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How to play post offense in basketball
How to play post offense in basketball
How to Post Up in Basketball (12 Tips to Dominate Inside)
There aren’t many effective low post players in today’s game.
Players who you can throw the ball to down low and know they’re going to make a move or two and get a quality shot for themselves or a teammate.
It’s a rare skill.
And here’s one of the main reasons why posting up has become a uncommon skill:
Most coaches aren’t teaching the post up anymore.
And for the few who are, they’re not teaching the small, important details.
It’s been a long time since I walked into a gym and seen coaches teaching their players how to post up effectively and score on their opponent.
I love the ‘three-pointers and layups’ philosophy, but there are many times throughout a game where a player will switch onto a smaller, weaker defender but they don’t know how to take advantage of it in the post.
This needs to change.
Here are 12 tips to improve your post up game in basketball.![]()
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1. Be Able to Finish With Both Hands
If you’re only able to finish with your preferred hand, your scoring options are limited by 50%.
Defenders will be able to force you away from your preferred hand knowing that you don’t have the skills to score with your opposite.
For example, if you can only shoot the jump hook right-handed, the defender will force you left knowing you won’t be able to finish with your left hand.
Even if you fake right and step through for a layup, your shot will get blocked if you can’t switch to your left hand to use your right arm for protection.
But...
If you can score with either hand, the defender will be forced to play you straight up.
This opens up a wide range of scoring options, allows you to use many different fakes, and will certainly improve your post up scoring.
2. Always Know Your Distance
The distance away from the basket you catch the basketball will determine which post moves you should use and how quickly you should attempt to score.
For example…
If you catch close the basket, a quick spin or quick jump hook will give you the best chance of success.
But if the defender has forced you to catch two steps off the low block (midrange area), it’s probably better to ace up to your opponent and then attack off the drive or shoot a clean bank shot off the glass.
See how different distances call for different post moves?
You must understand which post moves best suit your game and which distances from the rim they’re best used at.
Don’t worry…
We’ll go through this in detail later on.
3. Figure Out The Opponent’s Game Plan
After one or two possessions down the court, you should have a good idea of how the opposition is defending you in the low post.
- Are they playing behind?
- Are they fronting the post?
- Are they forcing you left?
- Are they giving you space to face up?
- Are they playing physical?
These are all questions that you must answer early in the game so you can adjust.
For example, if you’re a tall player and they’re fronting the post, your best option may be to allow them the front position and then receive a simple lob pass over top to score.
Understanding what they’re doing will allow you to work out how to counter their game plan.
4. Make the Jump Hook Your Go-To Move
In my opinion, every player needs to make the jump hook their bread-and-butter, go-to post move whenever they’re deep in the paint.
It’s quick, it’s difficult to defend, and many post moves finish with a jump hook.
All you’ll need to do is:
If you have good technique, your off-hand will protect the basketball from getting blocked.
And as said at the beginning of the article, you must be able to finish this move with both hands from a close distance around the rim.
5. Master Your Post Moves Footwork
All of the best post players have elite footwork.
Here I’m going to point the two best of all time and then show you a few videos of them.
a. Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem possessed a wide range of fakes and spins which would leave his defenders confused as he consistently ended up with wide open layups.
His most famous post move being the ‘Dream Shake’.
Video below:
b. Kevin McHale
Just like Hakeem, Kevin had a wide range of post moves to dominate defenders.
His go-to being the up-and-under which I’ll break down later in the article.
Video below:
6. Slow Down
Players have a tendency to rush their post moves when they catch the basketball on the low block or close to the basket.
This can lead to bad decisions and poor shots.
Of course, sometimes it is important to use a quick spin to score…
But if the defender is in position, understand you do have time to slow down, assess the situation, and then make your move.
- How is the defender guarding you?
- Are they sending another defender?
- Who’s open?
Being patient on the low block will result in better decisions and increased scoring from your post moves.
7. Be Able to Pass Out of the Post
Once you become a player who can score consistently in the low post, the defense will have no choice but to double team you to prevent you from scoring.
This opens up opportunities for your teammates...
But only if you can make an effective on-target pass to them.
A great player on the low post can whip a pass across court to an open teammate on the opposite wing or drop a small bounce pass off to a teammate cutting to the hoop.
Your first look must be to score, but be ready (and able) to find your teammates.
8. Achieve Good Low Post Position Early
The first step to getting the best low post position for you is to determine two things:
- Which position do you score best from?
