This practice plan will allow you to get everything you need done in a 75 minute practice session.

Things that you’ll need:

a.) See if you can get every player to bring their own basketball

b)  Meet 10-15 minutes before your scheduled gym time to give the player the agenda for practice and to go over a few specific skills you will be teaching during practice.  This way, while you are in the gym, it’s review and not the first time they’ve heard it.

c)  Also, have them bring a water bottle with them so that you don’t have to give water breaks.  You instruct them to get water in-between their turn in drills or when they are subbed out for scrimmaging.

  • (5 minutes) Dribble Circles – Have the team get into a circle.  Later, you can have team captains lead this, but the first few times maybe you will need to.
  • The players go through a series of stationary dribbling skills (All skills done with both hands)
    • Front and back dribbling with (done on the side of the leg
    • Side to side dribbling (done in front)
    • Pound dribble.  This is where the player takes three or four very hard and high dribbles.  Ball comes up to head height.  On the third/fourth dribble, the player gets control of the ball and quickly gets it to a very low, quick dribble.  Player should repeat this several times.
    • Figure 8s, player dribbles the ball low and quick around one leg, then between the legs and around the other leg switching hands and then after a few times, switch directions of the figure 8.
  • Do each dribble skill, each hand at least for 30 seconds each.  You can go up to a minute if you have time.  After awhile the players will take over and lead this warmup.  It helps develop leadership and ownership for the team
  • (10 minutes) Shooting Circles – Next, have the players line up in even lines at the half court line of your court.  I’d have them face the basket for a left hand layup for more practice, but that depends on the ability of your team.  There is one rule, players must continue to dribble the entire drill.  They are not allowed to be in line holding the ball or carrying it to their next location.  Both lines face opposite baskets and start at the same time.  Each player will do a layup at each of your three baskets.  After a few layups, then tell them to jump stop at the block and shoot off the backboard.  Then switch to either a step-back move (if they can) or just have them move back a couple feet from the block and shoot off the backboard again.  Then have them dribble towards the wing still and then crossover to shoot at the elbow.  And last, if applicable have them shoot a three pointer.
  • This works on dribbling again and allows you to get in layup and shooting practice for the entire team very easily.  Also, if you stress game speed, it could be a little bit of conditioning for them as well.  You as the coach can play defense at one basket on each move and/or shot so they see how that shot/move will work in a game situation.
  • (10 minutes) Defensive Shell Drill – Use this drill to teach good help man defense.  Put 5 offensive players, one at the top of the key, two wing players and two corner players.  Have the offensive players pass the ball between each other allowing the defense to rotate to the proper position.  Also, stress talking on defense.  Things they should say are “ball,” “help right/left,” “baseline,” “basket,” “middle.”  All things that identify their position on the court related to the ball.
  • (20 minutes) Offense – Break this 20 minutes down into teaching one on one moves, post moves, screen and roll & whatever one or two plays you will run for your offense.  I suggest running some type of motion offense to teach constant movement on offense.  things like, “pass and screen away” or the traditional motion where you screen away and screen down on each pass.  Also, if you can teach your players a umber system, then you can call a screen and roll between two players at any time.  For example, “Wing 51” this means your 5 will set a screen for your 1 at the wing.  If that’s too difficult, then just call “51” and the 5 will screen wherever your 1 is.  You just have to teach the other three players court positioning based upon where the screen happens.  You want the key open for the screener to roll, you want space for the dribbler to attack the basket off the screen, you want shooters in front of the dibbler (with space) and then a trail shooter following the dribbler.
  • (15 minutes) Scrimmage – Last thing to do would be to run a controlled scrimmage and try and setup the specific things you went over in practice.  It could be the number system, you calling out screen combinations.  It could be the post moves or 1 on 1 moves you worked on.  The motion offense you taught, and ALWAYS stress defensive positioning.

After you feel like your team has a grasp on your offense and what you are trying to accomplish, I would add some time for spot shooting drills and a handful of rebounding and outlet drills for fast-breaks.  You can work rebounding and fast-break practice together.

If you follow this plan, I believe you can get your team ready to compete with just one practice a week.  In this practice plan, you are able to work specific skills like dribbling and shooting.  You have time to teach a simple offense and drill proper defensive positioning.  If you add the rebounding, outlet passing and fast-break drills you will add more game situations along with the ability to teach blocking out, court spacing on fast-breaks, passing with outlets and court vision.