Basketball Drill - "Tight Chairs" Dribbling Drill

This drill will improve dribbling and dribble moves with many repetitions in a short period of
time. Inform players that they can also do this drill at home in their basement or driveway.

Set-up:
Set up six chairs or cones as indicated in the diagram. We usually start with the left hand, so we face the
row of chairs on the right with their seats facing the endline, while the seats of the left row of chairs face
the half-court line. This is so the dribbler can hit the seat of the chair with his off hand as he/she makes a
dribble move.

The Drill:
Each player has a ball and will dribble between the chairs,
making a prescribed dribble-move at each chair. We do the
same move at each of the six chairs and will do one or two
"laps" through the chairs for each dribble move (depending on
how much time we want to spend on the drill). Some of the
dribble moves (see Dribbling) that we use are:
(1) the crossover dribble
(2) in-and-out move
(3) behind the back move
(4) thru the legs dribble
(5) spin move

We start with the left hand. After doing all the moves left-
handed, we turn the chairs around, start from the opposite
side and do all the same moves with the right hand.

Pointers:
We want the drill up-tempo, at "game-speed". Stress that your players "attack" the chair and keep their
eyes forward.

This drill will help develop your player's dribble moves and ball-handling. We have all players,
including post players, do this drill. You may be surprised at the improvement that you will see
over the course of the season if you frequent this drill for 5-10 minutes.
Basketball Drills - Sideline Dribbling Drills
If done every practice for 10-15 minutes, these drills can really make a difference in your team's
ball-handling and dribbling skills by the end of the season. These skills are the foundation for
many of the offensive moves that the player makes with the ball.

Sideline Moves Drill

(See Diagram A) Players pair up along the sideline, and spread out. The first player in each pair
dribbles from sideline to sideline right-handed, and then back left-handed. The coach will call out
which move he/she wants them to execute at the half way point going across (right-handed), and
then again coming back (left-handed). The ball is then passed to the partner, who goes next. Have
each player do each of the moves down and back twice before moving onto the next move.

Below are the moves you should work on. You may vary these from day to day. But have
them try even the difficult moves... challenge them... even if the ball does end up rolling all
over the place!
1. control dribble with change to speed dribble
2. speed dribble with change to control dribble
3. crossover dribble
4. in and out move (fake crossover)
5. hesitation, rocker step move
. pull back and crossover move
7. step out (sideways) and crossover move
8. through the legs
9. behind the back
10. spin move
Stutter Drill
(See Diagram B) Use the same sideline setup as above with partners, or run your entire team, sideline to
sideline with this drill.

The players again dribble across right-handed. When reaching about 1/3 across, blow the whistle
and they stationary "stutter" dribble with legs pistoning up and down and pounding the dribble
hard and low, the player bent over forward at the waist with knees bent. After five seconds
whistle again, and they resume dribbling across. When they reach 2/3 across, whistle again and
they stationary "stutter" dribble again. Whistle again and they finish across. They pivot and come
back, now with the left hand, doing their stutter dribbles at the 1/3 and 2/3 marks again.

After doing this drill a few times, you won't have to blow the whistle... the kids will know where
to stop and stutter, and know to stutter for a 5-count before going again.
Basketball Drill - Dribbling Moves Drills
Full-Court Dribble-Moves Drill #1
This drill is one of our favorites. We use this full-court dribbling drill to practice specific dribbling moves.
Refer to Diagram A. Use two lines, and start out using the right-handed dribble. On each end of the
floor, have an assistant or manager stand at the arc as a token, stationary defender (does not actually
steal the ball or defend). You could also use chairs or cones. Each player has a ball. The first player in
each line starts at the half-court sideline and dribbles up to the token defender, and then executes the
dribble move that you have told the group to do. This could be a hesitation (rocker) move, an "in and
out" move, an "in and out" - crossover combination move, a stutter move, a crossover dribble, a rocker
step combined with a crossover dribble, a stutter cross-over, a behind the back move, a through the legs
move, etc.

After making the move, the player dribbles around and shoots the lay-up (or a jump stop and
short jumper on the crossover move to the lane). He/she gets the rebound, dribbles to the
opposite corner, pivots and dribbles up the sideline. We have two chairs (or cones) along the
sideline and we have them make another dribble move on each chair and then get into the line
going the other way.

You can practice some or all of the dribbling moves above. Then have the lines face the opposite
direction, move the chairs (or cones) and repeat all these moves with the left-hand (Diagram B).