- Who is guarding you?
You must understand this…
‘Good low post position’ doesn’t necessarily mean as close to the basket as possible.
If you’re playing against a player 4 inches taller than you and your best post move is to face up and attack, then your best post position might be catching it two steps off the low block.
Everyone’s different.
Look to get the basketball in the position you perform best in and feel the most comfortable.
9. Embrace (and Love) Contact
When you’re playing in the low post, there’s going to be a lot of contact.
Which means you have two options:
- Avoid contact by refusing to attack your opponent and instead settle for outside jumpers.
- Embrace contact and relentlessly attack your opponent to score, get to the free-throw line, and get your opponent in foul trouble.
I hope you chose option two.
Whether it’s fighting to secure position on the low post or a defender landing on you after a deceptive shot fake, contact is coming.
The best post players love it.
And they’re willing to put their body on the line for their team possession after possession.
10. Sprint the Floor
Being willing to sprint down the floor on every possession is important for two reasons:
- You’ll get several wide open layups every game.
- You’ll get to ‘your spot’ quicker.
There are very few players who are willing to sprint basket-to-basket on every possession…
If you’re one of the rare few, and the team’s guards are willing to make the pass ahead (they better be), then I guarantee you’ll have several fast break layup opportunities each game.
Even if you don’t get a quick layup, sprinting the floor will allow you to get to the spot you score best from and establish position early.
11. Perfect Your Go-To Post Moves
I touched on this topic earlier in several points, but let’s be super clear about it…
You must understand which post moves you’re best suited for and then perfect them.
This allows you to catch the basketball in the right position, take advantage of your offensive strengths, and avoid your weaknesses.
If you’re uniquely strong and like to ‘bully’ in the low post, become exceptional at backing your defender into the low post and then finishing with a jump hook.
Once you’re consistently making that shot, add a counter like the up-and-under.
12. Seal Your Defender With Contact
When you do get to the spot you want to receive the basketball, make sure you’re sealing your defender with contact.
This makes it much harder for them to slip around you and steal the ball when a pass is made.
If you’re willing to be physical and do this and also show target hands where you want the ball, the team’s guards will have a much easier time feeding the post.
This means more touches for you (in the position you want the ball), more scoring opportunities, and a much bigger impact on the game.
Conclusion
Some may say “But Coach Mac... the post up isn’t effective anymore!”…
I would argue that point of view is mostly true at the highest levels when you’re competing against elite defense and coaching players who can knock down three-point shots at a high percentage.
At the youth level (and even into high school), posting up can be a high percentage play when you have players who know what they’re doing.
Using the 12 tips above, you’ll start guiding your players down the path to low post success.
Let’s bring the post up back into existence!
Open Post Offense - Motion Offense, Diagrams, Drills, and Plays
Home > Coaching > Basketball Offense > Open Post Offense - Motion Offense, Diagrams, Drills, and Plays
The open post offense is a great offense that is used at every level. It has
gone by the name of the 5 out offense, the spread offense, and the
backdoor offense. It is called these names because there are no
offensive players in the post and the offense is spread out.
Why Would You Use The Open Post Offense?
- Undersized Team & Exploit Opposing Team's Strengths - If you have an
undersized team, the open post
is a great offense to use to exploit the opposing team's size. Even though
you may have mismatches
defensively in the post, you can create mismatches on the offensive end
against the opposing team's bigger and slower players.
- No Low Post Threats & Utilizing Your Strengths - This is similar to the reason above, except
you may have some size but these players prefer to play along the perimeter.
Rather than trying to put a square peg into a round hole, you adjust
to your team's strengths.
- Good Penetrators and Outside Shooters - If you have players
that attack the basket well and you have good outside shooters, the open
post offense will open up the lane so your players can attack the basket.
If the defense collapses on the penetration, your outside shooters can
locate open spots along the perimeter for drive and kick situations.
- Easy to Teach - This is relatively easy to teach and can be taught
quickly.
- Delay Game - This is a great offense to use as a delay game.
The continuous pattern of cutting and screening while keeping the floor spread
enables you to extend the time spent on each offensive possession.
You can
even extend the offense out to 25 to 28 feet to make the defense guard
more area.
- Great For Youth Teams - This is the offense that we recommend
for all youth teams. If you can get your teams to cut properly and attack
screens properly, I can promise you that coaches at the next level will
be very grateful to you and you will see more of your players have success
at the next level.
