7 Essential Basketball Drills for Beginners

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world and is one of the few sports that's played in most countries. It's a challenging sport, requiring intense stamina and physical strength. If you're a beginner, you might have noticed how much more difficult all aspects of the game are compared to what you were expecting and how easy the professionals make it look. However, the backbone of learning and improving your game is always to practice. 

The right drills can elevate your game and allow you to play with the best players on any court. Here are a few essential drills you should consider if you're a beginner.

Dribbling drills

One of the most important basketball skills is controlling the ball. At the advanced level, if you get good enough, you can trick your opponents and confuse them with your ball movement since they won't know where it's about to go. This can be a powerful tool during your offensive drives. However, at the basic level, dribbling is important in controlling the ball and moving it down the court. Dribbling drills include being able to walk, then jog, then sprint while controlling the ball, and being able to dribble the ball from hand to hand and between the legs without losing control.

Shooting drills

The other fundamental skill in basketball is knowing how to shoot the ball. If you want to score efficiently and regularly, you need to improve your aim and how you adjust it in a game situation. Stand at different distances from the basketball hoop and throw a few shots, checking how many you land. Rinse and repeat until you've reached the outside of the 3-point line, then change the angle. Keep doing this until you're satisfied with the amount of shooting you've done, then rinse and repeat the next day.

Passing drills

Passing drills are important for team cohesion and being able to play together. If you want to build your team's chemistry and figure out how to make plays together, you need to start doing passing drills. Try to pass to teammates standing on the other end of the court, either with one bounce or without a bounce. Pass between the legs of someone standing in the middle, and practice receiving fast passes that require good reflexes to catch. While doing this, you can work out and solidify a great strategy for your team during games.

Jumping drills

Jumping high is a skill that is invaluable in basketball, and it requires a lot of practice to achieve. Practice your jump next to a wall with some form of measurement on it to see if you're making any progress over weeks. Practice the correct form of jumping when you're making a layup, which is by putting all of your body weight in the dominant foot right under the hoop.

Defensive drills

If you want to be able to play on both sides of the court, you need to focus on your defensive plays, too. Practice with a friend or teammate who will try to dribble past you. Try to poke the ball free, stand in the way and body him, or block any shot he might take. Your goal is to prevent your opponent from moving and scoring freely in your half of the court.

Layup drills

The other highly productive way to score points in basketball besides shooting is going for layups. These are more complicated movements, however, and require complete coordination. Practice taking the ball in your hands and moving to the hoop using enough steps but not getting a traveling foul. Jump as high as you can and gently lift the ball to get it in the hoop. Keep repeating this exercise until you're getting no traveling fouls, and the movement itself is second nature to you. 

Agility and strength drills

Agility drills are integral for maintaining smooth movement up and down the court. The two best drills for this are to use a jump rope for as long as you can strengthen your ankles and feet and set up cones down and line and move in between them, but never lose your balance or sense of direction. Giving this the proper attention will reap countless rewards during a game.

Conclusion

Like any sport or general activity, if you want to get better at basketball, you have to practice. However, before you go onto the court and aimlessly shoot the ball, it’s better to research and find the best methods of practicing which will suit you and be the most efficient. This is what drills are for. 

All serious basketball players, whether they’re professional athletes or not, know that drills are the backbone of developing skill, and talent is useless if you don’t put in the work and practice for hours. If you want to match these players one day, you’ll have to implement all of the drills listed in this article.