Basketball Shooting Drills 3 Point Shooting

By Brian Williams on June 4, 2013

This basketball shooting drill is a competitive basketball workout drill where players compete in teams of two against other teams of two or against a set standard.

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This drill does not have to be used for 3 point shots and you don’t have to shoot from only these two spots. You can adjust depending on your player’s abilities and to add some variety.
The thing I do like is that by scroring it in teams of twos, it forces the rebounder to hustle and be an important part of the pair’s success.

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Basketball Plays Through Action

By Brian Williams on June 3, 2013

This play is from and older issue of the Iona Men’s Basketball Newsletter.

This play is designed as an entry into dribble drive motion, but could be used as a quick hitter to isolate two of your best or as an entry into something else that you run.

Starting in a 1-4 High alignment, 1 passes to 2 and boom cuts.

3 lifts to fill the top of the key.

On 3’s catch (it’s tough to simulate how quickly the action occurs), 5 screens in for 4 and 2 runs through.

3 looks to drive the gap. The right side (overloaded just a moment before) is now empty and devoid of help (helps if #1 is a shooter)

Coaching Basketball What is a Coach of Excellence?

By Brian Williams on May 31, 2013

This article is included in Alan Stein’s, Coaching Nuggets.

Alan is now a member of the Pure Sweat Basketball Team.

I like many of the points made in this article.

I am sure that there will be some disagreement with some of the statements, but I think that this is a very good article to inspire some reflection.

What is A Coach of Excellence?

By: Brian Vecchio, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Manitou Springs H.S.

“You can’t plays today’s game by yesterday’s rules.”

What is a Coach of Excellence?

Same person in sport, home, and work
Keeps perspective and makes it fun
Prioritizes developing servant leaders
Mentally tough-comfortable with being uncomfortable
3:1 ratio of praise to criticism

21st Century Coach of Excellence

Easy to please, hard to satisfy”
Consistency breeds excellence, excellence breeds trust, trust breeds loyalty
“Great leaders can’t give away what they don’t possess themselves”
Must have a failure philosophy! (Admit it. Fix it. Don’t repeat it!)
Great coaches find ways to get players “all in”
Establish your OWN identity
Two non-negotiables: Humility and non-stop learner
You are too close if you can’t hold players accountable!
Manipulates situations daily that athletes will encounter
Can teach all types of learners at once (audio, visual, intrapersonal)
Can get players “on fire” about something!
Coach to player-player will retain 70% of what you said
Player 1-Player 2-will retain 85% of what is said
Player 2-another player after having learned skill-95% retention rate
Principles and values don’t change, the “how evolves”
Sterile communication on a team=sterile results
Each coach is at a different place in the journey! Get better every day!
Coach attitude and effort before X’s and O’s

3 Dimensional Coaching (3 questions to ask yourself)

1. Why do you coach? (Inside-Out Coaching)
2. What is your philosophy?
3. How do you measure success?

Level I

Competency (strategy, techniques, biomechanics
Lots of info out there for coaches to improve
80-85% of coaches

Level II

Mind of the Athlete
Psychology
10% of coaches

Level III

Relationship EXPERT
Critique without resentment
“Do you know “what time it is?”
5% of all coaches

Coaching Thoughts

There is a double standard about teaching and coaching. Must be both!
Create a climate and culture that values people over productivity
Want to know if you are a good coach…ask your worst player
Only job w/ higher divorce rate is law enforcement
Do you have a bat phone? (Direct line of communication w/ team)
Are you just “coaching” or do you “care”?
Do you have self-control routines for yourself?
Assistant coaches are in charge of HC in heated moments
Give feedback
No feedback-coach that rolls out balls and lets “athletes be”
Over feedback- “paralysis by analysis”
Best know just the right time and right thing to say!
“You’re either coaching it, or allowing it to happen”
Coach Obvious/Knowledge of Result- “Catch the ball”
Knowledge of Process-checklist, specific feedback, drill that isolates problem
Speak Greatness into others
Cursing and sarcasm not effective with 21st century kid. Tune you out!
Replace “but” with “now” when talking to players. “I like your release, now try to get your elbow over your knee”
Be Uncommon. Sprint back after a made basket.
“See what people can be, not what they are.”

21st Century Players

Top 2 ways they communicate – USE THEM; DON’T FIGHT THEM
1) Facebook-Every team should have a page!
2) Texting
Right and wrong is determined by age 13
What happened to the “gym rat”? Players have evolved and changed
50 million sports participants ages 6-14, by age 15 only 7 million
#1 predictor of success is self-talk
Now dealing with 2nd crop of “trophy generation”

10 Expectations 21st Century Athletes Have

1. They want to contribute immediately
2. They want to feel important and do important things
3. They want to receive feedback immediately
4. They want to be treated as an individual
5. They want to have access to the head the coach
6. They want to experience meaningful relationships
7. They want a plan of measurable growth steps
8. They want to learn from their peers
9. They want to see results quickly
10. They want coaches to be innovative and have high expectations

Additional Thoughts

• 90% of plane crashes in US are caused by pilot error. Have a checklist!
• Can’t have a “scoreboard hangover mentality”. The past can’t affect the future!
• “I want to honor your time”.as a way of reengaging listeners when you speak
• Old coaches must learn from new coaches and vice versa (community of learners)
• “I won’t know if I’m a good parent until I see my grandchild act up in front of my son.”