Note that the upper part of each diagram shows the crossover move to the lane, while each lower
court shows the non-crossover move... this is just for illustration. Have all players do the same
move on both ends of the floor. For variety, we may have them shoot a lay-up on one end and a
pull-up jumper at the other end.
Full-Court Dribble-Moves and Lay-up Drill #2
See Diagram C above. Have your players line-up behind O1, on the baseline. O1 speed dribbles down the
court with the left hand. After reaching point A, O1 makes the prescribed dribble move, speed dribbles
to point B, makes another dribble move, angles toward the basket for the left-handed lay-up, gets the
rebound, and starts back up the floor on the opposite side, again using the left hand, finishes the lay-up
and moves to the end of the line. Have each player do a prescribed move when reaching points A, B, C
and D. You can do a rocker step, in and out, crossover, behind the back, thru the legs, spin move, etc.
The next player starts as soon as the preceding player reaches half court. Have all the players go around
several times. Younger teams can run this drill first with the right hand, and then do the left (even more
conditioning).

Variation, Finish the Lay-up Against Pressure.

Place a defender in the paint or under the basket at each end (a coach or manager), who offers a token
defense against the lay-up... no blocks or steals allowed (nothing that would slow the flow of the drill).
Sometimes our assistant will use a football blocking pad and give the offensive player a little shove or
contact when shooting the lay-up (to get them used to finishing when there is defensive contact).

Basketball Drills - Fast-Break, Full-Court

Passing Drills -- 2-on-0, 2-on-1, 2-on-2
These full-court, fast-break drills emphasize passing and receiving on the move and finishing the
break with a lay-up, or finishing in a 2-on-1 or 2-on-2 situation. We run through all the sets of
drills below, starting with the 2-on-0 drills, and then progressing into the 2-on-1 and finally the
2-on-2 drills. We run all these drills in about 10 minutes, and we do them almost every practice.
2-on-0 Passing Drills
See the diagram on the left below. Here players pair up and run (not shuffle sideways) up the floor
passing back and forth to each other. The last pass results in a lay-up. The pair gets off the court and line
up on the far baseline now, getting ready to come back down the court after all the other pairs have
finished. After all pairs have moved up the floor, we then start back down the court to complete the trip
both ways.

We run several trips, starting with sharp two-handed chest passes up and back. Then we do
bounce passes up and back. Next, we do two-handed overhead passes and finally around-the-
back passes up and back.

Pointers:
(1) Make sure your players are talking and the passer is yelling the receiver's name, while the
receiver is yelling "ball".
(2) The last pass that sets up the lay-up is always a bounce pass.
(3) No dribbling is allowed, except if needed to finish the lay-up.
(4) Make sure everyone is running hard, not jogging.

2-on-1 Drill
See the middle diagram below. Now we add a defender who runs ahead of the two passers and tries to
defend in a 2-on-1 situation. The defender usually just moves up the floor and tries to defend at the end.
However, the defender may try to jump between the passers anywhere on the floor to steal the pass. If
the ball is stolen or there is a turnover or a missed pass, the three players just move into line at the far
end of the floor. When the last three-some has finished, we come back down the court to complete the
trip.

Pointers: (also apply to the 2-on-2 drill below)

(1) Make sure the offensive players are talking as above.
(2) Keep dribbling to a minimum... only when necessary to beat the defense.
(3) When finishing the 2-on-1 break, we teach the player who has the ball at about the level of
the free-throw line to make a power dribble, or "take", to the hoop, looking for either the lay-up
or the foul. If the defender comes up high on him/her, then he/she passes off to the teammate
cutting to the hoop.

2-on-2 Drill
Finally, we finish by adding a second defender who must trail the break and may not leave the end-line
until the offense has cleared the top of the key or 3-point arc. The first defender sprints up the floor and
tries to stop, or delay, the 2-on-1 break, while the second defender is sprinting up the floor to provide
defensive help at the end. The offense must move quickly and make quick decisions, otherwise they lose
their 2-on-1 advantage. Both offensive and defensive players should be "talking", communicating.
Basketball Drills - Weave Passing Drills
Passing Drill #1 - 3-Man Full-Court Weave
This old drill is still one of the best for passing and catching on the move and conditioning. Players start
at one end of the court in three lines, one in the middle and one near each sideline.
The middle player O1 starts the weave by passing to
one of the sideline players. O1 then cuts wide around
and behind player (O2). O2 now passes to the opposite
sideline player (O3) and cuts around and behind O3.
O3 now passes to the original middle person (O1) and
cuts around O1. And so it goes (see diagram). No
dribbling is allowed except for one dribble to finish the
lay-up. The ball should never touch the floor except
that the last pass to the shooter is always a bounce-pass.

