Improving Your Team’s Transition Passing

By Neil King

THE FOLLOWING DRILLS will assist your players in running the floor and work on passing and catching in the transition element of the game.

Full-Court Layups

DIAGRAM 1: Position your players on the floor as shown in the diagram with players 1, 2, 9 and 10 with a basketball. The drill starts when 1 passes to 6 then sprints up court. 6 passes back to 1, who immediately passes to 7 and continues up court. 7 passes back to 1, then 1 passes to 8. When 8 passes back to 1, 1 dribbles in and shoots a right-hand layup.

At the same time 9 follows the same pattern, passing to 14, 15 and 16, then shoots a right-handed layup.

Both 1 and 9 get their own rebound and do the same thing down the other side.

Note: A key to rotation — after 9 goes by the second time, 6 follows the pass to player 7’s position. Player 7 follows the pass to replace 8. 8 goes to the end of the line. The same rotation occurs on the other side, 14 to 15, 15 to 16 and 16 to the end of the line. Player 3 must replace player 6 and player 11 must replace 14 on the initial pass.

One-on-two, two-On-one

DIAGRAM 2: Player 1 dribbles down court and shoots an uncontested layup. When player 1 passes half court, defensive players X1 and X2 sprint to the half-court circle to slap hands then run to the baseline around the cones. Player 1 gets the rebound and dribbles back to the other end. After running around the cones, the two defenders sprint back to set up a one-on-two situation.

DIAGRAM 3: If player 1 scores ahead of the defense or loses possession off a steal or back tip, players X1 and X2 now become the offense and attack the other end on a two-on-one situation. After X1 or X2 scores or loses possession, the drill starts over with 2 going full court and X3 and X4 slapping hands on defense after 2 passes half court

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