Clayton

Youth Basketball

Coaching Manual
 Youth Sports League Philosophy – Clayton Parks and Recreation

The City of Clayton strongly believes in the benefits of participation in organized sports. Participation in
sports has proven to build self-esteem, promote teamwork, develop the body as well as the mind, and is an
integral part of the maturation process.

I. To have FUN!!!
A. Every child should have an enjoyable and positive experience.
B. According to the American Youth & Sports participation survey:
1. The number one reason children participate in sports is to “have fun.”
2. The number two reason why children stop playing sports is “I stopped having fun.”

II. Recreational League

A. The Clayton Parks and Recreation youth sports league is not a competitive league.
B. The Clayton Parks and Recreation youth sports league allows every child a chance to play no
matter what abilities the child posses.
C. Standings are not kept and scores are de-emphasized.
D. The Clayton Parks and Recreation youth sports league tries to provide as evenly skilled teams
as possible.

III. Every Child receives equal playing time.

A. Our goal is for children to learn to play the game, which they can not do without
participation.
B. Every child should receive an equal amount of attention during practices.

IV. Open Registration

A. Our programs are open to anyone who wants to play.
B. Clayton Parks and Recreation will accommodate every child that signs up before the
deadline.
C. Every child who enrolls before the determined deadline is guaranteed a place in the league.

V. Community Involvement
A. The Clayton youth sports program is dependent on volunteers.
1. Our leagues can not run successfully without the time and effort of our volunteer
coaches, officials, and parental support.
2. Volunteer coaches will be trained and encouraged to make the extra effort to:
a. understand children’s needs
b. give positive help rather than negative criticism
c. be positive role models to the children
d. teach the respective sport to the best of their ability
e. follow the philosophy and standards as outlined by the Clayton Youth Sports League
B. The Clayton Parks and Recreation youth sports league encourage our participant’s parents or
guardians to become positively involved with their child’s respective league.

VI. Good Sportsmanship

A. Athletic contests naturally involve competition
1. The Clayton Youth Sports League desires to create an atmosphere in which the game is
played with constructive orientation, rather than a win at all costs attitude.
2. Respect towards teammates, coaches, and referees must be instilled in all participants.
3. No matter what the outcome of the game, everyone gains a positive experience if they are
treated respectfully and congratulated for giving their best effort
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 Youth Sports Coaches Code of Conduct

City of Clayton

“An opportunity to make a difference”

I will be responsible for all the kids on my team.

I will do my best to insure that all the kids have fun playing sports.

I will treat all kids with respect and avoid negative criticism.

I will teach all kids the skills of the game, the values of teamwork and the meaning
of good sportsmanship.

I will lead by example and always demonstrate good sportsmanship during games.

I will see that "all kids play" regardless of skill level.

I will provide only encouragement and positive direction to players during games.

I will know the rules and always play by the rules.

I will respect the officials and their authority during games.

I will communicate with the parents on my team and inform them of all team rules,
practices and games.

I will respect all facilities and equipment made available for my team to practice
and play games.

I will never use profanity, abusive language or threatening behavior towards any
player, parent, coach or official.

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Coaches Expectation

Youth Basketball coaches need to have an enthusiastic involvement for the kids to enjoy as well
as learn the game of basketball. Be involved, but not too involved! Always remember to be a
role model for your players no matter what happens. Here is our expectation.
1. Adhere to and support the youth sports rules and philosophies.
2. Communicate practice, game times and team information to parents. Please note that
email is a great tool, but please do not rely entirely on it.
3. Keep Athletics & Facilities Supervisor informed of all positive or negative information
regarding the fields, officials, participants, or general public.
4. Organize practices.
5. Provide a supportive atmosphere for achieving team goals.
6. Keep winning in perspective, and help your players and parents to do the same.
7. Help your team/players set challenging but realistic performance goals rather than
focusing on only “winning the game.”
8. Grant equal playing time to all children.
9. Although kids may get hurt playing sports, we do all we can to prevent injuries. We’ve
modified each sport to make it safer and more enjoyable to play. Coaches make sure the
equipment and facilities are safe, and they teach the sport as we’ve prescribed so that the
skills taught are appropriate for athletes’ developmental levels. And coaches constantly
supervise their players and stop any unsafe activities.
10. Be sure every player has been picked up from games or practices.
11. Fair play is about playing by the rules-and more. It’s about coaches and players showing
respect for all participants and referees.
12. Coaches remember this. Sports are naturally fun for most kids. Sometimes when adults
become involved in children’s sporting activities they over-organize and dominate the activities
to the point that it destroys kids’ enjoyment of them. If we take the fun out of sports for young
athletes, we are in danger of having the young athletes take themselves out of sports.

