Open Practice: Team Practice Drills

featuring Mike Krzyzewski,
NBA Special Adviser to Basketball Operations;
Duke University Head Coach from 1980 to 2022;
5x NCAA National Champions (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015);
13x NCAA Final Four appearances;
1,202-368 (.766) career W/L record;
101 - 30 (Division I NCAA Tournament record);
most wins in Division I Men's Basketball History;
distinguished member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001);
2010- inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame a second time as a part of the 1992 Olympic team (on coaching staff for the 'Dream Team');
College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2006 & honored with the 2023 Class;
USA Basketball Head Coach for 3 Olympic Games (all Gold medals - 2008. 2012, 2016);
USA Basketball Assistant Coach for 2 Olympic Games (all Gold medals - 1984 & 1992 - the 'Dream Team');
13x ACC Regular Season Champions;
15x ACC Tournament Champions;
3x Naismith College Coach of the Year (1989, 1992, 1999);
1991 NABC Coach of the Year;
2004 Clair Bee Coach of the Year;
1986 UPI Coach of the Year;
5x ACC Coach of the Year;
Army Head Coach from 1975 to 1980;
played collegiately at Army from 1966 to 1969 (Bob Knight was head coach)
USA Basketball Assistant Coach for 2 Olympic Games (all Gold medals - 1984 & 1992 - the 'Dream Team');

It takes time to get a team to work together as a unit. Sit in on a mash-up of Duke basketball practice sessions from 2005-2007 as Mike Krzyzewski opens his practice doors to show you the secrets to team building and how he teaches athletes to play in the full court and half court. Using a variety of shell-based drills, Coach K demonstrates how he teaches his philosophies and principles on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

Right from the start, Coach K sets the tone by building fundamentals with several passing drills. Using 3v3 play, Coach K teaches how to aggressively trap and pressure the ball handler in the back court and create a help situation if the ball handler is able to break out of the full court trap. In a 4 man V-Cut series, Coach K and his staff show how to get open in the front court while you look to attack the rim after breaking your opponent's pressure.

Once in the half court, Coach K guides his team through a series of offensive movements against a man-to-man defense. He teaches his offensive actions through dribble handoffs and screens off the ball so players know how to read the defense and attack every counter. Coach K shares an extensive ball screen segment using 3v3 and 2v2 situations. You'll see three different ways Duke defends on ball screens while also learning how Duke attacks coming off of a ball screen.

Finishing up his team practice drill session, Coach K uses 4v4 and 5v5 full-court situations to put everything together. He puts restrictions on the offense so they'll learn how to utilize every off-ball and on-ball action that was taught during their team practice session. By teaching his young team how to play off of one another in a practice setting, he develops the attacking philosophy that Duke has been known to use year after year.

These drills can be easily implemented into any team's philosophy in order to develop your players fundamentally.

This is an outstanding opportunity to learn how to teach basketball using team drills. Every drill is competitive and requires players to practice at game speed. Learn from the leader of the coaching profession as he develops individual players and molds them into a unified force.

Produced at the Duke University Coaching Clinics (2005-07).

56 minutes. 2015.