The Complete Book of Offensive. Basketball Drills GAME-CHANGING DRILLS FROM AROUND THE WORLD GIORGIO GANDOLFI

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2 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills GAME-CHANGING DRILLS FROM AROUND THE WORLD GIORGIO GANDOLFI New York Chicago Sa Fracisco Lisbo Lodo Madrid Mexico City Mila New Delhi Sa Jua Seoul Sigapore Sydey Toroto

3 Dedicated to my late parets, Tia ad Atoio Gadolfi Copyright 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Compaies, Ic. All rights reserved. Except as permitted uder the Uited States Copyright Act of 1976, o part of this publicatio may be reproduced or distributed i ay form or by ay meas, or stored i a database or retrieval system, without the prior writte permissio of the publisher. ISBN: MHID: The material i this ebook also appears i the prit versio of this title: ISBN: , MHID: All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owers. Rather tha put a trademark symbol after every occurrece of a trademarked ame, we use ames i a editorial fashio oly, ad to the beefit of the trademark ower, with o itetio of ifrigemet of the trademark. Where such desigatios appear i this book, they have bee prited with iitial caps. McGraw-Hill ebooks are available at special quatity discouts to use as premiums ad sales promotios, or for use i corporate traiig programs. To cotact a represetative please us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com. Art Maager: Lisa Cavallii Illustrator: Raffaele Imbrogo TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work ad The McGraw-Hill Compaies, Ic. ( McGraw-Hill ) ad its licesors reserve all rights i ad to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted uder the Copyright Act of 1976 ad the right to store ad retrieve oe copy of the work, you may ot decompile, disassemble, reverse egieer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upo, trasmit, distribute, dissemiate, sell, publish or sublicese the work or ay part of it without McGraw-Hill s prior coset. You may use the work for your ow ocommercial ad persoal use; ay other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be termiated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill ad its licesors do ot warrat or guaratee that the fuctios cotaied i the work will meet your requiremets or that its operatio will be uiterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill or its licesors shall be liable to you or ayoe else for ay iaccuracy, error or omissio, regardless of cause, i the work or for ay damages resultig therefrom. McGraw-Hill has o resposibility for the cotet of ay iformatio accessed through the work. Uder o circumstaces shall McGraw-Hill ad/or its licesors be liable for ay idirect, icidetal, special, puitive, cosequetial or similar damages that result from the use of or iability to use the work, eve if ay of them has bee advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitatio of liability shall apply to ay claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises i cotract, tort or otherwise.

4 CONTENTS Foreword by Alexader Wolff... 1 Key to Figures... 2 Chapter 1 Premises ad Suggestios... 3 Chapter 2 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills... 8 Footwork Drills... 8 Two-Lie Chair Drill... 8 First-Step Basic Drill First-Step ad Dribble Drill Drop-Step ad Dribble Drill Cuts Drills Statio Drill Four Lies Cuts Drill Two-o-Two Dribble ad Cut Drill Chapter 3 Ball-Hadlig Drills Dribbles at Various Heights Drill Side ad Lateral Drill...23 Oe-Player Teis-Ball Drill...24 Two-Player Teis-Ball Drill...25 Chapter 4 Dribbligs Drills Four-Corers Drill Call-the-Side Drill...29 Call-the-Numbers Drill...30 Eight Types of Dribbles Drill Chaser Drill...34 I-the-Lae Drill...35 Out-of-Trap Dribblig Drill...36 Speed-Dribble Drill The Tuel Drill...38 Three-Chair Drill...40 iii Chapter 5 Shootig Drills Layup Drills...43 Catch-ad-Drive Drill...43 Reverse, Catch, ad Drive Drill...45 Catch, Drop-Step, ad Drive Drill...46 Self-Pass, Sweep, ad Drive Drill Catch, Drive, ad Crossover Drill Two-Ball Pass ad Drive Drill...50 Slide, Ru Backward, Sprit, ad Shoot Drill Back-to-the-Corer Drill...53 Jump-shot Drills...54 Seated-o-the-Chair Drill...54 Reverse Drill...56 Drop-Step Drill Two-Chair, Two-Ball Drill...58 Tur, Dribble, ad Shoot Drill M Drill...60

5 CONTENTS iv X Drill Four-Chair Drill Aroud-the-World Drill...64 Three-Lie Drill...65 Two-Ball, Two-Shot Drill...66 Chage-of-Pace-ad-Directio Drill Two-Shooter Drill...69 Pass-ad-Shoot Drill Three-Ma, Two-Ball Drill Machie-Gu Drill...72 Poit-Shot Drill Secod Drill Full-Court Shootig ad Dribblig Drill Five-Player Shootig Drill Nie-Player Cotiuous Drill Reach-the-Five Drill Super-Sixty Drill...82 First-to-Twety Drill...83 Eighty Shots Drill...84 Beat Kobe Bryat Drill...85 Free-Throw Drills...86 Made-or-Ru Drill...86 Te Free-Throws I a Row Drill Oe-Plus-Oe-To-Twety Drill...89 Closed-Eyes Free-Throw Drill...90 Chapter 6 Passig Drills Beat-the-Passer Drill...93 Trappers ad Goalkeeper Drill...94 Four Passers-Three Defeders Drill...96 Five-Players Star Drill Four-Corers Drill...98 Hit-the-Target Drill...99 Passig-o-Movig Drill Pass-ad-Follow-i-Traffic Drill Left- ad Right-Had Drill Two-Wheel Drill Passig ad Cuttig Drill Four-Corers Drill Wave-ad-Three-Shot Drill Four Players Passig-ad-Movig Drill Passig-Cotest Drill Aroud-the-Chairs Drill Ball-Reversal Drill Three Players Two Balls Drill Had-Off PassDrill Four-Lae Passig Drill Chapter 7 Perimeter Players Drills Jab-Step Statioary Drill Self-Pass, Tur, ad Jab-StepDrill...123

6 CONTENTS Jab-Step with the Defeder Drill Roll-the-Ball Drill Pop-Out ad V-Cut Drill Drive, Step Back, ad Shoot Drill Self-Pass, Catch, ad Square Drill Outlet Pass, Catch, Square, ad Fake Drill Passig- ad Shootig-o-Help Drill Catch ad Oe-o-Oe Drill Two-o-Oe Drill Oe-o-Oe Circlig-the-Chairs Drill Face-the-Defeder Drill Three-Pass Oe-o-Oe Drill Little Trai with Four Players Drill Little Trai with Five Players Drill Little Trai with Six Players Drill Chapter 8 Iside Players Drills Frot- ad Rear-Tur, Drop-Step Drill Catch, Tur, ad Pass Drill Cross-Step-ad-Dribble Drill Frot- ad Rear-Tur, Cross- ad Drop-Step Drill Skip-Pass Drill Out-of-Bouds-Pass Two-Shot Drill Six-Chair Oe-o-Oe Drill Eight-Shot Drill Three-Chair-Three-Shots Drill Three-Spot-Shot Drill Baselie Oe-o-Oe Drill X Oe-o-Oe Drill Cosecutive Pick-ad-Roll Drill Two-Chair Low-Post Shot Drill Bad-Pass Drill High-Post Shootig Drill Trailer Shootig Drill v Chapter 9 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Two-Guards Drive Toward Drill Two-Guards Drive Away Drill Three Players Drive to the BaselieDrill Three Players Drive to the Middle Drill Three Players Drive to the Baselie Four Passes Drill Three Players Drive to the Middle--Four Passes Drill Three Players ad Drives-ad-Kicks Dril Low-Post Ball Side Drive to the Baselie Drill Low-Post Ball Side Drive to the Middle Drill Low-Post Help Side Drive to the Middle Drill Low-Post Help Side Drive to the Baselie Drill Iside Players Collaboratio Drive to the Baselie Drill Iside Players Collaboratio Wig Drive Drill Perimeter Players Post Up Wig Drive Drill High-Post Backdoor Drill

7 CONTENTS Out ad Post Dow Low with Defese Drill High-Post Backdoor Cut with the Defese Drill Low-Post Drive Drill High-Low Post Baselie Drive Drill Chapter 10 Fast Break Drills Oe-o-Zero Drill Oe-Chair Log-Pass Drill Two-o-Two Stadig Defeders Drill Two-o-Oe Drill Two-o-Oe with a Trailer Drill Fifty Baskets Drill Three Players Circle Drill Five Players Circle Drill Three Shots Fast Break Drill Cal the Defese Drill Four-o-Two with Two Trailers Drill Five-o-Three With Two Trailers Drill Five-Player Wave Oe-o-Oe Drill Two-o-Oe/Five-o-Five Drill vi Chapter 11 Scree Drills Cotiuous O-Ball Scree Drill Away-from-the-Ball Side-Scree-ad-Roll Series Drill O-Ball Dow-Scree Drill Two-Shot-away-from-the-Ball Dow Scree Drill Chapter 12 Reboudig Side-to-Side Drill Rotatig Spot Drill Call-the-Side Drill War-o-the-Board Drill I-the-Wood Drill Half-Wheel Drill Oe-o-Two Drill Pass-ad-Shoot Drill Strip-the-Ball Drill Four-o-Three Drill Double-Digit Drill Touch-the-Chair Drill Chapter 13 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills Ettore Messia s Oe-o-Oe Drill Dirk Bauerma s Skip-Pass ad Pick-ad-Roll Drill Saruas Marciuliois s Three-Lie Shootig Drill Sergio Scariolo s Double -Shot High Pick-ad-Roll Drill Dusa Ivkovic s Four-o-Four Shell Drill José Vicete Pepu Heradez s Outlet Pass Wave Drill Ackowledgmets/About the Author...265

8 FOREWORD Log before basketball wet worldwide ad ames like Dirk, Yao, Nash, ad Mau became commoplace, Giorgio Gadolfi was buildig bridges betwee hoopslovig people o differet cotiets. This rich treasury of offesive basketball wisdom is essetial for the library of all coaches ad players who wat to maximize their uderstadig of this beguilig game. No part of the globe has a corer o soud, savvy basketball kowledge, ad Gadolfi offers a truly global samplig of the fiest thikig o how to attack the basket or get a shot off agaist a tough defeder. Whether it s the half-court rigor of the America college or high school coach i teachig how to get free for a shot, or the NBA metor s kack for fidig mismatches ad exploitig isolatios with pipoit passig, or the fast break ad dribblig drills of the Yugoslavs ad Argeties, or the perimeter ad iside player developmet secrets of the Spaish, you ll fid examples here. 1 As he assembled this collectio over decades of visitig coaches, camps, cliics, ad practice sessios aroud the world, ad breakig dow videos ad DVDs, Gadolfi ultimately did t care whether the offesive drill origiated with a big iteratioal ame or a small club coach, or someoe i betwee. If it s effective i helpig a coach to improve his players pull-up jump shot or make a power move to the basket, it s here. Gadolfi has doe the game a huge service ad made Plaet Basketball a more itimate place with this timely ad ivaluable book. Alexader Wolff, Sports Illustrated seior writer ad author of Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adveture

9 THE COMPLETE BOOK OF OFFENSIVE BASKETBALL DRILLS KEY TO DIAGRAMS Dribble Offesive players Player movemet Defesive players Shot 2 Passer Scree or pick Rebouder Chair Pass Coe Had-off pass Court spots

10 Premises ad Suggestios 1 Premises ad Suggestios The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills: Game-Chagig Drills from aroud the World is totally devoted to offesive drills. A geerally held opiio is that defese is more importat tha offese. Defese wis the games ad the champioships. This opiio seems to be true at all levels, from high school to the NBA to the Euroleague, the Europea champioship for clubs. However, i this book, we would like to give you a array of offesive drills, which we cosider to be of equal importace i wiig games ad champioships. I this chapter, we will evaluate differet aspects of drills ad give some simple suggestios for choosig the drills that ca help your players ad, cosequetly, your team, to improve. If you thik it s simple to choose a drill for a certai practice or to improve your players skill, read the followig before you decide. 3 Why Do You Choose a Drill? Is it oly to impress your players with your kowledge? Wrog: They eed drills that suit their skills, oes that will be effective i helpig them improve idividually ad as a team. Is it because a drill was used by a famous ad wiig coach? Fie: But are you sure that the level of the competitio, as well as the size, the physical

11 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills coditio, the skills of your players, ad your philosophy o offese, are suitable for that drill? Do you choose a certai drill just to break the boredom of a practice? Fie: But, more importat, the drill must be useful ad have a specific purpose or purposes. The Art of Choosig Drills You are startig to pla your practice. You decide to ru drills that cover certai fudametals ad some game situatios. That s great. But are you sure that you have evaluated the may differet techical aspects tied to a drill? Choosig drills for a practice is ot a simple task. O the cotrary, we will show you that there is more tha oe detail to cosider whe you decide to adopt a certai drill. Cosider the followig: 4 Pla a Drill Do ot ru a drill if you do ot have time to evaluate it. Istead, cosider exactly why, whe, ad how you wat to ru a certai drill ad how it fits your daily, weekly, ad mothly schedule. Mix Fudametals ad Coditioig Basketball is a demadig sport. Try to create a drill with the proper mix of fudametals ad coditioig. This allows the players to execute the fudametals as well at the ed of the game as they do early o. Remember, a well-coditioed team ca beat a more skilled but less-coditioed oppoet. Icorporate Competitio Competitio is the heart of basketball. Try to icorporate competitio i a drill wheever possible. I a drill the player ca compete: Agaist the clock, whe the coach must check how may shots or repetitios of a movemet a player makes for a determied period of time. Agaist a teammate, both i a game-situatio drill, or i a cotest betwee two players or oe team agaist aother. Ru Drills at Game Speed First of all, a player must master the movemet either a pass, a dribble, a shot, or other idividual or collective fudametal. The, after he is comfortable with that fudametal, he must

12 Premises ad Suggestios ru that drill at game speed ad uder game coditios, such as with a defeder or i a clock situatio. Avoid Drills with Few Repetitios Do ot adopt a drill whe too may players must stad ad wait to make repetitios. If this happes, they will make fewer repetitios, which is detrimetal to their improvemet ad geerates a lack of itesity. Icrease Grade of Difficulty Do ot immediately ru a drill with a high grade of difficulty, but istead start gradually. The, whe the players have mastered the proper routie ad techique, ru drills tougher tha game situatios, without forgettig the level of your competitio, as well as the skills of your players. Avoid Back-to-Back Demadig Drills Do ot ru demadig drills oe after the other. This may be effective whe the players are at the peak of their physical coditio, but, ormally, after a very demadig ad vigorous drill, it s better to ru a less-streuous oe. 5 Moitor Time Each drill must be efficiet, ad that efficiecy is also determied by the legth of the drill. Remember that time is precious for every coach, but, above all, for every player, at every level, so do ot waste it. This does t mea that a coach should ot ru a 10-miute drill, but do ot overabuse these legthy drills. It is better to have six 5-miute drills tha three or four 10-miute drills because: First, you avoid the boredom of a drill with the same repetitios for too log. Secod, you ca cover more varied fudametals, with a higher itesity. Is That All? The followig details are as importat as the precedig aspects of a drill. You ad your assistat coaches should follow these guidelies whe ruig a drill. Explai the Drill Before ruig a drill, sped a few miutes to explai its purpose, what you expect from the drill, the proper executio, ad the time required. This is a key to gaiig the best results.

13 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Avoid Iterruptios There should be o log iterruptios betwee oe drill ad the ext. Avoid stoppig a drill several times to explai it, because the players will lose their cocetratio ad itesity. Limit Correctios You ad your assistat coaches should ot make too may correctios durig a drill. Let the players kow, i a few words, the correctios eeded for a wrog move or fudametal, but do t give them too may thigs to thik about. If you overburde them with too may correctios, they may ot be able to execute the drill properly or assimilate the correctio. If you eed to explai a correctio i more detail, or if a player repeats the same mistake, take him aside to show him how to avoid the mistake, without stoppig the flow of the drill. 6 Take Care of the Details Basketball is a game of details: a missed shot or a wrog pass ca be determied by a ich. For example, if you ru a shootig drill, cocetrate o this fudametal, but do t forget to correct ad take care of passig, as well as movig without the ball, sice these fudametals are equally importat. Ecourage Ejoymet Do t forget that basketball is a game, whether you coach a high school, college, or pro team, ad that the players must also ejoy their practice. Add oe or two drills that ca be fu. Eve if a particular drill does t totally stick to your philosophy, it could help to break a demadig practice ad release the pressure for a while. Let s Talk About You It s time to take a step back. Let s talk about you. Oce the precedig aspects or suggestios become a part of your philosophy of choosig ad ruig a drill, you eed to evaluate your persoal skills for gaiig the best results from the drills that you have adopted ad ruig a satisfactory ad effective practice. Practice Patiece Eve if the world was created i seve days, you caot preted to create a player or a offese i

14 Premises ad Suggestios two practices. Be patiet: ask your players first to crawl, the to walk, ru, ad, fially, sprit at full speed. Normally, the experieced, wiig coach will tell you that to see improvemet, you eed to wait oe or two moths, usig costat repetitios. So do t expect that oe drill ca solve your problem i a day, like a magic trick. Be patiet. Be Flexible If you see that a drill is ot workig the players are tired, they do ot ru the drill i the proper way, you eed to stop the drill too may times to correct the players, or for ay other reaso be flexible. Reduce the legth, stop to ru, or chage that particular drill. Do ot ru the drill at ay cost, like a Marie sergeat, because it will ot have the effect that you had i mid. At the Ed... Some of you may have become impatiet after readig this first chapter. We talked of premises, suggestios, details, but ow you are starvig. You smell oly the flavors of the big meal. It meas tes of drills to taste ad try, so ow you wat to see the meu immediately ad start to order. Fie, but always remember the previous otes ad suggestios to avoid idigestio. Do ot eat too may drills; choose the courses carefully. Too may courses, that is, drills that are ot suitable to your philosophy, ca be detrimetal to you ad your team. Now, fially, let s start. 7

15 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 2 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills 8 Footwork is the foudatio for a skilled basketball player, ivolvig moves that he will use tes of times durig a game. Cuts without the ball are oe of the most importat phases of the offesive game, because durig a game a player speds more tha three-quarters of his playig time o offese without the ball. I this chapter, we will show some basic footwork ad cuts drills. Do t uderestimate these two fudametals of the game, because may times they separate the good players from the great oes. Footwork Drills Two-Lie Chair Drill The aim of the two-lie chair drill is to teach to the players how to master the five basic types of footwork without the ball.

16 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills Equipmet 16 chairs (or less) Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Five feet away from the right ad left sidelies, form a lie of eight chairs, each at the same distace from the other. Two groups of players are set outside the baselies, oe opposite the other, while two coaches stad i the middle of the court, with oe followig ad correctig oe group of players ad the other i charge of the secod group. At the commad of the coaches, the first player of each group starts to ru, at the begiig at a slow pace, ad the, whe the player masters the footwork, at a higher speed. Whe the player reaches the first chair, he executes oe of the followig footwork moves, based o what the coach asked before the begiig of the drill, as show i Figure 2.1: Oe-cout stop Two-cout stop Chage of pace Chage of pace ad directio Spi 9 The player the repeats the same movemet whe he reaches the other chairs, edig the drill whe he gets to the opposite baselie. The secod player of each group starts the drill whe the teammate i frot of him reaches the mid-court lie. Each player repeats the drill o the other lie of chairs. Details to Teach ad Uderlie It is importat to ote the words teach ad uderlie i the headig of this

17 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills paragraph. That is because a coach must first teach, but the he must also uderlie the details of a certai move or fudametal every time it is ot executed properly. The followig are the commo poits to teach ad, if ecessary, to uderlie o all four moves: Bed the kees o all the footwork moves i order to have good balace ad to move more quickly. Tell the player to go lower tha the height of the chair. 10 Follow these guidelies for each sigle move: Oe-Cout Stop Tell to the players ot to jump, but, istead, to bed their kees. If the player jumps, he will lose a split secod i air, while the must for each basketball fudametal is to make as few moves as possible, ad i the quickest way. Players must lad o the floor with the heels first, ad the with the forefeet for brakig the forward movemet. Players must ot lea forward so they do t lose balace, ad their eyes must be positioed straight ahead, ot to the floor, because it is the head s positio that dictates the player s balace. The arms ad the hads must be flexed ad at the chest level, ready to receive the ball. Two-Cout Stop Guidelies are the same as for the oe-cout stop, with the oly differece beig that the FIGURE 2.1

18 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills player lads o the floor first with oe, ad the with the other foot. Chage of Pace Correct a commo mistake made by may players: Tell them to make a couple of quiet ad ormal steps before chagig the pace at the last secod, whe they are ear each chair, ot short ad choppy oes. Whe they face a defeder, movig like this is like a phoe call to tell him: Hey, I am ow goig to make a chage of pace! O a chage of pace, the player must make a straight ad forward step ad go dow o oe leg, brigig the weight of the body o the forefoot of the forward leg, at the same time, takig a big, aggressive stride forward with the other leg, but without losig balace. To help his body move forward quickly, he must also help the move by quickly swigig his arms forward. After the chace of pace, tell the players to keep the same pace for a couple of steps, i order ot to give the defeder time to recover i a game situatio. 11 Chage of Pace ad Directio Agai, esure that players make o choppy ad short steps before the chage of pace ad directio. While chagig directio, the player must make a straight, forward step, ot a lateral oe. He must also rotate the pivot foot i the ew directio, a importat detail that helps the whole body go forward, ot laterally, i order to cut with a crisp agle i the ext directio. The toes of the forward foot must be poited straight, ot laterally. If the player makes a lateral step ad the a chage of directio, he will be forced to make a loger stride to go i the ew directio. It meas coverig a loger distace, givig the defeder the chace to recover. Tell to the players to pass very ear to the chair whe they chage directio. I this way, they will ot give the defeder the chace to recover i a game situatio. The player, while passig ear the chair, should also have his arm opposite the

19 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills forward leg, bet at a 45-degree agle. The bet arm will protect the ball whe the player beats the defeder by dribblig i a game. 12 Spi The player must agai, as i the chage of pace ad directio, poit his forward foot straight, ad ot laterally. Tell the players to start to spi, puttig the forward leg ito the chair ad ot away. I this way they will be able to block out the defeder i a game. The player should pivot o the forefoot of the forward foot, ad, at the same time, bed his legs at chair level. The o-pivot foot must be poited toward the ew directio: If it is poited laterally, the body will go laterally. The head should tur to the ew directio before the spi, to see all the court ad reverse back agai if the defeder recovers. While spiig, the player should swig his arm hard ad pivot his leg i order to move his body more quickly i the ew directio. The player must stay low for the movemet ad ot rise up o his legs at the middle of the spi. This will decrease the speed of the spi. First-Step Basic Drill We would like to put particular emphasis o the first-step drills, because may times a coach does ot work o this small but extremely importat move that is basic for movig without the ball as well as with the ball. The first-step basic drill teaches how to take a strog, aggressive first step to beat the defeder. Players eed to master this move util it becomes automatic, because it is absolutely basic for a basketball player. Equipmet 5 balls

20 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill Divide the team i two groups. Oe group is lied up off the court, alog ad behid the baselie, ad the other oe is at the free-throw-lie extesio. Each player i this latter group has a ball, which he holds with oe had at FIGURE 2.2 chest level. The players are paired. The coach stads behid the lie of players at the baselie. The players at the baselie are positioed i the basic basketball positio, with their kees flexed, their feet parallel, ad their hads at chest level. At the coach s commad, the group with the balls drops them to the floor, ad the other group of players at the baselie must catch the balls before they bouce twice o the floor, as show i Figure 2.2. The, the players exchage their positios. The drill is repeated for a certai umbers of times. First, the players make the first step with the right foot for a certai umbers of times, ad the with the left foot. 13 Details to Teach ad Uderlie The most commo mistake the players make is to step back with the same foot, before they step forward. This is a waste of time ad moves. The players must drop forward with their body, at the same time, takig a strog, aggressive step, with head up ad arms swigig forward, like ruers at the start of a 100-meter race. The coach must stad behid the group of players at the baselie ad correct them whe they make the extra step back before the first-step.

21 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills First-Step ad Dribble Drill The aim is the same as i the precedig drill, but with the ball. Equipmet 5 chairs 5 balls Persoel The etire team A coach 14 How to Ru the Drill The players are divided i five lies. They stad out of the court, alog ad behid the baselie, with a chair i frot of each FIGURE 2.3 lie ad oe ball o each chair. At the order of the coach, the first player i each lie makes a hard ad aggressive first-step, sprits, turs aroud the chair, makes a oe-cout stop frotig the basket, picks up the ball from the chair, ad makes a strog, aggressive first dribble, goig over the chair with the first dribble, as show i Figure 2.3. After a couple of dribbles, the player the quickly brigs back the ball to the chair, ad the secod player i the lie starts the drill. First, the players make the first dribble with the right had for a certai umbers of times, ad the with the left had. Details to Teach ad Uderlie O the first dribble, the ball must hit the floor hard, i frot ad lateral to the forward foot, i order to get back quickly ito the had of the player, with the dribblig had pushed as much as possible ear the floor for better cotrol of the ball.

22 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills The player must make a chage of pace o the dribble. Drop-Step ad Drive Drill The aim of this drill is to practice the first-step with the back to the basket ad fiish with a layup. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two behid the baselie, oe o the left, ad oe o the right side of the half-court, with the other two groups, with two balls each, facig the baselie groups. At the FIGURE 2.4 commad of the coach, the first players i the baselie groups ru, catch the balls from their teammates, make a drop-step, the take a aggressive first-step ad dribble to the basket, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure Variatio The players start the drill from the mid-court lie ad execute the same patter, but ow frot the basket, ad make a differet dribble, such as a direct, a crossover, or a spi dribble (see Chapter 4, Dribblig Drills). Cuts Drills Players use cuts to get free ad receive the ball, either to go straight to the basket, play oe-o-oe, or start the offese. These moves are also used to get ope

23 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills usig a scree. Do ot assume that a player will make these cuts automatically, but practice these moves as you ormally practice ay other fudametal. For example, if you ru a passig or shootig drill, ask to the players to make a certai cut before receivig the ball for a shot or before receivig a pass. I short, iclude these cuts i ay possible drill. Statio Drill The aim of the statio drill is to practice all four basic cuts. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team 16 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team i four groups of three players each, with each group workig i oe half of each half-court. Oe passer with the ball is at the top of the lae, ad oe offesive player ad oe defesive player are at the wig spot. Call each group with a letter, as show i Figure 2.5, ad practice the specific moves, followig this patter: Group A: Frot cut Group B: Backdoor cut Group C: V cut Group D: Reverse cut The player starts the move, makes the re- FIGURE 2.5

24 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills quested cut, receives the ball, ad makes a layup without dribblig, while the defeder simulates a certai defese (loose defese, overplay defese, etc.), movig slowly to facilitate the cut. After the shot, the shooter gets his ow reboud, goes outside the lae, ad becomes the passer, while the passer becomes the defeder, ad the defeder becomes the offesive player, util all three players have performed the move. Oce all four groups ed the drill, they move clockwise to the followig spots for performig a differet move: A goes to the B area, B goes to the C area, ad D goes to the A area. The coach decides how may of the same moves a player must perform or how log the drill must be ru. Oce the players have mastered the cuts, the defeders will defed at 50 percet. The the fial step is to cover the offesive players at full speed ad game coditios. Details to Teach ad Uderlie O all four cuts, the offesive player must start to move i a quiet ad uassumig way, goig i the opposite directio of where he wats to cut. Tell the player to take oe or two ormal steps before the cut; he should ot phoe i his move to the defeder by makig short, choppig steps. Tell the players ot to watch the passer: this is aother alarm sigal to the defeder. Whe the player is ope ad ready to receive the ball, he must preset a target to the passer, that is, the had farther from the defeder. Whe the player makes a chage of directio, he must rotate the foot that pushes the body i the ew directio, poitig the toes i the ew directio, i order to go laterally ad ot straight. Explai clearly to the players whe to use a certai cut: - Frot cut: whe the defeder is below the offesive player - Backdoor cut: whe the defeder is higher ad aggressively overplayig 17

25 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills - V cut: if the defeder does ot allow the offesive player to make a frot or backdoor cut - Reverse cut: if the defese stops the cut iside the lae Variatio The drill ca also be ru at differet agles of the half-court, for example, i the corers ad at the top of the lae. Four Lies Cuts Drill The aim of the four lies cuts drill is to ivolve the etire team i a drill that requires all the players to move i the half-court ad create a game situatio. 18 Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team FIGURE 2.6 How to Ru the Drill Four groups are set, as show i Figure 2.6: oe at the top of the lae with the balls, two o the wigs, ad oe uder the basket, outside the baselie. Player 1 starts to dribble ad the makes a reverse dribble or crossover dribble to the right side. As soo as 1 starts to dribble, 2 makes a backdoor cut (or a frot or reverse cut, as idicated by the coach), receives the ball from 1, ad makes a layup, with o dribble. Player 3 gets the ball ad passes it to 4. The players will rotate i this way: 2 goes to the ed of 3 lie, 3 goes to the ed of 4 lie, ad 1 goes to the ed of 2 lie.

26 Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie The ball hadler must dribble at game speed. The cutter must make a crisp ad agled cut, while also chagig the pace. The cutter must preset a clear target to the passer: the iside had. The passer must make a good, strog pass, hittig the target give by the cutter. The cutter must ot shoot a facy layup, but istead use the backboard ad protect the ball with the body ad the other had. The rebouder must make a good outlet pass if the shot is missed, or make a quick iboud pass if the shot is made: agai, at speed ad game coditios. Variatio The coach ca add two defeders: oe o the ball hadler 1 ad oe o the cutter 2. At the begiig, the defeders ca play defese at 50 percet, ad the play a aggressive defese i game coditios. 19 Two-o-Two Dribble ad Cut Drill The aim of the two-o-two dribble ad cut is to teach the players to quickly read the situatio o the court ad react with the proper cut to the movemet of the defese. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Form groups of four players, two players o offese ad two o defese o both

27 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 20 half-courts. At the begiig, the defese does ot play aggressively, but simulates a certai type of defesive move, to which the offesive players react with the proper cut. Player 1, i the middle of the court, starts to dribble toward the basket ad is guarded by X1, while 2 is o the right, i this case, wig spot, ad guarded by X2. Based o how X2 simulates the defese o 2, this player will cut i frot of X2, or make a backdoor cut or a V cut. Player 2 cuts, receives the ball, ad passes back to 1, who also made a cut (agai, frot, backdoor, or V cut) based o how X1 covers him, as show i Figures 2.7 ad 2.8. Oce 1 has received the ball back, he starts the drill agai. After a certai umbers of repetitios or a give time, the offesive players go o defese ad vice versa. FIGURE 2.7 FIGURE 2.8 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Tell the players to prepare the cut with oe or two steps beforehad. The timig is basic: the two players must time the cuts ad passig; it meas ot makig a cut before the ball hadler is ready to pass the ball. Variatio Oce the players have mastered the ability to read the defese ad use the proper cuts, the defese plays aggressively.

