Basketball drills
77 free basketball drills with diagrams, instructions and coaching points — for every age group from U7 to adults. Filter by skill or by age.
1-on-1 Zig-Zag
Ball handler zig-zags the length of the floor against a defender who shuffles and turns them.
Ball Wraps & Figure 8s
Stationary ball-control series: head, waist and knee wraps, then figure 8s through the legs.
Cone Attack Series
Attack cones at the wing, elbow and top with a different game move at each, finishing every rep.
Cone Change-of-Direction Series
Attack a line of cones with a game move at each, finish at the rim.
Full-Court Speed Dribble
Lines on the baseline push the ball the length of the floor with 3–4 dribbles per half court.
Retreat Dribble & Attack
Attack a cone, retreat two dribbles under control, then explode with a change of direction.
Two-Ball Stationary Dribbling
Stationary two-ball series to build weak-hand strength and rhythm.
Zig-Zag Dribble
Full-court change-of-direction dribbling between staggered cones.
Full-Court Speed Layups
Make as many full-court layups as possible in one minute, alternating ends.
Sideline 17s
Touch sideline to sideline 17 times across the width of the court in under a minute.
Suicides (Lines)
Baseline sprints to free-throw line, half court, far free-throw line and far baseline.
Tip Drill
Players in a line tip the ball off the backboard one after another, keeping it alive.
1-on-1 Closeout Live
Defender passes out, closes out, and plays live 1-on-1 with a two-dribble limit.
2-on-2 Help & Recover
Ball handler drives; the help defender stunts or helps, then recovers to their player on the kick-out.
Ball-Screen Defense: Hedge & Recover
2-on-2 pick-and-roll: big hedges to stop the ball, guard fights over the top, big recovers to the roller.
Closeout Drill
Pass out from under the rim and close out under control to a shooter on the perimeter.
Defensive Slide Lane Drill
Slide, backpedal, slide, sprint around the lane — the classic defensive conditioning box.
Defensive Zig-Zag Slides
Slide, drop-step and slide again the length of the floor in a zig-zag, staying in a low stance.
Shell Drill 4-on-4
Team defensive positioning — on-ball, deny, and help — as the ball moves around the perimeter.
Shell Drill: Drive & Rotate
4-on-4 shell where offense drives gaps; defense helps, rotates and recovers on each kick-out.
Taking a Charge
Teach the help defender to beat the driver to the spot, set feet outside the restricted area and fall safely.
Transition Defense: Sprint Back
On a coach's whistle, the shooting team sprints back to protect the rim and stop the ball before half court.
Euro-Step Finishing
Attack a cone in the lane and Euro-step around it to finish on the other side.
Floater Series
Drive into the lane and shoot a one-foot and two-foot floater over a contesting coach.
Layups with a Chaser
Ball handler starts a step ahead from half court; a chaser tries to block or foul the layup from behind.
Mikan Drill
Continuous alternating layups under the rim to build touch and footwork with both hands.
Power Finishes Through Contact
Drive from the wing and finish strong while a partner gives a controlled bump with a pad.
Reverse Mikan
Mikan drill using reverse layups on the far side of the rim.
Weak-Hand Layup Series
Dribble with the weak hand around a cone at the wing and finish with the weak hand every rep.
21
Every player for themselves: 2 points for a basket, then free throws worth 1; first to exactly 21.
3-on-3 Winners Stay
Half-court 3-on-3 games to 3 baskets; the winning team stays on, the next team comes in.
Dribble Knockout
Everyone dribbles inside the circle or key and tries to knock others' balls away while keeping their own.
Hot Shot
Shoot from marked spots worth different points in 60 seconds — highest score wins.
King of the Court
1-on-1 winner stays: score to stay on, losers go to the back of the line.
Knockout
The classic elimination shooting game from the free-throw line.
Four-Corner Passing
Lines in the four corners of the half court; pass, follow your pass, and catch on the move.
Give and Go
Pass to the wing, V-cut to the basket and get it back for a layup.
Keep-Away (3-on-1 / 4-on-2)
Passers in a small square keep the ball away from the defender(s) in the middle without dribbling.
Partner Passing
Partners 12–15 feet apart cycling chest, bounce and overhead passes.
