To get in the best basketball shape, you need to train on the court, which is why every workout starts in the gym. You don’t have to do the same skills work every day, although it is rewarding to see your skills improve as you master these drills.

Below is an outline of drills that you can select from to customize your workout to best improve your game. I suggest you set a timer for 20 min and switch drills every 5 min. That may not seem like a lot, but 20 min of intentional practice 6 days a week is likely 2 hours/week more than your competition!

Use the Google Spreadsheet or the list below as a checklist of drills to cover. You can also watch the suggested video for each section and follow their advice. There are so many great coaches out there, but don’t just watch — actually put it into your practice.

Dribble Warm-up

Set a timer for 5 min and get after it! You should be sweating by the end. If a drill feels easy, close your eyes, add a second ball - make it more challenging.

Stationary drills

High/low pounds with 1 or 2 balls
Dribble figure-eights
Get more inspiration from Pistol Pete!

Moving drills w/ 1 or 2 balls

Crossover
Behind-the-back (BTB)
Between-the-legs (BTL)
Cross-between-behind

If you’re not sweating yet, do some dribble sprints.

Another great 5 min dribbling workout you can follow can be found here.

Basketball body-weight exercises (10 reps each)

This is a Characterbasketball.net original that is included in several of my programs. Each BW exercise is done with the basketball in your hands. This does have some plyometrics, but I encourage you to do this now so that you can mimic game situations when your heart rate will be elevated.

Ball overhead squats
Side-lung ball wrap around R leg
Side-lung ball wrap around L leg
Ball to ground squat jump
Ball push-ups (alternating hands)
Ball plank (30 sec)
Dribble sit-ups -L hand
Dribble sit-ups -R hand
Ball overhead jump lunges
Basketball-in-hand Burpees

Finishing Drills

Focus on your off-hand finishes by making twice as many as your dominant hand. Here are some examples.

Same-hand, same-foot lay-up
Inside hand finish
One-hand dribble pick-up, high off the glass
Spin dribble into reverse lay-up
Euro-step and veer-step

For more advanced skills, follow this workout.

Shooting Drills

Form shooting

Start close to the basket like Bogdan, and step back at least 3 times, grooving your smooth form with 2 swishes or 5 makes in a row before stepping back.

Now that you are in groove, shoot some free throws. If you don’t have a partner, you can combine this with your finishing moves. On every miss, take the ball to the basket for a difficult finish. Try this game below for more of a challenge.

Free throws (FT)

+1 swish, 0 make but hit rim, -2 miss
Challenge yourself to score +5, +10, etc.
10 push-ups and start over if get to -10.

Pull-ups and Pick-ups

Work on quickly transitioning the ball into your shot pocket off the dribble and from a pass. This video explains it well.

L to R stuff jumpers
Catch, drop down, shoot
Dribble drop-down shoot
Hesi, shoot
Crossover, shoot
BTL, shoot
BTB, shoot
Step-back, shoot

Post Footwork

This is not just for big men. Some of the best guards in history have exceptional footwork to create space, just watch Jalen Brunson.

Dribble into baby-hook both sides
Drop-step into opposite side reverse finish
Drop-step up-and-under in front of run
High-post: double spin down the lane
Mid-post turn-around jumper

Part A: Ball Skills