28 Ball-Hadlig Drills 3 Ball-Hadlig Drills A orage ball is the tool used o a basketball court. It ca become a fried or oe s worst eemy, if treated badly. Ball hadlig is the elemetary school for a player, who eeds to approach the ball getly to start the feelig of this relatioship, a relatioship that should be positive ad log-lastig. 21 Drills to Add to Players Routies Aside from the usual figure-eight circles aroud the body ad other commo ballhadlig drills, we will suggest other drills to add to your players ball-hadlig routie i this chapter. Dribbles at Various Heights Drill The aim of practicig dribbles at various heights is to begi the basic approach with the ball, as well as to improve the figers stregth. Equipmet 1 ball per player

29 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team A coach 22 How to Ru the Drill The team is spread out o the half-court, with oe ball for every player ad the coach i frot of the players, as show i Figure 3.1. The players must poud the ball to the groud extremely hard, without losig the cotact with the ball. The coach sigals with oe had, chagig the umbers of figers, ad the players must shout out the umber he displays. This forces the players to dribble the ball without watchig it. They must dribble as fast as possible ad with maximum power o each dribble, usig the followig dribbles: Shoulder-height dribble: Poud the ball hard from shoulder height dow to the floor, startig with the right had, for 20 secods. Repeat with the left had, agai for 20 secods. Hip-height dribble: Follow the same moves as the shoulder-height dribble, but ow at hip height. Kee-height dribble: Follow the same moves as the shoulder-height dribble, but at kee height. Akle-height dribble: Follow the same moves as the shoulder-height dribble, but at akle height. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The players must poud the ball with the maximum power ad at maximum speed. Eve if players lose cotrol of the ball at the begiig, by workig at the FIGURE 3.1

30 Ball-Hadlig Drills highest itesity, they will improve their ball hadlig, their speed at dribblig, ad the stregth i their figers ad hads. Players must be traied to watch, ot the ball, but the had of the coach istead. Side ad Lateral Drill The aim of practicig side ad lateral dribbles is to begi the approach with the differet types of dribbles, as well as to improve the figers stregth. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach 23 How to Ru the Drill. The team s ad coach s positios are the same as i the previous drill. The players should practice the followig dribbles with each had, always callig back the umber of figers raised by the coach: Frot chage of hads: The players start to chage hads i frot, first, with the ball at hip level, the below kee level. Frot chage of hads, touchig the floor: While the players chage hads, they must touch the floor with the o-dribblig had. Lateral dribble: The players dribble the ball laterally from outside the hip, first with the right had ad the with the left had. I-ad-out dribble: The players make a i-ad-out dribble, first with the right had ad the with the left had. Ru the drill for 20 secod with oe had ad 20 secods with the other had.

31 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie O these drills, the players must dribble the ball below waist level. They must poud the ball hard ad at top speed. They must ot watch the ball, but istead call out the umbers of figers raised by the coach. Variatio Whe the players are skilled i these dribbles, they ca make the same types of dribbles with two balls. 24 Oe-Player Teis-Ball Drill Teis-ball drills are excellet for improvig ball hadlig. Usig teis-balls forces the player to pay attetio to two moves ad ot focus oly o the ball. The aim of this drill is to boost ball-hadlig skill, icreasig the difficulty as well as improvig eye-had coordiatio. Equipmet 1 ball per player 1 teis ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is spread out i the half-court, facig the coach. Each player starts to dribble the basketball with the right had, holdig the teis ball with the left had, as show i Figure 3.2. At the FIGURE 3.2

32 Ball-Hadlig Drills coach s commad, the players throw the teis ball up i the air, without stoppig the dribble. The they catch the teis ball ad switch hads, dribblig with the left had ad holdig the teis ball with the right had. They ru the drill for a certai umbers of repetitios, or for a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Tell the players to keep kees bet while dribblig. They must poud the ball hard whe dribblig. They must always look ahead, ot at the basketball, while dribblig. Two-Player Teis-Ball Drill The aim of the two-player teis-ball drill is to boost ball-hadlig skill, but ow icreasig the difficulty by workig with a teammate. Equipmet 1 ball per player 1 teis ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach 25 How to Ru the Drill Pair the players, with oe basketball ad oe teis ball per player. The two players, oe i frot of the other, start to dribble, oe usig the right had ad the other the left had, each holdig a teis ball i the other had, as show i Figure 3.3. FIGURE 3.3

33 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills As the coach shouts, Toss, they throw the teis balls to each other, yellig High or Low to idicate how to toss the ball, always without stoppig the dribble. They repeat the drill, chagig the dribblig had. The, after a certai umber of repetitios or a give time, at the commad of the coach, they make a crossover dribble while tossig the ball to each other. Variatio The drill is ru i the same way, but ow the players move radomly o the court. 26

34 Dribblig Drills 4 Dribblig Drills Chocolate is delicious, but if you eat too much, it is bad for your health. The same is true about dribblig, because if overdoe by the players, it could be bad ot oly for them, but also for the health of the coach. 27 The Need for Dribblig Drills It s importat to lear how to use dribblig, ad, above all, whe to use oe dribblig techique over aother. I this chapter, we will itroduce differet dribblig drills that must be ru at 50-percet speed by less-experieced players i order to master the techique ad improve their speed, or at maximum speed for advaced players. Four-Corers Drill The aim of the four-corers drill is to have the whole team workig o the same dribblig drill to improve differet types of dribbles.

35 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Equipmet 13 chairs 8 balls Persoel The etire team 28 How to Ru the Drill Form four lies of three chairs each, startig from each corer of the half-court to the free-throw area, ad set oe chair i the middle of the free-throw area. The team is divided ito four groups, each oe set i a corer with two balls per lie, as show i Figure 4.1. The first player of each lie starts to dribble, goig aroud the chairs usig the type of dribble asked by the coach, such as: Betwee the legs Behid the back Crossover I-ad-out Reverse Hockey dribble Chage of pace Step back Oce the dribbler reaches the chair at the free-throw area, he makes a twocout stop ad a reverse pivot, the passes the ball to the teammate o the lie where he started the drill ad goes at the ed of the same lie. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of repetitios or a set time. FIGURE 4.1

36 Dribblig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie The players must start the drill i a basic basketball positio, kees bet, with the ball betwee waist ad chest, the wrist flexed. They must make a strog first step (see Chapter 1, Basic Footwork Drills) ad dribble at chair level, with the head up. Players should pump the ball hard to the floor, actig as if they are i a actual game. Variatio The player drives usig oe of the followig advaced dribbles: Double betwee-the-leg Double crossover Double behid-the-back Step back ad crossover (or betwee-the-legs, behid-the-back, or chage of pace) 29 Call-the-Side Drill The aim of the call-the-side drill is to teach to the players to watch the basket ad ot the ball while dribblig, ad also to shoot i the traffic. Equipmet 8 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, two o each half-court, outside of the baselie, with two balls per group. The coach is out of the court ear the basket,

37 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 30 outside the baselie. At the commad of the coach, the first two players i the lie make a self-pass, tossig the ball outside the three-poit lie, the sprit to catch the ball, make a reverse, ad dribble hard to the basket. While the players are dribblig to the basket, the coach raises oe had. If he raises the left had, the players exchage the side of the court where they shoot: the right FIGURE 4.2 player o the left side, ad the left player o the right side. If the coach raises the right had, the players fiish with a layup o the same side as they started to dribble to the basket, as show i Figure 4.2. Both players must fiish with the layup, without collidig with each other. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of repetitios or a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Dribble with the head up. Chage the pace of the dribble while goig to the basket. Variatio Based o the coach s commad, oe player makes a jump shot ad the other drives to the basket. Call-the-Numbers Drill The aim of the call-the-umbers drill is to force the players to dribble without watchig the ball.

38 Dribblig Drills Equipmet 6 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe o the right side of a half-court, outside the baselie, ad the other oe o the right side of the other half-court, outside the baselie. There are three balls per group, ad the two coaches are set ear the midcourt lie, facig the players. At the coach s commad, the first player of each lie starts to speed-dribble toward the opposite basket, always watchig the coach i frot of him. At a certai poit, FIGURE 4.3 the coach raises up oe had, displayig a umber of figers. The player must call the umber of raised figers, ad the cotiue to speed-dribble ad fiish with a layup, as show i Figure 4.3. Oce he reaches the free-throw-lie extesio, he must go to the basket with o more tha a dribble. The secod player of each lie starts the drill whe the player i frot of him has crossed the mid-court lie. The the drill cotiues with the lies movig from the right side to the left side, so that the players ow dribble with the left had. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of repetitios or a set time. 31 Details to Teach ad Uderlie The first player to ru the drill must poud-dribble, while waitig for the sigal from the coach.

39 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Whe he starts the speed-dribble, he must make a strog first step, avoidig the extra step (see Chapter 1, Basic Footwork Drills). After the player i frot of him has started the drill, the secod player i the lie poud-dribbles, with kees bet, waitig his tur to start the drill. Variatio The coach ca use differet types of dribbles, such as a hockey-dribble, betwee-thelegs dribble, behid-the-back dribble, spi-dribble, i-ad-out dribble, ad so o. 32 Eight Types of DribbleS Drill The aim of this drill is to teach differet types of dribbles o the court to use uder differet game situatios. Note: This drill ca be ru whe the players have mastered the basic dribbles ad are ready to use advaced or combied dribbles. It ivolves two types of basic dribbles ru at the same time. Equipmet 16 chairs 6 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill FIGURE 4.4 The players are divided ito two groups, each oe o the right side of the two half-courts, outside the baselie, with three balls per group. The groups have a lie of eight chairs, from oe baselie to the other oe, i frot of them.

40 Dribblig Drills At the coach s commad, the first player of each group starts to dribble, usig a differet type of dribble whe he faces each chair, as show i Figure 4.4. The coach calls the followig dribbles: First chair: doublecrossover Secod chair: double betwee-the-legs Third chair: double behid-the-back Fourth chair: double i-ad-out Fifth chair: i-ad-out ad behid-the-back Sixth chair: fake reverse Seveth chair: crossover ad betwee-the-legs Eighth chair: step back ad crossover The secod player i lie starts the drill whe the first oe has crossed the midcourt lie. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of repetitios or a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The players must make each type of dribble at 50 percet of their speed at the begiig, ad the, whe they have mastered the advaced dribbles, at full speed. Whe they go aroud the chair, they must brush the chair, that is, stay as close as possible to the chair without makig a large cut aroud it. Players must become accustomed to this move so that whe they face a defeder, it will help them to beat him ad prevet his recoverig. O ay type of dribble, players must chage pace whe they go aroud the chair. 33 Variatio The coach ca later add stadig defeders, istead of the chair. He ca also ask the players to go uder the dummy defeders arms as they are exteded at shoulder level, so they ca get used to goig dow as much as possible while dribblig i order to beat a defeder.

41 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Chaser Drill The aim of the chaser drill is to teach players ot to watch the ball, ad to make fakes ad chage pace ad directio while dribblig ad whe they are chased by the defeders. Equipmet 1 ball for every player Persoel The etire team 34 How to Ru the Drill Each player has a ball, ad the team is spread out i the half court. Desigate a player to be the chaser, ad set him at the free-throw lie, while the other players are set iside the court alog the baselie. At the coach s commad, the players try to dribble toward the opposite basket, while the chaser tries to tag them, as show i Figure 4.5. Every time oe player is tagged by the chaser, loses the cotrol of the ball, or dribbles outside the court s lies, he becomes a chaser. All the chasers try to stop the remaiig players from reachig the opposite basket. The drill eds whe oly oe or two players have ot become chasers. FIGURE 4.5

42 Dribblig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Remid the players ot to watch the ball, ad to make a crisp chage of pace ad directio to avoid becomig a chaser, as well as to fake with the head ad the shoulders, ot oly with the ball, i order to beat the chaser. Variatio To make the drill more difficult, you ca add oe or two chasers at the begiig of the drill. I-the-Lae Drill The aim of the i-the-lae drill is to practice differet types of dribblig i a small area, such as the lae. Equipmet 1 ball for every player Persoel The etire team 35 FIGURE 4.6 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, set o each half-court, with oe ball per player. The players form a lie i the middle of the half-court. The first player speed-dribbles diagoally i the lae, ad, whe he touches the midsidelie of the lae, he makes a crossover dribble, goig toward the opposite. Here he makes a spi-dribble; whe he reaches the opposite corer, he makes a through-the-legs dribble ad goes to the other corer, where he makes

43 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills a behid-the-back dribble ad scores a layup, as show i Figure 4.6. The, he repeats the drill, startig from the left side. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of repetitios or a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie As usual, ever look the ball. Chage pace o every dribble. Variatio Ask the players to perform advaced ad combiatio dribbles. Ru the drill at full speed after the players have mastered the basic dribbles. 36 Out-of-Trap Dribblig Drill The aim of the out-of-trap dribblig drill is to practice escapig from a trap. Equipmet 1 ball for every three players Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, with two defeders ad oe offesive player, who has the ball. The offesive players are set at the baselie, ad the defeders are set outside the sidelies, oe lie o the left ad the other o the right. The drill starts with the first offesive player, 1, who steps o the court, uder the basket. The two defeders, X1 ad X2, step i ad set themselves just outside the corers the three-secod lae. At the commad of the coach, the two defeders try to trap the dribbler. The dribbler has two optios: make a dribble

44 Dribblig Drills back to avoid the trap, or make a speed-dribble to split the trap, optios based o the positio of the defeders, as show i Figure 4.7. The drill eds whe the dribbler is trapped or whe he crosses the midcourt lie. Whe oe of these optios happes, three other players step o the court ad ru the drill. Details to Teach ad Uderlie FIGURE 4.7 Always dribble with the head up i order to watch the court ad the defeders moves. Do t try to escape from the trap usig a reverse dribble, because it is easier to trap. If the dribbler tries to split the trap, make a log speed-dribble, matched to a chage of pace. 37 Variatio The drill ca be ru o the full court ad eds whe the dribbler drives to the basket ad scores, or whe he is trapped. Speed-Dribble Drill The aim of the speed-dribble drill is to work o the speed-dribble, which is rarely taught ad ru i practice. Equipmet 1 ball per player 1 clock

45 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito three groups. Each group forms a lie, oe i the middle of the court, ad the other two ear the left ad right sidelies, with three balls per lie. All three groups are aliged at the free-throw-lie extesio. At the coach s commad, the first three players speed-dribble from oe freethrow-lie extesio to the other oe ad come back, as show i Figure 4.8. They should make seve repetitios i 30 secods or thirtee repetitios i 1 miute. 38 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Push the ball hard i frot of ad laterally to the same foot of the dribblig had. Watch the court istead of the ball. Variatio The players dribble from baselie to baselie, makig five repetitios i 30 secods or eight repetitios i 1 miute. Note: The umber of repetitios depeds o the ages ad the coditioig level of the players. The Tuel Drill The aim of the tuel drill is to teach players to drive hard to the basket, goig straight to the rim. FIGURE 4.8

46 Dribblig Drills Equipmet 12 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe o the left side ad oe o the right of the the half-court. Two parallel lies of three chairs, each chair four feet from the other, are set o the left ad o the right sides of the half-court, as show i Figure 4.9. The first player o the right lie has the ball, poud-dribbles, ad is froted by the coach, who pushes ad holds him for few secods. The, the FIGURE 4.9 coach lets the player drive to the basket. The player goes to the basket with o more tha two dribbles, fiishig with a layup. The player o the right side of the half-court starts the drill first, followed by the player o the left side. After the layup, they get the reboud ad go to the other lie. The drill eds after a certai umber of repetitios or after a set amout of time. 39 Details to Teach ad Uderlie While the coach is pushig hard, the player must keep his kees bet so he maitais balace, protects the ball, ad is ready to explode to the basket. Do ot make more tha two dribbles to the basket; also, chage the pace.

47 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio The player makes a jab-step before drivig hard to the basket. The coach stads ear the basket, at the ed of the lie of the chairs, ad fouls the player who is fiishig with a layup. Three-Chair Drill The aim of the three-chair drill is to add difficulty to drivig to the basket. 40 Equipmet 3 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, each oe lied up i the middle of the half-court. Set three chairs o i the middle lae of the half-court, as show i Figure The first player dribbles toward the first chair ad makes a crossover dribble. The, whe he approches the secod chair, he makes a behid-the-back dribble, ad, fially, whe he reaches the third chair, he makes a betweethe-legs dribble before explodig to the basket, fiishig with a layup. FIGURE 4.10 After a certai umber of repetitios per player or a set time, the last two chairs are moved to the opposite side, so the players ca practice with the other had.

48 Dribblig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Start the drill by makig poud-dribbles, before dribblig hard to the first chair. Always chage pace while executig the three differet types of dribbles. Always keep kees bet while dribblig. Variatio Use differet types of dribbles, such as i-ad-out, reverse, step-back, or advaced dribbles (see Eight Types of Dribbles Drill earlier i this chapter). 41

49 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 5 Shootig Drills 42 As importat as footwork, passig, dribblig, ad playig oe-o-oe may be, the ultimate target of this game called basketball is to have the ball pass through the rim. If you do ot shoot, ad shoot with a good percetage, it s very difficult to wi a game. I the last te years, basketball has become more physical; the players are bigger ad more aggressive o defese. Scorig a layup or a jump shot is a tough job, so players must be able to shoot uder pressure ad with physical cotact. For these reasos, ad, also, perhaps, because ot eough time is spet o teachig the mechaics of shootig or players do ot make eough repetitios, the shootig percetages have decreased at every level i the past years. Therefore, shootig is arguably the most importat of all the drills we cover i this book. I this chapter, we will provide you with umerous shootig drills, icludig some that we believe are differet ad iovative. Shootig-Drill Tips Here are some tips o shootig drills:

50 Shootig Drills Ru drills usig the shots that the players will eed i the game ad from the spots you wat the players to shoot from, based o the game speed. The drills must be more itese ad difficult tha i the game. Keep a record of each player s missed ad made shots i the jump-shootig drill, so that both you ad the players ca have actual data o which to base their improvemet i this fudametal. LAYUP DRILLS Catch-ad-Drive Drill The aim of the catch-ad-drive drill is to teach the players to bed their legs, usig the opposig arm to protect the ball, ad shoot a layup with o more tha oe dribble. Equipmet 4 balls 2 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches 43 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, oe i each half-court. Place a chair at the right corer of the free-throw lie o both half-courts, with oe ball o each chair. Oe player with aother ball, 2, is ear the chair, ad the rest of each group lies up outside the three-poit lie. Oe coach, with his back to the basket ad a ball, stads to the left of the chair, with his arms exteded at shoulder level. The first player of the group, 1, fakes a cut to the left, the rus to the right side of the chair. He chages the pace ad the directio, ad, oce he is i frot

51 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 44 of the chair, makes a oe-cout stop, bedig his kees at chair level. He picks up the ball, swigs the ball below kee level, makes a strog ad aggressive first step ad, simultaeously, a hard poud-dribble, goig uder the exteded arms of the coach, ad scores a layup, without dribblig more tha oce, as show i Figure 5.1. After the layup, 1 recovers his ball ad goes ear the chair. Player 2, who holds aother ball, FIGURE 5.1 puts it o the chair, ad rus to the ed of the lie i the middle of the court. Player 3 starts to move ad rus the same patter as 1. The drill is repeated o the left side of the half-court, ad it eds after a certai umbers of repetitios or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do t jump o the oe-cout stop, but keep kees bet. Use the odribblig arm, bet at a 45-degree, agle, to protect the ball. Watch the basket, ot the ball, o the dribble. Make a strog, log step, matched with a hard dribble, ladig with the forward foot ad with the ball touchig the floor beyod the coach s hip. Variatio The coach ca also ask to the players to make ay of the followig: Behid-the-back dribble Betwee-the legs-dribble Reverse dribble I-ad-out dribble.

52 Shootig Drills Reverse, Catch, ad Drive Drill The aim of the reverse, catch, ad drive drill is to teach footwork, to move without the ball, ad to drive to the basket. Equipmet 2 balls 8 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, each group i the middle of each half-court. Set two chairs at each corer of the free-throw area o both half-courts, as show i Figure 5.2, with oe ball o each chair. The player starts to ru, ad, at the coach s commad, left or right, he fakes to go i oe directio, ad the goes i the opposte directio i betwee the two chairs, makes a reverse, the picks up the ball o the chair ad drives to the basket, fiishig with a layup. FIGURE 5.2 The the ext player repeats the same move o the other side of the court. The coach or a teammate retrieves the balls ad sets them o the chairs for the ext player. Each player rus the drill for a certai umbers of repetitios or for after a set amout of time. 45

53 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Chage pace ad directio before goig i betwee the chairs. Bed the kees whe pickig up the ball from the chair. Make a straight drive to the basket, ot a curve. Variatio The player ca make a differet type of dribble to drive to the basket, such as behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, or crossover. Catch, Drop-Step, ad Drive Drill The aim of the catch, drop-step, ad drive drill is to teach footwork, to move without the ball, ad to drive to the basket. 46 Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two at each half-court, at the baselie. Set two chairs, a ball o each chair, a couple of feet from the corers of the free-throw area. The first player o the right lie rus to the chair, makes a oe-cout stop, FIGURE 5.3 picks up the ball, makes a drop-step, ad drives to the basket, with o more tha oe dribble. He fiishes with a layup, as show i Figure 5.3.

54 Shootig Drills The player recovers the ball ad puts it o the chair, ad the the player o the left lie makes the same move. After shootig, they go to the ed of the other lie. Ru the drill for a certai umbers of repetitios or for a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Bed the kees whe pickig up the ball from the chair. Make a quick, strog, ad aggressive first-step ad dribble to fiish to the basket. Make a straight drive to the basket, ot a curve. Variatio The players of both groups start the drill at the same time, both drivig to the basket. I this case, they will also work o shootig i traffic. Self-Pass, Sweep, ad Drive Drill The aim of the self-pass, sweep, ad drive drill is to teach footwork, to move without the ball, ad to drive to the basket. 47 Equipmet 12 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two i each of the half-courts o the wig spots, with oe chair i frot of each lie. The first three players i each lie have a ball. The first player o the right lie makes a self-pass, with the ball boucig i frot of the chair. The he rus, makes a oe-cout stop, picks up the ball, sweeps

55 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills it across ad below the kees, ad makes a strog, aggressive first-step ad log dribble, fiishig with a layup. No more tha oe dribble is permitted whe goig to the basket. He the recovers the ball, passes to the player o the left side, ad goes to the ed of the left lie, as show i Figure 5.4. The first player i the left lie makes the same move ad, the, alteratively, all the other players o the FIGURE 5.4 right ad left sides. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or for after a set amout of time. 48 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Bed the kees o the oe-cout stop. Quickly brig the ball to the side of the body, i betwee the hip ad the chest. Make a aggressive ad very quick sweep of the ball. Make a strog ad aggressive first step ad dribble, pushig the ball hard to the floor o the forward foot s side. Variatios The players make differet dribbles (behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, crossover, i-ad out, or hockey dribble), before drivig to the basket. They ca also ru the drill at the same time. I this case, they will also work o shootig i traffic.

56 Shootig Drills Catch, Drive, ad Crossover Drill The aim of the catch, drive, ad crossover drill is to teach footwork, to move without the ball, ad to drive to the basket. Equipmet 4 balls 6 chairs Persoel The etire team FIGURE 5.5 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two i each of the half-courts o the wig spot, with oe chair i frot of each lie, a ball o the chair, ad oe chair i the middle of the free-throw area. The first player o the right side of the court rus toward the chair, makes a oe-cout stop, picks up the ball, drives toward the chair i the middle of the free-throw area, makes a crossover dribble, ad drives to the basket, fiishig with a layup after o more tha oe dribble, as show i Figure 5.5. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per player or for a set amout of time. 49 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Bed the kees o the oe-cout stop. Quickly brig the ball to the side of the body, i betwee the hip ad the chest.

57 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Make a aggressive ad very quick sweep of the ball. Make a strog ad aggressive first step ad dribble, pushig the ball hard to the floor o the side of the forward foot. Variatios The players make differet dribbles (behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, crossover, i-ad-out, hockey dribble), before drivig to the basket. They ca also ru the drill at the same time. I this case, they will also work o shootig i traffic. 50 Two-Ball Pass ad Drive DRILL The aim of the two-ball pass ad drive drill is to teach players to dribble, pass, ad shoot i more difficult situatios tha the game coditio, as well as to coordiate two differet moves without watchig the ball whe drivig. Equipmet 6 balls Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups, oe group with the balls i the middle of the half-court, about 6 feet outside of the three-poit lie, the secod oe o FIGURE 5.6 the right, ad the third o the left-wig spots. Each of the first three players i the middle lie has two balls. A coach is set i the corer. The first player i the middle lie starts to poud-dribble ad, at the coach s

58 Shootig Drills commad, makes a speed-dribble. Whe he reaches the three-poit lie, he makes a oe-had push pass to the player to the left, the drives to the basket with the other ball, fiishig with a layup, after o more tha oe dribble, as show i Figure 5.6. The shooter gets his ow reboud, ad the three players rotate clockwise. After a certai umber of repetitios or after a set amout of time, they pass to the right ad drive to the basket to the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Poud-dribble the ball hard. Always watch the basket, ot the ball or the receiver. Make a crisp ad hard pass to the player i the wig. Chage pace while fiishig with a layup shot. Variatio The set is the same, but the players with two balls i the middle lie ow make a oe-had push pass to the left side, ad the a oe-had push pass to the right side, i order to cut to the basket ad receive the ball back from the passer o the right side, fiishig with a layup, without dribblig. The they do the opposite, receivig the ball back from the passer o the left side. 51 Slide, Ru Backward, Sprit, ad Shoot Drill The aim of the slide, ru backward, sprit, ad shoot drill is to shoot lay-ups whe fatigued. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team

59 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 52 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, oe group uder a basket facig the mid-court lie, ad oe i the middle of the court. The first two players of this group have oe ball each, while oe player is set i the lae ad acts as a rebouder. At the coach s commad, the first player i the lie uder the basket slides to the corer to his right. Whe he touches the sidelie, he turs, rus backward util he reaches the hash mark, the sprits diagoally to the basket, receives the ball from the first player of the group i the middle of the court, ad fiishes with a layup without dribblig. The, he repeats the same move o the other side of the half-court, as show i Figure 5.7, while the rebouder i the lae passes the ball back to the ext player i the group i the middle of the court. The secod player i the lie uder the basket starts the drill whe the first player, who bega the drill, starts to sprit diagoally to the basket. The, the players rotate i this way: the shooter goes to the ed of the passer s lie, the passer becomes the rebouder, ad the rebouder goes to the ed of the shooter s lie. Each player rus the drill for a certai umber of repetitios, or for after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a diagoal, ot large cut, whe spritig toward the basket. Cotiually emphasize that the receiver of the pass must ask for the ball, presetig his outside had as a target to the passer. Variatio The rebouder touches or pushes the FIGURE 5.7 player who is shootig the layup with a foam pad to make the drill tougher.

60 Shootig Drills Divide the team ito two groups ad ru the drill i the two half-courts as a competitio: the first group that scores a certai umber of baskets first (or scores more baskets after a give amout of time) wis. Back-to-the-Corer Drill The aim of the back-to-the-corer drill is to teach players to move without the ball, pass, cut, ad shoot a layup. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two groups o oe half-court ad two groups o the other half-court. Oe group is uder the basket ad the other is i the middle of the half-court, outside the three-poit lie, with two balls for each group. The player uder the basket passes the ball to the player i the middle of the court, goes outside i the right corer, ad receives the ball back. The, he cuts i the three-secod lae, receives the ball, ad fiishes with a layup. He recovers the ball, passes it agai to the player i the middle of the half-court, ad repeats the same move o the other side of the court, as show i Figure After he fiishes the drill, he goes to FIGURE 5.8

61 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills the ed of the middle lie, while the player i the middle lie goes to the ed of the lie i the corer. Each player rus the same patter te times, five times o the right side ad the five times o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie All the cuts must be agled ad matched with a chage of pace. The cutter must ot watch the passer util he is i the corer. Variatio The drill is ru i the same way, but the players shoot a reverse layup. 54 Jump-Shot Drills The jump shot is a basic fudametal that every player, whether he plays o the perimeter or iside the lae, must master. Do t be afraid to sped a lot of time o the jump-shot drills, particularly o those that require costat focus, with the challeges of time, the cotest agaist himself, or agaist a teammate. Note: We will show drills o mid-rage jump shootig, but, practically, all the drills ca also be ru to practice the three-poit shot. You ca also add a defeder to these drills, who defeds at the begiig at 50 percet o the shooter. Seated-o-the-Chair Drill The aim of the seated-o-the-chair drill is to teach the proper mechaics of the jump shot. Equipmet 10 chairs 10 balls Persoel The etire team

62 Shootig Drills How to Ru the Drill Place five chairs i a semicircle aroud each basket ad iside the three-secod lae, as show i Figure 5.9. The players are seated o the chairs, with the ball held oly with oe had. Startig from the first chair o the left, each player shoots, without stadig up, as show i Figure 5.9. After the player o the last chair has shot, every player moves to the ext chair i a clockwise rotatio. The drill eds whe the player seated o the first chair o the left shoots from the fifth chair. The players should make a complete routie, shootig from first to fifth chair, three times. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The player must alig the ball, the had, ad the elbow, with the ball restig o the figers of the had, ot i the palm. He must block the arm ad ot brig the arm dow while shootig the ball. FIGURE 5.9 He must exted the arm goig up, ot forward, with the idex figer of the had poited toward the middle of the basket. At the ed of the shot, the had must be completely ope, ot poitig dow to the floor. 55 Variatios After the players have mastered the proper techique of release ad followthrough of the ball, ask them to shoot, agai with oe had oly, stadig, without jumpig. The, add the oshootig had to the ball. The, move the players farther from the basket ad have them shoot, without

63 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills jumpig, ad, fially, whe their techique is perfect, ask them to make a jump shot, always startig ear the basket ad gradually icreasig the distace from the basket. Fially, ask them to make self-pass, catch the ball, ad make a jump shot. Reverse Drill The aim of the reverse drill is to practice footwork ad shootig. Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team 56 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, with each group lied up i the middle of a half-court. Set two chairs at the corers of the free-throw area, a ball o each chair, ad two rebouders uder the basket. The first player rus toward the left chair, makes a reverse, picks up the ball, ad shoots without dribblig. The, he repeats the same moves o the right side of the court, as show i Figure The two rebouders get the balls ad put them o the chairs. The shooters become rebouders ad the rebouders go to the ed of the lie. The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set amout of time. FIGURE 5.10

64 Shootig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie The player stays low whe he reaches the chair. Players should ed the reverse by poitig their feet toward the basket. Variatio The players chage pace ad directio before shootig, the a dribble, a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble, after the reverse. The same player shoots twice i a row, oce from the right, ad the from the left corer of the free-throw lie. Drop-Step Drill The aim of the drop-step drill is to practice shootig fudametals ad footwork. Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team 57 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, two i the two corers of each half-court. Two chairs are set at the corers of each free-throw area, with a ball o each chair ad two rebouders uder the basket. The first two players of each groups, as show i Figure 5.11, ru toward the FIGURE 5.11

65 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills chair, pick up the balls, make a drop-step, ad shoot without dribblig. The two players uder the basket get the rebouds ad put the balls back o the chairs. The shooters become rebouders, ad the rebouders go to the ed of the opposite lie from where they started the drill. The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low while reachig the chair. Ed the drop step by poitig the feet toward the basket. Variatio The players make a dribble, a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble after the drop-step. 58 Two-Chair, Two-Ball Drill The aim of the two-chair, two-ball drill is to practice shootig fudametals ad footwork. Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, oe i each half-court ad outside the baselie. Set two chairs at the corers of the free-throw area, with oe ball FIGURE 5.12

66 Shootig Drills o each chair, ad two rebouders i each three-secod lae. The first player rus to the chair, circles aroud, catches the ball o the first chair, makes a two-cout stop, ad makes a jump shot. The, he rus i the three-secod lae, comes out, circles aroud the other chair, ad makes aother jump shot, as show i Figure The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep kees bet o the two-cout stop before shootig. Variatio The players dribble ad make a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble before shootig. Tur, Dribble, ad Shoot Drill The aim of the tur, dribble, ad shoot drill is to work o shootig ad footwork. 59 Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups. I each half-court, set two chairs, three feet from each other, at the free-throw lie. Each group is set outside the three-poit lie, with the first player of the group facig the mid-court lie. The coach, with the ball, stads ear the mid-court lie, facig the player.

