258 drills
Passing
25-Point Incentive Scrimmage
Video by BreakthroughBBall
A small-sided scrimmage with a scoring system built to reward the habits the earlier drills installed, not just baskets: 3 points for a ball reversal, 2 for an offensive rebound, 1 for every completed pass, 2 for a made basket, and a turnover hands the ball straight to the defense. No dribbles are allowed except one off a basket or back-door cut into a layup, so players have to move the ball and cut to score. First team to 25 wins — bump the reversal bonus even higher if a group isn't moving the ball side to side enough, since that's what actually breaks a defense down. Designed to scale up toward 4v4 and 5v5 as more players join. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.
Passing
2v2 Attack & Kick
Video by BreakthroughBBall
A numbers-advantage 2v2: the ball handler starts with a beaten defender trailing to recover while a single live defender has to guard both offensive players and buy time for their teammate to get back. The ball handler attacks thinking score first — if the help defender commits, they've got the pitch to a wide-open teammate; if the help stays back, they keep attacking downhill or rise into a pull-up. Dribbles are capped (starting around two) to force a real decision instead of over-dribbling, and roles rotate so every player works both the advantage and the recovery. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.
Footwork
2v2 Catch-and-Cut (No Dribble)
Video by BreakthroughBBall
Two-on-two with the dribble taken away entirely at first — offense has to face up and score, or pass and cut, without ever putting the ball on the floor. Spacing is set at 12-15 feet apart; after passing, the cutter has to finish the cut hard to the rim rather than drifting, and the player left without the ball has a 3-count to relocate and get open again if the cut doesn't get the ball. Forces good spacing and full-speed cutting instead of standing and watching, since dribbling isn't there to bail anyone out. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.
Team Play
1v1 Read & Cut
Video by BreakthroughBBall
A progression drill that teaches players to get open before it ever goes live: the cutter works V-cuts, face cuts, rear cuts, and back-door cuts against on-ball defense to get a pass from a coach at the top, opening up out of the cut instead of turning their back for better vision. Once they catch, it's live 1v1 — attack off the bounce if there's nothing there, or make one more pass and read the defense's next reaction (a jump at the passing lane earns a rear cut, an overplay earns a back door) before going live again. Builds the cutting and reading habits that every layer of team offense after it depends on. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.
Shooting · Conditioning
2-Minute Catch-and-Shoot Challenge
Video by Coach Ashworth
A fatigue-shooting finisher: from the top of the key, players catch and shoot for two minutes straight and count total makes. Around 30 makes in two minutes is a solid target for an experienced group — high school and college-level shooters can push into the mid-to-upper 30s, while younger players will land lower — but the value is in shooting well while gassed, late in the workout when legs are heaviest. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Passing
Ball Screen Reads
Video by Coach Ashworth
A ball-screen read progression for a passer working with a screener and a guard coming off the action: straight pick-and-roll, pick-and-seal (a slower, more deliberate post-up read off a switch), pick-and-pop for a catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop into a closeout attack, a slip when the defense jumps the screen early, and a ghost screen where the screener fakes setting it to confuse a switching or hard-hedging defense. Run through each read so the passer learns to make the right decision every time, not just hit the roll. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Shooting · Conditioning
Catch-and-Shoot Conditioning (Threes)
Video by Coach Ashworth
The same half-court sprint-and-touch conditioning pattern, moved out to three-point range: three makes from five spots, with a full sprint to the center cone and back between every catch-and-shoot rep. For an extra layer of pressure, swap the target to three makes in a row per spot instead of three out of five — a good way to simulate the pressure of needing a shot to fall late in a game. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Shooting · Conditioning
Five-Spot Shooting Conditioning
Video by Coach Ashworth
A catch-and-shoot drill with conditioning built in: after every shot, make or miss, the shooter sprints to touch a cone or ball rack at half court before getting back to their spot for the next pass. Go to five makes from five spots — the constant movement between shots makes it far more game-like than standing and catching comfortably, and the fatigue becomes part of the test. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Footwork · Finishing
Villanova 2 Feet
Video by Coach Ashworth
Borrowed from Jay Wright's Villanova teams: players catch on the wing, sell a hard exaggerated rip to get the defender to react, then attack into the middle of the lane and finish off two feet — still rising into a real jump shot or floater rather than gliding off one foot. Playing off two feet in the paint keeps players under control, makes them stronger through contact, and leaves the pass-out, shot-fake, or drawn foul all still available if the shot isn't there. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Finishing · Conditioning · Passing
Four Touches Layups
Video by Coach Ashworth
