Spacing, ball movement, player movement, cutting, screening, wise shot selection, team play, taking care of the ball, rebounding, and scoring are the key ingredients that make for a great offense. Our Blocker/ Mover offense is a combination of everything that can be done on the basketball court with the main ideas and concepts taken from former Wisconsin Coach Dick Bennett. We signal this offense by raising our fist in the air. Blockers We designate three players on offense as Blockers. Our three Blockers are the backbone of this offense. Blockers must be tough, excellent screeners, and unselfish team players. Blockers are constantly looking to set screens for our two Movers. Blockers never screen for other Blockers. It is our Blockers responsibility to free our Movers so they can get open to create offense. In our Blocker/ Mover offense we have two types of blockers. One is a called a Free Blocker and the other is called a Lane-to-lane Blocker. Because we use three screeners in our system, we designate two of them (players #2 and #3) as Free Blockers and one of them (player #5) as the Lane-to-lane Blocker. Free Blockers Free Blockers have the freedom to move all over the court. They are constantly looking to set screens on the perimeter for our two Movers (down screen, flare screen, and the double screen). We never allow Free Blockers to set ball screens. If one of our Movers has the ball, then our two Free Blockers are moving to set a double screen for the other Mover. This action is very difficult to defend. Another great action we ask our Free Blockers to execute is the dribble-weave. Free Blockers are encourage to initiate the dribble weave action with a Mover whenever possible on the perimeter. The dribble-weave is very hard to defend and creates some excellent dribble penetration opportunities for our Movers to exploit. After handing the ball off to a Mover, the Free Blocker rolls to the basket looking for the return pass. Lane-to-lane Blocker Our Lane-to-lane Blocker (#5) is our big post player. We want our #5 to stay close to the lane area to take advantage of draw-and-kick situations, to post up, and to get weak-side offensive rebounds. Our Lane-tolane Blocker screening responsibilities include the following: 1. Player #5 sets a back-screen for our #4 player (Mover) after he passes the ball on the perimeter. After setting the back-screen, he rolls back to the lane in the opposite direction in which #4 made his cut with his hands up looking for the ball. This back-screen action for the passer is very hard to defend and often produces either a lay-up or a short jump shot. 2. Player #5 sets a ball-screen on the perimeter for our #1 player (Mover) whenever he catches the ball on the perimeter. Player #5 steps out away from the lane and looks to execute the pick-and-roll with our point guard. As soon as the point guard moves shoulder-to-shoulder with #5, he rolls to the basket looking for the return pass. This pick-and-role action is a thing of beauty when run to perfection. Blocker's Rules for Setting Screens It is the Blockers responsibility to free the Mover from the defender. Set your screen on the defender's numbers (head hunt). Communicate -- call the Mover's name to let him know you're coming to set a screen for him. Come to a jump stop with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees when setting the screen. Place your hands in front of your midsection. Set the screen approximately an arm's length away from the defender. Be firmly set and ready for contact. Hold all screens for a "two count."
Movers After the screen occurs, read the defense and flash into the open area as the "second cutter." Movers (players #1 and #4) are the cutters in the Blocker/ Mover offense. The primary job of the Mover is to play tag with the defense. Movers must be hard to guard. After setting their defender up with a v-cut, Movers must cut toward the basketball or the basket in a manner that will take them away from their defender. Simply put, a Mover's job is to attack the basket. A Mover must love to penetrate into the gaps (north and south) and look to either draw-and-kick or kick-out to the open shooter. His dribble penetration sets up himself and others for open shots. Mover's Rules for Receiving a Screen Set up your defender -- make a v-cut prior to using the screen. Wait for the screen -- do not go early. Give the Blocker time to get set. Drive your defender into the screen. Make shoulder contact with the Blocker as you cut. Read the defense. The type of cut you make is determined by the defensive player's position. Be ready for the pass. Get your hands up as you come off the screen. Blocker/Mover Offense Fundamentals Play unselfish team basketball. Read the defense. Always pass to the open man. Play smart. Take care of the basketball. Don't force shots. Don't force passes. Catch, turn, and face - see the court. Chin the ball and bend your knees. Make the extra pass. Pass away from the defense. Get open as a receiver. Make maximum use of the v-cut to get open, with or without a screen. Show a hand target and call for the ball. Create offense for your teammates. Look to dribble penetrate to the elbows to create offense. Stay off the baseline unless you can score. Attack the basket to pass, not shoot. We want to use the dribble to create draw-and-kick and kick out situations. Use two hands to pass the basketball. Don't jump to pass the ball. Pass and move; don't stand still. Maintain floor balance. We do not want more than three players on one side of the court. When overplayed, a backdoor cut is automatic if the ball is being dribbled towards you. After passing the ball into the low post, cut to the basket looking for a return pass. Rebound the offense. Players #5, #4, and #3 must crash the boards. Players #1 and #2 must get back.
