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.
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.
Defensive Stance & Slides
Lane slides in a low stance, chest up, no crossing feet. Emphasize the first-step push.
Closeout & Contain
Sprint-to-closeout with a chopped-step, then contain one direction. No fly-bys.
1-on-1 from the Wing
Live wing defense — force baseline, wall up, contest without fouling. Score by stops.
On-Ball Containment Drill
Defender stays in front of a live ball-handler working a live 1-on-1 in a marked lane, scoring points only for keeping the dribbler in front without fouling or reaching. Isolates pure containment technique apart from help or rotations.
Screen Navigation (Over/Under)
Defender chases a cutter through a series of stationary screens, practicing fighting over the top on a shooter and ducking under on a non-shooting threat. Trains the read of which technique fits the screener's opposite man.
Post Defense Fronting
Defender plays in front of a post player who is trying to seal for entry position, using a hand and foot in the passing lane to deny the direct entry pass. Reinforces denial positioning against a bigger post threat.
Taking the Charge
Defender slides to beat a driving attacker to a spot, plants both feet, and takes contact with proper form before the offensive player reaches the rim. Practiced at low speed first to build the correct feet-set mechanics safely.
Mirror Drill (Partner Slides)
Partners face off and mirror each other's lateral movement in a defensive stance, one leading and one reacting. Switch roles every 30 seconds.
Deny the Pass Stance
Defend an off-ball cutter with one hand and one foot in the passing lane, denying the catch. Reinforces ball-you-man vision and active hands.
Help-Side Bump Positioning
Position help defenders one pass away with a foot in the lane, then bump a driving cutter before recovering to their own assignment. Teaches gap responsibility.
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.
Wall-Up Verticality Drill
Defender stays in front of a driving attacker and jumps straight up with hands vertical at the rim instead of reaching in, contesting the shot without drawing a foul.
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.