Getting Wide 1

Struggling to get wide? Thought it was just a particular layout but it's been happening now for a while--across multiple events?
First thing to do is take a hard look at what you've been doing. Here's a partial checklist to get started.

Are you "cheating" in practice? (If you are you are short-changing yourself and your ability to learn and improve--and if you keep getting called out in games you're still not very good at it.)

Are you a creature of habit? (Do you or your team tend to do the same things over and over? Or in certain situations? If so you're predictable.)

Do you set-up on the start a particular way when you're running to a farther primary? (If so, it's predictable.)

Does your team take up start positions well before the horn sounds? (Yes, it's that same predictability problem. Take up your breakout positions in the last five seconds and always show your opponent the same look--as much as possible. That way you give nothing about your intentions away.)

That should get you started. The object here is to take a hard look at what you and your team are doing to see if there's anything there that could be contributing to your struggle to get wide on a reliable basis. Don't rely only on the list provided--use it as a starting point. How many breakouts does your team use in a match? How many has the team practiced going into an event? Track the choices you make as a team. Do any patterns begin to emerge? If they do assume your opponents will have taken note. (This also applies from prelims to Sunday play. A lot of divisional teams discover what worked on Friday doesn't work on Sunday because everyone left competing has had a good look at what your team does. You need to be prepared to mix it up; whether that's with different  breakouts or shifting looks that accomplish the same breakouts.)

That was Step One; an in-depth examination of current practices.

Step Two examines what sort of proactive steps can be taken to improve our chances of success in getting wide off the break. Next time in Getting Wide 2.