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Practice Plan
Before you walk onto the practice field / court, you should have a well-defined plan of your
goals and objectives for the practice and be mentally prepared for dealing with a large group of
kids. There is an example Practice Plan form for your use in planning your practices. Prepare
your plan either mentally or on paper, although the later is preferred. If you prepare a Practice
Plan on paper, then an assistant coach or another volunteer could continue the team development
in case of your absence.

This plan should include:

• Provide objectives that should be accomplished during the practice. This can include both
subjective and non-subjective goals.

• Outline the goals and requirements of the four basic activities and the amount of time you
would like to devote to each. Our sample agenda includes recommended times and should
vary with your team’s skill development and maturity.

• Prepare a list of the equipment required. This helps ensure you only take what you need and
makes sure you get what you need if you should be in a hurry. (You know, that pushy boss
that wants a 5pm meeting.).

• The Practice Plan form gives you an area to take notes as to what aspects of the practice
went well, what didn’t, or maybe ideas you had to make the skill development simpler for
the players. You can also take notes about the players’ responses during your Team Talk
regarding the next practice. Keep these forms for a reminder next year.

Warm Up (5minutes). This is especially important in developing long-term physical fitness

awareness for your players and greatly reduces the risk of injury to your players. If your team is
like most, the kids will ‘wander’ onto the practice field. Do low impact ‘games’ with them while
waiting for everyone to show. When the warm-up ‘officially’ begins, first demonstrate the
exercise and then begin the exercise. Be sure to explain the exercise in words the players can
understand. Sometimes you will have to teach them new words for this to work. Be sure that you
participate with them, because the players will learn quickest by example. And if you can, get the
parents to participate as well!

Team Talk (2 minutes, 1 minute to get them quiet!) Have a brief Team Talk with them and let
them know what you want to accomplish today and what you expect of them today. Keep it
simple and in words they can understand.

Skill Development (25 minutes). Begin skill development drills and exercises. Spend the first
10 minutes improving skills taught in previous practices. You will need to focus on the less-
talented players at this time to help them improve at a quicker pace. Consider providing these
players a ‘mentor’, another player that can show them good execution of the skill. This
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mentoring approach also keeps more players busy and ‘engaged’ providing more fun and
participation.

After the review, begin introducing a new skill ‘game’ or regimen. You should strive to
introduce one new skill, or a variation or refinement of a skill at every practice session. This may
require a brief Team Talk with the players to provide a foundation of words or expectations. First
explain the skill, then with other assistants, if necessary, demonstrate the skill using proper
technique. Then turn the players loose to try it themselves.
Once they begin the skill development exercise, try to keep further instruction and refinement to
a minimum, and spend your time one-on-one with the players. Having other volunteers and
coaches manage the ‘team’ allows you to spend some ‘quality time’ with each player while they
are striving to learn. If you have an exceptional player or two, place them in a mentoring position
with other players.

Water Break: Take a 3 to 5 minute water break. Have the players’ gather in the Team Talk
location and use this as a brief cool-down. You can have an assistant or player "serve" the water
and you can use this opportunity to reinforce the skill(s) just practiced.

