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The Growth Factor

7/26/2015

We live in a time where our hyper-connectedness allows us access to every type of media at a moment’s notice. It has become commonplace for coaches to watch YouTube clips and download DVD’s daily about some facet of the game. Coaches, business leaders, and the like are always posting to Twitter about getting on “their daily grind”. We now wear constant stimulation as a badge of honor. While I believe personal and professional growth is important, it is the application of those things that add real value to our lives.

What if we stopped trying to consume as much as we could and instead focused on applying as much as we could?

How much extra time could we put into something else if we focused on only one thing at a time?

My thoughts are this:

-growth is good only if it leads to change

-watching, reading, talking to other coaches, etc. is only good if helps your program

-if it’s learning for the sake of learning I argue that it’s a waste of time

-we grow through application, experimentation, failure and success

-we need to have a plan

15 Minutes

Here is a sample growth plan that takes all of 15 minutes daily to complete:

Monday: 15 minutes brainstorming ways to improve the program

Tuesday: 15 minutes reading

Wednesday: 15 minutes reading

Thursday: 15 minutes podcast

Friday: 15 minutes podcast

A simple way to devote time each day to growth, we can all find 15 minutes.

-TJ

What if we stopped trying to consume as much as we could and instead focused on applying as much as we could?

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Applying The Rhythm Offense Concepts

7/24/2015

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Even though the ideas are simple to teach and understand, the effectiveness of the Rhythm Offense concepts are directly tied to the skill level of the players and the imagination of the coach. Just like any offense, the more “complete” players a team has the more successful the offense will be. As mentioned in the book, most teams are not fully made up of “complete” players. Most teams are made up of players that we name: “complete”, “specialists”, and “role players”. Here is where the imagination of the coach comes into to the picture. Since the concepts can be applied to any offensive system or actions, coaches can build an offense around what type of players they have.

Overall Goals of Rhythm Offense:

Eliminate “Tornado Brain”.
Recognize difference between “Count” and “Noncount” situations.
Move from one “Count Situation” to the next within each offensive possession.
Use “Count Method” to teach players with ball the proper progressions and timing of each read.
Use “Count Method” to teach ‘off ball’ players the spacing and timing necessary for successful offensive actions and possessions.

What coaches have to consider when applying the Rhythm Offense:

How are we going to transfer from “Noncount” to “Count Situations”?
What specific “Count Situations” should we emphasize?
How are we going to create as many open “One Count” situations as we can for our best “Ones”?
How are we going to create space and opportunities for our best “Twos”?
How are we going to enforce the importance of every player to buying into the “Three Count”?
Do we have the type of players that we can create “Count Method” ball screen opportunities for? If so, when do we want to set them and where do we want them set?

Ways to create “Count Situations” for players
First coaches have to decide what type of offense they want to run within their program. By that I mean coaches have to decide between the following three options or combination of options: Motion, Continuity, Sets. Coaches usually make this decision based on their experience level, their personality, the age/experience level of their teams, and the overall goals they have for their program.

Examples of coaches/coaching situations:

There are coaches who believe their job is to develop players in multiple areas of playing offense, teach players how to play, and teach players how to read situations. These coaches are willing to give up full game control and let players decide what option is best while on the floor. This type of coach will usually be a motion only coach.
Same as above but the coach still wants to control some of their players actions like who shoots where and when they look to shoot. This coach can still use a motion offense as a base but will likely add in a continuity or set plays to their philosophy.
There are coaches who feel like the only way their teams can be successful is if they try and control everything their players think and do while on the floor. This coach will stay away from any type of motion offense and stick only with continuities and sets.

Personally I have felt like a coach in all three examples. My experience has lead me to be a coach that falls within the first and second bullet points. I am 100% the first bullet with our JR High and Junior Varsity teams. My goal for both of those teams is to put players in as many situations as they can learn from so they can develop multiple skills at their own pace. I was put into a “box” as a younger player and my vow is to never do that to any of our younger players. It's impossible for us to predict the type of skills a 10 year old will have when their 18 years old. Now with my varsity team I fall within the second bullet point. Varsity is the first time we really stress winning, so we come up with specific actions and strategies that we feel will make us the most successful. I feel like coaches do their players a disservice if their not trying to win games at this level. We will still use motion as our main offense, but we will add in sets/strategies that help us create certain “Count Situations” for our better players.

Strategies for creating “Count Situations”:

Flow into a motion offense from a fast break philosophy to allow players to find their own
“Count Situations”.
Use simple entries to go from “Noncount” to “Count Situations”.
Use sets to create specific “Count Situations” for certain players in certain locations.

No matter your philosophy every coach needs to do the following:

Create open “One Counts” for your best perimeter “Ones”.
1. Drive and kick to “Ones” who are “loaded” on wing.
2. Screen for “Ones” who are acting as cutters.
3. Use “Ones” as screeners to get their defender to help on cutter.
Create open “One Counts” for your best post players.
1. Isolate post players who have the ability to be a “One” in the lane.
2. Emphasize pursuing offensive rebounds.
3. Screen for post “Ones” - “Little on Big” screens are effective.
4. Use post “Ones” as screeners then sealers.
5. If they have the ability, use post “Ones” in ball screen situations.
Look for ways to create space and opportunities for your “Twos”.
1. Create double and triple gaps. (DDM language)
2. Make sure they have the ability to sell a “One Count” move.
3. Run the “Twos” ahead and wide in transition offense.
Stress the importance of being a “Three Count” player.
1. My opinion is that every player, from best to lowest level, has to be a “Three Count” player.
2. “One Count” and “Two Count” are ME time but “Three Count” is WE/YOU time.

Conclusion
If you have read the book you realize that it was left open ended. By that I mean I did not go through and tell coaches exactly what to do with the concepts. There are two main reasons for that: 1st - There are plenty of great resources out there that coaches can use for specific “X’s and O’s”. 2nd - More importantly, only the head coach and staff knows their team and the goals they have for their program. A coach friend tweeted about “drill grabbers” or coaches who pick up drills from clinics and apply them to their practices even if it doesn't really “fit” within their philosophies and goals. My comment to him was that coaches are also “offense grabbers”. Some coaches tend to bounce from one “offense” to the next looking to that special one that is going to put them over the top. This was not my goal with the “Rhythm Offense” eBook. My goal was to share simple teaching concepts that coaches can use however they feel will make the most impact for them and their program.

Thanks!

Ryan Smith

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The Growth Factor

Applying The Rhythm Offense Concepts

"The One Thing" Basketball Edition

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The Growth Factor

﻿Applying The Rhythm Offense Concepts﻿

"The One Thing" Basketball Edition

Archives

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Applying The Rhythm Offense Concepts