The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket

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The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
N.4   MARCH
                                 OFFICIAL DIGITAL MAGAZINE   APRIL 2020

  DON SHOWALTER
The “20” Offense
A MAN-TO-MAN OFFENSIVE PLAY

          Mick Downer
          Building
          a Defensive System
          (Second Part)

          Mike Thomson
          Deliver
          (Communicate)
          Post-Game
          Feedback
          Interview with
          Ryan Tanke
          The Culture of Care:
          Staff and Fan
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
AdB Hoops Publisher
                                                  TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                                  Editorial                               Referees
  Is a digital pubblication of the Alqueria
 del Basket, C/ Bomber Ramon Duart S/N            Let's go...                      5      Deliver (Communicate)              34
           46013, Valencia, Spain                 Giorgio Gandolfi                        Post-Game Feedback
              Editor-in-Chief                     coaches                                 Mike Thomson
             Giorgio Gandolfi
              Editorial Office                    The “20” Offense                 6      Rules QUIZ                         38
          Tel.+39-0372-460585                     Don Showalter                           Roberto Chiari
        E-mail: gg@adbhoops.com
                                                  Building a Defensive system     10      MARKETING, MANAGEMENT & DIGITAL
         Art Director: Lisa Cavallini
                                                  (second Part)                           The Culture of Care: Staff and Fan 40
         The magazine is published
             six times per year
                                                  Mick Downer                             Interview with Ryan Tanke
                                                  Various topics                          Giorgio Gandolfi
 Valencia BC, Alqueria del Basket, and the
  Editor-in-Chief Giorgio Gandolfi are not        What Basketball Means to me… 18         ALQUERIA NEWS
 responsible for the opinions expressed in
      the articles. All rights reserved
                                                  Stefano Michelini                       First national Basketball Chair 46
All information in this digital publication are
                                                  Video library                           Alqueria Events                    48
provided as news matter only and is not to        Thumb Series (sec. Part)        22      Alqueria SERVICES                  50
be used to violate any local or national laws     Thumb Fist
              Produced in Italy                   eCoach - NBA Coaches Association        HOOPS FOR ALL
  Copyright 2020 by Alqueria del Basket,          The ‘’Art of War’’              23      Baskin - The Abilities Assessment's
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The articles received by the authors, by any
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                                                  Mini Basketball                         the League and the Post Season 58
                                                  Mini Basketball,                        Haj Bhania
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS                                  Where IT ALL BEGINS             26
We would like to thank for their                                                          AROUND THE COURT
                                                  Antonio Carrillo                        NBA HomeCourt and Global         60
collaboration:
All the authors, who, with a great                Strenght & Conditioning Coaches         Scout Apps
enthusiasm, shared with us their                  Into the Squat                  30
knowledge.
                                                                                          Giorgio gandolfi with Tom Marchesi,
Ms. Lisa Cavallini as Art Director, Mr.
                                                  Jacopo Torresi                          NBA EME Sr. Director of Communication
Carles Orive, for the Spanish translation,
Ms. Elisa Michel for the English editing,
Mr. Alberto Chilet, Media Manager of
L’Alqueria del Basket, for the help and
collaboration, Mr. Tom Marchesi, Senior
Director Comunications NBA EME
for the collaboration and for the NBA
Photos, Ms. Laura Janquart, Executive
Assistant Minnesota Timberwolves
and Lynx for the collaboration and the
photos of the interview with Mr. Ryan                                    18                      46                     60
Tanke, Ms. Jenny Johnston , Assistant                  VARIOUS TOPICS          ALQUERIA NEWS            Around the Court
Director Communications of the USA                   What Basketball           First national         The NBA HomeCourt and
Basketball for the collaboration and the               Means to me…           Basketball Chair          Global Scout Apps
photos of the article of Don Showalter               Stefano Michelini         Alberto Chilet
                                                                                                      alqueriadelbasket.com 3
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
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The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
Giorgio Gandolfi } Editor in Chief

LET’S GO…
W
              e at Alqueria and at AdB Hoops           In the section “Around the Court”, only one word
              would like to send a strong mes-         can describe the HomeCourt and the NBA Global
              sage to all our readers around the       Scout apps and that is: “Incredible!” And here are
              world: don’t give in to panic, fight     the two main reasons why. First, these apps can
              to live your lives as before, but with   help youngsters from all over the world improve
greater caution, be aware and employ common            their basketball skills. Secondly, they can dream of
sense!                                                 becoming NBA players, of being selected to par-
                                                       ticipate in NBA and FIBA Basketball Without Bor-
In these times, when the coronavirus has exten-        ders events, or to be selected for the elite NBA
ded its worldwide “full court press,” we cannot sit    Academies that USA pro leagues have in different
paralyzed on the sidelines and wait for it to stop     countries.
creating huge health problems and the return of
better times: we need to move on. We must still        Don’t forget to try your hand at our Rules Quiz.
do what we like even more, we need to try to make
our lives as close as possible to what they were       Please enjoy the issue …
before, naturally with the proper precautions ta-      Let’s go forward!
ken.

We hope that this issue of AdB Hoops, its fourth
edition, will give you some small relief from
the strain that we are all going through.
The distraction of reading about our
basketball topics, including mes-
saging for the best coaches,
strength and conditioning
coaches, executives, refere-
es, and clubs that in several          HomeCourt & NBA
countries of the world can-
not be on the courts, will be
                                      Global Scout Apps
informative as well as a di-
straction.
                                         for players
One of our authors in this is-
                                         worldwide
sue is Don Showalter, who has
never lost a game in his tenure
as head coach of the USA Under
16 and 17 National teams, and has
collected five FIBA World, and five FIBA
Americas Championships along the way.

Mini Basketball is the first step that a child ta-
kes into playing the game of basketball. After a
previous article on the topic by Italian instructor,
Maurizio Cremonini, we asked a Spanish instruc-
tor, Antonio Carrillo, to talk about the Spanish ap-
proach to mini basketball.

                                                                                      alqueriadelbasket.com 5
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
COACHES} Don Showalter                 }   USAB Youth Div. Director Coach Development

                           THE “20” OFFENSE
                                 A Man-to-Man Offensive Play

I
     n nine years at the helm of USA Basketball Un-      THE ACTION
     der 16 and 17 National teams, I had the privilege   We start in a one-four set, with two big men at the
     of coaching several great players, among them       elbows of the free-throw area, two wings and one
     Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, Jabari      point guard. Player 1 passes to 2 and makes a hard
     Parker of the Atlanta Hawks, and Jayson Tatum       cut to the opposite corner, while, on the help side, 5,
of the Boston Celtics. When creating a team in           one of the two big men, dives to the block (diagr. 1).
a short period of time, I always tried to keep
our offense simple, while playing a hard-no-
sed defense.

Since 2016 I have been USA Basketball
Youth Division Director of Coach De-
velopment where we work for the                    FIVE GOLD
improvement of youth coaches.
                                                MEDALS AT FIBA
I would like to describe the “20”
offense, which we employ based
                                                WORLD AND FIVE
on players’ movements and on                   AT FIBA AMERICAS
their skills in reading the defensi-
ve situations and reacting to what              CHAMPIONSHIPS
the defenders give them.

