As I coached a 7th grade team, I noticed that FT’s had such individual unimportance to the players!   I now do the same in my practices that my college basketball coach did.  I have early conditioning and they have to hit two in a row to get a drink.

At the end of basketball practice we shoot 10 FT’s a piece and the players have to hit 8 out of 10 because our team goal is 80%.  Those who achieve this sit out the end of practice conditioning.

I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but I saw this team go from an early season 42% FT shooting team to a 74% team and they continued to push towards 80%. We are hitting our FT’s at the end of the game and our opponents are not, because they are tired.

This team now take shooting free throws personally!

Technorati Tags: basketball conditioning, Free Throws, basketball, basketball practice

Have all your basketball players line up and each player gets to shoot 2 shots.  When they miss one that adds 1 to their list. If they make one that takes away.  However many they end up with they run that many suicides.  If they end up with a negative number (which isn’t very often, the other coach and myself run that many.

It really gets them to work hard because they like to see the basketball coach run!  I usually will run with them every now and then.  They really like that also.  Sometimes when I am running with them after a few I will say, “okay whoever can beat me this next time can sit out”.  If it looks like they are trying really hard I will let them win.

Technorati Tags: free youth basketball coaching tips, basketball, basketball coach

Have three teams line up 15 feet from the basket. Give the teams a target – say, first team to hit 10 baskets.

Player rebounds his own shot and passes to the next in line, shouts out the running total if he/she scores.

After the total is reached the teams swap positions (ie. left, right and center of basket). Again it’s the first to 10, but this time if the player misses he/she has to run the length of the basketball court before joining the back of the line.

Third time it’s first to 10 – only now, if the shot is missed the whole team has to run!

Technorati Tags: basketball shooting drills, basketball drill, basketball

I put a basketball player on both ends of the baseline (drifting up toward the time line)  and a BIG in the middle under the basket. The BIG has to toss the basketball off the backboard, catch it with two hands. The other two players on the baseline will have to yell out outlet.

The BIG will pass to the player of choice, then sprint directly up the middle of the floor. The player without the ball will have to be in an all out sprint to receive the next pass to score the lay up (two passes only). This will continue from the other end and the next group will be up next.

Emphasis:
Ball must never touch the floor.
The BIGS must sprint from one end to the other end and rebound the ball, teaching him to run the floor,
Looking to transition without any dribble.
Getting easy fast break scores and not giving the defense to set up.

And remember–it’s a great basketball conditioning drill!

Technorati Tags: basketball full court drills, basketball drill, basketball, basketball conditioning drill

1.The basketball drill starts with one player facing backboard with ball. The rest of the team are in a line behind the first player. Coach is about a meter behind the last player in the line.
2.First player throws the basketball off the backboard and second player steps in, jumps off both feet, and with either one hand or two hands (depending upon skill level), rebounds the ball and bounces the ball back off the backboard while in the air. This continues with the rest of the players in the line stepping forward and rebounding and pushing the ball off the backboard.
3.After each player rebounds and passes to the backboard, they then run past the line and around the basketball coach who is standing about a meter from the back of the line and rejoin the end of the line.
4.Once each player in the line has rebounded once, the coach then takes one big step back and the drill repeats with the coach stepping back one step after each time the players have gone around.

A fully fit and committed team can do this drill with the coach eventually standing at nearly the opposite baseline (but not for very long!)  It can continue with the coach now making a step back towards the basket with each rotation shortening the distance the players have to run.

Technorati Tags: coaching basketball conditioning drills, basketball drill, basketball, basketball coach

The drill starts with a basketball coach shooting from the free throw line. The 3 offensive players rebound the basketball and start a 3 on 2 fastbreak. The 2 defenders must communicate who will “take ball” and then work to defend against numbers.

Whichever offensive player shoots the ball, he/she must then sprint/retreat back down to the near court and they now become a defensive player. The original 2 defenders have to rebound/gain control of the ball once the offense shoots and then those 2 defenders become offensive players and start and 2 on 1 fast break. The remaining 2 original offensive players stay down on the far court and will become defenders for the next group.

During the 2 on 1 break, once someone shoots, the next 3 players in line grab the rebound from this shot and take off down court, starting a new 3 on 2 break. This drill continues on like this until the coach decides its time to move on.

What’s nice about this basketball drill is it involves fast, continuous motion and requires the players to communicate with each other. It also helps in conditioning the players since they’re running the length of the court.

Technorati Tags: basketball full court drills, basketball coach, basketball, basketball drill

Basically what happens is the team forms a line and are each dribbling a basketball while they are running.  The leader at the  front dictates the hand to use, the direction, and the speed of the running dribble (for more advanced groups, you can vary this basketball drill to include other dribbling techniques).  All of the players must copy and follow the leader.

What happens next is the player who is at the back races to the front of the line (on the outside) and becomes the new leader.  You can go through the whole line but certainly don’t have to. You can also determine the line formation, so it is not a random draw.

My teams have always loved the drill and I see a huge improvement in my players’ dribbling skills (and they soon learn to keep their head up!)

Technorati Tags: basketball fundamental drills, basketball, basketball drill, dribbling skills

• The entire basketball team lines up on the baseline.
• One by one, each player comes up to the free throw line to shoot a 1 and 1.
• If the player misses the first free throw, the entire team runs a suicide.
• If he makes the first and misses the second, the entire team runs an up and back.
• If the player makes both free throws, nobody runs and the next player comes up to shoot.

Technorati Tags: basketball drill, pressure free throws, basketball conditioning drills, basketball

17’s
This is conditioning basketball drill I do with my teams and I call it “17’s”.
Players run from sideline to sideline 17 times. They touch each sideline, and they count out (“ONE! TWO! Etc.) The last one (17) they have to go as hard as they can. The drill can be modified any way; players can dribble, defensive slide, run forward/backward.  I like 17’s as much as any other standard running/conditioning drill because they incorporate both endurance and speed.

25 Second drill
Another one of the basketball drills I do with my guys is the 25 second drill. Used primarily for conditioning, this basketball drill increases speed and promotes back pedaling for defense.

I put 25 seconds on the game clock and my guys have to sprint from end to end and back pedal back. This has to be done twice in 25 seconds. I normally do ten before practice and ten after. If a player is late he or she owes another. Sometimes I give them the option of hitting two free throws to end their suffering but I get to pick the player who, is least likely to make them both.

Technorati Tags: basketball conditioning drills, basketball drill, basketball drills, basketball

Tell your basketball team that you want to see who has enough gas to go all out for 8 minutes. (It doesn’t sound like very long to them.)

• Begin with all the boys spaced out across the court and have them slide/ shuffle their feet in a defensive posture, with hands up.
• At the sound of each whistle they have to reverse directions, (they go for about 2- 3 minutes).
• On the sound of two quick whistle blasts they have to run to the baseline and line up to run line drills (this goes about 4 minutes).
• The last minute, make them go back on defense and have them shuffle side to side for the remaining time.

Before they know it they have completed a full quarter of non-stop running!

Technorati Tags: basketball drill, youth basketball coaching, basketball