I used to love the shell drill. We’d do it almost every day. I liked to do 3 different variations:

• Stationary offense

• Offense passing & cutting

• Offense passing & down screening.

The offense wouldn’t try to score. The defense would work on proper positioning and communication.

Over time, I noticed something. I spent more time during shell drill reminding my players to play hard and stay in a stance than I did actually coaching their defensive principles. I knew I had a problem on my hands.

I remember sitting at my desk and asking myself what was the issue. It wasn’t that my players didn’t know what to do. It was that they were bored!

Traditional shell drill is boring! After a few seconds, the engagement level dissipated. That’s why I had to focus on motivating rather than instructing.

When I made that realization, I decided to make a change. I didn’t go away from shell completely. I used it early on to teach some basic concepts.

However, instead of sticking with it throughout the season as a way to “review” or “ingrain” those concepts, I decided to play defensive cutthroat instead.

Immediately, there was a huge change:

• Players were COMPETING because there was something on the line.

• Communication & effort sky rocketed.

• I was able to coach the defense rather than trying to keep players engaged.

• The drill taught defensive habits BETTER than shell because it created random situations defenders had to react to, just like actual games!

Since then, games-based drills have been the foundation of my practices. The same can be said for 3x State Championship Coach Nate Sanderson.

Read on to learn more about what games-based coaching is & why you should consider using it, starting today!

What is Game-Based Coaching In Basketball? (It’s NOT Just Rolling The Balls Out)

Game-Based Coaching doesn’t mean you just “play games” in practice. It means you design drills that mirror the game environment as closely as possible.

• Players face defenders, pressure, and real decision-making. This gets players reps against live defense, leaving them unfazed on game night.

• Every drill has context — when, where, and how the skill shows up in games. You teach the why, helping players develop their basketball IQ.

• Players learn when and why to use a move, not just how. That’s the difference between skill & technique!

In short: you stop drilling skills in isolation and start training them in game-like situations.

If you want to learn more about how you can transform your practices this way, check out The Game Based Training System With Nate Sanderson.

4 Reasons Why You Should Go Games-Based TODAY!

Traditional drills focus on technique. Game-Based Coaching focuses on skills in context. The difference is huge:

• Decision-Making: Every shot, drive, or pass is a choice based on defense. A lot of players look great in unopposed drills but can’t function in competition. Games-based practices train players in competitive environments, getting them ready for games.

• Transfer to Games: Players practice under pressure, so skills actually show up on game night. What you do in practice mimics what they’ll see in competition.

• Engagement: Players compete, solve problems, and love practice more. Player enjoyment should be one of our goals as coached. Players who have fun will work harder and improve faster.

• Smarter Players: By facing unpredictable situations, they develop basketball IQ — not just muscle memory.

3 Steps to Design a Game-Based Drill

Coach Sanderson teaches a simple 3-question framework:

1. What skill do we want to improve? (Example: finishing layups)

2. In what context does that skill occur in a game? (Transition, cut, off the dribble, versus help, etc.)

3. What’s the right challenge for our players right now? (Add constraints to keep success slightly ahead of failure.)

Games-Based In Youth Basketball? Yes!!

Youth coaches might be wondering if games-based coaching is appropriate for young players.

Don’t inexperienced players need a lot of reps learning proper technique? No.

That’s not to say that technique isn’t important. But it is to say that youth players need to learn how to play. And how do you do that? By playing! Let the game teach them. You’ll be amazed how fast they learn.

Not only that, but it also makes practice way more fun! In a day and age where you are competing with countless other activities, your practices must be enjoyable. And what’s more fun about basketball than actually playing basketball?

A Games-Based Coaching Example: Layup Drill Progression

Instead of endless layups with no defense, you build a progression:

• Start with a disadvantaged defender (e.g., chasing from behind or starting from a chair).

• Progress to a live closeout defender — offense must beat them off the dribble.

• Add help-side defense to force new reads.

• Escalate challenges as players improve.

The goal? Players don’t just “practice layups” — they practice layups in the same situations they see in games.

Don’t Make The Same Mistake I Did!

One of my early mistakes: I confused technique with skill.

• Technique: The mechanics of shooting, dribbling, passing.

• Skill: Using those techniques effectively under real game conditions.

Game-Based Coaching bridges that gap by marrying technique with decision-making. Once I started integrating games-based coaching into everything I did, I started seeing those techniques show up on game-night.

And we started winning a lot more games!

Be Willing To Look In The Mirror

If your players look great in drills but struggle in games, it’s probably not their fault. It’s the design of practice. . . and that falls on you

Game-Based Coaching trains players in the chaos of real competition. They make quicker decisions, play with more confidence, and translate skills directly into games.

As Coach Nate Sanderson says: “It’s time to train like the game plays.”

To learn more ways to improve your drills & make your players more game-ready, check out The Game Based Training System With Nate Sanderson.

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