SABA: The Antifragile Offense

by Brian T. McCormick

Small advantage. Big advantage. SABA is based on a simple Use an offensive action to create a small advantage, and exploit the small advantage to create a big advantage. Regardless of the tactic or strategy, the objective of every offensive possession is to create a big An open catch-and-shoot shot, an open driving lane to the basket, or a shot at the rim. There are two phases to the SABA offensive Creating the advantage and exploiting the advantage. Creating the advantage is similar to any other play or system. Exploiting the advantage is the more important element of the system, and basketball in general. The SABA system emphasizes the second phase, known as the endgame. SABA is based around four simple principles. The principles guide behaviors, whereas in continuity offenses and set plays, rules direct or dictate behavior. When a player deviates from a set play to take advantage of a small opening, coaches frequently yell, “Run the play!” In SABA, taking advantage of a small opening is the entire point! The SABA offense is not a free-for-all or roll-the-ball out and let them play system. It takes countless hours of practice to teach players to embrace the chaos and thrive in these situations. This book defines the principles and advances a new philosophy for offensive basketball, and provides the instruction and drills to teach the system and develop skilled players.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

Reviews

[Brent Western · Rating 3 out of 5]

The principles explained and dissected in the book are sound. There isn't much to disagree with regarding advantages and how/when to exploit them. But this likely could have been a 5-page pamphlet or even a (long) Instagram post. Essentially, as an offense, put the defense at a disadvantage and then exploit that disadvantage so it becomes more prominent and leads to an easy/open shot. Reading it years after it was written doesn't help the cause. This was likely groundbreaking and anti-establishment at the time, but now, has become more of the norm.

It's a good quick read and can help reinforce the way the game should be played.

[Steve Brophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for any coach

A practical book to help coaches develop adaptable decision makers on the court. Great explanations coupled with examples and scenarios to run with your players make this a must for any aspiring coach.

[Lee Von Hofe · Rating 5 out of 5]

SABA: The Antifragile Offense by Brian McCormick
I am rereading this book because it has a lot of nuggets to implement that I forgot the first go round. What I loved about the short book is direct application to coaching and players. The acronym of SABA stands for Small Advantage Big Advantage. The premise and main idea is that an antifragile offense relies on set putting players in position to make decisions that will transition players from being in a small advantage opportunity to being in a big advantage. A fragile system is one where teams/plays are done consistently and get stuck when the defense stops the offense system. In essence, the plan is to teach players how to play and not what to do every step like robots.
Basketball is a game where the non-scrippted plays occur well over half of the time if not over 75% of the time. Teaching players to think then react is what will make them higher IQ players.