We know that our Youth Read & React coaches are pressed for practice time.

Many of you are lucky to get two

90-minute practice sessions a week with your team, and are trying to figure out how to put in all the Read &
React has to offer during that short amount of time.

This video shows how Rick would install Layers 1-6 & 17 with a youth team in one 90-minute practice. He uses
demonstrators who are between the ages of 9-12, and establishes the framework for the offense that can easily
be built upon in subsequent practices.

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 OVERALL PLAN
Practice #1 = 90 minutes
Read & React first 6 Layers
Practice #2 = 90 minutes
Read & React (6 Layers) ADD DEFENSE
Practice #3 = 90 minutes
Read & React -- ADD FUNDAMENTALS
How to Catch, Pass, Square Up,
Jump Stop, Look at Basket, etc.
Practice #4 = 90 minutes
Supplemental (Inbounds, Transition, etc)

READ & REACT

FOUNDATION LAYERS

0 OFFENSIVE MECHANICS
1) STOPS; 2) STARTS; 3) PIVOTS; 4) STANCE; 5) SHOT FORM; 6) BALL CONTROL;
7) FORMATIONS/SETS; 8) REBOUNDING (CHECK-OUT, BOX-OUT, PUT-BACKS)
1 PASS & CUT
1) SPOTS & SPACING; 2) IF PASS, THEN BASKET CUT; 3) FILL EMPTY SPOTS (FILL-UP & FILL-OUT);
4) RIP ; 5) PUPPY-DOG; 6) LEARN FRONT & REAR CUTS; 7) USE "READ LINE"; 8) ATTACK
2 POST PASS-&-CUT (NORTH & SOUTH) -- BASIC
1) LAKER CUT HIGH; 2) LAKER CUT LOW; 3) FOUR POST MOVES OFF LAKER CUTS;
--THE "PEEK-A-BOO" DROP; "TURN-AROUND" JUMPER; THE "WORM" UP & UNDER;
THE "PEEK-A-BOO WORM"; (ADVANCED INCLUDES "PRO-STANCE")
3 DRIBBLE-AT -- (EAST & WEST )
1) BASKET CUT; 2) FILL TO OPEN SPOTS; 3) DRAFT OR CROSS-OVER ATTACK DRIVE
4 CIRCLE MOVEMENT--DRIBBLE PENETRATION--(NORTH & SOUTH)
1) MOVE TO NEXT SPOT; 2) NATURAL PITCH OR DISH; 3) SAFETY VALVE; 4) DRAFT DRIVES;
5) BOUNCE OFF & RE-ATTACK
5 BASIC POST SLIDES--DRIBBLE PENETRATION
1) DRIBBLE FROM TOP--GO SHORT-CORNER; 2) FROM BOTTOM--GO ELBOW;
6 BASELINE--DRIBBLE PENETRATION
1) BASELINE PITCH; 2) 45 ANGLE; 3) 90 ANGLE; 4) SAFETY VALVE;

17 TRANSITION OFFENSE
1) PRIMARY BREAK TO SPOTS; 2) DRIBBLE BALL INSIDE HAND; 3) SECONDARY BREAK

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Day #1: What you ARE Doing . . .
Passing & Cutting; Filling Up & Filling Out;
Playing together as a Team; Touching Spots;
Talking

Day #1: What you AREN'T Doing . . .

Passing Technique; Catching Technique;
Jumping on Catching (2 Feet Jump Stop);
Layup Technique; etc.

PASS & CUT

1) If you Pass, then you MUST Cut!
Touch Spot under basket
This is called a "BASKET CUT"

Note: You must touch spot

underneath basket in order to
COMPLETE your basket cut.

PASS & CUT

2) You MUST Fill the Empty Spot
nearest the Ball -- FILL-UP

3) Cutter MUST Fill the Empty Spot on

the Floor . . . in this case, the CORNER
or FILL-OUT

Coaches Note: Slow Down and wait

for Cutters to touch under basket.

PASS & CUT

4) After you've got the idea . . . Add
this: Count 5 Passes and then Pass to
Cutter for a Layup

Coaches Note: Have everyone count

Passes. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 and
return to Passer who is cutting for a
Layup.
ADD: Do this same TEAM Drill with
only 4 Players (then 3-Players)
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 LEARN SOME VOCABULARY!
POST-UP -- Instead of Filling-Out, you Stop in
the Post.
MID-POST - Learn WHERE to Post-Up by
Defining WHERE the Mid-Post Spot is.
LAKER CUTS -- Laker Cut High & Laker Cut Low
Must touch Elbow or Must touch bottom hash
AKA-- Post Pass & Cut - Must still touch Spot
FAN & FILL-OUT -- Moving from the Post back to
the Perimeter

POST PASS & CUT

1) Learn "Posting-Up"; Learn "Mid-
1-Spot away Post Spots"; Learn 1-Spot Away vs. 2-
from Post Spots Away"
1-Spot away
from Post
Note: You must touch spot
underneath basket before you can
"Post-Up".

