STRUCTURES AND
STRATEGIES
A STRUCTURE is the FORMATIONS and ORGANISATIONS that teams use
in different activities.
For example, a 1:3:1 attack formation in Basketball or a 2:1:2 ZONE DEFENCE
A STRATEGY is the management of the TACTICS of the Game –
HOW you APPLY the STRUCTURE
TACTICS are a PRE DETERMINED GAME PLAN which are designed to make the MOST of
Your teams STRENGTHS and EXPLOIT your OPPONENT’S WEAKNESSES.
TACTICS can be defined as procedures for applying specific offensive/ defensive plans to
Meet match demands.
During PRACTICE SESSIONS players should practice set moves in order to be able to meet a
Variety of game demands.
The ability of players to participate in or execute a STRATEGY or TACTICAL PLAN will
Depend on the players TECHNICAL, PHYSICAL and MENTAL qualities.
KEY CONCEPT 1
THE STRUCTURES, STRATEGIES AND COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS
THAT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO ACTIVITIES
Key feature
STRUCTURE and STRATEGY FUNDAMENTALS
Why use STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES ?
So that you can
CONTROL SPACE
PRESSURISE OPPONENTS
CONTROL TEMPO OF PLAY
APPLY PRINCIPLES OF PLAY
Control Space
Applying structures and strategies allows you to CONTROL SPACE.
In ATTACK you can CREATE and EXPLOIT SPACE
In DEFENCE you can DENY SPACE
You can MANOEUVRE and OUT – MANOEUVRE OPPONENTS by controlling SPACE
Pressurise Opponents
In ATTACK you can pressurise OPPONENTS by OVERLOADING an AREA of the COURT
Eg. Creating a 3v2 situation in the right lane.
In DEFENCE you can PRESSURISE OPPONENTS and DENY them the SPACE that they
would want to utilise in their attack.
Control Tempo of Play
Applying structures and strategies may allow you to control the
tempo of play
In ATTACK you may use a FAST BREAK where you want to use
SPEED to outmanoeuvre your OPPONENTS
In DEFENCE you may apply a ZONE DEFENCE where you will
be trying to DELAY opponents attack
Apply PRINCIPLES OF PLAY
Using STRUCTURES and STRATEGIES makes applying PRINCIPLES OF TEAM PLAY
(Principles of Play) easier.
In ATTACK
You will be able to provide WIDTH
You will be able to provide DEPTH
You will be able to provide MOBILITY and PENETRATION
In DEFENCE
You will be able to provide WIDTH
You will be able to provide DEPTH
You will be able to provide DELAY
Question
Why are STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES FUNDAMENTAL to
Activities?
Eg. What does using STRUCTURES and STRATEGIES enable you
To do in an activity?
KEY CONCEPT 2
Identification of strengths and weaknesses in performance in terms of:
roles and relationships ; formations ; tactical and design elements
Key feature – In terms of ROLES and RELATIONSHIPS you should be able to
Recognise the demands of individual ROLES during performance.
Recognise INDIVIDUAL strengths and weaknesses in a STRUCTURE or STRATEGY
Select a relevant STRUCTURE or STRATEGY appropriate for INDIVIDUAL / TEAM
PERFORMANCE.
In terms of FORMATIONS you should be able to understand
The STRUCTURE of relevant SYSTEMS OF PLAY
The benefits and limitations of various SYSTEMS OF PLAY
The need to CO-OPERATE with and SUPPORT others in team or group situations
The ABILITY to PRE PLAN STRATEGIES to meet the demands of play
In terms of TACTICS you should understand
The NEED to IDENTIFY and EXPLOIT OPPONENTS WEAKNESSES
Recognise the NEED to MAXIMISE STRENGTHS within the chosen
STRUCTURE/STRATEGY
ROLES and RELATIONSHIPS
In every group or team it is important to know and understand what your individual
RESPONSIBILITIES are and how your ROLE RELATES to your TEAM-MATES
Here is an example of different players ATTACKING responsibilities in BASKETBALL in
TECHNICAL (Skill) terms
These are given in ORDER of importance.
Order
1
2
3
4
Guards
dribbling
Passing
Shooting
Rebounding
Forwards
shooting
rebounding
passing
dribbling
Centres
rebounding
shooting
passing
dribbling
The same can be done for PHYSICAL qualities
Order
1
2
3
4
Guards
Speed
Muscular endurance
C.r.e.
Power
Forwards
muscular endurance +C.r.e.
power
muscular endurance
speed
Centres
Power + C.r.e.
muscular endurance
muscular endurance
speed
Mental qualities like concentration,managing your emotions, mental rehearsal and
controlling your level of arousal also need to be taken into consideration when deciding which
Role to adopt when part of a team
Question
Decide which, attacking role in a Basketball team you should adopt(Play).