Play. (20 minutes) Play a modified game or small-sided game / scrimmage. This will increase
the likelihood that the skills you have just introduced or have previously introduced have real-
world (read game-time) implications. Here are a few tips to ensure a successful (read fun and
educational) scrimmage:
• Be sure to have the player’s rotate positions so that each player can understand the
requirements of the position, and possibly develop an appreciation of other players that
play that position.
• Have a couple of players be assistant coaches and officials. This encourages these players
to understand the rules and really teaches a sense of fair play.
• Play for a pre-determined amount of time, not until a scrimmage team reaches a certain
score.
• Focus on only one or two rules or skills at a time. Trying to teach too many skills / rules
at a time can be overwhelming for most players.

Team Talk (5 — 10 minutes, 2 minutes to get them quiet!). This provides time for the players
to cool-down and reflect on their recent accomplishments. It also provides a time for you to
repeat today’s instructions and to communicate with your players.
A sample agenda on the closing Team Talk could include the following:

• Ask the players to tell the team what they learned today. Try to refrain from using "Yes"
or "No" questions. Don’t force a player to provide an answer to your questions. He may
be too tired or mentally drained to answer your question. If they give you an inattentive
answer, simply acknowledge their answer with a nod, smile or "that’s interesting" and
move on to the next player.
• Talk to the team about a particular rule or situation that may have happened in practice or
the last game. Ask the players what they would like to do in the next practice. This will
give you a good pulse on what part of the game is the most fun, and will let you use this
in between "less fun" activities.

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• If your team is old enough or if you choose to use the "mentoring" practice, assign some
players to be officials, assistants or mentors for the next practice. This creates enthusiasm
for practice for these players, and is especially useful with less enthusiastic players.
• If you’re going to give the players ‘homework’, now would be the time to do so. Give
them very specific instructions on skills and rules they should practice and learn. For
younger children you should provide this information as note cards or flash cards. Then
see how many of them completed last week’s homework. Test them with simple
questions.
• Summarize your discussion and repeat the important teachings of the day. With younger
kids a small ‘reward’ can help keep the players’ attention. (Bubble gum, etc…)
• Make a game out of wrapping up the practice. Have the players’ pack up the equipment,
balls, retrieve the bases or cones, etc…

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 Practice Plan Worksheet

Date: ______________________ Practice Number: ______________

Practice Emphases: ___________ Time Started: _________________
1. _________________________ Time Ended: _________________
2. _________________________ Total Time: __________________

Time Practice Activity Coaching Emphases

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Basketball - Partner Passing Drill
Purpose: Helps players learn to pass effectively and catch properly.

Have players pair up facing each other between the free throw lines.
Each partner set has a ball. The pairs begin by chest passing the ball
Procedure: accurately and quickly to one another. Make sure players are stepping
forward, giving targets and calling for the ball. Then repeat the drill
doing bounce passes.

Basketball - 2 Ball Dribbling Drill

Purpose: Work on ball handling skills with both hands.

Each player has two balls. Start off with stationary dribbling about
waist high, as one ball goes down the other ball comes up. Then have
Procedure:
the players quick dribble about 4 or 5 inches off of the floor. Finally
have the players move up and down the court slowly at their own pace.

Basketball - Anticipation Drill

This drill will help players develop skills for anticipating the pass.
Purpose:
(Playing off the ball defense)

This drill requires 4 players and one ball. Setup one offensive player
on the right block, one offensive player on the left block, one offensive
player at the top of the key with the ball and one defensive player three
steps ahead of the two offensive players on the block in the middle of
the key. The defender should stand in the defensive "ready position"
(Defensive stance) with hands ready and focusing on the person with
the ball. The offensive player with the ball throws the ball to the
person on the left block. The defender must anticipate the throw and
step into the passing lane and catch the ball before it reaches the
offensive player. Once the defender catches the ball, the player will
Procedure:
pass it back to the point player who will then try to make a pass to the
right block. Again, the defender should read the pass, step into the
passing lane and catch the ball before it reaches the offensive player.
At first you can let the defender know which block the pass is going to
be made to. Once the defender becomes more experienced at reading
the pass, the pass should be made to either block without letting the
defender know where the pass is going. Make sure the defender is
stepping into the passing lane and not running at the offensive player.
Rotate players through so that each has an opportunity to pass, receive
and play defense.

