The Best Drills to Teach Fast Break Basketball

The fast break is used most often by teams as a form of offense that is utilized regardless if they are winning or losing. The fast break is considered a fun way to play and it keeps the action interesting by creating more offensive possessions in the game and creating more opportunities for spectacular individual plays.

  1. Rush Drill

    • The rush drill is designed to teach players to get the ball all the way up the floor by using the minimum number of passes possible. There is no dribbling allowed in the rush drill. Have three lines of players on one end of the floor, have one line on the baseline under the basket and have the other two lines in each corner. The ball starts in the middle line. The player in the middle passes to the player in the right corner. After the first pass is made, the players all start moving down the court toward the other end. The player in the right corner passes the ball back to the middle who then passes it to the player who started in the other corner. This player will pass the ball back to the middle player, who hits the player who was originally in the right corner for a lay-up at the other end. The ball should never hit the ground and if moving fast enough, the timing should be such that on the last pass, the player who catches the ball can immediately shoot a layup.

    3-Man Weave

    • The three-man weave drill will teach players the importance of good passing, communication and quick movement. Start with three lines. One line is formed on the baseline under the basket with the other two lines in each corner. The ball starts in the middle. After the player in the middle throws a pass to one of his teammates in the corner, he follows his pass. After the player in the left corner catches the ball from the middle, he will throw it to the player who was in the right corner and then follow his pass. The ball should never hit the ground and players should be moving quickly up the court once the first pass is initiated. Each player should call out the name of the player that he is passing to in order to work on communication. Once the players reach the end of the court, the next group can start.

    3-on-2-on-1

    • Start with three players lined up shoulder-to-shoulder under one basket and two players lined up shoulder-to-shoulder under the other basket. The coach throws the ball to the group of three players. These three players are on offense against the other group of two players who are now on defense. The group of three quickly advances the ball down the court where the group of two have stepped out to play defense against them. When a player from the group of three takes a shot and the ball is secured by the other group, the person who shot the ball gets back to the other basket on defense. The group of two that were originally on defense are now on offense on the other end against the player who shot the ball out of the group of three. The remaining two players from the original group of three stay on their end of the floor and become the new group of two. Once the group of two brings the ball back against a lone defender, the next group can start towards the other end for the 3-on-2.