Less standing, more playing

The problem with lines

Picture twelve players in one layup line. Each of them shoots about once a minute and spends the rest of that minute standing still. Over an hour that adds up to a few dozen touches and a lot of watching.

Most of us run drills that way because it's how we were coached, and because one line is easy to control. It also happens to be where attention drifts, behaviour slips and the quieter players disappear.

Simple ways to get everyone busy

• Split the group. Three lines of four beats one line of twelve; four lines of three is better still.
• Use every basket and every ball you have. No basket? Passing, dribbling, footwork and 1v1 to a cone all work without one.
• Make groups small: pairs and threes. Small-sided games (1v1, 2v2, 3v3) give every player the ball far more often than 5v5.
• Give the players who are waiting a job: rebounder, passer, defender, counter.
• Run stations and rotate every few minutes, so nobody queues and nobody gets bored.
• Explain it once, briefly, then let them play. Fix things while it's running rather than stopping everyone.

A quick check for any drill

Before you put a drill in your plan, ask how many players are active at the same moment. If it's fewer than half, change the numbers: more groups, more balls, or a smaller version of the same idea.

You don't have to throw away drills you like. Almost any line drill becomes a good one when the line is three players long.