Break Down Drills

Break Down Drills

Basketball coaches and basketball players are always searching for new drills to work on their game. Coaches sit at clinics and seminars for hours, waiting for that one drill that fits what they do. Team offenses, defenses, and individual basketball skills can be practiced with an infinite number of "break down drills." The only thing that limits the number of basketball drills and the manner in which they're employed is the players' or coach's imaginations.

Any offensive or defensive strategy that a basketball team employs can be broken down by the basketball coach and practiced in much smaller parts. Learning, refining, and mastering a part of a sequence is much easier if the sequence is smaller or shorter.

A coach could take a specific part of the basketball team's offense and make it into a shooting drill that mimics the execution of the play. For the most basic example: A line at the point and a line under the basket can be used for a variety of drills. The point can practice his passing and entering the offense while the player beneath the basket can work on getting open at the wing and establishing a pivot foot. Add extra players on defense for the next progression. Next, the passer could cut to the basket for a "give and go" or set a screen for a pick and roll. Add a line on the opposite side of the floor and you could practice setting screens and using screens in a "motion offense," or reverse the ball to practice your passing and timing in the "flex offense." End every rotation with a shot, a block out, and a rebound.

Now you've practiced getting open, passing, screening, using screens, and shooting, all while working on the execution of your team's own offense. Additional work on rebounding and defense makes the drills that much more valuable.

With break down drills, a team can get the maximum amount of repetitions and the coach can concentrate on the details of execution in a smaller, more controlled setting. This will lead to optimum improvement in all areas of a team's performance.