Footwork - Up and Under

This is a solid move for guards or big men who find themselves in the post at anytime. This move can be executed on both sides with ease and really does not take too much effort, as its more technique in selling the move. Turning inside or out make an aggressive turn looking like you will shoot the ball. Really sell the fake and bring the ball above your head but make sure to keep your pivot foot grounded in order to not travel. As you turn move you other foot in an aggressive manner ready to explode cause if the defence don’t take the fake then shoot it. Once the defence takes the fake, step through with this foot and place it either next to or past the defence so they can not recover. This move if executed effectively will leave you with a wide open finish so take your time and make the layup. Big man and guards should certainly know this move as it is very effective.

Conditioning - Defensive Corner Slides

Using the key as a guideline you will be getting low and practicing your defensive slides laterally and at an angle, mixed in with rushing forwards and closing out. This is a timed drill so you will be sliding and running for 30seconds at a time so work hard. Stay low and do not cross your feet at anytime of this drill as if you do in a game and the opponent crosses back over your done, and will fall. Make small quick steps on the balls of your feet to stay quick. Stay low and when closing out get your hands in the air. Push yourself hard, defence wins championships.

Skills - Dribbling Cowns

Many professionals use drills like this to warm their fingers up before they begin shooing, and it also improves ball handling skills. You will need five chairs spaced out in a straight line roughly 5ft apart to give you a little room to move but this gap can be made smaller as your ability progresses. You will begin on the baseline and dribbling up the sideline going through the legs back and forth until you reach the halfway line. Turning around you will approach the chair of which you will dribble to and crossover. Now start on the right crossing to the left and continue to the next chair left handed and then crossing over two the right at the next chair. It is important that you feel comfortable with having the ball in both hands so you don’t have a weakness and coach’s can’t tell their plays to sit on your strong hand. Keep your head up during these drills so you can see the floor and not miss passes when these moves are required. Maybe pick a point on a wall and keep focused on that throughout. Once you have the skill down begin to speed up but stay in control.

Footwork - One Step Dunk

This drill is to help explosiveness and finishing at the rim hard. It can be completed with a heavy ball or a normal basketball depending on your ability or physical conditioning. I will demonstrate doing the drill with both in the following videos.

This drill you will start a good 6-8ft away from the rim and can be done with either a dribble or no dribble. The best thing to do is mix it up so you get used to both. Using one step into a 1-2 stop explode up to the rim and finish with either one or two hands making sure you don’t miss. Any misses do not count and you have to repeat that attempt. For this drill you will be coming from 3 spots and finishing 5 baskets from each of these. Make sure to go hard and aggressive to create a habit to take into the game with you.

One Step Heavy Ball

One Step Normal Ball

Skills - Euro Step

The Euro step is a simple but effective move which many find challenging. Some people who try this move themselves seem to make it more complicated than it actually is. The move can become difficult in later stages as you learn to execute reverse lay-ups at an angle with your lead arm. To make the Euro Step as easy to understand it is simply a change in direction during the lay-up process.

In the standard lay-up; you pick up the ball, take 2 straight steps, and finish by the rim. The Euro step is more of a “Z” pattern step. With your first step you change direction to avoid a player which usually results in your direction changing rough sixty degrees either way. This is the followed with a second change of direction to either avoid a secondary defender or to get your heading back towards the basket. This move is still the normal two steps allowed, your just changing direction whilst doing so. You can finish on the side you started or you can finish on the opposite side but this move requires leg strength, a good reach and some English spin on the backboard to get it.

Now the second Euro step reverse.

Footwork - Basic Back Pivot

This move is an essential piece to have in your game as it creates space and determines your pivot foot and sometimes which way your or what your next move will be. So many people travel on simple steps like these but performed right is deadly. Great players like Kobe can even use the back pivot as a weapon to get them on the free throw line. Guards and posts will both use this move for different things so pay attention. When the ball is being past to you be it in the post, on the wing, off a V cut and your back is towards the basket you need to be able to turn and look back at the basket or the play quickly without giving up position. Turning around normally is risky as its slow, and gives ground to the defender. If you turn all the way around and the defender steps into you and crowds your 90% of the time he will successfully put you on to your heels and off balance which can result in a travel or a bad weak pass to be picked off by other defenders. Establish a pivot foot is the first step and may of all ready been established by the way you came and received the ball. If you receive the ball with a jump stop you have the advantage of now picking your pivot foot so you can do this through what your most comfortable with, Which side the defender is or which side is open to the basket. 

Shooting - Four Point Chair Shooting

This drill is all about repetition and working on your concentration during your shot, but the reason we use chairs in this drill is to ensure the shooter gets low and uses their legs on the jump shot. Now for this drill to work its will require 4 chairs 4 balls and at least you and one other person. If possible have three of you for the drill to make it work smoother. This drill also has a conditioning aspect to it as it is completed at a high intensity level, and you will certainly feel it.

You will place the four chairs spread around the three point line facing away from the basket and the chairs need to be place; two of the chairs need to be slightly out of the corners for you to curl and shoot, and the other two slightly wider than the elbows at the top sat on the 3 point line. Place a ball on each chair at the start of the drill and your partner(s) will be replacing the balls as you use them. We you will be working the chairs in a crossed figure of 8 starting on the top left chair.

Starting underneath the basket you will sprint to the inside of the first chair, curling around as you pick up the ball and shooting in rhythm. Land and sprint back underneath the net and repeating the process to the opposite corner chair. Then move to the opposite chair in the corner curling the chair again and making it back to the middle before heading to the final chair at the top. Make sure you return to under the basket after each shot, then heading to the following chair. This is one time around the chairs and you will instantly start again to shoot another four shots and this will end one complete circuit. You should be shooting a total of 8 shots in each circuit. At first focus on legs and making the shot before concentrating on time as this is a physically demanding drill....but this does not mean you don’t run hard. Push yourself physically and mentally in each drill.