———= oo ——— an Sane & eae eee eS Eee cea EE eee SS Se eee 2s = = SB ae la==£ 2 = 222. 2 == = = = = SS = = a BE = = = EEA SEEN Ve ESE baad = a a Essa SS Ss Sa = —— oo Sa es ee $19.95 Coaching Advice to Help You Build a Winning Program No. 3 Basketball drills-like ice cream cones~ CONTENTS come in all flavors, so to speak. Some are like SHOOTING DRILLS plain vanilla, straightforward and simples Per rrctteniet eens 7 others are like some exotic flavor with ee ee é all the toppings. Some are fun, and "40 and Out Fut Shooting Dal get the competitive juices flowing. Others are Holy Gross 14-Point Practice Shooting hard work, and push players beyond their limits. ‘Tho Shooting Drill That Doos It All. Some are even used as “punishment,” to get 5 God Drils for Setting UP the @Paine Shor.. a team back on track after a lackluster JEU Soom Be z z E Competitive Shooting Dri... performance in the previous game or practice. _ DEFENSIVE DRILLS ‘Build Defensive Team Pr of Fundamental In this, WINNING HOOPS’ special publication, ‘we present 67 basketball drills in ‘four categories-shooting drills, defensive drills, conditioning drills and multipurpose drills. Here, you'll find any flavor you want, You may even discover a new taste sensation, a variation on a drill you've been serving your players for years. So, hearty appetite, dive in and enjoy. We have a full menu. ‘Frank Les, Bor 6 Publisher ‘Copyright C2n00 by LessterPuzatong ne. ‘Wnvunva HOOPS/DFLS ss spacial pubicaon of MANNING HOOPS. POBox 64, Brooke Wi 9008 0624 NUTRI. "aephone: (262 7820 Fae (26) 12-12 +Emednlasepudceme Web se sepubeam OPs1ate) is now given for all schools and colleges SHOOTING DRILLS FOR THE PERIMETER PLAYER By Jim Casciano, Asst. Coach ‘Temple University Philadelphia, PA ‘One aspect of the game of basketball that players never have to be told to workon. is shooting, However, many players don’t know how to properly practice shooting. They just randomly shoot, ‘without a purpose and not under game. TEMPLE: tike conditions. | feel it's important for UNIVERSETY players to have fed approach to shooting practice that includes a specific set of cll, ‘The following drills are designed for the perimeter player to practice on his own. They simulate game conditions in that they're competitive, have an ele- ‘ment of pressure and include the kinds of shots a perimeter player would be expected to shoot ina game. They're also progressive: you can increase the standards as players become proficient at each drill One key point to keep in mind is that, to get the most out of these drills, they must be performed at game speed, 1, Around the World and Baek. This drill is used to practice spot shooting, Players rebound their own shots and move quickly from spot to spot (diagram 1), Spots 1 and 12 are 4-foot bank pots 2, 4, 7,Band 11 are 15-to 17-foot shots; and spots 3,5,6,9and 10 axe 3-pointers. ‘The maximum number of shots that can be made is 24 Aplayer shoots one shot from 4 2 winnie HOOPS TO OUR READERS ‘The following drills are reprinted here as they ran in previous issues of WINNING HOOPS, except for changes in layout and required changes in copy. For example, Ifa diagram referred to in the text was shown ‘on the next page" originally but appears below the reference inthis booklet, we've altered the copy to read "below." Coaches’ titles and affiliations that appear with the bylines here areas they were when the drilis were originally published. Coaching changes and career moves are not reflected in these reprints. Geographical information (cty, spot 1, then proceeds to spots 2 through 12, again shooting only one shot from each spot. After shoot- ing from spot 12, the player reverses the order, going back to spot 1. ‘There are a couple of variations of this drill. For ex- ample, you can require that, before a player can move toa new spot, he must make a shot from the previous spot, Also, ifa player does miss, he can move on to the next spot by “challenging out”—shooting two freethrows. If he makes both, he moves on to the next spot; ifhe misses a freethrow, he goes back to the pre- vious spot and shoots again. A player can challenge out only one time per spot. 2.70%, This is another spot-shooting drill in which, players rebound their own shots. They keep a record of the number of shots made out of ten taken at each spot (diagram 2), Spots 1, 3, 6, 7 and 10 are 15- to 17-foot shots; spots 2, 4,5, 8nd 9 are 3-point shots. Aplayer shoots ten shots ateach spot, starting at spot 1. He cannot move to the next spot until hhe makes seven ‘out of ten (70%) from any given spot. Youmay want to change the number of spots from ten to five, and/or adjust the requited percentage from 70% to 50% at the start. Or, you may require ten shots regard- less of the percentage made, just to see how many shots out of ter a player can make at each spot. 3, Transition Game. This diill combines dribbling skills with shooting in transition, A player starts at the baseline, dribbles the length of the floor and shoots the following shots: Right-hand and left-hand lay-ins, *Short, pull-up jump shots, about 4 to 6 feet fromabove the block (right and left sides) and in front of the basket. ‘Jump shots off the dribble within the player's range (12 to 15 feet) ‘Longer jump shots, including 3-pointers. Players should shoot a least two shots from each category, using the backboard on lay-ins and 45° pull- up jumpers. All shots should be taken under control ‘You may want to increase the number of shots in cer- tain categories for certain players. 4, One-on-One. This drill allows players to work on proper one-on-one techniques, emphasizing balance and control, A player must shoot off basic one-on-one moves— jab-and-shoot, jab-and-go and jab-and-crossover— from three spots on the floor 20 feet from the basket (diagram 3). The player should be able to perform ‘each skill going right and left. Shots include a jump shot (no drib- ble), a jumper off one or two dtibbles and a lay-in off the dribble, Players must shoot five shots from each spot: jab/jump shot; jab-and-go lay- jab-and-go jumper jab- [X and-crossover lay-in; jab-and-crossover jumper. Key points in this drill: Players should establish a pivot foot (either foot, ideally) and shoot all five shots from one spot before moving on to the next one, 5. 3-2-1, In this drill, players shoot three shots from each of five spots on the floor (diagram 4) 3-point shot, a 2-pointer from, 15 to 17 feet and alay-in (the drive start- ing at each of the five spots} Score 3 for a 3-point shat, 2 for a2-p erand 1 fora lay-in, The max- imum score per spotis6,per 4 fA round, 30. You can add a ball fake and a ball fake with a deibble to each of the shots, and you can have players shoot as many rounds as you deem necessary. 6, Fantasy Challenge. Players shoot from various spots on the floor (diagram 5) to score against a high school, college or pro player—whoever they want to imagine they're playing against (challenged Michael Jordan and beat him in shooting con- test”). a shot is made, the shooter gets 1 point 2 ifa3- pointer); ona missed shot, the imaginary opponent gets 5 2 points, ‘To run the drill, a player stands under the basket and tosses the ball toward a spot on the floor. He runs and catches it, squares up and shoots, follow- ing the shot to grab his own rebound. He then passes it out to another spot, then catches, shoots and follows again. The drill is repeated until the shooter reaches 20 points. Preethrows, Players should shoot freethrows before, between and after the vatious shooting drills. AS a coach, you should look to vaty the types of freethrow drills that are interspersed between the shooting drills ‘The following is @ shooting practice routine incorpo- rating the six drills explained here, plus several freethrow drills: 1, Freethrows: A player shoots ten in a row and records how many he makes. Players should look to improve the percentage made each time. 2, Drill No. 1. 3, Freethhrows: Shoot five in a row. 4. Drill No. 2. 5, Freethrows: Shoot a one-and-one. 6. Drill No. 3. 7. Freethrows: Shoot five one-and-ones, 8. Drill No. 4. 9, Freethrows: A player shoots until he misses. Play- ers should challenge themselves to improve each day. 10. Drill No. 5 11. Freethrows: A player shoots 20, trying to make a certain percentage. If that percentage is not reached, the player shoots another set of 20, 12. Drill No. 6. 