6 alqueriadelbasket.com
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
1                                      2                                       3

TEACHING POINTS                                           TEACHING POINTS
} Player 1 cuts hard to the opposite corner between       } Player 5 should set the screen with his back to the
  4 and 5, but not making a UCLA cut (a cut on a ver-       elbow.
  tical screen of the big man, editor’s note).            } Player 2 comes off the screen of 4 with two drib-
} There is no screen of 4 and 5 for getting 1 free.         bles, and reads the roll of 5, as well as of a possible
} In the meantime, 3 moves up, staying high and             pass to the opposite post 5, to 1 in the corner, or to
  wide.                                                     3, who goes up wide.
                                                          } 4 rolls hard to the basket, looking for a low pocket
THE ACTION                                                  pass from 2.
} Player 4 screens for 2, and then rolls to the basket.
} Player 2 looks to get to the elbow to make a play. If   THE ACTION
  no solution is available, 3 goes up wide and the        } Player 1 lifts to the wing to receive the pass, while
  ball is swung across the court from 2, who got over       the post 5 flashes to the high post spot.
  the screen of 4, to 3 (diagr. 2).                       } After the ball is swung to the wing 1, 3 makes a cut

                                                                                            alqueriadelbasket.com 7
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
COACHES } THE “20” OFFENSE

                                 4                                    5                                    6

to the opposite corner, and pushes 2 to the wing out-   TEACHING POINTS:
    side of the three-point lane (diagr. 3).            } 5’s screen is set with back to the three-second
                                                          area for a better angle.
TEACHING POINTS                                         } Player 1 clears the screen with two dribbles,
} Player 3 now makes a hard cut to the corner, cut-       looking for three possible options: passing to 5
  ting between 5 and 4.                                   on the roll, to 4 on a short corner, or to 3 at the
} Player 2 should stay high and wide now for ball         three-point line.
  reversal.                                             } 2 goes high and wide for a
                                                          possible reversal pass
THE ACTION:
} Player 1 comes off the screen from the 5, while 4,
  3 and 1 form a weak side triangle (diagr. 4).
                                                        Let’s see another possible               2009
                                                        solution, on “20” offense .
                                                                                               NATIONAL
                                                                                              HIGH SCHOOL
                                                                                               COACH OF
                                                                                               THE YEAR

8 alqueriadelbasket.com
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
@dshow23

THE ACTION
As seen before, 1 passes to 2 and makes a hard cut
to the opposite corner, while on the help side 4, one
                                                          TIDBITS
of the two big men, dives to the block and 3 goes up      Showalter grew
wide. But, in this option, 5 screens on the ball for 2     up on a farm
(diagr. 5).                                                near Kalona,
                                                               Iowa
TEACHING POINTS

                                                                }
                                                           He is author of
} Again, 5 must screen with his back to the elbow
                                                          several technical
  of the free-throw area.
                                                              DVDs on
                                                           individual skill
THE ACTION                                                  development,                                      7
Player 2 comes off the screen with two dribbles, lo-      practice sessions,
oking to shoot or to pass to 5 on the roll after the     zone and man-to-
screen, to 4 on the opposite low post spot, or to 3       man offense and
outside of the three-point area (diagr. 6).                full court press
                                                                defense
TEACHING POINTS
} The player must read the defense and react with
  the proper passing to the open teammates.

THE ACTION
If there is no solution and the
ball is passed to 3, 3 passes
the ball to 1. Then 1 recei-                                                                                 8
ves a screen from 4, who
                                                                  popped out from the low post spot, while 3
                                                                      cuts on the corner on the other side of
                                                                        the court, and 2 goes up wide (diagr.
                                                                           7).

                                                                               TEACHING POINTS
                                                                                } In every offensive play, the
                                                                                   spacing on the court, the
                                                                                     timing of the cuts and
                                                                                       the screen—run with
                                                                                        the proper angle—
                                                                                         are of the utmost
                                                                                          importance for the
 Career                                                                                    success of the play.

      1974 - 1976              1984 -2012              2009-2018                          THE ACTION
     Lone Tree H. S.         Mid - Praire H.S.      USA Under 16 & 17                     Player 1 has three
        Coach                     Coach           National Team Coach                     different passing
                                                                                          options: to 4, after
      1976 -1984               2012 - 2016                2016                            he has rolled to the
   Cent. Elkader H. S.        Iowa City H.S.         Youth Division                      basket, to 5 on the
         Coach                   Coach             Director of Coach                     opposite low post,
                                                                                        or to 2, who is set
                                                      Development                     outside of the three-
                                                                                    point line (diagr. 8).
                                                                                         alqueriadelbasket.com 9
The "20" Offense DON SHOWALTER - L'Alqueria del Basket
COACHES } Mick Downer } CANTERBURY RAMS HEAD COACH

BUILDING A DEFENSIVE SYSTEM
(SECOND PART)
Overcoming Limitations in Time and Resources
with Creativity and Innovation
DEFENSIVE BUILDING BLOCKS                              START THE
Using Constraints, Incentives and Drill                DEFENSE WHEN
Manipulations                                          THE BALL IN THE AIR
We use these three basic guidelines in our teaching    WITH NO POSSESSION
methodology and delivery. These are the founda-        We always start with “Rebounding Coverage”. Neither
tion concepts for everything we do on the basketball   team has possession of the ball in this moment and
court as coaches.                                         with a predictable shot we are
                                                                                     , in a great position to
                                                                get ready to defend. As a by-product of mo-
                                                                   ving forward and getting ready to defend,
                                                                     we often put ourselves in a position
                                               2019                    to compete for the offensive boards.
                                          NBL CANTERBURY                This is now referred to “Tagging (” or
                                                                         “Jamming” up. It’s an aggressive de-
                                            RAMS BEST                    fensive concept that we introduced
                                             DEFENSIVE                   with the Cairns Taipans under head
                                                                         coach Aaron Fearne (diagr. 1, 2, 3, 4,
                                               TEAM                     5, and 6).

                                                                    Some of the key concepts:
                                                                     }   Great offense forces rotations or
                                                             mismatches over 50% of possessions.
                                                       } Start defense earlier.
                                                       } 50/50 rebounding contests.
                                                       } Through the elbows / over the top on the shot.
                                                       } Responsibility (decision to tag or safety) more im-
                                                       portant than a match-up.
                                                             } Traditional safety players sprint to
                                                                  the mid line of the court and to cover the
                                                                    offensive players running down.
                                                                       } Immediate ball pressure.
                                                                          }     Higher players dive down the
                                                                              court.
                                                                                }       Defensive transition into
                                                                                    disruption on the fly of the
                                                                                     ball.
                                                                                      } Organic disruption re-
                                                                                      ads.

10 alqueriadelbasket.com
1                                     2                                       3

REBOUNDING COVERAGE                    INBOUND OR OUTLET                     RUNNING DOWN
On perimeter shots                     After a made or missed shot we        A2 shoots the ball, B2 runs down
A2 and A4 (wings & corners             need to "jam" the ball                in the middle of the court
players) come back "thru the           and guard any offensive player,       As A4, highest player on the floor,
elbows"                                who runs down. Other defenders        sees B2 running down, he runs in
B2 and B4 (players on the paint)       plug the floor.                       a "safety" position.
go over the top                                                              After the shoot A2 sprints back
                                                                             to halfway near the midline of the
                                                                             court.

