Mailbag!

  Welcome to the mailbag! We’ve received some great questions and comments on our recent articles and content lately.  Before we get to the articles and questions, we wanted to feature three of our Breakthrough coaches and share an exciting announcement . . .  Breakthrough Coaches Continue To Be Recognized!  1 - Rob Brost and Nick LoGalbo were both part of the USA U17 training camp coaching staff. In early July, the team defeated Italy to win the Gold Medal at the FIBA Championships in Turkey.  Congrats guys!   2 - Camp coach Martin Apodaca recently earned his first head coaching position, being named head girls coach at the Menaul School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Well done, Martin!  Offseason Rapid Fire Sale Goes Live Tomorrow!  Good news! To kick off the last month of the summer, we’re having a 1-day rapid fire sale next week (starting tomorrow) on a different coaching and training product every day.  These are some of our most popular products…  And they’re all designed to help you and your team maximize the preseason to be ready for the upcoming season (it will be here before you know it!)  So keep your eyes peeled on your inbox tomorrow when the very first rapid fire discounts are announced.  New Content Update!  We are excited to share updates on 2 new pieces of coaching content:  1 - NEW 3v3 Drills For Offense & Defense is now in the library. [Coach LoGalbo’s new product]( is a compilation of 3v3 drills for offense and defense, as well as more skill development drills. More great content from an outstanding coach!   2 - NEW [Zoom Offense]( BONUS Q & A Webinar with Coach Nate Steege is now in the member’s area! You can find more great Zoom content from Coach Steege where he answers questions directly from coaches. This is available for everybody who has purchased the Zoom Offense video  For those who enjoyed the Zoom Offense video, a new product from Coach Steege will be releasing soon. Stay tuned!  NEW Coaching Articles, Plays, Drills & Videos:  [Use This Creative 1-4 Set To Mask Your Zoom Action](  [Why 3v3 Should Be The Building Block Of Your OffenseÂ](  [Will Ball Reversals Prove Golden For The USA?](  [Run This Indiana Pacers Zoom SLOB To Put Defenses In A Bind](  [Why 3>5 When It Comes To Developing Players]( (Youth friendly)   NEW YOUTH Coaching Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [Save Practice Time & Energy With The Power Of Platform Drills](  [What The Bad News Bears Got Right About Youth Sports](  [The Perfect 3v3 Drill For Both Offense And Defense](   NEW Training Articles, Drills, & Videos:  [Why You Should Join Adult Basketball Games This Summer](  [5 Dribble Moves To Destroy Your Defender]( video)  [Master Shooting Footwork With This Game Speed Shooting Drill](  [How One Of The Slowest Players In The NBA Consistently Gets Past Elite 1v1 Defenders](   Today’s Mailbag  Question: Why Shoot The Gap On Off Ball Screens?  A [recent post on Twitter]( showed a defensive drill from [Coach Jim Huber]( In the drill, players were focusing on “jumping to the ball” and shooting the gap (going between the screener and the screener’s defender) on off ball screens.   That prompted this exchange.   Jeff Huber’s thoughts:  Lock and trail is a viable strategy, particularly when playing against elite shooters. It occurs when a defender attaches themselves to the player they are guarding (lock) and stays in their back pocket (trail) as they come off a screen. For that reason, it’s generally seen at the highest levels of basketball.   At the high school level (u15 to u18), it might be a tactic you would use a couple times a year for the best shooters you face.   There are a couple benefits of shooting the gap.   It reinforces the idea of jumping to the ball and makes that a consistent part of your defensive philosophy (as opposed to getting into the body of your player to lock and trail).   It also provides an extra layer of help for the ball, as every help defender is now in a gap, shrinking space for a defender.  Finally, it keeps your defenders between their man and the basket. Locking and trailing does not always do that, making it a more risky strategy.   I think lock and trail should be in your toolbox for when it’s needed, but probably wouldn’t be your primary coverage at high school level.   One final thought - if you look at the diagrams, x2 is the only player who does something different when you switch from shooting the gap to lock and trail. That does make it easier to teach. It only affects 1 defender.   Discussion: What Do You Say When You’re One Pass Away? Speaking of off-ball defense, this drill from [Coach Rob Brost]( was recently posted on Twitter. It went over off ball defense, including what a defender should do and say when they are one pass away and someone drives into their gap.   Coach Jason Campbell commented,  “I love hearing other coaches’ terminology. What do you say when you are one pass away and someone drives into your gap. He calls it fake and fade. I call it jab and recover. Same idea but different names.”  Jeff Huber’s thoughts:  Having a common language is so important within your program. I would start there.  Are all your coaches using the same terms to describe the same things? Does one say “screen” and another say “pick”?   Get everyone on the same page with the words you want to use. The more consistent you are in your terms, the faster your players will learn them.   The second idea is to make your language ‘sticky’. In other words, does your language stick in their memory? Phrases like ‘fake & fade’ accomplish that.   Other examples would be ‘clip the hip’ when driving past your defender or hit and get for rebounding.   One valuable use of time this fall would be to look at your terms and see if you can make them stickier for your players!  Question: Should There Be A 4th C Of Post Play?  This Twitter post went over Coach Jim Huber’s 3 C’s of post play.   Coach Dre commented on adding a 4th C: “Clear out space. Pop outside, 10 feet away from the low block to make it a less turnover-prone pass from the wing. Use 2 power dribbles to get yourself back into the low post.”  