To be an effective finisher in basketball, smaller guards must have a variety of ways to get a shot off over a taller defender. When attacking a longer, more athletic shot-blocker, a floater is one of those ways that can be deceptive and effective. The two-foot quick floater will allow the ball handler to freeze the shot blocker before using a quick floater to finish over the top of the defender. The floater is not an easy shot and must be practiced with quality repetitions.
This basketball training video will break down all of the different details and teaching points that go into executing this move correctly. This is an excellent drill for smaller, quicker guards as they get into the paint and need to finish over a shot blocker.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Two Foot Quick Floater Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: One basketball and a dummy defender (optional).
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
Goals of the Drill
- Work on finishing at the basket with a quick floater over a helping shot blocker.
- Work on changing speeds with the dribble when coming over the ball screen.
- Work on changing the shot angle to get the floater off quicker.
Coaching Points
- The player must sell their moves before attacking.
- The better that they sell their move, the more space they will have.
- They must be tight and low coming off the ball screen.
- Have the player visualize the defender on their back to help work on sealing that defender.
- As this is happening, they need to keep their eyes up to read the defense.
- When attacking down the lane, the player must make the bigger defender believe they will try to go around them.
- This will cause the defender to stay back, which will allow the player to have space to get their floater off.
- The player must practice good floater habits, but at the same time, work on getting their floater off as quickly as they can.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- Set up the D-Man, chair, or dummy defender in the paint just above the basket.
- The player will start with the basketball out at the top of the key to the right or left of the lane.
- The player will begin by imagining coming off a ball screen, staying low and tight to the screen.
- Once they clear the screen, they need to hesitate to seal the imaginary defender on their back.
- After that, they will sell that they will make a move around the help defender before quickly finishing with a two-foot floater.
- This completes one repetition.
Recommended Time, Steps, Scoring, Repetitions
- You can do this drill for a set number of reps, makes, or time. Depending on the age and level of the player, you can increase or decrease the amounts. Just make sure that it is an equal number for both sides.
- If you have multiple players, have them continue to cycle through the drill. Also, with multiple players, you could turn the drill into a challenge where players keep track of their makes. Have players count their makes out loud.
- To make this drill more game-like, add a dummy defender to be in the help and have the ball handler read what that help defender does. They will have to decide to shoot the floater or drive around them.
Two Foot Quick Floater Basketball Drill
This basketball finishing drill is an excellent way for smaller players to add another move to their arsenal that will allow them to get a basket over a bigger, more athletic defender. There are many aspects of being an offensive player that must be mastered to get the desired result, and this drill will cover all of them. It will work on using the ball screen correctly to get ahead of the on-ball defender, changing pace to get that defender on their back before, and then freezing the help defender.
Make sure that the player uses this drill for quality repetitions. A floater is not an easy shot and can be a low percentage shot if not done precisely. Stress technique and your players will have another move to go to score in the paint.
