Finishing around the basket with a soft touch is something that some players are naturally gifted with, while some players have to spend more time working at it. Regardless of whether a player is naturally gifted or not, they can always improve their finishing and touch around the basket.
It is also important that regardless of size or position, players are spending time finishing around the basket. Obviously, bigger guards or post players are going to get more opportunities at it, but that doesn’t mean that smaller guards can’t be working on finishing around the basket as well and becoming elite at it. If you look at players like Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, and Chris Paul, you will see that they are all high-level finishers, even though they are some of the smallest players on the floor.
This basketball drill will allow a player to get a lot of quick quality finishing reps around the basket. The finishes will also come from multiple different angles and develop both hands equally at the same time, allowing players to develop confidence in both hands. The two basketballs will also help the player improve their hand-eye coordination as well. So along with finishing, this is a great drill to help develop a player’s hands.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Two Ball Same Side Mikan Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: Two basketball and a hoop.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Mikan Basketball Drill
- Two-Ball Mikan Basketball Drill
- Two-Ball Same Side Hook Shot Mikan Basketball Drill
- Two-Ball Same Side Facing Out Mikan Basketball Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Work on finishing around the basket from a variety of different angles.
- Practice coming into finishes with a variety of different footwork.
- Develop touch and confidence around the basket.
- Develop light and quick feet when finishing.
- Get a bunch of quality finishing repetitions in a short period of time.
Coaching Tips
- Players need to do their best to get a good rhythm going.
- A big part of the drill is touch, so make sure that the player controls the basketball up and finishes with a soft touch each time.
- Footwork needs to be light and quick, so make sure that you are holding your players accountable.
- A great way to tell if a player is heavy-footed is the sound that their feet are making during the drill.
- If a player has light, quick feet, you won’t really hear them at all.
- Challenge players to get out of their comfort zone and go at a speed that will push them to get better.
Basketball Drill Directions
- The player will start with a basketball in each hand on the right side of the basket.
- When the drill starts, the player will jump off of their left foot and lay up the basketball in their right hand.
- They will then pass the basketball in their left hand to their right hand, rebound the first basketball out of the net with their left hand, and then repeat the layup motion with their right hand.
- The player will continue this pattern for the desired amount of repetitions or time.
- After completing the desired reps or time, they will switch sides of the basket and the hand they finish with.
- You can also do this drill, jumping off the same foot as the hand you are laying the ball up with.
Recommended Time, Steps, Scoring, and Repetitions
- The player can work on layups with traditional footwork or same foot, same hand finishes. Both are going to be great for working on finishing from different angles.
- The drill can go for a set amount of time, a set number of shots, or a set number of makes. A set number of makes is typically the best way to do it as it gives the player a goal to aim for. Typically ten total makes per type of finish is a good number to set.
- Another way you could do it as well is to have every miss be worth a negative point. For example, if the player has already made four and misses, they now only have three total makes.
- If you have multiple players going at the same time, you could do a challenge to see who can reach a certain number of makes first.
Two-Ball Same Side Mikan Basketball Drill Conclusion
Finishing around the basket with a soft touch is very similar to shooting a basketball, in that you need first to learn the right way to do it and then spend hours and hours developing quality muscle memory. With the Two Ball Same Side Mikan Basketball Drill, players will be able to get a ton of quality repetitions in a very short period of time. Within 5-10 minutes and a few sets, players will be able to get close to fifty finishes around the basket.
This is going to be huge when it comes to being able to get quality repetitions. So whether you are looking for a basketball finishing drill for a small group or something to start your practices with, this is a great basketball drill that you can use. It is also a great drill for any position. You can use this as a basketball post move drill or with your guards and wing players.
