Two basketball drills that teach fast break fundamentals

Two Drills That Teach Fast Break Fundamentals -by Coach Brian Schofield http://www.hoopskills.com

One of the best things to witness in basketball is a well-orchestrated fast break. The center grabs the rebound and outlets it to the point guard. The point guard takes the ball down the middle while two other players fill the lanes on the outside.

The point guard takes a two foot jump stop at the foul line and passes to a wing player who goes in for a dunk or a layup. It is fun to watch but even more fun to actually take part in. Let's cover a few drills for successful fast break basketball.

Rebound and Outlet Pass This is the most basic first step in any fast break.

The rebounder must get good position and be able to get the ball to the point guard quickly so the fast break can start. Many coaches teach this a little different than others. I believe the outlet pass should go to the wing where the ball comes off. To me it is an easier pass with less traffic.

Other coaches will tell you to outlet the ball to the middle already because it is more of a straight line. As a point guard I like getting the ball on the wing and bringing it to the middle. It gives me a better angle to get the ball down court quicker if the situation calls for it. To do this drill line up your post players on one side of the basket. Have one play offense and the other play defense. A coach will shoot a shot that should miss and the defender needs to box out and rebound the ball.

Once the ball is rebounded, the point guard running the drill will get into an open space and call for the ball. Once the point guard receives the ball he should dribble

1 Two Drills That Teach Fast Break Fundamentals-hoopskills.com

as quickly as possible to the center of the floor where he completes a successful jump stop at mid-court.

5 Man Fast Break Some coaches will practice this drill against another set of 5 players. I coach that as well, but not at first. I believe the key is to get everyone to know where they should be first before throwing a defense at them. I believe that all 5 players should go for a rebound on every opportunity on the defensive end.

The point of defense is to eliminate the other team from scoring and cutting down on shot attempts will do that. To practice this drill have each player be in there spots where they will typically be on defense. That means two wings, two posts and a point. Once the shot goes up each player simulates blocking off and getting the ball. The player who gets the ball will throw the outlet pass to the point guard.

The point guard immediately gets the ball to the middle of the floor as quickly as possible.

The two wing defenders now become wings on the fast break. The player who got the rebounder now becomes the trailer on the play while the other post player trails also but should be ahead of the rebounder. The point guard will take the ball down the middle of the floor and jump stop at the foul line. Once he has jump stopped he will pass the ball to a cutting wing player and then go the foul line extended where the ball was thrown. The wing player can finish with a dunk or layup or pass the ball back to the point guard for an easy jumper.

Have two sets of 5 ready for this drill so that when one team ends another can begin. Allow the players to only make passes that would be possible in games.

Once they've done the drill a few times, make each team take turns trying to play defense.

2 Two Drills That Teach Fast Break Fundamentals-hoopskills.com