Practice Drills & Special Situations

with Tod Kowalczyk,
University of Toledo Head Coach;
2x MAC Coach of the Year (2021, 2023);
5x MAC Regular Season Champions (2014, 2021-2024);
4x MAC West Division Champions;
led Toledo to a school-record 27 wins in 2014 & again in 2023;
Green Bay Head Coach from 2002 to 2010;
Marquette Assistant Coach from 2000 to 2002;
Rutgers Assistant Coach from 1997 to 2000;
Rider Assistant Coach from 1993 to 1997;
Saint Anselm Assistant Coach from 1991 to 1993;
New Hampshire Assistant Coach from 1989 to 1991;
Minnesota-Duluth Assistant Coach from 1988 to 1989;
played college basketball at MN-Duluth

There's a craft to practice planning, and one of the most important ingredients is how you set the tone for a competitive practice. In this video presentation, University of Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk shares some of his favorite warm-up and competitive team drills to ensure you will have an up-tempo practice every time your team sets foot on the court.

As an added bonus, Coach Kowalczyk also shares three great sideline out of bounds plays to use in crunch time!

Practice Drills

You can never have enough competitive team practice drills or explosive warm-up drills. Coach Kowalczyk's exercises solve the issue of not having enough time during practice by working on multiple skills and sides of the ball at once. You'll get drills for passing, ball control, shooting, full-court, half-court, offense and defense, free-throws, and transition.

Finding different ways to play 5-on-5 or have a controlled scrimmage to work on special situations will keep your players focused and working on the mental side of the game. Kowalczyk shares five drills that fit this description. The 76-76 drill is a great way to practice unpredictable special situations in a scrimmage setting.

All coaches have encountered situations at practice when the energy and intensity seem to be lacking. Coach Kowalczyk shares a unique idea he calls Pocket Drills, which are simple drills that are sure to infuse immediate energy into your athletes.

Sideline Out of Bounds Plays

To wrap things up, Kowalczyk gives you three sideline out of bounds plays that each produce several looks at the hoop. "Heat" is a nice screen-the-screener play that produces a post-up at the end, making it perfect for an end-of-game situation. "Celtic" puts the basketball in your best shooter's hand behind the 3-point line after they set two screens, incorporating movement and forcing the defense to defend.

This is a must-have for any coach's video library, but would be especially valuable to coaches who have limited gym time and need to get the most out of every minute on the court. These drills from Coach Kowalczyk are fast-paced, competitive, and sure to bring energy to your gym this season!

73 minutes. 2020.