These are drills I use that I feel are effective in teaching the Blocker/Mover offense. I picked up these drills from various sources. Specifically, I got a lot of these drills from the Winning Hoops Special Report on Motion Offenses written by Bruce Brown, Uniontown Lake HS. Other sources include Bob Knight, Dave Arsenault and Mark Few videos. If you need further explanation of the drills let me know, sometimes a diagram of the drill is easier to follow. I. 2 on 0, 1 Ball Drills to Use in Teaching Free Offense A. 2 on 0 Backcut Drill (3 players, 1 Ball) a. 1 Player has a ball and passes to additional player. b. Screener sets a back screen on Mover, mover cuts off back screen and receives pass to score. c. Rotate players d. Vary the areas/angles the screens take place. B. 2 on 0 Fake Curl to Post Cut Drill (3 players, 1 ball) a. Mover with ball starts at top of key, he passes to player on wing and sets up for a screen away to Mover on other wing. b. The cutter fakes a curl cut over top of screen and just before reaching screen cuts low to the basket to receive pass. c. Rotate and change sides of floor. C. 2 on 0 Wing Entry to Flare Screen (3 players, 1 ball) a. Players set up on wings and point. Point player with ball. b. Point player pass to wing, opposite wing sets a flare screen on point player. c. Wing with ball throws skip to the flare cutter for shot D. 2 on 0 Flare-Screen-Re-Screen Curl Screen Drill (3 players, 1 ball) a. Same set up as C b. After wing sets flare screen, the wing with ball does not throw skip pass. c. The screener will then turn and re-screen for the flare cutter. Flare cutter will now run a curl cut to the basket to receive pass. E. 2 on 0 Dixie Cut to Backcut Drill (2 players, 1 ball) a. This drill teaches the Dixie cut. Player at point starts with ball. Other player is on wing. Point dribbles at wing player. b. Wing player then makes a shallow cut from wing to wing, (basically dribbler and cutter cross each other) c. Dribbler turns back and pass to cutter who is now on opposite wing. d. Passer now makes a basket give and go cut.
II. 2 on 0, 2-Ball Drills (4 players) a. Essentially you can do all of the drills above but just add an additional player and ball. Now whenever the screen and cut are made 1 passer passed to cutter and 1 passer passes to screener. Therefore, 2 shots are taken on each sequence. Also you add to the drill by instructing the screener to either pop or cut to receive the pass. The emphasis on these drills is to teach the screener to be a potential scorer. b. Additional 2 ball drills: i. Down Screen to flare screen to slip drill 1. Setup with 4 players on perimeter. Player on point has ball and player on far right wing has the other ball. 2. Point player pass to right wing player then sets a down screen on left wing player. 3. Left wing player curl cuts to basket. After curl cut, the screener re-screens for this cutter and sets a flare screen. 4. Player who ran curl cut and then flare cut receives skip pass for jumper. After setting the flare screen the screener slips the screen to the basket for pass from other player with ball. ii. UCLA Cut to Pop Drill 1. Setup with player with ball at point, screener on left block, and 2 players on right wing, the wing player closest to corner has a ball. 2. Point player passes to wing. Screener on block comes up the lane line to elbow to set a back screen for the point player who executes a UCLA basket cut III. 2 on 1 Drills (1 Ball) and 2 on 2 Drills a. Now you can do all of the same drills listed above but add a defender. When first teaching specifically tell the defender how to react, i.e. fight over screens, go underneath, etc. By telling the defense how to play the screens you get your offensive players to learn the correct response by repetitive drilling. b. After practicing all defensive scenarios then let the defensive player freelance and check to see if the cutter makes the correct read and cut. c. Once 2 on 1 is mastered repeat drills but add a 2 nd defender to teach options for blockers. i. Specific 2 on 2 Drills with a Coach ii. Flare Cut to Curl Cut Defender goes underneath