                                                                                           alqueriadelbasket.com 11
COACHES } BUILDING A DEFENSIVE SYSTEM (SECOND PART)

                                    4                                     5                                      6

SPILLS                                   DEFENSIVE REBOUND                    FIND, CONTAIN, DISRUPT
After the A2’s drive to basket, en-      A5 “jam” the ball.                   Find where is the ball & get on
ding over baseline, A4, the highest      A3 on the ball side guards any       the help positions.
player on the floor, sprints back as     offensive player running down.       Contain the ball on the "sideline"
safety.                                  A2 runs high in the the middle and   until there is the help and com-
We apply the normal weak side            A4 goes deep down.                   municate. Disrupt (turn, hit, blitz)
rules on going to the rebound                                                 read the situation once the other
through the elbows.                                                           defenders are set on their spots.

OUR HALFCOURT DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
We are a “Pack” defensive team, with some key concepts in a basic 3 vs 3 drill (diagr. 7, 8, 9 and 10).
Below is a table of some of these concepts.

                                    7                                     8                                      9

PACK CONCEPTS                            CLOSEOUTS                            PACK DEFENSE 3 V 3
The coach passes out the ball to 3.      Start in “pack” help: your proper    Practice on two-third of the court.
Closeout: in a "straight up" posi-       position is your help.               Two dribble limit, no screens.
tion. The shooter / driver reads          The defender, based on shooter/     Score in the paint or with a three-
the defender gap, but the defender       driver reads, decides on how early   point shot.
must have always have high hands         to leave “pack” help.
Ball side defense: guard on open stan-   One-way movement to your man.
ce in a "pack" line help.
Weak side defense: on the lane line
help.

12 alqueriadelbasket.com
https://canterburyrams.basketball/

CONCEPT                       DISCUSSION POINTS
 “Live” v “Dead” Ball         We are in “Pack” positions on a live ball. When the ball is picked up or driven into the
                              “Red zone” (below the backboard) we come out of a pack position and deny.
 Denial Defense               We chart “Dead” deflections in games and often incorporate deflections into our sco-
                              ring manipulations at practice.
 Standard Closeouts           We deny with a hand (not body) in the lane, so on a back cut we can check the cutter or
                              go with him, so we don’t give up lay-ups.
 HOT Closeouts                High hands with hips down, regardless of a shooter or driver. The angle is “square”
                              (back to basket) unless a corner shooter, where we aim to “pin” the ball in the corner.
                              We take away the rhythm for the three-point shooters with a hard closeout, where as
                              a driver, we closeout short, but with high hand to influence any pass.
 Push Points                  Players identified as “HOT” are run off the three-point line and forced to drive. We at-
                              tack the shooters, shooting hand and “plant” our foot outside the 3-pt line. Key is to
                              “show” hands to the officials. It is an expectation that you chase the shooter down on
                              a drive and keep chasing until a “pack” defender yells “Stay” or “Go”.
                              On a long/late closeout, leave your feet early so as to land inside the 3-pt line and not
                              foul the 3-pt shooter – this MUST be practiced.
                              Let the players make decisions. Either send to weak hand, smallest space to guard or
                              to your closeout “Pack” defender. This is covered in scout preparation.
                              As a general rule sending the ball outside the elbows or below the low hash mark (ba-
                              seline drive) is a pass mark on a 1 vs. 1 drive.

                                    10

PACK DEFENSE
Drive & kick, or pass & cut
One-way closeouts

                                                                                                   alqueriadelbasket.com 13
COACHES } BUILDING A DEFENSIVE SYSTEM (SECOND PART)
DEFENSIVE STYLE OF PLAY SCORING
We use a variety of scoring manipulations and incen-        There is a myriad of scoring manipulations and ga-
tives to improve our defense. We have a standard            mes that can be played at practice to keep things
SOP scoring system that the players learn early on          fun, break up monotony or narrow a focus on a spe-
in the pre-season. Then we will add a variety of ma-        cific skill. When we bias the defense or it’s a defensi-
nipulations to re-enforce a particular skill and shape      ve drill at practice, we always use a defensive target
habits.                                                     / scoring system to find a winner.

                           VALUE                DESCRIPTION
 STANDARD SOP              1 stop               Standard stop on a missed 3-pt shot or shot in the paint
 DEFENSE                                        2 Dead defections in a possession

                           2 stops              Standard stop on a missed mid-range shot
                                                Turnover generated
                           No stop              Offensive rebound conceded, but not converted
                                                (repeat possession)
                           -1 stop              Converted offensive rebounded

 VARIOUS COMMON            No Stop              If defense gets lifted on an up fake
 MANIPULATIONS
                           Kill Game            3 stops in a row wins
                           Target Game          Set a target, i.e. 5 stops wins (get a stop = stay on D)
                                                Repeated mistakes, lack of talk, uncontested shot = off D

                                    11                                     12                                      13

STAY/GO DRILL                            READS DRILL                             CHASE DOWN DRILL
Designate a “Captain”, who can           X2 expected to stay & chase down        2 with the ball: on coach’s clap, he
yell:                                    the ball, but, if X4 yells "Go", then   drives into the paint
- "Stay" = stay with the ball            X2 runs on into a rotation              X2, beside or behind 2, chases him
 -"Go" = go & run onto a rotation        X3 rotates on the “Go” signal to        on coach’s clap.
- "Dead" = ball below the back-          X2.                                     Based on “Stay/Go” of the “cap-
board or dribble picked up by the        X4 guards the ball handler.             tain”, the defenders must be ready
offense                                                                          to rotate

14 alqueriadelbasket.com
ADVANTAGE / DISADVANTAGE OF CONSTRAINT DRILLS
                                       Manipulating a drill is a great way to alter the condi-
                                       tions, to increase the amount of specific defensive
                                       decisions you want your players to make. Below are
                                       a few examples of some drills that can help facilitate
                                       the quick defensive decisions that must be made du-
                                       ring games (diagr. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15). Please note
                                       these are prescriptive concept diagrams/drills. The
                                       quicker you arrive at using random or dynamic starts
                                       to drills the better.

                                       The more unpredictable the conditions the more re-
                                       levant they are to a game. When you can artificially
                                       create game like situations that are randomly gene-
                                       rated the greater chance of retention in real games
                                       occurs.

                                                                               TIDBITS
                                                                              He loves playing
                                                                                    golf

                                                                                    }
                                                                                 Surfing is
                                                                               another of his
                                                                                  passion

                                                                                    }
                                  14
                                                                               He spends as
                                                                               much time as
“ROVER” CLOSEOUTS DRILL                                                       possible with his
On a weak side kick out pass from                                             wife Mel and his
the coach, X 2 closes out on 1, whi-                                           daughter Evie
le X1 slides toward the ball.

                                  15

KICK OUT PASS CONCEPTS
On a pass from 1 to 2, X 1 guards
the player, who can drive (no more
than two dribbles), shooting,
 or passing (extra). This is part of
our "split-kick-extra" concept.