Basketball Shooting Drills Xavier

By Brian Williams on May 30, 2013

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

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

Xavier Newsletter Archives

I am posting the drills as they were developed for a top Division I program. My purpose is to give you something new to adapt to fit the needs of your players and program. To me, summer skill workouts are huge to the success of a basketball program. Keeping players motivated with competitive drills that have standards to meet is the best way to motivate players to work at their games in a meaningful way.

3-6-9 Shooting

Best drill for separating SHOOTERS.

Begin with “3”.

Player starts behind cone at half.court

Player comes running ful speed at CONE 1 to attempt shot #1. As soon as his feet hit the ground he is sprinting toward CONE #2 to attempt shot #2. Repeat to CONE #3

If the shooter makes all three shots he is done with his 3… however if he makes less than three he must spnnt back around the cone at the half court line and repeat the above until he makes a total of 3 shots

Now go for “6.” Repeat the same above pattern. As an added incentive when shooting anything above a “3,” if the shooters makes all three shots in the sequence but has yet to reach their total goal I. they do not have to sprint back around the hatfcourt cone.

Onty your best shooters will make it to 12s!!

With your best shooters add this–after they begin to lose interest. Put a cone at the opposite baseline, one at top of the opposite key. and one at half court. Use these cones in this manner .. If they go 0-3. they go around cone on opposite baseline. If they go 1-3 they around cone at top of the key If they make 2-3 they go to half-court.

This also places importance on MAKING SHOTS!I!

W Shooting Drill

Another way we want to simulate game shots, at game spots, at game speed.

SERIES 1: Shooter starts at the left side of half court, runs to the left corner inside the arc. A shot is taken then the player spnnts to the half-court line (use cones early on at half-court to show them where to go). the shooter continues this W pattern until they have attempted shots from aN five spots.

SERIES 2: Shot #8 to #10 are sprints to half court then back to wing (or a 3, back to half court and continue

Basketball Drills 50 Shots

By Brian Williams on May 29, 2013

I hope this video gets you thinking about a way to incorporate the types of shots you take in your offense into this drill or into the basketball drills that you use in your program.

I like this drill because it:

1) Offers one more drill so that you have a way to get variety into your summer workouts. I think that providing variety helps keep your players interested and motivated.

2) Creates two types of pressure on the shooters–one with having to beat the time of 4 minutes and the second of having to make two shots from one spot prior to moving on to the next spot.

3) Forces concentration and effort for a sustained period of time.

I like for 30% of our shooting workouts to involve technique or form and repetition shooting, 60% to be game pace shooting drills and the remaining 10% to be for a toughness shooting drill to finish the workout. I want for the toughness shooting drill to push the player as much as I can both physically and mentally.

I would classify this drill as a technique and repetition drill. I like to have ways to score and measure all drills–including form and repetitioin.

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The video is among the basketball training videos for all levels of coaches, players, and parents that is offered by BasketballHQ. You can access their entire library with a pro membership. They offer a free 7 day trial for the the membership. If you are interested, you can see more at this link: Basketball HQ

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Basketball Defense 1-3-1

By Brian Williams on May 28, 2013

These notes and diagrams on playing a 1-3-1 zone defense were provided by Cecil Kegans.

The notes were from Coach Kegans files of watching when John Beilein played a 1-3-1 defense.

I know that there are different versions of a 1-3-1 zone and that Coach Beilein played various styles as he adjusted to fit his personnel. I also know that Coach Beilein finished his college coaching career with teams that played outstanding man to man defense.

I am presenting these notes so that if you feel these rules would help your team, then experiment in practice to see if you are right.

Maybe there is only an idea or two that you can use. Maybe this post stimulates your thinking or discussion among your staff about your defense.

I am merely presenting this idea for your use as you do or do not see fit. I am not suggesting that you take this and incorporate as is.

T (Thief/Top) – Is always halfway direct line of the person with the ball and the guard on the opposite side . He is always facing the ball never flat
C (Clogger/Center) – Is always between the ball and the rim. Always has it’s hands wide to take away high post pass

P (Pushers/Wing) – Always in direct line of the ball and the
corner pass strong or weakside

W (Warrior/Bottom) – Is always matched up with the ball. If a post is down there will play on outside to run the corner pass

As you notice here when the ball is one side of the floor the opposite wing must drop to take weak side skip becuase the warrior has to follow the ball.