Cutthroat (3 Teams)

Scrimmage/finisher

Keep the court by getting stops and scoring — three teams rotating.

15 min 9+ Half court
DefenseTeamworkU12U14U16

Game guide

9+ · 1 ball, half court

Get everyone ready

Offence vs defenceThree on offence, three on defence, more players waiting to rotate in. 123X1X3X2W1W2W3

● Player / attack■ DefenceBlue: partner / outletGold: ball

Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×

Set up

Three teams of 3. Two play; one waits on the baseline.

A coached example. In live play, players make their own decisions; the outcome can change.

Look for: Value every possession — mistakes cost you the court.

Playback options
Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×
Coach’s notes & group organisation

Three teams of 3. Two play; one waits on the baseline.

  1. Offence must score to stay on; defence must get a stop to earn offence.
  2. Score → you stay on offence, waiting team comes on to defend.
  3. Get a stop → you become offence, other team goes off.
  4. Keep a running tally of possessions won.

Suggested reset

On a score the attackers stay; the waiting team defends. On a stop the defenders attack and the old attackers leave. Retrieve the same ball, clear the exiting team and check it before the incoming team starts.

Coaching cues

  • Value every possession — mistakes cost you the court.
  • Get stops to earn offence.
  • Bring energy the moment you step on.

Adapt the challenge

Easier: Make-it-stay only, coach reads the whistle loosely.

Harder: Award the possession only on a made basket off at least three passes.

Defence Wins Twice: A defensive stop earns the ball plus a bonus point, so the stop is worth chasing.

What this drill teaches

Making every possession cost something. With three teams and only one way to stay on the floor, there's no next-possession-doesn't-matter — offence must convert, defence must earn the ball, and effort becomes the currency of the game.

In games: Fixes the coasting possessions that lose close games — kids who've learned that one lazy possession sends them to the baseline value every game-day trip down the floor.

What good looks like
  • Full intensity from the first second a team steps on
  • Defence celebrated as loudly as scoring
  • Careful, deliberate offence — nobody wasting the possession

U12: loose whistle and simple make-it-stay rules to keep rotation fast. U16: expect the three-pass rule and defences hunting stops for the bonus.

Equipment

1 ball, half court

Setup

Three teams of 3. Two play; one waits on the baseline.

Steps

  1. 1Offence must score to stay on; defence must get a stop to earn offence.
  2. 2Score → you stay on offence, waiting team comes on to defend.
  3. 3Get a stop → you become offence, other team goes off.
  4. 4Keep a running tally of possessions won.

Coaching points

  • Value every possession — mistakes cost you the court.
  • Get stops to earn offence.
  • Bring energy the moment you step on.

Why kids love it

The 'earn your spot' format keeps every player locked in on both ends — no coasting.

Variations

Easier

Make-it-stay only, coach reads the whistle loosely.

Harder

Award the possession only on a made basket off at least three passes.

Defence Wins Twice

A defensive stop earns the ball plus a bonus point, so the stop is worth chasing.

Related drills

Coaching notes that use this drill