Baldur Ragnarsson on Finding Patterns That Decide Games, Applying Pressure After Free Throws, and In-Season Conditioning | Álftanes

Coach Baldur Ragnarsson joins Slappin’ Glass to discuss basketball scouting, opponent game planning, defensive strategy, and high-intensity practice design. Ragnarsson explains how he combines full-game film, tagged possessions, and statistical databases to identify player tendencies—particularly passing patterns—and turn a large amount of information into a clear game plan. He also breaks down how his teams practice multiple pick-and-roll coverages, develop basketball-specific conditioning and strength, disrupt dribble handoffs, and apply pressure after made free throws. What You’ll Learn How to combine full-game film, filtered clips, and statistics when preparing an opponent scout Why passing patterns can reveal more about a player than traditional scoring tendencies How to simplify a detailed scouting report into clear player archetypes and defensive priorities When to switch, blitz, hedge, ICE, or go under against different ballhandlers How to adjust the game plan without abandoning the team’s defensive identity How to introduce more scouting complexity as the season progresses Why Ragnarsson uses five-minute games to train coverages in a game-like environment How to divide high-intensity practice, tactical teaching, and recovery throughout the week Ways to develop basketball-specific strength through box-outs, top locks, and body contact How to aggressively disrupt dribble handoffs before the offense reaches its preferred action How to pressure after made free throws and keep the ball away from a primary ballhandler Episode Timestamps 2:16 – Building a detailed opponent scouting process 5:11 – Full-game film versus filtered clips 7:10 – Filtering information into a clear game plan 9:40 – Studying passing patterns and player habits 12:33 – Expanding scouting complexity throughout the season 14:52 – Balancing defensive identity with opponent-specific adjustments 16:41 – Practicing multiple pick-and-roll coverages 19:36 – Using self-scouting to address recurring weaknesses 25:42 – Start, Sub, or Sit: Conditioning, movement, and strength 29:42 – Structuring a high-intensity practice 33:06 – Basketball-specific body-contact training 34:57 – Start, Sub, or Sit: Opportunities for defensive aggression 35:50 – Aggressively defending dribble handoffs 38:02 – Applying pressure after made free throws 41:03 – The best investment Ragnarsson has made in his coaching career 43:00 – Dan and Pat’s key takeaways To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 70 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!