How to improve your offense in basketball

Tips To Improve Your Offensive Game

Tips To Improve Your Offensive Game

In order to be an effective offensive player at any level, you must have a firm grasp on a couple incredibly important traits. They might not always be flashy or popular things, which often means it goes overlooked, but they are absolute fundamentals for any aspiring athlete. No matter how big, fast, or strong you are, you won’t be able to out run, dunk, and dribble everybody and these details will help you build an overall more well-rounded game.

Take CoachUp’s tips with you to practices and games from here on out, you’ll most definitely see an improvement in your game over time. For most situations and scenarios, it isn’t the flashiest or the strongest player that gets the most playing time, but instead the most fundamentally sound. Remember, you can always get better!

Practice Your Shot

Work with your shooting form, starting with your feet to get a firm foundation. Learn to shoot with your fingertips and get good rotation on your shot. No matter your age, ‘shoot’ the basketball and don’t just chuck it or aim! Practice, practice, practice — the more it’s reactionary and instinctual than purposeful math, the better.

To perfect your shooting technique, practice shots within just a few feet of the basket, then gradually increase your distance from the basket to the wing, to the elbow, etc. Practice lay-ups with proper form from both sides of the basket as well. Don’t forget about free-throws, either! In games and practice, don’t be afraid to look for shooting opportunities, but don’t force bad shots.

(Related: Read about improving your shot here.)

Become A Good Dribbler + Ball-Handler

Dribbling and ball-handling are fundamental skills for almost any offensive move with the ball. Practice dribbling drills and moves for at least fifteen minutes every day.

(Related: Read about your ball-handling skills here. )

Learn the Triple-Threat Position

The triple-threat position is so incredibly important for keeping your defender on their toes. A viable triple-threat will have you pivoting to face your defender to have the option of shooting, passing or dribbling. You control the defender, so don’t limit your options by holding the ball in just one spot.

Be A Good Passer

Bad passing and turnovers will destroy a team faster than anything absolutely anything else. Make crisp bounce passes as they are harder to intercept. Avoid long cross-court passes unless your teammate is wide open and it fits your offensive scheme. Give your teammate a good pass so they can easily catch and transition into the triple-threat position.

(Related: Read about the point guard position and their responsibilities here.)

Court Awareness

The keys to better court awareness can be broken down to three main points! Always know where the ball is, keep your head on a swivel, and never, ever turn your back on the ball. This means paying attention at all times, staying weary of back-door cuts, possible passes, or broken plays to take advantage of. Learn find an open areas on the floor for easy, high-percentage shots.

Go Hard For The Offensive Rebound

Many easy baskets are scored on second and third chances, so stay at it no matter what. Get in the habit of following your own shot as well. Many times, if your shot is too short or hard, it will come off the rim right back towards you. Depending on the style of play your team has, you may attack rebounds more often than others, but weak side rebounds are often there for the taking. Again, you might be surprised to find out that those hard-working players will find the floor more often than those more technically skilled.

(Related: Read about becoming a beast on the glass here.)

Get The Ball Down The Floor Quickly

Fast-break whenever possible to beat the defense down the court, but play under control at all times. At all costs, avoid turning the ball over! Obviously, you can’t score if you don’t have the ball, so don’t be afraid to slow it down and get into your half-court set if that feels more appropriate. Remember, you must be quick, but never hurry.

(Related: Read about running the fast break here.)

Avoid Too Much Dribbling

Too much dribbling allows the defense time to reset — quick passing and cutting is the key to smooth offensive basketball. When you receive a pass, consider not immediately dribbling, but instead going into the triple threat — it will make you a much more tougher assignment. Coach John Wooden told his players to end their dribble with either a pass or a shot — which may seem odd, but it’s actually incredibly sound advice. Don’t stop your dribble until you can do either of those things.

(Related: Read about improving your weak hand here.)

Move Without The Ball

Don’t stand still, set picks, make cuts through the paint, and go back-door on your defender. Too often, teams will play a very ball-dominant player and, typically, his teammates will end up watching him more than they’ll play. The style of offense you run may dictate some of this, but you should never stay in one spot on the floor for more than a couple of seconds because it allows the defense to guard you with little effort.

(Related: Read about moving without the ball here.)

