Open Practice: Team Practice Drills

In a live practice setting, Coach Bob Hoffman presents a great collection of intense and effective practice drills and coaching techniques for creating a culture of teamwork and communication. This constant emphasis on building players into a cohesive unit has enabled a small-conference underdog like Mercer to take down powerhouse basketball programs in the NCAA tournament.

Transition Offense
Learn how to develop your transition offense using five full-court drills that emphasize different aspects of the fast break.

• The Three Lines, Two Balls drill works on finishing lay-ups and igniting the offense with a quick outlet.
• The Pacer drill challenges players to make jump shots in transition.
• Watch as Coach Hoffman progressively increases the challenge of his Three Man Weave drill by shrinking the time goals and passes allowed on trips up and down the court.
• Work on scoring in advantage situations in transition with the Five Man Weave to 3-on-2 Back drill.

Defense is emphasized as well with the "Line Transition" drill. This drill pressures the defense to protect the rim in a temporary disadvantage situation.

Early Offense
You'll also get new ideas on how to develop your own early offense using break down drills. Using a series of 3-man and 4-man full-court drills, Coach Hoffman's team practices the scoring actions they'll look for in their transition attack such as open jump shots for their guards and different ways to feed the post for the big who sprinted the floor.

Scrimmages
Finally, see how the coaches control their scrimmages to teach players the details of their offensive and defensive system. Each stop in the action includes a brief huddle where new strategies and cleanup from the previous play can be discussed.

This presentation can be used as a template for a full practice and can also be dissected drill by drill for your own purposes. This open practice gives drills and skills for building the teamwork needed to have an effective up-tempo offensive attack.

53 minutes. 2015.