Since we have a great audience of individuals who are young coaches I thought I’d put together a drill that can be used at practice to help develop some beginning post moves.  Have the players line up on the left side at the lower block.  The coach should stand on the right side of the court near the 3 point line at a 45 degree angle. 

The player at the front of the line has the ball and he throws it to the coach on the opposite side of the court.  The pass is to be a chest pass that is firm and direct.  If the player throws a slow lobby pass then have him/her try it again until they get it right.  Once the pass is made to the coach the player sets up on the opposite block with his back to the basket.  Make certain the player has his feet on or a step above the block with his feet outside of the lane.  Once they catch the ball have the players work on the following moves:

Drop step toward the baseline-This move is done by catching the ball and moving your baseline foot toward the basket.  This is a drop step and should be accompanied by a dribble.  Finish this move with a made layup.

Drop step toward the middle- Instead of moving your baseline foot this time you move the opposite foot toward the middle of the key.  Finish this move with a jump shot or a jump hook.

Square up Jump shot- Catch the ball and immediately pivot to face up to the basket and go right into a jumper.

Square up shot fake- Catch the ball and pivot to face up to the basket.  Fake a shot and drive either direction for a layup.

Make sure you work all sides of the court and that players are able to use both hands.  They don’t need to be experts right away but over time make sure they are developing and working to make it better.

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This is a two man shooting drill where one person shoots and the other defends. 

Identify 5 spots on the court all 15 feet away from the basket.  Player A is on defense while PLayer B is on offense and standing on the 1st spot on the court.  Player A holds the ball in his hand and passes the ball to PLayer B while running towards him.  Player B takes the shot and goes after his own rebound.  PLayer A goes to offense and waits as Player B rebounds the ball and throws it to PLayer A.  As the pass is made Player B sprints at the offensive player to contest the shot and the drill continues to each spot with each player rotating spots around the court.

The drill should continue until each player has shot from each spot.

To improve the drill add 1 dribble moves, then 2 dribble moves or shot fakes.  The point is to practice with defenders coming out on you to contest your shot.

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To really focus and concentrate on your form while shooting I recommend doing  a basic form shooting drill.  Coaches can use this but I use this every time I go to shoot baskets just to get my shot comfortable and to get warmed up.  It teaches me to focus on fundamentals and making sure I’m doing the little things.

Start by identifying 5 spots on the floor all within 3-5 feet of the basket.  Don’t leave a spot until you’ve made 5 shots from each spot while maintaining correct shooting form.  Ensure that a couple of the spots are shots that need to be made using the backboard.  Get your own rebounds and then start over taking a step back from each one.

When i watched Larry Bird do this drill he didn’t make it out to 15 feet for a half an hour and worked up a great sweat in the process.  He was so focused on making the short shots and making sure that his shot was correct that by the time he got out to 20-25 feet the form was already in place and it was easy for him.

We are not all Larry Bird but we can take we he did and learn from it.

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Each coach should form two lines with players lined up at each elbow.  Players shoot jump shots or set shots or whatever is comparable to their age.  The player at the front of the line shoots the ball and rebounds his shot and passes to the next player in his line.  The player does not change lines but gets at the back of the line.  Players shoot the ball from both sides simultaneously until the first team gets to 10.  Change sides and go again.  Losers condition.

It’s a simple but great drill to work on short to midrange jump shots.  It is great for warmups and some light competition.  To make the drill more fun up the totals to 20 or 30 makes.

Something to focus on during this drill is the pass from the rebounder.  Make sure the passer knows how to get the ball to the shooter.  The shooter should also be ready to receive the ball by already having the knees bent and in shooting position.  Sometimes the team that wins is simply the team that gets the most shots up.

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Every player that is developing a solid all around game needs to learn to create his own shot at some point and one of those ways is learning to shoot off a dribble. 

To do this drill use one half court and form a line on each side about 30 feet away from the basket.  Set up a cone or a chair on the court near the 3 point line.  The players must dribble toward the obstacle and make a dribble move to get past the obstacle.  The dribble move can be a simple crossover, behind the back, stutter step or any other sort of dribble move.  Once the dribble move is done take another dribble and then go into the shot.  The ball is rebounded by the shooter and passed to the next person in line.  The team that gets to 10 made shots wins or whatever number you want to use.  Players then need to change sides and start over. 

To do the drill yourself really try to work on all the different dribble moves and being able to shoot off of each hand effectively.

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One of the greatest games that kids play all over the country is one that i always called elimination.  Sure it goes by other names like bump out or knockout or lightning and the list goes on but the game is still played the same way.  In fact, just last week a group of 10 grown men spent a half hour playing as we waited for more people to show up for our lunch time games.  It was fun and ever more fun because I won a few times.

For those that need refreshers the game is played by choosing a spot on the floor and forming a single file line from that spot.  Two balls are in play with the first two players in line each having one.  The object of the game is to make a shot before the person behind you makes a shot.  If the person behind you makes it before you do then you are out and the game keeps going on.  The player who makes a shot passes to the next player in line and the game just goes on.  If the initial shot is missed then the rebound must be tracked down and put in with the same rules applying. IF the person behind you makes a shot before you then you are out.

It’s a great game that is competetive, fun and teaches shot making under pressure. I love it.

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The bank shot is one where the shooter uses the backboard to make a shot.  The best bank shots are made from an angle and are something that need to be practiced to get correct muscle memory and to be a better shooter overall.

To practice the bank shot take your team and line up players on each side of the hoop and start at the blocks.  Split the teams up evenly.  Each side has a player shoot and get their own rebound.  If the player misses then they rebound and pass the ball to the next player in line.  The team that makes 10 bank shots first wins.  With each win back the players up a step and start over at 0.  The losing team should do some sort of punishment for the loss such as a brief running drill.  I don’t believe in doing defensive drills as punishment.

Don’t go past 17 feet when practicing this drill as bank shots from further out are only more difficult.  Make sure each player is focusing on the upper corner of the square  and that players rotate from side to side so that they aren’t only working one side of the floor.

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I’ve written several articles on the topic of rebounding and this one is going to be going out to the beginner coach who is looking for a drill or a way to get his players used to physical contact.  It’s very simple and elementary but can be a good tool for learning the basics for all players.

Start with an offensive and defensive player.  The offensive player is further away from the basket than the defensive player who has inside position.  The coach shoots a shot from near the foul line with the intent to miss.  The defensive player needs to box out the offense and then go get the ball. 

Defenders should step toward the hoop to see if the offensive player is going to make a move.  Once he makes a move the defender should make contact with the offensive player by stick his rear end into the legs of the offense.  Good rebounders are low with their knees bent and elbows out.  Your back and shoulders should also be used to block the player from getting the ball.  Once contact is made, the defensive player should go get the ball. 

This drill can be done 1-1 up to 5-5 and I encourage game play or some sort of competition while doing it.  Defense gets one point for every rebound while the offense gets 2 points for every rebound they get.  PLay to 5 or 10 points or however you want to.

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