Basketball
10 basketball drills to help improve your game
Drills impact your gameplay more than you might think. Here are 10 to get you ready for the court!
Part of this story
When you watch all-star forward Jaylen Brown play for the Boston Celtics, it’s easy to think that basketball is an effortless sport. All of the shooting, dribbling, and defending he does looks so natural, that you might think it’s a talent he was born with.
Brown dribbles downcourt during a home game against the Atlanta Hawks
© Getty Images
Related
In reality, Brown and the best basketball players in the world are constantly running drills to practice the same skills over and over. It’s how they prepare for major events like Red Bull 3X and the Red Bull Pro-Am Basketball Classic.
The repetition, with proper form, not only leads to muscle memory for the physical game, it builds confidence for the mental one.
As Red Bull athlete and renowned basketball coach Lethal Shooter puts it, “the good thing about anything in life is that when you are consistent at it, you start to become great.”
Drills are hyper-focused exercises that help to refine and enhance your overall game play by improving specific aspects of your performance. Some basketball drills simulate real-game situations, while others hone in on one element of your form, movement, or ball-handling.
Below we look at drills in 5 categories:
- Shooting Drills
- Passing Drills
- Rebounding Drills
01
3 Shooting Drills
Whatever the drill, always pay attention to your shooting stance and form. And always take the time to readjust and improve. This is the key to long-term improvement.
1. Form Shooting: Take it from Lethal Shooter - form shooting is your friend. These drills are hyper-focused on shooting techniques that help you to pin down the basics.
- Stand at close range to the basket.
- Assess your stance. Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out. Ensure you’re well-balanced.
- With your shooting arm, make an L so that your forearm is perpendicular to your upper arm.
- Shoot by pushing and releasing with your fingers.
Lethal Shooter in action
© Koury Angelo/Red Bull Content Pool
2. Chase Down Layups: This team drill forces players to practice shooting under pressure.
- Have your players line up in two lines on either end of the court. Four lines in total.
- On each side, designate one line as offense, and the other as defense.
- The offensive player should start with possession of the ball.
- On the coach’s count, all four offensive and defensive players should charge toward the basket.
- The offensive player is aiming to complete a layup, while the defensive player should be ‘chasing them down’ trying to challenge the layup.
3. Speed Shooting Drill: This drill emphasizes shooting under pressure, with speed, while maintaining proper form and balance. Follow proper shooting techniques.
- Divide your team into three groups. Each group lines up on the baseline.
- The first player of each team sprints while dribbling to the other side of the court, shoots (either from the three-point line or at a mid-range), catches the rebound, then sprints back across the court for another shot.
- Players catch their own rebound, then pass to the next player in their group
02
3 Dribbling Drills
When doing these drills, make sure to keep your eyes up. Dribble with as much speed, precision and power as possible.
1. Figure Eight: The figure eight drill is a basic dribbling exercise that aims to strengthen your ball handling and coordination.
- Using both hands, dribble the ball in a figure of eight shape in and out of your legs.
Ehab Amin
© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool
2. Obstacle Course: Setting up an obstacle course where players dribble the ball is an effective way of not only strengthening dribbling prowess, but their agility, coordination and footwork.
- Place ten cones in a straight line and have the players weave between them while dribbling.
3. Three Ball Drill: This dribbling drill is deceptively simple: all you need is three balls and one player.
- The player needs to keep three balls bouncing at one time. They should be constantly changing which two balls they are dribbling. They need to keep going until the allotted time is up.
03
2 Passing Drills
Remember to stay low, balanced, and focused so that you can maintain control over the ball and pass with precision every single time.
1. 32 Advance
- Have your players form three lines at the base line. Two on each end of the baseline and one in the middle of it.
- When the drill begins, three players travel down the court. The outside lines have a ball.
- The drill begins with one outside player passing to the middle player. The middle player immediately passes it back to the same player and then receives from the other outside player and repeats.
- All three players travel down the court in unison, passing the ball back and forth.
- When they reach the end of the court, the two outside players should conclude their round with a layup.
Lethal Shooter
© Koury Angelo
2. Man or Monkey in the Middle: This drill is probably familiar to most players. A popular playground game, makes for a surprisingly effective basketball passing drill too.
- Divide your team into groups of three with one ball between them. Designate the ‘monkey’ who stands between the two other players.
- When the drill begins, the two outside players pass the ball between them.
- It’s important that they actively open space for their passes rather than defaulting to lob passes or dribbling round the monkey.
- The man in the middle should be guarding the offensive players tightly trying to block, make steals, and deflect.
04
2 Rebounding Drills
Successful rebounding requires you to prepare your hands, block out, and catch the ball.
1. Slide Rebounding: This drill works with four offensive and four defensive players. The defensive players begin by positioning themselves in the key, while their offensive counterparts are paced around the three point line.
- When the drill begins, the four defenders start by sliding within the key
- The coach starts play by passing the ball to an offensive player and designating a defender to box them out
- The three other defenders need to use their intuition and communicate clearly to decide who will box out who
- The four defensive players need to work in sync to secure the rebound
- You can choose how to score the drill, either by setting a minimum threshold of successful rebounds or requiring the defensive team to secure three consecutively
2. Rotation Rebounding: This drill puts a spin on rebound exercises and highlights the importance of cohesive teamwork and communication if you want to secure the rebound.
- Start by dividing your players into two groups of three of four. The defensive players will be moving round clockwise and the offensive anti-clockwise.
- Position the players as follows: 2 offensive players on the low blocks and 2 on the elbows, creating a square.
- The defensive players mirror their counterparts on the inside of the square.
- When the drill starts, the players will begin rotating in opposite directions.
- From the free-throw line, the coach will attempt a shot.
- This is when all the players need to act to secure the rebound.
- If the defensive team is able to secure it, the play continues with all players moving across the court as the defense tries to score.
- If the offensive team grabs the rebound, they need to try and score at that end of the court.
Consistency is key
If you want to play like a pro, you need to train like one. According to Lethal Shooter, that means committing to repetition, focus, strength and nutrition. Drills impact your game-play more than you might think, refining not only your physical skills but your overall basketball IQ and mental performance. Soon, fundamental sequences and skills will become so second nature you won’t even need to think about them.
Ready for the big game? Be sure to check out Red Bull Half Court - Australia's toughest 3v3 tournament.
Part of this story