First Three Man Tonight

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by Rufus

Try and stay in your primary but, if you reach, realize it's not the end of the world (a learning experience, but not the end of the world).

It's not just a matter of "stay in your primary". To far too many what that means is: "If the ball is in your primary, I'm not going to call the foul or violation that I see there because, after all, that's not in my primary." In the meantime, competitive matchups in one's primary aren't under surveillance.

More precisely, pregame it like this with an actual diagram of three-man Primary Areas of Coverage visible to everyone on your crew: "Okay, here are our primary areas of coverage. Let's make sure each of us knows when the other is going to turn 'off-ball'." That's the primary emphasis of the three-man system. And clarify it how each will communicate that s/he has turned off-ball (some use a hand to the chest when going on-ball, we acknowledge going off-ball by turning our shoulders away from the ball; other methods are also popular).

Off-ball coverage, providing surveillance over the competitive matchups in your PCA -- what it's all about. Not simply not calling something seen in another's PCA because it's not in your PCA while that's where your attention has been while ignoring what's going on in your PCA.

Make sense?

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Make sense?

Yes, and I agree. Was trying to keep it simple, though, in the advice given (i.e., start by thinking about primary first, then once comfortable graduate to what you describe). I think what you described is great and appropriate, just a bit much to process for a first time on the court calling 3-man. YMMV.