Long term development vs the Cheat Code
With our U16-18 Black teams finishing with a combined 18-2 record in the Gold divisions of the recent Vancouver Tip Off tournament (with 325 teams participating)….and with our elementary teams closer to 500…it’s a good time to talk about our philosophy at Split Second and why we prioritize long term development over using the basketball Cheat Code.
Firstly, what is a Cheat Code. If you do enough digging around the internet, you might find a Cheat Code for your favourite video game. This Cheat Code is a series of moves/commands that allow you to always defeat your opponent.
Did you know that youth basketball also has it’s own Cheat Code? Here are the steps…..
Play zone before young athletes have the strength and skill to shoot outside.
Full court zone press before players have the strength to pass the ball the length of the floor
Aggressively double team the ball handler before players develop the mental processing speed to see the trap coming or the physicality to be able to handle this contact.
For even more effect, do this with bigger, earlier maturing players who can physically dominate their younger opponents.
Use this Cheat Code and you’ll win a lot of games….in the short term.
However, there is a reason that vast majority of the world doesn’t allow this kind of basketball and instead follows the guidelines set out by FIBA (basketball’s governing body) that don’t allow zone or zone press until the U16 age. Experienced coaches know that this type of “bully” ball and picking on kids physical limitations actually holds players back from developing.
Cobra U17s remained perfect by beating Canada Elite in the championship game
The defensive teams using this don’t learn defensive fundamentals and how to guard the ball one-on-one…which is one of the most important skills that they need to learn. Furthermore, these teams fail to progress in their half court offensive execution because the vast majority of opportunities they generate are out of turnovers which lead to advantage situations and lay-ups. Great for winning now, bad for long term development.
Offensive players facing this type of trapping zone defence are forced to pass the ball around like a hot potato, and just try to survive attacking double teams. Instead of learning to be strong, calm and patient with the ball, to read the defence and to attack at the right moment, players are left to just survive.
Cobra U18 Girls Black finished undefeated
Don’t get me wrong, learning to be competitive and deal with pressure IS an important and challenging part of overall player development. In the long term, players need to be able to handle double team/trapping situations and play against zones. However, until players are at a developmental stage where they have the strength and processing speed to deal this pressure, it does kids and the game a disservice to rely on zone pressure. This is the reason it is not allowed for youth in almost all parts of the world except North America (I could write whole other article on this topic but will need to save it for another time)
Probably many of you noticed a lot of zone and zone presses being used by teams we faced at the young ages. In fact, we faced far more of this defence for our 15 and under teams than we did for the older ones. Why? Because it works at the young ages and clubs prioritize winning now over long term development.
At Split Second Basketball, the development of your child is first and foremost. If we continue to ensure that players learn to play the RIGHT WAY, work well as a team , work and compete hard in practices and games, the wins will come.
We always start our teaching by making sure players understand the following 5 foundational defensive principles:
Establishing short and long safety and getting back in defensive transition
Being able to guard the ball 1-on-1 without requiring help
Being properly positioned in “the gap” when guarding a player 1 pass away from the ball
Having 2 feet in the key when guarding a player 2 passes away from the ball
Learning proper defensive help rotations if a breakdown does occur
Mastering these habits takes a lot of time and repetition…especially compared to just getting kids to run around and trap all over the court. However, it is the right thing to do for our players and for our teams over the long term.
Congrats to all the teams on a good start to the Spring season. Keep working hard and getting a little bit better every day.
Cobra U16 Black beat a tough 3D team to win the Championship