How to Fast Break in Basketball

Teams that fast break well are not only fun to watch, but can also win a lot of basketball games. Fast breaks result in great scoring opportunities and may also fatigue your opponent. This article focuses on keys to a good fast-breaking team.

Things You'll Need

• Basketball team in good physical condition

Instructions

1. Play good defense and rebound. Since most fast breaks occur after a turnover or missed shot, a good pressure defense in conjunction with strong rebounding can lead to a lot of fast break opportunities.

2. Outlet the ball quickly. The most important aspect of the fast break is to get the ball going towards your basket as quickly as possible. The first look is straight up the court to see if a teammate has gotten ahead of the opponent to deliver that pass. If a forward/center gets a rebound or steal, he/she should outlet to a guard quickly to lead the break up the court.

3. Every player gets in a lane to maintain good spacing. When quickly moving up the court, each player has to take a lane and stay in it. Here is a good lane definition that can be used:
   
   Power Forward/Center: use a straight line to the block as your lane
   
   Guard/Small Forward: be about 3 feet to 4 feet from the sideline as your lane
   
   Guard with the ball: use middle or slightly to one side or the other as your lane

4. Move the ball up the court by all players keeping their heads up and passing. The quickest way to get into position to score is by passing the ball ahead to an open teammate. If nobody is open ahead, dribbling quickly up the court is OK.

5. Move the ball towards the basket through passing and dribbling until the defense stops you. Always be looking for an open teammate who is closer to the basket.

6. All players without the ball should be ready to receive a pass and quickly decide whether to shoot, pass or penetrate to the basket. Because the defensive is in transition, it is a great time to attack.

7. Don't give up. If you do not get an immediate shot from the fast break, keep moving the ball and look for a weakness in the transition defense. In many cases, if you have mobile forwards/centers that can beat their opponent up the court, you can get some delayed fast breaks by feeding a streaking big cutting through the lane.

Tips & Warnings

• A good fast break offense must be practiced to be effective. There is a flow in a good fast break that comes from multiple repetitions.

• Encourage a "hungry" attitude to get to the basket. The defense can be weak and vulnerable when in transition; "feast" on that.