Small-sided games library
Battleship 3-on-3
Start dominoes out of one trigger from different spots, against a defense that knows what you need.
- 6 players
- 1 basket
- Offense
Quick rules
Run it in 30 seconds
- Play 3-on-3 in the half court. The offense can only use the chosen trigger, for example a get.
- To win, a team needs four strikes: a score from dominoes started straight out of the trigger, from four different locations (for example the wing, both 45s and the top).
- Any other score doesn't count as a strike, but the offense keeps the ball.
- When the defense gets a stop, they go straight to offense.
From our guide to Basketball Decision-Making.
Setup, constraints and explanation
Setup
This activity is based on the popular board game Battleship. The offense can be constrained to use specific triggers, such as pick and roll, gets, screen aways, flare screens, and so on. To win the game, the offense has to win by scoring off a dominoes-starting sequence from four different locations, initiated by a specific trigger. Dominoes must be started immediately out of the trigger in order for a battleship score to be counted. If playing with pick and roll as the only trigger, the four locations could be one wing, both 45s, and the top. If the offense score in any other way it is not counted as a battleship score, but possession is retained. If defense get a stop, they immediately play offense. Especially toward the end of the game, the defense is likely to apply intense pressure both on and off the ball, knowing what the offense needs to win. This encourages the offense to explore solutions to counter intense pressure. The constraints of the game naturally promote the concept of being unpredictable offensively, but still within a structured framework by running the intended triggers in desired locations.
Constraints
- Play different triggers or combinations of pick and roll, gets, screen aways, flare screens.
- Constrain the defense: for example, they can only switch, drop, show, and so on.
- Play with a shot clock, for example, 10 seconds.
- Play the same game with three transition trips instead of in the half-court.
- Let the offense choose their strike locations just like the real version of Battleship. The defense do not know these locations until the game begins, making it harder to prepare defensive coverages.
- Mix triggers together, for example, two gets strikes and two screen-away strikes needed to win the game. Alternative four strikes are required, with each strike occurring by using a different trigger.
Explanation
Play 3-on-3 half-court, but with a different scoring system. To win the game, one team needs four scores from four different strike locations. The only trigger is a get, with the four strike locations being the wing, both 45s, and the trail. Any other score from a different trigger or location doesn’t count, but the team maintains possession.
From Transforming Basketball (2024) by Alex Sarama, chapter 8, pp. 274 to 275.
Coaching cues: what to watch
Late in the game, the defense knows exactly what the offense needs and will pressure on and off the ball. Does the offense find answers to that pressure?
From our guide to Basketball Decision-Making
Make it easier or harder
Change one constraint at a time, watch what it does, then decide what comes next. The book's test is that the challenge point should be “just right” as opposed to being too easy or too hard. If players can't find a solution, take a constraint away rather than taking the defense away.
Adjustments from our guide
- Use a different trigger or a mix: pick and roll, gets, screen aways, flare screens.
- Constrain the defense to one coverage: only switch, drop or show.
- Add a 10-second shot clock.
- Let the offense pick its strike locations secretly, like the board game, so the defense can't prepare its coverages.
From our guide to Basketball Decision-Making.
Guides that use this game
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- Around the Arc 1-on-1The offense deceives a trailing defender and keeps the advantage; the defender recovers to neutral.
- Gauntlet 1-on-3Advance past successive defenders in a tight space.
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