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Arkansas High School Basketball => Basketball Coaches Corner => Topic started by: PapaHog on April 21, 2017, 08:47:47 am

Title: Defending ball screens
Post by: PapaHog on April 21, 2017, 08:47:47 am
This is a topic I have gone back and forth on. I know there are thousands of ways to skin a cat. With that said, how do y'all defend ball screens and why? One day I want to teach my kids to ice and the next I want to hedge. I can't even sale myself on which one I prefer. Lol
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: HawgDaddy on April 21, 2017, 02:27:57 pm
I teach my kids hedge, show and switch.  Depending on our opponent, we will do all three.  Game plan will determine which approach we use in game. When teaching all three, you got to start with the hedge first.  Generally, it is the hardest to teach and requires more discipline than the other two.  We also don't teach all three at once.  Must be repped in the off-season, don't get enough reps during the season.  Just my thoughts.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: Longfellow on April 21, 2017, 02:44:49 pm
Hedge seems more natural to me, but you're right that it does take a lot more discipline and quickness
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: no mascot on April 21, 2017, 03:20:38 pm
Play zone.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: Longfellow on April 21, 2017, 03:33:12 pm
Quote from: no mascot on April 21, 2017, 03:20:38 pm
Play zone.
To quote Bomani Jones, "Zone is for cowards"
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: 4real on April 21, 2017, 04:30:06 pm
If one is going to teach man, and commit to it, off-season build up of defending every screen under the sun is essential.  Hedge and recover must be taught first.  Switching will be one of those things that you might do on Occasion to mix it up, but requires having interchangeable personnel.  Trapping will be useful in certain situations such as a knock down step back shooter that must be attacked
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: PapaHog on April 21, 2017, 05:02:35 pm
Get out of here with that "play zone" stuff. Lol
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: no mascot on April 21, 2017, 08:16:59 pm
Who in the world is working on ball screens this time of year?? Spring offseason is for the three b's.

Baseball, beach bods, and BUCKETS!!

Think I'm wrong. Just don't blame it on the kids when they can't throw it in the ocean come fall! But no worries, they'll know how to guard that kid that can shoot 15% on a step back jumper coming off a ball pick!
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: PapaHog on April 21, 2017, 08:58:46 pm
Haha! I never said I was working on ball screens. I was just watching a game and got to thinking about it. Don't get upset because i prefer to teach kids how to play defense instead of just packing in a zone.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: WHITEchicken on April 21, 2017, 09:03:00 pm
No need to play defense, just out score them. I teach to hedge ball screens. Depending on if the person getting the screen is a good shooter or not would dictate if we go over the top or under the screen. I teach the hedger that you just have to make the dribbler stop from going toward the basket for 1 step while the defender gets through the screen.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: no mascot on April 21, 2017, 09:30:28 pm
4real is the one talking abt working on ball picks in the summer!

In all honesty I think the ice stuff that the NBA is doing a lot now is an interesting approach.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: SackAttack on May 01, 2017, 09:10:59 am
I truly love reading threads like this in April because it is what makes Fearless so much fun. Somebody is sitting around watching an NbA game with the best athletes in the world and thinks what can I do teach my low talent level kids how to play good man to man defense and then another guy pipes in to play zone and then another guy with superior knowledge of the subject says zone is for sissies and another guys comes in how to properly teach, rep, and coordinate it according to opponent and BOOM everyone is now an expert and has been sufficiently brought up to speed on what ALL coaches should do in All situations. Oh and by the way Man to Man teams have won every game thats ever been played and zone teams dont play hard enough and take the easy way out and it probably wont rain anymore the rest of the summer. All three statements above are simply not true! Bottom line do what wins and dont forget your umbrella!
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: HawgDaddy on May 01, 2017, 03:00:40 pm
Quote from: SackAttack on May 01, 2017, 09:10:59 am
I truly love reading threads like this in April because it is what makes Fearless so much fun. Somebody is sitting around watching an NbA game with the best athletes in the world and thinks what can I do teach my low talent level kids how to play good man to man defense and then another guy pipes in to play zone and then another guy with superior knowledge of the subject says zone is for sissies and another guys comes in how to properly teach, rep, and coordinate it according to opponent and BOOM everyone is now an expert and has been sufficiently brought up to speed on what ALL coaches should do in All situations. Oh and by the way Man to Man teams have won every game thats ever been played and zone teams dont play hard enough and take the easy way out and it probably wont rain anymore the rest of the summer. All three statements above are simply not true! Bottom line do what wins and dont forget your umbrella!

