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How to play offense basketball
How to play offense basketball
Tips To Improve Your Offensive Game
Tips To Improve Your Offensive Game
In order to be an effective offensive player at any level, you must have a firm grasp on a couple incredibly important traits. They might not always be flashy or popular things, which often means it goes overlooked, but they are absolute fundamentals for any aspiring athlete. No matter how big, fast, or strong you are, you won’t be able to out run, dunk, and dribble everybody and these details will help you build an overall more well-rounded game.
Take CoachUp’s tips with you to practices and games from here on out, you’ll most definitely see an improvement in your game over time. For most situations and scenarios, it isn’t the flashiest or the strongest player that gets the most playing time, but instead the most fundamentally sound. Remember, you can always get better!
Practice Your Shot
Work with your shooting form, starting with your feet to get a firm foundation.![]()
Learn to shoot with your fingertips and get good rotation on your shot. No matter your age, ‘shoot’ the basketball and don’t just chuck it or aim! Practice, practice, practice — the more it’s reactionary and instinctual than purposeful math, the better.
To perfect your shooting technique, practice shots within just a few feet of the basket, then gradually increase your distance from the basket to the wing, to the elbow, etc. Practice lay-ups with proper form from both sides of the basket as well. Don’t forget about free-throws, either! In games and practice, don’t be afraid to look for shooting opportunities, but don’t force bad shots.
(Related: Read about improving your shot here.)
Become A Good Dribbler + Ball-Handler
Dribbling and ball-handling are fundamental skills for almost any offensive move with the ball. Practice dribbling drills and moves for at least fifteen minutes every day.
(Related: Read about your ball-handling skills here.
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Learn the Triple-Threat Position
The triple-threat position is so incredibly important for keeping your defender on their toes. A viable triple-threat will have you pivoting to face your defender to have the option of shooting, passing or dribbling. You control the defender, so don’t limit your options by holding the ball in just one spot.
Be A Good Passer
Bad passing and turnovers will destroy a team faster than anything absolutely anything else. Make crisp bounce passes as they are harder to intercept. Avoid long cross-court passes unless your teammate is wide open and it fits your offensive scheme. Give your teammate a good pass so they can easily catch and transition into the triple-threat position.
(Related: Read about the point guard position and their responsibilities here.)
Court Awareness
The keys to better court awareness can be broken down to three main points! Always know where the ball is, keep your head on a swivel, and never, ever turn your back on the ball.
This means paying attention at all times, staying weary of back-door cuts, possible passes, or broken plays to take advantage of. Learn find an open areas on the floor for easy, high-percentage shots.
Go Hard For The Offensive Rebound
Many easy baskets are scored on second and third chances, so stay at it no matter what. Get in the habit of following your own shot as well. Many times, if your shot is too short or hard, it will come off the rim right back towards you. Depending on the style of play your team has, you may attack rebounds more often than others, but weak side rebounds are often there for the taking. Again, you might be surprised to find out that those hard-working players will find the floor more often than those more technically skilled.
(Related: Read about becoming a beast on the glass here.)
Get The Ball Down The Floor Quickly
Fast-break whenever possible to beat the defense down the court, but play under control at all times.
At all costs, avoid turning the ball over! Obviously, you can’t score if you don’t have the ball, so don’t be afraid to slow it down and get into your half-court set if that feels more appropriate. Remember, you must be quick, but never hurry.
(Related: Read about running the fast break here.)
Avoid Too Much Dribbling
Too much dribbling allows the defense time to reset — quick passing and cutting is the key to smooth offensive basketball. When you receive a pass, consider not immediately dribbling, but instead going into the triple threat — it will make you a much more tougher assignment. Coach John Wooden told his players to end their dribble with either a pass or a shot — which may seem odd, but it’s actually incredibly sound advice. Don’t stop your dribble until you can do either of those things.
(Related: Read about improving your weak hand here.)
Move Without The Ball
Don’t stand still, set picks, make cuts through the paint, and go back-door on your defender.
Too often, teams will play a very ball-dominant player and, typically, his teammates will end up watching him more than they’ll play. The style of offense you run may dictate some of this, but you should never stay in one spot on the floor for more than a couple of seconds because it allows the defense to guard you with little effort.
