Close-Out Bursts 1-on-1+2

Setup, Constraints and Explanation

Setup

Three players and one coach or extra player are needed for this activity. The offense will start anywhere outside the 3PT line, but they must play in the guard spots between the FT line extended and above. The defender must begin with one foot on the FT line, starting anywhere on the FT line that is closest to the offense. For example, if the offense is standing on the wing, the defender should stand with one foot on the elbow. The passer will always be in a new position to promote maximum variability, which includes making transition kick-aheads, passing out of post, perimeter extras, and passes from perimeter trigger locations.

The defender can only close out as soon as the ball leaves the passer’s hands, at which point it becomes a live 1-on-1 with the relevant constraints (e.g. space, time, scoring system, and so on). As soon as the 1-on-1 is over and the possession changes, the offense sprints to a new location while the waiting defender sprints in. This respects the role of individual constraints by leading to various emergent solutions. The duration of the bursts and periods of rest in between each series should be based on the load and intensity of the practice, for example, continuously for 60 seconds or after a set amount of reps.

Given there are no real passing decisions within this activity, the coach can be used as a passer merely to facilitate more repetition without repetition for the players. If there is a waiting player, then this player can pass but with the coach playing defense. This helps the passer to explore functional passing solutions that enable the pass to be received on time and on target, while handling the pressure presented by the coach. The passing scenarios could be made more complex through manipulating constraints, for example, changing the location, increasing the distance of the pass, creating the pass opportunity out of a pick and roll, passing to the offense out of a double team (using an extra defender), and so on.

Constraints

• Reduce or increase the advantage through changing the defender’s start location.
• Change the location, for example, play in between the wing and corners. This creates affordances to drive in the tighter space provided by the deep corner and boundary line, which is a common turnover in basketball when players step out of bounds.
• Constrain the space that can be played in (e.g. middle third of the court, can’t venture into the corners).
• Manipulate the distance, for example, offense starting further back creates an affordance to stampede, or the offense can begin using an action like a ghost screen or floppy.
• Add an extra defender to make it a 1-on-2, or add a defender onto the passer to create a 2-on-2 where the passer can score only after a successful pass to their teammate.
• Use a random shot clock, where the offense and defense do not know how much time is left until the ball is passed in. This clock could be anywhere from two to seven seconds.
• Constrain the shots that can be taken, for example, only shoot 3PT shots if the focus is on shooting.

Explanation

This activity will be done as a burst, with everyone staying in their same roles either as the offense, defense, or passer for 60 seconds. The offense starts behind the 3PT line and can only play between the FT line extended. The defense must begin with one foot on the FT line in the closest location to the offense. As soon as the ball leaves the passer’s hands, the defender can closeout and the 1-on-1 is played within the random shot clock. After this, the offense immediately sprints to a new location while the waiting defender passes their ball to the passer ready for the next rep to be started immediately. The offense must keep track of their 2PT and 3PT scores during the entire duration of the burst.

From Transforming Basketball (2024) by Alex Sarama, chapter 8, pp. 267 to 269.