                                                                        alqueriadelbasket.com 15
COACHES } BUILDING A DEFENSIVE SYSTEM (SECOND PART)
RANDOM AND DYNAMIC DRILL STARTS
Coaching creativity when it comes to the start of
drills should be encouraged to simulate the dynamic
nature of a real game. It’s a part of the program that
we enjoy discussing as a staff to keep our players
mentally fresh but challenged. Below is a list of a few
favorites that we use in our practice sessions.

SAMPLE PRACTISE SESSION PLAN
 Below is an extract of a practice session conducted
    early in the regular season.

Career
            2008-2009                                2011                         2012-2016
   Perth Wildcats AUS Assistant           Australian Men’s University      Australian Men’s National
                                             National Team Coach                Team Assistant
             2009-2015
    Cairns Taipans AUS Assistant                  2015-2016                        2016-2019
                                       Basketball Queensland AUS Coach   Brisbane Bullets AUS Assistant
          2009-2013-2015                    Development Manager
    Australian Men’s University                                                     2019
     National team Assistant                                               Canterbury Rams NZ Coach
16 alqueriadelbasket.com
DESCRIPTION                                              DIAGRAM
4 IN 6 OUT   •   2 players from each team start inside the paint

             •   3 players from each team start outside the 3pt
                 line

             •   Coach shoots, drops, passes, rolls the ball
                 anywhere to start

             •   Whoever gains possession is on offence or de-
                 fense (depending on the drill) and clears the ball
                 before drill is live

LINE TOUCH   •   Drill Commences with 5v5 halfcourt play

             •   On coach’s clap (or whistle) on ball defender
                 must touch a line (sideline or baseline) before
                 re-joining the drill

             •   Player with ball must either “drive the paint” or
                 make a pass

5V4 +1       This is one of my favourite drills to simulate rotations, long closeouts and “Stay/Go reads. It’s
             a drill taken from coach Mark Radford (Basketball Tasmania Head Coach). Over the years I’ve
             evolved the drill to make the start more dynamic.
             l   5th defender (X2) starts near halfway facing the far end with their back to the play
             l   Drill is live when coach enters the ball
             l   On either: 3rd pass (diagrammed), shot or paint penetration the 5th defender sprints in
             Variations:
             l   Have the 5th defender on the baseline
             l   Run it as a 4 v 3 +1 drill
             l   Nominate only 1 defender who can talk
             l   Allow freedom of movement for the offence (off ball screens, cuts)
             l   Limit offence to no dribbles or 1 dribble until 5th defender is in (this incentivizes aggressive
                 play and shot making in the 5v4 component)

                                                                                            alqueriadelbasket.com 17
VARIOUS TOPICS } Stefano Michelini } Coach and TV Analyst

WHAT BASKETBALL MEANS TO ME…
BASKETBALL: AN EXTRAORDINARY METAPHOR FOR LIFE

                                         T
                                                   he game is played in tight spaces, to be
                                                   shared, not divided: the continuous flow of
                                                   the game favors exchange, and, as in life, in-
                                                   tegration. We fight hard to conquer a posi-
                                                   tion and, then, after a couple of seconds, we
                                         leave it in favor of another, always in search of new
                                         positions - the wonder of the continuous discovery of
                                         new opportunities
 Former great
  Coach Petar
  Skansi and                             Having made one decision, we look forward to the
   Michelini                              ,
                                         next. After eight seconds we must have crossed the
                                         mid-court line, and, then, once crossed it, there’s no
                                         going back: this non-recrimination leads us to accept
                                         the facts and avoid the easy shortcut of an alibi/
                                         excuse.

18 alqueriadelbasket.com
SINCE 2009
  TV ANALYST
FOR THE ITALIAN
   STATE TV

   We must accept favoring a partner who has a better         they will understand it: passion will be born, it will be-
   opportunity than our own, in the interest of the team/     come more, it will remain for life.
   community. The assist, intended as help to others, is      Especially nowadays, when young people have superfi-
   in the common interest.                                    cial models, short highlights of the most spectacular ac-
                                                              tions as examples, they suffer the negative impact of the
   You have to accept being replaced on the court, even search for episodic prowess to satisfy themselves.
   if you don't want to be: this teaches us not to overes-
   timate our own value and to appreciate the contribu- Have them practice to the rhythm of the game, so
   tions of others.                                           they will dive into it completely, turning mistakes into
                                                              opportunities.
   Small, seemingly insignificant particulars can make us It will be the stimulus of wanting to improve in what he
   lose a game: we learn that only by paying attention to loves that will drive the young player to strive to increase
   the small things, can big things arise.                    the speed of execution: he will accept errors; he will not
                                                              become a victim of them.
   We learn to play and live within time, not against it:
   the time of the game, those numbers on the display Respect the proportions of the game, that require
   board, are the joy of possibility we live in together, not you to play:
   an obstacle that separates us from personal affirma- } 90% without the ball
   tion.                                                      } 10% with the ball

   Triumph and disaster (the “great impostors” of Rud-        The better I play without the ball, the better I put my-
   yard Kipling’s famous poem, “If”) must be accepted for     self at the disposal of others, the easier I will play with
   a millimeter or a hundredth of a second: transforming      the ball (through teamwork).
   disappointment into new challenges, and exaltation         Today, it is just the opposite; it is more usual to have team
   into positive motivation..                                 game models where the top players go one on one and
                                                              the other four teammates do a lot of standing around
   HOW TO PRACTICE THIS WONDERFUL METAPHOR?                   looking at them.
   Make sure that the protagonists have a complete
   sense of the play. Then, they will be interested in it, Are we so sure that starting to practice with a ball for
                                                                                                   alqueriadelbasket.com 19
VARIOUS TOPICS } What Basketball Means to Me…
                         each player is really educa-
                            tional in relation to a sense
                              of respect for the play? Is
                                it really no longer form-
       386                       ative to start by shar-
   GAMES WON                      ing the above men-
                                  tioned      proportions
   IN 25 YEARS                    (90% without ball,
                                  10%, with ball), thus
    OF CAREER                    bringing the young
                                player along with the
                              correct emphasis?
                            Practice the play in the right
                         sequence: otherwise the mes-
                    sage is diverted and misleading and
becomes the “fuel” of exaggerated individualism.

Recognize numbers and time limits as tools to con-
firm our experiences, and track our team and indi-
vidual improvements. By having team and personal
records to chase—always raising the bar a little bit
higher - gives the group and the players great positive
energy, acceptance of their defeats and regressions
(often physiological) and the ability to learn to start
again.
Write down numbers and times, starting again from these
data every practice!

se technique, tactics and strategy to give concrete
goals to our highest dreams.
} Technique (from the Greek “Teknica”):
   Set of rules and practical methods on whose knowl-
   edge and application the conduct of sports activity
   depends.

} Tactic (from the Greek "Taktikè"):
  Isolated actions that take advantage of the opportuni-     } Tactic … Defender close? I beat him by driving.
  ties offered by an opponent.                                 Defender far? Shoot.
                                                             } Strategy … Practice plan, game, only after having
} Strategy (from the Greek "Strategia"):                       developed the previous aspects: let's not feel like
  Lines of action to follow in order to achieve the 		         strategists without a motivated, aware and pre-
  final goal.                                                  pared "army"!

