How to run a fast break in basketball

8 Keys to Attack Quickly and Score

Scoring is difficult at all levels of basketball.

Even with good players and well-considered set plays, it can be hard to score in the half court against a solid defensive team.

This is even more true at the youth, middle school, and high school levels.

To avoid long scoring droughts, all coaches should emphasize fast break basketball.

The concept of the fast break is simple:

Pushing the ball down the floor to earn a numbers advantage, making it easier to score before the defense gets set up.

Consistently converting on fast break opportunities is a challenge and must be a daily emphasis in your practices to be done well.

There are several reasons why it's important to utilize the fast break:

a. Never allows the defense to rest

Playing fast break basketball is crucial because it never gives your opposition a chance to slow down and catch their breath.

Teams who constantly push the ball every chance they get will wear out the defense and force them to make defensive mistakes.

b. Transition defense is HARD!

Don't you agree?

Teams who choose to walk the ball down the court do not exploit this potential weakness of their opponents.

c. You will have poor shooting nights

Generating fast break layups is one way to win even on those games when your jump shots aren’t falling.

If you always rely on your team shooting a high percentage, that will be many games where you'll be disappointed.

Great teams expect to score a high percentage of their points before the defense is organized.

d. Better utilize the bench

For youth and middle school teams, all players should get significant playing time.

At the high school level, it is important to develop some underclassman bench players as well.

By playing fast, there will be more possessions and more opportunities to use your full roster.

The first key to being an elite fast breaking team is to develop a great defense.

I recommend man-to-man or Pack Line.

While it’s possible to push the ball off made baskets, it's MUCH easier to run off a stop. If you constantly have to inbound the ball, you won’t maximize your potential as a fast break team.

It’s great to push hard following a defensive rebound, but it’s even better to run following a live-ball turnover!

Motivate your team to defend by showing them the correlation between defensive stops and easy opportunities in transition.

One decision coaches must make is to figure out which players should push the ball in transition.

There are two main options:

1. Anyone pushes the ball after a steal or defensive rebound

2. Outlet to the team's point guard to ignite the fast break

Both options have pros and cons.

Allowing anyone to lead the break is inherently faster, but could lead to some turnovers as weaker ball handlers will be asked to make more decisions.

It may take a bit longer to outlet the ball to your point guard, but this option ensures a strong decision-maker is the one pushing the ball.

Neither is right or wrong; however, I would encourage youth coaches to give all players chances to handle the ball.

Turnovers may increase, but your whole roster's development will benefit.

Probably the most important aspect of transition offense is instilling a fast break mindset in your players.

I recommend the term “RACE”.

We want to race down the court every possession to explore a potential advantage -- but this doesn't mean we should always shoot quickly.

We would love to create a great shot immediately, of course...

But we know that won't always happen.

At the end of the day, the important part is teaching your players to sprint their lanes every time.

If your team runs hard every time, it may create a transition advantage every third possession.

If your team walks the ball up every time, it will NEVER create a transition advantage.

It's better to habitually sprint the floor, seeking an opportunity.

A simple way of improving your transition game is to pass the ball across half court as much as possible.

We all know that the ball moves faster with the pass than with the dribble.

Use this to your advantage by developing in your team the habit of passing up the sideline to gain separation from the defense.

Everyone should know where to run in transition. Most teams will assign a point guard, a rim-runner, a trailer, and two wings.

While you should allow all players to push if they have space, the best case scenario is to get the ball into your point guard's hands immediately.

They can then look to pass the ball up the sideline to a wing.

If the ball-side wing is not open, your point guard can “slice” through the middle of the court and look at the other wing.

This is often an effective pass because defenses tend to load to the ball side, leaving the weak side of the floor open.

In a perfect world, our fast break creates a 1-on-0 uncontested layup.

However, good defenses will rarely allow this.

More likely scenarios are the 2-on-1 or the 3-on-2 fast breaks.

If we can create one of these obvious advantage situations, we want to score before more defenders can get back.

