Attack the Closeout
Read a closeout and attack it with the right handle: drive or shoot.
- Duration
- 12 min
- Steps
- 4
- Equipment
- 2 items
- Difficulty
- Advanced
How to run it
- 1
Catch on the wing; defender sprints to close out.
- 2
Read: long closeout = drive past them; short closeout = shoot.
- 3
If they close out high, drive low; if low, shoot over.
- 4
10 reps each read.
Coaching points
- Read the closeout before you move — long = drive, short = shoot.
- Drive past the closeout, not into it.
- Be a triple-threat on the catch so both reads are live.
Equipment
- Basketball
- Defender
Why it works
The closeout read is the most repeated offensive decision. The nugget: the defender tells you what to do by how they close out — long means drive, short means shoot. In a game, a kid who reads and attacks the closeout always takes the right action, making them unguardable on the catch. This is how good shooters become great scorers — they don't just shoot, they read and attack.
Attack the Closeout
Purpose: Read a closeout and attack it with the right handle: drive or shoot.
▶How to run it
- 1Catch on the wing; defender sprints to close out.
- 2Read: long closeout = drive past them; short closeout = shoot.
- 3If they close out high, drive low; if low, shoot over.
- 410 reps each read.
✓Coaching points
- ✓Read the closeout before you move — long = drive, short = shoot.
- ✓Drive past the closeout, not into it.
- ✓Be a triple-threat on the catch so both reads are live.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
The closeout read is the most repeated offensive decision. The nugget: the defender tells you what to do by how they close out — long means drive, short means shoot. In a game, a kid who reads and attacks the closeout always takes the right action, making them unguardable on the catch. This is how good shooters become great scorers — they don't just shoot, they read and attack.