Full Court Basketball Exercises

There are numerous exercises that can help you become a better basketball player. Basketball is unique compared to most sports because you can practice in a number of ways with any number of people, even just by yourself. But the best way to get a team or a class clicking on all cylinders is to run a few full-court drills.

  1. The Basics

    • It never hurts to emphasize the basketball basics. A dribbling drill is a good way to begin practice. Have the players line up in three or four lines and practice dribbling at full speed from one end of the court to the other and back. Alternate between right hand, left hand, crossover, behind-the-back, or start-and-stop dribble techniques.

      Once the dribbling exercise is finished, have the players form two lines with one line doing a full-court sprint and making a lay-up. When that player makes the shot and grabs the rebound, have him or her dribble the ball to the half-court line on the opposite side of the court from where he or she started and pass to the next person in line. Practicing lay-ups and passing is simple but crucial.

    Coordination and Cooperation

    • One of the best full-court drills is the three-man weave. Have the players line up in three lines and give the ball to the player on the left or right side. This player will start by passing to the player on the opposite side of the court as all three players begin to run. Once the first pass is made by player 1 to player 2, the player in the middle (player 3) will run to where player 1 began the drill and receive a pass from player 2 while player 1 follows the pass to the opposite side of the court. The players create a weave by passing the ball cross-court and weave across the court to the other side to receive a pass. Once the players have reached the opposite end of the court, have the player with the best position hit a lay-up and then allow the next three players to go.

      A good way to improve defense is a drill called the Zone Chair Drill. Have four offensive players get in a stationary position around the three-point line with three defensive players allowed to roam free while guarding. Have a chair set up on either side of the post under the basket. The offensive players are awarded two points for every goal they make and one point for every pass that hits the chair while the defensive players are awarded one point for every rebound. Set up the chair on alternate sides of the post and allow the drill to run until the offense reaches seven points or the defense reaches four points.

    Scrimmage

    • Naturally, one of the best ways to develop skills is having players scrimmage in a full-court 5-on-5 game. Basic drills may be incorporated into the scrimmage. The options are endless, but some of the more useful drills might require each team to make between three to five passes per possession before being allowed to shoot or requiring the defenses to play zone defense.