10 ELITE Transition Drills

by Bryan Weber | Aug 25, 2026

Is it possible that, in all the hype of college basketball coverage, the mainstream media have overlooked some of the players who will define the country this 2026-27 NCAA Basketball season? Absolutely, here’s a list of 5 players who will go from obscurity to Household Names throughout this college basketball season.

If you want to play fast, you have to practice fast - Here are 10 elite Transition Drills to get your team MOVING.

DRILLS: 1V1 DEFENSIVE TRANSITION

Defensor debe tocar el tiro libre antes de salir a defender.

Importante para trabajar conceptos como línea de balón y subir a PARAR/PRESIONAR balón con pasos cortos y equilibrado pic.twitter.com/bocwD59715
— Gabo Loaiza (@gaboloaizaperez) March 4, 2026

Love this warm up drill

Transition kick ahead

Gets people moving and talking and reps getting the ball up and out without dribbling

Fred Hoiberg uses this drill religiously at Nebraska

(Via @CoachSeibert 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/jUDTVIqk2j
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 6, 2026

4 on 3 contest straight into transition

Works on the important ability to scramble defensively without making it feel like a drill

(Via @hardwoodtexas 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/7ekGA3dZ5S
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 20, 2023

Playing fast is more than just running

Play fast with purpose

This is a great example at how to work on your transition offense, making sure everyone knows their responsibilities pic.twitter.com/1saM0PXhfK
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 28, 2024

Great Transition Drill

This Drill is great for decision making with numbers, sprinting back on defense to build walls

Have one coach focus on offense and one focus on defense

Efficiency with your practice time is crucial as the season progresses

pic.twitter.com/n950zkoVak
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 19, 2025

A Great Drill from George Karl, when coaching young players

This works on:

1) Hand Eye Coordination
2) Dexterity
3) Dribble to Pass Transition

Can be done as shown or both partners can do the same thing mirroring one another

pic.twitter.com/zhexfCVOn1
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 31, 2024

Box out directly in transition

Love this as a warm up at the beginning of practice

Sets the tone for a physical practice and allows the team to get used to the fast pace that will be required for a great practice

(Via @CoachPatsos 🎥 )

pic.twitter.com/fkHtn3hPdS
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) October 12, 2023

Bobby Knight speaks on the details of Transition Defense

Legend of the game and was always teaching his craft

(Via @CoachJimBoone 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/Ln3IakBD63
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 24, 2025

Love this transition drill

Offense has to sprint the floor and defense needs to sprint back and build walls

Not know if you are going to be offense or defense makes it impossible for anyone to cheat the drill

(Via @hardwoodtexas 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/pdLuKPi6Ww
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) December 21, 2023

If you want to be great at transition offense, you have to work on it!

Alabama is one of the fastest teams in the country, but it doesn’t happen over night

(Via @_NickKelly 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/OCfqxAKgZh
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) April 2, 2024