PRACTICE PLANS SKILLS CHECKLIST

All-Star Practice Plans

At the All-Star Level, players will begin to gain strength, quickness and the ability to better react to game situations. Practices will shift towards team concepts and competition, while still heavily emphasizing skill development.

  • Download a full practice plan to review and study
  • Download a one-page practice plan to fit your clipboard
  • Review the interactive plan below complete with videos

ICON KEY

+
Expands the details for that drill
−
Collapses the details for that drill
►
Indicates there is a video
 
Indicates there is a diagram
PDF Practice Plan Full Instructions PDF Practice Plan One-Pager
PDF Practice Plan One-Pager: Preview/Download
PDF Practice Plan Full Instructions: Preview/Download
All-Star Practice Plan 3

Cultivating Values & Developing Wellness

5%
5%

Leadership

► + −
  • Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) advances the idea that leadership is for everyone. All people have unique strengths, skills and voices that they can exert as leaders under different circumstances. It’s not always the biggest, strongest, most athletic player who leads. Sometimes it is the grittiest, toughest, biggest-hearted player who leads. Other times, it is the smartest player, the one with the best ideas or understanding of the game situation that the team turns to for leadership. And still others, the leader is the player who knows just the right thing to say at the right time to encourage teammates to rise to the next level.

Warm Up

5%
5%

Dynamic Warm-Up Part 6

► + −
  • Bent Knee Side Plank
  • Split Squat Hold
  • Toes & Chest
  • Stationary A-Skip
  • Lateral Bound
  • Power Skips
  • Heels & Shoulders
  • Forward Walking Lunge

Building Skills

40%
40%

Ball Handling

1 on 1 Dribble Battle

+ −
  • All players will have a basketball and get with a partner.
  • The players will dribble the basketball and try to touch their partner’s knees.
  • The player will receive a point each time they are able to touch their partner’s knees.
  • Blow the whistle to change pairs every minute.

TECHNICAL LOAD

  • Require players to only dribble with their weaker hand. OR Require players to complete a change of direction move (crossover, between the legs, or behind the back) before trying to tag their partner’s knee.

TACTICAL LOAD

  • Now compete in groups of three. One player is the shield and can protect their teammate from getting their knee tagged! Change roles every 30 seconds.

1 on 1+1 Half-court

(5-7 minutes)
 ► + −
  • Players get in groups of three, with one player on offense and two on defense. The offensive player and one of the defensive players start at or near half-court. The second defensive player starts about 10-12 feet away near the sideline.
  • Have up to 2 groups on one half-court.
  • The offense must try to dribble from half-court to the baseline in 10 seconds against live 2 on 1 defense. The offense goes up and back 3 times:
    • 1st round: The defender at half-court starts in front of the offense. The second defender starts on the sideline halfway between the baseline and half-court.
    • 2nd round: The defender at half court starts shoulder to shoulder with the offense. The second defender starts at a different spot on the sideline
    • 3rd round: The defender at half court starts slightly behind the offense and a few steps to the side. The second defender starts at a different spot on the sideline.
  • After 3 rounds, switch roles. The offense gets one point each time they successfully make it across the court in 10 seconds.

Passing

Pound Pass 1 on 1

(5 minutes)
 ► + −
  • Have the players partner up and get a ball. The partners will stand at least the lane width apart somewhere on the court. One player will be designated as offense and will start facing the hoop. The other player will start on defense.
  • The designated offensive player will start with the ball. They start by pounding the ball and then passing it to their partner with one hand.
  • Their partner will catch the ball with one hand and repeat the action back to their partner.
  • The offensive player can attack the basket at any point after 3 passes. Once that happens, the game is live.
  • Change the types of dribbles leading into the pass to keep the drill fresh.
  • After one minute, change offense to defense. After another minute, rotate partners.

TACTICAL LOAD

  • The offense starts with two basketballs and will dribble both of them before the pass.

Shooting

Animal Layups

(5 minutes)
 + −
  • Divide the group into multiple players at each basket. Half of the players at each basket start with a basketball. Players without basketballs start positioned around the paint or in predetermined
    spots.
  • The offensive players (with basketballs) attempt to score quickly.
  • Defensive players (without basketballs) try to steal, block, or rebound the ball.
  • Defensive players aim to gain possession of a basketball, transitioning to offense once they do.
  • Each minute, change the starting position of the offense.

TECHNICAL LOADS

  • Require specific dribble moves (e.g., crossover, behind-the back, spin) before a shot.
  • Specify finishing techniques, such as shooting off two feet, one foot, or using a stop-and-pivot.

