Advantage Basketball Camps Building Block Drill #1 – Front To Back

The player pushes the ball forward from behind the ball, then pulls the ball backward with their hand in front of the ball. The basketball is kept low to the ground. The arm motion should be like that of a person rolling a bowling ball.

A. Keep your body facing forward. Knees are slightly bent.

B. Feet are together, pointed straight ahead. Move one foot forward (one step). This foot/leg movement should match the movement of your hand on that side. Right hand, right leg forward. Or left hand, left leg forward.

C. Bounce the ball forward and backward keeping it in a straight line. 

D. Head is up, eyes are looking forward.

This skill is particularly useful when attacking the defender's lead foot. You want to get the defender to pick up his lead foot and drop step as you attack forward. Then, as you are pulling back the defender will pick up that same foot to come back. You now have him off balance and can burst past him the direction you want to go. The defender must put that foot back down, shift his weight, then pick the foot back up and drop step. This all happens very fast, but not fast enough for the defender, because you are already past him.

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