The 3 Keys to Remembering Basketball Plays | by Tayler Walker
The best process…
Basketball plays can be very challenging to remember. In particular when one gets to advanced levels of basketball and the plays become more complex. There are many different kinds of plays and sets one has to remember. They include man offense, zone offense, press breaker offense, side line, baseline, jump ball, press defense, man defense, zone defense, and lastly how to cover on simple offense plays like screens or post defense. As you can see all of these different plays can get really confusing when your coach is calling them out on the side lines. Each play can have a variety of options out of it as well. This is why it is important to find a simple way to digest all the plays within a couple of seconds of hearing them called out when you are out on the floor playing a college game. Obviously being able to recall and utilize plays can be a great advantage for players and a teams success. When the plays get to the level of college play or higher the learning process becomes much more advanced than previous levels played. There are various learning styles suggested and by looking at the research of them we can see the advantages and or disadvantages of them.
Hebb repetition works in a way when you see a basketball you will automatically think of a hoop and a court. This is due to the connection in the brain.
The Hebb repetition concept is finding that immediate serial recall which is improved over trials for memory lists that are surreptitiously repeated across trials, relative to new lists.
This could be valuable with learning plays in that if you learned them in order you might remember the order of the plays more fluently. For instance if you have a team run plays 1–5 and add a step to each play that follows then every time you are in the process of a called play they would each assist in the process by remembering previous plays to trigger memory with the current play called out. Also as you increase plays then you can go back down to play 1, then 1 and 2, then 1, 2 and 3 and so on. This leads to the repetitive process to remember plays in a order. The advantage of this process is when they get in the game and if they cant remember number 4 they can think of moves in play number 3 to help trigger play number 4. The plays can be triggered by previous motions learned in the sequence.
There are some drawbacks with this system of learning plays. Research has shown that it is easy to confuse learning with this type of process by having errors. For example when leaning a play and you run the play wrong you will continue to repeat the wrong play. Due to repeating something over and over again and you have an error in it but have ran it over and over incorrectly that it becomes automatic with the wrong steps. You will remember the error when going over it in the future.
Overall if you add another learning process in with it that didn't allow for the errors to come into play this could then be one productive way to remember all the different plays.
When running for a punishment like baselines what they are doing in the photo. It will stop them from repeating the same mistake over again.
Many people might know about the operant conditioning effect. The most common study done with this is with a dog, bell, and meat. The trained dog was allowed to eat the meat when it heard the bell. So after awhile of operant conditioning the dogs would salivatate from just hearing the bell.
Most common study of Operant Conditioning
This could be useful in learning basketball plays. To get rid of there error that could come from Hebb repetition you could add in operant conditioning then this error could go away. The balance of the two together would be much more advantageous than by themselves.
With operant conditioning every time a player gets the play wrong they would have to do a down and back. However if they get the play correct they will get praised for it. This will help them realize they can just keep messing up the plays or they will have to run. If you force someone to pay attention to what they are doing and then add the Hebb repetition in with this it will lead to less errors within the Hebb repetition process.
Research shows that this is a very productive way to teach someone new things. If they are positively rewarded after doing something right they will like that and want to continue doing it. If they are punished they don’t want to do that punishment again which also leads to them learning how to do something correctly. Either way they will receive feedback to the process of learning it.
This you wanted to use this in basketball you could mix all the different kinds of plays into different groups.
Interleaving is a process where students mix, or interleave, multiple subjects or topics while they study in order to improve their learning. Interleaving strategy promises improved results. This strategy of interleave learning is not very common but it is taken over the attention of cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists. Over the past four decades, the research has found that interleaving is outperforming blocking strategy for many of the subjects including category learning and sports.
One of the main sports it has been investigated in is basketball. The way they have been testing this is having athletes do a couple of minutes of shooting short shots, then ball handling, followed by deep shoots, and then repeat the process. Then they will be comparing how they improve over the standard blocking strategy. Standard is having them do a single activity like ball handling until they do it prefect before they move on to the next skill.f
This would be interesting to see what happens with plays. I believe we would see the same results as the different skills. Although there really hasn’t been any research done specifically on remembering plays. The building process definately could be utilized in the learning process of plays for basketball.
How you would do interval theory for plays, I would have them do some man offensive plays, then move to defense plays, and lastly out of bounds plays. Once you they get through all of the plays have them repeat them.
