adjacent clear through shooting practice drill

Adjacent “Clear Through” Shooting Drill

Practice one of the most basic offensive principles that every team needs to know with this simple shooting drill. Plus how to Dodge, Bounce, Pass, and Catch, all at the same time!

Fall Ball is the perfect time for FUNdamentals!

We are having tons of fun right now going all the way back to basics with new teams and players after the long summer break. In doing that, we are breaking down our core team offensive and defensive principles into "Chunks", teaching small pieces of the bigger picture that your players will see in games. Even the NCAA teams are spending lots of time on 2- and 3-man smaller group drills this fall with Coronavirus protocols in place.

Offensive Principle #1: "Get Through" or "Clear Through" the Middle

A VERY common problem beginning players have when they get the ball is running right into a defensive Double Team and losing possession. It happens all the time, and it's the first thing we fix when working with new teams.

The problem is not just the ball carrier dodging directly into trouble. It's also the Adjacent player next to him standing in the way. If he stands there, his Defender also stands there, and the man with the ball has nowhere to go. Adjacent players without the ball need to move to create SPACE for their teammate with the ball.

Start Simple, Add Complexity

Even though you may be focusing on just getting your players to catch and throw, there are always higher levels of complexity you can teach and focus on in any drill, no matter how simple.  There are other options the Adjacent player can use to move the Defense and create Space for the ball- i.e. Pick, Shallow, Flip, Fade, but these are more complex. Start simple with Step #1, and build up from here.


HERE'S THE DRILL:

adjacent clear through shooting practice drill

Figure 1.) This is the problem right here: Blue 2 tries to get to the Goal, but he has nowhere to go! This probably looks familiar. If Blue 1 stands next to the ball, his Defender (Red 1) also stands there. Red 1 is in perfect position to Slide and help Red 2 double the ball and force a Turnover. Blue 1, on the other hand, is not really in a position to help Blue 2 as an easy outlet pass. He's actually behind his teammate, where Blue 2 can't see him.

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