significant opportunity to improve has been lost, in few years a number of key factors have emerged if we are going to
this setting the perception the player may have is one bad practice is compete in a men’s league teams given that we are often giving away
ok as there is another practice that day. However this can quickly lead extensive experience. These targets include restricting turnovers,
to another poor practice and then a habit of poor practices is formed, opposition shooting percentages and offensive rebounds as well as
the opportunity to move forward is then restricted. The use of goals, for creating points in transition, inside and off second shots.
both the individual and team, provide a focus for each and every ses- E. Game Plan and Post-Game Analysis: For each game the coaches
sion. Player’s progression is readily tracked by referring to their indivi- set a game plan, divided into the areas of offense, defense and gene-
dual goals. This progress is measured in each player’s ability to tran- ral play, each area having 2 or 3 key points related to the theme for the
sfer skills acquired from 1 on 0, 1 on 1, breakdown drill, scrimmages week, our offensive and defensive philosophies, and the oppositions
and ultimately the game. strengths and weaknesses. The coaches evaluated each of the areas
of the game plan and present feedback and video footage both to the
THE FOLLOWING ARE DIFFERENT WAYS GOAL SETTING IS USED AT THE AIS team and to individuals the following day. Each player also completes
▼ Type of people we want our players to become - a list of character a post-game analysis from both a team and an individual perspective.
traits that we as coaches want to see in our athletes. These help to They note their contribution and things they can improve on next game,
define the group that we want to become over the year ahead. Usually also rating their effort and level of satisfaction with achieving their indi-
set at a pre-season team-building camp, the themes primarily relate to vidual goals.
establishment of a culture of hard work, commitment, communication ▼ One individual session each week is driven by the player. The player
and camaraderie. ▼ Team Themes - 4 or 5 areas of the game that will can choose the specific area of their game they want to work on and
be the cornerstones of our team play and will not be compromised practice one to one with a coach. This encourages the players to think
during practice or games. ▼ Theme for the Week - each week a about what they need to work on and how they are to achieve the
“theme for the week” is chosen. These usually relate to the Team goals they have set for the month. ▼ Video analysis. Game and prac-
Themes, but may be an attitude/mentality issue or a technical aspect tice sessions are evaluated. Each practice begins with a short video
that the coaches have identified as requiring extra work/emphasis on. presentation usually of the previous practice or game. Early in the
▼ Player Diary - each player is issued with a diary that includes the week a package is put together and shown to the players of things that
above items plus: we struggled with in the game. Players are also shown clips that rela-
A. Long Term Goals Planner: Players list their ultimate basketball goal, te directly to their individual goals. Prior to our next game a highlights
their basketball and life/school/work goals for this year, next year, package is shown of things we did well as a group and players achie-
three years time and five years time. Many young players do not plan ving their goals so they approach the game with positive thoughts and
ahead and therefore have no real focus on what they are striving to a clear mental picture of things they have done well. ▼ The team has
achieve, consequently practice sessions lack focus for the individual. access to a sports psychologist who provides support to the coaches
B. Monthly Player Contracts: Each month the players meet individual- through private consultations which may cover a wide spectrum of
ly with coaching staff and evaluate their past month and set goals for topics of which goal-setting is regularly included. The team also has
the coming month. Goals are set for offense, defense, general play, group sessions in team building, bonding, goal setting amongst other
physical development and school/work. The player appraises their topics. ▼ Because of the nature of the environment, emphasis is pla-
previous month’s goals on a scale from 1-6 as does the coach. Any ced on the holistic development of athletes. Goals are set for their
discrepancy is discussed. The scale ratings are: school or work, expectations in the living area and their physical deve-
1. Skill cannot be performed lopment; whether it be strength or power gains, reducing skinfolds or
2. Skill can be performed 1 on 0 improving speed, agility or endurance. Player’s school and/or employ-
3. Skill can be done in breakdown situation ment is monitored by the Institute’s Athlete Career and Education staff,
4. Skill is shown in scrimmage situation coaching staff and parents. As can be seen the use of goals is exten-
5. Skill is performed successfully in game situations sive in our program. Given the access we have athletes it is possible to
6. Skill can be done consistently at a high level do this and evaluate them appropriately.
General comments and notes, and technical analysis are also kept for Whilst a system such as this is not necessarily required, or appropria-
future reference. te with each team, the concept is invaluable in developing players and
C. Daily Practice and Individual Evaluations: This sheet has a theme for keeping them focused and motivated to achieve the goals.
the week (set by coaches), and an offensive, defensive and general
EV\Z)
 FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

CHALLENGES
FOR THE COACHES
Serguei Chernov is President of the Russian Basketball Federation, SPECIFIC TRENDS
by Serguei Chernov

and President of the FIBA-Europe Competitions Commission. From Specific trends of basketball development can be seen as such:
1980 to 1982 he was head coach of the Soviet Women’s National ▼ Aggressiveness: Through the number of various tactical
team. schemes of the offense-defense relationship.
▼ Versatile Players: The ability of players to play in multiple
It is imperative in modern basketball to have a very well organized and positions on the court.
scientific program if you want to reach and remain at the top level of ▼ Increasing the quantity of contacts per time unit: This is
your sport. To be successful, coaches need to follow many aspects determined by the tough struggle for playing space and a more
and trends in order to maintain proper direction. These trends are on physical game, as permitted by the rules.
four levels and I will put them in their order of importance. ▼ The constant timing deficit while in possession of the ball: It is
▼ General Trends: The general aspects concerning caused by the modern rules, which bring about fast reactions.
the development of each type of sport.
▼ Common Trends: The general aspects related to each sport, both PARTICULAR TRENDS
in training and during competition. Particular trends of basketball development may be detailed as fol-
▼ Specific Trends: Aspects related specifically to basketball. lows:
▼ Particular Trends: Developing a specific practice plan to ▼ Physical fitness: The increasing reliance on strength and power
encompass the different fundamentals of basketball. for high-level sports requires regular strength training sessions
for years and points to the importance of conditioning sessions
GENERAL TRENDS for athletes throughout the entire year.
The Sport Business ▼ Aerobic power, or cardiovascular endurance: It must be
Compared to just a few years ago, the economics of sport is empha- stressed as well. Playing success depends on the ability of the
sized more and more. Now, words such as sponsorship, marketing, athlete to maintain a high level of speed throughout the
and advertising are integral parts of the sports dictionary, and com- course of a game without fatiguing.
mercialization is an integral part of any sport. ▼ Technical preparedness: Coaches must employ technical
The Increasing Role of Publicity methods with his athletes involving speed reactions (passing
The sport must fulfill the requirements of TV in terms of scheduling and dribbling), teach them how to read a variety of offensive
and time-outs during games. It must also recognize the important role and defensive situations, and find fast and effective solutions.
played by other media, such as radio, newspapers, magazines, and Athletes must also have the ability to effectively implement the
the Internet. technical aspects of the game with precision. Mental strength
Psychological Pressure of Competitions has to be maintained when the opponent begins to apply
The increasing number of competitions, tournaments, and games pressure.
creates tremendous pressure and expectations on both a team and ▼ Tactical preparedness: The simplification of the offensive
its players. The comparisons between the top players of each team tactical schemes occurs when tactics are quickly
will always be an endless challenge for these superstars. implemented and require fewer and fewer actions in order to
score a basket. The regular changing of defensive schemes is
COMMON TRENDS based on the types of defense to be used (man-to-man, zone,
There are many popular sports in the world-basketball, soccer, vol- pressing), as well as on different variants within one such type
leyball, and rugby-and while each one has its different characteri- (e.g., from a 2-1-2 zone to a 1-2-2 zone, then to a 1-3-1 zone).
stics, each of them also has common trends. They include:
▼ The increasing speed at which the game is played, bigger By analyzing the offensive and defensive tactics employed by the
pressure, and higher demands in practice sessions: world’s leading teams, coaches can learn new offenses and defenses.
The intensification of the game’s dynamics and big pressure and Practice sessions can be devoted to their implementation. They are
higher demands during training sessions are caused by the as follows:
necessity of raising the level of action per time unit and by the ▼ Situational practices are designed to specifically teach
need to develop and enhance a player’s talents and attributes. tactical combinations with plenty of variants.
▼ Enhancing intellectualization: This means emphasizing the ▼ Some training sessions should stress the players, such as
“thinking” part of the game, namely the quickness and the shooting sessions in pressure situations.
precision of operative thinking of each player. Anticipation
(prognostic skills) is highly valued. As young players are being The concept of world basketball is close to becoming a reality as
taught the technical aspects of the game, this aspect of learning the talent gap (athletes, coaching, and training concepts) becomes
must be taught as well. It is one of the most important features much smaller. Players and coaches are not only part of this trend,
of a player’s education in sport. but so are managers and sports administrators.
▼ The growing need for fast execution: In the end, the real breakthrough will be made by coaches who can
This manifests itself primarily in the increasing efficiency combine all the trends I’ve outlined above to develop players and a
of competitive activities. team with a successful chemistry.
EV\Z*
 PSYCHOLOGY

THE MOTIVATION
OF ELITE PLAYERS
Part I

by Josè Maria Buceta

Josè Maria Buceta is a Doctor in

Psychology, and Professor of Psychology
at UNED University, Spain: He was head
basketball coach of the Women’s
National Team of Spain from 1985 to 1992,
and a FIBA instructor since 1988. A reco-
gnized expert in the field of sport psycho-
logy, he is also Head of the Department of
Sport Psychology at Real Madrid.

This is the first part of the article. The

second part will be published on the next
issue No. 7, March/April.

Motivation is one of the key psychological

aspects needed in order to succeed in
sport and life. In professional team sports,
such as football or basketball, most of the
players are naturally highly motivated in
“big games” and “top specific periods”
(for example, the play-off period).
However, in many cases this is not enou-
gh to achieve the goals of the season. The
coach and his assistants, within their
main tasks, should help to enhance and
strengthen the motivation of their players,
both in general and for specific moments
in which “extra” of motivation may be
needed.

The first thing is to understand that moti-

vation can not be very high all the time.
The season is very long and the players
can not always function at their maximum
potential. Thus, it is normal that their moti-
vation fluctuates, being higher or lower
depending on different circumstances.
Therefore, the task of the coach and his
assistants is not to keep motivation very
high all the time. They need to learn how
to efficiently handle the fluctuations in
EV\Z+
 PSYCHOLOGY

motivation, knowing the periods in which

an “extra boost” in motivation is needed
for the benefit of the team performance.

In general, coaches must adopt measu-

res to strengthen a good and stable level
of individual interest for the common
goals of the team (“basic motivation”),
and to use specific strategies to improve
“daily motivation” for practices and
games when this be appropriate.

Individual meetings between the coach

and the players are convenient ways to
enhance and strengthen basic individual
motivation. These meetings should not
take place very often and should consist
of a good give-and-take between coach
and player. By this I mean it should not
consist of the coach doing all the talking
and the player just listening. Rather, the
coach should ask, listen and negotiate to
achieve common conclusions, which may
positively affect the player’s motivation.

In general, it is a big mistake of many coa-

ches to ignore players’ interests, opinions
and feelings, especially when they are
experienced top players. The coach
should not give up the great opportunity
of considering the experience of each of
his players. Further, through listening to
the players and making them feel that
they are understood and considered,
players will be more involved and com-
mitted to the team.

The coach should know and understand

the individual interests of each of his
players, and be able to negotiate with
them, so they feel that by helping the
team they will fulfil their own personal
goals. This interaction between team and
individual interests is the most crucial
factor needed to enhance and strengthen market value. This helps prevent individual stand their goals, motivation will drop off
team and individual motivation and dissatisfaction and low motivation when, dramatically sooner or later, and then it will
performance. later on, players compare their salaries be very difficult to recover.
with the salaries of their teammates.
In fact, the first step to control this factor Further, it is important to establish an What kind of attractive challenge might I
comes when the club initially negotiates effective reward system linked to the suggest to this player? This is a key que-
with the players to sign them to the team. results of the team. If this system is pro- stion that coaches should ask and answer
At that point, it is important to ensure the perly organized, it may have a positive regarding each of his players. The same
players that they will be able to get enou- impact on motivation. goes for the team as well.
gh personal benefit by playing in the
team, that they will be happy with their One of the most important tasks of the In both cases, team and individual goals
role on the team, and that they know and coach is to find attractive and challenging should be attractive and challenging, but,
accept what the club expects from them sport goals for the team as a whole, and for at the same time, realistic. Realistic goals
in all aspects. Furthermore, it is important each of his players at individual level. help to strengthen self-confidence, and
to fit the salary of each player within an Sometimes, this is difficult when the team through this pathway comes motivation.
objective hierarchic system with two, consists primarily of older veteran players Both motivation and self-confidence must
three, or four main levels depending on and/or players with a significant history of grow together. As the season progresses,
factors such as the age, experience, success. However, it is crucial to find out this initial level of player motivation should
background, seniority on the club, or the their goals. If the coach doesn’t under- be enhanced and strengthened.
EV\Z,
 PSYCHOLOGY

THE MOTIVATION
OF ELITE PLAYERS
Part II

by Josè Maria Buceta

Josè Maria Buceta, Ph.D., a Professor As I wrote in my previous article, new achieve goals, they won’t get far.
of Psychology at UNED University, ways to strengthen, enrich, and improve Think about this analogy. You have a car
Spain, was the head basketball coach the initial level of a player’s motivation with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned
of the Women’s National Team of Spain must be found as the season progres- engine, a good set of tires, and a sleek,
from 1985 to 1992. A FIBA instructor ses. polished exterior. The car sits by the
since 1988 and an expert in the field of Ask any successful person what moti- roadway, ready to be used.
sport psychology, he is the head of the vates him, and the likely answer will be This car has incredible potential.
Department of Sport Psychology at Real “goals.” Goal setting is extremely However, until a driver puts the key in
Madrid. important to motivation and success. the ignition, and starts up the engine,
But motivation that comes from within the car doesn’t function or move
This is the second and last part of the arti- really makes the difference. forward.
cle published in No.6 January-February. If your players are not motivated to The “key” that is needed to get a
EV\Z-
 PSYCHOLOGY

basketball team functioning and dual motivation will be more difficult to gnition to his players so they be able to
moving forward is motivation to achie- maintain with players who play the least. get high doses of “deserved recogni-
ve goals. A good strategy for achieving For these players, it is especially impor- tion”. Other strategies should be
this is to decide on three levels of indi- tant that the coach be honest and employed to help enhance daily personal
vidual and team goals. explain their situation to them in realistic motivation, and a good team atmosphere
The first goal should be a very attracti- terms. in practice.
ve and challengening goal which may What does the coach believe about their This can be achieved by creating a sti-
be realistic, if everything goes the right opportunities for playing time? mulating environment in practice ses-
way (the ideal goal). To be honest with the players, when the sions involving challenging drills, special
The second goal, a more realistic aim, news is not encouraging, might negati- goals, or extra rewards.
should be attainable if things go reaso- vely affect their motivation in the short Sometimes, player and team motivation
nably all right during the season. Finally, term, but it will help enhance a new state remains hidden under the effects of high
the third goal should be set in case of motivation if the coach is able to find stress.
things go wrong for the team. attractive individual challenges for these The reason for this is not a lack of intere-
I find that this system will help keep players to achieve. st on the part of the player(s), but rather
motivation high throughout the season Even if they do not play as much as they an excess of uncontrolled stress.
for most teams. However, it is not would like, it is the job of the coach to When this occasion arises, the general
recommended for teams with high make them understand that their efforts strategy to enhance motivation should
conformism. In this case, the third level are appreciated and that this benefits not be to “push” players to achieve ambi-
goals should not be considered, since the team as a whole. tious goals or emphasize the beneficial
the team must have an ambitious goal to Unfortunately, many coaches lie to their consequences of good results. Instead,
overcome the state of conformism. In players and create false expectations the coach must find effective ways to
the presence of this situation, the nego- about playing time. reduce stress.
tiation with the players is extremely cru- They assume that in this way players will Stress reduction can be achieved either
cial. remain highly motivated. by weakening the stress as much as pos-
To best achieve a high and stable level However, this is a big mistake since the sible, or, else, by strengthening players’
of motivation, players must perceive initial motivation for these players, if it self-confidence.
enough individual benefit related to ever existed, will rapidly decrease as For example, stress can be reduced and
ambitious team goals, and then be an soon as these expectations are not sati- hidden motivation will naturally emerge, if
integral part of the decision-making sfied. Therefore, it is critical for the a coach regularly talks to his players and
process involved in setting goals. coach and his assistants to be honest tries to eliminate extra undeserved
If not, their motivation to achieve the with the players who don’t get much responsibilities.
goals will be very weak, and, at some playing time, since this will significantly He should remove attention from the
point during the season, any motivation affect overall team motivation, team results and focus instead on the players’
efforts will become insufficient. cohesion and, indirectly, team perfor- actions.
In the case of low motivation due to mance. A final strategy is to emphasize all perso-
conformism, sometimes positive mea- Social recognition (achieving recogni- nal resources that had worked well in the
sures to enhance motivation are not tion from other people) is an important past with the player(s) or team.
powerful enough, and measures to individual goal for many players. Coaches To sum up, motivation is a complex psy-
create some level of stress should be should realize that this is an important chological aspect which may be affected
strategically used. part of the “emotional salary” that helps by a variety of factors.
The purpose of these measures, such many players remain highly motivated. Coaches should understand these factors
as making changes in the starting line Those players who appreciate recogni- and have a number of strategies ready to
up, yelling, lengthening training ses- tion as an important value will be more enhance and strengthen individual and
sions, or establishing a system of puni- involved with the team if they perceive team motivation. However, in order to be
shment, is to provoke a certain degree that their contributions are recognized by truly effective, coaches should have psy-
of insecurity, uneasiness, and, even, the club, coaching staff, teammates and chological control of their players. This
some fear so the players feel motivated any other person linked to the team. influence and control may deteriorate if
to change in the proper direction. Simple words such as “thank you”, “good the coach overuses his power or is con-
These measures are more effective job”, or “well done” will go a long way in stantly overstimulating, continually
when they are used ocassionally rather keeping players motivated. asking the players for extra effort.
than on a regular basis. Public statements recognizing specific A good coach can be a catalyst for moti-
Coaches should save them for key efforts, and any kind of measure which vation in the short term, but the best coa-
moments in the season in which they shows respect and recognition for the ches create the conditions for the team
may be really necessary. Moreover, player, not only as a player, but also as a to motivate itself.
they will be more powerful if they are person, will make players happier and Coaches must create the basis of stable
combined with positive measures, such better disposed to contribute to the team motivation through measures mentioned
as listening, negotiation, establishing interests. above, and then carefully plan the
ambitious goals with the participation of Personal recognition should not be moments in which they put higher
the players, and establishing an attrac- something given randomly, but linked to emphasis on motivating their players.
tive reward system linked to the achie- actions which deserve such recognition. In this way, coaches will be more effec-
vement of those goals. Thus, one of the tasks of the coach is to tive in managing player and team moti-
A coach must understand that indivi- find objective opportunities to give reco- vation.
EV\Z.
 PSYCHOLOGY

BASKETBALL SUCCESS:
GENES
ARE
THE KEY
part i

by Jonathan Niednagel

Jonathan Niednagel is a sport scien-

tist, who has pioneered one of the
most advanced sports evaluation and
improvement technology “Brain
Typing” (www.braintypes.com). He
consults for pro teams and athletes
in United States, especially in the
NBA, NFL, and MLB. He is the author
of the book “Your Key to Sports
Success”, where he identifies and
describes the Brain Types to over 20
sports.

This is the first part of the article. The

second part will be published on the
next issue No. 9, July/August.

Have you ever considered how and

why perennial NBA All-Stars John
Stockton and Larry Bird excelled? For
those who may not know, Stockton is
the NBA’s all-time assist leader and
EV\Z&%
 PSYCHOLOGY

Bird is arguably the best player in dinary giftedness in hand-eye coordi- your mind for just one minute.
NBA history. nation-enabling him to adeptly shoot, I’m not suggesting you believe the
What is it about Dirk Nowitzki that pass, and handle the ball. If Einstein correlation I just made, but only that
has enabled this 7-footer to be so was endowed with off-the-court you grasp what I am claiming.
agile and a deft shooter, cinching his genius, then just maybe Stockton and “If” it were true, what would be the
NBA stardom? Let’s begin with the Bird inherited on-court brilliance. implications of such a genetic pheno-
Bird and Stockton comparisons. menon?
As we head further into the 21st cen-
Neither superstar was particularly tury, is there any rational explanation If we chose to consider off-the-court
athletic, nor could they jump or run by for why athletes perform as they do- (or field) implications, such as those
NBA standards. especially those who don’t seem to dealing with family members or work
Bird was a big, slow, white guy who have all the physical tools or special associates, or educating children, or
could barely get off the floor. In the athleticism? For nearly thirty years, I even understanding why government
world’s supreme basketball league, have been painstakingly attempting to leaders do what they do, we could fill
where athleticism usually accompa- answer this confounding, but highly many pages.
nies the greatest players, how did intriguing question. For the sake of this article, we’ll limit
these two overwhelmingly defy the Along the way, I’ve also researched our focus to sports-especially basket-
odds? why people do what they do off the ball.
Let’s bring it closer to home by com- court (or field) of play.
paring the two former All-Stars to Consider this possibility.
you. Yes, you. By the latter half of the 1970s, I knew If there were 16 different inborn desi-
What is your height? Perhaps you are I was onto something significant. I gns (with inherent and specific men-
close to John Stockton’s size, around had already begun to witness a corre- tal, motor and spatial skills) found in
6 feet - m.1,82, or less likely, you are lation between certain personality athletes around the globe, and each
closer to the 6’9” - m. 2.04 of Larry traits in people and specific physical athlete had only one of these designs,
Bird. Either way, do you believe it skills. The renowned Swiss psychia- how would this impact sports? To
would have been possible for you to trist Carl Jung had originally identi- save you some time and/or mental
achieve their NBA success, given a fied personality characteristics such energy, perhaps, I will answer my
similar upbringing and background? as extraversion and introversion, but question. I slowly discovered over
Or, could any man on the planet, with he made no connection between them many years of study that particular
similar size to either Stockton or Bird and motor skills. inborn designs (of the possible 16)
have done the same? Just what made Simply stated, I found that certain were best at specific sports and even
Larry and John so special? How “types” of people sharing similar at certain positions within each sport!
could they possibly have achieved mental characteristics with others
their greatness? also shared similar physical and even It wasn’t long before I realized that
spatial abilities. certain DNA-constructed designs
Do you realize there are many basket- Initially it seemed far too improbable (which I describe as “Brain Types”)
ball players around the world who and unorthodox for such a connec- excelled at golf, others in tennis, soc-
can dribble, rebound, and even shoot tion, but I skeptically continued my cer, auto or motor-cycle racing, snow
better than these two guys once did, research, part of which was coaching skiing, basketball, and so on, whereas
and yet do not make it to the profes- more than fifty youth teams over a other Brain Types had neither the
sional level? How does this make decade. mental nor physical abilities to master
sense? What this effort revealed to me was various of these sports-regardless of
that each child (and adult) must be their physical size or even level of
Let’s consider some matters that vir- born with some sort of individual and athleticism.
tually all of us should know about specific genetic bent-actually regula- Can you fathom that?
Stockton and Bird. ting both mental and motor skills-and
These two obviously developed a that these designs were limited in In addition, certain inborn Types were
keen interest in hoops. number! best at specific positions or functions
Early in life, they put in lengthy prac- This empirical pattern also demon- within their sport, such as serving in
tice and received some decent strated that certain groups of people tennis, putting in golf, batting in base-
instruction, and watched others play. shared similar inborn mental and phy- ball, and passing, shooting, or ball
Yet, so did a lot of the rest of us, but sical aspects with others, indepen- handling in basketball.
we never attained the basketball dent of race, religion or ethnicity. Some Brain Types were much better
expertise of these two. In other words, people in different than others at point guard.
parts of the neighborhood, city, or My initial research led me to believe
Perhaps you are now guessing that even world for that matter, could that each person was born with a
maybe they were born with some share the same genetic design regu- specific design that regulated both
paranormal superiority. lating specific mental and motor skil- mental and physical skills, and that
Maybe Stockton was blessed with x- ls. these innate traits would cause him or
ray vision, along the lines of her to naturally succeed, or struggle,
Superman. And maybe Bird inherited Now that I’ve introduced this radical in life’s various ventures-on and off
some of this too, along with extraor- finding, please contemplate this in the court.
EV\Z&&
 PSYCHOLOGY

BASKETBALL SUCCESS:
GENES
ARE
THE KEY
part II

by Jonathan Niednagel

Jonathan Niednagel is a sport scientist,

who has pioneered one of the most advan-
ced sports evaluation and improvement
technology “Brain Typing” (www.brainty-
pes.com). He consults for pro teams and
athletes in the United States, especially in
the NBA, NFL, and MLB. He is the author of
the book “Your Key to Sports Success”,
where he identifies and describes the
Brain Types for over 20 sports.

After realizing that these inborn proclivities

were not a result of the water we drank or
the upbringing (or coaching) we had, I sur-
mised in the early 1980s that these innate
“wirings” had to be genetically based. One
needn’t be a rocket scientist for such
deduction. Genome research was quite pri-
mitive in those days so exploring this possi-
bility had to wait. Yet brain research and
neuroscience were dramatically on the
upswing, with high-tech PET scans and
other metabolic mappings revealing cere-
bral functions never before understood.
Thus, I began exploring how the brain regu-
lates our cognitive, motor and visual pro-
EV\Z&'
 PSYCHOLOGY

cesses, and during this past decade, the predisposition for the Back of the brain
influence of genetics on these physiologi- where deep concentration and intensity
cal functions. The massive Human reside as opposed to the front’s active and
Genome Project’s first major hurdle was energetic state, which minimizes contem-
finally accomplished in 2003, identifying plation. “E” stands for Empirical-relying on
roughly 30,000 human genes. The race is sight and observation instead of concepts
now on for identifying which human func- and theory. “I” signifies the Inanimate
tions these individual genes actually regu- world which is more interested in logic,
late. systems, and things than relating to people,
pursuing harmony, or trusting feelings.
The fields of neuroscience and genetics Lastly, “R” equates to the Right brain, the
are finally shedding abundant light on how hemisphere adept at peripheral vision and
and why the body (including brain) opera- smooth, adaptable motor movements in
tes as it does. For the first time in human contrast to the left hemisphere that specia-
history, long-awaited answers are forthco- lizes in tunnel vision and more mechanical,
ming. We are finally leaving the Dark Ages preplanned motor movements. Athletes
of human understanding. Over the past born with the BEIR Brain Type can develop
decades, I have attempted to make a con- superior hand-eye coordination and athle-
nection between typology, one small tic skills. This design is debatably the supe-
dimension of psychology, a soft science, rior athlete in most sports.
and the fields of genetics and neuroscien-
ce, which are soundly entrenched among Though each person’s upbringing and envi-
the hard sciences. Marvelously, it is all ronment (past and current) influence his
coming together. unique personality, the vast majority of
BEIR’s are more reserved and quiet due to
Relating all this to athletics, I began to their genetic imprint. They also have the
share my surprising and helpful findings potential to develop the consummate spa-
with a few professional athletes in the late tial logic, as well as competitive intensity of
1970’s. It wasn’t long before they began all 16 Brain Types. (Infamous boxer Mike
employing them in their respective sports Tyson also possesses the BEIR wiring.)
and telling others.
Larry Bird and John Stockton would never
So what does all this mean to you? have achieved their NBA greatness had
Whether a team owner, general manager, they not inherited the BEIR wiring. Yes,
coach, parent, or athlete, you can now some other Brain Types can achieve pro
learn to identify and optimally develop basketball stardom, but the BEIR has pro-
these inborn designs or Brain Type in your- ven to be the best. A few other recent
self and others. greats of this design include Michael
Assuredly, understanding inborn charac- muscles. The remaining four Brain Types Jordan, Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O’Neal,
teristics-mentally, physically, and spatially- are innately “least” gifted in the motor cor- Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson.
is the future direction of sports. It provides tex-especially regulating the gross motors-
an unparalleled advantage. yet they are the most proficient with the Computer technology has ushered us into
strategic skills of the cerebral cortex the 21st century, but genetic analysis is
Brain Typing is relevant for every dimen- (including hockey goalie Dominik Hasek). soon to reshape the world in which we
sion of life, including business and family. This knowledge of the various cerebral live-even in sports. Until Brain Typing gene-
As long as one is attempting to under- distinctions is helpful in beginning to com- tic identification is finalized, those I’ve trai-
stand, persuade, or communicate with prehend why the different athletes perform ned and I will continue to rely on the empi-
others, there is no better way. as they do. rical approach, carefully observing athle-
tes and people and their innate mental and
Before I tell you the key to success for Bird Brain Typing not only can help an aspiring motor tendencies. Though it is presently
and Stockton, let’s consider only one athlete choose the best sport(s) for him and possible to identify the different designs in
aspect of the 16 inborn designs. Four of her, but it can help to develop one’s game even young children, the majority of my
these makeups specialize in the top region in an optimal manner. The key to sports time is devoted to working with adults.
of the brain’s primary motor cortex-which success is practicing and improving based
masters gross motor skills-the large upon one’s personal makeup, mentally and How did mankind develop these indelible
muscle groups (Magic Johnson is in this physically. Brain Typing enables the athle- and measurable designs, or Brain Types?
category). Another four Brain Types (inclu- te to know exactly how he or she is wired After numerous years of consideration, my
ding Michael Jordan) excel in the adjacent and how to perform best under the greate- most educated guess suggests a Master
descending area of the motor cortex-regu- st of pressures. Designer. It is my hope in the years ahead
lating hand-eye coordination. The next to help those around the globe to better
four genetic Types (including Tiger Woods Now to Bird and Jordan. Their inborn desi- understand these unique designs and how
and Dirk Nowitski) have the potential to gn is described by one of Brain Typing’s 16 to get the most out of life in light of this enli-
expertly coordinate both large and small acronyms: BEIR. “B” represents a genetic ghtening and liberating knowledge.
EV\Z&(
 PSYCHOLOGY

INTEGRATING
PSYCHOLOGY
AT THE AUSTRALIAN
INSTITUTE OF SPORT
by Adrian Schonfield
part I
Adrian Schonfield has worked at the
Australian Institute of Sport since the
beginning of 2002 and has been psycho-
logist to the Men’s basketball program
since July 2002.

“While we all had individual goals and

ambitions, in a team sport such as
basketball it is not only your ability to
perform your skills, but also your ability
to form a team and perform within that
[team], that will make a difference”. The
person who said this was Aaron Bruce.
Aaron was a member of the 2003
Australian Emus team that won gold at
the Junior World Championships and
was part of the Australian Institute of
Sport (AIS) Men’s Basketball program in
2002 and 2003.
The purpose of this two-part article is
to outline one of the things we did with
the 2003 AIS Men’s Basketball team to
help bring them together for a succes-
sful year. While there were many things
that teams do on a daily level (for
example, training) that help to build
cohesion, we started the year with a
short camp that was designed to bring
the team together and get them focu-
sed for the year. In the first part of this
article, I have outlined some of the fac-
tors that led to this camp and the choi-
ce of activities included and the details
of the first day. It also briefly deals with
EV\Z&)
 PSYCHOLOGY

the underlying theory that has guided tomy of extrinsic and intrinsic is not WHAT WE DID
the psychological component in this specific enough to capture different Pre-camp
case. As with other sports scientists, a sources of motivation. They suggest Approximately two days before the
psychologist involving himself in sport that there is a motivation, four types of camp was due to start, the players
should be guided by models and extrinsic motivation ranging in the received a document titled ‘An invitation
theory, backed by scientific research. extent that they are self-determined to participate (to attend is compulsory)
The second part of the article (to be and three types of intrinsic motivation: in the AIS 2003 Men’s Basketball team
presented in the next issue) expands knowledge, accomplishment and sti- camp’. Definitions were also given for
on day two activities and gives some mulation. Self-determination theory ‘attend’ and ‘participate’ to help players
of my impressions of the camp and its (Ryan and Deci 1985; 1991) suggests realise that their input was important
value. that human behaviour is motivated by and that the camp would not just be
the fulfilment of needs, specifically the coaches and psychologist talking at
BACKGROUND needs for autonomy, competence and them. Players were also told that the
The team consisted of 13 young men relatedness. Simply summarised, auto- camp was about them as a group, set-
aged between 17 and 19, all of whom nomy is choosing one’s own behaviour, ting the goals and standards they wan-
were in consideration for the Emus competence is perceiving themselves ted to achieve. A timetable for the camp
squad to play at the Youth World as able, and relatedness is feeling con- activities was also provided.
Championships. Ten of the members nected with other people. The model
would make the final team and would suggests that if we can provide an Day one
go on to win gold in Greece. Of the 13, environment that leads to an increase Young, male basketballers tend to like to
there were seven returning players in a person’s perception of their auto- eat, so the camp started with a team
from the 2002 AIS team and six new nomy, competence and relatedness, meal. We followed dinner with activities
players. The AIS team resides together we will increase their self-determined that involved players pairing up, and
in dormitory accommodation in extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. By with one in each pair blindfolded, the
Canberra, trains up to three times per allowing the players to be involved in other member had to instruct the
day and has access to sports science setting up the standards for their own blindfolded member to move to the
and sports medicine support including team, we would allow them the oppor- venue for the next activity. This activity
physiotherapy, massage and physi- tunity for increased autonomy. By was chosen as it would require players
cians. giving the players some challenges - to communicate with each other, trust
mental and physical - we allow them each other and had opportunities for fun
THE PURPOSE the opportunity for increased compe- and mischief (walking people over sto-
For the Emus to win the world cham- tence. By giving the players the oppor- nes and into branches).
pionship, we knew that what happened tunity to form a close-knit team, we The third activity for the night was a
to this group of players during the first allow them the opportunity for increa- ‘modified name game’*. Within the
part of the year would be very impor- sed relatedness. The end result of this team, there was a diverse array of ori-
tant, hence there were a number of is that by developing a camp program gins of names. The name game uses
purposes for this camp. The most that gives opportunities for autonomy, names as a starting point for each per-
important was to help the players beco- competence and relatedness, we may son in the group to explain where they
me familiar with each other and to inte- increase self-determined extrinsic and come from, not only in terms of a coun-
grate the new players in with the old to intrinsic motivation and that will be try or race, but in terms of some of their
form one team. Secondly, we wanted a important for the times when playing family systems and values. It was thou-
team culture in which players were and training in the AIS and world- ght that by helping each player to under-
prepared to push themselves and each championship environment get tough. stand the other players better, we were
other, one in which the players were increasing our chances of having a har-
responsible for their own behaviour. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS monious team. We were surprised to
Thirdly, we wanted the players to enjoy We knew that the players were not find that the team had players with heri-
themselves in the process of becoming going to be too interested in spending tage from countries such as Croatia,
a team and setting their goals for the large amounts of time sitting around in a Serbia, Macedonia, Poland, Italy,
year. classroom-style setting (if they did, they England, Scotland, Ireland and the
From a personal perspective as the would be better at school and worse at Netherlands. This exercise allowed the
team psychologist, I had another goal, basketball). However, to achieve the players to speak a little about themsel-
which was to gain some understanding purpose of the camp, I thought we nee- ves and also to hear about their team-
of the team dynamics and individuals ded to have a number of sessions that mates. While intuitively the game might
within the team as this would be the involved this type of activity. It then accentuate differences between peo-
first meeting I had with the new players. became important to make sure that, ple, with emphasis on the right que-
where possible, activities were active stions it can be used to display the many
THE RATIONALE and that sessions were broken up with similarities between people.
As we wanted a team culture of self- other games to refresh minds and
driven players, I looked to see what bodies. * The original ‘name game’ was sour-
psychological models and theories Time constraints suggested that we ced from Teaching About Culture,
existed in this area. Recent concep- would be best to limit the camp from Ethnicity and Diversity: Exercises and
tualisations of motivation (Ryan and 6.00pm one night until 7.00pm the fol- planned activities, edited by Theodore
Deci 2000) suggest that the old dicho- lowing night. Singelis (1998).
EV\Z&*
 PSYCHOLOGY

INTEGRATING
PSYCHOLOGY
AT THE AUSTRALIAN
INSTITUTE OF SPORT
by Adrian Schonfield
part II
Adrian Schonfield has worked at the would like to achieve and the things they ▼ Passionate workmanlike attitude;
Australian Institute of Sport since the would like to be remembered for. Using
beginning of 2002 and has been psycho- these ‘ideal’ reports as a basis, the team ▼ All for one, one for all;
logist to the Men’s basketball program then set out what shared goals they had
since July 2002. as a group. Not surprisingly, the players ▼ Discipline.
all had the World Championships as
“Welcome back to the second day of their major goal. These became the things that the team
the AIS 2003 Men’s Basketball team This was interesting as this was not the decided they needed to achieve their
camp. I hope you slept well and are Emus team, nor was it possible for all the goals. As part of this session the group
refreshed and ready to go with a full day players in the room to be in the Emus also came up with a number of rules that
of activities”. team. they thought would be important for
What it demonstrated was that each them to follow in the shared accommo-
DAY TWO team member was focused on trying to dation setting in the AIS. These rules
The second day of the camp started become the best they could and on hel- were not about basketball per se, but
with a scavenger hunt. Again, the ping each other to improve. The other were about a team understanding that, if
players were paired up (new players major goal was a successful season in they didn’t live harmoniously, then it
paired with returning players), only this the domestic competition that the AIS would spill over onto the court and that
time they were tied together to make team plays in. would hinder their chances of achieving
the activity a three-legged race. Lunch followed the goal-setting session. their goals. The understanding that opti-
The teams were then given a list of After this, was a session regarding team mal performance was going to require
things they had to collect. To collect all culture and team rules. The team was more than just on-court discipline was
the things on the list, the players would given a definition of culture and it was also a contributing factor to this team
have to meet all of the support staff they explained to them that they could choo- successes.
may need during the year and would se what they wanted the culture of the As this camp was held in a Canberra
learn their way around the AIS campus. team to be. summer (with temperatures around 35°C
The second activity for the day was to To explore what they would want in their or 95°F), the afternoon was broken up
set the team goals for the year. We did team culture, they were asked to consi- with pool activities session. The players
this by first handing out copies of the der the best and worst teams they had were involved in different games, all of
previous year’s yearbooks for the AIS been involved in. From looking back at which required group cooperation.
program. Players were asked to look these experiences they then determined The final session before the team dinner
through them, and then spend some a list of things that they felt they wanted at the conclusion of the camp was about
time writing a fictional, ideal report for in this team and a list of things they did team commitment and sacrifices. This
the end of the current year. In this they not want in this team. From here we was mostly aimed at helping the players
were to include all the things they summarized these to three things: to understand that what had been achie-
EV\Z&+
 PSYCHOLOGY

ved so far was good, but it was living

every day to the standards and goals
that had been set that would be impor-
tant for the success of the team. The
coach and psychologist presented some
material about how it looked to be com-
mitted, and what was expected of them.
The players then went through and
detailed some things that they were wil-
ling to give up or sacrifice for the good
of the team. The types of things that
were included were simple things, such
as junk food and reducing the number of
times they might go out or the things
they might do when they go out.

THE OUTCOME
It is hard to say exactly what everybody
thought about the camp. From my per-
spective as psychologist, I left thinking
that it had been successful. I felt that, at
the end of the camp, we had achieved
what we set out to achieve. The pro-
cess of the camp did have components
that worked better than others. As
expected, some of the sessions were a
bit tedious and, at times, I felt it was dif-
ficult to get the group to contribute.
This gave me mixed feelings about
whether the sessions had been valua-
ble, but I believe you can see from the
following quote of a camper that enjoy-
ment and value may not always be the
same: “On Tuesday the 28th of January
we had a very long day of activities and
discussions that seemed to loop into
one another and go on for ever and
ever. However, I feel this was almost the
most important part of our camp.
I think if you asked, we would all say we
got a lot out of our team discussion ses-
sions, it was all just so open and hone-
st, you could tell we really had a mind-
set of ‘one in, all in”. (Aaron Bruce, a
camper at 2003 camp).
There were also sessions that were not
tedious at all. Most people got involved
in the name game and learned a bit
about each other.
Similarly, the three-legged scavenger
hunt did help the new guys to meet all
the people they needed to and they did
learn their way around the AIS.
This article was written about the pre-
season camp we completed to give you
ideas about what you might include in a and self-determined extrinsic motivation I hope you have learned something from
pre-season camp for your team. It is through increased feelings of autonomy, the story of our team-building camp. If you
important to remember that the activi- competence and relatedness. The would like to know more or have a que-
ties chosen for our camp were influen- second group of considerations that sha- stion about the team-building camp I have
ced by a number of factors. ped the camp were the people involved, described, I would be happy to answer it.
The major consideration was what we and the third was the time, money and I can be contacted at the Australian
wanted to achieve from the camp - a environmental constraints that were Institute of Sport on the email address
sense of ‘team’ and increased intrinsic imposed on us. [email protected].
EV\Z&,
 PSYCHOLOGY

Mental
by Albert Rodionov
conditioning
before the game great player, somebody who really impres-
Albert Rodionov has a master's degree in
Sports Psychology. He has been working sed you with a mastery of certain skills. Try
with the USSR/Russia Men's and Women's "to see in the mind," to use "the mind's eye"
National basketball teams as a psycholo- to visualize how he plays, how he uses his
gist since 1969 and is now the Chief of the particular skills and fundamentals.
Scientific Group. He has published books
and articles on sports psychology and has OTHER IMAGe: HIS OWN
directed seminars on the topic all over the The use of visualization can improve your
world. He is currently President of the outlook and self-concept. It can change the
Russian Association of Sports way you talk to yourself, see ourselves, and
Psychologists. perceive events around yourself. This, in
turn, affects your behavior, including how
The mind is a powerful tool. Have you ever you take care of yourself.
thought about shooting the ball and scoring Visualization also improves motor learning.
during a big game and found that you were Understanding this, it is necessary to be
moving your feet and hands when you did able to see yourself playing confidently and
this? You may not have known it, but you effectively, and convincing yourself that
were practicing something called visualiza- your opponents are always a step slower
tion, or mental conditioning. than you, that they cannot jump as high, or
To create anything, players must first have shoot as well.
a mental image conceived in their mind-this In this first part of the mental conditioning
is true even of every invention created before the game, it is better to use the
throughout history, and also true for basket- approach called "self-suggestion." You do
ball players trying to perfect their game. this by repeating the phrase: "I can!" In this
Players must first construct the shot-or formula of self-suggestion, it is imperative
other basketball skill-in their minds before to avoid the word "not," which has a strong
they can expect the body to perform it pro- negative influence on the sub-conscious of
perly. However, visualization should not the athlete.
only be used on the basketball court, but for
daily five to 10-minutes sessions at home. RIGHT BEFORE THE GAME
This way, a new program is created within
the subconscious for the body to follow. Visualization is the ability to create an idea,
The mental conditioning and visualization a mental picture or a feeling, a sense of
for a game can be divided into two different something. In creative visualization, you
parts: the day before the game and the use your imagination to create a clear
moments right before the game. image, idea, or feeling of something you
wish to manifest. Then you continue to
THE DAY BEFORE THE GAME focus on the idea, feeling, or picture, regu-
larly, giving it positive energy until it beco-
The psychological training needed for the mes objective reality, until you actually
day before the game begins with the use of achieve what you have been imagining. To
mental images. We all have the ability to use creative visualization, it is not neces-
visualize game situations in our minds and sary to believe in any metaphysical or spi-
how to execute a basketball fundamental. ritual ideas, although you must be willing
This visualization can consist of many diffe- to entertain certain concepts as being
rent positive images. possible.
The mental conditioning right before the
IMAGE OF A GREAT PLAYER game is based on the assumption that the
It is advisable to imagine in your mind a player must be on the top from a psychologi-
EV\Z&-
 PSYCHOLOGY

cal standpoint (naturally, as well as on phy-

sical conditioning and basketball technique).
He must reach this level also having a fee-
ling of certain emotional excitement, without
which it is impossible to play effectively.
To reach this aim, it is necessary that the
player practices what is called "mental
rehearsal." This method consists of thinking
about basic player movements on the
court. If the player mentally rehearses the
act of a inside pass to the big man or of
taking a long-distance shot with a few
seconds left on the clock, when it actually
comes to making those movements on the
court, he will act and move just as he had
imagined in his mind right before the begin-
ning of the game. It is thought that imagi-
ning a particular basketball movement, or
any physical movement for that matter,
subtly activates the muscles a person uses
for it, giving them practice.
Real practice helps more than mental
rehearsal, and the real workout has to
come first, but mental rehearsal certainly
has a role in game preparation. The mental
rehearsal allows the player to think things
over quietly before the start of a game, and
it almost guarantees that in the difficult
game situations, the player will know what
has to be done. It will not be necessary for
him to think how to play better and avoid
mistakes, he will just do what is necessary.
The previously mentally rehearsed move-
ments and game situations will help the
player successfully carry out the moves
during the game. Time will not be wasted
thinking during the game about what
should or shouldn't be done, because the
athlete has already rehearsed his move-
second part, intensive drills like jumping or level of mental conditioning he has reached.
ments and knows what has to be done. This
any other intensive physical activity is requi- If, however, it is impossible for the player to
form of mental training will also help relieve
red. The movements with wide amplitude reach any internal or external reason, the
feelings of uncertainty and pressure from
remove stress and help players to relax. player can obtain the best results by explai-
the athlete before the game.
When the player enters the court, it is ning quietly to himself the reasons why he is
In order to practice mental rehearsal, just
necessary to warm-up gradually. Using in an adverse condition, and then start to
before the game the player must create the
breathing exercises, a player can "warm-up" find the best way to escape from this condi-
proper, quiet feeling of confidence, while at
mentally, with the help of a different tion with the less amount of damage.
the same time maintaining a proper degree
breathing pace: a deep, slow breath, for Before entering the court, it is advisable for
of toughness, ready to face the game. This
example, followed by a short exhalation, the athlete to have a word or a brief phrase
feeling of confidence basically moves from
then a deep, fast breath, followed by a slow in mind, which is a strong "key" to trigger
the sphere of consciousness to the sphere
exhalation successful moves on the court. It is useful to
of unconsciousness. It is enough to think: "I
The exercises on alternation of a tensing tell himself in the first minutes of game, "I
shall do it" and the message will be sent
and relaxing of the muscles are useful. Such control the situation." This phrase helps to
from the subconscious to the body.
methods are especially effective, if the create a feeling of confidence and strength.
All mental conditioning is aimed at prepa-
respiratory and physical exercises are alter- Key words can constantly be used during
ring the player to give his/her maximum
nate with imagined mental pictures: for game, such as the phrase: "Concentration is
effort in the game. Such conditioning is cal-
example, the player, while making vigorous basic." Before the release of the basketball
led IPS, or "Ideal Psychic State". This state
respiratory exercises, can imagine him/her- for a shot, the player can think: "Two points!"
must be created some hours before the
self while grabbing a rebound under the or something like that, again reaffirming his
beginning of the game (for the young
opponent's board or a lay-up, after beating confidence.
players, much earlier, while later for the
the defense. It is important to remember that the main
veterans), with a state of excitement, fol-
The basic methods of mental conditioning task of the mental conditioning is to overco-
lowed later by a quieter state.
are essentially two: 1) adaptation; 2) rationa- me a variety of negative factors at the
In the first part of the physical warm-up to
lization. Adaptation means that the player beginning of game, as well as to overcome
reach this mental state it is necessary to
should be ready to face any extreme situation the difficulties encountered during the
make wide and quiet movements. In the
in an upcoming game, thanks to the optimum game.
EV\Z&.
 PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGY
by Mirko Novosel
AND MOTIVATION
Mirko Novosel is one of the winnin-
gest coaches in European basket-
ball history. With Cibona Zagreb, he
won three national Yugoslavian
titles, seven Yugoslavian Cups, two
European Cup of Cups, and one Cup
of Champions (now Euroleague). He
was also voted European Coach of
the Year. In Italy, he coached
Naples, the Italian division I team.
With the Yugoslavian Men's
National team, he won Gold, Silver,
and Bronze medals at the Olympics
Games, one silver medal at the FIBA
World Championship, two gold
medals at the FIBA European
Championships, and one bronze
medal, while coaching the Croatian
National Men's team.

A player's high level of psychologi-

cal conditioning is the most impor-
tant component for achieving the
best results, assuming, of course,
that the player is well-prepared phy-
sically and highly educated in
basketball tactics.

The main difference between team

and individual sports is the fact that
an individual athlete (runner, swim-
mer, cyclist, or tennis player) must
achieve his maximum at a certain
moment if he wants to win a medal.

On the other hand, a basketball

player can get a gold medal, even
though he completely failed in the
championship game.

Of course, his teammates, who won

the game, have pulled him through
with their efforts and he wins the
medal that way.

With this understanding, it should be

very clear to you that the basketball
coach is the deciding factor in hel-
ping to build and maintain a high

EV\Z'%
 PSYCHOLOGY

level of psychological preparedness. healthy team, in which each player To achieve such enthusiasm and
I have been sitting on the bench of will achieve his individual goals while complete motivation, the coach's
many clubs and National teams, and taking part in the successful achieve- technical basketball skills are very
even though my teams won many ment of team goals. important.
competitions, I can assure you the During the period of building a
decisive moment in the creation of RELATION TOWARDS THE OPPONENT player's foundation, when all players
success came from the psychologi- One characteristic of my players has work very hard, it is important to
cal groundwork that I helped deve- been what I call maximal rationality. select those exercises and drills that
lop with the players. The players have assessed the value will help players achieve complete
of their opponents before every game physical preparation, but without psy-
RELATION WITH THE PLAYERS and they approached the intensity of chic exhaustion.
If a coach is to be successful, he will play that they would bring to that The training sessions should have
understand that his role is to com- game depending on that estimation. plenty of variety.
pletely understand a player's psy- That is the main difference between
che. Croatian and players and those from For example, sprints can be achieved
A team of 12 players means solving the USA. through different drills and competi-
12 problems, so you all can achieve tions, not only through the monoto-
one goal-creating a homogeneous American players are educated diffe- nous repetition of running up and
team. Only a homogeneous team can rently and give their maximum effort down the court, which can be very
triumph. in every game. hard for the players.
The approach of my players has its
In track, cycling, and swimming, we benefits and particular disadvanta- My players often complained to me
have excellent athletes and you the- ges-the players sometimes don't cor- about being tired, but even the grea-
refore immediately have an excellent rectly estimate their opponent. test physical fatigue can be resolved
team based on individual efforts. That's why the coach has an enor- within 24 hours.
In basketball, you can have excellent mous job here.
basketball players, but may not have Psychic fatigue, however, is much
a team (an example is the US team at I never had problems in games again- more dangerous and the coach must
the Olympic Games in Athens). st the United States and Russia, be aware of this, refreshing his
The coach must resolve two basic because the players were extremely players through continuous training
tasks: motivated without my intervention. changes, and utilizing a variety of
shooting and defensive games, where
▼ Coach - player relationship. On the other hand, I had great pro- the full effect of the set goals is
blems with the so-called lesser achieved in a lively and fun way.
▼ Interrelation between players on teams.
a team where there is a star During those games, I had to wage During the season, after multiple vic-
player. war with the players with the sole tories (every victory increases a
purpose of waking them up when they player's concentration by a certain
In the coach-player relationship, got behind and showing them how percentage), it is important to think of
complete trust must be developed they could win the game. that moment and take care that
through mutual contacts. players are always prepared for
I believe that you will be a good maximum effort.
The coach must know what a player coach if you are always ready wage Many times, when we had Cup
is thinking and what problems are war with your players in order to get games, which consisted of two games
bothering him. He must be the first them to give their maximum effort. against the same team, away and
person to help him solve his pro- home, a victory was often achieved at
blems. You need to do the same against the the opponent's court.
opponents so you can defeat them,
The player appreciates that help and against the referees, to make sure Playing them at our court, which
compensates on the basketball they don't damage you or your team. should have been much easier, often
court. In the interrelation between You also have to be tough on yourself left us with an unpleasant surprise.
the players themselves, when a so you can get through the depres- This is a classic example of psychic
great star is present (and I have had sion that follows some lost games. preparation in the first game, and
many great stars, including three lack of psychic preparation in the
that are now in the Hall of Fame), you A coach, who achieves all of these second.
have to establish a common goal for things, is sure to have excellent
them as a team, which means results. An experienced coach must under-
triumph and success. stand the special dynamic at work
BUILDING A PLAYER'S FOUNDATION and consider this psychic factor
The common goal has to be held When it comes to preparation before together with the physical and tacti-
above all individual interests. the season or with practices during cal preparation for all games.
Achieving that goal is the coach's the season, the players must approa- If he works that way, he will maintain
hardest task. ch them in a completely enthusiastic the continuity of good results and
way. Only such an approach is a gua- achieve maximum output from his
The coach must have a mentally rantee of success. team.

EV\Z'&
 PSYCHOLOGY

RELATIONSHIP
by Sandro Gamba
BETWEEN COACHES
AND PLAYERS
Sandro Gamba was the head coach of Ignis taught. I found that good coaches build cha-
Varese, winning two Italian championships racter, personality, teamwork, skills, spirit,
and two European Cups. He also coached and fair play. Evidence of this can be found in
Turin and Virtus Bologna. At the helm of the the improvement of drills.
Italian National team, he won the silver ▼ Always keep players working (no bore-
medal at the 1980 Olympic Games. At the dom). Many good coaches maintain a
FIBA European Championships, his teams happy medium between talking and
won the gold medal in 1983, the bronze working and they always keep their
medal in 1985, and the silver medal in 1990. players involved.
He is presently the technical supervisor and
coach of the Rest of the World team at the ▼ Young coaches can learn a great deal
NIKE Hoop Summit and the Technical from watching different practice pro-
Director of Psicosport (e-mail: gamba@psi- grams organized by different coaches.
cosport.it), a Milan-based company focu- This enables the young coach to see how
sing on sport psychology. different coaches relate to their players
and how they motivate them.
Why become a coach? What do you need to
know to be successful? Of course, you must ▼ Create situations in practice that are mo-
know the fundamentals of the game, such as
re difficult than game situations. You may
how to pass, shoot, dribble, and rebound.
want to confuse players, to see how they
Defense, motivation, game strategies, and
will react in a game.
vocabulary are all important aspects needed
to coach the game. Teaching students in
school parallels coaching a basketball team. ▼ There are drills for everything - even hu-
In the United States, basketball coaches are stling! detail of their outstanding skill. For example,
enmeshed in the school system, on both the the great shooter will see the ball vividly and
high school and university level, because ▼ Handling end of game situations is very prepare himself accordingly for the coach.
young basketball players are students first, important. He has learned to discriminate and differen-
athletes second. In other countries, coaches tiate at a high level. That should be the goal
are usually part of a club system and coach ▼ Make players play and think when they of the teacher. A complex task can generally
the athletes that come to the club. There is are fatigued. be learned easier under low tension, whe-
no link with a university or school. reas a simple task is learned better under
In order to teach in any environment, you Every player has a different threshold of pain. high tension. The beginner learns better
need communication skills. It is important to Coaches who understand this can condition under low tension; the veteran absorbs more
assess the developmental level of the people their players to accept pain (high levels of under high tension. The inexperienced
you are coaching and try to reach them on fatigue) as a positive rather than negative coach will tend to harass the beginner and
that level. You must maintain a sense of disci- factor. By stressing that pain is a signal of impair learning by being over-demanding.
pline and also have fun. Once the players great performance, and that athletes are Once the coach begins to realize that the
understand this, you can begin to prepare constantly rewarded for enduring pain, the beginner's perceptions are elementary, he
and organize practice sessions and watch coach can get his players to push harder will become more patient. Coaches tend to
as their comprehension increases rapidly. whenever they feel pain. put more pressure on the veteran, as it's
Thus, three key components of coaching It's important to discriminate between nui- easy for a veteran to become lackadaisical,
include knowledge of the game, learning sance pain and warning pain in team sports doing the same drills day after day. The
with your players, and effective communica- like football. The athlete's conditioning tends coach should tolerate this, and he must con-
tion. Implementation of these components to make him less perceptive and less discri- tinually challenge the veteran with new drills
will lead to a rewarding experience and minating. For example, in his eagerness to or greater concentration on the easy drills.
worthwhile interpersonal relationships. It's please his coach, he may ignore a danger I'm a student of the game and have spent
only then that your team begins to reflect signal. We want the athlete to be more per- many years in developing my coaching phi-
part of your personality. ceptive and more discriminating. losophy and psychology, and coaching tech-
I feel basketball is over-coached and under- Great players tend to perceive more of the niques and methods.

EV\Z''
 PSYCHOLOGY

I don't believe that you can take what other N. By keeping practices interesting and
coaches teach and make it yours. You must alive, we eliminate boredom, which may
develop your own philosophy, methods, and be a major cause of lack of attention and
coaching style, using ideas of others where of players eventually dropping out of the
you can. However, you must teach your game.
personality, because you are the only one O. As coaches, we must keep our temper
that truly understands your own situation under control.
and circumstances. You must coach accor- P. As teacher/coaches, we must always
ding to your particular situation. Be flexible consider the individual differences, age,
and able to adjust to changing situations. playing level, experience, personality,
Each job demands a unique understanding emotional stability, and make-up. Know
of the setting. the total person and remember that the
younger the athlete, the more sensitive
ESSENTIALS OF COACHING he or she will be. At the pro level you are
A. Total preparation of the mental, emotio- dealing with the "over-inflated ego".
nal, and physical aspects of athletes Understand that the professional athlete
then permits greater technical prepara- must have that type of ego, if he expects
tion. to make it and have a successful career,
B. The answer to success in coaching but be aware at what level of coaching
does not lie in some form of super stra- you are expressing. Junior athletes
tegy, or some ultra super plan. (players under twenty years of age) are
C. Success, overall, does rely on basic, not miniature pros.
sound teaching abilities. The ability to Q. Don't let your players practice bad
teach the fundamental skills (basic habits-demand that each practice bring being thrown off by body contact. He'll also
basketball) to the individual athlete is the team closer to the team's goals. be able to maintain a high endurance level
critical. Your players must understand It is my obligation to take care of my team. It throughout the game. In fact, many of the
that their natural ability can take them is our obligation as a coach to take care of great shooters simply overpower their oppo-
only to a certain level. our people and not to be frightened by board nents.
D. As coaches, we must develop and members of the team and other outsiders. Continuous repetition of movements is the
organize out-of-season programs that We take care of our players. We allow them key for developing individual offense, and
promote greater total development of a place in our plans. the player must have clear awareness of:
our athletes, so that they can break per- When a player has talent, I have a marvelous 1. When to fake;
sonal physical barriers. obligation to get him to produce. Talent is 2. Looking to the basket after receiving the
E. A player has not learned a fundamental rare and you have to nurture it so the player ball;
until it becomes second nature (a habit). can realize his potential. Just because a 3. Using natural movements to initiate his
Automatic reaction is the goal of skill player has certain abilities doesn't mean that fakes;
execution. No thought process neces- he is going to produce or reach a certain ath- 4. Working for simplicity of movement;
sary; react. letic level. We must study our players to 5. Moving on a straight line towards the
F. Athletes "are in the process of learning" know what is best for each particular person basket;
and have not learned a skill until they so that we can get the most out of their 6. Being "mentally tough";
can perform this skill correctly and talent. 7. Diversifying his moves.
quickly while involved in game situa- Don't be afraid to be wrong. You are a coach, With these thoughts in mind and with a well-
tions, automatically. not a spectator. You are not out on the court conditioned body, this basketball player is
G. Practice does make perfect, only if the to please anyone. You're not an executive well on his way to offensive success.
proper techniques and mechanics are who can post-date a memo. What you do as I coach by winning. What you accept in win-
being practiced. Proper techniques a coach is out there in the open for all to see. ning, you must also accept in losing. I do not
become movement habits. There is no equity in your profession. You say a word after a game is lost. However,
H. Repetition must be done with high have to accept that. It's a very manly type of after we win a game, I bring out all the errors
levels of interest, enthusiasm, and in an pressure. the players have made. I have never won a
exciting manner until it becomes an game in which I did not follow it up by poin-
instinctive reaction. PREACH FLEXIBILITY/VERSATILITY ting out all the mistakes that they made.
I. We must demand correct execution of The individual player with the ability to drive The following two statements of philosophy
basic skills. either way, change direction on his dribble, express two different emphases in coa-
L. Practice sessions must be so designed and shoot with either hand will be hard to ching:
to lead to superb physical conditioning. stop. This will be especially true if the faking "It isn't whether you win or lose, but how you
Basketball is a game that cannot be moves can be executed in both directions. play the game."
played properly, unless you are in the Of paramount importance is the fact that "Winning isn't everything; it is the only thing."
very best possible physical condition. versatility negates stereotyping. The player One is concerned with the playing of the
M. Evaluate your practice sessions to with a wide range of offensive moves is game, the other with the end result. Neither
determine if they are designed to pre- tough to scout and tough to defend. is right or wrong; both must be related to the
pare the individual player physically, A physically strong body adds power to the coach's purpose.
technically, mentally, and emotionally. If moves. It lends explosiveness to the drive When you step on the floor, know:
these factors are included, then we and adds pressure to the defense. Once the 1. WHAT you are going to teach.
should be able to visualize victory (see strong attacker gets the slightest edge, he 2. HOW you are going to teach.
victory in the mind's eye). can go all the way to the basket without 3. WHY you are going to teach it.
EV\Z'(
 PSYCHOLOGY

MOTIVATION AND
by Kostantin Papazov
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PREPARATION
Konstantin Papazov is the head coach of
Lukoil Academic Sofia (Bulgaria) team,
winner of 2005 championship. While he
was the head coach of Levski Sofia, he also
won two Bulgarian Championships and
one Cup of Bulgaria. He is the former head
coach of the Bulgarian National Men's and
Women's National team. He was also
owner of Slavia Sofia.

I don't think that I'm the best choice with my

seven years coaching experience to give my
opinion about motivation. However, the
theme about motivation in basketball was the
basis for starting my coaching career. The
history of that is interesting.
As a player, I wasn't that great and my
ambitions to succeed were connected with
my desire to be a good coach. I finished my
player's career in Bulgaria exactly when
democracy and private business took over
in my country. That fact gave me the oppor-
tunity to earn money in a short period with
my business. Then, one of the coaches in
Bulgaria came to me and asked for finan-
cial help. I didn't know that in the next four
years I would be the owner of a team and
my ambitions to succeed made the club one
of the best in Bulgaria. We were soon
champions of the country and winner of the
Cup in 1997.
After four years as president of the team, I
became a coach when I was 31 years old. I
knew that I had a long way to go and one of
the things that could help me out in the begin-
ning was motivating my players. I believed
the when the players were motivated, they
would stay behind me. This is what happe-
ned to me. That same year we played in lea-
gue final and after three years, I became
coach of the Men's National team of
Bulgaria. Every time I think back to those go off the mistakes, lack self-confidence, or of sports psychology. This will help players
early years, I remember that one of the most can't handle the pressure of competition. If to think like a winner and develop mental
important things in sports is how you will you leave the mental side of performance to toughness.
motivate the players, and that was my pri- chance, then the players are more vulnera- As a coach, a working knowledge of sports
mary aim. ble to performance problems, including psychology techniques will help you to
Even the fastest, strongest and smartest excessive nervousness, psych-outs, become more effective and therefore much
players will underachieve if they concentrate choking, and slumps. To be more consistent, more successful with your athletes.
on the wrong things, are unable to quickly let successful players have to learn the power Knowing how to get the most out of your
EV\Z')
 PSYCHOLOGY

players at "crunch time" and how to avoid re, and perform to their potential. Coaches In the lockerroom speech before every game,
the mental traps that far too many coaches and players have to be serious about rea- the coach needs to find the most important
fall into provides you the competitive ching athletic or performance dreams. Many words to make sure his players will be moti-
advantage. I always try to train my athletes athletes have tremendous God-given gifts, vated right from the start of the game.
to use mental toughness skills and they but they don't focus on the development of Peak performance is about trusting and let-
eventual compete to their potential. those gifts. It's true in sports and it's true ting the performance happen. The player is
Discipline is an absolute necessity. Good everywhere in life. Hard work is making the not thinking and is on "automatic pilot," utili-
planning and organization will provide for a difference. zing his efforts. Poor performance is about
disciplined environment, but the occasion It's important to remember that athletes can doubting, over-thinking, analyzing, evalua-
will arise for additional control. I have a motivate one another. We usually split the ting and trying too hard. Coaches can help
clearly defined set of rules for when player players into drill groups and score them as a avoid bad performance by giving players one
behavior deviates from team development. team rather than as individuals. These trai- or two specific things to focus on for the
It is very important to explain to your players ning sessions help build team morale and game. By narrowing concentration, the ath-
what distractive behavior is and how that make the players feel they have invested in lete has more of a chance to slip into an
will negatively affects their experience. one another. Each player has a responsibility automatic mentality. Players will better
Players should understand their behavioral to the team. Never allow individuals to take handle stress and avoid psych-outs if they
responsibility to the team. They should also over the effort of the whole team. As the great can mentally learn to stay totally focused.
know and respect that their coaches are in basketball legend Michael Jordan said: "I Negative past thoughts will bring them down
control. It is then the coach's responsibility have no individual goals. We play for one rea- and uncontrollable future thoughts of the
to the team to exact control. son and that's to win the title as team." outcome will do the same.
Most performance problems that athletes Basketball players have to focus, “block out” Winners see what they want to have happen
and other performers struggle with are not distractions, rebound from mistakes, and before a game; while losers have a tendency
a result of poor physical conditioning or a handle pressure right from the beginning of to pay attention to what they are afraid will
lack of physical skills or technical ability. the season. Concentration is the heart of happen. I found it to be very important to
Sure, certain physical or mechanical fac- peak performance. It is the foundation of encourage the players to practice seeing the
tors can sometimes cause the players to mental toughness. Concentration is the ability outcome and performance that they want in
play under their level. However, when the to focus in on what is important and block out their minds long before the game is played.
heat of competition is turned up high, team everything else. Every player concentrates I do not believe that fear motivates athletes.
that falls apart most often does so because before the game. The issue is on what? If Fear motivation, or punishing players to "moti-
of mental factors like poor concentration, your player chokes or falls apart, then he was vate" them, is only a temporary solution, if it
negativity, lack of confidence, or an inability concentrating, but on the wrong things. Don't works at all. After repeated exposure to fear
to let go of mistakes or bad breaks. tell your players, "Concentrate!" unless you tactics, athletes become immune to threats,
If you're a committed coach, then you work follow that by exactly what you want them to and continued punishment may destroy their
too hard and sacrifice too much to let your concentrate on. desire to participate.
own competitive performance, or that of I always wanted to help my athletes under- Effective motivation flows from the partner-
your team, be disrupted by mental errors. stand that the main difference between their ship between coaches and athletes. As coa-
The mental toughness techniques in sports best and worst performances has to do with ches, we must understand our athletes as
psychology are just what you need to get their pre-performance self-talk and thoughts. individuals and as a team, we must gain their
your performance or team back on the fast What they think goes into their bodies and trust and respect. We must remember that
track! reflects on their coordination, reflexes, and we're coaching people, not machines. We
To realize your team's full potential, you speed. must teach the players the mechanics of a
have to start training their minds as well as We were ahead of very important game sport, but we must also assist in building their
their body! Just as you develop their physi- against Switzerland, which served as a quali- character. Showing support and interest in all
cal skills and techniques, you must learn fication for Eurobasket 2003 in Geneva. Right facets of their lives helps build an effective
how to develop these sports psychology before the game, we found that Ukraine coach-athlete relationship.
mental skills in your players. What are defeated Lithuania in Kiev, and for us there Success is realized the moment an athlete
these so-called mental skills? was no alternative, but to win the game gains a winning attitude, is motivated to set a
against the home team. We were a better worthwhile goal, and begins to move toward
▼ Learning to stay relaxed under pressure team than our opponents were but I knew that goal. A winning attitude is the best moti-
and having the ability to focus on what's that it would not be easy to get the victory. vator. If athletes believe they can achieve
important and block out everything else. In my pre-game talk to the players in the their goals, they'll try harder and increase
▼ Being able to quickly rebound from lockerroom, I reminded them that when they their likelihood of success.
mistakes, bad calls, and failures. were small kids and played in at the local Attitude controls motivation; motivation con-
▼ Knowing how to handle self-doubts and school ground, they dreamed to play for the trols performance; performance controls
negative thinking. Senior National team. Now this dream was success.
▼ Knowing how players can self-motivate reality for them. Their childhood ambitions Motivation and psychological preparation is
by setting personally meaningful and were to be realized. I asked them when they very important moment in professional
compelling goals. heard the national anthem played before the sport. Every coach needs to have time to
▼ Systematically developing confidence game to remember that they were a group of prepare himself in that direction as well.
and a positive, go-for-it attitude. twelve people selected to represent 8 million The most difficult part is when we play
Bulgarians. After my talk, the players were so games with weak teams but in the same
As a "head coach" I've helped many basket- motivated that before the match started I time, those matches are the best opportuni-
ball players get out of slumps, develop con- knew we had a great advantage over the ties for developing the motivation and con-
fidence, better handle competitive pressu- host team. centration of the players.
EV\Z'*
 FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGICAL
by Ranko Zeravica
PREPARATION
Ranko Zeravica is one of the most popular
European coaches. In 1980 with the Jugo-
slavian National Team, he won a gold me-
dal at the Olympic Games in Moscow. His
teams also won the FIBA World Champion-
ship in 1966 and 1970, while winning the sil-
ver medal at the FIBA World Championships
in 1968 and the FIBA European Champion-
ships in 1969. At the club level, he has coa-
ched Radnicki Belgrade and Partizan Bel-
grade (Yugoslavia), Barcelona and Cai Za-
ragoza (Spain), Desio, Naples and Caserta
(Italy), Conservas Daroca and Split (Croa-
tia), and finally Red Star Belgrade (Serbia
and Montenegro).

The team's psychological preparation for a

game or a tournament is of great importance
for high-level performance. However, I
would like to emphasize that this importance
was even greater years before, during the
period of amateurism and semi-professiona-
lism. Today, in the professional sport envi-
ronment, the significance of psychological
preparation for each game is minimal and
the reasons are very simple:

1. Athletic education of a professional ath-

lete has reached a certain level, which
guarantees daily involvement of the
player and a high level of player respon-
sibility.

2. A large number of games leave insignifi-

cant time for any systematic psychologi-
cal preparation.

3. The coaches of the best professional

teams are less focused on the psycholo-
gical preparations since they consider
that the money being paid according to a
player's contract obligates a player to do
his best.

The above-mentioned reasons refer to foot-

ball (soccer) and basketball, where profes-
sionalism is linked to the desires and view-
points of each individual player.
I would like to point out to some other values
in the modern sport, above all in sports ga-
mes. High amounts dealt with in the profes-
sional sport (football, basketball) highly sti-
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FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

mulate players, and therefore competitions Looking back over the decades of coaching of how psychological preparation of teams
have become true "battles". and working with many players from diffe- and individual players yielded success. In
rent age groups, I underline that THERE ARE Skopje, coach Lazar Lecic formed the team
AGRESSIVENESS, CONCENTRATION (FOCUS), NO RULES, LAWS, AND THEORY when it and organized the play on the basis of indi-
AND INVOLVEMENT comes to psychological preparation. Se- vidual characteristics of his players and the
These are characteristics players bring to condly, coaches have achieved certain ac- environment in which he worked. He was
each game, especially the important ones. complishments in their work. Such accom- famous and successful for his psychologi-
plishments can be a basis for learning, but cal preparation. The team was always in-
These characteristics have significantly such examples cannot be treated as RULES spired and it achieved more than one could
changed the modern players, and an indivi- and they cannot be strictly applied. realistically expect from the players. If he
dual player's character is given more atten- had not been so resourceful, creative, and
tion in sports. The importance of "aggressive- I have used psychological preparation in witty, if he had not known how to choose
ness for performance" has become a primary two ways with my players: what was really needed, the team would
factor, which is especially notable in the best ▼ During a longer period before a compe- not have been so successful.
players. As for such "stars," aggressiveness tition or game;
is a part of their everyday life of star players, ▼ Just before a game. Another example is Bogdan Tanjevic, who
oftentimes resulting in delinquency, which is guided the Italian team to the FIBA Euro-
increasingly found in the NBA and top soccer I was more focused on the psychological pean Championship. He was also good at
leagues. preparation over longer periods of time, psychological preparation of his players.
which typically included a weekly training His teams always played aggressively and
The conclusion is very obvious: psychologi- micro-cycle. In addition to conversations the players' self-confidence was apparent,
cal preparation of a professional basketball and explanations, that period included the just in the most importance games.
team is almost not needed anymore. Howe- following:
ver, it is necessary for certain individuals. ▼ Increased intensity of training; Psychological preparation is not an issue of
There are many times when the coach has ▼ Competitions within training; a single game. The psychological achieve-
to be involved in working with individuals, ▼ If the previous methods did not yield the ment-this is a better term-includes the coa-
solving the psychological problems of his desired effect. ch's ability to maintain the players' high in-
players. Almost every player can face a terest in training. This is extremely impor-
lack of self-confidence and there are many I used some unconventional methods, such tant when working with young players. The
times during a season when a player can lo- as causing an incident or interrupting the formation of a player is successful only if
se his self-confidence. It's at that time that training. At the Olympic Games in Mexico the player himself is continually showing in-
a coach's help is necessary. City in 1968, my players have reached a cer- terest.
tain comfort level and started to play auto- Only those who work with young players
The following are common examples when matically, without any interest or inspira- know how difficult it is to maintain the level
a player can lose his self-confidence: tion. However, a change occurred during a of this interest and still increase ambitions
▼ Following a bad performance in a game or game with Puerto Rico, just a few days during the long period. There were two coa-
two or three bad performances in a row; before the beginning of the Olympic Games. ches whom I admired. Bora Cenic and
▼ After an injury and subsequent efforts During this exhibition game, there was a fi- Zdravko Kubat knew how to develop the in-
to regain fitness; ght with the opponents. As a result of the fi- terest in successful training in each indivi-
▼ Following a disagreement within the ght and the way I addressed the players af- dual player. They had knowledge and skills
team, or when there are conflicts ter the fight, there was a long-desired chan- to make the most of each player.
between players. ge: New enthusiasm, renewed aggressive-
ness, increased interest, and the most im- There are many problems that one can face
In these instances, it is the coach's duty to portantly, team unity. when working with the team and players re-
conduct and achieve "psychological prepa- garding psychological preparation. I shall
ration" or "psychological recovery" with a The psychological preparation for a game is give one more example: how to treat an ex-
player. an expression of the coach's creativity and traordinary player in relation to other
his assessment of a situation. There are players, how to establish the hierarchy
Emphasizing the issue of the team selection many examples of how the last psychologi- within the team while eliminating envy,
for a high quality modern sport does not ne- cal preparation had a tremendous effect on egoism, and similar characteristics. This
cessarily mean neglecting the formation of a team. That preparation could be a patrio- problem was best solved by Boris Stanko-
a player. On the contrary, the player forma- tic speech or some kind of demand that the vic, the coach of OKK Beograd. He had Ra-
tion is even more important. The players are players give their best effort and concentra- divoje Korac, a young and very talented
formed according to certain requirements: te fully. player. He managed to develop his extraor-
technical, tactical, and physical. dinary self-confidence, while managing to
I knew an old football coach in Belgrade make the other players aware of Korac's
However, modern, high-quality professional who activated his players by saying only excellence. When Korac started to score as
sport also requires a certain level of athletic two or three poorly composed sentences. It much as all the others, Bora Stankovic
education. Developing a player who is ag- was important to raise the players' interest, established the hierarchy and put each
gressive, physically fit, and possessing te- to make them listen to him more carefully, player to his position. The success that fol-
chnical and tactical skills is not a simple as- and thus success was guaranteed. In my lowed was made on the basis of that "psy-
signment: it is time-consuming and requires home country, which is a country of high- chological accomplishment," the most im-
high-level expert work. quality basketball, there are many examples portant accomplishment
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 FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

EDUCATIONAL
by Pedro Ferrándiz
PROFESSIONALISM
Pedro Ferrándiz, former head coach
and General Manager of Real Madrid,
Spain, is one of the most successful
coaches in European basketball. He
won 17 Division I Spanish Champion-
ships, 11 Spanish Cups, and 5 Euro-
pean Cups. He was also coach of the
Men's Spanish National team. Foun-
der and first President of the World
Association of Basketball Coaches
(WABC), he also founded the Interna-
tional Center of Research and Docu-
mentation of Basketball-Pedro Fer-
randiz Foundation, in Alcobendas, of
which he is President.

I am briefly going to put forward my

concept and philosophy on the forma-
tion of a child through a sport such as
basketball. As a coach, I have not been
an educator in the strictest sense of
the word, but I have had a formative in-
fluence on athletes in which an educa-
tive role logically plays a part.

I understand that this philosophy may

clash with theories that put forward
formulas that are more educational
and less materialistic, but this is what I
have practiced throughout my sporting
life. I have not yet found a reason to
apologize.

Ever since I started as a coach, centu-

ries ago, I have instilled the idea of
professionalism into the players. I ha-
ve done this from children's teams to
the big stars of Real Madrid. This philo-
sophy could be defined as professio-
nal education and it starts at the very
beginning of a player's formation. Du-
ring the early years, when players are
just teenagers, financial reward ob-
viously does not exist in the minds of
most players. Even so, I unwaveringly
applied the concept of professionalism
in the development of the players and
teams. Giving absolute priority to their
education, I expelled players, who got
bad marks from the team. I demanded
punctuality for training sessions and

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FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

games. I wanted a total commitment in

the exercises and daily training ses-
sions. I demanded respect for the refe-
rees and opponents, and I urged them
to develop one obsession: to win.
All of the school, children's, youth, and
junior teams that I coached before joi-
ning Real Madrid became Spanish
champions. And I had the great sati-
sfaction of watching many of those
children that I trained grow up to beco-
me great sporting and social figures.
A child knows from a very early age
that someday he is going to have to
work, and that for this work he will be
paid. He also knows that in order to get
good marks he has to study. He also
feels that he has to be the best in the
class and the best on his team, althou-
gh sometimes he does not achieve the-
se goals. In my opinion, stimulating the-
se values and helping him achieve his
objectives, while accepting that there
may be others better than him, is funda-
mental in his sporting formation.

Sport accepts and develops the human

competitive instinct and this creates a
type of natural selection which, sooner
or later, eliminates the less competitive
elements, in the sporting sense. Those
who are not cut out to succeed in sport
choose other roads in life and go on to
become leaders, maestros, or geniuses
in their chosen field. Even so, the spor-
ting formation and discipline helps
them in their triumphs.

Finally, I don't want to give the impres-

sion that iron discipline must be imposed
without any concessions to fun, recrea-
tion, or humour. Quite the contrary, once
the guidelines have been laid down and
accepted I can assure you that, at least
in my experience, the training sessions
and games are great incentives and ath-
letes come to them happily and in a
great spirit of comradeship.

One of my biggest satisfactions is that

my teams have always been those that
commit the least technical fouls, some-
times complete seasons without com-
mitting one. I think that I have not recei-
ved more than three in my entire career
as a coach.

Sometimes I have asked the children

in a school "Would you like to earn mo-
ney playing basketball when you are
older?" Guess what is their unanimous
answer.

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 FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

SIX WAYS TO WIN

by Jeff Janssen
WITH BETTER
TEAM CAPTAINS
Jeff Janssen is the Director of the Uni-
versity of North Carolina Leadership
Academy, He helps coaches and athle-
tes develop the team chemistry, mental
toughness, and leadership skills neces-
sary to win championships. This article
is based on Jeff's latest book, The Team
Captain's Leadership Manual
(www.jeffjanssen.com).

How important are effective team cap-

tains/leaders to your success and sanity
as a coach?

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski

puts it best when he says: "Talent is im-
portant. But the single most important in-
gredient after you get the talent is internal
leadership. It's not the coaches as much
as one single person or people on the
team, who set higher standards than that
team would normally set for itself. I really
believe that that's been ultimately impor-
tant for us."

As you look at your team, do you have the

responsible and respected team leaders
you need to succeed? Do your leaders
consistently hold themselves AND their
teammates accountable? Do your team
leaders understand, embrace, and em-
body the values and philosophy of your
program? Are they your voice in the
locker room and on the weekends when
you're not there?
chemistry, commitment, confidence, coacha- fective team captains/leaders will help you
As Hall of Fame North Carolina State wo- bility, mental toughness, etc. win more games.
men's basketball coach Kay Yow reminds
us: "The quality of your team leaders can In the words of four-time Super Bowl winning EFFECTIVE TEAM CAPTAINS
make or break your season." coach Chuck Noll: "On every team there is a
core group that sets the tone for everyone el- 1. ENSURE HIGH STANDARDS AND A STRONG
Because your captains are the heart and se. If the tone is positive you have half the bat- WORK ETHIC
soul of your team, they are not a luxury, tle won. If it is negative, you are beaten before Without effective team leaders, mediocrity is
but a vital necessity to your program's you even walk out on the field." the goal of the team. The team motto becomes
success. Why? Who are the core leaders on your? Are you "Do just enough to get by", and "That's good
confident in their ability to effectively lead your enough." No one steps up and sets the tone for
Because it's your team leaders, who im- team? Will they set the kind of tone you need to the rest of the team to follow. Further, when so-
pact all the important "intangibles" that win on and off the court? me players inevitably slack off and cut corners,
determine winning and losing - attitude, Here are six critical ways that developing ef- no one is willing to constructively confront
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FIBA EUROPE
PSYCHOLOGY

them on it and let them know that their lazi- Anyone can lead the league in high fives "During the championship years, the most im-
ness is unacceptable and detrimental to when things are going well. But, during adver- portant leaders were Bill Cartwright and Mi-
the team. sity, is when you need leaders in your group..." chael Jordan. I relied on them to solve minor
Great team leaders set and maintain the Rick Pitino, University of Louisville basketball problems and give me an accurate reading of
standards for everyone else to follow. coach. what was going on with the team." Phil Jack-
They consistently give it their all and de- son, former Chicago Bulls coach.
mand that their teammates do the same. 3. BUILD BETTER TEAM CHEMISTRY
This is especially important when you ha- Effective team leaders promote a positive 6. ARE YOUR BEST INSURANCE AGAINST
ve newcomers joining the team on a regu- sense of team chemistry. They welcome and STUPIDITY
lar basis. The rookies often look to their ve- take care of the new members of your team so Finally, good leaders are your best insurance
teran teammates to determine the stan- the younger players feel accepted and have policy against your athletes making stupid de-
dards of the team. If the leaders are someone to turn to should something go cisions in the community that could tarnish
slacking off and cutting corners, it is very wrong. Effective team leaders prevent cliques you and your program. Good leaders will help
easy for the rookies to do the same. from developing as they look to break down you control and curb the common off the court
barriers, unify their teammates, and rally them temptations and problems that often end up
"The second I let down, particularly if I'm around a common goal. as the talk of the town or embarrassing headli-
perceived as the leader of my team, I give nes in the local and even national media. Mini-
others an opening to let down as well. "If you want to build an atmosphere in which mizing these problems alone will provide you
Why not? If the person out front takes a everybody pulls together to win, then you, as a with many more restful evenings.
day off or doesn't play hard, why should leader have to recognize that it all starts with
anyone else?" Michael Jordan you. It starts with your attitude, your commit- This positive policing role is especially impor-
ment, your caring, your passion for excellen- tant because as a coach you can only be with
2. KEEP YOUR TEAM FROM CRUMBLING ce, your dedication to winning. It starts with your athletes so many hours of the day. Ob-
UNDER PRESSURE AND ADVERSITY the example you set." Pat Williams, Senior viously you get to spend time with them at
Without a team leader, teams often V.President Orlando Magic practice, but the rest of the day they have a
crumble under pressure and adversity. variety of choices which you cannot constan-
Players quickly get frustrated with oppo- 4. HELPYOU TAKE THE PULSE OF TEAM tly watch and monitor, nor should you want or
nents, officials, teammates, and themsel- If you don't have a good leader you can trust, have to. However, great team leaders tend to
ves and lose their composure. They get you might miss some important things happe- be around their teammates more and can be a
distracted by their past mistakes and ning with your players and team. You might not positive influence on them. This is especially
worry about making future errors. know why a certain player all of a sudden isn't true on weekend evenings when players are
Further, when teams fall apart they tend playing well or why another might not be com- often tempted to do things that could poten-
to blame each other which distracts, divi- municating with you any more. Further, it mi- tially have negative effects on themselves and
des, and destroys your team. Without a ght seem like you have lost your players' the team, not to mention your program's repu-
team leader, your players isolate them- enthusiasm but you aren't sure why. tation. Great team leaders look out for their
selves from the team instead of pulling teammates and are willing to constructively
together and staying tough. This lack of Effective team leaders help keep you connec- confront them when necessary.
leadership and mental toughness during ted to your team. They keep you informed
adversity often forces you to burn pre- about how players might be doing, who is "The entire aim of our policies at Tennessee is
cious time-outs and make unwanted struggling, and if there is any dissension to get our players to discipline each other...
substitutions during the game. Worse, brewing amongst the team. Not only do great We have evolved a system in which I don't ha-
your team ends up beating itself because team leaders keep you up to date on the pulse ve to do a whole lot of punishing, penalizing, or
they self-destruct rather than staying of the team, they can also provide you with in- pushing them. Our upperclassmen become
tough and forcing your opponents to beat put on changes you might be contemplating or the disciplinarians of our team instead of me."
you. You can likely trace many of your ones you have already instituted. Pat Summitt, women's basketball coach, Uni-
losses back to the lack of ineffective versity of Tennessee.
team leaders stepping up and refocusing 5. MINIMIZE AND MANAGE CONFLICT
the team during critical stretches. Additionally, good team leaders will help you As you can see with the above six ways, your
manage the inevitable conflict that occurs captain's leadership will contribute much mo-
Effective team leaders help their teamma- on every team between players, coaches, re to your team's success than their physical
tes weather the inevitable storms of ad- parents, and others. They can help their skills ever will. However, if you want your cap-
versity that occur during games and throu- teammates better understand why they are tains to be extensions of you out on the floor,
ghout the season. When adversity strikes getting limited playing time, thus preventing you must invest the time to extend yourself to
and the other team goes on an 8-0 run, them from running to their parents and ha- them. Share your philosophy with them, let
great leaders maintain their own compo- ving them call you to complain about it. They them know what you expect, and communi-
sure which keeps their teammates under can often handle and even solve a lot of pro- cate with them often.
control. They then can refocus the team blems before you even have to get involved.
back on the task at hand. Good team lea- This frees up your time to focus on what you RATE YOUR CAPTAINS
ders are a calming force, who are able to do best - coaching. Good leaders then make If you would like to find out how your current
help their teammates adjust and refocus. your job easier as a coach by preventing, mi- and/or prospective captains rate as leaders,
nimizing, and handling a significant portion visit http://www.j effja nssen.com/coac
"Young players are leaders only when they of the typical problems that beset teams, so hing/evaluation2. html to take the Team Lea-
are playing well... that's not leadership. you don't have to. dership Evaluation.

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 content

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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

COACH DEVELOPMENT
IN AUSTRALIA:
A COOPERATIVE
APPROACH
Patrick Hunt is President of FIBA Sports Coaching, a generic diploma. Australian Institute of Sport with
Oceania World Basketball Coaches At Universities there are coaching players and coaches. All coaches in
Association, Manager of National Degree Courses in Human Movement, the National ITCP, with the exception
Player & Coach Development and Sports Coaching and Applied Science of the nine coaches employed full time,
Head Coach at the Australian National in Coaching. are volunteers,who continually need to
Intensive Centre Program. be provided with coaching experien-
INFORMAL COACHING EXPERIENCES ces to further develop their expertise.
Coach development in Australia can be There are many experiences which are They attend and participate in the fol-
outlined into two broad areas: educa- provided by Basketball Australia for lowing programs.
tion through formal coaching courses the development of coaches and are
and through informal experiences such all conducted with the support of and ITCP COACHING CLINICS / WORKSHOPS
as clinics, programs and specifically under the auspices of the Australian Patrick Hunt visits each ITCP three
targeted experiences. Basketball Coaches Association which times per year , work with players and
This model has been adopted since forms part of the Basketball Australia also conduct coaching clinics and
1980 and has been expanded and Coaches Commission. workshops.
enhanced. During 2002 over 1,300 coaches atten-
NATIONAL INTENSIVE TRAINING ded these clinics and workshops.
FORMAL COACH EDUCATION COURSES CENTRE PROGRAM (ITCP)
These courses are conducted as part This program is conducted with fun- INTERSTATE COACHING
of the National Coaching Accreditation ding from the Sports Commission. EXPERIENCE PROGRAM (ICE)
Scheme (NCAS), which is run by the There are nine programs with one The ICE program is conducted once
Australian Government through the coach employed full time to conduct per year. One volunteer coach from
Australian Sports Commission. the program. each ITC Program throughout
The courses are accredited as being of The program identifies and develops Australia, nine coaches in total, travels
the appropriate content and standard outstanding male and female athletes to the Australian Institute of Sport for a
and are designed and written by from 14-17 years of age and also iden- four-day coaching program. Coaches
Basketball Australia. Well-qualified tifies and develops coaches who work observe team practices and player
coaches, sports scientists and medical with the athletes. individual sessions of the AIS Women’s
practitioners deliver the courses. The National Head Coach and Director and Men’s programs, Canberra Men’s
There are four levels of courses: of the program is Patrick Hunt, based National League, Division 1 Team, the
Orientation Level, Level 1, 2 and 3. at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra Women’s National League
The Orientation course is for parents Canberra. Athletes graduate from the team and observe the AIS strength and
or coaches who are just starting out in ITCP to the Australian Institute of conditioning program.
coaching. Level 1 is for coaches who Sport. Coaches also received presentations
are more advanced as is Level 2. There are approximately 400 athletes from the National Sports Information
Level 3 is the highest level designed for in the ITCP, coached by a network of Centre, the Australian Sports
coaches who wish to coach at approximately 180 coaches, and 24 Commission coach education centre,
National and International level. scholarships at the Australian Institute former National Coaches and Patrick
The Australian Sports Commission also of Sport. Hunt on the National ITCP and Player
conducts a Graduate Diploma in Elite The National ITCP underpins the and Coach Development pathways.

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ITCP COACHES STUDY TOUR complies and distributes a National
Every two years the nine ITCP Head Coaching Magazine called “X’s and
Coaches, six selected coaches, coa- O’s”, published four times per year.
ches from the AIS and occasionally This magazine features articles from
from New Zealand embark on an inter- former National Coaches, AIS and
national coaches study tour usually to National Coaches and club coaches of
USA and Europe. In 2001 the tour all levels.
included the Universities of Duke,
Wake Forest and North Carolina and COACHING CLINICS
Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania. AT FIBA OCEANIA EVENTS
From this tour a set of coaching notes At FIBA Oceania events such as the
and videotapes was produced for FIBA Oceania Youth Tournament, coa-
distribution to coaches throughout ches from Australia attend clinics as
Australia and FIBA Oceania. part of FIBA Oceania’s development
Funding for the Tour is through a four programs. Recently Australian coa-
way cost sharing arrangement ches Gordon McLeod and Patrick Hunt
between Basketball Australia, FIBA were guest coaches at the FIBA
Oceania, the World Association of Ba- Oceania Youth Tournament held in
sketball Coaches with each participa- Tonga and conducted coaching clinics
ting coach making a personal contri- for coaches and players attending the
bution. In 2003, the tour will include tournament. Coaching clinics of this
programs in USA, Yugoslavia and kind have also been conducted in Fiji
China. and Vanuatu in recent times. These
clinics, organized and funded by FIBA
AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CAMP Oceania, provide young Australian
Every year the Junior Camp is conduc- coaches with an invaluable opportu-
ted at the Australian Institute of Sport. nity for exposure to international coa-
Fifty-six athletes (28 female and 28 ching.
male), 8 coaches and 2 Managers, Each coach who participates in any of
selected from the National U 18 and U the above programs is required to
16 Championships, attend the camp. In which provides for one coach of out- share information gained, by writing
addition one volunteer coach from standing potential from the National and submitting a coaching article for
each ITCP, nine coaches in total, ITCP to attend the Australian Institute the National Coaching Magazine, and
attend the week long camp. of Sport to work with the AIS coaches. by conducting one coaching clinic in
At the conclusion of the camp players their own region.
and coaches compete in a tourna- SCHOLARSHIP COACH POSITION
ment. They also receive sports scien- AT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT
ce presentations on nutrition, reco- Each year Basketball Australia is
very, sports psychology, drugs in granted through the Australian
sport, injury management and preven- Sports Commission, a scholarship
tion, and sports massage. coach position located at the
Physical testing of all athletes is con- Australian Institute of Sport. This
ducted and players receive a written coach spends one year with the
evaluation of their performance at the Men’s and Women’s Basketball pro-
conclusion of the camp. gram at the AIS as a “second assi-
Also the coaches participate in practi- stant coach”.
ce sessions, practice session evalua- The coach also undertakes the
tions, sports science presentations, Graduate Diploma in Elite Sports
practice session planning and recei- Coaching.
ved evaluations on their coaching
communication, practice planning, INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL
effectiveness and game coaching. COACHING CLINICS
Basketball Australia completely funds International coaches are brought to
the camp for players and coaches. Australia to conduct clinics.
These tours are funded through a
SPECIFIC TARGETED COACHING cost sharing arrangement between
EXPERIENCES Basketball Australia, coaches atten-
There are also specific coaching cli- ding the clinic and each
nics / workshops. In 2002 a two-day State/Territory program. The World
workshop for coaches of female gen- Association of Basketball Coaches
der from ITC programs on specific through FIBA Oceania has also assi-
aspects relating to coaching females sted with funding for these visits. In
and encouraging more females to par- addition to supporting the above coa-
ticipate in coaching was conducted. ching opportunities the Australian
The inaugural Dr Adrian Hurley coa- Basketball Coaches Association
ching Scholarship was established through Basketball Australia also

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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE INDIANA BASKETBALL

COACHES ASSOCIATION:
HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES
by Jerry Bomholt

Jerry Bomholt is ches associations in school poll featuring the top twenty-five
the President of America. In 1998 the teams in the state. The poll committee is
Indiana Basket- IHSAA voted to go to made up of twenty-one head coaches
ball Coaches As- class tournaments. This representing each district and class. This
sociation (IBCA), presented a tremendous group of coaches also selects the IBCA’s
and head coach of challenge to the IBCA boy’s all-state team. This all-state team is
Madison Shawe as the hallowed history made up of fifteen seniors. In addition,
Memorial High School in Madison, of Indiana Basketball was being chan- there is an underclassmen All State team
Indiana. ged. We are proud to say that the IBCA of fifteen players selected. This commit-
still remains as strong as ever. tee also selects a Junior All - Star team to
HISTORY Our members are not only the men’s compete and help prepare the Senior
The Indiana Basketball Coaches and women’s high school coaches, but Indiana All - Stars for the annual Indiana
Association (IBCA) originated in 1971 in also college coaches, and basketball vs. Kentucky All - Star series.
a room at the Marriott Hotel in officials from the State of Indiana and Also, for the first time, the IBCA, in
Indianapolis. Two Coaches from each other states. The entry fee is $10 or $15, conjunction with the Indiana High School
of the five Indiana High School Athletic which includes $1 million in liability Athletic Association, will be conducting
Association districts, and Virgil Sweet, insurance. Membership in the IBCA boys and girls underclassmen showca-
one of the best high school coaches in offers several distinct advantages, ses. These events are designed to show-
our State, attended. The IBCA’s goals which will be described in the article. case and provide collegiate exposure for
were education and fellowship. The IBCA publishes two newsletters the best underclassmen talents that the
The late Marion Crawley was the first each year, in the fall and in the spring. State of Indiana has to offer.
executive Director, followed by Virgil
Sweet, Bob King, George Griffith and, ACTIVITIES OF THE IBCA THE IBCA INTERNET SITE
in the summer of 2002, Steve Witty. A clinic in the spring is our major spon- As we enter the twenty-first century, we
Each of these men were coaches who sored event. The clinic features four- find the IBCA entering another era of
helped write the history of basketball in teen speakers over two days, which change. In 2001, the IBCA went on line for
Indiana. includes four college speakers and ten the first time. To better meet the needs of
The IBCA is the voice of the Indiana high school coaches (both boys and coaches and players, the web site was
Basketball Coaches. girls). This makes for a very unique upgraded further in 2003.
Its Board and 14 district representati- event. Anywhere between eight hun- We give a password to our members and
ves meet during the year to formulate dred to twelve hundred coaches will be they can use all the services inside our
and communicate to the Indiana High in attendance. Converse has been the site: every week we publish technical and
School Athletic Association its con- primary sponsor of this clinic, as well general interest articles, then there is a
cerns about Indiana High School as the primary IBCA sponsor. The fee job placement section and a member can
Basketball. for the clinic is $60, but a member of nominated his players for the 40 scholar-
our association is given a $20 discount ships our association gives to the senior
THE MEMBERS AND THE BENEFITS if he attends the clinic. high school boys and girls players.
The IBCA gas gone through two major Each year the IBCA provides approxi-
changes in its thirty-two years of exi- mately 20 girls and 20 boys college The IBCA is very proud of the history and
stence. With the inclusion of Girl’s grants of $500 each. Through the years, growth of our organization and the herita-
basketball coaches, the membership the IBCA is proud to have provided ge of our great game of basketball in
has grown to over three thousand over $250,000 in grants to deserving Indiana. Visit our web site at
members. The IBCA has become one of student athletes. www.ibcahoopscoaches.com and learn
the largest high school basketball coa- The IBCA issues its own boys high more about the IBCA.

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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE ITALIAN
BASKETBALL
COACHES COMMITTEE
by Antonio Pozzati

Antonio Pozzati has been involved with 30 hours and championships.

the Coaches Committee of the Italian have officiated The course is open
Basketball Federation since 1992. at 15 games at a only to those with a
He is member of the Board of the local level can “Coach” license who
Federation and President of the Coaches attend this cour- have coached for two
Committee. se. consecutive seasons.
This rule was It is limited to 40 peo-
The Italian Olympic Committee created a created to make ple per year.
“National Plan for the Formation of sure that the
Coaches” and the Italian Basketball coaches have a The lecturers at this
Federation adheres to this plan. The plan fuller under- final level are top
was designed with the aim of creating a standing of Division I Men’s and
link among the Italian coaches formation basketball. This is a seven-day course Women’s coaches and the coaches of the
plan and those of similar plans of other with a final examination. Italian National teams.
European Community countries. The goal A team executive, a team physician, a team
is to make it possible for coaches to have The teachers for these courses include psychologist, and a strength and conditio-
their status recognized by all the 120 “educators” selected by the ning coach also give lectures. This course
European Community countries. Committee and the Technical Director of lasts two weeks and is followed by a final
the Committee, Ettore Messina, the head examination.
COURSES FOR THE COACHING LICENSE coach of Division I team Benetton Treviso.
The Coaches Committee of the Italian He is assisted by his Super Staff, compri- In short, a total of eight years of study and
Basketball Federation is in charge of the sed of a physician, the Technical Director work is necessary to reach the top level and
organization of coaching courses and of Mini-basketball, a conditioning coach, earn a National Coach license.
with the formation and updating of the a psychologist, and a representative of the
teaching staff. Italian Referee Committee of the BUDGET
Federation. The Italian Basketball Coaches Committee
The coaching courses consist of four has over 16,000 registered members, divided
levels: 3. COACH: This course gives a person the into three groups. Each member must pay a
license to coach teams in the Men’s B2 fee to maintain the annual license.
1. STUDENT COACH: This course serves and Women’s A2 Championship. The fee varies from 39 euros for the base
as an introduction to basketball (how it is Only the “base coaches” who have coa- coach, 55 euros for the coach level, and 87
played, the rules, and some technical gui- ched for two consecutive seasons can euros for the national coach level.
delines). attend this course. Additional funds come from the Federation,
It is organized by the provincial branch of This two-year course is divided into 15- which contributes to the Coaches
the Coaches Committee. It is taught by a day sessions each year, with an examina- Committee, and from the coaches who pay
local teacher, called an “educator,” and tion held after each session. to attend the various courses.
lasts 20 hours. These student coaches
cannot officially coach a team at this time. The teachers at this level include 30 OFFICIAL SUPPLIER
Instructors selected by the Technical We have an Official Supplier, a sport clothing
2. BASE COACH: This course awards the Director of the Coaches Committee and company in Bologna, which created a col-
license to coach youth level and regional his Super Staff. lection of shorts, shirts, warm-up suits, and
teams. advertising boards with the logo of the
Only the “student coaches” who finished 4. NATIONAL COACH. This course grants Committee. We are given a percentage on all
their apprenticeship with an educator for a license for coaching in all national items that are sold.
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

CROATIAN ASSOCIATION
OF BASKETBALL COACHES:
THE PAST
by Bosko Bozic
AND FUTURE
Bosko Bozic is the President of the not enough high-level coaches to ful- presented by the Academy. The
Croatian Association of Basketball fill all huge expectations of new Association publishes “Time-out,” an
Coaches. He coached the Zagreb clubs. Twelve years later, however, informative magazine with educational
team in Yugoslavia, the Croatian Jasmin Repesa, Danijel Jusup, Neven material and news from local organiza-
Senior Men’s National team, and the Spahija, Ivan Sunara, and Ivica Buric tions, and reports on the recent activi-
Slupsk team in Poland. are among the coaches that have ties of the Association. We have also
achieved outstanding results on the established a code of ethics and the
The Croatian Association of club level. Srecko Medvedec, Mladen behavior of all members is closely moni-
Basketball Coaches was founded in Sestan, and Josko Pulja, working with tored.
1994 and from that date we were very the Cadet and Junior National Team,
successful in organizing the various won medals at World and European Today our Association is a legal member
coaching categories through clinics, Championships. This new breed of of the Croatian Basketball Association,
instructional courses, and official young coaches now forms a good with a voting right in the Federation’s
education. foundation for our Senior National General Assembly. We have an
Team, a team that has not performed Executive Board of seven members in
Until Croatian independence in 1992, particularly well in major internatio- charge of regulations, membership,
basketball coaches were organized nal competitions since 1995. licensing, education, development,
on regional bases as a part of the discipline, and awards.
Basketball Federation of Croatia. Our Association was founded to help Three are the level of coaching, establi-
During that time, world-class coaches, to improve the quality of shed with the Croatian Olympic
Yugoslavian basketball was also basketball, and protect its members. Committee and Faculty of Kinesiology in
implemented and enhanced through Organized on county basis, the Zagreb.
the work of Croatian coaches, inclu- General Assembly of the Association Each coach must follow a certain num-
ding Mirko Novosel, Giuseppe is composed of 70 delegates of the ber of theoretical and practical courses
Giergia, Petar Skansi, Kresimir Cosic, Local Associations-for every five coa- to be promoted to the upper level:
Zeljko Pavlicevic, and Branko ches there is one delegate who can
Radovic. be nominated. 1. Coach (62 theoretical and 146 practi-
In the early years, it was difficult for For the first time, coaches from smal- cal hours in two years)
coaches to enhance their knowledge. ler clubs have the same rights as
There were one or two instructional those of the biggest clubs. 2. Higher Coach (855 theoretical and 960
films available from the United States, The Association helps to organize practical hours in two-and-a-half years)
a few books, and a wealth of expe- Coaches Clinics for youth level teams
rience from the older coaches. in every county, and it also helps with 3. College degree specialized in basket-
For these reasons, international cli- the selection of best players from ball (1943 theoretical and 1312 practical
nics were organized regularly and all each region. hours in four years)
the top international coaches were The Association also works in close
always invited. cooperation with Academy of No matter what the level of competition,
Those who came to lecture included Croatian Basketball (national summer only Association members can obtain a
Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Jack and winter camps organized by the license for the season and, each one of
Ramsey, Jim Harrick, Aleksander Croatian Federation). them, professional or not, must attend
Gomelski, Cesare Rubini, Robert The senior members of the regular clinics to obtain the license.
Busnel, and many others. Association are involved in the The Association has 300 registered coa-
School for Basketball Coaches as ches (75 with the college degrees or
After the independence, there were well as with the different courses higher basketball coaching degrees).
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE ARGENTINEAN
by Luis Alberto
Martinez ASSOCIATION
OF BASKETBALL
COACHES
Luis Alberto Martínez is the Argentina that con-
President of the Argentinean ducts courses for
Association of Basketball Coaches, coaches of all the
and President of the America divisions.
Association of Basketball Coaches. Since 1994, through
He coached two club teams to the Commission of
national championships in 1985 and Professional
1986. Coaches and an
agreement with the
The Argentinean Association of Association of
Basketball Coaches (ATEBARA), Clubs, we also crea-
founded in 1973, has 1,800 members. te and administer
Most of the members are novice the courses needed
coaches, who work at the youth in order to obtain
level. the National League Coaches licen- of our coaches. Many Argentinean
We also have one Commission se. Those coaching courses are coaches have now gone on to work in
(Co.Di.Te.P.) that was formed by the organized through the National countries throughout South America
professional coaches to work with School of Coaches (ENEB) that and Europe.
the three Argentinean National works within the Federation. Our top coaches are now highly valued
Basketball Leagues. We provide all of the instructors for and we regularly send them to lecture
Recognized by the Argentinean the various courses. at coaching clinics throughout South
Federation of Basketball and by There are three levels of courses America. We generally have the colla-
FIBA, the World Association of offered. After a coach completes the boration of the Spanish Association of
Basketball Coaches, and the third level, he can begin course Basketball Coaches and the European
America Association of Basketball work necessary to become a coach Association of Basketball Coaches for
Coaches, ATEBARA helps with the in the Professional League. these international gatherings.
development of coaches throughout For the past eight years, we have In the past twenty years, Argentinean
the country with a variety of annual organized national clinics for all basketball has evolved tremendously
courses and clinics. ATEBARA also coaching levels. Some of the guest and made great strides on the world
has an extensive technical basket- lecturers have included NBA coa- arena.
ball library. ches of the past and the present, The proof of this lies is in the number
This library, the only one in South including Jack Ramsay, Hubie of Argentinean players who now parti-
America, is one of the most impor- Brown, Stan Albeck, Del Harris, Rick cipate in the most important professio-
tant basketball library collections in Pitino, and Larry Brown. nal basketball leagues of the world.
the world. The library has over 200 Top international coaches who have Part of this evolution, of course, is due
instructional videos and well over lectured at our clinics have included to the great work carried out by our
700 books about the game and coa- Lolo Sainz, Manel Comas, Mario many coaches.
ching written in Spanish, Italian, Blasone, Moncho Monsalve, Ettore Another part of the success is also due
Portuguese, German, French, and Messina, Zelimir Obradovic, Ary to the important work of an
English. The library is accessible to Vidal, Helio Rubens, and Dusko Association that continues to play a
coaches of all levels. Ivanovic. These coaches have hel- major role in the development of coa-
ATEBARA is the only association in ped improve the quality and number ches throughout Argentina.
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE HELLENIC
BASKETBALL
COACHES
by Theodoros
Bolatoglou
ASSOCIATION
Theodoros Bolatoglou is an Assistant Professor of Physical
Education and Sport Science at Athens University. He was head
coach of the Greek basketball Cadets and Junior National team
and also head coach of Division I and II teams in Greece. Since
1998, he has been the General Secretary of the Hellenic Basketball
Coaches Association (HBCA).

The Hellenic Basketball Coaches Association (HBCA) was charte-

red in 1971 and now has 2,600 members. The annual membership is
36 Euros. The aim of the HBCA is the continuing education of its
members and the promotion of their professional interests.

FORMAL COACH EDUCATION COURSES

The most significant event of the HBCA is the annual International already coached at least one year and have participated in one
Clinic, which is open to all our coaches. In the past, we hosted inter- International Clinic. The school program lasts four weeks and inclu-
nationally renowned NBA coaches, including Pat Riley, Don des 60 hours of theory and 90 hours of practice. Graduates can
Nelson, Mike Fratello, Hubie Brown, Al Gentry, Tex Winter, Larry work with all teams participating in national leagues apart from the
Brown, Lenny Wilkens, and others. A1 league.
Since 1996, the HBCA has been offering 14 one-month scholarshi- c. Level 1 School: Can be attended by graduates of Level 2 School
ps to its members to attend the training sessions of NBA and NCAA who have already worked in the field for at least two years and
teams. These coaches are given the opportunity to gain knowled- have also participated in two International Clinics. The school pro-
ge and experience, which they then bring back to Greece and gram lasts three weeks and includes 100 hours of course work
share through the HBCA Graduates can work with teams at any level of the Greek
To help with ongoing coaching education, we produce a bi-monthly Championship.
magazine, “Basketball Coach”, which is distributed free to all our ▼ University Graduates with physical education degrees who have
members and athletic associations. The HBCA maintains a national specialized in Basketball. This major is taught in two semesters and
and international library and has an extensive video archive that is includes 150 hours of theory and practice. Graduates are accredi-
continuously updated and made available to all its members. ted at Level 1 and can work with teams at any level of the Greek
The HBCA also hosts a popular Internet website Championship.
http://www.sepk.gr and provides national and international basket-
ball news as well as coaching information (drills, techniques, tac- FOREIGN COACHES
tics). A coach coming from a country outside the EU can only work for a
team in A1 league in Greece. These coaches must not be older than
SCHOOL LEVELS - COACHING CATEGORIES 55 and must have previously served as the head coach of the men’s
Coaching in Greece is open to: national team of their country for at least one year, as a coach of an
▼ Graduates of schools organized by the General Secretariat of A1 league team of their country for at least three years, or as a col-
Athletics (GSA), which are divided into three levels: legiate coach for an NCAA Division I team for three years.
a. Level 3 School: Can be attended by high school graduates who
have been playing basketball for at least five years before entering CLINICS
the school. This school lasts five weeks and includes 80 hours of The crowning event of the HBCA will be the upcoming International
theory and 120 hours of practice. The degree obtained by all those Clinic, which will be held August 24-27. This clinic will take place
who pass the final exams allows them to coach foundation teams during the Olympic Games at the Marousi Sports Hall. All the top
and teams participating in local championships. coaches from the NBA, NCAA, and European clubs have been invi-
b. Level 2 School: Open to graduates of Level 3 School who have ted to attend.
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE SLOVENIAN
by Andrej Zagar
BASKETBALL
COACHES
ASSOCIATION
Andrej Zagar, a former Division I coach While ZKTS has great financial support
of the former Yugoslavian National from the national Federation, when it
Junior team, is the President of the comes to technical questions, ZKTS is
Slovenian Coaches Association and a completely independent.
member of the Board of the Slovenian
Basketball Federation. There are several ways to obtain a coa-
ching license in Slovenia. Participation
The Slovenian basketball coaches asso- in coaching clinics is one of the condi-
ciation, or Zdruzenje kosarkarskih tre- tions that must be fulfilled.
nerjev Slovenije (ZKTS), was founded The other condition includes writing or
just a few months after Slovenia beca- translating a technical article, or a
me an independent country in 1991. penalty is assessed at every game until
The Association was given legal status these conditions are fulfilled. Coaches
at the end of the year and has the fol- can obtain a temporary license, but for
lowing elected positions: President, an only one year during their career.
Executive Board, which includes a We currently have five coach education
Counsel of Coaches and Counsel of levels, each with its own special study
State, a Disciplinary Board; and demands:
Inspection Committee. ▼ First level: 80 hours
▼ Second level: 80 hours
The first elected President of the ▼ Third level: seminar, home work
Association was Zmago Sagadin, the ▼ Fourth level: 2 years of study
famed veteran coach of Olimpija ▼ Fifth level: 4 years of study
Ljubljana, now coaching Crvena zvezda Only coaches who are members of the
Belgrade. The Association convenes a Coaches Association can obtain a licen-
regular General Assembly each autumn se. In Slovenia there are three license
and members to the General Assembly levels - A, B, and C -, and A-level licen-
are elected every four years. ses are awarded to the best coaches. Game. If a coach is unemployed, he
does not have to remain a member
The main goals of Association include The Association currently has 302 mem- ZKTS.
organizing annual coaching clinics with bers, including 18 female coaches.
the best lecturers invited to address our According to our official criteria, 247 of The curriculum for the education of coa-
members; reviewing conditions for our members currently have met our ches is supervised by the Faculty of
obtaining the licenses for coaching; coaching standards. In order to sit on a Sport in Ljubljana, but expert advanced
reviewing coaching standards of beha- team bench at any level, the coach must study is the sole domain of the
vior; publishing several technical bulle- be a member of the Association. Association. The Slovenian Coaches
tins every year; and participating in Each coach has to pay an annual mem- Association publishes a yearly journal,
regularly scheduled meetings with the bership and license fee. With the mem- “Coach”, which offers all coaches the
National Basketball Federation. bership in the Association, all coaches opportunity to present their personal
We also offer clinics for coaches of have the right to free admission to all experiences.
women’s and youth and junior teams in games in Slovenia, with the exception of For more information about our
order to give them better insight into international games, games played by Association, visit our website:
their profession. the national team, and the All Star www.kzs-zveza.si.
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE SLOVAK BASKETBALL

by Lubor Tomanek COACHES ASSOCIATIOn
Lubor Tomanek is in charge of the teams. INFORMAL COACHING EXPERIENCE
Section of Methodics of Slovak Second level - II. Coaching Class (licen- PROGRAM
Basketball Association (SBA), a mem- se ‘B’): This course consists of lessons Throughout the year, there are specific
ber of Slovak Basketball Coaches in physiology, anatomy, psychology, national and international coaching cli-
Association Committee, a lecturer on conditioning, pedagogy, and a variety of nics and workshops that are organized
the Faculty of Physical Education and lectures by representatives of mini- on a regional and national level. Once a
Sport at Comenius University in basketball, youth and senior teams, and year, foreign coaches are invited to
Bratislava, and a youth coach. the Slovak Referee Federation Slovakia to conduct clinics. Over 500
Committee. This course takes approxi- coaches attended these clinics in 2003.
ACTIVITIES mately two years-three sessions per Coaches also receive special presenta-
The Slovak Basketball Coaches week- to complete and entails a final tions from the Section of Methodics of
Association (SBCA) provides many ser- paper and final exam. the SBCA, including practice manuals,
vices for coaches, including continuing This B license gives the person the pos- youth coaching programs, special arti-
education courses, organization of cli- sibility to coach teams in the national cles, and access to our library service.
nics, publication of a wide array of first leagues men’s, women’s, and youth. In addition, we also publish “Basketball
basketball-related materials, and disse- Coach” twice a year. This publication
mination of top-level advice to national Third level - I. Coaching Class (license features training articles and physiolo-
teams and youths programs. Every acti- ‘A’): This is the highest level and is gical studies, as well as tactical articles
ve coach automatically becomes a reserved for the coaches who wish to from former and present national coa-
member of SBCA, whose Committee coach at the top national and internatio- ches and club coaches from all levels.
consists of seven members who super- nal levels.
vise and coordinate all the activities of This license can be achieved either by SYSTEM OF FINANCING
the Association. studying basketball specialization at the The Association has over 500 registered
Faculty of Physical Education and Sport members, with more than 380 currently
The development of coaches in Slovakia (master’s degree, five years), or through active members divided into the afore-
occurs through two distinct ways: an outside course. Only coaches with a mentioned three classes. Each member
through formal education-via manda- B license who have coached for three must pay a fee to maintain the annual
tory coaching courses taken on the way consecutive seasons can attend this license, from 5 euros for the entry-level
to obtaining a coaching license-and course. coach to 50 euros for the higher-level
through coaching education obtained The lecturers at this level are well-qua- coaches. Additional funds come from
informally through clinics. lified men’s and women’s team coaches, Slovak Basketball Association, which
as well as coaches of the Slovak contributes to the SBCA, and from the
FORMAL COACHING COURSES National teams, sport scientists, and coaches who pay nominal fees to attend
AND LICENSING instructors selected by the SABC the various courses offered during the
The Section of Methodics of the Committee. year.
Association is in charge of the organiza- Team executives, physicians, psycholo-
tion of coaching courses and with the gists, and strength and conditioning FUTURE AIMS
formation and updating of the teaching coaches also give lectures. Our main goal is to develop international
staff. The coaching courses consist of This two-year course is divided into cooperation with other national coa-
three levels (classes): five-day sessions, each lasting half a ching associations. We want to be
First level - III. Coaching Class (license year, with an examination held after involved in basketball study tours, inter-
‘C’): This course serves as an introduc- each session. national exchange programs, and inter-
tion to basketball (how it is played, the A final examination must be passed in national basketball camps and clinics.
rules, and some technical guidelines). order to be awarded a diploma. This A We are certain that all of these activities
The provincial branch of the SBCA orga- license allows coaches the chance to will be attractive to young coaches, and
nizes this 40-hour course with local tea- coach in all national championships, but will motivate them to expand their
chers offering instruction. These stu- only coaches with national champion- basketball coaching expertise, raising
dent coaches with a C license can offi- ships titles and positive results can the level and quality of basketball in
cially coach regional youth and senior reach this level. Slovakia in the process.
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COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

LATVIAN COACHES
by Uldis Gravitis
COUNCIL: THE PAST
AND FUTURE
Uldis Gravitis, former chairman of the Latvian Basketball Coaches mention. He trained the Riga ASK team from 1954-65. Under his lea-
Council, was the president of the Latvian Basketball Federation dership, Riga ASK was the USSR champion four times and won the
from 1989 to 1992. He coached the Latvian Junior national teams European Cup for club teams three times (1958-60).
and is currently the Rector of the Latvian Academy of Sport The most experienced coach in Latvia today is Armands Kraulins,
Education, and vice-chairman of the Executive Council of the who started his career as a young player and women’s team coach.
Latvian Basketball Association. Since 1974, he has worked with the men’s teams, including VEF
(Riga), University (Tashkent, 1981-84), Dinamo (Moscow, 1985-88),
The Latvian Basketball Coaches Council has an old and rich history. and ASK (Riga, 1988-90). He went on to coach basketball teams in
It should be noted that Latvia was among the eight countries that Iraq and Colombia, but in 1992 returned to Latvia and worked for dif-
founded FIBA in 1932. The Latvian Men’s Basketball National Team ferent club teams. From 1992 until 20003, Kraulins coached the
went on to win the first European Basketball Championship. The Latvian men’s national team, reaching the finals of the European
Latvian Basketball Coaches Council was established on October Master Competitions in 1993 and 2003. The Latvian Basketball
17, 1934. The Board of the Latvian Basketball Association accepted Association appointed him head coach of the women’s national
the resolution of the establishment and the first task of the Council team in 2004.
was to prepare for the first European Championship. In addition to these fabled coaches, there have been many others
Valdemars Baumanis was the most outstanding coach in pre-war who have worked with Latvian players, guiding them to basketball
Latvia. He guided the national team in 1935 to first place in the prominence. They include Imants Plavins, Talivaldis Petersons,
European Championship, and in 1939 and four years later, he coa- Juris Garkalns, Janis Zeltins, Andris Purkalns, Dzidra Karamiseva,
ched them to a second place European Championship title. Aivars Brigmanis, and Gunars Krumins, Janis Rimbenieks, Peteris
Baumanis represented the basketball team in the 1936 Olympic Visnevics, Aivars Vinbergs. Currently, the upcoming coaches inclu-
Games in Berlin, where he refereed basketball games. Baumanis de Raivo Otersons, Karlis Muiznieks, and Gundars Vetra.
was also the first FIBA referee in Latvia. After the War, he worked There are currently 221 active basketball coaches registered in the
as a coach in France (Lorient CEP) for many years before finally Latvian Basketball Association. Considering the number of coa-
moving to the United States. Another founder of the School for ches, it should be mentioned that there are only 2.4 million people
Basketball Coaches was Adolfs Grasis. Before World War II, Grasis living in Latvia. According to the State Regulations, a person having
coached the leading Latvian club teams, and in 1937 was the coach a corresponding certificate can work as a coach. All coaches are
of the Latvian Men’s National Team. After the War, he worked as a divided in three categories: A - the highest, B, and C. All coaches of
teacher in what is today the Latvian Academy of Sport Education. the A and B category must obtain a university degree in sport. In
A doctor of sport science, Grasis has written 11 books about order to obtain the A category certificate, a coach should have
basketball. After the War, there were many exceptional basketball worked as a coach for at least five years, in addition to attending
coaches in Latvia. Olgerts Altbergs, the founder of Latvian women’s 100 hours of coaching courses, clinics, and seminars. A coach can
basketball and the legendary TTT (Riga) team, was also one of the earn a B category certificate if he has completed university studies
most talented. He was the Latvian champion in basketball in 1943, in coaching education.
1944, and 1950. In 1958, he founded the TTT, and under his leader- Those who have completed their secondary education and taken
ship, the team won the European Cup for club teams for three con- the 320-hour special education program can earn a C-level certifi-
secutive years (1960-62). From 1971 to 1992, Altbergs directed the cate. The certificate is valid for five years and can be renewed by
Latvian Basketball Coaches Council. presenting documentation of participation in 60 hours of coaching
Since 1951, Altbergs also worked as a teacher at the Latvian clinics, courses, and seminars, along with the dates of coaching
Academy of Sport Education, educating a group of bright young employment.
basketball coaches. He eventually handed over the coaching of the The Latvian Coaches Further Education Center provides further
TTT team to his trainee, Raimonds Karnitis, who coached the team education in the fields of sport theory, sport medicine, sport biology,
from 1962-87, becoming one of the most successful coaches in the and sport pedagogy for all coaches. The Basketball Coaches
country. The TTT team won the USSR championship title 18 times Council organizes special clinics in basketball, while regular clinics
and the European Cup for champion teams 15 times. are held annually for youth and adult team coaches.
Alfreds Krauklis was one of the best coaches in the pre-war period. The Latvian Basketball Association Coaches Council hopes that the
Beginning his coaching career in 1940, he went on to direct the top work performed by the newest generation of coaches is able to
teams in the country, including Dinamo, Starts, Daugava, Spartaks, raise the level of basketball so Latvia once again is among the lea-
and VEF. He also coached the national team in 20 games. ding basketball teams in the world, just as they were in 1935 and
Of the post-war coaches, Aleksandrs Gomelskis deserves special 1960.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

RUSSIAN BASKETBALL
by Valery Lunichkin
and Sergey Chernov
COACHES
ASSOCIATION
Sergey Chernov is the Russian Basketball Federation President, ▼ Conduct seminars about scientific topics related to basketball.
and Valery Lunichkin is the Chairman of the Russian Basketball ▼ Provide a round table discussions for an enlarged council of
Federation Coaches Council. coaches.
▼ Conduct an end-of-season 3-5-day coaches seminar.
The Russian Basketball Coaches Association, which is part of the ▼ Arrange both internal (clubs, different national teams) and
Federation, is a public organization with the following structure: foreign training camps.
▼ Create regional basketball centers.
We also work on the licensing program for coaches.

2. Our second aim is to provide information to clubs and national

teams about scientific training methods. This is achieved through
an efficient and specialized staff from different scientific back-
grounds. In addition to organizing clinics, the staff demonstrates
how to organize practice plans, how to perform important physical
and technical tests, how to diagnose positive psychological attitu-
des, and offers innovative teaching and practice ideas.
3. The third aim of the Coaches’ Council is to optimize the organiza-
tion and practice of the national teams.
These are the principal items we take care of:
▼ Outlining a long-term strategy, noting possible problems and
how they can be solved.
▼ Defining human and financial resources
essential for realization of the outlined task.
▼ Creating a program and calendar of training with the strong
and weak sides.
The Men’s and Women’s Coaches Councils are bodies elected by ▼ Choosing modern technologies for training (methods, means,
the General Conference of the Coaches Association, as well as by forms) that allow work to proceed effectively and efficiently in
the Chairman of the Coaches’ Council, who is also a member of achieving the outlined tasks.
Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) staff. ▼ Selecting highly-skilled personnel and clearly
The Professional Coaches’ Training Center is also a RBF depart- defining the functions of each specialist.
ment and the staff members are paid by the Federation. ▼ Constantly controlling the process of training, making
These are the various categories of coaches in the country: necessary corrections as needed.
▼ Teachers of physical culture and coaches of school teams. ▼ Allowing for “open” national team training sessions to allow
▼ Coaches of youth sports schools. club team coaches to feel they are part of the common
▼ Coaches of club teams. process.
▼ Coaches of national teams. ▼ Improving the selection of coaches for the national teams.
▼ Providing constant assistance to these teams, especially with
THE AIMS OF THE COACHES’ COUNCILS regard to the individual practice sessions of potential
1. The first aim of the Councils is to improve the talent level of coa- candidates.
ches and prepare a new generation of coaches.
The main targets are young coaches with good potential and for- In conclusion, we can say:
mer top basketball players who want to pursue a coaching career. 1. The activities of the Coaches Association are designed to
Here is how we try to increase the level of the coaches’ skills: improve daily practice sessions with the most up-to-date
▼ Publish articles on teaching in “Planet Basketball,” the official methods.
magazine of the RBF. 2. These activities must be carried out during the course of the
▼ Provide coaching information on the RBF website. season.
▼ Conduct annual specialized clinics in a variety of regions. 3. The work of the Coaches Association has proven very effective
▼ Conduct clinics with foreign specialists. in helping coaches, club teams, and all the Russian National
▼ Send the “next generation” coaches to clinics abroad. teams.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE FRENCH COACHES

by Alexandre Carlier
ASSOCIATION
Alexandre Carlier was a journalist who worked for the French foreign coaches, such as Erman Kunter (Cholet) or, at the time,
newspaper "But" before he joined the French Basketball Boscia Tanjevic (ex-ASVEL), who come to exercise their profession
Federation in 2002. in France, benefited from having their qualifications officially reco-
gnized.
Before a French coach can become a master of tactics or the short
fuse, he must pass numerous tests. Each of these is a crucial step Each year, the National Technical Department, takes great care in
on the path that one day leads to the team bench. organizing seminars that gather the top-level coaches and their
Often praised by its neighbors, the so-called “French-style” training assistants. During the course of these meetings, discussions take
produces good players on an annual basis. Less well-known or place and the working conditions of each of those present are dealt
publicized is the training of coaches. The French Basketball with in order that the others may benefit from new experiences.
Federation, through its National Technical Department and Jean- “This year,” continues Nicolas Raimbault, “we’re taking advantage
Pierre de Vincenzi, the Technical Director, makes it possible for of the fact that the two French national teams will both be in Bercy
French coaches to validate their level of knowledge by taking seve- in September to organize a major meeting of the technical experts
ral tests (diplomas), some of which are essential in order to practice from the Pro A league, the French women’s basketball league, and
their profession at certain levels. the training centers. In the public interest, it’s important that we
This training primarily involves an initial phase, set up by the techni- meet, share information, and get to know one another in a different
cal sports advisors, who are civil servants. To begin with, the candi- way than we do on the court. But the playing seasons are full and if
date must learn to manage play and the organizational aspects of we don’t arrange for these meetings then the coaches won’t take
his future job. He thus achieves the grade of mini-basketball leader. the time to do it themselves.” Those involved view this type of sym-
He must then master the individual basics of the game in order to posium positively. They fill out assessment forms in order that those
become an initiator. It is from this point on that he will really be themes, which are close to their hearts, can be examined at later
expected to know how to conduct a training session. If he wishes to sessions. The National Technical Department therefore knows
climb the next rung on the ladder, namely that of youth coach, he will which subjects should provide the focus for the following year. The
have to be capable of putting together a training session. Finally, the Basketball Coaches’ Union, presided over by the coach of Paris
student will concentrate on technical and tactical programming, as Basket Racing, Jacques Monclar, has very close ties to this organi-
well as team construction in order to become a regional coach. This zation.
is indispensable in opening the doors to the post of National level 3
team coach. It is only after having come this far that the apprentice In order to do its job as well as possible, the National Technical
may attempt to glean the two levels of the final diploma currently Department also offers conversion courses for high-level athletes. A
available to practice his profession, namely, the state certificate BE2 session was organized in 1999 to take the BE1, which resulted in
(it stands for Basketball Entraineur, it means coach). More com- around twenty students receiving their diploma. The most recent
monly known as BE1 and BE2, these last two steps are essential class, dating from 2003, will see its group graduate in 2005. “We pass
tools for high-level coaching. The French Basketball Federation and on the information to clubs and to the coaches’ unions so that no
the state have joint responsibility for the assessment and later reva- one misses out,” continues the assistant national technical director.
lidation of candidates. Equivalent to A-level study plus three years “After they’d got the BE1, some candidates carried on and have
(degree level), studying for a BE2 includes a section specific to the finally launched themselves on a coaches’ career. Didier Gadou
required sport-coaching sessions for example -and more in-depth was in the 1999 group. He’s since passed his BE2 under his own
study where the subjects of history, legislation, or even physiology steam and today manages the Pau-Orthez team.” Other distingui-
are also dealt with. For BE1, demonstrations with commentaries, shed debutants include Isabelle Fijalkowski (1999) who has since
verbal fluency, and knowledge of the regulations are areas that become a technical sports advisor. Cathy Melain and Laurent
must be perfectly mastered. Foirest (2003), just two of many, will be among the next group of pro-
mising coaches.
The state certificate will soon cease to be available. “BE1 and BE2
date back to 1974 and are no longer suited to today’s sport,” stres- If the post of coach is familiar to the general public and to the spor-
ses Nicolas Raimbault, Assistant National Technical Director and ting world in general, it is not, on the other hand, recognized from a
head of team training. “We can’t change their content and for this legal point of view. Calling oneself a “coach” means nothing.
reason detailed research will be carried out among those principal- Grouped together under the title “educators,” coaches will soon
ly involved with the aim of creating two new diplomas. This will par- have a status all of their own. An article dealing with this subject is
ticularly take into account new aspects, such as relations with the currently being drafted and will see the light of day thanks to the
media and management. Discussions are already being held.” future joint convention of sporting professions. “Discussions
Ways of bringing into line practicing coaches who already hold the between employers and partners are already underway,” announ-
state certificate will also need to be found. It would be unfair to ask ced Nicolas Raimbault with pleasure. “The French Basketball
them to start studying all over again. However, the institutions have Federation will be present and will make its voice heard.” The pro-
already had to adapt to certain specific situations. For example, fession of coach, or so it seems, has not yet finished developing.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

ISRAEli BASKETBALL
by Dov Binshtok
COACHES
ASSOCIATION
Dov Binshtok, the Chairman of the Israeli Basketball Coaches REQUIREMENTS TO ATTAIN A LICENSE
Association, has coached at every level of the sport for the past Youth coaches must pass 200 class hours and 20 hours of first aid.
28 years. He serves as an advisor to the Israeli Basketball The hours are broken into the following:
Association's Performance Committee for both the men's and ▼ 75 hours of life sciences
women's national teams. ▼ 15 hours of anatomy
▼ 15 hours of physiology
The Israeli Basketball Coaches Association is a part of the Israeli ▼ 15 hours of developmental psychology
Basketball Association. There are eight coaches on the Coaches ▼ 15 hours of coaching skills
Association Board, and three more on the Review Committee. ▼ 15 hours on children's physical development
Ralph Klein is the Honorary President of the Coaches Association. ▼ 125 hours of basketball skills.
The coaches, who are Members of the Board, are elected by the
members of the Israeli Basketball Coaches Association. Senior coaches must pass 400 class hours.
The hours are broken into the following:
GOALS OF THE ORGANIZATION ▼ 75 hours of life sciences
▼ To develop and advance the sport of basketball in Israel. ▼ 15 hours of anatomy
▼ To promote and protect the professional rights and status of all ▼ 15 hours of physiology
coaches. ▼ 15 hours of sports psychology
▼ To promote and develop relationships with professional coa- ▼ 15 hours on movement
ching associations abroad. ▼ 30 hours of coaching skills
▼ To monitor and foster relationships between coaches, referees ▼ 15 hours on coaching youth
and players in Israel. ▼ 15 hours on nutrition
▼ To raise the level of knowledge and professionalism of coa- ▼ 15 hours sports injuries
ches via enrichment classes. ▼ 20 hours on using a weight room
▼ 245 hours of basketball skills, including game situations.
All members of the Israeli Basketball Coaches Association Board
serve in a volunteer capacity for the sake of the coaching commu- The course takes place over three semesters.
nity. During the second year, each coach-in-training must work 100
hours under a coach's supervision and pass an evaluation.
The organization will have 600 members for the 2004-2005 season,
some of them senior coaches licensed to guide teams from the
junior level (age 16) and up, while others only licensed to coach
young players.
To become a member of the Israeli Basketball Coaches
Association one must meet the following requirements:

▼ Must hold Israeli citizenship or have attained permanent resi-

dence status.
▼ Accredited as a coach according to the Israeli Sports Law.
▼ Paid membership for two years (Euro 30 for a licensed youth
coach, Euro 60 for a licensed senior coach).
▼ Successful completion of an enrichment class at least every
two years.

