Basketball Drills

These basketball shooting drills are from the Xavier Men’s Basketball Newsletter.

If you are interested in seeing the archive of their newsletters, click this link:

Xavier Newsletter Archives

Olympic Shooting

Vance Walberg drill. 3 players, 2 basketballs, 5:00 on the clock. The players simply shoot 2 man, 2 ball shooting for 5 minutes. Players keep track of their makes for 5 minutes. Reward the players with the highest scores. Also, record the scores over the course of the year and see how they improve. Run the drill for three point and mid range shots.

 

21 Shooting

Another variation of the 2 ball 3 player shooting drill. Players do 3 player 2 basketball (Olympic Shooting above) and keep track of their individual makes. Once one player makes 5, the drill stops. All three players shoot 2 free throws. Players add one point for each made free throw to their score. Shoot three rounds and the player with the most points wins. It’s called 21 shooting because if a player wins every round (5 + 5 + 5) and makes all 6 free throws, he or she ends up with 21 points.

Walberg Shooting

Break the players into teams of 3 to 5 per team. The less per team, the better. Each team gets 2 basketballs. The drill is timed for 5 minutes.There are 5 spots on the perimeter–the corner, wing, top of the key, opposite wing, and opposite corner. You can shoot 3s or midrange shots. Players start in the corner and shoot until the group makes 5.

Once the group makes five shots, they move onto the wing. When they make 5 at the wing, they move onto the top of the key, or to the free throw line if you are shooting midrange shots. They continue until they have made 5 shots as a group from each of the 5 spots. If time hasn’t expired yet (teh drill stops when the 5 minutes is up), they go to the top of the key and shoot until the 5 minute time limit is up.

This is when the drill gets fun. Teams start with a score of minus 25. Each make is worth 1 point. So, if they finish all five spots in the five minutes that were put on the clock, they will have a score of 0. Every shot they make at the top of the key (or to the free throw line if you are shooting midrange shots) is worth plus one. Once they make shots from the top of the key (or free throw line), they are now into positive numbers.

Reward the winners and set a team goal that everyone needs to break even. Once everyone is able to break even, increase the goal. When we started doing this drill, we had most groups between minus 10 and minus 5. By the end of the season, we were regularly getting groups that were between plus 10 and plus 15. The improvement was great.

If you only have one or two baskets, two teams can go at one hoop. Gets crazy, but it works!

KIng of the Hill Shooting

You need several baskets, but it is a great drill. We have 18 players and 6 baskets. Each basket has a number trhat corresponds to its rank. Basket #1 is the top basket and #6 is the bottom basket. Three players to a basket.

If you have more players, put 2 groups of 2 at the top basket.

Put 1 minute on the clock and give the players an area to shoot from (elbows, corners, wings, etc…) Players shoot fo the minute and rebound their own shots. Player with the most makes at each basket moves up one hoop. The player with the lowest score moves down one hoop (except for the last basket)

After everyone has moved 1 basket, we shoot again. You can shoot from the same spot or change it. The idea is to compete and be the player to end up on hoop #1 at the end to be the “King of the Hill.”

Mustang Shooting

Players start at 15 feet and shoot for five minutes. Every time they make 4 in a row, they can take a step back. Every time they miss 2 in a row, they take a step in. The objective of teh srill is to see how far back they can get in five minutes. After five minutes, playes switch. Simplel, but effective and can show a player her true range.

Make 2 Miss 2 Around the World

Do this drill in partners. There are five spots on the floor–corners, wing, and top. Players start in the corner. To advance to the next spot, they have to make 2 in a row. If they miss 2 in a row, they are out and their partner gets a turn. The idea is to get all the way around the arc without missing two in a row. It’s tough and competitive for the players.

These basketball finishing drills are from the Xavier Men’s Basketball Newsletter.

You can see the archives of the newsletter here:

Xavier Newsletter Archives

Scroll down the page to see the three basketball finishing drills.

 

 

 

 

2 vs. 1 Finishing Toughness

Screener hands the ball to the offense.

Defensive man starts next to the offensive man.

Once the ball is handed to the offensive player, the offensive player uses the screen to shakd the defender.

Offensive player looks to score on the help defender or to dish to #3 (probably a bounce pass on the baseline side of the defense. We fake the pass in front, but don’t throw the ball away in front of the defense

X1 can rotate to #3

Keys: Bounce pass is usually the best pass because X4 will probably close out with high hands.

Get tight off the screen. Work on both sides of the floor.

Big Finishing Toughness

The defender in the middle plays to block the shot or alter the shot.

Offensive player tries to make a strong intelligent move.

