Winning Basketball For Girls 4th Edition 2009

WINNING
Basketball
For Girls
The Winning Sports for Girls Series
Winning Basketball for Girls, Fourth Edition
Winning Lacrosse for Girls, Second Edition
Winning Soccer for Girls, Third Edition
Winning Softball for Girls, Second Edition
Winning Track and Field for Girls, Second Edition
Winning Volleyball for Girls, Third Edition
WINNING
Basketball
For Girls
Fourth Edition
Faye Young Miller
Wayne Coffey
Winning basketball for Girls, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009, 2002, 1992 by Faye Young Miller and Wayne Coffey
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Miller, Faye Young.
Winning basketball for girls / Faye Young Miller, Wayne Coffey. — 4th ed.
p. cm. — (Winning sports for girls series)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-7759-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8160-7759-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 9780816077595 (e-book)
1. Basketball for girls. I. Coffey, Wayne R. II. Title.
GV886.M48 2009
796.323082—dc22 2008039752
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wQ t A i j opS d Tk P
To my husband, Matthew Peter Miller,

my son, Samuel Peter, and my daughter, Chaney
Elizabeth, with love and in memory of my mother
Irene, who always made sure I got the chance to play.
To my former teammates—at Bunn High School,
Peace College, North Carolina State University,
and in the Women’s Professional Basketball League
(WBL)—the New York Stars and
the New Jersey Gems.
And to my former players—Fairview High School,
Manhattan College, Georgia Tech,
Ithaca High School, Upstate Ladies (AAU),
Cornell University, and Cortland State.
Lastly to my former coaches—my love for this game
is a direct result of your sharing it with me.
Much love.
—F. Y. M.
In loving memory of my grandparents, and for

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Willi, Sr., who are
my grandparents too.
—W. C.
Pk dSojiAtQw
Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act
enthusiastic until you make it a habit. Enthusiasm is natural;
it is being alive, taking the initiative, seeing the importance of
what you do, giving it dignity and making what you do impor-
tant to yourself and to others.
—Gordon Parks, author and film director
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have
done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually
in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again;
because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but
who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great
enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a wor-
thy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high
achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails
while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
—Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Legend for Illustrations xvii
1 A Look at the Game 1
2 Getting Started 7
3 Preparation for Success—Getting in Shape 11
4 Ball-Handling—Developing A Feel for the Ball 28
5 Footwork—The Foundation of
Good Basketball 34
6 Your Best Shot 43
7 Passing—The Heart of the Game 65
8 Dribbling Under Control 78
9 Developing Individual Offensive Skills 91

Pk dSojiAtQw
10 Working Together—Team Offense 102
11 Playing Tough Defense 117
12 Under the Boards—How to Get Rebounds 136
13 All About Zones 147
14 Parting Thoughts 155
Glossary 158
Basketball Resources 162
Index 164
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my sisters—Margie, Cathy, and Kaye—for their love and
support.
Thanks to my Ithaca models—Taylor, Molly, Dacia, Katie, Jocelyn,
and my daughter Chaney—all young players we can expect to see on the
court.
Thanks to some awesome coaches for their quotes used to introduce
the chapters.
Special thanks to Thomas Howley, assistant athletic director for ath-
lete performance and head of strength and conditioning coach at Cornell
University, for sharing his expertise in the “Preparation for Success—
Getting in Shape” chapter.
Special thanks, too, to Patrick Shanahan, photographer, for his
patience and excellence in getting the photos taken.
Thanks to Wayne Coffey for his collaboration in the very first Winning
Basketball for Girls. His writing expertise and early efforts to get this book
started is still greatly appreciated.
Lastly, thanks to Facts On File, especially to James Chambers, for
publishing this book!
—F. Y. M
.
Very special thanks to my brother, Frank, an estimable basketball coach
and mentor, who taught me the finer points of shooting lay-ups and
sneaking into gyms; to the girls of the Horace Mann basketball teams
(1979–83), who made basketball season a very special and much-awaited
time; to Faye Young Miller, who was as cooperative as a collaborator as
she was committed to making this book the best of its kind; and to Gerry
Helferich, whose care and deft editorial hand were the book’s shaping
forces from the outset.
—W. C.
ix
Thom O’Connor
P k T d Spo j i A t Qw
Introduction
Women’s basketball hasn’t grown. It has exploded. In the last four decades,
the number of girls playing interscholastic basketball has skyrocketed.
Youth leagues have sprung up everywhere. The number of summer camps
seems to double annually. More and more colleges are developing big time
programs, and girls are playing at younger ages than ever before. More
players are being recruited to play in college, and there are more profes-
sional opportunities for players after college. In addition, more women
officiate and coach at all levels. Is it any wonder that players are getting
better and better and, as a result, getting more media exposure?
I’ve experienced the game’s progress firsthand. When I started playing,
some 40 years ago, women’s basketball bore little resemblance to what we
see today. There were six players to a side—two on offense, two on defense,
and two rovers. Only the rovers were free to roam all over the court. The
other four players had to stay in their designated offensive or defensive
area, a rule that did little to encourage all-around basketball skills. Worse
still, in some parts of the country you were allowed only two dribbles
before getting rid of the ball. Fortunately, the powers that be finally saw
the folly in such a setup, and in 1971 a rule was passed allowing girls to
play under rules which are more comparable to the ones the guys play
under. The women’s game has been booming ever since.
It “boomed” for me right from the start, which was in seventh grade
on my junior high school team in Bunn, North Carolina. It was the first
time the school had a team, and the coach was scouting the corridors and
classrooms for possible recruits. He took one look at my twin sister, Kaye,
and me, noted we were 5-foot-7 (pretty tall for seventh-graders), and asked
us to try out. We did, and for both of us, it was love at first shot . . . and
dribble . . . and pass. . . . We went 8-0 that season, and Kaye and I haven’t
strayed far from the hard-wood since.
I practiced two to three hours a day, year round, right through high
school, college, and the pros. Being dedicated was easy for me; not only
was it what I wanted to do, we also had a terrific high school team, and
I badly wanted to keep that tradition going. Maybe you’ve gotten hooked
xi
xii Winning Basketball for Girls
right away, as I did. Or maybe your interest has come along more slowly.
Whether you’re an eager beginner or a seasoned high school veteran, you
must have the basketball bug by now if you’re reading this book, and I
think that’s great. The more girls that play, the better the women’s game
will get. And that’s only good for all of us, players and coaches alike.
I’ve written this book with two aims: one, to give you specific, straight-
forward instruction—pointers and drills for improving every facet of your
game; and two, to “talk” basketball with you in a broad sense, in a way
that’ll give you a better feel for the reasons behind what you’re doing on the
court. My years of coaching and playing have convinced me that in basket-
ball the “whys” are as important as the “hows.” You’ll often hear coaches
talk about “muscle memory”—constantly repeating a particular drill until
your body is programmed to perform it correctly. That’s valuable, no doubt
about it. But it’s even more valuable when the movement is explained, so
you understand why it’s so important to execute it in that way. We could
spend a practice session working on how to dribble, and it would be time
My sister Kaye and I were cocaptains of North Carolina State (1977–78), the
state champion and third-ranked team in the nation. (That’s me, bottom row,
third from the right.) North Carolina State University Sports Information Department
Introduction xiii
well spent. So much the better, though, when we talk about the dribble
as an offensive weapon, and where and when it should (and shouldn’t) be
used. Such insights will increase your feel for the game, and that’s impor-
tant. The best players aren’t those who go out there with a mechanical,
do-this, do-that approach, but those who develop a court sense of how and
when to move and react on the floor in different situations.
The point is that getting to know the game better as you learn to play
it better will make a huge difference in your rate of improvement. So will
having the right attitude.
Any coach can tell you how important attitude is to a player’s develop-
ment. One of the biggest frustrations for a coach is having a talented player
who, for whatever reason, doesn’t concentrate or push herself to improve.
One of the greatest satisfactions, on the other hand, is seeing a girl of
limited natural talent work hard to become the best basketball player she
can be. The way you approach the game will have a big effect on how well
you play it.
Be Enthusiastic
In this book, we’ll talk a lot about working hard and improving, but don’t
forget that the most important guideline of all is to enjoy yourself when
you’re playing. That, presumably, is why you picked up the ball in the first
place, and why you’re continuing to play. This book is intended to be a
means to that end. After all, the better you play, the more fun it’ll be.
As long as basketball is fun, you’ll naturally be enthusiastic about it,
and that makes any experience more fulfilling. Show enthusiasm when
you play. Play with spirit. Congratulate your team-mate when she makes a
nice play. Support the others and pick them up when they’re down. Praise
unselfish play—the pass or the screen that can easily go unnoticed. Say
“Nice try” if a teammate attempts a move that doesn’t work out as planned.
Admit your mistake when you’ve missed an open player or made a bad
play. Don’t bad-mouth other players, grumble about practice, or complain
publicly about the coach. If you’re not enjoying yourself or you feel as
though you’re being mishandled, talk to your coach about it. She’ll want
to know.
You don’t have to be a full-time cheerleader. Not everybody is suited
to the rah-rah stuff. Enthusiasm is a state of mind. And the best thing
about it—besides how much it enhances your enjoyment—is what it does
for others. Enthusiasm is contagious. It can spread through a team in no
time. It’ll keep everybody closely knit, foster a spirit of cooperation, and
lift you up when you’re not having one of your more memorable practices
or games.
xiv Winning Basketball for Girls
If you’ve played on a team where enthusiasm was the watchword, none

of this is news to you. If you haven’t, please take it on faith that being
positive and showing enthusiasm will make your basketball experiences
infinitely more rewarding—as a player and as a person. “Nothing great
was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. No
argument here.
What’s New
Since the initial publication of Winning Basketball for Girls, women’s
basketball has grown at an even higher rate. Playing opportunities at
the upper levels of basketball—the WNBA, national teams, and college
programs—have increased dramatically. Title IX has continued to create
more opportunities for women to play collegiate basketball, often on ath-
letic scholarship. This means that high school players have more motiva-
tion than ever to play at higher levels. Due to a “trickle down” effect, girls
at the middle and elementary school levels have started to play and com-
pete earlier than ever before. Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) competition
and summer basketball camps give young players further opportunities to
develop.
This new edition was updated with these changes in mind. Basketball,
the game, hasn’t really changed much, but since the stakes are higher, it
has become even more important to develop solid fundamentals at an
early age. Learning the fundamentals the right way the first time is a great
idea. It is much harder to break bad habits and relearn skills. To play the
game, you must be comfortable handling the ball. You must be comfort-
able shooting and passing. You must be able to move efficiently—to jump,
to run, to rebound, to start and stop, to change direction, to defend. You
need to grasp concepts such as spacing and court balance. You need to
understand individual and team defense. New photos and illustrations
have also been added to provide a more up-to-date backdrop for explain-
ing fundamental skills and techniques. In addition, the “Getting in Shape”
chapter has been rewritten with new information, photos, and illustrations
to help you to get ready to play. Preparing your body for each practice or
workout and for each game and season is critical to help you play your very
best and to help you stay on the court by preventing or limiting injuries.
Most of all, you must love what you do. Basketball requires commit-
ment, passion, and hard work. The team must be bigger than the indi-
vidual. BIG TEAM, little me. You must be accountable to your teammates
and you need to expect them to be accountable. And, you must commu-
nicate—on and off the court. “We are [insert team name], we are one!”
Believe it!
Introduction xv
You will find other minor changes that reflect my evolving perspective.
I feel differently about the game than I did when the book was first pub-
lished. I’ve played, coached, color-commentated, and officiated, and now
I’ve watched my children as they go through the world of athletics. Things
look and feel different. I see the game in a whole new way.
As a player, and as a coach, enjoy the little things. Sure, winning is
fun but it’s not the ultimate goal. Playing, competing, growing, establising
relationships, developing—enjoy it all!
Now, let’s hit the court.
—Faye Young Miller
Ithaca, New York
Thom O’Connor
Legend for
Illustrations
Note: Throughout the text, players and coaches will be referred to as she
or her. This is done only to simplify the writing. I have worked with so
many awesome male coaches—no slight intended.
Also, I hope some young male players will read this book!
1
A Look at
the Game
“Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals”.
—Dr. James Naismith, the father of basketball
Just over a century ago in Springfield, Massachusetts, a

physical-education instructor named Dr. James Naismith was looking for
a game that could be played indoors in the cold winter months. He fas-
tened two peach baskets to the gymnasium balcony and told his students
to try throwing a soccer ball into the baskets. Thus was basketball born.
In the game’s infancy, there were no backboards. No dribbling was
allowed, and seven persons played on a team. There wasn’t even an open
basket; a person had to sit atop a ladder to pull the ball out of the basket
and toss it back down to the players. Gradually changes and refinements
were made until the game evolved into the one we know today. Let’s get
a quick overview of that game before we go into our deeper discussion of
specific skills and instruction.
The Court
Most high school basketball courts are 84 feet long by 50 feet wide. College
courts are the same width, but 94 feet long. A basket, consisting of a rim (a
steel hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet from the ground) and a back-
board (a rectangular piece of Plexiglas or wood measuring 42 x 72 inches),
is located at either end of the playing area.

Winning Basketball for Girls
Figure 1-1
A Look at the Game
The court is divided by a midcourt line, and is marked off by baselines

(at each end of the court) and sidelines, as shown in Figure 1-1. Fifteen feet
out from the backboard are the free throw or foul lines, where a player
shoots an uncontested shot after an opponent commits a foul.
A 12-foot-wide area between the foul line and the basket (it’s usually
painted) is known as the “key,” free throw lane, or three second area, so
named for a rule that prohibits any offensive player from staying in it for
more than three seconds at a time. The free throw lane is marked off on
the sides with spaces three feet wide, used for the non-shooters to line up
when a free throw is taken. The first occupied spaces—left and right—clos-
est to the hoop are for the non-shooting team. At the center of the court is
a jump circle, where the official tosses up the ball to start the game.
The Players
Basketball is played by two teams of five players each. The basic positions
include a center, two forwards, and two guards. Traditionally, the offensive
positions are numbered and broken down as follows:
Then Now
1. Point Guard Point Guard
2. Shooting Guard Perimeter #2
3. Small Forward Perimeter #3
4. Power Forward “Big”/post
5. Center “Big”/post
Today, players do not always fit the traditional roles regarding posi-
tions. Players must be versatile. All players must develop shooting—inside
and outside, ballhandling, and the footwork skills to play today’s game.
Different offensive sets require different positions. Some teams play a
4-out, 1-in pattern, some play a 3-out, 2-in and some play a motion offense
with players switching positions during the offensive possession. Some
teams play all 5 players on the perimeter—dribble drive motion style.
Many of today’s college teams introduce their players as post—2 “bigs” as
we call them and 3 perimeter players. The point guard is still somewhat
defined as the primary ball handler and the “playmaker” while the other
perimeter players can be interchanged. Traditionally, the guards or perim-
eter players set up farthest away from the basket. They are usually quick
and agile players who are good at handling the ball, shooting from range
and passing the ball. On many teams, one player is still designated as the
point guard, who handles the ball most of the time and is the “quarter-
back” of the offense. The other guard is called the shooting guard and is
relied on for perimeter shooting and passing. Having the ability to shoot
the three-point shot—taken from behind the semicircular line drawn 19
feet, 9 inches from the basket—gives the perimeter players an added offen-
sive weapon, and opens up the inside area when the defense has to move
out to defend against the three.
The forwards, sometimes known as the wings, play outside the lane
usually to the sides of the basket, sometimes at the free throw lane
extended. Depending on the team offense, the power forward may post
up around the lane with her back to the basket, and the small forward
may pop out wide on the baseline facing the hoop. Both forwards have to
rebound.
The center, sometimes the tallest and most powerful player, generally
stays closer to the basket than the other players, setting up in the area of
the free- throw lane. If the center is positioned near the free throw line,
she’s known as a high post; if she’s positioned close to the baseline, in the
first lane space area “on the block,” she’s known as a low post. The center
typically plays with her back to the basket before receiving the ball and she
has to be a good rebounder and passer.
The more skills you develop, regardless of your position, the more time
you will be on the floor. Again, being able to do many things well, being
versatile, will get you in the game! Don’t limit yourself or allow others to
limit you, based on your size or speed. Learn to handle, learn to shoot, and
play tough defense. It is especially important for you to handle the ball as
a young player. You will make mistakes, dribble off your foot or whatever,
but you will learn by doing, and you will get better.
How the Game is Played

The team with possession of the ball is known as the offensive team; the
other is the defensive team. Points are scored by shooting the ball into the
basket being defended by the opposing team. Each team can score only by
shooting at the opponent’s basket, which is why the game flows up and
down the court.
Two or three points are awarded for a successful shot, depending upon
where it’s taken from. These shots are called field goals. To get credit
for three points, a player must be behind the three-point line when she
releases the ball or leave the floor from behind the line if she is airborne.
Again, the three-point line is 19 feet, 9 inches from the hoop. One point
is awarded for a successful free throw, or foul shot, a shot taken from the
free throw line after a foul by an opposing player. Not all fouls result in
free throws, however. To go to the line, a player must be fouled in the act
A Look at the Game
of shooting, or fouled intentionally. The other instance when free throws

are taken is when the defensive team has surpassed its allotted number of
fouls—over the limit, as it’s called. When one team fouls seven times in a
half, the other team is allowed a one plus one opportunity. If the shooter
makes the first, she gets a second shot. If a team has fouled 10 times, the
opponent gets a double bonus, or two shots. When a player is fouled from
behind the three-point line, she gets to shoot three free throws if the field
goal is missed. A successful field goal and a foul result in one free throw,
regardless of where the shot is taken. Common fouls include pushing,
blocking, holding, and hitting a player’s arm as she’s shooting. After five
fouls, a player is disqualified from the game.
Common sense tells us that the closer to the basket a shot is attempted,
the better the chances that it will go in. The objective of the offensive team
is to advance the ball so as to get the best shot that it can. There are only
two ways the ball can be advanced—passing (throwing it from one player
to another) or dribbling (bouncing the ball as you move in any direction).
The defensive team’s objective is to protect the basket by keeping the
offense as far from it as possible. Ideally, the defensive team wants to stop
the offense from even attempting a shot. The next best thing is forcing
them to take a difficult or low-percentage shot.
Whenever a shot is missed, players on both teams compete to get the
rebound. Once the defensive team gets possession of a rebound, they go on
offense and the other team goes on defense. In women’s college and pro-
fessional basketball, an offensive team has 30 seconds in which to attempt
a shot. The attempt must hit the rim. If they fail to do so, the other team
gets possession of the ball. The shot clock varies in high school depending
on the state.
Many complicated strategies and playing patterns are involved as the
offense and defense try to accomplish their goals. For example, a team
might play man-to-man defense, in which each player is assigned a player
to guard; or it might play a zone defense, in which each player is assigned
an area of the court to defend. Some teams play a combination of these two
defenses or switch from one to another during a game. Another defensive
option, referred to as a “press” is to guard a team over the full length of
the court, instead of just as they approach the basket. Full-court defense
is often employed late in a game when the defensive team is losing and
needs to catch up in a hurry. However, some teams live and die by the
“press” throughout the game. The coach makes a decision, to press or not
to, based on her overall team philosophy, which is dictated by the talents
of her players.
There are an equal number of offensive strategies that a team might
use to get through the defense and gain good shots at the basket. At this
point it’s not important for you to know the technical ins and outs of
various playing schemes and patterns. What is important is to get a basic
understanding of the game and of what you need to do on and off the court
to play basketball as well as you can. And that’s where we’re headed for the
rest of this book.
2
Getting Started
“Always set your goals and expectations high. There will come
times when you think you can’t push any harder. You can. There
will come times when you want to walk away. DON’T. Never lose
sight of what you really want to accomplish.”
—Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina
Women’s Basketball Coach and
three-time Olympic gold medalist
Seeing yourself improve provides one of the biggest satisfactions

in basketball. You make more shots than you did the month before. You pull
down more rebounds. You play better defense, and you turn the ball over
fewer times. As your command of the fundamentals gradually gets better,
you feel good about your accomplishments, and you want to continue striv-
ing for more.
Making progress keeps you going. Let’s look at what you can do to
make as much of it as possible.
Basketball 101
I learn something new every time I watch a game. You can too. Take in as
many games as possible, whether it’s the pros on TV or the JV boys in the
next gym. Try to analyze the strategies involved. What kind of defense is
being played? What are the players doing to get open? Which team is tak-
ing the higher percentage shots? Is one team dominating the play under
the boards? Look at the players other than the one with the ball. Are they

moving or standing still? Are they making the defense work? What about
the tempo of the game? Is one team fast-breaking and the other playing
deliberately? Look for good free throw shooters; what are they doing that
you might emulate? Is there one player doing most of the scoring? If so,
what is she doing to get free for her shots? Where are her shots coming
from? What fakes is she using?
Watching basketball is the next best thing to playing it. You’ll get a
much clearer perspective of the game by watching others play—and that’ll
translate, slowly but surely, into a crisper, more intelligent game for you.
Say you’re watching a game in which a guard continually puts the ball on
the floor the moment she gets it, and winds up getting stuck—tied up or
double-teamed by the defense because she no longer can use the dribble to
get away. It’s a terrific way to learn why you shouldn’t waste your dribble.
Take a Self-Inventory
You know your own game—your strengths and weaknesses—better than
anybody else. Even if you’re just starting to play, take an inventory of your-
self as a player and jot it down. Keep a notebook. Be honest. Write down
what you need to work on most. This is a good way to emphasize what
areas to concentrate on, as well as to chart your progress. Check back
periodically. Measure how effective your practice has been in improving
your problem areas. Chart all progress.
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many players
don’t work on their weaknesses. I’m not denying it’s a lot more fun to
practice what you’re already good at. But it’s also fun to improve. Break
down the game into categories and take notes on each. Here’s the way it
might look:
Dribbling: Right hand pretty good. Left hand needs a lot of work.
Unable to dribble under control with head up.
Shooting: Lay-ups pretty good from right side, poor from left; need to
work on improving speed and control from right, form and accuracy from
left. Foul shooting averaging out at 50 percent. Goal should be 70 percent.
Outside shooting very inconsistent—one day on, one day off. Need to work
on shooting the same way every time.
You get the idea. Be honest; it’s the only way you’ll really know how
you’re progressing.
Get the Most out of

Practice Time
John Wooden, probably the most respected basketball coach of all time,
and a man who appreciates the fundamentals of the women’s game (“the
Getting Started
purest basketball is played by the collegiate women’s teams”) once said,

“You play the way you practice.” If you play halfheartedly and develop
sloppy habits in your driveway or schoolyard, it’s going to carry over into
your games. Make the most of your practice time. This doesn’t mean it has
to be totally structured; I only mean you have to practice diligently if you
want to improve. Work all the different skill areas. Develop your own rou-
tines, but vary them so you keep it interesting. Maybe you’ll designate one
day as “Dribble Day,” and you’ll put a special emphasis on controlling the
ball. Be imaginative. Dribble down your driveway with your left hand and
come back using your right. Use two balls. Dribble them at the same time.
Set up obstacles and dribble in and out of them. Get your little brother
and follow him around as you dribble with your head up. On another day,
maybe you’ll arrange a shooting contest between two imaginary teams. Or
set specific shooting goals and try to meet them. One day maybe you’ll aim
to make 10 of 20 eight-foot bank shots. As soon as you do, give yourself
another goal to shoot for.
Keep pushing to improve. Concentrate on doing things right. But at the
same time, inject some twists and games into your routine so your time
on the court is always interesting and challenging. The best practices are
fun and constructive.
Play “Up”
The surest and fastest way to improve is by playing with better players. It
may be discouraging at first, but playing slightly over your head will work
wonders for you. It offers a close-up view of how better players shoot,
dribble, pass, cut, play defense, and so on, and it’ll give you insights into
what you have to do to take your game a notch higher. If you’ve never been
able to steal the ball from the girl you’ve been guarding, she must be doing
a good job of protecting the ball. Pay attention to how she does it.
Playing “up” forces you to push yourself, to work a little harder and
play a little smarter. It gives you new goals to shoot for and will help you
reach a higher skill level. It’s great fun to team up with a friend and whip
two younger girls down the street, 15-2, but what do you really get out of
that? Complacency is big trouble for any reasonably competitive athlete.
You have to want to continue improving. We all need an incentive to
keep working at it, and playing up is that incentive. Chart goals in your
notebook. In general, “I want to play with the boys in the park and hold
my own,” or more specific, “I want to hold Sam to three goals defensively
during our game.” Give yourself something to reach for.
Another way to play up is to raise the level of competition by attending
an individual or a team camp. Also, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
competition provides the opportunity to compete at a higher level. In
10 Winning Basketball for Girls
AAU basketball, the overall talent level is higher than what you play with
and against in high school.
I know a girl who, as a freshman JV player, stayed after practice every
day and played with two of her coaches and a varsity player. She was taught
a lot of hard lessons for a while and went home discouraged more than
once. But how she improved! She began that season as a reserve on the JV.
A year later, she was a starter on the varsity.
Ask Questions
Be curious about the game. If you don’t understand your coach’s advice
or instruction, ask her about it. Most coaches like questions because it
forces them to refine their own thinking, and shows them you’re eager to
learn. Say, for instance, the coach says to get “more leg” into your shot.
Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal? I shoot with my arms, not
my legs.” But when you ask her, she explains that much of the power
needed to get a shot smoothly up to the basket is generated by the legs,
and that’s why it’s important to bend them before you begin your shooting
motion. Knowing the reason for performing certain moves makes it easier
to remember them.
Also ask questions of other players, particularly those you admire.
(“How do you make that crossover dribble?” “How often do you work
out on your own?”) Every little insight you collect will contribute to your
improvement.
3
Preparation
for Success—
Getting in Shape
“Thus I urge you to go on to greatness if you believe it is in you.
Think deeply and separate what you wish from what you are
prepared to do.”
—Percy Cerutty
Basketball is a game of transition that demands nearly

continuous motion from all 10 players on the court. During the course
of a typical game, you will continuously start, stop, jump, change direc-
tions, and change speed. At the final buzzer you will have run nearly
three miles—virtually all of it in quick demanding bursts. Conditioning
enables the best players to play the last minute as hard as they played
the first.
You must be in good physical condition to play basketball. There’s no
way around it. If you’re not in good shape, the game won’t be as much fun
because you won’t be as effective. The better-conditioned team will typi-
cally win a close game. Good conditioning enables you to recover more
quickly and helps you to maintain proper form even when you’re tired. A
well-conditioned player is confident in the fourth quarter (or late second
half). There is no better feeling than the one you get when you see your
opponent bent over gasping for air when you feel as though the game is
just beginning. This phenomenon, known as “catching your second wind,”
is nothing more than the feeling you’ll get late in the game when your con-
ditioning enables you to play at a high level while your opponents seem to
11
be slowing down, missing shots, and making bad passes. Good condition-
ing also lessens the likelihood of some injuries and speeds recovery when
you do get hurt.
In order to play well you must condition well. Conditioning your
body is challenging—it requires consistency and dedication. There are
no shortcuts. For most athletes, training two or three days per week is
sufficient to prepare their bodies for the demands of intense competi-
tion. Conditioning is the process of preparing your cardio-respiratory
(heart and lungs) and musculoskeletal (muscles, tendons, and bones)
systems. In this chapter we will describe specific ways to make you a
better basketball player by improving your strength, endurance, agility,
and speed. We begin with some basic ideas about caring for your hands
and feet.
TREATING YOUR FEET WELL

As a basketball player, you’ll only be as good as your feet and ankles feel,
which means you’ve got to take good care of them. Neglecting your feet
can hamper your performance all season long.
Begin caring for your feet by putting them in a good pair of basketball
shoes. I can’t recommend a brand name because different shoes fit each
foot differently. If you’ve had any ankle trouble and don’t get your ankles
taped, get high-cut shoes, which give extra support. You can also use
ankle braces for extra support—to prevent injury or to give you support
in recovery from an ankle sprain, which is a common basketball injury.
Otherwise, let your feet be the judge. Try on several different pairs and see
which feels best. Look for a sturdy sole, a well-cushioned arch, and strong
construction along the edge where the sole meets the body of the shoe.
That’s where basketball shoes are most likely to tear.
As with most everything else, with basketball shoes, you get what you
pay for. Cheap brands are not only a bad investment—they’re potentially
dangerous. They may not be built for heavy-duty basketball wear and may
not give your feet the support they need. This is the era of the $100 (and
up) basketball shoe, but do you have to pay that much? Not at all. Plenty
of quality shoes can be purchased for less. My advice is simply to do your
homework and to invest in a good pair. Check with your coach for a team
price—some stores will offer a discount when the team all buys from the
same store.
It’s also important to keep your feet dry by wearing good athletic socks.
Make sure to pull your socks all the way on and smooth out places where
they’re bunching up. Even a slight irritant like a bunched up sock or moist
area can result in a painful blister.
Preparation for Success—Getting in Shape 13
CONDITIONING YOUR HANDS

A former colleague of mine always told his players, “Your hands and your
feet are your career.” He is so right. We’ve looked at a few basic ways to
care for your feet, and with your hands, there are two important consid-
erations—strength and feel for the ball (touch). Strength and touch come
into play in almost all facets of the game: catching, passing shooting,
dribbling, and rebounding. The stronger your hands are, the more crisply
you’ll be able to play. Your passes will be sharper. Your shooting range will
be extended. You’ll hang onto tough rebounds that other players might
lose. Developing a soft (or sensitive) touch for the ball is equally important.
Touch allows you to shoot and pass more accurately, dribble with more
control, and handle the ball better. Drills and exercises for conditioning
the hands are covered in the following chapter.
WARMING UP
Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint or combination of joints. Many
athletic injuries result from improper warm-up or lack of flexibility. Poor
flexibility causes poor movement, which causes muscles to work harder
than they need to. This in turn causes a greater loss of energy and hinders
your performance. Taking time and care to warm up and to cool down
improves your flexibility and decreases your chance of injury while increas-
ing your body’s efficiency. Over the past decade the traditional slow, con-
trolled stretch that preceded workouts, practice, or games has been replaced
by a process known as a dynamic warm-up. While stretching is a critical
part of proper cooldown, traditional warm-up stretches tend to relax your
muscles instead of energizing them. A warm-up should prepare your joints
and muscles for more vigorous activity by gradually acclimating them to
a higher level of readiness. Muscles that have been used throughout the
day for sitting, standing, and walking must be transitioned to muscles that
will be sprinting, cutting, and jumping. This must be done in a progressive
manner and requires much more than “static” (in-place) stretching. The
dynamic warm up should include elements of running, skipping, rotating,
and bending the joints in order to increase the body’s core temperature and
prepare the connective tissue (ligaments) for more substantial stress.
Begin at a slow, controlled pace and gradually move to a more intense
level during the warm-up. Perform each movement in a controlled manner
and always use proper technique. Some examples are given below, but feel
free to create your own activities, which may include basketball drills and
skills. Give yourself some space. Use the width of the basketball court. For
the nonstationary exercises, begin on one sideline and finish across the
court at the opposite sideline.
• Walking Knee Hugs: Step with one foot and raise the opposite knee
as high as you can toward your chest. Place your hands on the “up”
knee and gently pull it toward your chest and hold for one second.
Repeat as you travel across the court. Alternate knees.
• Walking Tin Soldier: Step with one foot and slowly kick the oppo-
site leg (with a straight knee) up, until your toes are at about eye
level, “Frankenstein” style. Keep the down leg as a “base.” Repeat
across the floor, alternating legs.
• Skips: Skip (forward and backward) across the court.
• Walking Lunge: Take long strides forward with your torso upright
and “lunge walk” across the floor. Take a big step ahead with one
foot and lean forward until your knee reaches a 90-degree angle and
your rear knee is parallel to the floor. Then return to the starting
position and step ahead with the other foot. It is important that you
keep your front knee behind your toes and that you do not let that
knee rotate inward.
• Slides: Perform defensive “slides” or shuffles, staying low and taking
lateral steps across the floor. You may perform them slowly or at a
faster pace.
• Build-Up Runs: Perform several repetitions of sprints at gradually
increasing intensity levels. For example, one repetition at 50 percent
of your maximum speed, one at 75 percent of max, one at 90 per-
cent of max, and then one at full speed. Come to complete recovery
between repetitions.
• Windmill: Start with your feet apart, standing upright. Bend and
rotate your torso and touch a hand to the opposite foot. Alternate.
Repeat 6 to 10 times for each side.
• Shoulder Rotations: Roll your shoulders forward and then back-
ward with your elbows slightly bent. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions in
each direction.
• Trunk Twisters: While standing upright with your feet about shoul-
der width apart, rotate your torso in a controlled manner as far as
you can in each direction keeping your elbows away from your sides.
Perform 6 to 10 repetitions in each direction.
• Backpedal: Run backwards at 75 to 100 percent of your maximum
speed, gradually increasing the length of your strides.
Example of a dynamic warm-up:
• Jog for two to three minutes

• Walking knee hugs
• Walking tin soldier
• Slide left at 50 percent
• Slide right at 50 percent

• Windmill 8 times each way
• Walking lunge
• Skip forward at 50 percent
• Skip backward at 50 percent
Walking knee hugs
Walking tin soldiers
Figure 3-1 Dynamic warm-up exercises.

