A patterned motion offense.

The greater the defensive pressure, the more effective this motion offense becomes

A well-designed man-to-man offense will combine all of the basic facets of the offensive game. It will begin by spreading the defense and making it difficult for them to establish a weak-side position. It will also have passing, screening on the ball, screening off the ball, and backdoor cutting.

It will, furthermore, be able to serve as a primary scoring mechanism, or a delay machination against man offense, or a force against 2-3, 1-2-2, or match-up zone.

We call our man attack the "motion offense," though it isn't the true "motion" or "passing" game used by many coaches. It is a pattern offense that even the best defensive teams have to struggle to keep up with. The greater the pressure applied by the defense, the more effective our offense becomes.

Since everyone handles the basketball and gets the opportunity to shoot, pass, or dribble-drive, it most certainly can be considered a team-oriented offense.

Like the popular "motion game," our offense has a series of basic rules:

1. Always cut hard and show a target hand.

2. When you have the ball at the top of the circle, look to reverse it.

3. If your defender beats you to the spot that you are supposed to fill, go backdoor.

4. Upon catching a pass, face the basket and assume a triple-threat position.

5. Avoid receiving passes (in-between spots).

6. Always see the ball when cutting. Do not turn your back to it.

7. Whenever an offensive man shoots, go to the offensive board - making sure one man is back on "D".

8. V-cut to fill an empty spot ahead of you.

9. Once you have made up your mind to cut for the basket, never go back.

10. If possible, dribble only to get to the basket.

11. Avoid passing the ball to the corner on the first side.

12. If you become stalled in a spot for two seconds, cut through your alley.

13. Call "Cut" and "Replace" when passing a moving.

14. Fake your passes to entice the defense to go for steals. Look for teammates cutting backdoor.

SPOTS AND MOVEMENTS

The five players set up as shown in the accompanying diagrams.

The point spot is at the top of the arc, the wing spots on the foul-line extended, and the corner spots on the lane-boxes extended.

Note: Any player can begin in any spot, though the point guard will generally begin the offense from the top of the circle. Also note that all the spots are on the arc, not beyond.

Diag. 1: Dive to Get Open:

To begin the offense, the wings (4 and 2) dive into the lane and toward the basket ("dive to get open").

As the wings are diving, the corners (3 and 5) are v-cutting to replace 2 and 4 on the wings. This "dive and replace" is basic to our offense. It almost always will give 1 an entry pass to initiate the offense. If this move doesn't work, we will simply do it again.

Diag. 2, Point towing Pass:

Once 1 enters the ball to the wing (5), he must try to front cut his defender. Since good defensive teams don't allow you to get in front of them, our #1 man will usually run his alley which is behind the defender, through the elbow, down the lane and then out to the opposite corner, looking for the ball.

This alley remains the same for anyone occupying the point spot who passes to the wing. #3, seeing a spot vacant ahead of him, will v-cut to fill it, while 2 v-cuts to replace the wing (3).

Diag. 3, Wing to Point Pass:

Following 1's cut to the basket and subsequent replacement by 3, #5 has several options - a pass to either 4 in the corner or 3 at the point, as shown. Remember, we try to avoid passing to the corner on the first side, the reason being that it would enable the defense on the help side to settle into position (it will take two passes to get out of the corner).

Also, since the defenders are essentially stationary for a while, it will be difficult to pass to cutters. In addition, defenses like to occasionally trap the first corner pass.

That is why we have 5 (at the wing) pass to 3 and cut into the lane and then out to the same-side corner, looking for the ball as 4 v-cuts to replace him.

Diag. 4, Ball Reversal:

Upon catching the pass from 5, 3 will look to reverse the ball. If 2 is not open, 2 will dive to the basket in his alley, then cut out to the same side, as 1 v-cuts to replace him.

#3 now passes to 1 and cuts through the point alley through the opposite elbow, then out. Ball reversal is critical to offensive success.

Diag. 5, Wing to Corner Pass:

#1, with the ball at the wing, can pass to either 5 or 2. If he hits 2 in the corner, as shown, he will cut to the basket and then out to the opposite corner, while 4 and 5 v-cut to replace the open spaces in front of them.

Should 2 decide to backdoor the ball to 1 cutting for the basket, he should try to hit the cutter (1) before he reaches the lane to give him a better opportunity to score.