Explain how you arrived at this decision.
Take into consideration Technical,Physical and Mental aspects of your
Play.
Position skills
Position Skills
In addition to the universal skills of Pass, shoot ,dribble and rebound all five offensive player
positions have somewhat different secondary skills and attributes.
The following is a rather simplified description of these five offensive spots:
Point Guard
Shooting Guard
Small Forward
Power Forward
Center
Point guard
Point Guard
Most systems designate a player to run the offense. Often referred to as the point guard.
This player is usually the best ball handler on the squad. He should be able to lead the fast break
that develops out of any situation, whether it be a steal, a rebound, or a basket by the opponent.
If the fast break is not there, he must be able to bring the ball up the floor against pressure defense
and set up the Motion offense.
The point guard does not have to be a big scorer, but should be able to shoot well enough to
force defenses to come out and cover him.
The point guard should also be an excellent passer. His ability to hit the open player is very
important, as is his ability to anticipate the way a play might develop.
He should have the ability to get everybody involved in the offense.
He should have the ability to penetrate, attract the defense, and finish the play.
By finish the play, I mean that he should make sure that the offense gets a good shot,
whether it be on a fast break or through penetration and mobility.
The point guard should have the Intelligence to read the defenses and adjust the offense
accordingly.
The ideal point guard is an extension of the coach on the court.
Shooting guard
Shooting Guard
The second guard is frequently the bigger of the two guards.
He is generally one of the best outside shooters and, ideally, is the second best ball handler
on the team. He must be a good receiver, because he will frequently get the first pass to start
the offense. And, therefore, he must also be a good passer in order to keep the offense moving
and take advantage of opportunities to get the ball inside to the post players.
Like the point guard, the shooting guard should be able to create and finish the play either on
the fast break or by passing off to an open teammate.
This player can also help the team by grabbing offensive rebounds,
either by following the shot or by sneaking in from the weak side to get good rebounding position.
Small forward
Small Forward
The small forward will probably be bigger than the guards, but perhaps not as quick or as good
a ball handler. But the small forward should possess many of the same skills as the guards.
He should be able to handle the ball well as he is sometimes called upon to help the guards
break down defenses.
The small forward must also pass the ball well.
Sometimes this player can be the best passer on the team, because his slight height advantage
over the guards opens up more avenues through which to pass the ball.
And he should be able to shoot from the outside.
Where the small forward differs from the guards is in the area of offensive rebounding.
The small forward must be a good offensive rebounder. From the forward position a
player often has the best shot at an offensive rebound because opponents concentrate on
blocking out the power forward and center.
Centre
Center
In many cases, the center will be the heart of the team.
Like the power forward the centre should be either your best, or second best, rebounder.
Unlike the perimeter players, the center must be able to play with his back to the basket
and be a solid inside scoring threat. Therefore, you must work with your center to develop
the fundamental moves that will allow him to score consistently from inside 10 feet.
Because the centre often shoots in traffic he will frequently draw the most fouls.
For that reason, the center should be a good free throw shooter.
Shots taken near the basket are the highest percentage shots, so a good part of your offense
should be designed to get the ball inside to the center.
Power forward
Power forward
The Power forward should be one of the biggest and strongest players on the team and
therefore, one of your dominant rebounders, both offensively and defensively.
ThePower forward should be a physical player.
Every team needs a physical presence and,because of his size and strength, the power
forward can often provide it.
Like the guards and the small forward, the power forward should be able to handle the
ball well and be a good passer and receiver.
This player's size and strength should enable him to get inside and take the ball to the basket
either for an easy shot or to draw a foul.
Motion offence
Ideally most teams would like to be able to break out of defence and set up a scoring chance before
the opposition can get back into defensive positions. This is called a fast break, but it is not always possible.
Every coach therefore, will have an offensive pattern which he or she hopes will lead to an open shot
every time the team has possession.
Motion offence: In this type of attack, the players are moving all the time.
It involves fast, accurate passing which can break down one-to-one defences.
The guard (the best ball handler) will generally be at the centre of this attack.
He or she is positioned slightly behind the forwards, who are to the left and right, around the front
of the key.
These players are generally good at long range shooting.
The two centres - the tallest players - are on either side of the basket.
They make good targets and are the best at scoring from close range.
A good play in a motion offence is the SCREEN This is when a player occupies some space on the court
and prevents an opponent from following a team-mate. It requires lots of practice and there are a
number of patterns involving screens.
Another play is GIVE AND GO. As the name suggests you pass ahead and then move ahead into
A more advantageous position – often CUTTING to the basket.
