But really, what IS Motion?

[basketballjones]

I realized my last post spent way more time on discussing what isn't motion. Hopefully I can shed some light on what is a motion offense in this post. 

 

Keep in mind, the reason I have time to chill out and write some stuff on the internet is because my team isn't playing anymore 

 

Motion Offense

 

The fundamental principle behind motion offense is fluidity and freedom. 5 guys working very hard, changing speeds, spacing the floor, screening for one another, and taking advantage of what the defense gives them. "The defense is always wrong," is a popular thought among motion coaches. You can run motion out of any formation in the books, you can give guys certain roles, and you can implement other parts of basketball offenses into your offense. The Bobby Knight motion was focused hard on screening for one another away from the ball, and reading those actions. Other great coaches along the way have added their wrinkles and philosophies to it. One could argue that all other offenses that have been designed are just coaches trying to robotically teach their kids the perfect adjustment or counter to everything the defense does, without having to call it out. 

 

However, motion is about freedom, and letting players roles and strengths reveal themselves (not labeling them to fit what you want to do). Here are some popular motion offenses and formations that have been used throughout the years. Hope you all enjoy and I look forward to discussing this with you guys!

 

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5-Game

 

This is what I call it. You could call it freelance, or just basic motion. By 5-Game I mean, anyone can post, anyone can screen, anyone can be screened for, and out of any formation. Remember that town team that is still good into their 40s that wins all the alumni tournaments? Bet ya $10 they implore some sort of 5-Game. This requires the most instinctive movements and players. Guys have really got to have a feel for one another and get the heck out of each others way (especially the guy with the ball). But it can be incredible because you never know what you are going to be hit with. Coaches really only have control over this by emphasizing certain screens they want to see set, or certain people taking mismatches to the block. 

 

Do not confuse 5-Game with 5-Out. 5-Out is when you operate out of 5, spaced out, spots on the perimeter. No one starts in the post, yet anyone could post. Back-cuts and doubles for shooters are really popular in 5-Out offense. You could, however, have a 5-Out/5-Game offense - which would imply that anyone can post-up after finishing their cut, and that anyone could screen/be screen, etc... (no one in the state teaches 5-Out offense better than Coach Beranek at Ravenna, by the way)

 

Read and React Motion

 

Please do not go buy those DVDs. Just watch a couple YouTube clips and you'll get the point and be able to build off of this. Read and React is just a way of teaching kids how to space the floor and react to action. Lots of the same principles of Dribble Drive Motion. 

 

This stuff is great for kids and youth teams. It teaches the most simple concept and most important concept of the game - spacing and moving with the ball (especially on drives and back cuts that would typically ruin the flow of an offense). Read and React has what the creators call, "layers," to it. These layers are more of an effective way to sell DVDs than they are complicated. They start with the most basic spacing and cutting action off of drives or cuts. God please let me reiterate, do not buy the DVDs, you can figure this out on your own. 

 

This stuff is good, because as poster DeanSmith has mentioned, you could operate your youth programs based off of a lot of these principles, then by the time they get to middle school and into your own high school program, you could team more of a freelance motion with off ball screening. 

 

Dribble-Drive-Motion

 

Goodbye screening part of motion! Somewhat the answer to high-pressure, switching defenses. They wanna switch screens? Fine, just do not screen. Space out your guys and put your post player opposite of the ball. Have your dudes line up their guy and try to take him off the bounce. As long as your guys do a great job of moving when the ball is driven, this can be highly effective. Guys must find the line of the drive and be open for the kick. They must get to the drivers, "crack-back," in case he is cut off, so that the ball can be kicked out and continued to be reversed. And you must have a post player who is unselfish and willing to get out of the way - yet be ready to catch some wild passes off of drop downs and lobs. 

 

Omaha Central was fantastic running this. So they had the dudes, that's for sure. But they really moved well on the drives, and their post players (even before Akoy) did an incredible job of catching and finishing. They were even masterful against zones in this. Drive gaps, get the defense off balance, create for your teammates. They were also highly unselfish (almost to a fault) with their shot selection. 

