Basketball Post Move Drills

As basketball begins to shift towards a positionless sport, it seems like a true post player is becoming rarer and rarer. And, while the position may be adapting, there is still a ton of value in a player dominating the post. A quality post player adds a whole new dynamic to a team, which is exactly what these basketball post move drills are going to work on.

On offense, post players create more scoring opportunities through post-ups, screens, etc. On defense, they can anchor the team defense and clean up the boards. And, while this all sounds great, it doesn’t just happen. Quality post players must be developed.

These post-move basketball drills will provide everything that a post player needs to develop. These post-move basketball drills will cover it all, from low post moves to playing out of a screen to running the floor.

And, these basketball drills aren’t just for centers or forwards either. There are plenty of post-up opportunities for wing players and guards as well. Players of all positions need to play with their back to the basket and learn to face up in the mid-range.

Here is a general rule of thumb when playing in the post. If your defender is smaller than you, start with your back to the basket and look to back them down. If you are smaller and quicker than your defender, face them up before making a move. The goal is to use your strengths against their weaknesses to get a quality shot or finish.

Basketball Post Move Drills for Coaches

Pretty much any time the ball can go inside to the paint area and then back out, your team’s offense is going to end up with a good look. A great way to get the ball inside is to have a good post-up player, which doesn’t always have to be your center.

If your post player is a threat to score on the block, the defense will be put in a difficult situation. The defense will either have to stay home and allow the post player go one on one, or they will have to send help and leave one of the other players open for a kick-out shot. The only way this happens, though, is if you develop your post players and make them a threat to score when they get the ball.

These post-move drills will give you everything you need to develop your players into a dominant post presence. Also, regardless of the style you play, there will be post drills for you to use. There are transition post drills as well as half-court drills.

Also, there are multiple areas of post-development to consider. So along with working on these specific post move drills, make sure to check out our other drill categories. Our basketball rebounding drills and basketball competition drills are both going to have some more quality post-development resources. If you are looking for the breakdown of some of these moves, visit our basketball fundamentals section.

Basketball Post Move Drills for Players

A big misconception about posting up on the block is that you have to be a big man to do it. However, that is not true, and you see more and more guards learning to post up on the block and mid-range area.

If you are a bigger wing that struggles to get around quicker guards, then adding some post moves to your game is almost a must. Use your size, strength, footwork, and moves to get yourself a quality shot. You will add a ton of value to your game if you can add some post-up moves to it.

These post-move basketball drills will teach you how to do the duck in post-move, leg whip, and more to master the block area. They will teach you everything you need to know when reading the defender and then making the correct move.

Basketball Post Move Drills Teaching Points

As it goes with most things, the better you can understand post play and everything that goes into it, the more effective it will be. So along with taking advantage of all of the post-move basketball training videos offered below, here are some teaching points that you should focus on as well. They will help you to be able to master the details of these different post moves and better understand when to use them.

Positioning and Timing

A big part of playing in the post in basketball is positioning. If a player can catch the ball right next to the basket and then drop step finish, they will have a much higher percentage finish. On the flip side, if the defense can push the offensive post player out away from the basket, it drastically lowers finishing percentages. This means that before a player catches the ball in the post, they must fight to get a deep catch. To do this, they must perfect their timing. If they try to fight for positioning too early, the post defender will have time to ride them out. If they go too late, the timing of the pass will be off, and the player making the pass may not be able to enter the ball. A good post duck in needs to be on time and in a good position.

Read the Defense

Once a post player gets the ball, they must read the defense. This starts with reading how their defender is guarding them and what the help is doing. A good post player must account for both if they want to get a high-quality shot or finish. Once they have read the defense, they can determine what move or countermove they want to use. And, where there will be times when a post player can go quick finish, most of the time they are going to need to catch, read, and then go.

Simplify Your Moves

It is better to be great at a few different moves than just okay at a bunch of moves. So rather than spending your time switching back and forth between all of the different moves, spend time mastering a move before continuing on. Start with a quality jump hook and jump hook counter, and then move on to more advanced finishes. Also, most of the more advanced moves use aspects of the basic post moves. So the better you can master the basics, the better you will be at the other post moves.

Quality Repetition

Most of these post moves are going to take a soft touch around the basket. To develop that soft touch, quality repetition is going to be a must. Whether it is shooting the basketball, finishing around the basket, etc., if a post player wants to be great at a particular move, they must be willing to put in the time. As a basketball coach, if you want your post players to be dominant, you need to develop them.

Work on Both Hands

A good post player needs to be able to finish with either hand well. If not, the defense will recognize this and then will always force them to their weak hand. So when working on all of these different basketball post move drills, spend the needed time working on both hands. If a basketball player is struggling with their off-hand, spend even more time working on it. A dominant post player must be confident in using both of their hands.

Be Willing to Give the Ball Up

The better a basketball player is in the post, the more the defense will be focusing on helping. This means double teams and over helping by the defense. As a post player, you must make the defense pay when this happens and keep them honest. If you can pass out of the post well, then the defense will be hesitant to help or double, and this means that you will have room to operate. So as a post player, you must be balanced in your attack and be willing to give the ball up if necessary.