Breakout Practice-Without Breaking the Bank

As we all know the “Breakout” of a point is usually a key factor in the outcome of the point. The team that gets the most eliminations while surviving the breakout normally wins the match. Now I am sure you have all watched a professional match and said to yourself “Wow, look how smooth they breakout and cover each other while still getting eliminations”.

The key to perfecting breakouts is doing as many reps as possible on the field layout you’re going to play and trying every possible route, stack, and bunker on the field. However I know most of the players and teams out there are not financially stable enough to shoot 100′s of cases a week, nor are teams sponsored with million ball contracts any longer. However, there is a small trick to beating the system ;-).

Breakout Drills With A Purpose

• - First off you need to have the exact amount of players that will be playing at that time. 3man (6 players), 5man (10 players), 7man(14 players) etc…
• -You will perform the breakouts as identical to a tournament as you can, barrels touching the starting box, full packs, chrono at the appropriate level, and be as honest as possible coming out on (hard) bounces.
• -A person on the sidelines will give you a 5second warning, and then start the game with a horn or whistle (Not a Gogogo or verbal command).
• -You will break out and continue to play for 20 seconds. This gives you time to lane, gunfight, and make a secondary “stutter step or quick move” if part of the play.
• -After each point, you discuss who was shot, where the lanes were (Whether behind, too low, too high, or in front of you), and if something worked.

Keep The Stats

• Write down which bunkers were the most likely to be eliminated and safely made. 
• Which bunkers are best for winning fast points & which ones are used for slowing the game down. 
• Which lanes were most effective at shooting players off the break and from where. 

After having a good feel for the layout, breakouts set up with the best percentages, and a good knowledge of the breakout shooting lanes, I assure you the next session of practice will be way more beneficial and you should have barely dented your paint allowance. You can even cut the breakout time by a few seconds if needed.