67 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The coach passes the ball to the first player, ad, at the same time, tells him to tur right or left. The player turs, dribbles hard to the lae, stops i betwee the two chairs, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the two-cout stop before shootig. Make a hard-bouce dribble whe pullig up the ball for the shot. 60 Variatio The players make a shot fake or a shot fake ad a dribble before shootig. M Drill The aim of the M drill is to work o shootig o the ru. FIGURE 5.13 Equipmet 6 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups. I each half-court, place two chairs ear the mid-court lie about 20 feet apart ad oe chair i the middle of the half-court, ear the free-throw lie arc. The first player is i the left corer, outside the three-poit lie, while two

68 Shootig Drills rebouders, with oe ball each, are iside the three-secod lae. The rebouder o his left side passes the ball to the player, who has stepped iside the threepoit arc, ad ow shoots. After the shot, the player rus aroud the chair ear the mid-court, reaches the corer of the free-throw area, receives the ball, ad shoots. The, he circles aroud the chair i the middle of the half-court, stops at the other corer of the free-throw lae, receives the ball, ad shoots. Fially, he rus aroud the other chair at the mid-court lie, goes i the corer, receives the ball, ad shoots, as show i Figure The drill eds after a certai amout of repetitios per player. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru o all phases of the drill. S tay low o the two-cout stop before shootig. FIGURE Variatio The player ca make a dribble, a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble before each shot. X Drill The aim of the X drill is to work o shootig that has bee affected by fatigue. Equipmet 6 chairs 4 balls

69 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team 62 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups. I each half-court, set two chairs ear the midcourt lie about 15 feet apart ad oe chair i the middle of the half-court, ear the three-poit arc. The player is i the left corer of the free-throw area, while two rebouders, with oe ball each, are iside the three-secod lae. The rebouder o the left side passes the ball to the player, who shoots. After the shot, the player rus aroud the chair ear the mid-court lie ad the chair i the middle of the court, reaches the other corer of the free-throw area, receives the ball, ad shoots. He the repeats the patter for a total of four shots, as show i Figure The drill eds after a certai amout of repetitios per player. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru o all the phases of the drill. Stay low o the two-cout stop, before shootig. FIGURE 5.15 Variatio The player ca make a dribble, a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble before each shot. Four-Chair Drill The aim of the four-chair drill is to teach players to use a scree, to cut to get i

70 Shootig Drills positio to receive the ball, ad to take a jump shot o the move. The player must shoot o the ru. Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito groups of three player each. Four chairs, with oe ball o each chair, are set at the four corers of the three-secod lae, two ear the baselie ad two at the corers of the free-throw area. Two rebouders are i the lae. The first player starts the drill at about three feet away ad i frot of chair 2 at the right side of the halfcourt ear the sidelie, as show i FIGURE 5.16 Figure He makes a strog, aggressive fake to the right, the cuts i the lae, curls aroud chair 1 at the left corer of the free-throw area, catches the ball, ad takes a jumper. The, he cuts back i the lae, curls aroud chair 2 o the right ear the baselie, ad shoots. He the cuts agai i the lae, curls aroud chair 3, catches the ball, ad shoots. He eds the drill by cuttig diagoally i the lae, curlig aroud chair 4 at the right corer of the free-throw area, ad shootig. The rebouders get the balls ad put them back o the chairs. The drill eds after a certai amout of repetitios per player. 63

71 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Chage the pace while approachig the chairs. Poit the feet toward the basket whe pickig up the ball. Variatios Advaced versio: The player must complete the drill withi a certai amout of time. The drill ca also be ru as a competitio amog all the players o the team, with a coach who couts ad records the made ad missed shots. Aroud-the-World Drill The aim of the aroud-the-world drill is to work o shootig o the ru. 64 Equipmet 6 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito groups of three players, with oe group per half-court. Set two chairs o the two low-post areas ear the three-secod lae, ad oe iside the free-throw area; positio two rebouders, with oe ball each, i the lae. The player starts the drill o the left side, ear the baselie, at the left of the chair, as show i Figure He FIGURE 5.17

72 Shootig Drills receives the ball, shoots, circles aroud the first chair, receives agai, ad shoots. The, he repeats the same patter with the other two chairs, for a total of six shots. The drill ca be repeated more tha oe time per player. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Always stay low o the kees whe receivig the ball. Always poit the feet toward the basket. Variatio The player makes a dribble, a shot fake, or a shot fake ad a dribble before shootig. Three-Lie Drill The aim of the three-lie drill is to practice differet footwork, fiishig with jump shots. 65 Equipmet 6 balls 3 chairs Persoel The etire team Three coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups, oe o the right side of the half-court, the secod oe ear the sidelie o the left side of the half-court, ad the third oe o the wig spot o the left side. Each group has two balls. Oe chair is placed 2 feet outside the right corer the free-throw area, a secod chair i the middle of the freethrow area, ad the third oe i the short corer of the left side of the half-court,

73 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 66 while oe coach stads ear each chair. The drill is show i Figure Player 1 passes the ball to the coach, who puts the ball o the chair. The 1 rus to the chair, makes a oe-cout stop, picks up the ball from the chair, makes a drop step, ad drives to the basket, fiishig with a jump shot. Player 2 makes the same moves, but, whe he picks up the ball from the chair, makes a reverse step, fiishig with a jump shot. FIGURE 5.18 Player 3 makes the same moves, but, whe he picks up the ball from the chair, makes a crossover step, fiishig with a jump shot. Player 1 goes at the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to 3 s lie, ad 3 to 1 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or after a set amout of time. The drill is repeated o the other side of the floor. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the kees whe receivig the ball. Always poit the feet toward the basket. Variatio The players make a differet type of dribble (behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, i-ad out, hockey dribble) before drivig to the basket. Two-Ball, Two-Shot Drill The aim of the two-ball, two-shot drill is to practice ball hadlig, passig, ad shootig skills i a difficult drill.

74 Shootig Drills Equipmet 1 chair 6 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is lied up i the middle of the half-court, with the first three players with two balls each. Two coaches stad, oe o the left wig ad oe o the right; oe chair is set i frot of the lie of the players. The first player starts to poud-dribble. After few secods, he dribbles toward the chair ad, whe facig it, makes a oe-had push pass to the right, drives with the other ball to the left of the chair, ad makes a jumper. The, he circles the chair o the side, receives the ball back, ad makes aother jump shot, as show i Figure The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or after a set amout of time. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Outlie Stay low o the kees throughout the drill. Make a strog oe-had push pass, usig the chest of the receiver as a target. Variatio Chage the positio of the lie of the players ad/or add a differet dribble be-

75 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills fore shootig, such as behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, crossover, i-ad-out, ad so o. Chage-of -Pace-ad-Directio Drill The aim of the chage-of-pace-ad-directio drill is to practice footwork, ball hadlig, ad shootig skills. Equipmet 4 chairs 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches 68 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe o the left ad oe o the right side of the half-court, with a chair i frot of each group, ad oe ball o each chair. Oe coach, holdig a ball, is ear each chair, ad two other chairs are set at each corer of the free-throw area. The first two players of each group sprit toward the chair, pick up the ball, sweep it, ad dribble hard toward the other chair, as FIGURE 5.20 show i Figure Whe they reach the chair, they make a crossover dribble, chagig the pace ad directio, the, after a two-cout stop, make a jump shot, whe they reach the other chair. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or after a set amout of time.

76 Shootig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Whe pickig up the ball, make a hard, aggressive, quick sweep of the ball, goig uder the kees. O the chage of pace ad directio, while makig the crossover, poit the feet toward the basket. Variatio The player makes a type of dribble other tha the crossover. Two-Shooter Drill The aim of the two-shooter drill is to practice passig ad shootig uder difficult coditios. Equipmet 1 chair 6 balls Persoel The etire team 69 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe lied up i the wig spot of the half-court, with a chair i frot. The first three players have two balls each, while the other group is i the corer. A coach is i the opposite corer The first player i the wig starts to poud-dribble, the, after a few secods, dribbles toward the chair ad, FIGURE 5.21

77 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills whe facig it, makes a oe-had push pass to oe player i the corer, who makes a jump shot (or a drive), based o the coach s commad. The, he drives to the opposite side of the pass ad makes a jumper (or a drive to the basket), as show i Figure The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or after a set amout of time. The drill is repeated o the other side of the floor. Details to Teach ad Outlie Stay low o the kees throughout the drill. Make a strog oe-had push pass, usig the receiver s chest as the target. Variatio Chage the positios of the two groups of players ad add a differet dribble before passig ad shootig, such as behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, crossover, ad so o. 70 Pass-ad-Shoot Drill The aim of the pass-ad-shoot drill is to practice passig ad shootig uder difficult coditios. Equipmet 1 chair 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is lied up i the middle of the half-court, with a chair placed i the the free-throw area. Each player has oe ball. Two players stad o the left ad right wigs, the player o the right wig with a ball.

78 Shootig Drills The first player i lie starts to poud-dribble, the, after a few secods, dribbles toward the chair ad, whe facig it, makes a oe-had push pass to the player i the left wig, receives the ball from the player o his right, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure After a certai umber of shots per player or a set amout of time, a pass is made to the player o the right wig, ad the ball is received from the player o the left wig. FIGURE 5.22 Details to Teach ad Outlie Stay low o the kees throughout the drill. Make a strog oe-had push pass, with the chest of the receiver as the target. 71 Variatio The player adds a specific dribble before passig, such as behid-the-back, betwee-the-legs, crossover, ad so o. Three-Ma, Two-Ball Drill The aim of the three-ma, two-ball drill is to practice the jump shot, always shootig from a differet positio ad o the ru. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team

79 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 72 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito groups of three players, each group with two balls. The drill is ru o both half-courts. The drill starts with two players, each oe with a ball, set outside the three-secod lae, ad oe player uder the basket. The two outside players shoot ad the ru for the rebouds, while the iside player rus out of the lae, receives, ad shoots, ad so o, as show i Figure FIGURE 5.23 The players must cotiually shoot, reboud, pass, ad move outside the three-secod lae. The drill eds after a specified umber of shots, made shots, or set amout of time. The, aother group of three players rus the drill. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru, but do ot rush, ad always be i cotrol before shootig. Avoid wasted motio. Get ready to shoot before receivig the ball, ad ot after. Make the first shot ad go to the reboud i two separate motios. Variatio The drill ca be competitive: the first player, who makes a certai umber of shots, wis, ad the others do sprits. Machie-Gu Drill The aim of the machie-gu drill is to practice the jump shot o the ru.

80 Shootig Drills Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team i groups of three players, with oe ball per group. The drill is ru o both half-courts. Oe shooter is o the right wig outside the threesecod lae, oe passer with the ball is outside the three-poit lie, ad oe rebouder is ear the basket. The passer makes a couple of hard dribbles to the left side of the court, the makes a crossover dribble (or aother type of dribble), chages directio, ad passes to the shooter o the wig (who, i the meatime, has made a V step before receivig the ball). The shooter shots the ball ad goes uder the basket, ad, if the shot is missed, the rebouder gets the ball, ad shoots uder the basket. I the meatime, movig clockwise, the passer replaces the shooter, the shooter becomes the rebouder, ad the rebouder becomes the passer, as show i Figure The drill ca be ru for a certai umber of shots, made shots, or for a give amout of time. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru, but do ot rush, ad always be i cotrol. Avoid wasted motio. Get ready to shoot before receivig the ball ad ot after. After the first shot, go to the reboud i two separate motios.

81 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatios The drill ca be competitive if a coach couts the made shots of each player. The first oe who scores a specified umber of shots, wis. Poit-Shot Drill The aim of the poit-shot drill is to practice shootig from differet spots o the floor. Equipmet 14 coes Persoel The etire team 74 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, ad the drill is ru o both halfcourts. Mark seve spots iside the three-poit arc with coes, chairs, or tape, as show i Figure Two rebouders stad iside the three-secod FIGURE 5.25 lae with two balls, while the shooter stads o spot 1. He receives the ball ad shoots right away: if he makes the shot, he rus to spot 2 ad shoots, ad so o util he reaches spot 7. If he misses a shot, he must shoot from that spot util he makes it. The drill is ru twice, first from right to left ad the from left to right. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The shooter must be ready to shoot (with the hads, the body, ad the legs), before receivig the ball.

82 Shootig Drills While settig up to shoot to aother spot, he must always have his feet poited toward the basket. Variatio The player makes a specified dribble before shootig. 55-Secod Drill The aim of the 55-secod drill is to practice shootig ad to put pressure o the shooter. Equipmet 4 balls 2 watches Persoel The etire team Two coaches 75 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, oe shooter with the ball, oe rebouder iside the lae, ad oe passer with aother ball. The drill is ru o both half-courts. A coach stads outside the three-poit lie o each half-court with a watch. At the coach s commad, the shooter shoots ad moves to aother spot, receives the secod ball from the passer, ad so o for 55 secods, as show i Figure FIGURE 5.26

83 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The shooter caot shoot twice from the same spot, but, istead, must move to aother spot. The passer must move 10 to 15 feet away from the shooter. A maager or aother player records the missed ad made shots over a 55-secod period. The the players have 5 secods to chage roles: the shooter becomes the rebouder, the passer becomes the shooter, ad the rebouder becomes the passer. After all three players i this group have performed the drill, aother group steps i. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The shooter must assume the shootig positio for the etire drill, that is, be ready to shoot before shootig ad ot after receivig the ball. Stress the importace of always poitig the feet toward the basket. Use the same form ad mechaics util the last shot. 76 Variatio The player makes a specified dribble before shootig. The drill ca also become a cotest amog the three players of each group, or of oe group versus the other groups. The wier is the player or the group with the most made shots. Full-Court Shootig ad Dribblig Drill The aim of the full-court shootig ad dribblig drill is to practice shootig ad dribblig, workig full court at top speed. Equipmet 12 chairs or coes 12 balls Persoel The etire team

84 Shootig Drills How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups of three or four players each, set at four corers of the court, with three balls for each group. Two passers stad at the corers of the free-throw area o both half-courts, ad six chairs or coes are placed alog ad ear the sidelie of the court, as show i Figure At the same time, the first player of each group passes the ball to the passer, ad the, after fakig a cut i the opposite directio from the poit he passed the ball, goes toward the ball ad makes the move ad shot ordered by the passer. The followig is a list of the possible shots: Catch ad jump shot Shot fake, dribble, ad jump shot Step-back dribble ad jump shot Ay other type of dribble ad jump shot FIGURE After the shot, the player gets his ow reboud ad dribbles at full speed aroud the chairs or coes util he reaches the other half-court ad goes to the ed of the lie o that corer. The drill is ru for a certai umber of made shots or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a hard fake before receivig the ball.

85 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Go low o the kee ad get ready to shoot immediately before receivig the ball, ot after. Do ot watch the ball while dribblig at full speed. Five-Player Shootig Drill The aim of the five-player shootig drill is to practice passig ad shootig, ivolvig five players at the same time. Equipmet 6 balls Persoel The etire team 78 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups of five players each, with oe group i each half-court. Players 4 ad 5, with oe ball each, stad outside the baselie, oe o the left ad the other o the right side, while 1 ad 3 are o the leftad right-wig spots, ad 2, with the ball, is i the middle of the half-court. Player 1 fakes a cut to the the ball, the chages directio ad pace ad receives the ball from 2. At the same time, 3 fakes a cut ad the rus at the free-throw lie, receives the ball from 1, ad makes a FIGURE 5.28a jump shot. FIGURE 5.28b

86 Shootig Drills After the pass to 1, 2 cuts toward 4, receives the ball, ad makes a jump shot. Player 1, after the pass to 3, cuts toward 5, receives the ball, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure 5.28a. After the shot, 1, 2, ad 3 get their ow rebouds, while 4 ad 5 eter the court. Player 3 passes to 4, ad 4 passes to 5, who dribbles to the ceter of the half-court. Players 1 ad 2 replace, respectively, 4 ad 5, ad the drill goes o, as i Figure 5.28b. The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stress the importace of the passes to the shooters. Shooters feet must always poit toward the basket. Nie-Player CotiUous Drill The aim of the ie-player cotiuous drill is to practice shootig ad work o coditioig. 79 Equipmet 6 balls 3 stopwatches Persoel The etire team 3 coaches or maagers How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito three groups of three players each. Three coaches, each oe with a stopwatch, are set outside the baselie at mid-court. Three players stad at the baselie: 1 is i the left corer, 2 uder the basket, ad 3 i the right corer. All three players have a ball ad face, respectively, 4, 5, ad 6, who stad

87 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 80 o the mid-court lie. O the other half-court, alog the baselie, 7, 8, ad 9 each have a ball. Players 4, 5, ad 6 ru toward the basket at the same time. Players 4 ad 6 cut to the basket at the free-lie-extesio, the receive the ball from 1 ad 3, respectively, ad shoot, while 5 stops at the free-throw lie, receives from 2, ad shoots. After shootig, 4, 5, ad 6 get their ow rebouds ad replace passers 1, 2, ad 3, who, after the passes, ru to the opposite basket ad repeat the same patter. The drill eds after a certai umber of shots i a set amout of time. Here some examples: 80 shots i 4 miutes 100 shots i 5 miutes 120 shots i 6 miutes FIGURE 5.29 The coaches must keep a record of the missed ad made shots i a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stress the importace of makig a accurate pass to the shooters. The shooters must be ready to shoot before receivig the ball, ot after. Variatio Before shootig, the players make a specific type of dribble. I this case, the umber of shots ca be decreased.

88 Shootig Drills Reach-the-Five Drill The aim of the reach-the-five drill is to practice dribblig ad shootig uder pressure. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups of six players each, who work o each half-court. Two shooters, each with a ball, are 10 feet away from the mid-court lie, facig the opposite basket. Oe passer is o the left- ad oe is o the right-wig spot, ad two rebouders are uder the basket. The two shooters speed-dribble; the, after they have crossed the mid-court lie, pass to the passers. After fakig a cut i the opposite directio, they cut toward the ball, receive it, ad make a jump shot. After the shot, they ru back to the the poit they started the drill ad repeat the patter, as show i Figure The shooter who scores the first five shots wis, ad the loser does te push-ups or sprits. 81 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stress the importace of movig without the ball ad makig agled cuts. FIGURE 5.30

89 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio Before passig the ball to the passer, or whe they receive the ball back, the players make a differet type of dribble before shootig (crossover, betweethe-legs, etc.). Super-Sixty Drill The aim of the super-sixty drill is to practice shootig o the ru ad uder the pressure. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team 82 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups of six players, each oe set i the two halfcourts. Three shooters with two balls are iside the three-poit lie, while three rebouders are iside the three-secod lae. Each squad competes agaist the other. The players start to shoot ad must make sixty made shots i 5 miutes, as show i Figure FIGURE 5.31 After five or te made shots, the shooter becomes a rebouder ad vice versa. The squad that loses does push-ups or sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the kees from the first to the last shot.

90 Shootig Drills Be ready to shoot before receivig the ball, ot after. Always have the feet poited toward the basket. Variatio The player ca make a specific type of dribble before shootig. I this case, decrease the umbers of made shots. First-to-Twety Drill The aim of the first-to-twety drill is to practice shootig uder pressure. Equipmet 6 balls Persoel The etire team 83 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups of three players, each oe with three balls, two groups o oe half-court ad two o the other half-court, set o the left- ad right-wig spots. The players shoot, get their ow rebouds, ad go to the ed of FIGURE 5.32 their lie, as show i Figure The group who scores the first twety shots wis, ad the losers do push-ups or sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the kees from the first to the last shot. Be immediately ready to shoot. Always have the feet poited toward the basket.

91 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio The players make a specific type of dribble before shootig. Eighty-Shots Drill The aim of the eighty-shots drill is to practice shootig o the ru ad uder pressure. Equipmet 6 balls 1 stopwatch Persoel The etire team 84 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups of six players each, set i the left- ad rightwig spots of a half-court. Six players, each with a ball, are o the right side ad six without the ball are o the left side, as show i Figure Oe player without a ball fakes to cut away from the ball, the rus at the freethrow lie, receives the ball, makes a jump shot, gets his ow reboud, ad goes to the passer s lie, while the passer goes to the shooter s lie. The group must make eighty shots i 7 miutes. If they do ot reach the target, they must do push-ups or sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the kees from the first to the last shot. FIGURE 5.33

92 Shootig Drills Be ready to shoot before receivig the ball, ot after. Always have the feet poited toward the basket. Variatio The players make a specific type of dribble before shootig. I this case, allow the players more time to ed the drill. Beat Kobe Bryat Drill The aim of the beat Kobe Bryat drill is to practice shootig ad to challege the players to cocetrate o every shot. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team 85 How to Ru the Drill The etire team is divided i twos, oe shooter ad oe rebouder. The drill is ru o both half-courts. The shooter is set outside the three-secod lae ad the FIGURE 5.34 rebouder is iside. The shooter shoots cotiually, movig aroud the lae, ad the rebouder passes the ball to him. If the shooter makes the basket, he gets oe poit; if he misses, Kobe Bryat gets two poits, as show i Figure The rebouder keeps the scorig record, ad the shooter beats Kobe Bryat if he reaches te poits before Kobe. The, the rebouder becomes the shooter. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Stay low o the kees from the first to the last shot.

93 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Be ready to shoot before receivig the ball, ot after. Always have the feet poited toward the basket. Variatio The player makes a specific type of dribble before shootig. 86 Free-Throw Drills Perhaps more tha ay other team sport, basketball is a metal game. It is importat for a player to be focused every secod he is o the court. Whe a player is at the free-throw lie, without ay oppoet i frot of him, with the chace to score oe, two, or three easy poits, he must be totally focused, without feelig the pressure of the crowd or eed to make the free-throws. This seems a easy job, but the mechaics of makig this type of pressure shot must be accurately practiced, because may wis or losses deped o scorig the free-throws. Made-or-Ru Drill The aim of the made-or-ru drill is to practice free-throw shootig ad put pressure o the shooter. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, each o a basket, lied up at the free-throw lie, with two balls. Each player shoots two free-throws, gets his ow rebouds, ad

94 Shootig Drills passes the ball to the ext teammate. Each group must score almost 70 percet of the free-throws. For every missed shot, each group makes oe full-court sprit at the ed of the drill, as show i Figure Oe coach o each half-court keeps records of the missed ad made free-throws. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Never rush; always wait a couple of secods betwee oe shot ad the followig oe. Breath deeply before each free-throw, ad make a couple of dribbles. Always watch the basket, ot just durig the secods before shootig. Stay low o the kees ad start the freethrow with the ball at eye level, ot at or below the chest. FIGURE 5.35 Make the movemet smoothly, simultaeously usig the legs ad the arms. Do t take a step back ear the ed of the free-throw (a big mistake), but istead stad at the free-throw lie util the free-throw is made or the ball touches the basket. 87 Te Free-Throws i a Row Drill The aim of the te free-throws i a row drill is to practice free-throw shootig uder pressure. Equipmet 4 balls

95 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team Two coaches 88 How to Ru the Drill This drill is ru at the ed of the practice. It puts a lot of metal pressure o the players whe they shoot free-throws whe they are very tired, the same coditios that they will face i a game. Divide the team ito two groups, each oe at a half-court, with two balls ad oe rebouder i the lae. Oe coach stads outside the perimeter ad keeps record of the missed ad made free-throws. Each player must make te free-throws i a row, ad, if he misses oe, he must go to the ed of the lie ad repeat the routie a secod time, as show i Figure FIGURE 5.36 If he also misses the secod attempt at shootig te i a row, he must make as may full- or half-court sprits as he missed free-throws i the two sessios. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Never rush; always wait a couple of secods betwee oe shot ad the followig oe. Breath deeply before each free-throw, ad make a couple of dribbles. Always watch the basket, ot just durig the secods before shootig. Stay low o the kees ad start the free-throw with the ball at eye level, ot at or below the chest. Make the movemet smoothly, simultaeously usig the legs ad the arms.

96 Shootig Drills Do t take a step back ear the ed of the free-throw (a big mistake), but istead stad at the free-throw lie util the free-throw is made or the ball touches the basket. Variatio The two groups compete agaist each other. Oe-Plus-Oe-to-Twety Drill The aim of the oe-plus-oe-to-twety drill is to practice shootig free-throws uder pressure. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches 89 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups. Each group is aliged aroud the three-secod laes, o both half-courts, with oe freethrow shooter ad a rebouder uder the basket ad a coach o the perimeter, as show i Figure Every player shoots oe free-throw; if he makes it, he shoots aother oe, but if he misses the free-throw, the etire team rotates FIGURE 5.37 ad aother player goes to the free-throw lie for a oe-plus-oe. The first of the two groups that scores twety free-throws wis, ad the losers do sprits or push-ups.

97 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Never rush, but istead wait a couple of secods betwee oe shot ad the followig oe. Breath deeply before each free-throw, ad make a couple of dribbles. Always watch the basket, ot just durig the secods before shootig. Stay low o the kees ad start the free-throw with the ball at the eye level, ot at or below the chest. Make the movemet smoothly, simultaeously usig the legs ad the arms. Do t take a step back ear the ed of the free -throw, but istead stad at the free-throw lie util the free-throw is made or the ball touches the basket. 90 Closed-Eyes Free-Throw Drill The aim of the closed-eyes free-throw drill is to improve free-throw shootig accuracy usig metal visualizatio. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The drill is ru o both half-courts. Each player starts to shoot a certai umber of free throws, usig the proper techique ad without rushig. The other players stad aroud the three-secod lae ad clap their hads to distract the shooter, as show i Figure FIGURE 5.38

98 Shootig Drills As soo as the shooter makes a specific umber of free throws, he shoots the same umber of free throws with his eyes closed, followig the same routie ad usig the same mechaics as whe he shot with his eyes ope. The player must metally visualize the movemet ad the ball eterig the basket. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Never rush, but istead wait a couple of secods betwee oe shot ad the followig oe. Breath deeply before each free-throw. Always watch the basket, ot just durig the secods before shootig. Stay low o the kees ad start the free throw with the ball at the eye level, ot at or below the chest. Make the movemet smoothly, simultaeously usig the legs ad the arms. Do t take a step back ear the ed of the free-throw, but stad at the freethrow lie util the free-throw is made or the ball has touched the basket. 91

99 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 6 Passig Drills 92 Passig is the first ad preferred word of ay coach s vocabulary. This fudametal evokes i a coach the otes of a rhapsody; it is a aspect of the game that brigs a coach to a state of peace. If basketball could be played without hearig the beats of the dribbles, it could be the dream game. Movig the ball with a pass is quicker tha movig it with a dribble. Makig a skip pass ca offer a better ad a more ope shootig solutio. Gettig the ball iside ca create a higher-percetage shot. But, similar to shootig, passig is becomig a lost art. Everybody is able to lear to pass, whether it is a two-had or a oe-had push, a outlet, or other pass, but it is ot as easy to kow whe ad where to pass, or how to pass away from the defeder. Therefore, this fudametal must be carefully practiced ad cotiually praised durig every practice, ad all the details must be taught ad uderlied, just as we advocate doig for all the drills i this book.

100 Passig Drills Beat-the-Passer Drill The aim of the beat-the-passer drill is to teach to the players to fake before passig, ad to work o differet types of passes. Equipmet 1 ball for every three players Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, two o offese, with oe ball, ad oe o defese, set i the cetral lae of the court. The two offesive players face each other 10 feet apart, while the defeder is set i betwee the two offesive players. The two offesive players pass each other the ball, while the defeder tries to beat the passer. This meas to touch or steal the ball, as show i Figure 6.1. The offesive players ca oly make oe step laterally, forward or back, without committig a travelig violatio. Every time the ball is stole or touched by the defeder, or if the passer does ot pass i 3 secods or makes a wrog pass to the receiver, the passer becomes the defeder ad the defeder becomes the passer. The drill is ru for 3 or 4 miutes. The offesive players 93 are ot permitted to make lob passes. FIGURE 6.1

101 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Before passig, fake usig the head, the eyes, or the ball. Fake high before makig a bouce pass, or fake dow, before makig a straight pass. Read the passig laes, that is, pass where the defeder caot steal or touch the ball, for example, ear the head or the shoulder if the arm is dow, or uder the armpit, if the arm is high. Do ot make a pass while jumpig. The receiver must give a target to the passer: oe had or two hads. The receiver must go toward the ball. The defeder must use defesive fakes, as well as wave his arms. 94 Variatio The distace betwee the two offesive players ca be decreased to improve the difficulty of the drill. Trappers ad Goalkeeper Drill The aim of the trappers ad goalkeeper drill is to improve the players passig uder game coditios. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel A miimum of te players How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, seve offesive players ad three defeders, set i oe half-court, while the rest of the team works o the other half-court o a differet drill or fudametals.

