How to have a good basketball practice

3 Basketball Practice Plans for All Age Groups (7

“Players win games. Coaches win practices”.

Practices are the time coaches have the biggest opportunity to impact the basketball skills of a player…

However, I constantly attend practices that are inefficiently run.

The coach spends half of practice trying to work out what drill to run next.

All coaches should be spending the majority of their time encouraging and providing feedback to their players… not working out what the next drill is going to be.

How do coaches fix this and make practices more efficient?

Create a basketball practice plan.

Two of the greatest coaches of all time knew how important a practice plan was…

“I always designed my practice plans the night before and then made tweaks a few hours before practice began” – Bobby Knight

“I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day” – John Wooden

Having a plan for each practice is absolutely essential.

Here is how to do it:

At Basketball For Coaches, we break down a typical practice into 5 sections…

1. Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement
2. Skill Work
3. Team Strategies
4. Scrimmage/Small Sided Games
5. Cool Down

First, let’s discuss each section in more detail.

Later on we’ll break down how long you should spend on each of the sections.

And then I’ll share 3 complete practice plans that you can print off and use with your team.

This section of practice cannot be skipped.

Most youth teams perform a 2-minute warm-up before moving immediately on to other sections of practice.

When I watch youth basketball games, it becomes quickly apparent that the best players have fantastic:

• Balance
• Coordination
• Change of Speed
• Change of Direction

The players who struggle haven’t learned how to control their bodies yet.

It’s extremely important to help players establish an athletic foundation. With this foundation in place, it becomes much easier to learn new basketball skills as they progress.

This section of practice will help your players with much more than their basketball skills. It will help prevent injuries and will help them in all sports and movements of life, because as we all know, players shouldn’t be specializing solely in basketball at a young age.

Here are a few examples of body movement and coordination movements you need to incorporate into your dynamic warm-up.

• Jogging
• Sprinting
• Backpedaling
• Sliding
• Change of Direction
• Change of Pace
• Jumping
• Landing
• Lunging
• Skipping

The bulk of a youth basketball practice should be skill work. The drills should be fun and interesting while still improving the skill of your players.

This includes drills that teach players how to perform the skill movement correctly, along with drills that assist them to learn when to use the skill.

Drills that allow the player to learn when to use the skill are commonly skipped over.

Referring to shooting, this is a great quote by Jeff Van Gundy…

“Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique” – Jeff Van Gundy

This rule goes for all skills, not just shooting…

We need to put players in positions that require them to make decisions and gain game-like experience.

A lot of coaches will show players exactly what they need to do… they’ll give fantastic instructions, and the players will eventually look brilliant at training.

Then, the players will get 
into the game and it’ll look like they’ve forgotten everything!

Why does this happen?

Because they haven’t learned to play against competition.

We need to include drills that will teach players the technique, and drills that will teach them when to do it in the game.

I recommend splitting these two types of drills up 50/50…

Dribbling Example:

5 minutes of stationary ball handling and then a game of 1v1 in the full-court. 


Shooting Example:

5 minutes of shooting form and then 1-on-1 partner close-outs with the offensive player deciding whether to shoot the ball or drive.

Passing Example:

5 minutes of form passing and then a 10 minute game of 5 vs 4 keep-away.

While I list small-sided games at the end of practice, I still use them in this section to improve individual skills while making decisions.

“Perform drills that force your players to think” – Bobby Knight

BFC TIP: At the youth level, drills should be no more than 10 minutes long. The players will start to become disinterested after that time. Keep them short and fun!

Team strategies are the least important component of a youth basketball practice.

And in my opinion, they are not necessary for players under the age of 10.

The team strategies section of training includes:

• Offense
• Defense
• Set Plays
• Special Situations

If you decide to use this section of practice with your team, dedicate only a small amount of time to it.

Too many coaches steal practice time from skill development and spend half of practice helping athletes memorize set plays.

Remember that we want to teach our players how to play basketball, not give them a couple of spots on the floor they have to run to each possession.

So, I’m not opposed to teaching team strategies… I’m just opposed to spending half of your valuable practice time on it.

Only practice team strategy for the recommended amount of time, or less.

Scrimmages and small-sided games are very important to include in every basketball practice plan.

What’s the point in your players learning how to do a crossover with great technique if they don’t understand when to use it in a game?

Technique is important, of course… but allowing kids to practice when to use it is just as important.

This doesn’t mean letting them loose in a 5-on-5 game every practice…

Most of the game-play in a youth practice should be “small-sided”.

