Charli Turner Thorne's Favorite Drills

with Charli Turner Thorne,
Arizona State University Head Women's Coach from 1996 to 2022 ;
2x Pac-12 Coach of the Year ('01, '16);
2x NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances ('07, '09);

Successful teams need to be well-rounded in all the fundamentals of the game. In this video, Arizona State women's head coach Charli Turner Thorne shares a diverse collection of her favorite practice drills that cover many of the areas your team needs to work on to have a winning season. These 12 drills will improve your players' communication, passing, rebounding, defense, shooting, and more.

Drills to Get Started

Two practice drills will help your squad work on its full court offense and defense. The "Progression" drill builds up from a 2-on-1 fast break to 4-on-4 full court play to teach your players how to get matched up in different full court situations. The "Three Across Passing" drill will help your players work on the fundamentals of breaking any kind of full court pressure. Special rules are in place to so players learn how to break pressure in the back court and then attack in the front court when they have the advantage.

Four other drills contribute to multiple parts of your team's improvement. The "100 Layups" drill can function as a great warm-up to focus your players and improve their communication with full court passing and finishing at the rim. Teach players how to quickly find match ups to block out with Turner Thorne's "3-on-2 Rebounding" drill. This is a great way to work on rebounding principles while minimizing contact.

Coach Turner Thorne shows how to help your players win in critical moments with the "3-on-3-on-3 End Line" drill. This is a great way to focus on both the offensive and defensive side of your out of bounds plays or to scout an upcoming opponent with a little competition in practice. Utilize a multi-purpose defensive drill that teaches several components to your man-to-man system with the "Double Deny" drill. This all-in-one drill will teach defenders how to deny passing lanes, support teammates with help side defense, and play great on-ball defense.

Shooting-Specific Drills

A collection of six shooting drills will challenge your players to become floor-spacers with improved shooting. The "Thirty-Five" drill is a great way to involve your whole team with passing, shooting, and rebounding in a competitive environment. The other drills that Turner Thorne demonstrates are perfect for motivating your players in individual skill sessions. These shooting drills provide benchmarks that will help you identify the shooters on your team that can be trusted with taking the big shot when the game is on the line.

This insightful video will allow you to observe some of the practice staples that have helped Coach Turner Thorne find success in one of the most competitive leagues in women's college basketball!

59 minutes. 2019.