102 Passig Drills The seve players o offese form about a 15-foot circle. The three defeders are iside the circle: two trappers double-team, ad the third is the goalkeeper. The players o offese pass each other the ball, followig oe rule: they caot pass to the teammates o their left ad right sides, as show i Figure 6.2. The offesive player with the ball ca oly make oe step laterally, forward or back, ad the other teammates must stad i the same positios. FIGURE 6.2 The trappers ad the goalkeeper must try to deflect, touch, or steal the ball. If the defese is successful, the passer ad the two teammates o his left ad right side become the defeders. The drill is ru for 3 or 5 miutes. 95 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Before passig, fake, usig the head, the eyes, or the ball. Fake high before makig a bouce pass, or fake dow, before makig a straight pass. Read the passig laes, that is, pass where the defeder caot steal or touch the ball, for example, ear the head or the shoulder if the arm is dow, or uder the armpit if the arm is high. Do ot make a pass while jumpig. The receiver must give a target to the passer: oe had or two hads. The receiver must go toward the ball. The defeders must use defesive fakes, as well as wave their arms. Variatio Decrease the offesive players circle to create a more difficult drill.

103 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Four Passers Three DefedERS DRILL The aim of the four passers three defeders drill is to practice passig uder game coditios i a restricted area, such as i the lae. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel A miimum of seve players 96 How to Ru the Drill Set four offesive players, with oe ball, at the four corers of the three-secod lae, ad three defeders iside the lae. The players o offese pass the ball amog themselves, stadig i the same positio, ad are allowed to make oly oe step laterally, forward, or back while passig or receivig, without committig a travelig violatio, as show i Figure 6.3. If the ball is touched, deflected, or stole, the passer ad the teammates o his left ad right become defeders, ad the defeders go o offese. After four passes, the offesive player who receives the ball shoots. If he makes the shot, the defese stay i; if he misses, the offese goes o defese, ad vice versa. The drill is ru for 3 or 5 miutes. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Fake usig the head, the eyes, the shoulders, or the ball, before passig. Fake high before makig a bouce pass, or fake dow before makig a straight pass. FIGURE 6.3

104 Passig Drills Read the passig laes, that is, pass where the defeder caot steal or touch the ball, for example, ear the head or the shoulder if the arm is dow, or uder the armpit, if the arm is high. Do ot make a pass while jumpig. The receiver must give a target to the passer: oe had or two hads. The receiver must go toward the ball. The defeders must use defesive fakes, as well as wave their arms. Five-Players Star Drill The aim of the five-players star drill is to work o improvig passig ad passig speed. Equipmet 1 ball for every five players. Persoel The etire team 97 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito groups of five players each, with oe ball per group. The players are set to form the poits of a star, as show i Figure 6.4. If the ball is i the hads of player 1, he passes the ball to the secod player o his right (or the secod player o his left), i this case, 4. The 4 will pass to the secod player o his right, 3, who will pass the ball to 2, ad so o. FIGURE 6.4 The coach decides what type of pass the players will make. The drill is ru for

105 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills a certai umbers of passes per player or for a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make sure the hads are ready to catch ad pass immediately. Do ot make ay extra moves before passig. Make crisp ad accurate passes. Variatio The drill ca be started with two balls at the same time. Ay time the coach whistles, the players chage the directio of the pass, from right to left, ad vice versa. 98 Four-Corers Drill The aim of the four-corers drill is to practice passig ad work o the proper footwork. Equipmet 1 ball 1 chair Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups of four players per group. The four groups form a rectagle, with a chair i the middle of the rectagle. Player 1 passes a twohad chest pass (or aother pass decided by the coach) to 2, i this case, the FIGURE 6.5

106 Passig Drills follows the pass ad goes to the ed of 2 s lie. As soo as 2 has received the ball, the player pivots o the iside foot, frots the chair, makes a jab step ad the a shot fake, turs toward 3, ad passes the ball to the teammate, ad so o, as show i Figure 6.5. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of passes or for a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Be ready to receive the ball. Make a effective ad game-coditio sweep of the ball ad shot fake, with the ball at forehead level, at the same time bedig the kees. Always maitai balace o all the movemets. Variatio The drill ca also be performed addig more balls, for a maximum of four. To simulate a game situatio, oe defeder, who defeds at 50 percet, ca be added i frot of each group. 99 Hit-the-Target Drill Basketball is a game of precisio, ad the aim of the hit-the-target drill is to be very accurate while passig, hittig a precise target. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is aliged i frot of a wall, with oe ball per player. Use two pieces of

107 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills tape to make a cross i frot of each player, which fuctios as a target. Two coaches are set behid the lie to make the ecesary correctios. The players are set from 12 to 15 feet away from the wall, ad they must hit the target with a certai type of pass chose by the coach, as show i Figure 6.6. The drill is ru for 3 or 6 miutes, the type of pass chaged every 1 or 2 miutes. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep the same mechaics ad accuracy from the first to the last pass. Make the pass usig the whole body, ot just the hads ad the arms. Variatio 100 The players ca cout the umber of times they hit the target i the amout of time decided by the coach. The coach divides the team i two groups, ad the group that hits the target more times i a set time wis ad the losers do sprits. Oe coach per group records the umber of targets hit. FIGURE 6.6 Passig-o-Movig Drill The aim of the passig-o-movig drill is to practice footwork ad passig to a teammate, who is movig radomly. Equipmet 1 ball for every two players

108 Passig Drills Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito pairs of two players, 10 to 15 feet apart from each other, with oe ball per pair. The pairs are spread out o the half-court. Oe player with the ball stads i frot of his teammate, who is movig radomly from the right to the left, ad FIGURE 6.7 vice versa. The passer, pivotig o the pivot foot, makes two ball fakes with jab steps, ad the passes the ball, with the type of pass decided by the coach, to a teammate, who is costatly movig laterally, as show i Figure 6.7. The drill is ru from 2 to 4 miutes. 101 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Use effective ad real ball fakes before passig, as i a game, from the begiig to the ed of the drill. The receiver must always offer a target to the passer, either oe or two hads. Variatio The players chage the type of pass, called by the coach, after oe miute. Pass-ad-Follow-i-Traffic Drill The aim of the pass-ad-follow-i-traffic drill is to prepare the players to pass, catch, ad sprit i traffic.

109 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Equipmet 2 balls Persoel Eight players How to Ru the Drill Set the players i a rectagle o oe half-court, as show i Figure 6.8, with oe ball i the hads of each of two players stadig opposite each other, i this case, 1 ad 8. These two players FIGURE 6.8 pass the ball at the same time, usig the pass decided by the coach, to the teammate o their right, respectively to 4 ad 5, ad the they sprit to exchage the positios: 1 goes to 8 s spot, 8 to 1 s spot, ad so o. 102 The drill lasts from 3 to 5 miutes or for a certai umber of passes. Details to Teach ad Uderlie First, make a correct ad precise pass, the sprit. Do ot stad still after the pass, but istead sprit to the ew positio, immediately after the ball has left the hads of the passer. The receiver must go toward the ball with his hads before the ball has left the hads of the passer. Variatio Addig aother ball creates a more difficult drill. The drill ca be ru usig the etire court. Left- ad Right-Had Drill The aim of the left- ad right-had drill is to practice a oe-had push-pass.

110 Passig Drills Equipmet 2 balls for every 2 players Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito pairs of two players, facig each other 10 to 15 feet apart, with oe ball for every two players. Three pairs of players are i oe half-court, ad three are i the other half-court. The players pass each other the ball with oe had, alteratively with the left ad the with the right had. After each pass, they slide util they reach the mid-court lie, ad the they repeat the drill util they reach the spot where they started the drill, as show i Figure 6.9. They repeat the drill two or three times. 103 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Completely exted the had while passig. Keep kees bet for the etire drill. Be ready i advace to receive the ball with oe had. FIGURE 6.9 Variatio At the begiig, the players slide slowly, the, whe they have mastered the oe-had pass, they icrease the speed of the lateral slides.

111 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Two-Wheel Drill The aim of the two-wheel drill is to practice passig ad to improve peripheral visio. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups of five or six players each. Oe group forms a circle aroud the jump-ball area, ad the other 104 forms a larger circle aroud the first oe. Each group has a ball. The ier group rotates clockwise, ad the secod oe rotates i the opposite directio. While rotatig, each group passes the ball to the other group, usig the pass decided by the coach, as show i Figure The drill is ru from 2 to 4 miutes. At the whistle, the two groups chage the directio of the rotatio. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Use always peripheral visio to pass ad receive the ball. FIGURE 6.10 Always attempt a perfect pass, eve i a difficult situatio such as this oe. Move toward the ball whe the player is about to receive it.

112 Passig Drills Variatio The players icrease the speed of the rotatio. After 1 miute, the coach chages the type of pass. Passig ad Cuttig Drill The aim of the passig ad cuttig drill is to get used to differet types of passig ad cuttig. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three lies: oe ear the left sidelie at the free-throw lie extesio, with player 5 with a ball; oe at the left corer of the half-court, ad oe ear the right corer, with player 1 with a ball. Player 3 is o the right corer of the free-throw area, ad player 4 is outside the three-poit lie, i frot of 3. Player 1 passes the ball to 4 ad cuts toward the three-secod lae, i betwee 4 ad 3. Player 4 passes to 3, ad cuts aroud him. Player 3 passes to 1, who drives to the basket, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure 6.11a. After FIGURE 6.11.a FIGURE 6.11.b 105

113 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills the layup, 1 moves to the positio of 3, while 4 gets the reboud. At the same time 1 passes to 4, 5 passes to 7, ad 7 passes to 2. The, the drill is ru with the same patter, as show i Figure 6.11b. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of layups or for a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Pass the ball quickly. Make crisp ad agled cuts. Variatio The players must score a certai umbers of layups i a give amout of time. Four-Corers Drill 106 The aim of the four-corers drill is to practice passig full court ad shootig. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Set four lies of players i the four corers of the court, with two coaches i the jump-ball area, facig the baskets. Player 2, i the middle lae, passes the ball to 3 ad follows the pass, while 1 sprits i the middle of the court, receives the ball from 3, ad passes to the coach. The, the three players make defesive slides back to the basket, as show i Figure 6.12a. The, as the coach passes the ball to 1, they ru the fast break: 1 passes to 2 ad rus i the right lae, 2 makes a log pass to 3, who has sprited ad fi-

114 Passig Drills 107 FIGURE 6.12.a FIGURE 6.12.b ished with a layup, ad 2, after the pass, rus i the left lae. Players 1 ad 2 receive, respectively, from 5 ad 4 ad fiish with jump shots, as show i Figure 6.12 b. The, 4, 5, ad 06 step i ad ru the drill at the opposite basket. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Carefully make the passes ad perform the proper defesive slides. Watch always the ball while it s i the air ad util it is i the hads, ad be ready to catch the ball with both hads. Do t make sloppy layups or jump shots.

115 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Wave-ad-Three-Shot Drill The aim of the wave-ad-three-shot drill is to have the players work o passig while ruig ad the shootig. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Set three lies of three players alog oe baselie, ad oe lie o the opposite baselie, as show i Figure Player 1 has 108 the ball, while o the opposig lie players 4, 5, ad 6 have oe ball each. Players 1, 2, ad 3 make a wave from oe baselie toward the other oe, with oe player fiishig with a layup, while the other two receive the balls from 4 ad 6 ad make jump shots. The, 4, 5, ad 6 ru the same patter. The drill eds after a certai umbers of shots, or after a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru at full speed. No dribblig is allowed. Make crisp passes ad hit the target show by the receiver. FIGURE 6.13

116 Passig Drills Variatio The players chage the type of shots; for example, the two players o the wigs drive to the basket, while the player i the middle makes a jump shot. Four Players Passig-ad-Movig Drill The aim of the four players passig-ad-movig drill is to practice passig, while coordiatig the moves. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill 109 Divide the team ito four groups of three players each, set o oe halfcourt. Two groups are i the corers ad two are o the left- ad right-wig spots, as show i Figure The players o the right corer have oe ball each. Player 1 makes a skip pass to 2, who makes a quick pass to 4. As soo as the ball leaves the hads of 1, 3 fakes a cut to the corer, the cuts to the basket, FIGURE 6.14 receives from 4, ad fiishes with a layup. Player 4 gets the reboud. This is the rotatio: 1 goes to 3 s lie, 3 goes to 2 s lie, 2 goes to 4 s lie, ad 4 to 1 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots or for a set time. The drill is also ru o the left side of the half-court.

117 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru at full speed. No dribblig is allowed. Make crisp passes ad hit the target show by the receiver. Variatio The drill is ru with two balls. Player 2, opposite 1, has aother ball ad passes it to 4, who makes a jump shot. The, the drill is ru i the same way. The players ca also make differet types of shots, with or without a dribble before. Passig-Cotest Drill The aim of the passig-cotest drill is to ru a drill that is a cotest, workig at passig uder game coditios with the defese. 110 Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two squads of five players each, oe o defese ad the other o offese, as show i Figure The offesive players pass the ball to each other, ad, after each pass, they chage their positios. No lob or skip passes are permitted. The defeders must try to deflect, touch, or steal the ball. Oe poit is assiged to the offese FIGURE 6.15

118 Passig Drills for every successful pass, ad oe poit is assiged to the defese if the pass is deflected, touched, or stole. The team that first reaches a certai umber of poits wis. The losers do sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Use fakes before passig. Make sharp ad agled cuts. Variatio The drill is ru for a set amout of time, ad the wier is the team with the most poits at the ed of the time. Aroud-the-Chairs Drill The aim of the aroud-the-chairs drill is to practice passig full court ad shootig whe tired. 111 Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups set at the baselie, two i the corers, ad the third oe i the middle lae, with three balls. Two chairs are set o the opposite half-court ear the three-poit lie. Player 2 fakes a cut to the three-secod FIGURE 6.16

119 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills lae, the sprits to the other basket ad receives the ball from 1 outside the three-poit lie. After the pass to 2, 1 sprits i the middle lae of the court; 3 fakes a cut i the three-secod lae, the sprits i the left lae, receives a log pass from 2, ad fiishes with a layup. After the pass to 3, 2 circles aroud the two chairs, sprits back to the basket where he started the drill, receives the ball back from 1, who got the reboud of the 3 s shot, ad drives to the basket, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure Details to Teach ad Uderlie Sprit from the begiig to the ed of the drill. Make always crisp passes. Variatio 112 The players make jump shots istead of layups. Ball-Reversal Drill The aim of the ball-reversal drill is to help the players improve the quick ballreversal passes. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, oe of iside players, ad three of perimeter players. The group of iside players is set outside the baselie, with oe iside player o the low post. The groups of perimeter players are set i this way: oe

120 Passig Drills group o the left-wig spot with the balls, oe group o the right-wig spot, ad oe group i the middle of the court. Oe coach or a player is uder the basket ad rebouds the ball. Two defeders defed at 50 percet o players 1 ad 5. Player 1 passes a first ball to 5, who makes a hard dribble toward the middle of the court ad passes to 2. Player 3 first fakes a cut to the corer, goes back, receives the ball from 2, ad makes a three-poit shot, as show i Figure 6.17a. The same four players ru the secod part of the drill, as show i Figure 6.17b: 1, who has aother ball o the floor, passes to 5, 2 fakes a cut away from the ball ad the goes back, receives from 5 ad makes a three-poit shot, while 3 relocates. This is the rotatio: 5 goes at the ed FIGURE 6.17a FIGURE 6.17b of the baselie group, 1 at the ed of 2 s group, 2 at the ed of 3 s group, ad 3 at the ed of 1 s group. The drill is ru also o the right side of the half-court. The drill is ru for a certai umbers of shots or for a set time. 113 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make crisp ad accurate passes. Move ad shoot at game speed.

121 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatios The players make a dribble or a shot fake ad a dribble before shootig. They make a middle-rage jump shot istead of a three-poit shot. Five Players Passig Drill The aim of the five players passig drill is to practice passig ad to coordiate the movemets i a game situatio. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team 114 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five players each, each group set i oe half-court, with oe ball per group. Player 1 passes to 2, who passes to 4, ad the receives a scree from 3. Player 2 goes aroud the scree, cuts i the FIGURE 6.18 lae, receives from 4, ad fiishes with a layup. Player 2 gets his ow reboud, ad makes a outlet pass to 5, as show i Figure This is the rotatio: 1 goes to 2 s spot, 2 to 5 s spot, 3 to 4 s spot, ad 5 to 1 s spot. The drill eds whe all the players have fiished with a layup. The drill is repeated o the left side. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make crisp ad accurate passes. Move ad shoot at game speed.

122 Passig Drills Variatio The player, who receives the scree, istead of cuttig i the lae, fades away from the scree, receives the pass, ad shoots from outside. Three Players Two Balls DRILL The aim of the three players two balls drill is to work o passig, cuttig, ad shootig. Equipmet 4 balls 1 chair Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups, oe i the middle lae of the court with two balls, oe i the right corer with two balls, ad oe o the left-wig spot. Oe chair is set ear the three-poit lie laterally to the group i the middle lae of the court. Player 1 starts to dribble toward the chair, the, with a crossover dribble (or aother type of dribble, such as the behid-the-back or betwee-the-legs dribble), chages the pace ad directio, passes the ball to 3, ad sprits to the right corer of the free-throw area. Player 1 receives the ball from 2, ad the passes the ball back to 2, who, after the pass to 1, fakes a high cut to make a backdoor cut to the basket. Player 2 fiishes with a layup. Right after the pass to 2, 1 sprits to the left corer of the free-throw area, receives from 3, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure The drill is repeated o the left side of the half-court ad eds after a certai umber of shots or after a set time. 115

123 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills This is the rotatio: 2, after gettig the reboud of his ow shot, passes the ball to 1 s lie ad goes at the ed of 3 s lie, 3 gets the reboud of 1 s shot ad go to 2 s lie, ad 1 goes to the ed of 3 s lie. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make crisp ad accurate passes. Move ad shoot at game speed. FIGURE 6.19 Variatio Both players 2 ad 1 shoot jump shots or both fiish with the layup, so they ca also work o commuicatio whe shootig i traffic. 116 Had-Off-Pass Drill The aim of the had-off-pass drill is to get used to make had-off ad full-court passes. Equipmet 8 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups: two groups are set o the left ad right sides of the three-secod lae, facig the mid-court lie, with four balls per lie. Oe group is ear the mid-court lie, ad oe at the three-poit lie o the opposite basket, o the left side of the court.

124 Passig Drills Player 2 passes to 3, the sprits to the opposig basket. Player 1 passes to 2, the sprits to the opposig basket toward 3. Player 1 receives a had-off pass from 3, makes a couple of dribbles, ad passes to 2, who drives to the basket ad fiishes with a layup. Right after the pass to 2, 1 receives a had-off pass from 3, makes a couple of dribbles, passes to 4, receives a had-off pass, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure This is the rotatio: 3 ad 4 get the rebouds of the shots of 1 ad 2, the they go, respectively, to the ed of 1 s ad 2 s lies, while 1 ad 2 go, respectively, to the ed of 4 s ad 3 s lies. The drill is also ru o the right side of the court ad eds after a certai umbers of shots or after a set time. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Uderlie Sprit to the opposite basket. Grab the ball hard with both hads o the had-off passes. Make crisp ad sharp log passes. Whe dribblig after the had-off passes, avoid travelig, ad make a log ad hard dribble. Variatios The players o both lies makes jump shots or layups. The two lies compete o which lie scores more baskets i a set time.

125 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Four-Lae Passig Drill The aim of the four-lae passig drill is to practice passig while ruig at full speed. Equipmet 8 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, set ear the baselie: oe group i the left corer, oe ear the left short corer of the three-secod lae, oe o the right short 118 corer of the three-secod lae, ad oe i the right corer. The balls are i the hads of the two iside groups players, 2 ad 3. Players 2 ad 3 start the drill by passig, respectively, to 1 ad 4. Right after the passes, 2 ad 3 cross each other ad receive passes from 4 ad 1, who ru alog the baselie. The drill eds at the other basket, where 2 ad 3 make jump shots, as show i Figure After the shot, 2 ad 3 go o the corers ad 1 ad 4 go ear the short corers of the three-secod lae, startig the drill agai after all the groups have ru the drill. The drill is ru for a give umbers of back-ad-forth executios. FIGURE 6.21

126 Passig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ru at full speed. Pass ad receive with two hads. Pass the ball forward to a teammate. Variatio The two iside players both shoot layups. 119

127 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 7 Perimeter Players Drills Basketball is the ultimate team sport, perhaps more tha ay other team sport, such as soccer, volleyball, or baseball. It is a sport where all five 120 players o the court work together ad all five teammates are ivolved. But, durig the course of the game, every player o offese has the chace to get the ball ad play oe-o-oe with his defeder. The player eeds the proper moves i his arseal to get ope ad receive the ball, the to beat the defeder ad drive to the basket or create space for a ocotested jump shot. Otherwise, he ca be a detrimet to his team, because his defeder will ot cover him ad will jam the lae, or double-team a more dagerous player. I this chapter, we will describe the drills for the perimeter players. We will discuss exercises that show how to get free ad how to create space i order to work oe-o-oe, two-o-two, ad three-o-three, ad how to improve footwork ad shootig. I today s game, where the perimeter player ca also play iside, ad the iside players come out of the lae, we thik that the iside players should also ru these specific drills that are ru for the perimeter players. They will beefit by improvig their kowledge of the game, as well as their skills, addig aother dimesio to their game.

128 Perimeter Players Drills Jab-Step Drills Masterig the jab-step, i combiatio with all the other moves, is basic for every effective offesive player. The aggressive jab-step creates a reactio by the defeder, so the player o offese must be able to read the situatio immediately ad attack with the proper coutermove. Do ot uderestimate this basic move because, if a player has mastered the jab-step series, he ca become very dagerous ad upredictable o oe-o-oe o offese. Jab-Step Statioary Drill The aim of the jab-step statioary drill is to practice the basic jab-step ad the fake, importat tools for ay offesive player. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team Two coaches 121 How to Ru the Drill Spread out the team i the half-court, with oe ball per player, ad the coach i frot of the players. The players have the ball o their right side i the triplethreat positio, as show i Figure 7.1. At the coach s sigal, each player performs a strog ad aggressive jab-step. This is the series: The players perform five jab-steps, goig forward with the right foot, the ball i the right had, ad the five jab-steps, goig forward with the left foot, the ball i the left had, with o dribble. Same routie, but ow they take a strog first-step drive (see Chapter 2, Basic Footwork ad Cuts) with the same had ad foot, first right ad the left.

129 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Same routie, but ow they sweep the ball from oe side to the other ad make a strog first-step drive, dribblig with the other had, first right ad the left. Same routie, but ow, after sweepig the ball ad makig a direct drive, they make a crossover dribble, first right ad the left. Same routie, but ow, after the jab-step ad the shot fake, they make a strog first-step drive, same had ad foot, first right ad the left. Same routie, but ow, after the jab-step, they make a shot fake, the a strog lateral dribble, ad go up as if makig a jump shot, first right ad the left. Same routie, but ow they make a side jab-step, ot forward, ad the a strog first-step drive, first right, the left. 122 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Imagie makig the jab-step at the defeder s akle. Do ot overexted the jab-step leg. Look at the defeder, ot the floor. At the begiig of the move, hold the ball o the side of the body, betwee the hip ad the chest. Also fake with the ball, without exposig it too much. Protect the ball with the iside shoulder. FIGURE 7.1 Whe sweepig the ball, make a very quick move, brigig the ball low from oe side to the other side of the body, below the kees, ad chagig the upper had o the ball at the same time. Fake a real shot, brigig the ball to forehead level, ad, at the same time, bedig the legs. Make a strog first-step, matched with the first dribble.

130 Perimeter Players Drills Self-Pass, Tur, ad Jab-Step Drill The aim of the self-pass, tur, ad jab-step drill is to help the players master the jab-step series at the coach s commad. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill Form two or three lies of players, about 15 feet apart. Each player has a ball, ad the coach is i frot of them, as show i Figure 7.2. The players make a self-pass, sprit to catch the ball, make a oe-cout stop, tur toward the basket, ad perform oe of the jab-step moves requested by the coach. FIGURE Jab-Step-with-the-Defeder Drill The aim of the jab-step-with-the-defeder drill is to move the jab-step series up to the ext level, with a defeder i frot. Equipmet 4 balls

131 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups: oe group ear the low left corer of the three-secod lae, aother oe o the low right corer, oe i the guard spot o the left with the balls, ad aother o the guard spot o the right with the balls. Player 3 makes a L cut, followed by X3, who defeds at 50 percet. Player 1 passes the ball to 3, who reads the positio of the defeder X3 ad makes 124 the proper jab-step move, the drives to the basket or makes a jump shot. FIGURE 7.3 The, 4 ad X4 ru the same patter, as show i Figure 7.3. After 3 s ad 4 s shots, X3 ad X4 become offesive players, while 3 goes to the ed of the 1 s lie, ad 4 to the ed of 2 s lie. Players 1 ad 2 go, respectively, to the ed of 3 s ad 4 s lies. The drill eds after a certai umber of shots or a set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Immediately otice how the defeder covers the offesive player ad which foot he has forward. Make a jab-step to the defeder s akle. Do t overexted the jab-step. Make a jab-step i a crouched positio if the defeder is very tight. Jab ad go if there is o reactio by the defeder to the jab-step.

132 Perimeter Players Drills Tur the shoulder ad get slimmer whe drivig past the defeder. Make the first dribble with the ball boucig over the hip of the defeder. Variatio The offesive players make a V step to get ope. The defeders play at game speed ad as if uder game-like coditios. Roll-the-Ball Drill The aim of the roll-the-ball drill is to to practice oe-o-oe i a game-like situatio. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team A coach 125 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, set at the two wig spots, o the left ad right of the half-court, while the coach with the ball is uder the basket. The coach rolls the ball toward the free-throw lie. As the coach shouts, Go, the first player o the left lie ad the first player o the right lie sprit to catch the ball. The player who gets the ball is o offese, ad the other oe is o defese, as show i Figure 7.4. FIGURE 7.4

133 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills They play oe-o-oe oly i the middle of the court. No more tha three dribbles are allowed before shootig. The two players ivolved must score a basket, either by the player o offese or by the defeder, if he has stole the ball or grabbed the reboud. If the ball goes out of bouds, the two players go to the ed of their respective lies. The drill eds after a certai umber of oeo-oes, baskets scored, or a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Sprit to catch the ball. Do t hesitate or be afraid to dive to the floor ad fight for possessio of the ball. Variatio The drill ca be ru o differet spots of the floor, such as with oe lie i the 126 corer ad the other oe o the wig, or two lies i the opposite corers of the half-court. Pop-Out ad V-Cut Drill The aim of the pop-out ad-v-cut drill is to practice two differet situatios to get ope ad shoot. Equipmet 6 balls 3 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups, two outside the baselie ad oe i the

134 Perimeter Players Drills middle of the half-court. The latter group has two balls for every player. Oe chair is set at the low-post positio o the left side of the three-secod lae, oe chair is 3 to 4 feet away from the three-secod lae o the right side of the half-court, ad oe chair is at the three-poit lie, i the middle of the half-court. Player 1 starts to pump-dribble alterately with the two balls. I the FIGURE 7.5 meatime, 3 fakes a cut iside the lae, ad the, as he gets out of a scree, pops out i the short corer, while 2 makes a V cut ad sprits to the corer of the right free-throw area. Whe 1 reaches the chair, he makes a oe-had pass to 2 ad the a oe-had pass to 3. Both players catch ad make a jump shot, as show i Figure 7.5. The drill eds after a certai umbers of shots, or after a set amout of time. This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie. 127 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Pump the dribble hard. Make crisp, oe-had passes to the shooters. Chage the pace ad make agled cuts before receivig the ball. Have the feet ad body ready to catch ad shoot, ad do t adjust the positio after receivig the ball. Variatio The players receive ad both drive to the basket.

135 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Drive, Step Back, ad Shoot Drill The aim of the drive, step back, ad shoot drill is to practice receivig the ball while ruig, the how to drive, step back ad shoot. Equipmet 6 balls 3 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups. The first group is i the middle of the halfcourt, with two balls per player. The secod group is o the left, ad the third 128 group is o the right o the wig spot. Oe chair is set i frot of each of the three groups. Player 1 poud-dribbles the balls alterately, ad, whe he reaches the FIGURE 7.6 chair, he makes a oe-had push pass to 2 ad a oe-had push pass to 3, who has made a hard cut to the basket at the free-throw lie exteded. Both players catch, make a hard drive, the a step-back ad a jump shot, as show i Figure 7.6. The drill eds after a certai umbers of shots, or a set amout of time. This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Pump the dribble hard. Make crisp, oe-had passes to the shooters.

136 Perimeter Players Drills Chage the pace ad make agled cuts before receivig the ball. Have the feet ad the body ready to catch ad shoot, ad do t adjust the positio after receivig the ball. Variatio The players receive ad make a differet type of dribble before shootig. Self-Pass, Catch, ad Square Drill The aim of the self-pass, catch, ad square drill is to work o quick catches ad square moves, followed by a jump shot or a drive. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach 129 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, set at the lower corers of the free-throw lae, each player with oe ball, while the coach is outside the three-poit lie. The first player o each lie makes a self-pass, boucig the ball at the corer of the free-throw area, sprits to catch the ball, ad the reverses ad squares himself to the basket, as show i Figure 7.7. The coach calls out certai moves or FIGURE 7.7

137 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills shots to the players. After fiishig with a drive or a jump shot, the two players get their ow rebouds ad go at the ed of the lie opposite the lie where they started the drill. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Square to the basket with a aggressive ad strog move, usig the reverse or the frot pivot, as requested by the coach. Keep kees bet from the time the ball is caught util the ed of the move. Get the ball i the triple-threat positio, ad protect it as if guarded by a defeder. Variatio The two lies of players ca be set o differet spots o the half-court, for example, oe i the corer ad the other oe i the wig spot, ad so o. 130 Outlet Pass, Catch, Square, ad Fake Drill The aim of the outlet pass, catch, square, ad fake drill is to master differet offesive moves with ad without the ball. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito three groups of two players each i oe half-court, ad three groups of two players each o the other half-court. Oe group is uder the basket with oe ball, aother oe is i the middle of the half-court, ad oe is o the

138 Perimeter Players Drills right wig spot, while a coach with a ball is o the left-wig spot. Player 1 tosses the ball to the backboard, grabs the reboud, ad passes the ball to 2, who has previously made a V cut. As soo as 2 catches the ball, he squares to the basket, makes a aggressive jab-step ad shot fake, ad the passes to 3, who has previously made a V cut. Player 3 passes to the player o the lie uder the basket, as show i Figure 7.8. The drill is ru for a certai amout of repetitios or after a set amout of time. The drill is also repeated o the left side of the half-court. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Chage the pace o the cut ad o the drive to the basket. Fiish with the layup with o more tha oe dribble. 131 Variatio The players make aother type of dribble whe drivig to the basket, such as a behid-the-back or a betwee-the-legs FIGURE 7.8 dribble. The defeder defeds aggressively, ad decides how to cover the offesive player. PAssig- ad shootig-o-help DRILL The aim of the passig- ad shootig-o-help drill is to work o readig help situatios ad reactig accordigly. Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs

139 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills FIGURE 7.9a FIGURE 7.9b 132 Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito two groups, oe o each half-court, with two chairs ear the left sidelie, about 6 feet apart. Each group is set as follows: oe lie, with two balls, of offesive players, i FIGURE 7.9c frot of the chairs, oe defeder i the three-secod lae, ad oe offesive player ear the low-post spot, both o the help side. Oe coach is set outside of the three-poit lie. Player 1 dribbles aroud the chairs ad drives toward the baselie. The coach calls the positio of the defeder. If defeder X2 helps to close the peetratio, 2 cuts i the middle of the lae, receives from 1, ad shoots, as show i Figure 7.9a. The drill is the ru i the same way, but ow 1 drives to the middle of the

140 Perimeter Players Drills three-secod lae. Defeder X2 helps to close the peetratio; 2 either cuts i the short corer or behid X2 o the opposite positio, receives the ball from 1, ad shoots, as show i Figure 7.9b. Fially, with the same patter, ow o the drive i the middle of the lae by 1, X1 fakes to help, ad 1 must read the situatio ad react: make a two-cout stop ad a jump shot, or pass to 2, as show i Figure 7.9c. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time. It is also repeated o the right side of the half-court. Variatio The defeder defeds as i a game, ad decides which defesive move to make. Catch ad Oe-o-Oe Drill The aim of catch ad oe-o-oe drill is to help the players lear to fight for possessio of the ball ad immediately read the differet oe-o-oe possibilities. 133 Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups. Two groups are set o each half-court, outside the three-poit lie. Two chairs are set ear the corers of the free-throw area, with oe ball o the floor i betwee the free-throw circle ad the three-

141 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills poit lie, while a coach with a ball is outside the three-poit lie. The first two players of the two lies, at the coach s commad, sprit, touch the baselie ad sprit back. The first player who catches the ball is o offese ad the other is o defese. They play oe-o-oe, usig oly the cetral lae of the half-court delieated by the two chairs, as show i Figure The, the two players go to the ed of FIGURE 7.10 the lie opposite from where they started the drill. Two ew players begi the drill whe the offese has scored a basket or the defese gets the ball o a reboud or a steal. The drill eds after a certai umber of oe-o-oes per 134 players. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Touch the baselie with a foot ad a had. Be aggressive whe catchig the ball ad o a reboud o a missed shot. Variatio The coach ca grab the ball ad throw it to a spot o the three-secod lae, after the two players have touched the baselie. The drill ca be also ru o differet spots of the half-court. Two-o-Oe Drill The aim of the two-o-oe drill is to create a more difficult situatio tha a actual game, usig a offesive player to play agaist two defeders.