Small-Sided Games (SSG’s) have fewer participants on each team than a normal game. (1v1, 2v1, 3v3, etc.)

There are many benefits to using small-sided games with your players:

• More Touches
• More Space to Practice Moves
• More Opportunities to Score Points
• and many more

Small-sided games result in the players developing quicker and having a lot more fun!

If you have more than one ring and basketball available, play multiple small-sided games!

Another thing I love to do in scrimmages or small-sided games is incorporate rules to work on different skills.

For example, one of my favorite rules is the “no dribble” rule, which forces kids to read the play and make cuts to get open.

Without this rule, you’ll find it’s common for a youth player to take 5 or 6 dribbles with their head down before throwing a wild hook shot at the ring while 3 of their teammates stand around wide open.

The cool down section of your training should consist of a couple of minutes of slow jogging and walking up and down the court and then a few minutes of static stretching.

This allows the body to decrease in temperature and begin to flush out the waste products (lactic acid), amongst other things.

The stretching part of the cool down is a great time to talk to the players. We might talk about an upcoming game/tournament or how we felt practice went.

Now that you understand each section of practice, let’s work out how much time during practice should be dedicated to each section.

The first thing you’ll need to decide is if you’ll be implementing any team concepts like offenses, defenses, or set plays. If so, I still recommend only spending the listed amount of time on it.

If not, I recommend adding the extra minutes to skill work.

The following is how I generally divide up the minutes depending on the length of practice time you have.

60 Minutes
Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes
Skill Work – 25 minutes
Team Strategy – 10 minutes
Scrimmage/SSG – 10 minutes
Cool Down – 5 minutes

90 Minutes
Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes
Skill Work – 45 minutes
Team Strategy – 15 minutes
Scrimmage/SSG – 15 minutes
Cool Down – 5 minutes

120 Minutes
Dynamic Warm-Up/Body Movement – 10 minutes
Skill Work – 60 minutes
Team Strategy – 20 minutes
Scrimmage/SSG – 20 minutes
Cool Down – 5 minutes

This structure combines the technical learning of the skill with the practical application of the skill.

Too many practices overlook teaching players when to use skills.

3 Sample Basketball Practice Plans

7 – 10 Years Old (60 Minute Practice)

Disclaimer: This training session has been designed for a half-court, as most teams this young only have access to half the court to train on.

Practice Goal: Bringing the ball up the court against pressure.

Run each of the following to half-court and back:

1. High Knees – Bring knees to waist height while running.

2. Butt Flicks – Flick the rear with your heels as you run.

3. Grape Vine – Face side-on, step with the front leg, alternate stepping in front and behind with the rear leg.

4. High Jumps, Quiet Landing – Run forward, plant with two feet, jump as high as you can, land as quietly and softly as possible.

5. Zig Zag – Run to the right diagonal for a few steps, plant your outside foot, push off and cut to the left diagonal. Repeat.

Perform through to half-court, jog back to the baseline.

1. Lunges – Take a large step forward, keep the back upright and the hips straight, slowly drop down until your rear knee is just above the floor.

2. Squats – Take a few steps, stop with feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep the back straight, stick out the rear end, and squat down until the thighs are parallel with the ground.

3. In to Out – Take a few steps, lift right knee to waist height. Keep the hips pointing forward, and bring the knee from pointing forwards, to pointing sideways. Drop the foot back down, take a few steps, and repeat with the left knee.

4. Toe Grab – Take a few steps, put your right heel on the ground out in front of you, keeping your right leg straight. Bend down and grab onto your toe. Hold for two seconds, stand up, and repeat after a few steps with your left foot.

Run each to half court and back.

1. 50% Speed

2. 70% Speed

3. 80% Speed

4. 90% Speed

5. 95% Speed

Skill Work (10 to 35 minutes)

Setup:

Pair the players up (similar skill level). One basketball between two players. Spread out around the court.

Instructions:

1. Have the player with the ball jog and dribble in any direction. The other player acts as the defender.
2. At any moment, have the defensive player sprint and stand directly in front of the offensive player.
3. Upon this cue, the offensive player shall plant their front foot, push off it hard, and hop back to create space!
4. Have the offensive player change the direction they’re dribbling in.
5. The defensive player chases the offensive player, and steps in front of them again.
6. After 30-45 seconds, have the players switch jobs.

Coaching Points:

The defensive player isn’t trying to steal the ball, or truly pressure the offensive player! They are only there to help show the offensive player when they should be making this move. They are helping the offensive player learn.

