Basketball injuries can derail a season, but you can take steps to prevent them and hasten recovery.
1. Pay attention to your nutrition needs
Athletes have different nutrition requirements based on their size, gender, sport and health…
Three Quick-Shot Plays
Objective
To set up your best shooter for a three-point shot or your best playmaker for a one-on-one opportunity.
Woelffer Post and Seal Drill
We start with six perimeter players at the three perimeter spots (wing/top/wing) making sure the defensive players are aggressive and active. We want them to get deflections and “stand up” the offensive players. They are not allowed to deflect or…
3 P’s of Rebounding: Women’s Basketball Drills
In addition to “Practice,” there are two other “P”s that lead to success as a rebounder.
Prevent. When the ball leaves the shooter’s hand, create contact with your opponent with a solid box-out between your opponent and the basket. Prevent her…
The Best Basketball Conditioning Drills
There is a huge difference between being in shape and being in basketball shape. A simple treadmill run, bike ride, or swim will not prepare your body for the fast-paced demands of the basketball season. To be ready for the first day of tryouts or…
Playing As the Underdog
Some coaches might look at playing as an Underdog a challenge. Some coaches might look at playing as an Underdog as disrespectful. We, here at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL, have taken on the Underdog role in several games. At our…
2 Drills to Speed Up Basketball Footwork
Basketball is a game that starts with the feet. Cutting, jumping, sliding and backpedaling all work from the ground up. Yet when we train for basketball, we typically train for whole-body performance and pay too little attention to our feet.
Off-Season Workout Program for Basketball Centers
To dominate in the paint, basketball centers must be big, strong and have a high vertical jump. They must also have the endurance to run from hoop to hoop so they can play under the basket on both offense and defense…
The Best Exercises for Female Basketball Players
The differences between male and female basketball strength training are minimal. Both guys and gals must get bigger, stronger and faster and be able to jump higher. If they want to compete on the court, female athletes must increasingly train…
3 Keys To Coaching Man-To-Man Defense
No matter what level of play, all basketball teams share a common goal: have the higher score when the final buzzer sounds. A strong offense is your playmaker, but defense wins games.
Although some coaches favor active zone defenses, in my…
Coaching Defensive Basketball – How to Stop a Dominant Post Scorer
One problem has plagued coaches for years – how do you defend size without size? And there is only one answer – with a double team.
If you don’t have the height to defend a dynamic post scorer, you have to use the speed and mobility of your…
Zone Offense Concepts
Over the course of my coaching career, we have worked on zone concepts rather than specific plays. When utilizing these concepts, our program’s specific objectives for the season were to get easy baskets; get inside to secure second shots at the…
How to Get Your Team to Play More Up-Tempo
There are many different things coaches must focus on during basketball practice–shooting, dribbling, techniques, plays…the list goes on and on. But how often to you spend on getting your team to play more up-tempo? These drills will help to get…
The Carolina Break for Middle and High School Teams
Middle and high school basketball coaches who prefer an up-tempo style have several options when using the Carolina Break. The offense works well because you can run the options against either man-to-man or zone defenses.
Develop Your Team’s Fast Break Skills With the Four-Pass Drill
The Four-Pass Drill calls for four quick bullet passes leading to a layup without dribbling. It teaches players to run and pass the ball at top speed. Too many times, we allow players to play at 80% effort in practice, yet we expect them to…
Shooting Drills from the University of New Mexico’s Women’s Basketball
Yvonne Sanchez, coach of the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team, emphasizes proper footwork at all times. That’s why she has her players perform shooting drills that require them to be fundamentally sound. Sanchez says, “You have to…
Principles & Drills to Improve Your Three-Point Shooting
Today, we’re going to discuss some basketball practice principles and drills that will help improve your 3-point shooting performance.
A Unique Approach to Proper Shooting Technique
From a pick-up game to a professional one, it’s easy to see there are multiple ways to shoot a basketball. Most players believe that if they take a shot and the ball goes in, they must be shooting well enough. But with repetition and practice, any…
2 Drills to Increase Your Basketball Shot Quickness and Accuracy
It’s said that the game of basketball is won with defense, but the final result usually reflects the ability to score points and shoot consistently. Honing this skill takes time and commitment to practicing your shots during the off-season.
3 Secrets For Increasing Your Offensive Rebound Total
When it comes to offensive rebounding, the ability to anticipate the ball coming off the rim can be just as important as length, or athleticism. That’s why I like to put my players through a series of drills that hone their offensive rebounding…
Creating Power and Balance in Women’s Basketball
As the old saying goes, “basketball is basketball.” True, but there are some differences in teaching the game between men and women. The main difference is due to body structure, because in general women players do not use their hips as much…
Basketball Passing Drills That Teach the Fundamentals
Basketball would be boring without the simple art of passing. Passing drills are crucial for young players who are learning the game. Do you really know the best situation to use a bounce pass or a chest pass?
WBCA Drills and Plays
“Thumbs Down” Offensive Continuity
By Mike Bowden – Video Director, University of Maryland..and other plays
Backdoor Cut
The backdoor cut is used when an offensive player overplayed by a defender who is trying to prevent the player from receiving a pass. The backdoor cut takes place when the offensive player makes an initial cut to receive a pass from a teammate…
Developing a Selfless Effort
Selfishness is usually an idea that is focused on the offensive end of the floor – and rightly so. However, we think that defensive selfishness is just as relevant and detrimental to our overall success as a team. Some defensive players only worry…
Effective Pregame Drills to Get Your Players Ready for Game Time
These drills will help getting them ready and get them to the proper mental focus so that they can be at their best.
Give Your Offense A Helping Handoff
We had a dilemma one season in that our center was not a conventional scoring threat (we liked it so much we kept using it), so we began to use him as a handoff man in our UCLA offensive set. Since his defender was always sagging to help defend…