In a 2-on-1, we always want a layup.

In a 3-on-2, we want a layup or a wide-open jump shot.

Many players are indecisive in these situations. Drill these scenarios regularly to instill an aggressive mindset in players.

Although we prefer to pass the ball ahead, there will be times when players must attack off the dribble in transition.

Teach your players “breakout dribbles” in these situations.

If a player catches in space with no teammate ahead of them, they should take big dribbles to advance the ball as quickly as possible.

Teach “chest to the floor” in a sprinter’s stance, and encourage players to take big crossover dribbles.

This maximizes distance and makes it harder for trailing defenders to backtap the dribble.

A crucial element of a fast break attack is helping your players understand WHY your team is choosing to play fast break basketball.

One of the key reasons is to get the ball into the paint.

PGC Basketball uses the term “hunt the paint”, which immediately puts players into an aggressive mindset.

There are several ways to attack the paint.

  a. Rim-runner sprints the floor to get under the hoop

Tell your perimeter players that if a rim-runner has two feet in the pain, they MUST look to pass them the ball.

To motivate your post players to run the floor hard, they have to know that your guards are looking for them.

  b. Perimeter players attack advantages off the dribble

For example...

If your point guard passes ahead to a wing player and the defense gives a long closeout, encourage them to shot fake and hunt the paint before the defense gets organized.

The best transition teams are able to flow from their fast break into their half court offense.

You don't want your team to fast break and then have to pull the ball out to set-up a play.

Against good teams you won’t get a great number of layups in transition, but you can use a small advantage created by racing down the floor to create a bigger advantage later in the possession.

If the possession starts with a disorganized defense, your goal is to keep them disorganized throughout the entire possession.

If you don't have obvious numbers (2-on-1, 3-on-2), there are several options you have to flow into:

Here are two you can use:

(1) Pistols

Pistols is a common NBA action.

It's triggered by a wing entry, either off the pass or a dribble handoff.

(2) Klay

Run Klay when the ball is in the slot.

A “Klay Cut” – named after Klay Thompson - is our term for what some coaches call a “ghost screen” or a “running slip.”

In the diagram below, 4 runs at 1, fakes a ball screen, but slips into an open area. This action seeks to confuse the defense and could result in a free drive for 1 or open up 4 for a shot.

Both Pistols and Klay flow into the 4-out motion offense.

Gain an advantage with your fast break, maintain it by sprinting into Pistols or Klay, and then continue into your motion.

There are numerous fast break drills you can utilize with your team.

Although unfortunately, there are no “magic” drills that will immediately morph a team into an elite transition squad.

Rather, success if found more by emphasizing transition scoring in all elements of practice.

Some young coaches practice in the half-court far too much.

You must remember that basketball is a game of constant transition. And the easiest way to improve transition play is to transition a lot in practice.

Here are some fast break drills that we have found to be helpful in improving our transition play.

This is a very simple concept, but it's great for helping your players develop a fast break mindset.

And even if you aren’t a huge transition team, it is an excellent conditioner early in the season.

Simply full court scrimmage for 3 minutes.

Score the game as you normally would with one exception:

Award a point every time the offensive team gets the ball below the foul line in 5 seconds or less.

If possible, assign an assistant coach or parent the task of counting down from five on every change of possession.

This rule encourages the offense to SPRINT and look to pass ahead if they want the potential extra point.

Award this point regardless of if the offensive team scores on that possession.

For example...

If the offense gets the ball below the foul line in 5 seconds and passes to the rim-runner for a layup, that would be a 3-point possession.

This game can be played 3-on-3 or 4-on-4, but 5-on-5 allows you to work on the Pistols and Klay options when your team doesn't score in primary transition.

Here's how it works:

Two teams play 5-on-5, with a third team standing on the sideline.

(if you have 20 or more players, four or more teams can play)

Play until someone scores.

If Team 1 scores, Team 2 is out.

Team 1 then pushes the ball the other direction as Team 3 sprints on.

The team entering must touch half court and communicate their matchups as they quickly get into their defensive positions.