Setup:

Pair each player with a similarly skilled teammate. Split the court into two playing with an imaginary line between the baskets (otherwise known as the split line, use cones to mark if you wish).

Instructions:

1. Starting on the baseline, the offensive player must dribble the ball across the half-court line.
2. If the defensive player steals the ball, they must give it back to the offensive player.
3. If the offensive player loses control of the ball or goes out of bounds, they must retrieve it and start again where they last had control of the ball.

Team Strategy (35 to 45 minutes)

Three Options:

• 1-4 Press Break
• Man-to-Man Defense
• 5-Out Motion

Scrimmage/SSG (45 to 55 minutes)

3-on-3 “Touchdown”

Setup:

The offense starts with the ball, out-of-bounds on the baseline. They must inbound the ball, and dribble and pass it to half court.

Instructions:

1. If the defense gets the ball, the game stops, and they become the offense.
2. The game begins again out-of-bounds on the baseline.
3. Once the offense get the ball to half court, they must place it on the ground, on the half-court line.
4. Another offensive player (who didn’t place the ball on the ground) must sprint to retrieve the ball. They then turn around and look to score on the basket.
5. Once the ball has been placed, the defensive team must all turn around and touch the baseline with their hand.

Coaching Points:

As coach, give limited feedback during the game! If you see a certain mistake three times in a row, give advice quickly, but spend most of your time observing. How they perform in this small-sided game should inform how you design your next training session!

Cool Down (55 to 60 minutes)

• Jog to the other end of the court and back.
• Walk to the other end of the court and back.
• Sit down, and do some static stretches.

The cooldown stretching gives the coach some time to have a conversation with the players about training, and potentially some quick information about the next opponent.

11 – 14 Years Old (90-Minute Practice)

Disclaimer: This training session has been designed for a full-court.

Pre-Training Talk (-15 to -10 minutes)

Before your time on the court begins, share a very clear goal for training with the players. Each training session should have a purpose. For a 90-minute training session, there is enough time to practice two “goals for training”.

Example goals:

• Passing Decision-Making
• Transition Defence

Foam Rolling (-10 to 0 minutes)

Once kids are 11 or older, I highly recommend that each player owns a foam roller for use before training.

Teenage years are renowned for growing pains, and as coaches, we can help our players by dedicating the last 10 minutes before entering the court to foam rolling.

They’re very cheap, and if a player forgets theirs, they can use their own basketball.

Roll each area for 20 seconds each:

• Glutes
• Between the back and the outside of the upper leg.
• Outside of the upper leg.
• Between the front and the outside of the upper leg.
• Front of the upper leg.
• Inside of the upper leg.
• Calf (lower leg)

Warm-Up (0 to 10 minutes)

Run each of the following to half-court and back:

1. High Knees – Bring knees to waist height while running.

2. Butt Flicks – Flick the rear with your heels as you run.

3. Grape Vine – Face side-on, step with the front leg, alternate stepping in front and behind with the rear leg.

4. High Jumps, Quiet Landing – Run forward, plant with two feet, jump as high as you can, land as quietly and softly as possible.

5. Zig Zag – Run to the right diagonal for a few steps, plant your outside foot, push off and cut to the left diagonal. Repeat.

Perform through to half-court, jog back to the baseline.

1. Lunges – Take a large step forward, keep the back upright and the hips straight, slowly drop down until your rear knee is just above the floor.

2. Squats – Take a few steps, stop with feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep the back straight, stick out the rear end, and squat down until the thighs are parallel with the ground.

3. In to Out – Take a few steps, lift right knee to waist height. Keep the hips pointing forward, and bring the knee from pointing forwards, to pointing sideways. Drop the foot back down, take a few steps, and repeat with the left knee.

4. Toe Grab – Take a few steps, put your right heel on the ground out in front of you, keeping your right leg straight. Bend down and grab onto your toe. Hold for two seconds, stand up, and repeat after a few steps with your left foot.

Run each to half court and back.

1. 50% Speed

2. 70% Speed

3. 80% Speed

4. 90% Speed

5. 95% Speed

Skill Work (10 to 55 minutes)

3v2 Around the Key (10 to 20 minutes)

Setup:

One offensive player on each block (side of the keyway), one starts behind the FT line. One defensive player starts under the front of the basket, and the other starts two steps directly in front of him.

Instructions:

1. Coach passes the ball to any of the offensive players.
2. A game is played until the offense scores or the defense has the ball (or the ball goes out of bounds)
3. Everybody chooses a new place to start, and the game begins again when the coach passes the ball.

