James
Years ago
I'm coaching U14 at the moment and to my disappointment other coaches are thinking its a good idea for their team to play zone.
What is the most effective and most simple offense against a zone?
Find a giant to park in the paint and either feed him or teach the rest to bomb 3's....
Tyrell
Years ago
pass, displace and fill.
Point 1- Limit dribbling- a pass is faster than dribbling the same distance, thus if your players dribble, that will play into the hands of the zone
defense.
Point 2- Have one player (usually a big) play under the zone and run side to side AND have another player play in between the 2 lines of the zone, against a 2 man front it would be at approx the free throw line.
Point 3- By getting the ball to the player at the free throw line, the zone collapses. From there, this player can pass out to the wings, can shoot, can kick back to the top for a shot OR can engage the second line of the zone and then pass to the aforementioned player who is underneath.
Point 4- Back to the original point- As the ball is moved the zone moves as well, thus a pass from the top to the left wing makes the defense move in this direction then the weakside wing (and all other players also) can fill the places the zone leaves empty.
DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY A ZONE, SMART PLAY CAN DESTROY IT!
Attack it with dribble, hand offs etc move the zone as much as possible to beat it
Dribble handoffs won't beat a zone at all, dribbling is the worst way to beat a zone, pass pass pass.
ARealCoach
Years ago
Shift the zone with skip passes. Gap penetrate in the gaps and freeze penetrate at a player. Use the high post it it's open.
If the zone is odd front (IE 1 or 3 guys up the top) then have an even front offence. If the zone is an even front (IE 2 guys up the top) then have an odd front offence.
observation
Years ago
Didn't think U/14's were allowed to play zones
For u14s it's best to teach basic principles that will stay with them and don't over complicated the zone plays. If you have 2 good bigs a basic high/low with cross screens inside with 3 guards passing and replacing. But as others said, teach your side to pass and cut.
If looking for something more, I recommended looking at the DeMatha high school zone options and in particular Drift and Wrinkle. Very simple plays for u12s and u14s. Skip passing is good for older teams but in u14s I've found it pointless as the passes take too long and unless you have a team of shooters or shot fake/penetrators. Best leave it to u16s and work more on spacing, ball movement and feeding the posts
manos
Years ago
If in s.a. a zone is illegal - so 2 wrongs don't make a right. Introduce a zone offence but the team playing the zone should be corrected. It's like asking "how can I teach my team to break a tackle at.basketball "
jumper
Years ago
ramp up your defense and play full court D. Force turnovers and score from a good transition before the zone is set. Teams playing the zone normally are " big and slow", so attack them where you have the advantage.
http://www.coachesclipboard.net/TriplePostTGameOffense.html
jumper
Years ago
I always look at T offences as being designed for when you have the power players. If juniors are playing a zone, i would guess they have the advantage in power players. To me, you want to take the play out of the key and beat them by using your speed advantage and score your points from a tough D causing turnovers. Run their power guys ragged.
Why is it such a sin to teach young players to play a zone defence - weakside movement, rotation and closing out are good things to learn.
Same thing for offence, isn't it a good thing for young players to recognize a zone and beat it?
Couldn't you coach a team to play zone in the first half, man in the second half?
I expect to be spammed by angry coaches.
jumper
Years ago
i do not know why they bother with a rule "no Zone" It is almost possible to enforce, and teams play a form of zone all the time. How many D players actually play Man to Man in the lower age groups? Watch a player cut thru the key, does his man follow him, or stay in his area?
The concept of M to M was to teach players individual skills. For me, i would say just leave it to the coaches.
@
Years ago
can't believe you guys are still discussing the benefits - it is like looking at the up side of a crack house in your street that you live. zones are illegal from u14 and below in s.a.
jumper
Years ago
above post should have read IMpossible not possible
i do not know why they bother with a rule "no Zone" It is almost impossible to enforce, and teams play a form of zone all the time. How many D players actually play Man to Man in the lower age groups? Watch a player cut thru the key, does his man follow him, or stay in his area?
The concept of M to M was to teach players individual skills. For me, i would say just leave it to the coaches.
michael
Years ago
Zone benefits no one at 14's and under as far as development goes. Now winning at that level ..that's a different story. So is 14's about winning or development?
For muppet coaches like the anon above it's about wins and his ego.
For a fair percentage it's about doing the right thing by thier kids development - no reason you can't win by playing brilliant man to man too!
dave
Years ago
Flex is not bad against a zone just a matter of the defensive alignment
No Go Zone?
Years ago
There's heaps of zone offences - teaching kids about beating zones is hard because it requires lots of team work
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