CUTTING is also important to create SPACE. The most common CUT is the V cut where you
Move in one direction then QUICKLY CHANGE direction to lose your MARKER
Post plays like SPLITTING THE POST also create space and can lead to UNOPPOSED
shots being taken
Strengths and weaknesses of Motion Offence
STRENGTHS
You can take your time to build attack
Easy to apply team principles – width – depth – mobility - penetration
Retains possession of the ball
Can be used to run down the clock
Can control tempo of game
You can pressurise opponents eg. Create 3v2 overload
In an area of the court
Create and exploit space
Adaptable to suit your players skills
Weaknesses
Slows down play – gives opponents defence time to recover
Requires good communication and teamwork
Requires constant movement
Requires patience
Question
Choose an activity. Briefly describe a Structure, Strategy or Composition you have used.
Describe your ROLE as you applied this Structure, Strategy or Composition
Fast break
Ideally most teams would like to be able to break out of defence and set up a scoring chance
BEFORE
The opposition can get back into defensive positions . This is called a FAST BREAK
FAST BREAKS can be created from Steals, Rebounds, Blocked shots or scored Baskets
The main parts of a basic fast break are
Secure the ball
Outlet pass
Dribble the middle
Fill the lanes
Shoot or pass off
Basic fast break
Diagram description
Diagram 3 is a drill
that involves three
players. Player XI
rebounds the ball
and passes to
player X2 who has
moved to receive an
outlet pass. Player
X2 dribbles the
middle and passes
to player X3 for a
lay-up. Player Xl
also fills the lane',
opposite player X3.
5 man fast break
Positions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
O1 – guard
O2 – forward
O3 – forward
O4 – power forward
O5 - centre
Power Forward secures REBOUND
Forward breaks to side of court – OUTLET PASS
Forward passes to Guard who – DRIBBLES THE MIDDLE
Guard (decision by the time he reaches the foul line) – SHOOTS or PASSES OFF
Forwards get ahead of the ball and - FILL THE LANES
Centre and Power Forward - TRAIL – to secure rebounds or to act as primary defence
in case of a TURNOVER
Strengths of Fast Break
1. The fast break is the best method to create easy scoring opportunities
2. The fast break allows you to control the tempo of the game
3. The fast break is the first and most effective way of beating full, threequarter,
or half-court pressure defences
4. The fast break is very effective against zone defences providing your players push the ball
up-court quickly enough to get a scoring opportunity before the zone has time to organize.
5. Running a fast break combats the numerous changes in defence that one sees today.
It is better to get down the floor quickly to eliminate the necessity of worrying about what
particular defense the opposing team is using at the moment
6. Through a fear of being caught up the floor, rebounders may drop off the offensive backboard
too soon, to the advantage of the fast-breaking team.
Conversely, they may stay too long, in an effort to slow down a break.
7. Another important advantage of the fast break is that it makes every player a potential scorer.
A mediocre scorer, who would get no more than half a dozen scoring opportunities a game
when running a motion offence, can pick up many baskets
1
Weaknesses of a Fast Break
1. Needs a lot of organisation
2. Needs a lot of practice – everyone needs to know their ROLE
3. Needs effective communication
4. Needs a high level of skills –Rebounding, passing,
dribbling and shooting
5.All skills need to be applied at SPEED
6. Players may desert their defensive duties too early to in an
Attempt to Break as quickly as possible
7. Can fail early in the Break if the opposition apply an
immediate and effective Full court Man to Man marking system
Systems of defence
The main systems of DEFENCE used in Basketball are
Man to man marking – both FULL COURT and HALF COURT
ZONE defence
A COMBINATION of these two
Man to Man Marking
Man to man defence is a system where each player is assigned a player in the offence
who he has to defend. The defensive player positions himself between the basket and
the player he is defending. This can be done when the opponents have the ball in their own
Court – Full court Man to man, or only when the opponents bring the ball into the
attacking half of the court – Half court Man to Man marking
STRENGTHS of Man to Man marking
Easy to organise
Easy to understand
It can be an AGGRESSIVE form
of defence
You can put your BEST defender on the opponents BEST attacker
It allows you to mark a player who MUST be marked all the time.
It is good against teams who do NOT have the PATIENCE to run a good MOTION OFFENCE
Against teams that ARE PATIENT it can force then into LONGER possessions
Taking some time off the clock
Man to Man marking
WEAKNESSES of Man to Man marking
Weak against good DRIBBLERS
ONCE ONE MAN has been BEATEN then the whole system is in disarray
WEAKER or SLOWER defenders are exposed
OFFENSIVE SCREENS are very effective
It does not DICTATE any thing to the attacking team – it allows them to run their OFFENCE
Can be physically very demanding
Question
2003 Higher Paper
Choose an activity and a structure ,strategy or composition that you have used.
