Sherri Coale: My Favorite Practice Drills

Oklahoma Sooner Women's Head Coach Sherri Coale brings her "it's never about the drill, it's about the skill" philosophy to this DVD. She shares a full inventory of drills focusing on communication, passing (both post entry and passing to the wing), rebounding, transition offense, defense and shooting.

Coach Coale stresses the need to maximize practice time by matching drills to specific offensive and defensive strategies. She presents drills that will:

• improve focus and possessions
• minimize turnovers
• improve offensive spacing
• automate all cuts and screens in a half court setup
• force players to make quick offensive and defensive decisions
• teach players to shoot under pressure

Coale uses the "Hoosier Square," "X Passing," and "Inverted X" drills to combine fundamental passing with communication, entering the ball into the post, finishing around the rim, and passing while under intense pressure. Being "sure" with the ball is an essential element to lowering a team's turnover count. Drills with multiple layers capitalize on a player's ability to strengthen several elements of the game simultaneously.

The "Thunder Rebounding" drill enhances communication while adding a level of confusion, thus forcing players to learn to process information quickly. Processing information as game play unfolds is a theme that Coach Coale continually stresses, noting that the faster a player can diagnose what is happening around them, the better they'll be at making the correct decision.

Offensive transition drills are also covered as Coach Coale demonstrates strategies aimed at establishing a fast pace, attacking off both makes and misses, and never letting your opponent get settled defensively. "Quick Strike Guards," "Quick Strike Posts" and "Inbound Integrity" instill an attacking mentality to the point that pushing the ball becomes automatic.

Shooting is the final fundamental skill addressed. "USA Shooting," "Two-Ball Shooting," "Back-Cut Shooting," "Three-Lane Push" and "Three-Man Rush" re-emphasize the need for drills that are directly aligned with the types of shots and motions that are utilized within a specific offense.

Most of all, each of the drills expands players' understanding of the game and challenges them to break their own limitations. With Sherri Coale's practice drills, you will be able to maximize your team's growth and development in just one season.

Produced at the Spring 2013 Las Vegas (NV) clinic.

77 minutes. 2013.