Walking lunges (front and side angle)
Windmills
Figure 3-1 (continued) Dynamic warm-up exercises.

• Shoulder rotations 8 times each way

• Trunk twisters 8 times each way
• Backpedal at 75 percent
• Build-up run to 75 percent
• Slide right at 75 percent
• Slide left at 75 percent
• Backpedal at 100 percent
• Sprint at 100 percent
The percentages are in terms of effort—where 100 percent is maximum

effort.
Upon completion of your dynamic warm-up, which will take 12 to 15
minutes, you should be ready to go. Your body is prepared to work harder
and to handle more stress.
IMPROVING YOUR SPEED

AND AGILITY
Basketball is a game that requires fast-paced, intense movement in all direc-
tions. Players must be able to sprint, cut, jump, slide, and backpedal—often
while controlling a ball! This is a very demanding set of skills that requires
balance, body control, reflexes, and coordination. You are born with some
of these qualities, but by performing drills that focus on change of direc-
tion, acceleration, and running style, you can greatly improve your speed
and agility. Quick, sudden bursts require fast feet and a low body position.
Practicing staying under control and moving your feet in multidirectional
patterns will enable you to perform better on the basketball court. Not much
of basketball is played running straight ahead. Train to move in all direc-
tions. Examples of drills that I have used with my teams are given below.
“Line” Drills
These drills consist of jumping over straight lines on the floor. Perform
each drill for 8 to 10 seconds, repeating each set of drills two or three times
per workout. Make sure that you keep your jumps low and quick. Referring
to Figure 3-2, the line drills in increasing difficulty include:
1. Feet together A, B (side to side as quickly as possible)

2. Feet together A, D (forward, backward as quickly as possible)
3. Feet together counterclockwise A, B, C, D
4. Feet together clockwise A, D, C, B
5. Repeat drills 1 and 2 using one foot at a time
Figure 3-2 Line drills.
Cone Drills
Perform each drill for 8 to 10 seconds. Two to three sets are recommended
per workout. Cones should be approximately six inches tall.
1. Lateral Hops—Place the cones 1½ to 2 feet apart. Keeping your feet

together, hop sideways over each cone. Reverse direction.
2. Forward/Backward Hops—Place the cones 1½ to 2 feet apart. Keeping
your feet together, hop forward over each cone. Reverse direction.
3. Lateral “Figure 8”—Trace a figure 8 pattern while moving laterally.
Make sure to step quickly and stay low.
4. Forward/Backward Figure 8—Trace a figure 8 moving forward and
backward.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is a very good total body workout and can be done anywhere
with the investment of a good rope and a short amount of time. Just five
Figure 3-3 Cone drills.
minutes three times a week will help you to develop better footwork and
coordination and will also give you an efficient cardiovascular workout.
Jumping rope also helps to develop upper body strength, which is some-
times lacking in young women who are just beginning to play basketball.
Different patterns to try are double leg hops, single leg hops, and alternat-
ing jumps. Establish a rhythm and have fun with it!
More Cone Drills

These drills focus on changing speed and changing direction, which are
necessary skills if you want to play basketball at a high level. Arrange the
cones in a rectangle. We typically use half the basketball court. Focus on
keeping your center of gravity low. As with all drills, master the technique
first, and then work toward increasing the speed
1. Sprint, Slide, Backpedal—In this drill, you are moving around the
perimeter of the rectangle always facing the same direction. Begin by
Figure 3-4 More cone drills.
sprinting up the right-hand side to the first cone. Then slide laterally
left to the second cone. Backpedal down the left hand side to the third
cone then slide laterally to the right—back to where you began.
2. Tight Turns—This drill consists of running full speed to each cone in
a figure 8 pattern. Make a full revolution around each cone before pro-
ceeding to the next. Focus on making the turns as tight to the cone as
possible and on sprinting hard between each cone. Reverse directions
to work on turns to the left.
Linear Speed Improvement

While change of direction is important, the ability to “burst” in a straight
line is critical for basketball success during offensive fast breaks, sudden
turnovers, and any transitioning on the court. When performing these
quick, explosive movements, you must have adequate stride length (power-
ful force production) and stride frequency (rapid foot contacts). Running
is a skill, and like any skill, can be improved with practice. When running
sprints remember to maintain long strides, and to run all the way through
the finish line—gradually coasting to a stop.
Distance Running
Run long distances at least once a week. Depending on your condition, you
might start with a half-mile or mile. Gradually work up to one and a half
or two miles. Keep track of your times. Use the notebook I suggested in
Chapter 2 for a self-inventory. As you get in better condition, you’ll find

that you can maintain a faster pace. If you can run two miles in 16 minutes
or under, you’re doing great.
IMPROVING YOUR STRENGTH

The foundation of all athletic skills is strength. The ability to run, pass,
and shoot rely heavily on a basketball player’s strength, particularly in
the shoulders, core (abdominals and lower back), hips, knees, and ankles.
In addition, because of the extensive cutting and changing of direction
involved in basketball, strength is critical to injury resistance, particularly
to stabilize the knee and ankle joints. Simple exercises using manual resis-
tance (such as your body weight) are suggested for young players. Weight
training is a more advanced option when proper supervision is available.
Some simple strength-improvement exercises using manual resistance are
described below.
• Wall Sit: Place your back against a wall, feet slightly wider than
shoulder width, bend your knees to 90 degrees; sustain for 30 to 60
seconds.
• Lunges: Hang your arms straight down at your sides. Keep your feet
hip-width apart. Step forward
with your left leg until your
knee is bent 90 degrees.. Your
left thigh will be parallel to
the floor while your upper
right leg is perpendicular to
the floor. Your torso should be
comfortably erect with your
head up and your eyes look-
ing straight ahead. Step back
to the standing position and
repeat with your right leg to
complete one repetition. Keep
the heel of your front foot on
the floor to help stabilize your
knee. Do not bend your knee
more than 90 degrees; this
prevents overextending your
ligaments and tendons.
• Step Ups: Stand with good Wall sit
posture facing a tall step Figure 3-5 Strength exercises.
Step ups
Pushups
Figure 3-5 (continued) Strength exercises.

(such as a bleacher) or box (approximately 15 inches high). With

your back straight use your left leg and lower body to “step up” onto
the surface. Make sure to push down with the left foot (especially
the heel), straightening your leg, to come up on top of the box. Use
your left leg only; keep your right leg passive, especially as you initi-
ate the step-up. Then bring the opposite knee up, step down. Do 8
to 10 repetitions. Change legs, step up with right foot completing 8
to 10 repetitions.
• Push-Ups: Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms
flat on the floor and no more than shoulder-width apart, with your
feet together. Keep your head up, your legs straight, and your toes
tucked under your feet. Straighten your arms as you push your body
up off the floor. Keep your palms fixed at the same position and your
body straight. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back
as you push up. Exhale as your arms straighten. Lower your body
slowly until your chest lightly touches the floor. Try not to bend your
back. Keep your knees off the floor, and inhale as you bend your
arms. Repeat.
• Swiss Ball Slides: Start with a large exercise ball (commonly known
as a Swiss ball) resting just below your shoulder blades against the
middle of your back. Keep your feet positioned about two feet in
Swiss ball slides

Lateral squats
front of your hips. Begin by bending your knees 30 to 45 degrees into

a squat; making sure that your knees remain behind your toes. Keep
the lower leg perpendicular to the floor. Hold the squat position for
8 to 10 seconds before returning to the start position.
• Lateral squats: Standing with your feet just wider than shoulder-
width apart, start to lean to the left and push your hips back at the
same time, so that all your weight is on your heels. Step sideways,
bending your left knee and keeping your right leg straight. Your lead
foot should be pointed slightly to the left, flat on the floor. Push
off your left heel back to the starting position. Alternate sides and
repeat for 8 to 10 repetitions on each side. Make sure you keep the
knee on your “working” side behind your toes. Keep your opposite
leg straight and your chest up.
Developing Core Strength

Your “core” consists of many different muscles—not just your “abs”—that
stabilize your spine and pelvis and run the entire length of your torso.
These muscles basically make it possible to stand upright and move on
two feet. They are crucial for controlling many of the movements that are
important in basketball. By developing and maintaining a strong core, you
will enhance your chances of playing at a higher level. Three basic core-
strengthening exercises are described below.
1. “Elbows and Toes”: Lie face down on the floor, resting on your fore-
arms, palms or fists flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto
toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line
from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to
prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold for 20 to 60
seconds; lower and perform 3 to 5 repetitions.
2. Side Bridge: Start by lying on the floor with your legs straight out. Turn
sideways holding your body up with one bent arm parallel to the floor.
Keep your abs tight for 20 to 60 seconds. Perform 3 to 5 repetitions.
3. Sit-ups: Lie down on the floor on your back with your knees bent and
your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands on opposing shoulders,
so that your arms are crossed over your chest. Tighten your abdomi-
nal muscles by gently drawing in your belly button toward your spine.
Slowly lift your chest and shoulders toward your knees, exhaling on
the way up. Hold the position for a second. Slowly bring the torso back
to the floor keeping your back slightly off the ground. Repeat for 30
seconds or 20 repetitions. Sit-ups are the standard method for building
abdominal strength. There are many variations.
Elbows and toes

Figure 3-6 Core conditioning exercises.
Side bridge
Figure 3-6 (continued) Core conditioning exercises.
COOLING DOWN
Just as a basketball player benefits from warming up, she can also benefit
from cooling down just after the workout is over. When warming up,
your body transitions from rest to activity. The object of cooling down is
to slowly transition from a high level of activity to a lower level. During
cooldown, your muscle temperature decreases, your perspiration rate goes
down (which causes the skin to feel cool), your heart rate goes down, and
your respiration rate returns to normal. Cooling down after a workout can
also help prevent muscle strain and soreness. A typical cooldown period
should take 8 to 10 minutes and should include activities such as slowly
jogging or walking, along with traditional static stretching exercises.
ABOUT WEIGHT TRAINING

Every college basketball program in the country employs some form of
weight training in its conditioning program. I supervised my teams at
Manhattan College and Georgia Tech through rigorous programs and the
results were tremendous. Weight training programs that are well-planned
and properly supervised can have a significant positive impact—even with
high school players. I’ve seen it happen. Without supervision and plan-
ning, weight training can be less than effective. It can be even be down-
right dangerous—especially with younger players. If you have access to a
weight room and someone who can design and supervise your workouts,
I recommend weight training. Many health clubs have well-equipped
weight rooms and personal trainers who will assist you—even design
weight training programs for you. If that is the case at your health club,
take advantage of it. If you don’t have a trainer or even a good workout
partner, there are many simpler options to weight training, such as the
manual exercises discussed previously.
A FINAL NOTE
Take it from someone who knows: It pays to be in shape. At just about
every level of competition, I’ve played with people with more basketball
ability than I have, players who were better shooters, dribblers, and pass-
ers. But I’ve always been able to hold my own because of one simple fact: I
could run and I was always in good shape. I worked hard and got into good
condition, and it paid off. Even if you can’t hit a 20-footer or put on a daz-
zling dribble display, you’ll find a spot on your team if you keep on running
and jumping, starting and stopping, when everyone else is dragging. Ball
skills are critical, no question about it. But being in top shape can make up
for a plethora of deficiencies. Work on the exercises I’ve outlined above.
The time commitment doesn’t add up to more than a few hours a week,
and the benefits will last all season.
4
Ball-Handling—
Developing a
Feel for the Ball
“R.E.P.S.—Repetition Elevates Personal Skills.”
—Conor Gillen
Developing a feel for the basketball is critical to your

development as a basketball player. The best way to get comfortable with
the ball is to use it. There are many ball-handling drills that can help you to
develop strength and touch if done on a regular basis. Once you are com-
fortable with the exercise, make sure you work with intensity. You should
break a sweat—in fact these drills are a great way to warm up—to get ready
to play. Some of my favorite exercises are listed below. All the exercises listed
must be done with the knees flexed, feet comfortably spread and head up.
Pounding the Ball

Here’s a good way to get your hands familiar with the ball. Hold the ball near
your shoulder in one hand and “pound” it firmly into the other with a forceful
overhand throwing motion. Then pound it back to the hand you started with,
and go back and forth 15–20 times. Concentrate on feeling the ball as you
pound it into your receiving hand. Your hands should be slightly cupped.
Squeezing the Ball

“Squeeze” the ball by holding it up just above your shoulder in your right
hand. Keep the elbow soft—not locked—and slowly bring your fingers
28
Ball-Handling—Developing a Feel for the Ball 29
together, causing the ball to pop out of your hand. Do this 15 times and
then repeat with your left hand, “volcano style.”
Another way to “squeeze” a ball can be done anytime, anywhere. Use
a tennis ball or some other sponge-rubber ball about that size and just
squeeze it, hard, in one hand about 15 times. Switch hands and squeeze
out another 15 times. This won’t take long and is a terrific way to build
strength in your hands and wrists.
Fingertip Control Drill

Hold the ball in front of you about waist-high and quickly tap or make
“baby” passes back and forth between the hands, using the fingertips and
the pads of your fingers. Gradually raise your arms, lightly passing the
ball as you go, until the ball is almost directly overhead. Keep passing and
slowly bring your arms down to the original position. Repeat five times.
Your arms should start almost straight (keep a slight flex in the elbows)
and stay that way throughout the drill.
Around the World

Start with the ball at head level, holding it with both hands. Take the ball
in your right hand and carry it around behind your head until it’s almost
Around the world. Move the ball as quickly as you can around your head, your waist,
and your knees, concentrating on developing a good feel for the ball and on maintain-
ing good control.
to your left ear. At that point, switch the ball to your left hand and carry
it around back to your right ear. Pass the ball around your head 15 times.
Then take the ball around your waist 15 times. Next, pass the ball around
your legs 15 times, or time yourself—go for 30 seconds. Concentrate on
developing a good feel for the ball and on maintaining good control. Last,
put the three together . . . head, waist, knees and then back up. Next time,
take the ball “around the world” in the other direction. Make sure when
you pass the ball around the lower legs, that you “sit” down and not bend
forward from the waist. This helps condition your legs to play defense.
Head up, butt down!
Figure-8 Drill
Flex your knees and move your feet out so they’re at least a foot wider
than your shoulders. Do not lean or bend from the waist; use the body
position shown in Figure 4-2. Holding the ball with both hands, begin
with it between your legs, at about knee level. Then, bring the ball inside
and behind your left knee, and hand it off to your left hand. Swing the
ball around in front and then back between the legs to behind the right
knee, where you shift the ball back to the right hand. Swing it around front
again, and keep going until you’ve done 15 Figure 8’s, or time yourself.
Keep track of your repetitions and measure progress. Can you do more in
one minute than you did two weeks ago?
Dribble Figure-8
Dribble the ball in and out of your legs in the same Figure-8 pattern as
used above. Start outside your right foot and dribble with your right
hand twice (or more) and then pass the ball between your legs back to
front to your left hand. Dribble outside the left leg with the left hand
and pass the ball back to front between your legs to the right hand. It is
important that you develop a rhythm, for example, one-two-pass, one-
two-pass. This enables you to do this more efficiently. Keep your head
up and don’t bend from the waist. Dribble 15 Figure-8s. Then reverse
direction and do 15 more. Change this drill by using the fingertips
more and dribbling with more touches on the ball—say at least 10 baby
dribbles each side. (Baby dribbles are low dribbles, with the hand touch-
ing the ball more frequently and the ball only rising 6–8 inches off the
floor.)
Figure 4-2 Figure-8 pass.

Dribble V’s/Sweep Pass

Start with the ball on your right side and “sweep” the ball front to back and
back to front, dribbling a “V” on the floor. Pull the ball back by cupping
your hand and by changing your hand position on the ball. Complete 10
and switch the ball to your left hand. After 10 side “sweeps” with your left,
put the ball back in your right and “sweep” the ball out front, side to side,
again dribbling a “V” on the court. Complete 10 and do the same with
your left hand out front. The ball stays in the hand you are executing the
“sweep” with start to finish.
Spider Dribble
Stand with your legs spread about shoulder width. Drop the ball in front of
your stance and baby dribble it with your left hand, then your right. Next
reach behind you and dribble with your right hand and then, still from
behind, your left. Bring your arms back to the front and start over. Front,
front, back, back. Work on touch and try to increase your speed.
Two-Ball Drills
Invest in a second ball or partner up with a friend who has one so you can
work on ball handling with two balls. Using two balls at once speeds up
your progress and makes going back to one seem easier.
Figure 4-3 Spider dribble. Start with the ball in the middle of your stance. Dribble left,
right in front, then bring your arms behind you and dribble right, left behind you. Bring
your arms back in front and start again.
Figure 4-4 Two-ball drills. Using two balls, dribble them at the same time and then
alternate. Do this drill in a stationary position or while on the move!
Using both balls, dribble them at the same time in a relaxed control
dribble style. Start in a stationary position and then dribble either while
you walk or jog up the floor. Next dribble both balls in an alternating
rhythm. Then dribble the balls in a crossover pattern in front of you.
Once you are comfortable with two balls, add a one-ball-low, one-ball-high
dribble and then switch the low and high hands.
5
Footwork—the
Foundation of
Good Basketball
“Whether it’s making shots, setting screens, playing defense or
just about anything that helps you be a better player . . . I can’t
think of anything more important than having good footwork,
and the best part is that it can be learned.”
—Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut
Women’s Basketball Coach
Good basketball begins with good footwork. Basketball is a

game of angles, sharp cuts, and quick starts and stops. All the basic skills
we’ll be talking about in this book spring from your ability to move quickly
and sharply, with maximum control and minimum wasted motion. Beating
an opponent with the dribble, getting good rebounding position, getting
open for a shot, cutting to the basket, playing tough defense—each of these
basketball basics demands good footwork.
Being Ready to Move

Since basketball places such a premium on quickness, you’ve got to be able to
move at an instant’s notice, and the way to do that is to maintain a ready posi-
tion. Keep your knees flexed, your weight distributed evenly on the balls of
your feet, your center of gravity low, and your feet spread comfortably apart.
Whether you’re on offense, defense, or going to the boards, this stance
will increase your quickness tremendously. With your knees bent and your
body well balanced, you can cut, sprint, react—all the moves you must con-
34
Footwork—the Foundation of Good Basketball 35
tinually make on the court—much faster than when your knees are locked,
when you’re bending at the waist, or when your movement is uncontrolled.
Think of the stance an animal takes when it’s alarmed or on the alert.
Immediately it coils into a crouching position, bracing to move and react
instantaneously to danger. On the court you want to be able to do the
same thing, whether to beat an opponent or to stop her.
Prove to yourself the value of the flexed-kneed stance the next time
you’re on the court. Toss a ball 15 feet away or so, and first make a cut from a
straight-legged position. Feel how long it takes you to react and hit full speed.
Then try it with your knees bent. You’re moving instantly because your legs
are set to go. Every moment is critical in basketball; each fraction of a second
you cut off the time it takes you to move or react increases your chances of
getting free for a pass, beating your opponent on a drive, stopping her from
getting past you when she has the ball, keeping her away from the boards.
Maintain the ready, flexed-kneed position at all times. Being poised to
move makes all the difference.
Avoiding the Circle Routes

Think for a moment about a softball player running around the bases. As
she approaches each bag, she tries to cut it as tightly as possible. Doing this
Figure 5-1 Avoid “great circle routes” on the court. A direct line (as shown)
is the shortest and fastest path to your destination.
reduces the distance she has to run. She knows that failing to make good,
tight turns will slow her down because she’ll wind up running in a looping
path that’s much less direct.
Smart basketball players try to do the same thing. Concentrate on
making your court moves economical. Make sharp cuts. Run in straight
lines. Avoid the great circle routes or “banana cuts” to your destination;
they’re wasted motion and make things easier for the defense because they
take you out of the play. The shortest distance between two points is a
straight line—that’s the route you want to take.
Stopping
Quick starts are important, but so are quick, controlled stops. Many
inexperienced players, after sprinting all out or shuffling quickly, become
off-balanced when they try to stop. Their body weight gets too far forward
or to the side, and those few out-of-control moments can take them right
out of the play. No matter how fast you run, it won’t do you a lot of good
on the court if you aren’t balanced when you stop.
Your aim is to be under control at all times, and learning the proper
ways to stop will help you achieve this. There are two basic stops used in
basketball: the jump stop and the stride, or two-step, stop.
The Jump Stop

In the jump stop you break your momentum by landing with both feet
simultaneously, almost as if you were jumping to your landing point. This
offers several important advantages. One, it allows you to use either foot as
a pivot (see Figure 5-2), thus increasing your freedom of movement. Two,
Figure 5-2 To execute the jump stop, plant both feet simultaneously,
keeping the knees flexed for good balance and readiness. The jump stop
allows you to use either foot as your pivot foot, and helps generate upward
momentum for your shot.
it breaks your forward momentum, leaving you well balanced with your
weight on the balls of your feet. And three, it gives you a good, steady base
for your shot. It’s particularly effective close to the basket and on the fast
break, since it allows you to stop and go up for a shot quickly.
To execute the jump stop properly, plant both feet at the same time,
pulling your weight back slightly and making sure to flex the knees as you
land. This helps cushion the impact and improve body control. The jump
stop doesn’t actually involve a jump; you’re off the ground a small distance,
but you’re not taking a flying leap before landing. It may take some practice
for you to feel comfortable jump stopping, but keep at it. It’s a great way to
stop quickly and in a way that leaves you ready for whatever comes next.
Remember to keep your knees bent when jump stopping. If you try it with
straight knees, more than likely you’ll keel right over. Also, keep your toes
pointed straight ahead. Pointing them inward or outward adds unneces-
sary stress on your knees. Plant your feet firmly, roughly shoulder-width
apart, with the knees flexed, and you’ll find you can stop your forward
momentum on a dime.
The Two-Step, or Stride, Stop

Most of us have used the two-step, or stride, stop (also called the 1-2 step
stop) from the time we began playing basketball. It involves simply put-
ting down one foot after the other, again bending the knees to keep your
momentum from carrying you off balance. The stride stop can be executed
from a higher rate of speed than the jump stop, so it’s good to use in the
open court or when you’re moving quickly on the perimeter. The disad-
vantage with this stop is that you can pivot only on the last foot to make
contact with the floor after you receive the ball or pick up the dribble. If
you use the other foot, it’s a traveling violation, and a turnover.
Work on both of these stops, so you’re able to apply the brakes quickly
and smoothly, under control and with no wasted motion. Remember,
Figure 5-3 On the stride stop, you put your feet down one after the other.
Here, too, keep your knees bent.
economy of movement is what you’re after on the court. Why take three
steps to stop when you can do it in one?
Pivoting
When you have the ball, the rules permit you to step in any direction
with one foot as long as the other, called the pivot foot, is held in the
same position. This freedom allows you to execute fakes, turn to face
the basket, pivot away from defensive pressure, use your body to pro-
tect the ball, or improve a passing angle to a teammate, among other
things.
Keep these simple guidelines in mind when pivoting:
• When you have the ball, you cannot change your pivot foot. Once
you’ve begun pivoting on one foot, it’s a violation to pick up that foot
and begin pivoting on the other.
• Use the ball of your foot when pivoting. This allows for maximum
range of movement, enabling you to move freely in whatever direc-
tion is necessary. Stay off your heel! Pivoting on your heel is a sure
way to get your legs all twisted up and to invite traveling violations,
because it makes it almost impossible to keep your foot stationary.
As always, be sure to maintain your bent-knee “ready” stance for
maximum balance and agility. Just pick up your heel, weight on the
ball of your foot, and you could pivot all day!
Forward Pivots and Reverse Pivots

It’s important to learn to pivot comfortably in both directions. These
moves are called the forward pivot (when your chest leads the way) and the
reverse pivot (when your rear end leads the way). You’ll use each of these
Figure 5-4 The chest leads the

way when making a forward
pivot (right). The rear end leads
when making a reverse pivot
(far right).
moves dozens of times in every game, with and without the ball. Pivots
are used to change direction, establish position, square up to the basket,
box out, and in lots of other ways. In every instance, whether executing
the forward or reverse pivot, you should pivot on the ball of your foot and
with your knees bent.
Change of Direction
We’ve talked about how basketball is a game of angles, not circles. On
offense and defense (and in transition from one to the other), you have to
change directions constantly, and how well you do this has a lot to do with
how well you play the game.
The key is to cut at a good, sharp angle. A lazy cut, one where you
don’t make a distinct change of direction, is not much better than no cut
at all. To change direction properly, follow these guidelines:
• Run, as always, with your knees flexed. Being in the ready position
shortens the time necessary to make the change.
• Plant your outside foot firmly to slow your momentum.
• Rotate your hips and shoulders in the direction you want to go, shift
your weight, push off with your planted foot, and pick up the pace
with an explosive start.
Say you want to make a sharp change of direction to the left to receive
a pass. Running with your knees well bent, plant your right foot, rotate
the hips quickly to the left, push off hard on the right foot and accelerate
to full speed. When you change direction this way, you can make turns
quickly and eliminate wasted motion.
When changing direction on the court, it is also important to change
speed. Think of your speed in a measurement from 1 (slowest) to 10 (fast-
est). When you change direction, go from (for example) a 6 to a 3 and then
to a 7. Changing direction and changing speed will enable you to move
more efficiently on the court!
Footwork Drills
Start and Stop
Measure a distance about the length of a court and mark it off into
thirds. Sprint the first third and execute a jump stop. Do the same at
the next two markings. On the way back, make stride stops. Rest and
repeat.
Diagonal Run
On a court or other wide, flat area of about the same length, sprint diago-
nally about 10 yards, make a sharp cut, then sprint another 10 yards and
change direction again. Execute one more sprint and change of direction.
Rest, and repeat on the way back.
Pivot Drill
Holding the ball and using your right foot as the pivot foot, pivot in dif-
ferent directions, making sure to lift your heel, your point of contact with
the floor being the ball of your foot. Make a forward pivot, then come back
with a reverse pivot. Change to the left foot as your pivot foot and repeat
the exercise, getting yourself accustomed to the freedom of movement a
simple pivot allows you. Knees flexed!
Run and Pivot

Measure a distance of about 10 yards. Sprint to the line, make a jump stop,
and execute a reverse pivot with your left foot as the pivot foot. Sprint back
Figure 5-5 Concentrate on making sharp stops and turns in the diagonal run. Push
hard off the foot opposite to where you want to go, rotating the hips and shoulders
and staying in a bent-knee position. After pivoting, explode with a hard first step.
and repeat the reverse pivot off the left foot. Start again, run to the line,
but this time make a forward pivot off the left foot at both stops. Rest,
and repeat the exercise with the right foot as your pivot, first making two
reverse pivots, then two forward pivots.
X-out Drill
The X-out drill, considered a defensive drill, can be done in the three-second
lane on the basketball court, or in your basement or driveway using about the
same space. Start at the elbow (where the free throw line intersects the side of
the lane line). Knees flexed and hands up and out, around waist level, execute
small steps (defensive “shuffle” style) in an X-shape by sliding down to the
baseline/lane line intersection. Stop and start back up in the same direction.
Halfway back, drop step or reverse pivot and slide down to the opposite base-
line/lane line intersection. Execute quick, short steps back all the way to the
opposite elbow. You should face the same way at all times. Do five of these
X’s or do the drill for 30 seconds, maintaining a good defensive posture. This
drill, executed properly, is great for footwork and conditioning.
Figure 5-6 X-out drill. Head should face the midcourt line at all times.
A Final Thought
Footwork is one of the most neglected phases of basketball instruction.
Many coaches and players are so intent on developing the ball skills—
shooting, passing, dribbling—that they fail to appreciate the importance
of footwork. But without proper footwork even the most polished ball
skills will be of limited value.
The feet are the foundation of the body, and footwork is the foundation
of basketball. It’s what allows you to put your other skills to their best use.
Pay attention to your footwork. Work on making sharp cuts, running in
straight lines and not circles. Make good, hard stops and quick changes of
direction. Learn to pivot smoothly and comfortably—off both feet and in
both directions. Change your speed. Strive to make your court movements
as efficient as possible.
Quickness and control are what you’re after in basketball, and that’s
why, above all, you have to remember to keep your knees flexed and your
weight evenly distributed on the balls of your feet. Nothing on the court
should be done standing up straight. Be ready and stay ready. If you do, you
won’t just be able to keep up with the pace . . . you may be setting it.
6
Your Best Shot
“You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take.”
—Joe Ledbetter, High School Coach
Every basketball game is won by the team that scores the most
points. Think shooting is important? You bet it is.
Shooting is the most glamorous part of basketball. No matter the play-
ing level, you’ll get the glory if you can put the ball in the hoop. It’s the
easiest skill to appreciate. A lot of fans may not notice whether you’re adept
at boxing out or making a bounce pass. But knock down five jumpers in a
row and you’ll have the place buzzing.
That’s why being a good shooter can take you a long way. I’ve seen play-
ers with glaring weaknesses in other facets of the game who guaranteed
themselves playing time simply because they were so good at scoring.
That’s not the type of player you want to be, because the best players are
those with all-around skills. But as a coach, I know shooting ability is
tough to overlook. In soccer they use the term “finisher” to describe a goal
scorer, because he or she is capable of finishing the play by putting the ball
behind the goalkeeper. The term applies to basketball as well. If you can
finish your team’s offensive sequence, you will be a valuable asset indeed.
A Born Shooter?
Often basketball people talk about a player as a “great natural shooter.”
While it’s true that some players have better hand-eye coordination and
seem to have a naturally soft touch, the description is not accurate. Every
43
great shooter I’ve known has achieved that skill by taking hundreds and
hundreds of shots every day. Practice may not make perfect, but it cer-
tainly pushes you in that direction. So don’t put too much stock in the
natural-shooter talk. If you want to be a good shooter, you have to practice
shooting, and that’s all there is to it.
Catching the Ball

