Boston Fast Break Drill: Improve your Speed in Broken Play

There is nothing more fantastic then an activity which makes your team become energised as well as test their fundamental skills, and the Boston Fast Break Drill does this and more. There is nothing overly complex about the Boston Fast Break Drill, but it delivers in a number of ways to help your team with their fast break and transition principles.

The Boston Fast Break Drill is a breakdown drill which put players into groups of three. These three players perform a repetition while trying to move the ball up and down the floor as many times as possible in a row. What’s so special about this I hear you say? Well the Boston Fast Break Drill for one asks your players to perform these skills at a game pace with no player able to hold onto the ball for longer than three seconds. Secondly the Boston Fast Break Drill asks your players to perform a vast range of skills while keeping the ball off the floor.

Keeping the ball off the floor seems like a very basic concept with not much weight behind it, but think again!  One of the key concepts for many teams in speeding up their transition offense or fast break speed is simply to keep the ball off the floor. Go into many gyms around the globe and on any given day and you will hear coaches calling out to their players asking for them to pass the ball up the floor or limit the amount of dribbles they can take in the back court.

Additionally the Boston Fast Break Drill keeps players very active and can be substituted for a conditioning activity within your training sessions and blend your sessions different areas of focus together.

There are a number of skills that the Boston Fast Break Drill will develop in your players if you choose to focus on every detail of the drill and maximise the benefits. The key points for you to focus on with your teams are:

• Rebound the ball out of the net; players should look to retrieve the ball while in the air as it comes through the net. This will increase the speed the ball becomes able to be passed to the outlet player.
• When rebounding practice catching the ball and turning in the air to face a side line. This will allow the rebounder to achieve good vision for the possible outlet pass sooner.
• All offensive players should catch in motion; never stopping to secure the ball. This will allow your players to become accustom to passing ahead of their teammates and improve the speed of advancing the ball down the floor.

To catch in motion all three players will need to be very active in seeing the other players on the floor and where the ball is. Your players will need to be energetic in checking to see where the ball is at every opportunity. Constant vision should not be encouraged as this can result later in game situations to a number of issues such defensive players looking for charge foul opportunities.

One (1) rebounds the ball off the backboard then outlets to strong side. One (1) then cuts to foul line extended at other end of the court (weak side).

Three (3) sprints down sideline touching the sideline “T” and then cuts to the basket receiving pass from Two (2) completing a lay-up

Three (3) then moves to foul line extended (strong side).

Two (2) receives the outlet pass from One (1) and passes to Three (3) on run.

Two (2) then cuts to secure ball out of net before it bounces.

The Drill is then repeated until the players travel or the ball touches the ground.

Related articles

• Eight Tips to Change-up your Drills
• Four on Four Line Touch Drill; Full Court Man-to-Man Drills
• Rebounding for Success: the Technique of Boxing-Out