Hammer Action

Skill drill

Punish help defence with a baseline drive and a cross-court skip to a corner three off a back-screen.

12 min 4+ Half court
PassingTeamworkU14U16

Read & react

4+ · 1 ball, half court

Get everyone ready

Drive baselineThe wing attacks baseline to pull in the low help defender. 123X3X2X1

● Player / attack■ DefenceGold: ball

Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×

Set up

A driver on the wing, a shooter in the weak-side corner, a screener on the weak-side block.

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

Look for: Driver: get two feet in the paint to force help.

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

A driver on the wing, a shooter in the weak-side corner, a screener on the weak-side block.

  1. The driver attacks baseline to draw the low defender.
  2. On the weak side, the screener sets a back-screen for the corner shooter.
  3. The shooter lifts off the screen to the corner.
  4. The driver throws the cross-court 'hammer' pass for the corner three.

Suggested reset

For a walkthrough, finish one action and stop. The shooter retrieves and returns the ball to the starting handler. Walk back outside the cutting lanes, then cycle the starting roles before repeating on the other side. Waiting groups replace the whole group between repetitions. When adding live defence, stop on a score, turnover, foul, ball out or controlled rebound; return the ball to the start and swap attack and defence.

Coaching cues

  • Driver: get two feet in the paint to force help.
  • Time the back-screen with the drive.
  • Throw the skip pass on time and on target.

Adapt the challenge

Easier: No defence — rehearse the timing of the drive and the skip pass.

Harder: Add a low help defender who must choose between the drive and the corner.

Two reads: Put a cutter in the dunker spot so the driver has to choose between the dump-off and the skip.

What this drill teaches

Making help defence pay. The baseline drive drags the low defender in while a weak-side back-screen frees the corner shooter — so drivers learn their job is often to collapse the defence and throw the skip, not to score.

In games: Cures the head-down driver on game day — when the defence collapses on a baseline drive, your team has a rehearsed answer: the cross-court pass to the open corner.

What good looks like
  • Driver getting two feet into the paint before deciding
  • Back-screen timed with the drive, not after it
  • Skip pass thrown flat and on target across the court

U14: the skip pass will sail or arrive late — rehearse with no defence first. U16: expect the driver to read a live low defender and choose dump-off or skip.

Equipment

1 ball, half court

Setup

A driver on the wing, a shooter in the weak-side corner, a screener on the weak-side block.

Steps

  1. 1The driver attacks baseline to draw the low defender.
  2. 2On the weak side, the screener sets a back-screen for the corner shooter.
  3. 3The shooter lifts off the screen to the corner.
  4. 4The driver throws the cross-court 'hammer' pass for the corner three.

Coaching points

  • Driver: get two feet in the paint to force help.
  • Time the back-screen with the drive.
  • Throw the skip pass on time and on target.

Why kids love it

Teaches the read that great teams live on — drive, collapse the defence, and skip it to the open corner.

Variations

Easier

No defence — rehearse the timing of the drive and the skip pass.

Harder

Add a low help defender who must choose between the drive and the corner.

Two reads

Put a cutter in the dunker spot so the driver has to choose between the dump-off and the skip.

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