How to Improve Open Court Moves in Basketball

Developing your skills in the open court can make you more valuable to your team. It will allow you to consistently score and create more opportunities for your teammates. This articles focuses on the "Circle Attack"--a drill that provides an opportunity for players to develop their open court skills.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basketball
• 2 Basketball hoops
• Full basketball court
• At least 2 players
• Stopwatch and person timing

1. Start with two players dribbling around the center circle with their right hand. Position a third player on one free throw line and a fourth player on the other free throw line--these two are the defenders.

2. On the coach's whistle, the players switch to dribbling with their left hand while changing direction around the center circle.

3. On the coach's next whistle, the players "attack" the basket closest to them and try to score against the defender waiting for them at the free throw line.

4. The offensive player tries to get into the lane and get a good shot as quickly as possible. The player has 5 seconds to get a shot off. The shot must be taken from inside the lane.

5. The ball is live until the offensive player scores or the defender gets the rebound or a steal.

6. The defender rotates to become the offensive player in the center circle and the drill starts again.

Tips & Warnings

• The offensive player should use crossover moves to free himself/herself from the waiting defender.
• The drill can be done with half a court and only one offensive and defensive player at a time.
• Keep score by giving 2 points for a made basket and 1 point for a defensive stop.
• The time limit to shoot can be modified based on skill level--the purpose is to simulate game situations by having the offensive player take the shot before the rest of the defense recovers on a fast break.