A foreign coach can also join the Israeli Basketball Coaches

Association provided that he meets the following criteria:
▼ Coached a team at the highest level league in his home country
for a least one season (For an American coach, a season at a
NCAA Division 1 college is acceptable as well).
▼ Coached a European 'A' level senior national team.
▼ Coached a team that has won a European title.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE HUNGARIAN
by Layos Meszaros
ASSOCIATION
OF BASKETBALL
COACHES
Layos Meszaros is President of the Hun- 1. High level. each summer, with 250-300 registered
garian Association of Basketball Coa- 2. Medium level. coaches participating. These clinics are
ches and Technical Vice President of the 3. Basic level. supported by the state through the sport
Federation. He was head coach of the Ju- development program: “SPORT XXI.”
nior and Men’s Hungarian National team. Since 1999, the activities of basketball
He also coached the Division I team, Hon- coaches are regulated by a licence sy- We maintain a good working relationship
ved Budapest, and was elected Coach of stem. with the European Association of Basket-
the Year five times in Hungary. Coaches have to get their valid coaching ball Coaches (EABC), and we review our
licence before each season. programs regularly with Antonio Comas,
The Hungarian Association of Basketball There are three main conditions for get- President of the EABC. We have to thank
Coaches, an independent incorporated ting a basketball licence: Jean Pierre De Vincenzi, a member of
company was organised in 1999. EABC, whose lecture was such great suc-
1. Diploma in basketball coaching, ack- cess when he came to talk to our mem-
In its Statues, three main activities were nowledged by the state. bers in Budapest.
determined among its duties: 2. Participation in the coaches clinic It is not easy to ensure the operating ex-
prior to the season. penses and the sources necessary for the
1. Supporting the activities of basketball 3. Practice in coaching. implementation of technical tasks. The
sport and that of the Basketball operation expenses of the Hungarian As-
Association: To earn a license, the necessary period sociation of Basketball Coaches come
▼ Elaboration of the sport’s technical of practice varies according to the diffe- from membership fees, the support given
strategy rent levels (National Division, I/A, I/B, Na- by the Hungarian Basketball Federation,
▼ Devising the development program for tional Division II, and Youth). For example, and commercial sponsors.
youth in the group ND I/A, a diploma in high-le- For the implementation of the technical ta-
vel basketball coaching requires two sks, we rely on the support given partly by
2. Contribution to the training of coaches years of practice, whereas in the case of the State (“SPORT XXI”) and partly by the
and its technical management: a basic level diploma, one needs 15 years commercial sponsors, while we have
▼ Organisation of coach clinics of practice. found it difficult to come up with the ne-
▼ Promoting the technical publications cessary funds to cover the costs of our te-
▼ Supporting the training of coaches One of the mandatory conditions in obtai- chnical publications.
ning a licence is the participation in coa-
3. Safeguarding of coaches’ interests ching clinics. We have a very sophistica- TO SUM UP
ted system of coaching clinics in Hungary. Our organisation has achieved great suc-
In 1999, a co-operation agreement was We organise these clinics annually in cess in the training of coaches with the
concluded by the Hungarian Association early summer with the participation of ongoing coaching clinics and in the safe-
of Basketball Coaches and the Hungarian Hungarian and international lecturers for guarding of coaches’ interests. In spite of
Basketball Federation that included the ri- the coaches of the National Division, and the difficulties, we have published several
ghts and responsibilities of the parties. separate clinics for those working with technical articles and technical publica-
youth. In the clinics for coaches working tions. We will prepare four videocassettes
The main activity of our organisation is the in the National Division, upwards of 210 or four DVDs with the complete basketball
implementation of the tasks mentioned in registered coaches participate yearly. training method for the various age grou-
item 2. For coaches working with youth, we intro- ps by the end of this year.
duced training according to different age In view of the development of our sport,
According to Hungarian law, coaches can groups. Coaches participate in the clinic we would like to cooperate with the Eu-
obtain three types of diplomas in basket- organised for the age group in which they ropean Association of Basketball Coa-
ball coaching acknowledged by the state. wish to work the next year. ches and with the technical organiza-
These are as follows: We organise three youth coaching clinics tions of FIBA.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE NBA COACHES

by Michael Goldberg
ASSOCIATION
(NBCA)
Michael Goldberg has been the Exe- coaching clinics and international analysis and participated in NBA game
cutive Director of the NBA Coaches basketball. related chat rooms.
Association (NBCA) since 1980. From ▼ To maintain contact and support
1972 to 1976, until his merger with the coaches between assignments. Annual Technology Summit
NBA, he was the General Counsel of This event is organized from time to ti-
the American Basketball Association ▼ To take advantage of current tech- me, in conjunction with Marketing
(ABA). He is the founder and CEO of nology, as it applies to the game of Partners in the field of technology, to
National Media Group (1981), a sports basketball. keep NBA coaches on the cutting ed-
and entertainment marketing Agency, ge of new technology as it relates to
which, among other events, organized MILESTONES basketball and coaching the game.
for NBA the Gatorade World Clinics, Pension Plan A software platform, designed for NBA
and the launch of the McDonald's Ba- The Association's Pension Plan is an coaches, has been showcased during
sketball Championship. outstanding one and in a par with the Summits. This event is organized in
other U.S. professional sports leagues. conjunction with the technology rela-
THE GOALS ted companies wishing to be "partners"
The NBA Coaches Association was Overseas Opportunities with the NBA coaching staff.
founded in 1976, with a three main goals: (Camps and Clinics)
Over 130 NBA head and assistant coa- Joint Licensing Agreement NBA Pro-
▼ To promote the profession of NBA ches have participated in overseas perties Inc./NBCA
Basketball Coaches. opportunities since this program be- In 2004 the Association signed a three
gan in 1981. In 2004 two NBA assistant year extension (until 2006-2007 sea-
▼ To secure its members, both head, coaches participated in the first ever son) of the Joint Licensing Agreement
as well as the assistant coaches, NBA China Clinic, organized by the between NBA Properties, Inc. and the
maximum salary opportunities, di- NBA with the Chinese Basketball Fe- NBA Coaches Association (head and
sability and retirement benefits and deration. assistant coaches). Under the plan,
individual and group marketing op- the Coaches cooperate with the lea-
portunity. Television Analyst Initiative gue on a number of joint marketing ini-
Since 1978, over 80 coaches have se- tiatives, as well as appearances by
▼ To act as a liaison between the cured assignments on network cable head and assistant coaches. In return
NBA and its body of coaches. or local TV broadcasts, either on per- funds are distributed to the current
manent or seasonal basis. members of the Coaches Association
I am pleased that all of these goals ha- into a Supplemental Retirement An-
ve been met. During the course of the Involvement in ESPN's "Matchup" nuity program designed to supplement
years we fulfilled other tasks, such as: Since its creation in 1996, over 133 pa- the Coaches Pension Plan.
st and present head and assistant coa-
▼ To organize regular meetings for its ches have appeared as guests on this Since we started near 30 years ago,
members, where information and nationally broadcast television show, we believe we made many steps
ideas concerning the sport of basket- during the "Coaches' Corner" segment, forward on the road to offer to our
ball and coaching may be exchanged. providing analysis and insight on the members the best possible services,
game and highlighting the Coaches both on financial, as well as consul-
▼ To act as a repository of coaches profession. ting, job improvement, retirement's be-
financial compensation and other nefit, marketing, and other aspects re-
data useful to its members. Internet and NBA.com Initiative lated to their profession. Now, we can
Since its inception, through the work say our Association is a real point of
▼ To create opportunities for coa- of the Association, hundreds of past reference for this key group of selec-
ches in radio and television, and and present coaches have been featu- ted coaches, who are among the best
for opportunities in international red on NBA.com, providing expert in the world at their job.
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FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

THE LITHUANIAN
by Mindanaus Balciunas
BASKETBALL COACHES
ASSOCIATION
Mindaunas Balciunas is the Secre- men's basketball team history since basketball players aged 8-18.
tary General of the Lithuanian Ba- Lithuania's Independence Restora- Thirty-four coaches are working with
sketball Coaches Association. tion in 1990. Three times our teams men's basketball teams and 11 are
came third in the Olympic Games working with women's basketball
The year 1922 is officially considered (1992, 1996, and 2000), we won a silver teams.
the year of the birth of basketball in medal during the FIBA European The average age of a basketball coa-
Lithuania, and Lithuanians celebrate Championship in 1995 and for the third ch in Lithuania is 42 years. On avera-
this birthday on April 23. The most time we won the gold medal in 2003. ge, a coach has 15 years of experien-
outstanding initiators of this game in Not to mention victories in club cham- ce, with one coach typically working
Lithuania were K. Dineika, S. Darius, pionships, women's team achieve- with two groups of children. 39 per-
S. Girenas, and Lithuania's emigrants ments, and our best players that go to cent of basketball coaches are
abroad, including E. Kriauciunas, B. play abroad, but all of these great working with one group of children,
Budrikas, K. Savickas, and a host of players and teams owe a good part of 29 percent with two, 20 percent with
others. their success to the work of our coa- three, and 12 percent are working
It is not easy to distinguish the most ches. with four or more groups.
honored among them, as the game of The Lithuanian Basketball Coaches The LABC organizes three coaching
basketball was being popularized by Association (LABC) was launched on seminars per year. Two of them are
so many enthusiasts. September 20, 1995. The LABC coordi- national seminars, with one interna-
In 1937 and 1939, the Lithuanian men's nates activities of all Lithuania's ba- tional seminar.
basketball team won the gold medal sketball leagues, all basketball/sports Basketball coaches attend 40 to 50
at the FIBA European Championships, schools, activities of all basketball hours of coaching seminars and lec-
and the Lithuanian women's team club coaches, and defends their ri- tures each year.
won the silver medal in 1938. It was a ghts. Since the very start, the LABC Lithuanian Physical Education Aca-
great stimulus to the game of basket- had been directed by Vladas Gara- demy (LPEA) is the body that plays a
ball for Lithuania. stas, the president of the association. vital part in preparation of basketball
After the first post-war generation of Dr. Vydas Gedvilas was selected in coaches in Lithuania. The LPEA gra-
outstanding coaches had retired, the- 2003 as the senior coach of Lithua- duates 10-15 basketball coaches ea-
re was no equivalent replacement. nian women's team for a four-year ch year, and later they continue being
Although the results of Lithuanian ba- term. This team has a proud history, qualified while taking the LBAC's
sketball players were quite modest winning the gold medal at the 1997 FI- courses.
during elite basketball competitions BA European Championships. Approximately 80 percent of Lithua-
in 1958-1965, Lithuania's basketball The LABC decides on the criteria nian basketball coaches have gra-
did not back down. used for the selection of coaches for duated from LPEA, where they have
Numerous new, qualified, and ambi- Lithuania's basketball teams, and is had 600 hours of basketball studies,
tious coaches started their work. The- responsible for submitting the candi- while students work as coach assi-
se men included G. Sviderskaite, V. dates for approval by the Executive stants during training sessions, deve-
Knasius, A. Vilimas, V. Bimba, S. Bu- Committee of the Lithuanian Basket- loping their first coaching skills.
tautas, and V. Garastas. A new gene- ball Federation. Basketball coaching in Lithuania ap-
ration of coaches continues the best The LABC organizes and prosecutes pears to show extremely good results,
basketball coaching traditions in seminars for coaches, various cour- thus we conclude that the course of
Lithuania. Among them are A. Paulau- ses, show training sessions and other coach preparation should not be
skas, V. Kanapkis, J. Kazlauskas, S. methodological arrangements. It pre- changed in the future.
Vilkauskiene, S. Kaupys, E. Milkontas, pares and distributes methodological Yes, there is still room for improve-
A. Kriauciunas, A. Sireika, and others. means and literary sources among ment, and we will make every effort
It is impossible to name all coaches coaches. not to slow down. We all cherish the
whose job has contributed to new The LABC currently has more than 285 long-standing basketball traditions of
achievements in Lithuanian national members, with 230 of them coaching Lithuania.
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 COACHES ASSOCIATION

EDUCATING
by Zdenek Janik
BASKETBALL
COACHES IN THE
by Tomas Petivlas
CZECH REPUBLIC
Zdenek Janik and Tomas Petivlas are
Professors at the Faculty of Sports,
Masaryk University, Brno (Czech
Republic).

Basketball is one of the most popular

team sports in the Czech Republic. One
reason our teams do so well is that the
coaches have a high degree of education
and are able to transfer that information
and enthusiasm to the players.
The Czech Basketball Federation provi-
des a system of education for basketball
coaches that is arranged according to
levels of proficiency. After successful
graduation from the course, the coach
receives a coaching license, and a certi-
ficate of professional competence for
practicing coaching.
Workshops and clinics organized by the
Association of Basketball Coaches provi-
de continuing basketball education.
Participation in these activities is requi-
red in order to maintain a valid coaching
license. Regional basketball education
workshops are provided locally. Special
workshops and clinics for the coaches of
youth sport centers, sport classes, and
sport secondary schools are organized
statewide, open to all, and these occur
throughout the year. The workshops of
Olympics Solidarity, at which FIBA
experts lecture, are the highest level
offered and they are well attended.
Within the education program for coa-
ches, the following license are awarded:
▼ License C
▼ License B
▼ License A

The interest in obtaining a basketball

license is very high. There are approxi-
mately 100 applicants each year for
EV\Z&,
 COACHES association

license C and 40 to 50 for license B. The ding practice of head-coaching of particular competition.
two-year study for license A has about minimum four years in the Czech Minimal eligibility is determined by the
10 applicants, on average. The number Basketball Federation competitions. coaching regulations as follows:
of coaches is gradually increasing. ▼ License A:
There are presently 1,677 coaches with FOREIGN COACH LICENSES Can coach Czech national teams of all
valid licenses, out of which 124 have the Holders of foreign coaching licenses who categories and teams of the senior first
A license, 521 have the B license, and intend to work in the Czech Basketball league.
1,032 have the C license Federation competitions are obliged to ▼ License B:
ask for a Czech license. The Czech licen- Can coach junior and senior teams in
LICENSE C IS AWARDED TO: se will be given after submitting a written competitions directly guided by the
▼ The coaches, who graduated from request with documents of coaching Secretariat of Czech Basketball
coaching courses for license C by expertise. The request is sent to the Federation.
passing the examination. Association of Basketball Coaches, who ▼ License C:
▼ The First League players and natio- make the final decision. A license for Can coach teams in all other types of
nal team players, who played at foreign coaches is good for one year and championship competitions and for all
least three seasons. They do no can be renewed on conditions similar to coach-assistants.
need to go through the official cour- the ones for Czech coaches.
se but must pass the examination for COACHING LICENSE C
license C. LICENSE VALIDITY Individual teaching sessions are held by
▼ The students of Faculty of Sports in The license validity is set according to regional associations of the Czech
Prague, Olomouc, and Brno who the Coaching rules of Czech Basketball Basketball Federation. These four-day
successfully ended their first year of Federation, with the exception of coa- courses involve lectures given by Czech
studying asked for the license C. ches over 65 years of age, whose coa- Basketball Federation lecturers who are
▼ The graduates of Physical Education ching license is unlimited. experienced A-level coaches. There are
Studies at universities, with the con- no entrance requirements. Lessons are
dition that they pass the examina- WITHDRAWAL OF LICENSE theoretical with practical illustrations.
tion for license C or they defend Licenses of all degrees can be with- Emphasis is given to method.
their university final thesis in drawn, if a coach:
basketball. ▼ Has repeatedly committed actions COACHING LICENSE B
The minimum age-limit for receiving the that harm the reputation and goodwill Teaching sessions are organized by the
C license C is 18 years. of the Association of Basketball Faculties of Sports in Prague, Olomouc, and
Coaches. Brno under the auspices of the Association
LICENSE B IS AWARDED TO: ▼ Has repeatedly committed a breach of of Basketball Coaches. The content of lec-
▼ The coaches who graduated from discipline. tures is akin to that of license C.
coach courses for license B by pas- ▼ Has repeatedly committed a serious ▼ In addition to coaching theory and
sing the examination. The condition offense (e.g. breaking the anti-doping practical application of coaching skil-
for acceptance to the course is ban, bribery, murder). ls, lecturers and experts teach the
license C and corresponding practi- ▼ Has been convicted for a premedita- fundamentals of anatomy and physio-
ce of minimum two years. Further ted criminal act. logy of sport. The principles of First
conditions are stated by the Czech Aid are dealt with in detail.
Basketball Federation. Withdrawal of the license is decided by
▼ The graduates of studies at the the Association of Basketball Coaches COACHING LICENSE A
above-mentioned Faculties of Committee. Final withdrawal is sent via License A education has two forms:
Sports, with a major emphasis of certified mail to the coach, with the writ- 1. Study at the Faculty of Sports in
study in basketball.. To obtain the ten decision of the Coaches Committee Prague, Olomouc, or Brno. The pro-
license after five years, the gradua- included. gram is accredited by the Ministry of
te must re-take the examination. In case of temporary suspension of licen- Education (Coaching, or Physical
se, the coach has the possibility to ask, in Education and Sport) and authorized
LICENSE A IS AWARDED TO: written form, to recover his/her license by the Agreement of Czech Basketball
▼ The graduates of Coach School at after six months. Conditions of license Federation on educating coaches at
the Faculties of Education in Prague, recovery are decided by the Association the given level.
Olomouc, and Brno, who asked for of Basketball Coaches Committee. 2. Study at the coaching school at the
the license to be issued within five A coach can appeal the decision of with- Faculties of Sports in Prague,
years after having finished their stu- drawal to the Supervisory Board of Czech Olomouc, or Brno. This program lasts
dies. To obtain the license after the Basketball Association within 15 days two and a half years and requires a
period of 5 years, the graduate must after the withdrawal decision. fee. The applicants must be holders of
re-take the examination at the license B and have a minimum of two
Association of Basketball Coaches ELIGIBILITY FOR TEAM-LEADERSHIP years of coaching practice. The pro-
Committee. IN COMPETITIONS gram is accredited by the Ministry of
▼ The graduates of studies at the Eligibility for team-leadership (in both Education and authorized by the
above-mentioned Faculties of Sports matches and trainings) at individual Agreement of Czech Basketball
with the major in basketball who are levels of Czech Basketball Federation Federation on educating coaches at
holders of license B with correspon- competitions is set by a schedule of a the given level.
EV\Z&-
 COACHES ASSOCIATION

GERMAN BASKETBALL
by Lothar Bösing

COACHES
ASSOCIATION
Lothar Bösing is the Chairman of the Basketball Bund, DBB). The LTK is the ▼ To develop and advance the sports di-
Basketball Coaches Commission of the leading rule developing body for the coa- scipline of basketball in Germany.
German Basketball Association. He is ches' education and training. It consists ▼ To organize and develop the educa-
responsible for the coaches' education of six people (coaches and officials), tion and training of basketball coa-
and training program in Germany. He has including Dirk Bauermann, head coach of ches in Germany.
coached basketball teams at every level. the German men's national team. The ▼ To develop and improve the coaches
members of the LTK are appointed by the license system.
The German Basketball Coaches German Basketball Federation. ▼ To organize high level events such as
Commission (LTK) is part of the German international coach clinics.
Basketball Federation (Deutscher The goals of the LTK are as follows: ▼ To raise the level of knowledge and

EV\Z&.
 COACHES ASSOCIATION

professionalism of basketball coa- Additionally, the candidates for a B-licen- ▼ Scientific aspects of coaching as a
ches in Germany. se have to prove ten presences to practi- profession (4 class hours).
▼ To safeguard all coaches' interests. ce sessions (one at least 90 minutes) of at ▼ New media (2 class hours).
least two different coaches of national ▼ Scouting (2 class hours).
Basketball coaches in Germany are divi- teams or first league teams with an A-
ded in a nation-wide 3-license-system: license. 2. Sports practice and special
C, B and A. The 16 Regional Federations To get an A-license the coach has to hold methodology (26 class hours)
organize the award of C-licenses. a valid B-license and has to prove that ▼ Individual practice in professional
The Regional Federations start coaches' he/she has worked in high competitive sports (2 class hours).
education and training on the level of a sports for the last two years. Candidates ▼ Team tactics (12 class hours).
so-called D-license, which is not applied for an A-License have to pass the comple- ▼ Work with video in practice and com-
nation-wide. te education and training program, which petition (4 class hours)
Coaches, who want to get a C-license, consists of a basic course, an advanced ▼ Play styles and concepts (2 class
have to meet the following require- course, and a course that the candidates hours).
ments: can choose from a number of advanced ▼ Recruiting players (2 class hours).
courses. ▼ Preparation for the practical test and
▼ Membership in a basketball club of Additionally, the candidates for an A- final examination.
the Regional Federation. license have to prove ten presences to There are 8,500 licensed basketball coa-
▼ Minimum age 16 years. practice sessions (one at least 90 minu- ches in Germany, 3,742 with a D-license,
▼ Certificate of a course in first aid (16 tes) of at least two different different coa- 3,634 with a C-license, 790 with a B-licen-
class sessions of 45 minutes). ches of national teams or first league se, and 334 with an A-license.
▼ Knowledge of rules. teams with an A-license.
▼ Ability to play basketball. To get an A-license the basketball coa- All the contents of courses in coaches'
▼ Successful attendance at several ches in Germany must successfully education and training in Germany are
courses. attend several class sessions: determined by the LTK, but there is always
a fruitful discussion about its contents
The award of B and A license is organi- 1. Theory (34 class hours) and concept between the LTK and
sed by LTK. To get a B-License the ▼ Training sciences, sports sciences (6 Regional Federations. This ensures there
coach has to hold a valid C-license and class hours). will be a fertile development of coaches'
has to prove that he/she has worked in ▼ Aspects of performance (1 class hour). education in Germany.
the field of competitive sports over the ▼ Sports scientific foundations concer-
last two years. Candidates for a B- ning referees (4 class hours). Professional coaches of national teams
License have to pass the complete edu- ▼ Sports psychology (8 class hours). and first league teams are responsible for
cation and training program, which con- ▼ Methodology and didactics (1 class a certain part of the coaches' education
sists of a basic course, an advanced hour). and training and their participation in
course, and an additional advanced ▼ Working with the media/ technique of coach clinics helps with the teaching pro-
course that the candidates can choose. interviews (6 class hours). cess.

EV\Z'%
 COACHES ASSOCIATION

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

by Mirko Polivina BASKETBALL COACHES
ASSOCIATION
by Mirko Ocokoljic

Mirko Polovina has been involved with large basketball public too. Our web
the Serbia and Montenegro site www.uktscg.com describes the
Association of Basketball Coaches activities of our organization and visi-
(SMABC) since 1994. He is editor of the tors can view all of the SMABC docu-
magazine "Trener" (Coach) and marke- ments.
ting director of the YUBAC basketball
camp. Since 1999, the Basketball Academy
has been located in the House of
Mirko Ocokoljic is Secretary General Basketball. Upon graduation, students
of Serbia and Montenegro Association earn the title of senior basketball
of Basketball Coaches since 2001. coach. This school is a unique educa-
Ocokoljic is also working as a basket- tional institution, where guest lecturers
ball coach of the youth team. regularly come to speak. These are our
most eminent experts, among whom
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: A PRIORITY include: Dusan Ivkovic, Ranko Zeravica,
Serbia and Montenegro (former Svetislav Pesic, Zelimir Obradovic,
Yugoslavian) Association of Basketball Bozidar Maljkovic, Borivoje Cenic, ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSOCIATION
Coaches, with about 1,300 members, is Dusko Vujosevic. These are top Serbian The Serbia and Montenegro Association of
certainly among the largest ones in coaches, who have won at both the Basketball Coaches (SMABC), whose consti-
Europe, and according to the number of club and National team level. Other visi- tuent parts are the Association of Serbia and
quality coaches, activities program, ting lecturers, experts in specific fields, Association of Montenegro, acts as a unique
overall activity, organization, and contribute to the scope and quality of association. The supreme organ of the
results, it is surely a role model for the the education of our young coaches. Association is the Assembly, with its 25 mem-
rest of Europe. bers. Regular sessions are convened annual-
The late Slobodan Piva Ivkovic, older
brother of Dusan Ivkovic (coach of
Dynamo Moscow, and also President of
WABC, the World Association of
Basketball Coaches) and a group of
enthusiasts interested in basketball
development, founded the Association
of Basketball Coaches of Yugolslavia in
1972 and he became its first President.
The Association, located in the House
of Basketball, headquarters of the
Serbian and Montenegro Basketball
Federation offices and activities, helped
create the Constitution, Code of Coach
Behavior, Rule Book on Licenses, and
the contracts between coaches and
clubs. For the first time, both coaches
and the club are protected. In 1997, the
magazine “Trener” was launched and it
has played an important role in helping
educate our members, as well as the

EV\Z'&
 COACHES ASSOCIATION

ly. The Managing Board is an executive

organ of the Assembly and consists of
seven members. The Assembly President
is also the President of the Managing
Board. The only professional is a secretary
of the Managing Board, Mirko Ocokoljic.
Within the scope of work of the SMABC,
the duties and basic tasks include upda-
ting the coach files; analysis of the coa-
ching personnel; issuing coach licenses;
ensuring legal protection for coaches; ela-
boration of plans and annual reports on
work; cooperation with the media; and par-
ticipation in the international meetings that
contribute to the reputation of the SMABC.
It is important to mention that the
Association has extraordinary communi-
cation and cooperation with the Basketball
Federation of Serbia and Montenegro.

PROGRAM TASKS
Serbia and Montenegro Association of
Basketball Coaches considers professio-
nal education of its members a priority.
Approximately 90 percent of the budget
covers actions related to professional edu-
cation. Great emphasis is placed on:
Basketball Clinic Belgrade (BCB), with
renowned lecturers; Coach Days, which
are obligatory for all the junior category
coaches; Permanent Education, a series of
lectures for junior coaches head in various
basketball centers around the country in
order to provide education to a larger num-
ber of participants. Attending the lectures
is mandatory and part of the licensing pro-
professional coach personnel in all has to pay double tax for their licence.
cedure. Assistance to the Coach is a spe-
areas and especially to enhance work in The top licence is red. Coaches with
cial program where, at the specific reque-
the smaller basketball centres. this license may lead teams of the First
st of a coach, an experienced coach is
Besides the magazine, our well-equip- A league in the male and female com-
sent to a club to offer professional help
ped library and video collection with the petitions and clubs of the First B lea-
and advice, all at the expense of the
most up-to-date titles concerning gue- group Serbia and group
Association.
basketball development contribute to the Montenegro. Conditions for obtaining
Internship in the club means spending time
professional education. red licence are: membership in the
with an experienced coach within the coun-
SMABC; at least four years of coaching
try or abroad, and gaining new experience.
According to the Rule Book on Licenses, experience, or playing for the senior
Internship in the national team means moni-
coaches may obtain white, blue and red national team of Serbia and Montenegro
toring the preparations of the national teams
licence. The conditions for obtaining the 30 times, or eight years as a player in the
before big competitions. The Study Stay in
white licence are that the coach has to federal rank; attending BCB. Coaches of
the US is a stay at an NBA team pre-season
be the member of the SMABC and have the federal rank must have a signed con-
camp or with some of the top NCAA colle-
finished secondary school studies. This tract stored at the SMABC and tax for
ges during the pre-season practices.
licence is intended for coaches leading the license has to be paid as well.
teams in the regional competitons, sum-
For an internship in a club, national team or
mer league, and minibasket. FINANCIAL PLAN
stay in USA, the candidates are chosen on
Coaches with a blue licence may lead Serbia and Montenegro Association of
determined criteria, always published in
teams of the First B female league, I and II Basketball Coaches, with its Articles of
the magazine “Trener” and the selected
Serbian League, and junior teams. The Association, is defined as a voluntary,
ones are decided by Board of the
conditions for getting the blue licence are: interest and professional association. It
Association. The schooling programme
membership in the SMABC; current job as acts in accordance with these regula-
envisages scholarships to the best stu-
a basketball coach, possessing at least tions. SCG Association of Basketball
dents of the Basketball Academy and help
two years of coaching experience; or four Coaches is an independent legal person
to the coaches from "small environments"
years as a basketball player; and atten- with its own current account and overall
for attending the Course for an operative
dance to all mandatory seminars. If coach work programme is realized on self-finan-
coach, with objective to equally provide
does not fullfill all those criterias he/she cing basis. The financing sources are:
EV\Z''
▼ Annual membership (individually) 20
euro
▼ Fee for BCB 50-200 euro
▼ License taxes 50-300 euro
▼ Sponsorship contracts.

Overall planned income for the year 2006

should amount to 200.000 euro. The
report on the work for the previous year
and plan for the following year are adop-
ted at the Assembly of the Association,
and President and Managing Board are
in charge of the realization.

BASKETBALL CLINIC BELGRADE

In order to rise the level of the profes-
sional education to the top, the
"Managing Board of the SMABC made
a decision in 2002 to start Basketball
Clinic Belgrade"- BCB, an extremely
ambitious professional seminar direc-
ted by Milan Opacic. Later on it will be
shown that both decisions have hit the Bozidar Maljkovic, Roy Williams, Dusan MAGAZINE TRENER
target. Don Nelson, Del Harris, Rick Ugarkovic and Miljan Grbovic. Magazine Trener is now in its tenth
Majerus, and Igor Kokoskov were guest In 2005, lectures were given by Mike year. Until 2003 it was published every
lecturers at the first clinic. The lectu- D'Antoni, 2005 NBA Coach of the Year, three-months, with a circulation of
rers at the BCB 2003 were: Javier Ruben Magnano, Olympic Gold Medal win- 1,500 exclusively for the Association
Imbroda (Spain) Greg Popovich, Ettore ner, Svetislav Pesic, FIBA World members. Since 2004 it has been
Messina (Italy) and Dragan Kokovic. Champion, Vladan Devedzic, Sead Krdzalic published bimonthly, with a circulation
The lecturers at BCB 2004 were: Larry and as a special guest, Vlade Divac, the of 3,000 copies, with all pages in color.
Brown, Greg Popovich, Ettore Messina, former NBA player. The Association members get it at
their home addresses, and the rest is
sent to the market, newspaper shops
in all major towns of Serbia and
Montenegro and former Yugoslavian
republics. The special magazine's
issue on BCB Clinic is published in
Serbian and English.

BASKETBALL ACADEMY BELGRADE

Since 1999, more than 70 senior basket-
ball coaches have graduated from the
Academy and over 300 lower-level
basketball coaches have also taken
classes. During the two-year program,
students have more than 1,200 lessons,
with our most eminent coaches giving
lectures.

AWARDS
The Life Work Prize is the greatest
recognition a coach can get in Serbia
and Montenegro. This award is presen-
ted annually in honor of Association
founder and great basketball legend
Slobodan Piva Ivkovic Previous winners
include Aleksandar Nikolic, Bora
Stankovic, Nebojsa Popovic, Ranko
Zeravica, Dusan Ivkovic, Milan Ciga
Vasojevic, Zeljko Obradovic, Svetislav
Pesic, Bora Cenic, Strahinja Braca
Alagic, Vladislav Lale Lucic, and
Bozidar Maljkovic.

EV\Z'(
 FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

SPANISH
by Miguel Martin Leon

COACHES
EDUCATION
Miguel Martin Leon is the Director of Today's head coach must not only be solutions.
Study of the Coaches School of the a tactician, who can set up zones and We believe that basketball needs to
Spanish Basketball Federation. break down offenses. be broken down into four great
blocks:
At the highest coaching level, He must also be able to teach, to
basketball has now changed into a bring his players to a higher level of ▼ Tactics (offensive and defensive)
business, where there are specialists basketball knowledge. ▼ Training
on the staff. ▼ Player Formation
Most top professional teams today Knowledge is power and the higher ▼ Teamwork.
have a head coach, a first assistant the "basketball IQ" of the players, the
coach, second assistant coach, team better the team will be in the long Finally, the process of instruction and
manager, strength and conditioning run. learning must be continuous, and,
coach, scout, medical doctor, trainer, therefore, the learning must never
and a sports psychologist. Technology gives coaches the oppor- end.
tunity to innovate the teaching
What we once may have thought of methods, breaking the space and For this reason we are developing a
as a coach just 10 years ago has time with the "virtual classrooms," complete coaching program, with ini-
changed forever with the advent of using digital images to help interpret tiatives like the Coach's Club and
specialization. the many situations of a real game. Masters, two programs that allow
For this reason, we need to think of coaches to be up-to-date in regards
team coach, not as the "head coach" As part of our overall plan of creating to coaching philosophy and practice
but rather as the "team director," the a new class of Spanish basketball in our global basketball world that no
person who oversees and directs coaches to meet the modern defini- longer has borders.
many functions within the team. In tion of coach, we create a teaching
short, this team director is: situation that allows them to make STRUCTURE OF COACH'S FORMATION
initial self-assessments of various ▼ First Level Course: Beginning
▼ The person who is in charge of the game situations. (Improvement Daily Sessions)
individual players, who form the
team, as well as all aspects neces- By studying various offensive and ▼ Second Level Course: Reinforcement
sary to build a successful team. This defensive situations and then (Courses of Development)
person must organize practice ses- applying their knowledge, they are
sions, prepare the team for all able to grow as coaches. ▼ Third level Course: Specialization
games, handle all personal relation- (Masters of Improvement).
ships on the team, provide leader- Working closely with other coaches,
ship, and serve as the liaison they are able to resolve problems, These different courses are aimed at
between the technical and non- exchange opinions, and analyze creating coaches at different levels.
technical staff. In this era of specia- various game situations. The first level is geared for youth
lization, today's coach must be fully level coaches.
conscious of the different speciali- With the help of their professors, Level two is for regional coaches,
zed people who surround him and they can have an active dialog as while Level three is strictly for coaches
know exactly what their roles are. they attempt to come up with the best playing at the highest national level.

EV\Z')
EV\Z'*
 FIBA EUROPE
COACHES ASSOCIATIONS

FORMATIVE PHILOSOPHY updates for its coaches. experts on those particular subjects.
"To learn from basketball. To teach Through the Internet pages of the
inside basketball." Spanish Federation, the coaches The Coach's Club is free, and now
access to exclusive interactive con- there are more than 6.500 members,
COACH'S CLUB tent that can easily be downloaded. not only from Spain, but also from
This past year, the Spanish Basketball other European, North American, and
Federation created the Coach's Club Periodically, they receive a technical Latin American countries.
for continuous education, an active supplement on a variety of current
interchange of ideas, and constant topics, created by the most important For additional coaching support, we
also have the Spanish Basketball
Coaches Association (AEEB) and
other Regional Coaches Association,
which are part of the Regional
Federations.

MASTERS OF IMPROVEMENT
I will now focus on the courses that
are offered at the Third Level.
As mentioned, these intensive cour-
ses are aimed at top-level coaches.
We use an innovative style of tea-
ching based on the specialized inter-
change of ideas.
Work is carried out in small focus
groups and forums, and great use is
made of technological media.
The Masters courses are structured
in four cycles with an approach based
in blocks of contents:

▼ Tactics
▼ Formation
▼ Teamwork
▼ Training.

For this year, we planned four diffe-

rent appointments for these Masters:

Master of Formation
Date: 10-12 April
Location: San Fernando (Cádiz)
Event: Spanish Championship Mini

Master of Tactics
Date: End of July
Location: Santa Cruz de Tenerife
(Tenerife)
Event: FIBA U18 Women's European
Championship

Master of Teamwork
Date: Mid of August
Location: Jaén
Event: FIBA U16 Men's European
Championship

Master of Training
Date: December
Event: Meetings of the Selections of
Youth Level

EV\Z'+
 content

hoop market
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VIDEOS AND BOOKS
@44>*



BOOKS AND WEB SITES ON CONDITIONING
@44>*



TWO OF THE TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYS: LEARN THE SYSTEMS FROM VIDEO AND BOOKS
@44>*



SPORT MARKETING BOOKS
@44>*



BASKETBALL COACHING AND TRAINING AIDS
@44>*



ONE-ON-ONE VIDEOS AND BOOKS ABOUT OFFENSE
 @44>*



THE BIG MAN: VIDEOS AND BOOKS
@44>*



BOOKS, VIDEOS, AND DVDS FOCUSED ON THE FASTBREAK
@44>*



VIDEOS AND BOOKS ON SHOOTING
@44>*



BOOKS AND VIDEOS ON ZONE DEFENSE
 @44>*



“FIBA HOOPS COACH” CD-ROM
 @44>*


&
THE DVD INVASION
@44>*


&
PHIL JACKSON: A COACHING LEGEND
@44>*


&
BASKETBALL ISN’T JUST FOR BOYS ANYMORE
@44>*


&
NEW TOOLS FOR COACHING BASKETBALL
@44>*


&
THE LEGENDS
@44>*



Duke Basketball six-pack DVDS
@44>*



A SHOOTING EXPERT: HAL WISSEL
@44>*


                                                                        
YOUTH BASKETBALL AND FUNDAMENTALS DVDS
@44>*


.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
@44>*



FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
VIDEOS AND BOOKS
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media
for review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Former Director of the other to defense.

the Italian Basket- The WBCA’s Offensi-
ball Federation ve Basketball Drills,
Study Center, Imbro- edited in 2000, is
gno is Instructor of composed of 87 arti-
the Italian National cles written by nu-
Coaches Committee merous coaches in-
of the Federation. He cluding Pat Summit
is author of various (University of Ten-
technical basketball nessee), Tara Van-
publications. Derveer (Stanford),
and Theresa Grentz
(Illinois). The book
The recent Women’s presents exercises
NCAA Final Four and subdivided into eight
WNBA championshi- chapters covering:
ps have once again movement without
confirmed the huge the ball, ballhandling,
success of women’s passing, picks on and
basketball with the off the ball, shooting,
American public. offensive reboun-
This “parity” with ding, offensive tran-
men’s basketball is sition and certain
also evident in the special situations.
publications dedica- The second book, pu-
ted to women’s ba- blished the next year
sketball in the US. by the same Human
An excellent series Kinetics (www.hu-
of work about the mankinetics.com) is
teaching of basket- entitled WBCA’s De-
ball has been relea- fensive Basketball
sed in recent years Drills. In seven
by women’s basket- chapters, the book
ball coaches. The addresses topics su-
books and videos ex- ch as drills for foot
poses the false rhe- speed, defending
toric regarding wo- picks, blocking-out
men’s sport, which maneuvers and re-
pits those who belie- bounding, perimeter
ve that women’s ba- and interior defense,
sketball is the off- transition defense,
spring of a minor God and team defense. In
and those who don’t want to accept or understand the real 1996 and 1998, Human Kinetics also produced a book and
differences that exist between men’s basketball and wo- two videos by Nancy Lieberman-Cline and Robin Roberts.
men’s basketball. The book, Basketball for Women, presents 111 exercises
The WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, whi- devoted to the improvement of offensive and defensive fun-
ch also has its own interesting website: www.wbca.org) damentals, including two interesting chapters dedicated to
has produced a pair of books, one dedicated to offense and mentally and physically preparing for the game. The first
EV\Z&
one of the two videos, Basketball for Women: De-
fense and Rebounding, presents a detailed ac-
count of defensive concepts, including pressure
on the ball, playing the passing lane, and defen-
sive rebounding positioning.
The second book, Basketball for Women: Offen-
sive Skills, illustrates how to become an offensive tri-
ple threat. Sysko’s Sports Stuff Internet site
(www.syskos.com) is rich with interesting titles from the Fi-
ve Star Camp’s volume dedicated to women’s basketball.
These include Theresa Grentz and Gary Miller’s 101 Wo- which presented the defensive system utilized by the Lady
men’s Basketball Drills, and the three videos by Sylvia Hat- Vols, the powerful team that has already won six NCAA ti-
chell of the University of North Carolina: Championship Of- tles. In 1998 Championship also produced three volumes by
fensive Plays, Championship Out-of-Bounds Plays, and Theresa Grentz: Women’s Basketball Basics: Skills and
Championship Post Play. Also of excellent quality are the Drills, vol. 1, 2, and 3.
four videos by Marsha Sharp, coach of the University of In 2000, Bob Murrey, editor of the Instant Notebook Review,
Texas Tech: Flex Offense, High Low Slide, Match-up Zone in conjunction with the USA Coaches Clinic, printed a spe-
and Press Offense. Tara Vanderveer has produced nine vi- cial edition completely dedicated to women’s basketball,
deos by herself and one book Girls’ and Women’s Basketball By the Experts.
(www.basketballworldinc.com/vanderveer), which details In 2002 another publication about this topic was Developing
the entire system used by Standford University teams. Successful Girls and Women’s Program, by Stephenie Jor-
In 2001, Championship (www.champonline.com) produced dan, published by Coaches Choice
Pat Summit’s video, Building Championship Team Defense, (www.coacheschoice.com).
EV\Z'
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

BOOKS AND WEB SITES

ON CONDITIONING
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media
for review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball Fe-

deration Study Center, is an instructor with the Italian National
Coaches Committee of the Federation. Ibrogno is the author of
several technical basketball publications.
In this section, we describe the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but are certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about other basketball-related media for review in
this section.

Physical conditioning is becoming more and more important in

basketball training, with drills and exercises now performed on
the court and in the weight room as opposed to the running track
as they had in the past. We would like introduce you to some
books and videos that detail a variety of strength and conditioning
practices and programs that will help you get your players ready
for the fast-paced game we have today.
When it comes to sport physiology and conditioning, The Physio-
logical Basis for Exercise and Sport, by Edward L. Fox, Richard W.
Bowers, and Merle Foss (721 pages, William C. Brown, 1993) is a
classic. While the book was very successful and was translated
into several languages, including Fisiologia del Deporte (Medica
Panamerica, 1997), it is now out of print and may be hard to find. If
you are lucky enough to find a copy, I recommend that you add it
to your library.
The Science and Practice of Strength Training, by Vladimir M. Zat-
siorsky (Human Kinetics, 1995) details all the information about

strength workouts you need, while Jumping into Plyometrics (Hu-

man Kinetics, 1998), by Donald Chu, a consultant to many NBA
teams, describes how to employ plyometrics in your conditioning
workouts. Developed from exercises used by coaches and athle-
tes in the former Eastern bloc countries in the mid-1960s, plyome-
trics is a type of training designed to develop power characterized
as explosive. It’s the kind of power that all top basketball players
have, and that all aspirants to greatness need.
Specific books for basketball conditioning include Conditioning for
EV\Z(
 letes in their new book, The NCSA’s Strength
and Conditioning Manual for High School Coa-
ches (on the Internet at
http://www.exrx.net/Store/HL/NSCAStrength-
ConditioningHS.html). This extensive book co-
vers program design, warm up, stretching and
flexibility, resistance exercises, plyometrics,
speed development, agility, and offers special
sections on exercise physiology and nutrition.
The book also provides sample programs and
guidelines, and features over 80 exercises and
drills (with complete descriptions and photo-
graphs) that coaches can use in their pro-
grams.
Another very interesting a book and CD-ROM
released this year is Building Strength and
Stamina (Human Kinetics) by strength-training
expert Wayne Westcott. Functional Resistan-
ce Training Techniques (Human Kinetics, 2003)
is the new CD/DVD produced by Lee Brown
and Matthew Comeau. Gilles Cometti, a Fren-
ch expert, wrote Préparation Physique au Ba-
sket (Chiron, 2001), which has detailed training
programs to help get your players ready for the
upcoming season.
The following Internet websites sell many of
the conditioning books, videos, and sport-
specific training information discussed abo-
ve.

In English
www.humankinetics.com
www.sysko.com
www.coacheschoice.com
www.sportspecific.com
www.nsca-lift.org
www.streghtcoach.com
www.thestretchinghandbook.com
www.powerbasketball.com
www.nsca-lift.org
Basketball, by Matt Brzycki and Shaun Brown (Master Press, www.naturalstrength.com
1993), Strength Training for Basketball, by Bruno Pauletto (Human www.performbetter.com
Kinetics, 1994), and Complete Conditioning for Basketball, by Greg www.sobreentrenamiento.com (Spanish)
Brittenham (Human Kinetics, 1995), a book and video from the con- www.afeb.asso.fr (French)
ditioning coach of the New York Knicks. www.preparazioneatletica.it. (Italian)
Bill Foran, the conditioning coach of the Miami Heat and founder of
the National Basketball Association of Conditioning Coaches, wro-
te NBA Power Conditioning, 122 Exercises and Drills from the Ex-
perts (Human Kinetics, 1997). Foran has a new book out called High
Performance Sports Conditioning: Modern Training for Ultimate
Athletic Development. What Foran has done is collected training
articles from the best U.S. conditioning coaches and packed them
into 362 pages of very interesting reading.
Another new book published this year is Getting Fit Now for High
School Basketball (Hatherleigh Press,
http://store.yahoo.com/hatherleighpress/1-57826-094-9.html). Joe
Kolb, the author, has written a fitness book on how to train boys and
girls from 12 to 18 years of age. There over 200 photographs which
illustrate the text, with an ample section devoted to women’s ba-
sketball and training for the disabled.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), a
worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, describes how
to design a strength and conditioning program for high school ath-
EV\Z)
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

TWO OF THE TOP

OFFENSIVE PLAYS:
LEARN THE SYSTEMS
FROM VIDEO AND BOOKS
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media
for review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball Fede-

ration Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian National Coa-
ches Committee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the author of seve-
ral technical basketball publications.

There is a huge production of videos and books dedicated to va-

rious offensive situations, such as man-to-man offense, zone offen-
se, fastbreak, and special situations. Some have become classics
because of the success that the authors had with their teams. I will
focus on the books and videos dealing with the most popular offen-
sive systems used not only in US, but also around the world.
At the end of the 1940s, a young Fred “Tex” Winter was on the ba-
sketball team at the University of Southern California. The team’s
set play was called “center option offense” and it was to become
the grandfather of Winter’s very famous “triangle offense.” The
Chicago Bulls used the triangle in winning their many NBA cham-
pionships, with Winter as the assistant coach, and it was also used
by the Los Angeles Lakers, where Winter was again the assistant
coach.
In 1962, Winter wrote the book Triple Post Offense (Sideline Trian-
gle), published by Prentice Hall with 216 pages full of techniques
and tactics. The book was reprinted in 1997 by AG Press, owned by
Winter’s son and now distributed by Sysko’s (www.syskos.com).
The book is divided into three distinct sections: The Triple Post Of-
fense, The Developing Programs, and The Coaching Profession. In
the first section, Winter analyzes the concepts and principles that
form the base of an effective offensive system. He identifies seven
different “musts” of a good offense. He writes:
“The offense must start from a strong full court defense; must pe-
netrate the defense; must have the proper spacing among the
players; must have movements of the ball and of the players
without the ball, all with a definite aim; must have a good defensive
balance; must create a good passing choices; must maximize the
players’ skills.”
EV\Z*
 bling, shooting, and de-
fense exercises that will
help improve the skills of
both novice and veteran
players. In 1997, Fever
Sports Production also
marketed four videotapes
covering the Princeton
backdoor offense of Pete
Carril, another famous of-
fensive system used by
many NBA teams, inclu-
ding the Sacramento
Kings and the New Jersey
Nets. Carril, now an assi-
stant coach of the Sacra-
mento Kings, invented this
offensive system when he
was head coach at Prince-
ton University.
In four videotapes (The Prin-
ceton Offense; The Drills for
the Princeton Offense; The
Princeton Offense: High Post
Options; and The Princeton
Offense: Chin Series), Carril
uses diagrams
and on-court
presentations to
describe the of-
fense that brou-
ght so many
winning sea-
sons for Prince-
ton University.
In the first 77-mi-
nute tape, he
shows the basic
principles of this
offensive set,
with all the cuts,
However, Winter believes the most important thing is the execu- passing, picks,
tion of the system, more than the system itself. For Winter, good and different
execution is based only on the ability of the players to understand shooting op-
and execute basic basketball fundamentals. tions.The se-
The second part of the book is dedicated to developing proper te- cond tape is 45
chnical and athletic development, with particular attention paid to minutes and
body balance, dribbling, passing, and shooting. The final part de- Carril introduces
scribes the various aspects of the coaching job, such as team psy- a series of sim-
chology and planning for practice sessions and preparing for ga- ple, but very ef-
mes. fective drills for
Fever River Sports Productions produced four videotapes on Win- teaching his sy-
ter’s offensive system in 2002: Sideline Triangle, Volume I (65 minu- stem.
tes) and Volume II (45 minutes); Full- and Half-Court Drills for the The third tape
Sideline Triangle (42 minutes); and Fundamental Basketball (49 mi- (50 minutes) de-
nutes). Winter has a special web site dedicated to this offense, tails the options
www.triangleanalisys.com. with the ball on
In the first two videos, the assistant coach of the Lakers details his the high post, while the final tape (30 minutes) analyzes how to
offense with all the different options, including the entry pass, cuts, easily adapt the offense with the backdoor cuts against very
and picks. In the third video, he shows a series of passing drills at aggressive defensive teams.
half and full court that are needed to implement the triangle offen- These videotapes can be ordered to www.syskos.com,
se. In the last video, Winter goes over a series of passing, drib- www.usacoaches.com or www.champonline.com.
EV\Z+
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

SPORT MARKETING
BOOKS In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media
for review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball

Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian Na-
tional Coaches Committee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the
author of several technical basketball publications.

Sport marketing has expanded its role and grown in importan-

ce over the past decade, both in theory and practice. Today,
universities offer advanced degrees in sport management and
marketing and many universities have sought out both coa-
ches and former players to be instructors. For example, San-
dro Gamba, former head coach of the Italian National basket-
ball team, and Pierluigi Marzorati, an All Time basketball Ita-
lian player, now teach sport management at the Faculty of Mo-
tor Science at Milan University.
Many books about sports marketing are now being published.
Let’s take a look to the most important publications. In 1993 Hu-
man Kinetics published the first edition of Sport Marketing, by
Bernard James Mullin, Stephen Hardy, and William A. Sutton.
When compared to what had been previously published in the
field, this book represents a big step forward.
The three authors each contributed valuable insights.
Mullin collected important experiences from both the sport
and management field. Hardy a professor and coordinator of
Sport Programs at the University of New Hampshire, brought
to the book his experiences as highly-regarded consultant
with U.S. professional basketball and ice hockey teams. Sut- shed by Paidotribo, and it can be ordered through the web site
ton, a former NBA Vice President of Team Marketing (now a www.efdeportes.com/libros. Japanese and Korean versions
Professor of Sport Marketing at Central Florida University in are also available.
Orlando, Florida), is considered one of the top sport marketers In 2001, the same three authors published Graphics Package for
in U.S. and his insights are invaluable. Sport Marketing (Human Kinetics, www.humankinetics.com).
The book has always been popular and in 1999 a second edi- In 2002, Sutton, along with Richard L. Irwin and Larry M. Mc-
tion was published. In 456 pages and 14 chapters, the authors Carthy, published Sport Promotion and Sales Management for
provide all the tools for studying and understanding the sport Human Kinetics, which describes the many aspects involved in
market. They describe how to develop a marketing strategy, the sale and promotion of sport events.
how to create an efficient sport organization, how to imple- Other interesting sport marketing books include: Developing
ment marketing plans through sponsorships, promotions, ad- Successful Sport Marketing Plans by David Kent Stotlar (Sport
vertising, and sales. The authors also describe important Management Library Series, October 2000); Developing Suc-
marketing principles and present many informative case hi- cessful Sport Sponsorship Plans, again by David Kent Stotlar
stories. (Fitness Information Technology, October 2000); and Sports
The second edition also comes with a CD-ROM, rich with Marketing: It’s Not Just a Game Anymore, by Phil Schaaf (Pro-
examples of strategies aimed at international marketing metheus Books, October 1995).
(www.humankinetics.com). The most important French texts include: Management du Sport
A third edition of the book will be printed in 2004. by Gary Tribou e Bernard Augè (Dunod Publisher, March 2003);
There is also a Spanish version, Marketing Deportivo, publi- Sponsoring Sportif, again by Gary Tribou (Economica Publisher,
EV\Z,
September 2002);
Stratégie des En-
treprises dans le
Sport by Michel
Desbordes (Eco-
nomica Publi-
sher, September
2001); Marke-
ting du Sport, by
Michel Desbor-
des, Fabien Ohl
e Gary Tribou
(Economica,
September
2001) There
is also a
Spanish ver-
sion of this
text, publi-
shed by
Paidotribo;
Sport, Fric
et Strass
by Brice
Moulin
(Eyrolles, October 2002).
Besides these two Spanish-language books
Paidotribo has also published: Planificacion Estrategica en las
Organizaciones Deportivas by Ferdinando Paris Roche and Co-
municacion Corporativa en el Deporte by Gerardo Mediavilla.
All of these books can also be ordered through the Internet at
www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnobles.com
Finally, here are some sport marketing books written in Italian.
Stefano Cherubini and Marco Canigiani, Professors at the Uni-
versity of Rome-Tor Vergata, are the main authors of marketing
publications (particularly on co-marketing). Their books are pu-
blished by Franco Angeli Editor (www.francoangeli.it) and inclu-
de: Il Co-marketing Sportivo: Strategie di Cooperazione nel Mer-
cato Sportivo (1999); Media e Co-marketing Sportivo (2000);
Campioni e Co-marketing Sportivo (2001). Cherubini was the so-
lo author of the book Il Marketing Sportivo: Analisi, Strategie,
Strumenti (2000).

EV\Z-
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

BASKETBALL COACHING
AND TRAINING AIDS
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media for
review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basket-

ball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Ita-
lian National Coaches Committee of the Federation. Imbro-
gno is the author of several technical basketball publica-
tions.

If we think of a basketball coach as being a talented artisan,

one who works hard and long at his job, taking the secrets
from old and experienced masters, then it is also reasona-
ble to think that basketball coaches need some additional
coaching tools to help enhance their skills.
We start immediately think of books, videos, CD-ROMs, and
notes taken at clinics as useful tools. Only a few, however,
would think of “real” tools, of special devices created or
adapted for teaching shooting, dribbling, passing, and re-
bounding.
The range of these tools is wide and varied, but with only
one fault: they are all manufactured exclusively in the Uni-
ted States, which adds to their cost when ordered from
abroad. Korney Board Aids is one of the most recognized
companies selling basketball tools and this company has a
vast catalog of items for the basketball coach (www.kba-
coach.com), including coaching boards for diagramming
plays. Korney sells many types of boards, from the classic

that uses dry-erase markers, to the wall mounted or roll-

away boards, to the classic chalkboard and the magnetic
version.
To help improve a player’s dribbling skills, there are now
special eyeglass frames without lenses that a player wears,
preventing him from seeing where the ball is as he dribbles.
There are also special gloves that help teach dribbling with
the fingertips. For passing drills, coaches can buy oversized
and extra-heavy basketballs that can help strengthen the
wrists, arms, and shoulders.
When it comes to shooting, there is a wide spectrum of aids
EV\Z.
available. You can start by affixing undersized shooting rings
to the basket cylinder. These dramatically reduce the diame-
ter of the basket, forcing the shooter to put more of an arc on
a jumpshot in order for the ball to go in. There are also special
shooting gloves that force the player to shoot more with the
fingers and fingertips instead of the palm of the hand. Other
devices can be worn that correct the alignment of the shoul-
der, arm, and hand during the shooting motion.
Of all the basketball aids, the ones developed for shooting are
the most numerous. The Hoopmaster has been created by Ed
Palubinskas, one of the top shooting coaches in United Sta-
tes. Palubinskas, a former two-time leading scorer at the
Olympics Games (he was also the personal free throw in-
structor for Shaquille O’Neal, a notoriously poor shooter of
free throws), sells a tool (see photo) which allows the
shooter to shoot continuously, taking 100 shots in
five minutes. For improving the jump shot there
are also other devices

called “Shoot-a-Way” or the “Arc Angel”. For enhancing pas-

sing skills, there is the famous Toss Back, created by Korney
Board Aids (see photos of page 38). This device features a
sturdy elastic net that can be inclined at different angles so
the basketball can be passed directly, passed off a bounce, or
lobbed at the net.
For those who need to work on rebounding (and who doe-
sn’t?), there are special rings that can be snapped onto the rim
that will cause the ball to rebound away. For helping the coach
teach players how to read the defense and “push” oneself into
proper offensive position, there are special Blocking Shields
made of sturdy foam that the coach, playing on defense, can
use to “push” against the offensive player. Players with their
back to the basket meet this kind of aggression each game.
There also some tools for improving the conditioning of the
players, such as the Vertimax, for increasing the speed
and vertical jump, and the Core Strenght Rack, which
develops the complete core strength.
Finally, there are devices that help players in-
crease their jumping ability. The Strength
Shoe created this interesting product cate-
gory more than ten years ago and has
many testimonials from top athletes
who made significant increases in jum-
ping after training with these shoes.
Here a list of Internet sites where you
can read more about these basketball-
training tools and also order those that
interest you:
www.kbacoach.com
www.freethrowmaster.com
www.strength-shoes.com
www.cuttinedgecoach.com
www.rolbak.com
www.hoopsking.com
www.vertimax.com
www.verticaljump.com
www.practicepartner.com

EV\Z&%
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

ONE-ON-ONE VIDEOS AND

BOOKS ABOUT OFFENSE
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media for
review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basket- When it comes to perimeter players, some of the best vi-
ball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Ita- deos have been produced by Steve Alford, the head coach
lian National Coaches Committee of the Federation. Im- of the University of Iowa. His videos include The Shot:
brogno is the author of several technical basketball publi-
cations.

There is one thing all basketball coaches will agree: ba-

sketball is an exciting game based on one-on-one play.
One-on-one, the sum of all the individual offensive moves,
means being able to turn, face an opponent, and succes-
sfully score a basket.
Although seemingly simple, it actually entails a vast
amount of technical knowledge and skills, good physical
conditioning, and an ability to understand where the player
is in relation to the other players on the court.
Improving one-on-one skills is a quick way to enhance
scoring opportunities.
Here is a select list of some of the top videos and books
that will help boost a player’s one-on-one abilities.

The rich catalogue of Championship Books and Videos

Production shows a wide spectrum of products dedicated
to one-on-one (www.champonline.com). Kevin Eastman,
the former coach of the University of Washington State,
produced four videos based on drills and movements to im-
prove the basics and all the necessary moves for playing
one-on-one. His videos include: Chair Drills: Shooting
Workout for Inside Players; Chair Drills: Shooting Workout
for Perimeter Players; Multiple Player Chair Drills; and Dif-
ficult Shooting Drills.
Eastman, who worked last summer helping develop the
fundamental skills of LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
and Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), demonstrates in
over seventy innovative drills how to create shots and play
with and without the ball. He has also published books on
the topic. (www.kebccamps.com).
Pete Newell, one of the best college coaches ever, and a
guru when it comes to teaching inside offensive moves to
big men, has produced two videos for Championship: Pete
Newell Big Man Training Series: Offensive Low Post Mo-
ves; and Pete Newell’s Big Man Camp.

EV\Z&&
 Shooting Drills & Technique;
and Moving Without the Ball
(Championship).
Among the best videos on fun-
damentals and teaching
methods are two by coach
Rick Torbett.
We recommend Better Ball
Handling and Better Shooting,
as well as Better Passing
(www.betterbasketball.com) .
On the Internet site www.hoo-
psking.com it is possible to find
three videos containing the most
advanced one-on-one moves
(more than 75) described by Ben
Holowicki, coach at the famous
Five-Star Camp.
The videos to get include Inner
City Moves Vol. I and II, and Inner
City Board Drills.
Sysko (www.sysko.com) offers two
excellent videos produced by Al
Sokaitis, the coach of University of
Alaska-Fairbanks (he has also writ-
ten booklets on these topics), and a
popular teacher of one-on-one moves at many basketball cli-
nics throughout the U.S. and abroad.
His videos, One-on-One Basketball, and Shooting for Suc-
cess contain an ample demonstration of dribbling and live
ball moves, as well as many individual offensive and defensi-
ve drills.
Other two interesting videos are those produced by Ganon
Baker, a former college player, who now specializes in tea-
ching the one-on-one moves of the pros.
His two videos are Street Moves You Can Use: 22 “Game Ti-
me” Drills to Make it Happen, and 35 Moves You Can Use
(Championship).
Two videos worth adding to your collection are those of Kel-
vin Sampson, coach of the University of Oklahoma: Develo-
ping Intensity in Practice, and Sooner Competitive Drills: Of-
fense.
Coaches Choice (www.coacheschoice.com) is also another
company with a vast library to delight the basketball student.
Among the most interesting videos on one-on-one include
Advanced Basketball Skills and Drills Volume I-II-III-IV by
Don Meyer, coach of Northern State University, and Jerry
Krause, one of the most prolific authors of basketball videos
and books in U.S. Krause is Director of Basketball Operations
at Gonzaga University.
Individual Improvement Drills, by Tom Crean of Marquette
University, one of the best young coaches in the college
ranks, and Progressive Practice Drills for a Winning
Program, by Henry Bibby, coach at the University of Southern
California, are two interesting videos.
There are also three books you should also consider.
The first two, published by Lessiter Publications, include,
Prototype Player, by Michael Podoll and Basketball Basics
by Bill Salyers (www.lesspub.com).
Alan Lambert, of the Internet site www.bbhighway.com, is
the author of Basketball Highway’s Playground Pointers, an
excellent book detailing a variety of easy-to-learn tips for im-
proving one-on-one skills.
EV\Z&'
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

THE BIG MAN:

VIDEOS AND BOOKS
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs,
and other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but cer-
tainly useful for all of our readers. Please send your sugge-
stions and comments about our basketball-related media for
review in this section.
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Ba-

sketball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with
the Italian National Coaches Committee of the Fede-
ration. Imbrogno is the author of several technical ba-
sketball publications.

To build a winning team, you need to have not only a

good point guard, but also a good big man. It is, the-
refore, quite easy to find publications and videos, whi-
ch explain how to develop the offensive and defensi-
ve skills of the big man, a player who is so important to
the success of a team. A “must” are the videos and
books of Pete Newell, one of the top coaches of all ti-
me, and, above all, a “big man guru.” In 1995, Masters
Press published Basketball Post Play, written by
Newell and his son Tom, with the foreword by Bobby
Knight, the former U.S. Olympic coach, and now head
coach at Texas Tech University. Newell, who has di-
rected his “Big Man Camp” for centers and power
forwards-among the campers, also Hakeem
Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal - in Hawaii (now mo-
ved to Las Vegas) for many years, describes all the
major teaching points for big men he has collected
and used over his 65-year coaching span. In six chap-
ters (120 pages), he describes the evolution of the role
of the center, the physical skills a big man needs to de-
velop. He describes and analyzes foot positioning for
proper shooting, the variety of passes a center must
be able to execute, how to go for defensive and offen-
sive rebounds, and how to set effective screens. A
very important chapter is devoted to low-post moves,
including the turnaround jump shot, the up-and-un-
der, and drop step, all the typical moves needed in the
big man arsenal. Newell also details the defensive ba-
sics of the post and provides interesting drills for de-
veloping all the skills needed to play this role. The sa-
me topics are covered in a 1999 video, Pete Newell
Big Man Training Series Volume 1: Offensive Post Mo-
ves, filmed at Newell’s Big Man’s camp. Human Kine-
tics, one of the top publishers of sports training books
in the world, released a very interesting and complete
book on big man play, Playing the Post-Basketball
EV\Z&(
Skills and Drills. Written by Burrall Paye, one of the
winningest high school coaches in the U.S., and the
author of other excellent basketball fundamental pu-
blications, this book describes all the necessary men-
tal, physical, and technical skills a center must have,
as well all the offensive moves needed to score points
“in the paint.” Championship Products produces
many videos with some of the top U.S. college coa-
ches. Here are some of the best that deal with big
men: Post Play Drills, from the Paint to the Pros by Cliff
Ellis, coach at Auburn University; Chair Drills: Shooting
Workout for Inside Players by Kevin Eastman, an
excellent teacher of the fundamentals; Pete Gillen, the
coach of the University of Virginia, specialized on big
men development, on the video Big Man Drills shows
his extensive knowledge of this topic; and The Making
of an Arizona Big Man by Jay John, a former assistant
coach at the University of Arizona (currently the head
coach of Oregon State University), details the secrets
of developing centers. Post Play Development by
Mark Few of Gonzaga University, one of the most inte-
resting coaches of the new generation, and Steve
Alford’s Ultimate Big Man Development Drills, by the
coach of Iowa University, are also excellent videos.
Coaches Choice, another famous brand for basketball
videos and books, has three very good videos in its ca-
talog, with three of them by Norm Ellenberg, a former
assistant coach at Indiana University for many years.
They include Developing the Inside Game, Post Deve-
lopment, and High School Big Man Play. Joe Piscopo,
former head coach of Buffalo State University, has
produced Post Play Techniques and Drills, as well as a
book with the same title.
Here are some final selections for your “big man” col-
lection: 101 Post Player Drills, an excellent book by
Bruce Brown and Joe Callero; and two videos on wo-
men’s basketball by Curtis Loyd, a coach at the Univer-
sity of Arizona: Post Play Drills for Women, and Tea-
ching Post Play Fundamentals for Women.

EV\Z&)
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

BOOKS, VIDEOS,
AND DVDS FOCUSED
ON THE FASTBREAK
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.

by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former This is the main idea pre-

Director of the Italian Ba- sented in an interesting vi-
sketball Federation Study deo by Steve Smith entitled
Center, is an Instructor with The Oak Hill Attacking Fast
the Italian National Coa- Break. Produced by Cham-
ches Committee of the Fe- pionship Books & Video
deration. Imbrogno is the Productions in 2003, Smith,
author of several technical the coach of Oak Hill Aca-
basketball publications. demy (a high school loca-
ted in the Blue Ridge Moun-
Bobby Knight, the former tains with a small number
coach of Indiana Univer- of students and a large
sity, once wrote that there number of basketball
are four phases in a basket- players now playing in the
ball game. They include de- NBA) introduces his rule
fense, offense, and the two break, in which a precise
transitions: defensive and responsibility is given to
offensive. each player.
Many specific terms that After having presented the
underline a precise moment ten options, starting with
of the game, are connected the pass from the play-
with the offensive transi- maker to the wing to start
tion. So we can speak the regular break, coach
about primary and secon- Smith considers the situa-
dary fastbreak, transition tions bound to the dribble
game, early offense or ba- break.
sket up-tempo. Six further options are offe-
During a recent clinic devo- red, each making great use
ted to the transition and the of staggered picks. The
development of a motion of- third sequence of options is
fense, Ettore Messina, coa- called “left side break,”
ch of Benetton Treviso, with the ball passed to the
Italy, clearly stated that the left side, with six other op-
primary aim in this game tions presented to get the
phase is to force the defen- ball to the basket.
se to react, keeping the ga- Particular situations with
me initiative on the court. the use of pick-and-roll in
EV\Z&*
 Full-Court Offenses is by River Productions); The Pri-
Morgan Wooten, the former mary/Secondary Break Pass
coach of DeMatha High Option Attack System by Ja-
School, was released by mie Angeli former assistant
Championship in 1999. coach of UCLA (Fever River
Jerry Petitgoue of Cuba City Productions); Primary and
High School in Wisconsin, Secondary Transition
has amassed an 84 percent Breaks by Bruce Weber, Illi-
winning precentage in his nois University’s coach
more than 25 years as a (Coaches Choice); and
coach. Press Break & Press Offen-
In Simplified Transition Of- se, by Bill Self, the head
fense for Youth Basketball, coach of the University of
which was released by Kansas (USA Coaches Cli-
Coaches Choice in 2000, nic).
Coach Petigoue discusses a When it comes to books on
number of fundamentals to coaching basketball, we ha-
help young players get star- ve quite a few we would like
ted on the right foot in ba- to recommend.
sketball. Championship has They include Coaching Fast
also produced Jim Break Basketball by Cliff El-
Calhoun’s UConn Fastbreak lis, the Auburn Univeristy
Drills (1999), High-Scoring head coach (Coaches Choi-
Transition Offense (2003) by ce); Coaching Basketball’s
Steve McClain, the head Secondary Fast Break Of-
coach of the Uiniversity of fense by Tom Reiter (Coa-
Wyoming, and Drills for an ches Choice); The Running
Effective Fastbreak Offense Game, a Formula for Suc-
(2002) by Regina Miller, the cess by David M. Arseneault
head women’s coach at the (Reedswain Editions); Fast
University of Nevada at Las Break Finesse by Larry
Vegas (UNLV). Perkins (Basketball Sense
Other interesting videos in- Edition); and Fast Break Ba-
clude: Coaching Youth Ba- sketball and Fast Break and
transition are presented. high-quality disk. sketball: Volume 3 Fast Control Offenses by Joe Pi-
Duke Basketball DVD is a Two full hours of on-court Break, Early Offense, Press scopo (Piscopo Editions).
recent novelty from Human discussion, demonstration, Offense by Bruce Brown Two web sites with intere-
Kinetics. and instruction are divided (Coaches Choice); Transi- sting information about the
This DVD is a compilation of into three easy-to-access tion Offense by Bonnie Hen- fastbreak include: www.cy-
coach Coach Mike Krzy- main segments. drickson, women’s coach at bersportusa.com/hooptac-
sewski’s three best-selling Two videos produced by Kansas (Coaches Choice); tics/earlyoff/earlydefault.as
videos: Team Defense, Tran- two USA basketball gurus Fast Break by Tara VanDer- p and www.bbhighway.-
sition Game, and Champion- are very useful for youth ba- veer, women’s coach at com/Talk/Coaching_Box/Cli-
ship Practices all put on one sketball coaches. The first, Stanford University (Fever nics
EV\Z&+
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

VIDEOS AND BOOKS

ON SHOOTING
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.

by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Ba-

sketball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with
the Italian National Coaches Committee of the Fede-
ration. Imbrogno is the author of several technical ba-
sketball publications.

We can all give our best effort in executing the plays

on offense, but if we don’t have the technical skills ne-
cessary to score, it is going to be difficult to win the
game. In cases like this, it seems like we are playing
handball rather than basketball.
Let’s have a look at the most recent products and the
classics about shooting and scoring, using the best
teaching methods and proper techniques.
Among the four videos made by the great Pete Maravi-
ch for LA Productions in 1987, the video on shooting
(Pistol Pete’s Homework Basketball - Shooting) is cer-
tainly the best and a “must” for every serious coach.
The video produced by Steve Alford, the former guard
who played for Indiana University and the U.S. Natio-
nal Team, is an excellent tape on shooting in which he
discusses all of the basics. His Shooting Drills and Te-
chniques, which was released in 1997, points out all
the important aspects needed to have a good and
strong shot.
Fever River produced the Five-Star Shooting Method
video by coach Barry Brodzinski in 1996. In this video,
the classic work method used at one of the biggest
and most famous technical camps, The Five-Star Ba-
sketball camp, is described in great detail.
Looking through Sysko’s extensive sports video and
book catalog, there is a great video by the coach of
the women’s team at Stanford University, Tara Vander-
veer. Shooting Drills consists of a variety of shooting
drills and exercises packed into 48 hard minutes.
Sandy Slide’s video, Teaching Basketball Shooting
Fundamentals, released in 2000, is another of my favo-
rites.
Championship Production’s catalogue contains intere-
sting products about shooting basics. The best of the
lot include: Shooting Drills for Success by Jeff Schni-
der, 2002; Individual Drills and Moves by Phil Martelli,
EV\Z&,
St. Joseph’s
University coa-
ch; Guard Drills:
Developing a
“Go to” Guard
by Bill Self, the
coach of the
University of
Kansas; and two
videos by Kevin
Eastman: Chair
Drills: Shooting
Workout for In-
side Players and
S h o o t i n g
Workout for Pe-
rimeter Players.
Coaches Choice
produced Ba-
sketball Skills
and Drills Volu-
me 2: Field Goal
Shooting Lay-
ups / 3 Point
Shot by Don
Meyer and Jerry Krause, released in 2002.
The products and the sites of Tom Norland and Ed Pa-
lubinskas, two extraordinary shooting magicians, are
very interesting. Norland shows his Swish video on
his site: www.swish22.com, completely dedicated to
learning and coaching “pure” basketball shooting.
Palubinskas, the PBA (Palubinskas Basketball Aca-
demy) creator, offers both the shooting courses and
videos on shooting on his site: www.freethrowma-
ster.com. Courses consist of two levels: Shooting Ma-
ster Clinic 1 and 2. He also has two videos, Secrets to
Perfect Shooting Principles, and Shooters Lab: Deve-
loping Great Shooting Skills. Finally, I recommend the
following sites and their videos:
www.herbmagee.com (“Nothing But Net” and
“Nothing But Drills.”) www.coachfouts.com (“Suc-
cessful Shooting” video and software), and www.bet-
terbasketball.com (“Better Shooting” video).
EV\Z&-
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

BOOKS AND VIDEOS

ON ZONE DEFENSE
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.

by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian

Basketball Federation Study Center, is an In-
structor with the Italian National Coaches Com-
mitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the author
of several technical basketball pubblication.

The winning experience of Syracuse in the 2003

NCAA championship game shows that playing 2-
3 zone defense for 40 minutes a game is possible
and useful: certainly, if a coach decides to play
zone defense exclusively, he must know the
principle of that tactic very well and force his
players to be aggressive.

The zone defense is useful to help overcome the

troubles of the 1-on-1 individual defense, to help
poor individual players defend a particular area,
change the rhythm of the game, survive a pe-
nalty situation, and force the opponents to chan-
ge the angle of the passes and the type of the
shots.
It is important that a coach know the rules and
the principles of the zone.
If a coach learns well the positive and negative
aspects of the zone defense, he will be able to
recognize when and why it should be employed,
and when it should be abandoned in favor of an
individual defense. There are many good tea-
chers of the zone defense and many good tools
at our disposal to learn it.
Jim Boeheim has been the Syracuse University
head coach for the last 30 years and he used the
zone defense as his main tool to keep the oppo-
nents from scoring. Boeheim produced two vi-
deos for Championship Productions.
The first, The 2-3 Zone Defense, finds Boeheim
explaining the philosophy, basic movements,
and special options of his 2-3 zone defense. In
the second video, Complete Guide to the 2-3
Match-Up Zone Defense & The Fast Break, he
EV\Z&.
details these concepts even further. sdom of Billy Tubbs, the head coach of In 1998, Fever River Sports Production
The videos contain great examples on Lamar University. published The Temple of Zones: Volume
how to control the penetrations, deal Don Casey released The Temple of Zo- II, in which the concepts expressed in
with the traps, and how to defend nes. Casey, who has over 20 years of the first volume are better detailed,
against the cuts on the baseline, and NBA coaching experience, is a true be- with several exercises using his 2-3 zo-
the three-point shot attempts. liever in the zone. ne concepts shown.
Two other important videos produced Nicknamed “The Czar of the Zone,” Ca-
by the same company include 2-1-2 sey presents his version of the 2-3 defen- Other videos featuring zone defense in-
Match-Up Zone Defense by Dave Loos se in this video, and teaches how to de- clude Jerry Petitgoue’s Simplified Zone
and The 2-3 Match-Up Zone (2000) by fend on the low and high post and again- Defenses for Youth Basketball (Coa-
Wayne Morgan, head coach at Iowa st the different tactics that the oppo- ches Choice, 2000); Zone Defenses
State University and a former Boeheim nents adopt to attack the defense. In ad- (Coaches Choice, 2000) by Tara Van-
assistant at Syracuse. dition, he details how to control the cuts Derveer; Half Court Defense (Coaches
and best grab the defensive rebounds. Choice, 1999) by Morgan Wooten; and
Another interesting video on how to Casey also wrote a short book, the 92- Zone Defenses, by Joe Piscopo, the
play zone defense is 1-3-1 Zone Defen- page The Temple of Zones II, which ex- former coach at Buffalo State Univer-
se, which features the thoughts and wi- plains his zone concepts. sity.
EV\Z'%
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

"FIBA HOOPS COACH"

CD-ROM In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.

by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Ba-

sketball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor
with the Italian National Coaches Commitee of the
Federation. Imbrogno is the author of several techni-
cal basketball pubblication.

FIBA has released a very interesting CD-ROM cove-

ring fundamental skills and other topics. The basic
aim is to help players and coaches improve their
knowledge and ability to play and coach the game.
"FIBA Hoops Coach" starts with great introductory vi-
deo clips. Several top-level players are used to de-
monstrate all the skill moves and drills.
Basketball stars Aleksandar Sasa Djordjevic, Alberto
Herreros, Predrag Stojakovic, Mehmet Okur, and Di-
no Radja are the engaging and expert hosts of this CD
that focuses on both offense and defense. Players
present lessons on a particular skill (common to their
playing positions and personal styles), and young ath-
letes are then shown performing the skills. This CD is recom-
The stars present a comprehensive set of skills, inclu- mended for all begin-
ding ball handling, passing, and shooting, and offer ning players-and
pointers on proper stance, pressuring the ball, parti- their parents and
cular defensive maneuvers, and defensive reboun- coaches-for its strai-
ding. The camera work is professional throughout, ghtforward, simple,
and files for print that accompany the CD-ROM serve and comprehensive
as both a table of contents for the videos and a work- approach.
book. This CD has an excellent set of instructional vi- In addition, the CD-
deos and would benefit all players who ROM features a de-
want to improve their game. tailed physiology
section that will not only improve on-court
Each section follows the same performance but also help prevent injuries.
format: Players first explain the FIBA Hoops Coach includes a nutrition sec-
how's and why's of each techni- tion as well, with detailed texts on vitamins,
que, which are reinforced with nutrition, menus, and anti-doping informa-
onscreen text. The move is then tion. The five players answer specific
demonstrated. Finally, video clips about the game and speak up against do-
of the stars are taken from actual ping.
games and used to demonstrate The CD is great for anybody seeking to
the star player performing that learn or brush up on basketball funda-
particular offensive or defensive mentals. The CD gives the viewer a grea-
maneuver. ter appreciation for player strategy. The original

EV\Z'&
sound track, multiple camera angles, graphics, Whole body exercise - 5 vi-
and high production values make this a great CD deos - 3 minutes
to own. All content on the CD-ROM is printable Total: 28 videos - 15 minutes
and there is a direct link to the FIBA Internet site.
FIBA will distribute this CD free of charge to na- NUTRITION
tional federations worldwide. 16 questions
80 different answers
RAW DATA 80 video answers
Five Players Total: 24 minutes
Five different positions
25 different skills Anti-doping - 5 answers -
40 videos of offensive fundamentals one video - 20 seconds
50 minutes of video instruction
Fun - 35 pictures - one vi-
PHYSIOLOGY deo - 5 minutes
Stretching - 6 videos - 6 minutes
Lower body exercise - 9 videos - 4 minutes Total: 150 videos - 95 mi-
Upper body exercise - 8 videos - 3 minutes nutes of video material
EV\Z''
FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

THE DVD INVASION

In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.

by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Ita-

lian Basketball Federation Study Center, is an
Instructor with the Italian National Coaches
Commitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the
author of several technical basketball pubbli-
cation.

In the recent past, CD-ROMs dedicated to the

teaching and training of basketball was huge
compared to the use of the DVDs, with a rate
approaching 1 to 9. Now, the situation has
completely changed, thanks to the introduc-
tion of low-cost DVD players.
In recent months, the catalogs of the major
companies that produce technical basketball
videos are now filled with DVDs of college and
high school coaches. fers "Secrets of Winning Basketball-Volu-
Championship Productions (www.champion- me I and II," along with Dave Arsenault, the
shipproductions.com), the international leader coach of Grinnell College, who was selec-
in the marketing of visual products for basket- ted as one of the ten most innovative ba-
ball coaches, now offers many DVDs in their sketball coaches by Sports Illustrated ma-
latest catalog. Ganon Baker, who teaches at gazine, “Running to Win”.
the NIKE Skills Academy, offers "Superman On defense, I recommend "Mastering the 2-
Workout for All the Players," and "Training in 3 Zone Defense," by Wayne Morgan of Iowa
the Triple-Threat," where he shows many fun- State. Quin Snyder, coach of the University
damentals and conditioning drills, as well as of Missouri, has released "The Five Defensi-
the most advanced one-on-one-moves. ve Absolutes," while Lute Olson of the Uni-
When it comes to fundamentals and drills, the- versity of Arizona has "1-1-3 and 1-3-1 Mat-
re are some other DVDs to recommend, inclu- ch-up Zone Defense."
ding "7 Components for a Successful Pro- Human Kinetics Publishers (www.humanki-
gram" by 2004 National College netics.com or www.amazon.com) offers
Coach of the Year Phil Martelli of
St. Joseph's College. Billy Dono-
van, head coach at the University
of Florida has "10 Aggressive Tran-
sition & Conditioning Drills," while
Steve Smith, the high school ba-
sketball coach at Oak Hill Academy,
offers the excellent "15 Competitive
Practice Drills for Success."
For the offensive minded, the top
DVDs include "10 Variations of the
Kentucky Flex Offense" by coach
Tubby Smith. Hubie Brown, the former
coach of the Memphis Grizzlies (and
last year's NBA Coach of the Year) of-

EV\Z'(
 team press drills.
I would also like to cite the "Lenny
Wilkens Legacy," a set of four
DVDs, which cover all aspects of
basketball, as well the set of DVDs
called "Better Basketball," by coa-
ch Rick Torbett. These include
"Better One-on-One Defense," "Bet-
ter Passing," "Better Shooting," and
"Better Post Play" (www.betterba-
sketball.com).
Among the vast American produc-
tion of coaching DVDs, www.hoo-
psking.com offers the excellent se-
ries by the late, great "Pistol Pete" Ma-
ravich, "Homework Basketball."
From Argentina, Ruben Magnano, the coach
of the national team and winner of the gold
Medal at the recent Olympic Games in Athens,
along with his conditioning and strength coa-
ch, Mario Mouche, have produced two sepa-
rate DVDs on basketball strategy and conditio-
ning for basketball, which can be ordered at
www.deposoft.com.ar/dvd.htm.

"Winning Hoops with Coach K," by

Mike Krzyzewski, the famous Duke
University coach. They include,
"The Team Defense," "The Transi-
tion Game," and “Championship
Practices." Human Kinetics also of-
fers a set of DVDs from Morgan
Wootten, the acclaimed former coa-
ch of DeMatha High School. They co-
ver a complete range of technical ba-
sketball topics, from the fundamen-
tals to the out-of-bounds play, to diffe-
rent types of offensive plays (flex, 2-3,
stack, etc).
Sysko has offered DVDs for several
years. Some of the best from this com-
pany (www. syskos.com) are "Basket-
ball for Beginners" by Larry Wallace. Fe-
ver River Production, distributed by Sy-
sko's, has two DVDs by Forrest Larson, inclu-
ding "Getting Better with the Basketball," which
covers footwork, shooting, and spacing. "Sim-
plified Run and Jump Press for High School" is
a good DVD for those interested in learning
EV\Z')
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

PHIL JACKSON:
by Raffaele Imbrogno
A COACHING LEGEND
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball
Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian Na- In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
tional Coaches Commitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
author of several technical basketball pubblications. useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
Lesson N. 1. It is not important how difficult is the challenge. this section.
Believe in yourself and in your teammates.
Lesson N. 2. Don't criticize and gossip about people who
work with you. This creates turmoil and wounds that are
very difficult to treat and heal.
Lesson N. 3. Don't leave the road. Don't surrender. Always
get up. It doesn't matter how you fall and how often you fall.
What is important, however, is how many times you are wil-
ling to get up and try again.
Lesson N. 4. For a team to win, it doesn't depend on how a
great player or many great players. Everybody on the team
must sacrifice and give a piece of himself to become cham-
pions."
Phil Jackson, "More Than a Game."

In the American basketball world there is an ongoing debate

about Phil Jackson. Is this the winner of nine NBA champion-
ship the best coach of all the times? Perhaps this data will
provide the ultimate answer: Phil Jackson has won 80 per-
cent of all games he has coached, including both the regular
season and playoffs.
Many articles have been written about this great coach, but
Jackson has written a lot himself over the years, describing
the basketball championships as well as his philosophical
meditations on the game.
In the early 1990s he co-wrote the book "Cockroach Basket-
ball League" (Seven Stories Press) with Charley Rosen, his
friend, the writer and for-
mer CBA basketball
coach. This was
followed in 1996
by "Sacred Hoo-
ps" (Hyperion),
written with
Hugh De-
lehanty. "More
Than a Ga-
me" (Si-
mon &
Schu-
ster),
followed
in 2002,
again
w i t h

EV\Z'*
 tals and concepts of the game with extreme simplicity, fol-
lowing the advice given to him a long time ago by Red Holz-
man, who had coached him when he played for the New York
Knicks. Holzman wrote in the preface of the Jackson's book
"More Than a Game": "Basketball is not a rocket science. You
need to put the ball in a basket on one half court, and guard
the basket on the other half court; and you must play as a
team."
Information on how to order Jackson's DVDs, which are im-
portant tools for coaches at every level, can be obtained at
the Building a Champion website (www.bac-video.com/in-
dex2.php) or you can write to: Building a Champion, 1601 N.
Sepulveda Blvd. #776, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

Charley Rosen, and "The Last Sea-

son" (Penguin), written with Michael Arkush, was published in
October 2004.
Jackson has been an extremely prolific writer. Over the years,
he has written the preface to books by his best friends, inclu-
ding Bill Bradley (The Value of the Game), Tex Winter (Trial by
Basketball), Jim Thompson (Shooting in the Dark), and Char-
ley Rosen (The Pivotal Season). Until now there was a visible
gap: he had never published a technical "product" about ba-
sketball that covered the fundamentals, described his tea-
chings, or his practice and game tactics. To study his techni-
cal and tactical work and philosophy it was possible only to
watch the his teams in action, either in person or on television.
This gap has been overcome, thanks to Building a Champion,
a California company that has recently produced three inte-
resting DVDs, with Jackson as the main actor. The three
DVDs in "The Fundamentals of Basketball DVD Series" inclu-
de "Principles of Passing," "Guard Play," and "Inside Players."
Jackson, the former coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los
Angeles Lakers, with the help of his longtime assistants, Tex
Winter, and Jim Cleamons, introduces his training methods
and philosophy about the basics of the game.
Jackson has been known to quote from authors and poets
when he coaches his players, but he teaches the fundamen-
EV\Z'+
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

BASKETBALL
by Raffaele Imbrogno
ISN'T JUST FOR BOYS
ANYMORE
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball Fe-
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
deration Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian National
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
Coaches Commitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the author of
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
several technical basketball pubblications.
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.
I begin this article from the subtitle of one of the latest and best
technical books on women's basketball, because in the United
States women's basketball has grown dramatically and its situations, and the various offensive sets, followed by different
players are starting to have an impact on the world game. The aspects of defense and the special situations. The largest chapter is
success of the WNBA, the professional women's league, is dedicated to the drills necessary to build offensive and defensive
proof. The book I mentioned is "The Complete Guide to Girls Ba- concepts. The book ends with the rules of the game, a detailed biblio-
sketball," and is written and was recently self-published by Mi- graphy, glossary, and a list of the web sites dedicated to the wo-
chael Mullaney. In 396 pages, Mullaney covers the sport in a men's' game. A review of the book is available at the Internet site
very detailed way. He starts by describing the philosophy of the www.girlsbasketballbook.com.
coach, with an overview of women's basketball. Then, he writes
about offense, detailing the offensive fundamentals,
rebounding, fastbreak

EV\Z',
 (UConn), has won five college championships and produ-
ced two DVDs. The first is dedicated to the defensive fun-
damentals, "8 Essential Defensive Drills." In 55 minutes
this Italian-American coach introduces his half-court
defensive philosophy, the same one his team used two
years ago to keep opponents at a 35 percent shooting
accuracy. "Teaching the High Post and Triangle Offen-
se," Auriemma's second DVD, shows how to build an
offense similar to the one used by UConn. The 68-minu-
te production is divided into a series of drills that are
useful for building this offense.

"Eight Interchangeable Offensive Sets" by Doug Bruno, the head

coach of De Paul University, demonstrates eight different offen-
sive sets in 74 minutes. Sylvia Hatchell, head coach of the Uni-
versity of North Carolina, teaches her fastbreak system in "How
to Win with the Fastbreak". Coach Hatchell's 60-minute DVD
shows a series of technical solutions taught by some legendary
men's college coaches, including Dean Smith, Larry Brown, and
Mike Krzyzewski. She covers the primary and secondary break
and some special plays used by her team to win the 1994 NCAA
Women's title.

When it comes to the running game, Gail Goestenkors of Duke

University, an assistant coach of the US women's national team
that won the gold medal at the last Olympic Games, takes you th-
rough the finer points in her DVD "Transition Offense and Quick
Hitters."

"Multiple Purposes Zone Offense" by Jim Foster, head coach of

Ohio State University, illustrates in 73 minutes an offense that
can be used against a variety of zone defenses.
Tara VanDerveer, the highly re-
spected head coach of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Califor- Finally, talking about defense, Cheryl Burnett, who sits on the
nia, has just released a new DVD, "5 Offensive Practice Drills for bench at the University of Michigan, offers her DVD entitled
Success". In 67 minutes, one of the most successful coaches in "The Complete Guide to the Run & Jump Scramble Defense." In
women's basketball (more than 600 wins in 25 years), takes 70 minutes, Coach Burnett teaches the basics of her famous
viewers through the best offensive drills. defensive system. All these aforementioned DVDs are produ-
ced by Championship Productions (www.championship-
Geno Auriemma, head coach of the University of Connecticut productions.com).

EV\Z'-
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

NEW TOOLS FOR

by Raffaele Imbrogno
COACHING
BASKETBALL
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Ba-
In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
sketball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
the Italian National Coaches Commitee of the Federa-
useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
tion. Imbrogno is the author of several technical ba-
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
sketball pubblications.
this section.
Many years ago, there were only simple elastic nets
supported by a tripod, which retrieved the basketball Shoot-A-Way has also developed another system called
for a shooter; this tool was called "Toss-back". "The New Rebounder." The device will give the ball back
after a shot, but with three wide and mobile pillows fixed
Today, we have new electronic and mechanical sy- to the structure of the basket, it also reproduces contact
stems that can be used in practice sessions devoted to situations when a player goes to rebound under the ba-
shooting. sket.
The company Shoot-A-Way is now marketing "The
Gun", a machine that "passes" basketballs. The tool is If "The Gun" can be defined as a tool that is useful to coach
placed under or around the basket. Thanks to some shooting from different positions on the court, the system
nets, the collected balls are retrieved after shooting created by Airborne Athletics is an authentic multi-tool.
and passed back at different angles and speed. Mo- The "Dr. Dish- Shooting, Passing & Rebounding System" is
reover, three different electronic displays provide sta- very similar to the system described before, but is even
tistics for field goal attempt, baskets scored, and ove- more programmable.
rall shooting percentage. The system comes with a series of pre-programmed drills
Detailed information about The Gun, and a list of pos- that can be changed and improved, and then held in its
sible drills to run with this machine, is available on the memory card.
website www.shotaway.net. With this new computerized battery-operated system (this
allows the tool to be positioned
anywhere on the court), a player
can practice all kind of shots
from the perimeter, 2-point and
3-point areas, thanks to the fact
that Dr. Dish can rotate 360 de-
grees and launch the ball
beyond the three-point line.
The base of the tool can be pla-
ced anywhere on the court, not
only under the basket, and it ea-
sily reproduces game situations
for passing and receiving the
ball.
Passes in the machine's reper-
toire can vary from the bounce
pass to the lob into the low post.

Coaches, who have introduced

this innovative device into their
training sessions, include Roy

EV\Z'.
 Finally, a very special basketball has been produced by
Baden. Created by Ed Palubinskas, one of the best
shooting teachers in the United States, the "Smart
Williams, head coach of the University of North Caroli- Ball" is just like a typical basketball, except that a
na, the 2005 NCAA Champions; Steve Alford, head coach darkened, life-sized imprint of a hand embossed in the
of the University of Iowa, and Flip Saunders, the former leather helps reinforce correct hand positioning for
head coach of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves. More shooting.
information about the machine is available at the websi- The Smart Ball is often used in practice sessions by
te www.drdishbasketball.com. Coach Bobby Knight at Texas Tech University. For more
For those interested in more traditional, less expensive information about the Smart Ball, which comes with an
basketball products, go to the website www.gared- instructional DVD created by Palubinskas, go to the
sports.com . website www.thesmartball.com.

EV\Z(%
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

THE LEGENDS
by Raffaele Imbrogno

Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Ba-

sketball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
the Italian National Coaches Commitee of the Federa- other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
tion. Imbrogno is the author of several technical ba- useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
sketball pubblications. comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.
A good understanding of the past will help coaches
understand how far the game has developed-and that
nothing is really new. With this as a background, I wel- ▼ Clair Bee: The
come two recent books published by Coaches Choice: One-Three-One
"Basketball Defense, Lessons from Legends" and "Ba- Zone Defense and
sketball Offense, Lessons from Legends." These two Attack. Coach Bee
books from the Monterey, California publisher, contain describes his mo-
articles and book excerpts written over the years by st important tech-
coaches that have one thing in common: they are all in nical innovation;
the Basketball Hall of Fame. Both books, a must for any
basketball coach, are edited by Jerry Krause, director ▼ Lou Carnesecca:
of the NABC Study Center and Ralph Pim, a high Diagnostic Defen-
school coach who guided his teams to many state sive Drills, from
championships. the “Medalist Fla-
“Basketball Defense, Lessons from Legends” has shback Notebook
plenty of diagrams and its 280 pages are divided into magazine”;
29 important chapters. Here is a brief overview:
▼ Henry "Hank" Iba:
The defensive
stance, from his
1966 book, “The
Basketball Men-
tor”;

▼ Mike Krzyzewsky:
Duke's Man-to-
Man Defense,
from the “Mac-
Gregor Flashback
Notebook”;

▼ Dean Smith: The

Run and Jump De-
fense, from the
fundamental book “Basketball Multiple Offense” and
Defense, published in 1981 and translated in Italian;

▼ Morgan Wootten: “Blitz Defense”, written with Hank

Galotta in 1971.

The second volume, "Basketball Offense, Lessons from Le-

gends" details the important offensive aspects of the ga-
me. The book is longer, consisting of 320 pages and dozens
of articles. Here are some of the more intriguing titles:

EV\Z(&
 ▼ Larry Brown, Early
Offense, written in 1995
and included in the
“Spalding Basketball
Playbook”;

▼ Bruce Drake, The

Drake Shuffle Offense,
from “Basketball
Bulletin” (January 1996);

▼ Frank McGuire,
Weave, Post, and
Pivot Offense, 1954;

▼ Pete Newell, Reverse Action Continuity Pattern,

from “Scholastic Coach”, 1949;

▼ John Wooden, High Post Offense, from the “Mac-

Gregor Flashback Notebook”.
EV\Z('
 FIBA EUROPE EDITORIAL
HOOP MARKET

Duke Basketball
by Raffaele Imbrogno
six-pack DVDS
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basket-
ball Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Ita- In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
lian National Coaches Commitee of the Federation. Imbro- other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
gno is the author of several technical basketball pubblica- useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
tions. comments about our basketball-related media for review in
this section.
"Mutual commitment helps overcome the fear of failure-
especially when people are part of a team sharing and In the second DVD ("Developmental Drills for Perimeter
achieving goals. It also sets the stage for open dialogue Players"), Coach K, three times the NCAA champion coach
and honest conversation." (1991, 1992 and 2001), presents, together with Johnny Dawkins,
Mike Krzyzewski his former player and now first assistant, the strong work reser-
ved for perimeter players of his team. The DVD, similar to the
Mike Krzyzewski's Polish surname is difficult to pronounce, previous one, describes how to free oneself and how to take an
so everyone calls him "Coach K." Over the years, he spread open shot in the different perimeter positions; and how to effec-
his basketball ideas and winning system in books, videos, tively defend external players. This DVD is 48 minutes and con-
and DVDs. In our showcase, we tried to keep abreast of the tains new and very effective drills.
large output by this successful American coach. From 1987, The third DVD ("Developmental Drills for Point Guard") is with
the publication year of his two little handbooks, "Duke's
Man-to-Man Defense Book" and "Duke's Motion Offense,"
complete with two video tapes: ("The Winning Attitude:
Duke's Man-to-Man Defense" and "Duke's Offense: At-
tacking Man and Zone Defense"), Coach K has published a
lot. Among the most interesting of his titles: "Winning Hoops
with Coach K" on CD ROM, 1996, produced by Intellimedia
Sports Inc. In May 1996 came the "Duke Basketball Series-
A clinic with Coach K," produced by Human Kinetics first,
then later repackaged in three different DVDs: "Team De-
fense, Transition Game, and Championship Practices";
ESPN Instructional-"Let's play basketball with Mike Krzy-
zewski", a video tape produced in July 2000 by ESPN Video;
two books: "Leading with Heart - Coach K's Successful
Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life" (March 2001,
Warner Business Books) and "Coach K's Little Blue Books,
Lessons from College Basketball's Best Coach" (March
2004 Sport Classic Books).
However, the head coach of Duke University exceeds him-
self today with "Duke Basketball-Six Pack", produced by
Championship Productions, where Krzyzewski (NABC - the
National Association of Basketball Coaches- Coach of the
Decade) opens his "secret archives" for everyone who
wants to know and understand his basketball philosophy.
Let's look at these six DVDs. The first one is "Developmen-
tal Drills for Post Players" and it features Coach K with the
help of his assistant, Steve Wojciechowski. The video
starts with warm - up exercises for internal players, then
moves to post player offense and defense. The footwork
practice is analyzed in both defensive and offensive situa-
tions. This DVD is 43 minutes in duration.

EV\Z((
Duke assistant coach and former Duke player, Chris Collins.
The two coaches present drills for the development of the
point guards. The goal of the video is to show effective stra-
tegies for point guards so they come to understand their ro-
le. The DVD also has extensive exercises for dribbling, pas-
sing, and shooting. This DVD is 45 minutes and I recom-
mend it to every coach looking for ways to create a team
playmaker.
With the fourth DVD ("Duke Basketball Attacking the Zo-
ne"), we leave role-specific drills and take on the Duke
University offensive system used to attack the zone. 40
minutes of the presentation reveal secrets and of princi-
ples that created a simple, but very effective attack,
against every kind of zone.
In the fifth DVD (“Duke Basketball: Breaking the Press”), we
have every drill used on Cameron Indoor Stadium to overco-
me every kind of full, three-quarters, and half-court press.
Finally, with the sixth DVD (this one is 50 minutes long), Coa-
ch K describes how to teach the right discipline and attitu-
de needed to build a strong team defense. This is an exten-
sive and well-produced work. The DVDs can be purchased
separately or as a six-pack at the Internet site www.cham-
pionshipproductions.com

EV\Z()
 FIBA EUROPE
HOOP MARKET

A SHOOTING EXPERT:
by Raffaele Imbrogno
HAL WISSEL
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball
Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian Na- In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
tional Coaches Commitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly
author of several technical basketball pubblications. useful for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and
comments about our basketball-related media for review in
Dr. Hal Wissel, a long-time coach, this section.
has the keys to his destiny sket-
ched out in his curriculum vitae. chnical aspects of sports, published Wissel's "Basketball: Steps to
Wissel studied at Springfield Colle- Success," which was a top seller in the U.S. with over 100,000 co-
ge (where basketball was invented pies sold, and was translated in Spanish, Italian and Japanese. In
by James Naismith, an instructor 2004 Human Kinetics printed a second and revised edition
there) and earned a BS in physical (www.humankinetics.com).
education. He earned an MS in In addition to this book, Wissel also has written many articles for te-
physical education at Indiana Uni- chnical sports magazines, such as "Scholastic Coach." He also
versity, and then returned to wrote a chapter in "NABC Coaching Basketball," a 1994 book edited
Springfield and obtained a docto- by Jerry Krause that featured articles from the top American ba-
rate in physical education. Wissel sketball coaches.
is a well-respected coach who is Coach Wissel's latest work, two spectacular DVDs, took more than
considered an outstanding teacher one year to produce, mainly because of Wissel's attention to coa-
of the game, especially shooting. Wissel has been a succes- ching detail, a trademark of this long-time coach.
sful coach at both the college and pro level. As a head college Released at the end of 2005, Wissel,
coach, Wissel's teams compiled over 300 victories (at Spring- along with the help of his two sons,
field College, North Carolina Charlotte, Florida Southern, Scott and Paul, both NBA scouts,
Fordham, Lafayette, and Trenton State). At the pro level, Wissel helps the viewer learn how to shoot
served as assistant coach and/or scout with Atlanta, in step-by-step fashion. No matter
Milwaukee, New Jersey, Dallas, and Memphis (where he was what age or talent level the DVDs
the "tutor" of Pau Gasol). In addition to coaching, he has also are for everyone and anyone, who
produced a wealth of technical material for coaches over the wants to improve shooting skills
years. Coach Wissel founded Basketball World in 1972, which and raise their shooting percenta-
is now owned by his son Paul a Toronto Raptors advance ge.
scout. Another son, Scott is an LA Clippers advance scout. Hal, In "Basketball Shooting: Confiden-
Paul and Scott conduct Basketball World camps, clinics and ce, Rhythm, and Mechanics" Wissel
shooting camps world wide for players from youth to NBA le- points out that shooting a basketball
vel. is a matter of these key factors: ha-
Wissel's first book, "Becoming a ving confidence that the shot will go
Basketball Player: Individual Dril- in, which is a mental skill that must
ls" published by Basketball World be practiced; the smooth, fluid
was produced into a series of te- rhythm of the shot, with emphasis on the down and up action of the
chnical videos by the Athletic In- knees, which helps provide shooting range; and correct mechanics
stitute in 1990. The videos titled with particular attention paid to the shooting hand facing the ba-
"Becoming a Basketball Player" sket and holding the follow through until the ball reaches the rim.
(Ball Handling, Shooting, Offensi- In the second DVD, "Basketball Shooting: Off the Pass, Off the Drib-
ve Moves, Offensive Moves Off ble, and in the Post," Wissel describes how to best develop all other
Dribble, Defense and Reboun- aspects of the jump shot, with an accurate description of hand,
ding) are now being made into a foot, and overall body position when a player is about to shoot after
DVD. receiving a pass, after a dribble, while playing in the post, and final-
In 1994, Human Kinetics, the most ly with the step back move. In short, these DVDs offer the best of
prestigious and leading U.S. pu- teaching fundamentals and will help form the base of a player's of-
blisher of books and DVDs on te- fensive arsenal. (www.basketballworld.com ).
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 FIBA EUROPE
HOOP MARKET

YOUTH BASKETBALL
by Raffaele Imbrogno AND FUNDAMENTALS DVDS
Raffaele Imbrogno, former Director of the Italian Basketball In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
Federation Study Center, is an Instructor with the Italian Na- other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly useful
tional Coaches Commitee of the Federation. Imbrogno is the for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and comments
author of several technical basketball pubblications. about our basketball-related media for review in this section.

Within the vast technical basket- With a different vision of shooting, taught inside a system of
ball DVD market, significant spa- play, Billy Donovan, coach of the University of Florida, produced
ce is now dedicated to develo- the DVD “Individual Skills Development within Your Offense,”
ping the younger player and to- with three-on-three and four-on-four drills.
pics about basketball fundamen- Tony Barone, a member of the technical staff of the NBA
tals. This is an important and po- Memphis Grizzlies, has his DVD, “Drills to Build a Competitive
sitive signal, since there seems and Sound Team.” He demonstrates drills used by the Grizzlies
to be a raging international deba- to improve the fundamentals and the execution of team plays.
te on the importance of funda- One DVD to consider is “30 Drills to Build a Complete Guard” from
mentals versus basketball based Kevin Sutton of Montverde High School in Florida, one of the top
mainly on athletic skills. emerging high school coaches in the
Let’s start with the fundamentals U.S. Sutton, who is also an instructor
of shooting. Ganon Baker’s DVD, at the NIKE Skills Academy, introdu-
“20 Shooting Drills for the Lost Art of the Jump Shot,” tea- ces a series of innovative drills with
ches the mid-range jump shot, which, as many U.S. univer- two and three players with the aim of
sity coaches admit (among them is Rick Pitino of Louisville) is improving ball handling, passing, and
a shot that few players are able to make. Baker, an instructor shooting skills after a dribble and a
at the prestigious NIKE Skills Academy and also at camps pass.
abroad (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, among others) is a Coach Sutton’s DVD, “30 Drills for
master on teaching one-on-one moves. In this excellent Building a Complete Post Player” is
DVD, he concentrates his work on footwork, the dedicated to the impro-
catch and release of the ball. He describes how vement of the big man.
to practice these fundamentals with 20 special When it comes to de-
drills. fensive fundamentals,
In another DVD, “Advanced Two Ball Shooting the DVD “20 Competiti-
Drills,” Baker demonstrates a series of shooting ve Drills for a Cham-
exercises, both inside and outside the lane. Two pionship Defense” from Bruce Weber, the coach
balls are used, which demands a high level of of the University of Illinois, starts from simple one-
physical and mental intensity. His other DVD, on-one defensive drills, with and without the ball,
“30 Finishing Moves You Can Use,” covers a va- and then explains how to build his famous pressu-
riety of one-on-one moves used by some of the re defense.
top NBA players, as well as a series of drills for The excellent DVD produced by Fever River Sports
improving footwork. (www.championshippro- Productions (www.syskos.com), “The Complete
ductions.com). Inner City Moves” is from Coach Ben Holowicki,
Other interesting DVDs on shooting include an instructor at Five-Star Camps, and one of the
Tom Norland’s “Swish: A Guide to Great Ba- best at teaching the different types dribbles, as
sketball Shooting,” and “Swish 2: Learning and well as the most advanced dribbles for beating
Coaching the Swish Method.” Norland is the the defender.
creator of the “Swish Method” for teaching Al Sokaitis, a coach with a great reputation at
and improving the jump shot Western State College of Colorado, specializes in
(www.swish22.com). teaching basketball fundamentals, both at the ba-
Championship Productions (www.champion- sic and advanced levels. He has three impressive
shipproductions.com) has a series of DVDs on DVDs: “Youth League Basketball Offense,” “High
the fundamentals. In “15 Competitive Shooting School Basketball Skills and Drills,” and “Advan-
Drills”, coach Phil Martelli of St. Joseph’s Col- ced Basketball Workout: Take Your Game to the
lege, demonstrates a series of shooting drills Next Level”, produced by Sport Videos
completed under game-like situations. (www.sportvideos.com).
EV\Z(+
 FIBA EUROPE
HOOP MARKET

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL In this section, we introduce the latest books, videos, CDs, and
other tools that are primarily aimed at coaches, but certainly useful
for all of our readers. Please send your suggestions and comments
by Raffaele Imbrogno about our basketball-related media for review in this section.

Raffaele Imbrogno has been coaching since 1980. He is an how to best play against zone defenses, such as the 3-2 and 1-3-
Instructor for the Italian National Coaches Committee of the 1. He offers plays for getting a quick shot and plays developing
Federation and has been Director of the Italian Basketball from from inbounds passes, both from the baseline and the side-
Federation Study Center. Imbrogno is also the author of se- line.
veral technical basketball publications. The head coaches of the two teams that played against each
other for the 2006 NCAA women's title have published technical
FIBA Europe has created a special material that is now available. The national champion, Maryland,
program to promote women's basket- is coached by Brenda Freese, a young rising star of college ba-
ball over the course of the next 18 sketball. After only four years at the University of Maryland, the
months. Here are the main goals: 35-year-old Freese brought Maryland to the highest levels of wo-
▼ To increase the popularity of the men's basketball by employing her particular defensive and of-
game fensive ideas. These coaching concepts have been captured in
throughout Europe for women. videos produced several years ago. The first, "The 2-3 Match-up
▼ To increase interest and encourage Zone" was released by Coaches Choice in 2001. In 42 minutes,
the recruiting of players of all ages. Frese covers all the principles and techniques needed to create
▼ To increase number of women refe- an effective 2-3 zone with match-up principles. Several drills are
rees and coaches, in the European described to create the zone defense with particular attention
championships and International paid to proper player positioning based on their individual skills.
championships as well. The second of Freese's videos, "Championship Shooting Drills",
To study in depth the women's basket- was released by Championship Production in 2002, and it is dedi-
ball, we will now review some of the cated to all aspects of shooting, free-throws in particular. She
most popular womens' videos, DVDs, recommends a variety of drills and practice sessions using three
and books. players. The coach of the last NCAA tournament runner up team,
Geno Auriemma, a 2006 inductee to Gail Goestenkors, head coach of Duke University, is author of
the Basketball Hall of Fame, is the two interesting works: "Team Chemistry & the Complete to Sco-
head coach of the women's basketball ring Opportunities" and "Transition Offense & Quick Hitters". In
team of the University of Connecticut. the first DVD, the coach shows how certain practice drills could
An Italian-American who emigrated to be useful to the team. The second DVD focuses on options for
the U.S. from Montella, Duke's famous fastbreak and the main solutions that
Italy when he was seven can be employed after the transition .
years old, Auriemma is Here some other interesting DVD titles: Doug Bruno
one of the most famous and successful U.S. wo- of DePaul University has "Eight Interchangeable Of-
men's college basketball coaches. His teams fensive Sets"; Kay Yow, the coach of the U.S. Olympic
have won the NCAA Women's championships fi- champion women's team (1988), Hall of Fame Induc-
ve times. He has produced several DVDs over tee, and coach of North Carolina State has "13 Indivi-
the years and Champioship Productions recently dual and Team Drills for Improvement"; Tara Vender-
released two interesting selections: "Geno Au- veer, coach of Stanford University, winner of two
riemma-70 minute Players Development NCAA Championships, and elected three-timeNatio-
Workout" and "Geno Auriemma-The Simplified nal Coach of the Year, has "25 Offensive Practice Dril-
Zone Offense" . ls for Success"; and Harry Perretta, coach of Villano-
In the first disc, Auriemma explains his ideas va University women's basketball team, released
about how a coach can help to develop a skilled "The Unscoutable Zone Offense", “The Wildcat
offensive player by using 20 specific drills. He Spread Offense" and "The Unstoppable, No Mistake
begins with full-court drills, focusing on opening 5-Out Motion Offense". Finally, Sylvia Hatchell, a col-
fastbreak passes, long passes, and running lege coach for 30 years, has accumulated more than
layups. He stresses that for a player to be suc- 400 career wins at the University of North Carolina. In
cessful, there must be effective communication 2006, her Tar Heels made the NCAA Final Four and
on the court between teammates. The disc ends Hatchell was named the Associated Press's Coach of
with half-court drills featuring jump shots, run- the Year. She was inducted into the Women's Basket-
ning lay-ups, proper use of pick-and-rolls, low ball Hall of Fame in 2004. This July, her 256-page book
post moves, and how to properly use a screen. entitled, "The Complete Guide to Coaching Girls' Ba-
In the second DVD, UConn's coach describes sketball”, will be published by McGraw-Hill.
EV\Z(,
 content

referees
THE LITTLE-KNOWN WORLD OF FIBA REFEREES: INTERVIEW WITH LUBOMIR KOTLEBA                                                  
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BASKETBALL STATISTICS MANUAL                                                                                        
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 REFEREES

THE LITTLE-KNOWN WORLD

OF FIBA REFEREES: INTERVIEW
WITH LUBOMIR KOTLEBA

Former player, coach, executive, and referee, Lubomir Kotleba nally think that this change will be accepted. Some other chan-
has officiated the finals of the Olympic Games, the World, ges include the number of jump balls during the game, the num-
European and other continental Championships, as well as ber of time-outs, and additional small issues. These changes
European Club competitions. He presently serves as the FIBA proposed by the FIBA Technical Commission, if approved by the
Sport Director and is in charge of overseeing the training, FIBA Central Board, might be adopted for 2003- 2004 season.
selection, and conduct of FIBA referees.
What are the ultimate goals when the basketball rules are
Officiating any sport can often be a thankless task and referees changed?
seem to receive far more criticism than they do credit. Referees The ultimate goal is to keep up with the progress of the game.
rarely seek or receive attention, but what is not in doubt is the When we decided to changed the shot clock rule from 30 to 24-
high standard that all FIBA referees must adhere to. We spoke seconds, it was done so because we discovered the game was
with Lubomir Kotleba, FIBA Sports Director and asked him to getting too slow and less spectacular for the spectators.
take us behind the scenes in the world of the referee. Whatever the change, it is either a reaction to or possibly an
anticipation of what is going on in the current game. The game
How does someone become a FIBA referee? has become much more athletic, the players are faster, the
FIBA referee candidates are nominated by their national fede- game itself is changing-therefore, the rules must adapt to these
rations. Only the best national referees make it to this selection changes.
process. The candidates then must participate in international
referee clinics where they eventually must pass special exami- You mentioned the word “spectacular.” When you make rule
nations created by the Technical Commission. Those who pass changes, does the basketball fan play a role in your thinking?
the exams receive an international referee licence, issued by Of course. The game needs to be easily understandable and
the FIBA Secretary General. These new FIBA referees are now especially attractive to the players, coaches, and all the fans of
eligible to officiate all FIBA-sanctioned competitions, cups, and the game. One change, which was implemented a couple of
tournaments. years ago, was the allowance of the “alley oop,” which is one
of the most spectacular plays of the present game. Any specta-
What is the role of the World Technical Commission in regards cular aspects that can be implemented in basketball, without
to referees? changing the inherent game philosophy itself, are always wel-
The main duties of the World Technical Commission include come.
drafting, continuously updating and amending the Basketball
Rules to make them compatible with a dynamically developing
basketball game. It is our job to ensure that referees take trai-
ning courses based on common principles and that rules are
uniformly interpreted throughout the world.

The Commission reviewed the basketball rules in 2000 and

made proposals for possible changes for the basketball rules
in 2003. Can you tell us more about the proposals?
Typically when you adopt new rules the changes are very well
received. However, there are some rule changes that needed to
be looked at again. After three years, the FIBA Technical
Commission reviewed various changes and reexamined the
rules in order to cope with the needs of the ever-changing
game. The key issue was the 24-second shot clock rule, which
says that when the ball is in the air and the 24-second shot has
expired, the game clock is stopped, as is the game. This is unne-
cessary stoppage and we wanted to amend the rule. I perso-

EV\Z&
 REFEREES

FIBA has tried to unify the basketball rules around the world
because there are different organizations that play with diffe-
rent rules, which is not good for spectators or the game. It
seems that FIBA was not totally successful and it looks like
there are now even more organizations that play with different
rules. What can FIBA do to change this situation?
It is certainly FIBA’s role to set the standards globally. I think
that each governing body, which runs a national or international
competition, is trying to find what is the best for their own game.
One disadvantage of the FIBA Rule Book is that it is valid for
almost all ages and for all 212 participating countries worldwi-
de. It is extremely difficult to have one rulebook that is valid for
all ages and all types of basketball. This is the main reason why
some organizations are adjusting the rules to their needs. We
were always trying to unify the rules. Recently, we were partly
successful in diminishing the many differences between FIBA,
NBA, and NCAA rules. Due to local playing conditions in various
countries, it will be extremely difficult, if almost impossible, to
have one set of rules in place worldwide in the near future.

Three-man officiating system was recently accepted by FIBA.

Will three referees be used in a FIBA world competition soon?
The FIBA Rule Book foresees the possibility of using both the
two-man system of officiating and the 3-man system. The gover-
ning body of the local competition can decide on using one
system or the other. Personally, before anybody moves to a 3-
man officiating system, “yes” should be answered to the fol-
lowing three basic questions:
■ Does the level of competition merit the use of three applying to be FIBA international referees and those who are
referees? already FIBA referees. The main focus of the clinics was the
■ Are there three quality referees available? Basketball Rules and their interpretation. In addition, the clinics
■ Do I have the financial resources to pay for the three-man cover referee mechanics and officiating techniques, philosophy
officiating team? of the game, and the psychological aspects of officiating.
If the answer were “yes” to all three questions, I would say a
three-man officiating crew would be beneficial to the game. What does a typical program consist of during these clinics?
When the first FIBA World Championship uses three referees The program is very well established and there are several
ultimately depends on the decision of the FIBA Central Board. standard features that must be included in every international
clinic. All candidates have to undergo three tests: a written
You have been a referee at the top level for many years, and exam, a physical fitness test, and a practical officiating test.
have had experience with many great players and coaches. Do However, as the game progressed, FIBA developed an impro-
players and coaches really care about the various FIBA rule ved program utilizing tests, which are under review. In the past,
changes? How much influence should coaches and players we concentrated much more on the rules, their explanation and
have in possible rule-change decisions? interpretation. Now the clinics concentrate more on what a
There are many rules changes that do not actually involve game referee cannot learn by himself. One can come to understand
play rather are administrative issues or very minor changes. I the basketball rules, get in good physical condition, and develop
don’t think that the players or coaches really care about these good mechanics of officiating by yourself. What you can’t learn
changes. But they do care very much about the big changes, by yourself are the psychological and mental aspects of the
such as the introduction of the 3-point shot, the 24-second game: how to handle the game, how to be mentally prepared for
clock, and the throw-in from the baseline. All these are changes the game, how to deal with all the conflicts, and how to become
which were dictated by the game itself, which the players and and remain mentally strong during a game.
coaches are an integral part. Therefore, they express their opi-
nions and the Technical Commission is extremely receptive to Will FIBA be producing instructional videos for referees?
their comments. Coaches always were and will be members of We know that some national federations are producing good
the Technical Commission. Currently, we have two coaches on instructional videos for referees. I think we have to do it on the
the technical commission: Lindsay Gaze from Australia and FIBA level as well and I think the FIBA Technical Commission
Dusan Ivkovic from Serbia-Montenegro, who is also President will come up with a good proposal for producing a high-quality
of the World Basketball Coaches Association. Active players instructional video that can be used worldwide.
are currently not on the Technical Commission, but probably in
the future, some kind of advisory body may exist, which could FIBA established a system of FIBA “referee instructors.”
consist of active referees, players, and coaches as an ad hoc Please detail how this works.
working commission or as an advisor to the Technical Some years ago FIBA developed a system called “FIBA
Commission. International Referee Instructors” and “FIBA National Referee
Instructors.” International Referee Instructors are the instruc-
Can you tell us more about what happens at the referee cli- tors used at FIBA clinics and they also assist the FIBA staff in
nics? running these events. Fifteen people currently work worldwide
FIBA clinics are conducted for two groups of referees, those in the FIBA clinics. The FIBA National Referee Instructors is

EV\Z'
now considered the much more important project. FIBA adop- talk to his experienced colleagues, be very open to criticism,
ted the philosophy that each country should have one person and have the following goal as a driving force in his life: “I
who is the so-called “extended arm of FIBA.” want to be a top referee.”
This person teaches or follows the same educational process
within the country as FIBA does on a worldwide level. This Does it help a referee to have played the game or isn’t this
project is currently working very well in Europe and in the necessary?
Americas and in the future, it will be extended to the other con- It is not a requirement to have been a former player, but it is
tinents. The project is currently eight years old, so the FIBA certainly a big plus. In our referee clinics, we are trying to get
Technical Commission will look at it and revitalize it to meet our the referees to develop a better understanding of the game,
present needs. as well as an understanding of the players and the coaches.
Having been a player is not a precondition, but if a referee had
Coaches and players sometimes complain that they face diffe- been a player before, this learning process is certainly much
rent refereeing conditions when they play in their respective easier because he has a good insight into the game as well as
national leagues compared to international competitions. Will the mentality of the players and coaches.
this project help avoid different philosophies and interpreta-
tions? In the past, you rarely saw referees talking with players
The program of the national and international instructors was during the game. Now, it’s very common. Why has this chan-
created for exactly this reason: to have the same philosophy ged?
and interpretations in FIBA, as well as in the national federation Each referee has to find his own way how to handle the game
competitions. We must work together, but we must also accept and to bring it to a “happy ending,” without any conflicts, if
that each individual is different and every coach and player has possible. We recommend a “preventive officiating” philo-
his or her own personality, as every referee has his own perso- sophy, which may include verbal communication with the
nality, too. Achieving the same way of thinking is extremely dif- players and coaches.
ficult. But even though there are many differences even within If certain referees feel by communicating verbally with
national leagues, we still have to get as close as possible to the players and coaches that they will have better control of the
same philosophy of officiating on a global basis. game or allow the game to run more smoothly, we feel this is
fine. But, of course, you have to place some restrictions on
What would you recommend to a young referee if he wants to this interaction, otherwise the game has the possibility of
become a top FIBA international referee? becoming a roundtable discussion, which would undermine
First of all, he has to be ready to devote himself totally to basket- the referee’s authority and delay the game.
ball. As basketball officiating is getting more and more semi-
professional, he must make up his mind as to which direction Are you happy with quality of FIBA referees?
he would like to go. Being an international referee is deman- Extremely so. There are a number of very good referees in each
ding work. of the FIBA zones. However, there is always room for improve-
As a FIBA referee, it is now almost impossible to reach the top ment and this is the task of the World Technical Commission.
level in your off-court work and also become a top basketball Referees have often been blamed by players, coaches, and
official. When a referee passes his first exam, he must be avai- fans for the poor play of their team. This is inevitable, no matter
lable to call the games almost anytime and anywhere. He must how good or bad a referee performs.

THE WORLD TECHNICAL COMMISSION MEETING IN GENEVA

Recommendations to change the 24-second rule, and size of ● Timeouts: Five (5) charged time-outs may be granted to
the ball for women were among the topics on the agenda when each team during normal playing time, two (2) charged
the FIBA Technical Commission met in Geneva on February 21- time-outs anytime during the first half (1st and 2nd
22, 2003 at FIBA Headquarters. The goal of the meeting was to periods), and three (3) charged time outs any time during
review the changes implemented in the Official Basketball the second half (3rd and 4th periods). The time-out rules
Rules 2000; address immediate and necessary changes; prepa- for overtime are unchanged.
re the general revision of the Official Basketball Rules to be ● Jump balls: Except for the beginning of the 1st and 2nd
implemented after the Olympic Games in 2004, and to discuss half and any overtime, all jump balls are eliminated and
matters related to the training of FIBA officials. managed according to the alternating possession rule.

Review of Official Basketball Rules 2000 The proposals will be submitted to the FIBA Central Board
In general, the Official Basketball Rules 2000 have been extre- for approval in May 2003. If approved they will be implemented
mely well received during the 2001 continental competitions as of the start of the 2003-2004 season in September this year.
and the 2002 World Championships in the United States and
China. In particular, the change from the 30-second rule to the Recommendations for changes as of the 2004-2005 season
24-second rule has been beneficial to the attractiveness of the The Technical Commission proposed the following changes:
game. ● The three-men officiating at main FIBA official
competitions after the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Recommendations for changes as of 2003-2004 season ● The use of the smaller basketball (size 6) for women’s
The Technical Commission proposed the following changes: basketball.
● The 24-second rule: Whenever a shot is taken and the ball If approved by the Central Board, these changes will be inclu-
is still in the air while the 24-second signal sounds, the ded in the new Rule Book to be issued in 2004 and valid as of
game will no longer be stopped if the ball touches the rim. September 2004.

EV\Z(
 REFEREES

SOLVING CONFLICTS
by Carl Jungebrand

International referee since 1986, he offi-

ciated at three Olympic Games, two
World Men’s Championships, three
European Men’s Championship finals, six
European Final Fours, and in more than
800 international games.

Basketball is a game played with both the

heart and the mind and emotions flare up
from time to time. In addition to making it
an interesting game to watch, it can also
elevate the emotional feelings of specta-
tors and players alike. Because there are
these high emotions, it often creates situa-
tions where conflicts are likely to occur, or
at least have a great potential to occur. them. There will be always some crucial everything changes when you put on your
These conflicts happen not only among moments in every game where we have to uniform. It doesn’t. Solving conflicts
team members but also between players, react the ‘right’ way. Sometimes we tend entails nothing more than dealing with
coaches, and referees. In many close to think that if there is a conflict during the people in the right way.
games or in games between highly rated game we have failed in some way. The
opponents, spectators are often involved same thing applies to fear. Both conflict HOW - NOT WHAT!
in the conflict situations as well. and fear are very natural. Disagreements BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF
UNDERSTANDING IS KEY TO CONTROL arise because we all are different, with It’s been said that 90 percent of divorces
When we talk about controlling something our own values and habits. Generally are caused by one’s tone of voice, not by
within us or our surroundings, we need to speaking, conflicts can be triggered by the things that are done or said. There is
understand first what are we’re dealing various sources, including anger, frustra- some truth to this. By carefully analyzing
with. That’s why we need to spend some tion, pressure, and provocation. They’re the various situations during the game you
time thinking what conflicts actually are. all natural human feelings and surprise, quickly learn that the tone with which you
Even if we try to analyze the particular surprise, they are also present on the deliver your message-not the message
conflicts that arise during the game right basketball court. The bottom line: It is per- itself-can often be the major cause of pro-
now, we should not forget that the same fectly natural to have disagreements and blems. Hopefully, this will cause you to re-
rules we use to govern the game are also conflicts during a basketball game. think your methods during heated
working in our so-called ‘normal life’ off moments of the game, and see if they’re
the court. Many of the rules of society that KEY FACTOR really appropriate or not!
are working for you successfully in every Disagreements/Conflicts are natural - they
day life are also very effective during a happen to everybody! When we are in the middle of a conflict
heated basketball game. It doesn’t matter between animated people who all think
if you are player, coach, referee, or table PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS INVOLVED that they are right, we oftentimes lose the
official in the game. By following some We used to say that people never fight, but ability to make the right decision. We
basic principles, you will be able to help it’s the subjects they are talking about that sometimes even lose our temper. From the
solve a variety of complicated situations cause the fight. It is true that conflicts referee’s point of view, there can be many
that all too often lead to conflict. could be based on disagreements, but we disagreements, which, according to my
cannot forget that people are still involved. study, could be caused equally by both
I truly believe that during the game every In other words, so-called human laws are parties. A misinterpretation of a player’s
person will experience the same number in effect too, because behind every con- response for his statements or situation by
of situations that may lead to conflict. So, flict a human heart is always beating. It a referee, is in many cases the main cause
we first need to recognize that we must try doesn’t matter if you are a player, coach or of conflict. I have completed a study of
to solve the disagreements, not avoid referee. Sometimes we think that basketball conflicts and based on my own
EV\Z)
 experiences, I’d say the players are hone- nesses, you are able to control them! greement is the crucial moment in order
st 99 percent of the time with their reac- We have a saying, “Treat others as you to solve it. This is why we need to pay
tions or statements made during the game. wish them to treat you!” Basically, this is particular attention to how and when we
So, the key factor for a referee is then to be true, but the outcome is not always what start our reply.
able to analyze what has caused the initial we expect or want. Because we are all
disagreement. Oftentimes it turns out to be different, what you happen to like may As a referee, I have been involved with
a lack of information or a misunderstan- not always be what I happen to like. That hundreds of difficult moments during
ding. Therefore, in order to solve the case, is why this statement should be slightly games. Over the years, I have spent
you need to identify the reasons why there re-worded as follows: “Treat others as hours analyzing how I was able to create
is a disagreement. they wish to be treated!” This means that happy endings, even when emotional
people with good psychological insight players/coaches were not so happy with
KEY FACTOR will be very successful in dealing with my decisions. I first had to look at myself
Identify the reason why you have the disa- difficult situations. This is especially true honestly and try to understand why and
greement! with salesmen. These people have to be for what reasons my action or reaction
extremely careful with their customers in led to an unsuccessful conflict. Then,
Lack of order to survive their demanding jobs. when I really understood the various fac-
Frustration information I have found that an inherent lack of tors, I was able to make positive chan-
respect for the people around you can ges.
quickly lead to conflict. You can be very Eventually, I found that the following fac-
Needs upset with somebody, but still respect tors are most important:
Values CONFLICT him/her. More often, the respect you
show to someone will be paid back with 1. Voice: Keep your tone always calm and
dividends. Like a smile, showing respect cool - try to avoid using an aggressive
is free of charge. tone.
Provocation Pressure In emotional situations people often 2. Body language: Avoid any unpleasant
Stress
speak when silence would be better. By gestures and try to be approachable.
UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT, listening (or at least giving that impres- 3. Words: Start with something other than
UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN ACTIONS sion), you have a better chance to be the negative words. Be professional and
It is generally thought that by understan- ultimate negotiator. polite- but you can still be demanding!
ding others, they will come to understand 4. Protect the ego: Everybody in the game
you even more. It’s imperative, therefore, THINK AND PRACTICE has a strong ego, otherwise they would
that everyone spend some time studying DO NOT WIN - SOLVE! not be on the court. Do not threaten the
his or herself. Of course, this is not easy Difficult moments occur so quickly during other person’s ego. He or she will surely
and sometimes it can even be a little bit basketball games that referees often fight back-it’s human nature. Show
painful when you notice that you are not don’t have the luxury of too much time to everyone respect and you will get the
perfect in every manner-not at all! think and react. Oftentimes, we may say same chance too.
something we regret and it is almost
KEY FACTOR impossible to correct it afterwards. KEY FACTOR
When you know your strengths and weak- Generally speaking, the start of a disa- Most powerful words: Thank you...
Please... Excuse me... Would you... Could
I... May I...

Whenever you try to solve a disagree-

ment, remember that you have to focus
on the actual problem. Do not let the
subject expand-it can happen easily-or
else the first conflict will rarely be solved.
Make sure that you know what you are
talking about and do not start to explain
too much.
If you need to have more conversation,
choose a better time and place for the
additional discussion.

Always try to analyze the group and its

structure because it may help you when
you need help or some contact person.
Who among the group is very useful to
know? If you pick the right person to
solve the problem, his/her influence
could help swing the rest of the group.

KEY FACTOR
1. Understand the reason
2. Respect all people
3. Solve the conflict
EV\Z*
 REFEREES

WORK OF THE TABLE

OFFICIALS: TIME-OUTS
AND SUBSTITUTIONS
by Valentin Lazarov

FIBA referee from 1958 to 1982 and an Honorary FIBA refe- substitutions. With the following practical examples, I will
ree in 1976, Lazarov became FIBA Commisssioner in 1983. A try to illustrate the need for a more realistic, not literal or
member of the FIBA Technical Committee since 1976, dogmatic, interpretation of the rules in these areas.
Lazarov received the prestigious Radomir Shaper Award, Legal Prescriptions from the Rulebook:
which is given for oustanding contribution to basketball
rules and the game of basketball. Art. 27.3.1. A coach or assistant coach has the right to
request a charged time-out.
Over the last few years, we have witnessed substantial He shall do so by going in person to the scorer and asking
divergences in the way on-court officials and table officials clearly for a time-out, making the proper conventional sign
have been applying the authorized rules for time-outs and with his hands.
EV\Z+
Art. 28.2.1. A substitute has the right to request a substitu- 2. Players who are substituted shall leave the court at the
tion. He shall do so by going in person to the scorer and same time as the substitutes enter the court.
asking clearly for a substitution, making the proper conven- Is this procedure correct?
tional sign with his hands. He shall sit on the substitution Interpretation:
bench/chairs until the substitution opportunity begins. The procedure is wrong because it unnecessarily delays the
restarting of the game.
Situation 1:
Is the coach allowed to request a time-out directly from his ■ Players who have been substituted do not have to report
team bench area instead of going in person to the scorer? to either the scorer or the official and are permitted to
Interpretation: leave the court immediately and at any point.
Actually, this current practice is very common with the
majority of coaches. In similar situations, the scorer shall be ■ The substitutes shall remain outside the boundary line,
tolerant and inform the officials of the request by sounding until the official beckons them onto the court.
his signal at the first time-out opportunity.
Many times, however, the scorer is often concentrating After establishing visual contact with the scorer’s table and
intently on the game and, not having peripheral visual con- the substitute(s), the official may give the beckoning signal
tact with the coach, does not recognize that a charged time- from his present position on the court. It is not necessary for
out has been requested. him to stand in front of the scorer’s table.
In such a case, a clear verbal communication between all The important duties for the official and the scorer during
table officials would be advantageous. Nevertheless, coa- the substitution process are:
ches must be aware that they run the risk of not having the
time-out granted if the scorer does not hear or see their ■ To be sure that the number of players leaving the court
signal coming from the team bench area. equals the number of substitutes coming back on the
Situation 2: court.
While the ball is dead and the game clock stopped, coach A,
from his team bench area, requests a charged time-out ■ To complete the substitution process and restart the
directly from the closest official. Shall the time-out be gran- game as soon as possible.
ted?
Interpretation: Situation 6:
The official shall not grant the time-out but instead of restar- The substitution or time-out opportunity has just ended
ting the game, he shall cooperate and either personally tran- when coach A runs to the scorer’s table, loudly requesting a
smit the request to the scorer or direct the coach to the sco- substitution or time-out. The scorer reacts erroneously and
rer. Should the scorer approve the coach’s request, the time- sounds his signal. The official whistles and interrupts the
out should be granted. game.
Situation 3: Interpretation:
During a substitution opportunity for team A, the official is Because of the official’s whistle, the ball becomes dead and
about to hand the ball to the player to throw in the ball and the game clock is stopped, indicating a possible substitution
restart the game. At that moment, substitutes A10 and A11 or time-out opportunity. But as the request was made too
come from the team bench area and move towards the sco- late, a substitution possibility or time-out is not granted and
rer’s table, requesting a substitution. the game is immediately resumed.
Interpretation:
Since the substitution opportunity has not yet ended, the PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE
scorer shall cooperate and indicate to the officials that a Under the present circumstances, all problems connected
request for substitution has been made by immediately with table officials are now left to the national basketball
sounding his signal. federations to sort out. The consequences of these deci-
It would be beyond the intent of the rule to sound the signal sions have lead to a lack of unification and a great diversity
only when the substitutes have reported to the scorer in per- of instructions, prescriptions, and working styles around the
son and are seated on the substitutes’ bench. globe. My firm personal opinion is that the time has come for
Situation 4: FIBA, as the confirmed leader of basketball in the world, to
Team A is granted a substitution. Player A10 who was sea- immediately take charge and organize a new body called
ted on the substitution chair has already entered the court. “FIBA Table Officials,” providing it with the same structure
At that moment, four more players, two from each team, as already exists in other official bodies, including FIBA-
leave their team benches for the scorer’s table, evidently Officials and FIBA-Commissioners. To achieve this, the fol-
requesting a substitution. lowing must be accomplished:
Interpretation: ■ Elaborate and publish an official FIBA manual detailing
Since the substitution opportunity has not yet ended, the the work of the table officials.
scorer shall cooperate and indicate to the officials that a
supplementary request for substitution has been made by ■ Prepare a unified program for the formation
immediately sounding his signal again. It would be too literal and education of the table officials throughout
and beyond the intent of the rule to sound the signal only the world.
when the replacement players are seated on the substitutes’
chairs. ■ Organize clinics for table officials and schedule examina
Situation 5: tions to test their knowledge base.
During the substitution for team A, the official insists that:
1. The substitutes shall enter and the players leave at the ■ Require licenses for all FIBA table officials with annual
center of the court, just in front of the scorer’s table. membership fees.
EV\Z,
 REFEREES

How To Become
A Better official

by Fred Horgan

Fred Horgan is a member of the FIBA Technical Commission. 2. The good official is punctual, aware that coaches and
He is a FIBA International Referee Instructor, FIBA Americas players have enough on their minds without having to worry
Instructor, Technical Commissioner for Canada and a member about when the officials will arrive. Even more important is the
of the FIBA Americas Technical Commission. He was elected simple fact that a punctual arrival will set the tone for all pre-
in 1996 to the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. game preparations and indeed the first moments of the game
itself. “Punctual” does not mean “game time”.
Officiating a basketball game can have its moments of ironic The good official allows sufficient time to dress, discuss situa-
humor. One particular example that comes to mind happened a tions with a partner or partners and approach the playing court
number of years ago when a fellow official and I were assigned professionally. Nothing looks worse that a last minute sprint
to a semi-final game between two of the top teams in a local lea- from the dressing room to the court at the beginning of the
gue. Predictably, the fans were in rare form that evening. Late in game or second half.
the game, my partner called a perfectly correct “charge” foul
against the home team and their coach quickly took a time-out. 3. The good official doesn’t referee the game alone. There are
For the next minute, every fan in the building could think of no not two but three teams in every game, and one of these is the
greater pleasure than to have my friend hanged from the neare- officiating team. The pre-game discussion becomes a priority
st basket support. but he/she is also conscious of the rest of the team, the table
The building shook. After about twenty seconds of unbelievable officials, throughout the game.
abuse, he slowly strolled from the throw-in spot across the court The good official realizes that the table officials have no way to
to where I was standing near the scorer’s table. With a smile on protect themselves from verbal abuse and supports them whe-
his face, he asked, “Is this what basketball is all about, Fred?”

