Polish Your Game With Basketball Drills

With the right drills, a coach can make basketball practice for young athletes both enjoyable and useful. As the very best coaches in the history of the game can attest, sometimes repetition until it’s done right can be enough to prepare a team for game time.

Boeheim sticks to the basics

Many basketball players and fans refer to layups as one of the easiest parts of the game. However, these easy opportunities are regularly squandered and can be the difference between a one-point victory and a one-point loss.

Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim has established the most renowned zone basketball system in all of college hoops, so he often finds his team in low-scoring games. Considering this, he recognizes the importance of every point, including those from layups.

To make sure that his players will either convert all their layups, or at least have no excuse for a miss, Boeheim has implemented a drill he calls “120 in 4,” according to Syracuse.com. The drill is just about as basic as the name. The team must make 120 layups in four minutes.

“I like the drill,” said guard Trevor Cooney. “It simulates game situations - if you have a fast break or you’re trying to beat a defender or anything like that and you have to score. It gets you running. I’d rather do that than do sprints without a ball.”

Perfecting the handle

Young athletes, especially shooters like Cooney, love drills that involve the act of shooting. However, the best point guards and the most versatile forwards also understand the importance of ball handling.

Stack.com listed a number of useful dribbling drills that could help a young athlete mirror the amazing handle of Kyrie Irving, point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, or Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics.

One drill, titled the “two-ball lateral hop,” starts with your right foot parallel to the starting line and a basketball in each hand. Dribble the balls with each hand while hopping over the line. After gaining comfort with the drill, try to do it without looking down. Another is the “ball handling sit-up drill.” The title speaks for itself - perform sit-ups while dribbling a basketball with each hand.

Coaches can use sports team websites to create Web page resources for young athletes interested in new drills. By regularly updating a list of drills, your players could have an endless number of ways to polish their game.