Basketball is a game of quick hitting action that often requires instantaneous decision-making by players, coaches and referees.  One of the few times during a game when everyone can catch a breath, make strategy judgments according to the game circumstances and clearly communicate to all involved any changes/reminders is during a free throw.  If we think about it, not only is the foul shot “free” but so too are the opportunities to use the time to organize team strategy and remind players of their individual responsibilities.  The major theme of this article thus becomes the utilization of the “free” time to a team’s best advantage.

Individual Techniques

The inside defensive position has the responsibility to box out the offensive player and rebound the ball.  His foot position is the key to gaining an advantage.  The feet should be placed together and as close to the offensive rebounder as the rules allow, hands up with elbows out and eyes on the shooter.  Stepping toward the foul shooter with the nearest foot from the “together” position insures the longest stride possible.

The offensive player has the time to quickly evaluate the opponent on his inside.  Is he taller, stronger or a better leaper?  If the offensive rebounder decides he has an even chance or better of rebounding a missed shot, he should position himself as close to the defender as the rules allow.  His first move is to step in toward his opponent with the inside foot simultaneously trying to drive his inside shoulder to an advantage position.  On the other hand, if the offensive rebounder feels he has little chance of getting inside position using this technique due to physical differences, he should move as far away from the defensive rebounder as possible and aim instead to rebound the ball that hits the front rim of the basket and bounds toward the middle of the lane.

An interesting technique for the offensive rebounder is to tap the ball away from the basket rather than attempt to grab the rebound.  With two guards positioned behind the foul shooter, a successful “tap out” provides the offensive team with an extra possession of the ball.

Pair Techniques

Defensive players nearest the foul shooter will be responsible as a pair for two different jobs dependent upon the size and strength of the offensive rebounders.  The defensive player nearest to the tallest offensive rebounder will attempt to “pinch” or “sandwich” that player by positioning himself as close to that player as legally possible.  He then steps toward the basket with his nearest foot to disallow the offensive player to have room to rebound.  The remaining defensive player on the lane will be responsible to box out the foul shooter by stepping across the lane in a wide position to deny the shooter the chance to follow his shot.  Communication between the two players is critical so that both responsibilities are taken care of.

Offensive rebounders can attempt an unusual pair technique several times a game by starting in positions distanced from their opponents and then crisscrossing the lane to establish inside position for the rebound on each side.  Communication again is critical as the two players would need to signal the crisscross game to each other and which player would move first across the lane to gain position.  The rarely used technique can surprise the opponents and result in needed baskets.

Team Techniques

The position of the defensive players on the court during the free throw situation can provide some interesting, creative and daring challenges to the opponents.  I believe that the setup of the five players involved can force adjustments by the opponents that they normally not have to concern themselves with.  The frequency of the techniques would be determined by the coach and initiated with a signal from the bench to the players.

Before I describe the player’s positioning and responsibilities, let me identify the purposes and goals I have in mind;
1. To reduce or eliminate the opponent’s ability to press when a free throw is made or missed.
2. To score an “easy basket”
3. To get a needed basket quickly with little time remaining on the scoreboard
4. To break the normal rhythm of the game
5. To score quickly when trying to catch up when behind
6. To cause opponents confusion and adjustments

The “two down” signal indicates to the players that the team will position three players on the lane for the free throw and two players in a down court position.  The down court position could be at half court, foul line extended at the far basket or even at the far baseline.  The variety of the down court position and the movement of the two players increases the difficulty for the opponents.  This “two down” strategy requires excellent communication and execution as is always the case in sports techniques.

Roles of the three lane players (missed free throw)

The players closest to the foul shooter will box out the shooter and then move quickly to a high outlet position to the side of the rebound.  The hash mark on the court is a good spot to aim for as a high outlet position; the rebounder of the missed free throw will pivot to the outside and throw a quick, hard outlet pass and then run to follow that pass aiming for the sideline running lane; the non-rebounder will run quickly down the middle of the court to become the trailer.

Roles of the three lane players (made free throw)

The player boxing out the shooter must first communicate with his teammates to know which player is going to inbound the ball.  This allows for a pre-determined side of a high outlet position; the designated rebounder (either a left-handed player positioned to the foul shooter’s left or vice versa) will quickly grab the ball from the net, step out of bounds and quickly throw a hard pass to the outlet man and run to follow that pass; the non-rebounder runs across the lane opposite the in bounder to sprint the full court as a trailer.

Roles of the two down court players (missed or made shot)

They can position together on the far foul line, in separate corners or sidelines down court (in fact, positioning at different spots is an excellent idea); the movement can vary as well, as long as the players communicate, they can run across the court to opposite sidelines to receive a long outlet pass, they can run across the court and up toward the ball hoping a defender will move up so that a long backdoor cut/pass is set up.  The point here is that the possibilities are many and can be created by the coach and the players.  The timing of the cuts, rebound and outlet pass require steady practice to be successful.

If you refer back to the goals/purposes set out in the article, you may now be able to see more clearly the possibilities.  In my experience, defenders honor the position of the two down court players with dual coverage thus a pressing team can be denied the opportunity of a five-man press.  Certainly there is a great opportunity for a quick basket (I often use a stop watch and demand a good shot be taken in seven seconds or less).  The stopwatch adds emphasis to the strategy whether behind in the score or not.  Execution must not be sacrificed at the suggestion of speed however!

Variety in movement and frequency present necessary adjustments for opposing coaches.  In fact, on a “one down” cue our team puts four players on the lane and only one player down court.  The element of surprise is a key ingredient in this system.

It was of great interest to me to watch the recent NCAA Tournament and view college scholarship players unable to make free throws.  Many of these players also shot below 70% for the season.  This, besides being shocking, feeds fuel to my position in this article as there were so many chances for coaches to take advantage of the “two down” concept described here.  Regardless of the level of play, there are risks involved that diminish with the growth of confidence for the coach and players through consistent practice.  In general, the confidence will heighten in direct proportion to the amount of practice time devoted to mastery of the strategy.  For my part, the amount of time and energy invested is worth every second!

Good luck coaches!  Try something new!  Be creative with you own additional concepts!  Watch your players enjoy this under-instructed phase of the game and have fun yourself!