You should catch the ball prior to the shot in a particular way to be more
efficient. The proper hand position, called “block and place,” enables the
shooter to catch and shoot quickly, with the hands already in good posi-
tion. The shooting hand should be spread open, fingers up, to block the
pass while the guide hand is placed on the side of the ball and is kept in
place until the release of the shot. This allows for a quick release and saves
you valuable time in getting the shot off.
Triple-Threat Position
You’ve received the ball from a teammate. The first thing you should do
is square up, positioning yourself so you’re facing the basket. Having done
that, you now need to establish triple-threat position: body low, knees
Figure 6-1 Triple threat

position. The player is
ready—and in good
position—to shoot, pass,
or dribble.
Your Best Shot 45
bent in ready position. Triple threat means you have the options of shoot-
ing, passing, or dribbling. With all these options, you give the defensive
player a lot to think about. How should she play you? Should she back
off and play you soft? If she does, you may get an uncontested shot, or be
able to make an easy pass to a teammate. Should she guard you closely in
a hard defensive closeout? Maybe, but then you may be able to drive right
around her and get an easy shot at the basket or a good passing angle to a
teammate. The defender has to be on the lookout for all three options, and
that makes her job much more difficult. Which is precisely what you want
when you’re on offense.
After receiving the pass and squaring up, one option is shooting, so you
look for an opportunity. Nobody is in better shooting position and you’re
not being closely guarded. You elect to put it up. Let’s look at how to give
yourself the best shot at scoring.
Always face the hoop and look at the rim when you square up.
Otherwise, the defender can just play drive or pass. Be a triple threat!
Balance
Good shooting begins with good body balance. Your weight should be
evenly distributed, on the balls of your feet. Don’t lean backward or for-
ward. Many young players, wanting to get something extra on the ball,
lean forward and wind up drifting in toward the basket as they shoot,
which creates two problems. One, it throws the shot off because of the for-
ward momentum, and two, it makes you prone to committing an offensive
foul by charging into a defender.
Your feet should be staggered (with the foot on the side of your shoot-
ing hand a few inches ahead of its mate) and roughly shoulder-width
apart. Feet should always be pointed to the basket. Also be sure to keep
your knees flexed. This is very important. Flexed knees improve your
balance and body control, and supply a great deal of the power and lift
required to get the ball up to the basket. Try shooting a 15-foot shot
stiff-legged, with no bend. It’s not easy, is it? If you don’t flex the knees
you’ll wind up shooting with only your arms, which will greatly reduce
your accuracy. “Arm” shooters tend to hoist the ball, lacking the neces-
sary soft touch.
Keeping Your Head Still

The position of your head is another key element to good balance. If it’s
moving around or off to the side when you’re trying to shoot, your body
will be off balance, and the shot, more than likely, will be off target. So
work on keeping your head straight up and still when you’re shooting.
Moving it is only wasted motion, and that’s something you want to
eliminate completely in shooting. Keep it simple. Don’t make any move,
whether it’s with your head, arms, or legs, that isn’t contributing posi-
tively to your shooting motion. Every extraneous movement is another
chance for something to get messed up.
Minding Your Elbow

If you don’t have a basketball at your side, now would be a good time to go
get one. Having a ball will help you get a feel for what I’m talking about as
we go along.
Elbow position is an important ingredient in good shooting. The
slightest wandering of the elbow leads to inconsistent shooting, no matter
what else you do right. Here’s where it should be:
• Directly under the ball, in line with the basket and before shooting,
bent in an L position, with the underarm parallel to the floor. Avoid
the “V” shape, which causes you to push the ball.
• I n a straight line with
your foot, knee, hip, and
shooting hand. Don’t let
your elbow drift out away
from your body, a com-
mon mistake that throws
the shot off. It’s the same
as when you’re throwing
a dart; if the elbow is out
to the right (for a right-
hander), the dart (or ball)
will go wide. If the elbow’s
aligned properly, it’ll go
straight.
Figure 6-2 Keep your elbow

directly under the ball when
shooting, making sure it’s lined
up with your foot, knee, and hip,
as the photograph shows. If you
let the elbow drift outward, your
shooting won’t be consistent.
Your Best Shot 47
Improving Your Ball Control

You need a soft touch to be a good shooter. You get it by controlling the
ball with the pads of your fingers. The palm is your arch enemy in shoot-
ing. If you let the ball sit in your palm, you lose the sensitivity needed
to shoot well. Look at Figure 6-2. Notice the sliver of space between the
shooter’s hand and the ball; that’s how you know you’re holding the ball
properly. If you don’t have that space, you’re going to have less “touch” and
you’re going to score fewer points.
Fingers should be slightly cupped, comfortably spread, holding the ball
firmly but not tensely. The shooting hand should be in the middle of the
ball. To check for the right hand placement, spread your shooting hand
fingers wide and, with your palm facing up, place the ball on your hand.
Turn your hand over, cock your wrist (you should see the “wrinkles”), and
place your guide hand on the side of the ball. Now your grip or hand place-
ment is correct (see Figure 6-3). Your off, or guide, hand (the one you’re not
shooting with) is directly on the side of the ball, making it easier to control
and shoot straight.
Figure 6-3 Hand placement. When preparing to shoot, your hand should be spread
comfortably on the ball.
Releasing the Ball

The elbow acts as a hinge when you shoot a basketball. You release the ball
by lifting or extending your elbow toward the goal, springing your forearm
forward, and snapping the wrist. Don’t push the ball; it’s hard to have any
kind of touch shooting that way.
As the ball leaves your hand, it should roll off your fingertips with a
smooth, even backspin. The backspin enables you to get “the roll,” soft-
ens your shot, and increases the chances of the ball going in—even when
it’s not perfect. If the spin is to the side, you know your hand placement
is wrong. Pay close attention to the alignment we discussed: The elbow
should be lined up with your foot, knee, and hip. And remember to main-
tain the elbow in that L position, which will ensure that you don’t release
the shot too low. Some beginning players feel more comfortable shooting
from below their chest, but avoid getting into this habit. It’s not good form,
and it makes your shot much easier to block.
Why Arc Is Important

You have greater margin for error when you shoot the ball high than when
you shoot it as a low line drive. That’s why you want to arch your shots so
they go well over the rim, whether you’re shooting for the backboard or
Figure 6-4 It’s basic physics: You have more of the basket exposed to the ball when
you shoot with a high arc.
Your Best Shot 49
straight for the basket. As the ball descends, it has more rim to land in. (In
fact, if you stood directly over the rim, you could fit two basketballs side
by side inside the hoop.) A high-arching shot is also much softer, so you’ll
increase the chances that your shot, if not perfect, will roll off the rim and
still drop through. Line-drive shots have to be nearly perfect to score.
Follow-Through
One of the most neglected aspects of shooting is the follow-through, and
that’s unfortunate, because a good finish to the shot is almost as important
as the shot itself. The follow-through is crucial to having a soft touch. If
you pull your hand downward after shooting, or if you pull it back almost
as if you’d touched a hot stove, the ball tends to hit the rim harder, mak-
ing it bounce away rather than drop. You lose a feel for the shot, as well
as the backspin that occurs naturally when the ball rolls off the fingertips.
Finish every shot.
For a good follow-through, keep your hands up after the shot, your
arms fully extended, and pretend you’re looping the index and middle fin-
gers of your shooting hand just over the front edge of the rim. Your wrist
should be loose and flexed forward for a nice fluid finish to your shot. In
this way your entire motion is flowing forward, as if it were guiding the
flight of the ball. A good follow-through also lets you check your shooting
technique. If the shooting hand is turned inward or outward, you know
you’ve released the ball with a twist—extra motion that you don’t want. In
practice, get in the habit of looking at your shooting hand after the shot
is finished. If you’re not shooting as well as you’d like, the position of the
hand may tell you why. Guide hand position is important too. Your guide
hand should finish precisely as it started—fingers up and thumb pointed
back above your forehead, hand relaxed.
Eyes on the Hoop

Keep your eyes on the basket at all times when shooting, from the moment
you’re preparing to shoot right to the end of your follow-through. Don’t
look at the flight of the ball and don’t watch the defender’s hand. These
are common mistakes, and big ones. There’s no way you can shoot well if
you’re not concentrating on your target. Where precisely to focus the eyes
depends on where you’re shooting for. On a bank shot, your eyes should
be riveted to the area of the board you want to hit. For straight-on shots,
my suggestion is to focus on a spot just past the front edge of the rim.
Concentrate on shooting the ball up and over that edge. That’ll give you
some leeway if your shot is long. Looking back, we’ve discussed Balance,
Elbow in (under the ball), Eyes on target, and Follow through. B-E-E-F is a
good way to remember these key points, and can help you correct mistakes
you make while practicing shooting.
Specific Shots
The shooting guidelines we’ve discussed apply to a variety of shots. Now
let’s look at the most common of them, and how to get the best possible
results.
The Lay-Up
The lay-up, a shot taken using the backboard in close to the basket, is the
most basic shot in basketball. It’s the first one you should master.
Let’s assume you’re right-handed. Stand to the right of the basket,
about two feet from the hoop. With your left foot planted, bring up your
right knee and shoot the ball off the backboard. The leg movement may
feel awkward at first, but keep at it. Using this footwork helps get the ball
up to the basket, allows you to release the ball at a higher point, and is
essential when taking a lay-up on the move because it allows you to shoot
with greater control. While shooting a lay-up your feet and shoulders
should be square to the backboard because that is where you are shooting
the ball. The opposite leg from the hand you are shooting with is planted
and the knee on the same side as your shooting hand is the one you are
lifting to give you motion to get off the floor.
Once you feel comfortable taking the shot from there, back up a
couple of feet. Next take one step with your inside foot (the one closest
to the rim) and then release the ball—right hand, right side of the basket
and left hand, left side. Then take one more step back and use a dribble
(with the hand on the outside—away from the defense). On the right
side of the basket, take one dribble with your right hand, plant your left
foot, bring up your right knee and shoot for the backboard, just as you
did before. Don’t worry too much about speed when you’re first learn-
ing to shoot a lay-up. Just work on keeping your body well balanced and
in control, planting your left foot, coordinating the knee and shooting
motions. (On the left side of the basket, it’s the right foot that’s planted
and the left leg that’s brought up.) Whether you’re left- or right-handed,
you must learn to shoot the lay-up with either hand, keeping the inside
foot, the one closest to the basket and the foot opposite the shooting
hand, planted.
A few other important things to keep in mind when shooting a
lay-up:
Your Best Shot 51
• Practice shooting the lay-up at a 45-degree angle to the basket.

That would be close to the second lane space, right around the
block. The block is the 8 x 12-foot area of the free throw lane, low
post area.
• Aim high on the board. Your lay-up should hit the backboard at
least a foot over the rim at the top corner of the square painted on
the backboard. This height will improve your chance of making the
shot.
• As you reach the lane, don’t get too far under the hoop before you
shoot. A common problem for beginners is taking an extra dribble
and getting almost directly beneath the basket—not a good shoot-
ing angle. Plant your opposite foot and go up for your lay-up when
you’re still a couple of feet out from the basket.
• Until you’re set to shoot, keep the ball just outside the hip that is
away from the basket. This protects the ball from defenders and
makes it easy to get the ball up into shooting position.
• As you jump, GRIP the ball tightly with both hands. The defense will
try to knock it away and the tighter your grip on the ball, the more
you can control it.
• Go up straight. The biggest flaw of all among inexperienced lay-up
shooters is attempting the shot with a flying forward leap, result-
ing in out-of-control shots, bad shooting percentages, and lots of
headaches for coaches. The lay-up isn’t a broad jump. Get into the
habit of driving hard to the basket, but then pulling up and going up
straight toward the basket; in other words, with upward momentum
and not too much forward momentum. You will land just beyond the
backboard if you go hard.
• Concentrate on the board. Pick out the spot on the backboard you
want to hit and keep your eyes fixed on it throughout the shooting
motion. Of course, you’ll be able to do this only if you’ve been work-
ing on dribbling with your head up.
• Keep your nonshooting hand on the ball until the moment you
release the shot. Taking it off too soon makes it difficult to control
the ball.
• Use the backboard on most close shots, no matter what angle you’re
taking them from. The only exception is when you’re shooting from
the baseline and there is no board to shoot for. Using the backboard
softens your shot and improves your percentage of shots made,
especially when you are shooting over or even through the defense.
The backboard is your friend.
As you get more proficient at the lay-up, work on getting high off the
ground with your push-off step, and in going up hard toward the basket.
Figure 6-5 Taking a left-handed lay-up. Plant your right foot, bring your left knee up
and jump straight toward the basket. Make sure the jump is vertical. Try to get as high
as you can, under control.
Get the footwork down first, and then build up your speed. Few lay-ups in
games will be uncontested; by taking yours with authority, you’ll discour-
age most defenders from stopping you, or if they try, increase the likeli-
hood you’ll be fouled. Go up for the lay-up with confidence. Jump high,
power your way toward the hoop, and think of it as a sure two points. And
if there’s contact, continue through with your shot in spite of it. The two
points might wind up being three if you’re fouled.
Having a good, strong lay-up is a must for every player. Every player
needs to be able to shoot with her right hand on the right side of the basket
and with her left hand on the left side. Defensive pressure will be com-
ing from the middle of the court most of the time. It’s a frequently taken
shot—one you’ve got to be able to make a high percentage of the time, with
either hand, in order to play successfully.
Your Best Shot 53
Power Lay-Ups
A power lay-up is used in a situation where there is less space from the
defense or when the offensive player feels either defensive pressure or a
lack of control. In these situations, a jump stop and a lay-up give the offen-
sive player a chance to “gather” herself before releasing the ball. Typically,
the shooter comes back down at the spot she left the floor, giving her a
great opportunity for the offensive rebound. The power lay-up is also a
great tool used to make the defense foul, especially when a ball fake is
used. The shoulders are square with the backboard, parallel to the baseline
when shooting a power lay-up. Either hand can be used to shoot. A lot of
players use their “strong” hand—the one they are most confident with.
The Jump Shot

The jump shot has made up for lost time. Though it didn’t become wide-
spread until the 1950s, it has emerged as the most popular and important
offensive weapon in basketball.
As the name suggests, a jump shot (or jumper, as it’s often called) is a
shot released after you jump—ideally, at the peak of your jump—making it
difficult to block. But don’t worry too much in the beginning about shoot-
ing at the top of your jump. I’ve worked with a number of young players
who’ve gotten the mechanics of their shot all twisted up by thinking too
much about the jumping and not enough about the shooting. A couple of
extra inches on your jump is not worth that. Master the shot first, then try
to coordinate the jump with it later.
As with every other shot, the legs are critical to your being a good jump
shooter. Why? Because jumpers often are taken from 15 or 20 feet out,
and you need the power of the legs to get the ball to the basket, as well as
up and over your defender. In close you can get by without much bend in
the knees by relying on upper-body strength, but shooting a jumper that
way will result in a push more than a shot. You can’t get either distance or
control by pushing the ball.
Important points to keep in mind regarding jump shooting include:
• Square your shoulders and your feet to the basket. The center of
your body should be perpendicular to the spot you’re shooting
for. By facing the basket, you improve your sight line and invite a
smooth, straight release on your shot.
• Use a one-step motion. A jump shot should be a smooth, flowing
shot in which all the movements are well-coordinated. As you
go up, the power from your flexed knees is smoothly transferred
to a smooth, effortless release. It’ll take a little time to get this
Figure 6-6 When taking a jump shot, strive for a smooth, flowing motion and consis-
tency of form. It should feel the same every time. Notice how the legs are bent and the
foot on the side of the shooting hand is slightly forward (left). Jump straight up and
release the ball on a soft, arching path to the basket (middle). Follow through (right) by
keeping your hands up as shown, as though you’re hooking the fingers of your shoot-
ing hand just up over the front edge of the rim.
flowing motion down, but it’s time well spent. A jerky shooting
motion disrupts your rhythm—and will do bad things to your
shooting percentage. Imagine a little tingle, which starts in your
toes and slowly goes up your legs to your upper body and then out
your extended arms and last exits through your fingers. Keep it
smooth!
• Go up straight. Don’t drift when you go up for a jumper. You should
land slightly ahead of the spot you left. Fading away will make it
difficult to reach the basket, and falling forward will usually make
the shot too strong. If you can’t reach the basket without jumping
forward, you’re shooting from too far out.
Your Best Shot 55
• Don’t forget the follow-through. We’ve talked about it already,

but it’s worth a reminder here, because the follow-through is
more important on a jumper than any other shot. It’s critical that
you keep your hands up so the shot lands softly and that all your
movement is flowing in the same upward and forward direction.
The Bank Shot

The backboard is often the shooter’s best friend. It gives you more mar-
gin for error on the shot than the rim does. Get in the habit of using it
when you’re in a backboard spot; as a rule, that means when you’re any-
where in close or when you’re at about a 45-degree angle to the basket.
Remember to concentrate on the spot you want to hit and to shoot the
ball with a nice, soft arch, giving you more rim to hit when the ball skips
off the board. The farther out you’re shooting, the higher on the board
you should aim.
Figure 6-7 When in the shaded areas, you should generally shoot for the
backboard instead of the rim.
The Free Throw

As both a player and a coach, I’ve been on the short end of games in which
the failure to make free throws, or foul shots, was the cause of defeat.
Few things in basketball are as frustrating as outplaying your opponent
and scoring more field goals, only to lose because you sank 5 of 14 from
the line and they went 16 for 20. Making free throws is often the decisive
factor in close games . . . especially down the stretch or when playoff time
rolls around.
Proper foul-shooting form is the same as with other shots. Stand with
your feet in a staggered position (for right-handers, the right foot slightly
ahead of the left), about shoulder-width apart. The knees, as always, are
flexed. The feet and shoulders should be square to the basket, with the foot
on the shooting-hand side lined up with the middle of the hoop. Here are
some other foul-shooting hints:
• Take a deep breath before shooting. This exhalation helps you relax,
and you’ve got to be relaxed when you’re taking any shot.
• Get comfortable. Bounce the ball, tug at your jersey, bend your
knees—do whatever makes you feel comfortable at the line. There’s
no need to rush; you have a full 10 seconds to get the ball off after the
official gives it to you. Try to develop a routine to go through every
time you take a free throw. The idea is to make the whole process as
familiar as possible, so the shooting motion will come naturally to
you, even in a pressured game situation.
• Use your legs! They make it much easier to get the ball to the hoop
with a smooth, flowing shooting motion—and without jumping,
which you want to avoid if you possibly can when free throw shoot-
ing; this is just unnecessary motion that complicates the shot. I know
this is difficult for many smaller and/or younger players, even with
the knees flexed, but not jumping will improve your consistency in
the long run. Rather than jumping, step in closer in practice situa-
tions, until your shooting range improves.
• Create some kind of pressure when practicing free throws. Have
a contest if you’re shooting with another player. If you’re practic-
ing alone, set different goals. Maybe one time you’ll keep shooting
until you make five in a row. Or perhaps you’ll stick with it until
you make 10 out of 15. Pretend each shot is a one and one, when
you have to make the first shot to get the second. Work on injecting
an element of pressure into your free throw practice sessions. It’ll
help a lot when it comes time to take them under the pressure of
games.
Your Best Shot 57
• Practice free throws when you’re tired, such as after running sprints
or at the end of practice. It’s not much use being completely well-
rested when practicing free throws because you’ll almost never be
shooting them under such conditions in a game.
• Your free throw shooting motion should be the same as your regular
shot. Just remember to take full advantage of the luxury of not hav-
ing a defender to contend with. Take your time, get set and make
yourself comfortable. It’s just you, the ball, and the basket.
What’s a Good Shot for You?

Often you’ll hear a coach criticize a player for poor shot selection. What
determines whether a shot is a good or bad choice? It depends on the
player and the circumstances under which the shot is taken. If you’re a six-
foot center and you rarely shoot more than a few feet from the basket and
you throw up a three-pointer, that’s not a good shot to take, regardless of
the results. (You will be forgiven if the shot clock or game clock is about
to expire.) The same shot for another player, however, may be just fine,
provided she is generally accurate from that range. Timing is critical, too.
If the other team has scored 15 straight points, the last thing you want to
do is come down fast and throw up a 15-footer right away, no matter how
good a shooter you are. Under such circumstances, your aim is to slow
down the game’s tempo, take the edge off their momentum and work the
ball around to force them to play defense.
As a player, it’s vital to know what shots you should and shouldn’t be tak-
ing. You hurt yourself and your team if you don’t—not just by hastily firing
up low-percentage shots, but also by not taking shots you should. I coached
a player once who practically never looked at the basket. She had little confi-
dence in scoring and was happy to leave the shooting to others. But what she
had to learn was that her unselfishness was hurting the team, because smart
defenses quickly realized they could just about ignore her altogether.
If you’re not sure about what shots you should be looking for, ask your
coach. She’ll let you know when and where she wants you to be looking
to shoot. To be a complete player, you must be willing and able to put the
ball up.
Hints for Better Shooting

• Be patient. Even the best shooters have a tough time making over 50
percent of their shots. Don’t get discouraged if you’re not pouring
in the points. Keep setting new goals, and strive for improvement
every day.
• Don’t waste practice time. Practice the shots you’ll most likely be
taking in a game. Shooting running one-handers from midcourt can
be fun, but it’s not going to do much to improve your shooting.
• Start close to the basket and work your way out. No sense trying to
run a marathon before you can run a mile, right? Begin practicing
your shooting technique in close. Shoot for touch first and worry
about range later. Get comfortable taking shots from all spots on the
court, then gradually work your way out, being conscious of main-
taining the same proper form.
• Strive for consistency of form. After you get the hang of proper shoot-
ing technique, every shot should begin to feel the same. The more you
practice, the more natural your shot will feel. Keep at it so you’re able
to feel when you’ve done something wrong—not followed through
properly, not used enough leg in the shot, let your elbow stray from
your body, whatever. The more tuned in you are to the right way, the
less chance there will be that you’ll lapse into the wrong way.
• Stay relaxed. Tension can destroy the soft touch needed to shoot
well. Your body, from feet to fingertips, should feel loose and fluid
throughout your shooting motion.
• Just about everybody has favorite and not-so-favorite shooting
spots. Keep track of the spots where you’re having trouble, and put
in extra practice time at them.
• Know your range, the distance from the basket from which you can
shoot successfully. You can determine this by starting in close with
form shooting (shooting for the swish and exaggerating the mechan-
ics). Once you swish three, take a big step back away from the bas-
ket and shoot again. Once you miss three in a row at any spot, that
defines how far out you shoot comfortably.
• Increase your range. Practice and using your legs more will help you
to increase your range, as will getting stronger by conditioning your
upper body or by maturation due to growth.
• Build your confidence. I can’t say I know why, but it sure seems to be
true that if you expect to get good results, you will. Believe in your-
self and your ability to make a shot. Go up with confidence. Think
positively. Tell yourself, “I’m going to put this ball in the hoop.”
Shooting Drills
On-Your-Back Drill
This is a good way to develop shooting form. After recruiting someone to
retrieve the ball, lie flat on the floor and hold the ball in shooting position:
Your Best Shot 59
Figure 6-8 On-your-back drill. Lying flat on your back with a spotter stand-
ing as shown, shoot the ball directly upward, being careful to maintain good
form. If you’re shooting properly, the ball will fall right back into your hands.
elbow in, ball on the pads of your fingers; guide hand on the side of the
ball, and the ball above your shoulder, aligned with your foot, knee, and
hip. Shoot the ball as you would at the basket, snapping your wrists and
rolling it off your fingertips so it will come back down to your hands. If
it does, then you’ve got the right shooting form. If it doesn’t, you’re doing
something wrong; go back to the basics and find out what’s off. Repeat the
exercise until the ball has come back to you 10 times.
Line Drill
Put a piece of tape on the floor between you and another player, who’s
about 10 feet away. With a regular, high-arching shooting motion, practice
“shooting” the ball back and forth to each other, trying to make the ball
land on the tape. Keep at it until each of you has hit the tape five times.
Like the prior drill, this will show you very clearly if you’re doing things
correctly. If the ball’s not hitting the line, your alignment is off somewhat.
If you are shooting by yourself, find a wall and play wall ball—work on
your form and finish by releasing the ball, your arms extended, about
10–12 feet high on the wall. Follow through.
Touch Drill
Stand in front of the basket, just out from the hoop. Concentrate on your
form and getting a good soft feel for the ball. Bend your knees, and as
you spring up to release the shot, finishing with a snap of your wrist,
extend your arm and follow through, keeping your hand up until the ball
drops through the net. (Got to think positively, remember?) Feel the ball
roll off your fingertips and check for the desired backspin. Take 10 shots
maintaining sound form. Try not to touch the rim with the ball on this
drill. Concentrate on making every shot perfect, getting the ball well up
and over the rim so it will fall cleanly through the iron. During this drill,
you can shoot with one hand. Release the guide hand before you shoot, or
just don’t place it on the ball to start with. Hold your follow-through until
the ball hits the floor. Once you have mastered form shooting with your
dominant hand, try your other one.
Intensity Lay-Up
The shooter (A) starts with the ball near the foul line as shown in Figure
6-9. Player A sends a crisp chest pass to Player B, fakes away from the
ball, then cuts sharply to the basket. Player B returns the pass at the
point shown, roughly six feet out. Player A goes in for a lay-up, dribbling
Figure 6-9 Intensity lay-up. Pass the ball to the wing, fake away, then cut
hard to the basket (next page, top). After your teammate makes a pass back
to you, go up strongly for the lay-up (next page, bottom), taking a dribble if
you’re too far away to go up without one.
Your Best Shot 61
if needed, depending on where she receives the ball. She gets her own
rebound, dribbles back to the foul line, and repeats the drill. Do as many
lay-ups as you can in 30 seconds, then repeat the drill on the other side of
the lane. Dribble and shoot with the right hand on the right side, left hand
on the left. If you have no partner, just toss the ball out to yourself, adding
a backspin so you can catch it and go, or just dribble out to the elbow or
three-point line and take the ball hard to the rim with no “pass.”
Inside the Lane

Set up a partner with the ball about 15 feet out on the wing. Start on the
far side of the lane, come hard toward the ball and have her throw a bounce
pass to you when you reach the middle of the lane. As you catch it, jump
stop and forward pivot on your inside foot, square your shoulders to the
basket by bringing your outside foot around and go up for the shot, straight
and strong. Follow your shot, return the ball to the partner, and repeat
until you’ve taken 10 shots. Switch roles, then repeat the drill on the other
side of the court. This drill hones three important skills—stopping quickly,
squaring to the basket, and getting a shot off after a quick movement. Add
a strong drive left and right for a lay-up or baby bank shot to vary your shot.
Shoot first off the pass and then off a hard dribble left and then right.
Around the World

Set up five spots along an imaginary semicircle, each about 12 feet from
the basket. Take 10 shots from each spot, and keep track of your record.
If another player is available, you can also play a two-person (or more)
version of Around the World. The spots remain the same, but the object
here is to be the first player to go “around the world” twice—that is, back
and forth over the five spots two times (nine spots in all). The rules are
simple. If you make a shot, you move to the next spot and keep moving
until you miss. After a miss, you have two choices: You can stay at that
spot and let the other player begin her turn, or you can “risk ” or “take a
chance” shot, meaning take another shot from the spot you missed from.
If you make it, you continue on to the next location. But if you miss, it’s all
the way back to the beginning when it’s your turn again. Finish Around
the World with a made three-point shot from out top. This game is a lot of
fun, and gives you some practice in shooting under pressure.
Cut and Stop

Similar to the Intensity Lay-Up Drill, except here the shooter pulls up for
a baby jump shot. Player A passes to B, then cuts sharply to the basket.
Your Best Shot 63
Player B feeds Player A with a pass, and A goes up for a jump shot from
about six feet from the hoop. Shoot for the rim, or if you’re at a 45-degree
angle, shoot a “baby banker” using the backboard.
Remember to jump stop and plant your feet solidly before going up for
your shot; that’s the whole secret to doing this drill right and learning to
shoot off a cut. Square your shoulders to the basket, or to the backboard if
you are shooting a bank shot, and go up straight. If you don’t go straight,
the ball won’t either.
Rapid Fire
You’ll need to recruit a rebounder for this drill, which is a good way to
work on getting your shot off quickly. Set up about 10 feet out with the
ball. Take a shot, get a pass from the rebounder, and go up again, shooting
as quickly as you can without sacrificing good form. Take 10 shots from a
spot, then switch, so you rebound and feed her. Continue switching until
each of you has taken ten shots from five different spots. It’s important to
step into the pass (meet the pass) and to catch the ball ready to shoot. Use
the “block and place” technique discussed earlier in Chapter 6.
2½ Minute Shooting Drill

Get someone to rebound and set up about 15 feet out. Use the same spot
up areas as in Around the World. Take as many shots as you can in 2½
minutes, shooting 10 shots from five different spots. Concentrate on
releasing the ball quickly while maintaining sound technique. Step into
the ball as the rebounder passes it to you so you’re prepared to shoot the
moment you get it. Keep track of the number of shots taken and the num-
ber of shots made. They’ll both increase the more you work on this drill.
Switch with the rebounder after your 2½ minutes are up.
Contest the Shooter

