How to Teach Good Offense Spacing
Particularly at the youth level, basketball players fall into bad habits. Fortunately, you can correct these habits as a coach through positive reinforcement and ongoing reminders. A common habit that befalls many youth basketball teams is bunching together on the court, especially while on offense. When players group together in this manner, they aren't in position to implement the offense you've been teaching. Good offense spacing is integral to running an effective basketball offense.
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Instructions
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Emphasize drawn-up plays to create less of a free-for-all attitude among players. Teach these plays during practice and go over them with your players prior to game time. Though players may begin to group together regardless of what offense you've called, they're less likely to do so if they know their assignments.
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Instruct each player to "keep his head on a swivel." This sports term means the player shouldn't get tunnel vision, focusing only on the ball, the opponent or the basket. Instead, he should play relaxed and be aware of his surroundings. If he finds himself too close to a teammate for the offense you've set, he'll be aware enough to move.
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Shout encouragements and reminders from the bench. As players play, they may become excited about the game and forget their assignments. If you notice they're beginning to group together, shout reminders to the players involved to move to their designated spots. This type of encouragement should bring a player's awareness back to her position on the floor.
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Call a timeout if the players are not responding, and sketch up your offense on a coaching board. Remind each player where he should be playing in your set offense. For example, the center may be running around trying to get open, but remind him that for the offense to work effectively, he needs to be below the net to post up and get rebounds.
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Tips & Warnings
With young players, ensure every player gets to handle the ball at a given point in each offense. Doing so will keep players engaged and interested in the game. If a player goes too long without the ball, she may get bored.
Don't be too harsh on players, particularly at younger levels of the game. When players are learning any sport, it's important that the first rule must be to enjoy themselves. When they feel nagged, they will not respond and may not enjoy playing.
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