Passing / 10 MINUTES

Beat pressure with short passes

Break full-court pressure using quick, short passes to the middle and safety outlets without risky long throws.

ON THE FLOOR

Full court · attack →

One example at a teaching pace.

Three attackers face three guided press defenders. Baseline inbounder 1 finds middle outlet 2; 3 opens a second short window across halfway. Show the receiver before passing.

1PlayerXDefenderBallMovePass / shotDribble

Motion is off with your reduced-motion preference. The setup and action paths show the rep.

Players

6 players per court

Equipment

1 basketball, Pinnies

Space

Full court or half court backcourt area

Set it up

One inbounder on the baseline, one middle outlet near the free-throw line, and one trailing safety player, matched by 3 controlled press defenders.

Run the activity

The inbounder enters the ball safely to the middle outlet or safety player against active defender shading.
The receiver immediately catches with two hands, establishes a pivot foot, and looks for the second short pass up the floor.
The offense must cross the half-court line using at least two short, crisp passes while staying inside the sideline boundaries.

ONE CUE TO SAY OUT LOUD

“Catch, pivot, see your safety”

Watch for this

Panicking under pressure and throwing high lob passes across the court that result in turnovers.

Make it easier

Defenders play passive defense with hands straight up and cannot intercept the initial inbound pass.

Add a challenge

Defenders play live trap defense once the ball is inbounded, requiring immediate passes away from the pressure.