Huddle Up

In the end, these aren’t every trait that you need to focus on during your training — no, in fact, this is just an incredibly small sampling. But, we’ve given you a couple ideas for each to build off of — if you find yourself further interested, check out the related reads under each section. Those specific articles will go into deeper detail than we’ve done here, so we strongly recommend checking those out.

However, if you’re still struggling with some of this, consider booking one of CoachUp’s private trainers to help you out. Our team’s advanced knowledge and expertise will help you get out of any bind, drama, and last-second situation with confidence — so what are you waiting for?

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How to Improve Basketball Moves and Individual Offense

By Don Kelbick

Individual offense is often called one-on-one basketball moves. I prefer to call it individual offense due to the fact that basketball is a team game. In teaching players individual basketball moves, often the wrong message can be sent. Players get mixed messages when they come to practice after a summer of working on individual skills and we ask them to integrate those skills into a team concept.

Do we just teach the skills or do we want them to learn the mentality as well?  Terminology and context that we use to teach can put things into perspective. We like fancy names for drills and the things we come up with, but on this subject, simplicity might be the best way to present it. How about calling this section, "Here are the things you can do to score when you have the ball. " Then, you can take those things and teach players where to use each skill and, most importantly, what it creates, not only for him but for his teammates.

The Myth of the Triple Threat

Ever since I was young, I have heard about triple threat, triple threat position, be in position to shoot, pass, or dribble. While it is true that you have to be prepared, the reality is only one of those actions is a threat. When was the last time that your defensive game plan was to leave the shooter alone and guard the dribbler? How about, "this guy can really pass, make sure you play him and if you have to leave a shooter to do it, then leave the shooter"? That would, and should, never happen. For that reason, I believe that the 3 threats of a triple threat position are SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT!

New Triple Threat:  SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT

First and foremost, nothing happens on offense without the threat of a score. When your defense thinks that you can score on every touch, it forces him into very uncomfortable positions. Attacking and constantly putting pressure on your defense will force him to break down over the course of a game. It will destroy his help intentions, making additional opportunities for your teammates, and have a negative impact on his offense.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot means every time you catch the ball, it immediately goes into shooting position. The ball goes right into your shooting pocket, your knees are bent and you are in an athletic position. Shoot, Shoot, Shoot means every time you catch the ball, you face the basket. It sounds elementary (of course you face the basket!) but how many times have you seen players turn their back to the basket? How many times do you see players face the corner or the top, cutting off large portions of the court from their vision?

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot means every time you catch the ball, your eyes go to the rim. By looking at the rim, from any position, allows you to see everything that happens on the floor.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot means every time you catch the ball, your feet get in position and your footwork improves. You get quicker because you are in better position. Your pivoting violations (like traveling) go away because your feet have more of a purpose.

Lastly, shooting is a skill that can't be a second thought.  You might be able to recover FROM a shot, but YOU CANNOT RECOVER TO A SHOT.  You can think shot and recover to a pass, you can think shot and recover to a dribble, but you can't go the other way. How many times do you see a player get a pass in the corner and start looking for someone to pass to? Everyone on his team, every one in the stands starts yelling, "Shoot, Shoot!" While he is looking for some one to pass to, he didn't notice that he is wide open. Eventually, he gets around to shooting the ball and it NEVER goes in. That is because you can't recover TO a shot.

So, every time you catch the ball, your first thought is SHOT, your second thought is SHOT and your third thought is SHOT! Now that is really a triple threat.

Addendum by Joe Haefner

When you first read the "Shoot. Shoot. Shoot." mentality, you might think it sounds a bit crazy. I know that I did.

But after I saw Don teach it and incorporate it, I thought it was genius.

After using it for over a decade, I would not teach any other way now. My player's are just better. They're more confident and more assertive.

This is an example of how you can introduce it to your players and it also helps clear up some misunderstandings if you have any:

After introducing the new triple threat, you can ask them, "What happens to your feet when you think shot?"

After a few player responses, you can say, "Yeah. You aggressively face the basket. You turn as fast as you can under control."

After that, you can ask "Now, why is this important?"

This is usually where you might lose them. If you're lucky, you might have a few bright players that figure it out. So if they don't answer in a 5 seconds, you can say to them, "If you turn slowly, it allows the defense to get set and you lose your initial advantage."

"If you aggressively turn and face the basket like you're going to shoot the ball, it puts pressure on the defense. If they do NOT sprint out to defend and it is a good shot for you, you can shoot the ball."