This is a fun game that develops offensive and defensive transition, while also serving as a great conditioner.

If you prefer to increase individual accountability, you can play with fewer players. For example, 3 on 3 on 3 makes it even more obvious who is not executing in offensive and defensive transition.

Committing to play fast break basketball can benefit any team.

Even if your team is not the fastest on your schedule, the habit of advancing the ball quickly to explore scoring opportunities will keep pressure on the defense and get your team playing together.

I hope that some of these concepts will help get your team off and running this season!

How To Run The Basketball Fast Break Offense and Transition Offense

Home > Coaching > Basketball Offense > How To Run The Basketball Fast Break Offense and Transition Offense - Philosophy, Offenses, Drills

The fast break and transition offense occurs when you gain possession of the basketball and push the ball as quickly as possible up the floor via the dribble or the pass. You can gain possession of the ball by a turnover, rebound, blocked shot, or an attempted shot. Like Don Kelbick likes to say in his Transition Offense and Four-Second Fast Break DVD, "The operative word in fast break is 'fast.'"

You always want the fast break to be your first offensive option.

Why should you fast break?

1. To get easy scoring opportunities - Many teams have great half-court defenses when they are set. Whether it's an advantage fast break 2v1, 3v2, etc or 5v5 transition offense situation, the fast break allows you to attack the defense before it can get set which can lead to many easy baskets for your team. If an easy basket does not present itself, they transition directly into your offense to keep the defense on their heels.

2. Control tempo & force bad decisions for your opposition - Some teams are not used to playing a fast tempo. Due to your opponents' lack of repetitions running the fast break, this can lead to more bad decisions for your opposition which would be advantageous for you.
3. Wear teams down - If you practice the fast break every day during practice, chances are that your players will be in pretty good condition. Your opponents may not spend as much time running the break, so when you pick up the temp, this will wear on your opponents. It may not happen right away, it may not happen until the last 4 minutes of the game. Paul Westhead's teams were known for wearing teams down, then going on enormous runs in the second half.

   If you have 9 or 10 players, this can also be a great way to wear the teams down. It is also a great way to develop your underclassmen.

4. Beating zones and pressure - Many coaches will say that your best offense against a good zone or defensive pressure is your fast break and transition offense. As mentioned before, you want to get the ball up the court for easy scoring opportunities before the defense can get set.
5. Aggressive mentality - When taught properly, the fast break can lead to an aggressive offensive mentality. If you watch the best players in the world, they usually have that "attack" mindset. Quite often, the difference between average players and good players is their mindset. If you can get all of your players with the same mindset, it could lead to a much better team. This doesn't mean that everybody on your team is jacking up 3's or the first open jump shot, your players should just do what they do well with assertiveness.
6. Offensive rebounds - Many rebounders are not good at running the floor. When you big man is conditioned, it will lead to many more opportunities. Danny Miles will sub his post players more frequently than his post players because post players have to cover more ground on each possession. This helps keep his post players fresh. Danny typically subs his post players every 4 minutes.
7. Players enjoy it - Players are more likely to buy in and want to participate if you provide a style of play that is enjoyable to play.

Are there situations where you should not run the fast break?

Against talented, athletic teams, you may choose to slow down your offense, but I don't believe that you want to completely dismiss fast breaks because they could lead to some very easy baskets. In this situation, you may enforce a "lay up" only rule. If you get an advantage, take a lay up.

If no advantages are presented out of the fast break, you could set a rule that you only take lay ups until a specified time or number of passes. Some examples are:

• No jump shots until 30 seconds have passed.
• No jump shots until 10 passes have been made.
• No jump shots until the ball has been reversed 5 times.
• No jump shots until the ball has touched the post twice.

Running Your Transition Offense

Running a transition offense, at least a good one, is a lot more than just running up and down the floor as fast as you can. For a break to be truly effective in a transition system, the break must fit seamlessly with which ever half court offense you have chosen to run.

