Welcome!
First, welcome to the site! The purpose of this website is to help you understand how to use a games based approach to teach motion offense. This isn't about teaching a "specific" motion, but more about how to teach any motion style offense - be it 3 out, 4 out, 5 out, read and react, etc. Hopefully the following pages help you to understand what a games based approach is, why we have a games based approach, and how to properly use the games based approach to help your players.
What is a "Games Based" Approach?
Games based coaching is the philosophy of using a variety of games to teach something as opposed to drills. Instead of teaching a concept using a drill, games are designed to teach the athlete the same concept as they play in an actual game situation. That's the biggest difference. In drills players practice pre-determined patterns that are not game like. A games based approach uses the game to teach the game. The games can include any number of players from 1 on 1 to 5 on 5 and depend on the concept that you want to teach.
So as an example, you want to teach players to pass and cut. Many coaches will have players run 5 on 0 just passing and cutting through. Or they may line them up in a few lines. One line passes to the other, cuts, gets the pass and finishes. Does that sound familiar?
In a games based approach, players play games using the concept. So you could do something like 3 on 3 on 3 cut to score. The teams play a game of 3 on 3 on 3 and can only score on a pass and cut. You could also do something like 4 on 4 on 4 no dribble so players have to cut to get open and score. As you can see you are using a game to teach the skill you want as opposed to a drill.
So as an example, you want to teach players to pass and cut. Many coaches will have players run 5 on 0 just passing and cutting through. Or they may line them up in a few lines. One line passes to the other, cuts, gets the pass and finishes. Does that sound familiar?
In a games based approach, players play games using the concept. So you could do something like 3 on 3 on 3 cut to score. The teams play a game of 3 on 3 on 3 and can only score on a pass and cut. You could also do something like 4 on 4 on 4 no dribble so players have to cut to get open and score. As you can see you are using a game to teach the skill you want as opposed to a drill.
Why Use a Games Based Approach?
There are a lot of reasons to use a games based approach. I now almost exclusively use games to teach motion and I wouldn't go back. Below is a quick list of reasons to use games to teach motion offense:
And those are just my top five. The bottom line is that drills don't work because they don't transfer to games. I remember when I used drills. We would do one, look great, and I would SWEAR we had it down. We'd get to a game and look lost. Why was that? Well, we didn't practice the skill in game like environments. All of a sudden we had defense, and other offensive players, and we were trying to score and it was NOTHING like what we saw in practice. So of course we didn't do it! Using a games based approach translates because players are constantly practicing the offense in an environment that is directly related to a game.
That doesn't mean you don't use any drills, but it means you use drastically less. There are only two times I use traditional "drills". The first is when introducing a concept and the second is when players are not understanding HOW to perform the offensive concept. When doing a drill, the maximum I will use it is 10-15 reps before going back to a game.
- More Engaging
- More Transfer
- More Realistic to Games
- Teachers Players HOW to Play
- Forces Players to Read
And those are just my top five. The bottom line is that drills don't work because they don't transfer to games. I remember when I used drills. We would do one, look great, and I would SWEAR we had it down. We'd get to a game and look lost. Why was that? Well, we didn't practice the skill in game like environments. All of a sudden we had defense, and other offensive players, and we were trying to score and it was NOTHING like what we saw in practice. So of course we didn't do it! Using a games based approach translates because players are constantly practicing the offense in an environment that is directly related to a game.
That doesn't mean you don't use any drills, but it means you use drastically less. There are only two times I use traditional "drills". The first is when introducing a concept and the second is when players are not understanding HOW to perform the offensive concept. When doing a drill, the maximum I will use it is 10-15 reps before going back to a game.