Player A starts in the corner. Player B starts under the hoop with the ball.
Player B passes to Player A, then runs at Player A to contest her shot (not
to block it). Player A follows her shot, rebounds and passes to Player B, who
spots up for her shot. Do this 10 times from five spots. Then repeat but use
a shot fake and one dribble before taking the jumper.
Be Creative
One great thing about shooting is that you can do it anytime and just
about anywhere. You don’t need a coach or teammate. All you need is the
ball and a rim. Another great thing about it is that you’re limited only by
your imagination.
There are only so many clever ways you can practice dribbling or
rebounding; not so with shooting practice. Make up games that’ll stimu-
late your interest; the more fun practice is, the more you’ll do it, and the
better shooter you’ll become. Here’s a brief sampler of possible games:
• Beat the Clock. Keep track of time—30 to 60 seconds is a good

range—and count how many baskets you make from one shooting
spot. Record the results, and move around to different spots.
• The Buzzer Game. Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . Pretend the
clock is winding down as you shoot, as though the outcome of the
game depended on your shot.
• Station to Station. Designate various shooting stations on the court,
and set goals to meet before you move on to the next spot. You might
set a flat number of baskets, say 10, as your goal, or you might make
it 10 of 20, and stay put until you hit that percentage. Or if you lean
toward perfectionism, make yourself hit five in a row before moving
along.
• Mix it up. Work on other areas of your game while working on
your shooting. Take a shot, rebound it, dribble back out, execute a
crossover dribble, then pull up and shoot again. Follow your shot,
and this time shoot after a jab step or change-of-pace dribble (we’ll
look at the best way to execute these moves in Chapter 8). Keep mix-
ing things up. Practice making all your moves going both ways and
taking shots after cutting in different directions. If you don’t have a
passer, convince your parents or save your allowance to buy a “toss-
back,” a net which will “pass” the ball back to you. You can also spin
the ball out in front of yourself, thus passing to yourself to mimic
receiving a pass.
Whether you make up your own games or follow the drills I’ve outlined
here, the bottom line when it comes to shooting is to get out there and do
it. It’s the only way to become a good shooter. You’ll get results if you fol-
low the fundamentals we’ve discussed, and the more you shoot, the faster
the results will come. Take as many shots as you can every day. Squeeze in
25 before gym class starts. Shoot a quick 50 when you’re on a break from
your schoolwork. Before long you’ll notice the ball is dropping a lot more
often, and, who knows, if you keep at it, maybe sometime soon that buzz-
ing from the crowd will be for you.
7
Passing—
the Heart
of the Game
“To be a great passer one must have great vision. You must be
able to see the whole floor and to anticipate when someone
is about to get open. The ability to see the whole floor can be
improved by becoming a better ballhandler. The more confi-
dent you are with your handle the more comfortable you will be
keeping your eyes on your teammates. A good passer is unselfish
and smart. The key is knowing when your teammates can be
most effective and to deliver the ball to them at exactly the right
moment.”
—Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Coach
When I’m playing or coaching defense, there are some teams I

like going against and others I don’t. My favorites are teams that come
down, make a pass or two, fire up a shot and call it a possession. From the
defender’s standpoint, what could be nicer? A few seconds of work and your
defensive duties are over.
Not so nice is when a team constantly keeps the ball in motion, passing
it around until they get the shot they want. You can never relax against an
offense like that, because you never know where the ball will go next.
Stripped to its basics, basketball really is a simple game. The better
the shots that you take (ones that are more open and closer to the basket),
the better your chances to win. But those shots don’t just materialize by
themselves. You have to go out and get them. And you do that by making
good passes.
65
Appreciating the Passing Game

Passing at its best is truly an art form. To watch a player like Sue Bird, who
passes as though she has two sets of eyes, is to see a master at work. She
makes herself an ever-present threat to the defense because she’s capable
of passing to any teammate on the court at any time. Learning the basics
of passing will make you much more of a threat, too. It’ll raise the level of
your game, and your team’s as well, because good passing is like enthusi-
asm—it’s contagious. Not only does this make your team harder to defend
against, but also it’s much more fun to play that way because everyone feels
like an integral part of the action.
Why is passing so important? Because it’s the fastest way to move
the ball around the court. It works the defense and creates scoring
opportunities. The defense can never rest against a good, crisp passing
game.
Dribbling simply can’t compare as a way to move the ball. Say you’ve
got the ball and you spot a teammate cutting to the basket. She’s open, but
that will last only for a moment before someone picks her up or you lose
your angle to get the ball to her. If you dribble toward her and then try to
pass, the opportunity will be long gone. Advantages in basketball—such
as having an open teammate in scoring position—only last for a fleeting
moment. Either you pass or the advantage does.
It Takes Two to Pass

Rule no. 1 of the passing game is that a pass is good only if it is caught.
Even if you’ve threaded a behind-the-back bullet right into a teammate’s
hands, if she’s caught off guard and fumbles it, the pass has done your team
no good at all. It’s as important to learn how to catch a pass as it is to learn
how to throw one.
Another key is gaining a sense of where and when you’re a likely target
for a passer. This depends on two factors—the position of the ball and the
position of the defender nearest you. You must be alert to both. Clearly,
if you’re only eight feet from a teammate and you’ve got a wide-open lane
to the basket, chances are good you’ll be getting the ball. But other times
it’s not so obvious. A teammate may see a passing opportunity that you
don’t. That’s why it’s important to know where the ball is at all times, and
to keep your hands up at waist level so you can catch a pass at split-second
notice. Not knowing where the ball is or not being ready to catch it is all it
takes for a perfectly good pass to bounce away from you. Another way to
let your teammate know you’re open is to call “ball” with your hands up
to give her a target.
Passing—the Heart of the Game 67
Meet the Pass

You’re about to receive a pass, but that doesn’t mean you should be pas-
sive. Don’t stand there waiting for the ball to come to you; chances are it
never will. You have to “come to the ball,” as we coaches like to say. By
slightly shortening the distance the ball has to travel, this small effort is
often the difference between a completed pass and an intercepted one. It’s
also a good way to draw a foul on your defender; if you meet the pass and
she tries to steal it, the chances are good that she may get a piece of you
instead of the ball. In the post position, often your feet will be stationary.
Here you must take your hands to the ball and not wait for the ball to come
to your body.
Receiving a Pass
What happens when you drop a ball onto a hard floor? It bounces. What
happens when you drop it onto a pillow? The impact is cushioned, and the
ball settles softly into place.
The same distinction holds when you’re catching a basketball. If your
arms and hands are rigid and tense, the ball will bounce away from you.
If you keep them loose and give with the pass, it’ll settle comfortably and
safely into place. Here are some pointers when you’re on the receiving end
of a pass:
• Give your teammate a good target. As the ball is passed, extend your
arms out from your body and hold your hands with the fingertips up.
Your thumbs should be pointing toward each other, with your fingers
spread comfortably so they’ll touch as much of the ball as possible.
• Bend your elbows and give with the ball as it arrives by bringing
your hands in toward your body. Pull the ball in close and keep your
elbows out so it’s well protected.
• Look the ball into your hands. Most missed passes are fumbled not
because of defensive pressure, but because the receiver takes her
eyes off the ball. Follow the ball right into your hands.
• Always catch the ball with two hands. The more “hand” you have on
the ball, the more you can control it.
• Do one thing at a time. Basketball is such a fast-paced game that it’s
easy to get caught up in the action and hurry too much. But haste
makes waste—and turnovers. You’ll fumble the pass if you try to
rush downcourt before having firm possession of the ball. Especially
in transition, catch the ball first! Then go.
• Get behind the pass. It’s not always possible, but, whenever you can,
position your body so it’s directly behind the ball. It’s like an infielder
Figure 7-1 (left) It’s important to be

ready to catch a pass. Keep your hands
up and thumbs together, with your fin-
gers spread so you have more of your
hand available to catch the ball.
Figure 7-2 Proper hand placement

for throwing a pass: Thumbs close
together, elbows in, fingers spread
comfortably over the ball.
in baseball. If you move so that you’re squarely in line with the ball,
you can still play it off your body even if you don’t field it cleanly with
your hands. Getting behind the pass gives you insurance against
losing possession. This is especially important in the post position
where you should square your shoulders to the passer.
Basic Types of Passes

Different situations call for different passes. Here’s a rundown on the most
common passes you’ll need to make.
The Chest Pass

This is the most common pass in basketball. While it’s not difficult to exe-
cute, it’s a pass many players get lazy with and execute sloppily as a result.
Begin with the ball at chest level, close to your body. Keep the elbows
in, relaxed. Your fingers should be spread, your thumbs pointing toward
each other, with the ball on the pads of your fingers. Step toward your
Figure 7-3 The chest pass. Step toward your target (left) and snap the ball
off quickly by extending your arms. Follow through with palms facing out
and thumbs pointing down (right).
target, thrust your arms outward, and release the ball with both hands
using a quick snap of the wrists. As you release it, shift your weight
from the back foot to the front and finish the chest pass with a good
follow-through: arms fully extended, thumbs pointing down and palms
facing out, as shown. This will give the ball extra zip, accuracy, and good
rotation.
Aim for the number on your teammate’s jersey. Thrown anyplace
else, a snappy chest pass can be difficult to handle. Work on making your
chest passes crisp, as they must be in a game. Lazy passes give the defense
more time to stay with the ball and greatly increase the chances of an
interception.
The Bounce Pass

The bounce pass is a valuable offensive weapon in several specific situa-
tions. It’s a must when you want to hit a cutting teammate on a fast break,
when a defender is standing up

and/or waving her arms over-
head, when you have to maneu-
ver the ball past a taller player
(who may have trouble getting
down to deflect it), and in tight
spots where a maze of arms and
bodies makes a chest pass too
risky (as is usually the case in the
post area close to the basket).
The bounce pass is similar
to the chest pass, except for
the direction of the ball and
follow-through. Start with the
ball near your body, about waist
high. Your hands should be up,
slightly cupped, with the fin-
Figure 7-4 Like the chest pass, the gers spread over the ball and
bounce pass begins with a step toward the thumbs close together. Step
the receiver. Aiming for a spot two- toward your target, knees flexed,
thirds of the distance to her, snap the and snap off the pass with an
ball off crisply and follow through by outward thrust of your wrists,
extending your arms toward the floor. following through by extending
Figure 7-5 Aim for a spot two-thirds of the way between you and your teammate
when making a bounce pass. Bouncing the ball too close to you results in a high pass
that’s easy to intercept; bouncing it too close to your teammate makes it too low for
her to handle easily. The bold line shows the correct distance.
your hands toward the floor. Aim for a spot on the floor two-thirds of
the way between you and your target. The ball should bounce up to your
target between the knees and the waist. If it comes up any higher (and
it will if you hit the floor halfway between the two of you), the pass will
be an easy steal or deflection for the defense. On the other hand, if you
bounce it too close to the target, it’ll reach her at about calf-level and be
tough to handle cleanly.
The Baseball Pass

When you want to hit a teammate far upcourt, use the baseball pass. It’s
not effective in heavy traffic because it takes more time to release than
other passes. But for throwing the ball long distances it’s definitely the
pass of choice.
Take the ball with both hands and pull it back over your throwing
shoulder. Place your throwing hand behind the ball, with the off hand
slightly lower and in front. Draw the ball back a little more, release your
guide hand from the ball and throw it as you would a baseball or softball
toward your target, making sure to follow through by bringing your arm
in front of you at shoulder level. It’s a good idea to put an arc on the ball so
it will carry farther and be easier to catch.
Figure 7-6 The baseball pass is the best way to advance the ball a long distance. Draw the
ball back behind your shoulder (left), then bring your arm forward and release the ball as you
would a softball or baseball (second from left, third from left). Follow through to add zip and
accuracy to the pass (right).
The Overhead Pass

The overhead pass is recommended when your opponent is short or in a
deep defensive stance, when you’re throwing an outlet pass to begin a fast
break, when you’re making a skip pass against a zone (a skip pass is a pass
thrown to a teammate two or more players away, thus “skipping” over the
player[s] in between), or when you want to get the ball to a taller teammate
inside. Hold the ball with two hands just above the top of your forehead
(keep the ball in your sight), with elbows bent, wrists cocked for extra
snap, and thumbs close together near the bottom of the ball. Be sure to
grasp the ball firmly, with fingers spread. Step forward, shift your weight
from back to front and release the ball with a snapping movement of your
elbows and wrists, following through with your arms extended—as with a
chest pass, only higher.
Figure 7-7 The overhead pass. Holding the ball with two hands, pull it
back over your forehead, step toward your receiver (left), and release the
pass with a forward snapping of the forearms and wrists (right). Be careful
not to bring the ball back so far that you lose sight of it. Use the overhead
pass when you are attempting a skip pass, an outlet pass, or trying to lob
the ball to the low post.
The degree of “snap” depends

on how you’re using the pass. To
lob it in to the post, you want to
use “touch,” to pass softly, arch-
ing it over the defense to your
teammate. When attempting a
sharper pass, such as to a team-
mate about 10 yards away, the
forward snap should continue
until your hands are almost par-
allel to the floor.
Step-Around Pass
When closely guarded in the
half-court set, you can pass to
a teammate by using your body
to “step around” the defense and
use a little hook pass, most prob-
ably bouncing it to your team-
mate (Figure 7-8). It is important
Figure 7-8 The step-around pass. Use-
to be able to make this pass with ful when being closely guarded, you
your left and with your right must be able to execute this pass with
hand! your right and with your left hand.
Pitch Pass
The “pitch” pass is a pass used in the open court to advance the ball to an
open teammate. The pass is a two-handed pass that comes from your chest
and is passed with a little arc to clear any defenders and hit your teammate as
she transitions up the court. The ball shouldn’t spend too much time in the
air—use the advantage of having open teammates ahead of you on the court.
Pitch passes can also be used in the half-court set when a player penetrates
and pitches to an open teammate who is spotting up on the perimeter.
Ball Fakes
The best way to get off a pass when either you or your intended receiver is
closely guarded is to use a ball fake.
A ball fake consists of a quick motion with the ball in which you “pre-
tend” you are making a pass. This fake either freezes your teammate’s
defensive player or invites her to go for the interception which allows you
to then pass to your wide open teammate.
When you are closely guarded, a ball fake enables you to get the pass
safely around your defender. Basically, the defense has four vulnerable
passing zones, regardless of how quick they are. The four zones, or lanes,
are above each shoulder by their ear, and by their right and left hip—by
their sides. By faking high with the ball, allowing the defense to react to
the fake, and then passing low with the bounce pass, you can pass safely
while closely guarded. Fake low; pass high . . . keep the defense guessing.
Helpful Hints for

Better Passing
Don’t telegraph your passes. That’s basketball jargon for letting the defense
know your intent by looking directly at your target the whole time you’re
preparing to pass. An alert defensive team will make you pay for every
telegraphed pass.
How can you avoid it? Lots of ways. The simplest is by looking away—at
another teammate, at the basket, anywhere other than directly at the per-
son you’re passing to. By looking away, you cause the defender to shift her
attention. Once the defender shifts, see your target and make the safe pass.
Faking, as we spoke of above, is also a good way to avoid telegraphing. It
keeps the defense constantly off balance because they can’t be sure where
you or the ball is going. You might fake a pass to one player, then quickly
pivot and pass to another. Or you might fake a bounce pass and then throw
an overhead, or just the opposite: pretend you’re going over the top with
it, then slip it past the stretched-out defender on a bounce. Faking is the
best way to counteract a gambling or overplaying defense—a team that’s
always trying for steals. They’re so intent on getting the ball that every
little deception puts them out of position, creating openings for attack.
Here are some other passing tips:
• Pass away from the defense. Direct your passes to the side of
your teammate away from the defender. Otherwise you risk an
interception.
• Pass crisply. Lazy passes usually don’t get there.
• Fingertip touch. Keep your palms off the ball whenever possible. The
ball should rest on the pads of the fingers to ensure accuracy.
• Be careful when attempting to pass cross-court. One of the most
dangerous passes to make is a pass where you and your teammate
are in a straight line. It’s dangerous trying to throw the ball so far and
with no angle, sometimes through defenders. Only when a teammate
is wide open, or when you have a clear opening for an overhead skip
pass, should you even think about passing cross-court. Otherwise,

use the dribble to create a passing angle, to keep the defense from
stealing or deflecting the pass.
• Always pass when a teammate is in a better position to score. It’s
called hitting the open player, and if you and your team can do it
consistently, you’re both going to be very successful. This is espe-
cially true in transition, during a fast break.
• Don’t make “automatic” passes. Size up the situation before mak-
ing your pass. It only takes a moment. Check the defense and the
positions of your teammates. Quickly scan the court for passing
opportunities. Who’s open? Can you safely get her the ball? Is any-
body cutting to the hoop? Whatever you do, don’t force the ball to a
teammate just because a planned play calls for the ball to go to her.
Starting a play over or going to your next option is a lot better than
causing a turnover.
• Acknowledge a good pass. If you get a good pass from a teammate,
tell her so. Get in the habit of praising the pass that leads to the bas-
ket—called an assist—as much as the basket itself. You couldn’t have
gotten the points without the pass. Encourage unselfish play at all
times. It’ll do wonders for your teamwork.
• Don’t dribble before every pass. Some players bounce the ball before
they do anything else. This accomplishes nothing. It slows the team’s
flow and ball movement, makes it easier for the defense to stop you,
and also may cause you to miss an open teammate. Don’t dribble
unless you’ve got a plan in mind. Rule of thumb: “your dribble must
take you somewhere.”
• Always pass from a “position of power.” Stay low and have a firm
base or foundation so that you are balanced and can take the pass
back (that is, not make the pass) if the defender steps in front of your
intended target. Otherwise, you set yourself up to commit a travel-
ing violation.
Passing Drills
Intensity Passing
Stand about three feet from a teammate and snap off chest passes back
and forth, concentrating on making them crisp and chest-high. Look the
ball into your hands when receiving. Make sure you catch the ball prop-
erly. Reel off 10 passes and catches from there, then move back a foot and
do 10 more. Finish with another set of 10 from about six feet apart. For
maximum benefit, do the sets as fast as you can without getting sloppy,
and exaggerate the form and follow-through to ensure that your move-
ments are correct.
This is a valuable drill on several counts. It works on your chest-pass-
ing technique, improves your hand-eye coordination, and builds strength
in your wrists and forearms. To exaggerate catching during the drill, keep
your hands out after releasing the ball on your follow-through. Follow
through, then give a target—hands up above your waist.
Defender in the Middle

Two offensive players stand about 10 feet apart, with a defender in the
middle. The passers then use whatever pass necessary to get the ball
past her. If she’s waving her arms trying to defend against an overhead
pass, bounce-pass the ball by her. If she’s low, go over the top. Whenever
you’re not sure you can pass safely, execute a fake, which will freeze the
defender or put her out of position to deflect it. The defender remains in
the middle until she touches a pass (she doesn’t have to gain possession),
and is replaced by whoever threw it.
Passing on the Move

You’ll need some space for this one—a driveway, park, or gym. Line up
opposite a teammate, about six feet apart. Using one ball, make crisp chest
passes back and forth as you run straight ahead for at least 30 yards. Hold
the follow-through until your pass is caught, and give your teammate a
good target, with your arms extended and hands up. Return to the start-
ing point in the same fashion, making sure you keep a constant distance
between you while you’re moving. Repeat the exercise using the bounce
pass. This drill is very good for improving your catching and passing while
on the run, skills that are essential to the game. During this drill, call the
name of the person you are passing to. Communication on the court is a
necessary part of the connection teammates need to have.
Two-Ball Drill
Position yourself about eight feet from a teammate, each of you with a ball.
One of you is designated the bounce passer, the other the chest passer.
Make your respective passes simultaneously, and make them fast, timing
them so they arrive at about the same time. Concentrate on getting them
in and out of your hands as quickly as possible. Make 15 passes each, then
switch roles—the bounce passer becomes the chest passer, and vice versa.
Complete each pass with a good follow-through, and be sure to watch the
ball you’re receiving all the way into your hands.
A Final Thought
Crisp passing is the heart of offensive basketball. Good passes lead to good
catches, which lead to good ball movement, which leads to good shots.
And that, as we’ve seen, can often lead to winning.
Concentrate on your passing game. Be smart with the ball. Catch it
cleanly. Spread your hands on the ball. The more “hand” you have on the
ball, the more control you have. Get rid of the ball quickly, and make your
pass as easy to catch as possible. Get in the habit of faking your passes so
the defense is kept off guard. Keep alert and see the floor, so you’ll spot
defensive weaknesses instantly and see how to improve your passing posi-
tion. Practice throwing all the passes we’ve discussed; you’ll need them
all at some point. The more passes you can execute effectively, the more
problems you’ll give the defense. They won’t know what to expect, which
is precisely the position you want to be in. Keep them moving and keep
them guessing. Make them work, and make it as hard as you can for them
to stop you. Do it with good, sharp passes, the best way to move the ball
on the court.
8
Dribbling under
Control
“Dribble not because you can, but because it’s necessary.”
—Michael McConnell, former basketball coach
Mastering the art of dribbling is vital to your development as

a basketball player. The reason is simple: If you have the ball and you want
to move from Point A to Point B, you have to dribble. It’s the only legal way
to do it. So if you’re not an adept dribbler and can’t keep the ball under con-
trol, you’re at a huge disadvantage. You’re bound to commit turnovers, have
the ball stolen from you and wind up spending a lot more time than you’d
like sitting next to your coach.
When—and When Not—to Dribble

Before getting into the specifics of how to dribble, let’s look at the dribble
as an offensive weapon, including when it should and should not be used.
Far too many players (and coaches, too) pay little attention to this aspect
of the game, and their performances suffer for it. Even if you’re a dribbling
expert, if you bounce the ball at the wrong times you’re hurting yourself
and your team.
The dribble should be used when you want to:
• Get away from a tight area, such as a corner of the court or anywhere
the defense is pressuring you, and you don’t have an open teammate
to pass to.
78
Dribbling under Control 79
• Advance the ball on a fast break, again provided there isn’t a team-
mate open farther upcourt.
• Take advantage of a sloughing defense by moving the ball closer to
the basket.
• Beat defensive pressure, particularly man-to-man pressure.
• Drive to the basket.
• Improve your passing angle to a teammate, or move closer to her so
you can make a shorter, and thus safer, pass.
• Play “keepaway” from your opponents when you want to maintain
possession and/or take time off the clock.
• Balance the court when too many players are on one side.
The dribble should not be used:
• The moment the ball comes into your hands, before you’ve sized up
the situation. Always get into triple-threat position first, square to
the basket. Then decide.
Figure 8-1 One good use of the dribble is to improve the passing angle to a
teammate.
• When you have an open teammate closer to the basket.

• On a fast break when a teammate is in the open ahead of you.
• Against a zone defense, if you’re not penetrating the zone, improving
a passing angle, or attempting to exploit a defensive weakness.
• Indiscriminately, at any time. If you don’t have a plan in mind when
you’re about to bounce the ball, don’t bounce it.
Keep Your Options Open

Let’s assume you’ve just gotten the ball in your offensive area. You move
into triple-threat position, so you’re ready to shoot, pass, or dribble. What
you don’t want is to become less of a threat by eliminating one of your
options. Suppose you’re in a game situation. You receive a pass 15 feet
from the hoop. Without a thought, the first thing you do is dribble once
or twice and then pick up the ball and hold it. Immediately the defensive
player is all over you, using her arms and making it difficult for you to
shoot or pass.
What has happened? You’ve wasted your dribble, and the defender,
not having to worry about your
driving around her now, applies
more pressure against the pass
and shot. This tendency to drib-
ble automatically the moment
you get the ball is probably the
most widespread bad habit in
basketball. Some players, par-
ticularly inexperienced ones, do
it out of nervousness. They get
the ball, they’re a little bit tight,
so they bounce it. It’s natural.
Others do it habitually before
they shoot, even though it often
gives a defender time to get close
enough to contest your shot.
Others do it because, well, they
got into the habit and never got
around to breaking it.
You’ll take a giant step toward
offensive improvement if you
work at not wasting your drib-
Figure 8-2 Giving up the dribble ble. Save the dribble for when it
reduces your options and allows the counts—and when it can really
defense to apply pressure. work to your advantage.
The Dangers of Overdribbling

Another important thing to keep in mind about dribbling is that it’s a
much slower way to move the ball than passing. I don’t care if you’re a
world-class sprinter, if you dribble to Point A and I pass to Point A, my
pass will get there a lot faster. Since so much of a team’s offensive suc-
cess hinges on quick ball movement, the moral here is: Whenever you
have a choice between dribbling and passing to advance the ball, always
pass.
Slowing down ball movement isn’t the only problem caused by too
much dribbling. It also tends to make the players who don’t have the ball
stand around. And once movement away from the ball stops, the offense
loses its flow and allows the defense to concern itself only with stopping
the player with the ball. I especially see problems with young players who
“back in,”—dribble on the perimeter with their backs to the basket. This
gains no advantage and stops any kind of continuity on offense.
Another hazard in overdribbling is simply that the more you dribble,
the better the chance the ball will be stolen or mishandled. Maintaining
control of the dribble isn’t easy, particularly when you’re being closely
guarded; using the dribble to excess eventually will get you into
trouble.
The key point to remember is that the dribble can be a terrific weapon
when used selectively, for a specific offensive purpose such as driving for a
lay-up, improving a passing angle, penetrating a zone defense, or moving
the ball into a more threatening offensive position. Think before you put
the ball to the wood. Soon you’ll be able to recognize almost instantly the
right and wrong times to dribble.
The Right Way to Dribble

How you dribble depends on the circumstances. There are two basic
kinds of dribbles—control and speed. Let’s take a look at the best way to
perform each.
The Control Dribble

The control dribble is used when you’re being closely guarded and you
want to keep the ball well-protected and under complete control. It’s the
dribble you’ll use most of the time. The first key here is having a good feel
for the ball, and that means handling it with the pads of your fingers. Keep
the ball away from your palm. Dribbling with your palm reduces your con-
trol and tends to make you slap at the ball.
Figure 8-3 The control dribble (left). Note how the knees are flexed for better balance
and to keep the dribble low. The head is up, and the off arm is used to protect the ball
from the defender. The speed dribble (right), used in the open court when you are not
closely guarded, can be higher with fewer touches.
Spread your fingers loosely over the ball, with your hand slightly
cupped. Feeling the ball on the finger pads, push it to the floor with a
flexing motion of the wrist. Your elbow is in, close to your body, and your
forearm is roughly parallel to the floor. Not much force is necessary to
sustain the dribble, so avoid slapping at the ball or pushing it too hard; it’ll
only make it harder to control.
Keep your legs flexed and your back straight, and dribble the ball no
higher than several inches above your knee to reduce the time the ball
is out of your hand. To shield the ball from the defense, hold the arm
you’re not dribbling with away from your body. (Be careful, however, not
to thrust your arm so far out that it appears you’re warding off defenders
with it. I’ve seen a lot of girls whistled for offensive or player control fouls
for this, whether there was real contact or not.) The ball never should be
out in front of you, unprotected, because that is just asking the defender
to steal it. Keep the ball on your right side when dribbling with your right
hand, and the left side when dribbling with your left. If you are dribbling
to the right always dribble with your right hand. If you are dribbling to
your left, use your left hand to dribble. This enables you to not “expose”
the ball to your defender.
Figure 8-4 Push the ball well out in front of you when speed dribbling, as
shown by the bottom set of arrows. For better ball protection, the control
dribble (top) is maintained close to the body and is directed almost straight
downward.
The Speed Dribble

When dribbling on a fast break or downcourt ahead of the field, you want
to go as fast as you can so the defense can’t catch up to you. Since you’re
in the clear, protecting the ball in such a situation isn’t so important.
Thus you have the luxury of dribbling the ball higher and pushing the
ball farther in front of you. For maximum speed, shift your hand back on
the ball so you’re able to dribble at an angle well out in front of you (as
opposed to the control dribble, where the ball moves almost straight up
and down), and let the ball come up to waist-level. After you push it out,
go get it and continue your dribble. There are fewer touches on the speed
dribble. Just don’t let the ball get so high, however, that it’s out of control.
Few things are as exasperating as blowing a wide-open lay-up because the
ball bounces away from you.
Keep Your Head Up

It’s very important to keep your head up when you’re dribbling. There’s a
lot happening on the court at any given time. Players, yours and theirs, are
constantly moving, and you must know where they are. You may be drib-
bling downcourt, for example, when a team-mate is open after making a
sharp cut past her defender. If your eyes are fixed on the ball, you won’t be
aware of the passing opportunity. Many passing options are there for only
an instant before the defense recovers, and that means you have to be able
to see the court at all times.
Like most bad habits, dribbling with your head down is most easily
stopped before it becomes too ingrained. Whenever you practice dribbling
or ball-handling, concentrate on keeping your head up as much as pos-
sible. The more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become with it, and
the less you’ll need to have your eyes glued to the ball in order to control
it. But be patient—this is a difficult aspect of the game to master. Strive
for improvement with each practice. Keep reminding yourself to keep your
head up. Work on developing a better feel for the ball. The first time you
thread a perfect backdoor pass to a cutting teammate, your satisfaction
will make all the practice worthwhile.
Going Both Ways

Talk to any good defensive player and she’ll tell you the hardest opponent
to guard is one who can beat you a lot of ways—driving, shooting, drib-
bling, passing; in short, a player who forces the defense to be wary of many
different things.
To be an effective dribbler, you must be able to beat your opponent
either way—with the right hand or the left. There are countless situations
where you’ll need your weak hand to drive to the basket or to get out of a
tight spot. If you can’t go that way without kicking the ball into the third
row, you’re really only half a player.
Suppose an offensive player has the ball near the left corner. The
defender clearly is giving her the baseline; that is, leaving enough room
to dribble toward the basket via the baseline. If the offensive player can’t
control the dribble with her left hand, she’s not going to be able to execute
this maneuver, and a great chance to score will have been missed. (And if
she tries to do it with her right hand, the ball probably will be stolen since
she would be leaving the ball unprotected by dribbling to the left with her
right hand.)
Being a one-way dribbler hurts you in another way as well. A smart
defender will detect that you’re “all right” or “all left,” and overplay you in that
direction, forcing you either to go with your weak hand or not to go at all.
Dribbling with your off hand will feel awkward at first. You’ll lose
control frequently; it happens to everyone, so don’t get too frustrated.
When you work at your dribbling, be sure to give at least equal time to
your weaker hand. I’ve seen players who are so uncomfortable dribbling
with their off hand that every chance they get—when the coach looks the
other way—they cheat and use their strong hand. It’s a cliche, but it’s true:
They’re only cheating themselves.
Don’t cheat yourself. Keep practicing with your weak hand until you’re
comfortable with it. As you get older and move from level to level, it gets
harder to play the game or make the team if dribbling is not mastered with
both hands.
Don’t Pick It Up
A common mistake made by younger players is to pick up or end the
dribble before they know what to do with the ball. Just like putting the
ball on the floor with no plan, picking up the dribble before you know
what to do with the ball will limit your options and slow down any type of
team offense your coach has implemented. This mistake especially occurs
as a young or inexperienced point guard brings the ball over half-court.
As she ends her dribble, the guard often gets stuck because the defense
can “swarm” and the half-court offense can never get started. Have a plan
before you pick it up!
Moves Off the Dribble