Mid-Post Spot Note: Add High-Post & Short Corner

Ball
1-Spot Away Probably Learn only Mid-Post Day 1
2-Spots away
from Post The POST is 2-Spots away
POST PASS & CUT
2) Play 5-on-0
a) Everyone must Pass & Cut
b) All 5 Players must Post-Up @ Mid-
Post, but never at Same Time
c) Perimeter can only Pass from 1-Spot
Away, then must Laker Cut
d) Post stays until they Receive a Pass.
After Laker Cut, pass back to
Perimeter and "Fan Out" and new
Player can "Post Up"
e) All 5 Players must "Post-Up" & all
Players must touch Spot under basket
f) 5th Player feeds Laker Cutter for a
Layup . . . Repeat

Note: Day 1 is Probably Mid-Post action only . . . Day 2 you may add High Post (even Short Corner). You, however,
could mention what's coming "tomorrow".

Note: Day 1 is Probably pretty basic as far as cutting . . . However, Day 2, or 4 or 6 you might add POST MOVE -- You,
however, could mention what's coming in the near furture. Same goes for "Draft Drives".

Tomorrow, I will Practice SAME stuff, but add defense. I'm coaching Defense & kids are getting reps at Read & React!
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 DRIBBLE-AT
1) Dribble-At only nearest Spot (either direction)
2) Same Basket Cuts -- Touch Spot under basket
3) Same Fill-Out and Same Fill-Up

4) These 3 Layers are probably your Working

Offense for younger than 9 years old. (Pass-&-
Cut; Post Pass-&-Cut; and, Dribble-At) with
Introduction of Layer 4 Circle Movement

5) Tie these 3 Layers together . . .

DRIBBLE-AT NEXT SPOT

1) Dribble-At any adjacent Spot
a) Person Dribbled-At must Basket Cut
b) Others must Fill Spots nearest Ball
c) Dribbler STOP at Spot until all have
Filled Out

Note: Coaches have them learn by

having 1 Dribble continue Dribbling to all
and any Spots on the Floor. Everyone
takes a turn at Dribbling. After 5 Dribble-
Ats BOUNCE PASS to cutter for Layup.

COMBINING ACTION -- DRIBBLE-AT + POST PASS-&-CUT

Dribble-At Wing . . . Wing Basket Cut then Post-Up . . . Dribbler must Pass to Post and Laker Cut . . . Everyone Fills
Ball "Fans" back out . . . Post Fills-Out . . . Next Ball Handler does the same thing until ALL have Dribbled-At and Posted
Up and Laker Cut . . . This action COMBINES LAYER 3 DRIBBLE-AT AND LAYER 2 POST PASS-&-CUT.
Caution: Remember, You must Pass to Post from ONLY 1-Spot Away. So, if you find yourself with the Ball on TOP, then
you Must LAYER 1 PASS-&-CUT (or DRIBBLE-AT) to FIX the Problem. Learn to "Follow the Rules".

Player with Ball is Learning 2 Things: A FEW NOTES:

a) I can "PASS & CUT" Make sure to:
b) I can "DRIBBLE-AT" a) Post-Up on Both Sides of Floor (Green & Red Spots)
Player that is Basket Cutting is Learning a Few Things: b) Two ways to POST-UP
a) I can FILL-OUT 1) Pass-&-Cut & Post Up, or
b) I can POST-UP 2) Dribble-At & Cutter Post-Up
Player Posting Up is Learning a Few Things: c) Also Learn that you DON'T Have to Post-Up. You could
a) Feed Laker Cutter for a Layup simple Fill-Out
b) Fan the Ball Back Out & Fill Back Out d) Learn to Fix problems (like Pass to Post 1 Spot away) 5

Basic Perimeter Action when ball is Dribbled to the Right
A FEW NOTES:
a) Can do Drill by
-Number of Bounce-Offs (varied from 1 to 5)
-By Amount of Time (ie. 5 minutes on clock)
-Competition: (ie. First Team to have each Player
Bounce-Off 3 times . . . Wins)
b) Be thinking "Progression" from Practice to
Practice by reviewing and teaching something
new
c) Think "Skill Building" -- Forward/Backward
Dribbles; Passing-&-Cutting; Catching; "Ready"
Position; etc. etc. ALWAYS WORK ON NEW
SKILLS every time you do same Drill.
d) The BEAUTY OF READ & REACT . . . is that you can
do this (and many other drills) with All 5 Players
(emphasizing "Team") or as few as 2 players. I
prefer 3 Players.
CIRCLE MOVE -- DRIBBLE DRIVE
1) Dribbler Drives to Basket (either direction)
2) ALL Perimeter Players move in same direction
to next perimeter spot
3) Technique:
a) Dribbler no "Dancing". Pick a direction and go!
--Use Right Hand to the Right, Left to the Left
b) Perimeter Players in good stance (should be
able to touch your knees)
Learn to "BOUNCE - OFF"
BOUNCE OFF - CIRCLE MOVE
1) Dribbler Drives into Lane (either direction)
a) STOP! As of a defender has stopped your Drive
2) BOUNCE-OFF means "Back Dribble" to the Open Spot
3) Technique:
a) Dribbler works on Dribbling Forward, Dribbling Backward,
Stop-&-Go, etc.
b) Perimeter Players in good stance (should be able to touch
your knees) and React to Ball Handler - Sprint to Move.
4) Drill:
a) Player makes 3 Bounce-Offs, then must Pass & Cut, Fill-Out
b) Next player makes 3 Bounce-Offs, then must also P&C, etc
c) Continue Drill until all 5 players have Bounced-Off
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 POST SPOTS

