Al Battista | Sequencing & Guidelines | Variety Pack

SHOOTING

Up, down & Rebound. When A1 pulls up for a jump shot take your eyes and go up, down. So, you let the shooter and defender go up, down. And once that is clear you go to your rebound. Up, down, rebound.

When protecting the shooter, where will the defender usually foul?

Aim small-miss small. That means when you’re looking at the play, usually look at the wrist on down to the elbow because that’s where players often times get hit.

If contact is above the wrist or on top of the hand then it’s most often legal.

EARLY OFFENSE

FIND THE DEMEANOR OF THE DEFENSE

If you can find the defenders waist it will dictate what the hands will do.

Go through these sequences as you’re processing plays to improve your decision making when something illegal occurs.

REBOUNDING

For this situation, try having a patient whistle on incidental contact that doesn’t lead to a possession consequence (turnover) or clean-up (too much contact).

Immediate whistles:

•clean-up fouls

•freedom of movement

•travels and other perimeter violations

•possession consequence plays

Patient whistles:

•plays to the basket

•rebounding

•block/charge

BLOCK SHOTS

Play calling guidelines for blocked shots. Use this as a template.

Ball + Body =NO CALL (usually)

Exceptions:

•clean-ups (too much contact for that moment)

•hit to head

•long wind-up

Body + Ball=FOUL (most times)

Exceptions:

•Incidental or marginal contact (not enough contact)

•spectacular defensive plays.

Be patient and have a high pain tolerance when a great blocked shot occurs.

FLOPS

It starts with refereeing the defense and not getting surprised by the call. Floppers, usually accelerate the contact to deceive the official and land on their backside. Usually, when a defender takes a charge they end up on their back.

After the initial contact, there is additional information to process, like the way the defender goes down to the floor.

Floppers, usually sit down, they may grunt or moan and their chin unnaturally snaps back.

CLAMPS

A double clamp is a great opportunity to take a double foul. Sometimes, players actually do foul each other at the same time.

The player with the straight arm is usually the one getting fouled.

Watch for the offensive cutter who positions his arm inside the defenders arm and pulls it upward to deceive the official into calling an off-ball defensive foul. Don’t be surprised or caught off guard when this occurs.

PUSH-OFFS

A push-off by the dribbler is usually done with the off arm trying to create space with a crossover, change of direction or step-back.

Elbow-breaks-wrist means to fully extend your arm outwards.

If the offensive player does so and the defender gets knocked off balance and cannot recover, then we need a whistle.

DISCIPLINE

Officials need to start standing up for themselves by not allowing disrespectful, unsporting behavior and rude comments from the coaches. We’ve allowed years of abuse. No one is bigger than the game. Let’s start collectively holding them accountable.

As the great Bennet Salvatore always said, If you permit it you promote it. That doesn’t mean going out there with the intention of calling technical fouls.

It means that you’re handling each unsporting situation effectively with a verbal response, or a warning, or a technical foul. Players and COACHES do not have the right to say whatever they want in a disrespectful way.

The lack of respect continues to mount up and the only people who can improve the culture is US.

DEFENSE

To hear more about the 70/30 concept listen to podcast #66.

When plays are coming too you in the lead position, pick up the secondary defender as soon as possible. If we don’t, the play will explode on us and we will have a reactionary whistle.

When we are running from trail to lead pick up the last defender or the defender who can hurt you the most. Don’t get surprised by contact.

To listen to the variety pack in audio form click podcast #66

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