Once you’re controlling the ball fairly well, it’s time to begin working on
several control dribble moves with the ball that will enable you to shake
the toughest defender, giving you room to drive or pass or get free for a
shot. Each of these moves must be mastered with both hands, and each
involves a change in direction and/or a change in speed. Let’s take a look.
Change of Pace
In baseball you’ll often see a clever pitcher completely fool a batter
by changing the speed of his pitches. Expecting one pitch and getting
another, the batter is caught off guard and swings early or late, missing
badly. In a similar way, you can fool a defender by changing the speed of
your dribble.
Say you’re dribbling hard to the basket with your right hand. The
defender is staying with you well. How can you shake her? Try a change-
of-pace dribble, also called a hesitation or stutter step dribble. Slow
down abruptly and pull your head and shoulders back ever so slightly,
as though you’ve decided to give up on the drive. As the defender begins
to relax—and she almost certainly will once you’ve stopped your hard
drive—push off hard on either your left or right foot, depending on which
direction or which hand, push the ball out and take off again at high
speed. She won’t have time to adjust, and you’ll explode right past her.
This is a very basic move—all you’re doing is going from high gear to low
gear and back to high gear—but it works remarkably well. Just make sure
your change of pace is abrupt and distinct. Going only moderately fast to
Figure 8-5 The change-of-pace dribble is a good way to catch a defender

off guard. As you approach her (top), slow down and pull back your head
and shoulders a little— just enough to make her think you are pulling up. As
she relaxes and stands up, explode past her with a big step (bottom).
moderately slow isn’t going to fool anyone. When you begin your move,
the defender must think you’re dribbling all out. Then when you slow up,
she’ll momentarily relax and you’ll leave her behind when you explode
into full speed. On a scale of 1 to 10, change your speed from a 7, back to
a 4, and then explode into an 8 or 9! During this move, the ball stays in
the hand it starts in. The dribble is a control dribble, then a speed dribble
during the accelerated step.
Crossover
The crossover dribble is the fastest way to change directions when you’re
dribbling, and the best and fastest way to lose your opponent. As you
approach the defender (or when the defender forces you to change direc-
tion), shift your dribbling hand (in this case, let’s say it’s your right) from
the top slightly to the outside of the ball—just a matter of a few inches
toward the right. Pushing hard off your right foot, quickly bounce the ball
diagonally in front of you, passing it over to your left hand. Make sure
the crossover dribble is low, below knee level, since it’s unprotected as
you’re switching hands. Quickly shift your weight to the left and change
your direction, keeping your shoulder low for extra protection, and cross
your right foot over just in front of the defender as you control the ball
with your left hand. Remember, always dribble away from the defender to
protect the ball and use the same hand to dribble with as the direction
you’re headed.
A few things to keep in mind: The change in direction must be made
sharply. Make the crossover with one hard, low dribble, and shift your
weight quickly. Keep your knees flexed as you cut, and accelerate quickly
after the crossover has been executed. Basketball is a game of cuts and
Figure 8-6 A crossover dribble is a good way to change direction and shake a defender. To
crossover from your right hand (left) to your left, plant your right foot, make a low, hard drib-
ble right in front of your body to your left hand (center), and explode past her (right).
angles as we’ve discussed, and the sharper and more precise you make
yours, the more success you will have eluding your defender.
Mastering the crossover will allow you to get out of just about any tight
spot and get by almost any defender. Not long ago I watched a high school
point guard leave behind a trail of defenders all game long. She had only
one move—the crossover dribble—but she had it down so well it was all
she needed.
Spin Dribble
This move should be used when the crossover cannot be, because a
defender is too close to risk crossing the ball over in front of her. Other
moves to use in this situation are the between-the-legs dribble and the
behind-the-back dribble. These two moves, unlike the spin, keep you fac-
ing the basket and don’t allow the defense to trap as easily. The spin is very
effective one on one in the open court. During the reverse or spin dribble,
as you dribble (right-handed) facing the defender, plant your left leg and
reverse pivot, bringing your right leg around behind you, following the
lead of your right shoulder. Still dribbling with the right hand, pull the
ball back toward your right hip, being careful not to carry it. Quickly shift
the ball to your left hand and explode past the defender with the left-hand
dribble. Be sure to come hard at the defender before beginning the spin,
and make the pivot as sharp as possible. This allows you to “cut off her
legs” and get past her before she can react. Spin at a tight angle. If you go
too wide, the defense has time to recover.
Work on technique first when practicing the spin dribble, and worry
about speed later. Once you’ve got it down you’ll be able to execute the spin
with one dribble, but at the start it’s okay to take two or three dribbles.
Don’t forget to work on spinning using either hand; you want to have as
many options as possible to beat your defender.
Dribbling Drills
Sit-up Dribble Drill
Lie down on the floor with the ball in your right hand beside your right hip.
Dribble low, control dribbles. Sit up and continue to dribble, taking the ball
with your right hand around your feet (you may have to pull your legs in a
little) to the left side and continue dribbling, with the ball now in your left
hand to your left hip. Lie down again, keeping the dribble alive. Sit up and
continue the dribble with your left hand down to your feet. Switch the ball
to your right hand and dribble back to the right hip. Repeat 10 times.
Two-Ball Dribble Drill

Use two balls, one in your left hand and one in your right. Dribble them
both at the same height at the same time. Then dribble the two balls at
alternating times, again at the same height. Try to establish a rhythm.
Dribble two balls while kneeling on one knee and while lying down (see
above drill). The better you can handle, the more you will play!
Crossover
Dribble downcourt and make four distinct crossovers, making sure to
change directions sharply with a hard and low crossover dribble. Do the
same on the way back, then repeat.
Hesitation
Make three change-of-pace dribbles as you move the length of the court.
Pay attention to form and concentrate on making the changes clear-cut.
Remember, the ball stays in the hand it starts in and you are changing your
speed—fast to slow to fast! Dribble down with the right hand and back
with the left hand.
Spin Drill
Perform three spin dribbles, following the form we discussed. Repeat the
drill starting with your opposite hand. Start slow and build up speed as
you improve.
Full-Court Speed Dribble

Dribble the length of the court as fast as you can, pushing the ball far in
front of you, allowing it to come up about waist-high and then moving fast
to go get it. Dribble with your right hand when going down the court and
with the left hand when returning. Repeat four times, and go in for a power
lay-up after your final run.
Circle Drill
Each player (you can play with any number you like, but the more who
play, the bigger the area must be) has a ball in a circle or other defined
area. The object is to keep control of your own dribble (protecting the ball
with your off arm and by dribbling to the side of your body with the knees
flexed) while trying to flick away the ball of the other players. If you deflect
another player’s ball she is eliminated. Continue the drill until one player
remains, then begin again.
A Parting Thought on
the Dribble
Players tend to dribble too much at almost every level of basketball.
As we’ve noted, this slows down the offensive flow and often results in
other players standing around waiting for the dribbling exhibition to be
concluded.
Use the dribble selectively. Resist the temptation to bounce the ball the
moment you get it. Remember this golden rule of basketball: Look before
you dribble.
Check all your options. Do you have a teammate closer to the hoop
to whom you can pass? What cuts are being made? What might open up
in a moment or two? Are you in good shooting position? Is there room to
drive? Are you being guarded by a player you can beat with the dribble? Is
she overplaying you in any direction?
Don’t pick up the dribble until you have a plan. Keep the dribble alive
until you see that teammate on the wing who’s open after a V-cut or that
post, who is open because she has the defender on her back.
Work on your court awareness so you develop a sense of when and
where to use the dribble most effectively. And when you do use it, make
sure your eyes are on the court, not the ball. That way you’ll be able to
react quickly when a scoring or passing opportunity knocks, or when
there’s a momentary defensive lapse. All good dribblers are heads-up play-
ers—literally and figuratively.
9
Developing
Individual
Offensive Skills
“Establishing a firm foundation in individual offensive skills is
a must to achieve great success! The basics should be practiced
and repeated until they become second nature. An offensive
player’s execution of sound fundamentals will help them take
their game to the next level. If you are a serious student of the
game, take to heart what you will read and strive to perfect the
basic skills! ‘Greatness is not in doing extraordinary things, but
in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.’”
—Kay Yow, North Carolina State
Your goal as an offensive player is to be as much of a threat as

possible to the defense. Everything you do offensively, with and without the
ball, should be geared toward this end. You want either to be in a position to
score yourself or to make a pass or set a screen that will allow a teammate
to score. In this chapter we’ll look at some basic ways to make you more
difficult to defend against, and thus a more effective offensive player.
Being in Position to Score

The first guideline in making yourself an offensive threat is always to try
to receive the ball in scoring position when your team has the ball in its
half court set. What “scoring position” is depends on the player; if you’re
a center, scoring position is usually closer to the basket unless, like Lisa
91
Leslie, you are a threat from three point range; if you’re a guard, it could
well be 20 feet out. The idea is to set up or get open in a place that’s within
your shooting range, a spot from which you are a threat to score.
This isn’t always possible, of course. A teammate might get trapped or
be in trouble and you’ll have to move 25 feet out to catch a pass from her.
In such a situation helping her out naturally takes precedence over getting
the ball in scoring position. Nevertheless, you should always be aware of
where you are on the court and how you might receive the ball in a scor-
ing position.
Getting Open
No good defensive team is going to let you simply station yourself in a
position where you are a real threat to score. Their goal is to keep you
and your teammates in a non-threatening position—to take away open
space. That means you’re going to need to work to get open in the areas
on the floor where you want the ball. Let’s look at a few of the best ways
to go about it.
The Arm Bar

When being closely guarded and trying to gain space in order to receive
a pass there are several techniques you can use to free yourself to receive
the ball. The arm bar—placing your forearm on the defender (above her
waist and most likely around her chest or shoulder area)—and then timing
your movement to step to the ball as your teammate passes it away from
the defense is my favorite one. In this situation, you can’t extend your arm
and displace your defender by pushing off. You just take or hold that space
long enough to allow the pass to come toward you. You can also use a step
through move where you use your foot (the one away from the passer) to
“step through” the defender to free space so you can catch the ball safely
with the defender now on your back—almost in a box out or post up
position. Again this gives you time and space to receive the pass. A third
technique would be a “post up” move where you would step closer to the
defense and then reverse pivot to keep the defender on your back and away
from the passing lane. Used a lot in close to the basket, this move can also
help to free you from your defender on the perimeter.
The V-Cut
Suppose the ball is at the point as shown in Figure 9-1. You’re on the left
wing and your defender is denying you the ball. One good way to get open
is to execute a V-cut. Fake a step out toward the perimeter, holding out
Developing Individual Offensive Skills 93
Figure 9-1 The V-cut is a good way of faking an opponent and getting open
for a pass. It is very important to get open at the wing position because most
offensive patterns start with an “entry” pass to the wing.
your hands as a passing target with your shoulders and body open to the
passer. As the defender edges out to continue denying you the ball, make
a quick change of direction, pushing hard off your right foot, and cut in
toward the basket. Hold your hand out as you cut to give a target to the
passer. Make sure you’re ready to catch the ball.
If you’re open, the point guard will pass you the ball, and you will have
made a successful backdoor cut, meaning you’ve cut in back of or behind a
defender to get free. But let’s say she is a very good defender and has man-
aged to stay with you. You’re still not open for the pass, so you plant your
left, or baseline, foot, push off hard and pop back out on the wing at a good
angle to receive the ball in a scoring position. Keep your hands up so you’re
ready to catch the pass.
That’s a V-cut, so called because your two cuts—one in, one back
out—resemble the shape of the letter V. V-cuts may be used anywhere on
the court. They’re very effective for getting free when executed properly
with good, abrupt changes of direction and changes in speed.
Figure 9-2 The V-cut is an

effective way to get your-
self free to receive a pass.
In the first photo (top left)
the defender is denying her
opponent the ball. To get
free, the offensive player
executes a V-cut, cutting in
sharply toward the basket
(top right), then pivoting and
popping back out (bottom).
Note how her cut has given
her room to catch a pass,
and she has her hands out
to give the passer a target.
V-cuts are especially important for players on the wings, who often are
denied the ball by the defense. And it’s essential for the wings to get open,
since most offensive patterns will be started with a pass to them.
L-Cuts
Another useful way to shake free of a defender is to “square off.” This
involves moving in a straight line, then stopping, pushing off with your
feet, and making a 90-degree turn. Look at Figure 9-3. As you can see,
Figure 9-3 Make sure you make good, hard turns when “squaring off” or executing
the L-cut. Use these moves to get free of a defender anywhere on the court.
square-off cuts, sometimes called L-cuts, can be made starting outside

and cutting in toward the free throw lane or starting inside the lane and
cutting out toward the perimeter. You can turn left or right, depending on
where you are, where the ball is, and where you want to receive the ball.
As with the V-cut, the success of this move depends entirely on how
well you execute the change of direction and the change in speed. A lazy,
curving turn isn’t going to fake anybody out. Concentrate on making your
cut hard and sharp, and explode out of the turn to create extra distance
from the defense. Give a target and be ready to receive the ball as you
cut—hands up!
Squaring Up
As soon as you receive the ball, pivot so you’re directly facing the basket, a
move known as squaring up. Why is it so important to square up? Because
once you’re square to the basket, you’re in good triple-threat position—
ready to shoot, pass, or dribble. You’re not a scoring threat if you’re standing
sideways to the basket. Nor are you in very good passing position, because
you can’t see all your passing options. So in effect, failing to square up takes
away two of your options—and makes the defender’s job much easier.
As you square up, move into triple-threat position: knees flexed, weight
evenly distributed on the balls of your feet, shooting foot slightly forward,
and the ball well protected, tucked in near the hip of your shooting hand.
Positioned in this way, you’re able to exercise any of your three options,
and the defense must respect all three.
Figure 9-4 Before shooting, square your shoulders and feet so you’re
directly facing the basket. If your body isn’t squared up, you are not in a
triple threat position—ready to pass, shoot, or dribble.
In order to square up when you receive the ball you can do either of
two things, depending on your coach’s philosophy or upon your individual
preference. You can execute what some coaches refer to as the “permanent
pivot,” which means you use one foot, left foot for right-handed players and
right foot for left-handed players, to pivot and square up with. In this case,
a right-handed player would reverse pivot on the right side of the court and
forward pivot on the left. A left- handed player using her right foot as her
permanent pivot would do the opposite—forward pivot on the right side
and reverse pivot on the left. The goal here is to see as much of the court
as possible. Try not to turn your back to the hoop!
The other way to square up is to use the inside foot, the foot closest to
the baseline. On the right side, this would be your right foot, and on the
left side of the perimeter, it would be your left.
Once you receive the ball and square up, avoid making the mistake of
standing with the ball above your head. Keep the ball down low, tucked in
if heavily guarded, so that you are ready to pass, shoot, or dribble.
Look Before You Move

It’s important to size up the offensive situation before deciding which
option to employ. After assuming triple-threat position, check where the
defense is, and make sure you know exactly where you are on the court.
Both factors have a big bearing on what you may want to do. For example,
say you’ve squared up and you see that the defense is out of position and
there’s a wide-open lane to the basket. By all means, take it. Whenever you
see room to penetrate toward the basket, go for it. The closer you get to the
hoop, the better your chances for making the shot or your team’s chances
for scoring a basket.
Perhaps there is no glaring opening, but you notice you’re just a few
feet from the baseline and the defender is leaving you just enough room
to drive that way. Again, take it. Anytime the baseline is open to you,
don’t pass it up. It gives you a big advantage for several reasons: one, your
defender is effectively out of the play once you’ve beaten her that way,
because it’s difficult for her to recover before you get to the basket; two,
unless the other defenders react very quickly, you’ll have a lane to drive all
the way to the basket; and three, because you’ve penetrated the defense,
even if someone does move over to stop you, you’re probably going to have
one or two teammates open underneath. The point to remember is that
you have to be alert to exploit advantages such as these.
Now let’s look at some moves you can make with the ball that’ll help
you shake the toughest defender.
One-on-One Offensive Moves

These moves are ways to gain the upper hand on your defender. Once
you’ve gotten the ball and moved into triple-threat position, your aim is
to find or create an advantage, then exploit it. If you’re going up against a
poor defender, you might not need any move at all. Maybe she’s laying way
off you, playing you “soft,” and you’ll have all the room you need for an
uncontested jump shot or the pass that enables your teammate to score.
Or maybe she is playing you too close, too “hard,” and you have a great
opportunity to drive past her. Whenever you see such opportunities, by all
means take them. But when there is not an obvious advantage, you’re going
to need ways to fake your defender into poor position, freeing you to shoot,
pass, or dribble. That’s what these moves are designed to do.
The Jab Step

Let’s say you’re right-handed. Establish your left foot as your pivot foot,
with your shooting foot slightly in front. (For left-handers, the right foot is
Figure 9-5 The jab step. With a short, quick jab step with her right foot, the offen-
sive player gives herself room for a shot (right). Notice how the defender responds to
the fake.
the pivot foot and the left foot leads.) This staggered stance is important
because it puts you in a ready position to shoot. To execute a jab step,
do exactly as the name suggests: take a short, quick jab directly at the
defender with your right foot, almost as if you were trying to kick a dime
up off the floor. It’s important that the jab be short; just move your foot
slightly forward. That way, if the defender backs off you, you can go right
up for the jumper without bringing your foot back, which gives the defense
time to recover. Keep the knees flexed and make the jab convincing—you
want the defender to think you’re driving hard to the basket.
What happens? How does the defender react? You’ve got to use your
court sense, because what she does will determine what you do next. Let’s
say (and this will usually be the case) she drops back a few steps when you
make your jab because she thinks you’re driving to the basket. That’s good
for you. Her retreating leaves you room to go up for a jump shot. But what
if she doesn’t react and holds her ground?
The Rocker Fake

If she doesn’t budge, that should tell you one thing: you can beat her with
a drive. After all, you’ve already faked a drive with your jab step, and she
didn’t react. So now you’re going to take advantage and make the drive for
real. After the jab step, give a quick fake with your head and shoulders,
Figure 9-6 If the defender doesn’t back off when you jab step, try the rocker fake.
After making the jab step (left), give a quick rock backward with your head and shoul-
ders, then explode past her with a big first step (right).
pulling them upwards and back slightly to make the defender think you’re
going up for a shot; or that you’ve decided to stop the drive. This will cause
her to tighten up on you or to go up to defend against your shot. After
she reacts, take a big, quick first step with your right leg (again, assuming
you’re a right-handed player). Go right toward her legs and drive hard past
her. It’s important to “cut off her legs” in this fashion, because if you make
your drive wide of her she may have time to recover.
This simple fake works very effectively to freeze the defender so you
can drive. The key is giving a good head-and-shoulders fake the moment
you see she hasn’t gone for the jab step, and then exploding past her with
that big, quick step. Just be sure to allow the defense time to react to the
fake before driving. If you begin driving the instant you finish the head-
and-shoulders fake, the defender will not even have had time to be fooled.
Pause a moment and let the fake do its work—then explode.
When executing the head and shoulder fake, keep your base (lower
body) low. Stay “crouched,” and be ready to move.
The Crossover
Sometimes you go against a defender who is overplaying you to the strong
side—the side you have the ball on. When this occurs, the drive off the
rocker fake won’t be available, since the defender is lined up in your path.
Figure 9-7 This sequence shows the crossover move, which is valuable when the
defense is overplaying you on one side. The offensive player makes her jab step (left),
then crosses over quickly in front of the defender with a big step with her right foot,
planting it right next to the defender (right). Staying low, she bursts past the defender
with a left-hand dribble.
An effective move against an overplaying defender is the crossover (not

to be confused with the crossover dribble, though they accomplish the
same thing—a quick change of direction). This is often called the “swing-
through” or “rip-through” move.
Using our same example, let’s say you have the ball in triple-threat
position, and your left foot is the pivot foot. You see she’s overplaying you
to the right, so it’ll be very hard to beat her that way. You try a jab step and
she doesn’t react. It’s time for the crossover. Quickly pick up your right leg
and take a big step directly next to her inside (in this case, right) foot and
cross the ball over from your right side to your left to protect it and keep
it away from the defense. With a strong step, explode past her with a left-
hand dribble, keeping your shoulders down to help edge past her. As with
the rocker fake, cut close to her so she won’t have a chance to catch up to
you. Once you’ve cut off her legs and planted the first key step at her feet,
you know you’ve got her. She either has to foul you or let you go. Just make
sure you begin your dribble before you pick up your pivot foot to avoid a
traveling violation.
Practice these moves until you can execute them quickly and sharply.
Work on them against teammates in practice so you can develop a feel for
the different defensive reactions to expect. Remember to make the fakes
good and convincing, and to pause just long enough for the defender to be
out of position before trying to beat her. When you’re driving, cut right at
the defender so you can explode past her in a direct path to the hoop. Once
your shoulders are even with hers, you have the advantage.
A Final Word
The moves we’ve looked at in this chapter are designed to make you more
of an offensive threat by two basic means: one, receiving the ball in scoring
position; and two, beating the defender so you can get a high-percentage
shot or a good passing angle to a teammate. The V-cut and the square-off
are simple cuts enabling you to get free to receive the ball within your
shooting range. And the one-on-one moves pick up from there, giving you
ways to fake the defender out of position so you can shoot or drive to the
basket, or at the very least have more room to pass once you have received
the ball and are facing the basket.
Don’t allow the defense to rest. Make them play you. Always try to get
the ball in scoring position, and once you’ve got it, remember to square up
to the basket so you’re ready to shoot, pass, or dribble. Look for any and
every opportunity when you get the ball. Is there room to shoot? To drive?
Is the defender out of position? If no opportunities are readily available,
go to your offensive moves. Try the jab step and go from there, depend-
ing on how she plays it. If she retreats, go up for a jumper. If she holds her
ground, give a good rocker fake and explode past her. If she’s overplaying
you, execute the crossover. Once you master these moves, remember to
practice at game speed and to put yourself in game-like conditions or these
concepts will not help you to be your best!
The more ways you have to beat your defender, the better will be your
chances of scoring. Learning the moves we’ve looked at in this chapter will
give you more opportunities to put the ball in the basket.
10
Working
Together—
Team Offense
“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”
—Jim Valvano, former North Carolina State
Men’s Basketball Coach
Individual skills are a vital part of the game. Dribbling, shooting,

passing—all of them must be mastered if you want to be a complete
player.
But that doesn’t mean that these skills alone will make you a good
basketball player. They won’t, because basketball is the ultimate team
game. One of the greatest things about the game is that the team with
the best players will not always win; the players who mold their talents
into the best team will. The 1983 Men’s NCAA championship game is an
excellent case in point. North Carolina State defeated Houston, a team
with an awesome collection of talent. Few people gave “the Wolfpack” a
chance (I did, since I was rooting with my heart for my alma mater), but
they won because they played great team basketball. The moral is that to
be a good player, you have to be able to play the game as a part of a team.
Let’s find out how.
Playing the Percentages

Your goal as a team is to score on every possession, and that means getting
the best shot you can every time you move up the court. You don’t want to
take a 30-footer if a teammate can take a better shot, and you don’t want
102
Working Together—Team Offense 103
to shoot from 15 feet if someone’s free for a lay-up. What can you do as a
team player to help your team get the highest-percentage shot?
Hitting the Open Player

If a teammate is open and in better shooting position, always pass her the
ball. This is the most basic rule of team basketball, which isn’t to say it’s
easy to do. You’re bound to be keyed up when you have the ball in a game.
You may be under heavy defensive pressure. You may find it difficult to
survey the court for passing opportunities. But you’ve got to try. Slow
yourself down a beat if you feel yourself racing. Take a good look around.
The more you do it, the easier it gets.
Don’t panic when you get the ball; acting hastily usually yields bad
results. With a little composure, you’ll be able to see where things might
open up. Is the shot there? Is a teammate moving toward an open spot?
Can you safely pass her the ball? Is your best three point shooter spotting
up from behind the three-point line? Is there a defensive weak link you
can exploit? Is there a mismatch inside (a tall player on your team being
guarded by a much shorter opponent)? Can you beat your defender with the
dribble? These are the kinds of things you must try to be aware of. You’ll
find that your court sense will grow rapidly as you gain more experience.
Maintaining Court Balance

A common mistake among young players is getting bunched up so that
two or more teammates are close together on the floor. This interrupts the
offensive flow and enables one defender to guard several of your players.
Keep the offense spread out at all times. Try to maintain 12 to 15
feet of space between you and your teammates. Force the opponents to
defend the entire offensive area. If you see that one area is crowded, cut to
another spot. You’ll attract defensive attention, and the result could be a
scoring opportunity for a teammate, or at the very least, better offensive
movement.
Keeping the Ball Moving

When the ball sits, the defense rests. And that’s the last thing you want
the defense to do. When you get the ball, do something with it. Drive hard
for the hoop. Make crisp passes. Force the defense to work to keep up.
Not every pass or move will lead directly to a basket, but keeping the ball
moving will gradually wear the defense down and increase your chances of
getting a better shot. Sometimes four or five simple passes from player to
player are all it takes to create that good shot you’re looking for.
Knowing Your Capabilities

It’s important, for your performance as well as the team’s, to know your
strengths and weaknesses. If you’re not a good dribbler, it’s unwise to
challenge the defense that way. Know which shots are “your” shots and
which aren’t. You can hurt your team just as much by not taking a shot
you should as by taking one you shouldn’t. If you have doubts about where
and when to shoot, ask your coaches. They will tell you—and be glad you
asked. It’s a smart question.
Moving Without the Ball

Just as the ball is easier to guard when it’s stationary, so are you. It’s amaz-
ing how some otherwise good players will play as though they’re no longer
part of the offense after they’ve gotten rid of the ball. Basketball’s a great
game to watch, but not when you’re on the court. Stay in the flow of things.
Do something to keep the defense occupied. Cut to the basket. Clear out
an area so a teammate has more room to move. Set a screen to free a team-
mate. Crash the offensive boards. If a teammate is double-teamed or in
trouble, go to the ball and give her a passing outlet so she can safely pass
to you.
You’re only one of five players, meaning that roughly 80 percent of the
time you will be playing without the ball. It’s up to you to help the team by
using that time constructively. Keep your head up, keep the ball in sight,
and above all, keep moving.
Two-Person Plays to Master

Though basketball is a five-person game, some of the most effective offen-
sive plays are worked with just two people. They’re easy to learn and highly
effective. Good team players recognize situations where the plays can be
used and execute the plays crisply.
Play two on two and three on three games whenever possible so you
can practice these concepts. Then it will be easier for you to execute them
in the team setting or in the offensive set your coach has set up.
Give and Go
This is one of the most fundamental plays in basketball. The play can be
worked anywhere on the court, with any two players. It couldn’t be sim-
pler: you pass (or give) the ball to a teammate, make a fake away from the
basket (as if you’re no longer involved in the play), then quickly “go” to the
Figure 10-1 The give-and-go: After passing to teammate O2, O1 fakes away,
then cuts hard for the hoop and gets the return pass. Make sure you’re ready
to receive the pass as you cut.
basket with a sharp cut—ready to receive a return pass. What happens—

and the reason it works so well—is that defenders tend to relax when their
player gives up the ball. And that inattentive moment is all you need to
explode past them.
Timing and making a convincing fake are critical here. It’s your job as
the cutter to set up the defense so you can get free for the return pass. If
you fake and cut immediately upon passing the ball, the move may look
automatic and not fool the defender. Give her a moment to relax once
you’ve given up the ball. Pause a beat or two, make a sharp fake away, then
change directions and go to the basket with an explosive burst.
Make sure you look for the ball as you cut, and give the passer a target
by keeping your hands up above your waist. You’ll probably be open for
only a second, and you must be ready to catch the ball. Again here, the
emphasis is on changing direction and changing speed—two critical com-
ponents of playing the game well.
Back Door
This is the move to use if the defense is really overplaying the perimeter
passing lanes. Look at the photos in Figure 10-2. Notice how the defender
is trying to cut off the perimeter pass by edging into the passing lane
between passer and receiver. But see what she’s done by doing this? She has
left herself vulnerable to a backdoor cut (a cut made behind the defender
toward the hoop).
To make a good backdoor move, take a step toward the outside pass-
ing lane as shown (this will draw the defender out with you), then change
direction and cut right behind her for the hoop. Keep your head and hands
up as you cut, so you’re set to catch the pass—usually a crisp bounce pass.
The back door is a great move to try anytime the defense is pressuring you
on the perimeter to deny you the ball. If she’s that close to you, it means it’s
going to be easy to cut behind her into the open. Few defensive players will
be able to keep up with you, particularly if you disguise your intentions by
setting them up with that step to the outside.
Figure 10-2 If a defender is denying you the ball, try going backdoor on
her—that is, cutting behind her back toward the basket. Note how the
defender is overplaying the passing lane. The offensive player takes a couple
of quick steps away from the basket to draw her opponent out. (Sequence
continues on next page)
She then changes direction and cuts hard for the hoop, giving the passer a tar-
get as she goes (top). Her backdoor cut has freed her to receive a pass close to
the basket.
Setting Screens
A well-set screen makes things tough on the defense. It’s hard enough to
stop a player from scoring without having to fight through a block, which
is all a screen is.
To set a screen (or “pick”), plant your body perpendicular to the
defender (so her shoulder is lined up with the center of your body) and at
least a foot away from her. Your feet should be wider than your shoulders
to take up as much space as possible, and the knees should be flexed to
absorb the impact and maintain good balance after contact. Keep your
arms in, both for protection (when you’re bumped by the defender) and to
avoid blocking the defender with your arms, which is a foul.
The idea in screening is to free a teammate for a shot, drive, or pass.
For it to work, the teammate must do two things: one, she must occupy the
defender and set her up for the screen by taking her away (as if she’s going
in a different direction); and two, she must make a good, sharp cut off the
pick to get her defender off stride (“rub her off”). If the teammate runs
wide of the pick, the defender will slip through without losing a step.
You can screen anywhere on the court and anytime a teammate needs
more playing room. You can do it by moving toward the ball or away from
the ball. Screening on the ball is simply moving toward your teammate
who has the ball and setting the screen so she can “cut” off you using her
dribble. Screening away is when you move away from the ball and set your
screen for another player so that she will then be free to get a pass. That
is an effective place to screen, because many defenders relax when they’re
playing off the ball, making them easy to block so your teammate can cut
into the open space. Screening away also helps maintain good court bal-
ance by keeping players spread out, as well as improving the offensive flow,
since more players are moving and involved in the play. Communicate
when setting screens. Use verbal and/or nonverbal cues. For example, “Use
me” (verbal) or closed fist above your head (nonverbal).
Figure 10-3 For best results

when setting a screen, posi-
tion yourself perpendicular
to the defender, keeping
the knees bent and the legs
slightly more than shoulder-
width apart.
Figure 10-4 Screen-

ing away from the ball.
Note the wide stance
that makes it harder
for the defender to get
through, and how her
knees are bent for bet-
ter balance (left). After
setting the screen,
she rolls open to the
passer and toward the
basket, giving a pass-
ing target and looking
for the ball (right).
Figure 10-5 This diagram shows screening away from the ball. O1 passes to
O2, then moves away to set a screen for O3. After setting up her defender,
O3 comes off the screen and receives a pass from O2.
Looking for the Roll

Whenever you screen, always be alert for an opportunity to “roll” to the
basket. Say a teammate is at the elbow (the corner of the free throw line
and the side of the key), trying to get open for a pass. You move up and set
a screen for her. She takes her defender away, setting her up for the screen,
then cuts sharply off you. As she comes by, her defender gets bumped into
you. That’s when you should “open to the ball” and roll toward the basket,
almost as if the cutter had tossed a rope to you and was pulling you open
like a gate. Often you’ll be more open than the cutter because of the way
the defensive assignments get messed up by the screen.
When rolling, be sure to have your hands up to give the passer a target,
and try to use your body to keep your defender behind you. As long as you
maintain this position, you’re in good position to receive a pass.
Remember in setting a pick that you should align the defender’s shoulder
with the middle of your stance; this maximizes your ability to screen her. You
Figure 10-6 Rolling off a screen: O1 passes to O2, then screens away for
O3, who cuts hard to the basket. Just after O3 uses the screen, O1 rolls open
toward the ball, giving a target and looking for a pass from O2.
won’t be able to screen her if you’re right alongside her. Also remember, when
you’re the one using the screen, to cut off the pick as closely as possible, hip
to hip. Cutting wide is wasted motion that makes the play easier to defend
against. It’s the cutter’s job to occupy the defender, taking her away from the
screen so it will work more effectively. Thus, if a teammate is screening for
you to your left, fake a move to the right to take your defender away, then
change direction, explode to the left, and run your defender into the screen.
If you’re ever in doubt about what to do when you don’t have the ball,
set a screen for a teammate. You can’t go wrong with it. It’s difficult to
defend against, and leads to two good passing options: to the cutter or to
you, as you roll toward the basket. Remember to talk—communication is
important to team play.
Pick and Pop

