As your basketball skills progress, it's important to increase the intensity and skill level of each basketball drill during practice; it's the only way to keep improving. Basketball is a game of skill and athleticism, so these are the two general areas you should target when trying to improve your game.
Two-Ball Dribbling Drills
There are literally hundreds or even thousands of ball-handling drills out there. One of the hardest is working on dribbling a ball in each hand while performing various ball-handling moves. A few of the key moves you should work on include weaving each ball in and out of your legs; dribbling the balls at the same time and alternating dribbles; dribbling one ball high while dribbling the other as low as possible; and walking or running up and down the court while dribbling both balls. As you become more advanced, work on increasing the speed of your dribbles. This drill helps to improve your dribbling by making it an automated response---like a reflex---rather than being something you have to think about doing. Spend at least 10 minutes per day working on this drill and you'll have better handles before you know it.
Suicides: Speed and Agility
One of the hardest basketball drills for improving speed and agility are called "suicides." This drill works best on a regulation basketball court. Start at the baseline underneath the basket. Sprint to the first free-throw line, touch it and then sprint back to the same baseline. Immediately sprint to the half court line, touch it and then return to the same baseline. Do the same pattern to the far free-throw line and far baseline and you will have completed one cycle. Do at least five cycles per practice with about a minute of rest in between. This high intensity drill will help to increase your foot speed and agility.
Three-on-Two, Two-on-One
This is a fast paced game situation drill that focuses on transition defense and fast break scoring. Start this drill with three players at one end of the court and two defenders at the other end. The three players take the ball down the court on offense and try to score a quick basket on the two defenders; they only get one shot. The player who shoots the ball has to then sprint back down the court to defend the other hoop. The two players who were on defense quickly grab the rebound and proceed to fast break down the floor in a two-on-one fast break against the player who had previously shot the ball at the other end; these two players shoot until they score. Then the next group goes. This entire drill should be done with high intensity, speed, good passing and aggressive defense. It's an effective drill for simulating the speed and stress of a game situation.
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