142 Perimeter Players Drills Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito six groups. Three groups are lied up off the court, alog ad behid the baselie, o each halfcourt. Oe group is o the left corer, oe uder the basket, ad oe o the right corer. The players i the left group each have oe ball. Two chairs 135 are set a couple of feet away from the corers of the free-throw area. A coach is set outiside of the perimeter. As the coach shouts, Go, the first FIGURE 7.11 player o the left group speed-dribbles ad turs aroud the chair, fiishig with a shot to the basket; at same time, the player uder the basket sprits, touches the mid-court lie, ad sprits back o defese, while the player o the right corer sprits, turs aroud the other chair, ad recovers o the ball hadler. The ball hadler tries to score before the arrival of the two defeders, as show i Figure Each player rus the drill for a certai umbers of repetitios, alteratig o the three spots, or for a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make speed-dribbles with as few as possible dribbles, while the defeder i the middle lie touches the mid-court lie with a foot ad a had.

143 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Oe-o-Oe Circlig-the-Chairs Drill The aim of the oe-o-oe circlig-the-chairs drill is to work first o demadig coditioig followed by a oe-o-oe. Equipmet 12 chairs 6 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches FIGURE 7.12 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups, oe 136 group of defeders ad oe group of offesive players i the left corer of a half-court, ad the same i the right corer o the opposite half-court. I frot of each of the two groups, lie up three chairs, about 12 feet apart from each other: oe chair is set ear the free-throw lie extesio, the secod oe ear the mid-court lie, ad the third oe a couple of feet away from the three-poit lie o the opposite halfcourt. Oe coach is o oe half-court, ad oe o the other half-court. At the coach shouts, Go, the first defeder sprits ad circles aroud the three chairs, while at the same time, the first offesive player speed-dribbles, circlig aroud the chairs o the opposite side, as show i Figure Whe the two players reach the third chair, they play oe-o-oe util the

144 Perimeter Players Drills offese scores or the defese gets the ball. The, the defeder goes to the offesive player s lie, ad vice versa. Each player rus the drill for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Both players must make strog ad aggressive first steps (see Chapter 2, Basic Footwork ad Cuts). The offesive player must speed-dribble, makig as few dribbles as possible to go to the basket. Face-the-Defeder Drill The aim of the face-the-defeder drill is to work o gettig free while the defeder covers the offesive player face-to-face, i order to play oe-o-oe. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches 137 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, two o each half-court, with oe group i the middle of the half-court with two balls, ad the other oe alog ad outside of the baselie. The group o the baselie is divided alterately with oe defeder ad oe offesive player. A coach stads o the perimeter outside of the three-poit lie. Player 2 is o offese ad player X2 is o defese, facig 1 with the ball. They start the drill i the middle of the three-secod lae. Player 1 starts to dribble, ad the the coach sigals with his had o which side of the court 2 must get ope to play oe-o-oe, as show i Figure 7.13.

145 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Player 2 has o more tha three secods to get free, receive the ball from 1, ad play oe-o-oe. If he receives the ball, he ca oly play i that quarter of the court, ad has oly three secods to go to the basket. O the cotrary, if the offesive player 2 does ot receive the ball i the set time, or if he does ot go to the basket i three secods, he goes to 1 s lie, X2 goes o offese, ad 1 becomes the defeder. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do t ru cotiually to get ope; istead, chage the pace ad the directio. Do t move i a straight lie, but i a agled lie. Do t watch the passer while tryig to get ope. Show the passer a target oe or two hads whe ready to receive the ball. Do t waste time, but immediately read the positio of the defeder, as soo as the ball is i the hads, ad decide which move to do. Variatio The coach is ow positioed uder the basket, ad the defeder guards the offesive player i frot. The coach, touchig oe side of the offesive player s body, gives him a sigal o which directio to get out of the lae. Three-Pass Oe-o-Oe Drill The aim of the three-pass oe-o-oe drill is to teach to the players how to improve their footwork to get ope ad the play oe-o-oe o the perimeter.

146 Perimeter Players Drills Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Form two groups of players, oe i each half-court, with two balls per group. The players i each group set themselves as follows: two players with the ball i the middle of the half-court, outside of the three-poit lie; oe player o the left ad oe player o the right side o the wig spot ad oe defeder 139 ad oe offesive player uder the basket, facig the mid court lie. A coach is o the perimeter. FIGURE 7.14 Player 4 sprits toward 1, who passes the ball to him, while X4 follows 1. The coach shouts, Right (or left), 4 makes a reverse to the side called by the coach, passes to 3, cuts toward him, receives the ball back, ad plays oe-o-oe, as show i Figure The 1 becomes the defeder ad 3, the offesive player; 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, 4 goes o the left of the right-wig spot ad X4 goes o the right wig spot. The player o offese caot make the same shot twice; for example, if he shoots from a three-poit lie, oce he is o offese agai, he ca oly make a layup or a middle-rage jump shot. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per player or for a set amout of time.

147 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Chage the pace ad the directio to get free. Egagè i physical cotact with the defeder to freeze him ad the pop out. Square immediately to the basket ad protect the ball i the triple-threat postio. Variatio The drill ca be ru i differet spots o the half-court, such as i the middle of the half-court or i the corer. Little Trai Series This is a excellet series of drills to work i sequece o oe-o-oe, the o two-o-two, ad fially o three-o-three. 140 Little Trai with Four Players Drill The aim of the little trai with four players drill is to force the ball hadler to use the proper footwork ad to read the defeder s reactios before cuttig to the basket, fiishig with a layup or playig oe-o-oe. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Form two groups, each o oe half-court. Each group is divided i the followig way: two players, 2 ad 3 are i the lae uder the basket, while 1, facig the mid-court lie with the ball, is guarded behid by X1. A coach is set o the

148 Perimeter Players Drills perimeter outside the three-poit lie. As the coach shouts, Go, 2 ad 3 sprit to the right- ad left-wig spots, respectively, ad 1 squares to the basket. The 1 passes the ball to the left or to the right, i this case to the right to 2, ad reacts to the reactio of X1: He ca cut aroud him. He ca cut behid him. As soo as 1 cuts, 3 replaces him i the middle of the half-court, as show i Figure 7.15a. If 1 ca t receive the ball ad go to the basket, he cotiues the cut, ad gets out o the left-wig spot. Player 2 quickly passes the ball to 3, ad 3 tries to pass the ball to 1, who has moved to get ope, receive, ad play oe-o-oe with X1, as show i the Figure 7.15b. Whe 1 gets his shot, the drill cotiues util all the three players o offese ad the defeder have performed the drill. FIGURE 7.15a FIGURE 7.15b 141 Little Trai with Five Players Drill The aim of the secod step of the little trai is to practice two-o-two with a passer. Equipmet 2 balls

149 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Form two groups, each o oe halfcourt. Each group is divided as follows: three players, 2, 3, ad X2, are i the lae uder the basket, while oe player, 1, facig the mid-court lie with the ball, is guarded by X1. A coach is set o the perimeter outside the three-poit lie. As the coach shouts, Go, 2, followed by his defeder, X2, sprits to 142 the left- (or the right-) wig spot. I this case, 3 will sprit to the left- (or right-) wig spot, ad 1 squares to the basket, as show i Figure 7.16a. The rules ad the patter are the same, but ow they play two-o-two with oe passer, as show i Figure 7.16b. FIGURE 7.16a FIGURE 7.16b Little Trai with Six Players Drill The aim of the third ad fial step of the little trai drill is to work o a threeo-three uder game coditios. Equipmet 2 balls

150 Perimeter Players Drills Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Form two groups, each o oe halfcourt. Each group cosists of six players, lied up uder the basket, with a coach with the ball o the perimeter outside the three poit lie. The first, the third, ad the fifth players i the lie are o offese, while the secod, the fourth, ad the sixth are o defese. As the coach shouts, Go, 1, followed by his defeder, X1, sprits to 143 the left, to the right-wig spot, or to the middle of the court, while 2 ad 3, followed by X2 ad X3, will go to the other two ope spots o the court, as show i Figure 7.17a. The coach passes the ball to oe of the offesive players, 2 i this case, ad FIGURE 7.17a FIGURE 7.17b the players play three-o-three, followig the same patter ad rules described before, as show i Figure 7.17 b.

151 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 8 Iside Players Drills 144 T oday, basketball has begu to deped more o iside players, who get out of the lae, perform pick-ad-rolls, ad shoot from the outside. Playig iside, with the back to the basket, either i the high or low post, is a forgotte skill. If a iside player is able to play with his back to the basket, we are coviced that havig a player who is able to get ope ear the basket, as well as to go to rim, based o the reactio of the defese, is still a must i moder basketball. You caot teach a player s size ad the height, but you ca teach ad practice how to play iside. The drills that we will show i this chapter are desiged to help players improve i every aspect of the game, startig with the footwork that is so ecessary for every player, but, above all, for the iside players, who must move i arrow ad cogested spaces. The, we will cover the differet types of shots, the oeo-oe, ad passig.

152 Iside Players Drills Frot ad Rear Tur, Drop-Step Drill The frot ad rear tur, drop-step drill is particularly useful for helpig the iside players master basic footwork ecessary to play ear the basket. Equipmet 1 ball for every iside player Persoel All the iside players How to Ru the Drill The iside players are set ear the left sidelie, 6 feet away from each other ad with oe ball each. With the ball at shoulder height, they make a frot tur, matched with a sweep of the ball from the shoulder to the waist, pivotig oce o the left foot ad oce o the right foot. They repeat the same move i a straight lie util they reach the opposite sidelie, as show i Figure 8.1. FIGURE 8.1 The, followig the same patter, they ow make a rear tur. Fially, they make a drop-step. 145 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Ed each of the moves with the feet parallel. Always keep the kees bet from oe sidelie to the other oe o all three moves. Look over the opposite shoulder while makig the drop-step.

153 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills O the drop-step, the drop foot must be behid the frot foot. Variatio The drill is ru from baselie to baselie. Catch, Tur, ad Pass Drill The aim of the catch, tur, ad pass drill is to improve the iside players footwork ad to pass the ball quickly to a ope teammate. 146 Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito four groups of three players each, with oe perimeter player o the left- ad oe o right-wig spot, oe iside player at the free-throw lie, facig the basket, ad oe coach with a ball outside the free-throw area. Two groups are o oe half-court ad the other two o the other oe. Oe ball is set o the floor, behid the iside player, at the top of the free-throw circle. FIGURE 8.2 As the coach shouts, Left, the iside player pivots o his left foot, turs, takes a log step, without losig balace, catches the ball, squares back to the basket, ad passes the ball to the player o the right-wig spot, as show i Figure 8.2.

154 Iside Players Drills Immediately after the player has caught the ball ad passed it, the coach sets aother ball o the floor i the same positio, ad the iside player agai rus the drill, ow pivotig o the right foot ad passig to the player o the left-wig spot. The player makes three left pivot-foot turs ad three right-pivot foot turs, the aother player steps i. Detail to Teach ad Uderlie While takig a log step to catch the ball, maitai balace. Make a aggressive tur, protectig the ball. Always keep the kees bet. Variatio Add a defeder o the iside player, who iitially guards him 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Cross-Step-ad-Dribble Drill The aim of the cross-step-ad-dribble drill is to create cofidece ad master the dribble, a fudametal i which iside players are ofte ot too skilled. 147 Equipmet 1 ball for every player Persoel All the iside players How to Ru the Drill Set all the iside players i a lie at about the free-throw lie extesio, with oe ball each, held with the right had at shoulder height. They make a sweep, brigig the ball to waist level, ad immediately cross-step with their right foot ad poud-dribble with their left had, as show i Figure 8.3.

155 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The they recover the startig positio ad repeat the same move o the other side. The same patter is repeated te times, five times with the right had ad five with the left had. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do ot overexted the cross-step. Always maitai balace. Make a hard poud-dribble. Protect the ball with the other arm bet at a 45-degree agle. FIGURE 8.3 Variatio 148 The players make aother quick dribble after the first oe, the jump stop ad repeat the move. Frot- ad Rear-Tur, Cross- ad Drop-Step Drill The aim of the frot- ad rear-tur, cross- ad drop-step drill is to practice a combied offesive move. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, two groups of perimeter players o the leftad right-wig spots, with two balls for each group, while two iside players are ----

156 Iside Players Drills set at the low-post spots o the left ad right sides, ad the other iside players are out of the court alog the baselie. The iside player o the left side asks for the ball, showig his had as a target. He receives the pass, makes a frot tur, a cross-step, ad a dribble, followed by a drop-step, ad fiishes with a duk, a power shot, or a short-rage jump shot, as show i Figure 8.4. The, he repeats the same patter, but ow makes a rear tur. The drill is the ru by the other player o the right side. Each player rus the drill five times o the right side ad five times o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Be aggressive o the movemet ad i shootig. Always keep kees bet for all the moves. FIGURE Variatio Add a defeder, who covers the iside player at 50 percet at first, ad the aggressively. Skip-Pass Drill The aim of the skip-pass drill is to improve the footwork ad differet cuts of the iside players who come from the help side of the court. Equipmet 4 balls

157 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Divide the players ito six groups of two players each, with oe perimeter players group o the left- ad oe group o the right-wig spot, oe iside players group i the middle of the half-court, ad oe coach o the perimeter. The same set is placed i the other half-court. Player 1 passes the ball to the wig player o the left or the right, as called by the coach, to 2 i this case. The 1 makes a straight cut to the middle of the three-secod lae, util he is uder the rim, ad makes a diagoal cut, 150 postig up i the low-post positio o the ball side. Player 2 makes a skip pass to 3, ad 1 cuts i the middle of the lae ad sets himself at the corer of the freethrow area o the ball side, as show i Figure 8.5a. After a couple of secods, he pops out ad sets a pick o 3. Player 1 decides if he wats to roll o the basket, slip to the basket, or flair out. Player 3 passes the ball to him, ad he fiishes with a jump shot, a power shot, or a duk, as show i Figure 8.5b. FIGURE 8.5a The iside player rus a drill three FIGURE 8.5b

158 Iside Players Drills cosecutive times, ad the shoots two free-throws. The he repeats the drill o the other side. Aother iside player ad two perimeter players step i ad start the drill. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make crisp ad agled cuts. Chage pace; do ot go at the same speed. Act as if a defeder is coverig the iside player. Always keep kees bet durig the drill. Go to the basket aggressively. Variatio Add a defeder o the iside player, who iitially guards him 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Out-of-Bouds-Pass Two-Shot Drill The aim of the out-of-bouds-pass two-shot drill is to work o a quick out-ofbouds pass, followed by two differet shots, as well as to work o physical coditioig. 151 Equipmet 2 balls 2 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, two passers ad oe iside player, ad they work o both half-courts. Oe chair is set ear the mid-court lie i the

159 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills middle of the half-court, two passers are o the left- ad right- wig spots, ad oe iside player is uder the basket, facig it, with the ball. The iside player makes four hooks uder the basket, alteratig with the right had ad the with the left had, without lettig the ball hit the floor, ad always keepig the ball betwee his head ad chest. The, he grabs the ball after the last hook shot, rus out-of-bouds, ad makes a quick pass to the left, as i this case, or to the right. The, he sprits toward the midcourt lie, circles aroud the chair, fakes 152 a cut to the wig spot, cuts aggressively to the three-secod lae, receives the ball ear the basket, ad duks or makes a power shot, as show i Figure 8.6a. Right after the shot, the iside player gets the ball before it hits the floor, goes out-of-bouds, ad agai makes a pass FIGURE 8.6a FIGURE 8.6b to the player o the left wig. He repeats the same move, but ow receives the ball back at the right corer of the free-throw area, drives hard to the basket, ad makes a layup or a duk, as show i Figure 8.6b. The drill is ru four times per player, two o the left side, ad two o the right, the aother iside player ad two ew passers step i. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Get the reboud aggressively.

160 Iside Players Drills Make the out-of-boud passes as quickly as possible. Chage pace whe goig to the basket. Variatio Ask the iside player to make a differet shot, such as jump shot, hook or combied, or with differet moves, such as a drop-step, reverse, ad so o. Six-Chair Oe-o-Oe Drill The aim of the six-chair oe-o-oe drill is to work o coditioig ad o oeo-oe with the iside players while they fight for the reboud. Equipmet 6 chairs 1 ball Persoel All the iside players Oe coach 153 How to Ru the Drill Two lies of three chairs each are set o oe half-court, as show i Figure 8.7, oe o the left side ad the other oe o the right. Oe chair is o the guard spot, oe ear the sidelie, ad oe at the corer of the free-throw lie. A group of iside players stads i frot of each lie of chairs, while a coach with a ball stads at the free-throw lie. As the coach shouts, Go, the first FIGURE 8.7

161 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills two players i each group sprit, circlig aroud the chairs, ad whe the two players are ear the three-secod lae, the coach tosses the ball to the backboard. The two players fight for the reboud, ad the player who gets the ball is o offese ad the other oe o defese. The player who gets the ball has 3 secods to shoot. The drill eds after a scored basket, either by the offesive player or by the defeder, who steals the ball or gets the offesive player s missed shot reboud, or if the offesive player does ot score i 3 secods. After the scored basket, the two players go to the ed of the lie opposite where they started the drill. The drill is ru for a certai umber of scored baskets or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Always keep the kees bet. Do ot give up; go to the basket aggressively, eve if the defeder has a ad- 154 vatage over the offesive player. Variatio The coach drops the ball to the floor or rolls it, istead of tossig it to the backboard. Eight-Shot Drill The aim of the eight-shot-drill is to work o cotiuous shootig from differet spots o the court ad shootig whe fatigued. Equipmet 8 balls Persoel All the iside players Two rebouders

162 Iside Players Drills How to Ru the Drill The iside players are set alog the baselie, with oe player uder the basket, ad two rebouders ad eight balls are set o the floor aroud the three-secod lae, as show i Figure 8.8. The iside player uder the basket catches the first ball o the left side ad shoots immediately, the catches all the other balls ad shoots, without ay stops i betwee. The first player makes the shot decided by the coach: a drop-step ad a shot, a jump shot, a layup, a duk, ad so o. Each player makes the same patter twice, oe startig from the right side ad oe startig from the left side of the half-court. The rebouders keep score of the missed ad made shots, ad for every missed shot, the iside player makes oe sprit from the baselie to the mid-court lie, or from baselie to baselie. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Go to the basket aggressively, from the first to the last shot. Do ot shoot just to shoot, but to score a basket. Use the proper footwork. 155 Variatio A defeder who plays behid the iside player is added: he ca first play defese at 50 percet, ad the aggressively. FIGURE 8.8 Three-Chair Three-Shots Drill The aim of the three-chair three-shots drill is to improve the shootig ability of the iside players, workig o footwork ad three differet types of shots.

163 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Equipmet 3 chairs Persoel All the iside players How to Ru the Drill Oe chair is set outside the mid-post area o the left side of the three-secod lae, the secod oe i the middle of the free-throw area, ad the third oe 3 feet away from the three-secod lae i the right side of the half-court. Oe ball is o each of these chairs. A group of iside players is set i frot of the third chair, while two rebouders are ear the basket. The first player i the group rus to the chair, picks up the ball, ad drives hard to the basket, fiishig with a layup or a duk. The he sprits to the chair o the left, picks up the ball, makes a reverse, ad fiishes with a power shot or 156 a jump hook. Fially, he sprits to the chair at the free-throw lie, picks up the ball, makes a drop step, ad scores a layup or a duk, as show i Figure 8.9. After each player has fiished the drill, the two outside chairs are moved to the opposite side, ad the drill is ru o the right side. Each player rus the drill two times o the right side of the half-court ad two times o the left side. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Go to the basket aggressively from the first to the last shot. Do ot shoot just to shoot, but to score a basket. Use the proper footwork. Variatio The chairs ca be moved to differet positios aroud the three-secod lae. FIGURE 8.9

164 Iside Players Drills A defeder i the lae is added: he ca first play defese at 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Three-Spot-Shot Drill The aim of the three-spot-shot drill is to improve the speed ad the reactio of the iside players, as well as to improve shootig. Equipmet 1 ball 3 coes Persoel All the iside players Oe coach 157 How to Ru the Drill The iside players are lied up alog the baselie, with oe player i the three-secod lae with the ball ad the coach o the perimeter, outside the three-secod lie. There are three spots marked by coes, from where he must shoot: spots 1 ad 3 are o the short corers, ad 2 is i the lae. The coach calls a umber, ad the FIGURE 8.10 player makes a self-pass, catches the ball, squares to the basket, ad shoots the shot called by the coach (a jump shot, a hook, a baby hook, a power shot, ad so o), as show i Figure The he scores from the other two spots. The player eds the drill after he has repeated the patter for a set umber of times decided by the coach.

165 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Go to the basket aggressively from the first to the last shot. Do ot shoot just to shoot, but to score a basket. Use the proper footwork. Variatio The shots are made from differet spots aoud the three-secod lae. A defeder i the lae is added: he ca first play defese at 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Baselie Oe-o-Oe Drill The aim of the baselie oe-o-oe drill is to have the iside players practice to play oe-o-oe i a aggressive way. 158 Equipmet 2 balls 2 chairs Persoel All the iside players Oe coach How to Ru the Drill Divide the iside players ito two groups, set outside the three-poit lie, with the first two players of the groups about 5 feet from the corers of the freethrow lie. Two chairs are at the mid-post spots, oe o the left ad the other o the right of the three-secod lae, with oe ball o each chair. As the coach shouts, Go, the two players sprit, touch the baselie, ad the go to catch the ball o the left or the right chair, as called by the coach. The player who catches the ball is o offese, the other o defese, as show i

166 Iside Players Drills Figure The player who gets the ball has 3 secods to shoot. The drill eds after a scored basket, either by the offesive player or by the defeder, who steals the ball or gets the reboud of the missed shot by the offesive player, or if the offesive player does ot score i 3 secods. The offesive player who does ot shoot i 3 secods does five push-ups. After a scored basket, the two players go to the ed of the lie opposite from where they started the drill. The drill is ru for a certai umber of scored baskets or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Read the defese. Do ot rush the shot. FIGURE 8.11 Do ot give up; defed aggressively, eve if the offesive player has a advatage over the defeder. 159 Variatio The chairs are set at the high-post spots at the corers of the free-throw area. X Oe-o-Oe Drill The aim of the X oe-o-oe drill is to simulate cuts from the high- ad the lowposts, followed by oe-o-oe. Equipmet 1 ball 1 chair

167 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel All the iside players Oe coach How to Ru the Drill The iside players are divided ito two groups. Oe player is at the low-post spot ad aother oe at the high-post spot, at the corer of the free-throw area, at the left side of the half-court. The coach is outside the three-poit lie. Oe chair with a ball o it, is set 4 feet away from the three-secod lae at about the mid-post spot. FIGURE As the coach shouts, Go, the player at the low-post sprits to the high-post spot at right corer of the free-throw area ad touches the lie with oe had; at the same time, the player at the high post sprits to the low-post spot ad touches the last mark of the lae, the both sprit to the chair, as show i Figure The player who gets the ball has 3 secods to shoot. The drill eds after a scored basket by the offesive player or by the defeder, who steals the ball or gets the offesive player s missed shot reboud, or if the offesive player does ot score i 3 secods. If the offesive player does ot shoot i 3 secods, he does five push-ups. The, the two players go to the ed of the lie opposite from where they started the drill. The drill is ru for a certai umber of scored baskets or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Read the defese.

168 Iside Players Drills Do ot rush the shot. Do ot give up; defed aggressively, eve if the offesive player has a advatage over the defeder. Variatio The chairs are set at the high-post spots at the corers of the free-throw area. Cosecutive Pick-ad-Roll Drill The aim of the cosecutive pick-ad-roll drill is to teach the iside players to play pick-ad-roll ad use proper footwork. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team 161 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, two with perimeter players o the leftad right-wig spots, ad oe group of iside players out of the court alog the baselie, with oe iside player uder the basket. The iside player uder the basket sprits to play pick-ad-roll with oe of the perimeter players. He sets a scree, rolls to the basket, receives the pass. ad FIGURE 8.13 fiishes with a layup or a duk. Immediately after, he sprits to play pick-ad-roll with the perimeter player o the other wig spot, as show i Figure 8.13.

169 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The same iside player rus the drill two or three times, for a total of four or six pick-ad-rolls. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Pay attetio to the agle of the pick. O all the pick-ad-roll moves, keep the kees bet. Preferably, o the roll, the passer should make a bouce pass to the iside player. Show the passer the hads as a target. Variatio A defeder o the iside player ad a defeder o the ball hadler are added, ad they ca first play defese at 50 per cet, ad the aggressively. 162 Two-Chair Low-Post Shot Drill The aim of the two-chair low-post shot drill is to improve the iside player s speed, while workig o his footwork ad shootig. Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, two rebouders ad oe iside player uder the basket, facig it. They work o both half-courts. Oe chair is set ear the left-side low-post spot, ad oe o the right-side low-post spot, with oe ball o each chair, while two rebouders are o the three-secod lae, ad a

170 Iside Players Drills coach i the middle of the court. The iside player turs to the right, grabs the ball o the chair, ad makes oe of the followig moves, called by the coach, as show i Figure 8.14, repeatig it o the left: A drop-step without a dribble, fiishig with a power shot or a duk A reverse ad the a hook shot, without a dribble i the middle of the lae A drop-step with a dribble toward the baselie, fiishig with a power shot or a duk A repeat of the previous move, but toward the middle of the lae A reverse ad the a jump hook FIGURE 8.14 I total he makes twelve differet shots from the low-post spots. 163 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Immediately after catchig the ball, make a head fake, turig the head to the shoulder opposite the drop-step. O a drop-step, tur the drop-step foot, poitig the toes toward the basket. After the shot, immediately square to the basket, ready to get the reboud. Variatio The player makes a fake shot before shootig. A defeder i the lae is added: he ca first play defese at 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Bad-Pass Drill The aim of the bad-pass drill is to teach the iside players to catch the ball,

171 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills eve if the pass is ot perfect, ad go to the basket. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel All the iside players Four passers How to Ru the Drill Divide the iside players o the two half-courts, with two passers with the balls at each wig spot. The passer makes a bad pass to the iside player, who turs to the basket 164 ad shoots. He rebouds his ow shot, ad passes the ball back to the passer, the makes a couple of quick slides, o the left or right side, ad repeats the drill, as show i Figure FIGURE 8.15 The drill is ru at the same time o both sides of the half-court, so the iside players ca also work o shootig i traffic. Each iside player makes five shots o oe side of the half-court ad the five shots o the other side. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Always keep the kees bet. Immediately after catchig the ball, look over the shoulder opposite the directio you wat to go. Have the hads ready to catch the ball ad the set the ball betwee the chi ad the chest.

172 Iside Players Drills Variatio The drill is ru i the same way, but with the iside players set at the high post, ear the corers of the free-throw area. High-Post Shootig Drill The aim of the high-post shootig drill is to practice jump shootig from the high-post spots. Equipmet 4 balls 4 chairs Persoel All the iside players Four passers 165 How to Ru the Drill The iside players are divided ito two groups, oe group o each half-court, with two rebouders ear each threesecod lae. Two chairs are set o each half-court, at the corers of the freethrow area, with oe ball o each chair. The first iside player starts the drill at the left low-post spot. He fakes a cut FIGURE 8.16 to the basket, the sprits to the chair o the right corer, catches the ball, ad makes a jump shot. He follows his shot, fakes a cut, the sprits to the left chair, catches the ball, ad makes a secod jump shot, as show i Figure The player makes te shots, five o the left, ad five from the right corer. The aother player steps i.

