Improving Quickness

Drills to improve your quickness include:
1) Jumping rope.
2) Line jumps - Standing on one side of a line jump back and forth over the line and quickly as possible for thiry seconds.
3) Bleacher Hops - Stand in front of the first first row and jump up and take two running steps and hop back down and then back up over and over again for thirty seconds.

Rebounding Drills

1) Rebounding your own shot: Have your players shoot from various spots on the floor from where they would normally shoot and have them rebound their own shot, if it hits the floor they have to run a lap. Even if the shot is made they should rebound through the net. This teaches and gets the players in the habit of following their own shot.
3) Three man rebounding capsule: Have three offensive players and three defensive players in position near the basket. Shots should be taken by the coach or a seventh player. Three consecutive rebounds most be made by the defenders as a unit before they can switch out of the drill. This teaches blocking out and teamwork defensively.

Blocking Shots

You want to be in good defensive position in front of the man with the ball. You will then want to time your jump so you raise your hand in front of the ball just as it is released. You can also come from the side or from behind. Just use your hand to swat the ball. The big waving blocks will generally lead to a foul. A clean block is hitting the ball and not the shooters hand or arm.

Blocked shots are a good defensive skill and will get your team and the crowd excited when it happens.

The key to a good blocked shot is capturing the ball following the block so that your team gets the ball.

Arch In Your Shot

This means to shoot the ball with an arc when it leaves your hand and travels to the basket. This adds "touch" to your shot. This is opposed to a flat shot that will go like a line drive straight at the basket and will actually have less of an opportunity to go in.

Improving Your Jump Shot

Good form is important in jump shooting. Look at yourself in the mirror as you continually practice the shot without a ball. Practice your form keeping yourself straight up and down on the jump and your arm straight on the shot and make sure your follow through on each shot.

Another drill to help with shooting form is to stand a few feet from the basket and shoot the ball a dozen time from that spot practicing perfect form and follow through on the shot. Take a few steps back and repeat the drill from the new distance. Continue to back up as long as you are practicing good form. If you are starting to labor on your shot, you are beginning to shot from too far out and you will have to build your strength for that distance. This drill will help you shoot from further out over time.

Good shooting takes practice, practice, practice. Shooting from your favorite spots on the court can be improved by putting in extra practice. More shots will go down in games the more you practice your shot.

Using Your Wrist In Shooting

The flicking of your wrists when shooting is the follow-through of the shot. The strength of the flick is pretty consistent and will work in conjunction with the entire jump shot (the jump and arm motion).

However, you will have a slightly lesser flick closer to the basket. Shooting involves touch or adaptation to the distance of the shot. Some closer shots will require less of a flick and a lay-up uses an underhand scoop motion.

Overcoming Limited Size In Basketball

Height does matter in basketball. But, so do good ball handling skills. Too many players these days do not know how to dribble and pass very well. Every team needs a ball handler and a lot of energy. Just because you are short by basketball standards doesn't mean that you cannot contribute or even lead the team. And if you can shoot fairly well, all the better. Good skills will help you overcome your size. Be positive and do what you can to help the team.

Research Spud Webb and Mugsy Bogues. Two short guards that had successful careers.

Game Time Ball Handling

The only way to improve your ball handling during a game is to work on ball handling in practice or on your own. The old cliché is true, you play how you practice. A player can only get better by working on skills. No player just shows up on the court and does everything well, no one.

Stealing The Ball

Stealing the ball, or taking it away from the offensive player, is a tough task to pull off without fouling. This takes quick hands, good timing and good footwork. A skilled ball handler will protect the ball from the defender when he/she is dribbling. The main object as a defender is to be in good position at all times. Steals will come, especially with experience. But, you shouldn't concentrate on this one task, it will take away from the rest of your defending.

The Basics

Practice the fundementals: Dribbling, passing, defense and shooting. Be in good physical condition.

Too many young players just want to shoot and not put in the work. The best players can do everything. You learn to do everything by practicing everything. It might not be glamorous to do dribble drills, but is will be when you beat a double team in a game with your improved ball handling skills.

Basketball Conditioning

Running is always a good exercise for conditioning in basketball and for any sport. Both distance running and sprinting. The distance will build up your stamina, which is important at the end of the game and withstanding a long season. Sprinting builds strength and is the type of running you will be doing, there are a lot of short burst of running in basketball.

Weightlifting is another good exercise for basketball. You want to work on all areas of the body because you use so many of your muscles for the different movements and skills in the sport.

Jumping rope is an excellent basketball exercise for conditioning. It builds coordination, stamina, and improves your jumping ability.

Building a Shot

Shooting in basketball is a skill. To improve and shoot deeper out on the court you must build your skills. Master the shorter shot after you have done that move back a little build and build your accuracy from a farther spot. This will help keep your Fundamentals sharp while building the strength in your shot. And this cannot be done without practicing. No shooter gets better without the repetition of practicing the shot.

Getting Open In The Paint

Getting open in the paint, also known as the lane, takes a combination of strength and quickness. Since the lane area is not a large area, proper positioning is key. A player will have to use quickness to beat the defender to the spot, use strength to maneuver for the sport, or use screens by teammates to get open. Once in position, you will have to hold off the defender with your arms, legs and backside to remain in position. But, you cannot grab, push, or pin the defender. Otherwise a foul will be called.

Getting a Leg Up

You can get edge over over those you try-out against and your opponents in games by being well conditioned and by constantly practicing your skills. All skills: passing, dribbling, defense and shooting.

And most importantly, you need to play as much basketball as you can especially in the off-season. A player will get better by playing against good competition.

The player that works the hardest has the best chance of succeeding.

Penetrating The Double Team

If you want to penetrate the double team you can split the defenders where there is daylight between them. Get them to move with solid ball fakes and then a firm dribble to get through.

You can also beat a double team by beating them to the sport that they are trying to cut you off from. If you get there first they cannot take it away from you.

You should also be looking for your teammates. If you are double teamed, someone else is open.

Raw Talent

Raw talent in basketball is when a player posses some natural abilities and skills before they are taught the fundamentals of the game. For example a player might be fast, quick, can jump high and strong. These are attributes that can help a player excel in basketball with proper basketball fundamentals.

Basketball Practice Duration

A typical basketball workout would be somewhere between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours from start to finish. Consideration should be given to the age of players and the time of the season. The younger the player and the later in the season - the shorter the practice should be.

As coaches, we expect our players to be on time so that we can begin on schedule. For that reason we should be respectful of players(and their parents) to be organized enough to end on time.

Training Guidelines for the Intermediate Player

When training basketball players a common oversight among coaches is spending too much time learning "basketball plays" and not enough time learning how to play basketball. Teams do need to have organized offenses and plays (we have tons!), and players can expand understanding of your 5 on 5 philosophies. However, it is far more important to be able to execut