25-Point Incentive Scrimmage

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A small-sided scrimmage with a scoring system built to reward the habits the earlier drills installed, not just baskets: 3 points for a ball reversal, 2 for an offensive rebound, 1 for every completed pass, 2 for a made basket, and a turnover hands the ball straight to the defense. No dribbles are allowed except one off a basket or back-door cut into a layup, so players have to move the ball and cut to score. First team to 25 wins — bump the reversal bonus even higher if a group isn't moving the ball side to side enough, since that's what actually breaks a defense down. Designed to scale up toward 4v4 and 5v5 as more players join. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v2 Attack & Kick

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A numbers-advantage 2v2: the ball handler starts with a beaten defender trailing to recover while a single live defender has to guard both offensive players and buy time for their teammate to get back. The ball handler attacks thinking score first — if the help defender commits, they've got the pitch to a wide-open teammate; if the help stays back, they keep attacking downhill or rise into a pull-up. Dribbles are capped (starting around two) to force a real decision instead of over-dribbling, and roles rotate so every player works both the advantage and the recovery. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v2 Catch-and-Cut (No Dribble)

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Two-on-two with the dribble taken away entirely at first — offense has to face up and score, or pass and cut, without ever putting the ball on the floor. Spacing is set at 12-15 feet apart; after passing, the cutter has to finish the cut hard to the rim rather than drifting, and the player left without the ball has a 3-count to relocate and get open again if the cut doesn't get the ball. Forces good spacing and full-speed cutting instead of standing and watching, since dribbling isn't there to bail anyone out. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

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.

2v2 Down Screen Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A live 2-on-2 introduction to a screening-based offense: a wing entry leads into a sprint down screen (no switching allowed defensively) and a quick ball reversal rather than a slow reset, giving the ball handler a two-dribble window to score off the screen. Missed shots stay live for an offensive putback, reinforcing that a miss isn't a reason to stop competing. Coaches emphasize reading the defender's positioning on the screen — curling if the defender trails, fading if the defender goes over the top — rather than running one scripted cut every time. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

3v3 Down Screen & Flare Screen Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

The same screening concepts scaled up to 3-on-3 with a coach at the top, adding more space and a second action (a flare screen in addition to the down screen) so the defense has to decide between staying with their own assignment or helping on the screen. Emphasizes quick ball reversal after the initial action, a retreat dribble instead of picking the ball up on the baseline, and reading whether to attack downhill off the catch or reset and re-screen. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

4v4 FIBA Style Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A live 4-on-4 scrimmage that layers multiple screening and cutting actions together with FIBA-style rules: after a made basket, the new offense has to advance the ball beyond the three-point line before attacking (no shot clock enforced, just an emphasis on getting back to proper spacing quickly). With only three off-ball defenders trying to track a constant mix of down screens, flares, cuts, and reversals, the drill forces defenders to think about multiple actions at once — exactly the confusion the offense is designed to create in a real game. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v2 Defense

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A progressive 2-on-2 half-court read: the on-ball defender mirrors their assignment's feet and stays lower than them, while the off-ball defender sits halfway between their own man and the ball, forming a help triangle. Coaches walk through reading a pass (moving on the release, not after the catch) before adding a live drive, where the help defender has to seal the driving lane, then recover back out to their own assignment once the ball is kicked out. A foundational read-and-recover progression before scaling up to 3-on-3 and beyond. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Rebounding Battle

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A competitive rebounding and closeout drill: an offensive player stands on the block while a passer at the free-throw line delivers a crisp, on-target pass to any of several offensive spots; the moment the pass is thrown, the corresponding defender sprints out to close out and contest the catch-and-shoot attempt (no dribble or shot fake allowed). If the offense scores or grabs an offensive rebound they stay on; the defense has to secure a defensive rebound to flip to offense. Can scale from 2-on-2 to 3-on-3 with more players. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Mirror Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Two players face off, each with a ball; one leads and moves however they like (forward, back, side to side, low dribble, fast dribble), and the other has to mirror every movement in real time. Builds reactive ball handling and court awareness since the follower has to keep their eyes up on their partner rather than the ball, and speeding up the leader's movements is an easy way to raise the difficulty. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Duke Speed Dribble

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A speed-dribble variation where the ball handler switches hands on every single dribble while sprinting the floor. Switching every dribble removes any predictable rhythm a trailing defender could time a steal off of — the actual reason for the move, not just a ball-handling flourish — making it especially useful in the middle of the floor where there's no sideline to help protect the ball. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Between the Legs

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A change-of-direction dribble move broken into teaching steps: start with feet staggered (one leg forward) and work two dribbles between the legs, then one dribble, then a continuous back-and-forth. The two keys are snapping the ball through low and quick, and turning the hips and feet in the new direction as the ball crosses — not turning after the move, which slows the whole thing down. Finish by exploding the ball out front to actually beat the defender, and repeat with the opposite leg forward. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Front-to-Back/Side-to-Side Change Dribble