13, Freethrows: A player must make two in @ row to win the championship! ‘The idea behind these freethrow drills is for players, to challenge themselves to better their performance each time out, They should force themselves to make certain percentage of their shots, or so many in a row, ete. They should be encouraged to use their imagination (o compete against a standard, WINNING HOOPS 33 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING DRILLS By Bill Agronin All coaches are looking for success. In order to achieve success, your team must execute. To execute, your team must prepare, and I believe thatthe best preparation takes place in the form of individual and team dlls. I divide my drills into the following categories: shooting, defense, fastbteak and rebounding, [ike to make my drills as competitive as possible; this piques the players’ interest and helps to ensure that the need: ced ingredient of concentration is present. Here are three of my favorite shooting drills. The hope is that they might enhance your practices: 1. Thisis a half-moon (zone) shooting chil. Divide the squad into two teams, placed at each end of the court and positioned around the key as shown in dia- ‘gram I, Give each team one basketball, On the whistle, the first player shoots, then follows his shot, re- bounds and passes to the next player, following the pass with token pressure ‘on the shooter. The first team to make a set nurm- ber of shots (30) wins, ‘The teams then ex- change ends and begin aq second game, The first team to win two games is the winner. This drill pro- motes shooting, following the shot, rebounding, pass- ing and sliding out to a shooter. To make it more com- petitive, you can have the players choose the teams. 2.1m this deil, the squad is divided into three groups. Each group has a ball, and three bails are placed at the freethrow line at the opposite end (diagram 2). On the coach's signal, the first player in each group rf shoots ajump shot, Ifthe shot is made, the player gets his own rebound and shoots a lay-up. Bach basket counts as one point. If player misses a jump shot, he must e- ound the ball, pass to the next man in ine, then sprint to the opposite end and make a freethrow before return: ing to the line, The game played to 21 baskets. Emphasize ata times that good, crisp passes are to be made, 3.In this shooting drill, shown in diagram 3 and shoot against each other ina long-and-short game of 30. Two points are giv- cn for a long shot, one for lay-up, Three points are subtracted for a missed lay-up. After making the first jumper, players are allowed alay-up every 3 time, even if they miss the next jump shot, But players do not get the lay-up until they've made the first (long) jump shot, Ball interference on a lay-up (one ball hitting another around the hoop) does not count for -3 points ifthe lay-up is missed, but the shooter gets no second lay-up. ‘The winner is the team that takes two out of three games. The losers must run laps, the number to be de- termined by the two teams before the start of the drill, Running scores must be announced by one member of each team (the team scorekeeper). ‘10 AND OUT’ FOUL-SHOOTING DRILL By Steve Newton, Head Coach Murray State University, Murray, KY ‘This drill, called “10 and Out,” is designed to improve players’ freethrow percentage. It re quires concentration and creates pressure and competition. Divide the squad into two shooting teams on ‘opposite ends of the court. Each player shoots ‘one freethrow and moves as shown, A team that hits ten consecutive freethrows wins and is allowed to go for water, Each player keeps his ‘own score, count- ing one point for ‘each miss by the team and one point ihe misses his shot, So, for exam- ple, ifplayer X1's 5 team has missed three consecutive freethrows, and player X1 then misses his shot, he has 4 points on him. 1f he accumulates 10 points, he steps out and runs ‘one sprint for each point. However, if his team then hits ten consecutive freethrov's, he's res- cued from “10 and Out.” After a preset time period or after one team hits ten freethrows, the game is over and each player runs his sprints. Winners do not run. Then teams change ends and repeat the drill, twoteamslineupas 2 4 WINNING HOOPSHOLY CROSS 11-POINT PRACTICE SHOOTING By George Blaney, Head Coach Holy Crass College Worcester, MA ‘There are four objectives to our 11-point shooting drill: 1. Itis meant to get alot of shots (58) in a short time (ap- proximately 4 minutes); 2. it emphasizes total concentra- tion on form and results; 3. it allows players to gain great confidence from the repeated success of making short shots; and 4. it provides an opportunity for players to work on body balance while shooting, ‘The diagram shows the spots on the floor from which we shoot or begin our shots. The drill for each spot is as follows: 1, Three jump shots from the left box. No back- board; try to hit nothing but net. 2, Three jump shots from the dotted area. 3. Thtee jump shots from the right box. 4, and 5. Two jump shots from the left elbow with- ‘outa dribble, then run across to the right elbow and, shoot two jump shots withouta dribble, Repeat t back and forth so you take three sets of two shots withouta dribble on each side. 6. and 7. Two jump shots from the left elbow with a dribble, then run across to the right el bow and shoot two jump shots witha drib ble, Repeat this back and forth so you take three sets of two shots with a dribble on each side. 8. Five banked jump shots halfway between the foul line and the end line, about 14 feet from the basket on the left side. ‘9, Run to the right side and bank five more jump shots. 10, Starting at the top of the key, take a hard dribble to the right and shoot a jumper from the right elbow. Go back to the top of the key and take a hard dribble to the left and shoot a jumper from the left elbow. ‘Take five shots at each elbow, 11. Five foul shots ina row, THE SHOOTING DRILL THAT DOES IT ALL By Martin McGillan, Asst. Coach East Carolina University Greenville, NC Like most coaches, I believe that practice drills should simulate ‘game conditions as much as possi ble. In addition, drills should re flect the concepts to be empha- sized within a coach’s system. Hav- ing said that, to my mind, there is no better shooting drill that incor- potates so many facets of the game of basketball than Three Jumpers and a Lay-Up. ‘This drill requires our players to pass, catch and shoot on the run, and to achieve a predetermined number of “makes” while shooting against the clock. (A“"make” consists of successfully converting all three jump shots and the lay-up in sequence.) The players also shoot for the opportunity to remove a condition- ing point from their end-of-practice total. ‘The drill begins with the coach giving the players the required number of “makes” and the time 8 8 allotted—for example, 3 Four in five minutes. Set up three lines on the baseline, with the ball in the middle anda wing on each side, as shown in diagram ‘The man in the middle is the designated passer throughout the drill; therefore, we neveral- 4 Towa #4 or #5 man to occupy this spot. With the ball in the middle, #1 pushes it up the floor on two speed dribbles, with both < ‘wings sprinting their Janes wide. (We teach our players to run the hash marks.) The #1 man chooses a side and passes to one of, the wings (#2 in this case), who in turn de- livers a pass to the oth- cer wing (#3, diagtam 2), who takes the first jumper. Throughout the remainder of this drill, then, #2 is the re- bounder and #3isthe 2 WINNING Hoops & 2 9 Qshooter, As stated earlier, # is always the passer. ‘Once #3 shoots the ball, he turns and sprints his lane wide downcourt the other way. Player #2 sprints to rebound the first shot, #1 sprints to the foul line for the outlet, turns and, ‘with two power dribbles upcourt, passes to #3 for the second jumper (dia- gram 3). The #2 and #1 men must sprint down the floor for the rebound and outlet. Again, as soon as #3 releases his, second shot, he sprints wide to receive the pass 3 from 41 for the third jumper. Player #2 re- bounds and passes to #1 at the foul line, and he again power dribbles twice before passing to #3 for the lay-up (dia- gram 4). The next three players in line repeat this sequence, and the drill continues until time expires, POINTS OF FOCUS We emphasize a num- ber of things in the drill, First and fore most, though, as with any drill, we concen trate on passing and catching the ball with 4 two hands. Without a player will never get into a game, But there are other points of focus as well: Passer. With the passer, we focus on calling for the outlet pass at the elbow on the rebound side, pivoting to the outside and looking up the floor. The two power dribbles should take him as far as possible without sacrificing control. His pass to the shooter should lead. that player to the basket, not away from it. We want ‘our guards to "pass a shot.” Rebounder. This player has two responsibilities — sprintand rebound, We want this man to sprint from glass to glass. His hands must be up over his head from the foul line extended until he gains possession of the ball. We emphasize keeping the bal high and pivoting (o the outside to find the outlet man. (To fur- 6 WINNING HOOPS ther emphasize sprinting, we later add that the ball may not touch the floor on any rebound.) Shooter. Priority One is that the shooter take game shots only! He must sprint the hash marks to his spots (which you may want to designate beforehand), We ‘want his hands up, giving a good target and showing he's ready to receive the ball. The shooter should plant his inside foot and square up as he catches the ball. Ideally, we want a one-two step, catch and shoot. ‘The rhythm bounce is discouraged, but we'll tolerate itrather than sacrifice control. There