There are a plethora of great basketball drills for guards, and all that it takes to make a guard the best that he or she can be is a work ethic that far surpasses everyone else’s. Guards have control of the game. They are the primary weapon in the offensive attack. They need to know how to distribute the ball, how to get it up the court, and how to have great floor vision. Many of these basketball drills for guards will help make any guard a force on the court.
Basketball Drills For Guards
The first good basketball drills for guards focus on ball handling. It is of the utmost importance that guards know how to see the floor and make great decisions. They need to be able to handle the rock without looking at it. Teach your guards to dribble with their hands spread wide apart. This gives them more control. Focus on not letting the ball hit the palm of your hand. It should be controlled with the fingers. Simply practice this technique until it is second nature. Basketball drills for guards must include a variety of different ball handling drills. These are typically referred to as “King Drills”. You can find these drills from your local coach, online, or in a book. Work these drills continuously day and night. Once you have a good control of the drill, begin doing them blindfolded or purchase some basketball blinders that do not allow you to see the ball.
Great floor leaders also have to know how to pass the ball in a variety of ways. There are so many passing basketball drills for guards available. The key though is to make sure that the guard understands how to pass it to the open person in triple threat position. That means the person can dribble, shoot, or pass without having to adjust. A great drill to practice this with is by putting a variety of targets on a wall. The guard should attempt to hit each target using a variety of passes. They should incorporate the chest pass, bounce pass, baseball pass, over the head pass, and crossover passes into the drill. Place the targets at different heights, so the guard can adjust to different sizes of players.
All great passing basketball drills for guards encourage the guard to get proper backspin on the ball. This is accomplished by rotating the hands downward. The correct position will have the guard with his or her thumbs pointed down to the ground. You can practice this without a ball. Use an imaginary ball and pass it. The palms of the hands should go outward at release, and the thumbs should go down. This needs to be done with all the passes. It is easier to catch the ball when it comes to you with the proper backspin, and it is essential that guards learn to pass this way. The great shooters will be even better if they catch the ball in rhythm with the seams ready to shoot.
Some other passing drills can be worked on with a partner. Simply pass to each other, then make a cut, and catch the return pass. Once you catch the pass, pivot, and look away from the passer when you pass the ball. Learn to pass without showing the defenders where you are passing to. This drill will teach you how to throw lead passes. You often want to lead the person you are passing to, and this is one of the best basketball drills for guards that teaches the concept.
Guards also need to be able to penetrate. The defense will quickly learn a guard’s skills, and if they dribble well and pass well then the defense is in for a long night. Being able to penetrate involves looking people off of where you want to go, and making a good hard dribble with your first step. Once you can pivot, learn to pivot and stamp the ball down to allow you that extra nanosecond to get by the defender. When penetrating, keep your eyes up and learn to look away and fool the defenders. Simply put some players or chairs in certain spots on the floor. As the guard penetrates, call out a number and they should hit that target immediately. Penetrating the defense is one of the most important guard skills, and simply playing the game is probably one of the best basketball drills for guards to emphasize this technique.
Guards also need to be able to hit the open shots, and make the tougher shots in the paint. Guards are heavily relied upon to make open jumpers. Once they make a few shots, the defense will tighten up and allow for the penetration to occur. Teach your guards and all players to have their hands ready. This means that they should have their hands up ready to catch practically all of the time. To practice this have your guards keep their hands at their sides. Line them up, and throw the ball at them. They must learn to keep their hands up at all times and ready to catch. This drill will show them the importance of being ready to catch the ball.
There are thousands of shooting basketball drills for guards, but a great drill to get the shooter ready is by spot shooting. Give the player one minute to shoot shots from a variety of different spots on the floor. They should catch the ball in triple threat position from the passer, and then just go up and shoot. Remind your players that longer shots usually have longer rebounds. Some of the best shooters in the world though have the ability to keep long shots from having long rebounds. Teach your guards to shoot softly and follow through. This will improve the chances of having an easy put back from an offensive rebound.
Basketball Drills For Guards – The Conclusion
These basketball drills for guards will make him or her very well-rounded and a true nightmare for the opposition.