"Now by thinking 'Shot. Shot. Shot' and getting into your shooting position as quickly as possible, the defense has to cover more ground to contest your shot. Now the defense has to rush out and defend you. If the defense is flying at you at a fast speed, you have the advantage because their momentum is coming towards you and it will make it difficult for them to guard the drive. "

Next, I'll ask them, "If you Think Shot, what happens to your eyes?"

Most groups usually get this one right away, "Your eyes are looking at the hoop."

"Yes. And when they're looking at the hoop, this does a couple of things for you. Eyes are one of the greatest weapons for fakes and the defense might jump and create a driving or passing lane for you."

"Two, if your eyes are up, you can see what?"

"Yeah. You can see the whole floor. You can see the defense. You can see your teammates."

"Now should you still think 'Shot. Shot. Shot' if you are outside of your shooting range?"

"Absolutely! Even if you would never shoot the ball because it is a poor shot for you, just by looking like you are going to shoot the ball will put more pressure on the defense and pull them out of position. Defenders instinctually will fly out of position if you look like you're going to shoot the ball even if you're a terrible shooter from that spot. "

As you can see, this mentality can be a great tool to instantly make your team better at offense.

How to Use the Dribble

The most overused, needlessly exercised and mismanaged skill in basketball is the dribble. It has become something to do while you have the ball. It doesn't need to have a purpose; it doesn't need to have a direction. Just catch it and put it on the floor. That is why the American game has become so ugly and why our kids don't have a firm concept of quality offense.

I believe the purpose for putting the ball on the floor is to get closer to the basket. Just like the "Shoot, Shoot Shoot," mentality that helps you be aggressive on the catch, when you put the ball on the floor you should think one thought, "LAYUP!"

By thinking lay-up, your dribble becomes aggressive and purposeful. Never do in 2 dribbles what you can do in 1. When you put the ball on the floor, your dribble should be long, hard and to the basket. Separation from your defense is accomplished with the ball and if you can't separate with the first dribble you won't separate at all. Your line should be straight at the basket. Getting your defense to step backward is key to any offensive move.

And, just like shooting, you can't recover to a shot. How many turnovers have you seen created because your player goes on the dribble, looks to pass, and the defender plays the pass? If it is not a turnover it becomes an off balance, poor attempt at the basket. If your player intended to take a lay-up and the lay-up is defended, he can always pass off. However, it doesn't work the other way.

Improve Quickness by Playing the Angles

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If you can get your footwork to go in a straight line to the basket, your player instantly become quicker, due to more efficient footwork, faster (definition of speed is mass/distance) and more aggressive. The more he deviates from a straight line, the more of an advantage the defense gains. If "North" and "South" indicate direct lines to the basket, then it stands to reason that any time you make an "East – West" move, you should recapture "North – South" as quickly as possible. That is a very obvious concept in football. A running back runs parallel to the line of scrimmage looking for a hole. Once he finds the hole, he turns his shoulders and hips up the field and goes. In other words, if you make a crossover move, get pointed directly back to the front of the rim as quickly as possible.

Teaching players that you beat the defense with your feet and you separate with the ball will help keep your dribble efficient and effective.

Get the Ball Where You Can Score

Putting yourself in position to score means starting and finishing your move to get the ball in your range. Whether you V cut, L cut, come off a screen, etc., you have to receive the ball in a scoring area. Players must mentally condition themselves that they are working to get the ball in their scoring area, not just get the ball. By getting the ball in your scoring area you immediately put your defense at risk. He must now react to what you do. If you are aggressive, he will always be a count behind your move.

On your catch think "Shot!" If his hands are down, if he has stepped off and you are in your range, let it go. The next time you get the ball, think "Shot!" If your defense is not sensitized to your shot, he will step up, play a little more upright to stop your shot (if not, let it go again). As he comes up, put the ball on the floor think, "Lay-up!" and beat him straight line to the basket.

The effectiveness of any basketball move starts and ends with the immediate possibility of a score. If you are not in a position to score or don't have the mentality that makes you strong and aggressive, any offensive moves will not create what you want.

