drills

four-minute
March 30, 2021

Four-Minute Coaching Sessions

As the season ends, coaches take stock and rebuild for what is next to come with the new season. This four-minute coaching gameplan and tips just might help players understand and grasp your program's concepts better. During practice or summer camps...


March 2, 2020

Dribbling, shooting drills for players of all skill sets

Too many times we're faced with running drills in practice that alienate some of our players. As coaches, we become so focused on the nuances of a drill that we don’t take into account the ability of all team members to run it properly. [caption ...


player shooting
January 16, 2020

‘Jab’ series builds footwork for perimeter scoring opportunities

Coaches constantly search for more scoring opportunities from their offense’s perimeter players. Most scoring comes from set offensive patterns involving screens, quick ball movement to free up perimeter scorers, or penetration with kick outs. Anot...


Steve Prohm
December 2, 2019

Steve Prohm’s defensive stance & closeout drills

* Editor's note: Steve Prohm shared these drills with Winning Hoops in 2012, when he was the head coach of the Murray State men’s basketball team. Iowa State men's basketball coach Steve Prohm believes in coaching defense first and foremast for his...


DeAndre Bembry
October 14, 2019

Phil Martelli’s warmup drills to prep players for practice

Our team starts every practice with a drill that serves as a great warmup routine. During warmup drills, time your players and give them a specific goal. Once your players meet the time and goal, have them move on to the next drill. [caption id="at...


basketball denial defense
August 12, 2019

4 half-court denial drills to clamp down on offenses

Denying the pass takes a tremendous amount of athleticism, focus and preparation on a defender’s part. Here are four half-court denial drills that prepare your players for game action. Cut the cutter This drill develops the proper techniques used i...


basketball decision making inbounder
May 24, 2019

Decision training on your team pays huge dividends

"Come on, guys! Make better decisions!" How many times as fans, players, or even coaches have we heard or used this statement? Coaches demand that players make better decisions, but like anything else it takes practice. [caption id="attachment_1189...


basketball hook shot
March 18, 2019

Drills for teaching the hook shot

Though I’ve coached basketball for more than 40 years at multiple levels, it still amazes me that players cannot execute the Mikan Drill or a hook shot. Growing up in the 1960's, watching the sport’s college and pro players, the hook shot was the...