Basketball: How Do You Start Practice? Use a Practice Builder Worksheet?

The first page sets the tone. How do you begin practice? There's no 'right' answer. But I'm always asking myself what does the team need now? 

I know one excellent coach who plays background music. Helpful or distraction? That would be a distraction for me. 

Greet each player every day. Make every player believe in her value. Energize! 

Dean Smith started practice with a Thought for the Day. How about 100 Percent, as in let's have 100% focus and 100% energy? 

Smith also had a Quote for the Day. "A lion never roars after the kill." 

Brief the players specific daily practice goals, like working against pressure defense such as 5 by 7 full and 2 versus 8 ball advancement. 

Two warmup laps warm the muscles...it also shows whether anyone is cutting corners. Champions don't cut corners. 

What coach starts with kids games (e.g. dribble tag, capture the flag)? Brad Stevens.

Should we begin with Stereotyped drill (e.g. DeMatha Perfection) or mix it up? See Mike Jones' practice (below). 

Mike Jones, head coach, DeMatha High School (Md.)

We do a series of drills at the start of each practice that we call “Perfection.” It consists of drills based in fundamentals, consisting of full court right- and left-hand layups, pass ahead and mid-range jump shots on the fast break, 3-man weave, and a competitive fast break layup drill with passes. Each drill is timed and has a goal number of baskets the players must make. 

Intentional: I want practice to have core elements. Maintain a practice builder worksheet that works for you. I don't have the "best" solution but I'm always looking. 

Note: within daily 3-on-3 inside the split, we work on pick-and-roll offense and defense with one coach at each end of the court. We don't play zone defense but allocate time to zone offense...there's never enough time with at most a pair of two-hour sessions. 

Lagniappe: Vegas Closeouts