Blog Post #43, March 22, 2009

How to Teach the Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals

Vaughn Hoffman, a member of UCLA’s first championship team, wrote me an e-mail today. Here it is:

Hi Swen,

While watching UCLA get blown out of the gym yesterday, I wondered about some of the old fundamentals that you and I were taught and if they no longer apply?

Blocking out on rebounding
Filling the lanes on fast break and the guard stopping at the free throw line and feeding cutters
Not shooting unless you have a teammate or two in rebounding position
Running an offense to get high percentage shots.
Keeping your butts low on defense so you stay in front of the offensive man
Not letting anyone get the baseline, forcing your man to drive to the center where you have help. Put him in the stands before letting them drive baseline
If a little guard drives into the paint, make him never want to do it again
Pick and Roll

I remember we spent at least one hour a day doing drills on fundamentals.

Help me out Swen, I value your input.

Vaughn

Here was my response: 

Vaughn:
This season, Coach Howland has a very young team. Last year, in Love and Westbrook, for example, he had much higher-skilled athletes. I hear he spends a great deal of time teaching the fundamentals of basketball. If youth is the cause for the lack of the basics, we should see improvement next year. However, I don’t think that’s the case. I have not seen Coach Howland’s practices but it seems clear based on observation of games, the priority of a thorough teaching of the fundamentals is lacking. The teaching of the “quick and proper execution of the fundamentals,” as Coach Wooden defines “skill” in his Pyramid of Success, should take precedence over everything else. Without a foundation, no structure will stand under the kind of pressure we see in March Madness, for example.

You have caused me to reflect on just how Coach taught the fundamentals. Here is my recollection.

The ‘Proper” Execution of the Fundamentals
Step 1: Start Slowly and Work on Details
Fundamentals must first be taught at slow speed with attention to detail of every essential movement, For example in the area of jump shooting:
Preparation: elbow above the knee, wrinkle in the wrist, ball below and close to the chin, feet a little wider than the shoulders, head directly between the midpoint of the two feet, every joint flexed and relaxed

Process: elbow keeps moving up

Finish: elbow above the ear, fingers pointing to the floor, balance when landing

Start slowly. Apply the four laws of learning with lots of demonstration, imitation, correction, and a lot of repetition. 

Step 2: Use Variety
Vary the ways you teach the details:
For example, you might begin with the whole team, spread over an area, all mimicking you performing the proper form for the jump shot, without the ball. Then, divide them into pairs, and have each player shoot the ball to the other, about fifteen feet away. You stress the same details but the variety keeps their attention. Later, institute an assortment of shooting competition drills.

Step 3: Combine Fundamentals
Devise a variety of “game-like” drills (no defense), part of the offense or defense, which combine several fundamentals such as passing, receiving, and shooting. Start by including two fundamentals and then three. As you progress, you’ll end up with something like Coach Wooden’s “Rebound pass-out” drill that combines passing, cutting, receiving, and rebounding. 

The “Quick” Execution of the Fundamentals
Step 1: Increase the Pace
Speed up the drills. Make the players execute faster while maintaining proper form in all areas. 

Step 2: Increase the Pressure
Put some defense on it, but in teaching drills, never more than  ¾ defense with no stealing. Full defense should be reserved for scrimmaging.

Scrimmaging:
Scrimmaging should start with one-on-one and progressing to two-on-two, three-on-three, and four-on-four, working on a particular part of the offense or defense. It could be the UCLA cut, an out screen of the Flex Offense, a down screen, or a pick and roll.

Teach Offense and Defense During Scrimmages: 
During scrimmages, place equal emphasis on the correct execution of the offensive and defensive fundamentals. This will save time and make all players work hard. They love to play so let them play, and then teach by stopping the action often (but briefly) to correct. 

Conclusion:
1. Teach Basics All Season: Many coaches stop teaching the details sometime during the season. Coach Wooden never did. We did simple, basic, drills (with variation) at the end of the season. For example, going after the rebound, snatching it with elbows wide, turning the head to look for the outlet, and coming down in balance and pivoting. He was tougher on us at the end of the season because we should have known it by then.

2. Apply the Fundamentals Early:  Mastery of the fundamentals need not be achieved before applying the basics in competition. 

Vaughn: I remember our practices being divided into two sections: Teaching the fundamentals, and Analyzing scrimmages to see how the fundamentals were working. If Coach Howland takes this approach, and places skill development above all else, we should see a different Bruin team next year.

Swen