Offensive Cutthroat

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Can be played 3 on 3, 4 on 4, or 5 on 5. Three teams that rotate through. Coaches create rules that must be followed, ifarule isn’t followed coaches rotate that team out. Examples are: a. Nowasted dribbles- square up to the hoop first. b. Purposeful hard cuts and drives. c. Play off 2 feet in the lane. d. Don’t let the ball die in your hands. e. Thank the passer on a made basket. f. Must have a post touch. If the offense makes it, they stay. (Diagram 1) If the defense stops them, they go to offense and the next team comes on to play defense. Tailor the offensive rules to your team’s system. For example, if you pass & cut, make a failure to cut a turnover. Don’t include rules that don’t fit your style of play. Include a couple cultural ‘musts’ as well. These could be things like pointing to the passer or sprinting to help up a fallen teammate. Keep the drill moving fast. The 3rd team knows they are coming in on defense, they just don’t know who they’ll be guarding. Not breaking in between possessions forces the defense to come on with a sense or urgency and communicate. Try the same drill with defensive rules. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

3 v 3 One Side Of The Court

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Teaching spacing is very challenging. This is true for players of all ages, but especially young players. One limitation of 3v3 drills is that players have way more space than they do in 5v5. This can cause struggles when players go back to playing 5v5. This drill teaches players to operate within a condensed space, making it more game-like. Position 3 offensive players on 1 side of the court. They are guarded by 3 defenders. (Diagram 1) 1 starts by passing to 2. (Diagram 2) The defense cannot steal this pass 1 cuts to the basket. 2 looks to pass to 1 for a layup. If 1 isn’t open, 2 can dribble to the top. This allows 3 to lift and 1 to replace to the corner. Play continues from there You can make the playing space bigger to help the defense or smaller to make it more challenging. You can have players do other actions besides cutting (such as screening). Players quickly learn they can’t stand. (Diagram 3) (Diagram 4) Consider also implementing a dribble limit (2 dribbles per touch). Made by Breakthrough Basketball

2v2 Zoom

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Players need reps to get better at your primary offensive actions. This drill teaches your players how to utilize the zoom action no matter defensive coverage your opponent employs. Every player get a lot of repetitions, building confidence in their ability to attack every defense. Position an offensive player in the slot and on the wing. Defenders match up. The coach starts with the ball on the opposite wing. The coach enters the ball to the player in the slot. (Diagram 1) The offense then flows into a zoom action. Defense can fight over or under. If the defense goes over, 1 should make the handoff and 5 should attack the paint If the defender goes under, the Trigger should forward pivot and rescreen. (Diagram 2) (Diagram 3) The Trigger must maintain good spacing on the roll. The defense has to switch the zoom. Could use a pitch behind for a three point shot. Trigger could keep the dribble alive and attack the basket v a mismatch. One of the most common mistakes is picking the ball up early after a switch. (Diagram 4) (Diagram 5) The roller (1) should seal the switching defender (5x) on their back. Now the defense will trap (or blitz) every zoom. The player that would normally make the handoff should look to fake the handoff and attack the rim. This is called a keep. (Diagram 6) (Diagram 7) If the Trigger does pick it up and hands it off, the Trigger should do a short roll looking for a window to receive the pass. 5 should look to hit 1 with a jump pass or pocket pass. 1 would then look to attack 4v3. Both players in the zoom should scan to the defense as they approach the handoff to try and anticipate what the defense is doing. You can tell the defense what they have to do or allow them to choose. The deeper the Trigger can get, the farther his man has to go to switch A good setup is important. Player 5 should look to go backdoor is x5 overplays. Stress that the pitch should be a soft toss to the torso. (Diagram 8) You can do the same drill with other on-ball actions, such as ball screens. Made by Breakthrough Basketball

1v1 Read & Cut

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A progression drill that teaches players to get open before it ever goes live: the cutter works V-cuts, face cuts, rear cuts, and back-door cuts against on-ball defense to get a pass from a coach at the top, opening up out of the cut instead of turning their back for better vision. Once they catch, it's live 1v1 — attack off the bounce if there's nothing there, or make one more pass and read the defense's next reaction (a jump at the passing lane earns a rear cut, an overplay earns a back door) before going live again. Builds the cutting and reading habits that every layer of team offense after it depends on. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

4v4 - 2 Dribbles

Video by BreakthroughBBall

The same cutting and spacing concepts as the 2v0 progression, now live 4-on-4 with a two-dribble limit on every touch. The cap forces players to catch facing the basket and make a quick read — attack a bad closeout, hit the open man, or cut — instead of picking up the dribble with nowhere to go. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.