How should I teach the Read & React?
That question finds its way to me a lot. And, my frustrated answer is this:
You have to run the Read & React in order to improve at the Read & React. Period. You can’t get good at something that you’re not willing to commit to. You can’t get good at something unless you’re willing to plow through the bad times and growing pains of learning something new. That applies to everything, and it applies here as well.
There, I feel better! And, now to the steps.
Step 1: Teach the 3-player reaction drills for the layers you want to cover.
Commit to running each drill for a few minutes at the beginning of every practice. The 3-player drills
maximize the number of reps that each player gets and carve the habits into their muscle memory. Without the Reaction Habits, there is no Read & React Offense and understanding it is not good enough, each player has to internalize the habits - the drills are the quickest way to do that.
If you chose 10 drills covering the layers you were working on and spent 90 seconds on each, that would be the
first 15 minutes of practice. I would integrate my warm-up, skill development, and shooting practice into that 15 minutes. And, if I only had 15 minutes to practice, those 10 drills would be the agenda.