3 v 3 No Dribble Drill

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill is a useful tool in developing a team’s player movement around the half court. The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill looks to make player move more effective off the ball by not allowing the player with the ball to dribble. This makes creating scoring opportunities all the more difficult that makes the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill more suitable for players above the introductory level of basketball knowledge and skill.

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill is very good for teams who are finding players ball watching or individuals catching the ball and straight away looking to dribble. It is not unusual for inexperienced players or teams with a dominant offensive player to find the offensive players with the ball not in their hand to just stand and watch what is unfolding on the court. This causes an offense to stagnate and in turn will cause the opposition defence to compact and limit the opportunities on offer.

Over dribbling, can be a very common problem for teams when individual players are not confident with the ball in their hands as to what to do. The ability to keep the defender away from the ball as well as understanding an offense well enough to allow opportunities to unfold rather than forcing passes or shots. Dribbling is a common release of anxiety for players while on the court and curbing this habit can be challenging for a coach. The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill can be a very useful strategy in beating this bad habit.

The 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill starts with three players on offense positioned around the keyway. One player starts in the Point Position, with the other two players positioned at the foul line extended on each side of the court.

Depending on a team’s offense, players will move to replicate a specific play or a team’s principles of play that are to be used during games. The better players work to get free off the ball from their defender and in creating shots, the better the offense will run when dribbling is re-introduced.

The drill is with teams aiming to score a set number of points or make a pre-determined number of “stops”.

Variations

There are a number of different variations that can be applied to the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill. The first is to simply extend the dribble so the offense starts from the half court. This will add a very different sort of dimension to the drill. With the offense, now starting from halfway there will be an opportunity for longer passes and different areas of the court to be explored that would not normally be thought of as significant and leading to scoring possibilities.

Another option is to increase the number of players involved within the activity. There is no reason the principles of the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill cannot be extended to 4 v 4 or 5 v 5 scenarios. Additionally adding these players to the drill will allow for more traffic on the floor and therefore a greater number of options to be explored. In situations where post players are specifically introduced to the drill, fantastic benefits can be seen in interior player’s preparation for positioning for a catch to score.

The benefit behind the 3 v 3 No Dribble Drill cannot be understated. Limiting the options available to a player will force attention onto other aspects of technical development or principles of play. In the modern game of basketball, the importance of dribbling and on-ball screens can be overstated. Taking the time to develop off the ball play and spacing will making any team better as a whole.