Man OffenseZone DefenseMan Out of Bounds
I personally believe if you tie all three of these strategies together it would be very productive way of learning plays and being able to recall them more quickly. First if you put in the interleaved practice. The athletes wouldn’t get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. It will freshen things up and then on top of that they can go back and practice what they can remember. Add that in with the Hebb repetition where you start with play number one then increase like 1–5 for man plays and rainbow order for defenses. It will be easier for them to remember what is next if they think of the order sequence things were in. Lastly to get rid of the error within Hebb repetition use operant conditioning. This would work nicely into this system because it will show the players when they are doing something wrong or something right with either punishment or praise. Overall I think all three strategies combined in the teaching of them would help fill all the gaps that could appear. Along with that it could help out a great number of players because everyone learns differently. Having three different strategies it will help suit more players and better incorporate for learning styles. The process of learning plays will vary player to player and team to team, however if we can reach out with a variety of learning styles it will be better suited to reach more players while assisting in the learning process.
Teaching and Getting Players to Remember Set Plays
I did a Zoom conference with Fontbonne Academy head coach Clare Murphy recently. Two seasons ago, my team played against Coach Murphy’s team in a game on New Year’s Eve. I remember the date because it was part of my disappointed address to the team afterwards. “I think we are all checked out right now.” After the game I watched the film and at the next practice I apologized to our team. Our effort was not that bad. Fontbonne simply out-executed our team and rarely made mistakes on the offensive end. I asked Coach Murphy about her thoughts on set plays.
Plays are a Necessary Evil
Quick off the top of your head name a team that you have coached against that does not run a set out of bounds play. Chances are if you did, the team is not very good. Coach Murphy told me that any team is going to have press breakers and inbounds plays as a starting point. And in addition to those prerequisites, offensive sets that get executed are a competitive advantage. Your team knows where to go in full speed and the other team does not.
I asked Coach Murphy about the players lack of understanding on plays. If only one out of five fails to execute their role, the play fails. Coach Murphy quickly agreed. As a coach at Fontbonne for three decades and the head coach for 22 years, these players are common to pretty much all teams.
Helping Players Learn Sets
Coach Murphy cites three ways that her players remember the plays. First, on bus rides to road games the players ask coaches for a marker board. In the back of the bus, they teach each other. As an eighth grade math teacher, the science behind this learning method is effective. Players might make eye contact and passively listen to a coach giving the instructions. When they are the one forced to explain and diagram every detail, there is no hiding. Getting the play wrong is healthy in this environment. And it often elicits great questions and ideas that the coach never initially considered.
Second, in practice they spend a considerable amount of time working on the play in five on five. Coach Paul Tanglis also touched on the importance of working on sets in five on five in practice. One of Coach Murphy’s greatest frustrations is when the players force an action that is not available. In practice, she gives very little direction to the players on how to defend their sets. She wants defenders to cheat to see if the offense can recognize the counter move. It also helps the offense to learn what to do about teams that switch on screens versus teams that fight through screens.
The third step she takes to help players learn sets is create a playbook for them. For any coaches that have not heard of FastDraw, I recommend checking it out. I use the $109 product (there are cheaper and more expensive versions). Coach Murphy puts all the plays into the playbook for the players. Especially for people that are new to the team, receiving a playbook is an effective way to say “you’ve made it.” It also is an effective way to communicate that the plays matter.
Determining What Plays Work for Your Team
Coach Murphy told me that every summer she reevaluates what plays will be effective for the upcoming season. Knowing the strengths of personnel is the most important part of the process. Slashers, posts, and shooters need to be placed in situations in which their strengths are on full display. Coaches mistakenly spend tremendous energy on weaknesses.
Speaking of focusing on weaknesses, I read this quote from Peter Drucker’s book The Effective Executive and immediately wrote it down.
“Effective executives lead from strength in their own work. They make productive what they can do. Most executives I know in government, in the hospital, in a business, know all the things they cannot do. They are only too conscious of what the boss won’t let them do, of what company policy won’t let them do, of what the government won’t let them do. As a result, they waste their time and their strengths complaining about the things they cannot do anything about.”
Show the Same Look with Different Actions
One final idea that Coach Murphy employs is developing different actions from the same initial look. For instance, the team did multiple actions out of horns set this year. Especially early in the season, they were tough to scout. As the season progresses and teams become familiar with the calls, change the calls.
Offense Clare Murphy, FastDraw, Fontbonne Academy, horns, Paul Tanglis, Peter Drucker, posts, set plays, sets, slashers, The Effective Executive
Rules of Basketball
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
WE ALL LOVE TO PLAY BASKETBALL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THE RULES EXACTLY?
