Effective basketball training is essential for all players.
Whether you're a young player still learning the game, a college athlete attempting to turn pro, or a coach looking to help out their team, you should always be on the search for new basketball training tips to improve your game.
Below I'll share with you 37 important basketball training tips that will help you elevate your game to the next level.
Let's get started.
There is nothing more important than having a plan of what you want to accomplish every time you step in the gym.
This requires that you've spent time evaluating your strengths and weaknesses and you understand what areas of your game you should be focusing on.
The answers to all these questions should be clear to anyone who looks at the workout you have planned for the day.
Players can list their workouts on an electronic device like their phone or iPad, or be 'old school' by using traditional printed out paper with a pen to track your results (which I prefer).
Having a plan will allow you to stick to a schedule and be efficient.
You know exactly what to do and you go in and do it.
Similar to how people schedule doctors appointments and work commitments, players must be schedule their basketball training workouts too.
Because if you don't schedule them, they probably won't happen.
Schedule your basketball workouts into your calendar at the start of the week and then hold yourself accountable to going to them.
How many times have you planned on working out but then other stuff just kept popping up?
And then by the time you look at the clock, it's too late to work out so you just forget about it and say "Oh well. I'll do it tomorrow".
This can't happen if you want to develop as a basketball player.
You have to make workouts a priority if you want to be successful.
Players must understand this.
When you're in the gym, a lot of your workout time must be spent developing your ability to shoot the basketball.
Every other skill is secondary to shooting.
In the type of basketball that is being played today, it's very hard to receive significant minutes on the court at higher levels if you can't knock down an open shot consistently from the perimeter.
Sure, there are players who make it all the way to the NBA or WNBA who aren't great shooters, but they're often either 7 foot tall or have elite athleticism most of us couldn't dream of possessing.
To give yourself the best chance for success, focus on shooting.
Your goal should always be to become the best shooter on the team.
Forget about all the parents on instagram claiming their 12-year-old makes 1,000 shots every single day.
Your goal should be 1,500 made shots per week.
Here’s the simple chart I refer to:
“Only 1,500 a week!?” I’ve had a lot of coaches say to me…
If you also think this number is low, I want you to remember how many other commitments players have…
All the time these commitments require can really add up!
Let’s crunch the numbers to see how much time 1,500 shots a week takes…
Assuming a player makes one game-like shot every fifteen seconds (4 made shots per minute)…
Good - 500 made shots would take 125 minutes = 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Great - 1000 made shots would take 250 minutes = 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Elite - 1,500 made shots would take 375 minutes = 6 hours and 15 minutes.
That doesn’t seem like too much to ask of a player, does it?
I first started advising players to start tracking their made shots after reading a terrific article on shooting coach Dave Hopla.
Dave tracks every single shot he takes… and regularly shoots 98%.
In fact, you'll find it hard to find any great shooter that doesn’t meticulously track their makes and misses when working on their shooting.
So why don’t more youth and high school players do it?
I have absolutely no idea!
To me, it’s an absolute must if a player plans on improving their shot.
Here are 5 quick reasons why tracking shots will make you a great shooter:
As shooting is the most important skill in basketball, it's important for all players to develop a fundamentally sound, consistent, and repeatable shot.
And the sooner a player can develop this, the better.
It's much faster and easier for players to improve when they're using correct shooting technique.
Here are the 10 steps players must follow:
Players should start every workout close to the hoop working on their shooting technique (hint - the pros already do).
The absolute worst thing you can do is step into the gym and immediately start throwing up shots from behind the three-point line.
Start close to the rim and get into a rhythm of shooting the basketball with good technique first and then gradually extend the range of your shot.
Here's what I recommend:
That's all you need to do.
It's simple, it's quick, and you'll lock yourself in for a great workout.
There are stories that occasionally surface on the internet about a kid 'grinding' in the gym for 10 hours a day and shooting 3,000 shots.
This is completely unnecessary (and often harmful).
In fact, if a player is spending that long in the gym, they're most likely doing something wrong.
Remember this quote.
"Time in a gym doesn't make a man a player any more than time in a garage makes him a car."
A smart and efficient player who goes to the gym for 1 hour can often achieve better results than a careless player who goes to the gym for 10 hours.