Coaching Points:

When you’re coaching this drill, make sure to focus upon the decision making of their passing. We have clearly told the players what the goals of training are, and we must coach to that. If you give all kinds of different advice to the players, it’ll be difficult for them to take it all in.

‘Call Names’ 3v3 (20 to 35 minutes)

Setup:

Depending on numbers and space, play a 3v3 game in the full court, or two 3v3 games in each half-court.

This is a normal 3v3 game, with an extra rule to force the players to make passing decisions while they’re dribbling, not after they’ve finished dribbling.

Rule:

The ball-handler must call the name of the teammate they’re passing the ball to either (a) before passing the ball, or (b) before they pick up their dribble.

If a player passes the ball or picks up their dribble before calling the name of a teammate to pass to, it is a turnover!

1v1 Chase Down (35 to 45 minutes)

Setup:

Pair the players up into similar speed levels. The offense starts a few steps onto the court, either on the left or right side of the court. The defense starts a step or two behind.

Depending on the speed of the defensive player and the speed dribbling ability of the offensive player, you’ll need to adjust where they begin.

Instructions:

1. The coach blows his whistle, and the offense begins speed dribbling towards the basket at the opposite end.
2. The defense has to sprint and get in front of the offensive player.
3. Play until either the offense scores or the defense has the ball (or the ball goes about of bounds).

Balance the Floor 3v3 (45 to 55 minutes)

Rules:

If you’re below the free-throw line when a shot is attempted, go for the rebound!

If you’re above the free-throw line when a shot is attempted, sprint back onto safety!

When either team has the ball, it is a normal game of 3v3.

Instructions:

Once a shot is taken, the offensive players must either:

(b) Sprint back towards the half-court line if they’re above the FT line

(a) Sprint to the basket and attempt to make a rebound if they’re below the FT line.

If the defense gets the ball, the drill stops, and everybody freezes. If the offense gets the ball, they may shoot it again and continue to play.

Once the defense gets the ball (and everybody freezes), the coach can observe how the offense (who have just become defense) have ‘balanced the floor’.

Team Strategy (55 to 70 minutes)

Three Options:

• 4-Out 1-In Motion
• Run and Jump Defense
• Princeton Offense

Scrimmage/SSG (70 to 85 minutes)

Play a full-court game, with as many players as you have!

Ideally 5v5, but 4v4 or 3v3 would work too.

To help the game express the goals of training that we have been working on (passing decision-making, transition defense), we will add an extra rule.

Rule: If you shoot the ball, you must touch the baseline before rejoining the play!

This rule puts more pressure on defensive transition than a normal game, and therefore they’ll have to do a better job to be able to prevent an easy fast-break basket for the opponent.

The momentary 5v4 advantage for the offense also allows more opportunities to display their passing decision-making.

Cool Down (85-90 minutes)

• Jog to the other end of the court and back.
• Walk to the other end of the court and back.
• Sit down, and do some static stretches.

The cooldown stretching gives the coach some time to have a conversation with the players about training, and potentially some quick information about the next opponent.

15 – 18 Years Old (120-Minute Practice)

Disclaimer: This training session has been designed for a full-court.

Pre-Training Talk (-15 to -10 minutes)

Before your time on the court begins, share a very clear goal for practice with the players. Each basketball practice should have a purpose. For a 120-minute session, there is enough time to practice three ‘goals for training’.

Example Goals:

• 1v1 Finishing
• Full Court Man to Man
• Defensive Rebounding

Foam Rolling (-10 to 0 minutes)

Once kids are 11 or older, I highly recommend that each player owns a foam roller for use before training.

Teenage years are renowned for growing pains, and as coaches, we can help our players by dedicating the last 10 minutes before entering the court to foam rolling.

They’re very cheap, and if a player forgets theirs, they can use their own basketball.

Roll each area for 20 seconds each:

• Glutes
• Between the back and the outside of the upper leg.
• Outside of the upper leg.
• Between the front and the outside of the upper leg.
• Front of the upper leg.
• Inside of the upper leg.
• Calf (lower leg)

Warm-Up (0 to 10 minutes)

Run each of the following to half-court and back:

1. High Knees – Bring knees to waist height while running.

2. Butt Flicks – Flick the rear with your heels as you run.

3. Grape Vine – Face side-on, step with the front leg, alternate stepping in front and behind with the rear leg.

4. High Jumps, Quiet Landing – Run forward, plant with two feet, jump as high as you can, land as quietly and softly as possible.

5. Zig Zag – Run to the right diagonal for a few steps, plant your outside foot, push off and cut to the left diagonal. Repeat.

Perform through to half-court, jog back to the baseline.

1. Lunges – Take a large step forward, keep the back upright and the hips straight, slowly drop down until your rear knee is just above the floor.

2. Squats – Take a few steps, stop with feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep the back straight, stick out the rear end, and squat down until the thighs are parallel with the ground.

3. In to Out – Take a few steps, lift right knee to waist height. Keep the hips pointing forward, and bring the knee from pointing forwards, to pointing sideways. Drop the foot back down, take a few steps, and repeat with the left knee.

4. Toe Grab – Take a few steps, put your right heel on the ground out in front of you, keeping your right leg straight. Bend down and grab onto your toe. Hold for two seconds, stand up, and repeat after a few steps with your left foot.

Run each to half court and back.

1. 50% Speed

2. 70% Speed

3. 80% Speed

4. 90% Speed

5. 95% Speed

Skill Work (10 to 70 minutes)

‘Read the Help’ (10 to 20 minutes)

Setup:

Spread the offensive players out to both ends of the court. Each player should have a basketball. To work on right-handed finishing, line the offensive players up, outside the 3pt line, in line with the right-hand side of the key-way. One player begins on the left block.

Instructions:

1. The first player in line should stand in triple threat position. To quickly begin their dribble, they throw the ball down towards their right-hand side, and drive to the basket.
2. The extra player on the left block will give one of three different signals, to inform the driving player which finish they should attempt.
3. If the player on the left block runs and stands directly underneath the basket, the offensive player should make a powerful move, directly to the basket, and finish as high as possible.
4. If the player on the left block runs and stands between the driver and the basket, outside of the charge circle), the driver should shoot a short ‘floater’ over the top of the defender’s head, without running into them (if your court has no charge circle, have them stand a 4-5 feet in front of the basket).
5. If the player on the left block runs across the keyway to the right block, the driver should make a ‘change of direction’ move with their footwork, and finish on the left-hand side of the basket. An example of this type of move would be a ‘euro-step’ or a ‘pro-hop’.

1v1 ‘Ball on Back’ (20 to 30 minutes)

Setup:

The defender starts by standing on the 3pt line, facing the basket. The offensive player stands behind the defender and places the ball upon the defenders back.

Instructions:

1. The drill begins when the offensive player takes the ball off the defensive player’s back.
2. Play until either the offensive player scores or the defensive player gets the ball.
3. The defender facing away provides the offensive player an advantage, which they can take with a fast, decisive move to the basket!

2v2 ‘Rugby’ (30 to 45 minutes)

Setup:

The ball starts out of bounds on the baseline.

Instructions:

1. The offensive inbounder must pass the ball into the court to his teammate.
2. After this first pass, the offensive team may only pass backwards.
3. The goal is to get the ball into the key-way at the other end of the court.
4. The defensive team must work on having a player closely guarding the ball. His teammate should be behind the line of the ball, narrowing the space that the offensive player has to dribble.

3v3 ‘Hockey’ (45 to 60 minutes)

Setup:

This is a game of 3v3 in the full court, with one extra rule which allows the defense to apply more full-court pressure.

Rule:

Borrowing from Ice Hockey’s ‘off-side’ rule, the offensive ball-handler must be the first offensive player to cross the half-court line. Before the ball is dribbled across the half-court line, no other offensive player may be in the front half of the court.

This prevents offensive players from sprinting ahead for easy long passes, and allows the defense to practice their full-court defense more effectively.

Find, Hit, Get (60 to 70 minutes)

Setup:

Two players start on the top corners of the keyway (offence), and another two players start on the blocks (defence).

Instructions:

1. Coach shoots the ball from the foul-line.
2. Once the ball is shot, all 4 players can move to rebound.
3. Upon the shot, the two defensive players yell:
   “FIND!”, and run towards the offensive players.
   “HIT!”, and make contact with the offensive players.
   “GET!”, and attempt to rebound the ball.
4. Whichever team gets the ball becomes offence, and attempt to score on the basket the ball was just shot upon.
5. Players rotate positions after either team has scored.

Team Strategy (70 to 90 minutes)

By the time your players are 15 or older, they’ll need a couple of set plays to score with.

If you do not already have a few plays up your sleeve, check out this link below.

28 Basketball Plays to Dominate Any Defense

When practicing set plays, make sure to use all the players you have available!

5v0 might make your plays look great, but they won’t look great once you get to the game!

Practice your plays with defenders.

To begin with, have them not steal the ball or try and blow up your play, but make sure you build towards practicing your plays against a live defence!

If you only have 8 players at training, 3 defenders is better than 0 defenders!

Scrimmage/SSG (90 to 115 minutes)

With 3 different focuses for this training session, we can use small-sided games or 5v5 scrimmages to apply what we have learned to a game!

3v3 Small-Sided Game (90 to 100 minutes)

To emphasize finishing on the basket, we will change the scoring system!

Play either until a certain score, or for an amount of time.

Scoring System:

• Score inside the bottom half of the keyway= 3 points.
• Score inside the top half of the keyway= 2 points.
• Score inside the 3pt line, but outside of the keyway= 1 point.
• 3pt Basket = 0 points, but the opponent’s score goes back to 0.

Making mid-range baskets only worth 1 point will encourage players to keep driving, and not settle for pull-up jump-shots.

Creating a large consequence for the defense giving up a made 3pt shot will cause them to close out harder, creating more driving opportunities for the offense.

5v5 Scrimmage (100 to 115 minutes)

To focus on full-court defense and rebounding, we introduce two simple rules to influence how the game is played.

Rule 1:

Once the defense first gets the ball (on a made basket, a rebound, or a steal), the player who has the ball must place it upon the ground. Another teammate shall run across and pick up the ball, and the game shall resume. The new defense cannot defend the ball until it has been picked up by the other team. This gives the defense a chance to set up their full-court defense, on every change of possession.

Rule 2:

If the offensive team gets an offensive rebound, they get a “power-play”. They have a free chance to score, without any threat of losing the ball. Once the defense has the ball (on a rebound or a steal), the game stops, and the offense get the ball back.

Coaching Points:

We recommend that you play mini-games, and coach in between each game. Play until either team has scored two baskets. After the mini-game, bring the teams in, and coach them for 30-45 seconds. Make substitutions, and send them back out onto the court!

Coach in dot-points, not paragraphs.

Cool Down (115 – 120 Minutes)

• Jog to the other end of the court and back.
• Walk to the other end of the court and back.
• Sit down, and do some static stretches.

The cooldown stretching gives the coach some time to have a conversation with the players about training, and potentially some quick information about the next opponent.

The biggest thing I want you to take away from this article is that you need a basketball practice plan for every practice.

A planned practice is more efficient, your players will improve quicker, and you’ll be a far better coach.

Basketball Practice Plan - A Step by Step Template for Coaches

Basketball Coaching » Basketball Practice Planning 101

Creating a basketball practice plan is both an art and a science. While there are some specific blocks that should be part of every practice, it’s up to you to structure the session to meet the needs of your individual team.

Below is an A-B-C formula for planning a successful basketball practice to get you started. It’s customizable for practices running 1. 5 to 2 hours. Feel free to substitute in your own basketball drills, or adjust the time frames to suit your own program. I’ve also provided a basketball practice plan template for your use. Simply click on the image below, it will open up full size, and you can print it out as a reference.

I like to use 8 practice blocks, each one running around 5 to 15 minutes:

1. Conditioning Drills
2. Shooting Drills
3. Defensive Drills
4. Offense Drills
5. Fast Break Drills
6. Pressure Drills
7. Special Situations
8. Coaches Choice

Conditioning Drills

The first block, Conditioning Exercises should normally run 10 minutes. This is your opportunity to get your athletes warmed up and ready to perform at a high level. Use plyometric circuits to help build fast-twitch muscle response, "footfire" drills (which involve rapidly tapping both feet on the ground while in a defensive stance), or other activities to get the heart pumping and the limbs warm.

Shooting Drills

The second practice block, Shooting Drills, is often misused by coaches. Instead of taking shots from all over the floor, practice shooting from the locations that usually produce shots in your offense. For example, if you are running a basic 3 out 2 in motion offense, have your players in 3 lines around the perimeter with the ball in the middle. The ballhandler would pass to one of the lines on the wing, then set a screen for the first player in the opposite line. That player receives the screen, then cuts across the top of the key, receives the ball from the other line, and shoots. This mimics the type of action you would run in a typical motion offense, and the type of open shot your team would get.

Similarly, if you are running a "1-4" style offense, you may get lots of open shots in the short corner area (ie. around 8 feet from the basket along the baseline). Or, if you play against a lot of zone defenses, practice skipping the ball to an open 3-point shooter at the opposite side of the court.

You may also want to split your "bigs" (ie. your forwards and centers) and your "smalls" (ie. your guards) and have them work on the specific shots they might get inside your offense.

Defensive Drills

The phase of your basketball practice plan, Defensive Drills, typically runs for around 10 minutes as well. I like using 5 different drills, for 2 minutes each. Defensive drills are typically tiring, so this allows you to maintain the intensity level for each drill from start to finish.

It's important to work on both individual defense drills (which work on individual techniques like shuffling, sliding, taking charges, and blocking shots), and team defense drills (which work on playing a defensive scheme to support your teammates and keep your opponent away from high-percentage shooting areas).

Offensive Drills

The fourth practice block, Offensive Drills, also runs for around 10 minutes. This is your chance to work on your offensive sets vs zone and man. Start by breaking down the specific skills you'll be using within your offensive set - for example, screening, catching and finishing layups, shooting spot-up jumpers from the elbow etc.

Next, try running your basketball plays against a "dummy" defense. The defenders should just put up token pressure and allow the offense to run through the play without interfering. Next, you can "go live" with your defense, and have them play full speed 5 on 5 in the half court.

Fast Break Drills

The fifth practice block is 15 minutes long, and covers your fast break and transition game. Start with some simple 3-man weave drills. As your players master the passing and movement elements of the weave, you can increase the difficulty by going to a 5-man, 6-man, or even 7-man weave. After the weave, practice going 2 on 1, and 3 on 2 in the full court.

Work on your transition offense by putting all 5 players on the floor, inbounding the ball, and pushing it up the floor with the fewest number of dribbles possible. The most effective formation for running a fast break is typically the 4 man inbounding, the 1 receiving the ball, the 2 and 3 filling the lanes on the outside of the court, and the 5 man barreling straight down the middle. If you have an "early offense" strategy, practice the transition from your fast break into your best quick hitter play.

Pressure Drills

This 15 minute block is where you practice your own pressure defense AND also work on attacking a pressure defense. Try setting your defense up in a 2-2-1 formation, and have your offense try to break the pressure and score a layup at the other end.

The defense should be constantly trying to trap the ball in the corners of the floor, while the offense should reverse the ball patiently and try to hit a cutter in the middle of the floor at half-court.

Special Situations

Spend at least 5 minutes practicing Special Situations, including out of bounds plays, quick hitters, tip-off plays, free throw plays, and buzzer beater plays.

Coaches Choice

The previous 7 blocks add up to around 1 hour and 15 minutes. Depending on the amount of gym time you have, the final session of your basketball practice plan can be anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes long.

Use this time to work on whatever you feel your team needs at the time. Some coaches like do game preparation by simulating their opponents plays and practicing how to attack them.

Other coaches like to let the kids loose for a bit and play a full-court scrimmage. You can also work on your free throw shooting, have shooting contests, or do any fun activities you've been saving for the end of practice.

Featured Product

Print n' Go Basketball Practice Plan

Need help creating a basketball practice plan? Just download one of our pre-designed plans and head right to the gym!

Inside Print n' Go Basketball Practice Plans, you'll get instant access to 18 fun basketball drills for shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding and defense. All organized into 6 printable youth basketball practice plans you can take right to the gym!  Click here to get started.

Exercises for basketball players, basketball trainings in the gym and on the court

Every year we are in for the brightest event in the basketball world - the playoffs of the United Basketball League. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the training of the world's top basketball players!

Athletes are already actively preparing for the upcoming matches and getting into better shape. What does it cost you to know how exactly the basketball players of the International United League train?

To do this, we turned to Evgeny Burin, who previously worked with the Russian men's basketball team, and now is responsible for the general physical training of athletes of the Nizhny Novgorod basketball club.

ADIDAS cycle - Self-improvement. Basketball

The program of the video cycle consists of 10 lessons to improve the various qualities of basketball players. As part of the project, Evgeny Burin reveals his professional secrets.

Lesson 1: Back Exercises

This is the first workout in the adidas Self Improvement Basketball cycle. As part of the project, Evgeny Burin, physical training coach of the Nizhny Novgorod basketball club, reveals his professional secrets.

Without a strong back one cannot imagine a healthy person, let alone an athlete. This is all the more important for a basketball player who has to jump and land many times in the game, push and push through the defense. In this video, Evgeny Burin gives exercises that help professional basketball players to have a strong back.

Lesson 2. Legs

This is the second workout in the adidas Self Improvement Basketball cycle.

Basketball players need strong legs not only to score balls or just jump above everyone else. Legs - this is the main thing due to which the player defends himself and is on the court at the right time and in the right place. Therefore, professionals never work only on the jump and are not limited to squats with a barbell. Evgeny Burin shows how to properly swing the legs of a basketball player.

Lesson 3. Chest muscles

There are a great many exercises for developing chest muscles. Which of them can be used so as not to get the opposite effect, enslavement and loss of mobility, you will find in this lesson. Evgeny Burin gives special exercises that professional basketball players use.

Find the right chest workout for you, just like Euroleague basketball players do.

According to Evgeny Burin, push-ups are one of the most effective exercises for chest muscles. To complicate the exercise, Eugene suggests using weights (dumbbells) and performing various types of push-ups with them: with lifting and with rotation.

To activate different muscle groups, you can take a different position relative to the fitball - it can be under the lumbar part of the back or in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades.

Lesson 4. Shoulders, arms. Balance cushion

Some may think that it is very important for a basketball player to have pumped up arms and wide shoulders. But even here you can not concentrate on one thing. Trainer Evgeny Burin tells how, while working on these muscles, at the same time develop the whole body.

Lesson 5. Complex exercises

What can a basketball player take from weightlifting? Yes, at least the classic exercises - a jerk and a push. Evgeny Burin tells how to use them to the maximum benefit for the player.

Lesson 6. Balance and coordination exercises

A basketball player must certainly have a strong and enduring body. But coordination of movements, the ability to land and correctly distribute forces during contact are also absolutely necessary qualities for a player. The trainer offers some simple but very effective exercises.

Exercises for VTB United League basketball players offered by Evgeny Burin seem familiar to you only at first glance:

I add the principle of unstable balance to my workouts. This helps to work out the muscles better. To create such conditions when performing exercises, we will use a fitball.

Lesson 7. Tricky rubber bands

Balance exercises become much more effective when you use resistance. Ordinary rubber expanders are a great help in the work of a fitness trainer.

Lesson 8. Ball out of play

Basketball players may use the ball for other than its intended purpose. With the help of the coach's advice, the most ordinary balls turn into effective simulators.

Lesson 9. Speed ​​endurance. Running exercises

In preparation for the 2007 European Championship, the Russian national basketball team did not run a single cross. Why would an athlete performing on a 28-meter long track run 5 or 10 kilometers in training? Evgeny Burin tells how to make running work really effective.

Lesson 10. Training principles

In the 10th final video Evgeny Burin gives the most important tips. How is work organized in the pre-season? How to distribute loads during the season? How to make sure that the work with the bar does not interfere with the game? How to use the exercises that you have learned from previous editions? You will find all the answers in this lesson.

Strength training of basketball players

Evgeny Burin is sure that in order to achieve the best results, like the athletes of the VTB United League, it is necessary not only to engage in direct basketball training, but also to pay active attention to active work in the gym. At the same time, you should not be afraid to work with weights and work out each muscle group separately.

Before starting a workout, be sure to do warm-up exercises - warm up the muscles so that they can better perceive the load.

Evgeny Burin is sure that a strong and trained back is the key to success for a basketball player. Here are exercises that will help pump the whole body, like a basketball player from the VTB International League.

Strength training for basketball players

Add to calendar ^* Add to My Workouts ^* Print workout

^* — The service is in beta testing

Try the training program for basketball players from the VTB International League, and you will see that not only have you become stronger and more enduring, but also improved your concentration and stabilization.

Basketball coaching hacks: how to score goals for beginners

Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.

Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners

1. Hands up

In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!

2. Make shield rolls

Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard. If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!

3. Look at the ring, not the ball

Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.

4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only

The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.

5. Throw with one hand

If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket. All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.

6. Do not jump when protecting the ring

Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.

7. Don't look back

When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).

8. Bring the throw to automatism

Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.

Throw the ball with all fives and jump

Throwing Rules:

• Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
• Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
• A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
• The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
• Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.

The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).

Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.

How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball

How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.

9. Copy masters and play as a team

Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.

10. Do not throw in a straight line

The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.

11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand

This is the biggest newbie mistake!

Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time.

Learn more

• 
  How to move basketball hoop
• 
  How to get noticed by basketball scouts
• 
  How to tip in basketball
• 
  How much air can a basketball hold
• 
  How to make a 3 point shot in basketball
• 
  How many people on basketball team
• 
  How to hold down basketball hoop
• 
  How much do basketball players get paid per game
• 
  How to paint basketball court lines on asphalt
• 
  How to bet in basketball
• 
  How old is coach k duke basketball