Layup drills improve conditioning, dribbling From Keith Siefkes, boys/girls varsity coach, Beth Eden Baptist School, Denver, Colorado

Six-basket layups

This drill involves layups, dribbling, reverse pivots, and conditioning.

Players line up near the basket with a ball. As the first player dribbles with their right hand to the basket and shoots a layup, player 2 follows. Each player in succession starts when the player in front of them shoots the layup.

After rebounding their own shot, players dribble with the right hand to the middle circle of the main court. The player reverse pivots and heads to basket 2 for a layup. After rebounding their shot, the player dribbles toward basket 3. The procedure on the other side of the court follows with another reverse pivot in the center circle, checking for proper angle at basket 6.

We usually run two or three laps, depending on the number of players and amount of time. You can require a minimum number of makes, and use pushups or laps as punishment if your players fail to make that number. Left hand layups follow a similar procedure — only use baskets in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 6 order with all left-hand dribbling.

Lap layups

This works on layups, dribbling and conditioning.

Players get in pairs with one player holding a ball. The player without the ball follows the dribbler. When the first group gets halfway to the first basket, the next group begins.

The first player dribbles to basket 2 with the right hand and shoots a layup. The partner rebounds and returns the ball to the shooter, who dribbles to basket 3 and shoots a layup. The partner rebounds and returns the ball to the shooter, who dribbles to basket 1 and shoots. The partner rebounds and keeps the ball and dribbles to basket 2, where first shooter now rebounds.

For left-handed layups, follow a similar pattern with baskets 3, 2 and 1. Layup variations include jump stop, fake, and power up or reverse layups.