Horns Flex 1

Horns Flex 1 is a Horns-family action that uses a baseline exchange and a step-up/flare screen to manufacture a clean paint touch on the ball side. The “flex” part isn’t about running a full Flex offense—it’s about stealing that same idea: move the passer out, move the weak side up, and hit a cutter into a dangerous pocket before the help can load.

Goal (what you’re hunting)

The primary aim is to get 3 a quick catch on the right short corner / mid-post with momentum, so they can score immediately or trigger a simple high–low with 4. If the defense collapses, the spacing naturally creates easy kick-outs to 1 and 2, or a safety release to 5.

Spacing & starting alignment

This version is right-side loaded to make the screening and the pocket pass clean.

1 starts on the right wing with the ball.
4 is on the right low post / short corner area (ready to be the first receiver).
5 is at the right elbow / high post (the screener and pressure-release).
2 is spaced weak side (corner/slot area as your “deep” outlet).
3 is weak side high/corner area, ready to lift into the action.

The two non-involved guards (1 after the pass, and 2) are not decoration here—they’re what keeps help honest so the pocket catch is actually a scoring catch.

Sequence (how the action flows)

1) Entry + baseline exit

1 feeds 4 on the right low post/short corner. Immediately after the pass, 1 makes a hard baseline cut to the opposite corner.
That cut matters: it removes the passer from the ball side, drags a tagger with them, and creates a clean skip-out window later.

2) Weak-side lift into the screen

As the ball hits 4, 3 lifts up from the weak side toward the top/slot and then runs into 5’s step-up/flare screen at the right elbow.
5 is screening to free 3 toward the ball side—your goal is to make 3 arrive “on the catch,” not standing.

3) Pocket touch to the short corner / mid-post

With 3 coming off 5, 4 delivers the pass into the right pocket (short corner/mid-post).
This is the moment you’re trying to win: a paint catch before the defense can shrink and stunt.

4) Immediate decision: score or high–low

3 catches, squares quickly, and plays fast:

If it’s single coverage: score.
If the low defender steps up: dump to 4 sealing underneath.
If the help pinches in from the weak side: kick to 1/2.
If the defense collapses from the nail: safety to 5.

Primary reads (what 3 should see on the catch)

Turn-and-score
Catch with inside-foot discipline, get your shoulders to the rim, and attack the first gap (baseline if the middle is loaded, middle if the baseline is walled).
High–low to 4
If 4 has inside position, it’s a quick drop-off. This is the cleanest “punish” when the defender guarding the pocket steps up.
Skip or drift-out to the opposite corner (1)
If the defense tags from the corner, this is your simplest three.
Weak-side outlet (2)
If the defense rotates one pass away, 2 is the next clean shot/pass.
Safety to 5 at the elbow
If nothing is clean, reverse through 5 and flow into your next action (handoff, re-screen, or swing).

Coaching points (the details that make it work)

1’s cut must be a sprint. If it’s casual, the defense doesn’t have to move, and the pocket is crowded.
5’s screen angle is everything. You want the defender chasing over the top and arriving late—don’t screen flat. Set it with purpose and hold it long enough for 3 to clear.
4 has to be strong with the ball. Catch, chin, pivot, and see the floor. The pocket pass is only there if 4 doesn’t get rushed into a soft angle.
3 catches to play immediately. No dancing. The whole point is to catch in a scoring window before the defense can load.

Common breakdowns (and quick fixes)

Late pocket pass: by the time it arrives, the defense has already sunk.
Fix: teach “ball hits 4 → 3 moves now → pass on time.”
Screen too low / too soft by 5: defender slips through and blows up the catch.
Fix: step higher to the elbow and screen with the body turned to send the defender where you want.
3 floats instead of cutting tight: creates a long, slow catch.
Fix: “shoulder-to-hip” off the screen—tight curls create separation.
1 doesn’t clear to the opposite corner: help stays loaded on the ball side.
Fix: make it a rule: “pass + baseline sprint = automatic.”

Variations & built-in counters

If the defense top-locks or jumps 3’s route:
Have 3 plant and back-cut to the rim. The pocket pass becomes a rim pass.
If they switch the screen on 5:
5 can slip to the nail for a quick catch, or 4 seals deeper for the high–low.
If the pocket is denied:
Reverse to 5 and immediately flow into a handoff or a re-screen for 3 (same spacing, second wave).
Mirror it (left side):
Run the same concept to the other side so opponents can’t sit on the right-loaded look.

Installing it (a clean way to teach)

Start 5-on-0 and insist on timing: the rep is “wrong” if 1 doesn’t sprint the baseline and 3 doesn’t arrive off 5 with pace. Then add defenders in layers:

defend only the screen action (5/3),
then add help rules on the pocket catch,
then play it live with the rule: 3 must shoot, dump, or kick within 2 seconds of the catch.

That constraint keeps the action honest and preserves why Horns Flex 1 works in the first place.