Ideas for your next practice — real activities from the Transforming player development framework. Each one pairs a video demonstration from our channel with the setup and instructions to run it. Tap a video to watch; nothing plays until you do.
Using these with your team? Please #thankthepasser and credit Transforming Basketball if you share them.
A differential-learning shooting activity where players invent their own variations — every shot is unique and different.
Differential learning maximises variability and expands the solution space. Players invent their own DL shooting activities so that every shot is unique and different from the last.
A differential-learning shooting activity where players explore different movement before every shot, changing range, location and passing angle.
Players explore different movement prior to every shot. The shooter must change range and location every time, with passes also coming from different angles.
The coach raises a hand behind an offensive player to create an advantage; the offense converts while the defense recovers to neutral.
The coach stands behind an offensive player and puts their left or right hand up to create the advantage. The offense attempts to convert the advantage while the defense gets back to neutral. This can then progress to bursts, with a continuous hi-5 used on any possession change or score.
A dynamic 'train' start under the basket flows into a two-person trigger to score, with an optional variable shot clock.
A dynamic start is used where the offense, defense, offense, defense start in a straight line under the basket (a 'train'). Once they get out to space, they can initiate any two-person trigger to score. A variable shot clock can be applied to this.
Small groups keep the ball alive with alley-oop finishes; a missed put-back earns a letter and a player is out at H-O-R-S-E.
Players compete in small groups of 2, 3 or 4 players per basket. They attempt to continuously keep the ball up without it bouncing on the floor by scoring alley-oop finishes. A missed put-back attempt leads to a letter being gained; a player is out when they collect all five letters (H-O-R-S-E).
A 2-on-1 through the middle where players can only score inside the smile, staying within the imaginary wall with a one-pass maximum.
Players run a 2-on-1 through the middle of the floor where they can only score a gold-medal shot (score inside the smile). Players cannot leave the imaginary wall (the lane lines) and have a one-pass maximum after the initial get.
Players pass like a hot potato with the option to drive at any time — shown here with continuous mini plyometric jumps.
Players pass the ball back and forth like a hot potato. The offensive player can drive at any time. This can be played on the spot or moving. In this example, players perform continuous mini plyometric jumps.
A Transforming twist on knockout — first score as many points as possible against the clock, then eliminated players become extra defenders.
The Transforming version of knockout. To start, instead of players going out when the person behind scores first, players must get as many points as possible over a set timeframe. In the next round, players go out but become extra defenders blocking gold-medal shot attempts.
Wrestling and battling games used as an alternative to stretches and routine warm-ups. Constraints can be changed easily to adapt each base activity.
The Transforming approach to warm-ups is unique. These wrestling and battling games feature in the Transforming player development framework and are used as an alternative to stretches and routine-based movements. Constraints can be changed easily to adapt each base activity.
Players interact with a PVC pipe in different ways, with gamified activities and the autonomy to invent their own pipe warm-ups.
Players receive a PVC pipe and complete various activities to interact with the pipe in different ways. Gamified activities can be created accordingly, as well as providing a level of autonomy by allowing players to create their own warm-ups with the pipe.
Touch football with different balls that swap every 30 seconds, progressing into tag games including chain tag.
Players play touch football with different types of ball, which may change every 30 seconds (e.g. a basketball, a football, a soccer ball). Players then progress to different types of tag game, including chain tag.
These activities come from the constraints-led, game-based approach at the heart of Transforming Basketball. The learning pathways sequence the ideas, and the guides go deeper on how players learn.
