182 basketball drills, free to read
Shooting, ball handling, finishing, defense, passing, IQ, and conditioning — filterable by skill, with age group, duration, and equipment for every drill. Build these into a full practice plan free in the app.
Every drill here lists the skill it develops, how long to run it, the age bands it suits, an intensity rating, and the equipment you need — enough to slot it into a session and know what it's for. 20 of them also have a full breakdown: setup, numbered steps, the coaching points that matter while it's running, the mistakes players actually make, and how to scale it up or down. We're working through the rest.
If you're building a session from scratch, work backwards from the skill you want to move rather than picking drills you like. Pick one primary skill per practice, give it the longest block while players are fresh, then layer in the secondary work. Competitive and conditioning drills belong at the end — they raise intensity but they also degrade technique, so anything you're trying to teach should come first.
The counts below are live. Filter by skill area, or start from a ready-made practice plan if you'd rather not sequence it yourself. For the reasoning behind how a session is put together, see how to build a basketball practice plan.
Drills by skill area
Shooting drills build a repeatable release through high-rep, low-distraction reps before adding movement, defense, and game speed. Track makes, not just attempts, and keep form the priority until it's automatic.
Ball-handling work develops control at increasing speed and pressure — stationary control first, then movement, then live reads against a defender. Both hands, every time.
Finishing drills train footwork, touch, and body control through contact near the basket. Reps with both hands and both feet build the habit of finishing strong regardless of angle.
Individual defense is built on stance, footwork, and effort before scheme. Drill the fundamentals — stance, slides, closeouts — until they hold up at full speed and under fatigue.
Basketball conditioning should mirror the stop-start demands of the game — short, intense bursts with real recovery, not steady-state cardio. Tie conditioning to competitive targets whenever you can.
IQ and decision-making drills put players in live, small-sided situations where they have to read a defender and choose correctly — the muscle memory of good decisions, not just good mechanics.
Passing drills build accuracy, timing, and footwork on the catch. The best passing work is done on the move, since that's how the ball actually gets delivered in a game.
Footwork is the foundation under every other skill — pivots, jump stops, and change-of-direction work should be drilled on their own before they're asked to hold up inside a live move.
Rebounding is won with positioning and effort before jumping ability — teach the box-out first, then the pursuit of the ball, then the outlet. All three, every rep.
Team offense drills build spacing, timing, and decision-making between multiple players — the goal is a correct read repeated until it's automatic, not just running a set.
Form Shooting Ladder
One-hand form shots starting under the rim, stepping back one foot after five makes. Builds a repeatable release.
Pound Dribble Series
Stationary pound, crossover, between-legs and behind-back at max effort. 30s each hand.
Defensive Stance & Slides
Lane slides in a low stance, chest up, no crossing feet. Emphasize the first-step push.
17s (Baseline Sprints)
Sideline-to-sideline touches — 17 in a target time. Classic conditioning finisher.
Mikan Drill
Continuous alternating layups under the rim. Timing, touch, and both hands.
Partner Chest & Bounce
Two-line passing on the move — chest, bounce, and lead passes with proper footwork.
5-Spot Catch & Shoot
Game-speed catch-and-shoot from five perimeter spots. Track makes out of 10 at each.
Curl / Fade Footwork
Come off a screen into curl and fade actions, squaring in the air. Reads the closeout.
Beat-the-Pro (Make 21)
Race to 21 vs. a virtual pro — makes worth 2, misses give the pro 3. Pressure reps.
Pull-Up off 1 Dribble
Attack, plant, and rise into a balanced pull-up both directions. Chin the ball on the gather.
Two-Ball Rhythm
Simultaneous and alternating two-ball dribbles — same/height, then piston. Builds control.
Cone Attack Series
Attack a cone with a live counter — cross, between, hesi, snatch-back — into a finish.
Euro & Floater Package
Two-foot gather into euro-steps and floaters over a defender pad. Both hands.
Contact Layups
Finish through a coach's contact pad off both feet. Absorb, stay strong, finish high.
Closeout & Contain
Sprint-to-closeout with a chopped-step, then contain one direction. No fly-bys.
Shell Drill (Help & Recover)
4-on-4 shell working help-one-pass-away, jump-to-ball, and closeouts on rotation.
1-on-1 from the Wing
Live wing defense — force baseline, wall up, contest without fouling. Score by stops.
Dribble Tag
Everyone dribbles inside the arc; taggers try to knock balls out. Heads up, protect the ball.
Red Light / Green Light
Dribble on green, jump-stop and pivot on red. Teaches control and stopping.
Layup Lines w/ Progressions
Right-hand, left-hand, then off-two-feet layups. Build the habit young.
3-Man Weave to Finish
Classic weave into a 2-on-1 or layup. Passing, spacing, and communication on the move.
