Give & Go

Skill drill

Learn the most basic two-player play: pass and cut to the basket.

8 min with a passer Half court
PassingTeamworkU10U12U14U16

Step-by-step walkthrough

with a passer · 1 ball, 1 hoop

Get everyone ready

Setup — triple threat on the wingCatch on the wing in triple threat: knees bent, ball protected, ready to shoot, pass or drive. 1C

● Player / attackGold: ballGreen C: coach

Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×

Set up

Player at the wing, a passer (coach or teammate) at the top of the key.

Look for: Cut immediately after you pass.

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

Player at the wing, a passer (coach or teammate) at the top of the key.

  1. Pass to the top, then cut hard to the rim.
  2. Show a target hand as you cut.
  3. Catch the return pass and finish a layup.
  4. Rotate and repeat on both sides.

Suggested reset

The finisher retrieves the same ball and returns outside the cutting lane to become the passer. The old passer becomes the cutter. Waiting pairs stand outside the playing lane and replace the active pair after both players have finished. Repeat from the other wing.

Coaching cues

  • Cut immediately after you pass.
  • Change speed on the cut — slow, then explode.
  • Give a target hand for the return.

Adapt the challenge

Harder: Add a defender on the cutter.

Easier: Walk it through with no defender until the cut comes the instant the pass leaves.

Backdoor: Have the receiver overplay the return so the cutter goes behind them for a backdoor layup.

Watch a demo
What this drill teaches

The idea that the pass is the start of the play, not the end of your involvement. Cutting hard immediately after passing rewires the youth default of pass-then-stand — and pays it off instantly with a layup.

In games: Fixes the offence where the ball moves but nobody does — the give-and-go creates the easiest baskets in youth basketball and teaches kids that passers get the ball back.

What good looks like
  • The cut starting the instant the pass leaves the hands
  • A change of pace — walk the defender in, then explode
  • A target hand shown early for the return pass

U10: cuts will be late and half-speed — walk it until pass-then-cut is a reflex. U14–U16: expect full-speed cuts against a defender and backdoor reads.

Equipment

1 ball, 1 hoop

Setup

Player at the wing, a passer (coach or teammate) at the top of the key.

Steps

  1. 1Pass to the top, then cut hard to the rim.
  2. 2Show a target hand as you cut.
  3. 3Catch the return pass and finish a layup.
  4. 4Rotate and repeat on both sides.

Coaching points

  • Cut immediately after you pass.
  • Change speed on the cut — slow, then explode.
  • Give a target hand for the return.

Why kids love it

Kids feel like they ran a real 'play' — and it teaches that passing leads to easy baskets.

Variations

Harder

Add a defender on the cutter.

Easier

Walk it through with no defender until the cut comes the instant the pass leaves.

Backdoor

Have the receiver overplay the return so the cutter goes behind them for a backdoor layup.

Related drills

Coaching notes that use this drill