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A Future Team

Mario Blasone was born in Italy on March 3rd, 1940.

A former player himself, school teacher, he began his coaching career back in 1972. Blasone began making a name for himself in Italy’s youth programs.

He coached professional teams of top division in Udine, Verona and again in Udine 2010. He has won more medals than anyone else in Europe at youth level.

At National Team level, Blasone guided Italy to gold medals at the following competitions:

Albert Schweitzer World Tournament (1983)

European Junior Championships in Holland (1990)

Mediterranean Games Under 22 in Greece (1991)

World Military Games in Korea, Seoul (1994)

Blasone’s career moved in a different direction in 1998 when he became head coach of the Egyptian National Team. With Blasone at the helm, Egypt won gold medals at 1999 Pan- Arab Games and at the African Games.

He also coached the National Teams of United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia: gold medal at Gulf Championships (2004).

He came back to Egypt coaching Gezira Club in Cairo. He has won with this team the Cup of Egypt and Egyptian Championship of season 2005/2006.

Along with his vast coaching experience, Blasone has also led “one man” coaching clinics in 43 different countries.

He can lecture in English, French, Spanish and... Italian. He wrote four books, for the Italian Federation and F.I.B.A. This book is projected for future basketball.

If you like it OK, if not... throw it into the river!

Carmina non dant panem.

(Orazio)

A Future Team

Mario Blasone is our most succesful coach with our youth program National Teams, but it remains mainly a teacher, an educator.

Blasone contributed to build many players at national level, not only onto the court but mainly outside of court.

Coach Blasone reaches with this book a beautiful balance between knowledge and experience. Any show of culture even if he could do it easily. He designs many offensive and defensive drills with clear ideas. He looks to be teaching on the floor like running a practice with good advice in order to have a good job from his players.

OK Coach Mario! Well done

Giovanni Petrucci

Presidente Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro

A Future Team

• SUMMARY •

1. AGGRESIVE MAN TO MAN DEFENSE

• 1 on 1 side

• Bagdad Drill

• Malaga Drill

• Summary Drill

• Madafen Drill

• 2 vs 2 cooperation on baseline

• The Wall

• Defense on Big Guys

• Help inside

• PYCE

• Inside - Outside cooperation

• Shell Drill

• Defense against blocks

• Defense against pick n’ roll

• Final Solutions

2. COMBINATION DEFENSE

• Combination Defense

• 1-4 offense Low baseline

• 2-3 offense High

• 3 vs 3 Excercise

• 4 vs 4 Excercise

• Aquelarre

3. MY OFFENSE AGAINST ZONES

• My Offense against zone defence

• Ball Reversal

• Skip Pass

• Bridge

• Mario

• Unpredictable Offense

• The Next Step

• Inside Gaps

• Outside Gaps

• 5 vs 6

• 6 vs 6 Full Court

• 5 vs 5

• Triangle and two

• Box and one

• Diamond and one

• Match Up Zone

• Offensive rebounding

• Dribbling

4. MAN TO MAN OFFENSE - “3 readings”

• man to man Offense - 3 readings

• Special warm up drills for guards

• Warm up drills for Big Guys

• Extra drills for Big Guys

• Regular offense

• Any Post offense

• Feed the high post

5. SPECIAL SITUATIONS

• Special situations

• side inbound

• Regular inbound

• Inbound half court

• Baseline inbound

• Shooter inbound

• Free throw situations

6. FUTURE BIG MAN POSITIONING

• Future Big man positioning

• We want a quick shot

• Penetrator can have different solutions

• Summary and details

7. MAN TO MAN OFFENSE

8. BREAKING FULL COURT DEFENSES

9. PLAYING INBOUNDS

• side inbounds

• Main principle

• Baseline inbounds

• Last but not least

10. TRANSITION GAME

• Defensive conversion

• Gap drill

• Naismith drill

• Indiana drill

• Offensive conversion

TEL. 0039-0432-21864 – Cell. 0039-333-2408000

Mail: blasonemario40@gmail.com

• AGGRESSIVE MAN TO MAN DEFENSE •

• We want to change the idea of defense – We want to attack opponents.

• We teach defense every practice for 50% of time.

• Everybody can learn defensive techniques, but you must hammer your players every day.

• Man playing the ball handler is the most important on defense

• 1 on 1 on defense is a must, for every practice.

• OUR RULES ARE •

1. One arm distance, bothering ball (Down up!);

2. Electric feet;

3. We force on the weak hand;

4. Mirroring basketball;

5. Target is basketball, not the body of our opponents;

6. Arms work; one forcing on th weak hand, another hand bothering an inside pass;

7. We must force our opponent where we want and we are responsible for 4 meters (two dribbles). Players not able to do this job will be sitting on the bench with me!

8 “SMALLER” is the most important rule: the defender (even if bigger) becomes 30 cm smaller then the ball handler!!