By Trey Mortimer October 24, 2022 

In this article, I will be guiding you through a step by step workout of how I like to run some of my workouts. Now, these workouts will vary depending on what we may be working on in a given session, but for this specific circumstance, we are going to say that we will be working on a little bit of everything. I will be detailing some drills I like to use that work on different aspects of the game such as ball handling, finishing moves at the rim, and ending the workout with some shooting. If you are looking to work on your overall offensive game, this workout is one I like to put my players through to get them dialed in offensively.

The first thing I always like to start with is some ball handling. By starting with ball handling, this allows us to get a feel for the ball and to really just get warmed up. We start with hard right hand pound dribbles alternating from knee high, waist high, and shoulder high. After twenty seconds of right hand we switch over to the left and do the same thing for another twenty seconds. We then move into some crossover dribbles where we cross the ball over in front of our body. Mix it up by doing some wide crossover dribbles as well as some short ones so you have a little variety in it. After another twenty seconds of that, I like to do some figure eights where we continuously are dribbling through each leg making a figure eight without any dribbles in between. Another twenty seconds of that leads us into some behind the back dribbles. During this, we need to keep our butt down and chest up so we stay in an athletic stance. Pound the ball back and forth behind your back for another twenty seconds. While doing all of this it is necessary to remember two things with the first being keep your eyes up. Dribbling with your head down is something you will not do in a game, so we need to create good habits and dribble with our eyes up at all times. The second thing to remember is that it is okay to mess up. The best players in the world dribble it off their leg all the time. If you are not messing up then you are not pushing yourself. The only way to see improvement is to make those mistakes and continue to work on them After we have gotten a feel for the ball, I like to go through a dribbling ball cone series that leads to some finishing moves at the rim. When I say finishing moves at the rim, I mean things like different layups and floaters that smaller guards like myself had to master in order to avoid our shot getting blocked. I will have three cones set up when doing this drill. We start on the right side of the court with a cone right on the halfcourt line. The other cone is about five feet ahead of that and the third and final cone is up near the three point line. At the first cone you are going to make a single move. A single move is a quick move like a crossover, between the leg, or behind the back. When you come up to the next cone you are going to make another single move before dribbling up to the final cone. At that final cone you will make one final single move to the basket and finish a layup with your right hand. In order to move to the next part of the court, we must make five layups or floaters. You cannot do the same finishing move twice and if you do it will not count. After making five different finishes, we will move the cones onto the left side of the floor where you will do the same thing you did on the other side of the floor. Make sure the moves are something that you will use in the game and again, go game like speed and push yourself. Through this drill, we are not only improving our finishing skills, but we are also again working on ball handling and making sure that is perfected.

The final drill I like to put my players through is some shooting. This drill is something I feel helps every aspect of shooting whether it be catch and shoot, off the dribble, or staying focused and locking in. In this drill you get two minutes to complete it. You will start in the right corner as your first spot. You will take six shots at each spot during this drill and you must make four out of six in order to move to the next spot. If you do not make four out of six you have to go to the last spot you were in before. The first shot is going to be a catch and shoot three. The next shot will be a left dribble mid range pull up followed by a right dribble mid range pull up. You will then repeat those three shots for shots four through six. If you are unsure what a mid range pull up is, basically you start on the three point line and receive a pass. When you get that pass, you take one or two dribbles to your left or right and immediately raise up to take your shot. Again, in order to move onto the next spot in the rotation you must make four out of six and if you do not do that, you must go to the last spot you completed it. If you cannot complete it in the two minute time period, either go again or try raising the time up to three or four minutes and subtract it the more comfortable you get with the drill. This is one of my favorite shooting drills because it forces players to stay locked in with every shot and remain focused on the spot they are at. It also works on both catch and shoot shots as well as off the dribble shots which are both necessary to be able to do in the game of basketball.

Like I said before, each of my workouts are going to be a little different depending on what specifically we may need to work on in that session, but if you are looking to work on each aspect of your offensive game, this is the workout I go to. Starting with ball handling allows my players to get warmed up and have a feel for the ball and getting the ball on a string. Next, working on some more ball handling combined with finishing moves at the rim provides game-like moves my players can do that will translate for them into the game. Wrapping up with shooting forces my player to stay focused. Yes, they are going to be very tired and fatigued coming into the shooting portion, but fatigue is part of the game of basketball and you have to be able to shoot while fatigued. It will also help them get the muscle memory down of shooting both catch and shoot as well as off the dribble. This workout has been a staple for me when training my players and something you can use to help out your game as well.

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