WheelBarrow Software Inc. | 3 Man Weave & Fast Break Drill | Drills for Ball Handling, Teamwork, and Coordination

Sports Software for the Everyday Athlete and Coach

Last Updated:09/15/2009
Volume 1 / Article 1

Three Man Weave & Fast Break Drill;
Two Drills for Ball Handling, Teamwork and Coordination

Overview:

WheelBarrow Software Inc is proud to announce the first in a monthly series of articles consisting of several basketball topics including practice plays, defensive overviews and offensive schemes. Throughout this article, we will be providing links to illustrations of these drills or plays discussed using Basketball Play Designer. Basketball Play Designer is a software application that allows you to create, edit and share plays for your team. If you are a full time coach looking to process plays on a computer and share them with your team, or a recreational player that wants to get an edge on the competition Basketball Play Designer will meet your needs.

In today’s article, we will be showing two great drills to run during practice. The first drill is an old standard, the three-man weave. The second play is a fast break drill and utilizes the skills taught in the three-man weave while simulating actual game situations.

Three Man Weave:
(download play; requires Basketball Play Designer)

In the three-man weave, three players line up about 10 feet in front of the half court line or can start in the standard 1,2,3 positions at the wings as shown in figure one.

For purposes of the drill, we will call the player in the middle number 1, the player on the right number 2 and the player on the left number 3. This drill is great for youth basketball because it promotes on passing and catching skills while focusing on teamwork and sharing. Sharing the ball is an important fundamental skill that is needed before players can successfully run the fast break. (click on the below links to see the illustrations)

The general rule of thumb is that after you pass the ball, you run towards and behind the ball receiver and cut around the back of that player. In figure one, player 1 dribbles toward player 2 and passes the ball to player 2 and then player 1 proceeds to cut behind player 2. Player 2 is cutting toward the key while player 3 is cutting closer toward low key as well.

Next in figure 2, once player 2 receives the ball, he/she will dribble toward and pass to player 3 and then player 2 proceeds to cut behind player 3. Player 1 has cut around player 2 and will now cut to the basket.

In figure 3, player 3 quickly passes the ball to player 1 for a lay-up.

The three may weave play can easily be run in large team practices and also provides an opportunity to practice long passes. Once player 2 cuts behind player 3, player 2 can run to the side line out of bounds. When player 1 makes the lay-up, player 3 takes the ball and flashes it quickly to the side lines where player 2 is waiting. Imagine the play being run with number 1's, 2's and 3's being lined up behind each other. Once the first player 2 gets the ball on the side, that player 2 can inbound it to player 1 in the next group. When the first team is done, they should be sent to different positions. Everybody moves to the next group and plyaer 3 goes to the back of the number 1 line.

This drill, as discussed before, focuses on hands, dribbling, team work, passing, and organization. The next drill adds defense and a real game situation to challenge these fundamental skills.

Fast Break Drill:
(download play; requires Basketball Play Designer)

In the fast break drill there is a line similar to the three man weave line of number 1's, 2's, and 3's. However, the first group will be playing defense and the second group in line will be the offense as shown in figure 4.

When the drill is ready to start (the fast break drill cannot be run like the weave in quick sequences) the coach simply blows the whistle and when he/she says a number from 1-3, the drill begins. The number that the coach calls refers to the defensive player who then has to touch the half-court line with their hand. This simulates a real fast break as shown in figure 5. Not only does the fast break drill simulate a real three on two situation, but there is also a trailer to the play which is very realistic. Figure 5 shows the trailer and the play in action.

Figure 6 shows a possible variation on the play, but many can occur. Once the drill starts, the offensive players can move in any way to attempt to score, creating infinite variations on the drill. In order to simulate different situations, you can switch the player starting with the ball, or you can also call 2 numbers to simulate a three on one break.

Don't forget that this is a defensive drill as well. The two players on defense in the illustrated example should try to break up the play and stay between the break and the basket until they can make a steal or break up the fluidity of the play.

These drills are not only great for developing skills but are also fun for the players. In the fast break drill athleticism, patience, and teamwork are stressed while simulating a real game situation. Try running these drills during practices with your team.

You can illustrate these plays on your PC as well using Basketball Play Designer by WheelBarrow Software. Basketball Play Designer 2006 currently sells for $39.99 and can be purchased at http://www.wheelbarrowsoftware.com/bpd.htm.

Visit Basketball Play Designer 2006 Details: Main Page | Features | Demo