Diag. 6, Corner the Wing Pass:

#2 in the corner, having passed up 1 as he cut for the basket in Diag. 5, now reverses the ball to 4 and then cuts for the basket, but then backs out to the same corner.

DRILLS FOR CUTTING PHASE

In the drills for our motion offense, we set up cones to serve as imaginary defenders. All the players may line up in the spots at the point and the wings or they may be broken up into two groups and sent to the opposite ends of the floor.

Note two things in the diagrams: We refer to the players by letters to avoid thinking of them as specific points, wings, and corners, and we work them out in groups of three - one trio at the arc and the second trio behind them awaiting their turn.

The numbers of players to use will, of course, vary with the size of the squad and the number of coaches.

Diag. 7, Point, Wing, Wing Lay-Up:

A passes to C on wing, then cuts behind the cone through the opposite elbow and then out to the opposite corner, as E v-cuts to replace him.

Upon receiving the pass, C assumes a triple-threat position, then reverses the ball to E, and cuts for the basket for the return pass and layup - with A and E going to the offensive board. A made basket ends the possession, with FBD replacing EAC.

Diag. 8, Point, Wing, Corner Lay-Up:

A, with ball at the wing, passes to B at the point and cuts through behind the cone into the lane and then out to the near-side corner. C v-cuts up to replace A.

B assumes a triple-threat position upon receiving the pass, then passes to C on the wing and cuts behind the cone and through the opposite elbow.

C, who has assumed a triple-threat position after receiving the ball now hits B for the layup.

A and C go to the offensive board, as B finishes the drill with a made basket. The players work both sides of the floor.

Diag. 9, Point, Wing, Corner Lay-Up:

A, at wing, passes to B in the corner, then cuts behind the cone into the lane and then out to the far-side corner. C v-cuts to replace A. B, in a triple-threat position, passes to C on the wing, then cuts behind the cone to the basket.

C now hits B cutting for the basket, getting the ball to him before he reaches the lane to facilitate the layup. A and C go to the offensive-board as B finishes the possession with his layup. (The players work both sides of the floor.)

Generally three or four minutes are enough to spend on one side of the floor in any of the drills. The coaches or managers can then move the cones to the other side of the floor, always emphasizing the fundamentals.

We conclude our drill program with a progression in which we use two balls and the players making the layups in quick succession, plus a 5 on 0 drill in which we set up our five cones on the arc (as "defensive players") with our five players set behind them. We then put the entire offense together. (Every cut must be made behind a cone, and we place restrictions on the players to make it a little more difficult for them.)

1. The players may have to make a certain number of passes before they can try to score. We prescribe 8 to 10 passes.

2. Only a certain player may be allowed to score.

3. The players may be allowed to score only after a certain number of ball reversals.

4. Pass the ball to the corner a certain number of times.

During the 5 on 0 drill, the coaches can step into the passing lanes to simulate overplay, forcing the players to make backdoor cuts. We do not ask our players to fight the overplay with pressure. We want them to make the defense pay with backdoor cuts for easy baskets.

The final and most critical learning phase of our motion offense is 5 on 5, live. Besides executing their cuts through their alleys, the players are now asked to read their defender.

Our rule is if your defender has beaten you to your spot, don't try to fill. Go backdoor through your alley for a potential layup.

Most players are ball-oriented. They focus on where the ball is and are oblivious of anything else. We teach them to become defender-oriented. That is, to learn to keep an eye on both their defender and the ball to exploit the defender's tendency to overplay or not pay enough attention to the cutter.

It's not that easy to get your players to execute these reads, but through video observation and constant reminders you can improve their reading and make more effective offensive players out of them.

Finally, we play what we call "nickel, dime" challenge basketball. It is a competitive drill that always livens up practice. If the defense makes five stops, they win. If the offense can score 10 points (2 for a basket, 3 for the long shot), they win.

Coaches call all fouls. If a player is fouled in the act of shooting, the basket counts. If the defense allows an uncontested shot, it is a minus 1 off their score.

We start using this drill only after the players have learned to execute. Later in the season, we allow the defense to rebound the ball and transition to the other end for one possession execution. If they make a basket, it adds 1 point to their score.

Once a winner has been decided, we switch offense and defense and begin a new game.