Sunday, November 5, 2017

Transition Drills Explained

"Basketball is a game meant to be played fast." - John Wooden



When our girls high school program was dominant, an opposing coach told me, "it's hard to defend when you've got five girls running at all times." 

What elements belong to transition philosophy? 

1. Mindset: How do we play? Fast. 
2. Conditioning. Condition within drills. 
3. Prioritize passing over dribbling. 
4. "Run wide." Spacing starts early. 
5. Offense starts with controlling the defensive boards. 
6. "Two passes to halfcourt." 
7. The best zone offense is transition. 
8. Take care of the basketball.
9. The goal is layups. 




Drill conditions, has offense, defense, decision-making, and finishing. Offense goes to defense and defense sprints back goes to back of line.
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Circle layups...a.k.a. RACEHORSE. Change passers at one minute intervals. 
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Continuous 4 on 4 (includes chaser). Simplify by using continuous 4 on 4 with group of 4 at midcourt (defense to offense, offense sprints to midcourt, midcourt group becomes D)
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3 Pass everyone shoots. The player shooting the layup returns with the two passers (2 and 3). Up and back with sprinting, passing, and shooting. Advanced programs can have team scoring. 
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Hoiberg Speed Drill (Better for older players in my opinion, advanced young players can struggle with this)...two pass scoring...

 

The "middle" passer (assister) sprints around the marker and becomes the finisher. Many young players have trouble making the long passes to score in two passes. 
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Shooting off the catch, sprinting, and pass and move quality. 
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4-on-0 timed drill. Starts with coach shooting. 30 seconds to score four. Everyone must score. No more than combined three dribbles and passes per trip. 
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UCONN two-pass transition. Again, not highly suitable for young players lacking the speed and strength to make long passes.