Post #2, July 18, 2008

THE BIG PICTURE, PART 2, Pressure Offense

The previous posting provided information on how you can keep your team scoring, even when the opponents are attempting  to get the ball out of the hands of your main scorers. Create several options for each of your main scorers and develop counter plays for all of your main plays. But you need Pressure Offense in order to pull that off.

Pressure offense can be clearly seen when watching a professional singles tennis match. The serve, the return, and then the rally begins. Then, player #1 hits a shot player #2 can barely return. Player #2 is now reacting to Player #1. Player #1 moves in and continues to hit deep, strong, and wide until Player #2 makes an error or Player #1 hits a winner. This is Pressure Offense: Making the defense react to the offense. In a basketball game, it is one of the most important ingredients to obtaining high-percentage shots.

Each basketball play begins like the tennis rally, with the exception, when the play begins, the defense is organized and in control. What can the offense do to disorganize the defense and open up scoring opportunities? It needs to apply pressure. Following are three principles for making this happen. 

Number One: EARLY BALL MOVEMENT
Lack of ball movement always puts the defense in control; the time gap between the pass and defensive adjustment is minute.  In other words, the defense is keeping up with the offense. However, when the ball is passed to the wing, into the post, back out to the guard, and to the weak side quickly, the time gap between the pass and defense reaction begins to increase. That’s the time to begin looking to get the ball to the scorers. 

Number Two: ATTACK THE WEAK-SIDE ELBOW
When ball reversal is made by the guard to weak-side forward pass, it gives time for the defense to regroup and reset.  That’s like tennis Player #1, when in control, hitting a weak shot right at Player #2, allowing him to get reset and  back in the play. When reversing the ball, keep the pressure on by attacking the weak-side elbow. Bring a good scorer there, get him the ball, and let him go one-on-one as you run the guard off him. This will keep the defense reacting.

Number Three: WEAK SIDE ACTION
As Coach Wooden has preached, “The weak side makes the strong side go.” If the weak side is not making preparation for another ball reversal and scoring opportunity, the weak-side defenders can sag and help on the strong side. After getting the ball to the weak-side elbow, run a double down screen on the new weak side.

I welcome your comments and questions. For more details, get the book, John Wooden’s UCLA Offense. Details can be found at www.humankinetics.com. Then search
”Wooden.”

Tip of the Day: Elbow should be above the ear at the finish of a jump shot.