Basketball Drills: Finishing Through Contact

As a post player, you’re naturally going to face pressure on your way to the basket. Prepare for that defensive contact with this drill to help you become game-ready.

Former Princeton center and current DICK’S Sporting Goods Associate Bob Garbade knows that in order to make a shot down low, you’ll have to deal with a ton of physical contact. What you need is a ball and two teammates or friends. This drill tends to favor post players, but can also help guards who tend to shoot a lot of layups.

To set this drill up, place a teammate within the key and near the basket and make sure they are facing the bench. The other teammate should be placed directly facing the first teammate, but they should be about five or six feet apart. Next, they’ll want to raise their hands up and place them so that their fingers are almost touching. It will look like they’re attempting a double high-five.

To start the drill, get in a low, athletic stance and dribble one or two times toward your teammates. When you get between them, you’ll attempt a layup while pushing your torso up and powering through their hands while making sure they don’t knock the ball out of your own. This simulates two defenders as they try to block your shot. Your goal should be to make five layups in a row.

As you get more advanced, your teammates should try to simulate fouling you by coming down hard on your arms.

When you master this drill, you’ll be able to finish stronger, finish through hard contact and get two points the old fashioned way.