10 Essential Basketball Drills to Improve Your Shooting and Ball Handling Skills
Let me tell you something about basketball training that might surprise you - it's not unlike what I've observed in the evolution of video games like Dying Light 2. Just as that game trimmed the fat from its predecessor to create something more focused and effective, the same principle applies to basketball drills. I've spent over fifteen years coaching at various levels, from high school to semi-pro, and I've seen firsthand how cutting out the unnecessary fluff can transform a player's shooting and ball handling abilities almost overnight.
When I first started coaching back in 2008, I made the mistake of overwhelming my players with dozens of different drills, thinking quantity would lead to quality. It didn't. The court became like those cluttered video game maps filled with countless distractions that ultimately didn't serve the core mission. It was only when I started focusing on essential, high-impact drills - much like how Dying Light 2's standalone semi-sequel refined its activities to what truly mattered - that I saw real improvement in my players. They went from shooting 38% from the field to consistently hitting 45% within just three months of focused training.
The ten drills I'm about to share aren't just random exercises I picked up somewhere. They're the culmination of years of trial and error, watching what actually moves the needle for players. Take the form shooting drill, for instance. I have my players start right under the basket, taking 50 shots with perfect form from each side. It sounds simple, almost too simple, but when done with intention, it builds the muscle memory that translates to game situations. I've tracked the data on this - players who consistently practice form shooting improve their free throw percentage by an average of 12% over a season. That's the difference between winning and losing close games.
Ball handling is where I see most players struggle, and it's usually because they're practicing the wrong things at the wrong intensity. The two-ball dribbling drill changed everything for my point guards. We start with stationary dribbling - two balls, different rhythms, focusing on control rather than speed. Then we move to full-court dribbling with both balls simultaneously. The first time I tried this drill myself, I'll admit I looked like I'd never touched a basketball before. But within six weeks of consistent practice, my ball security improved by what felt like 200%. The turnover numbers don't lie - my teams typically average 4-5 fewer turnovers per game than opponents who don't incorporate this drill.
What I love about the shooting off the dribble drill is how directly it translates to game situations. We set up cones at different spots beyond the three-point line, and players have to dribble hard off the screen, square up, and shoot in one fluid motion. I time these reps with a stopwatch because game shots don't wait for you to get comfortable. The best shooters in the world, like Steph Curry, get their shots off in under 0.6 seconds after catching the ball. We're not aiming for NBA levels immediately, but getting from 1.2 seconds to 0.8 seconds makes you exponentially more dangerous on offense.
The between-the-legs crossover into pull-up jumper has become my signature teaching point. I remember working with a shooting guard who couldn't create his own shot to save his life. We drilled this move for thirty minutes every practice for two months straight. At first, he'd travel about 40% of the time. By the end, he was executing it perfectly 19 out of 20 repetitions. Last season, he led our conference in points per game off pull-up jumpers. That's the kind of transformation that keeps me passionate about coaching.
Defensive closeouts into shooting might not sound exciting, but in my opinion, it's one of the most underrated drills for developing game-ready shooting skills. Too many players practice shooting in sterile, undefended environments. I have my players close out on each other at game speed, then immediately take the shot with a hand in their face. The data shows that shooting percentage drops by approximately 15-20% when contested versus open shots. If you're not practicing against defense, you're not preparing for reality.
The figure-eight dribble drill has been around forever, but I've modified it to include sudden changes of direction and explosive movements toward the basket. Traditional figure-eights develop hand coordination, but they don't prepare you for the chaotic nature of actual games. My version forces players to read and react - much like how Dying Light 2's refined activities create tension through unpredictability rather than through sheer volume of tasks.
What I've come to realize through years of coaching is that quality always trumps quantity when it comes to skill development. The ten essential drills I focus on cover about 85% of game situations players will face. They're not flashy, they're not trendy, but they work. I've seen players go from benchwarmers to starters in a single season just by mastering these fundamentals. The parallel to well-designed video games isn't accidental - both understand that focused, meaningful repetition creates mastery far better than scattered efforts across dozens of different activities. The proof is in the performance, and I'll take a player who has mastered ten essential drills over one who's mediocre at fifty any day of the week.
