Tyson Leavitt

Don't walk the ball up the floor. It's holding your team back. Push the pace instead. Here's how: After 5 years of tracking the programs we've worked with, we have found that teams score 50% more efficiently when they get a shot up in the first seven seconds of the possession. 50%! Therefore, the best time to score is in the first 7 seconds of the possession. Why is this the case? There's a few reasons. If you have a leak out breakaway (a wide open layup), which is the most efficient shot in basketball, those usually happen in the first seven seconds. And if we measure and tell our players, "We want to try and shoot in the first 7 seconds." I've found that players get more breakaways. All of the sudden, they're bolting faster, we're looking up, all because we celebrate and train this level of pace and urgency. Another thing that often happens in the first seven seconds is you're going to gain numbers advantages. That's one of the few times where you're gonna actually have a built in numbers advantage, especially if you're racing the arcs. And most teams don't (teach or) execute transition defense. Each time your team gets the ball, there's a moment in time and you can't always take advantage of it. You don't always play fast enough. You don't always hunt it and recognize it well enough. But there’s usually a moment in time where there's some level of disorganization. Two players are on the ball. One player doesn't see the ball. One player is hanging their head because they didn't get a foul call. A coach is yelling and screaming at a player, and so they're distracted for a moment. Parents are yelling. When there's a moment of disorganization in their defense, there's a moment of opportunity for your offense. These examples happen often, but many teams don’t take advantage of them. Coaches, it's your responsibility to make sure you capitalize on them. If we walk the ball up the court, we won't be in a position to take advantage of that opportunity. That's why we teach, “Race first and race always.” That doesn't mean we're always going to take a quick shot. That just means we're going to be in position to take advantage of those opportunities. • 7 second shots boost efficiency by 50%. • Pace creates scoring opportunities. • Breakaway layups highly efficient. • Score within the first 7 seconds. • Capitalize on defensive lapses. • Celebrate fast-paced plays. • Race the Arcs. The Big Takeaway: Stop walking the ball up the floor. The easiest way to increase your points per possession is to race the arcs and push the ball.