A conditioning-and-finishing relay from sideline to sideline: the first four layups are caught and finished with no dribbles off a pass on the run, the next set comes off one hard dribble from around the three-point line, and the last four have to be caught in the air — an alley-oop finish for players who can play above the rim, or a tip-in-style catch-and-finish for guards. Rotate passer and finisher after each set of four; it's as much a conditioning and passing-touch drill as a finishing one. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Finishing
Two-Ball Mikan Drill
Video by Coach Ashworth
Each player holds two basketballs and works through Mikan layups — and reverse Mikans underneath the rim — under one rule: shoot and catch with the same hand every time. That forces the off-hand work most young players avoid, since right-handed players naturally shy away from finishing left-handed layups. Aim for 20 makes on each side. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Warm-up · Ball Handling
Ball Handling with Defensive Slides
Video by Coach Ashworth
Each player needs two basketballs set a few feet apart. They attack the first ball with two hard dribbles and a move — crossover, between the legs, or behind the back — then defensive-slide back to the second ball and attack it the same way, repeating down the floor. It doubles as a warm-up and a defensive-footwork drill, and works well as a race between partners or small groups. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Warm-up · Ball Handling
Stationary Ball-Handling Warm-Up
Video by Coach Ashworth
A two-minute stationary ball-handling warm-up to open practice: figure-eight dribbles, pound dribbles, and control dribbles around the waist and each leg. It's simple on purpose — the goal is just to get the ball moving in players' hands and their heart rate up before the real work starts, the same way pros go through a stationary ball-handling routine before tip-off. This drill comes from Coach Ashworth.
Ball Handling · Conditioning
Freeze Tag
Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)
Classic freeze tag with a dribbling twist: two taggers try to freeze everyone else while they dribble around the three-point line, and a frozen player can only get back in by setting their ball down and doing five jumping jacks. Because taggers close distance fast, players learn to shrink their dribble low and under control near defenders so they can plant and change direction quickly to escape. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).
Ball Handling
Space Treasure
Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)
A team dribbling relay with a decision-making twist. Split into teams of three or four, each assigned a home cone ('planet'), with a pile of balls ('treasure') in a circle at center court. One player per team sprints in, grabs a ball, and dribbles it home, where the whole team tosses it up, claps, and catches it before the next player goes. Once a team has collected all its own treasure, it can send players to steal from a rival planet — but a tagged thief has to give the ball back. Whichever team is holding the most treasure when time's up wins the round. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).
Ball Handling · Conditioning
Sharks and Minnows
Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)
A basketball twist on the schoolyard classic: 'minnows' line up on a goal line, each with a ball, and try to dribble to the opposite goal line without the coach — the 'shark' — knocking their ball away. Any minnow who loses their ball becomes a shark and helps tag the next wave, until only sharks remain. Players have to keep changing speed and direction to protect the ball, which builds the same instincts they'll need to shake off a defender in a real game. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).
Ball Handling · Reaction
Detective Pikachu
Video by MOJO (yougotmojo)
A dribbling mirror game that doubles as a poker-face challenge: one player becomes 'Detective Pikachu' and covers their eyes and ears while the coach secretly picks a 'leader.' As the leader starts dribbling through different moves, everyone else copies along, and the detective has three guesses to spot who's actually setting the pace. Rotate roles and play again — it's a fun way to get players executing dribble moves without staring at the ball or each other, building the court awareness that leads to no-look passes down the road. This drill comes from MOJO (yougotmojo).
Ball Handling
Dribble Sprints
Video by One Up Basketball Training
Sprint from baseline to half court and back, pushing the ball out ahead of you at chest height or below and taking as few dribbles as possible to get up the floor.
Ball Handling
Zig Zag Crossovers
Video by One Up Basketball Training
Zig-zag from baseline to the top of the key and back, working two to three hard dribbles into a crossover just outside the lane line each time you change direction.
Ball Handling
1-Step Crossovers
Video by One Up Basketball Training
A progression from a two-dribble crossover to a one-dribble crossover to a continuous crossover walk down the lane line — drop your shoulder toward the defender's hip and take a quick, long step to keep the ball tight to your body.
Ball Handling
Half Circle Dribbles
Video by One Up Basketball Training
Dribble the ball in a half circle from front to back, 10 reps with each hand, to prepare for moving the ball away from a defender playing tight without losing sight of the floor.
Ball Handling
Pound Dribble Series
Video by One Up Basketball Training
Five pound dribbles at each of four heights — ankle, knee, waist, and shoulder — to build control and the ability to recover the ball and change heights even as you change speeds.