Written by Rick Torbett on June 20, 2009 – 8:16 PM
Q: I have recently purchased and received the Read and React DVD set and am thrilled to be able to start implementing the system for the upcoming season! I’ve long looked for an offense that can teach my girls movement without too much thought behind it. They tend to become “paralyzed” on the floor because they don’t know how to feed off of each other and “just play basketball.” Some kids just don’t play enough “street ball” to get the flow of the game!
My question is as follows: I coach a CYO 7th/8th grade girls’ team with very limited skill and basketball knowledge. Many of these girls also play on our Middle School team. I’m only allotted one practice a week for 1-1/2 hours. Is it possible to teach this system to this group of girls and have it be successful? How much time is truly necessary per week for this system to “kick in to gear”? Also, in addition to the 7th/8th grade team I coach, I also coach a 3rd/4th grade team as well. Is it possible to teach R&R to this age group and have it be successful?
A: Thanks so much your excitement and passion for your girls! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
What I would do for both situations (one practice per week and the 3rd/4th grade team) is teach Layer 3 first. Pass & Cut is not dependent on Layers 1 or 2 coming first. The girls of both teams will pick up Pass & Cut quicker than they’ll pick up Circle Movement and they’ll see some success right away - especially against defensive teams that are pressuring them on the perimeter.
But at the same time, you can begin to drill Circle Movement. These two actions are the backbone of the offense. If you know what to do when the ball drives and when the ball is passed one spot away, then 90% of basketball actions are taken care of. As you see the need for Post slides or Speed Dribble, you can put them in. That would comprise the foundation of the offense (the first 5 layers). There are many teams that don’t go any further with the offense because they don’t HAVE to. It’s more than enough for a working offense.
Also, with your emphasis on these two layers only, you’ll have time to work on their fundamentals like passing, catching, being tough with the ball, finishing lay-ups, shooting, and defense. The great thing is that you’ll be able to work on these fundamentals WHILE you work on Pass & Cut and Dribble Drive Circle Movement.
Third and Fourth graders: keep it simple and fun. They must learn How to Learn, and learn How to Train. Training to Compete and Training to Win come later when they’re older. Pass & Cut and Circle Movement is plenty for them.
I’m in the same situation, only with HS-age boys. I’ve found that this idea works well, and helps in what Rick Torbett calls ‘Collapsing Time Frames’:
I divide my team in groups of 3. After describing the layer, and showing them the drills associated with that layer, I have the groups spend about 3 minutes working the drills, then we play 3-on-3. The offensive team has to initiate the drill with either a pass or dribble, depending on the layer we’re working on, with the defense playing in ‘dummy’ mode until the third exchange, whether it be by pass-and-cut, or off the dribble-drive; then the defense is live. I find that having fewer players on the court allows the ball-handler to see more clearly a couple of options at a time; and the players without the ball are not only limited to their initial cut, but they find themselves also identifying the ‘next’ logical movement, which we encourage them to fill.
For example: if we set up the three-man game at the point, right wing, and right corner, and we give the ball to the point, he has the option of passing to the wing, driving to the basket (either side - we’ll set up chair or cone at the FT line to help the other players recognize which side the ball is being driven), or speed dribbling to the wing. The defense must make the adjustments quicker, the players without the ball can recognize their cuts faster, and the drill has more meaning for the next time they do it.
We usually do this after the second time we’ve worked on the drills; the first time is to get the players accustomed to the movements; the second time, to increase their speed in their movements. After that, the defense will make the offense react, and vice-versa. I also make it competitive at the level which I teach, which also reinforces the importance of the drills and the offense overall.