Program Culture & Practice Planning

with Steve Howes,
Catholic University Head Men's Basketball Coach;
2012-2013 Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year (D3Hoops.com);
5x Conference Tournament Champions,
4x Conference Regular Season Champions,
6x NCAA Tournament appearances

Coaches are always searching for ways to make practices stimulating for their players while also reflecting their program's culture. In this video, Catholic University head coach Steve Howes shows you 16 drills that will help you design your practices around your program's culture. Howes shows you five individual drills, two full court drills, four defensive drills, one pick & roll and team defense drill, one free throw drill, two team transition drills, and one team shooting drill. This video is filled to the brim with exercises that your team can use in practice today!

Individual Drills

You will see how Coach Howes uses competitive individual drills to create competition in practice. He shows the "One More" drill that teaches players to make an extra pass while on offense. Also included is a post drill that gets athletes competing down low at game speed.

Two drills that are sure to become player favorites are the Jazz Drill and the Hokie Drill, which both incorporate shooting while aiming to enhance physical conditioning.

Individual and Team Defensive Drills

Howes showcases five defensive drills that will help you develop your players' individual and team defensive skills.

You will see:

• The DC Drill - Emphasizes footwork and closing out on defense.
• The Indiana Drill - Helps players learn to sprint back after a turnover and make sure they cut off baseline.
• 4 on 4 on 4 Drill - Used to teach shell defense in a fun and engaging way for players.
• Triangles with Cones - Helps players work on defensive footwork and seeing the basketball.

Team Offense

Coach Howes details how he gets players to compete during free throw practice instead of having it serve as a time to rest. Additionally, he covers drills that work on transition, team shooting, and secondary break action.

This video gives you the blueprint for how to design a practice that keeps players engaged and competing. Whether it's transition defense or shooting free throws, Coach Howes has a little bit of everything to help your team get better!

52 minutes. 2018.