Don’t use a dribble unless absolutely necessary.

 

 

Move and Counter Move Toughness

Coach throws a high arcing pass to the offense.

Offense rips the ball while defense gets into the shirt of the offense.

Offense drives by the defense (the defense cannot move laterally.

Offense finishes over the help defender at the rim, use a counter move if needed.

Keys:

Be tough with the initial rep and with the finish

Use counter move on a big defender.

I found these toughness drills on the Xavier Men’s Basketball Newsletter Site.

If you are interested in seeing other issues of the newsletter, click here:

Xavier Newsletter

I hope that these drills give you some ideas that you can modify and adapt to fit your program.

 

 

 

 

Full Court Guard Toughness

1 guard attempts to advance the ball against 2 defenders

Either split the defenders or attack the slower of the two

Cannot use the shaded area of the floor

Make sure that players understand that this is an overload toughness drill. If players are double teamed in a game, look to pass the ball.

I like to make the drill competitive and use the following scoring system. Each individual in the group of three is competing by him or herself against the score of the other two individuals.

4 points if the offense draws a foul (We don’t want the defense to foul when trapping) or scores a basket

3 points if the offense beats the 10 second count and can keep the dribble alive (without a five count) for a total of 15 seconds without a turnover.

2 points if the offensive player crosses half court and has to pick up the dribble, but holds the ball without being stripped, tied up, or getting a five count.

1 point for the offense for a 10 second or 5 second turnover (we don’t want to lose the ball in live turnover

0- points for losing a live ball. If the defense scores that lost ball, each defender receives 2 points.

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Straight Line Toughness

The goal is to advance the ball up the floor. Offense gets 1 dribble. Defense needs to stop the ball from being advanced.

Players on offense must stay in their designated lane.

Offense must make game cuts to get open. Look to beat the defense deep using north and south dribbles.

Option: You can make a rule that the ball always has to go to to the middle player.

To make this competitive, time the offense to get to the opposite endline, or give the offense a point per pass. They stay on offense until the defense deflects a pass or creates any kind of turnover or violation including traveling.

 

3 on 2 Fullcourt Toughness

Offense gets two dribbles.

Defense traps and rotates.

When in a trap, don’t shift weight back.

Determine a scoring system that fits the purpose of the drill for your program. Put players in teams of 3 with one offensive player out for each possession,

If you are a trapping and pressing team, give the defense points for deflections and turnovers caused. If your purpose is to work on being strong and tough with the ball, use a scoring system similar to the one above for 2 on 1 offense.
Always fit the scoring system of your drills to reward playing the style you need to play to win and reward the fundamentals and techniques that you emphasize and teach.

This shooting drill is from the September St. Edward’s University Men’s Basketball Newsletter.  I hope that you can use it to add to and to compliment your basketball shooting drills.

Scroll down for a diagram of this basketball drill

This drill is designed to work on the baseline drive and drift with guards and wings.

Player (1) will attack off the dribble from the corner. Player (1) will rip, dribble baseline, and pass the ball to the coach in the corner.

Player (1) must hit the coach in the hands. If the ball is delivered right into the coach’s hands, Player (1) will be rewarded with a shot on the ball side wing.

The description is continued below the diagram

If the pass is not on target, the coach will drop the pass.

Recommendation: Do this drill for two minutes at two different hoops.

Have two groups compete against one another for the highest score. The team that losses will run.

These basketball drills for post players are from a clinic given by Coach Kevin Eastman.

Coach Eastman was an assistant with the Boston Celtics and LA Clippers specializing in player development.

He became the Clippers VP of Basketball Operations and has since retired from the NBA.

He now is a professional speaker for coaches, teams, as well as business organizations.

He is one of my favorite coaches to learn from.

 

 

 

Follow Your Pass

Coach feeds the post
Post catches with one hand and
throws a one hand push pass to 4
# 4 catches and rips thru to a left hand lay up
Rotation is follow your pass
 

Continuous Jump Hooks

Alternate right and left hand
Can also call in the air “right” or “left”, and that must be the direction that he turns

 

Circle One on One- Slide in circle, when coach passes, second guy is on defense (no diagram)

 

Shoot for Fouls- Don’t let the defender into your shooting hand

 

Clifford Ray Drill- Offensive players slides elbow to elbow. When the coach passes to the player, he will execute various post moves.
 

2 Ball Rapid Fire Passing- Catch with one hand, and pass back with that hand.

 

 
 

1 on 1 Baseline Touch- Whoever gets there first picks the ball up and you play 1 on 1. You get open
on the baseline, and work your way back to the ball.