We will first run the drill with chest passes, and then
again with bounce passes. Receivers should move
toward the ball, and show a target for the passer.
Players should stay wide and always cut around and
behind the player they just passed to. Passers must call
out the receiver's name before passing and the number
of the pass in the sequence (e.g. "Ross 1", "John 2",
"Bill 3"), and receivers should yell "ball". With our
high school teams, we will initially run the drill with
five passes being made before completing the lay-up.
Finally, we will run the drill with each team using only
three passes to complete the drill... now they really
have to sprint.

We expect players to run the drill at full-speed at all

times. If not, stop the drill and have them just run some
full-court sprints. Most players would rather run the
drill than sprints.

The next three-some can start once the previous group is beyond half-court. Start a new line at the far
end, and when all groups have come to that end-line, go back the other way. If we have an odd number,
the one or two players left behind will yell "one (or two) back!" and a player(s) will sprint back and go
again with that three-some.

Passing Drill #2 - 3-Man Full-Court Weave with 3-Point Shot Option

Here's another option you can use when running the 3-man weave above. You can also get two 3-point
shots in transition each trip. Have managers (or assistants, or players waiting in line) on each end of the
court. Players run the 3-person weave full-court just as above. The only difference is that the trailer (last
person down the court on the weave) and the passer fan out to the wing, 3-point arc area on opposite
sides. Both players receive a pass from the assistants (or players on the endline) and shoot the 3-
pointer. They get their own rebound and give the ball back to the assistants (or players on the endline).

You can make a team competition out of it by keeping track of the total team score (maximum score of 5
each trip - count 1 for the lay-up and 2 for each of the "3's"). Run the drill for 2 minutes and see what
their total team score is... you can set a number that they have to achieve, or else it's push-ups or
running for everyone if they don't make the goal.

Passing Drill #3 - 5-Man Full-Court Weave and

Transition Drill
Contributed by: Coach Thomas Koeller, Southwestern High
School, Hazel Green, WI

Here is a variation of the three man weave. In the 5-man

weave drill, five players are used and run the traditional
weave up the floor.

It becomes a transition drill on the way back. Coming back

up the floor, it is a full-court 3-on-2 situation. The two
defenders are:
(1) the player who shot the lay-up, and
(2) the person who made the assist pass for the lay-up.

These two players play defense while the other three

attempt to push the ball up the floor and score.

Passing Drill #4 - 3-Man Half-Court Weave and Shooting/Close-Out Drill

Contributed by Coach Ken Sartini, Arlington Heights, IL

This is a good half-court weave drill that combines the weave with mid-range jump shots, defensive
close-outs, boxing-out and rebounding. This drill could also be used as a pre-game warm-up drill.

See the diagrams below. Diagram A... players line up at the half-court line in three lines (1, 2, and 3).
Two players (4 and 5) start on the endline, just outside the lane lines. 2 starts the weave, passing to 3,
and then cuts back behind 3 (wide), and to the hoop. 3 passes to 1 and cuts wide behind 1 to the left
side. 1 passes (bounce-pass) to 2, and 2 completes the lay-up, and retrieves the ball.

1 cuts to the right elbow or free-throw line-extended area, while 3 cuts to the left side. 1 and 3 give a
hand target, and 4 and 5 pass to 3 and 1 respectively (diagram B). 1 and 3 shoot the mid-range jump-
shots. 4 and 5 close-out on the ball (yelling "ball, ball, ball" and "shot"), and then box-out and rebound.

Diagram C... players rotate so that the shooters 1 and 3 become the passers on the endline, while 2, 4,
and 5 go back to the half-court lines. This drill features a number of fundamentals and some running,
and is therefore a good pre-game drill.

Basketball Drills - Full-Court Passing Drills

You must do passing drills and never assume your players are good passers. Poor passing will
destroy an offense faster than anything. Excellent, crisp passing makes it all work. Many
turnovers are related to bad passing or receiving. All players must become good at the chest pass,
bounce pass and overhead pass.

Passing Drill #1 - "Laker" Full-Court Passing and Lay-

up Against Pressure Drill
This full court drill emphasizes passing, the speed dribble and lay-up
against pressure, defensive hustle, and conditioning.

