We find that a lot of players are inconsistent on drives with their decision making and reads.
We also find that most players don’t know what to look for while driving…
So what exactly should they be looking for?
Time for a thread 👇👇👇
1/ Give them a cue!
Our brain builds instincts based on the visual cues around us. Once we know what to look for and gain experience seeing it, the reaction becomes a reflex.
Here is the cue we use to teach decision making on drives… Chest/Shoulder reads
2/ A/B decisions
Chest/Shoulder reads break down what players are looking for on drives into an easy to digest & understand package. If A is in front of you… do this — if B is in front of you, do that. This is why players can master it quickly once they know what to look for.
3/ Drive on your line
First we need them to understand “Line of Attack.” This is an imaginary line from the eyes to the rim, and great attackers stay on this line while driving.
Average players drive in loops and arcs.
4a/ Running through the woods
Imagine you are running through the woods and directly in front of you is a tree trunk. What are you going to do?
Now imagine instead what is in front of you are some small branches.
Your reaction to these 2 things will be drastically different.
4b/ Now take that analogy and use it on court. The defender is a tree. If you see the tree trunk on your line of attack that is a “chest read.” If you see branches on your line that is a “shoulder read.”
Your decisions in these two situations are drastically different.
4c/ If you see a tree trunk in front of you on your run thru the woods you won't keep running, you will figure out something else to do. Just like in basketball, if you see a tree trunk (chest) you can’t keep going, that will be a charge. You need to find something else to do.
4d/ But if you see branches you will run right through them, snapping them as you go. On court branches are a “shoulder read.” We can’t let shoulders, arms or legs stop our attack to the basket. BREAK THE BRANCHES!!
5/ Become a reading machine…
Not a guessing machine!
Elite playmakers always make decisions based on what they see, not because they are taking a guess.
At our summer sessions with @PGCbasketball, we spend the week building players who are reading machines!!
6/ Separate your powers!
Great playmakers separate the power to do (dribble) from the power to see (scan the court to read the D). If you can’t attack w/your eyes up you can never read, only guess.
Building a game ready handle where you don’t need sight of the ball is a MUST!
7a/ What do I do when I see chest read?
Pass... if the chest is a help defender then you are guarded by 2 players, which means someone is open!
7b/ Change Direction... use a dribble move, jump stop, spin move or eurostep to get around the D!
7c/ Shoot... develop a floater or pull up jumper so that when the defense shows a chest you can shoot before you get to them.
8/ What do I do when I see a shoulder read?
KEEP GOING!!!!
Stay on your line of attack and get all the way to the rim. Don’t let a shoulder or arm force you to pass.
9/ Analyze your decisions
In between pickup games, on the sideline, or while watching film analyze your decisions.
Did you have a chest/shoulder and what decision did you make? Was it the right one?
Study your game constantly & you will be a reading machine before you know it!
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Some people think great teammates are born… they aren’t.
More goes into being great to play with than meets the eye. It is our job as coaches to give our players the tools they need to become elite teammates.
The Ten Teammate Commandments
A Thread 👇👇👇
1a/ Thou shalt be the thermostat, not the thermometer.
Be an energy giver and force others around you to raise their temperature to the level you dictate.
Avoid being a thermometer, who walks into the gym & lets the environment dictate their temperature/energy.
1b/ Players who bring constant energy make everything more competitive, lift up those around them & are just more FUN to play with!
Bringing energy day in day out is step one to being a great teammate!! Listen to Geno 👇👇👇
What if I told you that one of the most under taught aspects of the game is also one of the most vital in determining your team's success?
What is it you ask?
Shot Selection
Thread ⏰ 👇👇👇
1/ Define it
If we don’t define to our players what good and bad shots are, how are they supposed to know?
The definition also can’t be simplistic or binary (good/bad), that isn’t nuanced enough.
So let’s define it with more detail.
2/ The Chart
We use a shot selection chart that was created by our founder Dick DeVenzio. Here it is:
9 - A gimme 7- Open shot in your range 5- Average shot, typically contested 3- Third grade shot/heavily contested - shot you typically see a 3rd grader throwing up
There is one thing great playmakers do consistently to get to the paint that average players don’t… play with CONTACT!!! Avoiding contact is a problem we see in thousands of the athletes we work with across the world every year.
We have the solution.
Time for a thread 👇👇👇
You need to think about one thing when driving to the basket if you want to play with more contact, getting sexy. Well not sexy exactly, more like SECSY.
SECSY is an acronym we use to teach athletes how to initiate and maintain contact in playmaking situations.
S: Shoulder through the hip. Open the door!! When attacking a defender you want to make a move and then get your shoulder to their hip and create a collision that will open their body up (open the door) and allow you to go by.