Post Slides in the

Read & React

1) If Dribble Penetration is from

ABOVE the Post, the Post simply
slides Down into the Short-
Corner.
2) If Dribble Penetration is from
BELOW the Post, the Post simply
slides Up to the High Post area.

DRILL 1: Drill the Layer 4 "Bounce Off" Drill with 4-Out and 1-Post.
Simply use the 5-Out Spots and learn the 4-Out Spots later! Have the
Post move from Mid-Post to Short-Corner on Dribble Penetration and
Return to Mid-Post when Perimeter Players Bounces to Open Spot.

DRILL 2: Same Drill but with 2 Post Players. 3 Perimeters Bounce Off.

A FEW NOTES:
Time to Put Layers Together . . . a "Diagnostics Test"
a) Combine 1) Pass & Cut; 2) Post Pass & Cut + Laker Cuts;
3) Dribble-At; 4) Circle Move Bounce-Off; 5) Post Slides
b) Time to start to let Kids "figure things out" for themselves!
c) Start recognizing who the leaders are, who the players are, etc.
d) Take Notes: "What do we need to work on tomorrow" mentality
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 BASELINE DRIVE SPOTS

Be patient. Learn
these spacing spots
weeks or months
down the road.

BASELINE DRIVE
1) Must Come Back to Corner . . .
2) At this age, we don't have to fill the
45 and 90 Angles . . . simply
"Coming Back" to the Corner Spot
is all that is necessary, until weeks
later.
3) You don't have to explain what a
"Safety Valve" is, or "Natural
Pitch", or 45, or 90 . . . maybe as
your season progresses, you can
BASELINE DRIVE -- CIRCLE MOVEMENT introduce those terms.
4) Keep this layer simple.
DRILL 1: Drill the Layer 4 "Bounce Off" Drill with 5-Out and when the Ball gets
to the Corner, then Drive Baseline and watch for the Come Back on the other
side. Pitch to Opposite Corner and Re-Do Drill.

DRILL 2: Drill the Layer 3 "Dribble-At" Layer around the Court, and then Drive
Baseline and watch for Corner Comeback. So, Dribble-At, with Basket Cutter,
then again and again until Ball is in Corner. Then "Baseline Drive" (Layer 6).

DRILL 3: Drill ALL 6 Layers including Driving Baseline.

a) Combine 1) Pass & Cut; 2) Post Pass & Cut + Laker Cuts;
3) Dribble-At; 4) Circle Move Bounce-Off; 5) Post Slides;
6) Baseline Drives

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 BINGO
1) Start at Half-Court. Begin by Passing to each
other. After Passing, do a Basket Cut and Fill-Out
to a Spot . . . Last Person with the Ball dribbles to
an Open Spot and STARTS THE OFFENSE.
BINGO PROGRESSION
1) Start at Half-Court Line, 42 Feet
2) Second Trip, Start at Hash Line, 33 Feet
3) Third Trip, Start at FT Line, 63 Feet
4) Fourth Trip, Start at Opposite Baseline, 84 Feet

BINGO

DRILL:
Pass to any person in the line in
any direction. Last Person Dribbles
to Open Spot.

PHILOSOPHY OF PRACTICE FOR AGES 9 - 12

Think WHOLE - PART - WHOLE
o The First 3 to 5 practices should be "Whole" with very little drill work
First 2 or 3 Practices should be Offense -- Read & React
Begin Pointing-Out the Fundamentals of Passing, Catching, Dribbling, etc.
From Practices 3 to 5 begin adding Defense. Also as a "Whole" learning HOW to Guard the
Situations presented in these First 6 Layers of Read & React
Begin Pointing-Out the Fundamentals of Staying Low, Footwork, Staying between Man
and Basket, etc.
Be able to Play the Game in the "Whole" before breaking down into Smaller Groups
o Begin "Breaking Down" the "Part" of Offense and Defense with Small Group Drills & Individual Drills
somewhere after Practices 5 or 6 . . . Develop a "Fundamental Routine".
See Read & React Drill Book and See Dynamic Defense Drill Book
Begin Ball Handling & Shooting Drills; Begin Ballside & Helpside Defensive Work
1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 Breakdown Drills, Rebounding, etc.
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