Use three lines. O1 throws the ball off the backboard, gets the rebound
and outlets to either wing. Each player sprints up the floor, staying in
his/her lane. After passing to a wing, the wing passes back to O1 and
then O1 passes off to the opposite wing, and so it goes.

Once the ball crosses half court, the wing who received it across
half court speed dribbles in for the lay-up. Meanwhile the
opposite wing becomes a defender and sprints to the hoop to
either challenge the lay-up or take the charge. O1 rebounds and
starts the drill back up the floor.
Passing Drill #2 - 2-Man Full-Court Speed-Dribble
and Passing Drill
Make two lines on one end of the court as shown in diagram A, with
the left line players each having a ball.

The first player (player A) in left line speed dribbles up to the

three-point line and passes to player B sprinting up the side line,
who catches the ball, speed dribbles to the half-court line and
passes back to player A, who dribbles to the top of the circle,
passes back to player B cutting to the hoop for the lay-up. Player
A gets the rebound and drill repeats going back up the opposite
side-line.

The second players in line start off once the previous twosome has
reached half-court. You can vary this by requiring a jump stop
before each pass and after each reception.

Basketball Drills - Basic Half-Court Passing

Drills
You must do passing drills and never assume your players are good passers. Poor passing will
destroy an offense faster than anything. Crisp accurate passing and receiving make it all work.
Many turnovers are related to bad passing or receiving. All players must become good at the
chest pass, bounce pass and overhead pass.

Passing Drill #1 - One-Ball Rapid Fire Passing Drill

Have your players line up facing a solid wall, about two feet from the wall (or a toss-back rebounding
device). Each player begins rapid fire passing against the wall, moving back about two feet with each
pass until 10 feet away (5th pass). Then he/she starts moving closer to wall by two feet with each pass,
until 10 passes are completed. Repeat this 10-pass cycle until each player has made a total 20 passes.

Pointers:
Make sure good passing technique is used, and passers step-into the pass.

Passing Drill #2 - Two-Ball Rapid Fire Passing Drill

Use groups of four or five players. There is one passer about 6 feet away from and facing a line of
receivers (the rest of the group). The passer has a ball and so does one of the receivers. On "Go", the
passer passes quickly to any receiver, and the receiver who already has a ball passes simultaneously
back to the passer. The passes keep going back and forth to any receiver who does not have the ball. Do
as many chest passes as you can in 60 seconds and then rotate.

Pointers:
Use good passing technique while keeping your eyes focused forward and not directly at the receiver.
Have your hands up and ready to receive the pass. Use your peripheral vision to see the incoming pass.

Passing Drill #3, Simple Partner Passing and Catching Drill

Have each player get a partner, and each pair has a ball, so they can "play catch" with each other. Have
the partners separate about 12 - 15 feet (comfortable passing distance), and face each other.

Have the players practice each of the three basic passes, starting with the chest pass

. Demonstrate the proper techniques with "stepping into" the pass with one foot forward. Snap the
pass, with the thumbs going through the ball and extending toward the receiver. Make sure the players
pass the ball crisply, and not "lob" their passes. Hit the receiver in the chest. The receiver should show a
target with his/her hands extended toward the passer. Feet should be squared and shoulder-width
apart. After catching the ball, receivers should get into triple-threat position before making the next
pass.

Next, work on bounce pass. Again, passers should start from triple-threat position. The ball should hit
the ground about three-quarters from the receiver and bounce right to his chest. Make sure passers are
passing the ball with their hands waist to chest high - not over the head (we do not believe in an
overhead bounce pass).

Next, work on the two-handed overhead pass or outlet pass. Have the partners move a little farther
apart, so that you are working on a longer pass. Players should snap their passes with some arc, but be
sure that they are not lobbing their passes too high. The arc should be just enough to get over the
extended hands of a defender, but not so high that the pass "floats". This pass can be thrown hard, and
is effective as the outlet pass after a rebound, to start the fast break. It is also good for throwing over
zone defenses ("skip passes"). To simulate the outlet pass, after receiving the ball, have the passer turn
his back to the receiver, then simulate pulling the ball in, pivot, and make the overhead pass.

