Home / Out of Bounds / Transition drills / Warmup Drills / 3 man weave. A Great Drill when taught correctly
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| The 3 man weave may be the most well-known and utilized basketball practice drill available to coaches today. Weave passing drills, and the 3 man weave in particular, are one of basketball’s common denominators; you will find it being run by nearly every organized team at every level of the game, from grade school to the NBA.Unfortunately, I think that the 3 man weave and all of its variations is utilized incorrectly the vast majority of the time.
The 3 man weave is, in my opinion,primarily a transition drill geared at developing the finer points of the primary break. It is not simply a passing drill where a player passes and goes behind the person he or she passes to. Since it is a transition drill,the three man weave should be run with specific rules in place that emulate the primary break. #1 The first and most important rule is: The weave should be completed in no more than three passes. Why? If more than three passes are completed, players are no longer emulating game conditions: they are simply “passing and going behind” in a pattern that will never be used in a game. Have you ever seen a team advance the ball up the floor using a three man weave, as in figure A.? Advancing the ball in that way would lead to a turnover in every game I’ve ever coached or played, period. Even if there wasn’t a turnover, weaving the ball up the floor and that manner would certainly never be part of a structured attack. Have you ever seen a team advance the ball in a game situation using a 5 man weave, as in figure B.? If not, I think it is important to ask yourself if running a five man weave has any real value being run in a practice. Some might argue that running a five man weave is a good way to loosen up before practice and that it is a good warm-up drill; this may be so,but I can think of dozens of drills of the top of my head that can loosen the team up while also working on fundamental game skills. Have you ever seen a team advance the ball using 3 passes during a game, as in figure C.? Aggressive fast break teams routinely score in this manner because it emulates game conditions. If the weave is completed in 3 passes, then the player who started the drill in the middle line (1 in fig. C.) will always score. 1 emulates grabbing a rebound, completing a quick outlet pass, sprinting the outside lane, and being rewarded for his efforts with a fast break Players 2 and 3 emulate receiving the outlet pass, centering the ball in transition by passing to a cutter up the middle, and sprinting the entire length of the floor on the fast break - which provides the opportunity or an offensive rebound in the event of a missed shot. #2 The second rule for running the 3 man weave properly is: The ball should never touch the ground. We are working on executing while playing at full speed; we must sprint the lanes, catch the ball on the move, and lead the receiver with the pass (pass the ball ahead of the receiver so that he/she catches it in stride without breaking momentum). For the return trip down the floor (Figure d.) to emulate a fast break situation, 2 must rebound as the ball leaves the net in order to be successful (On made shots, to emulate game situations, 2 can rebound as the ball leaves the net, step out of bounds and to the side of the backboard (”clearing the glass“) and pass the ball in to the outlet - all within 3 seconds or less. |
Fig A. 3 man weave - 4+ passes
Fig B. 5 man weave
Fig C. Weave - 3 passes
Fig D. Weave - return trip |
To enforce the rule that the ball cannot touch the ground, each time it does touch the ground, the group of 3 players completes 10 quick pushups after they have completed the drill. At the high school level and below, several teams struggle through an adjustment period of turnovers, exhaustion, and several pushups as they struggle to complete the weave in 3 passes without the ball hitting the floor.
#3 - The third rule for the 3 man weave is very often overlooked, but I believe it is critical: Do NOT pass the ball backwards.
From time to time, a player will fall behind in the weave. His teammates will often have a tendency to stand and wait for him to catch up to receive the pass, or to pass the ball laterally or backwards as the player struggles to catch up.
We Always have to remember to Emulate game situations. We would not pass the ball backwards on a fast break in a game. We also would not stop the break near mid-court to wait for a slow player in a game. So, we certainly do not want to prepare for games by doing these types of things.
In a game, we want to look to complete the fast break. As a result, if a teammate falls behind in the 3 man weave, the player with the ball must recognize the situation and take the ball straight to the basket for a lay-up with the dribble. This is the only time during the weave that we allow the ball to touch the ground.
The 3 man weave is an invaluable tool for teaching fast break basketball. When run correctly, it is a thing of beauty. By following these simple rules, the coach can ensure that the team gets the intended benefit by simulating game conditions, rather than developing bad practice habits.
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