Category: Uncategorized

  • Playing two post players Dribble Drive style

    Two posts dd-style1Even if you run the Dribble Drive there are many reasons you might want to run two post players at the same time. You might have great size, or you might have two players who are not able to play on the perimeter, who you want to play together.

    Playing two post players doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning your Dribble Drive principles, however.

    Two posts dd-style2On any entry into the post, when you have two post players, just continue using the principles of the Dribble Drive post player movement.

    If O5 makes a move to the middle O4 relocates under the basket, just like a middle drive in the 4-out Dribble Drive.

    This will either draw X4 away from the help or leave O4 open under the basket.

    If O5 makes a move to the baseline O4 T’s up – just like on a baseline drive in the 4-out Dribble Drive.

  • Quick Hitters: Zone Up

    For the last almost two seasons I’ve been the head coach of the Aalborg Vikings in the Basketball League in Denmark, Europe. I took over mid-season for the first year, and we weren’t able to run the Dribble Drive, as we had to focus on defense.

    For year two we started out running the Dribble Drive but mid season we replaced our import players with three new ones. I didn’t think we’d have time to teach it to the new players in time for the playoffs, so we went with set plays.

    However, we ran a lot of set plays and quick hitters out of the Dribble Drive formation, as we were already used to playing out of that set.

    Now I’ve made the transition to the GM job in the club, so I’m going to share the best of those quick hitters with you this summer. Some are in the Dribble Drive book I published, but this first one is not.

    Zone Lob Play

    This is a very simple screen-the-zone alley-oop lob play against most zones except the 1-3-1. One TV-announcer told me this season that he couldn’t figure out why the other teams didn’t catch on to it, as we used it every time we faced zone defense.

    The answer to that question is in the deception. All of the real action takes place behind the defense and away from the ball:

    Diagrammed it looks like this:

    zone_-_up_animation

  • LINsanity… 19 months later…

    Just catching up on the LINsanity? This site had him featured 19 months ago.

    http://coachdribbledrive.com/2010/07/23/swim-move/

  • Inspiration

    It’s January, it’s cold (at least in many places), we’re right between the start of the season and the playoffs. In short it’s probably the toughest time of the year for us coaches. I know it’s tough for me, at least.

    I took over a 1-6 team a third into the season, and now we’ve won six of the last eight, are in fourth place of a very competitive 10 team top flight league in Northern Europe – and we could easily miss the eight team playoffs. We win by playing defence, but out of the remaining 11 games five are against the top three, who are all great offensive teams, and most of the rest are away games. In other words I worry a lot right now. Worry about being relegated to the league below. Worry about injuries. Worry about every game, every practice.

    Then someone sent me a quote. Someone who knows me really well, who knows this time of year for a basketball coach. It reminded me that just going out there on the court – fighting for every little thing – is more than worth it. I hope it will get you some energy to get you through January too:

    “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
    The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.
    So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

    Theodore Roosevelt, “Man in the Arena” Speech given April 23, 1910 26th president of US (1858 – 1919)

  • San Antonio Spurs Player Development – Day 2

    Day 2 of Ryan Richard’s individual workouts.

    Unfortunately I’m having internet connection problems, causing each YouTube upload to take in the region of 3-5 hours, so the updates will come as I’m able to upload the videos. As I’m uploading this there is one video to follow in the set, I will update the post when it’s on YouTube.

    Note: For this post it might be worth pointing out that Ryan is a leftie, thus all the work with his right hand.

    Here’s the background for the posts:

    At the moment I’ve got quite an interesting opportunity, in that one of my former players (as an assstant coach) is back home for the holidays – and the San Antonio Spurs’ D-League team (the Torros) have sent a coach home with him so he can continue his recovery form double shoulder surgery.

    The player is Ryan Richards, who was drafted by the Spurs in the second round of the 2010 draft. Since then Ryan have been injured, but the Spurs see enough talent in the 6’10” 7’0” [update: Ryan pointed out he’s grown to 7’0” with shoes!] British sharp shooter that they have stayed with him, and continue his development.

    For the last three days I’ve recorded his individual basketball workouts, and I thought I’d share it, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the dribble drive directly.

    Note: The videos are unedited, and the language is sometimes rather PG. If you don’t approve I suggest you turn off the sound or don’t watch 🙂

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZel5QjyC5k]
    Many more videos after the break (more…)

  • San Antonio Spurs Player Development – Day 1

    At the moment I’ve got quite an interesting opportunity, in that one of my former players (as an assstant coach) is back home for the holidays – and the San Antonio Spurs’ D-League team (the Torros) have sent a coach home with him so he can continue his recovery form double shoulder surgery.

    The player is Ryan Richards, who was drafted by the Spurs in the second round of the 2010 draft. Since then Ryan have been injured, but the Spurs see enough talent in the 6’10” 7’0” [update: Ryan pointed out he’s grown to 7’0” with shoes!] British sharp shooter that they have stayed with him, and continue his development.

    For the last three days I’ve recorded his individual basketball workouts, and I thought I’d share it, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the dribble drive directly.

    The videos show most of the first workout (where the YouTube uploads didn’t fail), so it gives an interesting look into how NBA caliber players work out. I’ll keep updating with the next workouts over the next few days.

    Note: The videos are unedited, and the language is sometimes rather PG. If you don’t approve I suggest you turn off the sound or don’t watch 🙂

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHulYwuzMDM]

    Many more videos after the break (more…)

  • Kentucky and the Dribble Drive

    I’m sure a lot of you guys around the world are following the NCAA tournament. If not may I just remind you that all the games are available right here:

    March Madness On Demand

    With my interest in the Dribble Drive I’ve been following coach Calipari’s teams for years, but mostly in the post season, as very few NCAA games are shown in Europe during the regular season.

    One thing which surprised me watching this season’s Kentucky matches is that they have pretty much gone away from the Dribble Drive as an offense, and I think they look stagnant because of it. There is a lot of pass, stand around. Pass, stand around waiting for a pick-n-roll. Pick-n-roll, hesitate.

    (more…)

  • Pick-n-roll is dead

     

    The original Dribble Drive didn’t feature the pick-n-roll much, but that’s not what has killed the pick-n-roll. In fact the pick is still alive, but there is no longer any roll.

    Coach Calipari was an early proponent of setting the screen and then just sprinting to the basket instead of rolling. Duke has joined the bandwagon, as can be seen on the Bob Knight video below.

    http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6103089

  • Allowing players ownership of their team

    This weekend I watched the World Cup Handball final. For anyone who doesn’t know the sport – which you probably wouldn’t unless you live in Europe or South Korea – it’s a bit like a mix of soccer and basketball, played indoors at two goals, but with the hands. Have a look at some highlights here:

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cml4z8qI8Tc&feature=related&w=640&rel0]

    Well, this weekend Denmark played France in the World Cup final, in Sweden in front of 16.000 spectators. Denmark had the ball but were down by one goal with 29 seconds left when they called a timeout. In handball 21 seconds is basically time enough for one offense.

    We all know what most basketball coaches would do; take control, draw up a play, let the players know exactly what to do.

    The Danish coach did something very different. As soon as the players came in he goes:

    “What do you want to run?”

    (more…)

  • Video reviews

    One thing I hear a lot of questions about is the various DVD sets about the Dribble Drive Motion. Are they any good? Are they good enough? Who are they for? Below I’ll review the DDM DVD’s I’ve seen.

    (more…)