Passing Drill #4 - "Monkey in the Middle"

Form groups of three. Each group has a ball. Line up the passers about 15 feet apart (comfortable
passing distance). The third man in each group is the "monkey in the middle" and tries to steal or deflect
the ball, while the two outside players try to pass to each other. No dribbling is allowed, except for a
one-bounce sideways dribble to open a passing lane. No easy lob passes over the defender are
permitted. Passers should be in triple-threat position and work on pivoting and ball fakes to clear the
passing lane. For example, the passer can fake an overhead pass to get the defender to raise his hands,
then make a bounce pass, or "curl" bounce-pass.

Rotation:There's a couple ways of doing this. One easy way is to simply change the middle man
every minute, when you blow the whistle. Each person takes a turn in the middle. Or, whenever
the defender deflects the ball, the passer now becomes the "monkey in the middle". If no
deflections in 30 seconds, switch defenders.

Two Variations:
(1) Defender plays up tight on the passer (Diagram A). After the
pass is made, the defender sprints to the receiver and again
tries to deflect the pass. The new passer may not pass until the
defender is in position and the defender says "go".

(2) Defender plays tight on the receiver, trying to deny the

pass. The group is confined to a given area on the floor. The
receiver must try to get open by V-cutting, back-cutting,
making contact with the defender and "bouncing off", etc.

Passing Drill #5 - Triangle Passing Drill

Try this "triangle" passing drill for some variety. This drill can be done well by younger players who are
not yet adept at full-court drills, such as the weave drill.

You can use both baskets and divide the squad into two groups. At each basket, create three passing
lines about 12 to 15 feet apart. One line is at the top of the key, another in the right short corner area,
and a third in the left short corner area. As an option, you can use cones or marks on the floor, so that
the lines don't "creep" inward.

To run the drill, start with the ball at the top of key (point)
and either pass to right or left (can go either direction).
The players start behind the cones, step out to receive the
pass and pass to the next station in same direction. After
the players make their pass, they sprint to the next line in
the same direction as the ball, following their pass - no
walking. After a few sequences, change direction and also
alternate between chest passes, bounce passes, and
overhead passing.

This drill goes quickly and keeps them moving, providing

a lot of touches in a short amount of time.

Pointers:
Make sure correct passing techniques are used, that the players "step out" to meet the pass, and that
the players receive the ball and place it in triple threat position.

Passing Drill #6 - Drive and Dish Passing Drill

Use three guards and three post players. You can divide your 12-man squad into two groups and use
both ends of the court.

O1 is at the point. Place two defenders just above the

elbows (like against a 2-3 zone). Put a defensive post in
the middle of the lane, and two offensive post players half
way up the lane on each side. Your point guard (O1), will
dribble penetrate and split the two defenders and pass to
either post player. The X3 defender will try to deny this
pass. The receiving post player can either shoot, make a
power move to the hoop, or dish off to the opposite post,
who finishes the lay-up.
Passing Drill #7 - 2-Man Passing, Find the
Receiver
Often I see kids make a bad pass because they actually threw
the ball before first locating their receiver (especially against a
full-court press). Players must learn to look before they pass!
With this drill, the passer must first find the receiver before
making the pass.

Use both baskets. Have a line under each basket. The first
player in line (player #1) speed dribbles out to the three-
point line, makes a jump stop and a reverse pivot.
Meanwhile, the next player in line (player #2) sprints out
to either corner and yells "ball, ball, ball" (mix it up so the
passer has to look to find the receiver). The passer makes
the crisp chest pass to #2, cuts to the hoop, receives the
pass back from #2, and finishes the lay-up. #2 rebounds,
and now becomes player #1 and dribbles out and repeats
the drill.

Passing into the Low Post Drills

Having problems feeding the low post? Oftentimes, passers must learn to read the post defender and
make a one-dribble adjustment in order to create a better passing angle. If the post defender is playing
on the high side, the perimeter player should take one dribble toward the baseline and feed the post. If
the post defender is on the low side, our perimeter player should take one dribble toward the top and
feed the post. See Feed the Low Post Drills

3-on-3 Half-Court Passing Drill (Bennett Drill)

Bad passing, turnovers a problem? Use this drill. Playing in the half-court, teams go 3-on-3. The offense
must make 10 passes without losing the ball, or making a turnover (double-dribble, traveling, etc).
Offensive players must pass, cut, dribble, screen, move, maintain spacing, etc. The offense does not
shoot or attempt to score, but maintains control of the ball for 10 passes. Rotate offense to defense. If
the offense completes 10 passes, they don't have to play defense that rotation.

This drill will help teams prone to turnovers and bad-passing. Use this drill every other practice and
players should become better passers and your team should see it's turnovers/game decrease.