 

I think every single offense, whether it be a pattern, motion, etc..., should have fundamentals of the dribble-drive offense in their game. If you do not, your offense breaks down if a guy decides to take his guy off the bounce (especially if he does not get too far).

 

Formation Game with Roles/Emphasis

 

This is where you could go 4out-1in with a dominant post player, and just have your perimeter players pass and screen away, with emphasis on getting post touches, while still leaving driving angles open. You could go 3out-2in, with your post players having the option to screen for one another, flash to high posts, etc... Or even go 5-out, which I describe above, where you could designate a multitude of players to be allowed to post after finishing their cut. I don't like these, too much confusion and too many questions per possession. Who should screen for who? When do I screen? Etc... That's why I much more prefer this next one ------>

 

Mover-Blocker

 

My favorite. Popularized (I hate to use invented) by Tony Bennett, Knight used a lot of it, and Don Meyer employed it quite a bit. Mover-Blocker has a lot of possible formations to it that you could use. But primarily, you are going to have very defined roles (especially to start initial positions). Typically you will have two post type players who will be your "blockers." Their job is to screen for "movers," until they get the basketball. If you have a good post player, that player will typically screen until his guy gets open, then try to seal hard on the catch (because his defender had to help the cutting action). 

 

One of my favorite parts about Mover-Blocker is that you can designate different formations for what they strengths of your big men are. In theory, you could set your offense up in any formation and designate who the movers are and who the blockers are. However, my favorite way to do this is called, "Wide-Lane," Formation, out of a quasi 3out, 1.5in that quickly can become a 4out 1 in.

 

Your "Lane" post only screens and works on getting guys open on his side of the hoop, close to the block and hoop. He's working very hard to set good screens, then seal hard when he sees the guy he's trying to get open has gotten the ball. He typically does not have ball-screen responsibilities. Only to screen to get dudes open, then post hard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKDeyq-wawQ

 

Your "Wide" post operates in the short corners, elbows, block, and pinch-post (the NBA loves the pinch-post - think Kobe, MJ, Dirk getting one on one looks from inside the perimeter, but not in the post). This "Wide" post has the same responsibilities as the "Lane" post, except he's not trying to seal on the low block on the catch of his teammates. He is trying to do one of two things - 1. Flash to the ball and slip on switches or against zones (into high post, short corner, etc...), or 2. He is following the passes to go set ball screens. If you have a guy like we do in Walt, you could have him be your wide post and go follow passes with ball-screens. He can do what the defense gives him, roll hard, pop, slip, etc... If you have a stud that is getting face guarded and having trouble getting the ball, putting him at the "Wide" post with Blocker responsibilities can work wonders. Really stretches out the defense and gives you a great pressure release. I'm getting angry typing this because I feel bad for Walt that his shots just are not falling.

 

The key to Mover-Blocker is finishing your cuts. You can't have players hesitate behind screens, not knowing what to do. They have to finish the cut all the way through, then if they did not get the ball, go back through another action. Can't live 1/2 way between cuts.  

 

Before the season started and before Leslee Smith got injured, I was really hoping to see this lineup:

 

1. Webster (pg, mover, emphasis on straight-cuts for reversal, and back-cuts)

2. Petteway (mover, emphasis on curls and straight-cuts for shot)

3. Shields (mover, emphasis on curls and back-cuts)

4. Pitch (wide-blocker)

5. Smith (lane-blocker)

 

I think Tia Webster is still full of potential. I love what his game could be. When he learns to go hard with reckless abandon, he might explode. With wings that have the size of Shields and Petteway, I was hoping to really see a ton of action to them off of wide-blocker curl cuts. I would think a defense would really have to pick their poison. And I had seen enough of Leslee to think that he actually does have some pretty savvy, smooth post moves with his back to the basket.  

 

The Problem With Motion

 

So you're asking yourself - if Motion is such a great offense to run, then why doesn't everyone primarily run it as their half-court offense? Three things basically, athleticism, shot clock, and the nature of the NCAA. 

 

Athleticism

In my opinion, a defense that switches a lot of off-ball screens effectively will kill a motion offense and make it very stagnant. One of the foundations of a motion offense is reading off-ball screens. If your man goes under the screen, you pop/flare/change your cut. If they try to chase you around it, you run them into your screener by curling/tight-cutting off the screen. If they over-play and try to jump on top of the screen, you change your screen angle and back-cut. 

