4-on-4 Blender is a high-intensity scramble-defense drill that creates a brief 4-on-3 disadvantage, then forces the unit to communicate, rotate, and finish the possession. It rewards clean team defense and immediate transition run-outs after live stops. Fouls erase momentum, so discipline matters as much as hustle.

Setup & Organization

Use one half court. Place a coach with a ball near midcourt and set a cone on each sideline close to half court. Offense aligns 3-out/1-in (two guards splitting the top, one wing deep, one short-corner/post). Defense matches personnel. This creates clear paint protection and closeout lanes for the scramble.

Step-by-Step Progression

The coach passes to either wing to start. The on-ball defender of that receiver must first sprint to touch the nearest sideline cone before recovering, creating a 4-on-3 for roughly 2–4 seconds. Offense is live on the catch and should immediately attack the advantage.

During the disadvantage, the three active defenders stunt, tag cutters, and protect the paint while communicating matchups. As the recovering defender re-enters, the unit snaps back to 4-on-4 and plays live to a result (shot, stop, turnover, or foul). On any live defensive stop (defensive rebound or steal), the defense immediately runs the ball in transition to the opposite end for a bonus scoring chance, then returns to set up the next rep quickly.

Reset with the coach initiating to different spots so the disadvantaged defender changes from rep to rep. Keep tempo high: whistle only for fouls, out-of-bounds, or to rotate groups after a timed block.

Scoring

Defense-only scoring during the block: stop = +1; forced turnover/charge = +2; live stop plus a made run-out score = +1 bonus (total +2 or +3 depending on the stop type). Any defensive foul resets the defense’s running total to 0. Track team totals for the timed segment; switch units and repeat.

Coaching Points

Talk early and continuously—identify ball, nail, and weak-side responsibilities. Stunt-and-recover on airtime; chest-wall the drive without reaching. Priority is no paint and one shot. On recovery, “match then help”: first get five matched, then build help. After a live stop, burst to offense immediately—first pass ahead, sprint wide lanes, finish the run-out decisively.

Variations

Change which defender is disadvantaged (top, wing, or post). Shorten or lengthen the disadvantage (touch cone vs. touch cone and half-court logo). Add a “no-paint” rule for advanced groups (any paint touch by offense counts as their score and ends the rep). Use a :12 shot clock to increase pace. Flip to offense-only scoring for a segment to emphasize advantage reads and inside-out threes.