Basketball Drills - Fast-Break, Full-Court Passing Drills -- 2-on-0, 2-on-1, 2-on-2

From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net

If you like this free page, please give us a "Like", a "+1" or a "Follow". Thanks! - Coach Gels

These full-court, fast-break drills emphasize passing and receiving on the move and finishing the break with a lay-up, or finishing in a 2-on-1 or 2-on-2 situation. We run through all the sets of drills below, starting with the 2-on-0 drills, and then progressing into the 2-on-1 and finally the 2-on-2 drills. We run all these drills in about 10 minutes, and we do them almost every practice.

2-on-0 Passing Drills

See the diagram on the left below. Here players pair up and run (not shuffle sideways) up the floor passing back and forth to each other. The last pass results in a lay-up. The pair gets off the court and line up on the far baseline now, getting ready to come back down the court after all the other pairs have finished. After all pairs have moved up the floor, we then start back down the court to complete the trip both ways.

We run several trips, starting with sharp two-handed chest passes up and back. Then we do bounce passes up and back. Next, we do two-handed overhead passes and finally around-the-back passes up and back.

Pointers:
(1) Make sure your players are talking and the passer is yelling the receiver's name, while the receiver is yelling "ball".
(2) The last pass that sets up the lay-up is always a bounce pass.
(3) No dribbling is allowed, except if needed to finish the lay-up.
(4) Make sure everyone is running hard, not jogging.

2-on-1 Drill

See the middle diagram below. Now we add a defender who runs ahead of the two passers and tries to defend in a 2-on-1 situation. The defender usually just moves up the floor and tries to defend at the end. However, the defender may try to jump between the passers anywhere on the floor to steal the pass. If the ball is stolen or there is a turnover or a missed pass, the three players just move into line at the far end of the floor. When the last three-some has finished, we come back down the court to complete the trip.

Pointers: (also apply to the 2-on-2 drill below)
(1) Make sure the offensive players are talking as above.
(2) Keep dribbling to a minimum... only when necessary to beat the defense.
(3) When finishing the 2-on-1 break, we teach the player who has the ball at about the level of the free-throw line to make a power dribble, or "take", to the hoop, looking for either the lay-up or the foul. If the defender comes up high on him/her, then he/she passes off to the teammate cutting to the hoop.

2-on-2 Drill

Finally, we finish by adding a second defender who must trail the break and may not leave the end-line until the offense has cleared the top of the key or 3-point arc. The first defender sprints up the floor and tries to stop, or delay, the 2-on-1 break, while the second defender is sprinting up the floor to provide defensive help at the end. The offense must move quickly and make quick decisions, otherwise they lose their 2-on-1 advantage. Both offensive and defensive players should be "talking", communicating.

Helpful DVDs:

	Billy Donovan: The Unstoppable Transition Game with Billy Donovan, University of Florida Head Coach; 2007 & 2006 NCAA Champions, 2000 NCAA Runner-up; One of only two people ever to serve as head coach, assistant coach, and player in a Final Four. Coach Donovan shares concepts for winning transition basketball that are usable at any level of basketball! The basis for his offensive philosophy is imbedded in fundamental skill and player mentality. Donovan demonstrates the drills that helped turn his inexperienced team into a "teamwork machine." Practice drills are the Two-Man Sideline drill, Three-Man Sideline drill and Five Cycles drill. A popular peer pressure drill is the "Laker Fastbreak" drill, where the ball is not allowed to touch the floor. The Gator transition game is based on concepts instead of patterns, which offers many obstacles for the defense.... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Jim Calhoun's Fastbreak Drills with Jim Calhoun, 2004 and 1999 NCAA Championship Coach! Coach Calhoun presents his system for putting continuous pressure on a defense and scoring quickly off made or missed baskets using 10 drills to simulate a variety of fastbreak situations. Drills simulating 1-on-1, 2-on-1, 3-on-1, and 3-on-2 game situations are demonstrated on-court, concluding with a 5-on-5 scrimmage drill. Drills are supported with game footage to demonstrate their effectiveness when your team is in action! (more info) Price: $39.99
	Bruce Weber: Competitive Games & Drills for Transition Basketball with Bruce Weber, University of Illinois Head Coach; 2005 NCAA Runner-Up. Coach Weber begins by differentiating between a "run and gun" and "run and score" mentality. He sees the offensive transition game as a way to ease the pressure off your half court offense to manufacture points. Weber starts with basic one-on-one drills and then builds into more game-like situation. When teaching the fast break, there are four main focus areas: warm-up, primary drills, early offense and competitive play. Drills include three-man fast break, 5-0 conditioning, speed lay-ups, three-man weave, 3-on-3 transition defense drill and 3-on-3 box out and transition. The 20-point game is Weber's favorite competitive drill. This is a full court 3-on-3 drill that also serves as a great conditioner... (more info) Price: $39.99