Thanks coach! I love the simplicity of how you teach the 4-1 motion offense. One question: With 8th graders, do you suggest just running the pass, cut, fill motion…and every now and then tell them to set the away screens? Or would you have them figure it out and give them more freedom to decide? What do you think would work best with an age group of 13 to 14 year olds? Thanks coach!
Hey Cesar, great question! I coach 9th grade, so just a year older. And yes I agree completely. I mostly just have my guys pass, cut, fill. Beyond that, dribble penetration and playing through the 5 is all most teams will need to use. I will teach them to screen away as well, but tell them only to do that sporadically. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for the videos! As a first time basketball coach, this is pretty fascinating stuff. The rec team I am helping to coach is 3rd and 4th grade, with many who are playing for the first time. Is that too young to try to teach an offense like this? And if so, what would you recommend for that level? I appreciate the help!
Hey David, thanks for the compliment! For that young, I would not run this because I wouldn't want any kid to be labeled as a big quite yet. However, you can run this same offense as a 5 out scheme, mainly focusing on pass, cut, and fill. As they start to learn how to screen properly, maybe start doing some away screens and ball screens as well. Hope that helps!
@@CoachMarcHensley That actually helps a lot. Many of our kids, including my son, don't really know how to move to get open without the ball. And it seems like staying in motion like this will help give them opportunities. Thanks again!
@@CoachMarcHensley One more question if I may. Kids in third/fourth grade can't shoot 3s, so they don't have the option of taking a shot while on the perimeter. That being said, does it make more sense to have two kids on the blocks instead of on the corners? Or at least being positioned a little closer than the 3 point line?
@@davidaglio8829 hey David, great question. I have never coached this age so not sure what is the best option. But I can say if you keep 2 kids in the paint, there will also be 2 defenders in the paint. That is 4 players clogging up the lane, taking away opportunities to drive, cut, and back cut. You usually want the lane to be as open as possible for these reasons. But you can also mess around with different setups, and see what fits your team the best!
Hey Jordan, excellent question. Since pass, cut, fill is the basis of the offense, that is what should be done more often than not. But, it is up to the players to decide what to do. I tell my players they should cut unless they read 1 of 2 things. 1. Their defender sags off low once they pass the ball, or 2. The defender who is guarding the player near them is over guarding their guy. If the latter is true, then that defender is going to have a tough time getting through a screen in time. Also, if you notice the opposing team switches screens, and you recognize a possible mismatch, you can set up your players to run an away screen to create that mismatch. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Coach, I tried running this a few years back with our Girls Varsity team. However, the problem I kept running into was that when we used the away screens the lane would get clogged because the wing's defender (when opposite slot had the ball) was two passes away and had a foot in the lane. So when we went to screen her, there was not much room to curl around because the 5's defender was also in the lane. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Maybe a pin down instead of a curl? Or something involving the 5? Appreciate the help.
Hey Michael, good question. I have definitely seen other teams do that on defense. The best way to combat it is with outside shooting! Instead of curling around the screen, you can run a pin down and get a good look at a 3. Of course, we are not always blessed with good shooters. Another option would be instead of away screen at the top, run a down screen for the 5 to get her the ball at the top. Then have that screener set another back door screen on another player. I hope that helps!
The 4 out, 1 in concept can absolutely work against most zones. This particular video on away screens however would not do much against a zone defense. I do have some videos on how to beat specific zones. Feel free to check those out as well!
Thanks coach! I love the simplicity of how you teach the 4-1 motion offense.
One question: With 8th graders, do you suggest just running the pass, cut, fill motion…and every now and then tell them to set the away screens? Or would you have them figure it out and give them more freedom to decide?
What do you think would work best with an age group of 13 to 14 year olds?
Thanks coach!
Hey Cesar, great question! I coach 9th grade, so just a year older. And yes I agree completely. I mostly just have my guys pass, cut, fill. Beyond that, dribble penetration and playing through the 5 is all most teams will need to use. I will teach them to screen away as well, but tell them only to do that sporadically. Hope that helps!
@@CoachMarcHensley perfect!!! Makes sense. Thanks coach 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks so much for the videos! As a first time basketball coach, this is pretty fascinating stuff. The rec team I am helping to coach is 3rd and 4th grade, with many who are playing for the first time. Is that too young to try to teach an offense like this? And if so, what would you recommend for that level? I appreciate the help!
Hey David, thanks for the compliment! For that young, I would not run this because I wouldn't want any kid to be labeled as a big quite yet. However, you can run this same offense as a 5 out scheme, mainly focusing on pass, cut, and fill. As they start to learn how to screen properly, maybe start doing some away screens and ball screens as well. Hope that helps!
@@CoachMarcHensley That actually helps a lot. Many of our kids, including my son, don't really know how to move to get open without the ball. And it seems like staying in motion like this will help give them opportunities. Thanks again!
@@CoachMarcHensley One more question if I may. Kids in third/fourth grade can't shoot 3s, so they don't have the option of taking a shot while on the perimeter. That being said, does it make more sense to have two kids on the blocks instead of on the corners? Or at least being positioned a little closer than the 3 point line?
@@davidaglio8829 hey David, great question. I have never coached this age so not sure what is the best option. But I can say if you keep 2 kids in the paint, there will also be 2 defenders in the paint. That is 4 players clogging up the lane, taking away opportunities to drive, cut, and back cut. You usually want the lane to be as open as possible for these reasons. But you can also mess around with different setups, and see what fits your team the best!
Coach,
How do you decide whether players are going to pass, cut and fill or do the away screens? Do you call it or let them decide?
Hey Jordan, excellent question. Since pass, cut, fill is the basis of the offense, that is what should be done more often than not. But, it is up to the players to decide what to do. I tell my players they should cut unless they read 1 of 2 things. 1. Their defender sags off low once they pass the ball, or 2. The defender who is guarding the player near them is over guarding their guy. If the latter is true, then that defender is going to have a tough time getting through a screen in time.
Also, if you notice the opposing team switches screens, and you recognize a possible mismatch, you can set up your players to run an away screen to create that mismatch.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Coach, I tried running this a few years back with our Girls Varsity team. However, the problem I kept running into was that when we used the away screens the lane would get clogged because the wing's defender (when opposite slot had the ball) was two passes away and had a foot in the lane. So when we went to screen her, there was not much room to curl around because the 5's defender was also in the lane. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Maybe a pin down instead of a curl? Or something involving the 5? Appreciate the help.
Hey Michael, good question. I have definitely seen other teams do that on defense. The best way to combat it is with outside shooting! Instead of curling around the screen, you can run a pin down and get a good look at a 3. Of course, we are not always blessed with good shooters. Another option would be instead of away screen at the top, run a down screen for the 5 to get her the ball at the top. Then have that screener set another back door screen on another player. I hope that helps!
Hi coach, can this work against a zone?
The 4 out, 1 in concept can absolutely work against most zones. This particular video on away screens however would not do much against a zone defense. I do have some videos on how to beat specific zones. Feel free to check those out as well!
@@CoachMarcHensley thanks coach, I've seen the videos... just trying to put it all together for these 4th/5th grade I'm trying to coach😀
@@kdenbeaches808 ha I hear you. That's a tough age. Good luck!
@@CoachMarcHensley thank you