Of course you could be a coach that has the job of developing players instead of winning games.  If you are a Jr. High coach, your job is to develop players not win the Jr. High national championship.  Playing zone at an early age limits player development.  Now, you see summer teams playing zone all the time.  Those programs are more concerned with winning than development.  Hedging, switching, or showing are not NBA level skills. 
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: SackAttack on May 03, 2017, 10:52:06 am
Quote from: HawgDaddy on May 01, 2017, 03:00:40 pm
Of course you could be a coach that has the job of developing players instead of winning games.  If you are a Jr. High coach, your job is to develop players not win the Jr. High national championship.  Playing zone at an early age limits player development.  Now, you see summer teams playing zone all the time.  Those programs are more concerned with winning than development.  Hedging, switching, or showing are not NBA level skills.
Winning isnt important anymore I dont guess! And you forgot to mention blocking out, stance, close outs, shuffling your feet, and on and on and on. Its raining again hope everybody has their umbrella. I get your point but it isnt the be all and end all!
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: PapaHog on May 03, 2017, 10:58:16 am
Play zone all you want, but if you aren't teaching more than that, then I have a hard time believing you're developing your program. But hey, I have been wrong before. Btw, it's not raining here.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: HawgDaddy on May 03, 2017, 11:58:39 am
SackAttack, no one said winning wasn't important, but at the high school or junior high level it is not the most important.  This thread was originally about ball screens, I responded with my opinion.  It wasn't about the effectiveness of zones or the importance of other skills to winning.  It was about ball screens.  If you are entrusted to develop young talent and you are not teaching how to defend the ball screen, then you aren't developing this particularly important defensive skill.  Yes, closeouts, blocking out, defensive footwork, contesting the shot, on ball defense, off the ball defense, and communication are all important skills to develop.  However, this thread was about defending the ball screen. 
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: Moonshiner on May 03, 2017, 12:42:08 pm
Ill have to admit that I had no idea what "Icing" a ball screen was.  So off to YouTube I went.  Wow!! Five years ago we would've called that a poor hedge.  Works well if it's a true post player setting that screen. The pick and pop with a shooting big man would tear that method up though.
Just my thoughts on it. I like to hedge Or switch if possible.    Ball screens closer  to half court we trap.
Title: Re: Defending ball screens
Post by: SackAttack on May 03, 2017, 03:38:47 pm
Quote from: HawgDaddy on May 03, 2017, 11:58:39 am
SackAttack, no one said winning wasn't important, but at the high school or junior high level it is not the most important.  This thread was originally about ball screens, I responded with my opinion.  It wasn't about the effectiveness of zones or the importance of other skills to winning.  It was about ball screens.  If you are entrusted to develop young talent and you are not teaching how to defend the ball screen, then you aren't developing this particularly important defensive skill.  Yes, closeouts, blocking out, defensive footwork, contesting the shot, on ball defense, off the ball defense, and communication are all important skills to develop.  However, this thread was about defending the ball screen.
I didnt make the rules as they exist today but winning supercedes everything in todays society. Win, or lose your job and sometimes lose your job even when you do win. There are three very well known coaches around who are losing their jobs and collectively probably have won a thousand games or so. Ive seen lots of coaches spend hours and hours teaching and repping fundamentals only to realize they are putting a square peg in a round hole. to me the game of basketball just simply cannot be put in a box .  I realize the intent of the thread and I agree to a degree that development is important but getting kids ready for the next level isnt a valid point as a minimal number of kids ever get that chance anyway. I just dont think you can put it out there that one way is the only way!