IN SUMMARY                                                   How to quantify the commitment, the job, without
We require:                                                  wanting to run too much or be left behind?
} Understanding of the sense of play.                        Let’s use the example of when we fall in love:
} Training to the rhythm of the game, accepting er-
  rors, transforming them into opportunities and             } QUANTITY at the beginning of the youthful pas-
  objectives.                                                  sion:
} Correct adherence to the proportion between play             Use shooting as an example: continuous repeti-
  without the ball and play with the ball.                     tions to obtain fidelity, reliability and speed of the
} Technique … The fundamentals.                                gesture.
20 alqueriadelbasket.com
} QUALITY in maturity:
                                                             @stefanomicheli2
  Ask the player to achieve a certain percentage of
  execution at maximum speed, for example 3 on 5,
                                                                                                  TIDBITS
  5 on 7, 7 on 10, 11 on 15, etc.                            stefano.michelini.7                  Loves dancing
                                                                                                   to the music
} CONTINUITY at the end of our trip:                                                                of the 70s
  And so, also, at the end of the game where in-               Special Reverberi Award

                                                                                                       }
  creasingly high, consecutive goals have been set.            for his contribution               Favorite places:
                                                               to the Italian basketball
  For example, teams are formed by two, three or                                                     Sardinia
  four players, with the target of being the first to                                               and the sea
  get 12-15 consecutive points by making 2 or 3

                                                                                                        }
                                                                                                    Plays cards

Career
                                                          point shots (the choice of the type of shot is made
       1979-1982                    1994-2002             by the player). Winning or losing is to be deter-
   Fortitudo & Virtus       A2 Series Different Teams     mined by a free-throw. This is the key moment
                                                          where the young player stands alone, in front of
Bologna A1 Assistant and              Coach               everyone, where he can bring his own teammates
      Youth Teams                                         to success with a seemingly simple gesture. Nat-
                                   2000-2006
                                                          urally, all this is based on the specific practice’s
        1982-1992                 Reyer Venice            program.
 B Series Different Teams        Women’s Coach
           Coach
                                     2012               PUSH THE PLAYERS TO FULLY IMMERSE THEM-
         1992-1995                Youth Level           SELVES INTO THE EXECUTION OF THEIR PLAY, (CAR-
  Italian National Team,         Coach, Modena          PE DIEM), AND THEN ACCEPT THAT THEIR ACTION
   Assistant and Scout                                  PRODUCED THE FATED OUTCOME.
                                                                                           alqueriadelbasket.com 21
VIDEO LIBRARY

THUMB SERIES (SECOND PART): “THUMB FIST”
T
      erry Stotts, head coach of the Portland Trail    screen, sets a screen on the ball for a pick & roll.
      Blazers since 2012, shows another solution,      The defender of the player, who received the
      the “Thumb Fist” which originates from the       flare screen and then gets on the wing, is on help
“Thumb Set”.                                           position and he opens the court, so there are
“The set is the same with two big men at the           two solutions after the pick & roll: a pass from
elbows of the free-throw area, two wings on            the player, who has been screened, to the big
the corners and the point guard in the middle          man rolling to the basket or the drive of the ball
of the court. This offers the chance to begin the      handler to the rim.”
play from one side or the other of the court.” he
explains. “You can see that we run a wide pin
down (horizontal screen to the corner), a hand
back (hand-off pass), ball screens, and flares (a
screen away from the ball), as in the previous
play. But on this play, the big man, after the flare

eCoach is the official technical video company
of the NBA Coaches Association (NBCA, www.
nbacoaches.com). Several NBA head and assistant
coaches share their drills and plays. There are
different sections of the library, from children, to
youth, to pro level. You can obtain more information
about the company and its services by going to
www.ecoachbasketball.com

22 alqueriadelbasket.com
“THE ART OF WAR”

The ability to disguise an enabling environment to        In this video, you’ll see the winning out of bounds play
achieve a clear advantage and be able to attack it,       versus Real Madrid in a EuroLeague game. Emerging
always taking into account the weaknesses of the rival,   as ‘’Constantino in Constantinople’’, Obradović, the
the stage and the right time.                             head coach of Fenerbahçe Istanbul, makes it clear
 							 who he is. He’s putting the ball in the hands of his
                   Adapted from The Art of War by Sun Tzu best offensive player who goes one-on-one against

Ž
                                                          his defender looking to score cleanly or with the
     eljko Obradović, the winner of nine EuroLeagues, possibility of drawing a foul along the way. Know the
     has the baggage, the temperament and the             weaknesses of the rival and your own strengths.
     absolute experience to design the tactical out
of bounds, last second play for a winning shot at
the ideal moment, obviously taking into account the
characteristics of all the players.

Claudio César Prieto
Argentinian professional coach, who also holds
Spanish citizenship, he has attended many clinics and
been the guest of teams worldwide, including the San
Antonio Spurs of the NBA. Prieto was on the staff
of the Michael Jordan Brand Classic in Barcelona. He
has coached Catalan teams, has the top Spanish and
Argentinian coaching licenses, and is an expert in
video analysis. www.thecoachclaudioprieto.com

                                                                                             alqueriadelbasket.com 23
VIDEO LIBRARY

STEP-UP SCREEN AND NASH ZONE TO BETTER SPACING
S
     ince the game of basketball has drastically           players looking at the ball. With a proper replacement
     changed, most teams have less low-post                along the three-point line, this can create several
     players with moves with the back to the basket.       shooting options.
However, it is still very important to have these “paint   In this video breakdown, I highlight how Coach
touches” (inside-outside game) in order to have a          Obradovic uses both weapons with Fenerbahce to
proper offensive spacing.                                  feed his shooters (and the best way to stop it!).
Once the ball is on the low-post, a good alternative is
a “STEP-UP SCREEN”. This means that the big man
passes the ball to the wing and sets an outside ball
screen, giving an option to the wing to attack the
baseline.
This step-up screen also allows the ball to enter to
the “NASH ZONE” (from the former NBA MVP Steve
Nash), which is the area between the two blocks
and the baseline. Whenever the ball crosses this
“Nash Zone”, the help side defense becomes the ball
side defense and vice versa. This often turns into
a completely collapsed defense, with all defensive

PASCAL MEURS currently works as the head coach of EuroProBasket International Basketball Academy for
professional players at L’Alqueria del Basket in Valencia. He has experience as a head coach at the highest
level in Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Luxembourg. He is an expert in advanced basketball analytics
and a skilled speaker at coaching clinics. He also runs a coaching website and newsletter:
www.pascalmeurs.com

24 alqueriadelbasket.com
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                   alqueriadelbasket.com 25
MINI BASKETBALL } Antonio Carrillo } Director & Tecnical organizer Mini basketball

MINI BASKETBALL, WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
THE CHILD: THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN SPORTS INITIATION

