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.
Behind-the-Back Combo Chain
Chain behind-the-back into crossover into between-the-legs in one continuous stationary sequence, keeping the ball below the knee throughout.
Hesitation and Snatch-Back Series
Attack a cone, sell a hesitation with a shoulder dip, then snatch the ball back low to reset an imaginary defender's momentum before re-attacking.
Spin Move Counter Series
Drive hard at a cone, plant, and spin off the front pivot foot to shield the ball with the body before continuing the attack toward the rim.
In-and-Out Attack Series
Sell a crossover with an in-and-out fake at full speed, then keep driving the same direction to punish a defender who bites on the fake.
Zig-Zag Full-Court Push
Push the ball coast to coast in a zig-zag pattern, changing hands and direction at each cone while staying under control at speed.
Change-of-Pace Live Attack
Live 1-on-1 focused purely on changing speeds — walk the defender up slow, then explode past on the first hard dribble.
Half-Court Live 1-on-1 Attack
Full-speed live 1-on-1 from the top of the key — the ball-handler scores by beating the defender off the bounce, the defender scores by forcing a travel or turnover.
Two-Ball Reactive Pass-Back
Dribble one ball while a partner repeatedly tosses a second ball to catch-and-return, forcing the dribbling hand to stay automatic under a passing distraction.
Eyes-Up Blind Dribble Series
Dribble through a moving combo pattern while reading number-of-fingers or color flashcards held up by the coach, forcing the head to stay up off the ball.
Slalom Cone Counter Attack
Weave through a tight slalom of cones spaced one step apart, executing a live counter move at each cone while staying low and close to the ball.
Live Angle Attack (Middle vs Baseline)
Live 1-on-1 where the ball-handler reads the defender's hip angle and attacks whichever lane is open — middle or baseline — instead of a predetermined move.
Counter-to-Finish Reaction Series
Against a token live defender, throw one live move and let the defender's reaction dictate the counter that leads into the finish, rewarding reads over rehearsed sequences.
Retreat and Counter Dribble
Under close ball pressure, retreat-dribble back a step to create space, then counter forward immediately before the defender can recover.
Off-Hand Finishing Series
Finish every rep with the off-hand only, both straight-on and from an angle, until weak-hand finishes feel as natural as the strong hand.
Both-Hands Layup Ladder
Alternate strong-hand and weak-hand finishes rep for rep from both sides of the rim, tracking makes to find the gap between hands.
Angle Finish Progression
Finish from five spots around the restricted area — both blocks, both angles, and straight on — adjusting the release for each look at the rim.
Reverse Pivot Finish off the Glass
Catch on the baseline, reverse pivot away from an imaginary defender, and finish off the glass on the move without squaring to the rim first.
Long Gather Finish
Take one long, low gather step to close distance on the drive, then finish before the second step brings a travel call.
Bank Shot Angle Finishing
Finish exclusively off the glass from both wings, learning the bank angle instead of defaulting to a straight rim shot.
One-Foot Power Finish
Gather off one foot at speed and finish through a hop-stop landing, staying balanced enough to absorb contact on the way up.
Floater Off the Wrong Foot
Practice the floating finish releasing off the foot that feels unnatural, since defenders rarely allow the preferred plant foot in a game.
Post-Up Drop Step Finish
Seal on the block, feel the defender's overplay, and drop-step baseline or middle into a two-foot finish depending on which side is open.
Live 1-on-1 Finish Attack
Live 1-on-1 starting inside the arc where the attacker must finish through contest, scoring only on made baskets to force real footwork under pressure.
Two-Ball Finish Relay
A partner feeds a pass on the move; the finisher catches in stride and completes a finish on the correct foot without breaking speed, alternating sides each rep.
Finish Through Traffic
Drive between two pads held by coaches or partners on either side of the lane, absorbing contact from both sides while still elevating for the finish.
Mirror Slide Drill
Partners face off in a stance; the trailing player mirrors every slide, cut, and change of direction the leader makes without crossing their feet or standing tall.
High-Hand Closeout Contest
Closeout under control with a high contesting hand on the catch, then stay attached through one hard dribble without fouling or biting on a shot fake.
Ice the Ball Screen
On a side ball screen, the on-ball defender forces the handler baseline away from the screen while the screener's defender walls off the middle, funneling the drive into help.
Hedge and Recover on Ball Screens
The screener's defender jumps out to hedge above the screen, buying time for the on-ball defender to fight over top, then sprints back to closeout on the rolling screener.
X-Out Rotation Drill
When the ball beats the defense to one side, the two weak-side defenders rotate diagonally across the lane to cover the open man and protect the rim, calling 'rotate' the whole way.
Two-Pass-Away Gap Positioning
Defenders guarding a player two passes from the ball sink into the driving gap with one foot in the lane, ready to help on a drive before recovering out to their own man on the catch.
Three-Quarter Post Denial
Defender fronts three-quarters on the high side of the post, one arm and a leg in the passing lane, forcing any entry pass to be lobbed over the top for a contest.
Post Double and Recover
On a post catch, the nearest help defender digs down hard to force a pass out, then closes out to their own shooter before the ball can reverse back.
Sprint-Back Transition Defense
After a live turnover or missed shot, all five defenders sprint to the paint first to protect the rim, then match up to shooters from the inside out.
Transition Talk and Match-Up
Running back in transition, defenders call out 'ball,' 'shooter,' and 'open' to sort match-ups by number before the offense can attack a mismatch.
Closeout, Reverse, Recover
Defender closes out on a catch, the offense reverses the ball with one extra pass, and the same defender must sprint the perimeter to closeout again on the new catch.
Showing 109–144 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.