Key Points

Players must make quick decisions and adapt to changing situations. The chaotic nature of the drill creates a fun and competitive atmosphere.

3-Person Shooting

(2 x 10 shots each)
 + −
  • Have the players get in groups of 3.
  • There will be 1 player that shoots 10 straight shots.
  • Another player will pass, and another player will rebound.
  • After 10 shots, the shooter will become the rebounder, the rebounder will become the passer, and the passer will become the shooter.
  • This process will continue until the players get the allotted amount of shots.

Key Points

Use this drill to get a lot of game speed shots. Make sure the rebounder is hustling for rebounds and the passer is giving good game passes.

Team Concepts

25%
25%

Get Open 1 on 1

(3-4 minutes)
 + −
  • Have two lines on the baseline with 2-3 balls in each line and a coach or another player at the top of the key aligned to each line.
  • The first player in each line will start on offense and the second player in each line will start one step behind them on defense. The offensive player will pass their ball up to coach and will come up the lane line and explode out to the wing to receive a pass from the coach. The defensive player trails and will play live defense.
  • Use the following constraints to challenge the offensive player:
    • The offensive player only gets 3 dribbles to score
    • The defender starts shoulder-to-shoulder with the offensive player

3 on 1 Drive and Kick Reaction

(5 minutes)
 ► + −
  • Start the game with three offensive players and one defender. Offensive players are spaced around the three-point line with one at the top and one on each wing, and the defender is positioned in the middle and starts with a ball.
  • The defender passes the ball to one of the offensive players. The offensive players pass the ball around until one of the two wings attacks the basket with a drive.
  • The two offensive players without the ball react to the drive by spacing appropriately. The defender must choose to take away one of the two offensive players. The player driving from the wing then decides who to pass to depending on the defender’s position.
  • For the first few repetitions, do not prescribe where the two off-ball players should space out – let the players find open space and play live after the pass.
  • Repeat the game with a new designated player driving from a different location.
  • The driving player must pass to an open teammate, who must make a decision based on the defender’s positioning.
  • Change up the designated number of passes so that the drive is coming from a different location each time.

TACTICAL LOADS

  • Adjust the spacing of the offensive players around the three-point line.
  • Add extra defenders to create a 3-on-2 or 3-on-3 situation.

TECHNICAL LOAD

  • Limit or encourage specific passing options such as one-hand passes or no-look passes.

Competing

25%
25%

3 on 3 from Help the Helper

(games to 3)
 + −
  • Divide the players into teams of 3.
  • Utilize both baskets if there are four or more teams.
  • The game must start with a baseline drive, a help player stopping the ball and the 3rd player “helping the helper”.
  • The offensive player must kick the ball out and then the game is live and the players can move and play as they choose.
  • Every change of possession, the ball must get back to the top of the key in order to start the next possession.
  • If the offense scores, they get the ball back.
  • Keep the game moving quickly but not requiring a “check,” and allowing players to get to the top of the key and start their possession.

jrnba_allstar_pp3_3on3fromhelpthehelper_diagram1of4 jrnba_allstar_pp3_3on3fromhelpthehelper_diagram2of4 jrnba_allstar_pp3_3on3fromhelpthehelper_diagram3of4 jrnba_allstar_pp3_3on3fromhelpthehelper_diagram4of4

5 on 5 Dictated – No Dribbles

(games to 3)
 + −
  • Divide the players into teams and play full court games to 3 made baskets.
  • No dribbles may be taken by either team.

5 on 5 Situational Play

(3 x)
 + −
  • Divide the players into teams and provide a specific game situation.
  • Game situations may be, giving a team the ball and telling them they are winning by 1 point with the ball with 45 seconds remaining.
  • Another game situation may be, losing by 2 with the ball and 2:30 left in the game.
  • Help the players understand game and clock management and reinforce key points that come up in the situational play.

Compliment Session

► + −

Gather the players together. Players group with 1-2 players next to them and share answers to the prompted questions.

  • Ask players to share something they did well, what enjoyed about today’s practice or something positive about another player’s actions.
  • Have players switch groups and ask some players to share their groups answers. Coach can build onto the player responses.

Key Points

All compliments should be natural. Not every player has to give or receive a compliment.

Skills Checklist

PDF Skills Checklist: Preview/Download
PDF Full Skills Checklist

At the conclusion of the All-Star Level, Jr. NBA players should be proficient at each of the following skills. Judging proficiency at this level is the responsibility of the coach.

Ball Handling

    Passing

      Shooting

        Footwork & Conditioning

          Rebounding

            Offense

              Defense

                Other