Basketball drills have been implemented by coaches almost since the game began. While the specific repetition of actions involved in most drills don't have a practical application to the action that takes place in a real game, drills help to develop the fundamental skills needed to succeed on the basketball court.
Purpose
Drills require players to go through repetitive motions to acclimate their bodies and minds to the types of actions and movements relative to whatever skill they are learning. Hand-eye coordination and other reflexes can be honed and sharpened through drills.
Drills can be done by individuals or as a group of two or more players. Basketball drills often take up a significant amount of practice sessions, and are often used in pre-game warm-ups, like the lay-up drill, to help players get ready mentally and physically for the game they are about to play.
Types
Shooting drills generally help players develop the proper stance and motion for shooting the ball into the basket, and can vary depending on what area of the floor you are shooting from.
Rebounding drills help players develop the skills needed to rebound the ball after a missed shot, whether on the defensive or offensive end of the floor.
Team drills often involve passing and other team interaction that helps team members get accustomed to each others' styles and levels of play.
Ballhandling drills are most often individual drills to help players develop the skills needed to dribble the ball through heavy traffic and under pressure.
Defensive drills help players learn the stances, postures and movements necessary to playing good defense, both on-ball and off-ball.
Preparation
Start by assessing your (or your team's) strengths and weaknesses, and then search for drills that will help improve those areas that need improvement.
Also, make sure that you have the equipment necessary to perform the drills. Some, such as many defensive drills, don't require any equipment other than the players, and other drills require a ball (for ballhandling), the goal (for shooting or rebounding drills) or other devices like cones or tape.
Considerations
Drills can be customized depending on the level of play. For example, for younger age groups just learning basketball, simple drills like lining up teammates across from each other and passing the ball (bounce pass, chest pass, etc.) can be helpful. A simple shooting drill can involve lining up players along the free throw line and having each player take a turn shooting a free throw in order to teach proper shooting mechanics.
Popular Drills
More advanced basketball players can move on to more complicated drills:
The Rebounding Rim: A special rim is placed on top of the regular basketball goal ring to make it harder for the ball to go through the goal. Teams then play a regular game of basketball and focus on better shooting (since there is less room for the ball to go through) and rebounding (since more shots are likely to miss due to the smaller rim).
Mikan Drill: This is a popular big-man shooting and rebounding drill where the player stands under the basket and does a strong layup with the ball, then rebounds it and does the same thing on the other side of the backboard with the opposite hand. This teaches the player to use both hands and both sides of the goal, and helps to improve foot and hand-eye coordination.
Weave: The weave is one of the more popular team drills, and involves players passing the ball between themselves while weaving in and out of one another. The point of the drill is to get all the way down the court without dropping the ball and without traveling. This drill develops team passing.
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