Everyone Touches
A scrimmage where a basket only counts if every player on the team touched the ball first.
What this drill teaches
Offence that involves the whole team. Because a basket only counts after every teammate touches the ball, cutting to get open and finding the unmarked player stop being nice ideas and become the only route to scoring.
In games: Fixes one-player-does-everything offence — and the quiet kids, usually the ones nobody guards, start taking open shots instead of watching.
- Players tracking who hasn't touched it yet, without prompting
- Cuts to get open instead of standing and waving
- The last touch often being the most open player on the floor
U8: possessions will stall while they count touches — coach counting out loud helps. U14: expect quick, purposeful touches at pace with the harder touch rules added.
Equipment
1 ball, half or full court
Setup
Two teams of four or five, normal scrimmage rules.
Steps
- 1Play live basketball as usual.
- 2A basket only counts if every teammate has touched the ball during that possession.
- 3A shot taken before everyone has touched it is a turnover.
- 4First team to five valid baskets wins.
Coaching points
- Get the ball to whoever hasn't touched it yet — check in your head every possession.
- Cut and get open rather than waving for it; the pass has to be findable.
- The last player to touch it is usually the one nobody is guarding, so they are often the best shot.
- Keep the pace up; slow passing lets the defence set.
Why kids love it
Talented youth teams funnel everything through one or two players. This makes the whole team's involvement a rule, and the quiet kids end up with open shots.
Variations
Three players per team, and the coach counts the touches out loud.
Everyone must touch it and at least one pass must be to a player inside the key.
Everyone must touch it below the free-throw line.
No player may touch it twice before everyone has touched it once.