Transition Offense Drills
The 12 Second Shot Clock and a few drills to improve your fast-break attack
Coaches - below you’ll find a few drills you may want to add to your transition offense toolbox.
There is one drill not in the PDF that, however, I think may be the most valuable transition drill I’ve used/seen.
That drill is called “12 Second Shot Clock” and it’s as simple as it sounds.
Put a few minutes on the clock (maybe just 2-3 to start).
One coach/manager is keeping score and another coach is counting down the shot clock of 12 seconds on every reset. The clock resets on any change of possession or made basket. If it’s a turnover, the clock starts when the ball is thrown back in.
Run the clock, only call blatant fouls, and step back (especially the first few times).
You may want to run the drill. Stop the drill. Consult with your team while they get some water and ask them what they learned, what worked, what didn’t, etc. Then repeat.
This drill will:
automatically condition your guys in a gamelike way
demonstrate just how hard you have to play to REALLY run
help your players to play with a sense of urgency
help them understand the clock - you’d be amazed at how many bad shots go up within 4 seconds when you first implement this drill
put your players into intelligent attack mode early
Anyways, here is a look at a few other drills you might consider inserting into practices and workouts to emphasize the transition game!