Since that moment, in countless clinics and game situations as

an official and later as an instructor, the ironic side to the que-
stion has become clear. Too often, an official steps onto the
court without really having any idea what it’s “all about”, and in
the process makes a fool of himself/herself and a travesty of
the game, not to mention making it very difficult for other offi-
cials who have to follow.

Maybe it’s time to answer the question, to try to put in plain and
simple words “what it’s all about”. Knowledge of the rules and
of proper game mechanics aside, what makes an official a suc-
cess? What qualities set that person above those who stay for
a short while and then are never seen again?

Give some thought to these ten characteristics of a successful

official, in basketball or in any other sport.

1.The good official is conscious of his/her appearance. The

object is to be clean and well groomed without becoming a
movie star. The uniform is often dictated by the association
he/she represents but appearance is a personal responsibility
in which that person takes great pride.
EV\Z-
never necessary. In post-game reviews, he/she also gives (and
welcomes) any constructive, friendly, private criticism which
might improve performance in the future.

4. During the game, the good official never becomes involved

in lengthy conversations with players and coaches.
Such debates can cause far more problems than they might
solve. When it is necessary to address someone, the conver-
sation will be courteous and clear but brief.
On the other hand, conversations with scorers and timers
might be more detailed and never rushed. The table officials
are a part of the officiating team and it’s the duty of the floor
officials to provide whatever help they might need.

5.The good official tries not to be the center of attention.

He/she knows that the official’s role is to remain as inconspi-
cuous as possible. Exaggerated signals, an unnecessarily loud
voice and facial expressions or body language that might inci-
te players, coaches or fans are avoided. Instead, the voice is
clear, serious and confident; whistles are sharp but brief and
signals are equally crisp. Play stoppages are kept as brief as
possible because the good official realizes that most unsport-
smanlike infractions occur while play is stopped. When a
player’s ego is wounded or pride is hurt, or when that player
thinks he/she has been wronged, the best approach for avoi-
ding confrontation is to resume the game as quickly as possi-
ble.

6.The good official knows that for every decision that will
interrupt the game there will no doubt be five others that will
not. Not every decision will require the blowing of the whistle.
Most of the time, the official will judge that an infraction did
not occur, despite what players, coaches or fans might think,
and in this instance the lack of a whistle is really a communi-
cation in itself. There’s no need to justify such decisions; head
shaking and the use of unapproved signals belong in very few
sports.

7. The good official is not a slave to a rulebook. He/she reali-

zes that every rule has an intent which reflects a consistent
philosophy of how the game should be played, and he/she
makes it a point to know this intent. Phrases like “tempo”, “flow
of the game” and “game management” become just as impor-
tant as any textbook definition.

8. The good official demonstrates professionalism. A stoppa- important phrases in the officiating vocabulary are “please”
ge in play isn’t the time for him/her to practice free throws or and “thank you”. When someone does a favor by retrieving a
3-point shots. At the same time, frequent conversations with ball or preventing a delay, there’s nothing wrong with a cour-
one’s partner only suggest to others that someone lacks con- teous response.
fidence. When the game is being played, proper mechanics
dictate where each official should be. During a time-out, the 10. Finally, the good official appreciates that he/she is not
official should stand still at the assigned floor position, using infallible. Mistakes will be made, and when such mistakes
that stoppage to prepare mentally for resuming play. happen there should be neither hesitation nor discomfort in
admitting to them. When the error is correctable, it’s correc-
9.The good official is courteous and controlled, manages ted; when it’s beyond correction, the game must continue.
his/her temper, and doesn’t lose patience with players, coa- The objective should always be to officiate to the best of one’s
ches or fans, nor does he/she grant post-game interviews to ability. A day with a perfect game is the day to retire.
discuss controversial plays. At the same time, he/she is in The task of officiating is often a thankless one. It’s impossible
control without being arrogant. The good official knows who’s to make a decision that everyone will applaud so forget
in charge, and is aware that when authority is challenged the- “everyone” and let honest judgment be your guide. Be neat,
re’s recourse within the letter as well as the intent of the rules courteous, confident and professional, and you’ll be a suc-
to cope with that challenge without making a fool of oneself. cess.
At the same time, the good official realizes that the two most That’s what officiating is all about.
EV\Z.
 REFEREES

RECRUITING OF NEW
YOUNG REFEREES
by Edvard de Jager

Edvard de Jager was a FIBA referee from 1985 to 1993. He ● Everyone involved in this project, both referees and tutors
became a FIBA National Referee Instructor in 1997 and the were evaluated.
next year a FIBA Commissioner. de Jager has been a member ● The last phase started at the beginning of May 2003.
of the Netherlands Basketball Federation Referee Committee
since 1995. To date, four referees have been nominated as candidates to
become FIBA referees. If they are able to maintain their posi-
I was asked by the Netherlands Basketball Federation in tions, we shall send them to the FIBA-clinic in June 2003 in
August 2002 to form a new group of 12 good, young referees. Amsterdam.
We found the financial funds through our referees’ sponsor
and started working with a staff of six very good and expe- HOW WE PROCEED
rienced tutors and myself. Two of these tutors were our most To make a program successful like ours, you need to have a
experienced FIBA referees and they would “coach” the can- solidly-organized federation, enough qualified and experien-
didates by officiating games with them. ced tutors with good ideas, financial backing, and internatio-
How did we select these young referees? We looked at their nal tournaments where you can put the young referees under
rankings from the previous season, noted their potential for more game pressure than they are regularly used to.
the future, as well as their age and gender. It worked out well for us this year in the Netherlands becau-
This group also had to meet special FIBA requests. They had se we had Harlem Basketball Week, the Ricoh Cup, the
to be younger than 34 years of age with a good knowledge of Military Championships, and the Dutch Men’s and Women’s
the English language, a very good knowledge of basketball Final Four Cup. We paired our new referees with very expe-
rules and the mechanics of refereeing, and they had to be rienced referees in many of these tournament games and
readily available to work. In addition to having excellent inter- afterwards they were fully evaluated by their tutors.
personal skills in working with other people, they also had to In order for referees to make improvement on any scale, it’s a
be in excellent physical condition, non-smoking, and not must that they get to see themselves on videotape. Thanks to
overweight. the videotaping that we did, the referees were able to see for
We explained our goals to our little group, demanded that themselves the many mistakes that they made during the
they be eager and ready to work for the season, and highly games, from the small ones to the big ones.
motivated to achieve the best possible results. The young Behind every successful referee there is usually a good
referees agreed to our proposal. instructor. People learn mostly by sight and hearing but to be
successful, the instructors need to combine these two factors
TIME-SCHEDULE. in their work with long conversations with the young referees
We divided the year into five phases: and through the use of videotapes. This can occur after a
training sessions in August and September 2002 game, with lessons on the court, or during a video session.
- personal mentoring and criticism during these two months
with the aid of the tutors, videotape review, and individual EVALUATION AND EDUCATION
advice. For the referee’s evaluation during normal competitions, we
● In November 2002 we had individual sessions and, based use eight commissioners and eight evaluators. In addition we
on their results, we divided the group into those who could use two judges, who are the only people to give a figure to the
possibly could go on to the FIBA clinic and the others that referees and commissioners.
could try to become a first division referee. They only evaluate while the commissioners do accompani-
● In December 2002 this potential FIBA referee group took ment/mentoring.
English exams and were then assigned to referee tough Thanks to this unique evaluation set-up, we have developed a
games in the Netherlands Men’s First Division, while paired ranking system, which is objective, as much as it can be, and
with one of the experienced Dutch FIBA referees. The other which is useful for the playoff games to help us select the
group had exams on the rules, psychological aspects, and best commissioners and referees.
mechanics of refereeing, and were then asked to referee in The judges themselves don’t do the commissioner’s work any-
the Netherlands Women’s First and Promotion divisions. This more. This system has been effect for one year in our men’s
phase ended in May 2003. first division and everybody is enthusiastic about it. The eight
EV\Z&%
other evaluators are used in all other lower divisions, except games, we have temporarily appointed two extra judges for
the men’s first division. They work as observers and they are the women’s playoffs and one extra judge for the men’s
obliged to give figures to those referees. games. We want to have a judge at each single playoff game.
The commissioners also have to evaluate referees working in This is the person who decides which referee continues and
games in the lower divisions. who is eliminated for upcoming games. This is also applica-
This is an advantage for both referees and commissioners; ble for the commissioners during the playoff games.
the referees are getting better quality evaluations and the Of course, the final decision depends on our referee commit-
commissioners continue to stimulate young talented refe- tee.
rees. They have been specially trained to work with younger All above-mentioned topics will be discussed and argued
referees, pointing out to them how to work hard and become about with the referee committee this summer.
better at their jobs.
How can you motivate a 24-year-old referee? We are confi- SPECIAL TRAINING
dent that our veteran commissioners are able to do just that. We run four training-sessions mostly in Amsterdam. They are
After this season, we will evaluate the system of judges. Are conducted by our professional tutors from the end of May
we happy with what they have accomplished so far? Are we until the start of the new season.
satisfied with the job they have performed? We offer mental training and media training sessions and do
Do we have the finances to continue with our work? physical fitness and body testing. Finally, we offer a lot of
We probably need two or three more judges. Who is going to personal advice for each individual so they can stay in shape
train them and who can become a judge? For the playoff and be ready for the start of the new season.
EV\Z&&
 REFEREES

COMMISSIONER’S
CHECKLIST
The commissioner is present to ensure that the game is played Each national basketball federation may modify it to meet the
under regular conditions and to collaborate with the referees requirements of its competitions.
at all times to ensure that this is the case. Furthermore, the
commissioner shall be primarily responsible for the smooth 1. TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT
running of the scorer’s table, he will be seated between the 1.1. The scoreboards were according to the rules
timekeeper and scorer. Having completed the duties, he shall 1.2. The scoreboards were visible to everyone
provide a report on the game to the governing body of the com- 1.3. End of period/game sound signal sounded
petition. automatically and was sufficiently loud
1.4. The 24-second device sound signal sounded
At European national team games and in the European Club automatically and was sufficiently loud
Competitions some additional duties were given to the com- 1.5. There were: two (2) 24-second devices on top of the
missioners. baskets, or four (4) 24-second devices in the corners
Therefore, a Commissioner’s Checklist was provided to facilita- of the playing court or two (2) 24-second devices
te their duties and to assist them in producing a comprehensi- in the corners of the playing court
ve report after the game. 1.6. The backboards and the padding were according
The below checklist was prepared by the FIBA Sports depart- to the rules
ment and serves as an example. 1.7. The backboard supports and the padding
were according to the rules
1.8. The basketballs used for the game were ones which
are officially approved
1.9. The scorer’s table functioned well

2. PLAYING COURT
2.1. The playing court was regulation size (28 m x 15 m)
2.2. The playing court had a wooden floor
2.3. The playing floor was clear of lines and markings
with the exception of the basketball lines
2.4. Around the boundary lines there was a band at least
2 m in width and of a contrasting colour
2.5. All the seats in the playing hall were numbered
2.6. The spectators were seated at least 5 m from
the playing floor

3. SECURITY
3.1. There was sufficient security in relation to the number
of spectators
3.2. There were sufficient representatives from the
host country
3.3. The referees and the commissioner were properly
and constantly protected

4. BEHAVIOUR OF TEAM A AND TEAM B:

4.1. Players, coaches, or team followers with special
responsibilities:
4.1.1. Displayed serious misbehaviour, were threatening
or intimidating towards the referees, commissioner
or table officials
4.1.2. Displayed serious misbehaviour, were threatening
or intimidating towards their opponents
EV\Z&'
 REFEREES

4.1.3. Committed acts of violence towards the referees, 6.1.2.2. The writing or the sponsor’s logo was a maximum of 8
commissioner or table officials cm in height and 40 cm in width
4.1.4. Committed acts of violence towards their 6.1.3. The name of the team appeared on the front of the shirt
opponents during play and was:
4.1.5. Committed acts of violence towards their opponents 6.1.3.1. On one (1) line of text and a maximum
while play was stopped of 8 cm in height or
4.2. The spectators: 6.1.3.2. On two (2) lines of text and each line was a maximum
4.2.1. Committed infractions, were threatening or incited of 6 cm in height or
to violence towards the referees, commissioner 6.1.3.3. In the form of a badge or a symbol and was a maximum
or table officials of 200 cm2 and a maximum of 10 cm in height
4.2.2. Threw harmless objects onto the playing court 6.1.4. The player’s surname appeared on the back of the shirt
4.2.3. Threw objects that may cause injury onto and was between 6 and 8 cm in height
the playing court 6.1.5. The name of the city of the team appeared on the back
4.2.4. Threw objects onto the playing court that hit and/or of the shirt and was between 6 and 8 cm in height
injured someone 6.1.6. If there was a manufacturer’s name, mark or logo:
4.2.5. Endangering and/or threatening towards It appeared only once and was on the front of the
opponents and/or officials shirt and it was a maximum of 12 cm2
4.2.6. Caused the game to be interrupted 6.2. Players’ shorts:
4.2.7. Caused the game to be stopped, whereby the game 6.2.1. The shorts were as described in Art. 13 of the
did not or could not resume ‘Official Basketball Rules’
4.2.8. Entered and/or intruded onto the playing court before, 6.2.2. The shorts were free of advertising
during or after the game 6.2.3. If there was a manufacturer’s name, mark or logo, it
4.2.9. Attempted aggression on and/or off the playing court appeared only once and it was identical to that
4.2.10. Committed acts of aggression on and/or of the shirt and it was a maximum of 12 cm2
off the playing court
4.3. The team managers: 7. COMPOSITION OF TEAMS
Displayed serious misbehaviour, were threatening 7.1. Team A and/or team B had fewer than 10 players at
or intimidating towards the referees, commissioner the beginning of the game
or table officials 7.2. When introduced at the start of a game, each player
on the team was uniformly dressed
5. ADVERTISING ON AND AROUND THE PLAYING COURT 7.3. Coaches and assistant coaches were appropriately
5.1. The baskets, backboards and backboard paddings and dressed during the game
backboard supports were free of advertising 7.4. The doctor of the home team was present
(exception: the front side of the backboard support at the game
padding) 7.5. Personnel were available to dry wet spots and were
5.2. The manufacturer’s name(s), mark(s) or logo(s): present throughout the game
5.2.1. Was/were a maximum of 250 cm2 7.6. Team mascots and cheerleaders acted
5.2.2. Appeared a maximum of one (1) time on each side in accordance with appropriate article
of the metallic backboard support structure
5.2.3. Appeared a maximum of one (1) time on each side of 8. PLAYERS’ ELIGIBILITY
the backboard support padding 8.1. All the players of team A and team B had the proper
5.3. The inside of the playing court (excluding the 3 circles) FIBA player’s licence / ID card
was free of advertising 8.2. Both team A and team B had the correct number
5.4. The first 2 metres outside the boundary lines of the of foreign/naturalised players according to the
playing court (including the floor) was free Regulations for European Club Competitions
of advertising
5.5. If there was advertising in the circles: NOTE: FOR NATIONAL TEAM COMPETITIONS:
5.5.1. It was the same in the two free-throw circles 1. Only naturalised player(s) according to the FIBA
5.5.2. There was only one company advertised in any one Internal Regulations are permitted to participate
of the circles 2. No foreign players
5.6. The advertising on the scoreboards did not 9. Musical instruments
obscure the view of the scoreboards If musical instrument(s) were used during the game,
5.7. There was no advertising for spirits or tobacco on they were played only behind the end lines and/or on
and/or around the court the side opposite the scorer’s table and the team
bench areas
6. ADVERTISING ON THE PLAYERS’ UNIFORMS OF TEAM A AND TEAM B: 10. Doping control
6.1. Players’ shirts: There was an unannounced FIBA doping
6.1.1. The shirts were as described in Art. 13 of the ‘Official control done by a FIBA approved supervisory doctor
Basketball Rules’ 11. Other
6.1.2. If there was advertising on the shirts: There was/were other item(s) or difficulties
6.1.2.1. It appeared only on the front of the shirts not covered above.
EV\Z&(
 REFEREES

THE ROLE OF
THE FIBA NATIONAL
REFEREE INSTRUCTOR
by Alberto Garcia

Alberto Garcia is Deputy Secretary General of FIBA Americas. THE FIBA INTERNATIONAL INSTRUCTOR FOR THE REFEREES
A former FIBA referee and FIBA Instructor of referees, he offi- FIBA began selecting former international referees in 1992 with
ciated at the World Men’s Championship in 1982 and 1990, and the primary goal of transforming them into Instructors for the
in more than 15 international qualifying tournaments in the referees of the world. Eight FIBA Instructors were initially nomi-
FIBA Zone of the Americas. nated and they began implementing a program of clinics that
have been held on the five continents.
Over the course of the past fifteen years, basketball has evolved Their one single message: Make all referees aware of the cor-
on a global level, with a growth that has been both incredibly rect and standard application of game rules and fully under-
quick and unexpected. Wide media coverage has transformed stand the spirit and essence of each one of them. The program
the game to a point where it is now being practiced in an orga- has been a success. Change slowly started to come, thanks to
nized form in 212 countries throughout the world, with more
than 450 million men and women playing the game.
Professional basketball has played an important role in increa-
sing the game’s popularity and also for enhancing the physical
characteristics of the game. The advent of improved training
techniques and strength-training has increased the speed and
strength of individual players, and with it has come a noticeable
change in playing style that has quickly been transmitted to all
playing levels outside of the professional sphere.
Accompanying this metamorphosis, coaches, for obvious rea-
sons, have had to adapt different teaching methods and techni-
ques to go along with the newly evolved athlete and the faster-
paced game.

THE BASKETBALL REFEREE AND THE CHANGING GAME

Referees were initially not able to keep up with the faster-paced
game. The officiating of a basketball game is very difficult and
requires a game official with many abilities that are not typically
found in one human being. The referee is a person that has to
make decisions measured in tenths of a second in a fast-paced
game. He or she works in a tightly-confined space, where 10
highly-conditioned players move quickly from place to place in
dance-like movements, with a very limited time to shoot. The
inherent beauty of the game of basketball relies on the physical
flow of offense working against defense. Granted, there is a cer-
tain amount of physical contact in a game, with plenty of smaller
violations occurring that don’t actually impact the
advantage/disadvantage continuum between offense and
defense. Understanding this advantage/disadvantage balance is
something that referees need to be better trained to recognize.
EV\Z&)
these clinics, and the the level and the
quality of referees has increased since
then.
Another positive move for the referrees
was when FIBA allowed thse game offi-
cials to voice any doubts they might have
regarding the application of various rules
and the underlying philosophy behind
them. As a direct consequence, there was
now a better application of important game
concepts and objectives.
Over time, the World Technical
Commission studied the various changes,
analyzed and interpreted the rules, and
then transmitted each one of the objecti-
ves that had been pursued to the FIBA
Instructors.
The Instructors then passed same messa-
ge to the international referees through
their annual clinics, held in the different
countries of the five continents.
Although this improvement in application
and interpretation of rules was significant
and noticaeble, much more was needed to
be done. Time was a major factor. The refe-
ree clinics were only held once every four years, and this 5. Knowledge and understanding of the philosophy
wasn’t often enough. The game was quickly evolving and it was of the FIBA officiating.
necessary to look for other ways to help the referees keep up 6. Knowledge of the referee evaluation.
with the fast pace of the game. 7. Ability to teach.
8. Ability to motivate.
THE FIBA NATIONAL INSTRUCTORS 9. Communication and human relationships skills.
To meet the growing demand for better referees, FIBA began its 10. Public speaking skills.
program for the preparation of National Instructors in May of
1997. With National Instructors, each country would now have Each National Federation has a minimum of one National
someone in charge of all the referees, at every level within the Instructor. Once the candidate is recognized as National
country. According to Lubo Kotleba, the FIBA Sports Director, Instructor, this person will be responsible for:
each National Instructor would then become an extended arm 1. Working within the technical schemes of his National
of the World Technical Commission in each country, guaran- Federation.
teeing that all referees would receive the same instruction, no 2. The process of training new referees.
matter what continent, no matter what country. 3. The process of improving referee skills at
Referees would be trained and prepared in a similar fashion and all game levels.
their activities and progress would be monitored throughout the 4. The process of selecting FIBA referee candidates and
year. the referees for the rest of the national categories,
This new program was a success as evidenced by better offi- approving their candidacy and signing
ciating at the most important World Tournaments. Underlying the respective forms.
this success was a new corps of referees who had a better 5. Supervising, in conjunction with their local Federation,
understanding of the game and the philosophy of the rules. And the anual written and physical tests of the active FIBA
with this came a game that was more dynamic and exciting for referees.
all involved, particularly to the spectators around the world. 6. Maintaining permanent contact with the
technical management (administration) of the FIBA Zone.
THE JOB OF A NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR 7. Acting as Assistant Instructor in National and/or
Since FIBA began its National Instructor program, the quality of International Clinics whenever summoned to do so.
the officiating in all tournaments has been greatly enhanced.
What skills do these highly-trained officials possess: Here’s We know that a three- or four-day referee’s clinic, held in each
what FIBA looks for in a National Instructor: country once every four years, can be of enormous benefit. But
1. Knowledge and understanding of the basketball game. we also understand that this is not enough.
2. Knowledge and understanding of the philosophy Referees, especially the novices, need regular training sessions
of the game. and supervision for each one of their performances.
3. Knowledge and understanding of the FIBA In this regard, the Instructors should implement within their pro-
official game rules. grams an annual evaluation of each referee that tests game
4. Knowledge and understanding of the FIBA knowledge and uses videotape for practical evaluations, with
officiating mechanics. review of the tape to bring about improved performance.

EV\Z&*
 REFEREES

COMMUNICATION
by Paul Loube

Paul Loube is the Executive Director of the International adhere to the mechanics manual or have tremendous diffi-
Association of Approved Basketball Officials, a Canadian culty advancing.
and North American association.
Voice - Your normal voice tones are usually pleasant, neutral
Have you ever heard of the 4-Minute Rule? The 4-Minute and relaxed; your “game voice, however, has to be more
Rule says that when you meet someone for the first time, you absolute, confident and in control. A referee must be a goof
have about 4 minutes to be accepted or rejected by him or “finisher” when delivering a call to the scorer’s table. An
her. That means when you meet a coach, fellow referee, outstanding decision is a great start but the job is not com-
technical commissioner or simply a social friend, you have pleted until that decision is reported to the scorer. No matter
about 4 minutes to make a favorable impression on that per- how stressed, hurried or nervous you are, the voice that will
son. In some games where an early controversial call is keep coaches and players open to what you are saying is the
made, you may have even less time, perhaps only seconds. calm, self-assured, undoubted game voice of a finisher.
It’s amazing how quickly we make a first judgment about
people and in the same fashion they also judge us.

Therefore referees had better know what they are doing

when they walk onto the court during those first few minu-
tes. They might not get a second chance to make a first
impression. Barbara Braunstein, a nationally acclaimed
motivational speaker and trainer in the United States, is
convinced there are critical communication skills which can
determine your success or failure in your goal of becoming
the most successful basketball official possible. Here are
some things to watch out for.

Eye contact - In the business of officiating, direct and

relaxed eye contact is essential. We must continually esta-
blish positive eye contact with our partner(s), the scorer’s
table, players and coaches. Look all of them in the eye,
occasionally looking away to break the intensity. Positive
eye contact enhances one’s image and floor presence, but
don’t stare. We may give off the wrong signals and create
unnecessary confrontations.

Posture - Stand tall, shoulders back, with you weight evenly

distributed on both feet. Don’t slouch to one side or get
locked into the habit of standing with arms folded or putting
your hands in your pockets, or leaning against a wall during
a time-out. These can easily be interpreted as unprofessio-
nal or even arrogant.

Facial expressions - In general, a facial expression needs to

be pleasant, neutral and relaxed. Coaches always complain
about officials’ facial expressions with comments like “I
don’t care to have that official because he/she always refe-
rees angry”, or “That official is unapproachable”. We have
all experienced game situations where our facial expres-
sions have led others to think we were irritated or unhappy
when in fact we were not.
Obscure gestures/ unauthorized mechanics - Avoid sharp,
jerky movements, unapproved mechanics, or lack of mecha-
nics such as flinging hands into the air, failing to stop the
clock or going down on one knee. The new wave of succes-
sful officials will be mechanically strong and will either
EV\Z&+
Listening - An official must
be a good listener.
Listening, an indispensable
tool for efficient game
management, is the most
unemphasized communica-
tion power we possess.
Has a coach ever said to
you, “You’re not listening to
me”? Is so, that coach was
probably correct. You were
probably not listening, at
least by his or her definition
of “listening”. Lack of eye
contact, inappropriate
facial expressions or gestu-
res all signal “not liste-
ning”. Be approachable!

Content - Be clear, concise

and direct. This does not
mean being blunt or rude.
Don’t quote rulebook sec-
tions because it is frequen-
tly counterproductive,
creating a wall when your
intent really is to construct
a bridge. Pause to collect
your thoughts before
responding to a coach’s
questions. Choose your
words carefully, using
short, simple words and
sentences. Make no more
than one or two points, and
then get the game going
again as soon as possible.

Timing - To exhibit confi-

dence and control, the
speed of your speaking
should be moderate,
neither too fast nor too
slow. Officials who speak
too quickly or too slowly
will lose their listener and
create unwanted and unne-
cessary problems because
the listener becomes
bored, exhausted or just
angry. An official’s compo-
sure and style when reporting to the scorer or confronting a
about these nine things. Get more information. Bring them to
coach is crucial to effective game management.
your attention and make some changes. This way is the most
difficult as most officials have healthy egos and resist any
Distance and comfort - When you introduce yourself to a
technique modification.
coach or to the table officials, give a full, firm handshake.
Second, ask several fellow officials and observers, people
Have dry palms and look the person(s) directly in the eye.
you trust, for assistance. These must be people who know
This helps to establish your role as monitor of the game.
your “irritating” communication habits. Ask them for honest
feedback. Discuss these nine skills with them. You could be
How can you find out whether you need to sharpen these
surprised at what you find out but it is better to hear it from
skills? How can you improve? There are two ways to chan-
your friends and fellow officials than to always question why
ge.
you didn’t progress or why you don’t ever get the opportunity
The first is to become more self-aware. Consciously think
to referee the “big” games.
EV\Z&,
 REFEREES

The officials
by Alison Muir conference
Alison Muir is a FIBA Commissioner from England. She has day! However both rules and regulations must be known as
been involved in basketball as a Table Official, Referee and Commissioners are expected to be well versed when asked
Coach. She holds the positions of Director of Competitions questions or make decisions.
and Commissioner Appointments Officer for England
Basketball. A brief recap for commissioners follows and any feedback is
given to the group from the previous season, this is generally
SO WHAT IS A COMMISSIONER? positive however developmental feedback is also given out as
The role of the Commissioner is many fold, we are the “over- a group. As feedback is a two way street, often lively discus-
seers” of the game, we are the communicator, the vision, the sion points come from this and mostly the commissioners do
negotiator, the rule book and on occasions the peacemaker go away with some new ideas and some bad habits are recti-
before, during and after the game. Most of the time, we have fied before the new season begins.
the “Best Seat” in the house, occasionally we all wish we
were somewhere else when things do not go according to The sessions during the day, are presented by power point,
plan. topics are discussed and working out situations, last years
conference covered:
One of my many hats in English Basketball is to appoint
Commissioners to games in the premier and national lea- ▼ Rules
gues. This is done on a monthly basis and in conjunction with ▼ Regulations
the Director of Officiating, who appoints the referees. All ▼ Feedback
premier and Conference men and women’s games are cove- ▼ Report Writing
red, Division one and two men are covered subject to availa- ▼ Commissioner Pathways
bility. On average we have 25 to 30 games a weekend over
England and Wales to cover, all the commissioners are REPORT WRITING
volunteers and are paid expenses only. Report writing is always the drawback in any organisation
and sport is no exception, over the years the importance of
OFFICIALS CONFERENCE writing a report has intensified, with legal implications if the
At the beginning of each season an Officials conference is content is not objective or accurate. Below are one or two
held, this normally takes place the first weekend in helpful pointers for your next season:
September prior to the season starting. All officials are
expected to attend and non attendance for no specific rea- WHEN AND WHY?
son will be penalised by no games in the first batch of WHEN?
appointments. All officials are expected to be licensed and After any incident which involves the following during a
again, no appointments are made until the licence is appro- game:
ved. ▼ Disqualification
▼ Unreasonable behaviour
The Conference itself contains something for everyone, there ▼ Standards
are group sessions and separate sessions for ▼ Disciplinary
Commissioners, Table officials and Referees. The first day WHY?
begins with a welcome introduction and recap of the pre- ▼ So that the laid down procedure can be adhered
vious season from the Director of Officiating, Richard Stokes, to and further incidents may be prevented
International Referee. This is followed by the official’s favou-
rite session of the day the Rules Test, this is taken by everyo- CONTENT
ne present, there is a passmark of 80%! The sound of sighing ▼ Incident
in the room is like the “El Nino” on a particularly bad day! ▼ Factual observations
▼ Times and date
All referees will do their fitness test and again must pass the ▼ Names and player numbers
required times or they cannot officiate at National level. The ▼ Penalties
Commissioners in the mean time have another test, regula- ▼ Any other action
tions, which again is not the most popular exercise of the ▼ After the game
EV\Z&-
 REFEREES

DO’S AND DON’TS COMMISSIONER’S HANDBOOK

DO’S DON’TS A handy piece of literature, useful for quick reference before,
Report facts Use general terms during and even after a game. In England we operate a
Names Elaborate Premier League, which has differing variations on the regula-
Numbers Collude tions and rules and National Basketball League, which adhe-
Time Discuss until you res to FIBA rules and regulations. Every thing the
have your Commissioner needs to know is in the handbook, from Rule
written notes changes, Regulations, Legal Aspects, Report Writing,
Date Use total numbers Standards, actual Duties of the Commissioner, Points of
unless you are sure Emphasis and a Directory of Officials.

TIME SCALE COMMISSIONER PATHWAYS

DOMESTIC INTERNATIONAL Training for Commissioners is an on going process, from the
24 hours for normal Within 1 hour for Commissioner who is just starting on the ladder to the
Disqualification, Commissioner who is experienced at the highest level. We
crowd problems can all learn something new.
Otherwise 24 hours
Experience within the game counts a great deal, and expe-
▼ Reports may be email/faxed rience in dealing with people and personalities counts just as
▼ Send hard copy by post much. The combination of the two makes a well balanced
▼ Retain personal copy official who will be equipped to deal with just about any situa-
tion they may be presented with.

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 REFEREES

MENTAL PREPARATION:
A KEY TO SUCCESS
IN OFFICIATING
by Paul Deshaies

Paul Deshaies is currently the National Interpreter and a

long-standing member of the National Council of the
Canadian Association of Basketball Officials. He is a reti-
red FIBA referee who worked several international com-
petitions. He has a doctoral degree in Sport Psychology
and is the Dean of the Faculty of Sport and Physical
Education at the University of Sherbrooke.

The basic training of basketball officials usually focuses

on teaching playing rules and on explaining floor mecha-
nics. Obviously, these constitute the two main ingredients
needed in order: 1) to know what players can and cannot
do on a basketball floor, and 2) where to position oneself in
order to observe player actions and how to proceed when
an infraction is detected. Acquiring a complete understan-
ding of the spirit and intent of the rules and achieving
automatic control of floor mechanics require reading,
studying, listening, questioning, observing, discussing,
watching, practising, getting feedback from colleagues
and from supervisors, etc. This learning process requires
time, but eventually, everyone who puts in the effort, rea-
ches an acceptable level of knowledge and proficiency.

However, officials who limit their repertoire of skills to

rules and mechanics, resemble players who would only
learn to pass, dribble and shoot, and practice some pre-
set play patterns. It has long been recognized that great
athletes, not only demonstrate great physical and motor
abilities, but also possess superior mental and emotional
skills, which permits them to perform at a maximum level
under any circumstances.

Likewise, in order to become successful, officials must

develop mental skills which will enable them to make good
decisions, to manage the game efficiently, to deal adequa-
tely with the participants, and to avoid mistakes that are
likely to hurt the game and to quickly destroy their credibi-
lity. The formal preparation of officials in the area of men-
tal training and preparation is often lacking. It’s as if peo-
EV\Z'%
ple were expected to already possess those skills before Concentration constitutes the fundamental basis for
deciding to become officials. Unfortunately, more often making proper decisions in a fast-moving game such as
than not, it is not the case at all. Mental skills are not inna- basketball. The official must observe the action, analyse
te. They can be learned and must be rehearsed. the events, compare the results to the prescriptions set by
the playing rules, determine if an infraction indeed occur-
A book, entitled “Psychology of Officiating”, written by red, and, as the case may be, decide to blow the whistle or
Bob Weinberg and Peggy Richardson, both respected not. All of that in the blink of an eye! Proper concentration
sport psychologists and experienced sport officials, also insures that the game is managed efficiently and that
offers, in my view, the most interesting and comprehensi- mistakes are avoided.
ve approach to the various psychological aspects of sport
officiating. Many of the comments and suggestions offe- Concentration may be defined as “the ability to focus on
red in this article were inspired by their outstanding work. relevant cues in the environment and to maintain that
focus over the course of the contest.”. Concentration is a
skill and an ongoing process. In the game of basketball,
cues are numerous and ever changing. The action deter-
mines what is relevant and what is not. When play is in
progress, each official has primary responsibility for spe-
cific areas on the floor and for the players in those areas.
They should pay attention to what players are doing and
try to anticipate future actions. Irrelevant cues compete
for that attention. They may include noise from an
unfriendly crowd, a complaining athlete or coach, thou-
ghts about the outcome of the game, a previously missed
call, or the fear of making a mistake. It is important to keep
one’s mind free of irrelevant thoughts.

Concentration is related to motivation. Boredom is a

potent enemy of concentration. It’s hard to focus on
something you really don’t care about, such as, for instan-
ce, the first quarter of a U-12 exhibition game where the
score is already 18-2. However, if you are a professional,
which you should be since you are getting paid to do a job,
you owe it to the players and to yourself to be at your best
at all times when you officiate or you may just as well stay
home. Whenever the contest itself is not very motivating,
challenge yourself in order to increase your interest. Since
you are there, try and make it as much fun as possible.
Ignore the lack of quality of play and work extra hard to
see everything and not to miss a single call. Try for a per-
fect game. It really doesn’t matter for the outcome, but
make it important to you personally.
At the other end of the spectrum in terms of the interest
generated by the game itself, there is the championship
game. That big game you’ve been hoping for. It’s easy to get
up for that one. No need here to look for extra motivation.
However, your concentration may face another powerful
foe in that situation: anxiety stemming from the fear of
making mistakes, of ruining the game, and of looking bad.
When officiating, you need an external mode of attention.
You need to process various visual informations from the
environment. A high level of anxiety narrows your attention
and usually directs it inwardly. When you are too anxious,
you are primarily paying attention to yourself and to your
fears or worries. No one is immune to some degree of
anxiety in important situations. In fact, a certain level of
stress is healthy because it keeps you activated. The main
thing is to recognise when anxiety is reaching an undesi-
red level and when your concentration is affected. Be
aware of your thoughts. If they are not focused on the
action around you, there’s something wrong and you need
to make corrections. This requires practice. A certain
degree of mastery of relaxation techniques is mandatory.
Deep breathing, isolated muscular contraction followed by
EV\Z'&
 REFEREES

total relaxation,
changes from
negative to positi-
ve thoughts are
among means that
can be used to
decrease anxiety
and enhance pro-
per focus. It may
also be helpful to
use cue words
such as “Relax” or
“Calm down”,
“Breathe”, or
“Focus”. Despite
the fact that, to
some people, a
basketball game
seems to be the
end of the world,
remember it’s just
a game. Keep that
in perspective.
Each individual
must develop the
techniques that
work best for
him/her in control-
ling anxiety.
As mentioned
above, the ability
to concentrate can be improved as long as you are willing Then, focus on the object in front of you until it is the only
to work at it. The off-season is the best time to implement thing you see. Maintain your focus for a while and slowly
a program of mental training. The first step is to identify expand it back to the entire room. Make it work as if your
how well you concentrate and whether this is an area you vision was a zooming lens. Zoom in and out slowly.
can improve.
Weinberg and Richardson designed a self-help test on LEARNING HOW TO MAINTAIN FOCUS
concentration skills. The test is presented at the end of Find a quiet place with no distraction. Choose an object to
this article. After you have identified your level of concen- focus on. Hold the object in your hands. Examine it in great
tration skills, you may wish to work on exercises to impro- details, its texture, its colours, and its weight. If your thou-
ve them. Here are brief descriptions of a few things you ghts move away from the object, bring them back to it.
can do in that area. Record how long you can stay focused entirely on the
object.
LEARNING HOW TO SHIFT ATTENTION Once you are able to stay focused continuously for 5 minu-
First, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Take a few tes, try it again in the presence of some distraction (music,
deep breaths and relax. Now, pay attention to what you TV). See how completely and how long you can stay focu-
hear. Identify each separate sound. Now, listen to all the sed despite distractions.
sounds at once without trying to label any of them.
Now, pay attention to your bodily feelings. Think of the PRACTICING GAME CONCENTRATION
chair supporting your body, the rhythm of your breathing, Imagery or visualisation is a technique used by many ath-
the level of relaxation in each part of your body. Linger a letes to improve their confidence and their performance. It
little bit on each of these feelings. can be extremely beneficial to officials as well. An ima-
Then, try to experience all of them at once without naming gery session should not last more than 10 to 15 minutes.
any one in particular. First, relax and empty your head. Then create images in
Then, think of your thoughts and emotions. Lets them just your mind: images of yourself getting onto the floor, cove-
arise. Don’t force yourself to think about anything in parti- ring a particular sequence of play, being in a great position
cular. Let the thoughts flow. and making a good call, dealing with crowd noise or with
Now, try to experience each feeling or thought one at a a complaining player or coach. When you create these
time. Then let go all of these thoughts and relax. images, get all your senses involved, vision, hearing,
Finally, place some object directly in front of you. While smell, and touch.
looking straight ahead, see as much of the room as your Make the vision as completely real as possible. See your-
peripheral vision will allow, without fixating anything in self handling everything perfectly in each of the situations
particular. you create.

EV\Z''
ON-SITE PREPARATION ▼ 3.It is easy for me to keep irrelevant thoughts from
There are also steps you can take to enhance your con- entering my mind when I am officiating.
centration immediately before your game.
Start with a good pre-game conference with your part- ▼ 4. I am good at blocking out the noise
ner(s). While you may not discuss anything that you don’t of spectators and focusing on the action.
already know, the pre-game is a great opportunity to get
your mind focused on the task to be accomplished. ▼ 5. While officiating, I get confused when many
Bring your level of activation to the proper level. You can- things happen quickly.
not go onto the floor apathetically or overly excited.
During the game, use cue words such as “Move”, “Relax”, ▼ 6. When I officiate, I find myself distracted by my
“Spot the defence”, and “Find the spaces”. own thoughts.
When a foul is called, spot the shooter even if you know
that there won’t be free throws. Repeat his/her number ▼ 7. I am good at analysing what I need to focus on
five times in your head. during an event.
You won’t be taken by surprise when the time comes to
put the right shooter at the line. ▼ 8. When officiating, I focus on the moment and
At the beginning of a time out, as you are moving to your don’t think about what has happened or might
spot to wait for play to resume, rehearse what’s coming happen.
next in your head: “Red ball on the sideline”, or “2 free
throws for 12 white”. ▼ 9. I can maintain my concentration,
Use the time out to take a couple of deep breaths, relax even during hassles with coaches and players.
and check your focus. Deal with the present. If you make a
bad call, accept it and go on. ▼ 10. I am good at analysing what I need to
Don’t dwell on self-criticism. Don’t worry about what may do before starting an officiating assignment.
happen, be ready to handle everything calmly. Control your
emotions. ▼ 11. When officiating, I can focus on my
Recognise that a coach, player or even a spectator is assignment and forget all my other problems.
making you angry, and calm down. Don’t remain in a state
of mind, which may impair or bias your judgement. In order ▼ 12. When officiating, I can keep my concentration,
words, only concentrate on the information that will help even when I get anxious.
you make the best possible decisions.
▼ 13. When officiating, I can keep my concentration
To be successful, an official has to control everything that even my fellow official is doing a poor job.
can be controlled, especially him/herself.
Perfect knowledge of the rules and proper mechanics, ▼ 14. When officiating, I have no trouble staying
especially in covering the floor and being in a position focused on the action during the entire event.
where all the action can be seen, should become so
engrained that only minimal voluntary or conscious atten- ▼ 15. After a break in the action, I have trouble
tion is required. They ought to be automatic. regaining my concentration.
They no longer require concentration. When perfectly
learned, they become a source of self-confidence. Then SCORING GUIDELINES
the official can focus on evaluating the players’ actions For all items except 1, 5, 6, and 15, score 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5
and decide to call or to let go. according to the number you wrote.

Concentration is a great asset. It is not an innate skill. For items 1, 5, 6, and 15, reverse the score you wrote:
It requires work. Investing a few minutes on a regular
basis in developing your mental skills is a must, if you aspi- 1=5 2=4 3=3 4=2 5=1
re at becoming a top official.
Add all scores.
SELF-HELP TEST - CONCENTRATION SKILLS
The following questions refer to your ability to concentra- The highest score is 75 and the lowest 15.
te while officiating.
There are no right or wrong answers. Just write the num- Rating chart:
ber that best describes you for each statement.
75 - 70 Zeroed in
1 = Almost never 2 = Rarely 3 = Sometimes 69 - 60 Need some target practice
4 = Frequently 5 = Almost always 59 - 50 Must find the target
49 - 40 In the twilight zone
▼ 1. If I blow a call, I have difficulty putting it out of 40 - below Hello!!!
my mind.
Examine the items where you scored low.
▼ 2. When I officiate, I am good at quickly analyzing They will give you indications about the areas where you
what’s happening in the game. need improvement.
EV\Z'(
 REFEREES

THE ROLE, DUTIES,

AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCER
by Tomàs Grosman

Tomás Grosmann has been a sports editor

at the daily newspaper “Sport,” in
Bratislava, Slovakia since 1994. As a jour-
nalist, he has covered the Olympic Games
in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, as
well as several World and European Men’s
and Women’s basketball championships.

It must be at least thirty years now since I

have been regularly sitting (and enjoying
myself) at the scorers’ table at basketball
games with a microphone in hand,
speaking to the spectators who have come
to watch this great sport. It’s a seat I
wouldn’t trade with anyone in the world.
While I immensely enjoy announcing
basketball games, nobody has ever offered
me announcing instructions or a set of
clear guidelines about what an announcer
should know or say, or how I am supposed
to react in certain game situations.
Over the years, however, I have developed
my own ideas and practice guidelines for
other game announcers. I want to thank
FIBA for allowing me the opportunity to
share these thoughts with people who love
basketball, at least as much as I do, people
who live and work in and with this great
game.

ANNOUNCER AND ACTORS

I purposely call the first group that the
announcer addresses “actors.” I don’t call
them players because among the actors
there are also coaches, their assistants,
referees, and commissioners. The game If he fails to pronounce them correctly, it The players who are to be introduced can
announcer is supposed to announce the quickly raises doubts about the soundness form their own opinion of an announcer
actor’s names to the spectators. of the announcer’s preparation for the role. who is not able to pronounce their names.
EV\Z')
 REFEREES

If I can give any advice based on my expe-

rience, it’s this: Before the game, take the
time to learn the correct pronunciation of
names of all players, especially the forei-
gners. And don’t forget the other game offi-
cials. In case I have the slightest doubts
about pronunciation, I do not hesitate to
ask the referees and commissioners how
their names are pronounced.

ANNOUNCER AND REFEREES

The relationship between announcer and
referee must be very respectful and tole-
rant. An announcer should never anticipa-
te decisions of the referees; he must wait
for them and explain (or just announce)
them to the spectators.
This should be done without any comment
or additional words. An announcer should
not take any position concerning deci-
sions. I never say: “The referee called the visiting or home team and it can help to sibility. I am not exaggerating: For two
player’s foul”. I simply announce, that the positively charge the atmosphere in the hours, it’s the announcer who must be the
player-name and number-committed his arena. However, the announcer cannot smartest person in the entire arena.
first, second, third, or whatever foul. cheer for particular players or teams; this The announcer’s duties are varied. When
This allows me to keep a strictly neutral would be a misuse of the microphone in the organizers provide spectators with
position. A statement such as “The referee hand. printed information (bulletin, official pro-
called a foul” can raise doubts regarding Thanks to the available audio equipment, gram) about the starting line-ups and bio-
the correctness of the referee’s decision the announcer has the strongest voice in graphical information on players, it is
and an announcer should not find himself the arena. But this doesn’t mean that it useless to announce the very same infor-
in such a position. Yes, he should help the always has to be heard. When it comes to mation. However, when the spectators
referee, but only in order to achieve the announcing, I have found that less is some- don’t have line-ups available, this is a
sportsmanlike spirit and fair play of the times more. good opportunity for the announcer to
game. By this I mean that the spectators have draw the spectators’ attention to the hei-
Above all, an announcer must be familiar come to watch the basketball game. Too ght of individual players, for example. It
with basketball rules as well as with the much talking by an announcer can cer- would also be interesting to note whether
signals of referees, so that he can react to tainly disturb them. any of the players happen to celebrate
everything that happens on the court. If the “chatter” continues unabated, spec- birthdays on game day.
Spectators have come to expect that tators will stop paying attention to what is In very well-equipped arenas and sport
announcers explain any unusual situations being said. halls, the spectators can learn a lot from
that may occur during the game. information boards. But even so, the
Therefore, it is desirable that the announ- WHO CAN BECOME AN ANNOUNCER announcer should not let the spectators
cer know the rules of the game as well as I have left what is probably the most impor- leave at the end of the game without
any veteran referee. tant issue for the end. Top basketball recapping game highlights: Give them the
players have gone through years of trai- game attendance. Remind them who the
ANNOUNCER AND SPECTATORS ning and have developed a personal routi- leading scorers were for each team. Let
Spectators react mainly to the performan- ne that insures success; the best referees them know who had the most rebounds. If
ce of players and to the decisions of the are not beginners either, and they, too, a league or team record was broken for
referees. have their own routines. Each prepares the number of victories or the number of
This “privilege” cannot be taken away himself carefully for every game, hoping to points scored during the game, it’s this
from the spectators. It can be expected improve on their previous performance. all-important information that can be
that the spectators will react to the words The same sense of professionalism and used to succinctly summarize game high-
of an announcer. conscientious attention to detail has to lights.
But the announcer must recognize his apply to the announcer. An announcer This may all sound like a lot of work for an
position as being neutral. During national must do his homework, carefully prepa- announcer, but when you aim to be the
championship and international competi- ring so that he knows all possible details best, it takes hard work and pride in what
tions, for example, it would not be proper concerning the teams involved in the you are doing to achieve your goals. The
for an announcer to ask the spectators to upcoming game. During the game, he closer the announcer comes to meeting
support one team over another. should be ready to provide that informa- ideal the better. For whom? you may ask.
“Support your team with your voice!” is tion at just the right moment. Like the Well, for the game of basketball. That’s
what an announcer can say, however. This actors, the announcer is on center stage because the announcer is also a vital part
kind of positive statement does not hurt a as well. But he has an additional respon- of this exciting game.
EV\Z'*
 REFEREES

AUSTRALIAN
OFFICIATING
EDUCATION SYSTEM
by Bill Mildenhall

Bill Mildenhall, an Australian FIBA referee, has been working for

the Australian Basketball Federation as the National Referees
Manager since 1991. He is responsible for the education, training,
and resource production for Australian officials at all levels, from
the novice to the elite. Mildenhall, who has had a FIBA license
since 1978, has officiated at two Olympic Games and five FIBA
World Championships.

Attached is an easy-to-read primer of the Australian Education

System for basketball referees. The matrix was designed to provide
all the core information necessary to implement a thorough educa-
tion system inline with the current educational trends of
Competency Based Training.
The principles of delivery and presentation must be the focus of
each presenter in a competency based training system.
Delivery is the vehicle by which skills, knowledge and their actual
application are conveyed in a way that ensures the learners acqui-
re the competencies specified as essential in officiating. Delivery
methods will aim to
1. Achieve the prescribed competency standards.
2. Meet individual learner’s requirements.
3. Be flexible.
4. Use materials and techniques relevant to current
officiating practices.

This Competency Based Training Program aims to include four key

elements
1. Course Administration.
2. Competency Statements.
3. Course Syllabus.
4. Officiating Practice.

Obviously, the Australian system has its own idiosyncrasies that are
specific to this country. However, the basic principles are the same
the world over. As educators we need to provide the necessary
education and training in such a format that is practical, efficient
and most importantly successful. This system of education in
Australia has achieved these aims over time. It continually requires
updating and fine-tuning. It is a working model that needs to utilize
the continually developing technology that makes the learning pro-
cess more interesting and more effective. This manual aims to sim-
plify the procedures required to educate and train both new offi-
EV\Z'+
cials and current officials while conforming to the accreditation ▼ Officiating Mechanics
requirements of the Australian Sports Commission. ▼ On Court Assessment (must be satisfied as described
below).
REFEREE EDUCATION COURSE MANUAL
A. GENERAL 3. Course Awards
1. Course Name A.
▼ Level 0 Upon the successful completion of all three components a
▼ Level 1 candidate will be a:
▼ Level 2 ▼ Level 0 (Local Association Badge)
▼ Level 3 ▼ Level 1
▼ Level 4 ▼ Level 2
▼ Level 5 ▼ Level 3
▼ Level 4 (Level 3 referee with a National Badge)
2. Course Sections ▼ Level 5 (Level 4 referee with a National Badge
The Course has three sections: and FIBA license)
▼ Technical Knowledge
B.
1. State can conduct an approved junior program
within Level 0.
2. Can be graded within levels C, B, and A at the
discretion of State.

4. Course Design
▼ Level 0: Designed for new/junior officials to start
refereeing.
▼ Level 1: Designed for officials who will referee in junior
events, minor State events, and local, domestic events.
▼ Level 2: Designed for officials who will referee in
State, local elite domestic events, and nominated
national events.
▼ Level 3: Designed for officials who will referee in
national events, and elite State events.
▼ Level 4: Designed for officials who will referee in
elite national events.
▼ Level 5: Designed for officials who are required to
hold an international grading and who could be
invited by FIBA to attend a FIBA event.

Level 0 is designed for officials, who will referee low grade

domestic and/or junior events. All Level 4 and 5 officials will
need to satisfy Level 3 requirements, and all Level 5 officials
will need to satisfy Level 4 requirements.

5. Course Provider
▼ Level 0: Local Basketball Association, acting for
State Body.
▼ Level 1: State Referees Body.
▼ Level 2: State Referees Body.
▼ Level 3: Australian Referees Body.
▼ Level 4: Australian Referees Body.
▼ Level 5: FIBA

6. Course Presentation
A.
Court Presenters Approval: For the Levels 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 the
Course Presenters must be approved by the course provider,
while at the Level 5 the Course Presenters are approved by FIBA.

B.
Fees: For Level 0, 1, 2, and 3 minimum fees for course presen-
ters will be as prescribed by State or delegated authority; for
Level 3 as prescribed by the Australian Body, and, for Level 5
fees will be determined by FIBA.
EV\Z',
 REFEREES

C. delegated Australian accredited instructor (Level 3), and

Presenter/Facilitator: From Levels 0 to 2, he must be an appro- special instructors in the case of special units.
priately qualified educator/evaluator, approved by the State or ▼ Level 4: No specific course.
delegated authority. For the Level 3 he must be approved by ▼ Level 5: Course to be conducted by FIBA, with
Australian Body, and at Level 5 accredited by FIBA. FIBA accredited instructor.

D. B. COURSES
The recommended ratio of candidates to presenter for 1. Time
mechanics demonstration is: ▼ Level 0: 3 hours, plus practical assessment time.
▼ Level 0: 1 to 20. ▼ Level 2: 8 hours, plus practical assessment time (at the
▼ Level 1: 1 to 8. discretion of the provider, the course can be split in 4
▼ Level 2: 1 to 4 in a four hour period. hours for C grade and an additional 4 hours for B grade).
▼ Level 3: Same as above. ▼ Level 2: 16 hours, plus practical assessment time.
▼ Level 3: 16 hours, plus practical assessment time
E. (this time can be extended for specialist presenters).
For on court assessment need is: ▼ Level 4: As determined by Australian Body.
▼ Level 0: A half game by 1 evaluator/observer. ▼ Level 5: As determined by FIBA.
▼ Level 1: A minimum of three games by 1 evaluator.
▼ Level 2: A minimum of five games by a minimum of 2. Components
2 evaluators over different games. Level 0:
▼ Level 3: A minimum of five games by 3 evaluators. ▼ Technical Knowledge: 3 modules in two hours.
▼ Officiating Mechanics: 1 module in one hour.
For Level 1 the number of games for on court assessment may Level 1:
be reduced to 1 game for C grade, and 2 games for B grade, ▼ Technical Knowledge: 5 modules in one hours.
when States have used C, B, A grades within Level 1. ▼ Officiating Mechanics: 1 module in one hour and one
For Level 2 two games for on court assessment may be done, practical session in one hour.
while a candidate is completing the theory modules. Level 2:
For level 3 games for on court assessment should be referred ▼ Technical Knowledge: 8 modules in two hours.
with different partners, some at a similar level to candidate, ▼ Officiating Mechanics: 1 module in one hour, and one
and others superior. practical session in two hours.
Level 3:
F. ▼ Technical Knowledge: 10 modules in two hours.
From Level 0 to 3 theory component will be conducted in a ▼ Officiating Mechanics: 1 modules in one hour, and
“Classroom” environment with the following aids available: one practical session in two hours.
▼ Whiteboard
▼ OHPP Power point 3. Course Entry Requirements
▼ TV/VCR A.
▼ Basketball ▼ Level 0: No pre requisites.
▼ Level 1: Must have refereed a minimum of 5
G. domestic games, and completed modules 1, 2 and 3
▼ Level 0: Practice on basketball court. from Level 0.
▼ Level 1, 2 and 3: Practical demonstrations will be on ▼ Level 2: Must have been a Level 1 A for more than
basketball court. twelve months or a designated “fast track”
candidate identified by State.
H. ▼ Level 3: Recommended to have been a Level 2 for
▼ Level 0: Course Notes, Simplified Rulebook, Video more than twenty four months or a designated
“Basic Basketball Officiating” and/or selected videos. “fast track” candidate, identified by Australian Body.
▼ Level 1: Course Notes, Rulebook, Mechanics ▼ Level 4: Recommended to have been a Level 3 for
Video, selected videos, Official Training Manual. a minimum of twenty four months or a candidate
▼ Level 2: Course Notes, Rulebook, Mechanics with prior learning, identified by Australian Body.
Book, and Official Training Manual. ▼ Level 5: Recommended to have been a Level 4 for
▼ Level 3: Course Notes, Rulebook, Mechanics a minimum of twenty four months.
Book, Score Table Manual, Officials Training Manual.
B.
I. ▼ Level 1: As a guideline, 15 years is the preferred
▼ Level 0: Course to be conducted by local minimum age.
association or delegated authority. ▼ Level 2: Pass entry theory exam (pass
▼ Level 1: Course to be conducted by local association requirements for C/B grade will be lower than A
or delegated authority by State accredited instructor grade).
(Level 1 or above). ▼ Level 3: Pass entry theory exam.
▼ Level 2: Course to be conducted by State Body or ▼ Level 4: Potential candidates may undertake
by State accredited instructor (Level 2 or above). special programs.
▼ Level 3: Course to be conducted by Australian Body or ▼ Level 5: Must be nominated by Australian Body.
EV\Z'-
C. ▼ Module 3.11: Officiating Psychology.
▼ Level 2: Demonstrate superior Level 1 competencies ▼ Module 3.12: Evaluator Course.
when officiating. 2. Frequency
▼ Level 3: Demonstrate superior Level 2 competencies Level 0:
when officiating. ▼ Technical Knowledge accreditation is valid for 12
▼ Level 4: Must be nominated by State or by Australian months only.
Body. ▼ Must undertake on court assessment at least every 12
▼ Level 5: Can be graded by FIBA only. months, but referee may be assessed any time and
be re-graded.
D. Level 1, 2, and 3:
▼ Level 2: Recommended to enter course by State or ▼ Technical Knowledge accreditation is valid for the
delegated authority. life of FIBA rules, up to a maximum of four years;
▼ Level 3: Recommended to enter course by State. however, after a major rule change it must be
▼ Level 4: Can be graded by Australian Body only. renewed in the next 12 months.
▼ Level 5: Invitation to attend course based on ▼ Must undertake on court assessment at least
Australia’s strategic plan and FIBA policies. every 12 months, but referee may be assessed any
time and be re-graded.
C. TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE Level 4:
1. Course Requirements ▼ Must maintain Level 3 requirements.
A. ▼ Must undertake on court assessment at least
▼ Level 0, 1, 2, and 3: Complete the stipulated technical every 12 months, but referee may be assessed any
knowledge modules. time and be re-graded.
▼ Level 4: No additional technical knowledge modules, Level 5:
but must have current Level 3 modules. ▼ Accreditation is valid for the life of the FIBA rules,
▼ Level 5: Attend and pass the FIBA course, but must up to maximum of four years; however, after a
complete requirement of Level 4. major rule change it must be renewed within 24
months and maintain Level 4 requirements.
B. ▼ Pass FIBA on court assessment, but must also meet
Level 0: the requirements of Level 4.
▼ Module 0.1: Basic Game Administration.
▼ Module 0.2: Basic Contact. 3. Assessment
▼ Module 0.3: Violations. A.
▼ Module 0.4: Basic Mechanics. ▼ Level 0: No technical knowledge examination is required.
Level 1: ▼ Level 1: Pass approved technical knowledge
▼ Module 1.1: Game Administration. examinations set by Australian Body.
▼ Module 1.2: Contact. ▼ Level 2: Pass approved technical knowledge
▼ Module 1.3: Violations. examinations set by Australian Body. State may
▼ Module 1.4: Mechanics. direct more frequent examination.
▼ Module 1.5: Technical Infractions. ▼ Level 3: Pass approved technical knowledge
▼ Module 1.6: Timing Regulations. examinations set by Australian Body
▼ Module 1.7: Fitness Program. as required each year.
Level 2: ▼ Level 4: Pass approved technical knowledge examinations
▼ Module 2.1: Game Administration. set by Australian Body as required each year.
▼ Module 2.2: Contact. ▼ Level 5: Pass FIBA technical knowledge examination.
▼ Module 2.3: Violations.
▼ Module 2.4: Mechanics. B.
▼ Module 2.5: Technical Infractions. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Satisfactory completion of learning out-
▼ Module 2.6: Timing Regulations. comes of modules.
▼ Module 2.7: Fitness Program.
▼ Module 2.8: Philosophy of Officiating/Self Reflection. C.
▼ Module 2.9: Preventative Officiating-People Management. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Only A and B above are required to com-
▼ Module 2.10: Game Trends and Relations. plete technical knowledge of section of course.
Level 3:
▼ Module 3.1: Game Administration. D.
▼ Module 3.2: Contact. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: In addition, further assessment is done as
▼ Module 3.3: Violations. part of on court assessment.
▼ Module 3.4: Mechanics.
▼ Module 3.5: Technical Infractions. D. OFFICIATING
▼ Module 3.6: Timing Regulations. Mechanics
▼ Module 3.7: Fitness Program. 1. Requirements
▼ Module 3.8: Philosophy of Officiating. ▼ Level 0: Complete the stipulated demonstration
▼ Module 3.9: Preventative Officiating-People Management. module 0.4 - Basic Mechanics.
▼ Module 3.10: Game Trends and Relations. ▼ Level 1: Complete the stipulated demonstration
EV\Z'.
 REFEREES

B.
▼ Level 1: Module 1.7- Fitness Program.
▼ Level 2: Module 2.7- Fitness Program a) Physiology;
b) Nutrition.
▼ Level 3: Module 3.7- Fitness program a) Physiology;
b) Nutrition; c) Physical Preparation.

E. ASSESSMENT
1. Assessment
▼ Level 0, 1, 2, and 3: Satisfactory completion of
learning outcomes of all modules.
▼ Level 4: Satisfies Level 3 requirements.
▼ Level 5: Pass FIBA mechanic requirements.

2. Evaluator
▼ Level 0: The on court assessment will be done by
the local association or its delegated authority.
▼ Level 1: The on court assessment will be done by
the local association or its delegated authority by
a grade 1 evaluator.
▼ Level 2: The on court assessment will be done by
the local association or its delegated authority by
a grade 2 evaluator.
▼ Level 3: The on court assessment will be done by
the local association or its delegated authority by
a grade 3 evaluator.
▼ Level 4: The on court assessment will be done by
the Australian Body.
▼ Level 5: The on court assessment will be done by
a FIBA instructor.

3. Game Requirements
A.
▼ Level 0: The minimum time for the assessment is half
a game by one evaluator.
▼ Level 1: The minimum time for the assessment is
three games by one evaluator (this may be reduced
to one game for Level C and two games for Level B).
module 1.4 - Mechanics a) Areas of responsibility; ▼ Level 2: The minimum time for assessment is five
b) Signals. games by two evaluators.
▼ Level 2: Complete the stipulated demonstration ▼ Level 3: The minimum time for assessment is five
module 2.4 - Mechanics Areas of Responsibility. games by three evaluators.
▼ Level 3: Complete the stipulated demonstration ▼ Level 4: The minimum time for assessment is five
module 3.4 - a) Mechanics; b) Teamwork. games by three evaluators.
▼ Level 4: No additional practical demonstrations ▼ Level 5: The assessment time is determined by FIBA.
are required, but must have current Level 3
demonstration. B.
▼ Level 5: Exhibits mechanics and officiating ▼ Level 0: The game standard for assessment is low
techniques as required by FIBA instructor, but grade/junior domestic games.
must also complete the requirements of Level 4. ▼ Level 1: The game standard for assessment is
senior domestic games.
2. Fitness/Nutrition ▼ Level 2: The game standard for assessment is elite
A. domestic games.
▼ Level 0: No requirements to undertake any fitness module. ▼ Level 3: The game standard for assessment is elite
▼ Level 1: Completed fitness education module. State and national games with varied partners.
▼ Level 2: Satisfies basic fitness requirement ▼ Level 4: The game standard for assessment is elite
conducted by State Body. national games with varied partners.
▼ Level 3: Satisfies basic fitness requirement ▼ Level 5: The game standard is as required by FIBA.
conducted by Australian Body.
▼ Level 4: Satisfies fitness requirement of Level 3, C.
as required during the season. ▼ Level 1: The evaluator will use Bunn Sheets
▼ Level 5: Satisfies fitness requirement as ▼ Level 2: The evaluator will use Bunn Sheets and
prescribed by FIBA, and conducted by FIBA. State Body evaluation form.
EV\Z(%
▼ Level 3: The evaluator will use Bunn Sheets and H. Game Control
State or Australian evaluation form. ▼ Level 1: Makes a call after a conflict situation to
▼ Level 4: The evaluator will use Bunn Sheets and deal with that situation.
Australian evaluation form. ▼ Level 2: Reacts promptly when a game gets into
a conflict situation.
4. Competency Description ▼ Level 3: Able to keep a game in control with
A. Game Administration appropriate contact situation.
▼ Level 0: Ensures score sheet is correct prior to ▼ Level 4: Pro active role in keeping game control.
start of games and completes at the end of game.
▼ Level 1: Administers all time-out and substitutions. I. Verbal Communication
▼ Level 2: Ensures score’s table is organized, checks ▼ Level 0: Communicates call to bench.
equipment and controls warm ups. ▼ Level 1: Communicates clearly to players and bench.
▼ Level 3: Holds pre - game conference with partner. ▼ Level 2: Uses voice for preventative action.
▼ Level 4: Holds pre-game conference with partner and ▼ Level 3 and 4: Uses voice to resolve conflict.
coaches.
J. Visual Communication
B. Teamwork ▼ Level 0: Blows whistle and uses foul and out-of-
▼ Level 1: Exchanges information with partner. bounds signal.
▼ Level 2: Provides assistance to partner as required. ▼ Level 1: Uses signal as required.
▼ Level 3: Assists partner with support. ▼ Level 2, 3, and 4: Uses all signal in the correct
▼ Level 4: Works with partner as one team. sequence in a sharp manner.

C. Decisiveness K. Rule Knowledge

▼ Level 0: Blows whistle for significant events. ▼ Level 1: Has less than an average of 5 rule errors as
▼ Level 1: Reacts to situation and makes a call. a result of technical knowledge based on Level 1 modules.
▼ Level 2: Reacts to situation in a confident manner. ▼ Level 2: Has less than an average of 1.5 rule errors as
▼ Level 3: Reacts to situation in a strong, confident manner. a result of technical knowledge.
▼ Level 4: Reads the game to enable prompt reaction. ▼ Level 3: Has less than an average of 0.5 rule errors as
a result of technical knowledge.
D. Consistency ▼ Level 4: Has less than an average error per game as a
▼ Level 1: Establishes a pattern of call selection that result of technical knowledge.
is generally maintained.
▼ Level 2, 3, and 4: Establishes a pattern of call L. Judgement
selection that is strongly maintained. ▼ Level 0: Makes calls on basic contacts and out-of-
bounds.
E. Movement around Court ▼ Level 1: Makes calls on majority of significant contact
▼ Level 1: Generally moves around the court in an and violations.
appropriate manner in accordance with game. ▼ Level 2: Has less than an average of 12 questionable
▼ Level 2: Less than an average of 10 questionable judgment situations per game.
situations per game, due to poor court position. ▼ Level 3: Has less than an average of 8 questionable
▼ Level 3: Less than an average of 6 questionable judgment situations per game.
situations per game, due to poor court position. ▼ Level 4: Has less than an average of 4 questionable
▼ Level 4: Less than an average of 4 questionable judgment situations per game.
situations per game, due to poor court position.
6. On Court Assessment
F. Position on Court A.
▼ Level 0: Moves along the sideline. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Need to complete the number of games
▼ Level 1: Moves along the side/end line in accordance at the required playing standard.
with lead/trail.
▼ Level 2: Movement to show understanding of 6 areas, B.
transition and dead ball positions. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Assessment is based on objective and subjec-
▼ Level 3 and 4: Movement to demonstrate teamwork tive competencies with each candidates required to satisfy the
and techniques to cover special play situations. competencies of the given level and those of the lower level(s).

G. People Management C.
▼ Level 1: Makes a call after an inappropriate Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Where a number of evaluators are requi-
player/bench reaction. red, the evaluators should consult with regard to go candidate
▼ Level 2: Reacts promptly when player/bench prior to the decision to grade the candidate.
behavior is inappropriate.
▼ Level 3: Ability to keep game behavior in control. D.
Manage conflict. Level 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4: Completion of the on court assessment
▼ Level 4: Take appropriate action to be pro active in section occurs when competencies as described have been
keeping player/bench behavior in control. attained as judged by appropriate evaluator.
EV\Z(&
 REFEREES

OFFICIATING NCAA
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
by Marcy Weston
and Sally Bell

Marcy Weston is the Senior Associate Director of ▼ Meet the recreation director in your local area
Athletics at Central Michigan University. She is also Chair about their program.
of Boards of Directors of NASO (National Association of ▼ Meet an athletic director or coach at a local
Sports Officials), and National Coordinator of the NCAA elementary or high school about how they recruit
Basketball Officiating. An inductee to the Women’s officials.
Basketball Hall of Fame, she refereed Women’s NCAA ▼ Check with the local authorities about local, state
Championship game in 1982 and 1984. or national agencies that handle sports officiating.
▼ Attend all required meetings and training sessions.
Sally Bell officiated at every level and the top basketball ▼ Find a mentor you believe in and attach
events. He refereed four NCAA Final Four, and all the top yourself to him/her.
FIBA events since 1983 to 2002: Olympic Qualification, ▼ Officiate as many games as possible.
Olympic Games, World Senior and Junior Championships, ▼ Attend summer camps designed for college
University and Goodwill Games. She received in 1991 the officials.
prestigious Naismith Award as the Women’s Official of ▼ Make the commitment and make yourself
the Year. available.
▼ Find a college mentor you believe in.
MANAGING YOUR OFFICIATING CAREER ▼ Be respected for your professionalism.
The opportunities presented in sports officiating in general, ▼ Be a mentor.
and basketball specifically, are unlimited. The interaction
with players, coaches, administrators and fans offers some 1. Be humble and respectful.
of the most rewarding opportunities and successes you will 2. Be available.
ever encounter. However, like everything else in life, suc- 3. Be supportive and encouraging.
cesses do not come without hard work, dedication, and an 4. Be patient.
innate drive to be the best. 5. Be a friend.
6. Most importantly, be honest with your assessments.
It is important to understand that we are all unique perso- Be patient. It is better to get there too late than too soon!
nalities who will handle success and failure in different Everyone wants to move up to the Finals, Conference
ways. No matter what, our successes and failures must be Tournaments, and NCAA Tournaments. So how do you get
handled professionally. Professionalism is the key to beco- them?
ming a successful official. It is true you must know the
rules, be in shape, communicate well, and use proper ▼ Be professional at all times.
mechanics, but none of these are more important than ▼ Don’t politic for games. Assignors and committee
being a professional on and off the court. members know who the good officials are.
▼ Fulfill every assignment you take. Don’t play
GETTING STARTED (HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE) games with supervisors or assignors.
▼ Attend a local game and talk to the officials about their ▼ Be realistic in what your schedule and
organization or association that assigns the games. advancement should be. Make sure you under
EV\Z('
 stand where you fit into the big picture. Are there basketball games during the regular season
more experienced officials available for that big preceding the tournament.
game? Are there geographic considerations in the ▼ Be recommended to the NCAA by the coordinator
assignment? And most importantly, do you really of officials in the conferences the official works.
deserve that big game assignment? There are
only so many officials needed on any given night. OFFICIALS SELECTED TO THE NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT
▼ Give the assignor reasons to pick you! Be a good ▼ The National Coordinator receives the names of
official on and off the floor. Be a good partner. approximately 200 officials who have been
Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you are the recommended from their conference
only one qualified to do the big game. coordinators.
▼ Believe in yourself. You must exude confidence ▼ The National Coordinator and the officiating sub-
without being arrogant. Know you are assigned committee of the NCAA Division I Women’s
for the right reason. Basketball Committee review the nominees and
▼ Know the rules and mechanics. When you select the 112 officials who will work the NCAA
consistently and accurately apply the rules, tournament. Selection to the tournament is based
coaches and players gain confidence in your on regular season rankings, conference
judgments. The more confidence they have in you, tournament experience and positive evaluations
the more you will have in yourself which will lead from games officiated in previous NCAA
to more and better assignments. tournament games.
▼ With success should come some humility. Will ▼ 96 working officials and sixteen stand-by officials
Rogers said, “Let someone else blow your horn are assigned to first- and second-round games.
and the sound will travel twice as far. 36 officials and four stand-by officials advance to
” Don’t confuse success with arrogance! the regional semi’s and finals with 9 officials with
one stand-by move on to the Women’s Final Four.
The final “secret” to moving up and improving your sche- ▼ Officials are evaluated at each round of the
dule is simple: tournament. The evaluations are used to assist
GET THE CALLS RIGHT! the committee in making assignments for the
current year. These evaluations also become a
MENTAL TRAINING part of the cumulative evaluation record for that
▼ Rules knowledge: It is not good enough to “know” official’s consideration for future tournaments.
the rules; you must understand the intent
and purpose of the rule. CONTINUING EDUCATION
▼ Mechanics knowledge: Study the mechanics ▼ Once an official is added to a Division I
manual. This is your road map that allows you to conference women’s basketball officiating roster,
be in the best possible position to make good, she/he must take steps to continue their growth
accurate and consistent judgments. as a referee.
▼ Game knowledge: It will be very difficult to The following steps are suggested.
advance if you don’t understand the game. Know ▼ Review videotape evaluation of their game
terminology, strategies, and fundamentals of the performance.
game. ▼ Review written and/or verbal critiques of game
▼ People knowledge: Officiating is a performances completed by the coordinator
communications business and the best of officials or a trained observer in their
communicators will advance. respective conference(s).
▼ Study the rules, interpretations of playing rules,
PHYSICAL TRAINING points of emphasis, mechanics of officiating
▼ Get in shape. and game management strategies.
▼ Stay in shape. ▼ Become a mentor and continue to be mentored.
▼ Serve as a mentor to a less experienced official
REQUIREMENTS TO REFEREE IN THE NCAA and you will experience personal growth
DIVISION I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT as an official.
▼ Register and complete one of the regional ▼ Continue to work with the person who mentored
officiating clinics held annually in October in the you. Growth occurs at every level of experience.
United States cities of Chicago, Dallas, One must continue to learn to see improvement.
Philadelphia, Atlanta and either Los Angeles or
San Francisco. We are hopeful that the information presented in this
▼ It is necessary to submit a signed release form article will give prospective officials and fans of women’s
allowing a background check to be conducted. basketball insight into what it takes to be an NCAA
Individuals convicted of a felony will not be eligible women’s basketball official.
for selection to the tournament. Officiating is a rewarding vocation. Take it seriously and
▼ Referee a minimum of twenty Division I women’s work to be the best referee possible.
EV\Z((
 REFEREES

OFFICIATING
by Don (Butch)
Steponchev
OF WHEELCHAIR
BASKETBALL
Don (Butch) Steponchev is the Secretary, of the 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5. A lower point count identifies
International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) the player with a higher level of disability and the higher
Technical Commission. Senior Referee of IWBF, he was point count identifies the player with a lower level of disa-
President of Canadian Wheelchair Basketball bility. The point counts in between represent varying
Association (CWBA). levels of disability as determined by the Commission.

This article will attempt to explain the major differences

between the official basketball rules of FIBA and those of
the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
3. Point count of participating players. At no time in a
game shall a team have players participating whose
total points exceed the 14-point limit. If, at any time during
(IWBF). a game, a team exceeds the 14-point limit, a technical foul
The game of wheelchair basketball is played under the will be charged to the coach with a correction in the line-
jurisdiction of the IWBF and is based upon the rules up to be made at the same time. Player cards are maintai-
determined by the International Basketball Federation ned by the table officials to verify the players’ classifica-
(FIBA). tions and total point count.

The IWBF recognizes and acknowledges the support of

FIBA in our continued development of the sport. 4. Dribble rule. A dribble is made when a player, having
gained control of a live ball on the court pushes his
wheelchair and dribbles the ball simultaneously or alter-
The major differences are related to: nately pushes the wheelchair and dribbles the ball. The
ball shall be placed on the lap while pushing the wheel-
1. The chair chair and one or two pushes shall be followed by one or
2. Player classification more dribbles; or use both of the above sequences alter-
3. Point count of participating players nately. A double dribble violation is not possible. If a
4. Dribble rule
5. Alternating process
6. Technical fouls by a player
7. Substitutions
8. Act of shooting
9. Leaving the court without permission
10. Contact situations
11. Three-second rule
12. Principle of verticality

1. The chair. It is the officials’ responsibility to ensure

the wheelchair meets the specific dimensions for a
legal wheelchair, because the chair is considered to be
part of the player. Contravention of these rules will result
in the wheelchair being banned from the game. Specific
measurements include: cushions, footrests, maximum hei-
ght of the chair, dimension of the large wheels, the anti-tip
castor(s), handrims, no steering devices, brakes or gears
are allowed and tyres that may mark the floor are not
allowed.

2. Player classification. Player classifications are

determined by the Player Classification Commission
of IWBF and shall have point values as follows: 1.0, 1.5,
EV\Z()
player pushes on his wheels more than twice while holding Experienced wheelchair officials will not allow the noise of
the ball on his lap without again putting the ball to the contact to affect the judgement of what constitutes a foul
floor, passing, shooting or coasting, it is a violation for pro- and what is considered to be incidental contact.
gressing with the ball.

5. Alternating process. Each period begins with a tap-off

(jump ball). The team not gaining control of the ball
11. Three-second rule. Because of the wheelchairs’
size, players are often held by opponents in attemp-
ting to delay their departure. In situations such as this, the
following the tap-off will start the alternating process. On officials are authorized to withhold the violation call while
all ensuing throw-ins, the ball will be taken to the nearest the player is attempting to leave and at times, the defensi-
free throw line extended or the centre line opposite the ve player may be called for a foul because of holding with
score table, depending on where the infraction had occur- his wheelchair. The more significant difference in the
red. three-second rule is that an offensive player may not be
positioned in the restricted area prior to the presentation of

6. Technical fouls by a player. The more significant tech-

nical foul infractions by wheelchair players involve
leaving the court; raising out of the wheelchair; raising
the ball to the thrower-in while in an out-of-bounds throw-
in situation. Should this occur, an immediate violation will
be called on the team in possession for the throw-in.
both rear wheels off the floor; taking the foot/feet off the
foot rests; using any part of the lower limb(s) as an aid to
stopping or changing the direction of the chair and using a
wheelchair that contravenes the definition of chairs, all
12. Principle of verticality. Each player has the right to
the space (cylinder) on court occupied by his
wheelchair and his torso when in the upright seated posi-
with the intention to gain an unfair advantage. tion. When in the act of shooting, a defensive player rea-
ches through the shooter’s cylinder and causes contact

7. Substitutions. Substitutions for a free-throw shooter,

or in a non-shooting event, are dictated by the total
point count limitation. All FIBA regulations apply but the 14-
resulting from hand, body or wheelchair contact on the
shooter, it will result in a foul being assessed.

point maximum classification rule must be adhered. In the One of the more common misconceptions is players are
event where the free-throw shooting team makes a multiple incapable of regaining their position in the chair once they
substitution in order to maintain the 14-point limitation, have been dislodged through contact. Nothing could be
then the opponents may also make a multiple substitution further from the truth. Only in limited cases are the players
in order to be able to match up and not be put in an unfair not able to establish themselves back in the chair. Under no
advantage situation. circumstances are the officials to assist with repositioning
a player.

8. Act of shooting. IWBF rules define the act of shooting

to include the act of cocking or to “cock”. By definition
this means, “To position the shooting hand(s) so that the
If a player does fall from the chair and is in direct relation-
ship to the play, the officials are authorized to blow the play
palm is almost fully or partially turned upwards when pre- dead and allow for repositioning of the athlete. If, however,
paring to throw or release the ball towards the basket”. The a fallen player is not directly involved in the play, the offi-
significance in this is to recognize that players of differing cials shall withhold their whistle until the play has been
abilities shoot, or release the ball in different ways. As an completed.
example, a lower point player may shoot the ball in a
“scoop” fashion (underhanded) as compared to a higher A few of the more interesting dynamics in the development
classification player shooting the ball in the more traditio- of the wheelchair game have included the increase in the
nal way. size of the large wheels to 69 cm; the advent of the three-
wheeled chairs; allowing all players, not only those with

9. Leaving the court without permission. Players leaving

the court occurs more often in wheelchair basketball
than in running basketball. A technical foul shall only be
more severe disabilities, to strap themselves to the chair;
and the addition of anti-tip castors to prevent players from
falling backwards onto the playing surface.
assessed when the player tries to gain an unfair advanta-
ge. If an offensive player violates the rule for the first time, To further illustrate the extent to which the wheelchair
the official shall call an infraction (loss of possession of the game has progressed, a sub-committee of the Technical
ball) and warn the captain of the offending team. The war- Commission is reviewing a proposal from the Brazilian
ning applies to the entire team for the remainder of the Federation of Wheelchair Basketball to modify the dribble
game and results in a technical foul being assessed upon rule to more closely reflect the FIBA and worldwide defini-
the next violation. If the defending team violates the rule, tion. Should this proposal be adopted by the Congress, it
the warning is given at the end of that phase of play. Each would have a significant impact on the game of wheelchair
subsequent violation is a technical foul. Incidental leaving basketball.
of the court shall not be penalized.
Should additional information on rule books, videos and

10. Contact situations. FIBA principles of contact are

administered within the following definitions: 1. A
player’s path. 2. Defence must be seen to be “covering the
interpretations be required, please feel free to contact me
at: Don (Butch) Steponchev, Secretary Technical
Commission, 258 Willoughby Crescent, Saskatoon,
path” of the offensive player. 3. Principle of “time and Saskatchewan, Canada, S7H 4W7 or e-mail: don.stepon-
distance for legal position” is strictly enforced. [email protected]
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 REFEREES

TRAINING
by Alison Muir
COURSES
FOR OFFICIALS
Alison Muir is a FIBA Commissioner ▼ Communication, table AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
from England. She has been involved officials mechanics, signals ▼ A working knowledge of the
with basketball as a table official, re- to floor officials, end of game. rules of basketball and their
feree and coach. She holds the posi- interpretation.
tion of Director of Competitions and OFFICIATING MANUAL ▼ The ability to properly apply
Commissioner Appointments Officer An essential element to the course, the mechanics of table
for England Basketball. this manual is intended to be used, officiating.
primarily, as a mean of instruction in ▼ A good knowledge of signals
Detailed below are the different stan- the skills necessary to table officiate a used by both floor and table
dards required to officiate in England game of basketball to a basic level of officials.
and the Training Courses available to competence. ▼ A basic knowledge of shot
achieve them. It may also be used as a source of re- clock mechanics.
ference throughout the candidate’s
ORGANISATION OF THE COURSE
APPRENTICE LEVEL ONE AWARD formative years of officiating.
Candidates are required to attend a
The award is a practical assessment
ASSESSMENT course of at least three hours dura-
of the candidate’s ability to officiate a
Completed during a competition/tour- tion. If possible a practical session
game at a basic level. A successful
nament. should be included in this time.
candidate will demonstrate the skills
The course will include a 45 minute
in the syllabus below.
TABLE OFFICIALS multi-choice theory paper.
The course consists of one 2 hour ses- LEVEL TWO AWARD
This course is aimed at applicants with SYLLABUS
sion to be held in conjunction with a
some basic basketball knowledge. As per apprentice award with the fol-
tournament or competition.
lowing additions.
▼ Shot Clock Mechanics, team
SYLLABUS control.
▼ Organisation of table, teams,
players, substitutes,
ASSESSMENT
captains, coaches, assistant
The examination consists of both
coaches.
theory and practical tests.
▼ Duties and powers of floor
officials, referee, umpire,
violations, referee signals. THEORY
▼ Duties of timekeeper, game Pass Mark 70%
clock operation, playing
time, time-outs, extra PRACTICAL
periods. The candidates must officiate 6 games
▼ Duties of the score keeper, - three score and three time. The can-
relations of clock to score didate should notify the match offi-
sheet, recording of charging cials PRIOR to the game that they are
time-outs, team foul markers, undertaking the Level Two Table offi-
coach, bench technical fouls, cials award.
tied scores, extra periods, The candidate will be given an asses-
team control, substitutions. sment form, which must be signed by
▼ Scoresheet, preparation - both floor officials after each game,
headings, choice of ends, as long as a satisfactory performance
scoring field goals, free has been given. The games must be ti-
throws, finishing off the med as per FIBA rules with a stopping
score sheet. clock.
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 REFEREES

Games undertaken as part of the test SYLLABUS and officiated senior NBL games in
must be officiated by two floor offi- ▼ Mechanics of Table Officials order to apply.
cials, both of whom must hold an En- and rules appertaining to
glish Basketball refereeing award. table officials. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
▼ Working with ▼ Involved in table officiating
For the successful candidates a certi- Commissioners. at Regional and National
ficate will be awarded. ▼ Duties and powers of floor level.
officials. ▼ Either to be an approved
TABLE OFFICIALS ▼ Duties of time keeper. table officials tutor or
LEVEL THREE AWARD ▼ Duties of score keeper. assisting the regional tutors.
An advanced Table Officials award of ▼ The score sheet - ▼ Able to table officiate
England Basketball (EB), the candida- EB and International. competently in all three
te is expected to attain a high level of ▼ Duties of shot clock duties - scoring,
operator. timekeeping and shot clock.
practical performance and theory
▼ Communication and signals. ▼ To be able to use both EB and
knowledge. Level Three Table Offi-
cials can be appointed to National International score sheets.
ASSESSMENT/EXAMINATION
Competitions.
The examination consists of a theory REQUIREMENTS
paper and practical tests. Candidates ▼ Potential candidates must
Candidates must have been an active apply to the EB Officiating
must have successfully passed the
Level Two Table Official, officiating at Committee to be considered
theory paper before beginning the
a reasonable standard, for two years. for Level Four.
practical part of the examination. If a
candidate fails the theory paper, they ▼ Potential candidates must
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES provide a resume of their
▼ A sound knowledge of the must wait three months before re sit-
ting, using the alternative paper. The table officiating history to
rules of basketball and their the EB Officiating Committee.
interpretation. paper questions will be based on the
EB scoresheet and regulations, and ▼ Regions should support an
▼ The ability to properly apply application for Level Four
the mechanics of table there will be a requisite to complete
candidates.
officiating. part of an EB and International Score
▼ When excepted as a Level
▼ Through knowledge of sheet. The theory and examination
Four candidate, a table
signals used by both floor paper is marked Nationally.
official will be required to
and table officials. complete an application
▼ A full knowledge of shot PRACTICAL form.
clock mechanics both in For the practical test, candidates mu-
theory and practical. st score, timekeep, and use a shot EVALUATION/EXAMINATION
▼ Be confident in man clock. The games must be as per FIBA The evaluation and assessment of
management to deal with all rules with a stopping clock. candidates will normally be spread
possible situations.
over a season.
Games must be of a high standard at
ORGANISATION OF THE COURSE Senior level. Assessment of the can-
Candidates will be required to attend
Candidates are required to attend a didate at the games must be under-
at least three National Competition
course of at least 5 hours duration. If taken by an approved assessor. Both
games during a season. This will in-
possible, a practical session on the floor officials must hold an EB referee
volve theory and practical asses-
use of the Shot Clock device should award, Level Three or above. Candi-
sments.
be included in this time. dates should notify the floor officials
Theory Paper passmark is 75%.
The course will include a one and a PRIOR to the commencement of the
half hour theory paper with a pass game, that they are undertaking the
Candidates will be assessed on:
mark of 75%. Level Three award. Floor officials
The course will be organised by should sign the assessment form after ▼ All duties of a table Official
Areas/Regions. the game, if the performance has ▼ Man management
Recognised Tutors by the EB Officia- been satisfactory. ▼ Dealing with incidents
ting Committee shall tutor the cour- ▼ Working with
ses. TABLE OFFICIALS Commissioners,
Candidates will be issued with a Table LEVEL FOUR AWARD statisticians, etc.
Official’s manual and rule book on at- This is an advanced knowledge and
tending a course. practical ability award for experien- Reports received from Commissioners
The Region is responsible for the ced Level Three officials. and referees following national ap-
practical assessment of the level th- Officials at this level can be appointed pointments, will be considered by the
ree candidates, although this may be to National Competition and Interna- National Examiner in arriving at the fi-
delegated to areas where appropria- tional games. Table officials must be nal assessment.
te. qualified at Level Three for two years
EV\Z(,
 REFEREES

FACTORS AFFECTING
INFORMATION
PROCESSING
IN OFFICIATING
by Stavros Douvis
and Antonis Travlos the area of motor learning and behavior, the time that interve-
nes between the initiation of a stimulus and the completion of
the movement is called response time.
Scientists have further separated response time into reaction
time and movement time. Reaction time is defined as the time
interval that occurs between the initiation of the stimulus (con-
tact between two opponents) and beginning of movement (acti-
Stavros Douvis is a doctor and former referee. vation of phonetic strings for the call). Movement time is deter-
Antonis Travlos is a sport psychologist. mined by the time interval that intervenes from the beginning of
movement up to its completion-initial phase of whistling (figure
Although good officiating depends on physiological, psycholo- 1-response time paradigm).
gical, mental, and technical skills, there are personal qualities Here’s a common example: The official checks the space near
that make an effective official. A recent research has indicated the basket as the ball bounces off the rim and four players (two
that top officials have essential qualities in common, including from team A and two from team B) are prepared to jump for the
consistency, integrity, and decisiveness. rebound. The whole process warns the official that some
One would expect that competent officials will make the same infraction may occur and he is ready to make a call. In order to
decisions in identical or similar situations and they will apply rebound the ball, one player of the attacking team pushes one
the rules equally to both teams. Good officials call a game in an player of the defending team (stimulus).
unbiased way and they do not modify their calls according to The official processes the information and with the help of his
the reactions of players, coaches, or spectators. long-term memory (storage of the rules), he decides that an
Officials’ calls should be quick and decisive. Their decisions infraction of the rules exists and is prepared to execute the
should be “close in time” with the observed action. The purpo- decision (reaction time). The muscular system is activated and
se of this article is to present some of the important psycholo- this is expressed when he blows his whistle (movement time).
gical factors that are needed to call the game in a successful In basketball officiating, however, response time is the time
manner.
In basketball officiating, there are many cases where the offi-
cial makes a call and afterwards realizes that his call involved
a non-existent foul. In order to prove that he is an official that
is able to make any call, the inexperienced referee tries to anti-
cipate and predict. This important phenomenon of “forced
reaction” is the subject of several research studies. What often
leads the official to call a non-existent foul are excessive
stress levels, poor physical fitness, or inexperience.

RESPONSE TIME AND ATTRIBUTION OF INFRACTIONS

In order to process information, a time interval is required from
the initiation of the stimulus to the execution of the decision. In
EV\Z(-
interval that requires particular attention. It is important to whatsoever. However, individuals who exercise regularly
know the time interval between the occurrence of a foul and often report that their mental abilities are positively affected.
the first whistle. Based on the scientific literature, it seems Moreover, it seems reasonable to accept that fit individuals
reasonable to consider a call as correct and acceptable when perform better than unfit individuals on decision-making tasks
it occurs 350 to 800 milliseconds after the stimulus. when both have to participate in exercise bouts of similar phy-
When a call occurs earlier than the 350-millisecond threshold, sical demand. Highly-fit individuals (as compared to the poorly
we can say that the official anticipated the infraction. fit) can better cope with the demands of physical activity. Fit
When the call occurs after 800 milliseconds (increase of reac- individuals have less energy expenses, are less vulnerable
tion time), it implies that in his effort to attribute the infraction to fatigue, and are therefore able to process information
correctly the official is indecisive in making the right decision. efficiently and effectively.
These calls are regularly disputed by players, coaches, or The unfit official will tire easily and early in the game and
sports fans and create uncertainty about the reliability of the will not be able to follow the flow of the game, leading to the
official. In such cases, it is preferable not to make a call than deceleration of information processing and thus, to the
to make a delayed call. increase of the official’s response time. Moreover, this will
One of the most important criticisms officials receive from lead to a significant decrease in his officiating performance.
players, coaches, and fans involves calls that were not made The results of a recent study on 31 top division officials of
during contact that developed in very small time intervals. the Greek League revealed that the level of physical condi-
Under these conditions, it is difficult for someone to make a tioning is strongly related to the officials’ performance.
right decision on which stimulus happened first and which The study involved monitoring the heart rate of the officials
occurred next. In experiments that were conducted under during games. Officials who had a heart rate during the
controlled laboratory conditions, it was found that when two course of a game that approached or exceeded the upper
or more stimuli occur virtually simultaneously, the longer it acceptable limit (indicating poor physical conditioning)
takes to process the information. When deciding which stimu- performed worse, made more mistakes, and thus held lower
lus occurred first, there is a great probability of being wrong. positions in the national ranking.
In such situations, therefore, it is preferable for officials to Basketball officiating consists of rapid eye-brain-whistle
hold their whistle to the end of the acceptable time frame (800 coordination.
milliseconds) for the occurrence of a call, as this enhances Referees call the games with the whistle in their mouth.
their ability to process the information correctly. Despite what it says in the rules, referees have to make
instantaneous decisions based on interpreting what they
EFFECT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS ON SPEED see.
OF INFORMATION PROCESSING Only when basketball officials equip themselves with a full
Several studies have reported that physical exercise has an range of psychological, physiological and technical skills
impact on mental functioning, while others reported no effects will they achieve maximum performance.

EV\Z(.
 REFEREES

EVALUATION
OF FRENCH
TOP LEAGUE REFEREES
by Fabrice Saint-Aubert

Fabrice Saint-Aubert was a French national referee from 3. Each club has been notified before the season that in
1979 to 1993, and a FIBA referee from 1984 to 1993. He is case of an evaluation, the evaluator should be provided a
now a member of the national committee for the top refe- good seat facing the table official at midcourt.
rees of the French Division I League.
4. The evaluator must watch the entire game.
PREMISES
▼ French League - 16 teams and 29 referees END OF THE GAME
three-man system. 1. The evaluator goes to the locker room after the referees
▼ 5 evaluators (former referees in the first have showered and comments on the performances of
division) are working on the evaluation of the each one. He must provide the level of the performances:
referees. A) Excellent, B) Very good, C) Good, D) Average, or E) Poor.
▼ The evaluators are involved in two meetings with
the referees, before the season starts 2. The evaluator must advise each referee of specific steps
(2 days), middle of the regular season (1 day), and they can take to improve their officiating in upcoming
one meeting at the end of the regular season games.
(1 day).
▼ Each evaluator must see each referee at least one 3. The evaluator may give each referee his evaluation sheet
time (evaluation - live) working a league game filled with comments, and the level of officiating, but with
(regular season). If the evaluator sees the no mark on it. In lieu of this, he must mail the evaluation
referee more than one time, the final mark of this sheet to each referee the next day.
evaluator for this referee will be the average of the
marks. DAY AFTER THE GAME
▼ Each evaluator will watch and evaluate videotapes 1. The evaluator must send to me the copies of the evalua-
of referees at least 6-7 times a season-video tion sheets with comments, level of officiating, and the
with marks. mark that must be in relation with the level he gave to the
▼ The two mains objectives are: officials working the game.
-To establish referee rankings.
-To improve officiating in the League. We note with hundred (100) points.

EVALUATION - LIVE EXCELLENT (EXC) 91 to 100

The main objective is to establish a ranking. This will help VERY GOOD (VG) 81 to 90
the referee discover what he needs to improve and the GOOD (G) 71 to 80
steps needed to make that improvement. AVERAGE (A) 61 to 70
POOR (P) Less than 61
BEFORE THE GAME
1. The evaluator is notified by mail to make an evaluation at 2. This evaluation must also be sent to the official in char-
the game A - B with the trio of referees X, Y, and Z. ge of noting evaluations.

2. The evaluator arrives at the game site and may present 3. If they did not receive the evaluation sheets right after
himself to the trio when his arrival is one hour or more befo- the game, these must be sent to the referees (with no
re the beginning of the game. marks provided).
EV\Z)%
EVALUATOR-LIVE SHEET
Evaluator Referee
Team A Team B Team B
Score 1st Score 2nd Crew Chief
Score 3rd Final score Referee
Umpire

GLOBAL EVALUATION
Global evaluation E VG G A P

Comment:

CONTROL OF THE GAME

E VG G A P
1. Did the referee establish control of the game? YES NO
2. Did the referee manage the relations between the coach and his bench? YES NO
3. Did the referee master the contacts and relations with the players? YES NO
Comment:

JUDGEMENT
E VG G A P
4. Charge/ blocks were well called? YES NO
5. Did the referee correctly judge the out of the ball situations? YES NO
6. Basket valid or not; free-throws awarded or not correctly? YES NO
7. Unsportsmanlike fouls were correctly judged? YES NO
8. Travelling situations were correctly judged? YES NO
Comment:

CRITERIONS, TONE OF THE GAME

E VG G A P
9. Were the criterions adapted to the game? YES NO
10. Did the referee properly apply advantage/disadvantage? YES NO
11. Was the referee consistent all during the game? YES NO
Comment:

MECHANICS
E VG G A P
12. Jump ball correctly performed? YES NO
13. Throw-in at the right spot? YES NO
14. Did the referee respect the area of his partners? YES NO
15. Did the referee make his best efforts to make a team return to the court? YES NO
Comment:

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 REFEREES

OTHER REMARK ADVICE In each line, the referee or the evaluator indicates: Time on
the tape, which players are involved, what is wrong, or what
should have been done.

THE EVALUATORS AND THEIR EVALUATIONS

At the middle of the season, I gather the comments on the
evaluations and I order the technical group to prepare
EVALUATION – VIDEO videotapes on referees I consider to be weak.
The main objective is to teach the referee how to make At the end of the regular season and before the play-offs, all
improvements in their officiating. evaluators and those responsible for the nominations have
a meeting. We make the final ranking of the referees, which
COMMENT will be used for the play-offs and for the next regular season.
Internal regulations state that each hosting club has to provi- Each referee has been seen working live at least 6 to 7 times a
de a videotape of the game to each referee. The referee has season, on a videotape at least three times a season.
to come to the gym with one blank videotape and has to give Therefore, the referee is evaluated 10 times on average over the
it to the person in charge of officials for the game. The club span of 30 games.Evaluations can also be made during the play-
may give it back immediately after the game or send it the day offs. This is done solely to improve the quality of officiating. No
after the game to the address provided by the referee. marks are given at this time, only comments.
BEFORE THE GAME
1. The hosting club has received a message that it must pro-
vide a videotape of the game to Mr. X evaluator the day after
the game.

AFTER THE GAME

1. The evaluator receives the tape evaluating the three refe-
rees.

2. The evaluator must contact the referees to set a date for

the debriefing with each official, no longer than 10 days
after receiving the tape.

3. As soon as possible, the referees must send their own

comments to the evaluator by mail or fax.

4. At the fixed date, the evaluator is to make a phone con-

tact with each referee explaining what he saw on the video-
tape, describing what must be done to improve the officia-
ting. The evaluator must also rate the level of the perfor-
mance for that game. (EXC, VG, G, A, P)

5. The evaluator must send his written report to each refe-

ree, a copy to me, and a copy to the official responsible for
tabulating referee scores.
(see the Evaluation-Video Sheet)

EVALUATION-VIDEO SHEET
EVALUATION MR EVALUATOR
DATE TEAM A
CREW CHIEF TEAM B
REFEREE
UMPIRE

MARK /100
LEVEL EXC/VG/G/A/P

CHANGING CALLS
MISTAKES
FORGOTTEN CALLS
REMARKS
The mark level section is only for the evaluator.

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RANKING at the mathematic classification.
Our former system ranked referees from first to last.
Three years ago, we changed our system and now classify 2. All evaluators may propose a change inside the mathematic clas-
referees by groups. It is much more convenient to establish sification using the level of the performances (EXC, VG, G, A, P) and I
the nominations for the play-offs and also for the next regular take note of the final result.
season.
For example, it can be a better nomination of trio 15-12-16 3. Using the comments, I may change the ranking. I am the only one
than trio 12-15-16. So, we now create three groups and the responsible for the final ranking.
referees know to which group they belong.
▼ Group A: 8 referees. They can be nominated first or 4. I inform the evaluators.
second with someone from group A or third with
referees from group A. 5. I inform the referees at the end of the play-offs. The referees with
▼ Group B: 13 referees. They can be appointed first, the lowest rankings are demoted and are replaced by the best two
second, or third. referees from the second division.
▼ Group C: 8 referees. They can be appointed second or third.
6. Using the comments, I inform the chief of the technical group on
1. We mark the referees as follows: 75% of the live perfor- which points the referees are weak and we both then determine the
mances and 25% of the video performances. We then arrive program for the pre-season clinic.

EV\Z)(
 REFEREES

TRACKING TWO AND

THREE OFFICIALS
WITH A COMPUTER
by Mateja Loncar Brane Dezman Simon Licen

Mateja Loncar and Simon Licen are basketball officials, Table 1

members of the Slovenian Association of Basketball Differences in the number of attacks and some parameters of
Officials, and of the Basketball Department at the University playing efficiency of national teams participating at FIBA
of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Sport. Brane Dezman is a Professor at World or European Men’s Championships before and after
the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Sport, where he also the introduction of rule changes in 2000.
serves as chairman of the faculty’s Basketball Department. The absolute playing efficiency (the number of attacks and
the number of scored points by a team in a game) increased
FIBA thanks the University Sport in Ljubljana, Slovenia for after the implementation of the rule changes, while the relati-
conducting the interesting research reported in this article. ve playing efficiency (field goal percentage) remained almost
Their remarkable discoveries have proven to be valuable at the same level despite the increased speed of the play.
contributions to the discussion concerning FIBA rule chan- We assume that because of the rule changes and the sub-
ges, particularly those concerning the shot clock (30/24 sequent increased speed of the play, the distance covered
seconds) and officiating (2 person/3 person) teams. by the officials in a basketball game and the speed of their
movement increased.
INTRODUCTION Namely, the distance covered by the officials in a game
In 2000 and 2003, FIBA introduced relevant changes in some depends on the number of attacks of both teams, while
segments of the Official Basketball Rules. their speed depends on the speed of both teams’ move-
The most important changes were the reduction of time for ment, the speed of transition of the ball from backcourt to
passing the ball to the front court from 10 to 8 seconds, the frontcourt, as well as the number of individual interruptions
reduction of time for attack from 30 to 24 seconds, and the of a game: violations, fouls, time-outs, substitutions, and
continuation of play when the 24-second device signals and extra periods.
the ball touches the rim. The aim of these changes was to
increase the speed of the players’ movements, add to the SHORT ANALYSIS OF POSITIONING AND MOVEMENT
attractiveness of the game, and create more suspense. OF TWO AND THREE OFFICIALS
In the table below we compare several parameters of The mechanics of officiating determines the officials’ posi-
playing efficiency before and after the rule changes were tioning, movement, participation, and reactions during a
introduced. game.
The data show that the goals were in fact reached. It enables officials to move efficiently, have a good view

TABLE 1
Championship NATT DIFF PTS FG% FT% TO PF
WC 1998 81.6 71.5 44.7 65.8 13.7 21.3
WC 2002 91.1 9.5 83.6 44.6 73.2 14.2 23.2
EC U18 2000 80.0 69.1 45.3 70.7 14.9 20.8
EC U18 2002 89.4 9.4 75.9 43.3 68.1 14.2 20.8

Legend: NATT (number of attacks) = FGA2+FGA3+FTA/2+TO; DIFF - difference; PTS - points per game; FG % (field goal per-
centage) = (FGM2 + FGM3)/(FGA2 + FGA3); FT% (free-throw percentage) = FTM/FTA; TO - turnovers; PF - personal fouls

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 and control over the play, accurately perceive any violation
of the rules, and communicate intelligibly with the partici- BASIC MOVEMENT OF THE
pants in the game.
OFFICIALS WHEN THE BALL
During a game, a two-man crew consists of a lead official
and a trail official, taking alternately their officiating roles.
IS IN THE FRONT COURT
The lead official moves ahead of the play, while the trail offi-
cial moves with or slightly behind the play. TWO OFFICIALS
A three-man crew consists of a lead official, a center offi- When the ball is in the frontcourt, the officials move with
cial, and a trail official, taking alternately their officiating regard to the players’ movements as to maintain a (usual-
roles. The lead official moves ahead of the play, the center ly) diagonally opposite position. They constantly try to
official moves with it, and the trail official behind it. keep all the 10 players between them. The officials also
move when the ball moves and after they call a violation
The diagrams show that each of the officials in a two-man or a foul.
crew covers a greater distance than any of the officials in a The lead official moves along the end line. He moves
three-man crew. between the three-point line to his left and the far edge of
This means that the three officials reach their basic posi- the restricted area to his right. The trail official moves
tions faster and are therefore able to concentrate better on within the imaginary line extending from basket to basket
the play than the two officials. to his right and the free-throw line extended (diagr. 3).
In a two-man crew, both the lead official and the trail official
cover a longer distance during an attack than any of the offi- THREE OFFICIALS
The three officials move with regard to the position and
D.2
the movement of the ball. When the ball penetrates
D.1
beyond the free throw line extended, the lead official
moves to the ball side (L). His movement initiates the
rotation of the other two officials: the center official
moves to the trail position (T), while the trail official
moves to the center position (C) - (diagr. 4).

D.3 D.4

BASIC MOVEMENT OF THE OFFICIALS DURING TRANSITION

TWO OFFICIALS THREE OFFICIALS
During transition, the new lead official (L) moves ahead of The trail official moves along the sideline (ball side) and
the play and on its right, while the new trail official (T) ahead of the play to become the new lead official (L).
keeps slightly behind and to the left of the play.
The center official moves with the play along the opposite
After the transition, the officials usually position themsel- sideline and remains center official (C).
ves diagonally opposite each other and strive to box-in all
the ten players (diagr. 1). The lead official moves along the trail official’s sideline (ball
side) and behind the play to become the new trail official (T).

After the transition, the officials assume and strive to maintain

a wide triangle pattern that allows them to observe the play
and its circumstances (diagr. 2).

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 REFEREES

cials in the three-man crew. D.5

of basic variables of playing effi-
The lead official in a two-man crew ciency.
covers a greater distance than the lead We already mentioned that the
official in a three-man crew, while the players’ playing efficiency affect
trail official in a two-man crew covers the distance covered by the offi-
a greater distance than either the cen- cials and the number of their
ter or the trail official in a three-man interventions.
crew. A comparison between the para-
During an attack, the center and the meters listed above and the avera-
trail official in a three-man crew may ge values of all the games at the
switch their roles and positions, while FIBA 2003 European Championship
the trail official in a two-man crew for Men reveals that the results of
covers the area from the free-throw our two games were slightly above
line extended to the centerline by him- the FIBA 2003 European
self. Championship average in terms of
playing efficiency variables.
This short and simplified analysis of This means that the results may
officials’ movements during a basket- be generalized to a certain extent.
ball game shows that the loading of the
officials in a two-man crew is greater TRACKING OF REFEREE’S MOVEMENTS
than the loading of the officials in a DURING A BASKETBALL GAME WITH
three-man crew. COMPUTER SIGHT
In both games, the data for all
Our two goals were to establish the dif- three variables were collected
ferences between an official in a two- through SAGIT, a software pro-
man crew and an official in a three- gram for tracking players or offi-
man crew in terms of: cials during a game. It is designed
▼ Time of rest and moving on the basis of computer sight
technology.
▼ Distance covered in four SAGIT was developed at the
speed classes (walk, slow Faculty of Electrical Engineering
run, medium-fast run, and in Ljubljana, in co-operation with
fast run). the experts from the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GAMES DURING Data were collected in the following way.
WHICH THE OFFICIALS’ MOVEMENTS WERE TRACKED A SVHS video camera was fastened to the ceiling of a
The movements of Slovenian officials were tracked during sports hall above each side circle.
two games of the 1.A Slovenian Basketball League Play-off Each video camera covered one half of the playing court.
in the 2002/2003 season. These two video cameras and two co-ordinated SVHS video
The first game between the teams of Slovan Ljubljana and recorders recorded both games.
Pivovarna Lasko was officiated by two officials.
The second game between the same two teams was offi- Both video recordings were then computerised.
ciated by three officials. Both games were officiated by four They were digitized using special software and merged in a
FIBA referees, two of them officiated the first game, and uniform digital record.
one of them officiated the second game together with two An operator then used the SAGIT software to track the offi-
new officials (table 2). cials’ movements.
The data show that the games do not differ greatly in terms

TABLE 2: OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH GAMES

GAME 1ST GAME - 2 OFFICIALS 2ND GAME - 3 OFFICIALS EC2003
Variable Slovan Lasko 1st Game Slovan Lasko 2nd Game EC
Average Average Average

Attacks 88 91 89.5 89 86 87.5 85.3

Points 89 83 86 76 92 84 77.6
Field Goal Attempts 60 58 59 63 52 57.5 58.9
Turnovers 11 13 12 12 12 12 14.1
Free-Throw Attempts 34 40 37 28 44 36 24.5
Fouls 32 29 30.5 29 27 28 24.2

EV\Z)+
During both games, the distance covered by the officials CONCLUSIONS
and the time of their movement were tracked in terms of five The results confirm the assumption that officiating a basket-
speed classes: rest (0.0 m/s), walk (from 0.0 m/s to 1.4 m/s), ball game in a two-man crew is more demanding in terms of
slow run (from 1.4 to 3.0 m/s), medium-fast run (from 3.0 to physical condition than officiating in a three-man crew.
5.2 m/s) and fast run (above 5.2 m/s). The official in a two-man crew has to move faster and for a
longer period of time.
An example of the recorded tracking of an official’s move- Thus, he covers quite greater distances and has less time
ments in terms of four speed classes is given in the diagr. 5. to rest. Both decrease the concentration of an official.
This means that he has less time to orientate in space, and
RESULTS OF TRACKING consequently, his perception of players’ incorrect move-
The data in the tables show the average values of the analy- ments is less efficient.
sed variables for officials in a two-man crew (2) and those Therefore, FIBA’s decision to introduce three-man officia-
for officials in a three-man crew (3) during a game. ting in its top competitions in the future is absolutely legiti-
During the game, an official in a two-man crew covered a distan- mate.

TABLE 3: DISTANCE COVERED BY OFFICIAL BY SPEED CLASS

Variable Unit No. of Rest % Walk % Slow % Med.- % Fast Run % All Runs % Walk %
Officials Run Fast Run + All Runs
Distance M 2 0 0 2196 32.4 2340 34.5 1869 27.6 368 5.4 4577 67.6 6773 100
3 0 0 1982 37.5 2061 38.9 1083 20.5 166 3.1 3309 62.5 5291 100

ce (walked and ran) of 6,773 m. He ran 4,577 m in various speeds

(67.6 % of the total distance covered) and walked 2,296 m (32.4 %
of the total distance covered).

An official in a three-man crew walked and ran 5,291 m.

He ran 3,309 m in various speeds (62.5 % of the total distance cove-
red) and walked 1,982 m (37.5 % of the total distance covered).

The official in a two-man crew covered a greater distance in all the

three speed categories of running (table 3).
The largest difference was in the medium-fast run category (776 m).
These results confirm the conclusions of the analysis of basic
movements of officials in two- and three-man crews.

Quite similar are the data regarding the time an official moved (at
various speeds) during a game (table 4). The official in a two-
man crew spent 85.1 minutes of the game moving (94.9 % of the
total time), and rested for 4.5 minutes (5.1 % of the total time).

The official in a three-man crew moved for 78.9 minutes (88.8 %

of the total time) and rested for 9.9 minutes (11.2 % of the total
time).

The official in a two-man crew spent more time running (29.4

minutes, or 32 % of the total time) than the official in a three-man
crew (22.9 minutes, or 25.8 % of the total time).

The same applies also to the time of movement in all the three
speed categories of run.

TABLE 4: TIME OF OFFICIALS’ MOVEMENTS BY SPEED CLASS

Variable Unit No. of Rest % Walk % Slow % Med.- % Fast Run % All Runs % Walk % Rest + Walk %
Officials Run Fast Run + All Runs + All Runs
Time Sec 2 275 5.1 3344 62.1 1217 22.6 477 8.9 68 1.3 1763 32.8 5107 94.9 5381 100
3 596 11.2 3362 63.1 1058 19.8 288 5.4 28 0.5 1374 25.8 4736 88.8 5332 100
Time Min 2 4.6 55.7 20.3 8.0 1.1 29.4 85.1 89.7
3 9.9 56.0 17.6 4.8 0.5 22.9 78.9 88.9

EV\Z),
 REFEREES

TOWER PHILOSOPHY:
ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES
by Paul “Jacky” Loube

Paul “Jacky” Loube is the Executive more convinced I become that the con- called the “Oswald Tower Philo-
Director of the International cept of advantage-disadvantage should sophy,” named for his friend and fel-
Association of Approved Basketball remain a “foreign language” until a low IAABO Interpreter, Oswald Tower.
Officials, a Canadian and North sound rules foundation has been real- The philosophy best represented what
American association. ized and processed by the official. the Basketball Rules Committee
Officials should be absolutely certain believed and supported regarding the
I remember the very first time I was and well versed on the description and officiating of a contest. The same phi-
asked to make a presentation at an explanation of each foul and violation. losophy is embraced by FIBA through
IAABO Interpreters Seminar. A strictly literal approach should be its World Technical Commission.
My topic that morning was the “Tower taken. This philosophy represents a realistic
Philosophy” and its impact on different Only then, armed with an initial literal approach that would guide the judg-
levels of basketball. I really didn’t know knowledge of all the elements of the ment of officials in making decisions
where to begin so I attempted to rules, will they be able to make rulings on all situations where the effect upon
research the impact that the “Tower on the realistic philosophy of advantage- the play is the key factor in determin-
Philosophy” had on the game by inter- disadvantage. ing whether or not an infraction has
viewing coaches and officials. It is true that all the great officials occurred. As an illustration, if A1 sets
I was amazed by the many different have put the Tower Philosophy into a legal screen on B1 and B1 generates
interpretations of the philosophy and the practice but that skill doesn’t develop notable contact with A1, should play
cavalier approach veterans had when overnight. stop and a foul be called on B1? What
explaining the philosophy to me. A well-officiated game is one wherein about A2, who executed the play just
I found that officials working youth bas- the official has adhered to the spirit as the coach designed it, used the
ketball while exercising the Tower and intent of the rules as established, legal screen and has broken free for
Philosophy gave a great deal of latitude in FIBA competition, by the World an easy lay-up?
to players at that level, while those at Technical Commission. If an official did not take a realistic
progressively higher levels gave less The basic and fundamental responsi- approach to this particular situation
leeway. bility of each official is to ensure the and officiated literally, team A would
My concern was that this implementa- game proceeds with as little interfer- be penalized and the game would be
tion should have been reversed. Should ence as possible by the officiating one of continual fouls and whistle
not younger players first have an under- team. This is not to say that an official blowing.
standing of what actions are within the should not blow the whistle when a A veteran official realizes that contact,
limits of the rules? Is not a travel a trav- rule has been breached. The intention not only in the instance cited but in
el? In today’s basketball, however, young should rather be to avoid calling other aspects of the game as well,
officials begin early to make their own infractions that do not contravene the must be looked at in terms of the effect
determination as to what is within the spirit and intent of the rules. it creates on the opponent. If there is
“spirit and intent” of the rules. no apparent disadvantage to an oppo-
DR. JOHN BUNN nent, then realistically speaking, no
SOUND RULES FOUNDATION Over 50 years ago, Dr. John Bunn, rules violation has occurred.
The more I observe the training of appli- IAABO Interpreter and editor of the The official must use discretion in apply-
cants who want to become officials, the NCAA Rules, introduced what was ing this rule and all rules.
EV\Z)-
EV\Z).
 REFEREES

TOWER PHILOSOPHY STATED ANOTHER WAY be adhered to by officials, coaches, the offensive and defensive
The “Tower Philosophy” stated in and players for the game to be well schemes designed by the coaches
another manner is as follows: if players officiated. better than the players in the game
are unfairly affected as a result of an do, but don’t anticipate a foul.
infraction of the rules, then the player OFFICIATING GUIDELINES Rule only on the action that has
not in compliance must be penalized, A. To provide the most accurate rul- been committed.
but if there has been no appreciable ings, officials must be as close to
effect upon the progress of the game, the play as possible. D. An officials who does not see the
then the game shall not be stopped. There is a high correlation entire play, but only a part of the
The action should be ignored. between accuracy of calls and play, places one of the teams at a
The official must determine immedi- closeness in making the call. disadvantage.
ately if the contact is incidental. The experienced official “moves to If official does not see the initial
For example, the crowd is screaming improve” and hustles to be in posi- act that caused the illegal contact
for an “over the back foul” on B1 tion to observe the entire play. and then blows the whistle on
when the ball is hit out of bounds but what is frequently defined as the
realistically and practically, no infrac- B. Officials are constantly confronted “second foul,” the anger of the
tion has occurred. with the adage; “If each official players and coaches gathers
takes care of that official’s primary momentum and accelerates to a
PLAY SITUATIONS coverage area, there would be no feverish pitch.
Obviously, this philosophy assumes necessity for officials to make rul- This situation is compounded
that the official has a thorough under- ings outside of their primary.” when the official fails to recognize
standing of the game. Officials are This statement is misleading. All and become familiar with the
chosen to officiate basketball games officials are empowered to make “match-ups” in the vicinity of the
because game organizers believe rulings on any play, especially if a restricted area.
those officials have basketball intelli- partner doesn’t see, is straight- In order to officiate “Post Play”
gence and an understanding of the lined or too close to the play along effectively, the entire play must be
mood and climate that prevail in the the endline, screened, or simply observed, especially when the
game today. Better officials exercise misses the play. players are establishing positions
mature judgment in each play situa- An official who says, “It’s not my in (or adjacent to) the restricted
tion in light of the basic philosophy call” or “I’m not calling one right area. The official must determine
stated. The FIBA office is consistently under the nose of official B” who is the first to establish a posi-
bombarded with issues concerning defeats the very spirit and intent of tion, rather than evaluate solely on
trivial and unimportant details about the mechanics and teamwork each the instant of contact. The veteran
play situations during the game. Much crew of officials is expected to official sees the total scene and
time and thought is wasted on minor embrace. rules accordingly.
technicalities that are of little or no To be sure, there are prescribed
significance. mechanics which lead one official E. A frequently-used adage is, “It is
At countless rules clinics around the to focus attention on specific not a question of who is right, but
world, there are those who sidetrack phases of the play, more so than rather, what is right.” Many offi-
the “fundamental” discussions far too the other, but to take a rigid point cials misunderstand the intent of
often and get involved with emotional of view and say, “That part of the that phrase.
debates over situations that might floor is my sole responsibility, and The World Technical Commission
occur once in a lifetime. that part is yours,” leads to a poor- prides itself on acknowledging,
In many instances, these very same ly officiated game. “One Rule, One Interpretation,”
officials have no faith in the value of For example, with seconds to play and that is the interpretation that
judgment, and more times than not, in the fourth period of a tied game, has been approved by the National
lack basic game management skills. the lead official mistakenly gives Federation, NCAA and FIBA Rules
Some would call them “excessive the ball to team A for a throw in Committees under whose rules the
whistle blowers” or “interferers”, an under team B’s basket. game is being played. Much too
affront to the game. The trail official, thirty feet away, frequently there is a reluctance on
They are the very ones who want a observes that the ball was obvi- the part of some officials to adapt
spelled-out and detailed rule for every ously last touched by A-1 before when a rule or interpretation has
tiny point, rather than rely on judg- going out of bounds. been changed. More often than
ment and common sense. At the high- The trail official, although calling not, veteran high school officials
er levels of competition, educators out of the primary coverage area, might tell impressionable younger
and commissioners are looking for the insures the correct team adminis- officials, “Well, I don’t like that
official with an advantage-disadvan- ters the throw in. particular mechanics or rule
tage and humanistic approach to offi- change, and I am going to call it
ciating. Did the player violate the spir- C. “The experienced official antici- the old way, my way.” That official
it and intended purpose of the rule? pates the play but not the call.” In is an obstacle to successful offici-
Below are some guidelines that must other words, you may understand ating. He/she has the responsibili-
EV\Z*%
 ty to officiate the game in accor- exude a floor presence and physi- principles of advantage-disadvan-
dance with the official rules com- cal condition that is commensu- tage. Sadly, those who lack the basic
mittee’s decisions. There is one rate with the demands of a basket- understanding of these principles
interpretation and one interpreta- ball game. They have sound judg- often rely on the Tower Philosophy as
tion only and that is the one estab- ment and cooperate with fellow an excuse for not making a call.
lished and articulated by the officials, exercise an air of calm- They miss the reality that the spirit
appropriate rules committee. ness and confidence and are con- and intent of the Tower Philosophy is
Whether or not an official likes a sistent with their calls. When an the basis for making a sound and con-
rule or mechanic is irrelevant. official has these qualifications sistent judgment, one that is used in
and uses them within the frame- deciding to blow the whistle or not to
F. A veteran official must possess a work of advantage-disadvantage, blow the whistle, but never to ignore
knowledge of the rules and the game will be well officiated an obvious infraction.
mechanics when officiating each and well served. Was the game played and consistent-
and every game. Expressions such ly officiated under the basic philoso-
as, “We’ll only switch on fouls LEVEL OF OFFICIATING phy that a ruling should be made if
resulting in free throws,” creates Finally, the quality of the game of bas- one team gained an advantage (or
hesitancy and indecisiveness and ketball will never be any better than was placed at a disadvantage) that
is never an ingredient of a compe- its level of officiating. The well-offici- was not intended within the spirit and
tent officiating package. ated contest will have had the play intent of the rule? If so, it was a well-
Competent and dedicated officials situations judged on the doctrine and officiated game.
EV\Z*&
 REFEREES

by Fred Horgan

Fred Horgan is a member of the FIBA

Technical Commission. He is a FIBA
International Referee Instructor, FIBA
Americas Instructor, Technical
Commissioner of Canada, and a member
of the FIBA Americas Technical
Commission. He was elected in 1996 to
the Canadian basketball Hall of Fame.

It wasn’t that long ago when basketball

officials around the world were first intro-
duced to the philosophy, “referee the
defense”. As with all many concepts, it
was seen as the answer to one of the
most difficult officiating circumstances in
the game, that of determining responsibil-
ity for contact in block/charge situations,
and as a result instructors were suddenly
putting additional stress on one key ques-
tion common to all contact situations:
“Who got there first?”
For quite a while this concept seemed to
work very well. It was easy to appreciate
that when an offensive player is unaware
(and therefore unprepared for) the posi-
tion of a defensive player until the

REFEREEING
THE DEFENSE EV\Z*'
moment of contact, the defensive player rewarded like never before, particularly the defense” to mean, “don’t let the
had an appreciable advantage. The key in situations where the defensive posi- defense get away with anything”.
consideration was therefore a simple tion was adjacent to an end line or in Far too often, the defensive player is the
one: that of whether or not the position contact situations that might occur in the one penalized despite the fact that he or
taken by the defensive player was legal- restricted area. In recent years, howev- she did absolutely nothing more than
ly set and, subsequently, legally main- er, it seems that “referee the defense” maintain a floor position or path that was
tained. has been tainted a little because many rightfully his or hers anyway.
The effect on the game was almost newer officials (and, maybe, a few older In this regard, three special areas of
immediate. Good defense began to be officials too!) have interpreted “referee concern come to mind: 1) post play 2)
EV\Z*(
 REFEREES

maintaining a legal position, while guard- being aware of when a player, especially lish and then we maintain.
ing a moving player 3) shots for goal (or a defensive player, has assumed a legal
attempts to gain a rebound) attempted position (that is, a position to which he or To establish a guarding position, the
from immediately beneath the back- she is entitled). “Looking for spaces” is a guiding principles are clearly presented
board. constant necessity, if one is to actually in article 44 of the FIBA Rulebook.
see when contact does occur. By Two such principles are essential: the
POST PLAY observing both of these principles, an defensive player must have both feet on
Fair and consistent officiating of post official is prepared to make a reasonable the floor, and must be facing his or her
play contact is crucial to general game judgment as to whether a foul should or opponent.
management. When things go wrong, the should not be called. No unnatural extension of the arms or
first warnings that excessive contact legs is permitted. If contact occurs on
might not be far away usually can be When such contact does occur, officials the torso of the defensive player, then
detected at a post position. normally have no trouble with deciding the offensive player is responsible.
When two or more players in close phys- whether the specific contact merits the
ical proximity and in relatively stationary charging of a foul. The problem lies in the Once a guarding position has been
positions are both intent on receiving or determining of responsibility for that con- established, the defensive player is per-
denying a pass or on releasing or defend- tact, and we too often unfairly put the mitted to maintain that position, and it is
ing a shot for a goal, there most certainly blame on the defense. only natural that the player might have to
will be contact. It is in such circum- If the offensive player pushes the move in doing so. He or she can move
stances that officials must first remind defense out of position, the foul is offen- backward or move laterally in response
themselves that contact isn’t necessarily sive. If contact is hard enough to com- to the path chosen by the person being
a foul and that much of the contact in a promise the balance of the defensive guarded.
post area will be incidental for the simple player and, consequently, allows the The concepts of “seeing the whole play”
reason that neither player had been dis- offense to receive a pass or to release a in the sense of “who got there first” is
advantaged by that contact. On the other shot for a goal, it’s an offensive foul. As still crucial, but there is no provision that
hand, contact that places the contacting officials, we have a responsibility to have says the defensive player must have
player at an unfair advantage or that a closer look at contact on the post and both feet on the floor at the moment of
places the contacted player at an unfair to be sure the correct person is being the contact. Indeed, both feet could con-
disadvantage must be penalized. The dif- penalized. ceivably be off the floor in maintaining a
ficulty, of course, is in the judgment of position, but if the contact is on the torso
what contact is “fair” and what contact MAINTAINING A DEFENSIVE POSITION and if the defensive player moved in
isn’t. There seems to be a problem around front of (as opposed to into) the offensive
the basketball world in understanding player then the foul is on the offense.
The solution rests in two principles: (a) the difference between “establishing” Too often in situations when a guarding
see the whole play, and (b) look for a legal guarding position and “main- position is being maintained, the foul is
spaces between the players involved. taining” that position. It’s helpful if we charged to the defense, with the erro-
“Seeing the whole play” is a matter of remind ourselves that first we estab- neous explanation that both feet weren’t
on the floor when the contact occurred.

SHOTS FOR GOAL FROM

UNDER THE BACKBOARD
The above principles apply equally to the
situation where the offensive player
finds himself or herself in an awkward
position below the basket and under or
even behind the backboard.
It is blatantly unfair if we allow a player
with the ball or contesting a rebound to
use his or her body to dislodge a defen-
sive player, who is in a completely legal
position. When a foul is called, it is too
often charged against the defense.
“Referee the defense” is still a very good
philosophy provided:
1) We see the whole play;
2) We take note of who was the first to
get to a specific position on the floor, and
3) We watch for contact that places one
player or another at a disadvantage.
In fairness, let’s also be sure to call it
both ways!
EV\Z*)
 REFEREES

DO YOU HAVE
by Bill Mildenhall
THE RIGHT LEVEL
OF TENSION?
by Jan Holmin

Bill Mildenhall, an Australian FIBA Are you in good mood and stimulated worries or problems at home or at the
referee since 1978, has been working for your task? job.
for the Australian Basketball Do you have positive or negative Another reason for stress can be your
Federation as the National Referees expectations before the game? own expectations before the game. If
Manager since 1991. He is responsi- Do you have positive or negative you have made “a bad game”, it can
ble for the education, training, and experiences before you arrive to the cause you to feel unsure for a long
resource production for Australian arena? period afterwards.
referees at every level. He has offici- Are you tensed and unsure and think- Maybe not conscious - but uncon-
ated at two Olympics Games, and five ing about everything that might hap- scious. You not only remember the
FIBA World Championships. pen during the game? failures, but also the feelings of
A certain amount of stress - or ten- regrets, reproaches, anger etc. that
Jan Holmin, former FIBA referee, is sion - is just fine when you are facing you felt in that situation.
the National Referees Instructor of an important task like to officiate a If you have tried to repress a failure it
the Swedish Basketball Federation. basketball game. can cause you to feel worries without
The tension works like an alarm sig- knowing why.
In order to be well prepared for a nal that alerts your senses. But the You must therefore find out if you
game you need routines for your tension must not turn into stress and have an unnecessary high level of
physical and psychological prepara- uncertainty or even fear and agony. tension and try to find the reason for
tions. The tension then will have a negative it.
You must be prepared to stand the influence on you and on your work as Your tension will increase the closer
whole game. a referee. you get to the game.
At the end of the game you will face, For some referees it ends up in the
especially in close games, difficult BASIC AND EXTRA TENSION locker room, for others at tip off.
situations to handle. All of us have a certain amount of What you must understand is that
The players and coaches are tired, basic tension. there are many factors behind your
which will cause more violations and The level can be very different, from stress.
mistakes. very low to very high. The extra ten- In many games you know that certain
The game is often decided under this sion we feel before a demanding task, evaluators or commissioners will
period and that is why your decisions like our basketball game, can be use- observe you.
will be very important with great ful for the referee with the low basic This is another reason for the extra
impact to the result of the game. tension, but is harmful for the referee tension to increase.
Of course you are also tired, physical- with the high basic tension. Even nice persons, who wish you
ly and mentally, under this period. In This is the reason why some referees “good luck” before the game, can
spite of that, you must make decisions need “pep talk” before the game and give you this extra, unwanted stress.
that might be crucial for the whole others prefer a quiet and calm
game. moment in the locker room. How much stress can you stand?
Therefore you must be in such good How do you know how much extra
shape that your capacity can manage THE REASON FOR STRESS tension you can stand? Are you a ref-
this stress. If you use to feel too much tension eree with low, medium or high basic
before your games you better try to tension?
PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATIONS find out the reason. The answer is that nobody knows. It
Which are your expectations before It is not necessarily the game that is not written in your face which basic
the game? makes you feel stress. It might be tension you have.
EV\Z**
 REFEREES

Nobody can advice you unless it is

a person who knows you very well
and who has followed you for a long
period, and observed your reac-
tions in different games.
Your best coach in this situation is
yourself. As a referee, you are used
to observe and analyse.
Try to identify the persons and situ-
ations that increase your tension
and do your best to avoid these sit-
uations.
Another method to decrease your
tension and stress is to master a
method of relaxation.
Psychological stress - irrespective
caused by problems at home, con-
flicts at the job or negative thinking
about the coming basketball game -
leads to a bad physical tension in
your body.
If you can get rid of this physical
“over-tension”, experience tells us
that you in all probability also has
solved your stress problem, as
there is no way to be psychological
tensioned in a physical relaxed
body.

METHODS OF RELAXATION
There are many different methods
to relax your body. Here is an exam-
ple, which can be used in the dress-
ing room before the game or even in
the half-time period.

