Basketball: Mikan Drill

The most important thing is that you get your players used to handling the basketball. You should make it so the basketball feels like it an extension of your hand.

Stand about 10 feet away from a wall. Pass the ball around your back so it bounces back on your front side. Once you catch the ball again, you wrap it around your back again and continue the drill in the same way.

Standing 10 feet away from the wall. Using a 1 handed pass, passing from 1 hand to the other, with one bounce between passes (younger players may bounce the ball more times to allow them to control the ball before passing again).

Make sure hands are behind the ball and that your elbows are not all the way out.

Dribbling on the spot or on the move, get creative and do every dribble move you can think of as fast as you can. Imagine there is a defender in front of you or that you have to get past. 

Dribble forwards. Stop at an imaginary defender. Ball behind the back into the right hand to set up the jump shot.

The player will jump off their inside leg and shoot with their outside hand. Once they have shot they will get the rebound and shoot with their other hand on the opposite side of the basket. 4 Minutes - Normal layups with backboard 4 minutes - reverse layups with backboard 4 minutes - normal no backboard 4 minutes - reverse no backboard

Use a mirror or window to look at your form and technique. Whether it is passing, shooting or dribbling.

Stand 10 feet away from a wall. Start the drill off by making a 1 handed pass against the wall and catching it with your other hand. Once the ball in caught with your other hand, bounce the ball through your legs twice. After this make a 1 handed pass back to the original hand.

Step around pass is used when you are closely guarded and you need to step around the defender in the direction you want to pass the ball. As you step around you will need to protect the ball by getting the ball to the side of your body away from the defender and making the pass from your hip.

Throw the ball forwards with a bit of backspin so that you can catch the ball after it has bounced, to simulate a pass. Fake left. Drive back and right into space to make the jump shot.

Jump to right. Spin backwards pivoting off the left foot Keep the ball in right hand and dribble the ball Having landed on your right foot make a jump shot.

Going in different directions, using change of speed and direction to improve your ball handling ability.