Why 3v3 Should Be The Building Block Of Your Offensive Actions
Conceptual offenses are all the rage - and for good reason.
When run well, they are incredibly difficult to defend. There are no set patterns but rather actions.
The downside is they can also be time consuming to teach.
A continuity offense is simple to learn. A conceptual offense, where players must base their next action off the defense, is not so simple.
That said, the juice is worth the squeeze.
If you run a conceptual offense, you are undoubtedly looking for a way to teach it more efficiently.
If so, try this idea from Nick LoGalbo's 3v3 Basketball Drills for Offense and Defense...
3v3 - The Most Efficient Way To Maximize Reps and Teach Your Offense
We've talked a lot about the benefits of 3v3.
Those benefits expand to installing your offense.
Most offensive actions do not involve all 5 players. Most involve 2-3 players.
Thus, installing and repping your actions 3v3 is a great way to develop your offense (it's also great for your defense, too!).
Think of it like this... let's say you have 12 players on your team. You can play 5v5. In that case, 3 of your 12 players are involved in the primary offensive action (since most are 3 players actions).
However, what if you played 3v3? Now all 12 of your players are participating, and 6 are involved in the primary offensive action - 3 at each end.
Your players are getting more reps and reads at the conceptual actions they need to be successful in games!
This is a key idea from Coach Nick LoGalbo's new product.
Coach LoGalbo goes over 6 actions that he works on in practice. They are:
- Zoom
- Pistol
- Chase
- Get
- Away
- Split
He first reps them 3v0. This allows players to understand the actions and the reads. He then 3v3 to make them more game-like.
There are numerous other actions you could include. What are the actions your offense runs a lot? Whatever that answer is, those are the actions you should break down 3v0 and 3v3.
Let's look at 1 of the actions - the Zoom.
How To Use 3 Man Actions To Build Your Offense
Zoom
The Zoom Offense has been on fire!
Here, 2 down screens for 3.
1 dribbles at 3 and executes a handoff with 3.
You would first do this 3v0. Players would work on various options:
- 3 attacking the rim
- Hitting 1 with a pass on the roll
- 1 faking the handoff and attacking
- 3 passing to 2 lifting back up out of the corner
After players understand when to perform each option, make the drill 3v3.
1, 2, & 3 again start with the zoom action.
From there, it's live. The offense should read the defense and attack accordingly.
In this example, 3 turns the corner, drawing both x1 & x3. This leaves 1 open at the rim for a pass from 3.
You can require your defense to guard the actions a certain way. Conversely, you can let them choose, which ups the level of challenge for the offense.
More Bang For Your Buck - Different Actions, Similar Reads
One great thing about teaching this way is that all your players get reps in the action.
Too often, less skilled players don't get opportunities to be involved in the action. This limits their development.
Additionally, while each action is slightly different, they have similar reads. If your players get good at the ball screen/handoff, they'll be good whether you run zoom, chase, get or pistol.
Thus, reps at one action benefit the other actions too!
That's the type of efficiency you're looking for!
So as you prepare for next season, think of the key actions your team needs to run to be successful.
Once you've identified them, start working them into your 3v3 drills. When you see the carryover, you'll be glad you did!
Related Resources
Nick LoGalbo's 3v3 Basketball Drills for Offense and Defense
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