(Related: Read about moving without the ball here.)
Huddle Up
In the end, these aren’t every trait that you need to focus on during your training — no, in fact, this is just an incredibly small sampling. But, we’ve given you a couple ideas for each to build off of — if you find yourself further interested, check out the related reads under each section. Those specific articles will go into deeper detail than we’ve done here, so we strongly recommend checking those out.
However, if you’re still struggling with some of this, consider booking one of CoachUp’s private trainers to help you out. Our team’s advanced knowledge and expertise will help you get out of any bind, drama, and last-second situation with confidence — so what are you waiting for?
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Basketball Plays - Man to Man Offense, Zone Offense, Inbounds & More
Basketball Coaching » Basketball Plays
Choosing basketball plays for your team is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make as a coach. It’s essential to consider the skill and experience level of your roster, the strengths and weaknesses of your players, and the types of defenses you’re likely to face.
On this page, we’ll introduce several basketball offenses and provide some specific set plays that you can implement with your team. You’ll also learn some basic principles to successful offense, which should remain top of mind no matter what basketball plays you choose to run.
If you’d like to get on the fast track, make sure you check out our series of downloadable basketball playbooks.
12 Basic Principles of Successful Offense
No matter what basketball plays you run, it's critical for your players to understand the fundamentals and concepts for successful offense.
Below, we've broken down 12 basic principles to help your team get better spacing, better ball movement and more high percentage shots - no matter what type of defense you're facing.
1 -Man or Zone?
First off, you’ll want to figure out if you’re going up against a man to man, or a zone defense. Versus a man to man, you'll probably run a 3-out-2-in, 4 out or a 5 out set. Versus a zone, you'll probably want to score in transition, run a 1-4, or a zone offense.
This "Box" Set Is Designed To Work Against a 2-3 Zone
How do you find out whether it’s man to man or zone? One way is by scouting. Watch your opponent play in advance and see what their go-to defensive set is.
Another way you can find out at anytime is by sending a cutter through the paint. If a cutter goes from one side of the court to the other, and the defender stays with that cutter, you’ve got yourself a man to man defense. If the defenders move to a certain border before handing off the cutter to another player as he enters a new area of the court, you’ve got a zone.
2 – Study Your Opponents Defense
Every defense has its strengths and weaknesses. For example a sagging type defense, where their priority is locking down the paint, will be very tough to penetrate or feed the post against, but will as a result concede many more three point shots.
Or, you could be playing against a high pressure defense, one that is going to be active in the passing lanes, getting right up in your shorts. In that case you’ll look to take advantage of the lack of help defense, and go to your plays with backscreens, backdoor cuts, or even feeding the ball on the block.
If you have a chance to look at tape, or are just going up against a team that you see on a fairly regular basis, you may be able to even take a look at some other aspects of their defense – like whether they have defensive endurance (ie. a team’s ability to maintain intensity and focus through upwards of six or seven passes).
If a team tires quickly or loses their defensive concentration after a few ball reversals, emphasize that fact to your players and encourage them to swing the ball around several times before taking a shot.
3 – Evaluate the Matchups
Creating and taking advantage of mismatches is one of the ways you can have a huge impact on the game as a coach.
If your big men are towering over your opponents down on the block, you need to exploit your size advantage. If your guards are running circles around your opponent's backcourt, increase the tempo of your offense and run plays that allow your kids to excel in the open court.
4 – Know Your Own Player’s Strengths and Weaknesses
A player’s effectiveness on the court will be largely due to the role you as a coach put them in. When you look at a team like the Detroit Pistons of the 2000s that went on to beat the Lakers super-team in the finals, you see a team that had clearly defined roles for every player in the starting lineup, letting them all play to their strengths.
A player like Ben Wallace would be completely ineffective if you installed basketball plays around his ability to score on the low block – but letting him focus on anchoring your defense, setting tough screens on offense, and cleaning up the boards makes him an incredibly valuable player.
You want your creators to create, your shooters to shoot, and your screeners to screen – coaching is all about putting players in a position to play up their strengths and mask their weaknesses.
Also, if you’ve got a player who’s hit a couple shots in a row and has got a hot hand -we want to get them the ball. Or if there’s a defensive player who is getting close to foul trouble, we want to put that player in a precarious situation and force them to either play weak defense, or challenge them to avoid picking up their 4th or 5th foul.
