Purpose: To teach players the fundamentals of a 3-man fast break. This full court drill also incorporates passing, rebounding, outlet passing, throwing a baseball pass, and conditioning. Drill: Form three lines along a baseline with the basketball in the hands of a wing player. As the three players proceed upcourt, the wing passes to the middle player who passes to the opposite wing. The middle player receives a return pass, dribbles to the foul line and performs a jump stop. Middle player can … [Read more...]
Man-to-Man Press Break Clearout
Against full-court pressure defenses, passing is generally the best weapon. However, against full-court man-to-man pressure, a strong ball handler may be the most effective weapon. Once the basketball has been inbounded and it's in the point guard's hands, his teammates may clear out of the backcourt so that the dribbler can bring the ball up the court against his defender in a one-on-one situation. The dribbler should try to stay in the middle of the court and dribble with his head up, … [Read more...]
Fast Break after Stolen Pass Drill
Purpose: To teach the concept of quickly transitioning from defense to offense and converting a stolen pass into a cheap basket at the other end. A stolen perimeter pass is a great opportunity for a quick basket and should be capitalized upon whenever possible. Drill: Place 3 lines on one end of the floor, as shown. The first player in each line will start at about the free throw line / free throw line extended. The coach will throw the ball to any one of the 3 players, who either passes to … [Read more...]
5 on 1-1-1 Drill
Purpose: To teach five players to execute the fast break while being pressured on the rebound, at midcourt, and by their basket. Good drill to use to begin incorporating defense against your transition offense. Drill: The five offensive players set up on one end of the court as shown. One defensive player sets up near the basket, one stands near half court, and one starts near the opposite basket. The drill begins with the coach taking a shot. The 5 players (and 1 defender) go after the … [Read more...]
Two-Man Layup Drill
Purpose: To work on 'finishing' a fast break or slow break situation. Players will work on passing and catching in a simulated break environment. Drill: Begin with players in the three lines, as shown; the basketball is in line O1. A coach or manager (C) stands near the elbow area. O2 starts by cutting hard to the area around the free throw line extended. O1 passes to O2, who executes a jump stop upon the catch. O3 will start his run and cut at the same time as O2 and will run his … [Read more...]
Quick Break Transition Offense
The Quick Break Transition Offense is an early offense you can use following your opponents missed shot or turnover. It's a transition from defense to offense that, while not being a full-blown fast break, it allows you to push the tempo and score quickly with an easy, early shot. The first diagram here shows the transition following a missed shot and rebound. The point guard (O1) moves to the outlet area to receive a pass from the rebounder (O5). O2 moves to the middle area of the court as a … [Read more...]
Reaction 3-Man Weave to 2-on-1 Drill
Purpose: To work on transition offense, transition defense, conditioning, and reacting quickly to a situation that occurs on the court. Drill: The players will set up in three lines outside the baseline. The first three players (O1, O2, O3) move onto the court and begin executing a 3-man weave going down the court. The players will continue until the coach blows his whistle or yells the command 'change'. Upon hearing the whistle, whoever has the basketball will immediately drop it and sprint … [Read more...]
3-on-2 to 2-on-1 Drill
Purpose: To work on the transition game where the offensive is at a man advantage. The emphasis of this drill is dependent upon your fast break strategies and whether you choose to focus on the offense or defense. Drill: Form three lines on the baseline as shown. Two players, X1 and X2 line up on either side of the halfcourt line. The first three players in line begin by tossing the ball off the backboard, making the outlet pass and breaking down the court. On the toss, the two defenders will … [Read more...]
Start Your Fast Break Drill
Purpose: To teach the players to fill the lanes properly on a fast break in a scramble situation. Drill: The coach, standing on the perimeter, will throw the basketball to one of the five players in the lane area. The player who catches the ball cannot dribble -- the fast break must be initiated by a pass. The other players must fill the lanes as required by your fast break offensive philosophy (generally, guards fill the outside lanes and bigs act as trailers and then going down … [Read more...]
2 Minute Game
Purpose: The '2 minute game' drill can do a number of things. The objective of the drill is to score as many baskets as possible in 2 minutes; and to score more in those 2 minutes than your opponent. You can use this drill to focus on either the defense or the offense. This is a very competitive and challenging drill for both sides. The offense is trying to score as many as possible, but it does need to make sure to score (going ultra-fast may get a bunch of shots, but it may not get good … [Read more...]