The Secret to Shot Fakes

A shot fake is a shot not taken. Everything is the same as a shot, the ball is in your shooting pocket, your body is in a shooting crouch, and you are square and facing the basket. You just don't let it go. Shot fakes are very effective in the realm of individual offense. One of the aspects of effective offense is controlling the defense, putting the defense at risk and forcing it to react to your offense. Within your "Shot, Shot, Shot" mentality, shot fakes do a great job of forcing the defense to play in an uncertain manner and as a reactor, thereby putting the defender a step behind the offense. This is another reason why whenever you catch the ball, it immediately goes into shooting position. When you are a threat to score, and do it immediately on the catch, your defense must play the shot right away leaves him vulnerable to anything else that you throw at him.

This is not to be confused with a pump fake. I am not a fan of pump fakes. First, I don't believe that you can fool a defense (at least a good one). Unless your pump is exactly the same as your shot, in form and rhythm, the defense is not going to bite. But more importantly, a pump fake takes you out of your good shooting position. As you move the ball and your body through the pump fake, you add moving parts to your shot that will hurt its consistency. It also forces you to take more time, due to the recovery from the pump, to get your shot off. These things will have a negative effect the quality of your attempt.

I have found it much more effective to sell your defender that you will shoot if he gives you the chance and then let him try to adjust to stopping your shot. This, again, is done by your "Shot, Shot, Shot" mentality and the appropriate attack when you get the ball.

Individual Offense Drills

1. Pivot Shooting
2. Wing One-on-One
3. Top One-on-One

More Basketball Drills

Coaches, go here for more Basketball Drills

Players, go here for more Basketball Drills

Recommended Videos & eBook:

The Attack & Counter Skill Development System This eBook & DVDs will improve your shooting, ballhandling, footwork, perimeter moves, post moves, finishing, aggressiveness, quickness, confidence, mentality, and your all-around game! Designed by NBA skills coach Don Kelbick, this unique and comprehensive system is incredibly simple when compared to other skill development programs. Yet it works with NBA and pro players at the highest level... (more info)

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

Basketball offense under the hoop

replica swiss watch

Now let's talk about the exercises we use at Oak Hill Academy to improve our offensive game under the basket.

Exercise 1

1. Start the exercise on the left side of the ring facing the backboard.
2. Step with the left foot and throw with the hook with the right hand.
3. Pick up the ball without letting it fall on the floor.
4. Take the same position on the right side of the hoop, stepping with the right foot, hooking with the left hand.
5. Make twenty-five attempts in a row on each side (Fig. 1).

Drill 2

1. Start by standing at the endline at the edge of the backboard, facing the opposite ring. The ring you are attacking is on your right.
2. Take a step with your left foot and, with your back to the ring, throw from the bottom up (like a passing throw when the ball is in the palm of your hand, here the same thing only with your back to the ring).
3. Pick up the ball and go to the other side of the hoop.
4. Stepping with the right foot, throwing with the left. Make twenty-five attempts on each side (Fig. 2).

Exercise 3

1. Start on the right side of the shield.
2. Throw the ball with your right hand at the backboard.
3. Pushing off your toes while jumping, hit the ball again at the backboard without letting it fall to the floor.
4. Repeat 10 times, in the last jump, throw the ball into the basket.
5. Repeat the same with the left hand, on the left side (Fig. 3).

Exercise 4

1. Start under the hoop with the ball in your hands.
2. Dribbling to the right, right hand, move to the 3-point line at a position under 45º, turn to the ring, continue to dribble with the right hand, go to the ring, but after each shot, make a sharp shift to the center. At the end of the pass, throw from below with your right hand.
3. Pick up the ball, and repeat the same, only on the left side, with your left hand (Fig. 4).

• After you've done this exercise a few times without resistance, add a defender to get in the way of the player from the 3-point line.
• Perform the exercise in a good rhythm, it should last 35 seconds or until you have done 10 passes (fig. 4).

Exercise 5

1. Take a position with your back to the endline, on the first mustache of the free kick from the endline.
2. A team-mate must be opposite on the three-point line and has the ball.
3. Player to be handed over.
4. Pivot around the nearest leg to the ring, you should be facing the ring, throw with one hand from below the shield (fig. 5).

• After you have mastered this variation, move out into the field and after the pivot use a dribble to the cross-leg ring. The final stage does not change.
• Make 10 throws, both dribbling and not, then repeat on the left side.

Note: in all chair exercises we will need two helpers who will be involved all the time. One is needed for rebounds, and the other is needed in order to change balls on the chairs.