 

What do you do if they just switch the screen? Well, as a cutter, you've only got a couple options: 1. You just pop to the ball (straight cut), but this isn't going to allow you catch for a shot or drive very often, just be able to continue swinging the ball, 2. You really force curl/tight cuts (which is the best option in my opinion), but again, you're not going to catch this is position to score very often, but what it will do is force a defender to jump you and deny the cut - which creates for others. But the point is, you're not going to get much direct shooting or drive angles off of your off-ball screens. What screeners are taught to do if they see switching defenses is to slip the screen. Which is a great option, but as far as efficiency goes, hitting that slip is a difficult pass to be attempting possession after possession. Especially if you're playing a quality team that does a good job of getting under the switch. 

 

As athletic as teams and individual players have become, motion is more and more difficult to run. Athleticism and length allows you to switch screen after screen because you are much less worried about mismatches now. What are you really giving away if a 6'6" 220 guy with a 7ft wingspan switches with a 6'8" 240 post player? Especially if that post player can hold his own on the perimeter for a while.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12273986/how-golden-state-warriors-built-nba-best-defense (read this article about Golden State switching) 

 

Shot Clock

The NCAA did not introduce a shot clock until '85-'86, where it was a 45 second shot clock. And while it might seem like it has been around forever, the NCAA did not go to the 35 second shot clock until '93-'94. Tough to feel like you are under much control as a coach of an offense that is limited by time every single possession. Motion is notorious for looking off every once in a while, for no real reason. I'd argue that this is a fruitless worry, because it is all about how you practice and how you mentally condition your guys to think about a possession... but nonetheless, it really has had an impact. 

 

Nature of the NCAA

So think about this for a second - you're an NCAA D1 coach - you make an absurdly unjustifiable amount of money to coach basketball. Because of that, you're job is on the line from the second you sign that contract. Every year you have kids leaving early, recruits bailing, transfers coming in and out -- are you going to bank your career on an offense that requires a certain flow and freedom to it? Especially if you only get around 25-28 seconds (assuming a few seconds to get the ball up the court, and a few left on to not have to rush a shot) to get a good shot off? Don't forget - you get very little communication and work with your guys in the off-season. Half of them go play elsewhere over the summer or go back home. Oh yeah, and the kids you're getting? Most of them have never navigated themselves through an off-ball screen and basically none of them have back-to-the-basket post moves because of the nature of AAU basketball culture. 

 

I'd be willing to bet you get real used to cashing those 6-digit paychecks and you try to do everything you can do control what types of shots and when you get them... 

 

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But nonetheless, I've always really enjoyed motion basketball and teaching it. However, again, not about X's and O's, it's about Jimmy and Joes. You get the right type of dudes in your system and you could run whatever the heck you want to run - just get out of their way. But again, that is why I like motion offense, because as Dick Bennett said, "there's nothing wrong with the offense, just with your player's fundamentals."

 

So, if you build your squad the way you want - why not trust them to use their skills? Anyway, just my thoughts and opinions. Hopefully next year I'll do a better job of teaching all of this and I won't be here typing on a Sunday!

[Dean Smith]

Two responses: 

1) "Read and React is just a way of teaching kids how to space the floor and react to action. Lots of the same principles of Dribble Drive Motion."

I think you can get whatever you want out of read and react. Meaning you can emphasis the dribble drive but you can run it almost exclusively as a  picking offense if you want. The big difference is it limits the amount of reads. Instead of reading all your teammates, you are almost exclusively reading the ball, which makes it easier to teach and implement. Your basic read on picks becomes the old Bobby Knight standard of do you end up "sternum to sternum" with your defender. If so, you have to go set or receive a pick.

 

I think the problem is like the post move, the skill of receiving and using a screen has almost disappeared from the game. The screener needs to make sure his butt is pointed to one of the four corners of the half court. And it is the receivers job to set up the screen by "going the wrong way first." If the defender doesn't respect this movement, it becomes the right way. If they do, grab your screeners jersey with your bottom hand and pull yourself hip to hip with a swim action. The screen reads the defender and rolls whichever way the defender goes, setting a "double" screen. Hubbie Brown refers to using a "posting up" action as  legal moving screen.

