Finding drills and breakdowns to positively impact the way young players finish around the basket is an ongoing challenge for youth coaches and an area that is so important in skill development.
At this recent Basketball Victoria clinic at Mullum Mullum Stadium, we explore some different ideas for drills and games of purpose to practice and refine this crucial skill area. Thanks to Basketball Victoria and Rob Coulter for organising and hosting the clinic and providing the video.
Introduction –
- If it is important, you have to find room in the “budget” to invest
- Easiest way to impact shooting percentage is to impact shots inside 2 metres from the basket – common sense
- Concept of EDP in teaching and drilling finishing
- Eyes
- Decision
- Pivot
- Constantly coach the eyes – “what did you see there?”
- Use of two pivots to create windows at the end of the drive
- First pivot to create a shot window
- Second pivot to create a passing window
- Link decision making with the skill – poor finishing can often be related to the decision, rather than a skill deficiency
- Teach “deep paint decision making” (Damian Cotter) – what do players do at the end of the penetration?
Drill One – Form finishing series
- We do form shooting, but how much “form finishing” do we do?
- Invest in pre-practice time – spend time with players impacting skill
- Touch drill
- Two-step lay-ups
- Jump stop finishes – Villanova series
- “Shoulder snap” finishes
- Fake, pivot, finish
- Develop a relationship with the rim and backboard
Drill Two – Hawks finishing drill
- Important to teach and drill all types of lay-ups
- Lay-up off the backboard – right and left
- Sweep lay-up – R and L
- Reverse lay-up – R and L
- Over the front lay-up – R and L
- Make 10 on each lay-up – everyone with a ball
- Total of 80 makes as a group – count misses
- Talk about the relationship between feet, eyes and the arm action
Drill Three – Cutting series lay-ups
- Important to practice finishing off movement and cutting
- Relationship between eyes, feet and hands – catch it first, find the target, see the defence, finish
- Pass & cut lay-ups
- Back cut lay-ups
- “Dribble at” lay-ups
Drill Four – 1 v 1 spin out finishes
- Add an element of defence and contact to your finishing drills
- The relationship is now feet, eyes, target, using the body to gain advantage and finishing
- Spin out from charge halo, one dribble max against “drill friendly” defence
- Start with no fakes, build to using various fakes
- Build to live play 1 v 1
Drill Five – Dip back-cut decision finishing
- Poor finishing is often a result of a poor decision
- Incorporate actions that lead to a lane shot into your practice and drills
- Unguarded passer on wing
- One offensive player at weak-side seam
- One offensive player at weak-side corner
- Defence in lane guard two
- First offensive player replace cut to back cut to receive pass
- Play the 2 v 1 off the “split”
Drill Six – 3 v 2 open player finishing
- 3 offensive players, 2 defensive players plus coach as a passer
- Offence must pass and cut to key movement, then play off penetration
- Defence must get pressure on the ball and protect basket
- Offence can only take shots at basket and can’t be contested
- Good for passing, catching, cutting and decision making
To Consider –
- How much of your practice time is devoted to finishing?
- Do your lay-up and finishing drills “look like basketball”?
- Are you linking skill development with decision making?
- “Vision precedes the decision” – constantly coach the eyes
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