How to teach youngsters fast break basketball

The fast break is the ultimate offensive weapon in basketball. It affords maximum penetration to within a fifteen-foot radius of the basket on all occasions, and its effectiveness is usually determined by the amount of time spent in developing and exploring these fast breaking possibilities.

The foremost objective of the fast break is to advance the ball before the opponents have time to get into their chosen defensive posture. Second in importance is the outnumbering of the defense so that one of the attacking players may get and unguarded shot. In a three-on-two or a four-on-three situation the tactic often results in an unguarded layup shot.

Even if the defense responds quickly enough to get back into position, the fast-breaking unit is still within a fifteen or sixteen foot radius of the basket, so the player, with one pass or pivot, can set up either a wing player or the middle man or take advantage of a jump-shooting opportunity.

Cincinnati Continuous Fast Break Basketball Drill

Many drills that teach the individual skills required to play the game have emerged over the years; however, Ed Jucker, of Cincinnati fame, devised the best drill of them all, which we call the “Old Cincinnati Continuous Fast Break Drill.”

Instructions:

1.      This drill requires eleven players as shown in Diagram 1.

2.      Three players, 5, 6, and 7 take the ball down-court on a fast break.

3.      X1 and X2 defend the break from the tandem position. The player on top challenges the ball, the back player takes the first pass, and the top player drops off to the side opposite the pass.

4.      When the shot is taken, all five players (X1, X2, 5, 6, and 7) become rebounders. Whichever player that gets the rebound makes an outlet pass to the side to either X3 or X4, preferably to the side nearest the rebounder. The other outlet, not receiving the pass, cuts to the middle, filling the center lane on the fast break in the opposite direction.

5.      The rebounder fills the remaining outside lane for the fast break in the opposite direction. It is important that these three fast breaking players quickly get the ball to the middle with the least amount of dribbling as possible and stay widely spread apart. Coach McCutchan always insisted that both players filling the outside lanes keep within one foot of the sideline until reaching the free throw line extended at the other end of the floor.

6.      The four remaining players, of the five crashing the board for a rebound, fill in the four positions, two in tandem in the free throw lane, and two as outlets on the sides.

7.      The drill continues without break until the coach is satisfied with the offense, defense, ball handling, rebounding, passing, dribbling, shooting, and floor positions.

The purpose of this drill is to teach the fast break and the defense against it. This is a foundation on which to build your basketball system. The habits developed by drilling are applied in every situation that arises during the course of a basketball game. From the grade school level to professional the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting, and individual guarding must be automatic.

At the grade and high school level you must rely upon these basic skills; however, you should try to make sliding through, going tandem, boxing out, cutting off a screen, and helping out automatic, too. It requires constant practice to perform these functions with thinking. In my opinion, there are no short cuts to the road of success.