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.

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All-Star Practice Plan 4

Cultivating Values & Developing Wellness

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5%

History of the Game

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  • Spend some time sharing or quizzing the players about the
    history of the game. Here are a few samples but feel free to use your own.
  • Who was the first Chinese born player to play basketball in the NBA? (Wang Zhi Zhi).
  • Who invented the game of basketball? (Dr. James Naismith).
  • Where was he from? (Canada; settled in Springfield, Mass).
  • Dr. Naismith was a P.E. teacher who was instructed by his principal he had 14 days to create a game that would keep the schools track & football players from misbehaving & keep them in shape for their upcoming season. So he invented the game of basketball.
  • What were the first basket make of? (Wooden peach baskets).
  • What was the first ball that basketball was played with? (Soccer ball).
  • How many players were originally on the court for each team
    when the game first started being played? (9 players).

Rules

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  • Spend some time explaining some of the more complex rules. Here are a few samples but feel free to use your own.
  • If a player gets injured is he allowed to re-enter the game? (Yes).
  • How many steps is a player allowed to take when he is attempting a lay-up? (2 steps).
  • How many times can a coach substitute a player in & out of a game? (Unlimited).
  • Can you change your pivot foot? (No…explain why).
  • If a player on the blue team passes the ball and it hits the referee and goes out of bounds, what team does the ball belong to, blue team or white team? (white team).

Warm Up

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Dynamic Warm-Up Part 7

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  • Stand to Athletic Position
  • Vertical Jump to Stick
  • Angle Balance
  • Lateral Chop
  • Over the Hurdle Forward
  • Over the Hurdle Backwards
  • Lateral Squat Hold
  • Jog to Sprint

Building Skills

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40%

Offense

Get Open 1 on 1 from Wing

(3-4 minutes)
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  • Start with one player on offense and one on defense on each wing, with a coach or another passer at the top of the key facing both wings.
  • The offensive player will pass their ball to coach at the top of the key. After the pass, the defender denies the return pass.
  • The offensive player must work to get open in 5 seconds or less and must catch the ball near or behind the 3 point arc. When the coach passes back to the offense, it’s a live 1 on game.
  • Rotate offense to defense, defense out. Use as many baskets as possible and up to two groups on one half court.
  • Use the following constraints to challenge the offensive player:
    • The offensive player only gets 3 dribbles to score upon the catch.
    • The offensive player must finish in the paint only.

Ball Handling

Pull Back 1 on 1 Game

(4 minutes)
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  • Players will partner up, one on offense and one on defense. Station 3 partner groups around the arc with the offense facing the basketball.
  • The offensive player will push forward off their left foot and put their right foot out in front in a long stride. As their right foot hits the floor out in in front, the player will also swing the ball low near their right foot and create space from the defender, who should be crowding them without stealing the ball.
  • Have the players push back off their right foot and pull the ball back with one bounce as they move. Their left foot should be their pivot foot.
  • After this initial motion, the offense can either shoot if they have enough space or attack the basket. It now becomes a live 1 on 1 game. Players should work on creative moves against live defense out of the initial pull back dribble.
  • Switch offense to defense periodically and instruct players to alternate pivot feet.

Shooting

2 Balls, 3 Shooters V-Cut Shooting

(3-4 minutes)
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  • Group players into teams of three, with two players spaced out and one player near the rim with one of the basketballs.
  • Players must make a V-cut before receiving a pass from one of the other players who just rebounded their own shot.
  • After a player shoots, they get their own rebound and pass to the same player each time.
  • Player 1 passes to player 2 who passes to player 3 who passes to player 1.
  • Go for one minute at a time and instruct each team of 3 to count their makes to make this a competitive game.
  • Make sure that shooters are shooting from different locations each time.

TECHNICAL LOADS

  • After V-cutting and catching, players must take 1 dribble into a pull-up jump shot.
  • The passer closes out on the shooter and contests the shot.

Competitive Drills

On the Block 1 on 1 Game

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  • Have 2 lines on the baseline with two players standing on the blocks.
  • The coach will have the ball at the free throw line and pass the ball to one of the 2 players.
  • That player will have a maximum of 1 dribble to take a shot and must not move backwards.
  • The player who did not receive the pass will become defense and try to stop the player with the ball.
  • The offense and defense must keep playing until the defense secures the ball or the offense scores.

Key Points

Work on finishing with a live pass and defense.

diagram

3 on 3 Rebounding Battle

(2-3 games)
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  • Create teams of 3 players each. Two teams start under the basket, moving in a circle. Neither team is assigned offense or defense.
  • The coach (or another player) throws the ball up on the rim and the two teams attempt to box out and grab the rebound. Whichever team secures the rebound becomes the offensive team and can try to score.
  • If the defending team gets a steal or rebounds a missed shot, they must take the ball back behind the three point line.
  • Play continues until one team scores or the coach calls time. Two new teams rotate on for the next round.
  • Make sure that each team gets 2-3 chances to play, and have them track their scores to see who wins.

Team Concepts

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25%

3 on 1 Drive and Kick Reaction

(5 minutes)
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  • 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.

3 on 3 Deny

(3-5 minutes)
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  • Divide the group into multiple teams of 3. One team starts on offense and one on defense, aligned anywhere on the half-court outside of the three-point line.
  • Offensive players can only dribble laterally around the three-point line – no driving to the basket allowed. The defense must try to deny every pass by overplaying the passing lanes.
  • Offensive teams can only score by back-door passes, and teams only have 5-7 seconds per offensive possession. Once a pass is made to a backdoor cutter, the possession is live.
  • Give each team 3-5 possessions in a row before rotating in new teams.
  • Scoring:
    • Defensive steal = 1 point
    • Layup made off a backdoor cut = 2 points
    • Any other score = 1 point

Dunker Spot 2 on 1

(3-4 minutes)
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  • Start with 2 offensive players and 1 defender at each basket, using as many baskets as possible. The offensive players are
    positioned in the dunker spots on the baseline, while the defender is in the middle.
  • The defender or a coach passes the ball to one of the offensive players to start the drill. The two offensive players execute a 2-on-1 against the defender, attempting to finish at the rim.
  • The dunker spot in basketball spacing is an area along the baseline just outside the lane, but not quite in the short corner.
  • It’s typically occupied by post players or non-shooters to create space for dribble drives and keep the floor balanced.

TACTICAL LOADS

  • Require 2 or 3 passes before a shot attempt
  • The offensive players cannot dribble, or can only dribble once.
  • Add a third player near the free throw line and one extra defender to make it a 3 on 2.

Competing

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3 on 3 – Defense Wins

(games to 4)
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  • Divide the players into teams of 3.
  • Utilize both baskets if there are four or more teams.
  • The offensive team will begin play and the ball 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 to go on defense and a new offensive team comes on.
  • If the defense gets a stop, they get a point and stay on defense and a new offensive team comes on.
  • Play to the allotted number of points.
  • 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.

5 on 5

(games to 5)
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  • Divide the players into teams (have substitutes if needed).
  • Play 5 on 5 until a team makes 3 shots.
  • Encourage the players to cut, move the ball and work on all the basketball concepts they have learned.

Compliment Session

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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