5 – Timing and Screening
It doesn’t matter how good a screen your players set if the timing is off on the pass. We want to hit our players as soon as they come off the screen so that they can take full advantage of the opportunity given to them by the screener.
Likewise, it's the player who is using the screen's responsibility to wait until the screener is set, and to rub off his shoulder in a way that prevents his defender from trailing effectively.
The screener should focus on getting big and wide, holding his ground, and avoid moving his feet or leaning to the side.
6 – Poise + Patience = Payoff
Some of the basketball plays in your offense will be designed to score within one or two passes. Others will have more continuity, that involve six, seven, or eight passes to create the right opportunity. Make sure your players understand the difference, and have the patience to work the ball around under the right situations.
7 – Dribble With a Purpose
The dribble should generally be used in one of three ways:
a) Advancing the ball upcourt or penetrating to the basket.
b) Improving your passing angle.
c) Shifting the defense before initiating a play.
The last one technique is a bit uncommon, so allow me to explain. When starting the offense, try having your point guard dribble to the "non-play" side first. For example, if we want to take the ball to the right side of the court, start by taking two or three dribbles to the left.
As he takes it to his left, the defense will shift, and when he crosses over quickly back to the other side, we can take advantage of the help defense scrambling to get into position, rather than just keying in and being able to lock down one side.
8 – Make the Right Pass
Your team's ability to pass the ball accurately, using the correct technique will have a major impact on the flow and effectiveness of your offense. Spend time in practice working on all the important passing techniques, and help your team understand when and where to use each one.
9 – Catch the Ball and Be a Threat
The triple threat position is extremely important out on the perimeter -a pass out on the wing should always be received and moved immediately into triple threat position.
From there, we move the ball into our hip pocket, where we can pull up for the jump shot, explode forwards with the dribble, or fire the ball out with a crisp pass.
10 – Be Ready to Shoot
In what is really an extension of the triple threat position, tell your players they need to always be ready to shoot the ball on the catch – especially when they’re coming off screens.
The same principle goes for your big men down on the low block; they need to be ready to go up strong with the ball before the defense can converge down low on their position, forcing a strip or a blocked shot.
To get your players ready and comfortable with going up with the ball that quickly, you need to make sure that you spend the time in practice working on a variety of moves that they can go to down on the block, including the drop step and jump hook.
11 – Set and Use Screens Properly
One of the hardest things for the untrained basketball eye to notice is the importance of setting good screens. A good screen can make the difference between a wide open shot and an easily contested one.
But the responsibility isn’t all the screener's. Teaching your players how to use screens properly, waiting until they’re set, misdirecting away, and coming off tight and low, rubbing their shoulder with the screener’s hip so there is absolutely no room for the defender to squeeze through.
12 – Crash the Offensive Glass
One of the surest ways to give yourself an advantage – no matter who your opponent may be – is to get more possessions over the course of the game. And one of the easiest ways to get yourself extra possessions is by learning how to attack the offensive boards effectively.
Some of it will be luck, and there is also a strategy you can adopt, but for the most part, offensive rebounding is all about effort. But as offensive players, your team can take advantage of their knowledge of how a certain play will end.
For example if you have a set play and you know that the shot is going to be coming from the left side of the court, or big man down on the right block immediately knows, he can establish inside position, because he knows once the shot is in the air, we’ve taught him that roughly three quarters of the time on a missed shot the ball will bounce to the weak side.
Now that you understand the basics, it's time to check out our complete catalog of basketball playbooks.
Or, if you're looking for skill development ideas, you can see all our available basketball drillbooks as well.
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Attack in basketball. Basics | Basketball coach
Offense is the basic part of basketball, which allows you to score points and fight for the desired championship in the match. In an official basketball game lasting 40 minutes, each team makes an average of about 100 attacks per match.
There are various variations of basketball offense, however, in this article we will focus on the basic concepts and basic classification.
There are two main offensive tactics in basketball: positional and fast. Their difference lies in the speed of the attack. A quick attack is more typical for the NBA, where the game is more based on the individual skill of the players, while in European basketball it is more common to carry out long positional attacks. However, one cannot be categorical in this division, since throughout the game, both in Europe and in the USA, many swift and positional attacks are implemented.