will be times when the shooter beats the ball down the floor by a considerable margin (due to an awkward rebound, for example). When this happens, he should not stand around; instead, he must recognize this situation and ‘work off a V-cut or fade until the ball arrives. Atno time should the shooter be standing still. Remember: We want game situations only! DRILL VARIATIONS Some coaches may dislike the fact that only one player shoots in this drill. You can alter the drill so this does not have to be the case. You can have all the players shoot, but it should be the point guard’s responsibility to control the distribution of the passes. When either ‘wing shoots, the rules remain the same—the opposite wing rebounds and outlets. When the point guard shoots, either wing rebounds, with the nonrebound- ing wing filling the lane, prefer using only one shooter, primarily because one shooter goes much faster. The clock is the enemy. The more opportunities for one player, the better chance he has to successfully complete the requited number of "inakes.” Using one shooter also helps to ensure that the player sprints! The pressure becomes all his; he's forced to face it alone, The more pressure a player can face in practice, the more comfortable he'll be facing it ina game. CONCLUSION ‘The Three Jumpers and a Lay-Up drill can provide you with many advantages in your practice sessions, t's a great conditioner regardless of your style of play. It forces your players to take game shots with the added pressure of a time element while they're fatigued. Your players will gain confidence on both the indi- vidual and team levels with their success in this dril You'll see players step up in this drill wantingto take those crucial shots that often make the difference be- tween winning and losing, You'll also notice that your players will ook for those teammates who want (0 shoot the bell, You, asa coach, cannot give your players confi dence. But you can help them grasp it on their own through repetitive drills such as this one. It's a shoot- ing drill that does it all, ©5 GOOD DRILLS FOR SETTING UP THE 3-POINT SHOT By Ron Righter, Head Coach Clarion University, Clarion, PA LEX Low-Post Reaction Drill Play- ¢)High-Post Reaction Drill. ‘er #2 passes to #5 and relo- Player #2 passes to #5 and re- cates. Player #5 passes back out locates. Player #5 can either re- to #2, who shoots the 3-pointer. verse the ball to #3, who has also relocated, or kick it back out to #2, Both ate in 3-point range. ‘Two-Man Fastbreak Dill (right), The ball is inboundled quickly and the receiver speed-dribbles up the floor. The inbounder sprints the outside lane and spots up on the wing for the 3-pointer. There should be continuous action at both ends in this drill. Le ~~ fa) ory ‘e LEX. LAX Seven-Spot Shooting Drill, Fade Drill, The ball is passed to the wing. The opposite wing ‘Two rebounders and two balls screens for the passer, who fades for a 3-pointer. He should are used in this drill Fach shooter rece fe a skip pass from the wing with the ball. This di also makes five in a row fromaspot _ features continuous action, with players rotating positions and before rotating to the next spot, Go through the circuit twice. WINNING HOOPS 7A FULL-COURT SHOOTING DRILL By Horb Hofer, Asst, Coach Luther College Decorah, 1A NY: CYC} ‘The “35 Drill” is an excellent drill to work on concentration along with shooting and player ‘movement in the full-court sitt- ation. It's also an enjoyable way to enda practice because the players can walk out of the gym with a sense of accomplishment. ‘To start the drill, players form three lines at the baseline, as shown in the diagram. The ball is passed from the middle to one side, back to the middle, then tothe otherside continu- x ously down the floorto- — ¥ x ward the other basket, pero The first shot at the other end must be taken outside the lane—no lay- ups. Ifa 3-point shot is. madle, score 3 points; points are scored on all other first shots; 1 poi scored on a made shot af- tera rebound, which must be put up by the re- tis toa teammate closer to the basket) Ifthe ball hits the floor or if a shot is not made at- ter two attempts (the first shot and the shot after the rebound), the score starts over at 0. The drill continues until the team bounder (he cannot pass | 7 scores 36 points, which means the team never missed two consecutive shots and the ball never hit the floor And that’s the feeling of accomplishment the players, take to the locker room, EB BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE! Missed any issues of W/IMMING HOOPS? Back issues are available for $68 each, Prepayment must accampany orden. Send your request: to: WINNING HOOPS/Back issues P.O. Box 624 © Brookfield, WI 53008-0624 Phone: (262) 782-4480 « Fax: (262) 782-1252 COMPETITIVE SHOOTING DRILL By Bill Agronin, Asst. Coach Niagara University Niagara University, NY We use this drill almost every day in practice. It in- corpotates shooting, re- bounding and passing skills. Our players enjoy it because ofthe element of competi- tion. Also, it’s fun, To begin, the coach chooses two players to pick teams, The object of the drill is fora team to score 21 points, Thhe first team to reach 21 wins; the other team ‘must run sprints. The full-court di- 1B agram shows the ort drill, Player #1 on each team shoots a jump shot, then follows his shot, re- hounds and shoots a lay-up (1 point is awarded for the jumper and 1 point Tor the lay-up) After shooting the lay-up, the shooter rebounds his shot (made or missed) and passes to the next man in ine (#2). Alter passing the ball out, player #1 fol Jows his pass with his hands up, putting token pres sure on the next shooter. This procedure continues until one team scores 21 points. 8 wininG HoopsBy Greg Hess, Asst. Coach California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA Coaches often talk about the im- portance of defense and how it ‘wins games, But many are not always prepared or willing to present the concept of team de- fense to theit players in an en- thusiastic, well-organized man- net. Coaches should sell the idea of team defense to their players. his article is designed to help you do that. ‘The first step to establishing defensive team pride is to build a team image that relates to defense. Whenev- er defensive drills are run in practice, make sure the intensity is tumed up a notch, Devote a segment of practice time each day specifically to defense. Early in the season, defensive practice should be repetitive and strength-oriented; as the season progresses, shift the focus toward scouting reports and apparent weak- nesses of opponents, based on their games, T’ve found that forcing players to communicate on the floor also promotes team cohesiveness and pride. ‘When the defensive end of the floor becomes ex- tremely important to the team, teamwork on the of- fensive end will pick up. cooty DEFENSIVE DRILLS Here are four drills I've used during my 13 years of coaching, The verbal cues that are given should be re- inforced during each drill. However, players should not repeat these verbal cures merely for the sake of re- peating them; rather, they should be appropriate to the team task at hand. As coach, you should insist on every player performing these drills perfectly, down to the smallest detail. 1, Mass. This drill uns players through the basic de- fensive positions. Out of stance, players respond to the movement ofa ball held by the leader in front of the group. When he holds the ball over his head, play- ers jump forward and yell "Stick?" with their hands tracing the ball. When the leader brings the ball down to his hip, players yell "Dig/"with an open palm point- ed at the ball across their body. When the leader ‘moves the balllto the other hip, players switch hand ii = positions and yell “Dig!*again, Having the players clap during the switch is a good technique to increase in- tensity, As the leader moves the ball around to the three positions, the players should respond with the proper hand movements and verbal calls, Mass is a good time to have flexibility training and to make sure players are achieving the proper defen- position. This part of practice needs to be well-or ganized and very intense, 2, Run-Shuffle-Run, This drill starts with players in aline at the baseline comer. As shown in diagram 1, they run to midcoutt, shuffle actos the midcourt line to the other ° sideline and run to the op- posite baseline. ‘They then shut- fle across that baseline, backpedal to the midcourt fine, shuffle 8 sranr actoss, backpedal to the original baseline and shuffle across starting point. Because bal- ance is a bigkey todefensive play, insist that players not bring their feot together while shuffling, You can reinforce thiscommand 4 with a modifi- cation of this dri. With this variation, which I call The Gorilla, players follow the same pattern but must maintain contact with the floor with both hands at all times. This builds great leg and lower back strength, but i’s important to have players keep their heads up and backs straight. 