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A moving change-of-direction warm-up: players dribble front-to-back, then side-to-side, switching the pattern on the coach's call while staying square and facing up the floor. Run it both stationary and while moving down the floor, working both hands, and push the pace as players get comfortable so their hands have to get quicker to keep up. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Narrow Lane 1v1 (Weak Hand)

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A constrained version of full-court 1-on-1: the ball handler is only allowed to dribble with their off hand the entire way up the floor (though they can finish with their strong hand at the rim), with the defense scoring a point if that rule is broken. Deliberately uncomfortable by design — it forces players to develop real weak-hand control under pressure instead of only using it when convenient. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Full Court 1v1

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A pressure ball-handling series with two live variations. In the first, a defender presses the ball handler the length of the floor; if the offense beats them before a marked line, they pause and let the defender recover before continuing live. In the second, the same setup plays fully live with no pause once the offense gets past the defender, and the space is narrowed to make the defense's job more realistic. Both variations restrict players to one side of the floor (using cones) so two pairs can run the drill in opposite directions at once. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Two Ball Resistance

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A partner drill for handling contact while dribbling: one player dribbles up the floor while a partner puts hands on their shoulders and applies steady resistance, forcing them to drive and control the ball against pressure before the partner releases and the dribbler explodes into a speed dribble. Watch for players leaning too far forward against the resistance — the goal is staying balanced with head and shoulders stacked over the feet even under pressure, not just fighting through it off-balance. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Three-Line Closeouts

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Three lines are set up across the floor — left corner, middle, and right side — each representing a different closeout angle. A defender starts in a gap position (not lined up straight on their man), tosses the ball out to the offensive player, and closes out taking away two of three options (the three-point shot and the strong-hand dribble) while live-guarding the remaining one. The angle and starting position change by which third of the floor the defender is closing out in, so all three lines are run to cover every realistic closeout angle a defense will see. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Sprint Closeout & Box Out

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A conditioning-style closeout series run through four cone spots (top of the key, wing, corner, and one more). The defender sprints hard to each cone, throws both hands up with weight back and feet chopping to contest, then steps in to box out before sprinting to the next spot and repeating. Coaches watch for a low base and active hands on every single rep, not just the first one, since fatigue is exactly when closeout technique tends to break down. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Slide-Cross-Help Closeout Sequence

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A full defensive footwork progression that chains multiple techniques together in one continuous rep: stance, defensive slide, a cross step, a rotation into help position, and finally a closeout, all called out and executed back to back. Meant to be run as a daily warm-up sequence, with additional steps (like a backdoor slide, a snap-recover, or a skip-pass close) layered in once the base sequence is second nature. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Three L's Closeout

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A live 1-on-1 attacking drill built around three closeout cues: Low (get shoulders below the offensive player's), Level (match up square with the first defensive step so there's no gap for a straight-line drive), and Lock (stay attached once engaged). The defender closes out from a help position, the offensive player attacks hard, and coaches specifically flag lunging on the closeout as the number-one mistake — it takes the defender out of the air and gives up the drive before they can even land. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Touch & Closeout

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Partners face off on a line with a ball each: on 'chop it up,' the defender chops their feet, touches the ball handler, then closes out under control. Coaches cue defenders to force the ball toward the 'outer third' of the floor (away from the middle) by leading with their head and inside shoulder, since knowing help is coming from a specific direction lets the on-ball defender play with more aggressive ball pressure. Rotate offense and defense with a new partner after each rep. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

1 on 1 to 3 on 3 Full Court Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Starts as full-court 1-on-1 pressure defense; once the ball is entered into the half court, it becomes a live 3-on-3 possession requiring help rotations, fighting through screens, and defending cuts. Because only three defenders are covering the full width of the floor, the disadvantage makes regular 5-on-5 team defense feel easier by comparison, and the live possessions also sharpen passing, ball handling, and decision-making on the offensive end. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Shell Drill with Down Screens

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Builds directly on the base shell shape by adding a down screen for the defense to navigate: as the cutter comes off the screen, the on-ball defender has to stay open enough to see both their assignment and the ball, communicate the screen to their teammate, and get through it in position to close out hard with hands high once the ball is skipped to the shooter. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

4 on 3 Overload Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Three defenders play against four offensive players in a half court, forcing constant scrambling, rotation, and communication at a permanent numbers disadvantage. Start in a controlled, stationary setup so players learn who to guard as the ball skips across, then let it go fully live with dribble penetration — the drill specifically rewards closing out hard and rotating on the fly, since a blown closeout at a numbers disadvantage gets punished immediately. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.