173 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Chage pace ad directio before spritig to the chair. Bed the kees before reachig the chair, ot after. Have the feet poited toward the basket, after squarig to the basket. Do t rush; split the two moves: shoot first, go to the reboud after. Variatio The player makes a shot fake ad oe poud-dribble before shootig. Trailer Shootig Drill The aim of the trailer shootig drill is to improve the iside players ability to ru the court ad fiish the fast break as a trailer. 166 Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The iside players are divided ito two groups, each oe o each half-court behid the baselie. Two passers are o the left- ad right-wig spots with oe ball each. The first player of the iside players group sets himself o the low post, receives the ball from the passer, passes the ball back, the sprits to the midcourt. He touches the mid-court lie FIGURE 8.17

174 Iside Players Drills with his had, the sprits back, fakes a cut i oe directio, chages his directio ad pace, stops at the free-throw area, receives the ball, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure He the posts dow o the other side of the court, receives the ball from the other passer, passes the ball back, ad repeats the same patter. He rus the drill six times, three o the right side ad three o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Execute every fudametal perfectly: passig, cuttig, ad shootig. Be prepared to shoot as soo as receivig the ball, ot after. Always keep the kees bet. Variatio The player dribbles before shootig. 167

175 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 9 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills 168I basketball, because the players are big ad fast, the spacig betwee the offesive players is of paramout importace to ru a effective offese. The proper spacig ad collaboratio amog the five offesive players ca force the defeders to ru a loger distace to recover after a help or a double team. Spacig ad Collaboratio as Fudametals The perimeter players must lear to matai the proper distace betwee them after a dribble or a cut, ad, at the same time, the iside player must move accordig to the dribble or cut of the perimeter players or the other iside player, i case the offese plays with two low-posts, or oe low ad oe high. We cosider spacig ad collaboratio as ormal team fudametals, ad, like ay other fudametal, they must be costatly practiced. I this chapter, we will show differet drills o spacig ad collaboratio, workig both o the perimeter players ad the iside players.

176 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Two Guards Drive Toward Drill The aim of the two guards drive toward drill to is to work o the collaboratio betwee the two guards to create proper spacig, i this case, whe the ball hadler drives toward the teammate. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The perimeter players How To Ru the Drill Form two lies of players at the guard spots, with the balls o the left lie. Player 1 dribbles toward 2, who flares to the wig s spot, receives the ball from 1, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure 9.1. The, 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, FIGURE 9.1 ad 1 to the ed of 2 s. The drill is also ru drivig from the left side of the court, ad eds after a certai umber of shots or a set amout of time. 169 Details to Teach ad Uderlie The teammate of the ball hadler must move away immediately whe he sees the ball hadler drivig toward him ad maitai the same distace betwee them. Variatio The player drives to the basket istead of makig a jump shot. A defeder guards 1 at 50 percet, harassig him while he is passig the ball.

177 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Two Guards Drive Away Drill The aim of the two guards drive away drill to is to work o the collaboratio betwee the two guards to create proper spacig, such as whe the ball hadler drives away from his teammate. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The perimeter players How To Ru the Drill Form two lies of players at the two-guard spots, with the balls o the left lie. Player 1 dribbles to the left-wig spot, away from 2, who flashes to the high-post 170 spot, receives from 1, ad makes a jump shot, as show i Figure 9.2. After the shot, 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, ad 1 to the ed of 2 s. The drill is also ru o the right side of the court, ad eds after a certai umber of shots or a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The teammate of the ball hadler must move whe he sees the ball hadler drivig away from him ad matai the same distace. Variatio The player drives to the basket, istead of makig a jump shot. A defeder guards 1 at 50 percet, harassig him while he is passig the ball. FIGURE 9.2

178 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Three Players Drive to the Baselie Drill The aim of the three players drive to the baselie drill is to create the habit of maitaiig spacig ad collaboratig, based o a teammate s drive to the baselie. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel All the perimeter players How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided ito three groups, oe o the left wig, oe i the middle of the half-court with three balls, ad oe o the right wig. Player 1 passes to 2, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 2 drives to the baselie, 1 gets to the left corer of the free-throw area, while 3 flares i the corer, outside the three-poit lie. Player 2 makes a skip pass to 3, who shoots a three-poiter, as show i Figure 9.3. FIGURE 9.3 This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or for a set amout of time. 171 Details to Teach ad Uderlie The three players movemets must be quick, but uder cotrol. Properly utilize all the fudametals ivolved while ruig at game speed.

179 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio The ball hadler 2 passes to 1 at the corer of the free-throw area. Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they passig the ball. Three Players Drive to the Middle Drill The aim of the three players drive to the middle drill is to create the habit of spacig ad collaboratio, based o a teammate s drive to the lae. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel All the perimeter players 172 How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided ito three groups, oe o the left wig, oe i the middle of the half-court with three balls, ad oe o the right wig. Player 1 passes to 2, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 2 drives to the lae, 1 flares to the right-wig spot of the free-throw area, while 3 flares i the corer, outside the three-poit lie. Player 2 passes to 1, who passes to 3 for a three-poit shot, as show i Figure 9.4. Player 3 ca also pass back to 1 for a three-poit shot. FIGURE 9.4 This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or for a set amout of time.

180 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie The three players movemets must be quick, but uder cotrol. Properly utilize the fudametals ivolved while ruig at game speed. Variatio Player 3 drives to the basket, istead shootig a three-poiter. Two defeders guard 2 ad 1 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Three Players Drive to the Baselie Four Passes Drill The aim of the three players drive to the baselie four passes drill is to practice spacig ad collaboratio amog three players, after drivig to the baselie ad makig four passes before shootig. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel All the perimeter players 173 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito six groups, three o each half-court: two groups are aliged at the left- ad right-wig spots, ad oe i the middle of the court, with two balls. Player 2 makes a V cut ad receives the ball from 1. Right after the pass, 1 fakes to go toward 2, the goes i the opposite directio at the right-wig spot, while 3 goes i the corer. Player 2 drives hard to the baselie ad makes a skip pass to 3 i the other corer. Player 3 passes to 1, who drives to the lae ad passes i the short corer to 2, who fiishes with a layup or a jump shot, as show i Figure 9.5. Player 2 ca also pass to 1 for a jump shot, or to 3 for a three-poit shot.

181 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills This is the rotatio: 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, 1 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to ed of the 2 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per player, o all three positios, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. 174 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Space ad relocate as soo as the ball is moved with a pass or a drive. Move at game speed. Make crisp ad strog passes. Make agled cuts. Drive aggressively to go to the basket. FIGURE 9.5 Variatio Three defeders guard the three offesive players at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Three Players Drive to the Middle Four Passes Drill The aim of the three players drive to the middle four passes drill is to practice spacig ad collaboratio amog three players, after drivig o the baselie, ad makig four passes before shootig. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel All the perimeter players

182 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills How to Ru the Drill Divide the team ito six groups, three o each half-court: two groups are aliged at the left- ad right-wig spots, ad oe i the middle of the court, with the balls. Player 2 makes a V cut ad receives the ball from 1. Right after the pass, 1 fakes to go toward 3, the comes back, while 3 goes i the corer. Player 2 drives hard to the middle of the lae ad passes to 1, who passes to 3. Player 3 drives o the baselie, ad passes to 2, who has moved dow ear the corer ad fiishes with a three-poiter or a layup, as show i Figure 9.6. Player 2 ca also pass to 1 for a jump shot. This is the rotatio: 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, 1 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to ed of 2 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per player, o all three positios, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Uderlie Space ad relocate as soo as the ball is moved with a pass or a drive. Move at game speed. Make crisp ad strog passes. Make agled cuts. Drive ad go to the basket aggressively. Variatio Three defeders guard the three offesive players at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball.

183 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Three Players ad Drives-ad-Kicks Drill The aim of the three players-drives-ad-kicks drill is to brig spacig ad collaboratio to a higher level, workig o more drivig peetratios ad passig. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel All the perimeter players How to Ru the Drill The drill is similar to the oe show i Figure 9.5, but ow the players make more peetratios, ever two cosecutive oes o the same side, ad skip 176 passes, so they must adjust spacig i differet situatios. Divide the team ito six groups, three o each half-court: two groups are aliged at the left- ad right-wig spots, ad oe i the middle of the court, with the balls. FIGURE 9.7 Player 2 makes a V cut ad receives the ball from 1. Right after the pass, 1 fakes to go toward 2, the goes i the opposite directio at the wig spot, while 3 goes dow. Player 2 drives hard to the baselie ad makes a skip pass to 3. Player 3 passes to 1, who drives to the lae ad passes to 2. Player 2 drives alog the baselie ad passes to 3, who has moved to the deep corer ad fiishes with a three-poiter or a middle-rage jump shot, as show i Figure 9.7. This is the rotatio: 2 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, 1 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 2 s lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per player, o all three positios, ad is also ru o the right side of the court.

184 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Space ad relocate as soo as the ball is moved with a pass or a drive. Move at game speed. Make crisp ad strog passes. Make agled cuts. Drive ad go to the basket aggressively. Variatio Three defeders guard the three offesive players at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Low-Post Ball Side Drive to the Baselie Drill The aim of the low-post ball side drive to the baselie drill is to work o spacig ad relocatig o a drive to the baselie with three perimeter players ad oe iside player o the ball side. 177 Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided ito three groups, oe o the left wig, oe i the middle of the half-court with two balls, ad oe o the right wig, while the iside players are set outside of the baselie, with oe of them o the lowpost spot. Player 1 passes to 3, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 3 drives to the baselie, 1 relocates to 3 s wig spot, while 2 flares i the opposite corer, outside the three-poit lie, ad 5 goes to the high-post spot, at the corer the

185 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills free-throw area o the ball side. Player 3 ca pass to 5 for a jump shot or a drive to the basket, or to 2 or 1 for a three-poiter, as show i Figure 9.8. This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2, to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie, while 5 goes to the ed of the iside players lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios, or a set amout of time, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. FIGURE 9.8 Variatio 178 Three defeders guard the three offesive players at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Low-Post Ball Side Drive to the Middle Drill The aim of the low-post ball side drive to the middle drill is to work o spacig ad relocatig o a drive-to-the-middle peetratio, with three perimeter players ad oe iside player o the ball side. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided ito three groups, oe o the left wig,

186 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills oe i the middle of the half-court with two balls, ad oe o the right wig, while the iside players are set outside the baselie, with oe of them o the low-post spot. Player 1 passes to 3, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 3 drives to middle of the lae, 2 goes to the opposite corer, 1 relocates to 2 s wig spot, while 5 pops out i the short-corer spot. Player 3 ca pass to 5 for a jump shot or a drive to the basket, or to 2 or 1 for a three-poit shot, as show i Figure 9.9. This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2, to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie, while 5 goes to the ed of the iside players lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or a set amout of time, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. 179 Variatio Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. FIGURE 9.9 Low-post Help Side Drive to the Middle Drill The aim of the low-post help side drive to the middle drill is to work o spacig ad relocatig o a drive-to-the-middle peetratio, with three perimeter players ad oe iside player o the help side. Equipmet 3 balls

187 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided ito three groups, oe o the left wig, oe i the middle of the half-court with two balls, ad oe o the right wig, while the iside players are set outside the baselie, with oe of them o the lowpost spot o the help side. Player 1 passes to 3, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 3 drives to the middle of the lae, 2 goes to the opposite corer ad 1 relocates to 2 s wig 180 spot, while 5 cuts i the lae ad posts up o the ball-side low-post spot. Player 3 ca pass to 5 for a jump shot or a drive to the basket, or to 2 or 1 for a three-poiter, as show i Figure FIGURE 9.10 This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie, while 5 goes to the ed of the iside players lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios, or a set amout of time, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. Variatio Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Low-Post Help Side Drive to the baselie drill The aim of the low-post help side drive to the baselie drill is to work o spacig

188 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills ad relocatig o a drive to the baselie, with three perimeter players ad oe iside player o the help side. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel The etire team FIGURE 9.11 How to Ru the Drill The perimeter players are divided i three groups, oe o the left wig, oe i the middle of the half-court with two balls, ad oe o the right wig, while the iside players are set outside of baselie, with oe of them o the lowpost spot o the help side. Player 1 passes to 3, who previously has made a V cut. As soo as 3 drives to the baselie, 2 goes to the opposite corer ad 1 relocates to the 3 s wig spot, while 5 cuts i middle of the lae. Player 3 ca pass to 5 for a jump shot or a layup, or to 2 or 1 for a three-poiter, as show i Figure This is the rotatio: 1 goes to the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 1 s lie, while 5 goes to the ed of the iside players lie. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or a set amout of time, ad is also ru o the right side of the court. 181 Variatio Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball.

189 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Iside Players Collaboratio Drive to the Baselie Drill The aim of the iside players collaboratio drive to the baselie drill is to get the perimeter ad iside players accustomed to workig together after a baselie drive. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left 182 wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls, ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. Player 5 cuts i the lae ad posts FIGURE 9.12 up. At the same time, 1 passes to 3, who drives to the baselie, while 1 replaces 5. Player 3 fids the proper passig agle ad gets the ball to 5, who goes to the basket, as show i Figure The aother group of three players steps i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five times o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a accurate pass to the target offered by the iside player. Variatio The iside player makes a skip pass to the opposite wig, who shoots a three-

190 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills poiter. Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Iside Players Collaboratio Wig Drive Drill The aim of the iside players collaboratio wig drive drill is for the perimeter ad iside players to get accustomed to work together after a drive to the wig. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls, ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. Player 5 cuts i the lae ad posts up. At the same time, 1 drives toward 3, who cuts to the corer ad receives the ball from 1. Player 3 fids the proper passig FIGURE 9.13 agle ad gets the ball to 5, who goes to the basket, as show i Figure The aother group of three players steps i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five times o the left. 183 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a accurate pass to the target offered by the iside player.

191 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio The iside player makes a skip pass to the ball-side wig, who shoots a threepoiter. Two defeders guard 1 ad 3 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Perimeter Players Post Up Wig Drive DRILL The aim of the perimeter players post up wig drive drill is to get the perimeter players accustomed to post up ad work together with the iside players, after a drive to the wig. 184 Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls, ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. Player 5 cuts i the lae, ad goes out i the opposite corer. At the same time, 1 drives toward 3, who relocates FIGURE 9.14 to the low-post area ad posts up. Player 5 receives the ball from 1, ad gets the ball to 3, who goes to the basket, as show i Figure The aother group of three players steps i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five times o the left.

192 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a accurate pass to the target offered by the iside player. Variatio The iside player makes a pass to the ball-side wig, who shoots a three-poiter. Two defeders guard 1 ad 5 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. High-POST-BackDoor Drill The aim of the high-post-backdoor drill is to work o the collaboratio ad spacig betwee the perimeter ad the iside players o a high-backdoor play. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team 185 How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls, ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. While 1 drives to the wig 3, 5 makes a flash-cut to the free-throw area ad receives the ball from 1. Player 3 makes a backdoor cut to the basket as soo as 5 has received the ball; the he receives FIGURE 9.15

193 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills from 5, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure The aother group of three players steps i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five times o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Time the cut of the wig, as soo as the high post has received the ball. Make a accurate pass to the target offered by the iside player. Variatio The iside player makes a pass to the ball-side wig, who shoots a three-poiter. Two defeders guard 1 ad 5 at 50 percet, harassig them while they are passig the ball. Cut ad Post Dow Low with Defese Drill 186 The aim of the cut ad post dow low with defese drill is to practice spacig ad collaboratio betwee the iside ad outside players uder game situatios. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls, ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. The two FIGURE 9.16

194 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills players o the wig are guarded by two defeders. Player 1 caot pass to 5, but he wats to give him the ball, so he drives toward him, ad at the same time 3 cuts ad goes to the corer o the ball side. Player 5 coordiates his cut ad posts dow low; 1 passes the ball to 3, ad 3 to 5, who makes a power shot, a layup or aother type of shot as show i Figure The aother three players step i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five o the left. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The timig of the cuts ad the passes must be accurate. Make a accurate pass to the target offered by the iside player. Variatio The iside player o the low-post makes a pass the perimeter player at the guard spot, who makes a three-poiter. 187 High-Post-BackDoor Cut with the Defese Drill The aim of the high-post-backdoor cut with defese drill is to practice spacig ad collaboratio betwee the iside ad outside players uder game situatios, workig particularly o the backdoor cut of the iside players. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the the Drill The team is divided ito three groups, oe group of iside players o the left wig, oe group of perimeter players i the middle of the court with the balls,

195 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills ad the other group of perimeter players o the right-wig spot. The two players o the wig are guarded by two defeders. Player 1 caot pass to 5, but he wats to give him the ball, so he drives toward him, ad at the same time 3 cuts ad goes to the free-throw area o the ball side. Player 5 coordiates his backdoor cut, 1 passes the ball to 3, 2 times his backdoor cut, ad 3 passes to 5, who goes to the basket, as show i Figure The aother three players step i. The same three players ru the drill five times o the right side ad five o the left. 188 Details to Teach ad Uderlie FIGURE 9.17 The timig of the cuts ad the passes must be accurate. Make a accurate pass, preferably a bouce pass, to the player, who makes the backdoor cut. Variatio The player o high post makes a pass to the perimeter player at the guard spot, who makes a three-poiter. High- ad Low-post Collaboratio Series Gettig the ball ear the basket gives the offese the chace to get a higher percetage of shots. If the high- ad low-post players are able to play together, this offers more possibilities to score ad more optios to the iside players. The followig are simple drills to practice this collective fudametal.

196 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills Low-Post Drive Drill The aim of the low-post drive drill is to get the iside players accustomed to coordiatig their movemets based o the drive of oe of them. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel All the iside players Two passers Oe coach How to Ru the Drill The iside players are behid the baselie, ad two of them are set at the two low-post spots, at the left ad right sides of the three-secod lae. Two passers are at the wig spots, at the left ad right sides ear the three-poit lie, ad oe coach is i the middle of the court. The coach shouts, Left (or right) baselie, or Left (or right) middle. The passer o the left side, i this case, will FIGURE 9.18 pass the ball to 5, who will tur ad drive i the directio called by the coach, ad 4 will move i the opposite directio, as show i Figure O the baselie drive, 4 will cut i the middle of the lae, receive, ad shoot. O the middle drive, he will cut o the baselie, receive, ad shoot. The player gets the reboud, passes the ball back outside, ad agai rus the drill, basig his moves o the calls of the coach. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or a set amout of time. 189

197 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make the moves at game speed. Stay low throughout the drill i order to explode to the basket. Variatio Two defeders are added, coverig the two iside players at 50 percet at the begiig, ad the aggressively. High-Low post-motio Drill The aim of the high-low post-motio drill is to get players accustomed to a high ad a low-post to coordiate their movemets. Equipmet 2 balls 190 Persoel All the iside players Two passers Oe coach How to Ru the Drill The iside players are behid the baselie, ad two of them are set at the two low-post spots, at the left ad right sides of the three-secod lae. Two passers are at the wig spots, at the left ad right sides ear the three-poit lie, ad oe coach is i the middle of the court. The coach calls the ame of the player, who rus at the high-post spot FIGURE 9.19

198 Spacig ad Collaboratio Drills o the same side of the other low-post, ad the shouts, Middle or Baselie. The passer, i this case, will pass the ball to 5, who will pass to 4, as show i Figure The 5 will fake i the opposite directio ad cut i the middle of the lae, or cut alog the baselie, receive the ball, ad shoot. The player gets the reboud, passes the ball back outside, ad agai rus the drill, basig his moves o the calls of the coach. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per players or a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make the moves at game speed. Stay low throughout the drill i order to explode to the basket. Variatio Two defeders are added, coverig the two iside players at 50 percet at the begiig, ad the aggressively. 191 High-Low post-baselie Drive Drill The aim of the high-low post-baselie drive drill is to get the iside players accustomed to coordiatig their movemets whe the high-post drives baselie. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel All the iside players Two passers Oe coach How to Ru the Drill The iside players are behid the baselie, ad two of them are set at the two lowpost spots, at the left ad right sides of the three-secod lae. Two passers are at

199 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills the wig spots, at the left ad right sides ear the three-poit lie, ad oe coach is i the middle of the court. The coach calls the ame of the player, who rus at the high-post spot o the same side of the low-post ad the shouts, Baselie. The passer, i this case, will pass the ball to 4, as show i Figure 9.20a. The, 4 drives baselie, while 5 goes opposite alog the baselie, receives the ball from 4, ad shoots. If the coach shouts, Middle, 4 will drive i the middle of the lae, while 5 will go behid him o the opposite 192 side, receive, ad shoot, as show i Figure 9.20b. The players get the reboud, pass the ball back outside, ad agai ru the drill, basig their moves o the calls of the coach. The drill is ru for a certai umber of shots per player or a set amout of time. FIGURE 9.20a FIGURE 9.20b Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make the moves at game speed. Stay low throughout the drill i order to explode to the basket. Variatio Two defeders are added, coverig the two iside players at 50 percet at the begiig, ad the aggressively.

200 Ball-Hadlig Drills 10 Fast Break Drills 193 Ruig is essetial to the game of basketball. Players ejoy ruig the fast break, makig a o-look pass, a alley hoop for a duk, or a ope three-poit shot to ed the fast break. The crowd gets excited by a team that rus i every possible situatio, such as after a defesive reboud, a steal, or a out-of bouds shot. Playig a fast-break style of basketball is ot easy. Recogitio, speed, ballhadlig skills, ad decisio makig are critical to the success of a fast break. The players must have simple but cosistet rules, kow how to act or react i differet defesive situatios, ad kow which laes to occupy o the court. Players must practice so they ca move the ball up the court ad ito scorig positio as fast as possible, so that the defese is outumbered ad does t have time to set up. If ot performed properly, the fast break could become a stampede of crazy brocos. I this chapter, we will show differet drills that ca help to build a aggressive ad efficiet fast break, from a two-o-oe to a five-o-four.

201 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Passig, especially while ruig at full speed, ad makig the right decisio as to whom to pass the ball to i order to score a easy basket are the basic elemets of the fast break. Scorig a ucotested basket is a big thrill for the offese ad upsettig to the defese, ot to metio a headache for the rival coach. Oe-o-Zero Drill The aim of the oe-o-zero drill is to practice a log pass, receive while ruig, ad score. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team 194 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players each: oe player with the ball is uder the basket, oe o the left wig, ad oe 6 feet away from the mid-court lie, o the opposite half-court. Player 1 tosses the ball o the backboard, gets the reboud, ad passes the ball to 2, who has previously made a V cut. Player 2 drives sidelie ad goes to the basket, while 3, as soo as 2 has crossed the mid-court lie, touches the mid-court lie, ad sprits to get the reboud of 2 s shot. Right after the pass to 2, 1 sprits to the opposite basket util he reaches the right side of the court at the free-throw lie extesio. The, he sprits back to the basket from where he started the drill, receives the ball from 3, ad scores a layup, as show i Figure The, aother group of three players steps i. This is the rotatio: 2 goes to 3 s spot, 3 to 1 s spot, ad 1 to 2 s spot. The drill is also ru o the right side of the court. The drill eds after a certai umber of scored basket or after a set amout of time.

202 Ball-Hadlig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Use a speed-dribble to drive to the basket, makig as few dribbles as possible. The receiver of the log pass must sprit as close as possible to the sidelie, i order to give the passer a good passig agle. Make the log pass ahead of the ruig teammate. Go toward the ball with both hads. Do ot watch the ball at the last secod before receivig it; watch it some secods before. Variatio Add two defeders, who follow the offesive players, playig defese at 50 percet ad harassig the passers while they are passig the ball. FIGURE Oe-Chair Log-Pass Drill The aim of the oe-chair log-pass drill is to get the players used to makig log passes, receivig while ruig, ad scorig. Equipmet 3 balls 1 chair Persoel The etire team

203 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players, set ear ad alog the baselie, with oe player i the left corer, oe uder the basket with the ball, ad oe i the right corer. Oe chair is set at the left corer of the free-throw area, o the other half-court. Player 1 passes the ball to 3, the sprits dow the middle of the court i a straight lie to the opposite basket. At the same time, 2 sprits alog the left sidelie to the opposite basket. Player 1 receives the ball back from 3, 196 who also, after the pass, sprits ear the right sidelie. Both 2 ad 3 cut to the basket at the free-throw lie extesio. Player 1 makes a log pass to 2, who drives to the basket ad fiishes with a layup, as show i Figure 10.2a. FIGURE 10.2a Player 1, who has sprited to the opposite basket right after the pass to 2, circles aroud the chair, ad goes back to where he started the drill. After the layup, 2 goes o the wig spot o the right side, while 3 gets the ball, goes out-of-bouds, ad makes a outlet pass to 2, who makes a log pass to 1, who fiishes with a layup, as show i Figure 10.2b. The three other players step i. Each player i each group circles aroud the chair, receives a log pass, ad fiishes with a layup. The drill is ru also o the right side of the court ad eds after a certai umber of shots or a set amout of time.

204 Ball-Hadlig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie All passes must be accurate. Make the log pass ahead of the ruig teammate. Go toward the ball with both hads. Do ot watch the ball at the last secod before receivig it, but rather some secods before. Variatio Add two defeders, who follow the passers, playig defese at 50 percet, ad harassig the passers while they are passig the ball. Two-o-Two Stadig Defeders Drill The aim of the two-o-two stadig defeders drill is to work o passig while ruig, while two stadig defeders try to steal or deflect the passes. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team FIGURE 10.2b How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of six players each: two players with oe ball are set at the low corers of the three-secod lae ear the baselie, oe player outside the baselie, oe player at the mid-court lie extesio, ad two players, oe at the jump-ball area ad oe at the free-throw area, facig the opposite basket. 197

205 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Players 1 ad 2 pass the ball to each other, keepig the same spacig, while players 3 ad 4 act as stadig defeders ad try to steal or deflect the passes. As soo as 1 ad 2 have eded the fast break with a layup, 4 gets the ball ad makes a outlet pass to 3. These two players go o fast break agaist 5 ad 06, who have stepped o the court at the jump-ball area ad the free-throw area, respectively, ad act as stadig defeders, as show i Figure After all six players have performed the drill for a certai umber of scored baskets or for a set amout of time, six other players step i. 198 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Use head ad ball fakes to get the defeders off balace before passig. No facy passes. No dribblig. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Two-o-Oe Drill The aim of the two-o-oe drill is to work o a two-player fast break to teach proper spacig ad scorig solutios. FIGURE 10.3 Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team

206 Ball-Hadlig Drills How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups of three players each. Each group has two offesive players at the sides of the threesecod lae ad oe defesive player at the free-throw lie with the ball, while the other groups are set outside the two baselies. The player with the ball, X, passes it to 2, the sprits back o defese, while 1 ad 2 sprit to the opposite basket o the fast break, as show i Figure If the defeder steals the ball or gets the reboud of a missed basket, he goes o offese agaist the two offesive players, who become defeders. Three ew players step i after a scored basket. The drill eds after a certai umber of scored baskets, or after a set amout of time. FIGURE Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the two offesive players. No facy passes. Oce he reaches the free-throw lie extesio, the ball hadler must go straight to the basket, passig to his teammate oly if the defeder blocks the path to the basket. Both offesive players, as well as the defesive player, go for the reboud. Teach the defeder to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible.

207 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Two-o-Oe with a Trailer Drill The aim of the two-o-oe with a trailer drill is to work o the fast break with two players to teach proper spacig ad scorig solutios ad to beat the defeder before the arrival of the defesive trailer. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team FIGURE 10.5 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, two outside oe baselie ad two outside the op- 200 posite baselie. Each group has two offesive players at the sides of the three-secod lae, oe defesive player at the free-throw lie, with the ball, ad oe defesive player outside the baselie, The player with the ball, X1, passes it to 2, ad the rus back o defese, while 1 ad 2 sprit to the opposite basket o the fast break. As soo as 2 has received the ball, X2, the trailer, recovers as quickly as possible, spritig to the opposite basket, as show i Figure Player 1 or 2 must score before the arrival of X2. The drill eds after a scored basket by offesive player 1 or 2 or if defeders X1 ad X2 get the ball o a steal or a defesive reboud, become the offesive players, ad try to score agaist 1 ad 2.

208 Ball-Hadlig Drills After a scored basket by this group, aother group steps i. The drill eds after a certai umber of scored baskets or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the two offesive players. No facy passes. Oce the ball hadler reaches the free-throw-lie extesio, he must go straight to the basket ad pass to a teammate oly if the defeder blocks the path to the basket. Both offesive ad defesive players go for the reboud. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Fifty Baskets Drill 201 The aim of the fifty baskets drill is to practice shootig o a fast break uder stress ad fatigue. Equipmet 1 ball for every player Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is lied up o the left side of the court at the wig-spot positio, each player with a ball, ad the drill starts with a player with the ball uder the basket. A coach stads outside the court at the extesio of the mid-court lie. The player uder the basket tosses the ball o the backboard, gets the reboud, ad makes a outlet pass, i this case, to the first player o the left-wig

209 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills lie, who has made a V cut before receivig the ball. The receiver of the pass dribbles i the middle of the court, while the rebouder sprits alog the left sidelie, cuts to the basket at the free-throw lie extesio, ad receives the ball, fiishig with a layup. The passer goes to the reboud, grabs the ball before it hits the floor, ad passes to a teammate, who shoots the ball. They repeat the patter o the other side of the floor, as show i Figure The drill eds after 3 miutes. The players must score fifty baskets i 3 miutes. The coach keeps a record of the missed baskets, as well as of how may bas- 202 kets are still eeded to reach the fiftyscored-baskets mark, if the times expires. The etire team rus oe sprit for every missed basket ad oe sprit for every basket still eeded to reach the fifty baskets mark. FIGURE 10.6 Details to Teach ad Uderlie The ball hadler must speed-dribble, makig as few dribbles as possible to go to the opposite basket. Make a quick ad accurate outlet pass every time. Three Players Circle Drill The aim of the three players circle drill is to practice how to immediately occupy the three laes for a three-player fast break.

210 Ball-Hadlig Drills Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups of three players each. The first group is set aroud the free-throw circle, ad the coach is uder the basket with a ball. The three players ru clockwise aroud the free-throw circle. Whe the coach shouts Go, he tosses the ball o the backboard. The earest player, 3, grabs the reboud ad yells Ball, while 2 sprits o 203 the left-wig spot, yellig Left, ad receives from 3. At the same time, 1 sprits i the middle lae of the court, yellig Middle, ad receives from 2, while 3, after he has passed the ball to 2, sprits to occupy FIGURE 10.7 the right lae of the court. Player 1 speed-dribbles to the opposig basket ad passes the ball to 3, who fiishes with a layup, as show i Figure The ext three players step i ad ru the same patter. The drill eds after a certai umber of fast breaks or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Commuicatio is basic. Speed-dribble to brig the ball quickly to the offesive half-court. Make oly two, or maximum three, dribbles before passig ahead.

211 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Variatio Two defeders are added, set outside mid-court lie. They ru o the court as soo as the outlet pass is made ad play defese. Five Players Circle Drill The aim of the five players circle drill is to practice immediately occupyig the five laes for a five-player fast break. Equipmet 1 balls Persoel The etire team A coach 204 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five players each. The first group is set aroud the free-throw circle, ad the coach is uder the basket with a ball. The five players ru clockwise aroud the free-throw circle. Whe the coach shouts Go, he tosses the ball o the backboard. The earest player, 3, grabs the reboud, yells Ball, ad passes to right or left wig: ow all five players must occupy the five fast-break laes, the two lateral wigs laes, the cetral lae, ad the first ad secod trailers laes, callig out which lae they are occupyig. FIGURE 10.8

212 Ball-Hadlig Drills The ball hadler passes the ball to oe of his teammates, who shoots a middlerage jump shot, a three-poiter, or a layup, as show i Figure The same five players get the reboud ad ru the fast break o the other basket, ad so o util all five players have made a shot. The the other five players step ito the court. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Commuicatio is basic. Speed-dribble to brig the ball quickly to the offesive half-court. Ru i each called lae. Variatio Three or four defeders are added ad set outside the mid-court lie. They ru o the court, as soo as the outlet pass is made ad play four-o-five. THREE SHOTS FAST BREAK DRILL The aim of the three shots fast break drill is to get the players accustomed to shootig off the fast break. 205 Equipmet 5 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players. The first group steps ito the court: oe player is uder the basket with the ball, ad the other two are i the left ad right corers, while two coaches with oe ball each, are set outside the opposite baselie o the other half-court.

