About this episode

The episode discusses how to enhance basketball drills to improve player decision-making and basketball IQ.

teachhoops.com Episode Title: Are Your Drills Teaching Players to Read… or Just Run to Spots? Every coach wants smarter players — better decisions, better shot selection, better reads, and better basketball IQ. But too often, practices are filled with drills where players already know exactly what to do. In this episode, Coach breaks down how to turn ordinary drills into decision-making drills that actually transfer to games. Players do not become better decision-makers by running routes. They become better decision-makers by making decisions. If practice is too clean, too scripted, and too predictable, players may look good in drills but struggle when the game gets messy. A drill can look organized and still fail to transfer. The ball moves perfectly.The footwork looks good.The coach feels organized. But if there is no defender, no choice, and no consequence, there is no real read. That is rehearsal. Not basketball. Take drills you already run and add three things: 1) Add a DefenderNow the player has to see something. 2) Add a ChoiceNow the player has to decide. 3) Add a ConsequenceNow the decision matters. These three additions make practice more game-like. Instead of always…

People in this episode

Host: Coach

Topics covered

• basketball drills
• player decision-making
• coaching strategies
• basketball IQ
• practice techniques

Keywords

• basketball drills
• decision-making
• coaching
• practice
• basketball IQ

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teachhoops.com

More episodes of Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)

• Eo 1976 Building Championship Basketball: The Keys to Winning ( Part 1) · July 21, 2026 · 28 min
• Ep 1975 The World Just Watched 120 Minutes of 1-0 Soccer. But Sure, Basketball Needs a Shot Clock. · July 20, 2026 · 6 min
• Ep 1974 Are You Running a Basketball Team, or Leading a Choreography Troupe? · July 17, 2026 · 7 min
• Ep 1973 Teachhoops.com Coaching Call · July 16, 2026 · 22 min
• Ep 1972 The Sport Parent Confessions ( Hey Sammi) · July 15, 2026 · 8 min
• Ep 1971 Are You Delaying the Conversation Your Team Needs Most? · July 14, 2026 · 10 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast) podcast page.