Ps Mrs Alice K. Griffith, The Athletic Journal, 6858 Glenwood Avenue, Chicago 26, Illinois. __.. 2 am enolosing my article on “Devitalizing the Razzle- Dagzle Game". This is new stuff, so far as I know, and has never been published by anyone before, nor have I ever given it in ite entirety before. — _ In the exposition I have given an explanation of the symbols used in this article. JI have used the square to in- dicate the defensive player, X the offensive, and 0 denotes (the ball. I notice in the Deseuber issue of the Journal, in ‘the diagrams, you have simply used X and 0. : Feel free to edit the article in any way you see fit. . f Very sincerely yours, eo a Direotor of Physical Education, PCA sAd : Varsity Basketball Coach. Enc. : ao P,8. In future article I will follow your schematic diagrams, but I didn't notice it in time to make the change. oa DEVITALIZING THE RAZZLE-DAZZLE GAME. e One of the nine principles of war is the Principle of Surprise. The principle of surprise is also one of the dominant determinors in a tough game of basketball. How many times has a smooth-functioning teem been upset by an aggressive so-called Npadghd-tanse” outfit which took their opponents all over the court. Previously a defensive team had always retreated down under their ‘opponent's basket using either a straight men-for=men defense, or a stratified transitional defense, according to the exigency of the situation. Without a second’s warning this razzle-dazzle aggregation went into action, ‘Instead of retreating, they rushed their Cnpenente all over the floor. This offensive teem which had functioned smoothly previously was now thrown into confusion. ‘They perhaps had met a pressing defense previously in. their offensive half of the court, but never had they experienced an all out | — attack against an pchrenaiven opponent in their defensive half of the court. Unless definite plans are laid by the coach for such a contemplated surprise, itive is sure to befall such a shortsighted tean. In an arhenpt to show how to meet such a defense it is well to — a first “—— drill against a pressing defense at the offensive end of the court. The eynbols ry] are defensive, Xx the offensive, and 0 denotes the ball; the dotted Line shows the path of the ball, while the straight lines show the movement of the plains. The screen is designated by a short crescent line, interfering with the progress of the defensive co A pressing defense wi 11 endeavor to tie the offensive men up and to tiie them across the division line. The location of the ball determines the ieee of the offensive men in extricating the teammate against the pressing defensive opponent. If good strategy is used the imperiled men can resort to screening and turn the advantage against their defensive opponents. First Order Drill . Exposition and Diagram. In Diagram #1 the entire offensive team is facing a pressing defense. Each of the defensive (_] players is gluing his opponent, sticking so close to them that a contemplated pass is near impossible. X56 has the ball and ell, his teammates are subjected to close and vigorous guarding. To extricate x5, X3 cuts in the Hien of X5 and calls for the bald in a loud voice. This is intended as a decoy play. X5 continues on +0 soreen X2's defensive opponent. X4 now swings over to the wnattiuns vacated by X3 and reesives @ pass from X5. During the interim, XS has now arrived at the proper screening position to set up the play, X2 fakes as if to go in behind his opponent, but instead | | swings out to the front and receives a hook pass from x4. X2 now continues to dribble into the basket for a anne X1 pulls straight out in the court as if to receive a pass ore X4, the purpose being to draw Al's defensive guard away from the basket which will allow X2 less interference from defensive men. But as soon as X2 has eleared the way and hes started for the basket, X1 now swings on into the basket her rebound work should X2 miss the shot. And x3 who screened X2's man now swings basketward for his necessary rebound work. X4 and X5 equalize so that they may get into the offense for a pass-out should the goal be missed : and rebound work by the three offensive men become necessary. This puts all five . | men into action and they are ready for new eventualities, either offensive or defensive. : There is always one danger in decoy plays in that the decoy is made to act like dead ducks rather than live ones. Every player must be a good actor, and unless there is some legitimate deception and smart faking no play will work as well as it would shane intelligent finessing. It must be borne in mind that this play will work from either side. If the ball is in possession of the opposite guard, X4,the:. reverwek order t of plays are indicated. ose Diagram ifee In this case, X3 or the center man in the back line has posséssion of the ball when a pressing defense attacks, endeavoring to force the players back to or across the division line. Diagram #2 shows X4 cutting toward XS and calling for the ball. This is ‘ decoy ay, but it clears the widatne lene for Xl'to come forward and receive a diagonal pass from XS. x4 sane continues on enteta and down the court to sereen X2's opponent, XS passes the ball to Xl, who women forward, receives the ball, dribbles on a short wwing, and hook passes the ball to X2 coming toward the free throw cirele. X2 now dribbles on into the basket for a lay-up, while X1 gous in for rebound work, as does x4. XS and X5 go forward and equalize the defensive-offensive situation. This works from both sides. | Diagran #3. In Diagram 43 it smust now be borne in mind that X now represents the offensive team which was just previously the defensive aggregation vefore taking the ball off the backboard. CJ now represents the razzle-dazzle pressing team which is taking their opponents all over the floor. x4 has just recovered the ball froma rebound off the backboard and has broken sharply to his own right but is mengeed by ee opponent who sticks his man. At the