Basketball - Catch and Pivot Drill

To help players learn to move the ball effectively and pivot towards
Purpose:
the basket as soon as they catch the ball.
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 Eight players are at one end of the court with one ball. Players form a
box with two players in line at each corner of the box. One player
starts on the block, one player is at the side of the free throw line, one
player is even with the free throw line extended out at the wind, and
one player with the ball is on the baseline extended out from the block.
Procedure: A second player stands behind each of the four players. Passing begins
counter clockwise with the first player in line stepping up to receive
the next pass, pivoting away from the basket and passing to the next
spot in the box. After passing, players follow their pass to the end of
the line they just passed to. After a few minutes reverse the direction
of the passes and pivots.

Basketball - Fifty Passes Drill

Great drill for working on passing, moving without the ball and
Purpose:
defense.

This is a half court drill. Split team into even groups. Players are not
allowed to dribble the ball. Each team must complete fifty passes to
win the game. Possession changes whenever a violation occurs -
Procedure:
dribbling, steal, out of bounds (regardless who it goes out on). When a
team regains possession they continue their count from where they left
off.

Basketball - Closeout and Recovery Drill

Good drill for teaching defensive communication, recovery and
Purpose:
closeout.

Divide your players in to teams of three players. Line up defensive

players underneath the basket with their backs to the floor - one player
in the middle and one on each lower block. Line up three offensive
players just inside the three point line. One player at the top of the key,
and one player on each side of the key even with the free throw line
facing the basket. The defense keeps their backs to the floor so they
Procedure: can't see where the offense is positioned. The coach stands out of
bounds and makes a pass to one of the offensive players, who once
they catch the pass, play to score. As soon as the pass is made the
defenders turn and closeout the offensive players. The possession
continues until the offense scores or the defense gains possession of
the ball. New offensive players rotate in and the offensive team
becomes the defense

Basketball - Fill The Lane Drill

Purpose: Develops good defensive anticipation skills. (Reading the pass)

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 Set-up two defenders at the top of the key (spaced evenly the width of
the backboard), three offensive players even with the foul line - one in
Procedure:
the center and the other two at the wings around the three point line,
and one guard at half court.

Have the guard bring the ball across half court and make a pass to one
of the three players, the two defenders must communicate with each
other and try to intercept the pass.

Basketball - Heads Up Drill

To improve ball handling techniques and keeping the head up for
Purpose:
passing.

Minimum of two players spaced 5-8 feet apart (depending on age and
skill level). Each player has a basketball and one has a wiffleball or
ping-pong ball. Dribbling with your strong hand with proper form, you
Procedure:
underhand pass the ping-pong ball back and forth while dribbling. If
you miss the ping-pong ball dribble to get it and continue the drill.
Switch to your weak hand and continue the drill.

Basketball - Knockout Drill

Purpose: Emphasizes teamwork - offense and defense

Split team into teams of 2 or 3 players. Try to have a least three teams.
Play 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 half court, first to score is the winner. The losing
Procedure: team goes off and the team sitting comes into play. The winner always
keeps possession. Try to only have one team sitting so that they don't
sit long.
Basketball - Footwork Drill
These drills are designed to improve footwork for offensive and
Purpose:
defensive skills.

Emphasize that it's not a race, it's more important to do the exercises
Procedure:
properly than hurriedly. Insist on proper form.

Slide steps
Run this drill from one baseline to half court. The essence of this drill
is to progress sideways from baseline to half-court and back, never
crossing the feet and always facing perpendicular to the baseline. The
knees should be bent and the butt kept low in a defensive stance. Keep
the palms up. No hopping. Make your players face the same sideline
both ways.

One leg hops

Players hop on one leg all the way to half court, then use the other leg
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 back. Focus on height not distance.

