Transforming Basketball

🔥 Our favorite constraint at Transforming Basketball 🧠 The "Floor is Lava" constraint creates better spacing by forcing players to escape the paint, encouraging smarter positioning and movement without the ball. 😄 Players love it. Coaches see results. 🔁+❤️ Repost and Like this post, and we'll send you the full breakdown. (Valid 72h only)

See how to introduce the "pull behind" through 2-on-1 shooting. Only pass to corner player, and force a hot closeout only going baseline. The offense then makes a decision to finish at the rim OR pass to the fill behind based on who is more open.

Spending time playing along the baseline not only gets you more comfortable operating in this small space but forces you to become more aware of what movements you can have in it; which is increasing your sensitivity to proprioceptive information (movement in space). Not to mention, working from the baseline has you discovering different angles and solutions that will make your ability to finish at the rim much more adaptable.  Why we also start attached is so that we can train defense’s ability to detect information from a haptic (touch) source rather than only relying on their perceptual abilities. Simply because in a game, they will most likely be caught blind and so now, they start to learn how to gather information that still gives them the opportunity to get back to neutral

On the Transforming Podcast, @kestrelpsych shared the importance of coaches being open to a different way.

"loved this book. It definitely changed the way I think about teaching and coaching basketball and the way players learn."👇 amzn.to/3vO1Tc7

Cam'Ron Fletcher winning his first three steps for the easy transition rim finish.

"skillful behavior is the execution of a functional movement solution to achieve an intended task goal, as opposed to the rehearsal of a specific movement pattern (a technique) which is performed identically across controlled repetitions."

This small-sided game starts 1v1 on the baseline or the lines around the paint. The offense must use deception to find shots at the basket, "gold medals". If the defense crosses the line before the offense does, it is a +1 bonus point for the offense. This is a practical way to develop deception, especially with a live dribble.

Differential Learning was invented by Professor Wolfgang Schollhorn. The primary goal of DL is to allow a player to gain information about the solution space (e.g. the different ways they can coordinate their body to shoot). Rather than just shooting using highly similar movement within their solution space, through all the movement perturbations that come with DL exercises, a shooter may explore many different movements.

Pat Kelsey on playing with urgency after the opposition scores To successfully execute a clapback, teams should follow these steps: 1.Immediate Outlet: Execute an immediate inbounder outlet pass without delay. 2.Fast Reaction: Win the first three steps of the possession, with off-ball players demonstrating lag-free reactions. 3.Capitalize on Advantage: Once the kick-ahead pass is completed, leverage the early advantage, such as numerical superiority or spacing.

Shout out to Coach Gates who appeared in Transforming Basketball talking about the success implementing a CLA with Mizzou. This was followed by Joe Boylan's great contribution on CLA methods which resonated in the NBA.

How do you identify rate limiters within your players or across a wider team?

"As coaches, it seems obvious to us that we know why a player would pivot. But does a 10 year-old, with a limited understanding of basketball, understand why they would dribble out, stop, turn back in the direction they just came from?" transformingbball.com/are-line-and-b…

.@fracoachrossi has developed numerous players at College Basket Borgomanero. Learn more about his practice philosophies that are used throughout the club! open.spotify.com/episode/3RYc3S…

Seal to sacrifice  The Gortant Screen is one of the most effective ways the dunker and the ball can keep the advantage especially when the ball is continuing their downward momentum either off a blast or even a PNR action as it enters a higher traffic area. So when you cannot find your own space to enter in time, and you see that the defender is eliminating space and opportunities for the ball a bit earlier, you are now invited to create a new space for your teammate to enter and convert on the initial advantage

💥 1v1 Straight Line Push Battle is a great warm-up game. The aim is for offense to keep their straight line, while the defense pushes them off their line. This is a great way to work on absorbing contact and keeping the defender on the hip.

📘 200+ SSGs designed to build pick and roll reads and solutions for any defense. 👉 transformingbball.com/course-the-pic…

With a few defensive adjustments, a few reminders—and a tone that said everything was going to be alright— UConn outscored Tennessee 29–11 in the third quarter, eventually winning 96–66.

Professor Jean Coté defines transformational coaching through four components — inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. In plain language: inspire your athletes by believing in them, be a role model in what you do, say and show, challenge players to think rather than just comply — and crucially, tailor your approach to what each player or group actually needs in that moment.

Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament as defending champions, 34-0, on a 50-game winning streak. No team in Division I allows fewer points — just 50.4 per game and they have the second-highest-scoring offense at 88.8. But the most underrated thing about Geno’s coaching right now isn’t the record. It’s the fact that after 41 years, he changed the way he coaches — and it’s working.