Basketball is a game that has very few black and white rules. How long to hold the ball is no exception. However, all players should have a firm grasp on the concept of Alternating Current. Keep reading to find out how to implement this into your game.
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Understanding Alternating Current is to know when to hold the ball and when to move the ball. This is an integral part of keeping the defense guessing and maintaining the advantage.
A lot of players, especially younger players, hold the ball too often. Many of them hold it every time they touch the ball. And there are a lot of players who do just the opposite. They do not have the confidence to look to attack, so they just pass the ball as soon as they get it in their hands. Both of these situations are a problem, but passing quickly is definitely the lesser of the two evils.
As a rule, players should be aware of the position of their teammates, and whether they are open or not. Good players are aware of this at all times and have a plan before the ball comes to them. Or they are able to read the defense with a quick glance up that takes less than half a second. Being able to move the ball to an open teammate quickly is an asset to any player or team. This keeps the ball moving and forces the defense to react to the offense, not allowing them to dictate the play.
Again, there are no black and white rules for ball movement, but particularly against zone defenses, the use of alternating current is beneficial. If the person passing you the ball held on to it, you should move the ball quickly. Conversely, if the person passing you the ball moved it quickly, you should hold it to read the play and take advantage of any openings created by the movement.
The logic behind this thinking is quite simple. If you receive a pass from someone who held the ball, the defense is only forced to react to a small change in the ball position. This requires a slight adjustment and is easily handled. However, if you move the ball immediately after receiving it, the defense must now react to a greater change in ball position, likely a swing from one side of the floor to the other. The defensive position must be significantly altered and will likely lead to openings to exploit.
It should go without saying that there will always be times when you should hold the ball twice in a row. And times when you should pass the ball quickly twice in a row. No arguments here. Some offenses are built on these ideas. If this is the case for you and your team, then by all means, you should do this.
But for those of you who are not running one of these offenses, keeping Alternating Current in mind will generally pay off by creating advantageous situations consistently. So hold the ball sometimes, pass it immediately other times. But mind what your teammates are doing, and try to do the opposite as the player before you. If they pass quickly, take a quick look and see what has opened up. If they held it, keep the ball moving around the court and putting pressure on the defensive rotations.
A team of players that consistently puts Alternating Current into use will benefit from lots of scoring opportunities. Add good spacing and effective cutting after making passes and your team will have a working offense that is team-oriented and hard to stop.