Two leg hops

Same as one leg hops, but jump off both feet.

Quick feet
Players take short, quick steps up on their toes.

Stutter steps
After four running steps, players stutter step to a halt in a defensive
position.

High knees
Players run from baseline to half court and back keeping their knees
high.

Power steps
Jump forward off the left foot and use the hands and right leg going
forward as far as possible. Land in a jump stop, repeat off both legs

Basketball - Pin Ball Drill

Purpose: Works on ball handling, hustle and aggressiveness.

Players start in a confined area. Each player has two clothes pins
clipped on the back of their jersey about shoulder blade level and each
player has a ball. On command, everyone goes after clothes pines on
Procedure:
everyone else. Players must continue to dribble while attempting to
take clothes pin from other player. Player can not remove clothes pin if
they lose their ball. Winner is the player with the most pins.

Basketball - Quick Hands Drill

Purpose: Works on grabbing loose ball and holding onto it.

Bent at the knees and waist, holding the ball between the knees with
one hand in front of the body and one hand behind the body, the player
Procedure:
releases the ball and quickly reverses their hands and catches the ball
between the legs before the ball hits the ground.

Basketball - Pass and Run Drill

This is a great drill for working on moving to the ball, inbounds
Purpose:
passing, shooting and lay-ups.

This drill starts with two lines underneath the basket. The lines should
Procedure:
be just outside of the free throw lane. A coach should be positioned

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 three feet in front of the basket. A player should be placed on each side
of the coach. The first two players in each line have a ball. On the
whistle the player on each side of the coach heads to the basket, the
first person in line makes a pass to the cutting player for a lay-up. As
soon as the person in line makes the pass, he should run around the
coach to the other side and cut to the basket and receive a pass for a
lay-up. The player who shoots should get their own rebound. After
each player has gone through the drill from each side, the coach should
move back to the free throw line and the drill continues. (No dribbling
is allowed).

Basketball - Pass, Shoot and Rebound Drill

Purpose: Great drill for quickly working on rebounding, passing and shooting.

Divide players into groups of three. One player starts as the passer,
one player starts as the shooter and one player starts as the rebounder.
The rebounder starts with the ball to begin the drill. The rebounder
passes to the passer, the passer passes to the shooter, and the shooter
Procedure:
shoots, the rebounder rebounds and the sequence is repeated. Run the
drill for a certain amount of time and then rotate players. Continue
until all players have played each spot. Make shooter relocate after
every shot and make the passer find the shooter.

Basketball - Three on Three Block out Drill

Purpose: Develops blocking out skills for rebounding.

Line up three players on top of the free throw line. Line-up another
three players just inside of the free throw line. The three players
Procedure: closest to the goal need to block out the other three players. Each team
gets a point for a rebound, first team to three wins. Winners stay in and
switch to the other side.

Basketball - Terminator Drill

Purpose: Teaches ball handling skills

Vary space used depending on the size of your group. For groups of 8
to 10 players the area inside the three point line works well.
Each player starts off with a ball and must continually dribble within
the designated area while trying to knock away the other player’s ball.
Procedure:
When a player loses control of their ball or goes outside of the
designated area they are out of the contest and should step out of the
designated area. As the number of remaining players are reduced
further restrict the area of play.

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Basketball - Out of Bounds Plays
When a team receives the ball under the opponent's basket, they have a unique opportunity to
score. After all, isn't the point of offensive patterns to get the ball in an advantageous shooting
position? In this situation, the ball is already there. Most teams, however, are content to just pass
the ball in to an open player. The reason that player is open is because he is not a threat, so
throwing him the ball doesn't gain anything unless the five second limitation is about to expire. If
you have any doubt about the value of a well executed OB play that culminates in a basket, take
the time to count the number of times that situation presents itself in a game and then look at the
average game scores. In our Advanced Skills youth leagues, for instance, the scores range from
35 to 55 points per team (32 minute running clock). Shot chart records showed that we were
scoring 4-5 baskets per game off our standard OB play. It is fair to say that 20% of our offense
was generated from a single situation that represented a grand total of 10 - 15 seconds of game
time. If you can learn just one OB play that is designed to score, it may likely mean the
difference in whether you win or lose. Here are a couple to try. There are many, many more on
other basketball sites.