Another two-player option to use is the “pick and pop.” The pick and roll
that we just looked at is a great option where the offense is looking for the
2
3
1
© Infobase Publishing
Figure 10-7 Pick and pop option. The offensive player who sets the screen
then pops to the perimeter, finding space to spot up and receive a pass for an
outside shot at the basket.
teammate coming off the screen first, and second, for the screener who
rolls to the basket, finding space. Against a defensive team, which “sags” or
brings its defenders in close to the lane, a pick and pop option is a good one
to use. Especially effective when the person setting the screen is a good
perimeter shooter, the pick and pop allows the person setting the screen
to “pop”—move out into open space on the perimeter to spot up—for a
two-point look or for a three-point shot attempt. This option can be used
when screens are set either on the ball or off the ball.
The Fast Break

Few aspects of basketball are as dependent on good teamwork as the fast
break. To make the break work, a team needs good rebounding, passing,
timing, and quickness. It’s a demanding style of play, but its rewards are
tremendous. A fast-breaking style can put points on the board and demor-
alize your opponents faster than anything. I’ve watched games where three
or four quick baskets off the break have changed the entire flow of the
action.
How the Break Works

The idea behind the fast break is simple: beat your opponent downcourt.
If you do that, you can run a play before they set up their defense. Ideally,
on a primary break you have a 3-on-2 or 2-on-1 player advantage, and that
means you should get a very-high-percentage shot at the basket.
First Things First

You can’t run without the ball. If you don’t have a good rebounding team,
forget about fast breaking. The whole style of play is predicated on hav-
ing one or two players who dominate the boards and allow other players
to make the quick break. (You also can start a break after a steal or any
change of possession, but since rebounding is the most common way of
gaining possession, that’s the one indispensable ingredient to being able
to run the break consistently.)
Once your team has the rebound, the next key is the outlet pass—the
pass the rebounder makes to a player who is waiting in the flat (the area
from the free throw line, extended, to the baseline). Throwing a good
outlet pass is critical to the break. It must be made quickly so you can
get the jump on the opponent right away. To make a quick release of the
outlet pass, the rebounder should pivot away from the basket and throw
an overhead pass, snapping the ball as sharply as she can to her teammate,
who is moving to an open spot and giving a target away from the defense.
Figure 10-8 A diagram of a well-run fast break. O5 gets the rebound and
makes an outlet pass to O1, who passes to O2 cutting down the middle. O2
dribbles to the free throw line while O1 and O3 hustle downcourt to fill the
outside lanes and O4 and O5 act as trailers or the first post down dives ball
side and the trailing post sets up at the “junction” (the three point line just
out from the weak side elbow).
Bringing the ball down and throwing a chest pass wastes precious seconds
and increases the risk of having the defense steal or deflect the ball. It is
important for the rebounder to pass to the “outside” areas, away from the
middle where the defense usually is—an ill-advised pass to the middle part
of the court can quickly turn into a lay-up for the opposition.
Hitting High Gear

Okay, the break is initiated by the outlet pass off the rebound, or off
the steal. Here are some important things to keep in mind to run it
properly:
• Turn, square, and look up court. That’s where you’re going (as
quickly and safely as possible). If a teammate is open ahead of you,
pass her the ball.
• Always be ready to pass first, dribble second. We’ve seen that passing
is the fastest way to advance the ball, and speed is of the essence on
the break. The slightest hesitation may be all the defense needs to
catch up to you and take away your advantage.
• After the outlet pass, get the ball to the center of the court. The
defense has to work harder when you move the ball to the middle.
This gives you more attacking room, since you can pass either left or
right, and makes the defense cover more of the court.
• Fill the lanes. There are three “lanes” available—left, middle, and
right. The player in the middle needs someone to pass to, so spread
out and fill the left and right lanes flanking the middle. Get out on
the break quickly, sprinting from foul line to foul line to make sure
the player with the ball has a good passing angle to you.
• Stay wide, then cut for the basket. When you’re running an outside
lane, be sure to stay well away from the middle. “Ride the rails,” run-
ning only a foot or so from the sideline boundary. If you edge in too
close, one defender can guard both you and your teammate in the
middle. Maintain this wide position until you reach the top of the
key, then cut diagonally for the basket. Do this by planting the out-
side foot and pushing off, changing directions and going toward the
hoop at a 45-degree angle. This makes you a prime passing target for
a power lay-up or an easy 45’er—a short jumper off the board (also
called a baby banker).
• Communicate! When players are moving at high speed, it’s more
important than ever that they know where their teammates are. If
you’re trailing behind the play, yell, “Trailer.” If you’re open on the
right, yell, “Right.” Let your teammates know about every advantage
you see.
• Force the defense to react. As she gets to the foul line, the player
with the ball in the middle must make the defense commit itself. If
nobody picks her up, she should drive all the way to the basket. If
someone does guard her, she should pull up quickly with a jump stop
and look to hit one of the cutters with a bounce pass.
• Deciding whether to drive or pass is a split-second judgment the
middle player has to make. If she’s free, she goes to the hoop. If
she’s pressured, she stops, because it means one of the wings must
be open. After making the pass, the middle player should cut to the
elbow on the side of the lane she has just passed to. This puts her in
position for a pass if the wing is unable to get off a shot. If she gets
the ball back, she has the option of taking a jumper, reversing the
court and passing to the wing on the other side, or pulling the ball
back out and setting up the regular offense. Avoid “wandering” in
the lane. Leave that available space for the wings to penetrate or for
the post players to fill.
• Have a trailer. Hustle downcourt even if you’re not in the first wave
of fast-breakers. Often the defense will stop the initial break, but by
following the play as a trailer, you can receive a pass and get a look
at the basket, reverse the ball, or grab an offensive rebound and help
your team reassert its advantage. The trailer often is open at the
elbow, or as she cuts down the lane.
When a fast break is run properly and you have a clear advantage over
the defense, you should get one of four potential shots off the break: a
power lay-up, a 45’er, or a jumper from either the elbow or baseline (after
reversing the ball from one wing to the other). If none of these is read-
ily available, it’s much better to bring the ball out and set up the regular
offense, rather than forcing the issue. Some coaches use a “secondary”
option before pulling the ball back out to set the half court offense. This
option, used when the offensive advantage is no longer available, enables a
team to use a quick hitter—sometimes effective because the defense is still
in transition and not matched up properly.
It’s primarily the responsibility of the middle player—usually the point
or the 2 guard—to recognize when to keep breaking and when to slow
things up.
The fast break takes a lot of practice to work smoothly. Running it
properly requires good passing (an overhead to the outlet, a bounce pass to
a cutting wing); sharp cuts by the wings; and a quick reading of the court
situation by the middle player. Her teammates must know where the ball
is, remember to present a good passing target, and be able to catch the ball
on the move.
Because it’s a high-speed offense, the fast break can be risky and
increases the chance of a turnover. Only good ball-handling teams
should consider fast-breaking; otherwise the up-tempo style will do you
more harm than good. Teams should always play to their strengths. For
instance, if your team has a front line of tall, strong inside players, it would
be foolish to fast-break all the time. Only break when the opportunity
presents itself. Teach your front line players to run, though, so that your
team has more options, and because it is a style of basketball that is fun
to play. Sometimes, however, it is better to slow the pace down and play a
setup offense so you can take full advantage of your inside game.
A Final Word
Team basketball is all about playing to your strengths and taking advan-
tage of your opponent’s weaknesses. If your team is fast and you also have
a good rebounder or two, use the fast break. If you’re big and strong but
slower, take your time and work it inside. Learn to think in team terms
about what you can contribute to make the team play better. If your center
has a big height advantage over her opponent, keep feeding the ball inside
until the opponents show they can stop her. If someone on your team has
hit four in a row, try to give her the ball: You might as well go with the
hot hand. Always go with the percentages. Look to get the best shot you
can. Take whatever the defense gives you. Keep the ball moving. Make the
other team work.
Whatever you do, keep active all the time. Concentrate on always doing
something constructive for your team—with and without the ball. Look
for give-and-go’s. Set picks away from the ball. Cut for the basket. Crash
the offensive boards. Keep the ball moving. Look for cutting teammates,
and keep your head up so you’re alert to defensive weaknesses. Is the
defense spread out, and thus clear for a pass to the middle? Is it vulnerable
on the baseline? Is it conceding the jump shot?
Your goal—putting the ball in the basket—is simple enough. But to
accomplish it consistently, you need five players working together. By
playing alertly and unselfishly, you make yourself and your teammates
more threatening offensive players. A good team is much better than the
sum of its parts—and a lot harder to stop than a collection of talented
individuals.
11
Playing
Tough Defense
“Offense sells tickets, defense wins games.”
—Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee
There’s a great thing about defense: You get back exactly what
you put into it. If you work at it, defense will never take a night off.
You’ll often hear coaches say, “Defense, not offense, keeps you in games.”
Why? Because even Carol Blazejowski, one of the finest shooters in women’s
basketball, at Montclair State College in New Jersey and now president and
general manager of the New York Liberty, had games when the ball just
wouldn’t fall. And when your shots aren’t falling, it’s either play tough defense
or get beat. Nobody ever said you had to score a lot to win—you just need more
points than the opposition. That’s why the best offense is a good defense.
Alertness is a key ingredient to good defense. The slightest lapse in
concentration can lead to two points for the opposition. The offensive
player knows what she’s going to attempt to do and where she’s going to
go. Will she drive? Pull up for a shot? Make a cut? Pass to a teammate? You
don’t know, so stopping her depends on anticipating what she might do. It
also depends on quick reactions, good footwork, proper positioning, and
plain old hard work.
Playing Aggressive Defense

Too often defense is taught as a purely “reactive” part of the game. That
is, you react to what the offense does in order to stop them. Good defense
117
involves quick reactions, sure; but it also involves quick and aggressive
actions—moves that force the offense to react, instead of the other way
around. By turning the tables in this way, you can cause turnovers, disrupt
the offensive flow and force the offense to take low-percentage shots.
Don’t play a passive defense of purely reaction. Take the initiative. Be
aggressive. Denying the ball to your opponent, making her change her
course, sealing off the baseline, overplaying her so she must use her weak
hand to dribble—these are just some of the aggressive actions you can
take on defense that will force the offense to react. Aggressive defense will
shake their confidence, make them play tentatively and shift their focus
from what they want to do to what you might do.
There are two basic types of defensive situations: on the ball and off
the ball. On the ball is when the player you’re guarding has the ball, and
off the ball is when one of the four other offensive players has it. The only
other time you are on defense is when you are transitioning from on the
ball to off the ball or from off the ball to on the ball. Let’s take a look at
the right technique for both on-the-ball and off-the-ball defense and for
the transition times from one to the other.
On-the-Ball Defense
Defensive Closeout
When your player receives the ball from her teammate it is important
to “close out” to her, positioning yourself so that you can defend against
the shot, the dribble, or the pass. To close out well, you must talk—call
“ball” so your teammates know you are aware and ready to play on the
ball defense. Too, you must be balanced. You can sprint out to guard your
player but you must “break down” your feet as you get close to her, taking
short quick steps, ready to take away penetration and to defend against
the shot or pass. Your hands must be up, big and ready to take away vision
from the offensive player, making it hard for her to see the rim or open
passing lanes.
Now that you are playing on-the-ball defense, you must be ready to
move quickly in any direction. Your knees are flexed, your back is straight
and your weight is on the balls of your feet. Your butt should be low, as
shown in the accompanying photo; the bend is at the knees, not the waist.
You can’t move nearly as quickly when you’re bending at the waist because
it leaves you poorly balanced, with your head over your toes. Proper defen-
sive stance is almost a seated position, so that if I tucked a chair under you,
you would settle easily into it.
Playing Tough Defense 119
This position allows you to

move with maximum quickness,
which is critical to playing good
D. Basketball involves actions
and reactions; the quicker you
are, the better defender you’ll be.
Foot position is also ex-
tremely important. Your feet
should be about shoulder-width
apart and staggered, one foot
slightly ahead of the other.
Which foot is in front depends
on which way the opponent is
moving or which way you want
to direct the offensive player.
When she’s dribbling with her
right hand, it’s your right foot
that’s up front; when she’s drib- Figure 11-1 The basic stance for on-
bling with the left, it’s your left the-ball defense. Note how the defend-
foot that’s forward. (Another er’s knees are flexed so she can move
way to remember the correct and react quickly. Her back is straight,
foot position is to keep your and her hands are out to occupy the
midline foot—that is, the foot passing lanes.
closest to the middle of the
court—forward.) In this posi-
tion, you’re able to move your feet quickly, as well as force your opponent
to the outside, giving her a longer path to the basket and a less threaten-
ing offensive position.
When playing on-the-ball defense, always know where you are on the
court. Stay between your player and the basket. Force the ball to the side-
line and keep the dribbler out of the middle of the court whenever pos-
sible. Keep your eyes focused on the offensive player’s midsection, not her
eyes or the ball. It’s tough for her to fake you out with her tummy!
Shuffling
Maintaining good, well-centered defensive position isn’t easy. If it were,
basketball wouldn’t be such a high-scoring game. Cutting off your oppo-
nent’s path requires covering ground swiftly and efficiently while still
being able to change directions instantly. Doing all this calls for a kind
of footwork that’s the heart of on-the-ball defense—the defensive shuffle.
The shuffle consists of quick, choppy sidesteps, with the legs flexed (no
bouncing up and down—that’s wasted motion) and the head stationary

and the feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
Say your opponent is driving to her right. From your defensive stance,
you move the left foot out to the left and quickly shuffle your right foot
in the same direction. If she stops and cuts the other way, make a drop
step (we’ll see how in a moment) and keep shuffling with the same short,
choppy steps. Be sure to keep them short; long, sliding-type steps signifi-
cantly slow your reaction time.
Don’t cross your feet when you’re playing on-the-ball defense. Putting
one foot over another is a slower movement that can easily leave you
tangled up or off balance. The shuffle step is far more efficient. It keeps
you well-balanced and braced to move whichever way your opponent does
because with the short steps your feet are almost constantly in contact
with the floor.
The only time you should cross your legs is when your player has beaten
you and you have to catch up, or when you’re sprinting a long distance up
or across court. For such straight bursts, use your regular running motion.
But as soon as you get back into position, shift quickly into shuffling.
Executing the Drop Step

Suppose your opponent is dribbling to her right. You’re staying with her in
proper defensive position, knees flexed and the right foot slightly in front
of the left. You shuffle over and beat her to the spot, causing her to change
direction and go to her left. In order to maintain good defensive position,
you must execute a move known as the drop step.
Pushing off with your left foot, quickly open your hips by dropping
your right foot backward. For extra momentum as you open up, use your
elbow (in this case the right one) to pull you open in the direction of the
drop step. Push off with your left foot and reach with your right foot to
reestablish good on-the-ball position. With this simple reverse pivot,
you’ve changed directions as quickly as possible and prevented your oppo-
nent from getting by you.
When the change of direction is from left to right, the drop step
involves the same movements in reverse. Your left foot is up when you’re
defending the left-hand dribble, so here you swing back your left elbow,
push off the right foot and open up with a drop step or reverse pivot.
No matter which way you’re pivoting with your drop step, make sure
the first step after it is an explosive one, since you need all the quick-
ness you can get at that point to maintain good defensive position. For
maximum explosiveness, push off your front leg, your power source.
The momentum from the hard push-off helps get you going after the
change.
Figure 11-2 Use the drop step to stay with a dribbler when she changes direction. In
the first photo (left), the defender is guarding her opponent in a staggered stance with
the left foot back. When the dribbler changes direction, the defender quickly drops the
right foot backward (right) to reestablish good position.
Defensive Positioning
When your opponent has the ball well outside her scoring range, your
hands are held thumbs up, fingers spread, a foot or so outside the waist.
Proper hand position is important; not only does it help maintain good
balance, it discourages passes by filling space in the passing lanes and it
leaves you ready to flick away the ball if the defender loses control. As a
general rule, you should be within an arm’s length of your opponent. If you
can’t touch the opposing player with your arm held out straight, you’re too
far away. This is only a rule of thumb, however. If your opponent is quicker
than you, lay off her a little further to make it harder for her to beat you.
Your goal is to stay well-centered in front of your opponent so the ball
is aligned roughly in the middle of your stance. Do that and you’ll beat her
to the spot she wants to reach and make her go the other way.
One point about the arms: the closer you are to the basket, the higher
you should hold one arm (not both, because that makes it too hard to
move). When guarding someone within her shooting range, you must
constantly be ready to defend against a shot, and if your arm is up you’re
in much better position to do so. This also helps keep the ball out of the
key by closing off passing lanes. Once your offensive player picks up the
dribble, use both hands actively to pressure the shot and to take away the
passing lanes.
Keeping Your Opponent Away from the Basket

The object of good on-the-ball defense is to keep the opponent as far from
the basket as possible. You want to force her to take a low-percentage shot
(or no shot at all), rather than one close to the hoop. The key to doing this
is cutting off her path to the basket. Stay well-centered in front of your
opponent, between her and the basket, and force her to take a longer—and
less threatening—route to where she wants to go. Not only does this enable
you to shut off the drive, it discourages her from making passes inside the
key and it puts you in good position to contest a shot if she tries shooting
from the outside.
Figure 11-3 Effective on-the-ball defense forces your opponent to take a

longer route to the basket than she wants to. In the diagram, note how X has
funneled her opponent away from the basket.
Off-the-Ball Defense
Defense isn’t over when your opponent gets rid of the ball. Just because she
no longer has it doesn’t mean she’s not a threat. She could suddenly cut to
the hoop and get a pass for an easy lay-up. She could run over and set a
screen away from the ball. She could do any number of things to help her
team score. To stop her, you have to keep an eye on her as well as an eye
on the ball. See both. Think “ball-you-girl.”
Retreat Step
After your opponent passes the ball, the first thing to do is take a big step
back in the direction of the pass, a move known as a retreat step. This puts
you in a position to defend against a cut to the basket, as well as to sup-
port your teammate in case she needs help. This step, called “jumping to
the ball,” is critical in the transition from playing on the ball to playing off
the ball.
See the Ball

You must always know where the ball is when you’re playing defense;
thus your positioning changes whenever either the ball or your opponent
moves. The best way to defend a player without the ball is with position-
ing we call ball-you-man (or girl). You have to keep track of both to play
sound defense.
Your exact position depends on where on the court the ball and your
opponent are. Look at the accompanying diagrams. You want to set up so
there’s an imaginary triangle between you, the ball, and your opponent. As
a rule, the closer your player is to the ball, the closer you should be to her.
Thus, if the ball is only one pass (8 to 10 feet or so) away, you should lay
off her no more than a step, edging toward the ball just a little and holding
the arm closest to the ball out so that your hand, with the palm turned
outward, is in the passing lane.
Now let’s say the ball is on the other side of the court. To maintain
that desired triangle, you must move away from your opponent, opening
up your stance so you can use your peripheral vision to see both ball and
man. Why do you set up farther away when the ball is cross-court? For a
couple of reasons. One, your opponent is not as much of a threat to get
a pass when the ball is so far away, so you don’t have to be as concerned
about that. Two, this “sagging off” puts you in a position to help out defen-
sively in another area. Suppose you’re guarding one forward and the other
forward has the ball in the corner. She beats her defender and begins driv-
ing to the hoop. Since you’re sagging off, you’re close enough to move over
Figure 11-4 When playing

defense off the ball, position
yourself to form an imagi-
nary triangle between you,
the ball, and your oppo-
nent. The farther the ball
is from your opponent, the
farther you should sag off
her. This allows you to see
both your opponent and the
ball and to provide support
for your teammates.
and pick up the driving player and prevent her from going in uncontested.
You wouldn’t be able to do this if you stayed close to your own opponent.
This sort of helping out, or support, as we call it, is a hallmark of a sound
defensive team. By constantly supporting one another, players accomplish
two important defensive objectives: one, they’re always in position to pick
up an opponent threatening to score; and two, they’re able to guard the
middle of the court by filling the lane so it’s difficult for the offense to
penetrate for high-percentage shots. Proper off-the-ball defense enables
you to accomplish both.
It’s important to remember that defense is a team game. It doesn’t do
your team much good if you shut out your opponent but some other player
fires in 35 and you lose. You have to think in terms of your team stopping
their team, and that means giving support. You must always be aware of
the most dangerous offensive threat: the player with the ball. If a player
beats her defender and is moving in for an uncontested lay-up, you’ve got
to react quickly and get in position to challenge her.
Make sure when playing off the ball that you always know where both
the ball and your opponent are. Remember that the closer your opponent
is to the ball, the greater the chance she will get it, and the tighter you
must guard her. On the other hand, when the ball is cross-court, main-
tain the triangle we discussed by opening your stance and dropping off a
couple of steps toward the middle, seeing both your player and the ball.
Be ready to give support at all times. Good defense requires total effort by
all five players.
Another way to teach or to help you understand off the ball defensive
positioning is to use the “shell drill” concept. Coach Kay Yow at N.C. State
introduced this to me when I played there and I’ve used it ever since.
Basically, eight players (four offense, four defense) are used. A post can
be added later. The eight players set up in a box or 2-2 half-court set. The
ball starts in one offensive player’s hand and the four defensive players
adjust their defensive positions to on-the-ball or off-the-ball. The three
off-the-ball defensive players are either one, two, or three passes away
Figure 11-5 Deny your opponent possession when she’s only one pass away
from the ball. Keep your arm nearest the ball slightly flexed and positioned
so it’s in the passing lane. Make sure you keep your knees bent, and position
yourself so you can see both the ball and your opponent.
from the ball guarding their offensive players. Using the lane as a refer-
ence, the defensive players adjust their positions as follows:
• One pass away—one step to the ball and one step off the passing lane
(the imaginary line which connects the offensive player with the ball
to their offensive player). If your coach teaches you to fully deny,
then you would be in the passing lane.
• Two passes away—one foot in the “paint” or the free throw lane.
• Three passes away—both feet in the paint.
All these off-the-ball positions require the defensive player to know where
the ball is, where their offensive player is, and where the basket is. The best
way for players to learn about positioning is to have them point to their
player and point to the ball, extending their arms in the direction of each.
This forces players to open and to close their stance depending on how far
Figure 11-6 The shell drill. Player O1 has the ball, and X1 is playing on-the-
ball defense. X2 and X3 are defending offensive players who are one pass
away from the ball, and X4 is defending O4, who is two passes away.
their player is away from the ball. One pass away and the defensive stance
should be somewhat closed; three passes away and the stance flattens out,
or opens up.
While executing this shell drill, start slow. Teach the positioning a step
at a time, allowing the offense only the pass while defensive adjustments
are made. As your defense becomes more comfortable, allow only the
passer to make cuts and the other offensive players to balance the floor.
Once the defense handles the cutters well, allow all the offensive players
to move. Switch the offense and defense, allowing all players to play both.
Once your team “gets” it, add a post and work on post defense as a part of
the shell.
Ball Denial and Lane Denial

The best way to defend your opponent is not to let her get the ball, and
to stop her from going where she wants to go. These defensive tasks are
known as ball denial and lane denial.
To deny your player the ball, set up so your hand is just barely in the
passing lane—the imaginary line between the ball and the player you’re
guarding. Staying in a good, well-balanced defensive stance, hold the arm
that’s closer to the ball away from your body but with the elbow still flexed
(if you extend the arm fully you won’t be able to react soon enough when
the ball is passed). Keep the palm turned out so you can deflect the ball if
it is passed to your opponent. When you deny your player the ball in this
way, the passer will probably look for another target, which is just what you
want. You have made the offense look for other options and taken away
part of their game plan.
The closer your opponent is to the basket, the more important ball
denial becomes. Why? Because if your opponent gets the ball three feet
from the hoop she has a high-percentage shot, as well as several open
passing lanes. So, if you’re guarding a player who is working close to the
basket, you must set up so most of your body (not just your hand) is in
the passing lane. And when you’re guarding a ball side low post (who
usually sets up on or above the block at the side of the free throw lane)
and the ball is on the baseline you must keep your entire body in the
passing lane, as shown in Figure 11-7. This is known as fronting your
opponent, and as you can see, it makes every pass impossible except for
a lob. If that pass is thrown, you should get help from the weak side—the
side of the defense away from the ball. Ball denial works by discouraging
the offense from making the pass, and forcing them to look for another
option.
In lane denial, you’re trying to force your opponent to go where she
doesn’t want to go. With quick actions and reactions and good, hard
defensive shuffling, you can take

away the lane she wants by beat-
ing her to the spot she’s headed
for. Where should you force her?
Away from the ball (notice how
everything in defense hinges on
your knowing where the ball is).
Never let her have a direct path
to the ball. If the ball is high, that
is, above the foul line, force her
to cut low. If the ball is low, force
her to go high.
Once you’ve cut off her path,
she’ll probably change direction
and try cutting behind you. If
she does, execute a drop step,
pivoting so you can see the ball
as you feel behind you for your
cutting opponent. Opening up
in this way allows you to con-
tinue denying the pass (or if it
is thrown, to intercept it), thus
forcing your opponent to cut out
of the three-second (free throw)
lane to a less dangerous part of
Figure 11-7 As a general rule, the the court where there is help.
closer your opponent is to the basket, Another defensive technique
the more important it is to deny her would be to keep your closed
the ball. Here the defender is fronting
defensive stance and look from
her opponent, meaning that she has set
over one shoulder to the other to
up so that she is entirely in the pass-
see the ball.
ing lane. The only way a pass can get
When we looked at offense,
through is if the ball is lobbed over the
defender’s head. we talked about how you want
to make sharp cuts and take the
shortest routes you can, to both
the ball and the basket. On defense, that’s exactly what you want to deny.
Cut off the shortest route to the ball. Make the pass as hard as possible
to complete. It’s not easy. It takes great alertness and a lot of hard work,
but you’ll reap big dividends for your efforts. When they’re unable to go
where they want and get the ball where they want, many players become
frustrated. Soon they’re taking poor shots and forcing their passes, and
gradually their whole offensive rhythm gets disrupted. That’s exactly what
you, the defense, want.
Figure 11-8 To deny

dangerous lane cuts when
you’re on defense, force
your opponent away from
the ball, as shown. When
the ball is low (top dia-
gram), force the cutter to
go high. When the ball
is high (bottom diagram),
make the cutter go low.
Anticipate
Quickness is a tremendous asset on defense, but it’s not everything. You
can become a first-rate defensive player even if you’re not extremely quick.
You can do it by being smart and learning to anticipate when and where
a pass might be made, your opponent might cut, or in which direction a
play is going to be run.
Say you’ve noticed your opponent has tried driving to the right three
straight times early in the game. The next time she gets the ball, you over-
play her, moving a half-step to your left to take away her right-hand drive.
You’ve anticipated where she’ll go and taken it away from her. She tries to
drive and winds up charging into you. She gets a foul. You get the ball.
Or perhaps you’re guarding a player one pass away from the ball.
During the entire game their point guard has passed the ball to your
Figure 11-9 The screen is set, but the defender does a good job of fighting
over the top. Anticipating her opponent’s cut, the defender reacts quickly
and moves so that she doesn’t get rubbed off by the screen.
pponent from the same spot. So you cheat a little. Knowing your oppo-
o
nent is a good bet to get the ball, you edge forward to cover more of the
passing lane. As the ball is passed, you uncoil from your stance and pick
the ball off by deflecting it with your hand (which you’ve got in the pass-
ing lane, with the palm out—just for this purpose), moving quickly to
recover it and dribbling it downcourt for an easy lay-up. The steal is pos-
sible because you correctly anticipated where and when the pass would be
thrown. It’s always fun to gamble on defense; making steals adds to the
excitement of playing tough D.
Defending Screens
A screen, you’ll remember, occurs when a player plants herself next to a
defender, setting a block to free a teammate. A good offensive team will set
dozens of screens in a game. What do you, the defense, do?
The first step is to make sure the pick is called out. This is done by the
player guarding the opponent who is setting the screen. Usually she’ll say,
“Pick left” or “Screen right,” and this will alert you that the other team is
trying to screen you.
Ideally, you will be able to “fight over” the pick. Reacting as soon as
the pick is called, shuffle with your player as she moves toward the pick,
staying low and well balanced. Fight your way over it by picking your lead
foot up and clearing the screener, maintaining a position between your
opponent and the screen.
If you can’t fight over (sometimes it’s impossible if the cutter moves
very close to the pick), “slide through” the pick by slipping behind it and
moving laterally to guard your opponent when she gets to the other side of
it. To have room to do this, the defender guarding the screen must allow
space for you to get through. She also should step into the path of the
cutter to slow her down—a move known as “exposing” or “hedging.” This
causes the offensive player to hesitate, giving you a chance to slide through
and cover her again before she can get free. If your opponent stops directly
behind the screen, she probably will get a fairly open shot at the basket. But
better to concede that than to get bumped off by the screen and have your
player receive a pass for a lay-up or short jumper.
If you’re unable to fight over or slide through, your last option against
the screen is to “switch,” a move in which you and your teammate guarding
the screen change assignments: She picks up your player after you’ve been
screened off and you pick up the screener.
Figure 11-10 When you can’t fight over a screen, slide through it. The
defender slides through between the screen and her defensive teammate,
who gives her enough space to slide through.
It’s best to stay with your opponent by fighting over or sliding through
a screen. Switching should be the last option, since it often leads to
defensive mismatches. If you’re a 5-foot-4 guard who is screened by a 6-
foot center, and your center switches, you end up guarding a player eight
inches taller than you, which a smart opponent will take advantage of.
Of course, switching is better than letting your player go in for an easy
lay-up, but the best defense is to react early, work hard and fight your
way over the top or slide through between the screen and your teammate
guarding her.
Defending on ball screens requires the same communication and
aggressiveness as defending off the ball screens. Many teams may jump or
trap on ball screens, making it difficult for the offensive player to get open
and taking away her pass to the screener who rolls or pops.
Guarding Against the Roll

When you’re the one guarding the screen, you must also be ready to defend
the screener when she rolls after the cutter has used her. If she rolls to the
basket, react quickly and stay with her, pivoting so you never lose sight of
the ball. Move quickly so you can get a hand in the passing lane by fighting
to stay between your opponent and the ball.
Hints for Better Defense

