Organization: 5 players line up as the coach shoots a free throw. Of the 5 players, 2 guards (#1 and #2 in the diagram) function only as passers, receiving outlet passes and advancing the ball up-court. #3, #4, and #5 are the shooters.

2. The 2 shooters who don’t get the rebound sprint the floor. One will shoot the fast break lay-up while the other will rebound. (Figure 1)

3. The passer who receives the outlet pass ( in Figure 2) works in tandem with the other passing guard ( in figure 3), passing to #2, who is cutting aggressively to the middle of the floor. #1 then continues ahead up the floor in his lane.

5. After his shot, #5 immediately SPRINTS the lane back to the other end for the rebound. (Figure 3). Any time a player shoots the ball he rebound on the other end before the ball hits the ground.

6. As soon as #3 rebounds, he outlets rebound on the to the closest guard (#2 in figure 3) as the drill goes back down court. After #3 outlets he runs to ½ court
near either sideline. (Figure #3) When the drill comes back down the floor, #3 will be the shooter, cutting to the basket from half court.

7. The drill continues non-stop until 10 lay-ups are made.

1. If you shoot on one end, you immediately sprint to the other end and rebound.

2. If you rebound, outlet the ball on your side of the floor and go to halfcourt.

3. When at halfcourt be ready to start back the opposite direction. You are the shooter when the drill comes back down-court.

Rules for Passers:

1. If you receive the outlet, pass to the other passer in the middle and go up-court to the outlet spot.

2. If you don’t get the outlet, cut to the middle for a pass. Catch the pass and immediately pass up the floor to the shooter. This requires court vision and,
more important, awareness.

Coaching Points:

1. The ball should never hit the ground. Guards should pass ahead without dribbling. Shooters should catch the ball on the move and lay it in without a dribble. Rebounders should rebound the ball before it hits the ground.

2. Ten made lay-ups in a row ends the drill.

3. On the trip down the floor to rebound a player must run the floor wide, going around the passers, not between them.

4.. Demand excellence. You’ll eventually get it. Use the drill at the end of practice and require that, to complete the drill, each set of 5 players must make 10 consecutive layups. (NO missed shots) and the ball cannot touch the floor (NO dropped passes, NO missed rebounds, NO lazy cuts). Every time a shot is missed or the ball hits the ground, that unit must start again from Zero. Practice ends when everyone had accomplished the goal of 10 perfect trips down the floor.

By “upping the expectations” , teams remain competitive even during non-competitive, ’skeleton’ drills such as this. This drill can be very difficult for players, at first just to understand the process, then to execute it perfectly. As teams slowly accomplish their goals in this drill, there is often tremendous growth in team unity as well as improved conditioning.

Most secondary fast breaks rely on ball reversal to be effective. Some teams will deny the return pass to the point guard, stifling ball-reversal and killing the secondary attack. This secondary break can be an effective strategy against teams that deny the return pass from the wing to the point guard.

• On the pass to the wing, the point guard cuts through to the weakside block.

• As in most secondary attacks, the post player (4) posts up on the ballside block.

• The trailer (5) fills in at the top of the key.
  If necessary, The wing player with the ball (2) should take 1 or 2 dribbles towards the baseline after receiving the pass from 1, to give 4 time to establish position on the block, and to draw the transition defenders to the baseline (flatten the defense).

• After looking for the pass into the post, the wing player with the ball (2) reverses the ball to the trailer, who has settled in the top of the key. If the trailer (5) is a good shooter, he will often have an open shot at the top of the key.

• As the ball is being reversed, 3 downscreens for 1 on the weakside block

• As 5 catches and turns to reverse the ball, 1 should be coming off of 3’s screen. 1 should never be standing on the perimeter waiting for the reversal pass from 5.

• After setting the downscreen for 1, 3 screens away for 4 on the opposite block. Timing is important: As 1 catches the pass from 5, 4 should be coming off of 3’s screen

• 5 and 2 move towards the weakside block and prepare to set a double screen..

• After screening for 4 on the weakside block, 3 comes off of a double screen from 5 and 2 to the middle of the key.

• If 3 is not open off of the double screen, he pops to the perimeter for the reversal pass from 1.

• 5 comes off of a screen from 2 at the block to receive a reversal pass from 3If nothing is available, the team can shift into it’s halfcourt offense. One of the primary objectives of any secondary break is to have a seamless attack with no breaks in the action between the primary break and the halfcourt offense. Teams should practice shifting from the secondary break into the halfcourt attack without any breaks in the action as well. We want to be executing a planned attack at all times.

secondary break - countering denial defense

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

Organization: Players line up in 3 lines about 4 steps past the baseline. There is a ball in the front of the middle line.

Procedure:

1. Player 1 passes back and forth with player 2 as 1, 2 and 3 move up-court in unison.

2. When he nears mid-court, Player 1 dribbles hard to the free throw line in 2 dribbles or less.

3. At the free throw line, 1 executes a jump stop and delivers a bounce pass to 3 cutting in for a layup. 1 “follows his pass” and goes to the outlet spot on that side of the floor.

4. 2 rebounds 3’ss layup and takes it out of bounds (on a make). He then outlets to 1.

5. 1 turns and throws a baseball pass straight up the floor to player 6.

6. Players 4, 5 and 6 repeat the drill.

Coaching Points:

1. 1 should reach the free throw line in only 1 or 2 dribbles. Before the bounce pass he executes a 2 foot jump stop so that he is balanced and so that he makes himself a threat to shoot.

2. 3 runs up the outside lane, then cuts hard to the hoop at a 45 degree angle when he reaches the free throw line extended.

3. 2 must rebound the ball as it leaves the net and quickly go out of bounds to outlet to 1. 2 must “clear the backboard” for the inbound pass. All of this action should take no more than 3 seconds.

4. 1 must have his back facing the sideline for the outlet pass so that he has vision of the floor. He must remain stationary until he receives the outlet and makes his baseball pass up the floor.

5. On the next trip, 4 and 6 pass back and forth and 5 shoots the layup. The line that shoots the layup and the line that rebounds changes on each trip up the floor.

Variation: If there are at least 9 players available, the drill can be run with 2 balls. As the first set of 3 shoots their layup, the next 3 go. This keeps everyone moving and forces players to sprint back up the floor and return to line to receive the next baseball pass.

Organization: Players form 3 lines on the baseline. Each player in the front of the two outer lanes has a ball.

Procedure:
1. All 3 players move upcourt in unison.

2. While moving up-court the middle man receives and returns a pass from the man on the right.

3. He then immediately turns does the same with the man on the left.

4. This continues up the court and back.

5. Each player should play in the middle line

Coaching Points:

1. Players must move up the floor together at the same pace.

2. When the middle man passes, he must immediately turn to receive the next pass.

3. The next pass should already be in the air as the middle man turns to receive. This conditions the middle man to react and find the pass.