If the plays do not work, examine their execution very carefully rather than crediting the defense
with knowing the play and disrupting it. Usually the reason for failure is either poor screening or
the intended beneficiary of the screen leaving before it is established. Secret code words are not
necessary. Just run the plays properly and they will work. Offensive has first strike advantage.
The defense must react and therefore it is vulnerable.

Pick a Competent Passer A critical point is to choose a competent passer to initiate any in-
bounds play. This skill does not receive the recognition it deserves. Many teams just designate
the #4 player to throw the ball in-bounds, regardless of the player's passing ability. The player's
position or size is not important. What really counts is the passer's ability to do two things,
trigger the offensive movement and, using miss-direction and timing, put the ball in the shooter's
hands in such a way that the shot can be launched quickly. An in-bounds pass that is late or hits
the big post player in the foot is nothing but a turnover.

Many players have a hard time triggering the offensive play. The first problem is ambiguous
communication. The play must be called out clearly. The passer must be sure everyone
understands what play is about to take place and that everyone is in the correct spot. If they are
not set up properly, the passer must be very decisive and correct the situation if there is time. If
there is any confusion, the play will not work. The second problem is signaling when the play is
to start. Some passers call the play then immediately slap the ball before the players are really
set. The result is that everyone starts moving at a different time. They answer is to clearly call the
play, pause and make eye contact with everyone, spread the hands apart slowly, then predictably
and authoritatively slap the ball (or other cue if you prefer). The passer may also shout "Go!" at
the moment the ball is struck. That way there is no doubt when to start the play. It doesn't matter
that the defense knows when the play begins. They still need to react to the offensive players'
movements.

The passer knows where the ball will be thrown, so there is no need to stare at the target. Look
elsewhere, using peripheral vision to track the intended recipient.
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Timing is key. The moment to pass the ball to a player that is screening is right when he is
turning to face the ball and seal out the defender. Pass the instant he begins to rotate to the ball.
Do not wait until the target is facing the ball to throw it in. That is all the delay the defense needs
to break up the play. Once the target turns to fact the basket, the ball should already be on the
way. Practice will refine the timing.

Out of Bound Plays usually start from either a box formation or a stack formation. Here are some
examples. Feel free to experiment and adjust to suit your team.

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Basketball - High Box Play
This is an efficient alternative to the box low. It sets up the same, but creates an entirely different
shot. The most common result is a short range jumper in the key.

The post player nearest the ball is the one to break and set a screen for the guard near the top of
the key. As soon as the guard cuts around the screen and contact is made with his defenseman,
the screener must pivot 180 degrees and seal out the defensive player from the in bounding pass.
The passer throws the ball as the post player is beginning his pivot. This is the first option.

Basketball - Low Box Play

Once the players understand the timing and execution, this play almost always results in a close
shot at the basket or a trip to the foul line for two free throws. The screen seal and pass timing
are the critical points to perfect.

The post player nearest the ball is the one to break and set a screen for the other low post player.
As soon as the other post player cuts around the screen and contact is made with his defenseman,
the screener must pivot 180 degrees and seal out that defensive player from the in bounding pass.
The passer throws the ball as the post player is beginning his pivot. This is the first option.

The post player furthest from the ball MUST wait until the screen is set. The most common error
is for both post players to break at the same time. Once the screen is set, the far post player cuts
around the screen and looks for a pass (second option).

The two outside players simply cross to the other's wing position and look for a pass. This is the
third option and usually does not result in a shot, but may be the best recourse if the inside play
breaks down.

