Basketball Training Plan

Basketball is one of the world's most popular sports because it can be played by anyone pretty much anywhere with little expense. All a person needs is a ball and a goal to get better. They don't need hundreds of dollars worth of pads or even a lot of people to play game. It can be played under almost any set of rules. A person can just shoot free throws in the street or play someone at the local gym or play five-on-five on a half court.

Getting Started

Basketball requires a player to run the length of the court dozens of times a game, jump, pivot, change directions quickly and dive for balls. A player can't do that unless he is properly strectched out. Before practice, take a slow jog around the exterior of the court or at least 300 yards if playing on a non-regulation court. Then stretch your arms, backs, legs and knees. Then work on running back and forth on the court with attention to stopping and starting quickly. This entire warm-up should last about 20 minutes.

Get Acclimated to the Ball

After the warm-up, spend about 15 minutes dribbling, shooting and working with the ball. This needs to be loose and shouldn't be structured. Focus on your motion and clearing your mind.

Work on Shooting

Start out by shooting 30 free throws. Think about your form on each shot. Next work on layups with each hand for about 5 minutes. Then practice your jump shot by taking a shot; grabbing the rebound and hustling to a new a position to take another shot. Focus on speed as well as form during these drills. If you miss a shot, and the rebound goes away from the basket, get it and shoot from that post. Practice shooting for 30 minutes.

Dribbling and Passing Practice

Spend about 20 minutes working on your dribbling skills. This can be done solo by setting up cones and practicing dribbling between them and around them. Passing drills can also be done solo by marking spots on a wall and working on getting the ball to the spots quickly and accurately. Another solo dribbling drill is the tom-tom, which is where the player crouches low to the ground and works on dribbling the ball back and forth between their hands about 6 inches from the ground. These drills should last 20 minutes.

Rebounding Drills

Rebounding is somewhat of a lost art form. Most players simply think jumping and grabbing is the key, but here is a drill that will help you win rebounding battles. Get someone to hold a ball slightly out of your reach, or suspend it with a bungee cord. Work on grabbing the ball with your finger tips and snatching it down to your chest. This will build up your strength. Do this for about 5 minutes.

Speed Drills

Practice your quickness. For solo players, try jumping rope for about 10 minutes. Focus on speed and how many times you can go before slipping up. When working with a team, have players practice following the ball back and forth with the eyes and heads up, and shuffling their feet from side to side. Also, practice getting into a proper stance with knees bent, back flat and head forward.

Cool Down

End your practice like you began by shooting free throws and then do a slow jog and stretch to work out any muscle soreness.

Resources

• Breakthrough Basketball
• Coaching Playbook