seme time, all other [~] defensive men are gluing their Opponents. To free X4, who has possession of the ball, X5 cyts diagonally across the free throw lane and calls for the ball. : } The mistake commonly made by the offensive forwards, X1 and X2, is that they break down for their own basket. In such situation this is a mistake. x starts for his own basket but cuts out toward his own sideline and comes back toward his om defiasive basket. When X5 outs across his free throw lans he is following the same procedure that X4 did in Diagram #2. This clears the path for the returning X1 and ini X4 hook passes the ball across the court ubave it dn neers by Xl. X2 cuts diagonally toward XS, and this permits XS to screen his Gidea off by cutting behind east off the hips of X2 when ad he breaks ‘down the court toward the offensive half of the basket. xf now receiver the ball on a hook pass trom X1 who is now free from his defensive opponent, and the offensive begins to roll. x2 ‘sontinues down along, the side- line, ready to receive a exeseuut sens from XS. Just as soon as X4 and X5 see the ball is in safe territory they swing into aston. X4 now cuts back toward the center of the eourt and continues down into the offensive swing. X5 also swings toward the center. Both X4 and X5 are in excellent defensive position, while Xl, X2 and X3 carry the burden of the offensive. After Xl passes ‘to X3, X1 now begins the offensive roll. "The Stick-Em Keep-Away Game” A pressing defense is ie ways a tight man-foreman defense. To enable an offensive team which heretofore has been allowed much freedom in setting up their plays to get accustomed to a tight man to man game, I have often used the "stick-em keep-away" geme. The ball is tossed up at center as in a scrimmage play between A and B teams. No goals are thrown, but all of nee rules of the regular game of basketball are followed. It is officiated exactly as a regular scrimmage game. | After the tip-off at center, the team that obtains possession of the ball drives into their ow offensive half of the court. The name of the game designates the type of play used. 7“ offensive team keeps the ball away from the defensive team, and it is now up to the defensive team to stick \ their opponents and obtain possession of the ball without making a foul. The - winning team is deteriined by possession of the ball over a two-minute total elapsed time advantage. A time-keeper is appointed for each Seni. So long as one team keeps possession of the ball, the seconds advantage are totaled and when the twoeminute total is arrived at, the timer blows his whistle announcing ie wher. There will be stoppages, of course, for violations py & Lata oe when the ball goes to ‘the opponents out of bounds. A foul by a team gives the ball = Se \ to the opponents out of bounds. If a team in possession of the-ball is fouled, the official takes the ball out of bounds and awards it to the team in possession. The idea is to run the game as nearly like a regularly officiated game as possible. All fouls and violations are called. The purpose, of course, is to teach the defensive team close defensive tactics. And it is also the pur- pose to teach the offensive team to play "keep-away”. : To clarify any misunderstanding, the winning teem must have a total elapsed ane of two minutes of actual possession on the playing floor. The ten-seoond rule is enforeed as in regular gane play. ‘The losing team might have a total elapsed playing time of one minute ik fifty seconds, but it is the two-minute playing advantage that is the determinor for victory. ‘This playing limit may be lengthened or decreased, according to the desires of the coach. | : This "stick-em koep-eway" game will certainly be a real benefit to a zone team which is weak on taking their men all over the court when the opponents have a score advantage with a few minutes remaining to play. Most zone teams have no real vauiles tm keoping possession of the ball in the last few minutes of playe "fhe Triangular Plen." There is a regular pattern of play which will enable a team in possession of the ball to retain possession and still use a scoring threat against their defensive opponents. With three offensive men out near the division line and the two forwards in the corners, the ball is handled by any one of the three men on the outside. ‘The center man in the back line - wkkk and either one of the guards form the bases of the two triangles. The forwards in each case are the apices of the triangles. Hach wimuie is a unit in itself. When the center man in the back line is in possession of the ball he determines in which triangle to start the operation. The ball may be .- passed by either the center or the guard in to the forward. © ‘fhe pattern of play is that both triangles operate toward the 3 sideline. In Diagram Fi Y X5 passes to Xl who comes forward to receive the ball. Xl dribbles to where X4 was previous ly stationed. X5 moves to Xl‘'s position a2 and X4 moves to X5's position. It must be raneibered that the defensive men must stay between their opponents and the basket, else the offensive men will be free to dribble in for an open shot. : | | Now the ball ean be switched to the other triangle and X4, who is in X5‘s position, passes the ball to X2, who comes up along his own sideline, and receives the pass from X4 who had moved wer in X5's position. X2 now dribbles up to the position of X3. °X3 moves over to the previous position of X4 and X4 moves down to X2's vieitoed position. It will be noted that either ! wis ‘of She guards may pads thn bal) te ofthe: one of the forwards, in which case the flow of all the men operates toward their own respective sidelines, with each man taking the other player's position in the triangle. This triangular offensive keep-away play vinin'e work only in this direction else there will be grief to the keepeaway team. The two men in the triangle not used are ever alert and many times the defensive team will be so centered on obtaining the ball from