Sit down in a comfortable way. Sit

with your legs slightly spread and
the soles on the floor. Your thighs
shall rest on the chair. Put your
forearms in a cross over the thighs.
Lean forwards.
Take a couple of deep breaths and
stretch alternative your forearms
and your lower part of the legs for
20 seconds. Relax. Feel the differ-
ence between a stretched and a
relaxed muscle.
Stretch left arm, right arm, left leg,
right leg. Relax, stretch again,
relax... think all the time of the dif-
ferent feeling of a stretched and a
relaxed muscle. Concentrate on the
difference and the pleasant feeling
when the muscle relax and
becomes heavy. Go on with this
alternative stretching and relaxing
until you feel a total relaxation in
your forearms and legs. Finish the
exercise by taking a couple of deep
breaths.
EV\Z*+
 REFEREES

EVALUATING
AND IMPROVING
AN OFFICIAL’S
PERFORMANCE
by Paul Brazeau

Paul Brazeau, the Director of Basket- all performed your jobs admirably”? performance; and be able to dissect
ball Operations/Officiating Perfor- For a more effective scenario to occur, and gather input about the problem.
mance Analysis, joined the NBA in a process must be in place for game of- When the data is gathered and the
2001, after serving as the head coach ficials to be evaluated, receive specific manager has identified the problem ar-
at the University of Hartford for eight feedback and continue to improve. eas, he/she needs to be ready to for-
seasons, and also as assistant coach mulate recommendations that can be
at Ohio State and Boston College. He The NBA continues to strive for excel- used by the official for development.
works with Stu Jackson, Senior Vice lence throughout its officiating ranks. Once the manager has reach a conclu-
President, Basketball Operations, in As part of that quest, a designed evalu- sion as to what is the best course of
planning league meetings and semi- ation system continues to be action to address the identified issues,
nars; dealing with on-court and team processed and refined which will give a performance message highlighting
issues; and developing and maintain- the officials tangible feedback to the actions must be crafted and deliv-
ing relationships with general man- speed his/her development process. ered to the individual official.
agers, coaches, players and team offi- Some of these ideas may be applicable
cials. In addition, he is responsible for across the sporting spectrum. A COMMON SET OF STANDARDS
monitoring the daily performance of It is imperative that the officials know
NBA referees. DEVELOPMENT BASED ON OBSERVATION the “standards” or benchmarks on
The goal of any official’s evaluation which performance is judged. These
How often has the following scenario program should focus on how to identi- standards will establish targets toward
occurred? The game concludes and all fy areas for personal development. which the officials can strive. The
of the participants retreat to their re- Based on recorded observations and standards will also help to establish
spective locker rooms. The game offi- data, a road map can be illustrated training programs and will reduce the
cials have also returned to their dress- through which each individual official learning time for new officials.
ing room and the officiating supervisor can drive his or her own growth and
stops by to see them. The supervisor improvement. The standards should include key ar-
offers this comment: “Well done out eas such as:
there tonight! You all performed your The assumption that the each official
jobs admirably. Good game!” wants to reach the pinnacle of his or ▼ Play Calling
her profession is weaved into the de- ▼ Game Presence
End of meeting. Supervisor leaves and velopment goal. ▼ Fitness
game officials continue with their ▼ Personal Qualities
post-game routines. MANAGER AS A DIAGNOSTICIAN ▼ Duties away from Game
As the manager of a group of officials,
While the praise for a job well done is every effort must be made to gather as PLAY CALLING
nice to hear, what did the supervisor much data and as many observable sit- Regardless of the sport and circum-
mean by those comments? How does uations as possible, so to correctly di- stances of the game, the calls made by
the official leave the locker room and agnose any development issues. the Game Officials must be accurate
know what actions caused the “good The diagnostician must be able to iden- and consistent. These two bench-
game” and which of those actions tify potential problem areas; determine marks need to be applied evenly for
need to be repeated for another “You what problems are currently affecting each team; for each participant and at
EV\Z*,
all times throughout the game. A confi- posed in-game demeanor and through FITNESS
dent and skilled official will make the effective communication skills - both An official can gain respect from par-
correct call irrespective of the conse- verbal and non-verbal. Areas for the ticipants by displaying an athletic ap-
quences or complaints that could arise Officiating Manager to focus on re- pearance and appropriate weight.
from a particular side. Positioning by garding game presence and profes- Meeting all requirements for athletic
the official during the game is a key sionalism include: standards throughout the season is
observable indicator to which the Offi- both attainable and measurable. The
ciating Manager should pay close at- ▼ The official’s awareness of substitu- Officiating Manager will have the
tention. tions; time-outs; clock and score- benefit of accurate and easily obtain-
board issues; environ mental fac- able data on which to make an evalu-
GAME PRESENCE tors that can affect competitive play. ation for each official.
An official, who displays a respect for
players, coaches, team personnel, me- ▼ The official’s proper use of discipli- PERSONAL QUALITIES
dia, arena staff and fans will go a long nary penalties and the effective Quite possibly, personal qualities is
way towards gaining acceptance as a response to disruptive situations. the hardest area for the Officiating
professional. Manager to measure, evaluate and
This professionalism guideline is ex- ▼ The official’s ability to work in uni- change regarding an individual offi-
hibited by an official’s well-kept per- son with other members of an offi- cial. Whether the individual works to
sonal appearance; through a com- ciating crew. improve his /her own performance

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 REFEREES

and skill is in large measure a function to pre-season and pre-game prepara- CONSTANT AND NEVER ENDING
of the inner makeup of that individual. tion demonstrates a respect for the IMPROVEMENT
Being able to respond to constructive job at hand, as well as for the integrity Having excellent officials and an ex-
criticism; to be honest in self-assess- of the game itself. perienced staff will require that the
ment and to understand the areas development process be consistent,
where development is needed are all APPLYING THE STANDARDS ongoing and never-ending. Improving
prerequisites for improving. The standards discussed previously skills can further enhance the com-
Motivating the official to seek devel- can exemplify officiating excellence. petitiveness of the participants and
opmental advice and to follow curricu- While each standard is extremely im- will insure fairness of play.
la for improvement is an important portant, they are not all created
task for the Officiating Manager. equal. A BETTER SCENARIO?
The sharing of experiences and wis- Play calling and game presence need The game concludes and all of the
dom by senior officials to junior offi- to be the foundation for each official participants retreat to their respec-
cials should also be encouraged and while fitness, personal qualities and tive locker rooms. The game officials
fostered. duties away from the game help offi- have also returned to their dressing
cials to excel at play calling and game room and the officiating supervisor
DUTIES AWAY FROM THE GAME presence. stops by to see them. The supervisor
Rules knowledge must be an absolute! offers these comments: “Well done
Understanding and being able to apply GAINING THE OBSERVATIONS out there tonight! Great job of coming
the full scope of the game rules in all A simple “grading” of each made call together as a crew and correcting the
situations needs to be a part of each and of each play that was subject to clock malfunction at 4:32 of the sec-
official’s “tool bag.” the possibility of a call can lead to ond half.
There cannot be any excuses for fail- finding a developmental issue. Also, when you calmly explained to
ing to know the rules of the game! the coach why he could not substitute
An official will lose all credibility with A scale of: “Correct; Incorrect”; or at the 4:00 minute mark of the 1st peri-
the various constituencies - partici- “Inconclusive on Calls that are Made” od, you diffused a potentially difficult
pants, fans, team personnel, media, and “Incorrect or Correct “non-call” situation and helped the team to avoid
etc - by being deficient in this area. on Plays” that someone may question a technical foul.
will provide a launching pad for identi- Good game! Let’s meet tomorrow to
In addition, the willingness to attend fying potential problem areas. review the game tape.”
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 REFEREES

CONTACT:
by Fred Horgan THE PRINCIPLE
OF “OFFENSIVE
THREAT”
Fred Horgan is a member of the FIBA popularity and eventually would in- 1. The periods of a basketball game
Technical Commission. He is a FIBA clude not only contact but also viola- that are the most exciting for players
International Referee Instructor, FIBA tions (Article 32.2). and fans are those situations, which in-
Americas Instructor, Technical Com- As the skill and speed of world-class volve offensive maneuvers leading to
missioner of Canada, and a member of players continued to grow, however, attempts to score field goals. A game
the FIBA Americas Technical Commis- two problems relative to consistent of- can become very boring when it is
sion. He was elected in 1996 to the ficiating also became apparent. First of dominated by lack of action and pas-
Canadian basketball Hall of Fame. all, many officials were becoming too sive play. On the other hand, games
lenient with the advantage/disadvan- that involve “end-to-end” action, ag-
Six decades ago, a new and innovative tage principle, sometimes even using gressive offense and equally aggres-
philosophy of officiating was intro- the concept as an excuse to justify not sive defense are, by far, the most mem-
duced to players, coaches and officials blowing a whistle on occasions when a orable. The reality is that it is the of-
around the world. It had been originat- foul or violation definitely was the fense, in its attempts to advance the
ed by Mr. Oswald Tower, a leader in proper decision. Secondly, not only ball, and ultimately, score a field goal,
basketball and basketball officiating newer officials, but experienced ones that generates reactive defense and
for many years, and polished by John as well, were becoming confused with the resulting excitement that is basket-
Bunn, renowned coach and basketball the challenge of determining under ball at its best.
builder. what circumstances contact should be
The philosophy, called “The Tower Phi- considered “an unfair advantage” and 2. As a team moves the ball from its
losophy”, was basically very simple. when to judge similar contact as inci- backcourt to its frontcourt, the antici-
Contact, it said, is not necessarily a dental. The presence of ten, quickly pation that precedes an attempt to
foul. Contact does become a foul when moving players in the limited space score increases. This anticipation is
the player, who is contacted, is placed that is a basketball court made the ren- what is referred to as “offensive
at an unfair disadvantage by that con- dering of accurate and consistent de- threat”. In the backcourt, under normal
tact, or the player responsible for the cisions very difficult. Additional guide- circumstances, this anticipation is min-
contact gains an unfair advantage in lines would be a tremendous help. imal, but, as the ball moves closer to
doing so. In an attempt to address this need, a the centre line and into the frontcourt
It wasn’t very long before a number of new principle was introduced, which and the opponents’ basket, the offen-
principles were developed in the hope became increasingly popular with rules sive threat grows. This is also the time
of clarifying the Tower Philosophy. clinicians and referee instructors, when defensive alignments become
These principles have remained essen- whose responsibility it was to promote more active. Where there is active of-
tially intact until the present time and a reliable and constant application of fense balanced by active defense,
continue to be reflected in Article 44 of the rules. This new concept, designed there is also a heightened sense of of-
the FIBA Rulebook. With time, the Tow- to complement rather than replace the fensive threat. Offensive threat is at its
er Philosophy underwent a name advantage/disadvantage principle, was highest when the ball is in the vicinity
change and became “the called “The Principle of Offensive of (or moves into) rectangle 5.
advantage/disadvantage principle”, Threat”, or simple “offensive threat”.
but the philosophy itself remained in- The basic assumptions of the Principle 3. As the ball moves from the backcourt
tact. In fact, it continued to grow in of Offensive Threat are as follows: to the frontcourt, the accompanying
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 REFEREES

awareness of a growing offensive mining if the advantage/disadvantage crease of defensive pressure is being
threat creates five zones, based on principle has been violated. encountered as the ball moves from
the anticipation of an approaching zone to zone, something that will happen
shot for goal. These five zones are: a) 5. Most officials will agree that, in a situ- under normal circumstances. As offen-
the backcourt (not including the cen- ation where the ball is in the backcourt sive threat increases, the likelihood of a
tre line area); b) the area on both and when minimal defensive pressure is team’s gaining an unfair advantage
sides of the centre line (where, un- being applied, the advisability of inter- through the causing of contact also in-
der normal circumstances, defen- rupting play because of unintentional creases. In these situations it is crucial
sive pressure is first encountered); contact is questionable. This is not to that the official “see the whole play”. It
c) rectangles 1 -2 - 3 (especially say that contact will never be judged a is not contact itself that is a foul but
deep in these areas); d) rectangles 4 foul if the ball is in the back court; un- rather the effect of that contact insofar
and 6 (where perimeter shooting will sportsmanlike contact will always be as it creates an unfair advantage (and
often take place); e) rectangle 5 (with judged as a foul, as will advantageous therefore unfair disadvantage) as a re-
its post play, “inside” shots for goal, contact by either the dribbler or the per- sult.
rebounding and inevitable conges- son guarding that dribbler. It should also
tion of players). be noted that increased defensive pres- The offensive threat principle can
sure (three or more defensive players in therefore provide a very real assistance
4. Where the ball is located relative the offensive team’s back court) could it- in deciding whether or not specific con-
to these five zones will influence an self create an offensive threat situation. tact should be penalized as a foul. The
official’s decision as to whether a It’s the nature of the game that active fact remains, however, that it is only
potential infraction should be penal- defense generates reactive offense. with experience, not only through active
ized, or should, instead, be judged as officiating, but also through observing
incidental to the play. In other words, 6. As the ball is moved out of zone (a) as many games as possible, that an ac-
the location of the ball and, there- and through the other zones, offensive curate and consistent grasp of the ad-
fore, the degree of offensive threat threat grows. This is on the assumption, vantage/disadvantage principle can be
can very well be a guideline in deter- of course, that an accompanying in- gained.

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 REFEREES

THREE-PERSON
OFFICIATING

by Pat Resenow

Pat Rosenow has refereed high school

and college in the United States for ore
than 25 years. He has also been a FIBA
referee for 20 years.

In the United States we have a saying

that "Two is company-three is a crowd."
Even though that saying is about ro-
mance and couples, there are some
people who feel the same way about
basketball referees. However, now that
FIBA requires three referees in the
highest level games (and allows three
in others) more and more basketball
referees around the world will need to
get used to working with not one, but
two partners.

Of course, in the United States we have

been using three referees in many
games for years. We use three referees
for all of our high level competitions. Al-
most all Junior games have three refer-
ees. The same is true of many Cadet
games. We are lucky to have enough
qualified men and women to fill three
referee positions for each game and
enough fan support to pay them.

I have been a FIBA official since 1984. I

recently refereed an international tour-
nament with partners from around the
world. It involved high level men's play
and our officials were either Division I
national or FIBA referees. However,
since the tournament was not techni-
cally an "official FIBA" competition, the
organizers had the option of using three
referees on some games. Only three of
us had any experience in three-referee
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games. Most of the others were reluctant two, but there is less contact. about going to the "right" spot. There is
to try adding a referee, and expressed nothing worse than having three whistles
some reservations about what it would 3. The three-referee mechanics are com- remain silent after a violent foul in the
do to the games. plicated. That is simply not the case. I ad- lane, because the referees were afraid
mit that in our "experiment" we did not do that they might be out of their area. Again,
The organizers decided that we would everything perfectly according to the FI- we didn't have that problem in our tourna-
use two referees for the pool play and BA book. We did take a very few short- ment, because even though they were
then switch to three referees for second cuts to save time and keep it simple. new to the three-referee system, we had
round and medal play. We had a few Nevertheless, all of our officials had es- excellent and experienced referees.
meetings to review the FIBA three-refer- sentially learned the basic FIBA three-ref-
ee mechanics and floor coverage. 4. It's harder/easier to work in a
Then we plunged into the second three-referee system. Well,
round games with three referees that's both true and false. In
on each. I am sure an experienced some ways, it is easier. To begin
FIBA referee, who is familiar with with, each referee has 17% less
FIBA three-referee mechanics, floor to watch. In a three-referee
would have noticed an occasional crew, for instance, we are a lot
error in rotation or switching. How- less likely to miss the original
ever, I thought the results were re- foul and only see the retaliation.
markable. The organizers were de- In a two-man crew, there may be
lighted with the quality of the offici- some sometimes when both ref-
ating and we had no major prob- erees are straight-lined and nei-
lems. ther is able to referee the de-
fense. With a third referee that
By the end of the tournament, even should almost never happen,
the most reluctant referees were since the mechanics are de-
believers and fully converted to the signed to give at least one refer-
positive aspects of having three of- ee a perpendicular view of each
ficials. They found out that some of play. That means less guessing
the things they thought about the and an easier game to call.
three-referee system were not
true. For example: On the other hand, instead of
having two people who must
1. Good physical condition is not as work as a team and find a con-
important in a three-referee crew. sistent approach to the game,
Obviously, the total distance a ref- you have three. That makes it
eree may have to run during a harder. That third personality
game might be a bit less with three must be able to fit in. However,
referees. However, referees still having a third personality can be
have to be quick enough to get to a plus. It can give the referee
the right spot. With a three-referee team one more way to deal with
crew, there is almost no excuse for coaches and players. So yes, it
the lead referee to be beaten on a is both harder and easier to work
fast break by any player. Finally, an in a three-referee game.
out of shape or overweight referee
loses respect whether he or she is In many parts of the world it may
on a three or two man crew. So take a while for basketball to de-
yes, it's just as important to be in velop to a level that will support
shape in a three-referee system. the use of three referees in most,
or even many, games. However,
2. Having a third referee will result in eree mechanics by their second or third if our experience in the United States is
more fouls and violations. Actually, our game. By the end of the tournament it was any example, that time will come sooner
history here in the United States is that automatic for most of them. We did have a than you may think! We have another
three-referee crews don't really call very experienced group of referees and saying in the United States: "You can't
more fouls. In fact, in the international that helped. But the important point is that teach an old dog new tricks." That's not
tournament when we switched from two good two-man referees can easily master true, either. I know the outstanding inter-
to three referees, we had no increase in the three-referee mechanics. national referees from our tournament
the number of fouls or violations. What overcame their doubts and enjoyed work-
happens is that after one or two whistles, The single biggest problem I've seen in ing in the three-referee system.
the players learn very quickly that there is referees going from two-man to three-ref-
a third set of eyes watching them. They eree crews is that they worry more about Good referees, who become part of a
stop the rough off-ball play and we have a mechanics and coverage than calling the three-referee crew, will do a fine job just
cleaner, better game. So, three referees game! We've had young officials miss ob- as they have done in two-man crews, and
call about the same number of fouls as vious calls because they were worried the game will be better for it.
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 REFEREES

by Bill Mildenhall

Bill Mildenhall, an Australian FIBA

referee since 1978, has been working
for the Australian Basketball
Federation as the National Referees
Manager since 1991. He is responsi-
ble for the education, training, and
resource production for Australian
referees at every level. He has offici-
ated at two Olympics Games, and five
FIBA World Championships.

Basketball officiating can be a lifetime

career, but the type of career you build
is up to you.

I'm sure we all know officials, who

have been around for ever and a day,
working their low key games, while
there are others who have also been
around for ages working the elite,
more demanding games.

Whatever the standard or level of

games, the recreation and enjoyment
derived from serving others in a useful
capacity is an experience that can
never be replaced.

This experience is something that can

IMPROVING
OFFICIATING SKILLS
THROUGH
MENTORING EV\Z+)
EV\Z+*
 REFEREES

be enjoyed for a lifetime as long as a ref- officiating skills, act

eree never ceases trying to improve. as a sounding
If ever an official believes they have learnt board for problems,
everything they need to know, that is the help identify some
time to retire. weaknesses or just
be a source of
Like in all facets of life, improvement will motivation and a
only occur if the individual acknowledges reminder that you
there is room for improvement. are doing a great
"The perfect game hasn't been worked job.
yet, but that is no reason to stop trying."
Officials should never be totally satisfied. Mentoring is not
They should always be questioning their only an extremely
own judgement and evaluating the way effective educa-
they deal with difficult situations. tional tool for inex-
perienced officials,
The term "the cream will always rise to the but it can be just as
top" is very appropriate for basketball offi- beneficial for
ciating, as a referee, who shows excep- those, who have
tional promise, will eventually be noticed. been around for
However, it is so imperative that an official years. Everyone
is prepared and is willing to seize the needs feedback,
opportunity when it arises. constructive criti-
cism and someone,
From this basic springboard, referees can who they can turn
work to improve their skills by preparing to for help and sup-
patiently and persistently in all aspects of port. Mentors for
officiating, thus giving themselves every senior officials can
opportunity to succeed when the oppor- easily come from
tune time comes. peers, referee eval-
uator/coaches and
Mentoring is a catchy term that has been from observers
bandied around recently as a very effec- who have a good
tive educational tool to assist officials to understanding of
improve their skills. the craft of officiat-
ing.
Mentoring is nothing new in sport and in
particular to basketball officiating. I am Mentoring relation-
sure we have all turned to an experienced ships can be for-
friend or colleague for advice, especially mally structured, as
when we are learning something new or in a referee evalua-
are facing a new challenge. tor/coach, or they
can grow out of a
All officials, no matter at what level of offi- chance encounter
ciating, need experienced advisers, who with a like minded
offer support and advice in all aspects of official and remain very informal. They offer guidance or to seek guidance. It is
officiating. Successful referees have can be equally useful for the referee, who often advisable for young officials to take
someone, somewhere, who, somehow is being mentored, and for the referee the initiative and ask a more experienced
cared about their growth and develop- who is acting as a mentor. Learning is a official for this advice. Surprisingly, the
ment. They are their respected mentors. two way street. experienced officials are honoured to be
Mentoring is a highly effective way for asked and are more than willing to impart
lesser experienced officials to learn the It does not matter what form a mentoring their hard learned experiences and
art of officiating. Mentors can bring life to relationship takes, as long as both the advice.
a theoretical concept, usually by referring official and the mentor see value in the
to first hand practical experiences, and relationship, and it helps them to develop Officiating is a craft that always requires
being able to impart this experience to and become better officials. improvement. The challenge for officials is
others. "From my experiences the best to seek this improvement with the assis-
way to deal with a situation like the one Establishing a mentor relationship can tance of others. Mentoring is a means to
you had in that game is to." be achieved by the mentor or by the offi- an end. All officials need a mentor and at
cial, who is to be mentored. Either way, some stage all officials need to be a men-
Mentors usually demonstrate practical someone must take the first steps to tor.
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 REFEREES

PHILOSOPHY
AND EDUCATION
OF REFEREES
Costas Rigas is the Director of Offi- view by the Director of Referees,
ciating for ULEB, the Union of the followed by open discussion with
by Costas Rigas European Basketball Leagues, the coaches, and then a series of
which runs Euroleague. videotape presentations covering
specific areas of emphasis.
The creation of Euroleague in 2000 The videos and the subsequent dis-
and the ULEB Cup in 2002 has cussion between the Referees De-
brought together the top players, partment and coaches enables a
coaches, and referees in Europe un- number of Points of Emphasis to be
der the leadership of ULEB, the Eu- created and taken to the Referees
ropean Union of Basketball Meetings for dissemination. The
Leagues. discussion group in the Referees
meetings allow the referees to par-
The three elements of the game that ticipate in their own learning
appear in public on the court cannot process and encourages individuals
work in isolation. Players, coaches, to make constructive contributions
and referees must work together to and decisions on various topics. Our
produce a good performance for staff attendance at the NBA staff
those people who have to pay to clinic confirmed that we are work-
participate, namely, the spectators. ing along similar lines in referee ed-
ucation.
From its conception, the Euroleague
Referees Department has worked There is an open and honest ac-
very closely and objectively with the ceptance by all parties that every-
coaches from all participating clubs one makes mistakes; players,
in order to establish a professional coaches, and officials are all human
working relationship with the best beings and even the best of the best
minds in European basketball. To make mistakes. This acceptance
continually raise the image and lev- enables all parties to have a greater
el of performance, it is essential understanding of each other's roles
that everyone involved have the and a higher degree of tolerance
same goals for the sport, the strong when honest mistakes occur. The
desire to go in the same direction, old, pervading situation of mistrust
and a willingness to openly and and fear between players, coaches,
honestly discuss all everything and and referees has virtually been re-
anything that will make the game moved by the knowledge that it is
function at the highest level. now an established statistic that
any team has a chance to win on
There is a schedule of meetings any court.
each season, beginning with a pre-
season meeting in August/Septem- There is a very close relationship in
ber, and a mid-season meeting in professional and personal terms be-
January, to analyse and evaluate tween coaches and the Referees
previous performances. The agenda Department, culminating in the real-
for each meeting consists of a re- ity that 25 percent of the total evalu-

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ation of the referees is made by the and "blind" screens, and "motion of- The introduction of the three-referee
club coaches. Many coaches have fense," as well as recognizing illegal officiating system has more than justi-
used this opportunity to provide excel- actions created by hand-checking, fied itself by creating greater coverage
lent and objective information on refer- charges, and blocks and verticality and a decrease in fouls, as well as pro-
ee performances as well as sending plays, all contributed to a very enlight- viding opportunities for young referees
videotapes of all games, along with ening two hours. The verbal and practi- to gain experience in the company of
specific situations for ongoing devel- cal exchanges between coaches and two more experienced colleagues.
opment projects. Communication is referees on the court were a remark- Communication between participants
continuous. This information is passed able sight. has increased considerably, enhanc-
on to the referees to encourage them ing respect and cooperation. In May
to continually review their performanc- In addition to this, there have been pre- 2004, the Euroleague released a train-
es and behaviour. We also utilize 12 vious discussions with the coaches ing DVD of its three-referee system as
very experienced and respected ob- and members of the newly created Eu- an educational tool to be used on a
servers, who watch many games and roleague Technical Commission on the worldwide basis in conjunction with
give immediate feedback to the refer- playing rules of the game, highlighting other officiating systems.
ees. Their reports are another impor- common concerns about certain rules
tant tool in our referee evaluation. that were undermining and restricting The referees have to undertake rigor-
the development of the game. The 24- ous testing procedures in the pre-sea-
Great emphasis has been placed on second rule dominated the debate and son clinics; they have a medical exami-
developing "mental" skills so that the everyone agreed that it was a rule that nation to check eyesight, weight, car-
referees can be better prepared for should be changed for the 2003-2004 diac condition, and blood pressure. As
dealing with emotional situations as season, after being approved by the well as the traditional International
well as for the "unexpected." Everyone General Assembly of ULEB. Similarly, Referees Shuttle Run test, they also
needs to understand the emotional re- the new rules implemented for the undergo a new BTR Speed test. A rules
actions that occur during games. The 2004-2005 season, including time-outs theory test is supported by a rules
Director of Referees and Technical Ad- in last two minutes and semi-circle, video test. The regulations for referees
visor review most games, either live or were approved after discussions with are strict in that any official not meet-
by video, preparing video examples for the top coaches in Europe, including ing the required standards is with-
the improvement of the referees, both such icons of the modern game such drawn from the list of referees avail-
individually and in the clinics. The as Berkowitz, Brunamonti, Dalipagic, able for nominations. In the mid-sea-
video presentations prepared by the Luyk, and Giannakis. son clinic, the referees have to under-
Referees Department for viewing by The new Euroleague Technical Com- go another International Referees
coaches and referees always contain mission members participated fully in Shuttle Run test in order to check on
specific areas of emphasis such as "off the whole program for Coaches and their continued fitness and physical
the ball fouls," "post play," and "un- Referees, giving them valuable insight profile.
sportsmanlike fouls." into the current work of the Referees
Department and also how they can We fully understand that there are
In Frankfurt, during the January 2002 make a valuable contribution to the fu- many challenges ahead. We plan to in-
mid-season Clinic, the first-ever meet- ture. During the 2003 pre-season clinic troduce new technologies to assist in
ing between coaches, referees, and in Crete (Greece), Clifford Luyk from the communication of video clips to
observers took place in a large confer- Spain conducted an excellent clinic on referees immediately after the games
ence room that provided an impromptu "Basketball Terminology," highlighting by the introduction of laptop comput-
"mini" coaching clinic with both coach- systems of play and tactical situations. ers and the incorporation of observers
es and referees showing each other Panagiotis Giannakis, from Greece, using "Blackberries" to send instant ex-
examples of plays and concerns. It gave a superb eye-opening clinic on amples via electronic mail. With the
was agreed that all concerned must how "Coaches teach defense", during ever-emerging use of technology, but
continue such developments and co- the 2004 pre-season clinic, which illus- with the continued co-operation and
operation in the search for better per- trated many of the "tricks" used by understanding by all participants and a
formances. players during the game. joint willingness to progress further,
there is no turning back, only a deter-
Therefore, the agenda for the meeting As well as philosophical changes for mination to grow and continually im-
between coaches and referees in Jan- referees in ULEB competitions, there prove.
uary 2003, which took place in London, have also been significant changes to
included a practical session in a local the administrative procedures that We are convinced that the new agree-
sports hall. The theme of the session clubs and officials have to observe. ment of the mutual co-operation be-
was "Interpreting Contact": what is, There is no hospitality offered by clubs, tween ULEB and FIBA will provide us
what is not a foul, and why? It is said no gifts, and no notification of nomina- with the opportunity to study in depth
that a picture saves a thousand words tions. These changes to previous pro- the exciting debate about the technical
and that was very true as the session cedures have put both clubs and offi- rules and also improve the technical
unfolded into a scintillating demonstra- cials on a more professional footing level of all referees by trying to devel-
tion by some of the top coaches in Eu- and created more independence for op a more spectacular game, which in
rope. Practical demonstrations of ba- both parties. Confidentiality and neu- short, is what all basketball fans de-
sic plays such as "pick and roll," "open," trality are keywords. sire.
EV\Z+-
 REFEREES

REFEREE MOUNTAIN
by Ronnie Nunn
CLIMBING
Ronnie Nunn, a veteran of 19 NBA sea- tainly doesn't compare with serious It requires strength in mind and body,
sons, he is the NBA's Director of climbing that documentary television good footing, guidance, safety precau-
Officials. He handles the day-to-day shows reveal, but it includes skill and tions, and other quality traits. Mostly, it
management of the referee staff, caution to reach the peak. Even for is a step by step process. All of us wish
including the daily instruction of the those attempting facsimile mountain for immediate gratifications in our pur-
officials on the interpretation and appli- climbing in some of the more progres- suits in life but, in reality, greater
cation of NBA playing rules. He reports sive fitness centers, it proves to be a accomplishments come after hard, dis-
directly to Stu Jackson, Senior Vice task as well. They've included this exer- ciplined and step by step work.
President, Basketball Operations. cise and feat as an additional way to
focus and concentrate in reaching a At various levels we all think we're bet-
I am not a mountain climber, except for goal. ter than we are and think we should be
some experiences in hiking as a Boy selected ahead of the other official cho-
Scout during the early developmental Refereeing basketball has many of the sen for an assignment. Officiating is also
years of my youth. Hiking with all that same principles as those needed to a STEP by STEP process.
gear was tough and demanding and it climb mountains. First and foremost, the Not one official I've ever seen has
took a long while to reach the top. It cer- accomplishment doesn't come quickly. impacted any division, any conference,

EV\Z+.
and any international or pro level catego- ▼ NETWORK in your local area by find- the obvious, open and closed angles,
ry with skills that reflected unprecedent- ing and asking for opportunities to consistency of calls and game manage-
ed value or expertise. referee and hone your skills in small ment in naming a few.
venues - i.e. high school summer
Players do most of the impacting in bas- leagues, year round recreation Partnering describes the way we inter-
ketball. leagues, etc. act with our fellow officials. It includes
Coaches, when they have talented play- our attitudes, character, demeanor and
ers, can create an environment that ▼ COPY and /or MIMIC quality and suc- the manner in which we work together
leads to winning results. cessful officials with respect to their for the common good of the game and
Credit should be given to those who signals and court demeanor and call ourselves.
mesh talented people into winning selectivity.
teams. Certainly, other coaches can cre- There is a strong need for the assimila-
ate winning attitudes though the results ▼ NEVER attempt to move upward too tion of these two components in every
may not be reflected in the win column. quickly. You may find yourself over- officiated game. We are more involved
whelmed with a lack of expertise. than ever with this thinking since the
Nonetheless, the best referees demon- Returning to that opportunity can "Three Person System" of refereeing bas-
strate their value after being taught, either be distant or never. ketball games has become more broad-
mentored and supervised in their climb. ened. We must refine it and sophisticate
Basic criteria for accomplished officials ▼ BE CAUTIOUS about presenting your- it to meet the needs of excellence
are skills culminated in play calling, self in competitions before getting required of officials today.
game management techniques, experi- the proper instruction and proper
ences in various venues and diplomatic, experience. First impressions are The most important and necessary piece
yet firm, decision making to name a few. lasting. in officiating is to get the play called cor-
One of the most important criteria is rectly. There's nothing new in this think-
ACCEPTANCE. Each of us forgets this ▼ WORK towards unifying your per- ing at all. However, the method in which
immeasurable piece. It's often found in formance with your partners rather to accomplish this goal needs fine-tuning
the minds and eyes of onlookers: than being a "know it all". of the individual and the crew. A more
Coaches, Supervisors, Athletic notable and obvious example in getting
Directors, General Managers, Owners, ▼ REMEMBER to review your game and the call right for officials and the viewing
Media and Fans. Even when your skills critique your abilities. You can never public is often seen when a controversial
and abilities register high on the profi- be someone else so, build on your call is made that requires a conference
ciency scale, it's not until a certain peri- strengths and minimize / eliminate of the officials. We've all seen these on
od of time passes that the official gets your weaknesses. particular plays like, out of bounds, a
his/her proper respect. score or no score concern, a rule inter-
▼ UNDERSTAND that refereeing at the pretation, etc. The process of coming
Networking has its value on the referee- together must always continue. The
higher levels is a process defined by
ing climbing system. However, choosing results of those conferences reinforce to
slow and deliberate productivity.
the right training programs will develop all that the officials continue to demon-
your skills and will ultimately increase strate, that getting the right call is at the
▼ REFRAIN from anxiety knowing
your opportunities for success. foundation of the integrity of the game.
there's always a veteran official
Sometimes the "Old Boy Network" looks
ahead of you and he/she has the
like the political way to go but, in the long However, it's clear that officials cannot
believability and credibility that will
run your skills and continued experience conference on each and every call. The
later be yours.
are your closest allies. Remember that concern now is, how can we make the
there are others competing against you right call individually and as a crew, as
The goal is to be a believable and
with "Old Boy Network" ties as well. the game moves as its rapid pace and
respected official. Remember to enjoy the
Secured and polished skills are two of yet, employ working methodologies and
climb. There's a great view from the top.
the safest ways to proceed. dynamics to reach the lofty goals of mak-
CREW DYNAMICS / PARTNERING ing correct calls?
Here are some recommendations for The above title and concept is essential-
successful "Referee Mountain Climbing": ly at the core of successful officiating As mentioned above, there are several
today. Neither the individual official nor ways to optimize Crew Dynamics and
▼ SACRIFICE your time and money his / her crew can succeed in their Partnering that will result in raising the
when looking for the best training respective work without giving strict percentage of correct calls and correct
program. Find the "Harvard" of attention to Crew Dynamics and no-calls in a game. Let's review the fol-
Officiating camps and attempt to sign Partnering. lowing 10 steps:
up.
▼ LOOK for the training program that Crew dynamics include terms like 1. Understand what's required of you
provides growth in you as a person mechanics, primary and secondary cov- from all three positions on the floor -
and as an official. erage, rotations, call selectivity, calling Trail, Lead and Slot [Center].
EV\Z,%
 REFEREES

2. Understand, interpret and apply the

guidelines to the type fouls / violations
you'll encounter at each position.

3. Be clear on your primary coverage at

each position for yourself and your
crew.

4. Recognize secondary coverage and

apply yourself to help on those plays
that clearly require a whistle.

5 Recognize the Purpose of Rotation.

Give meaning to your movement and
know that you should rotate in the lead
to the ball side [strong side] as often as
possible.

6. Remove from your mindset a "sense of

urgency" in attempting to judge plays in
your primary or secondary that are
unclear and inconclusive. DEPEND ON
AND TRUST YOUR PARTNERS FOR
HELP!

7. Reinforce for yourself and the crew

that, all plays are either fouls/viola-
tions, or they are not. Inconclusive
[borderline] plays are not fouls or viola-
tions. THEY ARE INCONCLUSIVE AND
THEREFORE CANNOT BE JUDGED AS
INFRACTIONS.

8. DON'T GUESS!.... Refer to item 6 above.

9. Don't be offended by a whistle in your

primary blown by your partner from
his/her secondary. He or she should
not whistle the play unless it can be
clearly validated as a foul or violation.

10. Understand that some calls creep

through that are missed by all on the
floor at one time or another. It is the
nature of the business. However, we
must attempt to keep those instances
to a bare minimum and "make them the
exception rather than the rule".

In summarizing, it's more and more evident

to all those who watch our game, play in it,
coach it, scrutinize it, and follow it, that
there's a continued need and a demand for
excellence in our work as officials. We that result in bettering our abilities and ing schedule may take them.
must use the current tools available to us in chances to officiate basketball games at Be encouraged to know that education of
making us better by securing mentors, all levels. the issues and individual talent will promote
using video tape, honing our skills work in Crew Dynamics and Partnering are major you from within yourself, while the results of
productive summer and winter leagues keys in the development of those officials your hard work, schooling and skills will
and attending camps that teach, instruct who wish to reach higher goals and meet promote you to those who will undoubtedly
and develop the current edge approaches greater successes wherever their officiat- take notice.
EV\Z,&
 REFEREES

FIBA vs North
American Rules
Comparison
by Anthony Reimer

During his officiating career of over 20 years, exact in the case of FIBA, while U.S. measure- extra period.
Anthony Reimer became known in the ments are exact in the case of the other rule NBA: last minute of quarters 1, 2 and 3; last 2
province of Alberta, Canada, for his expertise sets. I have omitted NFHS (U.S. High School) minutes of 4th quarter and any extra period.
in basketball rules. While injury forced him to Rules, but for readers who want more details WNBA: last minute of each period.
retire from active officiating, “Ace” has con- on those rules, a comparison between NCAA NCAA: last minute of 2nd half and any extra
tinued to contribute to the basketball commu- and NFHS rules is published in the NCAA Rule period.
nity through his basketball officiating web Book each year. Canadian readers who are
site (hoop.jazzace.ca), one of the earliest such interested in the rules used at the College and SHOT CLOCK – TIME ALLOWED TO SHOOT
sites available on the Internet. This article is University level in Canada can view the com- FIBA: 24 seconds.
based on content from that web site. parison on my web site. NBA: 24 seconds.
WNBA: 30 seconds.
There has been a lot of progress made in the MAJOR DIFFERENCES NCAA Men: 35 seconds.
last two decades on reducing the differences THREE-POINT LINE NCAA Women: 30 seconds.
between FIBA Rules and those used in North Measured from the centre of the basket:
America. Still, significant differences remain. FIBA: 6.25 m (20' 6.25") arc. SHOT CLOCK – OPERATION
For spectators in the United States, this means NBA: 7.24 m (23' 9") arc, which intersects with FIBA:
making small adjustments when watching an lines parallel to the sideline that are 6.7 m (22') ▼ When play resumes with less than full
NCAA game as opposed to an NBA game, for from the basket at their closest point. amount on shot clock (e.g., defense taps
instance, and a larger adjustment when WNBA: 6.25 m (20' 6.25") arc. ball out-of-bounds), shot clock does not
watching the FIBA World Championships or NCAA 6.02 m (19' 9") arc. start until team establishes control in-
the Olympics. For those outside North America bounds.
the adjustment is in reverse. Canadians such RESTRICTED AREA (“KEY”, “LANE”) ▼ Shot clock is reset after most fouls (perso-
as myself find themselves in the middle. I can FIBA: A trapezoid 3.6 m (12') wide at the free nal or technical).
go to my local University and watch a double- throw line and 6 m wide (19' 8.25") at the Exception:
header where the first game is played under baseline. - Shot clock is not reset on a double foul or
FIBA Rules and the second under NCAA Rules NBA, WNBA: 4.88 m (16') wide rectangle. an alternating possession situation when
(both slightly modified). For Canadian referees, NCAA: 3.6 m (12') wide rectangle. the same team retains possession.
this means that our best officials have to be NBA, WNBA:
adept at changing rules from game to game. I PLAYING TIME ▼ When play resumes with less than full
created the following guide to the differences FIBA: 4 x 10 minute quarters; extra periods are amount on shot clock, shot clock starts
between the major rule sets with all three of 5 minutes. with the first touch in-bounds.
those groups in mind: people accustomed to NBA: 4 x 12 minute quarters; extra periods are ▼ The shot clock is reset to 24 seconds on
FIBA Rules, people accustomed to U.S.-style 5 minutes. most personal fouls and defensive viola-
rules, and referees who need a detailed (but WNBA, NCAA: 2 x 20 minute halves; extra tions in backcourt (e.g., kicking or pun-
not exhaustive) comparison of those sets of periods are 5 minutes. ching ball).
rules. This guide focuses on the three basic Exceptions:
“flavours” of rules: FIBA, NBA/WNBA, and GAME CLOCK OPERATION: - The shot clock remains the same as when
NCAA (Men/Women). Unless otherwise stat- FIELD GOALIN LAST MINUTES OF PLAY play was interrupted or is reset to 14 se-
ed, NCAA rules listed apply to both Men’s and The clock is stopped after a successful field conds (whichever is greater) when (1) a
Women’s games. Both metric and U.S. meas- goal as follows: personal foul occurs and the throw-in will
urements are provided; metric measures are FIBA: last 2 minutes of 4th period and any be in the frontcourt, (2) a jump ball occurs
EV\Z,'
 overtime. One 20-second time-out per half;
unused 20-second time-out in 2nd half
may be carried into extra period.
WNBA:
▼ One full time-out per half or extra period.
▼ Four TV-type time-outs must occur each
half (none in extra period).
▼ Full time-outs are 120 seconds in duration.
▼ Full time-outs do not accumulate into extra
period.
▼ One 20-second time-out in 1st half, two 20-
second time-outs in 2nd half, one additio-
nal 20-second time-out per extra period
(one 20-second time-out can carry over
from 2nd half, for a maximum of two in ex-
tra period).
NCAA - Electronic Media Game:
▼ Four 30-second time-outs and one 60-se-
cond time-out per game.
▼ Maximum of three 30-second time-outs
and one 60-second time-out may be car-
ried into 2nd half.
▼ One additional 30-second time-out is ad-
ded per extra period (any time-outs remai-
ning from 2nd half may be carried into ex-
tra period).
▼ First 30-second time-out of 2nd half is ex-
tended to the length of a media time-out.
▼ If coach requests 2 consecutive 30-se-
cond time-outs, players may sit, so long as
the request is made when the first time-
out is granted. Normally, players must re-
main standing and on the floor during a 30-
second time-out.
NCAA - Non-Electronic Media Game:
▼ Four full time-outs per game (75 seconds,
with warning after 60 seconds); add 1 ti-
me-out per extra period.
▼ Two 30-second time-outs per game (used
anytime).
▼ All time-outs are cumulative.

TIME-OUTS - HOWTO CALL,

WHEN ALLOWED, PRIVILEGES
FIBA:
and is retained by the offensive team as - The shot clock is not reset when the offen- ▼ Must be called by the coach through the
the result of a held ball caused by the de- sive team commits a technical foul. scorer’s table.
fense, (3) a defensive 3-second violation or ▼ Time-out will be granted on next play stop-
kicked/punched ball violation occurs in TIME-OUTS – NUMBER AND DURATION page or, if requested in time, after the next
the frontcourt, (4) a defensive technical FIBA: field goal scored against the team that re-
foul or delay of game warning occurs, (5) a ▼ Two time-outs in first half, 3 in second half, quested the time-out.
flagrant or punching foul is called. 1 per extra period. ▼ No time-outs once a set of free throws has
- The shot clock is not reset when the offen- ▼ All time-outs are 60 seconds in duration. started (ball at disposal of free thrower for
sive team commits a technical foul. ▼ Time-outs do not accumulate. first or only free throw).
NCAA: NBA: NBA, WNBA:
▼ When play resumes with less than full ▼ Six “full” time-outs per regulation time ▼ Called from floor by a player anytime a
amount on shot clock, shot clock starts (with some restrictions; some mandatory player on that team is in control of the ball,
with the first touch in-bounds. time-outs for television are built into the 6); or whenever the ball is dead (once a team
▼ The shot clock is reset after most fouls 3 time-outs per extra period. is scored upon, that team is deemed to be
(personal or technical). ▼ Full time-outs are 60 seconds, except the in control of the ball; therefore no time-
Exceptions: first 2 time-outs in each period and the ex- outs to the scoring team can be granted
- The shot clock is not reset on a double foul tra mandatory time-outs in 2nd and 4th pe- after a basket).
or an alternating possession situation riods, which are 100 seconds. ▼ A player may not call time-out if both feet
when the same team retains possession. ▼ Full time-outs do not accumulate into are in the air and any part of that player’s
EV\Z,(
 REFEREES

body has broken the vertical plane of a SUBSTITUTIONS an inadvertent whistle.

sideline, endline, or the midcourt line. FIBA: ▼ No restrictions on which team must ini-
▼ The ball may be advanced to the front- ▼ A "substitution opportunity" begins when tiate substitutions, even after a succes-
court (i.e. the 28' [8.5 m] line) in some si- the clock is stopped and the ball is dead sful final free throw.
tuations after calling a full or a 20-second (i.e. after a whistle or after a field goal in ▼ In situations where two or three free th-
time-out late in the game. the last two minutes). It ends when the rows are awarded, substitutions are per-
NCAA: ball is placed at the disposal of a player mitted only before the last free throw.
▼ Called from the floor by a player (or by making a throw-in, or placed at the di-
the head coach from within the team sposal of a free throw shooter for the first PLAYER FOULS
bench area) anytime a player on that or only free throw. One major effect of FIBA:
team is in control of the ball, or whene- this is to prevent substitutions during ▼ Players foul out after 5 fouls, personal or
ver the ball is dead (including after a free throws. technical.
field goal or free throw by either team). ▼ Either team may sub on any foul, viola- ▼ All fouls involving contact, even when
tion, alternating possession situation or play is stopped, are personal fouls.
JUMP BALL, HELD BALL, time-out. NBA, WNBA:
ALTERNATING POSSESSION ▼ A sub for the free throw shooter must re- ▼ Players foul out on 6 personal fouls or 2
FIBA: port before the free throw activity begins, technical fouls.
▼ On all held ball/jump ball situations du- and the opponents may send one mat- ▼ Fouls committed while the ball is dead
ring the game (including the beginnings ching sub provided the sub reports befo- are technical fouls.
of all periods after the 1st period), teams re the ball is at the disposal of the free th- NCAA:
alternate receiving the ball (“alternating row shooter for the last free throw. These ▼ Players foul out after 5 fouls (personal
possession”), with the team not gaining players may enter only if the last free th- fouls or non-administrative technical
possession of the initial jump ball being row is successful. fouls).
the first recipient. ▼ After a basket in the last two minutes of ▼ Fouls committed while the ball is dead
▼ First period begins with a jump ball; al- play, the team scored upon may initiate a are technical fouls.
ternating possession begins all remai- substitution provided the substitute(s) re-
ning periods, including extra periods. quest is communicated to the officials TEAM FOULS (“PENALTY” OR “BONUS”)
▼ Shot clock will not be reset if the offensi- (through the scorer) before the ball beco- Note: In all rules, if a shooting foul occurs, or
ve team retains possession of the ball mes live after the scoring of the basket. If any foul that would lead to free throws
through the alternating process. the team scored upon makes a substitu- regardless of the foul count, the normal
NBA: tion, the opponents may do so also. penalty shall supercede any penalty related
▼ On all held ball/jump ball situations du- ▼ Referee’s stoppages are included as to the foul count.
ring the game, play resumes with a jump substitution opportunities. FIBA:
ball. NBA: ▼ Penalty (2 shots) is awarded on any team
▼ If the offense retains possession after a ▼ Substitutions are permitted for either foul after the 4th in each period (i.e. on the
jump ball, the clock is reset to 14 seconds team when the clock is stopped and the 5th) unless the foul is a team control (of-
or remains the same if there was more ball is dead. Exception: Substitutions not fensive) foul; extra periods are exten-
than 14 seconds on the clock. If the de- permitted during the final minute(s) of a sions of the 4th period.
fense gains possession, the clock is reset period when the clock is stopped due to a ▼ Team Fouls include all personal fouls and
to 24 seconds. successful field goal. In many cases, the player (not coach) technical fouls.
▼ The first period and any overtime period player must be in the 8' box (near the NBA:
begins with a jump ball; periods 2, 3 and 4 Scorer’s Table) at the time of the stoppa- ▼ Penalty (a total of 2 shots) is awarded on
start with possession based on which ge in order to enter the game. the 5th team foul in each quarter (on the
team won the opening tip (2 and 3 go to ▼ Substitutions are not permitted during a 4th in an extra period), or on the 2nd in the
the loser of the tip, 4 goes to the winner). referee’s stoppage (e.g., delay of game last two minutes, whichever comes first.
WNBA: warning, etc.). ▼ Team fouls include personal fouls by de-
▼ On each held ball/jump ball situation, play ▼ During free throw activity, substitutions fensive players and any loose ball fouls
resumes with a jump ball. are permitted after the first free throw in a (i.e. offensive fouls and technical fouls
▼ Each half and extra period begins with a multiple throw penalty, but not between are not team fouls)
jump ball. the 2nd and 3rd free throws, nor after a WNBA:
NCAA: successful final free throw. A “substitu- ▼ Penalty (a total of 2 shot) is awarded on
▼ On all held ball/jump ball situations du- tion for the shooter” is not generally per- the 8th team foul in each half (on the 4th
ring the game (including the start of the mitted. in an extra period), or on the 2nd in the la-
2nd half), teams alternate receiving the NCAA: st minute, whichever comes first.
ball (“alternating possession”), with ▼ Substitutions by either team permitted ▼ Team fouls include personal fouls by de-
the team not gaining possession of the when the clock is stopped and the ball is fensive players and any loose ball fouls
opening jump ball being the first reci- dead, including after a successful free (i.e. offensive fouls and technical fouls
pient. throw. are not team fouls).
▼ The game and any extra period start with Exception: NCAA:
a jump ball; alternating possession be- - Substitutions shall not be permitted in the ▼ “Bonus” (1 free throw, plus another free
gins the 2nd half. last 59.9 seconds of the second half or throw if the first is successful) is awarded
▼ If the offensive team retains the ball due any extra period when the clock is stop- on the 7th, 8th and 9th foul of each half;
to the alternating possession process, ped (a) due to a successful field goal, (b) the penalty is increased to 2 shots (often
the shot clock shall not be reset. to correct a timer’s mistake, or (c) due to called “double bonus”) on the 10th and
EV\Z,)
 subsequent fouls; extra periods are ex- basket if it still has a chance to enter the bas- he/she can touch or cross the free throw line.
tensions of the 2nd half. No free throws ket. Reaching through the basket to play the FIBA:
are awarded on offensive fouls. ball is also a violation. The major differences ▼ Maximum of 5 players in rebound places
▼ Team fouls include all personal fouls, all centre on what happens after a shot hits the along the lane (3 opponents of shooter, 2
contact and unsporting (unsportsmanlike) ring but still has an opportunity to enter the teammates).
fouls, and all technical fouls to anyone on basket. ▼ Rebound places, if left vacant, cannot be
the bench. FIBA: used by opponents.
▼ Once the ball strikes the ring, any player ▼ Players in rebound places may leave on
TECHNICALFOUL– PENALTY can play the ball. Once the ball is in the ba- release of the free throw; others must re-
FIBA: sket, the offense can no longer violate. main behind the free throw line extended
▼ Two free throws and possession of the NBA, WNBA, NCAA: and behind the 3-point line until the ball
ball at centre; no possession at centre if ▼ An imaginary cylinder exists that has the strikes the ring.
the foul occurs in the pre-game warm-up basket ring as its base. Touching the ball ▼ A violation by the free throw shooter over-
(i.e., the game still begins with a jump ball). while any part of it is in this cylinder (and rides all other violations; if the free throw
NBA, WNBA: still has a chance of entering the basket) is successful and the shooter does not
▼ One free throw per technical foul; play re- is a violation. violate, all other violations are ignored and
sumes at the point of interruption; foul is the free throw counts.
charged to individual in question (and an ZONE DEFENSE ▼ Five seconds to attempt the free throw.
automatic fine assessed). FIBA: Legal. NBA, WNBA:
NCAA Men: NBA: Legal; however, a defensive player may ▼ A maximum of 5 players can occupy re-
▼ Two free throws; play resumes at point of not remain in the restricted area for longer bound places along the lane (3 opponents
interruption. than 3 seconds if that player is not actively of shooter, 2 teammates).
NCAA Women: guarding an opponent (penalty: a technical ▼ The four rebound places closest to basket
▼ Two free throws; play resumes at point of foul, with shot clock reset to 14 seconds if (two on each side) must be occupied; a
interruption; technical foul for excess ti- necessary). delay of game warning can be issued if
me-out is penalized by 2 free throws and WNBA: Legal. they are not.
loss of possession of the ball. NCAA: Legal. ▼ Players not in a rebound place must stand
1.8 m (6') away from lane or 90 cm (3')
GOALTENDING/BASKET INTERFERENCE FREE THROW ACTIVITY away from the free throw semicircle until
Note: All rules prevent players from touching Note: In all rules, the shooter of the free throw ball strikes the ring.
the ball on its downward flight toward the must wait for the ball to strike the ring before ▼ A violation by any member of the shooting
EV\Z,*
 REFEREES

team can cancel an otherwise valid free backboard”). FIBA: 8 seconds. Count is not reset if ball is
throw. deflected out of bounds by defense or if pos-
▼ Ten seconds to attempt the free throw. TRAVELLING session is retained because of an alternating
NCAA Men: NBA/WNBA rule is more liberal than the cur- possession throw-in.
▼ A maximum of 6 players in rebound pla- rent NBA and FIBA rules when a player is NBA: 8 seconds. Count is reset if the defense
ces along the lane (4 opponents of shoo- coming to a stop. The NBA/WNBA rule is kicks or punches the ball, is assessed a tech-
ter; 2 teammates). identical to the pre-1994 FIBA rule that said nical foul, or is issued a delay of game warn-
▼ The rebound places closest to the basket once a player comes to a legal stop, there is ing; or if play is stopped due to a player bleed-
(one on each side) must be occupied by always a pivot foot. NBA and FIBA rules can ing. For purposes of this rule, the ball gains
opponents of the shooter. leave a player without a pivot foot. As well, if front court status on a pass when it crosses
▼ A teammate of the shooter may fill the a player lands with a staggered stop (i.e. one the plane of the centre line.
third rebound place from the basket if the foot, then the other, with one foot clearly in WNBA: 10 seconds; otherwise same as NBA.
non-shooting team chooses not to fill it. front of the other), the back foot is the pivot NBA Men: 10 seconds. Count ends (without
▼ Rebound places closest to the shooter foot in NBA/WNBA. In NBA/FIBA, the first penalty) if the ball becomes dead (e.g., if the
(i.e., 4th rebound places) may not be filled. foot to touch the floor is the pivot foot. defensive team deflects the ball out of
▼ Players in rebound places may leave on bounds).
release of the free throw; others must INJURED PLAYER NBA Women: No time limit (other than the
stand behind the free throw line extended FIBA, NBA: Referee stops play at an appro- shot clock).
and behind the 3-point line until the ball priate time to deal with injury (slightly different
strikes ring. times in FIBA and NBA). If an injured player is NUMBER OF ON-COURT OFFICIALS
▼ A violation by any member of the shooting entitled to free throws and must leave the FIBA: A 3-person system will be used for
team can cancel an otherwise valid free game, the substitute shall attempt the throws. World and Olympic Championships, and may
throw. NBA, WNBA: Team must call 20-second or be used for other championships; basically
▼ Ten seconds to attempt the free throw. full time-out to stop for injured player. If an the same mechanics as NCAA; 2-person sys-
NCAA Women: injured player is entitled to free throws and tem also acceptable for other levels of com-
▼ A maximum of 6 players in rebound pla- must leave the game, the opposing coach petition.
ces along the lane (4 opponents of shoo- selects the player to take the throws. NBA, WNBA: 3-person system, with different
ter; 2 teammates). mechanics from FIBA/NCAA.
▼ The two rebound places closest to the ba- CLOSELYGUARDED PLAYER / 5-SECOND VIOLATION NCAA: Either 2 or 3 officials.
sket (one on each side) are left open FIBA: Player holding the ball for 5 seconds;
(players fill the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rebound actively guarded within 1 m (3'); anywhere on 3-POINT SHOT (STATUS CHANGE)
places). the court. FIBA: Once a 3-point shot has been released,
▼ The first available rebound place on each NBA: No closely guarded rule, but illegal to if the ball is touched by any player in the 2-
side (i.e., 2nd rebound places) must be oc- dribble with dribbler’s back to the basket for 5 point area, the status of the shot changes to a
cupied by opponents of the shooter. consecutive seconds while between the end- 2-point shot. Note: If a shooter is fouled in the
▼ Rebound places, if left vacant, cannot be line and the free throw line extended. act of shooting for a 3-point goal and the shot
used by opponents. WNBA: No rule. is not successful, 3 free throws will be award-
▼ Players in rebound places may leave on NCAA: Front court only; holding or dribbling ed; the status of the shot does not change the
release of the free throw; others must the ball (not a combination of both) for 5 sec- status of the shooter.
stand behind the free throw line extended onds; "closely guarded" is within 2 m (6') for NBA, WNBA, NCAA: No rule.
and behind 3-point line until ball strikes men, within 1 m (3') for women.
ring. REBOUNDING OWN SHOT
▼ A violation by any member of the shooting BACKCOURTVIOLATION / FRONTCOURT & NBA, WNBA: Violation to be the first to touch
team can cancel an otherwise valid free BACKCOURT STATUS one’s own shot if it doesn’t touch the ring or
throw. FIBA: Once a player touches the frontcourt, backboard (i.e. an “air ball”)
▼ Ten seconds to attempt the free throw. that player has frontcourt status; the same FIBA, NCAA: Legal, provided the referees
applies to the backcourt. It is possible for a judge that it was a shot for a goal.
MINOR DIFFERENCES player to have dual status as that player pro-
PLAYER NUMBERS gresses from the backcourt to the frontcourt, ONLINE RESOURCES
FIBA: 4–15 in major FIBA competition; one- so once the player touches the frontcourt as FIBA Rule Book and Interpretations:
and two-digit numbers acceptable in exhibi- a ball holder/dribbler, the player must contin- http://www.fiba.com" www.fiba.com, click on
tion or domestic play. ue to proceed to the frontcourt. About FIBA > Free Downloads > Official
NBA, WNBA: any one- or two-digit number; NBA, WNBA, NBA: If a player is dribbling the Basketball Rules
not both 0 and 00 on same team. ball, the ball and both feet must be in the front- NBA Rule Book
NBA: 00, 0, 1 – 5, 10 – 15, 20 – 25, 30 – 35, 40 – court to gain/retain frontcourt status; other- www.nba.com/analysis/rules_index.html
45, 50 – 55; not both 0 and 00 on same team. wise the ball has backcourt status. If a player WNBA Rule Book
is holding the ball while straddling the centre http://www.wnba.com/analysis/wnba_rules_
BALLOVER BACKBOARD line, the player always has backcourt status. regulations.html"
FIBA: The ball is still in play if it passes over NCAA Rule Book
the backboard in either direction, provided it 8 (OR 10) SECOND VIOLATION www2.ncaa.org/media_and_events/ncaa_p
does not hit a basket support. Once a team gains control of the ball in the ublications/playing_rules/
NBA , WNBA, NBA: Ball is out-of-bounds if it backcourt, it has either 8 or 10 seconds (as NCAA Officiating Bulletins
passes over the backboard in either direction specified below) to proceed to the frontcourt http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/basket-
(NBA,/WNBA wording is “passes behind the (i.e. the ball gains frontcourt status). ball/officiating_bulletins
EV\Z,+
 REFEREES

BASKETBALL
STATISTICS
MANUAL
With coaches, players, the media, Internet users, and fans indicates that the
making greater use of the statistical reports, there is an ball was not
obvious need to harmonize the methods and definitions used released for the shot
in the collection of statistics worldwide. FIBA has published before the infringe-
for the first time a “FIBA Statistics Manual” in order that uni- ment, so no FGA is
formity can be achieved throughout the world. The manual awarded.
was sent to all member federations of FIBA and can also be
downloaded on www.fiba.com. It is the reference manual When a violation or
used by all statisticians of our member federations. foul is committed by
FIBA would like to express its appreciation to FIBA the shooter or a
Oceania, Basketball Australia, Mathew Cowling (Australia) player from either
and Arnaud Sevaux (France) for their help in preparing this team after the ball
manual. has been released
for a shot, a FGA is
CONVENTIONS credited because
Throughout this publication, all references made to a player, the shot would
coach, or official in the male gender also applies to the female count if successful.
gender. This is done in keeping with other FIBA publications
because of the difficulty in creating gender-neutral terms in some Exception: No FGA is credited if an offensive player nulli-
international languages. fies the shot because of illegal interference with the ball
In keeping with other FIBA publications, on-court "players" (goaltending).
are numbered 1 to 5. Substitutes are numbered 6 to 12.
When the defensive team is in the "penalty team foul" situa-
"A" team refers to the offensive team (A1 to A5 are the offen- tion and a defensive player fouls an offensive player attempt-
sive players). ing a two-point field goal, it may be difficult to determine if
"B" team refers to the defensive team (B6 to B12 are substi- the ball was in flight before the shot was released. The offi-
tutes for the defensive team). cial will award two free throws to the offensive player, either
because the player was shooting or because of the team foul
FIELD GOALS penalty. The statistician needs to pay careful attention to the
A field goal attempt (FGA) is charged to a player any time he official in case the official signals that the shot from the field
shoots, throws, or taps a live ball at his opponent's basket in is cancelled or makes a comment along the lines of "... foul
an attempt to score a goal, and the goal is missed or is not before the shot..." If some doubt remains, the statistician has
counted. to make a judgment call, and as a rule of thumb, should pre-
sume the foul occurred first so no FGA is awarded to the
A field goal attempt (FGA) is not charged to the shooter if the offensive player.
shot is nullified because of illegal interference with the ball
(goal tending) by an offensive player. When a field goal is the result of a defensive player acciden-
A field goal made (FGM) is credited to a player any time a tally scoring in his team's basket, the score will be credited
FGA by him results in a goal being scored or being awarded to the court captain of the opposition team. The court cap-
because of illegal interference with the ball (goaltending) by tain, will be credited with both a FGA and a FGM.
a defensive player.
A tap (also called put-back) by an offensive player counts as
When a player or any of his teammates is fouled in his act of a FGA (and an offensive rebound), if the player had sufficient
shooting and the shot results in a FGM, then a FGA must also control of the tap. If the basket is made, then control is
be credited. assumed.

A FGA is not charged if the player is shooting the ball, when If there is doubt about an offensive player having control of the
a teammate commits a violation or foul before the ball being tap, presume there was sufficient control if the ball hits either
released. The official will call the violation or foul and signal the rim or backboard after coming off the player's hands.
that the score or play following the call is cancelled. This Blocked shots count as shot attempts if the offensive player
EV\Z,,
was in the act of shooting before the ball was blocked. If there by the defensive player's violation. Award a FTA (and FTM if suc-
is doubt as to whether the player was intending to shoot, the cessful) for the substitute free throw.
interpretation shall be that he was not. For our purposes, we
define the act of shooting as an upward and/or forward When the shooter commits a violation:
motion toward the basket with the intention of trying for a
basket. If the free throw is successful, it will be cancelled.
In all cases, irrespective of whether the free throw is the first, sec-
An area of difficulty that might arise for the statistician is the ques- ond, or third of a series, a FTA is charged to the shooter. Examples
tion of whether a pass or a shot is being attempted. An offensive of a shooter's violation are:
player often acts as if to shoot only to pass off to a teammate at the
last moment. The "alley-oop" is the most likely to be controversial, ▼ The ball fails to hit the ring.
especially if the player meant to be on the receiving end of the pass ▼ The shooter takes too long to attempt the shot.
makes no attempt to catch and shoot the ball. In this case, a ▼ The shooter steps on or over the free throw line before the ball
turnover may need to be awarded instead of a FGA. hits the ring.
▼ The shooter fakes a free throw.
EXAMPLES
1. A5 shoots but fouls B5 (a) before the ball is in flight or (b) after If the free throw was the last of a series, the defensive team will be
the ball was in flight. awarded possession out-of-bounds. Credit the defensive team with
a)Since the ball was dead before the ball was in flight, do not a team rebound.
charge A5 with a FGA, but with a turnover (offensive foul) and
a personal foul. When a teammate of the shooter commits a violation:

b) Charge A5 with a FGA and a personal foul. The officials will not cancel a successful free throw when an offen-
If in doubt about whether the foul occurred before or after the sive player causes a violation, so award a FTA and FTM to the free
ball was in flight, the actions of the officials will indicate the throw shooter.
correct ruling. If the foul occurred before the ball was in flight,
it will be signaled as a "team control foul." If the foul occurred If the free throw misses, the free throw shooter is still charged with
after the ball was in flight, the official will not indicate team a FTA because, had the shot been made, it would have counted. If
control. the free throw was the last of a series, the defensive team will be
awarded possession out-of-bounds. Credit the defensive team with
2. When a field goal is accidentally scored for the opposition a team rebound.
team, after last being touched by a defensive player:
a)If the touch by the defensive team was an attempt to block a In summary:
shot and did not appreciably alter its flight, then such touch- ▼ If a substitute free throw is awarded for a defensive player's
ing shall be ignored. If the offensive player that shot the ball is violation, ignore the original missed free throw and record the
credited with the score, no blocked shot can be awarded. statistics for the substitute free throw.
▼ If an offensive player (including the shooter) commits a viola-
b)If the touch by the defensive team followed a shot that had obvi- tion, award a FTA.
ously missed and the defensive team did not gain control, a FGA
and FGM is credited to the captain of the offensive team. In all of the above situations, NO turnovers have occurred because
the offensive team is considered to have made an attempt at a free
FREE THROWS throw goal (see the definition of turnovers).
A free-throw attempt (FTA) is charged to a player when that play-
er shoots a free throw, unless there is a violation by a defensive If a wrong player is attempting a free throw as a result of the error,
player and the shot is missed. That is, a player should not be the FTA and all activity involved therein shall be cancelled unless
charged for a FTA that is influenced by the illegal actions of an there are technical, unsportsmanlike, or disqualifying fouls called
opponent, unless the shot results in a free throw made (FTM). during the activity after the error. The game will be resumed after
the correction of the error. All FTM's or FTA's credited to the wrong
A FTM is credited to a player any time a free throw attempt by that shooter shall be nullified.
player results in a score of one point being awarded.
If a technical foul has resulted in free throws being taken immedi-
If there is a violation during the free throws, the statistician should ately before the start of a period, the FTA (and FTM, if successful)
very clearly observe what the officials are awarding, who the viola- should be counted in the new period. This is regarded as a foul dur-
tion was called on, and the result of the call. The following statistics ing an interval of play and penalized as if it had occurred during the
apply: period that follows the interval.

When a player on the defensive team commits a violation: REBOUNDS

A rebound is the controlled recovery of a live ball by a player after
If the free throw is successful, the score will count despite the a shot has been attempted. Control must be gained before the ball
defensive violation, so credit the free throw shooter with a FTA and becomes dead. If there is doubt about player control, the statisti-
FTM. cian should assume that there was control.

If the free throw misses, do not charge the free throw shooter with Rebounds are divided into Offensive, Defensive, and Team.
a FTA because they will be given a substitute free throw. Ignore the Dead ball rebounds are only recorded when computer sta-
missed free throw on which the violation occurred, as it is nullified tistics are being used and the software automatically
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 REFEREES

records the dead ball rebounds. B4 attempted a shot so there must be a rebound after the block
but before the violation occurs. The statistics that apply in this
The recovery may be accomplished by: situation are: FGA B4, Block A5, Offensive Rebound B4,
▼ Being first to gain control of the ball, even if the ball has Turnover B4 (Traveling).
touched several hands, bounced, or rolled along the floor.
▼ Tapping the ball in an attempt to score a basket. ASSISTS
▼ Tapping or deflecting the ball, in a controlled manner, to a team- An assist is a pass that leads directly to a teammate scoring, if and
mate. only if the player scoring the goal responds by demonstrating
▼ By retrieving a rebound simultaneously with an opposing play- immediate reaction towards the basket. Only one assist can be
er and having their team awarded the ball because of the alter- credited on any score. Even if the "second-to-last" pass set up the
nating possession. The rebound has to be awarded to one of play, it is not an assist.
the players who retrieved the ball simultaneously, not to the An assist is credited when a pass is made to a teammate who
player that inbounds the ball. shoots and scores-provided the shooter's immediate intention,
upon receiving the ball, was to shoot and that intention was main-
The shot does not have to hit the rim or backboard before a tained until the shot was taken. It does not prohibit an assist where
rebound can be awarded. the shooter takes time to balance or makes a small play to score,
provided the scorer always intended to shoot.
When a player taps the ball that is subsequently recovered by a
teammate, a decision needs to be made as to whether the tap was A pass to a player in good scoring position who considers other
controlled or not, and therefore, who receives the rebound. If the options before deciding to shoot and score is not an assist. The
tap was obviously intentional, credit the rebound to the player tap- score is the result of the action by the shooter alone, not the
ping the ball. If the statistician believes the player tapping the ball passer.
was just trying to clear the ball out of the "danger area," award the
rebound to the teammate recovering the ball. The distance of the shot, the type of shot, and the ease with which
the shooter makes the shot are not factors when considering if a
As stated in the "Field Goals" section, an offensive player who pass is an assist. Similarly, the number of dribbles taken by the
attempts a tap (put-back) from a missed shot is credited with an player who scores is also not a factor, unless his efforts are such
offensive rebound and FGA provided the tap was controlled. If the that you determine that he did the work to make the basket,
score is made, then control is assumed. rather than the pass.

If there is doubt about an offensive player having control of the tap, A pass to a player at half court who dribbles directly to the bas-
presume there was sufficient control if the ball hits either the rim or ket for a successful lay-up is an assist. However if that player has
backboard after coming off the player's hands. to divert to dribble around a defensive player, no assist is given.

A shot that is blocked and recovered without the ball going The statistician should bear in mind that the more the scoring play-
dead will be recorded as a rebound to the player who first er has to do in order to score, the less likely it is that the pass is an
recovers the ball immediately after the blocked shot. assist.
Remember that the ball does not have to hit the rim or back-
board for a rebound to be credited. An assist may be credited on a pass to the pivot shooter (low
post), provided there is an immediate reaction on the part of the
EXAMPLES pivot shooter in attempting to score.
1. A missed shot is retrieved simultaneously by A5 and B4
Credit a rebound to the player whose team gains possession of Consistent with the definition above, an assist is not awarded
the ball according to the alternating possession rule. Note that simply when it is the last pass before a basket or because it was
it must be one of the players contesting the held ball, NOT the simply a "good pass." The determining factor in awarding the
first player to control the ball after the alternating possession assist must be the amount of work the scorer does and the
throw-in. immediacy of the shooter's intention to score.

2. After a missed shot, A5 jumps and catches the ball but falls, EXAMPLES
loses control, and it is retrieved by B4 1. After taking a defensive rebound, A5 makes a full court pass
Credit A5 with a rebound, provided you are satisfied he had to A4 who misses a lay-up but has enough time to easily
control before falling. If this were the case, a ball-handling score from the rebound.
turnover would be awarded as well. If you are not satisfied A5 No assist. There has been a FGA and offensive rebound
had possession, then B4 is credited with the rebound. between the pass and the score.

3. After a missed shot, B4 catches the ball at almost the same 2. A5 passes to A4, who hesitates, looks to pass to A3, who is
time as A5 fouls him. cutting, and then takes and makes the shot.
The statistician must decide if B4 had control of the ball for a No assist to be awarded because A4 did not show immedi-
split-second before being fouled. If so, award the rebound to ate reaction.
B4.
3. A5 passes to A4 who takes one dribble to find balance, and
4. B4 jumps and attempts a shot that is blocked by A5 without the then takes the shot and scores.
ball leaving B4's hands. B4 lands with the ball and is called for Credit an assist to A5, provided A4 maintained an intention to
a traveling violation. shoot.

EV\Z,.
4. A4 makes a great full court pass to A5 who only has to hand- 3. A5 is driving through the restricted area and has the ball
off the ball to A3 for an uncontested successful lay-up. stripped by B5. The ball ends up with B4.
Even though the pass from A4 created the basket, it was not If you decide A5 was not in the act of shooting, credit a ball
the last pass before the score. Award the assist to A5. handling turnover to A5 and a steal to B5. To award a field
goal attempt and a block, you must be sure that A5 was mak-
5. A3 passes to A5, who pump fakes, spins, takes one dribble, ing a shot attempt.
and dunks the ball.
In most cases, NO assist would be credited, as the player STEALS
receiving the ball did the work. A steal is credited to a defensive player when his positive and
aggressive action causes a turnover by an opponent. No steal is
6. A3 passes to A5, who dribbles once, makes a head fake, and credited if the ball becomes dead and the defensive team is award-
scores. ed possession of the ball out of bounds.
Credit A3 with an assist because A5 had the intention to
shoot. A defensive player can achieve a steal in a number of ways:

BLOCKED SHOTS ▼ Taking the ball away from an opponent holding or dribbling the
A blocked shot is credited to a player any time he appreciably ball.
alters the flight of a FGA and the shot is missed. It recognizes a ▼ Intercepting an opponent's pass.
clear rejection or deflection of a shot by a defensive player. The ▼ Tapping the ball away from an offensive player in control of the
ball may or may not have left the hand of the shooter for the block ball or deflecting an opponent's pass:
to be counted. - Directly to a teammate.
- Such that the ball is loose and a teammate retrieves the
A shot can be considered blocked even if the ball was not in flight ball.
before being blocked. In fact, the ball doesn't have to be above - Such that the ball is loose and a teammate and an
shoulder-height before a shot can be blocked. As stated previ- opponent grab the ball simultaneously, a held ball results,
ously, the act of shooting, for statistical purposes, shall be an and the defensive team is awarded the ball according to
upward and/or forward motion toward the basket with the inten- the alternating possession rule. (Obviously, this cannot
tion of trying for a goal. happen when the alternating possession is awarded at
the start of a period of play).
In some cases where the ball is knocked loose before it is in
flight, the statistic in question may be a steal, provided the ball The only time a steal can be awarded when the ball goes dead is
ends up in the hands of the defensive team and the statistician is when the action of a defensive player causes a held ball to occur
satisfied that there was no shot being attempted. An aid to mak- and his team wins possession because of the alternating posses-
ing this decision is to ask yourself the question, "Would the offi- sion rule.
cial have awarded free throws if the defensive player had been
called for a foul on the offensive player?" If the answer is "Yes," To earn a steal, the defensive player should be the initiator of the
credit a block, if "No," award a steal. action causing a turnover, not just the benefactor. For example, if an
offensive player passes directly to a defensive player who did not
The statistician needs to determine whether a shot is being have to move to intercept the ball, no steal would be awarded.
attempted and needs to follow closely what happens to the ball
after the shot is blocked. If a steal is credited to a defensive player, there must be a corre-
sponding turnover awarded to an offensive player. (The opposite
A rebound must follow a blocked shot unless the ball becomes doesn't apply - a turnover doesn't always mean a steal has
dead before a player gains control. If the ball does go dead, then occurred. It may have been a violation, bad pass, or offensive foul).
give a team rebound to the team in-bounding the ball. The statistician must realize that the ball must actually be turned
over for a steal to be awarded.
A blocked shot should be credited only when the shot is deflect-
ed enough to prevent it from scoring. As obvious as it may appear, The tapping or deflection of the ball to a teammate does not have to
it needs to be noted that when the shot is successful, it cannot be be controlled.
counted as a block even though it has been touched.
In all these situations, the player who first deflected the ball initiat-
EXAMPLES ed the turnover so is credited with the steal, not the teammate who
1. A5 shoots and the ball is touched by B5 in an attempt to block recovered the loose ball.
the shot. The ball continues into the basket.
Since the ball continued into the basket, B5's touching it did not A player taking a charge is not to be credited with a steal.
alter its flight appreciably. Ignore the touching, credit A5 with an
FGA and an FGM but do not credit B5 with a blocked shot. EXAMPLES
1. A5 is dribbling when he mishandles the ball and it bounces
2. A5 goes up for a dunk attempt but the ball is stripped at waist-
toward B4 who recovers it without moving.
height by B5 before it leaves A5's hands. The ball is recovered
Charge A5 with a ball-handling turnover, but do not credit B4
by B4.
with a steal, as he did not initiate the action.
A5 is charged with a shot attempt, B5 receives a block, and
2. A5 is dribbling the ball when B5 knocks it away to B2.
B4 is credited with a defensive rebound. Despite the fact that
Charge A5 with a ball handling turnover and B5 with a steal.
the ball had not left the hands, this is clearly a shot attempt.

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 REFEREES

3. B5 applies vigorous defensive pressure that causes A5 to than one type. An example is when a bad pass causes a team-
commit a violation. mate to commit a violation by stepping out of the court to
Charge A5 with a violation turnover but do not credit B5 with a retrieve the ball.
steal. The statistician must recognize how the turnover was originally
caused. In this example, the bad pass caused the violation, so
4. B5 deflects a pass from A4 intended for A5 who, in a reflex credit the player who passed the ball with a passing turnover.
action, tries to catch the ball but can only deflect it over the
sideline. Team B is awarded the right to a throw-in from the EXAMPLES
sideline. 1. A5 has the ball stolen from him as he is dribbling down the
Charge A4 with a passing turnover but do not credit B5 with a court.
steal. A5 is charged with a ball-handling turnover.

5. B5 deflects an intended pass from A4 to A5 into the open court 2. A5 passes the ball and it goes straight out of bounds.
where A5 and B2 both grab the ball and a held ball is called. A5 receives a passing turnover.
Team B is awarded the ball for a throw in from the sideline
(alternating possession rule). 3. A5 makes a good pass but A4 drops the ball, resulting in B5
Charge A4 with a passing turnover and award B5 a steal. A5 picking the ball up.
and B2 receive no statistics for their part. If team A were A4 is awarded a ball-handling turnover. B5 does not receive
awarded the ball because of the alternating possession rule, a steal as he simply benefited from a mistake.
then no statistics would be awarded.
4. A5 commits a violation (traveling, double dribble) that
TURNOVERS results in the opposition receiving the ball.
A turnover is a mistake by an offensive player that results in the A violation turnover is credited to A5.
defensive team gaining possession of the ball without the offen-
sive team having attempted a field goal or free throw, except 5. A5 fouls while his team is on offense (either charges a play-
when period time expires without such an attempt. er or fouls without the ball).
An offensive foul turnover is charged to A5.
Any offensive violation by a player will result in a turnover being
charged, including a 3-second violation, offensive foul, offen- PERSONAL AND TECHNICAL FOULS
sive goal tending, or a double dribble. A foul is called on a player following a referee decision.
Personal or technical fouls can be called on a player, as can
Likewise, an offensive mistake such as passing the ball directly unsportsmanlike and disqualifying. It is important to differenti-
out of bounds or fumbling the ball in such a way that it is recov- ate between the types of fouls should the statistics software
ered by the defensive team will result in a turnover being allow this.
charged.
Fouls must be recorded in the same way as the score sheet
It is important for the statistician to understand when a team records them. Coach and bench fouls are recorded against the
has control of the ball so that he knows the opportunity is lost coach and are not counted in the team fouls.
when the ball is turned over. A team is in control of the ball
when: Fouls Received
Any time a player is fouled, a foul received is credited to an
▼ A player of that team is holding or dribbling a live ball. opponent.
▼ The ball is at its disposal for a throw-in during an out-of-
bounds situation. In the case of a disqualifying foul, if the foul is committed on a
▼ The ball is at the disposal of a team for the first or only free player who is in control of the ball, then a foul received is
throw. awarded to this player.
▼ The ball is being passed between teammates.
MINUTES PLAYED
If the offensive team is forced into a held ball by the actions of Minutes played must be kept and recorded either to the second
a defensive player, the result of the alternating possession rule or to the nearest minute.
will determine the statistics to be awarded:
For computing in full minutes, times less than 30 seconds should
▼ If the offensive team wins possession because of the alter- be rounded down and times of 30 seconds or more should be
nating possession rule-NO statistics are awarded. rounded up.
▼ If the defensive team wins possession as a result of the
alternating possession rule-award a turnover to the offen- Therefore, 3:50 becomes 4 minutes for the player. 5:10 becomes
sive player at fault and a steal to the defensive player that 5 minutes.
initiated the turnover.
The sum total for each period must equal 50 minutes or 25 min-
It can sometimes be difficult to decide if the passer or receiver utes for overtime periods.
is responsible for a turnover when the receiver fumbles a pass. If a player plays less than one minute in a game, then he must
If the statistician considers the pass should have been caught, be credited with a full minute.
award the turnover to the receiver, but the general rule is that
the passer is responsible for the pass. The statistician must balance minutes played to ensure they
In some situations, a turnover could be classified as more equal the required game minutes.
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 REFEREES

ARGENTINEAN
BASKETBALL
REFEREES
ASSOCIATION
by Jorge Josè Gonzalez

Jorge Jose Gonzalez, a national referee organs: the Assembly of Representatives,

since 1965 and a FIBA referee, is Directive Commission, Organ Inspector,
responsible for the education program and the Honorable Tribunal of Discipline.
for all referees in the Argentinean When it comes to specific social and dis-
Basketball Federation. ciplinary topics, the members of these
organs and respective chapters repre-
The Argentina Basketball Referees sent the associates in regards to the dif-
Association (AAAB) is a non-profit organ- ferent Associations, Federations,
ization, founded on March 12, 1976. It is Argentina Basketball Confederation
presently compose of approximately 600 (CABB), and Clubs Association.
associates, disseminated by all over the
national territory. The educational activity of the
Association is organized regionally. This
From its beginnings, the objectives of the guarantees a good education for the ref-
AAAB were: erees and establishes a bond that all ref-
erees should maintain with the AAAB,
a) Promote the best technical, cultural, the CABB and the School. The education
sport, social, and spiritual improve- consists of:
ment of basketball referees. 1. Theoretical (Rules of the game in their
b) Foment their improvement of their per- absolute value).
formance, based on their specific 2. Applied (Rules of the game in their
functions, and the way and conditions relative value).
in which their activities are developed. 3. Methodological (Mechanics of offici-
c) Collaborate with all basketball related ating).
organizations to ensure the progress
of this sport. STRUCTURES AND ORGANIZATION
OF THE A.B.S.R.
These goals have been followed, and The Association, jointly with each one of
others were added, such as: the regions of the CABB, forms a struc-
ture that allows the operation of the
a) To maintain constant communication System of Instruction.
with the Chapters. This System is constituted by agreements
b) To offer the approach between the between the Regions and the Directory of
Referees and the Technical the School. By this, is that in this outline,
Commissioners. the Regions are responsible for the elab-
c) To develop "friends" (young referees) oration of the work guide lines, taking in
to help with the officiating in Mini- consideration the basic contents that are
Basket. of obligatory execution as been approved
by the school, and they promote the qual-
The AAAB has four representative ity of the instruction with justness in the
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EV\Z-(
 REFEREES

whole country.
Such work guide lines incorporate the
necessary modifications and in definitive
they carry out the articulation among the
general, basic and common for the
whole territory, keeping in mind the prop-
er characteristics that presents the
Region (general level of the referees,
quantity and quality of the competition in
which are developed, etc.).

The Regional Clinics allow establishing

strategies of Admission and Follow Up:
1) Strategies of Admission: when
including each one of the referees in
a general listing.
2) Strategies of Follow Up: to know the
journey in that makes to the training
and evolution that the referees have
in their Region.

In summary, the Regions assume the

responsibility of elaborating their
Projects of Instruction, conform to their
own characteristics. This grants bigger
protagonism to the Instructors that are
the ones that design the pedagogic prac-
tices that carry out during the classes.
A second instance of instruction con-
forms it the space that offers us the web
page of the association: www.arbibaske-
targentina.com, at the moment in full
development.
The process of Instruction should not be
centered exclusively in the Instructor's
exposition, but, on the contrary, in the
interaction between Instructors and
Referees dialoguing by the use from all
the resources available; the purpose is
to allow the free expression of ideas and
knowledge and the objectives of these
activities are: to reach conclusions, to
increase the information through multi-
ple contributions and to develop the spir-
it of sharing.
As you can observe, the AAAB is an
institution of national character, basical-
ly oriented to the integral development of
the referees, the technical commission-
ers, the referees of mini basketball and
all those people related with the activity;
worried by the advance of basketball
and willing to help in all the necessary,
for the diffusion and the growth of this
sport inside our country and in the world.

We have begun a road that we believe

that it is the correct one, with very con-
crete objectives that are permanently
upgraded and are modify conform with
the events, and this allows to pursuit
goals that make beyond a better basket-
ball referee, an excellent human being.

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 REFEREES

DO YOU SPEAK
by Alexei Davydov
ENGLISH?
Alexei Davydov is a referee for the top Russian league and a
FIBA referee.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Learning foreign languages is especially important today. Many
people need a foreign language in their work. Moreover, with
increasingly more people traveling every year, a foreign lan-
guage is critical in helping people get around.
The total knowledge of mankind is known to double every seven
years. Foreign languages are needed as the main and most effi-
cient means of information exchange for the people of our plan-
et. Even ordinary people often need knowledge of basic foreign
languages in order to translate the simple instructions.

IMPORTANCE IN BASKETBALL
Basketball is played in more than 200 countries. The basketball
world has entered an era of globalization. Game specialists of
different national origins will have to communicate with each
other in order to keep the uniformity of the Rules and
Regulations. It's not uncommon to have hundreds of players and
coaches now playing and working in different countries. They
can't feel comfortable unless they are able to communicate with
the citizens of their "adopted" country.

This all applies to international referees as well. The life of a

sport referee is quite different from the life of coaches or play-
ers: the team members always travel in a group. Their club or
Federation organizes their trips, team managers fulfill necessary
formalities in the airports or railway stations, arrange visas,
check-in and checkout in the hotels. Contrast this with the refer-
ee, who usually travels alone and is a personal travel agent for
himself. As soon as he is notified of a game to be worked, he has
to contact and send requested information to organizers, and
communicate with colleagues. As soon as he arrives in the new
country where the game is to be played, he must pass through
passport control, check-in in the hotel, and then order a meal at
the hotel.
I have never forgotten the fantastic story I was told about a
Hungarian referee in the 1970s who didn't arrive the day before
for a European Cup game in the Bulgarian city of Burgas as had
been expected. Instead, he came in only three hours before the
opening tipoff. He was flying the previous evening in accordance
with the referee regulations, but his plane from Sofia had one
stopover and the referee left the plane, thinking this was his des-
tination city. Since he didn't speak Bulgarian, or any foreign lan-
guage for that matter, he couldn't communicate with people
around him. The next morning he was finally able to contact the
Hungarian embassy, and they were able to arrange a new flight
for him to Burgas.
Speaking foreign language(s) helps officials in their work with
EV\Z-*
 REFEREES

other referees, commissioners, supervisors, and organizers dur-

ing a competition. Moreover, if he stays for a while in another
country, the referee must be able to communicate to local peo-
ple. What I have found is that after learning a new language, I
become more tolerant of others. I learn what they think about
various issues and I am able to have a discussion with them.
Many conflicts in an international basketball game develop
because of a lack of understanding. The referee must be able to
listen, understand, and talk. It is very important to reply, if an offi-
cial feels it necessary, with the right words. The explanation
made by official, must be short, sharp, and clear. Everyone must
understand what he is saying.

ENGLISH
The language of the world today is English. Over 350 million peo-
ple speak it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English
live in Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia, and
New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish
Republic, Canada, and the South African Republic. As a second
language, it is used in the former British and US colonies.
Many countries are integrating into the world community and
the problem of learning English for the purpose of communica-
tion is especially urgent today. English is the major internation-
al language for communication in areas of mass entertainment.
It is becoming clear that people can't live without knowledge of
English. In my opinion, the present and future of the 21st centu-
ry is connected by computers, which are also connected with
English.

BASKETBALL ENGLISH
Why do all the referees need to know English? There are some
reasons for that!
There are five official languages in FIBA, but English is the lan-
guage used during the Technical Meetings and in cases of dis-
putes.
English is understood by top FIBA referees, but beginners must
also speak English fluently. According to the decision of the FIBA
World Technical Commission, all candidates for a FIBA Referees
license must pass a language test.
English is the language of basketball literature, basketball sci-
ence, and education. Thousands of books, magazines, and arti-
cles in newspapers devoted to our sport are printed in English.
The U.S. continues to be the leading country in basketball gen-
erally, and in basketball literature particularly. It is well known
that reading books in the original English, listening to American
commentators, and communicating with English speaking bas-
ketball specialists will help a lot. In addition, a large number of
different specialized basketball magazines offer a great assist in
understanding modern technique and tactics of the game.
By knowing English, one can learn the history of the game, its
culture and spirit, while at the same time can develop a deeper
understanding of the philosophy of officiating. In this area, much
knowledge can be acquired from American literature. The publi-
cations of Dallas Shirley and Edward Steitz, former Rules
Interpreters, can be used as a veritable manual for basketball
officials. Some rules can be changed, but the game of basketball
stays as original and it is very important for referees understand
its essence. Officiating in basketball develops with the progress
of entire game. With enormous interest I have read books writ-
ten by two great NBA officials of the past, Richie Powers and
Earl Strom.
Learning is a never-ending process. In the 1960s and 1970s,
FIBA published a very interesting magazine called "FIBA
News." They later published "International Basketball," which
was followed in 2003 with "FIBA Assist" technical magazine,
EV\Z-+
and every edition of this publication contains articles devoted to national competitions. In Russia, for example, each club of the
officiating. World-renowned international referees, commis- Men's First Division has foreign players. The champion of
sioners, FIBA referee instructors, and referee supervisors, Russia - CSKA Moscow - has six players that don't speak
shared their experiences and views on different aspects of offi- Russian at all. In addition, the former coach of CSKA, Dusan
ciating. These materials represented an excellent educational Ivkovic is Serbian. His assistant was also a Serbian, Ivan
tool for improving knowledge, helping to better understand the Eremic, while now an Italian, Ettore Messina, is the new coach.
spirit and intent of the rules. FIBA video has the same goal. English is the official language at the practices of CSKA.
Different instructional materials on officiating can be found on Last month, CSKA asked my father, a former FIBA referee, to
the Internet at the web pages of the FIBA Zone Commissions meet with the players and talk with them about the new basket-
and other organizations, officially recognized by FIBA. Again, ball rules of 2004. They wanted him to explain also the differ-
the majority of these materials are in English. Some national fed- ence between FIBA and ULEB Rules (CSKA plays by FIBA Rules
erations translate the most important articles, but it always in National League and ULEB Rules in Euroleague). My father
takes time before that happens. spoke for two and a half hours with players, answering their
In many clinics for officials we have heard about importance of questions, and-of course, it was all done in English. Eugeny
the pre-game and post-game conference. Such a conference Pashutin, the CSKA assistant Coach translated everything into
during an international competition will be useful if participants Russian for the two players who did not speak English.
are able to communicate with each other in good English.
Usually the discussions last up to twenty minutes and we talk The bottom line is this: If the Russian referee needs to talk to
about what we have experienced in other games, remind our- some foreign players or coaches during the game of our
selves of key points in the game, and review various technical National Championship, he must be able to do it in clear English.
aspects of the game. Boards with figures are widely used to dia-
gram certain plays, but conferences can't be held without NOT ONLY ENGLISH
words. We always must be ready to discuss a game with col- I'm sure that it's not enough for the referee to speak only
leagues, commissioners, and referee supervisors. For future English. A good referee must know at least one more widely
progress, we need something more than just "Good game!" or spoken language, like Spanish, or French. It is not a secret that
"O.K." A command of the English language will go a long way to sometimes it is difficult to find a person somewhere in Paris or
helping referees improve their skills. Bruges, who will be happy to speak English with you. In the air-
In a game, it is often necessary during a timeout to discuss how port of Santo Domingo, however the personnel only speak
the game is developing or if there is a need to review a certain Spanish. Throughout the day, my father only found one person
situation. The referee needs to communicate to his partners, who spoke English.
commissioner, players, or coaches. He may defer some ques- In European basketball, being able to speak Serbian is a plus
tions to the scorers table or ask for verbal help from his partner because there are many ex-Yugoslav players and coaches
if he does not speak English. working for European Clubs.
In a game of the 2005 FIBA Women's World League, played in I try to learn as many foreign words as possible when I travel
May in Havana between club teams from Brazil and Cuba, an around the world. For example, you can always make Koreans
official from Senegal, Mrs. Henriette Diouff, called a foul on a smile if you say "Hamsa Kamnida" ("Thanks"). On the other hand,
defensive player when an opponent with the ball drived to the you can make some Lithuanian boy happy when he brings you
basket. The offensive player scored the basket, but Ms. Diouff the ball that rolls away from you on the court by saying "Aciu"
canceled the basket and said two free-throws should be award- ("Thanks"). Speaking some easy words with your colleagues
ed instead. Following complaints from the offensive team (in during your trip will be also positive.
Spanish and Portuguese) a referee from Venezuela, Roberto I was really surprised during the FIBA Referees Candidates
Oliveros, took part in the discussion. Because of the lack of Clinic in Amsterdam (where I got my license), when the Greek
understanding English between the referee partners, it became FIBA Referees Instructor, Stavros Douvis, said to me and anoth-
impossible to solve the problem correctly. In an episode such as er Russian Referee "Good morning, friend" in clear Russian. We
this one, it was critically important that Ms. Diouff say clearly in are all human beings and we are all happy to hear our mother
English: "After a foul called during the act of shooting, a com- tongue, especially when we are far away from home.
pletely new movement of the offensive player was made." And It has been said that a person's name is the sweetest sound for
this had to be clearly understood by Roberto Oliveros. him. I can add that a person's native language is as sweet as his
It is sometimes necessary to give a verbal warning to a player. name when he is abroad. You may say that German is not a
For example, "Get your hand off" is what most of referees say to melodious language or that Korean sounds funny to a European.
defensive players to keep the game clean. "Don't touch the ball However, if you will say to your German colleague Gotten
after a successful shot by your teammate" is another thing you Morgan ("Good morning") or Anjan' Haseo ("Good morning") to a
may need to say. fellow Korean referee, it's a simple phrase, spoken in their own
Very often, a verbal joke during a tough game helps a referee language, which will make them especially happy.
break the tension and provide a good atmosphere for the whole
match. "Look. He is standing under the basket for more than NOT EASY
three seconds!" says a defensive player to the official. Learning a foreign language is not always easy. It is a long and
Sometimes it is possible to react like this: "I counted only until slow process that takes much patience-just like learning how to
2,85 seconds. Perhaps I counted a little slowly." play basketball or referee a game. One must work hard to learn
"That was a foul? I didn't even touch him!" says the player whis- any foreign language. I have been studying English for many
tled for a personal foul. "I can't agree," says the referee, "I think years. By learning the language, I have also learned about the
it was good call. It might be the only good from me in this game customs and history of many English-speaking countries. That's
and it really is the correct one". In most international games, why I advise friends and basketball officials of my generation to
such communication should be done in English. do the same. Find the time and put in the hours of study and you
Modern basketball needs referees who speak English even in will reap the benefits.
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 REFEREES

THE SEARCH
FOR ETERNAL
TRUTH ON
THE COURT
by Laszlo Nemeth

Laszlo Nemeth has been coaching since I got my senior coaching diploma that I had
1975. He coached in Hungary, Kuwait, to pass the basic referee exam to receive
Iceland, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi my coaching certificate. Looking back, I do
Arabia at Division I level, winning four not regret taking the time to study the rules
titles. He also coached the National Teams and officiating principles.
of Kuwait and Iceland, and then was head Here is the first hand grenade that referees
coach of the English national team for ten throw at the coaches when the argument
years. He was also selected Coach of the becomes heated during a game. "Sit down.
Year twice in Iceland. You do not know the written rules." To be
honest and frank, we often do not know
A forced marriage for a limited period? them word-by-word.
Irreparable differences forever? The quite straightforward answer from a
Meaningless debate about the game that coach is that knowing the rules does not
we passionately love? It was about 20 years necessarily mean knowledge and a feel for
ago during a tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, the game. Knowledge can be developed but
that I attended an international referee clin- feel is similar to "height" in coaching terms.
ic. Until that day I had no special interest You just can not teach height. And it is
about what the whistle masters thought of almost impossible to teach the feel of the
the game. When I left the lecture hall after game. The coaching community highly
the first day, I had mixed feelings. I was respects and likes officials who have a feel
stunned by the fact that certain issues over- for the game rather than referees with a respect and understanding amongst the
looked by coaches were vital to officials scholastic, almost perfect knowledge of the players towards the referees. Following sev-
while others that coaches felt to be crucial rule book. eral days of these "trials," the whistle always
were not even mentioned. Furthermore, I have almost 30 years of full time profes- returned to the coach. This indicates that a
approaches to many problems were entire- sional coaching behind me. At the same professional coach officiates as many accu-
ly different when viewed by referees and time, I have a lot of officiating practice as mulated minutes, if not more, than a top ref-
coaches. well. Don't forget that coaches must offici- eree. Let's acknowledge that a professional
As the game progressed, officiating pro- ate during scrimmages almost on a daily coach has the feeling for the game, but his
gressed too, despite the fact that some of basis, and often become a subject of abuse knowledge of the written rulebook is surely
my fellow coaches still believe that the offi- from their own players because of various inferior to an international FIBA referee.
cials lag behind. Well, some individuals may calls. Many times, I cannot take the replies The game has become more physical, play-
lag behind but overall a very organized col- from the players after I make a call and I ers are more athletic, and basketball has
lective effort is being taken to update the have told players to make their own calls become a much more aggressive sport than
knowledge and educate the referees, and during the scrimmage. While this works in a it ever was before. We coaches rate aggres-
officials further. three-on-three half court game, the result is sive athletes, bangers, and extremely com-
Ever since that day, I've tried to attend a ref- chaos and endless abuse when the game is petitive players very highly. The game on
eree clinic at least every two years to learn played out on a full court. and off the court is regulated by the rules,
more about the latest trends in officiating. I The next step I took was assigning one of including current attempts to limit the use of
make it a point to consult and talk with inter- the players to officiate. The result was simi- drugs in sport. The coach is the person
national referees. It was 30 years ago when lar. However, this method helps build some expected to prepare the team to win, to
EV\Z--
overcome every obstacle at almost any costs. going to officiate a game. Who it is may be the offensive team and the flow of the game,
So what are the tactics really? Apart from the as important as scouting your future oppo- where the foul does not significantly affect
offensive and defensive strategy and game nent. Here are the common areas where play. The hottest topic is the offensive foul or
plan, it is pushing the team to act at the very disagreements often arise between coach charge. It is almost impossible to expect the
edge of the rules written in the book and and referee. defenders to stay motionless while the offen-
supervised by the referee on court during the sive player drives into the "wall." The decision
game. FOUL is the referee's. It is crucial that he be con-
We follow you ref, we know your officiating In a contact sport like basketball, we all want sistent since we coaches spend a great deal
philosophy, and it is best for us if you have to avoid having our sport taking the route of of time teaching positioning in defense. To
one. Coaches even exchange points about handball, but at the same time we encour- achieve an offensive foul is one of the most
the on-court performance of the referees. We age and teach physical contact, regardless valuable defensive acts because the ball
note who calls three-second violations and of our opponent having the ball or not. returns to us-a turnover for our opponent-
who rarely does. We notice who doesn't like We often use contact throughout the game and we register a personal foul, too.
to make offensive charging calls, and who is as a means of wearing down the other team
physically fit and does not trail behind in the or star players. We know that it is impossible TRAVELLING
final quarter of the game. The outcome of the to call all such contacts as violations, but at A huge number of minor travel violations
game is often decided in the last few sec- the same time-on the receiving end-we happen during a game that should not be
onds. Promotion and relegation can depend expect to get as many calls as possible. called, except when a team gains a huge
on one basket. A coach's job is always on the The call is in the hands of the referee, but advantage as a result of the violations.
line. Therefore, it is important to know who is even when we attack, a no call might help If the player is far from the basket and there
EV\Z-.
 REFEREES

is no defensive pressure at all, minor travel this is that many of us feel that this is the only A. JOINT PRE-SEASON COACH AND
violations - and I emphasize minor-should moment when he/she can address the refs. REFEREE CONFERENCES
not be called. If the player commits a travel- I have witnessed some of these attempts
ling violation as a result of physical contact CALLS AND NO-CALL SITUATIONS and the results were mixed. Unfortunately,
and the foul is a no call, the travelling should I mentioned this earlier and it is related to the on many occasions, my fellow coaches
be a no call too, if he does not gain advan- "feel" of the game. Many coaches accuse were using this as "moaning sessions" to
tage. the referees that because they've never complain about calls against their team the
played the game themselves at a high level, previous season. This is not right. A pre-
ARGUMENTS WITH THE TABLE OVER they have no feeling for the game and mere- season conference should present and
TIMEKEEPING AND THE SCOREBOARD ly learned how to apply the rules from the inform attendees about the actual changes
This is an explosive situation and it happens book. I must admit that this statement is par- in the rules, and evaluate the past season
very often. The errors of the table officials tially true, although largely incorrect. If a ref- from the referees' point of view. Discussion
could hurt a team, and the coach feels very eree wants to be a top FIBA official, he has should focus on the season ahead, and
strongly that it is his duty to make this point. to start to climb the ladder very early on. It clear guidelines not defined in the rulebook
The coaches box limits movement, but if one means regular weekends and travelling for should be reviewed. These should be the
coach goes to the table, the other feels he many years to officiate in low level games. matter of debate.
must be there as well to ensure a deal is not The current system does not really support
done "behind his back." Seconds could former star players to become top officials. B. CONTEST OR CHALLENGE
decide games and jobs. Who is the coach On the other hand, they are not keen at all to REFEREE'S CONDUCT
who has not heard, read about, or seen the be referees and we may look at this fact as Doing this on the court during a game is
Munich Olympic final in 1972? Very few, I an acknowledgement of how hard it is to counterproductive and I think the majority of
guess. This is a classic case in basketball. It officiate. The commercial interest of the coaches agree with this. However, we
is still an ongoing debate and many more game is that it should flow and be exciting. coaches strongly believe that we must
Munich-like fiascos at the end of a game Our international governing body regularly broadcast a signal that we follow and watch
have happened since. When an extra three modifies the rules to serve this purpose. The the referee's acts during the game.
seconds are awarded it can mean a lot for a officiating philosophy should accommodate The digital age, with CDs, e-mail, and short
team. Both coaches should be informed if this desire because there is huge competi- video files, allows us a chance to contest or
the clock is adjusted- or if no-and what is the tion for audiences, real and digital alike. challenge the work of a referee. We should
reason behind it. If the scoreboard is wrong, Properly distinguishing between call and ask for clarifications. Objective approaches
despite the fact that it is not the official no-call situations could make a difference should have a proper positive well-thought
source, the team may be misled. This may between an excellent and an exceptional out response. It is important that the
have disastrous consequences during the referee. The commercial interest has response comes within a limited period and
final moments. increased the number of games that are the "steam" should not be allowed to build up
played and some of these matches do not between coach and referee.
TECHNICAL FOULS always reach the desired standards. Due to I must assure the officials that we coaches
The "T" always raises a few eyebrows. If it a variety of reasons, huge score differences know that they talk and rate us based on our
follows a clear warning, there is not much to might appear at the early stage of the game. on-court conduct and personal conversa-
contest. If it comes "out of the blue," the ref- It is not the referee's duty to make these tions (if any). We coaches do the same and
eree should give a brief and clear reason, games exciting. If he does, his rating will pass information to each other about indi-
especially if the call is against a player on drop. vidual refs. Furthermore, we instruct players
the court or on the bench. The coach should to focus on the game rather than the refer-
know the reason so he can take appropriate NEUTRALITY ee. We strongly believe that if a player pays
action. The "T" against a coach is difficult to "Is this referee neutral?". This is often put up too much attention to officiating, his on court
accept by a coach and usually both parties as a question, and I dare to say-whether my performance declines. I always tell the play-
remember it for a long time. However, I fellow coaches like it or not-in 95 percent of er this short tale: The ref calls an offensive
talked to a colleague of mine who stated that the cases this is an unfair accusation, one foul against you. Your response is to ask if
he sometimes deliberately provokes a "T," that is often motivated by emotions, partic- his parents ever got married. During my 30
hoping that this will shake up his team. ularly from the losing side. Since we are all years of coaching I have not met a ref, who
Hmm... Quite an interesting approach. human, emotions often play a part in our said, "My parents never got married. You are
judgements. If two people have a history right. The call is withdrawn, the ball is yours,
WAYS OF COMMUNICATION, with each other, then a tough final together and your opponent gets a "T."
SUBSTITUTIONS, TIME OUTS will mean a lot of prejudice before the tip
The coach often feels he has to communi- off. C. EDUCATION AND MUTUAL
cate with the officials to clarify certain situa- The International and National Governing UNDERSTANDING
tions. Coaches are less knowledgeable of Bodies put a great deal of time and effort I strongly feel that referees should attend a
the rulebook and will often need clarification into controlling and reporting on the per- coaching clinic or a coach education
of a call. I feel strongly that a coach is enti- formances of its officials. Weaker per- course. This will help improve their perform-
tled to an answer if the question is formances are often related to factors ance on the court. On the other hand,
addressed in a proper manner. Many of my other than simply neutrality. But one poor coaches should attend a referee clinic. This
fellow coaches use the time outs to argue referee performance could put him in a could improve their on-court game conduct.
with officials rather than talk to their team. I box, where the "He hates us" sentences As a final word to everybody: There is no
assure all referees that this is not taught in appear. So what can we do to make this game without a basketball and no game
coaching courses. The simple reason for relationship better and more workable? without a referee.

EV\Z.%
 REFEREES

MENTAL SKILLS FOR

by Alan Richardson
REFEREES, MENTORS,
AND INSTRUCTORS
Alan Richardson was FIBA referee from cannot control what is happening in the 12. Remember - review and recall what
1978 to 1998. He then became Referee environment, they can choose how they you are doing in order to grow and
Clinic Instructor from 1996 to 2000. Since will react. improve.
2000, he is the Technical Advisor of the
Referee Department of the Euroleague. Self-control is based upon the the relation- TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE SELF-CONTROL
ship between thoughts and emotions. We
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE know that our state of mind influences our Pre-game preparation
Basketball will always be an emotional emotions. Which in turn, energises our per- Most situations can be anticipated and dis-
experience for all participants, either posi- formance. So in order to improve perform- cussed before the game. Strategies for
tive or negative. ance by controlling emotions we need to dealing with such situations can be agreed
Officials, who cannot control their emotions, change our thinking. at this time. Mental preparation enables
will find themselves fighting inner battles. officials to be ready for any eventuality.
How do they handle emotion with intelli- 1. Awareness - analyse when loss of con- Experienced instructors can help officials
gence? How can they enhance and energise trol ocurred in the past. Why, when and understand the link between thoughts,
performance rather then allow disruption? where did it happen? Identify your per- feelings and actions. Video analysis can
Self-control, then, requires the intelligence sonal weaknesses. help this process.
to manage yourself and those around you 2. Understanding - realise why your think-
in emotionally changed situations. ing changed and how it caused an Be relaxed
Self-control is the "ability to perform well emotional imbalance. The ideal performance state for officials is
under a variety of stress-producing cir- 3. Differences - remember examples of that of "relaxed readiness", possessing
cumstances". when you kept control and lost control energy without tension. This state allows
in similar circumstances. What were the officials to stay calm, loose and respon-
CHECKLIST FOR OBSERVERS OF OFFICIALS the differences in your attitude, emo- sive to the emotional pressures of the
(EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE) tions and behaviour? game.
Responses are: 4. Problem - try to find the problem. (e.g.). Relaxation techniques can help officials
Always / Never / Sometimes Is it a sense of failure? control their thinking, so they can trigger
5. Belief - raise the expectation you have emotions that remove unnecessary ten-
▼ Prepares mentally for games. of yourself, include self-control as one sions and conserve energy.
▼ Able to handle the big game. of your virtues. Anxiety is often described as "information
▼ Maintains self belief with positive self 6. Reinforcement - behaviour change is that will not go away". Relaxation clears the
talk. accelerated by reinforcement, so mind and enables the officials to deal with
▼ Persists in the face of frustration. reward good behaviours. it and move towards relaxed readiness.
▼ Adapts easily to any situation. 7. Goals - always set yourself a series of
▼ Copes calmly with stress. achievable small goals that will effect Relaxation techniques include:
▼ Can be relied upon in critical moments. change. ▼ Stretching.
▼ Deals with other people in a mature, 8. Techniques - build a series of behav- ▼ Breathing control.
positive manner. ioural techniques for maintaining calm ▼ Arousal management (music, video).
▼ Accepts accountability for actions - and self-control (how you will react to ▼ Massage.
never seeks excuses. pressure.) ▼ Visualisation.
▼ Can be trusted regardless of circum- 9. Planning - achieve your goals by fol-
stances. lowing a planned programme. Officials wishing to develop relaxation
10. Progress - improvement comes in a skills should organise a quiet place with a
A 12 STEP STRATEGY series of ups and downs, so be patient. comfortable seat. They should try to select
FOR ACHIEVING SELF-CONTROL 11. Setbacks - accept that setbacks will something to focus on, allow a passive atti-
Like confidence, self-control is a quality occur from time to time, be tolerant and tude to develop and seek to enjoy a state of
that officials must possess. Even if they become even stronger mentally. nothingness. The officials should be able to
EV\Z.&
 REFEREES

use these techniques in moments of

stress.

Develop Performance Routines (Rituals)

Behavioural routines that help control our
thinking will ultimately lead to better self-
control.
When preparing for the game, all officials
are subjected to positive and negative
thinking, but attitude is a choice. The men-
tally strong official will only allow positive
thoughts to predominate. That is why an
active behavioural routine before every
game keeps officials busy, comfortable
and focused on positive thoughts.
Pre-game routines can even be produced
in written form in much the same way as a
pre-game mechanics board.

Pre-Game Routine Card (Self Talk)

▼ Be confident.
▼ Know my job.
▼ Breathe deeply, stay cool.
▼ Do simple things well.
▼ Feel good, look confident.
▼ Deal with adversity.
▼ Relax and enjoy myself.
▼ Stay strong, however long the game
lasts.
▼ Seize the moment and have no regrets.

Positive Self Talk

Officials should discipline themselves to
allow only positive self-talk.

Physical Reminders
Behaviour/actions that trigger positive self
talk.

Modelling
When officials are having problems with
self-identity, a way to create a positive atti-
tude is to model an official he/she admires.

Visualisation
A process in which the official visualises
the desired performance and banishes all
negative thoughts.

SUMMARY
If anxiety is information that will not go
away, then the greatest danger to officials
self-control are the internal or external dis-
tractions that can destroy concentration
and trigger negative thoughts. Officiating is
the process of reading and reacting, with
officials reading the ever changing flow of
the game., choosing and executing the cor-
rect responses. Successful officials excel
at both reading the game and knowing how
to ignore distractions from both participants
and spectators.

EV\Z.'
EV\Z.(
 REFEREES

SEE THE
WHOLE
PLAY
by Fred Horgan

Fred Horgan is a member of FIBA ics. The message is simple enough: if

Technical Commission. He is a FIBA officials hope to make accurate, con-
International Referee Instructor, FIBA sistent and defensible decisions in the
Americas Instructor, Technical course of refereeing a basketball
Commissioner for Canada, and a mem- game, they must first concentrate on
ber of FIBA Americas Technical seeing "the whole play", rather than
Commission. He was elected in 1996 to simply picking up the final moment
the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. when the potential infraction occurs.

No one could be expected to open a This reality is based on what instruc-

book to its final chapter and expect to tors and commissioners perceive as a
have a clear grasp of the complete weakness common to (but, unfortu-
story. The same can be said for some- nately, not always limited to) less expe-
one who enters a discussion when it is rienced officials. These are the individ-
almost finished and is then asked uals, who have, to some degree,
which side of the debate he or she grasped the rules of the game but who
accepts. have not yet learned how and when to
Both of these analogies have some- apply these rules. In other words, they
thing in common: before fully under- have yet to appreciate that limiting
standing what has happened or before their focus to the actual moment where
making an accurate judgment of a potential infraction occurs is far too
responsibility in a conflict that has shortsighted and could possibly result
taken place, we must first have an in an assignment of "blame" that is
appreciation of "the entire story" or of totally in error.
the differing points of views that have
initially led to the disagreement. The first evidence that such a flaw
exists is usually as simple as an offi-
This isn't necessarily an easy task. It cial's failure to observe action away
demands concentration, objectivity from the ball, action that could eventu-
and the ability to grasp not only what is ally result in a potential infraction of
happening but also the circumstances the rules as the play continues to
that have led to the situation being develop. In the most blatant situations,
observed. The last step, perhaps the an official can clearly be seen observ-
most difficult one, is to make a final ing action in the immediate vicinity of
judgment of accountability based on all the ball, even though that action isn't in
of these variables. his or her area of primary responsibili-
Respected instructors on the rules of ty. This sometimes leaves as many as
basketball and the application of those eight or even nine players unobserved.
rules to the game itself have a common This is especially relevant to guarding
and constant theme in all of their clin- and/or screening action that initially
EV\Z.)
EV\Z.*
 REFEREES

develops away from the ball, action The guidelines themselves are quite clear If normal contact then results as a con-
that would remain unseen if the official in describing what constitutes a legal or sequence of movement by the player
responsible for off-ball coverage has illegal position in relation to the player being guarded, the defensive player is
his or her eyes elsewhere. who is doing the guarding/screening, but absolved of responsibility. If, however,
the problem develops if the official fails to the player who is being guarded sudden-
An excellent example can be found in see a player initially establish a legal posi- ly receives the ball, then the necessity of
the principles that determine responsi- tion because that legal position is taken in allowing room to stop or change direc-
bility in these guarding and screening an area away from the ball, an area that tion, or of allowing one normal step in the
situations. Two key terms are too often the responsible official unfortunately is case of a stationary opponent, no longer
misunderstood (or missed altogether) not observing because his or her focus is applies. In this circumstance, it is crucial
in assigning such responsibility for any on the ball itself. If this is the case and if that the official see the whole play in
contact that might develop. These the play around the ball then moves to the order to determine which player has a
terms are "establishing" and "maintain- area of the floor where the legal position right to a specific position on the court
ing" and the principles that determine has already been established, then the and therefore who carries the responsi-
responsibility for illegal contact differ official could very possibly misjudge what bility for any contact that might take
depending on whether the guarding or has now become a totally legal, "maintain- place.
screening player is establishing a legal ing" action to be instead an "establishing"
position on the court or is maintaining a action, and as a consequence erroneous- Another important application of the
position that has already been legally ly judge that action to be an infraction of "see the whole play" principle exists
taken. the rules. insofar as post play is concerned. This
A simple clarification is in is the necessity of observing and penal-
order. To establish a legal izing any initial contact that might
guarding position, the guide- occur, rather than not ruling an infrac-
line states that the defensive tion until the second or even the third
player must have both feet illegal contact takes place. This is a
on the floor; however, when source of great frustration for players
maintaining such a position who see it as unfair and inconsistent
in reaction to a dribbler's when it appears the initial foul is
attempt to avoid the defen- ignored but the retaliation that follows
sive player, the "both feet on is promptly penalized. It is an unfortu-
the floor" requirement is no nate reality that when a basketball
longer necessary. Indeed, game deteriorates to the point where
the defensive play could rough play dominates and, in extreme
very well be in motion and cases, fights develop, the beginning of
have neither foot on the floor the deterioration can inevitably be
at the point of contact with- traced to a failure to control contact in
out being held responsible the post positions and to penalize fairly
for the contact, provided and consistently such contact before it
other guidelines for main- has the chance to grow to the point of
taining a guarding position unsportsmanlike behavior.
are observed.
Many other applications of the "see the
The same philosophy of whole play" principle can also be identi-
"seeing the whole play" can fied: the establishing of a pivot foot, the
be applied to an incident relationship of foot movement to the
where a player without the beginning of a dribble, game manage-
ball is being guarded, espe- ment (especially as it applies to bench
cially in post play situations. decorum), legal/illegal movement of the
The rule's guidelines state ball to the backcourt and other such
that in establishing a legal responsibilities that ultimately must be
guarding position the defen- arbitrated by the game officials. The prin-
sive player must allow a ciple and its applications should be a pri-
moving opponent (who does mary point of discussion during the offi-
not have the ball) the time cials' pre-game discussion, and well
and/or distance to stop or worth repeating and assessing in post-
change direction, a maxi- game evaluations as well.
mum of two steps. In relation
to a stationary opponent, the Seeing the whole play is essential to
requirement is that a guard- determining fair and consistent respon-
ing position taken outside sibility if an infraction is eventually to
the visual range of the oppo- be called. Without such awareness,
nent must permit that oppo- legal offense as well as legal defense
nent one normal step. will be seriously compromised.

EV\Z.+
 REFEREES

COMMENTS ON
by Alberto Garcia
UNSPORTSMANLIKE
FOUL
Alberto Garcia is a former FIBA interna-
tional referee and FIBA Referee
Instructor. He is now Sub-Secretary
General of FIBA Americas.

For a number of years, the game of bas-

ketball has recognized various problems
regarding the tactics of coaches, the
actions of players, and the different
guidelines used by the referees in the
application of the concept of the
unsportsmanlike foul. For this reason, the
World Technical Commission has seen
the need to make changes to this rule and
to the interpretational guidelines that
underline the spirit of fair play. Through
FIBA's International Instructors, these
changes were communicated to National
Instructors and to the referees of the
world.
An example of this philosophy of play is
the limiting of the number of unsports-
manlike fouls that players may commit in
a game. In doing so, the Technical
Commission was attempting to develop a
rule that would eliminate violent actions
and rough play and to distinguish
between a normal personal foul and an
unsportsmanlike foul. This was also
based on the principle that basketball is a
non-contact sport and that the game
requires the least number of interruptions
possible to maintain its beauty, intensity,
and fundamentals without any type of
physical violence.
The topic of these comments, however, is
not the specific wording of Article 36. The
wording leaves one with little doubt as to
its real objectives. Instead, it is about the
need for the rule to be properly communi-
cated by the instructors and interpreted
by referees. Even more important is that it
be uniformly applied in game situations.
Because it is a concept where the guide-
lines used by the referees are of funda-
mental importance if the rule is to be
applied properly and consistently, FIBA
attempted, though the instructors of the
world, to make clear what is the differ-
EV\Z.,
 REFEREES

ence between a normal personal foul and

an unsportsmanlike foul. Despite this, the
situation remains unresolved and prob-
lems of unsportsmanlike tactics during
the last few minutes of a game continue.
In special moments of the game with a
close score and a situation of high ten-
sion felt by the players, the referees might
feel pressured in some way to call fouls
that could influence the final result of the
game. However, the main problem is not
so much what is happening at the end of
a game, but rather what has happened
during the game up to that point. Many
referees do not apply the unsportsman-
like foul correctly when situations arise in
the first half, and this is primarily where
the problem lies.
Previously, when what is now an
"unsportsmanlike" foul was called an
"intentional" foul, by its own name it
brought different interpretations and con-
sequently different criteria to apply, cre-
ating confusion for everybody, including
spectators. It should be understood that
many fouls are committed intentionally by
using different tactics or in strategic situ-
ations with the intention of trying to win
the game, causing with it the stopping of
the game clock, and the sending of a play-
er to the free-throw line instead of permit-
ting possible shots for two- or three-point
field goals. Such fouls can be intentional,
but not necessarily unsportsmanlike.
What this comparison really shows is that
the simple commission of a foul is not the
problem; the problem is with the tactics
used by coaches and players, tactics not
interpreted in the proper context by the
referees based on the spirit of the game
as applied to the official rules.
Article 36.1.4 clearly states the principal
considerations for judging an unsports-
manlike foul. These are:

1. If a player makes NO effort to PLAY

THE BALL and contact occurs, it is an
unsportsmanlike foul.

2. If a player, in an effort to play the ball,

causes EXCESSIVE CONTACT (hard
foul), then the contact shall be judged
to be unsportsmanlike.

3. If a play that is not normal to basket-

ball causes a player to establish con-
tact with an opponent, it is an
unsportsmanlike foul.

Based on what is written in the rule and

its respective interpretation, it should be
perfectly clear when what could have
been a normal foul ceases to be "normal"
EV\Z.-
and becomes "unsportsmanlike" and must
be sanctioned as such.
There are common examples that the ref-
eree instructors use in relation to the
above-mentioned principles and which
can be used to clarify the three state-
ments made above.

1. Each time a player is not trying to play

the ball and makes contact with an
opponent, this must be considered an
unsportsmanlike foul and be sanc-
tioned immediately, especially in the
last seconds of a game and when the
foul is NOT a normal foul.

2. Players know that an attempt to block

a shot or prevent a move to the basket
must not involve contact with an
opponent; if contact does occur, a
normal personal foul will result. If,
however, the player uses excessively
rough contact, this must be taken into
consideration and an unsportsman-
like foul be charged immediately.

3. When we talk about "normal play" in

basketball, we have to know the rules
and, in addition, the spirit of the rules.
Moreover, we also have to under-
stand the game itself. We must under-
stand that grasping a player's shirt
can be a normal personal foul or can
be unsportsmanlike when, for exam-
ple, there is a large space between
the two opponents. There are other
examples as well: during a throw-in,
an in-bounds player pushes an oppo-
nent in order to make a space to
receive the ball; during post play, the
defensive or offensive player uses his
knee to prevent the opponent from
maintaining his position or from mov-
ing to another place on the floor.

These comments will hopefully serve to

help all involved in basketball-especially
referees-understand the importance they
have in the dynamics and purity of the
game. It is the responsibility of the refer-
ees and, through them, the players to
understand and accept the criteria for the
unsportsmanlike foul and apply the rule
correctly and consistently. Good referees
"never fear to sanction an unsportsman-
like foul; evaluate the action and do not
think about the penalty."
A final personal thought: It is preferable to
be mistaken in sanctioning a normal per-
sonal foul as an unsportsmanlike foul
rather than mistaken by sanctioning an
unsportsmanlike foul as a normal person-
al foul.

EV\Z..
 REFEREES

PSYCHOLOGY
OF OFFICIATING

by Valentin Lazarov

FIBA referee from 1958 to 1982 and an sponsors which

Honorary FIBA referee in 1976, Valentin invests a great
Lazarov became FIBA Commissioner in amount of money, and
1983. A member of the FIBA Technical the clubs, which are
Committee since 1976, Lazarov received the paying enormous
prestigious Radomir Shaper Award, which salaries to coaches
is given for oustanding contribution to bas- and players, expect
ketball rules and the game of basketball. and request positive
results. It's mainly for
A. INTRODUCTION this reason that the
The necessity for peaceful coexistence players give their
The basis of the spectacular and attractive best on the court,
game called basketball is the quadrangle, pushing themselves
which is comprised of players-coaches- in an effort to reach
fans-officials. The relationships between their physical limits.
these four basic factors are of a vital Along with the
importance for the smooth running of the coaches, they are
game. This relationship should be based overexcited and
on tolerance and reciprocal respect, with hyper-strained, simi-
each adhering to the universal slogan: lar in many ways to
"Nothing is more important than the bas- mobile dynamite
ketball game!" It is almost impossible to loads. Any supposed-
successfully officiate without a minimum ly wrong decision on
of collaboration with coaches and players, the part of an official can succeed, the study of general behav-
even for top game officials. can lead to an explosion and provoke ior, the humane approach, the voice,
a serious conflict situation. movements, posture, and gaze are all part
B. REASONS FOR DIFFICULTIES of the psychological erudition.
IN THE RELATIONSHIP ▼ On the other hand, the easiest way for The referees must try to "walk in the shoes"
▼ The game basketball that is now coaches and managers to present of players and coaches in order to better
played at the highest levels has plausible excuses for the poor play of understand their psychological status and
become more dynamic, more athletic, their teams is to simulate activity in the right way to influence it.
and more virile than ever before. The front of their sponsors and fans, The referee is, above all, an educator and
pressing defenses, the traps, and the attacking referee's calls at any possi- pedagogue, as supposed to a merciless
screens have become much more ble occasion. combination of judge, jury, and execution-
aggressive. Players and coaches are er. He shall act as a "hand of steel in a vel-
constantly in a state of physiological C. THE NECESSITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL vet glove" and his whistle shall be a tool,
and psychological stress, sometimes ERUDITION not a weapon.
in a state of dis-stress. From all above-mentioned points stems You must never forget that almost with-
the necessity of sound psychological out exception, tired and nervous players
▼ The influence of the financial factor knowledge by the model referee. In a field and coaches need to be calmed down or
has also increased tremendously. The where only endowed-by-nature officials warned, rather than severely penalized.

EV\Z&%%
A friendly smile, a soft gesture applied at to the arena to admire your calls and ed to disqualify a player or a coach, do
the right moment often proves much your performance. The good official is not do it immediately but count mental-
more effective than technical and dis- a strong and silent person who domi- ly to five and only then take the final
qualifying fouls. nates the play, yet is very little noticed signalization.
A warm, calm, and friendly attitude is dis- out on the court. The best compliment
arming and relaxing. A belligerent and for an official can receive comes after ▼ Be merciless and unhesitating in
overly intense attitude automatically trig- a tough, tight game, when people are assessing penalties for insolent ges-
gers animosity. talking: "What a spectacular and inter- tures or insolent words that you see or
It is a patent fact that some referees are esting game we have just witnessed. hear. At the same time, try to ignore
more sought after and respected than But my God, who were the referees? comments made behind your back,
others and this surely is a crucial psy- coming either from the crowd or from a
chological victory for an official. Once ▼ Never charge or follow a player or a team bench. For the good of the game,
you are accepted and trusted by players coach immediately after some nerv- forget them instantly. "Hear only things
and coaches, they easily forgive some ous outburst. Examples: Nervous out- you have to hear and be deaf to every-
dubious calls. burst followed immediately by an thing else!"
Such officials have the talent to remain excuse, verbally or by gestures. After
"dry under the rain." Even during closely a decisive call, you see with your ▼ Do not try to control the crowd and
contested, nerve-wracking games, they peripheral vision that a player or never engage in arguments with fans.
are able to successfully avoid or solve all coach is coming in your direction with Avoid banishing loud fans from the
the problems in a way that keeps everyone the obvious intent of an emotional arena unless their behavior does not
happy. They are never blamed. protest. Do not wait for him to arrive. allow normal game flow. Never make
Instead, try to avoid a direct collision irritating or belligerent gestures to the
D. POINTS OF EMPHASIS AND PRACTICAL by moving away and resuming the crowd.
ADVICE FOR YOUNG OFFICIALS game as fast as possible!
▼ In almost every game you will have ▼ Always try to wisely use your sense of
some situations that may lead to con- ▼ Officials can never allow themselves humor (if you have any!) and at the
flicts. You must try either to avoid them to become angry, no matter what the right moment. Humor dissipates nerv-
or approach and solve them. Solving provocation or pressure. Avoid emo- ous tension and animosity.
problems is nothing but dealing with tional outbursts. Never blow your top,
people. shout, point with a finger, or use violent ▼ Pick out the key members of the team
gestures. Always keep your temper.A and use them to your advantage. Do not
▼ Always remain humane and approach- decision or action taken in anger is alienate them. Normally, the players fol-
able. You can manifest this in the way never sound. Be a fireman and not a low blindly the behavior of their coach.
you: fire maker! Everyone in the arena must
- Signalize a foul always see you in total control, even ▼ Remember: The beginning of the game
- Request from a player to tuck his shirt when coaches, players, fans and is very important for creating the
in his shorts everything around you appears to be in atmosphere in which you will officiate
- Warn a player total chaos. You cannot control the the whole game. You must clearly
game if you cannot control yourself. show what you will allow and will not
▼ Use preventative officiating whenever Control requires composure, concen- permit. Players and coaches will adapt
possible. Thus, you give a chance to tration, and confidence. Successful their behavior to your requirements.
the player or coach. If they do not want officiating demands that officials elimi- Very often an early technical foul may
to use it, all the consequences are at nate all game irritants. eliminate the need for more technical
their risk. Examples: fouls later.
- Two opponents pushing each other ▼ Never enter in physical contact with a
- Post player with his rear foot on the player except to help him get up from ▼ When necessary, use the power given
line of the restricted area the floor. to you by the Rules to influence more
- Opponent with hands over the sideline or less the tempo of the game in some
hindering a throw-in ▼ Avoid discussions with players and specific moments. Example: If things
coaches. If necessary, keep the com- are going too fast in a nervous atmos-
▼ Never look for a confrontation with a munication short and never threaten phere and there is a danger of losing
player or a coach only to prove that the person's ego. Example: After con- control, slow down the tempo and
you are the "King" of the court. A plau- tradictory double whistling of the two change the ambiance by handing the
sible explanation of such attitude is officials, do not allow "conferences" on ball for a throw-in a bit slower; or else
that such referees are most likely sup- the court surrounded by players and take a couple of seconds more to
pressed at home by their wives and in coaches. Resume the game as fast as administer free throws. The opposite
their office by their bosses and the only possible! can also occur, where you can use
place for a demonstration of power similar situations to speed up the
remains the basketball court. ▼ Do not forget that a technical foul cre- tempo and resume the game as fast as
ates tension in the diplomatic relation- possible after some questionable call
▼ Do not try to attract the attention of all ship between referee - players and a created a complicated situation.
the spectators at the game because of disqualifying foul means rupture of this
your own personality. You are not a relationship and declaration of war. ▼ If you feel you have made a poor call,
movie star and people are not coming Advice: When you have almost decid- immediately forget about your mistake
EV\Z&%&
 REFEREES

or omission. Do not blame yourself but ▼ Keep all personalities out of your work. er or coach to "size up" your ability to
move on as fast as possible. If a coach has flagrantly insulted you handle tense situations and deter-
Concentrate only on your next call. and was disqualified or if a player had mine whether you can be influenced
Think positively about the future and argument with you, do not look for in critical periods by using systematic
forget the past. You are as good a ref- revenge and do not have a special atti- group protests or other unfair tricks or
eree as your last call. Some officials tude towards them in future games. tactics.
often aggravate relatively innocent You must be able to forgive and forget.
emotional actions of coaches and Every game is a new game! ▼ Try to smile-not ironically-even in
players by not being able to interpret tense and nervous situations. Thus,
whether they are angry because of a ▼ Never fraternize with players or coach- you will show to everyone that you
mistake the they made, or their protest es from one team before the game, enjoy officiating even in critical
is addressed against the decision of during the game, or after the game. moments because you love basketball.
the referee. Example: A player is alone Such actions psychologically influence The tense, gloomy, and strained face
and driving to the basket when the ball opponents and fans, even if you are of some officials gets on the nerves of
slips from his hands and he commits a totally objective in your officiating. players, coaches, and fans.
violation. After the call, he kicks the
ball and immediately after that makes ▼ Avoid as much as possible making ▼ Here are a few words addressed
an obscene gesture. Moderate emo- calls from long distance. They are not mostly to young FIBA officials in
tional outbursts such as: "This was not accepted, even if they are correct. regard to the necessity of self-confi-
a foul" or "He fouled me and you did not dence. Once again, I will present two
call it" should normally be tolerated, ▼ In case of systematic group protests extreme situations: Some officials are
especially if they are not systematic. after each of your calls, do not try to too shy, too soft, and too pessimistic
argue with the players or sanction about their ability to officiate. Each
▼ There are officials who feel that they some of them. Immediately contact the second during the game, they tremble
have made a very poor call immediate- coach and warn him that you will and expect to have some problems or
ly after their whistle. As a referee in declare a loss by forfeit if this unwant- meet critical situations. On the other
similar situations, you are immediately ed theater continues. You can be sure hand, there are the officials who have
faced with the dilemma: To assert your that he will react and efficiently deal the confidence that they are the best
authority or correct your call. To be or with the players. referees in the world and it is quite
not to be! This problem cannot be impossible for them to commit a mis-
solved with a simple answer. ▼ Your way of signaling an infraction can take. They are haughty, admire each of
Sometimes it is possible and even psychologically influence the reac- their calls, even in the case of poor
strongly recommended to correct your tions of coaches and players. ones. In a word, they are narcissistic.
mistake immediately after the call. You Nowadays, you are strongly advised to For such referees, I will quote an
can be sure this will not undermine blow your whistle with firmness and ancient formula that states: "In gener-
your authority, especially if it is an confidence. The whistle will produce a al, the real value of a professional
exception and not a systematic prac- single, sharp blast and not a feeble could be represented by a fraction
tice. Example: A signal for an obvious- canary sound that automatically cre- whose numerator is what the others
ly wrong direction in an out-of-bounds ates doubts about the accuracy of think about him and the denominator -
situation.In other cases, an eventual your call. A humanistic official shall what he thinks about himself." The cor-
attempt for correction of the referee- maintain calm and relaxing signaling, rect path to follow is the golden mean
ing decision could lead to critical con- especially during tense and emotional between those two extremes:
sequences and therefore should be periods of the game. Make sure all Therefore, be confident and optimistic,
avoided. Example: You cannot correct your signals are clean and definite. Do trust your abilities, but try to avoid the
a call for a player's fifth foul or, in gen- not overact. syndrome of self-admiration. Never
eral, one even slightly dubious call in a
decisive moment of the game. forget that you are a human being and
▼ A gaze of three to four seconds can not a robot. It is normal for you to
also be used as a very effective warn- sometimes make a mistake. Your aim
▼ When you are in doubt about the accu- ing threat signal, particularly when
racy of your call, be more tolerant of should be to try to achieve perfection
players dispute refereeing decisions in order to make such mistakes a rare
eventual protests and try to avoid sink- or coaches protest from the team
ing deeper, intensifying your mistake exception that will have no influence
bench areas. A gaze can also used on the outcome of the game.
by handing out technical or disqualify-
sometimes by a player or coach as
ing fouls. "In case of fire throw water
kind of silent protest against your last FINAL CONCLUSION
and not petrol!" After similar situations,
call. Never forget that words of anger I always remember what my friend and
try to avoid staying in the vicinity of the
may eventually be penalized, but not a teacher, the late FIBA President Robert
team bench of the team who was "dis-
gaze even if it is murderous. Busnel, used to say: "I have many times
advantaged" by your call.
seen a referee leave the court at the end
▼ Pay attention to your posture because of a closely contested game, congratulat-
▼ After an obviously poor call in favor of
it indicates your attitude to others. ed by coaches and players. His skill in
one of the teams or after a severe, but
Posture also shows how tense or applying psychological tricks reached
correct sanction/disqualification/, do
not go for compensations in favor of relaxed a person is. Your posture may such a height that it hid his technical
the opponent's team. however enable an experienced play- imperfections on the court."

