Practice makes perfect, which is definitely the case for basketball. After all, teams wouldn’t have practices before a big game if it didn’t help, right? With that in mind, if you’re looking to improve your skills on the court, there’s a good chance that you’ll practice a few basketball drills to ensure that your skills are sharp. At Innovative Sports, home to Shoot 360 Virginia in Chantilly, we can help you hone your skills with our innovative Shoot 360 program! Explore our website to learn more, and continue reading below to learn about four efficient basketball drills that every athlete should master!
4 Most Efficient Basketball Drills
4 Most Efficient Basketball Drills
One-On-One Closeouts
One-on-one closeouts are also known as the cutthroat drill, and they can be extremely beneficial for guards vs. guards. In this drill, multiple players take turns rolling the ball from under the hoop to the offensive player at the top of the key and closeout. This forces the offense to go one way or the other and forces the defender to react quickly. The one-on-one closeouts drill is a great option for when you don’t have enough players to form two teams.
Curl, Fade, Cut
The “Curl, Fade, Cut” drill can help benefit guards or small forwards who are constantly on the move, as it helps the players to develop a better basketball IQ. In order to become a great basketball player, you need to be able to read how a defender is guarding them, as it can help them choose the right moves to make. For this drill, the player should curl if the defender is following behind the offense, fade if the defender is over top of the screen but still in a good position, and do a backdoor cut if the defender is completely overplaying and gambling on a potential pass.
Two-Ball Dribbling
When playing basketball, your ball-handling skills are key, and if you feel as though you could improve your ball-handling skills, two-ball dribbling is a great drill to practice. This drill helps you learn how to dribble with both hands, giving you more versatility on the court. Once you’ve gotten the hang of dribbling with both hands, there are numerous other drills you could try to really test your new skill.
Full-Speed Shooting
During warm-ups, most people take their time and practice shooting around the top of the key. While this is a great way to get loose for a game or practice, it doesn’t match the energy and situations that you may experience during actual play. That’s where the full-speed shooting drill comes into play. This drill requires the player to run at full speed from half-court to anywhere on the right side inside the arch to shoot, then backpedal to half-court and do the same thing. By practicing shooting at full speed, the player learns how to shoot on the run with better accuracy.
These are just a few drills that can benefit basketball players...
...and if you’re interested in learning more or improving your skills even further, Innovative Sports is here to help! Explore our website to learn more, and give us a call today!