Purpose: To improve lateral quickness, agility, conditioning, and reaction. An especially good drill for developing footwork and quickness for inside players.
Drill: Two people are needed for this drill, with at least one basketball. The player that will be executing the drill stands at the free throw line. The coach, or partner, has the basketball at the top of the key area.
The drill begins with the coach rolling the basketball to one side of the player. The player must slide over as quickly as possible, keeping a wide base and staying under control and then picking up the basketball. Once he has picked up the basketball, he will deliver a specific type of pass that has been predetermined (bounce pass, chest pass) to the coach.
The coach will immediately roll the basketball to the other side as the player slides over quickly to pick it up. Continue for :30 seconds. Perform for 3 to 5 sets with :30-:60 rest between each set.
Variation: Use 2 basketballs to greatly increase the speed of the drill. With 2 basketballs, the coach will roll the 2nd ball just before the player passes the first ball.
Tony Alfonso
It is my goal to share basketball knowledge to help you become your best!
Latest posts by Tony Alfonso (see all)
- Mentally Dominate Your Competition - November 4, 2019
- Improve Your Basketball Game With These Impressive Workouts - August 28, 2019
- 14 Ways to Turn Failure Into Success - March 3, 2019
You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.
i love searching new basketball drills and techniques for my team. And when I stumble on this idea, the pickup drill, I would surely teach this to my players. Thanks a lot
When I went to an NBA game a few years ago Carlos Boozer was doing a drill very similar to this in the pregame. His trainer started by rolling the ball about 10 feet to the left of him and Boozer rolled it back. His trainer immediately rolled another ball 10 feet to the right of where he was at and kept repeating this over and over. Boozer stayed down in a low defensive stance. I thought it was a great drill to have players do as they warmed up. Adding the pass element to it is a good idea too.
I’m sure it’s not just from that drill, but Boozer has excellent footwork. Good to know even the pro’s keep it simple! Thanks for sharing, Andy!