 

2) "What do you do if they just switch the screen? Well, as a cutter, you've only got a couple options: 1. You just pop to the ball (straight cut), but this isn't going to allow you catch for a shot or drive very often, just be able to continue swinging the ball, 2. You really force curl/tight cuts (which is the best option in my opinion), but again, you're not going to catch this is position to score very often, but what it will do is force a defender to jump you and deny the cut - which creates for others. But the point is, you're not going to get much direct shooting or drive angles off of your off-ball screens."

 

The slip screen is a good option but you can get direct shooting or drive angles if you switch roles. Knight's phrasing was, "the picker becomes the cutter and the cutter becomes the picker." If I read switch, I yell switch and cut hard out of the way. The screener rolls putting the switching man on his butt and can basket cut if the lane is open or return to the ball. Either way his defender will be completely behind him on a good seal. This actions especially causes problems when they are switching screens in the post. I read switch, yell "switch," and flash to the high post. The screen rolls and seals his "new" defender and goes right to the basket. This allows the use of the best post move in the books - the layup. 

 

On the Mover-Blocker - I did run some of that but went to a hybrid version later in my career. Some years I just told the players to line up on the baseline with the best shooter on the right and the worst on the left. They know and will make sure everyone gets into the right place. Then its simply a soft rule of when looking to your left will be people you will be screening for and looking to your right will be players screening for you and never screen farther out on the floor than you can hit a shot from. With this formula I had teams naturally set staggered screens, staggered flare screens or really hard to guard screen away and then receive a flare screen. Smart teams know when to adjust things if one player gets a hot hand or to take advantage of a cheating defender. 

 

Oh, and one comment on your original motion post. You talked about spacing your guys into the corners. I think that is great if they can hit those shots but if not then get four players above the free throw line to open cutting, driving and back cutting lanes. You are always breaking the line with every cut, but they should all start outside the three point line, go to the basket and then end outside the three point line. Also with no real back to the basket post player I move the one player below the FT line to the weak side. If his man steps to help on the cut or drive, they I cut to the front of the rim for the drop off. You can also get good little on big picks or rub screens for the post player as the cutters go through the lane.

 

I think the bottom line is kids need to spend more time learning how to play instead of learning plays. They need to know more than the "what". Good players know the "why's" and at this point there are too few players that even know the "how's." They are told to go screen but nobody spends any time teaching them how to screen. Hubie Brown was the best I ever heard discuss the minute details of the right way to get certain fundamentals accomplished. He could explain why it was so important to have that foot turned two inches to right for whatever move he was teaching.  

[basketballjones]

Awesome post Dean thanks for the insight.

The what vs why issue is something you bring up a lot and I love it - what's your foundation for teaching this and getting this through to kids?

[Dean Smith]

It has to become part of the regular teaching. Big fan of the whole-part-whole method. Explain the "why's" in the introductory whole and then keep reinforcing the ideas. Don't tell them what they did right or wrong, ask them what they did right or wrong. Tell first and then constantly question. "Joe what could you have done to make that work?" Reinforce when needed but question always. "Great cut, why didn't you get the ball?" "Hey, Jimmy is on fire. What are different ways we can get him the ball where he can use it?" That's another great question to ask Player A - "Where does player B want the ball and how does he want to receive it?"

 

They need to understand defenses to be able to beat them. Is the other team more than man or zone. Is it a disruptive man, full denial, deny reversal, pack-line, etc. They need to realize that if player B's man is the one who helped off and took your cut away then you can make him pay for that by clearing the lane and immediately reversing and sealing him down. Now hopefully player B is good enough to hit that wide open jump shot you just created for him. 

 

They should understand zone rotations to beat a zone. vs. a 2-3 when you're on the wing and hit the corner or short corner the man guarding you is most likely going to drop in to protect the high post. If you follow him in and then seal him on a post up at the high post, you have just become a legal moving screen for your best shooter dropping in and replacing you on the wing for the kick back from the corner. Not just movement, but it becomes movement with a meaning. If I'm the best shooter on that same pass I expect a flash to the high post to keep the defender occupied so they can kick it back to me for my shot. Know the defense, know your teammates, and know yourself.

