Navy Transition

Source: How To Run Championship Practices With Nate Steege

Many teams only scrimmage from a perfect start. Possessions begin with perfect spacing and the ball checked up top. That is not the game. Navy Transition simulates game randomness and trains players to recognize situations quickly. This is also a great drill to build IQ as well as competitiveness.

Diagrams

Diagram 1 - Instructions

Setup

• Each team has 5 players on the floor. The coach has a ball to start.

Instructions

• 1-5 are on one team; x1-x5 are on the other team
• Coach rolls out the ball to anywhere on the court
• Whichever team gets the ball is on offense going to the far side of the court

(Diagram 1)

• Play goes from there

Coaching Tips

• Stress that players need to communicate as soon as the ball is put in play. In particular, the team that ends up on defense must be sprinting, pointing and talking as they get back on defense.
• The player who gains possession of the ball should immediately get their head up and scan. This allows them to see if there is an advantage somewhere on the floor.
• The player who gathers the ball should do so in a power position. This gives them strength and balance as they survey the floor.
• The other 4 offensive players must immediately get to their spacing spots. Consider giving the offense :05 to get to the correct spots on the floor once they gain possession. If they don’t, it’s a turnover.
• To add challenge to the drill, allow the team that gathers the ball to go either direction. This challenges them to scan both ends of the floor and decide where their best scoring opportunity is. If you do this, tell players that as soon as they start in a certain direction they cannot change.

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