Coaching takeaway
Put a defender on your dribble, pivot and pass line and it stops being a line drill. The passer now has to protect the ball and find a window, and the receiver has to help them do it.
Read the guide: Basketball Passing DrillsDribble, Pivot and Pass with a defender
| Part | Setup |
|---|---|
| Players and equipment | Groups of three with one ball: passer, defender and receiver. |
| Start | The first player dribbles out, jump stops and pivots. The second player follows and defends the pass back to the third. |
| Scoring | First to five on-target passes in a row wins. Or reward the defense: first to two deflections wins. |
| Rotation | In the original, players decide how to rotate. If you want everyone in every role, switch after each round. |
| Make it easier | The defender plays with one hand behind their back, or starts farther away. |
| Watch for | Does the passer protect the ball and find a window? Does the receiver move to make the pass possible? |
Give each trio its own space. Nine players means three games. Twelve means four if the gym has room. Build the pace up as players warm up.
More passing games, including keep-away and 2-on-1
The best way to warm up before basketball practice is with short games that include an opponent, so players prepare their bodies and practice their decision-making at the same time. A good basketball warm-up can reduce the likelihood of injuries, preparing players both physically and mentally for practice. As coaches, we can all agree that warm-ups are an essential part of practice, and they can also be a great way to ‘break the ice’, allowing players to have some fun while expanding their movement solutions.
With my U18 team, this season alone we had 60 (+/-) team practices. That is 10-15 minutes per practice that we can use to not only prepare the players’ bodies but also improve their decision-making as well. You do the math. As coaches, we can sometimes get caught in the complaining cycle, saying, “There’s never enough time.” But if we can use warm-ups effectively, we can generate even more time during the season. The days of repetitive stretches and the same dynamic warm-up are over!
Perception-Action Coupling
Perception-Action Coupling refers to the continuous and direct link between how athletes perceive information in their environment and how they act upon it. Designing practices that mirror actual game scenarios is essential for strengthening perception-action couplings because it creates learning environments where players must continuously see and do.
Free resource
21 SSGs for your next practice.
A free PDF of small-sided games you can run right away. A practical first taste of the approach.
Key Principles for Basketball Warm-Ups
As a coach, we must think about how we can design warm-ups where perception and action are coupled. This means having some type of opponent. The four steps are key when designing your warm-up games:
- Purpose/Intention: What are we working on/trying to accomplish with this game/drill?
- Rules: How to play the game.
- Winner/Loser: How will players keep score to win the game.
- Task Simplification/Progression: If it is too hard for the level of players, how can we change the rules or simplify the task without removing the important information, such as a defender, so we have the optimal challenge point?
Using the CLA to Modify Line Passing Drills
Dribble, Pivot, and Pass I remember spending nearly an hour at basketball camp when I was a child doing this and other very similar drills. Many coaches refer to these as “line drills.”
How can we take this drill and add some key information to make it more game-like and, inevitably, more representative?
Drill Modifications
- Purpose/Intention: Passing and pivoting.
- Rules: Instead of 2 players, we will have 3 players in a line. The 1st player will dribble out, jump stop, and pivot. The 2nd player, who will act as a defender, will follow and defend the pass back to the 3rd player. Players have the autonomy to decide how to rotate.
- Winner/Loser: First player to make 5 on-target passes in a row, wins. OR reward defense: First to get 2 deflections wins.
- Task Simplification/Progression: Simplify: The defense must play with one hand behind their back (if too hard for younger players) Progress: The defense earns 1 point for touching the ball, forcing the offense to pivot more quickly and protect the ball.
Final Thoughts
Whatever warm-up you pick, keep an opponent in it. Dribble, Pivot and Pass with a defender uses the same 10 to 15 minutes as the line drill, and every pass needs a decision.
For ready-to-run warm-up games built the same way, see our basketball warm-up games guide and four basketball warm-up games for your next practice, or read how to design warm-ups around player needs with rate limiters.
Want to access 50 of the best basketball warm-ups to use immediately in your practices? Be sure to check out "
The Basketball Warm-up Collection
": 50 warm-up activities with videos.
Read the guide: Basketball Warm-Up Games: Start Practice with Play
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