Three Transition Basketball Drills To Play With More Pace

• By Grant Young

Transition basketball is a crucial aspect of the game that emphasizes the importance of quick movement and decision-making. Here are some key points showcasing its significance: 

Speed and Tempo: Transition basketball allows teams to take advantage of fast breaks, enabling them to score quickly before the opposing defense can set up.

Creating Mismatches: When a team effectively pushes the ball up the court, it can exploit mismatches. Faster players can outrun slower defenders, increasing the likelihood of easy baskets. 

Defensive Adjustment: Transition plays force the opposing team to react quickly, often leading to defensive lapses.

Utilizing Athleticism: Teams with athletic players often thrive in transition. Players who can run the floor, handle the ball, and finish at the rim make transition basketball a potent weapon. 

Momentum Shift: Quick scoring in transition can shift the momentum of a game. A series of fast-break points can energize a team, boost morale, and put pressure on the opponent. 

Ball Movement: Transition basketball encourages ball movement and teamwork. Players must quickly pass, cut, and create space, improving overall offensive efficiency. 

Defensive Transition: Equally important is the ability to transition effectively to defense after a turnover or missed shot. 

Game Strategy: Incorporating transition basketball into a team’s strategy can lead to a more dynamic and unpredictable style of play. 

Teams that excel in this area often find greater success on the court. If you want your team to improve their efficiency and effectiveness on the fast break, the following three drills we’ve pulled from three top-tier coaches will help your pursuit to do so. 

John Leonzo - Colors Drill 

John Leonzo enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Wright State women's basketball program. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2022. 

Leonzo joined the Raiders in June 2021 after five seasons as an assistant coach at Cedarville University. He was involved in all facets of the Yellow Jacket program, including recruiting, player development, and scouting. 

Coach Leonzo’s ‘The Ultimate Guide To Transition Offense’ course details his Colors Drill, which he believes all fast-paced offenses should employ during practice. 

This drill begins with one team of five players lined up along the baseline with a ball and the other team starting about five feet in front of them on the court, across from the player they’ll be defending. 

From there, the coach will call the name of a player on the defending team. This kickstarts the offensive team’s fastbreak, while the player whose name is called runs to touch the baseline before recovering and getting back. 

The goal for the offensive team is to diagnose and attack the advantage early, getting the ball up the court to the player the defender would be guarding if their name wasn’t called. 

If there isn’t any play to be made on the transition before the defensive player recovers, the drill then becomes a typical 5-on-5 scrimmage until the possession ends. Then the teams switch sides and restart the drill. 

Coby Karl - 4 on 4 on 4 Drill

In 2023, Coby Karl (the son of NBA coaching legend George Karl) became an Assistant Coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. Before that, he was the head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats NBA G League team and the South Bay Lakers NBA G League team.

Karl had an 8-year professional playing career with stops in Los Angeles (Lakers), Cleveland, Golden State, the NBA G League, as well as overseas in Spain, Italy, and Germany.

Coach Karl’s ‘Playing With Pace, Aggression and Creativity’ course explains his 4 on 4 on 4 Drill, which is a simple yet extremely effective drill in developing the conditioning and offensive decision-making that being an elite fastbreak offense requires. 

This drill begins with a team splitting up into three squads of 4 players. From there, one team will be waiting on one side of the court while the two other teams will be playing a full-court, 4-on-4 scrimmage that begins in transition. 

After each possession ends, the team who was playing on offense will immediately get back on defense as the team who was along the sidelines enters the court (from around half-court) and begins their fastbreak, giving the team who is on defense a quick rest while that possession is underway. 

A coach can divide their teams up evenly or stick with a starting unit against a second team. The key here is to keep the drill extremely fast-paced because each 4-man squad is getting a rest after every two possessions. 

Jeff Rutter - Redhawk Drill

Jeff Rutter joined the Western Michigan men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in May of 2022. 

Rutter arrived in Kalamazoo having spent the previous five seasons at Miami University. During his time in Oxford, he helped guide the RedHawks to 70 wins and an appearance in the 2018 CBI.

Coach Rutter’s ‘Up Tempo Offensive System’ course goes into detail about his Redhawk Drill, which begins with three lines of players along the baseline. 

There will be a cone positioned at arc-extended along each sideline with three cones at half court. The right side line will start with the ball, and pass it to the middle line. When that pass is made, the player will sprint to the opposite side’s arc-extended cone. 

The middle player will then pass it to the left sideline and sprint to the half-court cone in front of the arc-extended cone. 

The third player catches the pass and passes it to the first player, who is now at the arc-extended cone and runs to the middle half-court cone. The drill then reverses and turns back around toward the basket. 

This drill is fantastic in understanding where to look for outlets and passes up the court in transition, while also showing players proper cutting lanes when running the break.