3, Four-Man Help and Recover. The main focus of this drills on the man playing defense, and the con- cept being taught is that when you're guarding a man, with the ball and he passes it, always jump to the ball in denial position. The drill aso stresses low move- ‘ment and quick, efficient footwork, winning HOOPS 9For this drill, there are three offensive men—one at the point at the top of the freethrow line circle, and one at each wing, To start, the defensive man below the freethrow line at the bottom of the citcle passes the ball to the point offensive player. The point catch- es the ball in triple-threat position and puts it above his head as the defensive player comes at him in the close-out mode of shuffle. As the ball goes above the offensive player's head, the defender yells “Stick!"and puts both hands above his head with knees still bent, ‘The offensive player moves the ball around to dif- forent positions, with the defender reacting accord: ingly. Then the offensive player passes to one of the wings, at which time the defender jumps to the denial position and yells "Help right!" or “Help left!” The wi man takes one hard dribble toward the middle, fore- ig the defender to employ the help-and-r move, The wing man then passes back to the point man, who shoots a jumper. The defensive player shut- fles back to the point and gets a hand up on the shot. Once the shot is taken, the defender blocks out and goes for the rebound, When he rebounds he yells “Ball” and pivots on the outside foot to outlet to the appropriate wing. The wing throws the ball back ta the defensive player, who's moving to the bottom of the circle, where he began the drill, The players should go through this drill five times before rotating positions. 4, Box Drill, This drill has three parts, The first part is to make sure every player understands proper posi- tion, and that they move and change position each time the ball is passed, The second part stresses the help-and-recover technique and establishes the de- fonsive rotation when a player is beaten on a baseline drive. The third part focuses on the footwork of post defense and the lead-the-cutter concept. No shots are taken in this drill, and the defensive players should be structed not to touch the ball The objective of this drill is to teach players how to get proper position in the half-court game. Four offer sive players (two guards and two wings) and four de- fensive players are positioned as shown in diagram 2, A. Position. Every time an offensive player passes the ball, the defensive players should get in the proper posi- tion appropriate for their location, Players who are one pass away from the ball should be in the denial stance and yell “Help right!” or “Help left” Players who are two passes away should be in the pistol stance and yell “Helpsidet"’The helpside player should be off his man 410 = winivinG HOOPS to the extent that ifa pass over the top does go to his, man, he can still close out on his recovery. B. Help and Recover. Player #1 starts with the ball and takes one hard dribble toward defensive player C, who should be in denial stance. On the dribble, C does his help-and-recover move, then plays on-the-ball de- fense against player #3 when #3 gets the pass from #1, Player # gets the pass back from #3, then dribbles to his right, forcing defensive player B into help and re- cover. Then ff2 gets a pass from #1 and dribbles to his right, forcing player D into help-and-recover action, Player #2 passes to #4, ‘AL this point, dofensive player D should allow his man (#4) to drive the baseline to force a rotation. On the drive, defensive player C should meet #4 outside the lane on the right in a two-foot jump stop. Defend- er A should slide down the lane and cut off any pass across the key. Defender B must split the distance be- tween offensive players #1 and #2. Player ##4 passes off the baseline drive to one of his, teammates, and the defense recovers to their original ‘men, Then reverse the action by having #2 dribble to his right, as #1 started the drill by dribbling left, The drill continues around the horn until #3 drives the baseline and defender D meets him outside the lane on the left Insist on proper footwork, positioning and verbals in this drill, Lead the Gutter. Player #1 passes to #3, forcing de- {ender Cto go from denial to on-the-ball position. The #3 man passes back to #1 and cuts to the power box, Player iN passes to #2 while #3 proceeds to cut to the high-post area. Instruct defensive player C that you want a ball you-man relationship (lead the cutter) as he cuts to the high-post area with #3, Player #2 then passes to #4 and #3cuts to the power box on the ball side. Defender C has to battle to keep #3 from establishing good post position. Playor # then passes the ball to #2 and begins the same route that #3 tookat the start of the dri, Remind your players that you don’t want the ball to be passed into the post during this drill. While all this action is happening, the pressure is on defensive play’ ers and D to jump to the ball in denial position and. tolead the cutter. CONCLUSION Ifyou want to instill defensive team pride in your players, you must build it on a solid foundation of defensive fundamentals, Teach your players that de- fense is something they can count on every time they take the floor. ‘The most important factor in establishing defensive team pride is getting your players to buy into extreme intensity while running drills, Asa coach, I've found it important to allow technique to take second priority to intensity and effort, atleast until the drills ate over. By creating a defensive-minded program, you'll add pride and satisfaction to your coaching experience.FLASH PIVOT DEFENSIVE DRILL By F.C. Sandlin, Head Coach Carlisle High School Carlisle, OH ‘Today's game is based on quick reversals of the bas- ketball, and offenses are full of flash pivots fram low post to side high. We have used the following drill at Carlisle for several years and have found it to be an ex- | When the ball is passed from one perimeter posi- tion to the other (diagram 2), the defensive pla imeets the flasher chest high and establishes a denial position at the elbow a half-man over. The half-man- ‘over position forces the offensive man to go backdoor orroll to the block. When the offensive player reaches the block, the de- fensive player jumps back to pistol down position and, on the next pass, defends another flasher coming from the opposite block (diagram 3). Each player defends 00a] Jooo 4 2 3 cellent drill to teach the techniques and footwork. needed to defend the flash pivot ‘The drills set up as shown in diagram 1, with the of- fensive players (flashers) lined up on either side of the Jane, the defensive player in the paint in pistol down po- sition and two coaches with one ball on the perimeter. five flashers and then switches, until every player goes through the drill. ‘When we teach the drill, we go half-speed the first ime through, We work hard on hand and foot posi- ion to ensure that we make the offensive player make great play to score inside the paint, Use this &-page Wining Hoops Special Management Report to strengthon your bench help..or help you find that “perfect” assistant coaching job. Whitt cert ot ey to fn the perfect assent coach, this pel eprom @hadzen custard igh School nd colege coches oes ply of lub ites eas to et the recrultng and terening job done Fgeriss of the lav! of competion you coch a, this report reed with as to help you fd ta ight person fer ‘edd bench siength. sls loaded ith rock-solid ideas to help you climb the Ider tothe ume coaching pesto, Tis Wing Hap tpt isd vith ul norma: | =| ‘kc Qualities To Laok For When Choosing Assistants ‘Resistant Coaching olecton Checkist “Be elatant Coach Intervewieg Pros And Cons, le Assistants More Effectively, Be Assistant Coaching Food For Thought, To order a copy of "Building Better Assistants” contact: Winning Hoops, BBAD, P.O. Box 624, Brookfield, Wi 53008-0824, FOR FASTER SERVIC! (600) 645.8455 (U.S. ony Or (262) 782.4460 Fax: (262) 782-1252 « mall: ifo@iesspub.com ‘Web site: www.lesspub.com va our cre adnan WINING Hoops 11DRILLS TO BUILD A PRESSURE MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE By Jim McDonald, Head Coach Kent State University Kent, OH Here are several drills that are usefl in building a pressture man-to-man defense. They are full-court drills that employ a range of techniques from 1-on-1 to 5-on-5, The coach’s options are given, as well. 1-ON-1 ZIGZAG Purpose: To teach stance, reading the ball, pressure techniques, conditioning, Description: Players are re- stricted by the sideline and lane line on their side of the court. The offen- @. sive player must take three dribbles before changing direction, but this restriction can be lifted as play- ers’ abilities im: prove. The defensive man must stay in stance, always slid: ing and using the drop step when the dribbler changes di- rection, He also must be able to touch the dribbler's chest with his extended hand, Note: You may wish totell the offensive player he cannot tuim his back on the defender while mov- ing upcourt. 