EV\Z&%'
 REFEREES

THE IMPORTANCE
by Nancy Ethier
OF MENTORSHIP
Nancy Ethier is a Canadian referee reeing, and expressed confidence in these words: "Whatever you want to
since 1992, and FIBA referee since my abilities to officiate at the interna- accomplish and wherever you want
1999. She officiated one Pre-Olympic tional level. I decided, after discus- to go in the basketball officiating
Tournament, one Olympic Tourna- sion with Pierre, to commit myself to world is waiting there for you to gra-
ment, one FIBA World Championship refereeing. I stopped coaching, and sp hold off". At first, I didn't believe a
for Women and one Junior Women, began participating in camps to im- word he said. Less than a year later, I
one FIBA Asian Women's and Junior prove my skills and to get to know was in Australia refereeing the final
Women's Asian Championships and other referees across the country. In of the pre-Olympic tournament. I ha-
two Championships of the Americas. 1999, there was a certification clinic ve since come to know Bill as a tru-
in Canada which I attended, and it sted friend, and have watched as he
Mentorship is a word that has been was there that I received my FIBA continues to promote women offi-
used to mean many different things. card. Had it not been for Pierre's cials, not just with words but by the
For me, it is as simple as a process of council to make some choices and assignments he gives as coordinator,
on-going exchange between indivi- apply myself to my choices, I am not and how he models equality in his
duals that allows for one to support sure that I would have developed the every day interactions. He has no to-
the development of another. It is less r e q u i s i t e s k i l l s s o q u i c k l y. W h o lerance for anyone treating another
about deliberate influence, or "power knows, this opportunity may have as less than an equal in all aspects.
over" another, and more about ac- passed me by. The decisions were His motto is "Get on the floor and do
companiment, or "empowerment" of mine and the effort was mine, Pierre the job, male or female". This has an
another. had simply provided a little push ac- incredible trickle effect on everyone
companied by a big dose of support. with whom he comes in contact. Bill
Mentorship has been both a means of It was a small action with a big ef- is still one of the first friends and fel-
professional and personal develop- fect. I only listened to him because low referees I call to debrief after my
ment for me, as well as a way to con- we had previously established a sen- best and my worst games (admit it,
tribute to the development of others se of trust. I knew that there was we all have challenging games at ti-
in the great sport of basketball. It has nothing he stood to gain by offering mes, otherwise known as great lear-
played a very important role in my de- his perspective, he was doing so only ning opportunities!).
velopment as a basketball official. I for what it could mean for me. In my
have had many mentors over the opinion, this is a critical condition for When on assignment for FIBA, I have
years; however two have had signifi- effective mentorship. Pierre has sin- since found myself mentoring other
cant impact at critical times in my ca- ce followed my development as an in- female officials who haven't received
reer: Pierre Marion and Bill Crowley. ternational referee and is still one of the support that was offered me and
I have been involved in refereeing for my biggest supporters and most of all that so contributed to my journey so
fifteen years now, seven of those at a great friend. far. Often times we spend evenings
the international level. It is hard to after games chatting about situations
believe how fast time passes when My second mentor that has accom- we are experiencing, sharing stories,
we start to look back and tell our sto- panied me in recent years has been laughs and ideas. We leave for our
ries! I started working with Pierre in perhaps one of the biggest suppor- respective countries richer for our ti-
1998, my seventh year of refereeing. ters of female officials in Canada. Bill me together, and stronger for the
Canada had decided to identify and and I came to know each other at the support extended to one another.
fast-track young and promising offi- first national referee camp in Canada My international road began by
cials in order to be able to offer suita- in 1999, four months before I received others sharing their belief in me, whi-
ble candidates to FIBA for internatio- my FIBA card. At the time, he was the ch helped anchor my belief in myself
nal carding selection. At the time, I President of the Canadian Associa- and inspired me to act, thank you
was both coaching and refereeing tion of Basketball Officials. He came Pierre, and thank you Bill. But I think
basketball. Pierre, one of the best re- to see me referee a game, and after the best thank you I can give is to do
ferees in Canada, encouraged me to the game, he walked onto the gym for others what you both chose to do
choose between coaching and refe- floor, looked at me directly and said for me.
EV\Z&%(
 REFEREES

A WOMAN
by Chantal Julien
ON THE REFEREEING
WORLD
Chantal Julien, the first FIBA female refe- and in games where conflicts arise and with chauvinism often. When I referee a
ree, has been a French Men's professio- sometimes even a fight erupts. Besides women's game, it is easier to establish a
nal league referee since 1995, and a FIBA tough times that come with the actual re- respectful rapport and exchange with
international referee since 1997. She offi- sponsibility of a game, there are also tho- both players and coaches alike.
ciated one Olympic Women's final, one se times when an assignment that you are The keys to success at the higher levels
FIBA Women's World final, one FIBA Wo- hoping for is eventually not offered. of officiating in both women's and men's
men's Junior World Championships, one games are to have a strong character, to
FIBA European Women's Junior and two REFEREEING MEN'S COMPETITION - A MUSTTO face players and coaches directly, not to
Women's Championships, three FIBA IMPROVE show doubt or fear, and to work hard for
Asian Junior and Senior Women's and Refereeing a men's game is different respect. It is important to establish a
one Asian Men's Championships, one Fi- than a women's game. The satisfaction is good relationship with players and coa-
nal Four Women's Euroleague, and one the same; however, the approach requi- ches by demonstrating your understan-
FIBA Men's European Championship. She red to date has not been. Since starting ding of the game, and your appreciation
also received the 2005 Italian Oscar of to referee internationally in 1997, I have for the flow of the game. There is also no
Basketball, special FIBA Award. also been officiating at the Pro A level shame in recognizing one's mistakes;
(first division) in France, the highest level this simply shows honesty.
MY BASKETBALL HISTORY of men's basketball in my country. I attri-
My father was a division one player for bute much of my improvement as a refe- THE SACRIFICES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS AT
many years. He started bringing me to his ree to this involvement. Whether one re- THE HIGHEST LEVEL
games at the tender age of four years old. ferees male or female athletes, one must A career as a high performance referee
It was he who inspired in me a passion respect both games. I have found the fe- does not come without sacrifice at both
for the game of basketball. I went on to male game to be more technical and tac- professional and personal levels. I am a
play for eight years in the first division in tical, and it is a pleasure to see the rich- physical education teacher in the city of
France, and then decided in 1993 to swit- ness of the game grow, particularly at the Mandelieu-la-Napoule. The city awards
ch to refereeing in order to remain invol- higher levels and as the women's game a special status to those involved in high
ved in high-performance basketball. evolves. Physically, the men's game sees level sport; in my case, a replacement
more contact and more play in the air teacher is assigned for me whenever I
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF REFEREEING (plays at the rim or when the ball is in the need to leave to referee in Europe or in-
Refereeing at the highest level of basket- air). Decision-making must therefore be ternationally. The teacher is hired to tea-
ball (World Championships and Olympic faster because there is less time availa- ch the curriculum that I have planned.
Games) brings with it an incredible sense ble to make a judgement. Women's ba- On the personal front, it is hard to recon-
of satisfaction. Though we don't win a me- sketball has been closing the gap for so- cile life on the road as a referee and a
dal for our efforts, the reward for being in- me time now with regard to the physical normal family life. I spend every
volved as an official in such an event is in- aspect of play; female players block, fight weekend travelling in France during the
valuable. To be offered the opportunity to for position in the key, and dunk. More regular season and two games a month
referee the best players in the world is a and more, the approach is similar. The elsewhere in Europe as well. Time must
great honor, and to have had the chance to criteria used for refereeing, however, ha- also be invested in preparation and pro-
officiate the final game at these competi- ve always been and remain the same. fessional development. To be effective
tions has represented for me a proof of It is still a challenge to be on the floor as a referee requires dedication and
confidence in my abilities that I cherish. with men. Some players have never been goal setting. To stay current and sharp
Though the rewards are many, there are refereed by a woman and assume that I one needs to watch video, study rules,
also "downs" from time to time that come will be weaker, slower, and more error- and train to stay in shape. To progress,
with high-performance refereeing. Many prone than my male counterparts. It also one must stay humble and spend time in
examples can be found in games where seems that a mistake made by a woman critical reflection after every game. A
one makes more errors in judgement than is worse than one committed by a man. I good referee is one that makes the least
one would like; in games where players, seem to constantly have to prove that I mistakes, not the one that believes he or
coaches or spectators get out of hand; merit my place on the floor. I have to deal she makes none!
EV\Z&%)
 content

right or wrong?
fiba assist 2                                                                                                          
fiba assist 3                                                                                                          &
fiba assist 4                                                                                                          
fiba assist 5                                                                                                          ,
fiba assist 6                                                                                                          
fiba assist 7                                                                                                          .
fiba assist 8                                                                                                         
fiba assist 9                                                                                                          7
fiba assist 10                                                                                                         
fiba assist 11                                                                                                         9
fiba assist 12                                                                                                        
fiba assist 13                                                                                                        &
fiba assist 14                                                                                                        
fiba assist 15                                                                                                        ,
fiba assist 16                                                                                                        
fiba assist 17                                                                                                        .
fiba assist 18                                                                                                        
fiba assist 19                                                                                                        7
fiba assist 20                                                                                                        
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
As of this issue of the FIBA Assist Magazine we will introduce
exemplary rule cases. The cases contain hypothetical play
situations, accompanied by the correct rule interpretation for
each play situation. The FIBA Sports Department offers this as an
essential element in assisting basketball referees throughout
the world in understanding and interpreting the rules of the
game. A good test for your knowledge of the rules - check it out!

1. While attempting a successful shot for goal, A2 is fouled. A

technical foul is the charged against coach B. A2’s free throw
resulting from the original foul is successful. Before the ball has
become live for the first throw resulting from the coach B tech-
nical foul, a time-out is requested by coach A. Shall the time-out
be permitted?

2. A1 releases a shot for goal. While the ball is on its upward fli-
ght, it is contacted by B1. After the contact by B1 and while the
ball is now in its downward flight but has not yet touched the
ring, the ball is contacted by A3. The ball enters the basket. Shall
the goal count?

3. A2 is dribbling the ball when B2 takes a legal guarding position

in the path of A2. B2 then moves laterally to maintain a guarding
position against A2. A2 makes contact on B2’s torso while B2 is
still moving with neither foot touching the floor. Shall the foul be
charged to B2?

4. While A2 is dribbling the ball, A4 and B4 commit a double foul.

B4’s foul is judged disqualifying. Shall play resume with a team A backboard, causing it to vibrate. The vibration causes the shot for
throw-in? goal to be unsuccessful. Shall B3 be charged with a technical foul?

5. A1 is in possession of the ball for a throw-in when A3 fouls B3. 8. A1 commits his/her fifth player foul. Before the foul can be reported
This is the fifth player foul committed by team A in that period. to the scorer, A1 commits a technical foul. Shall the penalty for the
Shall free throws be awarded? technical foul be one free throw, followed by possession of the ball?

6. Coach A is granted a time-out. During the time-out, B2 reports 9. Players A2, A3, and A4 are involved in a fight situation and are
to the scorer as a substitute. Must B2 wait until the referee has disqualified. Shall coach A also be disqualified?
recognized the substitution before B2 can become a player?
10. Following a team B field goal, team A is granted a time-out. When
7. While the ball is in the air on a shot for goal, B3 contacts the play resumes following the time-out, A3 is handed the ball out-of-
bounds on the end line for a throw-in. A3 passes the ball to A4 who is
also out-of-bounds in that end line. A4 then passes the ball inbounds
to A5. Is this action legal?

ANSWERS
1. (Yes, Article 27.4.1)
2. (No, Article 41.2.1)
3. (No, Article 44.6.4, 44.6.5)
4. (Yes, Article 45.2.2)
5. (No, Article 55.2.2 )
6. (No, Article 28.2.6)
7. (No, Article 41.3, penalty)
8. (No, Articles 13.1 and 51.2)
9. (No, Article 47)
10. (Yes, Article 26.2.2)

EV\Z&
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
CASES ON NEW RULE CHANGES 2003

1. How does the 2nd and 4th periods of a game begin?

2. Team A is awarded an alternating possession throw-

in. Before the throw-in has ended, A4 commits a disqua-
lifying foul. Shall team B be entitled to the next alterna-
ting possession throw-in?

3. During the 3rd period, team A uses no time-outs. With

one minute remaining in the 4th period, team A requests
three time-outs in succession. Shall the time-outs be
granted?

4. A4 releases a shot for a goal. The ball strikes the ANSWERS

cylinder, after which it is rebounded by B4 who begins 1. The team entitled to the next alternating possession after the end
to dribble. After B4 has been dribbling for 2 seconds, the of the 1st and 3rd period shall be awarded a throw-in at the extended
24-second device sounds in error. Shall team B be centerline, opposite the scorer’s table. The player taking the throw-in
awarded a throw-in with 22 seconds remaining on the 24 shall have one foot on either side of the extended centerline and shall
second clock? be entitled to pass the ball to a player at any point on the playing court.

5. A4 attempts to dunk the ball. The ball strikes the cylin- 2. No. Team A shall continue to be entitled to the next alternating pos-
der and rebounds into team A’s backcourt. Before a session throw-in. A foul does not cause a throw-in team to lose its
player on either team can gain control of the ball, the right to an alternating possession throw-in.
24-second signal sounds. How shall the game be resu-
med? 3. Yes. Team A may request all three time-outs within the second half
(3rd and 4th period) as they wish.
6. On a final unsuccessful free throw by A4, both A5 and
B5 enter the restricted area before the release of the 4. No. Team B shall be awarded a throw-in with a new 24 seconds.
free throw. How shall the game be resumed?
5. Neither team was in control of the ball when the signal sounded in
7. A throw-in by A4 lodges on the basket support. Shall error. Play shall resume with an alternating possession throw-in.
team B be entitled to the next alternating possession?
6. The game shall be resumed with an alternating possession throw-
in.
8. In alternating possession throw-ins, shall the officials
change positions?
7. Yes. Team A loses its right to the possession because of the viola-
tion by A4.
9. On an alternating possession throw-in by B5, the ball
is simultaneously touched on the court by both A4 and 8. No. The throw-ins shall be administered as outlined in the FIBA
B4, after which it goes out-of-bounds. Shall team A be Referees Manual.
entitled to the next alternating possession?
9. Yes.
10. A final free throw by A5 is successful. Before the ball
can again become live, A4 and B4 commit a double foul. 10. No. Since team B was entitled to the ball at the time of the double
Team A has the right to the next alternating possession. foul, a throw-in shall be awarded to team B.
Shall the game be resumed with a team A throw-in?

EV\Z'
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. A throw-in from an end line by A1 goes the length of the
court and out-of-bounds without having touched a player on
the court. Shall play resume with a throw-in from the end line
where the ball went out-of-bounds?

2. A shot for the goal has left A2’s hand and is in its upward flight
when the signal sounds to end the game. After the signal has
sounded and while the ball is still in its upward flight, it is touched
by B2. While the ball is in its downward flight, it is also touched
by B3. Is B3’s action considered to be goal tending?

3. A2 is awarded one free-throw, to be followed by two addi-

tional free-throws for B2. A2’s free-throw is not successful.
Before the ball can become live for the first of B2’s free throws,
A6 asks to substitute for A2. Shall the substitution be permit-
ted?

4. After A4 illegally returns the ball to the backcourt, a throw-

in is awarded to B4. Must the throw-in take place in team B’s
frontcourt?

5. During the pre-game warm-up, technical fouls are commit-

ted by A1 and B1. Shall the penalties for these fouls cancel
each other?

6. On a shot for goal by A4, A2 commits a goal-tending viola-

tion. Shall the resulting throw-in be awarded at the end line
point nearest to where the violation occurred?

7. Play is interrupted to attend to an injury to A1. Team A has

no substitutes available to replace A1. After a delay of less
than one minute during which A1’s injury is being examined by
the team A doctor, it is determined that A1 can continue to par-
ticipate. If A1 remains in the game, shall a time-out be charged
to team A?

8. A5 releases a shot for the goal but immediately realizes that

the ball will fall short of the basket. A5 then follows the ball and
regains control of it before it can touch the floor or another ANSWERS
player. Has A5 committed a violation?
1. No, Articles 26.4.1, 26.5
9. Two free-throws and possession are awarded to team B 2. No, Article 19.2
because of technical foul assessed to coach A. An additional 3. Yes, Article 28.3.2
technical foul is then committed by B2. When free-throws are 4. Yes, Article 32.3
completed, shall play resume with a team A throw-in at center 5. Yes, Article 51.2
court? 6. No, Article 41.3.1
7. No, Article 14.3, exception
10. A2 is holding a live ball near a sideline while being guarded 8. No, Article 23.3
by B2, who has one foot out-of-bounds. A2 intentionally tou- 9. Yes, Article 56
ches B2 with the ball. Shall a throw-in be awarded to team A? 10. Yes, Article 33.2.2

EV\Z(
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. While dribbling, A2 loses control of the ball. A2 then catches A7’s final free throw is successful. Shall the substitution be
up to the ball and resumes the dribble. Is this action legal? permitted?

2. Dribbler A1 deliberately fouls defensive player B4. This is 5. Coach B is assessed a technical foul because of an action
the 3rd team foul for team A in that period. Shall free throws by an assistant to coach B. Later in the game, coach B is
be awarded to B4? assessed a second technical foul because of the actions of
the same assistant coach, after which he is assessed a third
3. A2 is awarded a throw-in at a sideline. In making the throw- technical foul for personal unsportsmanlike conduct. Shall
in, A2 takes three small steps in the same direction before assistant coach B be permitted to act as the new team
releasing the ball but does not move a distance greater than a coach?
meter. Has A2 committed a throw-in violation?
6. A4 is fouled but erroneously is not awarded merited free
4. A5 is injured when fouled while attempting a shot at the throws. A throw-in is instead awarded to team A. After the
basket. A7 enters the game to replace A5 and take the free throw-in, the ball is controlled by A-2 who then commits a tra-
throws. Before A7’s first throw, A8 asks to substitute for A7 if vel violation. The ball is now awarded to team B for a throw-
in. After the ball again becomes live but before the release of
the throw-in, the earlier error is discovered. Is that error still
correctable?

7. A5 falls to the floor while holding the ball. Has A5 commit-

ted a travel violation?

8. Team A appears on the court with shirts that have a color

on the front that is different than that on the back. Is this
legal?

9. A1 jumps in an attempt to score a basket. After the ball has

left A1’s hand on the shot, it is blocked on its upward flight by
B4. The ball returns to A1 while A1 is still in the air and A1
returns to the floor in control of the ball. Has A1 committed a
violation?

10. A4’s final free throw is successful. Before the ball can
again become live, A5 commits an unsportsmanlike foul
against B4. Team A now requests a time-out. Shall the time-
out be delayed until after B4’s free throws?

ANSWERS

1. Yes. Article 34
2. Yes. Article 46.
3. No. Article 26.
4. No. Article 28.
5. Yes. Article 16.
6. No. Article 56.
7. No. Article 35.
8. No. Article 13.
9. No. Article 35, 23.
10. No. Article 27.

EV\Z)
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG ?
QUESTIONS ANSWERS
1. Just as a shot at the basket by A5 has touched the rim, 1. Yes. The 24-second signal has sounded in error and shall
the 24-second signal sounds. Neither team has control of be ignored. Play shall continue. (Art. 39, FIBA Rule Change,
the ball at the time the signal sounds. Shall the officials September 2003)
ignore the signal and allow play to continue uninterrupted?
2. No. The calling of a foul during an alternating possession
2. The ball is at the disposal of A3 for an alternate posses- throw-in does not cause a team to forfeit its right to that alter-
sion throw-in, but, before the throw-in is released, A4 fouls nating possession. The foul by A4 shall be penalized accor-
B4. Shall team B be entitled to the next alternating posses- dingly. Team A shall continue to have the right to the next
sion throw-in? alternating possession. (Art. 21, FIBA Rule Change, May 2003)

3. With ten (10) seconds remaining on the 24-second clock, 3. Yes. The interruption of a game to search for a contact lens
play is interrupted to search for a contact lens lost by shall be considered to be the same as interrupting the game
defensive player B3. When play resumes, shall team A be because of an injury. If the interruption is because of a
awarded a new 24-second period? player on the defensive team, the offensive team shall be
awarded a new 24-second period. If the interruption is
4. At the jump ball that begins the first period, the ball is because of a player on the offensive team, play shall conti-
legally tapped by A4 to A5, whose foot is touching the out- nue without resetting the 24-second clock. (Art. 14, FIBA
of-bounds area. Shall the jump ball be repeated? Interpretation)

5. A shot for a basket by A3 is in the air when A6 and B6 4. No. A5 has committed a violation. Play shall resume with
commit a double foul. The ball goes in the basket. Shall a throw-in awarded to team B at the place where the viola-
play resume with an alternating possession throw-in? tion occurred. The alternating possession arrow will be
awarded to team A. (Art. 21, FIBA Rule Change, May 2003)
6. On a final free throw, shooter A5 misses the entire
basket. Shall play resume with a throw-in by team B at that 5. No. Play shall resume with a team B throw-in from the end
end line? line. (Art. 45)

7. During an extra period, team A does not use the time-out 6. No. Play shall resume with a team B throw-in at the free
to which it is entitled. The game is tied and goes to another throw-line extended. (Art. 57)
extra period. Shall team A be entitled to two time-outs in
the additional extra period? 7. No. Teams shall be entitled to only one time-out for each
extra period; unused time-outs may not be carried into an
8. While the ball is live, coach B requests a time-out shor- additional extra period. (Art. 27)
tly before A5 scores a field goal. The timekeeper stops the
game clock and attempts to notify the officials of the time- 8. No. The clock was properly stopped (and remains stop-
out request but players and officials cannot hear the signal ped) and the ball became dead (and remains dead) following
because of excessive noise. the A5 field goal. The table officials should do their best
Immediately after the first pass of team B from the end line, (even by throwing an additional ball on the court) to attract
A3 gains the ball and scores a field goal, after which the the attention of the officials and players to let them know
time-out request is brought to the attention of the officials. that the game is interrupted. After that, the time-out shall be
Shall the goal of A3 count? granted, following which team B shall be awarded a throw-
in at the end line behind the team B basket. (Art. 27, 10, FIBA
9. A technical foul is committed by B4 during the half-time Interpretation)
interval. Shall the third period begin with a team A throw-in?
9. No. After the free throws by team A, the third period shall
10. Shortly after the first period has begun, it is discovered begin with a jump ball. (Art. 21)
that A5 is participating although he was not listed as one of
the team A players who were to begin the game. 10.No. A5 shall be permitted to remain in the game. (Art. 16.3,
Shall A5 be required to be substituted at the next opportu- FIBA Interpretation)
nity?
EV\Z*
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT
OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. After a goal is scored, B4 has the ball out-of-bounds for
the resulting throw-in. B4 bounce-passes the ball to B5,
who is out-of-bounds at the same end line.
Shall the ball become dead when it touches the floor on the
bounce-pass?

2. While the ball is in the air on a shot for a goal by A4, B4

intentionally slaps the backboard and causes it to vibrate.
The shot goes in the basket.
Shall B4 be charged with (a) a violation (b) a technical foul?

3. A3 commits a double dribble, immediately after which B3

commits a foul. This is the third team B player foul in that
period. Is this a jump ball situation?

4. Near the end of a time-out, substitute A10 reports to the

scorer but does not report to an official on the court. Is this
a legal substitution?

5. While A5 is dribbling, the ball bounces very high. A5

takes two steps while pushing the ball to the floor on the ANSWERS
continuing dribble. 1. No. The pass from B4 to B5 is legal (26.2.2.)
At no time does the ball come to rest in A5’s hand. Has a
violation occurred? 2. No. In both (a) and (b). In (a), the action is a violation only when
the vibration causes the shot for a goal to be unsuccessful. In (b),
6. While team A is in control of the ball, B4 is discovered to this action is not a technical foul. (41.2.2, 49.1.2)
be bleeding. The officials interrupt play and order B4 to be
substituted. 3. Yes. The penalties for the two infractions shall cancel each
At the time of the interruption there is 10 seconds remaining other. (56.2.7)
in the 24-second period. When play resumes, shall team A
be given a new 24-second period? 4. Yes. During a time-out, a substitute need only report to the sco-
rer. (28.2.6)
7. An alternating possession throw-in is awarded to A4.
After the ball again becomes live, but before it has touched 5. No. This is a legal dribble. (34.1.1)
a player on the court, a double foul occurs. Shall play resu-
me with a throw-in by team B? 6. Yes. (11.2)

8. A shot for a goal by A5 touches the backboard, but mis- 7. No. Team A does not lose its right to the next alternating pos-
ses the ring. On the rebound, the ball is deflected, but not session when the foul occurs. Play resumes with an alternating
controlled by B5, after which A3 gains control of the ball. At possession for team A. (Changes to rules: May, 2003, article 21.4.6)
this time the 24-second signal sounds. Has the 24-second
signal sounded in error? 8. No. The 24-second clock continues to run when the shot for a
goal fails to touch the ring. A 24-second violation has occurred.
9. May team personnel other than the coach or assistant (39.1.1, 39.1.2)
coach go to the scorer’s table to request a time-out?
9. No. (27.3.1)
10. During the first period, the scorer erroneously assigns
two points to the wrong team. The error is discovered 10. Yes. A bookkeeping error may be corrected at any time befo-
during the halftime interval. May a correction be made at re the referee signs the score sheet at the end of the game. (9.4)
this time?
EV\Z+
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT
OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. While A4 is dribbling in, team A’s front court and near
the center line, A3 commits a 3-second violation. Shall
the resulting throw-in be administered at the sideline
line near to center line?

2. A4 is fouled during an unsuccessful attempt for a 2-point

field goal, after which A3 and B3 are involved in a double
foul. Team B is entitled to the next alternating possession.
Following the awarding of two free throws to A4, shall play
resume with a team B throw-in as a result of its right to the
next alternating possession throw-in?

3. A4 attempts a shot at the basket from his backcourt.

The ball strikes the rim and rebounds directly to A5,
who is in his backcourt. Shall team A be charged with
illegally returning the ball to the backcourt?

4. A5, the A team captain, commits his fifth foul and is

longer entitled to play anymore. Coach A is then
disqualified. There is no A team assistant coach listed
on the score sheet. Shall A5 assume the duties of coach?
ANSWERS
5. Team B is entitled to the next alternating possession
throw-in. A5 commits a travel violation. B3 then commits 1. No. Articles 32.3, 36.
a violation during the resulting throw-in. Shall team A now
be entitled to the next alternating possession throw-in? 2. No. Article 56.2.3.
6. Immediately after the ball is legally tapped by A3 on the 3. No. Team control ended with the shot for a goal.
jump ball at the beginning of the first period, A5 and B5 (Art. 40).
are involved in a held ball. Shall the jump ball be repeated?
4. Yes. Article 47.1.3.
7. A shot at the basket is in the air when the 24-second
signal sounds. While the ball is still in its upward flight 5. No. The B3 throw-in was not the result of a jump ball
and after the signal has sounded, it is touched by B5. situation and therefore team B continues to be
As a result of the contact, the shot did not touch entitled to the next alternating possession.
the rim. Has a 24-second violation occurred? (Art. 21, 26).
8. During the first period, team A uses two time-outs. 6. Yes. “Changes In The Rule Book, 2003.” (Article 21,
During the second period, may team A use one of the Practical Situation # 1)
three time-outs to which it is entitled in the second half?
7. Yes. Article 39.1.3.
9. At the beginning of the second half, team B has only
four team members entitled to participate. Shall the 8. No. Article 27.
third period begin with only four team B players?
9. Yes. Article 18.4.
10. A5 appears to be injured. The assistant coach of team
A comes on the court to help A5, after which A5 informs 10. Yes. “Interpretation of the Official Basketball Rules,
the official that he is prepared to resume play. September 2000.” (Article 14).
Must A5 be substituted?
EV\Z,
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
(Note: the following questions are based on FIBA Rules 2004,
which come into effect in September, 2004)

QUESTIONS
1. Team A has been in control of the ball for 15 seconds when a
double foul is committed by A4 and B4. After communicating
the fouls to the scorer, the officials award the ball to team A
for a throw-in. Shall team A also be awarded a new 24-
second period?

2. While the game is being played, coach A chooses to remain

seated. Is the assistant coach of team A permitted to remain
standing while coach A is seated?

3. A3 is in the opponents’ restricted area for more than 3

seconds while A5 is dribbling the ball in the team A back-
court. Has A3 committed a 3-second violation?
ANSWERS
4. During the half-time interval and with team A entitled to the
next alternating possession throw-in, a technical foul is com- 1. No. Team A shall have only 9 seconds remaining in the 24-
mitted by B5. As a result of the B5 technical foul, a team A second period. (Art. 50.4)
player is awarded two free throws, to be followed by a throw-
in for team A at the center line extended opposite the scorer’s 2. No. Only the head coach may remain standing while the game
table to begin the third period. Shall team A continue to be is being played. (Art. 7.5)
entitled to the next alternating possession throw-in?
3. No. A 3-second violation can occur only when a team is in con-
5. A5 is awarded one free throw. A5’s free throw attempt fails to trol of the ball in-bounds in the frontcourt. (Art. 26.1.1)
touch the rim and as a result, a throw-in is awarded to team
B. Before the ball is handed to B2 out-of-bounds for the 4. Yes. If a team that is entitled to the next alternating possession
throw-in, A10 reports to the scorer’s table to substitute for A5. throw-in is awarded a throw-in as the result of a foul com-
Shall the substitution be permitted? mitted by the opponents, that team shall not lose its right to
the next alternating possession throw-in. (Art. 12.4.8)
6. After the ball is legally tapped on the jump ball that begins the
game but before the ball can be controlled by either team, a 5. Yes. A violation has been committed and therefore either team
held ball occurs between A4 and B4. The officials rule that may substitute. (Art. 19.4.1)
another jump ball shall be administered. Shall the jumpers be
A4 and B4? 6. Yes. (Art. 12, FIBA Interpretation)

7. A shot for a field goal by A3 is in the air when the 24-second 7. No. The game clock shall not be stopped unless an official
signal sounds. Shall the 24-second signal also cause the blows the whistle. (Art. 49.2)
game clock to be stopped immediately?
8. No. B5’s violation is not considered to be goal tending or inter-
8. A pass from A2 to A4 is above the rim when B5 reaches ference because the ball was not above the rim as the result
through the basket from below and touches the ball. Shall of a shot for a field goal or a free throw. Play shall resume
two (or three) points be awarded to A2? with a throw-in for team A. Team A shall also be awarded a
new 24-second period. (Art. 31, FIBA Interpretation)
9. Team A has been in control of the ball for six seconds in the
team A backcourt when B4 deliberately contacts the ball 9. No. The ball became dead as the result of B4’s contacting the
with his foot. A throw-in is awarded to team A in its back- ball with his foot rather than because it went out-of-bounds.
court. Shall team A have only two seconds remaining to Team A shall be awarded a new 8-second period. (Art. 28.2.2)
advance the ball into the team A frontcourt?
10. A3 and B3 are involved in a double foul, after which a techni- 10. Yes. This is a special situation and therefore the penalty for
cal foul is committed by coach A. Shall play resume with two the double foul shall be cancelled, leaving only the penalty
free throws awarded to team B, followed by a throw-in for for the coach A technical foul remaining to be administered.
team B at the center line extended opposite the scorer’s (Art. 42.2.3, 42.2.7)
table?
EV\Z-
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?

QUESTIONS ANSWERS
1. Shall the assistant coach be permitted to remain standing while the game is being
played? 1. No (Art. 7.5)
2. The ball is in the air on a shot for goal when the 24-second signal sounds. The ball
misses the ring on the shot, but is immediately controlled by a defensive player. Has 2. No (Art. 29.1.2)
a 24-second violation occurred?
3. A-3 commits a throw-in violation. Shall team A be permitted to substitute at this time? 3. Yes (Art. 19.2.2, 19.2.3)
4. A-4 is awarded one free throw. After the official has stepped into the restricted area
to administer the free throw but before the ball is at the disposal of A-4, team B asks 4. Yes (Art. 19.2.3)
for a time-out. Shall the time-out be granted?
5. During an alternating possession throw-in for team A, a violation is committed by 5. Yes (Art. 12.4.7)
thrower-in A-3. Team B is awarded a throw-in as a result of the violation. Shall team
B be entitled to the next alternating possession throw-in? 6. No (Art. 31.2.6)
6. While the ball is in the air on a shot for goal by A-2, the signal sounds to end the
period. After the ball has touched the ring following the sounding of the signal, it is 7. No. Penalties shall be cancelled in the
tapped into the basket by A-5. Shall the goal count? order in which they occurred; the unsport-
7. A-5 commits an unsportsmanlike foul against B-5, after which a technical foul is smanlike foul by A-5, and the technical foul
committed by coach B. An additional technical foul is then committed by B-2. Shall by coach B shall cancel each other (Art.
the officials cancel the penalties resulting from the coach B technical foul and the 42.2.2, 42.2.3)
B-2 technical foul and play resume with the penalty for the unsportsmanlike foul?
8. After the ball has been placed at the disposal of A-3 for an alternating possession 8. Yes (Art. 12.4.8)
throw-in, A-5 commits an unsportsmanlike foul. Shall team A continue to be entitled
to the next alternating possession throw-in? 9. Yes (Art. 19.2.2)
9. With thirty seconds remaining in a last period, team A scores a field goal. May B-3
substitute at this time? 10. No. The 3-second rule does not apply to
10. While A-3 has the ball out-of-bounds for a throw-in in the team A frontcourt, A-5 is throw-in situations (Art. 26.1.1, FIBA
more than three seconds in the restricted area in the team A frontcourt. Has A-5 Interpretation)
committed a violation?
EV\Z.
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. After the ball has been handed to A3 for
an alternating possession throw-in, but,
before it has touched, a player on the
court, A5 commits a disqualifying foul.
Shall team A be entitled to the next
alternating possession throw-in?
2. A shot for a basket by A2 does not touch
the rim or enter the basket. Before
either team can establish control of the
ball, a held ball occurs. At the time of
the held ball, there is 10 seconds remai-
ning in the 24-second period. Team A is
entitled to the next alternating posses-
sion throw-in. Shall team A have only 10
seconds remaining in the 24-second
period?
3. Is the assistant coach permitted to
remain standing, while the game is
being played, provided the head coach
is not standing at the same time?
4. A2 is dribbling the ball while being clo-
sely guarded in team A’s backcourt. At
the same time, A4 remains in the oppo-
nents’ restricted area for more than 3
seconds. Has A4 committed a 3-second
violation?
5. Following an unsuccessful shot for a
basket, A3 appears to be injured and
coach A comes onto the court to assist
A3. A time-out is then requested by
team B. At the end of the time-out, A3
has recovered and asks to remain in the
game as a player. Shall A3’s request be
permitted?
6. A shot for a goal by A3 is on its upward
flight when it is touched by a team B
player. The ball is then on its downward
flight with a reasonable chance of ente-
ring the basket when it is tapped away
by B3. Has B3 committed goal tending?
7. Team A has been in control of the ball in
the team A backcourt for 5 seconds, when B5 deliberately contacts the ball
with his foot. A throw-in is awarded to team A. Shall team A have only 3 ANSWERS
seconds remaining to move the ball in the team A frontcourt?
8. A5 enters the game to replace A3. Before the clock can again start following 1. Yes; Article 12.4.8
the substitution, a technical foul is committed by A5. This is A5’s fifth player 2. Yes; Articles 12.3, 50.4
foul. The only team A substitute available is A3. May A3 re-enter the game to 3. No: Article 7.5
replace A5? 4. No; Article 26.1.1
9. A3 is fouled by B3. This is the third team B foul in that period. Before the ball 5. Yes; Article 5.6
can be placed handed to A3 for a throw-in, A4 and B4 commit a double foul. 6. No; Article 31.2.1
Is this a jump ball situation? 7. No; Article 28.2.2
10. A2 scores a field goal, after which technical fouls are committed by A4 and 8. Yes; Article 19.2.4
B4. After the fouls have been properly reported to the scorer, shall play resu- 9. No; Article 42.2.3
me with a team B throw-in at the endline behind the team B basket? 10. Yes; Article 42.2.7

EV\Z&%
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. During an alternating possession
throw-in that is to begin a period,
thrower-in A3 commits a violation. A
throw-in is awarded to team B as a
result of the violation. Shall team A
continue to be entitled to the next
alternating possession throw-in?
2. A10 enters the game to replace A5 who
is injured. Team B is then granted a
time-out. Before the time-out has
ended, A5 recovers and asks to re-
enter the game. Shall the request be
granted?
3. With 10 seconds remaining in the 24-
second period and team A in control of
the ball, the ball is above the ring other
than on a shot for a field goal. B4 then
commits a violation by reaching throu-
gh the basket and contacting the ball.
A throw-in is awarded to team A. Shall
team A have only 10 seconds remai-
ning in the 24-second period?
4. The ball is within the basket as the
result of an A3 shot for a field goal
when A1 contacts the ball. Shall the
ball become dead immediately?
5. While team A has control of the ball in
the team A frontcourt, a pass from A2
to A4 strikes an official, after which the
ball immediately returns to the back-
court. The ball is next controlled by A3.
Has team A committed a violation by ANSWERS
illegally returning the ball to the back- 1. No. (Article 12.4.7)
court? 2. Yes. (Article 19.2.4)
6. Team A is awarded an alternating pos- 3. No. (Team A shall be awarded a new 24-
session throw-in from a sideline in the second period. The action by B5 was itself
team A frontcourt. May the thrower-in a violation, the same as when a player
pass the ball to a teammate who is in strikes the ball with a fist or licks the ball.
the team A backcourt? Not to award a new 24-second period
7. A shot for a field goal by A1 is in the air would be to reward bad defense. Article
when the 24-second signal sounds. The ball then fails to touch the ring or 50.2)
enter the basket, after which it is immediately controlled by a team B player. 4. No. (Once the ball has entered the basket, the
Shall the officials disregard the signal and allow play to continue without offense cannot commit interference. Article
interruption? 31.2.4)
8. During the pre-game warm-up, a technical foul is committed by a team A 5. Yes. (When the ball strikes an official, it is the
player. Shall this technical foul count as one of the fouls leading to the same as if the ball strikes the floor where
penalty situation in the first period? that official is standing. Article 30.2)
9. Team A has had control of the ball is the team A backcourt for 5 seconds 6. No. (Article 30.1.2)
when B3 deliberately contacts the ball with the foot. A throw-in is awarded 7. Yes. (Article 29.1.2)
to team A. Shall team A also be awarded a new 24-second period as well as 8. Yes. (Article 38.4.1)
a new 8-second period? 9. Yes. (Articles 28, 50, FIBA Interpretation)
10. Team A is in control of the ball with 15 seconds remaining in the 24-second 10. Yes. (Articles 42.2.7, 50.4)
period when a fight situation occurs. Following the interruption of the game
because of the fight situation, the officials determine that all penalties can- Corrections
cel each other. Shall play resume with a throw-in for team A with 15 seconds The correct answer in FIBA Assist 11,
remaining in the 24-second period? question 6, is yes.
EV\Z&&
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. Team A is in control of the
ball with 5 seconds remai-
ning on the 24-second clock
when a fight situation occurs.
After order has been resto-
red and penalties have been
determined, the officials find
that all penalties cancel each
other. Shall play resume with
a team A throw-in and only 5
seconds remaining in the 24-
second period?
2. A shot for a goal is in the air
when a double foul is com-
mitted by A2 and B2. The shot
is successful. Shall play
resume with an alternating
possession throw-in?
3. A3 receives the ball while in
the air and comes to a stop in
one continuous motion by
landing on one foot, jumping
off that foot and finally lan-
ding on both feet simulta-
neously. A3 then pivots. Has
A3 committed a traveling vio-
lation?
4. A4, within the 2-point area,
attempts a pass to A5. The
ball is above the rim when B5
reaches through the basket
from below and touches the
ball. Shall A4 be awarded two
points?
5. A8 substitutes for A3. After
the substitution but in the
same stopped clock period,
A5 commits a fifth foul and
must leave the game. The to the next alternating posses-
only player on the team A sion. Shall play resume with a
bench entitled to play is A3. team A throw-in and no reset of
May A3 re-enter the game at the 24-second clock?
ANSWERS
this time? 9. On the jump ball that begins the
1. Yes (Article 39.3.2)
6. After a violation for illegally game, the legally tapped ball is
2. No (Article 35.2.2)
returning the ball to the back- touched but not controlled by A5,
3. Yes (Article 25.2.1)
court, shall the resulting after which the ball goes out-of-
4. No (Article 13.2.2)
throw-in always take place in bounds. Shall the jump ball be
5. Yes (Article 19.2.4)
the throwing-in team’s front repeated?
6. Yes (Article 22.2)
court? 10. A3 has been dribbling the ball in
7. Yes (Article 18.4.1, 3rd bullet)
7. A5 commits a violation on a team A’s backcourt for 6 seconds
8. Yes (Article 12.3, 50.4)
last or only free throw. May when B3 deliberately deflects
9. No (Article 22.2)
team A be granted a time-out the ball with the foot. On the
10. Yes (The ball has not become dead as
at this time? resulting team A throw-in, shall
a consequence of one of the situations
8. After A4 has ended a dribble, team A be given a new 8-second
listed in Article 28.2.2 or 50.4)
a held ball is called between period to advance the ball to the
A4 and B4. Team A is entitled team A frontcourt?
EV\Z&'
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. After the ball is given to A2 for an
alternating possession throw-in but
before it has touched a player on the
court, A4 commits a disqualifying
foul. Shall team A lose the right to
the next alternating possession as a
result of the disqualifying foul?
2. A5's last free throw is successful.
On the resulting throw-in, the ball is
touched but not controlled by A4 on
the court. Shall the game clock be
started when the ball touches A4?
3. A5 is injured. A8 substitutes for A5,
after which a time-out is taken by
team B. During the time-out, coach
A notifies the officials that A5 has
recovered and wishes to re-enter
the game before play is resumed.
Shall A5 be permitted to re-enter?
4. With team A entitled to the next
alternating possession throw-in, A3
scores a field goal. While the ball is
in the hands of B5 standing out-of-
bounds for the resulting throw-in,
technical fouls are committed by A1
and B1. Shall play resume with an
alternating possession throw-in for
team A?
5. A last free throw by A4 fails to touch
the rim. A8 and B8 are waiting at the
scorekeeper's table to enter the
game as substitutes. Shall A8 and
B8 be permitted to enter the game at
this time?
6. In the last two minutes of the 4th
period of play, team A has three
timeouts remaining. May team A
now be awarded three successive
timeouts?
7. During the last two minutes of the
4th period, A8 is waiting at the sco-
rekeeper's table to enter the game
as a substitute. B3 then commits an 24-second clock, an official interrupts
interference violation on a shot for a play because of a wet court. When play ANSWERS
basket by A5. Shall A8 be permitted to resumes, shall team A be given a new 24- 1. No: 12.4.8
enter the game at this time? second period, provided team B is not 2. Yes: 49.2
8. While in the air, A5 prevents the ball from placed at a disadvantage? 3. Yes: 19.2.4
going out-of-bounds by tapping the ball 10. After a team A field goal, team B is gran- 4. No: 12.3
to A3. A5 returns to the floor in the out- ted a time-out. Following the time-out, 5. Yes: 19.4.1
of-bounds area but immediately returns thrower-in B2 passes the ball to B3 who 6. Yes: 18.2.4
to the in-bounds area and then receives is also out-of-bounds on that endline. B3 7. No: 19.4.2
a pass from A3. Has A5 committed an then passes the ball to a teammate who 8. No: 23.1.2
out-of-bounds violation? is in-bounds. The entire action takes less 9. Yes: 29.2.2
9. With team A in control of the ball and than five seconds. Has a throw-in viola- 10. No: 17.2.6
with twenty seconds remaining on the tion been committed by team?
EV\Z&(
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?

QUESTIONS resumes, shall team A have only 4 the basket when the ball is touched by
1. A3 has been in the team B restricted seconds remaining in which to cause A4. Has A4 committed interference with
area for two seconds when A3 relea- the ball to move to the frontcourt of the free throw?
ses a shot for a goal. The ball strikes team A? 8. During a loose ball situation, A2 gains
the backboard but does not touch the 5. While A3 is dribbling the ball in the team control of the ball while lying on the
basket rim and then rebounds to A3 A backcourt, A5 remains in the team B floor. A2 then rolls in an attempt to pass
who is still within the restricted area. restricted area for more than 3 the ball to A4. Has A2 committed a tra-
A3 gains immediate control of the ball seconds. Has A3 committed a 3-second vel violation?
and then pivots in the direction of the violation? 9. The assistant coach of team B reque-
6. B3 fouls A2 during A2's unsuccessful sts a time-out? Shall the time-out be
basket in preparation for releasing a
shot for a goal, after which A4 fouls B4 granted?
new shot for a goal. Shall a 3-second
before the ball has become dead. The 10. A5 is wearing protective equipment on
violation be charged to A3? officials award A2 two free throws, to A5's upper arm. The equipment is suffi-
2. A5 is awarded one free throw. Coach B be followed by the awarding of a throw- ciently padded. Shall A5 be permitted to
instructs team B players that they not in to team B. Following the free throws participate in the game?
occupy lane places during the free by A2 but before
throw. Shall a technical foul be charged the ball can be ANSWERS
to coach B? placed at the 1. No. (Art. 26.1.1; team 3. Yes. (Art. 19.2.4)
3. A2 appears to be injured and coach A disposal of a
comes onto the playing court to assess control ended with the 4. Yes. (Art. 28.2.2)
team B player for release of the ball on 5. No. (Art. 26.1.1)
A2's injury. After 50 seconds has pas- the throw-in,
sed, A2 has recovered and is prepared the first shot for a 6. Yes. (Art. 19.4.1,
team A requests goal) final paragraph)
to continue participating. Team A has that A8 substitute
no substitutes available. Shall A2 be 2. No. (Art. 43.2.4; although 7. No. (Art. 31.2.5,
for A2. Shall the a team is "entitled" to third bullet)
permitted to remain in the game without substitution be
penalty? lane places, it is not 8. Yes. (Art. 25.2.3)
permitted?
4. Team A has had control of the ball for 4 required that the lane 9. Yes. (Art. 18.1)
7. A final free throw
seconds in the team A backcourt when by A1 is within places be occupied) 10. Yes. (Art. 4.4.2)
a double foul is committed. When play
EV\Z&)
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. A4 is awarded one free-throw.
After the ball has been placed at
the disposal of the A4, a time-out is
requested by either team by team A
or team B. A4's free-throw is suc-
cessful. Shall the time-out be gran-
ted before the resulting team B
throw-in?
2. During the half-time interval of play,
A8 goes to the scorekeeper to
request that he enter the game to
replace A5. Must A8 report his sub-
stitution to an official before being
permitted to enter the game for the
third period?
3. During a dead ball period when
play will resume with a throw-in,
shall the time-out opportunity end
when the ball is placed at the
disposal of the player, who throws
the ball in?
4. Coach B is charged with a techni-
cal foul. Team A is awarded two
free-throws to be followed by a
team A throw-in at the center line
extended, opposite the scorer's
table. The last free throw is not
successful. Before the ball has
been placed at the disposal of a
team A player for the throw-in,
coach B requests a time-out. Shall
the time-out be granted at this
time?
5. During a dribble, A4 loses control of the center line extended, opposite 9. During the last two minutes of play,
the ball, which then touches B8 the scorer's table? A2 commits an 8-second violation.
who is waiting out-of-bounds at the 8. During the last two minutes of play, Shall the resulting team B throw-in
scorer's table to enter the game as A3 commits a traveling violation in be awarded at the center line
a substitute. Shall a throw-in be team A's front court, after which a extended, opposite the scorer's
awarded to team B? time-out is granted to team A. Shall table?
6. A3 is awarded two free-throws. the resulting team B throw-in be 10. A5 accidentally scores a field goal
After the ball has been placed at administered at the center line exten- in his own basket. Shall the goal be
the disposal of A3 but before the ded, opposite the scorer's table? cancelled?
ball has been released for the first
free-throw, a time-out is requested
by either team the team A or team ANSWERS
B. The free-throw is successful. 1. Yes. (Changes to the Official Basketball Rules, October 05)
Shall the time-out be granted befo- Basketball Rules, October 05) 7. Yes. (Changes to The Official
re A4's second free throw is 2. No. (Art. 19.3.7) Basketball Rules, October 05)
attempted? 3. Yes. (Art. 18.2.3) 8. No. (Changes to The Official
7. During the last two minutes of play, 4. Yes. (Changes to the Official Basketball Rules, October, 05)
a field goal is scored by A5, after Basketball Rules, October 05) 9. No. (Changes to The Official
which a time-out is granted to team 5. Yes. (Articles. 23.2.1, 4.2.3) Basketball Rules, October 05)
B. Following the time-out, shall play 6. No. (Changes to The Official 10. No. (Art. 16.2.2)
resume with a team B throw-in at
EV\Z&*
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. During the last two minutes of play in
the 4th period, A2 commits a 3-second
violation. Team A then requests and is
granted a time-out. When play resu-
mes, shall the resulting throw-in take
place at the center line extended,
opposite the scorer's table?
2. Twenty minutes before the game is to
begin, both coaches agree to exchan-
ge the baskets that they will attack
when the 1st period begins, but conti-
nue to occupy the benches assigned
to them by rule. Shall the officials per-
mit this exchange?
3. During the final two minutes of play in
the 4th period, team A has been in
control of the ball in the team A back-
court for 5 seconds, when B4 deflects
the ball out-of-bounds. Team A then is
granted a time-out. On the throw-in at
the center line extended that follows committed by A5, who is in the team A 9. A4 is awarded two free-throws. The
the time-out, the ball is passed to A2, front court. A substitution is then gran- final free-throw is successful. After
who is in the team A backcourt. Shall ted to either team A or team B. Shall the final free-throw but before the ball
team A now have only 3 seconds to the game resume with a team B throw- is handed to team B for the throw-in,
advance the ball to the frontcourt? in at the center line extended opposite team A requests a time-out. Shall the
4. On a single free-throw awarded to A3, the scorer's table? time-out be granted?
the ball is in the air on the shot when a 8. Team A is awarded an alternating pos- 10. While A3 is in the act of shooting for a
double foul occurs between A4 and session throw-in. After the ball has field goal but before the ball has left
B4. The ball then misses the basket on been handed to A2 for the throw-in, A3's hands, a double foul is committed
the free-throw attempt. Shall play coach A is charged with a technical by A4 and B4. The ball becomes dead
resume with a throw-in at the free- foul. Shall team B be entitled to the immediately. Shall free-throws be
throw line extended for team B? next alternating possession throw-in? awarded to A3?
5. A5 is designated on the score sheet as
the captain of team A. A10 enters the
ANSWERS
game as a substitute for A5 and to
1. No. If, however, a time-out were 5. No. A5 shall become the new
replace A5 as captain. While A5 is not
to be awarded to team B, the team A coach because A5 is the
participating, coach A receives a
resulting throw-in would be player designated as captain on
disqualifying foul. Team A does not
administered at the center line the official score sheet.
have a designated assistant coach.
extended, opposite the scorer's 6. No. The period has ended and
Shall A10 assume the position of team
table. therefore an interval of play has
A coach?
2. Yes. begun. A time-out cannot be
6. Near the end of the 1st period, A3
3. No. The ball has already been granted during an interval of play.
releases a shot for a basket. After the
advanced to the frontcourt 7. No. The throw-in shall take
release of the shot but before A3 has
because of the throw-in at the place at the sideline or endline
returned both feet to the floor, A3 is
center line extended. Team A place nearest to where the travel
fouled by B3, after which the signal
shall have a new 8-second violation occurred.
sounds to end the period. The shot for
period. 8. No. If a foul is committed during an
the basket is successful and A3 is
4. Yes. This is a special situation. alternating possession throw-in,
awarded one free-throw. Coach B
In determining how play shall the team entitled to that throw-in
requests a time-out before the ball has
resume, the normal double foul continues to be entitled to the next
been handed to A3 for the free-throw.
penalty is canceled, leaving only alternating possession throw-in.
Shall the time-out be granted?
the penalty for the free-throw 9. Yes.
7. During the final two minutes of play in
violation to be administered. 10. No.
the 4th period, a travel violation is
EV\Z&+
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. At the beginning of the 3rd period, team
A has only four team members entitled
to participate. Shall the period begin
with only four team A players?
2. A5 commits a 5th foul and is no longer
entitled to participate. A5 then commits
a technical foul. Shall the technical foul
count as one of the team fouls leading to
the penalty situation in that period?
3. A shot for a field goal by A3 is within the
basket, when B5 touches the backboard,
causing it to vibrate. The ball passes
through the basket. Shall B5 be charged
with a technical foul?
4. While team A is in control of the ball with
four seconds remaining in the 24-second
period, a technical foul is committed by
coach A, followed by a technical foul
committed by B4. Team B is entitled to
the next alternating possession throw-
in. Shall play resume with a team B
throw-in?
5. B5 commits a disqualifying foul that
does not involve contact with an oppo-
nent. Shall any team A player attempt
the resulting free throws?
6. While the ball is in its downward flight
on a shot for a goal, A2 commits goal
tending and the ball enters the basket.
Shall the resulting team B throw-in take
place at the free throw line extended?
7. A pass by A3 goes out-of-bounds where
it first touches substitute B8. Shall a
throw-in be awarded to team A?
8. A 2nd technical foul, entered in the
score sheet as a 2nd "C", is committed
by coach A because of personal
unsportsmanlike behavior. Two free-
throws to be followed by a throw-in at
the center line extended are awarded
to team B because of the coach A tech-
nical foul. Shall an additional penalty
also be awarded because of coach A's
disqualification?
9. A5 is awarded two free-throws. While
the ball is dead following the first free-
throw, B3 commits a technical foul. B8
now asks to enter the game to replace ANSWERS
B3. Shall B8 be permitted to enter the 1. Yes. (Article 21.1) 6. Yes. (Article 31.3.1)
game immediately? 2. No. (Article 40.2, 38.4.1) 7. No. (Article 23.2.1)
10. While holding the ball, A4 is being guar- 3. No. (Article 38.3.1) 8. No. (Article 37.1.4)
ded by B4. B4 does not allow sufficient
4. No. (Article 42.2.7) 9. No. (Article 19.4.1)
room for A4 to pivot. Is B4 in a legal
guarding position? 5. Yes. (Article 37.2.3) 10. Yes. (Article 33.4)

EV\Z&,
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. A throw-in by A5 is touched by B3 after it has
left the hand of A5. The ball then passes
through the team B basket. Will player A5 be
awarded 2 (or 3) points?
2. A shot for goal by A2 is in flight when an offi-
cial blows his whistle. The ball then touches
the rim and is bouncing above the rim when
it is touched by A4. Has A4 committed inter-
ference?
3. A8 enters the game to replace A3. Before
the ball can again become live, A5 commits
a fifth foul and must leave the game. Shall A3
be permitted to re-enter the game during the
same dead ball period?
4. On an alternating possession throw-in that
begins a period, A2 touches but does not
control the ball. Before the ball can be con-
trolled by either team, a foul is called. Shall
team A continue to be entitled to the next
alternating possession?
5. B4 commits an unsportsmanlike foul against
A4 during A4's unsuccessful shot for a goal.
B2 then commits a technical foul, after
which a technical foul is also committed by
A2. Shall the penalties for the technical fouls
committed by B2 and A2 cancel each other
and play resume with the penalty resulting
from the unsportsmanlike foul by B4?
6. A3 commits a 3-second violation. A2 and B2
then commit technical fouls. Team A is enti-
tled to the next alternating possession
throw-in. Shall play resume with an alterna-
ting possession throw-in for team A?
7. Coach B requests a time-out at the next
opportunity. The clock is then stopped
ANSWERS a throw-in for team B at the endline
because a foul has been committed and
1. No. Because the ball was last tou- place nearest to where the A3 viola-
players immediately move to their respective ched by B3, the goal shall count but tion occurred but not directly
team bench areas. Shall the time-out period shall be recorded as having been sco- behind the backboard. (Article 12.3,
begin when the referee's communication red by the team A captain. (Appendix 6th bullet)
with the scorekeeper has been completed? to the Official Rules, B.11.2) 7. Yes. (Article 18.2.2, 1st bullet)
8. During a time-out, A8 reports to the sco- 2. Yes. (Article 31.2.6) 8. No. A8 shall become a player when
rekeeper as a substitute. Shall A8 become a 3. No. (Article 19.2.4) the substitution request is made to the
player when the time-out has ended? 4. No. (Article 12.4.5) scorekeeper. (Article 4.2.3)
9. While team A is in control of the ball, a tech- 5. No. In Special Situations, penalties 9. No. Only normal personal fouls
nical foul is committed by A5 for disrespect- shall be canceled in the order in (rather than technical fouls, unsport-
fully addressing an official. Is this a team which they were called. The penalty smanlike fouls and disqualifying
control foul? for the B4 unsportsmanlike foul will fouls) committed by a player whose
cancel the penalty for the A2 technical team is in control of the ball qualify as
10. Team A is in control of the ball in the team A
foul. Play shall resume with the admi- team control fouls. (Article 41.2.2)
backcourt with 4 seconds remaining in an 8- nistration of the penalty resulting from 10. No. Play shall resume with a team
second period when A2 and B2, in the team the B2 technical foul. (Article 42.2.3) A throw-in in team A's front court at
A front court, commit a double foul. Shall 6. No. Team B was entitled to the the sideline or endline place nearest
play resume with a team A throw-in in the ball as a result of the 3-second vio- to where the double foul occurred.
team A backcourt and 4 seconds remaining lation by A3. Play shall resume with (Article 35.2.2, 2nd bullet)
in the 8-second period?
EV\Z&-
 g^\]idglgdc\4

RIGHT OR WRONG?
QUESTIONS
1. During the last two minutes of the 4th period,
A4 shoots a successful final free throw, after
which team B is granted a time-out. Following
the time-out, shall play resume with a team B
throw-in at the free-throw line extended,
opposite the scorer's table?
2. On a throw-in by A2, the ball passes through
the team B basket. Shall team B be awarded a
throw-in at the free throw line extended nea-
rer the team B basket?
3. After the ball has been placed at the disposal
of A5 for two free throws, B8 asks to enter the
game as a substitute for B4. Following A5's
successful first free throw, a technical foul is
charged to a team A player. Shall B8 be per-
mitted to enter the game immediately after the
technical foul has been reported to the scorer?
4. The ball has not yet touched the frontcourt
when A3 ends the dribble while straddling the
centerline. A3 then fumbles the ball, after
which the ball lands in the backcourt and is
again controlled by A3. Has the ball been ille-
gally returned to the backcourt?
5. A2 accidentally scores a field goal in the
wrong basket. Shall two points be recorded as
having been scored by the team B captain?
6. A3 is awarded two free throws, both of which
are successful. Following the final free throw
but before the ball is at the disposal of a team
B player out-of-bounds for the resulting throw-
in, team A requests a time-out. Shall the time-
out be permitted immediately?
7. Must an unsportsmanlike foul always involve
contact with an opposing player?
8. Following a successful field goal during the
last two minutes of play, team B is granted a
time-out. Following the team B time-out, team
A is granted another time-out. Shall play resu-
me, following the team A time-out, with a team
B throw-in at the centerline extended opposi-
te the scorer's table?
9. During a dead ball, a jump ball situation occurs.
ANSWERS 5. Yes (Art. 16.2.2)
Team A is entitled to the next alternating pos-
1. Yes. (Changes to Official 6. Yes (Changes to Official
session throw-in. Before the ball is placed at Basketball Rules, October 2005) Basketball Rules, October 2005)
the disposal of a team A player for the resulting 2. No. The throw-in shall be admi- 7. Yes. (Art. 36.1.1)
throw-in, B4 fouls A4. This is the third team A nistered at the sideline or endli- 8. Yes. (Changes to Official
foul in that period. Shall play resume with the ne place where the original Basketball Rules, October 2005)
team A alternating possession throw-in? throw-in occurred. (Art. 17.3.1, 9. No. Play shall resume with a
10. After the ball has been placed at the disposal 17.4) team A throw-in resulting from
of A3 for the alternating possession throw-in 3. No. B8 may not enter the game the B4 foul. Team A shall not lose
that will begin the 2nd period but before the until following the completion its right to the next alternating
ball has touched a player on the court, B4 fouls of A5's final free throw (Art. possession throw-in in the next
A4. Has the B4 foul occurred during an interval 19.4.1) jump ball situation. (Art. 12.4.8)
of play? 4. Yes. (Art. 30.1.1, 30.1.2) 10. No. (Art. 12.4.8)

EV\Z&.
 content

doctors
OCULAR TRAUMAS IN BASKETBALL
)'K1 
WATER REHABILITATION FOR PLAYERS WITH LOW BACK PAIN
 
/  
RADIAL SHOCK WAVES FOR THE TREATMENT TO THE LOWER LIMBS
" L
202 !  
ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT DEFICIENCY

  0

 
MOVEMENT ANALYSIS IN SPORTS AND BASKETBALL
>-=M  
TECHNOLOGY AND BASKETBALL TRAINING
 11
*

JUMPER’S KNEE
 
*6 
STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY
1

  
DENTAL INJURIES
8  K!* 
facial INJURIES part II
 8  K!*
PREVENTION OF ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURIES
 " 1 &
HEALTH and MEDICAL FACILITIES IN A SPORTS HALL
'K10 ! " $
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PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
8 &.
MUSCLE INJURIES IN BASKETBALL
'
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BODY COMPOSITION AND VERTICAL JUMP PERFORMANCE IN JUNIOR PLAYERS
> "
 9
ANTI-DOPING: IT’S A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN
8 (
1  &
BIRTHDATE AND BASKETBALL SUCCESS by Santiago Esteva
" -)

,
 DOCTORS

OCULAR TRAUMAS
IN BASKETBALL

by Dr. Jacques Huguet

Dr. Jacques Huguet was the doctor for the French National
Basketball Team. He is presently President of the FIBA
Medical Committee.

The eyes are complex, delicate, and extremely sensitive

tissues that receive and transmit vast amounts of informa-
tion to the brain each minute. Of the five senses, sight is by
far the most important, as it is estimated that 80 percent of
our acquired knowledge comes from possessing visual sti-
muli. Protecting the eyes, therefore, is obviously vitally
important.
The eyes are supported and protected from impact injury
by the orbit, the circular “socket” made up of bone from the
cheek, eyebrow, and nose. Still, the eye is extremely vulne-
rable to injury in sports. Any sport that involves a ball or
other projectile, a stick or a racket presents a risk of
serious eye injury. The nature and severity of an impact
injury to the eye depends mainly on the impacting object’s
mass, speed, hardness, size, and sharpness.
Other factors are the location of the impact and the predi-
sposition of the individual eye to injury.
Although there are no accurate figures available for the
number of sports-related eye injuries, they remain a signi-
ficant problem.
Those who are injured the most are boxers and full-contact
karate participants, followed by those who play sports with
a ball in a confined area, and, according to doctor Klein,
basketball comes after soccer, and tennis.
Eye injuries in basketball are actually extremely rare com-
pared to other sports.
At the Olympic Games in Sydney, there were no eye injuries
reported in either the men’s or women’s tournament. The
finger causes more injuries than getting hit in the face by
the basketball. During the 2002 World Men’s Championship
in Indianapolis, a player from Canada and another from
New Zealand suffered similar eye injuries-a hyphema (a
term used to describe bleeding in the anterior chamber, the
space between the cornea and the iris)-that knocked them
out of the tournament.
They were both powerful rebounders and were more expo-
EV\Z&
 DOCTORS

sed to flying elbows and errant fingers. lymphedema by the quick red veil that hides the iris. The
The mechanism of the injury was identical in the two cases. prognosis is often good, but depends on the size of the
During an offensive play under the board, each was poked hemorrhage. The injury requires the eye bandages for 3 to
in the eye and this resulted in intense, unremitting pain. The 5 days. Since there is s risk of ocular hypertension, the
two athletes were immediately treated by their respective ophthalmologist should consider making a puncture.
team medical staffs and later had to consult with an Rupture of the shyncter of the iris
ophthalmologic specialist for further evaluation and treat- The pupil becomes distorted because of a tear of the pupil-
ment. lary limbus or the sphincter.
Eye injuries are not an inevitable part of basketball and can
easily be prevented with proper eyewear (called “gog- CRISTALLIN LESIONS
gles”) available in sporting goods stores or from an opti- The lesion causes the modifications of the position or the
cian. If a basketball player is concerned about the risk of transparency of the crystalline. These many tiny frequent
eye injury, protective eyewear should definitely be worn. lesions can range from the subluxation to the various types
For some, protective eyewear is not an option, but a neces- of cataracts.
sity. Athletes who are functionally one-eyed due to injury or
illness and have vision of 20/40 or worse in one eye, should The lesions of the anterior chamber of the eye can have
not play basketball without protective polycarbonate eye harmful consequences to vision, luckily they are unusual.
wear (called “goggles”). They can involve:
Unfortunately, only 3,4% of the players wear protective - the glassy body,
glasses. - the choroid,
Also at risk of serious injury are basketball players who - the retina (rip that can be followed of a detachment)
have had radial keratotomy surgery to correct nearsighted- - the pressure disorder (hypo or hyper).
ness. This surgery weakens the eye by as much as 50 per-
cent, and a finger (or basketball) in the eye may be enough To be prepared for eye problems, what should a basketball
to break the eye open, resulting in partial, oftentimes com- team physician put in his medicine bag?
plete loss of vision.
The traumas mainly occur to the eyelids, then to the cor- ■ several sterile ocular bandages,
nea, and then, to the same frequency, to the iris and ante- ■ an eyewash anesthetic, such as Novésine
rior chamber. ■ an eyewash or a stéroidal, anti-inflammatory ointment,
a bactericidal antibiotic, such as Maxidrol,
In the general, of all the basketball-related eye injuries ■ a myotonic eyewash to reduce the ocular pressure,
occur, between 0.5 to 2% (researches of 1977, 1995, 1997, such as Isopto-Pilocarpine (1%).
Doc. Huguet, and Bégué). In these studies, the cornea was
the most injured region part of the eye. Be sure to verify the expiration date of these products, and
the modes of conservation. The repeated use of some eye
Hospitalizations (13,8%) and surgeries (5,6%) are not very products containing dexaméthasone can lead to a positive
common. Case studies by the NBA corroborate the pre- drug test. Eyewash containing nandrolone, such as Keratyl,
vious observations. Offensive players who shoot (27,1%) or can also lead to a positive drug test.
fight for the rebound (30,5%) are more vulnerable to these Be sure to have basketball player examined by an ophthal-
injuries. The fingers (35,6%) and the elbows (28,8%) are the mologist.
main causes of these traumas.

What diagnosis must be considered facing this “finger in

the eye”?
If you need to consider between a simple bruise and the
wound of the globe, it is necessary to think about the most
frequent, while always thinking a serious complication
could exist. Often, it is a question of superficial lesions to
the level of the previous segment that can cause:

HEMORRHAGE UNDER-CONJUNCTIVAL
The white of the eye becomes bright red, and slowly
regresses over an eight days period. It is spectacular
injury, but not serious. The doctor often misdiagnose this a
possibile sclerotic rupture.

CORNEAL EROSIONS (THE MOST COMMON INJURY)

This causes pain, tearing and light sensitivity. This injuries
can be diagnosed by an eye specialist by the use of a fluo-
rescin drop (gesture to let make to the specialist).

A more violent trauma to the eye can cause:

LYMPHEDEMA
A blood fills the anterior chamber of the eye. Pain is extre-
me violent and vomiting often occurs. You can recognize a

EV\Z'
 DOCTORS

WATER
REHABILITATION
FOR PLAYERS WITH
LOW BACK PAIN
by Piero Benelli

Dr. Piero Benelli is the team doctor of Scavolini Pesaro, a

Division I team in Italy. He is a sports medicine specialist,
Director of the Sports Medicine Center and Professor of the
Motor Science Institute at the University of Urbino. He is
also President of the Italian Association of Basketball
Doctors, and a member of the medical staff of the Italian
Men’s National Basketball team.

A small portion of all backaches do have clear causes-for

instance, a ruptured disk or some underlying disease. But
in the great majority of cases, the exact diagnosis isn’t
known. Is the cause of a basketball player’s backache that
sudden movement yesterday when he bent to pick up a
ball, or is the problem that he has been exercising too
much? Or could it be his poor posture, or just everyday
wear and tear? In fact, it’s probably a combination of all
these.
A backache can range from mild discomfort to excrucia-
ting pain. Usually X-rays show nothing wrong despite the
pain-yet in some cases there’s dramatic damage to disks
but no pain whatsoever. Back injuries are often made
worse by tension and stress, or posture, a sagging mat-
tress, or poor body mechanics, especially when lifting
heavy objects.
Physical therapy can benefit many basketball players with
low back pain. An excellent form of therapy now used by
many therapists is aquatic rehabilitation, also known as
aquatherapy, or pool therapy. This gentle form of rehabili-
tation combines the beneficial effects of exercise and
water to create an optimal environment for rehabilitation.
Using aquatherapy, I have rehabilitated basketball players
with backache, both for relatively slight injuries as well as
more serious ones, including sciatica and post-surgical
EV\Z(
 DOCTORS

rehabilitation following disk surgery. athlete usually wearing a flotation device. A drawback to
The greatest benefits of pool therapy are primarily due to deep-water training is that an athlete cannot be left alone
three physical properties of water: buoyancy, viscosity, in deep water and a therapist should be in the water with
and hydrostatic pressure. These physical properties make him. Shallow water rehabilitation, however, is performed in
this medium superior to air for exercising, especially early water that is approximately waist-deep, 120 centimeters
in the rehabilitation process. (four feet). Here are some typical shallow-water exercises:
Together, these three properties allow development of a
therapeutic exercise regimen that controls such critical ● Warm-up. (With flotation jacket) Walk and/or jog in the
factors as the weight placed on the spine (axial load) and water, for 5 to 10 minutes
risk of injury due to unintended movements. Let’s look clo-
sely at each benefit. ● Scissors. Have the athlete support himself at the edge
Buoyancy. Water works wonders because the buoyancy of of the pool with both arms relaxed. If the athlete is just
water suspends the body and reverses the effects of gra- beginning or does not know how to swim, have him sit on a
vity. Buoyancy can allow the low-back pain patient effec- step at the side of the pool. If he is more advanced and has
tive partial weight-bearing support that can be enhanced strong abdominal muscles, he can do this at the side of the
by the use of flotation devices. pool, with his arms on top of the pool edge, his neck sligh-
This may allow the patient to begin rehabilitation earlier tly bent forward to relax hisr neck muscles, and his legs at
and result in an earlier return to the basketball court. One about a 45 degree angle in the water. Separate the legs
of the greatest benefits of water exercise is its effect on into a “V” position and then bring them across each other,
flexibility. like a scissors opening and closing. Alternate right leg
Water is a welcome environment for performing stretches across left, left leg across right. This will require the use of
that might otherwise be difficult on land. Because the abdominal muscles to maintain this position while he criss-
effects of gravity are lessened, athletes can move their crosses or scissors his legs. Do this for five to ten minu-
joints through a wider range of motion and achieve long- tes.
term flexibility. In addition, water exercise acts as a
cushion for weight-bearing joints, resulting in low impact ● Leg swings. While holding on to the edge of the pool,
across the low back. The buoyancy of the water also swing a straight leg forward toward the surface of the
allows athletes to exercise harder and longer than on land. water, then down and backward. Pull backward only within
Viscosity: Water is denser than air, which provides increa- a pain-free range.
sed resistance to movement. Actually, water results in
upwards of 12 times the resistance encountered when ● Leg circles. Standing away from the pool wall, start with
performing the same exercise on land. It’s this increased very small circles. Lift the leg straight forward, then sweep
resistance in every direction that adds to the workout and it through a smooth circular motion out to the side, then
is the primary reason why an athlete can improve both behind the body. Complete the circle by brushing the leg
strength and resistance while exercising in water. Using past the standing leg and beginning the next circle. After
special equipment, such as flotation jackets or water wei- completing the repetitions, reverse the direction of the cir-
ghts, or adding turbulence to the water, can increase resi- cle, going from clockwise to counterclockwise or the
stance, which can produce significant strength gains in opposite. Perform four to five repetitions.
weak low-back muscles.
Hydrostatic pressure. Water also produces hydrostatic
pressure to all submerged body parts. This means there is
equal pressure from the water on the body that increases
with the depth of the body part. This pressure opposes the
tendency of blood to pool in the lower extremities and the-
refore reduces any swelling.
When it comes to rehabilitating low-back pain in basket-
ball players, a well-designed aquatherapy exercise pro-
gram can be used alone or in conjunction with other forms
of physical therapy for the patient.
Aquatherapy offers many of the same benefits associated
with a carefully designed land-based program, including
development of a treatment plan that is carefully tailored
to the individual patient.
Water-based exercises should only be performed under
the guidance of a qualified health professional.
Aquatherapy should not be used in cases involving fever,
cardiac failure, incontinence, infection, and other condi-
tions. Athletes with severely limited endurance or range of
motion may pose safety issues.
Depending on the depth of the pool, aquatherapy can be
divided into two types: deep water and shallow-water
rehabilitation. Deep-water exercise is usually performed in
a pool at least 210 centimeters (seven feet) deep, with the

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RADIAL SHOCK
WAVES FOR THE
TREATMENT TO THE
LOWER LIMBS
by François Tassery

by Thierry Allaire

Dr.Francois Tassery is
the team doctor for the
Division I men’s basket-
ball team, St. Thomas Le
Havre, and the doctor for
the HAC Women’s
Handball Division I team.
Dr. Tassery is a member
of both the French
Society for Sport
Traumatology and the
Association of
Basketball Surgeons,
Physiotherapists,
Doctors, and
Chiropodists (ACKMPB).

In the early 1990s, medi-

cal machines originally used in the field of urology for compressor), are administered through contact with the
breaking up kidney stones (lithotripsy) were increasingly skin and penetrate the tissue to a depth of 3 to 4 cms. It’s
used to treat pseudarthrosis and break up intra-tendinous possible to treat superficial lesions to the soft tissues with
calcifications. RSWT. It is typically used for treating heels, elbows, and
The radial shock wave device used by us, the “Swiss knees.
Dolorclast” (Electronic Radial System-EMS) produces so- The treatment eases inflammation in afflicted area and
called “radial” shock waves (Radial Shock Wave Therapy relieves chronic pain.
- RSWT). The device is very similar to the one currently
used in non-surgical treatment of kidney and gall-bladder HOW THE TREATMENT WORKS
stones. It generates strong shock waves at the treatment Shock waves probably work in two ways: mechanically and
site. chemically. Shock-wave therapy sends pulses of rapid-fire
sound waves to the site of the injury.
These shock waves, which are pneumatic in origin (air This triggers the body’s own mechanism for healing by sti-
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mulating an increased blood flow to the area. Tolerance of the treatment was noted at each session.
The tissue is broken up, creating little tunnels through A functional evaluation was carried out at the last session
which new blood vessels can grow. The increased blood and six weeks later, enabling the effectiveness of the
supply allows the tissue to heal and become more flexible. treatment to be assessed by selecting one of the five fol-
The chemical action can partly be explained by the anae- lowing options:
sthetic effect during the session. Following a certain num- very satisfactory (VS), satisfactory (S), insufficient (I), no
ber of shock waves, it is likely that endorphins are relea- improvement (N), and aggravated (A).
sed locally and it’s probable that “gate control phenome-
na” enter into the explanation for healing. CONTRAINDICATIONS
There are few contraindications: pregnancy, neurological
The effectiveness of the treatment should be assessed or vascular pathologies, local infections, coagulation pro-
after the final shock wave session and then again fol- blems or ongoing treatment with anticoagulants. Children
lowing a period of 45 days. were excluded from our study.
Results (see tables)
The following is a draft of a study we recently completed
using RSWT to treat injured athletes. COMMENTS
This study, carried out on a sample of 91 highly-trained
RADIAL SHOCK WAVES FOR PATHOLOGIES TO THE LOWER LIMBS IN athletes, enabled us to analyse the effectiveness of treat-
91 INDOOR SPORTS ATHLETES ment using radial shock waves.
In a study carried out over a period of six months, we used No medical condition was aggravated by the RSWT.
a radial shock device (Swiss Dolorclast) in the treatment of Very satisfactory results were obtained with a limited
pathologies specific to the lower limbs of athletes partici- number of sessions and a short duration of treatment (15
pating in indoor sports (basketball, handball, and volley- days). We believe the sooner treatment with shock waves
ball). is started, the more effective the treatment will be.
91 athletes taking part in competitions and aged from 18 to In the case of patellar and Achilles tendinitis, the shock
40 were involved in this study. waves made it possible to intensify physiotherapeutic

VS+S I+N A Observations VS+S I+N A Observations

Patellar tendinitis 100% 5 high-level athletes Periostitis 100% 15 high-level athletes
n=7 7 n = 22 22
no. of sessions: 3 5 very good results no. of sessions: 3.1 15 very good results

VS+S I+N A Observations VS+S I+N A Observations

Achilles tendinitis 89% 11% 17 high-level athletes After-effects 100% 4 high-level athletes
of muscular tears
n = 37 33 4 n=4 4
no. of sessions: 3 17 very good results no. of sessions: 1 4 very good results

VS+S I+N A Observations VS+S I+N A Observations

Plantar fasciitis 90% 10% 14 high-level athletes Stress fracture 100% 1 high-level athlete
pseudarthrosis
n = 20 18 2 n=1 1
No. of sessions: 3 17 very good results no. of sessions: 4 1 very good result

PROTOCOLS treatment (eccentric massage, stretching) and thereby

The treatment was of short duration: a maximum of 4 to 5 preventing the risk of recurrence.
sessions, twice a week for high-level athletes involved in
competition. We used 2000 to 3000 pulses on each athlete, Other physical agents (ultrasound, physiotherapy) may be
on average. The frequency varied between 9 Hz and 14 Hz enhanced following treatment with shock waves.
according to the injury and the region to be treated. The Shock wave therapy coupled with other treatments ena-
pressure exerted by the compressor remained between 1.8 bled all the high-level athletes to continue training and
and 2.5 bars. competing in their sport without interruption.

The shock waves were, for the most part, used in combi- CONCLUSION
nation with other medical treatments typically used in The success rates we obtained with treatment of such a
treating the ailment. Progress was assessed by clinical short duration seems to us to be worthy of interest as an
examination and with the aid of a questionnaire which eva- effective, non-invasive treatment method with very few
luated the quality of everyday and athletic activities. side effects.
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ANTERIOR CRUCIATE
LIGAMENT
DEFICIENCY hip to knee, at a sharper angle than in men. This Q-angle, or quadri-
ceps angle, often predisposes a woman to more knee injuries than
a male. In addition, a woman’s joints are slightly more lax than a
male. The joints typically have more hyper-elasticity or mobility and
it’s this hyper-looseness that predisposes a woman’s anterior cru-
ciate ligament to more injury. Hormonal factors, leg strength, and
the particular geometry of the female knee joint also may be factors
by Costas Parisis by Stergios Papastergiou to predispose one to increased risk of rupture.

MECHANISM
Dr. Costas Parisis, an orthopaedic surgeon, is Head of the Hellenic Mechanisms of an ACL tear (eight times more common in women
Basketball Federation Medical Services, and a member of the and probably due to the female “Q” angle) without involving direct
Medical Council of FIBA. contact include:
1. Violent hyperextension of the knee.
Dr. Stergios Papastergiou is an orthopaedic surgeon at St. Paul 2. Violent abduction, flexion, and internal rotation of the tibia on the
Hospital, Sport Injuries Unit, in Thessaloniki, Greece. femur.

(Editor’s Note: The article on the anterior cruciate ligament and its DIAGNOSIS
rehabilitation, written by Dr. Mladen Maksic and published in the An ACL tear /deficiency can be diagnosed and classified according
past issue -issue N.3, July/August 2003-, was so well received, with to the history of the mechanism of the injury; an evaluation of stabi-
requests for more information on this topic, that we invited other lity; and through X-ray, MRI scan, or an arthroscopic examination
doctors to discuss this devastating injury.) performed under general anesthesia.
The physical examination of knee joint stability and the ACL should
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the site of one of the most include the following stress tests (both knees should be available for
common sports injuries. Twisting the knee with the foot firmly plan- examination to allow comparison):
ted on the ground can sever this important ligament. The normally The Lachman-Noulis test, which is indicative of the tear of the
strong, rope-like 1.5-inch ligament crosses through the middle of posterior/lateral bundle of the ligament. This test is performed with
the knee joint and keeps the shinbone from sliding too far forward the knee in 15-20° of flexion with the patient lying supine. Using one
on the thighbone. Unlike the hip, with its deeply contoured ball-and- hand on the anterior aspect of the distal femur and the second hand
socket arrangement, the knee depends almost entirely on soft tis- behind the proximal tibia, try to displace the tibia forward from the
sue-ligaments and tendons-for stability. The knee connects the two femur. A positive Lachman occurs when either more than 5 mm of
rounded surfaces (condyles) of the large thighbone (femur) with the anterior displacement of the tibia is noted or no endpoint is encoun-
lower leg bone (tibia). An elaborate system of ligaments, the anato- tered. Note that this is difficult to perform on obese patients if the
mical equivalent of bungee cords, holds the joint together. Two liga- doctor has small hands.
ments (the collateral) bind the knee on the inside and outside bor- The anterior drawer test, which indicates tear of the anterior/medial
ders, while anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments cross inside bundle of the ligament. When performed with the tibia internally or
the joint to hold it in place. In the course of any athletic movement, externally rotated, it provides extra information about the poste-
when the knee is accidentally rotated too far and the ligaments are rior/lateral and the posterior/medial compartment of the knee.
stretched even slightly beyond their length, they will often rupture Perform this test with the knee at 90° of flexion with the patient lying
with a sickening “pop.” Most often it’s the anterior cruciate liga- supine. Place both hands behind the proximal tibia and attempt to
ment (ACL), and such a devastating injury usually requires recon- displace the tibia forward from the femur. If there is more than 6 mm
structive surgery followed by extensive rehabilitation with weights. of tibial displacement, it suggests an ACL tear. Note: The anterior
It’s now estimated in the United States that there is 1 ACL tear per drawer test is not very sensitive and has been found to be positive
3,000 people in a general population, with 25 to 50 percent even- in only 77 percent of patients with complete ACL rupture.
tually undergoing surgical reconstruction. International statistics ▼ The valgus (abduction) test and the varus (adduction) test
are not available. Prior to the introduction of arthroscopic knee sur- both performed in extension.
gery in the early 1970s, an ACL tear was often a career-ending injury ▼ The pivot shift test, which is performed by causing anterior
for an athlete. subluxation of the extended tibia and its reduction when
Women are especially vulnerable to ACL injuries. The wider female the tibia is flexed followed by the snapping of the iliotibial band.
pelvis, for instance, often produces thighs that angle inward, from The “key tests” for the physical examination of the tear/deficiency
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of the ACL ligament are: reconstruction(The best possible repair should be done
a. The Lachman-Noulis test (with evaluation of the endpoint). without delay).
b. The pivot shift test. ▼ Primary repair is not the panacea of the ACL tear as:
When performed by experienced examiners, the evaluation of the a. It can provide a solution to the mechanical problem of instability
stability of the ligament may provide a precise diagnosis of the that results from the deficiency of the ligament, but
tear/deficiency in 90 percent of the cases, even though the clinical b. Cannot restore the proprioceptive function of the ligament and its
evaluation itself isn’t always enough to reveal partial tears (mainly protective role.
of the anterior/medial bundle of the ACL). c. The success rate is 85-95 percent and the improvement of stabi-
MRI testing should not be overused but may be useful when doubt lity on a long-term basis appears in 66 percent of the patients, whe-
arises from the physical examination. The MRI’s sensitivity and pre- reas the functional ability improves in 70 percent of the patients.
cision in revealing recent and old tears is higher than any other tests d. The failure rate is 8 percent with a recurrence of the knee insta-
(92-98 percent) but when it comes to differentiation between partial bility and can be followed by complications such as:
and total tear, it’s not higher than 50 percent. 1. Loss of movement of the knee joint (15 percent) either
Controversy arises from the fact that an ACL tear inevitably leads to as a loss of the extension rate (more than 5-10 percent) or
the “beginning of the end of the knee joint.” Researchers point to as a total movement range (less than 125 degrees).
deficiency of the ligament, functional incapacity and symptomatic 2. Persistent postoperative effusion (10 percent).
instability of the knee joint, and finally osteoarthritis of the knee. 3. Septic arthritis (0.3 - 1.3 percent) etc.
On the other hand, one can never be certain of the number of The surgical treatment that is strongly recommended in young ath-
patients that will suffer in the future from chondral degeneration. letes is either arthroscopic or open reconstruction of the ligament
This depends on: (followed by meniscal repair or partial meniscectomy of the meni-
▼ The degree of the injury to the ligament. scal tears). This should be performed right after the relief of the
▼ The associated osseous, ligamentous, meniscal, and acute symptoms (usually three weeks later). Acute repair might be
chondral injuries. considered only when the tibial insertion of the ligament has been
▼ The associated injuries and the post-traumatic degree of avulsed with a fragment of bone.
recovery of the secondary restrain to the anterior
translation of the knee. GRAFTS
▼ The demands, needs, and expectations of the patients. In reconstruction of the ligament, the grafts that can be used are :
▼ Autografts.
TREATMENT CONSIDERATIONS ▼ Bone-patellar tendon-bone graft (BPTB).
Surgical or no surgical treatment must be selected depending on ▼ Quadriceps tendon with or without tendon bone graft (QT).
factors such as: ▼ Semitendinosous and gracilis tendon grafts (ST/G).
1. The patient’s age. ▼ Allografts.
2. The activity demands and willingness to modify them. ▼ Synthetic grafts.
3. Compliance of the patient with the postoperative The BPTB is well preferred by the majority of surgeons (the gold
rehabilitation Program. standard). The ST/G and the QT are less preferred, and allografts
4. The laxity of the joint and the instability grade. are indicated for patients who are not involved in competitive sports
5. The associated osseous, ligamentous, meniscal, and need to quickly return to work and activities of daily living.
and chondral Injuries. Usually the graft is placed in anatomical and isometric position and
6. The willingness of the patient to be treated surgically. is fixed with interference screws or other systems of fixation.
Patients with an ACL tear should be well informed in regards to the
following: REHABILITATION
▼ The untreated ACL tear, as well as the untreated meniscal Postoperative rehabilitation programs that follow reconstruction of
tear (which is expected and common due to the instability the ACL ligament can be “accelerated” by:
of the knee) greatly increases the odds of developing ▼ Early initiation of movement, weight bearing, and closed
osteoarthritis. A meniscectomy, doubles these findings kinetic chain exercise.
when compared with “healthy” individuals of the same ▼ Slow initiation of open kinetic chain exercise.
age (1-2 percent). During postoperative rehabilitation, balance should be maintained
▼ The ACL tear that is treated conservatively and has a long between the protection of the graft during maturation process (liga-
follow-up time is thought to be related to osteoarthritis in mentation ), preserving full range of motion, and dynamic stability as
57 percent of the patients < 35 years old and in 87 percent well as functioning of the knee joint.
of the patients > 35 years old. The criteria for when patients can return to sports after surgical
▼ When primary repair of the ligament is performed with a treatment are based upon clinical findings and laboratory results.
long term follow-up period the rate of degenerative Returning to sports is usually allowed when:
arthritis is 13 percent in patients with intact menisci, 31 1. There is full range of motion of the knee joint.
percent in those with a lateral meniscectomy, 37 percent 2. There is no knee joint instability or effusion.
in those with a medial meniscectomy, and 40 percent in 3. The comparative degree of functional tests is at least 95
those with a bilateral meniscectomy. The importance of percent.
the condition of the menisci during ligamentous 4. Knee joint proprioception is restored.
reconstruction, as well as the protective value of the 5. The comparative degree of power and force of the
repair of the ligament, is more than obvious. quadriceps and the hamstrings in K-T1000 evaluation is at
▼ Patients with primary repair of the ligament seem to least 85-90 percent.
suffer less degenerative lesions of the tibiofemoral joint Finally, return to sports may be as early as five months or as long as
when compared with the ones with late nine months to a year.

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 DOCTORS

MOVEMENT
ANALYSIS IN SPORTS
AND BASKETBALL movement.
Sports performance is directly linked to human motion and
performance. So, movement analysis is automatically a part
of human performance assessment and analysis.
Today in many sports, sports scientists use movement
analysis as a tool to enhance techniques, correct move-
by Ilker Yücesir ment errors, assess metabolic costs related to a variety of
movements, and aid in rehabilitation.

Ilker Yücesir is a professor in the School of Physical BIOMECHANICS AND MOVEMENT ANALYSIS
Education and Sports at Istanbul University. He was medi- The study of the motion of living things is known as “biome-
cal coordinator at Eurobasket 2001 in Turkey. A member of chanics” which is a fusion of the disciplines of anatomy,
the FIBA Medical Council, Yücesir was the team physician physiology, physics, and engineering. Biomechanical
for a variety of club and national teams in different sports. research of human motion respects the human body as a
mechanical system of moving segments upon which
WHAT IS MOVEMENT ANALYSIS? muscular, gravitational, inertial, and reaction forces are
Modern human movement analysis is the interpretation of applied. Modern computerized systems of movement analy-
computerized data that documents an individual’s upper sis generally consist of placing special markers on the
and lower extremities, pelvis, and trunk motion during subject that will transmit informative data from their posi-
movement. Movement analysis has its roots in ancient tion in space to receiver device(s) or force platforms that
times. Philosophers and physicians had been thinking and then assess those forces and moments related to gravity.
arguing about human movement. The beginning of dynamic Computer software programs are used to evaluate the col-
calculations of human movement, however, began with lected data and process it.
Giovanni Borelli during Renaissance. Before Dr. James Processing of data results in numeric values and graphics
Naismith created the magical game called basketball, of different sorts, such as stick figures or other graphs of
Muybridge was analyzing human and animal movements movement. With these software programs, it is now possi-
with photographs in 1870. Using cinematographic pictures, ble to make sophisticated calculations, statistical evalua-
Braun and Fischer made their own calculations, transfor- tions, and comparisons between subjects, cases, and
ming images to numeric values, like “change of location models related with the movement.
per second,” which actually is the velocity of movement.
For decades, taking moving pictures and processing them
frame-by-frame, was the primary method for determining
movement of athletes and animals. It was also a difficult
method. In the past 25 years, however, the development
and subsequent improvement of electronic technology and
computer science has made it easier to analyze human
movement.
The increasing involvement of technology in medicine has
made some other methods and tools available for tracking
and assessing human motion. Additional equipment, such
as dynamic EMG, force plates, pedobarographs, electro-
goniometers, and metabolic analyzers have made a more
complicated, but also more complete acquisition of human
movement available.
Hundreds of laboratories around the world are now
working on movement analysis. These laboratories prima-
rily work with patients with neurological, neuromuscular,
and orthopedic disorders of locomotion. However, there is
also important work being done in analyzing sports-related
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Armed with this valuable information, movement resear-

chers can determine abnormal biomechanics, measure
deviations from a desired pattern, and assess a variety of
biomechanical errors made by an athlete.

HOW CAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS BE USED IN BASKETBALL

The use of movement analysis for athletic performance
focuses on errors made by the athlete while performing a
specific movement during the course of a game.
Comparison of an athlete’s movement stored in a computer
with a database consisting of this particular athletic acti-
vity makes it possible to determine and correct errors made
by the athlete.
For this purpose, two kinds of databases can be used.
The first database is created from the movement data of
elite athletes, while the second is created over time from
the movement data of the athlete himself. For example,
once you have a database of an elite athlete performing a
particular movement-a jump shot, for example-you can then
compare it with a particular player’s execution of the same
movement. Once you record a number of repetitions of a
player for a certain skill, you can compare his/her bad
performances with the performances desired.
You will then be able to say where he/she is failing and
needs to pay closer attention in order to correct his/her
technique.
You can compare a player’s made free throws with the mis-
sed attempts, for example. Simple suggestions, such as tel-
ling the player to shoot with the elbow extended more, or
with the wrist flexed may be enough to significantly increa-
se free throw percentage. Some may say that an experien-
ced coach is already making this movement analysis during
practice sessions and games and therefore he really doe-
sn’t need to avail himself of this movement technology. shooting. Correction of a simple error involved in place-
However, while the coach can play a role in fine-tuning ment of the feet prior to a jumpshot may lead to better run-
shooting technique, keeping track of subtle changes in ning, jumping, and shooting abilities.
movement over a period of years needs more than the eyes Another important aspect of movement analysis is its use in
and memory of the coach. rehabilitation of injured athletes.
With the use of modern movement analysis, researchers Athletes recovering from surgery or a serious chronic
may help fine-tune everything from running, jumping, and injury often require intensive correction of the motor abili-
ties that were lost over time. Incorrect movement
habits developed because of the injury need to be
pointed out to the athlete and strategies have to be
developed to help the athlete recover proper move-
ment patterns.
Coupling audio-visual biofeedback along with the
analysis of the movement during rehabilitation can
also be used as an important part of the treatment.

SUMMARY
Analysis of movement is a developing area in sports
science. Relying on one’s natural athletic talent can
take an athlete only so far. Movement analysis,
however, can be the difference between the athle-
te making a team, significantly improving his skills,
and returning to action after an injury.

All figures are copied from official website

of Ariel Dynamics Inc., USA,
and used with courtesy of Ariel Dynamics.

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TECHNOLOGY
AND BASKETBALL
TRAINING
by H. C. Holmberg

H. C. Holmberg, the Head Physiologist for the Swedish Olympic

Committee, was the former head coach of the Swedish national
cross-country skiing team. As a cadet and junior, he also played for
Sweden’s National basketball team, later going on to coach in the
Second Division.

It is well known that basketball is among the most physically

demanding of all team sports. Numerous researchers have demon-
strated that both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems play an
important role during the course of a full-court match. There is a
wide range of work intensities during a game, from continuous
sprinting baseline to baseline in an up-tempo game to standing
almost motionless on the foul line while shooting free-throws. The
best way to measure the work intensity and metabolic response of
players in team sports is to monitor heart rate and take measure-
ments of blood lactate concentration. Commercially-available
heart-rate monitors transfer heart rate signals from a transmitter
belt worn on the chest to a wristwatch, from which the athlete can
see a continuous display of heart rate. These monitors are practical
for endurance athletes in skiing, cycling, and running, allowing
them to follow their heart rate during training or race situations and
guide their exercise intensity. However, in team sports such as
basketball, this precise monitoring is impossible because players
are forbidden to wear wristwatches during competition due to the
inherent risk of injury. Hitting an opponent with a hard plastic wri-
stwatch can cut or bruise a player.
In order to gauge exercise intensity of basketball players, the impor-
tant questions of exercise physiologists include: What are the
benefits of following basketball players’ exercise intensity level in
real time? If there are benefits, how could such monitoring be
performed without injuring a player?

PRACTICAL USE OF HEART RATE MONITORING

Before beginning training sessions for the Eurobasket 2003
Championship, the Swedish national team requested assistance
from the Swedish Olympic Committee to investigate the overall phy-
sical status of its players. This was accomplished by performing
several special tests in the research laboratory. The results were
then used to help develop practical exercise guidelines for the on-
and off-court training of the players.
Again, a critical question was how to determine the specific physi-
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cal intensity level at which the

player trained and played
basketball. As exercise scien-
tists, this request motivated us
to better understand the phy-
sical demands required by the
elite-level basketball player.
We contacted a Swedish
research-based company,
Activio (www.activio.se), that
has developed a telemetry
system for heart rate monito-
ring. Using their equipment,
we were then able to monitor
training and practice games
online without putting any
players at risk of injury. The
heart rate data was presented
online on a laptop, making the
exercise intensity information from all players easily accessible. ferent players spent in different heart rate intensity zones.
To monitor exercise intensity, each player wore a standard heart By using this system and getting fast feedback in real time, the
rate transmitter belt on the chest, complemented with an additional players were well informed. By knowing that they were training in
light-weight unit (50 grams). Using radio technology, this unit sent the correct heart rate zone proved to be a good motivation tool for
heart rate data continuously to a receiver connected to a courtside the players.
laptop computer (see picture, the unit). Our research determined that many of the players showed different
This space-age system makes it possible to perform on-line analy- recovery patterns after hard games and recovered with diverse
sis during physical activity. In a practical sense, this allows an assi- time patterns after more intense up-tempo parts of the game. It was
stant coach to continously follow the exercise intensity of a parti- obvious that after such periods, prolonged fatigue directly influen-
cular training session or game. On the screen, he can choose to fol- ced the number of turnovers and individual shooting percentages.
low the heart rates of the five active players on the court and simul- Based on our recent experience with the national team, we now
taneously follow the recovery rate of the substituted players sitting believe that with the help from an online telemetry system it will be
on the bench. All heart rate data is automatically stored in the com- easier to coach and to judge individual playing time during games.
puter, which simplifies the data administration process. Diagrams Picture 2 shows the heart rate curves of two players from one of the
and tables can be presented to the coach and the players as imme- practice games prior to the Eurobasket 2003 Championship.
diate feedback . We also found that ordinary training is not sufficient for developing
the necessary aerobic capacity for basketball players. The total
RESULTS AND EXPERIENCES number of training hours for a Swedish top player is approximately
After carefully analysing the physiological capacity profile of the 10 to 12 hours a week, and this includes strength training and low-
national team, our main goal was to significantly increase the intensity shooting drills. The fact that basketball players in Sweden
players’ aerobic capacity while maintaining muscle strength, do not work as full-time professionals requires them to be extre-
speed, and jumping ability. A critical question was whether the cur- mely time-efficient. Heart rate analysis of exercise intensity helps
rently prescribed on-court basketball training was intensive enou- us to better balance how many hours in off-court training each
gh. We felt that the aerobic demands of the upcoming Eurobasket player should perform each week. This has proven to be very effec-
2003 tournament were going to be very high. There would be many tive during a season where different players perform various work-
games played over a few days and maintaining the team’s current loads depending on their playing time. To keep all players at opti-
stamina and performance level over that period would be a major mum cardiac output, we used our heart rate analysis to determi-
priority. ne which player needed extra training sessions. It turned out that
We decided to perform heart rate monitoring during training on- and those players who didn’t get much playing time in the games nee-
off-court as well as during practice games. In addition, we monito- ded the extra work to compensate for their overall lower work-
red blood lactate concentration to better determine fatigue levels. loads.
The heart rate monitoring was initially used to determine a good Modern technology in a modern sport?
intensity level during the general off-court aerobic training. Prior to Today, Sweden may not be among the world’s basketball powers
Eurobasket 2003, the team used interval training with a heart-rate but we think that the Swedish team prepared as well as any for
intensity of 90 percent to 95 percent of their maximum heart rate Eurobasket 2003. One main objective was to develop scientifical-
three times a week. These running workouts included 4 to 5 inter- ly-based training methods for individual and team practice ses-
vals of three to four minutes duration, with three minutes of active sions that would enhance aerobic and anaerobic capacity. We
rest between each sprint interval. achieved that goal.
Of equal importance was the need to precisely monitor the training Basketball is considered to be one of the most developed sports
load during hard training days and recovery days. This would allow in the world when it comes to learning and analysing technique,
us to personalize and follow the training loads of each player. The performing tactical analysis, and for using game statistics. It is
new heart rate monitoring system allowed us to follow the players our belief that the use of modern medical technology can also be
on-court during training and also during the practice games. On the an important tool to help optimize physical training, taking the
display, we received information directly on how many minutes dif- game to a higher level in the process.
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JUMPER’S
KNEE
by Miroslav Smerdelj

Miroslav Smerdelj is a surgeon and Professor in the ▼ Pain or tenderness behind the kneecap
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of the School of ▼ Pain and tenderness around the patellar tendon
Medicine at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. ▼ Swelling in the knee joint or swelling where the
patellar tendon attaches to the shinbone
Professionalism and top-level results in all of sport place a ▼ Pain with jumping, running or walking, especially
great physical burden on athletes. The ancient Olympic motto downhill or downstairs
“citius, fortius, altius” (faster, stronger, higher) that athletes ▼ Restricted movement in the area surrounding the
strive to achieve is often the root cause of many injuries. injury
There are basically two types of injuries in sport: acute inju- The patellar tendon, one of the strongest and thickest in the
ries and overuse injuries. Acute injuries are often the result body, attaches at the bottom of the kneecap (patella) and the
of a single, traumatic event. Common examples include ankle top of the tibia (shin bone). When the four quadriceps
sprains, wrist fractures, shoulder dislocations, and hamstring muscles contract for jumping or bounding activities, the ten-
muscle strain. don is pulled and extended to straighten the leg. This tendon
Overuse injuries are subtler and usually occur over a period also helps absorb ground forces upon landing. Repeated jum-
time. They are the result of repetitive microtrauma to the ten- ping may irritate the tendon where it attaches to the knee-
dons, bones, and joints. Common examples include jumper’s cap, leading to tendinitis-a degeneration and inflammation of
knee (infrapatellar tendinitis), tennis elbow (lateral epicondy- the tendon.
litis), swimmer’s shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis and impinge- Athletes will not usually notice jumper’s knee when they are
ment), Achilles tendonitis, and shin splints. warmed up and playing because there is not any pain.
In most sports and activities, overuse injuries are the most However, once activity stops, soreness sets in. In chronic
common and the most challenging to diagnose and treat. The cases when the tendon is continually inflamed, there will be
human body has a tremendous capacity to adapt to physical constant soreness and pain.
stresses. In fact, many positive changes occur as a result of As soon as pain is detected, the athlete should stop the acti-
this. With exercise and activity, bones, muscles, tendons, and vity and massage the tendon with ice until the area becomes
ligaments get stronger and more functional. This happens numb, then continue with the icing for five minutes. Repeat
because of an internal process called remodeling. The remo- this ice massage three times daily. Consult with your physi-
deling process involves both the breakdown and building up cian. Over-the-counter analgesics such as aspirin or ibupro-
of tissue. There is a fine balance between the two and if fen may be taken according to label directions for relief of
breakdown occurs more rapidly than build up, injury occurs. pain and inflammation.
This can happen when you first begin a sport or activity and If pain is so severe that the athlete limps, consult a physician.
try to do too much too soon. If you play basketball for several After examination, the athlete may be given a prescription
hours in an attempt to improve rapidly, you are setting your- oral anti-inflammatory medication and also a cane or crut-
self up for an overuse injury. This is because you are trying to ches to help stabilize the injured leg.
do too much and do not allow your body adequate time to The key to treatment of jumper’s knee is early intervention
recover. Novices, especially, may have poor technique, and rest. The tendon is inflamed for whatever reason, so the
which may predispose them to jumper’s knee, a common ove- athlete should refrain from bending the knee-especially exer-
ruse injury. With overuse injuries, it often takes detective-like cising-until tenderness and pain are gone. This will assure
work to understand why the injury occurred. that an acute situation does not become chronic.
Here are the most common symptoms of jumper’s knee: The healing process may take several days to several weeks,
▼ Pain with bending or straightening the leg depending on the severity of the tendinitis. Usually within two
▼ Pain that is worse in the evening or at night to four weeks, pain and tenderness are gone and sports acti-
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vity may be gradually resumed. toms of jumpers knee. In reviewing the data, we found that
Athletes have to be educated about what may have initially sports participation ranged from a low of three years to a
precipitated the condition. To keep jumper’s knee from recur- high of 21 years.
ring, try to remove a few of the demands the athlete makes on On average, men were active in sports for 13.5 years and 9.3
their quadriceps, such as squatting, running up and down years for women. Jumper’s knee was generally reported
hills, or running on hard surfaces, such as concrete. after being involved in sports for at least 8 years.
Working with a coach or teacher or taking lessons can assu- These subjects were active athletes, with sport training
re proper training and technique. lasting 3.1 hours daily, 25.5 days a month.
Paying particular attention to proper warm up before activity
and using ice after activity may also help. Aspirin or other RESULTS
over the counter anti-inflammatory medications can also be In the investigated athletes, there was a gradual onset of
taken to relieve symptoms. knee pain in 60 subjects, and acute onset in 24. Pain was
Common sense also plays a role. Athletes must learn to listen located at the lower border of the patella in 55 subjects, at
to their body. Remember that “no pain, no gain” does not the upper border in 18 athletes, and at the tubial tuberosity in
apply here. The “10% rule” is very helpful. In general, athle- 11.
tes should not increase their training program or activity Clinical tests revealed pain on palpation in all those investi-
more than 10% per week. gated. 43 had mild pain, 41 reported moderate to severe pain.
This allows the body adequate time for recovery and respon- Pain was reported in extension for 47 subjects; 66 reported
se. pain with resitance and extension;
and 49 reported pain with maximal
JUMPER’S KNEE STUDY TABLE - THE TREATMENT flexion.
The patient with jumper’s knee
(patellar tendinopathy) often com-
OF JUMPERS KNEE Q-angle measurements revealed
29 cased to be physiological, with
petes in basketball, volleyball, or NON TREATED 8 55 additional cases due to patho-
other sports that involve jumping. CONSERVATIVELY 59 logy. Bayonet position of tubial
Soccer, aerobics, and track athle- Rest (2-21 days) 19 tuberosity presented in 55
tes are also at risk. Men are affec- Compresses, ice. 31 subjects. Crepitations was repor-
ted more commonly than women. ted in 50 subjects. The quadriceps
Knee pain may arise without noti-
-Drugs: inhibition test revealed pain in 48
ce. -Per os. 10 athletes.
Those athletes who recall when -Local. 12 The results of the study show that
the pain first began report that it -Physical therapy. 26 jumpers knee may develop in ath-
started during a heavy training ses- -Quadriceps stregthening letes competing in a variety of
sion or, less commonly, from one -Cryo, iono,electro, ultrasound sports, but is nevertheless far
specific jump. more frequent in basketball, vol-
In addition, a specific activity is leyball and ice-skating, i.e. sports
often recalled that seemed to wor- SURGICAL (Blazina – III stage) were jumping tend to dominate.
sen the pain. -Successful. 16 The majority of subjects (59 of 84
Pain is typically well localized to a -Sport abandonment 1 subjects) with jumper’s knee syn-
small area of the anterior knee drome were treated conservati-
region. Athletes often complain of vely, 17 were treated surgically,
tenderness at the inferior pole of the patella before they with the others not asking for medical help (see the table).
eventually come in for a medical examination.
Early in the course of patellar tendinopathy, knee pain and Of the 17 surgically treated patients, one left his sport and 16
discomfort may ease completely while an athlete is exerci- continued with their sports career.
sing. It is not uncommon for the athlete to disregard the injury
and avoid seeking medical treatment. With time and conti- CONCLUSION
nued activity, however, knee pain worsens and limits training Researchers have implicated genu varum and genu valgum,
and sports performance. an increased Q-angle, patella alta and patella baja, and limb-
Eventually, pain can develop during activities of daily living length differences as intrinsic risk factors. However, the only
and even be present at rest. mechanical derangement prospectively linked to jumper’s
Due to the frequency of jumper’s knee in the athletic popula- knee is poor quadriceps and hamstring flexibility. The cause
tion, we wanted to investigate this medical entity. of jumper’s knee remains unclear. Over-training and playing
We investigated the correlation of jumper’s knee with the Q- on hard surfaces have been implicated as extrinsic risk fac-
angle, position of tibial tuberosities, and other parameters tors.
important for knee biomechanics. We have proved that jumper’s knee is rare and odd disease,
but that it freaquently causes damage in younger athletes.
METHODS Futhermore, it has been observed, that in pathological Q-
The study included 84 athletes ages 13 to 34 (24.3 years ave- angle, pain is mostly located at lower pole of the patella,
rage for men, and 20.3 years average for women) who volun- while in physiological Q-angle, it is at the upper pole, or at
teered for the research. tibial tuberosity. Subjective disturbances, pain, and decrea-
Each subject was given a questionnaire to complete and a sed sports activity are in correlation with Q-angle, i.e. the
clinical examination was performed. 84 athletes had symp- greater Q-angle, the more expressed disturbances.

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STRUCTURAL
INSTABILITY

by Horacio Pila

Horacio Pila is a kinesiologist and a sports

medicine doctor. He is currently the team doc-
tor for the Atenas Cordoba club team in
Argentina, as well as the doctor for the
Argentinean Men’s Senior National team.

We all understand that basketball is a physical-

ly demanding sport, but in the last eight years in
Argentinean basketball, our medical staff noti-
ced a distinct increase in the number of injuries
to vertebral column and ankle, but especially to
the knee.
We think this was due to many different factors,
including the high level and intensity of the ath-
letic competition, the many demands of year-
round physical conditioning, as well as indivi-
dual player physiological factors.
The particular medical cases we followed and
analyzed during this period had to do with inju-
ries to athletes who played at different levels,
from local and provincial teams, to those who
participated in national and international com-
petitions. For the most part, these players had
no extended period of physical rest, as they
moved from the pre-season to the last compe-
tition over a period of many months.
A physically demanding and lengthy season
puts a lot of pressure and stress on the body,
creating physical fatigue, specifically on the
stabilizer muscles of the joints.
We know that the muscles are formed by red
fibers and about 20 to 25 days are necessary for
full recovery.
These red fibers depend on the motor neurons
and are activated by stimulus of low intensity
and long period.
The involvement of these muscles are very
important in basketball because they help pro-
vide the structural stability to the body.
In reviewing the injury pattern, we noted that
the individual physical structure of the players,
including valgus (the body part turns outward)
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feet and knees, and curvature of the verte- tionary bikes, elliptical machines, oversized When we work on bending and extension of
bral column contributed to many injuries. “Swiss” stability balls, and “wobble boards.” the knee, we limit movement to 45°.
However, we also noticed that in the players As soon as we start to notice the signs and We also add dietary component to the reha-
with normal body structures, the signs and symptoms of knee pain, it is necessary to bilitation for about 15 to 20 days, with B vita-
symptoms of fatigue appeared were respon- decrease all training by 50%. Practice ses- mins (10,000 units per day) and we make sure
sible for injury. sions are limited to 10 minutes. that the carbohydrate intake is increased to
With the premise that a total recovery requi- Twice a day, the player must perform resi- 70% of the diet for 7 to 10 days.
res complete rest, something that was diffi- stance exercise to stimulate the red muscle
cult due to the demands of the coaches and fibers. When we started practice for the 2003 Pre-
competition, we started to use different To do so, continue to use rehabilitation items, Olympic Tournament, the following players
methodologies of recovery in order to bring such as the oversized Swiss balls or wobble on the Argentinean Senior Men’s National
about healing, while preventing an aggrava- boards. team showed symptoms of muscular fatigue:
tion of the injury. We normally work on the extensor and flexor Andres Nocioni, Leandro Palladino, Emanuel
For some, recovery entailed complete rest muscles of the knee with isometric contrac- Ginobili, Alejandro Montechia, Leonardo
from activity, while in other cases, we intro- tions at 40% of the maximum strength. Gutierrez, Federico Kamerich, and Fabricio
duced specific conditioning work. Both Each exercise is performed for 4 to 6 Oberto.
these methods lasted a period of 20 to 25 seconds for 30 repetitions, with an interval of For these players, we applied the aforemen-
days. In the first case, we worked on re-con- 15 seconds. The player should feel a “bur- tioned techniques and obtained excellent
ditioning the injured players, while in the ning” in the muscle. results.
second case the players took part in regular
conditioning work and also continued to
practice regularly on the court.
Fatigue is a main cause of many knee inju-
ries.
Therefore, beginning supervised strengthe-
ning exercises as soon as possible after a
knee injury is diagnosed will help speed
recovery.
Physical therapy can help train the muscles
around the kneecap to pull evenly in all direc-
tions, keeping the kneecap in normal align-
ment.
The real key in helping the knee recover full
range of motion is relative rest. This means
staying away from activities that put excessi-
ve pressure on the knee, while being aggres-
sive in strengthening the knee so the knee-
cap will track properly.
Athletes should do stretching and strengthe-
ning exercises with workouts focusing on
the knee for at least 30 minutes and combi-
ned this with a knee-friendly cardiovascular
workout.
Although the knee may be weak, it is gene-
rally strong enough to handle mild stretching
and slow movements. Working to restore
early range of motion may help reduce any
swelling and stiffness, and increase healing
time.
Rehabilitation progresses into strengthening
exercises that focus on the quadriceps and
hamstrings-the main stabilizing muscles for
the knee. Gradually increase the amount of
weight as the leg muscles get stronger.
Strengthening exercises require dedication
because results often take quite some time
and knee pain may come back.
Once the muscles of the injured leg are about
as strong as the uninjured leg, the focus of
rehabilitation turns to increasing coordina-
tion.
Physical therapy can become activity orien-
ted as the athlete regains the ability to
perform complicated movements, using sta-

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 DOCTORS

DENTAL
INJURIES
by Enrique Amy
Enrique Amy is Assistant Professor at In permanent teeth, it depends on the of the adjacent teeth for comparison
the Department of Physical Medicine- angle, strength and direction of the purposes.
Rehabilitation and Sport Medicine of impact. Frequently, the root or crown
the School of Medicine at the of the tooth fractures. Other radiographic studies that can be
University of Puerto Rico. Displacements, such as intrusion, taken include the panoramic, Towne’s,
extrusion, lateral displacement or Water’s, and a chest radiography to
Dental trauma in sports occurs more complete avulsion can also occur. detect a swallowed tooth or tooth par-
frequently than is generally believed, When dental trauma occurs, move- ticles.
and should always be treated imme- ment of the tooth and change in tooth
diately. color can be detected by the blood INJURIES IN SOFT TISSUE
It is very important to obtain the most extravasation of the tooth tubules. The soft tissues that are usually invol-
complete information from the history ved are the lips, gingival tissue, alveo-
and the examination given that it can When impact is toward the lips, it can lar mucosa, and tongue. The lips are
help the clinician to make decisions. result in contusion, subluxation, late- the ones affected the most in contact
The dentist or clinician should look for ral luxation (i.e., dislocation) or intru- sports.
facial asymmetry, injuries of soft sions in teeth, together with laceration The treatment will depend in on the
intraoral and extraoral tissue. of the lips. Indirect impacts can result location and extent of the injury.
Also, he should look for subcutaneous in intrusion with or without laceration The oral cavity is characterized by
hematomas, possible bone fracture, of the lip. great vascularity and when an intrao-
especially under the tongue. In case that the athlete receives an ral laceration occurs, bleeding is
If bleeding is present, the origin of this impact on the jaw during competition, abundant.
should be determined and then con- that energy will be absorbed by the It is necessary to control the
trolled. condyles, the symphysis, which could hemorrhage first to decide on the most
This helps determine whether there is cause a tooth fracture. In some instan- adequate way to correct the problem.
bone fracture. Besides, it must be ces, tooth fragments that are not pal- An airway should be kept open at all
determined whether there is an ano- pable can be impregnated in the soft times.
maly of the occlusion or bite of the tissue and noted radiographically.
patient and whether the patient can These fragments can cause acute or There are two types of basic injuries:
close the mouth easily. chronic infection and disfiguring fibro- clean and contaminated.
Many times, the bite can be crossed or sis (scar). The clean injuries do not generally
deviated toward one side. This can The purpose of performing radio- need antibiotic therapy and heal in
indicate the possibility of fracture or graphic studies is to reveal the matu- less than 48 hours.
dislocation of the jaw. It is important to ration stage of the root and to identify Contaminated injuries are those that
palpate the alveolar process (bone), trauma to the bone structures. have been invaded by pathogenic bac-
the temporomandibular joint and the The radiographic views utilized more teria of the oral flora, saliva or
soft tissue, as well as the tongue and frequently are the periapicals and the pharynx.
intraoral mucosa. occlusal. These should always be treated with
At least three views of the tooth invol- antibiotics, preferably penicillin or
When dental trauma occurs in primary ved should be taken from different third generation cephalosporin, if the
dentition (decideous), it usually results angles. It is advisable to also take patient is not allergic to them.
in tooth displacement instead of radiographies of the teeth on the If the patient is allergic, erythromycin,
alveolar or bone fracture. opposite side of the trauma as well as tetracycline or clyndamycin can be
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used. A tetanus prophylaxis is recom- pletely in the bone or in the nasal As it is well known, the blood clot plays
mended, and a booster of tetanus toxoid cavity. Endodontic treatment is recom- a very important role in the revascula-
as well. mended when the displacement is rization process. If the clot is contami-
more than 15 mm, depending on the nated, the reimplantation process
Recommendations include: degree of maturity of the root of the could be affected.
tooth. Some authors recommend the tooth to
▼ Antibiotics and analgesics. When displacement is less than 15 mm, be submerged in tetracycline solution
the tooth should be evaluated periodi- for 15 minutes and the alveolus should
▼ Treatment for teeth trauma, cally to make sure that it is still vital. It be irrigated with the same antibiotic.
after controlling the bleeding. is very possible that these teeth will
It is recommended to suture not respond normally to vitality tests When an avulsion takes place, the
soft tissue after the tooth and for a few months. periodontal ligament is affected and
bone trauma have been the blood vessels break.
corrected. AVULSED TOOTH This increases the likelihood of a pulp’s
An avulsion can be described as com- infection. If reimplantation occurs
▼ Take radiographies of the area. plete displacement of a tooth. It occurs within the first hour, there is a greater
when a tooth comes out of the bone probability of success.
▼ Keep the tissue wet (sterile and falls to the floor or competition There is also a good chance for suc-
saline water). field. Tooth avulsions generally occur cess if reimplantation takes place
during car accidents or participation in within the first six hours after the acci-
▼ Determine whether a bone contact sports. dent. We should always keep in mind
fracture exists. An avulsed tooth should be re-implan- that the most important condition is to
ted as soon as possible. It is recom- control infection.
▼ Consultation with an oral and mended to recover the tooth and place One of the most common consequen-
maxilofacial surgeon. it in a sterile isotonic solution such as ces is reabsorption of the root.
Hank’s or Eagle Solution, or milk. It is
▼ Keep the injury as clean as not recommended to put it in the ROOT FRACTURE
possible. patient’s mouth. When a root fracture occurs, time is
The tooth should be examined careful- critical and the patient should be seen
Soft tissue injury to the face includes: ly, cleaning it gently to remove dirt or as soon as possible.
abrasions, contusions, and lacerations. debris. It should not be rubbed vigorou- The affected tooth should be splinted
Most lacerations occur over a bony sly with gauzes filled with solutions with a wire splint and resin tempora-
prominence of the facial skeleton. that contain chemicals. rily.
Because of the excellent blood supply For a tooth to be reimplanted it should Pain should be treated adequately.
in the facial region, wounds usually be free of advanced periodontal disea- The location of the fracture will deter-
heal quickly with minimal scar forma- se and extensive fractures. It is desira- mine the treatment, which could inclu-
tion. The wound should be thoroughly ble to have a dentist reimplant the de tooth extraction, surgical exposure
irrigated. tooth; but in case that there is no den- of the fractured surface, orthodontic
It should be closed in layers with tist when the accident occurs, the cli- treatment, or surgical extraction of the
absorbable sutures and deeper tissues nician should conduct the reimplanta- root. The final treatment could be insti-
and a subcuticular closure of buried tion. tuted several days after the trauma.
absorbable sutures. This allows for
adhesive paper strips or small caliber After a referral to the dentist if an FRACTURE OF ANTERIOR TEETH
inert sutures to be placed for closure endodontic treatment is needed, it is When a dental fracture that involves
of skin without tension. recommended to wait one week. the enamel and dentine occurs and the
Cutaneus sutures should be removed in If the apex is immature, the recommen- pulp is not involved, it should be cove-
5 to 7 days to avoid permanent sutures dation is to wait one to two weeks after red with calcium hydroxide and splint it
marks. the reimplantation has occurred to with resin and wire.
begin endodontic therapy. If evidence It should finally be restored at 6-12
TOOTH DISPLACEMENT of a pulp’s pathology is detected, the weeks.
When a tooth displacement occurs, tooth canal is thoroughly cleaned and When the fracture involves the nerve
time is the most critical factor. The filled with calcium hydroxide. of the tooth with the apex open, after
tooth should be repositioned as soon The patient should follow up every six the first three hours of the injury, cal-
as possible. It is desirable to have a to eight weeks. In many cases, liquid cium hydroxide should be applied.
dental evaluation within the first two fluoride is applied to avoid reabsorp- When the pulp’s exposure is massive
hours after the trauma and make a tion of the root. Survival of avulsed and more than three hours have pas-
splint or fix it with wire or resin for 7-10 teeth varies and many have lasted up sed since the trauma, a pulpotomy
days. to 20 years. should be performed to maintain vita-
lity and maturation of the root.
It is convenient to examine carefully When a tooth is to be reimplanted, it is Afterwards, an endodontic treatment
the affected area and to make sure that always recommended to irrigate it with such as root canal could be performed.
the exact placement of the tooth is saline water to clean the debris. Once the root canal is performed, the
known. Many times it cannot be seen The alveolus in the bone should also be tooth can be restored with the appro-
only with the eye and the tooth is com- cleaned to remove the contaminated clot. priate method.

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facial
INJURIES
by Enrique Amy
part II
Enrique Amy is Assistant Professor ral anesthesia, nasal bones should ▼ Loose teeth
at the Department of Physical be realigned and an osteotomy may
Medicine-Rehabilitation and Sport be required in some instances to Palpation is recommended to verify
Medicine of the School of Medicine improve facial symmetry. changes in contour of the bone or
at the University of Puerto Rico. Approximately six weeks is required crepitation (sounds) in the joint.
for the injury to heal. Bimanual manipulation helps to
NASAL FRACTURES detect mobility between the frag-
The prominent position of the nose FRACTURE OF THE MANDIBLE ments.
makes it a common site of injury Fracture of the mandible or the infe-
during team sports. rior maxilla occurs very often in As a general rule, x-rays should be
The lower portion of the nasal bone sports. taken at different angles.
is broad, thin, and subject to fractu- The parts affected in are the base of
re. Direct frontal force to the nasal the mandible and the alveolar process. FRACTURES OF THE MAXILLA
dorsum usually results in fracture of Of all the bone fractures, 50 percent Maxillary fractures are classified by
the lower half of the nasal bone. involve teeth in the line of the fractu- location and severity in: Le Fort I, Le
Lateral impact accounts for most re, more frequently in the area of the Fort II, and Le Fort III.
nasal fractures. third molars, canines, and premolars. In Le Fort I fractures, the palate and
Fractures and dislocations of the In many occasions, periodontal alveolar process are separated from
anterior (cartilaginous) septum often defects and defects in the bone are the maxilla by a fracture line above
accompany nasal fractures. related to the position of the line of the antral floor and the floor of the
fracture. nose.
In a nasal fracture, crepitance and The clinical signs of this type of frac-
mobility of the fractured segments is Some typical signs that can be ture are: edema, hematoma, disoc-
often found. observed in case of fracture are: clusion, open bite, mobility of the
External nasal deviation may be pre- alveolar process, epistaxis, and
sent, but it can be masked by edema. ▼ Tooth displacement paresthesia.
The intranasal structures should be Emergency treatment should include
thoroughly examined and shrinkage ▼ Alteration in chewing temporary immobilization and refer-
of the mucosa with a vasoconstrictor ral to an oral and maxillofacial sur-
may be required. ▼ Paresthesia geon.
A complication that should not be
missed is hematoma of the septum, ▼ Abnormal movements In Le Fort II fractures, the line of
because it can lead to collapse of of the mandible fracture goes through the lateral and
the nasal structures due to the loss anterior walls of the maxillary sinus
of septal cartilage secondary to ▼ Edema and continues through the infraorbi-
abscess formation or pressure tal borders to unite with the bridge of
necrosis. ▼ Lacerations the nose.
This fracture is commonly known as
The basic treatment for this injury is ▼ Hematomas “floating fracture”.
similar in children and adults. The signs and symptoms are: bilate-
Under intravenous sedation or gene- ▼ Ecchimosis ral infraorbital paresthesia, diplopia,
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 DOCTORS

and abnormal skin sensations. ▼ Limitation of the oral opening. ▼ Helping prevent trauma to the
Treatment should include the imme- temporomandibular joint
diate intervention of a maxillofacial ▼ Deviation when opening the
surgeon in a hospital setting. mouth toward the affected ▼ Serving as a splint, keeping
area. teeth in their place when a
Le Fort III fractures are similar to Le strong hit is received
Fort II except that the patient presents ▼ Open bite in the counter-lateral
with loss of cerebral-spinal fluid area of the trauma. A mouth protector should have the fol-
through the nose. lowing properties:
The patient may present other featu- ▼ Blood in the external
res of traumatic brain injury. hearing canal. ▼ Custom made for a specific
patient.
FRACTURES OF THE ZYGOMA ▼ Pain when the place
Fractures of the zygoma occur fre- of fracture is touched. ▼ Fine and smooth edges.
quently because of its prominent late-
ral position in the facial structure. The changes suffered in the temporo- ▼ Enough retention to avoid
Diagnosis of this condition is perfor- mandibular joint cause pain, inflam- coming out of place during
med through a clinical exam and a mation of the chewing muscles, liga- competition.
series of x-rays. ments, cervical region, and the arm, in
The zygomatic bone should be palpa- some cases. ▼ Strong enough so that teeth
ted, feeling for flatness of the cheek or Chronic symptoms of the joint can be cannot penetrate it.
steps in the orbital rim. associated with psychological pro-
Other signs and symptoms of this frac- blems, such as anxiety and depres- ▼ Lasting approximately
ture include periorbital ecchymosis, sion. two years.
edema, molar prominence, orbital
margin deformity, epistaxis, crepita- CUSTOM-BUILT MOUTH PROTECTORS ▼ Thermal resistant so that
tion, diplopia, and difficulty with ope- Mouth protectors are used to protect it can be sterilized.
ning or closing the mouth. various structures in the oral cavity
Treatment may vary and depends on during athletic events, and their con-
▼ No smell or flavor.
the extension of the fracture. In many struction is an essential service provi-
cases, this fracture will require surgi- ded by sports dentistry.
▼ Reasonable cost.
cal treatment with reduction under
general anesthesia. Mouth protectors are removable
TYPES OF MOUTH PROTECTORS
appliances that usually cover the
There are three types of mouth pro-
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT upper teeth; but they can also cover
tectors:
The temporomandibular joint is found the lower teeth as well.
Ready-made. They come in a universal
on both sides of the face, immediately These protectors are made up of a
under the ear, close to the hearing flexible material that is constructed size and are placed over the upper
canal. from a plaster model of the patient’s teeth. These models are sold in most
teeth. sporting good stores.
Trauma is the etiologic factor in the Custom-made mouth protectors are Mouth-formed protectors. There are
majority of the disorders of the tempo- preferred and a trained dentist should two types: thermo-set and chemo-set.
romandibular joint. fabricate them. The thermo-set type is found in spor-
ting goods stores and is softened in
There is a higher probability of trauma Mouth protectors are essential for hot water, tempered in cold water, and
to this joint in athletes that participate athletes involved in contact sports. adapted directly over the teeth.
in contact-collision sports. The chemo-set type is adapted throu-
The main functions of mouth protec- gh the use of soft auto-polymerized
Many of these athletes suffer direct or tors are: resin and it is used by the majority of
indirect hits to the joint that, in the athletes.
long run, cause chronic injuries that ▼ Protection of soft tissue and Custom-built protectors are fabricated
are very difficult to correct. lips from lacerations caused on a stone model of a mold of the ath-
by the teeth in times of contact lete’s teeth.
In the diagnosis of condyle fractures, This type is preferred because it is
the following signs and symptoms ▼ Cushioning and distribution of more adaptable to the oral tissues,
should be taken into consideration: direct punches to the jaw, comfortable, and interferes minimally
reducing the incidence with breathing and speech.
▼ Evidence of facial trauma, of fractures These are fabricated by a dentist or a
especially in the area of the dental technician.
mandible and symphysis, ▼ Providing support to the jaw, More durable than the other types of
accompanied by pain. absorbing the punch, mouth guards, these are the only ones
and minimizing the possibility that really guarantee maximal protec-
▼ Swelling in the joint area. of a fracture to the condyles tion.
EV\Z'%
 DOCTORS

PREVENTION OF
ANTERIOR CRUCIATE
LIGAMENT INJURIES
by Ferenc Hepp

Ferenc Hepp is a specialist in sport compared with males, which leads to limb, and above the knee with the
medicine at the National Institute of diminished hamstring activity. On the other hand. In this position, the exa-
Sports Medicine in Budapest, other hand, ligament laxity, lower miner tries to pull the tibia forward in
Hungary. He was member of the FIBA muscular strength and the different about 20 to 30 degrees of knee
Medical Council. anatomical characteristics of the flexion. The test is estimated by the
bones and muscles, in addition the range of pathologic movement.
About 60 to 80 percent of all sports diminished proprioception, can all be
injuries occur in the lower extremi- considered as causes of higher inci- For the past 20 years, orthopedic
ties. Among these, knee problems dence of injuries in women. researchers have studied proprio-
are the most frequent, followed by ceptors within the joints.
injuries of the talocrural (ankle) joint. Mechanisms of ACL injuries: Proprioception is the conscious and
Rupture of the anterior cruciate liga- 1. In hyperextension, the ligament is unconscious ability that enables us
ments (ACL) of the knee belongs to pressed to the upper part of the to perceive our different body parts
the most serious of all sports inju- osseal intercondylear space, resul- engaged in space.
ries. After healing, athletes can con- ting in breaking and tearing by stron- The normal function of a joint is
tinue their career, but, typically, at a ger forces. maintained by stabilization, both
much less competitive level. ACL 2. Through rotation-valgus stress, passively-with ligaments-and acti-
ruptures occur most in soccer, the distance between the origin and vely-with muscles.
basketball and handball, fast-paced insertion increases and the ligament Ligaments are able to stretch by
sports that call for many changes of is stretched and torn. about 5 percent of their normal
direction, jumping, and landing. 3. In sudden stops, the quickly stret- length. If they are stretched any
ched quadriceps muscle pushes the further, rupture occurs.
In most cases, ACL injuries are not tibia into an anterior subluxation, This lengthening is immediately iden-
caused by direct contact. In a recent causing the rupture of the ligament. tified by the receptors, and the
medical survey, the three major cau- muscle stretch attempt to relieve
ses of injury were: Diagnostic examinations for ACL pressure on the ligaments through
1. Stopping and change of injuries: the proprioceptive reflex circles.
direction - 19% This is the main reason that muscle
2. Landing with the knee in 1. The AD test strength plays a distinctive role in
extension - 28% The knee is bent to 80 degrees. The the prevention of ligament injuries!
3. Sudden stops - 26% examiner sits on the patient’s leg and
examines the tone of knee flexion In the case of an ACL rupture,
In basketball players, the ACL injury muscles. The examiner uses both muscles are not able to compensate
rate is particularly high, especially hands under the knee, and pulls it the force over tensile strength. The
for females, where the female-to- into the anterior direction and the harmonizing action of agonist and
male ratio is 4:1; the game to training range of this anterior shift is estima- antagonist muscle groups is distur-
ratio is 3:1. The higher ratio in fema- ted in the tests. bed here.
le basketball players can be partially Their co-ordination can be enhanced
explained by the fact that their hip 2. The Lachmann test by proprioceptive neuromuscular
and knee flexion is smaller while The examiner holds the leg with the facilitation.
stopping and changing direction as same hand (right or left) as the lower These special exercises include
EV\Z'&
 DOCTORS

standing in one leg on flat surface, as movements (stopping, changing steps to minimize injury. A recent
well as on a tilting plateau. Another direction, jumping, and landing); medical survey reported that the fre-
popular exercise is to step up and ▼ The type of playing surface area quency of ACL injuries could be dimi-
down from a globe-based plateau. and sport facility; nished by 89 per cent with the use of
This special proprioceptive training ▼ The role of the coach and sport the “three-step stop” with the knee
should be started 30 days before the physician; bent instead of one-step stop with the
competitive season begins. ▼ Dietary habits. knee hyperextended-all techniques
The exercises should be performed 20 designed to decrease the quadriceps-
minutes a day, three times a week, Major intrinsic risk factors include: cruciate interaction.
during the competitive season. ▼ Physical and psychosocial featu-
Although the method seems to be res (anatomical variation, muscle In summary, ACL injuries are of great
theoretically correct, the overall balance, flexibility, co-ordina- concern. Therefore, efforts to prevent
effectiveness of the exercises has tion, and stress); or at least decrease the rate of occur-
varied. ▼ Previous injuries; rence of these injuries seem wise.
Many ACL injuries can be prevented ▼ Level of skill in the sport; Neuromuscular control and balance,
once you understand the extrinsic and ▼ Characteristic personality features. as well as avoidance strategies for at-
intrinsic factors that influence sport risk situations, are critical factors for
injuries. Sports proficiency is based, for the injury prevention.
Major extrinsic risk factors include: most part, on an athlete’s physical Prevention programs designed to
▼ Specific features of the sports conditioning. increase neuromuscular control,
activity, such as the rules of the The best way to prevent ACL injuries improve balance, and teach avoidan-
game, demands of physical trai- is to be aware of the risk factors. I ce strategies appear to be effective in
ning, level of sport activity, sport have noted and taking all appropriate decreasing injury rates.

EV\Z''
 DOCTORS

HEALTH and
MEDICAL FACILITIES
IN A SPORTS HALL
by Jacques Huguet, with Alain Frey and Marc Lechable

Jacques Huguet has been the doctor accommodate about 10 people, with shelves; a large garbage
for the French National Basketball sometimes more, during main pail; a roll of paper towels; and
Team. He is currently President of competitions, when several coat hangers;
the FIBA Medical Comittee. Alain games are played in a row. On
Frey and Marc Lechable are emer- average: 4 to 6 athletes, 2 team ▼ A bathroom area with hot and
gency doctors. doctors, the supervisory doctor of cold showers in working order;
FIBA, 1 or 2 sample-taking offi- toilets, with a mirror placed in
Let us assume that, where basketball cers, sometimes escorts, and 1 front of or positioned at a 45°
competitions take place, the seating interpreter on occasion. angle behind the toilet seat; a
capacity in sports halls varies washbasin, soap, and toilet
between 5,000 and 15,000. ▼ A "Doping Control" sign must be paper.
The medical facilities in each hall displayed on the door. Only those
must include first-aid facilities and a people wearing a special "Doping ▼ One or two keys to the room.
doping control station. Control" badge are allowed entry.
MEDICAL & FIRST-AID FACILITIES
These must be in two separate pla- ▼ Access corridors leading to the These must be easily accessible,
ces, each with a separate entrance, doping control station must have correctly equipped, clearly posted
regardless of the hall's seating capa- a sign posted that says: "Doping with signs, regularly cleaned, and
city. Control". ready for use for every event.

