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.
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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.
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.
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.
Triple Threat Pivot Series
Catch in triple threat and rehearse the jab, pivot, and square-up sequence with no defender. Builds the base position every scoring move starts from.
Inside-Out Pivot Escape
Catch facing a cone defender, pivot away to create space, then attack the opposite side. Teaches escaping ball pressure with footwork instead of the dribble.
All 182 drills
Every drill in the library, A–Z.