Basketball Drills

These are some of the notes that I took from a presentation by Alan Stein at a PGC/Glazier Basketball coaching Clinic in Chicago.

Alan Stein on Basketball Performance Training

1. Players have higher priorities than training. They can remember about 3 things on training, then it is overload.
2. As coaches, we must exercise selection in our administration of our training programs.
3. Basketball Performance Skills are built brick by brick, not in a short period of time.  If every brick is laid perfectly, you have a sound wall.  If they aren’t laid correctly, all you have is a pile of bricks.
4. Every rep of every drill and every workout is a brick.
5. Stay focused on the important areas.
6. Screen, prioritize, prescribe
7. Be time efficient with your program, training is a small piece of the puzzle.
8. There is no such thing as perfection, but that is the goal.
9. Basketball isn’t a perfect game.
10. Basketball is a game played with bursts of high intensity and then brief rests (fouls, timeouts, dead balls, free throws, etc..).  Your workout regiment should mirror that.
11. Make your workouts productive.  Get your players to buy in, then get them results that they can see and feel.  Once you have them hooked, they will give you high focus and high effort.
12. Age appropriate.  Evaluate stages (of physical development) rather than ages.
13. Basketball training is not just lifting weights.
14. Training is much bigger than only strength and conditioning
15. Young players need training on how to start, stop, jump, and land most quickly and safely.
16. The movement patterns are similar in youth basketball all the way up to professional basketball.
17. The training program must be comprehensive–Alan is a performance coach, not just a strength and conditioning coach.
18. A comprehensive program involves testing & assessment, improving performance, reducing injury, inspiring progress
19. In basketball, it is not important to determine who the strongest player on the team is.
20. Players who have the highest level of strength aren’t the best basketball players.  Kevin Durant was 68th out of 70 in bench press at the NBA combine prior to being drafted.  Short arms are an advantage in weightlifting.  Long arms are an advantage in playing basketball.
21. We are all born with different abilities
22. The goal is to determine where they are at the start of the program and track the improvement of each individual.
23. Assess and Identify each player’s needs and monitor their progress
24. Asymmetry (For example, one leg is stronger than the other leg.  Another example is the front being stronger than the back) is a leading cause of injury.
25. The #1 cause of injury is a pre-existing injury.
26. Proper training evens out asymmetry
27. In basketball, skill is king.
28. To improve strength and power, Alan recommends body weight squats, and front loaded squats.  Do not do back squats.
29. Improving athleticism–running, jumping balance.
30. FG% is tied to balance.
31. Alan believes that pre-season programs should be time efficient.  Get them in, get them a great workout, and get them out.
32. Work on starting, stopping, changing direction, accelerating, and decelerating.
33. Steve Nash was a great athlete regarding balance, deceleration, and hand/eye coordination.
34. Alan’s Complete Player Pyramid (click the link for an article he wrote on it) is Body-Skill-Brain-Hear/Motor.
35. We can model heart, but that is not something that can be controlled.
36. Your training program is a foundation.
37. Purposeful, Practice, Progressive (and Regressive)
38. Purposeful--Does it bulletproof players’ bodies against injury? Does it improve players’ capacity to perform skill?  If you improve players athleticism, they can perform skills properly for longer periods of time.  Just because something is hard does not make it purposeful.  You can have a purposeful program and still have some fun.   In Alan’s opinion, the 2 mile test isn’t purposeful.  It requires different energy demands than basketball does.
39. Practical–Do what you can with what you have.
40. Progressive–To foster continual improvement, and regressive to help players who struggle.
41. Your training program must be safe.  You can’t prevent injuries in basketball, but you can take steps to reduce the number of injuries and the severity of those injuries.  Training injuries are unacceptable.  Alan is not big on the power clean or snatch.

This post contains three videos of two defensive drills.

The first video is with Tad Boyle of Colorado and his version of the 3 on 4 contest drill.

The second video is with Joe Dooley, Kansas Men’s Assistant, running his version of the 3 on 4 contest drill.

The final video is of Steve Prohm, former Head Men’s Coach at Murray State.

Make sure your sound is on as you watch.

All videos are YouTube videos.

Make sure that you are on a server that allows You Tube access.

Tad Boyle Colorado 3 on 4 Contest Drill

This first video is with Tad Boyle, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Colorado.

Use the drill to improve communication, ball pressure, active hands for deflections, and closing out at full speed. The offense cannot dribble. The purpose is to get 3 stops in a row. Players get 3 chances to get 3 stops in a row or they run.

You can make adjustments to the rules and requirements of the drill that fit your team.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here: Tad Boyle: Game-Like Defensive Practice Drills

Joe Dooley Florida Gulf Coast 3 on 4 Contest Drill

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here: Joe Dooley: 7 Seconds or Less Early Offense

Steve Prohm Rebel Drill

Coach Prohm is currently the Head Men’s Coach at Iowa State. When this drill was filmed, he was at Murray State.

The drill allows you to work on several defensive techniques in short succession and develop some energy for practice.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD that the video sample came from, click here: All Access Murray State University Basketball Practice with Steve Prohm

These drills were contributed by Marc Skelton, Head Coach for Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx, NY to the FastModel Sports Basketball Plays and Drills Library.

You can also find out more about FastModel Play Diagramming software by clicking this link: FastDraw

The premise of this drill is to mimic quick action in early offense.

This will improve your screening, how your guys/girls catch and shoot and read the defense.

On the flip side your defense will be able to not let cutters cut without being bumped and improve communication.

We play a game to seven.

There are three options to this drill outlined below. Drill #1 is a UCLA cut. Drill #2 works on the Ghost Screen and drill #3 has a backdoor option.