The purpose for a transition system is to take advantage of your opponent's break downs while they are changing from offense to defense or from defense to offense. It is designed to take control of and lengthen the transition period. Openings will exist as your opponent is making the transition giving your team a great opportunity to take advantage of openings. It would be counter productive to your goals and objectives if you had to hold the ball out to reset your offense and give the defense a chance to organize and defend.

When running a transition game, I think the single most important things to establish are your break objectives. What do you want to get out of your break? Coaches do it with the offense. Coaches do it with the defense. How many coaches address it with their break?

Are you going to be a coach who looks for 3-pointers off of the fast break? Are you going to say lay ups or short jumpers only?

Do you want to create a frantic pace even at the risk of giving up easy baskets like Paul Westhead used to do with his Loyola Maramount teams?

Do you want to slow things down if you do not get a lay up and force the opposition to play defense for extended periods?

Are you going to run a numbered break or a free flowing fast break?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself.

Types of Fast Breaks

The Numbered Break - In a numbered break you assign numbers to each player.

1 is the point guard and can bring the ball up the left side of the floor or the right side (not the middle, we want the point picking a side). You can allow the point guard to choose a side or if you prefer, you can specify that point always goes up a certain side (ex: right side).

2 sprints to the spot in the right corner.

3 sprints to the spot in the left corner.

4 inbounds the ball and trails filling the wing opposite the ball (in this example it's the left wing).

5 sprints to the strong side block.

The numbered break is easy to teach because players always go to the same spot.

Motion or Free-Flow Break

The best and the simplest break I have ever experienced did not have multiple cuts or transition options. I have learned that it gets you up the court quickly and fits with any transition offense. It is simple and you can teach it in a minute. I recommend that everyone try it, at least for a little while.

The break is simple: If you are ahead of the ball, run wide; if you are behind the ball, run down the middle. Everything else pretty much takes care of itself.

You can figure out the trailers, you can figure out where the wings go. You can even have players run in the same lane. As long as they finish in spots where your offense can continue, there is no harm. In fact, if you have 2 players run in the same lane, as long as they are properly spaced, the first cutter will strip the defense for the second cutter and you might find opportunities where none were present before.

Here are some sample fast break offenses and secondary break offenses

Paul Westhead - Loyola Maramount Transition Offense

Carolina Secondary Break

Phoenix Suns Fast Break Offense

Foul Line Fast Break

Fast Break and Transition Offense Basketball Drills

Competitive 1v1 Attack
This fast break drill improves your ability to finish at the basket in a break situation.

5 on 3 + 2 Fast Break and Transition Offense Drill
This transition drill improves your team's ability to score out of the break or transition seamlessly into your offense.

1v1 Attack With Narrow Cones
This is another great fast break drill that works on breaking down a defender with a dribble move before attacking the basket in transition.

View all of our fast break and transition drills.

Want to learn how to build your fast break and transition offense step by step?

Don Kelbick's Transition Offense and the Four-Second Fast Break This DVD shows you how to build your fast break and transition offense step-by-step, so you can easily teach it during practice. It will also show you how to seamlessly transition into your half court offense to keep the defense scrambling. As every great defensive coach will tell you, they play their best defense when they have their 5 players back. This DVD will show you how to take advantage of the defense when they're not set and currently in transition. It also includes many fast break and transition drills that build mentality, aggressiveness, decision-making, and basketball skills. This DVD is 110 minutes long and neatly organized ... (more info)

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

The language of basketball. Screening, Pressing, Fast break

August 08

Our site presents the second issue of the column The Language of Basketball. In it we talk about basketball terms - borrowed words, specific expressions and jargon - the language that all participants and fans of the game speak. Each word is accompanied by a video tutorial with illustrative examples.
We bring to your attention the second series of the project The language of basketball , in which we will analyze three terms in detail: screening, pressing and fast break.

