(Rental)-Skill Development Drills

Open Practice: Skill Development Drills

Michigan State basketball and NCAA tournament runs almost go hand-in-hand. Spartans head coach Tom Izzo is well-known for getting his teams to perform their best near the end of each season. It is a testament to Coach Izzo’s player development throughout the season. In this video, you have the opportunity to get an up-close look at how Izzo develops the skills needed for his program to make deep postseason runs. You will see players perform a variety of individual position-specific and team drills to improve their basketball skills

Ball Handling and Attacking the Basket

In this open practice environment, you will see eight different practice drills used by Coach Izzo to improve a variety of basic basketball skills. You will see drills like the following:

• Daily Dozen Drill: Works on several ways to finish at the rim so that players get used to beating shot blockers.
• Garland Ball Handling Drill: The entire team works on dribble moves with an emphasis on getting as many reps as possible in a short amount of time.
• Three-Man Shooting: This is Coach Izzo’s favorite drill. Perimeter and post players work to maintain proper spacing off of dribble penetration and ball screens to get open shots.

Position-Specific Shooting Drills

Players need to practice the shots they will take in games. Coach Izzo has guards work on taking jump shots while running the floor in transition. They work on their footwork in order to pull up under control off the dribble or when on the move. Guards also work on shots off of dribble handoffs and spacing off of dribble penetration.

Post players work on developing a number of moves from the high and low post. You will see post players demonstrate scoring from the block and rip moves from the high post. Posts also work on their mid-range jump shots in transition or off of flashes into the paint.

Coach Izzo has run one of the nation’s elite programs for many years. The keys to its success come down to consistent player development. Izzo shows you exactly how you can develop players by learning the magic behind Michigan State’s success.