Three-Gate Gauntlet
Take one scorer the length of the floor against three fresh defenders, one per third.
What this drill teaches
One-on-one containment in the open floor. Splitting the court into thirds gives every defender a fresh, honest contest at game speed, and teaches them to steer the ball with angles and feet rather than reaching once they're beaten.
In games: Containing the ball in transition is what decides whether the other team's fast break ends in a layup — and it keeps your team out of the chase-down reaching fouls.
- Defenders taking the angle early and forcing the ball to a sideline
- Attackers made to change hands and change speed at each zone
- No reaching from behind once the ball is past
U12: attackers will win most trips and defenders will reach — try the hands-behind-back version. U14–U16: expect the ball turned twice per zone and add the eight-second finish limit.
Equipment
1 ball, full court, 4 cones
Setup
Cone the court into three zones. A defender waits in each zone and may not leave it. A line of attackers on the baseline.
Steps
- 1The attacker starts with the ball and must reach the far basket.
- 2Each defender guards only inside their own zone, then peels off once the ball leaves it.
- 3A score is two points for the attacker; a steal or a forced out-of-bounds is two for that defender.
- 4Everyone gets one turn as the attacker, then defenders rotate zones.
Coaching points
- Defenders: force the ball to a sideline and make the attacker change hands.
- Take the angle early rather than reaching once they are past you.
- Attackers: change speed at each gate, and use the whole width.
- Nobody gets beaten twice in the same direction — remember what worked.
Why kids love it
Full-court one-on-one containment is the skill that decides whether a fast break becomes a layup. Splitting it into thirds means three real contests every trip and no long queue.
Variations
Defenders must keep their hands behind their back, so it is pure footwork.
The attacker must finish within eight seconds of leaving the baseline.
Let a beaten defender chase into the next zone, creating a two-on-one.
Send a second attacker from the other baseline at the same time.