4/4 Cut Throat is my favorite practice concept to work on half-court offense. We are getting all 12 players involved and combining our 'create actions' with free play.

One of my favorite practice concepts to work on half-court offense is to play 4/4 Cut Throat. The 4/4 element lets us get every player into the action, while also adding a competitive edge to practice. What we are trying to do with this concept is work on a specific aspect of our offense, while also allowing players to play freely if no advantage emerges. Regardless of what offensive system you use, you can easily shape this drill to fit your team's needs. Over the past five years, I have used this concept with both Motion Screening and Dribble Drive actions - and will most likely be incorporating some Princeton Point Action this season.

We use this drill almost daily as a way to work on our Core Concepts; things like drive & space reactions, pass and cut movement, and post-entry spacing. We're also going to use this as a way to teach players how to create and extend advantages through our offensive actions. In this post, we're going to give a detailed explanation of how I use the 4/4 Cut Throat concept in practice and then provide some examples of how you can incorporate it into whatever offensive system you use.

You might also be interested in:

• Incorporating the Princeton Point Series

• Building Your Own Practice Drill Library

Setting It Up -

A typical Varsity or JV team is made up of about 12 players. So we are going to set up the 4/4 Cut Throat concept by splitting the team into three groups of four players. As a general rule of thumb, I am going to make the teams as even as possible to make sure that we are getting good reps, and that players are evenly matched up. Before we get into the setup of the concept I wanted to stress the importance of finding a way to make it competitive. I typically set a certain number of baskets made to win the drill, but you can certainly make the focus on defensive stops as well.

4/4 Cut Throat Alignment -

On the Floor:

We are going to start the concept with four players on offense and four players on defense. Even our post players will be working as perimeter players in this segment.

• Check the Ball in

• Play it Live

• Half Court Play Only

• Must Clear it to the Slot

Off the Floor:

The players who are off the floor will enter the drill when:

1. There is a Score

2. The Ball Goes Out of Bounds

Once the new defense enters they check the ball in with the slot and play live. The team that was scored upon, or who lost the ball out of bounds now becomes the team off the floor.

Working on Core Concepts -

Regardless of which create actions we happen to be using, there are a few Core Offensive Concepts that we need to work on annually. These Core Concepts are the key offensive movements and reactions that allow us to maintain optimum spacing throughout a possession. All three of these concepts are designed to give the player will the basketball room to operate or options to pass to. Just like the System Based actions, we'll discuss later in the post we are starting play with a particular movement and then playing free from there.

Concept #1 Pass & Cut Rules -

Goal:

The goal of our pass and cut rules is to create a perimeter double gap that we can attack with a flash or a dribble drive.

1. Pass Down, Cut-Away:

On any pass down to the wing, we are asking the passer to cut away to the opposite corner. This allows the basketball to have room to drive the elbow, enter to the post, or drive baseline.

2. Slot to Slot Pass, Brush:

On a slot-to-slot pass, we are asking the passer to make a brush cut inside the paint and then exit to the opposite corner. This gives us a double gap to work with.

3. Pass Up, Respace:

On a space from the wing up to the point, we are simply asking our passer to respace back to the corner. Ideally, this gives us space to drive or enter the ball into the post.

Concept #2 Post Entry -

Goal:

The goal of our Post Entry concept is to give the post player room to work or give him a passing option if he's doubled.

1. Pass Down, Cut-Away:

Following our pass & cut rules, we are asking the passer to cut away when he passes down to the wing. In this case, we are creating room for a post entry pass.

2. Cut or Space Options:

We are giving the passer two options after making the post entry pass. They can either make a basket cut through the paint, or they can respace to the corner. It is then up to the post player to make a pass or get to work on a scoring move.

Concept #3 Drive & Space -

Goal:

Our drive and space reactions are designed to give the driver passing options if help defense commits the drive.

1. Slot Drives: