I think it is important for all players to play one on one both during practices during the season and during out of season workouts. I also think that it is important to make the one on one meaningful and as close to game-like as it can be. Here is an idea to improve the way players play one on one and what they get out of it.
Continuous 1-on-1 Players need to play 1-on-1 in practice and in workouts. In continuous 1-on-1 there is no “checking up top.” Once a player scores, the other player who is now on offense, takes the ball out of the net and spins it out anywhere behind the three point arc, goes out and meets the pass, squares to the basket and plays from there. Even if the shot is missed, if the defender gets the rebound, he or she spins it out behind the arc and plays from there. It is a good toughness and conditioning drill to finish a workout with and it forces players to go from offense to defense and defense to offense in a more game-like way.
Another version of this drill is to play with the same rules, but make it “make it, take it.” So, if you score, you get the ball out of the net and spin it out behind the three point arc. You lose the transition from Offense to Defense, but it does reward the defense for a stop when they get one.
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