Pat Summitt Moving Without Basketball Drills

With the recent passing of Coach Pat Summitt, we wanted to do what we can do here at Hoops U … and what we can do is share the legacy of one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.

Below, you will find 2 drills from Coach Summitt.

Also, be sure to check out her ‘Definite Dozen‘ from our Motivating Stories section.

For members of The Hoops U. Basketball Coaching Academy, you can watch Coach Summitt’s video, “Building a Championship Defense” in our Basketball Coaching Instructional Collection.

The 2 basketball drills shared below from Coach Pat Summitt are helpful in developing the important basketball skill of moving without the ball. Great players (and great coaches) know the importance of being able to get open; it helps out your teammates and it helps to create open shots. These 2 drills will help you begin teaching your players how to get open and how to move when they don’t have the basketball.

Three Lane Movement

Purpose: To help develop skill in moving without the ball.

Organization: Use three offensive players.

Procedure:

Players start on the baseline: one on the right side, one in the middle, and one on the left side of the court.
The ball starts in the middle (see figure above)
The outside players cut and then come back to the ball.
The player in the middle passes the ball to one side to begin the drill; no dribbling at first.
The other two players cut and come back to the ball until they reach the other end of the court.

Coaching Points:

Players must stay in their lane.
Timing is important. Players must time their cuts and get open when the passer is ready to deliver the pass.

Variations:

See figure above
Allow two dribbles to help advance the ball.
Add a shot at the end of the drill.
Allow skip passes to the other side of the court

Three Lane Cutting

Purpose: To cut without the ball and learn to develop proper spacing.

Organization: Use three offensive players

Procedure:

Start with the ball at the point and two wing players on either side of the lane at half-court.
The point player passes the ball to one of the wings and makes one of the following cuts: give-and-go, give-and-go/bump, screen away, or flare (see diagrams below).
Once the point player makes a cut, the wing without the ball must react accordingly.
Continue passing and cutting until a shot is taken.

Coaching Points:

The passer always starts with a pass and cut.
Players must maintain spacing and continue to react to cutting players.
Players make at least five passes and cuts before shooting.

Variations:

Add a post player to have a post entry.
Add a defensive post player to challenge passes.

Both drills courtesy of The Women’s Basketball Drill Book. This book is available at the Hoops U. Basketball store, along with these other fine books from or about Coach Pat Summitt.