Screen
One of the most important elements of basketball. At its core, this is a blocking move performed by one of the players on the attacking side and aimed at cutting off the guardian from one of the players on the attacking team. Barriers are used in order to lead one of the snipers to an open throw or in order to create opportunities for passage to someone else's ring.
The curtain is a technically simple, but very effective element. Not surprisingly, they are used in most combinations. Moreover, the names of the most popular interactions - pick-and-roll and pick-n-pop - contain the word "barrier" (English pick), which in itself speaks of the significance of this element.
In addition to direct combinations, screens are often used to create an advantage in certain areas. To do this, the attackers deliberately provoke the opponent into unequal exchanges, as a result of which an imbalance appears in the defense. Small players are forced to defend against the "big" ones under the basket, and slow centers find themselves on the perimeter, where they are opposed by the fast "kids" of the attackers.

Pressing
One form of defense. It is characterized by increased aggression, pressure on the ball and more movement on the defensive side. Usually pressing is used when the opponent puts the ball into play. Defenders try to make the first pass as difficult as possible for the opponent - for example, with the help of doubling and numerous "traps".
Pressing is an energy-consuming form of protection. In this mode, no team will be able to operate on a permanent basis. But in some parts of the game, pressure can be very effective. With the help of such protection, the team forces the opponent to make mistakes, "steals" their time for possession and exhausts the opponent's point guards physically and psychologically (this is especially effective if that one does not have a worthy replacement).
How effective such tactics could be seen, for example, at the end of the meeting between the Russian "Yenisei" and the Estonian "Kalev". Two minutes before the final siren, the Siberians lost more than 10 points. Thanks to the pressure, they forced the opponent to make a series of losses and approached him at a distance of one throw.

Fast break
A fast attack in which the attacking player or players enter an open ring or outnumbered defenders. Actually from the definition itself it already becomes clear that speed is a synonym for this term. It is the rapid transition from defense to attack that makes fast breaks one of the most effective weapons.
Another advantage of quick breaks is their ease of execution. In order to escape to someone else's ring, only good physical preparation is needed, and no special technical and tactical skills are required. While in a positional attack, skill and teamwork come to the fore.
It is not surprising that the tactics of fast breaks are often adopted by middle-class teams, which in this way try to level their gap in the class. The example of Avtodor Saratov in the last season of the VTB United League clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of this style of play. The Volzhans managed to get into the playoffs, and in some matches they even beat the favorites, often using fast breaks.

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Fast Break | Basketball

Fast break is the most dangerous offensive weapon. In many cases it provides maximum penetration and in all cases penetration within a radius of 4-5 m from the basket. In three-on-two and four-on-three situations, fast breaks often end up taking the basket. Even if the defense reacts quickly enough and comes back in time, the fast-breaking link is within 4-5 m from the basket. Therefore, a player after one pass or turn based on one foot can lead the winger or middle player to the throw or perform a jump shot himself.

The use of a fast break eliminates the benefits of various defense systems.

Few high school or university teams have players who can quickly adapt to changing defensive principles and choose the appropriate type of offense. Players, at the most, may ask for a one-minute break to receive coaching advice. However, this is not a solution to the problem. It is better to quickly move into the front zone so as not to worry about the special defense that the enemy has switched to.

An effective fast break puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, affecting his offensive pace and forcing the coach to change his defense. A fast break can force the opponent to play slowly. Fearing a fast break, last hitters can give up on the backboard too early, which can be an advantage for a fast break team. Conversely, the defenders can stay under the shield for too long, trying to slow down the breakthrough. Another positive psychological factor of the fast break is that it inevitably leads to an increase in defensive play. A successful fast break encourages aggressive defensive play, which forces the opposing team to lose the ball more often, foul the rules, and make hitting mistakes.

If a team is famous for its fast break, the opponent, if he does not feel he has a decisive advantage, will do his best to start playing slowly, because the fast break forces a high pace on the opponent.

In today's basketball players are great at throwing. To use this ability, the attackers must reach the opponent's basket faster than the defenders. If the best point guard quickly penetrates the frontcourt before the defense can return, then with one pass and a 5m jump shot, he will achieve what would require three, four, five or more passes in any simulated combination.

