3 Tips for Structuring Your Practices Plus, Free Practice Plans

Now that your team has a few games under their belt, your practices will start to look a little different from the first few weeks of the season. Because of all of the challenges and successes to come, it's important to follow a set progression so you can keep your players engaged and easily update your practice plans to match where your team is at in the season.

The process of creating the perfect practice progression is tough for coaches of all levels. Which is why "How do I maximize practice and how should  they evolve and be molded throughout the entire season?" is the most frequently asked questions from coaches.

Here are 3 of the biggest tips for coaches when it comes to putting together effective practice planning and staying flexible throughout the season.

1. Understand Talent Level and Expectations

Take the time to evaluate your returning players and the new players on the team not just at the beginning of the season, but throughout.

One of the most important things to remember is that each year is a new opportunity! Make sure to give every player the benefit of the doubt and for your returning guys make sure not to box them into the role they may have had the season before. You never know the amount of work a player has put in during the off-season or outside of dedicated practices, so giving them the opportunity to present this to you is crucial.

And when it comes to expectations, set goals based on your initial evaluation of returning and new talent. This will help set the bar for the year and will create a goal in which players can try to reach and achieve. Short term goals that lead into long term goals can be the best way to do this. These goals will help keep team moral high and also account for the ups and downs during the season. 

2. Managing and Maximizing Time

With so many things that need to be worked on, practice planning can get overwhelming. You continuously have to tweak the amount of time you dedicate for skills development, competitive drills, and implementing offensive/defensive systems based on your team's talent and the goals you set for your individual players.

Here are examples of how much time you should dedicate to the different elements based on a 2 hour practice. Plus, FREE practice plans you can print out.

• Skill Development - Shooting, Ball-Handling, Post Play (30 min)
  • Take about 15 minutes at the beginning of practice to get players warmed up and ready to go. If you want to focus on accountability for the year, set the expectation for your players to show up early and warm-up on their own so every minute of practice time can be maximized.
  • Next, separate your players by position to work on specific skill development. This is a great opportunity to not only develop skill but also replicate game-like scenarios and situations players will be in. Now with only a few coaches, maximizing your time here can be tricky. And one answer to bridge the gap between time saved and getting in quality reps? Utilizing the Dr. Dish CT+!
  • Not only can your guards get up game-like reps, your post players can receive a consistent pass from the outside and finish at the hoop with the CT+'s Patented Swivel Net System.
• Competitive/Conditioning Drills (45 min)
  • Competitive team drills are a great way to find out who should be out on the floor while getting your players into shape. Utilizing Small Sided Games can help create game-like play and get your offense and defense involved. These games are fast paced so if you find your players to be out of shape, make sure to take some time to add in conditioning drills at the end of practice.
  • If you're looking for a variety of Small Sided Games shooting drills to use, check out our Small Sided Games Vol. 1, 2, and 3 from Coach Tony Miller. And if you're in need of new conditioning drills, get 10 free drills from our Conditioning Drill Book.
• Implementing Systems/5 on 5 play (45 min)
  • Towards the end of your practices you should aim to focus on general offense so your players can continue getting more comfortable with your styles and plays while also playing freely. From there, incorporate man to man and zone defense so you can see what works best for your team.

To help you stay organized, we created FREE In-Season practice plan sheets. Download below to start creating your team's practice progression and get ahead on practice planning for 2025.

3. Shifting Your Focuses

This point in the season might be a little early, but as you and your team continue to get a feeling for overall chemistry and the playbook, don't forget to make time for adjustments and critical decisions.

Here's an example of how you can plan your practices in the middle and towards the end of the season.

• Skill Development/Competitive Drills (30-45 min)
  • Skill development and maintaining skill throughout the season is a huge piece for a success. As the season progresses, fine tune plays and prepare for certain opponents. Pull out your Dr. Dish shooting machine more frequently to ensure your players are still getting up reps. Even set practice-specific goals to keep your players motivated and working hard.
  • Even though roles might be established, incorporate competitive drills so that players don't get lazy in their roles or lose their competitive spirit.
• Fine Tune Plays/5 on 5 Play (30-45min)
  • Most teams will scout and typically start to play better defense better as the season progresses. You'll also want your team to be able to run the offense beyond the 2nd and 3rd option. If there are plays that don't fit your team, give rid of them and look to add in a few new ones to keep your opponents guessing.
  • Your players should be comfortable with your coaching style and expectations at this point so don't forget to emphasis the details of each practice and continue to fine tune.
  • You'll also want to start implementing special situations and end-of-game scenarios within your practices to start preparing for playoffs. Check out our Game Winning Plays Playbook for 10 free plays that can easily be incorporated.
• Opponent Preparation/Team Weaknesses (30-45min)
  • Opponent preparation has continued to grow and become more important. While you may not be a coach that focuses on scouting opponents, it might be a good idea to implement this into your practice schedule. Actual on-court opponent preparation and paper scouting packets can be great options, especially if your team isn't used to scouting. The time spent on this can be flexible depending on the opponent and day of the week. The closer you get to game day, the more time you should dedicate.
  • Watching game film can also help recognize some potential weaknesses. Focus on weaknesses like players hustling to spots, making the correct reads, or even the ways your team is defending. Once recognized, you can spend some time to addresses these and be more prepared for success.

Remember, it's always better to prepare to be flexible and allow your team to carve out their own path. We hope these tips and downloadable sheets help you and your team be the best they can be this season!

If you're looking for new resources to help keep your practices fun and your playbook fresh and effective, check out our Featured Coaching Resources page.