Fast break implies a lightning transfer of the ball to the opponent's half and an immediate attack with the possibility of one or two quick passes. Teams choose this technique of attack in different cases. Most often this is due to lagging behind the opponent on points and lack of time. In addition, the individual skill of the players and the advantage in speed can force the coach to use the “hit-and-run” tactic.
Positional attack , on the other hand, includes calmly transferring the ball to the opponent's half, placing players, using combinations or individual actions. In fact, a positional attack is considered more competent, deep in a basketball way. Note that the higher the level of a team's play, the more "positional" its offense is. However, the coach of the team may change the scheme on purpose. Throughout the game, most attacks take place precisely in a positional manner. This is due to the fact that the opponent has time to return to the defense and most often starts a tight defense from his own half, and also because it is quite difficult to physically play a match in a constant rhythm of a fast attack.
Positional attack in basketball is a bit like waging war. each player performs certain, however, carefully coordinated actions. The five attacking players distribute their functions as follows:
- first number (defender, point guard).
This player takes a position at the top of the court, usually in the center near the middle of the field. His task is to get the ball out of his own half when moving from defense, to command a certain combination, to find a partner with a pass or to make a throw. - second number (attacking defender). This position also provides for the game at the top. The functions of the second number are to develop an attack, participate in combination or individual attacking actions of the team.
- third, fourth number (forwards). Forwards take positions in the corner of the court, with the possibility of being located in the center, under the ring, when playing with a double center. The most common option is to have "light" and "heavy" forwards on the court, where a more massive player helps to attack from the center, and a lighter one focuses on throws and passes.
- fifth number (center). The center, as a rule, plays under the ring, in the area of the three-second zone.
The center usually consists of massive and tall players who, due to physical data, can fight for rebounding in attack, perform throws from under the ring, and cut off defenders during screenings.
This arrangement of players is the most popular and generally accepted. However, there is a lot of variation in positions depending on the style of the players, the specifics of the defense and the goals pursued by the team. The main variations of the traditional arrangement include the “light” and “heavy” fives on the court. In the first case, the team releases more mobile players instead of a center and, possibly, a “heavy” forward. With this approach, there is an emphasis on the performance of high-speed combinations, passes under the basket and long-range shots. The reverse side of the coin is the game of "heavy" five. In particular, it uses the advantage in height, weight and accentuated play under the ring at the expense of "big players". A variation of the “heavy” five is a game with a double center (a heavy forward takes a position not on the edge of the site, but under the ring along with the center).
Basketball is a very smart sport. There are many combinations and strategies for playing the game. In this article, we looked at the basics of attacking in basketball. Briefly summarize what has been written: attack in basketball is a fundamental element. There are two main types of attack in basketball: swift and positional. Rapid - instant transition from defense to attack, fast attack with a minimum number of passes at speed. Positional attack - a slower attack, however, using combinational elements. With a positional attack, the players take their positions and perform their assigned functions.
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Offensive and defense in basketball
This section is intended for coaches working with rated teams.
Summarizing our personal coaching experience, we tried to give practical, business advice to coaches and players, revealing the main game actions in attack and defense of both individual players and a group of players and the team as a whole.
General principles of attack and defense.
In basketball, two teams meet on the field trying to beat each other. This struggle can be very sharp and requires a lot of mental and physical effort from the players.
The game of any team in basketball consists of offensive actions (attack), the purpose of which is to throw the ball into the opponent's basket, and defensive actions (defense), the purpose of which is to prevent the offensive actions of the enemy.
The offensive and defensive actions of each team must be varied and correspond to the characteristics of the opponent and the conditions in which the game takes place.
In order to play successfully in attack and defense, you need to master the technique of the game and be able to apply it in a timely manner against a specific opponent in a specific situation.
Technique is the basis of mastery.
It is impossible to play basketball successfully if a player cannot catch and dribble the ball, pass it to a partner, stop abruptly or change direction in simple or difficult situations.
There are many different techniques in basketball. Passing the ball, for example, can be done with one and two hands, from behind the back and on the court, for short and long distances, etc. Throwing the ball around the basket, dribbling the ball and catching it are just as varied.
