Basketball: Transition Drills to Keep Your Players Thinking
Whether from a steal or a bad pass, a change of possession can occur at any time in a basketball game. Successful teams must be capable of making an immediate transition from offense to defense and vice versa.
The late Bobby Knight, former head coach at Indiana and Texas Tech, constantly worked on offensive-to-defensive transitions and included the following drills in his repertoire.
Knight often worked on transitions during five- on-five scrimmages. Standing at mid-court, he instantly forced a change of possession by throwing a ball on the floor (or passing it to a defensive player) and shouting “Red ball going the other direction!”
The former defenders (the red team) would immediately go into their transition offense. The former offensive players would drop their ball and pick up their checks to stop the red team's offense.
Variations
You can use several variations of this drill:
- When you change possession, also shout out that players must "Change checks." They then select a new player to guard and communicate their new check to their teammates. This forces a more rapid conversion to defense and forces the former offensive players to react even more quickly.
- You can shout, “Red ball, same basket!” In this case, the former defenders receive the ball, but attempt to score on the basket they were just defending. This forces a more rapid conversion to defense and forces the former offensive players to react even more quickly.
Advantages
These ideas will force your players to react instantly to a quick change in possession. They demand quick thinking, hustle and on-court communication — all necessary factors in a successful basketball team.
Reference: Jerry Krause (Editor), Coaching Basketball: The Official Centennial Volume of the National Basketball Association of Basketball Coaches, Masters Press, 1991.