THE DOPING CONTROL STATION The doping control station must The number of sick or injured per-
All organizers of FIBA official com- include the following: sons brought to the medical service
petitions, which involve national facilities and the kind of treatment
teams (World Championships, ▼ A waiting room with comfortable required will vary according to the
Continental Championships, Pre- chairs (minimum 10); a refrigera- event in question.
Olympic Tournaments) or clubs, must tor with drinks in cans or glass
ensure that a room is made available bottles sealed with caps; a table Venues with a large seating capacity
for doping controls, and that this with information leaflets on are not always used for sports
room complies with the standards doping; and, if possible, during events, but also for shows, concerts,
required by the FIBA Regulations. tournaments, a television and political meetings.
showing the games
Failure to comply with this require- "First-aid patients" require different
ment may result in sanctions. ▼ A processing room, comprised of treatment compared to Christmas
one or two rooms separate from and New Year's Eve revellers with an
▼ The doping control station must the waiting room and furnished upset stomach or dazed fans at a
be suitable for the intended pur- with a desk for writing and hand- rock concert.
pose and should not have any ling the urine bottles; a table at
other use (storage room, office, which the athletes can observe Basketball team members amongst
linen storage, or sickroom). the handling and sealing of their others, are usually accompanied by
urine and/or blood collection ves- their own medical staff (doctor and
▼ It should be large enough to sels; chairs; a lockable cupboard physiotherapist).
EV\Z'(
 DOCTORS

Massage tables should be provided in quency of events. STANDARD LIST OF EQUIPMENT

the changing rooms. The standard list of contents for the FOR THE SICK BAY
sick bay should not be exhaustive.
Events in gymnasiums and stadiums Only the necessary equipment listed Furniture
without air-conditioning and events will be provided in halls with small ▼ Office chairs - storage units -
organized during the hot summer crowds. lockable medicine cabinet - reco-
period can give rise to unusual medi- very couch - electrically adjustable
cal problems. Furthermore, from year to year, as examination table - refrigerator -
medicine advances, new equipment trolleys and wheelchairs - telepho-
Waiting in lines and overcrowding can will be required to meet modern tech- ne - paper for recording notes on
develop at the sick bay when specta- niques. the treatment administered (note-
tors find themselves being pushed book - computer)- spotlights/exa-
around in a crowd or involved in a TYPES OF ILLNESS REQUIRING TREATMENT mining lamps - torches.
possible scuffle. The reasons for seeking medical
attention range from cuts and bruises Basic equipment
Thus, it is vital that there are the to serious, even critical, problems. ▼ Stethoscopes - blood pressure
essentials needed to provide ambula- cuffs - emesis basins (kidney trays)
tory care, from minor injuries to the Trivial ailments can be varied, ranging - scissors - reflex hammer - dispo-
more serious, and to know how to from digestive troubles to back pain, sable tongue depressors - mini-
direct somebody as quickly as possi- migraines and nosebleeds, right mum ENT equipment (Clar mirror or
ble to the hospitals' Accident & through to stress, vagal syncope, othoscope - nasal speculum) -
Emergency Departments. A triage alcohol abuse, and hypoglycemia. Guedel cannula (for adults and
system must be developed. children) - tongs.
It is not uncommon for patients to arri-
SICK BAY ve with wounds that may need stit- ▼ Hot/cold cushion - ice bag or cold
For approximately 5,000 spectators ching, or injuries requiring special pack - cold spray - electronic ther-
A sick bay in a hall for 5,000 specta- support. mometer.
tors should have several rooms, if
possible, which will be needed if there Serious problems will be admitted to a ▼ Motorized syringe (mains or bat-
is a large influx of patients. hospital; the patient may be suffering tery operated) for slow injection
from a myocardial infarction (heart with a regulated flow.
It must be possible to treat one attack), cerebral vascular accident (a
patient, while attending to or exami- stroke), asthmatic attack (asthma), or ▼ Compress packages - bandages -
ning another. be in a coma. plasters.

Thus, a minimum of two examination It is advisable, therefore, to be able to ▼ Bottles of disinfectant.

rooms must be available, and provi- respond to the most common situa-
sions made for several patients to lie tions, but also to be prepared for all ▼ PH test strips (litmus paper).
down, preferably on trolley beds eventualities, without being obliged to
rather than fixed ones. get the patient to hospital as quickly ▼ Vacuum mattress - survival
as possible. blanket.
For approximately 15,000 spectators
A main sickbay is essential on the EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT REQUIRED ▼ Nebulizer (aerosols).
ground floor, and at the same level as Once a patient has been diagnosed,
the playing court. the medical staff will be required to ▼ Defibrillator - monitor.
There should be first-aid rooms and act.
rest rooms on different floors and in The following should be available: Minor surgery
the gangways. ▼ Sterile fenestrated drapes - thread
▼ Medication. - clips - sterile gloves - dressing -
Provisions must be made to enable razors - Steristrips - minor surgery
casualties or sick patients to be tran- ▼ Material to dress and stitch up instrument set.
sported on stretchers or wheelchairs wounds, apply strapping or a
using the elevators. splint. ▼ Disinfectants - hemostatic spon-
ges (Merocel - Surgicel).
All the medical facilities and the first- ▼ Equipment to ventilate and to clear
aid workers must be linked together the airway and to provide oxygen. Supports
using up-to-date communication ▼ Support bandages, rigid and semi-
systems (cellular phones or walkie ▼ Equipment for the administration of rigid - ready-made splints -
talkies). intravenous fluids. Elastoplast - Elastomousse -
sprays for strapping - tubular ela-
The staff and the amount of necessary ▼ Equipment to monitor the heart stic bandages - San-Splint (low
equipment are usually proportionate rate and blood pressure. A defibril- temperature thermoplastic pro-
to the size of the arenas or the fre- lator should be available. duct).
EV\Z')
Ventilation ▼ Relaxants - tranquilisers. CATHLONS
▼ Ambu bag - oxygen tanks - various Intra vascular catheters with different
oxygen masks (adult and child) - ▼ Antiemetics - antidiarrheal drugs. sizes.
high concentration oxygen mask,
airway cannula,- suction system ▼ Antispasmodics - antihistamines. EPILEPTIC FIT
(endotracheal and gastric) - intu- ▼ Bricanyl (terbutaline - during an Epilepsy or epileptic disease.
bation system (adult and child) - asthma attack).
goggles for tube placement. DEFIBRILLATOR
▼ Loxapac (Loxapine - neuroleptic). Apparatus which delivers an electric
▼ Laryngoscope (+ battery + lamp + shock to prevent fibrillation of the car-
adult and pediatric blades) - Magill ▼ Loxen (Nicardipine - arterial hyper- diac muscle.
forceps - nasal aspirator - nebuli- tension).
ser. ▼ Narcan or Nalone (Naloxone - DEXTRO
Perfusion opiate antagonist). Device placed on the end of the finger
▼ Cathlon catheters of various cali- to measure the presence of glucose in
bres - infusion tubes with three- ▼ Anexate (Flumazenil - benzodiaze- the blood.
way taps - infusion stand and pine antagonist).
brackets - syringes (1, 2, 10, 20 and EPISTAXIS
50 cc) - IV needles - trocards - ▼ Rivotril (Clonazepam - for treating Nasal bleeding (nosebleed).
tourniquet strapping- OpSite dres- epileptic seizures)
sing. LARYNGOSCOPE
▼ Xylocaine (local anaesthetic). Fiberoptic instrument for viewing the
Diagnosis and monitoring larynx and glottis.
▼ Electrocardiogram (batteries - Staff
paper) - monitoring device with ▼ Doctors with experience in medi- HIGH CONCENTRATION MASK
alarm - saturometer (respiratory cal care in sports medicine and Mask used to deliver a high concen-
distress) - Dextro device (glyce- general medicine. tration of oxygen.
mia) - Peak-flow (asthma).
▼ Registered nurse. CLAR MIRROR ENT
Medication head mirror with lamp, used to exami-
Solutions: ▼ Personnel certified in first aide. ne the ear, nose and throat.

▼ Glucose ISO 5 % - 500 ml Evacuation MONITOR OR SCOPE

▼ Prior contact with the emergency Continual surveillance device (pulse -
▼ Glucose hyper 30 % - 500 ml services and police close to the blood pressure - ECG), with alarm.
site.
▼ Plasmion - 500 ml or Elohes - 500 ml OPSITE
- (hydroxyethylamine) ▼ Parking spaces reserved for Transparent adhesive dressing to
ambulances (occasionally a heli- keep perfusions in place.
▼ Physiological serum - 500 ml copter).
PEAK-FLOW
▼ Bicarbonate solution. ▼ 1 or 2 vehicles on site for priority Device that measures the volume of
emergency evacuation, if possible, air blown expired, to diagnose asthma
▼ Ringer lactate - 500 ml - (for trea- with a police motorbike. attacks.
ting dehydration).
SATUROMETER
Medication administered orally or GLOSSARY Device placed on the end of the finger
intravenously or attached to the ear lobe to measure
▼ Heparin - Trinitrin - Adrenalin - AMBU the oxygen saturation level; allows
Atropine - Solumedrol - Valium - Balloon and mask for ventilation. respiratory distress to be detected
Lasilix - Strong salbutamol Disposable. and quantified.
(Salbumol).
ANTIEMETIC STERISTRIP
▼ Sprays: Cortisone nasal spray - Medication used to treat nausea and Self-adhesive suture strips used to
Ventoline. vomiting. close wounds.

▼ Analgesics (it is difficult to super- BENZODIAZEPINE STRAPPING

vise a toxic drugs cupboard in a Anxiolytic. Support provided by adhesive elastic
sick bay). bandages.
GUEDEL AIRWAY
▼ Anti-inflammatories (anti-inflam- Airway canula device used to keep an
matory non-steroids, AINS- corti- unconscious patient's tongue in
costeroids). place.
EV\Z'*
 DOCTORS

PREVENTION
IS BETTER
THAN CURE
by Charles Edwards

Charles Edwards is a Swiss dentist. He AGGRAVATING FACTORS LOOSENED OR LOST TEETH

graduated at the University of Geneva, ▼ Dental status (position of the teeth) Treatment: Favorable conditions-tooth
Switzerland, and is a member of the ▼ Environment (surface of the field reimplantation 15 to 30 minutes after the
Swiss Odontology and Stomatology slide- collusions: proximity of the injury. Reimplantation not possible:
association. bench-backboard support) (time, other factor): dental implant.
As a past Swiss youth and junior athle- ▼ Accessories (ball, hardnesss, speed
tic champion of the 400 meters got him of the ball) How to handle such injuries?
interested in sport injury prevention. ▼ Physical contact (blows struck with
The numerous cases of dental traumas the head or elbows. The tooth can be reimplanted and retai-
seen in more than 25 years of private These factors are an unavoidable part ned for life if certain conditions are
practice have lead him to look for the of the game. respected.
best individual protection in contact
sports. TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COACH
MAXILLO FACIAL INJURIES We believe that every basketball coach
ALARMING STATISTICS CURE should have a first aid kit with a solution
The National Youth Foundation reports of Hank's Balanced Salt Solution
than more than 5 millions teeth are lost MOST COMMON INJURIES (HBSS), or any similar solution recom-
every year by sports activities in the Laceration (cut in the lips and gums). mended by his sport dentist.
United States. If you don't have this solution the tooth
can be placed in cold milk, saline solu-
SPORTS AT HIGH RISK tion, or saliva.
OF OROFACIAL INJURIES The dental rehabilitation of such inju-
Dento-facial traumas represent 10% of ries prove to be costly, 400 $ to 2000 $.
the lesions, it is the third most affected The athlete often has insufficient insu-
zone after the lesions of superior and rance cover.
inferior limbs. However more important than the
monetary factor is the fact that the
This percentage however varies in dif- rehabilitation cannot guarantee recon-
ferent contact sports. structing the dental health or the initial
TOOTH FRACTURE solidity.
BASKETBALL CLASSIFIED HIGH RISK Without lesions of the pulp
In Dr. Raymond Flander's 1995 study on Treatment: dental reconstruction- SEVERE INJURIES
the high incidence of oral injuries, he crown (age 18+). More severe is the maxillary or the
reports than in basketball where mouth- mandibular fracture.
guards are not routinely worn, 34% of With lesions of the pulp The rehabilitation of this type of injury
the injuries were orofacial, involving the Treatment: dental reconstruction - root involves the dentist and oral surgeon.
teeth and the oral cavity. canal - crown (age 18+). The victims of such injuries face an
Various degrees of injury, from simple important lifetime cost and the possible
contusions and lacerations to avulsions ROOT FRACTURE development of other dental problems
and fractured jaws are being reported. Treatment: Extraction-dental implant. such as periodontal disease.
EV\Z'+
 DOCTORS, TRAINERS AND CONDITIONING COACHES

the least expensive and

least protective.

Inconvenience: bulky- lack

any retention-bad taste-
interfere with speaking and
breathing.
Noting the inconvenience
we already have a good rea-
son why professionals and
children refuse to wear
mouthguards.

▼ Boil and Bite mouth-

PREVENTION guards
The best way to prevent common or
severe injuries is to wear a mouth- Most commonly used
guard. mouthguard on the market. Over 90% of
the mouthguards worn are of the
What is a mouthguard? variety bought at sporting good stores.
A mouthguard is a protection, which
fits over the teeth and gum. Inconvenience: bulky- lack any reten-
tion-bad taste- interfere with speaking
The importance of information & the and breathing.
Noting the inconvenience we already for the elite professional, amateur
role of the parents and the coach
have a good reason why professionals or the youth (with the possibility of
Parents are often badly informed of the
and children refuse to wear mouth- providing space for any erupting
level of contact, and the risk of dental
guards. teeth orthodontic treatment.)
injuries.
Coaches often lack information on the J. Park at the First International
Symposium on Biomaterials in August Advantages: adaptation, retention,
best way to prevent them.
of 1993 reported that boil & bite mouth- comfort, and stability of material.
Why is it that in many countries, the use guards provide a false sense of protec-
tion due to the dramatic decrease in After a short period of adaptation, no
of mouthguards in professional basket-
thickness occlusally during the molding interference with speaking or
ball is rare and even non-existent in the
and fabrication process. breathing.
amateur world?
The reason seems to be the negative 90% of today's mouthguards worn are
standard or boil-and-bite variety, and it For basketball we recommend a
perception the coaches have towards a
is the perception by the custom made multiple laye-
product usually found in sporting goods
public and coaches that red mouthguard.
stores.
these are the only availa- A minimum of 2 laminated
These mouthguards are usually
ble mouthguards. layers (2/4mm) is necessary.
uncomfortable, do not fit, are bulky, and
interfere with breathing and speaking.
▼ Custom made mouth- Attractive: A pressure lami-
The majority of athletes therefore end
guards nated mouthguard can be
up wearing an illfitted mouthguard.
fabricated in different
Information on other existing mouth-
What is a custom made colours or transparent.
guards should be made available to the
coach and other interested parties mouthguard?
Custom fabricated mouth- How to obtain a pressure
through the sport dentist thus preven-
guards are essential in laminated mouthguard?
ting injuries in an effective manner.
the prevention of basket- Through a dentist or a labo-
Schools, parents, dentists, insurance
ball maxillo-facial inju- ratory using the pressure
companies and coaches should be
ries. laminated technique.
involved. It is the best way to reduce
"Mouthguards" is a general
private or state dental cost and the-
- Your dentist supplies custom-made word covering as you have
refore should reduce the insurance
mouthguards. seen a large variety of products.
premium.
- The dentist takes an impression of We highly recommend custom pressu-
re laminated mouthguards for your pro-
THREE TYPES OF DIFFERENT the upper and lower jaw.
tection.
MOUTHGUARDS - The mouthguard is fitted on your
Choose a product, easily recognizable,
▼ Standard (ready made mouth- dental imprints.
- The mouthguard is designed for the custom fabricated by a trained person
guards).
particular sport, and level of compe- according to very strict guidelines.
They come in limited sizes (usually
tition being played We wish you a great new season in
small, medium, and large) and are
- The mouthguard can be designed perfect dental health.

EV\Z',
 DOCTORS

MUSCLE INJURIES
IN BASKETBALL
Josè Canlas is a Member of the FIBA Medical Still, with prevalence of such there is very little scien-
Council. tific study on the treatment of muscle injury. Published
clinical studies have been very few.
Soft tissue injuries, specifically muscle injuries, are the Most sports doctors, physical therapists, and trainers
most common injuries occurring in sports. In basket- treat muscle injuries with a mixture of scientific know-
ball, incidence of muscle injuries can range from 10 ledge, empirical results, and experience. Yet, the
percent to 55 percent of all injuries. Of these muscle range of treatment can be from the too conservative to
injuries, almost 90 percent will be muscle contusions the very aggressive. It is wise to note that a missed
or muscle strains. Laceration of muscle is hardly seen. diagnosis of, let us say, a muscle contusion and a
muscle strain can result in treatment that is too con-
by Josè Canlas
servative and delays the return of the athlete to full
activity by weeks, if not months. Failed treatment of
muscle injuries can be devastating in the sense that
the basketball player could have returned much ear-
lier or was returned to play too early resulting in a re-
injury. In both cases, in short league schedules or
even shorter international tournaments, the conse-
quences could be disastrous. Basic knowledge of the
types of injuries, their causes, methods of healing, and
possible treatment protocols can help in treating such.

MUSCLE STRUCTURE
Skeletal muscle forms the bulk of all voluntary
muscles. Skeletal muscle is composed of two main
structures. These are the myofibers and the connecti-
ve tissue in between the fibers. Throughout the muscle
are blood vessels, which supply the nutrients and
nerve innervations. The myofibers are the contractile
elements and are the working component. These dif-
fer in size and diameter between the different muscle
groups. They also have the inherent ability to seal
themselves off if an injury occurs thus preventing the
spread of muscle destruction in an injury. These myo-
fibers are grouped into bundles and are attached at
each end to tendons or tendon-like structures such as
the fascia. Injury to these end structures act a little dif-
ferently than injuries to the muscle. The connective
tissue is the framework that encloses these muscle
bundles and supports the other structures around the
muscle. These components act in unison to produce
an efficient muscle contraction.

MECHANISM OF INJURY
Muscle injuries can be lacerations, contusions, or
strains. In basketball, muscle lacerations rarely occur.
Contusions occur when a sudden compressive force,
such as a direct blow, occurs to the muscle belly, as in
the quadriceps being hit by a knee. If the muscle is in
a contracted state when the trauma occurs, the injury
is usually superficial. If the muscle is in a relaxed state
when the blow occurs, the injury usually penetrates
deeper and may, sometime, reach the periosteum of

EV\Z'-
 DOCTORSTRAINERS AND CONDITIONING COACHES
DOCTORS,

the bone. A side effect of thigh contusions is sometimes the for- treatment of the muscle injury is aimed at aiding the acquisition of
mation of bone-like tissue, termed as myositis ossificans. tensile strength and proper orientation of the muscle fibers. Scar
Treatment of muscle contusions has involved immediate stret- tissue is minimized and remodeling encouraged.
ching of the involved muscle. Muscle strains, on the other hand,
are caused by excessive tensile forces causing strains to the TREATMENT OF MUSCLE INJURIES
fibers usually near the myotendinous junctions. The forces are For the most part, the treatment of muscle injuries lacks published
those produced in running, sudden decelerations, and jumping. scientific data. However, review of the literature show some basic
common denominators in theory.
CLASSIFICATION OF MUSCLE INJURIES The basis of acute treatment is still the RICE (Rest, Ice,
The muscle strain can be categorized as either complete or Compression, Immobilization) mnemonic device. The main goal in
incomplete. In local parlance, an incomplete strain is usually cal- the first three to five days after injury is to control pain edema and
led a "pulled" muscle, and a complete strain is called a muscle further damage to the muscle. Rest and immobilization have tradi-
tear. Obviously, there is a spectrum of injury from the minor strain, tionally been recommended. However, studies have shown that
where only a few fibers are damaged, and thus function is not lost prolonged immobilization has actually been deleterious to the pro-
to a complete disruption of the muscle as in a tear, where there is per healing of muscle. Early mobilization of the muscle has been
more serious damage to the muscle group, including the connec- proven scientifically to speed recovery to pre-injury levels of
tive tissue component. With the loss of continuity, there is subse- strength. Moreover, on the molecular level, better orientation and
quent loss of function. regeneration of muscle fibers, and faster more efficient revascu-
In the clinical setting, the most common classifications used for larization occurs. With early mobilization, the size of scar tissue
diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment is the use of mild (grade has been shown to be limited, thus enhancing faster remodeling.
one), moderate (grade two), and severe (grade three). A mild In practice, taping is done so that active rest and active stretching
strain, a "pulled" muscle, is an overstretching of the muscle resul- is done as soon as pain is tolerable. Minimal active motion is
ting to the loss of integrity of less than 5 percent of muscle unit. recommended from three to seven days, depending on the seve-
There is usually minimal discomfort and swelling, and very little rity of the injury.
loss of function to the unit. A moderate strain is a more significant Cryotherapy (ice) is the only modality that has been shown to be
injury, as there is a partial tear of the muscle. There is a clear loss beneficial in the early stages of recovery. It is said that cryothe-
of function, but not a total disruption of the unit. A severe strain rapy results in smaller hematomas, less inflammation, and earlier
involves a complete disruption of the unit-there is a tear through regeneration. With the smaller scar formation, faster remodeling
the cross section of the unit and a virtual loss of function to the occurs.
muscle group. It is debatable if compression actually hastens healing of the inju-
red skeletal muscle. However, if used with cryotherapy there is a
PATHOLOGY OF MUSCLE INJURY decrease in intramuscular temperature and blood flow. The
There are three phases identified in muscle injury: recommended protocol is 10 to 15 minutes of icing and compres-
1) The early or destruction phase-this is the actual injury happe- sion in 30 to 60 minute intervals.
ning. There is disruption of the components of muscle resul- Elevation above the level of the heart decreases hydrostatic pres-
ting in a hematoma formation, necrosis of the involved com- sure, thus limiting the leaking of intercellular fluid. This limits swel-
ponents, and an almost immediate inflammatory reaction. ling and helps in pain control.
After the acute phase of treatment is done, gradual stretching and
2) The intermediate or repair phase-there is the cleaning up of strengthening of the injured muscle group is started. Stretching is
the necrotized tissue by body cells, the regeneration of muscle important because it prevents loss of flexibility of in the healing
fibers with the concomitant formation of scar tissue and muscle. It is recommended that it be performed early but gradual-
vascular ingrowth to the area. ly. Active stretches are advised as an initial step. This would then
progress to gentle passive stretches, as pain allows. Pain during
3) The late or remodeling phase-the maturation of the regenera- exercise is believed to indicate that the capacity of the injured
ted fibers occur. There is contraction and reorganization of the part to absorb energy has been exceeded. It is a good gauge to
scar tissue and finally full function of the muscle group occurs. help in deciding about increasing exercise intensity. Once a
period of pain-free passive stretches have been performed, along
There is no definitive time span for each phase. In hamstring inju- with an appropriate strength program, progression to PNF is at
ries, for instance, the first phase can be as short as three days to the final stages of treatment.
three weeks. The final return to function can be as short as ten Strengthening should begin with simple isometric exercises.
days to six months. Progression to isotonic exercises is usually done with the attain-
ment of passive stretching. At the latter stage of treatment,
It has been shown that most muscle strains occur at the myoten- eccentric or isokinetic strengthening is performed.
dinous junction. With the disruption of the myofibrils and as the The local application of ice, heat, or both is based on practical
injury progresses, the damage to the connective tissue occurs. experience. It is noteworthy that flexibility of muscle is better
The resulting hematoma is related to the extent of damage. when the muscles are warm. However, the application of ice at
Limiting the size of hematoma may help in a faster recovery. There the end of exercise routines is commonly done.
is a release of inflammatory factors and various cellular factors
have been studied. It is the presumption that these cellular factors The decision to return to sport is based on two factors:
help in regenerating and remodeling muscle fibers that has led to 1) The ability to stretch as much as the contralateral muscle.
the practice of injecting serum into the muscle injury in the hope 2) The ability to have pain-free function of the muscle.
of accelerating healing.
The intermediate and late stages usually overlap. At this point, Once this is attained, sport-specific exercises are allowed.
EV\Z'.
 DOCTORS

BODY COMPOSITION
AND VERTICAL JUMP
PERFORMANCE IN
JUNIOR PLAYERS
Ivan Fattorini is a Doctor and Professor, member of basketball players assessed with the Bosco’s tests.
by Ivan Fattorini
the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, The results will be considered as the whole and
Croatia, and at the Childrens Hospital, Medical then it will be determined whether there are any
School, University of Zagreb. differences in the monitored characteristics that
relate to the position on which the player plays in
INTRODUCTION the game.
Morphological characteristics of athletes determi-
ne the success in particular sports events in RESEARCH METHODS
various ways. The knowledge of these characteri- The sample was comprised of basketball players
stics is necessary to establish their importance for who were the members of Croatian national junior
the success in competitive sport. The research on team (N=15). The mean age of the players was
the influence of these characteristics in sporting 18.7±0.6 years. Body composition in basketball
games (soccer, handball, basketball, volleyball) is players was determined by means of bioelectrical
of particular complexity, because the success in impedance method applying the equipment Body
the game depends, among other things, on how the Analyzer, produced by the US company
individual characteristics of some players fit into Danninger. The percentage of body fat (% FAT)
the whole, thus creating a coherent team. and lean body mass (LBM) were analyzed.
Basketball is a sport that consists of activities of According to the instructions of the International
short duration but high intensity during the course biological program14 the following anthropome-
of the game. There are great physical demands on tric variables were measured: body height (HEI-
the functional capabilities of the players. Great phy- GHT), body mass (MASS), length of the leg (LEG
siological demands necessarily influence the LENGTH), length of the arm (ARM LENGTH), bia-
morphological characteristics. Further on, basket- cromial (BIACR. SPAN) and bicristal (BICR. SPAN)
ball is the game where size, shape and body com- span, knee (KNEE DIAMETER) and elbow (ELBOW
position play an important part in providing distinct DIAMETER) diameters, upper arm girth (UPARM
advantage for specific playing positions. GIRTH), forearm girth (FOREARM GIRTH), thigh
One of the dominant requirements for success in girth (THIGH GIRH) and calf girth (CALF GIRTH).
basketball is explosive power. For the lower body, Four skinfolds at triceps (TRICEPS SKINFOLD),
this is perhaps best exemplified by the vertical subscapular (SUBSCAPULAR SKINFOLD), thigh
jump. During vertical jumping, the muscles about (THIGH SKINFOLD) and medial calf (CALF
the hips, knees, and ankles act rapidly and with SKINFOLD) sites (mm) were also taken.
great force in an attempt to produce the greatest The following tests for the evaluation of vertical
possible velocity for the body as it leaves the jump performance were administered: squat jump
ground. The jump height is ultimately determined by (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ,) multiple jumps
the takeoff velocity. Most jumping activities in test in 15 seconds (MJ15), and the Seargent test.
basketball involve a counter-movement during The obtained results were processed by means of
which the muscles involved are first stretched standard statistical procedures for determining the
rapidly and then shortened to accelerate the body basic descriptive statistical parameters—arithme-
upwards. tic means (AM) and standard deviations (SD). Both
The objective of this article is to determine the body the minimal and the maximal values measured
composition and morphological characteristics in were recorded (MIN, MAX). The differences
basketball players who were the members of between the groups were analyzed by means of the
Croatian junior national team. The other aim is to Student’s t-test. Data processing was done by the
evaluate vertical jump performance in young statistical package SPSS for personal computers.
EV\Z(%
 DOCTORS
DOCTORS, TRAINERS AND CONDITIONING COACHES

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION many jumps in attack and defense. The centers had the grea-
The results are presented in tables. In Table 1, there are test amount of body fat but they also have significantly the
descriptive parameters of the anthropometric variables of the highest levels of muscle mass percentage. Body composition
whole group. In Table 2, there are arithmetic means and stan- of players studied is probably, at least to some extent, the
dard deviations of measured variables for the basketball result of the training process and of the specificity of the posi-
players at different playing positions (centers, guards and tion players occupy in the field.
forwards).
Table 2. Arithmetic means of morphological characteristics
Table 1. Basic descriptive statistical parameters of morpholo- according to field position (bold values are statisticaly signi-
gical characteristics ficantly different)

AM SD MIN MAX GUARDS FORWARDS CENTERS

AGE 18.7 0.6 17.0 19.0 AGE 18.8 18.5 18.6
MASS 89.2 10.5 70.7 105.3 MASS 81.2 88.3 99.4
HEIGHT 198.4 6.6 188.6 212.0 HEIGHT 192.3 198.6 205.5
LEG LENGTH 114.5 3.4 107.4 119.6 LEG LENGTH 111.2 115.0 118.0
ARM LENGTH 87.9 3.2 81.2 91.9 ARM LENGTH 85.2 88.8 90.4
BIACR. SPAN 43.6 2.0 40.2 47.0 BIACR. SPAN 42.9 43.6 44.4
BICR. SPAN 30.5 1.3 28.0 32.5 BICR. SPAN 29.8 30.4 31.5
ELBOW DIAMETER 7.3 0.4 6.5 8.3 ELBOW DIAMETER 7.1 7.3 7.4
KNEE DIAMETER 10.1 0.5 9.3 11.0 KNEE DIAMETER 9.7 10.2 10.5
UPARM GIRTH 30.7 1.7 28.2 34.5 UPPER ARM GIRTH 29.9 30.3 31.8
FOREARM GIRTH 28.2 1.6 26.1 31.7 FOREARM GIRTH 27.3 27.7 29.6
THIGH GIRTH 58.7 3.5 52.5 63.0 THIGH GIRTH 56.7 58.1 61.6
CALF GIRTH 38.8 2.5 35.2 44.2 CALF GIRTH 37.4 37.8 41.4
SUBSCAPULAR SKINFOLD 8.3 0.9 6.6 10.2 SUBSCAPULAR SKINFOLD 8.1 8.0 8.6
TRICEPS SKINFOLD 7.9 1.5 5.9 10.4 TRICEPS SKINFOLD 8.1 7.7 7.9
CALF SKINFOLD 6.6 1.1 4.3 8.7 CALF SKINFOLD 6.3 6.0 7.3
THIGH SKINFOLD 10.8 3.1 5.3 15.3 THIGH SKINFOLD 9.2 10.4 13.0
% FAT 11.7 1.6 8.8 15.0 % FAT 11.6 11.0 12.2
BMI 22.6 1.7 19.8 25.3 BMI 21.9 22.3 23.5
MUSCLE MASS 57.1 8.2 43.9 69.1 MUSCLE MASS 51.1 55.4 65.7
% MM 63.9 2.7 59.1 69.8 % MM 62.9 62.7 66.1

As expected, the average body measures of young basketball The average values of all measured vertical jump tests were
players greatly exceeded that reported for normal male popu- better than the values reported for normal population but
lation in Croatia, as well as those of male junior elite players significantly below the results reported for Italian or American
in Croatia some years ago. They were similar to senior elite basketball players of the same age. Only the results of the
players in our country and some other European countries. Seargent test were comparable to reported values for world-
These differences could be the result of both selection and class basketball players.
acceleration, but are also pointing out a long-term trend of When mean values of vertical jump tests were computed for
increased height in basketball, although it is less evident in different field positions, forwards were the best in squat jump,
recent time. This is in agreement with Alexander’s study, guards in counter movement jumps and multiple jumps in 15
which considers height as a good predictor of basketball seconds, and in the Seargent test.
performance, rebounding ability, and points scored. The vertical jump performance of players studied is probably
When mean values of anthropometric variables were compu- the result of the training process and of the specificity of the
ted for different field positions, the centers, followed by position players occupy in the field. The guards have the
forwards, had largest height, limb lengths, circumferences, lowest values of body height and they have to compensate for
and widths. As shown in many other studies, the centers were this insufficiency by higher vertical jumping performance. This
tallest and heaviest. Next were the forwards and the shortest is shown through the values of counter movement jump which
and lightest players were the guards. For most of the game, demonstrate that guards are the best users of the stored ela-
centers play near the basket where size is advantageous. This stic energy in the muscles and tendons. The centers, who are
inside basketball play involves considerable contact that the tallest, have lower vertical jumps than the shorter
requires substantial weight to maintain stability in a stationary forwards and guards.
position as well as while executing a skilled movement pat-
tern. Table 3. Arithmetic means of vertical jump performance in
The lowest values of skeletal dimensions, body mass and basketball players according to field position
volume, were recorded in guards, who differed significantly
from the centers regarding those variables. SJ (CM) CMJ(CM) MJ15(CM) SEARGENT(CM)
The content of body fat in junior basketball players ranged GUARD 38.7 41.9 35.5 64.4
from 8.8 to 15 % (mean = 11.7%), significantly below the ave- FORWARD 39.6 39.7 35.0 63.2
rage for a comparable sample of male students in Croatia. CENTER 37.3 40.1 33.9 59.6
This is probably a result of a modern fast basketball play with
EV\Z(&
 DOCTORS

ANTI-DOPING: IT'S
by Elizabeth Hunter
A GLOBAL
CAMPAIGN
Elizabeth Hunter joined the World Anti- tions that have not been submitted to ap- dal was the "wake-up" call that led to gov-
Doping Agency (WADA) in April 2005 as propriate trials for health and safety. Ad- ernments and sports joining forces to
its Communications Director. The Com- verse health effects of doping range from fight against doping in an organized and
munications Department is responsible stunted growth, dramatic mood swings coordinated manner on an international
for the magazine "Play True", media rela- and aggressive behavior, to liver damage, level. At the first World Conference on
tions, athlete outreach programs, and the higher risk of heart disease and stroke, Doping in Sport (1999), the consensus of
organization's Web-based initiatives. and suicide. governments and sports led to the cre-
She was also Senior Director of Commu- ation of WADA to act as the independent
nications and member services for the This concern expands to that for public international agency to coordinate efforts
United States Chamber of Commerce. health. Once it becomes known that to rid sport of doping.
From 1999 to 2001, she served as market- some elite athletes are using these drugs,
ing director for the U.S. Chamber's joint then the message is that, if you want to The principal tool in these efforts is the
venture ChamberBiz.com, a business-to- play or compete at that elite level, you will World Anti-Doping Code (Code) which
business web portal. have to do the same. That message goes sets up the framework for the fight
all the way down the line, so that you are against doping to be won in all sports and
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) no longer dealing with a few hundred in all nations. Key elements to this frame-
is the international independent organi- elite level athletes, but instead a pyramid work are the list, testing, and sanctions.
zation created in 1999 to promote, coordi- which has at its base hundreds of thou-
nate, and monitor the fight against doping sands of young people, all of whom be- The List of Prohibited Substances and
in sport in all its forms. The Agency is lieve that, to get to the top, it looks as if Methods (List) defines what substances
composed and funded equally by the they will have to take drugs. and methods are prohibited, whether in-
sports movement and all governments of or out-of-competition. A substance or
the world. WADA's first mandate was to Third is the concern for ethics in sport. method may be added to the List if it
globally harmonize rules relating to dop- Rules in sport are to protect the sport meets two of three criteria: it is perform-
ing in sport. In achieving this, the Agency and the athletes-they ensure that there ance enhancing, poses a danger to ath-
developed and ensured implementation is a level playing field and that athletes letes' health, and its use is against the
of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), and teams can compete honestly and spirit of sport as defined in the Code.
the document harmonizing regulations fairly. Just as there are rules regarding There is also the uniform testing stan-
regarding anti-doping in all sports and equipment and court size, there are dard, incorporating tests both in- and out-
countries. rules against doping. Doping is cheat- of-competition and with no advance no-
ing-it creates an unfair imbalance in the tice. Under the Code, sports federations
HOW SPORTS AND GOVERNMENTS competition. and anti-doping organizations are given
HARMONIZE EFFORTS guidance for planning effective testing
Doping in sport is a serious problem that Prior to the creation of WADA and the and maintaining the integrity and identity
is not limited to one sport, nor to one re- Code, it was primarily the sports organi- of the sample, from notifying the athlete
gion of the world-it is an epidemic that zations which led the fight against doping to transporting samples for analysis. In-
reaches across borders and deep into within their own respective realms of in- dependent administration of the testing
communities everywhere, raising serious fluence. Their isolated efforts, while well program is also an important aspect.
concerns for athlete health, public health, intentioned, continued to reinforce weak- Samples are analysed in WADA-accred-
and ethics in sport. nesses arising from the lack of a harmo- ited laboratories which are independent
nized anti-doping program, thereby from the sports organizations. Laborato-
Concern for athlete health provided the thwarting the ability to effectively ad- ries are given guidelines for the proper
original impetus for anti-doping activities. dress concerns relating to athlete and management of sample analysis, from re-
Over time, several doping-related deaths public health and ethics in sports. ceipt of samples to reporting of results.
of high-profile athletes have drawn atten- A uniform standard for sanctions is an-
tion to the fact that not only is there abuse In 1998 a large number of prohibited med- other key element.
of drugs designed for therapeutic purpos- ical substances were found by police in a The consensus of sports and govern-
es, but also of new underground concoc- raid during the Tour de France. This scan- ments at the Second World Conference
EV\Z('
on Doping in Sport (2003) supported a two in particular sports. The List is updated applying and obtaining a therapeutic use
year sanction for a first serious anti-doping annually-published in October to go into exemption (TUE) in advance from the IF or
rule violation followed with a lifetime ban effect in January. The 2006 List of Prohibit- National Anti-doping Organization (NA-
for a second violation. ed Substances is available online at DO), an athlete may be allowed to take the
The rule of strict liability was also adopted www.wada-ama.org. necessary medicine. The TUE will be tak-
so that a violation occurs whenever a Pro- en into consideration if the substance is
hibited Substance is found in an athlete's What else should an athlete know about detected in the athlete's sample, and it
bodily specimen. The violation occurs banned substances? will protect the athlete from sanctions if
whether or not the athlete intentionally or Athletes should always check with their the medical justification is confirmed. Ath-
unintentionally used the substance. The International Federation (IF) to find out letes who need to apply for a TUE should
result is that the anti-doping message is what substances and methods are pro- request a form and information about the
strong and clear to athletes-we take dop- hibited in their sport because additional TUE application process.
ing offences seriously. categories or substances may be added International level athletes should ask
to the List for that particular sport. Also, their IF and national level athletes should
WHATDOES THIS MEAN FOR ATHLETES? athletes should always make their doctor ask their NADO.
The best part of being an athlete is rising to aware that they are bound by the specific
the challenge, doing your best under the rules of their sport. Those who are unsure Information Resources
circumstances, and enjoying the process. of what a product contains should not WADA has a number of resources avail-
The celebration of the human spirit, body, take it until they are sure it is not prohibit- able to athletes and their support person-
and mind, it is what we call "the Spirit of ed. Ignorance is never an excuse. nel to better understand their rights and
Sport," and is characterized by health, fair responsibilities under the Code:
play, honesty, respect for self and others, Extreme caution is recommended regard-
courage, and dedication. ing supplement use. It is WADA's position ▼ Doping Quiz: an online interactive quiz
that a good diet is of utmost importance to to test your knowledge about doping
Doping in sport is the complete antithesis athletes. The use of dietary supplements rules.
of the Spirit of Sport. Doping destroys all by athletes is a concern because in many
that is good and noble about sport. It jeop- countries the manufacturing and labeling ▼ Prohibited List: updated annually, the
ardizes the health and well-being of ath- of supplements may not follow strict rules, "List" identifies substances and meth-
letes and erodes public confidence. In ad- which may lead to a supplement contain- ods prohibited in sport.
dition to risking serious heath conse- ing an undeclared substance that is pro-
quences, athletes who test positive for hibited under anti-doping regulations. A ▼ Athlete Guide: provides an overview
doping ruin their good name and reputa- significant number of positive tests have of the Code, and includes athlete
tion, and may loose their employment. been attributed to the misuse of supple- rights and responsibilities relating to
ments, and taking a poorly labeled dietary the doping control process.
Athletes and the Code supplement is not an adequate defense in
In 1999 the governments and sports of the a doping hearing. ▼ TUE Leaflet: information on the Thera-
world came together and agreed that peutic Use Exemption (TUE) process.
there needed to be one set of rules to help What about medical conditions?
combat doping in sport. This set of rules- Athletes, like all others, may at times ex- ▼ Doping Control Video & Leaflet: a step-
the World Anti-Doping (Code)-helps level perience a medical condition that re- by-step description of the doping con-
the playing field for athletes in all sports quires using particular medicines. The trol process.
and in all countries of the world. substances that an athlete may be re-
quired to take to treat a condition could Visit WADA's Web site at www.wada-
The Strict Liability Principle fall under the Prohibited List. However, by ama.org for these materials and more.
Athletes should know that, under the Code,
they are strictly liable whenever a prohibit-
ed substance is found in their bodily speci-
men. That means that a violation occurs WHAT DOES "PLAY TRUE" MEAN?
whether or not the athlete intentionally or
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) works towards a vision of the world that
unintentionally used a prohibited sub-
stance or was negligent or otherwise at values and fosters doping-free sport.
fault. It is very important therefore for ath-
letes to understand not only what is pro- WADA's "play true" tagline, along with its logo-the green equal sign centered in a
hibited, but also what might potentially black square-expresses the universal spirit of sport practiced naturally within the
cause an inadvertent doping violation. The rules and free from artificial enhancements. The equal sign represents fairness and
athlete is responsible. equity, while the square represents the rules all players agree to respect. WADA's
colors have meaning as well: black stands for the fairness of the referee while
The Prohibited List
The List, published by the WADA, is the in- green evokes the image of health, nature, and the traditional field of play.
ternational standard that athletes should
use to know what is prohibited in- and out- WADA seeks to protect athletes' fundamental right to participate in clean sport and
of-competition. The List also indicates thus promotes health, fairness, and equality for athletes worldwide.
whether particular substances are banned
EV\Z((
 DOCTORS

BIRTHDATE
by Santiago Esteva
AND BASKETBALL
SUCCESS
by Francek Drobnic

Santiago Esteva is a biologist and re- sional teams of the same season: ACB, We must consider that, depending on the
search Assistant of the Sports Physiolo- LEB1 and LEB2. With the same method and ranking of the team about the age in the
gist Department of Barcelona (Spain) in a comparative way, let's consider the basketball and in other team sports, a
Olympic Center. birth months of 2004/05 NBA players person born in December will play with
(www.nba.com), as well as the best 50 the players born in his same natural year,
Francek Drobnic is the Head of Sports players in NBA history (www.nba.com). while the person that born one month lat-
Physiology of the Olympic Center of The selection rules exclude foreign play- er will play in a lower category. Players
Barcelona, and on the medical staff of ers in every group, NBA or Spanish bas- born in the first day of the month of the
the Barcelona basketball team. ketball, with the goal being to homogenize natural year and with a supposed good
every group. The birthdates are assembled physical condition for basketball, are se-
Jordi Puigdellivol is a member of the in four-month groupings. So, no. 1: January lected because they developed the basic
medical service of the Barcelona bas- - March; no. 2: April - June; no. 3: July - properties of selection of a young player,
ketball team, and Luis Serratosa is a September; no. 4: October - December. before that the ones born at the end of
member of the medical service of the Re- The statistic method used is the "CHI - the year can do the same. In the prema-
al Madrid basketball team. They are co- quadrate" test. This is a test that shows us ture ages, without doubt, size is one of
authors of the article. the differences between the distribution of these factors. Most of the players select-
the studied birthdates and the distribution ed just for a level of maturation and not
INTRODUCTION of the expected births. for their true talent, will disappear gradu-
There is an important relationship be- ally from the basic teams when they
tween the birth date and the final sports RESULTS AND DISCUSSION change category. Then, we deduce that
result. For this reason the birth date is The results are shown in table 1, and fig- only the real and authentic talents and
considered one of the numerous factors ures 1 and 2 and we see important differ- the players that become sport experts,
for the selection of the talented player. An ences between the percentage of births will develop their skills and go to a better
interesting aspect related with the birth for each group. The professional Spanish category. This aspect of the development
date and with sports progress is the rela- basketball groups have more important looks very important in the first steps of a
tive age effect, or RAE. The RAE defines differences than the NBA. For this rea- team sport, and in a sport where the size
the difference of age between the people son, the birth date has a certain level of is the main standard of selection.
of the same age. It has been identified as force in the selection of sports talent in Other possible factors that influence the
a factor that can have a certain influence this sport, at least in the basic basketball. RAE in professional basketball, and in
on numerous sociological and psycho- This is a situation that influences the pro- other team sports, are the beginning of
logical aspects, as well as on sports fessional national level. Many authors the selection period and the beginning of
progress. It can be used to determine have already demonstrated this effect of the season of the sport. Like we already
sports talent as well as the possibility of a selection of sport in general and in some discussed, the birth date is an indirect
professional sports career. team sports like soccer, hockey, and reference and an alert of the maturative
baseball. The effect of relative age re- aspect of the person, with the exception
MATERIALS AND METHOD mains in the professional teams, like con- of the people that mature quickly or slow-
Let's consider the birth date, the birth sequence of the strong selection, in the ly. The birth date defines a period of de-
month of every player of every male cate- basic basketball, of the players born dur- velopment that is previous former to the
gory of the sports. On one side, the basic ing the first trimesters of the year with re- beginning or to the prosecution in the
teams (from the youth to the EBA League) spect to the others born at the end of the sport related with the beginning of the
of 2004/05 Barcelona and Real Madrid, and year and they have better maturation and scholastic calendar and the beginning of
on the other side, the first Spanish profes- physical development. the physical extra - scholastic activity.
EV\Z()
table 1: Player data and percentages of births/trimester

RAE: Relative Age Effect, index of births between the first and the second trimester, compared with
the third and the fourth.

figure 1: data of youth teams and spanish professional

basketball teams

FBC
RM
Spanish professional basketball team

Differences in percentage of births/ trimester between the youth basketball (FCB and RM) and the Spanish
professional basketball.
EV\Z(*
 DOCTORS

In this, we can
look at the ex-
perience of
figure 2: data of the nba and of the top-50 nba players
Helsen and his
colleagues,
who studied the
RAE during the
change from
August to Janu-
ary and they
made this con-
sideration.
These authors
watched that
the change of
the beginning of
the season did-
n't level the sit-
uation but pro-
duced a trans-
fer of the preva-
lence of birth-
dates from the
third group to
the first.
When we look
at the results Percentage of births/trimester of the NBA and of the top-50 NBA players.
obtained with
NBA players,
we can see that the effect of relative will be a talent for the bench.
age is not so important. In U.S.A., the The players selection of basketball will
basketball player is selected for high be modified and adapted to some tech-
level sports competition since a certain niques to plan for the future and not to
age. This situation allows a better evolu- loose the talented guys. Leave the play-
tion of those players with a talent for this er the time to develop himself and to
sport. The selection of the players is mature, to grow in all his attitudes, allow
free during the year and it doesn't de- him to practice his sport in agonistic
pend on one season that is really short. way, to make mistakes and to improve.
Then, the basketball culture is learned If we study with attention the state of
in the streets. A basketball fan plays and maturity, we will put every player in his
confronts himself, and he learns and de- correct category, demand him what he
cides his goals daily. This allows the can offer. Aspects like the familiar, so-
play and the application of personal re- cial and sports ambient, and, like is nat-
sources during an important time period ural, the genetic and phenotypic char-
for the psycho-physical development of acteristics, all these things will influ-
the man. One of the problems of the ence the player's development.
sport for the too structured teams is that
the team or the club is high level or the CONCLUSIONS
goal is always the same, which is victo- There is a relative effect of age be-
ry. On the other side, the person cannot tween the professional Spanish bas-
stay at the same level requested from ketball players and with better inten-
the coach to reach this goal and, the sity than those players of basic
work teaching and learning, it doesn't sports. This relative effect of the age
pass through these sports groups. The doesn't exist in professional Ameri-
athlete can train very well, but he does- can basketball.
n't have the opportunity of learning dur- This situation must be valued by the
ing the competitive game. The man, with experts, the scientists and the sports
talent, but who is not so mature or, about politicians to establish the work skills
basketball, he doesn't yet begun his and the correct systems of evalua-
growth, he will have lower condition tion, like how to supervise and to
than the other person who is more de- coach the sportsmen with the goal to
veloped and if he doesn't care about his optimize the players that they can
condition, he can fall and get lost. He have in the future.

EV\Z(+
 content

conditioning
CONDITIONING: THE KEY TO SUCCESS
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AlTITUDE TRAINING FOR BASKETBALL
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HOW TO IMPROVE FOOT SPEED
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DEVELOPING SPEED IN YOUNG PLAYERS
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CONDITIONING PREPARATION: EXERCISING WITH A PARTNER
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INTERVAL TRAINING

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DEVELOPING POWERFUL ATHLETES
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MEDICINE BALL EXERCISES FOR BASKETBALL part i
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ATHLETE NUTRITION part I
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ATHLETE NUTRITION part II
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INJURY PREVENTION: DRILLS ON THE COURT
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CIRCUIT CONDITIONING STATIONS
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AGILITY DRILLS
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THE “OPALS” STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
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7
 CONDITIONING

CONDITIONING:
THE KEY TO
SUCCESS by Bill Foran

Founder and former President of the involve high intensity work bouts with
National Basketball Conditioning recovery periods, not long distance runs
Coaches Association, he works for the We start our conditioning program 12
Miami Heat from 14 years, at the begin- weeks before the first practice. Initially
ning as the conditioning coach and now we start on a track where we start with
as assistant and conditioning coach. He 400 and progress to 200, 100s and 50
is the co - author, with other NBA condi- meters over a 7-week period before
tioning coaches, of two books on this moving to the court. Once on the court, we
topic will do a variety of conditioning drills that
involve:
Strength and conditioning coaches train
and develop many components involved in a) The length of the court from baseline to
making athletes better. They include con- baseline: an example, 10 lengths in a
ditioning, strength, power, quickness, minute, 5 and a half in 30 seconds and 4 in
speed, agility, balance, flexibility as well 1 22 seconds. A practice’s
as nutrition. example: 5 sets of 10
As you improve in each of these areas, lengths each with two
you will become a better athlete. You will minutes of rest between
run faster, jump higher, move quicker, and each other, or 8 sets of 4
work harder longer. lengths, each with 40
Of all the components, one stands out as seconds of rest between
the base of all others: conditioning. If you each other.
fatigue because of a poor conditioning
base, all other components suffer. You b) The width from sideli-
don’t jump as high, move as fast or last ne to sideline: an exam-
very long. Conditioning is paramount. The ple, from 10 to 17 widths,
worst way to lose is to a lesser team for a certain number of
because you fatigue in the 2nd half. sets.
Conditioning starts with being at your As we progress, we add
optimum weight and body fat. Our athletes 2 the conditioning circuit.
are required to be at or below a certain This circuit involves 8
body fat. stations that are set up on and around a
The “Bigs” (centers and power forwards) basketball court. There are 2 players per
must be under 10% body fat and the station, for a maximum of 16 players invol-
“Perimeters” (point guards, guards and ved. The 8 stations are:
small forwards), must be under 8%. 1. Agility Training
Increasing general conditioning along 2. 4 Way Resistance
with proper nutrition can lower body fat. 3. Medicine Ball Tosses
The athletes that are above their prescri- 4. Quick Feet Plyos
bed body fat percentage when fall camp 5. Resistance Running
starts spend an extra hour each day con- 6. Balance Training
ditioning on a stationary bike, stair clim- 7. Jump Training
ber, or treadmill until they achieve their 8. Lateral Slides
body fat goal. The athletes are at each station for 5
minutes with one minute to get ready for
SPORT SPECIFIC CONDITIONING the next station for a total of 47 minutes.
Basketball is a sport that involves anaero-
bic endurance: high intensity work with STATION 1: AGILITY TRAINING
brief periods of recovery. PHOTO 1
To train the energy systems involved in Equipment: The Agility Ladder
basketball, the conditioning program must
3 Drills: A wide variety of agility drills can
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 CONDITIONING

be done with the agility ladder, including STATION 5: RESISTANCE RUNNING

forward movements. Lateral movements, Equipment: A Set of Resistance Bands
and backward movements. The 2 players Drills: The two players step into each end
work at the same time. They do 3 sets of of the bands.
drills each for one minute with a minute The first player runs as hard as possible
rest in between. the length of the court, as the second
player walks behind him supplying the
STATION 2: FOUR WAY RESISTANCE resistance. They reverse positions on the
PHOTO 2 way back.
Equipment: A Set of Resistance Bands The second run is backwards to half
Drills: The 2 players step into each end of court, with second player running
the bands. One player is the “anchor” backwards back to the start.
while the other does the drill. This drill They rest one minute and repeat the 2 drills.
involves four different movements:
STATION 6: BALANCE TRAINING
■ Lateral to the Right PHOTO 5
■ Lateral to the Left Equipment: Two Balance Discs
■ Forward Drills: Balance training is an area often
■ Backwards overlooked by athletes.
4 This station is a chance to recover from the
The first player moves three steps quickly conditioning, while working on an important
and explosively to the right and back to component: balance. Each player has their
the starting position under control. He own balance disc and performs the fol-
does 5 repetitions and switches direction lowing exercises for 10-15 seconds each. Do
and does 5 repetitions to the left. Then the both the right and left before moving to the
second player does the lateral move- next drill.
ments. The first player then repeats the ■ 1 Foot
drill forward, three steps for 5 repetitions ■ 1 Foot, eyes closed
and backwards. The second player then ■ 1 Foot with squat
goes forward and backwards. The goal is ■ 1 Foot squat, eyes closed
to do 2 sets in the 5 minutes. ■ 1 Foot touch floor with hands

STATION 3: MEDICINE BALL TOSSES STATION 7: JUMP TRAINING

PHOTO 3 PHOTO 6
Equipment: A 5 Kg Medicine Ball Equipment: The Vertimax Jump Training
Drills: The two players face each other Device
about four meters apart. They sit deep into Drills: We use the Vertimax because it is
a squat position: Thighs parallel to the 5 the only device we have found that has
floor, knees over the feet, heels on the consistent resistance throughout the full
floor, chest up and stay in that position range of motion. The players take turns
while they toss the ball to each other, 10 doing 3 jumping drills against resistance.
tosses each with 2 hand overhead bounce 1. Squat Jumps (10-12 jumps).
passes. Getting deep, thighs parallel to the floor
They then stand up and do side tosses to for each jump.
develop torso rotation, 10 each to the left,
and 10 each to the right. They rest one 2. Max Jumps (10-12 jumps)
minute and repeat a second set. Jumping with as much force as possible
with each jump.
STATION 4: QUICK FEET PLYOMETRICS
PHOTO 4 3. Quick Jumps (10-12 jumps) Jumping as
Equipment: The Quick Feet Quad quickly as possible with each jump.
6
Drills: The Quick Feet Plyometrics involve
2 drills in three different ways. Forward STATION 8: LATERAL SLIDES
and back and side to side done with two PHOTO 7
feet, the right foot and the left foot. Each Equipment: Slide board
drill is done as quickly as possible for 10 Drills: Each player puts
seconds. on the “booties” over
The first player jumps forward and back their basketball shoes for
continuously for 10 seconds and then smooth sliding.
does side to side for 10 seconds. The The players take turns
other player counts the number of times doing 3 sets of 30 second
he lands on the starting spot. Then the bouts, trying to do more
second player does his 2 feet drills. The slides with each set or do
first player does his right foot drills then a certain number of reps
the second player does his. They finish 7 (30-40 range) and get
with the left foot drills. faster with each set

EV\Z'
 CONDITIONING

ALTITUDE TRAINING
FOR BASKETBALL

by Rutenis Paulaskas

Rutenis Paulauskas, graduated in biome-

dicine-sport physiology, is the basketball
coach of Nevezis Kedainiai, a Lithuanian
Division I League team. Former coach of
Lithuanian Sakalai team, and Lokomotiv
Mineralnye Vody of Russian Superleague,
he was also assistant coach of CSKA
Moscow, the Russian team.

The preparation of a high-level basketball

team for Euroleague and national cham-
pionships is a complicated and sometimes
difficult process when it comes to the phy-
sical conditioning of each individual
player. The innovative coach always seeks
ways to improve training and increase the
functional and physical capacity of his
basketball players using natural means.
One such way is to train his athletes in the
mountains.
The higher you go in the atmosphere, the
thinner the air. Thinner air means less air
resistance, so basketball players who
sprint and jump will perform better at high-
altitude competitions. But thinner air also
means less oxygen, so the pace of hard
endurance training and competition-which
depends on high rates of oxygen consump-
tion-actually gets slower at altitude.
Basketball players don’t play as well above
sea level.
If you live at altitude for several weeks,
however, the body begins to adapt to the
oxygen shortage. The most important
adaptation for the basketball player is an
increase in the number of red blood cells,
which are produced in response to greater
release of the hormone erythropoietin
EV\Z(
 CONDITIONING

(EPO) by the kidneys. Red cells carry twice for two hours each day, and the
oxygen from the lungs to the muscles. last day of the micro-cycle was given
More red cells means the blood can over to rest.
carry more oxygen, which partly makes At the beginning of the micro-cycle
up for the shortage of oxygen in the air. (just after arrival), in the middle (before
So to compete in a basketball event at the 3rd micro-cycle) and near the end
altitude, a basketball player should live (after the 4th micro-cycle), we exami-
at altitude for several weeks before the ned the muscle power parameters of
event. the athletes with a standing high jump.
But what about when the basketball Arm strength was measured with a
player comes back to sea level? Will standard bench press, while quickness
the extra blood cells supercharge his was measured in a timed 20-meter
muscles with oxygen and push him sprint. Also, every morning (just after
along faster than ever? That’s what waking up), we measured arterial
should happen, but there are problems. blood pressure and pulse rate in rest
When a player first moves to altitude, conditions to evaluate cardiovascular
the shortage of oxygen makes it diffi- system capacity.
cult to train intensely, and he may also We chose to study the high jump,
suffer from altitude sickness. If the muscle strength, and sprinting because
player doesn’t adapt well to altitude, he these parameters have importance in
may overtrain or lose muscle mass and the game itself: rebounding, jump shoo-
strength. Even if he does adapt well, he ting, inside play, and the fast break. The
still can’t train with the same intensity 20-meter sprint test also gave us the
as at sea level. The result? He detrains. chance to test anaerobic threshold
When he comes back down to sea levels and quickness.
level, he may do better or worse than The pulse rate and the arterial blood and sprinting (X±Sx) of CSKA team
before, depending on the balance pressure under rest conditions showed players training under medium-altitude
between adaptation and detraining. us recovery levels and gave us a partial conditions in the preseason camp in
Many athletes and coaches have gene- look at physical endurance levels as Bormio, Italy.
rally accepted the idea that traditional well.
altitude training-living and training We statistically worked on the results CONCLUSION
high-benefits sea-level performance. of the tests, calculated arithmetical Due to the medium mountain altitude,
Some experts believe that the average average (X) and standard deviation the resistance of body mass to muscles
best altitude and best duration at altitu- (Sx), and reliability of indices of the is much less due to its decreased
de is 2200 meters for four weeks. These arithmetical average difference (p). atmosphere.
same experts also believe that the Thus, in our work we tried to have the
effects of altitude training were optimal ANALYSIS athletes reach optimal anaerobic phy-
two to three weeks after return from Just after arrival in Bormio, we perfor- sical fitness levels and optimal muscle
altitude. med the first examination that would strength.
How High Should You Go? reveal the athlete’s physical fitness Our study revealed that during the 18-
It is now known that training at level at the beginning of mezocycle day mezocycle, training under medium-
medium-altitude mountain conditions (Table No.1). The height of the jump altitude mountain condition had some
(from 1200 to 2500 meters) is enough to during the first test was 64 (2,38 cm). positive effects on the physical capa-
trigger alterations in the functions of This measure, which is so essential for city and some functional features of
cardiorespiratory system, muscles, and basketball players, was comparatively the basketball players.
nervous system. What we wanted to do low. The strength of arm muscles rea- Just being in the mountain, where oxy-
was explore the changes in functional ched 95.56 ( 6.65 kg), while the 20-meter gen pressure is decreased, gave the
and physical fitness under these sprinting time was 3.08 (0.04 seconds). cardiovascular systems of the athletes
medium-altitude mountain conditions. an extra load-and this helped aerobic
We recruited the CSKA Moscow TABLE 1 fitness. Mid-altitude training certainly
(Russia) basketball team players during Change of high jump, muscle power, merits more scientific investigation.
their preseason mezocycle, when
the training took place 1250 meters
Test I st examin. II nd exami. IIIrd examin. Reliability between I-III exam
above sea level.
p
During one preseason training in
Bormio, a mountain city in the
High jump (cm) 64.00 ± 2.38 63.80 ± 2.21 64.61 ± 1.68 p>0.05
Lombardy region of Italy, 10 players
were studied for 18 days in the late
Muscle power 95.56 ± 6.65 94.68 ± 7.01 97.43 ± 6.83 p>0.05
summer of 2001. Training during this
(kg)
mezocycle was broken down into
four micro-cycles of four days
20 m sprint 3.08 ± 0.04 3.11 ± 0.04 2.99 ± 0.03 p>0.05
each. The basketball players
(seconds)
performed practical exercises

PAGE 60 | 02 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z)

 CONDITIONING

HOW TO IMPROVE
FOOT SPEED
by Francesco Cuzzolin

Francesco Cuzzolin, since 17 years, is a strength and conditioning walking or running surface.
coach. He worked for Benetton basketball team in Treviso, then he The next step is to see if there are any restrictions on ankle range-
went to Virtus Bologna and since two years is back to Benetton. of-motion and eventually, to find out what has caused that limitation.
He is also a consultant for the Research Center of Technogym, the According to many researchers, the ankle should have:
wellness machine manufacturer. ▼ Dorsal flexion of approximately 30°
▼ Plantar flexion of approximately 50°
For a sport such as basketball, where the physical movements of ▼ Inversion (internal rotation)
each athlete are performed in confined spaces, pushing and sho- of approximately 35°
ving against bigger and quicker players, developing “strong” and ▼ Eversion (external rotation)
“quick” feet offers a decided advantage. When feet are trained for of approximately 15°
speed, the player enhances balance and reaction on the floor. Think These are only some indications and considering the parameters,
of it like putting the right tires on a Formula One racecar and then it’s possible to arrive at some answers regarding the player’s feet. If
achieving maximum power and performance. there are some limitations, it’s important to understand what has
But, what does it mean to develop foot “speed”? And is it possible
to train and enhance this attribute? Which are the best drills? Are
there more specific exercises for a basketball player?
Every basketball coach has his own answer to these questions.
Some prefer specific basketball drills, while others employ special
drills taken from a variety of sports. I believe there are many drills
from different sports that will help enhance foot speed. But to get
the best results, especially when working with young basketball
players, it is best to follow a specific work sequence.
I will divide my suggestions on enhancing foot speed into four pha-
ses, with each varying in intensity based on the age of the athlete
and specialization level:

1. Functional
2. Proprioceptive
3. General Coordination
4. Specific Coordination
During the functional phase, each foot is evaluated. It is noted if the
foot is flat, arched, pronated, supinated, or has any other particular
characteristics. I then evaluate ankle mobility and strength of the
main muscles.
The earlier this evaluation is performed, especially when the player
is still young, the better the overall results of the training program
will be.
Understanding an athlete’s foot morphology is important for the
coach because it allows him to understand any difficulties that the
athlete might encounter in the future.
The findings of the detailed foot exam will lead to specific foot and
ankle exercises, or, if necessary, the recommendation that the ath-
lete use orthotics to improve his foot placement.
Orthotics are special shoe inserts that are intended to correct an
abnormal, or irregular, walking pattern. Orthotics perform functions
that make standing, walking, and running more comfortable and
efficient, by altering slightly the angles at which the foot strikes a
EV\Z*
 CONDITIONING

created them and then work to overcome them. Since drills on this equip-
In these situations a physiotherapist, podiatrist, osteopath, or ment are performed at
orthopedist can help evaluate each movement and alignment of maximum speed, do not
the bones of the foot. have the athlete perform too
As far as muscle strength goes, it’s important to create maximum many repetitions or he will
muscular tension that can lead to proper mechanical motion. become overfatigued. Only
Therefore, it is important to test the strength of the specific muscles when the player gets used
involved in foot movement. These include the: to performing the exercise
▼ Gastrocnemius and his fitness improves,
▼ Soleus the number of repetitions
▼ Tibia can be increased.
▼ Peroneal muscle group These specific drills improve
It’s well known that the ankle sprain is the predominant basketball neuromuscular control of the feet, producing better and faster
injury and that veteran players will have multiple sprains during the postural control, which then creates the ideal conditions for the
course of their careers. Players often practice and play with ankle quickness drills. Previously, only drills for basic athletic coordina-
braces or with heavily-taped ankles. Even so, they often have insta- tion, such as exercises for improving running technique or jumping
bility or poor functional limitation, and this often brings on more rope (most boxing-specific drills are excellent), could be suggested.
ankle problems. Know your players and their feet. If you don’t, you A special note must be injected here about foot drills using stairs
may end up prescribing the (stairs drills) or simply using a step.
wrong drills for them or have The step height should not be higher than 15-20 cm.
them doing drills out of proper This height is easily attainable by most and permits a short contact
sequence. time contact between the step and the balls of the feet, just as if the
Proprioception is an automatic athlete was running. If the step is too high, the athlete will use his
sensitivity mechanism in the knee and hip flexors more than the feet, and that is not recommen-
body that sends messages ded.
through the central nervous When working specifically with young players, drills emphasizing
system (CNS). The CNS then running technique will help improve their quickness.
relays information to rest of the However, when working with much more specialized athletes, dril-
body about how to react and ls should be more specific for basketball.
with what amount of tension. Basketball players can “train” for It’s necessary, then, to use drills that are similar to the game and
proprioception in the quest for efficient everyday movements with require specific basketball-type coordination. To reach this goal, I
their feet. Proprioception is initially an unconscious act, but it can usually prefer these following drills:
be enhanced with training. ▼ Stepping (photo 2)
Specialized sensory receptors in the muscles, joints, and connec- ▼ Bouncing
tive tissues enable the body to process information from a variety ▼ Quickness (photo 3)
of stimuli, and turn that information into action.
During the proprioceptive phase, athletes should work with When performing the stepping drills, the athlete should repeat
muscles that control and stabilize the ankle joint and enhance their them with increasing speed, alternating his steps, while keeping
capacity to react quickly and correctly to the stimulus sent from the the same sequence. One example could be to overstep a front line,
ligaments, tendons, and muscular and capsular receptors. before with the right foot and after with the left one, coming back
Drills that can improve proprioceptive control of the joints are at the starting position always in the same way.
usually only suggested when rehabilitation is concerned, but they There are a lot of “stepping” or “line step” drills that can be utili-
can play a big role in training for fast feet. Here’s a work sequence zed, with many combinations.
that can improve this capacity: I consider these drills very helpful when beginning a program,
▼ Passive feet mobilization and sensitization when the athlete may not be highly coordinated.
▼ Balance drills on both feet, both static and dynamic As he learns to do them correctly, his speed will increase and then
▼ Balance drills on both feet and different support it’s time to try something else.
bases, in a static and dynamic way Bouncing drills are a stepping evolution. I like to have the athletes
▼ Balance drills just with one foot land on both feet at the same time.
▼ Balance drills on one foot and different support base, One specific drill is to have them going from the left side to the right
in a static and dynamic way; side and back, pushing simultaneously with both feet but close to
▼ Balance drills in which the athlete tries to go off balance the floor while maintaining balance.
▼ Drills where someone else tries to throw the athlete These drills work the whole body, specifically the muscles that
have to stabilize in order for the feet to have dynamic action.
off balance
Perform each exercise at maximum speed for no longer than 8 to
▼ Balance drills from a dynamic situation (photo 1)
10 seconds.
While learning stepping and bouncing drills, the athlete can watch
his feet or watch in front of a mirror as he goes through the drills.
HOW TO PERFORM
As soon as drills have been learned, the athlete is no longer
Each drill on the mini-
allowed to look at his feet. He is to “feel” his feet, understand
trampoline lasts
where they are in relation to the rest of his body without looking
between 6 and 10
down and while increasing the speed of the drill.
seconds, with a reco-
This sequence of the drills now follows a logical progression. It’s
very period that is three
not necessary to work every athlete with every drill but it’s up to the
to four times the
coach or the conditioning coach to implement what’s needed,
working period.
depending on the specific needs of their athletes.

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 CONDITIONING

DEVELOPING SPEED
IN YOUNG PLAYERS
depends on the number and percentage of “fast-twitch
muscle fibers” an athlete has. Each muscle is a distinct gene-
by Vladimir Koprivica tically-determined blend of what’s called slow twitch, or Type
I fibers, and fast twitch, or Type II fibers. It’s the slow-twitch
Vladimir Koprivica is Professor of Sports Training Theory at fibers that are called upon during low-intensity exercise, such
the Serbian and Montenegro Basketball Academy in as bicycling and walking. However, for explosive actions, such
Belgrade. He worked as a conditioning coach at several as sprinting down a basketball court or jumping for a rebound,
men’s and women’s top division basketball teams in his coun- it’s the powerful fast-twitch fibers that spring into action.
try. Young athletes may have a ratio of these fibers in the range of
60:40 or 40:60, while a select few may have as much as 90 per-
Speed is ability to perform movements and motions in the cent of one type of fiber. The problem with fast-twitch fibers is
shortest time possible. Think of it as maximum movement. that they decline with age. If you don’t use them, then you lose
Speed is an elusive creature, a complex mobile human ability them.
consisting of various elements. By enhancing these abilities Progressive weight-training exercises can strengthen fast-
with special games and drills, a smart coach will help develop twitch fibers. These fibers will be mobilized to perform the
and increase a child’s overall speed. high-intensity exercises, while the slow-twitch provide the
It’s perhaps more appropriate to talk about speed abilities than endurance to perform each exercise over an extended period
about speed as a unique ability. Speed has various elementary of time.
components: speed of reaction, frequency of movement, Having fast twitch fibers does not impart speed. This potential
speed of each single movement, acceleration ability, and for fast movement will remain unrealized unless it is stimulated
maximum speed. It is very interesting that there is no signifi- and helped through specialized training. We will never make a
cant connection between these forms of speed. In other fast basketball player out of a naturally slow boy, but on the
words, a player can react quickly, but demonstrate poor acce- other hand, we have to train a naturally quick boy properly in
leration ability at the same time. Therefore, to increase speed order to make him really fast.
in a young athlete, it is best to work separately on the deve- Many aspects of speed are related to speed of thought and
lopment of each speed element. decision making. Therefore, the coach mustn’t be deceived
Natural development of these elements is not simultaneous-
some are developed earlier, others later. Coaches must be
aware of this in order to fully develop a young player’s speed
abilities.

SPEED OF REACTION AND FREQUENCY OF MOVEMENTS

Speed of reaction and frequency of movements are abilities
that are initially developed very early on, generally at the pre-
school age, and very dynamicly between 7 to 11 or 12 years of
age. The basic reason for this is the fact that parts of the ner-
vous system concerned with speed and reactions are mostly
formed during puberty.
After this optimal growth period, the central nervous system is
changed very little, and so the possibilities to influence speed
of reaction and frequency of movement are very small.

SPEED OF EACH SINGLE MOVEMENT, ACCELERATION ABILITY,

AND MAXIMUM SPEED
Speed of each single movement, acceleration ability, and
maximum speed should be developed early, since the condi-
tions for that are mutual and the same.
Maximum movement speed is mostly an hereditary ability that
EV\Z,
 CONDITIONING

during the selection process by estimates of elementary use drills with different movements with and without the ball,
speed levels because the basketball player is naturally not a along with changes of pace and movement rhythm.
sprinter! It is much more important to observe the children at Rectilinear, curved, and “zigzag” running should be used,
play, judging them according to how fast they switch from one along with sudden stops, starts, and a variety of jumps. What
movement to another. Search for children who are fast in play these drills do is help increase a child’s agility.
and train them to become like that when they play basketball! Special attention should be paid to fast switching, going from
Many naturally fast players are not able, for various reasons, one movement to another. You will find that a child can be fast
to use their maximum straight-ahead speed when they play in separate movements (running straight ahead, for example)
basketball. They may be slow with the ball or they may move but slow when combining a variety of movements.
too fast and are not able to coordinate their speed with the If a child doesn’t show any improvement after practicing
pace of the game. The cause of this can be poor training, but these agility drills for some time, we can say, with a high per-
it is more often due to poor coordination. On the other hand, a centage of probability, that that child is not the ideal candida-
slower child (who is still fast!) can have the ability to use his te for basketball.
maximum speed playing the game.
As we can see already in this quickly evolving game of 5. SPEED OF IMPROVISING AND COMBINING
basketball that is played today, extremely fast players who are DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS
skillful in moving with and without the ball completely domi- This is the most complex speed form, since it consists of all
nate the game. Coaches should be looking for that type of the other forms. This type of speed is usually developed:
young athlete to work with.
Basketball demands speed in various movements. Elementary a. In basketball play (more often with developed players) and
speed (simple movements) is directed by a pyramidal motor b. In various elementary games (more often with children).
path. But, an extrapyramidal path is more important for
basketball because it is responsible for the delicate move- When working with young players, the Yugoslav basketball
ments that are necessary for successful technique perfor- school values various types of games. These games demand
mance. Thus, when working with young players, special very quick improvisation, adjusting the movements to a sud-
attention should be paid to developing complex speed forms. den change of situation, and then combining different types of
them.
1. SPEED OF CHANGING MOVEMENTS I would like to focus on two games played without the ball. I
The examples of this speed form include running 10 x 5 meters have found that children, who do not do well in these games,
and then moving in a basketball stance for 6 x 4 meters. Both even after playing them for some time, don’t do well in basket-
are true tests of speed. To do well in this stop-and-go drill, the ball, either. They also typically have great difficulty in learning
young player needs a certain level of muscle power. It is very new movement skills.
important to prepare the muscles for speed games. Great care
must be taken by coaches when having children perform TAG GAME WITH “HIDEOUT”
these sprints because all the stopping and starting places One child chases after the other children. They can find a
great stress on the still-developing knee joints of the young “hideout” by creating groups of three children in a line, where
athletes. Be sure to have a good warm-up period before children at the ends of these triplets have one hand free. When
beginning these high-intensity drills. a child who is being chased touches the hand of a child in a tri-
plet, the child at the opposite end is freed and can run away.
2. SPEED OF CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENTS (“ZIGZAG” For example, the child in the middle should stand faced in the
MOVEMENT) opposite direction from the other two. That way, the child who
A player runs as fast as he can with the ball and then without is searching for “hideout” must take care of placing himself in
it, covering the distance as fast as he can between certain the right direction while continuing or creating a triplet.
points on the court, which are pre-arranged to make him con-
stantly change direction. These points can be at the same TAG GAME WITH “CUTTING”
distance from each other, or even better, at different distances. Players are spread on the half-court without any order. One
These “zigzag” movements, performed with the ball in the child chases after one selected by the coach and can catch
beginning and then without the ball, can be used as a speed only him only when some other child crosses (“cuts”) the ima-
test. Using a stopwatch, you can easily determine the rate of gined line between the chaser and the fugitive. From that
specific basketball speed on the basis of time differences. point, the chaser must run after the one who “cut” the line.
Under “cutting” is considered only the movement where the
3. SPEED OF TECHNIQUE PERFORMANCE line is crossed with both legs, which means that it is allowed
Generally speaking, basketball techniques should be perfor- (and preferable) “cut” faking.
med as fast as possible. However, this speed often must be When preparing for these games, the coach must clearly
tempered in order to react to what the opponent is trying to define for himself the goals he wants to achieve. If the goal is
do. As soon as the basic basketball skills are developed, it’s the development of some segment of speed, and if the coach
time to begin a variety of drills using an opponent. The coach knows the basic methodology, it is easy to choose some of the
should always insist on good timing for starting fast move- familiar drills, or else he can combine them and create new
ments (for example, penetration) as well as a constant chan- ones.
ge of rhythm, which forms the basis for efficient technique. When working with children, a variety of competitive speed
drills is preferable, with adequate time given for rest. In this
4. SPEED OF SWITCHING FROM ONE MOVEMENT TO ANOTHER way, the practices will be interesting for the children as well
In the training process of young players, we should always as great ways for enhancing speed in children.

PAGE 60 | 04 2003 | FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE EV\Z-

 CONDITIONING

CONDITIONING
PREPARATION:
EXERCISING
WITH A PARTNER
by Helen Chernoff

Helen Chernoff, a member of the faculty of Physical

Culture and Sport Fundamentals, is a Doctor in
Pedagogical Sciences at the Moscow State
Pedagogical University. Chernoff has been working
with the Russian Basketball Federation since 2001.

There are many ways to condition basketball

players, and having them exercise with a partner
certainly has an important role.
There’s nothing you can do in the gym that you can’t
duplicate with a partner workout. Partner workouts
work each muscle group without weights by using
your partner’s resistance and gravity. As a rule, part-
ner exercises are used in warm-ups as well as in the
training session itself.
Exercising with a partner has several advantages
over doing them by yourself.
First, your partner can provide increased resistance
over solo exercises. Another advantage is that your
partner can encourage you as well as comment on
your technique. Finally, working with a training part-
ner in general can be motivating.
Below, you will see several partner exercises that
will benefit basketball players. These exercises can
be adapted or modified to suit your needs. It’s best to
work with a partner who is the same height.

EXERCISES FOR LEG MUSCLES

The Squat
1. Stand at arms’ distance from your partner, your
feet facing forward, hip-width apart. Keep your back
straight and your weight firmly over your heels.

EV\Z.
 CONDITIONING

Extend your arms and grasp your partner’s hands for Leg Extensions
balance. 2. Sit on the floor facing your partner with your knees up
Together, slowly squat down as if you were going to sit in against your chest. Place the soles of your feet against
a chair, lowering yourself until the tops of your thighs are the soles of your partner’s feet. Place your hands on the
parallel to the floor. Pause for one second. Pulling on your floor for support. As your partner supplies gentle resistan-
partner’s hands for leverage, slowly rise up to standing ce, push out against your partner’s feet until your legs are
position and repeat. This exercise will strengthen your fully extended. You then supply gentle resistance as your
buttocks, hamstrings, and quadriceps. partner then pushes against the soles of your feet until
your knees are back against your chest. Repeat.
Single-Leg Squat
2. Stand facing your partner with legs hip-width apart. Single leg hamstring curl
Grasp your partner’s hands and extend your right knee, 3. Lie flat on your chest on the floor, arms folded, and chin
raising your lower leg to a horizontal position in front of resting on your forearms. Raise your right leg to 90
you. Keep your back straight and your weight firmly over degrees. Your partner kneels behind you and holds your
your left heel. Together, slowly squat down as if you were right ankle and left heel. As he applies gentle resistance
going to sit in a chair, lowering yourself until the tops of to your right leg, lower your right leg to the floor. As your
your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause for one second. partner continues with the pressure, raise your leg back
Pulling against your partner’s arms for balance, slowly to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
rise up to standing position and repeat with the opposite Strengthens the hamstring muscles on the back of the
leg. This exercise will will strengthen your buttocks, ham- thigh.
strings, and quadriceps.
Double leg hamstring curl
Leg Press 4. Lie flat on the floor on your chest, arms directly out in
3. Lie on your back on the floor with your arms spread out front of your shoulders. Raise your lower legs to 90
at your sides. Roll your legs up so your upper thighs are degrees. Your partner kneels behind you and holds the
resting on your abdomen and your feet facing the ceiling. soles of your feet. As he applies gentle resistance to your
Have your partner place his hands on the soles of your feet, lower your legs to the floor. As your partner conti-
feet and extend his legs back so he now leans with his full nues with the pressure, raise your legs back to the star-
weight on the soles of your feet. Extend and flex your hips ting position. This exercise strengthens the hamstring
and knees, raising your partner until your knees are just muscles on the back of the thigh.
short of complete extension. Slowly return to the starting
position. Repeat. The following partner exercises are performed with gym-
nastic equipment.
Back Hyperextension
4. Kneel on the floor, facing away from your partner. Have Squats while holding onto a bar
your partner firmly hold your shins. Arms folded across 1. With your partner on your back or shoulders, stand in
your chest or at your sides, keep your back straight, and front of gymnastic wall bars and hold onto them for sup-
slowly lower yourself to a 45-degree angle. Pause for one port. Make sure your back is straight and your weight
second and raise yourself back to the starting position firmly over your heels. Slowly squat down as if you were
and repeat. going to sit in a chair, lowering yourself until the tops of
The hyperextension is unsurpassed for development of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause for one second.
the lower back, buttock, hamstrings, and abdominal Pulling on the bar for leverage, slowly rise up to standing
muscles. position and repeat. This exercise will will strengthen your
buttocks, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
Walking with your partner
5. This classic exercise mainly works the legs, but also Groin strengthener
strengthens the whole body since you must support your 2. Sit on a bench, face to face with your partner. Raise
partner’s weight from your shoulders down to your feet. your right leg as your partner raises his left leg and places
There are several variations you can try with your partner: his foot against your inside ankle. As your partner sup-
a) on your shoulders; plies gentle pressure, resist as he pushes your leg to the
b) on your back; side. Pause for one second, push back against your part-
c) walking forward, ner’s leg, and return to the starting position. Repeat seve-
d) walking backward, ral times and then switch legs. Strengthens the groin
e) walking sideways, muscles on the inside of the thigh.
f) half-squatting.
Quadriceps Strengthener
EXERCISES INVOLVING PARTNER RESISTANCE 3. Sit on a bench, face to face with your partner. Raise
Squat your right leg as your partner raises his right leg and place
1. Squat down until your quadriceps are parallel to the the sole of your foot against his foot. Holding onto the
floor, feet facing forward, hip-width apart. Have your part- bench for support, push against your partner’s foot until
ner stand behind you and place his hands on your shoul- your leg is fully extended. Supplying resistance, allow
ders. As he applies gentle resistance, begin to rise up, your partner to push your leg until his leg is fully extended.
reaching a standing position at the count of 5. Repeat. Repeat and then switch legs.
EV\Z&%
 CONDITIONING

CONDITIONING SYSTEM
IN CROATIAN
BASKETBALL
Igor Jukic is the Professor at the Faculty of Vrankovic, Gordan Giricek, Bruno Sundov, Dalibor
Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, Bagaric, all former or active NBA players.
and works for the Croatian Basketball Today, each of all 10 national basketball teams
Association. has own physical conditioning coach. Croatian
physical conditioning coaches are not only invol-
INTRODUCTION ved in preparedness for international competi-
by Igor Jukic First sport in which physical conditioning coaches tions. They follow players during all year, they are
started to work in Croatia was basketball. This making diagnostics, training programs, nutrition
happened in Seventies of last century. In ex- plans etc. Five years ago we started to make data-
Yugoslavia, Croatian physical conditionig coa- base with tests results of physical conditioning
ches were dominantly involved in preparedness abilities for all age groups and both sexes.
of national teams. Did you know that Kresimir We also have many private physical conditioning
Cosic and Drazen Petrovic had already their pri- coaches which have great contribution in basket-
vate physical conditioning coaches in the ball. It seems now that individualisation of physi-
Seventies or Eighties? Same practice continued cal conditioning preparedness will mark near
until today with Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Stojko future of sport preparedness.

TABLE 1 - CROATIAN PHYSICAL CONDITIONING

COACHES EDUCATION PROGRAM
SEMESTERS
8 Diploma of Professor of Kinesiology
UNIVERSITY
7 with specialization in physical
UNDERGRADUATE STUDY
6 conditioning
WITH SPECIALIZATION
5
IN PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
4 Basic kinesiological study
3
2
1

5 PROFESSIONAL STUDY
4 FOR COACHING EDUCATION
3 Coaches level study WITH SPECIALIZATION
2 IN PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
1

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 CONDITIONING

EDUCATION OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONING COACHES

Education system of physical conditioning coaches TABLE 2 - EDUCATION PLAN
is especially important. In Croatia, until 1999, physi-
cal conditioning coaches were persons which
were educated on Faculty for Kinesiology. They A - BASIC LECTURES HOURS 855
were professors of physical education with specia- Kinesiology Basics 60
lizations in particular sports. In 1999, under the pro-
gram of the same study started specialization in Sport History 45
physical conditioning preparedness. This study
lasts 8 semesters. Until 2001, we have 5 semesters Sport training 75
study for physical conditioning coaches. Biomechanics of Sport 75
PHYSICAL CONDITIONING COACHES ASSOCIATION General Physical Conditioning 75
In November 2002, in Zagreb, was founded Croatian Pedagogy 45
Physical Conditioning Coaches Association. Every
physical conditioning coach from any sport can find Functional Anatomy 60
a role in this association. The primary aim of this
association is to protect rights of physical condi-
Physiology of Sport 75
tioning coaches and to help their improvement fol- Sports Medicine 75
lowing world trends. The members of association
can only be the persons who were educated as Psychology of Sport 75
physical conditioning coaches. Temporary mem- Sociology of Sport 45
bers can be the persons who hasn’t finished edu-
cation yet. Basics of Statistics and Informatics 60
Under the program of this Association a physical Sports Managament 45
conditioning training magazine is to be promoted
and this will be a magazine with international Foreign Language 45
review.
One of the most important tasks of this Association
is cooperating with similar organisations in the B- SPECIALIZATION LECTURES HOURS 960
world and especially in Europe.
History and
CONCLUSION Organization of Phy.Conditioning 60
Physical conditioning preparation in basketball is
very important factor for making grate results. Antropological Analysis 60
Demanding basketball games from one side and Kineziological Analysis 120
development of sport science from the other, made
contribution to greater popularity of physical condi- Training Methods I
tioning preparation and physical conditioning coa-
ches in basketball. (Young athletes) 75
We have to conclude that physical conditioning and Training Methods II
physical readiness are not the only and crucial fac-
tors for getting great sport results. Physical condi- (Performance Develop.) 300
tioning training can give strong base for specific Planning and Programming
and situational basketball addition but the main
reason in eral competition conditions for winning of Training 90
will be technical and tactical baskeball knowledge
and skils, beside other, on optimal level of functio-
Preparedness Control 60
nal and motoric abilities. Sport 1 (Track and Field) 45
Twenty-thirty years ago national teams from our
area has history of bad results after coming from Sport 2 (Swimming) 45
USA. They rarely lost any game with less then 30 Sport 3 (Kinesiterapy) 45
points differences. Just to remind you players who
were playing than were: Cosic, Dalipagic, Elective Lecture 30
Delibasic, Jerkov, Kicanovic, Slavnic etc. Those Diploma 30
players were dominated in world amateur basket-
ball, but they were not able to come even close to Practical Work
NBA players. Today, from same area of the ex-
Yugoslavia 16 players (Serbia and Montenegro 9,
Croatia 4, Slovenia 3) are playing in NBA.
One of the most important reasons why they actual-
ly managed to play in NBA is physical conditioning. TOTAL HOURS A+B 1815
Their basketball talent was never questionable.
EV\Z&'
 CONDITIONING

BASKETBALL
SKILLS TEST
FOR THE BIG MEN

by Mick Smith

Mick Smith was Strength Conditioning Coach at

Creighton University and Miami University. He spent
four year with the Portland Trail Blazers and, since
eight seasons, he is Assistant Coach/Strength
Conditioning Coach of the Orlando Magic. He is co-
author of two books, “Power Conditioning for
Basketball” and “Conditioning: the NBA Way”, Human
Kinetics.

The dream of every coach and organization is to have a

good big man. Basketball personnel are always trying to
determine how well a “big” can play the game of
basketball and if he is athletic and shows potential. This
test challenges a big man to display the skills every
coach covets in this type of player.
This is just one of the many ways to help get a “feel” in
the evaluation process of a player’s ability to play the
game in a somewhat controlled environment on the
basketball court. Hence, help determine a decision of
keeping or cutting a player on the roster or to evaluate
the needs of the player. Coaches want to see how well
the player can move laterally (getting to a defensive spot
fast to stop the opponent from going to the basket or for
helpside defense). They need to see how well a player
can move his feet quickly with precision and balance. A
center needs to demonstrate how well he can set a pick
and then roll to the basket and finish. It is also important
to be able to evaluate how well a player can run up and
down the court, recover back to their opponent (after
getting picked) and possibly box-out, make a good
defensive play by jumping to block a shot or being in a
good position to get a rebound, a steal or a deflection.
There also is a need to observe if there are any deficien-
EV\Z&(
 CONDITIONING

cies in the basic fundamentals such as catching, shooting, ▼ Cone #3 - 2nd hash mark (2 ft. - 0,60 m. inside lane).
passing, and positioning their body quickly in a game-type ▼ Cone #4 - opposite side (right side) low block
situation. Many of the fundamentals and athletic moves have (2 ft. - 0,60 m. inside lane).
been incorporated into the design of the skills test. ▼ Cone #5 - low block on original starting side
(2 ft. - 0,60 m. inside lane).
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR ADMINISTERING THE SKILLS TEST ▼ Vertical Jumper device 6 - 15 ft. (1,80 - 4,50 m.) from
1) A regulation basketball court. side out of bounds (left side) directly outside cone #5
2) 1 ball. at low block.
3) 16 cones or other marker devices. ▼ Ball holder #7 - 12 ft. (3,50 m.) from side out of bounds
4) 1 vertical jump measuring device. (left side) directly outside Vertical Jumper device 6.
5) 2 coaches to catch and pass ball. ▼ Cone #8 (Coach A) - 2 ft. (0,60 m.) from side out of
6) 1 ball holder (could be omitted by placing ball on floor). bounds top of the circle extended.
7) 2 stop watches, pencil, paper and clipboard. ▼ Area #9 - general area from Vertical Jumper
device 6 to Cone #10.
ADMINISTERING THE SKILLS TEST ▼ Cone #10 - 15 ft. (4,50 m.) from side out of bounds top
▼ Marker #1 - Player starts at half court facing of the circle extended.
opposite basket. ▼ Cone #11 - 9 ft. (2,50 m.) from side out of bounds
▼ The clock starts when the player begins sprinting and 12 ft. - 3,50 m. cone #10.
toward marker #2. ▼ Cone #12 - 15 ft. (4,50 m.) from side out of bounds
▼ From marker #2 to marker #3 = backpedal. at half court line.
▼ From marker #3 to marker #4 = slide left. ▼ Cone #13 (Coach B) - located at top of circle
▼ From marker #4 to marker #5 = slide right ▼ Cone #14 - 9 ft. (2,50 m.) from side out of bounds and
▼ From marker #5 to marker #6 = approach jump. top of the 3 pt. line extended
▼ Vertical Jump #6 = jump toward designated height on ▼ Cone #15 - located on low block (2 ft. - 0,60 m. inside
measuring device. lane)
▼ Ball holder #7 = retrieve ball. ▼ Cone #16a - located 13 ft. - 4 m. from side out of bounds
▼ Marker #8 = pass ball to coach A. on 3 pt. line
▼ Catching area #9 = catch pass from coach A. ▼ Cone #16b - located 15 ft. - 4,50 m. from side out of
▼ From Catching Area #9 to marker #10 = dribble sprint. bounds and in a direct line toward elbow (makes a 45
▼ Marker #10 to marker #11 = dribble sprint. degree angle)
▼ From marker #11 to marker #12 = dribble sprint. ▼ Area #17 - general area inside paint half way between
▼ From marker #12 to marker #13 = pass to coach B. basket and cones #16a and #16b
▼ From #12 marker to marker #14 = sprint. ▼ Cone #18 - located at baseline inside low block (2 ft. -
▼ From marker #14 to marker #15 = sprint. 0,60 m. inside lane)
▼ From marker #15 to markers #16a and #16b = sprint. ▼ Cone #19 - located at opposite free throw line (2 ft. - 0,60
▼ At markers #16a and 16b = slip the pick and roll. m. inside lane).
▼ From markers #16a and #16b to Area #17 = sprint.
▼ At Area #17 = catch and finish.
▼ From Area #17 to marker #18 = sprint.
▼ From marker #18 to marker #19 = finish.

TIMING OF THE SKILLS TEST

There could actually be two separate timing periods throu-
ghout the skills test. The first time period is a running clock
from the first movement of the player at marker #1 to finishing
the drill at marker #19. The second time period is from the end
line sprint from marker #18 to completing the sprint at marker
#19. Therefore, you have a total running time of the test and a
3/4 court straight a head sprint.

PENALTIES
The participant is penalized:
▼ 1/2 second for each cone or marker moved
or tipped over.
▼ 1 second for not reaching 28” - 0,70 m. mark on Vertical
Jumper device 6.
▼ 1 second for a bad pass to the coach A or B.
▼ 1 second for a not making the shot in Area #17.

COURT DIAGRAM AND SET-UP

▼ Cone #1 - “half court” (20 ft. - 6 m.from side out of
bounds).
▼ Cone #2 - free throw line (2 ft. - 0,60 m. inside lane).
EV\Z&)
 CONDITIONING

INTERVAL
by Mohamed Habib
Cherif
TRAINING
Mohamed Habib Cherif is the National Technical Director running continuously in practice does little to improve
of the Tunisian Basketball Federation and a FIBA-Africa endurance, therefore long jogs should be eliminated from
Expert. He is a regular lecturer at ISEPP, the Institute training and replaced by a large quantity of exercises in
Ksar-Said. order to improve specific endurance, which is based upon
interval training on a basketball court.
The idea behind interval training is relatively simple: Take
DISTANCES TRAVELLED DURING an aerobic workout and spice it up with a tough but short
A GAME ACCORDING TO POSITION period - called, appropriately, an interval - of challenging
intensity.
Then bring it back down for a “recovery period” and do it
Guards: 3500 m -> 6104 m all over again.
Forwards: 4500 m -> 5632 m This basic template can be modified for levels of fitness
Pivots: 5552 m -> 5711 m ranging from virtual beginner to professional athlete.
As you will see, interval training enables the athlete to
improve the work load by interspersing heavy bouts of fast
MOST FREQUENT LENGTH OF PLAYING TIME = 11” TO 20” running with recovery periods of slower jogging.
▼ 91% of playing time involved exertion of less than In an interval workout, the athlete runs hard over a set
1 minute. distance and then follows this with a period of easy jog-
▼ Breaks in exertion are slightly longer than time ging. During the run, lactic acid is produced and a state of
spent active. oxygen debt is reached. During the interval (recovery), the
▼ Most frequent length of play is 0 to 20 seconds, heart and lungs are still stimulated as they try to pay back
representing almost 51% of playing time. the debt by supplying oxygen to help break down the lacta-
tes. The stresses put upon the body by the fast running
LEVEL OF EXERTION cause an adaptation that strengthens the heart muscles,
3 seconds of very extreme exertion. improves oxygen uptake, and prepares the athlete for the
8 seconds of moderately extreme exertion. rigors of basketball.
11 seconds recuperation. All this leads to improved performance, in particular within
the cardiovascular system.
INTERRUPTIONS TO THE GAME Training sessions should be created that closely mimic
actual playing conditions. In a given situation, short, vigo-
Nature Frequency Average duration rous exercises can therefore be proposed along the lines of
(seconds) 5/5, 10/10, 15/15 and 20/40 stressing that in basketball, there
is no point going beyond 15/15 which allows all types of
Personal fouls 42 27 offensive and defensive moves to be reviewed, e.g.: slide
steps, pivots, blocking, pressing, sprints, accelerations and
Loss of ball 19 5 jumps.
Substituting players 9 20
Travelling 6-7 4 It is reasonable to start with a total duration of around 20
minutes, with the aim of extending this towards a maximum
Time-outs 5-6 57 duration of 45 minutes.
Misc. 4 45
We recommend 4 to 8 separate sets followed by 1, 1.30, or
2 minute breaks.
INTERVALS: IMPROVING FITNESS LEVELS AND PERFORMANCE
All the research, tests, and the direct observation of games This type of session should be carried out at least twice a
have led us to introduce the concept of physical training week, with or without the ball, but preferably the latter.
based upon endurance. It is high time it were noted that Using the ball slows movement and reduces efficiency.
EV\Z&*
 CONDITIONING

This type of session is particularly suited to young players weeks would especially have the effect of shifting the
within the framework of technical training with psycholo- aerobic/anaerobic transition zone with an improvement in
gical aims. the region of 20 to 30%.

For general physical training it is advisable to carry out These methods are suited to any player under the indivi-
runs of a maximum length of between 30 and 60 minutes at dual instruction of his coach.
an intensity of 60 to 70% of VO2 max, using major muscle
groups. These forms of exercise are suited to short-term use
(approximately two weeks) before recommencing group
Exercising at between 60 and 65% of VO2 max for several training.

EV\Z&+
 CONDITIONING

DEVELOPING
by Roy Lindsell POWERFUL
ATHLETES
Rod Lindsell is a Strength and endurance activities and are the By understanding both the neural
Conditioning Coach at the preferred muscle fibre type of and mechanical factors involved in
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). marathon runners and endurance muscle contraction a coach can tar-
He is responsible for the strength cyclists. get training phases toward optimi-
and conditioning of the AIS Men’s Type II fibers have the ability to sing these traits.
Basketball Program of which 11 shorten rapidly to produce force Below is a summary of how different
scholarship holders where part of quickly and at high power outputs. training types influence muscular
the Australian U19 Men’s Team, who They are best suited to high inten- power.
won the recent FIBA U19 World sity, short duration work intervals.
Championships. He is a specialist in These characteristics make Type II GENERAL STRENGTH TRAINING
the area of conditioning for field fibers best suited to power orienta- General strength training can be
and court based sports. ted activities such as jumping and described as moderate intensity (6-
sprinting. 15RM loads), moderate volume (6-12
High level muscular power is a phy- sets per large muscle group), and
siological characteristic that coa- Skeletal muscle is composed of both slow speed resistance training.
ches want their athletes to possess. Type I and Type II muscle fibers. Specific adaptations induced by this
Muscular power is the product of The percentage of each fibre type is type of training include an increase
the force and velocity of a muscular largely genetically determined and in contractile units within the
contraction and can be expressed not significantly effected by training. muscle fiber, which is associated
as the rate of doing muscular work. with an increase in the cross sectio-
High levels of muscular power, when NEUROMUSCULAR FACTORS nal area of the muscle (hypertrophy).
coupled with the right technical skill, When the neuromuscular (nerve and Significant adaptations also occur in
has the potential to facilitate supe- muscular) physiology and structures the nervous system, primarily chan-
rior athleticism, in the form of speed, are inspected the major factors that ges in the intra and intermuscular
agility and jumping ability. limit muscular power generation can recruitment patterns.
be grouped into neural and mechani-
Muscular power is largely dictated cal factors. These mechanical and neural adap-
by an individuals composition of The neural factors relate to the abi- tations account for the improved
muscle fibre types and their neuro- lity to recruit muscles and the indivi- ability of an individual to produce
muscular characteristics. dual muscle fibers. Timely and con- force following a phase of general
This article will examine these fac- cise recruitment of muscle fibers strength training.
tors and the effect of different resi- will result in the summation of force The greatest improvements in force
stance training regimes on this desi- and potentially more rapid and for- production (strength) are seen at
rable athletic quality. ceful contractions. slow contraction velocities similar to
those used in training. The improved
MUSCLE FIBRE TYPES The mechanical factors relate to the force production capacity is often
Muscle fiber types can be classified actual contractile units of the reflected across the spectrum of
into 2 broad groups, Type I (Slow muscle which are responsible for contraction velocities in untrained
Twitch) and Type II (Fast Twitch). force production. The greater the individuals.
In general Type I fibers have prefe- number of cross bridges lined up in This would account for improve-
rences to work aerobically during parallel within a muscle fibre, the ments in vertical jump seen in
low-moderate intensity activities greater the cross sectional area of response to a period of general
over extended periods. that fibre and the greater its ability strength training.
These fibers are most suited to to produce force.
EV\Z&,
 CONDITIONING

MAXIMAL STRENGTH TRAINING These exercises require the neuro-

Maximal Strength Training (MST) is muscular system to recruit large
high intensity, low volume, slow numbers of muscle fibers quickly
speed resistance training. and efficiently to satisfactorily
Loads of 1-5RM are typically used, complete the task. Specific adapta-
with more than 10 sets performed tions to this type of training relate
per muscle group. MST is usually mainly to improvements in intramu-
performed 2-5 times a week on the scular recruitment and selective
same muscle groups with the goal hypertrophy of Type II muscle
of lifting maximal loads. fibers. These types of training have
Adaptations to MST are both neural been reported to result in the grea-
and muscular. Intense loads facili- test gains in peak power output
tate the recruitment of Type II (fast (high speed force production) when
twitch) fibers who are integral compared to general strength and
players in power performance. plyometric training.
Selective hypertrophy is expected
to occur in these fibers, along with The optimal loading for these exer-
intra and intermuscular changes in cises is often a contentious issue.
motor unit recruitment patterns. To achieve maximal power outputs
in squat jumps and bench throws
The outcome of a phase of maximal the optimal loading is likely to be
strength training for a moderately between 30% and 60% of 1RM.
trained athlete is likely to be an In Olympic style lifts optimal load is
increase in force production capa- likely to be the within approximately
city at velocities similar to those 10% of a 1RM load. The exact per-
used during training. centage for any loading will depend
Like general strength training some heavily on the exercise being utili-
of these gains may be reflected sed, sets and repetitions prescribed
across the velocity spectrum, but and the training history of the indi-
this appears to be dependent on the vidual.
training status of the individual.
If maximal strength training does PLYOMETRICS
produce improvements in power Plyometric training involves maxi-
performance it would be most likely mal velocity movements, usually
due to adaptations of the Type II against the resistance of body wei- what is required during a game of
motor units and order of motor unit ght and gravity that may or may not basketball.
recruitment of these fibers. involve a rapid pre-stretching of the
The current research literature muscle. Plyometric training helps CONCLUSION
supports a strong correlation train the individual to apply and Developing muscular power for
between maximal strength and absorb force rapidly and thus spe- basketball requires a strategic
power in subjects with a variety of cifically develops the force applica- approach. This approach must take
training histories. tion capacity of the neuromuscular into account the training status and
system at high velocities. history of the individual.
EXPLOSIVE OR BALLISTIC Adaptations to plyometric training Over a period of time training may
RESISTANCE TRAINING are predominantly neural with be general and specific in nature
Olympic style lifts and high-speed negligible changes to the mechani- but each training intervention
derivatives of traditional exercises cal structure of the muscle’s con- should be targeted toward achie-
are useful training methods when tractile units. ving specific neuromuscular adap-
looking to enhance an athletes All aspects of intramuscular tation(s).
muscular power characteristics. recruitment have been shown to
These types of training are charac- adapt favourably to plyometric trai- To maximize power performance
terized by exercises that demand ning in moderately resistance trai- training should expose the athlete
the individual perform large ned individuals. to an array of training stimuli which
amounts of mechanical work in considers the multi-faceted nature
short periods of time. Plyometric exercises such as boun- of power development and how it
These exercises aim to optimise the ding, hopping and jumping are pertains to the individual.
relationship between force produc- among the most specific types of Finally, strength and power charac-
tion and contraction velocity to resistance training exercises for teristics developed in the weight
achieve high power outputs. Power basketball. room need to be transferred onto
snatches, power cleans, squat These types of exercises provide an the basketball court with an empha-
jumps and bench throws are exam- excellent stimulus to improve intra sis on specific skill acquisition,
ples of activities that fit into this and intermuscular coordination at during practice and conditioning
category. contraction velocities similar to activities.
EV\Z&-
 CONDITIONING

MEDICINE BALL
by Phil Dyer EXERCISES FOR
BASKETBALL
Phil Dyer is currently
working as the Head “WOODCHOPPERS”
Athletic Trainer at
Caldwell College in
Caldwell, New
Jersey. He is a licen-
sed, certified Athletic
Trainer as well as a
certified Strength &
Conditioning
Specialist. He over
sees all rehabilitation
and strengthening
programs for the ath-
letes, especially the
basketball programs.

Medicine ball exerci-

ses can help a basket-
ball player learn to
maintain a functional
athletic basketball
position (squat posi-
tion: defensive stan-
ce, initial shooting
position, defensive
block-out, rebound)
through strength, sta-
bilization, coordina-
tion and flexibility
while doing core
movements. This is an
important aspect of
training for basketball,
because the squat
position and the core
are the basis for triple extension (hips, components of triple extension but also to 5 kg, and the sets range from two -
knees, ankles). tap into the athletes potential through three of five to ten repetitions for each
As stated in a prior article on box agilities, the movements these exercises require. side or leg.
strengthening the muscles for these three The use of medicine balls for basketball
joints will allow an athlete to handle the for- training is extremely functional, becau- “WOODCHOPPERS”
ces required playing the game at a compe- se there is a direct correlation between The “woodchopper” series involves
titive level. These five medicine ball exerci- the exercise and the play on the court. three motions - straight down, angled -
ses will not only help strengthen the key The medicine balls used range from 2 kg right shoulder to left knee, angled - left
EV\Z&.
 CONDITIONING

EXTENDED
ROTATION

shoulder to right knee. Start by stan- Keys to this exercise are to use the ting the ball with the core. Keep the
ding with knees slightly flexed, feet hips and knees as stabilizers so that arms as straight as possible while
shoulder width apart, upper body the core can significantly benefit from trying to reach the ball all the way to
erects - core tight, ball extended high the motion of the ball. Keeping the the side of the body. Bring the ball
overhead. The motion is swinging the arms straight will allow more force to back to the starting position, pause,
ball straight down between the legs be generated, thus adding stress on and then explode in the other direc-
(keeping the arms straight) below the the mid-section (core), while recrui- tion.
knees. As the ball nears the mid-sec- ting more muscles around the leg Keys to this exercise are to make sure
tion of the body, start to bend at the joints to stabilize. This is a great exer- the lead hip (direction the ball is acce-
hips - knees to allow the ball’s momen- cise for strengthening the lower back. lerating) is flexing and the trail hip is
tum to flow all the way down near the extending. Concentrate on keeping the
floor. Start to decelerate the ball with EXTENDED ROTATION ball above the waist, and pausing at
the core when it approaches the Start in solid squat position (standing the starting point. This ensures the
shins. Explode back up into the origi- with hips, knees flexed, feet shoulder proper movement is started and
nal position. The angled motions are width apart, upper body erect - core muscles are recruited each time. This
done the same way, except now the tight). The ball is extended straight out exercise is a good way to teach a
ball starts across the body at the from the body just above the waist. basketball player to strengthen his
shoulders and angles down to the out- Start by twisting (can be either direc- stance while overcoming lateral for-
side of the opposite knee. tion first) towards the right, accelera- ces.
EV\Z'%
 CONDITIONING

MEDICINE BALL EXERCISES

by Phil Dyer
FOR BASKETBALL part II
Phil Dyer is currently working as the Head tified Strength & Conditioning Specialist.
Athletic Trainer at Caldwell College in He over sees all rehabilitation and 4
Caldwell, New Jersey. He is a licensed, strengthening programs for the athletes,
certified Athletic Trainer as well as a cer- especially the basketball programs.

FIGURE 8’S 2 3
1

8
7

6
5

10 12
11
9

EV\Z'&
 CONDITIONING

LUNGE PRESS 2 3

5 6

FIGURE 8'S and below the knee. Bring ball back

This exercise has similar concepts as overhead. This constitutes one repe-
the wood choppers - working on full tition.
extension while coming out of an ath- The key to this exercise is to bend at
letic basketball position (functional the hips, knees, and ankles, in order
squat - triple extension). The main to get the ball below the knee as
differences are the thumbs lead the much as possible, while in functional
motion and the ball is moved side to position.
side via a continuous sweeping 8 This increases flexibility and power
motion. Start by standing with knees potential. An advanced variation of
slightly flexed, feet shoulder width this drill is to drop onto one leg as the
apart, upper body erect - core tight, ball crosses the knee. This exercise
ball extended high overhead. With builds strength in the core through
thumbs leading, arms straight, bring extension, while increasing power in
ball down to one side of body, outsi- the lower body through balance,
de of and below the knee. Continue coordination, and flexibility.
the motion (thumbs leading) circling
the ball back overhead, and down to LUNGE PRESS AND LUNGE TOSS
the other side of the body, outside of Start by taking a long step forward
EV\Z''
LUNGE TOSS 2
1

3 4

5 6

EV\Z'(
 with either foot. Make sure the step is
SQUAT TOSS long enough so that when the lunge is
performed, the hip and knee of the
1 extending leg form a 90-degree angle
with the center of gravity being lowe-
red straight down.
The back leg stretches forward with
slight flexion in the knee. The exerci-
se is performed by holding the ball at
the upper chest (same as chinning the
ball). As the center of gravity is being
lowered during the lunge, the ball is
raised straight overhead.
Then, bring the back leg forward, and
the ball to the chinned position.
Continue by stepping out with the
opposite leg (as if walking along) and
perform the same movements.
2 This exercise is sport-specific for
many reasons.
The lunge not only improves the com-
ponents of triple extension through
strength, balance and coordination,
but also strengthens the stabilizers
for the plant and drives leg of the first
step and / or lay-up. The core is
strengthened via extension, which
correlates with extension on lay-ups
and dunks.
The initial lunge forward in the lunge
toss is identical to the lunge press,
however, instead of raising the ball
straight overhead from a chinned
3 position, the ball is tossed straight out
by exploding the arms forward. After
the toss drive, the extended leg backs
to original starting position. This
variation adds a power component
that builds explosiveness. This can be
done with a partner or against a wall.

SQUAT TOSS
This is another exercise that concen-
trates on developing the athlete's abi-
lity to maintain a functional athletic
basketball position.
Start in solid squat position (standing
with hips, knees flexed, feet shoulder
4 width apart, upper body erect - core
tight), with the ball extended straight
overhead. From this position, perform
throws to a partner. The partner
should be far enough way so that the
ball bounces once or twice before
being caught. Do not come out of the
squat position to catch or throw the
ball. The throw should mimic an outlet
pass, except there is no step.
The key is to keep the body as stable
as possible. The core should be tight
and the legs stabilized.
Since there is no step, hips and core
generate the power of the throw.
EV\Z')
 CONDITIONING

ATHLETE NUTRITION
by Drew Cleary part I
Drew Cleary enters his 8th season in will be a lot easier to get there psy- does not take a rocket scientist to noti-
the NBA and is currently the Strength chologically. Your performance is ce which of the two athletes took bet-
and Conditioning Coach with the based on the fuels you eat. If you don't ter care of his body.
Washington Wizards. He has worked believe me, don't eat at all the day of a Second, the types of food you consu-
with the Portland Trailblazers, the game, and see how well you play. Here me should be selected based on the
Orlando Magic and, individually, with is how it works. type of workloads placed on your body
Scottie Pippen and Monica Seles. Each meal has two important factors. during the day's activities. For exam-
The time of day (breakfast, lunch, din- ple, if you have performed a tough off-
DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING ner) and what your upcoming energy season weight lifting program, and
A LEAN PHYSIQUE requirements are for the day (practice, then played basketball for two hours,
What I am about to describe to you is game, weight training, etc). Let us clo- you will need more calories to repair
more that a "diet", this is a lifestyle sely examine these two factors to bet- the tissue and replenish the energy
change that feeds your body accor- ter understand how this works. stores depleted during the workout. If
ding to the activity level of your day. I First, each meal is designed to address you are relaxing at home on Sunday,
like to call this lifestyle "flow". Flow is the dietary requirements of that speci- watching American football or soccer
actually a psychological state that is fic time of day. This means the body on a day-off, you will need substantial-
most accurately described as the little needs different nutrients at different ly less calories as your body is at rest.
experiences we have everyday doing times of the day. The meals of breakfa- If you are going to build a one-story
something we love. It is the little buzz st, lunch and dinner have specific die- house, you need about four feet of
that we get that makes us love what tary needs that these respective meals foundation to build the structure. If you
we do. It could be as small as enjoying fuel. For example carbohydrates fuel were about to build a 100-story sky-
your kids, playing a guitar, or basket- the body's energy needs and proteins scraper you would need substantially
ball. It is the motivation we have to do repair torn and broken down tissues. more than four feet. And you would
it again and again. It makes you feel So, if you were about to run a need strong material, don't try to build
good. As you get better at the skill you marathon, you would not get up the a skyscraper out of a plaster founda-
become more and more addicted. Flow morning of the race and eat a steak tion. You will certainly need cement.
is the reason you play basketball. (protein). You need energy, you would Diet is no different. If you need strong
When you get in "the zone" and nobody eat carbohydrates. And, alternately, proteins to repair broken down tissue,
can stop you from scoring in a game, after lifting weights you would no eat don't eat some crap. Don't bring a
that high you are feeling is "flow". This pancakes (carbohydrates), your body knife to a gunfight! Above, all you need
style of eating I am about to outline is needs protein to repair the broken to live by the following principle "eat to
no different. It allows you to feed the down tissue from the hard workout. live, don't live to eat". You must feel
energy systems your body needs to You can not fuel a steam engine with good about each meal you consume
perform at your best, as well as crea- gasoline! A steam engine needs that the meal is feeding your needs to
ting the required energy to repair torn steam; a gasoline engine needs gasoli- perform at your highest level. This will
tissue from the workloads placed on ne. The quality of the fuel is also propel you into the next meal. You are
your body from practice, games and important. If you put low octane fuel in in flow. Here is how it works.
weight training. When you feed your your car you will get a low octane Athletes have specific nutritional
body the nutrients it needs at the time performance (less miles per gallon) needs at specific times of the day con-
of day, your body wants the nutrients and the engine will have a shorter life tingent on the activity levels of the day.
you will: span (low octane fuels have more I recommend eating specific meals
additives that clog pistons and even- based on the activity level. Obviously,
1. Develop a lean physique, which is tually result in the engine having a the more you train the more calories
more durable to the long basketball shorter life). The type of fuel you put in you will need to develop your body. If
season. your body is no different. If you put you choose to put poor quality fuels
2. Repair tissue that has been broken quality fuel into your body, it will burn into your body you will get mediocre
down from competition. cleaner, allowing you to perform at a results. Be specific about what you
3. Reduce recovery time, which will higher level and reduce the wear on are eating and why you are eating it. If
reduce injuries. your body. This will enable you to have you have weight concerns, these die-
4. Above all allow you to perform at a longer injury reduced career. tary habits will work for you.
your highest level. Charles Barkley and Karl Malone ente- Obviously, if you are over-weight, then
red the NBA one-year apart. Who had your dietary habits are not the best to
If your body is in the zone physically, it the longer, injury-reduced, career? It begin with. Let us start with breakfast,
EV\Z'*
 I mean it will stay with you during the
course of the day. The oatmeal seems
to sit in your stomach like a "brick"
propelling you without hunger to the
next meal. Although I also recommend
cereal, it does not seem to last as long
in your stomach as oatmeal. The num-
ber of calories per cup of oatmeal is
around 150 depending on the com-
pany that manufactures the product.
Oatmeal has a high amount of fiber
which also helps with the hunger
pains.
There are many different types of oat-
meal. Once you have selected the oat-
meal, you will need to prepare the
stuff.
HOW TO PREPARE OATMEAL
Some people prepare oatmeal with
milk. This is fine, but I would prefer
you to use water. We can control the
number of calories coming into your
body better if you use water. If you
want to use milk it is all right, simply
factor the extra calories that are in
the milk. If you are an athlete that
does not have body composition pro-
blems (athletes that are trying to drop
body fat) then using milk would be
fine, more on that in a minute. If you
a very important meal. very hungry very soon because the are trying to drop body fat, do not use
nutritional value of the sugar filled milk. After the oatmeal is cooked in
MORNING MEA (BREAKFAST) foods are limited and short lasting in either the microwave or on the stove
(90% Carbohydrates - 10 % Proteins) your body. When you eat carbohydra- (makes no difference) it is preferable
Breakfast is a key meal, because it tes your body produces insulin to to sweeten the oats with some yogurt.
gives you the foundation of energy break down the carbohydrate (diabe- Why yogurt? Our stomachs have acti-
that you will use throughout your acti- tics inject insulin because their pan- ve bacteria that help with the dige-
ve day. A lot of athletes do not eat creas is unable to manufacture it). stion of foods. If you get sick and
breakfast. If you skip breakfast your One of the other effects of insulin on vomit (throw up), doctors will recom-
energy levels will be low all day. The your body is that it allows you to store mend yogurt as you recover, because
make up of breakfast has to be tailo- body fat. The more sugar you eat the it is soft (should you throw up again it
red to the energy requirements for the more insulin released by your pan- comes up easy) and it replaces the
day. It is the meal that will get you to creas, and the more fat deposits your lost bacteria in the stomach. It will
lunch. The energy required to get you body will be able to make. This is why help your stomach feel good. My pre-
to lunch is carbohydrate, specifically, the Adkins diet has been a success ference is for plain yogurt as it has
complex carbohydrate. even though it is very dangerous. The very little sugar. It makes the oats
On any typical day you will have prac- higher the glycemic index the more creamy, but not too sweet. Make sure
tice, maybe lift weights, go shoot, refined carbohydrate or sugar the the yogurt you choose has active
have a game or in the off-season play product has. We need to eat carbohy- bacilli. These are little bacteria that
pick up basketball. Either way, you drates for energy but we have to be are present in yogurt that are also in
will need energy to do these things. specific about which ones we eat. We your stomach. You may choose to use
Predominantly complex carbohydra- want high fiber, low glycemic index the flavored yogurts for a little extra
tes high in fiber are optimal for this foods. The below recommendations taste. This is fine; just understand
meal with a very small amount of pro- are cheap, good for you and will stay these flavored varieties have more
tein. Reduce the amount of simple with you longer until you eat your next sugar. Try to utilize the fat-free or low-
carbohydrate that you consume. This meal. Let me break down the breakfa- fat varieties.
means a pop tarts, donuts, or even st menu.
high sugar cereals such as fruit loops Some of the best breakfast sources 2. CEREAL
are out. The sugars in these foods are are outlined below. What you mix in with the cereal:
quickly broken down and taken into
your body, usually leaving you very 1. OATMEAL ▼ Cows Milk - Most people put milk on
hungry in a relatively short period of Oatmeal has been around for centu- their cereal or oatmeal which is fine.
time after consumption. You will be ries. It is reasonably dense. By dense I would recommend the lower fat
EV\Z'+
 CONDITIONING

think this is the best breakfast choice.

MID DAY MEA (LUNCH)

60% Carbohydrates - 40 % Proteins
Lunch is a pivotal meal. In the NBA our
athletes practice in the morning, usually.
When you get up in the morning and
eat some oatmeal, full of complex car-
bohydrates ready for the morning
practice that is what the body needs at
that time of day, energy. After practice
we have depleted the body of sugar.
We have expended energy and broken
tissue down by running, cutting, stop-
ping, sliding (this is the stiffness we
feel after practice and games).
So, after practice we want a blend of
carbohydrates to replenish the lost
sugar supply (this is also tomorrow’s
energy supply) and protein so your
body can begin to repair the tissue that
has been torn down. The focus of this
meal is to replenish the lost carbohy-
drate stores and provide protein to
2%, or skim variety if you choose milk. 3. HOT BREAKFAST begin the repair of the tissue.
I would prefer you to use soymilk Everybody enjoys a hot breakfast every
though for the following reasons. now and then. This can be had occa- Lunch has three elements:
sionally. If you eat this everyday you
▼ Soymilk - I recommend the soymilk are not going to have an athletic physi- a. Carbohydrates
for breakfast over regular milk que, I promise. b. Proteins
because: What about bread, bagels, and c. Vegetables
a. Lactose intolerance. Many people pastries?
suffer from lactose intolerance, I am not a big fan of bread and baked a. CARBOHYDRATES
which means when you eat dairy goods. If you are attempting to change As we have expended a lot of energy
products such as milk, ice cream or your body composition then I would during practice, we need to put that
cheese you get diarrhea. Soymilk is definitely advise you to drastically energy back. This meal requires a
not from a lactating mammal (cow); reduce the amount of bread you consu- small amount of complex carbohydrate
it is from a plant (soy), so lactose me all the time. It seems bread is very that is high in fiber. As mentioned in the
intolerance is not a factor. easy to eat, as I am sure you are aware breakfast portion, try to avoid bread as
b. There is no cholesterol in soymilk. when a waiter brings you the breadba- the complex carbohydrate source. The
We consume a lot of animal pro- sket at a restaurant. Breads also have following are some acceptable forms
ducts during the day (chicken, pork, a high glycemic value that will cause of lunch time complex carbohydrate.
beef, fish, cheese, eggs). Milk is a extreme insulin release.
relatively small and easy animal We just plain don't like bread. Try to 1. Whole Wheat Pasta - Whole wheat
product to give up. Over time a quite stay away from it or at least reduce pasta has a lower glycemic value
substantial reduction in the overall your consumption. If you are eating out than the refined white pasta. That
amount of animal products that we don't let the wait staff even place it in means there is less insulin produ-
consume. The silk series are proba- front of you because I can guarantee, ced by the body when you eat
bly the best. Be careful with the fla- that if it is front of you, you will end up whole wheat pasta than white
vored varieties of soymilk, as they eating more bread than actual meal. Be pasta. The less insulin produced by
are higher in sugar. The stuff also polite but simply say "no bread thank your body, the less ability your body
lasts forever. It will not go bad for you". With the current Adkins diet being has to store fat.
about two months. so popular the wait staff hears that all
the time. Special Note On Preparation. Do not
▼ Berries - The morning is also a great The recommendation for breakfast is cook the pasta all the way until it is
time to eat fruit. Adding blueberries, oatmeal or cereal. The reason for this sloppy and soft. The sloppier or softer
blackberries, strawberries, raspber- is two folds. Firstly, oatmeal stays with the pasta the more you break down the
ries, bananas, etc, not only add the body for a little bit longer, meaning bonds of the pasta and the glycemic
great anti oxidants (anti aging vita- you will not get hungry as quick after index becomes higher (even in whole
mins) to your diet they also add fla- eating. Secondly, the composition of wheat pasta). Cook the pasta so it is
vor. Eat plenty of berries at breakfa- oatmeal is very good; there are around still a little stiff.
st. Eat plenty of fruit in the morning 27 grams of carbohydrate, 4 grams of This way the glycemic index stays
and eat NONE in the EVENING. fiber and around 5 grams of protein. I down and your body has to work a little
EV\Z',
extra to break it down.
CARBOHYDRATE DENSITIES
2. Brown Rice - When rice is harve- DENSITY LEVEL CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE
sted before being milled it is cove- 1 Green vegetables (Beans, Broccoli, Peas, Spinach)
red in a harder protective cover. As 2 Salad (salad is great use extreme caution with dressings)
we mill rice the outer protective 3 Yellow vegetables (corn, squash, carrots)
sheath (known as a husk) becomes 4 Fruit (high in sugar, also high in fiber which is good, not at night)
worn down and the outer husk is 5 Brown Rice, Whole wheat pasta the high density boys.
slowly removed. White rice has had 6* Bread (I don’t like this as a source but its alright occasionally)*
the entire husk removed. This is 7* Potatoes (High glycemic index, seldom eat these)*
known as refining. Just as white
pasta has been refined white rice is *Only on very hard training days should you eat bread and potatoes, never at night.
refined. White sugar has been refi-
ned from brown sugar. The following Rate your Day to determine carbohydrate requirements.
are some examples of brown rice.
LEVEL BODY WORK LOAD FOR THE DAY
Brown rice takes a little longer to cook, 1-7 Hardest training day on my body in a while
notice the cook time on the box of 30 1-6 Hard training day on my body
minutes. Choose the rice that is highest 1-5 Medium training day on my body
in fiber. 1-4 Low training day on my body
When choosing your brown rice, look at 1-3 Day Off no training on my body
the fiber content on the label. The
higher the fiber content in grams the
better selection of rice. As with pasta Unrefined Equivalent Carbohydrate the hustle and bustle of today’s world I
rice should not be over cooked either ▼ Whole Wheat Spaghetti understand that a sandwich is very
making it soft or “soggy”. Cooking easy to prepare and consume on the
brown rice will take longer than cooking ▼ Brown Rice run. So, occasionally it is alright to eat
white rice, because the outer husk is a some bread. If you must eat it try to uti-
little more resistant to the penetration of 3. Potatoes - Potatoes fall in with bread lize the breads that are highest in fiber,
the boiling water. Cook it until it is sligh- and I consider potatoes a simple car- but even these are high on the glycemic
tly “crunchy”. bohydrate because it causes such a index. Eat bread only occasionally at
spike in insulin. We just plain don’t like breakfast or lunch.
The following is an outline of the diffe- potatoes. Everyone loves a French fry,
rence in fiber content between whole which is OK occasionally. If you must CARBOHYDRATE DENSITIES
and refined carbohydrates. I know the have a potato every now and then try to Carbohydrates have densities. These
numbers do not look to be that much but get the baked variety with low fat butter densities range from low such as green
it is very important to select the highest and low fat sour cream. Make sure you vegetables through to high which is
fiber product. eat the skin of the potato as this is bread and potatoes at the top. The chart
where all the fiber is located. The white above is a break down of the carbohy-
Refined Carbohydrate fluffy inside is very high on the glycemic drate densities.
▼ White Spaghetti index. Based on them, I think you understand
the process. The harder you work on one
▼ White Rice 4. Bread - As mentioned in the breakfast scale the high up you can go on the
section we don’t really like bread. But in other. If you are on a day off you are not
going to need a big pile of rice.
You may still have a small serving but not as
much as you might have on a training day.
Common sense says you can have as much
green vegetable and salad (use caution
with the dressing) as you want here.
On off days you may want to eat some
more yellow vegetable or even some
beans (lima, navy, etc) instead of the
heavier carbohydrates such as rice,
pasta, potatoes.

For questions/comments, please write

an e-mail to: [email protected].
For more information, visit www.hoo-
pstrength.com, a free site for the deve-
lopment of strength and conditioning
specific to the basketball player.

EV\Z'-
 CONDITIONING

ATHLETE NUTRITION
by Drew Cleary part iI
Drew Cleary enters his 8th season in red meat or chicken and pork. On any with that for the recuperation qualities
the NBA and is currently the Strength day the green vegetables are still con- they afford us.
and Conditioning Coach with the sumed. Eat proteins out of group 3 on Here are few forms of red meat that are
Washington Wizards. He has worked non-lift days. good sources.
with the Portland Trailblazers, the Obviously, always try to get the leanest
Orlando Magic and, individually, with The following is a table that also versions of these cuts of meat. We
Scottie Pippen and Monica Seles. appears in the “What are proteins” want to keep the fat intake down as
section. This table illustrates protein much as possible. Lamb chops, althou-
PROTEIN densities. These densities are impor- gh fatty, are a great source of the red
The protein here should be from a tant as it allows us to match the con- protein.
good source and match the workout. sumption of proteins to the intensity of Top sirloin is perhaps the big daddy of
Specific days have been designated your day's work. red protein. Lean and protein potent.
as to which form of protein you eat.
Let’s take a quick look at the recom-
DENSITY LEVEL PROTEIN SOURCE
mendations.
5 Group 1
4 Group 2
Let us first analyze the lifting days.
3 Group 3
This is contingent on how you are trai-
2 Group 4
ning obviously, but I will break it down
1 Group 5
in simplistic terms.
*Group 4 & 5 do not really count. These are snacks more than meals
1. LEGS
The biggest muscles in the body are the
LEVEL WORK LOAD ON MY BODY FOR THE DAY
legs. For this reason when we work our
4 Hard training day on my body
legs the most tissue will be torn down.
3 Medium training day on my body
The more tissue torn the more proteins
2 Low training day on my body
required to rebuild. Thus the densities
1 Day Off no training on my body
are very important. I would recommend
the red meats here. Eat plenty of high-
The harder you work the higher you go on the protein meter.
density proteins when working your
legs. Eat proteins out of group 1.
Now that you understand how to cor- CHICKEN, PORK, TURKEY
2. BACK AND CHEST relate the days work to what you will be GROUP 2
These are the second largest muscles eating, you have to understand the dif- These are good sources of protein.
(actually the back is bigger than the ferent types of protein in each of the They are for the most part low in fat.
chest, believe it or not). Here we want groupings. The density of protein for recuperation
something out of the second group of The following is a break down of the is not as high as red meat, but they con-
proteins. These proteins include protein groups. tain less fat. If these proteins were all
chicken, turkey and pork. Eat proteins you could eat, you would be fine. As
out of group 2, when training your RED MEAT stated before, always select the leane-
back and chest. GROUP 1 st cuts and prepare it in a way that is
These are the powerhouse proteins so healthy. This means throw your deep
3. NON LIFT DAY to speak. We would like you to eat red fryer away. Some good sources of
On the non-lift day there is no tearing meat, when you have done the hardest group two proteins are as follows.
of tissue the muscle tissue. You may work on your body. This would be the Boneless skinless chicken low in fat
still be conditioning or playing and will legs in the basketball players’ world. high in protein A nice lean piece of
still need proteins for the repair of The red meat is the highest density meat pork. I would still trim some of the fat
that work. On this day the fishes and there is as you can see in the chart off.
shellfish are utilized or any of the above. It will enable maximum tissue
plant proteins listed below. There has repair. Inclusive in this group would be FISH AND SHELLFISH
been limited tissue tearing as compa- beef and lamb. GROUP 3
red to the lift day so we do not need Although both of these animals are high This is the least dense protein there is
the density or the extra calories from in saturated fat we are prepared to deal and I think our body does the worst job

EV\Z'.
of assimilating (taking in) the source. into our diet that humanity literally body rest and regenerate.
The reason for that is unknown, but I exploded.
think the water creatures as opposed to These plant forms are the protein C. VEGETABLES
land dwellers have something to do with “runts” though and are only useful as This meal always requires vegetables
it. These proteins are great sources of supplements. Although they are the and/or a salad. You may have either
omega fatty acids, which are healthy weakest form of protein, they play an green or yellow vegetable at lunch. A
anti oxidants. important role in our diet. The following salad is also a solid choice but be care-
I would advise eating fish on the days is a quick breakdown of the plant pro- ful what kind of dressing you use. All of
you do not lift weights or on days off. teins. the calories are located in the dressing.
Fish is light and enables you body to stay You must be careful with salad dressing.
sharp. You do not want the heavy pro- 1. The beans are high in fiber, very use-
teins all the time. Fish and shellfish play ful for hunger reduction. EVENING MEAL (DINNER)
an important balance in the diet becau- 2. The soy allows us to reduce using (90% Proteins - 10% Carbohydrates)
se sometimes less is more. You will noti- animal products. This is a very important meal because
ce from the protein density table that 3. Tofu, well I just can't touch that stuff these are the energy units you are going
fish are no different to chicken in that I 'm sorry. If you can more power to to give to your body to repair the tissue
the lighter the flesh the less protein. The you. you have torn down during the day. If
darker fleshed tuna and salmon are you put bad energy into the body you
higher than say the swordfish, which is Now that you understand what the pro- will not regenerate effectively and thus
a white fish. Fish is a good selection if teins are here is how you should eat you will be at a higher risk of injury.
weight control is an issue. Once again them. Dinner is constructed of two elements,
always select the leanest cuts and pre- protein and green vegetables only.
pare it sensibly. RATE YOUR DAY
Some examples of good sources are as 1. PROTEIN
follows. Tuna is lean and packed with HEAVY WORKLOAD The selection of protein is the same as
some high power proteins. Salmon Heavy workload would be completing explained above in the lunch section.
although a little fatty is packed full of an off season legwork out and then Use your common sense though if you
omega fatty acids, Very filling. Shrimp playing in the afternoon. Or an in season have a really tough practice and a lift
believe it or not are the densest proteins leg workout and practice. you can't eat steak two meals in a row.
in this group along with lobster. This may also be the back of a back to Try eating the group 2's (chicken, pork,
Swordfish a great choice to lower the back. You know which day this is it's the turkey) at lunch and the group 1's at din-
intake of calories. one that makes you sore, very sore. ner (red meat). Or on lighter day’s group
3's (fish) at lunch and 2's (chicken, pork,
EGGS AND CHEESE HARD TRAINING LOAD turkey) at dinner.
GROUP 4 This would be a practice with a lift
Eggs and cheese are good snack sour- afterwards. Not the worst day, but tough 2. GREEN VEGETABLES
ces of protein. They are not high density none the less. You would not want too Green vegetable is the only other thing
proteins, but a good supplement none many of these in a row. In a game sense needed. Your body needs a very tiny
the less. The protein powders you buy it would be a pre or post game lift plus a amount of carbohydrate to assimilate
are made of whey (left over scum off hard fought game in which you played a (take in) the protein. This is where the
cheese) and sometimes eggs. As you lot of minutes. green vegetables come in. Yellow vege-
can see the in the protein density table tables are a little too high in carbohy-
this group of proteins are nowhere near MEDIUM TRAINING LOAD drate to be eaten with this meal. Yellow
meat in their density characteristics. I Medium would be a regular practice vegetables include corn and squash.
do not think the body does well assimi- day with no lift, or a game day without a The greenery is also high in fiber, which
lating (take it in) the protein. That is why lift. Or a game you played less than 24 will help curb your appetite. You might
protein shakes in my mind are crap and minutes in. want to have a salad here, which would
at best a snack. I would not use the pro- be all right if the dressing is low in sugar
tein shakes as a "meal replacement" like LOW TRAINING LOAD and fat.
the big supplement companies condo- A low training load would be a shoot I would rather you have salad with a
ne. I do however like eggs and cheese around type practice. An in-season lift higher fat content dressing than a dres-
as long as they are in a low fat form. As without a practice or a game. This sing high in sugar.
discussed in the “what are proteins?” would be a day where we workout, but Be careful, a lot of times to take the fat
Eggs are little high in cholesterol (yolk), don't really push ourselves. out of salad dressing the manufacturer
but a very good source of protein add sugar to the dressing otherwise it
DAY OFF tastes terrible. Make sure the dressing
PLANT PROTEINS When I refer to a day off, I mean a day is low in sugar. Balsamic vinaigrette or
GROUP 5 off. No lifting and no practice. We need oil and vinegar would be better than
Plant proteins are also great sources, more of these to stop the degrading of ranch dressing for example.
but, sometimes, are high in carbohydra- the body. Use common sense on the amount of
te, as well as protein. Humans survived As the season goes on these are rare. dressing you put on the salad. Some
on plant proteins for thousands of years. Embrace them for what they are and examples of green vegetables are as
It was not until animal proteins came take it as it is intended, a day off. Let the follows.
EV\Z(%
 CONDITIONING

WHAT ABOUT SNACKS?

You will get hungry between meals. The
morning snack could be any thing from
some nuts to a protein bar. Make sure the
protein bar is low in fat. Fruit should only
be eaten as a snack in the morning, try not
to eat fruit after lunch. You will probably
get a little hungry in the evening also. You
may have cheese (preferably low fat),
eggs (hard-boiled without yolk), and beef
jerky. NO FRUIT or anything with sugar.