2-ON-2 FULL COURT Purpose:'To teach denial, falling to the line of the ball, conditioning, switching, trapping, Description: The pass-in must be made inside the foul line extended. The offense attempts to score at the other end but cannot pass to each other until they reach midcourt; they can exchange the ball only by handoff. De- fender X1 falls to the line of the ball on the flight of the ball, He then attempts to stay2 to 3 feet behind the 42 winninGc Hoops line of the ball for trapping or switching purposes, Note: You may ot may not allow switching, depending on your coaching philosophy. 3-ON-3 HOCKEY FULL COURT. Purpose: To teach denial, switching off the ball, falling {o the line of the ball, half-court defense, Description: ‘This drill encourages switching before the midcourt Tine, We want the a switch to occur on xi the ball. There ate / two offensive restric tions: L.The ball can- not be inbounded beyond the foul line extended; 2. once the ball is inbounded, the offensive team cannot make a for- ‘ward or penetrating ass until the ball reaches midcourt, ‘The ball is advanced by dribbling, lateral passes and handoffs. Nove: You may 1. change players" positions on a score; 2. set a time limit to end the dtrill;3, change on a set number of baskets. 5-ON-5 BY THENUMBERS This drill is used to teach positioning on the ball accord- ing tothe numbered defense thats called: 100-75-50-25 (See the diagram), General Rule: The higher the defense picks up the bal, the higher up you are on the bal. Piayers not directly guarding the ball must be in good position to stop the ball, and therefore must play toward the balland notte men they've guarding Front Line Responsi- bilities:Pressure, de- gf ny, fill Fall tothe line of the ball. Back Line Responsibilities; Deny on the strong side, sag oon the weak side, front the post. a This drillcan belive or dummy. [fadum- my drill the coach calls antumber, then rolls the ballon the floor. The players react tothe ball and the area where the baltis rolled, If the coach calls “100,” then he wants a full-court pickup; if he calls 75,” he wants the defense to pick up at the three-quarter-court line, and so on, “= CONCH 7 _t1 ste anove cote)OVERLOAD DRILLS CAN IMPROVE YOUR DEFENSE By Bob Starkey, Asst. Coach Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA AtLSU, we believe in pushing our student-athletes to the maximum, during practice sessions. We want them to deal with both physical and mental pressure in that environment so they'll be able to successfully handle simi- lar situations during actual games. Si cult to simulate such pressures basic 5-on-5 practice drills or even in part method drills, to master certain phases of the game, we've developed a series of “overload” dis ‘An overload drill is any drill in which the player ot players performing the drill are put at a distinct disad. ‘vantage. One example is our shell series, in which we work with four defensive players, but give the offense five or six players with which to attack. We believe that ifwe can become adept at defending an extra offen sive player or two in practice, we'll be able to handle all5-on-5 situations that might come up in a game, ‘There isa tremendous psychological advantage en- Joyed by a group of players who come fairly close to successfully defending a larger group, and their confi- dence soars. Overload drills can be as numerous and varied asa coach's imagination will allow, A starting point might be using two balls during ball-handling and dribbling drills and extend into giving a press defense seven players to defend your five-man press offense. The theory is that ifyou can break a press of seven players in practice, you're going to be all right come game site player is in ahelping posi- tion in the middle of the Jane. The drill starts with the: coach making @ lob pass into the post, where ‘we want the helpside post tocomeove @L__ RY | and knock the ball away; as shown in diagram 2. As this is happening, ive player flashes to the high post to receive the second ball from the coach (diagram 3). ‘When he gets it, the players play 2-on-2, play. Teil start out asanear impossible task for the defense, but you'll be surprised at howtheyt! = =@L_ Nd adapt and Team to counteract ther disadvantages. ‘Another overload dril that we have had success with is “stop the driver and recover” In tis dil, we havea ball onthe wing being defended, with a coach around the top of the Key and a manager or another playerin the opposite comer. The coach has a second ball at his feet “The drill starts with the wing passing tothe coach time going “only” 5-on-5. (diagram 4), where we want our defender to jump to A great drill for improving post play is “2-on-2 in the ball per our defensive philosophy to take away the the post with two balls.” It positions two offensive give-and-go cut and to be in a position to handle post players on the flashes and blocks being sereens, The defended by coach then two players passes the ball and a coach on to the comer, the wing with ‘avo basketballs (diagram 1), The ballside defender fronts the low post per our defen- sive philoso phy. The oppo- 4 where our de- fensive player player in the comer now drives to the basketuntil — 4 WINNING HOOPS 13he's stopped by the defender (diagram 5), where he now tries to put up ashot In the mean- time, the coach picks up the second ball and, as the first shot goes up, passesit 5 A» back to the original wing, The defender has to recover to contest the shot (diagram 6), remembering to do it ina con- trolled manner and not go fora shot fake, We want the defender to finish by strongly con. testing the shot and then block- ing out, We hope you can see the countless op- tions you have in developing your own over- load dlills with- inyour team’s § A philosophy. Taking advantage of this great teacher wll better pre- pare your players for game-time combat, EDITORIAL CALL Do you have some spacial insights or plays you'd like to share with other basketball coaches? WINNING HOOPS will pay $100 for each fulHength article accepted for publication, $$50 for each short article and $35 for each diagrammed play used in our Blackboard column. Weld like to hear from you. Send your submission to: WINNING HOOPS PO. Box 624 Brookfield, WI 53008-0624 14 winnine Hoops 2-ON-2 COMPETITIVE TRANSITION DEFENSE DRILLS By Kevin Sivils, Head Coach Runnels High School Baton Rouge, LA ‘The success of Rick Pitino’s pressing defense at Provi- dence University (then with the New York Knicks and now at the University of Kentucky) began changes that are reshaping the game of basketball, Paul Westhead’s success at Loyola Marymount has added further credi- bility to the value of an all-out running game. Fans now want to see all-out pressing defenses and high-paced fastbreak offenses and the resulting high- scoring games. As more coaches adopt the up-tempo style, ithas become necessary to change how prac- tices are conducted. Teams can no longer work only on half-court skills. Defensive transition is more important now than ever, particularly with secondary breaks designed to get good perimeter shooters immediate 3-point shots or an easy post shot inside, Half-court defensive drills can be easily adapted to include transition work, yet still provide sound practice of fundamentals, Regardless of the specific half-court skill being prac- ticed, transition defense drills should always include these four elements: 1. communication; 2, rebound- 13. outlet of the rebound or made basket; and 4. an element of competition to generate player interest and intensity. ‘The following simple scoring system is used in both, of the 2-on-2 competitive transition defense drills de- scribed here, and ean be used in other drills as well: Defense: +2 for a forced turnover; +2 for a defensive rebound; +1 for initial verbalization on transition; +1 for outstanding skill execution (awarded by the coach). Offense: +1 for scoring; +2 for an offensive rebound; +1 for an outstanding play (awarded by the coach), Both Teams:-2 for a foul; -2 for not following re- strictions. Bach team keeps track of its own score. Using this standard scoring system simplifies organiza. tion of competitive drills and allows the coach to stress specific skills or concepts by assigning point values to them, At the end of the competitive peri od, the winning team gets water early while the other teams do push-ups or run a wind sprint be- fore getting their water. Farly in the preseason, the drills must be restricted to very specific techniques, with limits placed on of- fensive options. As the defense becomes profi a particular skill or concept, the offense can be given more freedom, Eventually, all of the individual and team skills and concepts will have been taught, andthe offense can be tuned loose to create “live game” situations 2-on-2 Transition Denfal. This drill is designed to ‘emphasize basic denial skills such as footwork, stance and covering backdoor cuts. Italso teaches communi- cation and transition to the defender's assignment in relation to the ball, his man and the passing lane, rather than