By having a pre-planned workout and then getting in the gym and executing the workout at game speed and with 100% focus.
While the quality of a workout is more important than quantity, players who want to get better still need to be in the gym multiple times per week.
No matter how effective your pre-planned workouts are, if you're only completing the workout once or twice per week, you're still not going to be able to develop at a significant rate.
You must be in the gym 3 - 5 times per week working on your game.
Any less than that and you simply won't be able to get in enough quality repetitions to give yourself a chance of becoming a great player.
Another reasons to add conditioning to your workouts is that it ensures you'll be practicing under game-like conditions.
During games you're going to be sprinting up and down the floor multiple times before attempting to shoot. You're going to be fatigued physically and mentally.
It's important to practice under these conditions so that you're comfortable executing your skills when faced with these conditions during games.
Here are a few examples of how to add conditioning to workouts:
One of the best things a player can do is sit down with a pen and paper and evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses.
As long as the player is honest with themselves, this exercise will show them a few different things:
a. What areas of their game they need to work on (weaknesses).
b. What to focus on executing during games (strengths).
Understanding this is especially important when players are putting together basketball training workouts to improve their game.
You must be able to look at your game from an outsider's perspective and be objectively critical with yourself.
For example, just because you like shooting three-pointers doesn't make you a three-point shooter (especially if you're only making 17% of your attempts).
Which is why I always recommend getting your coach's thoughts, too.
"Good players take criticism. Great players crave criticism" - Don Meyer
Once you've evaluated your own strengths and weaknesses, ask your coach if they'll spend a few minutes with you sharing their thoughts.
Ask them to be honest with you and to provide feedback.
Ask them what they think your strengths and weaknesses are.
But you must be willing to accept criticism when you do this. Understand that you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position and you must be willing to listen to your coach's advice. This takes mental toughness.
Don't argue with them.
An experienced coach can provide great insight into areas of your game that you might have overlooked.
“I try and go through practice at game speed so it’ll be easier when I step on the floor for a real game” - Kevin Durant
One of the biggest mistakes a player can make during workouts is only putting in 50% effort when practicing.
Instead of sprinting around the court, they jog.
Instead of raising up on each shot, they barely leave the ground.
Being able to shoot casually and being able to shoot after running off a screen and then jumping up high into the air to avoid the defender blocking your shot are completely different skills.
If you want to improve your in-game shooting, you need to be practicing game shots at game speed.
If you don't already have one, developing a consistent free-throw routine that you'll use every time you step to the line is very important.
A consistent routine gives you confidence and a process to focus your attention on when shooting free-throws.
Keep in mind that there isn't a 'right' or a 'wrong' way to do this.
The above examples may seem odd, but the purpose of including them is to show you that anything is possible.
All that matters is that your routine makes you feel comfortable.
Here's a look at my routine:
Figure out yours and stick with it.
"No fundamental basketball skill has a bigger impact on a close game at any level than the free throw" - Adam Filippi
Once you've developed a consistent free-throw routine, then it's time to make sure you're practicing them enough to become a great free-throw shooter.
If you want to be on the floor during the final few minutes of close games, this is crucial.
Your coach must be able to trust that if you're on the court and you're fouled, you'll be able to step to the line and knock down two clutch free-throws.
Here are some of the percentages players should be aiming for to be an above-average free-throw shooter at each level:
High School - 70%
For context, the average free-throw percentage from college players has floated around the 67% - 70% mark since 1960.
And the average free-throw percentage from NBA players has varied between 73% and 77% since 1955 (source: Chicago Tribune).
Players should be doing much better than that!
Continuing with the free-throw topic.
"When should you be practicing them and how should you do it?"
There are two specific times.
a. Bulk free-throw shooting
The first method involves shooting a large amount of free-throws in a row.
What you're aiming to achieve using this method is to commit your free-throw routine and free-throw technique to muscle memory.
The focus is on getting in a lot of repetitions.
Players can do this by shooting 100 free-throws in their backyard after school or by shooting 50 free-throws to finish a basketball training workout.
b. Fatigued free-throw shooting
While the first method focused on mass repeititions, fatigued free-throw shooting focuses on game-like repetitions.
This means practicing your free-throws while feeling the same type of fatigue a player would experience mid-game.