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
The history of basketballs
The history of basketballs
What balls are played now and how it happened
The beginning
The rules have also changed a lot during this time. Initially, there were only 13 of them in basketball:
The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or two hands.
The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.
The player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw the ball from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.
The ball must be held with the hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.
In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is scored, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the whole game. It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.
Punching the ball is a violation of points 2 and 4, the penalty is described in point 5.
commit no foul).
A point is scored if a ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a point is scored.
If the ball goes out of bounds, it must be dropped into the field by the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He shall have the power to disqualify players under rule 5.
The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other action that the referee would normally take .
The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of 5 minutes between them.
The side with the most goals during this time period is the winner.
The most important rule change in the history of basketball is the introduction of dribbling. In the original version of the game, this was prohibited by paragraph 3 of the rules.
One of the first changes in the game and the rules was the replacement of the basket with a ring with a net. It seemed to be very inconvenient to climb after the ball every time after a hit. Around the same time, free throws, dribbling appeared, and the composition of the teams was fixed for 5 players on the court at the same time. Before that, in some matches, up to 50 people could be on the court at the same time. All this happened back in 1896-1897.
The emergence of FIBA (International Basketball Federation)
Basketball in the early 20th century became more popular and the rules in each country could be different. This was one of the reasons why FIBA appeared in 1932 year. At the first FIBA Congress, the teams were approved (5 people and 2 substitutes), and it was decided that after each goal there would be a throw-in in the center. This rule was removed after 4 years to reduce the advantage of tall players.
Over the next few years, the main changes were related to the number of personal fouls, the number of players on the bench and the introduction of a time limit for getting the ball into the opponent's half of the court.
More changes came in 1952 after the Olympic Games. The game became very boring, because the teams held the ball, having received a minimal lead in the score. Everyone understood this and searched for solutions for several years in order to save the life of basketball. At 1954 Danny Biason proposed to the NBA to limit the time for the shot to 24 seconds. At the 1956 Olympics, there was a similar rule: it was necessary to make a throw in 30 seconds. At the same time, to add equality between defense and attack, another rule familiar to us appeared: you need to start dribbling the ball before the supporting leg comes off.
Then the game became similar to the modern one from a technical point of view: dribbling, shots, a three-second zone appeared. In 1979, the NBA added a three-point line, and in 19In 1984, FIBA also added an arc.
!!! An article about the evolution of the three-point shot and interesting facts:
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
Three-pointer evolution and insane records.
Changes in the rules and basketball since 1956 have included the number of free kicks, the situations in which these free kicks are given, and individual and team penalties. Some rules were introduced, and a few years later they were canceled. For example, the "3 for 2" rule: if a player was fouled in the shooting phase, then if one of the first two shots was missed, he could make another free throw. This rule was later removed.
Since the 1990s there have been constant changes: the emergence of alley-oops, changes in the timing and rewriting of the rules of running, which continue to this day.
From the most interesting: if the team has 0.3 seconds or less to throw the ball from behind, then it must be a one-touch throw. It takes at least 0.4 seconds to perform a full throw.
Derrick Fisher made similar throws:
And here is a small selection of videos of how they throw in 0. 2 seconds:
Do you want to take your first steps in basketball or improve your basic skills? We have a Basic Basketball Skills workout for you. See the schedule and sign up:
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Coach: Yuriy Bespalov
- Professional player of the INANOMO 3x3 team; - Champion of Russia 3x3 2019, 2021; - Winner and medalist of the MOFB championship; - MLBL Summer League MVP 2017; - Multiple participant of Moscow Open; - Champion of Moscow 3x3 2017; - MVP GrunisCup 2017.
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How to learn to play basketball on your own?
How to learn to play basketball on your own?
Instructions:
1. Winning basketball is easy if you know how to throw and throw the ball into the basket. You also need to prevent the opponent from scoring more balls. Practice technique from various positions, using throws from the shield and without, in motion and with a stop. First, master the technique of a normal throw without rebounding from the backboard, standing in front of the basket. Take the ball in your right hand, and with your left hand lightly grab it from the side. Throw the ball with a jump, straightening your right arm.
2. Maintain. The player can move with the ball on the court with a periodic hit of the ball on the floor. In this case, you need to take no more than two steps. You cannot dribble the ball with both hands at once and you cannot carry it. The rebound during the dribble must not exceed the height of the player. It is recommended to immediately start by learning how to dribble with both hands, hitting the ball with them one by one.