Pick & Roll Reads
Ball-handler + screener reading drop, hedge, and switch coverages. Make the right read.
Transition 2-on-1 Decisions
Attack a single defender at speed — read commit, finish or dish. Both sides.
Blitz & Rotate (Live 5v5)
Trap the ball-screen and rotate behind it. Scramble, recover, contest. Film it.
Late-Clock Isolation Package
Score from a standstill in 6 seconds — footwork, counters, and shot creation.
Perfect Practice FTs
Shoot fatigued free throws in pairs — miss and the team runs. Pressure + routine.
Jump Stop Freeze Drill
Players jog, dribble, or sprint on a whistle and must land a two-foot jump stop and freeze without traveling. Builds the athletic base needed to catch, pivot, and shoot under control.
Front and Reverse Pivot Series
From a jump stop, players execute front pivots and reverse pivots off the same pivot foot on command, keeping the ball protected at the chest. Teaches the two legal pivot types used to shield the ball or find a passing angle.
Mikan Drill Footwork
Alternating layups under the rim using the near foot to jump on each side, focusing purely on the inside-hand-outside-foot footwork pattern before adding speed. Classic big-man conditioning for finishing footwork.
Defensive Slide Box Drill
Players slide in a low stance along the four sides of the free-throw lane box, staying square and never crossing the feet. Reinforces the lateral slide footwork that underlies on-ball defense.
Jab Step and Attack Footwork
From a triple-threat stance, players jab step with the non-pivot foot then either attack the closeout or snap back into a shot pocket. Trains the footwork that creates separation before a drive or shot.
Agility Ladder Quick Feet
Players run two-feet-per-square, lateral shuffle, and in-out patterns through an agility ladder to build foot speed and coordination without a ball. A staple warm-up for footwork quickness.
Catch and Inside Pivot vs Cone
A cone stands in as a defender on the catch; the player must pivot away from the cone using either foot as the pivot before squaring to the basket. Teaches reading defensive position with footwork instead of guessing.
Euro Step Footwork Progression
Starting stationary, players practice the two-step lateral finish, side-step then step-through, before adding a slow approach dribble. Isolates the footwork of the euro step before game speed is added.
Partner Box-Out Drill
Two players start front-to-back; on a tossed ball off the backboard, the boxing-out player pivots into contact and holds position with a wide base before pursuing the rebound. Fundamental contact-and-hold box-out technique.
Rebound and Outlet Pass
Player secures a rebound with two hands at the highest point, chins the ball, pivots away from pressure, and fires a quick outlet pass to a partner sprinting the sideline. Connects the rebound to transition offense.
Showing 1–36 of 182 drills
All 182 drills
Every drill in the library, A–Z.
Basketball drills: common questions
- How many basketball drills should be in one practice?
- For a 90-minute practice, six to eight drills is a workable ceiling — roughly 8–12 minutes each once you account for transitions and water. Fewer drills held longer beats more drills rushed: players need enough reps in one drill for the correction to stick. Young teams (U10 and below) do better with shorter blocks and more variety, closer to 5–6 minutes per drill.
- What basketball drills should a beginner start with?
- Start with stationary ball handling (both hands), form shooting close to the rim, and simple footwork like the triple-threat pivot series. Beginners need the movement pattern before speed or defenders get added. The Mikan drill is the single most efficient beginner finishing drill — it teaches touch, footwork, and both hands at once. Filter this library to Ball Handling or Shooting and sort for the shortest, lowest-intensity drills.
- What's the difference between a drill and a practice plan?
- A drill is one activity — the Mikan drill, shell defense, a 3-man weave. A practice plan is the ordered sequence of them with timings, so a two-hour session actually fits in two hours. Every drill here shows its duration and intensity so you can build a plan that balances high-intensity work against teaching segments. There are ready-made practice plans if you'd rather start from a template.
- How long should each basketball drill run?
- Most drills in this library run 5–15 minutes. Skill-acquisition work (shooting form, ball handling) rewards longer blocks because repetition is the point. Conditioning and competitive drills should be shorter and harder — if intensity drops off, the drill has run past its useful length. Each drill page lists a recommended duration and an intensity rating.
- Are these basketball drills free?
- Yes — every drill page here is free to read, and nothing is paywalled. Each lists its skill focus, duration, intensity, age bands, and equipment, and a growing number include the full breakdown: setup, numbered steps, coaching points, common mistakes, and progressions. No account needed. The paid side of SixSevenBall is the coaching app: building and saving practice plans, tracking attendance and stats, and running your program day to day.
- What equipment do I need for these drills?
- Most need only a ball and a hoop. Every drill page lists its equipment explicitly, and a good number are marked no-hoop or no-equipment so they work in a gym with limited baskets, a driveway, or a hotel hallway on a tournament weekend. Cones and chairs are the most common extras and can nearly always be substituted with anything that stands up.