13-23 Basketball Drills for Players and Coaches

Posted On April 17, 2023April 17, 2023

Basketball dribbling drills are an integral part of the game. This is because they teach players how to handle the ball with different hands in different situations, which will make them better at performing moves on offense and defense. This article is about basketball drills for coaches and players that you can use in your next practice (in a basketball training facility) or game.

Why do you need basketball drills for coaches and players?

Basketball drills are important because they provide players with the necessary repetitions that will improve their technique. Good technique means better performance on offense and defense, which can lead to more wins for your team.

On the other hand, basketball drills help coaches to teach their players the proper way to perform certain moves in an indoor basketball facility. They also help coaches identify individual weaknesses that need improvement, which will eventually lead to better team performance.

Let’s take a closer look at all basketball drills for both players and coaches!

Dribbling drills

There are many different types of dribbling drills you should use during practice or a game. They include:

3 Ball Dribbling

This drill involves players passing and dribbling three basketballs at the same time. It will help improve their ball control while focusing on proper footwork and maintaining a low center of gravity.

The drill can also be used to challenge players’ concentration skills and enhance their catch and shoot basketball skills by adding moving targets such as cones or another player who is trying to intercept a pass.

One Hand Pound

The One Hand Pound drill involves two players. The first player starts with a ball and passes to the second one, who is standing about 15 feet away from them.

The receiver will then return the pass by dribbling towards the passer while keeping his/her eyes on their target at all times. After they reach each other, both players should jump-stop in place before the first player passes back to the second one.

This cycle should be repeated until all repetitions are completed.

Cone Grab Finishing Drill

Start with two cones placed about 15 feet apart.

Two players line up on opposite sides of the first cone, while an additional player is located at the second cone with a basketball.

The drill begins when one of the players starts dribbling towards his/her teammate (who has possession) and attempts to grab their ball away from them using only one hand. If they are successful, they should sprint over to the other side where another person will be waiting for them who also started by grabbing their partner’s ball with just one hand. They then do this same process until everyone has gone through each station twice before coming back around again in reverse order so that every player gets a chance to have both roles within this drill.

Tight Spaces Ball Handling Drill

This drill is used to work on both of these aspects simultaneously. The coach starts by placing four cones in a square with about two feet of distance between them. From there, the players form lines behind one particular cone (randomly assigned) and get into their stance ready for what’s next

1v1 Attack with Narrow Cones

The drill starts with the defensive player facing their offensive opponent within one of these narrow cones, which forces them to use only quick direction changes and body movements to stay on top.

This is an excellent way for teams to work on both of these aspects at once while also practicing things like staying low when moving laterally (for defense) as well as explosiveness out of cuts or stopping suddenly (for offense).

1 on 1 Dribbling Drill with Random Traps

The random traps force both players to stay focused on what’s happening at all times and react appropriately.

It is a great drill for practicing not only how to change direction quickly but also recognizing where the help defense might be coming from as well as understanding when it’s safe or unsafe to attempt a shot.

Footwork drills

Bigelow – Jump Stop Control Drill

This drill is great for working on being able to stop quickly with the ball, change direction and explode in a different direction.

It’s also good at making sure that players are keeping their heads up while dribbling so they don’t run into things or lose sight of where defenders might be coming from.

Jump Stop & Pivot Drill

This drill helps players to be able to stop quickly with their backs facing the defense but still being ready to pass or shoot.

It’s also a great way for younger coaches and players who aren’t as comfortable dribbling yet because it doesn’t require any ball-handling ability.

Partner Pass and Pivot Drill

Footwork drills like this one are good at helping young athletes learn how to move around the basketball training facility without having the ball first and foremost in mind.

They may not always realize that they need practice on jumping stops before pivoting since those two things go hand-in-hand – footwork is difficult if you don’t have quickness! – but we think our readers will enjoy these types of scrimmages as much as we do.

Low Post Chair Pivot & Shoot Drill

This basketball drill involves a chair to simulate post play.

Once you have the player’s attention on his footwork, it is time to work them hard on some more advanced concepts with these drills.

Pivot 21 – Fun Drill

The first four shots are layups or dunks around cones that will emphasize proper dribbling and pivot technique. After this series of easy shots, players then do a layup line consisting of continuous jump stops alternating with pivots every other shot for their remaining seven baskets of three-pointers at each corner plus one in the middle. This drill takes advantage of reflexive conditioning which occurs when your body must make micro-corrections as quickly as possible after catching an unexpected stimulus (in this case the coach yelling ‘PIV

Layup and finishing drills

Cone Grab Finishing Drill

This is one of the best basketball shooting drills. The first part is to grab a basketball off of the floor or out of an equipment bag using only one hand while dribbling two balls at once. This can also include a crossover dribble where you pass one ball to the other hand as well as many others which players need to familiarize themselves with to make this drill more productive. Once they have mastered that portion, it’s time to move onto cones set up around half court – four cones should do nicely! The next step is all about speed and accuracy

3 Cone – Groove Finishing Drill

Typically, this drill starts on the opposite side of the basket as you drive hard to your right and then rise for a layup. As soon as that first dribble hits the floor, both hands should be in a position under the ball ready to receive another pass immediately after finishing at the rim. This is an important part of quickness training so players need to spend time mastering their footwork before moving on.

Once they have mastered those two drills with speed and accuracy it’s time to move onto more difficult finishes around cones and off of one foot! These are great drills because each player can work at their own pace without slowing down anyone else which creates opportunities for every athlete who participates.