Small-sided games
Using representative small-sided game formats to accelerate learning.
21 items
A small-sided basketball game reduces player numbers to bring a particular interaction into focus. A 2-on-1 can emphasize using an advantage; a 2-on-2 can bring a ball-handler, screener and their defenders together. The format is a starting point. The rules, space, scoring and players determine the problem they actually experience.
Articles
View allUsing Floor is Lava in Youth Basketball
How to Use Floor is Lava to Transform Basketball Spacing? There are many times throughout a season when you will want to use a CLA to emphasize certain principles of play with your team.
3-on-3 Closeouts and Rotations - Small-Sided Game Ideas
Neil Houghton is one of our most active Transforming members based in Melbourne, Australia. As part of one of our membership challenges, Neil shared some great ideas for coaches to use 3-on-3 in their practices.
Small-Sided Games Basketball: Ideas for Your Practices
What Are Small-Sided Games in Basketball? Are you new to the Transforming Basketball approach? In this blog, we give you some unique ideas for different small-sided games that you can use in your practices.
Why You Need to Constrain Space in Small-Sided Games
Are you struggling to see complete transfer from your small-sided games in practice to the real thing?
Small-Sided Games for On-Ball Defense
A lot of coaches talk about their base defense; principles such as no middle, trap the box rotations, etc. One of the golden principles of defense in youth basketball is “staying in neutral.
Top 5 Favorite Small Sided Games (SSGs)
Are you searching for the best small sided games (SSGs) to improve your basketball practices? Want to replace boring, low-transfer drills with competitive games that actually develop player decision-making and in-game skills?
Using Small-Sided Games and the CLA in Large Numbers
Since starting Transforming Basketball, a question we’ve received frequently is how to use the CLA with large numbers. This could be for youth camps, tryouts, or simply high practice turnouts.
Podcast
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EP181: Inside Roseto 2026 - João Pacheco on His Summer Camp Experience
14 min

EP158: Transforming Team Offense: A Guide to implement the CLA and Conceptual Offense
13 min

EP157: Coaches' Essential Takeaways from the Transforming Summer Camp
43 min

EP145: Coaching and Curiosity with Jon Yu
37 min

EP123: Designing with Intention
12 min

EP85: Applying the CLA in Brazilian Basketball with Gabriel Barbosa
27 min

EP73: Thinking Differently in Basketball Athletic Performance with Jamie Smith
39 min

EP72: Transforming U14 Basketball with Will Twigg
28 min

EP43: How Alba Berlin's Academy Produces Youth Players like Frans Wagner with Marius Huth
23 min

EP39: How Does a Small Italian Town Produce So Many Professional Players? With Francesco Rossi
25 min

EP37: How to Improve ANY Basketball Drill
19 min

EP31: How Basketball Coaches Can Create a Culture of Learning with the CLA with Markus Klusemann
31 min

EP15: A Player's Perspective of Training with CLA with Linus Holmstrom
31 min

