p. 1

winning basketball drills 72 of our favorite basketball drills that will keep your players working hard and help you develop a winning basketball team by jeff joe haefner http www.breakthroughbasketball.com limits disclaimer of warranty the authors and publishers of this book and the accompanying materials have used their best efforts in preparing this book the authors and publishers make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy applicability fitness or completeness of the contents of this book they disclaim any warranties expressed or implied merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose the authors and publishers shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages including but not limited to special incidental consequential or other damages this manual contains material protected under international and federal copyright laws and treaties any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited page 1 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 2

table of contents by category shooting 7 form shooting 8 partner shooting 11 knockout 13 half moon 15 jumpers free throws 17 pass and relocate 19 bang bang 21 pull up jumpers 23 cut curl 25 fast break shooting 27 penetrate and kick 29 above ground 31 rapid fire 3 ball 33 rebounding 35 1-on-1 rebounding 36 the rebound game 38 numbers game 40 rebound machine 42 two-man boxout 44 be aggressive 46 offensive footwork shooting 47 jump stop drill 48 partner dribble pass pivot pass drill 50 the all-around offensive footwork drill 53 two ball shooting wing cuts 55 two ball shooting down screens 57 two ball shooting back picks 59 two ball shooting skip passes 61 post play 63 post moves 64 drop step 66 round the block 67 walton move 69 post screen ­ shoot cut 71 post shooting shape up 73 post shooting sequence 75 jump hook 77 up and under 78 reverse pivot 79 ball-handling 80 king of the court 81 dribble relays 83 dribble drive 85 dribble moves 87 pass and zigzag 89 page 2 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 3

bleachers 91 full-court lay up minimal dribble 92 dribbling mania 93 gauntlet 95 passing 97 three on three 98 partner pass with 1 defender 100 machine gun passing 101 four corners passing 103 full court passing 105 lane pressure passing 107 defense agility 109 musical slide 110 defensive slide 111 lane slides 113 one on one 115 fresno drill 116 recovery drill 118 forward denial 120 complete man to man 122 close out 125 transition d 127 twelve game defensive drill 129 double trouble 131 post double down 133 defending the pick roll 135 flash pass 137 transition 139 three-on-two two-on-one break 140 free press spin dribble out 143 free press step through 145 free press wrap-around pass 147 fast break shooting 149 two man break 152 page 3 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 4

by age level although we have put age levels on these drills by no means does this mean that 17 year olds shouldn t be doing drills that 6 year olds can do example form shooting it also does not mean that 11 year olds can not perform some drills that 15 year olds can not do of course a group of 12 year old talented kids that have played since 6 years old are going to be able to do some of the high school drills in contrast some 12 year old kids should be using all the drills under elementary 1 level because they have never played before this is just a standard to provide some clarity for the reader elementary 1 elementary 2 junior high/high school/college 6 year olds 10 year olds 13 year olds kindergarten 4th grade 7th grade elementary 1 form shooting 8 partner shooting 11 knockout 13 half moon 15 1-on-1 rebounding 36 the rebound game 38 jump stop drill 48 partner dribble pass pivot pass drill 50 king of the court 81 dribble relays 83 dribble drive 85 musical slide 110 defensive slide 111 lane slides 113 one on one 115 fresno drill 116 recovery drill 118 elementary 2 jumpers free throws 17 pass and relocate 19 bang bang 21 pull up jumpers 23 the all-around offensive footwork drill 23 post moves 64 drop step 66 round the block 67 dribble moves 87 three on three 98 partner pass with 1 defender 100 machine gun passing 101 musical slide 110 defensive slide 111 lane slides 113 three-on-two two-on-one break 140 page 4 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 5

junior high/high school/college cut curl 25 penetrate and kick 29 above ground 31 rapid fire 3 ball 33 numbers game 40 rebound machine 42 two-man boxout 44 be aggressive 46 two ball shooting wing cuts 55 two ball shooting down screens 57 walton move 69 post screen ­ shoot cut 71 post shooting shape up 73 post shooting sequence 75 jump hook 77 up and under 78 reverse pivot 79 pass and zigzag 89 bleachers 91 full-court lay up minimal dribble 92 dribbling mania 93 gauntlet 95 four corners passing 103 full court passing 105 lane pressure passing 107 complete man to man 122 close out 125 transition d 127 twelve game defensive drill 129 double trouble 131 post double down 133 defending the pick roll 135 flash pass 137 free press spin dribble out 143 free press step through 145 free press wrap-around pass 147 fast break shooting 149 two man break 152 page 5 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 6

if you are not subscribed to the breakthrough basketball newsletter subscribe for free at http www.breakthroughbasketball.com why should you sign up for the newsletter because you will receive all kinds of information to become improve your basketball program including · · · · · · · · · new drills end of game plays scoring tips conditioning secrets motivation tips improving defense lowering turnovers articles about running an effective program and much more you can sign up for free here http www.breakthroughbasketball.com page 6 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 7

shooting page 7 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 8

form shooting age level elementary 1 drill purpose this drill will improve shooting form and develop good shooting habits so once players get in a game they will consistently use proper form without thinking about it this simple drill is critical for youth player and can greatly improve shooting percentages for all types of players all youth coaches should run this drill almost daily first of all it s important to understand that this is drill requires you and all your players to pay very close attention to the details it also requires a lot of repetitions this is all about developing perfect shooting form so once you get in a game you use the proper form without even thinking about it instructions note for the first time around you ll need to demonstrate proper technique to all your players 1 each player needs to grab a basketball and find a basket it works best to have three players or less at each basket two players on each side of the basket and one in front 2 each player should stand about 2 feet from the basket yes it s only two feet do not stand farther back 3 for right handed shooters your right foot should be centered with the basket and pointing directly towards the middle of the basket 4 your left foot should be positioned shoulder width apart in a comfortable position most players leave their left foot slightly behind the other foot the left foot should be pointing in the relative area of the basket but probably should not be pointing directly at it most players feel the most comfortable with their left foot pointing just to the left of the basket 5 bend your knees at a comfortable angle somewhere around 45 degrees page 8 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 9