• Know your opponent. Look for tendencies, habits, and weaknesses
in her style of play, and try to make her change her game. If she
drives only to the left, make her go right. If she only likes to drive,
lay off her a couple of feet and make her shoot from the outside. The
more you force her to do things she’s not comfortable with, the bet-
ter the chance she’ll get off her game.
• Don’t reach in. It’s very tempting to stick out your arm and try to
take the ball away. It’s also bad defense, because the reach-in foul is
probably the most frequent infraction whistled by officials. Reaching
in is lazy and leaves you overextended and off balance—ready to be
exploited by a smart opponent.
• Move your feet and stop your opponent by forcing her away from
the basket. Defensive positioning is important. Force your player
to the sideline and work to keep her out of the paint (free throw
lane). Be aggressive. Keep your hands out and flick the ball upward.
Again, don’t reach or slap at the ball. Even if you don’t foul, it’ll
look as though you did and will put you in poor defensive position
besides.
• Shut off the baseline. When we looked at offense, we said you should
take the baseline every time the defense gives it to you. On defense
you want to deny it to your opponent for the same reasons: A player
driving the baseline usually leads to a lay-up and/or a foul. When
you’re near that part of the court, overplay toward the baseline so
your opponent won’t have that option.
• Watch the midsection. A good offensive player will try to fake you
with her foot, head, shoulder, the ball, you name it. But she can’t
fake you with her stomach. Wherever it goes, she’ll go. Don’t fall for
all the fakes and pumps; zero in your attention on the middle of the
body and you won’t be fooled.
• Put your hands up in close. It’s okay to play your opponent with
your hands relatively low (outside your waist, as we discussed)
when you’re far from the basket. But when you’re within her shoot-
ing range, say 15 feet or closer, keep at least one hand at shoulder
height. That way, if she attempts a shot you’ll be able to distract her.
Remember to keep the elbow bent. This allows for quick reaction
when a shot does go up, and it also can fool an opponent into think-
ing she has room to shoot by concealing a few inches of your reach.
Fully extended, you may block the shot she thought she could get
over you. If your elbow’s locked, however, you won’t be able to move
your arm quickly enough to distract her.
• Know the difference between a smart foul and a dumb one. A smart
foul is when the score is close and an opponent is going up for a lay-
up and you’re the only one who can stop her. If you foul her, so what?
She gets two free throws, but chances are she would’ve had a sure
two points anyway if you’d just let her go. A dumb foul is a reach-in,
a needless bump, pushing off an opponent with your hand instead of
moving your feet, or fouling a shooter who is taking a low-percent-
age shot.
• Be aggressive, not reckless. A good defensive team really comes after
the offense, guarding them tightly, playing the passing lanes, looking
for steals. Work hard, concede nothing, play with aggressiveness, but
make it controlled aggressiveness. You get only five fouls per game.
You can’t afford picking up stupid ones by being overly physical. I’ve
seen lots of players who hustle relentlessly but spend a good part of
their time on the bench simply because they don’t know the differ-
ence between playing hard and playing recklessly.
• Don’t leave the ground until the ball is in the air. If you’re continu-
ally jumping up and down, you’re not playing good defense. Every
moment you’re off the ground is a moment for your opponent to get
around you. Stay grounded, where you can stick right with her, and
don’t leap until you’re sure she’s going up with the ball.
• Use the drop step to change

directions so you can stick
with your opponent when she
makes sharp cuts.
• When the dribble stops, swarm.
If your opponent gives up the
dribble, you should be all over
her. She can’t drive around you
since she’s already used her
dribble. Get your hands up and
active, making it difficult for
her to see. Let your teammates
know to deny the passing lanes
by calling “Dead” or “Used.”
Take away space to prevent her
from making an easy pass or
taking an easy shot.
• Talk. Good defensive teams
communicate constantly.
They’ll say, “Help” if their
player gets by them; “Shot”
Figure 11-11 Defending against a when the ball is headed for the
shot. The defender has her hand up, hoop; “Watch baseline” if they
ready to contest a shot. Note how the think the opponent is going to
arm is almost straight up, not into the make a move there; or “Pick
shooter. left” or “Pick right” when a
screen is being set. It keeps
everyone alert and makes for quick adjustments when the opponent
is threatening.
• Block, don’t swat. When you go up to defend a shot, hold your arm
almost straight overhead as high as you can, and simply try to dis-
tract the shooter. That’s all it takes to make the shot miss. Don’t swat
at the ball and swing your arm forward into the shooter. You may get
the ball; you will also get a foul.
• Know where you are on the floor. If you’re guarding a dribbler high
(above the foul line), force her away from the middle so she must
take the long way to the basket. If you’re near the baseline, seal it
off and make her go another way. Always try to deny the offense the
most direct route to the basket. If you’re playing off the ball close in,
be ready to deny the ball by keeping part or all of your body in the
passing lane. Force cutters to move away from the ball. Keep a hand
up if your opponent has the ball within her shooting range. Know at
all times where the ball is and where your opponent is.
A Final Word
Defense isn’t glamorous. A top scorer always will draw more raves than a
top defensive player. But good defense wins as many games, or more, than
good offense does. And as we’ve seen, you can never tell when your shoot-
ing touch may take the night off.
Good defense breeds other good things. It gets you in the flow of the
game. It can provide a big lift, generating momentum for your offense. It
carries over into other phases of the game. Fueled by your success in shut-
ting down an opponent, you tend to rebound, pass, run the offense—play
the whole game with sharper concentration and better execution.
Good D is hard work. It’s also fun. Stopping another team from scoring
gives you tremendous satisfaction. You get pumped up, and you know your
efforts have paid off in a big way. Defense keeps you in every game, and
that’s a great guarantee to have.
Take pride in your defense. By working hard, you make the other team
earn every point. You disrupt their offensive rhythm. You get them flus-
tered by preventing them from doing what they want the way they want.
And you gradually wear them down. They get tired physically from having
to work so hard for their points, and they get tired mentally of having a
hand in their face all game long. Perhaps most important of all, they begin
to have doubts about whether they can score on you. They become tenta-
tive—and less effective. In the final minutes of a close game, I’ll go with
the team that plays the tougher defense every time. Defense may not get
acknowledged or applauded nearly enough, but it’s fun to play that way,
and it wins a lot of games.
I’d say that’s a good return for your effort.
12
Under the
Boards—How to
Get Rebounds
“A great rebounder has one desire—get the ball. A great
rebounder has one thought—every shot is a pass to me! A great
rebounder is a must for any successful team!”
—Theresa A. Gernatt
Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach
Fact: Most shots in a basketball game are missed.

Fact: The team that grabs most of those misses—known as rebounds—
will usually win.
There are two kinds of rebounds, offensive and defensive. Defensive
rebounds result when your opponents miss a shot, offensive rebounds
when your own team misses. The better job you do at defensive rebound-
ing, the fewer shots the opponents get—and the fewer their opportunities
to score. They need the ball to score and you’re reducing their time of
possession.
On the other side, the better job you do at offensive rebounding, the
more shots you have—and the more chances to score. Say your team sinks
50 percent of its shots from the field. If you take 36 shots in a game, that
comes to 18 baskets, or 36 points. Now let’s say you crash the offensive
boards, and get an extra 12 shots—totaling 48 for the game. If you shoot at
the same 50-percent rate (and you’d probably shoot better, because shots
off rebounds are higher-percentage shots since they come from close in),
your point total is up to 48 points. That 12-point increase could well mean
the difference between victory and defeat.
136
Under the Boards—How to Get Rebounds 137
Not only is rebounding a vital strategic element of the game, it’s also
fun. For me, there are few moments on the court that compare to the feel-
ing of pulling down a rebound with authority. Everyone’s going for the ball,
but you go up and claim it for yourself. It gives you a sense of power and
control, and makes you feel as though you’re really a force on the court.
Who Wants It?

Good rebounders usually are tall. Often they are fine jumpers. They are
always players with desire. They want the ball more than anyone else,
and that means they work harder to get it. A former player of mine at
Manhattan College, Sheila Tighe, is a great example of how far desire goes
under the boards. At 5-foot-9, Sheila went up against a lot of taller players
and better leapers. But she always went to the boards hard—and always got
more than her share of rebounds.
Obviously certain physical limitations come into play here. No matter
how much you want the ball, if you’re 5-foot-1 you’re just not going to get
it very often. The important thing to remember is that you can be a good
rebounder if you really want to be, even if you’re just an average-sized
player or only a fair jumper. Desire, anticipation, and positioning will help
overcome physical limitations.
Defensive Rebounding
The easiest way to lose a game is to allow your opponents two or three
shots at the hoop each time they move down the floor. Sound work on the
defensive boards is the only way to stop that from happening.
The key to defensive rebounding is boxing out. Also called blocking
out or screening out, this maneuver involves using your body to keep
your opponent behind you so you’ll have the all-important inside position
for the rebound. It’s very tempting when you see a shot go up to forget
about your opponent and simply go for the ball. Resist the temptation if
you really want the rebound. If you don’t box out your opponent she has
a chance to slip inside you and get first try at the ball. Sooner or later it’ll
cost you.
Once you have inside position, don’t let the other player out-hustle you
to the ball. Release the box out, and GO GET THE BALL!
Keeping Your Opponent Away

When your opponent takes a shot, the first thing you should do is yell,
“Shot!” This alerts everyone on your team that it’s time to box out. Once
the shot is taken, check your opponent to see which way she’s moving. (If
she’s not moving, she’s doing you a big favor. Then all you have to do is ini-
tiate contact, pivot, and get into rebounding position.) Use the “arm bar” to
gauge movement and to slow her down. If she’s cutting to your left, execute
a reverse pivot: leading with your backside, use your left foot as a pivot and
bring your right foot around so you wind up squarely in her path and fac-
ing the basket. If she’s cutting to your right, forward pivot with your right
foot as the pivot. Pivot chest first, bringing your left foot around in the
same way, so you’re facing the basket and your opponent is behind you.
Keep a wide base, both to improve your balance and to obstruct her
path to the basket. For the best position, move your feet at least a foot
wider than your shoulders, and keep your elbows well away from your
body and your hands up in a “goal-post” position, elbows wide, ready to
gain possession. Your rear end should be down and your knees should
be flexed so you’re prepared to jump when the ball comes off the boards.
Maintain contact with your opponent as soon as you box her out so you
keep track of where she is and maintain the inside position.
Figure 12-1 Boxing out. As the offensive player makes a move to the basket
(left), the defender establishes contact by using her forearm and makes a for-
ward pivot, stepping directly into her path to keep her away from the basket
(right). Always box out on defense. Then go get the ball!
If she’s a determined offensive rebounder, she’ll continue trying

to get past you. Don’t let her. You can’t see exactly where she’s going
because she is behind you and you’re now looking for the ball coming off
the rim. So you have to “feel” for her with your upper arms, back, and
backside, shuffling with short, choppy steps to cut her off whichever
way she’s moving. Keep your feet moving to keep her behind you and
away from the basket. If all this sounds like hard work, you’re right. But
it doesn’t last long; usually you have to maintain the inside position for
only a few seconds before the ball is in someone’s possession. If you can
delay your opponent for even an instant, it gives you the advantage to
beat her to the ball.
The Right Way to Rebound

Okay, you’ve done a good job boxing out. You’ve staked out your inside
position, taking up as much space as you can with a low, wide stance and
with your elbows up and out. You’ve established contact with your oppo-
nent and you’re ready to react. Now it’s time to go and get the basketball.
Again, once you’ve delayed your opponent, go to the ball. Beat your oppo-
nent there. The ball rarely just falls into your hands.
Timing is critical in rebounding. Jump a second early or late and you’re
not going to get the ball. That means you must be poised to jump the
moment it comes off the rim. Maintain a wide base and keep your knees
flexed. Stay on the balls of your feet and keep your feet moving, even if
they remain in more or less the same spot. When they’re already in motion
it’s easier to get them off the floor quickly.
As the ball descends, time your jump so you’ll get to it at your highest
jump level. Explode upward from your coiled stance with a forceful push
from the balls of your feet and extend your arms to their fullest. Grab the
ball with authority, bringing it in toward your chin with both hands. Come
down with your legs apart (it will give you more floor space once you’re
down) and land on the balls of your feet with your body well balanced.
Hold the ball tightly and keep your elbows out to discourage anyone from
stealing it. Just be sure not to swing your elbows; that’s a flagrant foul that
could cause a serious injury.
Now that you’ve done the hard part and pulled in the rebound, don’t
panic. Rushing the release of the ball is asking for a turnover. Pivot away
from the basket, where it’s both congested and dangerous, and look to
make an outlet pass to a teammate in the flat—the area between the free
throw line, extended, and the baseline. If a teammate isn’t there, take a hard
dribble or two toward the sideline—a term we call “dribble bust-out”—and
someone should move quickly into a safe passing range and angle. Avoid
passing to the middle or across the court; these passes won’t get past an
Figure 12-2 Pulling down a rebound. The

rebounder is in good position (top left).
Her knees are flexed, she’s well balanced,
and her hands are up, waiting for the ball
to come off. She goes up strongly for the
ball, reaching high and extending her body
to its fullest (top right). She brings it down,
holding it firmly with her elbows out
slightly for protection (bottom left), then
pivots to the outside to throw an outlet
pass (top of next page).
alert defender. Again, take a hard dribble toward the sideline until the
person receiving the outlet is in a position to pass to. You shouldn’t need
more than one or two bounces to reach a safe area.
Figure 12-3 The flats, shown by the shading, are where the outlet passes usually are
thrown.
Offensive Rebounding
Defensive rebounding is hard work. Offensive rebounding is even harder,
for two reasons. One, you’re farther from the basket, and two, you have to
get around your opponent to get the inside position (whereas a defender
usually has it).
But hitting the offensive boards is worth it for one very big reason.
When you get the ball on a rebound, you’re usually no more than a foot or
two from the hoop. Lay-up country. Who doesn’t like an easy two?
To be an effective offensive rebounder, you’ve got to go hard to the
boards every time, and you’ve got to do it the moment you see that a shot is
going up. She who hesitates is lost. Anticipate when a shot will be released.
Know your teammates and when and where each likes to shoot; that way
you know when to go to the boards. Make a sharp, direct cut (if it’s avail-
able) to the basket. Suppose your team’s best shooter has the ball and is
wide open from 15 feet out. You know the ball’s going up so you go to the
basket right away. By getting a split-second jump on the defender, you can
sneak inside before she has a chance to box you out.
If you do get boxed out, try to get around her. Be relentless. Cut one
way, then another. Roll off her when she blocks you out. Fake that you’re
trying to beat her to the right, then change direction and go to the left.
Keep moving in any case; don’t get caught watching the flight of the ball.
Watching won’t get you any rebounds, but moving will, and even if you
don’t succeed in getting the inside position, all your activity may distract
your opponent enough to allow one of your teammates to get the ball.
Sometimes you may be able to touch the ball, but not grab it with
both hands. If that’s the case, try to tip it in the air. Keep it alive—and
away from your opponent. Contest every rebound. If you can’t get inside
your defender, at least get beside her. Go hard to the boards every time.
Aggressive offensive rebounding puts constant pressure on the defense,
and if you keep at it you’re going to get the ball a good share of the time.
Nothing demoralizes the opposition quite like playing good defense, forc-
ing a missed shot, only to have you sneak in, grab an offensive rebound and
make an easy basket.
Once you work as hard as possible on the offensive boards, if you or
your team doesn’t get the rebound, transition to defense. Don’t go over the
back or reach in once your opponents gain possession.
Hints for Good Rebounding

• Assume that every shot is going to miss. If you don’t, you’ll lose a few
vital moments that may mean not getting the rebound. On defense,
box out and get into proper rebounding stance on every shot. On
offense, go to the boards until you see the ball go in or until the other
team gets it.
• Don’t watch the flight of the ball. I promise, the shooter is aiming
in the direction of the goal. Watching can cost you that extra step
which, again, could well be the difference between getting the ball
and not getting it. It’s a common mistake to follow the ball and hope
it comes to where you’re standing. Much better to move into prime
rebounding position, where the ball usually comes off, and go after
it from there.
• Don’t get too far underneath the basket. We just talked about prime
rebounding position. What is that? Many players think it’s right
under the basket, figuring the closer you are, the better the position.
Not true. Being three feet out is better than being 13 feet out, but if
you get caught directly beneath the basket, you’re not going to grab
anything but the ball as it falls through the net. Optimum position is
about three to four feet—a giant step—away from the basket.
• A valuable statistic to keep in mind: The ball rebounds to the oppo-
site side of the basket more than 75 percent of the time. Thus if a
shot is taken to the left of the lane, chances are very good it’ll come
off to the right.
• When you’re going for a defensive rebound, try to coordinate with
your teammates so you’ve got the three prime areas around the bas-
ket—left, right, and middle—covered. It does no good for two of you
to be standing right on top of each other while another area is wide
open. These three positions make up a “rebounding triangle,” which
gives a team optimal position.
• Defense isn’t over until your team has possession of the ball. Unac-
countably, some teams seem to relax as soon as they see a shot
missed (those are bad rebounding teams, I guarantee you). A good
offensive rebounding team will destroy them.
• Defensive rebounding, especially, is a team responsibility. If three
people work hard and box out properly, it won’t do the team much
good if a fourth doesn’t, because it could well be her player who gets
the ball. Nobody can afford to take a holiday on the defensive boards.
• Jump! If you’re flat-footed when the ball goes up, or if you’re not in
a well-coiled stance, the rebound is going to be someone else’s. You
must be ready to jump, to spring toward the ball with a powerful
upward thrust.
• Be aggressive. Somebody once said that basketball is a non-con-
tact sport. That somebody was wrong. Be aggressive when you’re
rebounding. Go after the ball hard, and grab it with authority. Don’t
worry about making incidental contact with other players. Body
contact is a part of the game under the boards.
• Don’t climb over anyone’s back. Along with the reach-in foul, a favor-
ite call among officials seems to be “over the top,” a pushing foul,
which occurs when a player on the outside climbs on the back of the
player in front of her. Go up straight for the ball. Jump up, not for-
ward, and you shouldn’t have any problem with the whistle-blowers.
• When you get an offensive rebound, go right back up with it—and
go up strong. Sure, it’s crowded and physical in there, but you lose a
big advantage if you take your rebound and dribble or pass out from
the basket. Put the ball right back up— and do it without dribbling,
if possible, since a dribble is likely to get deflected or stolen. If you’re
too closely guarded to get off a good shot, give a quick, upward fake
with your head and shoulders, pretending you’re going up for the
shot. When the defenders go for the fake and leave the ground, wait
for them to begin coming down, then go up for the shot. You stand a
good chance of making an easy basket, and a great chance of drawing
a foul and possibly getting a three-point play.
• On the offensive boards, if you can’t grab it, tip it. Do anything you
can to prevent the other team from securing possession. If the ball
stays alive long enough, maybe one of your teammates will be the
one to pull it out of the air and put it in.
• Keep your hands up and elbows out, taking up as much space as pos-
sible. Extend fully as you go after the ball.
• If you’ve pulled down a defensive rebound and don’t have a ready
outlet pass, hold the ball firmly and keep it moving close to your
body. The best way to stop the opposition from tying you up is by
keeping the ball active.
• Stay with it. Great rebounders are relentless. They go to the boards
every chance they get. They refuse to give up. They’re constantly
on the move. Good rebounding requires a lot of hard work, but it’s
effort well spent and it’s so much fun!
Rebounding Drills
Box-Out
A coach or player takes a 15- to 20-foot shot while two or three (or even
one) defenders turn and box out their opponents, who are trying for the
offensive rebound. The defense has to get the rebound on three consecu-
tive shots before the offense and defense switch.
Animal Drill
A great way to work on rebounding aggressively and going up with power.
Three players take rebounding positions near the basket. A shot is taken,
and it’s every girl for herself. Little bumps are allowed, and each player
goes for the ball. The two who do not get it immediately turn and must
defend the player who did. The girl with the ball must go straight up with
it; only two dribbles are allowed. Play continues until someone puts in a
rebound. Then bring the ball back out to the shooter and repeat the drill,
playing until one player has five baskets.
Three-Way Drill
Player O3 tosses the ball high off the left side of the backboard (an inten-
tional miss) and pulls down the rebound herself. She turns to the outside
and passes to Player O1, who breaks to the flat for the outlet pass. O3 fol-
lows her pass, then O1 dribbles in and tosses the ball way up on the board
Figure 12-4 Three-way rebounding drill. O3 tosses the ball up on the

board, gets her own rebound and snaps off an outlet pass to O1. O3 follows
her pass, and O1 dribbles in to the right side of the lane, tosses it up and
rebounds in similar fashion, makes an outlet to O2, then follows her pass.
O2 dribbles in to the left side, tosses it up, rebounds and makes the outlet to
O3. The pattern continues until each player has pulled down 10 rebounds.
as O3 did, gets the rebound, and passes to Player O2 , on the right side, who
follows the same pattern. Run it through so each player gets 10 rebounds.
Work on planting yourself, jumping with power, and extending your body
as high as you can as you forcefully grab the rebound out of the air with
both hands.
A Final Word
I once coached a player who always worked hard to do things the right way,
and rebounding was no exception. She boxed out effectively, kept a good,
low position, the whole bit. She protected the ball well, made good outlet
passes—everything was fundamentally sound.
But you know what? She wasn’t a great rebounder. Not because she
did anything fundamentally wrong, but because she didn’t have the take-
charge, this-ball-is-mine mentality that is the hallmark of a really good
rebounder.
It’s competitive under there; a lot of people want that ball, and if it’s
going to be yours, you’re just going to have to go after it harder than any-
body else.
This isn’t to say that the techniques and hints we’ve looked at are not
important; they’re absolutely essential. But technique alone will not get
you the ball. You have to want it, and you have to go and get it. Let the
opposition know you’re going to fight for every single board. Let them
know you’re not going to quit, that you won’t allow them to relax. You’re
constantly going to be on the move. With this sort of attitude, coupled with
the fundamentals we’ve looked at in this chapter, you’ll be a rebounder to
reckon with.
13
All about
Zones
“The best man defense looks like a zone and the best zone looks
like a man.”
—Mike Pendley
Chances are good you will play, or play against, a zone defense
quite often as you get involved in organized basketball. There are many dif-
ferent kinds of zones and an equal number of ways to attack them. Getting
into the strategic specifics of each is not our concern here. Rather, let’s look
at how zones work and how to play them defensively—and attack them
offensively—for best results.
What Is a Zone?
In a man-to-man defense, your responsibility is to guard a specific player,
whom you defend wherever she goes (and, of course, to provide support to
your teammates if they need it). In a zone defense, your assignment is not
one player but a particular area (or zone) of the court. You must guard any
player who moves into the zone you’re responsible for. When that player
cuts to another part of the court, someone else must pick her up. The zone
shifts as the ball moves from one area to another, enabling the defense to
stop the players who are the most threatening at that moment. As a rule,
when the ball isn’t in your area, you sag in toward the lane to make it more
difficult for the offense to penetrate the zone and to guard against players
cutting into the lane to receive a pass.
147
If a player can play good man or team defense then zones will feel natu-
ral because the same rules of on- and off-the-ball defense apply.
Why Play a Zone?

A zone defense offers several advantages. Foremost is that it can be a good
way to stop an opponent’s inside game. By packing five players in and
around the free throw lane, a defensive team makes it very difficult for the
offense to penetrate for high-percentage shots. Say you’re playing against
a team with a high-scoring center. To try to stop her, a coach may go to a
tight 2–3 zone, which would position two players at the free throw line,
and three across the bottom of the key as seen in Figure 13-1. The defense
would collapse into the middle either to prevent the dangerous center
from getting the ball or, if she does get it, to make it as difficult as possible
for her to score or make a threatening pass.
Zones are especially effective against teams with poor outside shoot-
ers. The less the zone has to worry about the outside shot, the more it can
stay in tight and virtually shut off the area closer to the basket.
Other advantages of a zone are:
• It works well against an impatient team. Often a team must work the
ball around to get a good shot against a zone. If the offensive team
lacks discipline and doesn’t take the time to move the ball, the zone
can present huge problems for it.
• It can keep players out of foul trouble. Consistently playing man-
to-man often results in a lot of personal fouls. In a zone, where the
defensive responsibility isn’t on a single player, a defender isn’t as
likely to incur that problem. That’s why a coach frequently will go to
Figure 13-1 Three common zone defenses: the 2-1-2, 1-3-1, and the 2-3.
All about Zones 149
a zone if a key player picks up a couple of quick fouls or is in danger

of fouling out of the game.
• It can “hide” a weak defensive player. A weak defensive link is very
easy for a good offensive team to exploit in a man-to-man defense.
It can simply continue to pass the ball to the player being guarded
by the weak defender. But when that defender is part of a zone, her
weaknesses are not quite so glaring because she’s guarding an area
of the court, and her teammates can help her out more readily. Thus
the opponents cannot take advantage of her in the same way.
• It can help a team establish good rebounding position. In the 2–3,
for instance, three players, when in their normal defensive areas,
already are stationed in good rebounding position, the triangle posi-
tion we spoke of earlier. Because they remain in those areas there’s
never a chance that one of your team’s main rebounders might be
20 feet from the basket, as there is when she’s guarding someone
man-to-man.
• A zone defense does not require as much movement, which helps
reduce fatigue.
• A zone defense is a good defense to use when a team is flat out
quicker and more athletic than yours.
Disadvantages of Zone Defenses

There are also inherent weaknesses in zones. The main one is that, because
players are responsible for an area and not a single opponent, there will be
in-between areas, or “seams,” where it’s uncertain who has the defensive
responsibility. First-rate zone defenses can counteract this problem with
quick, aggressive shifts, but most teams will be vulnerable in these areas.
A zone generally will not be useful against a good passing team, one
that moves the ball quickly around the court. Against this sort of ball
movement, it’s very difficult for the zone to shift quickly enough to stay
well positioned. A skillful, patient offensive team can simply work the ball
around until the zone begins breaking down as players get tired or lose
concentration.
Different zones have different weaknesses, but any zone set-up will
be burned by a team of good outside shooters. Usually a few quick passes
around the perimeter are all that’s necessary to get an open jumper. A
team that hits those shots forces the zone to come farther out. The inside
areas that were so packed with defenders before become easier to pen-
etrate by the offense. Sometimes you’ll see games where a coach opens
up in a zone defense to challenge the opponent to shoot from the outside.
If the team can’t make the perimeter shots the coach will stay with the
Figure 13-2 Each player has an area of responsibility in a zone defense. The
areas between the defenders, called the seams, are where the zone is weakest
and where the zone should be attacked.
zone. But if the opponent is accurate from outside, usually the coach will
abandon the zone and go to a man-to-man, which will put more pressure
on the shooters.
Things to Keep in Mind When

Playing in a Zone
Here are some important points to remember when playing in a zone
defense:
• Get back on defense and set up the zone quickly. This way you’ll
be ready to stop the opposing team even if they try to fast-break.
Zones are weakened if every player doesn’t hustle into her defensive
position.
• Some players play a zone as though it relieves them of all defensive
responsibility. All the principles we discussed in our chapter on
defense still apply when you’re playing a zone. Stay low with your
knees flexed and move quickly with short, choppy steps. Zones con-
stantly are shifting as the offense moves the ball. You must keep mov-
ing, and if you’re standing up straight you won’t be able to move as
effectively. Always know where the ball is. Keep your arms up to make
it harder for the offense to penetrate and to see the passing lanes.
• Talk! Communication is vital to any defensive scheme, but probably
most of all in a zone. Keep talking to avoid confusion about defensive
assignments. “I got her,” “Pick her up,” “Coming your away,” “Watch
the cutter” are common ways of helping one another out.
All about Zones 151
• Keep moving and play aggressively so the ball stays on the perimeter.
Don’t let the ball get in the middle of the zone. That’s where you’re
most vulnerable because once an opponent gets the ball in there she’ll
have a good chance for a high-percentage shot or have several open
passing lanes to teammates. If the ball does get in the key, “pinch in”
down low and tighten the zone to cut off easy passing lanes.
• Be aware of the offense’s habits and which players are the greatest
scoring threats. Suppose the opponent’s high-scorer, a great outside
shooter, is setting up in your part of the zone. You’ll want to put
extra pressure on her so she won’t get a high-percentage shot. You
may play her in a denial defense, making it difficult for her to get the
ball anywhere near her shooting range. With you playing farther out
from your usual zone position, your teammates might compensate
by shifting a step toward you. This will help cover your area and
reduce her passing options while still keeping the zone tight.
• Keep the opponents off the boards. Boxing out is just as important in
a zone as in a man-to-man defense. You can’t just turn and go for the
rebound, because an offensive player is liable to slip into an inside
position. Block out any opponent in your area before you go for the
rebound.
• “Bump” all the cutters. Lane denial is as important in zones as it is
in a man-to-man defense. Often the offense against your zone will
send cutters through the middle. Try to slow them down by stepping
Figure 13-3 An example of how a 2-1-2 zone shifts when the ball moves. Notice
how, with the ball on the wing, players X1 and X3 move outward to put more pressure
on the ball, while players away from the ball, particularly X4, sag into the middle to
keep the zone tight.
into their path, forcing them either low (toward the baseline) or high
(above the free throw line), depending on where the ball is. If the ball
is low, force them to go high; if it’s high, make them go low. That way
they’re always forced away from the ball—where it’s harder for them
to receive it. They can stay in the free throw lane for only three sec-
onds, so you only have to bump them for a moment to disrupt their
cut—and the flow of the offense.
Things to Keep in Mind When

