Clinics · clinic 2 · P2

Halfcourt spacing and the lava floor

Proposal · not yet agreed by the TC

Start of P2, Halfcourt & spacing, in the week of 4 January.

U12 core line

the floor is lava. Paint touch, smiley stop, kick-out, ball reversal. See the gaps and drive them.

The problem

everyone gathers near the ball, the drive has nowhere to go, and a player who stops in the middle distance stalls the possession.

Shared words

don't stop in the lava · paint touch · good shot.

The lava floor is about stopping, not about shooting. Players don't stop or stand still in the midrange: no dead dribble there, and nobody parks there without the ball. They space outside, or keep going towards the smiley and the rim. A good shot from the midrange is fine (see idea 11 in Part A). Stopping there with nothing to do, or throwing the ball at the rim because nothing else came to mind, is what we want to get rid of. The lava rule is a club agreement in the season plan; check the current decision.

On court

Min		Activity
8		Monkey in the middle, drive and pass back Threes, one ball. more Monkey in the middle, then drive to the basket and pass back to the third player outside the three-point line, who stayed wide.
15		2-on-2 into 3-on-3, with the coach as a rim Half court. more A coach stands under the basket as an extra passing option. A basket is 2 points. A pass to the coach followed by a return pass caught outside the arc is 1 point. After a coach point the team has to attack the basket before using the coach again. Players learn to move after the pass and attack the next advantage; in 3-on-3, watch what the third attacker does. Cue: pass, then move. Rule to try: a basket only counts if it came from a good shot. A contested or off-balance throw that goes in scores nothing, and the players decide together.
12		Drive reactions, 3-on-0 into 3-on-2 Middle drive versus baseline drive: who fills the corner, who lifts, who stays? Walk it first, then add two defenders and play live. more The point is to replace random movement with a few specific reactions. Cue: fill the space the driver leaves.

Min

Activity

Monkey in the middle, drive and pass back

Threes, one ball.

Monkey in the middle, then drive to the basket and pass back to the third player outside the three-point line, who stayed wide.

2-on-2 into 3-on-3, with the coach as a rim

Half court.

A coach stands under the basket as an extra passing option. A basket is 2 points. A pass to the coach followed by a return pass caught outside the arc is 1 point. After a coach point the team has to attack the basket before using the coach again. Players learn to move after the pass and attack the next advantage; in 3-on-3, watch what the third attacker does. Cue: pass, then move. Rule to try: a basket only counts if it came from a good shot. A contested or off-balance throw that goes in scores nothing, and the players decide together.

Drive reactions, 3-on-0 into 3-on-2

Middle drive versus baseline drive: who fills the corner, who lifts, who stays? Walk it first, then add two defenders and play live.

The point is to replace random movement with a few specific reactions. Cue: fill the space the driver leaves.

Watching, avoiding, other groups

Watching

count per possession how often a player stops in the midrange, how often someone runs to a corner, and how often the shot is a good shot rather than a throw.

To avoid

fixing spacing with set plays. "Don't move during a drive" is a reasonable first rule for young players, but replace it with two or three reactions once they are ready.

Defense

keep the paint free of unguarded attackers, discourage straight drives, make catches uncomfortable without gambling.

For other groups

X8 and X10: don't bunch up, cut out and back to get free, follow through on the pass and the dribble. X14 and VU14: drive, kick, swing, attack; box out; defend a spacing disadvantage. MU16: 45 cut, dribble-at and hand-off, post and Laker cut. The lava rule still holds: no stopping in the midrange without a plan, and a good midrange shot is welcome.

Take home

count corner runs in one session, and say it out loud when a player runs to the corner without getting the ball.

Question back
what crowds your offense most, the ball handler, the players without the ball, or the plays?