The best way to incorporate this into your workouts is to shoot two free-throws after each drill during a basketball workout.
Both of these methods are important for free-throw shooting development.
Bob Knight (former coach of Indiana) understood the importance of developing a great shot fake.
"I sit and wonder why no one uses the shot fake. The shot fake, when used correctly, can eliminate a defender" - Bobby Knight
"The most neglected and best scoring move in basketball is the shot fake" - Bob Knight
But how many people take the time to work on it?
Here are the key points you need to remember:
a. Stay low - If the defender jumps on the shot fake, the offensive player needs to be low to explode past them and attack the rim.
b. Raise the basketball to eye level - Any higher and the offensive player will take too long to make the most of their advantage.
c. Eyes on the rim - To really sell the shot fake, players need to look at the rim. Defenders will often watch the eyes of their opponent.
Once the defender takes the bait, the offensive player can either take one dribble to the left or right and shoot or they can attack the hoop.
Commit to working on your shot fake and improving it.
If you've ever been told by a coach that you should always either 'hop' or 1-2 step' into your shot, don't listen to them.
The 1-2 step is better in some situations.
The hop is better in some situations.
Which one is better will depend on a number of factors:
Which is why it's important that you're practicing your shot using both methods in a range of different situations.
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you must use one of the methods exclusively no matter what.
There is absolutely no question that a basketball shooting machine can help you become a better player.
A personal rebounder for your entire workout?
A basketball shooting machine will significantly increase the number of shots a player can take in a short amount of time.
Instead of chasing after the rebound after every single shot, a player can stay at a specific spot on the floor and let the machine do all the rebounding while they just focus on shooting.
And if you're looking for one, I highly recommend Dr. Dish.
Not everyone will have access to a shooting machine.
But if you do, take full advantage of it whenever possible.
Once you become a lethal outside shooter, opposition players are going to be forced to defend you closer to prevent the outside shot.
It will also be far more likely that they'll jump on your shot fakes.
This is when you need to attack the rim.
Being able to explode past your opponent and then finish at the rim with a variety of moves is crucial to be a complete scorer.
Here are 7 finishing moves all players should be working on:
"There's a disposition great defenders have - a genuine pride that scores are a problem, people that score on me is a problem" - Brett Brown
Becoming one of the best defenders on your team is a smart way for any player to stand out and increase their court time.
How many players really want to improve defensively?
The best way to improve your one-on-one defense is to compete against a live opponent. Preferably someone better than you.
Here's what to focus on:
Very few players are committed enough to focus on defense - be different.
Being able to catch the basketball in the low post and the score with a variety of moves is a lost art in today's game.
When was the last time you walked into a gym and noticed kids working on their low post moves?
It just doesn't happen much anymore.
Usually kids are too busy shooting off-balance three-pointers.
But let's turn this negative into a positive:
Just as players aren't practicing scoring in the low post, players aren't learning how to defend the low post either.
This gives players who are willing to commit time to developing their post moves a big advantage over the competition.
Here are the post moves I recommend working on:
To be clear, all players (1 - 5) should be working on these low post moves. Not just the tall players who usually hang around the rim.
You never know who's going to have a mismatch against a smaller or weaker opponent. All players must be prepared to take advantage in the low post.
The exact age that players should start lifting weights is a highly debated topic online and offline.
I'm not a doctor or a medical professional so I won't give advice on when players should start lifting, but one thing's for sure.
Weight training does help players on the basketball court.
Getting stronger will allow a player to pull down more rebounds, fight better for position, nudge off opponents, etc.
The body will also be more resistant to injuries.
As long as a player seeks professional advice and gets a weight lifting program tailored for their goals, increased strength can be a big advantage on the basketball court.
"The better conditioned team will probably win in the long run" - John Wooden
Another fantastic way to improve your basketball training is to incorporate conditioning (sprints, bodyweight exercises) into every workout.
This is important for several reasons, but the one we'll talk about now is the importance of improving your fitness.
Improving your level of fitness will dramatically improve every single area of your game.
You'll be less fatigued while shooting, you'll be able to sprint back harder on defense, free-throws will be easier, much better defense, etc.
It's difficult to be a great player when you're fatigued.
When players are tired, they make mistakes.
And a player who makes mistakes and poor decisions isn't the kind of player that coaches want on the court at the end of games.