[bobcat402]

this is amazing. In my spare time, when work isnt to crazy i coach youth basketball in La Vista, and one of the first things i implemented in my two years was basic principles of motion to the kids. Excellent post. 

[HB]

this is amazing. In my spare time, when work isnt to crazy i coach youth basketball in La Vista, and one of the first things i implemented in my two years was basic principles of motion to the kids. Excellent post. 

 

Don't let Kidney hear this.  He will go crazy trying to keep up....

[hhcmatt]

I realized my last post spent way more time on discussing what isn't motion. Hopefully I can shed some light on what is a motion offense in this post. 

 

The link to said thread

http://board.huskerhoopscentral.com/topic/7085-so-what-is-a-motion-offense-anyways/

[Huskerpapa]

The key to any offense is the jimmy's and joe's.  So do you build the offense around who you have, or do you recruit to the offense you want to run?  I remember when Danny got here, he was going to run his offense come hell or high water. 

[hhctony]

Jones and Dean -- Great stuff fellas. As a kid who was just "7th man" for the greatest coach in this state, all your stuff hits home. We were a basic 3-out, 2-in motion team if we ever made it there. We ran a KU break into a secondary motion and mostly tried to score before the other team got set up -- which I don't think we see enough in today's game. But, the 'why' as you said, Dean is so important. We need to improve basketball IQ in young kids and, to be fair, I think basketball in our state is getting better each year.

[basketballjones]

Jones and Dean -- Great stuff fellas. As a kid who was just "7th man" for the greatest coach in this state, all your stuff hits home. We were a basic 3-out, 2-in motion team if we ever made it there. We ran a KU break into a secondary motion and mostly tried to score before the other team got set up -- which I don't think we see enough in today's game. But, the 'why' as you said, Dean is so important. We need to improve basketball IQ in young kids and, to be fair, I think basketball in our state is getting better each year.

I can still hear Coach Eichoff teaching! Went to his basketball camp every year I could. Great coach, best camps ever.

[Miles ahead of the rest]

 

Jones and Dean -- Great stuff fellas. As a kid who was just "7th man" for the greatest coach in this state, all your stuff hits home. We were a basic 3-out, 2-in motion team if we ever made it there. We ran a KU break into a secondary motion and mostly tried to score before the other team got set up -- which I don't think we see enough in today's game. But, the 'why' as you said, Dean is so important. We need to improve basketball IQ in young kids and, to be fair, I think basketball in our state is getting better each year.

I can still hear Coach Eichoff teaching! Went to his basketball camp every year I could. Great coach, best camps ever.

 

 

Got the chance to have him as an assistant coach at North Star my junior and senior year.  What an amazing coach and even better man to learn from

[basketballjones]

The key to any offense is the jimmy's and joe's.  So do you build the offense around who you have, or do you recruit to the offense you want to run?  I remember when Danny got here, he was going to run his offense come hell or high water.

Well, here's the thing, as a coach you only run what you know and what you know you can comfortably teach and adjust. Obviously at the college level you've got to recruit the type of players that fit what you want to do. I think Pitino is one of the best at this. I also think Coach K is the best at adjusting what he does based off of what the culture of basketball is at the time.

I think HS coaches are much more at the mercy of adjusting to what they have.

[Dean Smith]

 

The key to any offense is the jimmy's and joe's.  So do you build the offense around who you have, or do you recruit to the offense you want to run?  I remember when Danny got here, he was going to run his offense come hell or high water.

Well, here's the thing, as a coach you only run what you know and what you know you can comfortably teach and adjust. Obviously at the college level you've got to recruit the type of players that fit what you want to do. I think Pitino is one of the best at this. I also think Coach K is the best at adjusting what he does based off of what the culture of basketball is at the time.

I think HS coaches are much more at the mercy of adjusting to what they have.

 

That's one of the beauties of the motion is that it is so adaptable to the personnel you have at the time. Since you are teaching them how to play that allows them to do what they are best at and capable of being successful at.