Basketball Man to Man

This idea for a drill for basketball man to man comes courtesy of Brian, one of my readers.  A great drill to bring out the best in your team!

From Brian…
I coach a young girls’ basketball team (6th grade) in a very small town.  We inter-league with other small schools.  The action is very low key, and the girls were always surprised when someone bumped them or slapped them.  They were not aggressive at all.

I have slowly introduced this group of girls to AAU action, and again, they were getting overwhelmed.  I learned the following drill, which has helped them get over their “aggressiveness shyness” and they love it.  It’s called NBA – No Babies Allowed.

Everyone lines up at the free throw line.
The first three in line spread out around the key.
Coach shoots the first basket and then it’s each “man” for herself.  They play one-on-one-on-one until one of them makes a basket.  She goes to end of line and is immediately replaced by the next person in line.

They aren’t allowed to double dribble, but are allowed to go out of bounds to chase a rebound or deflected shot.  They’ve had to get in there and really fight to get that ball and to put it back up in order to get out for a rest.

I think it was the name that gave them the “permission” they needed to get physical.  It’s made a big difference in the way they play their games now.