Jeff Huber’s response:  I am really conflicted on this. I agree with Coach Dre that post passing is an issue. That said, I would choose to address it through working on my passing.  I’ve found that most post players don’t fight for great post position. They end up doing this 4th C out of either laziness or a lack of physicality. They end up catching the ball too far away. Most youth and high school post players are not skilled enough to take multiple dribbles while reading the defense to score.  I like the idea of “clearing space”. However, I’d tweak it to mean clearing space as close to the basket as possible. Teach your post players to get low and wide and make goal posts out of their arms. That puts them in position to be able to score immediately from close range.   Youtube Comment: The Value Of The Fake Spin (As A Counter)  We recently released this [dribble move video on YouTube]( DP replied below:   Jeff Huber’s Response:  Great point! It is important to remember that the fake spin is a counter to the spin move.  Thus, a full teaching progression would start with the spin, and then come back to the half spin.  Too many players think they need 10 different moves in their ‘bag.’ Most would be better off with 2 moves and 2 counters.  Once you’ve beat them with the original move, they are set up for the countermove!   Article Feedback: Teaching Offense Thru 3v3!  Coach John shared this thought in response to a [recent article]( on teaching offense through 3v3 (a major part of our new [3v3 Drills For Offense & Defense]( video).   Jeff Huber’s response:  So true. There is no limit to the actions that you can rep through 3v3. Watching the Olympic 3v3 has shown me a bunch of new actions to incorporate, especially from a Horns set.   Another reader commented that the beauty of 3v3 is there is no place to hide. Right on. As a result, all players are forced to be part of the action.   They almost have no choice but to get better!   Breakthrough Product Review - 5 Star Reviews Rolling In: “Love the concepts”, “20 stars,” “Great plan”  We continue to receive great reviews on many of our products, and I want to share a few with you today so you can see if they’re the right fit for you.  Here are two recent 5 star reviews of the [The Outer ⅓ Defense]( Nick LoGalbo: “Love the concepts as well as the demonstrations and explanations.” -Christopher  “Appreciated the explanations of the basic concepts and the drills used. I particularly liked the non-negotiables section.”  -Mario  Here is a recent review of [3v3 Drills For Offense & Defense]( Nick LoGalbo:  “The 3x3 product is awesome! I want to give it 20 stars. I love it with so many teaching points and drill breakdowns. I have some great takeaways to make me a better skills coach.” - Charlie  “Professional, positive and practical”, “Enrolled again” and “Grew my knowledge”: Soundbites From Breakthrough Camp Attendees  Check out these camp reviews from parents and an observing coach:   Breakthrough Camps Starting Soon! These are just some of the camps running over the next few weeks! [Rochester Hills, Michigan]( - August 5-8 - Grades 1 to 5 [Egan, Minnesota]( - August 5-8 - Grades 1 to 5 [Sold Out] [Lisle, Illinois]( - August 5-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [Ashland, Oregon]( - August 6-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [3 spots left] [Burley, Idaho]( - August 6-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [Calgary, Alberta]( - August 6-8 - Grades 5 to 12 [Centralia, Washington]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [Halifax, Nova Scotia]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [Manheim, Pennsylvania]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [Marinette, Wisconsin]( - August 6-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [4 spots left] [Waukesha, Wisconsin]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [6 spots left] [Coon Rapids, Minnesota]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [6 spots left] [North Lima, Ohio]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [West Valley City, Utah]( - August 6-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [Auburn, Washington]( - August 6-8 - Grades 7 to 12 [Clarinda, Iowa]( - August 6-8 - Grades 3 to 8 [Shepherdstown, West Virginia]( - August 6-8 - Grades 5 to 10 [Traverse City, Michigan]( - August 7-9 - Grades 3 to 8 [1 spot left] [Seattle, Washington]( - August 12-16 - Grades 7 to 12 [Sold Out] [Lexington, Massachusetts]( - August 13-15 - Grades 3 to 8 [Box Elder, South Dakota]( - August 13-15 - Grades 7 to 12 [Fargo, North Dakota]( - August 13-15 - Grades 7 to 12 [Lodi, Wisconsin]( - August 13-15 - Grades 3 to 8 [Sold Out] [Salem, Oregon]( - August 13-15 - Grades 7 to 12 [6 spots left] [New York, Ontario]( - August 13-15 - Grades 5 to 12 Here is our [entire 2024 summer camp schedule]( with 30 remaining summer camps, 32 NEW fall camps, and 6 NEW training academies..   Closing Notes  Thanks so much for reading this edition of the Breakthrough Basketball Mailbag! Stay tuned for upcoming editions, featuring more of your questions and comments. We value your input and look forward to helping you on your journey to success.  If you have any thoughts on the type of content you’d like to see more of in upcoming mailings, please feel free to shoot us a reply and let us know!   All the best, Jeff Huber Breakthrough Basketball  This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you indicated that you'd like to receive emails and updates from Breakthrough Basketball on 2016-12-16 05:42:39. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please [Change Your Email Preferences]( or [Unsubscribe All]( Copyright © Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. All rights reserved. Breakthrough Basketball, LLC. | 5001 1st Ave. SE, Ste 105 #254 | Cedar Rapids | IA | 52402 [email.gif] . It’s our mission to build a strong community centered around basketball, personal development and most importantly - fun! 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