Basketball Drills

Basketball Drills Rebounding Drills

By Brian Williams on February 14, 2014

These basketball rebounding drills are from Dallas Wings Assistant Coach Mike Neighbors.

8 Minute Rebounding

5-on-5 competitive drill where points are totalled at the end of 8 minutes.

Offense is around the perimeter behind the 3 point line. Defense must start in the key.

Offense will get 1 point for the rebound.

They can also play the rebound and score for more points.

After offense gets the ball, the play is over when offense scores or defense recovers.

Defense must rebound and transition down the court. Whatever they score at the other end is their points. If the offense recovers the ball, they do not get to transition back.

Point guard always gets back on defense in this drill. The defender of the point should go to double team whoever is the biggest threat.

Circle the Wagons Rebounding Drill

I think this is a good way to work on looking for someone to block out either out of a zone or from a man to man defense that traps and rotates.

Basketball Drills Triangle Ball Toughness

By Brian Williams on February 12, 2014

This post was created by Kyle Gilreath. He is NBA Client Services Manager for FastModel Sports.

He is the Head Basketball Coach at Astronaut High School in Florida. He served as an undergraduate manager as well as graduate assistant for the Florida Men’s program under Billy Donovan.

I found the drill on FastModel’s plays and drills library.

It contains over 2000 drills and plays in the library. Here is the link. FastModel Drills and Plays Library

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

Kyle also has a very good blog you should check out. Here is the link to it: Words on the Bounce

Here is what Kyle wrote about the drill:

This is a great offensive and defensive peer pressure drill that can help your players improve their toughness.

x1 and x2 trap 1.

1 must be strong with the ball trying to pass to 2 or 3.

1 must utilize pass fakes to lead x3 and pass to the open man.

If 1 passes to 2, x2 and x3 become the new trappers.

Drill continues until the defense gets a deflection or causes a turnover.

Basketball Drills Quick Strike Transition Drill

By Brian Williams on February 11, 2014

The name of the drill is Quick Strike and its purpose is to work on both transition offense and conversion defense.

The drill is from Arkansas’ Mike Neighbors.

I heard him speak at a clinic and he said that if he were allowed to use only 2 drills, this would be one of them.

The description below the video is a slightly different version of the drill that he used to run.

Like all of our drills, this one has evolved and improved over time.

The video of this rebounding drill is hosted on You Tube.

You will need to be on a network that allows you to access You Tube.

Click the play arrow to view the video.

There is narration with the video, so please make sure that your sound is on.

Quick strike emphasizes both transition offense and defense. It also reinforces shot selection, decision making. and eliminating turnovers.

The drill is about the scoring and teaching opportunities that it presents as you try to teach transition offense and defense.

You must have a score clock (shot clock is best) or a stop watch that counts down.

Divide players into two-colored teams all on one end of the floor. Begin the drill by tossing the ball to the white team putting them into transition attack mode and blue team into transition defense.

The clock starts at 15 seconds since we are emphasizing transition offense and a quick attack.

If blue scores they are awarded points based on how much time has elapsed from the 15 second clock… For example, if they push the ball up quickly and score with 10 seconds left they get 10 points. The action never stops and White now attacks in transition as Blue defends.

No points are scored if the team does not score. You will need to decide how you score points for fouls. One way would be to award all 15 points to the offense if the defense fouls, regardless of how much time remains on the clock.

Again the clock is re-set as they begin their attack. This continues for a set # of possessions, to a certain score, or a set amount of time…

You can imagine the importance this places on communication and decision making.

LOTS of teaching points for your transition.

“Milk the Clock” using the Quick Strike Basketball Transition Drill

You can also use it as a drill to teach and rehearse milking the shot clock if you have a lead. Even if you are a high school coach in a state without a shot clock, you can use this drill to have your players practice running clock at the end of the game without going into an actual stall.

To practice milking the clock, run the same drill, but the team scores for how much time they took off the clock when they score. For example, if you have a 30 second shot clock or want to practice running 30 seconds off before you score without a shot clock.

An example would be: Put 30 seconds on the clock and give one team the basketball. Stop the clock when the ball goes in the basket. If it goes in at 8 seconds left on the clock, they score 22 points. If it goes in at 5 seconds left on the clock, they get 25 points. When there is a change of possession, either on a made basket, a defensive rebound, or a turnover, start the clock again at 30 seconds for the other team.

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Defending Pick and Roll 5 Options

By Brian Williams on February 6, 2014

This post on defending pick and roll was sent to me by Nate Hill, Assistant Boys Coach at Colonel Crawford High School in North Robinson Ohio. He has coached for 18 years from 7th grade through Varsity Head Coach.

Nate has contributed several articles for the site.