Editor’s note from Brian: The purpose of my posting this drill is to give you an idea for a drill to make your players’ more aggressive in your early offense if that is something that you emphasize. You probably run different movements than these and will need to change the movements to fit what you use.

Drill #1

Offense must score in seven seconds or less.

Start this drill at half-court on the point guard’s weak hand.

1 dribbles hard at 2.

2 cuts to the basket and makes a L-cut to screen for 4.

4 dives hard and 2 pops to the 3-point line.

If you play against teams that like to switch this is a great drill to put into your offense.

4 and 2 both have mismatches to exploit.

 

 

Drill #2

Drill # 2 has the same premise, score in seven seconds or less.

1 starts at half court and dribbles at 2.

2 sets a Ghost Screen, the kind Golden State uses.

1 passes to 2.

From here 2 can catch and shoot, catch and go, or hit 1 cutting to the hoop. (see next frame)

After 4 sets the back screen he/she pops to the 3-point line.

 

 

 

Drill #3

Drill #3 in my 3 on 3 seven seconds or less series is a backdoor option.

This drill helps your 4 become a better passer.

2 can work on different types of finishes-reverse lay-up.

Ball fake. Up and under move. Left and Right hand finishing.

On the catch 2 sprints out the the 3-point line and then cuts backdoor.

 

 

These skill development drills are from Scott Peterman’s 2011 Skills Development Notes Collection.

The main purpose of sharing these drills is to get you thinking about ways that you can modify the drills that you use.

This week’s eBook bundle contains 3 eBooks:

NCAA Tournament Coaches – Basketball Skill Development
USA Olympic Team Basketball Drills
130 Ways to Improve Your Program’s Attention to Detail

You can find out more information about the bundle at this link:

Skill Development Bundle

Man in the Hole Drill (Matt Painter Purdue)
Defensive toughness

1. Play 1 on 1 full court
2. The defender must stay on the court for 3 trips up and down
3. The offensive player changes with every possession
4. The defender must try to make the offensive player change directions in the back court and also stop the offensive player from scoring
5. You can force players to concentrate on moving their feet in any individual or team defensive drill by having them hold tennis balls in their hands while playing defense.

36 Second Drill

Diagrams created with FastDraw

1. 3 pairs of players, each pair has 1 ball
2. Must stay in their lanes
3. The dribbler must try to penetrate to the basket 
and then pull back and attack again
4. Rotate the defenders to the right every 12 seconds

 

4 on 4 half ­court
To work on the skill of getting open

• Coach inbounds the ball
• Offense scores by making passes
• 2 minutes (half on offense/half on defense)
• Defense scores by touching the ball (1pt) or turnovers (2pts)
• Allow the offense 2 dribbles
• Cannot pass to the same player that passed to you
(Note: this eliminates give and go and that is up to you if you want to allow that in the drill. Not allowing players to pass to who passed to them promotes movement away from the ball)
• Pass, cut, screen, and fill open perimeter spots within your offensive system and rules.
• Can have the defense switch to teach and practice getting open against switching defenses.

Validating Your Drills

If you have an individual drill with a set standard for completion, have the player shoot a free throw to “validate the win.” They have to make the free throw for the win to count.

For team competitive drills or scrimmages, you can either validate the win with one player shooting a free throw, or you can have each player on the winning team shoot a one and one free throw opportunity. Set a standard for the number of free throws that must be made to validate the win. For example, if there are 5 players on the team, the squad must make a total of 7 free throws with each player shooting a one and one.

This week’s eBook bundle contains 3 eBooks:

NCAA Tournament Coaches – Basketball Skill Development
USA Olympic Team Basketball Drills
130 Ways to Improve Your Program’s Attention to Detail

You can find out more information about the bundle at this link:

Skill Development Bundle

These decision making drills were contributed by Gerard Hillier Director of Coaching & Development at the Southern Peninsula Basketball Association, which is located on the Mornington Peninsula of Australia to the FastModel Sports Basketball Plays and Drills Library.

You can also find out more about FastModel Play Diagramming software by clicking this link: FastDraw

Whether you run Dribble Drive Motion, or not, your players are still forced to make decisions and hopefully these drills can get you thinking about similar drills that you can use that fit your system of play.

Here is what Coach Hillier said about the drills:

The importance of being able to create a “split” (where two defenders commit to the ball carrier) is paramount within our system, and just as important is the ability to find the open player (from where the 2nd defender came from) for a high percentage & open scoring option.

We encourage questions like “what was your thought process on that decision?” & “what did you see that triggered that decision?”

2 v 1 Decision Making

O1’s primary responsibility is to “finish at the rim” (basket)

X1’s responsibility is to meet O1 as early as possible and force them out of the paint

O2’s responsibility is to create a weak-side shooting option (3pt shot)

If O1 cannot score in the paint, they must kick out to O2 for a catch n shoot finish (3pt shot)

Drill starts on the 1st dribble from O1

You can move the cones to wherever suits your particular teams’ needs

O1 MUST get two feet in the paint prior to kicking out to O2, this creates an aggressive mindset & attack mentality

 

 

 

2 v 2 Decision Making

O1’s primary responsibility is to “finish at the rim” (basket)

X1’s responsibility is to meet O1 as early as possible and force them out of the paint

X2’s responsibility is to cover split-line

O2’s responsibility is to create a weak-side shooting option (3pt shot)

If O1 cannot score in the paint, they must kick out to O2 for a catch n shoot finish (3pt shot)

Drill starts on the 1st dribble from O1

You can move the witches hats/cones to wherever suits your particular teams’ needs

O1 MUST get two feet in the paint prior to kicking out to O2, this creates an aggressive mindset & attack mentality