How a point guard should train

Defensive slides

Builds the lateral quickness and stance for on-ball defence.

Ladder quick-feet

Trains foot speed and coordination so you're sharper in tight spaces.

Cone weave dribble

Sharpens close control at speed under light fatigue.

Hill sprints

Low-impact way to build sprint power and drive mechanics.

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: 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.

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: 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.

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.

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, a ball, and two cones.

1. 1. Attack the first cone hard with two dribbles.
2. 2. Plant, rise straight up — not forward — and shoot with your feet under you.
3. 3. Alternate pulling up going right and going left.

Volume: 5 × 10, both directions

Coaching point: Stop before you shoot. The drifting pull-up misses long every time, and it is always the last dribble that causes it.

Make it harder: Add a step-back before rising, or shoot off one dribble instead of two.

Setup: A wall and a ball.

1. 1. Dribble hard towards the wall as if coming off a screen.
2. 2. From the low pocket beside your hip, whip a one-handed bounce pass into the wall.
3. 3. Take the return in stride and go again the other way.

Volume: 6 × 45 seconds

Coaching point: Out of the pocket, off the dribble, no gather. The pass a big man can use arrives before the help recovers.

Make it harder: Alternate hands every rep, or take the return with the opposite hand.

Setup: Half a court and a ball.

1. 1. Push the ball at three-quarter speed, then hesitate — a genuine pause, not a stutter — and explode past the cone.
2. 2. Alternate hesitation, in-and-out, and a snake dribble across the lane.
3. 3. Finish each rep with a pass or a finish, never a walk-off.

Volume: 6 × 30 seconds

Coaching point: The change is what beats the defender, not the top speed. If you are running at one pace you are just running.

Make it harder: Add a second ball, or make the move on a call so you are reacting rather than rehearsing.