Playing Offense Against a Zone
• Play up-tempo basketball. Fast-break if you have the chance, but even
if you can’t go all the way to the basket, push the ball upcourt quickly.
A good way to attack a zone is to do so before it gets set up.
• Keep the ball moving. Don’t pass the ball once or twice and throw up
a low-percentage outside shot. That’s playing into the zone’s hands.
Be patient. Work the ball around from side to side. Reverse the ball
from strong side to weak side. Make them work to keep up with you.
Before long you’ll see the zone isn’t moving as well, and the result
will be better opportunities to shoot, penetrate, or pass the ball
inside.
• Try to penetrate the middle, where the zone is most vulnerable.
Probe for defensive weaknesses—players who are out of position or
making improper shifts. Look for teammates cutting through the
zone. Try to get the ball into the high post. If you get the ball inside
consistently, you’ll get high-percentage shots, and should be success-
ful against the zone.
• Don’t dribble unless it’s necessary. Dribbling slows down ball move-
ment, making it easier for the zone to defend you. Keep the ball off
the floor unless you’re driving to the basket, improving a passing
angle, or need to get away from pressure. This rule applies all the
time, but especially when you’re in the lane—where you’re sur-
rounded by defenders and the ball is easy to steal.
• Reverse the zone. This means passing the ball in one direction,
then quickly reversing the flow and going back the other way. For
instance, suppose the point guard passes to the left wing and the
zone shifts over in that direction. To reverse the zone, the left wing
passes back to the point, who moves it quickly to the right wing.
As another option, the wing might skip over the guard and throw
an overhead pass to the opposite forward. Either way, this simple
reversal frequently will catch the defense in transition and lead to
All about Zones 153
a wide-open shot, particularly if the defense tends to overplay the

ball.
• Always face the basket and get into triple-threat position when you
receive the ball. Make the defense respect all your options.
• Fake and pass. Ball fakes are a good way to create weaknesses in the
zone, particularly an aggressive one that is playing the passing lanes.
A good fake to the right, then a quick pass to the left can have the
same effect as reversing the zone. It can make the entire defense
overextend in the wrong direction.
• Look for the skip pass. If the defense shifts a lot and overplays the
ball, the skip pass probably will be open. A skip pass in an overhead
pass that’s thrown to a teammate two or more players away. By skip-
ping over the teammate closest to you, you move the ball so quickly
that the defense can’t shift fast enough to stay in good position.
Figure 13-4 The skip pass is an overhead pass made to a teammate two or
more regular passes away from the ball. In the diagram, O3 has the ball. By
skip passing to either O2 or O4, O3 may catch the defense in transition and
create an opportunity for an open shot.
• Stay composed. Be patient. Move the ball, look for the open player,
and keep the defense occupied with lots of sharp passes and cuts.
The better the ball movement, the better the chance the zone will
become overextended or out of position. Many teams lose because
they shoot too quickly against a zone defense.
• Always look to attack the seams of the zone, those in-between areas
where it’s uncertain whose territory it is to cover. Good ball move-
ment often will create openings at the seams, giving you a good
opportunity to penetrate the middle of the zone.
• The point guard who initiates the offense must force the defense to
actively play her; otherwise the zone can stay tight, play the passing
lanes, and guard your four remaining players with its five players. If
you’re starting the offense, dribble toward the defense until they play
you, then pass the ball off. If the defense doesn’t pick you up, keep
going to the basket or pull up for a short jumper. The idea is to chal-
lenge them, make them play you right off the bat, because it’ll open
up the passing lanes to begin your offense.
• Use screens when playing against zone defenses. Screens set to free
a teammate can be very effective in creating openings.
A Final Word
The middle area is the key to a zone defense. When your team is using
the zone, your top priority is to keep the zone tight and the middle well-
guarded so you take away the opponent’s inside game. Force them to beat
you from outside. Bump and slow down cutters through the zone away
from the ball so they can’t hurt you inside. By moving well and keeping the
zone tight, you often make the opposing team impatient and frustrated,
and the result is that they’ll take a low-percentage shot or try to force the
ball inside, often leading to a turnover.
When you’re playing against a zone, you don’t want to fall victim to such
impatience. Work the ball around. Reverse the zone. Keep the ball moving,
throw crisp passes, and avoid unnecessary dribbling. Gradually the zone
coverage will break down. Stay alert, constantly looking for openings in
the middle. Always remember: Good ball movement is the key to beating
the zone. They can’t shift as fast as you can pass, and the result will be the
shooting, passing, and penetrating opportunities you are looking for.
14
Parting
Thoughts
“Keep it simple—when you get too complex, you forget the
obvious.”
—Al McGuire, Former Marquette
Men’s Basketball Coach
Keeping It Simple
We’ve talked a lot of basketball in this book, but if there’s just one more
piece of advice I’d like to send you away with it’s this: Keep it simple.
Some of the things we’ve talked about are complicated. But the players
who perform the best—and improve the fastest—are the ones who stick to
the basics, who work on playing the game soundly and simply. The best
way is the simplest way, which is why I’ve stressed the importance of elimi-
nating wasted motion from your game. It only complicates things. Why
take a long, looping path to the basket when a simple, direct cut would be
much more effective? Why make a bunch of halfhearted fakes when try-
ing to get in for an offensive rebound, when one sharp change of direction
probably would do the trick? Why shoot with your elbow out from your
body and compensate for it by spinning the ball from the side? Some play-
ers succeed with unorthodox shooting styles, but they’re the exceptions.
Keep it simple. Keep your elbow in line with the foot, knee, and hip as
we discussed and release the ball directly toward the basket with a nice,
straight backspin. Simplicity breeds consistency.
Concentrate on mastering the fundamentals. Execute them with the
proper technique. Keeping it simple will make your basketball more fun
155
and your results more impressive, and give you a firm foundation for
improvement. Even the most spectacular plays are just extensions of the
game’s fundamentals.
If you are a young player, I recommend that you use a small ball—even
smaller than the girl’s 28½-inch diameter ball if possible. Also learn to
shoot on a basket that is lower than the 10-foot standard—an eight-foot
should be the highest. This will help you use the proper technique. Players
without the necessary upper body strength and/or confidence learn to push
or throw the ball at the basket, a bad habit that is tough to break later.
Here are some other thoughts, suggestions, and reminders about how
to approach the game.
Giving It Your Best

Playing basketball has given me personal satisfaction as well as many great
experiences. The game has paid my way through college, given me the
opportunity to meet lots of people, and let me travel extensively and write
this book.
Your level of commitment to the game is up to you. Not everybody is
cut out to be an all-American, and not everybody wants to be. Maybe you
aspire to play in a top collegiate program, or maybe you’re happy to have
made the high school JV. Whatever your goals in playing may be, make
the time you put into basketball quality time. Try your best and work your
hardest. As with everything else you do, that’s the only way if you want to
walk away feeling good about your effort and your accomplishments.
Good Nights and Bad

The best pros have bad games and practice sessions. You will, too, and if you
keep that in mind they’ll be easier to handle when they come. Always strive
for perfection, but don’t get down because you don’t attain it. Aim high, push
yourself to improve, and keep in mind that the challenge is what makes it
fun. Sometimes you’ll feel as though you’re not measuring up to the chal-
lenge the way you want to, but you can’t worry about yesterday’s missed shot
or fumbled pass. When things aren’t going well, the best thing you can do is
to learn from it, and go out the next day with a clear head so you can focus
all your mental and physical energy on getting back on track.
Getting Playing Time

Only five players can play at once, and most teams carry at least 10 or 12.
The result is that often there isn’t enough playing time to keep everybody
Parting Thoughts 157
happy. If you’re not getting the time you’d like, if you feel your abilities
are not appreciated or are going to waste, bear in mind that absolutely the
worst thing to do is sulk about it. That won’t do anything except alienate
you from the coach and your teammates.
Keep working hard in practice. Make your coach aware that your atti-
tude and commitment to the team are solid. This isn’t easy when you feel
slighted, but it’s the only way to go.
It’s also a good idea to let your coach know your feelings. Seek your
coach out and ask for an honest appraisal of your ability, your place on
the team and what fundamentals you need to improve. What should you
work on? What specifically can you do that might enhance your value to
the team and get you more time? Most coaches will respect you for being
mature enough and concerned enough to talk with them in this way.
You’re the only one with the power to change your coach’s thinking about
your place on the team, and the way to start is with a positive attitude and
a lot of hard work in practice.
It’s a Team Game

How well your team fares depends on how the individual talents blend
together into a cohesive unit. How enjoyable and satisfying your season
is depends largely on how much everyone pulls together. Your basketball
experiences will be more rewarding if you strive always to be a good team
player, on the court and off.
What is a good team player? She is unselfish. She passes up her own
open shot to give the ball to an open teammate closer to the basket. She
also passes kind words, praising good efforts by her teammates and offer-
ing encouragement whenever needed. She is positive and supportive,
and is often heard saying, “Nice going” and “Hang in there.” She is able
to admit when she’s at fault. She works hard in practice and always gives
100 percent, even if she isn’t a star of the team. She’s alert and attentive,
asks questions and always listens to her coach. She doesn’t gossip behind
anybody’s back because she knows how easily resentments and ill feelings
can spread—and spoil everybody’s fun.
More than anything else, the good team player brings her enthusiasm
with her every day, from tryouts right through to the last game of the sea-
son. She’s upbeat, she looks on the positive side, and she has fun as she’s
playing the game hard. She cares enough to share her enthusiasm, and she
knows when you give something positive to others it always comes back
to you. She also knows the truth of something we touched on at the very
beginning of this book, and that’s a good place to end: Nothing great was
ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Glossary
assist A pass that results in a score by a teammate.
backboard The rectangular board behind the basket used for shooting
bank shots.
backcourt The half of the court containing the basket that a team is
defending.
back door A cut to the hoop behind the defender that a player uses
when she is being overplayed.
bank shot A shot in which the backboard is used.
baseball pass A pass thrown with the same overhand motion used to
throw a baseball or softball. Used primarily to advance the ball a long
way down-court.
baseline The line behind each basket marking the end of the court. Also
called the end line.
basket The goal players shoot for to score points. Also, a shot that goes
through the goal.
block An 8 x 12-inch rectangle found 7 feet from baseline outside both
sides of the free throw lane. Area where the low post likes to set up.
bounce pass A pass that touches the floor before reaching its receiver.
boxing out A blocking move a player uses to gain and keep the inside
rebounding position by keeping her opponent behind her. Also called
blocking out.
carry A violation committed when a player cradles the ball and momen-
tarily holds it while dribbling. Also called palming.
center A position sometimes played by the tallest player and best
rebounder on the team. The center normally sets up in the center of
the court close to the basket, around the free throw lane (high post) or
around the block (low post).
charging A violation committed when an offensive player runs into a
stationary defensive player.
chest pass A two-handed pass thrown from the passer’s chest to the
chest area of the receiver.
158
Glossary 159
closeout What a defensive player has to do when her offensive player

catches the ball, in order to transition from off the ball to on the ball
defense.
combination defense A defense employing elements of both zone and
man-to-man defenses. Sometimes referred to as a “junk” defense.
cut A sharp move made by an offensive player in order to get open or to
beat a defender.
defense The team that attempts to keep its opponent from scoring.
defensive rebound A rebound for your team at the basket you’re
defending.
denial A defensive tactic used to prevent an opponent from getting the
ball.
double dribble A violation caused by starting to dribble, stopping, and
then dribbling a second time.
double-teaming A tactic in which two defensive players guard one
offensive player, usually the one with the ball.
dribble The bouncing movement of the ball—the only way an offensive
player is permitted to move with the ball.
drive A quick offensive move toward the basket with the dribble.
elbow The court area where the free throw line meets the side of the
key.
fake A body or ball movement used to draw a defender out of position.
fast break A style of play in which a team moves the ball upcourt as
quickly as possible after a rebound or steal in hopes of gaining a quick
numbers advantage on the defense and getting an easy shot.
field goal A basket scored on any shot other than a free throw. Worth
two or three points.
flat The area of the court from the baseline to the free throw line
extended; where outlet passes are usually thrown.
forecourt The half of the court containing the basket the offensive team
is shooting for. Also known as the frontcourt.
forward A position usually played by taller players who set up to the
sides of the basket and relatively close to it.
foul A violation caused by illegal contact with an opposing player; can
result in free throws for the opponent.
free throw An unguarded shot taken from the free throw line after an
opponent has committed a foul. A successful free throw counts for one
point.
free throw lane See “key.”
fronting Defending an opponent by positioning your body between her
and the ball.
give and go An offensive play in which a player passes to a teammate
and cuts toward the basket looking for a return pass.
guard A position usually played by smaller, quicker players who are

good ball handlers. Normally a guard sets up on the perimeter, well
away from the basket. Also, to defend.
helping out Assisting a teammate in defensive coverage.
high post An offensive position around the free throw line played by a
center or forward.
jab step A short, quick foot fake used to set up a defender for a drive or
shot.
jump ball The procedure for starting play at the beginning of a game in
which an official tosses the ball into the air; two opposing players jump
up and try to tap it to a teammate.
jump shot An outside shot taken by a player after she has jumped into
the air.
key The 12-foot-wide area between the free throw line and the baseline.
Also called the free throw lane.
lay-up A close-in shot usually banked off the backboard.
low post An offensive position near the basket played by a center, usu-
ally with her back to the basket.
man-to-man defense A type of defense in which each player has a spe-
cific opposing player to defend.
off hand The weaker hand. For right-handed players, the left hand; for
left-handers, the right.
offense The team that has the ball and is attempting to score.
offensive rebound A rebound by your team at the basket your team is
shooting at.
one on one Any situation in which one offensive player attempts to
score on her defensive opponent.
outlet pass A pass (usually an overhead pass to the flat) made by a
rebounder to a teammate in order to start the offensive flow. Very
important to a successful fast break.
overhead pass A two-handed pass thrown from over the head.
overplaying defense An aggressive defense in which players gamble to
steal the ball or deny it to the offense.
paint The free throw lane, usually painted a different color than the rest
of the court.
passing lane The imaginary path between a passer and her teammate.
perimeter The area of the court outside the free throw line.
pinch in On defense, when the ball gets into the middle of the court and
the players adjust their position in toward the middle to cut off passing
lanes.
pivot Footwork in which a player swivels on one foot and moves the
other forward or backward.
Glossary 161
point guard The guard designated as the “quarterback” of the offense.

She usually brings the ball upcourt and handles it more than any other
player.
possession A term describing when a team has the ball.
post up To get position on the defense by using your body to seal her
and create a passing lane for your teammates.
rebound A missed shot that bounces off the backboard or basket. Also
the act of taking possession of a missed shot.
retreat step The big step a defender makes as her player passes the ball,
in order to transition from on the ball defense to off the ball defense.
Also called “jumping off the ball.”
reversing a zone Moving the ball against a zone defense quickly from
one side of the court to the other. Often results in an open shot or
dribble penetration because the defense cannot keep up.
roll A move executed by a player setting a screen in which she pivots
open to the ball so that she’s in a position to receive a pass.
screen A block an offensive player sets against a defender to free another
offensive player for a shot or pass. Also called a pick.
skip pass An overhead pass that is thrown to a teammate two or more
players away; used to exploit a zone.
squaring up A move in which a player pivots and squarely faces the
basket after receiving the ball.
strong side The side of the court where the ball is.
three seconds A violation in which an offensive player remains in the
key for more than three consecutive seconds.
trailer An offensive player, usually a rebounder, who follows behind the
play on a fast break.
traveling A violation committed when a player takes steps with the ball
without dribbling. Also called walking.
triple-threat position A stance taken by an offensive player upon
receiving the ball that gives her the option to shoot, pass, or dribble.
turnover Any ball-handling error or violation (for example, making a
bad pass or traveling) that gives possession of the ball to the opposing
team.
weak side The side of the court where the ball isn’t; when the ball is on
the left, the weak side is the right.
zone defense A type of defense in which players guard a particular area
of the court rather than a specific opposing player.
Basketball
Resources
www.aaugirlsbasketball.org/ is the Web site of the Amateur Athletic
Girls’ (AAU) Basketball program, encompassing nine junior division age
groups for players age 18 and under. The website provides information about
AAU tournaments, teams, and how to register, as well as the official AAU
Girls’ Basketball Handbook. To contact the organization, check the Web site
for your local AAU Association Chairman’s contact information.
Click on www.ncaa.com to view the official Web site of NCAA women’s bas-
ketball. This site provides information on women’s college teams by division,
including schedules, scores, and NCAA tournament news. Also featured are
NCAA-sponsored youth programs and basketball trivia for fans of all ages.
For more information contact:

The National Collegiate Athletic Association
700 West Washington Street
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6222
Telephone: (317) 917-6222
Go to www.wbca.org, the Web site for the Women’s Basketball Coaches

Association (WBCA), which serves to inform and unify coaches on all lev-
els. The site provides information on membership application, the WBCA
National Convention, the WBCA All-Star Challenge, and other events
sponsored by the association.

WBCA
4646 Lawrenceville Highway
Lilburn, Georgia 30047-3620
Telephone: (770) 279-8027
E-mail: wbca@wbca.org
162
Basketball Resources 163
Visit www.wnba.com, the official Web site of the Women’s National

Basketball Association, to find information on WNBA teams and players,
game schedules and stats, as well as up-to-date league news and events.

WNBA New York Office
Olympic Tower
645 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Telephone: (212) 688-WNBA
Index
Italic page numbers back door (backdoor Bird, Sue 66
indicate illustrations. cut) 93, 106, 106– Blazejowski, Carol 117
Page numbers followed 107, 158g block 134, 158g
by g denote glossary backpedaling 14 block and place 44
entries. backspin 48, 49, 62 blocking out. See box-
balance 45 ing out
ball (of foot) 38, 40, 45 bounce pass 69–71, 70,
A ball control 47, 48 158g
aggression ball denial 127, 128 for inside-the-lane
and rebounding 142, ball fake 53, 73–74, drill 62
143, 146 153 for passing-on-the-
recklessness v. 133 ball-handling skills move drill 76
agility, improving 17 28–33 for two-ball passing
alertness 117 around the world drill 76
Amateur Athletic 29–30 boxing out 138, 158g
Union (AAU) 9–10 dribble figure-8 30 defensive rebounding
animal drill 144–145 dribble V’s/sweep 137, 138
ankle braces 12 pass 32 offensive rebounding
anticipation 129–130, and fast break 116 142
130, 142 figure-8 drill 30 rebounding drill 144
arc 48, 48–49, 55 fingertip control drill zone defense 151
arm bar 92, 138 29 breathing 56
around-the-world drill pounding the ball 28 build-up runs 14
29, 29–30 spider dribble 32, 32 Buzzer Game 64
assist 75, 158g squeezing the ball
athletic socks 12 28–29
Auriemma, Geno 34 two-ball drills 32–33
C
ball-you-girl 123 camps 9
bank shot 55, 55, 158g capabilities, knowing
B baseball pass 71, 71, 104
baby banker 63, 114 158g carry 158g
baby jump shot 62 baseline 133, 158g catching the ball 44,
backboard 51, 55, 55, basket 158g 66–68, 68
158g Beat the Clock 64 center 4, 158g
backcourt 158g “B-E-E-F” 50 Cerutty, Percy 11
164
Index 165
change-of-pace dribble warming up 13–17 against screens 130–

85–87, 86 weight training 132, 131
changing direction 39 26–27 X-out drill 41
charging 158g cone drills 18–20, 19, defensive closeout
chest pass 158g 20 118–119
avoiding, on fast confidence 58 defensive positioning
break 114 consistency 58, 155 121–122
and intensity lay-up contest-the-shooter defensive rebounding
60 drill 63 136–141
and intensity passing control dribble 81–82, defensive shuffle. See
drill 75–76 82, 83 shuffling
and passing-on-the- cooling down 26 denial 159g
move drill 76 core strength, develop- desire, rebounding and
technique for 68–69, ing 24–25 137
69 court, dimensions/lay- diagonal run drill 40,
and two-ball passing out of 1–3, 2 40
drill 76 court balance 103 direction, changing 39
circle drill 89–90 cross-court passing distance running
circle routes, avoiding 74–75 20–21
35, 35–36 crossover dribble 86, double dribble 159g
closeout 118–119, 86–87 double-teaming 159g
159g crossover dribble drill dribble figure-8 ball-
combination defense 89 handling drill 30
159g crossover offensive dribble V’s/sweep pass
commitment 156 move 99–101, 100 32
communication cut 159g dribbling 78–90, 159g
and defense 134 cut-and-stop shooting and defense 134
and fast break 114 drill 62–63 drills for 88–90
and passing-on-the- “cutting off ” defender’s ending too early 85
move drill 76 legs 99, 100 head position for
and zone defense 83–84
150 moves off of 85–88
complacency 9
D overdribbling 81
composure 103 defender-in-the-middle passing v. 66, 75, 81,
conditioning 11–27 drill 76 114
cone drills 18–20 defense 159g and rules of game 5
cooling down 25 aggressive 117–118 technique for 81–83
for core strength anticipation 129– with weak hand
24–25 130, 130 84–85
distance running hints to improve when to/when not to
20–21 132–134 78–80, 79
feet 12 off-the-ball 123–129, against zone defense
hands 13 124 152
jumping rope 18–19 on-the-ball 118–122, drills
for linear speed 20 119, 122 ball handling 28–33
“line” drills 17–18 playing 117–135 dribbling 88–90
for speed/agility 17 against roll 132 footwork 39–41
for strength 21–25 and rules of game 4 passing 75–76
rebounding 144–146 figure-8 ball-handling fouls

shooting 58–64 drill 30, 31 defined 159g
drive 159g figure-8 cone drills 18 and rebounding 144
exploiting opportuni- fingers/fingertips. See and rules of game
ties for 97 also touch (for 4–5
pass v. 115 shooting) smart v. dumb 133
and rocker fake and ball control 47 and zone defense
98–99 control dribble 81, 148–149
drop step 120, 121, 82 free throw 4–5, 56–57,
128, 134 control drill 29 159g
dumb foul 133 and passing 74 free throw lane. See key
dynamic warm-up touch drill 60 fronting 127, 159g
13–17, 15–16 flat 141, 159g full-court defense 5
flexibility 13 full-court speed dribble
focus, on hoop 49–50 drill 89
E follow-through fundamentals, master-
elbow (arm) and bounce pass ing 155–156
and defense 133 70–71
position for shooting and jump shots 55
46, 46 and passing-on-the-
G
and rebounding 139 move drill 76 Gernatt, Theresa A.
and receiving passes technique for 49 136
67 and touch drill 60 getting in shape 11–27
and releasing the ball and two-ball passing getting open 92–95
48 drill 76 Gillen, Conor 28
elbow (of court) 115, footwork 34–42 give and go 104–105,
159g avoiding circle routes 105, 159g
elbows and toes exer- 35–36 goals, defining 9
cise 25, 25 being ready to move great circle routes.
enthusiasm 157 34–35 See circle routes,
change of direction avoiding
39 guard 160g
F drills for 39–41 guide hand 49, 60
fake 159g. See also ball jab step 97–98
fake jumping rope to
and defender-in-the- improve 19
H
middle drill 76 and lay-up 50, 52 hand placement 47, 47,
and give-and-go 104, pivoting 38–39 121
105 stopping 36–38 hands 13, 66, 77, 133
and passing 74 forecourt 159g head position 45–46,
against zone defense forward 159g 83–84
153 forward/backward fig- hedging 131
fast break 112–116, ure 8 18, 19 helping out 160g
113, 152, 159g forward/backward hops hesitation dribble. See
fatigue 149 18, 19 change-of-pace
feet 12, 119, 120. See forward pivots 38, dribble
also footwork 38–39 hesitation dribble drill
field goal 4, 159g forwards 4 89
Index 167
high-percentage shots L one-on-one moves

102–103 97–101
high post 4, 160g lane(s) 114 and rules of game
hook pass 73 lane denial 127–128, 3–5
128, 151–152
hoop, focusing on scoring position
lateral figure 8 18, 19
49–50 91–92
lateral hops 18, 19
hops 18 squaring up 95–96
lateral squats 24, 24
Houston Cougars 102 team 102–106
lay-ups 50–53, 52, 160g
and triple-threat
L-cuts 94–95, 95
position 45
I leaning 45
two-person plays
Ledbetter, Joe 43
individual offense skills 104–112
legs 53, 56
91–101 against zone defense
Leslie, Lisa 91–92
inside game 148 152–154
linear speed, improv-
inside-the-lane shoot- offensive rebounding
ing 20
ing drill 62 line drills 17–18, 18, 59 136, 142, 160g
intensity lay-up 60–61, low post 4, 160g off hand 160g
60–62 lunges 21 off-the-ball defense
intensity passing drill 118, 123–129, 124
75–76 one on one 160g
M one-on-one offensive
man-to-man defense 5, moves 97–101
J one plus one (foul
147, 160g
jab step 97–98, 98, McConnell, Michael 78 shots) 5
160g McGraw, Muffet 65 1-2 step stop. See two-
jump ball 160g meeting the pass 67 step (stride) stop
jumping 51, 56, 139, midsection 133 on-the-ball defense
143 moving without the ball 118–122, 119, 122
jumping rope 18–19 104 on-your-back shooting
jumping to the ball 123 drill 58–59, 59
jump shot 53–55, 54, open player, hitting
62–63, 160g N 103
jump stop 36, 36–37, Naismith, James 1 outlet pass 72, 112,
39 “natural” shooters 139, 145, 160g
43–44 outside shooting
North Carolina State 149–150
K overdribbling 81
102
key 160g overhead pass 72,
knees, flexed 72–73, 160g
and balance 45 O overplaying defense
for changing direc- offense 91–101, 160g 99–100, 106, 160g
tion 39 and defense 134 over the limit 5
for free throw 56 getting open 92–95 over the top 144
importance of 34–35 good defense as 117
for jump stopping 37 individual skills for
pivoting and 38 91–101
P
when setting screens looking before mov- paint 160g
108 ing 97 palm, of hand 47
passing 65–77 positions, basic 3–4 reverse dribble. See spin

basic types of passes possession 161g dribble
68–74 post up 161g reverse pivots 38,
dribbling v. 66, 75, pounding the ball 28 38–41, 138
81, 114 power lay-up 53, 114 reversing a zone 152–
drills 75–76 practice time, getting 153, 161g
hints for improving the most out of rhythm, disrupting 134
74–75 8–9, 58 “riding the rails” 114
importance of 66 praise 157 rim 48–49, 55
meeting the pass 67 press 5 rip-through 100
preparation for catch- pushing foul 144 rocker fake 98–99, 99
ing passes 67 pushups 22, 23 roll 110, 110–111, 132,
receiving a pass 67– 142, 161g
68, 68 rules 4–6
and rules of game 5
Q run and pivot drill
against zone defense quality time 156 40–41
149, 153 questions, asking 10 running 20–21
passing lanes 74, 160g
passing-on-the-move
drill 76
R S
passive defense 118 range of motion 13 sagging in 147
patience 57, 154 rapid-fire shooting drill sagging off 123
Pendley, Mike 147 63 scoring position 91–92
perimeter 106, 151, reaching in 132 screen 161g
160g reaction time 35 defending 130–132,
perimeter players 3, 4 readiness, for moving 131
perimeter shots 34–35 playing against zone
149–150 rebounding 136–146, defense 154
permanent pivot 96 138, 140, 141, 161g rolling 110
physical conditioning defensive 137–141 setting 108, 108–109
11–27 desire and 137 screening away 108,
pick. See screen drills for 144–146 109
pick and pop 111, and fast break 112 screening on the ball
111–112 hints for 142–144 108
pick and roll 110, offensive 142 screening out. See box-
110–111 rapid-fire drill 63 ing out
picking up the dribble and rules of game 5 screens, setting 108,
85 and zone defense 151 108–109, 111
pinch in 160g rebounding triangle seams, of zone 149,
pitch pass 73 143, 149 150, 154
pivot 38, 38–41, 96, receiving a pass 67–68, second wind 11–12
160g 68 self-inventory 8, 104
players, basic positions recklessness, aggres- shell drill 125–127,
of 3–4 siveness v. 133 126
playing time, getting relaxation 58 shoes 12
156–157 releasing the ball 48 shooting 43–64
playing “up” 9–10 “R.E.P.S.” 28 arc of shot 48–49
point guards 3, 161g retreat step 123, 161g balance 45
Index 169
ball control 47 sprint, slide, backpedal playing percentages

catching the ball 44 drill 19–20, 20 102–103
drills 58–64 square-off cuts. See two-person plays
elbow position 46 L-cuts 104–112
follow-through 49 squaring up 95–96, 96, team player 157
head position 45–46 161g telegraphing 74
hints for improving cut-and-stop drill three-point shots 4
57–58 62–63 three seconds 161g
“natural” shooters inside-the-lane drill three-way drill
43–44 62 (rebounding) 145,
releasing the ball 48 and triple-threat 145–146
shot selection 57 position 44 Tighe, Shelia 137
specific shots 50–57 squeezing the ball tight turns 20, 20
triple-threat position 28–29 touch (for shooting)
44–45 Staley, Dawn 7 13, 47–49, 58
watching the hoop start-and-stop drill 39 touch drill 60
49–50 Station to Station 64 trailer 115, 161g
shooting guards 3–4 steal 130 training 11–27
shot(s) 50–57 step-around pass 73, traveling 38, 161g
shot clock 5 73 triple-threat position
shot selection 57 stepping through 92 44, 44–45, 161g
shoulder rotations 14 step ups 21, 22, 23 before dribbling 79,
shuffling 119–120 stopping 36–38 80
and defending strength (physical) 13, and squaring up 95
screens 131 21–25 against zone defense
and lane denial 128 strengths (as player) 153
and rebounding 139 104, 116 trunk twisters 14
side bridge 25, 26 stretches 13 turnover 161g
simplicity, importance stride, improvement two-ball drills (dribbling)
of 155–156 of 19 32–33, 33, 89
sit-up(s) 25 stride (two-step) stop two-ball drills (pass-
sit-up dribble drill 88 37, 37–39 ing) 76
skip pass 72, 153, 153, strong side 161g 2½ minute shooting
161g stutter step dribble. drill 63
skips (for dynamic See change-of-pace 2-1-2 zone defense
warmup) 14 dribble 151
slides 14 Summitt, Pat 117 two-person plays
sliding through 131 support 124, 157 104–112
smart foul 133 swarming 134 two-step (stride) stop
socks 12 swing-through 100 37, 37–38
soft touch 48–49 Swiss wall slides 23, 2-3 zone defense 148,
speed 23–24 148, 149
changing 39 switch 131, 132
improving 17, 20
speed dribble 83, 83
U
spider dribble 32, 32
T unselfishness 75, 157
spin dribble 87 team offense 102–116 upper body strength
spin dribble drill 89 fast break 112–116 19
V weaknesses 8, 104, 116 Z

weak side 161g
V-cuts 92–94, 93, 94 weight training 26–27 zone defense 147–154,
windmills 14, 16 148, 151, 161g
wings (forwards) 4, 94 defined 5, 147
W disadvantages of
Wooden, John 8–9
walking knee hugs 14, 15 wrist 49, 60 149–150
walking lunges 14, 16 playing 150–152
walking tin soldiers 14, playing offense
15 X against 152–154
wall sit 21, 21 reasons to play
warming up 13–17, X-out drill 41, 41 148–149
15–16
waste motion, eliminat-
ing 155
Y
weak hand, dribbling young players 156
with 84–85 Yow, Kay 91

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WINNING

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at

Text design by Erika K. Arroyo

Printed in the United States of America

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

To my husband, Matthew Peter Miller,

In loving memory of my grandparents, and for

1 A Look at the Game 1

3 Preparation for Success—Getting in Shape 11

4 Ball-Handling—Developing A Feel for the Ball 28

6 Your Best Shot 43

7 Passing—The Heart of the Game 65

8 Dribbling Under Control 78

9 Developing Individual Offensive Skills 91

11 Playing Tough Defense 117

12 Under the Boards—How to Get Rebounds 136

13 All About Zones 147

14 Parting Thoughts 155

If you’ve played on a team where enthusiasm was the watchword, none

Just over a century ago in Springfield, Massachusetts, a

The court is divided by a midcourt line, and is marked off by baselines

How the Game is Played

of shooting, or fouled intentionally. The other instance when free throws

Seeing yourself improve provides one of the biggest satisfactions

Get the Most out of

purest basketball is played by the collegiate women’s teams”) once said,

Basketball is a game of transition that demands nearly

TREATING YOUR FEET WELL

CONDITIONING YOUR HANDS

Example of a dynamic warm-up:

• Jog for two to three minutes

• Slide right at 50 percent

Walking knee hugs

Walking tin soldiers

Figure 3-1 Dynamic warm-up exercises.

Walking lunges (front and side angle)

Figure 3-1 (continued) Dynamic warm-up exercises.

• Shoulder rotations 8 times each way

The percentages are in terms of effort—where 100 percent is maximum

IMPROVING YOUR SPEED

1. Feet together A, B (side to side as quickly as possible)

Figure 3-2 Line drills.

1. Lateral Hops—Place the cones 1½ to 2 feet apart. Keeping your feet

Figure 3-3 Cone drills.

More Cone Drills

Figure 3-4 More cone drills.

Linear Speed Improvement

Chapter 2 for a self-inventory. As you get in better condition, you’ll find

IMPROVING YOUR STRENGTH

Figure 3-5 (continued) Strength exercises.

(such as a bleacher) or box (approximately 15 inches high). With

Swiss ball slides

Figure 3-5 (continued) Strength exercises.

front of your hips. Begin by bending your knees 30 to 45 degrees into

Developing Core Strength

Elbows and toes

ABOUT WEIGHT TRAINING

Developing a feel for the basketball is critical to your

Pounding the Ball

Squeezing the Ball

Fingertip Control Drill