Breakdown Drills in Basketball: Part to Whole Teaching

Breakdown drills in basketball, from 2 on 0 to 5 on 5: whole first or parts first, the ladders coaches climb, dummy then live, advantage drills and drill length.

Breakdown drills are the part of whole-part-whole teaching, and this page shows one down screen taught from 2 on 0 to 5 on 5, sets the whole-first and parts-first versions side by side, and covers the player-count ladders, dummy-then-live installs, defensive buildups, advantage drills, install rules and how long each drill runs.

Breakdown drills in basketball take one piece of an offense or defense, teach it with fewer players, then put it back into 5 on 5. Coaches call the loop whole-part-whole: show the whole action, drill the part at 2 on 2, 3 on 3 or 4 on 4, then rebuild the whole. Bob Knight credits Pete Newell as the best part-whole teacher he saw, and John Wooden taught whole, then parts, then whole again. The coaches who write it down agree on the loop and differ on where to start, which counts to climb through and when the defense goes live. This page draws one down screen at every stage, then sets the versions side by side. The drill library itself is on offensive breakdown drills. It sits in the practice plans section.

Show the whole, drill the part with fewer players, then put it back into 5 on 5 the same day. Add one player or one defender at a time.

Whole First or Parts First

The sources split on the first step.

Version 1: whole first

Rick Pitino puts in the whole first, then works on the parts, bringing in three or four players at a time in the off-season. Billy Donovan teaches the whole offense first, then each role in it. In the press-first version, the 2-2-1 goes in as the whole five-man shape first, then 1 on 1, 1 on 2, 2 on 3 and 3 on 4.

Version 2: parts first

The air-to-live version teaches a move on air, then faster than the player can control, then with an escort defender running beside him, then in a live 1-on-1 test, and says nothing sticks without the test. Tom Izzo's transition drill starts 2 on 1 and builds to 5 on 5.

Both versions end in the same place, live 5 on 5. No source compares the two on the same skill.

Breakdown Drills in Basketball: One Action, Five Stages

The frames below take one down screen up one ladder: 2 on 0, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, 4 on 4, 5 on 5. Bob Knight drills screening at 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 with five options off a down screen (over the top, back cut, flare, a reverse screen or jam, and a slip), keeps 15 feet of spacing, and has his 4-on-4 defenders switch.

Breakdown drills basketball diagram of a 2 on 0 down screen from the right elbow for a player on the right block

Stage 1, 2 on 0. 4 screens down from the right elbow for 2 on the right block, and 2 comes off the screen to the right wing. No defense.

Don Meyer's screening progression starts here: 2 on 0 without a ball, then with a ball, then four players at once. On a down screen his screener tells the cutter to wait.

Breakdown drills basketball diagram of a 2 on 2 down screen with a coach passing from the top of the key

Stage 2, 2 on 2. The same down screen against X4 and X2, with a coach (C) passing from the top of the key to 2 on the right wing.

Breakdown drills basketball diagram of a 3 on 3 down screen with the passer at the top of the key guarded

Stage 3, 3 on 3. The passer becomes a player, 1 at the top of the key guarded by X1, so the ball is defended too.

Stages 4 and 5 are under the defensive buildup and at the end of the page. More screening drills are on down screen basketball.

The Ladders Side by Side

Coaches climb different ladders to the same 5 on 5. Each row is one version.

Version	The stages
Advantage-at-every-count version	No defense, then a coach as defender, then a controlled advantage (2v1, 3v2, 4v3), then full defense, repeated at every count from 1 to 4, then 5 on 5
Restriction ladder	Mass screening with rotating roles, 2-1 and 3-1 reading drills, 3-2 with a defender on the screener, 3-0, 3-3 and 4-4 with restrictions (no dribble, a minimum number of passes, a set shot or cut), then 5-on-5 entries
Pinch post version	The pinch post 2 on 0 and 3 on 0 before 2 on 2 and 3 on 3. Concepts played 3 on 3, then 4 on 4 without a post, then 5 on 5
Partial-defense version	2x0, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5. A 3-out 2-in set is taught 5 on 2 (defense only on the posts), 5 on 3 (defense only on the perimeter), 5 on 4 (one offensive player unguarded and not allowed to score), then 5 on 5 with limits
Plus-one version	1-0, 1-0+1, 1-1, 1-1+1, 2-2+1, 3-3, 3-3+1
Fixed-skeleton version	An offensive organization block from 1/0 to 4/0, run before any team offense and labeled to be done in all drills
Mike Brey	2/0 to 5/0 footwork and timing with guards and bigs together for five minutes before the stretch

Ladders for motion offense are on motion offense basketball drills, and small-sided games that sit between the stages on reasons to use small-sided games.

Unopposed, Dummy, Then Live

A second way to break the whole down keeps all five players and changes the defense instead of the player count.

