Better Basketball logo

Archive

This is the second installment of a drill series by Rich Czeslawski designed to accelerate Circle Movement training by using the Bounce Off Dribble. You can find the first part of the series here.

Wing Bounce - Safety Valve Back Cut


The next 3-player drill we use in the series (which was very aptly foreshadowed in the Forum Comments by Rick after Part 1) is to run the Wing Bounce drill the other direction so that the player bouncing off is pulling a teammate into the Safety Valve spot.  We have the defender step over the Read Line for the Safety Valve Back Cut.  Do this on both sides of the floor as well as with the ball starting at the top of the key.

The Tribe is all about collaboration - that's why we have this site, to share ideas. As active coaches, you are constantly in the lab with the Read & React and because of that, you have the unique ability to come up with great options, drills, and thoughts. Today, we start a three part Bounce Drill Series from Rich Czeslawski that he used to solidify Circle Movement habits - something a lot of Tribers struggle with (you can see another of his posts here). And, if you're uncertain as to what the Bounce Off is, it is explained in more detail here and here.

Bounce Drill Series: 3 Man Drills

Since our basketball epiphany and subsequent installation of Read and React two years ago, we have been able to very quickly and easily create the habits necessary to run the Read and React as a free flowing offense. The elusive “Great White Buffalo” for us has been Layer 4 – Circle Movement. For whatever reason, our players’ natural response to a teammate driving to the basket is to turn to stone, anchor their feet and hope the ball will be kicked out to them so they can take what is likely to be a contested jumper. They fully understand the benefit Circle Movement provides in increasing the amount of time they have to shoot as their defender must find them and recover to a new spot after helping, but the habit hasn’t quite taken root as quickly as others. After watching the movie Inception, and toying with the idea of using dream extraction to plant the habit in their subconscious minds, we decided we just didn’t have it in the budget to go that route and went searching for other answers. Our far less expensive solution was born out of a topic introduced by Rick Torbett at a Read and React clinic we hosted in May. Rick showed our players the merits of “bouncing off” when you drive and can’t get all the way to the rim. The idea is to keep your dribble and “bounce off” to the perimeter spot left open by the teammate circle moving on your initial drive. This concept has evolved into a series of drills we work on every day and has improved our Circle Movement more in two weeks than anything else we have tried in the previous two years! We start with two 3 Player Drills and although they are both shown on the right side of the court, we always drill on both sides in practice.

A couple of weeks ago, we had our first Read & React clinic of the season in Crystal Lake, IL (there's six more clinics coming so find one near you) hosted by my good friend, Rich Czeslawski. I introduce him here because you'll see more of him in this space in some footage from that clinic as well as hopefully some more guest posts. Rich wrote this post shortly after the clinic and I think it fits well with what we're trying to accomplish with the Tribe: If there is one trait that stands out in those considered the best of the coaching and teaching profession, it is passion. Watching a teacher or coach who truly loves what they are doing is both inspiring and educational. A great teacher brings out the best in those around them because their passion is contagious and creates an environment in which learning and working becomes fun for everyone. As coaches, we must always remember that teaching is the most important part of our job, and that our passion for what we do is our greatest tool. It helps us in building relationships with players and other coaches which both enhances the impact we can have, as well as makes our job more fulfilling. Here are 7 ways you can spread your PASSION for the game and this profession: Pick a "Thinking Team".
 Start by picking a group of colleagues who you respect and assemble a team of people to run ideas by. This group can consist of your former teachers, coaches, and mentors, opposing coaches who you have built a relationship with, or coaches who are known for their expertise in a certain area. Try to find a diverse collection of coaches with different philosophies and coaching styles. You will find that the conversations you have with members of your “Thinking Team” will be some of the most enjoyable and rewarding you will ever know.

There's a lot of great stuff going on in the forums… too much really to leave it alone, just sitting there. So, I've decided to post a forum inspired post every day for the next 5 days (there's plenty more good stuff than that, but I thought I'd start there). Today is day 1, inspired by this forum thread and VMI04, MJL23, Blue, Rick, and TJ. So, when you're putting in the Read & React for the first time, how do you promote buy in from your players? Well, in developing a strategy, the first question you need to ask yourself is what sold you on the system? There was obviously a reason that you ordered the DVDs, watched the footage, and decided that this would be your offense. Can you tweak the benefits that sold you into language that your players will respond to?

There are two types of Read & React coaches. Those that run it like a traditional offense and those that get it. So, this is a bit of an introduction to a coach and a program that you'll see more of right here in the future. Well, actually, you've seen Coach Garcia (Uie) and his team demonstrate some zone tweaks, but we're just getting started. See, Uie gets it. And, by "it", I mean a lot - the meaning of the word coach, the spirit of the R&R, and how to impact the lives of youth basketball players. So, we were sent this article about him and his program and thought it would be good to share it. It's about more than the fact that his travel teams have gone 126-6 over the past three years. It's about how the change that he and his coaches are making to the game at the youth level (with the Read & React) is achievable... and transferrable. That's what we are trying to do with Uie - take his insight and give him a megaphone. By the way, right now, Uie is transitioning to the AAU season with the Connecticut Spirit so you'll also get to see some stuff from the AAU circuit. We're excited because we know it will be helpful. Thanks to South Windsor for the article: