When to Fast Break

As a general rule, a fast break will be successful when a team outmatches an opposing team.  If one team is superior to the other at every position, a fast break should score every time.  

Even if teams are even in skill, mismatches can still occur:

• An offense with more quaffle players on broom than a defense
• An offense with bludger control ready to press on the defense’s beaters
• An offense with quaffle players that are faster than the defense’s

Typically teams do not fast break into a defense with bludger control.  However, it can be successful if the offense’s beaters have either delayed the defense’s beaters or are confident about distracting them.

If a team substitutes on defense, they are left vulnerable to a fast break until the substitution procedure is completed.

Starting a Fast Break

Fast breaks are typically initiated by a quaffle player.  The rest of a team’s quaffle players need to always be ready to support the quaffle carrier on a break.

Seasoned players will reliably recognize when their teammates start a fast break.  Most teams need to have a verbal signal for a fast break, that either players or coaches call.  

When starting a fast break after the opposing team has scored, the breaking team’s keeper must possess quaffle in their keeper zone to make it live.  Teams that forget this rule lose out on fast break opportunities.  

Example Fast Break Plan

The goal of this fast break plan is to allow the quaffle carrier to drive.  The other quaffle players provide quick passing opportunities.  A defense will have to guard against both the drive and the passes.  If the offense is faster at moving the quaffle than the defense is at assigning responsibilities, the offense will score.

Every quaffle player that participates in a fast break increases the chance of scoring.  However, by their nature, many fast breaks will end too quickly for all four quaffle players to be involved.  As such, below I describe the roles starting with the quaffle carrier and adding in each quaffle player to support them.  

Quaffle Carrier

The quaffle carrier  drives to the hoops and dunks.  They could also shoot if the defense is able to stop them from dunking.

The quaffle carrier should use hip and head fakes to fool point defenders.  When approaching the hoops, pump fakes can keep defenders guessing which hoop the quaffle carrier will try to score on.  

If wrapped by a point defender, the quaffle carrier will use their forward momentum to spin out of the wrap.  Moving laterally as a point defender is wrapping will minimize their leverage, giving the quaffle carrier more time to escape.

If a beater is defending the hoops, the quaffle carrier drives to the bludger side of the beater.  Driving to the other side of a beater gives them better angles to throw with.

If defended by a quaffle player, the quaffle carrier prioritizes a dunk.  If defended by a beater, the quaffle carrier prioritizes a shot.  

Second Quaffle Player

While the the quaffle carrier is driving, the second quaffle player runs parallel, either drawing defenders or creating an open pass option.

If the quaffle is passed to the second quaffle player, the first quaffle player continues their run, cutting inward as they approach the hoops, creating the same pass option as before.

Third Quaffle Player

As the quaffle carrier and second quaffle player run parallel to each other, the third quaffle player provides another pass opportunity by positioning behind the hoops.

The defense will have to spread out further to cover both potential passes, which opens up the quaffle carrier’s driving lane.  

Additionally, the third player can recover missed shots behind hoops.  

Fourth Quaffle Player

Most fast breaks happen too quickly for all four quaffle players to be involved.  However, the fourth quaffle player provides another pass option.  Refer to the five-zone concept from this article.

With four quaffle players, the quaffle carrier should have a pass option on either side and one behind the hoops.  The second quaffle player will have filled one of the side options and the third will be behind the hoops, leaving the other side pass option for the fourth.

Beaters

Offensive beaters press the opposing beaters, knocking them out or tackling them before they can knock out the offensive quaffle players.  Offensive beaters may also knock out point defenders to help the quaffle carrier drive.

General Fast Break Rules

• The offense should spread out, a bunched offense is much easier to defend.  
• Pass while running to maintain momentum.  Push throws, underhand throws and wrist throws may be easier and faster while running than overhand throws.
• Passes are much faster than and should be prioritized over hand-offs or pick plays.  
• Quaffle players should run ahead of the quaffle carrier.  The quaffle should be moving closer to the hoops with each pass during a fast break.  
• Drives to the outside of the hoops make quaffle carrier not a scoring threat.  Drives should stay in shooting angles to draw defenders.
• As soon as the quaffle carrier is slowed enough for the defense to set up, at least one quaffle carrier needs to become a quick pass option.  The goal at this point should be to set up the offense.  Teams should be willing to use their reset when transitioning from fast break offense to set offense.  

Defending a Fast Break

Each fast break will involve different players and positions on both offense and defense.  As such, it is much more difficult to game plan fast break defense than offense.  

The first defender available (keeper, chaser or beater) should pressure the quaffle carrier.  

Each subsequent defender available should cover pass options.

Beaters should anticipate passes and knock out receivers before they catch quaffle and should recognize when a quaffle carrier is committed to driving and knock them out.  In general, a beater is better used covering passes than stopping drives since they can cover more area than a quaffle player.  However, if an opposing quaffle carrier is a skilled driver, a beater may be the best way to stop them.  

Likewise, fast break defense benefits from strong point defender play.  If a point defender can reliably wrap, push and/or tackle, driving to the hoops becomes much more difficult.  

Fast breaks can also be discouraged by using offensive bludgers conservatively.  Some teams will not run fast breaks against a single armed beater and very few teams will run fast breaks against two armed beaters.

Takeaways

Fast breaks can provide high percentage scoring opportunities if taken advantage of.  

To be successful on a fast break, offensive players need to out position and out think their opponents.  

The best quidditch teams will mix fast breaks with set offenses to keep their opponents on their toes.