3. Passing is one of the main tactics in basketball e. Even the fastest basketball east cannot move faster than the ball on the court. Pass the ball to your partner and immediately take a comfortable place closer to the basket. Passing is the basic principle of this game.
4. Selection. "Winning the shield" and securing a quick counter-attack is a very important element of the game. Rebounding also involves keeping the ball even after a failed shot. The number of rebounds is reflected in the statistics of the individual player and the entire team.
5. Moving without the ball is one of the keys to successfully completing an attack.
6.Here are some more general tips: - Involve the whole team. Even if there are scoring leaders, the rest of the players must also get the ball, if only to allow the first to open under the net. - Play hard, but within the rules. advantage in basketball e have tall and physically strong players, although undersized take their speed and agility. - Never argue with the judge. He will not change his point of view, but you can get a foul. - Do not try to win at the expense of accuracy of throws, dribbling, high jumps or interceptions alone. Train all together. - And the last thing: do not neglect tactics. It is necessary during the game not only to score, but also to think.
Today basketball is quite a popular sports team game with a ball. For an inexperienced player, this sport can seem like a rather difficult game, despite the simple task of hitting a basketball into the opponent's basket. Proper dribbling, throwing technique, blocking players, technique for distributing players on the court - these are all the nuances that complicate the game. In order to learn basketball, you need to remember the basic ingredients.
1. Maintain. Moving a player around the court is possible only with a periodic (no more than 2 steps) hitting the ball on the floor. It is forbidden to dribble a basketball with both hands, as well as carrying it. The height to which the ball bounces must not exceed the height of a person. An inexperienced player should practice dribbling the ball with each hand separately, following it only with peripheral vision.
2. Transfer. Passing is the basic principle of basketball. Even the fastest player cannot move around the court at the speed of the ball. Therefore, after passing the ball to another player on your team, you must take the appropriate place to receive or ensure that the ball is thrown unhindered.
3. Movement without a ball. Only one player has the ball at any time during the game. For other players on the team, the task is to successfully complete the attack, and for opponents it is to intercept, tackle or defend.
4. Throwing the ball into the basket. In order to win basketball, you need to score as many balls as possible in the opposing team's basket, as well as protect your own basket.
Also as you increase plays then you can go back down to play 1, then 1 and 2, then 1, 2 and 3 and so on. This leads to the repetitive process to remember plays in a order. The advantage of this process is when they get in the game and if they cant remember number 4 they can think of moves in play number 3 to help trigger play number 4. The plays can be triggered by previous motions learned in the sequence.
If you force someone to pay attention to what they are doing and then add the Hebb repetition in with this it will lead to less errors within the Hebb repetition process.
Over the past four decades, the research has found that interleaving is outperforming blocking strategy for many of the subjects including category learning and sports.
Once you they get through all of the plays have them repeat them.
Along with that it could help out a great number of players because everyone learns differently. Having three different strategies it will help suit more players and better incorporate for learning styles. The process of learning plays will vary player to player and team to team, however if we can reach out with a variety of learning styles it will be better suited to reach more players while assisting in the learning process.
I asked Coach Murphy about her thoughts on set plays.
In the back of the bus, they teach each other. As an eighth grade math teacher, the science behind this learning method is effective. Players might make eye contact and passively listen to a coach giving the instructions. When they are the one forced to explain and diagram every detail, there is no hiding. Getting the play wrong is healthy in this environment. And it often elicits great questions and ideas that the coach never initially considered.
Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls… 
If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul. 
It seemed to be very inconvenient to climb after the ball every time after a hit. Around the same time, free throws, dribbling appeared, and the composition of the teams was fixed for 5 players on the court at the same time. Before that, in some matches, up to 50 people could be on the court at the same time. All this happened back in 1896-1897. 
2 seconds: 
The rebound during the dribble must not exceed the height of the player. It is recommended to immediately start by learning how to dribble with both hands, hitting the ball with them one by one. 
- Play hard, but within the rules. advantage in basketball e have tall and physically strong players, although undersized take their speed and agility. - Never argue with the judge. He will not change his point of view, but you can get a foul. - Do not try to win at the expense of accuracy of throws, dribbling, high jumps or interceptions alone. Train all together. - And the last thing: do not neglect tactics. It is necessary during the game not only to score, but also to think. 
Maintain. Moving a player around the court is possible only with a periodic (no more than 2 steps) hitting the ball on the floor. It is forbidden to dribble a basketball with both hands, as well as carrying it. The height to which the ball bounces must not exceed the height of a person. An inexperienced player should practice dribbling the ball with each hand separately, following it only with peripheral vision. 