All of them are equally important for playing the game and must be carefully studied and mastered during training sessions. You can not give preference to any one technique. The more techniques the players have learned, the higher their technique, the better the team is armed. And the better the team is armed, the easier it is to fight the enemy and achieve victory.
Any, the most successful tactical idea cannot be implemented without a good mastery of the technique of the game. The actions of the entire team, all the efforts spent on taking the ball away from the opponent, may be useless due to inaccurate passes or inept catching of the ball. Every basketball player should strive to perfect his ball handling and movement technique.
A technically trained and versatile player is the most dangerous for the opponent.
The coach must ensure that the players use the simplest and most rational techniques. Depending on the situation, more complex techniques can be applied, but it is not necessary to artificially complicate the technique and use a more complex and “beautiful” technique when the situation does not require it.
Simplicity, rationality of the techniques necessary to achieve the team's result is a characteristic feature of the Soviet school of basketball.
Pretentiousness and artificial complication of technique to show the player's personal capabilities always goes to the detriment of the team's results and is a feature of the players of bourgeois teams.
In addition, the unjustified complication of techniques requires a greater expenditure of the player's strength.
The art of economical use of energy and the desire to simplify various complex techniques as much as possible should be educated in players from the first steps of their training.
It is better to spend more time studying and instilling in the player a sense of the appropriateness of the techniques than to correct ingrained errors later. Striving for ease of application of techniques, players should not avoid difficult positions, they should use techniques and expend no more energy than the situation requires.
The main goal of tactics is victory.
The main tactical task is to determine (choose) the means (techniques) and methods of playing against a specific opponent. This choice should be made taking into account the conditions of the game. First of all, it is necessary to take into account the qualities of one's own team and the opponent's team, as well as weather conditions, lighting, the size of the site, the quality of the ground, the characteristics of the field, etc.
i.e. determine the tactics of the team.
Otherwise, the team will play "blind", its tactics will not be able to ensure success and will benefit the enemy.
It is possible to correctly determine and choose tactics provided that the players and the team as a whole are well aware of the various means and methods of play and the various forms of their application.
Players must learn this through systematic practice.
A detailed study of tactics, testing it in practice also makes it possible to improve old and find new ways of playing the game. Knowledge of various tactical methods of defense and attack, the ability to apply them in practice testify to the tactical maturity of the players and the team.
Tactics training provides basic guidelines for the actions of players and teams under different conditions.
At the same time, tactics cannot contain recipes for all sorts of situations that may occur in the game.
Advanced tactics are incompatible with conservatism and the habit of acting according to a pattern.
Poor knowledge of tactics forces players and the team to use the same methods of fighting against any opponent, and this often leads to defeat. Template tactics become helpless as soon as the game environment changes or becomes more complicated. Standard tactics eliminate the maneuverability of actions, the creative initiative of the players and the team.
The actions of the team players on the field are determined by whether the team is attacking or defending. The team is in the offensive position when it has the ball.
Players of the attacking team, using movements and various techniques, try to overcome the resistance of the defending opponent and bring the ball closer to his backboard at such a distance and in such a position from which it is possible to successfully throw the ball into the basket. The defending team seeks, by all means permitted, to basketball rules, take the ball away from the attacking team or make it difficult for them to get to the backboard and prevent them from shooting the ball into the basket.
The success of the team in defense and attack will be achieved if all five players participate in the struggle.
Therefore, the main condition for a successful game is the active and skillful actions of all team players in defense and attack.
According to the rules of the game, the ball goes to the other team if it takes the ball directly in the game, in case of technical errors of the opponent (jogging, double dribbling, etc.
) and after the ball hits the basket. Each team during the game many times is in the position of the attacker and defender.
The frequent change of these positions requires all players to be able to quickly change their game from attack to defense and vice versa.
Successful offensive actions produce results directly, while successful defensive actions reinforce them. They complement each other, and the imperfection of one of them negatively affects the overall result of the team. If the attacking team skillfully threw many balls into the opponent's basket and, poorly defending, conceded the same number of balls into their own basket, the result of the whole game is reduced to zero.
All actions of attack and defense are divided by their nature into collective and individual. Individual actions include independent actions of individual players without the help of partners. Collective actions, depending on whether all or several team players participate in them, are divided into team and group actions.