simply running back to the basket. Help- side defense and rebounding are included as well. Players are divided into teams of two (Xs), with halt the teams positioned under each basket, as shown in diagram 1. Two offensive players (Os) wait at designat- ° ° xx04 —pxx ( P P } Xxx > Hx xx aco ° ed places (ustally where the upcoming opponent runs its shooters on the break). Two designated passers (P)—coaches, managers or injured players eleared for light activity—are positioned as shown, The drill starts with the first defensive team passing the ball upcount to the designated passer. They sprint to position and the correct denial stance and verbal ize their assignments (diagram 2). The offensive play 2 ers cut from the wing to the block and back until one of them gets open for a pass, Barly in preseason work, hho other method of getting open is allowed. Once the ball is passed to a wing, the other defender must establish helpside posi- tion (diagram 3), Both ballside and helpside defense tactics are now concentrated ‘on and the following skills are practiced: ball pressure/stectingout- side (diagram 4); beating the flash cutter (diagram 5); early help on penetration (diagram 6); and closeouts 6 7 ‘on skip passes and going from ballside to helpside de- fense (diagram 7, Ifthe offense has nothing avaitable, they may pass the ball out to the designated passer and begin eutting again, Later in the season, the passer can penetrate, forcing the defenders to provide early help, then J ‘close out on the pass (di- agram 8}. ‘When the offense shoots, the defense clears (boxes) out, and ® the team that gets the re- bound scores a-+2. Ifthe offense gets the rebound, 8 a they may shoot or pass the ball out and begin cutting again. Ifthe offense scores or the defense grabs the rebound, the defense outlets the ball to the passer, who passes it upcourt. ‘The offense now makes the transition to defense and the drill continues, The next two players in line step ° oa KX out as offensive players (diagram 9), 2-on-2 Low-Post Transition Defense. This drill is designed to teach post defenders to pick up offensive WINKING Hoops 15post players quickly and to provide helpside defense on the ballside low post. The post men are divided in- to teams of two. Petimeter players are stationed at each end to serve as passers (diagram 10) Once the post defense has progressed far enough, the perimeters may be allowed to start penetrating, forcing the post defenders to provide early help (dia- gram 13), Other teaching situations include the help- e o x» ° xx ° a0 ° ‘The drill starts with the defense passing the ball up- court. The perimeters can move the ball to any loca- tion they want. The two post defenders must commt- nicate their assignments and sprint to their proper po- ns (diagram 11). The perimeters move the ball, =====G Aa forcing the defense to adjust. Early in the season, the offensive post players may post up or seal for only one pass away. As the defense progresses, the offense may be allowed to cut or scteen to get open. Ifthe defense is successful in preventing the ball from going inside in a predetermined amount of time, the perimeters may shoot the ball, with both teams ‘going for the rebound. Ifthe offense gets the rebound, they may pass the ball out or shoot. The defense out- lets either a make or a miss to the perimeters, who pass the ball upcourt, The offensive post players make the transition (diagram 12), 16 winninG HOOPS asi LS 14! side offensive post player cutting to either the high or low post on the ballside (diagram 14). Both of these drills incorporate transition defense with specific half-court defensive skills. They are flexi- ble enough to include a wide variety of skills and situ- ations as the defense progresses. While the primary emphasis is on defense, rebounding and the outlet pass receive considerable reinforcement. As with any set of drills, it’s important to stop and correct mistakes as the defense progresses. In today's transition style of basketball, it is essen- tial to incorporate as many elements of the transition game as possible into each drill, Players enjoy the drills more and improve quickly under the gamelike conditions, Its also essential to demand perfect exe- cution and intense effort all season long, NEED BACK ISSUES? See information on page 8. _ WANT MORE = COACHING REPORTS? See information on page 11. WHAT WORKS ‘FOR YOU? — See information ‘on. page 44. WANT TO WRITE AN ARTICLE? See information on page 20.By Rich Grawer, Head Coach St. Louis University St. Louis, MO ve ‘This article fs part of a booklet [have put together that I give to anyone on the team who plays on the inside. ‘The booklet, “Physical and Skill De- velopment for Inside Players,” is handed out at the start of the season, and players are allowed to keep it over the summer. We use these drills aily in practice and expect players to use them on their own over the summer. Some of these dhills axe designed to be done alone, and some need & coach or partner, Some drills need specific props, such as a chair, a rope, a wall, a tire, tc, Here are the drills: Basketball Pickup. The coach has a basketball at the top of the key and the player stands atthe freethrow line (diagram 1). The coach —— rolls the ball to one side of the player, who slides over as quickly as possible with wide base and scoops up the ball, then delivers a of specific type of pass (chest pass, bounce pass) to the coach. The player then slides over in the otherdi- rection to pick up another rolling basketball, Using twwo balls inereases the speed of the dri, Gut and Go. The floor is marked with tape as in cated in diagram 2. The idea is forthe player to hit each spot with the outside foot, plant it firmly and push off in a quick change of direction. Players must maintain foot coordination, stay low and push of. Blongated Running, Place Xs on the floor at longer. than-stride intervals, as shown in diagram 3, The play- x 4 x ers supposed to hit the Xs while running in order to lengthen his side. Lane Touches. The player isin basketball postion in the middle of the feethirow must slide and touch the Tine on one side ofthe lane with his hands or feet, then Kes push off and touch the line on the other side. Pivoting. The player suns from the baseline to the half-court line, jump-stops, then executes a reverse ot front pivot—both feet par- alle, knees flexed, hands out in front, palms forward. ‘The coach should specify which foot is to be the pivot foot, Stay on balance, repeat. In practice, an offensive player (#1) and a defender (#2) are positioned as shown in diagram 5. The coach has the basketball. Player #1 moves toward the frecthrow line. Upon con- tact with A2, he executes a reverse pivot, Ashe does this, the defender tries to fightin font and the coach releases a chest pass, Timing is essential the coach must pass the 5 {#2 ball just as #1 completes the pivot (about one count before the pivod. Ten in One Minute, The player tuns ten all-out sprints from baseline to baseline in one minute. Running Backward. The player runs baseline to baseline ten times backward in one minute. Stop-and-Go Running. The running player must stop on the coach's whistle, stay low and make a quick reversal as he plant his foot and thrusts his arm for- ward. The time limit can be one minute or longer. WinhinG HOOPS 17Stop-and-Go with Push-Ups, Same as above, ex- cept on the coach’s command, the player drops to the floor to do a quick push-up, then gets up quickly and ‘goes the other way. Full-Court Lay-Ups. The player must go the length of the court and make six lay-uips in 36 seconds. The coach should specify which hand the player must, dribble and shoot with, 40-Lay-Up Drill, In this half-court drill, the player must make 20 lay-ups: left side, He dibbles. score, then goes to the oth- er side and repeats the drill. Ona miss, the player must repeat that side, Quick Plant-and-Cut Lay-Up Conditioner. To set up this drill, place a chair between the freethrow line and the dot- g ted circle, as shown in dia- ‘gram 6, The coach positions himself in front of the rim and the player is behind the chair, at the freethrow line. The player makes quiick cuts to the hoop around the chair, the coach lobs the ball up and the player lays tin or dunks it ‘Avariation on this drill is to have the player reverse around the chair, alternating let side, right side. This can be « one, two- of three-minute drill, and the coach can require a certain number of shots to be made within those time frames. Celtic Drill. The player throws the ball off the back- board, outlets it to a evan ‘coach and speeds down to the other end for a re- turn pass (diagram 7), shooting a lay-up, jumper ‘or hook. The cil is re- peated in the other direc- tion using another coach. ‘The coach should require a specific number of shots (0 be taken in aset time limit. Wild Horse. Tie an an- chored rope around a player's waist and have the player lean forward and runin place. Lap Run. You need a football field for this drill, 7 ‘As shown in diagram 8, players run 40 yards down a sideline, walk 10, then un 40 