213 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The first three players make a passig wave, the, whe they reach the threepoit lie, 2 drives to the basket, fiishig with a layup, while 1 ad 3, who have stopped outside the three-poit lie, receive the balls from the coaches ad make three-poiters, as show i Figure 10.9a. The two outside shooters, 1 ad 3, get the rebouds of their ow shots ad pass the balls to the coaches, while the player i the middle lae, 2, who has fiished with a layup, gets the ball, ad makes a outlet pass to oe of the wigs, 1, ad the the players ru the same patter, goig to the other basket, as show i Figure 10.9b. After shootig at the other basket, these three players step out of the court, ad aother three players step i. The drill eds after a certai umber of baskets, or after a set amout of time. 206 FIGURE 10.9a FIGURE 10.9b

214 Ball-Hadlig Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Bed the kees more i order to get better stregth i the legs while makig a oe- or two-cout stop for a three-poiter. Shoot as if uder game coditios. Variatio Add three defeders o each half-court to cotest the three-shooters at 50 percet. Call-the-defese Drill The aim of call-the-defese drill is to practice the fast break ad the quick trasitio ad reactio of the offesive ad defesive players. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team A coach 207 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five players, oe set outside ad alog oe baselie ad the secod oe o the opposite baselie, with oe ball per group, while the coach is outside the court ear the mid-court lie. The players are umbered from 1 to 5. The coach calls a two-digit umber, such as 25, so player 2 ad player 5 ru o defese, while players 1, 3, ad 4 are o offese ad play three-o-two fast break, as show i Figure 10.10a. The the shooter, i this case 1 (or the offesive player, who has lost the ball), becomes the defeder, ad 2 ad 5 go o offese ad play two-o-oe at the opposite basket, as show i Figure 10.10b.

215 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills They step out of the court oly whe a basket is scored, either by the oe of two offesive players, or by the defeder, who either gets the reboud of the missed shot or steals the ball ad goes o fast break oe-o-oe agaist the shooter or the player who made the wrog pass. The the other group rus the drill. The drill eds after a certai umber of baskets, or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Fid the most effective shootig solutio, with the highest possible percetage; do ot shoot just to shoot. All the offesive ad defesive players must fight for the reboud. 208 FIGURE 10.10a FIGURE 10.10b

216 Ball-Hadlig Drills Use a speed-dribble, with as few dribbles as possible, to brig the ball o offese. Make sharp ad crisp passes. O the three-o-two fast break, the ball hadler stops outside the three-poit lie, while the two wigs cut to the lae whe they reach the free-throw lie extesio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Variatio The passer, istead of the shooter, goes o defese o the two-o-oe fast break. Four-o-Two with Two Trailers Drill The aim of the four-o-two with two trailers drill is to practice the four-o-two fast break, ad to teach the players to recogize immediately the proper scorig solutios whe they outumber the 209 defese. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Form three groups of four players each. Group A, set 5 feet from the mid-court lie, with oe ball, is o offese agaist two defeders of group B i oe halfcourt, while two players of group C act as defeders o the opposite half-court. The other players of groups B ad C stad at the left ad right sides of the midcourt lie, outside of the court. Group A goes o offese agaist the two defeders of group B, ad, whe they have crossed the mid-court lie, the other two players of group B step o

217 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills the court, sprit to the jump-ball area, ad the recover o defese. Oce the offese has scored the basket, or the defese has possessio of the ball, group B rus the fast break agaist the two defeders of group C, ruig the same patter, as show i Figure The drill eds after a certai umber of baskets or after a set amout of time. 210 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do ot rush the shot; choose the best ad highest shootig percetage solutio. All the offesive ad defesive players must fight for the reboud. Use a speed-dribble, with as few dribbles as possible, to brig the ball o offese. Make sharp ad crisp passes. FIGURE Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Five-o-Three with Two Trailers Drill The aim of the five-o-three with two trailers drill is to help the players to react immediately to ew offesive ad defesive situatios, workig o the trasitio. Equipmet 1 ball

218 Ball-Hadlig Drills Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five offesive ad five defesive players. The offesive players are set outside ad alog the baselie, while the defeders are aliged at the extesio of the free-throw lie, facig the offesive players. A coach with a ball is outside the court, ear the corer. The coach passes the ball to offesive player 2. As soo as the ball leaves the 211 hads of the coach, the two defesive players ear the left ad right sidelies, X1 ad X5, sprit to the baselie ad touch it, while the other three defeders sprit o defese. FIGURE 10.12a Players 1, 2, 3, 4, ad 5 play five-o-three versus X2, X3, ad X4, who must try to stop the offese from scorig, while the trailers, X1 ad X5, recover, as show i Figure 10.12a. If the offese does ot score while outumberig the defese, they play five-ofive. If the defese gets the ball o a steal or a reboud of a missed shot, they ru o offese, ad the offesive players ru o defese. Assumig that 1 attempts the shot ad that the five defeders get the ball, either from a reboud, a steal, or a out-of-bouds pass after a scored basket, they ru the fast break five-o-four, while the shooter, 1, goes out of the court, as show i Figure 10.12b. The drill eds after a certai umber of baskets or after a set amout of time.

219 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Fid the most effective shootig solutio with the highest possible percetage; do ot shoot just to shoot. All the offesive ad defesive players must fight for the reboud. Use a speed-dribble, with as few dribbles as possible, to brig the ball o offese. Make sharp ad crisp passes. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Variatio 212 The last passer, istead of the shooter, goes out of the court o the five-o-four fast break. FIGURE 10.12b Five-Player WavE Oe-o-Oe drill The aim of the five-player wave oe-o-oe drill is to work o two fast-break situatios, a three-o-two ad a two-o-oe, edig with a oe-o-oe. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five players each, oe iside the court

220 Ball-Hadlig Drills alog the baselie ad the other outside the baselie. Players are set two i the corers, two a couple of feet away from the low corers of the three-secod lae, ad oe with the ball uder the basket. Five-Player Wave: They start the drill makig a passig wave, that is, each player passes the ball ad follows the pass, goig behid his teammate, who has received the ball, util all five players reach the other basket, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure 10.13a. Details to Teach ad Uderlie No dribblig is allowed. If a player dribbles, loses cotrol of the ball, or makes a wrog pass, the group starts the passig wave agai. FIGURE 10.13a 213 Three-o-Two: Oce the basket is scored, the passer ad the shooter ru o defese. Oe of the players gets the reboud if the shot is missed, or makes the iboud pass, yellig Ball, ad passig to 4, who will yell Middle. I this way 4 gives the other two teammates a clear sigal that he will be the ball hadler, dribblig i the middle of the court, while the other two offesive players call out which laes they will occupy, 2 the left lae ad 3 the right, i this case. Players 4, 2, ad 3 will play agaist the defeders, 1 ad 5, as show i Figure b. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the three offesive players.

221 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills The two wigs must go o the fast break, ruig i the laes earest the sidelies, with the ball hadler i the middle lae of the court (or laterally, based o the type of fast break ru i the game). No facy passes. Oce he is ear the three-poit lae, the ball hadler must stop, keepig the dribble alive, ad evaluate the best passig ad shootig solutio, while the two wigs cut to the three-secod lae whe they reach the free-throw lie extesio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as 214 much as possible. All five players ivolved go for the reboud. FIGURE 10.13b Two-o-Oe: Let s assume that 2 has shot either a jump shot or a layup. He will the become the defeder, while 1 gets the reboud, or, if the basket is scored, makes the iboud pass to 5. Players 5 ad 1 go o offese, ad play agaist 2, as show i Figure 10.13c. Players 4 ad 3 step out of the court. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the two offesive players ruig i the two laes outside the free-throw area. No facy passes. Oce he reaches the free-throw lie extesio, the ball hadler must go straight to the basket, passig to his teammate oly if the defeder blocks the path to the basket.

222 Ball-Hadlig Drills 215 FIGURE 10.13c FIGURE 10.13d Teach the defeder to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. All three players ivolved go for the reboud. Oe-o-Oe: Let s assume that 2 has goe for the shot, either with a jump shot or a layup, so he becomes the defeder, while 5 gets the ball ad drives full court, while the passer, 1, steps out of the court. Players 5 ad 2 play oe-o-oe, as show i Figure 10.13d. If the defeder, 2, gets the ball, he attacks, drivig to the opposig basket. The drill eds whe oe of the two players ivolved scores a basket. The the other group steps i ad starts the drill. Each group rus the drill for a certai umber of times or for a give amout of time.

223 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie The offesive player must use the speed-dribble to drive to the opposig basket. Two o Oe/Five o Five Drill The aim of two o oe/five o five drill is to practice all the possible fast-break situatios, startig with the two-o-oe, followed by the three-o-two, the fouro-three, the five-o-four, ad, fially, the five-o-five. This is a very demadig drill that also helps the players get used to chagig immediately from the offesive to the defesive, ad vice versa. 216 Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five players each, oe outside ad alog oe baselie, ad the other o the opposite baselie. The five players i each group are aliged with oe player ear the left corer, oe ear the left short corer, oe uder the basket, oe ear the right short corer, ad oe ear right corer. Two-o-Oe Fast Break: The player of oe of the groups ear the basket has the ball. The player i the middle of the lie ear the basket of the opposite group acts as a defeder. FIGURE 10.14a

224 Ball-Hadlig Drills As the coach shouts Go, 3 ad the player o his left, 4, sprit to the opposite basket, while C steps o the court ad sets himself ear the free-throw area i the middle of the court. Player 3 speed-dribbles o offese ad plays two-o-oe with 4, agaist C, as show i Figure 10.14a. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the two offesive players ruig i the two laes outside the free-throw area. No facy passes. Oce he reaches the free-throw lie extesio, the ball hadler must go straight to the basket, passig to his teammate oly if the defeder blocks the path to the basket. Teach the defeder to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. 217 All three players go to the reboud. Three-o-Two Fast Break: Oce 3 ad 4 have scored, or C gets the possessio of the ball, B ad D step o the court ad play three-otwo agaist 3 ad 4, who sprit to protect the opposite basket, as show i Figure 10.14b. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the three offesive players, wider tha o the twoo-oe. The two wigs must go o the fast break, ruig i the laes ear the sidelies, with the ball hadler i the middle lae FIGURE 10.14b

225 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills of the court (or laterally, based o the type of fast break ru i the game). No facy passes. Oce he reaches the three-poit lie, the ball hadler must stop, keepig the dribble alive, ad evaluate the best passig ad shootig solutio, while the two wigs cut to the lae whe they reach the free-throw lie extesio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Two players go for the reboud ad oe is the safety. Four-o-Three Fast break: Oce B, C, or D 218 have scored, or 3 or 4 get possessio of the ball, 1 ad 5 step o the court ad play four-o-three with 3 ad 4 agaist B, C, ad D, who sprit to protect the opposite basket, as show i Figure c. FIGURE 10.14c Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the four offesive players. The two wigs must go o the fast break, ruig i the laes ear the sidelies, with the ball hadler i the middle lae of the court (or laterally, based o the type of fast break ru i the game), while the fourth player is the offesive trailer. No facy passes. Oce he is ear the three-poit lie, the ball hadler must stop, keepig the dribble alive, ad evaluate the best passig ad shootig solutio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as

226 Ball-Hadlig Drills much as possible. Three players go for the reboud ad oe is the safety. Five-o-Four Fast Break: Oce 1, 3, 4, or 5 have scored, or B, C, or D get possessio of the ball, A ad E step o the court ad play five-o-four with B, C, ad D agaist 1, 3, 4, ad 5, who sprit to protect the opposite basket, as show i Figure 10.14d. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the five offesive players. The two wigs must go o the fast break, 219 ruig i the laes ear the sidelies, ad the ball hadler is i the middle lae of the court (or laterally, based o the type FIGURE 10.14d of fast break ru i the game), while the fourth ad fifth players are the offesive trailers. No facy passes. Oce he is ear the three-poit lie, the ball hadler must stop, keepig the dribble alive, ad evaluate the best passig ad shootig solutio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Three players go for the reboud ad two are the safeties, or i a differet combiatio, based o the defesive trasitio philosophy of the team. Five-o-Five Fast Break: Oce A, B, C, D, or E have scored, or the defeders 1, 3, 4, or 5 get the possessio of the ball, 2 steps o the court ad plays five-o-five

227 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills with 1, 3, 4, ad 5 agaist A, B, C, D, ad E, who sprit to protect the opposite basket, as show i Figure 10.14e. Also i a situatio with five offesive players agaist five defesive players, the offese must try to score before the defese is set. The drill is ru for a certai umber of times. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Keep proper spacig betwee the five offesive players. The two wigs must go o the fast break, ruig i the laes ear the sidelies, ad the ball hadler is i the middle lae 220 of the court (or laterally, based o the type of fast break ru i the game), while the fourth ad fifth players are the offesive trailers. FIGURE 10.14e No facy passes. Oce he is ear the three-poit lie, the ball hadler must stop, keepig the dribble alive, ad evaluate the best passig ad shootig solutio. Teach the defeders to make defesive fakes to harass the offesive players as much as possible. Three players go for the offesive reboud ad two are the safeties, or i aother combiatio, based o the defesive trasitio philosophy of the team.

228 Scree Drills 11 Scree Drills 221 The scree, also called the pick or drag», is the corerstoe of every offese. Screes ca be o-ball (whe set for the ball hadler), or offball (whe set for a teammate movig without the ball to get ope for a pass). A offesive player who brigs a scree must kow how ad at what agle to brig the scree. The screeed player must be able to read the defese ad react accordigly. Workig o screes requires attetio to both timig ad positioig for brigig the scree, usig the scree, ad readig what happes after the scree is made. A scree is ot oly a matter of size ad speed, mixed with ball hadlig, but also ivolves may other details, from the optios for the screeed player or the optios for the screeer. Teachig ad practicig every type of scree used by your team ad takig care of the details is of paramout importace to buildig a effective offese.

229 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Cotiuous o-ball Scree Drill The aim of the cotiuous o-ball scree drill is to ru two differet types of screes, workig o the side- ad blid-screes. I this drill, the perimeter ad iside players are mixed, so the iside players ca practice o usig ad readig the scree, ad the perimeter players get accustomed to brigig the scree. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill 222 Divide the team ito groups of three players, with oe player o the left wig, oe i the middle of the court with the ball, ad oe o the right. A coach is o the perimeter. Players 2 ad 3 ru ad spot up at the wigs, 3 o the left ad 2 o the right. Player 1 passes the ball to 2, who has previously made a V cut before receivig the ball. After the pass, 1 fakes to go to the left, ad the makes a o-ball side-scree to 2, as show i Figure 11.1a. Based o the coach s commad, 2 will drive aroud the scree ad go straight to the basket for a layup or a FIGURE 11.1a FIGURE 11.1b

230 Scree Drills jump shot, or pass to 1, who has rolled to the basket, as show i Figure 11.1b. Player 1 ca also flare away ad receive the ball to shoot from outside, istead of rollig to the basket. Player 1 replaces 2 at the right wig spot. Player 2 gets the reboud of his ow shot, or the shot of 1. I the meatime, 3 has made a V cut, ad 2 passes the ball to him, follows the pass ad makes a blid scree for 3. Based o the coach s commad, 3 will drive to the basket for a layup or a jump shot, or pass to 2, who has rolled to the basket, as show i Figure 11.1c. Player 2 ca also flare away ad receive the ball to shoot from outside, istead of rollig to the basket. Player 2 replaces 3 at the left wig spot. FIGURE 11.1c FIGURE 11.1d 223 Player 3 gets the reboud of his ow shot, or the shot of 2. I the meatime, 1 has made a V cut, 3 passes the ball to him, follows the pass, ad makes a blidscree for 1. Based o the coach s commad, 1 will drive to the basket for a layup or a jump shot, or pass to 3, who has rolled to the basket, as show i Figure 11.1d. Player 3 ca also flare away ad receive the ball to shoot from outside, istead of rollig to the basket.

231 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Player 1 gets the reboud of his ow shot, or the shot of 3, ad passes the ball to 2, who passes to 5, who rus a ew sessio of the drill with 4 ad 6. This is the rotatio: 2 goes to the ed of 5 s lie, 1 to the ed of 4 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of 6 s lie, as show i Figure 11.1e. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios per group or for a set amout of time. FIGURE 11.1e 224 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Screeer: Do ot go straight to make the scree, but fake to go i the opposite directio, makig a V cut. Screeed player: Do ot go straight to the scree, but set up the defeder, makig a couple of dribbles away from the scree. Screeer: Scree perpedicular to the possible path of the defeder, make a jump stop, ad assume a wide stace. Whe drivig to the basket, the ball hadler must drive as close as possible to the screeer s shoulder. Oce the ball hadler beats the defeder, he must speed-dribble to fiish to the basket. Players should drive with their heads up, i order to see the etire court, the screeer, ad their other teammates. Variatio Add three defeders, who cover the offesive players iitially at 50 percet, ad the aggressively.

232 Scree Drills Away-from-the-Ball Side-Scree-ad-Roll Series Drill The aim of the away-from-the-ball side-scree-ad-roll series drill is to create the proper flow of actio betwee the screeer ad the screeed player, ad also to work o the roll ad shootig of the screeer after the scree. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups: oe group with two balls is set i the left corer, oe with two balls at the left-wig spot, oe i the middle of the court, outside the three-poit lie, ad oe o the right-wig spot. A dummy defeder is guardig the offesive player o the right wig spot. Here are the differet scorig optios of the side scree-ad-roll drill: Screeed player makes a jump shot at the free-throw-area/screeer s roll to the basket: Player 1 fakes to go left, ad the makes a away-from-the-ball side-scree o 2, who previously has set up the dummy defeder, makig a V cut. Player 2 cuts aroud the scree, rus at the left corer of the free-throw area, receives from 3, ad makes a jump shot. Right after the scree, 1 rolls to the basket, receives from 4, ad shoots a layup or a power shot, as show i Figure 11.2a. Players 1 ad 2 get their ow 225 rebouds ad go to the ed of 4 s ad 3 s FIGURE 11.2a

233 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills lies, respectively, while 3 goes to the ed of 1 s lie ad 4 goes to the ed of 2 s lie. Screeed player makes a jump shot out of the scree/screeer s roll to the basket: Player 1 fakes to go left, ad the makes a away-from-the-ball side-scree o 2, who previously has set up the dummy defeder, makig a V cut. Player 2 curls aroud the scree, receives the ball from 3 ear the right corer of the free-throw lie, ad makes a jump shot. 226 Right after the scree, 1 rolls to the basket, receives from 4, ad shoots a layup or a power shot, as show i Figure 11.2b. Players 1 ad 2 get their ow rebouds ad go to the ed of the 4 ad 3 groups, respectively, while 3 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, ad 4 to the ed of 2 s lie. FIGURE 11.2b FIGURE 11.2c Screeed player s back-door cut/screeer s roll ad jump shot at the free-throw area: Player 1 fakes to go left, ad the makes a away-from-the-ball side scree o 2, who previously has set up the dummy defeder, makig a V cut. Player 2 fakes to cut high ad the makes a backdoor cut, receives from 4, ad shoots a layup. Right after the scree, 1 rolls to the free-throw area, receives from 3, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure 11.2c. Players 1 ad 2 get their ow

234 Scree Drills rebouds ad go to the ed of 3 s ad 4 s lies, respectively, while 3 goes to the ed of 1 s lie ad 4 to the ed of 2 s lie. Screeed player s curl aroud the scree screeer s roll ad jump shot at free-throw area: Player 1 fakes to left, ad the makes a away-from-the-ball side-scree o 2, who previously has set up the dummy defeder, makig a V cut. Player 2 curls aroud the scree, cuts i the lae, receives from 4, ad shoots a layup. Right after the scree, 1 rolls to the free-throw area, receives from 3, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure 11.2d. Players 1 ad 2 get their ow rebouds ad go to the ed of the 3 s ad of 4 s lies, respectively, while 3 goes to the ed of 1 s lie ad 4 to the ed of 2 s lie. FIGURE 11.2d FIGURE 11.2e 227 Scree s fake of the screeer ad slip to the basket jump shot of the screeed player: Player 1 fakes to the left, ad the goes toward 2 as if to make a awayfrom-the-ball side scree o 2, who previously has set up the dummy defeder, makig a V cut. But ow, 1 slips to the basket, right before settig the scree, cuts i the lae, receives from 4, ad shoots a layup. Right after 1 has slipped ad cut to the basket, 2 sprits to the free-throw area, receives from 3, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure 11.2e. Players

235 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 1 ad 2 get their ow rebouds ad go to the ed of 4 s ad 3 s lies, respectively, while 3 goes to the ed of 1 s lie ad 4 to the ed of 2 s lie. 228 The drill is ru util all the players have performed all the scorig optios, both as a screeer or as a screeed player. The drill is also made o the right side. Note: The drill ca also be ru with a away-from-the-ball high-scree-adroll, with all the possibile scorig optios, as show i Figure 11.2f. Details to Teach ad Uderlie FIGURE 11.2f Screeer: Make a jump stop, assume a wide stace, ad make the scree perpedicular to the possibile path of the defeder. Screeer ad screeed player: Chage pace while rollig ad cuttig to the ball. Screeer: Do ot go straight to make the scree, but fake to go i the opposite directio makig a V cut. Screeed player: Do ot go straight to the scree, but set up the defeder, makig a couple of dribbles away from the scree. Screeer: Scree perpedicular to the possible path of the defeder, make a jump stop, ad assume a wide stace. Screeed player: Whe drivig to the basket, he must drive as close as possible to the screeer s shoulder. Screeed player: Oce he beats the defeder, he must speed-dribble to fiish to the basket. Screeed player: Drives with his head up, i order to see the etire court, the screeer, ad his three other teammates.

236 Scree Drills Variatio Aother defeder is added to the screeer. The two defeders defed at 50 percet at the begiig, ad the aggressively. O-Ball Dow-Scree Drill The aim of the o-ball dow-scree drill is for the screeer ad the screeed player to practice the scree ad shootig, at the same time. Equipmet 8 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches 229 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, two o the left side of oe half-court, ad two o the left side of the the opposite half-court, while a coach is set at the wig positio o each half-court with two balls. Player 3 s lie, with two balls, is set i the corer, while player 5 s lie is set at FIGURE 11.3a about the three-poit lie. Player 3, startig with the ball at the triple-threat positio, fakes to drive hard to the baselie, to set the defeder, ad the receives a dow scree by 5, who has previously faked to go i the opposite directio. Player 3 drives aroud the scree of 5 ad fiishes with a layup or a jump shot, as called by the coach, while 5 pops out to the corer, receives from the

237 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills coach ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure 11.3a. After the shot, 5 gets his ow reboud, passes the ball to the coach ad goes to the ed of the lie where he started the drill, while 3 gets his ow reboud ad goes to the ed of the lie where he started the drill. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time, ad is repeated o the right side of the court. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Screeer: After the pass to the teammate to scree, take a couple of steps away from the ball, so you ca the sprit to brig the scree, pop out, bed the kees, ad show your hads as a target to the passer, idicatig that you are ready to catch ad shoot. Screeed player: Set the defeder with a couple of dribbles i the opposite directio, ad the drive hard with a chage of pace aroud the scree, shoulder to shoulder with the screeer. 230 Here is a differet actio: 5 drives toward 3, makes a had-off pass to 3, ad screes him. Player 3 the drives aroud 5, fiishig with a layup or a jump shot, as called by the coach, while 5 pops out i the corer, receives from the coach, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure 11.3b. After the shot, 5 gets his ow reboud, passes the ball to the coach ad goes to the ed of the lie where he FIGURE 11.3b started the drill, while 3 gets his ow reboud ad goes to the ed of the lie where he started the drill. The drill is ru for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time, ad is repeated o the right side of the court.

238 Scree Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Screeer: Make the had-off pass with two hads, protectig the ball with the body. Screeer: Immediately after the had-off pass ad the scree, tur to the ball with kees bet, show your hads as a target to the passer, immediately ready to receive the ball from the coach, ad catch ad shoot. Screeed player: Drive hard aroud the scree, shoulder to shoulder with the screeer, with o more tha two dribbles if shootig a layup. Variatio Add two defeders o the screeer ad the screeed player. They will first play defese at 50 percet, ad the aggressively. Two-Shot-Away-from-the-Ball Dow-Scree Drill The aim of the two-shot-away-from-the-ball dow-scree drill is to practice the scree ad the shootig at the same time of the screeer ad the screeed player. 231 Equipmet 5 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups, oe o the left wig with the balls, oe i the middle of the court, oe o the right wig, ad oe outside of the baselie. Oe coach is set o the perimeter, outside of the three-poit lie with a ball, ad aother with a ball is set opposite the right wig group. Player 1 starts to dribble to the wig. At the same time, 2 makes a V cut ad

239 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills receives the ball from 1, while 3 cuts to the three-secod lae ad screes dow o 4, who has previously set his dummy defeder, X4, takig a couple of steps away from the ball. Based o the head coach s commad, Curl, i this case, the defeder will trail 4, so 4 curls aroud the 3 s scree, cuts i the lae, receives from 2, ad fiishes with a layup. Right after 4 s curl, 3 pops out i the opposite directio of 4, receives from the coach o the right side of the court, ad makes a jump shot, as show i 232 Figure 11.4a. FIGURE 11.4a The patter of the drill is still the same, but this is aother optio for 4, based o the head coach s commad. Whe the head coach shouts, Flare, the defeder, X4, goes over the scree, so 4 flares out, receives from 2, ad makes a FIGURE 11.4b jump shot, while 3 rolls to the basket, receives from the coach o the left side, ad fiishes with a layup or a power shot, as show i Figure 11.4b. Players 4 ad 3 grab their ow rebouds ad pass the balls from where they received the pass. The, 4 goes to the ed of 1 s lie, ad 3 to the ed of the baselie s lie. Player X4 becomes the offesive player, ad a player from the baselie lie steps i ad becomes the defeder o X4. This is the rotatio of the other players ivolved: 1 goes to the the ed of 2 s lie, 2 to the ed of 3 s lie. The drill

240 Scree Drills is ru util each player has doe ad has received a scree, or for a set amout of time. The drill is also repeated o the other side of the court. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Both offesive players must set up the scree, goig i the opposite directio at the begiig where brigig ad receivig the scree, ad the chagig pace ad directio. Whe the screeed player curls aroud the screeer, he must curl shoulder to shoulder. Both players must always have the kees bet for all the actios i order to be ready to catch ad shoot the ball immediately. O the flare, the screeed player, i order to speed up his move ad to give a sigal of his iteded move to the screeer, will push himself off o the screeer s back to help his movemet i the ew directio, ad the jump away from the screeer, always with kees bet. 233 Variatio Add a defeder o the screeer. The two defeders defed at 50 percet at the begiig, ad the aggressively.

241 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 12 Reboudig 234 C rash the boards! How may coaches at the high school or pro level have used this rallyig cry i their pep talks. Good offesive (ad defesive) reboudig is essetial to wiig, because without it, the other team will have far too may chaces to score, while your team will barely have ay chace at all. It is extremely importat to teach ad practice the reboud, ad work, ot oly with the big me, but also with the perimeter players. Cotrollig the boards is ofte the differece betwee wiig or losig a tight game, ad reboudig drills will help your team be more domiat i the pait. Cotrary to what most people thik, reboudig is ot about height or jumpig ability: It has more to do with heart, determiatio, ad aggressiveess. You ca teach these skills by ruig reboudig drills at every practice. The offesive reboud depeds o a player s ability to sprit to the basket a split secod after the shot is released, ad above all, by the iate feelig to realize where the ball will fall after a shot.

242 Reboudig Drills The best example of a great rebouder is Deis Rodma, the former NBA Detroit Pistos ad Chicago Bulls forward. He is oly 6 7 ad he was ot a icredible jumper, but he was the best rebouder i the league for seve cosecutive seasos, ad he cotributed to those teams wiig five NBA titles. Just as with ay other fudametal, offesive reboudig must be practiced. The players must kow how ad whe to move to get the offesive reboud, either whe comig off the strog side or the help side of the court. They must work o aticipatig the defeders moves, before beig blocked- (boxed) out, ad master the differet techiques of beatig the block-out. The followig drills will help coaches achieve this target. Differet from the other drills i this book, i almost all of these drills, defeders are added to get the offesive rebouders used to facig the block-out ad teach them how to prevet the defeders from grabbig the reboud. SIDE-TO-SIDE DRILL The aim of the side-to-side drill is to work o reboudig while spritig from oe side of the three-secod lae to the other, gettig the reboud, ad makig the outlet pass. 235 Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito four groups of players, two groups o each half-court. Oe group is behid the baselie ad oe group is at the wig spot. The players are paired with oe player uder the basket with the ball, ad the other outside of the three-secod lae.

243 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Player 1, o the left side of the backboard, tosses the ball to the right side of the backboard, sprits to the other side, jumps as high as he ca, grabs the reboud ad makes a outlet pass to 2, who has previously made a V cut. Player 2 passes the ball back to 1, who tosses the ball to the left side of the backboard, while 2 sprits to the opposite side of the half-court. Players 1 ad 2 repeat the same patter, as FIGURE 12.1 show i Figure Player 1 repeats the same patter for a certai umber of repetitios or for a set amout of time. The, 2 becomes the rebouder, 1 goes at the ed of 2 s 236 lie, ad aother player o 2 s lie becomes the receiver of the outlet pass. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Playig more aggressively o the reboud, as if i a game. Whe ladig o the floor, the rebouder must protect the ball by holdig it with oe had below ad the other had over top. Immediately tur the head toward the receiver, with the feet poitig toward him. Pass the ball to the receiver, who shows two hads as a target. While turig to receive the outlet pass, the receiver must have his back toward the baselie, ot to the sidelie, i order to see the etire court. The receiver must shout, Ball to the rebouder. Variatios Add a defeder o the rebouder, who will first defed at 50 percet, ad the aggressively.

