Why waste valuable practice time jogging around the court or doing two-line lay-ups? Integrate the Read & React reaction drills into as much as your practice as possible. And, be creative. TJ Rosene shows you two warm up drills that he uses every day before his team stretches, but these examples could easily be tweaked for your players, your gym, the layers you want to emphasize, or even the layers you are about to teach.
3 Goal Warm Up
Goal #1: Safety Valve
Start with a line in the corner and the ball on the wing. Wing drives left forcing the Corner to circle move left. Wing gets stopped, reverse pivots, and hits the Safety Valve for the shot. Wing rebounds and dribbles to Goal #2. Safety Valve stays to become the Wing.
Goal #2: Front or Rear Cut
Start with a Wing. Ball from Goal #1 dribbles to the guard spot, passes to the Wing, and cuts to the basket. Wing passes to the cutter for a lay-up. The passer gets the rebound and dribbles to Goal #3. The shooter fills out to the Wing to become the next passer.
Goal #3: Shape Up 3
Start with a Coach at the point. Ball from Goal #2 dribbles to the Wing spot, passes to the Point, and cuts to the basket. The Wing doesn’t get the pass back and instead fills out to set a Back Screen for the imaginary opposite Wing. After the screen is set, the screener shapes up for a 3-point shot. Shooter gets the rebound and dribbles back to Goal #1.
4 Goal Warm Up
Goal #1: Natural Pitch
Start with a line at the point and a player on the Wing. Point penetrates North-South left forcing the Wing to circle move to the Corner. Point pitches to the Corner for the shot. Shooter gets the rebound and dribbles to Goal #2. Point becomes the Wing.
Goal #2: Laker Cuts
Start with a Coach in the Post. Dribbler from Goal #1 stops at the Wing and feeds the Post. Passer chooses Laker Cut High or Laker Cut Low for the lay-up. Shooter gets the rebound and dribbles to Goal #3.
Goal #3: Dribble At
Start with a player at the Point. Dribbler from Goal #2 Dribbles At the Point forcing the Basket Cut. Dribbler bounce passes to the cutter for the lay-up. Shooter gets the rebound and dribbles to Goal #4. Passer becomes the Point.
Goal #4: Baseline Drive
Start with a player in the opposite Corner. Dribbler from Goal #3 drives Baseline. The Corner starts to Circle Move, but then must come back to the corner position to fill the Natural Pitch window. Avoiding the charge, the penetrator passes to that Natural Pitch for the shot. Shooter gets the rebound and dribbles back to Goal #1. Passer replaces the shooter in the Corner.