Quick huddling: a basketball strategy for better communication.

How many times during a basketball game do you try to communicate certain strategies to your team?

How many times are you sure they understand exactly what you want?

How many times do you find yourself talking to one player while trying to communicate what you want the whole team to do?

The problem is that basketball coaches are constantly forced to make adjustments and change strategies in very brief periods of time while under tremendous pressure and stress conditions such as crowd noise and time restraints.

Can all the confusion and mistakes be eliminated, especially when dealing with young minds? I don't think so, but I do believe that the confusion and mistakes can be sharply reduced by observing a few simple procedures in a series of quick huddles.

Your first requisite will be a team leader, a floor general, that proverbial quarterback - to do the talking for you in the quick huddles. If you do not already have such a leader, you will have to develop one as well as two or three others to take over for him when he isn't in the game.

It shouldn't be that tough. Don't we designate specific players to inbound the ball, be a chaser, shoot a technical foul, or run the offense?

Once you have developed a huddle leader and everyone sees how easy it is, they will gain confidence in their ability to do the job. Ergo, you will have developed responsibility and leadership among your players.

While the quick huddle is mainly used before free-throw shooting, it can also be used at other times such as during dead balls, substitutions, and injuries.

SIGNAL SYSTEM

The leader will be required to designate the location of the huddle by raising an arm and calling loudly enough for his teammates to hear him. The players must instantly respond by going to the designated spot and forming a tight huddle with their heads looking in and their eyes on the person who will be speaking to them for the next few seconds.

A typical huddle call might sound like this: "1-30-Gold, no fouls." In huddle terminology, this would mean "#1 press, three-quarter court, fall back to our match-ups, no foolish fouls."

Our simplified team organization makes the strategy easy to transmit to the huddle (by the coach) and easy to understand:

1 Our defenses are color-coded: red, for man/person; white, for 2-3 zone; green, for 1-2-2 trap; gold, for match-up. The instructions from the bench are verbal (red, white, green, or gold) or are transmitted through 24[inches] x 24[inches] poster-colored cards or colored towels.

2 Our offenses are designated by states: Iowa, for motion; Mississippi, for 1-3-1 revolve; Florida, for 1-4; Minnesota, for 3-out 2-in; Wyoming, for zone offense vs an odd-zone front; and Pennsylvania, for zone offense vs an even-front zone. Instructions from the bench are given either verbally or through 24[inches] by 24[inches] black signs with the state name in gold.

3 Our special situations, such as set plays, out-of-bounds calls, options, and the like are designated by proper names: Cazzie, Mo, UCLA, Dubuque, Yankton, Bemidji, Phila., Cooz, etc. Instructions from the bench are tramitted either verbally or through white 24[inches] x 24[inches] signs with the names printed in red.

4 Our presses are numbered: #1, for 1-2-2 zone; #2, for 1-3-1 zone trap; and #3, for 2-21-1 zone. Instructions are signaled from the bench verbally with fingers, or with 24[inches] numbers.

5 We divide the playing court into four areas: 40, for full court; 30, for top of three-point area (top of key); 20, mid-court; and 10, for top of the opposite three-point arc. Instructions from the bench are given verbally or through paired 24[inches] blue numbers.

We believe that once the association of numbers, colors, etc., is habitized, everyone will quickly pick it up, eliminating confusion, wasted time-outs, and fouls.

The quick huddles also give the leader a good opportunity to add a few appropriate words such as "No fouls!" or "We have two time-outs left!" or "Foul quickly, #33 or #41!" or "Time out after 2 score!" or "Run some clock!" or "No quick shots!" or "Look to Joe down low!" or "Spread the court!"

The quick huddle works. I have used at several schools and everyone understood it. But...don't expect it to put the ball through the hoop for you or gain a lead or eliminate turnovers and fouls.

What it can do is improve communication and game strategy and just maybe help you win a game or two.