244 Reboudig Drills The player o the wig tosses the ball o the backboard, istead of the rebouder. ROTATING SPOT DRILL The aim of the rotatig spot drill is to practice offesive reboudig while the defeders are movig i differet spots. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five offesive players with oe ball, ad five defeders, ad a coach outside of the baselie. The offesive players are set outside ad aroud the three-poit lie, ad the defeders iside the threepoit lie. Player 1 passes the ball to oe of his teammates, to 3 i this case. As soo as the ball has bee released from 1 s hads, all the defeders rotate clockwise to the ext spot, X1 to X3 s spot, X3 to X5 s spot, X5 to X4 s spot, X4 to X2 s, ad X2 to X1 s, ad so o, while the offesive players keep their positios, as show i Figure After a certai umber of passes ad 237 rotatios of the defeders, the coach FIGURE 12.2

245 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills raises a had, ad the offesive player who has the ball shoots a jump shot. All the offesive players go to the reboud, while the defeders block-out. If the defese or the offese gets a reboud, they get 1 poit. The first oe who reaches 5 poits wis, ad the losers do sprits. 238 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do t go straight to the basket, but fake to go i oe directio, ad the move i the opposite directio. Whe fakig, try to avoid physical cotact with the defeder, i order to beat him o a move. If blocked-out, use reverse, ad swim with the arms, i order to go over the defeder. Do t push the defeder o his back, but use his back as a pivot, leaig o him with the shoulder, ad the rotatig. Try to aticipate where the ball will bouce off the rim or the backboard. Teach the players where the ball could drop, based o which spot of the court the shot is made ad the height of the arc of the ball. Variatios O every pass, the offesive players rotate with the defeders. CALL-THE-SIDE DRILL The aim of the call-the-side drill is to teach ad work o the differet techiques of how to go to the offesive reboud. Persoel The etire team A coach

246 Reboudig Drills How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, lied ad paired up, with oe of the offesive ad oe of defesive players facig each other, ad a coach behid the lie of the defesive players. The two lies are four feet apart from each other. The coach raises his left or right had, idicatig which directio the offesive players should make the fake. FIGURE 12.3 They the go i the opposite directio, ad, at the same time, he shouts either, Reverse, or Step over. The offesive players the must use oe of the commads to go over the defeders to grab the imagiary offesive reboud, as show i Figure The defeders will block-out, at the begiig defedig 239 at 50 percet. The drill eds after a certai umber of repetitios or after a set amout of time. The, the defeders become the offesive players, ad vice versa. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make the first, aggressive step i the directio called by the coach, with the kees bet. Do t push the defeder away, but use his body as a pivot for the reverse, leaig o his back, i order to go over him. Keep arms high, to avoid beig blocked by the defeder, as well as to have a chace to swim over him. Variatios The defeders block-out aggressively.

247 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills WAR-ON-THE BOARD DRILL The aim of the war-o-the board drill is to practice offesive reboudig while movig aroud the lae, guarded by aggressive defeders. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill Five offesive players, with oe ball, are set aroud the lae, covered by five defeders. The offesive player with the 240 ball passes it to oe teammate, ad the rus i the opposite directio of the pass ad is replaced i the positio he left. After a miimum of three passes or more, the offesive player who receives FIGURE 12.4 the ball, shoots, ad all te players go to the reboud, as show i Figure If the offesive players get the reboud, they try to score, ad they get 1 poit for the offesive reboud ad aother poit if they score. If the defeders grab the reboud, they get 1 poit. The first team that reaches 11 poits wis, ad the other team rus sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Assume that every shot is missed, ad move aggressively to get the reboud. Start to move as soo as the the ball is released from the had of the teammate who has shot. Try to aticipate where the ball will bouce off the rim or the backboard.

248 Reboudig Drills Teach the players where the ball could drop, based o which spot of the court the shot is made ad the height of the arc of the ball. Variatios The coach, set behid the baselie, raisig oe had, will give the offesive players the sigal to shoot. IN-THE-WOOD DRILL The aim i-the-wood drill is to practice goig to the offesive reboud, while avoidig obstacles ear ad iside the three-secod lae. Equipmet 2 balls 14 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches 241 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of five or more players, oe group i each half-court set all aroud ad outside of the three-poit lie, with a coach iside the three-poit lie holdig a ball. Seve or more chairs are set radomly iside ad aroud the three-poit lae. Each player is umbered 1 to 5. As the coach shoots the ball, he also calls oe umber, ad the player with FIGURE 12.5

249 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills that umber, 2 i this case, sprits to grab the reboud, ruig i betwee the chairs. He gets the ball, ad passes it to the coach, who shoots agai, ad calls aother umber, as show i Figure The drill is ru util all the players go to the reboud four times, or for a certai set time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Watch the arc of the ball, but use peripheral visio to avoid the chairs. Go aggressively to the reboud as if i a game. Variatios The players jog aroud the three-poit lie before spritig to the reboud. HALF-WHEEL DRILL 242 The aim of the half-wheel drill is to get the players used to goig to the offesive reboud while movig, as the defeders block them out. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups of six players each, oe o each half-court. Each group is split with three defesive ad three offesive players, ad oe ball. Oe pair of players is set i the middle of the half-court, ad the other two i the left ad right wig spots. A coach is i the corer. Player 2 dribbles toward oe of the wigs, 1 i this case, ad the he makes a had-off pass to 1, who is goig toward him. The, the same had-off pass is

250 Reboudig Drills made betwee 1 ad 3. The three players cotiue to make a dribblig halfwheel, always watchig the coach, as show i Figure Whe the coach raises oe had, the player with the ball shoots right away, ad all six players go to the reboud with the defeders, who blockout the offesive players. If the defese gets the reboud, they get 1 poit, if the offese gets the reboud ad score, FIGURE 12.6 they get 2 poits. The group who reaches a certai score first wis, ad the losers ru sprits. Details to Teach ad Uderlie This is a cotest, but ru uder game coditios so the offesive ad the players must ot cheat, shootig bricks i order to ru more quickly to the reboud, or blockig out, pushig ad shovig. 243 Variatios At the coach s commad, the player with the ball passes it to the coach, who shoots, ad the all six players go to the reboud. ONE-ON-TWO DRILL The aim of the oe-o-two drill is to work uder game coditios to get the offesive reboud ad score. Equipmet 1 ball

251 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito three groups of three players per group. Oe group is set i the middle of the half-court, oe o the left- ad oe o the rightwig spots, while a coach with the ball is o the perimeter. The coach shoots the ball, purposely misses the shot, ad the first player of FIGURE 12.7 each group goes to the reboud. The player who grabs the reboud shoots, while 244 the other two become the defeders ad try to stop the offesive player from scorig without committig a foul, as show i Figure 12.7 The three groups compete agaist each other, ad the first group who scores three baskets wis. The losers must ru sprits. If the defeders foul o the shooter, the shooter makes oe free-throw, ad, if he scores, he gets 1 poit. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Oce gettig the reboud, do t brig the ball dow, but jump back quickly with arms exteded, ad shoot immediately. If it is impossible to shoot immediately after the reboud, protect the ball with two hads o it ad do t brig it below the chest. Keep a wide ad strog stace to avoid beig pushed away. Variatios The coach passes the ball to oe of the players, who shoots, ad the he goes to the reboud with the other two players ivolved.

252 Reboudig Drills PASS-AND-SHOOT DRILL The aim of the pass ad shoot drill is to work o goig to the offesive reboud from the strog- ad weak-side of the court. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of four players, ad the drill is ru o both half-courts. Two players from each 245 group are the defeders ad are set at FIGURE 12.8 the low-post positios, o the left ad right side. Two offesive players are set outside of the three-secod lae ear the corers of the free-throw area, while a coach is uder the basket with a ball. The coach passes the ball to oe of the offesive players, who shoots ad purposely misses the basket. The two offesive players go to the reboud, ad the two defeders block-out, as show i Figure The actio eds after a shot is made by the offesive players, or if the defeders grab the reboud. The, the defeders become the offesive players, ad the offesive players go to the ed of the defeders lie, ad two ew defeders step i. The drill is ru for a certai amout of made baskets or for a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do ot go straight to the basket, but fake to go i oe directio ad the move i the opposite directio.

253 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Whe fakig, try to avoid physical cotact with the defeder, i order to beat him o a move. Keep the arms high to avoid beig blocked by the defeder, as well as havig a chace to swim over him. If blocked-out, use reverse, ad swim with the arms i order to go over the defeder. Do ot push the defeder o his back, but istead use his back as a pivot, leaig o him with a shoulder, ad the rotatig. Variatios The drill starts with the ball i the hads of oe of the two offesive players, ad they pass the ball to each other, while the defeders slide from the strog to the weak positios. Whe the coach raises oe had, the offesive player with the ball shoots, ad the drill is ru i the same way. 246 STRIP-THE-BALL DRILL The aim of the strip-the-ball drill is to work o gettig the offesive reboud ad puttig the ball back, while a defeder tries to strip the ball away from the hads of the rebouder. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of three players ad the drill is ru o both halfcourts. Oe player with the ball, 1, is set ear the free-throw area, oe player, 2,

254 Reboudig Drills is the rebouder ad faces 1, while oe defeder, 3, is set uder the basket. Player 1 tosses the ball to the backboard, 2 turs ad goes aggressively to grab the reboud, while 3 tries to strip the ball from the hads of 2, who must protect the ball ad shoot right away, with a duk or a power move, as show i Figure Details to Teach ad Uderlie Whe ladig o the floor, the rebouder must protect the ball by holdig it with oe had below ad the other had over top. Oce gettig the reboud, do t brig the ball dow, but jump back FIGURE 12.9 quickly with the arms exteded, ad 247 shoot right away. If it is impossible to shoot immediately after the reboud, protect the ball the ball with two hads o it. Do t brig it below the chest ad, whe ready, make a power shot. Variatios The defeder plays a aggressive defese. FOUR-ON-THREE DRILL The aim of the four-o-three drill is to practice beatig the defeders while they are blockig-out away from the ball, ad grabbig the offesive reboud. Equipmet 2 balls

255 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Persoel The etire team Two coaches How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe i each half-court. Each group is divided ito four offesive players set aroud the perimeter, ad three defeders set iside the three-secod lae. A coach is outside of the court at the baselie uder the basket, with oe ball. The coach passes the ball to oe of FIGURE the offesive players, to 1 i this case, who makes a jump shot, ad stads there. Immediately, the three defeders sprit out of the lae ad block-out the offesive players, who go to the offesive reboud, as show i Figure If oe of the offesive players grabs the reboud, he tries to score agaist the three defeders. If the offesive rebouder scores, the defese will play agai agaist the same three players. However, if the defeders get the reboud, they go o offese, ad vice versa. The drill is ru util oe of the two groups ivolved grab three rebouds, or after a set amout of time. If the players do ot reach this goal, the aother group of players steps i. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do t go straight to the basket, but fake to go i oe directio, ad the move i the opposite directio. Whe fakig, try to avoid physical cotact with the defeder i order to beat him o a move.

256 Reboudig Drills If blocked-out, use reverse, ad swim with the arms i order to go over the defeder. Do t push the defeder o his back, but istead use his back as a pivot, leaig o him with the shoulder, ad the rotatig. Variatios Add aother defeder, set outside of the court ear the baselie, who sprits to cover the shooter. DOUBLE-DIGIT DRILL The aim of the double-digit drill is to work o the reactio of the offesive players, who try to beat the defeders to the reboud. Equipmet 2 balls Persoel The etire team Two coaches 249 How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe i each half-court. Each group is divided ito five offesive players, umbered from 1 to 5 ad set aroud the perimeter, ad two defeders set iside the three-secod lae. A coach is o the perimeter, ad a ball is set o the floor uder the basket. The coach calls a two-digit umber, FIGURE 12.11

257 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 25, i this case. Players 2 ad 5 sprit to the rim to grab the ball uder the basket, while the two defeders block-out, as show i Figure If the offesive players touch or grab the ball, they stay o offese, but, if the defeders block-out the offesive players for three secods ad stop them to get or touch the ball, they go o offese ad vice versa. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Do t go straight to the basket, but istead fake to go i oe directio, ad the move i the opposite directio. Whe fakig, try to avoid physical cotact with the defeder i order to beat him o a move. If blocked out, use reverse, ad swim with the arms i order to go over the defeder. Do t push the defeder o his back, but use his back as a pivot, leaig o 250 him with the shoulder ad the rotatig. Variatios The coach with a ball calls the two-digit umber ad shoots. TOUCH-THE-CHAIR DRILL The aim of the touch-the-chair drill is to practice the reboud ad outlet pass. Equipmet 2 balls 4 chairs Persoel The etire team Two coaches

258 Reboudig Drills How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two groups, oe i each half-court. Each group is divided i pairs, oe pair of players uder the basket, ad the other outside of the baselie. A coach is set i the lae, ad two chairs are set outside the threesecod lae o the left ad right wig six feet away from the lae. Player 1 tosses the ball to the backboard, while, at the same time, player 2 FIGURE sprits to the chair o the right, touches it, ad turs to the rebouder to receive the outlet pass from 1. Player 2 passes the ball to the coach, who tosses the ball to the backboard, while 2 sprits back to grab the reboud ad makes a outlet pass to 1, who has sprited to the chair, touched it, ad has tured to the rebouder to receive the outlet pass from 2, as show i Figure Each pair of players ru the drill for a certai amout of time, ad the aother pair of players step o the court ad ru the drill. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Move aggressively to the reboud as if i a game. Whe ladig o the floor, the rebouder must protect the ball by holdig it with oe had below ad the other had over top. Immediately tur the head toward the receiver, with the feet poitig toward him. Pass the ball to the receiver, who holds up two hads as a target. While turig to receive the outlet pass, the receiver must have his back tured to the baselie, ot to the sidelie, i order to see the etire court. The receiver must shouts, Ball to the rebouder.

259 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 13 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills 252 U til te years ago, the Uited Stated totally domiated basketball, from the top to the youth iteratioal level competitios. The the rest of the world started to close the gap. This was partially due to the fact that the U.S. coaches ad players spet less time workig o fudametals ad team play i favor of tactics ad physical skills, such as jumpig ad speed. I the rest of the world, accuracy i teachig the basics of the game, as well as practicig them, was ad still is cosidered a priority. Now the tables have tured agai i the Uited States, ad foreig coaches are see differetly, ad they are appreciated ad studied. I this last chapter of the book, we asked some iteratioal coaches to preset their favorite offesive drills. Here are a few examples of how ad why they work o a particular fudametal.

260 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills After readig this chapter, may of you will say, I kow this drill, ad I adopted it a log time ago! What s ew? As we wrote at the begiig of this book, do ot thik these drills are magic tricks that will be able to chage a ormal player ito a superstar. We thik the message they, ad we, would like to give is that simplicity is the keystoe of a drill, ad the repetitios ad correctios are the real secrets. If the followig coaches are so successful, aside from the fact that they had good players o their teams, it is because they worked hard at teachig ad practicig the basics of the game, oe of the secrets of a successful coach. A fial ote: I this chapter you ll fid the favorite drills of two Italia coaches. Please, do ot thik that, moved by patriotism, I icluded these two coaches, Ettore Messia ad Sergio Scariolo, from my coutry. This was oly dictated by the fact that these two coaches are ow more iteratioal, tha others, have wo competitios i every coutry i which they coached. I fact, some experts predict that oe, or both of them, could be the first foreig coach i the NBA. 253 ETTORE MESSINA S ONE-ON-ONE DRILL Ettore Messia (Italy) is the head coach of the Spaish Club of Real Madrid. As a club coach, he wo four Italia champioships, three with Virtus Bologa ad oe with Beetto Treviso, ad four Russia titles with CSKA Moscow. I the Europea competitios, he wo four Euroleague titles, the top Europea champioship for clubs two with Virtus Bologa ad two with CSKA Moscow, ad oe Saporta Cup with Virtus Bologa. As the coach of the Italia Natioal Me s Team, he wo a gold medal at the Mediterraea Games, ad silver medals at both the Europea Champioships ad the Goodwill Games. The aim of the oe-o-oe drill is to work i a game situatio oe-o-oe ad o the metal trasitio from offese to defese.

261 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Equipmet 1 ball Persoel Six Players How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito groups of five players each who work o the two halfcourts. Each group is set i this way: two players, with a ball each, are i the middle of the court, oe defeder ad oe offesive player o the right-wig spot, i this case, ad oe player o the left-wig spot. 254 The offesive player 1 makes a V cut, or aother move to get ope, ad receives the ball from 2, while X1 plays a aggressive defese o 1. Player 1 attacks the basket ad tries to beat X1, as show i Figure 13.1a. Either o the made or missed shot, X1 grabs the ball ad passes it to 3, the player i the FIGURE 13.1a FIGURE 13.1b middle of the court. Immediately after the shot, 1 rus to the opposite wig spot ad plays defese o the offesive player o the left wig, as show i Figure 13.1b. Player 3 passes the ball to the player o the left wig, who plays oe-o-oe with 1. This is the rotatio: the passer, 2, becomes the offesive player, the defesive player, X1, makes the pass to the lie i the middle of the court ad goes to the ed of this lie, ad the offesive player, 1, becomes the defeder o the opposite wig. The drill is ru with the same patter util all five players have

262 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills played oe-o-oe, ad eds after a certai umber of oe-o-oes of each player or after a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Be precise o every detail, both o offese ad defese. Give the offesive player oly few secods to to get ope. Make o more tha a couple of dribbles to beat the defeders. DIRK BAUERMANN S SKIP-PASS AND PICK-AND-ROLL DRILL Dirk Bauerma (Germay) has bee the coach of the Germa Me s Natioal Team sice He wo ie Germa me s champioships, seve with Leverkuse ad two with Bamberg, ad also was the head coach i the Belgia top divisio with Ostede, ad i the Greek top divisio with Patras. At the helm of the Germa Natioal Team, he wo the silver medal at the Europea Champioship i The aim of the skip-pass ad pick-ad-roll drill is to teach the fudametals of the pick-ad-roll ad all its differet offesive optios. Equipmet 1 ball per player Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito two lies of iside ad perimeter players, both o the same side of the court. The iside players, each with a ball, are lied up at the low-post spot, ad the perimeter players, each with the ball, at the wig spot. A

263 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills coach is set o the opposite wig spot, o the right, i this case. The first player o the iside players lie, 4, makes a skip-pass to the coach ad rus to make a pick for the perimeter player, 2, who dribbles aroud the pick. Right after the pick, the iside player rolls to the basket, receives a bouce-pass from the perimeter player, ad shoots. After the pass to the iside player, the perimeter FIGURE 13.2 player goes toward the coach, receives the ball, ad shoots a jump shot, as show i Figure After four miutes or after a certai umber of made shots, the perimeter 256 player makes a jump shot comig off the pick, while the iside player, who has rolled to the basket, receives the ball from the coach ad shoots uder the basket. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Teach the iside players to roll properly to the basket. The perimeter player must dribble over the pick, brushig his shoulder with the shoulder of the picker. The bouce-pass must be hard, so the perimeter player ca easily catch the ball. Variatio The two offesive players ru differet shootig optios, such as poppig-out, slippig the pick, ad so o.

264 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills SARUNAS MARCIULIONIS S THREE-LINE SHOOTING DRILL Saruas Marciuliois (Lithuaia) was oe of the first foreig players to play i the NBA. I 1992, after a good career with Golde State, Seattle, Sacrameto, ad Dever, as well as with the Russia Natioal Team, he established the Marciuliois Basketball School, i Vilius, Lithuaia, where youg players could work to improve their basketball skills. May top Lithuaia players have come out of this istitute to play i differet foreig champioships. The aim of the three-lie shootig drill is to improve shootig uder defesive pressure ad i a cotest. Equipmet 3 balls Persoel Nie players 257 How to Ru the Drill The players are divided ito three squads of three players, oe set i the middle of the court, oe i the left corer, ad oe i the right. Each squad has a ball. The drill starts with players 1 of each squad uder the basket, each with a ball. Player 1 passes the ball to his teammate, 2, follows the pass, ad harasses the shooter, as show i Figure 13.3a. The shooter, 2, goes to the FIGURE 13.3a FIGURE 13.3b

265 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills reboud ad passes to player 3 o his lie ad rus to harass him while he is shootig. The player 1 of each squad goes to the ed of the lie, as show i Figure 13.3b. Each player calls out the umber of his made shots. Each squad competes agaist the other two, ad each player competes agaist the other two teammates o the same squad. The drill eds after a certai umber of made shots or a set amout of time. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Be ready to shoot immediately after receivig the ball, with kees bet, the feet poited to the basket, ad the hads at chi level. Whe shootig, keep the elbow aliged with the shoulder ad follow through with the shot. 258 Variatio The players make oe or two dribbles or take a step-back before shootig. SERGIO SCARIOLO S DOUBLE -SHOT HIGH PICK-AND-ROLL DRILL Sergio Scariolo (Italy) is the head coach of the Spaish Me s Natioal Team ad of the Russia Club Team, Khimki Moscow. He wo a Italia top league title with Pesaro ad two Spaish top league titles, oe with Real Madrid ad oe with Malaga. With the Italia Armed Force Natioal Team, he wo the World Armed Forces Champioship. The aim of the double -shot high pick-ad-roll drill is to practice a offesive play that we use a lot durig the course of the game, workig o the picker ad picked player s shots.

266 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills Equipmet 1 ball for each perimeter player 1 ball for the coach Persoel The etire team A coach How to Ru the Drill The players are divided ito two groups, oe group of perimeter players, each with a ball i the middle of the court, ad oe of iside players uder the basket. A coach with a ball is set at the free-throw lie extesio. The drill starts with a iside player, 5, outside of the three-poit lie, who picks-ad-rolls for player 1. Right after the pick, aother oe o the iside player lie, X5, steps ito the court ad sets himself ear the basket, actig as a defeder agaist 5, who has rolled to the basket ad received the pass. Player FIGURE 13.4a FIGURE 13.4b 5 goes to the basket with a power move, as show i Figure 13.4a. Right after the pass to 5, 1 rus to the middle of the court to receive the ball from the coach ad shoot a three-poiter, as show i Figure 13.4b. This is the rotatio: X5, the defeder o 5, gets the reboud, passes the ball to the coach, ad rus outside of the three-poit lie, i order to play a pickad-roll with the ext player i the group i the middle of the court, ad 1 gets his ow reboud, ad goes to the ed of his lie. 259

267 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Details to Teach ad Uderlie Make a couple of dribbles to set up the pick. Teach the picker to assume a wide stace ad roll, pivotig i the proper way. While turig aroud the pick, the ball hadler must brush the shoulder of the picker. Variatio We work o the same drill, but ow as a pick-ad-pop optio. DUSAN IVKOVIC S FOUR-ON-FOUR SHELL DRILL Dusa Ivkovic (Serbia) is the head coach of the Serbia Me s Natioal Team. At the top level club, he wo a Yugoslavia title with Partiza Belgrade, two Greek titles, oe with Paok Athes ad oe with Olympiacos Athes, ad three 260 Russia titles with CSKA Moscow. At the Europea club competitios, he wo a Euroleague with Olympiacos, a Saporta Cup with AEK Athes, a Korac Cup with Partiza Belgrade, ad a ULEB Cup with Dyamo Moscow. At the helm of the Yugoslavia Me s Natioal Team, he wo a gold at the FIBA World Champioship ad three gold medals ad oe silver medal at the FIBA EuroBasket Champioships. The aim of the four-o-four shell drill is to work o spacig ad o fidig the best offesive solutios after a dribble peetratio ad a pass to the low post. Equipmet 1 ball Persoel Eight players

268 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills How to Ru the Drill Four players are o offese, two o the left- ad right-wig spots, ad two o the left ad right corers, ad four defeders are matched up with the four offesive players. Oe of the offesive players, 1, has a ball ad starts to pass to oe of his teammate, 2, i this case. The, 2 passes to aother teammate, 4, i this case, as show i Figure 13.5a. FIGURE 13.5a After a certai umber of passes, miimum three or at the coach s commad, the player with the ball, 3, i this case, peetrates i the lae from the wig positio. Based o the reactio of the defeder, X1, o the help side, the ball hadler, 3, will decide which is the best offesive solutio: to pass to 1, to 2, or to 4, as show i Figure 13.5b. FIGURE 13.5b 261 Now the offesive players pass the ball ad scree each other. Player 5, i this case, passes the ball to 4 ad screes for 3, the player 4 passes to 3 ad screes for 2, as show i Figure 13.5c. At some poit, after a certai umbers of screes or at the coach s commad, the ball is passed from the wig, 3, i this case, to the low-post, 5, who peetrates. He ca peetrate alog the baselie or i the middle of the three-secod lae, ad he will decide the best solutio, based o the reactio of the defeders. If he

269 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills FIGURE 13.5c FIGURE 13.5d 262 FIGURE 13.5e peetrates o the baselie, he ca pass to 4 or 2, who has spotted up, as show i Figure 13.5d. If he peetrates i the middle of the lae, he ca pass to 2 ad 2 to 4, or also to 3, if X3 jams the lae, as i Figure 13.5e. JOSÉ VICENTE PEPU HERNANDEZ S OUTLET PASS WAVE DRILL After eleve seasos as head coach with Estudiates Madrid, oe of the best Spaish league clubs, José Vicete Pepu Heradez (Spai), guided the Spaish Me s Natioal Team to a gold medal at the FIBA World Champioships i 2006, ad to a silver medal at the FIBA EuroBasket i 2007.

270 Iteratioal Coaches Top Drills The aim of the outlet pass wave drill is to practice the outlet pass to start the fast break, as well as to improve coditioig, Equipmet 1 ball Persoel Twelve players How to Ru the Drill The team is divided ito three groups of four players. Two players, each with a ball, are set i the middle of the court, ad two players are ear the threesecod lae oe o the left side ad the other o the right. Player 1 passes the ball to 3, who has popped out of the three-poit lie, the cuts i the lae, ad receives the ball back from 3, as show i Figure 13.6a. 263 Player 1 tosses the ball to the backboard, grabs the reboud, ad passes agai to 3, who has ru to the corer. The 1 sets himself ear the lae. At the same time, 2, the secod player i the middle of the court, goes to right-wig spot, receives from 3, ad passes the ball to 4, who popped out to the three-poit lie. After the pass to 4, 2 goes high to the wig spot, as show i Figure 13.6b. After the pass to 4, 2 cuts i the lae, receives the ball from 4, tosses it o the backboard, grabs the reboud, ad passes agai to 4, who has ru to the corer. The 2 sets himself ear the lae, as show i Figure 13.6c. The FIGURE 13.6a

271 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills drill cotiues i the same way, ad is ru for 20 to 40 secods, because it requires high itesity. The, aother four players step i. Details to Teach ad Uderlie Execute all the passes, cuts, ad rebouds with extreme accuracy. Request perfect coordiatio from all the players. The receiver must always show his had as a target for the passer. Cut to the spot to receive the ball at the proper time, ot too early or too 264 late. Pass very quickly after grabbig the reboud. FIGURE 13.6b Variatio At a certai poit at the coach s commad, the four players ru the fast break ad score o the opposite basket. FIGURE 13.6c

272 Ackowledgmets I love basketball! After forty years of basketball played (at a very low level i my home tow of Cremoa, Italy); coachig at the youth ad Divisio II level, after havig orgaized ad atteded may basketball camps ad cliics all over the world, after havig writte four techical books o basketball published i the Uited States ad Italy, ad after havig watched a few thousad games, i perso ad o televisio, I still fid basketball to be fasciatig. Basketball is a mix of power, fiesse, itelligece, team play, quickess, ad may other aspects that I fid i o other team sport. The perfectly executed fudametals, the differet offeses ad defeses, the excitig fast breaks, the thuderig duks ad blocked shots, the deft assists, ad the fial shot that beats the buzzer have all bee a big part of my life. Whe people ask me what I do for a livig, I tell them that I was lucky to have falle i love may years ago with this woderful game ad the basketball gave me a professio. I started out years ago ad cotiue today as a jouralist coverig basketball aroud the world. Later, I bega workig i sports marketig, helpig to orgaize basketball touramets, camps, ad cliics. This book would ot have bee possible without the experiece ad assistace of may people, but if I were to ame them all I would fill more pages tha I have bee allotted. I especially wat to thak two basketball experts who are o loger with us. Chuck Daly, the legedary NBA ad Dream Team coach, first itroduced me to the college game may years ago, ad the brought me ito the ier sactum whe he became a NBA head coach. Claudio Papii was aother metor, a fatastic teacher of fudametals, ad had he ever coached at the high school level i the Uited States he would have bee oe of the very best. May thaks to former college ad NBA stadout coaches, icludig Lou Caresecca, Bob Zuffelato, Dea Smith, Mike Fratello, Jack Ramsay, ad Hubie Brow, a ubelievable teacher of basketball fudametals. Whe it comes to active coaches, there are may who gave advice ad their favorite drills. I ackowledge with deep gratitude the wizards-of-the-chairs drills, Kevi Sutto, head coach of Motverde Academy, ad assistat coach of the U.S. Uder 16 Me s Natioal Team, ad Kevi Eastma, assistat coach of the Bosto Celtics ad a great propoet of fudametals. Thaks also to Raphael Chillious, assistat coach of Washigto Uiversity, Gao Baker, a ubelievable demostrator of fudametals, ad Steve Smith of Oak Hill Academy, oe of the best high school coaches i the Uited States. Goig iteratioal, I wat to thak Ettore Messia, Sergio Scariolo, ad Carlo Recalcati, all great Italia coaches; Mocho Mosalve from Spai, as well as all the other iteratioal (ad America) coaches I had the privilege to talk to ad watch as they ra their practice sessios over the years. They have ispired ad istructed me, ad I will ever forget that. A special thaks Ro Martirao of McGraw-Hill, who trusted ad supported me 265

273 The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills throughout this project; to Lisa Cavallii, the creative art director of this book, who has worked with me for a decade at Gigati del Basket, the Italia techical basketball magazie, ad FIBA Assist, the official techical magazie of the Iteratioal Basketball Federatio; Raffaele Imbrogo, the kig of basketball diagrams; ad Gastoe Marchesi ad Filippo Arduio, who also greatly helped me with this project. I give a special thaks to the sport of basketball, which has provided so much fu, excitemet, ad a way of life. But most of all, I owe a millio thaks to my precious poit guard, Orella, who is my secod, sorry, my first true love. 266 about the author Giorgio Gadolfi is the editor-i-chief of FIBA Assist, the techical magazie of FIBA, the Iteratioal Basketball Federatio, ad of Gigati del Basket, the Italia basketball magazie for coaches. He has bee a member of the Italia Basketball Coaches Associatio sice 1974 ad he was a Europea cosultat for the Natioal Basketball Coaches Associatio. He coached at the youth level ad was assistat coach at Divisio II ad III. He ra the first ever NBA camp i Europe, ad also orgaizes camps ad cliics i Italy. While workig o promotio ad evets with Coverse Europe, he orgaized camps ad cliics all over the Europe, i Chia ad Argetia. He is the author of three techical basketball books i the US: NBA Coaches Hadbook ad NBA Coaches Playbook, both with the NBA Coaches Associatio, ad Hoops The Official Natioal Players Associatio Guide for Playig Basketball, with the NBA Players Associatio. He also published four books o basketball i Italy. Photo by Ricciardo Cecchi