6 now if you re feet are aligned properly the rest of your body should follow suit 7 hold the ball in your hand palm facing up your non-shooting hand can dangle to the side 8 slowly bring the ball in and hold is as if you were shooting with one hand 9 your arm should form a 90 degree angle 10 your tricep should be parallel with the floor and directly above your right leg 11 your wrist should be bent with fingers spread out the ball should be sitting on your finger pads not your finger tips 12 your index finger should be in the center of the ball 13 pause this is when you make sure your arm feet and everything is in the correct form 14 look at the front of the rim 15 proceed to shoot with one hand leaving your off hand to the side the player should use his legs on every shot at the end of the shot the player should be up on his toes this is very important because players generate most of their strength from their legs to shoot the ball to the basket 16 hold your follow through tell your players it s like reaching into a cookie jar 17 grab the ball and repeat the process 18 get the ball quickly but don t hurry your shot take your time 19 each player should get a minimum of 20 repetitions but 50 or 100 would be better progression as players master this skill you can progress to other variations 1 use two hands instead of one just make sure the off hand is one the side of the ball and not used to propel the ball 2 do a jump shot you should still stay two feet from the basket 3 flip the ball to yourself pivot and shoot a jump shot again stay close to the basket and make sure you proper form even though you are going slightly faster do not sacrifice form for more advanced players we commonly start with one-hand form shooting and progress all the way to pivots we generally spend a few minutes on each progression and check all the players to make sure their form is not slipping page 9 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 10

points of emphasis continually tell your players to hold your follow through take your time and always make sure your form is perfect bend your knees don t stand back too far stay just a couple feet from the basket motivation teaching tips tip #1 ­ tell you players once you get good at it don t think you can stop there are nba players that do form shooting everyday tip #2 ­ assign a coach to each basket to make sure they are using proper form help them correct any problems if they don t do it properly this drill is a waste of time tip #3 ­ make sure your players do not dip one shoulder or lean too far forward when shooting you want your players to have an erect torso i like to use the phrase shoot tall tip#4 ­ if you as a coach don t know all the aspects of proper shooting form consider picking up a good shooting video we covered the basics above but there are more things to look for like hand placement on the ball and so on page 10 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 11

partner shooting age level elementary 1 drill purpose this helps the players improve shooting off the pass it simulates a shot being kicked out from the post instructions 1 player 2 passes the ball to player 1 2 player 1 has the ball and shoots 3 player 1 runs after the rebound 4 player 2 positions them self somewhere on the court 5 player 1 passes the ball to player 2 6 player 2 shoots gets their rebound 7 player 1 repositions them self on the court to shoot 8 player 2 passes him the ball 9 player 1 shoots gets their rebound passes to player 2 10 repeat this over and over page 11 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 12

points of emphasis make sure players are moving to different spots on the floor emphasize good fundamentals on the shot and the pass motivation/teaching tips tip #1 see which two players can make the most shots in 30 to 60 seconds tip #2 you could also add the variable after a player 1 passes the ball to player 2 player 1 goes to block out player 2 after they shoot only for a brief second this will help work on shooting an blocking out rebounding page 12 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 13

knockout age level elementary 1 drill purpose your players will love this drill this is a great drill to break up the monotony of practice while also helping your players deal with pressure situations namely free throws late in the game hitting free throws down the stretch can be the difference between a win and a loss instructions 1 line your players up at the free throw line in single file give the first two players in the line a basketball 2 on your whistle the first player in line will shoot a free throw if they make it they will retrieve the ball and pass it to the next person in line without a basketball if they miss they must retrieve the ball and make a lay-up 3 the next player in line is allowed to shoot a free throw as soon as the previous player s ball hits the rim or goes through the net if the previous player misses the next player is attempting to make a free throw or rebound shot before that player makes their rebound shot 4 if the scenario in step 3 occurs the previous player has to sit out for the rest of the drill 5 this process continues until only one player remains page 13 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 14

points of emphasis continually tell your players to stay behind the free throw line before shooting wait until the ball hits the rim on the free throw before going to rebound it avoid rushing too much to prevent ruining your shooting mechanics motivation teaching tips tip #1 ­ this drill is a great way to keep your players from getting bored use this drill as a break from some of the more necessary tedious parts of practice tip #2 ­ set up a situation for them ­ for example if a player makes this free throw tell them there will be no running at the end of practice ­ just to put a little added pressure on the individuals tip #3 ­ if you notice some of your players starting to cheat shooting in front of the free throw line knocking another player s ball away make them sit out until the next game tip#4 ­ have fun page 14 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]

p. 15

half moon age level elementary 1 drill purpose this is a fun drill that does it all it teaches players how to catch and shoot follow their shot slide out to a shooter and make good passes instructions 1 divide your squad into two teams scatter your players around the three point line on each end of the court youth ­ 10 to 15 feet away from hoop 2 give the ball to one player in the corner on each end of the court 3 on the whistle the player on each side of the court that has the ball will take a shot they will follow their shot and pass it to the next player 4 the first shooter will then slide out and put token pressure on the new shooter 5 this process will continue until one team reaches a set number of baskets and is declared the winner page 15 © copyright 2007 joe haefner breakthroughbasketball.com www.breakthroughbasketball.com

[close]