Cradling Drill #6B: “Power Cradle” (Bull-Dodge)
ADVANCED
- Demo (1 min): Power Cradle, Creating Separation
- Start with one offensive player stationed 2-3 metres back from the mid-board soft spot on one side of the floor, and another offensive player stationed 2-3 metres back from the shooter position on the other side of the floor. The rest of the players in line should all have balls. Use pylons to mark out the footwork patterns where necessary.
Variation #1: "On-Ball Power Cradle To Triple Threat." The first player on one side of the floor or the other, first "power cradles" forward (against an imaginary defender) while protecting the ball, stops, then quickly brings their hands up to the triple threat position and takes a set-shot.
Have players work on the smooth transition from cradling to shooting, as well as executing the drill with intensity.
Alternate sides each rep and also switch positions of the lines between mid-boards (Variation #1A - 5 min) and shooter (Variation #1B - 5 min) halfway through the drill.
Dummy defenders should eventually be added (Variation #1C - 10 min), allowing for players to get the shot the first few times, gradually increasing the intensity. This variation gives offensive players a sense for the timing and momentum needed to get an effective shot over-top of the screen, often set-up with a step back after the initial "separation."
Players should play offense, and then play defense against the same line, before eventually joining the back of the same line they started in.
Variation #2 (10 min): "Off Ball Bull-Dodge To Triple Threat." Same as above except the offender receives a pass from the offensive player on the far-side, after knocking their check back with a bull dodge.
The passer then becomes the receiver and vice-versa, with the defender window washing the passer on their side.
Variation #3 (10 min): "React To The Rebound." Same as the above variations except starting with all of the balls in one shooter line (switch sides half way through the drill). The shooter shoots the ball and both shooters need to "react to the rebound."
The general rule on offense is that the off-ball shooter is responsible for reacting back against reverse transition, which is true in this drill but there are also two other caveats. The first, is that if the rebound goes to the off-ball shooters' side, the off-ball shooter pursues the loose ball and the on-ball shooter "reacts back." The second, is that if the rebound goes to the on-ball shooters side, they attack the rebound and the off-ball shooter "reacts back."
Variation #4 (10 min): "Turn The Corner." Same as Variations #1 & #2, except after power cradling forward, the ball carrier takes a hitch step towards the middle and cradles "in tight" for a shot.
Variation #5 (10 min): "Face-Dodge." Same as Variations #1 & #2, except after power cradling forward, the ball carrier face-dodges hard underneath, "in tight" for a shot.

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