C
           oach: you are essential/fundamental be-        The day you think more about yourself, the team, or
           cause the child is the most important per-     the club, and not in supporting him; when you forget
           son in sports initiation. He does not belong   what motivates you, you depart from that initial mo-
           to you, you aren’t his boss, no—but you are    tivation and from what drew you to basketball in the
           responsible for his training.                  first place (which is very different from your ambi-
                                                          tions), that day, you do away with your dream.
                                                          The third edition of the dictionary of the Royal Acad-
                                                          emy of Language defines “dream” as “a hope whose
                                                          achievement appears especially attractive.” And more
                                                          colloquially, between you and me, it’s understood as
                                                          the force that drives you to coach day after day all
                                                          season long. And that’s where you come in (what you
                                                          do, how you do it, and above, why you do it), undert-
                                                          stood as “what serves as the reason or is primary in
                                                          something.” For that reason, you are FUNDAMENTAL.
                                                          One could approach the topic in many different ways,
                                                          focusing on one aspect or another (technical, tactical,
                                                          psychological, sport and/or educational value); mean-
                                                          ing, one could write various books about this chapter
                                                          of crucial training in the child’s learning and training.
                                                          But today I will only try to touch on ideology, and
                                                          above all, how to implement it in practice.
                                                          For me, mini basketball is a philosophy, an idea, a con-
                                                          cept, and a way of proceeding.
                                                          } Philosophy: Believe in each child one by one. Start
                                                              with him.
                                                          } Idea: Nothing denotes failure. Errors are a part of
                                                              learning. Manage them and teach from them.
                                                          } Concept: Make it all simple, easy and fast.

26 alqueriadelbasket.com
} Way of proceeding: Design tasks with uncertainty           So, having fun, teaching and advancing
    that you work into the session at the same time—         that teaching encompass anoth-
    have opponents, limit time, space, actions and,          er higher stage: knowing how to
    above all, how decisions are made different from
    the preconceived ones you start with. Keep him
                                                             train.
                                                             Knowing how to train is to cre-
                                                                                                           AUTHOR
    thinking at all times.                                   ate learning spaces where the               OF SIX BOOKS
Mini basketball could be defined as a way to have fun,       player acquires the necessary
to teach and to advance that teaching.                       confidence to practice without
                                                                                                            ON MINI
Amusement/fun comes from the Latin divèrtere,                fear of failure, punishment, ad-            BASKETBALL
“carry on several sides”, it means to entertain and ba-      monishing looks, loud rebuking
sically recreate. Why? Because the child lives playing       yells—where everything is within
and plays living. Use the game as a means of teaching        his reach, but without its being given
among other situations in which he feels he is playing.      away.
Teaching comes from the Latin insignáre, "to point."
That is to say, to instruct, to teach, to teach with rules   LET THE DRILLS BEGIN
or precepts. But beware that you can go wrong here,          Each side runs the same drill. There is constant role
it’s tricky. Why? Because the learning you propose,          change to maintain attention and concentration in
can lead to imitation and copying or to the search and       the drill. We use both sides of the court to take ad-
study of what has been done already. Be careful be-          vantage of the court time. Six players on one side of
cause you might "load" the creativity of the child and       the court, the offensive players, and the other six on
inhibit his innate talent.                                   the other side.
To teach is "to excite because only then do you learn        Diag. 1: The players start playing "catching (touching)"
what you love" recalls Francisco Mora (Doctor in Neu-        (1 vs. 5) on the half court. This means that they must
roscience and expert in neuro-education).                    touch one of the other players, who then becomes
To Progress comes from “progress.” That is, to move          the “catcher”. Then it becomes 2 vs. 4.
forward, evolve, improve, make advances in a certain         Diag. 2: The defender that "catches", carries a ball
area. If the child does not progress, he stagnates. If he    with one or both hands, and must touch the offensive
stagnates, he gets worse. If he gets worse, boredom          player with the ball. You can add another defender
appears. If he gets bored, he abandons the task alto-        and remove an offensive player, so that the intensity
gether. His improvement and growth is in your hands.         of the drill does not decrease. All players with a ball in

                                                                                                alqueriadelbasket.com 27
MINI BASKETBALL } MINI BASKETball, WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
their hands means greater coordination.                     from the 6.25m line. Changing
Diag. 3: Now the same drill, but all players drible. As     options is important for player
before, the defender changes roles when he "catches"        adaptation.
an offensive player, but, after he “catches” an offen-      Diag. 7: Keep working on the             TEACHES
sive player, he then must score a basket before joining
the drill again (attention and concentration is impor-
                                                            same drill, but then begin
                                                            limiting where the play-
                                                                                                   COURSES AND
tant here). A variation can be to score on the opposite     ers can attack the basket           HOLDS NATIONAL AND
basket, which introduces the transition from one bas-       from. We are limiting the
ket to the other. The game continues there.                 lanes that they can use.              INTERNATIONAL
Diag. 4: The players form groups of three near the          This will help them work on            CONFERENCES
baseline on each half courts, with cones on the court       their focus on the court. For
to create three parallel lanes. They move freely            example, with such few op-
through the lanes from one basket to another, ending        tions, this will really help them
with scoring on the opposite basket. You can increase       work on not losing the ball. A varia-
traffic on the court by having all players dribble to the   tion can also be that the coach walks around t h e
basket simultaneously. There is a time factor— five         entire court and keeps announcing what lanes to the
seconds to finish.                                          basket are open or closed.
Diag. 5: The same drill, but now they must go through       Diag. 8: If two players find themselves crossing the
each lane from a different angle. This teaches them         same lane, but going in the opposite direction, they
how to attack the basket from different areas. They         “greet” ("'saludo"' on the diagram, editor's note) each
can also try to go to the basket with their weaker          other differently. Give freedom to the child's creativi-
hand or even by dribbling between their legs or per-        ty without losing sight of the goal.
forming a cross- over dribble.                              Diag. 9: Continue to work on the initial drill, but now
Diag. 6: Same drill, but they must dribble with their       include a variation with the defenders passing the ball
head up and not collide with other players. They need       to the offensive players. They can use their right or left
to listen to the coach’s direction here. One player at-     hand, or make a two-handed pass. Now, the offen-
tempts a lay-up, and the other two players shoot            sive player must decide to play 1 vs. 1 or go through
outside the painted area. The drill always ends with        the open lane. If the defender steals or knocks away
a scored basket. The coach can decide on different          the offensive players ball, they change roles. Also, if
shooting options: inside the lane, outside the lane and     the defender has their back to the offensive player,

28 alqueriadelbasket.com
the lane is considered open.
Diag. 10: I finish the progression of this drill by playing
three simultaneous 1 vs. 1 competitions at each bas-
                                                                TIDBITS
ket. You can limit dribbles if you want (only                   Loves Spanish
 3 dribbles) or limit where they can shoot                         movies
  from (outside the lane) or even limit the
                                                                     }
  amount of time they have to score a bas-                          Enjoys
ket (5 seconds).                                                  practicing
                                                               different sports
                                                                     }

                                                                 Likes living
                                                                 near the sea

Career                                                        If we want the child to progress, he not only has to
                                                              have fun, but he has to learn, and then build from there.
                                                              Learning technical details or the fundamentals at this
           1980                           2015                stage, is very important. This is only going to make
     Mini Basketball           Technical Co-Organizer,        them better, which is when the fun begins. And that's
       Instructor                  Mini Basketball            when he starts having fun. Remember, as a coach, the
                                    International             sooner you start coaching with patience, without too
          2015                  Clinic, Imortal Basket,       many rules in the drills, and allowing for the children to
  Technical Director of         Albufeira (Portugal)          be creative, the quicker you will be able to start making
the Imortal Basket Camp,                                      informed decisions start making informed decisions.
  Albufeira (Portugal)
                                                                                                 alqueriadelbasket.com 29
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH } Jacopo Torresi } S & C Coach Vanoli Cremona

INTO THE SQUAT
                                         T
                                                he primary reason for lower body training is
TO INCREASE LOWER BODY STRENGTH                 to achieve most effectively three important
AND MINIMIZE THE RISK OF INJURIES               goals: increase lower body strength, which
                                                is thought to carry over to athletic perfor-
                                                mance, minimize injury risk during train-
                                               ing, and decrease injuries in the competitive
                                                    season. Although I agree that functional
                                                      lower body strength should be the pri-
                                                        mary emphasis in any high-quality
                                                          training program, my lower body
                                                           strength training usually begins
                                                            with learning to body weight
                                          ,                 squat and barbell deadlift.

