off ball contact

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Splute

Excellent. I dont understand why he would coach that. I think I will ask him next time I see him. My son is in 5th grade AAU and share the same gym. How much hand checking do you allow? Just to the point of it affecting the players' ability to move "normally"?

In addition to officiating basketball, I coach soccer.

In my practices, I often used tactics that would be illegal in order to teach certain things. For example, I have a drill where the player with the ball must stay as close to a cone as possible (and maintain control of the ball) while a defender is VERY aggressive in pushing the ball handler around with shoulder to shoulder contact and is trying to take the ball away from the dribbler. The purpose is not to teach the defender to push but to teach the offensive player how to shield the ball from the defender and maintain control of the ball in the presence of contact. I wanted them to experience more contact than they'd likely face in a game so that when they did face it they wouldn't need to depend on the ref to call the foul.

I made the point that amount shoulder to shoulder contact we were practicing would most likely be called a foul by nearly all officials.

[Splute]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

In addition to officiating basketball, I coach soccer.

In my practices, I often used tactics that would be illegal in order to teach certain things. For example, I have a drill where the player with the ball must stay as close to a cone as possible (and maintain control of the ball) while a defender is VERY aggressive in pushing the ball handler around with shoulder to shoulder contact and is trying to take the ball away from the dribbler. The purpose is not to teach the defender to push but to teach the offensive player how to shield the ball from the defender and maintain control of the ball in the presence of contact. I wanted them to experience more contact than they'd likely face in a game so that when they did face it they wouldn't need to depend on the ref to call the foul.

I made the point that amount shoulder to shoulder contact we were practicing would most likely be called a foul by nearly all officials.

That is an interesting perspective. I will ask the coach why he uses this approach the next time I see him. However, I noticed the kids were getting very frustrated with this constant conact and that aggression then carried over to the other end of the court.

[ATXCoach]

Originally Posted by Splute

That is an interesting perspective. I will ask the coach why he uses this approach the next time I see him. However, I noticed the kids were getting very frustrated with this constant conact and that aggression then carried over to the other end of the court.

I coach girls AAU, and I have a big pad that I use to bang around my post players. Why? The intent is to get them used to contact without actually hurting them, because they will be scratched, grabbed, slapped, etc. in the game and they still need to finish, with or without a whistle from the officials.

I would hope the coach in the OP was practicing against the extreme and not teaching it, but it sounds as if he/she is a dumb a55. I bet he has his kids hoisting up three pointers every other possesion.

[Splute]

Originally Posted by ATXCoach

I coach girls AAU, and I have a big pad that I use to bang around my post players. Why? The intent is to get them used to contact without actually hurting them, because they will be scratched, grabbed, slapped, etc. in the game and they still need to finish, with or without a whistle from the officials.

I would hope the coach in the OP was practicing against the extreme and not teaching it, but it sounds as if he/she is a dumb a55. I bet he has his kids hoisting up three pointers every other possesion.

1. I do not want to beat up the coach unfairly. I have only watch one practice. Perhaps that is his teaching method..

2. Lets say he doesnt discourage the 3-pointers either.

[Red_Killian]

At one of my varsity games earlier this year I heard the coaches telling their defensive players to "bump the cutters". First opportunity, I told my partner, what I'd heard and we needed to pay even more attention off ball than normal. Sure enough, early in the game, we have a foul on this team on defense, don't remember if it was a hold or a block we called, doesn't really matter but after the first one, we did not have a problem the rest of the game. I'd like to think we'd have caught this regardless, but their yelling, "bump the cutters" definitely helped us focus on correctly officiating this illegal off ball contact.

[JeffW]

Originally Posted by Red_Killian

At one of my varsity games earlier this year I heard the coaches telling their defensive players to "bump the cutters". First opportunity, I told my partner, what I'd heard and we needed to pay even more attention off ball than normal. Sure enough, early in the game, we have a foul on this team on defense, don't remember if it was a hold or a block we called, doesn't really matter but after the first one, we did not have a problem the rest of the game. I'd like to think we'd have caught this regardless, but their yelling, "bump the cutters" definitely helped us focus on correctly officiating this illegal off ball contact.

You're taking it too literally. "Bump the cutter" means to anticipate where the cutter is trying to go and legally beating her to that spot. We specifically teach to not foul in that situation.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JeffW

You're taking it too literally. "Bump the cutter" means to anticipate where the cutter is trying to go and legally beating her to that spot. We specifically teach to not foul in that situation.

No, you're misinterpreting what he said. Red didn't say that they would call fouls for legal plays. He said that they would call fouls if there was illegal off-ball contact on the cutter, and that's exactly what happened. The defender fouled the cutter and got called for it.

If your players legally get to the spot first, you'll never have a problem. If they don't legally get there, they'll get called. Whatever coaching verbiage that you're using isn't really relevant at all. Just because you teach your players not to foul is no guarantee that they won't.