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Basketball - Middle Cross Play
This is a great play against man to man or zone defense. The key is to get the players to cut hard
and move quickly.
1. On the slap of the ball, players 4 and 5 crossover and post up on each low block. Player 2
cuts to the ball side wing. Player 3 slashes to the ball through the gap created by the exit
movement of players 4 and 5. Player 4 and 5 are the second option and player 2 is the
safety.

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 (O2). Notice that O2 first moves inside to
the low block area before making the cut
around the double screen. If open, he/she
receives the pass from O1 for the shot,
either a two or three-pointer (see Diagram
B).

After O2 cuts around the screen, O5

moves to the ball-side low block for either
the quick-hitting pass from O1 or to post
up. This is an especially good option if
O5's defender pops out on top to help with
the screen for O2, leaving O5 open.

But if O5's defender stays with him/her,

then O5 moves to the weak-side elbow,
creating a "clear-out" for O1 to dribble
penetrate (see Diagram C). In fact, at the
start of the play, when O1 dribbles and
reaches the wing area... if at that point, O1
feels he/she can beat the defender off the
dribble, then he can take it straight to the
hoop for the lay-up, or dish inside, or kick
out to the corner to O3. But if your game
situation calls for a three-pointer, then
O1 should pull up at the wing and look for
the pass to O2 coming off the staggered
screen.

O3 is also a good outside shooter. As

.
another option, O1 can pass to O3. O3's
defender may drop down to help leaving
Offensive Plays O3 wide open in the corner. Also, earlier in
the play (before O5 moves to the low
(Diagram A) O1 Dribbles to the right wing block), O3 could come open on a back-cut
(free-throw line extended area). to the hoop if his/her defender is over-
playing and denying the pass in the corner.
Meanwhile O4 and O5 set a double,
staggered screen for your best shooter

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Opening Tip-Off Play
Jump ball plays used to be more important when every jump ball was actually "jumped". Now
with the changing possession arrow, getting the opening tip is not a big advantage since you will
get the next possession anyway. If you have little chance of getting possession off the tip, just
set up around the circle in a defensive line-up (maybe even two guards back) and concede the
tip, but not a lay-up.

But, if you do have a strong advantage in getting the opening tip (a tall center or a good leaper
as your jumper), here's a play you can try to get off to a quick start. A quick lay-up in the
opening seconds can be a good psychological boost for your team. In a close game, little things
like one additional possession and two extra points can be the winning difference.

See the diagrams below. Have your best jumper obviously jump center. Have your players
practice this against each other to find out who is the best "tipper". Have a strong post player
(O4) line-up on the circle on the offensive end of the circle. Have two quick players (O1 and O2)
line up on opposite sides of the circle at the half-court line. One player (O3) stays back to
prevent the opponent's fast break.

As the ball goes up, O1 and O2 quickly release up the sides into the forecourt. Caution... if they
leave too soon, the ball will be awarded to the opponent. I believe this is a risk worth taking
because the refs won't usually make this call (and you get the breakaway lay-up). And, if the call
is made, the opponent gets the ball out-of-bounds on the sideline and you can either set up your
half-court defense, or attempt to pressure and steal the inbounds pass. You get the next
possession anyway, so it's not a big loss for the opponent is awarded the ball (especially if you
prevent them from scoring).

Back to the play... the ball is tipped to O4 who immediately pivots and passes quickly, or simply
"redirects" (tips) the ball to either O1 or O2. You now have a 2-on-1 fast break and a great
chance for the opening lay-up. O4 and O5 are "trailers" in the play. If the opponent gets the tip,
things may backfire on you, and everyone must sprint back on defense.

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Additional Resources:

• www.basketball-drills-and-plays.com

• www.basketball-plays-and-tips.com

• www.bbhighway.com/download/drills/

• www.coachesclipboard.net/index.shtml

• www.degerstrom.com/basketball/drills/

• www.eteamz.active.com/basketball/

• www.guidetocoachingbasketball.com

• www.jes-soft.com/playbook/plays.html

• www.sacredhoop.com/youth.html

• www.y-coach.com/cd/basketball_drills.html

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