again. Then they run backward around the goal posts in the end zone and repeat the run-walk-1un drill on the other side of the field, finishing off with a backward run around the ‘other goal post. 18 Winnie HOOPS the right side and 20 on the from the half-court ine to in 8 es Rw Sprint Program. This is also a football field drill. Players run ten 40-yard sprints, with a 15-second rest between each sprint. Players must run these sprints ashard as they can, themselves, if possible, Players should try to reach between 5.0 and 5.9 sec- onds for each sprint, TOUGHENING DRILLS By Randy Gess, Head Coach Haddon Heights High Schoo! Haddon Heights, NJ Too often, high school basketball coaches are con- fronted with players who lack the mental toughness necessary to withstand the rigors and pressure of close ballgames, intense situations, tough opponents and the like. To combat this, we've introduced a series of “toughening drills,” whose main purpose is to prepare players to handle double-teaming, pressure situations and physical opponents. ‘The first of these is a “double the rebounder” drill (diagrams 1 and 2). This involves the double-teaming ofa rebounder who is being harassed by two players Meee 2 and must outlet to a teammate, who is being denied. Another drill we use, “double the comer” (diagrams 3 and 4), is similar, but the double-team is set in the comer similar to a full-court pressing situation. The doubled player must fight the double-team and at- tempt to pass to the inbounder, who is being covered bya third defender.3 4 A third toughening drill we use is a “draw the charge” drill (diagram 5), Two lines are established hear the 3-point line. A player from one line drives to the basket while another from the other line x LK x x. XK sprints to a spot where he can set his feet and draw a charge. A gymnastics mat can be placed in a suit- able location to prevent injuries. In the "shield" drill (diagram 6), a hand shield such as the type used in football practices is used to hit players as they at- tempt to make a shot from in close. This simulates real contact and might be the difference whether your player has an opportunity at a 3-point play or ‘only two foul shots, ‘The fifth drills the “triangle rebound!” drill dia. ‘gram 7). A.coach throws a ball off the rim and three players try to get the ball and score. The ball is live un- til someone scores; then the procedure is repeated, ‘The “game” can be played to any predetermined, 7 8 score, and sprints can be assigned to the two “losers.” ‘This drill promotes aggressiveness, competitiveness and conditioning. Finally, we use a screening drill (di ‘agram 8) to teach our players to set hard, physical screens. It involves a 3-on-3 drill that allows the passer to sercen to or screen away. Good, hatd screens are complimented; weak, soft screens ate criticized. € PRACTICE DRILLS THAT BUILD STAMINA By Nick Macarchuk, Head Coach Canisius College Buffalo, NY Stamina—or the lack of it—can play an important part in the fortunes ofa basketball team during the course ofa season. And in a playoff situation, after whole season of running the court, it can be a vital consider- ation. So one of the aspects of the game it pays to work on is building stamina. One drill that we use during the season (about once week, especially during the October 15 to November 15 period) is a “passing, take the lay-up at the end” rill, Made lay-ups are counted, the object being to reach a predetermined number (set by the coach) in a one-minute time span. Ifwe have 14 players on the team, six orthem assume positions at each foullineextended andatmideout —& (diagram 1). These are the re- ceivers. We split the eight players that are left, four give each a bas- Ketball, These are the passers. In the dil, each player with a ball has to pass to each receiver on his side of the count (three pass- es} and then take alay-up at the other end. ‘The coaches count the total number of made lay-ups at both ends after oneminuite.As 1 the predeter- mined number {set before the drill begins), we generally start with 50 and work our way up as the season progresses and our con improves. Inaddition to the passing and receiving that takes place under gamelike conditions, there has to be great winninG Hoops 19concentration to make the lay-ups. Ifthe predeter- ‘mined number is high enough, it takes the eight offen. sive players all they can give to reach the number in the allotted time. One or two misses could spell defeat for the entire group. Ifthey fail to meet the number, wwe have the next group go and we bring the eight back after a minute to go again. The drill is repeated until the number is reached. ‘Understand, of course, that each time a group has to repeat the drill, itbecomes more and more difficult to accomplish the goal. What normally happens is that the coach ends up with a bunch of extra-tired players ‘who have to decide whether or not they want to give that extra effort to finish something that started out easy and ended up as a nightmare, ‘The other positive thing about the drill is that every- one is involved and everyone has to cooperate to get it over with. The passers have to concentrate on passing and making the lay-up and the receivers have to make good return passes, AFTER A BAD GAME OR PRACTICE A second dill that we use, especially after a bad game or practice, is what we refer to as “three-line weave, touch the baseline” (diagram 2), We start out at midcourt in three groups and weave to the basket and take the shot. One of the two nonshooters gets the rebound and all three run to the op- posite end ofthe court (along the sideline, naturally, since other groups ate now coming to- ward the basket) and touch the baseline. Once the baseline has been touched, we b toweave the ball back toward the other basket again. In this dill, we're working on our passing, catching and lay-ups, as well as some footwork. Our players will oc- casionally stop and take some jumpers and will always work on theirlob passes(it'stheit 2 decision during the rill). We ustally run this drill for7 to 10 minutes and a few times each week as a warmup after we finish our -and jump rope exercises. Ifwe use this drill as punishment, we'll do it for as long as 30 minutes. 20 = wininG HOOPS HOW TO WRITE FOR WINNING HOOPS. WINNING HOOPS erticles are designed to help coaches at all levels of play achieve team success ‘nthe court-and mold good ctizens off the court. We wnt to help coaches tum their student-ath- Jetes:not only into better players but into better people as wel SCOPE Articles on the fundamentals of the game are ‘always welcome. If they can be presented with some Unusual insights, all the better. Many coach: ‘es have developed ther ovm methods of teaching the basic ekils, and they all may work. We went to expose our readers to as much of a variety of thinking in this area as passble, Acticles dealing with more advanced topics also ‘are acceptable, but they should inclide some ind- Cation of how the points made in the article can be adpted by other coaches and/or coaches of ‘younger players. PRESENTATION Articles should be typed doubles easier editing on our end. IF possbie, leave wide margins Expenetons of olys (roar the diagrams themselves) may be diffu to. type; in those cases, neat writing is necessary. Diagrammed plays should be clearly drawn with a fll explanation of whats going on. Please provide a cover letier that includes a brief description of the article end why you feel it will ba interesting for our audience. Include in the cover letter an introduction of yourself that summarizes ed. to allow: your: ee in coaching ina sentence or bwo. You may: include on vente record, We no jot photos of school logos. longer pobich hes PAYIVIENT. ‘Winning Hoops pays $100 for each fulHlengrh art- ole accepted for publication, 50 for each article ‘that requres less than one ful page and $35 for ‘each play publshed in our Blackboard department, Sometimes we consolidate material to make it ‘mofe useful, suchas’ grouping Blackboard plays into article format, if the aiferent Se have a ‘common thread. Frely plese Wide yolk We aad commen: school name and mailing address when submitting articles and plays. If you Want. conespondenca {and checks) to go to your home address, please indicate thet as well.I mean, 9 ALL-AROUND SKILL DRILLS By Clint Bryant, Head Coach Augusta College Augusta, GA Here are nine drills we use to teach various aspects of the game—from ball pressure on defense and backdoor cuts, through half-court defense and passing, to the offensive and defensive tempo game. ‘The last one is a full-court conditioning drill designed to emphasize fastbreak fundamentals. 