(Rental)-Loop & Elbow Offenses And Counter Sets

Cheryl Reeve: Loop and Elbow Offenses and Counter Sets

With fewer teams playing with traditional big men, teams have to be able to get the ball inside. Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve takes you through two sets – Loop and Elbow – that she has developed through the years. It’s a motion-oriented half-court offense that uses multiple cutting and screening actions that confuse defenses. In the video, Coach Reeve starts with 5-on-0 demonstrations and builds up to 5-on-5 detailing the spacing and timing needed for success.

Loop Series

The Loop series starts with the traditional zipper action and then uses such moves as the flash cut that comes on the pass back to the post player who set the down screen of the zipper. Using the flash cut inverts the offense and creates an easy scoring opportunity for a wing who is being defended by someone not used to playing in the post.

Other moves used include the flare screen, side ball screen, stagger screen, and double UCLA cut. Coach Reeve shares options out of the Loop that give you ways to take advantage of your personnel.

Elbow Series

Coach Reeve introduces the Elbow series from a Horns set. The series is a set of plays designed to create favorable matchups and it can be used in late-game situations where execution is critical. One play has the point guard use a UCLA cut after an entry pass to the post player. When this fails, a pin-down screen by the opposite post can generate an easy post-up opportunity.

Reeve shows you double-down screens, handoffs, flex actions and more out of the Elbow series. She also touches on how to disguise Elbow plays using the same initial actions used in the Loop series.

Using Counters

At some point, defenses will catch on to what you are doing and come up with something that takes away some of the best actions of the Elbow and Loop. Coach Reeve goes through a number of counters in both series to take advantage of the defense.

In the Loop series for example, Reeve has the player move to the corner looking for the ball if a defense anticipates a down screen. That simple adjustment gives the wing player a look for an open shot. Reeve also shows you how to run Loop to get into Elbow series plays. These multiple options keep opposing defenses guessing while getting your best players the scoring opportunities you want.

Reeve is one of the WNBA’s most successful coaches and her exceptional detail in this video will not only help you gain a better understanding of flow and spacing on offense, but also help you to maximize player execution.