The Blocker-Mover Offense: "Go Where the Action Is!" Introduction One of the more popular offenses making it around the basketball world in the 1990's was brought to us by Washington State University's Head Coach Dick Bennett who began his career more than 35 years ago as a high school coach in Wisconsin. Coach Bennett went on to success at Wisconsin-Stevens Point where his team lost in 1984-85 NAIA National Championship game but where he earned National Coach of the Year honors. Further success as the Head Coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay leading the Phoenix to several NCAA tournament appearances landed him the Head Coaching job at Wisconsin where back to back 20 wins season produced the Badger's first Final Four appearance in 2000 since 1947. The Blocker-Mover Offense came about as the result of many years of experience and adjustments trying to get players with greater scoring ability the ball more often in scoring position. Blocker and Mover Offense Concepts The Blocker-Mover is based upon the notion that some players on your team will have better ball handling and scoring skills than do others. There are different variations of the offense but the one we will show you today in our Highway Feature clinic animations is based upon Dick Bennett's version where he designates two players primarily as blockers (B), and the remaining three players as movers (M). Prior to introducing the offense it is important to understand three offensive concepts Coach Bennett believes are productive for attacking any defense. To begin with it is important for any offense to develop a "side-top-side" mentality. This involves reversing the ball from one side of the court to the other. Another important offensive concept taught within the Blocker-Mover Offense is for players to be deliberate and patience when the ball is on top in order to read screening actions, and encourages quicker decision making when the ball is on either side of the court. Finally, Blockers are encouraged to look to screen first and find looks off of all screening actions, while Movers are to "create" action and look to shoot first prior to distributing the ball for further action. Applied to other offense these are sound concepts as well. In today's feature clinic we will teach you the four basic sets used by Coach Bennett but it is first important to understand the basic rules for what to teach both Blockers and Movers. These sets are called the Lane: Lane Set, the Wide: Wide Set, the Lane: Wide Set and the Top: Bottom Set. We will look at each of these in more detail as this clinic progresses. Blocker- Mover Responsibilities
Regardless of which of four different sets are run in Blocker-Mover the primary responsibility of the Blocker is to first screen for a Mover and then look to seal or shape up a position looking for the ball. The Blocker-Mover does not limit a Blocker from scoring but rather emphasizes the importance of their screening first and using the defenses attempt to help or switch situations to shape up and create scoring looks for the blockers. In a sense the Blocker becomes the counter-punch in the offense. Blockers are limited in the areas they are allowed to set screens as well by the specific set that is being run. The Movers are required to be active all over the court with their primary responsibility being to create scoring opportunities off of blocker's actions. Movers can also be screeners but that is of secondary importance to their primary duties. The techniques for Blockers and Movers vary slightly with a particular set begin run and these will be discussed as each set is presented. Teaching the Blocker-Mover Coach Bennett is a strong proponent of having your players learn Blocker-Mover options by practicing these sets as a whole. He spends an inordinate amount of time working on shooting footwork coming off of screens and screening fundamentals where the goal is repetition to the point of automation. He is less concerned with a specific screening action location than on adhering to the principles of good ball movement and perfect execution. Coaches who try to teach this offense should listen to his experience rather than focusing to much on a specific pattern and failing to practice individual execution. If your players can catch and shoot off of quick screening actions, and set rock solid screens you will get scoring opportunities. Scoring against quality opponents comes down to successful execution. The more you practice the individual skill components of the Blocker-Mover and then practice the sets as whole systems allowing your players the ability to learn to read and react to each other the more effective this offense will become. Lane: Lane Set There are times offensively when you want both keep your post players at home. In this particular set called Lane: Lane the blockers are instructed to set screens anywhere on their side of the lane but are not permitted to cross to the other side of the lane. They are not allowed to step out away from the basket as well. Movers again are given the freedom move anywhere on the court to create action but are strongly encouraged to use one or more blockers to set up open perimeter looks. Blockers in the Lane: Lane set are instructed to pin or screen to the inside whenever there is "action" to the inside of them. When there is no Mover in their area to screen for, Blockers are encouraged to either shape-up in the low post, or move to another area up the lane.