the three offensive men that one of the : -“" ackes aan may slip away from his opponent, going to the basket practically unguarded to sevelve @ pass from one of the three triangle offensive men. It is generally the guard on the off triangle that is umwatched. No goal should be shot uless there is a wide open play and ‘ Lay~up. If an offensive player : éribbles in to the goal and a defensive player vinnie him, the offensive. player should immediately swing away from the goal and resume the keep-away game. Armed with these fundamentals a tean should be more consistently versatile. f cue! BRE HERS U aE [ 'The Watchdog of the Basket of the basket. It has often er- roneously been said that a good offense is the best defense. It has been my experience that a sterling defense, coupled with a better-than-average offense, will more often than not defeat a sterling of- fense possessed of a near-superior defense. The common conception of teamwork is that it applies only to the offense. In reality, however, it operates at its best on the defense. This misconception can be attributed to the fact that, in the early development of the game, the players in possession of the ball were the centers of attraction, and the players not in posses- sion drew very little attention. In this ever-changing kaleidoscopic speed game of basketball, new variations of defense must be improvised. The hyper-fast break has placed new burdens on both the guards and the of- ficials. The present game is much more difficult to officiate. In the present game, it is also much more difficult for a team to acquire the proper guarding technique. To ease the burden of the guard, the rules committee now permits a player five per- sonal fouls instead of four before ejection from the game. Much of the offensive drills are sheer fun because there is the ball-handling con- nected with this fundamental feature. But guarding technique is work, and hard work. A young player will practice, even alone, goal and free shooting by the hour because it is fun. Few players, however, in off moments will ever attempt to prac- tice guarding technique to improve their defensive prowess. All players want pos- session of the ball so that they can shoot at the basket. Therefore, a versatile coach will improvise competitive fundamental drills wherein the guard is glorified. Dur- ing these practice sessions an opportunity is given the coach to drive home needed lessons. A good guard will hound the ball. He should always be found between his op- ponent and the basket. This is the first fundamental that should never be neg- lected. A wily guard will never let the opposi- tion slip in behind him. He will play the ball and not the man. A crafty guard al- ways knows how to use his weight to ad- vantage without fouling. All prospective guards should take boxing lessons. The boxing skills develop finished guarding technique. The guard should always be on top of the ball, and when he cannot get it, he should cover his opponent. The boy who spends the greater part of his child- hood romping with a playful dog may be- To guard is the bipedal watchdog for DECEMBER, 1944 developed to a high degree. By Forrest C, Allen Basketball Coach, University of Kansas come, in his college years, a star basketball guard, for he has learned from the animal certain instinctive movements which will aid him in diagnosing the fundamental movements of his opposing forwards and centers in his future basketball career. By learning how to meet these instinctive feints and bounds of his early animal companion, the intuitive guard will in var- sity competition be more able to divine the next movements of his basketball op- ponent. Some coaches describe this un- canny sense of the guard as the sixth sense. Truly, it is an instinctive reaction which is These in- stinctive reactions must be stronger in the guard than in his opponents, or he will not succeed. A versatile guard outthinks his oppo- nent and beats him to position play. A successful guard knows his areas so well that he may intentionally leave a position apparently unguarded for the purpose of drawing his opponent into a trap. By hav- ing perfect confidence in his own strength and agility, the guard will feign a certain inertia or lassitude to encourage his op- ponent to attempt a shot in supposedly uncovered territory. Much after the manner of a cat lying near a rat hole watching for the escape of the rodent, does the guard torment his opponent. The cat, thoroughly relaxed and at a distance from the hole, will encourage the rat to attempt an escape. Being in- stinctively possessed with a confidence in her own power, the cat will leap upon her prey and exterminate it. So should the basketball guard know his own physical powers and the territory that he can suc- cessfully control. Such a guard will have poise and power and confidence and a con- tagious enthusiasm that bodes ill for an opponent who attempts an offensive thrust into his territory. A versatile and aggres- sive guard will combine all the qualities of leadership at his command to ward off the offensive thrusts of two opponents. Only when outnumbered in manpower is the guard in danger. A highly successful coach uses neither a, straight man-for-man nor a strictly zone defense. He uses a combination of both because a straight man-for-man has its weaknesses, but not as many weaknesses as a zone, and a straight zone has weak- nesses that are easily overcome. A man- for-man defense with the zone principle will pay splendid dividends. When a single guard is forced to play two offensive men, he learns to play the principle of the zone defense, yet he plays the man with the ball and also keeps a weather eye for the other potential scorer. I prefer to teach my defensive funda- mentals through competition. We place this primary guard seven feet under, and in front of, the basket. He can thwart any close drives to the basket, and at the same time harass his opponents, should they at- tempt to shoot. The two offensive men