Great NBA coaches such as Phil Jackson and Pat Riley often stress the importance of basketball drills when honing the skills of each individual to play at the highest possible level. As a coach looking to develop your team into a finely tuned machine, utilize several drills to get each and every player in your team up to par.
Suicide Drill
The suicide drill is a basic basketball drill to develop your players' footwork and stamina. Line up your players at the baseline. When you blow the whistle, the players sprint to the free throw line. They touch the line with their hands and sprint back to the baseline, touching it. From there, they run to the half court line, touch it and then sprint back to the baseline. The process continues until each player reaches the opposite baseline, touches it and sprints back.
Lateral Suicide
The lateral suicide drill is a variation of the standard suicide. Instead of sprinting, the players move to each line of the court laterally with their knees bent and buttocks low, as if they were defending an opponent.
Free Throw Drill
Each player shoots and must make ten consecutive free throws. Another player is under the basket to rebound and pass the ball back to the shooting player. This drill is effective when the players have finished other grueling drills so they get used to the experience of shooting while exhausted.
Seven-Spot Shooting
The seven-spot shooting drill is an exercise to get your players comfortable in shooting jump shots from various areas of the floor. Divide the team into two groups and have each group line up at the corner of each basket. Establish seven shooting positions: starting corner, opposite corners, top of the key, free throw line and three spots on the perimeter. Each player in each group must make the shot in that position before the group can move on to the next position.
Two-Player Pass and Shoot
Two players alternate shots in this pass and shoot drill. One of your players passes the ball to another player positioned to shoot at a specified spot. Once that player shoots the ball, he runs to rebound his shot and passes to the other player running to his selected spot. That player shoots, rebounds and passes to the other player. The process continues in an alternating fashion for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Wall Target Drill
The wall target drill strengthens your player's passing capability as well as his accuracy. Tape an X on a wall. Have your player stand about 10 feet away. Using the chest pass technique, the player aims for the target. Vary the difficulty of the drill by moving the player farther away.
Three-Man Weave
Three players run up the court while passing for the three-man weave drill. Two players start at each corner of the baseline with other player in the middle. The middle player starts with the ball and passes to another player. As he passes, he runs toward the pass. The one catching the ball passes to the other player, the third one, and runs toward the court. The process continues until the group reaches the other basket, where a player can finish the drill with a layup.
Figure 8 Drill
The figure 8 drill is a dribbling drill for individual players. The player crouches down and starts dribbling the ball low around his right foot and in between his legs toward his left foot and back to the original position. To increase difficulty, have him complete the figure faster by adding a time limit.
Scissors Drill
The scissors drill is a simple drill where you have your player dribble between his legs continuously to move the ball from left to right. The player starts the dribble on his right side and bounces the ball between his legs to be caught by his left hand. His left hand then moves the ball back to his front and does the same thing to move it back to the right side.
Two-Ball Dribbling
The two-ball dribbling drill trains your player to be ambidextrous, allowing him to feel comfortable dribbling and controlling the ball with either hand. Your player starts off with each hand dribbling a ball. Once he is able to control both balls, instruct your player to dribble toward the length of the court. To make the drill more difficult, have him run while dribbling.
References
- Best Basketball Drills: Basketball Dribbling Drills
- Better Basketball Coaching: The 3 Man Weave Basketball Drill
- Pal Degerstrom: 7 Spot Shooting
- Coach's Clipboard: Basketball Ball-handling Fundamentals and Drills
- Basketball Plays and Tips: Increase Your Overall Stamina with These Proven Basketball Conditioning Drills
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