I'll show you some examples of ways to add conditioning to your workuots in the next tip.
One of the best things you can do to give yourself an edge over the opponent is to sort out what food you're putting into your body.
And this doesn't just mean before and after games.
It means all the time.
What food are you putting in your body on a day-to-day basis to fuel your basketball and life commitments?
Most people are eating McDonalds and KFC every day and then washing it down with 4 cans of Coca-Cola.
Commit to doing better.
I don't claim to be a nutrition expert, and I'm not expecting players to eat like they're training for a bodybuilding contest, but we all have a general understanding of what food is good and bad.
Committing to the little things like improving your diet can give you a big advantage over the competition.
With all the individual workouts, team practices, and games that players go through on a weekly basis, putting a high importance on recovery is crucial for long-term development.
Let's be realistic.
At some point you need to rest your body and recharge your mind.
Resting is important both physically and mentally to ensure that you'll be able to continue to play at train at a high level.
Here are a few exercises and tools that can help basketball players with recovery:
Foam Rolling - By foam rolling you can increase your flexibility, improve blood circulation around the body, and it also removes lactic acid post-workout.
Stretching - Daily stretching will prevent tight muscles, improve your range of motion, and can decrease injuries.
Massages - Similar to stretching, massages will prevent tight muscles and assist with preventing injuries.
Definition: "Able to use the right and left hands equally well."
Apart from shooting, the best players are able to perform all basketball skills equally well with both hands.
I've watched many young players dominate the game with their preferred hand at a young age. Many are so dominant that they don't even bother working on their opposite hand.
And here's what happens:
When they get to the next level, defenses get smarter.
You'll often hear a coach yell out to 'force him left' which can effectively shut down the player because they don't have the left hand dribbling skills to attack that direction.
It's important to work on both hands so that players are able to take advantage of anything that the defense gives them.
"I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young. I didn’t have full control, but I got so I could move the ball back and forth from one hand to the other without breaking the cadence of my dribble. I wasn’t dribbling behind my back or setting up any trick stuff, but I was laying the groundwork for it" - Bob Cousy
While dribbling is without a doubt the most overused skill in basketball, it is still important to spend time on developing.
This is true for players at all five positions -- not just the guards.
The last few years have shown us that having a tall player who can rebound at a high rate and then immediately push the basketball down the floor is invaluable to a team; so encourage everyone to improve!
There are several ways to improve your ball-handling:
1. Compete against live defenders
Whether it's 5-on-5 or 1-on-1, playing against live defenders is the best way to improve your ball-handling.
The benefit of live competition is that it forces you to learn how to be creative and effective in game-like situations.
There's nothing better!
2. Full-Court Dribbling
If you have a full court available to practice (or a driveway), you can use the entire floor to work on different dribbling moves.
3. Stationary Ball-Handling
Here's a list of some of 50 stationary ball-handling drills you could be working on at home or when you don't have access to a hoop:
Another fantastic way to make the most of the off-season is to improve your vertical jump.
An extra inch or two on your vertical jump can make a big difference during games.
It can be the difference between rising up and blocking an opponent's shot or slapping them on the wrist.
Performing a vertical jump workout program will also improve your speed, agility, and reaction times too.
There are many benefits!
Fortunately, a few years ago I created a free 12-week vertical jump program that has resulted in many success stories.
One of the most important things a player can do is have a 'driveway workout' or two ready for when they can't get to the gym.
It's the number one excuse I hear for why players can't train.
"I couldn't get to the gym"
So, what's a 'driveway workout'.
A driveway workout is a basketball training workout that you can complete at home by yourself as long as you have a basketball.
These should be created by each player because the equipment, space to dribble, and whether you have a basketball ring at home or not will vary between each individual.
Here's an example workout for a player who doesn't have a ring at home:
When you have a driveway workout, there should never be any excuse not to work on your game every day.
Competing one-on-one is by far one of the best ways to improve your basketball ability.
This is especially true if you're competing against players who are currently better than you.
Offensively, players learn how to create shot opportunities for themselves and score using a variety of moves.
Defensively, players must learn how to play solid on-ball defense as there is no help defense to back them up if the offensive player gets past them.
Here are 3 tips to make one-on-one more game-like:
1. Start from different positions on the floor
Don't just start at the top of the key every time, change it up.
