Dribbling With Hand Signals

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Players dribble in a line and react to the coach's hand signals — forward for a speed dribble, a stop sign to jump-stop into triple threat, and side or backward signals for changes of direction — all while keeping the same dribbling hand and their eyes up on the coach rather than the ball. Layer in calling out a number on the stop signal to push eyes up even more, and progress older players toward a controlled stop near the baseline once they're ready. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Duke Speed Dribble

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A speed-dribbling variation where the ball handler switches hands on every single dribble while sprinting the floor. Switching every dribble removes any rhythm a defender closing from behind could time a steal off of, which is the actual point of the move, not just a ball-handling flourish. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v2 Helpside Rebounding

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A half-court 2-on-2 shooting and rebounding drill where the coach controls pace by calling out ball skips; defenders have to close out, recover, and talk through help responsibilities each time the ball moves before a shot goes up. Whoever is on defense at the shot must box out and secure the defensive rebound to earn their turn on offense. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Tear Butt

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A live transition drill: the coach passes to any offensive player on the baseline, and that player's defender must sprint and touch the far baseline before getting back into the play, instantly putting the defense in a numbers disadvantage that can range from 5-on-4 down to 5-on-2 depending on how many defenders get sent. Offense attacks early in transition or flows into the secondary break; defense has to communicate matchups on the scramble back. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

1v1 Foster Drill

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Live 1-on-1 that starts with the ball handler already attacking downhill: on the catch, they push straight toward the rim, using a hesitation, change of direction, or a spin off contact to finish depending on how the defender reacts. Coaches emphasize finishing through contact rather than avoiding it. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Fill Cuts - 1v1

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Combines the fill cut with a live 1-on-1: the cutter sprints in a straight line around a cone to fill the wing, catches facing the basket in a ready stance, and looks to score immediately. If the first shot is taken away, the dribbler gets a capped number of dribbles to counter — attack the rim, change direction, or pull up — before the possession ends. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Ball Security (1v1 Face Up)

Video by BreakthroughBBall

The coach passes to a player who catches, comes to a quick stop, and immediately faces up into a strong, low stance to protect the ball while a defender closes in tight. Coaches watch for two things: no travel off the catch (the pivot foot can't move once it's set) and catching further out, around the three-point line, so the player is already in scoring range rather than backed into a corner. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Speed Dribbling

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Straight-line speed dribbling: push the ball out in front rather than pounding it in place, keep it higher than a stationary control dribble, and sprint to the basketball instead of carrying it. Finishes with a controlled jump stop into triple threat, with a strict no-false-steps rule once the drill shifts toward attacking the rim. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Fill Cut & Rear Cut

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A perimeter passing-and-cutting drill. After passing, a player fills the open spot on the wing; if the defender denies tightly, they take the defender up a step or two, then back-cut straight to the rim instead of forcing the entry pass. Cutters show a target hand on cuts toward the ball and hide it on cuts away, so the passer always knows whether to throw it or not, and refill to the wing to repeat if they don't get the ball. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Dematha Finishing

Video by BreakthroughBBall

The coach tosses the ball to one of two players — whoever catches it is on offense, the other is on defense — for a live, contact-focused finish at the rim. Varying the toss (short, long, off to the side) forces different finishes and closeout angles, and requiring a two-foot jump-stop finish reinforces absorbing contact under control. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v0 Offense

Video by BreakthroughBBall

An unopposed two-player pass-and-cut progression that teaches spacing before defense gets added: pass and cut to the rim, fill the vacated spot, and read whether to cut hard or pop back out based on whether the passer is showing them the ball. Includes back-door reads for an overplayed cutter and finishes with crashing the offensive glass for put-backs. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

4v4 - 2 Dribbles

Video by BreakthroughBBall

The same cutting and spacing concepts as the 2v0 progression, now live 4-on-4 with a two-dribble limit on every touch. The cap forces players to catch facing the basket and make a quick read — attack a bad closeout, hit the open man, or cut — instead of picking up the dribble with nowhere to go. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

1v1 Closeout on the Touch

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A closeout drill: the defender sprints out on a pass, chops their feet on the last couple of steps to stay under control, and gets a hand up to contest. The first rep is touch-and-freeze; after that it's live 1-on-1 with a capped number of dribbles for the ball handler to beat the defender and score. Coaches award points for paint touches and makes to keep score. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

X Out Closeouts - 3v3

Video by BreakthroughBBall

Live 3-on-3 built entirely around closeouts: every pass is immediately followed by the nearest defender sprinting out to close, so the defense is constantly rotating and talking as the ball swings. Reinforces staying in a stance and seeing both ball and man rather than getting caught flat-footed after a skip pass. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

4v4 Shell D Stationary

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A stationary shell drill teaching help-defense positioning. Each defender's spot is defined by how many passes they are from the ball: one pass away denies or plays up on the passing lane, two away sits on the midline as the last line protecting the rim, and the weak-side defender sprints to the ball-side block the instant the ball swings. The same positioning doubles as each defender's box-out assignment once a shot goes up. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

2v1 Break

Video by BreakthroughBBall

A simple 2-on-1 fast-break read: the two offensive players attack with a numbers advantage, using a fake or hesitation to freeze the lone defender before finding the open man for an easy finish. Reinforces getting the eyes up in transition and delivering a lead pass instead of throwing it behind a sprinting teammate. This drill comes from BreakthroughBBall.

Fill Cut & Rear Cut - BreakthroughBBall

Video by BreakthroughBBall