Another advantage of the fast break is that it makes every player a potential scorer. A mediocre striker who would get only a few opportunities to take the basket when playing positional combinations can easily hit the basket several times if he is quick enough on a fast break.

In the end, fast-breaking contributes to the game, making it more colorful, interesting and fast. Fans love this game.

Exercises . Fast break interactions must be constantly practiced so that the players react instinctively and the average attacking player knows the qualities of his partners: their speed, basket-shooting skills, mobility, psychological reaction to a fast break, etc.

Here is one of the drills which is especially effective. The weak team advances to the basket with the ball and shoots (this team remains on the court throughout the drill). When the players of the defending team have possession of the ball, they immediately start fast break. At the disposal of the coach are two or three links, alternating in the implementation of a fast break. If a team loses the ball on a fast break, they must defend by retreating to the center line. Then it is replaced by another team, and the exercise is repeated.

This exercise has many purposes. In the beginning, the players of the weak team improve the positional attack combination. The players of the defending team, in addition to improving defensive actions, psychologically prepare for a sudden transition to the attack, which is necessary for a quick breakthrough. The exercise also contributes to general physical fitness, as it is repeated many times.

Fast break positions . The selective application of the fast break uses the diverse skills of all the players on the team. Players should be placed in positions where they best reveal their capabilities. The most technical and fastest player of the team takes a place in the middle. Lateral sniper players must have good speed and be able to penetrate the enemy zone on the move. Usually one of the point guards passing to the middle player (or another point guard forward on defense) is in the best position to fill the second lineout. The long-range striker usually fills the third lane. To successfully execute a fast break, these players must get into position as quickly as possible, moving along the shortest path. The transition from defense to attack is very important. The fourth player takes the position of the accompanying player, moving in the second echelon. The fifth player moves behind, carrying out safety net. If the situation does not develop in this way, a fast break should not be started. It won't do any good if only three out of five fast breaks are successful and two result in the loss of the ball due to fouls.

This system gives players more autonomy in the random completion of the fast break and, of course, gives them more pleasure than a strictly made combination. We're looking for the middle ground in that, with a fast break, all players can take the lead. If the fast break fails, the players move on to the execution of the simulated combination.

To make a successful fast break, a team must play aggressively defensively: get into position quickly, force the opponent to break the rules, take possession of the ball, etc. A fast break makes it possible to hit the basket from close range, which is much easier than with a positional attack.

• Beginning of fast break
• Use of gears
• Attack development
• Average Player Tactics

Two against one and five against four . We have analyzed the principles of interaction in the classic three-versus-two and four-versus-three fast break situations (with an attendant). Basically, these principles are also applicable to a two-on-one situation. Obviously, this is a simpler situation. The two forwards must maintain a parallel formation while moving towards the opponent's basket. At the same time, we are not supporters of continuous transmissions. If the ball is in the hands of a back row player, he must lead it to the basket, forcing the guardian to jump out with a feint to block a possible shot. The lead must be very sure. If the dribbler stops ahead of time, he will not be able to call a defender on himself, and this is his main task. If the dribbler feels he can beat the defender, he should boldly go for the throw. Otherwise, the ball is passed to the remaining free partner.

A five-on-four situation is basically a follower situation in which the fifth player joins the attack about 5m from the basket, moving on the side farthest from the follower. Here the fifth player can receive a pass if the defender switches to the accompanying player. If he takes the defender with him, the escort will be open to the transfer. Depending on the actions of the defender, the middle player can pass to one or another partner.

Transition to positional attack . If the fast break does not work and the third defender manages to take a reliable defensive position, a three-on-three situation arises, which can be solved by means of a positional attack. The middle player must complete the pass and screen. The purpose of this interaction is to create conditions for the winger to perform a jump shot or kick the ball to the screener, depending on the actions of the defenders. Attackers do not stop waiting for other partners to organize positional attack team interactions, but are looking for an opportunity to perform a jump shot from an average distance.

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