Pattern offense or motion offense for youth basketball?

At Youth Basketball Development we believe in a progressive motion offense throughout the 9 to 14 year old age levels and that a limited amount of set plays should be utilized.  In particular we feel that the 5 Out Motion Offense allows players to play a lot of different positions and lends itself well to being taught in a progressive fashion with spacing and cutting being taught first and then progressing to screening actions. However, it is paramount that your high school coaching staff be involved in what team offensive system should be used at the youth levels.  Before we address this it is important to understand that some of our main goals for our players are: to have fun and improve skill level.

Improved skill level leads to improved offensive execution. You can have the best offense or set plays in the world but if you cannot pass, shoot, or dribble well it will not matter. Your offensive execution will be poor. With that said the main reasons for teaching motion offense and running a limited amount of set plays are:

1. It prepares players well for any offensive system that they may be involved in at the later stages of development.
2. Allows players to be instinctual and develops decision making.
3. Is a fun style of play and gives opportunity to all 5 players to contribute or make a play each possession.
4. When teaching motion offensive concepts we are also working on skill development at the same time versus remembering a set play or pattern.  This leads to improved team practice efficiency.

By instituting the building blocks of team offensive concepts early in a youth program it allows for better mastery, execution, and player confidence at a later age. If we were just to run set plays at the youth level we would be successful in the short term but down the road player decision making and player development would be hindered.  Additionally, if all ages of a youth association are using similar offensive terminology and progression this will lead to improved player understanding and cohesion as players develop.

Set plays or continuity offenses have a role in offensive basketball. However, you will often hear coach after coach screaming at players to run the play, and then the player completely ignores an open lane, shot or teammate. Occasionally a more freelancing offense will lead to bad offensive possessions, but generally the freedom to make plays within a framework can work very well (this is where skill level really helps). Players need to be aware on the court and play the game, rather than run the play. To enhance the decision-making of our players, we create awareness of possible options rather than limiting the focus to one entry into a set play.

In our opinion, players enjoy the freedom to make plays and have options available rather than running a set play each time down the court for our one or two best players. In those situations one or two players have the ball in their hands most of the game and they improve but I question the development of their other teammates on the court. In a motion offense concept each player should know what is a good shot for them and will possibly have an opportunity to score or make a play each time down the court. This is in alignment with our philosophy of having fun and improving skill level. ​

There are a lot of ways to play the game and there is not one right answer. The one constant for any good offense is good players! This is achieved through hard work and skill development.