Box keep-away
Why it works
Getting open is a habit of moving into space, and keep-away makes it the only way to score: a passer who stands behind a defender never gets the ball. The two defenders get a zone rep at the same time, because one has to take the ball and the other the passing lane, and they can only do that if they talk.
Run it
8 MINEight minutes, two or three games of three minutes with a short rest. Stop a game if it turns into long throws over the top, which means the square is too big for the group.
Say this
“Find the gap between them.”
The open space is between the two defenders, not behind either one.
“Make a triangle.”
Three passers in a triangle always leave two passing lanes; in a line they leave one.
“Ball and lane, say which one you have.”
Two defenders chasing the ball leave every lane open; one on each is how zone defends space.
Good looks like
- Passers move after every throw.
- The three passers form a triangle more often than a line.
- The defenders split the job, one on the ball and one on a lane.
- Throws are short and on target; nobody throws over both defenders.
The mistakes
Passers standing still behind a defender and waiting. Stop play and have the passer take two steps to where he can see the ball holder past both defenders.
Say: “Find the gap between them.”
All three passers drifting into a line along one side of the square. Freeze it and have them spread to three corners.
Say: “Make a triangle.”
Both defenders rushing the passer. Give the defence a point only for a breakup, not for pressure, so the lane defender matters.
Say: “Ball and lane, say which one you have.”
Play three passers against one defender with a softer ball, so most throws are completed and the lesson is moving into the space.
Shrink the square to eight yards and add a two second count before every throw, so passers have to get open quickly and defenders get time to close.