You have the option to start each possession from a number of different areas on the floor:
2. Limit number of dribbles
Don't dribble the basketball at the top of the key 20 times before looking to attack the defense and score.
One of the most effective 1-on-1 rules is to limit the number of dribbles that a player is allowed to use on each possession.
This forces players to learn how to effectively create a good shot in limited time and limited space.
My recommendation is 2 - 3 dribbles.
3. Confirm each point with a free-throw
This is a great rule to improve shooting free-throws while under pressure.
Each time a player scores a point, they must go to the free-throw line and take one shot (or two for elite players).
If they make the free-throw, they get the point.
But if they miss the free-throw, their point is cancelled and the opposing player receives the ball on the next possession.
Here's a quick tip to make your basketball team significantly better without any extra effort on your part.
Always invite a teammate when you go to the gym.
Even better -- invite all your teammates.
Not only does this give you a partner to shoot and rebound with, you'll be able to teach your teammates how to effectively work out, too.
Hopefully this will encourage your teammates to practice more often and your team will quickly improve. This will also allow you to use basketball drills that require a bigger group.
Unfortunately, there are many players who don't want to do this.
Many players don't want their teammates to improve and challenge them for minutes or their spot in the rotation.
Another way for players to develop is to start watching basketball games like a coach instead of a general fan.
There's a big difference.
The general basketball fan will sit back in their chair and occasionally glance up at the TV screen while scrolling through their phone.
A coach watches with focus and attempts to learn from every game.
Here's a few things to look for:
Watching basketball games with the intent to learn and improve will give players a huge advantage over those who watch just for fun.
Following on with the topic of constant learning, one of the best ways you can increase your basketball knowledge is on Twitter.
I'm constantly amazed by the amount of valuable basketball content that's shared on there each day.
Inspirational quotes, video breakdowns, effective basketball plays, links to interesting articles, etc.
Twitter is only an effective learning tool if you're following the right people.
If you're not, it can quickly fill your days with a flood of pointless and negative garbage as people use their tweets to vent their frustrations.
Here are 5 accounts I highly recommend you follow:
3. @fastmodel - Fast Model Sports
5. @bballcoachmac - Trevor McLean (yours truly)
This is my 'responsible adult advice' tip.
It's a warning not to put all of your eggs in one basket.
There are far too many young players who are putting 100% of their hopes and dreams on securing a NBA or WNBA contract.
The reality is, according to NCAA statistics, only 0.02 to 0.03 percent of high school players end up in the NBA or WNBA.
To do the math, that's 2 - 3 out of every 10,000 players.
Those aren't great odds.
Make sure you're studying hard in school and putting enough time into your education so that you have something to fall back on if your basketball dreams don't work out.
I have some great news for you.
Very few players are willing to get in the gym every day.
Very few players are willing to track every shot they take.
Very few players are willing to work on their 1-on-1 defense.
Very few players are willing to shoot 100 free-throws every day.
Very few players are willing to develop their ball-handling.
You see, most players aren't patient.
Unfortunately, most players are looking for the 'secret bullet' that will take them from an average player to a superstar overnight.
And it doesn't exist.
"What does this mean for you?"
If you're willing to commit to consistently improving your game with a lot of hard work, there won't be much competition standing in your way.
This could be the most important tip of all.
If you really want to become a great basketball player, you have to commit to working on your game long-term.
It always amazes me how many kids I see start a basketball training routine full of excitement and looking towards achieving big goals.
. but then they quit after 1 or 2 weeks because they haven't seen any significant results yet.
You will not see overnight improvements.
In fact, your rate of improvement will be so small that you probably won't even realise it at first.
But this doesn't mean improvement isn't happening.
After a few months of training, you'll be able to look back on your basketball training log and you'll realise just how far you've come and how much better you are now than before.
Small improvements add up remarkably quickly.
For players committed to improving, the basketball training tips presented in this blog post will help you become a much better basketball player.
But there's a catch.
Simply reading this blog post won't make you a better player.
You have to take action.
Start scheduling your workouts, keep a training log, sit down and work out your strengths and weaknesses, be more careful with the food you put into your body, develop your shooting technique, commit to training at 100%.
I guaranteed you'll quickly see results on the court.
