Basketball drills menu

These are pulled from old PeacePlayers and Vito coaching notes. The common idea: make the drill clear, show it a few times, then get the kids moving. Keep enough continuity that each practice builds on what the kids already know. When you turn a drill into a game, score the thing you want to teach. If the focus is rebounding, give points for rebounds. If the focus is passing, give points for good targets, pivots, or assists.

Ball Handling And Coordination

• Hula hoop course: Set three hula hoops near the baseline. Players take two dribbles, jump stop in the first hoop, toss the ball forward, catch and land in the next hoop, then repeat. Finish with a full-court dribble into a layup.
• Bench dribbling: After the layup, players come back on the other side, stand on a bench, and dribble while balancing. Keep it short and controlled.
• Zig-zag or slalom dribble: Use three cones for a zig-zag dribble. Tighten the cones for a quicker slalom version.
• Ice cream cone with basketball: Run while controlling the ball, backpedal, switch hands, then throw the ball in the air and catch it.
• Hula hoop freestyle: Dribble in one hand while spinning a hula hoop in the other. Throw the hoop out, dribble around it, then switch hands by passing the ball through the hoop.
• Slide and pass: Partners defensive-slide together while passing with one hand. Progress to one sideways dribble, then a one-hand pass.

Passing

• Backwards passing: Partners chest pass while one player moves backward, keeping 6-8 feet of space. On a whistle, the backpedaling player jump stops, gets into triple threat, pivots, and continues after the partner runs past.
• Basic partner passing: Sit with legs spread and roll the ball two-handed, then one-handed. Repeat lying on each side, back-to-back, and through a partner’s legs.
• Target hand passing: One player gives a target hand in different locations. The passer must hit the hand, then reset.
• Two-line passing plus movement: Use a standard two-line passing drill, but after each pass add a task: touch the ground, spin, sprint to the sideline, or another quick movement.
• Two-line hula hoop passing: One player moves while holding a hoop. The partner passes through it, chases the ball, catches with the other hand, then trades the hoop.
• Pass using bench: Two players face a bench and pass against it like a bounce pass to a teammate. Add movement between passes and slide along the length of the bench.
• 3-man passing drill: Two players have balls on one side, with one player opposite them on the sideline. The middle player moves between them, receiving and returning different types of passes. The stationary players work on pivots and triple threat.
• 4-man passing drill: Add a second sideline player. Players pass to the opposite side and trade spots. Build to a diagonal pass, sideline exchange, and return pass straight ahead.
• 3-station passing game: Station 1 is passing into hula hoops. Station 2 is knocking over cones. Station 3 can be anything available: a soccer goal, ladder, scaffolding, or another target. First team to clear the station sits down and wins.
• Ball reversal, no dribble: Set players at short corners and wings. Move the ball from corner to wing to opposite wing to corner for a shot. Everyone follows the pass. The shooter rebounds, faces in triple threat, and restarts.

Finishing And Footwork

• Layup build-up: Start right at the basket with a one-step layup. Move back to two steps, then add the final dribble into the two-step finish.
• Creative rebound exit: After each layup, add a ball-handling action before returning: dribble backward, dribble sideways, circle the ball around the head or back, or quick-dribble to half court and chest pass to the next player.
• Pass to elbow, handoff layup: Pass to the elbow, follow for a handoff, and finish at the rim.
• Pass to elbow, bounce-pass layup: Pass to the elbow, cut, receive the bounce pass, and finish.
• Jump stop to V-cut: Players jump stop with each foot in a hula hoop, pivot toward the wing, and pass to a player coming off a V-cut. The wing then feeds the opposite wing cutting to the basket.

Competitive Games

• Team running race: Pairs hold one ball together, run around a half-court cone to the right and back, then repeat from the left. Progress to rolling the ball while running.
• Stations mixed: Split into two groups. One group completes a cone slalom. The other shoots from the foul line. The first group to finish sits down and wins.
• Dribble, sprint, 1-on-1: Two baseline lines. The ball handler dribbles around a cone toward a layup while the defender sprints around a farther cone to chase and contest without fouling.
• 1-on-1 with playmaker: One player starts at half court, two start in baseline corners, and a third brings the ball up as playmaker. The offensive player must V-cut to get open while the defender denies.
• 2-on-2 varied start: Four lines: under the basket, top of key, and both wings. The ball starts up top with a teammate under the basket. On the whistle, the wings sprint in as defenders and the under-basket player enters for 2-on-2.
• 7-man passing game: Use as a full-group passing challenge after technique work. Keep the ball moving, require pivots and communication, and reward the passes or cuts emphasized that day.