"People love what other people are passionate about." - Emma Stone in LaLa Land
We want practice to simulate play, stimulate, and develop players. Adding constraints helps make players uncomfortable. Growth accompanies leaving our comfort zone.
How can we add constraints? Here are a few ideas.
Time.
Add time to a drill, forcing players to make 'X' shots in a given time or score under time limits.
Shooting drill. Competitive...with conditioning. Usually players can take at least ten shots per minute.
Time allotted to score: ten seconds. 3 has to get open (curl, backcut, bump) off either low screen and action is live upon 1 receiving the ball. Even if 4 and 5 aren't scorers, they become screeners to help your scorer. All players can score within the ten seconds.
Space.
Players go 3-on-3 within a confined space. The help-side is disallowed. Add time limits to challenge both space and time.
We can control players' actions in many ways.
1) 4-on-4 half court no dribble, a Bob Knight favorite.
2) Limit the number of dribbles (e.g. nobody can have more than two).
3) Constraints before shooting (e.g. paint touch, ball reversal, number of passes)
4) Must screen (or slip) before shooting.
5) Layups only.
6) Score within the paint only.
7) Ball into the high post every 3 passes.
8) Vary officiating (loose or tight).
9) Situation drill (North Carolina 86-80, overcome six point deficit with 3-4 minutes to play)
10 Advantage-disadvantage (e.g. 5 on 7, 4 on 3)
11 Force ball to be advanced only (back passes = turnovers)
12 Send off player for a turnover (during scrimmage, penalty lap)
13 Shot selection scoring (e.g. layup 2, open shot 2, forced shot 0, turnover -2)
Initiating action.
We start short scrimmages (offense-defense-offense) off a variety of setups.
1. Free throws
2. Baseline out of bounds
3. Sideline out of bounds
4. Change of possession - scripted rebounds, turnovers", blocks
5. "Change" coach blows whistle, player must drop ball and defense becomes offense.
Only our imagination limits us.
As coaches, we create "our world" and teach players to succeed within more challenging environments.
The Hero's Journey is never easy; it shouldn't be. You have to give your dream everything to succeed.