in Diagram | are to locate themselves in any favorable posi- tion that they prefer before the ball is tossed to one of them by the coach. They are expected to dribble, pivot, pass and cut . in, and endeavor to draw the guard out of position before shooting. Five tries are permitted these offensive men. If either one of the offensive men illegally starts a dribble, commits a violation or makes a foul, then one point is scored for the de- fense. As long as there are no fouls by either side, play continues. If the guard fouls, one point is scored against the guard. There is a total of five points counted for five successful tries. If the guard is successful in breaking up the play of the two offensive men without a field goal being scored upon him, the guard wins. If the offense scores two goals out of the five, the offense wins. A tie score would result, when the offensive side scores one goal out of five tries. Naturally the more goals scored by the offense, the more emphatic would be the offensive vic- tory in the five tries. : The men are rotated, each man on the squad taking the guard’s position. This rotation also includes the offensive men until every man on the squad has had both offensive and defensive training on attack and defense. The scores of each perform- er’s effort should be recorded. Consistent- ly outstanding performers will invariably attract attention. There is no better meth- od of teaching team fundamentals than — through such competitive practice drills. During the defensive drills, the coach centers on defensive pedagogy teaching that the defensive guard is a wary per- . former. Never will he let either of the two forwards slip in behind him, nor will he go out too deep and leave his goal un- defended. As new situations arise, he will know just when to advance or to retreat. Should the offense attempt a shot from out in front, he will constantly project his physique and his personality into both the visual and the mental paths of the shoot- er. Neither will he ever turn his back upon either opponent for a moment. As an aid to efficient footwork, he will inter- change between the first baseman’s step and the boxer’s stance, as occasion de- mands. The plan of teaching defense, using five (Continued on page 32) TI Winning Through Ball Control The team in white is using the double-post attack. The other purpose for trying to keep the ball from these “post” men is that of pre- venting them from making assists to a team mate. A defensive man may upset the other team’s offensive play by getting a hand just far enough in front of the “nost” to bat passes away from him. When a team depends heavily for their scoring on some giant placed near the basket, it may pay to put a defensive man on each side of the giant, then attempt to cover the rest of the offensive men with a type of modified zone defense. For teams playing straight zone, a good procedure is to play a guard behind the giant and to fade a front-line man back in front of him. - The four-man zone with the extra man playing the giant, man-for-man may be a partial answer. Any defense based on two men playing one opponent assumes that looser playing of the other offensive men is worth the risk. A well-balanced team of reasonably accurate long shots makes such © defensive tactics questionable. Planning Recovery of Offensive Re- bound. Whether or not a team has a set offense, it should have considerable drill in the types of plays that it seems to find successful for scoring in a game. plays should have added to them an under- standing (and a practiced learning) of The W separate competitive scrimmage tries, con- forms to recognized principles of teaching, and it is consistently carried out in each of the following set-ups. The second stage, three offensive men on two defensive men (Diagram 2). In 32 These (Continued from page 10) which men should try for offensive-board rebounds. The most general practice is to have two men, in addition to the shooter, get into position to attempt rebounding in case the shot is missed. This practice is as worth while in the fast break as it is in the deliberate offense. With practice, these three rebounders can force the defensive team into a held-ball situation some of the times in which they do not actually get the ball. Even a held-ball at the offensive end of the floor is an advantage well worth the extra effort. The two men not engaged in this offensive rebound-play must fall back into positions from which they can check any fast break by the opponents. If a team has height advantage, it may be somewhat successful at offensive re- bounding with only two large men crash- ing the offensive board. The double-pivot offense is an example of this style. The usual procedure is to keep three men, fif- teen to thirty feet from the offensive bas- ket, weaving and shooting long shots with “an occasional feed and cut inside. The two big men on the “posts” stress hook-shoot- ing, jump-shooting, tap-ins, and an occa- sional screen for a cutter. The three outer offensive men are so situated as to nullify almost entirely any fast-break attempt by opponents. (Continued from page 11) this situation the two defensive men are being opposed by three offensive players, according to the principle of a strata of man-for-man defense and a strata of the zone principle. The front guard is placed seven feet in front of the guard shown in After Violations by Opponents The clever ball club rarely gives up the ball to opponents because of violation. Double-dribbling is chiefly a beginner’s error. Occasionally a player will forget the three-second rule restricting the of- fensive free-throw lane and half-circle, and thereby cause his team to lose possession of the ball. : Some seasoned players stretch the walk- ing and running restrictions to the limit that the officials will permit, in order to gain positional advantage. They are usu- ally clever enough to readjust their move- ments if the officials begin to call viola- tions on them. The skillful “post” player may slide his pivot toe occasionally if he finds the officials somewhat lax. The defensive team may be able to cause vio- lations by playing very close man-for- man with automatic switching on the screens. The offensive team may, thereby, be forced into a speed and tenseness which will upset their movement patterns. They may commit themselves by leaving their feet to pass or shoot, only to find that the defense has them completely covered. In this situation the offensive man prefers alighting with the ball to throwing it wildly. A called violation allows his team mates more time to readjust to de- fensive positions than an interception. Some defenses are planned to cause opponent violation of the ten-second rule in regard to getting the ball across the mid-court line. The procedure is to try to check the offensive team in its own back-court for ten seconds. Stress is put on stopping long passes and on stopping dribbling. The rebounder is checked as long as possible, the next receiver is _ checked, ete. The defense plays so as to encourage passing backward by the of- fense. One of the defensive techniques in this delay process is to stop any of- fensive dribbler, then fade back instantly. Two defensive men may double-team the dribbler until he is forced to pause. The fading back results in the covering of the offensive men ahead of the dribbler by a five man semi-zone. This checking and fading back ahead of the ball, and repeating the process until the mid-court line is crossed, takes speed and practice. It is a somewhat risky defensive strategy. atchdog of the Basket Diagram 1. This is a tandem defensive formation. The rear defensive guard has dropped back to a position about five feet directly in front of the basket and the front guard plays about seven feet in front of his team mate. The expectant attitude THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL of the defensive players should be stressed. This is the formation that I use always against fast breaks. It will be noted that the most vulnerable point of the basket is protected, namely, directly in front, and the two defensive players shift to meet an offensive three-man thrust. Whether the offense attempts a shot or a pass, the defensive players will always shift the spearhead of their defense in the direction of the ball. These men will con- stantly be shifting positions in their en- deavor to stop all offensive shots. Further- more, both of the defensive players will be - using every talent at their command to hurry and confuse the offensive ball-han- dlers. Naturally, the guards must be taught to expect the offensive men to shoot, but when a shot is made by the offense, then the defensive men are in an ideal position to recover the ball. It must be stressed that the three men are to drib- ble, pivot and pass, to jockey the two de- fensive men out of position. The coach handles the ball on each try, and during the interim, he lectures the de- fensive men on teamwork, in shifting for rebounds, and strategic defensive moves. The two guards are constantly hounding the three opponents and the ball. Their facial expressions should reveal their mili- tant. attitude. As the rear defensive guard shifts over to block a shot, the front de- fensive guard shifts slightly back and away as he menaces the front offensive man and discourages his idea of a return pass. When the two defensive guards are drawn out of position, they will re-form in the anterior-posterior guarding position as quickly as possible. The weaknesses of two defensive men against three offensive men are in the cor- ners to the right and left of the rear de- fensive. guard. If the ball is passed from the offensive man out in front to either one of the two offensive men in the cor- ners, the rear guard shifts toward the of- fensive man who is able to receive the ball in the corner, and the front guard slides back equidistant between the two guards’ former positions. In using this formation as a defense against the fast break, the front man parries a thrust in front of the basket, and the rear guard underneath the basket shifts to meet the oncoming offen- sive man with the ball, while the third defensive man moves in on the weak side away from the ball, thereby setting up the third stage of defense in three defensive men in a triangular position, one in front. . of the basket and two on either side. The third stage, five on three (Diagram 3). Five offensive men are waging a scor- ing attack against three defenders. The defensive men are arranged in a triangular formation with the front defensive player in the apex position and the other two de-. fensive players in their regular guarding positions. This is the defensive formation assumed, when the third man comes in from the weak side after a fast break to 34 BALL DIAG. | triangular defensive is imperative. DIAG,2 BALL XK C) , OC X X BALL DIAG.4 One eg x X ‘ - ! i] x | x! x BALL DIAG.5 reinforce the two defensive men who were in an anterior-posterior position. When more than three offensive men attack, the The most vulnerable positions of the basket attack are those in which these three de- fensive men form their triangle. The coach handles the ball and hands it to the attacking five men who start down from the center of the floor with the de- fense line-up in the triangular position. Five trials are used in this competitive fundamental drill the same as in the others. If the offense scores one basket out of the five, the score is a tie. If they score two or more, the offense wins, and if the defense shuts the offensive out with- out a basket, the defense wins. As the offensive men begin their scoring attack by passing the ball about vigorously from one to another, the defensive men shift accordingly, ever aware of the vul- nerable points of attack. Each of the de- fensive men evinces alertness, courage, and confidence. They all stamp their feet and menace continuously with their arms in fighting attitudes. In their desperate at- tempts to