3 Player Passing with a Layup Drill

Some drills can be used at the beginning of practice to get all the players moving while still working on some basketball skills. Personally, I want a a drill right at the beginning of practice that gets the players running, passing, catching and shooting the ball.

Drills that accomplish all 4 things are rare therefore I use a number of drills at the beginning of practice that may only use 2 or 3 of those things I listed. This drill is a nice one in that it uses all 4 of those items. All players will be running, passing, catching and shooting the ball during the drill.

This is a drill that I use once or twice a week to get everybody moving to start practice. This drill helps to get every player moving fast which is how I want my practices to run. I want practices to be fast paced and up tempo. I want every player working at a high rate. A drill that helps to set that tone early in practices will help to stop bad practices from happening.

3 players run the drill at a time and stay in the half court. By staying in the half-court, both ends of the court can be utilized and have 6 players active in the drill at all times. This helps to reduce the amount of time players are just standing around waiting.

A1 will start the drill by throwing the ball off the backboard and jumping to get a rebound. After the rebound, A1 is throwing an outlet pass to A2. On the rebound A3 starts at the foul line and runs to the half court corner. As A2 catches, they will turn and pass to A3.

The ball is now in the hands of A3. A1 is under the basket. A2 is on the sideline foul line extended. And A3 is at half-court in the corner with the ball.

A1 will sprint to the jump circle. A2 sprints across the floor to the opposite half court corner away from A3. Two quick passes are made to get the ball into the other half-court corner. A3 will pass to A1 who then passes to A2. These 2 passes are the transition from getting away from the basket to returning back to the basket.

A3 will sprint across the floor to the foul line extended area. A2 will pass to A3. A1 will cut straight back to the basket. A3 will pass to the cutting A1 for a layup.

This is a great start of practice drill. This gets every player moving and passing the ball. It is a quick drill. But it keeps every player involved and not just standing around during practice.

While it does get everybody moving, the drill also works on making good outlet passes. Good outlet passes can help make a team get out quicker in transition. By working on outlet passing here, it takes away the need to work on outlet passing some time later in practice. The little bit of time saved here can be put into better use for something else.

Add this drill to your practice routine. I would only use it once or twice a week but it does a great job and getting every player in the right mindset for a good productive practice. It sets the tone for a high paced practice from the get go.