DESSERTS
We all like something sweet. I am a choco-
late freak so giving this up is not easy for
me. With that said if it is important to you to
eat correctly this is a sacrifice you will
make (I still eat chocolate but not all the
time it is definitely a treat). You may have
chocolate occasionally just be sensible.

Try to stay away from desserts with

sugar. The preferred desserts are sugar
free. They are definitely an acquired taste
however. Eating too much artificial swee-
tener can be dangerous to your health. It
is better to simply skip this meal or find a
sugar-free dessert you like by trial and
error. Try to give up desserts 6 days a
week and treat yourself on the other day.

What should I drink with my meals?

PROTEINES DENSITIES
This is a very important question. I GROUP 1
recommend gods water at every meal. Top Sirloin (Beef) 120 grams 25.8 162
Water is the most nutritious stuff that we Top Loin (Beef) 120 grams 24.3 168
can't live without.
I like to drink still and carbonated waters. GROUP 2
You would be amazed how many calories Light Meat (Chicken) 120 grams 19.8 96
some people could remove form their diet Dark Meat (Chicken) 120 grams 18.0 150
if they stopped drinking soda and drank Top Loin (Pork) 120 grams 18.6 138
water instead. Gatorade (or similar Light Meat (Turkey) 120 grams 18.6 135
drinks) is fine during practice or games Dark Meat (Turkey) 120 grams 17.1 105
because there definitely is a correlation
between sugar and performance over GROUP 3
time. But be sensible with it. I advise Lobster 120 grams 17.5 95
players to drink as much water as they Shrimp 120 grams 17.2 90
drink Gatorade (or similar drinks) during Tuna 120 grams 15.6 75
practice and games (50% water 50% Trout 120 grams 14.2 88
Gatorade) and you will stay hydrated.
Coffee and tea are fine as long as there is GROUP 4
no sugar. If you want some sugar in your Egg 120 grams 10.5 126
coffee in the morning it is all right, not in Egg Substitute 120 grams 9.0 45
the evening. A small glass of juice is also Cheese (American) 120 grams 18.0 120
all right in the morning. I emphasize small. Cottage Cheese 120 grams 10.5 60
Juice is very dense; it contains a lot of
calories in a small packet. GROUP 5
PROTEIN SOURCE WEIGHT PROTEIN GRAMS CALORIES
For questions/comments, please write
Tofu 120 grams 6.9 66
an e-mail to: [email protected].
Soybean* 120 grams 30.9 354
For more information, visit www. hoo-
Lima Beans* 120 grams 17.4 284
pstrength.com, a free site for the deve-
lopment of strength and conditioning * Significant source of carbohydrate as well as protein.
specific to the basketball player.
EV\Z(&
 CONDITIONING

LIFT OFF
by Ramy Azrak

Ramy Azrak is the strength and condi-

tioning coach of Telekom Baskets
Bonn, the German Division I Men's
team.

What greater feeling is there in basket-

ball than jumping up high and then slam-
ming the ball through the basket?
Preferably, with lots of "air time"! How
can you achieve that? It is up to you to
work for it, but by devoting the right 25
minutes, you're sure to succeed.

Of course, a true basketball player boa-

sts a number of skills, such as defense,
ball-handling, shooting accuracy, and a
1
tactical understanding of the game. But,
in modern basketball, a player's jumping
ability plays a decisive role in all move-
ments. Elevation and explosive power
can be specifically trained without
"periodization" (continuous). During the
pre-season preparation phase, for
example, the Telekom Baskets Bonn
team players concentrate even more on
improving their jumping ability.
However, during the season, Karsten
Schul, assistant coach and fitness
expert, is quite particular about how
much time his players spend working on
their vertical jumps. Schul's tip: to
increase motivation, train with a partner,
if possible. Also very important: the
basic methodical principles of basket-
ball must be observed without fail. The
golden rule for beginners: go from easy
to hard, from simple to complex, from
familiar to unfamiliar. 2
POWER PLAY that focus on strengthening the muscles ting position. At the end of the exercise,
In order to improve your elevation and in the thighs, calves, and buttocks: breathe out.
explosive power sensibly, it is best to Intensity: Beginners: Using a light wei-
start with weight training. Because of KNEE BENDS ght, do 2 sets of 15 repetitions.
the heavy strain not only on the "active Lean your upper body forward slightly, Advanced exercisers: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to
bio-mechanics system" (musculature) keeping the spine straight (to avoid inju- 12 repetitions.
but also the "passive bio-mechanics ries) and concentrate on the downward Note: The knee bend is the number one
system" (bones, joints, ligaments and movements while breathing in. With body exercise because it trains a num-
tendons), regular weight training, also in your thighs in a horizontal position, ber of muscles and stimulates the car-
the form of supplementary training, is stretch your legs and slowly straighten diovascular system. Beginners can start
essential. Start with two basic exercises your upper body, returning to your star- with "half knee bends". For the advan-
EV\Z('
 CONDITIONING

ced, leg stretching (to an upright posi-

tion) should involve explosive quick
movements.
Equipment: Barbell pole.

KNEE BENDS IN LUNGE POSITION

PHOTO 1 2 AND 3
Stand upright with legs slightly stradd-
led. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, kee-
ping your arms relaxed. Breathe in as
you take a big step forward, making sure
you keep your body straight. While in
the lunge position, keep the front thigh
horizontal (parallel to the floor). Return
to the starting position and breathe out.
Intensity: Beginners: 2 to 4 sets of 15
repetitions. Trained athletes can do 3 to
4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
Note: This exercise mainly strengthens
the gluteus maximus (the big buttock
muscle). Beginners should start with a
light weight and several repetitions, as 3
this exercise demands coordination.
Equipment: 2 dumbbells or a barbell Intensity: At least 5 to 6
pole. minutes, progressively
You can add variety to your weight-trai- increasing the frequency.
ning program by performing different Note: Rope jumping is a
exercises with varying weights. The good warm-up exercise and
book "Strength Training Anatomy" by is ideal when moving from
Frédéric Delavier (Human Kinetic the warm-up phase to the
Publishers) provides good insight into main training phase. For
weight training. athletes under 16 years, 20
minutes of rope jumping
JUMP counts as a total training
Basketball players should work on their session.
explosive power, anaerobic strength, Equipment: Rope.
and maximal strength. Dynamic muscle
contractions, which are common in so- The second component of
called "plyometric" exercises, enhance an ideal workout is stret-
an athlete's "reactive strength" (stretch- ching, which improves
shortening cycle of the musculature) muscle elasticity and physi-
and help improve strength and speed. cal performance. A rigid
Plyometric training starts with a jump, musculature has poor resi-
keeping contact time on the floor to a lience, which is so crucial
minimum, and ending with an explosive to explosive jumps. It is
dynamic muscle contraction. recommended stretching
Important: Doing this workout when each muscle group, in parti-
tired and thus not applying the correct cular thigh and calf
technique can not only increase the risk muscles, 2 to 3 times for 15
of injury but also can also considerably to 20 seconds.
minimize the effect of the exercise. Resistance training plays
Warm-up: an important role in enhan-
A warm-up is always the first compo- cing performance. The ath-
nent of any proper training session. The lete should be focused on 4
more intense the workout, the more the exercises and give
extensive the warm-up program. The maximum effort. The fol- To sustain the effectiveness of the trai-
warm-up period should last at least 15 lowing training plan is intended purely ning sessions and maintain motivation,
minutes. as an introduction to explosive power the program should be varied after 3 to 4
training. It is suitable for both beginners weeks of training by changing 8 to 12
ROPE JUMPS PHOTO 4 AND 5 and advanced athletes. The exercises exercises.
Different forms of jumps should be prac- can be intensified by shortening the
ticed (one-legged jump, two-legged breaks between sets or increasing the BOX JUMPS PHOTO 6 7 AND 8
jump, lateral jump). amount of sets or repetitions. Stand half upright in front of the box
EV\Z((
(about 35 to 50 cm away) with your feet ced 60 to 90 cm apart. minutes of slow jogging/running is enou-
together and your arms slightly bent. Note: This exercise is especially good gh, pausing every now and again to
Explosively jump, energetically swinging for training the thigh abductors, the shake the legs as you cool down.
your arms up. As you land on the box, knee-stabilising muscles and the ankle
push yourself off again and focus on lan- joints, and it helps to develop the explo- PRINCIPLES OF
ding with knees bent (cushioning). sive lateral power (outward movement) ▼ Increasing endurance-the greater
Intensity: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions of the legs and hips. the athletic endurance capacity, the
(jumps). more varied and intensive the
Note: The larger muscle groups being DOUBLE LEG SPEED HOP workout should be.
worked on include the hip muscles, the Holding a basketball in your hands, keep ▼ A proper exercise sequence-warm-
quadriceps (front thigh), the hamstring your arms bent and parallel to the front up-stretching-main set: speed before
muscles, the buttocks, lumbar, and of your body. Jump up dynamically as strength before stamina-cool down
shoulder muscles. The active landing in high as possible, lifting the knees ▼ Varying endurance-performance
particular is a very effective exercise upwards with each repetition so that declines when the body can no lon-
due to the eccentric (deceleration) they touch the ball. Alternately, you can ger adapt to the exercise stimulus;
phase. tuck your legs up behind you so that your exercises and stimuli should be
Equipment: A strong box 30 to 60 cm heels touch your buttocks. varied.
high. Intensity: 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 repeti- ▼ Alternating endurance workouts-
tions (jumps) strength, speed and stamina are very
LATERAL HOPS Note: This exercise helps to increase important elements in complex sports
Stand sideways to a marker on the floor movement speed and strengthen the leg (e.g. basketball and decathlon).
in an upright and relaxed position. Your and hip muscles. It improves agility and ▼ Ideal balance of endurance and
feet should be pointing forwards. Hop explosive power. regeneration-muscles only grow in
sideways over the first hurdle and, Equipment: Basketball. the rest and recovery phase. (c.f.
without hesitating, hop straight over the supercompensation).
second. Then change directions and hop COOL DOWN
back. Continue this back-and-forth After every training session, it is impor- QUESTIONS
sequence. tant to relax the muscles. The so-called Do I have to do a hard workout every day
Intensity: 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 repeti- "cool down" period relieves tension and to develop explosive power?
tions (jumps). prevents sore muscles. It is the fourth No, not at all. It is important to maintain a
Equipment: 2 markers (e.g. cones) pla- and final component in a workout. Five good balance between exercise and

5 6
EV\Z()
 CONDITIONING

7
recovery. Muscles respond to stimuli (= in injuries, in parti-
training), yet overall fitness only improves cular by overloa-
during the recovery period. This is known ding the Achilles
as the Principle of Supercompensation. tendon.
Schul also does not 8
Can anybody jump as high as Michael recommend using
Jordan? Not everybody will be able to body weight trai- ▼ The second mistake occurs when
jump as high; some will be able to jump ning equipment as this can cause unna- the training intensity is too high. A
even higher. Jumping ability comes tural and distorted body movements. common and third mistake is quite
down to both genetic disposition and "You can't score a lay-up in a game with clearly the wrong kind of training,
specific training methods. To be a great a weight vest over your shoulders." for example, training strength
jumper, you do not only need to train endurance when training should be
hard but you also need to have inherited PRACTICAL TIPS aimed at increasing explosiveness.
the talent-literally, you have to be a natu- Dr. Norbert Stein, lecturer in athletics at
ral-born jumper. the German Sport University Cologne, This is his personal tips on improving
and fitness-trainer with Rhein Energie explosive strength:
QUESTIONABLE Köln, talks about typical mistakes made Always stay on the ball. In explosive
A much debated matter is whether there by those who are new to training: power training, go for continuity not
is a need for additional equipment when cycles. Less is usually more! In every
training. Karsten Schul is not a fan of ▼ The first mistake arises when begin- training unit, explosive power should
"Jump Soles". "Throw the things away ners do too much in their first training be short and concise but be done to
and hold on to the training booklets." session and end up exhausted. the very best of your ability. There is
"Jump Soles" can indeed improve trai- Beginners should prepare their no point in training too long with very
ning performance initially, however, muscles before exercising. Problems strong stimuli because the central
because they allow explosive power to often affect the passive bio-mecha- nervous system slows down faster
develop so much more quickly, the risk nics system (bones, ligaments, ten- than the muscular system. The stee-
of muscular injury is far greater. dons), which cannot adapt properly ring ability of a tired nervous system
Exercises using Jump Soles often result to a fast growing musculature. limits physical performance.
EV\Z(*
 CONDITIONING

INJURY PREVENTION:
by Francesco Cuzzolin
DRILLS ON THE COURT
Francesco Cuzzolin, since 19 years, is a
strenght and conditioning coach. He
worked for Benetton Basketball team in
Treviso, then he went to Virtus Bologna
and, since four years, is back to Benetton.
He is Professor at the Motor Skills
Science School at the University of Padua
(Italy).

The technical and physical evolution of

basketball over the past few years has hel-
ped athletes reach newer performance
plateaus, but it has also made athletes
bear even greater physical stress.
The number of training sessions, com-
petitions and trips, especially for
players, who have to play in internatio-
nal competitions, makes it very hard to
organize physical work so the player
will be in peak physical condition and
still turn in the best performance on the
court when needed.
Unfortunately, there is something that
often hinders the formulation of training
programs that puts at risk the entire sea-
son: the health of the players and the pos-
sibility of injury.
Athletes hope to remain active and in
peak form over the course of a lengthy
career. With that in mind, the job of the
conditioning coach takes on much more
importance.

How is possible for a conditioning coach to

create a comprehensive and effective plan
that prevents the players from injuring
themselves while still leaving them in the
best physical shape possible? In my opi-
nion, this aspect of my job is the most
important because the quality and the
quantity of the physical work that the team
will be able to do depends on it.

To plan an effective prevention program

for a team, each team member must
understand the following:

PREVENTION
1. Structural
2. Methodological
3. Behavioral
4. Technical
EV\Z(+
 CONDITIONING

STRUCTURAL
1. Level of musculoskeletal functionality
of the athletes in relation to their age;
2. Postural balance;
3. History of past injuries and level of
recovery.

METHODOLOGICAL
1. Level of conditioning of the athlete in
proportion to the workload he will
undertake;
2. Habits and method of work used by the
athlete in the past;
3. Habits and method of work used by the
coach in the past.

TECHNICAL
1. Type of preparation used in training for
games, and the stressful and regenera-
ting drills;
2. Synergistic planning between the work
of the therapist, conditioning coach,
and head coach;
3. Management of situations with high
risk that can occur on the court.

BEHAVIORAL
1. Lifestyle of the athletes;
2. Psycho-emotional status in relation to
the family situation;
3. Contract status and future perspectives.

The elaboration of this information will

allow the conditioning coach to create
and propose some strategies for preven-
ting injuries. Each prevention program is
individualized, created in relation to the
special needs of each player, the number
of minutes played, injuries suffered, and
special weaknesses. However, I think that
much can be accomplished if a team
incorporated prevention programs. This is
a new aspect of the job of the conditioning
coach, but, as new research has already
confirmed, there is plenty of room for
improvement.
That is why, with a modern conception of
the job of the conditioning coach, we can-
not avoid to insert some drills that have a
specific preventive purpose.
Some injuries, in fact, have a traumatic or
accidental origin, that can hardly be pre-
vented; other injuries depend on a situation
of muscle -skeletal overload, or a particular
weakness that can be prevented.
Preventive practices depend on the expe-
rience of the therapist and of the conditio-
ning coach, regarding the functional tests,
the joints' range, kinesiological and postu-
ral tests, applied to the discipline where we
want to operate.
The level of competence depends on the
formation received and on the competence
gained during the years, and I do not think
EV\Z(,
there is only one way to reach a good LEVEL TWO
level of competence. Middle circuit or from the cerebellum,
Other drills, that I am going to explain where the adaptation answers are refer-
later with some example, depend on rea- red to automatic actions, stimulated by
ding the movements that the athlete the preservation of balance in natural
makes to practice his sport. He can run, conditions requested.
jump, shoot, but the intensity and the how
he moves uses depends on the ability of LEVEL THREE
the athlete and on the level of prepara- Long circuit or from the cortex, where we
tion, but also depends on the biomecha- try to improve the motor control for a final
nics of the movement. integration of the information received,
It is possible that the athletes, even if they with answers determined by specific abi-
are pros, do not have the best execution lities gained.
technique, that depends on a number of
factors. For example, if every time our player
quickly decelerates, or stops, and this
MAIN REASONS OF INJURIES action does not happen in a sequence
Traumatic with heel and forefoot, there could be
1. Blows some problems. A smaller involvement of
2. Falls the hamstrings as the muscles, which
3. Sprains move forward the shinbone, supporting
4. Loss of control of the technical action the control and the stability of the knee,
can cause:
Because of an overload 1. Decrease of stability of the ankle;
1. Overtraining 2. Decrease of stability of the knee;
2. Microtraumas 3. An increased a patellofemoral
3. Imbalances overload;
4. Decrease of control of the technical 4. An increased overload of the infrapa-
action tellar ligament;
5. Decrease of stability of the hip;
There are technical actions that appa- 6. Decrease of control of the dorsolum-
rently don't seems to be traumatic, or bar part of the back.
moments during the practice or the game
where the athlete's ability to control dif- If the athlete, when he decelerates, also
ferent limbs decreases, for example, changes direction, we must add to the pro-
because of the tiredness. In these situa- blems listed above also the problems that
tions the risks of an injury increase. The regard the rotating movements that often
proprioceptive and articular balance abi- cause injuries to the ligaments. These
lities are intrinsic qualities to the move- overload situation must be considered and
ment, that can be trained and improved trained in the most functional and econo-
with specific drills, also on the court. A mical way possible, to allow to the athlete
lot of basketball players carry on the the adjustments that will help him to avoid
court some problems due to a rehabilita- or reduce the periods of forced inactivity.
tion not correctly done; they play with Working with professional players, it is
wrapped ankles, or simply they have not sufficient to apply the modern know-
never trained these qualities specifically. ledges to let them recover completely;
For this reason, planning some drills the most important thing to do is to under-
during the whole season can be extre- stand the reason of the injury, trying to
mely to avoid injuries. work for limiting, possibly avoiding, and
It is necessary to develop some drills the risk the same thing happens again. In
that include different levels for a cor- this project, a big part of the work is com-
rect work, during the practice, of the petence of the conditioning coach.
sensorial, proprioceptive and motor
system, that will be specific for the PROPOSALS Substantially the athlete, to move, alterna-
sport practiced. The analysis and simplification of some tes a sequence of standing only on one foot
We can catalogue these levels as fol- basic movement for basketball game, but in different directions, with different width
lows: we can make a lot of similarities with and quickness. To simplify, the drills will be
other team sports, will allow us to create executed in six ways:
LEVEL ONE a sequence of drills to do on the court, to
Short circuit or from the spine, where the train the athlete to execute these actions 1. Going forward;
adaptation answers are referred to in the best and most functional way, with 2. Going back;
reflected actions stimulated by the defen- a great advantage in preventing injuries, 3. Laterally;
sive or balance mechanisms or in condi- but also as an improvement of his athle- 4. Going forward, diagonally, with an angle
tions of physical stress. tic and technical performance. of 45°;
EV\Z(-
 CONDITIONING

5. Going back, diagonally, with an angle explained before. One of the biggest the second one is two or three seconds
of 45°; advantages is the simplicity of their exe- maximum long. The hop will be executed
6. Crossing forward. cution, and the possibility to make all the at the beginning, at the same direction of
team work at the same time and without the first stop, skimming the court and
In all of these actions, the joints' involve- any other tool, only the basketball court. If close. Later, when the athlete will be fit
ment is in charge of the joints of the ankle, the following drills are used for a basket- to the stimulus, you can vary all of the
of the knee and the hip. ball team, please divide the team in three parameters.
or four lines on the baseline. The athletes
In a first phase, pass from a dynamic must be distant between each other, to STEP, BACK AN STICK
situation, made by little jumps, fast walk, allow them any movement, if they lose The same sequence of drills proposed
jogging or running, to a static situation, balance, avoiding the risk to hit a team- before can be executed also making the
standing only in one foot, trying to stop the mate. The drill is executed until the midd- athlete do, after a first stop, a hop in a
inertia of the body, with the knee bent, and le of the court, usually three or four repe- direction opposite to the previous one,
maintaining the balance for two or three titions for each leg. Then, I will propose before a second stop. The first stop is
seconds. Then, continue executing the some appropriate dynamic drills, skip, usually very short, just to change direc-
same movement with the other limb. hops, slides, sprints, to repeat the move- tion; the second one is long two or three
ments previously executed. second maximum. The same exercise can
In a second phase, pass from a dynamic be executed on the baseline, or on the
situation to a static one, to introduce, STEP AND STICK half-court, alternating three steps in
later, an hop in the same or another direc- 1. Make three steps going forward. At place, a hop in various directions and,
tion, to stop, then, standing only on one the third step; stopping rolling from the after having load the limb, push for going
foot, maintaining the balance for two or heel to the forefoot, stop with the knee back at the starting position. This exercise
three seconds. bent for two or three seconds, main- is very effective, but it must be used with
taining the balance. Repeat the drill on caution, with athlete who are healthy and
Planning the practices, we want to gra- the opposite side. In the other half that already have a good knowledge of
dually increase the difficulty in stabilizing court, execute a allow skip or a hop- the exercise proposed, because of his
the articulations, maintaining the balance, ping steps. Execute a round trip. high eccentric component.
as the following the progression: 2. Like the previous drill, but going
1. Increase the load: we can work on the back, in the other half court, run or STEP, SPIN AND STICK
distance between the steps, we can jump back. This drill is extremely difficult, also becau-
decrease the articular angles, or 3. Go forward with a sliding step diago- se of a high stimulation of the vestibular
increase the weight of the athlete nally, with an angle of 45°; at the third apparatus. The drill is executed exclusi-
(barbells, medicine balls, etc.); step, stop with the knee bent. Repeat vely with movements to go forward and
2. Increase the instability: we can propo- the drill on the opposite side. On the back. Talking of rotation, I mean starting
se movements of the head, or we use other half-court, slide diagonally, with a step forward, rotate with three
some wobble boards, dyna disc, airex changing the side every three steps. steps of 180°, and stop with a step back.
pad, bosu, etc.; 4. Go forward with a sliding step; at the Then, start with a step back, rotate with
3. Increase the difficulty, adding or third step, stop with the knee bent. three steps of 180°, and stop with a step
mixing up the previous points, or intro- Repeat the drill on the opposite side. forward. There is also the possibility to
ducing some rotatory movements; On the other half-court, slide laterally. rotate of 360°.
4. Increase the specificity, introducing 5. Go back with a sliding step diagonally,
the ball. with an angle of 45°; at the third step, CONCLUSIONS
stop with the knee bent. Repeat the Very rarely, in the past, people talked
The number of repetitions depends on the drill on the opposite side. On the other about injury prevention. A lot of doctors
level of efficiency of the athlete, on his half-court, slide back diagonally, and therapists considered exclusively
knowledge of the drills, on the necessity changing the side every three steps. therapies and cures. Among the conditio-
of corrections, on the arrangement of the 6. Go forward laterally, crossing the first ning coaches, just a little of them had the
session inside the workout and on the step behind the body, with the left leg competences to recover, with scientific
total planning of the work. The first drills if going on the right; execute a lateral procedures, an injured athlete. So, it was
that will be proposed, the easiest ones, step with the right leg, then cross impossible to think about procedures of
can be used also as a warm up. Usually, forward with the left one, stopping as work to decrease, if possible, the number
because of the fact that these drills are explained before. Repeat the same of injuries, when, very often, the work of
very serious, on a muscular and articular movement on the same side until the the conditioning coach was the real
point of view, and also for what regards half-court, changing the side when cause of them.
the nervous system, we need a good executing the return. After the half- Usually, people think that, to obtain
warm up. Sometimes, we can put these court, execute a carioca run. rewarding results, it is necessary a very
drills at the end of the practice session, expensive technology, or a very deep
just to evaluate the reactions of the athle- STEP, JUMP AND STICK knowledge.
te when he is tired. The same sequence of drills proposed In my opinion, a lot can be done, also in
before can be executed also making the the day by day work, with very simple
METHODS athlete do, after a first stop, a hop, befo- experiences, that apply the logic of the
The drills that I am going to present are re a second stop. The first stop is usual- knowledge of the movement, with another
basic to start to apply the concepts ly short, one or two seconds maximum; point of view and a new important goal.
EV\Z(.
 CONDITIONING

CIRCUIT
CONDITIONING
STATIONS PLYOMETRIC BOUDING
HOPPING DUNK SET-UP
TRAMP
by Mick Smith

Mick Smith is the strength and condi- basketball court using six baskets.
tioning coach of the Orlando Magic
since nine years. He started his career
A ten station circuit can accommodate
20 players. If you have more than 20
2' X 8'
at Creighton University in 1982, and
then he worked at the Miami
players you simply add a station for
each multiple of two players. If a team
(60 CM X 2,50 M)
University. He was also on the staff of has 24 players to train, then you need
the Portland Trail Blazers. He is the 12 stations. The conditioning session is
author of two books "Power finished in a short period of time PAD
Conditioning for Basketball" and (approximately, 23 minutes for 10 sta-
"Conditioning: The NBA Way" (Human tions). Also, coaches really like this
Kinetics). type of system because each station 12" (35 CM) HURDLE
can be sports-specific to basketball.
There are many ways to train an athle- They always like to see a movement or
te to get them in shape. However, there
are many factors which play a big part
exercise within a conditioning program
that really works on something related
26" (65 CM) BOX
in what type of program can be admi- to the game of basketball and gets the
nistered. Factors such as; the type of players ready for the season. Not only
conditioning the head coach believes
in, the number of athletes to be trained
will the coach be happier because he
can actually see the movements of the
12" (35 CM) HURDLE
in one session, the availability of a game in your conditioning routine, but
court, a track, the weather, etc., all the players will believe in your system
contribute in the decision making of because they will be able to feel the 18" (45 CM) BOX
the type of program to be implemented. similarity of the movements in the rou-
One method of training that works very tine as it relates to their own move-
well is the circuit conditioning station ment during the game of basketball.
system. This system of training consi- And lastly, the conditioning routine is 26" (65 CM) BOX
sts of performing various exercises confined to a court where the weather
and drills (stations) in a specific won't be playing any kind of a factor on
sequence, controlled by prescribed
times to work, rest and to change from
your workout session.
14" (35 CM) BOX
station to station. The Circuit The Circuit Conditioning Station routine
Conditioning Stations is performed consists of ten different stations in
with a partner. This system uses the which the player is responsible for
same timing method as is administered performing a specific movement or drill
for a circuit weight training program. for a 30 second work interval, followed
by a 35 second rest interval. However,
There are many advantages of admini- the timing system really is 30 seconds
stering this type of conditioning of work, followed by a 5 second grace
system. First of all, high numbers of period to switch places with the part-
players can be trained at once on a ner, then another 30 second time period
EV\Z)%
 CONDITIONING

for the second player to perform the

movement, while the athlete that started
the drill rests. Once the partner completes
the designated 30 second work period,
another 5 second grace period begins for
the original starting partner to get in place
to perform the second set of the station.
The system continues until each player
performs the prescribed number of sets
(may change according to station) at
each particular station before they move
to the next station. Each of the ten sta-
tions is numbered to allow the partici-
pants to know where to go after each sta-
tion has been completed.
This method continues until every player
performs the movements at each station.
The time to complete the 10 station circuit
is approximately 22:40 minutes. Be sure
to have additional movements prescribed
at a station to allow for the various ail-
ments of the players. A jump rope or a
bike may be an option for some players
that are recovering from injury.

The conditioning coach should be sure to

designate some stations as "work-reco-
very" stations to allow for adequate reco-
very throughout the routine. A less inten-
se station should follow two very difficult
stations. If an explosive plyometric sta-
tion is followed by a speed endurance
station, then the next station probably
should be a low effort station such as
shooting free throws or even a rest sta-
tion. Each coach can be very creative
and as sports-specific as possible. Some
stations could be primarily for big posi-
tion players (4 or 5) while others could be
more for small position players (1, 2, or a
3). In any case, the players will like the
changes of movement non-specific to
their position. Big men always like to play
like a guard and smalls like to fantasize of
playing like a big. There may be some sta-
tions that may be very difficult for a
player to perform or may not be able to
perform as designated. For example; sta-
tion 1 is primarily a station for big men. It
is a station combining bounding, jumping,
depth jumping and finally dunking a
basketball. You might have some players
that physically can't dunk following a
depth jump off of two feet. Well, make
that a rim touch for the smalls instead of
watching them fail at dunking. If you have
some players that maybe for injury purpo-
ses can't partake in some of the stations,
have an additional movement set-up to
perform in those "questionable" stations.
For example, instead of performing a
high-intense plyometric bounding drill,
simply have the athlete jump rope. Be
sure and talk with the sports medicine
EV\Z)&
specialist about specific players when and holding a basketball with both
designing and adapting your routine. hands at waist high.

Start the movement by bounding from

THE 10 CIRCUIT the tramp onto the 2ft./60 cm. x 8ft./2,50
CONDITIONING m. pad. Once you land on both feet
immediately bound again off of the pad
STATIONS ROUTINE onto the plyorobic runway (don't neces-
sarily need the rubber runway).
1. PLYOMETRIC BOUNDING-HOPPING Quickly continue the movement by hop-
WITH DUNK OR COULD BE SUBSTITUTED ping over the 12"/ 35 cm. hurdle and then
FOR JUMP ROPE jumping on top of box 1 (26"/65 cm.).
Equipment Needed: Drop from box 1 and bound again upon
(Note: One small trampoline, plyometric impact up onto box 2 (18"/45 cm.). Drop
boxes (2-26"/ 65 cm.; 1-18"/45 cm.; 1- quickly from the box unto the floor unto
14"/35 cm.; 2 -12"/35 cm., hurdles, one box 3 (26"/65 cm.). Drop quickly from the
bounding & landing pad (2 ft./60 cm. x 8 box and hop over the 12"/35 cm. hurdle.
ft./2,50 m.), plyorobic (rubber) runway Jump on top of the last box, box 4
47'/14 m. x 30"/75 cm. (a thick rubber (14"/35 cm.) and drop to the floor and
padding for more absorption and pre- immediately jump off of two feet and
venting damage to floor), 1 basketball. dunk the ball.
The height of the boxes can be increa-
Setting Up Equipment: sed as the proficiency of the athlete's
The runway used for this station is 47 feet progress.
(14 m.) long. The runway begins in the
middle of the lane, starting 9 feet/5 m. in 2. MEDICINE BALL FLY'S ON BALL
front of the free- throw line (at the base Equipment Needed:
of the third dividing line for a rebound). 1 - 9 lb./4-5 kg. medicine ball and 1- 65
The first box which is 14"/35 cm. high cm. physio ball.
(box 1) is positioned 1'6"/50 cm. about,
from the end of the plyorobic runway One set of eight repetitions for each
or 7'6"/2,50 m. about, away from the arm is performed at this station. Be sure
free- throw line. The second box, to throw the medicine ball underhand
which is 26"/65 cm. high (box 2) is posi- using two hands with a nice loft for bet-
tioned 5'5" /1,70 m. away from box 1 (or ter timing to catch and throw the ball
6'6"/2 m. from the end of the rubber back to the partner.
runway). The third box which is 18"/45
cm. high (box 3) is placed 6'/2 m. about Starting Position:
away from box 2 (or 12'6"/4 m. about Player A is lying down on top of the sta-
from the end of the rubber runway). bility ball with the right arm extended
The first of two 12"/35 cm. hurdles is out and up one foot from the side ready
placed 4'6"/1,50 m. about away from to catch the ball.
box 3 (or 17'/5 m. about from the end of The shoulders are securely in contact
the runway). The last box, box 4 is pla- with on top of the ball.
ced 3'6"/1,5 m. away from the hurdle, The legs are spread out shoulder width
which is 20'6"/6 m. away from the end apart with the feet positioned directly
of the runway. The second 12"/35 cm. below the knees. The hips and back are continues until eight catches and throws
hurdle is placed 5'6"/1,75 m. away from perpendicular to the floor. Player B is 12 are complete with the right hand. Player A
box 4 or 26'/7 m. about away from the ft./3,50 m. away facing the left side of o immediately changes position on the ball
end of the runway. The 8'/2,50 m. pad player A lying on the ball. so his feet and body are facing the oppo-
is placed 5'/1,50 m. away from the site direction as in the first set of 8 catch
hurdle or 31'/9 m. away from the Starting the Exercise: and throws.
runway. The trampoline is placed Player B throws the ball underhand The right side of player A is now closer to
4'6"/1,50 cm. away from the end of the using two hands slightly higher than the player B and is ready to catch the ball with
8'/2,50 m. pad or 43'6"/14 m. from the right hand of player A. the left hand. Player B continues to catch
end of the runway. Player A uses only one hand to catch and throw the ball back to player A for
and throw the ball back to partner B. eight more catches. Player B changes pla-
Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval The position of the catching and ces with partner A after one set of eight
are performed at this station. Each ath- throwing arm and hand is the same as if repetitions are completed and continues
lete should be able to complete 2 full performing a dumbbell fly exercise on the exercise until player B has completed
trips within the 30 second interval. the ball. one set of eight repetitions. The time to
The only difference is the body must complete this station should be very close
Starting Position: remain perpendicular to the floor while to 2 minutes.
Begin by standing on the trampoline catching and throwing. The sequence The players wait until it's time to change
EV\Z)'
 CONDITIONING

stations if finished the 2 total sets or quit Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval One set of 30 repetitions is performed at
and move on to the next station if does are performed at this station. this station. However, there are three
not complete the required sets. different sets of 10 jumps performed at
Starting Position: this station or until time expires. The first
Motivation: Player A is in the middle of the lane, set of 10 jumps is without a ball. The
Count the number of catch and throws facing player B. Player B is located second set of 10 jumps is used with a
before the time expires to switch. either off to the side of the basket (out- medicine ball. The third set of 10 jumps
side the lane) or up high by the free- is used with a basketball. Each player
3. THE MIKAN DRILL throw line. Player B has the basketball that cannot dunk the medicine ball or
Equipment Needed: and is ready to toss the ball of the back- basketball is required to jump and hit the
One basketball and a basket. board. rim or jump as high as possible for the
required jumps.
Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval Starting the Exercise: For example; if the player can dunk only
are performed at this station. Player B begins the drill by tossing the 2 times, then the player must try to jump
ball off the backboard. Ideally, the ball 8 more times attempting to touch the rim
Starting Position: should bounce off the backboard and or jump as high as possible for a total of
The first player begins the drill by holding the rim; however, it is easier to control 10 jumps.
the basketball chest high and ready to the put-backs and the bounce if the ball
shoot a power lay-up from the right side. is tossed up high on the square from the Starting Position:
side of the lane. The technique can Player A is in front of the rim in a pre-
Starting the Exercise: change depending on what type of jump position. Player B is standing by.
The first player performs a power lay-up bounce the coach wants the players to
from the right side and rebounds the rebound. Player A immediately turns Starting the Exercise:
shot and moves to the left side and and catches the ball off the backboard Player A begins the exercise at this sta-
performs a power lay-up from the left in the air and put-backs the ball for a tion by performing10 rim touches. Once
side. The movement continues until the dunk or a shot. Player A does not touch the10 rim touches have been performed
30 second work period has expired. the ground before putting back the ball. the player walks backwards to the free
throw line and then forward to the star-
Motivation: 6. MEDICINE BALL ABDOMINAL ting position. Player A now begins to
Count the number of made shots. THROW ON STABILITY BALL dunk 10 times using the medicine ball
Equipment Needed: and walks backwards to the free throw
4. PARTNER MEDICINE BALL CHEST PASS Two stability balls and a 9lb./4 kg. medi- line after the 10 dunks have been perfor-
Equipment Needed: cine ball (weight of ball could range med and returns to the starting position.
1 - 8 lb./3-4 kg. medicine ball and two from 7-10 lb./3-5 kg.). Lastly, player A dunks 10 more times
markers (cones work perfectly). using a basketball and the drill is fini-
Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval shed. Player B begins the same set of
Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval are performed at this station. jumps directly after player A has fini-
are performed at this station. shed his set. Again, there is only one set
Starting Position: for each player at this station.
Starting Position: Both players are lying on their ball with
Each player is facing each other in a the shoulders across the top of the ball 8. FREE THROWS
defensive slide position next to one of with their hips low toward the ground. This station is used for an active reco-
the cones. Player A has the medicine Both feet are placed slightly wider than very.
ball with two hands at chest level while hip width apart with the heels of the feet
player B has both hands in a ready to directly underneath the knees. Player A Equipment Needed:
receive position at chest level. has the ball in a behind the head pas- A basketball and a basket.
sing position (a soccer pass) ready to
Starting the Exercise: throw the ball to player B. Player B has Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval
Each player begins to laterally slide in the his arms up extended over his head with are performed at this station.
same direction passing and catching the the palms of the hands facing player A
medicine ball until they reach the 25 ft./8 to aid as a target for player A to throw Starting Position:
m. marker (cone). They quickly change the ball. Player A is at the free throw line with the
direction and proceed to the original star- basketball while player B is underneath
ting position (cone). Starting the Exercise: the basket.
This movement continues until the 30 Player A throws the ball to player B.
second work period expires. Repeat the Player B catches the ball and throws the Starting the Exercise:
exercise for a second set after the 35 ball back to player A. The movement Player A shoots free throws while
second time period has expired (5 second continues until the time expires. player B rebounds and passes back to
to change and another 30 seconds rest). player A.
7. RIM TOUCHES & DUNKS Both players change positions at the 30
5. PUT BACK Equipment Needed: second mark and continue the process
Equipment Needed: A 9lb./4 kg. medicine ball, a basketball, of shooting and rebounding for another
1 basketball and a basket. and a basket. set of 30 seconds.
EV\Z)(
9. DEFENSIVE SLIDE WITH CLOSE-OUTS
Equipment Needed:
The rebounding area from inside the
lane up to the top of the circle above the
free throw line, two cords attached to a
belt device and two assistants to help
run the drill.

Two sets with a 30/5/30 second interval

are performed at this station.

Starting Position:
Player A is in a defensive position stan-
ding in the middle of the lane (16 feet
wide) with a cord attached to each side
of his belt secured around the waist.
Each assistant is standing opposite
each other outside the lane holding a
stretch cord attached to player A.
There is no slack in the resistance
cords. Player B is standing by.

Starting the Exercise:

The movement performed by each
player throughout this drill forms a trian-
gle between the two sides of the lane
and the top of the circle.
Player A begins to slide until he touches
the left side of the lane with his feet and
then sprints to the top of the circle "clo-
sing out" the space of an imaginary
opponent (six stutter steps are taken
before he begins the next movement).
He immediately sprints to the opposite
side of the lane (right side) and then sli-
des to the far left side of the land. He
then immediately slides to the far right
of the lane and then sprints to the top of
the circle for another close-out.
This movement is repeated until the 30
second work period expires.
Player A and player B have 5 seconds
to switch positions before the drill
begins again.
The assistant pulls the player toward
his side after each close-out when the
player sprints to his side and pulls back
(towards himself) from the player when
the player slides away to the opposite
side.
So, there is an over-speed element
when approaching the assistants' side
after the close-out and a resistance
element when the player slides to the
opposite side of the lane.

10. REST PERIOD

This station is simply a rest period. The
players need a big recovery after the
Defensive slide with Close-outs station
and before they have to perform the next
station; the plyomeric bounding-hopping
with a dunk drill.
EV\Z))
 CONDITIONING

AGILITY DRILLS
Chip Sigmon has been the athletic trainer of the figure of the court. You can put blocks on the
Charlotte Hornets (NBA), the Charlotte Sting court with these numbers. On a coach's com-
(WNBA), and the Appalachian State University. mand, run in place.
He also coached Michael Jordan as assistant The coach then calls out a number for you to
athletic trainer at North Carolina University. move to. Move to that numbered position as fast
Now he is athletic trainer at the Carolina Sports as possible and then return to home base, at
Performance Center in Charlotte. He was co- which point the coach calls out numbers 2 or 3,
writer of the book called "NBA Power sprint to those positions; then power slide shuffle
Conditioning", and he also wrote the recent book back to home base.
by Chip Sigmon called "52 week Basketball Training", both When the coach calls out positions 1 or 4, power
published by Human Kinetics. slide shuffle there and back.
The drill should last 25 to 30 seconds, and you
should touch with your foot as many numbered
JUMP ROPE ROUTINE blocks as possible (figure 2).
This jump rope routine is based on a square with
four quadrants numbered as shown. DOT DRILLS
Perform each of the following drills in the order Some of the best foot quickness drills begin with
shown. If you struggle to finish all 10 drills in one dot drills and line drills.
session, work up week by week until you can No equipment is needed except some athletic
successfully complete all of them (figure 1). tape to make dots (figure 3).

▼ Regular jumping x 50. Five parts

This drill consists of five segments, each of
▼ Jumping side to side with both feet, 4 to 3 and which is done down and back three times. The
back x 50. goal is to complete all five segments in 30
seconds or less.
▼ Up and back, 4 to 1 and back x 50.
▼ Down and back. Start with feet split, one foot
▼ Boxer shuffle, 2 on right foot, 2 on left foot x on dot 1 and one on dot 2. Jump to dot 3 with
50. both feet, then to dots 4 and 5 with feet split.
Repeat the steps jumping backward.
▼ Up and back on one foot, 4 to 1 and back x 25
each foot. ▼ Single-leg hop using the right foot. Form a fi-
gure eight down and back.
▼ Side to side on one foot, 4 to 3 x 25 each foot.
▼ Single-leg hop using the left foot. Form a figu-
▼ Triangle (1, 2, 4) alternate and switch (2, 1, 3) x re eight.
25.
▼ Turn around. This is the same as "down and
▼ Four square jumping using both feet, then back", except that you turn your body around
switch to just one, 1, 2, 3, 4 x 10 rounds. to go in the other direction.

▼ Double jump with bounce, rope under foot Single-leg Triangle

twice x 50. Hop on your left leg to form a triangle in a coun-
terclockwise direction for 10 seconds; then swit-
▼ Bonus jump. Do as many regular jumps as you ch legs and perform the same movement for 10
can in 30 seconds (110 times is the number to seconds (2-3-1-2).
beat). Go back to the left leg and form a triangle in a
clockwise direction for 10 seconds. Repeat with
HOME BASE DRILL the right leg (1-3-2-1). Count how many times
Stand in the middle of the lane in a defensive around the triangle pattern you can go in 10
position. Note the numbered positions on the seconds with each leg.
EV\Z)*
 CONDITIONING

Single-leg Z
Form a Z pattern (4-5-3-1-2) using one
leg. See how fast you can get from the
top of the Z to the botttom with each
leg. You may also form a Z with both
feet together.

Single-leg M
Form an M pattern (4-5-3-2-1) using one
leg. See how fast you can form the pat-
tern with each leg. Again, you may use
both feet, keeping them close together,
side by side.

LINE DRILLS
Find a straight line anywhere on the
floor from one to two feet in length (or
make using athletic tape). When perfor-
ming line drills, make sure your feet
with little sound coming from the con-
tacts on the ground. Each drill should
last anywhere from 10 to 15 seconds.

▼ Front jump. Face the line and jump

over and back with feet together.

▼ Side jump. Jump over the line si-

deways with feet together.

▼ Side step 1-2. With the line beside

you, step over with one foot, then
the other, and step back over the sa-
me way.

▼ Front step 1-2. With the line in front

of you, step over with one foot, then
the other, and back over the same
way.

▼ Side hop. With the line beside you,

hop over with one leg, then the
other. The trall comes over the line
but does not touch the ground. As
soon as the trall leg goes over the li-
ne, hop back across to the other si-
de of the line and repeat the side ho-
ps, being as light on your feet as
possible.

▼ Single-leg hop. Jump over the line

sideways and back on a single leg.

▼ Switch hop. Start with the line in

front of you, with your roght foot on
one side and your left foot on the
other. Jump and switch foot posi-
tions as quickly as possible, moving
your feet backward and forward.

▼ Side switch hop. Start with your feet

straddling the line. Hop quickly with
your right foot going over to the
other sideof the line at the same ti-
me as your left foot goes over to

EV\Z)+
 D.1

D.2

D.3

D.4
where your right foot was. Start with power slide shuffle facing away from
your roght foot moving in front of the court to and past the second baseli-
your left. After 15 seconds do the sa- ne cone.
me drill with your left moving over When past the second baseline cone,
your right. backpedal to and past the elbow cone,
then power slide shuffle across and past
LANE AGILITY BOX DRILL the starting cone.
Set up for cones, one on each corner of When you pass the starting cone, rever-
the free-throw lane as shown in the se the process by power slide shuffling
figure 4. If using a high-school court in across the free throw line, sprinting to
wich the lane is 12 feet across, move the baseline cone, and power slide shuf-
each cone out 2 feet so that they form a D.5
fling across the baseline.
lane 16 feet across (this is the size on When you're past the baseline cone,
which the times below are based). Start backpedal to and past the start/ finish
beside one cone in a two-point stance. cone and compare your time to the
Sprint to the baseline cone; then the table.
EV\Z),
 CONDITIONING

Perform three to four sets with 45 or marker and shuffle back to the middle.
seconds rest between each. Try different combination runs and shuf-
fles and even backward runs.l See how
Position Time for male(s) Time for female(s) many outside cones you can touch in a
30- to 45- second time period.
Guards 10.2 to 10.9 13.0 to 14.5
Forwards 11.0 to 11.4 14.6 to 15.5 TRIANGLE SIDE DRILL
Centers 11.5 to 12.3 14.6 to 15.5 Set up three cones (or use athletic tape) to
form a triangle that is equal on all sides.
QUICK FEET BOX STEP DRILL Place one cone or tape marking three D.6
Find a stable box that is 12 to 15 inches feet beyond the free throw line. Place the
high. Start with one foot on the box and other cones or tape two to three feet to
one foot on the floor, with your toes poin- the outside of the lane. Starting at the
ted straight ahead and your upper body in cone above the free throw line and
an erect neutral position. On command, facing midcourt, power slide shuffle to
move the foot that is on the box to the floor either of the midpost markers or cones.
and the foot on the floor to the box. Keep Continue across the lane to the other
switching foot positions for 15 to 30 marker or cone, then back to the top
seconds. Move as quickly as possible with marker or cone. See how many cones
your feet while still staying under control you can get to in a 30-second time period
(meaning that no extra upper body motion (figure 8).
occurs except arm and shoulder move- D.7
ment as you were running). T SLIDE DRILL
Set up four cones 10 yards apart in a T
LANE SLIDE DRILL formation. Start by sprinting to the midd-
Start directly at the bottom of the free le of the T; then slide shuffle to the cone
throw circle facing the baseline. on the right, turn, and sprint to the one on
On command, power slide shuffle in the far left.
either direction, touching the line with Continue by slide shuffling to the middle of
your foot; then shuffle across the lane to the T (while facing the start/ finish cone);
the opposite line. Continue shuffling back then sprint past the start/ finish cone. Be
and forth 30 seconds. creative by trying different combinations
See how many times you can cross and of runs and shuffles (figure 9). D.8
touch each line without crossing your
feet. Your goal should be 25 or more line REVERSE 7 DRILL
touches in 30 seconds (figure 5). Set up three cones or pieces tape 12 to 15
yards apart to make the shape of a 7 (see
HALF-COURT LAYUP AGILITY DRILL diagram). This is very similar to the trian-
Start at the midcourt corner. Run in and gle drill, excepet that in this drill you are
receive a pass at the three-point line; then only doing two-thirds of the triangle. Start
come in for a jump shot at the elbow or a by sprinting to cone 2, then backpedaling
layup. After the shot or layup, power slide to cone 3. As soon as you pass the third
shuffle across to the other side of the cone, accelerate and sprint back to cone
court facing the baseline. When you are at 2. When passing cone 2, assume a low
the corner of the baseline/ sideline, back- position and power slide shuffle to the D.9
pedal on your toes to the hash mark. Turn start/ finish cone. Once again, try different
quickly and sprint to the midcourt corner; combinations of sprints and shuffles; you
then turn and run to the nearest elbow can even add two to five vertical jumps
while receiving a pass at the three-point when you reach each cone (figure 10).
line. Repeat the drill to the other side of
the court. Performing this drill to one side PATTERN RUN I DRILL
of the court and then the other counts as Starting at the baseline, sprint to the top of
one repetition. Work up to two to three the key at the other end of the court,
sets of five reps while shooting 10 free where you receive a pass from your part-
throws between sets (figure 6). ner or coach. At the elbow, shoot a jum-
per or go in for a layup. After your shot,
STAR AGILITY DRILL do five quick backboard taps, backpedal D.10
Use nine cones or athletic tape to make a on your toes to half court, and perform
star as shown in the figure 7. five deep power jumps. After your jumps,
The tip of each point of the star should be slide shuffle back to the baseline. Goal
15 yards from the middle. Start in a defen- time to complete the drill should be three
sive position and power slide shuffle to sets, each under 45 seconds. Shoot 10
the middle cone; then sprint to each cone free throws between sets (figure 11).
EV\Z)-
 D.11

D.12

PATTERN RUN II DRILL

Pattern runs may also be performed
using commands from a coach or
partner. Your coach starts you by
shouting "sprint", and at any time may
again shout or point to the direction of
your slide shuffle or backward run or
have you sprint forward again to finish
the drill.
The drill should last between 30 and 45
seconds (figure 12).

This article is taken from the book

"52-week basketball training", publi-
shed by Human Kinetics, 2004.

EV\Z).
 CONDITIONING

LOWER BODY
STRETCHES
Bill Foran is the founder and for-
mer President of the National
Basketball Conditioning Coaches
Association, he works for the
Miami Heat from 14 years, at the
beginning as the conditioning
coach and now as assistant and
conditioning coach. He is the co-
author, with other NBA conditio-
by Bill Foran ning coaches, of two books on
and Vincent Aquilino this topic.

Vincent Aquilino is a state licen-

sed and nationally certified mas-
sage therapist since 1986. He has
been the full time neuromuscular
therapist for the Miami Heat for
five years. His responsibilities
include; providing the players
with neuromuscular massage
therapy and designing flexibility
exercises to maximize their
performances on the court.

In the competitive world of sport

today, athletes need an edge.
That edge may be a solid warm-
up and stretching routine. Often
overlooked by some coaches and
many athletes, flexibility of
muscles with free range of motion
of joints will lead to improved ath-
letic performance, fewer injuries,
faster recovery of soft tissue
injury, stress relief and more
relaxed connective tissue throu-
ghout the body. There are many
types of stretching techniques
available to the athlete. To name a
few: proprioceptive neuromuscu-
lar facilitation, reciprocal inhibi-
tion, and static stretches that are
held for as long as 60 seconds.
The style of stretching that we
have found to warm the muscle,
increase flexibility and best pre-
pare the athlete for competition
was developed by Aaron L Mattes
and is called Active Isolated
Stretching (AIS). AIS is different
than conventional stretching in
that the stretch is held for 11/2 - 2
EV\Z*%
 CONDITIONING

seconds with several repeti- WARMUP

tions (8-10) of the stretch being We start the stretching ses-
administered. sion with a good warm-up.
The premise being, when a Proper warm-up is essential
muscle is held in a stretched for preparing an athlete for
position for too long a period of practice or competition. The
time the stretch reflex mechani- warm-up increases the core
sm ignites, causing the muscle body temperature, which will
to contract to protect, which allow for a better, fuller stret-
defeats the purpose of stret- ch. There are a variety of ways
ching. With each repetition the to warm-up. We may start on
goal is to take the stretch a little stationary bikes to increase
further within the individuals our core temperature or do
comfort zone, thereby increa-
sing flexibility and ROM.
various movements up and
down the court before stret-
1

4
EV\Z*&
 ching. These movements inclu- Photo 1: Knees-to-Chest Stretch
de; High Knee Runs, Butt Kicks, Lying on your back, begin with
High Knee Skips, Power Skips, your knees and hips flexed at
Carioca, Lateral Slides, Angle a 90 degree angle and your
Cuts, Lunges, Strides, etc. We feet off the floor.
then lean on the wall to do Bring your thighs toward your
Side-to-Side Kicks and Front- chest and place your hands
to-Back Kicks. After the kicks, just below your knees and pull
we circle up and stretch. them toward your chest to
assist the stretch.
BASIC RULES OF AIS Release and return to the star-
1. Isolate muscles being stret- ting position with each rep.
5 ched.
2. Contract opposing muscles photo 2: Leg Crossover
to the ones being stretched. Stretch
3. Inhale during the relaxed Lying on your back with your
stage of the stretch, exhale knees bent and your feet flat
during exertion or when on the floor and close to your
stretch is being applied. buttocks, cross your right leg
4. Take stretch only as far as over your left leg and place
stretch reflex will allow. your hands behind your head.
5. Complete each repetition Pull your left leg down to the
(8-10). right with your right leg.
6. Try to take stretch a little Release and return to the star-
further with each repetition. ting position after each rep.
7. Stretch daily. Repeat the stretch with your
8. Stretch with a positive men- left leg over your right leg and
tal attitude. pulling to the left.
6

8
EV\Z*'
CONDITIONING

10
photo 3: Gluteus Maximus Release and return to the star-
Stretch ting position after each rep.
Lying on your back with your
knees bent and both feet flat on photo 5: Bent Knee Hamstring
the floor, cross your right foot Stretch (with rope)
over your left knee. Raise your Lie on your back with your right
left foot off the floor and move leg straight and on the floor and
your left knee toward your your left knee bent and raised
chest. Assist the end move- above your left hip. Place the
ment by pulling toward your middle of the rope under the mid
chest with your right hand at line of your right foot and hold the
your right knee and your left ends of the rope in your left hand.
hand at your right ankle. Your right hand should be behind
Release and return the left foot your right knee to help keep your
to the floor after each rep. leg in proper position. Straighten
Repeat the stretch with your the right leg and assist the end
left foot over your right knee. movement with a gentle pull on
the rope. Release and return to
photo 4: Low Back Stretch the starting position after each
From a seated position with your rep. Repeat with the left leg.
legs spread wide and slightly
bent, tuck your chin and lean photo 6: Straight Leg Hamstring
your torso forward as far as Stretch (with rope)
possible. Assist the end move- Lie on your back with your legs
ment by grabbing your heels and straight and on the floor. Place
pulling forward a little further. the middle of the rope under the
EV\Z*(
mid line of your right foot and hold
the ends of the rope in each hand.
Raise your right leg as high as
possible, keeping it straight. Assist
the end movement with a gentle
pull on the rope. Return to the star-
ting position after each rep.
Repeat with the left leg.

photo 7: Seated Groin Stretch

From a seated position with your
knees bent and the bottom of your
feet facing each other and together,
spread your knees toward the floor
as far as possible. Assist the end
movement by placing your hands,
forearms or elbows on the inside of
your thighs pressing downward.
Release and return to the starting
position after each rep.

photo 8: Quad Stretch

Lie on your right side with both
knees bent and toward your
chest. Grab the top of your right
ankle with your left hand, lower
your right knee and take it back
and through as far as possible.
Assist the end movement by pul-
ling a little further with your right
hand. Return to the starting posi-
tion after each rep. Repeat with
the left leg.

photo 9: Calf Stretch (with rope)

From a seated position with your
legs straight, together, and on the
floor, place the middle of the rope
under the ball of your right foot
and hold the ends of the rope in
each hand. Point the toes of your
right foot toward your right knee.
Assist the end movement by gen-
tly pulling on the rope. Release
and return to the starting position
after each rep. Repeat with the
left leg.

photo 10: Achilles Stretch

From a seated position, with your
left leg straight and on the floor
and your right leg bent, move
your right foot as close to your
buttocks as possible. Raise the
toes of your right foot toward
your right knee, keeping your
right heel on the floor. Assist the
end movement by placing your
hands under the ball of your right
foot and pulling up. Release and
return to the starting position
with each rep. Repeat with the
left leg.
EV\Z*)
 CONDITIONING

OFF SEASON
CONDITIONING
FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
by Ignacio Coque
Hernadez

Ignacio Coque Hernadez is the strength Caballero (1996) say: "When we speak A sequence of work can be planned for the
and conditioning coach of the Spanish about dynamics of the training efforts, athlete, based on several phases. They in-
National teams since 1994, as well as we know that the rest must lessened to clude:
member of the Technical Committee of the lower that is able to take the body, and, 1. Individual regeneration, post-competi-
Spanish Basketball Federation. He is also if it is possible, that rest will be made in tion.
a first level basketball and track and field an active way". 2. Recovery from competition.
coach. 3. Individual program of conditioning and
2) Recovery Principle: "The periods of re- learning.
Before starting, it's better to define what the covery are essential during one single 4. Active rest.
terms "off season" mean in sport training. session of training, as well as during all
Off season is "The time that passes be- the year long. The rest period, with the 1. INDIVIDUAL REGENERATION,
tween the end of the current season and consequent physical and mental relax- POST-COMPETITION
the beginning of the following one." For the ation, will have to be equally arranged The length of this period is 1 to 2 weeks.
young player (16/18 years old), this is a crit- with exercises and recovery ...all the The player has just finished a long season,
ical period that can be used to improve fu- coherent programs must the last for complete with many games, inadequate
ture performance. Time should be devoted the loss and the recovery (F.Carlisle, rest, overloads to joints and muscles that
to physical aspects that could not have 1973). can lead to tendonitis. There is also psy-
been worked on during the season due to chological overload as well due to daily
lack of time. Several important principles 3) Accessibility Principle: The loading de- practice sessions and games.
are emphasized during this time. mand that the sportsman can face up The work during the first week entails
must be suggested positively, and, complete passive rest, limited to workouts
1) Continuity Principle: of which the ex- meanwhile he learns to dominate carried out in a swimming pool to diminish
perts Garcia Manso, Navarro e Ruiz them. impact on the joints). These are mild ses-

1 2
EV\Z**
sions a dedicated to aerobic guideline, ac-
tivity of mobilization of the articulations
and passive stretching (photo 1).

2. RECOVERY OF THE COMPETITION

In this important phase, we start to prac-
tice with the team, but work in a more play-
ful way . This period could last 2 or 3 weeks.
Unofficial games are played. This is an ide-
al moment to practice motor activities that
can help in the execution of some basket-
ball movements. Badminton, soccer, vol-
leyball and outdoor exercise, including jog-
ging and exercise in the water, are excel-
lent activities. In some cases, we can add
dynamic coordination training with exer-
cises focusing on running technique,
which is very useful for the big players.

3. INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM OF CONDITIONING

AND LEARNING
This phase can last right up until the be-
ginning of the season. Here is the work
that we plan with our young players:
▼ Improvements in the coordination in
complex technical gestures, which
were not possible to make during the
season.
▼ General physical conditioning is basic,
but there is more emphasis on
strength work. The player must per-
form daily exercises that strengthen
the core muscles (abdominal and lum-
bar) as seen in photo 2. Working with a
strength and conditioning coach, the
athlete is taught how to properly per-
form each strength exercise. These
exercises should be performed three
to four times a week.
▼ Aerobic training is an important part of
training and helps the player maintain
top cardiovascular endurance. Run-
ning for 30 minutes, and in the case of
the injured athlete, running in a swim-
ming pool while supported with a vest,
will yield excellent results.
▼ Compensation work for the joints that
are inclined to injuries. With the help
of the medical staff, we create a series
of exercises based on the propriocep-
tion and eccentric contractions.

4. ACTIVE REST
Inserting rest into the athlete's training
plan is a way to assist him in attaining per-
sonal goals. Rest is an essential element warm-up that might include jogging, flexibili- Complete rest consists of no training in any
in any training plan, but is all too often ty exercises, and short sprints at 70% ca- form. This includes no running or weight
overlooked, and even avoided in some cir- pacity. Active-rest should not exceed more training whatsoever, and no alternative
cumstances. Rest is also known as than 30 minutes and is performed at an easy training methods to be performed on these
restoration. Restoration is a system of re- pace with minimal stress. Do not confuse days.
covery that enables the body to avoid ill- active-rest with easy training days. Easy
ness and injury. There are two types of training days consist of workouts that are 30 CONCLUSION
rest: active-rest and complete rest. minutes to 60 minutes of continuous activity The young athlete (16 to 18 years of age)
Active-rest is "light" training such as a at a faster pace. needs to establish a solid training base

EV\Z*+
 CONDITIONING

during this period. This includes devel-

oping a solid aerobic foundation and
stronger musculature. The physical
trainer must individualize workouts, tak-
ing into account the weaknesses and
strengths of each athlete. Once this oc-
curs, it is the athlete who will truly bene-
fit from this off-season work period.

EXAMPLE OF A WORKING PLAN

I will now show a practical example of
workouts for 17-year-old players, including
the physical training recommended for the
week before the beginning of pre-season
practice.

TUESDAY
▼ 10 minutes of light running.
▼ 10 minutes of stretching and articular
mobility.
▼ 200 repetitions of various abdominal
exercises.
▼ 60 lumbars (going up a little bit from an
horizontal position, maintaining the po-
sition for 2 seconds, before going
down).
▼ 60 arm-bending exercises.
▼ 5 minutes of continuous medium speed
running.
▼ Combination of agility and coordination
movements (hops, lateral sliding, etc)
▼ Stretching.

WEDNESDAY
▼ 10 minutes of light running.
▼ 10 minutes stretching and articular mo-
bility.
▼ 200 repetitions of various abdominal
exercises. pulse of 140-150 per minute and keep ▼ 10 minutes of stretching and articular
▼ 60 lumbars (going up a little bit from a it during the workout. mobility
horizontal position, maintaining the po- ▼ Stretching.
sition for 2 seconds, before going Conditioning Circuit:
down) SATURDAY 1. Abdominal exercise, 25 repetitions.
▼ 60 arm-bending exercises. ▼ 5 minutes of light running 2. Lumbars, 20 repetitions.
▼ 5 minutes of continuous medium ▼ 10 minutes of stretching and articular 3. Arm-bending exercises, 20 repetitions.
speed running + 2 light minutes (this to mobility. 4. Abdominal (different from station N.
repeat three times). Conditioning Circuit: 1), 25 repetitions.
▼ Stretching. 1. Abdominals, 25 repetitions. 5. Combination of 70 agility and coordi-
2. Lumbars, 20 repetitions. nation movements
THURSDAY 3. Arm-bending exercises, 20 repeti- ▼ 5 minutes of recovery jogging
▼ 5 minutes of light running. tions. Repeat three times, with 3 circuits and 3
▼ 10 minutes of stretching and articular 4. Abdominals (different from station N. x 5 minutes of recovery jogging
mobility. 1), 20 repetitions. ▼ 15 minutes of continuous race to pro-
▼ 225 repetitions of various abdominal 5. Combination of 70 feetholds. gressive rhythm, increasing every 5
exercises. ▼ 5 minutes of recovery jogging. minutes. The athletes must achieve a
▼ 70 lumbars (going up a little bit from a Repeat three times, with 3 circuits and 3 x pulse of 150-160 per minute and keep
horizontal position, maintaining the 5 minutes of recovery jogging it during the workout.
position for 2 seconds, before going ▼ 15 minutes of continuous race to
down) medium rhythm + agility and coordina- MONDAY
▼ 70 arm-bending exercises tion movements. Regenerative Session:
▼ 15 minutes of continuous race to pro- ▼ 10 minutes of continuous running on
gressive rhythm, increasing every 5 SUNDAY grass surface
minutes. The athletes must achieve a ▼ 5 minutes of light running ▼ 20 minutes of streching.
EV\Z*,
 conditioning

THE "OPALS"
STRENGTH
AND CONDITIONING
by Donna O'Connor

Donna O'Connor is the Associate Dean sise the role they play in supporting the will briefly comment on two of the issues
(Learning & Teaching) at the University opals player within the club environment. as examples of our approach.
of Sydney, and has been with the Aus- We now disseminate information on
tralian Women's Basketball team strength and conditioning, testing and The intermittent nature of basketball and
(Opals) since October 2003. relevant sport science issues. During the the restricted court size is reflected in
pre-season and WNBL season I will con- the energy demands of this game. Al-
My role with the team is to assist the sult with the strength and conditioners to though there are a few studies (McInnes
head coach by developing training pro- collectively design programs for opals et al., 1995; Rodriquez-Alonso et al., 2003)
grams to enhance player performance players. We have started to have period- that have quantified these physiological
and advise on sport science issues relat- ic telephone conference calls to discuss requirements we have decided to con-
ed to player preparation. This involves progress of squad members. I will also duct our own research that will then di-
keeping up-to-date with current re- regularly communicate with players ei- rectly inform our training practice. We
search and continually communicating ther by phone or email during the season. have monitored heart rates, lactates and
with the coaching and medical staff in movement patterns during international
planning and implementing training pro- Due to the limited time the squad is able games, scrimmages and training ses-
grams. to train together, clear and consistent sions. Interpretation of this data gives an
communication is imperative. This is par- indication of player response to the de-
AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT ticularly paramount outside the WNBL mands imposed on them. This informa-
The "Opals", the nickname of the Aus- season where large physical improve- tion provides insight into where each
tralian women's national team, are cur- ments can be made. For players not com- player's level of fitness is at for any given
rently ranked third in the world. Of the 25- peting overseas, I receive weekly emails time and assists in individualising player
30 players in the National squad, approx- that include loads lifted in the gym, times preparation and recovery strategies.
imately 70% of players will be located in or distances for conditioning drills, and However, when interpreting these re-
Australia, while 30% of players will com- RPE [rate of perceived exertion] etc. sults it must be considered that the inten-
pete overseas at some stage during the From this information I am able to moni- sity of the game will be influenced by the
year. This situation makes long term peri- tor and adjust individual training pro- quality of opposition, the style of play
odised programming difficult for individ- grams. used by the coach and the physiological
ual players but in recognising that this capacity of the players. By also monitor-
situation will only increase, we have at- Players based overseas have been more ing these parameters during practice
tempted to put systems in place to sup- difficult to support. We are slowly form- sessions we are able to categorise vari-
port player preparation regardless of ing relationships with various clubs and ous training drills and activities as 'light,
where they are located. their trainers so we can communicate medium or heavy', which is helpful when
and have an integrated approach to the determining training demands during dif-
In the first instance, the respective play- overall development of the player. ferent phases of training. This will be par-
er, head coach and myself collaborative- ticularly pertinent in relation to court
ly decide general goals and specific fit- SPORT SCIENCE ISSUES work in the lead-up to major champi-
ness targets for the year. Ideally, pre-ha- Sport science issues that have been re- onships.
bilitation and rehabilitation programs are searched and influenced Opals training
devised in consultation with the player's prescription include energy demands of With the previous Olympics in Athens
club personnel as well as Opals staff. I basketball, concurrent training, cross and the next world championships in
now have contact with all WNBL training, warm up (static stretching), hy- Brazil issues such as acclimatisation, jet
strength and conditioners and empha- dration, jet lag, and recovery strategies. I lag and hydration are very important.
EV\Z*-
 conditioning

Due to the amount of air travel we must

do, educating players of the importance
of hydration is paramount. To assist with
this we will monitor urine specific gravity
(USG) levels as an indication of hydra-
tion status. Because you cannot rely on
the colour of urine as an indicator of hy-
dration levels (due to influence of multi-
vitamins etc) we have found using a re-
fractometer for USG to be a very simple
and quick measure. For example, when
we are in training camps we can take a
sample after training and then monitor
the amount of fluid that is consumed pri-
or to the next training when a further
sample is taken. Over time each player
then has a guide on the amount of fluid
that is required to return a reading of <
0.01. We have also been able to make
recommendations on how much water
should be consumed on various flights.
Prior to these initiatives some players
were coming to training or games in an
already dehydrated state.

STRENGTH
AND CONDITIONING
PERIODISING TRAINING
Due to the different needs and playing
commitments of squad members a vari-
ety of different programs are devised.
For example, the majority of the 28 play-
ers in the current Opals squad would be
following one of seven different pro-
grams. Consequently, both the frequen-
cy and type of training session sched-
uled for each squad member is deter-
mined depending on the background of
the player, their role within the Aus-
tralian team, and their strengths and
weaknesses.

During the WNBL (the Australian Divi-

sion I Women's league), from October to
February, players participate in weight
training that is tailored to incorporate
their club commitments. In consultation
with club strength and conditioners, two
weight sessions a week are devised. At
a player's request I may also add an ex-
tra conditioning or cross-training ses-
sion to their weekly schedule. Players
flexibility are components in all phases of sist with preparation training camps and
generally will have a short transition
training. August-September has a greater international tours are scheduled where
phase after the season (active recovery
number of court sessions with combined possible.
and rehabilitation). For players not com-
acceleration, agility and ball activities (in-
peting in the WNBA (the US professional
dividual and team). Research indicates In reality, there are always a number of ob-
women's league) training during April to
that loss of strength and power can occur stacles and difficulties encountered in
June emphasises either strength or hy-
within two-three weeks if resistance train- planning and implementing these training
pertrophy while continuing to build an
ing ceases. We maintain strength and programs. Depending on international
aerobic foundation. During July the fo-
power levels with short, regular training commitments in any given year, a number
cus will move to power and repeated
sessions throughout the lead-up to the of different training camps and travel will
sprint-ability. Agility, core stability and
major championships. To monitor and as- mean that there will be deviations from the
EV\Z*.
above planning. Difficulties in periodised cal ergometers (10 x 3 min at level 8 with STABILITY
planning and group cohesion occur with 30-60s recovery at level 4). Pool ses- In consultation with the team physiother-
the unavailability of different squad mem- sions involved deep-water running, apist, core stability is assessed at each
bers at each of these camps while taking kicking, underwater swimming and six- training camp. If there is inadequate core
into consideration the travel and playing packs (6 x 15m maximal sprints with 5 stability, rotation & tilting of the pelvis will
commitments of other players when inte- sec recovery). occur which results in poor technique &
grating training sessions or testing into inefficient force application. Conse-
the annual plan. RESISTANCE TRAINING quently, a slower athlete will be the re-
Players participate in 2-4 resistance- sult. Prone, supine and lateral holds
CONDITIONING training sessions a week depending on (straight arms and forearms) are exam-
Training sessions are prescribed to focus the time of year and macrocycle. To en- ples of increasing pelvic stability using
on the following outcomes: aerobic fit- hance training adaptations I manipulate the athlete's own body weight. Emphasis
ness, repeated sprint ability, speed and the choice of exercise, volume, intensi- is placed on contracted abdominals &
agility. Examples of training sessions are ty, rest and training system every 2-3 gluts throughout the exercise as well as
outlined in the Table below. weeks. Training systems that are incor- having the body in correct alignment (stiff
porated in different cycles include su- as a board). These exercises were initial-
Table 1: Examples of conditioning ses- persets (assisted chins (seated row), gi- ly 'held' for 3 x 20 s and eventually pro-
sions ant sets (DB lat raises (Front DB raises gressed to 60 s holds for each of the eight
(reverse flyes: 3 x 8/8/8), matrix (curls: 3 exercises (8 mins in total). Other exercis-
Session A: Hill runs x 21), cluster sets (Bench Press: 3 x es that I have prescribed incorporate the
▼ 8-12 reps x 150m 4/max/max), eccentric (Bench Press: 2 x Swiss ball and include the bridge (double
▼ 2 min recovery between reps 6, 2 x 4, 2 x 4(eccentric), pyramids and single leg), "jacknifes", hamstring
(Squat: 2 x 6, 2 x 4, 2 x 2) and complex rolls, divers pike, hip extension, Russian
Session B: training (squats to jumps). At times I will twist, alternate superman and kneeling
▼ progressed from 4 to 7 reps x 800m video sessions so I can give players vi- (see Collins, 1998).
▼ HR> 85%maxHR sual feedback on their technique. This
▼ 4 minute recovery has assisted their learning of the more SPEED AND AGILITY
complex lifts and stability exercises. Due to court dimensions there is a sub-
Session C: beep shuttles When the players have learnt correct stantial focus on acceleration (0-10m)
▼ 2 min shuttles (L11 & 12) skills/shoot- technique I include lifts such as power as players generally do not reach maxi-
ing clean, hang clean, high pull, push press, mal speed during competition. Speed
▼ 1 min shuttle (L 13) skills/shooting press jerk and squat to push press. In drills (marching, butt kicks, alternate
▼ 2 min shuttles (L11 & 12) skills/shoot- the power phase I will also include 3-5 high knees, bounds etc) aimed at train-
ing medicine ball exercises. ing the nervous system are incorporat-
▼ repeat above ed in the warm up at least three times-
a-week. For variety 10 mins of ladder
Session D: work can also be included (e.g. cario-
▼ 5 sets 10 x 35m on the 30 seconds (jog ca, zig-zag 2 foot jumps, slalom). Re-
back recovery) search indicates that speed off the
▼ 5 mins recovery between sets mark is closely correlated to leg power.
Consequently, I combine plyometric
Session E starts with acceleration runs during
▼ 3 x 4 agility runs (aim at 40-44s) with this phase of training. Examples in-
1:3 work: recovery ratio clude 10 pitter-patters and sprint; 6
▼ work HR > 85% max HR with recovery straight leg bounds and sprint; 90(jump
HR 100-120 bpm to left, return to start and sprint 10m
(repeat jumping right). An intensity of
CROSS TRAINING 95-100% is the target for each repeti-
Cross training is incorporated for a num- tion. Agility involves the need to decel-
ber of reasons: to increase aerobic and erate, adjust stride pattern and body
anaerobic fitness without the additional position and then accelerate again.
impact on the body of continual running Young et al. (1996) demonstrated that
and jumping, and to assist with addition- speed and agility training are specific
al energy expenditure for players aiming and only produce a 25% transfer to the
at reducing skinfold readings. Training other exercise mode. From this, two
sessions include the utilisation of row- agility/footwork sessions are incorpo-
ing on a concept 11 rowing ergometer rated in the pre-season with at least
(20 min aim at >4500m or 3 x 10 x 60s (aim one session in-season. These were
> 275m) with 60 sec recovery between short maximal efforts that involved a
reps and 5 min between sets), cycling (3 number of changes of direction in the
sets of pyramid: 15 sec - 30 sec - 45 sec - one repetition. The duration of each
60 sec - 75 sec - 90 sec - 75 sec - 60 sec - repetition ranged from 3-15 seconds,
45 sec - 30 sec - 15 sec; 15 sec between within a 3-5 minute set followed by bas-
reps and 5 min between sets) and ellipti- ketball specific skill work.
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 content

trainers
FINGER INJURIES IN BASKETBALL
=
  
- 
ANKLE SPRAIN: TWIST AND SHOUT
 1

REHABILITATION OF the ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT
 -  
ORTHOTICS
"
 (
/
 
STRENGTHENING THE ROTATOR CUFF
/3

 
TIBIAL FASCIITIS: A TYPE OF SHIN SPLINT
 @ 2/
O
Evaluating An Ankle Sprain
 6 !*
  
PATELLA TENDONITIS
'

 
Core Stability Training in Low Back Rehabilitation
2 *
1  
LOWER LEG PAIN IN BASKETBALL PLAYERS
 2 *3 
REDUCING THE RISKS OF RE-INJURY
 2
 &
THE ACHILLES TENDINITIS
2
/
O &
REHABILITATION OF HAMSTRING TEARS
2 "K( &
The Functional Anatomy of the Foot and Ankle / 8:/* &
PREPARATION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPACT TO THE ATHLETE /8 ! 
 &
ANTI-DOPING: IT’S A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN
8 (
1  
BIRTHDATE AND BASKETBALL SUCCESS
  
80" -)

 
 TRAINERS

FINGER INJURIES
IN BASKETBALL
Former trainer of the Japanese player mentioned that there was
Women’s National team, Muraki a throbbing pain under his fin- by Yoshihiro Muraki
is trainer of the Japanese gernail, on the DIP, which is the
Basketball League (JBL) Aisin third joint bone.
Seahorses team. He also serves Therefore, the injured finger was
1
as the Executive Director of the immediately cooled down with
Trainers’ Committee of the ice and then compressed. The
Medical & Science Society of player was then taken to the
the Japanese Basketball hospital for medical evaluation.
Federation.
Diagnosis: After the X-rays at
Basketball is a game that makes the hospital, the player was dia-
great use of the hands for cat- gnosed as having a third joint
ching, dribbling, defending, and fracture of his right index finger.
shooting. The distal bone, falling into the
Finger joint injuries such as proximal part, was broken into
sprains, avulsions, jams, and three bones like the letter “T.”
dislocations occur often. The fracture line of the proximal
Injuries can also occur after part had also reached to the joint
getting fingers caught in uniform surface.
jerseys or after banging them on Also, small bone-pieces were 2
the backboard or getting them found in the inner side of DIP
caught in the net. joint.
Sprains of the PIP (proximal X-rays of the entire finger inclu-
interphalangeal joint) are most ded a true lateral and an antero-
common in basketball, but posterior view of the entire fin-
serious injuries include disloca- ger, centered over the DIP.
tion or fracture of the PIP and (photo 1: X-Ray ; photo 2: X-Ray)
the DIP (distal interphalangeal
joint). How to Splint: The player’s team
Recognizing and treating these had two more games in the regu-
injuries immediately is neces- lar season before going into the
sary in order to prevent prolon- play-offs.
ged or permanent injury.
Many finger joint injuries can be 3
treated conservatively with
splinting and physical therapy.

Case: The Fracture of the index

finger DIP
The subject was a male power
forward for a team in the JBL
(Japan Basketball League)
Super League, the top league in
Japan.

Situation: During a practice ses-

sion, the ball was passed to the
player and smashed into the
index finger on his right hand,
causing severe pain.

First Aid: Though obvious swel-

ling or deformity wasn’t seen in
the injured finger right away, the
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 TRAINERS

If the player had skipped these after every practice session and
two games, he could have taken game. For the daily physical the- 4
three weeks off before going to rapy, only low-frequency stimula-
the play-offs. tion was performed to ease the
However, this was a highly-moti- pain and inflammation.
vated player and he didn’t want to As long as the player didn’t feel
remain on the sidelines. There any pain or discomfort, the the-
was also a way to support his DIP rapy was performed to maintain
so that it couldn’t be further dama- the range of motion of the finger.
ged, and so, he was allowed to In addition, X-rays were taken
return to play after a two-week after every game to check
layoff. This is much earlier than we whether any further damage had
normally would like. occurred.
After practicing briefly, he was
able to put in limited minutes in his Result: The player’s team
team’s final game of the season. made it to the semi-finals
Off the court, the player wore spe- before being eliminated. 5
cialized equipment so that the fin- The player competed in
gertip would have no pressure on the two semi-final games
it. As for the equipment, a cast that with his finger taped.
softens with heat was used. To No further damage
make the player’s everyday activi- occurred due to his play.
ties easier, the equipment was In general, once a player
made with Finger Cast Long Type fractures a finger, we do
so that it could easily attached and not let him play again
removed (photo 3 & 4: Finger Cast until the fracture com-
Long Type). pletely heals.
To avoid aggravating the
During practice and games: only injury as well as protec-
Finger Cast Short Type was used ting the player’s career, a
and held together with tape to complete recovery
the third finger joint. However, period is recommended
because finger proprioception before allowing athletes
was being lost, eventually only to play basketball again. 6
tape was used (photo 5 & 6: Finger In the case described
Cast Short Type). here, however, the
player had a strong will
Taping: Two sets of X-support to play and his team’s
were applied to the distal joint of special playoff situation
the index finger on the palm side was also taken into con-
with 1/2-inch width white tape. sideration before allo-
Since using only white tape would wing him to return much
be too bulky, Dynamic Moving earlier than we normally
Tape was also used to wrap the would like.
finger (photo 7: Taping 1 X-Support We also felt that the
by White Tape 1/2 inch; photo 8: chance for worsening
Taping 2 Wrapping by Dynamic his injury was small due
Moving Tape). to the particular nature
of his compound fractu-
Treatment: Icing was performed re injury.

7 8

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 TRAINERS

ANKLE SPRAIN:
TWIST AND SHOUT by Madelin Hernon

Madeline Hernon is physiothera-

pist for the New Zealand national
women’s team - the Tall Ferns -
and also assisted the Alinghi syn-
dicate from Switzerland that cap-
tured the America’s Cup yachting
trophy this year.

You feel the ankle twist, you let out

a cry and you know you’ve got a
sprain. It sounds like a minor
thing, but the injury can have a
serious affect on your season
unless it’s treated correctly and
the ankle retrained.

Basketball is a game of rapid

changes of direction, as well as
continual jumping and landing.
Unfortunately, these activities
increase the chances of the
basketball players suffering an
ankle sprain.
If the worst happens, every player
should know exactly what they
should do to speed their recovery
and enable their return to the
court as quickly as possible.

The most common ankle sprain is

the inversion sprain. This is often
caused by one player landing on
another’s foot, with the first
player’s foot rolling on to its outer
edge.
This tears the ankle’s lateral (out-
side) ligaments, the strong fibrous
bands that attach the foot to the
lower leg.
Initial immediate management of
the sprained ankle is extremely
important and requires the RICE
regime. RICE means:
REST
ICE
COMPRESSION
ELEVATION

RICE is vital in limiting the amount

of pain, bleeding and swelling in
and around the ankle joint. This
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 TRAINERS

swelling is rather like a slow-setting gram is required for basketball, so that

glue in that, over time, it “gums up” the the player returns to the court with full
joint, restricting the range of motion agility and avoids further sprains.
and impeding the basketball player’s
rehabilitation. Physiotherapy is an important part of
that rehabilitation procedure. The
The greater the swelling, the longer physiotherapist will assess the dama-
the absence from the basketball court. ge, treating the ligaments and joints,
Initial on-court management should be in order to regain ankle motion, and
to determine the extent of the injury. reduce pain and swelling.
Whenever possible, the injured player This may involve deep ligament mas-
should cease playing immediately and sage, mobilization, ankle stretches,
REST. strengthening exercises, balance re-
Continued active movement of the education, the use of electro-thera-
ankle will only result in increased peutic techniques such as ultrasound,
bleeding and swelling. and strapping or bracing to protect
the damaged joint.
An ICE pack should be quickly applied
to the sore area. Ice should initially be Returning to sport occurs when the
applied hourly, for 15 minutes, over the player is able to jump run forwards,
first four hours. backwards, sideways, in a figure eight
The application of ice should continue and has the ability to change direction
four-hourly over the next 24-48 hours. quickly with no pain.
Once back playing basketball, ankle
COMPRESSION should be applied to bracing or strapping may be required
the limb in the form of bandaging. initially or permanently as the balance
Initially, bandage the ankle over the receptors (propriceptors) in the ankle
ice applications with the limb elevated. are significantly impaired following an
Following the application of ice, the ankle injury.
limb should be bandaged to support
and compress the ankle joint. This Once an ankle sprain has occurred, that
assists in minimizing swelling and ankle is four times more likely to re -
bleeding. sprain. Therefore, supporting the ankle
with bracing or strapping is an ideal way
ELEVATION of the ankle is important to assist a speedy return to the basket-
and should be above the level of the ball court and, most importantly, avoid
pelvis. This reduces blood flow to the further disruption to your season.
ankle and encourages drainage.
Medical advice should be sought to TOP TIP
assess the severity of the injury to the To re-educate the ankle receptors,
ligaments and to eliminate the presen- stand on the injured foot, gain your
ce of a fracture. balance and shut your eyes, maintai-
This is vital. ning your balance for as long as pos-
sible. Once able to do this, progress to
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY small hops, jumping and landing with
A comprehensive rehabilitation pro- your eyes shut.
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 TRAINERS

REHABILITATION OF the
ANTERIOR CRUCIATE
LIGAMENT

by Mladen Maksic

Dr. Mladen Maksic is a specialist in

orthopaedic surgery and traumatology
at the Institute for Orthopaedic
Surgery and Traumatology of the
Clinical Center of Serbia. He is also
the team doctor of the Partizan
basketball club in Belgrade, a divi-
sion I team in Serbia and Montenegro.
Dr. Maksic is a member of both the
medical staff of the men’s national
team and the Olympic Committee of
Serbia and Montenegro.

Arthroscopic reconstruction of a torn

anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the
knee is a widely accepted treatment
for a patient with symptomatic knee
instability. The rates of good or excel-
lent long-term results (restoration of
stability, pain relief, elimination of “give activities was not permitted until nine
away” symptoms, and return to pre- to 12 months following surgery. In 1990,
injury level of function) have been an accelerated rehabilitation approa-
reported to be between 75% and 90%. ch to ACL repair was first reported.
A scientifically-based and well-desi- The patients who followed this treat-
gned rehabilitation program following ment exhibited better strength and
successful ACL surgery plays a vital range-of-motion (ROM), had less
role in the functional outcome of the patellofemoral complaints, and an ear-
reconstructed knee of an athlete. lier return to sports. This is the approa-
ch we now use in ACL rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation following ACL injury and
surgery has undergone an evolution in Whenever possible, we begin our
the past decade. In the past, the rehabilitation program long before sur-
recommended treatment to protect gery. The basic pre-operative goals
the healing knee included six to eight are to reduce pain, inflammation, and
weeks of immobilization, eight to 12 swelling; restore normal range-of-
weeks on crutches, and the avoidance motion, normalize gait, and prevent
of early isolated quadriceps contrac- muscle atrophy. Patient education is
tions. Furthermore, a return to sporting another critical aspect of the pre-ope-
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 TRAINERS

rative rehabilitation and we use it to prepa- Pain can be

re and educate the patient on both the reduced through
upcoming surgical procedure and the all- the use of
important rehabilitation. cryotherapy and
analgesic medi-
Postoperative rehabilitation begins imme- cation, along
diately following surgery with immediate with therapeutic
motion. Full passive knee extension is modalities, such
emphasized, along with a gradual restora- as electrical sti-
tion of flexion range-of-motion. Partial wei- mulation.
ght bearing without a knee brace is Tr e a t m e n t
allowed, as tolerated, immediately following options for swel-
surgery, with a progression to full weight ling reduction
bearing without crutches by four to six include cryothe-
weeks. Closed kinetic chain proprioceptive rapy, high-volta-
and strengthening exercises are initiated ge stimulation,
during the first two weeks following sur- and joint com-
gery. Neuromuscular control drills are gra- pression through
dually advanced to include dynamic stabili- the use of a knee
zation and special training (week two to sleeve or com-
three), and light plyometric jump training pression banda-
(week eight). Functional activities, such as ge.
running, begin on week 12 to 14, jumping on dissipation of the surrounding stabilizing
week 14 to 16, and cutting on week 16 to 18. Inhibition of the quadriceps muscle is a muscles and avoids knee hyperextension.
Finally, a gradual return to athletic competi- common clinical enigma in postoperative The drills then progress to include ankle
tion for running and cutting sports, such as ACL reconstruction patients, especially in hops; jumping in place; lateral, diagonal,
baseball, football, tennis, and soccer can the presence of pain and swelling during and rotational jumping; bounding; and skip
occur at approximately five to six months, the acute phases of rehabilitation. lunging. With increased knee strength, this
and, to jumping sports, such as basketball Electrical muscle stimulation and biofeed- is followed with the addition of single and
and volleyball, at six to eight months. back are often incorporated with thera- multiple box jumps. We usually begin plyo-
peutic exercises to facilitate the active metric activities with two-leg jumps, pro-
One of the most common complications fol- contraction of the quadriceps muscles. gressing to single-leg jumps.
lowing ACL reconstruction is motion loss,
particularly loss of full knee extension. We begin using proprioceptive training The final aspect of rehabilitation involves
Thus, one of the primary goals of rehabilita- during the third postoperative week, pen- enhancing muscular endurance.
tion involves achieving full passive knee ding adequate normalization of pain, swel- Proprioceptive and neuromuscular control
extension immediately following surgery. ling, and quadriceps control. Proprio- has been shown to diminish once muscular
Specific exercises utilized include manual ceptive training begins with basic exerci- fatigue occurs. Exercises such as statio-
passive range-of-motion exercises perfor- ses, including joint repositioning and clo- nary bicycling, stair climbing, elliptical
med by a rehabilitation specialist, supine sed kinetic-chain weight-shifting. Weight machines, and slide boards may be used
hamstring stretches with a wedge under shifts may be performed in the medial-late- for long durations to increase muscular
the heel, and gastrocnemius stretching with ral direction and in diagonal patterns. endurance. High repetition, low-weight
a towel. resistance training exercises can also help
To facilitate dynamic stabilization and build muscular endurance.
The loss of patellar mobility following ACL neuromuscular control of the knee joint,
reconstruction may be caused by various plyometric jumping drills may also be An overly-aggressive approach early in the
factors and may result in range-of-motion performed. Plyometrics are physically rehabilitation program may result in increa-
complications and difficulty recruiting qua- demanding and are only to be performed sed pain, inflammation, and swelling.
driceps contraction. Patellar mobilizations by the highly competitive athlete. Therefore, rehabilitation should involve a
are performed by the rehabilitation specia- Plyometric exercises utilize the muscle’s progressive application of therapeutic
list in the medial-lateral and superior-infe- stretch-shortening properties to produce exercises designed to gradually increase
rior direction in order to prevent this from maximum concentric contraction fol- function in the post-operative knee. This
happening. lowing a rapid eccentric loading of the progression of weight-bearing and range-
muscle tissues. of-motion restoration helps insure that
Although full passive knee extension and Plyometric activities are typically initiated complications such as excessive motion
patellar mobility are two of the primary during week eight with plyometric jumping restrictions or scar tissue formation are
goals during the first week of rehabilitation, on the leg-press machine. The leg-press avoided while progressing steadily without
controlling postoperative pain, inflamma- machine is used to control the amount of overstressing the healing tissue. This sim-
tion, and swelling are also critical immedia- weight and ground reaction forces as the ple concept may also be applied to the pro-
tely following surgery. This will help prevent athlete learns how to perform jumping dril- gression of strengthening exercises, pro-
long-term complications involving range- ls correctly. The patient is instructed to prioception training, neuromuscular control
of-motion, voluntary quadriceps control, land softly on balls of the feet with the drills, functional drills, and sport-specific
and a delay of the rehabilitation process. knees slightly flexed. This maximizes force training.
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 TRAINERS

ORTHOTICS
by Fabrizio Borra

Fabrizio Borra is a trainer with a long

experience with top athletes from dif-
ferent sports, from bike racers, to
Formula One drivers, to basketball,
rugby and soccer players. Borra was
the first medical care provider in Italy
to adopt the injuries rehabilitation in
the swimming pool. He runs the Sport
Medicine Center in Forlì, Italy.

The feet are the important receptors

that interact with the postural tonic
system, but cannot be evaluated sepa-
rately and in an isolated way.

The human body has a great capacity

to adapt through the muscular chains
and myofascial.
These compensations therefore have
an origin and an end.

The great difficulty in the evaluation of

and injured athlete is understanding
the origin of the problem (cause), how
the body has adapted (compensa-
tions), where the body ends its adap-
tion (last compensation that does not
find compensation), creating a
decompensation (overload) with con-
sequent pathology (injury).

If we are not successful in recon-

structing this scheme and work from
where the problem started, and we
only take care of the symptomatology
(pain), or we work only on some com-
pensations, we will have problems to
reach our objective.
But you can be sure that the athlete’s
body will make new compensations
that will result in additional problems
over time.
The bottom line: get to the root of the
problem and solve it rather than focu-
sing on the reduction of pain.

With the concept in mind that you

want to get to the root of the problem,
it is clear that hyperspecialization and
management of injuries has its limita-
tions.
The podiatrist evaluates only the feet,
the dentist only the mouth, the opto-
metrist only the eyes, and so on.
EV\Z,
 TRAINERS

However, in order to achieve complete

recovery from an injury, it is important
to look at the body as a whole, reco-
gnizing the connectedness and inter-
relationhip of its systems.

Returning to foot problems, this hype-

specialization has brought about an
overprescription of orthotics.
It had gotten to the point where just
about anyone undertaking sports acti-
vities were prescribed orthotics as an
essential accessory for best foot
health.
Let’s quickly review what orthotics are
and how they work. Orthotics are shoe
inserts that are intended to correct an
abnormal, or irregular, walking pat-
tern.
Orthotics are not truly or solely “arch
supports”, although some people use
those words to describe them, and
they perhaps can best be understood
with those words in mind.
They perform functions that make
standing, walking, and running more
comfortable and efficient by altering
slightly the angles at which the foot
strikes a walking or running surface.
Doctors of podiatric medicine prescri-
be orthotics as a conservative approa-
ch to many foot problems or as a
method of control after certain types
of foot surgery; their use is a highly
successful, pratical treatment form.

Too often, however, podiatrists pre-

scribe orthotics besed solely on data
that is not really reflective of a pro-
blem to an athlete.

Inserting an orthotic in the shoe of an Our experience over the past decade Too often, people neglect to periodi-
athlete who has already compensated has helped us to develop the following cally check their orthotics.
for a problem without trying to under- protocol: We now have new technology which
stand the real cause of the problem, allows us to get a reading as to the
may only result in a further compensa- ▼ In the first phase, the athlete is effectiveness of the orthotic and
tion, in this case, to the orthotic. submitted to a global postural test whether it is compatible to the needs
The athlete remains untreated and to individualize the true cause of of the athlete.
debilitated. the problem and help uncover the
various compensations. It is critical that we pay attention to
This does not mean that the orthotic the type of athletic shoes that the ath-
does not have a place in sport. How ▼ He is then submitted to a pressure lete is wearing.
and when to use them should be an test on a platform while standing Too many times we have seen different
important part of any athletic evalua- and moving. This baseline data is outcomes when orthotics are worn in
tion. recorded and later used as different shoes.
How about the athlete that takes a a comparison.
special pressure foot test, followed by In conclusion, the prescription of the
a podiatric treatment, and then imme- ▼ He begins therapy and exhibits orthotic must be given more careful
diately repeats the pressure exams? various changes. Based on the attention, taking into consideration
The outcomes are going to be comple- study of the data, we can then many factors and not just based on
tely different. recommend the possible use of an one reading of the foot. The effective-
Do you create an orthotic based on the orthotic and decide which type ness of the orthotics must be monito-
first or second pressure test? would be most effective. red over time.
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 TRAINERS

STRENGTHENING
THE ROTATOR CUFF

by Charles B. Goodwin

Charles B. Goodwin is an orthopedic sur-

geon. He has worked with the New York
Knicks, the New York Mets of Major
League Baseball, New York City Ballet,
and the US Open and Virginia Slims tennis
events.

Basketball players rely so much on shoul-

der power that you’d think that they would
be outfitted with hulking muscular shoul-
ders. The fact that many of them aren’t
especially broad-shouldered is due to the and yet often overlooked-are four small motions involved in basketball often
particular nature of the shoulder joint, and powerful muscles that, with their tendons, weaken the cuff over time, causing micro-
of a set of small delicate muscles hidden make up the rotator cuff. These muscles- scopic tears that can lead to tendinitis
within it. the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspi- (chronic inflammation) more severe
Flexibility is the shoulder’s outstanding natus, and teres minor-are located on or muscle strains, and/or ligament sprains.
attribute-it is the body’s most flexible joint, near the shoulder blade and tightly attach Since the rotator cuff muscles are one of
which is why you can perform such varied the upper arm bone to the shoulder the most neglected areas in strength trai-
movements as swinging a racquet, swim- socket. Because the muscles are located ning it is easy to understand why so many
ming the crawl, and brushing your hair. But well inside the shoulder, most basketball athletes are sidelined each season with
this great range of motion, which allows players are unaware of their function and rotator cuff-related injuries.
the shoulder to swing a full 360 degrees, so ignore conditioning them. The delicate structure of the rotator cuff
comes with its own stiff price. Unfortunately, the common repetitive can be easily damaged. For example,
Unlike the hip, the body’s other major joint,
which is secured by ball-and-socket struc-
tures and strong ligaments, the shoulder
socket is shaped like a small shallow sau-
cer-an arrangement that allows for flexibi-
lity but doesn’t hold the ball of the joint as
firmly in place as other joint sockets. Then,
too, the ligaments that keep the shoulder in
place are relatively weak, with stability
coming from the muscles and tendons run-
ning across the joint, plus a small rim of
cartilage that increases the depth of the
socket If some of these muscles are weak
or out of balance with other muscles, the
risk of strains or sprains increases.
Keeping them all strong and flexible may
not only help prevent injury but can also
improve your squash game.
Crucial to the shoulder’s many movements-
EV\Z.
 TRAINERS

repetitive motions involved in shooting jum-

pshots may cause irritation, pain, micro-
scopic tears, and weakness to the rotator
cuff. The first line of defense if you expe-
rience pain is to ice the shoulder after your
activity for 20 to 30 minutes, and to repeat
three to four times daily. Modify your game
to avoid pain, and if very sore, stop the acti-
vity. With rehabilitation exercises, it may be
up to six weeks before you are pain-free.
When the arm is repeatedly raised above
the head-as in shooting or going for a
rebound-the rotator cuff tendons rub
against the bony underside of the shoulder
blade, causing them to swell and even tear
slightly because of the reduced space in
the joint. The result can be inflammation,
pain, and eventual weakness. Ice the
shoulder three to four times daily.
Depending on the pain, reduce or avoid
sports and other activities involving the
shoulder. With rehabilitation exercises,
improvement may be noticed within two to
four weeks with recovery occurring within
six to eight weeks.
Finally, playing basketball regularly and
ignoring existing inflammation, or a suffe-
ring a fall on an outstretched arm while lun-
ging for the ball, may cause the rotator cuff
to tear partially or completely. An initial
symptom is a sharp pain in the shoulder
that may radiate down to the elbow. One
may continue mild activity but should avoid
painful motions. Surgery may be indicated.

CONDITIONING THE ROTATOR CUFF

Preventive steps aimed at maintaining the
flexibility and strength of these muscles will
help keep the shoulder stable and injury-
free. The first three exercises will make
your rotator cuff muscles more flexible. on the bench alongside your body and sup-
Back cuff stretch. Bring one arm across the ported by the bench. Hold a light dumbbell
front of your neck and rest it on the opposi- in your hand with the palm facing upward,
te shoulder. Place your free hand on the forearm pressed against your abdomen,
extended elbow and gently pull it so the and elbow bent at approximately 90
arm crosses over the chest. Hold for 15 degrees.
seconds, repeat five times, then switch Without moving your body and while kee-
sides. ping your arm close to your body, lower the
Underside cuff stretch. Raise one arm and dumbbell away from your body until it
bend it behind your head to touch your extends over the side of the bench. (How
opposite shoulder. With your free hand, far your forearm will go below horizontal
gently push the elbow towards your back. depends on your shoulder flexibility). Slowly
Hold for 15 seconds, repeat five times, then raise the dumbbell to the starting position
switch sides. following the same arc. Repeat 10 times
Front cuff stretch. Put your arms behind and then perform with the opposite arm.
your back, join your hands, and slowly raise common not only to squash but to so many External rotation: Lie on a bench with one
your arms upward. Stand straight with your sports. Use light weights (something you hand supporting your head. Hold a light
focus remaining level, hold for a 15-second can control-2.5 pounds is a good starter dumbbell next to your abdomen, palm
count, return to the start, and repeat five weight-and allows you to finish the repeti- facing inward, elbow flexed at 100 degrees
times. tions with good form. If you experience any and approximately 2 inches up from your
shoulder pain, use lighter weights. side.
STRENGTHENING EXERCISES Continuation of pain may indicate a rotator Keeping the elbow stationary, rotate the
The basic strengthening exercises will help cuff injury. Contact your physician. dumbbell as far as you comfortably are
maintain shoulder motion and enable the Internal rotation: Lie on your side on a able. Slowly return to the start and repeat
joint to withstand the power movements bench. Keep the upper portion of the arm 10 times each side.
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 TRAINERS

TIBIAL FASCIITIS:
A TYPE OF SHIN SPLINT

by Richard T. Bouché

Richard T. Bouchè is Staff Podiatrist

at Virginia Mason Sports Medicine
Clinic in Seattle, Washington. Past
President of the American Academy
of Podiatric Sports medicine, he
wrote several articles on the
subject. He is staff podiatrist of the
Seattle Storm, the WNBA team.

DEFINITION
A shin-splint is the most common
cause of exercise-induced leg pain
encountered by athletes of all levels.
It is commonly used as a “garbage
can” term to include a variety of
exercise-induced leg pathologies but
actually represents a very specific
problem.
It is essentially an inflammatory reac-
tion involving the connective tissue of
the leg (called the deep or crural
fascia) at its insertion into the inside
(medial) or front (anterior) aspect of
the leg bone (tibia).
Thus “tibial stress syndrome” is the
common medical term used to refer
to this condition though I prefer the
term “tibial fasciitis” because it spe-
cifically implicates the deep fascia as
the etiologic anatomic structure
involved. This condition needs to be
differentiated from other common
and uncommon causes of leg pain as
the correct diagnosis will dictate
treatment.

Treatment for shin-splints can vary

depending on the location (medial
versus anterior), duration and seve-
rity of the problem.
Listed below is a comprehensive four
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 TRAINERS

stage initial (versus resistant or recal-

citrant) treatment program that has
met with excellent success at our
sports medicine center.
It is important to complete all four sta-
ges of the program to obtain a more
predictable result. If the response to
this program is not favorable then re-
evaluation of the patient is indicated.
If the diagnosis remains firmly establi-
shed, additional (more aggressive)
treatment measures may need to be
considered, i.e., steroid injections,
surgery, etc.

INITIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM

PHASE 1- ACUTE PHASE:
Decrease acute pain and inflammation:
▼ Absolute rest-non weight bearing
with crutches
▼ relative rest- weight bearing boot
or walker
▼ “ICE” (ice; compression; elevation)
▼ Non steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs

Note: Depending on the severity of the pro-

blem the acute phase can be bypassed,
but should always be considered especial-
ly if clinical symptoms are significant.
When palpation of the involved shin area
exhibits minimal to no discomfort the reha-
bilitation phase can be initiated.

PHASE 2- REHABILITATION PHASE:

Further decrease pain and inflammation:
▼ Ultrasound
▼ Phonophoresis
▼ Neuroprobe
▼ Contrast baths
▼ Decrease scar formation:
▼ Transverse friction/deep
tissue massage therapeutic exercise Initiate preventive strategies:
▼ Augmented soft tissue ▼ Plyometric training (trampoline, ▼ Orthoses PRN
mobilization (ASTM) then jumping rope, then “vertical ▼ Appropriate athletic shoewear
▼ Maintain/increase flexibility of jumps”) ▼ Functional exercises (i.e., pilates,
injured (and surrounding) tissue plyometrics)
▼ Active / passive joint range of motion Protect injured area during functional acti- ▼ Revise training program
▼ Stretching exercises vity:
▼ Strengthen fascial/bone interface ▼ Shin taping Note: In my experience there is an approxi-
▼ Open to closed chain therapeutic ▼ Neoprene shin sleeve mate one month window after the patient
exercise (isometric / isotonic / ▼ Consider leg brace (Air Cast) returns to their activity where the chance of
isokinetic) ▼ Orthoses PRN re-injury is great. Patients must realize their
▼ Appropriate athletic foot gear limits and be patient!
Note: When patient can complete these I feel if this treatment plan is followed, as
exercises without symptoms, then the Note: This is probably the most important described, treatment outcomes for this com-
functional phase can begin. The techni- phase because it prepares the patient for mon pesky problem can be more predicta-
ques used to decrease scar formation their return to activity. Care needs to be ble.
can initially exacerbate the condition, taken at this stage not to allow the patient
especially when using ASTM. to overdo these exercises and stay within TIPS
their limits as re-injury can easily occur. ▼ Don’t forget to stretch and warm
PHASE 3- FUNCTIONAL PHASE: up before playing.
Functionally strengthen fascial/bone PHASE 4- RETURN TO ACTIVITY ▼ Wear supportive shoes.
interface (and surrounding tissue): Return to desired sport activity: ▼ See your sports podiatrist if pain
▼ Continue open to closed chain ▼ Gradual, systematic, “to tolerance” persists.
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 TRAINERS

Evaluating
An Ankle Sprain
by Miljan Amanovic

Miljan Amanovic, formerly the trainer of the nes treatment and allows the doctor or trai- the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), the
Red Star Belgrade team and the Serbian ner to predict recovery time. Most ankle calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), and the
National Cadet team, is now the personal sprains can be successfully treated nonsur- posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL).
trainer of some of the top Serbian NBA gically with PRICE (protection, rest, ice,
players. compression, and elevation). The ATFL resists ankle inversion in plantar
flexion, and the CFL resists ankle inversion
Ankle sprains, which comprise more than The ankle is a simple hinge joint. The stabi- during dorsiflexion. The accessory functions
half of all basketball injuries, usually involve lity of the talocrural joint depends on both of the ATFL are resistance to anterior talar
damage to lateral ankle ligaments and syn- joint congruency and the supporting liga- displacement from the mortise, clinically
desmotic ligaments. A detailed physical mentous structures. The lateral ankle liga- referred to as the anterior drawer, and resi-
evaluation of the joint is important. A hands- ments responsible for resistance against stance to internal rotation of the talus within
on grading of ankle sprains is what determi- inversion and internal rotation stress, are the mortise.

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 TRAINERS

The CFL crosses both the lateral ankle joint tion of the talocrural joint. forearm to support the foot in a position of
and lateral subtalar joint, thus contributing The anterior talofibular ligament is the most slight plantar flexion. The calcaneus and
to both ankle and subtalar joint stability. The commonly sprained ankle ligament. If the talus are drawn forward while providing a
PTFL is under greatest strain in ankle dorsi- ankle is near its neutral position, the calca- stabilizing force to the tibia. An anterior
flexion and acts to limit both posterior talar neofibular ligament also may be traumati- drawer test is positive when the talus slides
displacement within the mortise as well as zed. anteriorly, more than the other ankle, or
talar external rotation. when the patient describes pain.
SYMPTOMS
SPRAINS Pain is localized along the lateral ligament 2. INVERSION STRESS TEST (TALAR TILTTEST)
Sprains occur when a joint is forced beyond complex and sinus tarsi. Because the ante- This test is used to determine the integrity of
its normal anatomical limits, resulting in the rior talofibular and posterior talofibular liga- the calcaneofibular ligament.
stretching or tearing of the ligaments, joint ments are capsular structures, tears of The patient sits at the edge of the examina-
capsule, or both. Lateral ankle sprains typi- these ligaments can produce rapid diffuse tion table. One hand grasps the calcaneus,
cally occur as a result of stepping on swelling. The calcaneofibular ligament pro- keeping the foot and ankle in the neutral
another athlete’s foot during play or landing duces relatively little edema because it is position. The opposite hand is used to stabi-
from a jump in an unbalanced position. extracapsular. Point tenderness and disco- lize the lower leg. The hand holding the cal-
There are three degrees of sprains, based loration also exist. caneus provides an inversion stress by rol-
on the amount of laxity produced by the ling the calcaneus medially. The test is posi-
injury relative to the opposite ankle. DIAGNOSIS tive when the talus tilts excessively in com-
- I degree : no tearing Lateral ligament ankle injuries can be dia- parison to the uninjured ankle.
- II degree : partial tearing gnosed and classified according to the
- III degree : completely ruptured history of the mechanism of the injury and When diagnosis confirms the injury of one
an evaluation of stability. This diagnosis is or more ligaments, the next step is medical
ANKLE SPRAINS complemented with the X-rays, MRI- scan, treatment. Treatment methods depend on
Most ankle sprains occur secondary to and with ultrasound. The physical examina- injury severity and type of injured ligament.
supination, causing trauma to the lateral tion of the lateral ankle stability should Even the most seemingly harmless ankle
ligament complex as a result of calcaneal include the following tests: injuries deserve proper treatment and
inversion. attention.
1. ANTERIOR DRAWER TEST If the injured ligament fibers are not provi-
LATERAL ANKLE SPRAINS This test is used to determine the integrity ded enough healing time to strengthen, the
The ankle complex is least stable when of the anterior talofibular ligament. inflammation phase will be prolonged. A
it is in the open-packed position of plan- The patient sits on the edge of the table return to training before the ankle has fully
tar flexion and inversion. Forceful inver- with the knee flexed to prevent gastrocne- healed can prolong the injury and lead to re-
sion of the ankle can lead to tearing of mius tightness. The examiner stabilizes the injury. This is the reason that the treatment
the lateral ligaments and the specific lower leg with one hand while the other of ankle sprains begins immediately after
structures involved depend on the posi- hand cups the calcaneus, using his injury, right on the playing field.

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 TRAINERS

PATELLA
by Jay Sabol TENDONITIS
Jay Sabol is assistant trainer - strenght and WHO GETS PATELLA TENDONITIS? ting factor. Here are some more causes:
conditioning coach of the Miami Heat of the Anyone that participates in an activity that
NBA. requires jumping or plyometric movements ▼ Fallen arches or over foot pronation,
such as basketball can expect to get tendo- flat feet.
DEFINITION nitis if they don’t maintain a degree of flexi- ▼ Tight hamstring and quadriceps
Patella tendonitis can be described as the bility and strength. Patella tendonitis is not muscles.
inflammation of the tendon between the limited to just basketball; people often get it ▼ Weak quadriceps muscles.
patella (knee cap) and the tibial tubercle from tennis, volleyball, hiking and walking. ▼ Patella tracking problems
(shin bone). This inflammation occurs do to or malalignment.
repeated stress on the patella tendon. The WHAT CAUSES PATELLA TENDONITIS?
base of the kneecap or inferior pole of the Many are the causes, although repeated TREATMENT
patella is where one will feel pain. jumping would be the number one contribu- See a physician!

QUAD STRETCH HAMSTRING STRETCH

GLUTEus STRETCH CALF STRETCH

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 TRAINERS

I am stressing this because many people

treat the symptoms with out finding out why
the problem is occurring. With patella ten- STRAIGHT LEG RAISE TOTAL KNEE EXTENSION
donitis the cause needs to be determined
and corrected otherwise it will just get
worse. Make an appointment with an ortho-
pedic physician, they will be able to deter-
mine and diagnose what the problem or pro-
blems are. Once this is determined you can
treat the symptoms as well as correct the
cause(s). If one has flat feet or fallen arches
see a podiatrist for prescription insoles
(orthotics) for one’s basketball shoe. These
can also help prevent other ankle and foot
injuries.
Anti-inflammatory medications also help in
decreasing pain and inflammation. Over the
counter (OTC) medications like Advil, Motrin
IB and Aleve are all helpful. Take as direc-
tions indicate. A physician can prescribe
NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs) after examination.

Before activity if there is minimal or no pain,

CLOSED CHAIN KNEE EXTENTION WALL SQUATS
one can apply heat to the tendon area. Heat
should, if possible be a moist heat, such as a
hydrocollator pack or a warm (100-104
degree) whirlpool. Knee sleeves can be
worn to help hold in heat during activity, as
well as support the patella. Patella straps
also provide pain relief and support the
patella. Ice should be applied before activity
if tendon pain is more than minimal. Always
ice after activity for 20 minutes at a time,
once per hour if icing multiple times. Ice will
help decrease pain and inflammation fol-
lowing activity. Ice cups can also be used
over the tendon for 8-10 minutes. Move the
ice cup in a circular fashion across the ten-
don till numb. Once the patella tendon is FREE SQUATS LEG PRESS
numb, a gentle stretch of the thigh muscles
can be performed.

STRETCHING
One should warm up, break a sweat then
stretch the hamstrings, gluteus muscles,
quadriceps muscles and the muscles of the
lower leg. These stretches are important
because tight muscles provide increased
resistance and stress on the tendon. With
increased flexibility one should begin to feel
a decrease in pain.

▼ Quad Stretch.
▼ Hamstring Stretch.
▼ Gluteus Stretch.
▼ Calf Stretch.

STRENGTHENING ▼ Total knee extension frustrating and debilitating type of chro-

Strengthening of the quadriceps (thigh) ▼ Closed Chain knee extension nic injury or syndrome. Always warm up
muscles, especially the vastus mediallis ▼ Wall Squats between 30-60 degrees stretch before activity and ice after.
(VMO) will help with patella tracking. ▼ Pain free -free standing Maintain flexibility and strength. Patella
squats between 30-60 degrees tendonitis doesn’t happen over night;
Exercises: ▼ Pain free leg press therefore it doesn’t go away over night.
▼ Leg Lifts In conclusion patella tendonitis can be a Stay the course!
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 TRAINERS

Core Stability
by Timothy Hansen Training in Low
Back Rehabilitation
Tim Hansen is in his 5th year at University working with the football, trunk muscles are then exercised to
Georgia Tech as assistant athletic trai- men’s basketball, wrestling, and teach the spine how to stay in that
ner, working with the men’s basketball lacrosse teams. Hansen is licensed by position.
program. He joined the Tech staff in the state of Georgia and certified by
2000 after two years as a graduate the National Athletic Trainers THE COMPONENTS OF THE “CORE”
assistant athletic trainer at Syracuse Association. The lumbar spine is inherently unsta-
ble. Therefore it relies upon the
The occurrence of low back muscles that support the area for dyna-
picture 1 pain in basketball players is mic stability. Your core consists of
a fairly common condition. more than just your abdominal
Typically, the sources of muscles. It includes the deep trunk
pain experienced by these muscles that attach to your spine and
high-caliber athletes are pelvis. They include:
due to injuries to the soft tis- ▼ Transverse Abdominus and Internal
sue structures that include / External Obliques - Act to transmit
the muscles, fascia and liga- compressive forces that increase
ments. Most of these cases the intra-abdominal pressure to
resolve within 2-4 weeks. help to stabilize the spine. The tran-
However, many of these sverse abdominus is found to be in
individuals will have a a weakened state in patients with
recurrence of symptoms at chronic back pain.
some point in their collegia- ▼ Multifidus - A vital postural muscle
te or professional careers. of the spine. When co-contracting
picture 2 The causes of these injuries
can be linked to lack of flexi-
with the transverse abdominus, it
acts to increase spinal stabilization
bility, lack of strength, poor by forming a deep internal “corset”.
technique, and improper Has been shown to be active in all
body mechanics. In recent ranges of motion.
years, one of the key deve-
lopments in treating low ▼ Interspinalis / Intertransversari -
back injuries has been Deep muscles that stabilize each
understanding that the deep adjacent vertebrae.
trunk muscles, or “core” ▼ Thoracolumber fascia - Provides
muscles, play an important tensile support to the lumbar spine
role in supporting the spine. and is used to transfer loads
Core stability training, also through the lumbar region.
known as lumbar stabiliza-
picture 3 tion, is an active form of IMPLEMENTING CORE TRAINING
rehabilitation designed to IN A REHABILITATION PROGRAM
strengthen the muscles that With any lower back rehabilitation pro-
support the spine in an effort gram, flexibility plays a vital role in
to treat and to help prevent allowing the pelvis to move correctly.
low back pain. Through a Stretching of the hamstrings, glutes,
series of exercises, and with hip flexors, and hip rotators will assist
the instruction of an athletic the athlete in their rehabilitation pro-
trainer or therapist, the ath- gram. Before beginning a program, the
lete is trained to find and athlete must first learn the most pain-
maintain their “neutral” free and balanced “neutral” position
spine position. The back and and how to maintain it. To accomplish
EV\Z&,
 TRAINERS

this, they need to co-contract both the between the table and their back. athlete place their feet flat on the
transverse abdominus and the multifi- Instruct them to draw their belly button table. Have them perform the
dus muscles effectively - a key to spi- toward the spine. The trunk muscles abdominal brace then lift their hips
nal stabilization. Have the athlete lay should contract in unison. Applying to the ceiling (picture 2).
on their back with their knees bent. The your fingers over the transverse abdo- ▼ Sidelying Hip Lift - Sidelying posi-
lumbar spine should be neither arched minus will provide tactile feedback. tion, knees extended. Have them lift
up nor flattened against the table, but This is considered to be the neutral their hips to the ceiling (picture 3).
aligned normally with a small gap position that they need to learn to ▼ Neutral Spine with leg extension -
maintain. Since the core muscles act Have the athlete attain the neutral
picture 4 as stabilizers that involve static or iso- spine position on an exercise ball,
metric contractions, they must be trai- then extend the leg (picture 4).
ned in that manner to build endurance
of the muscle fibers. Have the athlete INTERMEDIATE LEVEL EXERCISES
hold this contraction for 10-15 seconds ▼ Bridging with exercise ball - Have
or to fatigue and repeat 5-10 times (pic- the athlete place their shoulders on
ture 1). Once the athlete has good con- the ball with their knees flexed, then
trol bracing their abdomen, they can be extend the hips to be parallel to the
progressed to the following exercises. floor. Make sure to have them keep
their pelvis level (picture 5).
BASIC LEVEL EXERCISES ▼ Kneeling on exercise ball - Have the
▼ Supine Hip Bridging - Have the athlete begin by kneeling and pla-
cing their forearms on the ball. Then
have them lean forward, rolling onto
picture 8 their elbows (picture 6).
▼Back extensions on ball - Have the
picture 5 athlete place their abdomen on the
ball, and then extend the trunk off
the ball (picture 7).

ADVANCED LEVEL EXERCISES

▼ Human arrow position - Have
the athlete roll their body
straight out until their feet are
the only body part on the ball.
Have them keep their body
straight while maintaining their
neutral position (picture 8).
▼ Sidelying on Ball - Place athletes
picture 6 picture 9 elbow on the ball, then lift hips to
the ceiling (picture 9).
▼ Advanced Bridging - For increased
difficulty, have the athlete extend
their leg while the other leg has an
unstable surface underneath (picture
10).
▼ Lunges - More functional. Have
the athlete perform a lunge while
maintaining their neutral spine.
As you can see, there are many varia-
tions of the same exercise. Always try
to challenge the athlete and be creati-
picture 7 ve with your progressions. I typically
picture 10 will start out by having them hold each
position for 10 seconds with 10 repeti-
tions, progressing to a 30 second hold
with 20 repetitions. However, you must
emphasize meticulous technique in
order to develop true stability through
core strengthening. The whole essen-
ce of core stability is to teach the body
to control lumbar function during their
sport in an effort to reduce the chance
of re-injury.
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 TRAINERS

LOWER LEG PAIN

by Tim Garl IN BASKETBALL
PLAYERS
Tim Garl is the Indiana that occurs during exercise in
figure 1
Figure 1.
Stretching
the muscles
of the lower leg
University’s basketball trainer. the lower leg.
and good
He is also the program’s Typically pain is significant at
flexibility
Director of Basketball the beginning of training and
is important
Operations. He has served as usually decreases once the
in treating
the Trainer for the USA 1982, player is warmed up. It may
and preventing
and 1986 FIBA World then intensify, with fatigue, at
injuries.
Championship Teams, and 1984 the end of activity.
USA Olympic Gold Medal Symptoms are most commonly
Basketball Team. He is also a located along the inner
member of the United States (medial) portion of the tibia in
Olympic, Sports Medicine the middle third of the bone.
Committee. The painful area is often diffu-
se and may move around. Pain
Lower leg pain is common in subsides after activity however
athletes and is frequently seen the athlete may complain of figure 2/3
in basketball players. aching pain at night.
Figure 2 and 3.
The conditions causing the
There are
pain can be soft tissue injury or The exact cause of the injury
numerous
involve the tibia or fibula. has many theories, and fre-
appliances
quently may have more than
available that
Soft tissue lower leg pain is one contributing factor.
a player can
often referred to in a catch all These factors may include
wear to help
term “shin splints” and is tech- muscle fatigue or imbalance of
manage the
nically called Medial Tibial muscles of the lower leg,
MTSS
Stress Syndrome (MTSS). This improper or worn footwear,
symptoms.
condition usually affects athle- poor flexibility, and overtrai-
tes involved in running and ning.
jumping activities. Training surface may also con-
tribute to the injury (figure 1).
This complaint is frequently
seen in basketball players’. All of these mechanisms can
It is a result chronic strain or result in an overload to lower
overuse resulting in miocro- leg in the form of repetitive
trauma to the muscles and trauma from weight bearing.
connective tissue, tibia and Torsion to the tibia from
occasionally the fibula. muscle/tendon insertions that
contract during running and
It is most commonly seen early jumping may also contribute
in training where there is (figure 2 and 3).
increase in activities such as
running and jumping. One challenge of managing
It may also occur anytime lower leg pain (MTSS) is deter-
when training is increased mine the extent of the injury
suddenly in speed and distan- and identifying proper treat-
ce or when the training surface ment. The history and charac-
is changed. teristics of the pain, such as
length of symptoms, changes
MTSS is characterized by pain in training routine, other inju-
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 TRAINERS

ries that might contribute to Proper footwear must be worn

figure 4 biomechanical errors, painful for the activity and surface. A
activity versus pain free acti- player should attempt to train
vity, should all be evaluated to on the softest surface possi-
help make the correct diagno- ble, especially when doing
sis and determine the proper jumping drills (figure 6 and 7).
management. Emerging thought is that lower
leg injuries exist along a conti-
Athletes, who present a history nuum and more serious juries
of recent change in level or such as stress fractures, com-
intensity of training, recent partment syndromes and
onset of symptoms, diffuse preiostitis often result from
pain that is most severe during complications of mistreatment
Figure 4 and 5. the beginning and end of trai- or untreated lower leg pain.
Strengthening the muscles of the lower leg is ning may be suffering from
important part of prevention and rehabilitation. MTSS or inflammation to the Stress fracture is the most
soft tissue of the lower leg(s). common serious complication
figure 5 of overuse injuries in the lower
Management consists of first leg and can occur very quickly
eliminating the insulting acti- in the athlete with serious trai-
vity and treating the area for ning errors.
acute inflammation.
Although many therapies exist Positive signs include local
for soft tissue inflammation, tenderness, pain on direct or
the author finds that ice, rather indirect percussion, and conti-
than any thermal modality, pro- nuous pain during weight bea-
vides the best relief of symp- ring.
toms.
Anti-inflammatory or analgesic Imaging studies are usually
medications may also be used needed to confirm clinical dia-
as part of the treatment. gnosis.
Bone scan has traditionally
figure 6 Examination of the players’ been the standard diagnostic
footwear is essential to deter- study.
mine wear patters and to help An increasing number of clini-
identify biomechanical pro- cians are using Magnetic
blems. Resonance Imaging instead
High quality footwear is essen- because of its ability to access
tial and custom orthotics may the bone and surrounding soft
be needed to correct biome- tissue structures. Standard x-
chanical errors. ray is usually not sensitive
enough to make an early dia-
Training routine will need to be gnosis of the micro fractures
modified, and cross training to the bone.
should be incorporated to
reduce stress. Management begins with rest
Figures 6 and 7. Stationary cycling, swimming to allow the bone to heal and
Some weight machines allow for stretching and and stair stepper machines are remodel.
strengthening during the same activity. all good cardiovascular activi- Non-weight bearing activity
ties that can supplement redu- such as deep water pool
figure 7 ced running.
Jumping activates, if allowed,
workouts and stationary
cycling may be used to keep
should be done on soft surfa- the athlete conditioned during
ces (figure 4 and 5). this period.
Early management and treat-
Prevention consists of maintai- ment of lower all leg pain is the
ning good flexibility in the best approach to eliminate
lower body. Increase training stress fractures.
moderately over a period of
time. New studies suggest that elec-
Strengthening the muscles of tric and electromagnetic fields
the lower leg should be part of or sound waves may help in the
the training routine. healing of stress fractures.
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 TRAINERS

REDUCING THE RISKS

by Tony Ward
OF RE-INJURY
Tony Ward works as a Sports only injury treatment, but also in the pre- ankle injuries is stated to be around 25% of
Physiotherapist at the Australian Institute vention of sports injuries within various all basketball injuries arriving for treat-
of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. He is involved sport programs. I have recently under- ment at sports injury clinics. Although they
with the AIS men's and women's basket- taking a 3-year review into the incidence do not account for the greatest days mis-
ball programs, and was the team phy- of ankle injuries and the effect these inju- sed from the court per injury (knee injuries
siotherapist for the 2003 Australian FIBA ries have on the basketball programs at being the highest), their prevalence in
World Champion junior men's basketball the AIS. As numerous literature articles basketball accounts for a significant time
team. (email: [email protected]) have stated the incidence of ankle injuries in total athlete days spent out of team trai-
in sports that involve running, jumping and ning.
Through my role as a sports physiothera- cutting movements (of which basketball is
pist for elite athletes, I am involved in not one), is exceedingly high. The incidence of At the AIS we studied the injury rates in

EV\Z'&
 DOCTORS, TRAINERS AND CONDITIONING COACHES

our elite court programs and found that in we found that a lack of continued rehabi- been limiting the athlete's time from parti-
one year (2001), ankle injuries accounted litation, especially once the athlete had cipation in training sessions and also ser-
for 82 athlete training days lost from full returned to normal team training (average vicing a better outcome for the coaches
team practices in the men's program 5.8 days post injury) and poor athlete com- throughout the year. Results over the pro-
alone. Furthermore, the team had 19 ankle pliance, appeared to be the main determi- ceeding years from 2001, have shown a
injuries, affecting 58% of the team's athle- nants in ankle re-injury. clinically significant reduction in ankle
tes and of most significance 7 re-injuries injury and re-injury rates. The AIS men's
within the year. This accounted for AIS ANKLE REHABILITATION PROGRAM AND basketball team in 2003 had in comparison
approximately 1 re-injury in every 3 ankles PREVENTATIVE INTERVENTIONS (2001) only 7 (19) injuries, this being 35%
injured. Due to the statistics obtained from the (58) of the team's athletes and of most
men's basketball team in 2001, a review of significance 1 re-injury within the year.
Literature on ankle injury rates have sta- the preventative interventions and rehabi- This accounted for 36 (82) athlete training
ted that the biggest predictor of ankle inju- litation protocols was undertaken. This days lost from full team practices and
ries is in fact previous ankle injury. review prompted the following preventati- approximately 1 re-injury in every 7 (3)
Postural control deficits have been shown ve measures to be implemented or impro- ankles injured.
to be existent in athletes who had not ved.
performed balance retraining exercises 8 WHAT WAS THE OUTSTANDING REASON?
weeks post injury; even though the athle- 1. Team and athlete education: The athle- The ability to gain the athlete's compliance
te may have returned to playing high level tes had formal education sessions based to rehabilitation over an extended period
sport. Within the court sports at the AIS on common basketball injuries (including of time was the key factor in producing
(men's/ women's basketball and netball) ankle sprains). This covered management these positive changes in ankle injury
within the first 24 hours and continued rates. This was predominantly due to the
management following this period. introduction of a structured rehabilitation
Included in this session was appropriate protocol. Similar positive results have
self-ankle taping, where the team was been found at the AIS in the use of rehabi-
shown the expected requirements of litation training programs, for basketball
taping. At the AIS athletes are required to athletes returning to modified training after
tape and/ or brace for every court based injury or illness. Various structured pro-
training session. grams based upon expected training heart
rates and perceived exertion levels are
2. Balance control program: In conjunc- currently used to maintain strict training
tion with team weigh training, emphasis in loads for athletes in modified training.
special condition was given to balance These have successfully reduced pressu-
training as a means of ankle injury preven- re on the coaching staff in modifying exi-
tion, this involved the use of equipment sting team practices. It has facilitated the
such as wobble board, minitramp and athlete's understanding in the process of
balance beam. The challenge of these training within their injury capabilities, and
exercises was continually increased over developed greater success of the sports
time. medicine personnel in interpreting the ath-
letes modified training and integrating this
3. As well as these preventative initiatives back to normal team levels.
the rehabilitation management of ankle
injuries was upgraded and formalized by CONCLUSION
the development of a post injury ”21-day The AIS men's basketball program has
rehabilitation program”. This program shown a significant reduction in the num-
was based on functional requirements for ber of ankle injuries and re-injury rates
athletes returning to sport and used cur- with its scholarship year. This has been
rent ideas, established through an intensi- achieved through a multi level approach:
ve literature review on ankle injury and 1. Appropriate taping for games and trai-
prevention. The 3-week program allowed ning.
for early to late stage balance control, 2. Regular preventative team balance trai-
strength exercises and functional drills in ning.
the third "sports specific" week. 3. Appropriate acute injury management.
Importantly this program was continued 4. Full completion of a 21-day rehabilita-
for the full duration of rehabilitation, even tion program post injury.
once the athlete had returned to full team Combined with an athlete's understan-
training. ding of their injury and rehabilitation com-
pliance, a reduction of re-injury rates can
Over the last two years we have seen a be expected. The ability to limit ankle re-
reduction in ankle injuries within our court injury plays an important role in athlete
programs, but most importantly we have management and potential risk of further
been able to reduce the ankle re-injury injury to the ankle joint and surrounding
rates. The effect of these changes has tissues.
EV\Z''
 TRAINERS

THE ACHILLES
by Tony Bové
TENDINITIS
Toni Bovè is the athletic trainer for F. C. b. Players who need protection from muscles to the heel bone, is a nagging
Barcelona, the Spanish basketball initial injury. and painful ailment that many basketball
team who won the Euroleague in 2003. players ignore in hopes that it will magi-
CURATIVE cally vanish. It's this avoidance, howe-
A PREMISE We sketch out a work protocol with ver, that only prolongs the problem.
When I started my physiotherapy job in two aims: recovery and protection. The game of basketball requires that
sports, it was a natural thing for me to the calf muscles contract suddenly and
do since I was an active basketbhall MAINTAINANCE with great force. It's the Achilles ten-
player at the time. My predecessors Massage and stretching before and don-at six inches, the largest and
came from the world of massage the- after workouts help avoid injury. strongest in the body-that allows the
rapy and did not have any academic athlete to push off with his foot to run
qualification for treating athletes. I INVISIBLE TRAINING down the court after a loose ball and to
believe that I was the first with these It is critical that each player feel com- jump to get the ball careening high off
skills in my country. pletely at ease in everyday life, the backboard. Unfortunately, those
My first interaction with the NBA was whether it be with nutrition, relaxation, athletes who play the game often are
in 1995 when I met Mike Saunders, the exercise routine, or one's sex life. A frequently slowed or stopped by pain
trainer of the New York Knicks, and player needs to find ways to be happy originating at the back of the ankle.
Hubie Brown, who was the coach. with his life. Achilles tendinitis is generally an ove-
What I remember so vividly was the ruse problem, one of the more common
advice they gave me: Before working TEAM WORK in sports. Treating the painful ailment
with an athlete you must know how he It can be divided and subdivided into by stretching and strengthening the
is as an individual. Don't forget that the following groups: calf muscles at the first signs of trouble
everybody is different and each has a will speed recovery, help prevent
different sensibility. In addition, they Training sessions recurrence, and may also offer a mea-
said, a trainer is paid to take care of ▼ Before: apply therapeutic sure of protection against the most
athletes, not for playing, not for doing treatments and preventive serious of all Achilles tendon problems,
anything else. strategies (massage, the rupture. This injury, in which the
stretching, taping) tendon snaps with a popping sound like
It is not necessary that the physiothe- a rubberband that has been stretched
rapist be an athlete himself, but it cer- ▼ During practice or games: pay too far, generally requires surgery fol-
tainly helps. attention to what is going on; lowed up with months of extensive
He must be a team person and like to examine each injury; recommend rehabilitation.
work for a team. He has to know his and offer the precise treatment
role on the team, not be exploited by SYMPTOMS OF ACHILLES TENDINITIS
the team, and understand that his job is ▼ After: stretching, massage for Tendinitis symptoms develop slowly
to be a keen observer of the athletes recovery. and include discomfort, swelling, stiff-
under his care. ness, and pain-a mild burning sensa-
ACHILLE'S TENDON TENDINITIS tion that makes the tendon tender to
WORK TO BE DONE Before reading any further, perform the the touch-felt upon waking and usually
a. Forecast following self- test: With your thumb localized in an area one to three inches
b. Provide continuing care following and forefinger, gently squeeze the above the heel bone. The pain is
a medical diagnosis length of your Achilles tendons, from deceptive. It generally lessens as an
c Design an effective maintenance the base of your heels to several athlete walks and play basketball, but
program inches below the base of your calf intensifies shortly after the workout
d. Provide invisible training muscles. This quick self-examination ends. However, if the athlete continues
will point out if you have any early signs to practice or play and doesn't reduce
FORECAST of Achilles tendinitis. If the tendon is either the duration or intensity of his
We will be working with players in one tender to the touch, it's a signal that an game, the problem will become chronic
of the follwing two situations: athlete should take immediate preven- and difficult to relieve.
a. Players who sustain repeated inju- tive measures.
ries. We need to prevent this from Achilles tendinitis, an inflammation of the WHY IT OCCURS
occurring and protect with tape Achilles tendon, the thick and sturdy Several factors trigger Achilles tendini-
whenever possible. rope-like band that connects the calf tis. Quick starts and stops on the court,
EV\Z'(
 TRAINERS

and side-to-side movements leave you extra pain relief, take antiinflammatory is an exercise called the calf drop, an
vulnerable to Achilles tendinitis. pain medication such as aspirin or ibu- aggressive strength-building exercise
Wearing worn out basketball shoes or profen according to label directions for that lengthens and strengthens the
shoes that allow the ankle to pronate as long as symptoms last. Refrain from tendon. Here's how to perform it:
(turn inward) are often primary causes. the offending activity as much as possi- ▼ Warm up and stretch for five minu-
Other major precipitating factors are ble and begin "relative rest" by choosing tes. Apply ice to any painful tendon
training errors, such as a return to a non-weight-baring activity or sport areas for five minutes.
extensive workouts after a long layoff; that doesn't stress the heel tendons: ▼ Stand on the balls of the feet on the
a quick increase in training duration; or Lap swimming or water aerobics, bicy- edge of a step. If necessary, hold
having calf muscles tighten or become cling, or cross-country skiing are excel- onto the wall for support.
inflexible from lack of stretching. In lent. Continue these cross-training acti- ▼ Flex the knees and drop so the
addition, playing on a hard basketball vities until the injury has healed. heels are lower than the toes. Rise
court with little shock absorbency can Calf stretching and strengthening as high as possible on the balls of
easily lead to an Achilles injury. exercises should be performed before the feet, hold for a few seconds,
exercising (but only after you're war- and then quickly drop to stretch the
TREATMENT STRATEGIES med up) and again after exercising. To tendon again. Perform three sets of
Unless the pain is severe and the athle- prevent recurrence of pain, continue 10 repetitions. Depending on pain,
te has trouble walking, it is appropriate the stretching program even after the repeat the exercise daily.
to self-treat Achilles tendinitis with the pain has subsided (see box below). In ▼ The key element is the "drop"
following measures. Should the pain some instances, the therapist will tape phase-the rapid descent that elon-
level increase or the problem continue the tendon and heel areas for practice gates the tendon. Increase the
for longer than two to four weeks, an sessions or competition. The tape velocity of the drop until the athlete
appointment should be made with an limits ankle motion and protects the can perform the exercise as rapidly
orthopedic specialist. Achilles tendon from further injury. as possible without any pain. When
At the first sign of heel tendon pain, this becomes easy, place a barbell
massage the sore spot with ice for 20 THE CALF DROP on the athlete's shoulders loaded
minutes; repeat before and after a After an injury, the Achilles does need with approximately 10 percent of
basketball workout for a total of four some rest. What seems to help the his bodyweight and perform the
times daily as long as pain persists. For healing process once the pain lessens exercise.

