A lot of you all have been asking what happens in my private coaching consultations……so here is a little “behind the scenes” e-mail exchange for you.  This was included as a bonus for Basketball Blueprint Diamond Package Owners.
E-mail from coach**********

1)“ “  Coaching youth sports for 25 years and played [tag]high school basketball[/tag].  I am currently about to start working with a group of 11-12 year old boys.  (Middle School 6-7th grade)“ “  This particular group does not have anyone that has played travel ball.  They have mostly played Recreational league and Church League. “  The guards are small and quick and decent ball handlers.  Two of them get in a hurry though and try to rush.  Medium height for the posts and forwards,“  fairly athletic but slow.  Range from 5-2 to 5-5 in height. “  What I want to accomplish with these boys is two fold.

1)“  Be able to play man defense learning to help.  If they can learn to help on man they can translate it to zone.

2)“  run an offense,“  not just plays as they have been taught.  They are not 3 point shooters so it will important to learn to screen and cut and anticipate the open man.  I have been watching the v cut and l cut drills and plan to start them when practice starts next week.  My ultimate goal is to give them a good base so that by the time they get to high school,“  the coach will not have to “start over” so to speak.  So,“  I guess my question deals with drills to support a good offense (probably motion or variation)“  and how to teach deny and help.

Thanks in advance.

E-mail to coach from me*********
Hey Larry,
I’ve put together a pretty comprehensive set of [tag]basketball[/tag] videos for you here which should answer your questions.

Here’s the link:

CONFIDENTIAL VIDEO LINK

1) Help Defense… The 1-Man Help D [tag]basketball drill[/tag] I provided will teach your team the fundamentals of zone defense,
including:

– The 3 positions in man to man defense: Ball, Deny, and Help
– The Ball-You-Man Triangle… how to position yourself while in Help side
– How to use your peripheral vision
– How to close out on your defender

And some other tidbits you should enjoy.  When you run this drill, try to emphasize:

– Communication: yell out “Ball”, “Deny” or “Help” to let your teammates know what position you’re in
– Exaggerate the Help in practice
– Cut off a driving player BEFORE he reaches the lane

2) Drills For Running An Offense

The first drill I set up for you is the Down Screen shooting drill.  It’s a simple shooting drill that will teach your players how to get open on the wings to make jumpshots.

Try to emphasize:

– Misdirecting right before the screen to set the defender up
– Catching the ball with knees bent and in triple-threat position (ability to shoot, pass, drive)
– Waiting for the screen… not leaving too early

The second drill is a bit more advanced, but will definitely go a long way to preparing your guys for high school ball.

It’s a competitive 3 on 3 drill that focuses on post to post play, sealing off defenders in the lane, and using screens to get open.

Try to emphasize:

– Being physical, using footwork and lower body strength to seal off defenders down low
– Using good fakes and step-around moves to deliver effective post-entry passes
– Rotating the new teams in and out quickly… keeping the continuity of the drill

The Basketball Blueprint files are attached to this email, so you can open those up and customize them as well.

Thanks,
Coach Pat