KEYS: In the offseason and pre-season, perform this workout four times per week until you're ready for the main program THE YOUTH WORKOUT During your season, perform this workout twice per week Do not rest between drills. Use the designated free throws as rest 1. Warmup 5 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 2. Ball Taps x 5 trips down and up - Hold the ball high above your head, rapidly tapping it between your hands, using only your fingertips - Continue tapping while moving the ball downwards until your arms are straight down in front of your body - Perform 5 trips all the way down and then all the way back up above your head
2 3. Ball Squeezes x 30 (15 each hand) - Hold the ball high above your head in one hand, before squeezing it through your fingertips into the other hand - Rhythmically "squeeze" the ball out of your fingertips back and forth as quickly as you can - Perform 15 squeezes per hand for a total of 30 repetitions 4. Ball Slaps x 30 (15 each hand) - Hold the ball in one hand while slapping it as hard as you can with the other hand. Alternate between hands - Slap the ball using your full hand: Your palms and fingertips - Perform 15 slaps per hand for a total of 30 repetitions 5. Full Body Ball Wraps x 5 trips down and up - Wrap the ball around your head, then your waist, then your ankles, before moving back up your body again - Emphasize speed, going as fast as you possibly can. TRY to make yourself lose the ball! - Perform 5 trips down and then back up your body
3 6. 2 Ball Pounds x 50 - In a low, athletic stance, pound-dribble two balls at the same time as hard and fast as you can - Emphasize dribble-power and speed, while keeping the two balls perfectly in sync with each other - Continue for 50 pound dribbles 7. 2 Ball Pistons x 50 dribbles each hand - In a low, athletic stance, pound-dribble two balls, alternating between each ball, as hard and fast as you can - Emphasize dribble-power and speed, while keeping the two basketballs alternating - Continue for 50 pound dribbles each hand 8. Repeat Crossovers x 50 total - In a low, athletic stance, cross the ball from hand to hand as hard and fast as you can - Push yourself to make every crossover as hard and fast as possible, even going so hard that you lose the ball - Continue until you've performed 50 total crossovers (each hand will touch the ball 25 times)
4 9. Repeat 1-Crosses x 50 total - In a low, athletic stance, perform one hard pound dribble before crossing the ball to your other hand, and repeating the 1-cross sequence - Push yourself to make every 1-cross as hard and fast as possible, even going so hard that you lose the ball - Continue until you've performed 50 total 1crosses (each hand will perform 25 1-crosses) 10. Repeat TapCrosses x 50 total - In a low, athletic stance, perform a quick tapdribble before crossing the ball over to the other hand and repeating the tap-cross sequence - Push yourself to go as fast as possible, making the taps as low to the ground as possible before crossing over as quickly as you can - Continue until you've performed 50 total tap-crosses (each hand will tap-cross 25 times) 11. Repeat SideCrosses x 25 each side - In a low, athletic stance, cross the ball front to back on one side of your body using only one hand - Push yourself to cross the ball as hard and fast as possible, even going so hard that you lose the ball - Continue until you've performed 25 total on each side of your body, with each hand contact counting as one repetition
5 12. Repeat FrontCrosses x 25 each side - In a low, athletic stance, cross the ball from side to side in front of your body, using only one hand - Push yourself to cross the ball as hard as fast as possible, even going so hard that you lose the ball - Continue until you've performed 25 total in each hand, with each hand contact counting as one repetition 13. Figure 8's x 10 trips in each direction - In a low, spread-leg stance, tap-dribble the ball around one leg then the other to form a figure-8 motion - Push yourself to tap the ball as low to the ground as possible while making each figure-8 as quick as possible - Continue until you've performed 10 figure-8 trips in each direction, forwards and backwards 14. Finger By Finger Taps x 90 seconds freestyle - In a lunge position on the ground, tap-dribble the ball from hand to hand using only one finger at a time - Mix up positions over the course of 90 seconds, using only one finger at a time, the sides of your hands, the backs of your hands, your fists, and your thumbs - Be creative and create your own finger-byfinger combinations. Perform 90 seconds of this drill in any combination you like
6 15. Lateral Hot Potato x 30 total hand-contacts - In a low, spread-leg stance, quickly tap the ball with both hands, before laterally switching your hands from front to back before the ball can touch the ground - Emphasize hand speed while rhythmically repeating the sequence as fast as possible, without ever letting the ball touch the ground - Continue as fast as you can for 30 total hand-contacts 16. Vertical Hot Potato x 30 total hand-contacts - In a low, spread-leg stance, quickly tap the ball with both hands, before vertically switching your hands from front to back before the ball can touch the ground - Emphasize hand speed while rhythmically repeating the sequence as fast as possible, without ever letting the ball touch the ground - Continue as fast as you can for 30 total hand-contacts 17. Back Tosses x 15 total tosses - Toss the ball above your head with both hands, before catching it behind your back with both hands - Emphasize building a "connection" between your hands and the ball without looking at it. Progressively toss the ball higher and higher above your head - Continue until you've performed 15 total back tosses. Count attempts, not catches
7 18. 1 Hand Form Shooting x 5 makes at each spot (right baseline, front, left baseline) - Stand in place 5 feet from the hoop, holding the ball in front of you in one hand. Drop the ball in front of you, before squatting down to catch it and moving smoothly into a one-handed set shot * Count makes, not takes - Keep the balls of your feet on the ground for the entire shot, and emphasize keeping your shot "smooth" with no hitch at the top - Continue until you have made 5 one-handed form shots on the right baseline, in front of the rim, and on the left baseline 19. 2 Hand Backboard Bounce Shots x 20 - Stand in place on the baseline in front of the side of the backboard, and shoot the ball so that it hits the flat side of the backboard - Emphasize shooting the ball so that it hits flat against the side, and rebounds right back to you. * Count takes, not perfect shots If you shoot it too far to the left or right, it will hit the edge of the backboard and bounce back to you on an angle - Continue until you've performed 20 backboard bounce shots 20. The Finishing Complex - Make two forward Mikan layups with each hand, then two reverse Mikan layups in each hand, then two one-dribble cross-layups each hand, then two inside-hand layups each hand, then two baby hooks each hand, then two baby banks each hand, then two floaters each side of the key with your strong hand only * Count makes, not takes. Gloves can be worn to make the drill more difficult - Rhythmically move through the full process, with no rest between shots
8-25 Free Throws - 21. 5 x 10 Shooting - Shoot two 15 foot spot up jumpers, then two 15 foot one-dribble pull up jumpers, then two one-step 15 foot jumpers, then two catch-turn 15 foot jumpers, then two spot up 3's - Perform this 14-shot sequence on the right baseline, the right wing, the top of the key, the left wing, and the left baseline, with no rest in between shots or spots * Count takes, not makes - 25 Free Throws - 22. Line To Line Slides x 3 sets of 30 touches. Shoot 10 free throws for rest between sets - Start on one side of the key, with both feet outside the lane. Slide laterally as quickly as you can until both feet have crossed over the opposite line, then slide back and repeat - Emphasize being as low as possible, keeping your hands moving as they would on defense, and pushing off the line as hard as possible on each slide - Continue until you've touched each side of the lane 30 times. Shoot 10 free throws for rest in between each set, and perform 3 sets.
9-50 Free Throws - 23. Scrimmage x 20 minutes - Play either one on one, two on two, three on three. or four on four - Always try to play half court if possible, to avoid overtraining - If you don't have partners, play "shadow ball" where you visualize a defender guarding you - 50 Free Throws - 24. Jump Rope Circuit 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 6
9 25. Cooldown 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8