In basketball today there continues to be several aspects of the game that are overlooked but can play a big role in the course of a game.
The Charge is one of those aspects of the game that has become a lost art. The Charge is a selfless act that often is not recognized as being a significant play to the fans, but let me tell you, as a coach it is a huge play!
I am writing this blog on the Charge, because I recently was watching a lot of tape of a very good St. Louis University team coached by Jim Crews in preparation for our game(March 2nd, 2013). It became very clear to me the more I watch tape what a high priority that they have placed on their players taking charges.
This is what I viewed on the tapes:
1. They celebrated their teammates effort for taking a charge by the other four players going over to pick him up off the ground and acknowledging the play with some form of gesture.
2. The player who successfully took the charge punctuated the play with an out burst of emotion.
3. They took charges in several different situations:
* on the dribbler bringing the ball up the court
* on the dribbler as he is penetrating in the half court offense
* on the passer in a fast break situation after he had made a pass.
* on the post player as they tried to back the defender down.
4. They averaged 3-4 successful charges taken per game 5. I am certain that the staff keeps a stat on the number of charges taken and that there is some sort of positive reward attached to the accomplishment.
The charge has just as much of a positive impact on the game as the blocked shot or the steal. Here are some of the ways that the Charge impacts the game:
– It can change the momentum of the game. For example it can stop a teams run.
– It can play on a teams psyche. For example if a team is a driving team they may become less willing to drive after committing several charges
– It can get the opponent in foul trouble, thus getting a team closer to shooting free throws.
Here is why I think that the charge has become a lost art:
– The charge requires there to be body to body contact which can hurt and therefore many players are not willing to take a charge.
– It is not glamorous.
– Coaches are not teaching their players the proper way to take a charge, running the risk of an injury.
– The block/charge call is very difficult for officials to call.
– Flopping is at an all time highand it has caught the attention of the coaches, officials, fans and the national media. This can make the charge appear to be a “sucker” play instead of the impact play that it is.
The charge does not appear on highlights on the sports networks. In my research I found that the NCAA does not even keep stats on taking charges and the NBA does keep a stat but it is often not published. The website www.basketball-tips-and-training.com does a great job of explaining every stat that they keep. They even have all time NBA leaders in every category except Charges taken.
The Charge is a play that requires the player to sacrifice their body for the team. Translation:”WINNING PLAY”.
