Below, we're going to cover two drills that teach your players how to move without the ball and how to cut to open space off of dribble penetration.

Previously, we discussed changes I made to my youth offense and how we created our own modified youth version of the Hybrid Attack Offense from Ryan Schultz.

Then we covered a 1v1 Foster Drill that I use every other practice.

The next two drills are progression for the 1v1 Foster Drill.

And we used Coach Schultz's same principles for moving off the ball and creating positive passing angles off dribble penetration.

2v2 Attack Drill - Kick Ups

This drill covers the situation where the ball handler attacks and the corner player moves to open space.

Ball handler (1) starts at half court.

On-ball defender (x1) starts in the lane.

The off-the-ball offensive player (2) starts in the corner. Their defender (x2) starts nearby.

As soon as the ball handler (1) starts the attack, the on-ball defender (x1) closes out to guard the ball.

The ball handler's goal is to score. They should only pass if the defense stops them.

The off-the-ball player (2) moves to open space.

Points of Emphasis

Kick Ups With Positive Passing Angle

If the offensive player gets downhill and towards the basket, the corner player can kick up (or curl up) and create a positive passing angle.

This means they are above the level of the ball.

That way, the defender either has to make a choice. Help on the ball handler or follow their player and leave the ball handler alone.

Dribble At > Backdoor Cut

If the ball handler veers to the corner and dribbles at the offensive player, your corner player should cut backdoor.

If they don't get the ball off the initial cut, they can clear to the opposite corner or cut to open space.

You can also teach your players to cut backdoor prior to dribble penetration in any of these scenarios:

• They are overplayed
• They see their defender turn their head and take their eyes off them
• They can see the back of their defender's jersey

I tell my players that if the defensive player goes near or above the 3-point line, take one step up to take them even higher then cut backdoor.

Attack Mindset for Ball Handler!

Like the 1v1 Foster Drill, I want the ball handler looking to get in the lane and score. That is priority number one!

We only pass if we need to.

By incorporating this mindset, your players become a threat. Assuming the defense adjusts, this will lead to more open passes.

Where if the ball handler is tentative, the defense can smother them and force them into bad situations and passes.

Teaching Tips

Start With Questions and Objective

Before we started the 2v2 drill, I like to ask our players questions to engage them and get them thinking of solutions.

So you might have a conversation that goes something like this.

• "What's our rule for offense? Do we want to get close to the ball handler and bring your defensive player close to them... or do we want to create space and take the defensive player away from the ball handler?"
• "And what happens if the defensive player stays by the ball handler? Yes. You're wide open."

You can either walk them through each situation prior to going live or you can just start the drill and teach after the first couple of repetitions.

Yes, it'll be sloppy. Yes, they will make a ton of mistakes. And that's okay. It's just part of the process.

No Steals At First For Young Players

Like the 1v1 Foster Drill, you can start out by not allowing steals at first as well. Then progress to allowing steals halfway through the drill.

Scoring System For Drill

You can use this same scoring system if you'd like:

• +1 Offense when they get a shot in the lane
• +1 Offense for a made shot
• +1 Offense for drawing a defensive foul
• +1 Defense gets both feet outside the 3-point line
• +1 Defense forces a shot outside the paint
• +1 Defense for a stop

Don't Do This - Don't Start Like the 1v1 Foster Drill Like I Did!

The first time we used these drills, I did the same thing as the 1v1 Foster Drill with the ball handler and on-ball defender running to touch half court and the baseline.

Next time, I will not do this for the 2v2 and 3v3 drills.

I think this wasted too much set up time and I think it made us a tad inefficient. I'll just start the ball handler at half court and the defender at the elbow.

It's not a huge deal, but I think it'll help.

So you might be wondering, "Well, then why do it with the 1v1 Foster Drill? Why not have them start from half court too?"

You certainly can have them start from half court.

However, I want to work on the speed dribble a little. For athleticism purposes, I also like the idea of running and changing directions.

Now, if we only have one basket, I might switch to starting from half court, so we get more reps... Or have an assistant coach take half of the players and do some other drills that don't require a basket.

Either way, I think there are tradeoffs to everything you do.

3v3 Attack Drill - Kick Ups or Kick Backs

For the next progression, we added an offensive player (3) and a defensive player (x3) to the left wing.

The drill works the exact same way as the 2v2 drill above.

Ball handler tries to score. Offense moves to open space.

Kick Backs - Positive Passing Angle

When the ball handler's (1) dribble drive is towards the middle of the floor, similar concepts apply as the drive towards the corner.

The offensive player on the left wing (3) curls up behind the ball handler for the kick back.

You want to make the closeout as difficult as possible and put the defense in another difficult situation.

And just like with kick ups, you want to create a positive passing angle, so the defender is put in a difficult position:

1. They're not sure whether to commit to the ball handler or the player off the ball. This hesitancy leads to scoring opportunities.
2. When closing out on a kick back pass, the defender (x2) has to go around the original ball handler and on-ball defender.

And at times, the ball handler and their defender will set a double screen on the defensive player. This gives the NEW ball handler (3) an open shot or driving lane.

When the ball handler dribbles either baseline or middle, I always tell the player in the opposite direction to move to space. And if they ever see their defender ball-watching, they can still cut to the basket.

Start With 2v2 Instead?

Now, in a perfect world, you might teach Kick Backs in a 2v2 setting before progressing.

But since I'm limited on practice time, I went straight to 3v3.

And just like with the 2v2 drill, you can teach the Kick Back concept prior to the drill or within the drill itself.

Rotating Lines

When it comes to rotating positions, I have them go from offense to defense to end of the line.

And rotate one line to the right. Ball handler to corner. Corner to opposite wing. Opposite wing to ball handler.

It can get a bit hectic and sloppy, especially with young kids. Personally, I don't mind this. I want them to think, communicate, and figure out things for themselves. I think it's a great development opportunity.

At the same time, maybe halfway through the drill, I will provide a little more structure to increase reps.

I add structure and increase reps by telling all of the players to stay in their same line. You want them to rotate from offense to defense to end of the line. But they don't switch lines.

Then after a couple of minutes, you can have the entire line go to a new position.

• Ballside Corner to Opposite Wing
• Opposite Wing to Ball Handler
• Ball Handler to Ballside Corner

What About Doing These Concepts and Drills Without Defenders First?

Yeah. You can certainly start without defenders first to teach the concepts. You can teach them in 2v0 and 3v0 settings.

You can also start 2v2 and 3v3 then progress back to 2v0 and 3v0. This might help them understand the concepts better and imagine their counters to the defense when going back to the drills without defenders.

Like I said previously, there are tradeoffs to everything and sometimes you simply have to figure out what works best for you and your team.

I hope you're enjoying these drills and tips!

Let us know what you think below and if you have any questions! Also, feel free to share any helpful experiences that you may have encountered.

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First

Leave a Comment Name : Email (not published) : Twenty minus seventeen is equal to?  (Prevents Spam) Answer :  Load New Question Comments : Leave this Blank :