Common Triggers for a Conceptual Offense

Firstly, what is a trigger?

A trigger is an offensive action that will ‘trigger’ or cause the first domino to fall – creating an advantage.

The most common triggers are two-person actions, like a pick and roll or get. You can also have triggers involving more players, such as an off-ball screen or pistol. Furthermore, if your players are advanced in conceptual offense principles (ie. using coverage solutions, recognizing dominoes, etc) you might choose to have 3 or 4 player triggers that your team can quickly flow into based on arrival spacing. Such examples include double drags or staggers.

While there are a plethora of actions you can use to build your own conceptual offense, it is more important to focus on the coverage solutions of whatever triggers you choose to use with your team. 

What is a coverage solution?

Coverage solution: How the offense reads the defense’s coverage and finds a ‘solution’ to create dominoes. ie. A pocket pass vs a show coverage will create a 4-on-3 dominoes scenario.

Mark Daugnault calls these ‘coverage attacks’ as an easier way to remember what they are versus what the defense does. 

Below, we are going to show you some of our favorite triggers AND some options as possible coverage solutions that you can use with your team. 

List of Triggers:

Turtle or Mouse: A 1-on-1 or “solo” against a poor defender. The idea is to create optimal spacing to attack the mismatch. 

In U12, 1-on-1 could be the main or the only trigger needed, along with optimal spacing and dominoes principles.

Pick and Roll Spacings: Side, rub, clear, angle. Read more here about these spacings and how they differ. 

Get/ DHO: Similar to a PnR but the ‘picker’ has the ball. When handing off before dribbling there are more coverage solutions available. For example, a pitch and slip or a keep.

Wide: Screen away. Could be done through the trail or from wing to corner with the ball at the top. Splits are another form of wide, but when the ball is in the high or low post.

If after a screen away, the defense is still able to keep offense in “neutral”, the screener can re-screen to set a flare AKA a Ricky.

Flare Screen: A screen sending the receiving player away from the ball. 

Ghost screen: Player going to set the pick sprints through beyond the perimeter without making contact. The player in the next spot would have to cut the pop to prevent 1 defender from guarding 2. 

Coaches can also choose to combine these triggers like in the example above. A ghost screen immediately followed by a flare screen.

With all these actions happening on the ball or in the next spacing spot away, there will need to be equal reactions from the other players to maintain effective spacing. These will include principles such as:

• Cut and slide
• Cut the pop (seen in the ghost screen example diagram)
• Push, pull, hold
• CAP: Cut and pop 

The Goal of the Offense

Triggers and coverage solutions form the foundation of a dynamic, conceptual offense. Rather than memorizing endless set plays, teams should focus on understanding how each trigger can create the initial advantage and then playing out of dominoes. Whether it’s a simple 1-on-1 solo or a more complex multi-player action like a side pick and roll, the goal of a good offense remains the same: create and maintain dominoes until a high value shot presents itself. By teaching players to recognize coverages and find the appropriate coverage solution, coaches build the foundation of good offense.