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← Library of Schemes

offense

Ram screen: free the next ball screener

One player sets an off-ball screen for a teammate who is about to set a ball screen. A Bonn timeout example adds a late change of screen angle; that change is a separate choice.

How it runs

Help 5 reach the next ball screen

Ram names the screen before the ball screen. Here, 4 screens the defender guarding 5, then 5 screens for 1. Defenders are not shown. This is one start, not a whole offense.

1–5 are players on offense. X1–X5 are defenders. Each number stays with the same player in every step; it does not lock that player into a position.

1. Screen for the next screenerHalf court diagram, frame 1 of 5: 1. Screen for the next screener. 5 players, showing screen.12345

Diagram 1 of 5

1. Screen for the next screener

4 moves down and stops to screen the defender guarding 5. 5 waits for legal clearance. 1 holds the ball while 2 and 3 stay in the corners.

Diagram key

  • Offense
  • Defense
  • Coach
  • Neutral
  • Ball
  • Cone
  • Cut
  • Dribble
  • Pass
  • Screen
  • Hand-off
  • Shot
  • Def. slide

Use Previous and Next beside the court, or choose a numbered step. Arrows on the court show where players or the ball move. CoachAssist drew this example; it does not show every way to run the scheme.

Ram is the off-ball screen before the receiver screens the ball. Our second example adds an angle change. These original tasks focus on the link between those stages rather than treating Ram as a whole offense.

In this guide · jump to a topic

Starting jobs and useful space

Name the first screener and the next screener separately

Our 4 screens for 5, then 5 moves to screen for handler 1. Players 2 and 3 start in corners. Ask 4 to identify the defender guarding 5, not the defender guarding the ball. Ask 5 to identify the later ball-screen location without leaving before the first screen is set.

The first screener needs a job after 5 leaves. In our example that player clears outside. Plan that route so it does not cross the handler’s turn or the roller’s finish. A first screen that frees 5 but traps 4 in the next action has not organized the whole possession.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Keep the possession going

Link the stages without rushing either screen

Walk the first screen and 5’s arrival while the handler waits in a controlled position. Then add the handler’s turn and the first screener’s clearance. The pace should allow each screen to be established; there is no benefit in making the sequence fast only through moving contact.

After the second screen, use normal visible passing decisions. The first screen may delay a defender, but it does not tell the handler to throw the roll pass automatically. If the defense recovers, use an outside return and continue from the spacing the players actually occupy.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Decisions against the defense

The defense switches the first screen

When: A different defender now travels with 5.

Do this: Identify the new matchup and available space before beginning the next exchange.

Then: Keep 4 visible as a separate option rather than treating the first screen as finished regardless of coverage.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

What to emphasize

  • Original teaching suggestion: walk the first screen, clear its space, then set the ball screen.

Problems, fixes and checks

Versions and diagram coverage

Ram, Spain and Veer are not interchangeable

Changes: names only.

  • Compare when the off-ball screen occurs and who receives it. No additional complete Ram package is claimed here.

When to use it: Describe the actual two-screen order instead of guessing from a familiar word.

Written variant · this option does not have its own walkthrough here.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

How to teach it

Choose the level that matches what your players can do now. These steps work for boys and girls. Start simpler if players need more practice.

Practice it step by step

Learn the two-screen order

Set it up: Three attackers and an adult indicating defenders; no contact.

  1. 4 screens for 5.
  2. 5 arrives to screen for 1 while 4 finds an outside target.

Add more when: Players identify both screen targets without prompting.

Check it in play
  • No one moves through a teammate’s route.

CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.

CoachAssist wrote these teaching steps. They are not an exact copy of any coach’s practice plan.

What can go wrong and how to adjust
  • Ram names the preparation, not every action that follows. Screeners must establish legal positions.
Coaches and teams that use it
Drills for this scheme · steps and diagrams

The level selector changes the teaching steps above. It does not change these drills. Check the number of players, equipment and difficulty before using a drill.

Screen Setting Fundamentals (P.A.S.S.)
Court diagram · view the drill first

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

Builds a skill used in this scheme: Practices a stationary off-ball screen and waiting for the cutter to clear. Add the next ball screen separately; this drill alone does not contain the two-screen Ram sequence.

A controlled progression teaches setting and using a stationary screen.

3–12 players · 5–10 minutes · basketballs

Purpose

A controlled progression teaches setting and using a stationary screen.

Set it up

Three players: screener, cutter and cooperative defender, plus a coach passer. Begin without contact on one side of a half court. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.

Run the drill

  1. Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
  2. The screener approaches at walkthrough pace and establishes a balanced position with legal clearance.
  3. The cutter waits until the screen is set, then moves close enough to use its angle without colliding with the screener.
  4. The coach passes only through an open window; the cutter catches balanced and may shoot from a comfortable range.
  5. The screener holds position until the cutter clears, then opens toward the ball. Rotate all player roles.
  6. End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.

Scoring

Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.

Coach the details

  • Do not require contact for a screen to count. Add guided defense only after the group understands positioning and timing.
  • Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
  • Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.

Ways to adapt the drill

  • Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
  • The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
2-on-2 Ball Screen Live
Court diagram · view the drill first

Basketball glossary

Open full glossary page

Builds a skill used in this scheme: Practices decisions at the second screen in a Ram action. It begins with the ball screen and omits the earlier screen for the screener.

A ball-screen pair reads two defenders through a controlled live possession.

4–12 players · 8–15 minutes · basketballs

Purpose

A ball-screen pair reads two defenders through a controlled live possession.

Set it up

Four players and one ball: handler, screener and their defenders. Waiting players and spare balls stay outside the playing/landing area. Walk one coverage before allowing a choice. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.

Run the drill

  1. Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
  2. The screener establishes legal position; the handler waits for the screen and reads the defenders.
  3. The defense uses an agreed coverage. Offense can drive, pass to the screener moving toward the basket or outward, or retreat and reset when the passing route is closed.
  4. Use a re-screen only after everyone has room to reset legally; do not force a dribble through two defenders.
  5. End on a controlled finish, secured rebound, turnover or coach stop; exchange offense and defense regardless of outcome.
  6. End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.

Scoring

Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.

Coach the details

  • A screener can cut to the basket after screening (roll), leave before setting the screen (slip), or move outward (pop). Choose from the defense and available space, not from a single label.
  • A screen is not a collision target. Maintain control through changes of direction.
  • Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
  • Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.

Ways to adapt the drill

  • Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
  • The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
Sources and what we could confirm

The sources support the system guide. CoachAssist created the practice steps and checks; they are suggestions, not tested programs or a coach’s full playbook. The linked drills practice parts of the system.

Coaches run this in different ways. The sources below describe the versions covered here. These sources do not cover every possible version.

  • Tactics Board: Timeouts, timeouts, timeouts

    FIBA Basketball Champions League · FIBA · publication date not listed

    Written 2023–24 Bonn/Tenerife examples reviewed. Excludes the article's inconsistent efficiency comparison.

Ram screen: free the next ball screener · Library of Schemes · CoachAssist