Although basketball is a team sport, one of the best ways to improve on the court is to do individual drills to help you improve your ability and your conditioning. Coaches put athletes through several drills in practice, but players can also do drills on their own to become better all-around players. Doing drills to improve your dribbling, shooting and defensive talent will help you play better basketball and improve as a member of a team.
Shooting Drill
There is much more to becoming a good all-around basketball player than shooting, but shooting is a very important skill. Every team needs to have at least two or three dependable shooters who can score when the game is on the line. Improve your shooting by practicing your outside shot at the start of each practice. Take five shots from the right baseline, five shots from the right elbow, five shots from the top of the key and then take five from the left elbow. Close out the drill by taking five shots from the left baseline. Record your performance in a notebook and try to better it each time you perform this drill.
Dribbling Skill
It is a must for all players to have solid dribbling skills. Start off at the endline with a basketball in each hand. Dribble the ball in your dominant hand as you walk toward center court. As that ball hits the ground, dribble the ball in your opposite hand. Do this as you continue to walk. Once you hit center court, change your walk to a trot. When you get to the far endline, take a one-minute break and then repeat the drill. Do this before and after practice every day to improve your skill level.
Defensive Stops
No matter how talented a player is, he must put in the effort to play tough defense consistently. One of the ways to do this is to play 1-on-2 against teammates. In this drill, the point guard comes dribbling past half court and he has a teammate to pass to. It is your job to keep them from scoring. The offensive players must complete three successful passes before they can attempt to score. You should be able to stop them from scoring -- force a turnover, block a shot or get a rebound -- on three out of every 10 attempts. You will have to run and hustle to do this on a consistent basis and it will make you a much more effective defensive player.
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