Players, become your own coach. What strengths will you reinforce (Don Kelbick) and what parts of your game deserve sharpening? Is basketball important to you? I'm not saying it should be, but offseason work makes in-season players. "Repetitions make reputations."
Maybe you're open to improving elements. I'll share half a dozen. But it's your workout. At a minimum you'll want to include dribbling, shooting warmup, basket attack, shooting, competitive play, and "cleaning." I'd finish with "desperation" shots, runners, leaners, off-balance crazy shots, less than 5% of the total.
Warmup properly. Workouts are always better with a partner/rebounder and competition.
Dribbling.
"Dribble the lines." Start in the left corner, outside the three point line (a.k.a. the spacing line).
- Half-speed dribble right handed (RH) around the line to the opposite corner.
- Return left handed (LH) from the left corner to the right. Repeat.
- Next, RH hesitation dribbles, right-to-left and back LH. Repeat.
- Crossovers, "on the shoe tops" R to L and L to R, Repeat.
- Combos hesitation to crossover and vice versa, out and back, twice.
- Behind the back, out and back, twice.
- Through the legs, out and back, twice.
The Villanova "Get 50" starts you with 50 makes, building form and confidence. Remember, "champions don't cut corners."
Steph Curry warms up with five radians (tracks from the basket), making five from each spot.
This gets him going with over a hundred makes.
Basket attack.
Work from the baseline, the wing, and the elbow. Score on one to two dribbles. From the elbow uses the Tates Locke box drills, from the wing the Pierce wing series. As a young player, I was ignorant about all of this.
Get to the rim whenever possible, think "finish" or "foul." You don't need the whole series to be effective as you work GO TO and COUNTER moves. It's better with a defender, as you work "show and go" and "rip through" moves. Think back to the recent Olajuwon video, as he used exquisite footwork and quickness off the catch.
Shooting.
The midrange game isn't obsolete but deemphasized. But if you want to play "next level" basketball, you want to become proficient from behind the arc. You also want realism, fatigue, and "on the move" play.
1. "Elbow to elbow". Shoot at one elbow and sprint to the other for your next shot off the catch (rebounder). Be a tracker. Game action results in degraded results because of defense, fatigue, and pressure. Make at least 8 of each 10. A variation we use in practice is "elbow to sideline" where you shoot, sprint to sideline and back and catch and shoot. Then you become the rebounder.
2. Star Drill. Work out to the three-point line.
3. 251. Supposedly the former high point score.
Work the alternative of "side-dribble" threes off the fake, escape the blow by.
- Play one-on-one with your workout partner.
- Work in free throws between segments. I don't recommend taking more than five at a time because you'll probably never take more than three in a row in a game.
- Work on using the glass in another piece.
Cleaning. But you want to be a star! Spend five to ten minutes at the "Cleaners." Work on your score to win game, "game winning moves." Maybe it's a step back, a one-dribble shot, an Iverson wide crossover. Whatever it is, make it work.
Lagniappe. Adam Spinella reviews NCAA Cinderella Abilene Christian. They play a lot of guys and are in the top 25 in field goal percentage defense.
Lagniappe 2. The Jazz show the power of the short roll via Gobert multiple actions. Gobert is a good roll man and the Jazz's three-point excellence marks them as elite.
Lagniappe 3. Awhile back, I shared Coach Daniel's vision of the NBA pistol "early offense."
Here's a different take on it, which is worth studying. Strength at the 1 and 2 make this particularly relevant. It's about putting your people in a position to succeed.
