Knock Down:

The objective is to knock or strike, with open hands, your opponent’s hands in an attempt to force the opponent to lose balance. The players lose the game if they take a step in any direction.

Players begin about 2 feet apart with their hands held above the shoulders.  It is important for players to begin in a good athletic stance with their butt down and behind their heels, and a flat back.  The athletes may not grab or push continuously against their opponent; it must be a quick, forceful strike.  They should also pull their hands away quickly and make their opponent miss their hands and lose balance.

Zones:

Coaches know the value of being able to change pace but young kids really only know one speed: fast.  This drill works on teaching the kids to move at different speeds.

The coach leads the drill and the players must stay even with the coach as they move down the length of the floor and back.  The coach should change pace about 3-4 times down the floor but should make sure there are some paces that are quite slow.  As well as changing pace this forces the kids to pay attention and be together with the rest of their teammates.

Chair Drill – Reverse Pivot to Lay-up:

I believe pivoting is one of the most neglected skills in the game.  It is imperative that young players are taught how to pivot and are given enough opportunities to repeat the skills of pivoting so that it becomes a habit.  This chair drill is a simple way to get a lot of repetition on pivoting under the watchful eye of the coach.

Place a chair at the elbow and have three players, with basketballs, lined up behind the chair.  The rest of the players are lined up in the corner, one behind the other, facing the chair.   The first player, O4, will place the ball on the chair and run to the end of the line in the corner.  O1 will sprint out to the chair and come to a two-foot jump stop at the chair.

Here are the points to teach:

• Stop in a two-foot jump stop
• Land in a good athletic stance with the butt back and down
• Grab the ball off the chair with two hands and pull it quickly into his/her chest, with the elbows out – this is called “chinning it.” 
• Pivot on the ball of the foot, not the heel or whole of the foot
• Stay low on the pivot – do not rise up - keep the head level.
• Put the dribble down out in front and outside the frame of the body.

Reverse Pivot to Crossover Move:

This is another great drill than repeats the pivoting skills from the previous drill but now adds a crossover move. 

Keep one chair at the elbow and place another in the lane, and one step below the foul line.  The drill follows the same procedure as the “Reverse Pivot to Lay-up” drill.

The points to teach on the crossover move:

• Stay low – observe how low the first athlete in the video clip is
• Immediately after taking the ball off the chair the player must use a quick head, shoulder, ball and foot fake in the opposite direction
• The ball should go from hip to hip on the fake
• The driver should go tight by the chair and with their shoulder to the top of the chair (shoulder to hip of the defender)

Teaching the 3 Player Weave:

One of the most popular drills in basketball is the 3 Player Weave.  It is a common warm-up drill because it employs the skills of running, passing, and catching with lay-ups.  The weave is often used as a lead-up into other drills and can also be expanded to a 5 Player Weave.   However, for young players, the weave can initially be very confusing and can lead to frustration for the coach.

Three rules for the 3 Player Weave:

• Pass the ball and run behind the person you pass to – “pass and go behind.” 
• Move up the court.  Too often players slow down and do not continue up the floor after they pass.
• Move back towards the middle after you “pass and go behind” the player you passed to. 

An effective way to introduce the weave to players is to have them walk through a “tight weave”.  In a tight weave the players go no wider than a 6 foot lane.  The players make very short passes to each other as they follow the rules described above.

As the players get better begin to move the weave wider which forces the athletes to run and play at a faster pace.

3 Player Weave Back to 2 on 1:

This drill can be used for elite level teams and by youth teams.  It uses the small-sided games and weave discussed above.

The drill begins with O1, O2 and O3 weaving down the floor.  When the coach blows his/her whistle or yells “go!” the player with the ball must put the ball on the floor and immediately get back and become the defender.  Of the two remaining players, the nearest to the ball will pick it up and attack in a 2 on 1 with the other player.

For elite level teams coaches should emphasize the following to the players:

Defensively:

• Sprint back
• Stay in the middle of the floor and hedge at the ball

Offensively:

• Pass the ball ahead if a teammate is open
• Attack the basket aggressively
• Pass the ball if the defender gets a chest in front of the driver

At the youth level coaches should emphasize the defender hustling to get back and the offensive players hustling to get the ball and attacking the basket with good spacing.