Coach Hill said: I typed this up while preparing for our next opponent who runs lots of ball screens.

These are 5 different ways I’ve seen the pick and roll defended.

Pretty basic stuff, but it helped me out going through the different strengths and weaknesses.

He started a Coaching Newsletter this past Fall. Here is a link to the archives if you are interested.

Next Level Basketball 419

In case you have any questions or comments for Coach Hill, or would like to subscribe to his newsletter, here is his email address:

[email protected]

I posted an article a year ago from retired NBA Coach Del Harris about defending pick and roll. Here is the link: Del Harris defending pick and roll

Diagrams created with FastDraw

Jam and Under

X5 chests up 5 and tries to JAM screener.

X1 goes UNDER screen.

X3 helps on 1

Give up: pull up jumpers, turning corner on drives

Take away: screener rolling / slips. force ballhandler to shoot off dribble

Hedge and Recover

X5 steps out and HEDGES screen, forcing the ball handler to change direction.

X5 must then sprint back to 5.

X1 fights over top pick and stays in 1 hip pocket.

X3 helps on screener

Give up: passes to roll man, possible guard splitting defenders and driving, pick and pop. Need extra defender
for roll

Take away: guards shooting off dribble, make players make tough “pocket pass”

Jump Switch

X5 jumps out in front screen and takes x1, x1 now guarding 5.

X3 helps on 1

Give up: this can create mismatches with guards / posts, slips off screens, and screeners rolling to post and posting up, post players defending guards off dribble.

Take away: open looks off screens. If players can guard in post and perimeter a good option

Blitz/Double Team and Tag

x5 and x1 jump into lane and try to trap 1.

Key is force weak pass or have the ball handler pick up the dribble. x3 helps on screener rolling

Give up: pick and pops, slip pass, passes over top screen with bigger guards, slow rotations. Teams can make a pass out of the trap, and a quick extra pass to open players with good spacing.

Take away: good shooters and drivers, forcing 1 to make solid pass, and 5 to make a shot / play. Forces players to make passes with weak hands.

TAG: closest defender helps out with roll man

Down/Ice

X1 jumps on topside of screen making 1 refuse the ball screen.

X5 helps on the DOWN / ICE call and they can trap or hedge the ballhandler.

X3 helps on the screener. This is very common on side pick and rolls in the NBA.

Give up: Screener rolling to basket / slips, midrange jump shots for screener, passes to ballside corner.

Take away: forces the midrange pullup or jump shot. Can force players to use weak hand. This is not used very much at the high school level.

Again, here is the link I posted a year ago from retired NBA Coach Del Harris about defending pick and roll. Here is the link: Del Harris defending pick and roll

Basketball Drills Defending Low Post

By Brian Williams on January 31, 2014

I like the shell drill to teach and rehearse most of the movements we have to defend.

These two drills are ways that you might experiment with on defending the post in your shell.

If they fit your defensive objectives in that drill, you can experiment with them 5 on 5 in practice before deciding whether or not they are something that will be effective in a game.

These defensive drills are from a collection put together by Nate Hill, Assistant Boys Coach at Colonel Crawford High School in North Robinson Ohio. He has coached for 18 years from 7th grade through Varsity Head Coach.

He has also started a basketball coaching newsletter.

You can see his first edition as well as subscribe to the Newsletter at this link: Next Level 419 Coaching Newsletter

In case you have any questions or comments for Coach Hill, here is his email address: [email protected]

Shell Drill LA

LA is when the ball is entered and you choose one man to double the post.

It is the worst offensive player or the PG.

This is called in practice and games.

If 1 is worst offensive player, we double team the post with his man.

The double-teamer must have his hands high and make the post use his arms to throw a weak pass.

Shell Drill Duke

Bob Hurley uses different calls out of his shell defense.

Duke is when the ball is entered and all 5 guys collapse with their hands raised around post, then return to their man.

All 5 players collapse on the ball with their hands up, making the big man throw the ball out using all arms.

Look for bad pass, and steals or tips. Used 2 – 3 times a game to stop big men.

Basketball Drills Hit Ahead Scoring Series

By Brian Williams on January 24, 2014

This is a drill to work on several moves and ways to score.

It was posted in the Fast Model Drills and Plays Library by Fabian McKenzie, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Coach McKenzie has been a head coach at the university level for 15 years, and has been involved as a coach at this level for 20 years.

He has been involved with the Canadian Women’s National team program for the past 6 years.

The Fast Model library has hundreds of plays and drills from coaches all over the world and from various levels of coaching. You can check it out here: Fast Model Plays and Drills Library

You can use this basic structure and incorporate other scoring moves that your players use like floaters or step back shots.