If you look at any of the great basketball post players in the game, you will quickly realize that they have a great command of the pivot foot. They can get the positioning that they want, and then they can read and exploit the defender with different pivot moves.
This basketball training video will break down the technique of using your pivot in the post and then also allow the player to get a lot of repetitions working on pivoting in the post. Although this is primarily a basketball post move drill, it can still be applied to guards. A great example of a guard that mastered the pivot would be Kobe Bryant.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Pivot Finish Basketball Post Drill
Equipment Needed: 1 basketball, one pad (optional), one passer, and one dummy defender.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Off the Block Basketball Post Drill
- Drop Step Post Move Basketball Drill
- High Low Post Up Basketball Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Work on finishing in the post with a pivot.
Coaching Points
- Stay low and athletic before you catch the ball all the way through to the finish.
- Check your inside shoulder before you attack and stay under control.
- Sell your shot fake every time and practice good habits.
- Make sure that the dummy defender is cheating one way or the other to give the player a read to what finish they are using.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- The post player is going to start on the block with a dummy defender on their back.
- The passer will start on the lane line with the ball.
- When the drill starts, the post player will allow themselves to get slightly pushed off of the block by the dummy defender as they post up, and the passer will dribble over to the wing to enter the pass.
- The post player will catch the ball, chin it, and check their inside shoulder.
- From here, you can work on four different types of pivot moves; attack to the middle shot fake step through finish, attack to the middle drop step counter shot fake step through, attack to the middle shot fake double-pivot finish, and attack to the middle drop step counter shot fake double pivot.
- You can work on each of these moves one at a time, call out which move each time or have the post player try to read and make the correct move depending on how the dummy defender is guarding them.
