VERSATILE

AGAINST

CHANGING Baga thas

BY
Forrest C. Allen

fensive that is popular with our bas-

ketball players and patrons, as is the
swing type of music with our dancers.
Some coaches call this swing type basket-
ball the “weave” offensive or the “shovel”
offensive. The dribbler in starting his of-
fensive swings low, using his projected leg
and foot and advanced shoulder to protect
the low swinging dribble. The purpose,
of course, is for the dribbler to get a half-
a-step advantage on the guard. And then
with a quick change of pace, the dribbler
shoves into high gear and drives on past
his unsuspecting opponent. Or, with a
fake to drive rapidly forward and around
the opposing guard, the dribbling offensive
player quickly pivots and reverses his field
by passing to a swinging team mate going
in the opposite direction. This team mate
continues the same slow, swinging dribble
calculated to drive around the next defen-
sive opponent.

The running screen is employed against
a man-for-man defense. By flattening the
defense or driving it back closer to the
goal, the offensive player in possession of
the ball will quickly pivot and pass back
to one of the swinging players who will be
in a good position for a quick shot over
the head of the retreating defense.

In the mimic warfare of American
sports and games, of which basketball is
one, game principles of strategy and tac-
tics obtain. Basketball tactics should in-
corporate all nine principles of warfare.
Sir Edward Hamley has said that, “The
theater of war is the province of strategy,
the field of battle is the province of tac-
tics.” In actual warfare, both grand tac-
tics and minor tactics prevail. Grand
tactics concern only those officers who find
themselves in independent command.
Minor tactics concern the officers of every
rank. The coach is likened to the general
in independent command who is concerned
with grand tactics; and the players are

I: is the swing type of basketball of-

for JANUARY, 1939

aaah

likened to the officers of every rank who
are concerned with the minor tactics of
the game.

Almost every athlete in his boyhood has
had his first lessons in minor tactics in
games in which he has legitimately fooled

his team mates. Herein, he has learned
the ways of both the pursuer and the pur-
sued. From the time that he has observed
the instinctive feints and starts and stops
and turns of his pal and first opponent,
his dog, he has been experimenting with
points of strategy that will stand him in
good stead in these later days, perhaps
of stardom on his college team.

The quarterback on a football team is
the field general. When on the field he
directs all strategy for his team. The real
directing genius in the basketball set-up is
generally the offensive center located in
the back line. He is comparable to the
quarterback in football. He directs all
plays and makes the necessary passes and,
in his key position, can rifle the ball to

  
  

any offensive man who evades his oppo-
nent and is open for the basket. He can
talk to either guard, suggesting plays that
they should initiate. He is the general
and he should memorize the nine princi-
ples of war, which are: (1) the principle
of the objective; (2) the principle of the
offensive; (3) the principle of the mass;
(4) the principle of the economy of force;
(5) the principle of movement; (6) the
principle of surprise; (7) the principle of
security; (8) the principle of simplicity;
and (9) the principle of co-operation.

Special Screen Plays

With very few exceptions, in the sys-
tem of offense to be considered, each of
the two offensive forwards is stationed
ten feet from the end line and about ten
feet from each side line. The other three
offensive men are stationed approximately
eight feet in front of the division line, with
the center in the center or quarterback-

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