This is not always the case; there are players out there who understand how to workout properly for basketball on their own.  For example, about two weeks ago I was putting one of my trainees through a rigorous speed, agility, and skill workout at a local park and while we were there two high school age girls (I believe they were sisters) came and began to work out on the opposite end of the court.  I could not help but notice how they practiced because I was astounded by their hard work and determination.  They put themselves through a basketball specific warmup then proceeded to run many drills that allowed them to get all different types of shots at different spots while continuously keeping themselves moving throughout the entire workout.  They finished their workout with a few one on one drills that allowed them to incorporate the skills they had been working on into a game-like situation.  The one on one drills also gave these players the opportunity to work on their on the ball defense.  Finally, these drills created competition between the two players which challenged each one of them to be better and to work harder.  Just watching them, you could tell that they were successful basketball players.

Below are two examples of  one on one drills that you can use while working out with a partner.  The first two diagrams allow the players to work on their offensive and defensive skills from the top of the key while the second two diagrams show the players working from the wing. 

1 on 1 Closeout Drills

Categories: Ballhandling / Dribbling  Defense  Games/Fun  Offensive Moves  
Ages: Middle School  High School+  

Purpose of the Drill:

The purpose of this drill is to incorporate your basketball skills into a game like situation against a defender.

Instructions

• The two players set up on either block while the offensive player (blue circle) has the basketball.
• The offensive player will roll the ball out diagonally toward the opposite elbow and chase after it.
• The defensive player (red triangle) will sprint across the lane and touch the opposite block and then close out on the offensive player.

 

• It is now a live one on one situation

• In this variation of the drill, the defensive player starts at the elbow and the offensive player starts on the same side block.
• The offensive player rolls the ball out and chases after it.
• The defensive player sprints to touch the block and then closes out on the offensive player.

• At this point, it is a live one on one game.

Points of Emphasis:

• Offensive players should attack the basket using three dribbles or less.
• Offensive players should get their hips and shoulders low and initiate contact with the defender as they attack.
• Go after the offensive rebound.
• Defensive players should sprint to closeout.
• As they approach the offensive player they should start to break down with choppy steps while balanced and under control.
• Defensive players should focus on keeping the offensive player from getting into the lane. Make them take a contested pull up jump shot.

Motivation/Teaching Tips:

• Alternate posessions and keep score. Play to a designated number.
• Must validate your win by making a one and one free throw situation. If you do not, the win does not count.
• Have consequences for the losing player.

Dynamic Warmup

Basketball Specific Warmup: I usually start each workout with ball handling so my players usually go through a series of pound drills with either one ball or two.  Each specific dribble (crossovers, between the legs, inside outs) takes about 25 seconds.

Full court ball handling (w/ one ball or two balls): This usually consists of various full court ball handling drills that incorporate the different change of direction moves (crossover, between the legs, behind the back, spin dribble, etc.)  as well as changes of speed.  This is also meant to work on the player’s game specific conditioning, so rest between reps is often limited to 30 seconds or less.  Beginners usually perform one up and back per move at 75% of their max speed and two up and backs per move at full speed and I encourage you to add to that as the player advances and their conditioning increases. 

The next series of drills usually consists of weak hand development drills.  These drills incorporate passing the ball with your weak hand either on the catch, off a pound, out of a change of direction, or in a half court situation off the dribble.  For these drills, the player usually performs two drills that are stationary and two that are done while moving with the dribble.  During each drill, the player completes 8-10 reps per set with about 30 seconds rest in between sets.

My players will then get into their jump shooting or finishing drills or both depending upon the length of the workout.  If the player is focusing on finishing around the rim, they will start off with one or two warmup finishing drills like circle layups (which consists of continuous finishes off the catch).  Upon completion of the warmup, we will get into a series of finishing drills that incorporate creating space off the catch (like a side angle step across or rip through series) or finishing off the dribble (like a six cone attack drill).  Throughout both drills, it is important to incorporate various ways to create space and/or change direction.

If the player is working more on their jump shot that day, they will start off with a series of form shooting drills. We will then get into different shooting drills that allow that player to get shots off the catch and off the dribble.  All the while these drills must be done at game speed, from game spots.

With the finishing and shooting drills, the reps are usually determined by a number of makes.  In other words, the player must make 10 shots during a set or 50 shots during the workout.  It should be noted that if the focus of that workout is on jump shooting then the player will take considerably more jump shots in the hour or hour and half session. 

At the end of each set of drills the players are challenged to make a one and one free throw situation.  If they miss the front end, it is 10 pushups.  If they make the first and miss the second, it is five pushups.  If they make both, they do none.   

Often times, the players will finish with some sort of competition shooting game that puts pressure on the player to make shots consecutively.  For example, the Bird Drill is a five spot shooting drill that gives the player two minutes to see how far they can get around and back.  The key is that they cannot move from one spot until they have hit two jumpers in a row.  This is a challenging but fun drill that the players really enjoy.

This workout, is a template for some of the workouts that my players go through.  It can and should be modified to fit the player’s needs.  There is no one generic workout, that can be given to players because all players have their strengths and weaknesses that they need to work on.  However, there are certain apsects of the game that should be worked on in each training session, and I have tried to lay them out for you here and in my previous posts , The Six Keys to Basketball Skill Development and 10 Keys to a Shooting Workout.