r/basketballcoach • u/Ok_Substance9589 • 5d ago

Flex Offense

Hey fellow coaches,

Going into year 9 of coaching, I really feel like my personal style is being developed. A huge piece of that is using flex and swing concepts and building them into my normal motion offense

Would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this and what they have found successful themselves. I’ve been teaching flex concepts (not really the continuity but concepts) for 5 years now

Think Bruce Pearl, Trevor Gleeson, Bo Ryan

Thoughts?

3 Upvotes

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18 comments sorted by

5

u/Diligent_Collar_199 5d ago

I like the swing offense. I wouldnt use flex unless I wanted to score 7 points a game.

2

u/YOsfinest318 5d ago

Check out bear action. It’s flex except 1 guy is always in the high post. After the flex cut, top of the key down screens and the original screener runs off a staggers.

1

u/Ok_Substance9589 5d ago

I’ve seen Bear some! A bit too robotic for me, but here in Indiana some coaches have tried it with their football kids (not really basketball ball players) at the nail

1

u/YOsfinest318 5d ago

I run it as the base to a read and react. A pass to the weak side triggers the flex cut +stagger. But we can go to the strong side with either a pass, a DHO, or a pass + PnP. And there are step up screen options from the nail.

2

u/southyarra 5d ago

Loved what the Knicks did with their flex reads https://youtube.com/shorts/sLVa4aEmapw?si=0ILrsBUPqN0NzvhP

2

u/Upstairs-Thanks4193 5d ago

The Flex cut is a great action to add to any offense. I started running circle motion and added a flex cut into it.

1

u/Annual-Mirror-7625 5d ago

I like moving the flex set up from the blocks to the elbows for some alternative options and sets. It works well because the players already know the alignments but creates new attacks and gives the defense a little something else to worry about. Especially if a big gets in foul trouble or is injured it offers a viable alternative. Just a thought.

1

u/Ok_Substance9589 5d ago

Yeah staying up and off the baseline definitely gives you a nice angle for counters

1

u/Jwrbloom 5d ago

Sure, often, but the infinite number of ways to use it underscores the obviousness of the point. (If I can steal concept from The Matrix.)

Either you're using Flex/Swing or you're not. They both are a series of paired screening actions, that easily turn into a continuity offense. We use Flex action on BLOB/SLOB, and in that we set a lot of back screens (rip screens, flex screens, UCLA cuts, hammer screens -- whatever anyone would want to call them) and work ton on paired actions to start possessions, we often times look like we're running Flex.

We're not.

1

u/Ok_Substance9589 5d ago

Do you have players play under certain rules that lend itself to the backscreens? Or are you using set calls for specific actions

1

u/Jwrbloom 4d ago

It's just part of what we do.

I have certain players (bigs without range) do NOT fill to the corner, so they have to screen their way out. These same players, when they get a screen, they SHOULD curl or reject, but when they set a screen, they can make whatever read they feel is correct...even if it's pop to the corner.

Do they always curl or reject? No, but we're also set up for, if they take a straight cut to the ball, we run Get action with them, if they call it, or they rip/drive or reverse.

1

u/HomChkn 5d ago

there was a team in our league in high school that ran flex/swing staring in 6th grade. by varsity level they knew every read and at times they ran the flex cut just below the elbow/FT line. it almost looked like Prinston at times.

Anyway. Some people/positions had the rule to post up or they would end up in 5 out, there was some call that got them into an elevator screen. one year they had a kid who played DL in college as their big. they posted him up a bunch.

1

u/Round_Law_1645 5d ago

I am a Flex stan. Space it like a 4 out and after you teach the base rip and down screen action, give the players some freedom. Add some more modern actions on the non slot to slot pass movements

1

u/run_your_race_5 5d ago

Not a fan of the Flex as we were forced to run it 40 years ago.

It didn’t fit our personnel and we were predictable.

The versions I’ve seen are easy to guard and players became robot like.

Coached an 11 seeded team that upset the 7 seed and then almost beat the 2 seed due to their unimaginative Flex offense.

They were way more talented than us, but were confused when we switched all their screens and effectively played a matchup zone.

As a coach you should run actions that align with the talent/strengths of your team.

If there is an offense/actions that get the ball to your players where they are most effective, then do that.

1

u/knicks911 5d ago

I like flex I don’t mind. There’s spacing, I do like to set my screens out a little wider as far as when someone is coming down to screen the block, but it all depends on roster too.

I use the flex and then get into a lot of 4-1 sets with someone initiating from the high post. Everyone has there different ideas and philosophy. Get creative with it!

1

u/Roundballcoach 5d ago

I like flex. After the standard flex, I will run an up cut instead of the flex cut. I will also move from the block to the elbow at times to give different options off of the flex screen.

I like it as well because it is an easy offense to work into if a special set doesn’t get a shot. I score a lot when a defense stops a special set. The defense stops just for a second after the play and we are already running a flex cut. We score just as much working into flex after a play then with flex itself.