“You play how you practice.” At some point, we’ve all heard that. Most of us have said it to our teams... and for good reason.

The teams that play to their potential and improve throughout the season are the teams that practice at an elite level.

If you want game-night execution, you need championship-level practice planning. The best programs don’t wing it—they design efficient, effective basketball practices that start fast, stay competitive, and align with the team’s identity.

Below are five coach-tested tips to help you run tighter sessions, get more quality reps, and see better transfer on game day.

1) Start Fast!

You can’t play fast if your practice moves slow. The smoother your transitions, the higher your tempo — and the more reps your players get.

Here’s how to do it:

• Get them moving early: Start practice with a full-court, high-tempo drill that gets blood flowing and sets the tone.

• Compete from the start: Don’t “warm into” intensity. Make your first drill a competition—it instantly shifts focus.

• Start with defense & rebounding: “No rebounds, no rings.” Show your team what matters most by leading with it.

Coach’s Cue: Write your practice plan out, complete with lineups and baskets for each drill. The more organized you are, the more intense your players can be.

Source: How To Run Championship Practices With Ryan Schultz

2) Coach Your Philosophy—Every Drill, Every Day

If it isn’t in practice, it won’t show up on Friday night. Ensure your practice design reflects your philosophy. Just because a drill looks good online doesn’t mean it’s right for YOUR team.

Connect your team’s identity to practice design.

• Pace/pressure team? Add kick-ahead rules, advantage drills, and “closest inbounds plays fast” segments.

• Pack & gaps team? Hammer weak-side footwork, early help body position, and closeout angles.

• Rebounding program? Track boxouts in every drill and make baskets off offensive rebounds worth double points in drills and scrimmages.

Use Your Practice Plan To Double Check Alignment

• Write the game behavior each drill targets at the top of your plan (e.g., “two-side spacing,” “first-three-steps sprint,” “no second shots”). This gives you a point of emphasis for each practice segment. If it doesn’t align, scrap it!

Source: The CMC Practice System With Kevin Furtado

3) Reset Like a Pro When Practice Slips

Every coach has “one of those” practices — the energy fades, the focus drops, and frustration rises.

Don’t lose your temper—reset. It’s your best bet to salvage the rest of practice.

Try this 2-minute reset script:

• Whistle → Bring everyone to the center circle

• Re-state today’s focus and goals

• Ask: “Are we at our standard? What would this drill look like if we were?”

• Optional - short burst of accountability (e.g., quick sprints or line touches)

Key Takeaway: Great teams don’t avoid off days — they recover from them faster. Model composure and teach your players how to reset, too.

Source: How To Run Championship Practices With Nate Steege

4) Make Core Values a Part of Every Practice

Culture doesn’t build itself — you build it every day through repetition and reinforcement.

Keep your core values front and center & make them stick:

• Keep it to 3–5 values (e.g., Positive Energy, Great Effort, Be Meticulous, Own It, Be Selfless).

• Put them on shirts/whiteboard. Reference them during live play: “That was Own It,” “We need Positive Energy this rep.”

• Let your players be part of the process of choosing your core values. Share them with parents & other stakeholders.

Coach’s Tip: Involve your players when choosing your values. When they help create them, they’ll live them — not just recite them.

Source: The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber

5) Coach the “Why” to Build IQ

Players perform better when they understand why they’re doing something — not just how.

Every drill in your practice should answer one question: “When does this show up in a game?”

Design for transfer

• Replace empty reps with purposeful reps: small-sided, advantage/disadvantage, clear reads.

• Ask questions and provide immediate and direct feedback.

• When players know the why (not just the what), they’ll be able to use it in games without your voice.

• When you continually add mental challenges to practice, it stimulates players and keeps it fresh.

Coach’s Cue: When players know the why, they self-correct faster — and that’s what makes practice learning stick.

Source: 3v3 Drills For Offense And Defense With Nick LoGalbo

Quick Reference: Practice-Planning Cheat Sheet

• Start fast: high tempo, competitive drill.

• Align philosophy with team ID: are we practicing what we want to do in games, or are we just doing a drill we like?

• Use resets: remind yourself to use a reset if things slip. You can also give players the ability to call a “timeout” to regroup if they feel practice standards slipping.

• Repeat core values: put your core values on your practice plan where they are visible to you as a reminder to seek them out every day.

• Teach the why: build IQ through teaching the why. You can pre-plan questions to ask players to see if they are understanding the core concepts.

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, It Makes Permanent

You know what type of team you want to create. Is your practice environment allowing that to happen?

If you use the five tips above, you’ll be well on your way to molding a team with great habits & excellent practices. And that means a great season!

And if you’re looking for more great practice tips and drills, check out:

How To Run Championship Practices With Ryan Schultz & How To Run Championship Practices With Nate Steege- Coach Schultz and Coach Steege share over 20 drills each that they’ve used to build state championship programs. The drills work at every level. In addition to the drills themselves, you’ll see candid footage of how an outstanding coach runs a high level practice. These two products are sure to make your practices more efficient & effective.