These Training Spots include free shipping the the US and Canada. To have spots sent beyond those two areas, you must email dustin@betterbasketball.com so that he can give you a shipping quote.

Training Spots Demo

Why Do I Need Training Spots?

Well, you probably don’t need spots – you can certainly run the offense without them. But, you will want them because they make teaching easier.

9 Perimeter Spots with Basket Cut Spot

Think about it this way – these training spots are the roadmap of the Read & React. The action of every layer is tied to one or more specific spots. More specifically, every action in the Read & React begins and ends on one of the spots. So, in the R&R, if you aren’t on a spot or moving toward one, you’re in the wrong place! Having a physically identifiable spot on the floor eases navigation.

These training spots also make teaching easier by simplifying communication. You can tell players exactly where they should go based on formation, readable actions, defense, etc. This forces players to be accountable to the coach while giving them security because they have a specific place to go rather than a general area – and communicating in specifics is always more efficient than communicating in generalities.

Now, you no longer have to yell, “play further out” or “get better spacing”. Instead, simply say, “stick to your spots”. See, isn’t that easier? Oh, and because there are actual spots on the floor, your players will know what you mean. And that’s always helpful!

But, I’ve Already Taught My Team the Offense

Well, every year you’ll be teaching new players.

Plus, these Training Spots can serve as a reinforcement tool to refine game and season slippage.

Remember, these are training tools; so as the Offense is mastered, the spots will be taken away (to mimic the game environment). But with time, slippage will creep in. You know what I’m talking about. No matter how well your players know the Offense, their spacing will begin to crowd and their precision will begin to deteriorate.

Reintroducing the Training Spots (even for a couple of minutes) will help to shore up the habits and tighten the overall precision.

The Origins of the R&R Training Spots

We tried everything we could think of – tape, PE dots, Wall Pops, cones – to make the process of teaching the Read & React as simple as possible. In fact, in the first clinic we used a taped grid of sorts to create a Read & React court. Well, the tape was hard to see, the players struggled with all the lines on the court, and it was tedious to put down and take back up. Plus, all those trips to the hardware store for painter’s tape soon became annoying.

6 Post Spots

Our next clinic, we tried the standard PE dots that most coaches had around the storage closet. These were definitely easier to put down and much easier to pick up, but perhaps too easy. The slightest touch from a player’s shoe sent these lightweight dots flying. And, we couldn’t keep from worrying that one wrong step might send one foot in one direction while the other stayed put. The last thing we wanted was injuries.

Then, hanging in the wall-paper department of the Big Box store, we found what we thought would be the solution to this nagging problem. Wall Pops! Were these the perfect design addition to a child’s bedroom or a R&R court in a box? We thought the latter… for a while. These 12” stickers definitely make for a safer court and they served the teaching requirements well (just look at the Zone Attack video), but there was one problem: they weren’t reusable and at around $40 for a set, they got pricey real quick.

So, we did what we had to do. We tracked down a company that specialized in the creation of rubber floor mats – well, actually, it’s molded poly vinyl – and had R&R spots specifically designed and fabricated to our specifications. Now, we have Read & React specific spots large enough to be seen in a player’s peripheral vision and heavy enough to generally stay put, even with players moving at full speed.

Oh, and they have a lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer so if one ever gets damaged (which it won’t), we’ll replace it for free.

How Do I Order

If you want the spots shipped to the US or Canada, then just click the “Buy Now” button below and you can check out as normal. The shipping is free to those locations.

If you are outside of those areas, you’ll have to email Dustin for a shipping quote – dustin@betterbasketball.com.

Or, you can always call us at:
USA callers: 1-800-BETTER-B (1-800-238-8372)
If outside the USA, call: 1-770-544-0842