1, 3-on-2 With Trailer. Three defensive players line up at the freethrow line extended, with three offensive players on the baseline (diagram 1). The coach passes the ball to any offensive player, and they begin their break. The defender opposite that o 8 player sprints to the baseline, then retreats while the other two defenders retreat directly in tandem (diagram 2). The offense attacks 3-on-2 as the de- fensive trailer fills in. ne defensive men must sprint back to the lane and recover while the trailer fills the middle of the floor on the ball side. The top man in tandem stops the ball and drops to cover the pass across the lane, cr I ‘The bottom man takes the first pass. All the while, the defenders should be communicating with each other. ‘The offensive players must fil the lanes wide and at- tempt a shot within two passes, The point guard steps to the pass. 2, 2-on-2 Plus 2. Each team has two guards and two forwards positioned as shown in diagram 3. ‘The guards must advance the ball downcourt with a minimum of two passes in the backcourt while the opposing team applies all defensive principles. As the ball crosses half-court, 4-on-4 play begins (diagram 4). Fach team has five possessions on offense, Anumber of coaching points should be emphasized in this drill; Defenders should maintain ball pressure and get to the line of the ball, For proper positioning, use the defensive triangle, Defenders should use help- and-recover techniques and remember to block out when going for the rebound. As always, communica tion among players is important, 8, Ahead and Behind Drill, We use this drill to work on the offensive and defensive aspects of the tempo game. Two teams compete for a pair of two- minute periods, with each team on offense for one two-minute segment. The offense can score points by maintaining possession for 15 seconds, making a field goal or freethrow or getting an offensive re- bound. The defense scores by forcing a turnover, vi- olation or offensive foul and by getting a deflection ona rebound, as well as by hitting a freethrow or wininG HOOPS 24transition basket. We use the following point values: Offensive Scoring Hold ball 15 seconds Score basket Score freethtOw wn. Offensive rebound... Defensive Scoring Force turnover Cause violation Draw charge. Force deflection... Score freethtow . Defensive rebound... Score basket (transition) 4, Six-Point Defensive Drill. L.Contest 2. Driving your offensive numbering system. Games start with the #5 man on each team sitting out. After the frst possession, the players start rotating in: Both #58 ‘come in and the #1s go out, then the #1s come in and the #2s go aut, and so on, This means that each player plays four of the five possessions, (This is one of the few team drills we run that does not feature transition by the defense.) “Teams playing each other are designated as “of- fense” and “defense,” and each team gets five chances to play defense. When the offensive team scores, the defensive team is “awarded” points. Low score wins. Here's how the scoring works: Ifthe offensive team gets four baskets out of theit five possessions, then the defenisive team is given 4 points. (When the offense does not score on a se- uence, the defense receives no points, and each member of the defensive team is awarded a stat.) IF the offensive team is fouled, they must make a freethrow for that possession to count (against the defense) as a score. Ifthe freethrow is missed, it's treated as a timeout, When the defense takes a charge, I point is subtracted from their totel, provid- ed they hit a freethrow. Scores are recorded each day, Since this isa defen- 8, Backdoor Cut sive drill, the team with the fewest number of points at the end of the season is the champion. 6, Five-Spot Passing, Four lines are set up, with one player in the middle, as shown in diagram 11, Players pass in the pattern shown and follow their passes. The object is to make as many passes as possible in 60 sec- onds, Emphasize footwork and quickness, UE 6. Post Flash, es ae a ‘10! XB. x 1 ‘42! 7, 2-on-1 Rebounding. Three players are in the Jane and the coach is at the foul line, as shown in diagram 12. The coach shoots and all three players go for the rebound. The player wha retrieves the 5, Shell Game. This drill provices a realistic half= court defensive situation that is both gamelike and ‘competitive, It offers real incentive to work on defense ‘at game intensity and provides many teaching oppor- tunities, The squad is divided evenly by the coaching staff into three teams of five players after one week of| practice, and the teams remain intact for the season, ‘The players decide on names for their teams, which helps develop unity as the year progresses. ‘The players are numbered | through 5, much asin 22 winnwinG Hoops ball tries to score, and the other two contest the shot. If the ball goes outside the lane, it's re- turned to the coach, 78 who shoots again. 8, "Triangle Shooting. Thisis a two-ball shoot- ing drill with a rebound er, passer and a shooter, ‘The shooter may go elbow- to-elbow (diagram 13) ot Het 13!between the wing and the 8 drill focuses on fastbreak fundamentals, It uses a point guard, two wings and two trailers. The point guard passes 4 ahead to either wing for allay-up (diagram 15). The other wing rebounds and returns the ball to the point guard, The two trailers, | THE ‘PERFECT’ DRILL By Bill Agronin, Asst. Coach Niagara University Niagara University, NY From junior high to the col- lege level, coaches are con- stantly looking for drills that incorporate the many skills needed to improve a player's game. Of course, no one drill can cover every aspect of of- fensive and defensive maneu- vers, but we have found one that covers many skills in @ short period of time. This “perfect” drill incorporates the following offen- sive skills: setting and using screens, executing the pick-and-roll, flashing and posting up. In addition, it helps develop the following defensive skills: fighting over a screen, hedging and defending the pick-and- roll, the flash cutter and the post. ‘We begin the drill with six players—three on offense (Os) and three on defense (Xs). The initial alignment is, shown in diagram 1. Two offensive players (02 and (03) are at the high-post position and a third (O1) isin 15 16 cross ahead of the point guard and become the wings going the other way (diagram 16). The point guard al- ways stays in the middle and sprints foul line to foul line. ‘The wings and trailers exchange roles with each change of direction, DONT MISS AN ISSUE! Our readers tellus Winning Hoops is the BEST basketball coaching resource in the business, Order one year (six issues) for $44.95, two years for $79.95 or three years for $99.95 =a cool savings of $34.90 Call (262) 782-4480 ‘ith you eet card aubnation, or snd a chock or mana err to: WINKING HOOPS: BO. Box 624 © Brooldield, Wi 53008-0624 the center of the court, about 5 feet off the top of the key. The low defensive players (X2 and X3) should use the three-quarter deny position on the post men; the other defensive man (X1) plays the guard head-up. ‘The guard begins the drill by dribbling at his defen- sive man, trying to force him left or right into a screen set by one of the post men, (In this case, the screen is set by post man 02,) The guard must work at running his man into the screen. The defensive post men must call out “Screen right!" or "Screen left!" to help out the player defending the guard. Once the guard comes off the screen, the defensive post man (X2) must slide to the outside with his shoul- ders parallel to the foul line (hedging) to make the WwihhiNG HOOPS 23x Or 2 LAX dribbler go wide (diagram 2), This should allow the defensive guard time to get over the screen, ‘The offensive post man who set the screen (02) now rolls down the lane (pick-and-toll) looking for a pass from O1 (diagram 3). At the same time, the other of- fensive post man (03), who went low, now flashes to sL_ yd the high-post area. His defensive man (X3) must try to deny the pass to 03 and X2 must not let 02 receive the ballin the low-post area (diagram 4), Ifthe offense is not successful, the guard dribbles of } 4 LE» back to the top of the key and the post players reset to their original positions, Now the drill may begin again. ‘To make this a really effective drill, all players should work at both the inside and outside positions. By using this drill for 10 to 15 minutes per day, your players will improve their offensive and defensive skills, You may want to make this a competitive drill by awarding points to the offense if they score and to the defense if they can stop them, EI 24 WINNING HOOPS MULTIPURPOSE ILL By George Blaney, Head Coach Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA Player #3 drives straight at X2, stops and passes to ei- ther #1 or 2, X2 works hard defen- sively to get a de- fection. Ifhe gets ‘one, #3 plays de- fense and another offensive player steps in to play of- fenso. On the pass, X1 ‘quickly moves to defend the receiver (in this case, #2). Player #2 makes a quick power move to Player #1 becomes the offensive weak- side rebounder. X2 blocks out #8, Play- cers fl and #2 contin- we to play until they score, X1 continues todefend until there's ascore or he rebounds the ball. the basket (no dribble). Ifthere is a score, X1 steps out of, bounds (away from the backboard) and outlets the ball to ‘2, who has moved out to the 28-foot mark. IfX1 rebounds the ball, he turns and outlets to X2. Play- ers #1 and #2 try (© deflect the pass.