Dummy-then-live version. New sets go in 5 on 0, then against a dummy defense, then live.
Five-step motion version. Three-player reaction drills of about 90 seconds at the start of practice, 5 on 0 until pass and cut is clean, 5 on 5 against dummy defenders for 15 to 20 minutes, a 5-on-5 deflection game, then live 5 on 5. When players freeze, step back a stage. Five or ten minutes a day, it says, is not enough repetition.
One-read-at-a-time version. Add one read at a time, run the action at full speed up to the new teaching point, then stop.

The Same Loop for Cuts and Ball Screens

Each family of actions gets its own short ladder.

Cuts. Sherri Coale's cutting progressions run 2 on 0, then 3 on 0, then add defense, for every cut type: the V cut, L cut, basket cut, back cut and cuts off down, back, flare and pin screens. A continuous 3-on-0 version runs its cuts in rotation, players rebounding and then filling spots.
Ball screens. One ball-screen version starts with two lines and one on-ball defender with no help, the screener popping for a second ball, then adds a second defender. Its 2-on-2 game starts every possession with a ball screen, the defense may not switch, and the scorer keeps the ball.
Drive and kick. In Vance Walberg's 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 drive-and-kick games, the half-court defender stays frozen until the guard reaches the edge of the center circle, and each trip gets one shot.

Defense Built the Same Way

Defensive installs use the same small-to-large order.

Version	The buildup
Rick Pitino, press	1v1 for angles and tips, 2v2 to trap only the uncontrolled dribble, then 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5
Billy Donovan, press day	An 8 to 15 minute breakdown (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 plus back-pursuit, back-tip and stunt drills), then an 8 to 15 minute 5-on-5 block
2-2-1 press, whole first	The whole press first, then 1 on 1, 1 on 2, 2 on 3, 3 on 4, every drill with a winner and a loser, about 20 minutes a day
Fixed-skeleton man-to-man	Stance, footwork, 1-on-1 containment, closeout, screens, 3-on-3 closeout and Knockout, then 4-on-4 shell with three stops to get out and no offensive rebounds

Breakdown drills basketball diagram of a 4 on 4 down screen where the defenders switch

Stage 4, 4 on 4. 3 joins on the left wing. In this version the defenders switch the down screen: X4 takes 2 and X2 stays with 4.

Shell stages are on shell drill basketball, press drills on full court press defense drills, and the rest of the defensive library on defensive basketball drills and man to man defense drills.

Advantage, Then Even

Some breakdowns start the offense ahead and let the defense catch up.

Build-up-and-back version. 2v1, 3v2, 4v3, 5v4, 5v5, then back down to 2v1, nine possessions in all, on the view that practice should be harder than games.
Chaser version. A 2-on-0, 2-on-1, 2-on-2 series with a chaser who cannot leave the end line until the offense clears the top of the key.
Controlled advantage. In the advantage-at-every-count version, 2v1, 3v2 and 4v3 sit between the coach-defender stage and full defense at each count.

Scored versions of these games are on competitive basketball drills.

Install Rules

Compete fourth. A five-step teaching version runs presentation, repetition, reinforcement, competition, then evaluation.
One option before a choice. One install rule says to pick one option and get players to execute it before giving them a choice of options.
Teach both sides. Players do not flip sides on their own, because the footwork and the read both reverse, so each side is shown and drilled.
The live defense earns the ball. In one whole-part-whole version the defense needs 5 or 6 stops before it runs offense, so there is no dummy defense in the live stage.
One or two reads a day. The same version teaches one or two reads per practice in breakdown drills before going live.

How Long a Breakdown Drill Runs

Version	Length
55-second stations	55 seconds per station
Phil Martelli	2 to 4 minutes for opening drills
Hubie Brown	2 to 5 minutes, never past 5, always on the clock
Bob Knight	5 minutes for individual drills, 10 for team drills
Partial-defense version	5 to 7 minutes for 1, 2 and 3 man drills, no more than 10 for 4 and 5 man drills
Vance Walberg	Never more than 6 minutes on one drill
Daily drive-and-kick block	15 to 20 minutes a day of the same breakdown

Where these blocks fall in the session is on basketball practice structure.

Breakdown drills basketball diagram of the same down screen run inside 5 on 5

Stage 5, 5 on 5. Back to the whole, with the same down screen, 5 on the left block and every defender live. 1 hits 2 on the right wing.

Questions Coaches Ask

What are breakdown drills in basketball?

Drills that take one part of an offense or defense, such as a down screen, a closeout or a trap, and teach it with fewer players before it goes back into 5 on 5.

What is whole-part-whole teaching?

Show the whole action, drill its parts in small groups, then run the whole again. John Wooden taught this way, and Bob Knight credits Pete Newell as its best teacher.

Should you teach the whole offense first or the parts first?

Coaches split. Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan put the whole in first. Tom Izzo's transition drill and the air-to-live version build up from the parts.

What order should breakdown drills go in?

Most ladders add one player or one defender at a time, for example 2 on 0, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, 4 on 4, 5 on 5. Some add a controlled advantage (2v1, 3v2, 4v3) between stages.

How long should a breakdown drill last?

Versions run from 55 seconds per station to 10 minutes for team drills, and one drive-and-kick block runs 15 to 20 minutes a day.

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