Basketball skill drills

Matters most for: Centre, Power forward, Small forward

Setup: A hoop and a ball.

1. 1. Finish a right-hand layup off the left foot, rebound before it lands.
2. 2. Step across and finish left-handed off the right foot.
3. 3. Stay under the rim, continuous, no dribble.

Volume: 4 × 20 makes

Coaching point: Use the glass every time. Footwork, not hands, is what this trains.

Make it harder: Reverse Mikan, then add a contact pad on the finish.

Matters most for: Point guard, Shooting guard

Setup: A hoop, a ball, the paint.

1. 1. Attack from the wing, gather just inside the free-throw line.
2. 2. Rise off two feet and release high and soft over the front rim.
3. 3. Alternate both hands and both sides.

Volume: 4 × 10 each side

Coaching point: Release early and high. The floater exists to beat a shot-blocker, so shoot it before they're set.

Make it harder: Add a defender with a raised hand or a pad.

Matters most for: Small forward, Shooting guard, Point guard

Setup: Full court, a ball.

1. 1. Sprint the length, finish at full speed off one foot.
2. 2. Alternate the side you attack from and the hand you finish with.
3. 3. Jog back, then go again — this is conditioning as much as skill.

Volume: 10 lengths

Coaching point: Decide your finish before the last two steps. Deciding late is what gets it blocked.

Make it harder: Add a trailing defender so you have to finish through contact.

Setup: A hoop and a ball. Start 1m out.

1. 1. One hand, no guide hand, straight up and down.
2. 2. Hold the follow-through until the ball lands.
3. 3. Only step back once you've made five straight.

Volume: 5 spots × 10 makes

Coaching point: Elbow under the ball, wrist relaxed. Chase the feel, not the make.

Make it harder: Step back to the free-throw line, then the arc, keeping the same form.

Matters most for: Shooting guard, Small forward, Point guard

Setup: A hoop, a rebounder or passer, several balls.

1. 1. Sprint to a spot, catch with feet already set.
2. 2. Shoot in rhythm — the catch and the rise are one movement.
3. 3. Move to the next spot immediately.

Volume: 5 spots × 8 shots

Coaching point: Feet before hands. If you're setting your feet after the catch, you're late.

Make it harder: Add a closeout defender, then shoot off a relocation cut.

Setup: A hoop, a ball, the free-throw line.

1. 1. Same routine every time — dribbles, breath, shot.
2. 2. Shoot in sets of two, as you would in a game.
3. 3. Sprint the width of the court between sets so you're shooting tired.

Volume: 10 sets of 2

Coaching point: The routine is the skill. Under pressure you fall back on it or you fall apart.

Make it harder: Set a target — miss and the set restarts.

Matters most for: Point guard, Shooting guard

Setup: Two balls, any hard surface.

1. 1. Dribble both simultaneously, then alternating.
2. 2. Progress to high-low, then crossovers with both.
3. 3. Head up throughout — pick a point on the wall.

Volume: 6 × 45 seconds

Coaching point: Fingertips, not palms. Pound the ball hard — soft dribbles get stolen.

Make it harder: Move while doing it, then add a stationary defender's hands.

Matters most for: Point guard, Shooting guard, Small forward

Setup: 5 cones in a line, 2m apart, one ball.

1. 1. Attack each cone and execute one move: crossover, between-the-legs, behind-the-back.
2. 2. Change pace out of every move — slow into it, explode out.
3. 3. Finish the series with a layup or pull-up.

Volume: 6 runs per move

Coaching point: The move doesn't beat anyone; the change of pace does.

Make it harder: Add a live defender at the last cone.

Setup: Half court, a partner with a ball.

1. 1. Sprint at the shooter, chop your feet, hand high.
2. 2. Slide to contain the drive — no crossing the feet.
3. 3. Recover to help position and repeat.

Volume: 8 × 30 seconds

Coaching point: Short steps on the closeout. Arriving out of control is the same as not arriving.

Make it harder: Let the attacker choose shot or drive without telling you.

Matters most for: Centre, Power forward

Setup: A hoop, a ball, a partner.

1. 1. On the shot, find your man and make contact first.
2. 2. Hold the seal, then go and get the ball at its highest point.
3. 3. Land wide and chin it.

Volume: 5 × 8 reps

Coaching point: Contact then ball. Everyone who jumps first loses the rebound.

Make it harder: Two attackers, so you have to pick and seal the right one.

Matters most for: Point guard, Centre, Power forward

Setup: Two players, a ball, a hoop.

1. 1. Set the screen, hold it, then roll hard to the rim.
2. 2. Handler reads the defence: pull up, drive, or hit the roller.
3. 3. Run each read deliberately so all three are available.

Volume: 3 reads × 8 reps each

Coaching point: Come off the screen shoulder-to-shoulder. Space between you and the screener is where the defender gets through.

Make it harder: Add live defenders and let them choose the coverage.