                                                            The squat and hinge are con-
                                                           sidered fundamental movement
                                                          skills at the same level of other
                                                        fundamental movements. However,
                                                      for many athletes more hip-dominant
                                                   exercises, such as deadlifts, are better
                                                    starting points than squats. Deadlifts
                                                      can be easier to learn and are often
                                                         less limited by mobility issues.

                                                            The squat is one of the most
                                                              popular exercises for devel-
                                                                oping lower body strength,
                                                                  but, technically speak-
                                                                    ing, the squat can be
                                                                       a difficult exercise
                                                                        for many athletes
                                                                          to perform cor-
                                                                           rectly. Teaching
                                                                            an athlete to
                                                                            perform a body
                                                                           weight     squat
                                                                          is      important,
                                                                         though, and will
                                                                        reveal vital infor-
                                                                     mation about flexibili-
                                                                  ty and injury potential.

                                                              My current approach is to work
                                                           on mobility to develop the squat
                                                        pattern step by step, and I use that
                                                     pattern to work on squat mobility, es-
                                                 pecially during warm up. Proper squat pat-
                                               terning involves teaching the athlete to keep

30 alqueriadelbasket.com
the weight on the heels and to sit
                                                    A                        The gluteus, just as in the initial
back into the squat.
Sitting back into the squat, also
                                               PROFESSIONAL                  phase, intervenes in the terminal
                                                                              phase of the ascent, provided that
known as the hip hinge, should be              PLAYER FOR 14                 it is stimulated by the high speed of
used to initiate the eccentric portion
of the lift. Sitting back allows the glu-
                                                  YEARS                      execution. If the ascent is not explo-
                                                                            sive (the jump is the maximum ex-
teus maximus to immediately become                                         pression) the gluteus is not involved.
a part of the lift. Research shows that                                  Engaging the glutes also has the effect
sitting back and preventing the knees from                            of preventing excessive lumbar lordosis.
moving too far beyond the toes does increase
hip torque. This same research and more has shown         The gluteus maximus has the ability to resist exces-
that sitting back to minimize anterior translation of     sive anterior tilting of the pelvis, because it offsets
the knees will also decrease torque at the knee joints.   the pull of the lumbar paraspinals, to keep the lumbar
The quadriceps are still a major component of the lift:   spine in a neutral position. It has been suggested that
the greater the angle of bending increases, the great-    repetitive hyperextension movements (extension of
er the engagement of the quadriceps with respect to       the lumbar spine beyond the anatomical limits) place
the other muscle groups, while the gluteus decreases      stress through the pars interarticularis.
its intervention.

                                                          The ability to maintain a neutral lumbar spine
                                                          throughout the lift has been shown to increase sta-
                                                          bility through the spine, allowing it to bear greater
                                                          compressive loads, and reduce shear forces.

                                                          Athletes, who cannot squat to a position with the
                                                          thighs parallel to the floor, tend to be deficient in ankle
                                                          or hip mobility, hamstring flexibility, or a combination
                                                          of the three. Sometimes the squat is described solely
                                                          based on knee angle or by the parallel relationship of
                                                          the femurs to the floor. The key to teaching and learn-
                                                          ing the squat pattern is to combine these two points
                                                          of view to limit the athlete’s knee flexion range of mo-
                                                          tion and, at the same time, to get the athlete’s thighs
                                                          parallel to the floor.

                                                                                              alqueriadelbasket.com 31
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH } into the squat

                                                                                             AN AVID
                                                           the momentum of
                                                           the center of mass               READER OF
                                                           via eccentric con-
                                                           tractions of the leg
                                                                                           TEXTS ON HIS
                                                           extensor muscles.               PROFESSION
                                                           Effective change
                                                           of direction then
                                                           requires the athlete
                                                           to get low with an in-
                                                           creased trunk flexion angle
                                                           to effectively recruit the glutes.
                                                           ‘‘Sitting back’’ places the hip joint farther behind the
                                                           feet.

                                                           Because the squat moves the body’s center of mass
Starting from the baseline for the body weight squat,      posteriorly, maintaining weight over the feet requires
begin with hands on hips and elbows as far back as         some form of compensation to prevent falling back-
possible. The chest should be up, and the upper and        ward. This is usually accomplished by anterior lean
lower back should be slightly arched and tight. Feet       of the trunk, ideally from increased hip flexion while
should be approximately shoulder-width apart and           maintaining a neutral spine. However, this requires
slightly turned out, approximately 10-15 degrees. Be-      adequate hip range of motion (ROM) as well as back
fore descending into the squat, inhale deeply through      extensor strength and spinal stability. Otherwise, an
the nose. When descending into the squat, concen-          athlete must flex the spine to maintain balance, pre-
trate on sitting back and placing the body weight          senting well-documented risks that contradict ac-
on the heels. Sitting back can be an advantageous          cepted squatting guidelines.
teaching tool because of the greater amount of hip
extension and contribution from the glute complex.         Restricted anterior movement of the knees during
Descend slowly; in the descent the knees should stay       squatting increases loads at the hip but also causes
over the toes. Do not pinch the knees in, allow the        excessive forward lean of the trunk and is likely to
knees to spread outward over the toes.                     inappropriately transfer load to the lower back. Al-
                                                           though reduced knee flexion is purported to decrease
On the ascent, the athlete has to concentrate on driv-     stress in the knee, it may also compound risk to the
ing upward with the chest out, bringing the hips up and    spine by limiting hip ROM afforded by the two-joint
forward. Drive the heels into the floor and exhale by      hamstring muscles. Thus, in an attempt to protect the
blowing out forcefully through pursed lips. To change      knee, ‘‘sitting back’’ may pose additional risk to the
direction quickly, an athlete needs to be able to resist   spine.
32 alqueriadelbasket.com
https://www.facebook.com/JacopoTorresi5          @iltorres84           iltorres                    TIDBITS
Further, recent evidence suggests that excess flex-          may require different positioning.          loves to travel
ion can aggravate hip joint pathology (e.g. acetabular       ‘‘Knees behind the toes’’ is likely not       and to sail
impingement and/or labral tears) in some athletes.           an appropriate strategy for every-

