Skill of the Week

Many people say that basketball is over coached and under taught. In light of that, every week I have a 5-10 minute segment during practice called the "skill of the week. Each week a skill is picked that I think needs to be learned or worked on. We then focus on that skill for the entire week during that 5-10 minute segment depending on which skill it is. I make sure on the first day to really break it down and slowly teach the skill then build drills and such into it.
If it's a skill we are struggling on, I may come back to it on another week These are little things that I work on every day in practice during the year anyway (even when they are not the skill of the week), but really try to focus on for a week to make sure they are taught as best they can be. For some players, unless the drill really focuses on a given skill, they are not going to understand it. Just because these aren't the skill of the week every other week doesn't mean they aren't being taught however, you don't just forget about them. Below is a list of my skills of the week, if any of you have any to add, I would appreciate it!

Setting Screens
Using Screens
Reading Screens
Screen and Roll
Defending the Screen and Roll
Defending Screens
Basket Cutting
Back Cutting
Bumping a Cutter
Offensive Rebouding - How to Crash
Loose Balls - what to do once you get one
Jab Step
Shot Fake
Shooting off the Catch
Getting Yourself Open
Post Entry Passing
Pass Fakes
Scoring Around the Rim
Taking a Charge
Outlet Passing
Inbounding the Basketball


There are a bunch, I know I've missed some. There is a giant list of mine somewhere with more I am sure. With only a given number of weeks in the season however, you have to pick and choose which ones you use. I think a lot of it has to do with the level of the team you are coaching and the skills of the players you are coaching. The more savvy the players, the more technical you can get, the more loopy, the simpler it has to be. Once again, see one I missed? Let me know