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How to Quickly Improve Your Players Balance, Footwork, and Overall Basketball Skills
If you're not using this drill, you should start right away...
You might find this hard to believe, but if done properly, the Jump Stop Drill can make a huge difference in your players performance, both young and old.
This is an absolutely critical drill to player development. My old high school coach (who is a now a very successful college coach) made us do a variation of the jump stop drill every single day.
The drill will lower the number of times your players travel, improve their balance, improve their confidence, and improve their ability to pivot and create space.
I personally attest to this drill improving my basketball ability more than any other drill.
It's amazingly simple, yet very important and effective.
Here are the drill instructions and tricks to make it work:
Jump Stop Drill
Drill Purpose
This is a very important drill that all coaches should use. It will improve your players balance, reduce travels, improve pivoting skills to create space, and improve confidence.
Instructions
- Line your players up on the baseline. If you have more than 10 players or a small court, you'll need to divide them into two groups because they won't have enough space.
- Have each player spread out with about 5 feet between them, so they have enough room for pivoting.
- When you blow the whistle, all players should start running at 3/4 speed.
- At various intervals, blow the whistle and yell out their pivot instructions. Your choices are: front pivot left foot, front pivot right foot, back pivot left foot, back pivot right foot.
When the whistle blows, the sequence for the player consists of: jump stop (both feet should hit the floor at the same time), pause for a second, do a full 180 degree pivot, pause for a second, do a full pivot bask to starting position, and stay in triple threat position until whistle blows again.
- Watch every player to make sure they did the jump stop and pivot properly. If anyone traveled or if they're goofing off, make them start over again, back at the baseline.
- If everyone did it correctly, blow the whistle again. All players should start running.
- At various intervals, blow the whistle and yell out their pivot instructions. Your choices are: front pivot left foot, front pivot right foot, back pivot left foot, back pivot right foot.
- When all players reach the end of the court, start over again. You can blow the whistle anywhere between 1 and 5 times during their trip down the court.
- You should run this drill so players run down the court at least 5 times.
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Points of Emphasis
Continually tell your players...
- Don't travel!
- Stay low when pivoting. Keep your knees bent and butt down, in a good triple threat stance.
- Don't get out of your triple threat stance until you hear the whistle. You always want to stay low, so you can take off quicker.
Motivation / Teaching Tips
Tip #1 - The motivation aspect of this drill is simple. If they do it wrong, they all have to go back to baseline and start over again.
Tip #2 - It's important to always mix things up and keep your players guessing. You should mix up the number of times and locations that you blow the whistle. You might want to let them run all the way down without blowing the whistle once. And next time blow the whistle 5 times.
Tip #3 - Vary the speed that your players run. Start out with half speed, then progress all the way to full speed. Again, mix things up.
Tip #4 - Add a ball. Generally, you should use a ball for this drill and have them dribble while they are running. However, you might want to start without a ball, especially when first teaching younger players how to run this drill. Or if you don't happen to have enough basketball balls, they will still get benefit without it.
Tip #5 - Make sure ALL players pivot properly. Their butt should be down, knees bent, with feet shoulder width or wider. The pivot should be a full 180 degree turn, and then back again. Some players will have trouble with this at first or just do partial pivots. But keep on them to do it right. It's an important skill to master!
Tip #6 - You might want to use this as a combo warm up drill every day. For me, it worked great as the warm up at the beginning of every practice. This saved time because they worked on important skills and warmed up at the same time.
Tip #7 - You really should run this almost everyday, especially if you have players at the high school level or younger. At the minimum, run the drill every other day.
What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...
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Comments
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Ed Johnston says:
12/27/2006 at 10:55:44 AM
Great drill for all ages!! I have used over years @ H.S. level and am working with my 6th grade grandson now on footwork and he can certainly benefit from this drill!!
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Benjamin Fortson says:
12/27/2006 at 2:13:37 PM
This is an awesome drill. I learned a little about the jumpstop in a league that I coached in a few years back, but adding the running and pivots to it is a great idea. Thanks
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fee says:
12/27/2006 at 6:53:20 PM
Two Thumbs up for this drill! Adding the various running, pivoting, and ball handling was a nice feature. Can't wait to use it for the next practice. Thanks
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John Sobolewski says:
12/29/2006 at 9:57:26 AM
I have coached at the CYO youth level for over 15 years. I begin every practice with the jump stop drill. To add spice after a jump stop instead of the pivot they get into a shooting position and go through the motion of a junmp shot. Thanks for the confirmation.
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Ariel Rabe says:
12/31/2006 at 12:13:14 AM
I am now in the thick of things teaching advanced skills to kids who just completed a three-day basketball clinic and volunteer to know and learn more. Great! Great! addition to our drills.
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john croom says:
1/1/2007 at 7:48:24 AM
Sounds like a great drill for my young boys. We work on jump stops , pivoting and triple threats at all practices. This drill ties it all together. Thanks
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coach Michele says:
11/30/2007 at 2:56:56 PM
good drill getting kids to learn direction change vs running around in wide circles.
i coach 8+9 yr olds
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Velma says:
12/10/2007 at 9:59:46 AM
these drills are great. can't wait to try them out. what do you recommend with 8 & 9 year olds when doing drills or better yet when should i practice using half court and or full court. since they will be playing full court during games.
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Player - Bob Sanders says:
3/18/2008 at 11:19:08 PM
isn''t it consider travel if you jump stop then pivot or there is not a pivot foot when u jump stop?
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Joe (Co-Founder of Breakthrough Basketball) says:
3/19/2008 at 8:59:10 AM
Hi Bob,
This is a very good question and it has caused some confusion for me in the past. I have heard mixed answers from referees, because I'm not sure they even completely understand the rule.
My interpretation is that if a player is speed dribbling and jumps off of one foot and comes to a jump stop (Try picturing a big over-exaggerated jump stop), then they can not use a pivot.
If a player does NOT jump off of one foot and comes to a jump stop (Try picturing a quick, short jump stop with minimal time in the air), he can use either pivot foot as long as he lands on both feet at the same time.
I have posted the rules for traveling from the the National Federation of State High Schools web-site.
"The traveling rule has not changed. What has changed is the common use of the jump stop as an offensive move. Officials and coaches are having difficulty determining the difference between a legal and illegal move. The key to making this determination properly is first finding the pivot foot. Then, if the player moves a foot or the feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball, a traveling violation has occurred. The limits follow:
1. A player who catches the ball with both feet on the floor may pivot, using either foot. When one foot is lifted, the other is the pivot foot.
2. A player who catches the ball while moving or dribbling may stop and establish a pivot foot as follows:
a. If both feet are off the floor and the player lands;
(1) Simultaneously on both feet, either foot may be the pivot.
(2) On one foot followed by the other, the first foot to touch is the pivot.
(3) On one foot, the player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot can be a pivot in this case.
b. If one foot is on the floor;
(1) It is the pivot when the other foot touches in a step.
(2) The player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot can be a pivot in this case.
3. After coming to a stop and establishing a pivot foot:
a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the floor, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;
b. If the player jumps, neither foot may be returned to the floor before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;
c. The pivot foot may not be lifted, before the ball is released, to start a dribble.
4. After coming to a stop when neither foot can be a pivot:
a. One or both feet may be lifted, but may not be returned to the floor, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;
b. Neither foot may be lifted, before the ball is released, to start a dribble."
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