Describe briefly two strengths and two weaknesses that affected your performance
when applying this structure, strategy or composition
(6)
Zone defence
A ZONE defence is where you mark an AREA or ZONE instead of marking a specific PLAYER
You MARK whichever PLAYER enters your ZONE
Typical zone formations would be a 2:1:2 zone or 1:2:2 zone
The essence of a ZONE defence is that immediately your team loses POSESSION you get back
Into your defensive positions as QUICKLY as you can but definitely BEFORE the ball arrives
Strengths of a ZONE DEFENCE
It allows you to put your defensive players WHERE YOU WANT them
regardless of where your opponents puts their players
This means that you can ensure you have your biggest and best rebounders close to the basket
Zones are effective against teams that have good inside players because the lane is packed
and there is less space for these players
Zones are effective against teams that have poor outside shooters
Zones can ‘Hide’ weak defenders to an extent – becuase other team mates are close by to help
Zones can SLOW down your opponents and can take time off the clock
Zones can be effective against teams that do not have enough PATIENCE to build an effective
MOTION OFFENCE
Zones are usually less PHYSICALLY DEMANDING and teams who are tiring or
lack a high level of fitness may find them easier to operate.
Weaknesses of a ZONE defence
Zones tend to be weak on the perimeter and are not so effective
against teams who have good outside shooters.
Zones have gaps between players that can be exploited by teams that pass well or
have guards that are good dribbblers and can penetrate the zone
If a team is behind in the game then playing zone defence usually allows the attacking team to
Take more time off the clock on each posession
If the team does not change ends quickly after posession has been lost then a zone is vulnerable
to a fast break
A zone does not present the individual challenge presented by man to man defence.
There is less of a feeling of individual responsibility.
Question
2003 exam
Choose an activity and a structure strategy or composition which you have used.
Describe briefly two strengths and two weaknesses that affected your team’s
Performance when applying this structure strategy or composition.
(6)
Key concept 3
Information processing, problem solving and decision making when working
to develop and improve performance
Key feature – Using information on team/individual performance to make appropriate decisions
When DEVELOPING – MONITORING –EVALUATING performance
Developing performance – BEFORE performance
Monitoring performance – DURING performance
Evaluating performance – AFTER performance
In this KEY CONCEPT we look at how you can DEVELOP structures and strategies
BEFORE your performance
How you can ADAPT and REFINE structures and strategies DURING performance
How you can EVALUATE the success/failure of structures and strategies AFTER performance
Developing performance
To develop performance you use INFORMATION PROCESSING
You use DECISION MAKING
You use these to SOLVE PROBLEMS
Information which you may PROCESS BEFORE PERFORMANCE could contain some of the
following
Your knowledge of your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses
You may have seen them play / watched them on video
You may have had a report from a ‘Scout’
You may have done an observation schedule on them
You also have knowledge about your own team’s strengths and weaknesses
You know if your team are fast, skilfull, fit, tall etc.
You know which structures and strategies your team are good at / have practiced
You also have information about physical conditions eg. Wet, windy, hot etc.
Size and surface of the court
Proximity of the crowd etc.
Processing all the above information you would make DECISIONS to try to
SOLVE THE PROBLEM of how to beat your opponents
MONITORING performance
During your performance you have to PROCESS INFORMATION, MAKE DECISIONS
to SOLVE PROBLEMS
Some of the INFORMATION that you would have to PROCESS –
DURING THE PERFORMANCE could be The success / failure of your chosen structure or strategy
The SCORE in the game
The TIME in the game
The SITUATION IN THE GAME eg. Foul trouble, injuries, lack of form of a player(s)
Actions of your opponents – change of formation, tactics,players etc.
Changes to physical conditions
You would have to PROCESS this sort of INFORMATION and make EFFECTIVE DECISIONS
Under PRESSURE to solve any PROBLEMS in your PERFORMANCE
EVALUATING performance
After your performance you EVALUATE how successful your PERFORMANCE has been.
Some of the INFORMATION you would PROCESS to MAKE DECISIONS to
SOLVE PROBLEMS could be -
The RESULT of the GAME (s)
Watching a VIDEO of your performance and REFLECTING on it.
The SUCCESS / FAILURE of the structures and strategies that you USED
FEEDBACK about your PERFORMANCE - VISUAL,VERBAL WRITTEN
POSITION in LEAGUE etc.
As you EVALUATE how SUCCESSFUL your PERORMANCE has been then you –
PROCESS THE INFORMATION
MAKE DECISIONS about FUTURE PERFORMANCES
Which try to SOLVE PROBLEMS
QUESTION
Choose an activity. Explain two decisions you made when PLANNING your performance and
Two decisions you made DURING your performance.
Explain how these decisions led to a successful performance. (6)