EV\Z')
 TRAINERS

REHABILITATION OF
by Thierry Facquez
HAMSTRING TEARS
Thierry Facquez works at the Centre Calvé cient to establish a diagnosis of the seve-
at Berck-Sur-Mer (France), and is the phy- rity although the contribution to be made by
siotherapist to the French National MRI scanning can prove invaluable:
basketball teams. ▼ Ultrasound: easy and rapid application,
inexpensive.
Muscular lesions of extrinsic origin (contu- ▼ MRI: for high-level players or where
sions) are the most common injury in there are discrepancies between the
basketball. However, players are also results of the clinical examination and
exposed to the risk of muscular tears, the ultrasound.
which happen without contact or direct
impact. Muscular tears most often affect PROVIDING REHABILITATION
the muscles of the lower limb involved in At the time of the initial accident 1
running (pulling away, sudden accelera- There are few means at our disposal, but it
tion) or jumps. is essential that these be applied very
Owing to their particular structure, the rapidly:
hamstring (gastrocnemius) muscles are ▼ "Tight" compression using a cohesive
particularly susceptible to tears. The ham- bandage for 20 to 30 minutes, accor-
string is a long muscle in the back part of ding to the patient's level of tolerance.
the thigh that crosses over two joints-it is ▼ Immediate, prolonged and repeated
both a flexor of the knee and an extensor of cryotherapy.
the hip. As a result, the hamstring has some ▼ Taking the weight off the injured lower
dual function, and is a key component of limb.
any walking/running/gait pattern.
A hamstring tear, which is still commonly
▼ Elevating the limb (photo 1). 2
known as a "pulled" or "strained muscle," Subsequent rehabilitation
involves the rupture of a large or small Schematically, there are three phases of
number of muscular fibers as a result of rehabilitation, but it must be borne in mind
having been stretched beyond their capa- that it is the clinic that guides the therapist
city. Such a rupture is accompanied by throughout the rehabilitation.
internal bleeding because there is an ana-
tomical lesion. FIRST PHASE
From day 0 to day 5 or 7 (until it is possible
CLINICAL DEFINITION to walk on the injured leg again without
A violent accident with sharp pain that pain):
feels like a stab in the posterior thigh. This ▼ The weight is taken off the patient's leg
puts an immediate stop to activity and may using crutches.
even cause the player to fall. Functional ▼ Limb is elevated as often as possible.
disability, therefore, is at once considera- ▼ Repeated and regular cryotherapy.
ble, if not total.
Physiotherapy
ON EXAMINATION Electromagnetic short waves pulsed for 20
▼ Sharp pain on palpating the injured minutes (4 to 100 Hz).
area.
▼ Pain on isometric contraction. Drainage techniques
▼ Passive stretching is limited and cau- Manual technique of stimulating massage
ses pain. above the injured area (manual lymphatic
▼ If the injured muscle is superficial, it drainage or MLD).
may be possible to feel a small depres-
sion, indicating the interruption of mu- Electrotherapy
scular continuity. Very low frequency (2 Hz), applied at calf
level (EMS, Datavein), improves and stimu-
In most cases, clinical examination is suffi- lates the return of blood through the veins 3
EV\Z'*
 TRAINERS

disrupted by the trauma, and enables the THIRD PHASE making it possi-
lower limb to be rested. Electrotherapy From day 21-40 when returning to ble to assess
makes it possible to work the leg through competition how well the
light muscular contractions. This starts when there is : hamstrings have
▼ No pain on stretching completely. recovered and
Static contractions ▼ No pain with concentric contractions in the possibility of
These are pain-free and are performed a lengthened position. concluding the
with the muscle in the shortened position. rehabilitation
This helps improve drainage (photo 2). On the physiotherapeutic level with a specific
▼ Deep massage of the injured area.
At this time, the use of adhesive supports
between sessions enables light com- ▼ Continued passive stretching.
training program.
4
pression to be exerted and the stress on ▼ Commencement of active stretching - Finally, it is impe-
the injured group of muscles to be redu- the stretched muscle is contracted first rative to make
ced. (photo 5). sure that, before
▼ Work on contracting/relaxing. returning to
SECOND PHASE ▼ Proprioceptive work increasing in in- competitive
From day 7 to day 21-45 tensity: stabilizing exercises with wei- sport, the athlete
Putting weight on the leg is permitted, as ght on one leg, then on both, first on the has properly
long as this does not cause pain. ground and then on unstable surfaces understood the
(photo 6). essential rules of
The following are added to the previous ▼ Work on building up muscles isotoni- reintroduction:
techniques:
▼ Manual massage of the posterior thi-
cally and isometrically from the shorte-
ned to the lengthened position with in-
▼ Long warm-
up, especial-
5
gh; this should be superficial, at first, creasing loads (photo 7). ly of the inju-
but then increasingly deep according ▼ At this stage, work on isokinetic equip- red area.
to the patient's level of tolerance. ment can begin (cycle, Biodex), permit- ▼ Need for acti-
The aim is to release tension in the ting a choice of speed and the position ve stretches
injured group of muscles. of the muscle to be worked as well as carried out
▼ Ultrasound: This should be pulsed the type of contractions: isotonic, iso- correctly
during the first sessions and then metric, or eccentric. before the
continuous (2 watts/cm_). competition or
▼ Isometric contractions of the ham- The number of sets and the number of training ses-
strings while always respecting the repetitions per set can also be varied. sion.
rule that this should not be painful. ▼ Not to neglect 6
This is performed with the muscle fir- In this way, when all concentric and iso- the period of recuperation following ac-
st in the shortened, then neutral, and metric work is not painful, eccentric work tivity:
finally lengthened position. may begin with limits on the torque. The ▼ Active and passive recuperation.
▼ Manual passive stretching of the aim of this is to recover extension around ▼ Stretches, massages, hydration, rest.
hamstrings is also begun at this time. the injured muscles. This work will be car-
This causes deep-seated pain and is ried out under precise conditions and with
carried out with the knee bent and a strict application protocol.
straightened (photo 3).
▼ Dynamic and concentric muscular At the same time as this rehabilitation
work is started, when complete passi- work, sporting activities begin once again
ve stretching is not painful. This is first with intense "controlled" pursuits:
done in a shortened position, then neu- ▼ Jogging on flat terrain, slowly to start.
tral, then lengthened. At the beginning, ▼ Cycling.
any work involving resistance and any ▼ Swimming.
eccentric work should be ruled out. Each of these activities is a test and any
▼ Balneotherapy: this has an interesting signs of pain should delay the return to
contribution to make: sport, and prompt a change of direction to 7
- Local and general relaxation. more attractive exercises.
- Jet massages. CONCLUSION
- Thorough working of the lower limb. Progressively, the rhythm, intensity and Rehabilitation techniques are many and
duration of the activities are increased, can vary somewhat according to the
During this entire period, it is essential that resulting in a work program where the fol- therapist, but, in order to enable the ath-
the injured athlete maintain a certain level lowing are introduced: lete to return to sport safely, while still
of cardiovascular and muscular activity not ▼ Pulling away. minimizing the risks of complications
involving the injured area: ▼ Jumps. (repeat injuries, scar tissue, adhesions,
▼ General bodybuilding exercises to ▼ Changes of direction. cystic hematoma), the clinical informa-
maintain fitness. tion provided during the rehabilitation
▼ Working upper limbs on an ergo-cycle At the end of the rehabilitation course, a sessions must be taken into account for
(photo 4). comparative isokinetic test is carried out, the entire duration of the treatment.

EV\Z'+
 TRAINERS

The Functional
By Walid El-Bermani
Anatomy of the
Foot and Ankle
Walid El-Bermani is Associate Professor talus is wider anteriorly, thus limiting The lateral point of the axis is transitional
of Anatomy and Cellular Biology at the extension to 20 degrees and locking the on a curved track as the flexion continues
Tufts University School of Medicine, ankle during the swinging phase, and in through the 45-degree range. Any excessi-
Boston. transition between mid-stance and push- ve sudden flexion will jam the posterior
off during the stance phase of walking. medial edge of the talus against the poste-
This presentation offers practical guideli- The check ligament for this extension is rior edge of the tibial ridge and result in an
nes diagnosis of injuries to the ankle and the posterior talo-tibial and talo-fibular articular lesion of the talus. It may be asso-
foot. ligament. There is a possibility of damage ciated with partial or full rupture of the pri-
The first row of tarsal bones are organized here during excessive forceful extension, mary target, anterior talo-fibular or talo-
in a series due to the 90-degree medial inducing a lesion of the anterior lateral tibial ligaments.
rotation of the lower limb, forming an arc articular edge of talus. The ankle has been Greater than eight-degree increases of
posteroanterior and lateromedial to described as a hinge joint with the axis the talo-tibial angle is an indication of
increase the weight-bearing area and act between medial and lateral malleolus subluxation of the deltoid ligament and
as a shock absorber for the impact of the parallel to the lower surface of the tibia. lateral calcaneofibular ligaments, which
heel strike with the ground. For the mortise This is true only in the neutral position of results in an unstable ankle.
of the talus, a tunnel is formed by the tibia the ankle; the first degree of flexion crea- The midline axis of the foot is a line from
medially, the fibula laterally, and the upper tes a drop of the lateral side of the talus the mid-groove of the cupula of the talus
surface of calcaneum. The cupula of the creating a 5- to 8-degree angle. through the second metatarsal bone. The

COMMON INJURY SITES: THE MEDIAL PART OF THE FOOT

Anterior talus tibialis ligament Posterior tibialis tendonitis

Tibial-navicular ligament Posterior talus injury
Anterior tibialis tendonsynovitis Calcaneal compression tendonitis
Extensor hallucis longus tendonsynovitis Flexor hallucis longus tendonitis

Tendinis Achillis
Tendonitis
Bursitis

Posterior talus-tibial ligament

Bursitis Tuberculum of first metatarsal ligament Medial calcaneal tuberculum
Sesamoiditis Anterior tibial tendonitis Deltoid ligament
Arthritis

EV\Z',
 TRAINERS

second metatarsal head is wedged

between the tarsal bones and adjacent
metatarsal bones, the second and third
metatarsal form the mid- transverse arch.
Weight is carried by the head of the first
metatarsal medially and fourth and fifth
metatarsal laterally. If the metatarso-
phalangeal joints (MP) are level, it is an
indication of the collapse of the transver-
se arch.
The intersection of the axis of the first
metatarsal bone with the midline axis at
the talus forms an 8- to 10-degree angle.
Increase in this angle, and an acutely
protruding medial tubercle of first meta-
tarsal, are a definite indication of valgus
in progress.
The medial palpable structures are the
head of first metatarsal, sesamoid bones,
tubercle of the first metatarsal with the
cuneiform, the tubercle of the scaphoid
bone, the sustentaculum tali of the cal-
caneum and attachments of the Achilles'
tendon.
A line starts where the Achilles tendon
attaches to the calcaneum and runs
horizontally parallel to the ground throu-
gh sustentaculum tali, tuberosity of the
scaphoid bone and cuts through the first
tarso-metatarsal joint and ends across
the proximal one third of the first meta-
tarsal bone.
The tuberosity of the scaphoid is at an
equal distance between the sustentacu-
lum and tuberosity of the first metatarsal
bone at the trans calcaneo-metatarsal
line.
If those three bones form a triangle with
the scaphoid tuberosity superior, it is an
indication of claw foot or rupture of part of
the bifurcating ligament. If the apex of the
triangle points inferiorly it indicates planus
foot or subluxation of the spring ligament.
Posterior to the medial malleolus, the ten- fibula, and this is also a site for tendinitis. the antero-superior attachment of the
don of tibialis posterior as it grooves the Posterior to the lower slope of lateral mal- peroneus tertius. This is a site of injury
tibia posteriorly is a site for tendinitis ten- leolus one can palpate the lateral poste- during sudden flexion and eversion.
derness. You can palpate the posterior rior talar tubercle and the posterior talo- Another important area is the interos-
ridge of talus and the medial talar tubercle fibular ligament in between. seous fossa, for palpation of the interos-
with the posterior talo-tibial ligament just Tenderness at this point is sure indication seous ligament (calcaneo-talar) which is
below the level of the medial malleolus. It of an over-stretched ligament due to considered as a retinaculum as it carries
is easy to palpate the flexor digitorum lon- excessive sudden extension of the foot. blood supply to the neck of talus. An inter-
gus tendon. In this case, one must check for tender- ruption of this ligament may cause necro-
Another site of tendinitis is the groove for ness due to lesion at the anterior lateral sis of the head of the talus.
the tendon of flexor hallux longus, talar ridge. Inferior to the point in the late- More anteriorly and inferiorly is the bifur-
between the posterior talar tubercles. ral malleolus is calcaneo-fibular liga- cating ligament, consisting of the calca-
Deep to the Achilles tendon is the deep ment, which can be stressed in an exces- neo-scaphoid ligament and calcaneo-
bursa, which is more easily palpitated sive inversion. cuboid ligament. Both attach to one point
bimanually. Tenderness between the later A postero-inferior palpation allows you to on the superior edge of the most anterior
two sites can be induced by pressure to examine the crossing of the peroneus lon- part of the calcaneum. Excessive flexion
superior surface of calcaneum; this is a gus and brevis tendons and anterior to of the foot at the subtalar line, combined
sure sign of compression fracture. that-the synovial sheaths. The tuberosity with inversion or eversion, may cause
Laterally, the tendon of peroneus longus of the fifth metatarsal bone is the point of evulsions from their attachments to the
grooves the posterior surface of lower attachment for the peroneus brevis and calcaneum.
EV\Z'-
 TRAINERS

PREPARATION
By Eric Allangba
AND PHYSIOLOGICAL
IMPACT
TO THE ATHLETE
Eric Allangba is member of the Medical ▼ Acute infections: These are diseases To fight against pathological fatigue, the
Commission of the Ivory Coast Olympic that are acute and painful and can infection in question must be treated.
Committee. He was also member of the include certain blood diseases (ane-
Medical Committee of basketball and mia or leukaemia) and several infec- 3. OVERTRAINING
other sport Federation of his country. tious diseases (viral, parasitic, bacte- We talk about overtraining when the ath-
rial), including: flu, malaria, or typhoid lete can no longer recover after a
ATHLETE FATIGUE fever. workout or competition in spite of a suffi-
The concept of fatigue in sport is very cient resting time. This state is very diffi-
subjective; therefore, it is difficult to define ▼ Chronic infections: These are nume- cult to resolve. Athletes typically over-
it. However, the technical and medical rous. Symptoms develop slowly, compensate in training, gradually increa-
team often detects the first signs of fatigue without warning, and often contribute sing the intensity and duration of their
in an athlete. We also try to determine the to a fatigued state. Ailments can inclu- training over time. Overtraining is difficult
causes and respond appropriately. It is not de various cancers, or cardiovascular, to quantify. However, if athletes train too
a pleasant situation when a group of ath- pulmonary, and digestive diseases. hard, or too long, they will overtrain and
letes are fatigued.

Fatigue can be defined as an exhaustion

state resulting in sensations of physical
and psychological discomfort, with an ina-
bility to support a heavy or sustained
workload. In other words, fatigue is an
alarm signal that appears whenever the
energy deficit is too high. While fatigue is
difficult to qualify as it is to quantify becau-
se of its subjective nature, we can still
distinguish four types of fatigue.

1. PHYSIOLOGICAL FATIGUE
This is normal and occurs after a tiring
physical effort. The body sounds an alarm
signal asking that the athlete stop an effort
that it can no longer support. Cardiac and
breathing rhythms are increased and
there is a shortness of breath and onset of
muscular fatigue. After taking a sufficient
rest, however, the athlete is ready to go
again. The aim of a well-designed pro-
gressive training program is to delay the
onset of this type of fatigue.

2. PATHOLOGICAL FATIGUE
The athlete may have an acute or chronic
ailment, resulting in a state of fatigue. The
common contributors include:
EV\Z'.
become "stale."
The hallmark of exercising too hard for too
long is an unexpected drop in performance
that is not reversed by brief rest periods.
Athletes suffering from what is called "the
staleness syndrome" are likely to experien-
ce other symptoms such poor sleep, loss of
appetite, upper respiratory infections, and
muscle fatigue. Severe mood disturbances
are common, and it has been reported that
more than 80 percent of stale athletes suf-
fer from clinical depression.

When an athlete shows recurrent pro-

blems, including stress or bone fractures,
cramps, muscle strains, or tendinitis, an
overtraining problem must be suspected. A
complete medical evaluation must be
performed. Exercise and training intensity
should be reduced greatly, with walking,
swimming, and bicycling substituted until
the ailment improves.

4. PSYCHOLOGICAL FATIGUE
OR THE INHIBITION STATE
This is a complex state where the athlete is
unmotivated to perform and has a strong
desire to stop everything and withdraw.
The athlete loses interest not only in sport,
but in most things and falls into a real
depression. The athlete feels a deep lassi-
tude, but his physical abilities do not chan-
ge. This psychological fatigue generally
occurs after a succession of below-avera- lungs, brain, liver, and kidneys) have a bet- wear his complete warm-up suit, jogging
ge performances. In this situation, we try to ter irrigation to the detriment of the other for 10 to 20 minutes. This can then be fol-
motivate the athlete through private talks in structures of the body. lowed by passive and active stretching
which we boost his confidence. Rest is drills. The athlete then takes off his warm-
advised and activities away from the sports The respiratory system also changes. up suit and practices drills specific to his
arena are recommended, including going Rhythm and ventilation speed up. When discipline in normal conditions. The deadli-
to the beach, reading, taking a trip, or dan- the two functions balance, the "second ne between the end of warming up and the
cing. Psychotherapy is very often benefi- breath" is reached. This results in an beginning of the activity (competition or
cial. increased oxygen consumption and car- coaching) must be short. A good warm up
bon dioxide production. These cardiova- lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Certain pro-
To assist in the prevention or reduction of scular, pulmonary, and temperature adap- fessional track athletes warm up 90 minu-
fatigue, as well as the incidence of injury, a tations allow muscles to receive much tes in order to be able to run at least 10
proper warm-up at the beginning of any more oxygenated blood and nutritional ele- seconds!
training is vital. The knowledge of the phy- ments essential to its good functioning.
siological impacts of the warm up on the Sliding between muscular fibers is made The results of warming up are surely
organism helps to better apprehend its easier, allowing for more efficient muscu- positive.
importance. lar contractions. Nerve transmission A good warm-up helps prevent muscle
increases as well. Thus, warming up injuries. When performed in a peaceful
Also called preparation, the warm-up pre- allows better management of effort using and quiet environment, such a ritual
cedes a practice session or competition. less energy. also provides an athlete with a period of
This prepares the body to support intense focused attention as he prepares for a
sports practice requirements. Sometimes a passive warm-up method is performance.
used, utilizing bath, massage, and electro-
During an effective warm-up, body tempe- stimulation. However, the active method of Poor management of physical activity can
rature increases. The cardiovascular warming up is the most well known and lead to fatigue and disastrous results
system changes, showing its adaptation to used. during a season.
the effort. The pulse rate speeds up and It is therefore important for the doctor
cardiac flow increases. There is also a Generally, warming-up is progressive in and coach to know their athletes, listen to
redistribution of the blood mass. Muscles intensity and takes into account the envi- them, and help them recover from their
and the most important organs (heart, ronment. At the beginning, the athlete can fatigue.
EV\Z(%
 TRAINERS

ANTI-DOPING: IT'S
by Elizabeth Hunter
A GLOBAL
CAMPAIGN
Elizabeth Hunter joined the World Anti- tions that have not been submitted to ap- dal was the "wake-up" call that led to gov-
Doping Agency (WADA) in April 2005 as propriate trials for health and safety. Ad- ernments and sports joining forces to
its Communications Director. The Com- verse health effects of doping range from fight against doping in an organized and
munications Department is responsible stunted growth, dramatic mood swings coordinated manner on an international
for the magazine "Play True", media rela- and aggressive behavior, to liver damage, level. At the first World Conference on
tions, athlete outreach programs, and the higher risk of heart disease and stroke, Doping in Sport (1999), the consensus of
organization's Web-based initiatives. and suicide. governments and sports led to the cre-
She was also Senior Director of Commu- ation of WADA to act as the independent
nications and member services for the This concern expands to that for public international agency to coordinate efforts
United States Chamber of Commerce. health. Once it becomes known that to rid sport of doping.
From 1999 to 2001, she served as market- some elite athletes are using these drugs,
ing director for the U.S. Chamber's joint then the message is that, if you want to The principal tool in these efforts is the
venture ChamberBiz.com, a business-to- play or compete at that elite level, you will World Anti-Doping Code (Code) which
business web portal. have to do the same. That message goes sets up the framework for the fight
all the way down the line, so that you are against doping to be won in all sports and
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) no longer dealing with a few hundred in all nations. Key elements to this frame-
is the international independent organi- elite level athletes, but instead a pyramid work are the list, testing, and sanctions.
zation created in 1999 to promote, coordi- which has at its base hundreds of thou-
nate, and monitor the fight against doping sands of young people, all of whom be- The List of Prohibited Substances and
in sport in all its forms. The Agency is lieve that, to get to the top, it looks as if Methods (List) defines what substances
composed and funded equally by the they will have to take drugs. and methods are prohibited, whether in-
sports movement and all governments of or out-of-competition. A substance or
the world. WADA's first mandate was to Third is the concern for ethics in sport. method may be added to the List if it
globally harmonize rules relating to dop- Rules in sport are to protect the sport meets two of three criteria: it is perform-
ing in sport. In achieving this, the Agency and the athletes-they ensure that there ance enhancing, poses a danger to ath-
developed and ensured implementation is a level playing field and that athletes letes' health, and its use is against the
of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), and teams can compete honestly and spirit of sport as defined in the Code.
the document harmonizing regulations fairly. Just as there are rules regarding There is also the uniform testing stan-
regarding anti-doping in all sports and equipment and court size, there are dard, incorporating tests both in- and out-
countries. rules against doping. Doping is cheat- of-competition and with no advance no-
ing-it creates an unfair imbalance in the tice. Under the Code, sports federations
HOW SPORTS AND GOVERNMENTS competition. and anti-doping organizations are given
HARMONIZE EFFORTS guidance for planning effective testing
Doping in sport is a serious problem that Prior to the creation of WADA and the and maintaining the integrity and identity
is not limited to one sport, nor to one re- Code, it was primarily the sports organi- of the sample, from notifying the athlete
gion of the world-it is an epidemic that zations which led the fight against doping to transporting samples for analysis. In-
reaches across borders and deep into within their own respective realms of in- dependent administration of the testing
communities everywhere, raising serious fluence. Their isolated efforts, while well program is also an important aspect.
concerns for athlete health, public health, intentioned, continued to reinforce weak- Samples are analysed in WADA-accred-
and ethics in sport. nesses arising from the lack of a harmo- ited laboratories which are independent
nized anti-doping program, thereby from the sports organizations. Laborato-
Concern for athlete health provided the thwarting the ability to effectively ad- ries are given guidelines for the proper
original impetus for anti-doping activities. dress concerns relating to athlete and management of sample analysis, from re-
Over time, several doping-related deaths public health and ethics in sports. ceipt of samples to reporting of results.
of high-profile athletes have drawn atten- A uniform standard for sanctions is an-
tion to the fact that not only is there abuse In 1998 a large number of prohibited med- other key element.
of drugs designed for therapeutic purpos- ical substances were found by police in a The consensus of sports and govern-
es, but also of new underground concoc- raid during the Tour de France. This scan- ments at the Second World Conference
EV\Z(&
on Doping in Sport (2003) supported a two in particular sports. The List is updated applying and obtaining a therapeutic use
year sanction for a first serious anti-doping annually-published in October to go into exemption (TUE) in advance from the IF or
rule violation followed with a lifetime ban effect in January. The 2006 List of Prohibit- National Anti-doping Organization (NA-
for a second violation. ed Substances is available online at DO), an athlete may be allowed to take the
The rule of strict liability was also adopted www.wada-ama.org. necessary medicine. The TUE will be tak-
so that a violation occurs whenever a Pro- en into consideration if the substance is
hibited Substance is found in an athlete's What else should an athlete know about detected in the athlete's sample, and it
bodily specimen. The violation occurs banned substances? will protect the athlete from sanctions if
whether or not the athlete intentionally or Athletes should always check with their the medical justification is confirmed. Ath-
unintentionally used the substance. The International Federation (IF) to find out letes who need to apply for a TUE should
result is that the anti-doping message is what substances and methods are pro- request a form and information about the
strong and clear to athletes-we take dop- hibited in their sport because additional TUE application process.
ing offences seriously. categories or substances may be added International level athletes should ask
to the List for that particular sport. Also, their IF and national level athletes should
WHATDOES THIS MEAN FOR ATHLETES? athletes should always make their doctor ask their NADO.
The best part of being an athlete is rising to aware that they are bound by the specific
the challenge, doing your best under the rules of their sport. Those who are unsure Information Resources
circumstances, and enjoying the process. of what a product contains should not WADA has a number of resources avail-
The celebration of the human spirit, body, take it until they are sure it is not prohibit- able to athletes and their support person-
and mind, it is what we call "the Spirit of ed. Ignorance is never an excuse. nel to better understand their rights and
Sport," and is characterized by health, fair responsibilities under the Code:
play, honesty, respect for self and others, Extreme caution is recommended regard-
courage, and dedication. ing supplement use. It is WADA's position ▼ Doping Quiz: an online interactive quiz
that a good diet is of utmost importance to to test your knowledge about doping
Doping in sport is the complete antithesis athletes. The use of dietary supplements rules.
of the Spirit of Sport. Doping destroys all by athletes is a concern because in many
that is good and noble about sport. It jeop- countries the manufacturing and labeling ▼ Prohibited List: updated annually, the
ardizes the health and well-being of ath- of supplements may not follow strict rules, "List" identifies substances and meth-
letes and erodes public confidence. In ad- which may lead to a supplement contain- ods prohibited in sport.
dition to risking serious heath conse- ing an undeclared substance that is pro-
quences, athletes who test positive for hibited under anti-doping regulations. A ▼ Athlete Guide: provides an overview
doping ruin their good name and reputa- significant number of positive tests have of the Code, and includes athlete
tion, and may loose their employment. been attributed to the misuse of supple- rights and responsibilities relating to
ments, and taking a poorly labeled dietary the doping control process.
Athletes and the Code supplement is not an adequate defense in
In 1999 the governments and sports of the a doping hearing. ▼ TUE Leaflet: information on the Thera-
world came together and agreed that peutic Use Exemption (TUE) process.
there needed to be one set of rules to help What about medical conditions?
combat doping in sport. This set of rules- Athletes, like all others, may at times ex- ▼ Doping Control Video & Leaflet: a step-
the World Anti-Doping (Code)-helps level perience a medical condition that re- by-step description of the doping con-
the playing field for athletes in all sports quires using particular medicines. The trol process.
and in all countries of the world. substances that an athlete may be re-
quired to take to treat a condition could Visit WADA's Web site at www.wada-
The Strict Liability Principle fall under the Prohibited List. However, by ama.org for these materials and more.
Athletes should know that, under the Code,
they are strictly liable whenever a prohibit-
ed substance is found in their bodily speci-
men. That means that a violation occurs WHAT DOES "PLAY TRUE" MEAN?
whether or not the athlete intentionally or
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) works towards a vision of the world that
unintentionally used a prohibited sub-
stance or was negligent or otherwise at values and fosters doping-free sport.
fault. It is very important therefore for ath-
letes to understand not only what is pro- WADA's "play true" tagline, along with its logo-the green equal sign centered in a
hibited, but also what might potentially black square-expresses the universal spirit of sport practiced naturally within the
cause an inadvertent doping violation. The rules and free from artificial enhancements. The equal sign represents fairness and
athlete is responsible. equity, while the square represents the rules all players agree to respect. WADA's
colors have meaning as well: black stands for the fairness of the referee while
The Prohibited List
The List, published by the WADA, is the in- green evokes the image of health, nature, and the traditional field of play.
ternational standard that athletes should
use to know what is prohibited in- and out- WADA seeks to protect athletes' fundamental right to participate in clean sport and
of-competition. The List also indicates thus promotes health, fairness, and equality for athletes worldwide.
whether particular substances are banned
EV\Z('
 TRAINERS

BIRTHDATE
by Santiago Esteva
AND BASKETBALL
SUCCESS
by Francek Drobnic

Santiago Esteva is a biologist and re- sional teams of the same season: ACB, We must consider that, depending on the
search Assistant of the Sports Physiolo- LEB1 and LEB2. With the same method and ranking of the team about the age in the
gist Department of Barcelona (Spain) in a comparative way, let's consider the basketball and in other team sports, a
Olympic Center. birth months of 2004/05 NBA players person born in December will play with
(www.nba.com), as well as the best 50 the players born in his same natural year,
Francek Drobnic is the Head of Sports players in NBA history (www.nba.com). while the person that born one month lat-
Physiology of the Olympic Center of The selection rules exclude foreign play- er will play in a lower category. Players
Barcelona, and on the medical staff of ers in every group, NBA or Spanish bas- born in the first day of the month of the
the Barcelona basketball team. ketball, with the goal being to homogenize natural year and with a supposed good
every group. The birthdates are assembled physical condition for basketball, are se-
Jordi Puigdellivol is a member of the in four-month groupings. So, no. 1: January lected because they developed the basic
medical service of the Barcelona bas- - March; no. 2: April - June; no. 3: July - properties of selection of a young player,
ketball team, and Luis Serratosa is a September; no. 4: October - December. before that the ones born at the end of
member of the medical service of the Re- The statistic method used is the "CHI - the year can do the same. In the prema-
al Madrid basketball team. They are co- quadrate" test. This is a test that shows us ture ages, without doubt, size is one of
authors of the article. the differences between the distribution of these factors. Most of the players select-
the studied birthdates and the distribution ed just for a level of maturation and not
INTRODUCTION of the expected births. for their true talent, will disappear gradu-
There is an important relationship be- ally from the basic teams when they
tween the birth date and the final sports RESULTS AND DISCUSSION change category. Then, we deduce that
result. For this reason the birth date is The results are shown in table 1, and fig- only the real and authentic talents and
considered one of the numerous factors ures 1 and 2 and we see important differ- the players that become sport experts,
for the selection of the talented player. An ences between the percentage of births will develop their skills and go to a better
interesting aspect related with the birth for each group. The professional Spanish category. This aspect of the development
date and with sports progress is the rela- basketball groups have more important looks very important in the first steps of a
tive age effect, or RAE. The RAE defines differences than the NBA. For this rea- team sport, and in a sport where the size
the difference of age between the people son, the birth date has a certain level of is the main standard of selection.
of the same age. It has been identified as force in the selection of sports talent in Other possible factors that influence the
a factor that can have a certain influence this sport, at least in the basic basketball. RAE in professional basketball, and in
on numerous sociological and psycho- This is a situation that influences the pro- other team sports, are the beginning of
logical aspects, as well as on sports fessional national level. Many authors the selection period and the beginning of
progress. It can be used to determine have already demonstrated this effect of the season of the sport. Like we already
sports talent as well as the possibility of a selection of sport in general and in some discussed, the birth date is an indirect
professional sports career. team sports like soccer, hockey, and reference and an alert of the maturative
baseball. The effect of relative age re- aspect of the person, with the exception
MATERIALS AND METHOD mains in the professional teams, like con- of the people that mature quickly or slow-
Let's consider the birth date, the birth sequence of the strong selection, in the ly. The birth date defines a period of de-
month of every player of every male cate- basic basketball, of the players born dur- velopment that is previous former to the
gory of the sports. On one side, the basic ing the first trimesters of the year with re- beginning or to the prosecution in the
teams (from the youth to the EBA League) spect to the others born at the end of the sport related with the beginning of the
of 2004/05 Barcelona and Real Madrid, and year and they have better maturation and scholastic calendar and the beginning of
on the other side, the first Spanish profes- physical development. the physical extra - scholastic activity.
EV\Z((
table 1: Player data and percentages of births/trimester

RAE: Relative Age Effect, index of births between the first and the second trimester, compared with
the third and the fourth.

figure 1: data of youth teams and spanish professional

basketball teams

FBC
RM
Spanish professional basketball team

Differences in percentage of births/ trimester between the youth basketball (FCB and RM) and the Spanish
professional basketball.
EV\Z()
 TRAINERS

In this, we can
look at the ex-
perience of
figure 2: data of the nba and of the top-50 nba players
Helsen and his
colleagues,
who studied the
RAE during the
change from
August to Janu-
ary and they
made this con-
sideration.
These authors
watched that
the change of
the beginning of
the season did-
n't level the sit-
uation but pro-
duced a trans-
fer of the preva-
lence of birth-
dates from the
third group to
the first.
When we look
at the results Percentage of births/trimester of the NBA and of the top-50 NBA players.
obtained with
NBA players,
we can see that the effect of relative will be a talent for the bench.
age is not so important. In U.S.A., the The players selection of basketball will
basketball player is selected for high be modified and adapted to some tech-
level sports competition since a certain niques to plan for the future and not to
age. This situation allows a better evolu- loose the talented guys. Leave the play-
tion of those players with a talent for this er the time to develop himself and to
sport. The selection of the players is mature, to grow in all his attitudes, allow
free during the year and it doesn't de- him to practice his sport in agonistic
pend on one season that is really short. way, to make mistakes and to improve.
Then, the basketball culture is learned If we study with attention the state of
in the streets. A basketball fan plays and maturity, we will put every player in his
confronts himself, and he learns and de- correct category, demand him what he
cides his goals daily. This allows the can offer. Aspects like the familiar, so-
play and the application of personal re- cial and sports ambient, and, like is nat-
sources during an important time period ural, the genetic and phenotypic char-
for the psycho-physical development of acteristics, all these things will influ-
the man. One of the problems of the ence the player's development.
sport for the too structured teams is that
the team or the club is high level or the CONCLUSIONS
goal is always the same, which is victo- There is a relative effect of age be-
ry. On the other side, the person cannot tween the professional Spanish bas-
stay at the same level requested from ketball players and with better inten-
the coach to reach this goal and, the sity than those players of basic
work teaching and learning, it doesn't sports. This relative effect of the age
pass through these sports groups. The doesn't exist in professional Ameri-
athlete can train very well, but he does- can basketball.
n't have the opportunity of learning dur- This situation must be valued by the
ing the competitive game. The man, with experts, the scientists and the sports
talent, but who is not so mature or, about politicians to establish the work skills
basketball, he doesn't yet begun his and the correct systems of evalua-
growth, he will have lower condition tion, like how to supervise and to
than the other person who is more de- coach the sportsmen with the goal to
veloped and if he doesn't care about his optimize the players that they can
condition, he can fall and get lost. He have in the future.

EV\Z(*
 content

mini basketball
JOIN US AT A NATIONAL MINI-BASKETBALL FESTIVAL
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SCHOOL GAMES AND ACTIVITIES                                                                                            
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF MINI-BASKETBALL
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SCHOOL GAMES AND ACTIVITIES                                                                                            .
LET’S PLAY MINIBASKET Teaching or Coaching?

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school games and activties                                                                                            
“TRINTA” MINI-BASKETBALL EVENTS
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school games and activities                                                                                           &
A SAMPLE LESSON FOR FIVE and SIX YEAR OLDS
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school games and activities                                                                                           
Mini-Basketball Drills
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school games and activities                                                                                           7
MINI-BASKETBALL IN the Islamic Republic of IRAN
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school games and activities                                                                                           &
MINI-BASKEBALL TRAINING AND COMPETITION SESSIONS
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FRENCH MINI-BASKETBALL PROGRAM                                                                                       &
Mini-Basketball Program in Berlin
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SERBIAN MINI-BASKETBALL
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MINI IS GETTING BIGGER IN PORTUGAL
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BASKETBALL IN ICE HOCKEY COUNTRY
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MINI-BASKETBALL FUNDAMENTALS: THE PASS
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MINI-BASKETBALL DRILLS
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7
 MINI-BASKETBALL

General Secretary of Mini-Basketball central indoor hall, which lends itself to for the reception of the children. We have
England since 1970, he was Secretary eating together and entertaining. already been alerted to the program for
General of FIBA Mini-Basketball from In the days before the participants arrive, the seven days through the regular new-
1986 to 2002. He is now member of the the Centre will have been dressed with sletters to the members of the team of
new FIBA Youth Committee and last year colourful flags, displays of photographs mini-basketball coaches.
he was awarded the highest award for an and posters, a banner bearing the title of ■ description of the centre
outstanding contribution, an “Honorary the event and signposting notices. It may ■ duration of the event
Member of FIBA” well be a national sports centre or a ■ player participants
school or higher educational establish- ■ coach participants
We invite you to come with us on an ima- ment, with residential accommodation. ■ programme (includes 2 minibasketball
ginary journey to the attractive setting of a As you would expect on arrival, there will coaching sessions and 1 games
National Mini-Basketball Festival - a cen- be the hustle and bustle, as the organising session daily)
tre that will provide comfortable residen- committee and its assistants complete the ■ medical consent
tial accommodation, a range of indoor and transformation to produce a friendly and
outdoor playing facilities for mini-basket- warm environment, where the children The level of excitement rises as the first of
ball, and track and field, cross country run- will feel relaxed and at home. the children arrive, bemused by the
ning, swimming and, possibly, football, vol- We are welcomed, and shown to our colourful and welcoming reception, but
leyball and other sporting activities and a rooms to refresh ourselves and prepare secretly a little nervous of how each might

JOIN US AT A NATIONAL
MINI-BASKETBALL
FESTIVAL by Ken Charles

EV\Z&
 MINI-BASKETBALL

fare, because for some, it is the first time away from home, and had been made, to say the least, but we will learn from them.
they wonder how they will get on with the children from other Tired and weary after a demanding day, we retire to our rooms to
parts of the country. have a brief rest and to freshen up with a shower and to change
But some light refreshments soon ‘fill a hole’ and they gather their into our ‘normal clothes’.
luggage to make their way to their bedrooms, each room with The evening meal is something different, each squad has it’s own
several single beds, wardrobe space and easy access to toilets, table, so they can get to know the fellow players and coaches a
washing and showering spaces. They are to share with one, two little more. It’s fascinating that as they play a few quiet games
or three other boys or girls. across the evening meal, they have gradually told each other
Unpacking is a good time to exchange anecdotes with his or her about their homes, families, schools and mini-basketball clubs.
companions and they are sure to want to know what each has After a tremendous meal, sampling local cuisine, we help clear
managed to squeeze into their bags. There are fresh noises outsi- away the furniture to set up for the evening of entertainment - a
de, as other children arrive also eager to refresh themselves and real getting-to-know-you party, with amusing games in which we
relax in their new abodes. all join, coaches and players. I don’t think I have laughed so much
Soon the coaches call in to see that everything is alright, and to for a long time.
give some encouraging reminders to appreciate and respect the Tomorrow evening it seems that two groups will entertain us with
part that everyone plays in trying to make the six or seven days a folk dancing and singing and we are going to join in later, under
really enjoyable and memorable experience. Isn’t it surprising their tuition.
how “THANK YOU” means so much to one whom has been stri- ‘Can’t say I don’t welcome the signal ‘off to bed’, it’s been very
ving to help you? tiring, we have been on the go all day, but it was fun!’
Time comes soon for everyone to gather together in the Assembly Well there’s a snapshot of a Jamboree: So what does it seek to
Hall to be introduced to and welcomed by the Director, Technical achieve?
Director and other members of the organising team. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic
It’s going to be a very busy week, rising by 7.30 am for a shower, Games, once said:
then an early morning run, ‘The most important is not to
and on to a prompt self-servi- beat, but to participate,
ce breakfast. because it is more important
The Technical Director has in life not to conquer but to
sensitively and subtly mixed fight well.’
all the children into squads of By encouraging the promo-
ten players. Little did the chil- tion of national and regional
dren know that he or she had festivals, we aim to give boys
been advised by their own and girls, experience of
coaches of their individual playing mini-basketball, the
characteristics to help produ- opportunity to develop their
ce balanced working groups. knowledge and skills of the
Then came the news that game, and to raise the level
each of the working groups of their individual performan-
would enjoy being led by two ces, in the friendly company
coaches, one male and one of coaches and children of
female. other national regions.
Day one dawns and everyone The festival, in itself, will be a
is led through their part in the rich experience - a time for
mini-Olympic Opening Ceremony, as they assemble in their fun, amusement, education and cooperative activities, where the
squads, wearing the special coloured playing kit, bearing the logo coaches and the children will happily live together. They will
of the jamboree. Greetings abound from civic dignitaries, the increase their awareness and commitment to tolerance and
national federation and the organising committee. respect for each other’s origins, culture, religion and beliefs.
Then onto the courts for the first of the coaching workouts. There The children will return home with very many happy memories,
is so much to learn, but the others are working hard at it too, and anecdotes to relate to their parents, friends and teachers, a selec-
we are showing each other those things that are new to some, but tion of mementoes (tee shirts, mini basketball, badges, pins, and
known to others. others), and very often the beginnings of a lasting friendship with
As the session goes on, the boys and girls are expected to put the children from other parts of the country.
skills they have been developing into play situations. Much of the The coaches will also be the greater for the experience; it will
morning is given over to the two mini-basketball sessions with the have strengthened their understanding and empathy to the philo-
coaches, each concluding with short half court games within our sophy and good practices of mini-basketball. On their return to
group. By late morning we are ready for a relaxing swim and then the homes they may become ‘Ambassadors of Mini-Basketball’,
for a clean up before our midday self-service lunch. spreading the word of the vision of our great movement.
They, the organisers, don’t let up, this afternoon we are off by Experience has shown that all the participants are enthralled by
coach-bus to visit one of the natural beauties of the area, in which the magic of Mini-Basketball. Without any doubt, these festivals
the centre is set, before we return for a late afternoon recreation, are something very special in the life of the children and the coa-
some casual five-a-side football, volleyball, track and field or an ches.
outdoor challenging activity like climbing a wall, before the It is our hope that you are excited by this project - believe us it is
squads assemble to match our mini-basketball strengths against -
one of the other squads in the festival tourney. That really proved ‘Mini-Basketball at its best’.
how much had been gained from the morning training sessions
and all the players came away feeling they had done their best, The FIBA vision for the future is that there will be a series of regu-
because the coaches had been so encouraging. A few mistakes lar festivals in each of the national federations.

EV\Z'
 MINI-BASKETBALL

SCHOOL GAMES
AND ACTIVITIES
This section of the magazine is dedicated to schoolteachers REACH THE BALL
who want advice on how to interest their pupils in basketball, The purpose of this activity is to keep dribbling while a player
and, at the same time, entertain them and keep them physically without the ball tries to steal it.
active. Depending on how many basketballs you have, a minimum of
These are simple drills or games, which can be played by any- 4 to a maximum of 15 players can participate in this game.
body, boys and girls, basketball player or not. Players do not need The teacher places a certain number of basketballs on the floor
any skills or knowledge of basketball in order to participate. at the free throw line extended, while the players stand behind
the baseline.
1-2-3 Here’s how it works: If there are 4 players involved, there will be
The teacher must divide the students in pairs with one basketball three basketballs on the floor. When the teacher blows the whi-
for each pair and then decide who will start to shoot. You can run stle, the four players sprint, pick up the balls, and start to drib-
the competition on one half court or use both sides of the court. ble. The player without the ball must try to steal the ball from
The purpose of this game is to make a shot that the next player in one of the dribblers.
line cannot repeat. The first player shoots a shot of his choice. If The dribblers must stay inside the boundary lines of the half
he makes the shot, the other player must shoot the same type of court (if you have a large number of players, you can use the full
shot. If the second player: court).
■ misses the shot, he receives the number “1” If a dribbler goes out of bounds, loses the ball, or his ball is sto-
■ makes the shot, then the next player must also duplicate it. len, he is eliminated from the competition and must run one
sprint on the sidelines, from one endline to the other.
If that shot is not made, the next player tries a new type of shot. The competition ends when there are two players remaining
Any player who receives the numbers 1,2 and 3 is out of the and one ball.
game. Another pair of players plays until there is a winner The teacher will call fouls that force a dribbler to lose the
(diagr. 1). basketball (diagr. 2)

D.1

D.2

EV\Z(
 MINI-BASKETBALL

STRATEGIC
DEVELOPMENT OF
MINI-BASKETBALL
by Martin Spencer

Martin Spencer has a wealth of experience of teaching chil-

dren of mini-basketball age. For 29 years, he has been a key
honorary officer of Mini-Basketball England. In this role, he
has voluntarily tutored teachers and coaches for Mini-
Basketball Teacher & Coach Awards, directed English and
European Jamborees, and has led training seminars for
African and Gulf States federations.

THE PRESENT SITUATION differently. For some it is adult basketball in miniature, while for
Mini-basketball was introduced internationally in 1964 and is others they recognise a philosophy emphasising the specific
now played extensively in every FIBA Zone. needs of children.

Anselmo Lopez, the Founder President of FIBA mini-basket- National federations reflect a diversity of developmental sta-
ball, formerly the International Committee for Mini- ges. Often development reflects differences in financial support
Basketball, stated “It is essential to promote with children and the availability of appropriate facilities. It is certainly very
the pleasure of effort, respecting the moral values indispen- endearing to see a small child in hand-me-down kit playing with
sable in the human being”. He saw the potential of mini- an adult ball, attempting to reach the lofty heights of a full size
basketball as the ideal game, not only to introduce children to goal. However, this does not encourage appropriate physical
Basketball, but also to provide them with an excellent intro- development. Our aim must be to provide resources, in terms of
duction to sport. balls and goals, to meet the needs of every child who wishes to
play.
The recent rationalisation of the FIBA organisation has resul-
ted in the disbanding of FIBA Mini-Basketball, as a separate Alongside the provision of appropriate facilities and equipment
entity, and integrating the development of mini-basketball is the introduction of training programmes of coaches and tea-
into the FIBA Commission for Youth Basketball. The positive chers. Some federations, with a tradition of mini-basketball,
outcome of integration will be to provide the opportunity to: have spent many years refining the content of these program-
mes to ensure their coaches, teachers, youth workers and
■ encourage the transition of mini-basketball players parents working with children are following suitable child cen-
into older age-group basketball activities. tred programmes, which emphasise the health and safety of the
■ highlight the excellent coaching processes child. Other federations have training programmes that are still
developed in mini-basketball. in their infancy or unfortunately in some cases are non- exi-
■ emphasise the sporting & educational benefits stent.
of an approach designed specifically for children.
AIMS OF MINI-BASKETBALL COURSES
The exceptional work by FIBA Mini-Basketball over 39 years Although all coaches and teachers have their own style, there
has seen the development of mini-basketball to all areas of are common elements to a successful training program. The
the world, from the smallest island states to the largest coun- most experienced experts in mini-basketball have contributed
tries. Without doubt the title ‘Mini-Basketball’ is recognised to the development of various publications on Mini-Basketball
by every federation, although its meaning is still interpreted Training Courses. The elements of the courses have been
EV\Z)
 MINI-BASKETBALL

explained and discussed at FIBA Mini-Basketball Executive Unit One - Course requirements, philosophy, how children
and Zone Committees, technical meetings and conferences. grow, role of teacher, coach and instructor, planning a pro-
Three main aims have been identified: gramme and planning a lesson.

■ Raise standards by working to a common programme.. Unit Two - How children learn skills and playing capacity.
■ Set up a task force of mini-basketball experts.
■ Produce specific material on organisation, teaching, Unit Three - Health, safety and injury, control of the game.
methodology and rules, as well as promotional material.
Unit Four - Practical ability.
COMMON WORKING PROGRAMME
In order to achieve the highest standards of play for every child IMPLEMENTATION
the following elements must be agreed and promoted by every The implementation will commence with a workshop for expert
federation: coaches, who are involved in the FIBA Young Coach Course
programmes. They will analyse the requirements of the course
■ Age of boys and girls who play mini-basketball. and agree the strategies and content for delivering the speci-
■ Age categories for competitive experiences. fic elements of the course. This will include the selection and
■ Game rules. writing of appropriate course resources. It is envisaged that
■ Curriculum content and management strategies the FIBA “Basketball For Young Players” manual will enable
for training teachers, coaches, instructors and officials, federations to access suitable and appropriate materials. This
including health and safety. is currently being translated in several languages and will be
■ Curriculum content for teaching the skills and rules with accessed on the FIBA website. This will allow the course to be
differentiation in respect of age and experience. cascaded within continents, countries and regions to the local
■ Promotion and organisation of Mini-basketball competitive level where we hope mini-basketball will make the greatest
experiences, jamborees, clinics, camps, etc. impact.

In mini-basketball we must also

emphasise:
■ Children playing mini-basketball
have rights
■ Children should be given freedom
to play and be creative, without
losing the imaginative aspect
of movement.
■ The development of thinking,
creative children, who can adapt
to different situations.

THE TRAINING COURSE

FOR MINI-BASKETBALL TEACHERS,
COACHES AND INSTRUCTORS
The outline of the course is now avai-
lable which will provide a structure
for all future mini-basketball training
courses. The specific curriculum
details of the programme have not
been written and will depend on sub-
sequent work by designated expert
coaches of mini-basketball as well as
qualified tutors in the modules identified. The general require-
ments of the course are:
■ To train rather than inform.
■ To know how to teach.
■ To know how to communicate.
■ To know how to use appropriate teaching and training
methods.
■ To develop children who think and are creative.

The training programme requires theoretical and practical

knowledge within the disciplines of methodology, psychology
and education, biology and specialised sports training.

The expected learning outcomes of the training programme

are as follows:

EV\Z*
 MINI-BASKETBALL

SCHOOL GAMES D.2

AND ACTIVITIES
This section of the magazine is dedicated winners (diagr. 1).
to schoolteachers who want advice on
how to interest their students in basket- THE “FISHERMAN GAME”
ball, and, at the same time, entertain them All of the students (“fish”) have a basket-
and keep them physically active. ball and stand behind the baseline of the
These are simple drills or games, which court, while one student stands at the
can be played by anybody, boys and girls, half-court acting as the “fisherman.” At
basketball player or not. Players do not the signal from the teacher, the students
need any skills or knowledge of basket- must dribble, trying to reach the other
ball in order to participate. end of the court without letting the fisher-
man touch them. Those who are touched
These games are taken directly from the become “fisherman” (diagr. 2).
book “Basketball for Young Players”
published by FIBA. RUN AND CHASE GAME
The students are divided in two teams,
“DOG AND HARE” GAME with one basketball each, and are lined
Divide the students in two teams (one up at half-court line. One team faces one
basketball for each student), assigning to basket and the other team faces the other
each child (dog) a child to touch (hare). basket, standing back-to-back. Each
The “dogs” stand at the free-throw line team has an assigned number (one or
circles and the “hares” in the middle of two, or a color, black or white). Each time D.3
the court. the teacher calls a number or a color, the
When the teacher gives the “go” signal, team which is called starts dribbling
the “dogs” dribble and must try to touch towards the baseline of the other team.
the “hares”. Those who are tagged must While dribbling and going toward that
then stop playing and sit on the court direction, each member of one team must
sidelines. try to touch the student who was back to
The students who touch the most “hares” back with him or her (diagr. 3).
in a predetermined amount of time are the

D.1

BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball coa-
ches who work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to learn
more about basketball and discover ideas for games and drills to use during their les-
sons.
Written by some of the top experts, the book clearly explains how to teach basketball
fundamentals, drills, and strategy, with suggestions of how to teach the game to chil-
dren as young as six. The book is available in English and will soon be published in
French at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and handling costs. For more information,
please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-545.0099.

In the near future, it will be possible to download a Chinese, Russian, Arabic, or

Spanish version of the book. Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com)
for the latest information. Several Federations (Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden,
and Latvia) already have the book written in their native language. Contact these
Federations directly for more information.

EV\Z+
 MINI-BASKETBALL

LET’S
PLAY MINIBASKET
Teaching or Coaching?
ranging from schoolwork, time on the Internet, and the
study of languages. But what about play? Children need to
be active and “play.” By playing basketball-not working on
repetitive basketball drills-they will come to learn the
by Carlos Pampanini
basics and the tactics of the game.
This little bit of “ trial and error” that a young player goes
through by playing basketball and having to make decisions
will allow him to come up with answers to the variety of
problems that the game offers.
Carlos Pampanini coached in the Division I League. He As coaches, our duty is to create, by means of the game,
is currently an instructor in mini-basketball and formati- adequate opportunities for learning for the developing chil-
ve classes in the Argentine Basketball Confederation dren, but it doesn’t mean ignoring the basics.
and an advisor to both the Argentine Commission and the Teaching and training are generally confusing concepts.
South-American Mini-basketball Commission. He lectu- Teaching means introducing new concepts.
res frequently at national and international basketball Training means but to train is to automate and correct
clinics and courses. He is the co-author of the “Manual known concepts, and there, is the difference.
of the Basketball Coaches Classification” for levels I It’s really too that, while children are growing and their
and II of the Argentine Basketball Confederation. knowledge is increasing, the “amount” of training increa-
ses too, how it reflects, as a synthesis, in the graphic.
Over the past few years, much has been written about While the child grows, his basic knowledge increases too,
mini-basketball and of the best ways to teach it. Based on and his actions and expressions are improved with the pass
my own experience, which comes from coaching the
sport and listening to hundreds of coaches at clinics over
the years, more time is dedicated to the practice and cor-
rection of the fundamentals.
At first, this initial premise might be understood to be
positive, but to clarify my statement, I have to say that I
am not against the development and teaching of basket-
ball basics. It’s exactly the opposite! I think that basket-
ball basics are “the keys that open all the doors” in this
game.
I think that the most important thing for a coach to care
about is what is best for the child. The coach has to rea-
lize that young children are able to express their indivi-
duality through the game, and that through basketball
they can come to learn how their bodies work. Finally,
basketball is a way of communication and learning for of the time, “trained” each time better.
young children, an important medium that allows them to At ages of six and seven, the motor and perceptive abilities
socialize and grow. must be developed by playing with the own body, in small
However, a big problem will develop if coaches restrict places with great dimension elements.
themselves to only practice sessions with repetitive The technique of the basis is not important, but it really is
basketball drills. When they do this, they run the dange- that the child develops his ability to run, to jump, to catch
rous risk of: and to throw.
1) making the children so bored that they quit basketball At the of eight and nine, it is necessary to continue develo-
and avoid other organized sports, and ping the basic motor diagram, in this form, gradually, it will
2) preventing children from coming to understand the be specific abilities.
true sense of the game. Dribbling, throwing, passing and defense (in this methodo-
Children have many opportunities with their free time, logical order) are gradually teach at this ages.
EV\Z,
 MINI-BASKETBALL

The idea of time and distance, about the knowledge of the At the other half of the court, several obstacles are irregu-
offensive basics and the possibility to play in a team, with larly placed. The game begins and children dribble their
respect to definite rules. basketballs, changing hands and direction on the court as
At ages of 10, 11, and 12, the motor abilities continue deve- they move around the obstacles.
loping. The basics are making perfect and the corrections At the teacher’s signal, they run to the other side in the
are more analytic. playing court to find a hoop to sit in. The player without a
ring to sit in is eliminated.
Like an example, we will present four games to teach the
dribbling and some options: Variation 2: Lay-ups are performed on one half of the court.
At the teacher’s signal, everyone runs to the other half of
D.1 1) INSIDE AND OUTSIDE the court to find a hoop to sit in.
Main objective: pro-
gressing dribbling Variation 3: This game is played with music. When the
Equipment: one ball for music stops, everyone dribbles to the other end of the
each player. court to find a seat.

How to play: All D.3 3) THE FOUR

players, each with a CORNERS
ball, run around the O b j e c t i v e :
playing court bouncing Dribbling speed,
the ball. rhythm changes,
At the order “inside,” court sense, and
all run to the center cir- direction.
cle (continuing to boun-
ce the ball the whole Equipment: One
time). ball for each
At the order “ outside,” player.
everyone runs on the How to play: The
outside of the court, players are placed
dribbling the ball the on four teams, with
entire time. (diagr. 1). one team at each
corner of the half court.
Variation 1: Players At the teacher’s signal, each team must run while dribbling
switch dribbling hands when they arrive at the corner of the ball.
the court. The orders are: “red”, which means running towards the
right, “green”, which means running towards the left, and
Variation 2: The teacher tells the players to go to different “blue”, which means running on a diagonal.
places on the court. After this first phase, the orders will change for the dribbling.
“1” means to run backwards to the right; “2” means to run
D.2 2) THE OCCUPIED HOUSE backwards to the left; and “3” means to run backwards on
Main objective: Non- the diagonal. (diagr. 3).
stop dribbling, imme-
diate response to a D.4 4) RACE
command. O b j e c t i v e :
Changing hands
Equipment: Enough while dribbling.
gymnastic rings (hula- Equipment: One
hoops) or chairs for all ball for each team.
but one player. One
ball for each player. How to play: The
players are divided
How to play: The gym- in two teams.
nastic rings are distri- Each team lined up
buted and form a circle on the court. The children run and each player
around the circle while dribbling their basketballs. At the extends outside
teacher’s signal, each player must sit within a hula-hoop. the arm at the
The player that doesn’t have a ring to sit in is eliminated. shoulder’s level and grabs the hands of the other teammates
One of the hoops is taken away, and the players begin drib- at his left and right side.
bling again. The game is finished when there is one player The last player of each team has a ball, and, at the whistle of
left on the court (diagr.2). the teacher, dribbles in and out under the teammates’ arms,
changing the dribbling hand, until he reaches the end of the
Variation 1: The hoops are distributed irregularly on one line.
half of the playing court. The second players makes the same moves (diagr. 4).

EV\Z-
 MINI-BASKETBALL

school games
and activties D.1

“21” game. Each player is given three attempts

Divide the children into two teams and line from each shooting position. If they miss all
them up at the two free-throw lines. At your three, they still move on to the next position
signal, the first child in each line starts to (diagr. 2).
shoot free-throws. Two points are awarded
for each basket that is scored. If the shot is “THE TRIANGLE”
missed, the child must run in, get the rebound, Divide the children into two teams (one ball
and shoot the ball. One point is awarded for for each team) and line them up under the two
the rebounded shot. The next child in line baskets, as shown in the diagram.
begins to shoot when the first has either made Mark three shooting positions (to the right,
a basket or used up his or her two available from the half circle, and to the left) on the
shots. The team which court and start the game
first scores 21 points wins when the instructor gives
the game (diagr. 1). the signal. The child can-
not move on to the next
“AROUND THE WORLD” position until he or she
Mark several shooting scores a basket (three
positions on the court non-consecutive shots
(numbered progressively) can be taken). D.2
and begin the game near The team which first suc-
the basket. If the child cessfully passes through
makes the first basket, he all three shooting posi-
or she moves to the next tions wins the game. It is
numbered position on the not possible to advance
court to shoot again. The to the next shooting posi-
next player begins after a tion unless all members
shot is missed. The child of the team have made a
who first manages to basket at the previous
score a basket at each of position or have they
the shooting positions- have used up all the
and makes the journey shots available to them
around the world-wins the (diagr. 3).

BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball coa-
ches who work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to learn
more about basketball and discover ideas for games and drills to use during their les-
sons.
Written by some of the top experts, the book clearly explains how to teach basketball D.3
fundamentals, drills, and strategy, with suggestions of how to teach the game to chil-
dren as young as six. The book is available in English and will soon be published in
French at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and handling costs. For more information,
please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-545.0099.

In the near future, it will be possible to download a Chinese, Russian, Arabic, or

Spanish version of the book. Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com)
for the latest information. Several Federations (Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden,
and Latvia) already have the book written in their native language. Contact these
Federations directly for more information.

EV\Z.
 MINI-BASKETBALL

“TRINTA”
MINI-BASKETBALL
EVENTS
by Valentina Bashkirova

Valentina Bashkirova is Vice President of the Russian

Basketball Federation and President of the “TRINTA” Sports
School.

Basketball was so popular in Russian in the 1990s that many

big tournaments were created.
Mini-basketball became extremely popular as well and we
asked ourselves: why not show the strengths and beauty of
mini-basketball in a big event?
Organizing large sports competitions brings up many impor-
tant questions.
What do spectators really want to see?
Who is going to participate?
Will it be fun for the children?
What kind of awards should be given?
How do you organize a tournament in such a way as to make
children leave the arena with smiles on their faces and pre-
sents in their hands?
The decision was finally made to invite 10-year-old boys to
our event. However, as the popularity of the event spread, we
recently began inviting talented girls from the Moscow
region to participate as well.
In the past eight-year history of our event, the number of par-
ticipants has varied between 300 to 350 children.
Children are not the only ones we want to attract to our
event. Our outreach extends to parents, too. Each child is
invited to attend with his or her mother and father, or some best drawing in the “We Paint Basketball” competition.
other close relative. The parents get real satisfaction seeing After a few years, it became evident that two days was simply
their children play basketball and many become not only not enough time to carry out the event, and we have since tur-
volunteers at the event but basketball devotees as well. ned it into the “Moscow mini-basketball week.” During the
We pay close attention to the event, with the goal of making weekdays, the children compete in different gymnastics
it something remarkable and nice. events, each which has a basketball element. They also take
Even before a child enters the sports school, everything is part in exercises involving speed, testing their coordination and
geared to immediately capture their imagination. balance, as well as their ability to jump.
Colorful balloons, photographs from previous events, sports All these mini-competitions are scored, and each child’s results
posters, advertising, and the oversized logos of our sponsors are computed into an overall performance score. Our girls have
are all used to make our event special. their own separate program that is similar to the boys.
An art competition is also organized each year, with teachers With all of these games concluded, we have what we call a Day
from the Trinta Sports School acting as judges to choose the of Finals, and it takes place on the weekend. Preparation is the
EV\Z&%
 MINI-BASKETBALL

key to making this a special and fun day. We do this by holding The awards ceremony is supported with the help of corporate
a general coaches’ meeting at which we hand out our program sponsors, charitable foundations, and individual sponsors. Two
and then discuss it in detail, going over all the organizational years ago, our finals were included in the budget of the
aspects. Moscow Sports Committee, so we had sound financial
Dressing rooms are assigned, parade behavior is discussed, backing. Over the years, our commercial sponsors have inclu-
seating in the arena is determined, and the awards ceremony ded McDonald’s, Adidas, Delta Sport, the Nike in Russian
is described. We also address any other issues coaches may distributor, to name a few of the well-known ones.
have concerns about. A principle of our event that we take great pains to adhere to
In previous years, we have invited non-sports groups to parti- is: We have no losers, only winners.
cipate. Oversized plush animal toys are given to all teams and indivi-
These have included girls drumming groups, military and high dual prizes are awarded to winners of the physical skills com-
school bands, and the Red Army basketball club. petitions. Each participant is presented with an individual gift
This year, we had the pleasure of listening to a magnificent package comprised of sportswear;a copy of “Basketball
performance of the Moscow Region Military Commanding Planet,” the Russian Basketball Federation magazine; candy; a
Office Orchestra. Another new addition to the ceremony was calendar; pens; and plenty of other little things children are so
folk dancing, with the children and their parents participating fond of.
as teams in a friendly competition. Press coverage matters, of course. Newspapers stories are
We start the Finals, as we always have, with all the partici- widespread, with many TV segments and newspaper and
pants singing the hymn of Moscow mini-basketball, which magazine articles devoted to the event.
contains this exquisite line of beauty and power: “Now we play One journalist wrote-and we fully agree with him-that children
mini, tomorrow we play grand.” By the way, this prophetic line in sport are “..painters of a great picture they have now just
has already been confirmed, for our participants in the past started to paint.
have included Marina Kuzina, Elena Migunova, Alena The first lines and curves have been drawn and the first colors
Danilotchkina, and Elena Evseeva. These young athletes even- combined.
tually went on to win the European Junior Women’s basketball They play basketball and they enjoy playing. These memories
championship. can truly make one’s soul so happy!”

EV\Z&&
 MINI-BASKETBALL

school games
D.1

and activities
THE TRAIN GAME ZIG ZAG PASSING
Divide the children in two teams (one ball for Divide the children into two teams as shown in
each team), and have them sit in two separate the diagr. 1. At the signal of the teacher the
lines. The player at the end of each line holds children begin to pass the ball and count how
a ball behind his head. At the signal of the tea- many passes in a row they can make in a set
cher, the players pass the ball to the players in period of time. The team that makes the most
front, who await the ball with their hands held passes in that time wins.
behind their necks. The players who made the
first passes get up and run to the front of the STAR PASSING
line and sit down while the rest of the players Position the children as shown in diagr. 2, with
race to move the ball forward. The team that one ball for each team. At the signal of the tea-
gets the ball to the first player wins the game. cher, the children begin to pass the ball. The
For a slight twist, the same game can be team that makes the most passes in a set
played by having the children pass the ball at period of time, wins. The one rule is that the
D.2
hip level, twisting their trunks to get the ball to children cannot pass the ball to the teammate
the player in front. on his/her right or left.

BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball coa-
ches who work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to learn
more about basketball and discover ideas for games and drills to use during their les-
sons.
Written by some of the top experts, the book clearly explains how to teach basketball
fundamentals, drills, and strategy, with suggestions of how to teach the game to chil-
dren as young as six. The book is available in English and will soon be published in
French at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and handling costs. For more information,
please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-545.0099.

In the near future, it will be possible to download a Chinese, Russian, Arabic, or

Spanish version of the book. Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com)
for the latest information. Several Federations (Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden,
and Latvia) already have the book written in their native language. Contact these
Federations directly for more information.

EV\Z&'
 MINI-BASKETBALL

A SAMPLE LESSON
FOR FIVE and SIX
YEAR OLDS
by Maurizio Cremonini

Maurizio Cremonini, the Federal Coach of the

Minibasket Department of the Italian Basketball
Federation, received the Tricerri Award as the best
Minibasket Instructor in Italy in 1996.

With five and six year old children, one of the most impor-
tant tasks of the coach is to dispel the notion of a “typi-
cal” basketball lesson in their young minds.
Even a simple sequence of common basketball drills for
older children that have been scaled down the size and
strength of five and six year olds are inappropriate
because play has been completely taken out of the con- arrives in the woods and whomever he stares at, he imme-
text of the game. diately freezes with his eyes. The “frozen” children must
then kneel and continue dribbling the basketballs.
Minibasket lessons for these youngsters have to be exci-
ting. The right atmosphere must be created, perhaps CENTRAL PART
even starting with a story, fable, or a funny tale. Each, or The “Forest gnomes” game
course, is a great way of capturing the attention and ima- Children are divided into two teams.
gination of the children. One team shoots at the basket while the other team of gno-
SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
GETTING STARTED
The Enchanted Forest
Without a basketball, let’s go for a walk in the Enchanted
Forest.
We walk to reach the forest, and we walk quickly becau-
se we are afraid; then we slow down and walk in silence,
afraid to make any noise. Next, we crawl so we won’t be
seen or heard. If we hear a strange noise, we run fast.
We stop at the signal.

The children run away when the dribbling wolves arrive

(Whomever is touched by a wolf becomes a wolf, taking
the basketball and continuing to dribble after the other
children).

The children walk around the forest, dribbling basketballs

and making noise. Merlin the Magician (the instructor)
EV\Z&(
 MINI-BASKETBALL

mes waits behind the

sideline, dribbling in
place.
The team that is
shooting has nothing
to fear until the
witch/instructor rai-
ses his hand.
Whomever is shoo-
ting at that moment
and misses, automati-
cally releases the
gnomes from the
sideline. They must
chase after and cap-
ture the children.

THE “THROW THE NUT IN THE BASKET” GAME

Two teams shoot at the basket. Whenever a child scores a
basket, he goes to sit on the sideline. The first team that
has all of its players sitting wins the game.

FINAL GAME
“The great challange of the forest animals”
The children are divided into three or four teams, with each
team representing an animal of the forest. To begin, each
team sits in a circle at half court.
At the center of each circle are 6/8/10 different basketbal-
ls. Each child is given a number and when the instructor
calls their number, they must grab a ball of their choice and
run to shoot at the basket.
When a basket is scored, the ball is put away. However, if
the basket is missed, the ball is put back in the team’s cir-
cle. In order to win, a team must use up all of its basket-
balls.

THE FINAL GOODBYE

The children line up very closely behind each other like a
big snake and follow the instructor of the woods.
They sit at half court, near the instructor. All together, they
say goodbye like a snake.

This proposed lesson is just an idea, a starting point for

discussion. We don’t have to copy other people’s drills, but

instead we can create our own based on individual choi-

ces and the criteria we choose.
We can then compare and contrast our way of doing things
with that of our colleagues.

Children prefer to be stimulated rather than instructed.

Goethe

EV\Z&)
 MINI-BASKETBALL

school games D.2

and activities
“ALLTOGETHER TO THE BASKET” te corners of the gym floor (diagr. 2). At the
Divide the children in two teams (one ball for signal of the teacher, the first child of each
each team), and have them stand back-to- team begins to dribble around the chairs and
back at the mid-court line (diagr. 1). At the then shoots at the basket. The team that sco-
signal of the teacher, all members of the two res the most baskets in a set period of time
teams start to dribble simultaneously towards wins the game.
the basket they are facing. The player who
scores a basket, dribbles back quickly to the “CIRCLE GAME”
mid-court, passes off the ball, and sits at the Same as above, but now each child must drib-
end of the line. If a player does not score, he ble around the three-point line on the same
has three more chances to put the ball in. If he half court where he started, and then shoot at
is unable to score, he dribbles back to mid- the opposite side of the three-second lane
court, passes the ball off to a teammate, and (diagr. 3).
sits at the end of the line. The first team that
has all the children sitting on the floor wins the
game. The game can also be started with the D.1 D.3
children in a sitting position, kneeling down,
lying on their backs, or face down on the floor.
The shot at the basket can be a jump stop and
a shot, a shot after a pass, or a lay-up.

“RELAY RACE WITH DRIBBLING AND SHOOTING”

Divide the children into two teams (one ball for
each team). At the signal of the teacher, the
first child of each team begins to dribble,
stops, and then shoots. If a player scores a
basket, he quickly returns to the starting point
and passes off to a teammate. If he misses, he
has three more tries to make a basket. After
the three tries, he returns to the starting point.
The team that scores the most baskets in a set
period of time wins the game.

“DRIBBLE SLALOM RELAY RACE”

Divide the children into two teams (one ball for
each team) and place them at the two opposi-

BASKETBALL FORYOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball coaches who
work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to learn more about basketball
and discover ideas for games and drills to use during their lessons. Written by some of the top
experts, the book clearly explains how to teach basketball fundamentals, drills, and strategy,
with suggestions of how to teach the game to children as young as six. The book is available in
English and will soon be published in French at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and handling
costs.
For more information, please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-545.0099.
In the near future, it will be possible to download a Chinese, Russian, Arabic, or Spanish ver-
sion of the book. Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com) for the latest infor-
mation. Several Federations (Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden, and
Latvia) already have the book written in their native language. Contact these Federations
directly for more information.

EV\Z&*
 MINI-BASKETBALL

Mini-Basketball
by Inaki Refoyo
Drills
Inaki Refoyo is a professor at the Spanish 2 Equipment and details:
Institute of Physical Education (INEF) of a) Necessary materials: One ball for D.1
Madrid. He is a master at the top level of every child.
coaching in the Spanish Basketball b) Number of players: Four or more.
Federation. He has written several arti- c) When to introduce in a practice
cles about basketball and conditioning. session: At the beginning.
d) Aim of the game: Introduce children
“JUMP” to physical activity. Warm-up exercise.
1. Description: Spread the youngsters out e) Physical requirements: low.
on the court for the following exercises: f) Suggested time: 5 to 10 minutes.
a) Run around the court and come to a
complete stop at the signal of the “COUPLES”
instructor, and then jump up (on one 1. Description: With the children paired
or two feet) as high as possible and holding hands, they run all over the
and then begin running again. court. At the instructor’s signal they then
b) Repeat the drill. At the instructor’s perform the following exercises:
signal, the children must to change a) Form new couples and run again.
direction, run sideways for awhile, b) Change couples and run again, hand
crossing the legs as they go, running in hand, same as above.
backwards for awhile, then turning c) The couple sits down on the floor and
and jumping up as high as possible at the instructor’s signal, gets up and
until the instructor signals them to stop. runs around the court.
c) Each child holds a basketball with d) Sit down on the floor. At the
arms extended out in front of their instructor’s signal, quickly get up, D.2
chest. At the instructor’s signal, they search for a new partner, and,
begin running slowly, trying to touch holding hands, run around the court
the basketball with an upraised knee. together.
This drill can also start with the child e) Sit down on the floor. At the
holding the ball behind their back. As instructor’s signal, get up, choose an
the child runs slowly, he should try to opposite sex partner and, holding
touch the ball with his heel. hands, run around the court.
d) Children start with a ball in their f) Jump off two feet as high as possible
hands. At the instructor’s signal, they and while in the air clap hands with
throw it upward as high as possible your partner, then run around the
and then run to catch it before it hits court again.
the ground. After catching the ball, g) Every child is grouped as a couple. At
they jump up as high as possible and the instructor’s signal, they run on the e) Physical requirements: low.
then repeat the drill. Another version: court and touch various lines on the f) Suggested time: 5 to 10 minutes.
After the ball is thrown up in the air, court, returning back to the starting
they jump up as high as possible on point as quickly as possible (diagr. 2). “DISCOVERING THE COURT”
one or two feet and clap their hands 1. Description: With all the children
together (in front of the chest, behind 2. Equipment and details: spread out on the court, complete
the knees, or behind the waist) before a) Necessary materials: None. the following exercises.
the ball comes back down. b) When to introduce in the practice:
e) The child throws the ball up and then At the beginning. a) Walk or run around the court. At
tries to run under it as many times as c) Number of players: Four or more either a visual or auditory signal
possible before the ball comes back d) Aim of the game: Introducing the from the instructor, stop, change
down (diagr. 1). child to exercise. Warm-up exercise. direction, and increase or
EV\Z&+
 MINI-BASKETBALL

decrease speed. f) Suggested time: 5 to 10

b) Walk or run on the minutes.
court. As each child
reaches the middle “HUNTING”
of the court, he 1. Description: Using the
jumps as high as half court, the children are
possible. As he divided up into two teams
reaches any line on and placed behind the
the court, he baseline. Two children are
repeats the designated as defenders
D.4
jumping exercise. D.3
and placed inside Swedish
Another version: benches (is this a “balance
Carrying a beam” that they use in gym-
basketball, he nastics competition) on the
performs the same other half court, with
jumps, raising the basketballs on the floor
ball as high as behind them. At the instruc-
possible at the tor’s signal, the first children
height of the jump, run and try to steal basket-
bringing it down to balls and bring them back to
waist level as he their teams without being
lands on the floor. tagged by the defenders. If
c) Half of the children the “thief” has been caught
walk around the court with a ball in with the ball, he has to give it back. He then
their hands, passing it to a teammate returns to the end of his line. After a desi-
that they encounter as they go around gnated amount of time has elapses, the
the court. team with the most stolen balls is declared
d) Walk and grasping strong the ball the winner. (diagr. 4).
with the hands, and throw it in every
direction. 2. Equipment and details:
e) Holding the ball at chest level, walk a) Necessary materials: From 10 to 12
or run forward, backwards, and late balls, 4 Swedish benches.
rally as they move around the court. b) Number of players: Eight or more. D.5
f) Get down on the floor on hands and c) When in the practice:
knees. At the instructor’s signal, At the beginning.
push the ball forward with the head, d) Aim of game: Improve lateral
chasing after it on hands and knees, movements, and develop quick moves.
continuing to push it to the other e) Physical requirements: High.
side of the court. f) Suggested time: 5 minutes.
g) Walk or run across the court keeping g) Possible alternatives: a] without
one eye closed. benches and more hunters b]
h) Roll the ball with your preferred dribbling the ball after “stealing” it.
hand, then with the other hand,
changing hands when you meet a “GAME WITH BENCHES”
particular teammate, a line, or at the 1. Description: Two rows of three to five chil-
signal from the instructor. dren. At a distance of eight meters from the b) Number of players: Minimum 6,
i) The same exercise, rolling the ball benches, (two benches have a ribbon on maximum 12.
with the feet. top), place cushioned mats on the floor, and c) When in the practice:
j) Roll the ball both with the hand and behind each mat a row of children. When the At the beginning.
with the feet sitting down. instructor gives the signal, the first child from d) Aim of the game: Work on ability
k) Roll the ball and, at the instructor’s each group has to crawl over the mats, run to and quickness.
signal, stop it with a hand, foot, or the first bench, pick the ribbon from one e) Physical requirements: Low.
any other body part. (diagr. 3). bench, and place it on the next bench. They f) Suggested time: 8 minutes.
return to the starting position by running and g) Possible options: a] Instead of
2 Equipment and details: jumping over the bench, giving a high five to using benches as obstacles, you
a) Necessary materials: One ball for the next teammate, who then completes the can use the children’s rucksacks;
every child. course. The winner is the team that gets all b] Instead of jumping over the
b) Number of players: Four or more. children to finish the course first. (diagr. 5). benches, run a precise route
c) When to introduce in practice: At the inside the court, taking a ribbon
beginning. 2. Equipment and details: from one bench and placing it on
d) Aim of the game: Introducing the a) Necessary materials: Balls, mats, another; c] Have children dribble
child to exercise. Warm-up exercise. rucksacks, Swedish benches, and a basketball while completing
e) Physical requirements: low. ribbons. the exercise.
EV\Z&,
 MINI-BASKETBALL

school games
and activities
COORDINATION DRILLS exended) passes under, turns around, ball above the head and then below
1. Roll the ball and try to hit a target (a returns to starting position, stops, the legs.
moving ball, circle, clubs, numbers turns, and passes the ball to “B” who 24. Same game, pass the ball
drawn on the wall, inside the squares then repeats the same drill. sideways to the right and then to the
of wall bars, etc.). 14. Standing up, ball held in front of left.
2. Run, with one arm forward and the the chest with arms extended: let it 25. In pairs, facing each other: “A”
other held above. drop, clap hands behind the back and rolls the ball to “B” and “B” passes
3. Throw the ball and try to make it grab ball before it hits the ground. the ball back with his feet.
pass through a hoop held by a team- 15. Same game-holding the ball 26. In pairs, sitting facing each other,
mate. behind back: clap hands and grab the one ball each: exchange balls by rol-
4. In pairs (one ball each): try to touch ball before it hits the ground. ling, bouncing, and throwing.
the back, knees, and the ball of the 16. Same game-with the ball held in 27. Throw the ball it at a designated
partner (the one who manages to front of knees. target.
touch the other the most times in a 17. Dribble simultaneously with three 28. In pairs: “A” makes any movement
designated period of time wins the balls. he wants while dribbling and “B” imi-
game). 18. In pairs (one ball each): “A” drib- tates “A”; change roles at a designa-
5. Same game-play with three, four, bles forward and “B” dribbles ted signal.
and five children. backward; change direction at a desi- 29. In pairs, with a ball between
6. Dribble in place with two two gnated signal. backs: walk forwards, backwards,
basketballs. 19. Same game-players dribble and sideways without dropping the
7. Same game-run while dribbling. sideways. ball.
8. Reverse walking, dribbling with two 20. In pairs, one ball each: “A” throws 30. Same game-move in tandem with
balls. a bounce pass to “B” and “B” throws the ball held between foreheads.
9. In pairs, dribble with two balls, a two-handed chest pass back to “A”. 31. In pairs, lying face down on the
exchanging balls at a designated 21. In pairs, “A” standing with the ball floor, one ball each: pass balls back
signal. and “B” sitting without a ball: “A” and forth to each other.
10. Same game-play with three, four, passes to “B” and sits down, “B” pas- 32. In pairs: “A” passes the ball to “B”
and five children. ses back to “A” and stands up. and “B”, before receiving it, must clap
11. Dribble a figure “8” pattern with 22. In pairs, make a two-handed chest hands.
legs apart. pass, bounce pass, side pass, side 33. In pairs: “A” throws the ball high in
12. Dribble a figure “8” pattern with a bounce pass, hand-off, bowling pass, the air and “B” tries to hit it with his
partner. baseball pass, and two-handed own ball.
13. With a partner, “A” dribbles overhead pass. 34. Same game, except the balls are
towards “B” (legs apart and arms 23. In pairs, back to back: pass the rolled on the floor.

BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball
coaches who work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to
learn more about basketball and discover ideas for games and drills to use during
their lessons. Written by some of the top experts, the book clearly explains how to
teach basketball fundamentals, drills, and strategy, with suggestions of how to
teach the game to children as young as six. The book is available in English,
French, and Spanish, at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and handling costs.
For more information, please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-
545.0099.
FIBA also produced the CD of the book in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and
Russian.
Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com) for the latest informa-
tion. Several Federations (Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden,
and Latvia) already have the book written in their native language. Contact these
Federations directly for more information.

EV\Z&-
 MINI-BASKETBALL

MINI-BASKETBALL
IN the Islamic
Republic of IRAN
by Safa Ali Kamalian

Safa Ali Kamalian, a former Iranian aim, as they got

national basketball player, has been a older and left
mini-basketball coach in Tehran since mini-basketball,
1987, and has also coached several was to encoura-
cadet, and junior teams. After his retire- ge them to conti-
ment as a basketball player in 2002, he nue the
has been working as the Director of the remarkable
Mini-Basketball Committee of I.R. Iran experiences
Basketball Federation (IRIBF). they had in mini-
basketball by
HISTORY seeking out
Mini-basketball began in the 1970s in Iran other team sport
in a completely unorganized fashion, with activities, hope-
just a few clubs participating. By 1986, fully basketball.
however, the game had gained in popula-
rity and a formal mini-basketball commit- ACTIVITIES
tee was created in the IRIBF, followed The main obsta-
soon after by a special training course for cle we experien-
coaches, and the first national mini- ced in getting
basketball championship game. mini-basketball
firmly establi-
Since then, we have organized many shed in Iran was
national and international mini-basketball getting children,
jamborees and tournaments, as well as parents, and
clinics for coaches and referees. Under coaches to
the supervision of the Ministry of understand that
Education (ME), we have also organized the final score of
the national mini-basketball champion- a game was not
ship for primary school students. what mattered most, but rather it was the working together with the mana-
physical progress the children made, and gers, referees, coaches, and the
CONCEPTS the fun they were having that was most parents themselves. We have sha-
Mini-basketball activities started in Iran important. Against strong opposition from red our opinions, listened to dissen-
with the primary goal of introducing chil- many parents and coaches, it took an ting views from other groups, and
dren 12-years-old and younger to a posi- extremely long time to instill this philo- worked together to make mini-
tive team sport that would teach them sophy. At times, we had to limit the com- basketball succeed. We were not
basic motor activities and fundamental petition aspects of mini-basketball. It has completely successful at first, but,
athletic skills, develop positive social certainly not been easy, but we have over the years, we have come to
behaviors, and help them understand committed ourselves to working even recognize the differences of opinion
team responsibilities. Another primary harder to get our viewpoint understood, and have given our best efforts.
EV\Z&.
 MINI-BASKETBALL

For the most

part, our mini-
basketball
referees kept
to themselves
and tried to
avoid any con-
frontation. We
organized a
mini-basket-
ball referees
committee
and put on cli-
nics throu-
ghout the pro-
vinces, which
helped show
the clear phi-
losophical
borders that
e x i s t e d
between the
FUTURE to a two years plan.
goals of basketball and mini-basketball.
According to FIBA advises for
Basketball Development in I.R. Iran, a CONCLUSION
We now organize a national or interna-
cooperation memorandum that has Due to the dedicated work of many,
tional mini-basketball coaches and
been signed between I.R. Iran Physical mini-basketball has finally gained a
referees clinic to help expand techni-
Education organization (IRIPEO) and strong foundation in Iran over the past
cal knowledge and exchange Ideas.
the Minister of Education in 2002. IRIBF few years. Thanks to a talented group
The general assembly of the IRIBF
is going to plan a new youth program of coaches and referees, many chil-
mini-basketball committee, which con-
concerning the all youth age groups dren are now attracted to the sport,
sists of the Provinces Mini-Basketball
with the cooperation of ME, which will helping it to grow and thrive. Much
Committee Directors, has an annual
start the process of mini-basketball more needs to be done by our admini-
meeting to discuss and vote upon all
activities from the schools level and strators, but we are confident as we
mini-basketball topics.
will go up through cities, provinces and move forward, that the mini-basketball
each region championships, according experience will only get better.
Considering the size of the country, we
grouped our provinces in some regions
to help reduce long-distance travel for
the mini-basketball teams. We encoura-
ge all provinces to promote mini-basket-
ball throughout the year, not just in the
summer months.

Although mini-basketball has always

been financially supported by IRIBF-
which has its own financial difficulties-
we also try to attract and maintain
local sponsors, many of which are
companies with strong ties to the
parents of our players.
These companies support our mini-
basketball activities in the different
parts of the country, which helps provi-
de more financial opportunities for the
mini-basketball committees in various
provinces.

We now have club championship games

in various cities, province championship
games, and regional championship
games. These tournaments eventually
lead up to a national championship
game.
EV\Z'%
 MINI-BASKETBALL

school games
and activities
PRACTICE PLANS ▼ Shooting drills (individual and ▼ Game-drills for passing on
These lesson practice plans only team competition). the move (forward and
serve as an outline, a guide for those ▼ Passing on the move return).
teachers/coaches, who work with (“tic-tac” in twos and threes). ▼ From 1-on-1 to 3-on-3, free.
mini-basketball players (6 to 12 years ▼ 1-on-one full-court, ▼ 5-on-5, full court, free
old). half-court, near the basket. (without role specialization).
Let this serve as suggestions for a ▼ Mini-match: 3-on-3, full court.
positive, progressive mini-basketball FIFTH PLAN
teaching methodology. THIRD PLAN ▼ Ball handling drills.
▼ Five minutes free play ▼ Drills: full court, 1-on-1,
Here is an example of a coaching (dribbling and shooting 2-on-2, and 3-on-3.
plans for 8- to 9-year-old players. freely). ▼ Drills for getting free: sideline
▼ Dribbling games (run and and end line, in-bounds play,
FIRST PLAN chase, four corners, three jump ball.
▼ Game-drills with the ball; in circles, relays). ▼ 3-on-3 in lanes, 3-on-3
place; on the move; in pairs, ▼ Shooting games (individual, near basket.
in threes, in groups. from different positions, and ▼ 5-on-5.
▼ Game-drills combining in teams).
dribbling and shooting. ▼ Game-drills combining SIXTH PLAN
▼ Game-drills combining dribbling, passing, shooting, ▼ Five minutes, free play.
passing and shooting. and defense. ▼ Game-drills for dribbling,
▼ Game-drills 1-on-1. ▼ Mini-matches: 1-on-1, 1-on-1 shooting, passing.
▼ Game-drills 2-on-2. with help, 2-on-2, 2-on-2 ▼ Game-drills with uneven
▼ Game-drills 1-on-1, with help. with help, and 3-on-3. number of players (only
▼ Mini-match 2-on-2, full court. forward, forward
FOURTH PLAN and return).
SECOND PLAN ▼ Five minutes free play. ▼ 3-on-3, free.
▼ Game-drills with the ball. ▼ Teaching drills for dribbling, ▼ 3-on-3, free, without
▼ Game-drills combining shooting, combination of dribbling.
dribbling and shooting. dribbling and shooting. ▼ 5-on-5, free.

BASKETBALL FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Guidelines for Coaches
This very useful 364-page book published by FIBA is aimed not only at basketball
coaches who work with young players, but also at schoolteachers who want to
learn more about basketball and discover ideas for games and drills to use
during their lessons. Written by some of the top experts, the book clearly
explains how to teach basketball fundamentals, drills, and strategy, with sug-
gestions of how to teach the game to children as young as six. The book is avai-
lable in English, French, and Spanish, at the cost of e. 20, plus shipping and
handling costs.
For more information, please call FIBA at ++41-22-545.0000 or fax at ++41-22-
545.0099.
FIBA also produced the CD of the book in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and
Russian.
Keep checking the FIBA Internet website (www.fiba.com) for the latest infor-
mation. Several Federations (Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Sweden, and Latvia) already have the book written in their native language.
Contact these Federations directly for more information.

EV\Z'&
 MINI-BASKETBALL

MINI-BASKEBALL
by Inaki Refoyo
TRAINING
AND COMPETITION
SESSIONS
Inaki Refoyo is a professor at the
Spanish Institute of Physical Education
(INEF) of Madrid. He is a master at the
top level of coaching in the Spanish
Basketball Federation. He has written
several articles about basketball and
conditioning.

Training and competition sessions are

the perfect time for the teachers and
instructors to work with children to help
them improve their skills. Each session
should be considered as the single trai-
ning unit.
It is in these sessions that we are able to
evaluate each player and note clear
improvements. It is for this reason that
we should look at each session as a trai-
ning unit.

Each training session is has its own spe-

cific goals and results:

INTENSITY AIM PARTICIPANTS PLANNING LEARNING PHASES RESULT

Strong Conditioning Individual Improvement Assimilation Single

Semi-strong For Coordination Group Maintenance Stabilization Multiple

or Technical
Regenerative For apprenticeship Collective Recovery Memorization
or Tactical of the moves
Recovery Generally strategic
Rules
Psychological
Control/Evaluation
Mixed

EV\Z''
 MINI-BASKETBALL

When you plan a practice session, you ▼ Identifiying your purposes and goals At the same time, we have to consider long
must divide it into three specific parts: you want to achieve will depend on enough active rest exercises to helo the
your starting evaluation. children recover. These active pauses can
▼ Starting part: Development of body ▼ Setting goals is based on real consist of less intense or less complex
coordination and of the main factor, chances to achieve them. exercises, all designed to help children to
“the ball,” for example. ▼ Duration. Determine how much time relax.
▼ Principal part: Development of basic you think you will need to achieve
components of basketball through your goals (even in years). There is a distinct series of factors that
planned play. Competitions and ▼ Regular checks. It is important to must be considered when planning this
games with even and odd numbers check throughout the year to see if you phase of practice:
of players. are on track to achieving your goals. ▼ Choice of the content/s.
▼ Final part: We reserve this section to (fundamental/s) we want to train.
practice plays, to familiarize TRAINING SESSION PARTS ▼ The sequence of these contents.
youngsters with the ball, and for rest. The training session is the smallest unit in ▼ The physical and mental difficulty of
planning for the year. These training ses- each work or exercise.
PLANNING sions are divided into three principal parts: ▼ The ideal vs. actual chance of
PRINCIPLE achieving goals for the session.
The plan is the starting point, an analysis of FIRST PART
what you hope to do in the session, with In this part, we focus on the general warm- FINAL PART
clear steps on how you hope to achieve up. This will include both physical and This part of practice starts once the chil-
those goals. mental training. Obviously, the duration dren’s physiological and mental calmness
depends on the overall time you have for is restored. Now they have to get ready for
Don’t forget that many variables will enter in the training session. the next set of demanding exercises. It is
during the actual carryng out of the plan, Nevertheless, we can include simple acti- important to teach to the children to achie-
including competitiion and rival teams. vities in this part that we will further deve- ve self-control when they are superexci-
lop in the principal part of the workout. ted.
You do not have to follow every step of your Don’t forget that children are not “smaller In this part, it is also suitable for the chil-
plan. Understand that flexible organization, adults.” Compared to adults, their metabo- dren to learn to assimilate and to rationali-
where revision, adaptation, and adjust- lism and physical characteristics are total- ze what they have learned. This is achie-
ments, can be very effective tools that will ly different. vable through questions posed by the trai-
allow you to achieve your goals. ner or coach to the children. Asking the
PRINCIPAL PART children what they have achieved and
Depending on your targets, you will have to This is the most important part in terms of how they expect to make improvements
structure your material and human resour- content and time. In this part, the contents will help them understand their personal
ces in order to achieve them. previously planned according to the gene- role in making progress.
ral program of work are developed. One of the most typical mistakes tea-
SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO KEEP MIND Nevertheless, you have to consider that chers/instructors make is to consider
IN PLANNING YOUR SESSIONS the children’s attention capacity and phy- improvements have been made without
When establishing a plan, keep the fol- sical motivation are not endless, so that it’s alerting children to that fact. It is surprising
lowing factors in mind: best to perform the most important work of how children view their progress or lack
▼ Starting evaluation of all the elements, the session at the beginning of the practi- of. Asking children what they think about
which can match with your planning ce, a time when they are physically and achieving particular goals helps to enhan-
(tools, people, etc.) mentally fresh. ce their value.

FIRST PRINCIPAL FINAL

▼ General warming up ▼ Targets ▼ Educational

▼ Specific warming up ▼ Definition of type of work ▼ Psychological

▼ Material ▼ Physiological

▼ Real conditions

▼ Player’s state

EV\Z'(
 SESSION EXAMPLE ▼ FOOT MOVEMENT ▼ Teammates
The following will illustrate four training ses- ▼ PASSING: THROWING THE BALL. ▼ The game official, especially in the first
sions, each corresponding to a particular Continuing on the previous year’s work, two years of minibasketball; get used
minibasketball age group. The duration of the now we combine all aspects of basic to thinking of a person that doesn’t
training session is not noted. Duration should technique (hand position, foot direc- usually referee
be determined by the teacher/instructor. tions, etc.). ▼ The teacher/ instructor of the opposite
As in all demonstrations, we will manage team
BENJAMIN (FAVOURITE) to progressively introduce more dynami- ▼ His/herself
1ST YEAR - 1ST QUARTER sm and execution speed in all the exer-
FIRST PART cises. Civil principles work:
▼ ORGANIC CONDITIONING: ▼ Discipline
DISCOVERING THE COURT ▼ DRIVING: THE ATTACK ▼ Punctuality
▼ DEFENSE: IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ▼ Commitment (both of
MAIN PART CENTER the teacher/instructor and of the
▼ DRIBBLING: THE HITTING.HAND ▼ SHOT: Work on jump-shot children).
▼ PASSING: SITTING DOWN mechanics (coordination in
▼ DRIVING: DRIVING CONTEST jump and extension). Specific work. THE MATCH MOMENT
▼ COLLECTIVE PLAY: 3-ON-3 RIGHT
FINAL PART ▼ Getting all children involved, sharing
▼ SOCIALIZATION OF THE PLAY: FINAL PART different tasks during the game in
CHANGING THE BALLS ▼ GAME order to make them all feel they played
a role in the final result.
BENJAMIN (FAVOURITE) THE COMPETITION
2ND YEAR - 1ST QUARTER When we talk about competition, we ▼ Instructing children always with a
FIRST PART refer to the game we play every week- positive message, especially when
▼ ORGANIC CONDITIONING: end and the several situations that can correcting their mistakes.
THE COUPLES occur.
The match is the most desired moment ▼ Constantly encouraging children,
MAIN PART for the children. It is the moment in independently of the final game result.
▼ DRIBBLING: CATCHING THE MICE which the work done with his/her mates
▼ PASSING: THE MOVING CIRCLES during the training sessions gets carried ▼ If the opposing team is not that
▼ DRIVING: PALMIRA out. But the difference is that it will be talented, point out their good aspects;
▼ DEFENSE: LOWERING THE BOTTOM realized against another team of chil- do not ridicule.
dren.
FINAL PART In our opinion, during the first two years ▼ Appoint impartial game officials.
▼ SOCIALIZATION PLAY: ONE-ON-ONE of a minibasketball course, we have to
consider the week-end game like as a WRONG
ALEVIN (PUPILS) weekday practice (session/ training). ▼ Giving more importance to the final
1ST YEAR - 1ST QUARTER For the next two years, the match has to result than in making sure all children
FIRST PART be thought as a competition in which the get to play and participate.
▼ GROUND RECOGNITION: work of teacher/instructor becomes Putting all the less talented players in
BENCH OBSTACLES more important. the first quarter while leaving the best
One of the factors implied in the game is players in for the rest of the game to
MAIN PART competition. In our opinion, competition insure victory.
▼ BALL HANDLING + DRIBBLING is always right when it is well directed.
▼ BALL HANDLING +DRIBBLING: TO It is an inborn quality that every tea- ▼ Using negative language when
RUN AFTER cher/instructor and the children (all correcting mistakes.
▼ FOOT MOVEMENT: STOP belonging to a single group) have insi-
▼ PASSING: THE ANGLE de. ▼ If the game is going to be lost, letting
▼ DRIVING: CICADA We have to know that we coach a group the team suffer without giving
▼ DEFENSE: DOGS AND CATS of children with different levels of com- instructions and correction.
petitivity, so we have to be careful in
FINAL PART demanding it. ▼ Treating the opposite team cruelly.
▼ PLAY SOCIALIZATION: FACE TO FACE
MAIN TARGETS ▼ Going out to win by appointing game
ALEVIN (PUPILS) All the children have to work with each officials who will not be impartial.
2ND YEAR - 1ST QUARTER other during the game as best they can
FIRST PART do, without asking them more than they ▼ Faking injuries to less talented players
▼ THE GROUND RECOGNITION: can give. in order to let the most talented
THE HAUNTING children play longer.
Children need to learn a variety of things
MAIN PART when they are on the court related to: ▼ Using the success of the team
▼ BALL HANDLING + DRIBBLING ▼ The teacher/instructor to validate the coach as a person.
EV\Z')
 MINI-BASKETBALL

FRENCH
MINI-BASKETBALL
PROGRAM
A HIGH-REACHING “MINI” Commission, created in 1988, mana- aptitude for competition by way of
The French Basketball Federation ges the Mini-Basketball Project. training based on psychomotricity,
has a very special place for Mini- Besides giving the children an intro- while maintaining competitiveness
Basketball. The charter dictates that duction to our sport, the project also within the framework of education,
it should be expanded to as many aims to develop the individual and controlling aggression, working on
clubs as possible, and now a national teach them to reach their potential in technique within the game and lear-
convention is bringing Mini- life with respect for themselves and ning to live like a team in society.”
Basketball to schools. for others. This former sports trainer is careful
Every great sport that takes itself René Lavergne, co-founder and about amalgamation. Training a child
seriously knows that its future is staunch defender of the “Mini- within this particular framework has
being built today, and that future ine- Basketball” cause, speaks passiona- nothing to do with training a small
vitably depends on training. The tely about his baby: “Mini-Basketball adult. Children are different. For
French Basketball Federation is aims to awaken and highlight the example, competitiveness is adapted.
working to highlight basketball for creative forces of children. “We don’t reject competitiveness,”
children. The Federal Youth To do this, Mini-Basketball develops he continues. “It’s an important moti-

EV\Z'*
 MINI-BASKETBALL

vator that allows the child to acquire

qualities that will serve him in life,
and also a source of information to
get to know the child better.
On the other hand, what we reject is
brutal opposition, exaltation of vic-
tory and searching for stardom.”
Above all, it is a matter of giving a
basic training, which allows the child
to approach basketball in the best
way possible.

A CHARTER WITH
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Mr. Lavergne, together with André
Barrais, had previously started to
develop “Basketball Tots” in 1950
using adapted material.
Twelve years later, in Spain, Anselmo
Lopez linked this adapted game to the
acceptance of responsibility by
young people. He called this activity
“Mini-Basketball”. The President of
the French Basketball Federation at
that time, Robert Busnel, gave René
Lavergne the task of carrying out the
Mini-Basketball mission successfully
in France.
It was 1965, and the project was
underway.
Today, clubs form in numerous
schools in France, and they expand
according to the demands of the
youngsters and their parents.
These learning and playing locations
are “framed” within the clubs. The
Mini-Basketball school charter
brings to mind the fundamental prin-
ciples that any system worthy of that
name should respect.
Values are at the top of the list: con-
ceived by or for the child, the charter
contains certain points designed to
meet the child’s aspirations.
Respect for others, for the game and
for the environment is as important as
tolerance, autonomy and solidarity.
As a reminder that schools are struc- group, the petition, once complete, rise sharply. “For the parents, it’s a
tures made up of managers, technical will be sent to the French Basketball sign of the quality of the establish-
staff, youth leaders and parents, the Federation where it will be examined. ment,” he says.
charter sets out the tasks of each The goal is to obtain the federal stan- “Proof that the children are happy:
one. dard, symbol of a strictly followed 80% participate in practices each
Also mentioned are topics such as charter and of a vibrant school ser- year.” Others see it as an acknowled-
organisation, academics, evaluations ving active youngsters. Since it was gement from the Federation that
for tracking acquired knowledge, created in 1999, 117 schools have allows them to continue alongside
access to competitions, and to the received the designation “French other major sports such as rugby in
responsibilities that will fall to the School of Basketball” from a repre- the southwest, for example.
child. sentative of the Youth Commission. And others welcome the requirement
Each school that follows this copious But what does this honour actually to improve, so as not to fall into the
programme to the letter can then sub- provide? Some, such as Xavier routine of a programme that is already
mit a petition of recognition, if desi- Languénou, President of the functioning well.
red. Intended to gather in one docu- Landerneau Club (400 graduates), To that end, the National Mini-
ment all action taken within the have seen their membership numbers Basketball Forum, the first meeting of
EV\Z'+
which was held at Sablé-sur-Sarthe
in 2003, has allowed many educators
to profit from the experience of their
peers in order to improve.

AN IMPORTANT NATIONAL CONVENTION

Every year in May, the clubs clear the
decks for action and organise the
National Mini-Basketball Festival
under the auspices of the Federation.
This is a fun and friendly way to round
off the season.
For one whole day, the little ones
have priority and simply play on
courts set up here and there. Baskets
and balls abound in the car parks, the
streets and the town squares inviting
children to join in tournaments and
other activities.
It is the grand finale of the work
undertaken by Mini-Basketball
schools. 110,000 children play basket-
ball during this festival, more than
500,000 people all over France are
involved and the Federation, through
its partners, provides presents for
each child!
But Mini-Basketball School does
mean school. At the beginning of
2004, the French Basketball
Federation signed an important natio-
nal convention linking it to the
Ministry of National Education, the
SUPE (Sports Union of Primary
Education) and the NUSS (National
Union for School Sports), where
departmental committees play a cen-
tral role. To train the teachers and
help them introduce basketball to
their pupils, four CD-ROMs (from nur-
sery school level to the fourth year in
primary school) will be provided for
them by a nearby club, with which the
school will have signed a partnership
agreement.
The club, given the name “Technical
Resource Centre”, will lend six balls
given by the Federation, and supple-
mentary material if considered neces-
sary. The club will also be able to
make a qualified technician available,
or help to organise an inter-class tour-
nament. Each “Technical Resource
Centre” will receive a “Prospective
Basketball School” form to be comple-
ted with the respective establishment
and returned to the Federation. To
allow each pupil to participate in
several levels of basketball during his
education, to understand the rules, to
appreciate the game and to become
an avid (live or TV) spectator will
surely help to develop the culture of
basketball in France.
EV\Z',
 MINI-BASKETBALL

Mini-Basketball
Program
by Marina Zollner
in Berlin
Marina Zöllner, an ex-German sessions, discussions, and visits to Division of the groups in the 2003/2004
National women’s team and club observe training sessions. season:
player with TuS Lichterfelde, has
been coaching the mini-basketball MINI-BASKETBALL ORGANISATION IN BERLIN ▼ Mini advanced F1 Born 1993
teams at TuS Lichterfelde since 1978. The mini-basketball games are orga- and younger with game experien-
nized by the Berlin Basketball ce
TUS LICHTERFELDE AND BASKETBALL Federation, which has divided the ▼ Mini advanced F2 Born 1993
Around 3,000 members of the various player groups in a way so the and younger with little game expe-
Lichterfelde Gymnastics and Sports children can play against each other rience
Club, which was founded in 1887, play based on age and ability. It is of great ▼ Mini beginners A1 Born 1994
thirteen sports. The sports that importance for all players to gain and younger
attract the largest following are sport actual playing experience. However, ▼ Mini beginners A2 Born 1995
gymnastics, then basketball (545 for philosophical reasons, no cham- and younger, plus complete begin-
members), and gymnastics. pionships are held. ners 1994
The basketball
department has 33
teams playing acti-
vely and is one of
the largest in
Germany.
In 1992, the basket-
ball department
signed a coopera-
tion contract with
Alba Berlin for the
men’s teams. The
ALBA/TuSLi coope-
ration project was
developed on many
levels. The first step
was moving the
ALBA player, Emir
Mutapcic (ex-natio-
nal player for Bosnia
& Herzegovina, and
later coach of
ALBA), to TuS
Lichterfelde.
Another level is the
c o o p e r a t i o n
between the ALBA
and TuSLi trainers;
the head coach
works for both ALBA
and TuSLi; there are
jointly held training

EV\Z'-
 MINI-BASKETBALL

▼ Mini girls Girls only teams

There are 12 games during the sea-

son (September-April), when the
teams play within their groups accor-
ding to the official of the German
Basketball Federation (DBB) rules
(with minor changes).

Additional mini tournaments are offe-

red by the clubs and take place on
game-free weekends. In addition to
the games, there are also relays,
basket-shooting competitions, and
games for the parents. Especially
talented children from the older mini-
basketball age groups receive addi-
tional support from qualified
Federation trainers in the E-squad.
They train for 4-5 hours once a month.

For two years now the TuSLi, in asso-

ciation with the IBBA (International
Basketball Academy), has organized
a mini-basketball camp during the
summer on Fehmarn Island. Henrik
Rödl, ex-national league player and
national player, is head coach of the
camp.

A further highlight of the season is

participating in the Mini-Basketball
Tournament in Göttingen (the first one
was held 25 years ago), one of the simplified rules. In addition, to the A new group of around 30 children (all
largest tournaments in Europe for this various exercises, first contact with are 7 years old) has started up at TuS
age group. the ball, and little games, emphasis is Lichterfelde. Girls and boys are trained
placed on the development of the separately due to their differing deve-
PRACTICE PROGRAM basic motor abilities (speed, flexibi- lopment. Not only professional players,
Mini-basketball should be considered lity, coordination, strength, and sta- but coaches and referees can develop
play, fun, and an enjoyable experien- mina). A varied, fun, all-round trai- through these broad foundations, and
ce. Children from 7 to 11 learn the ning regimen offers everyone motor they are important to the progress and
team sport of basketball according to development. development of basketball.

EV\Z'.
 instructors have years of training
experience and many started as
players with TuSLi. Each must be a
combination of teacher, friend,
comforter, and psychologist. They
advise parents, take care of health
issues, sort out arguments, and take
care of organizational aspects of trai-
ning, games, and extra activities (plan-
ning for tournaments and trips).
Every trainer has a junior player or inte-
rested helper who helps as an assistant
at training sessions and games. This
person can take the trainer’s place at
training sessions and is being trained to
take a group of his own later on.

PARENTS
We want to keep the parents intere-
sted in basketball as a sport. Parents
help with organizing car shares to
games or tournaments, provide refre-
shments (e.g. buffets at tournaments),
organize parties or leisure-time plan-
ning. At games, they set up in the hall
and put things away afterwards, help
the table officials as timekeepers and
scorers, and wash the uniform shirts.
Finally, they can give financial support
through sponsorship (playing shirts,
warm-up suits) or donations, photo-
copying information leaflets, putting
address lists together. Even so, in spite
of all the help they provide, parents are
During the first year, the 7- and 8- 10 min. runs, 6-day races. not instructors or coaches.
year-olds have weekly training ses-
sions. LEARNING BASIC BASKETBALL SKILLS THE FUTURE
The aim of these sessions is to teach ▼ Passing, catching (chest pass, Several changes instigated by the
the basics of dribbling, passing, cat- floor pass). regional trainers will be introduced in
ching, and lay-up shots. When the ▼ Throwing (right and left handed the coming season:
youngsters play full-court, 5-on-5, lay-ups).
the focus is on play with two baskets ▼ Dribbling. All groups will play 4-on-4. Fewer
and observation of the foul, travel- players on the court means more
ling, and double-dribble rules. The During the second year, the basics are space for individual moves. This
overall aim is to lead up to team developed into skilled playing: pas- should mean more ball contact for
game-level via small games with and sing, catching, dribbling, and right and each player and, therefore, better trai-
without the ball. left lay-ups. The children have 1-2 trai- ning in basic techniques. Demands on
ning sessions per week. conditioning will also increase.
Training of core motor skills:
▼ Strength: push and pull exerci- In the third year, all techniques are The referee will not check the ball at a
ses/climbing/relays with medicine reinforced, physical conditioning throw-in (except in the case of a foul).
balls (exercises with body weight improved, and particular emphasis is This should mean more speed in the
only, no additional weights). placed on man-to-man defense. game, more fluidity of play. Quick swit-
▼ Co-ordination: running with and Training regularly takes place twice a ches and fast breaks will be encouraged.
without the ball, ball handling, week.
skipping, exercises from other Man-to-man defense over the entire
sports, e.g. gymnastics, trampoli- MINI-BASKETBALL INSTRUCTORS, court is a regulation of play. One-on-
ne. AND ASSISTANTS one playing continues to be encoura-
▼ Flexibility: yes, but no stretching The mini-basketball instructor’s aim is ged; each player must take responsibi-
(except in certain individual to show children how much fun lity. These measures mean playing
cases). basketball can be. On this basis, the under more pressure and should lead
▼ Speed: reaction games, small trainer has to work with all children in to improved switching and quick
games. the group and organize his training to attack speeds, and implementation of
▼ Aerobic stamina: small games, 5- be as flexible as possible. Most TuSLi the basic techniques.
EV\Z(%
 MINI-BASKETBALL

SERBIAN
MINI-BASKETBALL

by Race Giorgijevski

Race Giorgijevski is the President of

Serbian Mini- Basketball.

Over the course of the last four years,

Serbian Mini-Basketball was reborn and
found its own place under the basketball
sun. Founded as a part of the Basketball
Federation of Serbia on January 16,
2000, the idea to create these leagues
for young players came as the result of
increased interest in basketball, and the
desire to provide sports opportunities for
our children.
The first goals of this project included
introducing basketball to children, deve-
loping a love of basketball through
playing, and building a sport that had a
collective spirit of fair play. This move-
ment found plenty of followers all across
Serbia and in a short time the mini-
basketball movement became very
popular.

The Mini-Basketball League was formed groups: one group is formed by girls and Basketball Festivals. These festivals
immediately in each city and competi- boys up to 10 years old; girls and boys up have proven to be successful and well
tion for boys and girls 6 to 10 years old to 9 years old form the second group; attended. They are organized mainly in
was started. The standard height of the and girls and boys up to 8 years old form three different locations in Belgrade,
rim at 3.05m, too high for children of that the third group. The competitions are run one indoors and two outdoors, and often
age, was quickly lowered to 2.60m. The in five regions created only for mini- teams from other countries attend these
number of players on each team was basketball (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, festivals.
increased to 15 from 12 to bolster intere- Kragujevac, and Zrenjanin). There are
st and involve more children in the game. more than 200 clubs involved, each with The most popular tournament is the
During each game, all players must play two or three teams, so the final number "Christmas Tournament," which has been
at least one quarter. In the fourth quarter, playing the game is more than 6,000 boys played at the Belgrade Fair every winter
a coach can choose to send on the court and girls, all under the umbrella of for the last four years. In the huge hall,
the best five players from his team, Serbian Mini-Basketball. we can place 10 courts, and from mor-
which means that they will finish the ning until night children play mini-
game. Serbian Mini-Basketball also organizes basketball. During the three-day tourna-
special events as a part of the Mini- ment, you can see everything that
The competitions are divided into three Basketball project called Mini- basketball and childhood makes most
EV\Z(&
 MINI-BASKETBALL

beautiful: for those 72 hours, kids are

living only for playing, winning, and cele-
brating victory!

The motto of the competition "Mini-

Basketball, Maxi Fun" is telling you what
the founders and organizers would like
to pursue: creating an event that will be
remembered by these small basketball
players for many years, and creating in
them the will to become basketball
players at the highest levels.

Based on the same motto, we also orga-

nize another tournament held at Ada
Ciganlija, an outdoor location in the
middle of Belgrade. This competition is
held in late spring every year. This is not
just a basketball tournament and compe-
tition, but a means for fostering friend-
ship, learning, and fun for all partici-
pants.

Another tournament, named "Happy

Childhood," takes place in Kosutnjak, a
park on the suburbs of Belgrade, and it is
played on only one basketball court with
six mini-basketball backboards. On that
court, boys and girls are taking their first
basketball steps towards mini-basketball
games and league, which will last for the
next six weeks. ▼ Before the game, the coach decides ▼ There is no time-out, and the coa-
which triplets will play in each quar- ches can use the one minute
The tournament is run at the end of the ter. between the quarters, and the five
summer holiday, shortly before the minutes between halftime to talk to
beginning of the new school year. During ▼ In the second halftime, the coach has the players.
the tournament, children arrive at the the right to change triplet formations,
court at 8 in the morning and leave at the to decide on which quarters they will ▼ There is one referee, one scorekee-
8 in the evening. It is 12 hours of friend- play; all twelve players must play. per, and one timekeeper.
ship, fun, and basketball.

At its grassroots level, mini-basketball

has its own special rules:

▼ The basketball court is round with

two concentric circles. The first cir-
cle has a four-meter diameter, while
the second has an eight-meter dia-
meter.

▼ Each team had twelve players, with

four triplets per team.

▼ Each quarter lasts five minutes

without a stop clock. There is a one-
minute intermission between quar-
ters

▼ Halftime is in between the third and

the fourth quarters.

▼ In any new quarter new triplets must

play.

EV\Z('
▼ The toss of a coin decides which
team will have the first ball posses-
sion.

▼ There is a change of ball possession

after any basket is scored.

▼ The basket scored from the first cir-

cle counts as one point. The basket
scored from the second circle counts
as two points.

▼ Before a shot, at least two players of

the same team must touch the ball.

▼ Before the continuation of the game,

the opposing team must touch the
ball.

▼ After any change of possession, a

team must bring the ball back, behind
second circle.

Serbian Mini-Basketball also organizes a

summer camp at Fruska Gora, a city
about 80 kilometers from Belgrade. The
participants at "Friendship Camp" are
children from all parts of Serbia and
abroad. Serbian Mini-Basketball is also
part of the international YUBAC camp at
Kopaonik.

The late Rajko Zizic, the first President

of Serbian Mini-Basketball, was one of
the legends of Yugoslavian basketball.
A member of three Olympic teams and
two World Championship teams, Zizic
laid the foundation for Serbian Mini-
Basketball. Serbian Mini-Basketball
today has its own Secretary, Expert
Board, Management Board, and its own
magazine. We organize seminars for
coaches and control their work, since
they have a delicate job directing prac-
tice sessions, while instilling the love of
this sport to children.
The people in charge of the Serbian-
players go to rebound. When two Mini Basketball have even higher aspi-
▼ If the player shakes the pole of the free-throws are assigned, the other rations. In 2005, they are planning a
board or the board, one point is assi- players stay out of second circle, and tournament called "Mini-Basketball EP
gned to the opponent team. these players go to rebound, after the 2005" that will take place at the time of
▼ A free-throw is assigned for any per- second free-throw. the European Championships, which
sonal foul. will be held in Belgrade.
▼ In the "death ball" situation, the team We are confident that if we think, plan,
▼ The free-throw is shot where the foul on defense receives the possession and work well, as well as work in the
violation was made. If the foul viola- of the ball. right direction and put even more enthu-
tion occurs inside the first circle, the siasm into our work, we will achieve
player will shoot only one free-throw. ▼ After any out-of-bound, the team great results.
If the foul violation occurs inside the throws in the ball near the second We think that Serbian-Mini Basketball
second circle, the player will shoot circle. will be the first phase in developing
two free-throws. When one free- future good players in Serbia, and will
throw is assigned, the other players ▼ Dunking the basketball is prohibited help Serbia to stay an international
stay out of the first circle and these during warm-ups and the game. basketball power.
EV\Z((
 MINI-BASKETBALL
MINI-BASKETBALL

MINI IS GETTING
BIGGER
IN PORTUGAL
by António San Payo Araújo

António San Payo Araújo is now

Technical Director of the National
Committee of Mini-basketball,
Coordinator of the Formation of the area
of Mini-basket at the National School of
Basketball, and level III coach. He was ▼ Contribute to a harmonious develop- zations, municipalities, and enterpri-
previously a teacher of Basketball and ment of the children and to the begin- ses the importance and possibilities
Methodology of Sports Games at the ning of a sports activity. of mini-basketball, beside the capa-
Naval School Physical education Centre. ▼ Lead the children to regular sports city of organization of the CNMB.
activity. ▼ Bring mini-basketball to every munici-
“Say Mini-basket, not Mini-basketball. pality in the country, giving greater
Mini-basket means precisely that this is DYNAMIC OF THE NATIONAL expression to a regular and conti-
one thing, and basketball is another diffe- COMMITTEE OF MINI-BASKETBALL nuous practice all over the country.
rent game.” We would like to explain:
Mário Lemos ▼ Who we are. WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE
(one of the founder of mini-basketball in ▼ What are our targets. ▼ A sponsor, QUERU, a food company,
Portugal) ▼ What are our aims. who allows the presence of other
▼ What we already have. sponsors or partners - unless they are
After the excellent FIBA World Junior ▼ What we have been doing. in the same business.
Championship in 1999 in Portugal, mini- ▼ Our plan of action. ▼ A plan of action “Multiply 2000”.
basketball reassumed vital strategic ▼ 21 regional committees.
importance in regard of the development WHO WE ARE ▼ Protocols with municipalities.
of basketball in our country. Due to the We are the National Committee of Mini- ▼ Over 8,000 youngsters enrolled in FPB.
great enthusiasm during the World Junior Basketball – CNMB an organization ▼ A program of events, which is expan-
Championship, the National Mini- within the Portuguese Federation of ding to informal players. This may
Basketball Committee became active Basketball, FPB -, created at the begin- reach over 16,000 youngsters in Mini-
again. The recognition of coaches and ning of 2000 to develop mini-basketball in basketball.
clubs, which have been promoting chil- Portugal. CNMB coordinates 21 regional ▼ Information of all mini-basketball acti-
dren’s games all over the country, has committees. vities taking place around the country.
become the major task of the Committee. ▼ Mini-basketball within the Federation
This recognition is made through the free WHAT ARE OUR TARGETS in 148 municipalities. In 2000 there were
clinics organized by many clubs and by ▼ All municipalities in the country. only 112 with Mini-basketball clubs.
the schools for coaches and teachers all ▼ All schools from the 1st to the 6th year ▼ 347 clubs have mini-basketball.
over the country. With the clear notion of school, over 800.000 children.
that mini-basketball only acquires its real WHAT WE ARE DOING EVERY SEASON
meaning when it constitutes a true acti- WHAT ARE OUR AIMS ▼ Sports activity: We organize 4 events,
vity that gives pleasure and satisfaction ▼ To widen social and sports importan- which encompass all regional com-
to all children, priorities have been esta- ce of mini-basketball in every munici- mittees (2 national jamboree and 2
blished as follows: pality and every school in the first six national festivals). We also support a
▼ Give pleasure and satisfaction to all years all over the country. program of inter-regional committees
children. ▼ To show to all entities, official organi- festivals.
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▼ Formation activity: We organize 20 to CNMB GUIDELINES
25 clinics for coaches and teachers all The main CNMB guidelines, in regard
over the country. to social and sports reality, are as fol-
▼ Promotion activity: We organize 10 to lows:
15 promotion activities of mini-basket- ▼ Define the sport philosophy of mini-
ball every year. basketball and organise the annual
plan of activities.
PLAN OF ACTION “MULTIPLY 2000” ▼ Support technically and logistically
To think globally and implement regionally is the regional committees.
our way increase the development of mini- ▼ Develop and encourage projects,
basketball. Increasing the activity only has which lead to better quality and
a real expression and meaning if it is faced quantity of mini-basketball.
as a continuous, integrated, and global per-
spective, articulated with other projects, WHAT ARE OUR TARGETS
the aim of which is naturally the develop- Our future targets are:
ment of basketball. It is well known that ▼ To reach 2% of our target 800.000 chil-
occasional activities rarely bring lasting dren; approximately 16.000 mini-
results. basketball players.
The plan of action of CNMB is the creation ▼ Bring mini-basketball to all municipali-
of conditions of human and logistical ties of the country.
resources, which enable the development
of mini-basketball in a regular and conti- THE FUTURE formation and ways of recognition are
nuous way. With the very clear idea of sup- After a brief survey, we found that mini- essential in this process.
port and recognition of the human factor, basketball in Portugal has been growing Under this point of view the new site of
CNMB has a project with possibilities of since the year 2000, but it has not yet the FPB is a good start and, at the same
coordination and development of the activi- reached the peak that we have in mind. time, a good meeting place in order to
ties, and also stimulates regional commit- We know that coaches and teachers are awaken and widen the interest of a large
tees to promote the practice of mini-basket. of main importance for children’s intere- debate for developing this wonderful
The realisation of this project has only been st and the most important factor for the activity called mini-basketball. If we are
possible through the combined efforts of development of mini-basketball. We able to succeed, children will have a
clubs, coaches, teachers, municipalities must continue to help foster these very happy future.
and the help of the children’s families. important elements. Therefore, a regular

Regional Municipalities Municipalities Inhabitants Inhabitants Mini-basketball

Committees with practice 6-12 years players

Lisbon 16 12 2.051.937 152.008 895

Porto 18 14 1.678.380 150.103 517
Braga 14 7 815.976 76.079 401
Aveiro 19 12 673.447 58.452 992
Setúbal 13 10 768.224 57.150 639
Leiria 16 8 424.297 33.626 157
Santarém 22 8 457.412 33.411 231
Viseu 24 8 413.554 32.647 949
Alentejo 42 12 464.790 32.062 244
Algarve 16 9 362.854 29.846 331
Coimbra 17 7 430.977 29.408 570
Madeira 11 4 257.594 24.432 538
Vila Real 14 3 234.350 19,163 546
Viana 10 8 258.392 18.710 332
São Miguel 6 3 128.092 15.212 258
C. Branco 11 4 216.697 14.465 241
Guarda 14 12 184.510 13.483 163
Bragança 12 3 162.809 11.622 51
Terceira 2 1 56.540 5.099 248
Faial 4 2 29.740 2.461 62
S Maria 1 1 6.000 648 49
Total 302 148 10.076.572 810.107 8414

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 MINI-BASKETBALL
MINI-BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL IN ICE
HOCKEY COUNTRY
back to Finland and star- part of the physical education curricu-
ted playing and teaching lum, but only very basic elements of
the game to others. The the game are taught in physical
Finnish Basketball education lessons.
Association was foun- The big problem in Finland, and
ded in 1939, and in the several European countries, is
same year, Finland that while there are many chil-
participated in the dren, who start to play basketball,
by Jouko Vuolle European champion- for some reason they quit playing as
ship tournament for the teenagers. Why? One reason could
first time. Do not ask about be that the early basketball training
Juoko Vuolle is a member of the FIBA results. Finland lost by about 91-1. was not fun nor was it really desi-
Europe and FIBA World Youth Nonetheless, it was a start. gned for children. The models used to
Committee. Mini-basketball also has a long tradition in teach Finnish children are taken from the
Finland. Since the mid-1960s, the game of adult world and only the most talented and
The typically cold morning of February 28 mini-basketball has been played in Finland mature children enjoy this.
helped explain a lot why basketball is not using 260 cm goals with # 5 basketballs. At The other point is that when the training is
the biggest sport in Finland. The thermo- the earlier years, also Finnish champion- organized by the clubs, it is almost impos-
meter registered 20 degrees below zero, ships for mini-basketball were played, but, sible to start playing before the age of 11
immediately freezing any body part not since 30 years, there is not anymore any and 12. During the cold winter months,
covered in warm clothing. There was championship. Young boys and girls are there are not many places where children
snow everywhere you looked. In many content to play in regional level tourna- can just go and play or shoot baskets. The
parts of the world, basketball is a year- ments and participate in a wide variety of tradition of playing basketball in the local
round game, outdoors and indoors. tournaments and rallies. park is not a national reality as it is for ice
However, in Finland, playing outdoors is Since 1979, there has been a very close hockey or football.
not possible six months of the year. association with the Biddy Basketball That said, basketball is played and it will
organization in the United States. Teams continue to be played in Finland.
This is not to say that there is little intere- and coaches from Finland have taken part Basketball is very popular among the
st in the game. Finland is a wealthy coun- in tournaments in America and we have growing group of immigrants in Finland.
try and many parents are ready to invest been pleased to host American guests. Sport, basketball in particular, is one of the
a reasonable amount of money in their To understand the situation of Finnish best ways to be naturalized to a new coun-
children's hobbies and sports activities. basketball even better, you first need to try.
In addition, every school in Finland has a understand that there are barely five mil- The Finnish Basketball Association has
place to play basketball, as mandated by lion people living in Finland, a country that created good teaching materials and
law. The reason for this is that the ex- is 1,200 km long from south to north. Most every autumn new basketball schools
president of the Finnish Basketball people live in the southern part of the organized by the local clubs start their
Association was also a member of country. work. Coaching education is critical for
Finnish Parliament. He initiated a propo- Finland is also a country that embraces basketball development and anyone in
sal in the late 1950s stating that: many different sports. Ice hockey is abso- Finland, who wants to learn the basics of
"Because basketball is a very good sport lutely number one in terms of popularity, coaching mini-basketball will be helped.
for boys and girls and no special or but winter sports, track and field, and foot- However, most of the clubs presently lack
expensive equipment is necessary" ball also have their supporters and partici- qualified coaches.
basketball backboards and rims should pants. There is also a great interest in eso- There should always be dreams and I have
be installed in all schools throughout the teric sports. For example, Finland has been a few. My first dream is that every boy or
country. Nobody was against the idea the European Champion in American girl in Finland would have the possibility to
and that is how Finland came to embrace Football several times. shoot the ball, hit the rim, and score a
basketball. Mini-basketball in Finland is organized and basket.
Basketball has a long tradition in Finland. supported by independent clubs. There My second dream is that there will be an
The game was first introduced in the are 260 basketball clubs in Finland and open mini-basketball hour in the afternoon
country in 1927. YMCA workers who first nearly half of them have some kind of mini- twice a week in every school. That cer-
learned the game in Copenhagen came basketball program. The game is also a tainly doesn't sound unreasonable.
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 MINI-BASKETBALL SCHOOL GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
MINI-BASKETBALL,

MINI-BASKETBALL
FUNDAMENTALS: THE PASS
HOWTO TEACH IT does the same thing.
When players are very young: ▼ Again in pairs, with two balls, one player lea-
▼ With simple plays, relying on cooperation: ves the ball on the court and they exchange
the pass is not yet a relevant goal. only one ball; at the whistle of the instructor,
the ball must be exchanged;
WHEN PLAYERS GROW UP ▼ Only one ball for every two players; passes
▼ With appropriate teaching proposals: from on place, at the whistle of the instructor, who
simple to elaborate plays. has the ball keep it, and who has not the ball
▼ With contests and games in pairs and/or lit- must find a new teammate.
tle groups: stimulating the idea of coopera- ▼ The same as the previous drill, but this time,
tion and creating game situations. whoever has the ball dribbles while waiting
by Maurizio Cremonini ▼ In game situations: rewarding the right deci- for a new teammate.
sions.
Maurizio Cremonini, the Federal Coach of the Fullcourt challenge (creating a real game
Minibasket Department of the Italian SOME PROPOSALS FORTEACHING THE PASS situation)
Basketball Federation, received the Tricerri Pleasant and unpleasant (developing the idea ▼ Children are divided into two teams, aligned
Award as the best Minibasket Instructor in of cooperation) as showed in diagram 1; every team has a
Italy in 1996. ▼ Children dribble around the court, when they player without the ball on the half court; the
meet a teammate, they can exchange the team goal is to make the teammate score
This article, dedicated to mini-basketball ball, and go on. However, the teammate can before the opponent does; players on the
fundamentals, focuses on passing, proba- choose to accept the exchange (pleasant) or half court are not forced to stay still as they
bly not the most pleasurable fundamental else refuse it (unpleasant). wait for the ball; when they receive it, they
for children (who likes giving the ball so quickly dribble and shoot; after making the
someone else can play?) and surely a fun- Forced exchange basket (one point to the team that scores for
damental in which, within our lessons, is ▼ Children dribble around the entire court and, first), whoever passed the ball place himself
not given all that much attention. The tea- at the signal of the instructor, they leave the on the half court, waiting for the new starting
ching of how to pass must be included into ball and quickly run to find another ball to signal.
your schedule; only after confidence with continue their dribbling.
the ball has been developed, we can start Challenges from different positions (modify
to stimulate cooperation among teamma- Crazy passes (stimulating cooperation) situation of receipt)
tes. For starters, in order to learn how to ▼ Children are in pairs and everyone has a ball, ▼ Drill is the same as the previous one, chan-
pass, it is necessary to become "friends" exchange the balls, being closed and ging the starting position and the basket;
with the ball! Usually, in our lessons, we without making it fall on the floor. ▼ Drill with the players without the ball. They
consider four aspects, two that are dedica- ▼ In pairs, with two balls, one of them makes a start, run around a cone, receive the ball
ted to the children, and two dedicated to good pass (two- from a teammate, and shoot (diagr. 2);
the instructors: hand pass without ▼ As in the previous drill, the players
making the ball re- run to the cone placed at the corner
FORTHE CHILDREN bound), and the on the opposite side of the team (in
▼ What is the fundamental proposed. other one makes a this case, you have to make the
▼ What is it designed for. bad pass (with a children think about the need to
foot). "see" the pass, avoid hitting another
FORTHE INSTRUCTORS ▼ Again in pairs, ball, or an opponent, who
▼ How to teach it. with two balls, one is crossing the court.
▼ The plays used to teach it. of them puts the
ball on the court, D.1
WHAT IS THE PASS between their
▼ Throwing the ball to a friend. feet, receives the
▼ Playing with teammates. ball from the team-
mate, passes it
WHAT IS THE PASS FOR again, takes his
▼ To make a basket with the help of team- ball from between
mates. his feet and pas- D.2
▼ To discover the pleasure of playing with ses it to the team-
teammates. mate, who then

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 MINI-BASKETBALl
MINI-BASKETBALl

MINI-BASKETBALL
DRILLS PERSECUTION
DESCRIPTION
Children are divided
into two groups and
are set in a row at
the end of the two
sidelines.
Each group has two
balls. At the signal, D.1 D.2

by Inaki Refoyo the first player of

each row starts to
run and, while drib-
bling, runs around
Inaki Refoyo is a professor at INEF the circle at half-
(Spanish Institute of Physical Education) court. Each player
in Madrid. He is a master at the top level races back to the
of coaching in the Spanish Basketball starting point and
Federation. He has written several arti- passes the ball to
cles about basketball and conditioning. the first teammate
without the ball, then sits down at the end
HUNTING THE MOUSE of the line. The moment the player sits
down is when his teammate can start drib-
DESCRIPTION bling for the halfcourt. The first team to
All of the players are set to make one or have all of its players sitting down is the
two circles; each player has a ball. One of winner.
them, the mouse, runs around the circle,
dribbling a basketball. EQUIPMENT AND DETAILS
Suddenly, he touches one of the players ▼ Necessary tools: four balls.
in the circle, who will get up and run after ▼ Number of players: eight or more.
him, dribbling a basketball and trying to ▼ When to introduce in a practice session:
catch him before he-after having comple- At the middle of the session.
ted a lap around the circle-will arrive at ▼ Aim of the game: bring players up to the
the empty space in the circle left by the competition, using the ball; quick pro-
player. If the player does not catch him, gression, using the dribble.
he will become the new mouse; if the ▼ Physical requirements: high.
player does catch the mouse, then the ▼ Suggested time: 6 - 10 minutes.
mouse remains and goes to touch another ▼ Possible alternatives: give two balls to
player in the circle. each player. D.3

EQUIPMENT AND DETAILS SITTING

▼ Necessary tools: balls.
▼ Number of players: six or more. DESCRIPTION
▼ When to introduce in a practice ses- Players are divided into two groups; one of EQUIPMENT AND DETAILS
sion: At the beginning. the components of each group has the ball ▼ Necessary tools: two balls.
▼ Aim of the game: improving the start and is slightly far away from the rest of the ▼ Number of players: eight or more.
and the dribble as main technical com- group. At the signal of the instructor, the ▼ When to introduce in a practice ses-
ponents. player will pass to the first teammate of the sion: At the middle of the session.
▼ Physical requirements: low. row who, after having reversed the ball to ▼ Aim of the game: learn to pass and
▼ Suggested time: 3 - 5 minutes. the first passer, will sit on the court and the develop cooperation among team-
▼ Possible alternatives: a) make two laps other components of the group will do the mates.
around the circle; b) use the non-domi- same. The team that first has all the com- ▼ Physical requirements: low.
nant hand for dribbling. ponents seated on the court will win. ▼ Suggested time: 5 - 7 minutes.
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