                                                                                                              }
A more anterior knee position usually implies great-         one.                                       Al Pacino is his
er ankle dorsiflexion and knee flexion, which are of-                                                    favorite actor
ten said to pose a risk to the knee. Evidence to date,       Finally, rejecting a ‘‘sit back’’ ap-

                                                                                                              }
however, suggests that thigh-parallel squats are safe        proach should not be interpreted          Formentera is
for healthy athletes, although deeper squatting might        as endorsing a ‘‘kneel forward’’ one.     his preferred
pose additional risk to the knee menisci or ligaments        Excessive anterior movement of the            place
(principally the posterior cruciate ligament).               knees may shift weight too far for-
                                                             ward onto the toes, again producing
It should be noted that many athletes have restrictions      instability. Correct squatting technique should empha-
in dorsiflexion ROM that compel them to ‘‘sit back,’’        size a stable platform with weight evenly supported
causing similar concerns. Corrective measures could          underfoot, a neutral spine, and knee, hip, and ankle
include mobility/flexibility training, limitation of squat   ROM within safe/tolerated ranges.
depth and changes in barbell load. In general, differenc-
es among individual athletes, for example, limb length,      Variations in joint loading may be accomplished by
                                                             changing trunk position, barbell load, and/or squat
                                                             depth—as acceptable within these criteria—depend-
                                                             ing upon an individual athlete’s strengths, weakness-
                                                             es, and training goals. After appropriate movement is
                                                             mastered at some level, it’s time to add load.

                                                             There are many tools for load, including, but limited, to
                                                             barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, rocks and bricks but
                                                             always keeping in mind: appropriate movement first.
                                                               Although viewing bilateral squatting as nonfunction-
                                                                 al may be considered extreme, it is essential to use
                                                                  single-leg exercise in any strength program. Sin-
                                                                   gle-leg strength is specific and cannot be devel-
                                                                    oped through double-leg exercise. The action of
                                                                    the pelvic stabilizers is different in a single-leg
                                                                     stance than in a double-leg stance.

                                                                      Single leg exercises force the gluteus medius,
                                                                      adductors, and quadrates lomborum to operate
                                                                        as stabilizers. In addition, single-leg strength
                                                                        is now recognized as key in injury reduction
                                                                       and has become a staple of all rehab, recondi-
                                                                       tioning, and knee injury prevention programs.
                                                                      Starting from a baseline single-leg strength
                                                                                          exercise like split squat, ath-
                                                                                          letes can move to the next
Career                                                                                    single-leg strength exercise in
                                                                                          the progression: the rear-foot
      2010 – 2012                   2012 -2014                      2019                  elevated split squat, until the
     Montegranaro             Sutor Montegranaro             Vanoli Cremona A1            single-leg squat, the “king”
 Youth Team S & C Coach        A 1 Serie Assistant            Serie S & C Coach           of single-leg exercise. The
                                                                                          single-leg squat requires the
                              S & C Coach Poderosa             and Osteopath
                                                                                          use of a single leg without any
                              Montegranaro B Serie                                        contribution to balance or sta-
                                    S & C Coach                                           bility from the opposite leg.
                                                                                                  alqueriadelbasket.com 33
Referees } Mike Thomson } FIBA Referee Instructor

DELIVER (COMMUNICATE)
POST-GAME FEEDBACK
                WHAT DO WE PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON?

                                        A
                                                   s I sat down to prepare this article, I turned
                                         ,         on the TV to a pre-recorded broadcast of
                                                   a Women’s Olympic Qualifying game, from
                                                   Ostend, Belgium - host Belgium playing
                                                   Canada. I looked-up and saw the referees
                                        on the game were all people that I have had the pleas-
                                        ure of working with in my role as a FIBA Referee In-
                                            structor.
                                               There was Ademir Zurapovic (BIH), Gina Cross
                                                 (USA) and Andreia DaSilva (BRA). The game
                                                   started slowly, it was only 12-7 after the
                                                     first quarter, and the three referees are
                                                     working hard. My mind immediately turns
                                                       to – if I was the assigned FIBA Referee
                                                        Instructor for this game – what would
                                                         be my approach afterwards?
                                                            In a recent edition of this magazine
                                                              Roberto Chiari, a friend and col-
                                                              league, wrote about “IOT’s – In-
                                                              dividual Officiating Techniques”,
                                                              and what goes into making a top
                                                              referee today. After the training
                                                              and preparation that Roberto Chi-
                                                             ari spoke [on the last issue] about
                                                             comes the feedback loop, the post-
                                                            game discussion, the evaluation of
                                                           the referee’s performance in a game.
                                                        Where we always go back to the IOT’s.
                                                    Years ago, the feedback loop for referees
                                                   was limited, it might have been peer based,
                                                   other members of the crew, reactions from
                                                   players and coaches – and other adhoc
                                                  feedback loops. What was missing was a
                                                   post-game feedback loop where the ref-
                                                   erees could be provided with evaluation of
                                                  their performance.
                                                   We can look at the Referee Instructor as
being a “Referee Coach”. Someone that can make               Feedback” at the game site – in the dressing room or
suggestions, provide guidance, provide tools to allow        a connected room. This allows for the discussion to
the referee to adjust to improve their performance for       be time-boxed, limited to a target of 20 - 30 minutes.
the next game. Seems obvious, but this was missing,          It is a review of themes, trends from the game, not a
in an effective way in many basketball cultures.             play-by-play breakdown. The referees can do that on
So, what is “Post-Game Feedback” about, where,               their own, through video, later. It is about helping them
when and why is it done? What is delivered as part of        to understand what to look for. No question if there is
the feedback, who delivers it and most critically how        a “big” problem in the game – a last 2-minute error –
it is delivered.                                             we need to address it, immediately. The advantage of
It should be obvious but the delivering “Post Game           the game site is it is the workplace – the referees office
Feedback” has a singular goal, a goal of improvement.        – where it is business, all business, all the time. What
It is not about identifying what went wrong, it is about     ever happened in the game, when the crew leaves the
identifying what can be improved, what changes can           game site it is over for that night.
be made to be better the next time out.
It is not about identifying how great the crew was, it is    When to deliver the “Post Game Feedback” is crit-
about recognizing the journey of continuous improve-         ical. If there are no issues in the game, we give the
ment. We need to recognize the good things that oc-          officiating team a small amount of time to digest the
cur, but it is neither an exercise in over exaggerating      game and settle. We let the crew start the discus-
a positive performance, nor is it, or can it be, all about   sion amongst themselves, but don’t allow enough
                    the negative, criticism of what went     time for the crew to develop an “alibi” where there
                        wrong.                               has been an issue. Feedback must be delivered when
                                                             the memory is fresh: “At 3:12 of the 4th quarter white
                           Proverb: You can’t teach an old   N. 3 attempted a three-point shot, in your primary,
                            dog new tricks, BUT you are      table side and he ended up on the floor: we had no
    2000                     never too old to learn.         call, what did you see?” The referee will remember the
                             Where possible we try           play, because they sense where a mistake might have
Olympic Games                and deliver “Post Game          been made and now, we can talk about what must
   referee

                                                                                                alqueriadelbasket.com 35
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