Chairs under the ring (Exercise 6-8)

1. Place the chairs on the lower whiskers of the three second zone.
2. Place a ball in each chair.
3. The player starts the exercise from the middle of the three-second zone (Fig. 6).

Exercise 6

1. Dash towards the chair to the right of the ring.
2. Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
3. Then step with your left foot towards the ring and throw from the shield around the ring from below with your right hand.
4. Immediately, without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, do the same, only remembering to change your leg and arm (Fig. 7).

Exercise 7

1. Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
2. Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
3. Then step your right foot inside the three-second zone and throw a hook with your left hand.
4. Immediately, without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, do the same, changing your leg and arm (Fig. 8).

Exercise 8

1. Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
2. Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
3. After the player has taken the ball, he must pivot around the right foot and upon completion of the pivot, must face the ring, then there are several options for attacking: a) Jump shot, b) Two-foot shot after one hit of the ball.
4. After the throw, immediately without stopping, make a jerk to another chair, then everything is the same, changing the leg and arm (Fig. 9).

Chairs under the ring (Exercise 9-10)

After you have completed exercises 6-8, move the chairs to the level of the foul line. In all exercises, after you take the ball, it is necessary to make a dash with dribbling to the ring.

Exercise 10

1. Dash towards the right chair from the ring.
2. Take the ball from a chair, squatting down (do not bend your back, it should remain straight).
3. The ball carrier then makes a dash with a dribble to the center of the three-second zone, in which case he can use the transfers between the legs.
4. Under the hoop, make a jump stop and throw with the left hand hook.
5. Make a dash to another chair and repeat the same thing, but with the other hand (fig. 12).

Updated on 03/18/2014 00:46

Forgive me and effectively have the right to move from attack to defense

Three "Absolutes" for transitioning from attack to defense:
• Communication
• Combat
• Improvisation (think fast and make decisions)

You as a coach will HATE yourself when you see the opposing team rebounding or intercepts your player's miss pass and goes into a fast break with an undefended shot from under your basket or a dunk in your game.

It kills your players because it allows your opponent to easily score goals without resistance.

This can change the course of the game and make your team look confused, slow, or lost. If this is repeated many times in a game, then people will soon start asking the question:

"What are they doing in training!?"
Like everything in the game of basketball, a great transition from offense to defense takes a lot of time to learn, develop and improve.

It's not something that will improve overnight, but by using as little as 6-8 minutes in each workout, emphasizing the three absolutes listed above, you can minimize the chances of going from defense to attack quickly with the opposing team's fast break.
Below are two drills that you can use with players of all ages to help build a great offensive-to-defense transition.

I guarantee you that even if you do only one of these exercises a day, you will immediately see positive results. (Because this is a full court exercise and you will also see improvements in the physical condition and ball handling skills of your team players!).

Remember basketball is a game of habits and you need to make sure your players practice good habits and train hard.

When the game starts, you can't blame the players for not communicating, being 100 percent focused, or making bad decisions when it comes to transitions from offense to defense if you don't work on those things in your training.

Start with 5 players lined up along the endline and 5 more players lined up at the extended free throw line.
2. The coach then passes the ball to one of the players on the end line.
3. As soon as this happens, the defender opposite the player to whom the ball was passed by the coach must make a dash and touch the baseline while the 5 forwards attack with a quick break.
4. The 4 remaining defenders must now communicate and fight to start the defense until the fifth person can recover and return to the defense.

Teaching point:
The general task of transitioning to defense is communication. The more communication between your defenders, the better your defense will be. Communication should be verbal so your players can really be more aware of everything that is happening on the court. To emphasize this, insist that all 4 defenders see the ball and shout out their position in relation to the ball when rushing to the defense.

Want to make this exercise even harder?

Once your team is comfortable with the drill, send two defenders to touch the baseline.

Your defense must now close the 5th in the 3rd until help arrives.

You can diversify it further by calling up the names of the players or assigning specific places to touch the endline.

3 vs 2 +1.

in the diagram at the bottom of

1. Divide your players into two teams located on the side lines on different sides of the site.
2. Assign two players from each team to start defending on their side of the court. x1 and x2 on the top half and 4 and 5 on the bottom.
3. Start with three attackers in the middle of the court - 1st with the ball and 2 and 3.
4. On the whistle, the attack starts the attack. X3 makes a jerk in the central circle, and then join the defense against 2 or 3.

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