Mailbag! Unique 1-3-1 Zone Defense

  Welcome to the mailbag! We’ve received some great questions and comments on our recent articles and content lately.  Before we get to that, we have a couple of announcements!  Featured Product Of The Week - Sale Ends Today  This week’s featured product of the week is [The 31 Defense With Will Rey]( It’s currently on sale for $48 (regularly $69), but that sale ends tonight!  This is a great product from a Hall of Fame Coach. If you’ve played against a 1-3-1, you know the challenges it can present. Why not have the 1-3-1 in your defensive arsenal for this upcoming season? If you’re interested in learning step-by-step how to coach this defense, this is the product for you!  Coach Rey covers the basics of the defense as well as tweaks you can make to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent.   If you’re looking to create more turnovers this upcoming season, then [WATCH 5 Ways The 1-3-1 Creates Turnovers here](   Take advantage of this special price today!  NEW Coaching Articles, Plays, Drills & Videos:  [New 1-3-1 YouTube Video - 5 Ways The 1-3-1 Creates Turnovers](  [Block Practice - The Reports Of Its Demise Are Greatly Overrated](  [Want To Be A Better Coach? Become A Student First](  [Argentina Passing Drill To Improve Passing](  [Unlock Fast Break Scoring With This Easy Transition Tweak](  [5 Out Concepts From NBA Champions]( video)  NEW YOUTH Coaching Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [The Player-First Approach: Why Players Matter More Than Plays (Especially At The Youth Level)](  [2 Game Like Drills That Go Beyond The “How” Of Passing](  [5 Small Sided Games For Youth Offense]( (YouTube video)  [Make More Layups (AKA Win More Games) With DeMatha Finishing](  [Stop Being So Nice To Your Team - Do This Instead](  [10 Tryout Tips: Your Checklist To Making The Team](   NEW Training Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [Why You Need Skill Development DURING The Season](  [Master The Footwork That Beats Even The Best Defenders](  [Why This Popular Move Might Be Hurting Your Your Game (And What To Do Instead)](  [Basketball Charging Drill #1](  NEW Sports Parenting Article, Drills, & Videos  [The Parents’ Dilemma: When Silence Is Golden In Youth Sports](  [Is Your Body Language Sabotaging Your Child’s Confidence?](  [5 Best Questions To Ask Your Child After Practice](   Today’s Mailbag  Article Feedback: “Block Practice” - Fighting Words!  We recently shared an article on [the role of block practice in coaching]( This generated some passionate responses.  Reader Robin O commented:  A few thoughts on 'block practise'.  - It's literally the only way to initiate novice players into basic techniques, and more experienced players into new ones.  - They enable the coach to see who's mastered it and who needs a bit more instruction/motivation/encouragement.  - They keep players sharp. The more basic a move is, the easier it is to become sloppy at it; and we all know that a moment's sloppiness on court can cost us a score, or give away an easy one to the bad guys.  You might like the following which I use when going into such a drill/  - Most drills have 'multiple relevance' so I ask 'What aspects are we actually working on here?' I'm wanting answers like 'footspeed', 'ball control', 'spatial awareness', and so on. - 'Now that we know that. work positively on all of them. DO NOT simply 'go through the motions'. You MUST apply to every run the attitude you'd apply in the closing seconds of a tight game.'  - 'And yes, I know it's unexciting; so the sooner I'm satisfied with how you're working it, the sooner you can move on to something more stimulating!'  Other readers disagreed. . .  Coach Tom F. commented: “I noticed that there are no references to any research or studies to support these anecdotes, whereas there’s myriad research supporting representative practices and games. And when properly constrained to account for the level and experience of the athlete, these representative games and situational work (I won’t use the word “drill”) are shown to be far better for skill acquisition.”  Joe Haefner’s response:  To be crystal clear, the rebuttal isn’t against the elimination of block practice… The rebuttal is against the notion that block practice doesn’t serve a purpose or maintain any value.  I believe in constraints (CLA), SSGs, random practice, representative practice and games, and have promoted them for a long time in our newsletter. I see the value.  Last season, approximately 70% to 80% of my team practices for a 4th/5th grade rec team composed of SSGs, 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 5v5, with variations of fewer defenders and additional defenders. We used dozens of different constraints to produce particular outcomes.  I don’t believe it’s an all-or-nothing approach.  Block practice is a tool in the toolbox and has benefits.  Just like anything in life, there are tradeoffs.  As mentioned above, block practice is a great tool for initial learning while developing confidence and competence in the skill.  But if you only utilize block practice, you’ll lack transfer to game play.  The random practice research from Shea & Morgan recognized that benefit of block practice.  Also, there are too many complexities and issues with the current research on skill acquisition.  - Little research on integrating different practice methods and approaches (typically just A vs. B)  - Little research on invasion sports and specifically basketball  - Lack of longevity - how often has this been down over the length of seasons?  - Differentiation in skill level - Difference between beginners, high schoolers, and pros  As skill acquisition expert Brian McCormick, PHD, once said to me, “You’d need a lot of participants (and time) to study block vs random vs block + random in any kind of meaningful research design. How many coaches will allow a season to depend on doing only one thing as a research study?”  To expand on INTEGRATING different practice methods…  I’ve asked many skill acquisition experts and there seems to be very little out there. There is a volleyball study by Goode & Magill (1986). They stated that the integration of block practice and random practice led to better overall performance and retention of skills.  How about research on a coach who integrates… - Block practice and CLA vs. CLA Only - Block practice and CLA vs. Block Practice only - Block Practice, Serial Practice, random practice and CLA Vs. CLA Only - Block Practice & Random Practice vs. Block Practice Only These are just a few examples. There would be many different combinations to research, but you get the idea.  However, I think anything vs. solely “Block Practice” is a bit silly. Even the most traditional coaches don’t practice that way. They spend some time utilizing live defenders and scrimmages in their practices.  It shouldn’t be a discussion of… - Block practice vs. CLA - Block practice vs. random practice - Block practice vs. serial practice - Block practice vs. ecological dynamics approach I always go back to the statement by the authors (Ian Renshaw, Keith Davids, Daniel Newcombe, Will Roberts) in the book The Constraints-Led Approach: Principles for Sports Coaching and Practice Design.  “Familiarity and ease with the key theoretical ideas behind the CLA is needed by practitioners since its main methodologies should not be viewed as a magic bullet.”  Here’s what Chat GPT said this means:  “This statement is emphasizing the importance for practitioners (presumably in a particular field or discipline) to have a strong understanding of the key theoretical ideas behind the CLA (presumably an abbreviation for some methodology or approach). It suggests that practitioners should be familiar with and comfortable applying these theoretical concepts in their work.  The mention of the methodologies not being viewed as a "magic bullet" suggests that while the CLA methodologies may be powerful or effective, they are not a guaranteed solution to all problems or challenges. Instead, success with these methodologies relies on understanding the underlying theoretical principles and applying them appropriately in context. In essence, the statement is cautioning against the misconception that simply following a methodology without understanding its theoretical basis will lead to successful outcomes.”  And from personal experience…  I can tell you without a doubt that when FIRST learning a skill, block practice or constant practice is extremely helpful.  Recently, I had this experience when playing tennis for the first time a few years ago.  I’m having this experience right now when coaching/training my 4th/5th grade children.  When I was struggling with a backhand in tennis, I asked the coach to do less random practice and live play. I asked for about 15-20 minutes to focus on the backhand. After about 10 minutes, something clicked. Then when we went back to live play in that same session, I was firing backhands like never before.  I’ve had similar experiences when teaching my boys basketball. I do a ton of random practice/SSGs/constraints with them.  Most times, they start executing the skill better after some block practice. There are times when they go slowly through the new skill too.  Now don’t get me wrong, I still sandwich that with guided defense, random practice, variable practice, serial practice, CLA, SSGs, and other strategies.  Every approach has its tradeoffs.  Question: Can You Help Me With Transition Offense?  High school girls coach Benjamin J wrote in asking, “Can you help me with transition offense? I’ve used North Carolina’s secondary break with a good post and shooter but am not sure what to use this season?”  Jeff Huber’s response:  Hi Benjamin  Do you have a good post player this year? That will influence what you want to do.  In the past, I’ve done both 5 out and 4 out transition. I wrote a piece this week on having the [closest player inbound]( I would try to do that if you have a rim runner (perhaps your talented post player). If you are not having a rim runner you could designate your 5 to inbounds.  You could run the [2 side break]( with 5 out spacing.  I think the biggest key is having a spacing template - either 4 out or 5 out, and making sure your players are getting there within 4-5 seconds.   Also, give your guards specific reads. Ours were always:  1 - Throw the ball ahead  2 - Throw the ball across to change ball and help side  3 - Dribble push down the floor if a pass is not available (if wings are denied it should open up lanes for the PG to penetrate!)  I’ve never been a big fan of secondary breaks as I feel players don’t run as hard because they are thinking of the secondary break options. To me, that’s the drawback of the North Carolina secondary break.   Ultimately, you have to get your players to sprint every time. I would do a lot of short practice segments so fatigue doesn’t slow them down.   