make their opponents muff the passes, and ultimately to recover the ball, they shift back and forth, and to the side, and stamp and yell. Thus, by stimulating the auditory and optic nerve centers of the offensive goal smiths, unfavorably, these outnumbered defenders are render- ing them less potent than before. A des- perate and determined three are these de- fensive-area basket-musketeers. The defense must know that the offen- ‘give men near the basket are creating the - most perilous situation, and that it is upon these men they must concentrate. Should one of the offensive men out in the court attempt a shot, the defensive man nearest him, while feigning calmness for the mo- ment, will be checking with himself for reassurance that he has covered all loop- holes for passes, by or through his own defensive area, and to an offensive team mate under the basket. Then, just as this offensive forward raises the ball in the act of shooting, this defensive man will feign a gigantic at- tempt to jump at him, at the same time emitting a startling yell that often brings the desired results. His bent arms will fly up threateningly, and his bended knees will clamp his feet to the floor, emphatical- ly and noisily. Through the hundreds of thousands of years that men have been clutching at each other’s throats, instinctive fears have been built up in every individual. It is not easy for this high-strung offensive man to > inhibit these disturbing stimuli. As the ball leaves. the offensive man’s hands, the defensive man will whirl and swing back at top speed toward the basket for rebound work. They know that the law of averages is against the success of the long shot and that they, by recovering the ball, may profit thereby. THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL Gentle Foot Gath FIGHTS ATHLETE’S FOOT Your Dolge Service Man will gladly help you plan a campaign to combat Athlete's Foot. A must on any control program is Alta-Co Pow- der, foot tub fungicide that kills all the different species commonly found in Athlete’s Foot. In less than a minute it kills fungi and their hardy spores. Alta-Co Powder stays stable in solution and does not lose power in storage. Check of the strength can be made at a glance with the inexpensive Alta-Co Tester, and Alta-Co Powder added to compensate for drip-in from showers. | It's easy on the towels, too—doesn't damage them. : Dolge has worked with schools and universities throughout the country on preventative plans. Ask your Dolge Service Man to help you—or write today for descriptive booklet on control of Athlete’s Foot. che C. B. DOLGE co. — WESTPORT CONNECTICUT _ Texas High School Coaches Association Textbook $4.00 Volume VI Lectures given at Texas Coaching School, August 7-11, 1944 Jeff Cravath, University of Southern Cali- fornia—The T Formation : Bobbie Dodd, Georgia Tech—The Single | » Wing-Back Formation Del Morgan, Texas Tech—tine Play Blair Cherry, University of Texas—Backfield - Play - Jewell Wallace, High School, San Angelo, Texas—Organization and Handling of ‘High School Football Problems Stanley Thomas, Sunset High School, Dallas, Texas—Organization and Handling of High School Basketball Texas High School Coaches Association Textbook, $5.00 With @ supplement of the lectures given at the Tulsa Coaching School, Tulsa, Oklae homa, August 1-4, 1944 Maurice (Skip) Palrang, Boys Town, Nebras- ka—T Formation Homer Norton, Texas A. & M.—Double and Triple Wing J. O. (Buddy) Brothers, University of Tulsa— The Kicking Game W. S. (Mike) Milligan, University of Tulsa— Line Play Henry Frnka, University of Tulsa—Tulsa’s Offense Dr. Eugene Lambert, University of Arkansas— Basketball | OTIS COFFEY, Pampa, Texas 36 | the court. The coach is spending his time on the defensive men, primarily instilling in them good defensive teamwork and pointing out constantly the weakness and the strength of the defensive play as it progresses from scrimmage to scrimmage. The fourth stage five on five (Diagram 4). Here we have the defensive situation as it should be with five offensive men met by five defensive opponents. These game drills follow all former regulations, and should always follow, and never precede those of the first, second and third stages of defensive drill. The five-man defensive teams should have no trouble in stopping their five-man offense in these practice drills. Each of the defensive men specifies | a certain opponent for whose movements he will be personally responsible during these regular game situations. These de- | fensive men are taught to slide and trade and switch, so there will be no excuse for permitting an offensive opponent to score because he shook his opponent loose. The same ratio that has been used in five trials at the basket is used in this drill. The defense should many times shut the offensive team out without a basket be- cause three defensive men played five. heretofore, and it should be an easy mat- ter now to hook up the five defensive men into a well-knit organization that should many times turn the offensive back with- out a single goal in five trials. In Diagram 5 the cut-back of the de-_ fensive forwards is emphasized. The mo- ment that the ball passes a defensive for- ward, this player should angle back into the area into which the ball was passed and make a one-two pass near impossible. You will note that the offensive guard is handling the ball, has just passed it to his own right forward, and has cut into the basket for a pass. The cut-back of the defensive forward has thwarted this and the other defensive men have shifted ac- cordingly. This is concerted and intelligent defensive headwork and footwork. The Practical Uses of the Inside Screen (Continued from page 17) there is doubt as to who committed the foul, where both men were in motion, the greater responsibility rests on the screenor. A running screen which is a part of the continuity of movement of the offense must be coached to avoid contact because of the danger of fouls and the subsequent danger