3-Man Weave

🎒 Gear Needed: 1 x basketball, 3 players, full court with 2 rings
⏱ Suggested Time: 5 - 10 minutes
👥 Participants: Team (3 Players per group)
📍 Space: Full-Court
📊 Difficulty: Intermediate

📝 Instructions

1. Initial Alignment: Three players align along the baseline, spaced roughly 4 metres apart: Player 1 positioned in the middle with a basketball, Player 2 on the right wing, and Player 3 on the left wing.
2. First Pass and Cut: Player 1 steps into a crisp chest pass to Player 2 on the right wing. Immediately upon releasing the ball, Player 1 sprints around and behind Player 2, looping wide along the right sideline to become the new right wing.
3. Second Pass and Cross: As Player 2 catches the ball on the move near the quarter-court mark, Player 3 (left wing) is sprinting hard toward the middle. Player 2 delivers a leading chest pass to Player 3 cutting into the centre corridor, then immediately sprints around and behind Player 3.
4. Continuous Weave: Player 3 passes to the looping Player 1 advancing on the opposite side, and cuts behind Player 1.
5. Layup Finish at the Ring: The weave continues smoothly without any dribbling until the group reaches the opposite three-point line. The final receiver catches the ball in stride inside the key, takes their legal two steps, and finishes a clean overhand layup off the backboard into the ring.
6. Rebound and Return: The player who threw the final pass trails to secure the rebound out of the net, while the third player moves to the opposite wing. The trio re-aligns and weaves all the way back down the court to the starting ring.

💡 Coaching Cues

• Pass and Sprint Behind: The golden rule of the weave is simple: “Pass the ball, then sprint behind the player you passed to.” Do not hesitate or watch your pass.
• Lead the Receiver: Pass the ball out in front of your moving teammate so they can catch it in stride without slowing down or reaching behind their body.
• Zero Dribbles: The entire length of the court must be covered strictly with passing; players are not permitted to dribble until the final gather step into the layup finish.
• Loud Communication: Call the receiver’s name loudly before every pass (“Sam!”, “Jack!”), and communicate on the final approach to call the layup.

🔄 Variations & Progressions

• Make It Easier: Walk through the weave at half-court first, allowing players to pause and point to where they are running before executing the cut.
• Make It Harder: “No-Drop 3-Turn Challenge”: the group must complete 3 full lengths of the court (6 total layups) within 60 seconds without allowing the ball to touch the floor or missing a single layup at the ring.

📺 Video Demonstration