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4-on-4 shell positioning

Teach ball, gap, and help positioning before going live. Demand early talk, high hands, and movement on the flight of the pass. 8 to 16 players, 1 basket, about 15 minutes.

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4-on-4 shell positioning drawn on a half court in 3 steps. 1. Ball, gap, and help: X1 pressures the ball, X2 and X4 sit in the gaps one pass away, and X3 protects the lane two passes away. Every defender sees ball and player. 2. Move on the flight of the pass: As O1 passes to O2, X2 closes to the catch, X1 jumps into the gap, and the two low defenders shift toward their new help positions before O2 receives it. 3. Stunt, protect the rim, and recover: O2 drives the right lane. X4 stunts from the gap while X3 moves to low help. Both recover on the pass, and the possession ends only after a rebound.
1. Ball, gap, and help: X1 pressures the ball, X2 and X4 sit in the gaps one pass away, and X3 protects the lane two passes away. Every defender sees ball and player. 2. Move on the flight of the pass: As O1 passes to O2, X2 closes to the catch, X1 jumps into the gap, and the two low defenders shift toward their new help positions before O2 receives it. 3. Stunt, protect the rim, and recover: O2 drives the right lane. X4 stunts from the gap while X3 moves to low help. Both recover on the pass, and the possession ends only after a rebound.Credit: Drawn by Ball Coach

What it needs

Players
8 to 16 players
Baskets
1 basket
Court
Needs a half court
Time
About 15 minutes
Equipment
basketballs, two colors of pinnies, scoreboard or score sheet
Type
Team work, intermediate

Set it up

Play at one basket with four offensive players spaced at two slots and two corners. Match four defenders and begin with the ball at a slot. Extra players form offense and defense groups on the baseline and rotate in together. The coach stands on the baseline where all eight players can hear the pass and drive rules.

Run it

Begin with the offense passing around the perimeter without dribbling or cutting. On every pass, the on-ball defender closes with high hands, defenders one pass away jump into the gap with their chest seeing ball and player, and the defender two passes away moves to help with a foot in the lane. All four defenders move while the ball is in the air and call ball, gap, or help before the catch. Add a basket cut after each pass; the cutter's defender jumps to the ball, sees the cutter through the chest, and passes the cutter to low help before recovering to the open spot. In the live segment, allow drives and require the defense to stop the ball, protect the rim, recover out, finish with four box-outs, and secure the rebound before the rep ends.

What to coach

Teach ball, gap, and help positioning before going live. Demand early talk, high hands, and movement on the flight of the pass.

Score it

During teaching rounds, the defense earns one point for three consecutive passes with all four players in the correct position and communicating before each catch. Reset the count for a late shift, lost cutter, straight-line drive, or silent possession. During live play, award two points for a stop finished with a rebound and one for forcing a contested outside shot. The offense earns two for a paint score and one for an uncontested three. Play to 10.

Make it harder

Teach pass-only positioning first, add basket cuts, then add one controlled drive per possession. Progress to live 4-on-4 with no ball screens, then allow screening actions once the defense can maintain ball, gap, and help responsibilities without a coach correction.

Use it in practice

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Where this drill comes from

Ball Coach wrote this drill for its practice planner's drill library. The curricula below shaped how the library organizes practice; no text or diagram is copied from them. The diagram is drawn by Ball Coach.