of the team being thrown off stride. A fast-moving weave will have more con- tact than one with a more desirable and moderate tempo. ‘The running screen might be described as a mental block in that the defensive player chooses to avoid the path of the screenor and thereby avoid the danger of being blocked away from his opponents. The main use of the run- ning screen has been partly explained in this paragraph. Its general aim is to es- tablish a movement of players whith im- proves passing and ball control, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the offense. While the defense is engaged in shifting, scissoring, or avoiding the screen, it is in. that specific situation that the offense gains a momentary advantage. This situation opens up passing lanes and cutting lanes | that were not present before. In order to take full advantage of this fleeting oppor- tunity, it is imperative that the players be well schooled in the basic fundamental of ball-handling and passing. Players must be taught expert use of peripheral vision because of the necessity of seeing and rec- ognizing the openings created by the ever- changing positions on defense. These openings occur during the execution of the | screen and not afterward, hence the im- portance of doing two or three things sim- ultaneously. The running-screen game may be a “bull-in-the-China-shop party” or it may be a beautiful exhibition of scientific basketball. One of the best methods of teaching the running screen is to set up the exact game ~ condition in a five-versus-five drill. Things to be stressed in this drill would be finding _ the right cadence and tempo for the move- ment, as well as developing the poise and skills necessary to make the most of the screen opportunities. The illustration at the beginning of this article and Diagram 9 show situations in the execution of the running screen. Development and Strategy of Team side. The diagrams show how the defense plays their men as the ball moves around In Diagram 3, the ball is held by X2. 05, 04 and O2 play their men quite close. Ol plays his man loose and 03 floats well Defense in Basketball (Continued from page 24) back toward the keyhole. Thus 03 zones the keyhole and is ready to stop any of- fensive man who cuts clear into this area. This floater on the weak side is our key man in stopping a particularly dangerous pivot player. THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL JOHN L. GRIFFITH, EDITOR TELEPHONE ROGERS PARK 5074 THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL 6858 GLENWOOD AVENUE CHICAGO 26, ILL. December 14, 1944 Dr. Forrest ©, Allen Director of Physical Education University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: Mrs. Griffith wanted me to write you in answer to your letter of December 5th and tell you that she is pleased to know you are preparing an article for the next issue and that whatever title you choose will be satisfactory. Yours very truly, WM. awn Coma. Margaret Arns Secretary to Alice K, Griffith December 5, 1944 e Mrs. Alice K. Griffith, fhe Athletic Journal, 6858 Glemrood Avenue, Chicago 26, Illinois. T acknowledge receipt of your check with thanks. I am trying to think of a nifty name for an article that I think will be a real service to the basketball coaches who are patrons of your Athletic Journal. I am working at something new that has not been touched upon. You can count on my finishing this article about December 15th. You remember I wrote you about conbatting a pressing defense. Iread John Krafft's article and it does not touch upon what I was going to do. I dislike to digress from terminology be- gause there is no such thing in basketball terminology as the "paggle-dazzle" game. This morning about 3:30 or 4 o'clock I had an appropriate name for my article, but it left me because I did not concentrate on it enough when I got up. I am thinking about "Stifling the So-Called Razzle-Dazzle Game”. I have met coaches who have tried this on me and I- have never published it before. But I believe it would be worth the money. If I ean think of a better title I will use it, but if this satisfied you I believe we can do pretty well with it. Very sincerely yours, : Director of Physical Education, PCAs H ; Varsity Basketball Coach. te WJOHN L. GRIFFITH, EDITOR * * TELEPHONE ROGERS PARK 5074 THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL 6858 GLENWOOD AVENUE CHICAGO 26, ILL. November 20, 1944 Dr. Forrest C, Allen Basketball Coach University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: Thanks for the article. It sounds good to me, I notice after Diagram 1 you did not refer to the dia- grams, so I inserted in parenthesis after "second stage" etc. the diagram number. I am usually slow in my payment, but this time, I'm stopping everything to get the check to you. Now about a second article for the January issue, I can use one. Can you send one along about December fif- teenth and upon what subject will you write? Yours very truly, tes I Alice K, Griffith AKG: MA JOHN L. GRIFFITH, EDITOR TELEPHONE ROGERS PARK 5074 we rete. say THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL 6858 GLENWOOD AVENUE CHICAGO 26, ILL. | November 9, 1944 Dr. Forrest C. Allen Basketball Coach University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: I ama little late answering your letter of November 4, but it came at a time when I was locking up the November issue which is late due to delays at the printers. These are strenuous times as far as getting the Journal out on time because of labor shortage at the printers. I am looking forward to receiving your article, which I know will be good and your articles never need editing which lightens my burdens. I am attaching the article which I ran in the November issue on How to Combat a Pressing Defense. It is all right for you to criticize it or to present another side, for different opinions start people thinking. I am also attaching a chart which we are running in the November issue, and the opposite