5-Ball Shooting’ Is Controlled Chaos

Your players are forced to communicate, hustle, shoot and score all while multiple basketballs are flying around the court and multiple players are participating.

Why use it

This drill combines outlet passing, sprinting the length of the floor, scoring on the move, following your own shot and keeping the pace moving. What’s also great about this drill is many players are involved so there isn’t much standing.

Set up

One person starts under the hoop with a ball. There are players located on both wings on the same side as the ball. There also are players at opposite wings on the other end of the floor. The first person in both lines at the opposite end are holding basketballs.

How to play

1 shoots a layup, then outlets the ball to 2. 3 sprints onto the floor and hustles toward the opposite basket. 2 passes for 3 in stride for a layup. 2 moves into the front court and catches a pass from 4. 1 moves to the front court on the opposite side for a pass from 5 [diagram 1]. 3 makes the layup. 2 and 1 shoot jumpers, then follow their shots. 4 steps onto the floor. 5 starts moving down the floor [diagram 2]. 1 and 2 grab their rebounds, then run to the end of the lines opposite from where they shot. 3 passes to 4 and 4 passes ahead to 5. 8 passes to 3 hustling up the floor while 9 passes to 5 [diagram 3].

Technique

The actions continue in the same manner. Mike Costello said he borrowed this drill from Paul Westhead when he was coaching at the University of Oregon.

1. Start the drill with a layup, grab the rebound and send an immediate outlet to 2 running onto the floor — 1 then starts sprinting down the right side of the floor

2. After 2 catches the initial outlet, he or she then fires a pass the length of the court to 3 and runs toward 4 on the left side of the front court for a jump shot

3. 1 and 2 take wing jumpers, then follow their shots and must track down their balls so they don’t slow down the drill

4. Keep the drill moving with 5 entering the court as the shots are being taken on the right side of the floor

5. 1 and 2 grab their rebounds and circle around the outside of the floor and get to the back of the opposite-side lines