This also gives you more practice time to work on skills. Better players that
understand how to play team basketball equal better teams.
Even if you would like to add post options later, the open post is still a great
foundational offense for all youth and middle school teams.
Here are some basic open post rules:
- Pass and move - screen or cut.
- Fill the open spot.
- If overplayed, go backdoor.
Based on the coach, they will add or modify the open post rules.
For example:
- Do not cut until the passer is looking at you.
- Take two steps in the opposite direction before cutting to the fill spot.
- When filling the top, cut to the FT line first. (Bob Huggins)
- When filling the top, cut straight to the 3-point line.
- Do not pass to the corners.
- On every screen, the primary option is to curl.
- When dribbled at, go backdoor.
- When dribbled at, use the dribble hand off.
- When dribbled at, read the defense and attack.
These are just examples. There are certainly more. You can
set your own rules that you feel comfortable with and will
help your team succeed using the Open Post. I would caution not
to implement too many or too many at once.
Every coach differs with their approach and there certainly is not
one way to teach the open post offense, but my preference has been to
introduce the cutting
concepts first.
Then after they have mastered the cutting concepts
within the open post, you can introduce the
screening concepts. After they have mastered both, you can
let the players play and pick whether to cut or screen away.
Open Post Offense - Cutting Option (No Screens)
The open post starts with 5 players spread on the court. You have a player on top, one player on each wing, and one player in each corner.
To initiate movement, both wing players cut through.
The corner players fill the wing.
1 passes to 2 on the wing.
1 performs a rear cut or face cut to the basket.
If 1 is open, 2 passes to 1.
If 1 is not open, 1 finishes the cut at the rim, then cuts to the opposite corner.
3 fills the top.
4 fills the wing.
2 passes to 3.
2 basket cuts, then fills the open spot on the perimeter which is
the ball side corner.
5 fills the wing.
You can also have 1 and 4 interchange to occupy the weakside
defense.
Any time a player cutting to the ball is overplayed by the defense, the
player cuts to the basket which is called a back door cut.
In this situation, 5 cuts backdoor.
Open Post Offense - Screening Option
To initiate the offense, 5 screens for 2. 4 screens for 3.
1 passes to 2, then screens for 3.
3 fakes opposite, then curls around the screen and
finishes the cut at the basket.
After 3 clears the screen, 1 opens up to the ball.
1 then cuts to the top.
3 fills the corner.
4 fills the wing.
2 passes to 1.
2 screens for 5.
5 curls around the screen and finishes the cut at the basket.
2 opens up to the ball, then fills the wing position.
5 fills the open spot which is in the right corner.
As mentioned before, any time you are overplayed you cut backdoor.
In this diagram, the defense overplays 2's cut to the wing, so 2
cuts backdoor.
This is part of the reason you may want to teach the cutting option first.
This makes the transition to the screening option much easier because
the players have already developed the habit to cut backdoor when overplayed.
Open Post Offense Practice Drills - Cutting Drill
Two coaches or players are in the wing area.
The coach closest
to the baseline holds a basketball.
1 initiates the drill and passes to the coach without a ball
on the wing.
1 basket cuts and coach passes the ball to 1 for the lay up.
2 fills the top then cuts backdoor as if the defense was overplaying
them. The other coach passes to 2 for a lay up.
Open Post Offense Practice Drills - Screening Drill
Two coaches or players are in the wing area. The coach closest
to the baseline holds a basketball.
1 passes to the coach on the wing, then screens for 2.
2 curls the screen and the bottom coach passes the ball to 2
for a jump shot in the lane or a lay up.
After the screen, 1 cuts to the ball and shoots a jump shot.
Open Post Offense - Set Play #1
1 passes to 3.
After 1 cuts to the basket, he turns and sets a flex screen for 4.
4 cuts to the ball side block.
As 1 sets the screen, 2 finds 1's defender and sets a screen.
1 cuts off of the screen.
Open Post Offense - Set Play #2
1 passes to 3.
As 1 cuts to the basket, 2 and 4 set a double screen for 1.
Related Resources For Open Post Offense
How To Develop a High-Scoring Motion Offense - Instructional Guide To Building Your Motion Offense.
Do You Recommend The Motion Offense To Youth Teams?
Cutters - Easy 5 Out Motion Offense
What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...
Basketball offense under the hoop
replica swiss watch
Now let's talk about the exercises we use at Oak Hill Academy to improve our offensive game under the basket.
