INTRODUCTION

In this section, you are going to learn how off-ball screens create advantages.

So far, you've learned:

- what advantages are
- how to create them on the ball (pick and roll)
- how to keep them alive with movement
- how actions like Horns make them stronger

Now you'll learn how to create the same advantages away from the ball.

Flare screens are the off-ball version of this idea.

Defences are trained to do two things at once:

- keep the ball out of the paint
- stay connected to shooters

A flare screen attacks that problem.

It forces a defender guarding an off-ball player to choose:

- chase the shooter over the screen
- go under and risk giving up a shot
- or switch and create a mismatch or confusion

No matter what they choose, the offence gets an advantage:

- separation for a shot
- a bad closeout to attack
- a switch to exploit
- or a slip/roll for the screener

Just like pick and roll forces a defender to make a hard choice on the ball,

flare screens force a defender to make a hard choice off the ball.

A flare screen is an off-ball screen that sends a shooter away from the ball instead of toward it.

Instead of cutting to the basket:

- the shooter moves out to open space
- usually toward the wing or corner

A teammate sets a screen:

- between the shooter
- and the defender trying to recover

The goal is separation.

Separation creates an advantage.