Helpful Hoops

Better basketball for coaches and players

With 1167 free basketball drills!

Defense basketball drills

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Playing defense is a skill like everything else. It requires skill, understanding of the game, and dedication.

There are 112 individual basketball drills in this category.

Bunny hops

Really helps you strengthen your legs. The most important part of being a good basketball player is having strong legs, without them, you’re nothing.

Zone chair drill

Four offensive players (plus 2 chairs simulating post players) vs. 3 defensive players in a zone.

Get down drill

Artificially make your defenders late, practice quickness of recovery.

Christmas tree

This is an individual defensive drill where players learn proper chair positioning.

Count the dribbles

Helps on defense.

Block party

Blocking the ball without committing the foul.

Head to head

Enhances team defense with a emphasis on hunger for the ball attacking your man on defense by 1v1 up to 5v5.

Block party

Block player without the foul.

Basketball categories

Ballhandling 160Probably the most basic of basketball skills, but sometimes the most neglected. These drills will show you how to develop ballhandling skills. Remember that weak hand!
Big man 36Perhaps more than any other position on the team, the big man needs drills to perfect inside and post-up moves.
Combination 74Drills that combine other skills, and puts emphasis on technique and fundamentals.
Conditioning 159Basketball requires all around conditioning; stamina, strength, speed, jumping ability and more. These drills show you how to improve in all those areas.
Defense 112Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Playing defense is a skill like everything else. It requires skill, understanding of the game, and dedication.
Offense 79If you want to develop a sound offensive game, this category is for you. These are drills for the individual player and for the team.
Passing 74Another fundamental skill that is often overlooked. These drills will teach you everything from individual passing drills, to team passing drills.
Rebounding 77Like defense, rebounding takes dedication. But rebounding is easier if you understand the basics of boxing out, timing, and the importance of defensive positioning.
Shooting 260More than any other skill, shooting takes practice. Lot's of practice. Fundamentals include form, timing, and mental training.
Skills 32Drills that teach other aspects of the game are collected here.
Transition 47The transition from defense to offense can be a very effective weapon. Teams that know how to run the floor and establish a set offense quickly, have a powerful weapon for scoring easy points.
Warmup 24These drills cover everything from individual to team warmup drills, both for game and practice situations.
Wheelchair 10I'd like to have a lot more drills for wheelchair basketball, so please help me add more drills to this category!
Youth 23For those just starting out playing basketball, the game should be all about having fun. These drills will show you how to make sure the kids enjoy themselves while they learn the basics of basketball.