Exercise 1
- Start the exercise on the left side of the ring facing the backboard.
- Step with the left foot and throw with the hook with the right hand.
- Pick up the ball without letting it fall on the floor.
- Take the same position on the right side of the hoop, stepping with the right foot, hooking with the left hand.
- Make twenty-five attempts in a row on each side (Fig. 1).
Drill 2
- Start by standing at the endline at the edge of the backboard, facing the opposite ring. The ring you are attacking is on your right.
- Take a step with your left foot and, with your back to the ring, throw from the bottom up (like a passing throw when the ball is in the palm of your hand, here the same thing only with your back to the ring).
- Pick up the ball and go to the other side of the hoop.
- Stepping with the right foot, throwing with the left.
Make twenty-five attempts on each side (Fig. 2).
Exercise 3
- Start on the right side of the shield.
- Throw the ball with your right hand at the backboard.
- Pushing off your toes while jumping, hit the ball again at the backboard without letting it fall to the floor.
- Repeat 10 times, in the last jump, throw the ball into the basket.
- Repeat the same with the left hand, on the left side (Fig. 3).
Exercise 4
- Start under the hoop with the ball in your hands.
- Dribbling to the right, right hand, drive to the 3-point line at a position under 45º, turn to the ring, continue to dribble with the right hand, go to the ring, but after each shot, make a sharp shift to the center. At the end of the pass, throw from below with your right hand.
- Pick up the ball, and repeat the same, only on the left side, with your left hand (Fig.
4).
- After you've done this exercise a few times without resistance, add a defender to get in the way of the player from the 3-point line.
- Perform the exercise in a good rhythm, it should last 35 seconds or until you have done 10 passes (fig. 4).
Exercise 5
- Take a position with your back to the endline, on the first mustache of the free kick from the endline.
- A team-mate must be opposite on the three-point line and has the ball.
- Player to be handed over.
- Pivot around the nearest leg to the ring, you should be facing the ring, throw with one hand from below the shield (fig. 5).
- After you have mastered this variation, move into the field and after the pivot use a dribble to the cross-leg ring. The final stage does not change.
- Make 10 throws, both dribbling and not, then repeat on the left side.
Note: in all chair exercises we will need two helpers who will be involved all the time.
One is needed for rebounds, and the other is needed in order to change balls on the chairs.
Chairs under the ring (Exercise 6-8)
- Place the chairs on the lower whiskers of the three second zone.
- Place a ball in each chair.
- The player starts the exercise from the middle of the three-second zone (Fig. 6).
Exercise 6
- Dash towards the chair to the right of the ring.
- Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
- Then step with your left foot towards the ring and throw from the shield around the ring from below with your right hand.
- Immediately, without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, do the same, only remembering to change your leg and arm (Fig. 7).
Exercise 7
- Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
- Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
- Then step your right foot inside the three second zone and throw the hook with your left hand.
- Immediately, without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, do the same, changing your leg and arm (Fig. 8).
Exercise 8
- Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
- Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
- After the player has taken the ball, he must pivot around the right foot and upon completion of the pivot, must face the ring, then there are several attack options: a) Jump shot, b) Two-foot shot after one hit of the ball.
- After the throw, immediately without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, then everything is the same, changing the leg and arm (Fig. 9).
Chairs under the ring (Exercise 9-10)
After you have completed exercises 6-8, move the chairs to the level of the foul line.
In all exercises, after you take the ball, it is necessary to make a dash with dribbling to the ring.
Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight). The ball carrier then makes a dash with a dribble to the ring, while he can use the transfers between the legs. Under the hoop, make a jump stop and throw with your right hand, with a hook from the shield. Make a jerk to another chair and repeat the same thing, but with the other hand (Fig. 11).
Exercise 10
- Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
- Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
- The ball carrier then makes a dash with a dribble to the center of the three-second zone, in which case he can use the transfers between the legs.
- Under the hoop, make a jump stop and throw with the left hand hook.
- Make a dash to another chair and repeat the same thing, but with the other hand (fig. 12).
Basketball offense and defense
This section is intended for coaches working with jumpers 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 opponent.
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.
All five players participate in team actions, while only a part of the team players participate in group actions. Command actions are carried out by using attack systems. Group actions - by applying combinations. The success of these systems and combinations depends on the timeliness and correctness of individual actions.
For individual actions, the player can be given various tactical tasks aimed at the full use of the individual characteristics of his technique, tactics, physical characteristics against the opponent's weaknesses.