iii. 1. Set up with offensive player at point with a ball and the other offensive player on left wing. Two defenders on, coach on right wing. 2. Pass to coach and wing sets a flare screen on point. Point flare cuts to wing. 3. Tell point defender to play the screen soft and go underneath. 4. When screener sees this, he then re-screens down on the defender and the point will read the defense and run a curl cut into the lane if the defender gets caught in the screen. Down Screen to Slip Defender hedges screen 1. Same setup. 2. On Pass point screens away. 3. Defender who is getting screened skinny s around screen and goes over top. 4. When reading this the screener will automatically slip the screen to the basket to receive pass. Down Screen to Pop Defenders Sag 1. Same setup and same downscreen. 2. Tell defenders to sag in lane to cover curl cut. 3. Screener will step back (pop) looking for jump shot. IV. 3 on 0/3 on 3 Drills a. The focus of these drills is to teach players that if one screen and cut does not create a score they must keep moving and flow into another screen and cut action. b. You can be creative and essentially set up numerous formations and cuts to be run. Some examples are: i. Flare cut to lane cut. 1. Setup with 3 players on perimeter. Ball in middle. 2. Point passes to left wing. Right wing sets a flare screen. Wing player with ball will dribble at the screening action (attack the elbow) and then throw skip pass. 3. After setting flare screen, the screen will then reposition himself to set a back screen for the passer, who will then run a curl cut into the lane. ii. Dixie Cut to Down Screen 1. Same setup. 2. After point passes to left wing, wing with ball will dribble to top and replace point, as point makes a Dixie cut to the wing at that he just passed to. 3. Player with ball will then pass to right wing. After pass, he will set a down screen on the player who just made a Dixie cut and is now on left wing.
4. Player on wing can then curl, back cut, bump, etc. depending on the call by the coach. iii. 3 line 12 Second Shooting Drills 1. This is one of my favorite shooting drills. 2. Set up with 2 players on each side of the center circle. Player on right side has ball. Third player is on right wing at three point line. 12 seconds on clock. 3. Player with ball will dribble at right elbow. On dribble the wing player will make a basket cut and go all the way through to opposite side of court. The player who started on the left side of center court will sprint to left side of court and will work will set a screen for the cutter. 4. Now players will run the various screens and cuts, and passes for 12 seconds and take a shot at the buzzer. Don t give the offense too much to think about, just have them play out of concepts. The only rule we use for this drill is that whoever has the ball should have that side of the court to himself. The other two players should be screening and cutting on the other side of the court. After a few repetitions the players will get used to working with each other and will surprise you with the motion concepts that they have picked up. 5. Players like this drill as well if you use the clock because they get to take shots at the buzzer. 3 line 12 Seconds 2 shots drill 1. Same setup as prior drill and same initial action. 2. This time however players work together and take a shot about 6-7 seconds into drill. 3. After shot the shooter will run to the top of the key. Other players go to the offensive glass, whoever does not rebound will then sprint to the top to screen for the initial shooter. The rebounder will then pass to the shooter so he gets a second shot at the buzzer as he comes off of the screen V. 5 on 0/5 on 5 Drills a. We then work up to 5 on 5 (or sometimes 4 on 4) drills and games. b. We will start with 5 on 0 and explain the rules of our free offense (i.e. rules for blockers/movers). We will then simply let the players pass, screen, and cut in a 5 on 0 situation so they can learn to work together and settle into an offensive flow. Here is where you really can teach and stress the general principles of the offense such as,
spacing, catching and holding for a 2 count, floor balance, and all of the other fundamentals that were discussed in the other handout. i. No dribble game 1. Play 5 on 5, running blocker/mover but do not allow dribbling unless it directly leads to a lay-up. ii. iii. Designated Shooter Game 1. Make the offense run screens and only a specific player can shoot. Sometimes tell the defense who the designated shooter is to increase the difficulty. Only Blockers Can Shoot Game 1. Run the offense and restrict the offense to only letting blockers score. This is an essential drill because it makes blockers be offensive threats. Also it shows the blockers that they are still in fact allowed and actually encouraged to be offensive threats. 5 Good Screens Game 1. Run the offense but allow no shots until 5 good screens are set. Have coaches count out loud whenever a good screen has been set. v. Number of Passes before a Shot Game 1. Set a number of required passes. Do not count out loud, which forces the offense to concentrate. If they take a shot too early if gives you a great teaching opportunity to discuss paying attention to detail and concentration,