I’d also make a rule that if the ball isn’t across half court in :04-:05, it’s a turnover.   For a complete transition offense system, check out [Get Comfortable Playing At An Uncomfortable Pace With Rob Brost](.  Finally, if you want to generate more transition opportunities, consider pressing. It’s a great way to speed the game up and create easy scoring chances for your team. [Mike Hilmer’s Relentless Pressure System]( is an ideal place to start.   Hope that all helps!  Comment: Learn From The Best!  We recently [shared a baseline out of bounds play]( from legendary Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles, who won over 1,000 games in his career! Viewers really liked the play, and also love [Coach Miles](  [DannyMiles]  Jeff Huber’s response:  This is a great play! I love how there are multiple scoring options. It’s also hard to switch because of the timing of the consecutive actions.  For more plays like this, check out our NEW YouTube video coming out this Tuesday - 5 Baseline Out Of Bounds Plays That Get Buckets!  YouTube Question: DKS Drill - Man, Zone, Or Both?  The Drive-Kick-Swing drill is one of the core drills from [The Zoom Offense With Nate Steege](   [WATCH the drill here]( Viewer Devin G asked: “Would you run this drill against man, zone, or both?”  Jeff Huber’s Response:  Both! It’s designed against man to man but it applies to almost every offense and against every defense.  Essentially, it’s a drill to work on how to exploit advantage. That is needed no matter what you run or what your opponent plays.   Anytime you have an advantage, the principles of this drill apply. By learning to generate and keep advantages, your team becomes really tough to guard.  To progress the drill and make it move game-like, consider [The Butler Drill]( That starts 4v4 and has 1 defender run and touch the opposite baseline. This gives the offense a temporary numbers advantage, better simulating the game.   That drill comes from [How To Run Championship Practices With Ryan Schultz]( which is on sale this coming week!  Comment: A Must Have Beginner Drill  Our recent YouTube video [5 Small Sided Games For Youth Offense]( includes a drill called 2v2 no dribble that we shared on X.   Viewer HK commented:   Jeff Huber’s Response:  I agree! From having coached youth basketball for 7 seasons, I can attest that moving without the ball does not come naturally.  Most players stand with their hands up and yell for the ball, even if their defender is right next to them.  As coaches, we must teach players why to cut and then show them how to do so.   We must also work with passers. I’ve noticed that even when beginner players do cut, passers are often not in position to see them and throw them the ball.  Coach Jim Huber covers many more drills and games like this in [Jim Huber Beginner Basketball Ages 5-9]( If you’re coaching players new to the game, let his wisdom work to your advantage this season!  Breakthrough Product Review - 5 Star Reviews Rolling In: “Well delivered content” “Good teacher,” “Explained well”  We continue to receive great reviews on many of our products, and I want to share a few with you today so you can see if they’re the right fit for you.  Here are 2 recent 5 star review of [The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber]( “Easy lay out of topics, downloadable resources, and the video explanations are excellent.” -Troy W.  “I just purchased this and am glad I did! It’s highly informative.”  - Andrew K.  Here’s a recent review of [The Zoom Offense With Nate Steege](  “I enjoyed how thorough the videos were about breaking down the content. Easy to follow.”  -James B.  “Great camp”, “Enjoyed tremendously” “Well organized” and “Fun drills”: Soundbites From Breakthrough Camp Attendees  Check out these camp reviews from a player and parents:    Upcoming Fall & Winter Camps  Want a final tune up before tryouts and the season really get underway? We still have Fall and Winter camps (as well as recurring training academies) for you to make serious strides and boost your confidence before the season starts!  You can[view the full Breakthrough Basketball camp schedule here](  There are still a few spots left (you can also join the waitlist if they're sold out), so if you’re interested and in the area, just click the link below for more info.  [See ALL Fall & Winter Camps & Training Academies Here](  Closing Notes  Thanks so much for reading this edition of the Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag! Stay tuned for upcoming editions, featuring more of your questions and comments. We value your input and look forward to helping you on your journey to success.  If you have any thoughts on the type of content you’d like to see more of in upcoming mailings, please feel free to shoot us a reply and let us know!  All the best, Jeff Huber Breakthrough Basketball   This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you indicated that you'd like to receive emails and updates from Breakthrough Basketball on 2016-12-16 05:42:39. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please [Change Your Email Preferences]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved. Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif] . It’s our mission to build a strong community centered around basketball, personal development and most importantly - fun! We love to create extraordinary and useful products and share them with you! 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