Floor Is Lava

How to run the drill

1. 1Setup: play 2v2 in the half court. Identify the paint and three-point arc. These are the receiving areas: outside the arc, or inside the paint while completing a cut. The midrange area between them is lava for catches.
2. 2Start: check the ball at the top outside the arc. Players may move and dribble through any part of the court, but every catch must be made with both feet outside the arc, or on a moving cut that takes the receiver into the paint.
3. 3Rules: a player standing still in the paint cannot receive a pass. For an airborne catch, judge the landing spot. A catch on the three-point line or anywhere in the midrange area is a turnover. Shooting after a legal catch is unrestricted.
4. 4Scoring and reset: use 1 point for baskets inside the arc and 2 outside. After a score, turnover, defensive rebound or ball out, the other team checks at the top. Offensive rebounds remain live and are exempt from the catch-location rule.
5. 5Rotation: play first to five points or three minutes. With extra pairs, the winning pair stays for at most two games before rotating out.
6. 6Progression: play 3v3 with the same rule, or give a bonus point for a score directly from a cut catch. Keep the base catch rule unchanged.

Coaching points

• Start cuts from genuine space outside the arc
• Pass to a moving target before the lane closes
• After driving, find a legal outlet outside the arc