Basketball Clinic Drills

Basketball is a game involving passing, catching, dribbling and shooting the ball at a hoop 10 feet high. Although basketball also involves various strategy and tactics on both offense (when the team has the ball) and defense (when the team defends the goal), basic physical skills are needed to play the game at all levels. Basketball clinics are organized so experienced coaches and players can teach others these skills and work on improving techniques. Whether a young player in a church league or a seasoned professional, these skills are a vital part of playing the game well.

  1. Passing

    • Passing is an integral part of playing basketball. Not only do passes have to be crisp and quick, they must also be on target to another player to avoid steals. Basketball involves chest passes, overhead passes, bounce passes and sidearm passes. A chest pass is taught by repeatedly grasping the ball on both sides and projecting the ball straight from the chest. Overhead passes hold the ball with hands overhead and pass the ball in an arched trajectory.

      Clinic drills will involve two players passing the ball back and forth repeatedly to improve technique, arm strength and hand-eye coordination. It’s not only important to learn how to pass but also how to aim the ball to its destination.

      As players develop their skills they can later learn to pass the ball behind the back and also to bounce pass. Bounce passing is learning to aim the ball at the floor and have it bounce up to the receiving player. This technique will pass the ball under the defender.

    Dribbling

    • A player cannot move the ball without dribbling. This involves bouncing the ball once while taking no more than two steps. Dribbling drills not only improve proper hand and arm movement but also improves dribbling left, right and in a serpentine pattern. This skill will later help the ball handler to avoid the other team’s defenders.

      Basketball clinics are usually for improving basic basketball skills. Some clinics, however, may also instruct more advanced dribbling techniques. Dribbling the ball between the legs and while in a full run down the court require learning more adept ball-handing skills.

    Shooting

    • In order to score, the ball must be shot through the hoop. Learning to set up, square up to the basket (the shoulders perpendicular to the flight of the ball to the hoop), bouncing the ball off the backboard into the hoop and laying up the ball (shooting from underneath the hoop) are all necessary skills to effectively score. Again, repetition and adjustment are the key to taking a good shot.

      More advance shooting skills taught at basketball clinics are jump shots (jumping straight up and shooting the ball while airborne), dunks (jumping up and putting the ball through the hoop) and foul shooting. Foul shooting can make or break a basketball player’s ability. Standing 10 feet from the basket at the foul line, learning to square up and take the shot accurately and consistently can take hours of clinic instruction.