Well, during my 19 years as a coach there has been quite a lot of strange "local" rules in the game of basketball and what I totally hate about many of this rules is that:
They are there to stop bad coaches from making the wrong decsisions which could be to only play 5 players in the whole game at a age of 13. So federations put rules like a players cant play more than 3 periods and everybody has to play at least one period.
Thats a rule I grew up with in the south of Sweden, which made many coaches only to bring 8 players to games. Most rules there are ways around, rules aint the solution its education and "banned from coaching", the federation where I come from was the first to put in a license for coaching kids in Sweden. Its a great thing as I see it since there are at least one demand on the coaches and thats a coaches education that everybody has to be present at the start of each year to get their licenses.
Super, but to get that license or get education was for many years way to easy, but changed with a great man behind the education part in Swedish basketball he really cleanded it up. he stopped his job at the federation some months ago, thats scary to me :-)
In Denmark we have some to me totally crazy rules at the age of 13.
Bonuspoint, if you loose a game in " D1 level " you still get 1 point if you used 10 players in the game.
If you win and you have used 10 players, you get 3 points.
If you use 10 players everybody has to play 2 periods in the game, you cant play some 3 periods and some 1 periods.
On the "D 2 level" you only have to use 8 players to get a bonuspoint.
To me the bonuspoint is simply so strange and having restrictions of how many periods you can play in mini basketball is fine, but I still think it should be maxumum 3 periods and at least 1 period for the players dressed for the game. I f a rule shoudl be used, to say that my player that practices 20 hours a week should play equal time as the player that practices 6 hours a week is simply not OK in my world.
Everybody that follows club and teams rules has a right to play, but how much should be decided by how much that kid wants and how much he/she puts into it.
We also have a no fullcourt press rule here in Denmark which goes into effect at a 20 points lead. Is great in some situations, but here`s the twist.
Earlier in my basketball life we hade the same rule in south sweden, but the twist with the danish rule is even after missed shoot you have run back to the middle line and play "D".
After a score I can live with, but after a miss that just goes against everything you try to put into kids at young ages. Going for off rebounds, stopping the ball early, transition "D" and so on.
Can you see this before your eyes:
" There`s a shoot at the basket, the defending teams rebounds and a quick outlet, defensive player on the other team is in perfect defensive position on the players whom caught the outlet, his/her instincts say "lets play "D", but rule says leave the ball and run back to midcourt"
This doesn`t make any of the players better as I see it.
I should say I have no understanding what so ever for teams that continue pressing with big leads over 40 points and so on. But all defense in full court is not a press. Maybe there is only a defender on the ball, but that here counts as a press and that in my world is a joke.
One coach one of my teams has played two times this season asked me to continue playing full court on them after 20 p lead "They have learn to handle it he said", we won with 70-80 points in both games, and I didn`t fullfil his wished the whole way through, first game we played 3 periods FC, and other game only 2 periods. I simply couldn´t use it for something good for my players, since it makes them come into a false state of mind, when we play a good team. In a game against a good team its more about controlling the ball, your man and steals aint that common especially not in the front court.
I like that we have a NO zone rule at this age, I like that we are not allowed to double team a players at this age, but some refs call help defence doubleteaming and that no win situation when you as a coach try to explain that is helpdefense and not doubleteaming to a ref totally without understanding of the game or the rules.
This year we have another strange rule and that is if you are born in the fourth quarter of the year you can play with a younger team (max 2 per game)I have gotten the explanation and I still dont get it, so you can this year play the champioship for boys born 98 with 2 boys born 97, hmmm
Why this rule, because many players born late develops late, but that is education on coaches part that is needed about that not rule that says that. And with every rule without education there a ways to use it wrong. I have had mnay players born late that have been dominant at early ages, there are so many factors that will not be solved with a rule about it. generally whick players are we REALLY talking about, its the kids that will be tall or very tall and born late, for most small players born in february or december is just a size factor, but for the "kid to be tall" there are so many things making it harder for him and being born late makes it even harder.
But we are really talking about talent identification and thats the key, not a rule.
Rules are sometimes great, but education is the solution combined with a license to coach, that can be taken away from you.
