Basketball: Five-Out Motion Offense
Students learn an offense with no set plays: five players spaced out on the perimeter who pass and cut, filling any open spot. It builds spacing, cutting after the pass and quick ball movement against man-to-man defense.
How to play
- Use cones to mark five spots on a half court: two corners, two wings and the top, all just outside the three-point line or about 20 ft from the basket.
- No-defense phase (5 min): groups of 5 practice the basic rule: "pass and cut to the basket; if I don't get it back, I fill the open corner and everyone rotates to fill the gap."
- Passive-defense phase (5 min): 5-on-5 half court; defenders can only touch, not steal. The offense must make at least 4 passes and 2 cuts before shooting.
- Conditioned game (12 min, 30-second possessions): 5-on-5 with live defense. A basket off a cut is worth 3 points, a basket after 5 passes is 2 and a shot with no passes is 1.
- Switch offense and defense every 4 minutes; with more than 10 students, the third team tracks passes and cuts each possession.
Rules
- The passer must move within 2 seconds (cut or switch spots).
- Each player gets 2 dribbles max to force passing.
- Cutters keep their eyes on the ball to avoid collisions; if two players head to the same spot, one clears out.
Variations
Easier
Play 4-on-4 with four spots, and the defense can only win the ball by intercepting passes, not by stealing on the dribble.
Standard
5-on-5 against man-to-man with the pass-and-cut rule.
Harder
Add a mandatory backdoor rule: if the defender denies the pass, the offensive player must go backdoor within 2 seconds.
Adaptations
- A student with limited mobility plays the top spot as a permanent playmaker and doesn't have to cut.
- For students who are hard of hearing, use visual signals (hand up = I'm cutting) along with verbal calls.
- With a less-conditioned group, make possessions 40 seconds and shorten the court.
Learning goals
- Keep proper spacing and fill open spots after every cut.
- Apply the pass-and-cut principle against man-to-man defense.
- Analyze which type of cut takes advantage of the defender's position.
Equipment for a class of 25
- basketballs: 3
- pinnies: 15
- cones: 10
- basketball hoops: 2
Teacher tip
Early on everyone bunches around the ball: freeze the play and have each player point to their cone. Don't add live defense until the no-defense rotation flows.
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