When building strong basketball skills, there are certain drills which stand out above the rest. These fundamentals are easy to learn and can be properly integrated into anyone’s basketball camp training. Below are some drills that every youth basketball camp player should try.
Plus/Minus Shooting
This is a shooting drill to help guards work on their consistency, form, and shooting. To do this, you need a half-court or a full-court setup, and a hoop of course. You start initially with the half-court, running it towards the top of your key for a three-pointer. If you are able to make it, you get a point. Fi missed, took off three points. Do this for two months. Once someone gets 10 points, they win. This can be good for those who struggle with getting consistent form, and also shooting three-pointers.
Finishing Drill
This is a good one for those forwards who need that one final push to get a layup done. To do this, you need a basketball, another person, and of course, a court with at least one hoop. You begin by having the opponent right under the basket, with that ball there. When they stand at the free-throw line, the opponent gives the forward the ball, and the goal is to drive toward the hoop, scoring a layup. The job of the opponent is live defense. You do this until you’re able to get ten layups and make sure that you alternate the angle with every approach. This is good for dribbling, and powering through, helping with layups.
Short to Long range Shooting Drill
This is a shooting drill for guards, who wish to work on their shooting and get some competitive types of experiences for games.
- To do this, you need one player, a basketball, and either full court or half court setups.
- To begin, have the opponent stand near the free throw line, and you stand near the key top.
- The opponent gives you the ball, and the goal is to shoot this either from short, or from mid-range distances, within the three-point line.
- The opponent is tasked to guard you.
- Once you’ve attempted, you go back to the key, and then repeat this until you’ve managed to make 10 successful shots from different areas. Once this has been completed, you then can return back to the position where you started originally near the key top, and the opponent will then stand at the free throw line.
From there, make the long-distance shots from this three-point line, while the opponent works to guard you. Once you’ve done ten of these, change positions and repeat this again.
Rebound Shooting
Shooting from rebound is something that a forward needs to work on, and this is good for offensive centers, as they learn the means to rebound, or then layup the ball in a quick manner. To do this, you need to have a basketball, a type of shooting guard, offensive centers, defensive centers, and of course a court.The shooting guard takes purposefully missing shots, and you work against the other center in order to get the short-range or quick layup shot. This is done until one’s done over ten successful baskets from various hoops, and also short-range distances as well.
Mikan Drill
Finally, the mikan drill, which is good for centers. To do this, you push the ball up for a layup, and once the ball lands, you want to jump as high as one can towards the net. Keep the ball over the head and try to get the rebounding jump to the other side. This is good for practicing layup form.
From Dribbling to Dunking: Progression Path at Basketball Camps
Dribbling, dunking, all of these things are important to learn to master, and for many people, it’s not something that comes naturally. Dribbling is important, as there are a lot of different ways to do it, and many ways a person can mess up. If you’re working with a camp and need to help them with dribbling and dunking techniques, then read on.
How to Dribble
Dribbling is one’s first step. Dribbling is how the ball moves, the way that the ball can maneuver from place to place. If you’re not sure of where to begin exactly, you’re not alone. Here, we’ll go over how to dribble. First, you want to cup the basketball with just one’s fingertips. Don’t use the whole palm. You want to press it down, towards the ground, and then back up. To work on this, just imagine that only the fingertips are touching the ball, and you’re wanting to improve the way you dribble. Begin with a small distance, taking multiple dribbles. From there, start perfecting it by taking longer strides with the dribble, to improve ones effectiveness.
Dunking High
One thing that many people want to learn, is dunking.
It’s a skill, however, because many times, people don’t realize it till after the fact. You need to learn, and many times, people don’t actually practice the maneuver.
While being tall does help with this, there are plenty of people who start learning how to dunk without actually doing this.
To dunk, you need good body control, and coordination to do this.
To master it, you must take off at the correct time, and also ensure that you’re able to control all of the momentum, from now till you hit the basket.
Dunking Progression
Dunking progression is how one is able to master the art of dunking.
You want to practice these approaches, and finally the dunk themselves.
If one can only get the rim, then practice from other angles.
As one gets better, try with a tennis ball, soccer balls, and a volleyball. This helps with building up to a basketball.
This is a secret to dunking, and for many, learning to swallow one’s pride helps them dunk better than before.
Box jumps
Having trouble getting the height for dunking? You probably need some box jumps. Box jumps are a good way to build air, and also maintain height. It can help with pushing the muscles, far more than one would with a mere singular leg jump.
The leg drive and power creates a more extended range of motion, building a good foundation of movement. You can do single leg box jumps, where you use one leg. This is a good way to build power and help improve one’s slam dunk. Once you’ve managed to do this, you can then use alternative legs, and this is good for approaching the rim of the net to dunk it, except, you’ll take a step, and then land with two feet in order to stick it. Some like to as well even use a basketball to add to the effect.
Strength exercises for dunking
There are a few exercises for dunking that work well.
They include:
- Kettlebell Bulgarian split squats, with the kettlebell in the opposite hand of the leg that’s working to improve stability
- Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat
- Dead stop Bulgarian split squats to the pad. This provides a controlled eccentric to pad, pause on the pad, and then an explosion upwards
- Barbell Bulgarian split squats alternative with Bulgarian split squat jumps.
They’re good for building strength to slam dunk