Post Entry Passing
Feed the post from the wing against a fronting or three-quarter defender.
Rebound & Outlet
Rebound, pivot to the outside, and hit an outlet at the wing who pushes the ball ahead.
Skip Pass & Shoot
Drive-and-kick and skip passes across the floor to an open shooter in the weak-side corner.
Star Passing
Pass and follow around a five-point star — sharp passes on the move.
Two-Ball Partner Passing
Partners pass two balls at once: one chest pass, one bounce pass, at the same time.
3-on-3 Box Out
Coach shoots, defenders find, hit and hold their man, then go get the ball.
Circle Box-Out
Ball in the middle of the circle; defenders keep their player off it for 3–5 seconds.
Rebound, Outlet, Race
Rebounder secures the miss, outlets to the wing, and both sprint to the other end for a layup.
Superman Rebounding
Throw the ball off the glass to the opposite side of the rim and go get it outside the lane, continuously.
War Rebounding
2-on-2 or 3-on-3 in the paint: coach shoots, whoever rebounds scores; no fouls called within reason.
Around the World
Shoot from five spots around the arc; make it to move on.
Beat the Pro
Shooting game against an imaginary pro: +1 for a make, the pro gets +2 for a miss. First to 11.
Corner-to-Corner 3s
Sprint corner to corner along the baseline, catching and shooting a 3 in each corner.
Down Screen Shooting
Come off a down screen at the wing and catch-and-shoot, curl or fade depending on the read.
Elbow Pull-Ups
One-dribble pull-up jumpers from the wing to the elbow, both directions.
Form Shooting
One-hand shots close to the rim to groove a repeatable release before moving out.
Free Throws Under Fatigue
Sprint the floor, then knock down two free throws — game-like pressure and tired legs.
Free-Throw Routine
Build a repeatable routine: shoot in sets of two, partner rebounds and records.
One-Minute Partner Shooting
Shoot for 60 seconds from one area while your partner rebounds and passes; count makes, then switch.
Spot-Up Shooting with Passer
Shooter relocates between corner and wing, catching on a hop from a passer under the rim.
Two-Minute Team Shooting
Groups at each basket shoot from five spots for two minutes; team target of combined makes.
4-Out 1-In: Pass & Cut
Motion offense basics: pass and basket cut, fill the open spot, post player reads the cuts.
Back Screen (UCLA Cut)
Pass to the wing, then cut off a back screen at the elbow for a layup — the classic UCLA cut.
Box Set Baseline Inbound
Baseline out-of-bounds from a box: screen the screener for a shooter in the corner or a layup.
Dribble Handoff Series
Dribble at a teammate on the wing and hand it off; the receiver reads to shoot, drive, or reject.
Pick & Roll 2-on-0
Guard and big rehearse the ball screen: set, use, roll, and the read.
Pick & Roll 2-on-2 Live
Run the ball screen against live defense and read the coverage: turn the corner, hit the roll, or pull up.
Zone Offense: Overload vs 2-3
Overload one side of a 2-3 zone, flash the high post and skip the ball to the weak side.
11-Man Fast Break
Continuous 3-on-2 full court: outlet players at each end turn every defensive stop into a break the other way.
2-on-1 Full Court
Two attackers vs one defender full court — make the defender commit and finish with a layup.
3-on-2, 2-on-1 Continuous
Three attack two in tandem defense; the shooter and the two defenders go back 2-on-1.
4-on-3 Advantage
Four attack three in the half court after a full-court push; the defense must rotate to cover the extra player.
Fast-Break Lanes 5-on-0
Teach the five lanes: rebounder outlets, point guard pushes, wings sprint wide, rim runner and trailer fill.
Three-Man Weave
Full-court pass-and-go-behind in three lanes, finishing with a layup.
Dribble Tag
Everyone dribbles inside the half court; taggers try to tag players or knock their ball away.
Dynamic Warm-up Lines
Four lines moving baseline to half court through a dynamic movement series.
Partner Mirror Warm-up
Partners face each other in a stance; one leads, the other mirrors slides, drops and sprints.
Two-Line Layups
The classic pre-practice layup lines: one line shoots, one line rebounds, then switch.
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