Basketball Training Guide
Here's a quick guide to Basketball drills that will help improve your game - from fundamentals such as shooting to more general game focussed skills. These drills are aimed towards younger players but can also be used by more advanced players.
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Pair up the players and line up on the edge of the lane area with the ball on one side.
- Try to focus on your weak hand three times more than your strong so for example if you’re right handed three passes with the left hand for every one with the right
- Make sure your fingers are pointed
- When receiving the ball jump forward aggressively
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- The players must get into their defensive stance with a straight back, raised head and their hands in front of them with their palms facing outwards (towards the player with the ball)
- When the whistle is blown they must take the weight off the bench or chair and shift their onto the balls of their feet - knees bent like performing a squat move - hold for 10 -15 seconds
- On the signal take a step and slide to the right and then to the left - when doing this extend your hand to the right or the left
- Repeat from the start
- Can double as strength and conditioning drill if you hold the stance for a longer period of time
- Make sure you feet don’t cross and keep a suitable distance between them
- Extending different hands indicates the hand change when guarding - if the player with the ball has it in their left hand you would defend with your left and so on. You can emulate this during the drill by shouting out RIGHT then LEFT randomly and switching quickly when least expected.
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- One player from each team runs to the throw-in line and picks up a penny and runs to their egg carton.
- You only get one chance to drop the coin into the egg carton but you can’t lower your arm below waist height
- The next player then has their turn and the game continues until a team has a penny in each of the sections of the egg carton.
- After a couple of rounds this, introduce a ball. The players must follow the same direction up the court towards the coins but cannot look at the ball
- It will help improve the muscle memory of using your hands without looking
- The running back and forth aspect is good as a warm up at the start of a practise
- On the opposite side of the court have one defensive player under the basket and one on the foul line
- The attacking player who last touched the ball then changes into a defensive player at the opposite end of the court
- The players who were originally defenders come up court and now attack
- Play continues until the ball is rebounded, scored or turned over
- The drill starts again with a new line of three attacking players
- They should do this with passes and not dribbling
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- One team stands in the centre circle facing outwards
- The ball is held by someone nearby (a coach or team member)
- It’s the objective of the team on the inside of the circle to prevent the opposing team from getting to the ball
- This is a great drill for discipline when trying to win the ball back. The players must learn not to take it too far with physical contact Thank you for reading our basketball training guide. we hope you have found all the information here useful for your training session or ideas on how to improve your skills at home.
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with us - we would love to hear from you. In the meantime - you can browse our full range of basketball equipment!
- Basketball Shooting Drill
- Basketball Passing Drill
- Basketball Defence Drill
- Basketball Dribbling Drill
- Basketball Changing Play Drill
- Basketball Rebounding Drill
Shooting Drill: Close to the hoop
Focus
Improve shooting at close range. The drill will help the players muscle memory to improve and get them more comfortable making this type of shot in a game.Setup
- Have your player stand about 10 feet away from the ring
- The drill can be going on simultaneously at two different ends of the court in two groups
- Each player gets 20 shots in quick succession before you move to the next one
The Drill
- Shoot to the front of the rim of the ring and then the sides.
- Do each 10 times with a good pace
Directions
- You must maintain a close range to the ring
- Keep your balance
Passing Drill: Flick pass
Focus
Improving your one handed flick passSetup
Pair up the players and line up on the edge of the lane area with the ball on one side.
The Drill
- Pass back and forth making use of the flick pass snapping your wrist and releasing the ball.- Try to focus on your weak hand three times more than your strong so for example if you’re right handed three passes with the left hand for every one with the right
Directions
- Step out with one foot forward before making the pass and follow through with you passing hand.- Make sure your fingers are pointed
- When receiving the ball jump forward aggressively
Defence Drill: Chair Line-up
Focus
Improve your defensive stanceSetup
Have the entire team stand with their back to a bench or row of chairsThe Drill
- When the whistle is blown have the players sit down backwards into the chair/bench- The players must get into their defensive stance with a straight back, raised head and their hands in front of them with their palms facing outwards (towards the player with the ball)
- When the whistle is blown they must take the weight off the bench or chair and shift their onto the balls of their feet - knees bent like performing a squat move - hold for 10 -15 seconds
- On the signal take a step and slide to the right and then to the left - when doing this extend your hand to the right or the left
- Repeat from the start
Directions
- This is a great opportunity for the players to work on their defensive stance and make subtle adjustments in the position- Can double as strength and conditioning drill if you hold the stance for a longer period of time
- Make sure you feet don’t cross and keep a suitable distance between them
- Extending different hands indicates the hand change when guarding - if the player with the ball has it in their left hand you would defend with your left and so on. You can emulate this during the drill by shouting out RIGHT then LEFT randomly and switching quickly when least expected.
Dribbling Drill: Coin Drop Relays
Focus
Dribble without looking at the ball to improve coordination.Setup
You will need a bag of coins and three egg cartons cut in half. Please view the diagram below to see where they are positioned on the court for this drillThe Drill
- Teams line up for a relay race and the whistle is blown- One player from each team runs to the throw-in line and picks up a penny and runs to their egg carton.
- You only get one chance to drop the coin into the egg carton but you can’t lower your arm below waist height
- The next player then has their turn and the game continues until a team has a penny in each of the sections of the egg carton.
- After a couple of rounds this, introduce a ball. The players must follow the same direction up the court towards the coins but cannot look at the ball
Directions
- This is a great drill drill for 4 to 9 year olds- It will help improve the muscle memory of using your hands without looking
- The running back and forth aspect is good as a warm up at the start of a practise
Change in Play: 3 on 2 to 2 on 1
Focus
The purpose of this drill is to teach the players to make the correct pass in fast moving circumstances.Setup
- Begin with three lines of players on the baseline- On the opposite side of the court have one defensive player under the basket and one on the foul line
The Drill
- Run in a three man weave. When the ball reaches the half way line you begin a game of three on two. This continues until the ball is rebounded, scored or turned over- The attacking player who last touched the ball then changes into a defensive player at the opposite end of the court
- The players who were originally defenders come up court and now attack
- Play continues until the ball is rebounded, scored or turned over
- The drill starts again with a new line of three attacking players
Directions
- Attackers should try to score quickly with three passes or less- They should do this with passes and not dribbling
Rebounding Drill: Fight for the Ball
Focus
- This is a great drill for keeping position on the inside for the rebound as well as trying to win the ball backSetup
- Split the teams into two groups of five- One team stands in the centre circle facing outwards
- The ball is held by someone nearby (a coach or team member)
The Drill
- When the whistle is blown one person (or a coach) throws the ball into the middle of the circle. The team on the outside of the circle must try to get into the middle to retrieve the ball- It’s the objective of the team on the inside of the circle to prevent the opposing team from getting to the ball
Directions
- There must not be any diving!- This is a great drill for discipline when trying to win the ball back. The players must learn not to take it too far with physical contact Thank you for reading our basketball training guide. we hope you have found all the information here useful for your training session or ideas on how to improve your skills at home.
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with us - we would love to hear from you. In the meantime - you can browse our full range of basketball equipment!