explanatory page. I am attaching this as it might suggest an attractive layout for your general article on defenses, for instance, at the top of the page we could have a chart of defenses, then for each vertical instead of horizontal column the different defenses, diagrams showing the difference in each and at the bottom of each column, a summary of the good points of each. I note what you say about an article on How to Thwart the Pressing Defense. You will touch upon this in your general article on defense, but why not write up this special article for the January issue? It will be a natural follow-up to the general article. I amina position to pay for two good articles, where in the past, I have been too short of funds to get many articles from the top-notchers. ; Thanks for your comments on our effort to unify basketball nomenclature. You would be surprised to know what an effort it is, and many times I miss it. There are some coaches too who object to having anything changed in their articles. You wrote an article for us once on nomenclature. Why don't you write up an editorial. We occasionally run signed editorials. In this you can show the improvement that has been made and suggest places for more improve- ment. Some of the top-notchers still "block" and not "screen", To me that Dr. Forrest C. Allen -2- November 9, 1944 was a most sensible change in nomenclature, but because I was accused of being too fussy about the term, I wanted your opinion as to whether I was right or wrong. Thanks for your willingness to help me, I need an authority whom I may consult. Yours very truly, thee Ie. Alice K,. edd th AKG: MA JOHN L. GRIFFITH, EDITOR TELEPHONE ROGERS PARK 5074 THE ATHLETIC JOURNAL 6858 GLENWOOD AVENUE CHICAGO 26, ILL. October 3, 1944 Dr. Forrest C, Allen Basketball Coach University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: At last I am getting a little caught up in my work, although I am shorter of help than last year. Since John Jr. was transferred, I am without the help of his wife. So after many months I am sending you a check for the February article. I am also coming to you again for help. I have run out of ideas for something new in basketball for articles this fall and winter. What can you suggest? This is old, but it is ever with us - Defense in Basketball. A recent article that I edited and an article, now on my desk, on How to Combat the Pressing Defense suggested another general article on defense followed by special articles on each type. Two years ago, we ran the enclosed article. by Everett Dean which is an excellent general article. Two years, however, have made many changes in the coaching staffs of the high schools so a general article would not be amiss. This possibly could be arranged so that it would be different from preceding articles. For instance, as I understand it, there are two basic defenses, man-for-man and zone. Then under man—for-man, we have the shifting, the assigned and the combination. No doubt, there are other sub- divisions. I hate to show my ignorance of technique, but I am primarily an editress. John Jr. although not an athlete, has been been connected with athletics enough to know more about technique, and after the war we will not be so dreadfully handicapped. First, pass upon my suggestion and correct my outline and then advise me if you would take the assignment of the general article? 1. Zone 2. Man-for-man a. Divisions a. Divisions (are there any) assigned, shifted, forcing b. Advantages b. Advantages ce. Disadvantages c. Disadvantages d. When used d. When used * Dr. Forrest C. Allen -2=- October 3, 1944 3, A combination of zone and man-for-man. You have done much to stabilize a use of terms in basketball. I have tried to follow your suggestions in my editing. An article that I now have is entitled How to Combat a Pressing Defense. Is this sometimes called a "forcing" defense, and if so, which is preferable? Any suggestions as to articles will be greatly appreciated. Yours very truly, thee K Alice K. ore ith AKG: MA DEFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS 1. Shift quickly from offense to istenac, /3 atin hike 2. Locate the ball without lost time. “VA — 3. Be alert for interceptions. A ‘ 4. Keep between man and goal. 5. Maintain good balance with arms spread. hha nacelle fr"x athLdy Keep knees bent and weight forward and low. Wave hands to disconcert shooter. Use voicorbibligautt, Yell at shooter if he gets away. 10. Talk to team mates. 11. Play the ball through the man. 42. Never let a good shooter take a deliberate shot. 13. Play ball as it comes off the floor to break up the dribble. wnt Ary. wees 14. Chase the dribbler to sideline or corner. 15. Be alert to shift for weer 16. Watch the ball, the man, ana AGRE 17. Anticipate plays. 18. Always shift to loose man. 19. Block shooters away from rebound. 20. Recover rebounds. 21. Point to your man. 22. Follow detailed movements of opponent. 25. Don't commit yourself easily. 24. Don't leave feet on fake shots. 25. Make offensive man commit himself. 26. Hurry passes. 27. Crowd offensive man after his dribble. 28. Drop in hole when your man hasn't the ball. Retreat. 29. Don't watch passes too closely. 42. 43. 44, 45. gh HF 47. 6. 44. Defensive Fundatentals - page 2. Dominate the opponent. Master defensive fakes. Get rebounds if you have a fifty-fifty chance, otherwise stick to MAN. Encourage side-line pisice, Stop middle passes if possible. Protect position against quick cut by opponent, by dropping off. Determination is half of defense. Good position makes defensive play easier. Don't foul = it lie Ss many games. Know how to scissor. Know when to shift and when not to. Go with the dribbler and use inside arm to play the ball. Play your man loose in the corners. Sag off plenty on the weak side. A guard should be well versed in offensive tactics. eck offensive threat - it will worry your man. Take a mental inventory of the abilities of your man. Cid 9 re iy a penn tt A) a. wrath Be (3 a eceghn eee has